Sly 4

[Twisted_Feline]

(Aha. I think I'm going to regret this. I'm horrible with finishing things.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Sly Cooper. Obviously.

Title: Sly 4 (working title until something better shows up)
Rated: PG (K+)/maybe PG-13 (T) later
Warnings: Violence, mild language, (hopefully no drug use or induendo. I can get pretty crude. I will warn for each chapter.)
Pairings: N/A at the moment.

Chapter 1: Search

There was a soft flurry of wings flapping, as sharp talons landed and clung nimbly to a roof. Bright golden eyes illuminated the pitch black forest below, searching, probing, forever scanning the barren landscape. Distant, faded lights twinkled almost pathetically against the sky, the telltale sign of civilization. The huge figure perched stiffly on the snowy church spire, spreading his lengthy white wings almost lazily. "Not here." the creature seem to say, a harsh screech of breath escaping from his curved beak. Taking one last sweep of the terrain, the monstrous bird launched itself gracefully into the air, gliding on the smoky clouds and disappearing from view all too soon.

~~~

"Carmelita, well, I'm not too... I'm don't know what I... and... I don't...damn."

A familiar raccoon was pacing the room, his striped tail flicking nervously behind him. Sly Cooper had spent the last two hours or so wearing a rut in the carpet, walking back and forth. Anyone watching him might have gotten the impression he was mad, as he was furiously ranting to himself. But the knowing sight of a sparking golden band in a small jewelry box on the dresser told all. Sly eventually slowed his pace to a stop, wringing his hands desperately as he fought his inner conflict. He just needed to take his mind off this predicament for a while.

Eyes darting almost guiltily to the ceiling, he reached for the pull string to the attic. Shaking his head firmly, he let his hand drop back to his side, looking almost hopelessly lost. But, he wanted to see it so bad, the urge was like a giant tear in his heart. Admitting defeat, he reached up again, long fingers curling around the minuscule rope, and he tugged, flinching as a hole in the roof seemed to magically appear. Grabbing a chair and placing it under the opening, he pulled down the rickety ladder and scaled it with all the agility of a master thief.

Dodging small boxes of long forgotten items, he picked one up to reveal a tattered looking box. Carelessly flinging the unwanted box behind him, Sly bent down to open the flaps of the box before him.

Inside, he picked up a few small pictures, crinkled and faded with age. Flipping the first one over before looking at it, it read "My buddies" in bright red crayon. Placing the photo right side up, Sly bit his lip. It was him, but so much younger. He was laughing, one arm slung around the shoulders of a scrawny turtle, who was grinning, his glasses practically covering his entire face. On the other side was a large, chubby young hippo, mouth wide open as he contently munched on a stolen batch of cookies.

The raccoon balled his fists, swallowing tears he refused to let loose. Why was he crying, anyways? It was just some stupid picture from years ago.

Letting the picture float back into the box, he picked up another,. This one was newer than the first, but still old. It was him, Bentley, and Murray, giving the camera cheeky grins as they stood at the gates of an old, haughty-looking building. The orphanage. The day they left it. They couldn't have been more than 16, so full of confidence and big words. Sly gave a half-hearted laugh. Oh how stupid they had been back then.

The next picture saw them aged a few years later, in some sunny alley. Bigger, more daring, but not any wiser. Maybe Bentley, who could be seen in the picture yelling at Sly for something rash he had done. Murray looked blank, waiting for the turtle's temper to fade. Sly's face gave the air of not giving a crap.

Sly squinted in the faint light of the attic. Far off in the background, just barely in view, an attractive red fox was pounding her boots into the asphalt, screaming a stream of explicatives as she aimed her shock pistol. Sly had to laugh at that. She looked so ridiculously intent on electrocuting them then and there.

The raccoon picked up the next picture, rolling his eyes and grinning. It was the post card they had sent Carmelita from Blood Bath Bay, reading "Wish You Were Here!" She had tossed it in the wastebasket, and Sly had managed to save it. He could see the Panda King, looking about ready to kill somebody, and Murray, giggling like a buffoon and having the time of his life. Then Dimitri, grinning like an idiot and slinging brandy all over the party, followed by Sly, holding a bag of dubloons like it was a freshly hooked trout, and then little Bentley, looking like a mixture of scolding and laughing, not really getting the point of it all for once, and Penelope, shaking maracas and dancing. At the very front of the picture was the Guru, staring dumbfounded into the camera.

Sly grinned. They had always found time to act stupid and have fun.

Of course, now he was stuck with Miss Work-a-holic. She worshipped her job. That's where she was located right now, as a matter of fact.

Sly sighed, shaking the thought from his head. No, he loved Carmelita. He would do anything for her. He chucked the picture back into the box and climbed out of the attic.

Though, now that he thought about it, he wondered what his buddies were up to. Then again, it wasn't like he could just pick up the phone and dial Bentley's number. They hadn't been in contact for nearly three years now. Bentley had more than likely changed his number to keep the police away. Sly didn't even know if Murray kept a phone, and calling the others didn't seem very hopeful. Did the Panda King even have a phone? And wouldn't Dimitri's be impossible to find since he seemed content to live in an underground society of criminals and gangs? Lord only knows where the Guru was. Maybe if he just chanted or something.

The raccoon rubbed his temples, giving up.

(Okay, please, everyone, tell me if you're interested in the story so far. Believe me, action will kick up eventually. Also, PM me if you'd like your characters to be cameos in the story.)

[metsha the ninja wolf]

Its a good beginning, keep up the good job!!!

[Twisted_Feline]

Warnings: Nothing
Pairings: Sly/Carm (oh my. Like you'd never see that coming.)

Chapter 2: Crowded

It was later that night, and the raccoon's attitude hadn't changed.

"Sly, you've barely eaten. Is something bothering you?"

Sly glanced up from his spaghetti. "No. Not really."

Carmelita looked the least bit convinced. "Tell me, now."

The ring-tail leaned back in his chair, clearing his eyes and giving Carmelita a false smile. "Nah. Nothing." He returned to his plate, forcing the pasta down hurriedly. Once a decent portion of the noodles were gone, he stood up, picking up his plate. He leaned over, pecking the fox on the cheek. "Really, honey, nothing's wrong. Just thinking about stuff."

The cop still wasn't believing.

Sly shrugged, winking. There. Hopefully that would keep her guessing about everything except his actual predicament.

