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The Shadow: Part One

The rain was falling hard and the wind was howling in the night.

"You really think he's coming sir?"

"I'm sure of it, this is the last night the duchess is visiting the city, and he wouldn't pass a chance like this."

Gabriel Cross stared into the rain, looking for any sign of movement. As the hours passed further and further into the night Gabriel was beginning to get impatient.

"Sir?" asked his companion

"What?" he replied with irritation.

"Was there always tea and cake on the table sir?" he said gesturing behind them.

Gabriel's face turned hot with anger. "shit" he muttered to himself.

Just then they heard a loud high pitch scream. He was there, he slipped right past them. Gabriel grabbed the other guard and they ran down the hall to the duchess's room. As they burst in they found her sobbing.

"What was taken Madam?" asked Gabriel quickly

Her voice was choked from her sobbing "My, my fan! My precious jewel encrusted fan! I had just had it made last week and now it's gone!"

"Don't worry Madam we will find it and the thief responsible" proclaimed the younger guard.
With that they turned and rushed out the door into the corridor.

"Why the hell did you promise her that Ben?" Gabriel hissed.

"What do you mean 'why'? Catching thieves is what we do. We might as well promise that we will actually do our job."

Gabriel' mind raced. He knew that he'd still be around.

"I think we should split up" Said Ben. "We'll cover more ground that way".

Gabriel flinched at the idea. Too many times did he have to face this particular thief alone and to many times had he gotten away.

"I don't think that's a great idea" but it was too late, Ben was running down the hall and out of sight.

Gabriel sighed. "Are you coming out or do I need to wander around aimlessly some more" he shouted out into the darkness.

"You know, I think you've lost the sport of this" echoed a voice from nowhere.

Gabriel looked around wildly trying to find the speaker. It giggled out of amusement of his frustration.

"You'll never catch me that way Cross. Why not sit down and have some tea?"

"No thank you, what I'd rather is to see you behind bars" Gabriel snarled.
He hated this little imp's game, always hiding and taunting him from nowhere.

"You know the bars wouldn't hold me right?" the voice asked worriedly

Gabriel paused to think about this "why wouldn't they? We've got ways to stop teleporters, wizards, vampires, and demons. What makes you so special?"

"Well for starters I'm not a single one of those things. Second you don't even know what I look like; you don't even know if this is my real voice. For all you know I'm just in your head" Said the voice.

Gabriel laughed to himself, "I know you're not in my head, a mind wouldn't be as cruel to me as you have been?"

There was silence. All that Gabriel heard was the fall of rain outside. Could he had left. It wasn't like him to just leave without a hint to which direction he was going. A fleeing shadow, the sound of footsteps, anything. But there was nothing.

"Hello?" asked Gabriel sheepishly.

"What?" asked the voice irritated.

"Are, are you mad at me?" Gabriel couldn't believe it, he was mad at him?!

"You called me cruel. Cruel is making your partner walk around in circles thinking he
found the fan. Cruel is laughing at someone for no reason."

He was seriously insulted. Gabriel felt almost bad. Forgetting this person, whatever he was, was a thief: he seemed almost vulnerable.

Gabriel cleared his throat. "Cruel is never letting me see your face. All you are to me is a shadow."

Again silence filled the room.

"You could accept my offer to tea you know" said the voice curtly.

Gabriel groaned and nodded. He heard a sort of melting sound and found the table the tea and cake behind him again. He sat down and poured a cup. It wasn't that he didn't like tea, it was more that it was being offered by someone who had given him a lot of trouble for the past few months. Stealing from royalty, from banks, local nobility and such, all the people who made the biggest complaints and who's voices were the most annoying to listen to.

As he drank he heard the melting noise again. He couldn't believe his eyes. From the shadows themselves came a young man dressed in all black, with pale skin and hair as white as snow, his eyes a soft lavender gray. He walked gracefully to the table and sat. He motioned for the tea pot and the tea pot went to him without assistance.

"So, am I what you expected to see?" he asked.

His voice was much more airy than it was before. Sweet and friendly. He seemed to glow in the darkness as his gaze floated from across the table. Gabriel felt his face become flushed.

"Most certainly not" he admitted, his voice stumbling as he spoke.

In truth he had imagined someone older, more masculine. He found it hard to believe that this person sitting across the table could truly be the thief. For one he didn't dress like one unless you counted the fact it was all black.

Loose fabric pants, bare arms with only gloves at the end, and what seemed to be a flexible leather breast plate that only covered his chest. The thing that he found odd was the thief's mask. It seemed attached to his skin, as if it were a part of his body.

"What are you?" Gabriel asked aloud without intending to.
The thief leered at Gabriel with a smile on his face.

"What do you think I am?"

He was teasing him again. Gabriel slammed his cup on the table shattering it as he shot out of his chair furious that he was falling for his games again.

"Listen you little sh" he found himself shouting at nothing. Even the table was gone.

"I'm not playing your games any more, just give yourself up so we can get this over with"
He hissed through his clenched teeth.

"As you wish" came an echoing voice from the darkness.

The melting noise filled the room. It became louder and louder till it was almost unbearable. Gabriel closed his eyes and covered his ears. Then the sound was gone and a warm soft sensation covered his lips. He opened his eyes slowly. The thief was kissing him. He could barely move. Was it some sort of magic that was holding him there?

He slowly lowered his hands and wrapped them gently around the young man pressing tightly to him. The thief grabbed one of his hand, lacing their fingers together. In the moment he returned the kiss, the thief melted away back into the darkness.

Gabriel stared into the black, trembling as he gained control over his limbs again.

"Who are you" he whispered to the darkness gently clutching the duchess's fan.

