A/N: This is another 'what could have happened if the monsters realized sooner that Haru needed help' situation with To Zing or Not To Zing

Bodyguard

Haru. Was. Done.

Beyond done!

Although she missed having the ability to discreetly look out the window and let her mind wander a little during a lecture she was sure wasn't going to be on a test, it was a small comfort to at least be out of sight from anyone outside her classroom.

Still, it wasn't going to be enough for long. Volleyball was coming up next period, which meant that her class would be going up to the roof. She miserably concluded that even with the fence, it would be an easier place for the werecats to harass her.

If she could only get in contact with Count Dracula! If anyone had a stake in keeping things calm between humans and monsters, it was him! But no, Thiris was unfortunately clever enough to block her phone. If Hiromi wasn't taking the situation so personally, or if she thought another student would let her do it, she'd try again with one of their phones inside a bathroom where Thiris was less likely to catch on and throw another obstacle in her path. What if she went down to the secretary's office and pretended to have lost her phone?

No, she'd give herself away as soon as she asked for Count Dracula, and it wouldn't be a good idea to give vague hints and drive whoever answered the phone up the wall and risk getting hanged up on.

There just had to be something she could do about those idiots before they ruined her life for good!

The door slid open, making her ears unconsciously flick back at the sudden sound. She wheeled around worriedly as half of the class also turned to see the intruder.

Hashema-san was entering with a paper-covered box she was just able to carry with one arm. "Sorry about this, Juno-sensei, but the one that delivered this wouldn't stop insisting that it be delivered immediately."

He slammed his eraser down in frustration. "Just hand it to Haru," he groaned without needing further information.

"How did you know it was for her?" Hashema-san asked curiously as Haru forced herself out of her seat.

"Oh, didn't you know? Everything's about Haru anymore!" Machida said sarcastically, which was a little strange since he had also tried to get in on the fun.

'Or he's upset that I didn't give him a chance, but that bitter? I guess it's a better thing than I thought about turning him down.' Haru shook the thought off since she had already nipped that in the bud, and he was the only guy that had taken 'no' for an answer in all of this.

"It's not like it's my idea," Haru grumbled. She was planning on treating the box with the same disdain as the flowers, but then her eyes picked out a very interesting detail.

Although the box was wrapped in brown paper like an old-fashioned parcel, someone had taken the trouble to ink in tiny bats at every single corner of the box.

"I'll open it out in the hall," Haru decided, carefully taking the box.

"Oh, just open it in here," Hiromi snapped. "Save us the trouble of finding out on the news again."

Haru looked at the teacher hoping for some backup, but he gave her a hand motion saying that he wanted her to open it in front of him, too. She sighed and prayed that her instincts were correct as she set the box back on her desk and ripped the brown paper off. The box within was black and tied with a magenta bow, though there was a letter bearing her name partially tucked under the bow. The penmanship was much more beautiful than any she'd seen in years.

She eagerly opened it while mentally saying a prayer, though the sight of a credit card confused her a little.

Dear Miss Yoshioka:

I've received word from friends in Japan that some of the more foolish werecats are causing you unjust trouble. I have set things in motion to get rid of their presence in your life, and I hope that they haven't permanently damaged your opinion of monsters.

But until you can be guaranteed safety, I hope you won't mind having my familiar as a bodyguard. Bunnicula may not look intimidating, but I assure you he's more than effective and will be able to answer further questions if you don't mind using texts to understand him. The card is to cover his food expenses (fruit and vegetables, I assure you), and he's perfectly fine with a spare pillow. Just keep him fed and out of the sunlight; he'll take care of the rest.

Deepest regards,

Count Dracula

Haru's tears of relief made it a little hard to finish reading, but she still got the gist.

"Well? What does your newest suitor have to say for himself?" Mai sneered, though she seemed a little unnerved that Haru was showing an emotion other than disdain or annoyance.

"It's not from a suitor," Haru announced happily, tucking the credit card into her vest pocket before pulling on the magenta ribbon. "Count Dracula's sent me a bodyguard to keep the creeps away."

Mitsuku screamed and stumbled out of her seat since she was right in front of Haru's new spot. "Don't let it out! It's a trap!"

Haru lifted the lid, and just about melted on the spot.

Since she didn't know a bunch of terms for rabbits, she couldn't help but immediately identify the black and white fur as tuxedo with just the right markings for her to have believed his name would be Bunnicula even if he were an ordinary rabbit. The hour was close to noon, so he was sleeping and cuddling a cell phone, attached charger, and a large withered carrot. Two puncture marks on the carrot made it very clear why it was drained and withered.

'Even Mom can't protest if he only drains produce Dracula pays for!' Haru put the lid back on with the biggest, silliest grin on her face before any other students could get a look at him. "It looks like everything's going to be just fine," she announced happily as she tried to slip the box into her desk.

It was a little big for that, so she settled for keeping one leg in the alleyway so she could balance the box on it.

"Well? What's in there?!" Hiromi demanded.

