I'm on a fuckin roll today. Here's a Kuroka story for all you Cat people out there. Wrote every single word of it today.

Issei was sitting in his bedroom reading when he heard a crash. He flung down the book he'd been reading, and dashed into the room with the source of the noise, his kitchen.

As he suspected, the window had been completely shattered; what he hadn't suspected, is what broke it.

A girl with black cat ears and two black tails lay on the floor amidst the broken glass, unconscious and bleeding. Issei gasped as a torrent of thoughts flooded his mind.

Who was she?

Why did she have real cat parts? Was she human?

Why had she broken into his house and collapsed? Was she running from someone?

Should he call the police? An ambulance?

Issei grimaced, not knowing what to do. She probably wouldn't want an ambulance, going off intuition.

"Uhn…!"

The unconscious girl cried out in pain, clutching at her right leg.

At that point, Issei's protective instincts overrode any apprehensions he was having, and he picked her up bridal-style.

"This is insane..." He mumbled.

Issei carefully carried her into an unused guest room, lying her on the bed. She was wrapped in what looked to have previously been a extravagant black kimono before whatever had happened to her happened.

Now, it was tattered and ragged, damp from the light rain and slick with her own blood. Any Obi that might have accented it was long gone.

Issei wasted no time in pulling it off her, caring more for the girl's safety than her modesty. She wore nothing under it, but Issei did her the courtesy of not looking anywhere he didn't have to.

Once he could see clearly, he was astounded; her body was covered from head to toe in slash wounds of all kinds. None of them looked particularly deep except one, though, on her right thigh. It went down from the top of the thigh to a few centimeters above her knee, and was the source of most of the blood.

Before he did anything, he had to first make sure it wouldn't be a waste of time; he bent down and put his right ear to her mouth, listening for breathing and watching for the slow rise and fall of her...impressive chest, which he was just now noticing and definitely wasn't looking at the whole time.

Definitely.

Hearing a tiny, almost imperceptible breath, Issei had confirmed that she was still alive, and therefore doing nothing to help the odd catgirl would be the same as killing her.

Setting his jaw, he ran to his bathroom and collected an advanced first aid kit, retrieving from it a roll of bandages, some sterile needles, suture wire, disinfectant, scissors, and tweezers. Everything he'd need for a makeshift surgery.

Rain began to pour outside as he set to work. It had been quite a while since he'd stitched a wound, and he'd never done it on a human, but he remembered the basics. Thread the needle, insert, pull through, continue until finished.

After a grueling several minutes, he pulled the needle up for the last time and tied a surgeon's knot, then cut the thread off. The worst of the bleeding had stopped, but she was still coated in scrapes and scratches, so Issei began to disinfect and bandage them all.

"Unh…"

As Issei was wrapped the final bandage around her last wound, one on her wrist, the girl groaned, consciousness stirring within her. Issei looked like a deer in headlights as she slowly began to open her eyes.

They were bright gold, the most gorgeous he'd ever seen. Come to think of it, the girl herself was far and away the most beautiful woman he knew.

Biting his tongue, Issei prepared to have to hold her down to keep her from trying to move, but almost as soon as her eyes opened, they rolled back and closed again. He sighed in relief. Having to fight a hysteric cat-girl would've ruined his night, and probably would've torn open her stitches, creating an entirely new set of problems.

Satisfied that all her wounds had been addressed, Issei went over to a closest behind the bed and retrieved a modest maroon and black nightgown. As he held it in his hands, he stopped, and a memory wedged into his mind:

His mother, wearing the same nightgown, comforting him as a child after his first pet had died.

Issei shook his head, dismissing the thought. His mother hardly needed the gown now, and she wouldn't object to it being used for this purpose anyway. He moved back to the bed, where his 'patient' was sleeping.

Slowly and extremely carefully, he clothed her in the nightgown. Once she was at least partially covered, Issei elevated her head with a couple pillows, wrapped her in a fresh blanket, and retreated to his kitchen. He grabbed a chair and brought it back to the bedroom, ready to sit with the girl all night in case something happened.

