Destined Rivals

Haru Okumura inspected the gleaming sapphire in her hands. It was a stunning necklace, one well worth the security and fortune behind its name. The silver chain separated as she she carefully wrapped the necklace around her petite neck, clicking the two ends together and admiring herself in the mirror. The diamond shimmered in the light of the room, it's aqua light accenting her own features.

Haru did not care for the money, or size of the gem. Money was something she had in abundance in her other life, and it was not difficult to request entire lines of jewelry from father. No, none of that mattered to this thief. The diamond was just a bonus. There was only one real reward she sought...

"I'd be careful with that, if I were you. They say the Hope Diamond is cursed, and any who wear it will suffer a horrible, bloody death."

The masked girl spun on her heel, her hazel eyes widening from surprise and, to her shame, fear. How could she have been so stupid?! Someone had sneaked up on her, and judging by the smirk on his face, it had been an easy feat. Her usually sharp and acute senses might as well have not existed as the masked man sat on the window sill. Curly, unkempt black hair sat atop his head, a few hairs falling in front of his white mask. He fixed his trenchcoat, adjusting it as he stood up, pacing along the walls of her hotel room.

"You're the famed thief, Noir, correct? I've heard about you," he chuckled, his scarlet fingertips dragging along the flowery wallpaper.

"And you are the Phantom Thief, correct? A rather eccentric nom de plume, don't you think?" she retorted, glancing at her halberd, which rested against the wall closest to her. The shadow haired young man followed her eyes, his gloved fingers stroking the weapon. Haru tipped her hat, briefly hiding the anger and dread in her almond eyes.

"Hello pot, I'm kettle," he chuckled. He grasped the weapon and twirled it in his hands, admiring the sleekness of her personal weapon. "So why'd you do it? Selling it for a buyer? Or do you just like shiny things?"

"You're a fool for believing I am so shallow. I am an artisan, and the crime is my painting," she mused, swaying towards him, her every step gently clicking against the carpeted floor. "I ask that you reveal your intentions before I create my next masterpiece out of you. I would call it, 'Murder of a Phantom.' Catchy, no?"

"No," he plainly replied as his predatory smile vanished. "I had actually hoped to steal myself a famous, supposedly cursed, item tonight. Imagine my surprise when someone else beat me to the punch..."

"Oh?" Her violet fingers traced over the shimmering diamond, the centerpiece of her splendor. "I am afraid I have no intentions of returning my prize."

"I would be disappointed if you did." To Haru's surprise, the masked thief held blunt end of her halberd out to her. "Take it. I want to earn this." His voice was low, almost like a growl, no... a purr. Like a tiger, and she was the doomed prey he had laid eyes on.

"That was your first mistake, Phantom Thief," she purred back, her voice sensual and overflowing with danger. Judging by the growing smile on her rival's face, he rather liked playing with her fire. She placed her gloved hand on the end of her halberd and observed the retreating thief walk in reverse. He opened his arms to his side and winked at her, his silver eyes enticing her.

"Come and get me, sweet Noir."

She ran forward, swinging, charging headfirst in response. The Phantom dodged her wide swing, before side stepping away from another strike. Haru growled in frustration, before sweeping her leg along the floor, nearly tripping the masked foe. He stumbled back, before the glare of the overhead strike caught his eye. In the blink of an eye, he reached into his trenchcoat to reveal his own weapon. He blocked the axehead, flincing at the metal blade mere inches from his face.

"Were you actually going to cut my head open?" he dared to ask. The smile she gave sent chills down his spine.

"Perhaps. I have to admit, I would have expected much more from the Phantom Thief, had that actually worked." She raised her foot and kicked the thief back, twirling the long axe in her hands as she arrogantly laughed. "Did you truly believe me to be so easily bested? I am the Beautiful Thief, Noir, not some common cat burglar!"

"So I can tell." The Phantom reached into his coat with his opposite hand, revealing the second blade on his person. He held the knives in each of his scarlet hands as he readied himself. "Ready for round two?"

"Oui. Prepare yourself!" Haru ran forward, only to be shocked by the Phantom's supernatural speed. He ran in front of her, and raised his blade against her, missing the rim of her hat by centimeters. The feathered cavalier flew off of her hair, revealing her auburn locks. Her eyes furrowed in shamed anger as she swung her halberd, aiming the blunt end towards his masked face.

