Job Eleven: 
Enjoy your Nightmares

    *You know, ever since I got here things seem to be going splendid. Not hitches in the road at all.*

    "Oh really," Ahura looked up from his wilting newspaper, "What about the lovely police woman we keep running into?"

    *She just has a thing for you--which is hardly my fault.* The little wyrm snorted at the thought of his bondmate getting along with a police officer.

    "Hahahaha. Have fun dusting your little music box, Raphael."

    *You know this thing could very well be the most important thing in your future! Heck, this music box could determine if you live or die. Don't you roll your eyes like that!*

    "What am I supposed to do when you sound like that." The exasperated thief let out a sigh, "I'm worried about all of the lunatics out in the world who are trying to hunt me down and render me lifeless just as much as you are and you know that. As does Anghiari, so drop it."

    *Fine, but I was thinking about that police girl. Chiara, wasn't it?*

    "Mmmm."

    *What if she gets a hold of this?*

    "We'll just have to make sure she doesn't. By the way where's Sindiri?" 

    *Out buying milk. Don't change the subject either, I'm not finished about that girl.*

    "Oh high and mighty one? I hope you can finish lecturing me before we go out on our next job," Ahura zipped up his coat.

    *You like her don't you?*

    "Drop it."

***

    *You know this job would be a lot easier if there were no police out there.*

    "Just shut up, Raphael. I'm thinking," the thief was pacing back and forward with a priceless vase in his hands. He had not tripped the alarms, so someone was kind enough to set him up. How, well he would have to ask his data translator about that one, until then he had to think of a plan of escape.

    *Uh--Ahura! I don't think they're police!*

    "What makes you say that?"

    *The guns. Cops don't carry around banana clips now do they?*

    The green haired youth choked, "Oh no! We have to get out of here now!"

    *And you suggest this how?*

    "Shuddupandletmethink!"

    There was a long pause before a loud speaker was blaring, "Ahura Mazda, King of Bandits, come out with your hands up!"

    "Did they just call me kind of bandits?"

    *Yes, I do believe they did.*

    The a sly eyebrow slowly lifted up. Now this could prove to be interesting. Police of any sort would never admit to his title, assassins thought it was silly, the mob never bothered with formal introductions so it must have been a group of thieves? This would be easier than he had originally anticipated.

    "Shall we indulge our friends?" Ahura picked up his bond and made his way to the window.

    *Have you lost it? Unless you intend to take them on with your bare hands, we're defenseless. No, wait, we're defenseless period!*

    "You've never seen me take a hit and run head shot have you?" The thief snickered as he slipped a gun from his sleeve.

    *When did that get there?*

    "Nevermind that. See the man in the blue, he's the leader." Ahura pointed from the corner of the window to a thin pale man who could have used a shave.

    The Bishel wyrm tilted his head. *How can you tell?*

    "What moron wears a suit and tie to a hit?" The gun made a loud click as he prepared to fire. It was not a difficult task to shoot someone like that, and it to less tan a fraction of a second for the man to fall dead. However the running away part was still to be undertaken.

***

    Chiara woke up in a chilled sweat. She had had the same nightmare for two weeks now, and she still could not get the image out from her brain. Sleep depravation had long given up on the exhausted police officer, and left her in between the state of being awake and asleep. To her dismay she stumbled her way to the bathroom to was her face with ice cold water.

    "Two A.M.," she mumbled to herself as she used a slightly soggy towel to dry her face.

    The nightmare had been about her and that thief. For some reason her heart was beating a mile a minute as she stood next to the green haired boy, who was defending against something evil. That was not the bad part of the nightmare, it was the bit that involved his blood being splattered across a wall and her. Then she would wake up.

    A simple dream, she should not have been as frightened as she was. She had seen so many terrible things in her short life at yet this simple, stupid dream gave her the greatest form of discomfort.

    She had spoken to Spyridon, and he had done his best to comfort her, and he had taken half of her workload. However, nothing seemed to work. Maybe it was time to check with her "special contact."

***

    "A... Rave?" Anghiari's eyebrow slow arched upward as the lights flashed, the music blared and a few people lost consciousness.

    "Yes. It's a long story."

    *Why did I have to come?* The little Raphael asked from his perch atop of his bond's shoulders.

    "Because. I don't really trust Sin to keep you out of trouble. Now, I have to go and find a... friend." Ahura Mazda sighed, and choked on the near by methanol fumes.

    "You're  friend isn't one of the brain dead ravers is he?"

    "He's a supplier, sort of, but his nick name is "The Raver." If you've heard of him I wouldn't be surprised."

    Anghiari's other eyebrow met the pervious eyebrow, "The drop dead pretty boy of pretty boys of the underground. They say if he did anything legal he'd be a super model."

    "That's him."

    "Can you get me his autograph?"

    The was a pause as the music continued to blare. Ahura thought it was better to leave that one untouched, so he walked off into the dancers, leaving the assassin to fend for herself.

