Strong Enough to Bend

Another story, another heist, another kiss, you know the drill. That's how I write my Saint Tail. With a splash of mystery, most of the time, cutesy Ruby balls everywhere, smile, and always, always, a tease of something more exotic. Well now it won't be a tease any more, a bit. I thought about this for a long, long time, this step, and decided that I basically write fanfiction, in any way, simply to say I love Saint Tail, period. So I decided to do it. And so I bring you this.

This is the story I said was the dramatic one, if you've read the Supergirl post. that is comedy, so please read... thanks.

I didn't think up this idea, not completely, but I did put my pink spin on it, which is romance, and so I warn you, please avoid the second part to this if you are under the legal age. This is a start, and part two, coming soon, yes, soon, I mean it, will be darker. Much, much darker. I always thought it would be more interesting of a series if Saint Tail had been a touch older, which is why most of my stories have the characters at 20 or so, and to have a bit of a forbidden romance between them. I think I can make it quite fun, and funny. Please let me know what you think.

I had way too much trouble with this, I wanted it to be the best I could make it, I think it's a good story compared to some of my others, and I had plenty of fun writing this. ^-^ Especially part two...

Otherwise, as usual, I don't own Saint Tail, and on we go. Let's begin with the thefts... hahaha...

 

STRONG ENOUGH TO BEND

 

 

PART 1...

"I'm sorry, um, why am I involved here?" Saint Tail asked, not quite sure what was going on. These people, these very odd people, they were seemingly happy with her Saint Tail identity. One, they had seen her face clearly and weren't upset about it, and two, they didn't seem to be trying to arrest her. How very odd. This had to be a trap. It just had to.

"Sit. Relax. Let's talk."

"That would be good. I need an explanation." She said, taking a tentative seat on a high barstool set at even higher tables while some of the other men sat down around her, taking up the other seats.

"So what's this about?" Saint Tail asked, ready to be done with this before it even began.

"Well, we are quite glad to have caught you on your way. Forgive the pun, we have no intention to actually catch you, but we want you to be part of our guild."

"Guild? Why would I want to be part of this guild? What sort is it?"

"For people like us and you. We are the guild of thieves."

"Thieves have a guild now?" Saint Tail couldn't help the sarcastic tone that seeped into her voice.

"We do. Granted, it's small, but we are a guild. We want you to join us. We have seen you do your stuff. Your magic. It's very impressive. Your determination and the value of most of the stuff you have stolen has been alerted to us, and, for that reason, we want you here. You'd be treated like a queen. We want your expertise."

"Well, I'm flattered. But I cannot." Saint Tail whispered, keeping a smile on her lips. "I apologize, but I can't join with you." The faster she could be away from here the better. Maybe she would pay a visit to Asuka Jr. in a couple hours. The police could be catching a lot of crooks tonight.

"The police have been on your tail, or tails, for years on end. Same for us. Now I'm sure you've noticed that recently that young detective has been taking out so many thieves and robbers in this city that it's not even funny anymore. You or I may very well be next." A burly older man said, placing his wrinkled hand over her gloved fingers gently. She kept her smile on her face but listened now.  She had to be watchful of her words, lest they know that the reason he was catching so many people was due to her and her little warning notes. "That is why we want you with us. It's safer for us all and our doings if we band together to do it."

"I'm sorry. It sounds nice, but I-"

"You are a very, very talented thief. A smart, not to mention gorgeous beauty. What needs to be done is this. We need to make sure we don't step out of here and walk straight into the police. They could ruin us. So we need to ruin them."

"Wait. You're thinking of taking out the police?" Saint Tail asked. They were right about one thing. She was smart. Quite. And she sensed trouble. They were planning to stop the police from attempting to catch them. Saint Tail sensed a job opening for herself. She needed to save the police, her sworn enemy, from these thieves and crooks, the people most would assume her to stick with. She just needed to know the plan. So maybe, just maybe, for a few days, maybe weeks, Saint Tail would be settling with enemies in order to save other enemies. Thankfully she was absolutely certain that she was doing this and risking herself to save the better of the two enemies. And hopefully, if stuff went according to her plan, which she wasn't sure of yet, then after this, maybe the enemies she'd save wouldn't be enemies anymore. Maybe.

"Yes."

"Well, that I didn't know. I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." She said, bringing a fake grin to her lips.

"You'll join?"

"Men, men, relax." Saint Tail smiled, playing her poker face perfectly. She leaned forward as she spoke, placing her hands toward theirs at the center of the table. "If you handsome men are willing have me in your guild, how can I refuse?"

"Really? A minute ago you seemed less enthusiastic about this."

"Well, I didn't exactly know your plan then, did I? Now that I know you're after the police..."

"That's a game changer for you?"

"Of course, handsome. The police are after me like a bloodhound after a little crumb. It's stifling sometimes. To not have that, them, in my way would be quite nice." She answered with a smile towards the young male to her left, a twenty something with short blond hair and dark brooding eyes. She was lying so easily. She already knew these people.

"Alright." The older burly man said, holding her hand tight now. "Welcome, Saint Tail."

The men all smiled at her now, at each other, at the twenty some thieves and crooks in the room, and everybody gave her a curt, quick nod before going back to their TV screens and computers and beer. Every one of them had some kind of alcohol, including the man behind the counter tending the bar, which Saint Tail could only assume was part of their gang. She assumed there to be way more.

"Is there any initiation?" She asked after somebody placed a glass of red wine before her.

"Ahh, sweetheart. You are going to fit in so well here. Come with me. Feel free to take your drink along." The old gruff man said, casually leading her beside him with a big hand on her lower back as they walked to the back, past the bar. Someone in the room whistled a catcall at her and she turned to see who it was but couldn't decipher it. "Nice heels. Sexy!" Someone else called. She ignored that for a reason. She only wore these high stilettos for one person and one person alone.

Asuka.

"So have a seat young lady, and welcome." the man said without any hint of casual easiness in his tone as he took the opposing seat behind a large dark mahogany desk that she swore was stolen, it looked so expensive for a gang like this.

"Thank you." Saint Tail said, taking the offered seat on the other side, looking at what seemed to be an office arrangement of sorts, complete with computer and files. Already Saint Tail, though playing innocent and good, was scanning all paperwork and stuff meticulously. She'd have to sneak back in here. Though the room seemed to be always occupied. This would be tough, but if there was vital info anywhere, it was here. This was clearly the office of the leader. If anyone knew the plan, this man would. Progress already. Suddenly Saint Tail was quite glad of her wit and intelligence, especially at these things. But that made this no less difficult. This would be easily the toughest thing she'd ever had to pull off.

"Ignore those calls from the guys, sweetie. They don't see many pretty girls like you around them. They'll pipe down once they realize they can't have you. This is a non disclosure agreement." He said, switching the subject. "We need to do this with everyone. You need to sign this, so that we know you won't talk to anyone about us or what we do or are."

Saint Tail silently took the paper document and leaned back in her seat, casually reading it over, barely skimming it. She'd sign. Of course she would. For Asuka's sake, she had to. It wasn't like she'd follow the rules written here, not by a long shot, but she needed to be trusted by the guild to not disclose any info. So whatever this initiation was, she had to do it. Man this would work well. Maybe Asuka Jr. and his same name father would by catching a whole troupe of crooks soon. Very very soon.

Settling back to the table, Saint Tail pulled her pink pen from her stocking, from the garter, and signed the papers with her Saint Tail signature. Not her regular. Just in case. Because Saint Tail never signed anywhere with that particular signature. Suddenly she was glad to have thought one up.

The man took the paper back once she finished and slipped it into a new otherwise empty file. He smiled an almost mischievous smile as he pushed the file beside a bunch of others and then turned back to her. Saint Tail made a point to remember that her new file was easily the thinnest of them all, and was the last one in the back at the moment. She doubted they would recruit another tonight. So she knew that she'd find hers in the back when she snuck back here later.

