Crown of Ruin

Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Brothers. That goes to Nintendo. The only characters I own are those from the Golden Land, angels from Skyworld including the royal bodyguards, Angel Assembly and archangels along with all the other angels and of course the witch hunters. Finally I don't own Disgaea. That belongs to Nippon Ichi.

Summary: Cloud was just a mercenary that resorted to thievery when the job went sour. Bayonetta was a witch in disguise of a pauper waiting for the chance to go wild on the humans she looked down on. The two would cross paths often in the city of Izumo. Things would change for the both of them when the ruler of the neutral faction Mikoto ends up dead and the main suspect is her only son Corrin. Seeing this as an opportunity, both jump to protect the scared prince unaware of the politics going on behind the scenes.

Pairing: Cloud/Corrin/Bayonetta, Sumeragi/Mikoto/Garon and others to be added

Rated: T (for teen) but rating will increase to M (for mature) but E on Archive of Our Own (for any sex scenes)

Genre: Romance, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Humor and Angst

Warning: Sexual violence, extreme violence, character death, polygamy (OT3), blackmail, sexual themes and unintentional OOC

This is based on a Tumblr prompt from the AU Prompts. Character A is a thief with kleptomania, Character B is a pauper that makes money from sewing and tailoring clothes, and Character C is the only child of a nobility figure. When Character C finds their family's reputation is ruin, the unlikely trio is brought together to protect Character C's right to the throne – and their life. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Rough Beginnings Lead to a Faithful Encounter

"STOP THIEF!"

"YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY! AFTER HIM!"

A sword was brought down on the men that were chasing after the thief. The thief looked more like a mercenary than anything else with his strong build. He was strong enough to wield the gigantic sword that slayed the man who hired him to do work outside the city he lived in. Blood dripped onto the sword and onto the floor as the large sword was pulled out. The other person froze seeing his boss being killed right before his eyes. Now, he was on his knees begging the thief to not kill him.

"And have you report me to the guards? Unlikely."

With one clean motion, the head of the second man was cleanly removed from his neck. The thief should have been cleaner with the murders this time around, but he couldn't afford to leave any survivors. Walking over to his former boss, the young male took the pouch full of change and rushed off.

The protagonist of this story is named Cloud Strife. He has a last name because he's not originally from the place known as Izumo. Cloud claims to be from beyond the continent he was on and declared on multiple occasions that he will return to the place he was born someday. For now, we can focus on what he is doing in Izumo instead of talking about things that might never come.

Cloud is a mercenary with little to no memories of his past. He can claim to be from beyond the continent, but he was known for not having the best of memories. As a result, he could only remember being a mercenary most of his life for the country of Izumo.

Izumo is the neutral faction squished between the peace loving Hoshido and the glory seeking Nohr. Izumo is where the sun and the moon meet resulting in beautiful nights. Izumo was a place that hated wars and forbid anyone from Hoshido and Nohr from clashing weapons. Izumo was ruled by the beautiful queen Mikoto. She had one son and three retainers by her side. Her son had two retainers with him. She was best friends with Duke Izana as well as the leaders of Hoshido and Nohr. She brought everlasting peace to Izumo that everyone wanted to have forever. Alas, there were still monsters outside the peaceful kingdom and mercenaries like Cloud were tasked to eliminate them. Granted, the patrols of both Hoshido and Nohr were more than enough but those in the neutral faction needed to make money too.

This was the problem Cloud had though. He had terrible luck despite his skill in combat. Whenever he took a job, either he didn't do it correctly thus was not paid for his service or something stupid happened and his boss would not have the money to pay him. It got to the point where Cloud just killed one of his employees one day to take the money that he wasn't being paid. From them on, Cloud made it a mental note to kill people who were being cheap with the pay. This garnered unwanted attention, but he had to take the risk if he wanted to survive. The guy needed to take care of his childhood friend Tifa and a few others, so he was willing to get his hands dirty.

For the most part, the people after him weren't really that bright. He was able to out maneuver them every time. This time, they were persistent if only because they were with the eldest son of the Nohr Kingdom Marx. When Marx was around, no one escaped him. Cloud had gotten lucky, but his luck might have run out if not for his accomplice of some sorts who went by the name of Bayonetta.

Bayonetta was an odd woman. She was very sexy and anyone could tell that there was more than meets the eye. She was poor but her skills in making clothes were extraordinary. Cloud assumed the raven haired woman was putting herself through hell intentionally. It would explain how she had all of this money stashed away to continue looking beautiful and getting the highest quality material to make her clothes, but still live in a rundown house that was at the edge of Izumo. Cloud had learned her secret hence why he was able to be around her despite the fact their personalities clash.

