Disclaimer: Any and all characters, techniques, weapons, and settings from the series Yu Yu Hakusho are not owned by me. They are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, and whoever else helped in the creation, production, and airing of both the manga and the series. I, however, do own the plot and any and all original characters. This disclaimer goes for the whole story.
Warnings: This story is an AU and the first chapter will have minor undertones of shounen-ai in it as well as some violence. Warnings will be posted for every chapter.
Author's Notes: This chapter is based loosely on the song "Disarm" by The Smashing Pumpkins from the album "Siamese Dreams." I know that's sharing this is trivial information, but I wanted to let you the readers know what inspired me and see if anyone can see the parallels between the song and the chapter (if you're familiar with the song, that is). Special thanks to AnimeMangaKat for looking this over for me; I'd be plagued with disgusting works without you! (:3)
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Why was he always running away from everything? He did not know the answer himself, but at this moment in time it was a trivial question. What mattered was escaping, getting out of harm's way so he could see the light of another day. He ran faster down the path, his feet making no sound, almost as if he was a ghost. In his pale hands was a priceless, golden artifact, precious jewels encrusted within the gold. The path he was on curved right and a dark forest flanked it on the left. Quickly the figure dashed off of the path and into the forest, but not before projecting his energy in the opposite direction towards a deserted village.
The dim, silver moonlight was barely visible through the thick foliage, a blessing for the thief, and he quickly offered a thanksgiving to whoever was watching over him from the heavens. The angry shouts of his pursuers could be heard on the outskirts of the dense forest, causing the thief to swiftly hide behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree, a fiendish grin spread across his pale face. The voices faded just as fast as they had come, their owners obviously falling for his ruse, and the thief slipped from his hiding place, his grin still in place.
Through the branches and leaves the moon cast a silver glow upon his body, making his pale skin look as white as a China doll's. His black hair was accented with a silver glow from the moon and was held in a high ponytail so as not to get in his way. Two stands of midnight black hair framed his pale face, ending a few inches below his shoulders. Eyes a mix of sultry violet and mysterious blue glimmered wickedly. Pointed ears were visible, though they were partially covered by the brim of a topless hat, an accessory he personally thought was quite dashing.
His torso was covered by a dark sleeveless, V-neck shirt that exposed just enough skin for him to tempt and tease as much as he wished. Strips of black cloth wrapped up and around his arms loosely, ending at his shoulders. A belt held a white piece of cloth wrapped around his waist in place, the cloth a sort of modified version of the hakama human males were so proud of. The 'mockama' opened in the center to reveal black pants that fell over equally black boots. Black, leathery wings were pressed against his back, useless appendages that only served to make him look more menacing.
His name was Kuronue, and he was a well-known thief in these parts. Sure it was a crooked job, but at least it kept food on the table. He had joined the business when he was young, and now, centuries later, he had grown up to be what he was today. Kuronue loved the crooked life he led, the challenges that came with it, the adrenaline-fueled high. And he was darn good at his job, too, thank you very much.
Kuronue gripped the golden treasure tightly, securing it under his left arm as he walked deeper into the dark forest. The heart of the woods should provide adequate shelter for the night, not to mention excellent camouflage just in case his ruse was discovered-not that he thought it would be, but it never hurt to be prepared. He walked deeper still, avoiding any clearing or stream he came across; such places were easy targets if people came looking for him.
Finally he settled himself in a tall, old tree whose branches would be thick enough to support his lithe form. The moonlight was barely able to pierce through the thick foliage, and if not for his pale skin and white accessory, Kuronue would have blended in perfectly. After checking the area one final time, he placed the golden artifact onto his stomach and shut his eyes to rest for the remainder of the night.
In the same forest some distance away, a small group of demons was setting up camp in a clearing. They were waiting for their leader to come back from his heist, he shouldn't be long now. A rustle of leaves alerted them to a presence coming from the north, the direction opposite of where their leader should be coming from, the direction where Kuronue was camped out. One by one the four men drew their weapons as quiet as possible and waited silently in anticipation. A twig cracked, the demons tensed; it couldn't possibly be their boss, he would never make such a ruckus- he was a well-versed thief.
The silence that followed was broken by a pained yelp that ended just as soon as it had started, and the demon was dead before his comrades could turn around. Swords clattered in the shaking hands that held them, and a tall figure appeared behind the group. Slowly, almost painfully so, they turned around only to come face-to-face with their leader.
He was an intimidating figure, a sumptuous demon with silver hair and golden eyes. His skin was pale, paler than the China doll skin of Kuronue, and seemed to glow with a luster all of its own. The clothes he was wearing were such a white that they made snow look sordid and were in the style of a sleeveless, V-neck Chinese-style tunic and trousers with matching white slippers. Silver ears and an equally silver tail, both the same shade as his long hair, marked him as a fox.
In his presence the remaining three demons couldn't help but shudder- his golden eyes were narrowed and a cold, eerily calm expression adorned his face. They may not have been in his services long, but they knew that they were in trouble. Many a demon had died by his hands, and they had no doubt that soon enough they would join the list, a list that was quite long.
