A/N: Another new short story!

Vespa

A short haired woman let out an irritated sigh as a balding man critically eyed her from behind a large desk. "Detective Takino," the man spat out with a bit of disdain in his voice, "you are easily the most frustrating detective I have ever had to put up with. I get reports every single day about your brazen behavior and lack of…consideration for our rules and, quite frankly, the law."

"Look it was...an accident," Tomo eagerly replied as she eyed her pistol sitting on the desk next to a nameplate that read: "Chief of Police." "And either way the guy didn't get away. Didn't die either."

"Our witness is comatose!" the chief barked. He then let out a frustrated sigh as he shifted to a different matter. "That's not the reason I called you in here, though," the chief claimed with a sigh as he picked up the weapon and approached Tomo. "The only reason you still have a badge is that despite your reckless behavior, you manage to solve cases at a respectable rate."

"Respectable rate my ass!" Tomo retorted. "I have one of the best records around!"

The chief shook his head as he handed Tomo her gun. "You have one other redeeming quality," he said, allowing his ire over Tomo's inept attitude to evaporate. "There isn't a soul that knows more about Vespa or gotten closer to capturing her." Tomo visibly paled at the word "Vespa" as her demeanor instantly shifted. "The internet has been abuzz and the word is 'Vespa'," the chief solemnly informed Tomo. "You know what this means. There will be a new victim soon, and we have hours at best. I have already called for an emergency assembly in twenty minutes. I want you to brief everyone along with Detective Akiyama and lead this task force."

"You took me off the Vespa case a year ago," Tomo claimed as she tucked her pistol into its holster. "It's Akiyama's case now. Let her lead it."

"Detective, I know—"

"I asked you to leave me out of this!" Tomo snapped. "I don't want it," she asserted in a calmer voice as she stymied her emotions. "I told you I don't want anything to do with Vespa anymore."

"It's not your call," the chief ordered as he pointed to the door. "Go meet with Detective Akiyama, now. We have to get ahead of this thing again or we're going to have another corpse on our hands."

Tomo bit her lip as she entertained the thought of giving up her badge and walking out altogether. "F-fine!" she angrily agreed as she got to her feet and stomped towards the door. "But Akiyama's leading, not me!"

"Man, I can't believe my luck," a young man gushed as he sat down in a conference room. "My first week as a detective and I already have a shot at the infamous Vespa!"

"If you want to last, you'll have to change that attitude, rookie," an older detective with greying hair advised as he sat next to the excited youth. "Look around you. Do you see any other smiles?"

Sure enough, a quick scan of the room revealed nothing but solemn faces. "Why isn't anyone excited?"

"This will mark the twenty-first victim," the older detective explained. "We aren't going to save that life, and everyone here knows it. Odds are Vespa is going to slip away again, too. We've come away empty-handed far too many times for anyone here to look at a Vespa attack as anything other than an inevitable failure."

"Didn't one of the detectives in this department get really close to nabbing her?"

The older detective nodded. "My old partner, Tomo Takino," he explained. "It destroyed her."

"Huh?"

"She literally spent years chasing after Vespa. On and off the job. It was the eighteenth victim," the senior detective recalled. "Tomo… er, Detective Takino finally cornered Vespa. The rest of us got left behind and by the time we caught up to her, Vespa was gone." The detective sighed as he looked to find his junior enthralled by the story. "Takino was devastated. She refuses to talk about it to this day. She said that no matter what it was a lose-lose situation. And now…now every time another body turns up she blames herself. It's hard on her."

"She just gave up?" the rookie inquired. "Why would she quit?"

The older detective shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "You'll understand someday," he advised. "Some criminal will give you the slip. You will screw up a procedure or mishandle something and a criminal will walk. You might even do everything right and the bastard will get off anyway. Then that criminal will do something truly horrible, and you will blame yourself for it. It's hard." He sighed as he recalled Tomo's crying face. "Maybe you'll be lucky enough to never have to go through that, but for Tomo…she relives it every time a new Vespa victim appears."

