When Ninjas Run

    Espio quietly strapped the last of his shurikens into his glove holster, being careful not to make a sound as he adjusted the spiked strap securely around his wrist. It was late, far past the time he had told his friends that he was going to bed. Loud snores from beside his room and across the hall told him that the other two residents of the small home were fast asleep.

   He slid on his dark gray vest, hiding most of his purple scales. It was just the right shade to blend in with the night backdrop without being too dark. He had learned years ago that even black could stand out at night, if enough light was still present. His species was gifted with the ability of camouflage, like his nonmobian relatives, but that required more concentration than he was willing to use when he had alternate methods of stealth. Having trained under the masters of the Shinobi Clan, his kin, he didn't have to rely so much on his power of invisibility anymore.

    A light cough outside of his room snapped Espio out of his reverie and he hastily grabbed the metal staff leaning against his bed and gently slid open the only window in the room. He had only a few moments left. It was a clear night in the town, which meant he would have to be careful leaving. The chameleon lightly stepped on to the sill and took one last look at his bedroom before stepping out on to the fire escape and closing the window back. Then he vanished into the night...

    Charmy yawned and sat up, sneezing loudly as he stretched. He hated having a cold. It made him feel miserable, and he couldn't have as much fun as he wanted to. Even though he was only five (and a half, he would argue), the junior detective knew he wouldn't be able to go back to bed until he could blow his nose. He grunted as he untangled himself out of the mess of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals littering his bed and promptly fell face-first on the floor.

    Somewhere across the hall, Vector snorted in his sleep before snoring once again. Charmy rolled his eyes before they lit up with an idea. Espio always had some kind of tea he could drink whenever he was sick. He knew it would probably make the chameleon mad if he woke him up in the middle of the night, but he would just have to get over it. The quiet one of the group was the most understanding of the three anyways, so he probably wouldn't mind helping him. Without making too much racket, Charmy left his room and knocked on Espio's door. He had learned the hard way to never enter his room without knocking first.

   "Espio?" he coughed, "Espio, can I come in?"

   The little bee frowned when he received no response. He knew for a fact the ninja detective was a light sleeper, so why wasn't he answering? Deciding to push his luck, Charmy carefully slid open the door and walked inside.

      "Espio?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly as he made his way over to the bed. He flapped his wings and hovered over the side and gasped. The bed was empty, and after flicking on the lights, he realized the rest of the room was empty too.

     "Espio! Where are you!?" he panicked and searched all around the room, sometimes fanning his hands in the air in case he had turned invisible. When he still couldn't find him, he decided to call on the head of their agency for aid.

     "VECTOR!" Charmy shouted as loud as his soar throat would allow, which was still enough to shake the house, as he swung open the croc's bedroom door. It was clear he didn't have the same respect for private space as he did for their missing partner. Vector yelled as he was suddenly woken up and fell out of the bed, much like Charmy had a few minutes ago, and he grumbled under his breath as he rubbed his head. He had been having a good dream too.

    "CHARMY! WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT FOR!?" he demanded loud enough to blow the bee back out of the room.

    Charmy righted himself in the air and frowned at his boss. He would've liked to shout more, but his throat was too scratchy.