Whut? A new fic?!?! Yes, yes and this is also madly influenced buy Eres's fic called the Eyes that defy. Read it. Its gooood stuff!

In other news, this takes place in a sort of post-apocalyptic steam punk age, were there is immense class division, airships, robots, alchemist, and other fun stuff…

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh… but I do own Bahlair and Revlin… and other original characters.

Steampunks and Aristocrats

Marik stared at the airship flying above him; as usual it was rather loud and a significant amount of smog trailed behind it. He let his mind take him into the inside (or what he thought the inside would look like) and imagined flying the large craft. He sighed inwardly and hurried on his way home, he was sure Bahlair would be upset if he was late... it's not like it happened all the time. So maybe it did, but that's beside the point, it's not like there is anything interesting going on at home.

Marik hurried on. The streets were filled with the scum of the earth and every type of criminal and social deviant you could think of. Prostitutes, thieves, pimps, gamblers, conmen, drunks, if their names have marred society, then they exist here. It's not like he could look down on them, he wasn't any better himself. A thief and a bit of a con man, a good one too mind you.

Slosh Slosh the sound his boots made as they passed through the sewage and garbage that marred the cobble stone streets. His foot steps were quiet though, compared to the din of the criminal activity about him. A woman with large hips and a busted lip smiled coyly at him, he pulled the brown hood over his head and hurried onwards with out a second glance. He held the bag of groceries tighter as he entered the ally close to home. "Hey kid, how's it going?" the voice was familiar and not unwelcome. He stopped and grinned at the man with dice for ear rings. "Hey Duke, get any drunks today?" The dice man shook his head sadly. "Nah, but there was that one guy with the gambling problem!" he replied cheerfully.

Marik and Duke froze for a second. The sky seemed to darken and the air got tense. There was only one person that could create such a deadly atmosphere. Bahlair.

"MARIKFREAKINGISTARHYOUSHOULD'VEBEENHOMEHOURSAGOWHATISWRONGWITHYOU?!" she shrieked marching towards him with a kind of menace. He laughed nervously. Was it really that late? Of course it was, there was no sun out… oops.

Duke had some how made his self scarce and disappeared into the night. Marik stepped back unconsciously and held his hands up, she was glaring daggers at him with her yellow eyes. "I lost track of time?" he offered feebly. Her eyes narrowed and she snatched the bags filled with food away. She turned sharply and headed towards their… er house? No not house, abandoned shop, turned house. Ah, the joys of being poor. They we're actually one of the luckier ones. They had a roof over their heads an actual door. Marik smiled and followed his pmsing best friend.

"It's about time you reached Marik, I think my stomach was about to turn inside out." The pale boy with white hair stretched his armed towards the bags on the shop counter and snatched an apple. It used to be a flower shop, back in the city's glory days when people actually had money to throw away on flowers. The boy with the white hair jumped down from the counter and walked towards the fire place, where it was significantly warmer than the counter.

Bahliar sat next to the albino, trying to get warm. "He was talking to Duke of all people." She said making a face. Marik rolled his eyes. "Duke's not any worse that any of us." He grumbled hoping they wouldn't hear him. "Please tell he there's food here." They turned towards a boy with tri-colored hair. Yellow bangs, black hair and red tips, and by some strange force spiked to the heavens. Not to mention his hair accounted for about ¼ of his height. "Hey Yug, and yes the food, by some miracle is here." The white hair boy said leaning into Bahlair for warmth. Yugi walked towards the bag and picked out a piece of bread. "You want some Ryou?" he asked as he smeared a strange combination of grapes and pomegranates on his bread. "Nah I'll pass."

If it seemed like the four made an odd group then you're right. Ryou ran away from home when he saw his father shot his mother with a revolver, Yugi's parents' left him with his grandfather when he was a baby, and sadly like every old person, he died. Marik and Bahliar, whom they all call "B", lived relatively close when they were younger, with a semi-normal life. But what exactly happened to have them end up living in an abandoned flower shop, you're guess is as good as mine. As for their parts in things, Marik of course took care of the thieving, and selling of stolen/ damaged goods. Ryou was particularly stealthy and cunning so he also stole and made some money as a chimney sweep, and Yugi because of his size was good at transporting things that most people wouldn't even go near. B did what any girl living in the slums of a war torn city would do. Prostitute.

The gang chatted on about nothing in particular. Mostly happenings in their immediate surroundings, like did you know that the Mai chick snagged a perfectly operable rage radio from some rich inventor Cheshire street? No? That was Tea? On then never mind. How about the Joey's almost arrest? Yugi pipes in. Oh really? They inquire. Yes, he tried to swindle the wrong man; turns out he was an aristocrat. Oh, they mumble, bloody rich people.

Duke poked his head inside of the flower shop, sure that B cooled down. She never stayed mad for long, took too much energy in her own words. "Speaking of rich people, there's supposed to be an interesting event taking place in a few nights, gathering of some of the richer nobles and such." He said swiping a rotten tomato from the bag. B sighed "Duke why are you here?" she grumbled not wanting the three boys to involve their selves in such a high profit crime. The gambler sauntered over and put his arm around Marik's shoulder, "Why, to get one of the best thieves to help us carry all the loot away."

Marik grinned. "Hell yeah! Count me in!" He high-fived Duke, Ryou looked at B, who was at the time about to burst. "No." she said sternly. Marik swung around and glared at her. "What do ya mean no?!" he moved closer to where she was sitting. "This could be big B!"

Yugi cleared his throat. "Um, Marik even if you do manage to get anything from Ball, the secrete police will turn this city upside down, for anyone involved in the crime!" he replied nervously. Ryou sighed. "He's right you idiot, you think they're gonna let who ever stole from royalty live?"

Marik shook his head. Unfortunately, for him, he was rather cocky and self confident. "I think I can evade a couple of fat police men" he said rolling his eyes. Duke shrugged. "I think we can handle it B, we've got Mako and Pandora leading this!" They all turned towards B, who was now playing mindlessly with the blanket. The Mako had an interesting array of connections, not to mention he was a pretty darned good sky pirate. Not to mention Pandora was a criminal mastermind.

B ran her caramel colored fingers through her purple hair and let out a long drawn out sigh. "I don't agree with it, but if you can assure his safety Duke, then I'll let him go." She paused. "But let me remind you, if anything happens to him, I swear on black soul of this smog filled city, I'll make you cry like the little bitch you are." She hissed menacingly. Duke looked like he was about to reconsider, when Marik grinned and slapped him on the back.

"So I guess, Yug's gonna come along with us, and hey, er Ryou, you can come too… maybe even Mai." He was off in his own world rambling on about potential co-criminals. B rolled her eyes and Yugi smiled. He was glad Marik wanted to involve him, forgetting about his previous protests. Duke chatted it up with Marik and Ryou decided that, even though it would be dangerous, he really didn't want to be left out of this one.

The mood was surprisingly light considering the weight of future life changing events, that's sure to happen in a couple of sepia toned anxious days.

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Well, that was that. I hope you all liked it. Don't worry the other's will make themselves known in the next chapter… oh, don't forget to review!