Of Thieves and Runaways: An AU YuYuHakisho, YuGiOh, and Wish crossover.
FullSummary: The ancient world is a perilous place—ever since the portal to the Makai was opened, demons have been running amuck, causing worldwide panic and confusion. The humans are getting massacred and enslaved by demon warlords, to a point where they finally are attempting to fight back. Now the war of all ages is occurring, and troops from all over Egypt's vast empire are coming together to fight . . . A pharaoh fights to save his country; a priest fights to save himself. A warlord fights to get in; three orphans fight to get out . . . and a fox and a bat just happen to get caught up in it all . . .
I started writing this for my friend, and for a long time never even posted it—just kept writing the chapters and e-mailing them to her.
But then I realized how much time I was putting in it thus taking away time for my posted stories so I figured, 'hey? Why not?' so here it is! IMPORTANT NOTES: You don't have to know the story or characters of Wish to like this story. In fact, Koryuu and Kokuyo are nothing like themselves in Wish; I just put them in there cause they're pretty. :D You really don't have to know much about YuGiOh either, but it helps. Please please please review once you have read this; it only takes a few seconds and it makes me feel really good. If you really want to know what Koryuu looks like, trust me, you do—he's hott! just do a google search of "Koryuu" or "Koryu", either one. Enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE
Long ago, during the time of the Pharaohs, and the country of Egypt was at the height of her power, disaster struck when the three worlds—The Makai, the Ningekai, and the Spirit World—collided with one another, breaking the barrier between them and pulling the universe into chaos . . .demons, who were more than rebellious because of war-ridden demonic feudalism and a constant flow of coups, were eager to invade the human realm, to kill, plunder, and enslave the so-called 'inferior race.'
However, our story begins far away from the chaos engulfing the Worlds-- in a dark, lonely forest on the outskirts of a Makai city, a demon bandit and his friend go about their daily routine, unaware of the mess they would soon find themselves in. . . . .
Kuronue grumbled as he walked out of the camp, sending one last glare at a certain silver fox before disappearing into the trees.
'Stupid kitsune, why do I have to go hunting? "I am too busy," says he, eh? Yeah, too busy being lazy, the jerk,' he thought angrily. He summoned a sickle and started whipping it around violently, to knock shrubs and tree limbs out of his way.
When the encampment was completely out of sight, Kuronue calmed down, grudgingly accepting the task that was given to him. He put his sickles away, and, instead of hacking trees out of his way, gently pushed them aside. When he reached a deeper part of the forest, where the trees were closer together and it seemed like dusk had already set in, he turned on the stealth—he unfolded his leathery black wings and started hovering over the ground so he would not snap any twigs, rustle any leaves or make any other sound that would scare away his nighttime-feeding prey.
He smiled triumphantly as he spotted a large clearing in which a huge, meaty-looking buck was standing in, feasting on the tall grass. He summoned a sickle, and was just aiming it at the deer when unexpectedly it gave a great cry, and fell down dead. Momentarily confused, he looked at his hand. Had he killed it without realizing it? No, his sickle was still there.
Then what had slain it?
He glanced at the animal again, and saw the cause of death: A long, wooden arrow shaft stuck out from the beast's neck.
There was a rustling from the bushes opposite Kuronue, and a tall, lean figure stepped into the clearing.
It was a boy; much younger than Kuronue by the looks of it, and he was indeed the hunter—he carried a bow in his hand and had a quiver of hand-made arrows slung over his shoulder. The boy was exotic, with tanned skin, pale lavender irises, and platinum hair that sparkled like spun gold in the sunlight. He wore a simple off-white tunic that fell just over his knees, and was bare-footed.
He also looked extremely famished.
With curiosity, Kuronue spied on the young demon as he started to emit a small amount of spirit energy, and Kuronue immediately noticed that the wind had picked up.
'A wind spirit, perhaps? Or maybe a winged demon,' Kuronue mused, all the while watching the young boy in the clearing release more and more spirit energy, and feeling the wind become faster and faster.
Too fast, for as the wind whipped by the bat demon, he had an increasingly difficult time to stay hidden in one spot. He had to fold his wings and land, but straight away the wind tugged on his entire being, forcing him forward—and into a tree.
"Ouch!" He cried, as he rubbed his nose painfully. All of a sudden, the wind stopped, and Kuronue's heart raced quickly as he realized his mistake.
'Oh, Inari . . . What a large mouth I have . . .. I've been caught,' he reprimanded himself, and at the same time a haughty voice called out demandingly, "Who is there? Show yourself!"
