Hey all. This is Kurry. Yes, I'm back. After an entire school year, I've finally started writing again. +dances around happily+cough+ Ahem. Anyway, this is my new story, Thief of Hearts. I really hope you enjoy it since I have a lot of inspiration for it.And don't worry, Kitty WILL be back, she just needs time. Bear with us, there will be more updates.Anyway, I've rambled enough. Enjoy the show.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own YuGiOh or anything affiliated with it. That belongs to the esteemed Kazuki Takahashi. Please don't sue, all I have is a few plotholes and some randomness, which aren't much use to anyone. Inuyasha and co. belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and Link Kokirin belongs to Nintendo, I believe. Neil and Marcus belong to me, Chrono and Skuzzie belong to Kitty, and Kitty belongs to herself. All good? Good. +faints from brain overload+

Thief of Hearts

By Kurry Kurishi

Chapter 1

The radio crackled as a new set of orders came in. 'Advance and detain,' Marcus Huttinger muttered. 'Advance and detain? What the hell are they thinking? The guy could be ARMED for all we know.'

His partner, Neil Bantarung, chuckled. 'Well, so are we, you know.' As if to demonstrate he popped the safety on his sidearm and opened the door. 'Besides, we've got a special agent in there. Don't worry, it'll be fine. Come on.'

Still grumbling, Marcus cocked his own gun and slipped out of the squad car.

The two men walked toward the bar, keeping their guns tucked in their coats to avoid suspicion. Flashing his ID at the bouncer, Neil entered the bar as if he owned the place, striding right up to the counter. Marcus took a quick gander at the surrounding area before joining his colleague. 'There's an awful lot of people here Neil… things better be as under control as they said because this could get ugly.'

Neil discreetly scanned up and down the bar, his amber eyes finally settling on a squat man in a too-small suit. 'There he is, the bugger,' he muttered under his breath. 'Look at him… smug bastard doesn't even know we're here.'

Marcus eyed the cool blonde who was talking to their quarry. 'Gods, I hope she knows what she's doing.'

Neil began to edge down the bar, pretending to be interested in the dancers on stage. Marcus followed, eyeing the crowd for any sign of an ambush. They were within earshot when suddenly, as Marcus had predicted, things got ugly.

BLAM!

People screamed and dove for the floor as the shot rang out, shattering Neil's glass. In an instant the place was a madhouse. Neil whirled and fired a round in the direction the shot had come from; Marcus hauled ass down the bar and dove at the retreating figure of the squat man. Tackling him from behind, the two went down amid a flurry of punches. The blonde who had been talking with the man smoothly pulled a Smith and Wesson out of her purse and fired in the same direction as Neil. There was a pained cry and another man in dark clothes fell from the corner of the stage, clutching his leg.

Flinging her purse to one side, the girl launched herself onto the nearest table. Leaping agilely across several of them, she landed next to the wounded man and hauled him up, snapping on handcuffs. In an instant Neil and Marcus had the other suspect subdued and uniformed officers started pouring in from where they had been guarding the exits.

A moment later it was all over. A cop read the squat man his rights and they carted him off, the latter still protesting his innocence loudly. Neil and Marcus made sure the wounded guy got off to the hospital alright, and then walked over to where the blonde was giving her statement.

'Hey,' Neil said simply, waiting until she was finished.

'Hey,' she answered, smiling.

'Did you get it?' Marcus asked excitedly, still being rather new to drug busting.

The girl smiled and slipped a packet of white powder from beneath her shirt. 'There's your evidence. Six ounces of heroin… and by the way, the rest of it is in one of the bins in the kitchen. He told me everything… there's enough stuff there to put him away for years.'

Neil grinned. 'Man, I was worried about you for a while after they said you'd be on this case, but now I know; they mean it when they call you their best agent.'

Kurry Kurishi smiled again. 'Thanks Neil. You two did a great job… except for the sniper, no-one got hurt and it was as smooth as possible.' She sighed rather tiredly and glanced around. 'I flung my purse away… sure hope no-one took it.'

Just then another cop walked up and returned her bag. 'There you go Ms. Kurishi. Good job tonight.'

Kurry thanked him and waved to the other two. 'Well I'd best get home… I've got a six-thirty meeting with Chrono tomorrow. See you in the morning, and behave you two.' She winked jovially and sauntered out.

