Yeah yeah, you know the drill, It's a private game of round robin between me and Aliena. Please do not interrupt without asking us first.

Don't know what Round Robin is?
Visit Here
A guide to what Round Robin is~

*rubs hands* what a lovely story this shall be. xD
So much fun~ x3

"Oh? It looks like Detective Moon decided to bring in reinforcements this time," a voice said in teasing tone. "It's won't matter. I'll just have to put on an excellent proformance tonight."

Binocoulars lowered, revealing bright green eyes. A smile appeared on his face as he snapped his fingers. Spotlights appeared on him. Almost instantly, everyone in the streets belowed looked up at him.

Giving a sweeping bow, he introduced himself. "Good Evening everyone, Detective Moon. I, Kage Kuro am here to steal Rudy Sun tonight." He tipped his top hat before straighting himself out.

Kuro smirked to himself as he heard the starting signal. "Don't just stand there you idiots! GRAB HIM!"

Emma Moon grimaced as she gazed up to the top of Daniloff's Hotel. Kage Kuro had been her nemesis for going on five years now and she was determined that their next encounter would involve wiping the smirk off his face in a tiny, dingy jail cell. As her forces scrambled into the building, she took a step back and lifted her gun. She closed one eye as she focused on his leg as, around her, people were readying a large inflated mat for him to fall on should the bullet meet its mark. She didn't want him dead. Oh no! For the past five years of irritation, he'd better not die before she had a chance to do her thing!

"Come on, Kuro. Just hold it right there," Emma whispered. "Just one more second..."

She squeezed the trigger and the force of the shot caused her to stagger back a few steps. It was a long shot, but she was the sharpest shooter in the force. She watched him intently as he began to stagger. Had he been hit or was he just taunting her again?

((*chuckles* x3 I find it highly amusing that you made Detective Moon into a girl. xD))

Kuro smiled to himself as heard the bullet fired. He seriously didn't think that Detective Moon would stoop so low as to fire at him. After all the rules of the game were nobody gets hurt. Oh well, he'll just have to deal with it later. Right now he had a jewel to steal. He snapped his fingers again.

Emma was almost giddy when she saw Kuro fall after being hit by the bullet. She seriously didn't want want to use a gun against him, but desperate times called for desperate measure. After five years of chasing this thief and being taunted by him endlessly, Emma considered this to be a desperate time. Not to mention her job was always on the line whenever she failed to capture him.

However, before she could congraduate herself for a good job well done, the Kuro that was falling burst into glitter and streamers. Emma twitched. Damn that Kuro and his magic tricks. When did he...?

"Hmm Detective. Finally decided to raise a gun against me?"

Emma turned around to see that acursed thief standing behind her. "KURO!" she shouted.

Kuro smiled back at her. "Remember Detective. No one is suppose to get hurt. Even me~" He winked at her and snapped his fingers again, this time dropping a smoke bomb in the process. "I'll see you inside Detective," he tauntly called out to her.

Emma scowled, chenching her fist. "I'll get you yet Kuro! Men inside! Kuro is inside the building!"

Coughing and waving away the smoke as her men ran into the building, Emma slipped around to the back. "No one's supposed to get hurt, eh? Depends on your definition of hurt." As she slipped her petite frame through the back door, she grudgingly admitted he was right and she had stooped lower than was ethical.

Ethical? Ha!

Her boss didn't understand what she meant when she had tried on numerous occasions to explain exactly why she hadn't resorted to such measures to capture Kuro. Ethics don't put food on the table, sweetheart," he had told her and had indeed threatened her that one more slip-up and she'd be dismissed.

Emma dashed up the stairs, two at a time, until she reached the 6th floor. Straining her ears, all she heard was silence. That was a good sign. She had suspected that Kuro would be going after the Rudy Sun and had advised Marko Daniloff himself to keep it locked away up here for the time being. The jewel displayed in the lobby on the first floor was a fake and while it wouldn't fool Kuro, it would buy her some time.

She tapped in a six digit code on the keypad in front of the vault room and heard the click of the lock releasing. Pushing the door in and closing it behind her, she approached the case that held the gem. She saw the tiny, barely noticeable scratch on the bottom and sighed in relief. This was the real thing. Good! Still here!

Standing vigil, Emma Moon stared at the door, the only way into the vault room, waiting. Her job was on the line and she would stop at nothing to keep it. Forget the rules! Forget ethics!

