Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long, guys. I've had some important exams and I just couldn't get back into the swing of things. However, it seems that I'm starting to update again and I promise I'll try and do it more frequently now, instead of every few months. :P

Thank you to all the lovely people who have taken the time to review this story, favourite or story alert it. It's lovely to know that you think so highly of my humble work. :')

Now... I have more exams in January but I've decided that as I seem to always have exams now anyways, spending a few hours on this isn't too big a deal. xD So if I fail, I'll blame all of you. Also, this is a bigger chapter to what I normally post, would you be so kind as to tell me if you prefer a bigger or smaller chapter length? Anywho, enough with my chatter and on with the tale!

Chapter Eleven

The conversation died down, and all eyes turned to the podium. Silence reigned in the meeting room as everyone was waiting expectantly for the boss to begin his speech. Seconds turned into minutes, as time ticked by and people started talking in a hushed murmur. The boss was never late, especially when it was to his own speech. I felt the urge to snicker at the irony of the situation... only a few hours ago we were being admonished for our 'tardiness'. A sudden burst of applause startled me and caused me to turn my head back towards the stage.

The lone spotlight that was focused on the podium flickered for a second before returning back to normal. I glanced at Hei to see if he'd noticed it only to find him staring at the stage with concentration etched on his face.

Well, at least there's one person on the team who can actually complete a task without someone else holding their hand. I'd applaud you for having a decent choice in guys but that wouldn't be true.

I was already annoyed by the bottle in my wellingtons, not to mention I was going to have a huge bruise on my ankle from the amount of times it banged into it. So when my brain decided to share its opinion with me, I accidentally let loose a soft growl of annoyance. In my head, I thought no-one would hear it. I thought it was quiet.

But in the silence that followed that brief applause, it sounded like someone had aggravated a tiger. So automatically all heads in the room turned to locate the origin of the sound.

This was, of course, me.

You're amazing lack of social skills never fails to amuse me. I would applaud you but I don't want you to growl at me again. What would people think?

And so I sat there with a cherry-red face and no idea what to say, when someone cleared their throat from the stage and everyone turned towards that noise.

"I swear these people are vultures in disguise. No-one minds their own bloody business nowadays. "I mumbled to Hei. He tilted his head to the side as if he was contemplating my words before nodding and gesturing to the stage.

A man stood behind the podium, his eyes darting nervously around the room while he wrung his hands. As everyone looked expectantly at him, a bead of sweat appeared at his temple and made its way down his forehead. He cleared his throat one more time, pulling at his shirt collar as well as if it was tightening around his neck like a noose.

"Employees of Kateitekina Restaurant and its subsequent chain cafés, please stand to greet the CEO of the company... Mr. Hayate Murakami."

Light applause greeted the boss as he stepped onto the podium, with his wide plastic smile and bleached teeth gleaming in the spot light.

He's the boss? Well... if you can be a Contractor, then I guess that even a person like that can be one as well.

Slightly annoyed at the insult against me, but I also agreed with my head on this one. In my head, I had pictured the boss as a tall, dark and handsome guy with a perpetual sneer on his face.

In reality; he was of middling height with a bit of a paunch, a hair style suspiciously similar to a mullet and very ordinary features. He had a sneer on his face but it wasn't as threatening as I'd assumed it would be, more amusing to look at; as it made him seem perpetually constipated.

Looks like lover-boy doesn't have any competition from him, but I can never be too sure with you... you have a predilection for surprising me in the worst ways. Plus, your history with men leaves much to be desired.

"I'm now going to ignore you, you're really annoying me." I hissed to myself. Unfortunately, Hei was sitting close enough to me to hear this and thought I was speaking to him.

"I'm sorry, what have I done that's annoying you?" he said in a low voice. Blushing crimson, I shook a mental fist at my mind and turned to him. How was I going to explain this to him without making me sound like a mental person?

Well, you are a mental person so I'm sure that saying otherwise is a lie and you wouldn't want to lie to Lover-boy... or maybe you do! Is there trouble in paradise?

Glancing around to check that no-one was looking at us, I turned slightly so I could talk to him. This let me have a clear view of the front where the boss had started his speech with some motivational quotes he had clearly copied from a self-help book. Hei was focused on me, a slight frown marring his features.

