Yin roamed through the dead streets of Tokyo, steadily making her way to her destination. She knew of only one place she could retreat to. Only one place she could rely on to live as a refugee. She scaled around to the back of the building, wanting her presence to remain a secret. She was surprised to find the window unlocked. Though she was worried someone else might've been able to break in just as easily, she was glad she wouldn't have to disturb him in the middle of the night. Sliding the window open, she shifted her torso inside, pushing the potted flower aside before climbing in all the way.

Yin tried to close the window as silently as possible, but she heard him rouse behind her at the sound of it clicking closed. She flinched slightly, and turned.

"Yin..?" He moaned sleepily from behind her. He sounded aware of her presence, and yet unsure at the same time. As if he'd woken up in the middle of the night and imagined her form within his house numerous times before. It was as though he knew how realistically his mind could conjure her image up to be during the moments in between sleep and life.

"Hei," Yin turned to him.

Not expecting an answer, his senses lit up with life at the sound of his name being breathed out by the girl. He sat up hurriedly, ignoring the groan of his wounds and the soreness of his muscles. He tried to stand, but mobility still took a lot out of him. He clutched his ribs, taking a knee.

Yin rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around his larger frame. She pushed him back down, her hands studying the wounds beneath the bandages that covered practically every inch of him. As her fingers traced every cut, bruise, and gash upon his body she was struck with a guilt so intense that it dizzied her. She could think of nothing but the pain she inflicted on him. Every movement, every strike she imposed on him flashed across her mind as she touched him. She knew the exact angle her scythe had been in as her fingers danced on his skin. She could tell just how deep his stab wounds were as if she were piercing through his body at that very instant.

Her face crumpled in in shame and sorrow. Yin immediately regretted coming. She had no right to stand beside him after all the pain she's caused him. After everything they'd been through, everything he'd done for her... she attacked him. She attacked him and she left him out in the middle of nowhere. The fact that he'd made it home at all was a miracle. He could've bled out right then and there with the way she abandoned him. The tears built up in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks before she could even work up the desire to stop them.

Hei reached up to her, and under the glow of the starlight he finally got a clear look at her. He sucked in a sharp breath. His muscles tensed as he took in the sight of her.

"Yin," His voice was deeper than usual, panicked and demanding at the same time. He seemed more awake than ever now.

Yin's eyes widened as she felt his stare burn into her. He eyed the purple bruise healing on her cheek and Yin shrunk away from him. She had hoped the cover of darkness would hide the injuries he'd inflicted on her. Even if it was only for tonight.

"What happened?" His blue orbs scanned her, as he found a scar forming on her shoulder. "Yin...-oh god Yin..." His hands lowered to the hem of her shirt and she tried to push him away.

"No, Hei... please don't..." Her weakened voice begged, not wanting him to discover anything more. But she was weak with guilt and sorrow, and he was strong with the determination to protect her.

He ignored her and pulled her shirt up, uncovering the dark blue bruise covering most of her ribs. "No," He moaned through gritted teeth. As if the firmness of his voice would undo her pain. He placed a now shaky hand to her ribs, his fingers just beneath her breast. Angry tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and though he tried to blink them away, they simply would not fade.

"Who?" He demanded. Yin would've been scared had she not known it was only Hei.

"It's okay, I.. -I'm okay,"

"Who hurt you, Yin?" His hands covered her shoulders, they shook with the desire to squeeze her tightly, but he held back as if every inch of her were in agonising pain. "I'll take care of them you know that-"

"Hei.. you don't...-you don't understand..."

Hei stared deeply into her fearful, conflicted eyes. He pulled her to him and enveloped her in a consoling hug. He pushed his body further into hers, unable to stop himself. The pain of his own injuries were far from his mind. "How could I let this happen?" Hei moaned to himself.

