A/N: I had this idea for an AU a while back, and I told myself I absolutely wouldn't indulge in it. Naturally, that meant it wouldn't leave me alone until I did. The following is an AU for Kurama and Asaki if they hadn't met back when she'd run away from home but instead seven years later. It's basically a first chapter, and if I ever finish A Hand to Hold, maybe I'll write that story. Who knows. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!


Everyone in the office was on edge, and Kurama couldn't blame them. Even he couldn't shake this feeling of restlessness. Today was the big day. The day Anno Enterprises sent their representative to evaluate Kazuya Hatanaka's company to make sure...of what? His father hadn't been incredibly forth coming about the exact reason for such a big company to stick their nose in other people's business. Because of that, Kurama had done some digging of his own.

Everyone who knew anything about demons and the business world knew the name Taro Anno. He was supposedly a ruthlessly efficient businessman with connections in all three worlds. Anno Enterprises was the single biggest company in existence, their hands in politics, resource management, environmental protections and regulations. You name it, Anno had something to do with it. Kurama also discovered that Anno owned the building that housed his stepfather's company. Actually, he owned most of the buildings in the entire city.

Kurama and Kazuya were waiting by the door with a few other key employees for the arrival of Anno's representative. Kurama was pretty sure he was mostly here for moral support since, at 22 years of age, he wasn't exactly in a management position. He certainly didn't blame his father for not wanting to anger his employees by putting someone younger than them in charge. Still, he recalled how easy it had been to usurp Yomi's own general over five years ago, regardless of the fact he'd only been around for a few months. If only the politics of Living World were so simple.

A shiny black car pulled up outside of Hatanaka Inc, and Kurama felt all the men around him stiffen. A man got out of the front passenger seat of the vehicle dressed in a black suit and tie. His hair was cropped incredibly short, and Kurama could smell the demon on him from here.

That man opened the back door on the driver's side, and out stepped...a woman. She was dressed in black slacks with a pale blue blouse, her dark hair tied tightly back in a long braid that's end rested in the curve of her lower back. She wore no jewelry, and her shoes were sensible heels, maybe an inch and a half at most. When the man in the suit closed the car door behind her, he bowed low, a perfect 45 degrees before falling into step as she made her way to the front door.

Everyone relaxed around him, some of the men elbowing each other and exchanging smiles. Kurama knew exactly what they were thinking. A woman was to be their evaluator? Was this a joke? Women couldn't possibly know enough about business to take this seriously. More cultural aspects Kurama could have dealt without. All it took was one look at this woman to know that she was every bit as worrying as any man could be, if not more so.

When the woman and the man Kurama presumed was her attendant entered the building, Kazuya stepped up to meet them at the door. "Kazuya Hatanaka," he said, bowing. "You must be the representative from Anno Enterprises."

"I am," the woman replied. Her voice was clear as a bell, not loud, but projected so that all of the men at Kurama's side could hear her as well. "It is a pleasure, Mr. Hatanaka. I am Asaki Anno. I look forward to working with you today."

Anno? Not even Kurama could hide the surprise on his face at the mention of her name. Taro Anno had sent his own relative to oversee this evaluation?

"Likewise, Miss Anno," Kazuya said. "When I spoke with Mr. Anno's secretary over the phone, she didn't mention I would have the pleasure of a member of the family to show around today."

"My father likes to keep things to himself," Anno replied, smiling politely. She was the absolute picture of poise and decorum, her posture ramrod straight, her feet pointed directly at Kurama's father like she was prepared to absorb his every word. Taro Anno's daughter looked the part of the perfect young Japanese woman. She only grew more dangerous in Kurama's eyes by the minute.

"I've noticed," Kazuya said. "Please, permit me to introduce you to a few key members of my staff." Anno nodded her head, and he led the way over to where Kurama and the others were waiting. "Everyone, this is Asaki Anno. She will be conducting the evaluation today. Please answer any questions she might ask truthfully and to the best of your knowledge."

When it was time for Kurama's father to introduce his son, Kurama had to suppress a smile at being referred to as an "all-around expert," full of "general knowledge" on everything that occurred at the office. It was true, but it was a far cry from his official title of Data Analyst.

