So very sorry of the long wait, I've just had a bit of a misunderstanding with my Beta. Looked like we were both expecting something that simply wouldn't come, hehe...technical stuff...:)
Anyhow, the deed is done and here is the next chapter. Things are picking up...Kim just has the habit of getting into trouble, right? If you're curious, read and find out below. Have a good day dudes and dudettes!
Fleeing
The Tokyo National Museum was the oldest and largest museum in Japan. It collected, housed, and preserved a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects from Asia, focusing on the country of its origin. The museum included five buildings, one of which was closed for renovation and it just so happened to be the Toyokan building, the place where Kimiko was to meet her criminal.
The Japanese Gallery or Honkan was the most important construction and the first one to see once you entered the gates. In the dim, shadowy light of the moon and stars the construction loomed over the small stone bordered lake, its dark and curved rooftops eclipsing the entrance and the intricate design shaping the outer walls.
Kimiko moved swiftly on the paved alleys making sure to stand near a tree or a bush in case there were guards patrolling. She chose to dress in black and, even if it constantly reminded her of a thief, she was smart enough to know that such a color made it easier to sneak around, not to mention she did it for a good reason too.
The Toyokan Gallery featured Eastern art, possessing collections coming from China, Korea, India, Egypt, Cambodia, Iran and Turkey. Momentarily being out of commission made the large three stories edifice not very guarded and Kimiko thanked Kami for offering her a trouble-free way in.
Using the emergency stairs, Kimiko silently crept in finding the whole assembly dark and empty on the most part. The halls were tall and complicated spreading with secondary corridors over the three floors while around the flight of stairs stood thick pillars like the ones suspending the sides of the museum.
Kimiko had no idea where she was going so she settled on heading downstairs and wait in front of the main doors. She checked her watch to see she came five minutes earlier and fixed her jacket nervously. Her hand moved on her lower back feeling the gun she had brought with her but it did nothing to calm her speeding heart. If not, her trepidation grew even more knowing it was there.
Her head whipped from side to side as she stood glued to the wall hoping to get a glimpse of Phantom. She thought about calling out to him but in such a huge place her voice would have given incredibly loud echoes. So she resolved on waiting.
She looked at her watch again; three minutes till midnight.
Her head hit the wall with a frustrated sigh that continued to reverberate through the halls for a few more seconds. She began tapping her foot in order to release some stress. It worked for a while but then it started to get tiring. She stopped but the sound continued.
It took Kimiko several seconds to realize it wasn't a resound but footsteps. For a moment she panicked, moving closer to the wall behind her until a soft chuckle broke her tense emotions and her eyes narrowed. She stepped away from it, squinting her eyes to see in the darkness. The footsteps stopped but there was still no movement around her.
When she had enough Kimiko finally snapped. "Will you come out or are you planning on doing this all night?" She spoke barely keeping her voice above a whisper.
An amused huff followed her words and not a moment later a slender figure emerged in the soft light falling through the glassy doors. "Such a serious person, Miss Tohomiko!" He said earning a glare from the raven haired woman.
Kimiko gazed darkly at Phantom's smirking face, still straining to see despite the moonlight. She could make out the white slits of the mask without difficulty and even if she had seen them before it gave her chills in spite of everything.
She mentally shook her head coming back to the matter at hand. "Why did you call me here?"
Phantom nonchalantly stuck his hands in his pockets, the smirk never faltering at her straightforward attitude. "Why I just wanted to know you better." He revealed with a playful tilt of his head. "Though, I'm quite surprised you came here all on your own."
"Wasn't that what you wanted?" For some reason, Kimiko couldn't help watch the way his coffee, messy hair hanged in his face so carelessly yet in such a neat manner. And being highlighted by the moon rays didn't help get her attention from it.
"Maybe!"
The young woman had to make a double take to understand what he has just said and she frowned as his reply sunk in.
"You mean you wanted to have a trail of police cars after you? Because that could very well happen."
Phantom, if possible, smiled wider. "And what excuse do you have?" He asked casually stepping closer to her.
Kimiko stayed still in her place watching him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"What would be the reason of your presence in a museum, in the middle of the night, with a 'criminal' moreover?" He softly uttered coming a few feet in front of Kimiko.
The woman's stunned blue eyes changed into a ferocious glare and she strongly walked in his face. "You sent me a note – "
"And you withheld such important information from your superiors and everyone else for that matter." The brunette interrupted in a grave tone.
He wasn't smiling anymore, mainly because the woman in front of him retained a disturbingly petrified expression. He could easily identify the conflicting emotions swelling inside her through her azure eyes and he sensed an acute guilt forming in his gut too. He didn't exactly have a plan of how this night would go but heading on the present road seemed to be the wrong choice.
"Let's just forget about that!" He finally said causing the woman to flinch in surprise.
"W-What?"
Phantom had to smile at her bewildered look. He had to admit the young heiress appeared completely stunning in the light; with her silky black hair framing her white oval face, the shadows playing on her tiny nose and around her rosy lips and mostly the pale rays reflecting in her gorgeous sapphire orbs. Being so close to her made him feel out of this world; it made him feel at peace and jubilant…and weak.
