“I want to help,” JB announced as he entered the living room where everyone else was sitting.

“How so?” N asked him. Having fought JB once himself, he knew that the other demon was a powerful opponent. At the same time, the ones that they were fighting were JB’s brothers and he couldn’t be expected to fight against them. N would never be able to fight his own brothers, so he couldn’t ask JB to do such a thing.

“I can train Hyorin,” JB explained, “maybe not in all her powers, but defiantly with her wind powers. We have that power in common after all.”

“Alright,” Yong Guk nodded in agreement. N and Ravi felt a little bit jealous that JB would be helping them train Hyorin, but quickly pushed the feeling down because JB helping benefitted their master.

“I have some questions for you,” Leo said, bringing everyone’s attention to the very important matter at hand; finding out about their enemy.

“I can’t give you much information,” JB frowned, “my master never let us know much about her. I think she realized one of us might be taken away from her one day, so she couldn’t let us know anything too important.”

“Can’t let the enemy know vital information,” N nodded, “smart.”

“What can you tell us?” Hongbin asked, “like a name maybe?”

“Her name is Nayoung,” JB said, “we all thought she was a normal human when we first met her about five years ago, but after the contracts were signed we found out she had powers.”

“So she’s a demon?” Ken raised an eyebrow, “why would a demon need to form contracts with other demons?”

“I didn’t know there were any demons working alone anymore,” Hyuk turned to his hyungs, “I thought everyone lived in groups now.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Ravi nodded, “SHINee and Zelo would know for sure, though. We should call them and ask.”

“What about contracts?” N asked, “Do you know where they’re hidden?”

“No,” JB sighed, falling into the couch between Hyorin and Ravi, “that’s something she never told us. I didn’t even know for sure where mine was. None of my brothers knew where it was until you caught me, too.”

“We should go out and search,” N decided, “tomorrow morning. First thing. We’ll see if we can find any contracts so we can start freeing your brothers.”

Everyone agreed before headed off to bed.

“Ken?” Hyorin called out, the demon in question turning to face her at the sound of his name.

“Yes?” he smiled, “what’s up?”

“Are you alright?” she asked him, “That demon had to have hit you pretty hard if he knocked you out. I was just wondering if you were alright.”

“I’m fine,” he patted her head, “thanks for asking.” He was about to say something more, probably something about how her concern for him made him happy, when Leo showed up and told Ken to let Hyorin go to bed.

“Night,” Hyorin smiled slightly at the pair before retreating to her room.

Truth be told, seeing Hyorin leave before he could finish talking to her hurt Ken a little. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say Leo had done it on purpose.

--

“What do you mean I can’t come?” Hyorin frowned after N informed everyone that she would be staying home with Ravi and Yong Guk while they all went out to go contract searching.

“I mean exactly that,” he told her, “you’re safer here at home with Ravi and Yong Guk.”

“He’s right,” Leo nodded. Personally, the heat demon thought she’d be useful. But if N wanted her to stay at home, then he’d follow his brother’s wishes. He didn’t like it or agree with it, but N was their leader so he had to respect that.

Glaring at the two oldest, Hyorin turned around and retreated to her room. Everyone winced when they heard the sound of a door being slammed. Ken started to say that maybe they should let her come along, but the glare N gave him shut the sound demon right up. Hongbin and Hyuk didn’t even bother trying after seeing that. JB kept his mouth shut, deciding it wasn’t his place to question N’s orders.

“Keep an eye on her,” N sighed, patting Ravi’s shoulder, “makes sure she doesn’t sneak off or do something else foolish.”

N just didn’t want anything to happen to Hyorin. He didn’t want to put her as risk of getting hurt. Their enemy was sadistic and ruthless. He wanted – needed – to keep Hyorin as far from that as possible. If she hated him for it, then so be it. He’d rather be hated then see her hurt.

“She’s getting stronger,” Yong Guk said once he was alone with Ravi in the front hall, “both physically and mentally. She wants to help and it hurts her that N is just pushing her aside like this. It makes her feel like she isn’t good enough.”

“Hyung just doesn’t want to see her get hurt,” Ravi gave a half-hearted attempt at defending the older demon.

Ravi had been there watching Hyorin train just like N. He could see how her confidence in her powers was growing. She could actually be of use in a fight now – the fights at the mall and with JB and BamBam proved as much. To have N see that and still push her to the back was like saying she still wasn’t good enough to help. In Hyorin’s eyes, it was like the leader was discounting her value.

 Ravi decided that if N wasn’t going to acknowledge Hyorin’s growth than he would.

“Hyorin?” Ravi called a few minutes later once Yong Guk had locked himself up in his office with a pile of paper work, “can I come in?”

A/N: Oh Ravi, disobeying N? such the rebel