Yin was waiting for Hei outside the train station. Unfortunately, so was Mao. Hei led them over to an empty bus bench by a tree and sat down.

"I just heard something very interesting," the cat said quietly, settling himself on Yin's lap.

Hei tensed. Had Mao been listening in on the radios earlier, despite his precaution of using their back-up channel?

"Apparently, your star was active a short while ago, along with two others, near the Chinese Embassy. This wouldn't have anything to do with the Chinese woman who was in your apartment the other day, would it?"

Hei didn't answer. He wanted to wait and be sure exactly what Mao did and didn't know. And he wanted to get back on the train and to Shinbashi to meet up with Misaki as soon as possible.

Mao huffed. "Fine, don't tell me. But one of the contractors you were fighting was PL-282, right?"

"I don't know their Messier codes," Hei said.

"Code name Morado? I'm told you and he were on the same squad in South America. He disappeared towards the end of the conflict."

"Yes." This could work to his advantage, Hei realized. "I saw him earlier today and tracked him to the embassy."

"Hm. That was unusually enterprising of you. But it's not exactly the first time you've gone off half-cocked when one of your old war buddies has shown up, is it." The cat eyed him curiously. "You went to the embassy to kill him, I assume?"

"Yes. Another contractor got in my way."

"Good." Mao stood and jumped down from Yin's lap. "Your orders are the same as they were five years ago. Bring him in, and if he refuses, execute him. Yin said you told her to meet you here."

"He's going to Yokohama. I need to bring her with me to track him."

"Yokohama, huh. Guess that leaves me out - unless you want Huang to drive us?" Hei could tell that an hour in the car with Huang and himself was the last thing that Mao wanted.

"I can handle him on my own." He watched until Mao had trotted down the street and out of sight around a corner, then stood. "Let's go, Yin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Misaki's phone rang right as she reached her car. She answered while unlocking the door. "Kirihara."

"Chief! Ah, sorry to interrupt your day off…"

She suppressed a sigh. She should have expected this. "What is it, Saitou?"

"Astronomics picked up some contractor activity at the Chinese Embassy. PL-282, FA-004, and BK-201. FA-004's star has fallen. There are also reports of a car fire near the embassy. The Chinese are refusing any kind of police aid though, so we don't know what actually happened."

Damn it. Normally this kind of information would have her running back to the office, day off or no. She got into the car, grimacing at the mess of food wrappers and coffee cups that she'd left. "Are the contractors still active?"

"No. Things have been quiet for the past twenty minutes."

"It sounds like everything is under control," she told Saitou. "Am I needed for anything?"

"Uh, no," Saitou sounded uncomfortable. "We just thought…the Chinese Embassy, and BK-201…this might have something to do with the MSS business from earlier this week."

Misaki started up the engine. "You're probably right. But if the Chinese aren't willing to cooperate, there isn't much we can do. Thanks for letting me know; but I have to hang up now, I'm driving."

"Right! Sorry Chief!"

"Wait," Misaki said as a thought occurred to her. "PL-282. What do we know about him?" She switched over to speaker phone so that she could shift, and pulled out onto the street.

"We're still working on that," Saitou replied. "So far we don't have much. He's believed to have been involved in the South American conflict. In recent years, his activity has been sporadic and scattered; Matsumoto thinks he's probably more like a gun for hire than a regular intelligence operative."

"Hm. A new hire by the MSS maybe, to deal with…whatever it is that had them sending those other two contractors here? Do we know what his affiliation was during the war?"

"Negative. He's almost as much a mystery as BK-201. Say, they were both in South America - do you think they know each other? Were they working together at the embassy?"

"No idea," Misaki said. "Call me if you find out anything concrete; otherwise, it can wait until Monday."

Misaki ended the call. She felt guilty for brushing Saitou off like that, and even guiltier knowing that she herself was involved in the "contractor activity" that he was reporting. A star had fallen; Hei must have killed that contractor he was fighting. It wasn't exactly a surprise, but she'd been more comfortable in her ignorance.