Anno's eyes met his at their introduction, and Kurama found himself caught off guard by the curiosity in them. They were easily the bluest eyes he had ever seen, and while her expression only lasted a second, it was enough for Kurama to want to ask what it was she'd seen when looking at him. It was also at this point that he realized her hair wasn't black or even a murky reddish-brown as he'd first thought. It was, instead, a dark shade of red, like the color of dried blood. She also smelled faintly of smoke. It was too faint for the human nose to pick up, but he could just barely make it out. A fire demon, then?

"I look forward to working with all of you today," Asaki said, nodding her head after introductions had finished. "Let us begin." She tilted her head back, and the man she'd come in with was at her side in an instant, a tablet in his hand. He passed it to her, and she flipped it open, pulling out a stylus and tapping a few things.

"I'd like to see all of the offices and get explanations for what you all do, if that's all right."

It was strange. Her words were perfectly polite, they had just the right amount of obeisance to someone who at least looked to be her senior, though as a demon her age was in question. Still, to Kurama, they sounded more like an order than a request. Judging by the way his stepfather reacted, he figured Kazuya felt the order without realizing that was what was happening. He was simply responding to the natural way in which this woman commanded a room.

The majority of the evaluation went something like this: Kazuya would lead the group to a department, Anno would ask questions of the head of that department, the department head would respond to her like she was his own boss, she would make a face as she took notes, ask a question that the head could not answer, and then move on to the next department. It was, all told, a rather demoralizing experience.

When it was time to break for lunch, Kurama was thoroughly exhausted and more than ready for Miss Anno to leave. She was very careful with every word and mannerism so that no one could outwardly call her rude, but the level of manipulation in her demeanor was uncanny. She'd yet to ask anything of Kurama, but he wasn't certain he would be capable of curbing his tongue if she did so.

"I swear, she's a demon!" the head of IT growled to Kurama in the break room. "How on earth did she know about the software bug that's been driving me up the wall for the past week?"

"Woman's intuition?" Kurama joked in reply.

"Not funny, Minamino."

"Apologies, sir." No one was in the mood for talking, and Kurama was fine with that. It gave him an excuse to leave the break room. He'd been planning to find somewhere he could be alone, but what he stumbled on instead was Anno's attendant standing outside the women's restroom, presumably waiting for the woman. What he didn't seem to realize was that she was not in there. Kurama could sense she was near, but not where he was waiting. Had she...ditched this man? If so, why?

Well, this was a mystery he was more than happy to try to solve. All he had to do was find the only other demon in the building. Normally, he would use his spiritual awareness, but in this case, all he had to do was follow the faint smell of burning. After nodding his head slightly to Anno's man as he passed by, he made his way straight to the roof.

The top of the building was off-limits to staff and visitors alike for obvious reasons, but that hadn't stopped Anno, and it wasn't going to stop an inquisitive fox from stalking his prey. However, he couldn't possibly have been prepared for what he found as he slowly opened the door leading out onto the roof, stepping into the mid-afternoon sunlight.

Anno was there, looking up at the sky, her phone pressed to her ear, which wasn't particularly abnormal. What surprised Kurama was the smile on her face. It was real, genuine, unlike anything he'd seen from her so far. When she spoke to the person on the other end, it was with a level of warmth he hadn't known she was capable of. And then she laughed, and Kurama thought his heart had skipped a beat, despite how illogical a sentiment that was. One laugh and a warm smile did not change the person he had seen all morning. However, he had to admit she looked much happier now than she did before. Her eyes were practically sparkling.

"Thank you Rikka. You're the best. I'll see you later." Anno ended her phone call, her smile slowly fading. She let out a massive sigh, schooling her face into the mask Kurama had become rather familiar with over the course of the past four hours. When she turned and locked eyes with him, however, she jumped, her phone slipping out of her hand and skittering across the roof.

Pressing a hand to her chest, she took several seconds to regain her composure as Kurama retrieved her phone. It had landed on the case and not the screen, thankfully, so while the case was scuffed, the phone itself was undamaged.