He leaned back, feeling the force of the strike despite the miss. He grinned at the power she held, and he holstered a knife as one hand reached for hers. Haru barely had time to react before his fingers caught her cravat and she was tugged towards him. He slipped around the stumbling gentlewoman, his metallic eyes finding his target. He struck it with great force with his free hand, arousing a furious blush on his foe's face.

"D-did you just-?!"

"Slap your butt? I did," the Phantom laughed. "It's a nice bu- oof!" A fist slammed into his face, knocking him back and sending him toppling onto the floor. He groaned in pain, rubbing the possibly bruised cheek as he looked up at the infuriated thief. "Heh. You're cute when you're mad."

"You... you... you... GAH!"

The obsidian haired thief had unearthed a demon, it seemed, as Haru lashed out, her cheeks still a burning scarlet. His knife clattered to the ground, his fingers burning in pain at they were left bruised and stinging from her wild flurry of attacks. Another plow, and the Phantom felt himself grow lighter as parts of his clothing was shredded apart. He felt the blade just barely graze against his flesh, before a knee slammed into his knee, knocking him into a nearby wall.

She was charging at him again, and she swung the blunt end of her halberd one last time at her rival, only to find him not so easily caught. He dodged the attacked and slammed his elbow into her cheek, knocking her back, the halberd slipping out of her grasp. Thinking quickly, the Phantom caught the userless Helberd and chucked it across the room, leaving its mistress weaponless.

"You're pretty good at this," he admired, only to raise a obsidian brow as he watched his opponent rise again. This time, though, she had a knife in her right hand. His knife. "You have a fire in you. I like that."

"You are aware of what happens when one plays with fire, no?" she warned, a cocky grin forming onto her face.

"You can try, my dear Noir," the Phantom retorted, twirling the knife in hand like a toy. Haru scoffed at her rival's blithe attitude. She made several extravagant moves with her blade, mirroring and even improving upon the simple twirls her foe made with his weapon.

"Behold the wrath of the most beautiful of thieves! Have at thee!" She wasn't sure what it was about the Phantom that caused her heart to race. Perhaps it was the arrogance he had that made her anger boil. Perhaps it was the reflection she found in him. They were of the same cloth, it seemed. Arrogant, flashy, skilled, and perhaps even their 'real' world selves were similar.

Perhaps, but that was a question that would be answered another day. Now, the simply truth was this. Noir's heart raced when she approached the Phantom, and her face felt hot when she saw that cocky grin on his, actually rather handsome, face. Regardless of the feelings in her chest and on her face, she attacked her hated rival.

Her knife clashed with her opponent's, and the clang of metal on metal echoed through the room. Every strike was meant with a counter, and every countered was countered again. The two were a perfect match for one another, their cunning and quick thinking rivaling the other's, and fatigue was beginning to wear on both of them. Yet neither were willing to give the other any ground. Their faces were inches apart as their knives pushed against one another, forming an X between them.

Despite the physical strain his body was under, the raven-haired burglar had a smile on his face. "You're good."

"I know."

"If this was a fair fight, you might even beat me, but I don't play fair." He winked, and made his move. He pushed back as hard as he could, forcing Haru to stumble back. He capitalized on the moment, slashing at her. She held up her knife, ready to defend her vitals, only to watch as the knife aimed low and hooked on her belt.

"What?"

"Heh." With a simple tug, the razor sharp weapon sliced through the brown leather. It fell to the floor was a thud as Haru stared at it, then at the Phantom. "That was your plan? The belt is fashion statement, not-"

She was foolish to let her guard down. She would reprimand herself for it later. At the moment, she was silenced by the gleam of his knife in the light. It slashed at her again, and she could feel the icy chill of the blade against her skin for just the briefest of moment, before she felt it vanish. The Phantom stepped back, a smirk on his features as he admired his work.

"Very nice," he snickered.

"What are...?" Haru's shirt was cut, creating a makeshift cleavage window, courtesy of the Phantom Thief. She could hear the smug wink as he laughed at her scarlet cheeks. The auburn haired beauty held up her arms, covering her breasts and struggling to properly communicate her indignation and disgust. "You... you... you are no gentleman thief! You are a... a.. pervert! A PERVERT!"

The Phantom just winked at his female adversary, the look on his face showing his elation at the sight of her lightly tanned, supple breasts. "Just having some fun."

