Sleep.
It was something that everyone, including contractors, needed.
Yet, for some reason, I was having trouble getting any tonight. I had learned a long time ago to trust my instincts, and right now they were telling me that something was wrong.
Of course, with the Syndicate hunting for Yin and I, that was an understatement. Still, if we were going to evade them each day, I would need to get some rest.
I closed my eyes again and tried to calm myself into slumber. I had almost succeeded when the soft footsteps of an assassin reached my ears.
I considered bolting upright in bed to surprise my attacker, but decided against it. Such a course of action would prove fatal if they were an armed professional. And there was no way I was going to leave Yin to fend for herself against the Syndicate.
…Unless it was already too late.
My heart skipped a beat. I pushed the thoughts from my mind. I couldn't let myself think about that right now.
I carefully shifted my body as if I was tossing in my sleep. My hand slowly closed around the knife hidden under the blanket and I opened my eyes into a squint.
But standing before me was not an assassin, but a silver-haired girl with pink eyes.
"Yin?" My eyes opened fully and I released my grip on the knife as I sat up.
Her stare remained as blank as ever as she stepped closer.
"Is something wrong?" Well, besides the alarm bells going off in my head. The uncomfortable feeling from before was now at a peak. My eyes darted this way and that, searching for threats. As a result, I didn't see her hand moving until it was at my face. My eyes stopped wandering and focused on hers' as she caressed my cheek.
"I am lonely," she said, in response to my earlier query. And with that, she wrapped her arms around me in a light hug.
As an assassin, I had been trained to deal with many different situations. Being hugged by a doll was not one of them.
Unsure of what I should do but sure I should do something, I settled for hugging her back. Her grip on me tightened and her head rested on my shoulder. This was a bizarre situation indeed.
Finally, after an amount of time I could not measure, Yin released me. Her eyes were still blank. The experience had shocked and confused me, but it wasn't clear just how much until Yin spoke again.
"Lie down."
In my half-aware state, I didn't resist when she lightly pushed me down onto the bed. By the time my mind had refocused itself, Yin was lying next to me, holding onto me tightly.
"Yin…What are you doing?"
She said nothing for a moment, and then:
"Sleep."
Sleep? Like this?
…Well, it wasn't too bad. Quite comfortable, actually. And as I finally noticed, that nagging feeling from before was gone.
I looked to Yin. Strangely enough, she seemed…Content? Her eyes were closed, the corners of her lips were curved ever-so-slightly upward, and her features appeared softer than usual. Indeed, as she cuddled against me with her head on my shoulder, I realized that she had never looked more at peace.
A million questions bounced around in my head, but I quelled them. I could sort all of this out later. Right now, I needed some sleep. And I felt oddly tired all of a sudden.
With the mysteries postponed for now, I allowed myself to hug Yin closer to me as a small smile infected my features.
"Good night, Yin," I whispered as the two of us drifted off into slumber.