No disrespect to other ships or characters intended in any story. I like this ship, but I've got nothing against any others. Oh, by the way, I'm open to requests for short stories I could put in this collection.(Nothing M or highly T rated) I just started a creative writing class, and I need the practice. I may not be able to do everyone's request with workload and all, but if I can I will.

Chapter 1. The cop and the criminal

Hakuei sprinted down the alley, the sound of hammering rain overwhelming her. Her feet ached, and in the back of her mind she wondered if she'd make it. The thundering of her heart along with her panting were the only sounds to remind her that she was still alive. Without it, she would have forgotten. Others said they felt alive when they were in the middle of a chase. Hakuei didn't agree. In order to catch a criminal, Hakuei had to shut herself off. Turn off all emotion and signs of humanity so she could focus on finding them. If she didn't, she may realize how afraid she was of failing. That was something she just couldn't risk on the job.

The sound of her footsteps pounding on the ground became the sound of water splashing to the side as she slid to make a sharp turn. To the left she went, as the turn slowed her down for just a fraction of a moment as she dashed to catch up to her enemy. "Stop!" She commanded, losing her breath for an instant as she continued running. "Stop! Halt!" The enemy who ran far ahead of her who was able to keep the distance with much less effort laughed at her commands. It was all a game to him. They both knew it.

It aggravated her to no end. This game that he loved to play. Just a few years ago, Hakuei had been an ordinary cop. She'd catch a few speeders, find out who murdered who, help gather suspects for cases and solved the political questions. Crazy as it may sound, she found it peaceful. The jobs were hard, both emotionally and physically. But they were easy, quick cases to solve. She felt like she was truly helping other, that she was part of a team. But then one day, he decided to come to her town. And had decided, on a whim, to ruin her simple life.

When she'd first heard about him, it had been when he'd broken into Miss Mira Artemina's palace. She was an owner of a trading company, commonly known for having a high number of women in power. They'd gotten the call or a burglary around 12 at night, right before Hakuei would have gotten the night off. What bad luck. She and Seisyun had driven up to her mansion, their backup Bator and Dorji on their way. The door had been open, so they'd gone with the stealthy approach. Seisyun had went to through the main floor while Hakuei had gone to the top floor. As she went through the rooms, she'd been expecting to find the thief in the office, but that wasn't where she'd found him. Instead she found him in the bedroom on top of a very enthusiastic woman. Hakuei'd been thankful she'd gotten their before they'd taken their clothes off.

"Freeze!" She'd ordered, whipping out her gun and aiming it with two hands. The man on top had barely reacted, but the woman underneath him had gasped and jumped to her feet. Later she'd found out the woman was actually a servant of Mira's. According to her testimony, she'd been walking around innocently unaware there had been an enemy in the house. When asked about what Hakuei had seen, the woman had blushed and said 'it was all such a shock she really couldn't remember.' Judging from the way she'd been smiling, Hakuei had doubted it. Mira likely wasn't too happy about the story either.

Back to the robbery, the stranger had gotten to his feet, seemingly confident despite the gun trained at him. He kept his eyes trained on her as he took a few cautious steps around. "Freeze," Hakuei had repeated, taking a step forward. "That means don't move." The man had raised his eyebrows, a smirk growing on his face.

He wasn't like the usual criminals she was used to catching. Normally it was a group of teenagers trying to have some fun, or a big crook dressed in black hunched over with an ugly face. The enemy in front of her was neither of those things. He wore a white button up shirt that somehow looked like it had been freshly cleaned, except for a few of the top buttons that were missing. He wore a pair of black pants that were also tidy, the brown laced boots with specks of mud the only real evidence he'd broken in anywhere. Oh, that and the backpack Hakuei noticed in the corner stuffed with various riches. Purple hair longer than hers was tied behind his back. Normally Hakuei didn't like men with long hair, but it worked on him somehow. Tanned skin showed that he was no stranger to the sun. More than that, the golden eyes surprised her. She'd never met someone with gold eyes. Perhaps that was why he was a thief. All he could see was gold.

With those golden eyes he'd sized her up quickly. "So this is the kind of treatment I get in this city," He observed, not looking at all displeased. "I could get used to it." Hakuei hadn't smiled.

"Get down on your knees. You are under arrest."

"Oh, no I'm not." The man disagreed, slipping his hands into his pockets casually. "But it's cute that you think so. What's your name love?" Hakuei didn't respond, annoyed by his arrogance and refusal to cooperate. He was trapped, he must have known that. She was the one carrying the gun, blocking the only exit other than the window. And the floor they were on was far too high off the ground for any sane person to even consider it.

