The Anti Thieving Duo
"Hello" - (Normal talking)
"What happened?" - (Thoughts)
"What do I do?" - (Flashback)
{"Hey, can you hear me?"} - (Communication)
":Now arriving at our destination:" - (Another Language)
"\Prepare for departure\" - (Radio and speakers)
Hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 11 - The Fashionista Caper
(Greece, night)
Naruto and Carmen were running across some shipping containers at the docks. They soon stopped running, when they spotted the VILE helicopter on a large clear piece of tarmac.
{"How's the big fat Greek caper going, guys?"} Player asked them on their comms, as they took out their binoculars.
"Well, I wish that we were gazing upon the Parthenon in Athens," Naruto said, as they placed their binoculars to their eyes.
"Yeah, instead of some airstrip in the boonies," Carmen said in agreement.
They saw that a man was knocked unconscious and tied up to a pole while gagged.
"But it looks like your intel was spot on," Naruto said.
Carmen nodded at this, as they moved their binoculars and saw the Cleaners were moving a box on a box cart towards the VILE helicopter. "VI.L.E is on the scene intercepting a package, with the contents unknown" she said, as they zoomed in on a symbol on the side of the box.
"I think it's time that we intercept their intercept then. Eh, Carmen" Naruto said with a grin.
Carmen smiled at this, but before she could say anything else, they heard the sound of a blade whooshing.
They looked off to the side in shock, and saw a hat flying towards them with blades coming out of the rim. It flew in front, and cut off the lenses of their binoculars, which fell to the ground with a clatter.
The hat flew for a while, before it turned around and headed back for them, where it cut along the side of two containers as it did.
Naruto and Carmen both gasped at this, as they jumped forward and rolled to avoid the bladed rims of the hat, while their own hats fell off their heads. They saw as the blades retracted into the rim of the hat, as it flew into someone's hand. Someone that they were both very familiar with.
"Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki. You both should watch your noggin's" Dash said with a smug look, as he placed his hat on his head.
Both Naruto and Carmen glared at him, as they stood back up. "Dash Haber. What an unpleasant surprise to see you" Naruto said sarcastically, as they placed their hats back on their heads.
"Neat little hat trick you've got there" Carmen said.
Dash smirked at them, as he took his hat off. "I call it the 'buzz cut', which I think is a fitting name" he said, as the blades popped back out, before he threw it at them.
Naruto and Carmen both dodged this by backflipping over it, where they landed on their hands before they pushed off the container, so that they landed back on their feet. Dash used a glove to summon the hat back to his hand, before he threw it after them.
Naruto and Carmen stopped at a corner of a container and leaned back to avoid the hats blades, as they hopped backwards before bending over backwards slightly, as it flew over them.
They tried to run in one direction, but Dash threw the hat to block them, causing them to run in a different direction, while Dash summoned the hat back to his hand.
Naruto and Carmen hid on one side of a container, while Dash calmly walked along. They carefully listened to see if he'd walk towards them, before peaking out as they saw him walk in a different direction.
They then ran out of their hiding place, and looked around for a moment, before they heard someone whistling loudly. They turned around, and saw Dash on top of a container.
He took his hat off, while raising an eyebrow at them, before he threw his hat at them again, where they backflipped again to dodge it, while Dash hopped down to the same container they were standing on.
As Naruto and Carmen continued to dodge blades from Dash's hat, they both frowned as they saw that the Cleaners were almost at the VILE chopper with the crate.
They both ran for the edge of the container, just as the hat flew where they were standing, and flipped forward as they placed their hands on the edge, before they bent their arms and threw themselves in the air, with Dash not far behind them, as he jumped while throwing his hat at them.
Naruto and Carmen both landed in a roll, as they avoided the hat that flew over them, before they got back up and ran towards the helicopter.
As they did, they heard sounds of metal groaning, and looked up to see the light poles coming down towards them.
"Dash must have cut the poles with his damn hat," Naruto thought with a frown, as he and Carmen both jumped over the first one, and then slid underneath the second one, before getting back up and continued running.
They looked up at the third one as it was coming down, before they ran as fast as they could and slid underneath it, causing some dust to appear when it hit the ground.
Dash walked over, while twirling his hat on his finger with a smug look on his face, as he waited for the dust to clear.
Once it did, he saw that Carmen and Naruto had the ends of their coats trapped under the top part of the light pole.
The two of them were trying to pull their coats out from under the pole, when they looked over at Dash, as he stood before them.
Dash gave a smile, as he threw his hat towards them, as the blades popped out, with the hat rolling along on the blades for a moment, before it flew through the air, to cut through them.
Naruto and Carmen were able to pull their coats free in time, before they bent over backwards, as the hat flew over them.
They soon stood back up, and watched the hat flying back to Dash with a frown.
Naruto had his grappling gun come out of his coat sleeve, before firing it at the hat, where it latched onto the top, stopping it from returning to Dash.
Dash looked shocked at this for a moment, before he narrowed his eyes as he made the palm of his glove glow brighter, making the hat vibrate.
Carmen grabbed hold of the rope and helped Naruto try to pull the hat towards them, in what looked like the strangest game for tug of war.
After some struggling, they were able to pull the hat towards them. Naruto grabbed hold of the hats rim, before pulling the grappling hook off, as both he and Carmen gave Dash a smirk with a raised eyebrow, while Dash looked slightly worried.
"Haber, time to fly" Boris yelled over at him, before he pushed the crate towards the back of the chopper, while Vlad was starting it up as the rotor blades were beginning to turn.
Dash ran for the helicopter, with Naruto and Carmen not far behind him.
"Not so fast, hat hair," Naruto said, as he kept hold of the hat.
"Yeah, we've got a date with that crate," Carmen added.
Dash jumped up to the helicopter and climbed in, with Boris grabbing hold of his jacket as he pulled him onboard.
"Here, catch," Naruto said with a frown, as he threw the bladed hat at the tail of the chopper, looking to take the tail rotors out.
