"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"

You rolled around in the bed, grumbled some unintelligible curses at your damn alarm clock for waking you up.

"Ugh" you groaned, stirring some more, until you almost reached the edge of the bed. "Stupid (y/n), setting up your alarm early. You just want to make me suffer, don't you?"

Waving around your arm haphazardly, you tried to locate the evil anti-sleep device. Eventually, you succeeded, and, in the complete silence, it seemed so peaceful.

Sleeping is really tempting right now.

"No! Fuck this, wake uppppp" you slurred, shifting your legs so that you could angle yourself into a sitting position.

While your legs were dangling off the bed, your back was still glued to it, and you couldn't force yourself to get up.

With a slight cry, you finally went against your own will, and practically jumped up, leaving behind the warmth and comfort of the sheets.

Your arms immediately went to your sides, and you gave yourself a sort of self-hug to keep warm. Damnit, it's cold in this underground base shithole.

"Mmmn, 6 am" you read off of the digital clock you finally coaxed out of Kurono a few weeks prior. "Let's do this shit"

You didn't think yourself a morning person, but you never knew what time you were going to be snatched from your little sanctuary to go and get tested on, so waking up early had become an oddly enjoyable routine for you.

"30 days..." you pondered, grabbing the pen off your nightstand to scribble another line next to the others you had on your makeshift calendar, which was really just a paper with some tape you'd fixed to the wall. "One month, it's been an entire month since I've been here"

You quickly chased that thought from your mind, forgetting about what your life was like, and focusing on what it will be. 

So far, you'd made considerable progress; you got that alarm clock so you could figure out what time of the day it was, the paper and pen, the workout equipment and clothes. You asked for access to the internet, or at least some books to read, but both requests were denied.

Right now, what you really need are your headphones so you can listen to music, but your playlist is on your phone, and god knows what kind of extensive examination of that device is going through.

"If they have someone on the other side, just steal a goddamn laptop or something" you grumbled, slowly removing your pajama pants and slipping into the workout shorts. "I swear, why are masterminds always the dumbest when it comes to common sense?"

You tore off your shirt, sliding on the tank top which you had become so accustomed to. Feeling self-conscious of your body, you usually avoid wearing shorter and tighter clothes.

But, lately, you've been feeling like a fucking goddess.

You didn't know what it was; maybe just because it's thrilling to do something asides from stare at the wall all day, maybe it's because you feel like you're doing something productive, or the sheer adrenaline, but you're in love with working out.

Granted, it was slow in the beginning, but now you're addicted.

It didn't take long for your physical exercise to surmount your half-asleep state, and even less time for you to start dripping in sweat.

Your knuckles felt numb, but good at the same time. You had wrapped them in bandages, so the impact would be less intense, but that didn't stop you from thrusting your fists towards the punching bag at full force, and feeling the recoil.

For the kicks, they seemed to be more technique than power, but so was the last section of the booklet.

Hand to hand combat

Now, it sounds like, with just a bit of anime on your side, you can perfectly teach yourself how to beat ass.

But you really, really need a partner to practice with.

Right now, you can't worry about this. Pushing yourself to you limit, you kept going, hoping that this will pay off in the future. Worse case-scenario, you wasted your time, and avoided total boredom. Would that really be so bad?

A knock at your door roused you from your thoughts.

"Miss (y/n)?" a familiar, stone-cold, but still adorable, voice called out.

"Yup, I'm awake! Come in, Kurono"

The door creaked as he entered your somewhat-safe zone, and it took you a moment to remember that you're wearing nothing except booty shorts and a flimsy tank top.

Anxiety makes a fierce return.

Kurono, however, seemed pretty unfazed. 

Of course he isn't blushing, he has a mask on, (y/n) you dumbass. Even if he were, you wouldn't be able to see it.

"How can I help you?"

"We've almost reached the conclusion of the first stage in the trials" he stated.

"English, Kurono, I-" you were trying to joke, since his fancy tone was too much for your morning brain to comprehend, but you had to remember that they probably don't know English.

"I'm not entirely sure what you would like me to do, miss (y/n)"

"Aaah, sorry" you hastily apologized, flopping onto your bed. "I'm still adjusting to this anime-verse shit"

"...d-did you speak... English back in your... uh... dimension?"