Kuronue stayed put for a moment, and then grinned—he had a plan. Taking a breath, he feigned stumbling into the clearing, and put a mock-annoyed look on his face.
"Geez! What in the Three Worlds was all that? I was just flying through the woods, minding my own business, when some damned wind blows me smack into a tree!" He lied, storming around the clearing and waving his arms around to enhance his mock-anger. He turned to the tanned boy in front of him. "Did you release that airstream?" He asked, even thought he already knew the answer.
The blonde lowered his bow, and nodded sheepishly. "Ehehe. Sorry about that. But you see, I just shot this dinner—I mean deer, and I was trying to get the wind to . . .lift it or something, so I could get it back to camp. I'm really sorr—"
Kuronue cut him off, laughing. "Naw, don't worry about it. My nose will survive. You on the other hand . . . .You look hungry. Would you like me to help you gut and skin your catch?" He summoned another sickle to his free hand. "With my help, it will go a lot faster, and obviously dinner will be faster, too."
The boy answered without hesitation. "Yes! Thank you so much!"
And so, with Kuronue's help, the buck was soon skinned and gutted, leaving the blonde boy to cut out a huge slab of meat. Kuronue noted with amusement that the boy had started to salivate as soon as he picked up the venison.
"That's such a big piece!" Kuronue started disbelievingly as he helped wrap the meat in large leaves and place it carefully in the other's bag. "I don't think you can eat all of that, even if you're starving. And it's certain to go bad before you get the leftovers, trust me." he said. The blonde shrugged.
"There are two others back at my camp. I think this will be plenty for three mouths," he stated, and Kuronue nodded with a little "Ahh, yes." "But you see, what I really feel bad about, is all that other meat that's going to go to waste. I'd love to take it all with me, but if what you say is right—it'll go bad before we eat it," the tanned boy said, looking at the other exposed meat longingly. Kuronue laughed.
"Don't worry about that. I have some mouths to feed as well; I'll take it. No, no—" he started, holding out his hand to stop the other boy as he approached the meat with a knife; to help. "You go and take the meat to your companions. If you're anything to judge them by, they're probably as starving as you. No, you go ahead, and I'll help myself," Kuronue stated, shooing the younger boy away from the deer.
The boy looked grateful. "Thank you . . ."
Kuronue smiled. "Kuronue."
The boy froze, looking Kuronue with realization and a little bit of fear in his eyes. "Kuronue? The Komori partner of the infamous bandit, Youko Kurama?"
Kuronue smirked his trademark smirk. "The only one! And you are?"
"Malik. Malik Ishtal. Listen, I really must go now. Thank you so much for helping me; I truly appreciate it," he stated, and started to walk back the way he came.
Kuronue waved. "The pleasure was all mine, Malik!" He watched the boy go, and a secretive smirk came to his face when Malik was no longer in sight. He turned to the large pile of meat that was now his.
"The pleasure was all mine . . .."
"What took you so long?"
Those were the first words out of Kurama's mouth as Kuronue flew into camp, lugging a large bag of venison behind him. Kuronue scowled as he dropped the bag and landed, folding his wings delicately behind him. He turned to the silver kitsune.
"If you want it to go faster, then you can go hunting next time, and track at your own pace." He picked up the bag and threw it in Kurama's direction. "I hunt, you cook."
Kurama eyed him curiously for a moment, and then, narrowing his eyes, said, "You met another demon along the way, did you not?" Kuronue stared at him in shock and surprise for a few moments, and then his emotions quickly faded into anger and confusion.
"How do you know that? Do you spy on me? I knew it! For the love of Inari, Youko, stop treating me like some sort of backstabbing fool! And give me a little space!" Kuronue yelled angrily, folding his arms and aiming his best glare at the kitsune. Youko pouted.
"I do no such thing Kuronue," he said, shaking his head. "I merely sensed traces of another demon's spirit energy on you, indicating that you either were attacked by other demons, or you got close enough to touch one," he explained.
Kuronue calmed down, though his still looked a little miffed. "Oh."
Kurama's pout faded quickly as he aimed a rather sly grin at his demon partner. "So which was it? Did widdle Kuwonue get picked on by bullwies?" Kurama asked in babyish mock-concern, twirling in closer to the bat demon and giving him a sympathetic look. Then, plastering another grin on his face, he put his hands on his hips. "Or did someone have to relieve themselves of a few urges . . . .?"
Kuronue blanched. "You damned letch. I did not do anything like that with another demon!"
"Hee hee! It is so easy to ruffle your wing-feathers . . .. But seriously, who did you meet and what did they want?"
