Disclaimer: I do not own Darker than BLACK or any of its characters

Rated M: Sexual Themes and Language

Chapter 10

"Don't forget your lunch" His mother reminded him nonchalantly as she watched him shuffle hurriedly across the room, stuffing the school books that he'd left the night before on the coffee table into his backpack.

"Did you forget to set your alarm last night, Yuki?" His father asked him from where he sat at the dining room table, enjoying his breakfast. Hei never actually raised his head from his food to glance his way, but Yuki nodded his response anyway.

"You were up all night playing with your telescope weren't you?"

Yuki froze, before he averted his gaze from his father's keen icy stare guiltily.

"Yuki….you need rest," His mother nagged. This was the fourth time this week that he was caught running a little late to school. By now, he was used to her odd mannerisms and her flat tone. He could tell by the way her dull eyes lingered on his body, studying him expertly, that she was disappointed in him. His father sighed, setting his half eaten plate down momentarily to glance at his mother. Yuki noted the nonverbal eye communication going on between them, which they usually exchanged when they were in his presence and were not able to express themselves the way they wanted to. Yin was the first one to break their eye contact the moment her unusual eyes shifted back to him.

"...I know mama, I know. I just lost track of time. I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better." He reassured her as he ran over to give her a kiss on the cheek, just as he had done everyday before he made the short walk to his middle school. She gave him an unconvinced look as she walked him to the door and silently waved him goodbye, keeping her eyes trained on him as he crossed the street and disappeared behind all the foliage.

"He takes after you more and more each passing moment." Yuki mumbled as she pulled the curtains on the living room windows open to allow the sunlight in. She didn't even budge from the living room as she heard his chair scrape against the floor and the dishes clank as he set them into the sink and promptly washed them.

"You could have left them." She walked over to the kitchen sink and took the wet dishes from him, pulling the dish towel hanging from the oven handle off the rail to dry them down before putting them away. She felt his right arm weave around her tiny waist,before it rested casually on her hip bone. By the way his arm was placed on her frame, their bodies side by side, she felt relief from her stress and leaned on him. Before she knew it, she was completely in his arms, and he was hovered forward, passionately capturing her pretty mouth with his own incessant one. His hands blindly caressed her curves from memory and she looped her arms around his neck..

"H-hei.." She stuttered breathlessly as she attempted to pull away. His hands were on her hips in an instant, yanking her body back flush against his and he ghosted his lips over her pink ones tortuously. The sensations he was granting her would have clouded her vision, if she had not opened her eyes to peer at the clock on the wall in front of them.

"Hei...you're gonna be late for work."

He let out a frustrated groan, and she felt his large hands entrap hers and drag them to his erection tenting in its clothed confides. She gasped, already aware of his arousal tempting her own and palmed him gently through his pants. He rested his forehead against her's weakly, as he allowed her to continue what she was doing, and just when he was about to reach nirvana she paused.

"Yin, please.." He whimpered so softly she hardly heard it. She couldn't help the slight smile that erupted on her face at the wicked thoughts that crossed her mind.

"Later." She stated firmly as she backed away, fixing his clothes and straightening out his unruly black hair. He huffed, but didn't fight her decision. After a quick glance at the time, he knew her decision was wise. A twenty minute quicky would no doubt make him late.

He walked back to the living room to gather up his things before he called back out to her,

"Which one of these bento boxes is mine Yin?" She poked her head out in the doorway, and the twinkle in her eyes hinted to her confusion.

"...what?"

He glanced down at the two identical bento boxes left on the coffee table wrapped in expensive indigo clothes. She frowned once she realized what he was referring to.

"Oh no...Yuki forgot his lunch!"

Before he could even respond, she'd grabbed the bento and dashed out the door, taking the shortcut way through their neighbor Sarah's backyard.

