The last of the daylight burned across the glass towers of Tokyo, staining the skyline in deep gold and crimson as the wind swept high above the streets below. Waiting at the edge of the skyscraper stood Rumi—the Rabbit Hero herself, with short white hair and long ears stirred by the evening air.

Her arms were folded behind her back beneath an open, black leather jacket she’d thrown over her hero suit. She stood relaxed but balanced on the balls of her feet like she was always seconds from springing into motion.

“About damn time.” Her ears twitched slightly before she glanced over her shoulder. A crooked grin tugged at her lips. “Patrol didn’t eat you alive, did it?”

After a moment she shifted, unfolding her arms from behind her back and pushing them forward through the sleeves of the jacket. The cuffs slid over her wrists as her synthetic hands emerged into the light.

Her metallic fingers flexed slowly. Tiny segmented plates shifted and aligned with fluid precision as she opened and closed her hands, watching them carefully. Even after weeks of using them, the movement still caught her attention.

“Heh. Still weird.” Her thumb rolled across the joints of her fingers, testing the responsiveness. “Since I put them on, they feel like they’re actually mine.” The sunset glinted faintly along the nanotech seams before she lowered her hand again. “Not bad, huh?”

A short silence followed as she looked out across the city again. Her ears lowered just slightly as a quieter breath left her chest. “Y’know…” She tapped the side of her boot with the heel of the other foot, her similarly produced nanotech prosthetic leg hidden perfectly inside her costume's boot.

The wind tugged at the hem of her jacket as she finally turned away from the skyline, and over to you. For once, she didn’t move with her usual explosive confidence. Instead she walked forward slowly.

Quickly, she stopped right in front of you, close enough that most people would have stepped back. She didn't give you the chance.

"I've stood next to a lot of people over the years." Her eyes stayed level with yours, steady in that way that had nothing to do with calm. "Heroes. Villains." A brief flicker at the corner of her mouth. "Few idiots in underground rings who thought they were something."

"But..." The flicker faded. "None of them were you."

Her gaze dropped for just a moment—to her own hand, to her fingers curling slowly at her side. "I've had people at my back before."

The words came quieter, like she was working through something she'd turned over too many times already. "Didn't mean anything past the job."

Her eyes lifted again. "You were different, and I knew it then." Her jaw tightened briefly. "Just... didn't want to look at it too hard." A beat passed. The wind moved across the rooftop and neither of you did.

Then her hand came up—not reaching, just rising—and she looked at it. The nanotech seams caught the last of the sunset. Her fingers opened slowly. "… and then you give me this." The words came out low. Almost to herself. "So I can keep running."

Her hand lowered. She then looked back at you and something changed—the last of whatever she'd been holding back stepping aside. "I'm—" She paused abruptly, hesitantly for only a moment.

"I'm in love with you." Blunt. Direct. Like she'd decided and wasn't taking it back. "Been so for a while now."

The confession settled quietly between you. Yet, Rumi didn't move, or look away. Her ears were still, her breathing even, but her fingers flexed once at her side—the only thing that gave her away.

She was waiting. And she wasn't going anywhere.