Love without Boundaries

Allies or Enemies?

We looked at each other for quite a long while until I realized the situation we were in.

I bumped into a stranger.
A stranger.
Someone I have never met before.
Right in front of me.

Quickly, I jumped from the ground, bowed, and immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you. I wasn't looking at where I was going. I had a lot on my mind and wasn't paying attention to my surroundings and..."

As I continued to apologize to this stranger, he analyzed me carefully.

'She doesn't seem to realize who I am, does she?' he investigated, 'From the looks of her costume, she's the Winged Hero everyone seemed to praise all around this area. If that's the case, why is she here? Normally, a hero would recognize me from the news and attack me on the spot, sending me to prison because of my plans, but with her, she doesn't know anything from the outside world. If I attack her now, she may very well defend herself. I mean, she does have a powerful quirk. I'll have to work on a plan and see how she'll respond from here.'

"No need to apologize." He answered calmly, raising his hand towards my face.

His manner from before has slightly changed from irritation to tranquility. While it was settling, I wanted to be aware of the situation.

"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Of course. As you can see, I am completely unharmed."

Without seeing any damage from the strange attire, I sighed in relief as I fell to the floor. It would've been worse if I had to handle one who would complain about a single stain on their clothing. Trust me, I tried.

"Whew. Well, that's a relief."
"You don't seem like you're from around here, are you?"

Acknowledging his attention to detail, my face froze in an instant.

'Crap! Did he know?!' I internalized myself, 'If he figured out the correct agency or my whereabouts, Sir Nighteye would never allow me to wander the streets again as a soloist. What should I do?'

Looking at my hero uniform, he must've known I was from some agency. Instead of telling him the truth immediately, I arranged a cunning lie. Even if it's against my hero's morals, I couldn't bear to tell him all about me.

"You know, I'm not usually like this: being this inelegant when I just returned to Japan."
"Returned?" the stranger inquired.
"Yeah... I was working... at a... a different agency."
"Which agency?"
"Well... it was from another country. So, I wouldn't know the name on top of my head. He he..."

In a state of fear, I prayed that he would take my lie very smoothly. Suddenly, he started to bow as well.

"Then... Let me be the first to say: Welcome back."
"Thanks."

I stretched toward his hand, but something in me stopped.
Now may not be the best time for a handshake when he precisely welcomed you back.
Good going!
Awkward stillness drew across from each other as we were unsure what to do.

"So... you live around here?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"That's classified." He responded sternly.
"You know, I tell you a bit of me and my agency, but you won't tell me a bit about you? Seems kinda unfair, don't you think?"
"It would, however, you seem to speak freely of your life, but there are some things I don't share about mine."

He was right about that. If I hadn't kept my mouth shut, maybe he would've told any villains nearby of my agency's whereabouts and when to strike: rookie mistake.

"I'm sorry."
"It's fine for now. I won't tell a soul about you."
"Gee, thanks. I feel very grateful. Anyways... I must get going."

I started to walk away and move forward. Even though I was unsure where I was going, I had to go somewhere. However, every step I took made me hurt somehow. What was going on here? I wasn't wounded from the fight. It couldn't be that. Was it because of his quirk? Or was it something else entirely?

"Say," I asked while turning around, "do you suppose you can help me with something?"
"What is it?" He asked in annoyance. "I have places to be."
"Well, to be honest, I am kind of lost."
"I kind of figured as much."
"How'd you figure?!"

Clearing your throat, you tried again.

"Regardless, I need to be somewhere soon. Otherwise, I won't get a chance to see it again."
"And where exactly is this place?"
"Well... if you know the place, maybe you can tell me directions instead of showing them?"
"Depending on the place."
"The...um... Kiyashi Ward Mall?"
"It's a bit too far from here."
"Well, if you can direct me to the location, I should be fine."
"Why not fly? You have the wings?"
"Yeah... but I might get lost if I flew in the air."
"Fair enough."

He then told me the direction. I smiled lightly. With another proper thank you, I was prepared to turn and move forward. Without hesitation, he started to walk in the same direction as me and kept walking.

"Wait. Where are you going?"
"Taking you there, where else?"
"But... I can go from here."
"You sure about that? From what I can tell, you can get lost pretty easily."

He did have a good point. Even though I took his direction by heart, I would be lost in minutes. Even with my quirk being angelic-like would activate, it would contact Sir Nighteye directly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I doubted him, "I wouldn't want to bother you."
"Of course, I want to do this. Besides, you do trust me, don't you?"

Could I even trust him? He is some stranger. I barely even know the guy at all. What if he leads me to a trap? What if he tries to kill me when we get to a corner? As many questions boggled my mind, I took a breath to respond.

"I do." was the exact response I could tell him.
"Then follow me. I'll take you to your destination."

He started to walk a few feet away from you as he led you towards the mall. Unsure of this new acquaintance, it would seem weird for you to think of him as a stranger if you two were barely introduced.

"Oh, by the way,"
"What is it now?"
"We didn't properly introduce ourselves. My name is Yuka. And you?"

He stopped for a moment to realize what she just said.

'Did she just directly reveal her secret identity right in front of me?' he thought, 'I'm unsure if she's that much of an idiot or trying to test me. Regardless, if she knew who I was, she'd practically kill me. Heroes are meant to do that regardless. Well, let's see how she'll respond to this.'

With a deep sigh on his face, he turned and responded:

"Call me Kai."
"Kai? That's a cool name."
"Whatever. Now, let's get going."

As he led the way toward the mall, it seemed pleasant to maintain someone I could trust. I walked close to him in the streets to experience two worlds we never anticipated.