Big thank you to everyone who reviewed! To all of the regular reviewers: Viki boom, Dakota Ishtar, BakuraLOLZ99! And to the new reviewers: The Queen of Fire and Shadowclanwarrior.

To Dakota Ishtar: Now that you mention it, Dakarai does remind me of the Pokémon Darkrai. That was not intentional. :P

To Shadowclanwarrior: Yeah, I have seen a few fanfic with characters having something to do with a wolf. Wolves have always been my favourite animal and, even though wolves are used a lot, I was hoping to change it up a little and make the wolf involvement in this story different from everyone else. But, the wolf is my real spirit animal and that's why I chose it. Too late to change now, though I do like the idea of the lion. That would have been interesting as well. Thanks for the review! :)

Chapter 10

Kahlaya galloped Kanika across the sand, Bakura keeping pace with her and the others following closely behind. She had always loved riding, but hadn't done it much when she was with Okpara. Mostly all they did was train, but he had taught her how to ride when she was younger. Kahlaya had picked up the concept easily and was a skilled rider.

They had been riding all night and it was nearly sunrise. As she made it to the top of a dune, Kahlaya saw the city laid out in front of her. There was the huge palace, the tall wall that surrounded all the buildings and the shimmering waters of the Nile. Kahlaya wasn't sure if she was happy to be back or not.

She stopped her horse as Bakura halted atop the hill. The others stopped as well, so that there were two horses on each side of Bakura.

Kahlaya looked nervously at the city. "How are we going to get in? I mean, wouldn't the guards check our faces. They'd definitely recognize me and you." She looked at Bakura.

He laughed. "You don't think we've done this before? Those guards are as idiotic as they come."

"Of course." She looked back at the city, still doubting whether or not they could get in without being caught.

Tarik grunted and gave Kahlaya a look that she took as anger that she doubted their thief skills.

"When do we go?" She asked, not liking the silence.

"You ask a lot of questions, Wolf," Tarik sneered.

Kahlaya really wanted to punch him right in the mouth, but she ignored him and waited for Bakura's reply.

"When the sun rises. There's less suspicion entering during the day."

She nodded and resettled her position on the horse. Sunrise wasn't too far away, so she just needed to be patient.

The time passed and they all remained silent. When the sun made it passed the horizon and the darkness of the night was chased away, they began their descent toward the city. They went at a steady walk and Kahlaya pulled her hood up over her head. She was riding between Bakura and Dakarai at the back so that the guards wouldn't pay her much attention. Tarik had taken the lead along with Kosey. They would talk their way in.

The entrance wasn't far away and Kahlaya's heart was pounding. She was extremely nervous about getting into the city. What if they were caught? They'd take Bakura and the rest of them and lock them up in the dungeon. Kahlaya would go back to Okpara and continue her training, probably like nothing had ever happened. She really didn't want that to happen. She wouldn't be able to stand it if Bakura was captured.

They came to the entrance, where two guards sat on horseback. They turned toward the group, each holding a spear and looking extremely tired. The timing of their entrance was perfect. The guards were tired and wary from being up all night. They were just waiting to be replaced with the morning guards.

The group halted. Kahlaya kept her head down and played with the reins in her hands as she anxiously waited.

"State your business," one guard ordered, trying to sound alert and awake.

Tarik answered. "We are from down the Nile, travelling. We've been riding all night and would like to rest. There are friends of ours who live here and we are going to stay with them for a few days."

The guards exchanged a glance and then one shrugged. They didn't seem to really care for their duty when sleep was all they could think of.

"Very well, you may pass," the first guard said. They moved away from the entrance and the group walked through.

Once they had safely gotten through and had walked farther into the city, they all dismounted. When Kahlaya's feet hit the ground, her legs were wobbly from her nervousness. She leaned against Kanika for support. She patted the mare's neck and took hold of the reins.

"I don't care what you do," Bakura said to the other thieves. "Just don't get yourselves caught. You know where to meet later."

As they all walked away, towing their horses, Kosey asked. "What about the witch?"

"Keep her with you. And don't let her get into trouble."

Kosey scowled angrily, but nodded and walked off with Sanura still on the horse.

