Dim lights scattered around worn down roads, giving drivers a somewhat better view from the blanket of darkness in the white speckled sky in what we know as nighttime. Some late-night dwellers hung around in alleyways while others took it upon themselves to head to the nearest club and throw away a month of their earnings on women and alcohol. Clearly, the condition of the seemingly run-down city would've been better shown by the many attempts the mayor had tried to compromise with the citizens.

If only their education system was just a tad bit more enforced onto the population.

Robberies and gang brawls still break out periodically, even after the law enforcement steps in and had to capture nearly half the population to prevent similar events from happening again. Young children, some as young as ten, can be seen lurking around their neighborhood; and armed with deadly weapons. This particular city usually gets its income from tourists, but the city is hardly getting any cash rolling in after the arrival of a certain sneaky thief that arrived a couple of days ago.

Prior to his arrival, the museums in the center of the city were teeming with eager foreigners who longed to learn a bit of history. Then, after just one night, one of the most secured and valuable painting was slipped right under the securities noses. The next night, the museum had hired more officers to guard their prized possessions and even installed a few more cameras around.

The million dollar vase was found missing the next morning without a trace.

Determined to not let another one of their artifacts to go missing a third time now, the museum officials gathered a huge chunk of well-trained cops and scattered them in every corner. Some were even ordered to stay vigilant throughout the night while looking at the security footage. The faster they catch the pesky parasite, the faster they can get the museum running back like it used to.

Perched high up in a building a few ways away from the museum, a young man no older than twenty looked down at the scene playing out before him in great amusement. Even though officers were guarding practically every single crevice of the building, analytical eyes scanned the area a second time and found a weak point: the roof.

"How stereotypical." The man chuckled, a slight Italian accent slipping through his words, "But if that's the quickest way, so be it."

And true to his word, the brunette got up from his kneeling position and stretched his sore arms (he was kneeling there for some time now to gather information) before brushing off the dirt on his dark shade of clothing. The man glanced over towards the direction of his destination and started to form a series of different plans and their possible repercussions.

Entrances in the front and back are blocked, guarded by three guards each. Sides of the buildings are also guarded, but those guards switch periodically through a two-hour time span. The Italian broke his train of thought for a second to glance at his watch, Next shift starts in half an hour which leaves me a minute or two to slip out for my escape. On the roof is one guard, but I can easily slip past him if I keep quiet. Air vents are my only option now unless I use the door, but the likely hood of me getting spotted by a security camera or guards are more dangerously high...

More statistics were being noted in the man's mind as he quietly hopped through the roofs, using the shadows as a blanket to hide himself when necessary. Once he reached the museum rooftop, a plan for his entry, snag, and escape was already formulated and could be put into action. Smirking from the shadows, the thief couldn't help but think how clueless and idiotic all officers are. Why do they try so hard to enforce the rules when many of their citizens are breaking them anyway?

It made no sense to the Italian.

Brushing back the non-important thoughts to the back of his head, Lovino easily slipped past his first obstacle and crawled into the air vent, never forgetting to place the metal back where it was supposed to be before continuing with his plan. Having done many similar events in the past, the constricting, square-shaped compartment didn't bother the man as he swiftly slid himself through the maze. The criminal practically knew where every turn would lead him by heart in the museum after having studied the entire ventilation system which he found... Online.

After making a few series of twists and turns, the thief smirked triumphantly when he spotted the last item that he was going to graciously take from this city: The Oceanus Pendant. The pendant was worn by Queen Victoria herself in England during the 1800s, and the precious jewel got its name from how the huge, turquoise sapphire seemed to flow like the ocean waves when it was worn. Studded with 20 carat diamonds and lined with platinum, it's one of the most expensive artifacts in the entire world.

The Italian could already feel the adrenaline starting to kick in once his eyes laid upon the shimmering gem secured inside the thick, glass box.

"Perfect..." He murmured, the smirk never faltering from his lips as expert hands inaudibly removed the metal frame that was blocking the man from him and his prize. He did a thorough scan of the area before gripping onto the corners of the air vent and slowly slipping through the small rectangular space. Lovino quickly scanned the area once more before releasing his grip on the vent and softly landing on the stone floors. The late night guards' footsteps could be heard echoing through the many vast hallways of the building, giving the thief another advantage as he crept his way towards the pendant. Slipping on sleek black gloves to prevent any leads to his heinous act, or in other words: hiding the evidence/fingerprints, Lovino cautiously placed his fingertips onto the cool glass and proceeded to lift the box. All else was going perfectly until he realized something, Wait a minute... The sneaky hands froze and his eyes narrowed, ...This was way too easy.

