Darker Than Black: Host Club
AN: Part of this chapter was written by the awesome Sakabatou77 when he was looking over my story. A big thank you goes out to him. I also named this chapter after his little addition, and that should help you identify it.
Also, another big thank you goes out to Aerysa for catching my errors in the last chapter.
Hope everyone enjoys it.
xxx
Chapter Two: Watch This
Hei, wondering why Mao would say he was in trouble, readjusted his eyes, and looked at him angrily.
"Mao? W—what is it? Don't tell me Huang is calling a meeting this early in the morning?"
"It looks like even our rational minds can be affected from alcohol."
Hei sat up, cringed from a headache, and then looked at his surroundings.
"Wh—where am I?"
"Officer Kirihara-san's apartment."
"What?"
"Shhh," Mao whispered, and motioned his head to the right.
Hei looked to his side to see Misaki, naked under the covers, sound asleep next to him. Hei gulped and noticed he was stripped of his clothes and his blade was missing.
"I know you were playing the role of a host, but didn't you take it a bit far? You're lucky I woke you before her," informed Mao, and then pointed with his left paw to the ground where his blade sat on top of his shirt and pants. "Now hurry up and get dressed and let's get out of here."
Hei exited the bed, grabbed his pants to put them on, and then threw on his white shirt while leaving it unbuttoned. He then saw his suit jacket lying on the floor, grabbed it and wrapped his blade inside it.
"I think she may have seen your blade last night when she stripped you. We should have her memory erased. It would be better that she doesn't know she slept with you and that she saw you..."
"No. She didn't see it," assured Hei. If she did notice his blade, the last thing she would have done was make love to him. Besides, he didn't want her to forget their time together.
"Do you even remember anything from last night? You…" Mao began to say, but as Hei reached the bedroom door his stomach growled, echoing throughout the apartment, and caused them both to freeze in place. They slowly cranked their heads around to look over their shoulders at Misaki.
"Not good," mumbled Mao, as Misaki's eyes began to open to stare at Mao for a second, making his fur stand on edge, and then they closed. "Hurry up, Hei."
Mao ran over to the front door.
Hei started for the door, but then heard a growl coming from the bed. He looked back over at Misaki to see she was fiddling her hands around the sheets while smiling. To his surprise, his and her stomach growled at the same time.
This isn't right, he thought. Hei would leave in a heartbeat, but Li wouldn't run. I can't just leave her.
Hei laid his jacket on her couch and headed over to her kitchen.
"Hei, what are you doing?" he asked, as Hei opened her fridge.
"I'm hungry, Mao."
"Hungry? Are you crazy? You can chow down on something later. You need to get out of here, now!"
"I've never felt better."
"Never felt better? Is the alcohol still messing with your mind? You don't plan to start a relationship with her, do you? You can't do that. You're a criminal, and she's the one who's hunting you."
Hei ignored his comment as he pulled out some eggs and placed them on her counter. He then walked over to a drawer, pulled out a pot, and went to fill it up with water.
"Oh my God! You plan to make her breakfast. She's going to have a hangover and not want to eat. Let's get out…!"
Suddenly Mao's stomach growled.
"Would you like me to make you something too, Mao?" Hei asked, as he set the pot on the stove and started to boil water. "I can set some out on the balcony for you."
"I see nothing, I hear nothing," said Mao, as he headed for the balcony door. Hei smirked and walked over to the door to let him out. "And I know nothing!"
Hei walked back over to the kitchen, pondering on how Mao got into Misaki's apartment to begin with. He scrimmaged through Misaki's cabinets and pulled out items to make fried rice.
Maybe he snuck in with him and Misaki. If that were the case, his perverted mind watched them the whole time. He thought Yin was a peeping Tom. Couldn't he just have one quiet night alone?
Misaki awoke to the smell of food cooking from what she thought was her kitchen. She quickly got out of bed but held her hand on her forehead from the headache she had. She walked over to her closet and put on one of her blue shirts, buttoned the top part, and headed out to her kitchen, but didn't see anyone.
