Midnight in Matsuyama:

Chapter 1: The Get Away

Mid-summer in Tokyo brought on a heat wave like no other. The air was thick and one could see the extreme temperature distorting the air as it rose from the pavement. Misaki Kirihara was sitting in her home office pouring over information on her latest case, thankful to be in the air-conditioning instead of out on the streets. She had continued working with Kobayashi and Madame Oreille, and the organization previously referred to as Section 3, now dubbed the "The Syndicate" for the last three years. Although the name made them sound like they were related to the old regime, they had given up trying to dispel the myth. Misaki's brow furrowed at all the bits of information and codes before her that she worked hard to decipher, staring at the monitor intently. Suddenly her personal cell phone rang, breaking her concentration. She looked down at the name on the Caller ID and sighed to herself. What does Kanami want in the middle of the day? She knows I'm working. Reluctantly the former police chief answered the phone, "Kirihara desu."

"Misaki! Have you made any plans for my birthday, yet?"

Kuso! That's right! She's going to be turning thirty in only two weeks! Some best friend I am. Misaki panicked inwardly as she stumbled for an excuse for forgetting Kanami's birthday. "I, uh, no…Gomen nasai, Kanami," she sighed. "I've been neck-deep with work that I hadn't even started planning."

Kanami laughed, "Well, good! Because I am running as far away from a thirtieth birthday party as I can-"

"Nani? Matte!" the detective gasped.

"—and you're coming with me!" Kanami finished her statement, baffling her best friend.

Misaki was quiet for a second trying to figure out what that meant. "…eh?"

"Well, you'regonna be thirty at the end of the year, so why not run off and party like we're 29 forever?"

"You're insane, Kanami. But what did you have in mind?"

"Well, you're not going to believe this, but I was listening to the radio during breakfast and they were giving away a 'get-away-for-two' to the Matsuyama Summer Festival…with all-expense-paid stay at the Dogo Onsen Resort. So just for fun, I called."

"You didn't-"

"I did! I won! So, since we're two sexy single women, let's go paint the town red in Matsuyama-shi! How about it, Misaki?"

Misaki cringed. She wanted to say no, out of obligation to her organization. She had entirely too much on her plate. But it was two weeks away. She could very well wrap up some of it by then…and it did sound like fun. Besides, she didn't dare tell her best friend 'no' on her birthday. "Kanami…you know I really shouldn't be leaving the city right now with my hands full," Misaki began, "Demo…"

"Demo ka?" Kanami urged her friend to spit it out.

"I'll go. I owe it to both you and myself to go. I'll talk to Ko—uh, my associates. There are people who, if I am not done with this case in two weeks, can probably get it finished."

Kanami pumped her fist on her end of the phone with a "Yushhhh!" It sounded rather like an excited affirmative in English. Misaki just shook her head with a knowing smile on her face at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Misaki, I'll be at your place tomorrow morning at ten. Be ready."

"Eh...Kanami? Why tomorrow morning? I thought the trip is two weeks away," Misaki questioned her eager friend.

"Kaimono! What else? Mataashita, Misaki-chan!" And with that there was a click and the call ended.

Misaki buried her face in her hands and groaned, "Why is everything 'shopping' with her?" She exhaled her little bit of frustration and tried to imagine relaxing in a hot spring. She smiled dreamily to herself as she pictured herself lying on Futami beach, the warm sand and the smell of the ocean. Matsuyama City, eh? Never been there, but I've heard it's amazing. Guess I'll find out soon enough! With a heavy sigh she looked back up to the information-cluttered desk and monitor, and her brow furrowed once again as she returned to her work.

