It had been two weeks since that fateful encounter in the alley. Jin decided after the second time that he met with her, it was definitely fate that brought him to that place at that exact moment. They were destined to cross paths. After all, she was his soulmate.

No one else had ever treated him so warmly, so sweetly. Every time he went to see her, she greeted him with admiration in her eyes and offered him whatever comfort she thought might help him feel at ease. She was absurdly considerate and always had chamomile lavender tea ready for him. She never even questioned why he was getting so many messages in English; she actually seemed content with translating for him.

Lying awake at night, he was unable to stop thinking about Kuroiwa. Everything about her was so soft. Her voice, those violet eyes, her fingertips whenever she set her hand on his. Jin subconsciously rubbed the top of his hand as he thought about the last time she touched him there.

He had woken from a dream about the translator and was left with cold disappointment when he woke alone in his hotel bed. Cold. All by himself. He reached for his phone and checked the time. It was nearing midnight so it was too late to even consider calling her or going to see her.

She's probably asleep, Jin thought as he let his head fall back onto his pillow. I don't want to keep bothering her. She loves it! He grimaced and rubbed at his face. He was remembering his dream now. Remembering how he had held her. Remembering her smile. Of course, he had seen her smile in real life and he loved it. Her smile was timid, sweet, always genuine. She never faked a smile for him.

That lonely, despairing feeling from earlier was increasing with each second that he was awake and away from her. The thought of spending the night by himself, without even hearing her voice that day, made his stomach twist in anxious knots of dread. His pulse began to speed up as he pushed himself to sit upright.

As he moved down the desolate, near-midnight streets, Jin gritted his teeth. He desperately wanted to see the young woman. He wanted even more desperately to embrace her. Certain dangerous, impulsive thoughts came to mind as he quickened his pace.

She's so light, I could put her over my shoulder. I just want some more of that tea; I don't even care if she's home! I…need to touch her! Ugh! Her skin's dry like a lizard's! I don't want to touch that! No! She's so soft…Neneko…I need to do something! I don't want to scare her! I'm gonna grab her and make her mine! I can't do that! Neneko deserves better than me!

Jin stumbled into the alley next to her building, clutching his head and slumping against the wall. Sweat beaded along his hairline and he clenched his eyes shut. The conflicting thoughts were almost unbearable. He wanted them to go away. He wanted to feel whole and he wanted to see her.

He began to shake a little, fingers digging into his hair as he tried to keep himself from coming apart. A horrible thought crossed his mind during this moment of emotional agony. Jin imagined himself splitting in front of her. Doubling again and again before falling into chaotic self-mutilation and murder as the various doubles slaughtered each other in front of Kuroiwa. The terrified look she would wear. The tears of horror she would shed.

Digging in his pocket, he dragged his mask out and hurried to put it on. As he felt the black and white fabric slide down over his face, he felt his heart beating at a dangerously quick pace. He had to pull himself together or he felt like he might truly come apart. If that happened, he feared that something horrible might occur and he would never see Kuroiwa again.

The mask was on now and Jin leaned against the wall once more, breathing hard. He waited for his pulse to slow down, attempted to get his breathing under control. The man finally managed to stabilize himself and found himself feeling almost cheerful. "Alright! I'm gonna get her a gift! She's gonna love it! I'll just dig up something out of the trash! That's good enough!"

Shift P.O.V

Neneko hid a yawn behind the sleeve of her sweater and apologized to the client she was currently speaking with. Thankfully, he seemed not to care. After all, he had showed up late at night with a document from his boss for her to translate to Korean. "I apologize for the delay…I hope that these translations will get his point across…I used formal speech patterns in my translation."

He accepted the stack of handwritten notes and gave them a quick look through. However, he had no idea how to read Korean so he could only assume that she had done a good job. "Yeah; these look fine." The pale-haired man slid the pages into a large folder and set it on his lap.

The two bowed slightly, both ready for this visit to end. Neneko knew that she was tired and her visitor appeared fatigued as well. He covered a yawn as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Kurono-san, if that will be all for now. I wish you a safe trip back. Please send him my gratitude for his continuing patronage."

He stood as she did, but hesitated to leave the room. Keeping his eyes on her, the slightest smile curved his lips. There was no warmth to it. No joy. "You've been pretty busy lately. Kind of hard to make contact."

She blinked slowly, still trying to get past the fact that he was attempting a smile. This yakuza member never smiled. He always maintained a blank expression when he visited with work from his boss and when his boss came with him, he wore a mask. The sight of his cold, joyless smile sent a chill down her spine.

Of course someone would notice that I have been preoccupied. I do realize that I have been shirking my duties to my clients. I have been prioritizing Bubaigawara above all others. Guilt made her bow her head and she bit at her thumbnail, eyes sliding away from staring at Kurono. "Yes, well. I do apologize for my lack of cooperation. Certain things have come up. You understand, of course."

"You know, if you're seeing a guy, you should probably think about breaking it off. Pretty sure Kai would call that a conflict of interest. You can't do your best for us if you're focused on someone else."

I…think you may not know what "conflict of interest" actually means. Not about to correct the yakuza member's words, she simply nodded. "Yes, I understand, Kurono-san. However, there is nothing like that. My work…is my life."

He pulled up the hood on his coat as he finally started toward the door. "If Kai offers you a full time position with us, you should probably take it. A cute, quirk-less girl like you might get hurt if you're talking to the wrong people."

