Claudio strutted down the street, deciding not to take a cab because walking kept him in shape and the sidewalk was grateful to have the privilege of feeling his footsteps. As he walked, he ran his hand through his slicked back hair and flicked a few beads of sweat from his forehead. It was an extremely hot day, and his own natural hotness wasn't helping matters much.

"Hmmm... I could go for a drink."

Deciding that a cool refreshing beverage would help relieve the intense discomfort of this hot day, Claudio set his sights on the local bars around town and pondered heavily on which one he would visit. The Iron Fist Sports Bar and Grill was the most popular franchise in the country, but those devilish Mishimas owned it and and Claudio refused to associate himself with anything tainted by their evil aura. Deciding he wanted to go with something a little smaller, Claudio made his way towards a much smaller bar down the street from Iron Fist; one where he would hopefully be able to enjoy a drink in solitude without attracting a legion of zombielike groupies who would fight each other to the death just for a whiff of his scent.

As Claudio rounded a corner, he was immediately tackled by an unknown assailant.

"Che diavolo?!"

Despite Claudio's razor sharp instincts and heightened perception, he was completely caught off guard by the attacker. He fought in the grip of the attacker, but he quickly gained the upper hand with a leg trip followed by an overhead throw. The assailant went flying but surprisingly landed gracefully on their feet. Claudio was finally able to get a good look at the person: judging by the slender frame, red pigtails and lipstick, he assumed it was a woman. It was the best he could do to confirm her gender thanks to the white fox mask covering her face. Just to be double sure, he looked at her chest; they LOOKED legit. This was almost certainly a woman. Luckily, Claudio could finally put his mind at ease when he finally heard her voice.

"Give me all of your...!"

But the woman surprisingly didn't finish the sentence. She just stared at Claudio, her kunai knife raised. Claudio stared at her in anticipation of what she would say next.

"Give you all of my what?" he asked.

"G-give me... give me your..."

No matter how hard she tried, the woman couldn't finish her sentence. Her knife began to wobble as her hand trembled... what was happening to her?!

Claudio knew all to well what was happening as a smile formed on his face. He slowly approached the shaking woman, his mystifying gaze peering into her eyes and penetrating her very soul. When a lone bead of sweat drizzled down her temple, Claudio knew she was under his spell. She was captivated by his beautiful, godlike presence.

"Give me..." the woman still mumbled, desperately trying to get the words out. But it was no use; no woman in the world could resist those eyes. Her hand shook so wildly that the kunai slipped out of her grasp and hit the ground with a CLANK!

Claudio stopped mere inches from the woman's body, close enough that his breaths caressed her neck and sent tingles through her entire being. Even her very soul was tingling in the presence of such perfection. With his eyes not leaving hers for a second, Claudio knelt down and picked up the kunai. He grabbed her hand, holding it softly in his smooth silky grasp. Her body felt like melting butter at the sensations his skin against hers was causing.

"You dropped this." he whispered softly as he gently placed the kunai in her hand and closed her fingers for her. As soon as his voice made sweet love to her ear, the woman gave a quiet, almost whisper-like moan.

"I...I...ahh...um...ahh..."

"I'm Claudio. What's your name?"

"Ku..Kuni..Kuni...mit...su."

"Kunimitsu. Would you like to get a drink with me? You can bring your knife."

Kunimitsu was so speechless that all she could do was nod her head. She couldn't even nod it straight. With a smile, Claudio took her hand and walked her down the street.

Luckily, Claudio's hopes were answered; the bar was almost absolutely vacant. Only a few stray faces lingered, probably low wage workers on their break.

"Let's get a booth near the back, okay? Hey, look at me. You okay?"

"Y-y-yeah.. I'm... I'm okay." Kunimitsu stammered. "It's just that... w-well... I'm sorry I tried to rob you."

"Aw, I forgive you. But surely you must have your reasons?"

The two of them sat down and Claudio leaned in close, investing himself in what Kunimitsu had to say.

"Well... you see... I am a kunoichi and a thief by trade. Stealing is just... something I'm good at."

"That's cool. But you must be careful doing such a job. I'd hate to see a beautiful lady like you behind bars."

Claudio's smooth words caused Kunimitsu's mask to feel like an oven. Just like that, she was back to nearly incoherent speech.

"Oh...I...well I'm not... th-THANK YOU!"

As Claudio grinned at Kunimitsu's nervous breakdown, the waitress finally came along intending to take their order. Before she could even open her mouth, Claudio flashed a smile and spoke.

"Two hard lemonades, sweetie."

The waitress turned a bright shade of red and literally sprinted from the booth, her body not even capable of maintaining balance. Claudio rolled his eyes and turned back to Kunimitsu, who was nervously playing with her kunai.

"So tell me... why does a cute young woman like you wear a mask?"

Kunimitsu looked down at her feet. "I d-don't want anyone to see my face. I'm hideous."

Claudio seemed taken aback by this. "You, hideous? Cazzate! Surely you'll show ME your face?"

Kunimitsu started sweating a little. "N-n-n-n-n-no. I d-d-d-don't want you to see me."

"Why not? How else can I bask in your beauty?"

The waitress came back and places two glasses on the table, filled to the brim with the lemony alcoholic beverage and swimming with ice. She quickly ran away, a giggle or two escaping from her.

"Tell you what. If you show me your face, I will pay for your drink."

"I...have money!"

"If you did, you wouldn't have tried to rob me. Come on now... PLEASE show me your face? I promise I won't say anything rude or judgmental."

Kunimitsu looked into Claudio's eyes... damn they were captivating! Those were the eyes of a gentleman. The eyes of a man who would die before he made a lady feel bad. Those were eyes she trusted.

"Okay... I'll show you. But I mean it, don't say anything mean."

"I swear on my clan that I won't."

Kunimitsu reluctantly raised her trembling hands and brought them up to her mask. She inhaled deeply and gulped a few times, then slowly lifted the mask upward until it was free of her head. Claudio's eyes widened when he saw what lied underneath the mask: two huge dark red scars trailing right across her eyes.

"Mio Dio..."

"There, you see? This is why I can't show my face to people. My face is just a big blemish!"

Kunimitsu started to put the mask back on, but Claudio quickly seized her hands. She let out a loud squeak as soon as his hands touched hers.

"Don't..." Claudio commanded softly.

"Wha...?"

"You don't need to hide it. Your face... it is so beautiful. The scars... they make your face look like a work of art. A fantastic piece of art."

"But... I'm hideous...!"

"No you're not! You are even more beautiful than I could possibly imagine..."

Kunimitsu gasped when Claudio leaned in close to her face. She panted loudly; so loud that it echoed through the bar. Claudio closed his eyes and planted a kiss on her scar, right underneath her eye.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Kunimitsu's squealed loudly alerting the entire bar to their presence. After a few seconds of awkward silence, everyone shrugged and went back to their business.

"Ahhhhhhhhh..."

Kunimitsu gave a heavenly sigh as she fainted right there in the booth, a big smile on her face. After checking her pulse to make sure she was still breathing, Claudio reached into his wallet and placed enough money on the table for both of them. He downed his drink and then headed for the exit.

"Make sure she gets home safely." Claudio said to the bartender, tossing him a generous tip. And with that, he walked out of the bar.

As Claudio walked downtown, he had a look of pure content and pleasure on his face. At least in his mind, he felt like he had brought the self esteem back to a woman who desperately needed it. After all, if a woman is good enough to get a kiss from Claudio Serafino, she MUST be doing something right.

Stay tuned as Claudio stumbles upon more females on his epic journey of alluring and enthralling! Next chap's lucky woman will be... I dunno yet. I haven't decided between the other ten lol