FireCacodemon: Welcome back to another chapter of Under the Mask! Whoop!

November 11: Darker Than Black belongs to Tensai Okamura.

Hei: Just a pity this has to end.

FireCacodemon: The story? *Hei nods.* Well yeah, everything must come to an end but one can find a new beginning.

Hei: ...

November 11: Well, read on. To chapter 25.

Chapter 25

Decade looked to November 11 and then gestured him to go and capture BK-201. BK-201 didn't move as November 11 slowly came over to him with a smile on his face, walking past BK-201, he took out a pair of handcuffs and moved to put them on the Black Reaper. The gun still pointed at Yin, Huang had the look of panic and fear on his face and in his eyes. He didn't want a bullet through Yin and neither did the others. Yin was important to them and especially to Hei. Huang knew that November 11 himself couldn't act and kill Decade as April and July were with some guards watching from afar. If November 11 acted when he had the chance, April and July were going to get attacked and November 11 himself didn't want them to be hurt because of his foolishness of trying to protect the Black Reaper. That was the issue that November 11 was facing if he acted up. The plan was still going to plan; everyone was acting the way that November 11 had predicted. All that they needed to do now was to get Hei to cooperate and not believe that he was betrayed by November 11, April and July.

November 11 walked behind Hei and tugged his arms behind him. Hei couldn't help but stiffen at this action, it wasn't because he was scared or anything and he had a feeling that November 11 wouldn't just forget everything they had been through. November 11 had a plan and maybe it would be better if Hei didn't know it. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to Yin now though. Yin was one of his few weaknesses and if the MI-6 knew that then things were going to get harder for Hei and his team. He was itching to spring and to kill Decade but with the risk of Yin's death, he couldn't do anything. Feeling November 11 lean towards Hei he couldn't help but feel the warm breath of November 11 as he came closer to his ear as if he was going to give him an order. Hei looked at November 11 behind the mask and frowned.

"I...hear it..." Hei whispered and November 11's eyes widened slightly. He knew what Hei was talking about and Hei felt something swiftly pressed into his hand. It was either a very thin piece of string or it was very thin wire. A wire which could be naked to the human eye if in the right light, Hei felt a little bit of pride swelling up in himself at the way November 11 thought. Hei himself had managed to figure out a way of being able to use his contractor power with just his eyes flaring up instead of gaining the light blue synchrotron radiation glow that every contractor gave off. By using ones power for a split second, the only sign on the contractor would be their eyes. With the mask covering them up and the glow not being strong enough to get through the black lenses of the mask, it would be impossible for the MI-6 to figure out he was using his power without someone monitoring his star. As far as he was aware, astronomic didn't talk to the MI-6 and only worked with the police here in Tokyo. Unless the MI-6 had a rat in astronomic then it was possible.

"Kill him," November 11 whispered into Hei's ear as he took a step back. Hei didn't hesitate to call on his power and then quickly cancel it out. Electricity shot through the thin wire and onto the floor. Decade screamed in pain as the electricity worked quickly and stopped his heart. The gun and Decade's body dropped to the ground. Huang gave out a sigh of relief and released Mao from the cat carrier, Yin slowly made her way towards Hei. Hei left November 11's side and pulled Yin into a hug. The silver-haired doll slowly pulled Hei into the hug. November 11 could see how close Hei and his doll were to each other, to the point where the bond they shared with each other was like a brother-sister bond. November 11 couldn't help but feel a little jealous of their bond, he wanted something special like Hei and Yin had with each other but a question sprung to his mind.

"What did you do to him?" November 11 asked while pointing to Decade.

"I stopped his heart for a bit, it'll start pumping blood around his body soon. He's lost a lot of memories though but that'll be a good thing. The guards still alive won't say anything if you erase their memories using ME." Hei told November 11 as April and July came over to them.

"That's already sorted," she informed the group.

"Now all we have to do is get to Stargazer and then..." November 11 looked away. Their time would be up though. When Hei finished his job with Stargazer, there wasn't any more reason for him to stay at November 11's apartment. It was very clear that he was healed up but he couldn't bring himself to fight Hei now. Hei took notice of November 11's body language and frowned slightly behind the mask. He never did like seeing November 11 with a frown on his face but he already knew what was running through his mind.

"Hei, did you see Yin's spectre? We managed to find a tap so that Yin could send her spectre but she said she struggled to get through because it wasn't pure water, there were other things mixed in." Mao asked Hei, dragging him out from his thoughts. Hei looked at Mao.

"Through the blood of my enemy, the plasma of blood fluid is mostly water." Hei said in a monotone voice. "Now let's get out of here."