Kahlaya walked up to stand next to Bakura. His horse neighed and thrashed her head angrily at her approach. Kahlaya gave her a smirk and then turned to Bakura.

"To the marketplace?" she asked.

He nodded. And they set off in that direction. They walked in silence and then Kahlaya realized that they were passing Okpara's house. She stopped and stared at it for a second. Nothing seemed to have changed about it. It was the exact same from when she had last seen it. She found it strange. So much about her had changed while the place where she had lived her whole life remained untouched.

Bakura had stopped beside her. He was looking at the house, but then his eyes slid to her.

"This is where you lived?" he asked.

She nodded. "My whole life." Kahlaya turned to the palace. "And that's where I'm supposed to live."

Bakura looked at it and his eyes narrowed. He seemed to be deep in thought, staring at the enormous palace.

Kahlaya reached out and took his hand in hers. He looked down at their hands together and then up to Kahlaya's semi-smiling face. Letting go of the reins, she slowly reached up and brushed her fingertips over his scar.

"They aren't going to get away with what they did to you," she whispered. "I promise."

She dropped her hand and grabbed Kanika's reins again. They stared into each other's eyes and Kahlaya was saddened to see the sadness and vulnerability shinning there. Those emotions were only there for a second as he regained his indifferent expression.

She smiled and hurried forward, pulling him along, toward the marketplace. They made it to the circle of stands in no time. Only a small number of them were open at this time of day. There was a bucket of water nearby and Kanika pulled toward it. Kahlaya walked her over to it and the mare gratefully drank half of the water. Bakura led his horse over to drink the rest.

As they waited for Bakura's horse to finish drinking, Kahlaya saw a stand that was selling beautiful dresses and clothing. One dress really caught Kahlaya's attention. It was the one on display, hanging on a nail. The fabric was black and there was a gold belt. The collar was a U shape that draped over the shoulders into sleeves that hung loosely to the elbows in waves. There was gold lining at the bottom, on the sleeves and on the collar.

Bakura watched her look at the dress. His gaze moved to the clothing and then back to her.

"I take it you want that one."

Kahlaya nodded absently then broke her gaze away from the dress and to Bakura. "But I don't have any mo-" She broke off at his sly smile. "Ri-ight." She muttered, raising her eyebrows as she said it. "Forgot."

"I'll get it." He tied the reins to a pole. "You just need to be a distraction."

Kahlaya's eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened. "What? I actually need to help you steal it?"

He frowned. "Be quiet. Everyone will hear you." He eyed her skeptically. "You'd be a terrible thief."

She smirked. "That's not necessarily true. I think I'd do just fine."

He raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to test that theory?"

She smiled, narrowing her eyes. "Fine. But I'm going for something easy." She looked around at the stands, her gaze finally settling on a fruit stand. "Like food."

Handing him Kanika's reins, she confidently strode into the marketplace, heading for the fruit stand.

There weren't many people around and so she didn't seem so out of place in her black cloak. Walking up to the stand, she examined the available fruit. There were papayas and mangos as well as bananas and coconuts. Deciding that she'd steal a mango, Kahlaya walked between them and the papayas. The skinny man behind the stand watched her warily. She could feel Bakura's eyes on her which made her a little nervous.

Looking up from the fruit, Kahlaya smiled warmly at the man. "Wonderful fruit," she said, batting her eyes. "It must have taken some time to get all of this food."

He grunted and looked down. "A lot of hard work."

Kahlaya smiled. It was working. She slipped a mango off the pile as he was staring at the ground and hid it in her cloak sleeve. "I wish I had the money to buy some." Taking a step back she continued. "I'll just go get some money and be back."

He looked up, somewhat disappointed looking, and then his expression turned into a creepy smile that made Kahlaya shiver inwardly. "Alright. You hurry back, then."

"Oh, I will." Kahlaya winked, then turned around and smirked. Men and their ridiculous feelings. Kahlaya laughed slightly. What an idiot.

She walked up to Bakura and tossed him the mango, which he easily caught.

"There, I stole something. And I wasn't half bad."

Bakura smirked. "You stole a mango."

Kahlaya's lips pressed together and she narrowed her eyes. "Hey, that was the first time I ever stole something. Give me some credit."

He smiled partially and handed her Kanika's reins. "Now watch how a real thief does it."