But before it could, it suddenly stopped before flying over into Dash's hand.
He looked at the holes Naruto's grappling hook had made, and glared down at him. "You owe me a new chapeau" he yelled down at them, as the helicopter lifted higher.
Naruto and Carmen glared up at him, before they fired their grappling hooks at the chopper, where they latched onto the edge of the doorway, taking Dash by surprise before they were pulled up.
Dash quickly moved over to the hooks, and used the blades on his hat to cut the rope off, causing Naruto and Carmen to fall to the ground.
They both landed in a roll to avoid getting hurt, before standing up as they watched the helicopter leave.
"Player, the intercept was a bust," Naruto said, before they both looked at an open container.
"Then again…." Carmen said, before they entered the container and opened one of the crates, to see what was inside it.
"Fabric?" they both said curiously, as they each grabbed one.
0o0o0o0
(The next day, at some ruins)
Tourists were looking at the ruins, with some taking photos while others were looking around.
"Why would VILE steal only one crate of fabric?" Zack asked, as he laid down on the top step of a ruined building, with Ivy sitting next to him, while Shadowsan stood on the step below them, as they watched Naruto and Carmen pacing about.
"Maybe Coach Brunt just needed enough material to knit Maelstrom a sweater," Carmen said.
Naruto shivered slightly at this, as he found the thought of them being together like that disturbing.
"Well, I'd like to think it's because Carmen and Naruto scared them off," Ivy said with a smile.
"Yeah, you're both wicked awesome" Zack said with his own smile, as he and Ivy high fived.
"Scare off Dash Haber? Maybe" Naruto said with a slight shrug.
"But the Cleaners do not know fear" Shadowsan said, as he closed his eyes momentarily.
"Oh, look honey. A samurai" a lady said to her daughter with a smile, as her husband raised his camera up to take a photo, while zooming in on Shadowsan.
Shadowsan glared at this, as he growled slightly. This caused the man to lower his camera, as he and his wife looked slightly worried, before the man gave an uneasy smile as he placed his hand on their daughter's head, and dragged her away as they walked off.
"Perhaps it would be best not to discuss delicate matters in public. Especially, since my attire seems to be attracting unwanted attention" Shadowsan said, looking down at his clothing for a brief moment.
"We're at the apocalypse, ancient Greeks wore togas here" Zack said, gesturing at the ruined building.
"Acropolis" Ivy said with a grin, correcting Zack of his mispronunciation.
"That's what I said, apocalypse" Zack said with a smile, causing Ivy to frown at him.
Naruto and Carmen both smiled at this, while shaking their heads slightly.
"Clothes do not make the man" Shadowsan said, causing everyone to look over at him. "But I might still suggest that we retreat to the privacy of your headquarters" he said, with a raised eyebrow.
"As in HQ?" Ivy said with a slight laugh.
"Is that supposed to stand for something?" Zack asked Ivy in a whisper.
"I admire your discretion. I am not sure that I would trust me enough to reveal its location just yet either" Shadowsan said, before he turned and walked off.
Naruto and Carmen followed after him, with Zack and Ivy watching them go. "We would trust you Shadowsan, if we actually had a HQ" Carmen said, as they both leaned against a stone pillar each.
Shadowsan glanced over his shoulder at this, and looked at them.
"Yeah, it's hard to believe but true" Naruto said with a nod, while they both smiled at him.
"Why would you not possess a home base?" Shadowsan asked them in surprise.
"We vowed that if we ever left VILE Island, that we'd see the world," Carmen said.
"And here we are," Naruto said, gesturing around them.
"Welcome to Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki's never ending tour around the world" Zack said with a smile, placing his hand on Shadowsan's shoulder as he popped up behind him, causing Shadowsan to raise an eyebrow.
"And the wicked sweet part is VILE's footing the bill" Ivy said with a smile, standing in front of Shadowsan.
Shadowsan frowned at Naruto and Carmen for a moment, before glaring at Zack, who took his hand off Shadowsan's shoulder, who raised his hands with an uneasy smile, while Ivy raised her eyebrow at this.
"I guess that if we knew more about our past, we'd have a better idea of where to hang our hats," Carmen said, as she and Naruto sat on a fallen pillar, with forlorn looks on their faces, while Zack, Ivy and Shadowsan looked at them.
Naruto nodded in agreement at this. "I mean, home base should feel like home, shouldn't it?" he asked, as they both gave small smiles at this.
Before anyone else could say anything, Naruto's phone began ringing, causing him to pull it out of his pocket before answering it, as he and Carmen moved their heads together.
{"Heads up gang. Those samples that VILE stole, turns out it's called smart fabric"} Player said with a raised eyebrow. "It's used for totally cutting edge wearable technology, designed to make the clothes on your back, as smart as the phone in your pocket" he said, as he typed on his computer, while the others came over to look over Naruto and Carmen's shoulders. "Just imagine, pants that'll alert you when you're packing on the pounds, golf shirts that can track your swings, underwear that can monitor your -" Player was saying, before Zack interrupted him by laughing.
{"Ew!"} Ivy said, with a look of disgust on her face.
"- heart rate" Player finished with a smile.
{"Oh, that's not so gross"} Ivy said with a raised eyebrow.
{"Or hilarious"} Zack said with a scowl.
Naruto and Carmen both smiled at this slightly, while glancing over their shoulders at them.
Player typed on his computer some more. "I was able to scour the data on VILE's harddrive for a potential connection to anything involving fabric. And the only thread that I was able to pull was a passing mention of something happening in Milan, Italy, this week" he said with a raised eyebrow.
{"Fashion Fest ''} Shadowsan said, causing the others to turn around to look at him in surprise. "It's where clothing designers display their latest styles," he said.
This caused everyone to raise an eyebrow at this.
"Countess Cleo always took an interest" Shadowsan said.
"Well, we know that she was a failed runway model, before she turned to a career of crime," Carmen said with a frown, with Naruto nodding in agreement.
{"The wearable tech does scream more of Dr. Bellum though. Am I right?"} Player asked.
