Hei and Yin sat on top of a few crates in the shipyard, Yin's feet dipped in a shallow puddle. Hei's eyes were alert for any incoming vessels that they could jump onto. It was time to run, he decided. He wasn't sure where they'd go, but as long as it was far, far away from Amber and the local Syndicate, he was fine with it.
"Hei," Yin said. She pointed over to her right. Hei's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the shadow lurking behind the warehouse. Upon realizing that he was caught, the man stepped into the light. A smirk played on his lips.
"Long time no see," he greeted. "Remember me? CC-592? Well, you're about to."
The man clapped his hands together, immediately sucking out all of the oxygen around Hei. The Black Reaper jumped away from his position, trying to find where the air-less boundary ended. He usually only got one breath in before the oxygen vanished again.
"I come with a message from Amber," CC-592 declared. "You need to head toward the gate. Otherwise, thousands of people are going to die. You will be responsible. She also says...you sister is there."
Hei's anger reached its boiling point. Lies! All Amber ever did was lie. When he found the edge of the barrier again, he sucked in one last deep breath and charged toward CC-592 with his knife at the ready. CC-592's eyes were the peaceful ones of a man who had long-since accepted that he was condemned to death and was ready to embrace it.
"Alright, destiny, time to dance," he muttered.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
November folded his arms on top of Misaki's desk and rested his head on top. He watched Misaki fill out papers and forms of all sorts. She glanced into his unwavering blue gaze every few minutes, finding it harder to look away each time. Finally, she sighed and leaned back.
"Having fun?" she questioned.
"Not particularly," he responded. "And this wig is quite uncomfortable."
"You didn't have to follow me," she stated.
"But what if you were to be attacked?" he replied.
"I have a gun," she stated.
"Please, just humor me," he said. "It will put my nerves at ease."
"If you say so," she replied flatly.
Suddenly, the door burst open. "Chief," Saitou called almost frantically. "There are reports of a Contractor battle in the shipyard. You're needed."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"It's time," Amber whispered to herself. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths. Then, she called, "Everyone, get ready. We're going to infiltrate Pandora and enter the Gate. You've all been told what to do. Now go."
An organized chaos erupted around the edges of the wall. In a matter of minutes, tanks and armed soldiers would come in and start firing away. Many of her comrades would not make it. Tonight, the stars would fall.
"It's all up to you now," she whispered. "Hei, November, Chief Kirihara. And Hei…I'm sorry."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Misaki and November bolted out of the car and sprinted across the grounds. They could hear fighting close by and Misaki somehow just knew that one of the fighters would be Li…Hei.
"Be careful," November warned as they grew closer. "It sounds vicious."
Misaki nodded and crossed the last of the distance. She got to the scene just in time to see Hei stab CC-592 through the heart. She froze, still not used to the idea of seeing "innocent" Li murder anyone. With great effort, she choked back her fear and dashed forward. November called at her to stop, but she knew that Hei would vanish if she did.
Hei turned at the commotion and found Misaki only a few feet away. She stopped and stared him down.
"Li," she breathed.
His jaw tightened. "My name is Hei," he informed. "Li never existed."
"I don't believe that," she said as November paused not too far behind her. "Maybe not in name, but he did as a person. I think he still does."
"It was an act," Hei denied, a growl leaking into his voice. "A well-played act. Why can you not understand that?"
"Then why didn't you just let me die all those times or murder me yourself?" Misaki asked. "I've seen you kill, but I've also seen you save lives. And when that girl---your friend---Yin was captured, you offered your freedom for her own. You cared. That's the part of you that's still Li."
He glanced away. "You're wrong."
"No, I don't believe she is," November agreed. "Amber talked about you quite a lot. She told us why you joined the Syndicate in the first place. You were never a killer, Hei. You did it to protect your younger sister, right?"
"Shut up!" Hei roared, the corners of his eyes beginning to grow wet at the thought of his dead sister. "I am the Black Reaper. A Contractor. I kill and that's all there is to it."
Misaki realized that they were really pushing Hei's limits. He was breaking apart right before her eyes. She could see now that the Black Reaper was always a mask, exactly like the haunting white one he wore on missions. Both could be cracked and shattered, though. She was finally able to see his true face.