"Erm... when I said annoying, I really meant...uh...distracting. Yes, that's what I meant! You were distracting me, so I felt like ignoring was the only option I had left," I said, trying to make it sound like I hadn't just made up that lie on the spot.

"Really, well for that I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I promise not to distract you any longer," Hei murmured back, turning back to face the front. But I thought that for a second, I saw his lips twitch up into a ghost of a smile before he was looking away.

No, it's just your imagination. Why would someone smile at what you'd say? You're hardly the type to put a smile on people's faces; you're more the kind who wipe them off.

Instead of replying, like I really wanted to, I kept my vow and listened to the speech. It was now drawing to a close; he seemed to have exhausted every topic he could think off bar the most important issues. Those were reserved for his lackeys to reveal, while he was safely ensconced in his armoured car and far away from the workers.

With a final blinding smile, the audience applauded him and he stepped back into the shadows, leaving the stage open for the restaurant manager to dismiss us. Hei and I tensed as we realised that our chance to capture him may be over before we even realised, but we couldn't leave without drawing attention to ourselves.

Time seemed to slow down as the manager droned on about how in the current financial state they had noticed that they were spending too much so in this meeting, there were some cuts to be made and so some of us may not be with a job after this week...

Wait, what? What am I going to do about money...? I don't have another income! Well it's alright for some...

Why am I ranting about this? I'm a contractor; I already knew I was only in this job until the mission was completed.

Oh. Yeah.

I would have stopped you, but it was far too amusing listening to you talk as if you're a normal person, it just makes you seem more of an idiot when you realise you're just blabbering.

I opened my mouth to say something, then realised that I'd vowed to ignore it so I firmly shut up and instead decided to think of ways to get to the boss before he could leave.

Maybe I could say you had a few ideas to discuss with him... No, I was a low-level employee; I wasn't worth his precious time.

I could pretend that I'm a huge fan of his... But then the idea of acting like I was actually interested in him was too repulsive.

I was coming up with some terrible ideas, so I decided that asking Hei to help would be a good plan.

So when I turned, I wasn't expecting to see everyone focused on me, some like they were pitying me and other like they had just been told I was getting fired.

Like I was getting fired?

I was getting fired?

And the sad thing was I could only think 'Not again!'

Hei was shaking his head but I noticed that he was also being stared at, which I assumed meant that he was also getting sacked. It seems that we hadn't made the best impression in the week we had been working here.

At least this meant I didn't have to resign, but I had hoped to leave the job with some dignity. But then Fate clearly thought that wasn't to be. Still, it was quite embarrassing; I would have liked to think that I was coping well in this new work environment.

Don't be ridiculous, you were about as well placed as a bull in a china shop. You and lover-boy nearly made them bankrupt with the amount of accidents you had, not to mention the number of customers you lost them due to your lack of tact.

I winced, because my head was actually right in this case. I seemed to have deluded myself into thinking that I was doing well, when in reality I was hopeless.

The manager coughed so we all turned back towards him and told us that we should get back to work. For those of us whose presence was no longer required, were told to go to the staff cloakroom, collect our things and leave. The boss would officially release us, and terminate the work contact we had.

That had to be when we had to step in and finish our mission, I couldn't think of another opportunity we would get. And it was better than trying out any of the plans I had thought of.

I stood up and rotated around so that Hei could hear what I was saying but to everyone else, it looked like I was looking at the cloakroom. People passed by and offered their consolations, but secretly happy that it was us and not them.

"What are we going to do about the boss?" I whispered to Hei, while trying to look distraught enough at losing my job for the people going past us. "I hope you have a plan, because I sure as hell don't."

"I do, I'll tell you it as we walk there. He'll be with us in a few minutes so we need to understand what our roles are quickly," he said in a low voice.

Moving past the chairs and towards the cloakroom, Hei and I finalised the plan and got ready to meet the boss.

Well, now he's our ex-boss. So we can't get fired again but we could get arrested if anybody saw what we were doing. These were joys of being a contractor.

I was to distract the boss while in the cloakroom by causing a scene, which would hopefully draw in his bodyguards. Hei would then dispatch them while I took care of his ability to walk. We couldn't have him screaming and attracting attention, so we would then quickly drag him outside into the alleyway since the cloakrooms were strategically placed close to the rear exit.

