Chapter 2: Getting ready

"Ember!" Cript shouted, trying to catch up with her friend. She had begun at a run towards the demon city. "Wait a minute!"

Ember skidded to a halt, and looked over her shoulder at Cript.

"What's up?"

"We can't go to steal stuff now!"
"How come?"

"Cuz we don't have the right gear, of course!"

"We don't?"

"No. We need to get thief outfits!"

Ember stared at Cript for a moment, her mind working the facts through.

"Yea!" she finally said happily, then was suddenly calm. "Where?"

Cript thought for a moment, looking around. Then her gaze fell on the demon city.

"There!" she pointed, running past Ember and towards the city. Ember followed.

Soon the two friends were walking through a bazaar in the demon city. Ember was gazing around, eyes shining, at all the destructive weapons that the shop keepers were selling.

"This is just like the medieval festival!" She announced, running up to a shop selling long swords and other long sharp blade-type things like that. "But it's better!"

Cript laughed at her friend as she pointed to a long katana. The shop keeper handed it to her, and she gave him the money (acquired through a spell).

"Look what I got, Cript!" she exclaimed, showing her the sword.

"Very nice, Ember." Cript sighed. "But I think we should focus on getting thief clothes, okay?"

"Okay."

The two girls continued to walk through the bazaar, Embers new sword hanging in a sheath at her side. Finally, Cript stopped in front of a little shop, tucked away in between two bigger more noticeable shops.

"This looks like the right place to start." Cript announced, reading the name of the shop aloud, "Everything You Need To Be a Thief" she read.

"Sounds good to me." Ember agreed, and began for the doors of the shop.

Inside was musty and dark. Ember and Cript stopped at the door letting their eyes adjust to the dim light. In the very back of the shop was a counter with a long thin candle on it. An old demon woman sat behind it. Cript led the way up to her.

"Scuse' me," she said to the demon lady, who looked up from her newspaper.

"Yes, missy, what'll you have?" the shop keeper lady asked.

"We wanna be thieves." Ember piped up from behind her friend.

"Do you now?" the lady said, getting up from her chair. "This shop is famous for getting future thief talent started you know."

"Really?" Ember pushed in front of Cript, gazing wide eyed at the shop keeper lady.

"You becha." She said.

"Like who?" Ember asked.

"Well, last ones I remember coming here were…" the lady paused a moment thinking. "Ah yes, there were two who I remember best," she finally said. "Short fella with a hard stare and a sword…Hiei I believe. And a Spirit Fox by the name of Youko. He and his friend…oh what was his name…?"

"Kurone?" Ember offered.

"That's the one." The shop keeper lady said. "Now what can I help you with?"

Cript pushed Ember aside,

"We want to get proper thief clothes, weapons, everything." She said.

"You got it, missy." The shop keeper said, disappearing into a closet behind the counter. When she came back out, she was laden with numerous boxes and bags.

"Right, then," she sighed, putting the bags and stuff onto the counter. "These are the outfits I've got for human girls, take your pick.

Ember immediately chose a pair of black pants, and a no-sleeve really dark blue shirt with blood red flames on it. Steel toed boots, and a chain for a necklace. She tied her hair in a pony tail with a beaded silver hair-tie.

Cript looked at her friend.

"You look like a Goth." She finally said. Ember blushed slightly,

"No I don't, you pick something now. And make sure that its dark, so nobody sees you."

"Whatever."

Cript chose a dark blue T-shirt with the words 'Mortals...Shinie.' on the front, and a pair of black baggy pants with lots and lots of pockets. She had on black boots with a bunch of silver buckles on them, and had tied her long light brown hair in a black piece of string.

"Nice look, Cript." Ember commented. Cript shrugged, them turned to the shop keeper lady.

"Is this all?" she asked.

"No, no of course not!" She exclaimed, coming out from behind the counter. "You need weapons!"

"I have a katana." Ember offered.

"You need backup weapons." The demonic shop keeper clarified. She handed Ember a series of daggers. And Cript, a long javelin and numerous steel stars. Ember tucked a dagger in each of her boots, and put the remaining two in sheaths on her belt. And Cript put her javelin in it's holder thingy on her back, the stars in her pockets.

Lastly the demon shop keeper gave both the girls a small book called Thieving for Dummies.

"There you are." She said. "Now you're all set to be a thief!"

"Arigatou!" Cript thanked the shop keeper demon, and handed her about a thousand dollars demon currency. Then the two girls walked back outside and made their way to Suzaku's castle.