Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions/Sanzaru games. I don't own any characters…all original characters belong to 'Dragonmaster789'.

Claimer: I own nothing…I simply wrote the story.

Just to mention really quick…the point of view does changed multiple times in this story. I'll try to make it as obvious as possible, but they do change. Usually, if .-.-.-.-. appears in the middle of a story, then the POV has changed. Just thought I'd throw that out there. And I'm sorry for the update delay…I've been a bit busy so things have been hectic. But anyway, please read, review, and enjoy! Thanks!

Chapter 2: A Mermaid Diamond

I scanned the streets below me carefully, looking for my targets. With a pair of binoculars in one paw and my cell phone in the other, I searched for that blasted raccoon, and that all-too-beautiful fox. I kept to the shadows, keeping my profile low and keeping my targets completely unaware of my presence. I could feel my fur start to bristle when I spotted one of my targets making his way inside the building. Sly Cooper handed his party invitation to the guard at the door before smugly walking in…making me want to punch the thief square in the face. I hate that man; absolutely hated him and the Cooper line all together. If it wasn't for the Cooper legacy, my family's reputation wouldn't be in shambles, we would be the ones on the top, and I wouldn't have lost the love of my life to that blasted thief. He took her away from me…he took Nagisa Furukawa away from me. I loved that beautiful woman, but he had to swoop in and pull her into his trap of lies and false love.

Cooper was well inside when I noticed something peculiar to the right of me. Glancing in the direction of the strange movement, I noticed what…who…it was. My heart skipped a beat as I watched my stolen love make her way inside the building through a side window. I knew what she was doing…that beautiful, solid black fox was stealing the main prize of the evening. Nagi was a beautiful woman and a very talent thief…qualities that made me love her immensely as well as miss her. We had dated a while back and I had finally worked up enough courage to propose to the fox. I was certain she would say yes, and that I would have a wonderful, beautiful bride and wife. But no…she had fallen for that Sly Cooper. Even though she rarely showed it…I knew she had fallen for that dirty, rotten, scum bag of a thief. After making sure that the fox was inside, I put down my binoculars and unlocked my phone, dialing the number of my employer. Placing the phone to my ear, I heard the phone ring and ring, hoping that my boss would pick up. I took a deep breath when the rings stopped and the voice of my employer filled my ears. I was on a recon mission for my boss, keeping an eye on the two targets.

"Sam," the gruff voice of my employer caught my attention, "I presume the targets are in position. Nothing has gone wrong?"

"Correct, everything has gone according to plan. Both targets are inside the building and everything checks out to your orders." My boss chuckled, setting me a bit at ease.

"Good, good; I knew you'd be a valuable ally, my bushy tailed dingo. Just make sure the plan goes according to my orders!"

"Of course; I wouldn't have it any other way." I hung up from my employer before shoving my phone in my pocket. I straightened my coat out before turning on my heels, making my way down the alley and away from the building.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I kept my body pressed against the wall, keeping as quiet as I could until the guard passed by me, his flashlight beam pouncing as he trotted down the hall. Once he was out of sight, I rushed around the corner silently, keeping my presence hidden from anyone else that might be listening in. I skidded to a stop in the entrance way of the room I was looking for, scanning it for any enemies before ducking inside. I smiled to myself, seeing that my prize was completely unguarded, as I strolled inside the room and straight up to the display case. After slipping on my gloves, I slowly pulled away the curtain from the case, revealing the glass case and the prize gem I had my sights on. The Mermaid Diamond was large, a rich ocean blue, and was worth a pretty penny. I crouched slightly, setting my full attention on the display case lock, opening it slowly and carefully.

"Nagi," my brother's voice cracked in my ear, "do you have that case open yet?" I continued to slowly crack the lock, not wanting to damage it and keep it from opening.

"Keep your pants on, Tomo; I'm at the case now. Just give me two minutes to get the case open, slip on my party dress, and I'll meet you in the ballroom. Just don't let anyone back here before I make it out!" I whispered harshly into my earpiece, not wanting to alert anyone to my presence.

I laughed softly once the case was open and I could grab my prize. Before I put my hand inside the case, I searched for any trip wires, just to be sure that I wouldn't set off any alarms. The Mermaid Diamond was to be displayed for the first time tonight to the entire city of Paris. So, I figured that swiping it before anyone could see it would just make things more…fun. They were to announce the unveiling of the diamond at a quarter to midnight, giving me about forty-five minutes to steal the diamond without getting caught. Once I was sure that there was nothing that would set of any alarms, I grabbed my prize, sticking it in my purse before shutting the case and replacing the cover. Once I was sure the case was exactly the way it was when I found it, I darted from the display room and into the ladies' restroom to change into my party gown. Normally on a heist, I would go in, steal what I came for, and get out before I was caught. But because this was the grand display of the gemstone, I wanted to see the reaction on the peoples faces when the priceless Mermaid Diamond wasn't in the display case. After removing my thief outfit into my purse and slipping on my white party gown, I left the restroom and strolled into the party room. There were numerous people in the room, the rich from the city, major political figures, the museum owners, the police, and other assorted people.