The rules were about to change.

"You know Detective, you never cease to amaze me."

Emma whirled around. "Kuro! How!" How on earth did he get behind her? Was it one of his silly magic tricks? She pointed her gun at him. Kuro was faster though. He knocked the gun of her hands with his own.

Pointing his own gun at Emma, Kuro sighed. "I really would appreiate it if you didn't change the rules Detective. I rather not play so dirty." He waved his hands and the Ruby Sun appeared in his hand.

Emma scowled. She hit the red button on the wall. Red lights flashed and a steel wall closed infront of the door. "Looks like you're not going anywhere Kuro!"

Kuro smiled at her. "Hmm but you see Detective. I have already won."

"Not this time!" Before Kuro could react, 110 pounds of little woman bowled into him, knocking him over. With a speedy flick of her wrist, Emma pulled out a pair of handcuffs, snapped one side over his wrist and the other side over her own.

Kuro raised one eyebrow when he saw what she had done and the corners of his mouth raised in a smile. "My, my. Now isn't this an interesting twist? Cuffing a known escape artist, Detective Moon? I'd say someone's getting a little desperate."

"You want the game to continue, Kuro? It's over if you walk out of here. You can keep doing your thing, but the person chasing you all over isn't going to be me. It's not about the loot, is it? It's about the game," she challenged him.

Kuro's eyes were almost twinkling at her. "Five years of chasing me Detective and you're figuring that out now? There are only a handful items that I truly want, the rest after all, is usually returned to you or the rightful owner. But this time your job is on the line, well that certainly explains everything."

"Why the hell are you stealing everything under the sun then?!" Emma shouted at him.

Kuro covered his ears. "If I told you that, Detective, then it wouldn't be a game anymore~"

He snapped his fingers. There was a puff of smoke. Emma coughed and wildly reached around trying to grab him before he escaped. It was no use. The smoke cleared and Kuro was gone. But this time the gem was still there.

Emma picked up the little card that was leaning against the gem. It read:

• I have no use for this gem anymore. Now go and brag how you successfully chased Kuro away and kept him from stealing the gem to the newspapers. Good luck keeping your job Detective.
  Kuro Kage~
  
  P.S. let us not change the rules of the game anymore, detective~ No one gets hurt. *wink*

Emma smiled to herself. "Looks like I won this round, Kuro," she murmured. The game would indeed be over should she bow out and she knew that was the last thing he wanted. You may have your tricks, but I have my words, she thought. She wadded the card up and tossed it in the air before catching it again and shoving it in the pocket of her trousers. She took a step toward the door, but was met with resistance coming from her left wrist. She whipped her head around and stared at the handcuff still attached to her wrist, the other side attached to the base of the gem case.

"KURO!"

--------

"Moon, I want to see you in my office now!" Andrew Lane's deep voice boomed through the tiny room. Emma slouched in her chair with a grimace. Taking a deep breath, she stood and held her head high as she walked what felt like the green mile. Those who snickered, whistled, or made snide comments got a nice kick in the shins as she passed them. She entered Lane's office and shut the door behind her.

"Yeah, Chief?" she silently cursed the fact that her voice sounded so small.

"Sit," he commanded. He was a tall, imposing man, and he stood with his back to her, gazing out his dingy window. She complied and fell into the chair, nervously adjusting her long skirt. He slowly turned around. "Can you explain to me just why the hell Kage Kuro's still at large?"

Emma cleared her throat. "The Ruby Sun's safe. Isn't that what matters?"

"You know that's insignificant in the grand scheme of things."

"Not to Marko Daniloff. That stone's been in his family for generations."

Lane shook his head. "Forget Daniloff. What did I tell you would happen should Kuro slip through your fingers again?" Emma didn't answer. She simply stared at the floor. Lane sighed. "Look. I wouldn't have kept you on this long if I didn't think you had potential and if I didn't recognize your dedication. I know Kuro's tough, but I have to set an example."

"Please, Chief!" She looked up, her green eyes pleading. "No one knows Kuro like I do. You'll be starting over from scratch and I guarantee whoever you get to replace me won't have any success. At least I have a chance!" She nudged the paper laying on the edge of his desk toward him, the front page praising her and the whole department for foiling Kuro's evil schemes.

"Tell me one thing then. What happened with the handcuffs?" Lane asked and Emma blushed and shook her head, remembering how embarrassing it was when six of her men forced the door open to find her handcuffed to the gem case. How Kuro had managed to swipe her spare key, she had no clue. But she was certainly not going to let that slide. Lane held out his hand. "Your badge and gun, Emma."

