I'm very sorry for this late update!

I had writer's block...

Which is a lame excuse, I know.

And I've been working on more fanfics. :]

So, I'll try to update this and my other story as soon a possible.

Enjoy! And please review (x

Nine—The Past—Year 2012:

I stood there patiently as I listened for any sign of disapproval from my secretary. I stood there for a good hour and a half in those stiff, new clothes, until she and the tailor finally emerged from behind the curtain.

At first, I didn't want to look at her, in case she was giving me an angry look. So, of course, I turned to the tailor. "So…" I asked slowly, trying to keep my eyes glued on her, "how was it?"

The tailor smiled. "Perfect. She was a real angel—didn't struggle at all."

I blinked. "Really?" I didn't mean for there to be, but my voice had a bit of disbelief in it.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? She is right there."

I gulped. What if Shih-na was mad at me? I thought, slowly looking up at her face.

I didn't realize it, but I froze. And my heart skipped at beat—but just one.

She didn't say anything, but only showed me a kind of worried emotion that seemed to be asking me, "It looks bad, doesn't it?"

I laughed, and fixed the sleeves on my new jacket. "You look great, Shih-na! Relax," I said, trying to assure her it was the truth.

She stared at me with wide-eyes—a first—and she strolled over to the mirror grazing her fingers over her bare shoulders.

I knew she felt strange there, and I looked at my clothes for an idea of what she could wear. And then, I saw it—the feather boa that was attached to my jacket. I called the tailor over.

"Yes?" she asked with her sewing kit in hand.

I gestured over to Shih-na, and murmured, "Can you get Shih-na one of these?"

She nodded, and went to the back of her store to look for one.

Then, Shih-na walked over to me. I saw that she seemed to like the outfit, but she was holding her shoulders. "… I need…"

"Here we are!" the tailor cheered, holding up a black feather boa.

"Perfect," I said, and I wrapped it around the back of her neck. All she did was watch me with those crimson eyes of hers.

She put her arms down.

"It is good?" I asked watching her rarely-changing facial expressions.

She half-smiled and nodded.

After that close attempt at a smile, I couldn't help but ruffle her hair a little.

She tried to fight it, but I could see a little pout coming onto her face and I saw her shining eyes even from behind her bangs.

And that's when I remembered.

"Oh here, these are for you," I said, pulling my present to her out.

She stayed quiet.

The Present—Year 2019:

Lang sat silently in Shih-na's cell. She had tired herself out when she panicked—she was going to die in a year. He stared at her slender body and couldn't help but bare his teeth. He knew she could change, but no one else did. To society, she was someone everyone was better off with.

Shih-na mumbled in her sleep, not that Lang could understand any of it.

Lang checked his watch—it was close to 2 pm. He slowly got up and shuffled his feet over to the front of the cell. "Guard," he called, "come here so you can let me out."

The guard scrambled to the cell and tried to open it with his shaky hands. "I-is Ms. Shih-na asleep? If she e-escapes, I-I—"

Lang put his hand up. "She's not that bad, you know." He glared at the pitifully idiotic guard to get his point through.

"Not that bad?" the guard cried. "Please excuse my discourtesy, but she killed someone—and she was in the smuggling ring!"

Lang grabbed the keys angrily from the guard. "Don't talk about my secretary like that."

The guard yelped, and ran away quickly, even tripping on his shoes more than once.

Lang started to grumble and even growl as he fiddled to find the correct key. If people had spent enough time with her like I did, they would all think twice. He finally managed to find the right key and slid the cell door just enough so he could get through. As he closed the door, he looked at Shih-na; a wave of gloom and guilt washed over him. "I'm sorry," he said under his breath, "but even you don't want me here."

He slowly closed the door and quietly walked out of the jailhouse.

But what he didn't know was that Shih-na had awoken from the ruckus Lang and the guard had caused. She knew of Lang's departure, and she picked up on the depressed tone in his voice. For some reason unknown to her, she bit her lip.

Ten—The Past—Year 2012:

"… What are they…?" she asked, staring at the thing in his hand.

Lang laughed. "They're glasses. Try them on. I saw them, and thought they'd look great on you, so I got them."

Shih-na hesitantly looked from her boss to her present and slowly took hold of the sunglasses. She put them on, and looked into the mirror almost dramatically. She didn't say anything—all she did was stare at her boss's reflection in the mirror.

Of course, her boss could not see her eyes through the darkness covering her eyes, so all he did was stare at her reflection.

Shih-na did not move. She opened her mouth, but she could only think the words they're nice, thank you. Instead, she closed her mouth again and continued to stare.

"So," Lang said, getting a tad worried, "do you like them? Or… should I just get rid of them?" He ran his fingers tensely through his hair.

She opened her mouth, and quietly, almost silently said, "I like them."