"Things are changing," November announced. "Being a Contractor doesn't mean being a cold, hard killer anymore. We can still be human. You should know that better than anyone. Don't worry, you'll understand eventually."
Hei's hands began to shake. Yin walked to his side silently and took hold of one arm. She was trying to calm him down the only way she knew how. Hei exhaled deeply and turned his back to November and Misaki.
"I'd run before the Syndicate comes after you as well," he advised. Police sirens wailed in the background, but Hei and Yin were gone long before they reached the scene.
"Where did BK-201 go?" Hourai inquired.
"He was gone before we arrived," Misaki reported. She pointed toward the corpse on the ground. "The victim seems to have been killed by a knife wound."
Hourai wandered over to the body to inspect it, Misaki and November following.
"There are two puncture points," Hourai noted. "Yes, definitely BK-201." He spun to face the car again and began walking. "We don't have time to stand around, however. Pandora has been breached by the Evening Primrose. We're leaving immediately. Everyone, get in the van. Intern, looks like you're going to be receiving some first-hand experience."
Misaki nodded, trying to fight back her nerves. Hourai was part of the Syndicate. Could he have figured out that she knew? The fact that Hourai was having November come as well only made her more on edge. Keeping a stoic expression, she locked eyes with the British man for a second. She could see that he was just as anxious as her.
Before she left, Misaki caught a scrap of white in her peripheral vision. The dead Contractor's hand was fisted around something. Making sure that no one was looking, she grabbed a note out of his hand. She hid it in her pocket. When she and November were seated in the back of the van, she retrieved it again. Only two words were written.
Thank you.
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"Hei," Yin said as the two were running, her hand held tightly in his. "Huang is coming."
He nodded. "This way," he urged, leading her farther into the confines of the shipyard, hopefully away from Huang. The last thing they needed was to be dragged back into this mess. Both were abruptly stopped when a van skidded to a stop in front of them. Hei crouched into a fighting pose. The door flew open.
"Get in!" Huang shouted. "Now!"
"The Syndicate is chasing us down," Mao reported. "They know. We all need to move."
Although he was reluctant to do so, Hei showed no hesitancy in jumping into the van. Yin slid in next to him, pressed close. He could feel her muscles tightening.
"Don't worry," he reassured her, something he was not used to doing. Hei put his arm behind her shoulders, which seemed to relax her a bit. Unconsciously, Yin pressed a fraction closer to him. The feeling of Hei next to her made her feel…safe.
"Hold on!" Huang warned. He slammed on the gas and the van shot forward. It wouldn't be long before they reached the Gate.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The police van passed through a war zone. Contractors and soldiers were everywhere. It was impossible to tell which side was winning. But when Misaki looked to the sky, all she could see was star after star falling. When she was younger, this would have been a virtual miracle. Now, it brought her nothing but dread. She and November stayed silent throughout the ride. However, the closer they came to the wall; the more they felt like shoving open the doors and jumping out. Misaki placed her hand over November's in anxiety. This felt like a death sentence. He tried smiling back at her as some form of comfort, but she could clearly see that he was thinking the same.
"We're here," Hourai announced, exiting the vehicle. Several armed guards met up with them. Misaki and November stuck closer together and put on their best act. The group marched through the heavy security and wandered down long, winding hallways. Eventually, they came upon a large room filled with scientific equipment.
"This," Hourai announced, motioning grandly to the room, "is the Saturn Ring. With it, we will be able to stop the incident at Heaven's Gate from reoccurring. As a side-effect, all Contractors will be wiped from existence. But I'm sure you already knew that."
November found the wig and glasses being yanked away from him as he was restrained. A gun was pressed to his temple. Misaki gasped as she also found herself bound by the grip of the guards that had accompanied them here.
"And now you can watch," Hourai said coldly.
November glared heavily at the man. He couldn't even use his ice abilities on the guards. The type of armor they were wearing would make such an action futile.
Misaki's eyes, however, caught the image on the screen. She couldn't help her limbs from trembling just the tiniest bit. There, in the center of the destroyed city, stood Hei and two young girls, one blonde, one silver-haired. They were talking, not making any moves. The only voices she heard, though, were those of the scientists as they prepared their machine.