Then we would start the proper interrogation.

My legs were a bit sore from the battering they had taken while I attempted to walk here with the bottle of soap in my wellies, so I ended up limping to the cloakroom. I was going to have bruises the size of apples on my shins tomorrow, and I couldn't help but wince when Hei nudged my leg when I started to veer off course, due to the fact I was leaning to one side to try and ease the pain.

We managed to make it and waited patiently for him to arrive.

For someone who apparently appreciates promptness in his employees, he really has no idea how to be on time. Then again, you claim to dislike idiots, yet always end up looking like one.

My mind was still getting the silent treatment from me, so I didn't reply... even though I really wanted to. I was going to be the mature one in the situation.

*Snort* Mature, you? I think a two-year-old has the ability to act more mature than you.

"I'm calm, I'm calm... I'm perfectly calm," I chanted beneath my breath, trying to ignore the jibes. I was sore, quite annoyed and trying to fulfil a mission; I really wasn't in the mood for my own mind to aggravate me.

Footsteps outside the door alerted us to the fact that the boss was close, a few seconds later and our theory was confirmed. He was even more unimpressive up close, and I tried to control my urge to just prod his face to see if it was real.

"Now, I'm Mr. Murakami but you won't need that information, as you're no longer going to be working for us," he drawled, "I'm afraid it's standard procedure that we do some quick checks before you go, company policy and all that, so stand still while we do the initial body check."

What? A body check? Crap, I have that bottle of soap in my wellies. I tried to signal to Hei that we might need to hurry things up but he seemed to think that I was trying to say something else. Possibly thought I said "Let them, and then we'll act," while in reality I was trying to get the message across that "I have evidence, if they find it we're screwed. Hurry up!"

The two lumbering bodyguards that followed boss moved towards us. I blinked rapidly, trying to think of something that could help me.

Maybe by causing a scene? You're skilled at those. Perhaps you could flash Hei again; he must have been thrilled that it was that easy last time.

"I am not going to flash anyone!" I growled, causing everyone to stare at me in shock. The bodyguards started to smirk, while the one who was heading towards Hei winked at the one coming towards me.

Oh, great. Now the bodyguards think I'm that easy.

The boss just continued to stare at me like I was some sort of new species in a tank. He looked like he wanted to poke me with a stick. Or at least try and see if I made any more suggestive comments.

Yuck.

"And why ever not?" he leered, "I'm sure me and the boys would appreciate it... Might even let you keep your old job if you give us a good enough show."

The bodyguards laughed with their boss, obviously sucking up to him. I tried once again to get Hei to hurry up, and I think he got it this time. The air in the room crackled with static charge, as Hei lunged and grabbed his bodyguard.

But the man struggled, trying to throw Hei off whilst attempting to kick him. But Hei managed to cling to him long enough to destroy him. In the blink of an eye, he had my guard in a choke hold and then the lump of a man was lying like a lifeless bundle on the floor. We'd forgotten about the boss while focusing on the bodyguards, and he'd managed to back towards the wall and was inching towards the door.

This was my cue, I managed to remember.

Oh, well done! Would you like a sticker for remembering what may possibly be the only thing you have to do?

Gritting my teeth, I focused on all the emotion that was collecting inside of me and my eyes started to glow the eerie crimson of a contractor using their power.

The boss screamed as he dropped to the floor, his legs having been destroyed and only little stumps remaining. Blood pooled around him but he remained stoic, ignoring the fact that he no longer seemed to have legs. My eyes widened before narrowing, no-one acts blasé while I'm torturing them!

Hei coughed and shook his head. I'd forgotten that we had to remove him from the premises before some-one came to investigate. I ran forward and grabbed his arms while Hei grabbed his torso. Kicking the door open with my leg, we dragged him through the door and out the back exit, making sure that no-one noticed us.

A few bins were lined further down the alley and we stopped there, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground. His face was a chalky white but he continued to glare at us. It was unnerving, to say the least.

Hei seemed to be in his right state of mind and started the questioning; his deep blue eyes boring into the boring brown ones of Mr. Murakami.