"Fun...? You call this fun?!" The anger vanished, like a switch was flicked, and her eyes softened, gleaming with a new glitter in them. Haru's hazel eyes twinkled at the Phantom, and the coy smile unnerved him far more than her wrath ever did. "I'll me to show you my own definition of fun," she cooed, letting her arms fall slack against her sides as she approached her prey.

"I... Uh... W-what's...?"

The dark haired boy wasn't sure what was happening. He was used to being on top of things. Used to being the player character. Used to having all the cards in his hands, and sleeves full of aces. Suddenly, though, he was bare and practically naked behind those almond oceans. She wasn't covering her breasts anymore. They were bouncing, gently, with every click of her heel against the ground. The supple breasts were an above normal size, and the tone of her skin reminded him of moonlight...

She tossed her gloves aside, discarding them behind her as she swayed closer and closer. Her hips swung like a pendulum, rocking back and forth with purpose and power. The Phantom wondered if his mask was able to hide the growing blush on his face. Spoilers: It was not. She placed a naked hand against his cheek, her flawless fingertips stroking his mask.

Her lips neared his face, and he noticed, truly noticed the pink color to it. The lipstick she had only accented her plump, pillow-like lips. She licked at them, making them glisten as they neared his own, suddenly salivating, mouth. Her lips were a hair away, when he felt her hot breath brushing against his lips.

"Allow me to even the playing field."

He felt something tug on his lower half, before he heard something fall to the ground. "Huh?" She pushed him away, and he fell onto his behind as he realized what had his the ground. His pants. His boxers, tastefully decorated with adorable cat illustrations, were the only thing protecting his unmentionables from her chocolate-colored eyes.

He felt his cheeks turn hot and crimson as he glared at her. She met his glare with a noblewoman-like laugh, placing her petite fingers against her mouths in a mock attempt to hold back her giggles.

"Such impressive underwear you have, Phantom Thief. Fitting for such a big, strong criminal such as yourself," she teased.

"That was low," growled the raven-haired boy as he stood up, kicking off the tattered remains of his pants.

"And yet I'm still miles above you."

They returned to their dance, moving to the beat and symphony of their clashing blades. They moved in a strange synchronization, neither sure of the how or why regarding this strange, new emotion sweeping over them. It was like their bodies were linked to one another, moving in a dance that only they truly understood. Eventually, though, something had to give.

He caught her wrist, and pinned her against the wall. They were panting, her ample chest rising and falling with each passing, labored breath. He leaned in closer as he forced her hand to aim the knife away from him. They were so close to each other, their faces a mere breath apart. He was grinning, arrogance and triumph on his features as she tried to mirror it. Her grin just came off as barely holding back her outrage and shame... shame for losing, but also shame for loving the game they had played, and the disappointment that it had come to an end.

"Not bad," she commented.

"Oh, trust me. You haven't seen anything yet."

He kissed her. She felt her breath being stolen away by the crook, and she felt his tongue tangle around her soul, reeling the fire out of her chest and down his gullet, devouring her soul. Okay, not really, but the feeling of his lips on hers had a very similar result. The kiss was electric. The sensation of his lips pressing against her pink, cherry flavored mouth was not something she could properly explain, at least not at first.

It was like someone had bought the richest, most amazing chocolate, straight from Belgium, and then condensed it into a speck of chocolate, and then dipped that chocolate in honey, before covering it in a lump of the finest, sweetest sugar. It was then submerged in the purest, warmest cup of lemon verbena tea that ever was or would be. The sugar melted and dissolved in the brew, and she drank away it, tasting the tidal waves of euphoria.

Haru felt her body burn with desire and embarrassment as his hands traveled along her body. One hand stroked her cheek, gently touching the edges of her mask. His other went lower, tracing the curves of her hips, gently teasing her firm derriere and tracing along the edge of her spine. It made circle on her back, gently massing her through her clothes, before traveling to her chest. She let out a muffled gasp, melting into him as he touched her ample chest.

She tried to push him away, one hand on his chest, the other on his shoulder, but her mind was losing control as the kiss lingered longer and longer. Her left hand, braced and ready to punch him in the chest, went limp, gently caressing his shirt, finding his buttons and gently undoing them. Her other hand, meant to shove him away, found itself squeezing his shoulder, pulling him tighter against her body. Their bodies were pressing against one another as his hair tickled her nose and her hair brushed his handsome face.