She saw her balcony door open, making her hurry over to it and close it. As she got there, Li walked through the door startling her.
"Good morning," he smiled.
"Li-kun, what are you…?"
Li walked over to the kitchen area, and said, "I wasn't sure how you would feel after you woke, but I thought you might be hungry. Are you up to eating?"
"Always," she smiled, as she followed him to the kitchen. "It smells good."
Li turned off the stove and vent, and then went to grab a couple of bowls.
"My vent, it's been broken. Did you fix it?"
"Hai."
"What was wrong?"
"Just a loose wire."
"Really? You fixed it and cooked breakfast while I slept?"
Li smiled while filling the bowls with rice. He then picked them up and set them on her table. Misaki followed and sat, as Li went to grab some cups of tea and set them down. He sat across from her and began eating.
"Um…Li-kun…Did we…?" she began to ask, unable to look him in the eyes.
"I believe so."
"You don't remember either?"
Li shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Li-kun. Your first night out as a host, and you were only supposed to take me out for dinner." Li looked at her stunned at her comment. "I'm sure you'll want more money…"
"Kirihara-san, it's alright."
"But…"
"I don't want money from you, Kirihara-san."
"But won't your boss…?"
"As far as he knows, I just took you out to dinner."
Misaki smiled. "This doesn't change anything about us, does it?"
Li looked up at her again, baffled at her comment.
"I mean, we're still friends, right?"
Li smiled, "Yes."
After they devoured their breakfast, Li decided to help her clean the dishes. She washed them, as he dried and placed them in the cabinet.
Once they were done, he walked over to the front door.
"Thank you very much for breakfast, Li-kun."
"I had fun, Kirihara-san," he commented, as he went to grab the handle.
"Oh, Li-kun, your jacket," mentioned Misaki, as she noticed it lying on her couch and went over to grab it.
Li's eyes widened as he quickly ran over to her couch and grabbed it just as she set her hands on it.
"Ah… thank... you," he stuttered half smiling, and then headed back for her door.
Misaki looked at him baffled as he approached her door. As he opened it, he was startled as Kanami was on the other side, ready to knock on the door. She devilishly smiled at him and then at Misaki.
"Looks like you two had some fun last night," she teased.
"Kanami-san," smiled Li sheepishly, with his hand held behind his head. "G—good morning." He then looked back at Misaki. "I'll see you later, Kirihara-san," he finished and then left.
Kanami glanced over at Misaki, and teased, "See you later?"
"What are you doing here?" Misaki growled.
"I just came by to see how things went with you and Li-kun, but it looks like things went far better than I expected."
"He's a host that you paid to spend time with me, how else would you expect it to go?"
"Yeah, but I didn't pay him to sleep with you. Now seriously, how was it?"
"I—I…. can't talk about it."
"What? Why not? Was he bad?"
"N—no! I—I just… can't remember."
"Don't remember? Where did you and Li-kun go eat at?"
After spending an hour trying to get Kanami out of her place, Misaki was able to shower, comb her hair, brush her teeth, and leave for work. She was already two hours late, thanks to her birthday celebration. She wished she could remember last night.
A half an hour later, she pulled into the garage, parked her car, and exited it to head up to the Foreign Affairs. Once she reached her floor, Saitou ran over to her with a worried look.
"There you are, Chief, I've been worried about you," he said.
"If you were worried about me, then why didn't you call me?" replied Misaki while crossing her arms. "I might have gotten up earlier, and gotten here sooner." But, I'm glad you didn't.
"I did," he defended, making Misaki slant her eyelids. "I kept on getting your voice mail."
"My voice mail?"
Misaki pulled out her cell phone and saw it was turned off. She could have sworn she had left it on last night. Had she turned it off so she and Li could have a quiet night together?
"Enjoy your time with your date too much last night, Misaki?" inquired November Eleven behind her.
Misaki turned on her heels to glare at him with a peculiar look.
