I

A small brownish bird about the size of a child's fist dipped and twisted through the clear afternoon sky, its toy-like wings beating frantically as it flitted about. Juuzou Suzuya stared at it through the window. Tugging absently at the stitches encircling his slender white fingers, he watched the bird, wondering impassively what it might look like with its frenetic little wings torn off. He imagined in laborious detail its tiny red heart, all of its microscopic little insides, delicate and so very breakable. Eventually, however, the bird flickered out of sight, and Juuzou sighed.

This meeting had been going on for at least an hour.

Wondering if he could get away with a light nap, he folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them, humming to himself ever so quietly as the senior investigator at the front droned on and on and on. He stayed like this for all of two minutes, before-

"Suzuya!" somebody barked from across the table. "Pay attention!"

Lifting his head with a sour glare, Juuzou glanced at Shinohara, who raised an eyebrow at him.

The investigator who had been speaking started slightly at the interruption, before clearing his throat and continuing in the same monotonous tone.

…

Sat cross-legged like a child in the passenger seat beside Shinohara, Juuzou was uncharacteristically somber as the car headed away from the CCG building. The meeting had lasted a further hour and a half beyond the minor disturbance, taking them up to about dinnertime, and Shinohara was starving; he'd offered to take Juuzou out somewhere to eat, and, with characteristic exuberance, Juuzou had agreed. Now, however, the boy was staring silently out of the window, wide-eyed and thoughtful.

"What are you thinking about?" Shinohara asked gently, glancing over at him.

After almost a full minute, Juuzou replied quietly: "Li Shengshun."

Taken slightly by surprise, Shinohara had to rack his brains to remember the name, familiarity tugging at him uncomfortably. "From that hotel rooftop? What were you doing up there anyway?" he asked, shifting in his seat a little.

Of course, he knew the answer already- he knew that Juuzou was often drawn to high places, that whenever he felt tense or restless something in his twisted little mind beckoned him to rooftops and similar heights. Shinohara had no idea why; as hard as he'd tried, he couldn't even begin to fully understand the boy, with all of his quirks and all his problems. He'd grown fonder of him over time, however, and had started to feel protective of him. Just the thought of Juuzou's upbringing, the childhood stolen from him, the torture he'd endured- it sickened him to his core.

"So who was that man, anyway? What did he say to you?" Shinohara prompted further, trying to ease a reply out of his passenger.

Juuzou's lips twitched into something like a smile. "He had a knife hidden in his pocket," he said in a childlike voice, smirking.

Blinking, Shinohara glanced at him again. "Really?"

Receiving nothing but a maddening smile in response, Shinohara dropped the line of questioning- for now. It was damn near impossible to get anything out of Juuzou when he was like this. Instead they drove for a while without speaking, Juuzou humming quietly to himself, his big red eyes reflected in the car window.

"Just make sure you're ready for the raid tomorrow night," Shinohara eventually murmured as they pulled into a parking space a short walk away from a quiet little restaurant. Visibly perking up at the mention of the CCG's pending operation, Juuzou jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him. Sticking closely to Shinohara's side, he smiled up at his mentor as he skipped alongside him.

…

II

Misaki Kirihara opened her eyes wearily. She couldn't move- even her eyelids felt stiff as she blinked, adjusting to the light. She exhaled heavily, then winced as the movement caused a sharp twinge in her tender shoulder.

A friendly doctor with an impressive beard smiled at her. "You have a visitor, Miss Kirihara."

"Sorry to wake you," a familiar voice apologized; Misaki recognized him from the awkward smile in his voice even before he came into focus.

"Li," she said, before wincing again. Her voice sounded hideous, and her throat felt worse.

"Hey. I… uh, someone told me you were badly hurt during an investigation. I thought I should, you know, bring you these," he said, showing her the colorful bouquet he was cradling in his arms. It wasn't much, but Misaki was touched by the gesture, if a little bewildered.

"You didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," Li replied bluntly before she had even finished speaking.

"Thank you," she croaked, flashing him a brief smile.

"I'll be just along here if you need anything," the doctor said; having forgotten he was there, Misaki jumped slightly as he nodded politely at them and made his way out of the room.

For what seemed like a very long time neither of them said anything.

"So, how are you?" Li eventually asked, before flushing bright red. "Ah. Sorry. That's kind of a stupid question."

"Don't worry," she laughed, but her heart wasn't in it.

It was certainly very sweet of Li to bring her flowers, and she had to admit that him coming to visit her made her feel more than a little pleased, but how could he have known she'd been hurt? Perhaps he'd come looking for her, had asked about her for whatever reason, and someone in the department had told him what had happened.

That had to have been it.

But of course she knew that wasn't it at all.

Even the sight of him looking sheepishly at her, endearingly self-conscious, blushing as he avoided her eyes, brought back flashing images of the cold indifferent Black Reaper leaning over her as she lay dying. That masked face flickered beneath her eyelids whenever she closed her eyes.

When Saitou had found her bleeding out in the alley- God knows how he had located her in that labyrinth- she'd tried to ask him where BK-201 was, but it was like trying to speak underwater. She'd given up and let herself slip under again, let the questions sink into the depths of her subconscious, but seeing Li here, now, made all her doubts and uncertainties even more urgent. The connection was too obvious too ignore; but what proof did she have?

And besides, what would she do if she was right?

