Blood drips steadily from my fingers as I watch the inugami turn its gaze on me. Three long lines brandish the underside of its jaw, raw and red from my pathetic cat scratch. I should have gone deeper, but my rushed efforts to try and save Kubinashi had overpowered my thoughts of landing a critical hit on the beast.

And now its eyes are on me.

"You foolish girl!" It snaps, its fangs dyed red with Kubinashi's blood, "I told you not to interfere!"

With a burst of speed, the disembodied head suddenly rushes at me, malice in its manic eyes. I barely have enough time to raise my arms in defense let alone try and dodge the attack. Except...its snapping jaws fall just short of chomping off my nose. It takes me a second of staring down the dog's snout before I finally notice the slivers of red crisscrossing its fur, a spider web of string keeping the creature just out of reach from me. I instinctively turn my gaze away from Inugami and to the side of the stage, where sure enough Kubinashi stands upright, the thick thread tangled within his fingers and secured between his teeth.

A small smile slips from my lips. This is the second time Kubinashi has saved me with his string, now.

Inugami, finally realizing that his prey isn't dead, turns to Kubinashi with wide eyes.

"You-! You're not Rikuo Nura!"

"No, but I am!"

From the second floor, a figure jumps up onto the railings and launches itself down onto the stage. A katana is held high over his head as Rikuo joins the fight, finally revealing himself to the demon dog.

Realizing it's been trapped, the dog head starts to thrash around in a struggle to get free of the string. But with every jerking movement it makes, the thread only seems to grow tighter against its skin.

With Kubinashi in one direction, me in the other, and Rikuo quickly approaching with a weapon raised, I can see the panic flash in the demon's eyes. We have him, and he knows it. Finally, we can put this show to rest without anyone else getting hurt.

As it turns out, no sooner do I think this does something strange start to happen to the dog head. It starts swelling like a balloon, bloating up in a mass of fur and flesh. I have to jump back before I get knocked over by its sheer size, and even Kubinashi shows signs of struggle as he attempts to keep his lock on the monsters head.

Rikuo lands on the platform's edge just as a chorus of yells rises up from the crowd of students. Inugami's discarded body that had previously been clutched in Aotobi's grip has also swelled up into massive proportions, now almost four times its original size. It too has taken on a dogged appearance, with long limbs and a bushy tail that threatens to sweep the surrounding students off their feet with its every sway.

A loud twang signals Kubinashi's string has finally snapped, releasing its hold on the demon head.

From this point on, utter chaos ensues.

Now not only do we have to worry about the head of the dog and its sharp teeth, but with every move the body makes, parts of the school gym begin to fall apart and threaten to crush the students.

"What the hell is this thing?!" Aotobi yells out as he makes his way to the stage, ducking under a swipe from the wild dog's paw. "It won't stop growin'!"

Tsurara and the others also rush to the stage to join us, unsure of what they should do now that the initial plan has failed.

"Katsumi-san!" A webbed hand wraps around my wrist and yanks me to the side right as the demon's tail comes sweeping through the air. I avoid the swipe by inches and stumble to steady myself, snapping my attention to the one who'd just pulled me out of harm's way.

"Ah, thanks." I nod to Kappa, a little surprised that it had been him. I don't think he's even ever talked to me, let alone said my name. He simply nods and releases his rubbery grip on my wrist.

"What should we do now, Rikuo-sama?" Tsurara asks anxiously.

"I- I don't-"

Rikuo is cut off by a large paw cracking down on the floorboards beside him. Inugami reaches out a clawed foot and grips the top of its own head, still floating above the stage and oozing blood everywhere. We watch in fascinated horror as it then proceeds to reattach its own head, sealing the clean-cut on its throat. I'm at a loss for words. Somehow it feels like cheating.

"What?! It just reattached its own head?!"

The demon turns its crazed gaze on Rikuo, strings of saliva slipping down from its lips.

"It's still after the Young Master!" Kubinashi exclaims, causing all of us to tense up and prepare to defend against the creature's attacks.

"Rikuo, you should get back where it's safer," I say quickly, tucking a hand under his arm and guiding him towards the back of our group, further away from the demon dog.

He allows me to pull him a few steps, but then firmly plants his feet and grips my hand on his arm, "Umi, you should get to safety first. Don't worry about me-"

It happens so fast my brain doesn't have time to register the next few seconds. One moment everyone is stood in front of us, ready to defend Rikuo, and the next they've all been swatted to the side like ragdolls. It only took one swipe of Inugami's paw to incarcerate everyone, and all I can do is stare in shock as the next swipe comes mine and Rikuo's way.

I feel a sensation of arms wrapping protectively around my midriff before all the air is knocked from my lungs, and I'm sent crashing to the side of the stage in a blur of colour. I manage to stay conscious for all of five seconds before the pain and shock takes over my systems and shuts me down. The last thing to fade from memory is the pair of arms still clutched tightly around my waist, holding me against another warm body as a faint waft of cherry blossoms rises to the air.