Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this collection of moments... especially for the unhappy one. I doff my cap to Tensai Okamura, who's responsible for the memorable characters in Darker than Black.

Author's Note: I simply couldn't resist updating this story on November 11, 2011. Please enjoy!


Favors and Foreigners


- 14 -
Trade-Off

Section Chief Misaki Kirihara couldn't fathom how November 11's brief meddling in her most recent case translated into a full-scale personnel swap, but her orders were clear: accompany Agent Jack Simon of MI6 on his mission. She cast a sidelong glance at the nattily-dressed British agent in the seat next to hers. Although Kirihara knew he was normally partnered with another contractor whose codename was April, there was no sign of either her or the boy called July. It seems to be just the two of us.

"Agent Simon," she tried again, her impatience lending a sharpness to her tone. "The briefing?"

Icy blue eyes held a trace of amusement. "All in good time, Misaki."

Her lips thinned at his familiarity, but she'd given up correcting him, holding onto a dim hope that if she stopped complaining, he'd stop teasing her. Serious brown eyes scanned the otherwise empty cabin of the small plane, but nothing gave her any indication what their undisclosed destination might be... or what her undisclosed role in his plans would entail. I'm beginning to think this is all an elaborate ruse to... to what? With a shake of her head, she dismissed the very idea. A contractor always acted rationally. If she was here, then Agent Simon needed her for something.


- 15 -
Foreign Affairs

Misaki stared blankly at the menu card, hopelessly lost, and Jack Simon graciously inquired, "Shall I translate?"

"Please," she accepted, though her tone didn't thank him. The restaurant was elegant, and its clientele were elite. Couldn't we have eaten dinner someplace more inconspicuous? Her frustrations mounted, for she was still utterly in the dark, and she couldn't voice her annoyance, not when every waiter and busboy seemed to lean closer every time she opened her mouth.

"How do you feel about dressed lamb?" Jack inquired.

"That's not what I want," she replied tersely.

"Very well," her replied, lifting his hand to call over a waiter. Once the meal was ordered, the blond man calmly changed seats, slipping into the one beside her and draping his arm behind her. "Play along, Misaki," he crooned. "They're under the impression that you're nothing more than a pretty face, and I'd like to encourage the underestimation."

His request only put her more on edge, and she leaned away from him. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

"Apparently, I'm taking on the role of spurned lover," he replied with an easy smile. "So I must woo you back into my good graces... and take you to my room. Then, I can explain."

She might have thought it a cheap ploy if it weren't for the deadly serious expression in his eyes. Nodding curtly, she muttered, "I don't like this one bit."

"Neither do I, Misaki." With a casual glance that took in every corner of the room, he quietly added, "Bear with me, and we may survive."


- 16 -
Trek

The last thing Kirihara had expected from her fastidious partner was a plan that forced him out of his formal wear. Agent Simon had traded his three-piece suit for sturdy garments in hues that blended in with their barren surroundings. Just before dawn, she and Jack had been dropped off on the edge of a dusty road with little more than a pack, a map, and a compass. The 'gentleman' had taken possession of the latter two, leaving her the former. Struggling gamely under the weight of their luggage, Kirihara wondered aloud, "Am I here in place of a mule?"

He spared her an amused glance, and she caught a glimpse of her reflection in his sunglasses—sweat and sunscreen gleaming on her flushed face. "April couldn't come, and I needed backup."

"So you pulled a few strings?"

"I can be very scary when I want to be," he obliquely replied.

After a couple hours of steady trudging, Kirihara's tank top clung damply to her skin under a loose shirt that had already taken on some of the dinginess of the dust they kicked up. By contrast, her 'partner' looked as dapper as ever, and she wondered if he was tapping into his icy abilities to keep cool.

Contrasts, she mused. The upscale hotel they'd checked into the day before had also seemed out of place in its environs, a maze of close quarters that stank under the sweltering sun. Kirihara determinedly placed one booted foot in front of the other on a narrow trail and chose to look on the bright side. As far as she was concerned, the clear, dry air translated as an improvement... even if she was walking straight into danger.


End Note: This set of drabbles was written for the Live Journal community fanfic(underscore)bake-off, a multi-fandom drabble contest that limits all entries to 100-300 words. Their Secret Ingredient for November 2011 was Translate, and the above drabbles are 215, 264, and 284 words respectively. Posted on November 11, 2011. I'll continue this arc as time allows... hopefully, later today! ::twinkle::