"You failed my test," he said, his voice cool, his tone even. A frown now marred his features.
The three demons quickly dropped their weapons, their heads bowed while they muttered rambled apologies. A silver ear twitched, and the demon's frown deepened.
"Sorry doesn't change a failure. I thought you were better than this, each of you swore to me that you were experienced, above-average. It's apparent now that you all lied."
One of the demons stepped forward, his dark mahogany bangs hiding his eyes. He took a cautious glance at his fallen comrade before clearing his throat. His next statement was going to be bold, but he had nothing left to lose; he was going to die anyway, he figured, so why not go saying what was on his mind.
"What did we do wrong, Youko? We did everythi-" he was cut off by a vine that had shot out of the ground. Slowly it began to constrict him, cutting off his oxygen with each painful squeeze.
"You didn't think I'd really let such sub-par beings live for long, did you? You're over-confidence is what you did wrong, and now that you've served your purpose, I've no need for you."
Before any of the others could react, the demon had been squeezed to death, the vine cutting right through his body like butter. His blood splattered everything in the surrounding area, Youko and the other demons included. The fox demon didn't even flinch as the blood landed on his body, stained his clothes, mixed with his silver hair. Now the group of four had diminished to a group of two, a number that was still too large for the silver demon. Something would have to be done about that; he was never a fan of big numbers.
One of the demons quickly turned around and began to run away; he was no fool- he valued his life more than his honor. He was able to reach the edge of the clearing before a thorny vine had wrapped itself around his legs, tripping the demon and pulling him back towards Youko. Another vine appeared out of nowhere and snaked itself around the demon's arms and began to pull in the opposite direction as the first, literally ripping the demon in two. Agonizing screams filled the forest as the vines pulled the demon apart, tore through muscle, and broke bones.
"I hate cowards," Youko commented. "They're so boring, don't you think?"
The remaining demon knew he was the last one left and that nothing could save him now. He would face death like a man and not back down. If he was destined to die he would face it head on and not give Youko the satisfaction of seeing his fear and killing another coward.
"I-I don-" he too was cut off, only this time it wasn't by the fox demon; he had cut himself off in fear that he might say the wrong thing and elongate his suffering.
He shut his eyes and braced himself for the pain that had not come yet, and waited with baited breath. To his surprise, nothing had happened and when he dared to open an eye, he saw that Youko had not moved, his companions' blood dripping off of the fox's body, ending in puddles by his feet. Youko seemed completely nonplussed about the whole ordeal as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening and he wasn't murdering his so-called comrades for no reason.
"I asked you a question. It's rude not to respond when you're being talked to," Youko said, scolding the demon.
The fox took a step closer to the quivering mass of flesh, seemingly unfazed by the pools of blood he was now standing in. It was now that the final demon was going to die; he knew it and had resigned himself to it. He was surprised he had lived this long, if truth was to be told.
"You're in my way," the silver demon said, his voice frigid and his eyes narrowed.
In his way? Did that mean that he wasn't going to die? Certainly that couldn't be right. The demon remained where he was, paralyzed with shock. He wasn't going to die! Youko let out an annoyed scoff before walking around the frozen demon, never once looking back. A few strong strides later he was at the edge of the clearing, his silver form disappearing in the shadows. The demon that was left in the clearing let out a laugh before falling to his knees, causing a rather loud ruckus.
A silver ear twitched in annoyance, and with a simple wave of his hand, a giant plant with vine-like appendages sprung out of the ground and devoured the still-laughing demon. At least it was quiet now. The golden-eyed fox smirked; killing those demons had let him vent his frustrations about his so-called heist. Another thief had gotten to the same stronghold he had targeted and stole the treasure that should rightfully be Youko's. That would not do. Youko vowed to himself he would track this thief down and deal with him properly. If things went well another one of his little friends would be fed in the near future.
Kuronue woke with a start, the commotion that had been caused by the silver fox had carried all the way to his ears and he wasn't happy about it. Such uproar would draw unwanted attention to the area- he could be discovered. He had worked so hard to conceal himself and it would all go to waste. A few minutes later it had all stopped and the silence prevailed once again, a factor that was even more nerve-wracking to the demon thief. Something that loud shouldn't be silenced so easily.
Whatever was the cause, Kuronue couldn't worry about it now; more pressing matters had come up, like what he would do if he met up with whatever had caused the silence. Hiding would be too cowardly, but there was nothing else he could do. After all, he still wanted to sleep and there was a likely chance that whatever caused the violent commotion and then stopped it wasn't even going in this direction. For now he would wait, ignore the threat in hopes that it wouldn't show up, and go back to sleep, but his guard would be up and his sleep would be a lot lighter than normal.
Morning came all too soon, signaled by the noisy twittering of the forest animals and the patches of sunlight that poured through the gaps of the foliage. As the leaves shifted in the soft breeze, the light of the sun refracted and bent so that it landed in a most annoying position on Kuronue's face. He woke up slowly, taking several minutes to adjust to the morning. The golden treasure was still in his grasp- a lucky break, too, because he was known to move violently in his sleep. After he was completely awake, Kuronue gingerly stood up and stretched before descending from the large tree and heading to the next town. He had an appointment with a local merchant to attend.