Bayonetta's secret was that she was a witch from the ancient times. She had the power to manipulate her hair and could summon demons to do her bidding. Cloud had witnessed this once when she was out in the field during one of his mercenary jobs and saw her kill some monsters in a rather awful manner. She would not kill Cloud as long as he did not tell anyone her secret. Cloud just needed her to cover for him when he got into a tight spot with the law…which was becoming frequent as of late.

Cloud grumbled hearing Marx's authoritative voice at the front of the store. His retainers were trying to calm him down, but Bayonetta was being a tease. She refused to answer the question and proceeded to hit on the eldest sibling instead. Marx's young male retainer was too busy checking her out to care that Cloud was in sight and could have very well been arrested. Meanwhile, the young female retainer was getting jealous with Bayonetta's body and asked if she could kill her slowly.

"…Are you certain that a man who goes by the name Cloud Strife has not stopped by?"

"The only clouds I meet are in the sky." Bayonetta answered simply. "If that is all, please leave my workshop. I have some dresses to make."

Marx had no choice but to give up for the day. He would be back if he caught wind that a spiky blond male was wondering around the area again.

"Lazward, Pieri, we leave."

The knightly figure slowly made his leave. Pieri wanted to have the last word and stuck her tongue out at Bayonetta. The older woman was surprised at the immaturity being demonstrated behind Marx's back. Lazward had to pull Pieri away so she wouldn't start an actual fight.

"My, the kids these days sure are feisty." She hummed as she looked toward the hidden door. "You can come out now."

"You know, you didn't have to rile them up." Cloud responded as he left the room to speak to her in person.

"Is that all the thanks I get?" She asked. "My, you can be so cruel."

"What is cruel is you hogging all that money in the back." Cloud retorted as he went to her drawer to get out a bandage that could be used to wrap his buster sword. "With that sort of money, you can move up the ladder and not worry about being poor…"

"I have my reasons staying in this spot." She said simply.

"Yeah, yeah. You said something about biding your time. I think you're just wasting it if you ask me."

"I don't expect a human to understand us witches." Bayonetta finished. "Now, run along now and go buy something special for your…special someone with that stolen money."

Blue eyes glared at black hair as he finished wiping the blood off his sword and wrapped a clean bandage around his buster sword.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He snarled as he turned to leave. "And we're not dating."

Bayonetta waved him off before she went back to fiddling with the sewing machine…the one thing she couldn't operate while pretending to be a seamstress.

Cloud made his way down toward the marketplace of Izumo. The place was always the most energetic place and it was also the place where strange individuals gathered together. Izumo was known for having merchants who sold items that were from both the Hoshido and Nohr region. Heck, there were items that weren't from any of the locations. Cloud assumed they were from beyond the two countries. How Cloud wished to be able to leave this place with his childhood friend Tifa and start anew. That was wishful thinking seeing as how he had the worse luck when it came to finding a decent job. Resorting to being a thief was not how he wanted to spend his day, and knowing his luck…he feared that it would run out.

Whenever Cloud went out, he did two things with his buster sword. The smarter option would have been to leave it at either Bayonetta's place or with Tifa. When those options were closed off, Cloud had to wrap his sword around a white bandage. This was very risky because not all of the men on patrol were as stupid as the one that was usually on his case. If they asked him to remove the bandage and matched his face with the sightings, then he would be screwed. Because Cloud wasn't in the best of moods, he resorted to the more dangerous option.

Before Cloud could think of what to buy for dinner for Tifa (mainly), he noticed a commotion going on in the herb section of the market place. Jokes aside about the drug lords, Cloud knew that putting himself in the spotlight would cost him greatly. Still, he still had a sense of justice despite these terrible times. His legs found their way toward the herb stand to see what the commotion was about.

There was some conflict going on between the merchant in charge of the medicine shop and a young peasant. This peasant wrapped himself with a cloak that covered his body. Only his face and hands could be seen with the white cloak he was wearing. If Cloud were to ask Bayonetta about the type of cloak the peasant was wearing, she would bring up how high quality it was compared to the other poor folks with raggy cloaks begging for change.

"Please, I need all the herbs I can!" The peasant pleaded. Cloud could confirm now confirm it was a young man from the youthful voice (although he made an assumption that the peasant was a boy from the beginning). "My mother is very sick! She needs the herbs by tomorrow!"

"Fork up the money."

"Huh?"

"You think I would sell my entire shop to you just because you are giving me those puppy dog eyes? These special herbs took forever to obtain and are already reserved for another customer. You're better off asking someone else."

"But…" The boy seemed disheartened by the news. "I don't have all day to be asking around. She needs it now!"

The merchant would have swatted the boy if the intended customer didn't show up at that moment. Cloud growled seeing it was one of those upper class twits that stayed near the center of Izumo where all the rich people were. Cloud hated them with a passion. They never contributed to anything in society. They leeched off the queen who was too kind for her own good and they constantly mocked the Duke who couldn't take things seriously to save his life. The worse part Cloud recalled was how some of them were obsessed with the queen's son and wanted his hand in marriage. Gender didn't seem to matter to these rich folks, but the prince might have had something special they wanted besides having absolute authority of the neutral nation.

