Alcohol could make almost anyone talk. At least, that was what Jin thought. Sitting in a bar beside the college student, he was experiencing some bitter inner turmoil over what had to be done. He pressed a hand to the side of his head. The conflict was making him feel like he might split and it was a struggle to keep himself focused.

I don't have the money to be doing this! What am I doing? How did it come to this? Jin realized that if he kept showing he was in pain, it would draw attention to him so he lowered his hand to grip his drink.

Kita was four drinks in and swaying a bit on his seat. He grinned over at the older man, holding his glass and raising it in a half-toast. "You know, you're a pretty good guy, huh? Most of her clients are kinda mean."

He frowned and ran his fingertips along his scar, unsure of what to do now. He had two options; he could go the noble route that he was sure Neneko would prefer or he could go with his gut. Of course, if he went with his gut, it might not end well for Kita. Since he was a teenager, Jin had been involved in less than noble activities. The instincts drilled into him since he was a teen told him to rough up the college student in an effort to intimidate him into staying away from Neneko.

When Jin imagined Neneko looking at him with disappointment, with a frown on her pale face, he felt a tightening in his chest. I can't do that! I…couldn't handle it…if she was upset with me! He had to push himself now. Otherwise this whole outing would be pointless.

"What kind of guys does she go for?" He tried to sound casual, but it was difficult. Jin was slouching in his seat, staring at his beer and wondering if he would even be able to keep it down if he drank it.

"She keeps her boyfriends secret," Kita seemed to almost pout. "Never introduces 'em to me anyway. There was that one guy that was really into her though. What was it? He called himself "Maru" or something like that."

He gripped his glass tighter, teeth gritting harshly at the thought of Neneko being with someone else. It hurt. He felt his heart dropping into his stomach now that there was a name to tie to the idea. "Maru?"

"Yeah. See, she used to have me sit in when she had clients. For safety, right? So there was this guy that did business in America and he called himself "Maru". He kept coming with English stuff for her to translate. Kept coming again and again. Eventually, he started bringing her presents. It was candy at first and then flowers. I could tell he was really into her; he always looked at her this way. You could just tell."

Jin finally let himself drink now. He chugged his beer as Kita yawned. Someone else loved Neneko and it made his pain even worse. This was a guy that was able to afford to shower her in gifts. A guy that did business in the United States. Someone well off and ambitious. Someone that actually deserved her.

Finishing his alcohol, Jin set down his glass and his eyebrows furrowed. "So what happened?" he forced himself to ask.

"What happened? It's a pretty good question. Maru didn't show up for an appointment and she never heard from him. A few days later…" Kita's face twisted into a disgusted, but haunted, expression. "A few days later, somebody found him. Nobody knows what the hell happened, but Maru was in pieces and somehow got fused into the walls of his apartment. Organs, limbs, hair, his teeth. Everything was everywhere and they had to chip him out of the walls to piece him back together."

A chill ran down his spine. Jin's stomach had felt unsettled earlier due to his conflicting ideas, but now he felt sick. Imagining stumbling upon something like that made him feel like he might vomit. "No one knows what happened?"

"That's the fucked up thing. I said that, but the day after they found Maru, Kuroiwa-san stopped having me sit in on her meetings. She gave me this lecture about being careful coming and going. I don't know for sure, but I think she knows what happened. Not like she did it or wanted it to happen; she kinda liked having him around. It was like she knew what happened and she wanted to protect me."

Jin nodded. He knew how protective she could be. He still cherished that memory of waking up with his head on her lap, after defending her apartment from certain unsavory young men. She's…too sweet. I have to protect her. Kind of sounds like someone else wants her. No! No one else can…I don't want anyone else to want her, he thought as he looked over at Kita.

"She's pretty sweet, but there's no way I'm her type," the young man spoke, laughing sadly. "I mean, a woman like her should be with somebody more traditional, huh? Somebody that likes tea and probably likes wearing traditional clothes. Somebody that drinks sake instead of beer. Somebody with money to actually take her somewhere nice on dates."

"…somebody like Maru…" Jin muttered.

"Yeah. Maru would've been perfect for her if he hadn't died. He had that classic look; smooth black hair and dark eyes. He had a cool smile, too. Hard to hate a guy like Maru, even if he wanted to take her away." Kita narrowed his eyes, reaching up with a shaky hand to adjust his glasses. "That's right. He would've taken her away if he was still alive, huh? I don't know what I'd do without Kuroiwa-san though. I owe her too much."

He had started to feel better about Kita until the kid said this. Jin had decided he was going to just let it go. He would part ways with Neneko's assistant when they finished at the bar and he would go back to his motel room. Things were different now. With that final confession, Kita altered his own future.

Shift P.O.V

"This…should be everything. If Chisaki-san has anything more for me to translate, please ask that he sends it to me via email." Neneko handed over the envelope containing the translated letter and watched Kurono tuck it beneath his arm. She was more than happy to see the man go; he was unnerving and he kept bothering the cat long after he was told to let Yori leave the room.

"We'll see what Kai says." He pulled up the hood on his white coat and turned to give her a smug sort of look. "Think about what I said before."

She frowned and tucked a lock of long obsidian hair behind her ear. "I apologize. Could you refresh my memory? We've spoken about many things today."

Their eyes met; a pair of sharp violet ones that simply stared back and a pair of dark ones narrowed in suspicion. The yakuza member's lips drew into a tight smile that held malicious amusement. "I wouldn't show favoritism with your clients, Kuroiwa. Spend too much time working for one of them and you never know what might happen. It'd be a shame, though, wouldn't it? If someone disappeared because they were monopolizing you."