Yin nodded her head. "It's not your fault," She reassured him, though she knew well that he played a bigger part in this than he realized. Though he had been the one to hurt her, she know he didn't mean any of it. Even without him knowing it was her, he'd shown her mercy. He was only doing his job, she couldn't fault him for that. And despite her only doing hers, she still couldn't stand herself for hurting him. She was sure that if he had known it was her under that mask, he wouldn't have fought. But Yin, she had known.

Yin fought him ruthlessly in spite of the possibility of killing him. Somehow, even though he was just as aggressive with her as she was with him, she was having such a hard time forgiving herself for doing what she did. And to make matters worse, here she was in his arms listening to him lament the protection he failed to provide. She hated him for being so concerned and attentive, it only made her longing for redemption stronger.

He pulled away from her slightly, but kept their bodies close, maintaining the warmth between them. He locked his intense gaze onto her retreating eyes and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Please Yin, I need to know."

Yin pressed her hand against his, her other hand gliding up the side of his neck.

"Do they hurt you at Alucricity?"

"Oh, god.." Yin turned away from him. She still wanted to defend them, but at the same time she knew how dangerous they were becoming. Hearing him accuse them of such a thing... it made her consider how possible such an outcome was.

"Is this- Yin look at me-..." Hei tried to turn her to him, but she refused, feeling dejected and miserable. "...is this the first time they've beaten you?"

"Please, Hei..."

He listened to her shaky voice and let her unsettled body reach out to him. He could tell he wouldn't be able to get it out of her now, but he promised himself this wouldn't be the last time she'd hear of it. She had to have come here for a reason. Peeking over at the bag by the window he could tell she was hoping to stay.

He kissed her bruised cheek all over and ran his fingers along the burn marks on her neck that he had yet to realize were from his wire. Yin simmered beneath his touch, astonished at the sharp contrast between the violence the black reaper possessed and the softness Hei could convey to her alone. She ran her fingers through his hair, and gave a tired after-cry sigh.

"Are you hurting?" He asked.

"You're hurting," Yin replied.

"Yin,"

"It's not that bad, I-" Yin leaned into him. "..They healed me a little..."

"Yin I-...I'm so sorry,"

Yin wanted to tell him that she deserved it, that she was unworthy of his pity. But she knew that would go nowhere. He would only chastise her and that would only inspire her shame to burn hotter than before. She felt him flinch against her and she knew he was hiding his pain for her sake. She instantly regretted getting healed, even if it were only partially. She should be suffering just as much he was. She should be lying in bed, barely able to move herself. As he began to lean into the hug further, using the gesture more as a means of support now rather than a hug, she remembered what she came here for.

She felt like she had to prove herself. To make up for what she's done by being there for him. Now more than ever he needed someone to take care of him, and she was just the person. She hoped it would erase the memory of the violent discourse that had occured between them. For the most part, she hadn't taken his actions personally, she'd only considered them a repercussion for her own. But she couldn't deny that there were times when her mind slipped into a darkness she didn't know she'd even possessed. She remembered how he'd brutally assaulted her towards the end of the fight. How he came down on her like mercy wasn't an option.

There was no lie in the fact that she'd dreamed of that moment numerous times in the box. That sometimes she'd let herself believe that his attacks were a personal assault on her character, on his feelings for her. She feared that she'd never know of his compassion again after this. That he'd kill her and this would be the last thing she'd ever feel, the last thing she'd ever know. At times, Yin was able to convince herself, despite her own feelings, that there was a secret meaning behind his bloodied fists. That something about the masked fighter he'd faced had reminded him of her. After all, he had brought her up while they were fighting, maybe something in him had clicked. Maybe he'd secretly thought of her when he attacked.

All she could remember was his violence. The battering of his fists, the puncture of his knife against her skin. And things back at Alucricity only made things worse. One after another people loved, people she couldn't imagine hurting her, abused her body and left her without a kind sensation to remind her of better times. At times, her scalp throbbed at the memory of Shira's harsh tug. And the injuries Hei had inflicted on her lingered longer than necessary due to the tortures of the box. She remembered nights of long ago. Nights of coming home after a late night with Hei. How the warmth within the feel of his kiss on her neck, the squeeze of his fingers on her hips, and the brush of his palm on her back would remain with her deep into the night.