Oh the other hand, she wasn't too confident in his sanity to begin with. "If anyone's going to be asking the questions here, it will be me."

"Bossy," Sinbad whistled, not even an ounce of fear shown at the gun. "You've got a bit of attitude in there, don't you? How exciting."

"Get down on the ground!" Hakuei had repeated, louder that time.

The stranger hadn't complied. Instead he took a careful step closer, testing to see if she'd really use the gun. Hakuei held it higher, keeping it aimed at his head. But she didn't really want to shoot. He seemed like a jerk, but was that really cause for death? Perhaps she'd keep it aimed there, but if it got too bad she'd only shoot his leg. "My name is Sinbad," He offered, a twinkle in his eye as he said it. "But you may call me Sin. Again, what's your name love?"

Hakuei's patience was wearing thin. "I don't care about your name, and you don't get to hear mine. Do you not see the gun I am holding?" For yet another time, he didn't react. Instead his eyes trailed down, looking for something. When he'd found it, he'd grinned.

"Miss Hakuei Ren," He's murmured, sounding out each word slowly with feeling. "Miss? I hope that's not an error."

Before he could continue, Hakuei fired a warning shot. It went right past his ear, straight into the window behind them. The woman hiding in the corner screamed and fell to her knees. Hakuei didn't flinch, her eyes trained on him like a hunter approaching its prey. "I will not ask you again. Get. On. The. Ground."

He hadn't. His eyes had widened at her attack, and he'd lifted his hand to brush his ear in surprise. Just a small bit had been knocked off, only a trickle of blood coming down his ear. But when his eyes met hers again, he didn't look frightened. Not even close. Instead he looked intrigued. "Hakuei…" he whispered, speaking the word as if he was trying to memorize it. "You are quite the interesting person. No other cop I'd met was willing to risk shooting me to get my attention. I must say, I'm impressed." Hakuei hadn't taken the complement, re-aiming her gun at him. It bothered her when he said 'no other cop.' was it not his first time being arrested? From the way he acted, she wondered if he'd ever been caught.

"What is wrong with you," Hakuei demanded, taking a step closer so the gun was almost touching him. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

"Not in particularly," He'd replied, walking closer so the gun was touching his chest. Hakuei hadn't realized how close they were standing, and she knew the contact wouldn't be good if he decided his best option was to attack. She'd have to shoot then. "But a wish for adventure? Hakuei I would do anything for that."

"That's Miss Ren to you," She commanded, trying to regain her footing. She refused to allow herself to be intimidated by the stranger. "I hope you realize being in this house is illegal. You're going to have to come with me. Seisyuun!" She called, letting him know she had backup. At least that way he may not be so confident.

He didn't seem bothered by the information. "Are you going to arrest me? I certainly hope you know how to use those handcuffs. We'll have lots of fun together if you do."

"What?" She'd asked out of confusion. "We're not having fun. You're going to jail, and then you'll never see me again. Say hello to prison." But Sinbad only shook his head, a smile plain on his face and as bright as the sun, despite the dark atmosphere around them.

"I'm not going to jail today love," he told her, in a second grabbing the gun. Before she could even think about shooting he'd yanked it out of her hands and turned it on her. Hakuei felt her face go red. She was an idiot! She'd been so angry and annoyed with him she hadn't even tried to hold onto her gun! "As you can see, this isn't my first time," He told her with a smirk.

Hakuei tried plan B. Ducking under the gun she tried a spinning kick to get him in the head. Turned out he knew how to fight as well, for he grabbed her foot in midair. Hakuei's face grew pale when he used his leverage to swing her around, throwing her, luckily, onto the bed. Hakuei coughed, jumping off the bed as soon as she could, his laugher echoing through her head. "You certainly are a brave one, aren't you? And quite fun to tease as well. Ever think about leaving the police and coming to join a thief?" Hakuei wouldn't even dignify that question with a response.

"Our backup will be here any minute," She told him, knowing that even if he had a gun he couldn't stop three other cops. If he used her as a hostage, she'd just try and get the gun back.

"I know that of course," Sinbad agreed, taking a step not towards the door, but closer to her. "I'll be leaving in a moment. Just making sure you fit the cut."

"Fit the cut," She asked, confusion plain on her face. "For what?"

