Chapter 25

Carmelita sighed wearily at Bentley's assurances. "Why am I not surprised?" she countered. "Okay, amigo…let's hear it." She then flicked her glance over to where Sly grinned at her. "Oh, this plan, pal…it doesn't involve any more bugs now, does it?" she continued, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Nope, not a one, Carmelita," Bentley promised quickly, frowning. He brightened up a moment later though. "Okay…I need you two to make your way---fast as you can---over to the West Embassy Gate, all right? Once you're there, I'll brief you on what you're to do next. Bentley out." The line went silent.

"Hmmpf! You know what, handsome?" Carmelita observed, crossing her arms before her chest, looking over at Sly. "I think your pal enjoys doing stuff like this…just to tick me off."

"Now, Carmelita," Sly counseled soothingly, moving over to his slightly irked lady love. "You know that he does." Sly grinned, then began to run a gentle hand up and down her svelte, muscular back. "Just don't give him the satisfaction, querera. Make him think you just love doing this."

Carmelita blinked, then slowly grinned a slightly evil smile. "Hmm," she mused, shivering slightly from the heavenly feeling of his rubbing her back. "I think I like the way you think, Mr. Cooper."

"I sort of thought you might," Sly replied with a chuckle. "Now, while you plot your strategy, my love…let's do like the man says, hmm?" He re-clipped the rappel gun to his harness, then looped his arm just a bit possessively around Carmelita's trim waist, gently pulling her tight to himself.

Carmelita looked over into his face, watching him look up to the open skylight. She smiled, enjoying just staring into his handsome face a moment. "You know," she then hazarded a bit cleverly, "there are some definite perks to working together, Ringtail…"

Sly shuffled them over slightly so they were directly below the skylight, before he turned his head to her and smiled, his dark brown eyes gazing at her most appreciatively. "Oh? Such as…?" he mused, fluttering his fingers quickly against her abdomen.

Carmelita shivered at that! Oh, my! she thought, then sighed. "You know what I'm talking about, Sly Cooper," she told him, lightly slapping his own trim belly.

Sly grinned again, then kissed Carmelita quickly on her sweet lips. "Going up," he announced like some bellhop. "Second floor. Hosiery, cosmetics, small appliances…" He flipped the switch to activate the powerful winch, and the two Master Thieves rose into the air toward the skylight.

"Shut up, sweetheart," Carmelita demanded, giggling…then, to make certain he didn't blather on, kissed him rather soundly.

Sly didn't even realize immediately that they'd reached the skylight proper until Carmelita broke off their kiss to sigh in contentment. Sly had to shake his head, pausing as the pair gently twirled around a moment. "Woo!" Sly remarked, then grinned.

Carmelita grinned back. "Okay, handsome," she instructed. "Alley Oop!"

Sly obliged her, and allowed her to brace her feet atop his own. He then got a good hold on the cable that held them both up, and with a grunt, levered his legs sharply up, thereby propelling Carmelita expertly through the open skylight, where she alighted with nary a sound upon its corrugated metal roof. Sly then paused a moment, then swung his legs back and forth twice…then, performed a neat sort of three-quarters somersault to alight on his knees beside his clever lady love.

"Neat trick, that," Carmelita observed, watching Sly unhook himself from the rappel gun. "You'll have to show me how you do that sometime."

"I will," Sly promised, taking her hand after he stowed the rappelling device over his back. "But now, querera…down we go!" Sly pulled her slightly, then the two acrobatic Master Thieves leaped down the five meters to the ground. The two hit the ground in a tumble to cushion their fall, and rolled agilely to their feet. "Okay, Carmelita," Sly whispered, after they dashed into the shadows of the garage/warehouse. "Which way to the West Gate?"

Carmelita paused, looking about, then checked the ground's schematic in her binocucom once. "This way, handsome," she instructed, pointing to straight ahead of them, down the row of buildings. "All the way down, past the last structure, then to our left…just a bit."

"Lead on, lovely lady," Sly replied, urging her forward.

Carmelita beamed, pleased that he was allowing her to take the initiative. "Follow me, Ace," she teased.

"Always, Carmelita…always," Sly told her.

