A/N: This is the (chronologically) first in a series of shorts that will eventually replace the ex-epilogue of Distractions (which I have taken down). The numbering on the shorts that I've already published will change as I fill in the gaps between Chapter 30 and the other stories. Some of the material will be familiar, as I'm rewriting portions of the epilogue and incorporating it into these shorts; some of it will be brand new as I tweak the story to lead into a post-S1, post-Distractions sequel. This story begins immediately following the end of Chapter 30 of Distractions. Enjoy!

It was the ringing of her phone, rather than her alarm, that woke Misaki from a blissful sleep. She blindly reached for it on the nightstand, only for her hand to come up empty. Where…? The phone jangled again - the sound was distant, as if it was coming from the living room. That was weird; she always slept with it next to her bed. Why would she -

Misaki sat bolt upright as the memory of last night flooded to the forefront of her mind. Had she actually said…? Had they really…?

Compulsively, she pulled the sheet up to cover her bare chest, then turned to look at the place next to her in the pale early morning light: empty. She wasn't sure whether she was disappointed, or relieved.

Her phone rang again; swearing to herself, Misaki leapt out of bed. Even though it was obvious that she was alone in the apartment, she wrapped the sheet around herself and dragged it with her into the other room.

She snatched up her phone from the kitchen counter, cutting off the jarring ring. "Kirihara," she said, brushing the hair out of her face and hoping that her voice didn't sound as breathless on the other end of the line as it did to her ears.

"Chief!" Saitou exclaimed almost hesitantly. "I've almost finished putting together the notes for the briefing - was there anything specific that you wanted to add?"

The briefing - damn it. Misaki glanced at the clock; if she hurried, she'd just make it. "No," she told Saitou guiltily, not bothering to make an excuse for her absence from the office. "Just the reports from last night and anything new that Ootsuka was able to get from Astronomics. I'll be there soon."

She snapped the phone shut without waiting for an answer, furious with herself for oversleeping. That's what she got for staying up so late.

There was no evidence in the bathroom to show that Hei had ever been there. The clothes that Misaki had been wearing last night were folded neatly on the counter, and there was no sign of blood drops on the floor or in the sink. Was he being considerate, or just trying to remove anything potentially incriminating? As Misaki stepped into the tub for a record-quick shower, she could see in her mind's eye an array of cold knives lying on the bottom, draped over with a black shirt, and couldn't suppress a smile.

The smile didn't last long, however. She didn't have time for more than a cursory glance in the mirror as she dressed, and then she was dashing downstairs to her car, hastily-brewed coffee in hand.

More than once on the drive to the office, Misaki considered using her police siren to push through the gridlock, but each time she decided against it. She didn't want to cause any panic, and anyway, it was her own damn fault that she was running late. Besides, it gave her time to think about last night.

She still couldn't quite believe what had come over her, propositioning him like that. Not only was he currently the most wanted contractor in Tokyo, but he had killed a man just a few scant hours before showing up at her place. She'd caught him red-handed, then let him waltz right into her apartment.

Okay, so she hadn't let him in - he had broken in, and she had let him - no, invited him to stay. But he hadn't threatened her; in fact, she was pretty sure that coming for the radio had just been an excuse. She'd called out to him on the rooftop of the hotel, and, despite being injured, he'd come to her.

Misaki slammed on her brakes, narrowly avoiding rear-ending the car in front of her. Her coffee sloshed in the cup holder, but fortunately didn't spill. She needed to be more careful. And speaking of being careful: usually, she was the picture of responsibility. Last night…well, thank god for IUDs.

He'd agreed to see her again. Was that what she wanted? Even if she did want it, was it worth the risk? All she had to do was not hang up the signal, and that would be the end of it. She had no doubt that Hei would respect that decision, if indeed that was what she decided.

Despite the heavy morning traffic, the gleaming exterior of the Public Security Bureau headquarters greeted her all too soon, though she only had ten minutes to spare before her team's briefing with the Director. She was grateful for her reserved parking space; the garage was much more full than it usually was when she arrived.

As Misaki stepped into the crowded elevator with the other office drones, she surreptitiously took a deep, centering breath, and pushed all thoughts of Hei from her mind.

The elevator doors dinged open on her floor and she stepped out, ready to focus on nothing but work for the rest of the day. Ootsuka was rushing across the lobby with an armful of files. She spotted Misaki right away, and veered towards her.

"Chief, I've collated the reports from -" She cut off abruptly with a gasp and grabbed Misaki's arm. Too surprised to react, Misaki let the other woman pull her into the ladies' room, purse swinging wildly on her shoulder.

"What -" Misaki began, but Ootsuka spoke over her.

"Wait here, I have some concealer in my desk," she said, then dashed out without a word, leaving her files on the bathroom counter.