But for the past few weeks all she had were the hope of a nightmare-less night to quell her. Even then, the soreness of her injuries would still shock her awake throughout the night. That was why she needed this now more than ever. She needed to replace these feelings, to renew the ones she had before. She needed to make sure that things could go back to how they were. So she would nurse him back to health. She would feel the strength return to his body under her nurturing hands. She would feel not only the softness of his vulnerability, but the softness of his genuine tenderness. Before returning, she'd forgotten that was still something he'd harbored for her.

"Hei, lie down," Yin pushed him down. Hei tried to resist, wanting to take care of her instead, but he fell weak under her touch.

He reached up to stroke her cheek as she leaned over him. He watched helplessly as tears continued to brim in her eyes.

"This is my fault," He concluded.

Yin shook her head from side to side. "Don't say that,"

Hei turned away from her, feeling that she was blind even to the truth. He glared angrily out into the dark nothingness in the corner of the room. He tunneled the anger he boiled back to himself as he felt more and more unworthy of her presence with each passing second. In his mind, he'd allowed this to happen. He was careless with her safety and now she was forced to return to him like this. He didn't know how, but he should've seen this coming, he should've known she was in danger.

He hadn't realized it before, but somewhere along the way he'd vowed to himself that he'd protect her. He'd never really thought about it, he just knew that he wanted -needed her to be safe. There was a time when it had been necessary. Nothing more than a crucial element to maintaining the effectiveness of his job. Then it morphed into a desire, a conscious commitment to her happiness and wellbeing. As time went on, his newfound respect for the emotions only he could see had pushed him to defend her humanity.

He believed protecting her had become somewhat of an instinct to him. But as time went on, his love for her had allowed him to sacrifice his protection for Yin's pursuit of freedom. In between thoughts he figured this would've been easier had she left him earlier. Had she taken up Kastinen's offer to live with him, things would've been so much simpler. They wouldn't be able to see each other on a regular basis, and though that would've saddened him to a certain degree, he could live with it. If he ever found out that she'd been hurt, he would merely accept that there was nothing he could do about it. She would have to rely on Kastinen, on herself. He could stop caring for her as much as he did.

But he saw her frequently, even though she was apart from him. He thought of her in the moments between their meetings, and day after day she became his final thought before he drifted to sleep at night. Though they were no longer partners, they were in such constant contact that he still felt obligated to protect her. But he pushed those thoughts away, noticing the deep contrast between them. Noticing how disconnected he'd been before, how easily he might've been able to pull away from her. But he knew now that this definitely isn't the case now. He didn't want to think of what had changed. Of what led him to feel as though he couldn't live without her.

But he couldn't shake the fact that he'd failed to protect her. He let her wander off to an organization he knew nothing about, and now they'd hurt her. He didn't know for sure if it was them, or if she'd gotten injured during a job, but either way, it all boiled down to to the fact that he'd left her alone. He should've made sure she safe, that there was nothing in her wake that could hurt her. His heart sank. It was Trevor all over again. She'd depended on him, and in a moment of obliviousness he had unwittingly let her down. He'd put her in danger. Except this time he wasn't so lucky. She didn't turn up fine. He wasn't pleasantly surprised by a better turn of events. And he never should've expected to be. He knew how things were, contractors and dolls alike could never catch a break. Life for them was one tragedy after another.

He should've seen the signs. He remembered when she returned after joining officially. how distant and closed off she'd act after those seven odd months apart. The fact that she felt the need to lie for them, to polish the truth to make them more presentable should've been the first strike with him. He knew she was hurting and he let her go back to them. But through letting her go, he knew he would have to trust in her ability to protect herself and accept that her choices were now her own. It was wrong of him to think that he could stop this.