Haru felt her body meld with the Phantom Thief's, and suddenly, nothing else mattered.

And then he pulled away, and she was left wanting more. Her lips moved against the empty air, smacking and kissing against the nothingness before her. Her dazed, enraptured eyes came back to life as he smirked, swinging the silver chain around his finger, the blue diamond decorating his hand. He needn't say anything. The look on Haru's face, when she realized she had been tricked, was all that was needed.

"You... This..." She sighed, and crossed her arms, once again defending her nearly exposed chest from his prying eyes. "Fine. Take it. It's a gaudy trinket anyways."

"I agree." He dropped the necklace to their feet, his smirk ever present. He began to walk towards the window, not an ounce of hesitation in his steps as she stood there.

"W-wait, where are you going?!" Her foot kicked the priceless diamond aside, sliding it between them. She gave it only a brief glance, before returning her attention to the Phantom Thief. "W-what about the diamond?"

"My dear, this was never about the Hope Diamond. I came looking for the same thing you did when you stole that little rock." The dark haired boy laughed, seemingly undeterred by the fact that he was about to jump out a window in his boxers. "May we meet again soon, Noir. I bid you, adieu." He turned to face her, and with a wink, he fell out the opened window.

"Wait!" She ran to the edge of the window, she found nothing out of the ordinary. No speeding car, no bloody body on the ground, no flying Phantom... Just her. "Wait..." The plead died in her throat, and she released a heavy groan. She was tired, alone, and her outfit was ruined, all because of some random idiot who stole her first kiss.

She'd be a lot madder if she wasn't so... content. She returned to the center of the room, picked up the Hope Diamond, and stared at it with dispassionate eyes. Looking at it now, what was the point of even fighting for it? It didn't make her happy, it didn't give her that lust for life she came to adore. It was just a shiny rock, and while nice, she could ask her father for a million of them if she wanted.

The priceless diamond fell back to the carpeted floor, callously dropped as Haru walked towards her closet. She opened the doors and found her less remarkable, though still cute, civilian clothes behind them. She began to change, tossing her tattered top into a bag she did so.

Haru didn't steal for money or power. The life she had been born into gave her that. It also gave her a life of boredom and pointlessness. What was the point of anything if all she had to do was whisper to her father to get what she wanted? Her wealthy, exquistite life, while holding many benefits, was simply droll compared to the criminal life she had made for herself. That was simple fact.

She didn't care for riches and power. No, she stole for a far better prize, the same prize the Phantom Thief sought. Fun.

Haru forced her hat into the bag, careful not to bend the beautiful material, before zipping it shut and standing up. She fixed her pink sweater and sighed, her breath brushing against her tingling lips. She placed her delicate fingers on the still electrified lips, tracing their outline as her heart raced. That kiss... That kiss gave her what she wanted.

It made her heart race, it made her face hot, and it made adrenaline pump through her body. It had been a rush. It had been something she'd never experienced before.

Her first had been stolen by the Phantom Thief, and perhaps a little bit more had been taken from her... She felt her lips curl into a grin as she made herself a promise. Next time they met, she intended on returning the favor. Perhaps she'd steal something of his in their next, fated encounter. Perhaps those boxers he had displayed, or his second kiss.

Hmm... Perhaps it would be his third kiss? The thought instantly changed her smile, turning it upside down. He better not have. I'll have to make sure I seize his second kiss... and third, and fourth, and... Hm. Busy, busy.

Haru Okumura grabbed her bag and walked out of the hotel room, silently wondering what she'd do to her destined rival when she laid eyes upon him again...

END

Let me just say, flat out, that we still don't know that much about Persona 5's cast. I don't know what Haru's real personality is like, I just made one up from what little I do know. So yeah, the canon personality probably won't be like this. That said, I couldn't get the idea of this scene out of my head. Honestly, for me, Haru and Sakura (the glasses girl) are the girls I'm most interested in for Persona 5. They look the cutest and hottest. But I digress.

The inspiration from this scene came from the P5 trailer, obviously, and that scene from the Zorro movie. It's the scene where Zorro and his love interest cut each other's clothes. Youtube it, if you want.

I've been crazy busy lately, so sorry for not updating and replying to reviews and such. I'm really sorry, guys, but I'll be back in due time. Promise. Just wanted to get this short little diddy out and about.

Have a good one! Take care. Buh bye!