~~~

Early the next morning, long before his dear fox would ever awaken for work, the thief slipped away into the night.

~~~

By the next morning, he was strolling the streets of Madrid, content to enjoy the scenery of lazy vendors selling their goods, and small children giggling and frolicking in the patios.

The guilt of leaving an unknowing Carmelita behind was nagging at him, but it was for their own good. He was sure they'd meet again soon. He chuckled at the thought. Maybe it would be just like old times.

He stopped at a small diner, where a chirpy young terrier took his order. "¿Hola sir bueno, qué usted cuidaría para comer hoy? Our special for today is-."

Sly grinned. "No thanks. Just a water and a sandwich please."

The dog took his menu and nodded. "Just a classic traveler's dish, then, hmm? ¡El venir a la derecha para arriba!" She flounded away, barking out orders in Spanish.
He had been only sitting there for a few seconds, it seemed, before she returned with a simple sandwich and icy water. "There you go. ¡Goce!"

The raccoon munched slowly on his meal, eyes rather unfocused. Customers came and went, and he paid little attention to them. A old, wrinkly elephant businessman, a rather paranoid-looking ferret in a bright yellow dress and sunhat, a small pink mouse, looking as if she'd just walked out of the mechanic shop, a grumpy gecko with giant sunglasses. Sly soon lost track. Eyes roaming the crowd again, they focused on the tomboyish mouse. She was waiting for her order to be taken, fiddling with a wrench.

Sly stared harder, as if lost in a foggy haze. "Nah." He mused out loud. "Can't be." But then he stood up, as if his body had a mind of it's own, and blurted out "Penelope?!"

The mouse's head snapped around, a look of utter shock and confusement on her face.


(Sorry for the utter failage of this chapter guys. I just couldn't get it to work. At least the story's wheels are rolling now. Cliche and all that jazz.

Ah well. Tomorrow is my last day of school. Yaaaaay. Now I don't have an excuse to not update this.)

[Twisted_Feline]

WELL LIKE A YEAR LATER, I GET BORED ENOUGH TO TYPE MORE.
It's short, but it gives you hope, no?

Warnings: Very, very light language.

Chapter 3: Silence



"Who said- Sly?!"

He darted over, hissing. "Not so loud. Are you crazy?"

Penelope narrowed her eyes. "Are you crazy? Why are you out here?" She chuckled, relaxing. "I thought you'd be too busy with Miss Trigger-Happy to even have a social life."

Sly slid into the booth she was seated at. "Yeah. Well, usually I am."

The mouse's eyes widen. "She didn't figure it out, did she? Did she kick you out?"

He held up his hands. "No, no, nothing like that."

"So you ran away? Well aren't you considerate." Penelope paused as the waitress approached, placing her order and turning back to Sly. "Aren't you afraid she'll hunt you down? I bet she's pissed. You just don't do that to a girl and expect it to all be fine and dandy."

The raccoon laughed weakly. "And she hasn't hunted me down before?" He looked down at the table. "I have to deal with her anger later, I guess."

"So... why are you here anyways?"

Sly shrugged. "Just... needed to take a break."

"Police work not cut out for you? I could've told you that." Penelope took a sip of her drink, studying the raccoon. "There's something you're not telling me Sly. You can put on a mask to the Klaww Gang or Interpol any day, but to me you're as easy to read as a car manual."

Ignoring the odd metaphor, the raccoon traced the wood grain on the table. "I just needed to take a break."

He wasn't going to tell her anything.

"For how long?"

"I don't know."

She bit her lip. "Me and Bentley are renting an apartment down the road."

Silence. His hand had paused on the tabletop with the mention of his best friend.

"Sly, would you like to see Bentley?"

Silence.

"Sly?"

"Yeah, I think I would."




I MIGHT UPDATE, I MIGHT NOT.
I LIKE BEING MYSTERIOUS.

[Twisted_Feline]

Well, I was hoping you guys would like, responde sil vous plait BUT I GUESS NOT. Thanks alot, you fail. >c Now I have to double post.

