The World of Claymores

Prologue

For many years, the land has been at peace but two years ago, a new species has come to the land. But they were anything but peaceful. These creatures were called Yoma and they prey on human entrails. One person was able to discover this and decided to do research on how to rid these creatures. He gathered a few volunteers and ally scientist for experiments and demonstrations. With a dead Yoma that he killed a while back the Head-Scientist combined the flesh and blood of the Yoma to a few of the volunteers. Some were complete failures while very few were a success. After many studies, scientists have found that only women and young children's bodies were able to adapt to the reaction of yoma flesh and blood. There were a few side effects to the subjects' bodies. Such as their hair would lose pigment and their eyes would lose their natural color and turn silver. During a few exercises, these warriors have discovered some abilities that they all share; such as aura detecting and when they increase their strength, their eyes change from silver to eerie gold and their faces turn from a pleasant glance to a monstrous glare. But they all have their limits.

They have decided to turn the successful experiments into predators of Yoma and bring peace back to their land. However they could not send these warriors out to save towns so freely. And since they will need more warriors in the future; the scientists created an organization and charges the town for each yoma that attacks their town. This organization uses the money for more research and equipment for the warriors. Now this land has two new species; Yoma and the warriors to destroy them, named by humans as Claymores.

Ch.1. The Kidnapping

"Claymores?" Yugi asked. Atem nodded.

Yugi Motou and his older brother, Atem Motou, sat on Atem's bed at home on a Wednesday afternoon in their home. Atem, facing his brother, was telling him about what he knows about the Claymores.

"At least that's what their called," said Atem. "Their organization didn't say what they are called. Some called them that because of the swords they carry; or 'Silver-Eyed Witches' because of their eyes. The majority of them are females. The other few are children; remarkably." He placed his elbows on his knees and props his hands to his face. "It's pretty rare to see a child to take down a Yoma. Or a Claymore that is a child."

"That's kinda' hard to believe; a child that's a warrior that can take down such a thing," said Yugi. "I mean not just physically, but a child won't be able to last long with a Yoma."

Atem nodded. "I agree. But…" He raises a finger. "They are fused with the flesh and blood of a Yoma; granting them the strength and ability to take one down."

Yugi can hardly imagine a child Claymore fighting a Yoma. "Has there been a town that has called for a Claymore?" he asked.

"Actually there has." Atem answered. "In the country Saudi Arabia, there were reports of about five Yoma on the land. Since the country was so small a third of the population was wiped out." Yugi's eyes widened at that last line. Atem continued. "So the mayor had sent a request for a Claymore and within a day, the warrior showed up to the land."

"Where exactly is their organization?" Yugi asked.

Atem shook his head. "No one knows."

"Then how was the Mayor able to send them a request?"

"Some say that a man dressed in black came and took the request." Atem shrugged. He doesn't know all the details.

"But why did the Mayor waited to send the request after so many people had died?" Yugi asked.

Atem shook his head once again. "I don't know."

Suddenly the boys heard thumping noises outside of their bedroom. It was as if someone was running in the house. And then, almost at once, Solomon Motou burst through the door. He was shaken to his stupor even though his face didn't express it. The boys got worried.

"What is it, Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

The elderly man was exhausted from his short burst of energy. "You boys…" he breathed. "Stay inside the house."

"What's wrong?" Atem asked.

The old man answered grimly, "A Yoma has been sighted."

Outside in the town square, lies a bloody corpse. The insides were ripped out; not a trace of them was left. A group of soldiers surrounds the corpse to investigate and to keep onlookers out. The Mayor of the town came and the soldiers let him pass to see the corpse. He calls for his followers. "Make a request for a Claymore immediately. We cannot have any more casualties like this."

Later at the great court, there was a meeting involved with the Mayor, his followers and a few of the villagers. The Mayor and his followers sat at a round table with the Mayor at the head of the table.

"Sir, are you sure you want a Claymore to come to town?" a male follower asked. "I mean those warriors are also half-monster."

"Even so, we cannot just sit here and do nothing." a female follower interjected. "Claymores are the only beings that are strong enough to kill a Yoma."

"Not only that," the Mayor adds. "Claymores can identify a Yoma on the spot. Don't forget that Yomas can fuse into a human body making its presence unknown. It's impossible for humans to spot it."

"But how do we know that a Claymore won't turn against us?" another male follower asks.

"What choice do we have?" the Mayor interjected. "I refuse to let anyone get hurt by these creatures!" He stood from his seat. "Send a request for a Claymore. Immediately!"

"So, we're gonna be seeing a Claymore soon?" Yugi asked his Grandfather.

The elderly man nodded. "Yes. The Mayor is not going to wait until another attack starts. It's best to send for help right now than to lose more lives."

"How long will it take for a Claymore to arrive here?" Atem asked.

"I'm not so sure," Solomon said as he crossed his arms. "But I'd say about few days."

"Why so soon?" said Atem.

"Well, not too long ago in another town, someone send a request for a Claymore; and it took three days for one to come into town."

"So we just have to wait…" Yugi trailed off. "But won't the Yoma strike again during that time?"