"Yin wait!" Hei shouted as he took off running after her. Sometimes, he really wished she wasn't so impulsive. He could have easily dropped the lunch box off at Yuki's school on his way to work. He had caught a few glances of her silver hair blowing in the wind, so he was certain that he was hot on her tail. His heart began to race when he noted the construction going on up ahead. Unbeknownst to her, lying along the railing of a temporary construction walkway was a pile of wooden planks. A group of men on the ground were directing traffic away from the site while another group signaled the man operating the crane on where to go to collect the wooden planks. She stood obliviously waiting at the crosswalk when suddenly the metal chain wrapped around the wooden planks snapped and the wood came crashing down to the ground right above her.

"Fuck!" He cursed under his breath when he realized he wouldn't make it to her in time. Even still he picked up his speed. For once in a long time he wished he was still the Black Reaper so that he could zip through the crowd and save her. Even though he was close enough to see her, he wasn't close enough to shove her out of the way.

"Yin! Yin watch out!" He shouted as he shoved people in the panicked crowd out the way. He watched in horror from afar. To his surprise, the planks materialized and disappeared only to reappear as a neat stack on the ground next to her. Hei reached her right as she was recovering from the shock of it all. Frantically he collected her into his arms, confused but utterly relieved that she was unharmed.

"Yin! Yin look at me. Are you hurt?"

His hands were searching her body for any bruises or wounds as she brushed her long hair out of her face. Though she was silent, she was staring wide eyed at something across the street, completely frozen in his arms.

"How did you do that Yin? And what are you looking at?" He questioned as he eyed the wooden planks beside them wearily. It was all too coincidental that somehow those planks didn't kill her. They should have killed her-but they didn't. Either way, he was grateful that she was alive, no matter how she managed it.

The man that was inside the crane rushed out, trailed by the team of construction workers that had been directing him. They shouted their apologies to Yin and the others that had been in close proximity. Some tried to comfort the crowd as onlookers pulled out their cell phones to call for an ambulance.

"Yin please...talk to me. I-I almost lost you…" Hei's voice cracked as he spoke and his worried eyes searched her's for any clues of mental distress. After a few moments she stirred in his arms and whispered something incoherent to him. He frowned as he tried to make out what it was that she was trying to tell him.

"Y-yuki…" Yin mumbled. Her body trembled in his arms.

"What about him?" He was confused on why she was worried about their son now of all times. She pointed to a figure in the crowd. Hei shifted his attention to the direction she was pointing. As people moved out of the crosswalk, the person she was pointing to became clear to see. And sure enough, across the street was their son Yuki, looking shocked and conflicted with one of his arms outstretched as if he were trying to reach out to his mother. Hei blinked and when he looked again Yuki was gone. He took a deep breath. First, he almost lost his wife...now he was seeing things?

"...I saw Yuki...the wood...manifested…" She gasped as she stuttered her speech. An EMT worker came over and asked Hei a few questions about what happened and if she was hurt. He handed Hei a blanket which he wrapped around her for comfort and picked her up bridal style to carry her to the ambulance. He made a quick call to his office to alert his boss on the situation and why he wouldn't be at work for a few days. Not that he needed validation- he was sure it would be on the five o'clock news.

"How is her condition?" Hei asked as he watched the paramedic examine his wife.

"She's stable. It's normal for people to be this shaken up after they experience these types of accidents."

Hei nodded his head in understanding before the paramedic moved on to other people.

"Yuki? Where's Yuki?" Yin whispered softly as she finally looked him in his eyes. His heart filled with sadness at how shocked she looked. He wasn't used to seeing so much emotion in her expressions, and he found that somehow it was disturbing.

"Yin sweetie...Yuki, he...he wasn't there…" He stated hesitantly. She slowly shook her head.

"No. He was there…..you saw him too didn't you?" He paused. He wasn't in the habit of lying to her and he wasn't about to start now. Even though he had seen their son, he was sure it all boiled down to his mind playing tricks on him.

"Yin, Yuki is in school right now. Remember?" He picked up their son's bento box to emphasize his point. She stared at it blankly before she turned back to him.

"Where is he Hei?" She asked again, quieter this time. Hei sighed. Before he could even respond a familiar voice broke his train of thought.

"I'm here mama." They turned to the direction of the voice.