Sighing, Kuronue told the silver fox about his encounter with the wind spirit, Malik. When he was done, Kurama put fingers on his chin and looked thoughtful. He started muttering things to himself, and Kuronue's ears twitched as he listened in on the other youko's musings.
"He sounds harmless. His powers were unrefined? And he was starving . . .
This 'Malik' said he only traveled with two other people . . .. That's odd for thieves . . .. Moreover, it is unwise . . .. They can't be criminal, then . . .. And there's no other settlement around the forest, but the city . . . "
He suddenly turned to Kuronue. "It sounds like they are runaways. But I wonder what they are running from?"
Kuronue rolled his eyes at his partner. "Damned curious kitsune . . . one day, your curiosity will get you into trouble . . ."
Oh, ifonly heknew.
Meanwhile, not far from the two bandit's encampment, a young wind spirit was greeted rather eagerly by his two companions, who were just as starving as he. .
"Wow, Malik! That looks wonderful!"
"Does it not? Somebody else has to cook it, though, because I do not know how to cook."
"Bakura, you are elected! You know the most about this sort of thing anyway. Besides, you've done next-to-nothing today anyway."
"I do not care who cooks it, as long as I get to eat it!"
"Hear, hear!"
Three boys sat around a small fire, one of them roasting a chunk of meat on a hand-made spit, and the other two conversing animatedly with each other.
One of those talking was the wind spirit Malik, who was telling the other two excitedly about his encounter with the famous bandit, Kuronue.
"—and when I found out it was Kuronue the Komori of all demons, I was sooo embarrassed! I mean, because I had lost control of my powers and all, I blew him right into a tree! I was lucky to be alive after that!"
"But what I do not understand is why he helped you so much, even after you injured him! That is not quite how I pictured Kuronue the Bandit to be. I always thought he'd be more . . . well . . . more—"
"More like how Bakura acts!"
"Precisely!"
Laughing alongside the wind spirit Malik was a tousle-haired, energetic raven demon by the name of Koryuu Rijiarvii. His long, layered ebony hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of his head, and those loose strands of it that did not make it into the ponytail spilled over his shoulder beautifully. Large feathery black wings protruded from the boy's back, and they rustled together occasionally when Koryuu spoke, seemingly of their own volition.
"What is that supposed to mean, Malik? Are you calling me heartless?"
The third boy, a dog demon by the name of Bakura, was the eldest of the three boys, and much more serious than the other two. He had shoulder-length, silvery- white hair that fell about his face in spikes, and dark, mahogany eyes that always seemed to be narrowed in a reserved, moody glare. He was not the type to show emotion, and could be rather crude at times; but he cared for Malik and Koryuu greatly, and protected them at any cost.
"Of course not! But you know what I mean. I thought he'd be more . . .. stoic. I mean, seriously, he was way overly-friendly, and it hardly even took one word on my part before he agreed whole-heartedly to help me out—me, whom he is not familiar with, and not to mention several centuries younger!"
"Kind of like the guy in that story, then? It sounds like it." Koryuu mused, wings fluttering again unknowingly. The other two looked at him confusedly.
"What story? What are you speaking of? I remember no story."
Koryuu looked startled, and then a little frightened. "Oh, gods . . .well, uh . . . .you see—"
Bakura cut him off. "Let me guess—something to do with humans, right?" Koryuu's gaze dropped to the ground, and Bakura exploded. "How many times do I have to tell you, Koryuu, to STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMAN WORLD! They're dangerous, Koryuu! You could get killed, or worse—captured and tortured for information by their so-called politicians . . . Do you want that? To be strapped to a wooden table and be cut and tortured until you bleed your very last drop of blood?. . ." Bakura immediately felt guilty for his crudeness, but it did not show; his face mirrored his vexation instead.
Koryuu's eyes went wide, but they did not leave the ground. Malik looked uneasily from Bakura to Koryuu, too frightened of Bakura to stop him.
"I'm s-sorry, Bak-kura," Koryuu muttered shakily, still staring at the ground. "I was just passing through the human world, to reach the portal to our camp you established on the other side of the city of Thebes—it was under the cover of night, too! But I got sidetracked when I passed by a window and happened to hear a woman telling stories to her son. I stayed hidden and listened in on her tale, that's all. I'm sorry. You know I don't m-mean to make you mad."
Bakura's hard gaze softened a bit, but not too much. "You don't make me mad, Koryuu, you make me worry. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you; especially since I promised your mother on her deathbed that I would take care of you . . . You don't make that job any easier, gallivanting off to the human world like you do. Just try to be more careful, alright?"
Koryuu immediately cheered up. "Absolutely!"
Malik let out a slow breath; relieved that it was all over. He winked at Koryuu, who smiled awkwardly.