"Maybe. I don't know." The old man replied solemnly.

Two days have passed since the day the Yoma was discovered. But fortunately no other corpses were found. Atem is now leaving the market with groceries for dinner tonight. As he was walking, he starts to wonder about the Claymore that was supposed to be here soon.

'I wonder what type of Claymore will come here,' he thought. 'Will it be a full-grown female or one of the kids?'

As he press on towards home, a stranger dressed in a dark brown cloak, wearing a hood that covers half his face, is sneaking behind him. As the man gets closer to the teen, his mouth curves up into a smile. So much so, his teeth were showing. When the man has finally gotten close enough in arms' range, his mouth began to mutate. Its grin grew wider, the incisors became sharper. Unfortunately, the monster was discovered.

Atem, with his powerful senses, had sensed the stranger behind him. He grabbed a lead pipe and was ready to strike at any time. Just when the monster begins to reach his arm out…

KTHWOK!

Atem turned around at the noise and was shocked at what he saw. A tip of a sword was sticking out of the creature's head. Purple blood was leaking and is dripping off the blade. The creature lifted his head, revealing one of its yellow, cat-like eyes. On close observation, Atem realized that the creature was a Yoma. The creature growled.

"Damn you, bitch," it cursed. "But how-"

The sword went up; cutting the creature's head open and blood spurted out of the gouge with some hitting Atem in the face.

The Yoma fell to the ground with a thud. Atem stared at the dead creature with wide eyes. He then looked to see where the blade came; and what he saw made his jaw drop in disbelief.

There stood a female warrior dressed in white, with armored shoulders and feet, an armored waist pouch, metal wristlets, and a small cape. Her hair was long and ghostly blonde with light curls; and eyes shone with silver. Atem looked at the weapon she used and noticed how enormous it was. He can barely understand how this person could hold something this huge. Of course the woman was half-yoma, but her structure appeared so frail that the sight was unbelievable.

The Claymore swung her sword to get the blood off her blade, and sheaths it. She gives Atem a blank stare as the teen just stood there, stunned in silence. It was quiet between the two for a while. Then, just when Atem opens his mouth to say something, the warrior turns away.

"Atem!"

Atem turned to where he heard his name. He saw Yugi running up to him. When he reached him, he gasps at what he sees. The dead Yoma and the Claymore that's walking away. When Yugi turns to Atem for answers, his eyes grew wide.

"There's blood on you!" he cried.

Atem blinked in confusion. He then rubbed his face and saw some evidence from the dead Yoma on his fingertips. He sighed.

"It's alright," he breathed. "I'm fine." He turns to the drifting Claymore. "Wait!" He called out to her, but warrior continued to move on. As he watches her leave, Atem felt something tug his arm. He looked to see his brother with his hand on his arm, staring at him with concerned eyes. Atem put a hand on his brother's as a reassuring gesture. "Let's go home." He said. And he and Yugi turned for home.

"Are you alright, my boy?" Solomon Motou after he heard Atem's story. All three men are sitting at the dining room table. The elder Motou has given Atem a wet washcloth to wipe off the yoma-blood from Atem's face.

"I'm fine, Grandfather," Atem sighed as he continued to clean the blood from his face. There was silence for a few minutes until Yugi speaks.

"So that it, right?" Yugi asked. "We call the Claymore, she comes and kills the Yoma, and then she just leaves?"

"Well," The elder Motou started. "… Yes and no." The grandsons both gave the old man confused looks. The elder tries to explain. "Sure the warrior would leave but just like in any business, their service comes with a price. A man in black that created and train these Claymores will come for payment."

There was silence among the men for a few moments, until Atem stood up from his chair. "I'll be in my room," he said as he leaves the kitchen. Yugi got up from his chair and follows his brother to the hallway.

"Atem," Yugi called, making his brother stop where he is. "Are…" he hesitates. "Are you going to be alright?"

Atem stood there not facing his brother for a minute before answering. "I'll be fine, Yugi," he said softly. "I just need to be alone." He then continues to proceed to his bedroom. When he got there, he closed the door and leaned his back against it. He lifted his head up to the ceiling with a distressed look on his face. His mind drifted back to the event when he was saved by the Claymore. 'I was almost killed by a Yoma,' he thought. 'I mean, I knew someone was behind me but I never thought…' He hung his head as he slid down to the floor and hid his face behind his hand. He gritted his teeth in frustration. 'Had it not been for that Claymore, I wouldn't be here now. I never realized how serious this is.'

Meanwhile in the living room, Yugi and his friends; Joey, Tristan, and Tea, were talking about the incident.

"Man, I knew it was serious when I heard about the Yoma, but this is insane!" Joey exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I know." said Tristan. "It's a good thing that Claymore showed up otherwise Atem would been dinner for that thing." Yugi winced at that last statement. Tristan saw the gesture. "Uh, no offence, Yugi." he said as he hastily waved his hand back and forth and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's a good thing the mayor decided to act at that time of the moment and send a request." Tea said. 'Because if he didn't, it would have been too late.' She felt sick at the sight of Atem after being handled by the Yoma.

