Precious Thief
Disclaimer: Don't own YuGiOh. So… um, I don't know.
A/N: It's set in Ancient Egypt. It has a bit of cursing. Seto might be a little OOC so please bare with me. I hope you like it, please read and review!
Chapter 1: Encounter
The village bazaar was buzzing with people, women mostly, who were eager to get the best prices before the sun set and had to return to cook dinner for their growing families. At one booth a woman was seen haggling to the merchant who wouldn't give it for anything less than 2 silver coins. A group of old ladies were seen walking and gossiping at the same time as children ran around them in exuberance. But in a corner stall a young man barely 17 was walking up to one of the apple baskets. The old man chatted unknowingly to his son standing next to him. The son stared warily at the blonde as he happened to pass as his old man was blind.
The lean blonde looked at the baskets and asked how much. "10 copper." The son said still wary of him. 'I can't afford it… I only have 4.' Jounouchi thought. 'I could haggle or steal again...' He began debating silently when he remembered that it was the only money he had and if he spent it, he really would be broke. So when they weren't looking Jounouchi slyly stole a few apples and walked off like it was nothing. The son realized what a mistake he had done and ran after him. "… Hey! That man just stole 3 of my apples! Come back here thief!"
'Oh man. Gotta run faster! I've got to stop stealing from the same booth every time! At least I get exercise right?' Jou thought as he started sweating from all the pressure of not looking back. He could still hear the hoard running behind him shouting "Kill the thief!" 'I got to lose them or dad's gonna kill me if I'm late and I don't have food! Aw…' Then he sped up a little more and quickly turned a corner to an alley he knew well and hid behind the first corner he saw until the crowd passed.
A tri-colored spiked head popped out from one of the doorways. "Hey Jou. You ok?" Sighing in relief he turned his head a bit and wiped some of his sweat off. "Yeah Yug, I'm fine." Yugi smiled brightly and wiggled his index finger to tell him to come in. Jou crawled into the little doorway and dusted himself off.
"You stole from that old man again didn't you?" Yugi glared at him angrily when he showed him the apples. He smiled sheepishly, "I had too. I only had 4 of these and well you know. The son's mean, he never let's me haggle! Anyway, you know you look ridiculous when you do that?" Then he ruffled his hair.
Yugi batted away his hand. "Stop messing up my hair. I know that's not why you stole. You're father's drinking again isn't he?" "Noooo…" he began looking towards the doorway and scratching his cheek. He noticed Atemu crawling through the hole and Jounouchi smiled. "Hey! Just in time!" then he began running towards the opening whispering, "Thanks for taking the little guy off my back!" and started crawling.
"Stop right there Jou." Yugi said gripping his leg and tried to drag him out. "NO! LEMME GO!" he said trying to shake Yugi's grip off his leg. "Not until you explain yourself!"
"I'm old ok! Leave old men alone and let them take off with their stash of stolen goods!" he began to cry out clutching to the little doorway. Yugi gave a grunt and tugged one final time before it sent Yugi and Jounouchi sprawling onto the ground. "Hmm. Apples." The pharaoh looking amused, raised an eyebrow at the two, reached down picked up a stolen apple and bit it. "Tasty."
Jounouchi glared at the pharaoh for eating one of the apples. "I was going to use that you know." Throwing Jou a look Atemu said, "Yah well, my apple now." And then stuck his nose up. Both just gaped at him. Yugi sat up and got teary. "What about me? I got no welcome kiss."
He shrugged his shoulders and kissed Yugi's forehead. "You were preoccupied. So, Jou, explain the apples." He waved the bitten apple in front of Jou's face.
Jounouchi looked a bit angry and folded his legs Indian style. "I got desperate ok? I have almost no money, so I had to steal. Dad blew all the money I was saving up to buy food for some prostitutes. How do you think I felt seeing some whore doing it with my dad on my bed? I freaking washed my sheets 5 times and it still smells!" he complained.
"Well I would have given you money or food if you needed it." Atemu said looking concerned. He pulled Yugi into his lap. "And have my dad asking were I got all this stuff? I think not. He'd beat me up for the money more often. We're already in debt and I can't pay off the loan." He looked at the ground and drew circles in the sand. "I need to find a new place to steal things from. I already got blind man, his son, some fat butcher and a couple 10 ladies chasing after me every time I come to the market. I am running out of disguises you know! How many blondes do you think live in this area?" He yelled slammed his fist onto the ground as he let out some steam.