"Well, Saint tail, welcome to our Guild of Thieves. You are correct about the initiation. We have seen your expertise, but we need to see it directly, when you are doing it for us, not for you. Can you do that?"

"What? You want me to put on a magic show for you? Pull out my deck of cards?" Saint Tail smirked, touching the brim of the top hat that she'd been wearing this whole time.

"Not a show, per se. But we need to see your tricks favor us. We have a job lined up, and we were planning to have our guild assistant leader do the job, but now that you're one of us, I think we should let you do it for us. Complete the job successfully, and you will get everything you could ever want here. Fail, and you will be punished for your fault. Do you accept?"

"What do I have to do?"

Saint Tail was accepting easily. She had to. If she seemed at all upset or careful about her decisions, she would lose their trust as quickly as she had gained it. Only for Asuka Jr. was she doing this. She couldn't just let them do this to her friend. Her crush. But they didn't need to know that part.

"That young detective," The old man began, and Saint Tail perked up and listened intently, all the while keeping her calm face on. "You will be the one to bring him to us. He chases you intently, keeps up with you constantly. What we want you to do is set up a theft with your warning notes to him, and let him come close to you. Let him think he's caught you. You don't have to worry about your identity. We will be there the whole time. We will save you. Your job is done the second he thinks he has you caught. Can you do that for us?"

"Yes." Saint Tail said after a long moment. She knew her job assignment, she knew her rules. She also knew her plan. Her self made plan. It would work. It had to. She had a chance to stop this before it even started. If she was careful. "When works for you. Tomorrow?" Best to bend them all around her gloved pinky now, right. While her wound would still cut fresh and deep.

"That soon? Are you sure you're up for it? Don't you need to plan?"

"For what? I won't be stealing anything. I don't need building maps. I don't need security hours and schedules. All I need is his cooperation and a warning note. I can do it as early as tomorrow night."

"Great. Make us proud. What time will you be there?"

"8pm?"

"Perfect. Will you come here earlier?"

"Sure. I think I'll hang here with you for a day if that's alright."

"It's awesome. You are older than 18, right, young lady?"

"I'm twenty. But I know, I look young."

"It's that pretty hair. And those baby blues of yours. You are very pretty. No one would ever assume you to be a thief. Not with your looks."

"Good for me then, isn't it?"

"Are you in schooling or anything?"

"No. No schooling of any sort. I don't have a job either."

"You do now, beautiful."

-----

That night, at maybe 1 am Meimi got home and plopped down into bed. She didn't sleep. There was no way to sleep. She laid in bed until 6 am, getting maybe an hour of sleep all night. At 6, she got up and discarded her nightgown on the bathroom tile and stepped into an flaming hot, steaming shower. She didn't mind the heat burning against her skin. It gave her pain, something else to focus on besides her work. She wasn't nervous about getting Asuka to come to her. There was no doubt he would. It was that when she executed her own plan, would he listen? Meimi leaned back against the tile and wrapped her arms around herself. Would it work or would she accidentally drag him into extreme danger? Why was she even doing it? If she didn't go, she would lose her trust with the guild. Not a big issue, really, she didn't really care about the guild. But they would still go after him, with or without her assistance. She was doing this to warn him. That was the only reason. Hopefully she would succeed. Because if she didn't, he was done. Most likely, he would either get out barely alive, or not at all. Saint Tail couldn't just sit back and watch, doing nothing, and let him walk straight into his own doom. So why didn't she go to him now, during the day, and tell him as her real self? Because she had to watch her every move. For all she knew, they could be watching her now, right now. She couldn't take a risk like that, especially since his house was so close to their headquarters.

Meimi was so occupied with her thoughts that she was forgetting normal things. She cracked an egg into a pan and added a little butter, then moved to cut up some fruit. She was so lost in thought that she realized she was chopping, no, practically mincing her fruit, and had burned her omelet. She forgot to dress and got the mail in her nightgown, not even noticing the cute twenty something neighbor as he practically fell over the sidewalk because his eyes were on her barely covered up chest and not on where he was going. Had she seen, she would have been flattered, but she couldn't think about anything normal on a day like this.

When her mother came downstairs, alone since her dad was already gone for a show, and saw Meimi in her little black nightgown, she smiled.

"Had a good night?"

"Hmm? Morning mom, what do you mean?"

"You came home at 1 am and I heard you walking around at night down here. I'm not sure what you were doing, but the nightgown tells me you had an inventive night."

"Huh? Oh! No! Mom no! I don't, didn't... no!"

"So I assume there's no handsome shirtless guy about to walk in and ask for round two?"

"No. No!"

"... alright... I was mistaken. Why then were you up all night? Out so late?"

"I went on a date."

"That's why I assumed what I did."

"I know mom. No. I went... on a date. But I didn't... I can't even say it."

"Well. Okay then. Good to know. So why couldn't you sleep?"

Now, how could she answer that without revealing anything? "Um, I just... have a lot on my mind. About the date. About everything."

"I understand, honey. Everything will be ok. I'm not sure what you have to think about, but whatever it is, it'll work out."

As much as Meimi knew that what her mom was talking about had nothing to do with her present problem, it comforted her to hear her mom's quiet assurance.

"Thanks, mom." Meimi whispered, holding her hand for a long moment before finishing her last bite of breakfast and heading slowly upstairs to get some proper clothes on. It took a while. I mean, what do you wear to a guild of thieves? In the end Meimi chose a pair of tight jeans and a black t shirt. That looked pretty simple yet sexy. She wanted to, for probably the first time in many years now, come on as entirely normal. No shorts and light floaty tank. No racy dress. Normal. It was an odd word to someone like her.

-----

That night, around 7, Meimi, or rather, Saint Tail, made her way to a factory close to their headquarters. She'd told them the address, but she'd told them 8pm. That should give her enough time for Asuka Jr. to show and catch her. She'd make it easy for him. Then she'd warn him and make him leave before they came. 50 minutes. Should be enough time. She sat down on a stack of wooden crates and waited for Asuka Jr. to show. The best way to do this was to not run at all, and she wouldn't. She had a black mask that she had worn to a Comic con earlier that year and it went quite nicely with her Saint Tail outfit. Her identity was safe.

When said detective showed up, Saint Tail couldn't help the thrill that shot through her veins. She hated admitting it, but she was seriously attracted to that man. He made her blood boil, in a good way. And the fact that they were supposed to be enemies, at war with each other, a thief against a detective, it made the idea of a tryst between them so much sexier. Kinkier.

He didn't run towards her. He didn't shout her name and come running. And she didn't run away. They were past those teenage cat and mouse games. Well, not really, they did do that. But tonight wasn't a game. Tonight could very well be life or death. Every move had to be played right.

Silent as a whisper, Saint Tail slid from her makeshift seat and walked across the small bridge to the other railing, where she could see he was watching her just as intently as she was. She wasn't alone in the attraction, she knew that. Maybe, just maybe, if all this went as per her plan, after this nightmare was over, they could actually try and see where that attraction could lead. Slim chance of that, with the risk she was putting him under.

She watched, quiet, as he slowly made his way over to her. When he spoke, she knew she should respond, but she didn't know how. What could she say, in case someone was listening. If she mentioned anything about his danger, and someone was listening in on the conversation, they were both doomed. So what could she possibly say? Did she even have a choice? She just stayed as she was, elbows resting on the railing, watching as he came up to her and stopped a couple feet away. This wasn't entirely unnatural for them, they had talked before, but it was still odd for them.

"Hey, no marathon in high heels tonight?" Asuka Jr. said with a smirk.