"Date? What date, Chief?" Saitou asked, his voice showing slight jealousy in it. "Eh, is that why you told me late last night to leave you alone and hung up?"
"What?" Misaki questioned, her head spinning back towards Saitou. "Why'd you call me anyways?"
"BK-201 was active last night near a restaurant."
"BK-201…active?"
"Hai, and I knew that Kanami had taken you around there, and hoped you were still there."
"And I told you to handle it yourself?"
"Hai," Saitou nodded.
I must have been really wasted last night. "Did you get him?"
"No, Chief, he was gone."
"All right. I want a full report on it."
"Hai, Chief."
Saitou turned around and sat at his desk. Misaki glared at November Eleven, as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
"What do you want, Jack?"
"I need your help with a case."
"What case?"
"The case I was working on last night at the host club."
"What?" Misaki questioned, as Saitou looked at her dumbfounded.
"I was hoping you could go in there as a client again and try to find out information on the trade."
"Chief, you were at a host club last night?" Saitou asked, as Misaki glared at him. He turned around in his seat to continue his paperwork.
"It didn't happen last night?" Misaki asked.
"No, it seems someone in intelligence had the wrong date. Speaking of date, you can ask for that Li kid again," teased November Eleven.
Saitou fell out of his chair in shock. He climbed back in his chair, and screeched, "Li-kun, a host? The Chief's host?"
"He doesn't seem to talk much, so you shouldn't have a problem keeping an eye on other things," November Eleven finished.
"I can't ask for him again," stated Misaki, shaking her head.
"Why not? It's customary for a client to ask for the same host, unless you found him boring."
"No, it's just…I don't think he's going back to work there."
"Are you worried about the money? Don't worry; the department will pay for it."
"No, I'm not worried."
"Good. Then it's settled. July will be helping too. I need an extra pair of eyes. I'm also very curious as to the doll's observer spirit I saw in my wine glass last night, and whom it belongs to."
"Observer Spirit?" questioned Misaki. "Wasn't that July's, if it was in your wine glass?"
"No. This one was using the wine as a line. It's possible it belongs to 201-BK's organization since Saitou had said he was active around there last night."
"BK-201's?
"Yes.
"But why would they be at our table?"
"Checking randomly for the trade, just as I had July. Misaki, with Mr. 201-BK there, things may get dangerous. Please be careful."
Misaki nodded.
"Oh, and make sure your friend Kanami doesn't tag along. She talks too much."
Misaki sighed. She was sure Kanami would find out and was going to be furious when she tells her she couldn't go.
"All right. I'll help you."
November Eleven entered his car, drove off and thought about the night at the host club. He didn't want to tell Misaki that he only wanted her there to keep an eye on Li since something about him didn't sit right in his stomach.
He could have sworn the kid was about to pull a gun out on him. However, he had stopped just as the observer spirit appeared in the glass. He didn't seem to notice it, but November Eleven thought it was more than a coincidence that he stopped at that exact moment.
Could the kid be a contractor and working for the Yakuza? More to the point, could he be BK-201?
He did have the same hair and build, so it was possible. Maybe he was just over thinking things, but as long as Misaki was there, her attention will be concentrated on him. However, she seems to be attracted to him, which meant she may not be as much help as he would like.
xxx
"The trade was on the wrong date!" shouted Hei, a little too loud for his own taste, but he didn't care. He was sitting on the bench looking up at Huang, furiously. "And I have to go back!"
"Don't get mad with me!" growled Huang. "You're the one who ran off somewhere last night. Thankfully I didn't have to tell the Syndicate that since nothing happened last night, except you using your power for some reason!"
Hei looked at him peculiarly, as Mao tucked his tail between his legs, and curled down his ears.
He had used his power last night. No doubt, he had used it in front of Misaki, but Hei guessed, since he couldn't remember, neither did she.
"Do your job tonight, or say goodbye to your life," finished Huang.
He turned around and left the park still steaming.
"You didn't tell him about my date with Kirihara?" Hei asked Mao, not looking at him.
