Review Reply Corner:
For the unsigned individuals…xD
Vanehei – Well here's the final chapter for this little ficcy. LoL. Yes, I'm one of those fangirls too. I would probably be apart of Li's long list of girls who wish they were his girlfriend.
Nina P. – Aww, thank you. I'm glad you find my OCs so fascinating. I'm an advocate of creating good characters all around (even my little background characters have SOME importance). LOL. I'm really not that good at characterization, but thanks for the compliment anyway. There's still many mechanics in writing that I suck at that needs much work.
About Peter, well…that's very insightful. I never really thought of it that way…o.o He says things in percentages because it makes him seem smarter…though he is quite smart. Usually his percentages are right on the mark due to his strange contract power.
Oh yes, and yay for Hei, Yin, AND Huang! But hurray for Mao most of all! –chuckles-
"M-a-o," Wendy said, giggling. "That sounds like 'meow.' Is that what it means?"
I had a feeling that Wendy was just trying to mess with my head. She had been asking a lot of questions about me since Hook had disappeared in search of someone named Michael. "Iie. It means 'cat' in Chinese."
"So you're Chinese?"
I did not answer; instead I simply lay down on the balcony next to my empty food bowl.
I heard the faint rustling of clothes and the shifting of the couch. Slowly, I lifted my head, peering over my shoulder as Wendy walked towards me with a ball of string. She smiled mischievously. I…didn't like where this was going.
"Mao-kun, how much of a cat are you?"
"I don't know…"
Her smile widened, she tossed the ball a little distance away from me. Before I knew it, I had pounced on the ball much like I did the butterfly earlier, kneading my claws into it with sadistic glee.
"Ah, so even you have trouble completely controlling your cat side. That's interesting to know…though I'll probably forget it eventually."
Damnit! I fell for an obvious trap. Wendy was going to use this against me in the future…but her memory was so horrible I wondered if she would remember.
"Mao-kun, tell me about Hei. What sort of person is he?"
That…was an odd question. That was something I was not expecting at all. Didn't Wendy know anything about Hei? Or was she basically kept in the dark as much as me and my comrades? My mind kept going to her remuneration. Was it's effect spontaneous? Or did it happen over time? How could she know what information would be deleted when she used her powers, and what wouldn't? These were interesting questions to store in my memory. "He's difficult to understand."
"Difficult? Why do you say that?"
"Well…he does not act like the traditional Contractor."
Wendy looked up at the ceiling, frowning slightly. She was quiet for at least a minute before she spoke again. "So, he acts based on his feelings in other words."
"Hai, that is correct."
"Well that IS odd. I've never heard of such a thing…" she rubbed her chin in thought. "Does he cause the Syndicate any trouble?"
"All the time."
"Hmm…and yet they have not killed him. How strange…"
I had to agree with Wendy there. Hei had proven to be more trouble than he was worth. The only thing that kept the Syndicate from getting rid of him was that he eventually always completed his missions…though often not the way he seems to want them done. However…as of late, Mao was wondering if there was another reason why Hei had not been eliminated.
"Wendy…"
"Hm? What is it, kitty cat?"
"Do you…do you think the Syndicate needs Hei for a more important reason rather this his skill?"
Wendy sighed, looking up at the ceiling again. Her smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a sort of fierce concentration. "I believe so. Organizations don't just keep people for skill, but they keep them for worth."
"For worth?" I whispered. What was Hei worth besides his skill?
"Well, well, well, "Wendy said in a sing-song voice, "we better warn Hei away from us then. He's going to cause big problems if he doesn't back off."
"Nani? What are you talking about?
"Hei has been causing us problems on our missions. Seeing as to we are neutral in our relationship with the Syndicate, as you should very well know, Hei's negative involvement may end up making us enemies, something NONE of us want. I'd rather not have the Black Reaper after my head. I'm sure my comrades feel the same."
This information caught my attention. Standing up, I turned to address the pretty young woman. "So killing Hei is not your goal?"
"Of course not, neko-chan. Why would we want to do that? The Syndicate would be most unhappy about losing such a Contractor wouldn't they? TRF would most definitely cut us lose in no time and feed us to the dogs. No, thank you, but I'd rather not have to run around for the rest of my life."
"However, killing Hei is a probability, correct?"
