Lol, I kept promising this so many times and so long ago... :D Well, here it is finally. Hope you guys like it... even though I'm not sure about it. Oh, and the timeline keeps jumping around in this one.

In the end Kanami allowed Hei and Mao to stay the night, ignoring the protests from Kazuma. She apologized profusely for the lack of beds, but Hei continued to insist that the floor was fine. Finally she gave in and they all went to sleep even though Kazuma glared at the two of them for what seemed like an eternity before they all their separate ways for the night.

At about midnight Hei woke up to a metallic noise. He shifted in his sleep wondering if he had actually heard it. It rang out again. He pushed himself to his knees and stayed in a crouch, all of his senses heightened. The sound of footsteps reached his ears and he stood up, moving quickly towards the door of his room. He moved quickly, silently like a shadow. Mao stayed behind, for his bell would have surely alerted whoever it was of their presence.

Hei slipped around a corner and peered though an open doorway, only to let out a relieved sigh. It was only Kazuma, though he seemed to be getting ready to leave.

"Going somewhere?"

Kazuma spun around, shocked at the sound of Hei's voice, "What? How long have you been there? Have you just been sitting there watching me? What kind of sick person does that?"

"Calm down," Hei groaned, "I've been standing here for only a few seconds. I heard noises and came to investigate the source. Be glad I didn't stick a knife in your back."
"Oh, thank you," Kazuma said sarcastically and shoved a loaf of bread into his bag. Hei tilted his head at the teenager's actions.

"So are you going to tell me what you're doing or am I just going to have to assume you're running away?"

"I would never run away. I just have a job to go to," Kazuma answered softly.

"In the middle of the night?"

"My jobs come at odd times," he shouldered his bag and made his way to the door.

"Not even going to bother saying goodbye to Kanami-san?"

"She's used to it by now."

Hei said no more, but followed him towards the door. Kazuma slipped out and Hei followed suit. A male waiting outside with what looked like an ATV looked up at him in shock. Hei stared over the man and their ride, wondering just what Yin would think of him if he snuck off without her. He always did feel more comfortable and safe knowing that one of her observation spirits were likely to be nearby somewhere. With a jolt, he realized that he had technically snuck off without her, though minus the sneaking and more being pulled into a black hole.

"Who's the old man?" The other person asked.

"I don't know. Some stray Kanami decided to take in, probably out of pity," Kazuma replied for Hei. As if he heard his words, Mao decided that this would be the right time to slink out of the door and take his place at Hei's feet, his tail swishing around in the dirt and whiskers twitching as he stared at each of them in turn.

"Oh, he's like a cat lady… but he's a male…" the boy trailed off as he noted Hei's expression, a glare that seemed to tear into his soul like he was using a serrated knife, "Yelp, lets go, Kazuma, because your guest is killing me with his eyes."

He slid into the driver's side of the ATV, his eyes staring straight forward, refusing to look at Hei once more out of fear. Kazuma looked back at Hei and found himself on the receiving end of the glare now, but he only smiled.

"I like that look. It's better than that smile of yours. Just don't wear it around Kanami or it might scare you," He slid into the passenger seat, "Maybe you're an okay guy, Hei. I'll have to see what you can do when I get back."

The other teen turned on the ATV and they roared away, the tires spinning up dust behind them. Hei watched them leave, his eyes devoid of emotion and retreated back into the clinic, leaving the door open just long enough to let Mao slip in after him. Something about that boy bothered him, sent a weird sensation up his spine, and made a little warning sign go off in his head. There was something different about that boy, something sinister lying underneath, much like himself.

He looked out the window and stared up at the stars, which were pulsing in the sky. A moon hovered over the land, brightly looming over them. Those alone told him he was not home anymore, that he was in a different world altogether. That contractor's power had been to teleport others to different worlds. Without that power, Hei had no clue as to how he would be getting back home. Somehow that man needed to come over to this world, but he had no ways of putting that into motion, he could only hope that his teammates figured out the true power of the man and somehow do something about it.

But of course that wouldn't happen. They would have no idea where he was. For all the knew, he could have just been transported to another part of the world and had chosen to stay there, hiding in plain sight. Mao and Misaki were a different matter all together. Her police force was probably waiting for her return. If anything, he could put more hope into them in getting them back then he could in his own team. He shook his head and walked back to where he was sleeping to hopefully get a few more hours in before the sun rose and he would be on his way.

