Pairings: KyokoxRen, Minor KyokoxShou and KyokoxReino.
Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! Though I wish it would be updated faster... D;
Author's Note: Hello everyone! This will be my first story venturing into the Skip Beat! archive. (: I hope you will enjoy this chapter... I've actually decided to continue the story, as I deleted this in the past. Beware of mistakes as this is what people would call "fresh off the keyboard" or whatever. And really... I think I'm a sucker for all the guys in Skip Beat... Mostly Ren though. So you'll see plenty of everything fluff in here. But not too much. Anyways, please read and review! :D
Rating: Rated T as of now but is completely subject to change ;D
Chapter 1
Full Summary: Kyoko is an international criminal. She has stolen all three of the Lory heirloom weapons: Setsuka's Chain Whip, Natsu's Glass Blade, and the Cursed Spear of Mio. There are currently three people assigned to arrest and retrieve the treasures back from her: Shou, the information seducer, Reino, the psychic phenomenon, and Ren, the master detective. Who will be the first to find her?
Mogami Kyoko was currently inside of the LME Museum of Arts.
She was inside the security room, to be more precise, taking every single key with labels she could find and locking down all the systems, cameras, and electricity power. For some reason, there was no system for the alarm triggers inside the room. LME certainly was a careful little place.
But it was no matter. Alarms were the last thing on her mind - after all, they were nothing she couldn't figure out and avoid with ease. It was only if she triggered them on purpose for fun that might get her caught for once.
International Criminal Kyoko had never been caught in her entire life and had been pursuing her illegal career for about... around five years now. She was now 22 years old - a young, beautiful, and amazingly healthy lady. She had a great future ahead of her; one filled with risks, danger, and most importantly, pizazz.
Kyoko had always wanted an interesting life.
She quickly evacuated the security room, disposing of the keys and locking the door after she quietly closed it. Then she disappeared from the range of sight of an ordinary person walking down the hallway if there was someone actually there at this time of night. Kyoko scurried away from the scene of the botched security.
There it was, the grand hall of the Lory heirlooms, up for an exhibition in the dark museum she had snuck inside of. Museum President Lory had been constantly complimenting and bragging about them since the day he inherited these treasured weapons, dating back to his early ancestors' generations. These, however, were such a high quality and so valued that they had never been used before and were still in perfect condition.
Perfect for use at anytime, to be more precise. Which is why Mogami Kyoko, the master thief, known for her incredible way of escaping the eye of the police, was currently hanging from the ceiling right above the said exhibition.
It was two in the morning according to the clock on the wall. The studios would open again at approximately six at earliest, so there were four hours to spare.
Blinking her eyes, she activated the contact lenses on her eyes under the black mask she was currently wearing on her face, which was unknown to most of the world. The lenses analyzed the security system around the exhibition easily. Alarm triggers were easily seen and avoided as she hopped down silently onto the tiled floor.
Careful not to set off any lasers and sound any alarms, she maneuvered herself through the hallway towards the exhibition's main items and gave herself a minute to enjoy the glory of standing in front of the three treasures. She would surely make use of them, if not having sold them in the black market later.
The tangerine-haired woman pulled out a miniature laser gun and switched it on, the intensity of the red beam burning a hole into the glass. She traced a circle onto the glass and turned the laser off, tucking it back into her black, latex coat pocket. Pushing it with her special adhesive gloves, the glass circle popped out and was silently placed down.
"At long last," she whispered to herself with glee. "The treasures! Oh, Moko is going to be so proud of me! She might even treat me to dinner for my accomplishment!" Her overjoyed thoughts were hidden beneath her thick, black mask though. Kyoko's eyes focused on the whip through the socket holes in the mask. It was the most appealing to her, though she didn't know why. Maybe it just reminded her of that day five years ago... Yes, that was probably why.
Her hand carefully slid in and took out the treasures one by one, replacing them with plastic replicas she had asked Moko to make for her a few months after she had planned this robbery. After the replicas were placed neatly and the original items were in her possession, the circle was stuck back on neatly, the edges unnoticeable from the clean cut of the laser.
The Cursed Spear of Mio and Natsu's Glass Blade were tucked neatly into a large, plastic bag she stuck under her black, latex coat. She then tucked her coat into her black tights for extra protection. The whip she so admired was in her hand, using the other to caress the handle.
"It's beautiful... Setsuka's Chain Whip," she smiled. Then, using the whip, she swung it towards the walls, breaking all of the security cameras. She had already infiltrated the studio's security office and locked down the system, but just in case it was still recording... It didn't matter much anyways, since she had a black mask on. As a decoy from what she originally wanted to steal, she also stole a few jeweled vases and anything else that seemed expensive and was easy for the taking. Once she was done, she silently knocked a few of the stands over to make a small scene. Perhaps she might be able to get a few hours or even days before they realized what was most important was gone. And by then, she might have gotten out of the city. Tokyo was huge, so she would certainly need to give herself some time.
"International Thief Kyoko," she whispered as she climbed the walls with her special gloves to go back up on the ceiling and opened the roof window. "Mission complete."
And she pulled herself outside into the dark night.
