Thanks again to tsuki-llama for letting me borrow her Distractions AU and Omnicat for looking over these first few chapters years ago.


Chapter 02: Trouble


Huang scanned his newspaper, staring at the baseball team he always gunned for. Yet his mind was miles away from the Japanese Tigers.

Damn Mao for bringing another potential issue about Hei last night. The cat had went off to investigate Hei again so soon after the mission, withstanding the rain and leaving Huang to grab the target. He would've felt a grudging respect for the cat's dedication had Mao not left him to deal with the captive alone.

It had already been months, but Mao had been faithfully keeping with his periodic reports about Hei's strange actions — which should now be considered Hei's new normal by now, Huang thought — from time to time. It wasn't too intrusive, but he didn't appreciate having Hei constantly on the back of his mind.

Hei was, well, a 'normal' contractor during briefings and missions — cold, aloof, typical contractor stuff — so Huang didn't see a real reason to report anything to the Syndicate. In fact, he was coming to the point of smacking Mao to just drop the matter and give him some peace.

Outside of their missions, Huang lived a normal life. As Kuno Kuyoshi, he generally ambled quietly, content with reading the papers and drinking his liver away, only interacting here and there with former classmates and colleagues if they stumbled on him.

His life as Huang — or any alias the high-ups thought funny to name him with — was supposed to be separate. Used to be. Not that the Syndicate ever told him he had a nine-to-five job that could exist separately from his personal life. But the illusion was nice; he has a legal name and life he can always scurry back after doing whatever the Syndicate wanted him to. The perks of being an operative in his own city, he supposed.

And now that safe illusion is being threatened with thoughts and worries of the asset he had the most displeasure of working with.

Huang glared at the printed six-five score of the Tigers, trying to drive thoughts of whatever freaky stunts the asset might be doing, trying to cling to whatever 'normal' Kuno should have, and trying to ignore the man that just came from outside. It became impossible when the man casually sat beside his seat.

Without preamble, Baseball Hat Guy asked, "How's our top asset?"

It was worrying that those were the first words that BHG asked, in light of what Mao had been reporting. Huang answered, "That asset is still a pain in the ass."

"Any hints he might be acting stranger than normal?"

Huang snorted to mask his rising panic. "I don't really know his 'normal' since he ain't acting like a typical contractor all the time."

"What about in off-hours?"

Huang's scowl was now really from irritation that Hei was causing him trouble even in absence. But mostly because if BHG was this persistent, that meant something did happen.

That freak owes me.

"I ain't exactly cozying with the Reaper, so no, I don't know. Why, what's up with him?"

"Hmph. Nothing to worry about. At least, not yet."

Yet. Huang took a big swig of his drink. "Right. Is that the only reason why you called?"

A manila envelope thwacked on the table. "The Syndicate have finally found a chance to get rid of a contractor that had eluded them for years. Hei is to infiltrate the cult and kill her."

"Cult?" Huang reached for the envelope and fished for the folder. The picture on the top was of a blonde woman garbed in honest-to-goodness fancy robes. Who wears robes at this day and age? "The hell?"

"The founder of the Friends of the Gate. Codename Alma," BHG explained. "We already have an agent deep in that group, and she'll give 201 additional info when he's in." BHG smirked behind his drink. "Don't let the familiar face stop you."

Familiar face? Huang scanned the rest of the papers before coming to another picture, this one of the mole.

"This won't be a problem?" BHG asked when Huang didn't comment or made a sound.

"No," Huang gruffly answered, wishing for a nicotine fix now. He slammed the folder close.

"Not even curious?"

Jamming a cigarette to the bastard's face would be a nice destresser. "I'm just a puppet. I'll do whatever the Syndicate tells me to do." Huang couldn't keep the bitterness from his tone.

BHG stood and left some coins on the counter. "As long as you do your job, you'll be fine." Then he paused. "One more thing."

"What?" Huang growled, unseeing eyes on his paper.

"Keep BK-201 in line."

Huang pointedly kept his attention back to the Tigers' latest scores as the other man exited the establishment. Then his eyes fell on the folder. Scowling, he then tipped his then-neglected drink, left some change, then briskly walked out to his jeep. Inside, he fished in his pocket for his radio. "Mao, speak up. We have a problem."

Static, before Mao replied, "Hmph, That's my line."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Huang said, irritated.

"It's about Hei. Pick me up at the usual. This conversation should be in somewhere private."

"Fine." Huang grabbed a cigarette and flicked his lighter harshly.

Damn it all.

When Huang arrived at the playground, Mao was pacing, not doing his customary cat nap or cat play. A bad sign.