As Kuroka slowly came back to consciousness, she was struck by an odd sensation; she could barely move. Her limbs refused to listen, and she seemed to be covered by something. She didn't bother trying very hard to move anyway, because her entire body was wracked with pain.

Her eyes shot open, now fully awake. She swiftly looked around, expecting to be in a prison cell or surrounded by angry devils.

Surprisingly enough, that was not the case.

She was an in ornate bedroom, lying on a comfortable bed, wrapped in a soft blanket. There was only one other person in the room, a boy with his head down next to her, asleep on a chair.

Kuroka was utterly confused. Where was she? Had she escaped the devils? Who was this boy? Had he saved her?

She looked a little closer at him. He was sleeping soundly on the side of the bed she was in, apparently exhausted.

He was kind of cute.

"Are you gonnya sleep all day or- ack!" Kuroka attempted to say something to him, only to launch into a coughing fit.

Issei was instantly woken by the noise, looking up in concern. Once he realized what was happening, he dashed into his kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge, and carried it back to her.

"Don't move. Open your mouth." Issei said firmly, as her cough died down.

Kuroka, more than anything, wanted to not have to be fed water, but she was in no position to argue. She still couldn't move without sending screaming pain through her whole body, and even just attempting to talk had made her cough.

So, she opened her mouth, and Issei slowly dribbled the water onto her tongue. She swallowed greedily, only just now realizing how thirsty she actually was.

After a moment, Issei pulled his arm back, thoroughly disappointing her. Her throat was still parched, and her mouth was dry as a desert.

"More?" He said, after giving her a couple seconds for that settle.

Kuroka reluctantly nodded.

Issei moved the water bottle back over her mouth, but as soon as it was in reach, she lunged for it with her mouth and caught it by her teeth, tilting it directly up and drinking it all as fast as possible.

Issei almost tried to grab it, but she seemed alright, so he let her keep drinking, as much as she could handle.

"Please be careful."

After completely draining the bottle, she spit it out to the side, sighing in satisfaction. Renewed, she spoke once more.

"Who-" Kuroka began to ask, interrupted by a sudden flash of intense pain. Cringing, she eyed the boy warily. She didn't try to talk again.

"Please don't try to speak. I'm Issei Hyoudou. You crashed through my window last night, unconscious and bleeding like crazy, so I brought you in here and patched you up. Don't strain yourself, I'll take care of everything. Just rest, for now."

As he spoke, Kuroka used senjutsu to take a look at his aura, trying to see if she was in any danger from him. With as feeble as she was, she could barely see anything, but she could make out the smallest details; his aura was almost pure white, with just the faintest flecks of gold, and that meant she was safe. He more than likely wouldn't try to harm her.

"You were cut up really badly. I bandaged all your smaller wounds, but there's one on your right leg I had to stitch. Under no circumstances should you move that leg, okay? The stitching is really mediocre and you'll easily pull it out if you try to move. I'm not a doctor or anything, but it's the best I could do. Was I right in guessing you didn't want an ambulance?"

Kuroka nodded. Going to a human hospital like this was the last thing she needed.

"Alright. I'm gonna ask you some yes or no questions. Don't bother moving your head, I don't want you to strain. Just tap your index finger once for yes, or don't tap at all for no."

Issei gently rested his right hand under her left hand, then waited for a moment to see if she was in any discomfort before continuing.

Kuroka was, for the most part, astounded at how gentle and caring the boy was being, despite not knowing her in any way. She hadn't felt a kind touch in a very, very long time, and she'd almost forgotten what it was like. The warmth of his hand was comforting in a way she wasn't used to, and it made her blush just a bit. Thankfully, Issei didn't notice.

"Are you ready?"

One faint tap on his palm, just barely enough for him to feel it. That was all he needed.

"Are you human?"

No taps. Issei nodded, that was what he expected.

"Was someone chasing you?"

One tap. Issei grimaced, wondering just who had hurt her so badly.

