It was almost the worst thing that he could imagine happening. Having his old life, his old self suddenly dragged into the light in front of his own family.

They could have no possible idea that it was him beneath that mask; but it was still him they were watching, him they were judging. It was throwing him off balance, almost as badly as that first sight of Jiang had done.

That wasn't even the worst part: Misaki had seen the video too.

Of course she already knew who and what he was; but knowing wasn't even close to the same thing as seeing.

She'd seen a few of his victims – mostly death by electrocution, nothing terribly brutal or gruesome. She'd only personally seen him kill (or at least, attempt to kill) one contractor; another rather clean death, and one that had almost certainly saved her life.

This…the violent murder of five men whose only crime was standing between him and his employers' orders? This was different.

He knew she loved him; seeing this video wouldn't change that. But he'd give anything to rewind time just five minutes and take it all back.

Her grip on his hand hadn't lessened; Hei risked a sideways glance. Her face had taken on the same detached, professional expression that she'd worn the night he'd first broken into her apartment to tell her who he was – and throw himself at her mercy.

"But did you ever see him – like, face to face?" Jiang was asking her. Hao and Feng were listening with rapt attention; as were Uncle and Grandfather, he was dismayed to see.

Misaki pursed her lips. "A couple times. I got a shot off once, but that damn, um – what's the word? The coat?"

"Bulletproof," Hei supplied with reluctance.

He actively avoided glancing in Grandfather's direction, choosing instead to focus on the Korean team going through their routine on the opposite end of the training floor.

You were wearing your mask, and fighting with knives, he told himself. There's nothing there for them to recognize. They won't even think to look for familiarity.

"Right," Misaki said with a shake of her head. "Bulletproof. It didn't hit. Just bounced."

Jiang gave a low whistle. "No shit – bulletproof?"

"That explains those sparks," Hao mused. He stared at Misaki with a look of newfound respect. "But you actually tried to shoot this guy? What'd he do?"

"Ignored me, mostly. I wasn't exactly a threat." She smiled wryly and gave Hei's hand a surreptitious squeeze.

"Fuck. Is he really as badass as in the video?"

"Jiang, language," Uncle said sternly.

"What - she said damn, she doesn't mind."

Hei had to smile at that. "Swear words were one of first things she wanted to learn."

"Well, it's useful," she retorted. "If there's a suspect I…make? Hit?" She turned to Hei.

"Um, apprehend?"

"Apprehend? Okay. If I apprehend a Chinese suspect, I want to know when I'm being insulted."

Jiang laughed. "Shit, Tian, where'd you find this girl?"

Hei shrugged helplessly. "She told you – in a bathroom stall."

His cousin snorted, then turned back to Misaki. "So, what was he doing when you shot at him – killing people like those guards?"

Misaki hesitated. She was clearly uncomfortable with the topic, but didn't seem to be as nauseated or horrified as Hei would have expected. Still, she couldn't be half so uncomfortable as he was right now. "He had killed another contractor – which ended up saving my life, actually. Then he jumped out of a skyrise window."

"Wait, so he's dead? I thought you said he left Tokyo."

"Not getting killed is what he's good at – you saw that video." Misaki's smile was grim; but to Hei's surprise, he thought he detected a trace of pride that she was trying to cover up. "He just…jumped out. I don't know how he survived, exactly. But he did that sort of thing almost every time I saw him."

"Fucking amazing! Hey, Tian, did you ever see him?"

"That was before I joined the police," Hei said, trying – and failing - to figure out a way to end the conversation without arousing suspicion. Jiang's enthusiasm was only making it worse.

"Yeah, but you were here in the city, right?"

Hei shrugged. "Contractors weren't public knowledge then…"

"He's wearing a fucking mask and dressed up like a goddamn comic book villain!" Jiang said. "How could you miss him?"

"I'm sure he looked like a normal person when he wasn't breaking into guarded – um, secure? - places," Misaki said quickly. "We could have walked right by him on the street and never known."

