AN: This is, as already mentioned, is an AU. I try to incorporate as much
humor as I can, but the main plot is a little more serious.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.
Summary: Ryou and Yugi never considered that they would be drawn into the struggle for power that has been going on in the higher classes of the kingdom, never thought that they would play any part in a war fought by magic and supernatural forces. But adventures have a tendency of sneaking up on the unwary and unsuspecting. Accused of treason they suddenly find themselves cast out of the comfortable life they have always known and into the company of a notorious tomb robber, an exiled prince out for revenge, an insane assassin, and an ill-tempered rogue. The six of them must learn to work together to collect the mighty God Cards, defeat the traitors who have seized control of the kingdom, and return the throne to the rightful ruler.
Chapter 1
Tomb Robber
Flames. That was the last memory he had of the village where his family had been when it happened, flames burning, writhing, reaching skyward to claw at the storm gray clouds. That and the screams, the terrified cries of the dying.
His hand clenched reflexively around the golden pyramid that hung from a chain around his neck, the emblem of his house, and crimson eyes flashed with anger. The attack had come without warning and they had not been prepared to meet it. It had cost them dearly. But then again, even if they had known ahead of time, their enemy, whoever he or she might be, was powerful. There was no doubt of that.
No matter, he would make them pay for killing his family, all those devious villains who had betrayed them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Thief!"
A boy of about seventeen dashed through the busy streets, weaving through the crowd of salesmen, shoppers, merchants, and traders with the city guards hot on his heels. The thief cast a quick glance over his shoulder and smirked mischievously. Leaping up a stack of wine barrels he made his way onto the roof of a nearby building, giving the mound a vicious kick before starting off again. The mountain of barrels came crashing down with a tremendous crack. Grinning at the shouts of alarm and furious cursing, the teen ducked out of view behind a chimney and dropped down into a dim, narrow alleyway.
Fools, he thought scornfully. They should know better than to think they can catch me, Bakura, the infamous tomb robber. I didn't earn that title for nothing. Do they really believe I would spend most of my life robbing graves only to be caught by a bunch of common guards?
Bakura pulled the pendant from where it was hidden beneath his tunic and examined it with a practiced eye. It resembled a large ring with a pyramid at its center and five, cone-shaped ornaments dangling from the hoop. He had spotted it in the stall of a goldsmith and had taken a fancy to it. Why, he couldn't say, but it was obviously worth a fortune in any case.
Satisfied, Bakura slid the pendant back under his shirt and put his mind to creating a portal to the Shadow Realm and his next destination. When his pursuers finally figured out where he had been hiding, he would be long gone.
****************
A small boy with spiky, tri-colored hair glanced up at the rapping on the door to his room.
"Come in!"
The door swung open and a white-haired youth stepped inside, a mixture of excitement and anxiety clouding his gentle features. "Are you ready, Yugi? Mother wants us back by evening."
"I'm all set, Ryou, let's go."
They left the house and made their way to the busy marketplace.
"Where are we going first?"
Ryou pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and consulted the list, penned in their grandfather's familiar hand. "Hmm, first off we need eggs."
The younger boy grinned. "Race you to Mr. Anders'!"
With that they were off, sprinting for the shop at the end of the street. Despite his small size, or possibly because of it, Yugi was the faster of the two, if not by much. Halfway to their destination their path was blocked by the rioting crowd that surrounded a large, glass-windowed store filled with all manner of bladed weapons.
"What's going on?" Ryou asked, stopping beside his brother.
Yugi shrugged, but before he could speak he was cut off by a yell. "There he is! The one with the white hair, he's the one who did it!"
Everyone followed the man's pointing finger to a startled and very confused Ryou.
"Wh-what do you mean? What did I do?"
"Don't pretend you don't know, boy," the man snarled. "Guards! Arrest him!"
Yugi grabbed his hand and they ran. As they passed a dark alley someone seized Ryou's collar and yanked them both back into the shadows, shoving them roughly against the wall and clamping a hand over each of their mouths to stop them from crying out. They waited in petrified silence, listening as the guards reached their hiding place-and passed without incident. The stranger released his steely grasp and regarded them through dark, slanted eyes.
"The two of you sure are careless. A few more seconds out in the open and they would have caught you."
"Th-thanks," Ryou stuttered, stunned at their rescuer's appearance. "Are you the one they were looking for?"
The other smirked. "Don't mention it, I always enjoy a chance to toy with them. But we aren't out of the water just yet."
He pulled something from his pocket and made a move to trace some figure with his hands, but the next moment he had dropped the card and was clutching his arm, cursing.
Yugi gasped at the bright, red blood oozing from beneath his long fingers. "How-"
"I was careless and the wards were more powerful than I expected," he replied shortly. "It'll take me a bit longer to open a portal with this wound, and we won't be able to travel far."
"Portal? You mean with shadow powers?"
The stranger was growing impatient. "Yes, yes. Now, do you know anywhere safe we can go that's nearby?"
Ryou thought about this. "There's a clearing near our house where we won't be seen, and it's not that far from here."
"Right then. Just concentrate on the place and I'll do the rest."
"Wait, what's your name?"
He paused for a moment to eye them intently. "Bakura."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: What do you think? Any useful tips or things you think I should add? Change? Thanks for reading. Please Read and Review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.