Everyone fell silent in thought until Joey spoke up. "Say, Yuge," he turned to Yugi. "Isn't there a way for someone to join the organization?"

Yugi immediately figured what Joey was thinking. He frowned very slightly. "It's not an organization that you can easily join," he said softly. He closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and bows his head. "The warriors didn't really join the organization by free will. Rumor has it that some were sent there by force or they were taken from their families. Long ago there were some volunteers, but those who are men were tested to see if they can handle having Yoma flesh and blood in their bodies. And they were all complete failures. In other words, the men had either died a gruesome death or became monsters as well. Becoming a warrior out of free will is out of the question."

The other adolescents sat there in their seats in shock. Joey and Tristan, who had high hopes of becoming a warrior, just turned their gazes to the ground with disappointing looks. Yugi gave them both a sympathetic look. "Sorry guys, but we can't just recruit ourselves into something so serious." he said.

"It's alright, Yuge," said Joey, who put on a small smile. "Knowin' that, I don't think me and Tristan would pass that test wit' flyin' colors.

Tristan agreed. "Yeah. But I wish we could do something so that there wouldn't be any more Yoma commin' into town.

Yugi smiled a small smile; grateful that his friends were willing to do anything for him and his brother.

Unknown to the gang, Atem was standing outside the room in the hallway; listening to their conversation. He smiled softly; happy to know that his friends were taking this matter seriously and that they cared about him.

The day left and turned into night. The gang is gone for the night and the Motou household is tucked away in their beds. As the men slept, someone, or something, crept to their house and climbed onto the building to the window of Yugi's bedroom. Atem awakens with a start; his instincts spiked like crazy. He sat up and looked at his window and saw a shadowy figure moving on the outside of the house. Just when Atem was about to get out of bed, the figure vanished, and then….

CRASH!

AAAAAAHHHHH!

Atem jumped from the noise and turned to where the scream came from. "Yugi!" he whispered. He jumped out of bed and darted out the door and towards his brother's room. When he opened Yugi's door, what he saw made his blood boil hot.

A creature, cloaked in darkness, was pinning a struggling, Yugi down and has a cloth covering his mouth. With full fury, Atem lunged at the creature, ripping him apart from Yugi. The creature slammed into a wall and slumped on the floor. Once he got the thing away from Yugi, Atem went to his aid. Yugi looked completely worn out as if he was about to go to sleep. "Yugi, are you alright?" Atem asked with great concern as he slightly lift the boy up.

Yugi struggled to keep his eyes open as they were heavily drooping. "He…" he started in a hoarse voice, deeply breathing in oxygen. "He drugged me… with something." His eyes shifted behind Atem; they widened with fear. "Behind you!" he tried to scream.

But Atem wasn't quick enough to protect himself. Just when he looked over his shoulder, his eye caught sight of flying metal. The creature hit him with the metallic object, knocking Atem unconscious. Yugi tried to go to his brother, but the drug he came in contact with was so strong he could barely move. The creature grabbed the boy by his face with the same cloth and held the boy against the wall, letting the drug finishing its work. Soon the boy couldn't struggle anymore as he passed out from the drug. As the creature slung the boy over his shoulder, something from behind rammed him into the wall, causing the teen to fall off the shoulder. With great irritation, the creature turned to see that it was an elderly man that charged into the creature.

"Unhand my grandson, you filthy beast!" Mr. Motou yelled with rage. He charged into the beast once more, but the creature with great strength and quick reflex, he swung his fist at the old man, causing him to fly back into the hallway, and into the wall; knocking him out.

The creature turns back to the unconscious, drugged boy; picks him up and hiked him over his shoulder once more. As he makes for his exit, he felt something grab his ankle, making him stop. He looked down to see a hand clenching tightly to his leg. He then saw that it was the adolescent that he rendered unconscious earlier.

Atem clenched on the creature's ankle as he struggled to stay awake. The blow that he took earlier has gave him a gash on the right side of his head, right above his eyebrow. Blood streamed down on his eye. "Unhand him," he growled. But with one swift kick to the face, he was rendered unconscious once again.

The creature jumps on the window still and, with the boy still on his arm, he took his leave.

"The boy is too small," a male voice scoffed.

"I'll bet he's even weak," a young female voice grunted.

"Hey, you asked for the brat!" said a frustrated male voice. From how gruff his voice is, he must be buff. "And I got what you wanted; so deal with it!"

"Not exactly," said another male voice. This one is more older and sinister. There are four shadows surrounding a boy with tri-colored spike hair. The sinister male examines the child. "This boy resembles to the one they asked for. You've got him mixed up with his younger brother.

"What?" said the abductor.

"Oopsie-daisy," the first male teased.

"You got what we wanted, huh?" the female mocked.

"Well do not worry," said the sinister voice. He grabbed the boy's chin for a closer examination and turned his head slightly from left to right. "This one will do nicely." He looked at the other shadows and his right eye began to glow brightly. The three shadows eyes glowed silver in response. "Lets begin the operation."

The three shadows bowed to him. "Yes sir."