"Rajan, he...he raped me..." Rai forced out, cursing herself for even uttering those words.
Sly's eyes went wide. "Wait, he...what?"
Rai tensed up. "He..." She swallowed hard, shaking her head a bit. "Please don't make me say it again... It was hard enough saying it the first time..."
Sly suddenly feel silent, and in doing so, Rai felt like her whole world had just collapsed in right on top of her. His silence almost felt like a rejection of who she was, all because of one stupid mistake. "I-I know, I'm disgusting..." She said, her voice breaking.
This had brought Sly back into reality as he quickly shook his head. "What, no! I wasn't even thinking that!" He quickly tried to regain himself, only to abruptly turn Rai back around so that she was facing him again. "Rai, I..." Sly exhaled. "I know it's not your fault, so please, don't go berating yourself. I was...just in shock, that's all. I wasn't going to say that you were disgusting or anything, I was just trying to process what you had said because it had caught me off guard."
"I know, but..." Rai clenched onto her arms, digging her claws in again. "I was taken advantage of, so...that makes me nothing less than revolting."
"But you had no control over it!" Sly raised his voice, which caused Rai to visibly flinch. "Sorry, sorry, I...I don't mean to shout, but...if you had no control in what had happened that day, then it's not your fault."
"And it was my fault for trusting Kisara! It was my fault for letting my guard down again!" Rai snapped, tears beginning to burn in her eyes. "It was my fault for thinking she wouldn't just use me all over again..."
"Rai, look at me." Sly practically commanded, lifting her chin so their eyes met. "You had no way of knowing Kisara or Rajan would do any of those things to you, so you need to stop blaming yourself for something that was just out of your control. And no matter what, regardless of any past mistakes you may have made, you will still always be just as beautiful as that night I first ran into you."
Rai gasped, her eyes widening. "Y...you really mean that?"
Sly grinned, shifting his hand to place against Rai's cheek as he leaned in a bit. "I may be a nothing but sly raccoon, but right now, in this moment, I mean every single word that I say, because I don't think I could ever lie to someone as breathtaking as you, Rai."
Rai just stared at Sly for a long moment, tears beginning to pool in her emerald eyes. "Oh, Sly..."
He chuckled softly, just barely placing his thumb against Rai's bottom lip. "Now, what's say we do the one thing I've been meaning to all night long?" Sly said cunningly as he leaned in toward the fox, Rai's eyes fluttering closed as she too leaned in, causing the gap between them to disappear as their lips met in a gentle, tender kiss.
With Sly by my side, maybe, just maybe, I can let go of my past and finally look on towards a better future, a future I had only dreamed of – freedom...
The sun was just barely peeking in through the curtains of the hotel room, a thin streak of light shining between two figures that were sleeping soundly on the king sized bed. Suddenly though, light had instantly flooded the room as the curtains were yanked open and the blanket ripped away from the bed, both figures flinching. Once light had filled the room, it was revealed to be Bentley and Murray barging into Sly and Rai's room to wake them up as they both groaned tiredly.
"Rise and shine, little buddies! We've gotta get moving! Up, up, up!" Murray's thunderous voice boomed.
"Sly, Rai, we have to head out soon, so get up." Bentley practically ordered whilst going through his plans on his laptop.
A groan left Sly's lips. "Why so damn early, Bentley?" He complained, trying to bury his face further into Rai's chest.
"Because we won't arrive until late and it'll take a while to navigate through the jungle Rajan is located in since I'm almost certain it'll be too thick to drive through. You can go back to sleep in the van if you want, so stop complaining and get up, both of you."
Another groan, but Sly just pushed himself up before nudging Rai. She was only half-awake, letting out a very low groan as Sly gave a tired smirk. "Come on, Foxy, time to get up." He said, nudging her again.
Rai let out another tired groan, but pushed herself to sit up as her long hair fell over her shoulder, lifting a hand to rub her eyes. She then gave a yawn, running a hand through her messy locks. "It's too early for this..." She complained.
Sly chuckled. "Well, of course I agree with you, but unfortunately, we have to get up."
"Yeah, yeah..." The fox waved him off as she sluggishly crawled out of bed, lazily gathering up her things as Sly did the same before the two heading out for the van.
Once out of the hotel and to the van, the two set their things down and tiredly set up a makeshift bed in the back before climbing inside. After closing the back doors, they both laid down, Rai tugging on Sly's shirt. "Get over here, Ringtail..."
He chuckled. "I thought you said no?"
"I'm cold, so I'll make an exception."
"And what about last night?"
