256First off, apologies for the long delay in getting this chapter out. I took November to participate in NaNoWriMo with my first original fiction - it's nowhere near done, but I think I have a solid story and hope to self-publish next spring! No cops and assassins, unfortunately, but there are a few dead bodies. Also, it's a rom-com. If any of you are at all interested in reading anything original by me, I will put links to my blog and social media in my profile!
We've finally reached the end of The Shifu...I'm so happy so many of you have enjoyed this story; I really didn't think it would be as popular as it is, but iI/i love torturing Hei with his family, so I'm glad to see I'm not the only one!
I know I've said that this is the last installment of The Office, and ino,/i that is not a cliffhanger at the end. It's just a...suggestion...for what the future may hold.
That being said, I do have at least two ideas for new stories after this one, plus I still need to write the one in which Hei meets Misaki's father. And Sacrifices, of course. I don't think I will ever stop writing for this fandom, because I love it, and you, loyal readers, too much...
Getting a visitor's pass for Grandfather was a simple enough process. Hei was a bit worried at first – Grandfather didn't have his passport with him, and picking it up would involve going back to the hotel and seeing Uncle; and despite Grandfather's reassurances, Hei really wasn't ready to speak to his uncle again quite yet.
When they entered the lobby, however, he saw that it was Officer Mogi on duty; Hei could talk his way around Mogi without problem.
In fact, the officer was only too happy to help when he learned who the visitor was. With a wink and a friendly smile, Mogi printed out a blank visitor's badge for Grandfather.
"I'm glad we didn't need to swing by the hotel," Misaki said with a frown as they entered the elevator, "but is this really the level of security we have in this building? I'm going to have to have talk with the duty sergeant."
"Just don't get Mogi in trouble. He wouldn't have done it for anyone else."
Misaki eyed him and said in Japanese, "So the one person he lets buck all our security protocols is the world's best assassin? That doesn't make me feel any better."
"I'm the best for a reason," Hei said mildly.
Misaki only snorted. Then the elevator doors opened, and she smoothed her features into the face of Director Kirihara, leading both Hei and Grandfather into the Section Four offices.
The other four members of the team were all seated at their computers. Saitou and Kouno both lounged back in their chairs, clearly in the middle of some argument or other; Matsumoto was calmly sipping a cup of tea and staring off into space. The only one who looked even remotely like she was working was Ootsuka; but from the way her nose was scrunched up Hei was pretty sure that she was writing one of her stories, rather than analyzing star data.
Ootsuka was the first one to look up and notice them come in. "Chief!" Both Saitou and Kouno snapped to attention in their seats, Kouno nearly knocking over a cup of coffee. "We weren't expecting – oh no, Li, what happened? On the phone you just said you were taking a vacation day!"
"Just a small break," Hei said. "I'm fine."
Misaki folded her arms. "Two small breaks. Did anything come in over the weekend?"
"Some chatter about a new player in town, a German agent," Saitou said. "Nothing urgent."
Hei could see that Misaki was itching to dig into the reports, urgent or not, but she remained out in the main office while he introduced Grandfather to the others, for which Hei was unexpectedly grateful.
At the office it rarely felt like they were together as partners rather than supervisor and subordinate – which normally he didn't mind. That was the way it should be, at work. This afternoon, though, it was like the three of them were already family.
Saitou punched Hei's shoulder affably. "See Li, it wasn't so hard to go talk to your cousin, was it? We knew you wouldn't chicken out." He turned to Kouno for affirmation; Kouno, however, was staring open-mouthed at Grandfather.
"He really trained you? Like, you, you?"
Hei ran a hand through his hair, relieved that Grandfather couldn't speak any Japanese beyond Hello, how are you. "He taught me the foundations of martial arts, yeah. So that was half the Syndicate's job done for them. But it was all artistic demonstration; nothing actually dangerous. Like at the Games."
To Grandfather he explained, "Kouno was really impressed by Jiang's match on Saturday."
It was one of the most relaxing afternoons Hei had ever spent at work. Without much going on in the city, there wasn't much to do besides chat. Ootsuka pressed Grandfather for stories about Hei as a child, while Matsumoto wanted to know about the differences between major wushu schools and training methods. Grandfather was obliging, and in turn asked about life in Tokyo. Misaki would disappear occasionally to take a call or check on a report; but she always returned promptly, and even helped Hei with some of the translations, to give him a break.
"Only you could get a visitor in without identification," Saitou laughed.
"Something he's not going to do again," Misaki said. "What were they whispering about at the desk, though? That was odd."
Hei grimaced, remembering the officers' conversation in the park. "I think that video's been going around the entire metropolitan police."
"Shit," Kouno said. "You okay about that?"
"Kouno, don't swear!" Ootsuka made a shushing gesture, glancing between Hei and Grandfather.
"The video from Busan?" Misaki asked in alarm.
"Busan?" Kouno said. "What's that?"
"Um, a different video," Hei told both Misaki and Kouno. Turning to Misaki he said, "Someone filmed the contractor in the armored truck. Kouno showed it to me the other day, but I completely forgot about it."
"What?" Misaki turned to her Director Kirihara glare onto Kouno. "Show me." Then with a surreptitious glance at Grandfather, she added, "My office."
"Traitor," Kouno whispered grudgingly to Hei as he followed Misaki across the room.
"Anything wrong?" Grandfather asked.
"Nothing. Just a….PR thing," Hei said.
