I misjudged how much further I had to take this to carry my plot to its full potential...so be prepared for some relatively rapid-fire updates while I work up to the end. :)

"L…Len…" Rin breathed as she sank to her knees. Her eyelid fluttered closed and Len caught her, gently sweeping her up into his arms.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, slightly nuzzling her. "you'll thank me later."

Casting a final glance at his fallen allies, Len made his way back to his car, a luxurious black Lexus that served as more than half his disguise. The rest of the soldiers had loaded into inconspicuous delivery trucks and approached from different directions while Len cruised rather happily in his Lexus to reduce suspicion. Obviously, it hadn't done them much good, seeing as Len was again the only one left alive.

Len gently settled Rin in the backseat, having hadcuffed her for good measure on his return. He could just imagine how he might have looked – carrying an unconscious, handcuffed girl in what probably looked like a sleazy cosplay to an expensive car and laying her down in the backseat. He'd even crawled halfway in to ensure that she was settled comfortably. Surely that couldn't look good.

Suddenly extremely self-conscious, Len shut the backseat door and walked around the car to the driver's side, hopping in and not even bothering to buckle his seatbelt before racing off down the alley and cutting his way into traffic.

What are you doing, Len? He thought, afraid of what might happen to Rin after their return to headquarters. You could be putting her neck on the chopping block by taking her back.

"This has to be done," Len told himself. "I won't let her die again."

Len was worried when he walked into the cell block a week later. He could hear laughter echoing down the manicured, futuristic hallway and was suddenly afraid that it was coming from Rin's cell. He tried to maintain his posture and composure as he stormed down the corridor, past white, well-lit cells made of three opaque white walls and plexiglass fronts. As he progressed, it became obvious that the boisterous laughter, taunting, and crude remarks were coming from Rin's cell.

He was appalled to look in and see three of his men inside, a half-naked Rin at their feet. Most of her hair had slipped out of its bun and one of the straps on her dress was ripped, allowing her dress to slip halfway down her chest on one side. Her sash lay crumpled under one soldier's feet and fresh bruises littered her arms and chest. When she looked up at him from her place facedown on the floor, a purple bruise stretching across her cheek, it was obvious what they'd done to her, and it instantly brought Len's blood to a boil.

"The hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted, startling the soldiers. One by one, they all began stammering and choking out excuses at once, angering Len even more.

"We all hate her, but that's no reason to abuse her! Good god, she probably won't be giving us anything during her interrogations now. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that physical assault isn't a way to getting what you want."

The soldiers shakily saluted. "Y-yes, sir…"

"What was that?"

"YES SIR!" they all shouted, standing at attention. Len nodded.

"Alright. Now get the hell out of here, I'll deal with you later. You're not to leave the barracks until I call for you."

The solders scurried out and down the hall, leaving Len to excuse the guard to a long lunch so that the possibility of eavesdropping was just shy of impossible.

"Rin?" he whispered as he entered the cell again. She looked up at him from her place still curled up on the floor, tears welled in her eye.

"Why are you keeping me alive?" she asked, a tear falling. "I killed so many people you knew…"

Len made his way over to her and knelt down in front of her, taken by the apparent comprehension of reality and consequence she displayed. Could this really be the same young woman who single-handedly killed twenty-two grown men in a Tokyo alley only a week ago?

"Nothing can change what you've done," he answered, examining the bruise on her face. "But nothing can change the fact that you remained my only friend after my parents died." Len's next words were quiet. "You have no idea what you mean to me, Rin."

"…but Len…"

"Shhh. No buts," Len interjected. "it doesn't matter what you say. It destroyed me when you died the first time. I'm not letting that happen again. Ever."

Rin slowly pulled herself up to her knees, leaning toward Len. "I never told you…" she murmured.

Len searched for reason in her one eye. "Never told me what?"

"That I love you," she finished, closing the space between them and wrapping her arms around his neck. She hid his face in her shoulder, the tears already making their appearance. Len didn't hesitate to hug her back, tightening his arms around her and resting a hand on her head. He felt that he should have smiled, but her confession only worried him.

"I love you too, Rin," he whispered into her hair. Rin slumped into him, her shoulders trembling. "but why are you telling me this?"

"I missed you so much," she whispered. "I wanted to see you again…but now…I know they'll kill me whether or not I tell them what they want to know."

Len gently stroked her hair. "Shhh…I won't let that happen."

"You can't change fate, Len…"

Len gently pushed her away and looked her in the eye, allowing a rebellious smile show on his face. "No, but I can tempt it."

Rin's eye narrowed in confusion. "What do you…"

Len sighed. "I'll tell you when I know."

He looked down, turning his eyes back up when Rin giggled. He was afraid she'd lost it over again, but was comforted by the girlish sparkle in her eyes.

"You actually sound like yourself," she said. "not some badass lieutenant."

Len smiled. "I'll try to stay like this with you," he replied. "I can't stand watching you cry."

Before he could react, Rin leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Blood rushed to Len's cheeks as he felt her soft, baby-pink lips moving tenderly against his, and he began returning her kiss, realizing that in all his twenty-two years, he'd never once kissed a girl. His worries that he might not meet Rin's expectations diminished with each second as their kiss began to develop into something more.

Years of desperate longing took their toll as the seconds ticked by. Hands traveled and lips parted. Rin crawled into Len's lap, her hands digging provocatively into his sides. Len involuntarily sighed in pleasure, his hands caressing the soft porcelain flesh of Rin's back. Goosebumps ran up and down their arms as they went further and further…

Len gently pushed Rin away, returning to his senses. Rin began to release a string of quiet whines, only to be quieted by Len's index finger.

"Not here," he whispered, knowing as well as she did that he did want it. "But soon." He looked over his shoulder and back at Rin. "I'm gonna get you out of here. Both of us."