Chapter 1
Deep in the woods, thick blankets of snow covered a lone cabin that was made for a hideout. The sun was about to set as yellow and orange hues of light shined brightly into the bedroom of a dedicated team member. Maps laid sprawled across the walls and the floor of the empty room. There was nothing, but a bed, a chair and a rickety desk that had seen some better days. Arthrisha had locked herself in this room so she could get a better understanding of the routes and easy exits. No one had bothered her nor had the four thieves that had been walking in and out of the sanctuary for what seemed like weeks.
She would have sleepless nights and would spend hours on just one map. The dark circles under her eyes and the lack of food she had pushed aside was evidence of her distress. She had been obsessing over the idea of the routes and where they would take her, but not once did she leave the cabin. Food was provided for her, but a bite or two was what she saw fit, she had reduced herself to snacking. The synthetic fabrics of her clothing had not been designed for the cold, it gave little protection against a spring breeze, let alone the bitter onslaught of the winter.
During the night, the wind howled and swirled with white frost, her body heat abandoned her with callous speed to leave her which caused her to wake up during the night. She would sneak downstairs when nobody was awake and keep herself warm by the fire and fall asleep. She would wake up the next morning in her bed, assuming that Lupin or maybe Goemon had moved her there.
" Arthrisha! open up! "
Arthrisha cringed when she heard her name being called out. It was Fujiko and she didn't sound happy at all. Wasn't she supposed to be in Paris or something? Either way, Arthisha felt uneasy when Fujiko was around and tried to avoid her at all costs. Ever since she found out the Arthrisha was able to scout out a maps flaw, she would use her like a tool. She stood still in the center of the room holding the map into her hands that was to be the next heist.
She was no master thief, the best she could do was a simple pickpocket and a few complicated safes, but her passion were maps. She moved to the other side of the wall, ignoring Fujiko's demands and went back to work as usual. She could hear impatient taps from an expensive heel and loud stomping. Fujiko was such a child when it came to the things she wanted but Athrisha learned to ignore it.
Fujiko hated being ignored.
"Can't you see the pain in my eyes? "Arthrisha sang softly, but it was loud enough for Fujiko to hear. " Can't you see the betrayal in disguise? I can't live with all your lies again. I can't trust anything even you, my friend. " She twirled around with a smirk on her face.
" ARTHRISHA! " Fujiko screeched like a banshee and attempted to open the door. Of course, it was locked and was made of the strongest steel money could buy.
Her facial features twitched at the abrupt screech, realizing that Fujiko wasn't going to let up anytime soon. Arthrisha walked to the other side of the room, digging through the closet and found what she had been wanting to use. A dusty bottle of whiskey that had been taunting her ever since she got here. Either way, she would be drinking what was left and have Lupin or maybe Goemon get her something she actually preferred.
She took a quick swig and almost gagged from the horrible taste. She wasn't use to drinking hard liquor and wasn't much of a drinker anyway. After taking swig after swig, she had got familiar with the hard liquor and drank every last drop. The sound of Fujiko had disappeared and she could finally concentrate on her passion without any more interruptions.
" Hey, Arthrisha can I come in? " Jigen's voice could be heard. " We need to talk. "
She sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance. She didn't have anything against Jigen, but it was so hard to talk to him, so she would avoid him when she could. There was something about him that was slightly off and maybe, this time, she could try and figure it out.
" Depends, is Fujiko out there raving like a lunatic? " she asked dryly.
I heard a chuckle. " She's a bit distracted. "
" Yeah, I guess we can chat. " she made her way to the door, undoing the locks. " What is this about anyway? usually, Fujiko or the rare Goemon come to see me. "
" I figured that you needed a break from your exhausting efforts. "
There had been self-doubt in her mind if Jigen had really been standing there, or if this was a hallucinate leap to her vision. Despite the steel door between the two, it was really him, just as smug and relaxed as ever. To say it hadn't happened before would have been dishonest, but one vivid illusion happened rarely. She could thank her lack of sleep for that which lead her to be wary of her surroundings most of the time.
Arthrisha stepped aside " by all means, come in. "
Jigen slightly smirked. " Thanks, doll. " he immediately went to the battered sofa.
Arthrisha cringed, she hated pet names with a passion.
" So. " She walked over to my desk and leaned back on it. " What did I do to have the fastest gunmen in my room? "
His piercing eyes looking into her own but she wasn't easy to daunt. His eyes weren't in any way cold, but he seemed perplexed. He was probably holding onto a big secret that he had been keeping for some time.