Wendy smiled. "Yes, it is. I'd rather it not happen though. I'm not keen on killing if I don't have to. Besides, even if we did it out of protection, we'd still be cut loose. Our organization is just that cruel. Then again, all organizations are the same…except maybe EPR. Hmm…that name is so familiar…like I've heard it a very long time ago..."
"Wendy, were you involved in the gate incident of South America? The incident with Hell's Gate." I don't know why I asked her that. It just seemed like the right moment to do it.
"I've heard the name many times, but I don't really comprehend what happened there. Whether I was there or not…is something I will probably never know. However, I am content with that. Michael on the other hand is not."
Michael…they had said his name earlier. Who was he? I knew this would probably be the only time I would be able to ask Wendy anything. Once Hei appeared, I was not sure if I would get that chance. "So he was in South America?"
"Yes that's right. His memory was erased, as all non-Contractors are once they find out something that the organization finds undesirable. Michael is not good at pretending like everything is all right. He's quite tempermental really. It was no surprise that TRF erased his memory." Wendy picked up her remote, twirling it in her hand. "Kitty cat, I have no idea why I'm telling you any of this. I guess I trust you."
She…trusted me? Why? "That's a foolish thing to do. Contractors have no loyalty to anyone."
"Untrue. That is simply an excuse you like to make, kitty cat. You like seeing yourself as something above human. Though you are trapped in that cat body, you are still at heart, human."
I stared down at my empty food bowl. This ditzy girl was wise beyond her age. Her words were well thought out, something I would not expect from the strange Contractor. This girl could be a horrible enemy…
"Don't be nervous, Mao. Though Hook said we'd kill you, you can be rest assured that was simply a lie. Peter told me from the beginning that that would not be needed. He trusted your judgment, so I suppose that's why I trust you as well. Contractors should not trust their own, I bet you're thinking. That is untrue. If we cannot trust each other, then who can we trust? Regular people surely aren't on that list…at least for now." Wendy stopped twirling her remote, sitting it on her forehead.
Wendy…was someone I felt was all lies and deception. Was this the real Wendy I saw before me? The deep thinker, or the aimless ditz from earlier? I was not sure, but either way I was beginning to feel attached to both of these strange sides of the girl.
"It was an honor to speak to you." Those words were unlike me, and were a bit shocking even for myself.
Wendy laughed, but it sounded rather empty, like the inside of a carved pumpkin once all its pulp was removed.
Hei was a bit shocked to see a large scruffy German shepherd sit next to him on a bench like a person. It had caught him by surprise because he had not been expecting it at all. He thought the person who had been following him would make himself known…but instead he got a dog.
"Hei?" the dog whispered.
That also took Hei by surprise. So that dog was a Contractor? He had almost forgotten that there were Contractors like Mao. "Hai."
"Do you know English?"
Hei nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Good. I wanted to tell you that we have captured an ally of yours."
This instantly caught Hei's attention, though he kept his face blank of emotion. An ally of his? Was it Mao? That cat had been missing for a while now. "The cat?"
"Yes, that's right." The dog got quiet when a group of people walked by, chattering away about meaningless things before he continued. "You are to come with me. Any resistance on your part will result in his death. Do you understand?
Of course he did. "Yes, I understand."
"Good. Follow me, and don't do anything odd."
Hei watched the dog hop off the bench and begin walking down the sidewalk. With a sigh, he stood up and followed. This could have been a trap, but something told him that these Contractors goal was not to harm him. What was it they really wanted? He could only guess until he arrived at where this Contractor was leading him.
After fifteen minutes, Hei arrived at a rather large apartment complex. Whoever lived here obviously had some well to do money. These apartments were well known for being a bit high class…or at least to Hei it seemed that way. He could never pay rent for such a place.
"Stop your gawking and come on, boy. I'm not going to live forever you know," the dog snarled, up a flight of stairs.
Hei sighed, following after the grumpy beast. This Contractor seemed brave to talk to him like that. The dog had to have known who he was, and yet he had guts enough to treat him like a child. Though he would never say it out loud, he felt respect for this Contractor. "What is your name?"
"Hook."
"Hook?" Hei raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. Hook." The large dog glanced over his shoulder at him as if the question was a bit foolish.
Hei wanted to say that was an odd codename, but kept it to himself. Hook seemed like a temperamental Contractor, a rarity if he ever saw one.
"Hei, while you're here you will not be able to contact anyone, so don't even attempt it. Wendy made sure of that."
"Wendy?"
"You'll be meeting her soon."
