Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating any of my other stories I have currently going. *points at the muses* Blame them for being pain in the butts! Anyway, life has been crazy and hectic as usual and busy as well. I've had this story floating around in my head for quite some time (like over a year now at least). It kind of came to mind one day after watching Darker Than Black again (for like the umpteenth million time as it has become one of my favourite animes—even spent a $100 buying the first season on DVD because I didn't realise how limited the release was over here in the US! (Best $100 spent on an anime in my opinion though. *laughs*)).

Anyway, as you might have noticed underneath the title with who's the main characters for the story, yes, I created an original character to be paired with Hei. *holds hands up in front of her* I know there's Hei x Yin fans, Hei x Misaki fans, and even Hei x Suou fans. I don't have an OTP for Hei and if the story is good to me, I'll read it. The muses gave me the idea for this story so I decided not to fight with them and just go with it. So, if you're still here and are willing to read my story, I promise to make it good. At least, I hope it will be good. Anyway, enjoy!

Black Dragon, Snowy Moon

-Chapter One-

Mitsuki walked through the darkened streets of Tokyo quietly wandering aimlessly. She didn't know why but she just wanted to take a walk and look up at the stars in the night sky, even though she knew they weren't the real stars. To her, they were still pretty to look at. What she missed the most though was the beautiful silver moon she remembered from when she was little. It had been almost ten years since the Gates had appeared and the whole world had changed.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps coming closer to her at a rapid pace caused her to stop and turn to look behind her. A dark figure of a man came running out from an alleyway, nearly tripping over himself, as he seemed to be running from something. Or someone. His gaze looked up at her and a cold, cruel smirk formed across his lips before he ran towards her.

Backing away a couple of steps, Mitsuki turned around and started to run but the man was faster. He caught her wrist, pulling her back towards him just as he turned around to face the direction he had been running from. She felt his hand go up to her throat and give a slight squeeze as his other arm wrapped around her abdomen, pinning her to his chest. She tried to get out of his grip but he had a good hold on her.

Suddenly, movement caught her eye from the alleyway the man had run out from. She turned her gaze to see another figure calmly walking out of it, stopping several paces out before turning to look towards them. They were wearing a black coat and had what appeared to be a white mask with the eye slits darkened so she couldn't see who's eyes were behind them. There also was a purple lightning bolt zigzagging down the right side over the eye slit.

'BK-201? The Black Reaper?' she thought to herself, remembering having overheard some of the police chatter she'd heard from an officer's radio once while out walking one night not long ago. They had described a man in black wearing a white mask and were trying to capture him. She'd also overheard he was a Contractor. And if he was here, that meant this man that had her was also a Contractor.

"Come any closer and I'll kill her," the man spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts as he gave her throat another slight squeeze. She gave a small gasp, digging her nails into his arm that had her throat as the slight blue colour of his synchrotron radiation starting to form around him.

Flicking her gaze towards the masked man still standing there, she looked directly at the darkened slits that hid his eyes. She couldn't use it now, her own power, to take out the man holding her without possibly this masked man taking her on as well. And she had no way of knowing what each one's power was either. Plus, from what she had heard with sneaking listening in to further police chatter, the Black Reaper was some sort of professional assassin. There was no way she could fight him, even if neither used their powers. So she was going to go out on a limb and risk that he might not hurt her if she played the role of a normal human caught by a Contractor. After all, what bit of police chatter she'd heard, he didn't seem to harm normal citizens. He only seemed to go after Contractors.

Hoping that the Black Reaper saw the trust she tried to convey in her gaze at him, she thought of the next move she was about to make to try to get out of the Contractor's grasp that held her. There was one move she knew that might hopefully catch him off guard just long enough that she could get out of his grip so the masked man could do whatever he had to do to take care of him, even if that meant that he was going to die. She hated to think about it but if that was the only way then so be it. It was the most rational decision to ensure her own safety.