Kahlaya took the mango from him and put it in a bag tied to his saddle pad. She then tied the reins to the same pole as the other horse and turned to watch him.

Bakura was walking into the marketplace, but not toward the fruit stand. He looked like he was going to go right passed it and down a road. The stand owner was staring around, gawking at any women he could lay his eyes on, not paying attention to Bakura.

As the owner's eyes followed a woman who was walking in the opposite direction of Bakura, the thief swiftly kicked out his foot and hit the stand's leg. The entire thing collapsed, sending fruit rolling everywhere. The stand owner yelled furiously and went running after the quickest-rolling fruit. Bakura stooped and took a bag from his pocket, throwing as much fruit into it as he could. The commotion had created a crowd and Bakura was soon lost from sight.

He returned not long afterward, however, the bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled while Kahlaya leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, smirking. He set the bag down and handed her the black dress. Her mouth hung open as she took it from him.

"You managed to steal this too?"

He shrugged, giving her three other articles of clothing: a nightgown and a top with a matching skirt.

"I'm not sure what those other two are. I just sort of grabbed them."

Kahlaya looked them over. It would be nice to have a nightgown to sleep in instead of wearing her daytime clothing to bed. It was just a simple, creamy white, knee-length gown with a V-neck collar and elbow-length, loose sleeves. The two-piece outfit was very nice. It was white and the top stopped just under the rib-cage, leaving a strip of abdomen visible. It had a V-neck collar and left the arms bare. The skirt fell on one side to the middle of her shin and the other side reached to just above her knee. There was gold lining on both pieces.

"Wow, pretty nice for being in a hurry. And they look like they'd fit perfectly."

He shrugged again and tied the bag of fruit to his saddle pad.

Kahlaya looked at the beautiful clothing. "I feel kind of bad for the woman who made these. She must have put a lot of time and effort into the clothes."

Bakura laughed. "You didn't feel bad about taking that mango."

She smirked. "It was only a mango. Plus, that guy looked like a total scumbag."

"You're the one who wanted it. Now you have some clothes, so don't complain about how you got them. If it bothers you that much, by all means, take them back."

Kahlaya stared at the clothes, then up at the still chaotic marketplace. She sighed. "Oh well, whatever. Thanks. Now let's get out of here."

"Alright."

They untied their horses and walked away from the crowd, farther into the streets of the city. Kahlaya laid the clothes over Kanika's back.

The sun was higher in the morning sky and Kahlaya liked the warmth of it on her back as they walked. It felt like any other day in the city. The way she used to go out and buy things Okpara needed or just walk around. But that wasn't the case. She had a completely different life. Nothing was like it used to be and it was probably for the best. At least, Kahlaya hoped it was.

Smiling, she said: "Man, what I wouldn't do for a bath right now."

Bakura looked sideways at her. "That can be arranged."

She looked at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "I know where to go."

That kind of made Kahlaya nervous, but she shrugged it off. A bath would be great.

They walked down a road that was dark despite the rising sun. Kahlaya had never been down that road before and she got a bad aura from it. It made her shiver. They tied the horses to a pole down another alley off of the main road, where it didn't look like anyone ever went. Bakura left them some of the fruit, and then safely tied the bag to his saddle. They were in the shade, so the fruit should be alright. She took her clothing from Kanika's back. They went back to the main road and continued walking.

Bakura stopped at a rundown old building. The windows were dark and the place looked uninhabited. He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. They didn't wait long before someone opened the door, just a crack.

"Yes?" An older, short, thin man asked. Kahlaya could sense his aura. She shuddered at the cold darkness of it.

Bakura took something from his pocket and showed it to him. The man nodded and quickly opened the door the rest of the way. Bakura walked inside and Kahlaya followed, staying close to him.

Inside smelled musky. There was the scent of alcohol, men and some females. The place had the odor of hardly being cleaned. There were several tables and booths set up as well as a bar at the back. There were a few candles, the lighting dim, making the atmosphere ominous. There were people seated at some of the booths and they all had cloaks with their hoods up. Kahlaya knew that they were mostly all male, but Kahlaya could smell at least two females hiding under those cloaks.

'They must all be thieves and criminals. It's a secret place for them,' Kahlaya thought. 'And some are female. I've never heard of a female thief.'

