"Damn it!" Misaki Kirihara hissed as her coffee spilled across her chest. She quickly thrust the cup back toward the holder. The few scalding drops that speckled across her collar bone stung, but she was more concerned about keeping her pristine white shirt underneath stain-free. She ripped her blue jacket off, but sighed in dismay when she saw that it was too late. The coffee had seeped through.
A small stain, the size of a thumbprint, adorned her chest; it automatically drew attention to its position over the hollow of her throat by its mere presence. To the detective's vexation, it spread downward into an angle, taking on the relative shape of an arrow.
"Great…" she grumbled. Now it looked like she had an arrow pointing at her breasts. Even dabbing at it with the napkins from her McDonness meal bag did nothing to help. She tossed them back into the paper bag with a huff. After flinging the trash and her soiled jacket into the backseat of her car, Misaki leaned against her door with a huff. At least Saitou had not witnessed her little accident, though when he returned from his bothersome bathroom break even he would notice the difference in her attire. Honestly, she'd told him not to drink so much, that they could very well be there all night, but he just kept guzzling his coffee. Stakeouts were always a pain, even more so when Misaki had men running off to find a restroom. So unprofessional.
They'd received an anonymous tip that BK-201 would be making an appearance in the downtown area a few days back. The specifics of when and why had been left unknown. Typically Chief Kirihara wouldn't bother with a call that could most likely be a trap, but her desire to catch BK-201 was so great that she decided to keep grasping at straws, no matter how vague they were. Misaki didn't like acting without information though, so she and her team quickly dug up everything they could about what the tip could be about. Eventually they came upon a small clinic that happened to be run by a former PANDORA doctor, Dr. Hiro Kurosaki. Kouno and Matsumoto were positioned around the block to watch the back of the three story building with orders not to move unless they spotted the target.
Drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, she leaned forward to stare at the clinic's roof. It loomed over her car, hazy in the evening fog. Recalling the Black Reaper's preference to high places, Misaki squinted, a frown marring her otherwise smooth brow. She wondered if she should perhaps call the whole thing off.
The Section Four Chief was about to lean back in her seat when she noticed movement and a flash of white through the far window on the top floor. She froze in place, staring intently and holding her breath. Despite the quiet, pitch blackness of the clinic's windows, Misaki felt her gut tug in suspicion.
Suddenly somebody flew through the window taking a part of the wall with them. They landed headfirst on the paved sidewalk below. Not even the sight of a white mask appearing in the broken window could distract Misaki from her amazement when the person proceeded to stumble to their feet and sprint away. The masked figure- BK-201 –swung from the gaping hole on practically invisible wires in hot pursuit, moving with a grace not typically seen in men…or anyone for that matter.
Misaki had her gun in one hand, her phone in the other, and was sliding from her car a moment later. Dashing after the targets, she quickly called Kouno and Matsumoto, telling them to try intercepting BK-201 and the man he was chasing, before attempting to get a hold of Saitou. Unfortunately she was unsuccessful. By that point she'd lost sight of both contractors (since only a contractor could survive a fall from a so high without being hurt), and would have been left without a clue to where they'd gone if not for the loud crash. It sounded like someone took a sledgehammer to a brick wall; a very large sledgehammer that only needed to hit its target once to send the sound of shattering bricks to echo in the night.
Rounding a corner and stepping into a shadowy alleyway from which she swore the noise had come from, Misaki wished she had a flashlight. It was so dark that she couldn't even see her feet. The stench of mold hung heavy in the air, enveloping the musty dampness of the fog.
Stepping further into the narrow crevice, she jumped when the toe of her shoe sent something skittering across pebbles and filth. Typically Misaki would only berate herself for making unnecessary noise and possibly signaling BK-201 and the other contractor of her presence, but the object kicked sounded decidedly like plastic. Curiosity enveloped her and she risked flipping her phone open to use the glowing screen to see her surroundings. She recognized the outline of a pile of rubble (which she figured used to be a wall), a couple trash cans, and various city debris ranging from broken bottles and scrap metal, to bits of paper and cardboard. Looking down, she scanned her immediate vicinity until her eyes fell on a thumb-sized piece of silver metal with an opaque, green coating. Upon further investigation, she discovered it to be a flash drive. She swallowed her excitement, stifled her hopes of her find having some connection to BK-201 and the other contractor. Perhaps one of them dropped it…
Squinting, Misaki noticed a small, typed label on it. It read, "Hiro Yamamoto". An alias for the doctor perhaps? Not a very good one as it only changed his family name. Questions buzzed through the detective's head; what kind of information was on it? Was the doctor's work legal? How long would it take for whoever had dropped it to realize their mistake?
She needed to find a secure place to store the piece of evidence, but for the time being Misaki figured her pocket would do.