Carmelita started, then looked back at her grinning fiancé. She smiled a bright smile his way, then blew him a kiss. After that, her heart filled with fulfillment and determination, Carmelita got to her feet, and dashed ahead on silent feet to the next warehouse, ducking into the shadows. She paused, then turned to see if Sly had caught up, and nearly gasped as she looked directly into his intent brown eyes…for he had apparently been directly behind her. "Sly---!" she began softly, then stopped, and simply shook her head. "Okay, smart guy," she said instead. "Do try to stick close, okay? I really get tired of you lagging behind like that…"

Sly chucked softly. "I'll try, querera," he promised, grinning. "But, I don't think that'll be much of a problem."

"Oh, really?" Carmelita countered, as she watched to make sure everything was clear for their next dash.

"Trust me," Sly explained. "With your bewitching figure always just in front of me, beckoning me on, I know I won't have any problem keeping up."

Carmelita felt her heart pound a bit faster at his clever bit of flattery. Boy, she told herself, he's good…really, really good! "Ooh," she softly scolded him. "Cut the flirty chit-chat, Ringtail…you're distracting me!"

"Aw," Sly returned, then chuckled. "Go on…I'll behave," Sly told her. "It'll be hard…but I promise."

"You're impossible!" Carmelita replied, shaking her head, grinning. She then dashed off in a blur of feet, ducking to the next warehouse, then after a heartbeat, dashing off to the next garage kitty-corner to the last.

Sly moved three meters in her wake, his almost all-seeing eyes never missing a detail. He was in no way surprised when he found Carmelita looking back waiting for him as he dashed over to take cover beside her this time. "So…did you miss me?" he teased.

This time, Carmelita decided to turn the tables on the flirty raccoon. "Always, my love," she countered, reaching up to softly caress his cheek ruff, smiling softly at him.

Sly shivered at her caress, then laughed, catching on to her game. "Hey, you're good," he pointed out, then took her hand and kissed the palm of it once quickly. "Let me take it from here, Carmelita, okay?" he asked.

Carmelita frowned, then ducked her head out to see what was ahead. They had made it to the end of the row of warehouses, and now a large flat expanse of lawn and gardens---nearly fifty meters long---separated them from their next place of cover and concealment. Carmelita initially felt the urge to tell him to let her try this…but, then swallowed her pride and excitement, and accepted the wisdom of his suggestion. "Go ahead," she whispered to him. "I'll be watching, buster."

Sly turned and grinned at his irrepressible Carmelita, his teeth gleaming softly in the on-again, off-again moonlight. "Try not to drool though," he counseled with a laugh, then---poof!---he was gone!

Carmelita sat back, resting her behind against her heels, peering out into the semi-darkness, watching with frank admiration as she watched Sly Cooper, the pinnacle of Master Thieves, do what he did so very well. He moved in a zig-zagging pattern…though, with no real pattern really. First, he went left…the left again, then right, then left again, then right, and finally right again, before he slid on his stomach behind a low hedge, his form concealed in the darkness of the shadows. Ten seconds later, he sprang up, his shadowy form a blur as he dashed forward again, sprinting to a low rock formation, hiding behind it a moment, then dashed forward again…zigging and zagging almost randomly until he made it beside a dark and deserted guard hut. Carmelita shook her head, then started as she saw him motion her to him.

Now, Sly---breathing a bit heavier from his thrill-raising jaunt---watched in obvious pride as his Carmelita did her thing…almost following exactly in his footsteps. She was a quick study…but, this he already knew from experience. She nearly duplicated his maneuvers…but, not quite. She had her own style, her own way of moving, differences in how she made her decisions. Part of that, he was certain, was from her being female…women, quite frankly, think differently from their male counterparts. But, the other deviations Sly spotted, he attributed to her simply being Carmelita…that was just the way she did things…as always. As she dashed forward the last two meters in a crouch, Sly had to fight down the urge to take her into his arms and hug her in his nearly overwhelming pride in her. "Nicely done, querera," Sly whispered into her ear. "Very nicely done, indeed."

Carmelita breathed in through her nostrils, out through her mouth, trying to make as little noise as possible as she allowed her breathing to return to normal. She felt a glow---and no, it wasn't any endorphin rush!---one that came from the look of approval and pride she saw in her Sly's deep brown eyes. That was a look she would remember for a long time to come. "Gracias," she replied, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "That was fun!"

