Ren couldn't help letting loose a yawn as he watched his friends fawning over the 'magic coffee' in the maid café. He was dying for a nap. He had spent last night researching everything he could about the Yakuza.

"Hey, I'm really tired, do you guys mind if I leave earlier?" He asked.

Yamato looked at his friend worriedly. "You've been really lethargic since yesterday, are you sure everything is okay?"

"Everything is okay, really. You can even check with my sister." Ren assured him. "I think I got used to sleeping all day when I was in the hospital. I just need some time to get used to it."

Wanting to get home as soon as possible, Ren decided to take a shortcut; although it would require him to walk through some decidedly dodgy alleys. As he was walking, however, a high-pitch scream erupted from in front of him. He crept up quietly and saw a couple of guys trying to grope a high school girl. The girl looked absolutely terrified and helpless.

Without hesitation, Ren immediately rushed up to pull the guys off her, punching and kicking them without mercy. He even stepped on one of the guys' fingers, whom he saw had touched the girl. They were all amateur fighters, so he managed to defeat them despite the odds.

As the girl was still frozen in fear, he grabbed her hand and ran. Once they were a safe distance away, he released her hand. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She was still shivering in shock, so Ren tried again. "This part of town is dangerous, where do you live? I'll walk you home. Don't worry, I won't do anything as despicable as those bastards." He said gently.

Finally, she told him her address. Ren frowned. It was two suburbs away, so it would take at least 30 minutes to get there on foot. But Ren knew that he had no choice. He would not be able to live with himself if anything happened to the girl.

"Alright, let's go." Ren said lightly, trying to ignore his fatigue.

"Thanks." The girl whispered.

"No problem. I have a sister too, and she's the only family I have in the whole world. I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to her either." Ren said.

The girl nodded slightly but did not say anything.

"What are you doing in this part of town?" Ren asked. "It's quite far from your house."

"I came to look for my brother, but he's not at home." She said sadly.

"Oh…" Ren didn't know what to say. "By the way, what's your name? It seems a little rude to talk to you without knowing your name."

"Natsumi." She said quietly.

"Nice to meet you Natsumi, I'm Ren."

Natsumi still looked traumatised, so Ren tried to distract her by slipping into his 'clown mode' and regaling outrageous stories of he and his friends' misadventures. After a while, she began to recover and chat normally.

"You know," Natsumi said suddenly. "You remind me of my Oniisan."

"Really?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "That's a good thing right? You seem to care a lot for your brother."

"I do." She said. "He's the only person I can relate to in my family."

Ren saw an ice-cream stall that both his sister and he loved. "Would you like some ice-cream, Natsumi? The stall in front is pretty good. I think you deserve something to cheer you up. Let me buy you one." Ren offered.

Natsumi thought for a while, and then shyly accepted his offer.

While waiting for their ice-creams, however, Ren saw two familiar figures walking in their direction. As soon as they came into view, everyone gasped in surprise.

"Oniisan!" Natsumi shrieked happily.

"Ren!" Kaoruko called out.

"Nee-san? Aniki?" Ren asked in astonishment.

"Natsumi, Ren." Shin was the only one who kept his composure, but there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"How do you know my sister?" Both guys asked at the same time, except that Ren said 'nee-san' and Shin said 'imoto'.

"Sister?" Both of them echoed in unison again. The girls giggled.

Shin waved his hand, signalling Ren to go first. "Uhh, okay. How do you know my sister?" Ren asked.

"I didn't know that she's your sister actually. I just helped her out of a rough spot just now, so I'm walking her home." Shin explained.

"He saved me, Ren! My ex was harassing me again when I was on my way back from work." Kaoruko said.

Ren frowned. That ex of hers was getting a little too troublesome. He would have to do something about it. "Thank you very much." He said to Shin.

"Not at all, I simply helped a lady in need. And don't worry – I've dealt with that guy. He won't dare to come near her again. What about you two?" Shin gestured to him and Natsumi.

Ren couldn't help cracking a smile. "Kind of the same thing. Rescued a girl from some douchebags and making sure she gets home."