Under the Mask – Chapter 25

As much as November 11 wanted to take Li back to his apartment, Huang had managed to persuade the contractor that it would be wise for them to take a break from each other and just go back to their usual lives. That was something that November 11 didn't want to hear from Li's team leader but again, he couldn't flaw his logic. He and April had things to clean up with Decade and the others who worked there, as well as finding a way to smuggle Li into astronomic so that he could speak to Stargazer. That was where he was now, half sulking in his shining red car while April was out buying more alcohol with July. The two seemed to have bonded more since November 11 was busy with Li. He failed to notice a young female opening the car door and slipping inside.

"November 11, why are you sulking over Hei?" She asked him. His icy-blue eyes widened as he looked behind him at Amber sitting behind with a smile on her face.

"Where's the Meteor Shard?" He asked.

"Are you sure that's the right question to ask?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Neither did you." She flashed a smile at him, November 11 ignored it. The only smile he fully enjoyed was when Li smiled.

"Why do you go near him with the shard?"

"Even Hei needs a push once in a while. It seems to respond to him so what's the issue?"

"It throws his mind back to when he partook in Heaven's War, a time he wishes to forget."

"It only takes him there because it needs to in order to help him on his quest."

"Which is?"

"To find which path he should walk on. The path of humans, the path of contractors...or the middle path, the path that pure human and pure contractor can't touch. You will see Stargazer tomorrow and I can tell you this...this is not the end of the path you both walk." With that, she opened the car door and excused herself. Leaving November 11 to think about her words and hoped that he took the right action. If her words worked...then maybe Hei didn't have to walk the path alone. November 11 could learn from Hei and regain what he had lost to the same point in which Hei was. She had accepted that she would never be taken back by Hei. Many alternative timelines had shown her that. She could only pin her trust on November 11 now. She had to leave Hei in his hands.

Under the Mask - Chapter 25

Hei took out his key and unlocked the door to his apartment; his sudden disappearance didn't seem to have affected anything. He was glad that nothing seemed to have change but the apartment itself felt lonelier than ever. Hei wasn't sure why it felt that was now when it always had the lonely feeling. Coming home from a mission after murdering a target was when it was the worst...but tonight was different. The room felt as cold as ice and he didn't have anything in the fridge to eat and take his mind off things. It wasn't long before he understood why he was feeling this way. He'd spent so long being in November 11's company that being here on his own...it didn't feel right. Walking into the apartment, he spotted where his futon was and closed the door behind him. Sealing the cold outside wind out he grabbed his futon and went to set it up. The Syndicate wouldn't have given him a mission anytime soon since he was 'stuck' with November 11 and couldn't do anything else anyway. Not without dragging November 11 with him who would have thrown everything off. Hei looked at where he was going to sleep for the night, it was different from the bed that he and November 11 shared back at his apartment but a futon was easy to carry around if needed and set up.

"Miss him already?" Li asked him at the back of his mind. The room was plunged into darkness as Li formed in front of him on his knees, his hands resting gently on top of his knees.

"I shouldn't...what's wrong with me?" Hei asked.

"I think you'll find the problem is with me," Li said with a childish smile on his face. Hei looked at it and rolled his eyes. Li was always the more childish side.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"You can read my mind, why should anything I say be a surprise?"

"Why is it your problem?"

"The attention that he gave us while we were with him...I can't help but crave that attention. I want Nov...No, I want Jack Simon to be by our side again. His cold body temperature, his icy blue eyes, his blond hair...I want him...I want to be by his side."

"Why?"

"Because...Because I love him."

November 11: Grandshadowseal - It is all explained in the chapter, if anything isn't clear then drop FireCacodemon a PM and we'll see what we can do.

Hei: Did you pay that off?

November 11: The ice to 'try' and trap you?

Hei: Yeah.

November 11: Did it in the break.

Hei: Ah.

FireCacodemon: snowgem33 - Mainly the guards around April and July were his concern. Don't wanna kill those two now, does he~?

Hei: Bubblegum Royalty - We hope that this chapter makes sense on why November 11 but we will be keeping up the good work. Thank you.

April: Guest - Don't worry, this will get finished.

Hei: Darkprincess4eva123 - Glad to hear that this story was great to binge-read. FireCacodemon will finish this story. No matter how long it takes.

FireCacodemon: In all honesty, we're nearly finished anyway. The only thing really left to decide is if you want Special Chapters or not? The poll is up on my profile if anyone wouldn't mind voting. Well, that's everything readers. We'll be back with another chapter of Under the Mask. We might be finishing it in the next chapter but that'll depend on my mood. Apart from that, toodles.