Woah.

WAIT.

Did he just ask me a question about my personal life? And holy shit, he stutter? That's weird.

"Y-Yeah, I did" you spoke out loud. "I'm not entirely sure how I know Japanese, but... here I am, I guess"

"Are there any other difficulties or changes you've experienced since coming here?"

Why is he so concerned, all of a sudden? It's been a month, why now?

"I d-don't think so" you stuttered, despite your own mind pleading you not to appear confused or taken aback. 

"How has your training been?"

That's it. Kurono is acting suspicious, and I'm going to figure out what's going on.

"Okay. And how have you been?" you fluttered your lashes, for some unknown reason. What are you going to do? Seduce him? With that potato body of yours?

"Fine" he rasped, somehow getting more hostile in the span of a few seconds. "Let's go"

Your body acted on its own, completely disregarding your brain's will to live, and got up from the bed, grabbing his arm.

"Wait, I-"

His arrow-like hair instinctively went out, and stabbed you along your arm and neck. It didn't have any effect, though, and Kurono didn't hesitate to find another way to get you to concede.

His elbow cocked back, missing you but successfully allowing him to turn around quickly, and his leg swept under yours, knocking you over before you had the time to react. 

It was just a flurry of movements in your mind, though, and any training you thought you'd been doing quickly went down the drain. In no time, you were pinned with your stomach to the ground, one of Kurono's knees pushing into your back. 

He must've been leaning over, because you felt his breath on the bare skin of your neck. 

He still has his mask on, right?

"Do not make this more difficult than it already is, (y/n)"

"Difficult? Why would this be difficult? You seem to be pretty good at--"

"Stop speaking" he commanded. "I will not be doing you any more favors. Know that Overhaul's generosity is quite limited"

"His generosity towards me..."

"I said to stop speaking"

"...or towards you?"

It was as if the entire room's atmosphere changed the moment those words had come out of your mouth. 

The weight on your back slowly lifted off, and you didn't know if you were about to get the beating of you lifetime, or some emotional venting.

Daring to lift yourself off the dirty, dust-covered cement ground, you got on your knees, and immediately a hand was held out in your face.

Glancing up, you saw that Kurono wasn't wearing a mask.

You tried not to focus on just how handsome this man is, and lowered your eyes back to his hand, grabbing it and letting him help you up.

You weren't too sure where this was coming from, but you nodded slightly to let him know that you're willing to listen. 

To make matters worse, his expression seemed... sad?

"Kurono?"

"This isn't supposed to be so..." his voice was now breaking. Oh god, his voice is breaking.

Who gives a fuck if you're all sweaty from you training? You decided to wrap your arms around him and pull him into a hug.

You have no clue what's going on in his mind right now, but you could take a guess. Stroking your fingers through his hair, you took this opportunity to try it out.

"How long have you been part of the Shie Hassakai, Hari? Because something tells me that it's been a long time. It's okay if you're getting exhausted from listening to orders all the time. Overhaul may be a friend, but I don't think he's treating you right"

He was still tense, and from what you could tell, he wasn't about to break into tears just yet. You had a few conversations with him, here and there, but nothing proper. However, he wasn't acting the same with you as he was around the four other kidnapped people from your dimension. Whether it was the two who came before you did, or the two who came after, they were all scared shitless of the Yakuza.

You're the only one who didn't cower in fear.

Why would you? You'd thought that your inside knowledge would help you sweet-talk you way out of this, but that isn't what saved you.

What saved you was reminding yourself that they're human.

Despite the quirks, kidnapping, drug lord, mafia-type vibes they give off, you need to remind yourself that everyone has a beginning, a place where they first came, and their own problems. Maybe you've been spending too much time by yourself, but you can't stop thinking about what could be going on in their minds.

"(l/n), I-" he went back to your last name, damnit. Maybe you shouldn't have called him by his first.

"Shh, it's okay" you continued stroking his silky smooth hair, unsure if he was about to punch you in the gut, or is actually enjoying this attention. He seems touch-deprived, and so does the rest of the Shie Hassakai. "Why don't you take a break?"

"I can't, Kai needs me-" he started to get back to his stone-cold expression, so you quickly shushed him.

"What about you? What do you need?"