Not too far from where Kuronue had once been, Youko was leaning against a tree, already awake and planning his day. He could go back to the stronghold and find out who had taken his treasure from him, or he could move on and target another artifact. There was no use in crying over spilled milk; he would move on to more important things for now and avenge his wounded pride later. The silver demon rested his head against the tree, a lazy expression on his face as the sun gently caressed his skin. The artifact was not far from here, the next town over, in fact, so there was no point in rushing, especially because he preferred to work at night. For now he would relax and plan so that this time nothing would go wrong.
Evening arrived quickly, and with it came Youko's chance to enter the fortress. His plan had formulated hours ago, and he was eager to get it underway. The silver fox would have to wait a little longer for the guards to change shifts- it would be easier to take down the fatigued guards when they were in motion and unsuspecting than if they were fresh and eager for something to happen. Not that any of them provided any danger to him, of course; Youko just wasn't in the mood at the current time. The demon pressed himself against the wall where he was waiting, his silver ears twitching with very sound.
Movement reached him as the guards began to change. Youko didn't waste any time in emerging from the shadows and running into the fortress' courtyard where the guards were on the move. There were about fifteen of them, none of which had a chance to turn around before all of them were lifted into the air and eaten by a large flowering plant. The silver demon used this distraction as a cover to enter the stronghold with little-to-no hindrance; all available guards would either be changing shifts somewhere else in the castle or investigating his little friend. The demon picked up his pace and reached the room holding the treasure quickly.
The room was dark, but the silver fox did not notice- being a demonic animal, he was able to see as clearly in the night as if it were day. Youko was most puzzled as to why there was not more protection for the treasure; the source he got his information from said that the place was usually teeming with anti-theft charms and guards. Something was off- very, very off. Youko crept deeper into the room, every orifice of his body at attention. The treasure was in the center, a small golden statue in the shape of a goddess with areas of silver here and there.
He didn't notice another figure enter the room from the opposite direction- the being seemingly melding in with the shadows. It was Kuronue, and he too was after the golden statue. His merchant buddy had informed the demon that such things could be sold for large amounts on markets catering to the human world; humans were always greedy for one-of-a-kind items that were made of precious metal. Kuronue personally found the statue completely gaudy and tasteless, but he was neither human nor was he going to keep the item for himself.
The winged demon stopped suddenly; someone else was in the room as well- he could see a flicker of white in front of him. He thought quickly about what he should do about the intruder (as he deemed the other occupant). A plan was quick to come to him, and Kuronue was just as quick to enact it before the other demon took notice of his presence, or so he though. Unfortunately for him, Youko already knew that he was not alone and, thanks to his superior sense of smell, was able to pinpoint Kuronue's exact location.
Before Kuronue could act out his plan, the silver demon had summoned a series of sharp bamboo shoots that shot out of the ground directly underneath the winged demon, their intentions obviously to skewer him. Kuronue was able to dodge them with little effort, and used this time as a chance to grab the statue before Youko; he assumed that it must be his target as well. Pale hands reached as far as they could- he almost had it now. The statue was grazing his fingers, just out of his reach when Youko snatched it, securing it in his grasp before jumping back a few yards, a smirk visible on his alabaster face.
Kuronue stopped what he was doing, too shocked to do much else. Had he just lost something to someone else? Unforgivable. The worst part about it was that he had let the fox take it without retaliation.
"You're not going to simply stand there with that stupid look on your face, are you?" Youko questioned Kuronue, amusement clearly evident.
His voice was so soft, so seductive, so entrancing. Had Kuronue been any less experienced that he was the fox might have gotten a reaction out of him with just those sensual syllables. But that was not the case, and the winged demon snapped out of the sub-trance immediately.
"Stupid looks were never my specialty, sorry," Kuronue responded, flinging a sickle he had manifested at the silver fox.
Youko easily dodged it, a smile on his lips. This could provide minor entertainment. Kuronue's sickle curved in the air, once again heading for the fox. Surprised and clearly amused, Youko turned quickly and dodged the weapon, his position now changed so that he was closer to both Kuronue and the podium the statue had been on.
Kuronue caught the sickle easily, though his mouth had been feeling dry ever since the unnamed silver demon had smiled. A thought suddenly hit him; if he was feeling such things because of a simple gesture, then his defenses had been disarmed- he would be vulnerable.
"That bastard," the winged demon thought. "He disarmed me with just a smile."
Suddenly a loud noise interrupted their little fighting dance, and the room soon overflowed with demon guards. The leader of them snapped his fingers, and long, thin hairs began to knit together around the two thieves, trapping them in a net with little moving space. Two sets of cold eyes turned to gaze at the offender, who simply laughed at their reaction.
"I hate to say it, thieves, but you're now stuck there until I let you out. Try as you might to escape, but nothing will work."