"Apologies," Kurama said, holding Anno's phone out to her. "I hadn't meant to startle you." For a demon, she had terrible awareness.

"It's fine," Anno replied. She took her phone from him, very careful not to touch him in the process. "Did you need something, Mr. General Knowledge?"

She had a sense of humor, and a very wry one at that. "I found your attendant in the hall and noticed you weren't with him." Honesty seemed the best approach in this situation. He had a feeling Anno would be able to tell if he was being disingenuous.

"My bodyguard," she corrected him, dusting off her phone and sliding it into her pants pocket. "So, you just happened to wander onto the roof while I happened to be here because you noticed my bodyguard was alone?"

"As it so happens," he replied.

She narrowed her eyes at him before letting out another sigh. "He's like a bad cold. I can't get rid of him."

As if on cue, the door behind them opened, and out stepped the bodyguard in question. His expression was flat, like he wasn't at all perturbed by the fact that he'd lost track of his charge, but Kurama could feel the irritation radiating off of him.

"Mistress," he said, his voice low and polite.

"Thank you for keeping watch over the women's restroom for me, Ibiki," Anno said, her voice all seriousness as the mask she'd been wearing all day slid over her like a second skin. The wary stance she'd taken when she'd spotted Kurama was replaced instinctively by the polite, cool woman that had been terrorizing the office.

Ibiki did not respond, most likely because of Kurama's presence, but his arrival alone had spoken volumes about Anno. She was able to code switch flawlessly depending on who was present, and her bodyguard's mere presence was enough to force her back into her no-nonsense persona once more. If Ibiki hadn't shown up, how much more would he have gotten to see of her? He wanted to know. He absolutely shouldn't, but he couldn't help being curious about the only child of a businessman as famous as Taro Anno. It didn't hurt that she'd made his heart beat a little faster when she smiled.

"If you'll excuse me," Kurama said, bowing politely to Anno. Those blue, blue eyes locked on his before he turned to leave, and Kurama couldn't help but wonder what was hiding in their depths.

After lunch was over, it was Kurama's turn to get grilled. Anno and Kurama sat in his cubicle, the entire area cleared specifically for this conversation per Anno's request. She started by asking him standard questions like how he liked working here, what he thought of his supervisor and of Mr. Hatanaka. Then, she moved on to questions about his work in particular such as the projects he was working on and what exactly his job entailed.

Kurama answered perfectly, keeping confidential information confidential and never failing to rise to her challenges. Even when she began to ask him questions outside of his field, he was able to respond to her satisfaction. It was a long process, but after about an hour and a half or so, it was finally over. Or so he'd thought.

"Why do you know so much about this company if all you do is plug numbers?" she asked, folding her hands in her lap and leaning forward a little bit. The entire time they'd been speaking, her body language had been professional and detached, like she was interested in his answers only so far as she could write them down and not in their actual substance. Now, however, between her posture and the expression on her face, she seemed invested.

"I don't exactly aspire to do just this for the rest of my life," Kurama replied, trying to figure out her game. Where was this line of questioning headed?

"Clearly. You're much too sharp and generally knowledgeable to stay here." She crossed her legs so that she could reach her tablet more easily, but instead of writing anything down, she just tapped the stylus against the edge like it was a pencil and not expensive equipment. "Why aren't you in a management position?"

"I'm much too young for that," he replied, glibly.

She narrowed her eyes, not falling for his nonchalance. "Age has nothing to do with capability."

So, she would not be taken in by a textbook response. "Perhaps not, but my seniors wouldn't exactly be pleased with someone younger than them in charge."

"In which case, you prove their displeasure is unfounded by your performance," she quipped, not missing a beat.

"A promotion at this point might look a bit like nepotism," he replied, his last line of defense.

"Nepotism?" She blinked, clearly caught off guard, but the expression only lasted for a second before her mask slid back on.

"Kazuya Hatanaka is my mother's husband, my step-father," he explained, splaying his hands out toward her, fingertips in her direction in an almost careless gesture. Almost. Everything he did was far too calculated for any amount of carelessness.