"Of course not," replied Mao, gathering his composure. "By the way, Hei. I was trying to ask you this, but I can tell you don't remember last night, and thankfully neither does that cop woman.
"Yin led me to you, and I started tailing you. However, you knew I was, grabbed me by my tail, said to Misaki, 'Watch this,' and electrocuted me. You and that cop woman laughed all the way back to her place."
Hei looked back at Mao flabbergasted.
"You and she were really wasted last night," continued Mao.
"Do you know if we did it?" Hei asked.
"I have no idea. It took me all morning to recover."
"How'd you get in her place last night?"
"You two love birds left the front door wide open. It happened to close on me when I entered."
"If that's the case, then how would you know Misaki and I were laughing all the way to her place?"
"Yin continued following you, found and told me."
xxx
Hei, displeased to be back at square one, had been told by his employer he was asked for. He was told the table, and as he exited the back with a couple of wine bottles, he saw Misaki sitting at the table.
She dressed more casual today; wearing a tight knee length blue skirt and a white lace top that fit snug against her figure. She still wore her hair down, but she was wearing her glasses.
He straightened out his shoulder, walked up to the table, and sat next to Misaki.
"Li-kun, I didn't expect you again," she said.
"You asked for me personally, Kirihara-san. Why would you be surprised?"
"I thought you said you might be quitting this job. That you didn't like it."
"Ah, it's true, but I need to find another job first."
"Oh, I see."
"I'm happy that you asked for me again, but if you don't mind, I'd like to refrain from drinking a lot of alcohol tonight, or leaving the club."
"That might be for the best."
Hei smiled as he went to pour Misaki a drink. He then noticed an observer spirit on the window. It appeared Misaki was helping MI-6 and was here for work tonight instead of pleasure. This meant she would be too preoccupied with observing her surroundings instead of drinking. This was better for him so he could do the same.
"I can't remember the last time I was able not to worry about work, laugh, and smile," commented Misaki. "I had fun. Thank you for last night."
"It was my pleasure."
"Did you remember anything about last night?" Misaki asked.
"Not much. I remember everything at the bar and walking you home. Everything after that is all still very hazy."
"But you don't remember if we did it?" Hei shook his head. "I do."
"Y—you do? How… much of it?"
"Just the night at my place. That's all. Li, I was thinking this morning at work; I don't want us to be just…"
"Kirihara-san," interrupted Hei, looking down somberly. "I'm…" Hei paused as he noticed Yin's observer sprit in Misaki's glass.
"You're sorry, but you don't see me that way," Misaki finished for him, believing that's what he was going to say. "Last night was just a job for you. I understand."
Hei couldn't believe she would say that. He couldn't believe how much those words seemed to hurt his own heart. However, this relationship couldn't be.
"Misaki, I…"
"Excuse me, Li-san. You have an important phone call," said an employee.
"I'm sorry, Kirihara-san. Could you excuse me?"
Hei left Misaki and went to the back to answer the call.
"Hello?"
"Hei, the trade is going on. Ditch the chick, and hurry up and get us that woman. Yin will show you where they are."
Misaki watched as Li headed for the front counter to take the call. A tear formed in her eye and then ran down her cheek. She had found someone special, but things were taking a turn for the worse for her. She knew she wouldn't find a man like Li ever. Handsome, shaven face, groomed hair, and he didn't smoke.
Why does this hurt so much? He's just a friend.
"Come with us ma'am," a man's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Misaki looked up at him, and smiled, "I'm already being served, thank you. My host should be back soon."
"I don't think you understand," the man informed, as he showed her a gun pointing at her from under his blue suede jacket. "You have no choice."
Now what has Jack gotten me into? She thought as they escorted her out.
xxx
Hei, wearing his black reaper outfit, stood above some rafters, watching a few men with machine guns surrounding another man dressed in a white suit. He was surprised to see that when he went back to the table, Misaki was gone. At least he didn't have to come up with something to excuse himself.
Four other men approached the men with machine guns, distracting Hei from his thoughts. They were firmly holding a woman in a tight, short thigh length white dress, tied up with a potato sack over her head.