"Did you say forget about it?"
Phantom blinked behind his mask as Kimiko's voice penetrated the air around him. "Yeah! I'm not gonna hold it against you. Actually, I didn't even want to go in that subject. As I said, I wish to know you better. That's all."
Kimiko didn't believe him and he knew it. But she stepped back after realizing their close proximity and cleared her throat, feeling somehow awkward about not becoming conscious of it.
"So you're saying you want me to tell you things about me?"
He nodded hesitantly finally grasping how ridiculous his request sounded and decided about an exchange. "I can tell you things about me too."
Kimiko gave him a strain smile placing her hands on her hips. "Are you gonna tell me about your next robbery? Or how much money you've made so far? Or throw me a soppy story about you early life that pushed you to become a thief? How your dreams got crushed and you decided to see other people failing in misery because you had to?" She asked in a bitter-mocking tone.
The resound ceased only to be replaced by a tense silence. Both of them firmly stood their ground gazing at each other with a determined will. Kimiko held her head high, eyes narrowed angrily and releasing tides of frustration and antipathy. Phantom on the other hand was more reserved. He didn't show any sign of emotion beside his rigid body.
"I thought we had this solved back at Mr. Hogai's corporation." Phantom finally muttered. His low voice though didn't hide the hints of anger and sorrow and Kimiko had to use every ounce of her being not to look away or apologize. Nevertheless she felt a little culpable for blowing up in his face but she had to keep in mind that he was a lawbreaker no matter what.
"Why are you doing what you are doing then?" She demanded quietly.
"Because others never had the chance to even lay eyes on such fortunes." He expressed forlornly. "Because there are thousands of innocents out there who wished that for a moment…they could have a better life, the life that many gain on dishonourable ways and no one cares." His acrid laugh shook the young woman to her very core. She instinctively leaned back and her eyes filled with regret. "This world is more than cruel to some but the majority chooses not to give a damn. They may try and try but they can't even come close to understand the pain others are feeling…until they feel it themselves."
He looked up in her direction watching the result of his words. The woman was staring at the floor, shoulders hunched and black bangs covering her eyes. He then spoke in a gentler way fighting the urge to go and comfort her. "I'm not sorry for what I'm doing Kimiko. I just found it the only way to get over."
Another hush descended upon them, this time though the tension was gone. They didn't say another word for a few minutes until Kimiko mumbled something that caught the young man's attention in an unpleasant way.
"I-It's nothing! Really!"
"So…do you want to walk?" Kimiko bit her lip sensing the unease growing in her mind. She now knew she blamed him on unfair grounds…almost shouting at him for things she made up. She couldn't accuse him of finding her insufferable. And the things he told her…She also knew they were real but like he said, she didn't give a damn, until now.
"Let's go on the roof!"
Kimiko looked up to find Phantom already at the stairs. She ran up to him and they both ascended in quiet. When they reached the top however, a sound they both knew from different experiences rose all around them. The white light of the moon dissolved under the red and blue beams of the police cars parked outside as people ran around carrying guns and megaphones. The two froze and slowly turned to look at each other.
Kimiko shook her head gaping like a fish at Phantom. "I-I-I didn't – "
"FREEZE!"
The doors broke down and the armed men rushed in aiming their guns at the two. Kimiko felt the blood drain from her face as she examined the faces of her co-workers. They looked shocked and confused too but they tried to hide it under stretched arms and glares.
"Surrender! Both of you!" Yelled someone in the front. Kimiko recognized him as Chase Young, the mentor that guided her in the beginning of her carrier.
He watched her with a serious glare, no trace of his usual sarcasm and care, affecting the young woman's mind in a way her legs almost gave away. Phantom inconspicuously placed a hand on her back ready to grab her if she fell and bolt in the opposite direction. Before he could do it yet, the man was speaking again.
"You are under arrest! Surrender now or we'll be forced to use violence."
Phantom snorted letting a sly smile spread on his lips. "You already did that when you destroyed the door of one of Tokyo's most prestigious 'vessels of history'."
Before Chase could say anything else, Phantom dragged Kimiko over the fence of the stairs and out of the policemen's sights. He heard various shouts, one of them coming from the girl he was gripping in his arm, but he ignored them running hastily through the corridors. Their followers were right behind them so Phantom switched direction aiming for the stairs. Kimiko could finally bring some feeling in her legs and run on her own, but the young thief didn't break the hold he had on her.
"Where are we going?" She managed to scream over the loud pounding in her ears.
Phantom only sped up when a gunshot rang in the air. "We gotta find an exit." He simply stated.
Kimiko glanced around her. They were on a hallway facing the park but beyond the windows she couldn't see any tree they could climb. Their only solution would have been to use the pillars and go down but it could take some time. And Phantom seemed to have thought about that too seeing as he didn't slow down a bit. On the contrary, he hurried to go to the roof for some reason.
"Phantom?"
"Trust me! I know what I'm doing!" He reassured her with a smile; a genuine smile that she felt it cut through her confusion and fear and slightly calmed her down.