At his words, Asaki uncrossed her legs, sitting back in her seat. Whatever interest she'd shown in his responses and their current conversation disappeared like smoke on the wind. "That might be the worst excuse yet."

Her words were caustic, and it wasn't until they were out that Kurama realized his mistake. The woman he was currently sitting across from was the daughter of the owner of the company she worked for. Their positions weren't dissimilar at all. So much for not being careless.

"If you have the skills to complete the jobs presented to you, then nothing else should matter," she said, getting to her feet. "Thank you for your time." To his surprise, she nodded her head slightly toward him, almost a bow, but not quite. Still, it was more deference than he'd seen her show anyone else in this building so far today.

Kurama stood as well as she turned to leave, reaching out like he wanted to stop her. He froze mid-movement, dropping his hand to his side when he realized he had no reason to. What could he say to her that he hadn't already? What words could fix the weird feeling in his chest, this tightness like he had somehow failed someone important to him? Nothing. Instead, he watched her walk away, her bodyguard close behind her.

His coworkers started to filter back in, and Kurama donned his own mask, smiling pleasantly at their inquiries as to what she wanted from him. He lied about the questions she asked him, saying they were all just about his work until eventually everyone left him alone with his computer screen.

Kurama wasn't the kind of person to let himself be distracted entirely from his work, so while half his mind was still on Anno, the other half was actually focused on what he needed to get done for the day. It was slow-going, and he wasn't finished until most of the rest of his coworkers had left, but at least it had gotten done.

And maybe it was meant to be that way anyway because when he stepped into the lobby of the building to make his way home, he saw his father and Anno exchange business cards and handshakes, of all things, before she left.

"Father?"

Kazuya turned to his son, an almost dazed expression on his face. "Ah, Shuichi. I didn't realize you were still here."

"Have you been talking with her all this time?" Kurama asked.

"Mm. She's...got some interesting ideas." His forehead furrowed as he flipped over the business card in his hand. "Are you heading home?"

"Yes," Kurama said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mm." He wasn't really listening, Kurama could see. "You too."

As concerned as he was about his stepfather, he too was distracted by the woman still standing in front of the building, a phone held up to her ear. He was curious about her. He wanted to know just how many masks she carried and how she learned to slip in and out of them so well. She was every bit as calculating as he was, it appeared, and dammit if he didn't find that somewhat attractive.

The moment he stepped out of the building, Anno hung up her phone, turning to look at him. She raised an eyebrow and he let out a sigh, pressing a hand to the back of his neck. "Miss Anno?"

"Mr. Minamino?" It was the first time she'd used any part of his real name today.

Stepping closer, he said, "I don't suppose you'd be interested in getting dinner with me?"

She frowned, her guard instantly up. "A date?"

"A date," he replied, not wanting any level of confusion.

Anno's eyes immediately darted to Ibiki. Kurama hadn't exactly forgotten that the demon was there, but he had failed to consider the possibility of a third wheel. He would never be able to get to know Anno any better with her bodyguard forcing her to constantly wear one mask or the other.

"If you can ditch Ibiki," she whispered, her voice so low he could barely hear it.

Ditch Ibiki, huh? Kurama could tell she'd offered that condition for two reasons. The first was that she didn't think it was possible for a human to do, and therefore she wouldn't have to go out with him. The second was that she didn't want to be around him either. Kurama knew that from her little escape earlier.

"Deal," he said, smiling mildly before reaching one hand in his hair and taking her hand in the other. Without looking Ibiki's way, Kurama whispered, "Run," before pulling her along after him, his other hand tossing a tiny seed in their wake. Ibiki was right on their heels at first, but after a few corners, they lost him, thanks to Kurama's trick. One tiny seed that, once attached to the person in question, would dull their senses for a few hours, making Kurama and Anno's energies completely indistinguishable from any other pair of presumably perfectly average humans.

When they stopped running, Kurama turned to Anno, dropping her hand. "Well, that was fun," he said, smiling.

"How did you do that?" she asked, very clearly surprised that they'd been able to slip away so easily.

"Trade secret," he replied. "Now, where would you like to eat?"

