Where are you going, Sayuri? He kept a good distance between himself and the woman. Dabi was pretty good at staying hidden when he wanted to. Slipping into dark alleys when he thought she might look.

I forgot how oblivious she is, he thought with a scowl. He noticed guys looking at her every so often as she passed them, talking on her phone and being completely unaware of their stares.

When she almost got hit by a bike speeding down the street, he started to rush forward. Dabi knew there was no way he would have reached her in time, but it was just a reflex. An instinct. He saw a blond guy grab her sweater and yank her backwards to safety, which only gave him relief for a second until he narrowed his eyes on the stranger.

Sayuri thanked the man and the guy mumbled something too quietly for Dabi to hear. As the light changed and she crossed the street, he was half-tempted to follow the stranger, but instead tailed Sayuri. He was still keeping his distance, but he could hear her talking on the phone to someone again.

When her call ended, Dabi's phone chimed with a message from her. Seriously? This…really pisses me off. He tugged his hood forward a little more as he quickened his pace, but then he slowed down. As much as he wanted to wrap his arms around her from behind, he also wanted to know where her "client" lived.

Probably a lame middle-aged guy, he thought with a smirk. I bet his wife left him for someone younger and left her kid with him. He probably thinks he's got a chance with Sayuri because she's so damn nice.

He expected to see her go to an apartment complex or a cheap little house. Instead, Dabi saw yet another guy approaching her. This one had chin-length white hair and he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt like Dabi was. Sayuri greeted him with a small wave and a half-smile. She definitely knew this stranger.

Dabi stalked them, keeping a bigger distance than before. She was talking to this pale-haired guy while they walked and from what Dabi could tell, she was talking about school stuff. Is this the guy? Where's his kid? He looked the stranger up and down, wondering if this man even knew he was being watched.

The house that Sayuri and the stranger went into was a lot nicer than what Dabi had imagined. Pausing on a street corner, he stared at the house with growing anger. This was the house she kept going to and that had to be the guy that was monopolizing her free time.

He rummaged in his pocket again and turned the corner, putting his back to the house. Dabi typed a response to Sayuri. Just a simple "whatever". He started off down the street, daydreaming about grabbing that pale-haired guy by the throat and using his quirk to reduce him to ashes starting at the neck. Imagining setting the man's house ablaze, Dabi glared out at the world from within his hood.

What stopped him was when he remembered something Sayuri told him the previous night. That weird confession about her first love. Thinking about it drew him back to a fuzzy, faded memory of a little girl with pale hair and bruises. A little girl with orchid eyes crying in a corner and trembling when he hugged her.

First love, huh? Dabi's lips twitched into a smirk as he turned down a dark alley. Isn't that cute? A flood of other memories started to surface. All of them a little hazy, but they all involved a girl with pale hair and soft orchid eyes. How'd I forget? Maybe too much happened and it just overshadowed her. That little crybaby.

Shift P.O.V

"These are so much cuter than the ones we have at the school. Eri-chan, you did a really good job on these flashcards." Sayuri beamed across the little table at the girl, who gave her a curious look with her head tilted.

"I…did a good job?" Eri asked, lowering her warm red gaze to the flashcards spread over the table. "Really?"

"You did great. Okay, are you ready to take a break?" She stood and glanced toward the doorway. They were in Eri's room, working at a little pink wooden table. Like always, Chisaki and Kurono were lingering nearby. "We should go for a walk. The weather's really nice right now."

Sayuri had a gut feeling that Chisaki would refuse, but she was trying to test him. If he would let Eri walk around outside with her, there might be a chance that she could be alone with her. Then she could try to ask her if everything was really alright.

His eyebrows furrowed and he tugged at the white gloves he always wore, pulling them up a little more. After a moment, he seemed to have settled on a response. "I don't want Eri to get hurt. I told you before, didn't I? She gets hurt easily."

"We'll be careful, won't we, Eri-chan?" She looked to the little girl and saw her frown, but nod. "See? I won't let anything bad happen to her."

"As long as we're both there, I suppose a walk in the garden should be okay." He glanced toward Kurono, who turned and disappeared into the hallway. "Come on, Eri. You want to go outside, right?"

Sayuri offered a hand to the little girl, smiling when the child's delicate hand took hers. She followed Chisaki at a distance, her smile faltering when she realized he was leading her to a different door than the one she entered through. He slid the door open and revealed a garden that was behind the house. The plants were all still in the early stages of coming back to life after winter.

He stepped outside ahead of them and gestured at the little garden. "This will have to do. I don't want her anywhere near the street. If we walk back here, at least the danger is more manageable."

That's a weird way of wording it. Sayuri felt a small pull at her hand as Eri stepped forward and she looked down. "Oh! Hang on a second, okay?" Sayuri produced a spare hairband from around her wrist and leaned down behind Eri.

She carefully ran her fingers through the little girl's long, pale hair to get rid of tangles and then pulled her hair into a ponytail. "There we go. Now your hair won't get in your face." Sayuri smiled down at her when she turned around and her smile grew when Eri hugged her. "You like it?"

"Th-thank you, Sayuri."

The young woman hugged back and felt a tightening in her chest. I'll do whatever it takes to help you. I won't abandon you. Pulling back, she looked over at the garden. "Okay. Ready to go for our walk?" Eri nodded and took her hand.

Walking with the little girl, it felt different from when she walked with her students. Sayuri had this strange feeling. She felt like Eri was relying on her. Gripping her hand carefully, keeping pace with Sayuri and staying close to her side. It reminded her of the way she used to walk with her parents when she was in elementary school.