Summary: Ryou and Yugi never considered that they would be drawn into the struggle for power that has been going on in the higher classes of the kingdom, never thought that they would play any part in a war fought by magic and supernatural forces. But adventures have a tendency of sneaking up on the unwary and unsuspecting. Accused of treason they suddenly find themselves cast out of the comfortable life they have always known and into the company of a notorious tomb robber, an exiled prince out for revenge, an insane assassin, and an ill-tempered rogue. The six of them must learn to work together to collect the mighty God Cards, defeat the traitors who have seized control of the kingdom, and return the throne to the rightful ruler.
Chapter 1
Tomb Robber
Flames. That was the last memory he had of the village where his family had been when it happened, flames burning, writhing, reaching skyward to claw at the storm gray clouds. That and the screams, the terrified cries of the dying.
His hand clenched reflexively around the golden pyramid that hung from a chain around his neck, the emblem of his house, and crimson eyes flashed with anger. The attack had come without warning and they had not been prepared to meet it. It had cost them dearly. But then again, even if they had known ahead of time, their enemy, whoever he or she might be, was powerful. There was no doubt of that.
No matter, he would make them pay for killing his family, all those devious villains who had betrayed them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Thief!"
A boy of about seventeen dashed through the busy streets, weaving through the crowd of salesmen, shoppers, merchants, and traders with the city guards hot on his heels. The thief cast a quick glance over his shoulder and smirked mischievously. Leaping up a stack of wine barrels he made his way onto the roof of a nearby building, giving the mound a vicious kick before starting off again. The mountain of barrels came crashing down with a tremendous crack. Grinning at the shouts of alarm and furious cursing, the teen ducked out of view behind a chimney and dropped down into a dim, narrow alleyway.
Fools, he thought scornfully. They should know better than to think they can catch me, Bakura, the infamous tomb robber. I didn't earn that title for nothing. Do they really believe I would spend most of my life robbing graves only to be caught by a bunch of common guards?
Bakura pulled the pendant from where it was hidden beneath his tunic and examined it with a practiced eye. It resembled a large ring with a pyramid at its center and five, cone-shaped ornaments dangling from the hoop. He had spotted it in the stall of a goldsmith and had taken a fancy to it. Why, he couldn't say, but it was obviously worth a fortune in any case.
Satisfied, Bakura slid the pendant back under his shirt and put his mind to creating a portal to the Shadow Realm and his next destination. When his pursuers finally figured out where he had been hiding, he would be long gone.
****************
A small boy with spiky, tri-colored hair glanced up at the rapping on the door to his room.
"Come in!"
The door swung open and a white-haired youth stepped inside, a mixture of excitement and anxiety clouding his gentle features. "Are you ready, Yugi? Mother wants us back by evening."
"I'm all set, Ryou, let's go."
They left the house and made their way to the busy marketplace.
"Where are we going first?"
Ryou pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and consulted the list, penned in their grandfather's familiar hand. "Hmm, first off we need eggs."
The younger boy grinned. "Race you to Mr. Anders'!"
With that they were off, sprinting for the shop at the end of the street. Despite his small size, or possibly because of it, Yugi was the faster of the two, if not by much. Halfway to their destination their path was blocked by the rioting crowd that surrounded a large, glass-windowed store filled with all manner of bladed weapons.
"What's going on?" Ryou asked, stopping beside his brother.
Yugi shrugged, but before he could speak he was cut off by a yell. "There he is! The one with the white hair, he's the one who did it!"
Everyone followed the man's pointing finger to a startled and very confused Ryou.
"Wh-what do you mean? What did I do?"
"Don't pretend you don't know, boy," the man snarled. "Guards! Arrest him!"
Yugi grabbed his hand and they ran. As they passed a dark alley someone seized Ryou's collar and yanked them both back into the shadows, shoving them roughly against the wall and clamping a hand over each of their mouths to stop them from crying out. They waited in petrified silence, listening as the guards reached their hiding place-and passed without incident. The stranger released his steely grasp and regarded them through dark, slanted eyes.
"The two of you sure are careless. A few more seconds out in the open and they would have caught you."
"Th-thanks," Ryou stuttered, stunned at their rescuer's appearance. "Are you the one they were looking for?"
The other smirked. "Don't mention it, I always enjoy a chance to toy with them. But we aren't out of the water just yet."
He pulled something from his pocket and made a move to trace some figure with his hands, but the next moment he had dropped the card and was clutching his arm, cursing.
Yugi gasped at the bright, red blood oozing from beneath his long fingers. "How-"
"I was careless and the wards were more powerful than I expected," he replied shortly. "It'll take me a bit longer to open a portal with this wound, and we won't be able to travel far."
"Portal? You mean with shadow powers?"
The stranger was growing impatient. "Yes, yes. Now, do you know anywhere safe we can go that's nearby?"
Ryou thought about this. "There's a clearing near our house where we won't be seen, and it's not that far from here."
"Right then. Just concentrate on the place and I'll do the rest."
"Wait, what's your name?"
He paused for a moment to eye them intently. "Bakura."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: What do you think? Any useful tips or things you think I should add? Change? Thanks for reading. Please Read and Review!