Wendy…that name was familiar.
"Here we are."
Hei stopped, his eyes roving over the door. Room 232. He would remember that, though he had a feeling this Wendy person was just going to change rooms later after this meeting. That seemed like a smart thing to do.
Hook barked loudly, wagging his tail furiously. It looked a bit comical really. Hook looked like a dog that was agitated at being left outside in the heat and wanted to go back in. Hei smiled slightly despite his situation.
Soon the front door opened and Hook dashed inside. A woman with long blonde hair and light gray eyes opened the door, examining him before smiling and waving him inside. "You must be Hei. It's nice to meet you."
Hei nodded, his eyes instantly going over the apartment out of habit. It was rather roomy for someone who moved around a lot. It almost looked like Wendy was planning on staying there, even after this meeting.
"It's been a while, Wendy."
Wendy blinked, tilting her head. "Have we met before?"
Hei chuckled darkly. She did not remember him. That was a shame, but it was not unforeseen. Wendy always had a horrible memory. If you topped that with her remuneration, she was a walking hazard waiting to happen. "Several times in the past, though it was all accidental."
"Oh? Sorry for not remembering you I suppose."
She was not sorry, Hei could tell. Wendy was incapable of feeling sorry for anyone. She was good at acting it though, and for that he had to give her props. It was a bit sad…
"Hei!" Mao called, running inside the living room with his tail high in the air.
Hei gave him a small smile. It seemed they had taken good care of Mao. Well, that proved that whoever these Contractors were, they had no plans on attacking him at least.
"Hei-kun, please have a seat. This won't take too long, but…well…"
"I understand," he replied, walking over to a nice plush couch and sitting down. He almost sank in the seat, and had to fight his way into sitting position.
Wendy stifled a chuckle as she sat down across from him. "Now then, on with our questions. Hei-kun, why are you interrupting our missions?"
Hei raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
Wendy smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh no! How could I forget that!"
Hook shook his head, answering for her. "We're The Rose Faction or TRF as some people like to call it."
"TRF," Hei mumbled, looking down at the floor. That organization had a hand in the South American incident along with a bunch of other underground groups. He had no idea what they had been doing there, but he did not trust them. All the people he had encountered in that group were quick to turn on anyone in order to save their own skin. "You said I have been interrupting your missions?"
"That's right. It's ruining our neutral relationship with the Syndicate. You should leave us be," Hook replied, sounding much more civil than he had earlier.
"But it's not me who's causing the problems. It's that man in that kitsune mask. Our goals seem to coincide, so we have no choice but to fight really…"
"Kit…su…ne?" Wendy's face scrunched up in unmasked confusion.
Hei blinked, trying his best to keep his poker face. Wendy was still as strange as he remembered. "It means fox in Japanese."
"Oh, OH! Is that what that mask was? I thought it was a cat with a deformed face really. It was weird looking at it because I'm used to Japanese artwork. So you see---."
"Shut it, Wendy. You're wasting time with your foolish rambling."
Wendy glowered at Hook before going back on subject. "So, it's not that you're intentionally causing us problems; it's that you accidentally do it. Michael just so happens to be the one you encounter the most."
Michael…that name was so familiar. His name spoke of smiles, jokes, a crafty heart, a quick temper, and a web of lies...Yes, he remembered that man. He was the only person in this whole world he used to actually call a friend; no…a brother was a better word. They had survived through hell and helped one another, though a certain incident changed that. "Yes, something along those lines."
"Hmm…this isn't good. This means we might end up as enemies then."
Hei nodded, shifting his weight on the couch so he wouldn't sink again. "Yes, it would seem so."
Wendy bit her thumb, staring intently at him."Hei, what shall we call you in public if we ever need to?"
"Li."
Wendy scratched her chin with her index finger. "I suppose that's a good alias. For us, you will call me Selene, Hook will be…well…Inu-san…"
"Wait a minute!" Hook barked, cutting off the rest of Wendy's words. "INU-SAN?! You have some nerve, Wendy!"
"I don't see what the big deal is. You're the one who won't come up with an alias."
Hook grumbled, glaring daggers at the soft plush carpet beneath his feet. Hei was sure that if he stared long enough, the carpet would instantly burst into flames.
"What about your other partners?" Hei asked.
"Michael, though you probably won't ever be meeting him, will be called John. Peter, who you also will not ever be meeting more than likely, will be Jerome."
"Easy names."