"No. Too much on my mind. I would probably trip and break my shoe or something."

"Understandable. So, I take it you aren't stealing tonight?"

Saint Tail smirked, but shook her head, making her ponytail spread out over her back like a fiery blanket.

"But there must be a reason you called me here. If not to chase you and hope to catch you, even with my slim chances, then what, may I ask, is the reason I'm here tonight and not at home taking a hot bath?"

The image of him and a hot bath sounded so fucking heavenly that she nearly combusted on the spot, her mind flooded with images and visions of everything she could only imagine. Saint Tail held her breath for a second, her hands tightly clutched together. She adjusted her footing, pressing her thighs together. Fuck. This was so bad for them both right now. This was wasting time, and it was all her fault. Too bad his words were enough to send her sexual desire into overdrive.

"I..." So hard. What could she possibly say? She had no choice. "... just need... to ask you to do something for me." She said the words as softly as possible, whispering the words so no one could hear them.

"And what would that be?"

"Please stay quiet. This is dangerous. Come closer."

Asuka Jr. moved up beside her, settling onto the railing just the same as she. He looked her over closely, looking at the mask, at her pretty eyes hidden behind the shimmering black. He knew who she was. He'd known for a long time.

"What the fuck is going on?" He whispered softly, looking at her directly.

"Please, do one thing for me. Only one thing." Now she was speaking as softly as possible.

"What?"

"Get away from here."

"What on earth are you talking about? And, why on this planet would I ever do that?"

"To stay safe."

"You're confusing me."

"Asuka Jr. You need to listen to me. You aren't safe here. Not now. You're in danger simply by being here and talking to me. We both are. I have discovered something extremely dangerous by accident. And I have found out that you are the target. That is why I have called you here. You need to listen to me and get out of here, now. Go away and stay low. I don't know how long for, but for a while at least. Book a speed trip to Aruba, I don't know. Wherever the hell you want. Just stay low. Especially at night, you need to stay securely away from places like these." She was still whispering.

"And you?"

He was listening, at least he was paying attention.

"I have gotten onto their good side. Even I don't know how I managed that, but I did. This is supposed to be my initiation. Getting you into their hands. I've called you to warn you to get out of here. I will go with them for my punishment, which I have no idea of, burn my non disclosure agreement, which, frankly, means nothing since I've already broken multiple laws tonight, and then escape. I can do it. You, need to leave."

"Ok. Thank you Saint Tail. For caring."

"You mean something to me. Always have."

"Oh, Saint Tail. My beautiful Saint Tail. It means so much to me to hear that. I think I'm in love with you too." He hugged her, tightly pulled her into his arms, and for that one long moment, she let him. She let the worries go, hugged him back, and let a few tears escape, because this may very well be the last time she'd see him for many many years.

"Oh how sweet." Was the only thing they heard before two of the older men pulled him out of her arms and she was pulled back into another pair of arms, held tightly. The tears fell, she tried frantically to stop them, for the sake of the game she was playing, and immediately regretted herself and what she'd done. She hadn't watched the seconds and the minutes, and now she'd probably gotten him killed.

"Good job, good job. A little oddball for you, but that was amazing." The old man whispered into her ear quietly while she watched them drag him away.

-----

Saint Tail had a tough time focusing. She couldn't believe how reckless she'd been. But she knew that crying over her own stupid mistake was useless. She had to fix it. But how? There had to be a way. She couldn't just break him out. She'd snuck in this morning and inspected those locks and bars. She couldn't break them. And she knew she couldn't pick the lock. There was no way. She didn't know that lock type. It would take too long. She glanced up from her glass of coke and looked around. What could she do? She'd been home for a couple hours again at night, just to take a quick, burning hot bath, and eat something that actually tasted good. She'd tried to sleep some, but it was useless now. As soon as she was done with her meal, early in the morning, she left a short note for her mom, detailing nothing, just saying she wasn't to worry, that Meimi was just dealing with some minor issues with friends, and went back.

Well, at least she had a little time, she thought as she remembered where she was when the man besides her laughed roughly at some silly joke. She didn't know how long she had left, not really, but she assumed a day or two at least. Time to formulate a plan, whatever sort it happened to be of. A plan to break him out. To escape along with him. To save them both. She put on her Saint Tail outfit, here, and went back to the bar, taking back her seat.

Saint Tail settled back to her drink and the seemingly never ending football game playing on a huge flat screen TV on the back wall. It was a pretty quiet place, this guild. And, Saint Tail had noticed, that either you were lost in thought, stuck in a poker game, planning a heist, watching the game, or flat out drunk. She hadn't been drunk yet, not here at least, though she couldn't be sure that there wasn't something in the coke, she wasn't playing poker, mainly because she knew she would win every game, she wasn't watching the game because it had been going on all day, and she wasn't going to plan any heists any time soon, not for these people, so she was basically stuck in theme one. So she sat, and she thought. And thought. And thought. And then she asked for another coke and thought some more. For maybe most of the day. She kept her thoughts to herself, and finished half of a giant 10000 piece puzzle that was spread over the whole bar top. Every hour she moved a seat over.

By the time 7pm rolled around, she had a pretty concrete plan. The puzzle sat before her unnoticed now, her drink untouched for an hour. She quietly but intently watched the guild members come and go to and from the back rooms, moving stuff, getting files, bringing stuff back. It was never quite quiet back there. Not for long at least. A few moments at most. Saint Tail knew that since Asuka Jr. was being kept locked up, that the key was here somewhere. There was no way around that fact. She also had the right to assume that the leader had it either close to himself or, more likely, on himself. So how could she get close enough to him, without seeming suspicious? She could seemingly flirt with him for info. She was already part of their guild. She'd passed her initiation with flying colors, even though she'd actually never tried to pass it in the first place. She had the right to ask a little bit. Right? Right. getting up, she kept a straight face when the bartender came up and asked her where she was off to.

"Handsome, do you think the good leader would answer a few questions for me?"

"Depends. He's not really a very chatty person, and keeps things to himself. But if you do it right, he might let up for you, cutie pie. What are your questions?"

"I'm just curious about how you deal with a case like the one we have now. That detective."

"Mmm. You should be able to get something there. As long as that hug you gave him, which seemed quite real, was just as much of a fake as the leader believes. It was, right?"

"Of course. Why would I hug my enemy?"

"That's what he thinks, as well. Yeah, go to Sam. He should help you with your curiosities."

"Sam?"

"Samuel. We call him Sam. Leader of the Pack. Just don't get on his bad side."

"Of course not." She said, smiling. Now she could only hope Asuka Jr. wouldn't foil her plan while she was executing it. This was the one time she almost begged god to make sure his handsome emerald eyes were closed and sleeping. Better that way. For them both. At least this time. For other times she wished him awake and eager. Just this once, let god make sure he was sleepy.

Saint Tail gently knocked on the door to Samuels office, waiting patiently and running through her thoughts again and again. Strangely, she wasn't as nervous as she thought she'd be. She had this man wrapped around her fingers already.

"Hello, beautiful. What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering about a few things. I was hoping we could chat for a few minutes. I don't mean anything, but I think if I'm a part of your guild now, then I should learn the ropes, don't you? I mean, I'm curious about what you do once you get your catch in. How you plan stuff? Can't blame me for being curious. But, I understand if you're busy. I don't... no, you know what, forget it." Saint Tail said casually, turning to leave.

"No. Come in. I wanted to teach you. I just assumed you wouldn't be interested."

Saint Tail smiled, but only internally. Fuck, that was so easy it wasn't even funny. She turned back and stepped past him, her eyes glancing quickly towards the cell in the corner. It was mostly cut off and walled over, but there was a window. Saint Tail could see Asuka Jr., asleep on a thin mattress, blanket bunched around his waist. He had a bottle of water, half full, but that was it. The moment she had her gloved fingers around that damn key, he would be safe.