She narrowed her eyes, and Kurama had to suppress a sigh. He knew that simply getting her away from Ibiki wasn't going to be enough to get her to open up to him, but he'd been hoping it might make a little bit of difference.

"Somewhere around here, probably," she eventually said. "It's the last place Ibiki would think to look."

Kurama was about to ask why when he realized they were on the cheaper side of town. Apparently, Anno's bodyguard assumed she had expensive tastes. Did she?

After tossing a few ideas her way, they ended up at an izakaya, tucked into a table in a corner where they couldn't be easily seen through the window. Kurama ordered a beer out of habit since his normal izakaya partners were old drinking buddies. Anno, however, just got water.

"Not much of a drinker?" he asked lightly.

"Not if I can help it," she replied. Kurama had a feeling there was a story or two behind that, but he wouldn't push the issue. It also occurred to him he had no idea how old Anno actually was. She looked like she was in her twenties, but then again, so did Kurama.

"So, how did our evaluation go?" Kurama asked, taking a sip of his beer and trying not to make a face. He preferred sake, but habit was a strong creature.

"Well enough," Anno said. That was it. That was all she had to offer. This was going to be an awkward date. Even when the appetizers arrived, she still didn't say anything. It wasn't until he'd popped open an edamame pod that she spoke again.

"What are you after?"

"Hm?" he replied, proceeding to snack as though her words had no effect on him.

"People don't usually ask me on dates without ulterior motives," she deadpanned. "So, what is it you want?"

Ah. Here was the crux of the problem. She was suspicious of his intentions and therefore refused to let her guard down. "To spend time with an interesting stranger, in all honesty," he replied, reaching for another pod.

"Why don't I believe you?" She reached for a pod of her own, aggressively splitting the seam.

"Because you're used to men who pursue you for your father's fortune?" he offered. She smirked, and he counted that as a win. "I assure you, I have no such designs. With that in mind, you can lower your hackles. I'm not a threat."

The smirk was now accompanied by a raised eyebrow as she said, "You first."

He actually grinned at that. She was right. A good way to get her to open up to him was to start himself. The only question was, what was harmless enough to share but sincere enough to cause her to reciprocate.

"My father expects rather a lot from me at work. I can tell he wants to promote me, but he's worried about the backlash. I too would like to be promoted as I know I can do the work. It's just...difficult. So many layers of red tape and stigma against people younger than you are being in charge."

Anno let out a sigh, and her shoulders visibly relaxed. "You call him your father even though he isn't related by blood."

Those were not the words Kurama was expecting from her, but it definitely made him feel like this wasn't going to be completely fruitless after all. Was it possible they could have a normal conversation?

"I never knew my birth father," Kurama said. "He died when I was very little. When my mother remarried a few years ago, I was more than happy to accept Kazuya as my own father since he treated my mother so well. He thinks of me like his own son, and I think of his son as my brother."

Anno chewed on his words for a few moments before calling a waitress over so that they could order more food. Once the woman left, she pulled her long, dark braid over one shoulder and began fiddling with the end. "If my father remarried, I could never call any woman he chose 'mother.'"

"Are you and your mother close then?"

"She died a week after she gave birth to me," Anno replied, not making eye contact.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kurama said, worried he'd stepped on a mine, but Anno merely shrugged.

"It's all right. It's not like I got to know her very well, so it really only bothers me around the anniversary of her death."

"I can understand that," Kurama said, nodding. "You don't seem to like working for your father very much."

She'd been about to take a sip of her water, but she paused at his words. "What makes you say that?"

"Just a hunch," he replied. "You don't exact give off the demeanor of someone who loves her job."

Anno stared at him like she was weighing her words, trying to figure out exactly what to say next. In the end, he got the distinct impression she'd fought a battle with herself and lost as her words sounded exhausted. "It's less that I don't like it and more that I don't have a choice."

Kurama frowned, wondering what kind of indentured servitude Taro Anno's daughter was a part of. "What do you mean?"

