Reminder that underlined speech is spoken in English.

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Chapter Twenty-Three – The Disappearance

When they arrived on scene, it was to find the location a hive of activity. The building had caught on fire, a fierce blaze consuming the store and spreading to the building next to it. There was a commotion between the local police, the fire department and the emergency medical service as they were still unsure if the buildings were occupied.

They were usually locked and closed down at this time of night, but the internal sprinkler system had gone off, bringing everyone on location. As the team looked on, it was to find that the firefighters were trying to contain the smaller fire first.

"What's going on here?" Misaki asked. "I thought BK-201 was active here."

"Ryan, what's going on here?" April turned to ask.

"BK-201 is still active here along with RF-518. DY-035 and SU-724 have vanished from the system. I'm assuming those two are our victims. Now we just have to wait until the fire is put out to see if we get either of the two left."

"You mean they're here somewhere in the middle of that blaze?"

"That's right," Ryan stated. "This is the closest we've ever been to catching him."

April could only shake her head in reply. He sounded excited that they had the possibility of catching BK-201. Upon hearing of his presence here, she could feel her gut twist, a sense of unease washing over her. She didn't know why, but this was actually bad news. Even so, she turned back to Misaki who was waiting to hear the update.

"BK-201 is still here somewhere," April informed her.

"How can that be?"

"Ryan said he's still here fighting RF-518. We'll have to wait until they put out the fire before we go in to investigate."

Upon hearing the news, Misaki paled, not sure if she should believe it or not. Every other time, he had already escaped by the time they arrived. This was Hei they were talking about. She didn't say anything to April, but she looked through the flames carefully to see if she could find him anywhere. What was he still doing here when he knew they would be on his tail? Now, even the local authorities were pulled into the mess. He just couldn't be here... What if he was trapped underneath the rubble?

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

Misaki whirled around, struggling against his grip as Jacob had grabbed her. She saw him! She knew she did! It had only been a brief flash of white when the flames danced apart momentarily, but she knew it was him. She had to get to him, no matter what. Fighting with him, Misaki pulled her arm; his grip was too strong. Glaring at him, she stomped on his instep with all her might. Yelping in pain, his hold on her was loosened and she pulled free to dash into the building.

"Misaki!!"

"What are you doing? Why didn't you stop her?!" Jacob yelled at April. "She's going to get herself killed!"

***

The heat was consuming and she could feel the sweat dripping down her face. Holding her arm to her nose, Misaki tried to find her way through the flames and debris without getting hurt in the process. It was a gutsy move, but she couldn't sit still, or stand still in this case, when Hei was in danger. She was 100% certain that she had seen him up on the roof. All she had to do was find him. He had beaten all odds to get to her side; she could do the same for him.

Her eyes watered and her lungs burned from the smoke. Pressing forward, the fear of losing him was stronger and sharper than the fear of losing her life. A falling beam blocked her path, but instinct told her that she had to keep moving forward. Thoughts of all her friends and family flashed in her mind, the slightest hesitation in her actions. But thinking back to Hei, she gently touched the symbol of his promise. It gave her hope and courage. Using her arm to shield her face, she forged ahead through the fire. Quickly stripping off the blazer which had caught on fire, she left it behind and continued on her way.

She spotted the emergency stairwell sign in the distance and bravely fought her way towards it. That would be her only way up. Once she reached it, it would only be four flights of stairs to reach him. The metal was hot to the touch and she could feel it burn her skin. Even so, she bit down on her lip as she twisted the knob and slammed her body against the door. Crying out in pain as her skin melted off onto the handle, she didn't turn around to look back. Whatever pain she felt now, it would be worth it all to hold Hei in her arms.

Up, up, she urged herself. Keep moving up!

The flights of stairs were long and tiring, but the air was slightly clearer as the fire had yet to reach the stairwell. She pushed her legs to the limit – to run harder and faster and longer than she ever had before. She was only a few steps past the door to the third floor when the floor beneath her trembled and an explosion sounded on the other side. The blast blew the door out and the force of it slammed her against the stairs.

Stunned by the impact, Misaki found her glasses cracked, digging into her skin. She touched her uninjured hand to her pounding head; to find blood. In spite of it, she shook it off. The adrenaline kicked in, along with the desperation, to reach him. Even if she lost an arm, she was determined to find him. The time it took to reach the roof seemed like an eternity, but she could breathe easier – slightly. The flames had yet to reach the roof, though she was positive the building would give out at any moment.

It was difficult to see through the cracked lenses of her glasses, but she walked out carefully to scan the area. He was here somewhere, fighting for his life. She pulled out the gun holstered to her waist, ignoring the heat of the metal. It cut into her flesh, but she didn't notice. She had to carefully wrap one hand around the other to hold it steady.

Her vision was warped and her hearing wasn't much better with the snapping and crackling of the fire in her ears. The building grumbled beneath her and she dropped to steady herself, hoping that it didn't give way just yet. She took in a deep breath, her pulse racing in her neck. Straining to hear something – anything besides the fire – the slightest clank of metal teased her ears before it disappeared again.

He was still fighting, despite the fire. She didn't understand why he didn't move somewhere else. She knew how fast he was. But she didn't have time for the fanciful thoughts. Instead, she tried to listen for that sound again. It came from somewhere to her east and she moved towards it. Cautiously glancing around, she didn't see anything until she rounded a pillar.