This is a good sign, though, right? He's letting me walk with her outside. He just seems like he's a little overprotective of her. Sayuri tensed a little and bit her lip to suppress a squeak of alarm as he came up on her other side.

He looked from her down to the little girl and there was an odd sort of look on his face. Difficult to explain, but like a series of tiny expressions. Puzzlement, realization, and finally ending with satisfaction. "If I didn't know better, I would wonder if you were her natural mother. You look so similar, except for your eyes."

She was unsure if he meant for this to be a compliment, but it gave her a strange sort of feeling. Sayuri put on a small smile and she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "She must have gotten all of her looks from her mom, right?"

Chisaki turned his head to face forward and nodded. "Clearly. I still find it strange that you don't have kids. You obviously like them and you're good with them. Or are you not able to?"

Her face started to turn red and she paused with Eri to look at a small pond with stones around the perimeter. She held Eri's hand to make sure she would not fall into the cold water, but Sayuri needed to put some more distance between herself and the girl's father. "That's an inappropriate question to ask a tutor."

Beside her, Eri looked a little concerned so Sayuri crouched down to her eye level and smiled. "It's nice today, isn't it? It's pretty much spring so soon we'll see flowers and the trees will get their leaves back. Maybe we can go look at cherry trees when they blossom, Eri-chan."

"Cherry…blossoms?"

"They're little pink flowers. The petals fall down from the trees kind of like rain when the wind blows and it's really pretty." Sayuri straightened again and felt goose bumps rise on her arms beneath her sweater when a gloved hand rested on her shoulder.

"Eri has allergies so I don't think that would a possibility, Naosu." Chisaki's reflection in the pond showed that he was looking at her, despite her attention being on the little girl. He started to say something, but was cut off by Kurono quietly announcing that dinner was ready.

Did Kurono cook? What is their relationship again? Sayuri tried to nonchalantly step out of his grip and turned to him with a smile. "I should probably be going. It's getting pretty late and my boyfriend-"

"Right. Your boyfriend. You're still together?" Chisaki took a step closer when she stepped back, noticing how she took Eri's hand again.

"That's right. We've been together since Christmas Eve." She started walking toward the open doorway, gently guiding Eri away from Chisaki.

"I see. How romantic." There was no shred of amusement in his tone as he said this. When they neared the door, he put a gloved hand against the doorframe beside Sayuri and leaned down. His eyes flitted to Eri briefly before he raised an eyebrow. "You should stay for dinner tonight. It's already made and I'm sure Eri would want to eat with you. Don't you think she should stay for dinner, Eri?"

The child glanced up at Chisaki and then lowered her head for a moment. She fidgeted before finally looking into Sayuri's eyes. "I…I want to eat dinner with you."

It felt like her heart was being melted by the little girl's gaze. There's no way I can say "no" to that face. Only a monster would be able to turn her down. Sayuri put on a smile and drew closer to Eri, putting herself between the girl and the others. "How can I refuse such a cute invitation? Alright, Eri-chan. I'll stay for dinner, but I'll have to go right after that."

"You have work tomorrow?" Kurono asked with a slight head tilt. "Isn't tomorrow your day off?"

"Her boyfriend is waiting for her." There was a slight edge to Chisaki's voice when he said this. He took his hand off of the doorframe and went ahead of them into the house.

Sayuri kept her eyes fixed on Chisaki as she followed, her hand still holding Eri's. When Kurono trailed behind them, she got a prickly sort of sensation along her spine. Glancing over her shoulder for just a second, she was met with a cold stare before his look turned inquisitive. She recognized this feeling now; it was the rush of adrenaline through her veins.

Her instincts were screaming at her to pick Eri up and make a run for the exit. To put as much distance between her and the two men as possible. But I can't do that, she reminded herself. Without some kind of proof that something's wrong, I'll be arrested for kidnapping. Eri hasn't said anything to tell me that there's something wrong and I haven't seen or heard anything from Chisaki to tell me he's done something. Just because he gives me the creeps, it doesn't mean he's doing anything. I need proof before I take any kind of action.

The young woman's unease grew throughout the meal. Barely eating, but watching Eri enjoy her food. The suggestion was made that she should visit the next day for more tutoring and she politely explained that she was busy that day. Chisaki did very little to hide his annoyance with her refusal, but sighed and shrugged it off.

He didn't even eat, she thought as she walked home. He kept that medical mask on the whole time and just watched everyone else eat. Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.

As she neared her building, Sayuri got that prickling feeling again. She looked over her shoulder, half-expecting to find that Kurono had followed her. Instead of Kurono's cold gray eyes, she found a pair of sharp turquoise ones briefly meeting hers before an arm slung around her shoulders.

Dabi leaned down, the staples along his cheek scraping over the curve of her ear. "I don't like sharing you," he started. His free hand gripped her chin, turning Sayuri's blushing face in his direction. A smirk pulled at the left corner of his lips and he brought his face close to hers. "I get you all to myself now, right?"

Her heart skipped a beat when she looked up into his eyes. "I…y-yeah, of course. What kind of question is that? I came back, didn't I?"

"I didn't know if I'd have to share you with Fuyumi," he taunted. He traced the pad of his thumb along her lower lip, watching her face go from pink to a bright shade of red. "So how're you gonna make this up to me? You said we'd spend the day together and then you ditched me for some single dad."

"It's not like that," she argued, almost laughing at the implication. "So what did you do while I was gone?"

His smirk evolved into a grin that looked like it might make his staples snap off. "I had some fun, but now I'm ready to have some real fun."