"Maybe we should focus on the lesson," Haru replied calmly, mostly because it was hard not to get annoyed with how Hiromi had been treating her since finding out that the werecats wanted Haru instead of herself. 'If she won't treat me like a friend right now, then she can wait to find out anything.' "He's sleeping, and it's probably not a good idea waking up even a little monster."

That snapped her teacher to a sudden awareness, making him hurriedly direct everyone's attention back to the lesson. Haru was surprised that she was able to pay better attention than before, but maybe keeping one leg and hand balancing the nice black box was enough to keep her awake and alert.

When lunch hour was finally announced, Haru couldn't jump out of her seat fast enough. Gripping only her bento box and her bodyguard's box, she ran down two hallways until reaching a classroom she knew would be empty. She slipped the door shut behind her and stayed perfectly quiet until she could hear the handful of students that had been following her and begging for a look were long gone. 'If they're going to be hostile or neutral, then none of them don't deserve a look.'

She made herself comfortable underneath the teacher's desk as a precaution before opening her bento box and then her bodyguard's.

This time, he was rubbing one large red eye and grumbling a little in a language she couldn't understand before looking up at her.

"Sorry about the run," she apologized while offering him the mix of celery, carrots and cucumber slices that were going to be her side dish. "I hope this makes up for waking you up too soon."

His large red eyes lit up at the offering, and he hungrily began chomping two at a time with his tiny fangs and sucking their juices out within seconds. He'd then flick the dried remains off and then choose two more veggies until there was only a pile of dried, withered remains that looked like they were several weeks past their due dates.

Haru wasn't sure if it was a wise move, but the little rabbit was so adorable she couldn't resist rubbing his head affectionately between his long floppy ears.

He leaned into her touch with a blissful smile and a contented sigh.

"You wouldn't believe how happy I am to meet you, Bunnicula. I really needed a friend, and well…" she sent a glare at direction of the door when it sounded like her classmates had given up and were going back to their own classroom. Her heart just about stopped when one of them thought to open the door, but her exact placement gave the illusion that no one was within.

"Just what's so special about her, anyway?" Hiromi grumbled as she slid the door shut and continued on her way.

Bunnicula growled deep in his throat, not needing to hear more.

"Exactly," Haru whispered, although she was surprised at the tone of someone who had been her best friend for three years.

Hiromi had been almost her sister; shouldn't she be one of the first people to know why guys might want her? Not that she was convinced that the werecats actually wanted her; this entire mess stank of a competition and nothing else.

If Hiromi ultimately wanted to be a trophy that werecats fought over, more power to her, but such a fate had no appeal to the one that actually had to suffer through it.

Almost like he could read her thoughts, Bunnicula gave her a stubborn look before hopping onto her chest, burying his face against her neck and beginning a purr that was almost as soothing as a cat's.

She melted all over again, clutching onto that rabbit like an anchor in the storm. "I don't fully understand what makes you a great bodyguard, but I know Count Dracula won't take a situation like this lightly. I bet all of you were relieved to come out of hiding."

He made a sound that very much sounded like 'uh huh!' while rubbing his face into her neck a little more while increasing his purr.

Haru still thought carefully over the matter while she chewed on her fish taco. "You know, I think the sun's the biggest problem with the arrangement. I get the feeling you can move around pretty freely at night, but not so much in the daytime. Hey, what are your thoughts about me making you a cape?"

Bunnicula gasped and held his tiny paws to his face, which was now split into a wide grin no mortal rabbit could have accomplished.

"Should have brought pen and paper," Haru muttered to herself while pulling out her phone to search for 'vampire capes'.

Much to her amusement, Bunnicula hopped off her lap to charge his own phone and play on it, possibly looking for capes as well, though he was careful to avoid the sunlight streaming in through one window.

"I'm a quiltmaker's daughter, so a cape for you wouldn't be hard at all," she assured him while showing him a picture that looked promising.

He hummed while rubbing his chin. "Nuh uh," he dismissed while he searched his own phone.

She did the same. "You know what might make it even easier? Let's say we find a design with a generous hood and a strap along the back so I can carry you like a purse and you can sleep, but if trouble comes, you just roll around a bit and be able to see and do things without frying like an egg?"

"Ooh!" he approved of the idea, showing her a picture on his own phone.

Haru studied it carefully. It was gorgeous, and the lining was almost patchwork, but set in a cobweb design that flowed out to become part of the design of the cape itself! "That would take more time, but I'm pretty sure I can do it in two or three nights since you're so little. Would Dracula get upset if we use your card for the supplies I need? I cleaned out my savings for bomb ingredients."

Bunnicula shook his head, pointing his phone back at himself to type something out before showing her again. It almost startled her that he was even faster at it than she was.

I'll explain the safety reasons to him. My formal capes are plain, and I want to make him jealous when he sees me in a cape better than his.

"You evil little furball," she couldn't resist laughing while picking him up and hugging him again. "I think you're just what the doctor ordered."

At that, he began purring happily again.

Hey, Griffon? Tell Drac that Haru's safe and would have rolled out a red carpet for me if she had one. I have no idea which one of us won the other one over first, but he's not to raise a fuss about the sun-proof cape she's making me.

Baron. Have I got some things to tell you about your Zing!