New Beginnings Don't Always Work Out

Gelisah Kilau hadn't wanted to do everything she had done. She had been forced to; she needed to. She hadn't had any other plans, any other options besides her training, and when they had done that horrid thing- she could barely stand to think about it- she had to act. She had to make them know how the fact that they had smothered her plans had ruined her; they had compelled her to do these things. They had driven her metaphorical sword through their own hearts, and her hand was just stuck on the other end. They had turned her into a villain, and she had to make sure they knew that. She would make sure they suffered for it.

[FLASHBACK]

This was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. Her legs trembled underneath her. Her forehead dripped sweat. Her rucksack was heavier now than it had been at the beginning of the trip, weighed down with impatience. The directions she had been given were faulty. Damn that stupid monkey. Why had she asked him anyway? Why had she tried to speak Japanese? That was even stupider. She had barely been able to stutter out the phrase that she had practiced before she arrived here in Japan. Now she was lost, following this dismal path through the forest with no civilization near. She could die out here and no one would know for days. Her feet halted and her entire body tensed, a shiver wracking through her at the thought. She couldn't think that way if she was going to make if out of here. She continued walking, fighting against the desperate urge, that now was tightening up her stomach, to turn around around.

She shoved it aside. She was going to find this damn dojo if it killed... if it took her all day. Giving up now that she was so close was not an option. She adjusted her rucksack on her back and stood up straighter; it was here somewhere. She just had to hunt it down.

[CONTINUED]

Wow. Wow. wow

Gelisah's mind couldn't process any other words, and her mouth, which was currently hanging open and seemingly entirely detached from her jaw, certainly couldn't form any words at all. Every irritation had evaporated in the face of this. The pain of a three hour hike through the forest was entirely numbed by her fascination and admiration. She couldn't tell whether or not she was drooling. It was very possible. The panther's hand came up to her mouth slowly and wiped, but she didn't pay attention to the moistness that came away as she lowered her arm. Her head leaned back, following the sloping angle of the enormous uniquely Japanese building in front of her, until she lost her balance and stumbled backwards. This place was a fortress. No, that wasn't entirely fitting- it was a castle; that made it sound more magical. And for Gelisah, it would be a magical place. It had been her dream.. well, since she could dream to train at this dojo, and now it was finally happening. Assuming, of course, that she wasn't dreaming now.

She reached her hand forward tentatively and touched the door, making sure that it would not recede from her outstretched hand if she actually were dreaming. It didn't. She slipped her shoes off of her feet and into her rucksack as she picked it up, opened the door, and stepped in. Her mind shut down again. The inside was far more beautiful than the outside; the walls were a deep brown, with relaxing paintings consisting of yellow and red complementing each other on every wall. The ceiling stretched high, and sloped to a point where each support met at the top. She gaped in wonder and fascination, her eyes darting back and forth, unable to take everything in fast enough.

"Watashi wa anata o tasukeru koto ga dekimasu ka?"

Gelisah jumped at the sound of the voice ringing out through the room. It came from a female gray wolf, who had walked into the room from a door to the right. She was dressed in a deep blue kimono, covering her black keiko-gi, and stood barefooted. Gelisah hadn't even noticed her in her fascination.

"E-excuse me?" she forced out in English, hoping that this woman understood. English, as she had learned, was a widely used language, and she wasn't about to try her Japanese again.

"Oh, you don't speak Japanese? I'm sorry," the receptionist replied in accented English. "What language are you most comfortable with?"

"Malay," Gelisah replied.

"Okay," the receptionist replied in Malay. "I was asking a second ago what I can help you with," she continued, surprising Gelisah with her flawless transition between three different languages. "If you're here by invitation of the kyōshi just give me your name so I can give you the necessary information and show you to your living quarters."

"Oh, my name is Gelisah Kilau. And yes, I was invited by the kyōshi."

"Okay," the receptionist said, seemingly stiffening up upon hearing her name.

