The Bakeneko Brothers

Chapter 1

A pair of troublemakers. That was the last thing I needed right now. I already had enough on my plate trying to keep up with all of the illegal bot fights going on. I shuffled through the reports. A few pictures were provided, held together by a paper clip.

"Let's see what we're dealing with.' I thought as I took off the paper clip holding the photos together.

The taller one had neat black hair and wore a smirk. The smaller one was significantly shorter. His messy mop of black hair fell over his mask. He wore the same expression as the older one, although his smirk was more prominent. Both wore a kabuki mask over their eyes with cat ears adourning the top. Accompanied with the mischievous smirks, it gave the pair the look of troublesome alley cats. Both, especially the younger one, appeared to be taunting the photographer.

My eyes skimmed over the report. Apparently the pair were known as the Bakeneko brothers. On low profile days, they simply pick-pocketed. At night they used quick martial arts to mug victims. Both appeared to be experienced with a mix of kick-boxing and karate. The most the two had done were rob small convenience stores. Stolen goods usually included solely money, but sometimes food was stolen as well. It looked like these two simply stole to survive.

I turned the page to look at the second report. Locals claimed they were feared by nearby gangs. They had been reported to raid gang hideouts. With quick footwork, they could take on a group of ten. The Bakeneko brothers were also known to jump gangs to collect their spoils.

In short, these two were not to be underestimated. I shuffled the pages back into a neat pile before placing them back inside of their manilla coloured folder. Just as I was beginning to pack up for the night, the phone rang. I picked it up and held it to my ear.

"Officer Jones, San Fransokyo Police Department."

"Officer Jones, I need you down here. Get here as fast as you can, but don't turn on your siren." I heard the voice of my coworker, Rick.

"Alright." I simply replied before setting down the receiver.

.

I arrived shortly near the designated alleyway.

"I got them, the Bakeneko brothers! An anonymous tipper told me they had headed down this alleyway. They should be here any moment now." Rick informed me in a hushed whispering voice. I only nodded in acknowledgement, We heard a pair of soft footsteps echo around us. They grew steadily louder as the Bakeneko brothers approached. I readied my gun in case it was needed. Rick turned on a bright light to reveal the two.

"Put your hands up!" Rick shouted. The boys did not put their hands up, and they continued walking towards us. There was no trace of the taunting smirks I had seen on their faces earlier. They meant business.

"I will shoot if you try anything!" Rick threatened. The younger one looked up at the older one. The elder one rapidly pressed three fingers into the boy's arm before flipping his hand over to press four fingers in the same spot. He looked back at us before nodding.He reached into his pocket and flung what appeared to be pebbles at the ground in front of us. They weren't pebbles, but flash sparks.

Flash sparks were originally manufactured as joke materials, but were quickly proclaimed illegal after criminals figured out they could be used to temporarily blind victims. Flash sparks are still widely available on the black market.

When the flash sparks made contact with the ground, they produced a bright flash, and a loud disorientating bang. I felt my gun get knocked out of my hands as I was kicked to the ground. I heard Rick make contact with the ground beside me. The sound of the brothers running away snapped me out of my daze. I guess Rick's gun hadn't been kicked as far away as mine because I heard him fire it. A cry was audible, echoing off the grimy damp walls. I looked up to see the younger one bent over in pain. The older one stopped and bent beside his brother to check up on him. Even though his eyes were covered by a mask, I could tell he was infuriated. He stood to his feet in a menacing manner. I already felt intimated and began scrambling for my gun. I spotted it a few feet away, but it would be too late by the time I got my hands on it.

"Rick!" I shouted as he began to run towards us in a zig-zag pattern. Rick made a feeble attempt to shoot him. Rick's gun was knocked from his hands, and the older Bakeneko brother picked it up. He pointed it at us. I knew this kid would never shoot us under normal circumstances, but right now he was furious and may shoot on impulse. Rick raised his hands, and the boy pointed the gun at me. I raised my own hands to show that I was no threat. He backed away from us and helped his brother onto his back. By now the younger one had lost a lot of blood and appeared barely concious. The older one kept Rick's gun pointed at us until he was well out of shooting range. He let the gun clatter to the gun before taking off. Rick stood shakily to his feet and helped me up.

"We had them cornered, but we still couldn't catch them..." Rick muttered disappointedly. I nodded as I bent over to pick up my own gun. I wiped off the water on my uniform while in deep thought. Apprehending the Bakeneko brothers was going to be tricky.