"So," Bakura began uneasily, as if he didn't really want to say what he was about to say. "I can't believe I'm going to ask you, but I can't take the curiosity any longer. What story are you referring to?"
Malik and Koryuu both laughed, and Koryuu began the epic human story of a charming, honorable Egyptianthief that stole only what he needed and gave much of what he got to the poor, and had many adventures—with Bakura and Malik hanging on his every word.
The meat was left forgotten on the spit, catching fire and charring down to nothing.
"BAKURA, OUR FOOD!"
Bakura walked silently away from his campsite later that night, casting one last wary glance at his two sleeping companions before disappearing into the trees, his long, white bushy tail twitching in his nervousness.
He had several reasons to be nervous. One, it was the dead of night, and he did not know (nor want to know) what sort of creatures he might come across. Two, he was leaving his younger companions defenseless in the middle of the night, where they could become prey to any sort of horrible creature that might live here.
Or even worse than horrible creatures—they could fall prey to Youko Kurama and his sidekick, Kuronue.
Yes, he had listened to Malik tell his story about the bat demon helping him and being nice and all, but in Bakura's opinion it was all an act. Demons like Kurama and Kuronue never act like that, unless they are after something. While Koryuu and Malik may have remained blissfully ignorant of Kuronue's ulterior motives, Bakura had spotted them right off the bat (no pun intended.) First, it had been obvious to Bakura that Kuronue had been after the same deer Malik had shot. Why else would he be in the thickest part of a dangerous forest? Just flying through the woods as he had told Malik? Hardly. He seriously doubted demons as smart as Kuronue just put themselves in danger for fun.
'Two, he convinced Malik that meat goes bad in less than twenty-four hours, and at the same time stole over half the venison out from Malik's awe-struck eyes! Three—he is a bloody thief! I mean, for the love of Inari, he was obviously scoping Malik out to see if he had anything worth stealing. That's just the way those lot are. Steal first, think later,' Bakura thought angrily as he crept through the forest, careful not to make too much noise lest he wake some thing that could eat him in one gulp.
Finally, he spotted his destination in a clearing up ahead—the freshwater stream that ran the length of the forest, and eventually flowed into Lauque Fatalia, the lake on the other side of the Forbidden Forest. He unclasped the water skin from his belt, and was about to enter the clearing when a soft, sweet voice sounded from within. Instead of stepping into the area, he ducked under a bush, his heart racing.
"Come, child, there's no need to be frightened; I was just collecting some water for tea. Would you care to join me?"
Bakura stayed hidden; unsure of whether the voice was talking to him or not.
"Yes, you in the bush there—come on out, little one. No need to hide," the voice called, and Bakura was so enraptured with its light, melodic tone he didn't even register the condescending names he had been called. He stepped out blindly into the clearing.
"Yes, that's it . . . come now, do not be afraid. Come and have some tea with me, and we shall talk."
Bakura fully regained his sense of self, and gasped when the speaker made himself known, standing up from where he had been crouching by the stream bank behind a boulder.
"You— you're Youko Kurama!"
The aforementioned fox demon smiled a kind smile at Bakura, and then turned around, his long curtain of silvery-white hair flowing about him elegantly. He started to walk away from the clearing, in the direction opposite Bakura's camp.
"Follow me, please." It was a said as a statement, and not a question. Youko left no room for Bakura to argue. Not wanting any trouble with the frighteningly powerful kitsune, Bakura obeyed; warily following him out of the clearing and away from the safety of the river.
'What am I getting myself into . . .?"
Far, far away from Bakura and Youko, who were steadily making their way towards Youko's camp, a tall priest in flowing violet robes performs a ceremony, in a lavish temple located in the human world.
"—and as Horus, Son of Osirus, once avenged his father's death by Set's hands, so now grant the Pharaoh, Your living representation, power to triumph over his enemies. In the name of Ma'at, bring divinity to this kingdom, so that we may find peace at last. In the name of AmunRe; prosperity." The priest raised a beautiful sacrificial knife from his side, and positioned it carefully over the head of the bleating little goat tied to the altar next to him.
"Priest Seth!"
The man dropped the knife in surprise, and it landed handle-up on the ground, severing the cord that tied the goat to the altar. Giving a loud, triumphant bleat, it immediately tore out of the temple, to freedom.
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Seth tried desperately to contain his anger as he turned to the figure in the doorway. "What?" He snapped.
"Excuse me, I could have you executed for that tone," the other voice snapped back, but the priest did not look fazed.
"My apologizes, your highness," Seth said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The other sighed.