"Yuki!" They both cried out in unison as their son walked up to the back of the ambulance where they were sitting.

"Yuki, why aren't you in school?" Hei rebuked as he beckoned his son closer to them.

"Papa...I-"

"-How?" Yin demanded flatly as she pulled him into her arms, examining his hands and his face as if he had transformed or performed magic.

"I-I don't know how…." Yuki mumbled. Yin searched his face for any signs of deceit. After a few moments she seemed satisfied with his answer because she grabbed both of their hands and dragged them through the crowd of people going on with their lives.

"Hold on. I feel like I'm missing something. What are you two talking about?" Hei asked dumbly as he followed the two most important people in his life.

Yin turned around and gave him the most eery look he'd ever seen on her pretty face.

"Yuki...his powers...they've manifested…"

Yuki peered through the crack of his parent's bedroom door. With his mother's keen senses and his father's fast reflexes, the slightest sound would get him caught. From what he could tell, they were discussing what they were gonna do with him.

"Well, we don't know for sure that that was his doing."

"No. It was him." Yin replied flatly. She knew he was unconvinced and even if she could prove it, it was not exactly something he was thrilled to hear.

"Ok...let's say it was him. Do you think anyone noticed but you?" She shrugged.

"I can't be sure." Hei scowled.

"What exactly did you see?" Yin demonstrated what Yuki did with his hands.

"He didn't do much. I heard him call out my name, but that was it. What did you see?"

"I saw the wood materialize into a billion pieces before they suddenly appeared next to you." He paused momentarily to gather his thoughts.

"I think his powers are like Bai's"

"How so?"

"I think he can manipulate matter...but I'm not certain. It's just a guess. Bai could manipulate matter to a molecular scale, but her ability specialized in electricity. She could manipulate it to various degrees and as long as an object is a conductor of electricity, the technique can pass through it, making indirect attacks possible. I think his ability may be very similar to that."

"Hn"

"Well, until we figure this out I think it would be best if we left town for a little bit."

They didn't hear the door creak as Yuki left his hiding place. Both of their heads snapped to his direction at the sound of his footsteps. In an instant he was pinned to the ground by his father who immediately released his grip on him once he registered who he was.

"...don't scare me like that Yuki. I thought you were an intruder."

"Sorry papa." Hei helped him off the floor and smoothed down his short silver hair.

"Your father is on edge" Yuki peeped behind Hei to glance at his mother sitting poised on their bed staring out into space. Hei frowned before he motioned for Yuki to leave the room. However, Yuki had other things on his mind.

"I don't want to leave…" He stated emotionlessly as he stood in the doorway. Both of his parents regarded him silently.

"How long have you been hiding behind the door Yuki?" Hei asked calmly. Yuki averted his gaze.

"...the whole time."

"So you heard everything?"

"...yes." Hei turned to Yin with a disapproving look.

"Why didn't you tell me he was listening in?"

"...does it matter?" She stated plainly. Hei rolled his eyes before he spoke to Yuki again,

"Ok , well good. Then you know why we have to leave town right?"

Yin merely glanced out into space, lost in her own thoughts.

"Papa...I promise I'll be careful. I'll do whatever I need to do. I don't want to leave." Hei sighed as he rubbed his temple.

"It's not that simple Yuki, I don't want us to-"

"-Hei" His blue eyes studied Yin the moment she interrupted them.

"What?"

"It's ok. We need to trust our son. Right Yuki? If you show us how you did what you did, then we won't leave." Hei gave her a baffled look,

"Yin are you crazy! We have to go. It's not safe!" Yin ignored him as she regarded their son once again.

"Show me." She coerced gently. Yuki looked troubled.

"I wish I knew how...mama I swear, I don't remember how I did it!"

Yin didn't budge an inch.

"Will you try? Please...for me?" She asked. He nodded his head. At that she stood up and closed all the blinds and shut their bedroom door. Then she picked up a vase of fresh flowers from their dresser and let it drop to the ground.

"If he can manipulate matter, then he should be able to destroy this vase….or even put it back together….right Hei?"