This rich man wore the finest silk kimono from Hoshido and put on the most expensive makeup. He was one of those guys who cared about his physical appearance. Too bad the guy was incredibly ugly.

"Move along, brat. I'm picking up my herbs now!"

"But I-"

The boy was pushed onto the ground almost immediately as the sound of cash collided onto the merchant's table. The merchant smiled at the shiny gold coins scattered around.

"The herbs are in the back." The merchant told him.

"Why, thank you. I will take these high quality herbs now."

Honestly, if the peasant had money, then there wouldn't be an issue. Cloud gritted his teeth at the scene though. The peasant's attention was focused on the rich man and the herbs now. The people found it foolish for the boy to beg the flamboyant man especially with how the man almost removed the cloak from the boy's head.

"Please, Mr.…I really need those herbs for my mother…" He begged as he got on his knees. "Please!"

"You sure whine a lot even for a peasant." The rich man responded. "Maybe if I take the cloak off and see your face in the dirt, I'll change my mind…"

The boy flinched at the request. The rich man laughed seeing how the peasant didn't want to reveal his identity. He would have kicked the boy down had Cloud not finally intervened.

"I believe the kid deserves some of those herbs." Cloud stated in his usual monotone voice.

The rich man was not pleased with how he was being manhandled by some random stranger.

"Unhand me! Or I'll make you regret it!"

Honestly, the blond didn't care at this point. The thief had unraveled the bandages revealing the buster sword. Immediately, everyone jumped and started to flee. Cloud only needed to point the tip to the rich man's throat to get him to listen.

"Just drop the herbs, and I'll let you go."

The rich man was a coward. He feared for his life. Despite his smug attitude earlier, he dropped everything and fled. Cloud would have to run soon seeing as how he would attract the guard's attention. Cloud ended up slamming the bag of coins he stole onto the table.

"…Will this do not only for the herbs, but to pretend you didn't see me?"

The merchant was also terrified of Cloud's appearance. There wasn't a single person who wasn't aware of the thief with the large blade. It made one wonder how he was able to hide so well despite the large weapon. Now that he had more time on his hand, Cloud helped the peasant off the ground and handed him the bag of herbs.

"Here."

"Ehh…"

"You were begging for this."

"…Thank you."

Cloud shook his head at being thanked. He lost his hard earned money after all.

"Kids like you shouldn't be hanging out in these parts." The blond thief warned him causing the boy to flinch. "You'll be taken advantage of."

"I know…but mother just collapsed this morning and I volunteered to go get the herbs but…" The boy shut his mouth realizing he was talking too much. "…I'm sorry. I have to go. Mother is waiting for me."

Cloud had offered to take the boy away from the marketplace to where he needed to be. The boy only allowed him to follow him out of the marketplace area before intending to part.

"…Wait!"

Cloud didn't know why he needed to call out to the boy again. He reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Immediately, the cloak slid off revealing a handsome young man with medium length silver hair and pointy ears. Cloud gasped wondering if he was part of that race.

"Y-Yes?"

What was more fascinating than his silver hair or pointy ears though were his eyes. The boy's eyes were the most beautiful red eyes Cloud has ever come across. Red eyes in general usually signified the supernatural like demons…but besides the monsters outside of Izumo, there weren't any as unique as the boy in front of him.

"Nothing…my mistake…"

The boy frowned as he slowly put his cloak back up.

"…Can I get a name of the man who helped me out back there?"

Cloud remained silent. He debated with himself whether or not to give his name to someone he just met but…

"It's Cloud…Cloud Strife."

The boy laughed at the name. "Two names? How odd."

"Excuse me?"

"…I'm Corrin. I hope we meet again."

The boy known as Corrin took off at lightning speed before Cloud could say anything. He questioned why Corrin was rather quick on his feet. The blond shook his head realizing he needed to get out of everyone's sight. It won't be long until those guards start looking for him.

"Looks like I'm out of luck." Cloud thought darkly to himself as he heard his stomach growling.

Cloud had to take the longer path back to Bayonetta's place. The rich guy did tell the guards what had happened and now Cloud had to use all of his wits on an empty stomach. It was a miracle he wasn't caught with how much it was growling. His mood worsened when the sun went down and the moon came out. That was how long it took to outsmart the persistent guards. There were so many of them from Nohr this time that Cloud wondered what was the occasion.

The thief wanted to ask Bayonetta when he made it back to her place in one piece, but all she did was giggle seeing Cloud waste his money on a peasant instead of buying dinner for himself and Tifa.