"How many places are you not known?" Yugi asked curiously. "Well I haven't been to the other side of the city or outside it. Three-fourths of the city is residential, and I haven't been to the pubs because well there's nothing to steal. I've been to all the markets on this side and of course I haven't been to the palace…" he began trailing off. Yugi looked at Atemu and he looked back. Then they glanced at Jounouchi who was in deep thought.
Suddenly Jounouchi jumped up. "Yug! You just gave me a great idea! Thank you, thank you!" He then kissed both Yugi and Atemu on the cheek and stuffed the apples into his bag. They both blinked in wonder. "Hope you don't mind me taking back my apple." Then he reached over and snatched the bitten apple and hurriedly crawled out of the room.
"You guys are the best!" Jou yelled and suddenly they all had a bad feeling about this.
Under the light of the moon, Jounouchi stood outside under one of the open palace windows. He was dressed in a black and atop his head was a black cloth wrapped around his head to conceal his golden hair. He would never dye his hair because he absolutely loved his hair. He was obsessed and washed in the stream nearby everyday. He spent at least 2 hours on his hair, but right, off the topic. Swinging a handmade claw onto the window still, he began to cautiously climbing up the rope.
'I better not die because I just used my last damned coppers on this rope.' He thought and hefted himself into the still. When he finally got on top of it, he fell over. 'Right, Jou, stealthy, real stealthy. What would Yugi be saying to me now if he knew what I was doing?' He thought pulling the rope up and then cringed. He could imagine Yugi running after him with a knife since he was one of the palace cooks. But unlike the others, Yugi was allowed to live outside the palace walls because of his relationship with Yami.
He moved from wall to wall until he reached the deserted kitchen but not before he tripped a couple of times. What? He needed food supplies, not treasures. Besides it was food first, money later. Plus he was always hungry. Never say no to food when you are a starving man and he was growing.
It was logical to him that to find the best foods he would have to go to the palace. If he was caught he could pretend to be one of the servants who were sneaking in for a midnight snack. Then after, he could go see if he could steal a golden coin from someone. Looking around he took out his bag and began filling it up. On the other side of the kitchen a servant was too making out with food.
Both not knowing each was there, Jounouchi back tracked to where he left out the figs. The servant, who was currently eating off the dish, was heading unbeknownst towards Jounouchi and crashed into him. It resulted in each giving off girlish shrieks and the servant dropping the dish. A guard, passing by, heard the shrieks rushed in. "Who's there?" he demanded.
Jounouchi's eyes widened when he saw the guard and began panicking. 'Oh crap. I hope the guard doesn't notice me!' He began moving slowly to the door and spotted the servant who just slipped out the doorway. The guard began moving towards him. 'I'm in full black right. He can't see me, I hope.' He began chanting silently blend in, blend in, blend in. As soon as he got to the door, Jounouchi decided to make a brake for it and started running, but tripped.
The guard turned around and moved the candle to see the intruder. Jounouchi got up and began running for his life knowing that either way he'd be killed. I mean come on, full bag of stolen food right in the eye sight of the guard. "Hey you! Thief! Stop!" He groaned silently. 'Why do I suck so much in stealing? I mean every one always catches me in the act. I'm cursed I tell you! Cursed!'
A loud girlish shriek and loud thunderous running coming from the level under the High Priest's room woke up a half naked man who began scratching his head. He could hear panicked yelling downstairs. "What the hell? That better not be Mokuba trying to kill that monkey again. I swear I should have not gotten that monkey for him. Damn him and his puppy-eyes." He growled and decided to get up and find out. He dressed himself and padded down the stairs before he was knocked down. He flew a couple of feet before hitting the wall. Groaning he sat upright and shoved the unknown person off him.
"Ow." The servant slowly moved and stood up. He looked at the body he had tackled when he was turning a corner. His eyes widened in horror "Oh my, I'm sorry!" and immediately flopped down to the ground to bow for forgiveness. Seto glared at him. "If you're so sorry, you better tell me what just happened."
"M-my priest, I-I was down to the kitchens for a snack when I encountered another. I dropped a dish upon crashing into the man." He said still bowing. "Is that why there was a scream that woke me up?" Seto said angrily. The servant shaking continued, "Y-yes, I dropped the dish and both us screamed in surprise. And a guard came in and the whole floor panicked and… we didn't mean to wake you. I'm just a lowly servant, but please, spare me."