"You were already in my room, so there was no sense in kicking you out at 3 AM..."
"And you tell me I'm predictable?"
"You are..." She replied nonchalantly.
"Says the one who can't make up her mind on what she wants." Sly teased.
Rai frowned. "Just because I'm tired, it doesn't mean I won't still knock you senseless, because I will." She threatened.
Sly laughed. "Settle down, Vulpes, I'm only teasing." He said, snuggling up to Rai. "You know, sometimes you get real cute when I tease you just right."
Rai gave a grumble, almost shoving his face into her chest just to shut him up for a moment. "And you're a jerk..."
"A damn good looking one." He smirked.
Rai just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that..."
"Oh, I most certainly will."
She let out an annoyed sigh. "Whatever... Egoist..."
Sly just gave a chuckle in response, snuggling his face further into Rai's bosom.
The gang finally found where had Rajan escaped and was now hiding: Deep in the Indian jungle in a spice temple. There, he was in possession of the Clockwerk Heart and was continuing his illegal spice production. With the power of that metal heart, who knows how much spice production would increase? That heart had to go and the gang was planning on shutting his operation down. Once they reached the jungle, the gang had to hide the van and walk the rest of the way through since it was far too thick to drive through. When they made it out of the jungle, they searched the area for a place to set up a hideout. However, Rai suddenly glanced up and saw a dragon shaped head high up in the jungle canopy.
"Hey, guys, what about that one up there?" She pointed.
Everyone turned to where Rai was pointing, Sly giving a nod of approval. "Yeah... The guards wouldn't expect us to be hiding out in there." He in agreement.
"But isn't it a little...high?" Bentley asked warily.
"I say let's do it! No one will know we're high up in the trees!" Murray grinned, the turtle sighing.
"Alright, fine... The dragon head it is..." The turtle merely agreed, though begrudgingly.
They all decided on the dragon head as everyone set the rooms up accordingly. After everything was prepared the way they wanted it, Rai decided to go for a little walk, mainly to have a look around the area to get a better understanding of what they were dealing with. However, as she leapt through the branches, someone landed on one right in front of her, nearly startling the fox, until she recognized who it was as her eyes then narrowed.
"Well, well, look at what the fox dragged in." The female chuckled.
Rai growled. "Kisara... Why am I not surprised to see you here?" She questioned rhetorically. "How did you even know where to find me?"
"I was actually searching for where Rajan had run off to after the party had been crashed myself when I just so happened to have stumbled upon you and the Cooper Gang."
Rai folded her arms, seeming unconvinced. "Sure..."
"Oh, come now, Al—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." She commanded harshly. "My name is Rai and it's been that way ever since I abandoned who I once was, so don't call me by my given name, ever."
The cat chuckled. "Well, you're certainly in a good mood today, aren't you?"
Rai's eyes narrowed. "I highly suggest that you leave before things start to get messy."
Kisara shrugged. "Fine, I'll go. I just figured you might want some information on where the Clockwerk Heart was located, but I guess not. Oh well." She said nonchalantly, turning to make her leave.
It was then that Rai perked up. The Clockwerk Heart? Don't tell me she already knows its location... Rai clenched her fist, gritting her teeth. Damn her... She really knows how to get under my skin...
"Hang on." Rai quickly called.
Kisara smirked, turning to face the glaring fox again. "Oh? This is a first. You never call out for me to wait."
Rai frowned. "You're pushing your luck, Kisara..."
The feline chuckled. "Fine, fine." She waved. "Well, as for my intel on the Clockwerk Heart, I've discovered that Rajan has split it into two sections."
Rai raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"One half is used for his spice production, and the other is on his person usually at all times. However, just using one half of that heart is enough to increase spice production tenfold, so my advice to you is to try and get those parts as quickly as humanly possible."
"Gee, tell me something I don't know, why don't ya?"
"It's just a warning, that's all." Kisara replied.
Rai scoffed. "And since when have you ever been so generous before?" She asked, folding her arms.
Kisara shrugged, placing a hand on her hip. "Just think of it as a little gift, and if you want, I can even show you where to find "his Highness" and the Clockwerk Heart."
Rai didn't seem very convinced, her eyes narrowing. "A gift, you say? Last time I checked, any so-called "gift" of yours only led to me getting stabbed in the back later on down the road, so why should I trust you now when you've given me absolutely no reason to do so before?"
Kisara shrugged again. "That's up to you whether or not you trust me, but I'm just trying to help put that man behind bars for his illegal spice production."
"You didn't seem to care five years ago back when you were slumming it with the thieves." Rai retorted.