The chatter in the room quickly ceased as the chief walked in flanked by two women. "As I am sure you all know, we have reason to believe that Vespa will strike again soon. Detective Takino and Detective Akiyama will brief you on the situation."

Tomo hesitated as she looked to her fellow detective—a middle-aged woman with narrow green eyes and a short, neat haircut. Getting the hint, Akiyama stepped forward. "We received word this morning that Vespa's name started surging all over the internet. In the past this situation has always preluded an assassination by Vespa. Usually within a day or two," she explained as staff rolled in a large presentation board cluttered with pictures and notes. "Vespa has rarely been photographed, and what we have isn't very clear," Akiyama asserted as she pointed to blurry security camera photos and grainy cell phone images. "Complicating matters is the fact that Vespa is a master of disguise. She wears wigs, makeup, even specialized form-fitting masks to disguise her true identity. What we do know is that she is a well-built woman in her late twenties to early thirties and stands approximately 165 cm tall." After the brief explanation Akiyama pointed to another picture on the board. "This is her weapon of choice: a poisoned dagger. The make is generic, but it is retrofitted with grooves to hold a deadly poison that is contained in an airtight scabbard." As she finished the statement she motioned for Tomo to take over.

Tomo reluctantly stepped forward. "We believe that Vespa retrofits the daggers herself. They are obviously just generic daggers that have been altered with these grooves. She-Vespa also leaves the daggers in the victim—she never retrieves it. This is probably to allow the poison to be absorbed. No fingerprints have been recovered, despite many witness accounts of her not wearing gloves. We don't know how or why we get no prints."

"Unlike most serial killers, Vespa has no clear-cut method of execution. She may pull the dagger from a pocket or sleeve and stab the victim, or she may even throw it. Three victims were killed in this manner," Akiyama stepped in. "All of Vespa's victims were high profile targets, suggesting that Vespa is a hired killer. To date, we have arrested six persons suspected to have hired Vespa. No charges have stuck."

"We have tried to follow the money, but nothing has ever panned out," Tomo spoke up as Akiyama sent her a glance. "From the daggers and poison, to the money, even profiling—nothing has brought us anywhere close to capturing Vespa. All we have to work on is who her next likely target will be, and to try to apprehend her during a murder attempt," Tomo sullenly informed the room. "This…almost certainly means that there will be another victim."

"I have been tracking likely Vespa victims," Akiyama offered. "Out of the ten most likely victims, I have narrowed it down to the best three. Our resources are limited, so we must choose how to allocate them prudently. Vespa's victims have two things in common. First, is that they present a big enough problem to someone with enough money to hire Vespa. Second is that they are morally corrupt. All of Vespa's victims have been people who have been accused of serious wrongdoing. This has led some people to hold that Vespa is something of a vigilante hero. That notion couldn't be further from the truth. Fact is that Vespa is trading lives for money."

Tomo sighed as Akiyama passed out profiles of her top three most likely victims. "What did these guys do?" she asked as she received her own handouts.

"The first is a businesswoman who is threatening a hostile takeover of a smaller business. The eminent takeover makes the likelihood of the owner of the smaller business taking drastic measures to prevent that takeover," Akiyama explained as she held up a picture of the woman.

"What did she do?" Tomo repeated.

Akiyama sighed as she returned her attention to the crowd. "This woman was accused of a drunken hit-and-run, but successfully pawned off the blame onto her chauffeur. The victim—a father of two—died." Shuffling through the papers, Akiyama held up another picture. "This man is a politician who is up for reelection soon. In the past he has used his wealth and possible connections to organized crime to intimidate his opponents into submission. In the past decade two of his opponents have disappeared. Both are presumed dead. His opponent this time also has alleged ties to the underworld and a hefty bank account. It is definitely going to get bloody."

Tomo shook her head as she shuffled through to the last photo. "And the last guy?"

"This multi-millionaire is the bastard whose shipping company was found to be taking part in human and weapons trafficking. Although the company had to pay millions in fines, he avoided criminal charges by claiming that lax security allowed criminals to exploit his shipments. Recently a probe found suspicious cargo invoices, but the investigation led nowhere," Akiyama explained as she tacked the three photos to the board. "These three are the best candidates for Vespa's next attack. We will divide our forces among them to try and prevent the next murder." She then turned to Tomo and gave her a nod. "Do you have anything else?"