I believe that's a word you must have picked from Chisaki. I have doubts that you know what that word really means. Kuroiwa brought a small, gentle smile to her face and nodded. "Of course. I understand…Chisaki-san has grand ambitions and…those ambitions require a great deal of work and enthusiasm from all involved. Which is why you work so hard, am I correct, Kurono-san?"

Knowing that this was a subtle jab at the fact that he had managed to draw this short visit into a three hour long event, the man's mouth drew into a straight line. The mirth, however malevolent, left his eyes as he moved toward the door. "I can see myself out. I remember the layout here pretty well."

This was a subtle threat. Stating that he knew the layout of her home implied that he could get in whenever he wanted, do whatever he wanted. She was not safe if she made him angry. Neneko was smart; she fully understood what he meant. "Of course. Please; I wish you a safe trip back. Give my regards to Chisaki-san." She walked him to the apartment door, wanting him to just leave so she could lock the door behind him and feel safe in her own home again.

Once she was left alone, Neneko leaned against the door and closed her eyes. Sliding down so she sat on the floor, the translator wrapped her arms around herself and released a heavy sigh. There was a burning in the corner of her eyes. Her pulse was quick, painful, as she replayed that threat again. The threat of harming a client. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

It had been at the edge of her mind for a while, but she had managed to keep herself from thinking about it too much. The client that had spent so much time with her. The client that had gone missing and suffered a horrible fate. There was no official suspect, but it was definitely a murder. Albeit a peculiar one.

Trembling, she bowed her head and let her hair fall over her face. She heard the cat meowing as it trotted over to see if she was alright, but it went ignored. Jin. If I continue to spend so much time with him, he may suffer the same fate. If anything were to happen to Jin and I was the cause…I believe it would break me.

Biting her thumbnail, she opened her eyes and let the tears slip down her cheeks. She felt nauseas and had to keep herself seated on the floor for a long moment before even attempting to stand. When she did, she leaned heavily against the door and shook her head. The thought of not seeing him hurt, but the thought of him being killed hurt much worse.

If she wanted to protect him adequately, she knew what needed to happen. She would need to distance herself from the man even more. Limit all of their interaction to either phone or email. Having him come over would draw attention to him and that was the last thing that she wanted now.

I know who killed Maru. It was never a secret; Chisaki made it quite clear when he visited after they discovered Maru's body. If I continue to spend so much time with Jin, he will suffer as well. Chisaki will use his quirk and…The tears multiplied; blurring her vision and stinging her throat. I must distance myself. I cannot see Jin again for a few weeks unless I'm in my disguise as Mystic.

Of course, the very idea of not seeing Jin made her heart feel like it was being crushed within a demon's claws. He was quiet and a bit moody sometimes, but he was so kind to her. He was a noble man and he did not deserve to die at the hands of a lowly yakuza brat like Chisaki Kai.

I will protect Jin, she told herself. A hand lifted to her throat, touching it lightly with her fingertips even as her tears continued to fall. I will put a distance between us, but I will continue to protect him as best I can. Even if I must raise my voice. Even if I am forced to use my quirk…

Shift P.O.V

The amount of thought that he was able to put into the rest of this plan was minimal. All he knew was that he had his mask on now and he was standing at the top of the maintenance stairs, staring at Neneko's door down the hallway. Jin adjusted his hold on the grocery bags, setting a brisk pace as he moved toward her door. His injuries were throbbing, but he had to see her. Leaving these bags in front of her door and just running was not an option.

Jin knew he looked bad. There was blood on his knuckles and a little on his shirt, from where he was injured. Hopefully, Neneko could overlook these things. She loves me! She'll have to ignore them! She's definitely gonna notice; I'm dead meat! He cheerfully knocked at the door and eagerly awaited her approach.

Quiet footsteps padded toward the door, followed by a pause as she looked through the peephole. Satisfied that it was just Jin, she opened it little by little. "Ah…Jin…I apologize, but I'm afraid I'm not quite up to having guests at the moment…" A startled squeak escaped her as the groceries were abandoned on the floor and arms wrapped around her tightly.

Overwhelmed, this time by happiness at seeing his soulmate, he lifted her off her feet and spun around in a circle. Her small, delicate hands braced against his shoulders and a leg wrapped around his waist to steady herself. Being pressed so close to Neneko, he could not contain his joy. She felt so soft, so warm.

The curiosity about how it would feel to be even closer was fleeting as he took action. Neneko's back was pressed flush against the wall with his chest against hers. A hand lifted her other leg up around his waist, her knees gently digging into his ribs as she stared up at him in confusion. Pink bloomed in her pale cheeks like cherry blossoms. "J-Jin? What…?"

A hand ran through her long dark hair, his pulse quickening as the silky locks ran between his fingers. She smelled like lavender and chamomile. Having her so close made him feel complete in the strangest way. Neneko was a totally different person from him, but he had to marvel at how just being near her made him feel like he was whole. Stable. Perfect.

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she stared up at him and rolled down her cheeks lazily. "You…should not be here. This is a dangerous situation for you to have put yourself in, Jin. I apologize, but it would be best if you leave. It is for your own safety. It is quite dangerous to be around-"

"What? You think I care about that?! What kinda danger? I'm up for anything! Especially if it's for you, Neneko!" Jin pressed his other hand against her back, bringing her tighter against him. He could feel the warmth of her neck through his mask as he leaned down and rubbed his covered cheek against her skin.

He felt something that made his excitement grow. Something that made him just slightly puzzled until joy overshadowed it. Neneko's back arched and her breathing hitched when his cheek rubbed against the side of her neck. Trembling fingers gripped at his mask now, slowly drawing it up. Jin leaned back to question her, but found her leaning up and pressing her lips against his.