A gasp escaped her lips as she stared, shocked; he was here and it looked like he was dancing an intricate dance with his sword. The random sparks would fly from his blade, but overall, it looked like he was alone. Not understanding what was happening, she could only watch helplessly. Squinting while she traced his movements, she finally realized that it had to be the other Contractor's powers, that she couldn't see him. Hei wouldn't be here otherwise.

He danced left then right, forwards and backwards, sometimes the blade slashing forward to attack or held up to block in defence. She couldn't even understand how he could fight something he couldn't see. The ground rumbled again and Misaki was tossed to her knees. Struggling to stand after she was thrown, it was to see that Hei was in trouble. He was cornered, pressed against a wall. His arms strained against his blade as it was being pressed closer and closer towards his neck.

Steadying herself, Misaki planted her feet and held up her gun, aiming it at Hei. She knew deep down that there was someone there, but she couldn't pull the trigger. She was staring at Hei. Besides, what if the bullet went straight through and injured him as well? Gripping it tighter, the gun shook in her hands. She couldn't even arrest Hei, so how could she possibly shoot him?

A noise rumbled overhead, but she couldn't be distracted by it. Instead, she closed her eyes, squeezing them tightly shut as her finger touched the trigger. She had to do this. It was for both of them that she had to be strong. Trust in him. He had never let her down before. He wasn't going to blame her if something happened after she pulled the trigger.

Her eyes flashed open as she was drenched in sheets of water. Even so, she glanced towards Hei to see that he still hadn't moved. Whoever it was, he was still trying to kill her beloved and that was unacceptable. Steeling her nerves, she aimed carefully at Hei's right shoulder. Even if he was hit, he wouldn't be hurt seriously.

Pull the trigger. Trust him.

Misaki glanced around as she thought she heard something. But quickly, her eyes returned to Hei, finger ready on the trigger. Her hands shook both from the pain and the nervousness – until she felt a strange warmth seeping into her body. Her arm was stilled. It was almost like her body was moving on its own. A pressure was applied to her finger and she squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of the discharge.

"ARGH!"

Misaki's eyes flashed open, terrified that it had been Hei, but it wasn't. The blade had dropped from his hands, but he was still standing. Instead, she watched as a man the same size as Jacob fell to the ground with a thud. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she dropped the gun and ran towards him. Flinging herself at him, she crashed into him, bumping heads, but he caught her with an arm placed lightly around her waist.

"You came," he said softly.

"How could I not when you're in danger?!"

He smiled as he remembered hearing a similar retort many months ago. Even so, they were both hurt and he was going to have to thank Yin for her help. In a way, he had to thank April as well because it was her power that allowed for Yin's presence. Gently touching his fingers to the lump on Misaki's head, he shook his head. His beautiful and stubborn Misaki – to endure so much for his sake.

"You're hurt," Misaki exclaimed.

"So are you..."

"Only a little. It was my turn to protect you."

Stubborn as ever, he didn't bother to argue with her. Instead, he pulled her closer and gently pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled away from her, he gently pressed her to rest her head against his shoulder. They didn't have much time left here, but he needed the reassurance that she was truly safe and in his arms. She had given up everything to be with him and he couldn't thank her enough.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Hei inquired. "You can still make it back down."

"No. I didn't come all the way here to go back down. You're going back on your promise?"

"Never," he replied as she sounded hurt. "I want to make sure that you don't regret your decision. You've seen what I have to put up with. I'll understand if you think it's too much to handle."

Misaki shook her head vehemently, wrapping an arm around him to pull him closer. They had been separated for long enough. She didn't know what she could do to help, but she would do her best alongside Yin to protect the man she loved. It was the decision she had already made upon learning of her transfer. It was difficult to leave behind her friends and family, but it had been even worse to be left behind by Hei.

"I'm going with you, no matter what," Misaki stated.

"Good, because I'd take you with me even if you didn't want to come."

Misaki looked up at him in surprise. He smiled lightly before he gathered her in his arms and the two of them left the scene of the crime. Sighing softly, Misaki settled her head against his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck. A few tears escaped her eyes at the sudden good-bye she had given to everyone who had trusted her, helped her and even protected her. But it was time. Everything just felt right when she was in his arms.

"We'll have to leave as soon as we can," Hei told her quietly. "But I think we'll be fine. Yin has been eager to have you with us, though I know you might not believe that."

She smiled as she could believe that. It reminded her of a little boy who had become angry at Ryan, to place his hands on his hips; to stay up late and refuse to leave when her life had been endangered; to even stand up for his partner despite facing someone much stronger and more powerful than himself... Misaki was going to miss him – all of them – but she had reached the point in her life that she needed Hei above all else.

"I believe it. What about you?" she asked softly.

"Do you even have to ask?" he retorted with a light growl in his throat.

Misaki giggled, warmed by the possessiveness in his voice. This was how things were supposed to be. It was going to be difficult dealing with the Syndicate and the Contractor attacks, but the main thing was that they would be together. In response to his question, Misaki snuggled closer to him and pressed a kiss to his warm neck before sighing, taking in a deep breath of his scent. Hei only smiled as the two of them made their way home.

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A/N: Another favorite chapter of mine. One of the rare fight scenes (partially) that I'm really proud of since I think I did a good job on it :) Not to mention, other reasons for it to be my favorite since Misaki and Hei are together now~ hehe, I'm so pleased with all the different elements of this chapter too. Misaki running in to save Hei, killing that other Contractor. The fact that April helped them with their powers. Yin "appearing" and talking to Misaki, even though she couldn't see her. And of course, I always like thinking about or being reminded of how cute July is.