The moon shines in the clear sky, casting its light upon the world below. A pure white mansion takes in the soft light, seeming to glow in the darkness. Like a beacon it calls for those who may be interested for what lies within its walls. Priceless ornaments, paintings, jewels of all kind set up on display. Whoever owned the place was intent on showing off their wealth. And by doing so they became the perfect target for a phantom thief.
Silent footsteps are taken down a hall. Eyes darting back and forth for a sign of any trap that may have be laid for his capture. There were some, surprisingly few, but he supposed the number of guards patrolling the home made up for it. Along with that damned detective.
Hayabusa clicks his tongue thinking about him. He was lucky that nothing had happened the last time they ran into each other. Then again, he wasn't in costume, he wasn't a phantom thief. He was just a normal person. On the streets, he could avoid the detective, but on the job? Highly impossible. Not that it was a bad thing. It did make things a little more fun. Funny how he could go from annoyed to amused in such a short amount of time.
A rather loud crash snaps him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to his current situation. Instinctually, he flees from sight, hiding in the nearest corridor and letting the shadows conceal him. He tries to determine where the sound had come from and what could have caused it. Imagining it to be the guards' incompetence makes him chuckle. It wouldn't be the first time they couldn't do something right on a night like this.
While still on alert, he feels someone approaching. He's not alone here. With a feather already in hand, he waits for the perfect moment. Silently counting down the steps coming from behind. And just when they come to a halt, he turns on his feet, ready to use his magic trick…only to find his hand caught in a stranger's.
"Wh-" Hayabusa is at a loss for words. That is, until he's able to get a better look at the stranger. "Munemasa?"
"Hey!" Munemasa snaps. "It's Mammoth!"
The one called 'Mammoth' is a taller individual compared to Hayabusa. He has spiky white hair, a mask that was a black band wrapped around his face that only left room for his plum colored eyes to be seen. He wore a sleeveless coat that was dawned in dark blue fur, chest revealed underneath with a pair of dark pants. A pair of small 'tusks' dangled from his ears.
"Yeah, whatever. My bad." Hayabusa huffed as he pulled his hand out of the other's grasp. Or tried to. "Let go of me."
With a grin, Mammoth waits a few seconds before letting him free. He then crosses his arms, never once losing that grin as he looks down at the other as if boasting something.
"Bet you weren't expecting me to be here."
"I wasn't…what are you doing here anyway?" He asks while rubbing his hand and making sure his feather wasn't damaged.
"Well, I thought I'd surprise you. I heard you sent an advanced notice here and thought I'd come to steal the treasure right under nose."
"Wait. You what?!" Hayabusa does his best from raising his voice. It takes so much not to snap at him. "Then that noise earlier…that was you, wasn't it?"
Mammoth nods, proudly.
"Idiot…" He sighs and facepalms. He thinks how he should scold the other, tell him that they should be more quiet while sneaking through the night. But, if he recalled correctly, that wasn't his thing. And it wasn't his place to remind him how to be a phantom thief, especially since one could do it in their own unique way (while still following the set rules)
"While it's great to see you and all again, I don't want you to get in my way." Hayabusa says before turning his back to Mammoth as he begins to peer out into the hallway. "That treasure is mine."
He hears a 'tsk' from behind and he can imagine the other rolling his eyes. "You're not going to get anywhere like that." Without another word, Mammoth walks past him and out into the open hall as if they weren't going to be hunted down by security at the first sight of them.
Hayabusa resists the urge to call him back; he's silently grateful that he doesn't have a partner like him around. As he stays within the comfort of the shadows, he keeps an eye on his old friend. Watching him carelessly show himself off.
His appearance put a dent in his plans. Now he had to deal with one more person along with the guards and the detective. And this one was probably more troublesome than the other two. If he was the same before his disappearance to go off training a few years ago, then he'd definitely be a headache to deal with here.
