Takes place after season one. 'Ryuusei no Gemini' never happened, because I don't like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Darker than BLACK.


Commute

Kirihara finished the last sip of her coffee then clutched the empty can like a lifeline, listening to the hum of the subway car as it raced beneath Tokyo. After a while, the hypnotic sound was suddenly disrupted by a crunch of metal, and Kirihara jumped in her seat before realizing with some embarrassment that she had just crushed the coffee can. A few people shot her strange glances, but she glared right back until they turned away uncomfortably.

The section chief was agitated for two reasons. One, because her car was in shop for repairs, and she was currently remembering just how much she did not enjoy crowded two-hour commutes after a long, stressful day of work. And was it ever stressful. She had joined the police force to protect the weak, and could never regret that decision; but with Contractor incidents rising, her job these days felt more like a strange mix of politics and paranormal studies than actual police work.

The second reason was a bit more… nuanced. October 31st was just another workday for her, but many Tokyo residents were feeling more festive tonight – judging by the number of people in costume, on their way to or from Halloween parties. Kirihara had never really cared for the holiday, but a part of her thought it healthy that people living in the shadow of a Gate could still enjoy such light-hearted fun.

So really, Halloween itself wasn't the part that was bothering her – as she kept reminding herself. No; it wasn't even that more people were running around in costume than ever before, as the foreign holiday became more popular year after year.

It was the fact that she was surrounded by a subway full of BK-201s…


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A/N: Just a silly one-shot, but I might continue this. In case the ending was unclear: a bunch of people are dressed like Hei for Halloween. Why is Hei's outfit so famous? I have no idea, but the image of a frustrated Kirihara surrounded by Hei cosplayers popped into my head one day and wouldn't leave me alone.