O.o ^_^ o.O ^_^ O.o ^_^ o.O

Later that evening, she stepped outside, sipping on a glass of plum wine. The air was still very warm, but the night seemed to bring some relief from the torturous day. The sky was so incredibly clear. She looked up into the night sky at the stars. It had been so long since she had dwelled on him. BK Ni Maru Ichi. Has your heart been broken by loss one too many times? Have you laid down your mask for good? She sighed as a tear fell from her eye, "Li-kun…" She looked down at her glass, and put her nose to it, inhaling the sweet aroma, closing her eyes to take it in and envisioned his face, with a piece of rice stuck to it after stuffing his face. "You're the only one I know who can rack up a dinner bill bigger than mine," she said softly to herself with a chuckle. Then there was a flash in her mind that shifted to the last time she saw him. He was ready to kill her, he was so angry. She frowned, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her as she recalled his burning question. "What are you doing in Section 3?" Poor Li, he must have thought I betrayed him. In his mind I had become an enemy, and when I think about how angry he was with me…damn…I was only trying to help. Misaki mentally slapped herself once again for pulling her gun on him and sighed. If fate ever brings us together again, I owe you an explanation, and an apology, Li-kun. With one last look on his brilliant star, she took a sip of her wine and headed back inside. She slugged down the last bit of her wine and headed to bed, trying to shake herself of the one person she'd tried so hard to put out of her mind for good.

O.o ^_^ o.O ^_^ O.o ^_^ o.O

Two weeks later, Misaki was on a plane out of Tokyo to Matsuyama. It was a quick trip, a mere hour or so in the air. And they found themselves stepping out into glorious sunshine and a light off-shore breeze that carried the scent of the ocean. They hailed a taxi and sped off to their hot-springs resort. As they stepped out of the taxi, the ladies took in their surroundings: The old architecture, the beautiful foliage and the beach off in the distance. "Oh Misaki! This town is beautiful!" Kanami exclaimed; her eyes alight. The driver handed them their belongings and took off. The duo entered the resort lobby, their luggage in tow. "I read that this is one of the, if not the, oldest hot spring resorts in the country, dating back one thousand years," Misaki informed her awestruck best friend.

"Irasshaimase, ladies, to Funaya Ryokan! You are correct, indeed! Dogo Onsen is on of the oldest established hot spring destination in our beautiful country. Princes, poets, the Imperial families, Feudal lords and their friends and companions came here to refresh and relax over the years," he said with a smile. He adjusted the glasses on his face before grabbing the handles of their suitcases. "Here, let me get these ready to take to your room. Please see Miss Tanaka at the front desk about your reservations."

After retrieving their information and key, Kanami and Misaki followed the bell-hop to their suite. The ryokan had hot spring baths itself, but the Ancient Dogo Onsen, the Kami no Yu, was right around the corner from their hotel. They arrived at the suite and the young man brought their bags into their suite for them, as he advised, "Get your relaxation in now while the place is fairly quiet. In couple days the crowd will come for this weekend's festival. This city will be high-energy come Thursday night! If you need any more information, just ask me or anyone at the front desk!"

Kanami smiled, "Thanks, um…what is your name?"

"Michio desu," he blushed a little.

"Michio, we will be sure to call on you."

He blushed even more and bowed as he exited the room. Misaki's eyes followed him out the door with a smirk. She and Kanami just looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"How adorable was he?" Kanami laughed, "I mean he totally kept eyeing us and blushing. I guess we still got it, if we can make teenagers squirm!"

Misaki clutched her stomach she was still laughing so hard at the look on his face when Kanami said they'd be calling on him. As they calmed themselves, they settled in and dug through their luggage. "What do you want to do first, Misaki?"

Misaki couldn't shake the beach from her mind, "Well I've heard some great things about Futami beach, and the photo's I've seen are beautiful…but let's save it for tomorrow. I'd just love to slip into the hot spring for now."

"You know what? That sounds like a fantastic idea."

Misaki's eyes widen at Kanami, feigning shock, "What no shopping?"

"Huh? You really want to go?" Kanami almost took her seriously.

"Iie…" Misaki rolled her eyes.

Misaki and Kanami put their robes on and made their way down to the baths. They opened the huge doors to the outdoor women's bath and discovered they had it to themselves. They let their robes fall to the floor as they slipped their way into the hot, inviting water. The sound of their sighs reverberated through the vacant bath house. Then they sat in a peaceful silence for a few minutes, letting refreshment seep into their bodies. Kanami broke the silence. "Do you know who that bell boy kinda reminded me of?"

