Haku had been silent the entire walk back to the Cathedral, looking around the part of the huge structure where Mary was assigned to stay for a year—it was a simple yet cozy space, her bedroom was upstairs by an overlooking attic. He noticed some decorations and girly displays assuming Mary placed it there to bring that customization feels and honestly he found it pleasingly aesthetic.

"Hey, I know we met before but I'm glad to see you okay" His hazel yellow eyes turned to Grim, the creature he labeled as an unidentifiable anomalous beast.

There was no casual friendly reply from Grim, only giving Haku a look up and down, his electric blue eyes gleaming with obvious disdain. He scoffed as he plopped onto the couch. "What are you here for again?" This green-haired guy decided to walk Mary back here after that scandalous moment with Tohma.

At the back of Grim's head, the large lone eyeball of the anomaly who cursed them was as clear as the sky. It didn't have any visible lips but damn he could sense it smiling, taunting him for being weak and not able to use his magic to its full potential. Sleeping was hard to do with this floating eyeball peering inside his head.

"I don't want to miss the chance of seeing Mary in her Pjs" A playful smile graced Haku's lips, he only felt more amusement seeing Grim riled up but he wouldn't tell if he was joking or not.

Grim shook his head, trying to rein in his anger. "What a damn lecher..." He murmured.

Ignoring the raccon-cat creature and leaving him to revel in his intense emotions and brooding, Haku went up to where the bedroom was—the redhead wasn't finished with her arranging things around her, she really wanted to feel at home.

Mary noticed him standing there and halted, "Why are you still here?" She raised a brow.

"Harsh," Haku feigned a hurt look, bringing a hand to his chest. "Just kidding but I want to see how you're doing, you only got here for a couple of days but you already looked a little off the color, Mary"

A mild frown contorted the redhead's face as she continue putting her knick knacks in the shelves. "Not everyone is exactly welcoming of us" She exhaled. "But luckily we will finally have our first mission tomorrow, the Frostheim Captain allowed us to join them"

A small smile curved up Haku's lips, he raised a hand to ruffle Mary's hair. "It will not be easy but I trust you will not go overboard and if you will need extra assistance, I'm always here, alright? I'm the one who practically kidnapped you..."

"Thanks Haku, appreciate it" Mary gave him a smile back, in her hands was a picture frame she was holding close to her chest and this did not go unnoticed to the tall male.

Haku tilted his head, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Hm? What's that?" The way Mary was holding it to her chest, to him, it seemed like whoever was in the picture held an important place in her heart. Someone she cherished.

The picture frame was indeed an important photo of people important to Mary, she took a quick small peek at it. A group picture Cater taken during their afternoon lunch picnic—Riddle was there next to Mary and Grim along with the other Heartslabyul members. "Nothing much, it's just an empty frame" She hurriedly returned it inside her bag.

"Ah, very well, I will be going" Haku nodded but he didn't believe her, finally leaving the Cathedral, there was an irritating coil of annoyance in his chest and a dread.

That picture was not nothing. Who were the people in those picture who meant a lot to Mary?

--

Dug, dug, dug, dug. Damn his heartbeat was going into a ballistic drumming while he accompanied Mary in getting a paperwork from Professor Hyde related to the mission they would tackle. Per the eccentric teacher, Jin and Tohma already had the details, it was an ongoing case but he gave them a new set of documents which had Mary, Lucas and Kaito included in the report.

"Kaito, are you alright? You look like you need to go the washroom..." Mary asked, noticing her company's pasty skin and constipated expression.

They were taking the path in the park after leaving the faculty office, Lucas had another errand to attend to that was why he wasn't around but Kaito didn't want him to—this was such a perfect opportunity to have a moment with Mary! While Grim was still in the Cathedral, sleeping.

Kaito quickly masked his nervousness with a laugh. "I am! Actually, I look forward to getting this mission started! What fun it's going to be, Mary?! We will go there together!" He declared with a fist up in the air while sweating.

"You do not have to hide it...you are nervous, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

"It's okay Kaito, I am too...I mean, the anomaly that attacked me and Grim was frightening, what more the others? This world is really more than what it entails in the surface"

They stopped walking for a moment, standing under a fancy lamp post. After Mary said those words, Kaito lose his comical facade, turning forlorn as he glanced at the redhead.