"Huh, that's true. Hao, let's see that video again." Jiang squinted at the screen. "It almost looks like that last guard cut him at the end, but it's too hard to tell for sure. Shit, that guy had guts."

Or just a desperate fear of getting killed, Hei thought to himself, resisting the urge to adjust his shirt collar. That guard's knife had left a faint scar just beneath his left clavicle; it wasn't usually visible, even with the top two buttons undone. But still, it was there.

"Think we could make a taolu routine out of it?"

"Maybe; add in a more few acrobatics?"

"What about the guns?" Feng put in. "Those aren't exactly traditional."

"Damn, that's right. We could replace them with qiang, give him two dao; that'll be sort of like those knives. Figure out the choreography from there."

"Maybe empty-handed would be better than qiang."

"What about a mix of both?"

"It's too many people though – we'd have to cut it down to just two guards."

"Yeah, it'd be less impressive, but it could still work."

"We gotta come up with a cool name for it."

"Guy this badass has to have a badass name," Feng mused.

Hei slipped his arm around Misaki's waist. Despite her earlier complaints about him being too sweaty, she leaned into him now.

Maybe they could just back out of the conversation, talk to Grandfather about – about something. Anything. But when he turned, he saw that Uncle had taken Hao's phone; he and Grandfather were watching the video intently. Hei tried to suppress a surge of dread.

You had your mask, he reminded himself again. This is what it was for. To protect you. They can't see through it.

"Black spirit, maybe?" Jiang said, and only Misaki's hand on his kept Hei from flinching visibly. "He looks like some kind of demon, with that mask."

"Black snake?"

Jiang abruptly turned to Misaki. "Hey, is it true that contractors are named after the fake stars?"

She nodded, her brow furrowing.

"You must know this guy's name if you were investigating him – is it a star?"

"I…don't know how to say it in Chinese."

Misaki met Hei's eyes, and he saw the question in hers; it wasn't the obvious one. She knew exactly how to say Black Reaper in Mandarin; it had been the very second thing that she'd wanted to learn, even before damn or bastard.

He wasn't going to translate that name for his family. It was too close to his own chosen name; Jiang's guess had been far too close. Instead he said, "BK-201."

Jiang wrinkled his nose. "Fucking stupid name. I like Black Snake better."

"Time to go get cleaned up, boys," Grandfather interrupted loudly, handing Hao back the phone. "It's getting late."

Hei could have hugged him in relief. Then Uncle said, "Hang on," and he had to resist the urge to bolt for the doors.

"Grandmother wants a photo of everyone," Uncle continued. "It's good to see Jiang and Tian together in uniforms again; let's take it now."

The blood froze in Hei's veins; he also didn't miss the emphasis Uncle had put on his old name.

Uncle pulled a small digital camera from his pocket and fussed with it for a moment. Hei would have bolted for the doors, except that his fight-or-flight instinct had landed on freeze and assess.

"Aw, come on," Jiang said. "No more photos, you've taken enough this weekend already."

"Tian isn't in any of them," Grandfather told him. "Just one more."

"I'll take it for you," Misaki said, holding out her hand.

Grandfather smiled and shook his head. "Of course not. Then how would you be in it?"

She blinked. "Really? Are you sure?"

"We need the whole family. One of these boys here can help out."

Misaki blushed slightly and reached over to take her gun and jacket back from Hei – and paused. "Hei, it's just a picture for your family; you'll be fine."

"I hate pictures of myself…"

"I know. But you managed one for the department directory, didn't you? Can't you suffer through one for your grandmother?"

She was purposefully making light of it, he knew; she was well aware of just how dangerous casual photos could be to him back in his Syndicate days. There was a reason he'd always worn a mask.

Still, she was right. It wasn't necessary to hide himself any longer. Hadn't he already decided to stop hiding his lack of existence from his family? It would be fine.

As long as they promised not to show the photo to anyone else.

"What's wrong?" Uncle asked, looking between the two of them.

"Nothing," Hei said hurriedly. "I was just translating something."

