Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Theives' Guild ❯ Chapter 2

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. Everyone else, however, belongs to me.

Chapter Two

Ayume was a fast learner. Still it had taken her four weeks to learn to pick pockets effectively, pick locks, stay quiet and unseen, and steal from actual people. She shook her head. She wasn't the master thief Youko or Kuronue was, but she was actually passable now. Just so her own kin would look at her, learning the thieves' arts as the daughter of a well respected Miko.

She actually found life in Youko and Kuronue's crew enjoyable. She didn't have daily trainings, lessons on how to kill, lectures on how bad demons were. She felt free and unrestricted in a way she never had before. She could see why people might choose this way of life. She had friends, and Hiei was almost like a little brother. He'd taken quite the liking to her. Livoso and Kiev always had some joke or anecdote to fill time.

Still, keeping up on her skills was essential. Any time they stopped to rest -and she got odd looks for it- she spent it practicing either fighting or spells. Livoso and Kiev actually joined her from time to time. The three of them learned from each other. Livoso was a cat demon, agile and fast. She improved in both areas as he improved in strength and technique. Kiev was an elemental demon. He taught her how to put more power behind an attack. She taught him to make his more flexible.

Youko and Kuronue watched such practices with approval. The rest of the band got used to it. Some even took up the practice, though they never practiced with Ayume. Their reasons were clear to everyone but Ayume. Ayume would outshine them easily. To be seen right next to her and be compared would be embarrassing.

At this day, they were on the northern outskirts of Acoma. Ayume never expected to dread the moment where Youko and Kuronue would ask her to leave. The past month had had quite an effect on her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to leave this life she'd grown to like so much.

This point in time would be when they really needed her. The cave of Acoma was a maze, mapped only inside her head. One could get lost in there for days or never find their way back out. “Not bad for a base once we find Madain Sarai then.” Kuronue had joked when she told them exactly how confusing the cave system would be.

“Do you want a base? I was under the impression you liked wandering around aimlessly.” Ayume teased. Youko and Kuronue both laughed at her, but they sobered quickly.

“You don't really know what it's like, but it can be hard to not have a place you can call home. The men yearn for one too.”

Ayume considered for a moment. “If you wanted, you could turn the entire cave system into a headquarters. You could gather thieves and bandits from all over the place and coordinate their movements from here. It would be like a city for thieves. A `Thieves' Guild' or something to that effect. Then you would always have a home, and so would everyone you decided to share it with. All the members would have to be sworn to secrecy, though, and the location couldn't exactly be common knowledge.” She looked thoughtful as the two stared at her in shock. “I think it would work. The system's confusing enough to lose any pursuers and there's enough room for thousands. You'd have to find a water source for it though. And a food source. Perhaps make the entire Acoma area your territory and the system your HQ and hideout. That way you would have access to trade. I'll have to think on that a bit more, if you're serious about doing it.” She finally turned to look at them to find them both staring at her as if she'd lost her mind. “What?”

“You're serious?” Kuronue stuttered. “You…wow Youko, she's diabolical.” He shook his head in awe. “And you would help us to do something like that? You, the daughter of a Miko?”

“Well, yeah. I am the one who suggested it. Besides, it might be a good change. Kind of like this group it would have rules, and of course a leader. Probably you two. It would also bring some prosperity here. If you haven't noticed, Acoma doesn't really seem to have much. That'll be one thing to use to get the people of the village to agree to keep us a secret and trade with us.” Neither demon missed that she said “us” and not “you”.

“We'll figure it out after we find Madain Sarai, but in the meantime you could map out the cave system. It never hurts to plan for the possibility of this Thieves' Guild.” Youko suggested noncommittally. He liked the idea, but who knew if it would really be feasible? To be known to a village and kept a secret? To gather hundreds of thieves under one set of rules and regulations? To trade with stolen goods for food and other goods? To coexist peacefully?

Though only a select few from the village would need to know exactly who they were and where to find them. The others could simply assume they were regular merchants that included Acoma on a trade route. They wouldn't have to use the same people all the time… “Damn.” He said aloud, catching his partner's attention, as Ayume had wandered off.

“She's got you seriously considering it, hasn't she? Ayume is amazingly good at persuasion. The more I think about the idea, the more I like it.”

“The more I think about the idea, the more I realize how we can make it work. Even if she doesn't help us form this guild, she would definitely be a founder of it if it came around.”

“If? I'm pretty sure you mean when.”

In the end, Youko, Kuronue, and Ayume were the only ones going in. They were leaving the men to guard against their return. Ayume, as the only one who knew the way, was in the lead.

Twist and turn after twist and turn were beginning to make Kuronue uneasy. “I think I've seen that boulder three times.” He commented after a while.

“The place is set up to make you confused, to make you think you are lost even when you aren't. You'll see a lot of similar scenery and repeated distinguishing features.” Ayume replied. She stopped and closed her eyes. “Left, straight, straight, right, straight left should bring us to a room with three other doors.”

Trusting her against all instinct, the two demons followed her closely as they delved deeper into the caves. As she'd said, they soon arrived in a large cave with a small stream running through it. “Perhaps we should rest.” Youko suggested. “It seems an ideal spot.”

“How much farther do we have to go?” Kuronue asked.

