Author's Note: Thanks very much to everyone who's taking time to read this fic over. And to those are just starting it x3 I hope you're liking it so far! Things are gonna start changing after this chapter (: I hope you like it!

Chapter 4: Bonded

On a peaceful and comfortable day, I found myself sprawled out on the ground in the oasis with Cloaked Boy by my side. We'd spent the morning looking around the market to buy some snacks and then we took off on his horse towards the oasis. Luckily for us, we never ran into thieves like that again on our many journeys to the oasis.

"…So Nenet ended up running right into that door!" I said in between laughs, trying not to choke on the peach I was currently eating. I enjoyed sharing stories of Nenet's many embarrassing moments. Although I knew very little of Cloaked Boy's family, I didn't mind at all sharing stories of mine.

"Even with everything you've told me about her," Cloaked Boy said after his laughter died down. "…I still think you are very fortunate to have a sibling."

I looked over at him. "…you don't have any?"

He shook his head and looked at me. "No…unfortunately I do not. But I have two friends of mine, close friends, whom I consider to be like my brother and sister."

I smiled warmly at him, both at his words and at the fact that he shared a little bit more about his life. "That's really beautiful. You don't need the same blood to bind two souls together."

"You are correct," he agreed and took a deep breath, stretching his cloaked arms over his head.

I sat up in my place and stretched myself. "Oh, we ate everything," I chuckled and looked down at him. "…although I think I might have eaten a little more than you, even though you're the one who paid for everything."

"I wasn't very hungry," he explained. "I know haven't been eating very much as of late, either, so you should eat up while you can."

I turned my face away from him to hide a growing smile and red cheeks. He was actually showing concern for me and it was making me feel slightly shy. "Thank you," I said and looked down at him. "You don't need to worry about me, though. The crops seem to growing well again."

I stood up and dusted myself off before walking over to the edge of the pond. My eyes stared down at my reflection in the somewhat cloudy water. "It's getting pretty hot, isn't it?"

Cloaked Boy's eyes looked up towards the sky as he sat up, squinting when the sunlight stung at them. "Yes. It appears the sun is up in the center of the sky."

I kneeled down by the pond and began filling my cupped hands with water and soaking my dark hair. My head just felt so hot and the water was cool and relieving.

"Back home, water becomes scarce around time of year," I explained as I lowered my head into the water. "The river is quite far from where we are and all we have is a small well that all the villagers must share." I sighed and flipped my soaked hair back, tossing droplets of water around. "It's nice to be able to enjoy this without worrying about the water running out."

I shut my eyes as I flipped my hair a few more times and finally turned to face Cloaked Boy. "Don't you think so? You live nearby after all, don't you…?"

I immediately noticed his flustered face staring at me. His cheeks were slightly red and I don't think he even realized I was staring back at him as he was gawking at me. "What's wrong?" I asked. "You're red again like last time. Is the heat getting to you?"

He finally snapped out of his daze and shook his head, looking away nervously. "…N-no…I'm fine…although…it is a little hot…"

I grinned at him mischievously. "Maybe some water will cool you down…" I said as I cupped some water in my hand and tossed it towards him.

"AH!" he grumbled as he attempted to scurry backwards on the ground. The cold water caught him square in the leg, unfortunately for me. I was hoping it would land on his face but he moved too fast.

"Hey, that wasn't nice," he said with annoyance. I chuckled at his reaction and stuck out my tongue. Lifting the bottom of my long skirt, I shook off my sandals and stepped into the water.

"It feels so wonderful, though," I replied and looked back at him. "Why don't you join me?"

Cloaked Boy shook his head and stood up. "I don't think…that's a good idea…"

I pouted at him with my hands on my hips. "What's wrong? Don't want to get your cloak wet? Or show me what you look like?"

"…well…" Cloaked Boy seemed like he was mentally arguing with himself. The look was strewn in his eyes. Almost hesitantly, he walked over to the edge of the pond and lifted the bottom of his cloak slightly, exposing his fancy looking sandals and what appeared to be gold bangles on his ankles.

I didn't say anything about that, however, as it seemed he was trying to open up to me a little more. Simply, I assumed he was perhaps member of a rich family, which would explain why he had such a fancy looking horse in his possession.

"It's cold…" he shivered, snapping me from my thoughts.

