Random talk: The result of the poll is at the end of the chapter for those who haven't read my profile!

This is more like a filler chapter as I'm still drawing blanks for thefts. If you got ideas, feel free to suggest them! I might be able to work them in somehow.

How to Catch a Thief

Chapter 4: How to Think Like a Thief

"Grandma told me all about you," the little girl said. "I always wanted to meet you in person. You're more beautiful than she had described."

"Thank you, Princess Miyako," the cat burglar said with a slight bow. "Then you know I must borrow the Lover's Snowflake for awhile. My puppy still has to be trained. I will return it when I am finished."

"Sure!" Miyako chirped. "Ah, but I wanna be invited to the wedding! You are going to wear white, right? Mokuba pointed you out at the party and you looked nice in white. Maybe I can be the flower girl with Mokuba!"

"We will see, little princess, we will see," Neko said sadly. "Thieves like me rarely have happy endings. Besides, you will have to convince Mokuba to wear a dress if he is to be the flower girl."

"Don't worry, Neko-san. Miyako is fairly persuasive when she wants to," a voice said from the door way. Neko froze before noticing that it was Fujiwara Kiku.

"I see that the princess grew up to be a fine queen," Neko said with a smile. "I do not remember you, but I have heard the tale. I am sure the previous Neko would agree with me. I must leave now. Take care, my little princess. Take care, my beloved queen. May we meet once more under the full moon's glow."

Classes resumed soon after the party, much to everyone's displeasure. At least there was no longer any lingering smell. No one still knew who caused the whole problem. Many thought it was a science nerd as the stink bomb not only covered the whole school with the smell but the strength of it as well. The prank was already becoming a legend as no one stepped forward to claim responsibility. A prank like that would make you infamous.

Along with the return of school, Anzu finally was feeling well enough to go to school. Being the good friends they were Yuugi and the others told her all that she missed. Honda and Jonouchi knew that the female was in fact a closet Neko fan girl.

"Wha-! You danced with Neko!" Anzu yelled. "How come I had to be sick?"

"You wouldn't have been able to tell it was him," Honda commented. "I saw them dance and he really looked like a girl. By the way, how did you know that dance, Jonouchi?"

"Mokuba made me learn it," Jonouchi sighed. "You know who that little brat loves video games. Turns out he's friends with the birthday girl and that she's a fan of the game. That explains why that stupid song was played."

"You make it sound like Mokuba was in on it," a voice said from behind the group. Jonouchi sighed as he didn't feel like dealing with Noa that morning.

"He's just stating the facts," Otogi commented as he walked up to the group. "But Kaiba does have a point. Maybe Mokuba knows what's going on. The Fujiwara family does have close ties with Neko as they have had the Lover's Snowflake for generations."

"Look, can we stop talking about this before Miho comes back?" Anzu sighed. (1)

"Why?" Yuugi asked.

"OMG! Were you guys just talking about Neko-sama!" Miho yelled as she pushed her way to the middle of the group. Several girls (and a few boys) were behind her with a similar look as Miho. They had all seen it on various occasions.

"That's why," Anzu said. "Domino became Neko fan-girl central after the party."

"Ah, isn't Neko-sama the best?" Miho continued. "That's why Miho decided to create the Neko-sama Fan Club, Domino High chapter!"

"Dear god," Jonouchi muttered. "Please don't tell me we're going to get a crowd at ever theft!"

"I'm afraid so," a girl with long white hair and glasses on. "As members of the Neko-sama Fan Club, we swear to meet our beloved in person and profess our love!"

"And you are?" Honda asked.

"Ah, don't mind me!" the girl said rather fast. "I'm just a first year who transferred in while the school was closed! Really, I'm just a nobody!"

"A nobody who is the Vice President of our fan club!" Miho shouted. "Sara-chan suggested a list of books we should read along with some shows! Here, look at the list!"

As it turns out, the first year named Sara had a large stack of papers in her arms. She passed out a sheet to everyone in the room, including those who decided to join after hearing about the club. To say the least, the list was fairly strange.

"You have manga on the list?" Noa asked sarcastically.

"Just not any manga," Jonouchi said. "D., Saint Tail, Magic Kaito… (2) They're all about thieves!"

"Well, if you want to find a thief, you have to think like one," Sara commented. "We also have Detective Conan and Sherlock Holmes so we can think like a detective." (3)

"Makes sense," Yuugi said.

"Which explains why my dad has been reading Arsène Lupin," (4) Honda sighed.

"That's right, you're working with the police to catch Neko-sama," Miho said thoughtfully. "In that case, you all must join! If we were to get inside information, we will succeed in meeting Neko-sama!"

"There is no way in hell they'll allow it!" Jonouchi yelled.

"That's a great idea!" Tsukino exclaimed with a smile. "You guys should join!"

"Who's that?" Anzu whispered to Yuugi. A faint blush could be found on her cheeks.

"Head detective," Yuugi whispered back. "He went to school with Jonouchi-kun and Honda-kun's fathers."

"He's that old!" Anzu yelled.

"Yes I am, Masaki-san," Tsukino said, smiling even more. "Back to the club, it might help if a few of you join."

"In the past, fans of Neko would give us hints that helped us," Masato added. "This will be more of an exchange of information. We give the fan girls some information that won't hurt our investigation before the media while they give us hints pertaining to Neko."

"I like this reading list," Tsukino said. "Who ever came up with it was smart. Ah, but they forgot my favorite! Next time you see them, tell them they must add Lupin III!"

"I think it was implied by the Miyazaki movie," (5) Masato sighed.

"I can see why you liked school," Kisara said as she danced around the large cherry blossom roots. She was still wearing Domino High's uniform from her disguise as Sara. "It was a lot of fun! I made so many friends thanks to Ribbon-chan! Did you know you have so many fans, Seto-sama?"

