Disclaimer: I don't own Darker than Black….obviously…if I did, there would be a third season already…
I'll try to keep updating as often as I can. FINALS ARE NEXT WEEK…. Well, I hope that I survive…
Hei woke up to the bright sunlight shining in through the balcony door in Misaki's apartment that appeared to still be open. He appeared to be lying on some kind of futon in the middle of her living room. Judging from the light from the balcony, it was close to noon. Attempting to move his head, Hei lifted his head an inch off the futon, and cried out loudly, his chest feeling like it had exploded when he had moved.
His head turned slightly from when he had lifted his head, Hei saw Misaki lying on a couch beside his futon, starting to wake up from his cry of pain. Hei watched her as she woke up. There were bags under her eyes from staying up so late, presumable taking care of him.
Beginning to feel guilty, Hei watched her as she rubbed her eyes slowly, and then looked down at him.
"Good morning," said Hei, with a wry smile on his face.
"Hei…" Misaki started before getting up off the couch and kneeling beside him.
"Are you alright?" she asked, placing a hand on his forehead to check for a fever. "It looks like the fever you had last night stayed away."
"I'm as good as I can be, considering the injuries." Hei replied. "I should really be asking you I suppose though," Hei continued, with a question tone in his voice.
"I think that you broke your leg and one or two of your ribs," Misaki said. "I wrapped them both, but you won't be able to move for a while."
"Perfect," said Hei, grimacing.
"Hei?" said Misaki hesitantly.
"Yes?" he replied while relaxing into the futon again.
"What have you been doing since that day?" she asked, looking concerned, but curious too.
"Lots of things really," said Hei, considering the face that she was with the police, no matter how much he trusted her. If it came down to it, he didn't know if he could trust her not to turn him in at this second. Giving a few more details, he continued, saying "I have been doing whatever I can to bring down the Syndicate and keep myself alive."
"I see," Misaki said, looking thoughtful.
"Misaki, what exactly do you plan to do with me?" Hei asked plainly. He knew that Misaki had to be thinking about if she should turn him in like a responsible police officer would do, or him she should help him, a wanted criminal. The choice wouldn't be hard in a logical mind, but Hei knew that Misaki thought of him as a friend, and although the gap that separated them was large, Hei did trust Misaki like he trusted few others. He watched as Misaki froze, and then looked down at her hands, still tense.
"I don't know," said Misaki. "I know that I should, especially since you are injured enough that we wouldn't have to fight you. It's a perfect opportunity. Still, it just wouldn't seem fair to you." Misaki smiled slightly before saying her next words.
"Besides, even though I now know that Li-kun and BK-201 and Hei are all the same person, I still don't want to turn you in because there is still a sliver of the person that I knew as Li-kun in you. I know that much at least. At that time, you weren't just Li-kun, you was also Hei. If Li-kun was Hei, then doesn't that mean that Hei is also Li-kun" Misaki looked up at Hei thoughtfully.
"I might be wrong of course, but I don't think that I am," she added.
Hei looked at Misaki with an emotionless look on his face, thinking before he answered her last words. It was true that Li-kun was just a different aspect of his personality, perhaps the aspect that he would have grown into if Contractors had never come into being. Still, Hei wasn't sure that he should allow Misaki to know that.
He had told her that Li had died the last time they had met for only one reason truly: To keep Misaki safe. There were side motives of course, and he had originally tried to pass them off as his reason to keep Misaki out of his life, but he knew that the true reason was to keep her safe from the Syndicate and the rest of the mess that was laid over his shoulders.
Hei replied with his eyes set forward, looking into the distance, trying to keep as much emotion as he could out of his face, but he could tell that some of his true emotions came out in his voice.
"I won't deny what you are saying. Li was partially me. However, he wasn't completely me either. I did tend to allow more of myself into Li when I talked to you, as much as I could anyway." Hei looked away.
"It's not like I want to get turned in, but are you sure that you would want me hanging around in your rooms while I recovered?" Hei smiled weakly. "I'm not exactly in a good condition right now. These bandages seem to be working well, but they will still need attention every once in a while. I actually do have my own place to stay, not that I was strong enough to get there last night. I can pay for my own food and any other expenses." Hei grinned widely at his last words. "You probably still remember how much food I need."
Turning more serious, Hei looked at Misaki in the eyes. "Most people don't know me as Hei, and do know me as Li-kun, so I could technically go out, but the Syndicate has both eyes and ears everywhere. Even just my being here puts you in danger." Still looking Misaki in the eyes, Hei waited for her response, with more tension in his mind about what she would say then he would ever admit, even to himself.
Misaki looked back at Hei, thinking carefully about his last words. He was right about everything that he had just said. She would also have trouble concealing Hei's living at her house from Saito and the others at work. On the other hand, she was oddly reluctant to turn him in, or to actually make Hei leave.
"Hei," she said slowly.
"Yes Misaki?" replied Hei, still looking directly in her eyes, seeming to look into her soul.
"I want you to stay here. We can work out the problems later, but for now at least, you have to stay. I don't really mind the Syndicate coming after you, because that is just another opportunity for me to find them and defeat them for once." "Besides," Misaki continued, smiling, "I eat almost as much as you do, so I know that I can deal with you eating habits. It can just be a reason for me to go out and get fast food more often."
Misaki watched as Hei relaxed into the makeshift bed she had made for him, almost visibly, at her words. He had clearly been worried about what she was going to say, no matter how relaxed he tried to act about it for her.
Suddenly, she saw Hei wince as she heard a blatantly loud growling noise coming from his stomach.
Misaki got up and smiled brightly at the familiar sound, glad to know that at least that part of Li wasn't a lie. "So, Hei, what do you want for lunch? I'm pretty sure that we missed breakfast. We can always order too of course, so feel free to ask for whatever you want for breakfast. You must be really hungry too, seeing as you were so badly injured, and you eat a lot even without being injured. Is there anything that you really want?"
"Ramen," said Hei, smiling back at her. "Lots of it. Judging by how much I usually get, I probably need thirty bowls at least. If I am still hungry after that, then I will get some rice balls as well. Maybe some salad too."
"Sure," said Misaki. "I can't stay and eat with you today because I have work, but I will have them send the food up for you. Actually, today we were going to review our files on you, not that it was going to do much good I suppose," Misaki said thoughtfully.
"Well then Misaki, thank you," said Hei. "I will never be able to repay you for what you did last night and what you are going to do. I truly am sorry to have to make you deal with me, especially now that you know that I am BK-201."
Shifting uncomfortable on the futon, Hei said "Misaki, before you leave would you mind helping me up so I can sit? I don't think that I've ever lain down this long before."
Misaki bent down to help him, relieved to see that he at least felt good enough to want to sit up, although she did suspect that he simply didn't want to be lying down. After she helped him up, she went to get changed, and then ran out of her apartment after a quick goodbye to Hei and ordering his food. If things went according to plan, then Hei would be able to recover without anybody being in danger. With these thoughts in mind, Misaki walked towards the police station, in a good mood for what seemed to be the first time in a while.