Also, QUESTION TIEM YEYY.
1. Should I post this on FanFiction.net? ;o The SC section isn't, um, literacy friendly in general, and I thought this fic might breathe some life into it. HEIL SPELLCHECK. It could also be a grand way to force myself onto the site. I'd really like to do more fics but I don't have the time or privacy to type out what I'd like. ;o

2. I really, really want to do a fic about Dimitri. I'd like to do a present time one. My original idea was a backstory one, which would take a while, and I didn't know if people prefer coming up with their own stories for that. So backstory, present, or none at all?

3. Do you guys even friggin' like this fic? I personally don't. It's not... I dunno. It's just not my style or preference of story. I don't like this "adventure" type of fanfic usually. Mostly more psychological things and short stories. I'm just typing this crap out for the hell of it. Gives me something to do, my creativity flowing.


Chapter 4: Yeah


Sly waited patiently (or was it impatiently?) for Penelope to finish eating.

It felt like forever, but finally the mouse wiped her paws and mouth on a napkin, took a long sip from her drink, and placed the money on the table before standing up.

"So, just how far do you live?" Sly held the door open for her and they stepped out onto the street.

"Oh, we don't actually live here. Me and Bentley decided to squander a bit of your ancestors' money and take a vacation here. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." She couldn't tell if he really did or not.

"The rest of the money is all in safekeeping. Bentley wasn't doing too well in America, his allergies were acting up, so we came over here. I didn't know Carmelita and you lived here too."

Sly coughed. "Actually, we don't. Well, we move around a lot, depending on the location of work. Carmelita's in France, and... I hopped on a plane last night and it landed here."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"The apartment is just around the corner."

"Nice little town, isn't it?"

"Yep."

The ending of the conversation landed them on a doorstep to a somewhat plain but pleasant looking townhouse.

Slipping the key out of her pocket and into the door, Penelope opened it and stepped inside. "Second floor, room three."

"How many people live here?"

She was already climbing the stairs. "Just four families. A bit cramped, but they're nice people. Mostly old folk."

Sly hurried after her.

~~~

Penelope opened the door. "Hey Bentley!"

"That you Penelope?"

Sly closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his friend's voice. He hadn't heard it in years and it brought memories back like a tidal wave. Shaking his head, he closed the door quietly behind him and stood in the middle of the tiny living room, awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot.

"Bentley, I brought someone here to see you."

"Really? Wow, you're not usually the social type. Well, neither am I." The sound of his wheelchair could be heard. "I hope it's someone good, I was mopping before-"

He stopped.

He just stood there, dumfounded.

"S-Sly?"

"Yeah?"

"That you?"

"Yeah. It is."

The turtle looked ready to cry.

Sly rushed forward, locking his arms around his friend in a crushing hug. "Man, Bentley, you don't know how great it is to see you."

"I can't believe you're here." Bentley shrugged him off, rolling back. Sly looked slightly hurt, but the sight of the turtle grinning brought a smile to his lips. "What are you doing here?"

"Just in town."

"Taking a break from Carmelita. Told you he couldn't stick it out." Penelope could be heard from the kitchen, finishing the housework.

"I'm glad to see you Sly. Just a bit surprised."

Sly laughed. "I don't blame you. I'm surprised at myself."

Bentley rolled over to the couch. "Come on, sit. Tell me about everything."




Pretty long chapter here. I have another one typed out but I'mma wait for comments or something.

[Ringtail_Lover]

I'm really liking this story! Keep going with it, you have a talent!
Cant wait to read the next chapter!
-Sierra