"Whether I am Kaiba Seto or master thief Neko, people are drawn to me," Seto said with a smirk. "Father said it was the Tsukino family curse. Tell me what Detective Puppy thought."

"Well, our little detectives were curious about the club. Katsuya-sama thought it was a bad idea along with Hiroto-san. They thought that the fans would hurt the investigation. I don't think Noa recognized me as he never saw me in human form. I don't trust this new little detective I saw today. They might cause us trouble."

"Do you think they are trying to bring the clan down?"

"Maybe… They are overdue… That is why I suggested D. for the reading list! If I'm right, they might help us get rid of the pest. "

"Good move. I'll have to adjust the boards later. I am done setting up here and the letter is finished."

"Alright!" Kisara chirped as she flew through the roots.

Beneath the tree was a large cavern that was lit by thousands of candles. The only way to enter was the staircase hidden by the roots to those who didn't look close enough. It was obvious that the cavern was used for ceremonies for the ancient designs on the floor. A large, glowing green crystal stood in the center. No one would think about the room being under the lake.

"Remember to stop by Mokuba to pick it up," Seto said as he walked up to the bird girl. He wore white and silver robes that looked like from Ancient Greece or Rome. The silver pieces of jewelry made him look more like an oracle. Overall, the look made the thief more feminine.

"I know, I know!" Kisara sighed. "Geez, I forget one time and I get chewed out!"

"Rules are rules. Now get going."

Not saying another word, Kisara transformed into a white falcon and hopped onto Seto's shoulder. She grabbed the letter with her beak before taking off. Few minutes of flying in the moonlit woods and she was already at a wooden door standing by itself in a clearing. As she approached, the door opened to allow her passage.

When she passed the door which closed after her, she flew away from the hedge maze and towards the mansion nearby. She could see the raven haired child she was looking for in an open window on the third floor.

Anzu stared at the bird with interest. She never had seen a bird of prey up close let alone a pure white one. The bird in turn just stared back at her as everyone else was arguing over who was a better thief.

"My, looks like Neko sent us a big one this time!" Tsukino said as he looked over Anzu's shoulder.

"How do you know that?" Anzu asked.

"Right, I keep forgetting you weren't here," Tsukino said with a smile. "Well, a white bird, no matter what breed, comes every so often to Honda's desk with a note from Neko. It seems that there's something else besides our usual note!" Sure enough there was a Duel Monsters card along with the envelope in the bird's beak. Curious, Anzu held out a hand and smiled.

"May I see it?" Anzu asked the bird. The raptor tilted its head as if in thought before dropping the envelope and card into the teen's hands.

"How did you do that?" one of the detectives shouted. It was then Anzu realized that she had an audience staring in awe.

"What? You never asked politely?" Anzu asked. "Besides, she seems sweet." The bird flapped its wings to give enough lift to get onto Anzu's shoulders. Said girl laughed softly as the bird rubbed its head against her face.

"Give me that!" Bakura yelled as he grabbed the card out of Anzu's hands.

"When the hell did you get here?" Honda yelled as he clutched his heart.

"Sorry. It took me a while before I managed to drag him here," Ryou said as he walked up. "He refused to have any more to do with the case as he swore allegiance to the Lunar Thieves until his debt is repaid."

"Back to what is important!" Bakura yelled as he tossed the card to Yami. The ex-pharaoh glared at the tomb robber before looking at the card. His eyes widened when he saw it.

"I didn't see that coming," Yami said.

"I don't see anything special," Yuugi said as he looked at the card as well. "The card is fake as it doesn't exist in the game."

"That is Neko's calling card," Bakura pointed out. "See, Lunar Thieves have a little game going on. To know who preformed which acts, each person has some sort of calling card. There is only one rule: no one is allowed to have a silver item except one class. Only the Tsuki can have silver items."

"And the Tsuki are?" Honda drawled.

"The Tsuki are true leaders," Yami answered. "They have silver fur and are said to be non-aggressive unless provoked or forced in some way."

"The only way Neko could use silver in his calling card is if he is a Tsuki or had permission from the elders," Bakura continued. "Even if he received permission, he must be fairly elite for even the elders to consider it."

Jonouchi sighed as he opened the forgotten letter. It seemed that things were never simple with him and his friends.

Detective Puppy

Kisa-chan forgot to leave this at the party. I'm sure Honda-san had his men going crazy looking all over for it.

~Neko

TBC

(1) For those who don't know, Miho was a character from season zero. She only appeared in one chapter of the manga, but was a major character in the anime. Her nickname was Ribbon, hence what Kisara said later on.

(2) All three are anime and manga series about thieves.

(3) Detective Conan is an anime and manga series, if you didn't know. Interesting fact for those who didn't know: Magic Kaito was done by the same person who did Detective Conan. This is why some parts from Magic Kaito appear in Detective Conan. They're technically in the same universe!

(4) Arsène Lupin is a fictional thief in France. In fact, Lupin III is supposed to be a decendant of Arsène. Supposedly, he was also a rival to Sherlock Holmes.

(5) Somehow people still don't know Miyazaki did a Lupin III movie. My friend also told me he directed the first season as well. If you have time, watch The Castle of Cagliostro. It's now one of my favorite Miyazaki movies.

Random Talk: That's it for the filler! Next chapter we deal with Neko's rival!

Poll results: In the end, there was a tie between two fics. To honor the tie (unlike I was going to do originally), I will work on both fics. Therefore, the two fics that will be updated are….

Mirror Image

and

The Forgotten One

Thank you to all who voted! I'm sorry to those who liked the other fics in the poll. As soon as these two are finished, I will post new chapters of the other fics to signify a new poll. New fics will be added to the poll, giving more options!

Until next time!

Rubi-chan, over and out!