She must be the package, thought Hei.
"Where's the money?" one of the men demanded.
The back passenger door from a parked car not far, opened to have another man exit. He was dressed in a black suit and hat holding a briefcase. He stood next to the car, as he held open the case to show stacks of cash.
"She's the one?" the man in white asked.
"Hai," one of the men replied.
That was all Hei needed to hear, as he quickly turned off the power to the building, everyone in the garage looked around scared.
"What the…?" screamed someone.
"Hide the money!"
"Secure the woman!"
Hei jumped down from the rafters, and ran towards the men holding the woman. He threw his knife attached to his wire to impale it in one man's head holding the woman, recoiled it, and threw it at another man's chest.
"What the… fire, men. Kill them!" shouted a voice.
Hei quickly knocked out the other two men surrounding the woman. The other group of men started firing as Hei grabbed the lady and held her close to block the bullets with his coat.
"They're still alive, fire again, men!"
Hei quickly picked up the female, put her over his shoulders, and started running behind some parked cars. He lassoed his wire around a pole, jumped over a ledge and down a couple floors.
"Follow them!"
He ran through the garage and into the building. He took cover inside a room and laid the woman down on the floor.
"Let me go," he could hear the woman say, but her voice was muffled by a gag.
"Mission accomplished," he confirmed into his mike. "Bring the car to the fifth floor."
"Great job, Hei!" praised Huang. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
"Let me go!" the woman seemed to scream again but came out as gibberish. "What do you want?"
Hei didn't answer. He picked her up, placed her over his shoulder and carried her out into the garage area.
She screamed, kicked and punched at him while he waited for Huang. Mao came up, sat next to him, and began to clean his right paw. Hei could see Huang's car coming. Suddenly the sprinklers went off, telling Hei one thing, as he ran back into the building.
He looked through the glass on the exit door to see that the water on the ground quickly became ice. Huang's car skidded from the ice for a second as he tried to gain control, and then slammed into parked cars.
The woman kept screaming and kicking at him, as Hei made his way down the emergency stairs to the next level, and busted through a door to take cover in another room. He laid the woman down on the floor with her still kicking and screaming.
"Hei, what's going on?" asked Mao.
"MI-6."
"So they're after her too. Hei, be careful, there are many men out on the garage floors looking for you two. It appears the other organization wants her dead."
"Mao, tell Huang I'll get her to the safe house. He can catch up with me later."
"Hai," agreed Mao, and entered the garage.
There was one way Hei knew how to get her out of here. November Eleven probably soaked every floor on the garage level with water, and with the help of his doll, he was afraid that if he stepped out he would be frozen to death. He didn't want to fight him while worrying about this woman.
The roof was no better because it was raining. In addition, even though he had his bulletproof coat, he didn't want one of the gunmen to hit her since the Syndicate wanted her alive.
The only way he could think of getting out was to pose as Li.
"If you want to get out of here alive, you'll have to do as I say, all right?" Hei warned her.
She nodded.
"We are going to go walk casually through the club down stairs and out the front door. This means I'm going to have to untie you. If you try to run, it's more than likely one of the men who want to kill you, will. If you try anything on me, I will kill you. Is that understood?"
She nodded.
Hei took out his blade and cut the ropes binding her feet, followed by her hands. The potato sack was roped on tight, so he took his blade and gently cut it off.
"Ki…," he almost blurted out her name in shock as he stared at Misaki. She stared at him flabbergasted. "You're…?"
"BK-201?" she mumbled through the gag.
To be continued…
xxx
AN: Hee Hee! Oh, how I would love to take credit for it, but Mao being electrocuted in front of Misaki was Sakabatou77's idea. How I wish I would have came up with that idea. I couldn't stop cracking up.
Thanks again, Sakabatou77 for looking over my stories. I really appreciate it.
In addition, I made a Hei/Misaki wallpaper which was inspired by this story. You can grab it from the link at my profile page. :)
Japanese Translation:
Hai: Yes