"Akaaariiii! Hey, why aren't you here yet?! Shouta and I are waiting on you!"

She winced and switched her phone to her other ear as she zipped up her costume's jacket. The hero straightened when she was done and ran a hand through her thick, crimson hair to push it away from her face. "I'm sitting the sports festival out. I mean, technically, I'm not even allowed to be there since he's going to be there."

"Ugh! Babe, is that still a thing?"

"Look, as long as we're both alive, it's going to be a thing." Akari grimaced as she left her bedroom and sat on the couch to put on her boots. "I'm just going to go patrolling so the day won't be a total waste. Don't worry about me, Hizashi."

"Awww! C'mon! You can't be afraid of Endeavor!"

"It's not fear! You don't…understand." Releasing a heavy sigh, she leaned her head back against the couch cushions. "Are you doing anything after the sports festival?"

"Some of us are going out for a drink afterwards. I'll pick you up when I'm done here. Sound like a date~?"

Smiling, she felt her mood lifting. "Sounds good. I'll talk to you later." Akari tucked her phone away and walked to her apartment door. I'll just take out my frustration on some criminals. Everything will be fine. She paused to wipe at her eyes and her smile faded. I just wish I'd been able to sleep last night.

The door opened and she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Sitting there on the floor was a bundle of bright red roses, a cold can of cotton candy flavored energy drink, and a small piece of cardboard shaped like a heart.

Akari had been trying her best to not to think about the murders. She told herself that, despite the fact that Jin had been so upset about her getting hurt, he could never kill anyone. He was too nice of a person. Now, as she looked at the can of energy drink in her hand, she knew the truth. The only people that even remotely cared what about her flavor preference were Yamada, Aizawa, and Jin. Yamada and Aizawa were at the sports festival.

The gifts were put on the kitchen counter and she set off to patrol again. Now she was on edge. The lack of sleep paired with paranoia from the murders and it made her wary of every person she passed on the sidewalk. The red-haired hero attempted to keep up an alert, courageous façade as she walked among civilians, but she felt absolutely drained and unsettled.

Jin. But why? And if he's the man in the black and white mask, does that mean…? Her cheeks flushed pink and she pushed her hair back from her face, a frown tugging at her lips. If that was Jin…then he…that man said…so…does Jin…I mean, it adds up, but why? Jin loves me? Why though? And he slept over. We slept next to each other! And he loves me?! Akari's pulse quickened at the thought, making her subconsciously lift a hand to her chest. Love?

She had no further time to contemplate this revelation, her phone started to ring and she was sent sprinting down the street. In all honesty, Akari was grateful for the distraction. A hostage situation was unfortunate for the civilians involved, but it was perfect to take her mind off of her own situation.

Shift P.O.V

He knew that the sports festival was taking place that day. Figuring that it would be a rough day for her, he had left the gifts in front of her door bright and early in the morning so she could start her day with a smile. At least, he hoped that his gifts made her smile.

Lighting a cigarette, he continued walking down the alley and frowned. Jin ran a hand over his hair as he fought the urge to go back to her apartment. She probably left already. I bet she's still asleep. He held a hand to the side of his head, grimacing deeply as he started to feel like he was coming apart.

I want to see her, but she'll be mad at me if I go there now. I'll make her day! He paused in the alley, now holding his head with both hands. The urge to see the hero was overwhelming. It made his heart feel like it was being squeezed, sending his pulse into a rapid pace that made his body feel weak.

Just as he considered giving in and just going to look at her apartment building, Jin saw a flash of blue at the end of the alley. A man with blue hair. He reached to his pocket for his mask and sprinted toward the opening of the alley with his teeth gritted, ready to take down anyone that could potentially hurt Akari.

Shift P.O.V

Her left hand was gushing blood from the fingertips, four threads of blood being used to redirect the circulation from four legs. Two of the five criminals were being controlled by her quirk as she desperately tried to fight off the other three. It would have been optimal if Akari could have incapacitated a few before they noticed her, but things had not worked out that way.

The woman's capture weapon surged forward and the crimson ribbon coiled around the arm of one man. She managed to sling him far off down the street, turning to shout at the hostages to run. There was only a handful of civilians in the convenience store, but they were taking their time escaping. It was understandable; they were terrified. However, their presence severely limited how well she could fight in the store.

She twisted sharply to stop a swinging fist from colliding with her face and lifted her leg. A strong kick met the female criminal's side and was followed by another kick directly into her ankle. She crumbled to floor and Akari took the opportunity to drive her knee into the back of the woman's head and knock her out. At the same time, the other criminal was now coming at her with a hand raised and palm pointed at her.