"You're letting me go?"

"For five days. You could use the break. Go home, take a breather, and when you come back, you'd seriously better bring this guy in. I might not be so understanding next time. I swear, anyone else and this would be permanent."

Emma reluctantly handed her badge and gun to her Chief and turned around, walking out of his office, through the room where everyone worked, delivering a few more kicks in the process, and out the door.

Kuro soared through the air. Well not really. It was more like roof hopping if anything. Not as good as that anime character Ranma, but good enough to get around. Tonight's heist was a real treat. While she broke the rules of the game, Detective Moon did add a nice twist to the festivities.

He hoped she'll walk away with her job at least. Kuro supposed he could always pull some strings and make sure that it was permantly secured... but it would most likely draw attention to the wrong people. All he could do was hope for the best.

Kuro stopped. This was his last stop before he headed home. No one really knew it, but he made always two stops on his heist. The first stop was the target area and the second stop was here: a huge mansion near the outskirts of town.

You see there was a girl who lived there, his best friend really. He always came to deliver a rose to her after every heist. Kuro smiled. He was pretty sure she knew who he really was, but had never said anything.

With wasting anymore time, Kuro snuck on the garden. "You're a little late, Kuro."

Kuro's smile widen as he looked up. Standing on the balcony was a young lady with short brown hair and bright purple eyes. "Evening princess. Forgive the lateness. Detective Moon provided more fun tonight then ancipated."

Hikage smiled. "Tell me more?" she asked.

Kuro grinned. "Certainly."

----

Kait rolled out of bed. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the clock. It was 8am. Kait groaned. Four hours of sleep was certainly not enough, but strangely he was quite use to it. Last night game certainly didn't help with the sleep factor. He got out of bed and began to get dressed. Today he was supposed to meet Hikage.

Kait Yume, age 21 was a student in college working towards his degree in engineering. Unknown to many he became Kuro Kage at age 16. He reasons for stealing well it mostly had to do with his best friend, Hikage Amame.

Hikage was the daughter of the richest man in all of Cardat. Due to several kidnappings, the lost of her mother at a young age, and her father always working, Hikage was socially challenged. She had a slight phobia of police officers, having scared her endlessly during the time of her mother's death. Timid and shy, Hikage can't handle crowds and even talking to someone can be a challenge. Thus she more then often follows her best friend Kait around.

Kait attempted to comb his messy black hair one more time. It wasn't really staying. He gave up and grabbed his bag. Today he was going to try get to get Hikage out of the house and meet someone new today.

"But what I don't understand is how he got in and out of that room! There were no vents! No windows! And after I pushed that button, it was even more secure!"

Benton smiled at the petite young woman sitting across from him in the small cafe as she ranted. It was rather nice seeing her out of uniform, not dressed in the drab, dark skirts or trousers she normally wore. She had let her hair down too. He just wished she would talk about something other than Kuro. Like the question he had popped to her four nights ago that she had still not given him an answer to.

"You've always said he's a magician of sorts," Benton said, adjusting the wire frames of the glasses that tended to slide down his nose. "Just forget about him for now. Lane said to take a break! Just enjoy your time off."

"Time off? Hardly!" Emma scoffed and picked up her extra large mug of expresso. Taking a swig, she set it down and said, "How'd he swipe my key too? Do you know what it was like when they busted down the door and there I was, stuck to the case? They live for stuff like that! If I have to listen to one more handcuff joke, I swear..."

Benton reached across the table and took her hand in his own. "I didn't mention the handcuffs at all in my article."

"You always make me look good, though."

"I don't have to try," the reporter grinned goofily, but his complement was lost on the detective.

"I swear, I'm going to find that man and when I do...I mean, what kind of game is this? What kind of sick pleasure is he getting from this?"

"Are you sure you aren't deriving some pleasure from the game as well?" Benton sighed.

Emma looked at him, her brow wrinkled. "What? Not you too!"

"It's just that, the last few months, he's all you talk about."

"That's not true!" she insisted, folding her arms defensively. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

Benton said, "Alright then. New game. No mention of Kuro for a day."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous? Or impossible?" Benton challenged, one dark eyebrow raised.

Emma stood to her feet and slapped a few dollars on the table. "Ridiculous! I can go a day without mentioning him. Hell, I could go a week!"