The roar of the engine was loud as they road over the rocky landscape, bouncing over the rocks and dips. Kazuma was totally relaxed, his arms folded leisurely over his chest and a foot was propped up on the dashboard of the small vehicle. Next to him, Kunihiko had pulled his goggles down over his eyes to shield them from the onslaught of sand flying though the air. Kazuma had put on his orange tinted glasses to protect his eyes, but he would have probably been content to just squinting to keep the sand out of his eye if it would have kept the sand out of his eyes all the same.

"So you have no idea who that man was?" Kunihiko yelled over the sound of the engine.

"No, I just know his name. Hei. Even then, that sounds like a lie. He was guarding himself from us, even though he thinks we're nothing but kids."

"Then shouldn't we go back? What if he's dangerous, a criminal running from the law or something? He could be a spy from HOLY or HOLD sent out to catch you."

"He didn't seem like the kind of person to hurt someone without reason, much unlike me, who would fight just for fun," he smiled.

Kunihiko's hands gripped tightly onto steering wheel as he realized what terror he was probably driving into at the moment. He tried not to let a sigh escape from him, like usual, but decided to chew on his bottom lip instead.

"What's the job you have for me today?" Kazuma asked, his smile still on his face, his hair blowing back in the wind.

"Seriously? I already told you what it was. How could you forget it so easily?"

"I often forget when it sounds boring or easy to me," he mumbled, his smile fading.

"Hideki's team is currently under attack by another group wanting to take over their turf. The leader is an alter user, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right. So it's not my fault if a building or two explodes, okay? I'm fighting against another alter user and that means anything can happen."

"You're just looking for an excuse to beat someone up."

"Of course I am. I always am," he smiled wider once more, making Kunihiko look over at him.

"Now look here, if you hurt anyone-"

"Look out, you imbecile!"

He looked in front of them and swerved his car out of the way of the rock, only to send their vehicle flying through the air.

Misaki felt like she had been walking for hours on end, her knees weak beneath her, and yet she had yet to find something that resembled a city. Every once in a while she would find a house, but no one was ever home. They were all out, doing their jobs in the fields, she suspected. But, finally, a city was set out in front of her, buildings stretching towards the sky. A giant wall surrounded the city and she wondered just how she was supposed to get inside. Maybe there was a door you just walked up to? She hoped they didn't want cash to get inside, because that was something she did not have on her at the moment.

Her head felt faint as she stumbled onwards. Her shoes were killing her feet by now, like giant nails had been hammered into the soles of them, piercing her raw feet inside of them. She would have unbuttoned her suit a little more, but, if she did, she would be completely immodest and she would rather die being modest. Stubborn until the end. She readjusted her glasses and slumped against a rock. God, that sun was beating down hard on her almost like it wanted her to collapse. Almost as if that was exactly what it wanted, her knees gave out underneath her and she collapsed and slid down the rock, swallowed up in darkness.

She woke up with a start, realizing that the air was quite cool now. She glanced around and realized that she was in a room, lying in a comfortable bed with an immaculately soft blanket thrown over her. A low hum from the air conditioner was comforting. Mostly because it was cool, but also because it was like a normal noise from back home.

The door was thrown open and a man with outrageous orange hair barged in. A pair of pink shades were on his head.

"Oh, you're awake, little lady. I was starting to get worried about you, there. When I found you out side, I thought you might have been dead, but then I realized you had a heart beat, so I brought you inside the city using my car with incredible speeds and got you into a bed. I also had others care for you because you had a fever and seemed to be delusional the few times you woke up, but now you seem all right. You also had some vivid dreams, it seems you were mumbling someone's name in your sleep. Li. Do you know a Li? Are you perhaps in lo-"

"All right, stop!" She said as loudly as she could, her cheeks burning slightly. He had been talking so fast that she could hardly catch his words as they flew past her ears. She tried to sit up but he stepped forward quickly and pushed her back down into the bed.

"It's best that you relax right now. It's night, after all. A time meant for sleeping."

"You're not exactly sleeping, now are you?"

"Sleeping is for slow people. I'm fast, faster than life."

"Sure, whatever you say," she mumbled, retreating back into the covers.

"I'm so fast that sometimes-"

"I needs some sleep," she quickly said before he could begin his rambling once more.

"Ah, yes, of course. I shall leave now and leave you alone, Miss…"

"Kirihari Misaki."

"Well goodnight, Miss Karihara."