Sly knew exactly what she was talking about, and nodded his agreement. "There's the West Gate, Carmelita," Sly then told her, nodding ahead, toward where the last twenty meters separated them from West Gate…and it's fully staffed guard house! "Oops, looks like we got company this evening, sweetheart," Sly informed her.

"Si," Carmelita replied in Spanish, which she often did when she became excited. She narrowed her pretty medium brown eyes, observing the situation. "I count…hmm, I'd say five guards. JSDF Marines, I'd wager."

"I concur, pretty lady," Sly returned. "I recognize the uniforms from Bentley's presentation." Sly then turned to her again. "And, I agree with your count too. I count five of 'em, all right."

Carmelita then clicked her 'transmit' switch on her binocucom twice rapidly. "Yo, amigo!" she husked softly. "You payin' attention?"

"That's affirmative, MT-Squared," Bentley replied almost immediately. Bentley then frowned. "It's an absolute wonder you two don't get caught," he scolded them both, "the way you two flirt shamelessly with one another." Bentley had this annoying sense of primness sometimes…

"Ha, that's rich," Carmelita countered the scowling turtle fellow. "Coming from someone who's about to become a daddy. Comprehende, amigo?"

Bentley blushed, shaking his head. He was never, ever going to live that down, no matter what. Sheesh! "Whatever," Bentley changed the subject. "Are you within visual range of the West Gate, you two?"

"Si!" Carmelita answered, smiling triumphantly over at the silently chuckling Sly, who bowed to her for her clever putting of Bentley in his place. "We're about…say…twenty meters or less from our objective, Mastermind."

"Spectacular," Bentley replied, knowing full well what the two had been doing…but chose to take the high road and ignore them. "What do you two see, then?"

"A three meter square guardpost, almost three meters high, with what appears to be bullet-proof windows on all four sides, buster," Carmelita informed him. "Oh, and did I fail to mention that there were also five very alert looking JSDF Marine guards on duty? In dress uniforms and fully armed…looks like American M-16s, I'd guess."

"Perfect," Bentley nearly purred.

"Perfect?" Carmelita growled, her eyebrows raising as she grit her teeth. She had her hand over the microphone on her binocucom.

"Remember what I said before, querera," Sly said softly to her, nodding.

"Copy that," Carmelita amended, grinning over to Sly. "Give us about a minute, and we'll swoop down on them and---"

"Hold!" Bentley screeched, blinking his eyes rapidly. "What's wrong with you, Carmelita?"

"But, you said---," Carmelita shot back, grinning fuller now.

"Look, girl," Bentley chided her. "I know I said 'perfect'. But, that didn't mean I wanted you two to go all crazy on me!" Bentley huffed a moment, then suddenly realized that most likely he'd just been set up. "Very clever, Missy!"

"Clever works both ways, pal," Carmelita told him plainly. "So…what's the plan, amigo?"

"Well, be that as it may," Bentley replied just then, shaking his head in mute respect to the clever vixen. "Okay, look…there's no way for you two to get the gate open with those guards there and alert, right?"

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock," Carmelita retorted, then sighed at Sly's gentle but insistent look. "Don't mind me, Bentley…go ahead."

"Don't worry, my plan is simplicity itself, MTs," Bentley assured them both. "Take a look…say about ten meters to the left of your current position."

Carmelita did so, double-checking as to what she saw, then shook her sable-haired head and frowned in her confusion. "I guess you're on to something, sport…there isn't anything simpler than some garbage bins."

Bentley chuckled at that. He was starting to enjoy sparring with this plucky, smart vixen. "True, MT-Two. Very true. While they are undoubtedly very simple indeed…there perfect for what I've got in mind. What are garbage cans famous for after all?"

Carmelita grinned as his sly hint opened her eyes. "Making a great deal of noise," Carmelita answered. "Pretty slick there, mister."

"Thanks, Mademoiselle," Bentley replied, enjoying her grudging praise. "Now, here's what I want you two to do…" Bentley then whispered his instructions to his two field agents, who at the end of his tutelage, grinned cleverly at one another.

"MT-Squared is moving out," Sly called, then clammed up. Carmelita and Sly took a round-about way to get to the collection of six sheet-metal trash containers…that way they stayed primarily in the shadows, out of sight of the semi-vigilant Marine guards that were providing the West Gate's security this evening.

"All set, my sweet?" Sly asked, as the two peeked their heads up over the somewhat fragrant waste bins until their eyes were visible.

