Hey Guys! So earlier this summer, I read a new little ditty from Bleu Tsuki entitled "Time To Feel Betrayed". I really liked the plot of the story, and the very "cliffhanger" like ending left me wanting to add an epilogue of sorts.

Go and read "Time to Feel Betrayed" first! Then come back here, lol. (This won't make much sense otherwise!)

Enjoy this little morsel while I rework JATTP!

Bon Appetit!

"Time To Be Forthright"

Ten suited mobsters attempted to surround Hei and Misaki as they hastened for the back door of the appliance store. The man Misaki had thought of fondly as Li had just revealed himself to be the one and only Black Reaper, and was now quickly guiding her down an aisle packed with refrigerators towards the back of the store. There was no time to absorb the information as they opened fire on the duo. Shots rang out and, thinking quick on his feet, Hei flung open a couple of the refrigerators' doors as they sprinted past. Bullets stopped short of them, deflecting off the stainless steel. He had her by the hand in a tight grip as he wrenched open the metal door leading to the back room and promptly shoved her inside with a single command.

"Get the doll!"

The door slammed shut in her face, leaving her to gawk at it for a split second. The muted commotion from the other side snapped her back to reality as the sound of gun shots and the sizzle of Hei's ability created a violent dialogue. Misaki turned and quickly scanned the room there were boxes stacked everywhere, along with a few chairs placed haphazardly in the far corner. As she rounded a stack of boxes closer to where the gang must have been lounging, she noticed ash trays with still-smoking cigarette butts and various empty coffee and soda cups. Her eyes widened as they found the back of a young blonde's head.

The girl looked no older than fourteen and was tied to a wooden chair with rope. The officer-gone-rogue ran over to the petite blonde who blankly stared up at her when she placed a hand on your shoulder. Brilliantly green like the gardens in a park, those eyes seemed vacant, yet held an air of curiosity.

"My name is Misaki. I am going to get you out of here. Those men were going to treat you badly, and I promise not to let that happen," she stated reassuringly. The ropes around the girl's wrists were tight. Too much for her bare hands, it became apparent that she would need a knife to cut them.

"Damn it. I can't wait for Li! Hei! Whatever his name is!" she grumbled aloud to herself. Then, out the corner of her eye, she spotted a box cutter lying on the floor near one of the scattered chairs. As Misaki hastened over to it, the door flew open once again, causing her to jump back, box cutter in hand, behind a stack of boxes. She couldn't see who it was, but stayed at the ready just in case. Finally a hushed voice came from behind the wall of cardboard.

"Misaki, it's me."

Her sigh of relief acted as her homing signal. Hei came around the corner looking rather ragged. His eyes locked with hers. "Are you alright? You found the doll?" he inquired, still in mission mode.

"Yeah, that's her," Misaki said gesturing to the girl in the chair. "I was about to cut her loose when you came in."

Without another word, Hei took one of his double-bladed knives and sliced though the ropes like they were butter. He looked down at the doll, who peered up at him with emerald eyes. "Don't worry. You are safe with us," he informed the seemingly blank girl, taking her by the hand. "Come on, let's go."

The three of them hustled to Misaki's blue Porsche parked out in the corner of the mall's parking garage. They had snuck out the back door of the store, into the employee hallways behind the storefronts, out an employee exit and into the garage. Misaki revved the engine, threw it into gear, and got them out of the vicinity as quickly as possible.

The doll was silent in the back seat, as had been expected. As Misaki drove a long, roundabout way back to the apartment, keeping a lookout for followers, the shock of the last 10 minutes or so had worn off.

And then it hit her.

"You know…it figures," she started, catching Hei's attention. "The sweetest guy I've ever met in my life turns out to be the world's most notorious contractor."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" he asked, a hint of indignation in his words.

She was silent of moment. "Well, yes and no…It just figures that this is my luck. Besides, I should have known. When I ran in to you a couple weeks ago at the mall, I had recognized the back of your head from the incident at the shrine with UB-001."