Wendy smiled. "Yes, that's why they were chosen."
Hei nodded slowly. That made sense.
"Hei-kun…" Wendy leaned forward, her face a little distance away from his, he could almost feel her breath against his lips.
"Hm?" he said, tilting his head.
"What is your relationship with Michael?" she whispered.
Hei was silent. There was no reason for him to say anything to her, or the truth anyway. "I don't know what you're talking about. If I have never met him, as you have stated, then I should not know him."
Wendy's soft gray eyes turned cold and calculating. "Yes…yes of course…"
Hei stared her down, trying to get her to back off through sheer intimidation. Wendy seemed to slowly go back to her neutral expression, leaning back on her couch, smiling once again.
"You have strange eyes," she said out of nowhere, shocking Hei as well as everyone else. "Are you wearing contacts or are your eyes really blue?"
"They're really blue," he casually replied, used to Wendy's quick topic changes. She often did this in an urge to catch people off guard. Usually it worked for those who did not know her so well, but not for him.
"Hmm…interesting. They remind me of a beautiful night sky…but they also remind me of emptiness, as if you relinquished all care for anything in this world."
Hei was silent, taken aback by her honest words. He was used to Wendy's eccentricities, but this…this was new to him.
Wendy rubbed her chin, changing the subject. "Hei, if you can please stay out of our way. It would be shame if we had to kill you and start some big squabble with the Syndicate."
"I understand. I have no plans on causing TRF trouble. But if it's unavoidable…"
"Yes I know. We wouldn't hold it against you if you killed Michael, though it would be a shame if that boy did die. TRF would replace him…but we would like to avoid that if possible."
Hei frowned. Contractors made him sick. They were so quick to allow a teammate to die just because it seemed like a 'rational' idea. Anything was fine as long as it was not their necks that were on the line.
"Wendy…"
"Hmm?"
Hei lowered his voice so Hook and Mao could not overhear. "Was Michael at the South American incident as well?"
Wendy was silent, frowning darkly. Hei had over stepped his boundaries. It was best to change the subject now. "Is there anything else you would like to ask me?"
As quickly as Wendy face grew dark, she was happy once again. "Oh no, that was it. You're free to go now. For future reference, please remember this location. We may need to talk once again."
"Wait a minute," Mao hissed, hopping on Hei's lap and staring up at Wendy with all the malice a cat could muster.
"Eh? What is it kitty cat?"
"This is all you wanted to do? Just ask him that one simple question?"
Wendy blinked. "Yes, that's all. There was no large reason besides that."
"So I was captured just for this!" Mao said, sounding absolutely indignant. Hei fought back a smile from breaking across his face. What was Mao so angry for?
"That's right, cat. Did you think there was going to be some epic battle for your soul?" Hook replied, sarcasm dripping off his words like venom.
Mao opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and simply had a glaring contest with Hook.
I was absolutely fuming with rage. All this time I had only been here as a little toy for their amusement. Wendy never said that, nor Hook, but I had a feeling that's what this whole affair was about. They never really needed me. They just wanted to see what sort of Contractor I was through first hand experience. Such conniving bastards these people were. I was not sure if knowing them would be a good idea. After all, they were TRF, a dangerous if not cutthroat, organization. And yet Hei sat on Wendy's couch talking casually as if there was nothing to worry about. But something HAD bothered me…
The two had been speaking to each other as if they were old friends for a second, before they both became wary of the other, almost like two dogs with their fur raised in a challenge. Eventually, Hei proved to be the dominant one, though I believe Wendy let him believe he won. Something was going on…something that I did not understand…and that truly, truly, frightened me. I was supposed to be the one who was ahead of everything due to my connection to the Syndicate's network…and yet…I felt so lost.
"Quit acting like a kitten, cat," Hook said, stretching and yawning, snapping me out of my reverie.
"How do we know you won't try and kill Hei? You know where he lives don't you?"
"Yes we do, but be rest assured my team doesn't attack near civilians. We would contact Hei and fight him elsewhere, away from the police's eyes as well as that of the public," Wendy replied gently.
I didn't trust her words. She smiled, and spoke softly, but I knew that was all a rouse. After all, she was a Contractor like me, thus I knew exactly how her mind worked. Though I had a large amount of respect for this crafty Contractor, I knew better to become so smitten with her that I hung on her every word.
"Mao-kun is awfully suspicious isn't he?" Wendy whispered, cupping her mouth.