"Were they human?"

No tap. Issei's worries grew exponentially, but he didn't let it show.

"Do you remember what happened? You don't have to tell me, I just want to make sure you don't have amnesia."

One tap.

"Were the people chasing you...police? Or, something like that?"

One hesitant tap.

"Are you...a criminal?"

Kuroka went limp, slumping deeper into the bed. Of course he'd work his way back to that question. She was wrong to expect kindness from-

"I don't really care either way, I'm just trying to get a better picture of what happened. I wouldn't have drove those guys off if I wasn't going to protect you from them, criminal or not."

Kuroka looked dead at him, shock apparent in her eyes. "You got rid of-"

"Ah-ah-ah, don't talk. Yes, I got rid of them. About an hour after I found you, they knocked on my door, asking if I'd seen you. I said no, they didn't believe me, and things got a little, uh...heated..."

Issei rose from his place by the bed, wondering who could be ringing his doorbell at a time like this. A quick look at his phone told him it was well past one o'clock in the morning, so the likelihood was that it was whoever had been after the catgirl was still looking for her.

Issei opened his front door to three men in strange, mostly-black clothes standing on his porch.

"Are you gentlemen aware of what time it is?" He asked, putting on an act like he'd been rudely woken up.

"Yes sir, we are, and we're terribly sorry to bother you, but this is urgent. We're looking for a girl with black hair, about this tall, wearing a messed up kimono. She killed somebody, and we're trying to find her."

"Killed somebody? Really? In this neighborhood? I haven't heard anything…" Issei said, feigning surprise.

"No sir, far from here, but we've been after her for a while now, and the trail went cold near your house, so we were wondering if you'd seen her."

"Uh, okay, that's terrifying. No, I haven't seen her."

The man in front of the other two, who'd been talking, happened to glance at Issei's hands. They were bloody.

"Do you mind if we take a look inside, sir? She could be hiding in your home, and I don't think I need to explain why that would be bad."

"No, I'm afraid you can't. If I'm being honest, gentlemen, it's more than a little suspect that you show up at this hour talking about a murderer and asking to be let inside my house. You definitely aren't cops, and I don't think I've heard of any law enforcement agency who lets their employees run around during the dead of night in pitch black robes. You'll have to excuse me, but I think we've talked enough. Good night."

Issei went to close the door, his heart hammering in his throat. He told them off without even thinking about what would happen if they retaliated, and the thought that they were inhumans like the girl frightened him to no end.

As soon as the door was almost closed, the man in front caught it.

"Whose blood is that on your hands, sir?" He asked, eyes narrowed.

"Please leave, or I'll call the police." Issei said, trying to close the door again. It wouldn't budge.

"We're going to look around inside. Do not resist." The man said, pulling the door open. The other two men started forward, and Issei sighed in disappointment.

"Fine. Guys, I really didn't wanna do this, but you're kinda forcing my hand. Are we gonna have to get nasty?" Issei asked, smirking.

The men's eyes went wide as a wicked red gauntlet formed on Issei's arm. They all backed up a step, more out of instinct than anything.

"The Boosted Gear…!"

"I haven't seen the girl you're after. Now, get the fuck off my property." Issei said through clenched teeth as he shoved the man in front back into his lackeys, sending them all off his porch and into the rain.

"Y-yes sir mister Red Dragon! We're terribly sorry to bother you!"

All three of them retreated as Issei closed the door. Once inside, he inspected the Gauntlet with a renewed appreciation. It made them flee in outright terror.

"The Boosted Gear, huh?"

"...But, don't sweat it. We won't be seeing them again for a while." Issei said, reflecting on what had happened several hours earlier.

The girl wasn't aware that he had any special Gauntlet, and he knew next to nothing about the supernatural world other than that he was part of it, so it would be best not to lay down all his cards just yet. So, he refrained from giving her all the details.