"One day," Benton said, rising to his feet as well. "And if you lose, you owe me an answer."

"And if I win," Emma rejoined, "You owe me...a...I don't know, a bagel or something!" She threw her hands up in frustration and left the reporter standing by the table. He had a feeling he'd be hearing her answer later on that afternoon. He just hoped it was the one he was looking for.

Kait left his house, jogging next door to find Hikage. To his luck, she was already standing outside. She looked unsure and timided but she was outside, standing on a busy sidewalk. That alone was an improvement.

"Morning Hikage! This is good! You managed to walk outside without having to wait for me," Kait cheerfully said.

Hikage gave him a weak smile. "Well... as you say I have to learn right?"

Kait smiled back at her. "Ah. Interacting with people is something you've always had a problem with. Don't worry you can overcome the fear in time." He grabbed her hand. "Come on now, we're going to mall. There's an awesome movie that just came out."

"Okay!"

----

Without too much diffculty, they both managed to make to the mall. Luckily this early in the morning, the mall wasn't crowd. There were a few people there, but not enough to send Hikage into a panic attack.

"Well the movie doesn't start for another hour," said Kait looking at his watch. "Shall we go for breakfast?"

Hikage nodded. "But I treat," she demanded.

Kait sweatdrop. "You don't have to Hikage."

"I treat," she stubbornly demanded. Hikage promptly dragged him to the nearest cafe.

Emma left the cafe, pushing past a young couple walking in, barely giving them a second glance. She didn't notice the young man staring after her, a strange expression on his face. Kait almost shrugged off the sense of familiarity he got from her until he saw the bespectacled man making small talk with the woman behind the counter before heading out himself. He had seen his byline countless times - the star reporter of the local paper and the one rumored to be quite enamoured with Emma Moon. Indeed, the two had been seen together in public on numerous occasions.

So that was her, he thought. He wasn't used to seeing her out of uniform.

"Kait," Hikage's voice brought him back and he smiled and helped her into her seat.

-----

Emma was still irritated with Benton's challenge. She was determined to prove him wrong. She supposed she could always lie to him. Afterall, he couldn't be around her all day. But her sense of honor kept her from doing that. No, she'd make a conscious effort to not mention the "K" word. And if it happened, she'd have to come up with an answer to his question.

"Well, at least I'm off duty. That should make things easier!" She walked a few blocks down the street and realized that for the first time in a long time, she had no idea what to do with her time.

What do people do when there's nothing to do?

She sighed. Might as well catch a movie or something. She walked to the mall and checked the movie listings. There were only three films playing within the hour:

Boppy and the Happy Hippo

...erm...no.

Invasion of the Jellyfish

...pass.

To Catch a Thief

...hmm...interesting...

She bought her ticket, looked at her watch and saw she had 45 minutes before the show started, but figured she had nothing else to do, so she went on inside and found a seat near the middle of the theater.

(OOC - I know, I know...what a coincidence that she'd take in a movie at that exact moment! lol)

((xD haha~ That's fine~ I think it's a nice twist. I was aiming for the cafe but either way works~ xD))

"Detective Emma Moon, that's her isn't it?" Hikage asked.

Kait blinked and stared at her. It was time likes these he really questioned if Hikage knew about his night time activities. "Yeah. I think," he answered. "She questioned you once right? Last year when you were kidnapped... again."

Hikage gave him a weak smile. "Yeah... after kidnapping attempt number 34. And people wonder why Father doesn't let me out of the house," she mumbled.

"Well, that's what happens when your father is the richest man in town," said Kait. He handed Hikage the plate of warm food that just arrived.

"Yes..." Hikage nodded. "Perhaps I should take some self defense classes... after I learn to deal with people that is..."

"That would be a great idea," Kait said inbetween swallows. "Oh the bright side, the kidnapping have slowed down now that you're older."

Hikage gave a whimscal smile. "Yeah... harder to kidnapped a full grown girl instead of a small child. Still possible, but harder. So..." she said changing the topic. "What movie are we gonna see again?"

Kait smiled. "To Catch a Thief."

To Catch a Thief turned out to be a rather lame film. Emma was annoyed with the way the detective was portrayed - ill-tempered and idiotic. The man couldn't do anything right! The entire movie was about the handsome, enigmatic thief making the detective look like a fool!

Lame!

She stood up as the house lights came on and filed out of her row, but then stopped frozen in her tracks.