Looking up at her now, he felt a sharp sting of guilt plunge through his chest and ripple throughout his body. She was here of all places. She was bruised and battered, yet she was here. He was ashamed that this was a place of refuge for her. That she'd sought out his home for safety. And she ran her fingers over his injuries, he felt them burn under her touch. His body would've recoiled in shame if he had the strength. He felt her shake slightly with the vulnerability of her tears and he felt his own prick at the corner of his eyes again as watched her. He wondered how long she'd been holding her tears in. He wondered how she could ever consider this a safe enough place to let it all out.

As he laid there, left motionless by the aches he couldn't rid himself of, he'd never felt so weak. So useless. How could he let himself get hurt while she was in danger? Not only had he failed to protect her, but he was failing to take care of her, even in the aftermath. He went pale, his eyes sick with shame.

"Hei," Yin called. He was unable to cope with the softness of her voice. He turned, pressing his face into her hand.

"I'm so sorry Yin," He kissed her palm. "This'll never happen again."

Yin took in the softness of his gesture, letting the sensation flood the memory of their fight. She sought him out deeper, her hand pressing softly against his chest. Her finger glided across soft surface of his skin, no longer seeking out his wounds, but the roots of his affection. Seeking to entangle herself with them. She leaned down, her nose tracing the skin of his cheek as her lips closed around his jaw. She slipped her tongue out to dip into his heated flesh.

Hei drew in a deep breath. He felt a warmth gathering in his chest as she kissed him. An excited rush built up in his stomach and ran up into his heart as her tongue roamed the palette of his skin. He slipped a hand beneath her shirt, his arm coiling around the naked skin of her back as she slid down closer to him. Her body pressed against him, but she continued to hover, afraid to hurt him with her weight. He felt shivers run up and down his body as she pecked and sucked on his throat.

He pressed his hand into the back of her head, wanting to feel the fullness of her passion. He wasn't quite sure why, but something had changed in way she kissed him. Whenever they had interactions of this nature it had always been classified as something unreal, impossible. Their relationship had always been a sort 'maybe'. It had always consisted of the two of them standing just beyond the fine line of the appropriate. Blurring the reality of what is, what isn't, what could be, and what should be.

A physical touch between them was more than just a sensation. It was a reach beyond the walls of the social structures that kept their minds encased. It was an act of defiance, a gift of sacrifice. A gesture of compassion and comfort for both parties, no matter who was making a move. In the life of a contractor, unnecessary motions were forbidden, unnatural. The desire for anything of the sort was grounds for subjugation, for tortuous scientific research. The laws of their world were strict and defiance only threatened humanity's complete and utter control of their kind.

Nothing worthwhile could come from their relationship, from their seemingly unnatural infatuation with each other. But when they reached out to one another, when they took a shot and transmissions hit home, it completely warped the priorities that had been set up for them. It brought them a step closer to understanding that they actually mattered to someone else on a personal level. That someone like them, someone who was classified as inhuman had seen their emotions as valid and cared about them more than the danger of expression.

They'd been through all this together, and though they hadn't meant for things to go this far their relationship had developed into something far beyond the limiting spectrum reserved for contractors and dolls. But they were both still holding back, still trying to preserve a piece of themselves while desperately wanting to give it away. They feared that going any further in whatever this was would make it too real, too valuable to lose. And they both knew where there was value, it would snuffed out, stolen, destroyed. So they had silently elected to stay in this unreal, permanent and yet temporary state.

But Hei couldn't feel Yin's commitment to that unspoken promise on her part. Not this time. She was laying herself bare, unshackling her chains and giving herself the freedom to do as she pleases. Not only did he feel too guilty to deny her, but he'd longed for this as well. At this point, he couldn't remember a time when he hadn't desired with every fibre in his being to give all himself to her. To release the reigns he gripped so tightly on himself and let himself just roam freely. But even now, as he longed for her with everything in him, he held himself apart from her. Not ready to see what this would become.

