Warning: I don't own Slayers. It also occurred to me, that a few characters might be a little OOC. Oh yea, and this is an Alternate Universe Fic.
=Chapter II=
=Flashback=
Fire. Fire burned around her as she tried to fight her way through the house.
The flames lashed out at her, moaning with anger and hate. "Onee-chan!" she cried out as smoke began to crawl down her throat. She coughed and sank to her knees. The air was cleaner on the floor. She started to crawl as fast as she could to the exit, but she couldn't remember where it was.
A flash of lavendar hair caught her eye and a hand. She tried to reach for it, but it was so far away.*
"Onee---" she began coughing once again. The smoke was getting thicker, and her skin was prickling at the heat of the flames.
It wasn't long before she felt herself fall into darkness.
=End Flashback=
It was pitched black. Only the moon and a solitary figure had chosen that moment to venture into the still night.
The shadow was that of a young girl. She slipped through the shadows with ease, as if those were the places she belonged. She was dressed in a skin tight black body suit and light black boots…and a cape (she had this thing about capes). Along her hips was a red belt wrapped four times around her waist because it was large. She kept her lock picks, daggers, change purse, a bag of powder, and cheap smoke bombs in little bags around the belt. Her untamed hair, was currently forced into a long braid that fell down her back.
Her prey stood before her: The Shrine of Hope. It was situated in the city about the time of the War of the Dragons and Monsters. She glanced at the pale stone that almost seemed to glow in the dark. The architecture rivaled even the palaces.
She shook her head. Admiring architecture wasn't part of her job. Stealing was her trade and stealing was what she was about to do.
Carefully, she made her way to the shrine. However, she didn't notice the shadow that followed her.
When she was safe within, she heard the soft chanting of the shrine maidens. They were saying something about blessing love. The thief gagged. It sounded so banal in her ears. You'd think they'd come up with something new!
As she walked through the building, she paid close attention to the structure…just in case she had to leave. She noticed the low beams just above her head and a few dark cracks against the wall that she'd be able to slip into. She also noticed priceless paintings that she could easily steal, but she kept her greedy fingers at bay. Later, you've got a job to do, she told herself over and over. She managed to pry her eyes off of the paintings and continue walking.
Then she entered the main building. In the center of the room, a magnificent fountain stood. There was a statue in the center of it. To the thief, it looked like a long lizard with wings stretched as if it was ready to fly. In the claws, which it held above its head, was a circular object that had water sprouting from it.
Gaudy thing, the thief thought to herself.
Remembering the layout of the place, the thief had found the pendant in no time. It was hidden in a room with a lot of other cluttered stuff (swords, shields, lances, bows and arrows-why do shrine maidens need all of this?).
It sat on top of a large pillar. Along the sides of the pillar, the words "Morning passes, Darkness rises" were written in gold print.
Behind her, a pair of eyes watched as she slowly moved toward the pillar. Shaking their head, they fell back into the shadows and waited while she moved to take the pendant.
Carefully, she pulled off her gloves and placed a hand about an inch above the casing. Closing her eyes, she felt nothing protecting it. Why would nothing be protecting this? Glaring at the jewel, she realized that…Damn them! It's like they don't trust anybody.
Replacing her gloves, she looked around the entire shrine. Where can it be? she thought to herself. First off, it has to be a place where no one would suspect it to be. She began wandering through the shrine, making sure not to bump into anything. For the umpteenth time, she wished she had magic so that she could find the damn thing sooner.
Chewing on the bottom of her lip, she headed toward that fountain she had seen earlier.
Remembering what she saw, she grinned playfully. Reaching into her bodice, she pulled out a small dagger that she kept in there for "safe keeping." She cut off a piece of her cloak and took off her belt. Tying the dagger to the belt with her cloak, she tossed her new contraption to the ceiling. The dagger swung around a low beam. The thief tugged on her belt and found that it was secure.
LUCKY~! She sang and began the climb.
As soon as she was on top, she found the pendant on top of the claws of the dragon. Taking out one of her pouches, she sprinkled powder over the pendant and saw a soft shield covering it. Cursing lightly, she tried to remember the counter to mage protection shields.** Any thief worth their weight knew it. She whispered a soft word and watched as the shield disappeared.
===
As she crossed the threshold, she felt a pair of hands encircle her waist. Cursing herself for not paying any attention, she glanced around frantically, but there was no one in the streets. She couldn't even scream for help because some moron in the town might put two and two together and realize that she had stolen something in there.
The only option: fighting.
Her elbow swung back and hit the person in the stomach. She grimaced as he winced. It felt like her elbow had just hit a wall. 'It doesn't usually hurt me this much when I hit someone else!'
She struggled to get free. She bit, spat, called him a ding bat…nothing worked. He shoved her against the wall, hurting her back with the pure force of the action. She looked up and saw a pair of sapphire eyes glaring at her.
The corner of her lips twisted up as she realized who it was. "You…" she said before darkness consumed her vision.
=End Chapter=
*I saw this on my lil' sister's Planet Ladder manga.
** I read this in Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic Books