Truth be told, he barely knew a single thing about the Gauntlet he could summon, other than the fact that it was called the Boosted Gear and apparently made him the Red Dragon, and he just learned that. He didn't know what it could do, where it came from, what the Red Dragon was, or anything else, but he knew that it terrified whoever came knocking last night, and that was enough.

"So, I'm gonna ask again, but I want you to remember that I'm on your side until you give me a reason not to be. Are you a criminal?"

Kuroka sighed in relief, all the tension leaving her body. She tapped her finger, finally answering Issei's question.

"Did you kill someone?"

A moment of hesitation, and a look of worry across her face.

One tap.

Issei nodded, idly rubbing a circle into the palm of her hand.

"I think I can put together what happened. Tap if any part of this is wrong, okay?"

Kuroka tapped once, signaling agreement. Issei continued.

"You killed someone out of self defense or something like it, and you've been on the run since. Those guys were trying to get to you because of who it was you killed."

No taps.

"Just one more personal question. Are you evil?"

Kuroka closed her eyes, thinking.

She hadn't wanted to kill anybody. She never had, and just the thought of it made her sick. But, the man wasn't giving her a choice, and-

Kuroka was jolted out of her memories as she felt hot tears pouring down her face. She hadn't even realized she was crying. She hadn't cried in years.

Issei smiled and nodded in understanding, then wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Please don't cry. I don't know what happened, but I know you're not a bad person, and I know it wasn't your fault. You're safe now, so don't cry, okay?"

Kuroka let him wipe her tears. 'Damn, I must look pathetic…'

"Hey, are you hungry? You probably haven't eaten in a while. I made some soup, in case you-"

A flurry of taps. Issei chuckled, then went to warm up the soup he'd made.

In just a minute he was back, a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup and a spoon in one hand, and two more bottles of water in the other.

Kuroka suddenly felt extremely apprehensive. Surely he wasn't going to literally spoon feed her? But, when she tried to lift her arms, she found herself entirely unable to do so. To great effort, she turned her head away, refusing to be so weak.

"Look, I know it's embarrassing, but just try to bear with it, alright? You've gotta eat something, or you'll never heal up. I'll go as fast or as slow as you want."

Issei sat back down with the soup, and put the water bottles on a nightstand by her head. "Now, say ahh~"

"See, that wasn't so terrible."

Three empty water bottles littered the ground, and Issei put the empty bowl up on the nightstand.

Kuroka had just finished the last bite of the soup. That was, without a doubt, the most embarrassing experience of her life, but she was too hurt to argue and too hungry to refuse.

"I'll go get you some painkillers, and hopefully those will help you feel a bit better."

Issei went and got some Advil, then helped the girl take them. Even with water, she struggled to swallow the pills, but was relieved when it was over.

Kuroka breathed out heavily, finally getting some relief. Her eyes grew heavy, and she noticed how tired she was.

"Feel free to go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

She didn't need any more encouragement than that.

When Kuroka opened her eyes again, she was alone, and it was dark.

"Issei!" She cried out, momentary panic setting in. She still couldn't move, and to be alone was frightening, after essentially confessing to murder in a stranger's home.

"What's wrong?!" Issei asked, flying into the room and turning on the lights as fast as he could. His eyes were wide with concern.

Kuroka came to the realization of how exactly she'd just yelled, and she blushed. Here she was, one of the strongest Nekoshou of all time, and she needed some human kid to change her diapers.

"I was...worried." Kuroka said, able to at least talk now.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, I had to go check on something for a second. Are you feeling better?"

Kuroka feebly shifted around in the bed. She healed faster than most, and though she could not yet move freely, she could squirm.

"I guess so…"

"Can we talk for a bit, then?"

"I suppose so, nya."

"...Nya?" Issei asked with a questioning look on his face, wondering about her odd choice of words.

In response, Kuroka twitched her ears. Her cat ears.

"Oh, right. So you're, like, a legit cat-girl?"

"...Sure. Cat-girl is nyas a good a term as any, I suppose…"

"So, what's your name, cat-girl?"