He smiled. Thank goodness, he thought. "Aiya, you worried me there for a second," he smiled, and he turned to the tailor. "So, how much will these be?"

Lang walked over to the cash register with the tailor, and Shih-na watched silently. Her eyes followed every movement of her boss, and she noticed that she did not take her eyes of him once. She looked into the mirror, and scowled. You can't do this, she thought angrily, this won't last forever.

"Shih-na," Lang called, "let's go."

Shih-na stiffly walked out of the store, her thoughts still lingering on her newfound attachment.

The Present—Year 2019:

Lang walked out of the jailhouse, and MiB was sitting lazily in his car. When he saw Lang, however, he sprung out and quickly asked, "Shifu, how was it?"

He sighed. "It was terrible." They walked over to MiB's car together.

"Care to give me the details, Shifu?" MiB said caringly. They got in the car.

Lang looked at his subordinate with unusually soft eyes. But, he quickly turned away and growled. "No. There's nothing to talk about."

The two drove off back to the agency, and Lang could not help but feel emptiness in the car's backseat. He just knew that someone important was missing.

Shih-na sat up, relieved of having to pretend to be sleeping. She stared at the lunchbox sitting in the bare corner of her cell and got up to bring it over to her bed.

Curious, she opened up the other two meals prepared for her. They were delicacies of Zheng Fa.

She grimaced, finally realizing that Lang probably knew she missed eating his cooking. If he didn't know, she thought, he probably would've just bought me some burgers.

She shook her head, repulsed by the fact that all she could think about was her former boss. She scowled and shoved the meals back into the little lunchbox and put it on the cold floor. Not knowing what to do, she lied back down, and forced herself to sleep.

It had not been more than an hour later that a female officer roughly woke her up. "Rise and shine," she said, pulling her up. "You going to shower or not?"

Shih-na looked from the officer to her clothes, and the officer groaned. "You want us to wash that?"

She nodded.

"Hey! Get me a uniform for Cell Two!" the officer bellowed, and after a moment the clumsy guard from before brought over a striped shirt with matching pants. She handed them to Shih-na. "You're going to wear these until your load's done," she instructed.

Shih-na frowned. This uniform is the most hideous thing I have had to wear in my whole life. Looking up at the officer, she nodded again, but more hesitantly this time.

As she awkwardly walked through the depressing, barren halls of the jailhouse, many people seemed to glare at her, and more than few stared.

"I heard she was almost sent to Solitary Confinement."

"What do you think she did?"

"Maybe she has stacked charges?"

"Her? Oh, come on, she looks harmless. Useless, even."

Shih-na bit her tongue, and kept walking, listening to the sinister howls and cackles of the psychotic inmates she would never have to meet. Calm down, she tried coaxing herself, these idiots will get what's coming to them… But I will too. She shuddered as a deranged old man followed her legs with his eyes as she walked faster.

Then, she turned to see a man, humming a tune, stupidly wearing broken sunglasses and looking out the window. That's right… sunglasses, she thought.

Eleven—The Past—Year 2012:

She marched into Lang's office, her hair and facial expressions rarely moving. To most, she seemed proud—maybe even completely confident. But that was completely off-base; she was nervous out of her mind. As she swung his door wide open, producing a loud noise, many people turned their heads—including Lang.

"Shih-na," he said curiously, getting up out of his comfortable seat, "what brings you here?"

She was wearing the sunglasses Lang had presented to her, and behind the dark lens, her eyes widened. Clashing against her pale skin, a shade of pink crept onto her face, and the words she had tried to say left her as she swallowed. Damn, why did I do this now?

She cleared her dry throat. She mouthed words that chose not to come out, and extended her arm, revealing the little case she held in her right hand. "For these." She gestured at her sunglasses, hoping he could not see her staring at his every movement.

"For… the glasses?" he asked curiously. He got up, and took the case from her. As he opened it, his mouth curved into a grin. "Aiya," he murmured happily. He pulled out the contents of the case and examined them. "You didn't have to do this," Lang said, happily admiring his new sunglasses.

Nervously, Shih-na continued to stare, not uttering a word.

Lang looked at her strangely for a while, but then laughed. "Shih-na," he started—he pulled the sunglasses away from his face showed her his soft eyes. "As your boss, I'd want the best for you; don't sweat it."

He stalked over to his desk, picked up a file, and put his new glasses on. He looked up at her, his fangs completely visible. "Shih-na, we've got a suspect to arrest."

She nodded, and even grinned a little. As they walked out of the agency, everyone couldn't help but stare at the two of them, side-by-side, the perfect duo.

Strange, Shih-na thought, I feel the most secure here—the most dangerous place for a smuggler to be at. But then, she looked up at her boss and his wolfish grin. And then she knew the reason for her security.