Marcus sighed dreamily. Neil caught the tone of it and smacked his partner lightly upside the head. 'Don't even think about it man. Everyone knows she's untouchable.'

Marcus sighed again, this time rather dejectedly. 'Go figure.'

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Classical music wafted through the room, mingling with the early morning sunbeams that filtered through the curtains. The force's best agent was sprawled comfortably across her four-poster bed, snoring lightly. As the special radio turned itself up, the volume eventually penetrated Kurry's sleep and she blinked awake, inhaling the scent of the fresh spring air seeping through the window.

Rousting herself, Kurry rose and headed for the shower. Ten minutes later she was out again and began to prepare for work. This was the way it happened every morning; the routine was calming and provided focus for her otherwise rather hectic life. Unable to go without her tea, Kurry brewed a quick cup and poured it into a travel mug. Pulling on her coat, she locked the door to her apartment and took the stairs to the street.

As soon as she hit the pavement Kurry set a brisk pace, the cool breeze waking up her senses. Sipping her tea as she waited for a light, she reflected on last night's capture; they'd been trailing the drug kingpin for at least three weeks. A satisfied smile fleetingly crossed her face; yet another bunch of kids had been saved from an addictive fate. Crossing the street, she hurried up the steps of the police station and entered her daily whirl of crime and justice.

Waving at people she knew, Kurry strode down the corridor to the office section. Slipping a set of keys out of her purse she unlocked her own office, deposited her bag and mug and turned on her computer to standby mode. Then she left for her meeting.

Her boss, Chrono Dragonheart, stood in greeting as Kurry entered. His name was well earned; Chrono had secured his place as chief of the station after an amazing negotiation with a terrorist bomber back in '89. Since then he'd been the most respected officer on the force; everyone looked up to him. Besides being smart and well-spoken, he was a strong and gentle person and he and Kurry had become close friends. He shook her hand cordially in greeting and motioned to her to sit down.

'I've asked you here on a matter of some serious importance,' he began. 'You are familiar with KaibaCorporation, are you not?'

Kurry nodded. 'The technology company, ne?'

'Right. Well, what many don't know is that the CEO and president, one Seto Kaiba, has a fetish for the fine arts. He has a collection that he allows to be displayed for public viewing and as of Friday that collection will be opening in our very own Royal Museum. Seto Kaiba always accompanies his exhibit for a week, and then leaves it in the museum's hands for a month, after which time he accompanies it to its new location. I've been asked by the museum curator to be present at the opening ceremonies to make sure the security team is up to snuff. Frankly,' Chrono finished, suddenly looking sheepish, 'I kinda need a date for the ceremonies Friday and I was wondering if you wanted to go?'

Kurry paused, blinking. 'Um…'

Seeing her sudden flush, Chrono hastened to add, 'Strictly on business, of course, but I'd actually like you there so I have someone to fall back on should things go wrong. You know I trust you Kurry; you might catch something I miss.'

Kurry thought for a moment. She hadn't been out on anything other than business in awhile… even though they'd be surveying the place, it could give her a chance to relax and have some fun. 'Alright,' she said, nodding. 'Thanks for inviting me.'

Chrono smiled. 'Excellent. It's black tie, just so you're aware. The party is for Mr. Kaiba's guests and the museum staff, so we shouldn't have any problems with crowds. But just in case someone tries something on the first night, I'd be carrying my small gun if I were you.'

Kurry nodded to show she understood and then thanked her boss and left. Smiling to herself, she picked up the pace a little, now excited about what would have otherwise been another boring Friday evening. Passing a small office on the way to her own, she suddenly backtracked and poked her head in the door.

'Hey Skuzzerino.'

The large office chair swung around and Sciona Firenze grinned at his best friend. 'Hey Kurry. Heard about the drug bust last night. Nice going.'

Kurry smiled back at him. She and Sciona (dubbed 'Skuzzie' because his name was hard to pronounce) had been friends ever since he joined the force two years after her. Skuzzie had, in fact, been on the streets… he'd helped Kurry when a stalker turned on her while she was trying to arrest him in an alleyway. After that incident, the force had given special permission for Skuzzie to become a cop… he'd thrown himself heart and soul into the rigorous training and come out a pro. Kurry owed him her life and they'd soon become fast friends.