She pulled a small notebook out of a pocket in her robes and flipped a few pages before she settled on a certain one and began writing with a small pencil that had been closed in the notebook, pausing every few moments to read from it. Feeling Gelisah's stare on her face, she looked up and told her, "My name is Odoroki."

"Oh," Gelisah stuttered out awkwardly. "That's very nice."

"Thank you," she replied, and turned back to her notebook, seemly holding back a smirk.

In her awkwardness, Gelisah switched her attention away and became entirely entranced again by the foreign beauty of the room, and turned her head slowly in all directions to take it all in.

Odoroki moved faster than Gelisah could react. In less than a second, barely enough time for Gelisah to register movement, she was suddenly covered with a silky cloth that had previously been draped over Odoroki's back, obscuring her vision and trapping her arms under it. She dropped her rucksack abruptly, and flailed her arms against the cloth with no coordination, rendered stupid by the shock of the attack. It was ripped from her suddenly, Odoroki's glaring face too close to Gelisah's own, and a second later, Odoroki's open palm aimed at Gelisah's face, her face contorted with the determination and effort required to cause pain. Gelisah swooped her arm, knocking the gray paw away from her, but in another instant, the heel of Odoroki's other hand shoved into her stomach, knocking the breath out of her and causing her to double over. Odoroki took the opportunity to collide her knee into Gelisah's face, making her head recoil, blood trickling from her nose. In another fraction of a second, and moving so quickly that Gelisah couldn't even follow what was happening, Odoroki had Gelisah pressed to the ground, her knee digging into her back, binding Gelisah's arms together behind her.

"Never let your guard down around that which is unfamiliar to you." Odoroki's voice was steely and harsh, entirely reprimanding, the antithesis of her charming facade. She stood, and Gelisah could feel the outline of the bruise that would form in the spot where Orodoki's knee had shoved into. "You could be putting yourself at a disadvantage." She stood. "Follow me."

Gelisah listened to her feet pad away softly, but with purpose, and tried to move to lift herself up. Her arms flopped at her sides uselessly. The feet stopped somewhere off to the right side of the room, and Gelisah tried once again to get up. She brought her hands up next to her head and pushed, lifting up her upper half. Her feet responded slowly, and she got up onto her knees with some effort. She stood unsteadily, and her vision swam. She clutched her head and balanced herself before her vision cleared. She was now facing the door, Odoroki standing behind her in a doorway, her face managing to look indifferent and impatient at the same time. Gelisah noticed that she had picked up a folder from a small desk that was pushed against the wall she was standing near, which she was holding in front of her. Gelisah picked up her rucksack, her back aching as she did, and followed, trying to force her mind to keep up. She wiped her upper lip, trying to clear away some of the blood that had spilled from her throbbing nose, which was causing her whole head to throb, too. She followed quickly as Odoroki turned and led her down a hallway, and her head lowered in embarrassment. This wasn't the reception she had expected, to say the least.

But then again, what should she have expected? She didn't exactly receive admission for her sparkling smile and charming personality. She had received it for her skill. Suddenly she felt stupid; she should be ashamed that she hadn't been prepared to fight the moment she got here. That was the only reason she was here- to train- and she had to remind herself of that every day from now until she finished her training. Admiring her surroundings would only get her.. well, she had just seen, and felt, what distractions would get her. She had to be more careful- she couldn't let it happen again.

Odoroki stopped suddenly in front of a doorway. "Here is your room. You will share it with two other girls, but you will be placed into training groups based on your skill. You will be evaluated tomorrow, so be prepared." She reached into her folder and pulled out a few sheets of paper, handing them to her in the order in which she explained them. "This is the daily schedule for training, and mealtimes, and you will follow it based on which group you are placed in. This is the pact that you must follow at all times while training in this dojo. Read it carefully. If any one of those rules is broken, you will be thrown out before you can open your mouth to protest. Dinner will be served tonight at seven. You may relax until your evaluation tomorrow." She turned towards the door, but hesitated and turned back, her expression looking as if she wanted to be sympathetic. "You have been admitted for your talents, but talent will only get you so far in this dojo. The rest of your efforts must be from your determination, and resolve. Prepare yourself. Tomorrow you will combat some of the most experienced fighters we train. Do not overestimate yourself." With that, her face hardened again, and she turned and left.