"When you pretended your lipstick was a gun, before you realized it was me?" He said, pointing out that he was aware of her suspicion in that moment.

"Let's not even go into your bra-shopping," Misaki shot back.

Suddenly Hei chuckled softly, throwing Misaki for a loop. He looked back at the doll behind him. "It seems I'm getting into the doll rescuing business lately," he stated sardonically. "I had another instance where I got caught up in a doll smuggling ring while on a mission. The mission got tossed aside and I ended up helping a young man save the doll from being sold. That's why I was there that day. The girl needed clothing and a disguise."

Misaki blushed, embarrassed at her previous assumptions. They weren't for him, or a girlfriend, or a friend's girlfriend…he helped someone save a doll. It was in that moment that Li's sweet personality wasn't just the act put on by a skilled contractor. Why would a contractor go out of his way to abort a mission and help save a doll?

"Which makes me think…I don't know if any of my clothes will fit this girl," Misaki replied, getting herself out of her head and back into her present predicament. "But don't worry, L-Hei, I'll go get her something. It's more important that you protect her."

Hei looked at her with an indeterminable expression and nodded his consent.

"Oh, and from what I understand, I have you to thank for still being alive," she deadpanned, eyes remaining on the road. The officer-turned-operative paused as she began to fully realize her crush and her obsession were the same man. An overwhelming emotion washed over her, but she quickly choked it back in the name of professionalism. Now is NOT the time to thinking like that.

"So, thank you…Hei," she said, emphasizing his name as if to etch it into her tongue. What she missed however, while being so focused on her driving, was the curling of the left corner of his mouth into a shyly satisfied smile. He knew this conversation was only over for the moment, as there was so much still left unsaid. But for now, their objectives were to get the doll to safety, find out if she knows anything, and get her a temporary disguise. Hei mentally noted a fourth objective dictated by the obnoxious grumbling of his stomach: Dinner.

After a grand detour, assured that they were not followed, they arrived back at the apartments. Just so that it looked appropriate, they had Yin and the doll stay in Misaki's new place in apartment 202. Hei would be next door, keeping an ear and eye out on the situation while Misaki went to the local department store.

She didn't waste time and returned within the hour. Yin was in the multi-purpose room, which would double both as a sitting room and a bedroom, on the floor kneeling across from the mute blonde. Yin looked to Misaki as she walked in and greeted her in a near monotone. "Welcome home, Misaki."

"Is she all right? Did you talk to her…or however it is that you communicate?" she asked, trying to correct herself, knowing that dolls are psychic individuals.

"Yes," Yin replied with a glint in her violet eyes. "She hasn't eaten in over a day, as they neglected to feed her, but she was not abused otherwise. She is thankful we found her."

"That's good news," the bespectacled brunette said with a grimace, knowing that the poor thing must be starving but is otherwise unharmed. Reminded of her own hunger she thought of Li and his grumbling stomach. "Where's Hei? Next door?"

Yin nodded ever so slightly. "He's making dinner for everyone. Mao should be here soon, too. I know he's nearby."

"The Black Reaper cooks?" Misaki asked aloud to no one in particular, somewhat incredulous of this multi-faceted man. She turned back to Yin, handing her the bags of clothing. "I'll be right back. This is for her. Can you help her with that?"

Yin affirmed with another nod and Misaki was out the door and knocking on door number 201.

"It's Misaki."

The door opened slightly as Hei eyed her before letting her in. The smell of pan-fried pork and boiling vegetables permeated the air. "Thank you for cooking, Hei. It smells delicious," she marveled, staring at the copious amount of food he was preparing.

"Thanks…" He didn't even glance in her direction, giving her the impression that he was either annoyed by her or being shy for some reason. Or maybe a little bit of both?

After quickly briefing him on what Yin told her and receiving nothing more than a mere nod of confirmation as he continued to chop away silently at his vegetables, Misaki felt the need to ask him what the problem was.