"So Sam, what is there I need to know?" She said, walking up to his desk, leaning down against it as he sat down in his chair across the table. She could see his eyes traveling.

"Well... there isn't all that much that you need to know. I'm the leader, but you need much less info. I trust you. You passed so well I'm impressed with you. If this were an actual job, you'd be getting a wicked raise. What is it you're interested in?"

"How long do you plan to keep him before you take him out?"

"A few hours now. We don't wait. the risks of getting found out are too high."

"You're finishing it tonight?" Saint Tail had to fight to keep her voice cool and content. God, she hadn't any of the time she'd previously thought of.

"Yeah. Don't worry, you won't be doing the details. I will."

Can I go to him beforehand and say goodbye?"

"If you want to. But only under supervision."

"Of course. I understand."

"But why would you want to say goodbye?"

"He's chased me for many years. Its only right to say bye. And that I won."

"Have I mentioned that I really am starting to like you?"

Saint Tail just smiled. Good. She needed the trust for this to work. She kept her eyes on Sam's, but she was checking everything. She didn't see a key anywhere. No bronze shine, no silver hook. She smiled back when Sam did, her eyes coasting behind him every couple seconds.

Then she saw it. Behind him there was a mirror, just a small one, broken, but in its reflection she spotted a silver ring with two tiny keys. Under the table. Under the side, hanging from a small gold hook. She smiled, bringing her eyes back to his, and leaned back, settling into the seat behind her. She scooted closer with her seat, and leaned back as if relaxing into its softness.

"What exactly is it that you like about me?" She asked, slipping her foot under the table, carefully testing where the tip of her toe reached in the mirror. It could work. Just barely.

"You're determination to get done everything and anything you want." He said, and Saint Tail immediately lowered her foot back to the ground, both heels together.

"Well, I'm sure you do that as well." Again she lifted her foot slowly, glancing at the mirror for a split second only. "I mean, please. If you want something, you get it."

"See, that precisely is what I mean. You take what you want."

"Yeah that's true. I always do that. I can't help it."

"You're a smart woman. You're intelligent. Sneaky."

"Good. I think it really suits me." Saint Tail smiled, her eyes locked with Sam's. Her toe was on the ring with the keys. Her heels were open toed, she could feel the metal against the fabric of her stocking. So close. So close to freedom.

Sam smirked and turned his eyes to the window. To the mirror. Saint Tail quickly pulled her foot away, lowering it back to the other. Damn! All she'd needed was a few more seconds!

"It does. Especially when you do something like last night." He answered, turning his eyes back to her.

"Did I do well?" Saint Tail inquired, pulling her chair slightly closer to the desk. To the keys.

"Yes."

Again she tried her hand, or foot, at freedom. She smiled at Sam, glancing at the mirror only for a second so she could angle her foot right. She felt it. This would be the one.

"Really? How well did I do? Dare you say awesome?" She was on the edge of her seat.

"I dare say brilliant. You brought him to you without ever having him chase you."

"He's in love with me." She whispered, glancing toward the cell where he was sleeping.

"It's incredible the way you stayed so calm talking to him and kept him occupied with you until we came to your rescue."

"Well, I knew you'd be there. Even if I had been caught, you would have come. It was a no brainer."

Saint Tail was prolonging this conversation as much as she could. She had her foot at the key ring, holding it to the wood. She moved her foot ever so slightly lower, slipping the tip into the ring. The keys jingled together, and Saint Tail froze. Fuck that would make it so much harder. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. It took all her willpower to keep her smile on her face. But hey. She was a thief. If anything was her forte, it was this. Stealing from under peoples noses. Should be easy. She'd been doing it for years.

Ever so gently she slipped the tip of her shoe into the ring and let it slip over. She clamped her big toe hard over it and gently pulled back, glancing at the mirror again, and pulled it from its hook. The keys jingled again, and she stopped her movement for a second, then tried again. Once closer to her other foot, she lowered her leg and gently laid the keys at her feet, listening for any sound. She spoke with Sam, simple flirtation, anything to cover the noise the keys could easily make at any second. She placed her shoe over the keys, the tip flat against the ring, and dragged her leg back to her, pulling the keys along. She kept her foot over the keys, but leaned forward in her chair, leaning over the desk, placing her chin in her hands. Sam leaned forward as well, and Saint Tail realized that she better speed this along. This conversation was going on too long. He was getting tired of it. And right now, she couldn't afford to get on his bad side.

"So, Sam, what time are we waiting for? When are we going to take him?"

"10 or so. Late. When we don't have to worry about others. Are you coming along?"

"I think I should, don't you?" She asked casually, leaning on one hand, letting the other fall to her side. She leaned down on the table edge, resting her chin on her forearm, and faked a yawn. With her free hand, she slipped a finger through the key ring and lifted it, grasping the keys themselves so that they wouldn't clink and make noise. She lifted them, all the while keeping up her chatter with Sam, and lifted her hand to her stomach, suddenly very glad that her dad had taught her how to palm different items. She quietly pushed her fingers underneath the edge of her tux, making idle conversation, and slipped the two keys together beneath the edge of her skirt, where no sounds could come from. The keys were snug now, safe. She'd have put them under her foot, into the shoe, but that would have looked awkward as she walked, the keys would have hurt insanely much. This way, she could keep her hands at her stomach casually, and keep everything natural, which wasn't the case.

"I'll join you. Is that alright?" She asked softly, smiling a real smile now.

"Sure. You are part of us now, you did so well, you should see what we do."

"Exactly. When do you plan to head out?"

"Nine."

"Well, it's 7 now. I should get ready. You know, girls and their makeup."

"I understand. But trust me when I say, you my lady, don't need the makeup."

"Very funny. I should go."

"I'll join you to the bar. Hang out with the guys some." Both of them walked out of the office easily, Saint Tail barely breathing, not daring to move her hands. She could feel the cold metal against her stomach, and could only pray they wouldn't jingle and break the silence now.

"Join me for a drink beautiful? When you return?" Sam asked as they made it to the bar.

"Sure. When I'm done." Saint Tail responded, and turned back, slipping into the ladies bathroom and leaning on the table. She wasn't sure why they even had a ladies bathroom since she was easily the only girl here, at least at the moment, but that was irrelevant. It didn't matter. She just found it odd. Saint Tail went to the tile counter and for a moment she just let herself breathe. She'd done it. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, willing herself to relax. It wasn't over yet, she had to break him out, she had the keys. Her first job was done. But she couldn't relax long. She didn't have a choice. If she was going to break him out, she had to do it now.

She kept the keys within her tux, just in case there were any cameras anywhere here, though she doubted there were any in the bathroom, and quickly swiped on a fresh layer of rosy lipstick from the bottle she kept in her skirt pocket. She'd said she was going to fix her makeup, better make it look promising. Her hand clenched in a fist, she went back to the door, opening it just slightly. She glanced down the hall, watching for anybody, and quickly hid herself behind the door when she saw somebody coming around the corner from the far back hall. She waited, listening, hearing, until she heard footsteps walk by. When she didn't hear anything, she opened the door back up, peeked around again, and stepped out quietly.