I gleamed at him and trudged over from the other side of the water. "But hey, you're actually doing it!"

"I suppose I would have to come in eventually. It would be a shame if you were to drown…"

I glared at him playfully. "It's only like 3 feet of water! I can't swim but I'm not going to be crazy enough to dive in, either."

"Well, just to be sure," he smirked. Cupping water in his hand, he placed it over my head and let it go. I flinched as cold water trickled down my face, soaking through my already damp hair, and dripping onto my dry top.

"Oh, so is that how you're going to treat me?" I grumbled and splashed him with water.

Stifling a chuckle, Cloaked Boy managed to run off through the water before I could soak him completely. I immediately took off after him without even caring that I'd released the bottom of my skirt and it was completely soaked now.

"You can't escape me!" I called out, splashing aimlessly in a hope to catch him. Cloaked Boy was much too fast for me. I found it a miracle how he didn't even trip on his long cloak.

Our laughter was loud and wild like that of two small children. Alone in this little piece of paradise, we felt free enough to act this way without holding back. Hearing the sound of Cloaked Boy's laughter and to see him smile, although partially hidden behind that cloak, filled me with happiness.

At last, we collapsed onto dry land, totally exhausted. Exchanging a glance, I playfully grabbed onto his shoulder and shoved him. "You're a lot faster than you look!" I complimented him.

"You aren't so bad yourself," he laughed. "It's been some time since I've had the opportunity to run wildly like this. Thank you, Demi."

I smiled at him and nodded. "You really don't get out much, huh? Although, I'm the same as you in that area." I scooted myself closer to him without a second thought. I was amused at seeing how his face became red at having me sit so close. Grinning at him, I took a deep breath. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

"Uh of course not," he sputtered and cleared his throat.

"Good, because running after you really took a lot of energy from me. I'm just going to rest up a bit." Shyly, I lowered my head to rest on his wet shoulder and smiled. He flinched instantly at my touch but didn't say anything. He didn't tell me to get off or anything like that. In fact, I think he might have welcomed it as he rested his own head against my own.

We were both much too shy to say anything else. But even the silence between us was perfectly all right.

…

When we returned to town again, the sun was still setting and the sky was a mixture of pale orange and pink. Cloaked Boy and I had dried off almost completely by that time, but we still remained slightly damp. I almost didn't want to let go of him when we finally reached my house. Once again, cloaked Boy stopped short of being directly in front of my home.

With a deep sigh, I carefully dismounted off the horse and looked back up at Cloaked Boy. "Thank you for taking me out again," I said with a smile. "I hope we can do this again some time soon. Next time I'll be sure to bring spare clothes."

Cloaked Boy chuckled and nodded. "That would be a good idea. And thank you for joining me, Demi. I had a great time."

We shared a glance for a moment: violet eyes locked together with my brown ones. I'd never seen eyes like those before: soft and yet so deep. My heart pattered against my chest as the seconds went by slowly. I don't know how I was able to snap myself out of that trance.

"Well, I better go…" I waved suddenly and began making my way towards the house.

"Take care," he called out to me and rode his horse away.

I watched as Cloaked Boy disappeared from view and I turned to knock on the door to my house. Unbeknownst to me, a storm was brewing indoors, just waiting for me.

Once my mother had answered the door, I was immediately greeted by the unhappy scowl she wore on her face at seeing me. I found it quite strange but I said nothing about it. Sheepishly, I smiled at her and walked inside, thinking nothing of it.

Mama slammed the door shut loudly and locked it quickly. I even felt her steps and she followed me right away into my room.

"Where have you been running off to?" she demanded.

"No where," I replied casually as I removed the scarf on my head. "I've only been walking around town. Why do you ask? Is there something wrong?"

"Answer my questions!" Mama commanded sternly and crossed her arms. "And with whom have you been running off with?"

My pulse stopped for a moment. Had she seen me with him today? I knew this would lead to nothing but trouble. For that reason alone, and because I knew well how my mother was, I never mentioned Cloaked Boy to her. In fact, no one else, not even my sisters, knew of Cloaked Boy's existence. They simply wouldn't understand.

"With no one…" I lied as tried my hardest to avoid eye contact.

"Oh, is that so?" I could tell by her tone that she didn't buy it. Still, I insisted.