"It could be a team effort. Or the brainchild of someone new entirely" Shadowsan said, as he glanced off to the side with a frown, before walking off for a moment. "It is inevitable that VILE will begin the process of seeking my replacement….if they have not done so already" he said, as he closed his eyes before opening them again.
0o0o0o0
(Isle of VILE)
Cookie Booker and Alan Collin were stood before the Faculty, with a chart on the big screen behind them.
"The financial health of VILE….isn't looking pretty" Cookie said with a frown, as she gestured at the chart.
Alan nodded at this in agreement. "Our profits are down, and we continue to suffer losses. With Rio being quite the fiasco. Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki have been putting way too big a dent in our resources," he said with a glare.
"Which is why it would behove you to fill the vacancy left behind by Shadowsan" Cookie said, as they all looked over at the empty chair. "With someone who knows how to get VILE….out of the red" she said with a smirk, while gesturing at the chart.
Countess Cleo glanced at her fellow Faculty members with a smile. "Not only is Cookie stylish, she's also smart with money," she said.
Cookie gave a slight bow at this. "Grazie, mi Contessa" she said with a smile.
"And a team player, our very own bookkeeper, a numbers girl, and she even hatched a plan by melding my technology with Cleo's fashion connections" Dr. Bellum said with a grin, as she pressed her fingertips together, while looking at her fellow Faculty members.
"I, for one, champion comfort over frilly frills," Coach Brunt said, as she brushed her shoulder while rolling her eyes.
Cookie glared at her for saying this, while Alan gave a small smile.
"You will need to pull out all the stops, Miss Booker and Mr Collin, after all, Black Sheep and Dark Fox's escape from this very island, their very looks, can be traced back to your failings on that fateful night" Maelstrom said, as he had his fingers pressed together, while looking down at them.
Both Cookie and Alan closed their eyes at this, before they reopened them and looked up at Professor Maelstrom with determined looks on their faces.
"Let us assure you, Gunnar, that no one steals from us, locks us in a closet and impersonates us without paying the price," Alan said with a glare. "And we didn't even mention those water balloon attacks."
"If Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki show their faces in Milan, then they'll become our first fashion victims" Cookie said, as she adjusted her glasses.
0o0o0o0
(In an unknown room)
The picture of Carmen, Naruto and Shadowsan seen together at the beach in Rio was on a screen on a wall.
"There has to be a logical explanation for why they were seen together in Rio. Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki may have been gathering information, or trying to keep an enemy close" Julia said with a frown, as she cupped her chin in thought.
{"That's possible, but unlikely"} the hologram of Chief said with a raised eyebrow, as she glanced at the picture for a moment, before looking back at Julia. {"I'm afraid that these two were recently seen in Japan and Greece. Would you care to guess who their travelling companion was?"} Chief asked, as Agent Zari showed pictures of them with Shadowsan in those countries on the screen.
"They do seem to be more then casual acquaintances," Zari said, as she briefly looked at the screen, before turning away from it.
Julia was leaning back against a table, and looked at Zari with a raised eyebrow at this.
"One agent's opinion," Zari said flatly.
{"Our mystery man is one of two suspects that your ex partner ID'd as his abductors, that night in Poitiers. Yet, ACME still can't put a name to the face. He's a ghost, a shadow. In short, he fits VILE's profile perfectly"} Chief said with a glare at the picture of Shadowsan's face, while Julia glanced over at it.
{"Our crime net analysts indicate that our super thieves may be heading for Milan. It's Fashion Fest there Agent Argent, so you had better look sharp. As well as sharpen your resolve to capture both Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki"} Chief said with a smile and a raised eyebrow, with Julia looking down before she glanced up at her.
0o0o0o0
(In Naruto and Carmen's private jet)
The plane had just taken off a few minutes ago, and everyone was sitting down, with Ivy reading, Zack fast asleep, while Shadowsan was looking out a window as he sat next to Carmen on the couch, with Naruto sitting on her other side as they talked with Player on the laptop.
"Is there anything more about potential VILE targets in Milan?" Carmen asked.
{"Working on it Red. But I was able to learn a thing or two about Fashion Fest,"} Player said with a grin, as the screen showed some dresses.
"All of the top designers show off their seasonal collections, at certain times of the year in different cities of the world, and Milan is a big one. Every year, the shows get more elaborate and more competitive. Big buzz translates into big profits" Player said.
{"What really fascinates me is that Italy has a long history with fashion, dating back to the Renaissance, a period of great artistic and cultural achievement that began in the 14th century"} Carmen said with a smile.
Naruto gave a nod at this. {"Wealthy families, like the Medicis, didn't just sponsor artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, they cultivated their own sense of high style"} he said in agreement.
"Yeah, no kidding. Just check out their treads. I guess that the Medicis did good while looking good, just like you guys" Player said with a smile.
Naruto and Carmen both smiled at this, while nodding in agreement.
"We're a couple of hours from Milan, so let us know if anything happens before we get there, Player," Naruto said.
{"You got it Naruto"} Player said with a nod, before he disappeared from the screen. Carmen then placed the laptop on a small table next to the couch, before she and Naruto stood up and headed for the bedroom.
Shadowsan watched them go with a curious look. "And where are you two going?" he asked them.
They both looked over their shoulders at him. "We're gonna keep ourselves occupied until we arrive at Milan" Carmen said, before she opened the door and stepped inside.
"Make sure not to have too much fun guys" Ivy said, as she turned a page in her book.
"Don't worry, we'll only have a little bit of fun," Naruto said, as he entered the bedroom, before closing the door and locking it behind him.
Shadowsan looked at Ivy with a confused look.
"They're having sex" Ivy said nonchantly, knowing what Shadowsan was wanting to ask her.
Shadowsan's eyes widened at this.
"Oh, and don't worry about the noise. The room is soundproof, after me and Zack told them about the noise they made the first time on the plane" Ivy said, as she turned a page.
