Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, the characters within, or any references mentioned. Shira is copyrighted by me, and remains my creation forevermore.

Chapter 10

Bakura's POV

Throughout most of the flight after Tailera fell asleep, I was lost in my thoughts. Tenchi fell asleep beside her, her head resting on her...supposedly... sister's shoulder. All of this seemed a bit surprising, and most bazaar of all, I found myself being nice to her. Not just acting, but actual, genuine kindness.

Quite ironic that the girl's name was Tailera. From what I remember, the woman with the same name was the wife of the man named Kaleb. And they gave birth to the person I continuously heard about; Shira. THAT was another thing; Tenchi nicknaming her that. If I didn't know better, I'd say all of these names were connected somehow. But I do know better, and I say that all of this was a coincidence.

I had thought that Tenchi was long gone to Canada on her own, to pay her respects to her deceased family and friend, but it seemed that Tenchi had a unmentioned sister. Even I thought that Tenchi would reveal anything to my hikari, trusting him with all her heart. But I have to admit, Tenchi has kept a lot of promises - rarely being close to breaking them -, so she must be very good at keeping her mouth shut. But it also seemed that Tailera had never come for her sister until now, when her parents were murdered months and months before. Was it that she was traveling the world and didn't hear about it? Or had she simply not care?

I sighed, my body already whining for staying in one place too long. I shifted, and my eyes traveled the surroundings in the plane in boredom, eventually resting on Tailera. She had slipped out of her black trench coat - which I found similar to mine in all different levels - and was left with a black shirt with a silver dragon, spiraling like a serpent. The dragon had a blue mane that traveled from the top of its head down along most of his neck, flowing like shimmering rivers. The dragon was frozen, spreading his wings wide, and his golden eyes bound to never blink and always look ahead. Its design rose and fell as if that was the only movement it could make, but of course, it was only Tailera's deep and even breathing of slumber.

Below that she had dark-blue jeans on, probably new, but already worn out the ends and on her knees, fading into a pale blue and white. Her clothing had no clumps; every part of her clothing covered every surface they could, and I must say, they hugged her body perfectly. I followed her curves with my eyes, saliva welling up on my tongue in lust. After realizing my behaviour, I swallowed it down and looked away.

Damnit, why am I attracted to this girl? It's not like she's any different from the rest... their attractiveness must run through the family, when I found myself attracted to Tenchi so long back..., I thought, and trailed off as I looked and observed my injured hand. My body wasn't raging with fury as I looked at the nail marks she left on my skin anymore. It was so mess up, I thought that I was getting merciful...

Oh Ra!

I looked at her face, her cheek resting on the top of Tenchi's head. Her fine eyebrows twitched now and then, and her eyes moved under her eyeslids, most likely in the midst of a dream. She breathed smoothly through her mouth quietly, and her raven-black flowed from her head and past her shoulders like a velvet curtain, made from the finest and most soft-looking material. Her skin was pale and smooth, bathed with a light that I thought only I could see. The shape of her face and sharp features looked so familiar, and I had to fight the urge to reach over and stroke her face, much to my surprise. She looked very beautiful...

She stirred. I turned away quickly and stared to the front in boredom, as to give the impression that I was watching the movie they had playing at the front. It was a movie I didn't recognize, but I didn't care. Tailera's eyes fluttered, then opened slowly. She coughed quietly, as if careful not to wake the sleeping Tenchi on her shoulder and cough up phlegm at the same time. She groaned, and she looked at me, her emerald green eyes dull from sleep.

"What time is it?" she yawned.

I smiled weakly. "It's near lunch."

"So we're not there yet?! Damnit!" she whined, causing me to smile at her childishness.

"Believe me; you're not the only one annoyed with the time it takes to get there."

"Hmmm, true." Tailera breathed deeply, and rested her cheek back onto Tenchi's head. Silence followed, then she broke it. "Kaleb?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you been to Egypt before?"

I made a sound in my throat, saying yes.

"What is it like?"

I was caught in a trap here; last time I was in Egypt was in my past life, and even my memory of that was a bit fuzzy.

I squinted, trying to remember a little bit. I knew she wouldn't get suspicious of that. She would just think that I might've visited when I was a child. And Egypt was a third-world country, so maybe it hadn't really changed. Tailera looked at me hopefully, and I couldn't bring myself to lie if I ever needed to.

"It's burning there, the sun beaming down on your shoulders. But if you're adapted to it, then you won't collapse in the hot sand, and your skin would be sun-kissed in a matter of hours. The villages had low buildings when I was there, and the narrow dirt paths were often filled with cramped markets and stalls filled with fine foods, clothing and jewelry. The air was clean, but there was always the distant scent of the water lilies in the Nile."

"And what about the constellations?"

"The constellations?" I looked at her, surprised by the out-of-the-blue question.

Tailera's eyes glittered with a certain hope. "Yes; the stars."

I closed my eyes and tried to remember. "The stars were beautiful," I told her. "There was Orion, Monoceros, the Tree of Life and the Celestial Sphinx. Those are the ones I remember best, but there are thousands more."

I opened my eyes and looked at Tailera, only to see that her eyes were glistening with tears, her smile widening as she looked at the ceiling.

"It's the same as I remember," she whispered.

"You've been to Egypt before?" I asked.

She laughed softly. "Long, long time ago, yes."

"Then why did you ask me?"

She closed her eyes, letting a tear slide down her cheek. When she opened them again, I saw happiness.

"I just wanted to know if it was like I remember. I wanted to hear it through another person's voice and view."

She looked at me and smiled, her face looking even more beautiful as I gazed at it. "Thanks for telling me, Kaleb."

I managed a small smile, and nodded. "No problem."

I looked away, closing my eyes. I had an uncomfortable feeling gripping my heart, and I identified it as guilt. I scowled at myself, Why am I feeling so guilty to this girl? This name is just a cover; I need it. Nosy people may be looking for me, and I can't risk revealing my name! But Tailera's voice saying that name echoed in my mind, making my guilt grow very slowly, oozing. I grunted quietly to myself, crosseSd my arms, and sat there, waiting for the arrival in Egypt. Tailera's voice was distant in my head, but I loved the sound of it.

Thanks for telling me, Kaleb.

End of Chapter

Vixen: Aww! -heart-

Bakura: Be quiet!

Shira: -smiles-

Star: Not much going on in the commentary; hope you liked the chappie!