Red ribbon…? Like her capture weapon. It had to be a dream. It could only be a dream. Jin knew it. Still, here he was.

It began with darkness. Roaming down a dark, empty alley all alone. His sleeping mind registered it as a simple night walk. One of his patrols in his quest to keep Akari safe from the hero killer. He never expected the clouds to part overhead, spilling moonlight onto the scene at the abrupt end of the alley.

What he saw made his heart pound and brought a tingling sort of feeling to his body. His soul mate was there, but she was not fighting a villain. She was hanging limply from red ribbons that coiled along her arms, holding them above her head. The ribbons wrapped around her neck, her legs, over her chest and stomach. The clash of crimson against pale, otherwise exposed skin made him begin to sweat. The ribbons extended down from the dark sky above with no end in sight.

When Jin approached, he saw her lift her head. Vibrant cerulean eyes met his gaze and he hurried to close the distance between them. She started to struggle, as if to free herself, but the ribbons wrapped tighter around her. In her thrashing, the woman's crimson hair was thrown into messy disarray and hung over her eyes when she went limp again.

The second that he reached her, he took action. He dug his fingers beneath the ribbon's edge on her right arm and tried to tug at it. The binding refused to budge. Jin tried using both hands and heard her whimper. A look at her face showed the hero flushing a warm hue and biting her lower lip. She was panting.

"I'll save you, Akari! Damn it! This is impossible!" He gritted his teeth as the ribbon tightened around her neck like a noose and he saw the end that reached up into the sky go tight. Akari's face began to turn red and he panicked.

Without thinking, Jin lifted her legs around his waist to elevate her. His first instinct was to try to get the ribbon to go lax again. Thankfully, this seemed to work. It loosened a little and Akari gasped for air. Her legs tightened around his waist, keeping her body pressed close against his.

"Just…hold on, okay? I'll save you!" He decided to focus on the ribbon around her neck first. Jin's arms went around her, trying to feel where the ribbon ended so he could try to untie it. Doing this brought her even closer to him and he fought to keep his focus on the task at hand.

He finally managed to dig his fingertips beneath the edge of the ribbon and pulled hard. It crumbled away into sparkling red dust and as it did, Akari threw her head back and released a moan. He struggled to fight his desire and lost.

Pressing her back against the wall of the alley, he threaded his fingers into her hair and brought his lips down to hers. The taste of cotton candy energy drink combined with the feeling of her body against his and the pleasure drew a groan of ecstasy from him. It was muffled against her lips, but it felt so good that he no longer cared about hiding his feelings from her.

Jin woke in his bed, in his hotel room, staring at the ceiling and sweating. He felt unbearably hot after the dream and pushed himself to sit up, frowning. Just a dream, he confirmed. Running a hand over his slightly wet hair, he felt a pang of disappointment.

He turned on the television before doing anything else. He needed a distraction from the dream. Grabbing his cigarettes and lighter, he walked to the window and opened it. As he lit a cigarette, he heard the news come on. A hero couple or something? Jin raised an eyebrow as he inhaled from the cigarette.

"That's right! You were a big EndStrings fan, weren't you?" one anchor asked the other, beaming on the television screen.

"Ah, well, yes. After the incident, though, I haven't really been keeping up."

EndStrings? Against his better judgement, he walked over to stand in front of the television and continued to attempt to enjoy his cigarette. An image of the hero Endeavor popped up as the news anchors continued to talk. They were going on about the number two hero now.

Jin was tempted to change the channel, but then it happened. Another hero's picture appeared on the screen. A painfully familiar hero. Jin's soulmate. The cigarette fell from his mouth, his heart dropped into his stomach, and sweat dotted his hairline. No…Akari?

A coldness settled over him, clutching at his heart like claws. His hands shook as he lifted them and ran them through his hair again and again. It felt like he might come apart. It felt like his heart was being squeezed and torn at. Jin gritted his teeth as he shakily went to retrieve his cigarette from where it was burning a hole in the carpet.

She said she had a boyfriend, he remembered as the heartbreak continued its onslaught on his body and mind. No way! She was making it up! No! No, no, no! Akari…she wouldn't…with a guy like that! No!

Jin snatched his mask off of the bedside table and fought tears. He had to see her. He would only be satisfied if he heard it from her himself. They were soulmates. They belonged together. It just was not possible for Akari to be with a person like Endeavor. He refused to allow this.