Clutching her find in her hand, Misaki maneuvered her phone so she could grip it under her chin. After a brief moment of searching for an open pocket, she recalled that she had worn a pair of slacks that did not have pockets. With her jacket in her car, she was left with three items she did not dare leave behind anywhere, but only two hands.
Looking about herself, at a loss of what to do, she debated turning back for the time being. A not-so-distant crash dashed the idea though; if BK-201 was still fighting the other contractor, then they couldn't have gotten too far off. They might not have even made it as far as where she'd sent Kouno and Matsumoto to head them off.
Misaki sighed, realizing a possible solution to her problem. She'd seen Kanami and a number of other women use the same method, but had always been too embarrassed to attempt it herself. She prayed nobody found out, expecially her team.
With a quick glance around herself, the Chief of Section Four popped open a couple of her buttons to slide the flash drive into her bra. Blushing despite being alone, she quickly made herself decent once more.
Nerves left her rattled, so when her phone vibrated, she jumped slightly. It was either Saitou returning her call from earlier, or Kanami with news of BK-201 and some other star being active in the area. Either call held the possibility of important information, so Misaki didn't hesitate to snap the phone open as she continued her perusal of the targets.
Before she could place it to her ear though, a tall, dark form fell from above to land heavily behind her. She spun, weapon ready, and a hand shot out to grasp her writs in a firm hold. Another smacked her phone away, sending it into a pile of trash. She attempted to trip him up, throw him off balance so she could gain some distance between them, but her attacker was quicker. He spun them around to slam her into the wall, simultaneously catching both of her wrists in a single hand. Misaki's head jarred from the impact and a small grunt escaped her lips. Though she was a slight woman, she was not typically so overwhelmed in hand-to-hand combat, so her assailant was obviously a very proficient fighter. The fact that he had come from above was proof enough of his identity.
When a powerful arm slammed into her chest, pinning her in place before she could regain her balance and attempt to retaliate, Misaki realized that she'd stupidly been underestimating the Black Reaper. Yes, he had powers. Yes, he was agile and quick, but many contractors she'd arrested throughout her career had been so too. What she had not grasped was how physically strong he was. He had to be, considering how he maneuvered himself from rooftop to rooftop so easily with his wires. He was all lean muscle, poised like a tightly coiled spring. She wiggled slightly in an attempt to loosen his hold on her despite knowing she was not escaping without help. They were deep enough into the alley that they were out of sight of any passersby until they were directly beside the opening, yet were still slightly illuminated by the light across the street. Her only hope was for Saitou to finally return from his bathroom break and somehow get it in his head to come looking for her.
Biting her lip in resignation, Misaki let her eyes slide from the barely-recognizable high collar of his coat to his mask. It seemed to glow even in the darkness, mocking her with its unchanging features.
Would he kill her? Slit her throat? Impale her? Or perhaps he would put his hand to her head, as she'd seen him do to others, and electrocute her? Misaki felt he lip quiver for a moment when her fear overpowered her rationality. When she realized she was letting her imagination get the best of her, she quickly put an end to her train of thought.
BK-201 was undeniably intimidating, but Misaki refused to just cower before him. She narrowed her eyes behind her glasses, fixing her anger at the eyeholes of his mask.
"Let go of me." She bit out. Unsurprisingly he ignored her demand.
"Where is it?" He asked calmly, in complete control. Misaki blinked at him challengingly, wondering if she could pretend to not know what he was talking about. "The flash drive…where is it?" he repeated. His arm increased its pressure against her collarbone threateningly, as if to say, 'I can easily break you.'
Amazingly his actions did not spur the reaction he'd probably been expecting. Her mind went back to her hiding place and her blush from before returned with a vengeance. There was no way she could tell him. The mere thought of her unbuttoning her shirt to dig it out for him caused her flush to spread from her cheeks to the rest of her face. Hoping he would not notice her embarrassment for some senseless reason, Misaki turned her face away from him and squeezed her eyes shut. It was a reflex she never knew she had until that moment.
Suddenly his hold on her loosened. Not enough for her to attempt an escape, but her curiosity was piqued nonetheless. Gently she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. The eerie white mask hung over her head, leveled just so. She could feel his eyes fixed on her own. Then, ever so slowly the mask angled downward, moving as his gaze shifting lower, only pausing briefly at what she assumed to be the arrow-shaped coffee stain at her collarbone. The steeper the Black Reaper's head inclined sent her heart higher into her ears.
He stared at her chest for what felt like a long time, though probably only seconds passed. Misaki knew he had a pretty good idea where she hid the flash drive.
She winced as his grip on her wrists tightened. He let his other arm drop slightly so his gloved hand could hover near her throat. Misaki couldn't hold back the slight whimper as she stared up at the pale, grinning mask of BK-201.