Hei reluctantly nodded his head. She continued,

"So try it Yuki. Try to put the vase back together."

They watched silently as Yuki focused his attention on the vase. There was a surge of energy in the room as Yuki extended one of his arms until his fingers pointed to the shattered glass. Slowly the glass began to mend back together until it sat perfected crafted on the ground with the water and the flowers all in it, exactly as it started.

Hei watched in utter fascination. Yin was the first to speak.

"He can manipulate atoms Hei, not just matter. His ability is atomic manipulation."

"Isn't that what you can do papa?" Yuki asked curiously after he placed the vase back on the dresser. Hei shook his head.

"I am not a true contractor. My ability comes from your aunt who is technically inside me. Her ability is molecular manipulation. Even though atomic manipulation and molecular manipulation sound similar, they are different. Unlike Bai, you can manipulate matter on an atomic level whereas she cannot. All things are made up of atoms, so all matter contains atoms. Your ability, if it is truly atomic manipulation, has a broader range than hers. The possibilities of what you can do are endless. In theory, you can turn water into wine, or lead into gold, or even oxygen into poison. Having the ability to alter the atomic make-up of anything on the planet means that the world is literally at your disposal Yuki. You can create, or eliminate, anything you want."

Yuki's heterochromatic eyes widened as he processed all that information.

"As far as I know, you are the most valuable...but also, the most dangerous contractor out there. I don't think I've ever come across another contractor that can do what you can do in all my years of fighting for the Syndicate. Well except for your mother. But she's a doll. Izanami, an evolved being that used to posses her, had the ability to make contractors kill themselves by using their own powers against them. Other than her, I haven't met anyone skilled to that degree. Have you Yin?"

She shook her head yes.

"Amber and Black Dandelion come pretty close."

"What could they do mama?"

"Amber had chronokinesis and Black Dandelion could give people abilities by entrapping them in a black flower.

She rose from the bed and kneeled before their son, collecting his hands into hers as she peered fearfully up at him.

"...nobody can know Yuki. Nobody. They must never know what you can do."

Hei regarded his son with a sad, empty expression. There was no use fighting it; they knew this day would come. He could take comfort in the fact that they had time to prepare for this moment, but that was about it.

"You have to promise me you will keep your ability a secret Yuki. You were born to become the greatest weapon created in modern history. And now, just as they planned, you have awakened. You must only use it for emergencies like how you saved your mother this morning. They will take you away from us if they find out your powers have manifested."

"But how? How could they possibly know papa?"

"There are dolls out there who can tell when you've used your power because they can sense the activity of your star. I hope that for now, they are not tracking your movements as you speak. As far as anyone knows, your star has been dormant for 13 years. Let's keep it that way."

"How do you know they will take me away? They might not-"

"-No! They will take you away if they find out. There is no denying that fact. You are apart of this family. You are apart of us. Fifty percent of your DNA is from me and the other fifty percent is from your mother. Yin may not have given birth to you the way your friends were born, but you are our son. She loves you-I love you. You're all we have Yuki.

Who knows, once they have you, they might get greedy. Things might get risky. If they know Yin can possibly create biological warfare weapons with our genes, after experimenting on you, they might take us all! Imagine, them using your mother as a breeding machine! They tried it once and they succeeded! Just imagine...no...no, I will not allow that to happen."

Hei began to pace around the room, clearly stressed. Neither moved to console him. He was inconsolable when he got into those moods. Yuki had witnessed it himself, the things his father did to keep him safe. The sketchy visits they would receive over the years that Hei swore were spies from the Syndicate. They were itching to find something, anything, any clue as to where their prized possession could have run off to. Yuki knew it was his parents greatest fear: being discovered by the Syndicate.

"They took your mother away from me once...if they take you away too I don't know that I'll do...I can't….I can't go through that again Yuki…"

Yuki had never seen his father in pain before. He had always been quiet, reserved, even patient with him. When his mother was angry with him, his father always took his side. He was the one who helped him with his homework, and taught him how to ride a bike. He was the first to explain the ways of the world to him when he was confused. He was the one who encouraged him to try new things, as long as they weren't dangerous or would draw attention to their non traditional family. He was the one who explained to him why his mother was so robotic sometimes, why she acted the way she did because of her doll-like tendencies.