Kuroka briefly hesitated, still not sure if she could trust Issei. But, she didn't really have a choice.

"Kuroka, nya. Nyice to meet you, Issei Hyoudou."

"Likewise, shame it couldn't be under better circumstances. How's your leg feel?"

"Like shit."

"Not surprising. I haven't sutured anything for a while, and I've never been the best at it. If you weren't a, uh...special case, I wouldn't have hesitated to call an ambulance."

"A special case, nya? Why not just call me what I am?"

"What are you?"

"A nekoshou, nya. One of the strongest...normally."

Kuroka spoke with bluster, until she remembered exactly where she was. That is to say, in someone else's bed, unable to move, and being waited on hand-and-foot.

"Anyway, where'd you learn how to give someone stitches, nya? You're a highschool student, by the looks of it."

"Just graduated, actually. My dad, before he left, was a doctor, and my mom was a veterinarian. I grew up taking care of animals, so I've done some stitches before."

"You're not calling me an animal are you, nya?"

"I dunno, you seemed pretty animal-like devouring that soup."

"Tch! Don't think just because you spoon fed me that I'm some kind of wimp, nya. I know things you wouldn't believe, human."

"I was hoping so. I recently acquired a...thing, and I was wondering if you knew what it was."

"Finally going through puberty, nya~?" Kuroka asked, laughing at his phrasing.

Issei blushed, just a tad. "No, I...it's probably better if I just show you."

Kuroka stopped laughing, and it was her turn to blush. "Whoa, hey, we've only known each other for a day-"

"It's not something like that! Just...look."

Issei held up his left arm, and summoned his gauntlet.

Kuroka stared with obvious surprise.

"You...you don't know what that is?"

"Not a clue. It just appeared, a while ago."

"Issei, that's...you're the Red Dragon Emperor." Kuroka breathed out, shocked. No wonder he'd been able to chase away her assailants; he was the Red One, for Sirzechs' sake.

"Yeah, don't know what that means either."

"...How much do you knyow about the supernyatural?"

"None. I learned less than twenty four hours ago that people other than humans exist."

"Where to even start, nya? I guess...I'm a yokai, a nekomata, specifically a nekoshou, like I said. The people chasing me were what's called Devils. I'm...one of those too."

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It is!" Kuroka yelled suddenly. "Sorry, nya. It's just...most people don't become devils by choice. I definitely didn't, nya."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly. But~, since you're starved for information and you've been so nice, I'll enlighten you."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Right, right. After my parents died, I was resurrected as a servant by a passing high class Devil. Fast forward, like, fifteen years, and the same guy, who was always an unhinged prick, tries to experiment on my sister and I, so I kill him. This was...oh, I don't know...two years ago? I've been on the run since, but I got a run of bad luck recently."

"...Well, if it makes you feel any better, I kinda know how that feels."

Kuroka stared at Issei, wondering how in the world he knew how that felt.

"I mean, not literally, obviously, but uh...my dad left when I was just a kid, and my mom...she died. A couple weeks ago. So, uh...ha."

Issei started to tear up. After Kuroka had talked about her past so flawlessly, he'd tried to do the same, but...he'd been very close to his mother, and he most certainly was not over her death.

Kuroka, on the other hand, felt horribly guilty. Struggling just a bit, she managed to take Issei's hand in hers, trying to comfort him.

"Guess we're both alone, huh?" Kuroka asked, half-joking. Truly, that wasn't something she'd ever expect to say, but she trusted Issei, despite knowing him for so short a time.

"Yeah...guess so." Issei shuddered, trying to keep calm. He'd almost forgotten, which is exactly what people kept telling him to do, but...he didn't want to. How could he? He loved his mom, he didn't want to forget her, he wanted her back-

"Hey, stop. You're a guy, you're not supposed to cry, nya." Kuroka said, worrying about Issei. She wished she never would've brought her parents up. She'd had fifteen years to get over it, and he only had a couple weeks. She knew exactly how he felt.

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. Sorry." Issei wiped his face, trying not to embarrass himself any further.