Letting go of the Contractor's arm that she had been digging her nails into that had her throat, Mitsuki quickly brought it down and to the side in a hard jab into his ribs, stomping down on his foot simultaneously. He let up just enough on her throat as his blue synchrotron radiation faded out of the surprise of her attack at him and broke his concentration. It was enough for her to wiggle free as she pulled his other arm away from her abdomen, dropped down to the ground, and rolled quickly away from him several feet. Movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she looked up just as the masked man turned and threw something towards the other man. She could see from the light of the street lamp across the street that it was some sort of metal cord or wire as it wrapped around the man's neck. The next instant, the masked man had a bit of blue energy come from his hand and travel down the wire just before a shriek sounded from the Contractor that had grabbed her. He started to convulse as if he was getting shocked by a high amount of electricity before dropping to the ground. A white star up in the night sky fell silently and disappeared.

'He's got electric based attacks?' she thought to herself as the masked man quickly pulled the wire back towards him before he turned to leave.

"W-wait!" she spoke up quickly as she got to her feet and started towards him. Somehow, she didn't seem as afraid of him as she thought after seeing what he'd done just now. She actually wanted to thank him. The masked man paused and turned to look back at her as she stopped a couple of feet from him, biting her lower lip unsure how to exactly thank him.

Suddenly he reached out towards her with his black gloved hand, grabbing her wrist, and pulled her to him. She gave a small gasp, unsure what he was about to do. His other hand went up to the back of her head at the base of her skull as she felt the sudden small spark of electricity starting to come from his fingertips. Bringing up her own powers, but only enough to redirect the energy he unleashed on her and not show her synchrotron radiation to him, she used it to disperse the electricity down her spine and through her body, causing it to go numb as she went limp in his arms. She closed her eyes as well, pretending to have gone unconscious.

"Zapped her did you?"

The sound of a small bell jingling and another male voice came to her ears as she remained limp in the Black Reaper's arms. Was this another Contractor? Had to be. But what was with the small bell jingling?

"I can't exactly have her remember running into me now can I Mao?" came the reply, slightly muffled from behind the mask. He sounded somewhat young to her.

"True. But now what are you going to do?" came Mao's voice again, the sound of police sirens getting closer. The masked man didn't reply to his companion, whoever he was. Instead, to Mitsuki's surprise, he shifted her as he picked her up in his arms with her head resting against his shoulder. Then, she felt him turn and start running off quietly, the sound of the small bell jingling from beside him as they ran. She could also just feel the hilts of what appeared to be knives under his coat pressing against where he was holding her to him at his chest.

Turning several corners, she finally felt him stop; the sound of his heavy breathing behind his mask in time with the rising and falling of his chest with each breath he took. Then shifting her in his arms, he lowered her to the ground while still supporting her sitting up with one arm as he knelt beside her.

"Now what are you doing?" came Mao's voice again, seemingly annoyed before the sound of what seemed like glass being set down on the ground gently came to her ears and the man's breathing no longer seemed to be coming from behind the mask. The next instant, she felt a hand patting her front left pocket of her pants before sliding to the front right pocket. If it wasn't for the fact that she was left temporarily paralysed from redirecting his electrical shock, she probably would have smacked him across the face.

Feeling his hand slide to her back right pocket as her cheeks started to get a little warm from embarrassment, she felt him pull out her wallet. What was he going to do with her wallet?

"Yuuki Mitsuki huh?" came Mao's voice again. "Not familiar with that name. Isn't on any list of targets." He gave a small pause as the masked man lowered her from her sitting position to lay against the ground gently. There was a small scuff of his feet and rustle of what she guessed was his coat. "Hei what are you doing?"

"Taking her home," came the reply, voice now clear and not muffled from behind his mask. So he had taken it off.

"Are you nuts? You'll get caught carrying her around like that."

"Not if I'm not wearing my gear." There was another small shuffle, a rustling sound, and what sounded like the clasps of something being unbuckled before a small clanking of metal. Then the sound of what seemed like a metal grate being moved over for a second then back into place.