Bakura walked through the room, to the man at the bar. He was a bulky, middle-aged man with a scar on his face and a balding head. He had dark, beady eyes that Kahlaya couldn't meet. She stared at the ground as she walked next to Bakura.

Bakura took a gold coin from his pocket and dropped it on the counter. "I'd like a room."

The man grinned and his eyes fell on Kahlaya. She forced herself to look up and stare into his wicked eyes. She put all the hatred and anger she could put in her gaze and he was the first to look away, with a somewhat startled expression.

"Sure." He pointed up a flight of stairs. "Third door on the right." He took the coin from the counter and turned away.

Kahlaya smiled partially and went up the stairs with Bakura. They went to the third door on the right and went inside.

The room was much nicer than downstairs. There was a beautiful bed with multiple cushions and the room smelled like lilac. The floor had a soft rug and there were bright candles on two night stands. Bakura stood in the open doorway as Kahlaya looked around.

He pointed to a curtain on the right side of the room. "There's a bath on the other side. There should be new warm water in it. I'll wait outside."

He left the room, closing the door behind him. Kahlaya watched the door for a second. She could hear Bakura just outside the door. Smiling, she went to the curtain and pulled it back. There was a large bathtub with warm water and fluffy bubbles. There were several soaps next to the bath as well as fresh towels.

Kahlaya closed the curtain and quickly undressed then got into the warm water. It was so refreshing, that she couldn't help but just sit back and let the water soak into her tired, weary muscles. Kahlaya washed through her hair with soap that smelled like vanilla and then scrubbed all the dirt off her body. When she was satisfied, she left the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. After drying off, Kahlaya put on her new black dress. She loved the way it fell over her body. It was perfect for her. There was a brush lying with the bath stuff and she cleaned it in the water then used it to brush through her hair, pulling out all the knots and making it smooth. Content with herself, Kahlaya went to let Bakura into the room.

He was still standing by the door, leaning with his back to the wall. He turned to her when the door opened and his eyes travelled the length of her body, making her blush, before resting on her face.

"You look..." he couldn't find what to say.

"Clean," she finished. "It feels pretty nice." She looked down at her still-bare feet. "Though, it would be nice to have some shoes."

"We can handle that later," Bakura said, walking into the room.

Kahlaya followed and closed the door behind her. Bakura was sitting at the bottom of the bed. Looking at his face, Kahlaya could see that he was tired. Seeing that, she realized that she was exhausted as well. From the long ride of the night before and the morning's events. It was noon now.

"Tired?" she asked, knowing the answer.

He nodded and lay back on the bed. Smiling, Kahlaya jumped onto the mattress next to him, causing Bakura to bounce from the impact.

He frowned over at her. "Was that necessary?"

She laughed. "Yes." Then she frowned. "That guy downstairs was really creepy. How is this room so nice when downstairs... isn't?"

Bakura shrugged. "They like to keep their customers. It's really expensive for a room. That'd be why."

Kahlaya nodded. "What is this place?"

"A safe house for thieves and criminals. That's why the people downstairs had their faces hidden."

She nodded again. "Now I understand why that guy smiled so... nastily... when you asked for a room with me." She shuddered.

"Yeah. They get a lot of that here."

Kahlaya felt slightly uncomfortable on the bed. "I hope they clean the sheets."

He laughed. "They do, don't worry."

"Good." Kahlaya shuffled up farther on the mattress and laid into all the pillows. Bakura followed and lay down next to her.

Her eyelids drooped and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"For the love of Ra, Kahlaya, your hair is soaking wet!" he said, scooting a little bit away from her.

She laughed. "Sorry. You just have really comfortable shoulders."

He sighed and moved back. "Alright, I'll bear through it."

Kahlaya smiled and put her head back on his warm shoulder. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. His head fell to the side, his cheek resting on her head, despite her cold, wet hair.

The events of the night and day caught up to Kahlaya and she fell into a warm sleep.

Were there all those bath things in Ancient Egypt? I very much doubt it, but who doesn't love some anachronism?

Wow, I hate using the word 'stuff' but I wasn't sure what else to say, so I left it there. :/ Sorry about that.

Review!

-AuraWolf