"Kiriha-" But he was already gone and she was left confused as to what had just happened. She settled back into the bed, curling up. She was just glad that she was still in her usual clothes, minus her shoes, which meant he hadn't undressed her to put her in some more uncomfortable clothes, like pajamas. Heck she was just glad to be able to rest after walking all that time in the hot sun. Damn that Contractor for just leaving her alone like that. Every time she thought about him, she couldn't help but frown and let a little angry noise escape from her throat. The very thought of him infuriated her. But, at the same time, she remembered how he had grabbed her hand back when they were being pulled in to give her what seemed to be some comfort. She didn't know if that was the reason he had grabbed her, but she could think of no other reason to do so.

She closed her eyes, nuzzling her head into the pillow, trying to find a place that was comfortable for her. Her body was having none of it, though, so she tried to roll over to find some other position. Finally, she found one, her knees nearly bent up to her chest, a position she hadn't taken since she was a small child. But now that familiar position from her childhood brought her comfort and she was lulled into the quiet lullaby that sleep was singing for her.

When she woke up next, she felt much better than she had the previous time. Her aches had all but vanished and her fever was gone. She stifled a yawn and swung her feet over the side of the bed, scrunching her toes up on the carpet. When she rose from the bed, it let out a creak, like a sigh of relief and immediately she began wondering if she was a little bit overweight, even after all that walking and no food the day before. She would have to eat healthy today that was for sure.

Someone knocked on the door politely, much unlike the man from earlier and Misaki called to let them know they could enter. Still, they opened the door hesitantly and poked their head in first before slipping in entirely. It was a girl with short blue hair with some sort of orange and white hair clip in it.

"Oh, good, you're awake," she said with a smile, brushing her hair back behind her ear as she thought of what to say next, "Cougar told me you were probably awake by now and to bring you down to the cafeteria to get some food. You're probably starving by now."

As if in agreement, Misaki's stomach let out a loud growl and she giggled nervously, "Just a bit."

After eating to her fill, of only healthy foods, of course, she leaned back and relaxed, letting her eyes wander over all the people in the room. They were all wearing the same basic uniform and seemed to all be part of some organization or other. She just hoped she wasn't in the midst of a cult, but the atmosphere gave off another feeling than that. Something more serious and sinister seem to hang in the air, like she was among a whole bunch of Contractors or something. Of course, now that she thought about it, that could very well be true. A shiver when up her spine at the thought.

She glanced down at her badly worn shoes and decided that she would have to get some new ones when she got back home. She sighed in disappointment. She had really liked these shoes, too. All around her she could hear different conversations and although she didn't really want to listen in, she couldn't help but overhear a few words here and there in different conversations, whether she meant to or not.

A few were discussing the mainland. Asia, maybe? But the more she heard from them, the more it sounded like they were just speaking of Japan. Since when was Japan considered the mainland? Her brow furrowed in confusion. Another conversation to her right was talking about some event, something like the appearance of Hell's Gate, yet different. The more and more she heard from those around her, the more confused she got. She got up to throw away her trash into the nearest trash bin.

As she did so, it finally all snapped together.

'I'm in another world,' her inner solemn voice said in her head, like some death sentence from a judge.

The noises around her seemed to dim and move away into the distance as she realized that she wasn't in her world. There was no comfort in this world that she knew of. Everything was different in some way, shape, or form. This wasn't her home, and that scared her more than anything else. Everything she knew was gone, somewhere else on the other side of that black hole the Contractor had made.

But, wait, BK-201 and that cat… they were here somewhere, too, right? She still had a little piece of home somewhere in this world, though she knew not where they were. She had constantly hunted down the masked man to kill him or capture him. That had been her job, her obsession, her passion. That man had been her life, the one thing she had always kept in front of her. And now he was her only familiar link back to her own world.

She couldn't stay here any longer in this city of shining metal and glass. She needed to head back out there to the dismal land and search for him. Once she found him, she wasn't sure what she would do, but at least she would have a little source of comfort, a little piece of home where she could reach it. Her knees felt weak beneath her and she placed her hands on the table in front of her to steady herself, trying to steady her breathing. This place was suffocating her. She had to get out of here, to escape. But, she had to find BK-201 most of all.

The voices came back to full volume and pulled back. She looked up, but no one had seemed to notice her momentary freak out. She backed away from the table, and pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. Maybe if she walked away now, while they were preoccupied, they wouldn't notice her absence. Misaki glanced around at all the people around her and slowly began to walk backwards. So far so good. She turned and walked towards the exit with no one the wiser. Slipping out of the door, she felt somewhat like a ninja as she walked into the bright sunlight. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she began her journey to find the man she had been searching for for what seemed like forever. She just hoped that he would be easy to find for once.

Thank you for reading and please review!