NeonHorizon: I'm dedicating this chapter to someone special ^_^ They've been a reader for a long time; even through Persistence. I hope you like this chapter, everyone!

Ayano was finding that she really, really enjoyed being a hero. Given, she only did small tasks now, she found it extremely fulfilling. She was actually beginning to have second thoughts about killing Amai Mask because it would mean giving up all of this.

She had left Sonic's base a few weeks ago and it took a lot of adjusting before she was comfortable in Saitama's apartment. It was a lot tinier than the base and it had two other occupants. Genos cooked dishes that Saitama wanted, whenever Saitama wanted, and it was usually weird stuff that the bald hero thought would help him regrow his hair.

The first week, she had stayed indoors mostly. She only went out if Genos or Saitama was with her. However, Sonic did not leave any more threatening notes or declarations of vengeance. So she resumed hero work, but with Mumen Rider.

They were gliding along down a street, Ayano perched on the back of the bike and gripping her friend's shoulders. The wind blowing through her long, chocolate-colored hair and bringing a faint smile to her face. The air felt electric and it made her feel excited for their next task.

A little girl flagged them down, teary-eyed, and seemed only slightly cheered up when Mumen Rider greeted her. "M-my kitty! My kitty's stuck in the tree!"

It was a rather mundane task, but it was still considered hero work, if one could overlook the fact that a police officer would be able to do it just as easily. Ayano pushed up her glasses and peered up through the leaves of the tree, trying to spot the feline.

"Sword Girl, can you climb up there? I can see it from over here. I'd do it myself, but the branches are kind of close together. I might get stuck." Mumen Rider gave her an apologetic look as he rubbed the back of his head.

She grimaced. Out of all of the "heroic deeds" she had done so far that week, this was something she dreaded. It rarely came up, but Ayano did not get along well with cats. Ever since she was a small child, cats were one thing she had trouble with. Dogs were no issue. Rabbits, rats, even wolves were no issue.

The idea of going up there and handling a razor-clawed little beast with fangs sent a shiver through her, but she knew it had to be done. Mumen Rider was right; his body armor was too bulky and he would definitely get stuck if he tried to climb up there himself.

Ayano had no problems climbing the tree, but froze when she found herself face to face with the cat. Okay. I can do this. I just need to be really careful. She rubbed her fingers together, trying to beckon it to her. "Psst, psst, psst! Come here…" She felt her face turning red, embarrassed by the weird noises.

"Snow-chan! Let the hero help you!" the little girl called.

The cat snarled and lowered itself closer to the branch. A sigh of frustration escape Ayano and she adjusted her glasses. She knew what she had to do, but it was going to be one of the most unpleasant things she had done in a while.

A half hour later, she and Mumen Rider were riding along when a sudden storm began. Ayano winced as her scratch and bite wounds were drenched by rain water, hissing quietly as she held tighter to her friend. "Ngh! Stings…"

"Let's call it quits for today," he suggested.

"We're heroes though…we need to keep patrolling until-"

"You're bleeding and it's raining. Besides, it's getting late." He squinted behind his glasses and goggles, trying to see through the curtain of rain that was falling all around them. Spotting a neon sign, he perked up. "We'll go there until the storm dies down," he announced, swerving.

Ayano winced as they hit a bump and wrapped both arms around his neck, eyes closing tightly behind her own glasses. Her vision was nothing but rain speckles at this point so there was nothing for her to really look at anyway. First cat scratches and now all of this rain. This day is just…

Shift P.O.V

This day is just perfect. I couldn't ask for a better scenario. Sonic ran along the rooftop's edge. Not anywhere near his full speed, but fast enough to keep up with the two bespectacled heroes. Of course, his eyes were on the girl perched on the back of the bicycle; barely even aware of the male hero.

Ayano's hair was soaked, making it more a dark chocolate color than its usual milk chocolate shade. Her clothes were clinging to her, drenched from the sudden downpour. Even from this distance, Sonic could tell that her glasses were so speckled by rain that she was blinded. Now would be a good time to strike.

He hesitated to do so. Watching her shiver from the cold rain and cling to her friend, he was reminded of the times she nearly died doing her hero work. How she would cling to him, bleeding and trying desperately to keep close to Sonic. Seeing her act this way with someone else awakened his jealousy and a flicker of outrage.

All it would take was a shuriken into a bike tire and that low class hero would be sent sprawling onto the cement face-first. It was a tempting idea, but Sonic knew it would also mean injuring Ayano. He saw them slowing down and rushed ahead to the next rooftop, crouching to watch them.

The vanilla man slowed to a halt outside of a restaurant that had an obnoxiously aggressive neon sign that read "NOODLES, NOODLES, NOODLES FOR DAYS!" It was just odd enough to make Sonic tilt his head and wonder what sort of mindset one had to be in to go to such a place.

The rain had dampened his hair, but slid off his armor with ease. So, unlike the two heroes, he was saved the unpleasantness of damp clothes. That was one advantage if he went after them. Another was that both were disgustingly oblivious enough to have not noticed they were being followed.

Sonic pushed his hair away from his eyes and began to grin. Just wait, Ayano. I'm coming for you. There's no getting away. Why even fight it? You know what feels right.

Shift P.O.V

Ayano stared curiously at the mug set in front of her. "Ah…are you sure?"

"I'm sure. After the day you had, you deserve it. You did great today." Mumen Rider lifted his own mug of beer, smiling when she tapped hers against it. "Sorry about sending you up that tree, though. I didn't know you were afraid of cats."

