This is a necessary inconvenience, she reminded herself. Neneko frowned and tried to go over the positives of what she was about to do. Giran said that they accept anyone. That I should just be my genuine self and they will accept me. Can something like acceptance outweigh the violence and hatred that their group is founded on?

An additional discomfort was her current outfit. Giran had met with them the previous day and gave her what he had collected as well as a costume for her villain self. It was immediately apparent that this was his way of teasing her.

The costume consisted of a black dress with long sleeves and a hood. It ended a few inches above the knee and the hem was a familiar pale shade that mirrored the pale parts of Jin's costume. There were knee-high boots to match that same color. The edge of her hood was a pale shade as well. Over her left breast the kanji for "sorrow" was embroidered in thick white thread.

Neneko had grudgingly secured her long black hair into a braid that hung over the front of her right shoulder, but left a thick section free to hang over the left side of her face. There was no mask. No contacts to alter the color of her eyes. No makeup to hide her scars. She had nothing to hide behind now.

When she hesitated to approach the door to the bar, Twice looked over his shoulder at her with his head tilted. His face was already hidden beneath his mask, but he seemed a little worried. Neneko bit her thumbnail and averted her gaze. "I must admit…I am a bit anxious. I know it must seem ridiculous; I've met them before. However…that was as Mystic."

He turned sharply to face her, taking both of her hands in his as his masked face hovered a few inches above hers. "You're gonna do great! Everyone's gonna love you! Don't fall on your face!"

She stifled a small laugh, but smiled and nodded. "You…really are very sweet, Jin. I do not deserve someone as kind as you."

"What?! How can you say that? Well yeah! I'm out of everyone's league!"

The door was opened by Twice and she was ushered inside. Neneko had considered how she would introduce herself. Of course, she would refrain from mentioning Mystic. She had no desire to be associated with that raunchy persona she had created previously. She wanted to come across as professional and aloof. After all, she had more or less been pressured into this by Giran.

Before she could speak, Twice blurted out his own introduction. "I found this random lady outside. This is my soulmate Sorrow! Isn't she the cutest?!"

"I…had thought that was meant to be kept secret," she murmured. Looking to the others in the bar, she realized that rest of the League of Villains had congregated there ahead of them. They were now being stared at.

Neneko bowed her head, but watched them with upraised eyes. "It is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I go by the name Sorrow. Giran-san informed me that I would be welcomed among you."

"That's your girlfriend, Twice? I didn't think she was real." Dabi stalked across the room, smirking down at her. "What's with the weird hairstyle? You have some ugly scars or something? And speak up."

"My appearance is of no concern to you."

"Hey, Dabi! If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all! Those scars are my fault anyway!"

What…did he say…? Does Jin blame himself for my injuries? These injuries…caused by my own carelessness. She turned her head to the side to look at Twice and found her hand being grabbed by him. Before she could say anything, she was being introduced to the others as if he had not given her a semi-grand introduction upon their arrival.

Neneko had intended to enter this situation with a calm mindset and present herself as a professional, but now she found herself feeling timid. Embarrassed. The fact that Twice was hyping up her quirk and intelligence were definitely contributing factors.

Standing beside him, she let him do all of the talking. Her throat was still recovering from using her quirk on Rappa. The last time she had intentionally used her quirk had been when she was a teenager and that had been a dark time in her life. She was reflecting on that incident with guilt when she found a pair of arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her against a chest, the man twirling around and lifting her off her feet.

Her face flushed a bright shade of pink and she bowed her head, a hand lifting to hide her smile. He…is beyond kind. Beyond amazing. He always knows when I feel disheartened.

"You're so cute when you get shy! Come on! Don't make me do all the talking!"

"So what exactly is your quirk? We just keep hearing about how powerful it is," Compress spoke up. He approached as Neneko was set down again, tipping his hat forward a little.

"Ah…to call it powerful…I'm afraid that may be a bit of an exaggeration. Though I appreciate Twice's flattery. My quirk is "sad sound". If I raise my voice to a certain point, it reaches a pitch that causes…unfortunate psychological side effects on anyone that hears it. The louder I speak, the stronger the effect. The length of time the person is effected is based on their own willpower, mental fortitude, and personality."

"What kind of psychological effects?"

"Well…" Neneko's confidence once again wavered. Talking about her quirk was low on the list of things she enjoyed. It made her want to shrink in on herself to describe it in detail; especially in front of so many people.

Running her fingers along the length of her braid, she lifted her gaze to stare at the man's mask in an attempt at eye contact. "My voice can drain a person's motivation and cause them deep feelings of despair. Hopelessness. Worthlessness. Weakness. In some cases…if the person who hears it has a weak mind and spirit…they…could potentially cause themselves bodily injury…or take their own life…"

Twice had been nodding along with everything she said up to this point. Upon hearing this part, the eye markings on his mask indicated he was frowning. "Wait! What?! Did that happen before? No way! I don't believe this!"

"Can your quirk kill?" The blunt question came from Shigaraki, seated at the bar. He was turned in his seat to face them and stared at the three from behind stray locks of pale blue hair hanging over his eyes. "Did you make someone die?"

"Sorrow would never kill someone! She's super brutal!" Twice looked from Shigaraki to Neneko, who had her head bowed.