"Remember when I told you that I needed to look into something last night?" Mao said without preamble, walking towards his direction.

"Yeah. What the hell was that about? You're lucky I didn't tell the Syndicate that you bailed." Huang followed Mao back to his car, uneasy. It seemed serious enough that Mao would prefer something more isolated than their usual place.

"The target was already neutralized and the mission was done. I wasn't sure if Hei was still tuned to our channel, so I didn't get to explain in detail," Mao explained in an unapologetic tone. He shook his head, his bell jingling. "Anyway, I now know what's up with Hei."

"What?" Huang asked as they stopped before his jeep. He opened the passenger door and held it.

Mao peeked left and right before jumping into the car. He didn't say a thing until Huang went round and seated himself in the driver's seat. And then, quietly,

"He and the lady cop are involved."

Three beats passed, before—

"What?!" Whatever it was, that was not what Huang was expecting. "Involved how?!"

Mao hesitated. "They kissed."

"What?"

"They kissed."

"What?"

Mao rolled his eyes. "Kissed. Made out. Sucked face. Exchanged saliva—"

"I know! You…" Huang growled as he trailed off. He took off his cap and rubbed his head in agitation. Huang wanted to say 'you're kidding', but the cat's nervous and serious demeanor stopped him.

"The hell," he finally breathed. He lit a cigarette. "Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure," Mao sighed.

Huang rolled the window down and leaned an elbow out, keeping an eye out for eavesdroppers in the empty street. He demanded, "Start from the top."

Mao crouched from atop a concrete outcropping of the hotel building, peering intently down at the fight on the street below. Across his building, Yin's specter floated on a balcony, out of sight of the combatants, on standby to tell Huang when to step in. Muscles tense, Mao resisted the urge to shake the light drizzle falling on his eyes and whiskers; shaking his head would shake his bells — who thought it was a good idea to install his radio in the damn things? — and it might give him away to the couple battling Hei.

Hei spun, throwing a knife towards one of the contractors, a woman, as he kicked the man towards a wall in one smooth movement. The knife landed neatly through the woman's hand, but the man was already scrambling up while using his power. The woman grunted in pain as Hei drew another blade while he dodged a blob of water, but a second blob behind him knocked the knife off and pinned his hand to the wall. Another blob formed and pinned the other hand before Hei could reach for his other knives.

Mao debated whether to jump in now. Completely focused on the struggling Black Reaper, the male target was open for attack, but from his vantage point, he could see that the woman could join any time despite her bleeding hand.

All three combatants were focused on each other; as such, Mao was the only one who saw the door from the hotel open.

Damn it, it's that meddling cop again, Mao thought in dismay as the lady cop — Kirihara? — stepped into the street. He heard Yin reporting the development to Huang as Mao studied her taking in the scene; the woman who's still clutching her bleeding hand, Hei pinned on the building across the street, and the male target still glowing blue.

Gaze determined, the lady cop planted her feet and brought up her gun.

Mao tensed, then breathed in relief that the gun was trained on the male target, not Hei. The target crumpled to the street with a surprised cry, but he managed to hold on to his water construct.

Still, the distraction let Hei retrieve his knife. Desperately fending off attacks, Hei dove to the ground to dodge a lashing strike and sent a current of electricity through a large puddle. Unfortunately, the male target saw it coming and flung himself up onto the curb. The crackling sparks dissipated harmlessly on the edge of concrete.

It was clear that Hei needed help. Mao noticed from his perch that the lady cop had aimed her weapon at the male contractor's head. Why she didn't do that before with the first shot was beyond him.

"Don't move!" Kirihara stupidly announced. "Or I'll—"

The other target had recovered enough and ran towards the cop. Mao kept an eye on them, long enough to see the cop's shot miss and the female target's hand close on the lady cop's arm. Then he jumped to a lower outcrop, away from the women.

The movement jingled his bell; Mao knew Hei heard it when he spun from the male target instead of closing in. Focused on Hei, the target either dismissed or didn't hear him, and Mao yowled as he pounced.

The target instinctively looked at the sound, smack right at Mao's incoming claws. The synchrotron radiation beneath his claws dissipated, leaving a man struggling wildly at a cat attached to his face. It only lasted a few seconds; Mao jumped to the ground just as Hei closed in.

"Don't!" came a cry from the women's side, but Hei had already shocked the male into unconsciousness.

"One down, one more to go," Mao said wearily. He gave himself a shake, dispelling some of the rain water that was clinging to his fur. "Then we can deal with the lady cop." He eyed the disheveled Kirihara; she must've been the one who called out.