"Moko," she said into her cell phone as she sat upon the roof, waiting for her best friend and criminal accomplice to pick up. "Moko, pick up! Moko..." she urged to no one in particular. It was nearly four in the morning and she wasn't willing to take any more risks. After all, this did seem a little too easy. Easy things made her feel uneasy.
Moko didn't pick up.
"Ah, shit." Kyoko grumpily got up; she would have to run back to her hideout without her disguise. Moko always came in some stolen car off the sidewalk and gave her a disguise to wear, but recently Moko had been having trouble finding cars.
"Ah!" Kyoko remembered now. "Moko wanted to do something early this morning, so she wanted to rest. How could I have forgotten?" she laughed as she hopped off the building, a couple stories high from where she was... it was probably the twentieth floor.
Thud.
The criminal landed on the ground on her feet smoothly, retracting the rope that was connected to the roof window where she had escaped from back to her wrist. The black market had plenty of useful tools the world did not know about.
Grinning, she was just about to be on her way when suddenly, a grand light flashed on her. If it weren't for her wearing a mask, she would have been doomed because of the several clicks of what assumed was probably a camera or two. Footsteps were heard coming from the darkness where the light was located.
Kyoko grinned. Of course they wouldn't let her steal these precious treasures so easily - that would have taken all the fun out of this burglary.
"Hands up and surrender the stolen items!" someone yelled from a loudspeaker. Kyoko instantly recognized the voice, her heartbeat quickening up a notch for three seconds before she was once again immersed in her role and not as "Kyoko". She was currently the master thief.
"Of course, officers. There are only three of you anyways," she said calmly, putting her hands up. Her lenses from under the mask analyzed the silhouettes of three men, confirming who they were. Two of the three men came out into the open. "Where's the other one? Is he afraid to meet the most wanted international thief? Or is he ashamed to see me again... out in the free since he wasn't able to catch me the first time?"
"Hmph. That's just Ren, he's controlling the lights and cameras at the moment. But I'll be the one to seize you... Kyoko." Shou stepped forward, his golden brown hair raging in the sudden wind. Reino also stepped forward, but he was silent.
"Heh... aren't you two as ashamed as him?"
"Not after tonight, my lovely dear," Reino spoke up, smirking. "Tonight, I can already see. Your accomplice is asleep and won't be able to help you escape. You have no disguises with you, and a woman in complete black is quite easy to spot once day should come. You won't be let out of our sight."
"Oh, really? Go back to hell, demon!"
"I'll take you with me as my lover," Reino mused.
"Sh-shut up!" Kyoko yelled before quickly closing her mouth. She was almost lured completely out of her role, she almost became herself. The self that wasn't able to do this. She had to stay focused. "The only person you'll be loving is dearest Setsuka."
"Who's Setsuka?" Shou demanded before Kyoko pulled out the treasured whip, swinging it at the light that was focused on her. The glass broke and the light flickered before going out completely.
"Shit!" Kyoko could hear Ren shout as his footsteps indicated that he was about to come out. Kyoko didn't like it when he got involved. Then the chase became too difficult to enjoy.
"Well, I'll be off," she hollered before escaping within the shadows of the building.
"After her!" Shou yelled, but Reino placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That's enough, Shou. She's gone."
Shou sighed with a ridiculous grin on his face. "Finally. Finally, we'll have the chance to go after her again! But this time... she's my prey. After five long years, we'll finally have the right to pursue her... Those last idiots who saw her barely had her case handled! But since we were her last witnesses, the case should be handed to us by tomorrow."
"She's mine for this case. Your simple way of getting sex-fronted information clearly isn't enough. You need psychic powers..."
"I'll be the one to find her," Ren suddenly appeared under the streetlamp light. "We're all after her. But your goals are simply your desire for her, to tame her, conquer her... to love her."
"So? Isn't that the same for you?" Shou said angrily. "Don't act all pompous, Tsuruga. You failed to catch her too, and our first encounter five years ago with that woman should have also clearly left an impact! She stunned everyone with a single appearance on that night five years ago, don't you remember!? Now after finally seeing her for a second time... a second encounter with her..."
"I remember..." Ren said darkly.
"Ren..." Reino said. "Your goal is impossible. Not to mention irrational and illegal without the consent of the head."
"What's his goal? Man, Reino, why's it only you with the ESP shit?"
"Shut up," Reino replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Ren simply looked towards the shadows where she escaped. The woman he fell in love with at first sight, just as the two before did; he finally had the opportunity, as the one of the last ones to see her, to have permission to go after her.
"My goal, Fuwa?"
"Yeah. Tell me," he said, pulling a cigarette and smoking it. Reino also was smoking a cigarette, waiting to see how Ren would say it, though he would probably be rather blunt.
'Yes, he was going to blunt.' Reino concluded with his sixth sense. Ren had a particular frown on his face as the moonlight shadowed his bones from his skin, rather eerily as his words slightly chilled Shou when he spoke in his deep voice.
"My goal..."
"Well?" Shou said, exhaling a cloud of smoke, impatient.
Ren sighed.
"My goal is to destroy Mogami Kyoko."