"You really are bad with money." Bayonetta teased as Cloud hung the buster sword in the hidden room. "I almost feel sorry for Tifa."

Again, Cloud growled at the mention of his childhood friend. "She's fine. She makes enough to get by at the bar."

When the blue eyed thief glanced over to his older companion, he couldn't help but roll his eyes seeing her waggle her finger as if taunting him about his way of thinking.

"Tsk, tsk. Cloud, you can't keep playing with a girl's heart." The black haired seamstress stated. "That girl is waiting for you to quit your life of crime and live a normal life."

"Like that will ever happen." Cloud murmured to himself. "Tifa already knew my line of work is dangerous. She also knows I have terrible luck with my clients. She'll understand if I don't buy her a present again or take her out to dinner…"

"You're making that girl cry at home."

Cloud just wanted to shut Bayonetta up by telling her he wasn't ready for a relationship. He hated making promises to his childhood friend when he knew he couldn't keep them. If he was more sure of himself, he would be able to support her despite turning to the life of a criminal when his job didn't go well.

"Hopefully you have a better excuse than "I gave my money to a peasant because I felt sorry for him". Tifa is kind, but she has her limits."

"That is my excuse." Cloud told her. "And the peasant's name is Corrin if you want more information."

The temperature in the room dropped immediately at the mention of the silver haired teen.

"Corrin?"

"Yes, that was the kid's name. Why do you seem so shaken?"

"Shaken? Me. Oh no."

"Then what is it?"

"Tsk, tsk. Cloud, despite your occupation, you seem to be locked out of the loop."

Bayonetta sighed realizing that Cloud really was in the dark about this.

"You missed a huge opportunity by letting that kid run off. He's actually really rich despite his appearance."

Cloud blinked not believing what the seamstress said.

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. You can confirm it yourself in due time."

At this point, someone came into the shop unexpectedly. Bayonetta was not used to late night customers unless the person had a deadline. Cloud had to hide to make sure it wasn't the guards that were searching for him. The person to greet Bayonetta was a person hidden behind a cloak identical to the one that Corrin wore this afternoon. The only difference was this person was wearing a shiny midnight black one compared to the beautiful white one Corrin had. It made this person look more sinister than Corrin was when the hood came off.

"What can I do for you Ms.?"

It was a woman underneath the cloak. Bayonetta couldn't get a good look at her face, but she had her suspicions.

"You are a witch…correct?"

Cloud flinched at the question thrown at his older comrade. How would Bayonetta respond to an accusation like that...

"And what if I am?"

The girl expected Bayonetta to be snarky with her and got straight to the point.

"I need someone to craft a dragonstone for me. It's very important."

"Oh?" Bayonetta who appeared to be bored speaking to her customer was suddenly intrigued. "Why would you ask for a fictional item like a dragonstone assuming I am a witch and had the materials to fix it?"

"I cannot go into detail of why I need a dragonstone," the girl began, "but I know the prince is in danger. If I had a dragonstone, then perhaps his life will be spared…"

"Prince?" Cloud asked making his presence known. "Who's the prince?"

"You already met him." Bayonetta told him simply. "You can use your brain to figure out why I said you let a good opportunity slip by."

Cloud's eyes widened at her words. The girl underneath the cloak growled at his presence, but said nothing. Cloud couldn't care less about the supernatural talk the two ladies were discussing. All that rang in his mind was one thing.

The peasant Corrin he saved was the crowned prince of Izumo and Cloud needed to find a way to put Corrin in his debt.

This is it. Cloud thought to himself after finding out the truth. This is just what I needed to hear. It won't be long until I'm out of this miserable life with Tifa…

Me: TBC with 4257 words.

Li: You know you got other stories to work on, right?

Me: I blame Ashe for the AU hell I am in. Notes!

1. I made Cloud the thief in this idea simply because I wanted create a similar opening to FFVII where he's a hired mercenary. Except in this story, he works for no one and struggles to help his friend. He does mercenary jobs but resorts to stealing when things don't go well. He's strong enough to remain a mercenary, but his reputation as a thief has gotten him in trouble with the law.

2. Bayonetta is the tailor simply to follow the plot. Hair stylish would have been what I went for, but the plot actually requires clothes over hair. Plus, I want to hide that she has the same powers as she does in her canon universe, so she has to hide the fact she can manipulate her hair.

3. Corrin is the only character is that keeping his English name (for plot reasons anyway). Everyone else has their Japanese names. I chose him as the prince over someone like Robin mainly due to how Pit and Shulk are more heroic while Cloud and Bayonetta are anti-heroes.

4. Izumo is the neutral fraction in Hoshido that will not allow any fights to occur between the two nations. I have Mikoto rule this nation just to add to the power of a neutral state that isn't the third kingdom.

That's it. Reviews are appreciated. Ja ne!