"Leave." Watching the servant run off in a hurry, he decided to go back to his room. 'At least it's not Mokuba this time.' He was beginning to close the door when he heard someone yelling "Stop!" Opening the door again, he stuck his head out and watched as 3 or 4 guards ran after a boy no older than 17. As the boy was about to pass, something possessed him to open the door more, stick his hand out to drag the boy by the arm and into his room.
Quickly slamming the door, he pulled the boy into his arms and covered his mouth. Jounouchi began panicking because he couldn't breathe and this man was crushing him to his chest. He squirmed a little, but Seto just held him tighter and leaned against the door until the guards passed. Jounouchi, who got fed up, forced his mouth to move out of Seto's grip and bit down on the hand hard.
His eyes widened in pain and he released Jounouchi in a split second. Jounouchi then took in his surroundings and was slightly amazed that this room was very expensive, yet tasteless. The nickname money-bags flew to the top of Jounouchi's list of insults.
"Ow! You little… what are you a dog? You better not have rabies!" Jounouchi's eyes flashed angrily. He could remember when Otogi made him dress like a dog. Let's just say, Otogi didn't just come out with a black-eye, he came out with an arm, a leg, a couple of ribs broken and his family jewels kicked multiple times. "I'm not a mutt and I don't have rabies!"
Seto, still nursing his hand, noticed the bag full of food and raised his eyebrow. Then he retorted, "Yeah, well you're as clumsy as a puppy and the bite of a fierce ugly dog. As far as I'm concerned, you don't qualify as a thief!"
"I'm not as ugly as you are cruel!" Seto amused started laughing and backed Jounouchi into the wall. Then he smirked. "Really? I'm not cruel, just a tad mean. Either way you admitted that you're ugly." Jounouchi began fuming and was so angry he couldn't even form sentences. "I didn't! Argh! You suck!"
Seto began laughing a little. "You must be a little baldy to wear that turban." Jounouchi feeling insulted began protecting his turban. Seto curious reached out and began pulling on the black sheet. Jounouchi pressed the "hat" onto his head more with one hand and batting Seto's hand with another. "Hey! What are you doing? No touchy!" They began a tug-of-war and Seto used his free hand to start tickling him. Being incredibly ticklish, he began laughing and moved both hands to try and cover his belly.
He saw his advantage and removed the sheet from Jounouchi's head. "Hey!" Jounouchi began complaining. Seto marveled at Jounouchi's golden hair. It looked so soft that he reached out a hand to touch it. "You have beautiful hair." He whispered and Jounouchi blushed at the compliment. His hand moved from part of Jou's hair to his cheek. He began caressing his cheek.
Jounouchi tried glaring at him but was failing miserably. Seto didn't know why his mouth went dry when he looked at the thief's lips. Something in the back of both men's minds screamed You're straight! when each thought the other was kind of cute. Seto licked his lips a bit. He thought that maybe kissing him would help the dryness so he leaned down and in one swoop captured his lips.
After the kiss, Seto moved his head and looked satisfied with the reaction Jounouchi gave him. "Hmm, tasty." Jounouchi blushed a little and lowered his head. "You really don't know who I am, do you?" he said lifting his head.
Jou shook his head furiously saying no and began playing with his clothes. Seto smiled, "What's you name?" Lifting his head back up, he smiled back cutely, "Jounouchi…"
"What no first name? Guess no one really wants to name a mutt after all." Seto smirked. "Argh! You… I… Gah! You're so annoying!" Jounouchi just threw up his hands and shoved him away forcefully.
Then he looked out the window and realized that he had to get home before dawn. "Catch you later money-bags." Then he ran to the window and began climbing down. Seto stuck his head out and called, "Mutt, wait. Forgot your bag."
Seto then slipped a gold coin into the bag. He figured that he needed it since Jounouchi was obviously stupid enough to steal a whole bag of food instead of money. But unknown to Seto, Jounouchi had been smart enough to steal a couple of rubies when he hid from the guard in one of the rooms before he was caught. Then he stashed them at the bottom of the bag. Then he waved the bag and sheet at him. Blushing in embarrassment, he climbed back up and reached out. Seto couldn't resist how cute Jounouchi looked so he stole another kiss from him and handed him his things. "You really are a cute puppy." Jounouchi just blushed again.
Half way down Jounouchi suddenly gaped as he realized what Seto just did. "That bastard stole two kisses from me!" He hurriedly climbed all way down looked up and shook his fist at the imaginary Seto. "Darn you! I can't believe you stole two kisses from me! Just wait until I get my hands on you!" Inside Seto just started laughing at how dense he was.