~xoOox~
Mao panted slightly as he bounded along the wall in search of his partner. He'd disappeared after the bastard who'd stolen the information from under their noses, leaving the disgruntled cat to first find a way back out of the building and then to track him down. On his way, Mao spotted the Chief of Section Four; even without her usual suit jacket, she was recognizable. Typically he wouldn't care, but then he saw her bend over and pick up what looked incredibly like the flash drive containing the information they were after. The moment he realized Hei was chasing the wrong guy, Mao tore off to find him.
It was not hard; he and the other contractor were causing a bit of a ruckus. Though the Black Reaper was forever smooth and deadly in his movements, his opponent was the type to smash and throw things.
Luckily, by the time Mao caught up, Hei had the other guy hanging and kicking wildly from a streetlight.
"Hei," Mao growled lowly, "We gotta go. He dropped it in that alley back there and that lady cop found it."
The masked man shifted his weight. Mao could picture a frown sliding into place under the covering. "Yin, is she still there?" Hei asked, releasing his hold on his wires and dropping the other contractor to the ground to cough and sputter for oxygen.
A soft "yes" whispered into their ears.
For the second time that night Hei turned and zoomed away, leaving Mao gaping at his after image. With a growl of irritation, he turned to follow once more, but paused when the contractor stumbled to his feet, staggered a little, then knocked over streetlamp he'd been hanging from not moments before. Mao winced at the resounding crash. Darkness swarmed around the cat, who listened to Hei's almost-victim dash away. With a huff, he scampered toward a shortcut, planning to meet up with his partner on the other side of the alley, thus helping to prevent Section Chief Kirihara from escaping.
Weaving around and under bushes and trees, scaling a couple walls, he slinked under a recognizable blue car before loping along a low side wall adjacent to the alley.
"Hei," he called as he approached the corner, "I'm approaching n–Woah!"
Mao leaped back, eyes wide and jaw hanging at the sight of the poor woman pinned and blushing against a building with Hei's hand pushing into her shirt to grope around inside. He knew what the situation looked like, but also knew that there was no way. Contractors, though immoral, were rational. Granted, Hei did have moments of expressing very un-contractor-like behavior, but even then he was not the type to molest a woman in a dark alley.
By the time the cat managed to find his voice once more, his masked partner was already pulling away. The released officer balanced on shaky knees for a few seconds before collapsing. Back propped against the rough bricks with her legs tucked under her, Misaki's arms quickly shot around herself protectively, hiding the gap in her shirt. Mao noticed her blush had yet to recede.
Eyes hard, the feline looked at Hei. "What were you doing?" He didn't bother to hide the accusation from his harsh tone. The Section Chief looked around at the sound of his voice, but Mao made sure he was hidden.
Casually, Hei lifted his hand, revealing the flash drive. The cat narrowed his gaze onto Misaki with new interest. He hadn't thought she was the type to hide something in her bra, but supposed that he, more than anymore, should know better than to judge a book by its cover.
The sound of hurried footsteps caught the group's attention. "Chief?!" They heard the newcomer inquire, sounding panicked.
"Let's go." the dark-haired contractor said while spinning on his heal. Out of the corner of his eye Mao noticed the Section Chief suddenly dive toward an object across the alley – her gun. He hissed and Hei quickly slid between her and the weapon, kicking it away and drawing a blade in warning.
"Saitou!" Misaki yelled, "It's BK-201! And another!"
Moments later the burly detective skidded in front of the opening, gun at the ready. "Chief?"
"Look out!" By the time the time she shouted her warning, the Black Reaper had already taken action. He ducked through shadows to conceal his movement, then launched forward, planting his boot into Saitou's face to vault himself into the air. He smoothly grappled a higher ledge and used his previous momentum to swing onto the adjacent rooftop.
Mao darted across the street after his partner, using the commotion as a diversion. He heard Misaki Kirihara give chase after briefly making sure her comrade's nose wasn't too crushed. With a huff, Mao slunk under a bush as she raced past, mumbling viciously under her breath about catching Hei and bringing him to justice. Then again, some of the threats she bit out sounded more like murder. After a few seconds Saitou stumbled after her, speaking quickly into his phone, probably to the rest of their team.
Mao waited for a few moments longer until her deemed it safe to abandon his hiding place. Before he could move though, a muted 'thud' of someone landing behind him made the feline jump slightly.
"Hei." he hissed, disgruntled.
"Mao." the other replied calmly. He must have doubled back to sneak away while the police pursued him in the wrong direction.
"What was that back there?" The cat whipped his tail in agitation. The crouched form shifted slightly, the scrape of a rock grinding under his weight sent his ears back.
"Not now Mao."
Mao was not one to give up though, "You do realize she really wants to get her hands on you now." He meant to give a warning, yet the reaction he received was unexpected.
Hei did not verbally reply immediately, but from his relaxed stance and tilted head Mao quickly deduced that he was not overly against the idea. Mao suddenly realized he'd underestimated his partner.
"I know."