"They're not doing anything!" she shouted in protest.
"We're ready," called one of the men.
"No!" she screamed.
November stared blankly at the screen. Please, he begged, please let them have a plan. Then, Amber abruptly vanished, leaving only a pile of clothes behind. November blinked. She used up the last of her power, he realized. Which meant she did have a plan. Shouting erupted around the room as Hei disappeared as well. He soon miraculously reappeared inside the machine. A blue glow surrounded him and seeped into his surroundings. The glow suddenly exploded into a blinding flash. Misaki and November both squeezed their eyes shut.
A massive bang sounded.
And then it was over.
Misaki opened her eyes to see a large hole in the roof. In the background of her thoughts, Nishijima was ordering a second discharge. Schreider told him that wasn't possible and began to explain that BK-201 must have altered every single anti-Gate particle on the quantum level. There were no more particles left to discharge. Her attention was only fully brought back when Nishijima punched the scientist in the face.
Schreider fell backward as Nishijima began to shout at him. Then, unexpectedly, Hourai pointed his gun at Nishijima.
"The Syndicate wouldn't dare get rid of me!" Nishijima claimed. His defense didn't work. A bullet was put straight through hi heart and he fell to the ground. Hourai went over to be sure he was dead. Once he was positive, Hourai aimed his gun at November and Misaki.
"Kirihara, I'm disappointed," he said. "You were going to be one of our best agents. And you." He shifted his attention to November. "You should have been dead a long time ago."
"You'll be caught," Misaki defended. "You and the Syndicate you're a part of as well as all other Syndicates."
"The Syndicate holds a place in every form of government imaginable," Hourai informed. "Their reach extends to the entire globe. I won't be caught."
"The Syndicate won't stay secret for long," Misaki stated. "You're part of a vast conspiracy that just attempted genocide on thousands of people. EPR didn't even make the first move, did they? You lured them here to justify your attack. Total extinction has always been your goal. Tell me, what will you do when the public knows about Contractors? Your plans won't be so simple to cover up then."
"The public will never know about Contractors or the Syndicate," Hourai countered. "You have no proof."
"Yes," she responded, holding up the recorder, "I do."
"Then I will take it from your hands once you die," Hourai threatened.
A knife on a cable suddenly flew in from out of nowhere and knocked the gun out of his hand. Hourai turned in shock only for a wire to wrap around his neck and electrocute him. The man fell unconscious to the ground. Hei jumped down from his perch on the roof and reeled his knife back in. His face hidden behind his mask, he held the blade over Hourai's heart.
"No!" Misaki screamed. "Hei!"
He paused to turn toward her. Swiftly, he tucked his knife back into his belt. She grabbed his arm before he could run away.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Away from the Syndicate," he answered. "You won't see me again."
"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," November replied. He looked at the sky through the hole Hei had created and smiled softly. "The world works in strange ways."
"Why should you care?" Hei questioned suspiciously.
"Because you're my friend," Misaki admitted, although the words were difficult to say. "As Li at first, but you didn't let me die when it would have been so easy to do so."
"She makes a good argument," November agreed.
He took off his mask so that he could look her straight in the eyes. "Friends," he said, "will get you in trouble."
After that, he swung out of the room and out of her sight. She sighed.
"He didn't deny it," November pointed out. "That you were his friend."
Misaki's lips tilted upward. "So what are you going to do now?"
"I think I would like to go find April and July. Then, I will probably disappear as well."
She breathed in deeply. "May I come with you?"
He glanced at her curiously. "For what reason?"
"I can't work for the police any longer now that I know the Syndicate has infiltrated it," she responded.
"It will be a long, hard, dangerous road," he warned.
"I know," she answered. "And I'm ready for it."
He offered his hand to her. She took it with a smile and together they walked out. Around them was still chaos, but the dawn was bringing new life to the world. Misaki and November began to take their first steps down a long road. Far away, Hei and Yin did the same. Although these two were a great distance apart, their paths and destinations were the same. Each of them was walking the middle road. One day, in the future, they might meet upon it once more.
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