"Who?" Misaki peered at Kanami through heavy-lidded eyes.

"You're friends from back in the police days…That Chinese guy…Bra Boy…Li, was that his name?"

"N-nani?" she faltered, "Why do you say that?"

"Because he was so awkward, and smiley and blushed a lot. Li was adorable in the same way. I wonder what happened to him…do you know?"

Misaki's heart raced. That's right…she doesn't know…She took a deep breath and sighed a little, contemplating Kanami's observation, and thought of him attempting to hit a baseball. "Yeah…you're right Li was adorable like that. You know, Kanami, I'm sorry I never told you, but Li and I sort of had a…date…one night, just before the whole destruction of the Hell's Gate wall, and the fall of the syndicate."

"Wait…WHAT? And you never told me?"

"W-well, I never saw him again after that. Li disappeared. I heard from his landlady that he got sent back to China because his Student Visa ran out," Misaki lied well for the first time in her life, feeling safe that there was an element of truth in that lie, and it protected Li, wherever he may be.

"Aw, what awful luck you have! All the guys you like either run away or get taken away, Kanami said with a hint of compassion mixed with a heaping of sarcasm. "So what did you guys do on your date? Did you kiss him at least?"

"W-well…I ran into him while I was out one afternoon, and we ended up grabbing a bite to eat at that nice hibachi place in Shinjuku. Let me tell you, Kanami, I finally found someone who makes my eating habit look like a bird's. I don't where that guy put all that food, he was so slim!" Misaki laughed at the mental picture of all their bowls and plates stacked together, it looked like 20 people had sat at a table for two.

Kanami snorted at her, "Really! I dare not ask how much that meal cost the two of you then, because I know you eat for about five people. So he didn't have a girlfriend after all?"

Misaki blushed, "N-no, I never got that impression. Actually we had some really good conversation, and somehow it was like he understood me on a certain level. Anyway, we ended up going to the batting cages after that. I had had a stressful day and thought it'd be fun and I could whack away my stress. Poor guy could barely swing a bat, he was so bad!" Misaki suddenly smirked to herself. But somehow he managed to be amazing with grappling wires, wielded double-bladed knives, and was a ridiculous fighter…good acting skills, Li-kun, good acting skills. You had me fooled.

"Okay, but did you kiss him?"

"No, after that we just sat and watched the stars together, just talking. He seemed so sad underneath his smiling exterior, when he relaxed he was a bit somber, like that river flowed a lot deeper than he let on." Kami, does he run deeper than he let's on.

"So you didn't even have a kiss to remember him by before had to leave? Lame!" Kanami huffed a little before examining the thoughtful look on Misaki's face, "You liked him didn't you?"

"H-hai…I did. It hurt me to know he was gone and I'd never get to see him again."

"Is that you focused so hard on chasing BK Ni Maru Ichi after that? I mean you were obsessed for a while, there with that guy. I understand infatuations with the bad boys. I watch enough movies and TV to know what that's all about, but that was bad."

Misaki nodded, "But you would have too, if a noted killer and powerful contractor had saved you on more than one occasion. Wouldn't it make you feel just a little special? As if he…cared…if that were possible?"

Kanami was astonished at how open Misaki was being about her feelings for Li and her infatuation with BK201. Before she went to reply she considered her friend's words. BK201 was a knight in shining armor, in a dark and twisted sort of way.

"You know, Misaki, I'm glad you've let that all go. You're a good person with a big heart. I mean, some people think you're crazy for caring about contractors' rights and such. Who ever you meet in the future, as long as they love you for who you are and treat you right, I'll be behind you one hundred percent."

"Arigato, Kanami," Misaki held back tears that began to well in her eyes with a sigh, and sank into the water up to her neck and exhaled into the water.

After another minute or two, Misaki noticed a smile creep across Kanami's face. Misaki just eyed her with a raised brow. "Nani-yo, Kanami?"

"We're two attractive single women, here for 6 nights. You better believe we're going out guy hunting!"

Misaki slapped her palm to her forehead with a groan. "I think I'd rather go shopping!"