Kuro?

She spotted Kait and Hikage on the other side of the theatre. The young man looked more like a college student than a master thief, but there was no mistaking his face. She knew it like the back of her hand. Impatiently, yet trying to be nonchalant, she wound her way through the line of people in the attempt to get closer to him. She had no clue what she'd do when she reached him. Of all the rotten luck to be without her gun or badge when this could easily be the moment she apprehended him!

I still have my cuffs! She fingered the steel handcuffs she had attached to her belt, the spare key tucked safely inside the bottom of her shoe. There was no way he'd snag it this time!

She watched as Kait escorted Hikage in a direction away from most of the people. Good! she thought. Less of a mess that way! Picking up her pace, she lessened the distance between them and when he was only a few meters away in a corner of the mall where there were no other people, she called out, "Kage Kuro! Stop right there!"

Ah crap! Now she owed Benton an answer!

Kait and Hikage turned around to see a small woman storming at him. In quick fluid moments the woman handcluffed Kait to her. "Ha! I finally caught you!"

Kait blinked and stared at her. Before he could protest to anything, Hikage bravely decided to speak up. "Umm... Detective Moon? Why are you handcluffing my friend?" she timidly asked.

Emma paused on her glory parade. The girl looked vaguely familiar. How did she know who she was? "Because, miss, this is Kuro Kage, the famous thief."

"Detective?" Hikage quietly spoken. "That can't be right. This is Kait Yume. My best friend and next door neighbor. He was with me last night, during the time of the heist. Oh dear... you don't remember who I am do you?"

Kait stared at Hikage. Okay, it was pretty clear that his best friend knew about his secret. Question was when did she find out? On the bright side, there was something good coming out of this. Hikage was actually speaking on her own without her phobia of police officers and detectives kicking in.

"What do you mean he was with you? And no, I'm sorry I don't know who you are," Emma said. What was this girl getting at? This guy looked too much like Kuro to not be him!

"I'm Hikage Rane, Raym Rane's daughter. You interviewed me last year after I was kidnapped again," Hikage introduced herself.

Emma paled. She suddenly remembered the girl. Last year kidnapping, right... Now that she thought of it, she had met this boy Kait last year too. He had been in a panicked state at the time worried for the safety of Hikage. So... this was a case of mistaken idenity? Emma knew that the girl was way to pure to lie to her face. But the boy and Kuro looked so much alike!!

Emma resisted the urge to hit her head. Okay she had to proceed with caution here. The last thing she needed to deal with is to upset the daughter of the richest and most powerful man in the city. Forget losing her job, she could end up kicked out of town if she didn't handle things properly.

"I'm terribly sorry," Emma said contritely. "I'm charged with protecting the citizens of this city no matter what an unfortunately, sometimes mistakes are made. I realize apologies are probably not enough...I just want people like you to be safe, so even off-duty, I'm still working!" She knelt down and pulled the key from where she had tucked it in her shoe. Suddenly, something in her eyes changed and the corners of her mouth raised ever so slightly.

She turned Kait's wrist over to undo the handcuff and that's when she found what she was looking for: a tiny spade-shaped birthmark just above his wrist on the inside of his arm. It was a mere discoloration of the skin, barely noticeable to anyone, but Emma had seen it poking out from in between Kuro's sleeve and glove many times and had taken note of it in her mind, as she was always searching for anything that could help identify a suspect. In truth, she always found her eyes wandering to the inside of people's right wrists almost by habit by now.

Her eyes snapped up and she met Kait's glance. He immediately knew that she hadn't been fooled. But she undid the handcuffs and placed them back in their place on her belt.

She turned once more to Hikage and said, "Please accept my humble apology, Miss Rane."

Hikage nodded, "You were just trying to do your job."

"And you too, Kait Yume. I am quite embarrassed that this happened." She pulled out a card and scribbled something on the back of it. Handing it to him, she said, "If I can compensate either of you in any way for this, please let me know."

Emma Moon turned on her heel and as soon as her back was to the pair, her smile grew. Walking away, she already had her cell phone out.

"Benton? Can you look up someone for me? Kait Yume. I want to know everything about him..."

--------

Kait turned the card over in his hand where he saw what Emma had written in her feminine script:

I win this one.
Cheers,
E. Moon

---------

"What's it say?" asked Hikage.

"Nothing," Kait lied and stuffed the card in his pocket.