Shadowsan could only look at the bedroom door in disbelief.
0o0o0o0
(In the bedroom)
||LEMON STARTS||
Naruto walked over to Carmen, and pulled her into a kiss, which Carmen was only too happy to return.
As they kissed each other, they helped the other remove their clothes, until they were in their birthday suits.
While they continued to kiss, Naruto's left hand was playing about with Carmen's right breast, while his other hand was massaging her ass, which caused Carmen to break off from the kiss and lean her head back, as she gave a pleasurable moan, which allowed Naruto to kiss and lick at her neck.
"Oh, Naruto~! You always make me so good~!" Carmen said with a sexy purr, as Naruto switched his hands round, so that his right hand played with her left breast, while his other hand massaged her ass.
Naruto pulled back, and smiled at Carmen. "Well, I do aim to please," he said.
Carmen smiled back, as she pulled him in for a kiss, while she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, causing Naruto to place his hands on her lower back to hold her steady.
As they kissed, Naruto walked them over to the bed and fell onto it, with Carmen underneath him.
They kissed like this for a while, before Naruto pulled back as he sat up.
Carmen smiled up at him with a sexy smile, while she played with her breasts slightly.
Naruto smiled back at her, before he placed his head between her breasts. He then began making the sound of a motorboat, while shaking his head from side to side, causing her breasts to bounce slightly.
This caused Carmen to giggle, while holding Naruto's head close. "That tickles Naruto" she said, while running her fingers through his hair.
While Naruto was doing this, he moved his hands to Carmen's pussy, where he felt that it was quite wet. He then inserted both his index fingers inside her, before he began moving them about inside her.
This caused Carmen to throw her head back, and let out a loud moan of pleasure, while pressing Naruto's head even further into her cleavage.
Naruto alternated between pumping his fingers in and out of Carmen, moving them about inside of her or moving one inside her while pumping the other one in and out, before switching them round.
Doing this caused Carmen to moan and pant in pleasure, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth while her eyes were rolled into the back of her head, as she had a pleasurable drunk look on her face.
Naruto then added his middle fingers, and did the same thing with them. This caused Carmen to arch her back and give off a loud moan of pleasure, and after a few minutes she gave a loud yell, as she climaxed all over Naruto's fingers.
Once Carmen had finished her orgasm, she panted for breath while looking at Naruto licking his fingers clean, while smiling at her.
"Tasty as always babe" Naruto said to her with a grin.
Carmen gave him a smile in return, before she grabbed hold of Naruto and pulled him down for a kiss, where she tasted herself. As they kissed, Carmen rolled them over, so that she was on top this time.
"Since you pleasured me, it's only right that I return the favour" Carmen said with a saucy smile.
Naruto could only smile back up at her, as Carmen moved herself back so that she was standing up at the end of the bed.
Carmen then had Naruto move himself down, so that he was sat at the end of the bed. She then turned around, and rubbed her ass against his cock, causing it to go hard.
"Ah! Ah! Oh, Car-Carmen. Ke-keep rubbing th-that ass aga-against me!" Naruto said with a smile.
Carmen looked over her shoulder at Naruto, and gave him a sexy wink while twerking her ass against his cock.
Naruto just gave a groan of approval, as he leaned himself back while resting his hands behind him.
"Oh! Oh! Th-that fe-els so go-good babe! Ke-keep going!" Naruto said, as his arms shook from the pleasure Carmen was giving him.
Carmen stopped twerking her ass against Naruto's cock, only to grab hold of her ass cheeks and open them up, before she wrapped them around Naruto's cock and began moving her ass up and down.
"Ah! Ah! Oh, yes! That feels so good babe!" Naruto said with a wide smile, as he laid down on the bed, while Carmen continued to give him an assjob.
Carmen soon sped up bouncing her ass around Naruto's cock, causing her ass cheeks to slap together, along with Naruto's cock, which caused Naruto to let out a loud groan of pleasure. This went on for a few more minutes, before Naruto yelled as he orgasmed all over Carmen's back and ass, with some ending up in her hair and on her shoulders.
While Naruto recovered from his climax, Carmen was scooping up what she could of Naruto's seed from her back, before placing it inside her mouth.
"You taste just like you always do sweetie," Carmen said, as she smiled at him.
Naruto returned her smile with one of his own, before standing up. "Come on, let's go and have a shower" he said, as he headed for the bathroom.
Carmen nodded at this, as she followed after him. They had to have two showers, as they had some more fun with the first one.
||LEMON ENDS||
0o0o0o0
(In Milan)
The group were all walking along, while looking around at the city.
"At least Shadowsan's getup doesn't look out of place here" Ivy said with a big grin.
Both Naruto and Carmen smiled at this, as they glanced at her over there shoulders, while raising an eyebrow at her, with Shadowsan doing the same, while looking at her from the corner of his eye, as they all stopped walking.
Zack was looking at everything in awe, before he stopped when he spotted something. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Pizza and ice cream. My four basic food groups are right there: dairy, toppings, crust and cone" he said excitedly, while Ivy draped her arm around his shoulder, as she gave him a slight smirk.
"It's gelato, Zack, Italian ice cream, and you can feed your face after we've stopped VILE," Ivy said, as she dragged him back to the others.
Zack gave a groan at this, before he perked up slightly. "Shadowsan will let me, right?" he asked, looking at Shadowsan hopefully.
Shadowsan closed his eyes, as he gave a growl, while Carmen, Ivy and Naruto looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"That's not a no," Zack said happily.
"Fashion events are taking place in every major venue," Carmen said, looking around.
"We should separate to cover more ground" Shadowsan said.
"Me and Carmen will need to blend in," Naruto said, as they both smirked.
"It shouldn't be too hard to find something chic to wear in our colours around here" Carmen said, as they all walked off separately, with Shadowsan going off alone, while Zack and Ivy were together and the same with Carmen and Naruto.
0o0o0o0
(Aboard a plane)
Julia was in the plane lavatory with her glasses off, while making her hand look like a gun.
"Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki, you're both under arrest" Julia said, pointing her finger at the mirror with a scowl, before she dropped her arms with a sigh. She then closed her eyes with a frown, before she opened them with a smirk. "Sandiego and Uzumaki, you just got beached" she said with a confident look with her hands on her hips, as she walked towards the door while looking at the mirror, before hitting herself against the wall instead.
"Ow" she said, as she rubbed her hand on her cheek for a moment.
She then opened the door, and saw that Zari was sitting on a high tech looking chair, while looking at her laptop.
"ETA to Milan, is 36 minutes and 22 seconds" Zari said, as Julia walked over. "Are you ready to bag two super thieves?" she asked Julia.
Julia clenched her fists tightly at this, while glancing down at her. "Yes Agent Zari. In fact, I am" she said with a determined look.
0o0o0o0
(Sometime later, inside a building)
People were sitting down around a fashion runway stage, while a few were still walking around.
Naruto and Carmen were standing in a hallway, listening in on a conversation in a makeup room. Carmen was wearing a red dress, with a diamond boob window, gold around the edges and a slit up one side with her hair in a high ponytail by a yellow scrunchie, while Naruto was wearing a tuxedo.
"Ladies, you are representing La Dolce Rita, so please class it up" they heard a man saying to some women in the room. "Number two, more mascara, I want to see your lashes from space."
"Jeez, glad that I don't have to put up with any of this," Carmen muttered under her breath.
Naruto gave a slight nod of agreement, as the man sounded quite bossy.
"And where are your fascinators? The hat, the hats" the man exclaimed.
"The lining's being re-stitched" they heard one of the women say.
"On all of them?" the man asked in shock.
"A haberdasher showed up, said Rita herself sent him," the first woman said.
"Some hottie with a hat," the second woman said.
"Would someone please make sure that they're ready by showtime? We're modelling with authentic Medici gowns tonight. Not one seam in our presentation can be out of place" the man said, before he walked off out of the room.
Naruto and Carmen turned around, as they watched the man walk off. "So, a hottie with a hat," Carmen said with a smirk.
"That sounds like someone we know," Naruto said with a nod. "Did you catch the part about the Medicis?" he said into his earpiece.
"Yep. It wasn't publicised, but it looks like the costume gallery of Pitti Palace in Florence had recently loaned their 16th century finds. Four vintage Medici gowns, which are gonna be displayed during designer label La Dolce Rita's presentation" Player said, typing away on his computer.
{"Not exactly what I'd call off the rack"} Carmen said.
"More like dressed to the nines, as in nine million euros because that's about their combined wealth" Player said with wide eyes.
Naruto and Carmen both glanced at each other upon hearing this. "Stage crew, be on alert" Carmen said, placing a hand to her earpiece.
"Yeah, cause we've just learned VILE's this season's must-haves," Naruto said.
In the room with the stage, Zack and Ivy were standing about. "You got it guys" Zack said into the phone, before putting it in his pocket.
"Well, I guess that makes us the fashion police," Ivy said with a smirk, before they walked off.
A few seconds later, Julia and Zari entered the room. "The Medici gowns are almost certain to be Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki's target, though they'll likely be under lock and key until showtime" Julia said.
"Search the hall, I'll have a look backstage" Zari said, before they walked off in different directions.
0o0o0o0
(In the hallway)
Naruto and Carmen were both looking at the models, who were standing next to a double door, while chatting with each other.
{"So you think that VILE's hats are lined with smart tech?"} Player asked them both curiously.
"I'd bet my hat on it," Carmen said with a frown, holding onto the coat rack next to them.
Naruto gave a nod of agreement at this. "Yeah, especially since Dr Bellum loves her mind control experiments" he said with his own frown.
"Instant remote controlled thieves" Player said with a smile, before he got a look of worry. "Okay, but why the models?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The Medici gowns will be vulnerable for a brief window of time, while the models are on the stage" Carmen said.
"Which means they'll be the only ones with clearance to be within reach of them" Naruto said, as he gave a nod.
"All part of the show, and in plain view. Totally VILE's mo" Player said with a grin.
0o0o0o0
(?)
In a large room, Cleo, Saira, Cookie and Alan were looking at a large screen, which showed the walkway stage.
"My henchmodel, Dash Haber, is already onsite and transposing La Dolce Rita's headgear with our own" Countess said with a smile.
"Bellissimo, Countess. Those mindless waifs will be dressed to steal" Cookie said with a smug grin.
"And now, some headgear of my own" Dr Bellum said with a grin, as she placed a helmet on while sitting in a chair.
"This is my favourite kind of stealing: tricking or controlling others to steal it for us" Alan said, as he rubbed his hands gleefully.
0o0o0o0
(Back at Fashion Fest)
The double doors soon opened, and allowed the models to enter the room, where they saw Dash standing next to a table, with their hats on it.
"Showtime ladies" Dash said, giving a slight bow, as the four of them picked up their respective hats and placed them on their heads, before they walked out, not seeing Dash giving them an evil smirk.
Carmen and Naruto were watching this, and were creeping over to stop them, before they heard a click next to them.
"Hold it right there," Zari said, pointing a gun at them, as she gave them both a glare.
Naruto and Carmen gave her a slight smirk. "Funny, you actually have something," Carmen said.
"Yeah, and it's right there," Naruto said, pointing at his cheek.
Zari raised an eyebrow at this, as Carmen kicked the gun out of her hand, and sent it flying into the air, which caused gas to escape from it as it spun towards Zari.
"Why don't you take five?" Carmen said, as she and Naruto gave her a smirk, before they ran off.
Zari gave out a groan, as she fell to the ground asleep.
0o0o0o0
(In the stage room)
Everyone was getting ready for the show, when the lights were turned off, before specific lights along the walls were turned on, as some music began playing. Then lights along the roof came on, before those on stage were turned on.
Lights then came out of the stage, before smoke appeared on the stage as lights danced about while the Medici gowns rose up from the stage.