"Si," Carmelita replied, nodding. "We upset the cans here…then move back into the shadows to ambush the guards when they hustle over here to investigate."

"Correct," Sly agreed. "But, keep your pretty eyes peeled, okay? I'm pretty sure it's SOP for one guy to remain behind when something like this occurs."

Carmelita nodded. "Standard Operating Procedures. Yeah, that makes sense, Sly. I'll keep an eye out." She then looked over to him. "Ready?" she asked, each of her c-headed canes hooking the lip of a can.

"As I'll ever be, querera," Sly answered, hooking the top of the leftmost can with the curious tip of his famous cane. "Now!"

Private Hiroshi Tonwa, the outermost JSDF Marine guard, started at the clatter that sounded out in the darkness. The slender young ocelot man narrowed his eyes, and clutched at the grips of his M-16 nervously. "Lieutentant!" he called, kneeling down to present a lesser target.

Lieutenant Jinshi Kurosabe, JSDF Marines, appeared out of the guardhouse. The short, middle-aged fox with a short grey beard and moustache, moved away from the brightly lit guardhouse, his intent green eyes peering into the darkness. "Tonwa, Yusiwa, Kubo, Ishikawa," he barked, waiting for the four men of his guard detachment moved to his side. "Check that out, and report back to me ASAP."

"Hai, Lieutentant," the four answered. Private Tonwa hesitated, and looked back to his commander. "Sir? Permission to load?" he asked, a little too eagerly.

Lt. Kurosabe frowned, and shook his head. Private Tonwa was always the hot head, he sighed in weariness. "Denied," he ordered. "Move out. Hurry up…and you may actually get some tea this evening."

Private Tonwa grumbled, but held his peace. The four Marines divided themselves into pairs, slinging their unloaded assault rifles over their shoulders, and adjusting their bright white hats on their heads. The two teams of two began to walk methodically toward where they assumed the noise to be. "I can't believe we're walking out against who-knows-what," Tonwa complained bitterly, "with unloaded weapons…"

"Quit your complaining, Tonwa-san," his friend and fellow Private Kubo instructed him. "It's probably only some animal, rooting for food in the garbage. It'll take all of fifteen minutes, and we'll all be back safe and warm---and with tea!---in the guardhouse again."

"Yeah, yeah," groused Tonwa, peering out apprehensively into the gloomy dark of the compound. "You only think with your stomach, Kubo," he added.

"And you with your pride, Tonwa," Corporal Ishikawa countered, with growing irritation. "Now, shut up, and move out." The corporal, a heavy-set, no-nonsense sort of badger, led the way. Private Tonwa---of course---was the point man, out in the lead.

"Here are the bins, Corporal," Tonwa stated, kneeling down to investigate the disturbed galvanized metal bins that laid upon their sides, garbage strewn about.

"Hmm," Corporal Ishikawa grunted. "I think Kubo was right. This looks like the work of scavengers…rooting around for a snack."

"Guess again, fella!" came an obviously female voice from behind Ishikawa. Behind him!

Corporal Ishikawa opened his mouth, his rifle just dropping off of his shoulder, when there came a resounding crack! and the good Corporal's eyes glazed over and he slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Aiee!" Private Kubo shrieked a moment later as an apparition of some ghastly sort rose out of the gloom beside him. "Help!" he called then…bonk! Poor Private Kubo, jovial yet fat Private Kubo flumped to the ground unconscious beside his corporal.

"Tonwa!" Private Yusiwa growled, even as he swung around furtively, his unloaded weapon held firmly out, resting against his hip. "Get the---!" he added, only to---crack! Yusiwa crumpled, his M-16 clattering to the cold ground, its owner rendered senseless.

"I told Kurosabe we needed ammo," an almost unnerved Private Tonwa grumbled, as he slowly backed away from the bins…swinging his near useless rifle back and forth, his eyes flicking about. "But no!" he groused further. "If he would of---" Thump! Private Tonwa's advice to his lieutenant went unknown as he crumpled to the ground to join his fellows.

"That's four, Ringtail," Carmelita observed as she pulled yet another stout set of flexi-cuffs out to bind the motionless Private Tonwa.

Sly then drug the unconscious soldier over to line him up next to his three squad mates where they leaned, bound hand and foot against the deserted guardshack.