Description
The Shadow: Part One

The rain was falling hard and the wind was howling in the night.

"You really think he's coming sir?"

"I'm sure of it, this is the last night the duchess is visiting the city, and he wouldn't pass a chance like this."

Gabriel Cross stared into the rain, looking for any sign of movement. As the hours passed further and further into the night Gabriel was beginning to get impatient.

"Sir?" asked his companion

"What?" he replied with irritation.

"Was there always tea and cake on the table sir?" he said gesturing behind them.

Gabriel's face turned hot with anger. "shit" he muttered to himself.

Just then they heard a loud high pitch scream. He was there, he slipped right past them. Gabriel grabbed the other guard and they ran down the hall to the duchess's room. As they burst in they found her sobbing.

"What was taken Madam?" asked Gabriel quickly

Her voice was choked from her sobbing "My, my fan! My precious jewel encrusted fan! I had just had it made last week and now it's gone!"

"Don't worry Madam we will find it and the thief responsible" proclaimed the younger guard.
With that they turned and rushed out the door into the corridor.

"Why the hell did you promise her that Ben?" Gabriel hissed.

"What do you mean 'why'? Catching thieves is what we do. We might as well promise that we will actually do our job."

Gabriel' mind raced. He knew that he'd still be around.

"I think we should split up" Said Ben. "We'll cover more ground that way".

Gabriel flinched at the idea. Too many times did he have to face this particular thief alone and to many times had he gotten away.

"I don't think that's a great idea" but it was too late, Ben was running down the hall and out of sight.

Gabriel sighed. "Are you coming out or do I need to wander around aimlessly some more" he shouted out into the darkness.

"You know, I think you've lost the sport of this" echoed a voice from nowhere.

Gabriel looked around wildly trying to find the speaker. It giggled out of amusement of his frustration.

"You'll never catch me that way Cross. Why not sit down and have some tea?"

"No thank you, what I'd rather is to see you behind bars" Gabriel snarled.
He hated this little imp's game, always hiding and taunting him from nowhere.

"You know the bars wouldn't hold me right?" the voice asked worriedly

Gabriel paused to think about this "why wouldn't they? We've got ways to stop teleporters, wizards, vampires, and demons. What makes you so special?"

"Well for starters I'm not a single one of those things. Second you don't even know what I look like; you don't even know if this is my real voice. For all you know I'm just in your head" Said the voice.

Gabriel laughed to himself, "I know you're not in my head, a mind wouldn't be as cruel to me as you have been?"

There was silence. All that Gabriel heard was the fall of rain outside. Could he had left. It wasn't like him to just leave without a hint to which direction he was going. A fleeing shadow, the sound of footsteps, anything. But there was nothing.

"Hello?" asked Gabriel sheepishly.

"What?" asked the voice irritated.

"Are, are you mad at me?" Gabriel couldn't believe it, he was mad at him?!

"You called me cruel. Cruel is making your partner walk around in circles thinking he
found the fan. Cruel is laughing at someone for no reason."

He was seriously insulted. Gabriel felt almost bad. Forgetting this person, whatever he was, was a thief: he seemed almost vulnerable.

Gabriel cleared his throat. "Cruel is never letting me see your face. All you are to me is a shadow."

Again silence filled the room.

"You could accept my offer to tea you know" said the voice curtly.

Gabriel groaned and nodded. He heard a sort of melting sound and found the table the tea and cake behind him again. He sat down and poured a cup. It wasn't that he didn't like tea, it was more that it was being offered by someone who had given him a lot of trouble for the past few months. Stealing from royalty, from banks, local nobility and such, all the people who made the biggest complaints and who's voices were the most annoying to listen to.

As he drank he heard the melting noise again. He couldn't believe his eyes. From the shadows themselves came a young man dressed in all black, with pale skin and hair as white as snow, his eyes a soft lavender gray. He walked gracefully to the table and sat. He motioned for the tea pot and the tea pot went to him without assistance.

"So, am I what you expected to see?" he asked.

His voice was much more airy than it was before. Sweet and friendly. He seemed to glow in the darkness as his gaze floated from across the table. Gabriel felt his face become flushed.

"Most certainly not" he admitted, his voice stumbling as he spoke.

In truth he had imagined someone older, more masculine. He found it hard to believe that this person sitting across the table could truly be the thief. For one he didn't dress like one unless you counted the fact it was all black.

Loose fabric pants, bare arms with only gloves at the end, and what seemed to be a flexible leather breast plate that only covered his chest. The thing that he found odd was the thief's mask. It seemed attached to his skin, as if it were a part of his body.

"What are you?" Gabriel asked aloud without intending to.
The thief leered at Gabriel with a smile on his face.

"What do you think I am?"

He was teasing him again. Gabriel slammed his cup on the table shattering it as he shot out of his chair furious that he was falling for his games again.

"Listen you little sh" he found himself shouting at nothing. Even the table was gone.

"I'm not playing your games any more, just give yourself up so we can get this over with"
He hissed through his clenched teeth.

"As you wish" came an echoing voice from the darkness.

The melting noise filled the room. It became louder and louder till it was almost unbearable. Gabriel closed his eyes and covered his ears. Then the sound was gone and a warm soft sensation covered his lips. He opened his eyes slowly. The thief was kissing him. He could barely move. Was it some sort of magic that was holding him there?

He slowly lowered his hands and wrapped them gently around the young man pressing tightly to him. The thief grabbed one of his hand, lacing their fingers together. In the moment he returned the kiss, the thief melted away back into the darkness.

Gabriel stared into the black, trembling as he gained control over his limbs again.

"Who are you" he whispered to the darkness gently clutching the duchess's fan.