Ayano felt fear starting to take hold, but refused to allow it to immobilize her. Gripping her knife, she unsheathed it and held it in front of her in defense. She took several steps back as the monster before her turned to face Sonic. Okay…he's got its attention so-!

Running forward, she leapt up onto its back and drove her blade deep into the side of the creature's neck. The sides of her boots dug into its ribs as she pulled the blade back out. Blood sprayed out onto the pavement as it began to wildly flail about. Before it could try to run, the monster tumbled forward onto its front and would have crushed Ayano's legs if Sonic had not grabbed her.

She was still gripping the handle of her knife as she found herself being set down several feet away from the dying monster. With a trembling hand, she moved to sheath the blade and looked to the ninja beside her. It was difficult to read his expression. It was some sort of mix between pride as the monster gave its final dying shrieks and anger as he remembered her betrayal from moments ago.

The girl pushed up her glasses and bit the inside of her cheek as she mulled over what she would say to him. Something had to be said. Anything to break the tension. Of course, she had to choose her words carefully. "Sonic-san, I-!"

"Did you really think that you could outrun me?" he challenged her. Approaching the girl, there was a certain excited gleam in his eyes. Like a cat that had just cornered an injured bird and was about to pounce. "Where were you going to go? You really thought that I'd just let you get away?"

"Sonic-san…" She did not know what to say in this situation. Apologizing for her betrayal would be lying. It would have been wrong for her to kill Genos. Having nothing to say about that, she swallowed her fear and planted her feet firmly on the pavement. "I…can't kill the Demon Cyborg. I've let you down. Again. I'm not suited to be your student. I'm going to leave and continue my training on my own. I appreciate your help, but-"

A sharp pain erupted at the side of her head, forcing her to stumble. Training kicked in and Ayano swiftly unsheathed her knife and lunged. The blade sliced through flesh, blood dotting the cement beneath their feet, and she stared up in horror at Sonic's face. The man's eyes were wide, his left cheek oozing from where she had cut him. When she saw his lips curl into a grin, she knew that she had to move quickly.

Ayano took several steps back, keeping the blade tightly in her hand and trying to ignore the pain in her skull. She wanted to collapse. Her brain was struggling to keep her conscious as she watched him approach. It was clear that his attack had been meant to knock her out. "Stay…back…" she murmured.

"Sword Girl." The voice of the cyborg hero came from her other side and she turned, nearly tripping over her own boots as she did so. Genos saw her as well as the ninja, and darted forward.

The hit to her head was taking its toll. She was unable to keep her vision focused and her grip on the blade was becoming looser. A hand gripped her wrist and twisted it behind her back. The blade was taken, forced into its sheath, and as her knees buckled, she felt herself being caught by a warm set of arms. Ayano's limp form was draped over Sonic's shoulder and soon Genos was just a blur in the distance.

She was only aware that she had gone unconscious when she found herself being set down on the futon. The girl's eyes half-opened as she felt her body being turned onto its front. Her left arm was pulled behind her back and then the right. Something coiled tightly around her wrists, keeping them pinned behind her, and she was turned onto her back again.

Sonic grinned down at her and slowly stood from his crouched position. Blood was still running down the side of his face from where she had cut him. "Don't go anywhere. My precious student." Under normal circumstances, these words might have made her blush. Now they just filled her with cold fear.

Ayano stared up at the ceiling through pain-blurred eyes before realizing that her glasses were missing. Turning her head to the side, she saw that he had folded them and set them aside a few feet away from the futon. As she looked to the ceiling again, she could feel her heart racing with panic. What's going to happen to me now? I cut him! I cut an assassin's face and he was already angry with me!

The sound of running water drew her attention and she briefly glanced toward the bathroom. The thought of him drowning her came to mind and she gritted her teeth. I can't let it end this way! I can't die! Not until I get my revenge! She pushed past the throbbing pain in her head and rolled onto her side. Using the wall and her legs, she managed to push herself upright and then stood.

Her steps were a little unsteady, but Ayano made it to the door with a bit of effort. Now came the tricky part. He had locked the door and her hands were still bound behind her back. She turned, fingers fumbling with the lock until she heard a click. Her eyes darted toward the bathroom once more, listening for his return. The water had stopped now. She had to be quick.

Ayano gripped the door and was about to open it when a hand slammed against it. She had turned her head to the side to see what she was doing so when she turned to face forward again, she found her warm honey-colored gaze meeting a cold gray one. A hand tightly gripped her chin as he grinned down at her and she felt her pulse skip a beat. "Sonic-san…my revenge…"

"You look so worried. Just what do you think I'm going to do to you, Ayano?" Without warning, he lifted her bridal-style and started for the bathroom. "If I wanted to kill you, don't you think you'd already be dead? I could snap your neck and you wouldn't notice; you'd be dead before it registered."