He and Misaki stepped up to stand next to Grandfather; Jiang squeezed in between Hei and Uncle and leaned his elbow on Hei's shoulder – though he had to reach up slightly to manage it. Hei wrapped his arm around Misaki's waist and tried to remember what a normal smile looked like.

Hao raised the camera. "One, two…"

"How do you say 'I'm never wearing a goddamn dress again' in Chinese?" Misaki asked.

Hei smiled.

~~~o~~~

"Okay, I'll admit it," Jiang called from the shower cubicle next to Hei's, "your girlfriend is kind of a badass."

"I told you."

"Yeah, man, I know – but how was I supposed to believe my dweeb cousin would be so into someone like that, let alone actually land her! She's kinda bossy, though, huh?"

"She's in charge of an entire section; she's used to giving orders, that's all." Hei shifted the water temperature to a slightly cooler setting and ran his fingers through his hair.

Jiang snickered. "In the bedroom too, I'll bet!"

"No."

"No? The fuck does that mean?"

Hei smiled to himself. "It means no."

"Sure man, whatever," Jiang said disbelievingly. "She really takes a gun with her everywhere? Fuck, Song would flip her shit if I told her I wanted to get a gun. You can carry one too, right – why the hell don't you? Who cares if you're a lousy shot?"

Hei shut off the water and reached for the towel draped over the dividing wall. "They make me uncomfortable," he admitted. "Anyway, Misaki needs it more than me; she's pretty good at hand-to-hand, but she can't overpower anyone larger than her."

"Yeah, but it'd still be good to have, right? What if you run into a fucking contractor or something? Or even just a normal criminal with a knife?"

"We always work with partners. Misaki or whoever I'm with can provide cover while I close. It works." He threw the towel around his shoulders while he zipped up his jeans; then shirt in hand, stepped out of the cubicle to toss the towel in the hamper.

Jiang was already in the changing area, pulling on a t-shirt. "Yeah, but have you actually – fuck."

Hei had just slipped his arms into the sleeves of his own shirt; he glanced up to find Jiang staring at him wide-eyed.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Jiang asked quietly.

Hei cursed himself for his carelessness. Even at work and the gym, he made sure to change only in private. Yet every conversation with his cousin seemed to have the unwelcome effect of relaxing his guard. The long ridge under his left ribs, the old bullet wound on his right hip – his scars were faint and few, but they told a story that begged too many questions.

He turned away slightly so that the white line just beneath his collarbone would be harder to notice and began buttoning his shirt. "Life was hard for a while. Now it's not."

"The fuck does that mean? What –"

"I don't want to talk about it," Hei said shortly. "Let's go eat."

"Yeah…" Jiang hesitated, then followed him out of the locker room.

~~~~o~~~~

"How does Chinese sound?" Hei asked as they all stepped out of the hotel's front entrance beneath the portico.

Jiang had been uncharacteristically quiet on the walk up, but Misaki hadn't once let go of Hei's hand since he'd returned from the locker room. He was anxious to get away from the training gym; it was easier to avoid talking when everyone had plates of food in front of them.

Uncle's expression brightened. "Is there a restaurant here with Shaanxi-style cuisine?"

"Well, no - this place is more Beijing-style. But it's pretty good. It's the one we passed by this morning," he added to Grandfather.

The old man nodded. "The photos on the window looked good. And it's close enough to walk. Let's go there."

"Actually, I need to move my car from the garage," Misaki said, giving Hei's hand a significant squeeze - though he wasn't sure what she was trying to tell him. "Do you all mind if we drive over and meet you there?"

"Of course," Grandfather said. "I remember the way."

"You don't have to wait with us," Hei told them as Misaki handed her ticket to the valet. "It'll take longer for you to walk than for us to drive."

"We don't mind waiting," Grandfather said with a wave of his hand.

Hei knew better than to argue. Instead, he filled the time by giving detailed directions to the restaurant, just in case Grandfather didn't remember quite as well as he thought. The old man listened patiently, a half-smile on his face.

"No fucking way!" Jiang burst out.

Hei didn't need to turn to see what Jiang was talking about; he'd heard the quiet purr of the Porsche's engine even before it pulled up under the portico.

