Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions/Sanzaru Games.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

Here's chapter 3! I would have posted this yesterday, but I was distracted by finishing a novel I'd been reading for the past week. (Which I ended up crying at the end of; I know…I'm a dork :P) But, now that I've finished reading it I was able to finish this up and post it! So, I hope that this chapter is enjoyable and please, read, review and let me know what you think! Thanks!

Chapter 3: The White Persian

Northern Japan, 1339

A week had passed since I'd last talked to Kasumi and our situation was still rather tense and I honestly couldn't blame her. I wasn't aware of her struggling business and feel rather bad that I had gloated about my own successful one in her own restaurant. Everything she had said was true, however. Most of the villagers here came to my restaurant to eat, most of the selling and buying came from my business, and the fact that I was also a master thief only added to the wealth I accumulated. Kasumi was a very talented chef and thief, but I just had the upper hand in the situation. And unfortunately, because of this, she was suffering financially and I knew I was to blame. I had decided to visit her tonight, to try and patch up our already rocky…friendship? Whatever it was that we had, I would wait until she was about to close her noodle house before seeing her. If she happened to get another fit of rage, I didn't want any of her customers to see and only completely sink her business.

I ducked behind the counter in my sushi house, opening the chest that held all the coins from the week's profit. I took a small, burlap sack from my pockets and counted through my coins, putting a day's worth of profit into the bag and closing it tightly before tucking it securely behind my belt. After closing and locking the chest I pulled my hood over my head and retrieved my cane from underneath the mat at the front of the restaurant. I snuck out of my front door, blending into the shadows of the evening, and made my way to Kasumi's noodle house. It was the perfect night to go stealing; it was dark, quiet, and most people were in their homes by this time of night. After I stopped by her restaurant I was going to go stealing again before calling it a night.

After pressing my back against the wall of the building across the street from her business and waited. For the first time in a long, long time she had a busy restaurant. I seated myself on a crate next to the building, waiting for her shop to empty and I could go in. I watched people go in and out for a good hour, each leaving with smiles and full bellies. Sitting on the crate, I allowed my mind to wander about Kasumi's situation. She was acting…strange…lately, but I couldn't quite put a finger on what she was doing. Yes, she was still running her restaurant, yes, she was still thieving in her free time, but she had also mentioned that she found other means of an income. For a week I'd been trying to figure out what she was doing to make more money, but I couldn't figure it out. There was nothing in the village that I could fathom she could do other than what she already did. Japanese customs forbade women from doing hard labor, so there was honestly nothing that she could be doing. She was closing early every night, business normally trickling out when the sun set and she disappeared until her shop opened when the sun rose. She was acting differently this past week and when I had asked her about it, she refused to answer me.

After a few hours of sitting, her shop finally emptied and I could enter. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the doors to the noodle shop open and stepped inside. Kasumi was at the counter, her back to the door, cleaning up after her customers. I watched as she glanced to a pot of boiling water, dropping chopsticks, bowls, and cooking utensils into the water, cleaning them. She hummed quietly to herself as she cleaned her small kitchen, wiping down the counters and stirring the pot of boiling utensils. I stepped to the counter, staying silent, waiting until she turned around on her own accord. After a while she took the hot utensils from the water and started drying them on a cloth, placing the dried ones in their proper spot. She worked quickly and quietly, the only sound coming from her was her humming, yet she moved with grace and elegance like dragonfly darting across a pond. She still hadn't turned around by the time she'd taken the pot of used water and waddled with it to the back of the restaurant, dumping the water in the back alley. I continued to stand there silently as she returned with the empty pot under her arms, glancing to water that had spilled onto her sleeves. It wasn't until she replaced the pot on the stove that she finally turned and met my gaze. Her humming stopped as her eyes locked on mine, the only sounds were from the chickens and crickets trotting around outside.

"I have closed for the evening, Rioichi. And I do remember telling you that I didn't want you here anymore." I bowed my head, more in shame than a greeting, and sighed deeply at her words.

"I know, Kasumi-san, I know. I wanted to apologize to you…for what I said to you earlier this week." She nodded, leaning her back against the stove and picking up a sharpening stone and her knife, barely looking at me.

"Go on," she grumbled quietly as she started to run a knife up and down on the stone, sharpening the blade.

"I did want to help you, Kasumi, but I didn't want to upset you. I do not want to see you or your business suffer. I consider you one of my dearest friends and the best competition someone could have."

"The best competition?" she glared at me, signaling to me I had said something wrong, "I'm your only competition, Rioichi! And apparently not a very good one at that! Considering what you make in a day I barely scrape up in a week." I sighed again, removing my hood as I did so.

"You were busy today, Kasumi. People must enjoy your food if you were so busy." Her eyes narrowed, shooting me a glare before speaking.

"I also noticed that you were closed today, Rioichi. I don't need your pity, Cooper." I lowered my gaze, knowing that this was true. I didn't close out of pity for her; it was me simply trying to help her.

"Then allow me to make it up to you." I held out my paw to her, motioning to one of hers with my head. She furred her eyebrows at me, not able to figure out what I was getting at.

