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Kangin was getting annoyed. The rabbit kept going hoppity-hop around him, and it was grating again on his nerves.

“Sungmin!” he bellowed. “Can’t you keep still?!” he bellowed again even as he swung the broadsword in Sungmin’s direction. Only to encounter air as Sungmin made his escape again.

“Kangin-hyung,” Sungmin replied matter-of-factly. “You know I fight this way, you should keep up.” He easily danced around the next swipe Kangin delivered, then watched in consternation as a fist came close to his face. But a well-timed backflip made him avoid Kangin’s fist. He resisted the urge to flick a nanchuck end to Kangin’s unprotected flank, knowing the Bull was already stewing over something. And they all knew about what. Or rather who.

But when Kangin still bellowed at him for not taking advantage of the opening Kangin knew that Sungmin knew was there made even the Peacemaker pout and shout. “Ah shut it, Kangin-hyung! Sometimes you can be so…” he finished with a frustrated growl before turning his back on Kangin and stomping back to his suite. Kangin stared at his back, dumbfounded that even gentle Sungmin displayed rude behavior.

“I guess practice is over,” Hangeng wryly said to Kangin, looking up from the manuscript he was reading. The rest of the Yeoldasos were in the training field, hurling various energy forces at their designated sparring partner of the day. The rest were at it seriously enough, but Kangin had the misfortune of being paired today with Sungmin, whom he got along with the least.

Back in his suite and taking a hot shower, Sungmin thought over the events of the past week. They’ve been given a rookie, true, and it should have ended with Ayame teaming up with Kyuhyun. Then everyone had to remember that rookies weren’t supposed to be paired together, for the most obvious reasons. And now the team dynamics have changed, with the rookie moving in, and at least two pairs undergoing changes. What made the Yeoldasos an effective team was that they had perfected techniques with the current pairs configuration which carried over to the various pairs teaming and the eventual seven pair plus one configuration.

Sungmin worried that everybody else was feeling the impending change. And that it was taking a toll on everybody’s nerves. To think that the girl wasn’t even here yet. But Sungmin also understood the Council’s decision to introduce an unknown into the group – the Elite had become predictable, having gotten used to the way they handled their fights, their missions. Today’s mixing up of sparring partners were just a first of the changes Leeteuk wanted to implement with the fifteen.

But mentally accepting one thing was different from actually accepting it in truth. People, when confronted with a change in the status quo, tend to first resist the change. The successful ones just happen to adjust quickly to the situation, but that did not mean there was no resistance in the first place. It only worried Sungmin that it had to happen now, when they were at the height of alert.

Then there was also Ayame. Her profile was pretty much straightforward: human, now thirty years old, attended Slayer Academy for six years. While that was twice the usual term, the Council had given her leeway since she wasn’t a full student – in those six years, she also juggled university work in her normal life so she wasn’t expected to finish in three years. She was also human, and they were a minority where the Slayer Academy was concerned. All in all, she rated a B+ in the slayer ranks, which is actually another minority. Then she surprised them all by summoning a daemon dog for a spirit familiar, another first in Slayer Academy history. And where the Society prophesied doomsday scenarios with her involvement with the daemon dog, their six years on patrol in Augure was rather another record-breaker of a success. Because even while Augure still had a high number of monster sightings, Ayame and Dusky had put away more monsters compared to other solo slayers, with minimal collateral damage and every single one of them being the more notorious ones. Even Ayame had yet to be treated by Society doctors for slayer related injuries. But of course, the success has made the higher ups notice, not to mention that Ayame had become a high-profile target by the other side. And she does not seem to realize it at that moment.

Hence the assignment of the Elite to guard her. And to train her to become one of them.

There lies the dilemma – they became the Elite because their level of skill sets already surpassed the rest of the slayers. Nobody trained to become an Elite, and certainly not one who was on a B-level. That Ayame is to train to become one is another one of the firsts in her already long list of firsts as a slayer.

Another of Sungmin’s worries was Donghae. It was no secret that Donghae had a penchant for chasing skirts, his boyish good looks easily attracting a bevy of females – both the human and slayer kind. But there was nothing that attracted him more than a challenge that waited to be cracked, and their first meeting with Ayame had already piqued the Dreamwalker’s interest. That Donghae had even skillfully maneuvered everything to get to partner Ayame and move in the same apartment with her warned Sungmin that Donghae had a hidden agenda where Ayame the girl was concerned.