"That only leaves our friend back at the guard house, querera," Sly opined, kneeling down beside his lady love, both of them gazing toward the guardhouse.

"Right," Carmelita grunted, thinking. "Now, how do we get the last soldier boy in there out where we can deal with him…and quickly?" She left unsaid her concern that the lone remaining soldier could be---even as she spoke---calling for reinforcements from the main base.

"I think we need a small change in plans, my sweet girl," Sly observed, then fell silent thinking himself. He took a long moment, then suddenly grinned. "Say, Carmelita? How's your arm today?" he asked innocuously.

"Huh?" Carmelita replied, confused. She rubbed her arms, then shrugged. "Pretty good…why do you ask?"

"Listen up, sweetheart," Sly began. "Remember my ploy back in Polarsky's digs? Back when that blasted mink wouldn't oblige us and leave her post?" Sly paused a moment, then smiled at her. C'mon, Carmelita…think! Sly silently urged. "Give you any ideas, querera?"

"Wait a second," Carmelita returned, then gasped. "Hmm, you mean when you went mental on me and charged Ludmilla…even as she was pointing a gun at you? That plan?"

"Good girl!" Sly responded with a chuckle. "C'mon…that could work here…don't you think?"

Carmelita ignored his question a moment, then lifted up one of the soldier's M-16 assault rifles, and extracted its magazine. She grinned as she looked down. "Yeah, that'll work. These guys aren't loaded, handsome."

Sly waggled an eyebrow. "No time like the present, eh?" Sly urged.

Carmelita shrugged, and withdrew the cane that rested over her left shoulder, her favorite. She hefted it in her hand like some sort javelin-like projectile. "I'll whistle once sharply when I'm in position," she told him. "Then…why, then just go and do your maniac thing, Ringtail."

"Got it," Sly answered. "I love you, sweetheart," he added, softly and just for her benefit.

"Love you too," Carmelita answered then scampered off into the night.

Sly moved forward as stealthily as he could, until he was a mere ten meters away from the occupied guardhouse. He then hunkered down on one knee and waited for Carmelita's signal.

Lieutenant Kurosabe was getting…well, just a bit impatient. It had been ten minutes already, and still no word or sight of his four men. He rolled his eyes in weary irritation. Why did it have to be these four men? he asked himself. "Squad, report," he demanded over the squad's radio frequency. All he received was static.

That was when he heard a single chirp, or maybe it was a bird call. Hmm, he mused, it could be a nightjar, he told himself, stepping out of the safety of the guardhouse once more. He crossed his arms and peered intently into the night, waiting for a reoccurance of the sound. Well…he'd have to wait for that, it would appear.

Sly heard Carmelita's whistle, took a deep breath, then got up into a crouch, and began to jog forward. He waited until he was just on the fringe of the guardhouse's lighting then filled his lungs with air and bellowed like some sort of lunatic, waving his arms and making faces. "Argh!" he bellowed.

Lieutenant Kurosabe gasped, and took a step back at the apparition that appeared before him. Some sort of deranged soul---a raccoon it seemed---was loping toward him, screaming at the top of his---he thought it was male---lungs.

"Halt!" Kurosabe threatened, dropping one hand to rest upon the butt of his Beretta automatic in his closed holster.

"Ble-argh!" Sly gibbered, waving his arms wildly.

"I said…halt!" Lt. Kurosabe ordered again, moving forward two meters to intercept this madman. He popped the toggle on his holster, and began to curl his fingers around the butt of his service pistol.

Carmelita drew her arm back over her shoulder, gazed at her target one last time, then cast her cane like a lightning bolt.

Lieutenant Kurosabe drew his big black automatic, worked the slide, and then took a shoulder-wide stance, bringing his pistol up in preparation to shoot.

THONK!

The poor lieutenant staggered, his pistol falling from his nerveless fingers as the expertly hurled cane caromed off his forehead, sending his dress hat spiraling into the air like a clumsily tossed Frisbee. The bleary-eyed lieutenant wavered a moment, leaning comically to the right, then the left. Then, he fell to his knees a moment, stayed there a longer moment, then fell forward directly on to his face.

Sly reverted to his normal urbane self, and approached the now supine figure of the JSDF Marine. He looked up to see Carmelita jogging toward him. "Sweet throw, querera. You tagged him dead on," Sly told her. "That's my girl!"