She shivered and slouched in her seat. "It's not exactly that I'm afraid…I just…don't really like them. When I was little…I was walking home from school and got lost. I wandered into an area I'd never been before and a colony of feral cats attacked me," she explained.

"Oh! I'm sorry! If I'd known-!"

"N-no, it's fine! A hero shouldn't back down just because there's a cat involved," Ayano insisted. She sipped her beer and released a sigh. "I should be the one apologizing for throwing the cat at you…"

He tilted his head, blood running from the scratches on his cheek. "It's not a big deal," he tried to assure her.

She offered a napkin, which he gladly accepted and used to wipe at his face. It was so…not heroic. I panicked and threw it at his face like that. He's lucky he wasn't hurt worse. Her noodles arrived and Ayano felt her spirit lift a little. "Thank you again, for treating me. I'm going to buy next time though."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to have someone to eat with." Mumen Rider smiled again as his order arrived.

Eating was done in silence as they both seemed to fall into deep contemplation about what had happened that day. She was sure that he was probably disappointed in her. After all, someone that throws cats at people is not going to be seen as heroic in any way, shape or form. I need to get over my fear, she decided. So I can be more helpful next time.

Having finished his noodles, he drank his broth and set the bowl down with a frown. "I know it's not really my place to ask, but you never mentioned why you broke up with…uh…"

"Oh…um…it's…it's kind of silly." She felt her cheeks heating to a warm pink, her glasses fogging slightly. "We just…had different ideas." Her voice had dropped to a soft mumble when she answered. "I don't really want to talk about it."

The two finished their beer and the mugs were refilled. Mumen Rider was telling her stories about when he first became a hero and a few stories about when he was in high school, aspiring to be lawful good and protect others. His ambitions were nothing like what had made Ayano become a hero and it made her feel self-conscious. Not exactly sad or ashamed, since alcohol was keeping her spirits from falling.

Her friend was now three mugs in and he was just as cheerful as ever. "Saitama, though! He's great! I saw him take out a monster once with one punch!"

She hiccupped and stared at him curiously before half-grinning. "You sound like Genos," she commented.

"No, but I'm serious! No one gives him enough credit, but he's pretty amazing! Have you seen him fight?"

Remembering that time she saw Sonic get tossed into the side of a building like a ragdoll, she nodded and chewed at the inside of her cheek. "He's strong," she admitted. "That face though…"

"It's why everyone underestimates him!"

Deciding that she rather liked Mumen Rider when he was drunk, since he was basically the same but more talkative, she nodded. They stayed a bit longer before she announced she was going to call Genos to come get them. Mumen Rider was definitely drunk at this point so she was reluctant to get on his bike with him to ride home. She excused herself and went out to stand beneath the overhang in front of the restaurant.

Ayano had just scrolled to the cyborg's number when a chill ran down her spine, accompanied by the powerful sensation of being watched. She lifted her gaze from the phone screen and saw a blurry figure in the rain, standing across the street and facing her. The girl pushed up her glasses and squinted as she tried to see the person more clearly.

As soon as her eyes managed to focus, they were gone. Her tired, slightly alcohol-effected, brain took a moment to process this, but it was too slow. Ayano blinked and a hand was suddenly lifting her chin so she was staring up into a familiar pair of grey eyes. Instantly, she could feel heat growing in her cheeks and her heart beat faster.

"S-Sonic?! No…w-wait!" Ayano's words were swallowed by the ninja as his lips met hers. The kiss tasted of rain and made her feel like there were butterflies in her stomach. She found herself reaching up with her free hand, fingers gripping his shoulder as she pushed herself to stand on tiptoe. It was hard to deny the attraction she still felt toward him. After everything, she still got excited about seeing the ninja.

Shift P.O.V

A grin was threatening to form, but he managed to fight it down. He felt her step back a little and stepped forward, his free hand pressing at her back to bring her close again. Sonic heard the loud boom of thunder above them, the rain falling harder behind him.

When she finally turned her head to the side, breaking the kiss, he saw that his abrupt action had helped her to sober up. She watched him warily from the corner of her eye and the hand on his shoulder was trembling. "Sonic, I can't…"

"Don't look away from me." He took her chin in his hand, fingers gently putting pressure at both side of her jaw. Looking into the girl's honey-colored eyes, he could tell what she really wanted. The primal desire, sparked by his closeness and his kiss. It brought a smirk to his face.

Leaning down a little closer, Sonic licked his lips. "You're going to make this harder than it has to be." He was unable to hide the excitement from his voice. Sonic was already in a good mood from getting to see her this closely again, but now she was going to present him with a challenge. Maybe a fight, maybe a chase. Whatever it was, he was determined to win.

"I told you…I'd come back when I've reached my goal," she murmured, eyes shifting to avoid his gaze.

"I remember. I also remember saying that I couldn't accept that." His thumb rubbed along the scar at the corner of her mouth and Sonic's expression softened for a moment. "If you come back without a fight, I'll reward you."

Ayano stepped back now, hands lifting to push at his chest. "I-I can't! I need to do this my own way! I'm sorry!" She turned to run back into the restaurant, but his hand closed around her wrist to stop her. The hero was swept off her feet and fell against his chest, her balance off-center due to a swift kick to the side of her ankle. She flushed pink and bowed her head, trying to hide behind her hair.

Both arms were now wrapped around her and he allowed himself to grin. Catching her was much quicker than he had expected, but he was not about to complain. The sooner he got her back to the base, the better.

Of course, things are never that easy. Mumen Rider stumbled out of the restaurant, glasses sliding down his nose. "Sword Girl? What…?"