"Fine but if your ass gets caught, don't come crying to me," came Mao's snippy reply.

"Then you scout ahead and make sure no one's around understood?" came Hei's cold, emotionless reply. There was a small sigh with the bell giving another jingle as she felt Hei roll her slightly and return her wallet to her back pocket before reaching into her front pocket where her keys were at. He pulled them out, the sound of them clinking together once, before going silent. Most likely he had put them into his pocket was her best guess.

Sitting her up once more, she felt him put her arms up around his shoulders and shifted her as he lifted her up onto his back. His hands slid under her legs to support her weight as he wrapped them around his waist so she was leaning against him. Mitsuki felt her cheeks flush with warmth as she had her head laying against his shoulder; the feel of his large, warm hands bracing her so she wouldn't fall as he started walking along the city's streets. Her cheek was touching the bare skin of his shoulder and she realised he had been wearing a tank top of some sort under that coat of his. It was warm, smooth, and soft.

Focusing the rest of her senses on him since she dared not open her eyes, she could feel that whoever he was, he had broad shoulders and lean muscles along his back. She could feel the strong, yet gentle grip of his hands holding her legs as he continued to walk. Obviously he was fairly strong since he didn't seem to be straining against carrying her too much. His breathing had become steady, along with feeling his heartbeat from her chest being pressed against his back. And his smell. It was a soft, masculine scent, somewhat earthy, mixed in with a slight metallic smell. Probably due to his knives he had been carrying. It reminded her a little of cedar and coriander though. She found it rather calming to her ironically. And his voice. Despite sounding a little cold and emotionless, it certainly sounded young. From his build she'd seen before he'd zapped her and what she was able to feel with him carrying her, she guessed he had to be around her age at least of twenty two. Maybe a little older or younger but definitely still at least in his twenties. She suddenly wondered what his face looked like under the mask. And why did he wear it?

'Duh. Keep his identity secret,' she chided to herself mentally. From what she gathered of the quick conversation between him and Mao, he obviously had an alias while living within the city itself. It would be kind of hard if he was recognised after all. Wouldn't take long for the police to catch him.

"This is it?" she heard Mao speak up quietly after they had been walking for a little while silently, only Mao's bell jingling every once in a while from beside Hei. Hei said nothing from the small pause in walking he'd given before starting towards the door then stopped once more. She felt him shift her again, moving his left arm more towards her butt to support her as he let go of her other leg with his right briefly. The sound of the door being unlocked to go inside her apartment building came to hear ears before hearing it open with a quick, small creak of the hinges.

Hearing the small bell jingling again before Hei put his right hand back under her leg to support it, she felt him go inside and the door shut behind him with only the sound of the latch barely clicking into place. He started walking again before she could tell he was walking up the stairs, shifting her slightly as he went up to the second floor where she lived. Stopping again after walking the distance she knew it was from the stairs down to her apartment door, he shifted her once more to support her with one hand while he unlocked her door and opened it quietly.

"Nice place," Mao spoke up quietly as they went inside, hearing Hei shut the door silently behind him. There was the soft sound of her deadbolt being slid into place before metal quietly being set down on wood. She realised he must have set her keys on the little table there at the edge of the area to take shoes off. He shifted slightly, leaning forward a little more as he knelt down to keep her on his back, letting go of her leg again with one hand. Straightening up after a moment, she noticed he had picked his legs up just enough to obviously pull off his shoes and started forward after bracing her legs with both hands again.

Not seeing any signs of him turning on any lights from behind her eyelids still closed, she hoped he wouldn't trip on anything as he walked down the hallway. But given he was an assassin after all, she guessed he obviously could see fairly well in the dark.

"Her room's down here," she heard Mao say from a little further away. Hei made no comment as she felt him turn and go down the hallway to her room.