Tomo hesitated a moment before speaking up. "Vespa always wears a suitable disguise, but she doesn't cross dress. Keep an eye out only for women who are the right height and build."

"Which do you think is the most likely victim?" a voice from the crowd called out.

"My money is on the politician," Akiyama confidently predicted. "We will focus the brunt of our forces on him."

It's the businessman, Tomo thought to herself as the room roared with questions and speculation.

"Enough! We don't have any time to waste!" the chief jumped in. "Vespa already has a head start. We need to get boots on the ground right away," he asserted as he turned to Akiyama. "Detective, I want you to allocate personnel as you see fit. We cannot afford to have Vespa make our department look like a bunch of inept fools again."

"Damn it," Tomo bemoaned as she flopped herself over the steering wheel of her parked car. "How did I get stuck here? I wanted to cover the businesswoman."

"Uh, I ah… I think this is supposed to be some sort of punishment," the rookie detective stupidly answered the rhetorical question from Tomo's passenger seat. "Which is a little insulting since Detective Akiyama made it seem like I was part of the punishment, too. Maybe you shouldn't have argued with her."

"Shut. Up."

"I-um… shouldn't you be paying attention? That guy is due to show up here for a board meeting any time now."

Tomo wrapped her arms around her abdomen as she tried to not think about the current situation. "Just-just shut up," she repeated.

"H-hey, are you all right?" the rookie pressed.

"No!" Tomo snapped. "I don't want to do this! I don't want to be a part of this!"

The rookie shrunk at Tomo's outburst. "W-well you probably won't be," he tried to reassure the troubled woman. "Detective Akiyama made it seem like this guy was the least likely victim, since there wasn't any real motivation for anyone to hire Vespa."

"This guy is the only one of the three that could possibly be a target," Tomo growled as she ground her teeth. "Vespa's only going to agree to kill someone that poses a threat to innocent people. She doesn't care about some fluke hit-and-run or a couple of corrupt politicians going at each other's throats."

"Wh-what? Why didn't you say anything at the briefing?" the rookie panicked. "Everyone would listen to you. If this guy's the target then we need everyone here!"

Tomo clenched her jaw. "It's Akiyama's call, not mine," she claimed. "I told you I don't want to be a part of this at all."

"It doesn't matter if it's her call or not!" the rookie asserted. "If you think this is the target you should have said something!"

"Doesn't matter now," Tomo proclaimed as she looked to the steps of a skyscraper and bit on her thumbnail.

The rookie followed suit and noticed a shiny, black car pull up as a host of generic men in suits converged on the vehicle and escorted it's occupant out of the backseat. "He's here. Should we follow him?"

"We're on support," Tomo denied as the group of businessmen began to climb the stairs towards the front doors. "We've got people in the lobby to take care of that. We don't have to do anything so long as he makes it to the doors."

He didn't. Absolute chaos erupted as the target reached the top of the stairs. In the confusion, a black-haired woman in a business suit sporting sunglasses leapt down the stairs and bolted down the sidewalk in the direction of the awaiting detectives. She turned and darted into a dark alley a few meters in front of Tomo's car.

"It's Vespa!" the rookie shouted as he was already halfway out of the car.

"W-wait!" Tomo tried to stop the overzealous detective as he took off after the assassin. "Damn it," she muttered as she kicked open her own door. "Vespa attacked the businessman. In pursuit!" she called into her radio before chasing after Vespa and the rookie.

Hot on Vespa's heels, the rookie chased the assassin around a corner and immediately met with Vespa's elbow. He crumpled motionlessly to the ground as his firearm slipped from his hand. "Pathetic," the woman mocked as she slipped out of sight.

As Tomo came upon the scene of her downed partner, she vigilantly brought out her pistol and kept her aim trained on the alleyways' intersection where he was. "Hey, are you all right?" she cautiously called out as she slowly approached. She positioned herself against the alley wall and crept up to the adjacent alley. Moving quickly and suddenly, the detective turned down the other alley and pointed her gun straight in front of her. Tomo instantly found that her gun was snugly placed in Vespa's bosom.