While annoyed, he still kept his eyes on Mammoth, at last until he had turned the corner and gone out of his sight. He'd wonder about what he'd done another day, another time. Catching up wasn't his priority. Right now it was thinking of a different route to the display room where the true treasure lied. Which would be surrounded with guards as usual.
The phantom thief is reminded that he can't be too idle tonight. So, he takes off from his safe spot. He had to catch up, no, beat Mammoth to the treasure. Luckily, the trip there is easier than he thought. It makes him wonder if the guards had all pulled their attention on the other phantom thief.
When he gets to the hall that led to the display room, he was right. While he remained hidden, he could see that guards were blocking the door and Mammoth, who had stolen their attention.
"Stop right there!"
"You're not authorized to be here!"
Weapons were raised and aimed at the phantom thief, a radio pulled and ready to signal backup. There was no fear on his face, only a smug look. Almost as if he were challenging the guards.
"If you want to get rid of me, then come at me!" Mammoth shouts before making a quick dash towards them, pulling off his coat and using it as a shield. Triggers were pulled and bullets were sent flying his way…only to bounce off of he thief's coat. The guards were baffled. And that gave Mammoth the right opening to ram into them, easily knocking them back against the ground and each other. They fell unconscious.
"Hah. Gotta get stronger bullets if you want to catch me." He says proudly to the unconscious bodies before putting his coat back on. His attention is then turned towards the door, which is kicked open.
Inside the room are multiple works of art on display, all surrounded by red lasers, ready to signal an intruder was here. Plum eyes dart down, looking at the red pattern on the ground. As he steps forward, he sets his foot down to cross one of the lasers. One alarm goes off. Then another. And another. He is unbothered by the noise and continues to walk forward until he gets to one display.
A swan shaped vase sat behind a glass container. It was beautiful, a rare piece. It was what Hayabusa was after.
A hand is stuffed into his pocket and he pulls out a glove. He puts it on, making sure its snug around his fingers. When he's certain, his hand balls into a fist, pulls his arm back, and throws a punch against the glass. It shatters into pieces, leaving the vase free from its imprisonment. Without anything else in his way, he reaches out and picks up the swan vase.
As he turns, he finds the door closing on him. A different and sturdier sliding door had taken that weak wood one's place. When it's firmly shut, the lights are switched on, revealing police standing against the walls of the room. And one not police officer from what he could tell since he wasn't dressed in the same attire.
"I did think something was strange when there was a loud distraction earlier," the odd one out speaks with a curious smile. "It's not very Hayabusa like. Although I am still studying his methods, I think I know what he would and wouldn't do during a heist."
"Huh?" Is all that comes from Mammoth, uninterested in what he had to say.
"You're much more brash, aren't you? You don't sneak around like him. Truth be told, I wouldn't expect one to simply walk right up like this. But, that's part of your charm as a thief, right?"
"Phantom thief," Mammoth corrects. He'd been growing annoyed by the way this one talked. Poking at him with these…observations. It got under his skin. He didn't like it. "Look, if you want to keep talking, go ahead. I'm leaving."
"Sorry, but I can't allow that."
With a hand signal, the police all took a steps forward. They inched closer and closer, until they were surrounding the phantom thief. Once they were certain that he could not escape past them, now came the part to restrain him.
Bodies seemed to pile upon the single thief, thinking they could hold him down. And it seemed like they were managing it. They were in for a surprise when the thief had let out a loud roar. Shortly after, he began to push back those who were on him, sending them flying back to where they came. The vase still in his grasp.
"You need someone stronger than this to stop me."
"Ah." Kazuto blinks in surprise at his brute strength. He wasn't physically strong himself and the thought of having to taser someone was never something he liked to do, but if it needed to be done, he'd do it.
One of the fallen police began to move, getting back up on their feet. This didn't go unnoticed by Mammoth. He smirked and looked ready for a one handed brawl against this officer. But once they wherein their feet, within the blink of an eye they disappeared. Along with eh vase in his grasp. The only person who could have done something like that was-
"Hayabusa!"
