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Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, nor its affiliates, in any shape, form, or fashion.
Heroes and Thieves:
Prologue
On the outskirts of a village not far from the Tranquil Forest in the Demon world, three young boys watched in jealousy as their older sibling walked along the dirt path to the village in the south. Behind them, a woman, plump with child, watched as well, lovingly waving to the girl.
"Remember, dear, be home before dark! Your father does worry." the woman called out, patting the head of one of her sons in an attempt to ease his jealousy. "And watch your step, Aislin!"
The girl, Aislin, turned her head, smiling at her mother. "I'll be fine! Home before you know it!" she turned again, serpentine blue eyes facing the road.
"And no stealing!" Aislin nearly fell over from guilt, catching herself before she hit the hard ground.
"Mother! Please! The more you talk, the longer it's going to take! I'm leaving now!"
The boys watched as she continued to walk, only for Aislin to trip over her own two feet, even after her mother's warning. Quickly composing herself, she turned around herself, growling. "Alright, who's the wise guy?"
Her brother's looked on. "She really is an idiot." one said. The others nodded in agreement before following their mother back inside their village home.
The southern village was louder than her home in the north, and as Aislin wandered the dirt streets, whispers broke out around her.
"Another theft! Biggest one yet!" she heard. Another of the elderly demons spoke up.
"Heard he's doing it all for fun!" Curious, Aislin walked toward one of the street market vendors.
"Who's everyone talking about?" she asked, twirling a crude necklace in her hands. The vendor laughed, his stomach rumbling.
"Who're they talkin' 'bout?" he asked, still chortling. "Why, the legendary bandit, of course! One and only Yoko Kurama himself! Been gettin' a lot more popular as of late. Can't keep his hands off the shiny things!" the ram-demon snickered at his own words, as if they were a joke that Aislin should have laughed at.
"Another heist?" she asked, still toying with the trinket that the shop keeper hoped to sell. "That has to be the fifth in as many months." A flip of her wrist, and the woven strip of cloth was no longer in her hand, but in her pocket. Giving off a smile, Aislin thanked the male demon for the news of such a legend and started walking toward the food market at a leisurely pace. However, the hiba's act was quickly caught onto.
"Hey, girl! You payin' for that?" Aislin stopped walking, turning to look back at the older demon.
"Pay for what?" she asked. 'Don't panic...calm, collected...'
"That necklace hangin' from your pocket!" the ram yelled, brandishing a curved blade from under his stand. Nearly instantly, Aislin faltered, turned, and ran.
'So much for not panicking!' she thought, the demon giving chase.
They ran for quite a while, the sales-demon never pausing. Aislin cursed her clumsy feet each time she tripped, but she still kept strong, running as far and fast as she could. Finally, after what seemed like hours to the poor snake-girl's humanistic legs, they reached the outskirts of the southern village, just a few meters away from Fool's Forest.
'Make it under the trees, Aislin. You'll be home free!' she thought, quickening her pace. The ram was still behind her, and gaining quickly. The edge of the forest was nearing, and with a final push of her legs, Aislin was under the thick canopy of the deciduous trees. She sighed in relief, until she felt the sharp pain in the back of her calf. Looking to the sales-ram -who wouldn't dare to enter this horrid place-, she noticed his curved blade did indeed have blood on it. And she had the curved gash on her leg to prove it.
The ram paced back and forth in front of the forest, only to turn on his heel and return to the village. Aislin couldn't help but consider herself lucky. That theft could have easily cost her her arm, or worse -her head. Looking to the wound again, Aislin clenched the grass between her fingers in annoyance. If the male had just ignored her, she would have dinner and would already be on her way home. Instead, she was forced to sit in Fool's Forest, empty handed but for a bit of cloth, and wait until the gash healed.
'It would take at least three days. And after mother's warning...She'll be so disappointed.' Heaving herself to her feet, Aislin winced as the pain lashed out again.
"I've got no choice." she muttered. Out stretching her arm, she used some of the little demonic energy she had -the very same she vowed to strengthen one day- and created a small cobra from her own flesh. "Thank you, Mother!" she cried, and quickly sent the small serpent on its way to her home, message molded within the tiny things head. A day and a half full of travel for the snake, which would allow her to heal the cut on her calf alone. If only no other demons -stronger ones, at that- resided in the forest, everything would be fine.
Except now, watching the tiny cobra slither toward the north, Aislin felt she had more to do, and grinned to herself.
"A little training," she muttered, "and I won't even get a cut." Thinking it over, the pale-purple haired hiba nodded. 'I'll be better than Yoko himself!'
**A hiba is a female snake demon.
Hope you enjoyed the first installment of Heroes and Thieves! The next chapter will be up shortly! Please review and tell me what you think!