"Hey," the assassin greeted as she grabbed Tomo's wrist. In one smooth motion, Vespa wrenched the pistol from Tomo's grasp and flung the smaller woman over her shoulder.

Tomo's breath left her as she landed squarely on her back. She struggled to breathe as she rolled over to spy Vespa retreating. Summoning her voice proved futile as she struggled just to suck in air.

Safely several meters from her fallen foe, Vespa turned to give Tomo a final farewell. She mockingly tapped the barrel of Tomo's pistol against her temple before snapping it away in a derisive salute. "Ciao." With that, Vespa quickly disappeared into the alleys, Tomo's gun in hand.

"My weapon," Tomo squeaked out as she struggled to get up.

"Augh! My face!" a whiney voice brought Tomo's attention to her inept fellow detective. "What happened?" Scooping his gun up off of the ground, the young detective struggled to his feet. "Hey, are you all right?" he called out as he spied his temporary partner sitting against the alley wall holding her shoulder.

"Fine," Tomo replied, clearly upset.

"Where did she go? Where's Vespa?"

"She got away," Tomo said, this time her voice hollow as she closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself down.

The rookie holstered his gun as he knelt down next to Tomo. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked as he pulled at Tomo's wrist to pry her hand away from her shoulder.

"It's fine," she claimed. "Vespa nearly tore it out of socket, but it's fine."

"How're you holding up?"

Tomo looked up from her spot on a city bench to see her old partner offering her a bottle of water. She silently accepted the gift, as she scooted over to give him room to sit.

"That rookie you got stuck with ended up with a concussion," he informed Tomo as he sat down next to her. "He'll be fine though."

"I don't care," Tomo replied as she just stared at the bottle of water in her hands.

The older detective sighed as he looked to the crime scene on the nearby steps. "He didn't make it. Vespa's target, that is," he broke the news to his old partner as he put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to hiss and flinch. "S-sorry," he immediately apologized as he removed his hand.

"It-it's just sore," Tomo claimed as she shook her head. "I just want today to be over."

"I don't think that the chief's patience has quite run out just yet. I imagine he'll give you a couple of days off to compile your report."

"Yeah."

"You say that you are all right, even though I know that's a damned lie," the older detective said with a sigh. "But the more important question is are you going to be okay? If you need a shoulder to cry on or anything, I'll make that sacrifice. As terrifying as that particular bullet is."

The lame joke didn't tug at Tomo's lips at all. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. And it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better," he claimed as he pointed. "The chief's here. Akiyama, too." Tomo's old partner rose to his feet and waited for Tomo to follow suit. When she didn't make a move, he sighed as he walked towards the chief and Akiyama. "It's a complete mess. It looks like Vespa slipped away again," he announced as he approached the duo.

"Yes, I hear Takino choked again," Akiyama disdainfully spat.

"Detective Takino was the only one other than the rookie to even give chase," the aging detective growled. "The men assigned here were a complete joke."

"Yes, every single one of them," Akiyama agreed as she kept an icy glare locked on Tomo. "A shame we couldn't have better personnel."

"Shut it both of you," the chief intervened. "Akiyama, this was your assignment—you failed to manage it miserably. You are going to be the one to address the media and you are going to take responsibility."

"Yes, sir," Akiyama bit her tongue.

"Where is our newest detective?" the chief demanded. "I understand he was with Detective Takino." He didn't have to wait for a response as he spied the rookie standing next to an ambulance. He quickly marched over to the rookie with the two senior detectives in tow. "What happened?"

"I-uh…me?" the young detective stupidly asked as he pointed to himself. A glare from the chief answered his question. "W-well I went after Vespa… she got the drop on me somehow," he recalled as he pointed to his face as proof. "That's all I remember. When I woke up Detective Takino was there and Vespa was gone."

"You were ahead of Detective Takino?" the chief pressed.

"Y-yeah," he sheepishly admitted. "I think she was on the radio."

