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Oh jack, he'd actually just killed the mood. Well, sort of. Perhaps changed was more the word, for there was still a heavy swirl of emotion surrounding them, it just didn't seem so terribly charged now with pent up sexual energy. That wasn't to see he wasn't still after a little something more then she'd allowed him in the past, but that beautiful, happy expression that blossomed onto her face was enough to cool those teenage desires.

He sat back on his heels as she rose onto her knees to wrap her arms around his neck, and happily returned the kiss. Gripping her arms before sliding his hands up along her shoulders, beneath the scarf, to cup the bottom edge of her jaw. Holding her close so the tender kiss could linger. Breaking it only so he could grin at her. "Then they're all crazy." He chuckled, kissed her cheek, then leaned back. Stroking his thumb along soft skin as she echoed his feelings. It was a happy relief.

At least until he noticed the darkness that marked her skin beneath the scarf that had all but fallen off now. He blinked, head tilting as he pulled the scarf away with his clawed hand. Using the other to guide her chin up so he could see the bruises that lined her thin neck. "Junko.." His first thought was Her, but those looked like hand prints. "Who did that to you?" The heat was returning to his voice, but it was anger this time, and not passion. Features hardening as he stared at the marks, then looked up to her face.

She scooted away from him until her back hit the tree again, tugging on the scarf to coil it back around her neck, but he didn't let go of it. Pulling it taunt between them, not choking her obviously, but had the tree not been there it would have cut off her retreat. He was tempted to yank on the thing to take it off her, but it was now curled so tightly around her throat it'd just hurt her, and he didn't want to do that. He was pissed, it was obvious, but not at her. A little annoyed with the fact that she'd tried to hide it from him, but not mad. No, his anger was being reserved for the one responsible.

First things first, he had to get the name from her, and she seemed unwilling to give it for some jacking reason. It made his fingers clench into the knit of the scarf, a frustrated growl raise at the back of his throat. "Junko, Who did this?!" He'd shouted, and immediately regretted it, swallowing down some of that fury. Snapping at her would not only get him nowhere, but it'd just make her feel bad. "Why are you protecting someone that hurt you?"

In the end she didn't have to tell him, She was more then willing to blurt out the culprit for him. Of course he was a little shocked at who, only a little, knowing damn well what the banshee was capable of. He had never expected her to do something like that to his ghoulfriend though. It struck a serious nerve.

Releasing the scarf, he leaned back on his heels, head turning in the direction of the ghost dorms while Junko stammered on briefly about what had happened. Or rather, why it had happened.

He was definitely going to put a stop to that 'why' though. Oh yes. No one was going to hurt his ghoulfriend and get away with it.

The boil was shocked, well and truly, by her explanation of things. Situated on his heels, his hands had fallen to his sides, fingertips pressed into the soil beneath them, furrows trailing out from where they had tensed, but they were relaxed now. Relatively anyways. He stared at her with raised brows and a worried frown as she spoke of weakness and stupidity, and his chin gave the smallest of shakes in silent protest. Disagreeing with that self assessment even as she carried on. Holding his tongue until the end of it so she could speak freely and get it all out.

As she slumped further against the tree he moved forward at last to catch her shoulders. Pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her in a reassuring and comforting hug. Human hand smoothing up along the side of her head, carefully clear of Her.

He hadn't known. He'd suspected, had an incling or two that the banshee was bad news, but considered them friend enough for her to leave those he cared about alone. He'd been very wrong. How had he missed it? Granted, he hadn't been looking for it, had simply thought the other ghost overly flirty in general, but obviously now he knew there had been biting glances, cruel remarks.

And of course this attack. Hell, from what it sounded like, Sarias deserved the slap.

"Junko," he murmured against the side of her head. Kissing her temple before drawing her back from him enough to look at her. "You're not weak, and you're not stupid. It was very brave, standing up for yourself like that." He tried for a smile and almost succeeded. "But you aren't ruthless, nor cold, nor cruel, and that's why I like you so much." The unspoken silence that followed said clearly that Sarias was all those things.

Of course now that he knew, there was only one thing for him to do. Tightening his hold on her arms he stood, bringing her up to her feet with him. "How about you go get some over night stuff and feed your foxes then meet me back at my room, ok?" He handed her the key and gave her a soft kiss. Meanwhile he would go and pay a certain cold banshee a house call.

He had faith that Junko could take care of herself when absolutely necessary, she'd done it on the island, and done a damn good job of it. But she wasn't willing to seriously hurt or kill her fellow students, not over an argument. It was not weakness, it was admirable. Sarias didn't have such reserves of sentiments..