Shit! I can't dodge or I'll lose control of these other two! She saw something bubbling at the man's palm as various pores spread open wide. Oh shit! The concoction hit her square in the chest, forcing her back, and she was sent skidding down the street. Now out of range of the other two villains, Akari knew that she had to act fast. The bubbling foam was sticking to her costume, but she managed to push herself up before they could attack.

She swung a fist, breaking one man's nose as another received a kick to the midsection to push him back. I have to keep a distance. The big one's quirk seems like some kind of biting thing and this one's quirk is that bubbling stuff. She saw that another man was busy trying to wake up the female criminal and the one she had thrown was running back to help his friends.

This is the worst situation. I won't get backup, either. A lot of the other heroes are at the sports festival or working security! Damn it! Akari sent a sharp kick into one man's head, knocking him down, and used her quirk to redirect blood flow from the limbs of her other opponent. I have to just knock everyone out, right?! Until the cops come for them!

Akari had to use her pepper spray on the man she was controlling before she could knock him out because he was struggling to move despite having no blood circulating to his limbs. The man who had been helping the female criminal now ran at her and received a swift punch to his solar plexus. He doubled over and she drove her elbow into the back of his head. Okay! Two left!

She turned in time to feel a strong hand grip her throat and lift her off her feet. Her back slammed into a brick wall as the tallest of the criminals glowered, his lips parted to reveal sharp, pointed teeth. Akari lifted a leg, planting her boot against his chest and trying to push him away. The man leaned down more, bringing his face inches from hers as oil-black eyes narrowed down upon her.

Shit, shit, shit! This is bad! Akari had used a lot of blood to control the circulation of her opponents earlier so she was afraid of using more. No choice! She sent threads of blood surging into the man's arms and legs, forcing the blood flow from his limbs into his midsection. Akari was released and the man sank to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Now she faced a potentially life-threatening problem. Akari was trembling from blood loss and her vision was becoming blurry. Fatigue settled into her body as each movement became a struggle. She looked down at the man, breathing hard as she tried to conjure up an idea of how to detain him. Reaching to her knife, she used shaking fingers to grip the handle and she attempted to strike the back of his head with the blunt side. It had no effect. He simply snarled and swung his head at her, trying to bite the woman's hand.

No good. What…should I do…? My balance…can I…? She summoned forth some strength and broke her blood threads from him as she swung her knee into his head. He went motionless and silent. Sinking to her knees, she took deep breaths and tried to bring back her strength, but she was beginning to feel tired.

Akari abruptly remembered the fifth criminal and turned in time to see him approaching at a run. No! No, no, no! Damn it! She pushed herself to stand again and prepared to sprint to meet him, but it was not needed. Her eyes widened as a figure leapt up behind the man.

"Hey! You've got blue hair! No! I'm looking for red hair!" An arm slung around the criminal's neck and the masked man on his back wrapped his legs around the criminal's waist. Twisting, Akari's hero sent the man sprawling onto the ground. Fingers threaded into the man's blue hair and his head was smacked against the cement so hard that Akari was sure his skull must have cracked.

She stared at the spectacle with wide eyes, a coldness settling into her body. Akari saw the masked man lift his head and she took a step back. "Jin." Her voice was just loud enough for him to hear her as he got off of his opponent.

He paused, head tilting. "Yeah? I don't know what you're talking about! I'm Twice!" He took a step toward her now and seemed to realize that she was suffering from blood loss. The man started toward her faster, arms open as if to steady her. "Akari, what did they do to you?! Let me help you! You can take care of yourself!"

"Stop!" She moved swiftly, reaching to her capture weapon. Civilians were watching them. So many eyes were directed at the hero and her rescuer as the masked man drew closer. It was known that he had killed multiple blue-haired men. If she acted friendly with him, people would suspect she had helped with the murders. But it's Jin. I know he's a good person! I know he isn't evil! I can't…let him get hurt!

The masked figure jolted when her ribbon tightly wrapped around his wrists in front of him. He lifted his bound hands and the eyes on his mask seemed to indicate that he was raising an eyebrow. When he looked to her and saw the vibrant blush on her cheeks, he seemed to misunderstand the situation. "Is this some kind of weird foreplay? I'm super into it!"

Akari frowned and tugged at the ribbon. "No. You're coming with me."

"Whatever you want, Akari! What are you going to do with me?"