Then she remembered the contractor that she'd killed, last night. Saitou hadn't mentioned him; either they hadn't been able to connect him to the MSS, or else homicide hadn't identified him as a contractor. Or maybe they hadn't even found the body - Hei hadn't said what he'd done to "clean up" the site. She wasn't going to ask.

Misaki kept telling herself that it was Hei she was helping, not BK-201. It made her feel better about what she was doing; though somehow, she didn't think that the Director would see the difference. Was there a difference?

She made good time to Shinbashi, driving as fast as she dared. A terse "it's classified" would get her out of a traffic stop; however, she couldn't risk word of her extracurricular activity getting back to the department. But she arrived without incident, stopping only briefly to fill the gas tank. She pulled over under the crossing, engine idling. Even on the weekend this was a busy part of the city, and she wondered if she should have given Hei a more detailed location to meet. But then Misaki realized stupidly that the bottle of water she'd picked up at the gas station would be more than enough for Yin to be able to locate her.

Sure enough, she only had to wait for five minutes before Hei opened her car door. He was still in his cap and jacket; Yin was wearing a cap as well, pink with a touristy logo like you'd find at an airport or large train station. Most of her hair was tucked under, hidden from casual view.

"Any problems?" Hei asked, helping Yin into the back seat.

"Hello, Misaki," Yin said in her usual emotionless voice.

Misaki smiled. "Hi Yin - good to see you. No, no problems. You?" she asked Hei as he got into the passenger seat. As soon as he shut the door, she put the car in gear and pulled out into traffic.

"Almost," Hei answered. He tugged the cap down low over his face and slouched in the seat. It wouldn't be good for either of them if he was seen in her car. She supposed that was why Yin was wearing the hat; her silver hair was too distinctive.

"What happened?"

"The higher-ups know I was active at the embassy. But they know Morado was there too; I have orders to find him."

His organization already knew about the star activity? That meant they must have a mole, either in Astronomics or in Section 4. She didn't like that thought at all. "You're not in trouble for the embassy?"

He shrugged. "I don't always wait for instructions."

"Or follow the ones you're given?" Misaki asked wryly. She glanced over at Hei, but his expression looked troubled. "Can I ask why they want you to find Morado? They don't know anything about Xu, do they?"

"I don't think so. Mao suspects something is going on, but I don't think he'll say anything. Morado…he used to work for the same people I do. We were on the same team for almost a year. Then he deserted, and I was given orders to find him."

The animosity underlying his words surprised Misaki. Hei didn't seem the sort who would take desertion as a personal affront. Most contractors wouldn't, as they didn't feel any loyalty to their organizations; with Hei she'd've thought it even less likely. Strangely, he did seem to have loyalties - but to people he cared about. His sister, Yin, Xu…herself. Not to the people he worked for. Had he and Morado been friends once? Or maybe just being teammates was enough for him to feel betrayed.

"And you didn't find him?"

Hei was silent for a long moment. "No," he said finally. "He left just days before Heaven's Gate disappeared. It was chaos for a long time after that."

Heaven's Gate...Ah. "You were hunting Morado? That's why you weren't with your sister when you lost her?" His silence told her that she'd guessed correctly. He hadn't said what he'd been ordered to do once he found Morado, but she had a feeling that the other contractor was dead no matter what. And she was driving Hei straight to him.

"Do you know your sister's Messier code?" she asked abruptly. "I can check my files, see if I have information on her. And my friend Kanami, from the bar, works in Astronomics. I can ask her for any data she has; she'll help me out without asking questions."

"It wouldn't help," Hei said, staring straight ahead at the traffic in front of them on the expressway. "There's only one person who knows what happened to Bai. But she won't talk; she's just been toying with me. That's all she's ever done." There was an angry, bitter note to his voice that worried her. Misaki heard Yin shift in the back seat and glanced in the rearview mirror; Yin shook her head slightly, eyes hidden by the bill of her hat. Was she disagreeing with Hei, or warning Misaki not to pursue the subject?