Hikage stared at Kait for awhile. The card said something and judging from Kait's behavior, it didn't say anything good. In all honestly, she had figured out Kait's secret the first year into him stealing. The reasons why he did it, she hadn't figured out yet, but Kait was Kait and she didn't want him to get hurt. But when it comes down to it, Hikage was actually confident in the fact that if they ever try to arrest Kait, she wouldn't let them. Even if it means to abuse her father's power in this city.

Kait was her lifeline. If the police took him away from her... Hikage didn't want to think about it. She was always well aware that her frail state of mind had only survived all these years because of two things. The first was Kait and the second was Kuro Kage. Without those two stable things in her life, she fear the worse. Kait was her best friend. To lose him means the end of the world for her.

---

Kait was impress and fairly worried. He was impressed at the fact the Detective Moon managed to figure him out and he was worried at the fact that Detective Moon managed to figure him out. Still even if she thought he was Kuro Kage, there still wasn't any evidence to link him yet. Kait knew that they searched his background all they would find is that his father is deceased and mother works in a bookstore and that he was a model student. If they search his house, that was okay too because he kept all his Kuro Kage stuff in a secret hidden room in an abandon warehouse. Kait always took special care not to leave anything too revealing.

Speaking of which, Kait needed to have a talk with Hikage later. He wanted to know exactly when his friend figured out his secret. Kait was surprised that Hikage never asked him about it, though some of his actions threw enough hints. Unknown to the public and most of the police officers, Kait had saved Hikage as Kuro more then once. Even before he became Kuro full time, when they kids that he was his disguise when taking on the bad guys.

Kait concluded that Emma just had horrible timing. There were two things he wanted in this world... and one of them he was about to obtain. And in reality it would be his final heist. For her to figure out who he was right now would be dangerous. Kait scratched his head. He'll play it by year but right now it was too risky for him to pull off his last heist. He'll have to wait for another week at least.

Benton slid into the chair in the back corner of the cafe and waited, impatiently tapping his finger on the file folder resting on the table. He caught a few people looking at him and he smiled broadly, nodding to them. He was used to being recognized in this city and in truth, relished the attention. A little too tall and a little too thin, his whole life, he had been nothing more than a gauky boy who was good at writing. Yet, the gaukiness seemed to have disappeared as he worked his way into becoming the newspaper's star reporter. That is, until Emma Moon walked into his life. And yet, he didn't care if he felt clutzy or lacking in social grace. He was hooked! He knew she cared for him. He just hoped that one day he would be the only man who occupied her mind, but knew that wouldn't happen until Kuro was out of the picture. So he would do everything he could to help her apprehend the thief.

He opened the file folder and closed it again, wondering who this Kait Yume person was and why he was so important. Emma had been tight-lipped about it on the phone.

A bell chimed as the door opened and in walked the young detective, her face radiant with pleasure. Benton decided he much preferred her out of uniform, dressed casually, letting her red hair fall past her shoulders. "So, what have you got for me?" Benton handed her the file and she eagerly began to flip through it. He saw a look of disappointment cross her face after a minute and she looked up. "Is this all you could find?" The contents of the file didn't really give her much to work with.

"Everything that's out there to learn about this guy is here," Benton tapped the folder. "Who is this guy, Ems? Are you working on a new case?"

"Not exactly," she replied.

"It has to do with him, doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm so close, Benton! You have no idea! What if I told you that this guy could lead me straight to Kuro?" What if I told you this guy IS Kuro? she thought.

The reporter sighed. "Do you have an answer for me?" He knew she couldn't go a day. Emma didn't answer. Benton shook his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out two tickets. "Will you have one by tonight then?"

"What's tonight?"

"Mayor's benefit. I know it's kind of last minute."

"I have nothing else going on," the detective said. She felt guilty just looking at Benton's face, knowing she was disappointing him. He wasn't someone she wanted to hurt. And even though she hated stuffy events like that, she knew it would really make him happy if she agreed to go with him. "Sounds like fun!" she lied with a smile.

"A lot of prominent people are going to be there. Marko Daniloff, Chloe Stanner, Raym Rane..."

"Raym Rane?" Emma perked up. Benton seemed not to have heard her as he continued to list the important people who would be at the formal dinner.

"Of course, I'll go with you, Benton." Emma leaned toward him and gave him a quick peck on the nose, which caused the reporter to grin and blush. Emma stood up and this time, she could honestly say without lying even a little bit, "Sounds like a completely worthwhile way to spend the evening. Pick me up at 6?"



