Disclaimer: I do not own RK or any of the characters…IF I HADN'T LOST MY TIME MACHINE, I WOULD'VE OWNED IT BY NOW! (evil laugh)

A/N: I'm not quite sure where this story is going, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Sorry if the spacing is messed up… the stupid computers at my school have ruined two of my fanfics already, and I am seriously doubting whether or not they'll ruin this one. Just for those of you who don't get the memo, this is a Yahiko fic. If you don't like him as a character, click the back button, or continue reading (if you're curious). I am not asking for any reviews… I don't care for them as much as I did for my first fic. It would be nice to get some, but I don't care. Sorry for the long notes. Enjoy!

Chapter One: The Incident at the Bridge
Myojin Yahiko's dream always began the same way.

He'd be running… always running. It seemed like he was constantly on the run, whether it was in a dream or not. After all, the life of a thief had lots of running to it, so why shouldn't the dreams of a thief be the same way?

In his dream, in the beginning and all throughout, he was running, sprinting swiftly through an inky black darkness that had no end to it. Behind him, he had a feeling someone (or something) was coming after him, but he didn't dare look back. He'd run faster, wishing he'd be able to find a way out of the dark…

And he would wake up in a cold sweat and find out it wasn't a dream after all, and that there was no way out of the true darkness, the true nightmare.

His life.

Though he was just ten years old, Yahiko was an expert thief… or close enough to being one, anyways. For one thing, he could lift anything from out of an unsuspecting pocket, easily and without much hassle. For another, like most thieves, had a small criminal record. However, this record had gotten lost among countless and more serious records at the police station, courtesy of the dangerous criminals that lurked around Tokyo.

But unlike the other criminals of Tokyo, Yahiko had been forced into thieving…he had not entered the job by his own choice or greed, but rather, the greed of others. And unfortunately, he could never get out, not even if he wanted to.

And he did want to get out of it.

Now, it was one remarkable, sunny autumn day when Yahiko would first meet the people that would change his life.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and it was blazing hot outside.

You would think that it would be cooler because it was nearly the end

of September, but it wasn't. This September seemed like it was July… or atleast, that's what it felt like to the black-haired boy who was relaxing outside.

He was standing on a wooden bridge, shaded from the hot sun. Above him puffy, white, cotton ball clouds were drifting lazily through an endless deep-blue sky. He yawned, almost as lazy as they. Below, the river rushed by rapidly, as fast as his thoughts.

And around him, people were casually strolling along; their voices talked and murmured about many subjects…the weather, the latest gossip, the latest news…

Yahiko frowned, staring down at the river below. If anyone walking by had paid him any attention, they would have noticed that he seemed to have too serious an expression on his face, too serious for a ten year old anyways. Most kids didn't have many worries after all. But nobody noticed, and nobody cared.

Yahiko turned his back to the river. He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a broken wooden rail, and focused his attention on the people who were walking by. Time to get to work.

A couple walked by. A woman wearing a yellow kimono strolling along with a man with a shock of bright red hair pulled into a low ponytail in the back. They were talking to each other in low voices, walking half ways across the bridge on the other side. They looked down at the river, with their backs to the crowd, completely distracted.

Okay, get ready, he told himself and left his spot, joining the passersby. He slowly, he inched away from the crowd and pulled out the man's wallet as he passed, without stopping or looking once. Quick and simple.

"Hey!" the woman next to the man suddenly shouted, "What do you think you're doing!"

Yahiko bolted, a little slow due to sheer surprise, but he managed to escape just in time. He was in mild shock—when he had first started out stealing, he had gotten caught a few times. But that had been due to inexperience. That had been three years ago. Now was different. Now he had experience and was never caught.

Except for just now, of course.

Sprinting away, he dodged the slow moving crowd on the bridge around him, weaving in between people. He could hear someone chasing him, but he dared not look back. Whoever it was who was pursuing him was very close to catching him…

His escape would have gone well if he hadn't tripped at the last second, on some old, moldy-looking plank of wood that had come unhinged, somehow, from ground. He stumbled for a second, but the second was all it took for his pursuer to tackle and pin him to the ground.

"Gotcha," A feminine voice shouted inside his ear. He was shocked—was it that girl in the kimono? How could she run that fast? He was mildly impressed…and then indignant.

"Let go," he shouted angrily, squirming under her grasp. Being held to the ground like this in front of everyone was humiliating.

She pulled him up firmly, but she had a tight hold on his wrist. Yes, it was that girl wearing yellow. How could anyone run in a kimono, he wondered. He tried to lurch away, but she was holding his wrist tightly. She didn't look too pleased with him.

"I won't let you go until you return the money you stole!" she said, glaring at him with her dark blue eyes, "Hand it over!"

He scowled, and reluctantly pulled the wallet out of his pocket. He didn't want to give it back, but if he didn't, she wouldn't let him go. In fact, he realized, it would be lucky if she didn't turn him into the police for stealing… that had happened to him more than once before, and Gasuke had to bail him out, adding more money to the debt that needed to be repaid--the whole reason why he was stealing in the first place.

Thinking of the man who he hated so deeply, made him have one thought on his mind:

He was not going to be turned in now.

There was a pause as he held the purse in his hand, as he thought of what to do. The girl stared at him—was he trying to delay the inevitable? But then, she did get it…

It was hurled at her face.

The sudden shock of it hitting her made her relinquish her hold on him. She cried out in alarm at the fresh pain in her nose. Yahiko had his opportunity to escape now, and he ran away from the bridge into the more heavily crowded Tokyo streets.

The man with the red hair rushed to the woman. "Are you okay, Kaoru-dono?" he asked, looking guilty, "Gomen! I should've gotten here sooner…"

A/N: I know I really tweaked up the second episode… (everyone glares) Well, like I said, I don't know where this story is going, but I have a general idea… and to do that, I HAD to! (Audience holding pitchforks and torches) AHHH! Don't kill me! (Mob chases after her).