'Thanks Skuzz,' she said, snapping out of her reverie. 'Have you got any news for me?'

'Only that the kingpin is going to court in three weeks and you'll be informed when you have to go to testify,' he answered, swivelling in his chair a bit. Kurry nodded, brow furrowed in thought. 'Alright. Thank you Skuzzie. I'll be sure to bring you a coffee tomorrow… I had a meeting today so I couldn't manage it.'

Skuzzie chuckled and stood to show her to the door. 'You know you don't have to do that.'

Kurry waved as she headed off to her office. 'I know, but it's the least I can do. Talk to you later.'

Although she didn't relish the thought of all the paperwork that was waiting for her at her desk, Kurry wandered back to her office and started in on it all. Sighing as she picked up a report, she was suddenly startled when Skuzzie appeared in her doorway. He had a habit of popping up when she wasn't expecting it and she clutched her desk in shock. 'Skuzzie! How many times must I tell you NOT to scare the living daylights outta me?'

Skuzzie looked sheepish. 'Sorry Kurry… I forgot to tell you, there's a new guy starting tomorrow. Just so you know.'

'Okay. Thanks.'

Once he left and her pulse slowed down again, Kurry worked steadily filing and trying to clean up her office for about three hours. She became so involved that she hardly noticed the time passing and was shocked when she glanced at her watch. 'Gack! It's lunchtime already? Yeesh.' Grabbing her purse and locking her office, Kurry told Skuzz she was heading out and set off for the café at the end of the street.

The air had warmed up quite nicely. Kurry took a slower pace than she had that morning, savouring the feel of spring and the bustle of downtown. She loved the city life… all the people there were to meet and all the things there were to keep her occupied. Still, with the fun came the danger and Kurry felt it was her duty to help keep the city safe.

Upon arriving at the café, she scanned the early lunch crowd and finally spotted her best friend waving at her excitedly. Kurry grinned and went over.

'Hihi!' Kitty Tashimono greeted in her usual enthusiastic manner. Kurry settled herself into the seat opposite and picked up the menu. 'Hey Kitty. How's life?'

'Life is awesome. There's a new art exhibit coming to the Royal! We HAVE to go. I heard there's going to be some stuff from Egypt. You should enjoy that.'

Kurry smiled secretively. 'Actually, I'm already going. Cop business.'

Kitty gasped. 'Wow, got any details?'

'You know I'm not allowed.'

Kitty stuck her tongue out at her friend in resignation. 'Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me. Never hurts to try.'

Kurry laughed, thankful once again that she had such an understanding friend as Kitty to talk to.

Their lunch came soon after and they spent the hour chatting away about random things like Kitty's work at DesignTech, a computer programming company affiliated with KaibaCorp and Kurry's bust the night before. Kitty was agog when she heard that her friend had actually shot someone, but Kurry reassured her that it was pure luck she even hit the guy, considering how dark the club had been. Kitty pressed for details and they spent the rest of lunchtime discussing Kurry's upcoming court appearance. Before they knew it the hour had flown and they had to get back to work. Pausing for a hug just outside the café, they promised to phone later and separated.

Back in her office, Kurry was about to continue filing when Neil turned up at her door. 'Yo. Quiet morning for once, eh? How'd you sleep last night?'

'Pretty well,' Kurry answered, sighing as she glanced around the office. 'I just can't get control over this place…'

Neil chuckled and manoeuvred his way into the small room. Picking up a sheaf of papers he casually leafed through them, though it occurred suddenly to Kurry that he wasn't really looking at them.

'Are you okay Neil?'

Neil set the sheaf down again and sighed. 'Yes. I… I wanted to thank you. I think you saved my life last night. I couldn't see the guy… he'd probably have shot me if you hadn't got to him first.'

Kurry blinked. 'Oh… well, truth be told, I couldn't see him either. The damn place was so dark… I was aiming blind. It was pure luck.'

'Still…' Neil refused to look her in the eye. 'Thanks, anyway.'

Kurry looked at him reflectively for a moment, then stood and walked over to him. Slipping her arms around his waist she hugged him gently and said, 'Scared you, did he?'

Neil froze for a moment, then returned the hug. 'Maybe a little,' he admitted. 'It shattered my shot glass… that's the closest a bullet has ever come. Shocked the hell out of me… it was too close.'