(OOC - my posts seem to be getting longer and longer! lol)

(That's okay. xD Longer means more gold!)

Raym Rane was a jolly man. Despite the fact that he constantly working, he always tried to make time for his only daughter Hikage. Since the death of his wife, he had become even more protective of Hikage and really the only person he truly trusted his daughter with was Kait.

If it ever came down to it, he certainly wouldn't mind having Kait as a son in law either.

"You're sure you don't want to come Hikage," Raym asked his daughter. "It'll be a big party."

Hikage shook her head. "No thank you father. The fact that it is a big party is the reason why I don't want to go."

Raym patted his daughter's head. "Well there's always hope for one day right?"

Hikage gave her father a weak smile. She hope so.

"Master Kait has arrived," their butler, John announced. Kait poked his head into the room.

"Hiya Mr. Rane. Hey Hikage," Kait said with a wave.

"Evening Kait," Raym smiled. "Thank you for staying with Hikage tonight."

Kait grinned. "Hey that's what best friends are for. Have fun at your dinner."

Raym kissed Hikage on the forehead. "Have fun you two." He had a dinner to attend.

Hikage waited until her father was out of the room. "So... Kait. What shall we do?"

Kait shrugged. "The normal? Read and sleep?"

The man lowered his binoculars and smiled as Raym Rane's limo pulled out of the driveway. He picked up his cell. "He just left. Are you in over there? Good. We're in position here as well. Keep me posted." He snapped the phone shut and raised his binoculars once more. A double-kidnapping on a nice summer's night! What a treat! In the past, only the girl had been targeted, but this time, Raym Rane wouldn't have all his resources available to him because he'd be tied up right next to her. And if someone got hurt...or dead...it would be a pity, but no great loss.

Yes, tonight would indeed be exciting!

--------

Benton escorted Emma into the grand hall of the Morribund Building and Emma forced a smile on her face, though she was uncomfortable as all get out in her long black dress and high heels. She spotted a few of the men from the force and grimaced as they winked and whistled.

"Hey Moon, you actually look like a girl!" one of them joked.

"I thought only important people were supposed to be at this thing, Benton," she said to her date, loud enough for the man to hear.

"Ha ha," the man replied, sarcastically.

As the pair settled into their seats, Emma surveyed the room. If Raym Rane was indeed going to be present, she wondered if his daughter would be as well. And then if she were here, would Kuro make an appearance too? She started to get antsy until she saw Rane enter the room. She searched the people meandering in behind him and felt another wave of disappointment. It was just him. Still, no sense letting the night be a total waste! She needed to find a way to get close to him, to speak to him. Perhaps if she gained his confidence, she might have an oppurtunity to speak to Hikage again and eventually find something beyond a little birthmark that could prove that Kait Yume was really Kuro.

Emma Moon wasn't the only one who had been waiting for Rane to arrive. In the corner of the room, a dark-haired waiter made every effort to keep his face emotionless, though he felt a rush of exhiliration as he now had his target in view.

(OOC - hee hee...it's funny the turns this story has taken!)

Kait smiled to himself. It had only been two hours since Mr. Rane had left and already Hikage had fallen asleep on his shoulder. This was usually how they spend their nights together. Mr. Rane was out doing business or attending parties, and Kait and Hikage would stay home, reading or watching tv until Hikage fell asleep.

'She's always so cute when she falls asleep,' Kait mused to himself. Slowly, he shifted his body to make sure that both he and her were both comfortable. It was too early to take her upstairs into bed since there was a high chance that she would awake in another hour. Also, he liked having her near him.

"I'm always here to protect you," he whispered to her.

Suddenly the alarms went off.

It all happened so suddenly. One minute, everyone was enjoying a nice meal of poached salmon with lemon butter and the next, there was utter chaos as every light in the building went off. Emma heard a scuffle to her right and she jumped out of her chair, kicking off her high heels. She couldn't see anything in the darkness and by now, everyone was starting to panic.

Finally, the lights came back on and the air was filled with nervous laughter. Emma, still shoeless, took stock of her surroundings and gasped when she saw Rame Rayn's chair overturned. That had been the source of the scuffle in the dark! "Oh crap," she muttered and nudged her way through the crowd of people until she reached her boss's table.

"Rayn's gone."

Andrew Lane frowned. "Your point is?"