The world around Hei stopped as Yin did. As if she had the power to still time through the sheer force of her will alone. She leaned over him, her eyes staring deep into his. Though she was blind, he could see so much of her through her eyes. As she stared at him, he felt like she could feel his eyes on her too, like she could feel his fear. In her eyes were uncertainty, a confession of how unsure she was of what this was becoming. But her eyes also held valor. She was willing to go through with this if it meant what they had could grow into something of their own. Something beautiful.

As he allowed himself to be swallowed by her gaze, he let himself be relieved. He forgot his fear, his apprehension. For a second, he was ready for whatever would come next. For the danger, the out-lash. He wanted to make this real, to give all of himself away to her without calculating any and every possibility of betrayal, of loss. He was done being scared of depths of his emotions and the strength they had on his decisions. He knew she could show him the way, she could support him in ways no one else was capable of. And he would support her. If anything was certain, that was the only thing he'd ever wanted to do.

Yin's eyes slid to shut as she closed the space between them. Her lips pressed softly against his, tentatively asking for permission. Asking if this could ever be okay. Hei kissed back firmly, fully embracing the sparks brewing between them. He cupped her cheek, pulling her closer. Yin let the softness of his mouth override her senses, allowing it to flood the memory of the violent history they now shared. She forgot the story of how her injuries formed, only remembering the feel of this moment. The feel of his soft skin and the solid steady muscle beneath him. The feel of his desire melding with her's, giving her longing a form of validation.

Heat swelled in them as the nervous air around them dissipated. Their mouths opened, engulfing each other fully. Hei swallowed the sweetness of her breath as the soft pressure of her tongue gave him new life. The two pressed together as one entity as they pushed forth. Past all the guilt and suffering they'd endured. They decided that for this one moment, they'd let it be vanquished in the light they were creating together. The tenderness of their lips was something neither partner had known, something none had discovered with anyone else. Their hearts pounded as faces reddened and feelings of admiration for one another swelled.

Hei pulled her to him, as a feverish passion flushed through him. His eyes fluttered open as a desire to look at her grew in him. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed at the red blush that painted her cheeks. The glow of her silver hair seemed to be the brightest thing in the room. The brightest thing in his life. Her long eyelashes fluttered closed in a desire that had unwittingly stirred something powerful in him.

As he peeked at her, he remembered how he used to see her. She didn't seem to be the beautiful and alluring woman that lied against him now. Back then, there was no reason to assess how attractive she was. As far as he was concerned, his romantic life was over. Irrelevant. Unless romance served some sort of purpose in a mission, there was no need for it. To him she had been nothing more than a doll. That was what had defined her, and nothing about what she looked like could change that. Nothing about her past, or the numbed longing within her to become something new could change what he had been sure she was.

He remembered the first time she'd grabbed his hand. He was on the brink of doing something rash, having had his share of his argument with Huang about Havoc. Just as he was about to storm off, he'd felt it. Her hand clutching his. Unprecedented. Unwarranted. It disgusted him how illogical it was. It annoyed him that she had the nerve to do such a thing when he was already as furious as he was. Through his rage and his own prejudice against his kind, he couldn't feel her reaching for him. He couldn't feel her trying to express what her mind wouldn't allow her to say. He was numb to the warmth that flurried above her skin when she allowed herself to be open like this. He had snatched his hand away from her. It was so aggressive and demeaning that it made the perfect substitute for a slap in the face.

But after all the time they'd spent together, after all the times she'd reached out to him only for him to shut her out... it made him realize that something had changed. For a while he'd thought it was her, that she was the one growing and changing. And she was, but she wasn't the only one. The only thing that had truly grown was Hei's perspective, and that gave Yin the room to change and recover what she had lost ever since she'd become a doll. It was only when Hei began to realize that Yin was more than just a doll that he could see her as something else. When he looked at her now, he could see just how beautiful she truly is. How beautiful she'd always had been. He was baffled at how oblivious he was able to be for so long.