Phantom almost flew over the last set of stairs and before Kimiko knew it they were in the attic. A few big boxes were scattered here and there, and there were some small show cases too. The floor was dusty and there were only several small windows on the walls. Phantom went to open one, releasing Kimiko at the same time. The young woman followed him curious about his intentions.
"So how are gonna get out of here? Because if you ask me we had a better chance with the front door."
The young man continued to analyze the ground from his spot while answering her. "This place is surrounded. We had no chance to succeed using the front door or the emergency stairs or the windows or the pillars. We needed a better view of what we're dealing with. Come!" He motioned for her to get closer and take a look outside.
The backyard of the building was patrolled by dozens of cops holding flashlights and beyond them was the wall that separated the museum from the rest of the Ueno Park. Around the fence though, Kimiko noticed many trees growing on both sides but with a quick equation she drew the conclusion that the distance was far too large for them to jump without breaking something, preferably the neck.
"It's impossible." She declared.
The shouts from the stairs came closer along with heavy footsteps.
"You forget who I am." Phantom smirked arrogantly at her.
The commotion stopped making Kimiko look at the entrance of the attic.
"So you got a plan?" She tore her eyes from the door and at the brunet.
"Always have!" Kimiko threw him a 'yeah right' face along with a raised eyebrow. "Ok! Maybe always…almost never…But I'm good at acting!"
"That's true I guess!"
Phantom reached in his belt and drew out a short solid black rod. By now, they could make out whispers right at the feet of the stairs and Kimiko silently urged the thief to move faster. The rod broke into several hangers and Phantom quickly detached a long wire from a side pocket that he tied to the grappling hook. He took a deep breath measuring the distance to the closest tree and started swinging the hook like a lasso with his hand.
"Here we go!" He sighed with resolve.
"Let's go faster please!" Muttered the young woman by his side nervously.
Phantom swung the hook a few more times becoming stronger and faster with every movement and eventually released it watching it fly over the policemen's head invisibly and attached itself to a thick branch of a tree. Phantom smiled tugging the wire and see if it would hold before grabbing Kimiko by her waist and hitting the retraction button right when the law men entered the attic.
They could see the duo's backs as they leaped outside the window and only stare wide eyed open. Once out of shock, they all gathered at the window and were met by the disorder of the men out in the backyard along with two smirking persons standing on the wall. They both waved, Kimiko more tentatively, and jumped on the other side. Chase Young growled and yelled a few orders and his whole team scattered going for the stairs again as he shot one last hateful glance at the spot where the pair vanished.
Meanwhile, Phantom grasped Kimiko's arm in his hand again and ran on the alleys at top speed with her in tow. He ignored the girl's complains and continued to move taking notice of their pursuers and the barking dogs on their tails. A few more minutes and they were out of the park and into the streets of Tokyo. Phantom moved on the narrow paths between buildings but didn't stop his quick pace. He checked his watch from second to second and finally stopped in a more reclusive street closer to the main road.
"Ok, so now I'm a fugitive. This is just great! And I had such a beautiful future in front of me but no…"
Phantom tuned out the young woman as he looked around him. Checking his wristwatch again he huffed annoyed until a set of blinding lights shot in his face. He narrowed his eyes dragging Kimiko behind a dumpster and covered her mouth. The sounds of the police cars were drawing closer to them and once he took a good look at the vehicle parked beside him, the thief jumped to his feet.
"Come on!" He said with a bit of relief shining in his voice.
"What's going on?"
Kimiko glared at him but couldn't do more as she was suddenly tossed in the car. Phantom took the seat beside her and told the driver to go. Once the vehicle was on the road again, Phantom shrunk in his seat breathing deeply in and out. Kimiko eyed him suspiciously keeping her body tense and ready to defend herself. She remembered about the gun and tried to reach for it but she found nothing.
"Don't worry 'bout that." Phantom told her smiling. "I took it from you when we were running."
Kimiko gapped at him and Phantom chuckled. From the front seats, the driver shook his head. Kimiko let the subject go and turned her eyes to the new addition. From what she could see of him he had red hair and wore a pair of yellow goggles on his forehead that kept it from falling in his eyes…his red eyes. He was wearing a long black trench coat and had dark eyeliner around his eyes.
"Who are you?" She tried composing her voice to sound as hard as steel but the anxiety had to make itself known some way or another.
Before the red head could say something Phantom beat him to it. "He's Jack Spicer, my friend."
Jack scowled. "Alright! Why don't you tell her your name too if you're feeling so generous."
Phantom winced at the sour tone of his lifelong best friend. "I guess I own her that much. After all, it's my fault you're in this situation." He stated gazing in Kimiko's blue eyes.
The young woman mustered an angry look. "Yes, you do! So where are we going anyway?"
"We're going at our place." Replied Jack steering the wheel. "It's outside of Tokyo and hopefully we'll be safe there for a while…as long as Miss Tohomiko stays inside." He added with a serious look at the young woman.
Kimiko nodded and the rest of the ride was spent in silence with Jack's occasional compliments to the other drivers whereas he tried in getting out of city as fast as possible. Nevertheless, the black haired woman soon fell asleep with her head unconsciously propped on Phantom's shoulder.