Saint Tail didn't waste her time. She had a second, so she used it. She ran quietly to the back of the hall, peeking around the corner quickly, then ran to the office door. She knew it wasn't locked since Sam hadn't turned to do anything to it as they'd walked out. Being as quiet as possible, she turned the knob and slipped through it quickly, closing it behind her. Were there cameras here? Yeah there easily could be. But she couldn't dwell on that. What exactly could she do if there were? Nothing. She just had to be quick and ignore her fears. Saint Tail sighed and ran over to the lone cell in the room and looked through the window. Immediately Asuka Jr. looked up at her and his face spread into a wide grin. She mouthed some words at him and focused on the lock. She lifted her tux and grabbed the keys as they fell, immediately pushing one into the lock. She tried both, grateful when it clicked open. Quickly she slipped the lock off, trying to be quiet, and placed it on the counter close by. But the happiness of the situation made that quite the challenge. She pulled the door open and instantly shut it again, hearing the door to the office click open. She ran as quickly and quietly as possible the other way into the leaders private bath. She shut the door and held her breath, waiting, not daring to move or breathe, her heart beating out of her chest. She hadn't put the lock back on. She had just made it away in time.

She listened to the talk of two men in the next room, one of which she clearly recognized as Sam. His voice had that rough, mean edge to it. It gave her goose bumps. This wasn't a man you crossed unless you had a death wish. She was doing exactly that. The other she didn't know. Saint Tail put her hands together, clutching the keys tight, and prayed, literally, that they wouldn't see the open lock on the shelf.

"We need to make sure he never sees the light of day again." Sam said, and the other man agreed with him.

"Do you trust that Saint Tail? She did her initiation awfully well. Better than most." The unrecognized man asked.

"I do." Sam said with no unsure note in his voice.

At that Saint Tail grinned despite the fear of the moment. If she could get Asuka Jr. out of here tonight before 9, without getting caught, she would consider this her best theft yet. She waited 5 minutes, barely daring to breathe. She was glued to the door like a tattoo, listening to everything she could. When they finally left, she just wanted to drop to the ground and sleep. Too much fear. She'd have a heart attack if this continued much longer. The tension would kill her. Well, she loved the thrill of being Saint Tail, there was no mistaking it, but this, for the last two days now, it was too much. They were always on her heels. She had such a slim chance of success that it felt hopeless to even try. But she had to.

Carefully Saint Tail opened the door and went straight back to the cell. He waited inside with a grin, shaking his head at her. Once she got in, it took her no time to run into his waiting arms and hug him tight.

"I'm sorry. So sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this." She cried quietly, whispering against his neck.

"Baby, I would have been dragged in anyways of my own volition. You tried to warn me. Had I been in your shoes I would have done the same." He whispered back. "Though I'm sure your shoes would be incredibly uncomfortable."

Saint Tail giggled. Even despite the situation, he knew how to make her laugh. If that wasn't true love, what was? She hugged him tight to her, then got up and stepped around behind him. She chose the second key on the ring, slipped it into the lock on the handcuffs. It didn't work. Her heart fell. Really? Another obstacle? Hadn't she faced enough in this last day? She hadn't slept at all in 24 hours. She was so tired, but her body wouldn't let her sleep. But tonight was her last night in this damn guild. One way or another. What was she thinking? There was only one way. She'd only accept one way. If she didn't get him out, she wouldn't ever forgive herself. Come on, she was a thief. An excellent thief. She wasn't going to let this be the first theft she failed. She tried once more, then took the keys and hid them under the seam of her stocking.

"I need another key. A handcuff key. I'll find it somewhere in the building. I'll be back."

"You don't stop, do you?" He asked, shocked by her determined tone and her quick work.

"Not when it comes to you, handsome. Wait for me, I'll save you."

"So what? You're my knight in shining armor now?"

"Knight in a black tux and a pink skirt. I'll be back."

"I'll never forgive you if you don't come back. Remember that."

-----

Saint Tail was just ready to fall over. She hadn't stopped her search for the last 45 minutes, checking everything. She made on the spot lies to get behind the bar, saying she loved bartending, to get into the secret files, saying she loved this guild and wanted to know more. God, she didn't know where else she could look.

She'd checked cabinets, drawers, behind pictures, the other men, the dog's collar, even the bathroom accessories. Where on earth was that damn key?! She'd snuck into every room, into every corner. There was nowhere else. She'd even snuck into the oddest places she could. Who would hide a handcuff key in an attic, or a basement? Or a stock closet?

Sighing at her failure, Saint Tail went back to her seat at the bar, next to the boss, and rested her chin on her arms.

"Hey, you're quite busy aren't you? A lot of energy. What are you up to, always going somewhere? I know you're curious, and that's all well and good, but do it too much and the boys may get the wrong idea." Sam said casually, pushing a wine glass towards her. Saint Tail took a tiny sip, but she didn't taste it. She liked wine, especially red wine. It was a very sexy drink. Her first drunken night came from wine such as this. But she couldn't taste its flavour today. Not right now. In fact, the wine tasted bitter to her. She'd basically failed her job. She had ten minutes left before they headed out. That wasn't enough time to find a key.

Where hadn't she looked yet? She'd checked everything behind the bar while she'd pretended to help out. She'd snuck back into the office repeatedly, wondering why it shouldn't be in the bosses office. That was where it should be. She'd flipped every picture she could find, looking for safe boxes, looking if it was taped anywhere. Nothing. God, no theft she'd ever pulled off had been this hard.

She thought they would have it with them initially, on them even, for when they took him, but she didn't see anything on belts or hooks. Nowhere. Damn, she was failing this so bad. This was easily her most important theft, and she'd failed it. But she'd come so close. She was one damn key and ten minutes away from freedom, with him, but she couldn't do it. She'd never forgive herself for this.

That was it. Saint Tail was done. If she couldn't save her crush from a bunch of thieves who thought they were part of a ridiculous guild, then she didn't deserve her Saint Tail identity. She'd hang up her costume, and forget her alternate identity. She didn't deserve it. Not if she failed this.

Saint Tail shifted in her seat, closer to the table. Her leg pushed against the brick, and she shifted it closer to Sam, she didn't care what it looked like. Nothing mattered anymore. She stopped breathing when something against her knee moved. She was still aware of every sensation, even though she'd pretty much given up. She pushed with her knee tentatively, feeling it when it moved deeper into the brick.

Hiding her smile, Saint Tail sat up straight, lowering her hands to her lap. Raising one hand, she drained her glass, glad she liked wine, and asked for another. She didn't want another, but she had to play this right. Distraction was key. She hid her hand again, acting all nonchalant, and silently moved her fingers to the brick, scooting closer yet, so she could reach.

"We'll be leaving soon. You sure you want wine now?"

"Mmm. Yeah. I want to feel even better when we finish the job." She murmured softly, her fingers testing the slight gap in the brick her knee had pushed open. She didn't know if anything was there, but it was such an odd thing, a moving, secret brick, that she felt lucky now. She pushed the brick deeper with her fingers now, testing the exposed surface. Hmm, nothing there. Yet, the brick could still be moved deeper. She tried to seem nonchalant, but with every inch she moved it into the wall, she felt more and more lucky. Sam glanced at his phone, beeping on his belt, and she froze, her fingers not moving a millimeter, her breath caught. He slowly took it off his belt, flipping it open, and reading his newest message. She waited, not breathing, as he read, then wrote something short back, and then stood up. Slowly he moved off, walking around her to two other men. Internally she nearly fainted, but used her moment to all she could, slipping her fingers into the crack between brick now, searching, then sensing something. Tape. She felt it. Its smoothness. Its texture. She pushed her thumbnail against its edge, feeling something hard and fairly heavy against the tape, and tugged. It came off. Quietly, she took it back into her lap quickly, folding the tape away from it, and grinning slightly. She had a key. Didn't know if it was the key, but it was a key nevertheless. She reached up, as if to pull her glove back up her arm, and pushed it into the edge as she pulled it up. With the tape it would stick and no one would ever think. Now what? She felt so happy. So good. Yeah, there was only one Saint Tail, and she was the best. The best of them all.