Saitou gave a snort. "I told him he should have just sent it straight to the Chief. Hey Ootsuka, you should show Mr. Xu the swear jar, just so he doesn't think we're a bad influence on his grandson," he added with a laugh.
Hei grimaced. "You don't have to…" he began, but Ootsuka was already taking the jar full of change from her drawer.
"It's double for you today," she told Kouno pointedly when he returned from Misaki's office.
Matsumoto was in the midst of telling Grandfather a story about one of Section Four's first encounters with a contractor, back when the unit was still new and inexperienced, when Misaki emerged from her office, her face grim.
"Unis just called in a contractor sighting four blocks away," she said. "She's being subtle - no casualties so far - but this sounds like our German. I want her brought in for questioning immediately."
"Right Chief!" Saitou and Kouno both leapt up, while Matsumoto grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. Ootsuka's phone began ringing almost at the same time. "Astronomics," she said, jumping to her desk.
Hei made to rise as well, but Misaki fixed him with a stern glare. "You are on sick leave today, remember?"
A flicker of blue light in the overhead fluorescents caught his eye. He glanced up deliberately. "One of Kanami's mediums is telling me there's a doll involved. I should at least go do some recon."
"Not with that arm."
"I know my own limits." He could blend into a crowd in plainclothes no problem, even with his arm in a sling; and if any of his team were threatened, well, a broken arm wouldn't stop him.
Misaki seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, but before she could refuse him again, Matsumoto said, "It would be nice to have him on the ground, if specters are involved. Speaking from previous experience."
Hei could see the decision warring in her eyes. On the one hand, she knew that from a tactical standpoint, she needed Hei there. On the other, she hated seeing any of her team get hurt.
At last she nodded. "Fine. Recon only, understood?"
"Understood."
The others collected their things and prepared to leave; Hei glanced at Grandfather.
"I'll make sure he gets back to the hotel," Misaki said kindly in Mandarin.
"Sorry," Hei told the old man. "I know I was supposed to spend the day with you today…"
Grandfather just smiled and patted his cheek fondly. "Go do some good. I'll see you at the match tonight?"
Hei nodded, relieved. "Yeah. Tonight."
~~~~o~~~~
The German contractor proved amenable to discussions, after she found Hei waiting for her in the motel room where she'd stashed her doll, with Saitou and Matsumoto right on her heels. Even so, the interview took most of the rest of the afternoon, and Hei and Misaki had to leave straight for the match from the office.
Hei could see Uncle's disapproval of Misaki's pant suit when they joined him and Grandfather in the stands, but any coldness that remained lessened at the sight of Hei's arm.
"That's the second time you've broken that arm. You boys," he sighed in defeat, "were always too reckless for your own good. Both of you need to start taking better care of yourselves."
"I couldn't have said it any better," Misaki said with folded arms.
Jiang, his jaw visibly bruised and swollen, lost his final round against Macao. Hei felt a bit guilty for it - until he reminded himself that the whole thing had been Jiang's own fault.
"I'm not bailing you out in the morning," Hei told his cousin after declining an invitation to celebrate the end of the tournament with the rest of the Chinese team.
"Asshole. Don't worry, my face hurts too much to overdo it tonight, anyway." Jiang rubbed his jaw gingerly, then his expression brightened. "But Song said she'd meet me when we get home tomorrow - that's something, right?"
Hei also declined an invitation to dinner with Uncle and Grandfather; aside from craving a simple quiet night at home with Misaki, he was afraid to risk the tentative truce that he and his uncle had seemingly found. Instead he agreed to see them off at the airport in the morning. After that, hopefully the occasional phone call would keep them afloat until he and Misaki were able to visit.
"You'd better come see us," Uncle told him after giving him a strong hug. "The rest of the family will be extremely disappointed if you don't. I am glad to see you again," he added quietly. "You can't imagine how much I've missed you and your sister."
"I know," Hei said. "We'll visit. I promise."
"Good." Uncle squeezed his shoulder; Grandfather gave him one last hug, and then Hei and Misaki headed for home.
~~~~o~~~~~
Misaki was unusually pensive as Hei unlocked the apartment door and they slipped off their shoes inside.
"What's wrong?" Hei asked. "Uncle didn't say anything to you, did he?" He didn't think they'd talked at all, although Uncle had seemed to grudgingly approve of Misaki's enthusiastic interest in the events (and her cheers for the Chinese team).
"Nothing's wrong," she said. "I really love seeing you with your family…" She sighed. "I just hate to think that I'm the one keeping you here, away from them. That's all."
Hei cupped her cheek. "You are keeping me here," he told her. "And that's exactly how I want it."
She smiled, kissing him briefly, then led him over to the couch to sit.
"I do envy the relationship you have with your cousins, though. It must have been nice, growing up so closely. I mean, Kanami is like my sister in a lot of ways, but she isn't my sister, you know? I was pretty lonely sometimes, especially after Mom died." She leaned into his chest, and Hei wrapped his uninjured arm around her. "I know we haven't talked about kids yet, at all…maybe we should have, before now. In my head I've always thought that one would be enough. After seeing you with your cousin though, and hearing about the four of you growing up together…now I'm not so sure."
"So you're saying, you want four?" Hei smiled even as Misaki elbowed him in the ribs.
"Definitely not four! But, maybe two would be nice."
Hei settled against her, warm and comfortable. "Two would be nice," he agreed happily. "But we don't have to decide right now; we have plenty of time to think about it."
Beside him, Misaki drew a deep breath. "Um, actually. About that?"