Emma pointed at the overturned chair and the other men sitting at the table, completely puzzled. "That's what that was all about, apparently. Chief, I need a weapon. Let me do this!"

"Moon, you're on leave right now."

"But Chief, seriously! Of everyone here, who do you think has the best chance of nailing these guys?"

Lane looked from the tiny woman standing in front of him to the others from the department who were scattered throughout the room. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. "Fine," he reached inside his jacket and withdrew a gun, handing it to her secretively so no one would see the exchange. "But Moon, you mess up on this and..." he left the threat hanging in the air.

Emma had already turned on her heel, but she stopped and quickly glanced over her shoulder. "I won't."

---

Benton watched his date run out of the room without so much as an explanation as to where she was going and he slumped down in his chair, pouting. Who was he kidding? She didn't need to say anything to him in order to reveal her answer. Even if Kuro ever was out of the picture, there'd simply be another case. Emma was too work-minded to fall into the role of Mrs. Benton Brown.

---

On the other side of town, at the exact same moment, the alarms in the Rayn mansion went off. Hikage slumber was shattered and she awoke in a panic. "Kait!" she cried, clutching at him.

"No one's going to--" he started to say, but his sentence was interrupted as a large blunt object knocked him in the back of the head.

Minutes later Kait came to. His vision was blurry and he had a massive headache. "Hikage?!" he called out, remembering have happened. There wasn't any answer. "Sh*t" he cursed. He couldn't believe it. He had failed to protect her. But... it didn't mean he was going to give up hope.

Dragging his sluggish body to a sitting position, Kait clicked open his pocket watch. Flipping the face, it revealed a map and a flashing light. Hikage was always getting kidnapped when they kids. So when he got older, Kait learned to take certain steps so that he would never lose her. The necklace that Hikage always wore carried a tracker. Actually Kait went and made sure that every piece of jewelry Hikage had, had his tracker. He was pretty sure she knew this but never said anything to him.

Kait then took out a top hat from one his secret pockets. "1...2..3," he muttered. POP! Kuro tugged on his gloves. There was a damsel in distress that he had to save.

Deactivating the cameras, Kuro leapt over the walls of mansion with ease. One of the many reasons why he became Kuro Kage was because of these events. Kuro smiled to himself. Ayame would get kidnapped more then often and he learned that the police sometimes never listen, not mention it would take too long to wait for them. He dare not risk letting the kidnappers know who he was, so he came up with this disguised. It was a dangerous thing to do, but it always worth it to see Hikage home safe and sound.

The reason why he began to steal... well that's another story.

Kuro checked his watch again. This time he noticed something odd. Mr. Rane's tracker was on the move too. It was approaching Hikage's one at a fast speed. "That means, they went for both of them this time," Kuro mumbled. "Damn, my job just got harder."

"Ow ow ow," Emma muttered under her breath as she ran through the parking lot, barefoot. She looked around, certain that the perpetrators had left the building. Now, she just needed to figure out where the getaway car (van? truck?) was and then figure out a way to follow it. Why hadn't she borrowed Benton's keys while she was at it?

Shoeless and carless was a sucky position to be in when you had to bring down a kidnapper to prove yourself to your boss!

Then she saw it. A very suspicious looking van with two men standing at the back of it, arguing. Great! This might buy her a little time! Nope...they were done. Dang it! They went around to either side of the van and climbed in, starting the ignition.

Emma was already on her way, hiking up her long skirt and sprinting toward the van, but she was too late. It raced down the street and made a hard left, quickly speeding out of sight.

"CRAP!" she shouted in frustration. What else could she do, but go back to Andrew Lane and tell him she had lost the trail? Ready to punch the nearest object, she grumbled as she walked back toward the building.

She turned the corner...and ran straight into a very large man who was dragging a very limp Rame Rayn behind him. She staggered back and immediately raised her gun. "Stop right there!" she barked.

The man leered down at her. "What if I said no?"

"I'm not afraid to pull this trigger," Emma growled.

"And neither am I," a voice to her left spoke up and she heard a click. Wasn't that guy one of the waiters? "Drop it, Miss Moon."

---

Ten minutes later, Emma was in a cramped sedan, with her hands tied behind her back, Raym Rane still unconscious and leaning against her, squashing her with his dead weight, while the two kidnappers sat in front, bickering about what to do with the annoying little woman detective.

Can this day get any worse? she wondered.