{"In the beginning, were the Medicis"} the man from earlier said into a microphone.
The three members of VILE were watching this on the giant screen.
"They're stunning" Countess Cleo said with a smile.
{"Today, La Dolce Rita brings a new fashion renaissance to Milan"} the man said, as the models stepped out from behind the gowns, before posing for the crowd.
"It's showtime" Dr Bellum said with a grin, as her helmet lit up.
The headwear the models were wearing then lit up as well, causing their eyes to roll into the back of their heads.
{"Walk the walk, then secure the gowns"} the four of them heard De Bellum saying, before they began to walk along the stage.
Naruto and Carmen arrived just behind the stage just to see them walking, before they gave each other a smile. "Showtime" they said together.
Before they could head for the stage, they heard a click behind them, taking them both by surprise. "Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki, you're both under arrest" they heard someone say.
They both glanced over their shoulders, and saw that Julia was pointing the same gun at them that the other agent had pointed at them earlier.
"Jules, right?" Naruto asked, as he and Carmen both gave her a grin.
"Hands in the air, now" Julia said with a frown, before she gasped as her gun was grabbed from her hand by Naruto.
Naruto held the gun, while he and Carmen looked her over, before looking at each other for a moment before nodding their heads.
"You're not really dressed for the occasion…." Naruto was saying.
"...but we'll make it work" Carmen finished, as they walked over to her, with Naruto placing the gun back in its holster.
"What?!" Julia exclaimed in shocked surprise, as she cocked an eyebrow at them.
"Come on, we need your help" Naruto said with a smile, as he and Carmen each grabbed a hand and pulled Julia along.
"To do what exactly?" she asked curiously.
"The reason that you're here: save those Medicis" Carmen said, as they both grinned at Julia.
The three of them walked past a few people sitting near to the stage, with Carmen and Naruto quickly swiping a wide brimmed red hat and black headband off two peoples heads, causing them to look shocked upon noticing they were gone. Naruto then noticed a brown fedora on a hook near the stage, as he picked it up and placed it on his head.
Naruto then placed the hat on Julia's head, while Carmen placed the headband on her own.
"Keep it natural," Naruto said with a smile.
"Just imagine an invisible string pulling your head straight up from your spine" Carmen said, as they approached the stage.
Julia did an awkward walk, as they climbed the steps. They stood at the end of the walkway, with Carmen next to Julia, while Naruto was behind them.
"Walk with long strides…." Carmen said with a cocked eyebrow, placing her hand on her hip.
"...and smile," Naruto added, as they walked along the walkway, with Julia smiling awkwardly at everyone as they did, while Naruto and Carmen did it confidently.
As they walked down the walkway, they soon caught up with the models while looking around at everyone, with many smiling up at them.
When they reached the end of the walkway the models, Carmen and Naruto posed for everyone, while Julia just looked around, as she stood there awkwardly.
"Ready…." Carmen whispered loudly at Julia.
"...and turn" Naruto then whispered loudly, as they all turned and headed back the way they came.
"Just follow our lead, and get ready to grab a gown," Carmen said.
Julia frowned slightly at this. "You want me to steal," she said, as she looked at Carmen and Naruto in worry.
"If we don't, then the models will," Naruto said, glancing over his shoulder slightly at Julia.
Julia looked conflicted about this. "But, there are four gowns," Julia said.
"Don't worry, we've got it covered" Naruto and Carmen said together, as they grinned at each other.
Zack and Ivy climbed up onto the walkway as soon as the models walked past where they were sitting in the audience.
They both stood back to back for a moment, before they began to move about like they were models.
"Work it, work it" Ivy said.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh" Zack said.
This caused the man to look on in shock.
Zack and Ivy soon reached the models, and placed their hands on their shoulders, as they bobbed their heads to the music. "Oh yeah, oh yeah" Zack said.
The four VILE members were watching all this on the big screen.
"Who are they?" Alan asked with a frown.
"One of them may or may not be a duke," Cleo said with a glare. "Mr Haber, report" she then said into her earpiece.
0o0o0o0
(Outside)
Dash was at a van parked outside, as he opened up the double back doors.
"Uh, the gowns are ready for carry out, Countess," he said into his earpiece.
{"Do not be so certain"} Cleo said with a firm tone to him.
Dash gave a frown at this, before he headed back inside the building.
0o0o0o0
(Back in the stage room)
The audience were all smiling and taking photos, as Zack and Ivy danced about on the stage.
"They like us," Zack said with a smile.
"Nouveau Zack and Ivy is gonna be all the rage, bro" Ivy said, as they danced back to back.
The man in charge was looking at this with a raised eyebrow, before he smiled upon hearing that everyone in the audience liked it.
The models then raised their hands, as they prepared to grab the gowns.
"Mind if we cut in?" Zack asked with a grin, as he and Ivy ran past them, before they stood in front of a gown each, with Julia doing the same while Naruto and Carmen stood either side of the other, while smiling at everyone.
"Bye-bye" Ivy said, as the gowns began lowering into the stage.
The big screen in the unknown room then zoomed in on Naruto and Carmen, causing Cookie and Alan to gasp. "It's them," Cookie said with a scowl.
"Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego," Alan said, gritting his teeth while clenching his hands.
"Saira, we need a redirect," Cleo said to Dr Bellum, as she clenched her fists.
"Ladies, please. I'm trying to focus here" Saira said to them, before placing her hands on the helmet. "Supermodels, stop those super thieves. Retrieve those gowns" she ordered the mind controlled models.
The headpieces glowed for a moment, causing the models to flinch in pain, before they looked angry, as they ran towards the end of the stage, just as the lids closed over the holes.
The four lifts then reached the bottom, and everyone stepped off and grouped together.
"What's the plan guys?" Zack asked curiously.
"Get the gowns to safety" Carmen said, causing Zack and Ivy to smile at each with a nod.
"Oh, and Jules is in charge," Naruto added with a grin, as Zack and Ivy ran to grab the gowns.
