My first Darker than Black fic! I adore Hei and Kirihara...

This story follows on from events at the end of Episode 25.

A Whiter Shade of Grey

Kirihara Misaki had the mother of all headaches. It was as if a dozen hammers were bearing down on the walls of her cranium. She valiantly made some effort to move. Must get up. But collapsed back with a quiet moan into the dilapidated sofa that was her bed. The last thing she remembered was this feeling of being pulled into some kind of vortex and then suddenly it stopped. Her eyelids were inordinately heavy and she had a sinking feeling that she was not in her own home. Have I been drugged?

"You've suffered a concussion… Officer Kirihara. You should rest." A monotonous female voice spoke.

"Where am I?" She muttered weakly.

"In a safe place."

Misaki tried to look around. She could barely make out the crumbling wall and torn wallpaper. Without her spectacles, Misaki knew she had as much chance as a bat of seeing her surroundings. Where are my glasses, I wonder.

"Who are you?" She could barely get the words out.

"I am Yin."

"Did you bring me here?"

"No, not me."

Her instincts were good, everyone told her that… and her instincts were telling her that she was safe. For now. Logic dictated that if these people wanted her dead, she would've been already. This Yin… was she an angel watching over her or a watchdog ready to rip her to shreds at the first sign of trouble?

A fragrant odour permeated the atmosphere. Garlic… or onions? It appeared that someone was cooking.

Is that fried rice I smell?

"How long have I been here?"

"3 days."

"3 days?" Misaki echoed. Her people were most likely worried. "I need to go…"

"You shouldn't move, Officer Kirihara. You're not in any condition to go anywhere."

As much as she hated to admit it, Misaki knew that Yin was right. She hardly had any strength to talk much less move. She resigned herself to the fact that she was was helpless as a babe, wherever she was… as a prisoner perhaps. They were living in dangerous times, nothing could be certain… no one could be trusted. What was it that November 11 had said to her? The line between ally and enemy had become blurred.

There was talk about a war brewing between normals and contractors now that contractors were a known quantity in the public imagination. It wasn't the first time she had wondered if she had chosen the right path… to allow humanity to forge its own destiny on this planet… a place where normals and contractors can co-exist, if such a possibility could exist. Could a war be averted? Misaki was doubtful and she hated the thought that she would be embroiled in one.

It was a lonely life she had chosen… being a law enforcement officer, she saw things that she hoped others might never. Death was an everyday reality. Not that she feared the possibility of death but emotionally, it did take its toll on her. Law enforcement was her vocation… her great calling to right wrongs but now things were hardly black and white. Most thought that Kirihara Misaki became a cop because of her father but really it was a lot simpler than that… she was an idealist, she believed in justice. But now, she was starting to doubt in that very justice she had sworn to uphold. Kirihara was not afraid of dying… but of failing… of making the wrong choice. The everyday uncertainty of her choices was tearing her apart.

The fog was lifting and she could gradually feel herself gaining control of her extremities.

"Please… can I have some water?"

The young woman called Yin got up and ambled to another room. Before long, she returned with a glass in her hand.

"Do you need help?"

"Please."

Using her right hand, Yin propped Misaki up at an angle and carefully put the glass to her mouth while slowly letting the water trickle down her mouth.

She's stronger than she looks. Misaki noted.

The sips turned to gulps and soon Misaki downed the entire glass of water. She was still thirsty but thought it best to wait a while before trying again.

That smell of something delectable returned to her consciousness as that aroma of something stir-fried wafted through the air. Whatever it is, it smells wonderful. Food… when was the last time I ate?

She had been in a stakeout with Saito… it had been hamburgers as usual. They spotted the target and she left the hamburger half eaten on her seat. In the heat of the chase, they were separated and stood face to face with the target… she tried to run but was rendered immobile. That was the last thing she remembered before she blacked out.

The aroma in the room became stronger until it assailed her nostrils.

"Eat." It was a familiar voice… one she hadn't heard for some time…

"It's you." She managed a feeble smile. "Did you bring me here?"

"Eat… you must be hungry…" He repeated, offering her a bowl of friend rice.

When was the last time I had home-made cooking? Kirihara couldn't remember. She made some attempt to grab at the soup spoon but only succeeded in fumbling it around.

He took the spoon from her and fed her a mouthful. She took it eagerly at first but did not have the strength to chew vigorously as was her habit. He waited patiently until she motioned for him to give her more. She took another mouthful and sank into her bed.

"Li…"

"Didn't I tell you before? That person no longer exists." He spoke… neither harshly nor angrily.

"To my mind he does… I have pleasant memories of him… his voracious appetite, how he loved the stars, the way he reminisced about sister and how he couldn't swing a bat to save his life." She spoke softly. "I miss him…"

"He was a phantom, a disguise… a convenient mask to don for a time."

"I refuse to believe that that was all he was…"

"He was a lie." There was a profound sadness in his voice.

"Was he? So was everyone else, it seems." Misaki mused. "But for a lie, he was brimming with earnestness. He saved my life, more than once, it seems and I haven't had the chance to thank him yet."

Misaki was beginning to tire and closed her eyes…

"What should I call you then, BK-201 aka Li Shanshung aka Hei aka The Black Death God?"

"Hei."

"I assume that I am here because you saved my life again."

"I happened to be in the neighbourhood."

"Are you stalking me?" She said half-jokingly.

"No… just watching and waiting…"

"Why?"

"Because I think we can help each other."

"You want me to help you?"

"As long as the Syndicate exists, there can never be peace between contractors and normals."

"What if the Syndicate is right… and that there can never be peace between contractors and normals."

"You don't really believe that, do you, Kirihara Misaki?"

"I don't know what I believe some days… I'm so tired…" Her eyelids were heavy and her body was giving way.

"Rest… we can talk later… when you're feeling better."

"So tired…" Misaki mumbled as she gradually drifted off. Soon she was fast asleep.

"Hei?"

"Hmm…"

"Do you trust her?"

"I do. I have to. There's really no one else."