But the look in his eyes, that devastated and far away expression on his father's face brought him face to face with reality. His parents have been through hell because of the Syndicate. They knew how to destroy people. They ripped lives-families, apart. And they would do it again. To him... to the people he loved and the people who loved him. To his parents. To Sarah...

"Yuki sweetie, why don't you give us a few moments alone? Maybe pay Sarah a little visit; she's been asking about you a lot lately." Yin asked kindly as she dug her hand into his father's black tank top, effectively stopping his pacing. Yuki made his way to the door. When he looked back, his father was on his knees before his mother in between her legs, embracing her tightly from where she sat on the edge of the bed. His head was buried in her chest, so his face was hidden from view. She had her arms wrapped around him. Her hands had disappeared into his inky locks, comforting him silently in ways only she knew how. Whatever happened to his mother when the Syndicate had taken her away must have been devastating for his father, forever branded in his memory. Their memories must have been painful for the both of them because his mother looked equally upset.

"Go…" She encouraged him. He shut the door behind him. They listened carefully for the sound of the front door closing. After a long while Hei lifted his head up. He looked tired, and she caressed his jaw lovingly.

"What are you thinking Hei?"

"His obeisance...what was his obeisance? Did you notice it?" She thought on it before she shook her head no.

"Maybe he doesn't have one."

"No that's impossible. Every true contractor has one. We must not have caught it. He might not have even noticed that he fulfilled it. If that's the case, it must be minor."

"I don't think-" She gasped in the middle of her sentence as she looked up and took a good look around the room.

"What! What is it?"

"Look…" She mumbled as she pointed to something behind him. He turned around and glanced around the room. All the plants in their room had withered and died, even the flowers in the vase Yuki had restored.

"Did he do that?" Hei asked.

"They weren't like that before…it's like he sucked the life out of them." She spoke in wonder as she watched him walk over to the plants. They each crumbled in his hand before they withered into nothing but dust.

"What do you think did it? His obeisance?" She asked curiously. She eyed the dust from the flowers that had collected on their hardwood floor.

"I don't know. Maybe that is what it is: he takes the energy or life-force out of plants around him."

"What if it is not just plants? What if he can take it out of anything?"

"...then I would think we would be dead. If that were the case, that doesn't seem like an obeisance to me. That sounds more like another ability."

"...what if his obeisance is another ability. In that case, he would have two abilities."

Hei started to shake his head.

"This can't be happening. A contractor with two abilities? An atomic manipulation ability and a life-force manipulation ability? That's crazy..."

"He's different Hei." He flinched at her tone but didn't comment back. She was right. Yuki had always been different, since the day Yin brought him home. They were used to that, but applying it to this situation made it all the more real.

"Hei, if that were the case what would this mean?"

"...it would mean that he has the power to manipulate the essence of life. Life is present in all living things throughout the universe. That just means the amount of control he has over his environment as a whole is tremendous. And if this ability is his obeisance, then every time he uses his true ability, a payment of altering the life-force of something around him would be expected and even...inevitable..."

Neither of them had anything to say as they began to understand the gravity of the situation. Little by little they were discovering how powerful their son really was...even though they wanted nothing more than for him to live a normal life. How was he possibly gonna be able to do that now?

"Yin...why don't you go keep an eye on Yuki at Sarah's house? I'm gonna go check something out."

"Where are you going?"

"To see if he did the same thing at the construction site. Because if he did, if he really does have two abilities...then we've got a whole other matter on our hands."

"Why? Why now? What do you think caused his ability to awaken?"

Hei got quiet. She could tell he was thinking, but the look in his eyes when he finally looked at her truly scared her.

"What? What is it Hei?"

"...you…"

"What about me?"

"No, that's it! That's what caused his powers to manifest!" She looked at him like she was confused.

"Yin...I think...I think it was you…"

Author Note: Review, don't review. You can do whatever you like.