"Hey, Issei. Quick question. If I look under this blanket, what will I see, nya?"

Issei blanched. "You, uh, your clothes were wet and bloody, and uh…"

"Did you strip me, Issei~? How daring, nya. To think I've been naked this whole time~..."

"You're not n-naked, you're in a nightgown! I didn't want to put anything tougher on you, because it might've hurt when you woke up."

"Well, that means you've at least seen me naked, nya. Now we have to get married~!"

"Don't joke about stuff like that!"

"Who's joking, nya?"

"...Can we go back to the gauntlet, please?"

"...I suppose, nya. Long story short, there's a Dragon, one of the most powerful to ever live, in your arm, nya. His name is Ddraig, and if you haven't heard from him, it's because you're not powerful enough, nya."

"Powerful enough? You sound like a comic book."

"I'm serious, nya." Kuroka sighed heavily. "I've got a lot to teach you before I leave, huh?"

"I guess so- wait, leave?"

"Well, yeah. I've gotta get going at some point, once I can move, nya."

"...But...why?"

"What do you mean, nya?"

"Why do you have to go? Those devils aren't coming back here, and if they do, I can-"

"You can't do anything, kid. I don't know how you managed to drive them off, but if you haven't even spoken to the dragon in your arm yet, then it's lucky those devils didn't kill you. You're not just keeping a patient, you're harboring Kuroka, SS class criminal. I can't stay here, or anywhere, for long. I have to keep moving. Did you think I'd stay here forever?"

"But where? Where are you going?"

"There's someone I have to find. My little sister. Last I heard, she's in this town."

"Oh...what's her name?"

"...Shirone. No- Koneko. Koneko Toujou."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yes, nya. Why would I lie about my sister's name- wait. You know something." Kuroka's eyes narrowed.

"Uh, yeah I know something. I know where she is right now, as a matter of fact. She was my junior at Kuoh Academy."

"What…? Really?"

"Yeah. I can take you there once you can safely walk."

"Listen, if you're lying about this-"

"I'm not. I promise." Issei's grip tightened on her hand as he looked her dead in the eyes.

"...Ugh, fine~. I guess I'm in your care for the time being. And, after I find my sister...we'll see."

Issei smiled, bright. Truth be told, she was the only person he'd really talked to since his mother's death, and the thought of just being left alone again terrified him.

"Hey, Issei."

"Yes?"

"You're a dragon, and you're kinda cute. Marriage might not be a total joke, nya~."

"It hasn't even been twenty four hours since we met."

"Things work fast in the supernatural world, especially when it comes to nekomata, nya. And, I've kind of taken a liking to you, so don't be so quick to dismiss me, nya."

"Kuroka?"

"Nyes~?"

"Can I touch your ears?"

Kuroka stared at Issei for a solid thirty second, withering the boy away with her bored gaze. Finally, she relented. "I suppose, nya. Five seconds."

Issei jumped at the chance. Ever since his first time seeing her fluffy ears, he'd wanted to feel them.

Almost excruciatingly slowly, he reached out towards her head.

"Get on with it, nya!"

Issei rubbed her right ear, marveling at how soft it was. It defied his every expectation. It was, without a doubt, the softest and most wonderful thing he'd ever touched in his life.

Now, Issei had owned several cats during his lifetime. He knew exactly how to make them purr, and what places they liked and didn't like.

Involuntarily and unconsciously, he fell back into the familiar pattern of scratching a cat's ears in the best way possible.

Five seconds passed.

He didn't realize Kuroka had started to blush.

Ten seconds passed. Issei kept going, unaware of the time.

Kuroka's eyes were half lidded, and her cheeks sported a deep red hue.

Twenty seconds. Issei pinched the tip of her right ear, rubbing his index finger up and down the length of it.

"Nya~!"

Kuroka could no longer stand the stimulation, and she cried out. Issei practically jumped backwards, coming back to reality in a flash.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" Issei asked, looking worried and guilty.