Ayume finished guzzling water long enough to answer. “It shouldn't be far now. Maybe a half-an-hour walk from here.” She put down the water skin. “I'm surprised we haven't run into anything at all down here. I mean, you'd think that some odd demon would move in.”

Immediately Youko and Kuronue were fully on guard. They thought something had been odd about the atmosphere in the place. Unlike what Ayume seemed to think, there were demons down here. It wasn't that there wasn't anything here, but they were refraining from attacking…for now.

Ayume's guard had never fell, and both saw that they really didn't need to tell her to be careful. She continued leading the way, through twists and turns and hard to see caves. Turn after turn made the two very glad they had Ayume there. They never would have been able to navigate this place on their own.

Eventually, going down a long, narrow corridor they hit a dead end. Youko and Kuronue were confused for a minute. Ayume hadn't run into one yet, so why now? “End of the line.” Ayume looked around. “Guys look! There's something there!” She was pointing high above their heads. A shadowed niche had hidden a small chest in its shadowy embrace.

Kuronue spread his wings and flew up to it.“Locked.” He reported after a quick check.

“Can you bring it down?” Youko inquired. Kuronue didn't answer. Instead he grabbed the small box from its place. As soon as he did, the ceiling above them started to cave, dropping large, sharp boulders into the ground not far from where Ayume and Youko were standing. “Ayume, go!” He yelled, pushing her back the way they'd come. “Kuronue, land and run! Being airborne is not an advantage here!”

Ayume was the first one out of the long corridor, landing unceremoniously on her butt. Youko and Kuronue were half a step behind her. “Anybody hurt?” she gasped as she took inventory of her own hurts.

“Nothing bad.” Kuronue bit out. One of the falling boulders had clipped his left arm leaving a nasty bruise, but thankfully not a break. Youko denied having been hurt at all. Ayume had nothing more than scrapes and bruises from sharp pebbles that had fallen as they ran. Nothing serious. “Let's see if this was worth all that.” Kuronue said, setting the chest down on a rock where he could get at it. He quickly picked the lock, and the chest clicked open revealing a scroll embedded with gems and tied with gold ribbon.

“What's it say?” Youko demanded. Ayume picked it up and carefully removed the ribbon, opening the old scroll and reading aloud:

“A city buried underground,

Built of silver, copper, and gold.

For centuries t'was never found,

Left till legends all grew cold.

Those who search with eyes so keen,

Need only see where others look,

And never was a treasure seen,

To find what no one ever took.

Past where snow turns to water,

Far from where the rain can reach,

Beneath a place that can't be hotter,

Lays a fortune you can leech.”

“Great. It means absolutely nothing.” Kuronue sighed. Ayume smacked him upside the head.

“It means a lot idiot! Okay, maybe not the first verse, but the other two are helpful! It's hidden underground near a volcano far south of here in a place where people live nearby, or did for quite a while.” Both demons looked at her in shock and awe. “There's just one thing that doesn't make sense to me. Madain Sarai was abandoned a century ago. How does “For centuries t'was never found/Left till legends all grew cold” fit into that?”

“Maybe whoever wrote this wasn't expecting anyone to go looking so soon.” Kuronue suggested.

“Maybe,” Ayume agreed hesitantly, clearly not believing that was all there was to it. “We'll figure it out once we're out of this place. How-.”

A loud screech interrupted whatever she was going to say. The screech was followed by a roar. Youko turned to Ayume. “Something tells me it will be harder to get out than it was to get in.”

“Look at it as house cleaning. After all, when you make your base here, you won't want it infested by those things.” Ayume assured him with a smirk.

“You seem rather full of yourself. What makes you think I even like your idea?” Youko protested. Ayume turned to look him square in the face.

“Half because of the way you looked when I suggested it.” She answered. “Come on. There are people waiting for us.” She started to walk, drawing her two daggers expertly, twirling them on her fingers before gripping them in reverse -a defensive position.

Kuronue and Youko flanked her, weapons drawn. The flood of demons didn't start for three turns. Ayume, who knew the corridors better than anyone, was able to sneak up on the first wave. They shuffled and complained as they waited for their intruders to emerge from the cave. Kuronue took the first attack, slicing two rows of them clean in half with his blades. His arm protested painfully at the strain. Ayume took the living ones as Youko covered her back watching for any others coming.

One they were disposed of, Ayume marched up to him with that stubborn look on her face. “Why didn't you tell us it hurt that bad?” She demanded. “You barely caught your own weapon!”

“I didn't…it didn't…”

Her expression softened. “We need to know that kind of stuff. Especially in situations like this when it's the three of us against Kami knows how many. We need to know all our weaknesses so they aren't exploited. Not just that, but we're your friends! You can tell us stuff like that. We certainly aren't going to hurt you.”

Kuronue turned away from her. “Friendship is an illusion. We are partners. Nothing more. You were needed only to find this clue. Don't think you mean more to us than that.” He stalked past her. She didn't move.

“Get out on your own.” She growled. “After all, you don't need me for that, do you? Just to find your way in.” Her eyes flared with fury, actually beginning to glow in the darkness. “Go on. Lead the way, Kuronue-sama. I'm sure you know the way.”

She slipped a piece of paper into Youko's hand as she stormed by before disappearing from sight. He hid it in his shirt from Kuronue's sight. “Come on Youko. You remember the way out, right?”

Even if he didn't, Ayume had just given him the key.