Gelisah stood awkwardly, staring at the paper in her hands without reading it. Odoroki had probably meant her words to be inspirational or helpful or whatever, but they had only managed to further stress her out. She sat on the bed designated for her, dropping her bag near her feet, suddenly feeling the urge to cry.

What if she failed her evaluation? What if coming here didn't pay off? She had left her family for this? Was this really worth being disowned by her parents? She couldn't go back now if she couldn't handle it- they had told her if she left that she could never come back. She had had shamed them, and had nowhere to go if this didn't work out.

Then you just have to make it work.

The unexpected thought comforted her slightly. She had always just made things work. This would be no different. It would work. She would make sure that it did.

[PRESENT]

Sly had actually done it. He almost couldn't believe it. He had successfully conned his way into Interpol. He had really, actually done it. This was a new level of success, even for him. And, to sweeten the deal, he had ensured that he would be partnered up with Carmelita. He couldn't wait to tell...

Oh. Right.

He couldn't tell the gang. He swallowed the disappointment in his throat, and tried to keep his expression from dampening. They would find out somehow. He hoped that they were at least keeping tabs on him one way or another. After all, they did still believe that he had lost his memory. Hopefully his cane and red bag left in the hole to the vault would give them a clue as to what was really going on. He swallowed guilt at the thought of up and leaving his surrogate family, and stood up straighter, trying to pay some attention to the Chief as he spoke. He was standing in front of a line of five new officers, Sly included, and was inducting and swearing them in. They were about to receive their badges and first assignments with their new partners from the Chief.

"Finally," Sly thought in exasperation.

It had seemed to take him forever to get to this point, when really it had only taken him six weeks. He had first had to finish his hand-to-hand combat training, and he had done so with an instructor from Interpol while Carmelita received small assignments within the city, and then he had moved on to learning how to wield weapons and shock pistols. It had been an entirely painfully dull experience, and Sly had become antsy and frustrated with the slow process that was necessary in the institution. He couldn't train himself like he always had before, which had taken a heck of a lot less time.

But finally, finally, he was here, receiving his badge, an official officer for Interpol. It was a shiny badge, heavy with significance, and perfectly crafted to honor the importance of the position he now held. Constable Cooper. He felt a tiny pang of sadness as he took his badge, sliding the cool metal between his palm and his fingers. This was the point of no return, and, he realized with surprise and a bit of guilt, he didn't want to go back. He shook the Chief's hand and returned to his place in the line, and after a short speech of congratulations, they were released.

Carmelita rushed up to him and hugged him in her hyperbolic excitement, before regaining her control and pulling away awkwardly. Sly laughed, a stupid grin on his face.

"Congratulations, Cooper," she told him seriously. "I'm proud to have you as my partner." She stiffened and saluted him jokingly, and he returned the gesture with a chuckle.

"Proud to serve with you, Inspector Fox," he told her, with only a hint of humor.

She smiled at him, staring into his eyes, and he couldn't help but stare back, admiring every beautiful aspect of her being. "Will you celebrate with me? Over dinner tonight?" his mouth blurted before he could even process the words, taking her and himself off-guard.

"I- I'd love to," she replied, her shock morphing into delight at his proposal.

"Fantastic." He hesitated."Wear something-" he leaned in close to her ear, "completely evil." He pulled back in time to catch the flicker of wickedness in her eyes, disappearing after only a second.

She opened her mouth to respond, with a smirk, but the Chief poked his head out of his office at the moment.

"Fox! Cooper! Get in here." His head disappeared again, and Carmelita suddenly looked guilty, as if flirting in the office was strictly prohibited.