"What about you two?" Julia asked, surprised at being put in charge.
Before they could say anything, they heard a banging noise as some small rocks fell, which caused them to look up at the ceiling in shock.
"We'll be busy" they said together, pushing Julia back before they stood in front of her. They both backed up, as one of the lids over the holes was shaking, with small rocks falling from it with each shake, as something kept hitting it.
Julia turned around, and saw that both Zack and Ivy were holding two gowns each. "Get the gowns to safety" she said to them in a serious tone, before they ran off.
As they did, the four models broke through the lids and dropped down, with Naruto and Carmen standing before them.
Julia stopped at the door to look back, before she closed the door behind her.
0o0o0o0
(In the hallway)
Dash was running along, before Shadowsan stood in his way.
"That is far enough" Shadowsan said with a scowl.
"Sorry teach, but no dealio" Dash said with a smirk, as he took his hat off, while Shadowsan got into a battle stance with a cocked eyebrow.
0o0o0o0
(Back with Naruto and Carmen)
The four models each ripped off the sleeves of their dresses, before throwing off their capes with a yell.
"That's not very ladylike," Naruto said with a grin, as he and Carmen took their headwear off and threw them to the side.
"But we're game," Carmen said, as they got into battle stances.
The four models walked over to them, before the two in the middle ran over, while the two on the outside spread out.
The ones in the middle tried to punch them, but they easily blocked their attempts. They then tried to kick them, but they sidestepped it.
Carmen then blocked a punch from one of them, and tried to grab her headpiece, but the model grabbed her hand, stopping her.
Meanwhile, Naruto was fighting against the other one as he blocked, deflected and dodged her attacks, while trying to grab her headpiece, but with no luck.
Naruto then aimed a punch at her stomach, and when she blocked it, he went for the headpiece, but she grabbed his hand before he could touch it. She then swung him around, and threw him at Carmen, causing them both to gasp in pain.
They held each other up, as they saw the models walking over towards them, with their hands on their hips.
They both saw a clothes rack next to them. "Clothes line" they said together, before grabbing it and rolling it towards them.
"We really don't want to have to hurt you ladies, but you're gonna need to lose those hats" Naruto said, as they backed up while glancing from side to side.
They then looked at each other for a moment, before they turned around while leaning backwards, as two of the models tried to kick them, before they brought their feet down to hit them. Carmen and Naruto both got onto their knees and slid underneath them, while a third model jumped off the clothes rack, and tried to stomp on them, but they avoided her by quickly jumping away from her.
They rolled to a stop near some mannequins, and looked at the models for a moment, before they quickly dodged a model trying to hit them from behind, before she punched them both in the stomach, sending them both back.
They held their stomachs in pain, before they smirked as Naruto held up the model's hat which was sparking slightly.
This caused Bellum to stop smiling and frown, as the model fainted.
"One down," Naruto said with a smile, as he tossed the hat away.
"And three to go," Carmen said, as the other three models ran at them.
0o0o0o0
(Meanwhile)
Dash threw his hat at Shadowsan, causing the blades to pop out.
As the hat flew towards him, Shadowsan closed his eyes and put his arm out as he pushed the hat into the wall, while holding the hat by the top, before opening his eyes and giving Dash a smirk with a raised eyebrow.
Dash looked surprised for a moment, before he grit his teeth in annoyance and held his glove up, to call his hat back while holding onto his wrist.
The hat vibrated in Shadowsan's hand, as he glared at Dash.
After a few moments, Dash dropped his arm before he turned around and ran off.
Shadowsan pulled the hat out of the wall, before he turned around and calmly walked off.
0o0o0o0
(Back under the stage)
Naruto and Carmen were fighting against two of the models, while trying to grab the hats off their heads, which was proving to be difficult as they were working in tandem with each other.
They both flipped backwards, as the models tried to kick them, before slightly glancing over their shoulders, and saw that they were standing in front of a fabric stand, with rolls of fabric on it.
They looked at each other, and nodded their heads in silent agreement, before they moved to either side of it, just as the models ran over and tried to punch them, causing their arms to go in between two rolls of fabric.
Naruto and Carmen then each grabbed an arm, and pulled them so that the models were even more stuck.
They then tried to grab the hats off their heads, but two high heeled shoes were thrown at them to stop this. They saw two more heading for them, causing them to lean their heads to the side to avoid being hit. And before they could do anything, the other model kicked them both in the stomach, sending them skidding back into some mannequins.
They looked over, and saw the model running towards them.
"Thanks for the tip," Carmen said with a smile, as she took her high heel shoes off.
"Yeah, we never thought of doing that," Naruto said with his own smile, as he took his shoes off.
They then threw their shoes at the model, who dodged both pairs of shoes, but luckily one of the models had her hat knocked off, causing her to go unconscious.
Naruto and Carmen both grinned at this, while Bellum gritted her teeth.
The model who threw her shoes then tried to punch Carmen, but she quickly grabbed a mannequin and placed it in front of herself as protection, causing the model to cause a crater to appear on it from her punch.
Carmen and Naruto looked surprised at this, before Carmen quickly leaned to the side as the model took the mannequin's head off with another punch.
The second model was finally able to get herself free from the rolls of fabric, before she ran over to them.
Carmen pushed the mannequin into the model in front of her just as she tried to punch again, while the other model ran at Naruto with her arms crossed in front of her face, sending him flying back with a grunt of pain.
"Naruto!" Carmen yelled out in worry, before the model grabbed her arm and tossed her, where she landed next to Naruto.
The two of them climbed to their feet, and got ready for another fight, while the models walked towards them.
Before anything could happen, the door was opened, causing everyone to look over and see Shadowsan standing there, who glared at the models, while Naruto and Carmen both gave him determined looks.
Shadowsan then threw Haber's hat at the models, causing the blades to pop out, but the models leaned back to avoid it.
Naruto then waited for the hat to get near enough, before putting his hand inside it and sending it back to the models, before it got lodged in a stone pillar.