But she couldn't go to him now. As much as her feet ached to run to him, it was 9pm. Any minute now, they would leave, wherever it was they were going. If she went to him now, they would get caught. Her skirt wasn't exactly great camouflage in an office. No. She had to reign her excitement and wait. Wait until they left. Until she knew where they were headed. Then she'd jump in and go along. Once they got there, she'd have to get to him. The hardest job was done. As soon as she got the key to him, everything would work out. This mess would be over. Saint Tail couldn't wait to get started.

"We're going, Saint Tail." Sam said as he passed by her. The words dragged her from her thoughts.

"What's the plan?"

"Bridge." That was all he had to say. She knew already. These people did stuff only one way. The safe way. And the safest thing to do in their favor would be to take him to the bridge. And the rest? Well, that didn't need an explanation. Saint Tail wasn't sure she could explain it if asked to do so. It was just too ugly. Too mean. Too... bad.

Wordlessly, she stood from her seat and followed after the others. 8 or so members went outside, so Saint Tail followed quietly, gathering that Sam and only Sam was allowed inside Asuka Jr.'s cell. Yeah right. Everyone seemed to pile into the large car, except one person that kept his hold on Saint Tail. She was trusted, yes, but obviously Sam still needed to check off something with her obvious place in the guild.

"Eric, let her sit where she pleases. She isn't going to cause any trouble for us in the car. I trust her." Sam said, walking up to the car, Asuka Jr. in his strong hold, handcuffs tight on his wrists. Asuka Jr. locked his eyes with hers, and for a second time disappeared. For a second all those men weren't there and it was just them. She'd always taken their time alone together for granted, now she saw just how much those moments meant. Saint Tail longed to mouth a reassuring answer at Asuka Jr., anything, even one word, but as Eric let her go and Sam pushed Asuka Jr. towards the back seat in the big car, she knew that if she even did as little as smile at him, a simple hint, it would be over. She needed to hide everything. Every feeling. Every expression. For just a little bit longer.

Once they were all in the car, Saint Tail made it her job to just keep her face down, gluing her eyes to her cell phone and something completely uninteresting, just to keep her emotions in check. She could feel the key at her elbow, and already knew how she'd get it to him. There was only one way to do this perfectly and without risk to them both. And it was going to be plenty fun, too. Her worries were over, and for one little thing left to do, she was practically done. All she had to do now was wait.

-----

The drive was about 45 minutes, and in those minutes, Saint Tail had her whole speech worked out. This wasn't going to be so tough anymore. She stayed downcast, almost as if she were a victim to them as well as they spread for the sidewalks of the bridge, and Saint Tail could only hope that they wouldn't make this quick. They should take their time, considering nobody drove this bridge so late anyways, but there was no way to be certain.

When they took him to the railing, to the ledge, and Sam walked up to him, Saint Tail decided now was as good a time as any. Quietly, while everyone was focused on Sam, Saint Tail slipped her fingers past the band of her gloves and retrieved the key. She left the tape behind, and silently placed the key past her lips. It certainly was small enough. She pushed it past her teeth and into her cheek, so she could speak.

"Can I say bye?"

Everyone looked at her. Everyone. Including Asuka Jr. himself. He looked at her, almost in shock. Silly man. He really thought she was giving up.

"You actually want to do that?" Sam asked.

"Well, I think, he's going to die now. He should at least have a nice experience for once in his short life, don't you think? I can give him that."

"With?"

"A kiss. Just one."

For a good long moment, everyone just stared at her, then Sam slowly nodded, for a reason Saint Tail didn't entirely understand, and stepped back somewhat, still not going back more than a couple feet. Sam kept his eyes locked on Saint Tail and every step she took. Like an audience watching the magician perform her best trick. Saint Tail walked up to Asuka Jr., who was watching her like he'd seen a ghost. He honestly thought she was coming to say goodbye. What a guy. She stopped before him, so close to him, and smiled. Finally let herself smile. Now, it would seem like a part of her farewell, to smile at him. When she leaned in, eyes closed, and placed her lips over Asuka Jr.'s ever so softly, she could feel his confusion.

What a moment for their first kiss, hmm?

She kept her hands to herself, to keep any suspicions at bay even now, but she ached to touch him and wind her fingers through his hair. She kissed him deeply, a real kiss, both for them and for his survival.

 

Asuka Jr. wanted to cry. She was saying good bye. Really. How could she? She'd tried so so hard to save him. Had she just given up? It wasn't like her to just give up and surrender. He didn't know what to think. What on earth was she doing? And, if she was saying good bye, then why did she seem so damn calm?! When Asuka Jr. felt her lips shift, part slightly, and felt something hard and smooth against his teeth, he had to fight not to cry. She wasn't giving up. Of course not. How could he be so stupid as to ever think that?

He opened his mouth slightly, knowing exactly what she was giving him, and fought to hold back a grin. Of course, the perfect magician's trick. It was that very act, and she'd spotted the way out. He was going into the water, tied up, and had to save himself. It was the classic magicians trick, and she was the magician, as any person who understood Saint Tail knew. Fuck, this smart, intelligent girl was going to kill him. He had to properly catch her soon and kiss her correctly, without all these people watching, and maybe even more. He'd never dared, but here they were. Kissing while he accepted her key, his way out. He'd never dared it possible, but she wanted him as much as he wanted her. God, if this oddly beautiful plan of hers went off without a hitch, and it certainly seemed that way, than he'd have to catch her and tell her how he felt. Maybe they could actually have a relationship, albeit an odd one.

Everything hurt when she broke the soft kiss and stepped back, the light of evil satisfaction in her eyes. He barely managed to hide a grin as he bit hard on the key, holding it tight. She grinned at him once more, wiping the kiss off her lips with her glove. She was acting still, even though her job was done. God, she was good. So good.

"Bye, bad boy." She said aloud, giving him a tiny wink as she spun away, shaking her hips as she sauntered away. Fuck. Hey, maybe the cold water of the river would soothe the fire that was consuming him. Her fire.

Asuka Jr. didn't smile, didn't wink back, nothing as they took him to the edge of the bridge, onto the ledge. He went calmly, but made his movement seem stunted, as if he wanted to fight their orders. It was all there to make it seem natural. But he was calm. He knew water, and survival. The river was calm this time of year. It wouldn't be an issue. He knew how long he could hold his breath, and he knew how fast he had to get out of those cuffs to be able to swim to the water's surface. Yeah, he was completely calm. He glanced over at where Saint Tail had settled, by the railing on the road, mindlessly checking her phone for something. She was doing everything in her power to make herself seem as uninterested in him as possible. But she was anything but uninterested. He knew that. She was all too aware. And he saw she was sending him another signal now. As hidden as it was. And he trusted the girl, so he knew immediately what she was planning. She was telling him to wait for her. After he saved himself. To wait at the banks of the river. Her phone was showing him that. He faintly saw it in her hands as she kept herself turned away from him, and there was a faint picture on it. Letters. Numbers. A heart. A code. A decoded message she knew he'd be smart enough to figure out. She nodded ever so slightly, her hand in her pocket, and he watched her fingers push against the pocket of her skirt. Two faint shapes made their imprint against the fabric. Small squares. He didn't know what they were, but evidently she knew those were her way out. He had to hold back a grin. She was such a smart one, no wonder she always escaped his every plan. She was so smart. So smart. And he implicitly trusted her. Always had. He only had one hope left, all others fulfilled by her in the last two days. That she wouldn't, for one damn time, run. Rather, that she'd come back to him, for their love. A chance to let it really burn freely. because it had been contained far too long. And for another one of those velvety soft, warm kisses. No key this time though, please.

When there was a strong hand on his back, pushing him to the edge of the bridge, onto the railing, he fought, but it was all a show. She was the magician, he was the assistant, and these crooks were the unassuming audience. How very perfect. He pretended to struggle, quite proud of his performance, and she helped, acting nonchalant, even walking off farther back the way they came, to the trees. The second they pushed him off, and he felt the cold air of the fall soothe him, he knew her plan. It was time for another trick. A disappearing act. Man, he'd ask her for that trick after this was over. He wanted to know that one. Maybe she'd teach it to him.