Kuroka, breathing heavily with a sultry look, could not have been less hurt.

"Not at all, dragonboy." She said, eyeing him like a piece of meat. "If you keep doing that, I just might have to stick around for a while, nya…"

Issei felt more than a little awkward. He wasn't such a prude that he didn't know what was happening, but he failed to see how it could've happened from her ears.

"You look confused, nya~. Did you forget a neko's erogenous zone is her ears, nya~? You're not half bad at it, either. Wanna do my tails, next, nya…?"

"Pass!" Issei exclaimed, having just connected the dots and figured out exactly what he'd been doing the whole time.

Kuroka laughed, and he couldn't help but smile along with her. This was by far the most fun he'd had in...well, since his Mom.

Suddenly, Kuroka blanched. She'd forgotten something crucial.

"Issei, I don't mean to alarm you nya, but I, um…"

"You...what? Yes?"

"...have to use the restroom, nya…"

"Oh, was that it? Here."

"Whoa, hey, what the hell are you doing?!"

Issei began unwrapping her from the blanket. He'd had her wrapped tightly, so she wouldn't move in her sleep and tear her stitches.

"Taking you to the restroom. I'm not staying in there with you or anything, so don't freak out."

"Ugh, this is the wo~rst, nya…"

After completely uncovering her, Issei picked the cat-girl up in a bridal carry, like he had before.

Kuroka had assumed that being spoon-fed would be the most embarrassing part of her life. Nope.

It was definitely being carried to a toilet like a baby by someone she'd just met.

Although, she did come up with a decent idea. What better way to teach Issei about his power than by example?

"Aren't I heavy?"

"Not at all, why?"

"That's nice to hear, but let's pretend I am. Say 'boost', nya."

"Uh, okay...boost, nya."

"Not with the 'nya' you dork-"

[Boost!]

Neither of them had been prepared. Issei staggered and nearly fell when his strength doubled, and Kuroka was more than a little flustered as the hand under her back turned into a dragon arm and pumped out a wave of raw power.

"W-what the hell was that, Kuroka?!" Issei asked, reveling in his new power. He was lifting Kuroka up and down in his arms like it was nothing.

"Tha~t ,was the Boosted Gear, nya. A tool called a sacred gear, one of the strongest, able to double your power every ten seconds."

"Seriously? That's totally broken!"

"Which is why it's one of the strongest, nya."

"Boost!"

[Boost!]

"Okay, take it easy. You're going to hurt yourself really badly if you go past your limit. You're nyot out of shape, so you have a decent power threshold for a human, but you'll be exhausted once it wears off if you go much farther."

"Oh, uh, alright. Well, anyway...here we are."

Issei approached a closed door, which he opened with the hand under Kuroka's legs; i.e., the non-Boosted Gear one. Behind it was a spacious bathroom.

"This is the worst moment of my life, nya." Kuroka said monotonously. She could not for the life of her figure how she ended up in this situation.

"You'll get over it." Issei opened another door, inside the bathroom, which led to a smaller room with a singular toilet inside. "Well, uh...huh. This is pretty awkward, huh?"

"Ugh, just set me down, nya." Kuroka rolled her eyes.

Issei complied, gently setting her down on her feet in front of the bathroom. She hissed in pain as more and more of her weight was being supported by herself, and once she was entirely on her own legs she could hardly stand. She shook and struggled just to keep her balance; she was in absolutely no shape to move.

Issei, without saying a word, poked her with the Boosted Gear.

[Transfer!]

Kuroka nearly moaned as she was flooded with extra power. As minor as it was, it was raw strength, which she'd been sorely lacking for the past day.

"How...how did you figure that out?" She asked Issei, panting.

"I don't really know. It just kind of came to me. I thought about helping you, and it just kinda happened. You should be fine now though, right?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Don't put any strain on your leg, okay?" Issei turned to leave, but Kuroka grabbed his sleeve as he moved away. He looked back at her, confused.

"...Thanks." Kuroka said, not looking at him.