They entered his office and sat, and Chief Shepherd tossed a manilla folder onto the desk. "Here is your first assignment. It's not much- we wanted to keep you local and out of danger for your first mission, and probably for the next few missions. This is just to get your feet wet. You'll start it tomorrow. Any questions?" He paused, and after their heads shook in unison, he told them, "Good. Dismissed."

Sly picked up the folder and opened it as he walked to Carmelita's desk. Carmelita sat down in her chair, and Sly sat in the chair he had dragged over a few days ago jokingly, after Carmelita had told him that their differences in rank provided her with a desk, but not Sly.

She watched his eyebrows raise in shock, and he slid her the offending paper. Looking over it quickly, she felt her own expression change.

"We've pulled the short straw," Sly said, his tone failing to sound as joking as he had intended.

"I'll say," Carmelita responded, almost irritated by the insultingly mundane mission of searching the house of a man suspected of currency counterfeiting. "But at least we have our evening of celebration tonight before we get into this," she reminded him with a subtle grin.

"And thank goodness for that. I'll pick you up at seven?"

She nodded, and he stood, gathering one copy of their files for himself, and leaving the second copy for Carmelita.

He leaned in close again, and said, "And remember, wear something so evil..." he paused, an mischievous glint in his eye, "wear some thing so evil that I mistake you for the bad guy."

With that he turned and walked away. Carmelita called after him from her seat, "If you can't recognize the bad guys from the good by now, Ringtail, I think you'd better give back that badge." She smirked at him, but there was more passion in her eyes behind it, something more sensual. Sly chuckled, and continued walking out of the office.

Once outside, he swung a leg over his new motorcycle, a small treat to himself for his secretly incredible accomplishment of conning the entire justice system, thinking that he was very much looking forward to his night.

MUWAHAHA I'm so excited for this chapter!

Oh, and I'm back! heh, sorry for the extended absence. I encountered a monster of a writer's block in my story's path, and it's taken me this long to dismantle it and continue writing! But hey, this chapter is epically long, so hopefully that makes up for it. Though I know not much of it is Sly and Carmelita. Sorry bout that. I'm still dismantling the writer's block standing in my way of developing their relationship.

I do hope that I can get you guys excited for my villain as well, though. I know you didn't come to my story for her, but I'm very excited to write for her and I think that you will come to (hate) love her as the story goes along! lol, you may hate her. She is the villain after all. Oh, and she's a young black panther from Singapore. I'm making her 18 in the flashback, but maybe twenty-something when she encounters Sly after she's committed her crimes. I want the rest to be revealed in the story though, so that's all I'll say about her for now.

And PLEASE, any one who speaks Malay or Japanese, please tell me if I've made any mistakes writing in another language. I looked these things up on Google Translate, so hopefully it's legit. If you do speak one of these languages, and you'd like to help me with slang or anything else to make it more realistic, please give me your input, but make it real. I don't want to screw any of this up, and it's very tricky to only have the guarantee of the internet to ensure that I'm not, like, offending anyone in a foreign language. Oh! Almost forgot..."Watashi wa anata o tasukeru koto ga dekimasu ka?" means "Can I help you?" in Japanese. Kyōshi means teacher in Japanese. Again, let me know if this is wrong. It shouldn't be, but there's always a chance... Kimono- things to wear. Keiko-gi- protective uniform worn while fighting.

From what I've gotten on the internet, Gelisah means unsteady in Malay (you'll find out why I chose this in later chapters :3). I know this is a bit of a ridiculous choice for a name, but I want the names to be symbolic, and I figured the symbolism can be more obvious since not all of my readers speak these languages and can read the word and know what it means literally. Odoroki means surprise or startle in Japanese, because she is not what she seems to be in the beginning. I don't know how much of her I'll use yet. She's a gray wolf, as I mentioned.

Oh, and I know the flirting between Sly and Carmelita is totally cheesy, but I think it's cute. Rip on it if you want to, but con-crit would be better, and help make this story better for all my readers. :)

Anyway, thank you sooo much for reading! And I'll be forever grateful if you review! I'll try to update sooner next time. :3