"Are you the leader of the group behind the bombings?"

Silence.

"Jain, if you'd give Mr. Murakami another example of your power..."

He remained silent, although his eyes had widened as he realised what I was going to do.

"Maybe your arms this time... you didn't seem to mourn the loss of your legs too much. Or a more intimate part of your anatomy as a reminder that we are deadly serious," I pondered aloud, knowing that he'd be getting more and more scared from what I was saying. Psychological warfare is such fun sometimes.

"I'm not saying anything" he grunted, his voice empty of the charisma it held just ten minutes ago.

"That's a real shame."

I concentrated on his arm, and his left arm exploded in a flurry of blood and flesh which we got splattered with. He groaned before biting down on his lips to let out anymore sounds.

I glanced at Hei and noticed that he seemed to be staring intently a Mr. Murakami, and I wondered what he was thinking.

He must have realised I was looking at him since he stepped next to me and whispered in my ear, while I kept a close eye on our prey.

"He's supposed to be a leader of a group of contractors, and sources told us he was one, yet he hasn't used his power to get out of the situation... I'm finding this a bit odd. Do you think we've been set up?" he muttered. I turned to face him in shock, if this was true... What were we to do?

A blue glow appeared in the corner of my eye and I spun back around in time to see Mr. Murakami radiating that familiar blue glow and a second later, a sound like a gunshot and he had disappeared. I ran forward towards where he had lain in the hope he had just become invisible but my searching hands collided with only empty air. Hei let out a growl of frustration before stalking off into the street, ignoring the fact he was covered in blood stains. I stood still, expecting to see Mr. Murakami suddenly appear next to me.

Seconds turned into minutes as I waited for my hopeful dream to turn into reality but I was the only one in that alley.

I decided that I'd waited long enough; my shirt was disgustingly coated in the remains of Mr. Murakami's arm and I didn't want to let the stench permeate into it any longer otherwise it would take a ridiculous amount of time to wash out. Not like blood wasn't tricky enough to clean; I seemed to get through clothes like some people would food.

As if to remind me that it still existed, my stomach growled loudly and I rubbed it to try and console it. I needed to get home, get cleaned up and get food. In that order otherwise I might attract unwanted attention. I slipped back into the restaurant and into the cloakroom. I'd left my coat there this morning and it would be useful in covering up the state of my clothes.

I slipped it on, pulled the bottle of soap from my wellington into my coat pocket and slipped into the crowd, anxious to get home.

Huang would be so annoyed at us; I contemplated skipping the next meeting to avoid his wrath. But I was partly responsible for this crew-up and I needed to know what we were going to do to clean up this mistake.

At least I had the soap bottle as evidence.

I had reached the apartments, my little contemplation had made me zone out slightly so I hadn't even noticed how quickly I was walking. Still... I hadn't walked into traffic and caused an accident or anything.

Mrs. Tanaka was standing in the little courtyard, determinedly sweeping, what had to be the most stubborn leaf on the planet. She raised her head and gave me a wide smile with her wizened face before noticing the slightly visible soap bottle in my pocket. Darting forward like a minnow, she pulled it out and gave me another wide smile.

"It's so lovely to see that you're taking good care of the flat, although this brand doesn't look like any I've seen... Is it a new type, my dear? I know plenty of traditional methods that are just as effective, I can pop up now and show you them if you'd like!" she chattered, eager to have someone to talk to.

I quickly plucked the bottle from her hand and, with a smile, said as diplomatically as I could "I appreciate your offer, Mrs. Tanaka! But you see, I'm quite tired from work today and I'd like to get cleaned up as quickly as possible... another time perhaps?"

She nodded sympathetically and let me run up the stairs and to my flat. I unlocked the door and slammed it shut behind me before sprinting for my bed and doing a dive onto it. I was so tired, I could feel my mind shutting down as my remuneration forced me to shut my eyes and drift off.

The last thing I saw before I could fully drift off was a stranger standing in front of me, wearing what I thought was a Halloween mask.

A/N: Well, what did you think? Remember to drop me a review to tell me your thoughts, it really does make my day.

I wish you all a belated Merry Christmas and a slightly early Happy New Year. But that's just how I roll. ;)

Lotsa love,

O.N