"Your paw, Kasumi-san, please." She placed her knife down, slowly handing her paw to me. I slowly slid my fingers down her slender paw, turning it so her palm faced upwards, and I held her fingertips with mine.

"What are you doing?" she whispered and I reached into my belt. I glanced to her, nodding once in her direction before pulling out the burlap sack of coins I'd taken from my restaurant. I placed it softly in her paws before speaking.

"I know that this will not mend your feelings, but it will help you in other ways." I closed her fingers around the bag before pushing her paw back to her. She was taken back, staring at the bag in before bouncing it a bit.

"How much is this?" her voice was barely audible and her actions were slow.

"A day's worth of coins at my sushi shop." She pushed the bag back to me, shaking her head as she did so.

"I don't take handouts, Rioi-" I silenced her by refusing the bag that was trying to be handed back to me.

"Then think of it as the payment for my last two meals I haven't paid for and a generous tip for being waited on and given to honor to dine with a hostess such as yourself."

"Thank you, Rioichi-san." I smiled, bowing my head to the noodle chef, "I'll give this back to you somehow."

"Don't. I consider this payment for the meals I'd eaten without paying and for future meals…if you would allow me back in for dinner, of course." She smiled, placing the bag of coins down on the counter in front of her before walking around it. I tensed briefly, feeling her arms wrap around my torso in a tight hug.

"You'll still have to pay for your meals Rioichi-san." I chuckled, pressing my cheek to her head and hugged her back. Her voice was muffled against my shirt as she spoke and the smell of cherry blossoms was strong in my nose.

"I have every intention to," I kissed the top of her head before she pulled away at the sound of a tapping at her front door.

"Sumimasen." She said as she excused herself by walking around me, hurrying to the door and opening it silently. I looked at the now open door, seeing a young female at the door.

"Hello, Miwako." Kasumi said as she met the white Persian, who was on the opposite side of the door, and invited her inside the noodle house.

"Konnichiwa, Kasumi-san," the cat purred happily as she pulled Kasumi into a tight hug after entering, "I came to stop by so I could pay you. Ma-" Kasumi quickly shushed the Persian, placing a slender finger against her lips and cocked her head to the side and to the back. Miwako glanced up from Kasumi, her gaze locking onto mine before a smile tugged at the corners of her lips and she looked back to Kasumi.

"I see," the cat purred quietly before continuing her message, "She wanted you to be paid a day early. You will be busy tomorrow, after all, and she wanted to be sure you were paid before…" her voice became silent, pulling her face to Kasumi's ear so she could finish her conversation. Kasumi placed her finger over her lips, looking a bit surprised, and glanced to Miwako, her eyes wide.

"Tomorrow?" Kasumi looked to the cat, a combination of surprise and fear on her face. The cat smiled, pacing her paws on Kasumi's face and patting her cheeks gently.

"Don't worry, Kasumi-san, you'll be fine." Miwako reassured the raccoon before reaching into the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a burlap sack of coins, handing it to Kasumi.

"Sayonara, Kasumi-san," the cat called out as she turned for Kasumi, heading for the exit, "and guest." She spoke to me, turning to face me with a large smile on her snout. Kasumi closed the doors behind the white Persian, sighing deeply as she did so. I was baffled at who the Persian cat was, who Kasumi's new employer was, why she was given an early payment, and most importantly…what she was doing. I gently grabbed Kasumi's paw as she walked by me, staring into her eyes, saying nothing for a while.

"What are you doing, Kasumi?" she said nothing, looking to her feet for a while before finally meeting my gaze again.

"I told you, Rioichi-san," she said softly, "I've had to find other means of income, but it does not concern you, Rioichi." She tugged her paw away, walking back behind her counter to place the coins I'd given to her and the coins Miwako had just handed her in her kimono sleeves.

"But what is it? There aren't any jobs you can do, Kasumi." She huffed, glancing up to me, her lips forming a straight line.

"It doesn't concern you, Cooper." I nodded, decided to keep my mouth shut. There were many signs when Kasumi was getting angry…and her using my last name was certainly one of them.

"Alright, I won't ask. But just promise me that you will stay safe, Kasumi-san." She nodded slowly in what I assumed was an agreement, "I'm pulling off a heist tonight…you are free to join me if you wish. It would be a great honor if you would." She sighed, shaking her head softly.

"I would love to accept your invitation, Rioichi, but I have a previous engagement." I nodded before bowing my head to the chef before bidding her goodnight. She did the same and stayed behind the counter as I made my way to the doors. I stepped outside, glancing back inside before leaving.

"Are you sure you cannot come?" she gave a sad smile shaking her head as she did so, "Then goodnight, Kasumi-san." She waved was I closed the door behind me. I inhaled deeply, taking in the smells of the night and looking around the village. I pulled my hood over my head and removed my cane from behind me before climbing my way to the top of the noodle house. I looked around again once I was on the roof, looking for the guards. I finally spotted two of the board guards trotting down the street and in a hurry by the looks at it. I glanced to see where they were going and rolled my eyes once I figured it out. I followed the guards and knew that they would meet others once they reached their destination. Tonight seemed like a simple job, steal from the local guards while they indulged themselves at the local geisha house.