Shin blinked in surprise. "Really?" Natsumi nodded in affirmation.

Everyone started laughing. The coincidence seemed too preposterous to be true.

"Okay, in that case why don't we exchange partners?" Shin asked Ren. "If the girls are agreeable, of course."

The girls nodded in agreement. "Thank you very much, Ren." Shin said, hugging Natsumi protectively as they left.

"Are you alright, Natsumi?" Shin asked concernedly.

"I was terrified in the beginning, but I think I'm okay now. Nevertheless, I'm afraid to imagine what would have happened if Ren hadn't show up today." Natsumi shuddered visibly.

"I'm sorry, Natsumi. I should have told you that I don't live at the apartment anymore." Shin said guiltily.

"It's okay. It's partially my fault too for showing up unannounced. I didn't want you to get into trouble if Otousan checks my phone records."

"I'll get you another phone, alright? So that you can call me whenever you want. And if you can't get me, then you can call Ren. He knows where to find me."

"How do you know him? He's only in high school, right?" Natsumi asked curiously.

"He's a student of Yankumi. Do you still remember her?" Shin asked.

Natsumi nodded. "Of course! She is the only person who is brave enough to give Otousan a scolding!"

Shin smiled. Yeah, that was Yankumi alright.

"But, Oniisan, if you're not staying at the apartment, then where are you staying now?"

Shin hesitated. It wouldn't be safe for Natsumi if she went wandering around Kurogawa either. "Remember the family business I was telling you about? I'm staying with them so that I can learn more about running the business." He changed the topic hastily. "So is Otousan still pressuring you to study medicine?"

"Just a little. I came up with a new strategy. Instead of telling him I don't want to do medicine; I told him that I was more interested in nuclear science – which is only offered in Germany by the way – but he doesn't know that yet. He's not ecstatic about it, but at least he's willing to take it into consideration." She explained. "Once I get there, I'll probably transfer to another course."

"That's a very smart move, Natsumi." Shin praised her.

She smiled. "I learned from the best."

They stopped two blocks away from the Sawada mansion. Since they were already in Hiroo, it was safe for her to walk back home. The entire suburb was not only filled with guards stationed at every household; there were also policemen patrolling the area 24/7.

"Alright, I better leave before he sees me." Shin said, not willing to refer to Senator Sawada as 'Otousan'.

"Okay. Take care, Oniisan."

"I will. You stay safe too."

Shin's thoughts were filled with Natsumi as he made his way home. She was the person he loved most in the world. Even from a tender age, he understood what it was like to suffer at the hands of his parents; so he made extra effort to love and care for her. Whenever his parents weren't around, he would make sure that the drivers sent and fetched them in the same car, so that he could whisper words of encouragement to her before she had to go for her classes. He also taught her little tips and tricks that would help her master the class faster; such as slipping sugar cubes to bribe the horses and using advanced vocabulary to impress her teachers.

As time passed, Natsumi began to rely more and more on her Oniisan. He became her father, her mother and her brother – all in one. In fact, she was the only reason that made him stay in the Sawada household for as long as he did. If it wasn't for her, Shin would have run away by the time he was 12.

And to think that his sister, his precious sister, almost lost her innocence today – if not for the enigma that was Kazama Ren.

He knew that Ren viewed him as some sort of a lifesaver, although he never thought much of it. But if, just if, that was considered a debt; then today Ren had paid in full, plus bonus and interest.

He could trust Ren, couldn't he? Ren had tried to protect him with his own life – albeit there wasn't a risk in the first place, but Ren didn't know that; and more importantly, Ren had protected something that Shin considered dearer than his own life.

He started to consider the possibility. Ren was a lot like him – they both didn't have parents (Shin considered the Sawada couple as better to not have existed); and have a sister they would gladly die for. It meant that they could relate to each other on a special level of understanding compared to everyone else. Moreover, both of them would not mind having a few more family members, and most probably would not be caught in a conflict of interest between their two families. He was also great leader material, as Shin had found out from Kuma; and a talented fighter to boot. Yes, this could work.