The chief sighed as he looked over to Tomo. He shook his head as he trudged over to the downtrodden woman. "Detective Takino," he spoke, getting the woman's attention. "Can you enlighten me as to what happened here?"

Tomo avoided eye contact with her superior as she recalled the past events. "The businessman showed up on schedule. When he got near the top of the stairs there was a big commotion and a woman in a business suit and wearing sunglasses rushed out and went down that alley," she explained as she pointed. "My…partner took off after her and I tried to radio for backup. I-I couldn't just let him go off alone so I went after him. By the time I caught up to him, he was out cold."

"And Vespa?"

Tomo shook her head. "She… caught me by surprise. I don't know… she just… disappeared," she dodged as her thoughts trailed to the empty holster under her jacket.

The chief sighed as he mulled what to do. "Maybe I shouldn't have put you on this after all. If all you are going to do is sit there, then go home. I will investigate this matter and I expect a full report from you on my desk tomorrow. Disciplinary action will be pending the results of the investigation."

"Wh-what? Why?"

"The rookie you were responsible for was injured and you have let Vespa slip away yet again. My empathy for you has run out. This was your last chance to redeem yourself and you failed miserably. Go home," the chief ordered. "The next time Vespa appears, you won't be anywhere near the case."

Tomo hesitated a moment before she got to her feet and stomped away without a word.

Still wearing her work clothes, Tomo pulled up a stool in a smoky, dimly-lit bar. Before she could even get comfortable, a loud "clack" brought her attention to a short glass filled with ice as an amber liquid was being poured into it. She looked up to find the barkeep giving her a sympathetic look.

"On the house," he offered.

"Thanks," Tomo muttered as she brought the drink to her lips.

"Have any insider info for me?" the bartender asked only half-jokingly. "I hear that Vespa killed a real bastard this time." Tomo didn't say anything as she pulled the glass from her lips and stared at its contents. The barkeep sighed at his regular's sour mood. "Your lady-friend hasn't show up yet," he muttered as he walked away to give Tomo some space.

As if on cue, a well-built brunette sashayed in and sat next to Tomo. "Hey, how're you holding up?"

"I'm at my limit," Tomo choked out as she sat her drink down onto the bar and kept her eyes locked on it. "I-I can't keep doing this, Yomi, I just… I can't."

Yomi sighed as she glanced over at her oldest friend. "How's the shoulder?"

"Hurts like hell," Tomo unabashedly admitted. Yomi tentatively reached out and placed her hand on Tomo's, only to have Tomo jerk her hand away. "Ever since I found out…it's just…" the detective fumbled as her thoughts muddled. "This past year I've screwed up a lot. After today…the chief might really take my badge for good."

"What? Why?"

"Because that rookie got hurt, because I keep screwing everything up, and because I always choke when it comes to…to Vespa. Assuming I don't get fired, the chief says he's going to keep me off of any future Vespa cases."

"Well, that's good news, isn't it?" Yomi offered.

"No! Good news would be if Vespa never struck again!" Tomo bit back.

Yomi shook her head as she sighed. "That probably won't happen."

"Why?" Tomo demanded as she finally looked Yomi in the eye. The detective watched as Yomi reached into her pocket, pulled out a card, and placed it next to Tomo's drink in a routine often rehearsed by the duo. Tomo stared at the card—a hotel room key—for several seconds before turning back to Yomi. The detective was suddenly caught off-guard as Yomi mounted an offensive. In an instant, Yomi had one hand behind Tomo's head and the other massaging her thigh as she pressed her body against the detective's and entangled Tomo's lips with her own. Tomo couldn't help herself as she reflexively returned the kiss and allowed her fingers to wander to Yomi's more alluring curves. Before she knew it, Yomi pushed her away wearing a smug grin.

"Come or not, I'll be waiting for you," Yomi offered in a sultry voice as she strutted towards the exit. "Ciao."

