A/N: Hello, internet! Well, I beat Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure, and I absolutely LOVED IT. Anyways, I was talking to my good friend, TwilightWakerOfTime, and we were discussing how Raphael has so many disguises throughout the game and Fondue has NONE... so we came up with this little fanfic. So I began plotting, scheming, maniacally laughing, and eventually, writing. You guys can blame her for this fic. ...Actually, you can blame a lot of stuff I write on her. But whatever. XD

Anyways, I really hope you all enjoy this. It's my first Rhythm Thief fanfic, so I'm sorry if the characters are OOC, but I think I actually stayed pretty close to their actual characters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rhythm Thief. If I did, there would already be a sequel.

It's just rated T 'cause I'm paranoid. Might lower it later though... K+ Maybe? X)

You would think that Raphael would realize that if his dog followed him everywhere, people would start to notice. No matter how many times he changes into Phantom R and back again, Fondue always looks the same. Really, would it be that hard to just give him a different colored bandana?

So, there he was, walking down the street with Fondue at his side. He was in his regular street clothes (a.k.a. Raphael). It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and he wore a smile on his face, because the previous night he had successfully returned another one of the famous paintings to rightful place in the Louvre. Of course, Inspector Vergier wasn't too happy, but that was because he didn't know the truth.

So, there they were, walking down the street contentedly. They were supposed to be meeting Marie at the convent today and going out to lunch. The two turned a corner and were about to continue on, when all of a sudden Fondue was grabbed from behind. The little dog squealed as he was picked up by the scruff of his neck and thrown into a small animal crate.

"Hey, that's my dog!" Raphael exclaimed.

"What? No! This dog belongs to Phantom R and has been seen at every one of his art heists!" The constable explained.

"N-no…!" Raphael stuttered. They had a point there, but he knew how to handle this type of situation. The constables weren't too bright around here. "Hey, lots of dogs look like this!"

"Yes, but none that I've seen have this same brown spot around their eye and the very same red bandana around their neck," stated a familiar voice. Then, from behind a police car, out stepped Inspector Vergier. Raphael had talked his way out of many situations like this, and now he had to do the same with the Inspector. There was no way he would let anyone take Fondue—the little white dog was the only family he had left.

"So, do you know Phantom R?" Vergier questioned. He eyed Raphael suspiciously before saying, "Are you two related?"

"Uh…no. I've only ever heard of him; I've never met him face-to-face," Raphael easily lied, though it wasn't entirely false. He almost laughed at the sheer irony of his own statement.

"Hmm… are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think I'd remember something like that."

"Alright. Guards, take the boy in for questioning as well."

"What? No! Uh… I mean, my parents will be awfully worried. I should be getting home."

"Don't worry, we'll contact them at the Constabulary HQ. Besides, they'll need to come pick you up."

"But—" Raphael was cut off before he could protest.

"You're coming with us, kid," a constable declared.

Raphael did the only thing he could think of—he ran. "I'll be back for you, Fondue. Don't worry," he thought as he took off down the street.

Raphael arrived at his apartment in record time and locked the door behind him. He had made sure that no one followed him; he ditched the officers long ago. He would have to apologize to Marie for missing lunch, but at the moment he couldn't be seen on the streets—as Raphael or Phantom R. The sky was slowly getting darker (he had been taking a walk quite far away from his apartment or the convent), and his stomach growled. He checked the cabinet for food.

Empty.

The fridge contained no food either. "Right, I was planning on buying groceries while I was out," Raphael remembered. He sighed and lied down on his bed, still in his clothes. He would formulate a plan and maybe even get some sleep before his big rescue mission.

Raphael took off his glasses and set them down on the windowsill. When he went down to the HQ, he couldn't just walk in as Raphael. They would arrest him right away; probably since he ran last time. He certainly didn't think that one through. They would question him about that and about Fondue. If he went in as Phantom R, they would know it really was his dog. Then Fondue wouldn't be able to walk around with him as Raphael anymore… and they'd probably still question him as Raphael. Plus, they had a decent chance of finding out his secret.

The first idea was looking like a better option. Besides, he was a good liar. So, he concluded, the only way to get Fondue back and clear his/Raphael's name was to walk in there and get the dog like any normal citizen.

Now he just had to solve the whole "parent" dilemma…

Did you all like it? I hope so, because I already have the entire thing written. I just need to type it up, which may take a while...

Yeah, it was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but then it got longer and longer... so expect about four(-ish) chapters or so.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and I'll update super-soon! :D

~CharizardGirl