He scratched the back of his head, "Honestly I wish we can hang out more in a normal way not with a life-and-death case thrust in our palms. I have not been in any missions since I enrolled here, heck I didn't even know why I should be here in the first place. I'm not....I'm not like the other ghouls"

"Damn right you're not! Because you are a damn wimp! Spineless piece of shit!" From somewhere, the Frostheim junior that Yumiko always went out with came out, and with a flaring anger, he tackled Kaito onto the ground and began raining punches on his face.

Mary quickly recognized that he was the guy who also picked on her and Lucas in their class. She pulled on his arm to prevent him from punching Kaito again. "Stop it! I'll call the teachers if you don't!"

"Bitch, I'm not afraid! Call everyone if you want but it'll not stop me from beating your asses into pieces!" He pushed the redhead away and continued punching Kaito without hesitation, his anger reaching peaks. "Because of you, my girlfriend got expelled and lost her family's status! You low-class poor shits have no place in this school!"

Some students arrived, mostly from the general curriculum—as explained by the Chancellor before, they made up most of the academy's population, those who weren't ghouls but essential in helping in the world of anomalies. They began laughing and cheering while the guy beat Kaito.

"Aren't you extra special, Honor Student?" The Frostheim junior had a sarcastic smirk, his tone laced with venom as he glanced at Mary. "Why don't you do something about this huh?"

The forming crowd was only making it worse with their taunts instead of help placate the situation, Mary folded her hands into knuckles, she was seeing black and red due to the drive of anger at the way Kaito was being beaten.

"H-Hey, asshole...I am your opponent, don't turn your eyes on Mary" Kaito spoke through the heavy beating, his hands reaching up and he grabbed the guy's collar, headbutting him.

Gasps of surprise from everywhere at what he did, even the Frostheim junior was taken aback in pain. He groaned, holding his hand to his now reddish forehead. "Fuck! You spineless--"

"I will show you who is spineless" Kaito declared in a quiet yet murderous tone, with a bruised and wounded face, he got up and turned the tables against the guy.

Mary watched dumbfounded as Kaito kicked his upperclassman on the face, sending him onto the nearest wall. He grabbed a random vase displayed nearby, shattering it on the upperclassman's head.

There was nothing Kaito could hear at this moment but the ringing in his ears, everything was slow motion and gray. His past caught up to him with an intent to mock, to show him how much of a fragile unreliable boy he was—his grandmother entrusted a valuable necklace that he almost lose to Romeo if not with the help of Lucas. He always had help given to him but what if it was his turn to help? The thought of this bully turning his attention to Mary was the last straw to snap.

All the girls he tried approaching and asking out declined him, they had the same connotation of him in their heads. Kaito was a little boy, he was a 'damsel', a coward, and a trend chaser. He knew nothing beyond the surface.

The Frostheim upperclassman was almost unconscious and could barely get up after the hits he got from Kaito, the forming audience stepped back with wariness and also a hint of fear.

"Shit, didn't know he was a tough nut to crack"

"What was that...?"

"No way, was he just pretending to be weak all along?"

"He is just like the other ghouls, brash and chaotic!"

Screw these judgmental, shallow roaches. Kaito didn't need them, not anymore. He was tired of chasing after the wrong people to keep up. To keep up with what? Panting heavily, his narrowed blue eyes finally looked at a bewildered Mary, he walked closer, towering over the redhead.

Kaito stared at her face, "Hey, I'm sorry you have to see that..." Still overflowing with adrenaline rush, he held her shoulders with both hands and leaned down, placing a chaste kiss near her lips on the side.

--

Lucas made sure to finish his errand without missing anything, he wanted to join Kaito and Mary soon. This mission was making him feel excited; turning to the corridor, he saw some commotion with a few people crowding around someone and they also began leaving. He heard their whispers—bashing and hating Kaito, some were weirded out by his behavior.

Then he saw their upperclassman from Frostheim down on the ground with bruises and unconscious, he was that guy who picked on him and Mary, he was with Yumiko.

His lavender eyes found Kaito and Mary.

Kaito's lips pressed near Mary's. 

--

A/N: I know I made Kaito different here, just want to remind here again that I am not closely sticking to the game's routine, I'll be making my twists and interpretations. Thank you for reading.