His smile sent chills up her spine. "Someone who I'd enjoy having around for a while." Then, quick as a flash, he leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes widened, to shocked to react. He leaned down deep, forcing her mouth open and biting at her lip. He chuckled, and she could feel it against her lips. He was enjoying it, she was not. As soon as she could she pushed him away as soon as possible, gasping for breath. Sinbad only stepped back playfully, undeterred. Testing, he ran his hand over his lips, pondering to himself. "Hm…well, you aren't the best kisser I've ever met," He mused. "But that certainly was exciting. Don't worry, we'll work on that part in time."

"Work on…Work on what?" She shook her head, anger blurring her vision. "That goes for sexual assault. Congratulations, you've just added another thing to your list along with breaking and entering, thievery,"

"Still so confident!" Sinbad laughed, walking backwards not towards he. Not towards the door. But towards the window. "Love, I'm getting to enjoy your company more each second I'm with you."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Hakuei growled, jumping in front of the door so he couldn't get to it again. "This is the last you'll see of me."

"Oh, I don't think so," he said, walking till his back was against the window. Casually, he leaned back and opened it, letting the glass swing back and the cold air came rushing in. Hakuei gasped when she realized what he was going to do. "You and I have quite a future ahead of us if I have anything to say about it."

"Don't," She stuttering, taking a step forward in surprise. She had to stop him. "Don't. We're up to high, you'll never make it."

"Lady Hakuei," He jumped on the ledge, keeping his balance despite the small support. "It has been such a pleasure." He made a quick bow, and once he'd straightened he'd winked at her. "Till we meet again."

Then he'd jumped.

…

After that night, her life had gotten very complicated. What she had thought would be a one-time meeting had become a frequent experience. Sinbad had decided to spend more time in her city than just about every city she'd ever been to. He robbed places he knew she'd be sent to check out, caused problems with people who conveniently had Hakuei on speed dial. Eventually it got to the point that whenever there was a robbery they would send Hakuei down automatically because she was the only one who had any chance of even seeing him. Whenever someone else went, he wouldn't even appear. That was agenizing for Hakuei to be used like that. But that wasn't the worst of it. Turned out he wasn't just an ordinary thief. He was world-renown, the leader of a group called Sindria. Associations like the FBI or NCSI had been hunting him down for ages. Hakuei had become their key to doing just that. She was recruited by the FBI to try and catch Sinbad. Whenever they heard he may be somewhere, they sent her. Sinbad hadn't had a problem with it. He's been thrilled, and enjoyed the game to the fullest. He'd tease her, give her a heads up, and sometimes invite her as his guest to a heist. More times than Hakuei would like to admit, he'd even helped them catch more heinous criminals than him. But Hakuei wasn't pleased. Every time she thought she'd catch him. Each time she thought she was one step ahead, he'd beat her. She didn't know how. She especially didn't like it how he'd always enjoy every time they were together. The man was aggravatingly cocky, flirtatious in more ways than one, and far more intelligent than his own good. Hakuei wanted nothing more than to put him behind bars.

Alright. Perhaps she was a bit emotional about the chase.

"Stop!" She exclaimed, finally reaching him at a dead end. He spun around to face her, brick wall on his back, left and right with Hakuei ahead of him. The suit he wore was drenched from the rain, a computer chip hidden in one of his pockets. Hakuei held her gun just like she'd done the first time they'd met. Her hair which had been styled was soaked to the bone, her dress sticking to her like frost on a window. She was glad she hadn't decided to wear heels. "End of the line Sinbad," She gasped, trying to keep her gun level. That annoyingly attractive smirk traced his features.

"Haven't we played this scene before Hakuei? You know I'll get away somehow. Though I must say, I appreciate the change in attire." Hakuei decided to ignore him.

"Hand over the chip Sinbad."

"Oh I'd love to," Sinbad invited holding out his arms. "But I don't remember where I put it. You're free to search me if you like." She growled as she took the safety off the gun.

"Why are you so confident?" Hakuei questioned out of the blew, unable to stop her own tongue. "What makes you so sure you'll always get away?" Sinbad blinked, surprised at the question. But once it was presented to him, he took a moment to consider it. For a moment the only sound that could be heard was the hammering of rain around them, deafening yet silent to their ears.

Finally, he gave an answer. "I suppose I've got too much to look forward to if I succeed. So I refuse to lose." Hakuei huffed, forcing herself to keep still despite the cold.

"And what would that be?" Her question just made his smile grow.

"Another grand adventure with you."