Misaki frowned after her, and picked up the stack of papers to be sure that they hadn't been dropped in a splash of water. As she did so, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror - and the mark on the base of her neck, that was just peeping out from under her collar. Her face turned nearly as red as the mark, partly from the thought of one of her colleagues seeing it on her, but mostly from the memory of how it had gotten there in the first place. She could almost still feel his lips on her skin, his - Misaki had to bite her own lip to forestall that train of thought before it got her into trouble.

"Not a word," she told Ootsuka when she'd returned with the concealer. Then she added a belated, "Thanks."

Ootsuka beamed at her, and promised to keep quiet.

Well, Misaki thought as she headed into the conference room for the briefing, that answers that question. Risky or not, she didn't regret last night, and she couldn't give up her chance to see Hei again. She would just have to be careful.

~~~~o~~~~

It turned out to be a slow work day, consisting mostly of reports and paperwork. Despite her best efforts, Misaki kept finding herself preoccupied by thoughts of the coming evening, and whether it would make her look desperate if she hung her scarf in the window the very first night. Her team noticed her distraction, and from time to time she'd look up to see curious glances pointed her way. A scowl would send them quickly back to their own tasks; but she couldn't keep a severe expression on her face for long.

As lunchtime passed, though, she began to worry that he hadn't really been serious about the new arrangement. Or at least, not as serious as she had been. Would he even be looking for the signal the first night? The first week? Misaki had never done the casual sex thing before - she didn't even sleep with boyfriends until several dates had happened first. She considered calling Kanami for advice, but…it was safer if her friend didn't know that she was seeing anyone at all. Kanami would no doubt guess that Misaki's mysterious paramour was Li, and she didn't want her friend mixed up in this.

Of course, that was assuming that Hei was even interested. She'd had no doubt of his interest last night - but, well, things always looked different in the harsh light of day. Even if he was an atypical contractor, he still was a contractor, and rational at base. He might regret the previous night, or decide that it wasn't worth the trouble.

Well, there was only one way to find out. Misaki eventually decided that she didn't care how it made her look, and as soon as she arrived home that night, she dug out her pink headscarf and tied it to the outside of the blinds of her bedroom window, where it would be visible from the street. She then changed into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, and settled down on the floor in front of her coffee table to go over some case files.

The spot of blood on her carpet hadn't come out completely, the red fading to a rusty brown color. Misaki scratched distractedly at it with her fingernail. The odds of him actually showing up tonight were slim, after all; he could be working, or just planning on spending the night at his own place rather than rushing things with her. Just because she was obsessed, didn't mean that he was. She decided that if two weeks passed without her seeing him, then it would mean that he'd changed his mind.

About an hour later, her heart skipped a beat at a soft knock at the door. Dropping the file that she'd been staring at without actually reading, she leapt up and forced herself to walk calmly to the door. She peered through the peephole: Hei was standing on the other side, dressed as Li and looking casual but casting suspicious glances up and down the hall under hooded eyes.

She closed her eyes and exhaled a quick sigh of happiness, then opened the door.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," she said.

He stepped quickly over the threshold, hands in his pockets and gaze averted. "I said I would."

Misaki shut the door. Then, unable to stop herself, she walked right up to him and began unbuttoning his shirt, as much to dispel her own nervousness as his.

"You said 'maybe'." She pushed the shirt from his shoulders.

"I lied."

"I know." She had hardly gotten the words out before he was kissing her.

Misaki returned the kiss eagerly, smiling beneath his lips at the almost hesitant way his hands settled on her hips. For all his confident skill as an assassin, Hei was turning out to be actually shy when it came to women. It was sweet, and made her feel slightly braver. She wasn't the only one feeling awkward and nervous. Last night had been a flurry of intense feelings and pent-up desire; tonight, they should take it slow.

She trailed her fingertips lightly down his bare chest, drifting across the edges of well-defined muscles, and was rewarded with his sharp intake of breath. Emboldened by her caresses, he reached up to cup one breast through the thin fabric of her shirt. She angled her head as he nipped delicately at her earlobe, warming with pleasure that he remembered what she liked after just one night. As his lips began to move down the soft skin of her throat towards the base of her neck, she laid a hand on his cheek to stop him.

"Careful," she said, stretching her collar to bare the red spot. "No marks where people might see."

Hei's eyes widened. "I did that? Sorry - I won't…"

Her giggle cut him off. "I didn't say I didn't like it," she said, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "Just that you have to be careful where you put your mouth."

His gaze had taken on a darker cast at her laughter, and in unspoken answer to her request, he took the hem of her shirt and pulled the garment over her head. Misaki let it drop to the floor, then pressed herself against him, bare skin to bare skin. Slow, she reminded herself with reluctance.

"Sofa?" she whispered.

Hei gripped her hand and wordlessly led her across the room to the small loveseat. She pressed down on his shoulders; he sat obediently, pulling her with him into his lap. He held her face between his hands, kissing her thoroughly and chasing away all the doubts that had been plaguing her that morning.