"Hei, are you being short with me because I'm annoying or inconveniencing you in some way?"

The dark haired contractor paused mid-chop with his cabbage in hand. "That's not it at all, Misaki." He paused for a thoughtful moment. "I know you have a lot of questions for me…and I have some for you, too, but…we should have this conversation after dinner, when everyone's settled in."

"I understand. That's fine," Misaki replied, letting disappointment seep into her words.

"You're welcome, by the way," he added as she was about to turn and walk out the door, stopping her in her tracks.

"Eh?"

"You've thanked me twice today. For dinner…and for saving your life," he said with an awkward, almost 'Li'-like smile. She returned the gentle sentiment and headed back next door, doing everything within her power to conceal the burst of butterflies in her stomach illicited by his words.

Misaki returned to find Yin struggling to get a white cardigan onto the younger doll's pale arms. The cute pale aqua sundress she had picked out looked lovely on the golden-haired girl. As the oft-serious policewoman smiled to herself with pride in her unrealized shopping skills, there came a scratch at her window. A black cat with a red collar seemed to be looking for the way in.

"Mao," Yin stated flatly.

Misaki opened the window and let in the feline contractor. "I have the final set of directions for our mission," he announced. "We'll discuss details over dinner."

Only minutes later, Hei knocked on the door signaling the Mao and the girls to come next door. The two dolls sat at the table. Yin picked at her usual meager portion while the little blonde just sat there and stared at her plate, seemingly baffled as how to handle her meal. Yin had noticed and tried to instruct her.

"Like this," she said flatly, holding her chopsticks just so and close enough to the younger doll for her to examine. But there was no movement. Yin knew that the girl was hungry but couldn't elicit word or action that wasn't yet programmed.

"Misaki," she summoned the brunette softly. Misaki understood Yin's wordless plight when she headed over to the table and began feeding the emerald-eyed doll.

After everyone was sated, Mao explained the details of the drop-off the next night. In the meantime, Hei and Misaki were directed to train more during the afternoon. Once everything was planned for the next day, Misaki saw to it that Yin and their quiet captive were settled in for the night. Mao took off to patrol, leaving Hei and Misaki to clean up. They both had the quiet understanding to finish their mundane chore before sitting down for an intense discussion.

They finally finished and sat down side by side on his futon, leaning back against the wall of his room in a heavy silence, pregnant with questions and possible answers, wracked with undefinable tension. Misaki knew she'd have to be the one to initiate dialogue. It was with a deep shaky breath that she mustered up the courage to ask the biggest question.

"Hei, I need to know. All this time I have been your pursuer, why did you fight for my life to be spared?"

He sat pensively for a moment, letting her question reverberate in his mind. His dark shaggy mane shaded the hint of panic in eyes. It had always been easier to dodge bullets than her directness. He tilted his head back up and looked to the ceiling for guidance. Honesty had become the only option. Without even turning to look at her, his reply sprang from his lips.

"You are smarter than this, Misaki," he stated bluntly, not meaning to sound insulting. "You're an intuitive woman...I know you are better than just 'being a cop'."

"Excuse me?" she cut in, an incredulous look painted her face.

"You and I know those 'lines' that have been created, determining whose side one is on, are a complete farce. Nothing in this world is black and white."

Misaki seemed to know exactly what he meant. All the moments she had questioned if BK-201 was really the enemy, and if her superiors had any virtue in their motivations, came flooding back into her mind. The dawning of understanding was plain as day in her features as her gaze locked with Hei's inky blue eyes.

Hei suddenly had the urge to elaborate. "You are a kind and just person. When I met you face to face at Wang Xiao Tang's hotel, I realized you weren't just some trained dog chasing me. You have a warm heart. You thirst for the truth...like I do. I couldn't let them kill the one person that really...gets it."

