Welcome back to another chapter of Under the Mask. I wanted to give you all something before Christmas so...here it is. I hope you enjoy it~

Darker than Black belongs to Tensai Okamura

Chapter 33

Amber remained quiet as she and her little group headed further into Hell's Gate. She could feel the gate itself watching their movements, she felt that she was at home…in a strange way and she had long accepted that it was the contractor in her that was what caused the feeling of home rather than her herself. As she looked around she noticed the new species of plant life that grew in the influence of the gate, the large buildings that once belonged to people now belonged to the gate. The dimensions felt twisted with some lampposts bent into irregular shapes but she couldn't let herself get distracted. She had a mission…to repeat the same events that took place at Heaven's Gate here. By doing that she would stop the syndicate once and for all with their plan on eradicating the contractors, they had a reason to be here too just like normal people.

"How much further?" Hei asked from behind her. A small yet sad smile on her face she turned around and looked at Hei and the two dolls they brought with them along with their feline companion. Hei had positioned himself at the back with the dolls in the middle and the feline contractor by Hei's side.

"My question exactly," Mao commented as he looked at Amber.

"We're still a distance away but we'll get there." Amber responded to the question. They were following the doll network to help them reach as close to the center of the gate as possible. That would yield the best results.

"And you want Hei to repeat what happened at Heaven's Gate?" Mao asked.

"By doing so, we seal the gates and they cannot be destroyed. Securing the future and preventing the eradication of both dolls and contractors." She started before looking directly into Hei's eyes. "Can you really do that?"

Hei simply looked away from Amber's gaze. This was something he had been debating for a while and unsure if he really wanted to go through with it. Yes, he would be protecting November 11, Yin, July and many others but at the possible cost of his own life and existence…much like Bai had done so for him all those years ago. If he didn't do it…contractors and dolls would always be threatened by genocide as companies would target Hell's Gate and find a way to destroy it. He was confident in what he was doing at the beginning but now as they were actually approaching their destination…he was starting to get cold feet. Saving the gate would mean destroying a large area of Japan. How many people would be killed because of his act? His hand curled into a fist…he would do this. Not for himself or Amber, but for Yin, July and November 11.

"It seems you've made your mind up…" Mao spoke quietly.

Under the Mask – Chapter 33

"I figured that it was you who orchestrated this?" Decade asked as November 11 slowly approached him, the plastic bottle of water in his hand with the liquid moving around inside the container. November 11's hand curled around the bottle, the crunching noise from the plastic bottle bounced off the walls.

"I don't plan on being here for long, there's someone waiting for me at the gate," November 11 responded in a calm demeanor. Decade let out a small sigh as he was expecting this ever since the Black Reaper was captured. He knew that he was slowly loosing November 11 and he was prepared for this. He drew his gun but November 11 was quicker. Throwing the plastic bottle cap off he used the water inside the bottle to create his icicles and threw them towards his former boss. The gun shot and missed while the icicles landed on their target. One icicle went through Decade's right eye while another penetrated his heart killing the man instantly. He would have taken his time but he couldn't let Li wait for him at the gate with Amber, he just didn't want to think of leaving him with that contractor for long. They had a history together and not a good one from what November 11 could pick up. He could trust Li…he couldn't trust Amber. He took one last look at Decade before turning his back and walking out the room.

"I'm coming Li," he smiled as he walked through a corridor that was littered with bodies from MI-6, icicles sticking out from them.

"Hey…contractor…" November 11 turned around to see Huang standing at the end of the corridor. "Don't think there's anyone left alive so let's get out of here before the cops turn up."

"We're going to head to Hell's Gate though, understood?"

"Yeah yeah…let's get your partner and leave this joint."

Under the Mask – Chapter 33

"Hey…listen…" Mao spoke as they continued to walk. "The closer we get to the core…the more I can feel the feline brain starting to take control…I don't know how long I have left before I go feral for a while…"

"You've done well to carry on this far, not many animal contractors have made it this far," Amber spoke happily with a comforting smile on her face. She knew well in advance that this was going to happen.

"Any chance that you can return outside the gate?" Hei asked his friend and ally. Mao looked up at Hei with a sad smile (as much as he could) and shook his head.

"I don't know how long I will be gone…but before it happens…I wish you good luck with your mission…whatever you do," Mao admitted. He had let this happen once before but just being inside the gate…he wasn't sure how long the effect would last this time.

"Will I…see you again…?" Yin asked.

"If you ever see a plump black cat…just think of me…okay?" Mao asked.

"Will do, good luck Mao," Hei reached down and gave Mao a gentle stroke. "You behave, okay?"

"I'd say the same to y-" before he could finish the sentence the feline brain took over. With a yeowl he turned and sprinted away from them. Hei watched before he felt Yin place her hand in his.

"He'll…be okay," Yin spoke softly trying to comfort Hei.

"I hate to bring more bad news…but it seems the Syndicate has located where our doll network is and destroyed it," Amber interrupted the moment. She turned to look at July first before her eyes fell onto Yin. "Do you two mind sending out your specters to try and locate where the core is? I know it hurts…but this is important."

The two dolls remained motionless.

Cardcaptorghost - I apologies for how long it's taken me to have the drive to continue but I hope this chapter was worth the wait. You're right, they all deserve happiness but you'll just have to see if they all get a happy ending or not. Their fate has already been decided after all~

I hope you enjoyed my early Christmas present to you all and please stay safe. Hopefully 2021 will be a better year for everyone!