"Yes, it is."

Mama huffed angrily, teething with a clear fury. "Are you going to continue lying to me? The neighbors have been telling me otherwise, Demi…"

My body suddenly broke into a cold sweat. In my concern for keeping my Cloaked Boy secret from my family, I didn't even think about what the neighbors would think in seeing me with him. I had completely forgotten about that fact to begin with. The area I lived in was rather small and many of the neighbors here spoke with each other on a friendly basis. I felt like such a fool for forgetting just how rapidly word spread and how people would start gossiping at anything.

In fact, a few weeks ago, a lady had been caught committing adultery in this very area. Word spread like a raging fire and eventually reached this entire village. Enraged neighbors rushed out to corner her one day and she was almost stoned to death in public. Even the Pharaoh became involved after hearing of all the commotion and sent guards to drag her off into the palace, where they would deal with the situation accordingly.

"…well?" she demanded, her tone louder. I was snapped out of my thoughts and shook my head.

"What are they talking about?"

"Why don't you tell me? Apparently you've been all over town with a cloaked thug!"

I flinched at her words but I bit my tongue before speaking. I guess there wasn't anything for me to hide anymore. "He's not a thug," I responded and looked at her. "I thought so when I first met him, but he's not a bad person at all. He even helps me carry my things sometimes."

"Then why have you been hiding from me?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me about him? I had to hear about you two from the neighbors…"

"Well, he's a bit of a strange guy…"

"How so? And if you know him so well then what's his name and where did he come from?"

I flinched yet again, casting my eyes towards the ground. I couldn't even tell her that much. She seemed to believe that my words of him being a good person, but surely she wouldn't even believe that I didn't know his name or anything.

I didn't know what else to do but remain silent. Mama seemed to only grow more suspicious and came closer to me, almost breaking personal boundary. "Look at me! What is his name if you know him so well? Why can't you answer? What has he been dragging you into?"

"Nothing!" I hollered in frustration. Mama was stunned at my tone and she raised a hand to slap me. It didn't hurt much, as usual. I think I had grown accustomed to getting slapped by her. I had a habit for running my mouth and back talking. This simply didn't affect me anymore. I sighed lowly as I felt my cheek stinging slightly.

"Listen to me!" she scolded me hotly. "You will not see that thug again, do you understand? I will not allow you to follow anyone like that. It's for your own good!"

I bit my bottom lip as I swallowed at the anger growing inside me. "You can't tell me who can and can't see. I'm a practically a grown woman now. I may not know his name or even his whole face, but he's not what you think he is. I refuse to stop seeing him!"

"I'm not giving you the choice," she yelled as she grappled onto my shoulders but I stiffened in her grasp. Mama wasn't anywhere near as strong enough to shake me. She was getting much too old for that now. "Now you'll do as I say or you will pack your bags and find somewhere else to live!"

My jaw dropped and I looked at her in disbelief. Great, now she was willing to run me out of the house as she did with my brother and sisters. They seemed to have made it by just fine, though. At the moment, however, I really had no where else to go. So I remained silent and hesitantly nodded my head.

"Good!" she grumbled and released me harshly. I didn't bother to hold myself up as I fell back onto my cot like a rag doll. "And don't you even think about leaving the house without my permission." Without another word, Mama stormed out of my room.

Taking a deep breath, my shoulders fell and I collapsed onto my cot. This would certainly complicate things with Cloaked Boy. Our friendship didn't need anymore complications.

...

My mother was completely serious about what she had said, as I knew she would be. She didn't even send me to run errands to the market that following day when we starting running out of supplies. Instead, she locked me in the house and would only let me out to help with picking the crops. As the days went by and my usual arranged meeting with Cloaked Boy was drawing near, I began to panic. I didn't want Cloaked Boy to show up at the market only to notice that I wasn't going to be there.

What if Mama really could succeed in splitting us apart? I couldn't bear the thought! There wasn't any way in hell I was going to allow that.

The gods must've been on my side that day, however. My mother had come back home from picking crops and collapsed straight into her cot. She fell into a deep nap, during which, you'd have a better chance of stargazing at noon than to wake her up.

I was contemplating my next move; not sure of whether or not I had what it took to move forward. I hadn't left the house without permission since my first run in with Cloaked Boy almost three years ago.