    Chi entered the party with her comrade shortly after Ahura had left. She had a brief discussion with Spy before she set off for her contact, ironically it was "The Raver."

    Spy scanned the room with a cynical frown on his face. All of them were drug addicts so he did not know why he bothered to look for someone different, and he was quite shocked when he came into eye contact with a rather interesting woman. "One eye?" he mumbled to himself as she looked back with mild curiosity. Maybe this evening could be save for both of them.

    Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the King of Bandits knocked on the designated door. A slit opened to reveal a set of glass blue eyes. "Name and business?"

    "Ahura Mazda Osiris. I'm here to see him."

    The eyes widened as a few locks were unhinged. "Welcome. Rave will be happy to see you and--what is that thing on your neck?"

    *I'm not a thing. I'm a dragon!*

    The young girl let the door swing open fully to reveal that she was about twenty two years of age, and most likely someone who is bound to end up your boss in the not too distant future. She was neither thin nor thick and had a subtle air around her, that said "I may not be sexier than you, but I'm sure as rain smarter than you could ever imagine to be."

    Ahura Mazda's mouth almost dropped. "What is a stunning woman like you doing in a awful place like this?"

    She blinked a few extra times. "I'm sorry," she bowed, "my name Asuka. I've never had the pleasure of meeting the King of Bandits or a dragon. Now, if I may show you to Rave."

    "Um... right."

    The room was nothing all that spectacular, with the exception of the mass amount of posters that covered the walls form tip to top. They were of nothing in particular, anything and everything was pasted on the walls. When Raphael and Ahura were finished gawking someone--a male someone--squealed.

    "Nii-sama!" A pink blur pinned the young thief to the wall, as well as his blue bondmate who was rather unhappy with the situation, with an amazing force.

    "Rave! My ribs! My RIBS!" The thief gave a huge sigh of relief as the pink blur let go of him. This "pink blur" was a tall, extremely thing and pale young boy of about seventeen, with pink hair and yellow eyes. He wore a skin tight black shirt, a collar with a ring around it, tattered jeans, one dangling earring and finally a multitude of bracelets and other trinkets.

    The young man, know as Rave, gave his older companion a rather depressed look. "Sorry, you know I don't know my own strength."

    "It's... all right. This is Raphael by the way." Ahura gestured to the blue wyrm around his neck.

    Rave's eyes grew wide, "Wow! A real Bishen dragon! Nii-sama, you've out done yourself!"

    *Bishel. And what does he mean anyway? And why does he call you Nii-sama?*

    "I mean that Ahura Mazda used to dream every day of getting a Bishel dragon when we were back at that place. Also "Nii-sama" means "Big Brother" in Japanese which was my native language until I was four. He was and still is a big brother to me," Rave grinned. Obviously this boy was prone to mood swings.

    *Oh.* Raphael shot a look at his bond, who was rather amused at the whole situation. *Ahura wanted to speak to you about an incident that happened this evening.*

    "Oh? What happened?"

    Ahura launched into his explanation as tea was brought in. It was not long before Rave was nodding and someone was knocking on the door. "I see. It seems like there may be a rather large price on your head or someone is quite jealous. Thieves never work in more than twos." Rave said while setting his tea down on a near by table.

    "Do you know who it is?"

    "Them."

    *Oh. Not again.*

    "You took the words right out of my mouth, Raphael."

    "Herm--Have I missed something?" The younger boy's head tilted to the side.

    "Y--"

    The thief was cut off by a loud bang. He turned around to come face to face with a very angry looking female police officer. She looked vaguely familiar.

    "YOU!" She screamed.

    "Do I know you?" Ahura tilted his head. Raphael coughed, and would have moved out of the way if he had appendages.

    "I've only been chasing you across the planet!" Chiara screamed at the top of her lungs.

    Rave giggled.

    A rather odd silenced followed as the young woman gave a dirty glare to her pink haired contact before whispering, "What's so funny?"

    He began giggling again when he received the glare. He struggled with his words, "It just.... you're acting... like ... you're...." he snorted and gave up.

    Asuka giggled, "Oh. He thinks you're acting like a boyfriend and girlfriend!"

    Chiara whipped out her gun. "I am so going to kill you!"

***

     "Now that everything is solved, I can now answer both of your questions since they are both connected." Rave sat on his lovely mismatched sofa with a smile on his face and a cup of tea in his hand. "You see these people are after you--us I should really say--for various reasons. The main reason is that we all pose a threat to their perfect order."

    "Wait--wait!" Chiara stood up at this point, "I've done nothing to upset any form of order!"

    "Then why, Ms. Chiara, do the higher ups hate you so much?" Asuka placed a bottle of cream soda in front of the young police woman.

    "And you really know why everyone is after you Ahura," Rave finished his tea.

    *Mr. Rave. What can we do to stop them?* Raphael's eyes suddenly became watery.

    "For now nothing. All you can do is deal with the nightmares and danger. Until you find the full truth."

    *I wish... this wasn't so difficult.*