Jiang circled the front, reaching out to touch the hood before thinking better of it; Misaki had just had it detailed the week before and the paint was still glistening.

"Is this really your car?" he asked, looking between Hei and Misaki.

"Misaki's," Hei said as the valet climbed out and handed Misaki the keys. "She lets me drive it, sometimes."

"You can drive it any time you want and you know it," she said. "Actually, would you mind driving to the restaurant?"

Hei glanced at her in surprise. "Sure."

He bid a temporary goodbye to his family, then he and Misaki climbed into the Porsche. As he adjusted the seat and mirrors, he watched them walking away down the street. A pang of loneliness struck him almost like a physical blow at the sight of his grandfather's back receding in the distance.

Misaki reached over and gripped his hand. He smiled at her, then put the car in gear.

It was true that she had no problem with him driving her car any time; it was just that unlike her apartment, which had very quickly become their apartment, the Porsche would always really be hers.

In any case, he preferred walking over driving. A car could provide a quick getaway, of course, but it was too easily tracked. Walking gave him many more escape routes and kept him more active. Plus, it was nice to feel the solid sidewalk beneath his feet, listen to the sounds of the city around him…in those times when he'd struggled with the reality of existence, walking helped him find a tenuous connection to the people around him. Helped him feel alive.

Although, driving the Turbo 911 was a lot of fun, he realized as he shifted lanes around a slower car. Maybe he ought to offer to drive more often.

It was just unlike Misaki to ask. He glanced over at her; she was sitting with her legs crossed, absently picking at the hem around her knees.

"Did everything go okay this afternoon?" he asked. "I'm sorry I left you alone so long…"

"No, it was good. I really enjoyed talking with your grandfather. It was hard to understand everything, but he made sure to speak slowly and helped me with some words." She smiled. "He's very proud of you, you know."

Hei brushed aside a twinge of discomfort. "What about Uncle?"

"Hm, he was mostly watching you and your cousin practice; he didn't say much, and it was always too fast for me to really catch."

"What did you talk about?"

"Well, I wanted to hear all about you when you were a kid, but your grandfather mostly asked about me - what my job was like, my family, that sort of thing. I got the impression that he was making an effort to really get to know me, even though he probably understood less than I did."

Hei pulled into the parking garage that served the restaurant and its surrounding shopping area. He parked the car, shut off the engine, and turned to Misaki. As he'd expected, she didn't make a move to unbuckle and get out.

"What's wrong?" he asked her quietly.

"Nothing." She drew a skaky breath; he waited. After a moment, she continued, "I just…can't get that video out of my head. I wish I hadn't seen it."

Hei ran his hands along the steering wheel, trying to collect his own thoughts. "Oh."

They were both silent for a long moment. Then Hei said, "I'm sorry you saw it too. That's not…that's not a side of me I ever wanted you to see."

"I watched it, and all I could think of was seeing you with blood pouring down your face, that contractor about to kill you." She was speaking rapidly now; she didn't seem to have even heard what he'd said. "Obviously that guard in the video didn't kill you, but he could have. Just like that contractor. Three weeks ago, I got there just in time. But what if I hadn't? I didn't even know you seven years ago - how many times have you almost died before I even had a chance to meet you?"

Hei unbuckled his seatbelt, then leaned over and brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. In that moment, it didn't matter what his family may or may not think of him. Only that he could make Misaki happy.

"I'm doing my best not to die," he told her, cupping her cheek. "You said it yourself - I'm pretty good at surviving. And now I have even more of a reason to."

"I know." Misaki sniffed, then wiped a tear away with angry swipe. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

He kissed her; she wrapped her hand around the back of his head to pull him in even closer.

"Do you want to skip dinner?" he asked when they broke apart. "I know today wasn't easy for you."

Misaki sniffed again, but shook her head. "No. I want to get to know your family better. Besides," she added, that fierceness that he loved gleaming in her misty eyes, "I still need to get all the dirt on you from when you were kid. I think your cousin will be very willing to help out there."

"Great," Hei said; but he couldn't suppress a small smile.