She chewed on her thumbnail as she tried to calm the anxiety raising in her. Lifting her gaze, she nodded. "My quirk…has caused someone to take their own life," she admitted.

There was no reason to hide this. Giran had said for her to be her true, genuine self. Hide nothing. They would accept her as she was. A brief glance toward Twice showed him crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. Jin. I would not blame you if you hate me now. I love you…and I knew I could not keep this a secret forever. Not if I'm to be accepted by these people. If you can accept me, even knowing that I have blood on my hands…

Shift P.O.V

The words were shocking to hear come from her own mouth. It was one thing when Giran said it. He could try to just shrug it off as Giran getting his information wrong. That Giran was just repeating some nasty rumor he had heard somewhere from a bitter ex-client Neneko might have had.

His brain took a second to process what she just said. The idea that his soulmate, this soft-spoken translator, had actually caused someone to take their own life was a little difficult to believe. Neneko was soft and warm. Kind and considerate. There was no way she could cause someone's death.

When she turned to glance his way, he felt a tightness in his chest. Whenever Toga talked about stabbing someone or drinking someone's blood, she always had this blissful, excited look to her eyes. The opposite of what he saw in Neneko's sharp violet eyes when the young woman looked at him.

She looked like a dozen knives were being plunged into her heart. There was so much guilt, so much pain in her eyes that he was unable to stop himself from taking action. He pulled her into a tight hug and leaned down, his cheek rubbing against hers through his mask as he did what he could to try to take her pain away.

Whatever had happened, it was something she regretted. The death was not something she was proud of. It was probably an accidental use of her quirk that caused someone to kill themselves. He could tell just by looking at her that she wished she could go back in time and fix it.

Neneko was shaking a little, but her arms slid around his neck in her first show of affection since their arrival. "Thank you…I appreciate your kindness."

When he set her down again, he wrapped a protective arm around her and had her back pressed against his chest, his free arm waving and pointing at the other villains in front of them. "Okay! No more questions, got it? You're bumming her out! Maybe just one more question!"

"So you're really in love, huh?" Toga tilted her head slightly, her eyes on Neneko rather than Twice.

"Of course we're in love! She's adorable! Who wouldn't love her?!"

The young woman hid a smile behind her hand and nodded. "I love him…more than I've ever loved anyone before," she confessed.

His heart beat twice as fast and he felt a warmth rising in him. Hearing her say these sweet words was almost too much for him, even with his mask on. He wanted to hug her and never let go. It took a lot of self-control to not scoop her up and rub his cheek against hers again.

When they left the bar, he found himself constantly looking over at her and smiling beneath his mask. He knew that Giran had intentionally coordinated her costume colors to match his and it made him feel even happier. He and his soulmate were wearing the same colors.

To make things even better, they lived together now. He could be with her all day, every day. Of course, he had remained by her side from the moment he rescued her. Just the thought of letting her out of his sight made him start to panic. If they were separated, she might get hurt again. He was determined to keep her safe from harm now that they were together.

Jin waited until they were close to their building before removing his mask. The second he did, he saw a hint of pink rise to her face and it gave him a spike of pride. Knowing that she loved him, she appreciated him. So much so that his intimidating appearance never bothered her.

He knew how he looked. His face made him appear rough, menacing. The scar certainly did not help matters. Most people often gave him space as if they were unnerved by him or they completely ignored him. Neneko never ignored him, though. When she looked at Jin, it was always with warmth and kindness.

She sat on the edge of the bed in their motel room, her lips drawn into a frown and her arms crossed over her knees as she leaned forward. "I…apologize for not telling you sooner…regarding the extent of my quirk's power…" Her voice was just above a whisper, but it was laced with pain.

Crossing the room quickly, he fell to his knees on the floor in front of her and set his hands on the bed to either side of Neneko. Looking up, he stared into her eyes and frowned back. "Neneko…it's okay."

"…I have…caused death…" she argued, shaking her head. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. "I caused death…with my voice. I nearly killed that man…the yakuza member Rappa…I did not raise my voice to full volume, but I weakened him and…my intent…my intent in that moment was to stab him until he bled out…"

Jin could see that this was something she wanted to hide from him. A pain she had been internalizing. He lifted a hand, threading his fingers into the loose, obsidian locks hanging over the left side of her face and pushing it back. "You didn't! Neneko, you…didn't kill him so…" He grimaced, feeling the pressure building inside. He wanted to comfort her, but he was also so proud that she was so strong.

Neneko always did what she could to reassure him when he started to feel like he was splitting. She would hold him and run her fingers through his hair until he calmed down. To see her looking so defeated, so crestfallen, brought him more pain than he thought possible.

What he wanted now, more than anything, was to take away her sadness. To make her smile. He took her face in both hands, staring directly into her eyes and seeing her try to blink away tears. "I…I love you and I hate seeing you this way! What can I do to help you?! Tell me!"

Her pale cheeks took on a pink tint as she felt the warmth of his fingertips caress the side of her face. "I…Jin, I…would love nothing more than to be held," she timidly replied.

Relief washed over him and Jin wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her. As happy as he was to be able to make her feel better, there was now a certain question nagging him. He wanted to know more about how her quirk had caused someone's death, but he was reluctant to ask her.