I strolled passed my brother, who was talking to Inspector Carmelita Fox, well…more like flirting, but that was a different story. He nodded slightly as he talked to the Interpol officer, acknowledging my presence. I walked around, looking for something to do or someone to dance with until the diamond was supposed to be shown, just to give me something to do. I sighed to myself, boredom already starting to set in as I made my way to the makeshift bar, sitting down and ordering a glass of champagne. I sat on one of the benches, sipping at the glass in my paw. I kept a paw on my purse, not wanting my new acquired gemstone to fall out and give my cover away. I glanced to the side, realizing someone had approached the makeshift bar as well. I looked at the raccoon that had approached, who had gotten a glass of champagne himself, and found myself staring; finding his features to be familiar. It took a minute, but the man finally caught me staring. Setting his glass down, he looked over his suit and then to me, a questionable look on his features.

"Is there something wrong with the way I'm dressed?" he asked with a chuckle and a raised eyebrow. I shook my head quickly, returning his smile and setting my own glass down.

"Of course not," I managed to say quickly, not wanting to seem like a creeper by just staring, "Your suit is fine…you just look really familiar. Have we met before?" he rested his arm against the bar, thinking.

"It's possible, I suppose," he said eventually, "I do get around a bit." He chuckled, sipping at his drink again. And with that, the silence between us resumed. We sat at the bar, sipping our drinks, listening to the music of the party behind us. I glanced to my watch, realizing I only had to waist another fifteen minutes before they would reveal the Mermaid Diamond. I finished off my drink, getting ready to stroll around the dance floor, when the man next to me turned in my direction, eventually speaking.

"Would you like to dance?" his question caught me off guard, considering that I didn't know the man. I glanced to the man, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear before speaking to him.

"I'm sorry?" he chuckled, standing up from the bar, and stretched an arm out towards the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance?" he repeated, his arm still stretched towards the dance floor. I gave a nod as my answer before walking arm and arm with the mysterious man.

I kept my silence as we made it to the dance floor and locked arms so we could start dancing. I wasn't quite sure what was going on with me…this was completely out of character for me to do something like this. I never talked with a complete stranger, let alone danced with them. But there was just something about him that made me feel somewhat at ease. I felt like I'd known him for a while now…I mean, I recognized his face…I just couldn't give that face a name. My thoughts ended when we started dancing, our bodies and feet moving as one as we danced to the slow song that played. We swayed, back and forth, spinning in circles, and taking the occasional bow as we danced throughout the song. The man danced extremely well; never stumbling or tripping, making every movement fluent. The song finally ended and we parted, giving each other smile and a thank you.

"I'm sorry," he said after the others dispersed and chatted with each other quietly, "but I don't believe I caught your name, Mademoiselle." I smiled, finding a slight blush start forming on my cheeks. That smile…that's when it clicked on where I knew the raccoon from. I smiled in return, giving a wave goodbye to my old friend…and possible rival…Sly Cooper.

"Just call me Nagi." He gave a slight nod before taking my paw in his own and planting a kiss on top of it.

"Then it was a pleasure to meet you, Nagi." I smiled as well, feeling my blush start to rise.

"And the same to you…Mr.…?" I knew who he was…but he didn't know that I knew. I figured that if I could keep that secret to myself as long as possible, then I could use it to my advantage. He opened his mouth to speak, but of course, the loudspeakers came one, hindering me from hearing what Cooper had to say. Everyone's attention turned to the stage, eagerly awaiting the reveal of the Mermaid diamond. I knew that I wouldn't be able to figure out the man' identity tonight, I took one of my calling cards from my purse, carefully keeping the diamond from the crowd and making sure my dance partner was unaware of what I was doing, I slipped my signature card inside the man's pocket carefully, telling him that we should work together sometime in the near future.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Paris!" the announcer yelled out proudly into his microphone, "You have been waiting all night for our unveiling! And now, I'm proud to present to you…" he paused, placing a paw on the cloth over the case, "The wonderful, beautiful, stunning and one of a kind, Mermaid diamond!" he yanked the cloth from the case…and I smiled proudly in response. Gasps and shrieks came from the crowd one they realized that the diamond was gone. I backed up through the crowd slowly, not wanting to draw attention to myself, as I made my escape. I spotted my twin exit through the front and I was about to follow him. I glanced back to my mysterious dance partner briefly; noticing he'd found my calling card and was searching the crowd for where I had wondered off to. My heart almost stopped when he finally found me backing out of the room. Instead of alerting the attention of everyone here, he gave a wide smile, winking in the process.