The body, streaming red ribbons of blood, hit the pavement with a dull thump, disturbing the frigid night air.

Y/N smiled slightly, then spun away, not bothering to wipe the blood from her knife as she slipped it into her voluminous cloak. Sliding behind a large barrel, Y/N sighed with content. No rotten potatoes tonight.

Pulling herself up out of the muddy puddle with a grimace, she began to run. Not quickly, yet not without urgency. The MP would be on her trail soon, that much Y/N could be sure of. Yet she had succeeded. Money in my pockets, Y/N thought, a devilish smile creeping across her lips as her feet pounded out a reckless beat on the pavement.

But her moment of triumph didn't last long. In fact, it was over sooner than she had expected. The fhoosh of 3DM Gear whispered through the night, and Y/N cursed, darting into a nearby alley and throwing off her cloak, revealing her own set of 3DMG.

"Oh, so you want to dance?" Y/N laughed as she jumped out of the alleyway, grappling hook sinking deep into a building at the end of the street. And with another laugh, she was off.

This was the best part of any job- the adrenaline, the infuriated MP, and the heart-stopping escape.

Y/N spun around the chimney of a small building, anchoring then shooting away once more. The cold night wind bit at her cheeks and bare arms, filling her with an animalistic excitement.

The bell tower sped past, and suddenly she realized how far she had gone.

And how heavily her hand had been on the throttle.

By the Titans! Y/N thought. Only a third tank left.

The night turned bitter, the air no longer a friend, but a freezing enemy, tearing at her h/c hair, its locks flying into her mouth. Spitting the hair furiously out, Y/N glanced about her, looking for a safe place to land.

There. Y/N landed roughly, the MP only a few meters behind her. She stumbled forward, then crouched in the darkness. I'm not here I'm not here I'm not here I'm not-

Her frantic mental chant was shattered as three children barreled past, a tall girl in the lead, scarf whipping about erratically. At the sight of the children, the MP pulled up, faces twisted with disgust.

Y/N exhaled, suddenly realizing she had been holding her breath, as the MP turned and retreated, back the way they had came. The children stared after the men, one of the boys scoffing with clear disdain. Y/N stood silently, turning to slink away, when the girl spun around.

"Who's there?" The scarfed girl's voice was cold.

"No one of importance," Y/N smirked before stepping into a small shard of moonlight, letting the group see the dike she had yanked from her boot. However, for some odd reason, the children seemed unfazed.

"You were running from the MP!" One of the boys exclaimed, the same who had scorned the men previously.

"I noticed," Y/N responded coldly, taking a bold step forward. "Thanks for all your help, but I'll be on my way."

The third member of the party spoke. "You're the one everyone has been so desperate to catch." His tone was matter-of-fact, and Y/N smiled despite herself.

"Yes, yes. But it's rather hard to catch a phantom, no?" With the final laugh of the night, Y/N shot her hook into the nearest building, and disappeared into the night.

Nao's POV

Nao was, to say the least, enraged. Torn from sleep, home, and Wall Sina herself, he had been part of the small hit team called in to catch the assassin who had been running wild through the streets of the entirety of the Shiganshina District. And of course, the one time they'd close enough to gleam gender from the form, a group of idiotic kids had gotten in their way.

Needless to say, Nao had more than enough reason to retrieve a slim bottle from the depths of his jacket, taking a long pull. But with a sharpness only he could summon, Commander Yuudia glared at Nao from around the flask.

"Put that damned thing away!" Yuudia spat at him, venom dripping from the words. "We might've had a hard night but we still need to have our wits about us." Yuudia shot a final, disgusted look at the silver flask in Nao's hand, then headed off to talk to the gatekeepers for the Trost District.

Nao muttered a few choice words under his breath, his companion shooting him a rueful look. "Shiro, please. Try and tell me that doesn't describe him perfectly."

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't. I'd add bull-headed-shittyness."

Nao cocked his head. "Bull-headed-shittyness?"

Shiro smiled. "A word I invented just now..." Nao laughed softly, but stopped as Yuudia stalked up to the group, cold eyes scanning the five tired soldiers.

"We're not going to be able to leave Shiganshina tonight," Yuudia growed, looking as displeased as his men. "Don't ask, I'm not sure why. Something about the carriages being sabotaged, and loss of transport?" Yuudia cursed softly. "Find a place to sleep, we're staying the night here."

Nao, along with everyone else, laid out his cloak on the floor, trying to arrange in into a vague semblance of a bed, but his efforts were in vain. Eventually he rolled up the cloak, using it a pillow. Already snores had filled the room, and without a second thought of the wind rushing through the open door, Nao added his own heavy breathing to the mix.

A/N
That's the first bit! Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a few days.
Thanks,
-Elana