The force of the water knocked the breath from his lungs, but he kept calm. Asuka Jr. kept up the charade, making it seem like a struggle, but really he was just preparing the key in his mouth. After a short moment he let himself sink under the water and held his breath. It took no time for him to bring his cuffed hands to his face and slip the key into his fingers. He held the key and bent his wrists as he could, reaching and pushing the key into the lock. Raising the cuffs to his lips, he bit the key despite the water slipping into his mouth and twisted it sharply. He felt it. A click. Still he kept them on. He braced his feet on the floor of the river, holding tight and pushed up to the surface, gasping for a deep breath as he broke through while quickly looking up at the distant bridge. He didn't see clearly but he still saw his Saint Tail standing there, talking with a couple men. He knew she meant for him to wait for her in the forest surrounding this river, and he would. She was the perfect distraction for him to get out of the river. He smiled and took a deep breath going back under the water and swimming with the current, to the rocks by the riverside, grasping hold of the wood, of the planks, and holding on tightly. Yes, the water was freezing cold, but he didn't care.

Once he was safely out of water, he immediately tugged his shirt off and squeezed the water out of it, as soon as he was out of the cuffs. Well, he wouldn't be wearing this tonight. He was suddenly glad for the heat that was around lately.

Well, what to do? Asuka Jr. walked over to the rocks and stepped onto some large rocks, glancing through the trees to see the bridge. It was tiny from here, but it was vacant, he could see. They were gone. No doubt she'd played her part well and they thought he was dead. He turned back and looked at the trees. He'd wait for her, no doubt there. He'd wait forever for that girl. Only for her. But he had to at least let his dad know where he was. He'd explain all later. for now his dad must at least know that his son was safe. Then he would wait for Saint Tail. She would come. She always did. He walked along the river, slow and quiet, still listening to every sound even though he was free. He walked for maybe ten minutes, taking the riverside on and on, and eventually stopping at a payphone. Hmm, but how to call? He had no change? Damn. One glitch in the perfect plan. But god, he couldn't even begin blaming her. She couldn't have possibly planned these details. He should have kept his wallet on him. This was his fault and his fault alone.

He looked up randomly, tired, angry at himself, and stopped. A dark pink ribbon. Something. He reached up, confused, and pulled, curious when a white card fell into his palm, tied with the ribbon, and about 3 or 4 dollars in change fell over him, clattering to the floor loudly. Immediately, a smile spread across his face. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, and he certainly didn't fucking understand, but god, she'd known he would come to this very payphone. She planned to leave the money too. How on earth could she know?! He didn't get it. But he only got the part about loving her more than he ever would another girl. Ever. She did this, knew she would succeed, and planned ahead to win. That was just so awesome. He picked up the money quickly, totally intent on paying her back, and slipped the money into the slot for the phone. He dialed the number and waited. While he waited, he read over the card and grinned.

First off, let me say I'm sorry I took so long. Obviously I wrote this in advance, so I'm not sure of how long, as I have already encountered a very irritating obstacle, damn, but regardless, I apologize. Please wait for me, Asuka Jr. I have rescued you, and I will come to you. Wait for me by the booth, I will be there. Oh, and one more thing, that kiss...

...I totally meant it.

Saint Tail

"911, what is your emergency?" Asuka Jr. heard. It pulled him away from the note and the images that flooded him as he thought about her. He also realized that he'd placed the phone to his shoulder and his hand was already at his pants. Quickly, he dragged his fingers away and grabbed the phone again, letting out a sigh.

"Excuse me, are you there?"

"Yes." He quickly answered, shaking his head to clear it. It barely worked. "I need you to give my dad a call, just to tell him I am safe. I don't have any cash on me and don't have a phone. I'm at a payphone and could only call emergency. I haven't been home in two days."

"What is your dad's name?"

"Keiji. Asuka. I'm his son, Daiki."

"Oh yes, the police chief. I will tell him you are alright. What happened?"

"It doesn't matter. I was saved. That's all he has to know. I'm okay and I'll be home soon."

"I will call him. Do you need help? Should I send anyone?"

"Uh..." He trailed off, unsure. Help would be nice, it was quite the walk to his house, but with Saint Tail, he wasn't certain he should have help come. She was his savoir, but she was still a vigilante. He wasn't sure how anybody would react to that part. He glanced at the forest around him, and the spotted her. By a nearby tree. Watching him. She was smiling. "No. It's alright. I was saved and she's with me. I'm okay now."

"Alright. You are sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks for doing this on my part."

"It's alright. I'll make sure your father knows you are safe."

"Thank you." He said, hanging up the phone. They knew his father, of course they did. They called him often for things. He looked the card over once more, then glanced up and at her. She grinned and pushed herself off of the tree, walking towards him. He pushed open the booth and ran towards her, pulling her into a tight hug as soon as he could, holding her as tight as he possibly could. God, he hadn't smelled it before due to the situation, but oh, she smelled like some spicy perfume, strawberries and cream shampoo, and something he'd come to know was her and her alone. Oh, she smelled like Saint Tail, and he loved it. He let himself take a deep breath, taking in her scent, and smiled against her neck. She let him.

"Oh my god. Baby you are so awesome!" He said, holding her as tightly as he could. "How on earth did you know that you'd win and that I'd come here?" He whispered after a long moment, releasing her from his super hug.

"I assumed you would. I knew I would win. I wouldn't stop for anything. I would have jumped after you if I'd had to. I assumed that once you got out of the water, since you swim I knew you'd get out, you would go north. I know I said wait for me, and I knew you would. But I figured you'd try to call your dad. And there's only one payphone around here since you don't have your cell."

"You're amazing. So amazing."

"Not really."

"No. You are. You're beautiful, smart, funny, and you're Saint Tail. Let's add that to the list. Best thief in Seika."

"Silly. I'm not the best."

"You so are. You stole plenty of stuff straight under my nose. Of course, in my defense, I was reasonably distracted." He said, pushing back to glance over her top to bottom quickly.

"Reasonably." She mimicked. "Sure. Listen, I love this, but they most likely already know I'm gone and are on our hunt. Now I'm out, they know I'm with you. We need to get away from down here and to your house. There no one can hurt us. You're dad is waiting for you I assume?"

"I believe so. I told 911 to call him and tell him I was safe. He's probably waiting, stressing."

"We need to go there and tell him everything." She said, taking his hand in hers and reaching down to take off her heels.

"You're taking off your pretty shoes?"

"I'm faster without them, and the longer we spend here, the worse our chance of getting away without any suspicion." She lifted them by the straps and showed him quickly, then took off, and all he could do was follow. He grinned and tried to keep up, but she really was fast. This was a marathon, not a run. It kept up for five minutes, across the riverside in the tall grass, fast, hard, until the next bridge. When she stopped, he let go of her hand, grasping his knees as he gasped for air.

"Fuck, girl." He gasped, fighting for air. "You're fast. You're not even tired."

"There's a reason I'm best in gym class. You gave me all the practice I needed." She said, leaning against the railing, waiting patiently. She wasn't even panting.

"Is your place through the other bridge and across the market? I'm right, right?"

"Yeah. More running?"

"At least until we're in the market. There we can slow down because there's a ton of people. We'll be hidden."

"Ok. Let's go."

"Ready? or do you need a rest, young man?"

"Once we're safe, and my dad knows we're ok, and that you've saved me, you'll never dare to call me a young man again. You'll know better than that."