"Don't mention it." Issei left the room, leaving her to handle herself.

Five minutes later, she surprised him by coming back to the bedroom on her own. He'd been waiting at the other side of the room, looking out from the blinds on a window opposite the restroom.

"Oh, here, lay back down. Don't put pressure on your leg." Issei said, pulling the covers back so she could get back in the bed.

Kuroka grimaced, obviously in a very large amount of pain, and Issei instantly noticed.

"That's the thing, nya…" She said in a shaky voice, "...I already did."

Kuroka turned to the side, revealing her bleeding leg. The stitching had torn in one spot, leaving the wound open.

Issei instantly picked her up and set her on the bed, not even leaving the poor girl enough time to react before he'd grabbed the same tools he'd used to stitch her up before.

"Whoa, hey, what are you doing…? Issei, you're scaring me…"

"That wound was by far your worst. It's deep, and if it stays open you could very well bleed out. You might've made it back in here by yourself, but you are by no means healthy. Sit still."

"Wait, you're not going to-"

[Reset!]

Both Kuroka and Issei slumped forward as their shared strength faded into exhaustion. Issei picked himself back up, but Kuroka's head lolled and she looked to be on the verge of passing out.

"That's...a neat drawback…" Issei mumbled, gritting his teeth. It would've been very handy to know he had a time limit.

Still, Kuroka was losing blood, and that meant he had to work fast, exhausted or not. He pulled the suture through his needle, and Kuroka saw it. She whimpered.

"Kuroka, I'm not going to lie, this will hurt. Hold on to me, I'll try to make it as quick as possible. It's just in one spot, so it won't be as bad as it could be, but...it's not going to tickle."

Kuroka whimpered again, but put her left hand on Issei's right shoulder, bracing herself.

Rapidly blinking, Issei set to work. The moment the needle pierced her skin, Kuroka cried out in pain. Her grip on Issei's shoulder quickly became crushing strength, and he almost found himself wanting to yell with her. But, he continued, trying his best to hurry so he could stop hurting her.

"Okay, we're done. You did great." Issei said, sighing in relief. Kuroka was sweating profusely and breathing heavily, but she was fine.

Issei bent over and wrapped her in a loose hug.

"We're done, we're done. I know that was hard, I'm so sorry I had to do it…"

Kuroka tensed up. She hadn't been hugged in...quite a long time. It was an unfamiliar feeling to her. She did her best to reciprocate, but she could already barely move before the reset, and now she felt like her blood had been replaced by lead.

"Shut up, nya...it was my fault...for trying to walk."

Issei gave a sarcastic laugh. "Was me carrying you out of the bathroom such an awful thought that you would rather get stitches with no painkiller? Man, I didn't think I was that bad…"

"You're...great. Shut up."

Issei pulled away. "As much as I hate to say it, I need rest. I've been up for a while. I don't mean to be...well, mean, but I have to get some sleep."

Kuroka nodded. She understood; she was exhausted too.

"Alright. Goodnight, then." Issei stood up to leave, but Kuroka caught his arm.

"No."

"What do you mean, no? Kuroka, believe me, I want to help you as much as possible, but I'm gonna pass out at this rate-"

"Sleep...is fine. Right...here." Kuroka tapped the empty side of the queen size bed next to her.

Issei sighed. "Alright, I guess that works. Only because you're hurt, though."

Kuroka nodded mutely, already closing her eyes.

Issei stood up and cut the lights off, then slowly slid into the bed opposite her. He tried to keep a fair bit of distance in between them, but Kuroka monopolized his arm by scooting on top of it, and essentially forced him to spoon if he wanted any kind of comfort.

Or blood circulation, for that matter.

"If I wake up, and this was all a dream...I'll be pissed." Issei mumbled.

Kuroka hummed in agreement.

I wrote ten thousand words today (Not just this, obviously) and I don't want to write anything else. Don't forget to review or PM me, and keep in mind that I've literally never used Kuroka in a story before, so it might not be quite right. Oh well.

See you next mission!