In the background, Mao could hear Yin quietly reporting to Huang as the women started to struggle from the ground. Then the cop paused at the sight of her arm; Mao could guess that a handprint outlined in blue was on her skin.

"I'll roll the car in. Let's mosey," was Huang's gruff reply.

The optional target finally staggered to her feet. She was a couple of yards away from Hei and Mao, but her smug and vindictive expression was focused on the cop. Then she turned on her heel and ran.

Before Mao could reply to Huang, a gasp came from the cop. She pressed a hand hard against her chest, and Mao felt grim satisfaction that she would never get in their way again.

The cop collapsed onto her forearms, mouth gaping uselessly as she lay dying. She cast a clearly desperate glance at Hei, who was looking between her and the fleeing woman.

But the mission was done; there's no rational need to go after the other target. Mao started, "Well, we only need the one—".

"Yin, track her," Hei cut in and bolted after the contractor.

"Hei, wait! Damn it, what now?" Mao muttered as he dashed off after his partner. Then he paused; this counted as strange behavior, right?

"Huang, I need to look into something. Could be important." Mao jumped up to a ledge and made his way towards the direction Hei disappeared, keeping himself above street level to hide himself from potential watchers. Yin's specter, he noted, was gone from its perch.

"Mao, what the hell are you talking about? We need to bag the guy and report to the Syndicate," Huang demanded.

"I don't have hands, so you know I won't be able to help with that," Mao pointed out mildly. "Besides, I have a feeling that this one's gonna be important."

"It better be," Huang growled. The radio's static fell quiet. To be extra sure of stealth, Mao roughly pawed his collar to dislodge the bell. It fell to the corner of the ledge with a slight chink.

Mao stealthily made his way to the direction Hei disappeared to. Yin's specter was just a couple of windows ahead, making Mao pause and debate whether to forge ahead or creep out of her sight. Deciding to err on the side of caution, Mao jumped to a lower outcrop, using the upper ledges as barriers from someone looking down to the street below.

He arrived just in time to see Hei slash the target's throat. The woman's eyes, mouth and throat were open wide. Messy, Mao can't help but note; Hei was usually clean and efficient, but for some reason, he didn't take the time to do that. He just... caught up with the target and spun her around with a wild slash to the throat.

Frozen in front of the cooling body, the blood-splattered mask of the Black Reaper eerily stood out from the dark alley. Hei's head was tilted, like he was listening, and Mao's assumption was right when Hei suddenly spoke, "I have to go back to my shift."

Huang must be speaking about picking up the male target. Or complaining, since he had to pack the guy alone.

Then Hei reached for his earpiece and fiddled with the settings, looking at the lone specter. "Yin?"

Mao strained his ears even though he knew it would be in vain. Hei began to move back to the hotel, uncaring of the grisly crime he left behind. But despite his claim to go back to his cover, he didn't move in haste.

And Yin seem to be going along with it..

Her specter disappeared; she must've given a reply on another channel. Hei's head jerked up and he threw a wire to somewhere above as Yin's specter disappeared. Mao tensed, in fear that Hei would look at his direction and see him, or absurdly, that Yin would report him. But Hei simply zipped past him and landed on another outcrop. He then jumped on a narrow ledge and ran back towards where the fight took place.

Mao followed, a sinking feeling in his gut. Hei lied brazenly, but worryingly, he took the time to go on another channel with Yin. It felt practiced, not at all unusual, that they'd share a radio frequency the rest of the team didn't use.

He wondered if he should chance it — get his radio back and change the frequency to hear what they're saying — but he didn't want to risk Hei hearing any sound from his direction.

Rapid footsteps came from ahead. Mao squinted, then blinked in shock at the figure half-running, half-stumbling in the dark.

The lady cop survived? Most likely because Hei killed the target. And most likely the cop was following them to this path. She would be on foot, but even with a gun, she would still be recovering from asphyxiation. She would be easy prey if the Black Reaper met her head on.

But the Black Reaper just paused as the cop ran past below him. Beyond, walls shone by headlights with a low thrum of an engine announced that Huang's jeep just rolled in. Hei jumped on another alcove and decided to perch himself just above the path that led back to Keio Plaza Hotel's backyard.

What the hell? Mao asked himself. From what he observed, the cop had no back up this time; this would be the perfect opportunity to eliminate a loose end, or at least, knock her out.

But Hei waited, patient for the inevitable footsteps hurrying back to where Huang was manhandling their target. When the lady cop ran past below Mao's position, Hei sprung to action, landing silently behind her. Unseen by humans, Yin's specter floated on a puddle beside her. The cop paused as she panted, probably squinting into the street at Huang.