" It's mostly about the heist and how I feel about it. " He stated. " I'm not so sure I want you to be a part of it. "
She raised an eyebrow at him. " Oh please, like you care besides, it is a trust thing? " She gritted my teeth, maybe she could change the subject.
" I knew you would say something like that. " He chuckled, pulling out a bottle of whiskey.
She was getting a bit annoyed." There's a reason I'm a part of this Jigen. Last I checked, you, Lupin and Goemon confided in me. If you came here to give me a lecture, just leave, please."
" I'm not trying to, I just want to know if you really feel
comfortable jumping country to country and waking up in a different place. "
She sighed and went back to the wall of maps, trying to distract herself. She felt like she was wasting her time and so was Jigen if he was trying to convince her of quitting.
" What did you really come here for? " Not once did she turn around, in fact, she stayed glued to the wall. " Confess! "
" You're being real stubborn you know that? " Jigen scoffed taking a drink from the bottle.
" Would you have me any other way?"
Jigen smirked a bit. " Only if you know. "
That was a bit strange even the way he said it. She knew took her gaze off the maps and continued to draw arrows and thin lines across the spot she thought were easy to get access to. She felt uneasy, but she wasn't going to show Jigen her emotions. Shifting from the old couch is what caught her attention and then footsteps that were striding towards her as she worked. She tried to work at a calmer pace, but with each step, she could feel hot breath on her neck and felt like she was being trapped.
Goosebumps had been going in and out of her body, but she still kept a tight grip on the pen not falling for whatever Jigen was about to do.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere." Arthrisha's throat gave a small scoffing sound, Her lips showing a hostile grin.
" Yeah, but it doesn't mean you're not un-charmable." He was definitely close, maybe to close for her liking. " I pay attention Arthrisha and I can tell that I make you feel certain things. "
" No" Arthrisha protested his word in a rushed whisper. " Not possible. " She was lying to herself about it, but she was sure he knew that.
" Really? " one of his hands grasped her working hand and caused the pen to fall between her and the wall. " Then why won't you look at me? "
Strands of hair covered her face and she could feel her bun starting to come undone by Jigen's free hand. She had to admit, she was pretty damn good with his hands, she had a hard time trying to stay focused.
" I know the true reason why you want me off this heist, it's because you're afraid of losing me. " She stood up straight. " You don't want me to end up like the other women you've met. I either betray you or worse, die in your arms. "
Arthrisha could feel Jigen's chin on her should, but she still wasn't going to even bother looking at him. She felt nervous again, trying to say something or maybe try and push Jigen away from her. These feeling were too much for her to handle and it was a bit intimidating. His free hand was caressing her hair, her neck and the side of her face and that was when she decided she had enough and pushed Jigen aside. Jigen kept a grip on her wrist and caused her to twirl into his arms and forced her to look up at him.
" Jigen! " she hissed. " Let go, you made your point alright. "
He shook his head. " No I haven't, in fact, I don't think it's clear. "
She knew what he was talking about, but before he could make the move she pushed herself up on him and place her soft lips to his. He was too shocked to move, but once she moved him into the wall he knew he had to do something to redeem himself. He pushed Arthrisha back, trying to show his dominant side, but she only smirked at him and pulled him by his tie to her lips. She bit his bottom lip and pushed herself against him manhood which earned her a growl from the frustrated gunmen. His hands wrapped around her and so did her own as they lost themselves in lust that had been harboring deep inside them.
" You're going to regret that. " He whispered harshly in her ear.
"Yeah? Prove it. " She sneered.
Soon, articles of clothing were flying across the room and loud sounds of lovemaking could be heard in Arthrisha's room. Lupin, Goemon, and Fujiko sat in silence, hearing the loud cries of Jigen's name and the infamous " Oh god " being called out. Lupin sat there in horror as he tried to concentrate on his book, ceiling dust and debris covered his head and loud crashes could be heard. He knew that the desk was broken into pieces and so would that couch if they kept this up.
" They do realize there are others here? " Goemon asked covering his ears.
" I'm so confused, what the hell is going on?! "Shouted Lupin.
" I thought that would be obvious, they're having passionate rough sex. " Commented Fujiko.
Both Lupin and Goemon groaned. " Yeah, I know that Fuji-cakes, but how did he manage to get close to her without getting ripped to pieces?"
Fujiko shrugged. " I didn't think they liked each other. "
" He's exploring her inside!" exclaimed Lupin.
" Lupin, please stop" Goemon cringed.