"I ran away from home when I was fourteen." She sighed, leaning back in her chair as she continued. "Life with my father was too strict, and I wanted to meet people my age. It wasn't too rough. I got a part-time job, enrolled in the cheapest junior high I could find, and got a rundown apartment. Father knew all of this. He sent me enough money to make sure I wasn't starving. I guess he thought I'd get tired of it, but when I didn't, he sent people for me."

She grimaced, taking a long sip of her water. "I let myself fit right back under his thumb for three years before I got up the courage to try to bargain with him. He groomed me to take over the business, but I never showed any interest. In exchange for a little bit of freedom, the freedom to go to a school I chose, to get my own place and do my own thing, I agreed to intern at one of his companies."

"I take it he agreed," Kurama said, thinking. Always thinking. He had no idea how old she was in demon years, so this was either a really well-rehearsed story, or it was the age she'd been passing herself off as at the time. It didn't feel fabricated. Kurama could only imagine how difficult it must have been to be the daughter of a man like Taro Anno.

"He did. He even let me pick the high school I would finish my last year at before moving on to college."

"Where did you end up?" he asked.

"Meiou," she replied.

"Small world." When she tilted her head to one side, he smiled. "That's where I graduated from before I went to work for my father."

"Huh. Go figure. No college for you, then?"

He shook his head. "I knew that I wanted to work for my father, so college wouldn't have served me any good. It's a place where people learn who they are, what they want to do with their lives, or in your case, seek freedom and perhaps a bit of rebellion."

"Must be nice to know what you want to do with yourself," she replied, her expression almost wistful.

"All I want is a simple life."

"That sounds lovely, honestly," she said as their entrees arrived. "I'd like that, I think. My life has been so complicated, and it keeps getting more so."

"Maybe when you've proven yourself to your father, things will slow down," Kurama said.

"I hope so."

The conversation waned as they started to eat, but Kurama didn't mind. It was a companionable silence, and he was able to firmly decide that there were worse ways he could have spent his evening than having dinner with Asaki Anno. When she wasn't putting up a front, he appreciated her candor and her scathing sense of humor. He could also resonate with a desire for freedom. How many doors was this young woman locked behind?

When they were finished eating, Anno refused to let him pay for her. "Let's put it on Father's ticket," she said, waving a credit card with Taro Anno's name in front of him.

"I thought we were trying to get on his good side," Kurama replied after they'd stepped out of the establishment and into a midsummer night.

"Who is we?" she asked, a smile creeping across her face. "Besides, he won't even notice."

Kurama stuck his hands in his pockets, cocking his head to one side. "Well, thank you for letting me take you out, even if you wouldn't let me pay."

"Thanks for the invitation," she replied, fiddling with the end of her braid again. Must be a nervous habit. "It was unexpected but not unpleasant."

"I'm happy to hear that," Kurama said. "Do you live nearby? Can I walk you home?"

"I'm only a few train stations away, but you don't have to worry about it," she said, gesturing to the street. As her hand finished its trajectory, a shiny black car pulled up to the curb in front of them. "Ibiki always finds me at the least convenient times."

"You mean all the time?" Kurama asked, earning a genuine smile. The way it made her face light up was not lost on him as his increased heart rate thought to make apparent.

"Thank you again, Minamino. I had a good time. Have a good night."

"You as well, Anno," he replied.

Ibiki stepped out of the front passenger seat, ignoring Kurama as he opened the back door and Anno slid inside. The black car slipped away into the night, and Kurama stood there, hands in his pockets, thinking about that smile until he realized he hadn't even gotten her phone number.

It had been about a week since Kurama had gone on his date with Anno, but he still couldn't get her out of his mind. It wasn't like she was always there. Just, on occasion, he would find himself wondering how she was doing and if she was okay. The sight of her smiling at him before she got in that black car and disappeared was more than enough to keep her in his thoughts.

Saturday morning found him taking a walk through the park, his hair tied back to try and stave off the summer heat. It would get miserable later, but by then, he'd probably be somewhere air conditioned.