The desire in me to see Cloaked Boy proved to be more powerful than I thought. I carefully and quietly hurried over to the front door and unlatched it. Even the clinking of the metal latch seemed to echo loudly in my ears. I knew I had to make haste as my mother could possibly awaken at any moment and I did not want to witness that type of fury. Once I shut the door behind me, I ran as fast as I possibly could towards the market and towards the spot where Cloaked Boy would be waiting for me.

Gratefully, I found Cloaked Boy standing there faithfully. I didn't stop running until I was right in front of him and completely winded from my run. I didn't look up at him much as I placed my hands on my knees and huffed, but I noticed a look of worry on his face.

"Demi? What's wrong? Did something happy?" he asked, his smile becoming a concerned frown.

I simply held up my finger. I had to wait until my pulse slowed at least a little and the world stopped spinning so much. When I finally caught my breath, I answered.

"…Yes, actually, something pretty serious. My mother found out about us…"

Cloaked Boy looked at me with a confused look. "She did? How?"

"The ever nosy neighbors, of course," I huffed with exasperation. "I don't understand why people can't mind their own business. Anyway, it's going to be a problem. I can't spend the day with you today, Cloaked Boy."

He looked disappointed. "Why not?"

"Mama forbids it…" I sighed. "I'm not even supposed to be out here at all right now. She's sleeping right now so I thought now would be the chance to tell you. I'm sorry, Cloaked Boy…I wish it didn't have to be like this…"

Cloaked Boy smiled down at me knowingly. "I understand, Demi. But I don't want you to get into any trouble. You should head back now while you have the chance."

I nodded sadly. "Yes…but I don't want to stop seeing you, Cloaked Boy…what should we do?"

Cloaked Boy stared down at me with red cheeks. I felt myself blushing slightly as well. That statement of mine sounded a little funny.

"…I don't know, to be honest. I want to keep seeing you as well, Demi."

We stood there silently before I came up with a plan. "Hey, I know. It's a little risky, but what if you and I start meeting up at night instead of in the day?"

"Secretly? You want to sneak out more to see me?" Cloaked Boy seemed a little surprise at my idea.

Blushing, I nodded my head and I could only hope that I wasn't sounding desperate. "…yes…is that all right with you?"

Cloaked Boy seemed to contemplate it for a moment. He shared a tender smile with me and that alone removed any worries of mine. "Of course…I want to keep seeing you, but I don't want you to get into any more trouble, Demi. Are you certain I am worth the risk?"

I stared up at him and my gaze lowered to the ground. I thought about it carefully for a second. It was a valid question and one that I felt I should answer to myself as well.

Why would I be willing to risk so much just to see this stranger? I could risk my very reputation, my freedom, and throw away who knows what else. I thought about it cautiously but it simply, somehow, made sense to me. I didn't want to follow anyone's orders. I wanted to live freely by doing what I wanted to do. I didn't want to answer to anyone.

At least, that's what I told myself.

I couldn't bring myself to accept the whole truth just yet. "Yes…please, Cloaked Boy. Meet me later tonight after the sky turns dark and the moon is in the east."

Cloaked Boy thought about it for a while. "If it makes you happy, then I agree. I'll see you later tonight."

I grinned wholeheartedly as I exhaled with relief. I was afraid at first that Cloaked Boy would instead run off and not care about me. Having this agreement between us and knowing that I could keep seeing Cloaked Boy made me happier than I could've imagined.

"I'll see you tonight," I wave as I began backing away. "I better go before my mother wakes up."

"Yes, we'll meet tonight," Cloaked Boy called out to me again, smiling sweetly. I turned my back on him and ran off to the house again.

I nervously reentered my house and hurried into my room. I heard mother as she was beginning to stir in her room. Still feeling slightly guilty, I hastily tucked myself into my cot and pretended to be napping.

I felt her presence as Mama entered my room to find me 'sleeping.' Thankfully, pretending to be asleep is quite easy if one isn't panicking. I heard Mama's footsteps and she walked towards the other end of our small house.

"Phew…" I released a low breath. I turned to look out my window and smiled with the hope of seeing Cloaked Boy again. There wasn't anything in this world that would keep me away from him. I would make sure of it myself.