At that, she blushed. Hard. Her cheeks turned red, and she turned away to look at the raging river beneath them. He stretched and walked up behind her, placing his hands firmly on her hips, stepping as close as he could behind her, making sure she could feel every muscle. EVERY muscle.

"Can you feel that?"

"You... you bad boy. I just saved you from death, and you want to..."

"I've always wanted you. But you kept running."

"We need to remedy this."

"We will. Tonight."

"We... we have to go. If we don't, they'll find... us. We aren't that far away yet."

"You're stuttering. You want this. As much as I do. Now I can tell you're panting." He twisted her around in her arms, and pulled her into his arms tightly. He bent his head down and dropped his lips over hers. Immediately she ran her hands over his chest, up to his neck. He grabbed her hands roughly and pushed them behind her back, holding them together tightly.

"Mmm... please. Let me touch you. I've wanted to for far too long."

"Later my bad girl. We need to go."

She smiled against his lips, kissed him again quickly, and then ran off with him, smiling as she kept her left hand tight in his. Again they ran fast and far, his shoes knocking the floor, her in her stockings. She was silent. Completely. He wasn't surprised that he never heard her walk around when he was chasing her. She was silent on her feet. Even in her heels.

When they got into the market, in the main center of the marketplace, they stopped. Saint Tail wiped her forehead with her arm and breathed deeply while Asuka Jr. all but collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion. Man, the guy was out of shape.

"God, girl! I don't understand how you can be so fast and fit! It makes no sense!" Asuka Jr. said loudly, hands on his knees as he gasped for air.

"It does when I'm running from you for 2 hours, three times a week, silly boy."

"Are we done running now?" He panted, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "Please say yes." He begged.

"Yes, young man. Unless they find us here, in the market, then yes, we are done with the running."

He stood up and stepped up to her, bracing her between the wall and him. "I told you what I'd do if you said that to me again, young lady, and I promised it to you. Now you've said it again, I may be forced to take you across my knee." He whispered into her ear softly, holding her tightly between him and the wall.

"Is that a threat?"

"Maybe it is. If you say that again to me, I can promise you it will happen tonight, and it'll probably hurt."

Saint Tail pushed herself off the wall, against him and whispered 4 devastatingly bad words against his ear. "I bet you're tiny."

As the words spilled from her lips, she felt his hands tighten their grasp on her waist.

"I may be forced to do you right here. Don't say those things to me unless you want to be punished."

"Punish me later, young man. We need to keep going. They don't know where we are, not now at least, but they will search for us, both of us, everywhere. We have to get to your house. There we can be safe."

"You know, the police station is closer. We want to be safe, we should go there. I just need to get into contact with my father, and tell him to meet us there. I don't quite know how to do that, my phone is at home. I left it there that night because it wasn't charged."

Wordlessly Saint Tail pulled her cell from inside her tux. No doubt as to where she kept it safe. She handed it to him, and he took it, blushing when it felt all warm.

"Damn, girl. You're gonna kill me. Any reason you keep your phone in that particular place?"

"It's safe when we run." She said with a grin. "Now let's go. Call your dad. We have to be there soon. The sooner the better." She said as he punched in the number.

The call was emotional, very, and Saint Tail purposely stayed silent beside him. She'd put her heels back on and they clicked softly with her every step, but otherwise everything was quiet. Quite a few people nearby stopped and looked at them, everything from bemused to utterly shocked at seeing the two together. Was this what it would be like? Having everyone's eyes on them everywhere they went? Yeah it would be. For a couple weeks at least.

They walked quietly for a few moments after the call, her hand tight in his, and the flirting was at a back seat. They could do that, they could flirt and play and chase each other. No doubt they would. The flame burned too bright to not do that. But now they needed to focus on staying safe and lying low. Yes, the flame would burn bright, but the tension of having him kidnapped and nearly put to death was still in the air. They weren't safe yet.

For maybe 20 minutes they walked, talking about everything, about their relationship as well, and then finally rounded the corner to the station. He'd said on the phone with his dad that Saint Tail had been the one to save him, but still, Saint Tail had never actually anticipated that she'd walk into this station of her own volition. To arrest her, maybe she'd have to come, but on her own, as of her decision, no. She'd never thought it a possibility.

It only took one second, and immediately two officers were rushing up to them. The tension immediately lifted, even though Saint Tail smartly stayed back a few steps, to give them their space.

"Are you alright?! What in the world happened to you?!" They asked, checking him over.

Saint Tail smiled to herself but kept herself busy on her phone. This wasn't her moment. It was his. Only until a hand reached out and grabbed hers. He pulled her roughly to him, tight against his chest and said, "She saved me, I'm completely fine."

They both stopped talking, stopped moving, and just stared. She looked back shyly, blushing.

"How?" One asked after a moment as he found his voice again.

"I was kidnapped and didn't have anything with me. They were planning it for a while. So she says."

The officers focused their attention on Saint Tail, so she spoke. Told them all of it.

"They're a guild of thieves. It's a complete miracle, and mistake on their part, that they wanted to take out Asuka Daiki here, and ran into me. I guess it was a good thing that I never admitted my feelings for Daiki, since if I had, he could have been dead now.

"It's quite the lucky break, that they wanted me in their guild. I heard about the fact that they wanted to kidnap Asuka Jr. I was there, so I told myself I have to stay in the guild even though I didn't want anything to do with them. To save him. It was so lucky, they had no idea we were even a thing.

"So I stayed, and the initiation was to bring him," She pointed at Daiki. "into the guild. I went, but not to help them, to help him. I went to warn him. Only I lost track of time."

"My fault for trying to flirt with the girl when she was so clearly eager to make me leave." Asuka Jr. joked.

"Yes it was your fault. You really know what to say to drive a girl crazy. I got through your thick skull though, but we were a couple seconds too late.

"So I had to go in, thankfully they thought I did my initiation perfectly, and brought him to them as they wanted. I was now part of the guild. I signed a contract, a non disclosure agreement, which I immediately broke the rules of, and am breaking again now. I had to get the keys to the cell, I fought hard to find them, even flirting with the damn leader to find them. It took a couple hours, but I got them. Then I realized no key on that damn ring worked past the cell and on his cuffs, so I needed another. This whole thing took the day that you haven't seen him. I only got the right key at the end, a couple hours ago and barely got it to him on time, on the bridge, barely before they pushed him over and into the river."

"How did you get it to him in front of them all?"

Saint Tail was about to explain, but Asuka Jr. cut in with a grin. "That, is her little magician's secret."

"Well... whatever it was that you did, thank you, beautiful."

"I'm just a thief. I didn't do a thing besides what I'm good at, stealing something I want."

Asuka Jr. smiled at her, and she blushed as she smiled back. Only Asuka Jr. was aware of what she meant they that. No one else did, though. How very perfect everything was becoming. He was safe, they were safe, unhurt, and he had her. Finally, he had Saint Tail. And if it cost him his life, he'd never let her go again. It didn't make a difference that she was his annoying, sometimes infuriating classmate. It made it better. They'd be together all day, every day, and if he had his way, every night as well. He had no doubt, all would be good now.

They got through his father the same as they did the officers, with an explanation. Asuka Keiji hugged Saint Tail so hard she had to have trouble breathing. She had to. He crushed her into his arms, thanked her. He actually cried some at having his son back safe. It took him a few minutes to calm down.

"I can't thank you enough. If there's anything I can do for you, please tell me. Anything." He said after a long few minutes.

"I do have one request. Just one."

"Anything."

"Don't arrest me."

 

END PART 1  Part two in the works. Please stay tuned, not literally, you have a life too, for the second half, and possibly more if I get another silly idea, soon. Really soon. I mean that this time, really. See ya, Saint Tail.

P.S... I hope you like it. Let me know so I can do better. Hint, it gets exciting now, if you know what I mean...