As he passed under a tree on his way through the park, the sound of the leaves rustling violently over him was proceeded by a hissing sound and a squeak before someone fell from above, landing in a heap in front of him. Kurama immediately stepped forward to make sure the young woman was okay as she tried to sit up, brushing her hopelessly tangled brown hair out of her face. There were leaves and twigs in it, and her arms were covered in scratches, some of which were openly bleeding, but she looked more annoyed than anything else.

When they made eye contact, Kurama couldn't help but think she had easily the bluest eyes he had ever seen. She blinked once in surprise, an emotion he couldn't quite decipher flitting across her face before she proceeded to sneeze hard. When her eyes closed, it was like a spell had been broken and Kurama suddenly remembered his manners.

"Are you all right, miss?" he asked, crouching down so they were at eye level.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, glaring up at the tree above them. "Just trying to rescue one very ungrateful cat."

Kurama followed her gaze, discovering the creature in question, an orange tabby who looked terrified as it clung to the end of a branch. "I...see…." The young woman picked a twig out of hair before tying it back with a band she'd had around her wrist. When she was finished, Kurama was standing and offering a hand to help her up. She hesitated enough that Kurama wondered if she wasn't going to take it.

"Thanks," she said, grabbing his hand and letting him help her up. She brushed off her legs that Kurama noted were also covered in scratches, most likely from her tumble. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked up at the cat, saying, "Come on now, Daichi. Haru is worried about you."

The cat didn't respond, not that Kurama expected it to. Instead, it lew out a pitiful mewl that made Kurama want to go and rescue it himself.

"Third time's the charm," the woman said, clapping her hands together.

"Be careful," Kurama said.

She gave him a soft sort of smile, saying, "Careful would be my middle name if I had one," before making her way back up the tree.

He had a feeling she was bluffing, and after seeing how fearlessly she clambered onto a limb much too light to hold her weight, his feeling was confirmed. This young woman was a little concerning. Kurama found himself gravitating toward her, worried. He should have just kept walking, but something about her rooted him to the spot, right underneath her.

"Dai-dai," she murmured, reaching out to the cat who meowed loudly in reply. She scooted closer and closer, just within arms' length of the animal when there was a loud cracking sound. The branch was breaking.

"Stupid cat!" she shouted, grabbing it and cradling it in her arms despite its protests as she fell...directly into Kurama's arms. She squeezed her eyes shut, apparently expecting to fall farther, but when she opened them, surprise bloomed across her face along with a small blush.

"Careful, hm?" he said, raising an eyebrow as a wry smile slid across his face.

"I said I don't have a middle name," she replied, grinning as he set her down, one squirming cat tucked firmly in her arms.

"Fair enough," he replied.

"Thanks for the save though," she said before flashing him a V for victory. "Mission accomplished."

"You're welcome. I don't suppose I can request a favor now?" She frowned, and he laughed. "I just wanted to know what your actual name was, Miss Careful."

"Oh." The young woman settled the wriggling cat more firmly in her arms, stroking its head to try to calm it as she said, "A...ko. Ako Takeda."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Takeda," Kurama replied.

"Just call me Ako," she said, shrugging.

"All right, Ako. I'm Shuichi Minamino, but you can just call me Shuichi." What harm could it do to be so familiar when they would likely never see each other again?

"Nice to meet you, Shuichi." She smiled so easily, like it was second nature to her, even lifting the much calmer cat's paw to wave at him. "Thank you again for the assistance. Now, I have to get this little guy back to his mom before she gets any more worried."

"Seems like a good idea," Kurama said. "Have a good day."

"You too." She turned to leave but froze before she'd taken more than a step. Looking over her shoulder at him, her expression had turned serious. "Hey, Shuichi?"

"Hm?"

"Do you believe in second chances?"

That was a cryptic sort of question, wasn't it? "I do," he replied.

She nodded, smiling in a way that only made him more curious about what she could possibly be talking about. "I wonder." And then she dashed off into the day, leaving Kurama incredibly perplexed.

After he stood there for a few moments, he let out a sigh. He didn't think he could handle meeting any more interesting strangers this week. Maybe heading home was the safest option lest he run into a third woman with emotions as mercurial and difficult to read as Anno and Ako.

Still...even a simple life could stand to be shaken up every once in a while.