Shift P.O.V

It had taken a pretty heft bribe from Yamada and Aizawa offering to walk with her to make Akari actually go to work. Surprisingly, the principal had no intention of having her take a leave of absence. She wished that he had though. It felt like everyone was staring at her.

"How are you doing?" Kayama greeted her.

"Nn. Just great," Akari replied with very little enthusiasm. She felt drained, despite having slept really well after sleeping beside Aizawa. It felt like there was a heavy weight pressing down on her.

"Babe, you don't look so good!" Yamada set a hand down on her desk, leaning in to look closely at her face. "Akari, if you don't feel up to handling class-"

"I can handle it," she protested. I can, can't I? Kids can be kind of mean, but they won't hassle me about this, right? Pushing herself to stand up, she ran a hand through her hair to get it out of her eyes. "Where's Shouta?"

"He went without you."

She was soon sprinting down the hallway without a word to the others. Akari raced past doors, turning corners way too sharply, and finally skidded to a stop when she got to the door for 1-A. Still pretty upset that he had left her behind, she threw open the door and glared at Aizawa.

It was an alarming image. Akari was breathing hard, hair hanging over her face in messy disarray as she glowered at her boyfriend and stepped into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late," she spoke quietly as she closed the door behind her. "I didn't realize what time it was."

Aizawa frowned, but continued speaking to the class as she came to stand at the front of the classroom. Akari was keeping a bit of a distance, though. It was clear that she was irritated that he had left her behind. However, now he was irritated as well. Starting class without Akari had been his attempt at showing how much he cared about her. He wanted to minimize the amount of stress she would experience that day.

What Akari had not considered was that most of the students started staring at her after she burst into the classroom. Now she was really self-conscious. It's not just about me showing up, she thought as she ran a hand through her hair. I can tell what they're thinking. It was all over the news and internet.

She watched Aizawa from the corner of her eye. He looked tired, as usual, but it was obvious that something was bothering him. It was hard to describe, but there was something about his expression. A subtle sheen to his glare. A tensing of the muscles in his jaw. A twitch beneath his right eye when he glanced toward her.

I still can't believe I cried in front of him last night. And I ran away from…him. What kind of hero runs away like that? A soft sigh escaped her. Too quiet for the class to hear.

Looking to her boyfriend again, she felt a pang of guilt. After everything he had done for her the night before, she had come busting into the room and glared at him. She knew he was probably asleep when she called for help and he had dragged himself out of the comfort of his bed to find her. He had done his best to make her feel better and stayed with her through the night.

He deserves better than me, she thought as they walked down the hallway after class. As grumpy as he pretends to be…he was so sweet.

He saw her looking at him and released a heavy sigh. "I didn't want you to push yourself," he muttered. "I saw you sweating in there."

"I need to get over it," she argued.

"You do. I just…" Aizawa scowled and bowed his head. "I don't want to see you like that again." Turning to give her a stern look, he saw her jump a little. "I'm busy tonight. That doesn't mean that you have to be alone, though. If you want-"

"Hizashi has work tonight." She attempted a smile, but it was weak and full of uncertainty. "I'll be okay. I won't go out tonight. I won't watch the news, I won't go online. I'm just…going to go home, drink some sleepy time tea, read, and go to sleep. Everything will be fine. I promise."

He was clearly still concerned, in his own grumpy way, but decided to not say anything more about it. Without changing his expression, he quickened his pace to walk ahead of her. "Tomorrow night. You can repay me for last night."

Akari wanted to be in a good mood when she left work. She should have felt at ease. After all, her little fight with Aizawa was super short-lived and they seemed to be on good terms again. However, dread settled heavily in her stomach when she saw a few gossip column reporters waiting around the school gate. She was forced to take an alternative route home in order to avoid people because she was so afraid of someone confronting her.

Arriving home brought her little comfort. Especially when she saw that there were scratches around the lock on her door. She looked over her shoulder, glanced up and down the walkway. No sign of any stalkers. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and was met with the smell of food.

Her heart started to palpitate when she saw the figure in her kitchen; standing at the stove with his back to her, wearing a black and white mask. Akari reached a hand behind her with hesitation, unsure if she should try to silently make a getaway or if she confront him.

He seemed to sense her and swiftly turned around. "Akari! Welcome home! Took you long enough! Dinner's gonna get cold!" Reaching past her, he pulled the door closed and swept her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're home, Akari! I was worried about you! You've got some serious explaining to do!"