Tomo sighed as she mentally kicked herself. How does she do that? she fumed as she picked up the card and turned it over and over in her hand. Her ire seemed to grow with each passing second. Does she expect me to go crawling to her and beg for it back? Damn it all! Tomo ruminated. Frustrated, she grabbed her drink and quickly downed what was left. The sudden motion caused her to feel something familiar tug at her side. In a flash she reached into her jacket and pulled her hand back out to find a very familiar item: her pistol. Without a second thought, she ejected the clip and checked the chamber to ensure that all of her rounds were accounted for and that the weapon had not been fired. She gave it back after all, she realized.

"Hey! Hey! Cop or not you can't have that out like that!" the barkeep admonished as he spied Tomo toying with the gun.

Tomo looked up as she realized that quite a few people were staring. "Ah…sorry," she apologized as she replaced the clip and tucked the gun away.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked as he removed the empty glass.

Tomo just shook her head. It's not like she was willing to tell the barkeeper that she was surprised that the pistol was there because she didn't walk into the bar with it. "I think that's all for tonight," she said as the bartender reached for another glass. "I have someplace to be," Tomo explained as she pocketed the room key and started for the exit.

"Don't do anything stupid," the bartender warned as Tomo left the bar.

An annoying musical tone stirred Tomo from a deep slumber. As she sat up and reached for the offending object, the sheets covering her slid away revealing Tomo's bare chest. She sluggishly rubbed her eyes as she tried to make sense of the display on her phone. It was no use. In her sleepy state there was no telling who was calling. "Hello?" she answered the phone as she flopped back down and closed her eyes.

"Where are you? Do you know what time it is?" a gruff voice accused.

"The chief suspended me," Tomo spat as she realized that it was her old partner calling, "remember? Call back when I'm awake."

"No, the chief told you to take the rest of the day off and that he'd be reviewing the case. He's royally ticked that you're not here with your report."

Tomo immediately sat up as she focused on the phone's display. "Ah, damn," she cursed as she realized that she was already over an hour late for work.

"Get your ass down here," the older detective irately ordered.

"Te-tell the chief I'll be there in an hour," Tomo practically shouted as she struggled to get out of bed and detangle her naked body from the sheets. "I'll have the report by the end of the day."

"Don't worry too much. It looks like all the reports are saying that you did everything right," Tomo's old partner reassured. "The blame's going to Akiyama and the uniforms at the scene. Chief's still going to kill you for being late, though."

Tomo sighed as she looked around to find herself in a vaguely familiar, lavish hotel room. "I'll be there as soon as I can," she calmly replied as she hung up. As she looked about the room and found the remains of a candlelit dinner, the memories from last night intruded into her consciousness. Reluctantly, she looked to the other side of the bed. The detective wasn't at all surprised to find it empty. All that remained of Yomi's presence was her lingering scent and Tomo's clothes carefully folded up into a pile. Atop the clothes, a small glint of light caught Tomo's attention. Reaching over, she grabbed a thin gold chain that dangled a small pendant of elliptical swoops that formed the shape of a flower. It was also solid gold and adorned with deep red rubies and pearls.

"I used to wonder how she was able to afford all of this," Tomo mumbled as she turned the unfamiliar pendant over in her hand. "I used to think it was supposed to be some kind of consolation," she continued to muse as she stared at the piece of jewelry. "It's nothing more than apology." Feeling rather bitter, Tomo dumped the expensive trinket on the nightstand alongside her badge and gun. "Gotta get ready," she reminded herself as she pushed the offensive thoughts from her mind and headed for the shower.

After stepping out of the shower and drying off, Tomo sifted through the pile of clothes. Yomi had graciously compiled and folded up all of her clothes: her jacket, shirt, bra, slacks, even her socks were all neatly arranged. "Wait…" Tomo blinked a couple of times as she double-checked the pile. She then wrapped a towel around herself and stomped out of the bathroom and glanced about the hotel room. The search proving fruitless, she rushed back into the bathroom and scattered the clothes about in desperation. "Dammit Yomi!" she shouted. "On top of everything else you have to steal my panties?!"

A/N: As always, Tomo and Yomi's relationship is a love-hate tug-of-war. I don't think Tomo appreciates being on the receiving end of the harassment, though.

This story, as it stands, is complete.