She fully understood the threat meant behind these words. Neneko gave him a nod. Nowadays, she rarely told people the truth about her quirk. Not unless she was in a relationship with them in some way or wished to be close with them. It was just easier that way. "I understand, Kurono-san. If he gives me the opportunity, I will certainly give it great consideration."

Shift P.O.V

The plastic bag in his hand rustled with each step. His mask was pushed up, revealing his face so he could enjoy a post-shopping cigarette. Jin looked down at the bag as he came to the end of an alley, still quite pleased with the selection of gifts. When he entered the store, he got a little too excited and just started grabbing various things he thought she might like.

He imagined her thanking him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into her warm, soft embrace. Just thinking about it got his heart racing. If she did that, he knew he would lose control. He would hug her back and enjoy the translator's gratitude.

What he really wanted was to tell her how much he loved her. If there was any question about it before, there was no doubt about it now. Jin felt his excitement start to fade as he immediately thought that she might reject him. She was a smart woman. Too smart for someone like him and way too well-mannered to bother with a man that was working with the League of Villains.

She wouldn't want to be with someone like me. She's totally into me! Kuroiwa is too good for me. I don't deserve someone like her. He swayed a bit as he walked, a hand holding the side of his head as he neared her building. Jin took the utility stairs so he could avoid crossing paths with other people.

It was as he opened the door to her floor that he realized fate had made him want to visit her for a reason. Voices made him pause to open the door the rest of the way. Jin's brow furrowed, mouth twisting into a scowl. He peered out into the hallway and he saw five men.

"Are you sure about this? Someone's gonna hear for sure. I mean, this is an apartment building. And it's not like the walls are soundproof," one guy hissed.

"Look, I've been living here for the past four months. I've never even heard my neighbors. Besides, I'm pretty sure this girl's mute or something. I don't think I've ever heard her talk. And she's got money and she's quirk-less, too. Easy target," another guy explained, smirking.

"How do you know she's got money?"

"I had to borrow something once and I saw into her place. She's loaded. Look, if you're still scared, you can just take some stuff and cut out. I'm gonna have some fun with her."

Jin's blood felt like it was boiling. His heart was racing with adrenaline as he tugged his mask down over his head again. He charged out of the stairway, discarding his plastic shopping bag near the door. The man threw a punch at the guy that seemed to be in charge first, wanting to smash the man's face in. The thought of anyone else touching Kuroiwa, especially against her will, made him absolutely seethe.

The guy's friends tried to pull Jin off of him, but one was met with a kick to the face and another found his elbow driving into their gut. Unfortunately, another one circled around and smashed their fist into Jin's face. He reeled back in pain and shook his head before charging forward once more.

Jin took a lot of damage. He did his best to dodge the worst of the punches and kicks, but still found himself bloody and bruised. He put his back to Kuroiwa's door, determined to keep them from entering her home. I wasn't able to stop her from getting scarred last time, but there's no way I'm letting these guys get to her! I just don't know how much more I can take before I get destroyed!

The man that was apparently Kuroiwa's neighbor rushed at him, slamming him back against the door and ramming his fist into Jin's stomach over and over. The back of his head smacked against her door from the force, but he clung to consciousness. He lifted a knee sharply into his opponent's groin and grabbed the back of the man's neck. Jin turned and slammed the man's head into the wall, hard.

His breathing was ragged, his injuries throbbing as he looked at the others. The neighbor was now a crumpled heap on the floor of the hallway. Glaring at them from behind his mask, he felt another rush of adrenaline. "Okay, who wants to go next?! Come on! Let's all be friends! Who wants a hug?"

Shift P.O.V

Kurono had been gone for about an hour. Neneko had gone to bed and was woken by a commotion outside of her apartment. Fearing that her yakuza associates might have actually turned some men loose to try to frighten her into joining them full time, she grabbed a large knife from the kitchen and approached the door. She looked out through the peep hole and recognized her next door neighbor. The others were strangers, but the masked man with his back to her door seemed to be attempting to keep the others away.

A loud thud sounded at her door as a fist drove into the man's stomach. His attacker took a step back and the masked man slid down the door, going motionless. Neneko saw the others quickly running to the stairs and disappearing. She waited a moment before cautiously opening her door and crouching down to check on the masked man. Instantly, her eyes widened as she recognized the blue button-up shirt as being Bubaigawara's.

Neneko moved without thinking and slid her arms beneath his. She struggled, but managed to drag him into the apartment. The door was closed and locked. The knife was tossed aside and she knelt on the floor to carefully remove his mask. His face was bruised and bleeding, but this was without a doubt Bubaigawara Jin.

Her chest felt tight as she reached trembling fingers toward his face. Neneko's fingertips gently brushed along his bruised cheek, tears in her eyes as she stared down at him. "…Jin…" she whispered, in a near-whimper. "…please…"

She gently wrapped her arms around him again to pull his head onto her lap and she used her sleeve to try to wipe away the blood. Her sweater sleeve was quickly becoming damp along the hem. The translator leaned down closer, her fingers trailing gently through the man's messy blond hair. "…please…" she repeated. "…wake up…please…be alright…Jin…"

His mouth twitched a bit at the corner and he gritted his teeth. A quiet groan could be heard as he moved a little. Gradually, consciousness was returning to him and he soon seemed to realize what was happening. His eyes snapped open and he stared up into her teary violet eyes, his lips parting as he saw the woman's despair and worry. "K-Kuroiwa…"

Neneko wanted to ask why he was there. She wanted to know why he put himself in such danger, if he was alright. However, these desires soon faded away as his arms wrapped around her and she was pulled down into his embrace.