"Because I wasn't a cop five years ago." Kisara replied.
"You're not a cop now!" Rai snapped. "You've only been pretending this whole time just for your own sick benefits, so don't give me that shit!"
"Think what you want, but my point still stands, so no need to be in such a sour mood." Kisara shrugged.
Rai just growled. "Your mere presence puts me in a bad mood..."
Kisara let out a sigh. "Oh, come now, Rai, what happened to the good ol' days when we had so much fun playing Cops and Robbers?"
"You burned that bridge a long time ago when you stabbed me in the back, both literally and figuratively, and then proceeded to throw me to the wolves." Rai glared.
"Hmm? Throw you to the wolves? I'm afraid I don't follow... When was this exactly?" Kisara tried to play the innocent game.
Rai growled. "Don't even try to play coy with me, Kisara. You know damn well exactly when you did it... When I was working with the Klaww Gang for that short – very short, might I add – amount of time. You knew that Rajan had a thing for me, and so, instead of helping me get away from him, you let him right into that room, where he then proceeded to take advantage of me, giving me no means of escaping until he was fucking finished with me!" She barked. "And then you just up and abandoned me like I was nothing, leaving me to him while I was held down and couldn't do a goddamn thing to stop what was being done to me! You were just lucky I was mercilessly broken down and too weak at the time to try and get up to find your sorry ass so I could put you six feet under, where you fucking belong!"
"You know, you really should keep your voice down, Rai or you might just—"
Slam!
Without warning, Rai had switched her cane into a blade before dashing toward Kisara. Just as she pinned the irritating cat to the tree, she had rammed her blade into the wood, mere millimeters away from the side of Kisara's face as Rai had that dark glint in her eyes, well and truly done with this cat's shit. "I suggest you shut your goddamn mouth before I do it for you, you cunt." Rai hissed. "I should just slit your damn throat right here and now, that way you can't taunt me any more than you already have..."
Kisara gave an amused chuckle. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I strike a nerve?"
Rai just growled. "You really are in no position to be cracking jokes, Bombay." The fox hissed. "You caused all of this, and I'm gonna make sure you pay for it in the end."
"Is that right?" Kisara smirked.
"Oh, you have no idea how much I would love to spill your blood all over that fur coat of yours right now, but instead, I'm going to let it slide, this time. However, cross me like that again and you'll wish you were dead by the time I'm finished with you. Don't test my patience, Kisara, because you of all people know just how sharp my blade is..." Rai then took a step back, yanking her blade out from the tree.
Kisara chuckled softly. "Well, on the off chance you actually do care enough to wanna find the Clockwerk Heart, take this." She said tossing an object over to the fox.
Rai swiftly caught whatever it was Kisara had tossed over to her before glancing down at what was in her hand, only to see a cellphone in her palm. The fox frowned, lifting her gaze to meet Kisara's again. "Why are you giving this to me?"
"Like I said, if and when you decide that you wanna find out where the Clockwerk Heart is, use that to give me a little ring, and, well, I'll be more than happy to escort you, just like old times."
Rai lifted the phone in her hand, staring at it for a moment before sighing, stuffing it into her pouch. "You get one more chance, Kisara, and I swear on my mother's grave, that if you backstab me again, you'll wish you had killed me that day. Don't forget that I don't trust you, and I never will, so watch yourself." And with that, Rai turned and dashed off.
Kisara, however, just smirked as Rai made a hasty retreat. One more chance, huh? Well, I won't let it go to waste then, because it'll be all the more fun when we reach the climax.
The feline began to laugh. "I look forward to working with you one last time, Ali~"
"Oh, there you are, Rai. Where'd you run off to?" Asked Sly when the fox had entered the hideout.
"Just out..." Rai replied, brushing past him. "I'm gonna be in my room." She said, hastily heading for her bedroom as she closed the door behind herself.
Once Rai was alone in her room, she sighed heavily, removing her mask from her face as she set it on the bedside table. After propping her cane up against the nightstand, Rai flopped down onto her bed, exhaling through her nose. She paused for a moment, regaining her thoughts, before reaching into her pouch. Rai then stared down at the phone in her grasp, flipping it around to see a black case with a logo of what was obviously a cat outlined in white, Rai sighing again. Every single time I think I've gotten away from her, she just keeps pulling me back in... What is it she's after, and why is Kisara so insistent on involving me? Rai stared at the phone again, her eyes narrowing. I can't trust her, I won't trust her, not after the things she's done to me... I won't ever forgive what's been done to me by that witch, but I also know that I won't be able to escape her until she's out of the picture, permanently. I have to find a way to get rid of Kisara, but... Rai glanced down at the phone once more, only to clench the device in her hand, sighing.