"Why must you be so moody, dear Cousin? If it is about that goat, I am sorry. I will have it replaced."
"Atemu, it is not about the goat and you know it." Seth said tartly, turning away from the other. He started to clean up the remnants of his ceremony. "So tell me, cousin—why you have decided to grace me with your presence tonight?"
Atemu sighed, and kneeled down on the floor with Seth. He stared unfocusedly at the altar for a moment, and Seth waited in silence for the young Pharaoh to begin. After a while, Atemu turned to him, a kind smile on his face.
"What were you praying for?"
"Prosperity for Egypt . . . . Peace for all the land . . . .You know, the usual things," Seth mused, earning a laugh from his cousin.
"Yes, I suppose you were."
"But of course, now it will never happen, because someone lost me my sacrifice. The gods never do things for free, you know."
"Don't blame me; I'm not the one who severed the cord with the knife." Atemu stated matter-of-factly, turning his deep crimson eyes to the man beside him.
"It was not my fault! The knife slipped!" Seth huffed back.
"I told you—I will get you a replacement goat, so do not get angry about it."
"I wanted that goat." Seth muttered, almost too low for the ruler to catch.
"What? That goat? Why on earth does it matter?"
"Because that stupid kid ate my favorite altar-cloth, that's why! I wanted him punished for it!" Seth burst out angrily, raising a fist in the air.
Atemu burst out laughing. Seth glared at him. "You're very funny, Seth. You always know just how to cheer me up!"
"Thank you for allowing me to become today's object of amusement, Atemu."
". . . No, I am serious. I could really get you killed for your sarcasm."
Seth growled. "Stop dodging the subject. What have you come to me for? What troubles you?"
Atemu started slightly, and then sighed. "To tell the truth, I'm worried. This whole war business has a very nasty feel to it, and I cannot help but fear the worst for Egypt. And your premonitions don't help my troubled mind, either, Seth."
Seth nodded in understanding. "I understand your position, Atemu. However, you must keep it together, dear cousin, and be strong. Your people need you to be," he advised in a soft tone.
Atemu turned his head to the side. "But I'm so afraid . . .. That I won't be able to . . .." He whispered.
There was silence after that. Atemu stared off into the distance, caught up in a whirlpool of despair; while Seth prayed silently to AmunRe to give his cousin the strength he needed to lead Egypt. When he was through, he opened his eyes and bestowed upon the young ruler information he had kept silent until now.
"I had another vision, Atemu."
Atemu gasped sharply. "What? And you choose now to tell me? You should have told me right away! What did you see? Was it good? How—"
Seth cut him off. "I do not know exactly, cousin. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before! It was a desert scene, in an oasis of some kind. There were seven flowers positioned in a half-circle, six of them exactly alike; white blossoms that stood on slender green stalks. However, the seventh flower was much taller than the other six, and it's beautiful, elegant petals were stained a brilliant wine-red."
Atemu blinked. "That is easy enough to explain. That is I, the Pharaoh, and the six priests."
Seth nodded. "I know. Of this next part, however, I am unsure. It starts to rain, and the oasis is flooded."
"The war!" Atemu shouted, and Seth had to restrain himself from smacking the young ruler upside the head.
"Atemu, if you interrupt me one more time I'll have you thrown out!"
Atemu immediately settled himself. "Sorry."
"As I was saying, the heavens shed their tears upon the earth, and the oasis floods; yet the flowers are untouched! The water pools all around them, but they do not even get wet—all except one, that is."
Atemu looked at Seth startlingly. "The red one?" He asked fearfully, but Seth shook his head.
"A white one is completely destroyed, torn up by its roots and whisked away by the stream."
Atemu somehow looked even more frightened than before. "Oh no! Isis! Mahaado, Kalim, Shada! Are you saying one of them will perish?"
Seth nodded gravely. "It is highly probable."
Atemu shook his head in despair. "I knew something horrible would come to pass; I felt it! I must go talk with Siamun . . .Thank you, Seth, for telling me," he said, and walked sadly out of the temple.
Seth watched him go. When he was completely out of sight, Seth slumped over in despair, putting his head in his hands.
"Isis, Mahaado, Kalim, and Shada have nothing to worry about . . . . . It is for my own safety that I fear . . ."
For in the dream, the flower that had drowned was not in fact white, but blue . . . . . .
END CHAPTER ONE
Please review. I hope you like the changes I made recently. Flames are most certainly welcome. I won'tpost chapter 4unless I know what you guys hate about this, so I can at least know what I'm supposed to be fixing.
'Even an angel can end up falling; don't you cry because you're falling
Start again; it's a beautiful morning for satellites." --"Satellites" by September