Despite her curiosity, Misaki decided to drop it; they needed to focus on finding Xu. "What can you tell me about Morado? What's his ability? How skilled is he?"

"He can boil water, or any liquid that's mostly water, as long as he's in contact with it. Blood is one of his favorite targets - don't let him get close enough to touch you. And he survived South America, which took two things: skill, and luck. Let me handle him when we find him."

Misaki was more than a little nervous about what would happen when they found Xu and Morado. She wanted to call the Yokohama section chief and bring in a team of police to arrest Morado and any other contractors that were with him - but that would compromise Hei, not to mention herself. She supposed she was just going to have to wait and play it by ear, depending on what was best for Xu.

"How close do we need to be for Yin to start looking?" she asked. "Do I need to pull over?"

"Thirty kilometers," Yin said. "I can do it from here, if I have water."

"We should be within range now. Here." Misaki handed the water bottle to Hei. "There's a coffee thermos on the floor, that might be easier for her."

Hei reached beneath his feet and found the thermos. He rolled down the window, dumping the dregs of the last of her coffee, and poured the water into it before handing it to Yin. "Start with Chinatown," he told her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yokohama's Chinatown was crowded, and the sedan was forced to navigate slowly through the throngs of people. Jiao-tu stared out through the window as they passed under one of the ornate gates, trying to memorize their route. They were probably going to kill her as soon as they had her phone, but maybe she would get a chance to run or call for help. She recognized some of the shops and restaurants; she, Mei-li, and Liang visited here frequently, especially on holidays.

The car pulled into a tight alley between two rows of store fronts and came to a stop next to a roll-up metal door; some kind of loading bay. The driver honked twice, and after a moment the door was lifted to reveal a man in a waiter's uniform. He made a motion with his hand.

"All clear," the driver said, the first words that he'd spoken since they'd left Tokyo nearly an hour ago.

The alley was barely wide enough for the car doors to open. Zhang and Chuzi both exited the vehicle. Zhang straightened his jacket with a huff and walked into the building without a word.

"Out," the contractor ordered Jiao-tu. She reluctantly slid across the bench seat to the door. Chuzi took hold of her arm and lifted her awkwardly to her feet. It was hard to keep her balance with her hands tied.

"Move the car," he told the driver. "Someplace not in Chinatown. And nowhere near water - no puddles, no street vendors, nothing."

The driver looked like he was going to object - Jiao-tu didn't think he was used to taking orders from Chuzi - but one smile from the contractor had him obeying. Chuzi then quickly ushered her into the building after Zhang.

They entered a small storage room packed with crates and boxes. Chuzi pulled her through a door in the far wall; she heard the clanging of the metal door being shut behind her. She tried to suppress a shudder. Beyond the door was a narrow hallway that smelled strongly of…peanut oil? As they headed to a staircase at the end of the hall, Jiao-tu caught a glimpse of a steam-filled kitchen. They must be in a restaurant. She wondered if it was one that she and her roommates had ever eaten in.

At the top of the stairs was a large, rectangular room. Two armed guards stood on either side of the door; Jiao-tu tried not to look at their heavy guns as she passed by them. Folded-up banquet tables and chairs lined the bright, bloodred walls, and a large row of windows, covered in blinds, stretched across the back wall. An Indian man leaned up against one of the side walls, casually bouncing a racquetball up and down off the floor. She wondered if he was another contractor. A small table was set up in the center of the room; it held only a laptop computer and a landline phone. Zhang was speaking angrily with another black-suited man at the table.

"Problem?" Chuzi asked unconcernedly as he approached with Jiao-tu in tow.

Zhang's eye twitched; it was the other man who answered. "Word from the embassy. The area's settled down, and the local police have been dealt with. Shanzi was killed."

Jiao-tu half expected Chuzi to say 'I told you so,' but he just waited placidly.