"Told you, the treasure is mine." He replied before sticking his tongue out at him once the illusion of him being part of the police fell.
"Bastard."
"Oh, you two aren't working together," Kazuto observes.
"What gave you that idea, huh?" Hayabusa asks.
"It's too obvious, I think. But it doesn't matter. Both of you are trapped in here." His eyes dart to the ground, watching his men begin to get back up on their feet. "You can't keep fighting them forever nor is there a way out. You can't escape this time."
"Don't be so sure about that, detective," Hayabusa says with a chuckle.
He glances back over to Mammoth for a moment, their eyes meeting. They silently nod to each other. That was all they needed.
Now, the police are standing once more. All of them ready to take down the two phantom thieves. Mammoth could handle this, again. Hayabusa couldn't. Rather than staying put, the latter uses his speed to his advantage. He dashes away from the herd, trying to find space where he could move freely. Doing so means leaving Mammoth to having more officers on him.
Put that was all part of the plan.
Feathers are held in-between his fingers to use as his defense. They're aimed at the guards and go flying through at them. The first couple miss, then another. The feathers thrown simply fly by and hit the wall instead.
"Your aim sucks!"
"Shut up!"
While Hayabusa was busy throwing feathers, Mammoth was busy trying to fight back the sea of guards. It was easy if not annoying as hell. Admittedly, he was glad the vase wasn't in his grasp. Trying to fight one handed would make this much more difficult.
Most of the police are knocked out, either dizzy or unconscious from the blows given to them. They wouldn't be anything lethal, but they wouldn't be waking up for the rest of the night. With that done, he's able to head towards the wall that was decorated in feathers.
"What are you-?"
The detective's question is cut off the moment that Mammoth rams into the wall. The moment that he collided with it, the wall began to crumble. Once pieces fell, the feathers slowly falling as well, it revealed the hallway they'd just come through.
"You're too destructive for your own good."
"Thanks."
Hayabusa makes a quick run to their newly built exit, careful to dodge the detective who was making his way to block him. He wasn't fast enough to do so. The order to stop them was being given out, block their exit, make sure they don't escape.
They should have known by now that a phantom thief always has a trick up their sleeve. And always finds a way out.
Guards were running in from both sides- soon the hall would be filled with far too many people. But as soon as they had made their way there, they only found the detective. Who was staring out the window, eyes looking up at the moon. There was no trace of their escape and, surely, if they were to have left there would be a sign. And yet, no broken window or wall was seen. If he didn't know better, Kazuto would have claimed it was magic.
Outside the mansion, the phantom thieves found safety in a nearby park. It would be searched soon, they knew, but they had a couple of minutes to spare before they reached this area. For now, they could rest.
"Man, that orange head was a weird one," Mammoth comments. Even while resting he doesn't stay still. He keeps on his feet, moving his legs as if he's ready to run any second.
"Oh yeah. He's a bit different from the others." Hayabusa sighs out as he plops down on a bench. He wasn't about to tell him too much. Like meeting him outside of work. He wouldn't hear the end of it.
"Mm. Sounded like he really knows you."
"Kinda. He's the most recent detective trying to stop me. But, he does spice up heists a bit. It's better than having stupid guards around."
"Guess so. Too bad he's scrawny. Not worth fighting."
Another sigh. "Will you get your fists out of your brain already?"
Mammoth lets out a laugh. "No can do. It was nice seeing you again. And," a pause as he moves, almost as fast as Hayabusa had done before, to snatch the vase from his hands. "Thanks for the welcome back present."
"Hey!" He shouts, quickly jumping to his feet and attempting to grab it back. Unfortunately, it's kept out of reach. His hope to get it back is lost when Mammoth nearly stomps on his foot. Of course he'd use his strength against him.
"See you around, Hayato!" Mammoth grins at him before taking off, disappearing into the darkness.
Hayabusa considers chasing after him for a moment, but stops himself. He falls back onto the bench and runs a hand through his hair. As annoying as he was, he'd let him have this one.
Like he said, it was his welcome back gift.