Carmelita felt absurdly proud of herself, and blushed. "All in a day's work, Ringtail," she told him humbly. "Let's tie this hombre up, and put him with the others." Carmelita expertly threaded yet another set of flexi-cuffs around Kurosabe's wrists, then his ankles. Then, she and Sly both lugged the heavy man over to lay him with his unconscious men.

"That's done," Carmelita then observed, then turned to Sly. "Now, let's get the Gate opened, huh?"

It was the work of only ten minutes to figure out which control in the guardhouse unlocked the gate. Then, only two minutes later, the West Gate swung open to admit a smiling Murray.

"Hey, guys," Murray greeted them both with a smile. "What took you so long?" he teased.

"You're a funny man," Carmelita retorted with a grin. "Now, quit your jawing, and get in here. We've got a car for you to take care of, buster."

"I'm on it, Carmelita," Murray assured her. He then turned to Sly. "Er, now where is the car, Sly?"

Sly looked quickly to Carmelita, who nodded. "Go on! Murray, follow Sly…he'll take you to where the car's at. I'll stay here, and watch over things. Now, scoot!" Carmelita urged them both.

Five minutes later, Carmelita turned her dark-haired head and smiled as she saw the yellow Lamborghini fake---oh, with Sly sitting like some living hood ornament on it!---slowly idle by the guardhouse. Sly jumped off as he neared the guardhouse, and it continued without him through the West Gate, and out to disappear into the woods.

"Sweet," Carmelita observed, as she closed the door to the guardhouse, and stepped up beside Sly. "Mission accomplished, I should think."

"Not so fast, girlie," Bentley suddenly remarked, the edge of panic in his nasally voice.

"Watch the 'girlie' line, pal," Carmelita warned, even as Sly and she tensed. "Now, what's the matter?"

"Look," Bentley said in rapid-fire fashion, hurrying. "The auction just finished, okay? And, much as we expected, the car sold to Keiko's father…as she wanted it too." Bentley then paused dramatically, then continued. "Now, the problem: Keiko---damn her!---decided she should check on the car…probably so she could gloat, no doubt…but, as you migh suspect…it was empty."

"Oh, crap!" Carmelita groaned. "She's on to us!"

"You better believe she is, sister," Bentley affirmed glumly. "As one might expect of our wily adversary…she knows her scam's a bust, and she's doing the only wise thing she can…she's beating feet!"

"Oh no, she's not…not if we can help it!" Sly exclaimed, moving over beside Carmelita. "Tell us where the little minx has got herself too, and we'll stop her, Bent!"

"Can do, Boss," Bentley replied, feeling better now. "She's headed to the South Gate, Sly…and, she's not wasting any time doing so either!"

"C'mon, querera," Sly urged, and he and Carmelita took to their heels. "Bent! Best route to the South Gate, pal?"

"Past the Consulate, then past your hide, then it's only a hundred meters to the Gate! Move it, you two…it looks like she's stopped for the moment!" Bentley urged his team of Master Thieves.

"C'mon!" Sly and Carmelita dashed off, fleet as the wind, covering the distance in nothing flat. Five minutes found the slightly out-of-breath duo resting beside the South Gate, out of view. "We're in position, Bent," Sly called. "Let us know when company's coming…"

Five minutes passed…

"Here she comes!" Bentley squealed. "Oh, and it looks as if she's on foot too. That's definitely a break for the good guys."

Sly looked to Carmelita, and nodded. She drew out both of her canes, and Sly clutched his own in both hands. "Now, my sweet…" he began, "let's end this."

"I like the way you think, fella," Carmelita told him, following him as they dashed over to hide behind the guardhouse in front of the South Gate.

A moment later, Keiko Zuikawa hove into view, dragging a vastly overstuffed pair of soft-sided suitcases. The lovely yet sweating Japanese heiress grumbled and swore as she dragged her burden.

"All right, lady," Carmelita announced. "That's far enough." She held her hands down, gripping and re-gripping her short handled canes.

"I guess it's Game Over, Ms. Zuikawa," Sly announced. "I think the proverbial jig is up, sweetheart."

Keiko dropped her heavy bags, and whirled toward the pair. "You would be wise to step aside, raccoon," she warned, folding her hands into the wide sleeves of her kimono.