She looked over at Li, really looked; she studied his face, his earnest, if uncomfortable smile, and his body language, his casual yet guarded slouch, the way he hung onto every word she said. There was no way it was all an act, surely.

And yet his eyes, she noticed- and not for the first time- were empty.

…

Hei had no idea what had driven him to visit her. It was ridiculously stupid, he knew, and he was putting himself at unnecessary risk, but he hadn't been able to stop himself.

Of course he had noticed. Of course Hei had noticed how she was growing more suspicious of Li every time they met. He had noticed and yet he couldn't bring himself to distance himself from her. It was almost as if he wanted her to find out. Part of him ached to see her come to the undisputable realization that the killer she'd been obsessing over for so long had been right under her nose for so long; the other part of him- the part he tried to ignore most of the time- needed someone to know him for who he truly was, to know intimately the different parts that made up his personality. He wanted to be understood, he supposed.

He didn't want to be thrown in prison, or shot, though.

Which meant no grand confessions or dramatic unveilings.

Sometimes Hei had to remind himself that he was a contractor, that he didn't feel emotions, that he didn't need to be understood by anyone except himself and the organization he worked for.

And so he left the flowers, smiled impassively at Kirihara, and left with nothing but a brief "well, glad you're feeling better."

III

"I think I should go back."

They were sat in the park, as usual, and it was raining gently. Soft droplets decorated the concrete, and the sun streamed lazily through drooping clouds, catching the falling rain in its rays.

Even though he was facing the opposite direction, Hei heard Huang spluttering on his cigarette smoke. "Go back?" he wheezed. "Why the hell would y-"

"Think about it," Mao interrupted, jumping down from the climbing frame and yawning. His fur was slick with rainwater. "It's the only way to find out about the man who had the memory stick."

"Just a ghoul," Hei murmured. "He knew about the Syndicate, somehow," he explained quietly, sensing the others' confusion, "or at least, that's what it seemed like. He told me he was 'just a ghoul'."

"A ghoul? What does that mean?" Huang barked.

"Maybe it's some kind of organization," Mao suggested. He curled up under the bench they were sat around, using Hei's ankles as a barrier between himself and the rain. "Was he a contractor?"

"I don't think so." But he didn't seem human, either, thought Hei.

Huang sighed. "Well, if you insist on going back to that bar, bring Mao with you at least."

"What?" Mao protested. Hei shifted his legs; the cat's wet fur was making his ankles uncomfortably damp.

"I will go with you, Hei."

Everyone started slightly at Yin's silvery voice. She hadn't said a word up until that point, and had sat staring dully into the middle distance- Hei hadn't even known she'd been listening- but now she stood up, her brow ever so slightly furrowed.

Huang was spluttering again. "What? Why? Nobody told you to…"

"Let her," Hei interrupted. "She could be useful." He stood, rubbing the moist bottoms of his jeans forlornly. He started to stalk off, Yin floating silently to his side. "Anyway," he added, without looking behind him, "I'll be grateful for the company."

Huang shook his head in disbelief, before scowling as the wet cat coiled around his feet.

…

The bar was less busy than it had been before. Small pockets of people were chattering loudly, as if preparing for something, and nothing was still. The atmosphere was scorching like an electrical fire; the air seemed to buzz with energy.

Yin was sat in a corner, quietly waiting for Hei. He had entered with her at his arm, before seeming to notice something at the bar- she didn't know what- and leaving her at the table she was now sitting at, promising he wouldn't be long. It had been about five minutes now.

She wasn't concerned about him. Yin didn't know if she even had the capacity to feel concern, but even so, she knew Hei could look after himself. However, she was uncomfortable being left alone: it was too noisy, and something big seemed to be happening that everyone was talking about tirelessly.

The thing Hei had noticed was a note, quite obviously intended for him. It read 'knew you'd come back', with 'meet me outside' scrawled on the reverse side. It had just been sitting there on the bar when Hei had walked in. He had no idea how long it'd been there, but it didn't seem as if anyone else had noticed it at all. He'd guided Yin to a booth relatively secluded from anyone else before hurrying outside, clad in his black coat and filled with an inflated sense of confidence knowing that this time he had his weapons with him. This time he had an advantage.

It was still raining, harder now. The rain was invisible in the darkening sky, glancing off of the black road and off of Hei's shoulders, callous and cold. The street was illuminated by streetlights and the dancing headlights of cars, and shadows swiveled and swelled in the unsteady luminosity. Silhoutted against the patchwork of buildings and lights was the unimpressive form of the bar itself; against it leaned the man Hei was looking for. The end of his cigarette glowed menacingly.

"Why'd you come back?"

"You tell me."

The man looked up. He laughed humorlessly. "You think you know secrets?" It was an accusation.

Hei stared. "I don't claim to know anything," he said truthfully.

"You don't know half of it." The man inhaled deeply before dropping his cigarette to the floor and stamping it out with a heavy brown boot, smothering the malicious orange glow.

Hei waited in silence as the man exhaled and a cloud of smoke drifted into the night like some kind of apparition.

The man froze suddenly, his face seizing, his eyes hardening. "You should go."

"What?"

"Doves," he said.

Keeping his stony expression, Hei's eyes scanned his surroundings; once his gaze had settled, the man had vanished. Hei wasn't all too surprised.

Doves?