Misaki shivered at his words. The pierced straight through the core of her being. "So you believe having me here, working with you, will enable our chances of figuring out what's really going on? Rest assured, this Syndicate has it's hands in the pot. How can we infiltrate an organization whose cast of characters is virtually faceless?"

"It's the best chance we've got with you here. But I need you..." He drifted off, entranced by the depth of her tawny eyes. It was their widening at his words that snapped him back to the reality in which he hadn't finished his thought. "I need you and your quick intellect, your tenacity and most of all...I need you to trust me."

Misaki and Hei both sitting upright now, facing each other. Her cheeks heated with a rosy blush as her mouth hung agape. Her vocal chords refused to phonate as she searched her heart for any reason, any inkling that told her otherwise.

"I barely know who you really are, Hei," she finally managed. "But somehow...I do. You have my trust. I will give everything that I can to help," Misaki replied, her hand subconsciously finding his and resting atop it. In a moment the room had become exceedingly warm. Hei's hand tingled at her earnest gesture. He couldn't tell her that he found her fascinating. Not yet, anyway, although he got the distinct impression the feeling was mutual. In his usual fashion, Hei fought internally with his heart, while keeping a calm visage.

Clearing his throat, he decided to continue with more of a business-over-pleasure attitude. "Misaki, we need to better train you for combat. This will have to happen mostly in the cover of night, but we have to make the drop off tomorrow evening. So we'll start tomorrow afternoon. From here on in, we are a team," he explained, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I don't trust the Syndicate, either. But there's no avoiding them, they are everywhere."

Misaki nodded in agreement. "If you can't beat'em..."

"Exactly," Hei confirmed. "I figured we'd both get answers working together, not against each other."

The thoughtful brunette stared don't at her lap as she processed it all. But there were still questions floating around in her mind.

"So, what's going to happen to the doll?"

He grimaced. "Well, she will likely be given an exam to make sure she is in good physical shape, then she will be programmed and sent out into the field with a team, like what Yin does with us. So she will have a team looking out for her well-being. She's better off working with a team for the syndicate than being sold into slavery. Who knows what those guys would do to her," he replied, his words were laced with disgust at the last thought.

"Well, you guys take good care of Yin; and November and April take care of July, so I would have to agree with you," Misaki concurred solemnly. "I just wish it didn't have to come to that in the first place."

"You see, when you say things like that Misaki..." Hei had been reminded once again why he fought for this woman's life.

"But I mean it. Why treat dolls and contractors as if they aren't human, when we are all human?" Misaki argued, letting her emotions get the best of her.

Hei couldn't find any words to better express what he had already said. He could fight the urge anymore. "You're right, Misaki," he affirmed, with a gentle hand on her knee. He watched her turn a furious fuschia at his touch. "We are..." he whispered, leaning in closer to her face. "...human." His lips brushed lightly against hers. Her breath hitched at the sensation, one she had until now only felt in her dreams. Following her gut, she reciprocated and closed the paper-thin gap, their lips making full, yet shy, gentle contact. It only lasted a matter of seconds, but it had become apparent that there was more to her infatuation than meets the eye.

He...cares about me?

The cool air wafted between them, fanning away the warmth from their lips as they drew apart. His eyes searched hers inquisitively, flickering with hope. She smiled back like she had earlier: soft and warm. The silence had become more comfortable and lingered a moment until Misaki rose to her feet. Her biggest questions had been answered. She knew what lay ahead, and had much to consider.

"We have a busy day tomorrow, and a long road ahead of us. I should try to rest when I can. You should, too, Hei," she said with a simple softness. Hei watched as Misaki turned to head out the front door when she turned back to him.

"What is it, Misaki?"

"I'm glad I have you to protect me, Hei," she said with a bit of giggle. "After all you are the world's most notorious contractor...and the sweetest guy I have ever met."

On that note, she turned and headed out the door, leaving a thoroughly shocked Black Reaper in her wake.

~Owari~