"I don't think so, lady," Carmelita shot back, taking a step forward. "We can do this the easy way…or the hard way. Your choice." Carmelita whirled her canes a few times, then added. "Personally, criminal…I'm hoping you choose the hard one…"

"Impetuous bitch!" Keiko laughed, dismissing Carmelita out-of-hand. "You are nothing. But," she hesitated then gasped once, and softly laughed. "Ah, I should of known."

"You do seem to like talking to yourself, Ms. Zuikawa," Sly observed, then shrugged. "So…do go on…"

Keiko grimaced at his implied rebuke. "Hmm, perhaps you are right," Keiko reasoned. "It is said the wise keep only the wise for counsel. As you two are nothing but fools…that must be why I am doing the talking, neh?"

Sly laughed aloud. "You're funny," he remarked, shaking his head.

Keiko growled with irritation. "I will say this only once more," she ordered. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way!"

"Sorry, but no can do, sweetheart," Sly replied, twirling his cane until it blurred.

"Ah, now I recognize you!" Keiko declared with a burst of insight. "Ah, now everything begins to become clear." She peered at Sly with an inquisitive, near passionate gaze. "Sly Cooper…I should of known. Only a true Master could of seen through my clever ruse." She bowed respectfully to him. "It shall be an honor to beat such a respectable foe."

"Apparently, you aren't as sharp as you think you are," Carmelita observed just then, not particularly liking the possessive look Keiko directed her Sly's way. "In case you haven't noticed…you're outnumbered. Oh, and unarmed as well."

"Oh, I am very sharp," Keiko answered scathingly. "As you are about to see, my dear." Keiko barked something harsh and commanding in her native Japanese. "And…as for being outnumbered…I think not. Observe!"

Six lean, deadly-looking figures clad in black ninja outfits seemed to materialize out of the darkness, each holding a long dark object in their hands. One of the figures held two, one in each hand.

Keiko grinned, and arched one slender brow. "Domo, my samurai," Keiko said, then bowed her head briefly to the six.

"Mistress," the one figure that held two long objects tossed one of them Keiko's way. The lithe, beautiful leopard woman caught it skillfully and held it lovingly within her hand.

"As you can see, Carmelita Fox," Keiko said sweetly. "It is you who are now outnumbered, seven to two." Keiko then nodded, and there came the slithery steely sound of metal scraping against wood, as Keiko and her 'samurai' drew their long swords from their scabbards. "And, as for my being sharp…well, I don't think I need elaborate, neh?" She grinned evilly.

Sly sighed, feigning nonchalance…actually stopping to feign a yawn. "Goons in ninja suits? Again?" he asked, shaking his head in a sort of irritated weariness. "It gets a little old after the…oh, what, twenty-second time? Or was it twenty-third?"

Carmelita grinned, assuming a defensive posture. "Hate to break the news to you, sweetheart," Carmelita said with much bravado. "But we eat samurai for breakfast…"

"Do you?" Keiko replied, not believing either of them a second. "Oh, perhaps I forgot to tell you that all of my samurai---as well as myself---are highly trained swordspeople."

"As a matter of fact," Carmelita answered blithely, though inwardly she was more than a little frightened, "you didn't, actually."

Keiko laughed.

"Not that it matters much, woman," Carmelita continued, as she fear was slowly being transformed into ever-growing rage. "Because you and your goons are going down…end of story."

Keiko grinned at her, filled with confidence and pride. "Perhaps," she conceded, though her tone was mocking. "Perhaps not. One thing is most certain, my enemies…I will not go without a fight!"

Sly appeared to sigh, then worked his neck around, resulting in a loud crack. "If that's the way it's gonna be then," Sly then drawled laconically. He then looked over to his Carmelita, then grinned wolfishly and winked at her. "Me and Carmelita are here…oh, when you and your goons can work yourself up to doing some actual fighting, that is…"

Keiko blinked, then blushed and growled. "Very well, Sly Cooper," she hissed, her samurai fanning out, three on either side of Keiko. She strode forward slowly, cautiously, she and her samurai moving into a crescent before the two Master Thieves. "If a fight is what you want…then a fight is what you will get!" She raised her sword high above her head, her lips drawing back to reveal her teeth. "Banzai!"

"Banzai!" the six samurai called, then all of them rushed forward…