Feeling him set her down on her bed gently and lay her head on her pillows, she silently wondered what he was going to do next. The lingering numb tingling of having redirected his zap to paralyse her was almost gone, allowing her to be able to move again, albeit her reaction time would still be slower to do so. She felt him roll her slightly and pull out her wallet from her pocket and what sounded like him setting it on her nightstand quietly. The next moment, she felt him pull off her shoes before pulling back the blankets, slid her legs underneath, and covered her up.

"I still don't understand why you bothered to bring her all the way home," Mao grumbled silently nearby as the bell gave a small jingle several times again rapidly, as if a cat were scratching at its ear.

"Not a word to Huang," Hei's quiet reply sounded. It still was cold and emotionless, which confused her for doing such an act of kindness of bringing her home.

"Yeah, yeah. He'd just chew us both out anyway," Mao replied. "And I don't feel like having my tail lit on fire for your decision."

"Just go wait by the slider door." There was a small hmph before the sound of the bell jingled again a little more distantly in the direction of her doorway.

Listening quietly, Mitsuki could still feel the presence of Hei obviously still in the room. The tingling had finally subsided so she would be able to fully move again, and if need be, use her power to shock him enough if he tried anything. The feel of a warm, soft but still slightly calloused hand brushing back her hair from her face and behind her ear got her attention. She could feel her cheeks warming up again before she felt his hand pull away. There was a small shuffle before his presence seemed to vanish from the room completely.

Laying silently listening for anything else around her for a little bit, she finally opened her eyes and looked around her darkened room before sitting up slowly. Nothing was out of place and her wallet was sitting on the nightstand like she had guessed it had been set down at. She pulled her blankets back and slowly slid her legs out, putting her feet to the floor, before standing slowly. Then silently making her way to her door, she peered down the dark hallway before going down it to the living room past her bathroom. It was silent and in the dark she could see no one there.

Looking towards the door, she could just make out her shoes having been set down by it from what little light was coming in across the way of the slider door. She could also tell the deadbolt was locked still, just as he had clicked it into place when he came in. Obviously he hadn't gone out the door. Going to the slider door, she found it unlocked and put her hand up to the glass as she looked out into the dark night and shadows.

'Hei,' she thought quietly to herself as a small smile tugged at her lips. Strange for a Contractor to care about whether she got home safely or not. And for an assassin to be so gentle. Though she found it equally as odd that he had the same electrical abilities that she had. She wondered what his obeisance was. Most Contractors had to pay their price within so long after using their abilities. It had been at least a good half hour or so with walking back to her apartment from the spot he'd hidden in after leaving the scene of where he'd taken out the other Contractor.

Looking down at her hand she'd pulled from the glass, she guessed she was glad and lucky that somehow she didn't seem to have a price to pay for using her abilities. That was the one thing she had been curious about after becoming a Contractor herself. Nothing had stood out in a way to know that she needed to make some sort of payment as she'd heard was needed to do from using her abilities. The price for not making a payment had quite a few rumours of what might happen to a Contractor but she didn't ever want to find out what really happened. After all, the most popular one was having their brains melt and that was something she never wanted to experience.

Giving a soft sigh, Mitsuki turned and went back down to her room again. She might as well get some sleep at least. Changing into her pajamas and sliding back into bed with a sigh, she closed her eyes and finally allowed herself to drift off; Hei's white mask hiding his face as the last image she saw in her mind before the darkness of sleep took hold of her.

Well that's the chapter. I really hope you all liked it and Mitsuki as well. Yes, I'll point out right now that she's a lot like Hei in regards to some things. You'll just have to keep reading to find out what they are like and everything. But I promise it'll get better as it goes.
Anyway, thanks again for reading and please leave me any critiques, reviews, comments, whatever letting me know what you think! *grins and passes out pocky*
Also, where this starts off at is right around the end of season one episode ten where Hei fights against Wei so he's been in Tokyo for a little while.
(And yes, for anyone that might notice, I do use a lot of the British English spelling for some words in my stories as of late. I've come to favour the use of British spelling for words compared to American spelling despite living in the US. I guess I like the way it looks better. *chuckles*)