Nothing happened for a few seconds, before the hats fell to pieces off the models heads, as they looked at each other for a moment, before collapsing to the floor in a faint.
Naruto stood up from the pose he was in, before he and Carmen walked backwards to lean against a dresser, with tired looks on their faces, as they gave a sigh of relief.
Shadowsan walked over to them, as the models sat up while clutching their heads, looking around in confusion.
"Thanks for the help," Naruto said with a smile.
"My hats off to you" Carmen said with a grin.
"Oh, scusi, scusi" they heard someone say, before Shadowsan could say anything, causing them each to raise an eyebrow, seeing the man Naruto and Carmen saw earlier walking through the door. "You were both magnifico. Which modelling agency are you with?" he asked Naruto and Carmen with a smile and a cocked eyebrow, as he clasped his hands together.
Naruto and Carmen both had a raised eyebrow at this, before they looked at each other for a moment and smiled, as they looked back at the man.
0o0o0o0
(Back in the VILE room)
Countess Cleo and Cookie both looked defeated, as Cookie's shoulders slumped over, while Dr Bellum's helmet shut down and Alan hung his head.
"I have quite a headache. Goodnight" Bellum said with a frown, as she took the helmet off.
Cleo closed her eyes for a moment before she looked over at Cookie, and gave her a fierce scowl, causing Cookie to chuckle nervously.
"Uh, that's the way the cookie crumbles," she said with a shrug.
Alan just shook his head at this. "Not the time Cookie" he said.
0o0o0o0
(The next day)
Naruto, Carmen and Shadowsan were in a mall, inside a clothing store.
"Molto bello" Naruto and Carmen said with a smile, as they were sitting down on a couch, as they saw Shadowsan walk out of a changing room, wearing something else other than his kimono.
This time, Shadowsan was wearing a pair of brown shoes with black socks, grey trousers and a black shirt.
"And the best part is, that VILE's footing the bill" Naruto said with a grin, as Shadowsan tugged at his shirt's collar with a cocked eyebrow.
"Good, because the price is….steep" Shadowsan said with wide eyes, as he saw the price for the clothes.
"You won't be inviting anymore stares wearing this" Carmen said with a smile, as Naruto nodded in agreement with his own smile.
"I'd still like to revisit the idea, of a proper headquarters" Shadowsan said, as he walked over to a counter.
{"It's funny that Shadowsan should mention that, guys"} Player said into their comms, causing them to gain looks of interest.
{"While I was trawling along on the internet for fabric and fashion info, you wouldn't believe what I stumbled upon"} Player told them.
"And what's that? Hackers really can wear white hats after Labour Day?" Naruto asked with a grin, causing Carmen to snort in amusement.
Player just gave a slight chuckle at this. "Noted, but no. Remember Carmen Brand Outerwear?" Player asked with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow, as he typed on his computer.
"Like we could forget" Carmen said, as she and Naruto both grinned at the memory.
"Well, guess what. After proudly serving San Diego county for eighty years, they've gone out of business" Player said with a smirk, as he leaned back in his chair with a cocked eyebrow.
{"So you interrupted our shopping day, just to tell us that VILE's bookkeeper needs to shop somewhere new for her rain gear?"} Naruto asked him curiously.
Player gave a smile at this, as he turned his chair to the side. "No. The warehouse is up for sale. The original location. In San Diego" he said to them.
"And?" Naruto and Carmen asked curiously, with slightly narrowed eyes and grins on their faces.
"Well, wouldn't it be freaky if the building made for a cool HQ?" Player asked with a wide smile and a raised eyebrow.
This made Naruto and Carmen look at each other in interest, before seeing Shadowsan walk over to them, making them widen their eyes upon seeing him wearing sunglasses.
"Can I….get these?" he asked, as he pointed at them.
Naruto and Carmen both smiled at this as they cocked an eyebrow each.
"Zack got to have gelato and pizza" Shadowsan said to them with a raised eyebrow.
0o0o0o0
(An ACME room)
Chief was looking at a screen, which showed Julia walking down the runway with Carmen and Naruto.
{"I can't argue with the results, Agent Argent. Though your choice of partners was a bit outside the box"} Chief said, as she glanced at Julia over her shoulder, before walking over to her. {"It has been a challenge to reconcile all of Naruto Uzumaki and Carmen Sandiego's contradictions"} she said with a sigh, while raising an eyebrow.
"Perhaps, but I feel like I now know enough to propose that we stop trying to capture Carmen Sandiego and Naruto Uzumaki" Julia said, causing Chief to cross her arms and raise an eyebrow in interest.
"What if we tried to recruit them?" Julia suggested, as she walked over to the screen and looked at the picture. This made Chief widen her eyes at this, as she too looked at the screen with a cocked eyebrow.
0o0o0o0
(Faculty room)
"Next" Brunt yelled out, as the image of Cookie had a red cross going through it on the large screen. "Pity shame that the number cruncher didn't make the cut" she said, as she leaned against the desk.
"A shame indeed, Coach Brunt" Maelstrom said, with his elbows on the desk and his fingertips pressed together. "After the failure of Shadowsan, we can not accept anyone less than completely loyal to VILE, or thoroughly evil to the bone. We must find Shadowsan's ideal replacement" he said with narrowed eyes, as the screen showed shadowed faces of other people on the screen.
0o0o0o0
Authors Note: To those who want me to lemon/sex scenes in every chapter or so, I can't as I need to find the right time/moment to do them. Such as, on their plane, in a hotel room or in a train's sleeping carriage. So please, stop asking me to keep adding them, as I'll do them when I please.
Hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter, and that you're doing what you can to avoid getting this COVID by following the rules, while any and all flames are no longer welcome. Also, for some reason, if I get a PM from anyone, it wouldn't show me the number(s) on fanfiction (so if you send me a PM, and I reply to it late, that's the reason why). Let's hope that now the vaccines are all done, we can rest a bit easier.
I have also posted a few story ideas on my home page, and if any of you want to use them please, PM me and let me know.