Hei nodded. "He can't help it really."
AND now they were talking about me as if I was not here! Forget this! I had enough. As dignified as I could, I stood up and walked towards the door.
"Oi, kitty cat, do you want to leave already?" Wendy called.
"I need to report back to Huang." A horrible excuse, but it did work. Wendy did not bother me with questions after that.
I heard footsteps behind me, so I turned to see who it was. Hei was walking towards me with his left hand in his pocket. "All right, let's go, Mao. Wendy, Hook, it was nice meeting you."
"Same here. Ja ne!"
I didn't look to see if Wendy had followed after us to close the door. There was much I needed to update Huang on, that I could have cared less what she had done.
"Mao."
"Eh?" I raised my ears, looking over at Hei as soon as he had made it to the bottom of the stairs.
"Don't tell Huang about this meeting."
"Nani?! Why not?"
"This is just something he's not meant to know."
Hei was right in a way. Huang was already highly involved with the Syndicate, but there were some things that happened between Hei and I, that he just should not know, and this was one of them. Though it did bother me to keep this information to myself, I knew that it was for the best deep down inside.
"All right. What happened today, never really happened. If anyone asks, I didn't see anything."
"Arigatou, Mao."
I sighed. Hopefully this did not come back and bite me later. If it did, well…I guess I could think something through; some sort of excuse. It was best to think ahead, and that was something I was good at.
It soon started to rain. Thank God we had finished this discussion before that. Yin would have seen us, and it would have been difficult to explain what had transpired.
"I really do have bad luck," I grumbled. Hei simply chuckled.
"Mission accomplished," Wendy said through her cell phone.
Peter yawned, stretching in front of his computer monitor in his almost pitch black room. The only light that seemed to filter through the room was the light from the computer screen. "So, will we become comrades with Hei and his jolly crew?"
"No."
"I thought as much. Chances of that happening were zero percent."
"Wow...that's really, really low," Wendy whispered. "Um...what should we do? Hei is going to try and figure out who Michael is, and vice versa. If he brings up the incident in South America…" she trailed off.
Peter knew what she was going to say. Michael would have to be killed if his memory came back. His word could be used against TRF, destroying the organization all together. While Peter DID want that to happen, he did not want to be killed for insubordination if he allowed Michael to continue his activities. Overlooking this would be difficult…
"Peter?"
"Oh sorry, Wendy. I was thinking. All right, have Michael on the alert, and keep track of him with Hook. I would rather you not use your power unless you have to, is that understood? There's a sixty percent chance that you will lose most of your memory within the first two months of our time here."
Wendy was silent through the line.
"Remember, if you forget who you are, you will no longer be of any use to the organization. What they choose to do with you is their own business."
"Yes I know. I'll try to only use my powers for a short amount of time. Also, could you stop saying things in percentages? It's awfully irritating. It's not as if I truly comprehend the impact of two percent to sixty."
"Do you think I LIKE talking like this? It's this annoying contract of mine."
"I know...but still..." Wendy trailed off again. "By the way, what should we do with that doll? You know, the one who can see with water?"
"Leave her alone. She's not too much of a threat."
"Well…if you say so…"
"Good." Peter heard a click on the other end, an indication that Wendy had hung up. Peter sighed, leaning back in his chair, staring into the darkness of his room. There was a ninty-five percent chance that the EPR group would show up in Tokyo. Hopefully by the time that happened, Peter and his group would be gone. The Syndicate could handle them. It was not TRF's job to give them aide…but that could always change.
"What did happen in South America?" Peter whispered, closing his eyes and falling asleep.
A/N : I hadn't planned on this fanfic developing like it did. It just sorta happened…o.o It turned out pretty decent, though I would have liked to put more Hei in there. It's just so difficult to write him off, you know. His personality confuses me, like seriously. Hei probably came across as OOC, but I tried.
This was a post-fic, so I'll be working on the other part of this little "series". If you liked this, be sure to read it…not that you have to...-rambles- It's going to be a while before I begin work on that fanfic anyway. For now, I'm more focused on the Misaki one, which has proven to be extremely fun to write. I've never been so excited writing before, nor have I ever really been prone to updating so early (I used to only update just on Sundays). My goodness I love DTB. xD
Oh one more thing! These characters will be making an appearance in "A Little Bit Of Comfort." So be sure to remember them!
All that aside, thanks a bunch for reading this!