Sungmin passed a frustrated hand through his hair. Why the rookie had to be a girl and complicating all their lives. Admittedly, he was also affected by the changes going around. And he was already too old to be affected like this.

>>>

Kibum absentmindedly hurled darts on the chosen target of the day – the back of Eunhyuk’s breakfast chair.

“Yaaah!” Eunhyuk eventually hollered, a needle dart finally finding its way to his backside.

Kibum froze, a comical look on his face. He never missed before.

“What is wrong with you Kibum-ah?!” Eunhyuk asked, wincing as he pulled out the offending dart and hurled it back to Kibum. He continued breakfast while rubbing his backside.

Quiet Kibum said in a complete sentence. “Does she really have to move in here?”

Leeteuk nearly choked on his own meal of oats and strawberry. He was surprised Kibum even uttered something. But he was more angry with how the team was reacting to Ayame’s presence in the mansion.

“Yaah! Everyone! Are you really that against her moving in?” He let the others off quiet easily but there were times it grated on his nerves when everyone went against his decisions.

Kangin continued chomping on his hash browns. “Not everyone, hyung,” he said reassuringly. “The suggestion did come from Donghae.”

“Yes, which I approved without dissenting opinions from you before today!” Which peeved the leader all the more since he was dealing with their moroseness one by one as the day for Ayame’s moving in came closer. He had to calm down though, knowing the extent of Donghae’s persuasive powers. But as usual, the Dreamwalker had a blank expression on his face. And it would only be to the point of rudeness that Leeteuk would ask Donghae if he dreamwalked the Yeoldasos just to convince them having Ayame and her daemon dog near would be a good idea.

“Besides,” Heechul interjected, second-in-command and fully aware the actions Leeteuk undertakes when it came to the team. “She’s not living in the mansion with us – she’ll have the Suzumi House. It has the same access to the training grounds and the common rooms but she won’t need to put up with our living habits.”

Kyuhyun looked up from his plate of rice, bacon and eggs. “But I’ll be moving in to Eunhyuk-hyung’s suite – where does Donghae-hyung go?” Up until the partnering assignment, the maknae had occupied one of the guest rooms on the lower floors. Now that he was officially assigned as Eunhyuk’s partner, he had to move in with the senior.

Donghae was careful about announcing his move. “As required by the partnership, I’ll have to stay in the Suzumi House with Ayame. There is a suite I can use there for my purposes.”

Everybody’s thoughts raced along the lines of Donghae’s penchant for chasing skirts. Then they came up to Ayame’s image as a very unconventional female. So maybe it wasn’t a bad thing that Donghae stayed with Ayame. Which was also required of partners. Which also meant they didn’t have to deal with Ayame.

Leeteuk raised an eyebrow as everyone of the Yeoldasos just nodded, apparently content that the girl was staying out of the Mansion. Or that Donghae was practically living with a girl. The fact that Donghae was not even acting naughty about the whole thing told him that his dongsaeng had something in mind. But having to weigh in all fifteen concerns and issues, the leader was content to let Donghae deal with their assignment – the guy had volunteered and didn’t share the rest’s misgiving about being assigned a slayer that was nowhere near elite level.

But Kibum was still apparently morose.

“What else Kibum-ah?” Leeteuk asked, sighing. Dealing with Kibum was either a search for a needle in the haystack or de-needling a prickly porcupine.

“Don’t expect me to babysit the girl during the daytime.” Kibum declared darkly.

“No chance of that, Kibummie,” Sungmin replied. “If you read her profile, she has a day job like we do, so she’ll be out of your hair.” Sungmin realized too late that having taken a break from the fifteen’s Kpop activities pretty much made Kibum a bum. His eyes widened seeing Kibum’s expression go even more dark.

“Ah, ah, you know what I mean. Besides, she’s technically a noona compared to our current profiles – she’s never had anyone babysit her for years, and I don’t think she’d appreciate one at this point.” Sungmin added by way of assuaging Kibum’s feelings.

Finally realizing he was just being ornery because of the impending changes, Kibum finally stood up from where he was slouched on the couch and joined the rest of them for breakfast. He never really forgot that the Yeoldasos had higher responsibilities than a normal slayer. And that it was his decision in the first place to give up his spot in their public “normal” activities due to an important mission. That was done now, and he was back on the team – he was just having a hard time adjusting to having too much time in his hands. Which he also knew would disappear in the days to come. So he really should enjoy his free time while he had it – the hyungs have not had much free time lately, and they were more ill-tempered this time than before.

 

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