"To help Kai achieve his goal" he responded with no hesitation, but you could tell that even he winced at his own words.

You knew that this wasn't some brainwashing; Kurono believed that Overhaul's happiness is worth more than his. Whether that's because he respects him, or because he's been brainwashed into thinking that he is just a tool--

Why does this sound so much like Eri?

"Hey, hey, it's okay" you slowly slid your other hand onto his back and hugged him tighter. "Why don't you stay here for another 10 minutes or so? I'll go take a shower, and if Overhaul asks, I was in the shower when you came in, and that's the reason you were late to bring me for the testing, okay?"

You didn't expect him to say anything, so you let go of the silver-haired male and went over to the bathroom. It only took the first step into the room's extension for you to fuck up.

You did a 180, turning around and chuckling to yourself.

"Silly (y/n)" you giggled. "You forgot your--"

Holy shit, there's a man in my room!

"AAAAAH!" you jumped slightly, yelling at the sight of Kurono intruding on your sanctuary. 

It took you a good 2 seconds to remember that he had been there all along, and you really were losing your mind.

"Shit, sorry, I-I'm just... a little tired" you apologized, reaching into your closet for something to wear

"..." he continued to be silent, which was to be expected.

"I'm going to go take that shower now. Erm... Kurono?"

He was looking at the mask in his hands, and you saying his name finally caught his attention. The arrow-haired male lifted his gaze towards you.

"Just remember to breathe"

And with that, you walked over to the bathroom, properly equipped with all the clothing you needed and shut the door.

-

(Chrono POV)

What is he doing with his life?

It hadn't started with (y/n); it was there before. That little seed of doubt, telling him that maybe there's more for him out there. Like what? What could be better than seeing his best friend prevail?

It's just... this girl. (y/n). She's messing with his mind. He's not sure why, but she's been treating him differently than everyone else does.

She's been treating him nicely.

She doesn't even know him, though; all (y/n) could know about him is what was depicted in the anime, and he makes barely any appearances.

So why does she act that way?

It's not like she's gaining anything from befriending him. Unless she is truly that desperate to get out of here?

But she doesn't seem to be caring about that much.

Exhausted, Kurono rubbed at his temples in exasperation. He shouldn't be dwelling on this. He really shouldn't be.

He's letting his emotions take control and make him question Kai.

He's never questioned Kai before.

"Hey, Hari?" (y/n)'s voice roused him from his turbulent mindset. 

"Yes, miss--"

"Yeah, yeah, I already told you to cut that out" she came out of the shower with her (h/l) (h/c) hair drenched, practically dripping water onto the floor. "Sorry for taking so long"

"There's no need to apologize, mi--" he began, before remembering what she just said. "It's quite alright, (y/n)"

Somehow, this caused her to snicker. "Aw, was it that hard for you to say?"

Kurono's eyebrows knit in confusion, not really comprehending why this would be a reason for her to laugh. "Of course not. Why wou-"

"I'm just joking" she playfully punched his shoulder, and smiled brightly, lighting up the entire room for a few blessed seconds.

When's the last time he ever smiled?

"So..." she reached for the towel she tossed away previously, and started ruffling her own hair in order to dry it. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Where did I learn to...?"

"Fight. You took me down in like no time, and you didn't look like you were trying"

"..." he didn't know whether or not he should answer.

"K-Kurono? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did-"

"Will you help me train?"

He kept his gaze on her for a few moments, not exhibiting any emotions.

"No" he turned around and started walking towards the door. "Now follow me"

The same contradictory feeling swelled his chest, and he wanted to stop walking. He wanted to turn back towards her, ask why she's treating him that way, and fulfill her request.

So why isn't he?

"I... guess. Okay" (y/n)'s voice sounded defeated, and Kurono felt bad. When's the last time he felt remorse for something, much less something as trivial as this?

Her footsteps approached him, and he continued walking towards the door.

Get it together, Hari. You're almost done the development of the quirk-erasing bullets. Perhaps when they're completed Kai will allow (y/n) to join the Shie Hassakai? She has determination, and seems to be getting comfortable with training.

Content with his own analysis of the situation, Kurono continued his trek through the labyrinth, with the female following closely behind him. 

There was something else, though. Something.... odd.

It's the first time he's ever made a plan on his own.