Kurry pulled away a little to look up into his eyes. 'No-one ever wants to get shot on the job. It's one of the downsides to this business… people are more willing to shoot at you then they are to come quietly. You were wearing your Kevlar… you'd have been fine. I have to warn you though… it's probably going to happen again. We've just got to keep our wits about us, that's all.' She smiled reassuringly and tapped his shoulder. 'Now, did you file your report?'

Neil snapped out of his reverie and nodded. 'Yup.'

'Good. Mine will be in this afternoon. Call me if you need anything.'

The taller officer nodded and suddenly grinned. 'You should have been the station psychiatrist. Remind me to talk to you the next time I get shot at.'

Kurry chuckled. 'Anytime, my friend. See you around.'

After Neil left, Kurry finally managed to find her report papers and filled one out for the previous night. By dint of much perseverance she finally got her office cleaned and by then the day was over.

Quite satisfied with her accomplishment, Kurry locked up, waved to Skuzzie on her way out and headed down to the Report Office. She made sure her report was filed and all extra questions taken care of before starting for home.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The next morning Kurry awoke to a light patter of rain on her window. She smiled softly; rain helped clear her thoughts. Rising, she dressed quickly, nearly laughing again when she remembered her phone conversation with Kitty the night before. Her friend had told her about a mishap involving one of her coworkers and a pile of tangled wires. Kurry shook her head fondly; she knew several of the people at Kitty's office and the mental image of poor Inuyasha swearing over the wires was too funny.

Stopping off for a coffee for Skuzz lengthened her travel time by about fifteen minutes and by the time she arrived at work it was 8:30. She waved at the desk sergeant as she passed and went straight to Skuzzie's office.

'Good morning Skuzz,' she said cheerily, setting the coffee on his desk. Skuzzie took one look at it and sighed. 'Well, as much as I try to convince myself to stop you doing that, I appreciate it all the same. Much obliged.' He picked up the cup and took a deep whiff. 'Aaahhh, nothing like the smell of coffee in the morning. Hey, wait a minute!' he said as Kurry turned to go. 'The new guy is here. Marcus is showing him around. Keep an eye out, ne?'

Kurry nodded. 'Thanks,' she said and left.

Reaching her now-clean office, Kurry began to set up for the day. Several new documents had 'materialised' during the night in her inbox so she sorted through them and made sure all the urgent ones were done first. She had just opened her e-mail when there came a knock at the door and Marcus poked his head in.

'Hey Kurry, I'd like you to meet the newest member of the police force.'

Smiling, Kurry came around the desk and shook the newcomer's hand genially, discreetly studying him as was her custom. Warm chocolate eyes smiled back; he had longish hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck that was a shocking white colour, a medium build and a gentle smile.

'Ryou Bakura, miss,' he said in a soft British accent. 'Pleased to meet you.'

'Kurry Kurishi, and the pleasure's all mine, I'm sure,' she returned cordially. 'I hope you'll settle in well here.'

'Thanks. I'm sure I shall.'

Marcus grinned and clapped Ryou on the shoulder. 'Well, c'mon mate and we'll get you fitted for a uniform. See you around Kurry.'

'Actually, I think I'll walk with you, if you don't mind Marcus. I'm not so busy at the moment.'

Marcus looked sheepish. 'Sorry mate, I thought you were busy. You're always welcome, you know that. Let's go.'

As the trio was walking down to Distribution, Kurry asked Ryou where he came from to have such a nice accent. His cheeks flushed slightly at that, but he said, 'Winchester, actually. Little place a few hours from London. I was a desk sergeant there until I decided to transfer. I'm hoping to broaden my scope a little; get out on the street, catch a few bad guys, you know the deal.' He grinned nonchalantly and Kurry couldn't help but smile at his winning attitude.

'Well, if we need any help you'll be the first on call, how's that?' she said. Ryou beamed. 'Really? Aw, that's awfully kind of you miss. Thanks a million.'

'Please, call me Kurry.'

'Alright. Call me Ryou.'

Marcus chuckled. 'Call me Marcus. Now that we know everyone's name, shall we?' he joked, opening the door to Distribution and bowing comically. The other two laughed and entered.

Once they'd gotten Ryou squared away, Kurry and Marcus showed him to an office and let him alone to set up. Back in her own office, Kurry went through her e-mails and was just about to head to the firing range to brush up on her shot when Chrono poked his head in the door.