"That makes four contractors we've lost this week!" Zhang said. "Four! It's not like we have an endless supply of them!" He was glaring at Chuzi as if he thought it was his fault.

"If you were buying a doll -" Chuzi began, but Zhang cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Too expensive. Your fees are exorbitant enough; I'm not paying to feed yet another useless mouth."

"Maybe you should be deciding whether the gain is worth the price," the contractor said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"It's not up to us to decide," the other man said, crossing his arms. He was taller than Zhang, but looked to be about the same age and was just as slim. "Government wants back in the game; they think this is the way to do it." He finally looked Jiao-tu's way. "This is the girl in possession of the item?"

"This is the girl formerly in possession of the item," Chuzi said. "She has hidden it from us, but we had no time to speak before we were having to run. So, if we are secure here, we will continue now: where is it that you have left your phone? No lies now," he said, his smile not touching his eyes.

"Where's Mei-li?" Jiao-tu asked stubbornly.

Chuzi gave a put-upon sigh. "Time to bargain is over, Anjinha." He pulled back the sleeve of her jacket and pressed his thumb to her bare arm. Her skin began to sting, then burn. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain.

"Not afraid of a little scar?" the contractor said in a bored voice. "How would you feel to lose all the skin off your arm?" The burning began to spread throughout her whole arm.

"He'll kill you if you hurt me!" she tried desperately, tears stinging her eyes.

To her surprise, the burning stopped. There was still a sharp pain where his thumb was touching her skin, but it was fading. She opened her eyes; Chuzi was looking at her with a slight frown on his face.

"You believe that still? Even after I promise you you are wrong?" Then his expression returned to neutral. "Your friend is elsewhere; but if you prefer, we will bring her here, and I will burn her until you tell these fine men the location of your phone."

Jiao-tu's eyes widened. She had no doubt that he would do as he said. "Okay! Okay. Don't hurt her. I hid my phone in a shrine by Nogizaka station. Under a bridge."

"The name of this shrine?" the unknown man asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I can find it, if you take me there." Maybe once back in Tokyo, she could find a chance to escape. Maybe Tian was still looking for her there.

Chuzi gave a sharp laugh. "Clever girl, to ask to be brought away. A map should do, I think." He gestured to the laptop on the table in front of them; the unknown man sat down and started typing.

"Nogizaka station," he muttered. "How you write that?"

"Eu não sei. I agree to work for the Chinese, so I learn Chinese, not Japanese." Jiao-tu thought Chuzi sounded irritated, but it was hard to tell.

"There," Zhang said, pointing to the screen. "It's not far from the embassy."

The man turned the laptop towards Jiao-tu. "Is this the shrine?"

She leaned forward and squinted at the screen, trying to picture the street in her mind. "I think so. There's a pond in the middle of it, and a bridge. I hid the phone up under the bridge."

The man picked up the phone and dialed a number. Zhang gave her a cold look. "The phone had better be there," he said, letting the threat hang unspoken, then jerked his head at Chuzi.

"Sit and be quiet, Anjinha," Chuzi told her, guiding her to the corner underneath one of the windows. "We will be with you again shortly." He started to turn away, then stopped and frowned at her. The expression was even more unsettling than his smiles.

"You left your phone near water, you said?"

"Um, yes. A pond." Why did that matter?

His frown deepened. "If he was seeing you go to the embassy, then he was seeing you hide your phone. Perhaps it is me he is hunting, not you…" The contractor muttered something in Portuguese that sounded like a curse, then returned to the table to join the two officials.

Jiao-tu glanced at the door to the stairs; the two armed men were blocking it, and the third man was still bouncing the ball and ignoring everyone else as if he was alone in the room. Her knees were weak with nerves and she wasn't sure she'd be able to sit without collapsing outright. As she turned to attempt it, she saw who else was sitting in the corner.

"Arakawa?"

Portuguese translations:

Anjinha....little angel
Eu não sei...I don't know