She saw the tub coming into view and started to thrash, still thinking that drowning could be in her near future. To her surprise, he set her down on her feet and turned her so he could release the binding on her wrists. The girl moved with hesitation once this happened, wary of his every move.

"Look at what you did to my face. Do you see this?" Sonic pointed at the slash that ran along his cheek. "You used a knife meant to pierce through a cyborg's metal body to cut my face. This is a permanent scar. You did permanent damage to me."

Ayano was silent. She stared back at him, unsure of how to respond. Begging forgiveness did not seem like what he wanted. If anything, it would probably disgust him. While her mind could not settle on an appropriate response, her body seemed to reach its own conclusion. A hand lifted without thought and gently wiped away his blood with her fingers.

Somehow, this action pleased him. Gripping her wrist, he drew her over to shower nozzle. "Take everything off. You're going to start repaying me now."

She was puzzled to say the least. Still determined to stay alive, Ayano did as he instructed. She undressed and washed his back for him when he told her to. When she was told to clean his wound, she could feel the blood rushing to her face. So is he going to let me live then? Will I still have a chance at revenge?

Shift P.O.V

It was still a shock. All of the day's events were a shock. First seeing her encounter with Genos, then learning that she was actually a hero, and finally when she managed to cut him. Sonic had let his guard down because he thought that she would never go against him so aggressively, but it seemed that he was wrong. He had underestimated her speed, too. When she had lunged with that knife, he had just enough time to make sure it struck his cheek instead of taking out his eye.

Looking toward her now, he could see that she was still tense with worry. She was sitting in the bath that he had drawn for them, her legs curled to her chest and her chin resting on her knee. Not a hint of remorse; just worry. He loved it. He loved that she had no remorse for injuring him. She was undoubtedly concerned more about getting her revenge and he loved that level of commitment.

As he slid into the warm water behind her, he slipped an arm around her waist to pull her back against his chest. She allowed it, but she was still tense. Sonic's lips curled into a grin as he leaned down to her ear. "We've been together for a month. I'm not going to get rid of you at this point; you're too valuable to me. So let's try this again. I'm Speed o' Sound Sonic. I'm a ninja, assassin, bodyguard, and sword for hire. And you're…?"

"Ayano. I'm also…a Class B hero that goes by Sword Girl," she quietly answered. "Sonic-san, you…helped me get from Class C to Class B. If you'll keep me as your student…I can get revenge. So…please…"

"You still want to stay with me?" His tone was one of excitement as he considered everything that they would do. She nodded once. "And what do you mean by "revenge"? Tell me everything. No more secrets."

Shift P.O.V

Ayano could feel his toned, warm chest against her back as well as something prodding against her lower back. She closed her eyes, knowing that she was blushing. Her pulse was racing faster than ever before. "I need to…kill the Class A hero Amai Mask. He didn't save my sisters and…I can't forgive him for that!"

The arm around her waist shifted, a hand resting against her thigh. "You want me to help you kill him?" he teased.

"I need to do it alone." She bit her lower lip as his fingertips brushed over the girl's inner thigh. His other arm slid beneath her bust, pulling her even closer against him. He…feels so warm. My heart is beating too fast. It…kind of hurts.

"Are you going to try to run away again?"

"Sonic-san, if you want to…keep teaching me…then I don't have a reason to. B-but I'm a hero and I don't plan to give that up." Ayano tensed as the hand beneath her bust lifted and cupped her chin. Her head was tilted back, eyes forced to meet his as he grinned down at her.

His tongue slid along his lower lip as he took in her nervous expression and flushed cheeks. "Being a hero might actually benefit both of us. And before we keep going, it's just "Sonic" now. Understand?"

"Y-yes…Sonic." It felt odd to be so informal, but she wanted to please him. Calling him that…makes this bath feel less like teacher and student and more like…we're lovers or something. The thought made her face turn red.

As if sensing what she was thinking, his fingertips slid a little higher on her inner thigh. Sonic could see her expression changing; embarrassment blending with a hint of longing. With a smirk, he brought his face down closer to hers. "Maybe I'll rethink this relationship, but until I've decided, we're still teacher and master. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Sonic." She was slightly disappointed. She liked him and this almost sounded like a rejection. When his lips met hers, hard, Ayano's pulse quickened. The kiss was short-lived as he began talking about training, but she was still happy.