Before he could even process his enormous mistake, a shrill sound broke though the silence, alerting every guard on duty that something has went astray. Cursing a stream of profanities in Italian, the thief reacted quickly during the situation and broke through a nearby vent, not even caring to keep quiet anymore. The only thing that was running through the Italian's mind now was to get out and get away from the infected area.

He made a mental note to himself that he must find a new place to live in from now on because the current city he was in was far too dangerous after his little slip-up. Practically sliding through the small space in the vents, he used the momentum to kick out of the exit from the side of the building like he planned, already aware that there would be almost no guards outside now.

"Wait! Stop!"

Scratch that. He thought there wouldn't be any guards.

"Stop running!" An officer with unruly brown hair shouted while dashing after the escapee.

"Like hell I will!" Lovino barked back over his shoulder, making sure to keep his head hung low so that the security cameras won't be able to get an exact shot of his face. The Italian heard the officer behind him retort something back in Spanish, but Lovino could care less as he gripped onto the metal chain-link fence and jumped over effortlessly.

Growling lowly under his breath seeing as though the officer tailing him won't leave him anytime soon (shit, did he just call for back-up?), Lovino made a sharp turn into a nearby alleyway and started to scale the side of the building. The brunette used the momentum he had gained during the chase to push him to the other side of the alleyway towards the building across from him. Before the officer could even realize that the man was no longer going to continue the chase on the ground, Lovino landed his hands onto the fire escape staircase that ran along the building, and swung his legs over the railing.

"Damn it!" The officer cursed under his breath before contacting the rest of the force that the man was heading into a different direction. "He's escaping on the roofs! Keep a lookout on Gregory Street and Southwest Lane!"

"Copy that Chief!" The other side of the radio buzzed while the sounds of sirens could be heard in the background, the lower ranks doing as they were told. Before the officer could turn around and chase after the runaway, a voice halted the Spaniard from going any further.

"Well, well Carriedo. Another criminal slipped out of your fingertips?" A man with messy blonde hair snickered, a thick English accent rolling through his tongue.

Frowning slightly, Antonio glared at his rival, Arthur Kirkland. "No, everything is going fine." He spat back, the air around the two tensing dramatically.

"You do realize that once this pesky thief walks right through the city's boundaries, he's mine to deal with, right? And you will have failed once more in trying to put these disgusting vermin in their place."

"Why don't you go away and deal with your own matters, Arthur." Antonio spat back, purposely lacing the Englishman's name in distaste and hate.

Arthur only smirked in amusement, the arrogant air still lingering around the blonds body, "Why so much hate?" he mocked, "Are you still mad about what happened before?"

"Just shut up and get out of my city!" The Spaniard growled, his eyes darkening in annoyance after having enough of Arthur and his antics.

Rolling his eyes at not being able to have his little fun anymore, Arthur shoved his hands in his pockets and left the scene, not giving the Spaniard another glance. Once Antonio was sure that Arthur was gone, he heaved a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. What am I going to do... He thought hopelessly, hearing the distant sound of pounding shoes against concrete and police sirens, I don't want to lose another case...

"No, think positive!" Antonio scolded himself while shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts, "I will catch this man!" Not wanting this case, his case, to fall into the hands of that damned Arthur, Antonio whipped his body around and dashed away to continue the search for the thief.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Lovino didn't actually run away that far. In fact, he hid on the top of the same building he climbed up to. It wasn't the brightest idea for a getaway, but he really was interested in what the two rival officers had to say to each other. Seems as though trying to get away to another city might be harder now. Lovino thought as a frown formed on his lips, "Should I try flying? No, security will be doubled now. I won't take the risk." he mumbled as he quietly started to climb into one of the buildings' windows.

But it's also risky to stay in the city.

"Ugh. Luck is just not at my side today..." Lovino growled while sliding down on the wall inside of the abandoned building. He buried his face in his hands and thought about the options that were laid out for him:

1. He could go to the airport and try to smuggle himself out of the city, but also highly risk the chance of being caught from the tighter security.

2. He could try to hide into another nearby city, but also risk the chance of being caught by that other officer.

3. He could stay in the city and pretend to be a normal citizen and try to blend in with the crowd until the tense air was gone.

Silence lingered for a moment while the Italian thought long and hard. All three were equally as dangerous, and all three of them were all plausible choices that he could follow. A few more moments passed before Lovino had finally come to a final decision,

"I'll leave to a nearby city and escape from there."

A/n: All of that "Oceanus Pendant" thing is made up. Please don't go searching for it on Google- xD THANK YOU FOR READING! ~Samasaurus