FireCacodemon: I'm just about t go to bed but here's a kinda rushed Christmas story...which isn't quite Christmas stuff. But enjoy.

Midnight Talk

A Darker Than Black Fan-Fiction

Written by FireCacodemon

Disclaimer: Darker Than Black belongs to Tensai Okamura

Summary: "I claim sanctuary," Hei said causing Misaki to freeze. "While I stand in this building, you cannot touch me. Feel free to call for back-up and do what you police officers do while trying to catch a contractor. Until I leave, sanctuary is in effect."

It was the night on Christmas Eve and the cry of sirens filled the air. The police were out working in the cold winter night chasing down the elusive contractor, the Black Reaper. The contractor that went against the stereotype, one who acted on his own accord sometimes and the police knew that. Misaki ran through the streets, chasing the Black Reaper while unleashing bullets onto him but his black trench coat deflected the bullets away from him. The best she could do was wish that he cornered himself so that she could try and make the arrest. Unmask the contractor and hand him over to PANDORA to study him. She wanted to be the one who caught him, the one who put the most feared contractor away where he couldn't hurt others...where he couldn't hurt Li. Here they both were, looking like they were playing a violent game of chase where if the prey was caught then it meant their death.

A single snowflake fell down from the sky and landed on Misaki's glasses, but that didn't faze her. The Black Reaper was still running and she wasn't going to give up just so soon. The two kept running as more snow fell from the sky, the snow settled on the ground ready to form a soft blanket for everyone in the morning. The police girl and the contractor ignored the falling snow as it gracefully fell onto them and past them. Bullets tore through the snowflakes and bounced off the coat, into the thin layer of snow. It wasn't like anybody cared; the bullets were left abandoned on the snow ground.

"I can't believe I'm spending Christmas Eve running after the Black Reaper," Misaki scolded herself as she chased the elusive contractor through the streets. The Black Reaper let a chuckle escape from him as he overheard Misaki's complaint. How many times had he wanted to hear Misaki complain about chasing him? Too many that he had lost count. Now that he had her complaint he felt that it was about time that he found a place to be alone with her. He darted down alleyways and into open streets while avoiding wading through people as they did their last minute shopping. It brought amusement to himself as he heard people screaming as he came charging towards them as quick as he could. He was going to have to need a large meal to give him the energy after this night with Misaki. Misaki was busy apologising to people as she bumped into them, knocked bags out of their hands and just apologising because of the Black Reaper's actions.

Hei darted across the street, his vision getting a little clouded due to the cold air and his hot breath. He stopped in front of the church and looked back behind himself at Misaki looking both left and right to see if it was clear. Contractors didn't much care for religion but if he guessed Misaki correctly, then if he ran into the church then he'll have some form of protection. He took his chance and sprinted inside as Misaki crossed the road. Pushing the heavy wooden doors open, Hei slipped inside and brushes off as much snow from his coat and hair as much as he could. He could hear Misaki running up to the church. He backed away from the door as Misaki came in. Her eyes locked onto his form with the desire to protect and with her duty as a police officer.

"Give it up BK-201!" Misaki ordered, aiming her gun at BK-201. Hei tilted his head to the side before he moved to draw his blade. Misaki saw and threatened to press the trigger. "Don't you dare grab your weapon!"

"I claim sanctuary," Hei said causing Misaki to freeze. The Black Reaper was claiming sanctuary? Under any other circumstances, she would have ignored the claim and went to attack him. She mentally cursed as she figured out that he had planned this from the start. It was an unspoken law that if people claimed sanctuary in a church that you couldn't touch them. Misaki slowly lowered her gun and sighed. "While I stand in this building, you cannot touch me. Feel free to call for back-up and do what you police officers do while trying to catch a contractor. Until I leave, sanctuary is in effect."

"You...believe in that?" Misaki asked, lowered her gun before she put it back in its holder. He may have sanctuary but that wasn't going to change the fact that he was still a contractor and when he leaves here, she was going to catch him.

"Not personally, but you believe in it and that was all that was needed," Hei replied to her as he walked away from her and sat down on one of the benches. Misaki kept a close eye on him but went to sit down behind him. She looked up and around the building. "You hate contractors, don't you? You'll rather see them all gone and have the old sky back." Misaki looked down at the Black Reaper before she could take in the surroundings.

"I..." She sighed; she wasn't sure how to respond to that. At the start she was just like everyone else who knew of contractors. She wanted them all gone so that the real starts would return. After working with November 11 and his team, chasing down BK-201 and other contractors...adjusting to the fake stars. Sure, she hated contractors but when they were all gone...would she still be happy? Happy that the world would have returned back to normal but sad at the fact that it meant taking down one of the most interesting cases that she had ever seen, the Black Reaper. Yes, she misses the real stars but if they suddenly returned, then she would miss the fake stars. Would she rather see the real stars at the cost of losing the fake stars and all contractors?

"You're fun." Hei said softly.

"What do you mean?" Misaki asked, her interest was hooked, what made her fun? All her friends and everyone who worked with her had claimed that she wasn't any fun at all. Her main topics of conversation were based around work or the Black Reaper himself. Only when she was with Li did the topic of work dropped. She couldn't let Li get drawn into fear of contractors or even know what was lurking in the shadow of Tokyo.

"You already hate me so there's no reason why I can't tell you about the game we're playing. Both of us are playing the game and it's been going on since our paths first crossed. The game of chase and if you do catch me, you'll hate the results," he replied to her question.

"What? You think me chasing you is a game?" She sounded irritated at him. She had every reason to be irritated at him. She always got worked up when he escaped and she came back empty handed. To the Black Reaper, this was all a game?

"I got bored, when you started chasing me, it only irritated me and I wanted to kill you. The more missions I completed, the more fun I started to feel when you started chasing me, something that I didn't feel since Heaven's War so I activated and drew you to play the game of chase."

"Like you've done tonight..."

"You have a lot of questions, don't you?"

"Why did you pick me?" Misaki watched as the Reaper turned around to look at her through his mask.

"Because you're who I wanted to be if I wasn't who I am now. Someone who can stand up for the people who don't feel confident enough or don't have the power they need. If I wasn't the Black Reaper and grew up outside of war, maybe I would have been a police officer like you are." He told Misaki. Her eyes widened slightly, if the Black Reaper grew up outside of war? Wait...she thought back to a conversation she had with Li. How he said that they grew up in a war zone...they did have a conversation on a similar level to that...right? She didn't know. Many cases had filled her mind and with the news the Black Reaper had given her, she couldn't remember what her conversations with Li were like at this current time.

"Do you think if you had the chance now...that you could still be who you wanted to be, while staying as you are?" She questioned him. Misaki watched as the gears really ground against each other inside his mind as he thought over about what she had just asked him. She wasn't sure what was running through his mind. It was hard to tell what he thought most of the time or what he should have done if she understood the mind of the contractor. Hei wasn't sure how he should even respond to a question like that. On one hand, if he wasn't the Black Reaper, then he wouldn't have the confidence or skills to actually defend and help people. It was only because of the contractor power that he had inside of him that helped him get through what life wanted to throw at him. If he had the chance to stop being the Black Reaper and actually someone who helps others...maybe then he felt like he could redeem himself.

"I don't know...but Christmas is just around the corner..."

"I thought you didn't do Christmas?" Misaki asked. She blinked when she watches as the Black Reaper removed his most prized possession off his face...

"Merry Christmas, Misaki Kirihara."

FireCacodemon: Well, hope you enjoyed it and have a great Christmas. Bye!