Then Hei wound an arm around her chest and clamped a hand over her mouth. That could've been what Hei would've — should've — done to the other target before killing her. Mao had seen Hei do the exact move to silence many targets in many times. It made less noise and less blood.

But Hei didn't glow blue, nor take out his knives or wires. The cop began to struggle as she was pulled tight against Hei, but the moment he leaned closer, she stopped. Mao slinked carefully to the duo — trio, counting the specter — making doubly sure that he was neither heard or seen by anyone looking from the street or a window above. Why didn't he knock her out?

Hei maneuvered himself and the cop into a darkened doorway so that they were hidden from Huang's line of sight. Together, they watched Huang's portly figure grumble and manhandle the bound contractor into the back seat of his jeep; as soon as that was done, Huang climbed into the car and drove off into the misty night.

Once he was completely gone, Hei removed his hand from the cop's mouth, but he still didn't let her go. Instead, with telling familiarity, he shifted his grip from her torso to her shoulders. Without ceremony, he spun her around to face him and pushed her against the wall. She gasped in surprise.

Mao himself almost gasped in surprise when the Black Reaper didn't proceed to knife or electrocute the cop, instead demanding in a dark voice, "What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded.

"My job!" the cop shot back in a ragged, raw voice — a voice that belonged to a desperate woman, not the stern cop earlier. Mao could only stare as she angrily pushed his hands from her shoulders with no fear. "A man was just murdered in there! And you did nothing to stop it!"

Hei's shoulders hunched slightly, but it was a marked demeanor against the Black Reaper earlier. "My orders changed. They wanted the assassin, alive."

Mao's eyes widened as his brain caught up to what he's seeing.

"At the cost of their own man?" the woman continued, voice rising. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have worked out a way to save Tsukuda and still catch the contractor!"

Worked? We?

"Save him? Why?"

"Because he was a human being who didn't deserve to die," was the cop's quiet but firm reply.

It was a stupid and sentimental thought. Mao caught himself from almost snorting.

Hei agreed with him. "He was one of the Syndicate's higher-ups; now he's one less villain for you to have to worry about."

"That's not how that works, and you know it!" the woman snapped, hysteria edging beneath her tone. "I know you know it! Why can't you just stop pretending?"

"What are you talking about?" There was a nervous edge to Hei's tone, something Mao never heard outside of his Li guise.

"This!" Kirihara reached up and ripped the mask from the Black Reaper's face and threw it to the side. It shattered on the asphalt, but Mao paid it no mind; he was too fascinated by Hei's expression of startlement.

"Stop acting like a goddamn contractor all the time; just let yourself be human!"

A thunderclap boomed through the city, punctuating Kirihara's cry. Mao flinched at the eerie timing; belatedly, he realized that the preceding lightning could've lit the street enough to reveal him, but thankfully everyone was too absorbed, even the spectre.

Eventually, Hei replied in a low, dangerous voice that Mao had to strain his ears, "I'm not human; I'm a contractor. Why can't you remember that?"

Continuously defying the norm, Kirihara shook her head. "You have every single emotion that a normal human has; all you have to do is let yourself feel it. You have to feel it; but you keep hiding it, even from me." There was an angry, desperate plea from her tremulous voice.

It was stupid. Contractors don't have feelings, attachments that the vulnerable Kirihara thought the Black Reaper has.

But Hei reached out and tenderly brushed the woman's dripping hair from her face. Kirihara trustingly pressed her cheek against the hand that killed more than a dozen of her case victims.

"I don't hide anything from you," Hei said quietly.

Maybe he's playing her, Mao thought. Hei excelled in lying, making people trust him. How else can he get Kirihara to seek his dangerous embrace as warm safety?

Or maybe I'm just sick with fever or something. After all, cats aren't built for water, yet he already has several inches of rain tattooed on his skin. It was a more rational explanation than Hei — and Yin, her specter was still right there — not doing... whatever...

...Whatever this is, which is Hei kissing Kirihara with visible desperation, and Kirihara returning the favor.

Mao stared and stayed, even as they eventually stopped and Hei escorted his woman — isn't that a thought? — back to the building. Yin's specter disappeared as the door clicked behind them, leaving the waterlogged cat alone, dazed and confused.

He jumped back to the ground. When he landed, a glint in the corner of his eye caught his attention; it was the forgotten knife that Hei dropped earlier.

If BK-201, an exceptionally dangerous and careful contractor forgot to clean up this crime, forgot all else except for—

Mao pawed the knife absently.

He wasn't entirely sure, but he knew in his gut that whatever he saw then, it clearly wasn't a lie.


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