"What does she know that I don't? Just what is she planning...?"
Knock, knock, knock
"Huh?" Rai perked up when she heard knocking on her door, quickly stuffing the phone back into her pouch as the door opened to reveal Sly peering in.
"Hey, you alright?" He asked, entering the room.
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, why?" Rai quickly tried to brush it off.
"You just seemed a little, I dunno, out of it, I guess?"
Rai sighed. "It's just...I ran into Kisara."
Sly slowly began to move closer to Rai, crouching down in front of her. "What happened?"
"She just...got on my nerves, that's all." Rai replied, sounding annoyed. "But she mentioned something about the Clockwerk Heart."
"Are you really going to trust what she says though, after what you've told me about her?"
"I don't know... I shouldn't, but...if what she says is true, then it could help to end Rajan's rein." Rai almost sounded like she was trying to reason with herself. "But even so, I won't trust her, no matter what, because I've learned my lesson."
"So...what are you gonna do?" Sly asked, though cautiously.
The fox exhaled through her nose. "For now, I don't know... What I do know is that Kisara is not to be trusted, so no matter what, if she ever tries to approach you, just be on your guard, because...I wouldn't want you to end up like me..."
Sly raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
Rai stared at Sly for a moment before exhaling through her nose again. She then reached up and hooked her fingers around the inner left side of her top, only to pull it back a bit to expose some of her chest. Sly, again raised an eyebrow though, seeming confused as to what Rai was doing. "Um, sorry, Rai, but...what am I supposed to be looking at?"
She sighed, lifting her other hand up to her chest as she used her fingers to part her fur, and upon closer inspection, Sly began to see just what Rai was indicating at. There, just on the left side of her breast, extremely close to where her heart would be, was a visible scar. "Do you see it now?" She asked.
Sly's eyes widened a bit. "Rai...what happened?" He asked, trying to contain his evident shock.
Rai lowered her hand from her chest, fixing her top before her eyes met Sly's. "It happened about four years ago, just after the year I had spent working with the Klaww Gang... I was on a job with Kisara, because back then, she liked to slum it with us thieves as a simple pass-time. I knew I shouldn't have trusted her, especially after what she made me go through with Rajan, but she somehow managed to convince me that this was a one-off job and, at the very least, I was gonna get a major payday, which I was in desperate need of at the time. I was still fairly new to the thieving business, or at least working on my own, but when Kisara mentioned that I would be getting a rare artifact that went on the black market for a high price, how could I turn it down? So, I reluctantly agreed to work with her, but that ended up being the biggest mistake of my life..." Rai visibly tensed up, drawing in a shaky breath to try and calm herself down.
Sly slowly reached out, gently grasping onto her hand. "It's alright, you don't have to go on if you don't want to..."
Rai shook her head. "No, you at least have the right to know why I distrust her..." She reasoned, sighing. "Anyhow, after Kisara had managed to snag the artifact, I got ready to stash it away so we could sell it later, when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my back." This time, Sly tensed up, gripping onto Rai's hand. "The moment I looked down, all I saw was a blade sticking out of my chest, followed by blood – my blood... After the blade was violently removed from my body, I dropped. The last thing I can remember was Kisara smirking, telling me something along the lines of "I was right not to trust her" and "they'll be glad to know I was out of the picture," but I can't quite remember since I blacked out soon after. However, when I woke up, I found myself in a hospital, stitches in both my back and my chest with an oxygen tube around my face. Needless to say though, the moment I had realized what had happened, it was the last time I ever wanted anything to do with Kisara, and yet here I am, trying to escape her clutches, but somehow keep getting pulled back in..."
Sly gazed up at Rai for a long while, not daring to say a word, until he finally drew in a breath. "I understand how you feel, Rai, but you didn't have to tell me all of that."
"You at least had the right to know that much, Sly, because...I don't want you to make the same mistakes I have time and time again... Please, Sly, I'm telling you this to ensure that you stay far away from her. Just...trust me when I say that she's nothing but bad luck..."
Sly stared into Rai's emerald hues for a long moment, and he could see that plea of hers in those eyes as he exhaled through his nose, nodding. "Alright, I understand..."
Rai gave a nod. "Thank you..." She said softly. "Just, please...don't make the same mistake I have..."
Sly gripped onto her hand, as if for some sort of reassurance. "Don't worry, I won't..."