'Hey, you going firing?' he asked, seeing Kurry slip her gun in her purse.

'I was going to, unless you need me for something else.'

'D'you mind if I tag along? I need the practise and I want to talk to you about Friday.'

'Sure, no problem… but we're taking your car.'

Chrono suddenly grinned. 'Yours is still in the shop, ne?'

Kurry sighed. 'Yes… damn bastard totalled it.'

'You were lucky to escape with your life mate. PLEASE be more careful next time, hm?'

'It's not like I MEANT to get chased by a guy with a machine gun in a helicopter! Sheesh!'

Chrono started laughing at the indignant look on Kurry's face. 'Alright, alright, we'll take my car. Happy now?'

Kurry nodded, glowering slightly. 'Yes. At least YOUR bumper is intact.'

Chrono chuckled again, backing out of the doorway as she locked up. The moment they reached the car, however, his jovial mood faded and he became all business. 'Friday's event starts at 5:00. There are going to be speeches by Mr. Kaiba and the curator, one Mr. Kokirin, and then the guests will view the displays, followed by dinner and dancing. Our cost is covered by the department, but there's a small donation fund for a children's art school also being set up. Other than that, the only reason we're really going is to check over security. It has to be top notch; rare art collections don't come to our museum every day.'

Kurry nodded seriously. 'Alright. So basically we're looking for possible entrances, checking equipment and the like, correct?'

'Right. We'll also want to have a word with museum security… make sure we have a direct link should anything happen.'

By now they had arrived at the shooting range and disembarked. The conversation was halted while they loaded and made sure their earplugs were sound. Walking onto the range, both set up and soon rapid-fire blasts were issuing from both guns. After six rounds they paused and compared; Chrono was by far the better shot, having struck every vital point at least twice. Kurry's was less than impressive; she kept hitting spots that would only do minor damage, although Chrono said that was often a good thing, since one didn't always aim to kill. He helped her practise and they finally determined that she was flinching to her left every time she shot, a sort of reflex action because she was weak on her left side. The chief taught Kurry a method that would counteract the reaction and she finally managed to get five shots in a row straight into the dummy's heart. Satisfied, both packed up and left and since the work day was over Chrono dropped Kurry at home, but not before telling her that she had the afternoon off on Friday to prepare, a gesture for which Kurry was most grateful. Waving the other off, Kurry climbed the stairs to her apartment and ran a hot bath to ease her muscles after the shooting.

Sighing as she sank into the water, Kurry closed her eyes and reflected on the day and the new information. Black tie… she'd have to find something decent to wear on Friday. Ryou Bakura… hm, he'd make an interesting addition to the force. She'd meant what she said about calling him out… he seemed genuinely enthusiastic and would need the experience. She'd just try to make sure it wasn't a complete catastrophe the first time. Finding out she had a weak left side had been rather surprising… no wonder she kept wanting to turn right when she was being chased by the helicopter. She'd never even realised it. Kurry knew she'd have to work on that, but the shooting range was so damn uncomfortable… well, where there was a will there was a way, and Kurry was NOT willing to be shot because she couldn't aim properly. She'd take Marcus along too… he'd only been on the force for three months and she knew he didn't get out to practise enough.

After bathing she donned her pyjamas and had just started making some supper when the phone rang.

'Yo!' A cheerful voice greeted her when she picked up. 'How're you girl?'

'Hey Kitty. I'm just fine, how're you?'

'I'm fine too. I have the morning off tomorrow, I was wondering if you'd want a ride?'

'Really? Awesome, thanks. My car's still dead… it's going to be another two days at least.'

'Aw, that sucks. Tell me when it's finished and we'll go pick it up together, ne?'

Kurry smiled fondly to herself. 'Sure. Thanks, again.'

'No problem.'

They chatted for a good twenty minutes and by then Kurry's dinner was ready so they said goodbye. Kurry felt a small wave of guilt hit her as she hung up; with the recent events involving drugs she'd been so tied up she'd hardly seen her friends outside of work. Promising herself that she'd make more time, Kurry ate her dinner in front of the T.V. and promptly went to bed afterward in order to rise early enough to meditate.

END OF CHAPTER!

Stay tuned for the next update, in which Kitty meets a certain white haired recruit…