The stale air of the museum filled her nose as she ran through the shadows, ducking behind multiple showcases in order to evade the beam of light that cut through the darkness of the building. Tucking the painting further under her arm, she made sure she had a firm hold of it before lurking closer to the window she's come in from. The guards were only feet away, but had yet to see her, which meant she had to wait for them to leave before attempting her own escape. 'I can't screw this up. I let him see me last night, but tonight will be different, like a challenge!' she thought smugly, watching the slightly pudgy guard shrug and turn away again, taking the near blinding flashlight with him.
The police had been lucky in guessing her patterns and techniques, pinpoint the museum she currently hid inside. They were trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but she knew they were there, that HE was there. They, however, weren't sure if she was there or not. They were slow to send the guards coming through the museum, but the idiots still left the lights off. The only way SHE knew where she was going was because of the dim yellow running lights on the path the visitors took, as well as the dim light of evening through the museum window. She stood up from behind the display, wiping the nervous sweat from her brow. She had to be extra careful and use new tactics to mix up her patterns, which was proving to be more difficult than she'd originally thought.
She stood now, blending into the blackness. Her petite build was cloaked in black itself, from her turtleneck with sleeves that left her shoulders bare; to her clothe black pants and sturdy black boots. Her crimson hair barely protruded from the black ski-cap she wore, and her pale face was easily hidden with black face paint across her cheeks. She wasn't stupid, she wore her black gloves, and on her belt was attached a variety of useful lock-picking tools. She'd come ready; ready, that is, until the light suddenly flickered on and she was brought into full view, almost blinded by the lights. She'd forgotten about the simplest of things, the light switch. She'd not turned off the generator. 'Damn it! Now it'll take some quick thinking.' She rolled her eyes and turned slowly on her heel to face the rooms only other occupant.
"Tokohiro Kishu of the Tokyo Police Department, don't move!" She saw how steadily he held the black hand-gun, how his fingers didn't tremble or shake, and it brought a flash of pure amusement to her eyes. "I knew we'd meet again, Shadow Thief. I put a lot of time and effort into tracking you here." His golden eyes were just as steady behind the veil of forest green hair, and his own fair skin glowed with the excitement he must have felt at cornering his quarry. "We can make this easy, or I can use brute force. It's your choice, you know."
"That's MISS Shadow Thief to YOU sir." Her wicked smirk filled her face with amusement and she used the back of her free gloved hand to wipe away the smudges of paint from her face, leaving it clear. "Take a good look, officer. This might be the last you see of me, up close." She still held the priceless painting close, and began to step backwards, towards the window. "Just let me put down this heavy painting and I'll come quietly…"
Kishu didn't believe her words for a minute and raised his firearm. "I'm not taking you out of my sights. Hand the painting to me and we'll go down to the station." He raised his free hand for the painting and still the gun in his other hand was yet to shake. His golden eyes were steady on her and he smirked, just as wickedly. "You'll play by my rules this time, MISS Shadow Thief."
She was taken aback by the power in his voice and let it show, keeping the expression there long enough to let him think he'd shaken her. She began moving forward, one slow step after another, and stopped when she was close enough for him to lower the gun, thinking he'd won. And, once he had placed the item back into its place on his belt, she swung her leg out, knocked him off his feet and onto his back, slipped the gun from his holster, and clipped it to her own belt. She'd never let go of the painting and smirked down at him. "I love a man with manners. See you around, Mister Detective." She was gone out of the window before he could speak and made her way up the side of the building in the dark, until she reached the rooftop.
!ICHIGO!
Once sure she'd not been followed or seen by anyone, she slipped the canvas into the black bag on her back and sealed the container tight before making her way through the shadows, to the loft apartment she called home. "That was just too easy. He's gotten soft, thinking he can catch me easily. He's a sap, that's all." She'd slipped through the window, peeling off the bag and tossing it onto her bed.
"Here, please shower and change, Ichigo…" She turned to see Retasu standing by the window, a pile of folded clothes in her arms. "Did you retrieve the stolen art work?" She smiled as she asked and tipped her glasses further onto her small shy face. Her jade green hair was pulled into a low braid down her back, and her soft blue-grey eyes shone with excitement. She was just as much a part of the business Ichigo ran, as Ichigo was herself, she had to remember. "Did you get caught?"
She shook her head, taking the clothes from her close friend. "Yes, I got the item we were looking for. And, as for getting caught; yes, I got into a bit of a stand-off with Kishu, but I managed to slip away without a trace. I'm thinking I might keep his gun for a trophy." She patted the firearm at her hip and grinned.
Retasu had been her friend, her sister, for almost her entire life. They'd met in grade school, gone to high school together, and shared a spacious loft. She was a smart, sweet, and very shy girl, compared to Ichigo, who easily became angry and wasn't afraid of talking one bit. Her green haired friend helped her to research, hack, and disable anything she needed, or helped her plot her next heist.
"Ichigo, you shouldn't fool around with that detective! Something's off about him, how cunning he is. He and his partners, Pai and Taruto, are very quick. I don't think we should get involved more than we have to." She was the cautious one, Ichigo reminded herself, watching the worried expression flit across Retasu's face.
"We aren't breaking the law that badly, though. We steal from thieves and give the items back to the original owners. And trust me; I left the gem at the police station earlier, with a note and photo proof explaining how it had originally gone missing, who rightfully owned it, and where I'd taken it from. The thief should be in a cage by now, I'd say. I'll do the same with this painting. That's why it was secured in another room. The building's owner didn't want anyone knowing he'd stolen it from its owner."
She shrugged and stepped into the bathroom once she was sure her friend's nerves had settled. "The most we're doing is breaking and entering. For a small fee, our part time job is to steal from the thieves and return the goods to the owner. If we're ever found out, that's what I'm going to tell them." She started the water, felt the steam erupt from within the shower-stall, and stepped in, glad to wash off the day's work. "I'll be mailing the photo proof, a note, and the painting, to the police station in the next town over, no return address. That's where it was taken from."
"You are a lot braver than I am, Ichigo. Still…I'd like to meet Kishu's partner, Pai. He seems so smart and mysterious…" Ichigo felt her friend's face blush madly from the hall, rolling her eyes at the girlishness of it.
'She deserves a boyfriend, though. I mean, it's only fair. Those two would click right away, I bet.' She continued to think to herself while the water poured over her from the shower head, loosening her tight muscles. 'That Kishu… Why does he test me like that? It makes me want to toy with his head more…' Unknowingly, she'd begun to blush as well.
"No matter, it's all in a day's work. We'll start our new full-time jobs tomorrow, though. I've been assigned a position as a policeman at the local department, and you get to work the computers there. We'll be on the inside, Retasu! Can't you feel the excitement?"
Her friend wasn't as enthused by the idea and laughed nervously, still blushing. "Pai will be working in the same department… I can't wait!" She sighed and just like that the two fell into yet another normal day. Life was good, though they knew, as with everything in life, there were lots of obstacles awaiting them.