(Author's note: This was going to be a small chapter,but I decided to add some stuff early.I've been at a friend's house for the past few days and read some more reviews now that I've returned and have decided again to update. I've gotten ideas for Out of the Void, so there may be a (small) chance that I will write more to it before I go to camp next week. Good news on that fic! As soon as I'm done with this fic it will blend right into the beginning of that one and then I will be updating it. And it is likely you will get another chapter out of me for this fic as well before then. Same with King of Thieves, one or two chapters may be added, thank Ra for them being prewritten.)
He sat uncomfortably cross-legged on the floor near the corner of the room as Seth continued jumping to conclusions. The other priests next to him nodded their heads in agreement. Pharaoh only listened, but every so often he let a glance over to Bakura.
I hate how Seth talks as if I'm not even here. I don't care how worthless he thinks I am, I AM a human being and I AM present.
"My Pharaoh, I must agree with the High Priest on this matter. Although I did not agree with him being held captive in the first place, I accepted your decision with an open mind. But he still is and forever will be responsible for crimes he has committed that would have otherwise given him a death sentence. I must agree with him, he must be subservient to you at all times and forced to respect you and stay out of your affairs."
The other priest folded his arms and put his head down in a slight bow for, perhaps, a respectful gesture, "Criminals are to be treated as caged animals. Slaves are to be seen only for the purposes they serve."
Pharaoh pursed his lips before he responded, almost wittingly, in Bakura's slim defense, "Even criminals are to be treated with kindness. Slaves are given the chance to advance in their position, they can win their freedom when their masters think they have earned it."
"You cannot let such a criminal back onto the streets. He is far from a changed man. He was trying to deceive you last night."
Bakura rolled his eyes in disgust.
Done with the other priest's bantering, Seth humbled himself to get the last word, "Pharaoh will go on as he did before without interruption from us. However, allow me to punish Bakura. I swear I will not leave a mark on him, my Pharaoh."
Following that, Seth lead himself into a graceful bow at the waist and did not let himself up until Atemu finally sighed and let himself consent.
"Guards, take the slave back to my room. Seth may take him out tonight and do as he wishes."
Bakura was shocked that the argument ended so soon. Atemu turned and left the room abruptly, cape bouncing along behind him, without so much as a glance in Bakura's direction. He'd do that? Right after Bakura let himself open up after all this crap he's been through because of that brat? Bakura's eyes narrowed dangerously and he caught Seth's eyes on him.
Seth smirked and released his grip on the Millennium Rod that was slid into the band around his waist. A little persuasion from the other priests got him a night with Bakura. Excellent. He would not disappoint Pharaoh, who did not want Bakura's creamy chocolate tan marred.
Bakura scooted away from Seth's hungry eyes and was happy when the guards took him out of the room. Plans for escape already began to form inside his head. Pharaoh seemed not to give a damn about him after all. Who was deceiving who? Bakura glowered to himself as he was thrown back into pharaoh's room. He ignored all the insults and perverse comments from the guards and caught himself before he fell on his face because of their forceful push back inside. Instead of falling he just kept up moving by walking to the bed.
He lay back on the large bed and rested his arms behind his head as a pillow and closed his eyes. A while later a tap-tap-tapping from the ceiling woke him up. The light in the room was dim, it always had been, even with fully lit candles. He opened one eye squinted into the darkness above him in the massive room. What was up there? That's where the tapping was coming from.
"Who's up there?"
A startled squeak unveiled the tapper as female. So what was a girl doing in the palace rafters? Bakura could only wonder.
"Girl, I know you're up there. An unscrupulous way of travel, that is what those rafters are. Speak."
A light appeared from the rafters. A magical orb? And it lit up the girl's figure quite beautifully, Bakura mentally noted. However, he still couldn't clearly see who she was.
"...Who are you?" The girl's voice asked cautiously.
"Bakura."
She let out a scoff.
"You want help getting out, oh great King of Thieves?"
"Help wouldn't be below me at this point.
"Heh. The great one can steal anything but not himself out of the pharaoh's palace."
The girl tilted her head as if considering if she should help or not.
"I'll help you. I regret having to say you saved my life once so I have to help you to uphold my...erm.."
"Honor?"
"I guess you could put it that way. Pride was actually what I was going for."
Egotistic woman. He looked closer, did he recognize this girl? She sounded rather familiar. Mocking his title in that manner and all. Abruptly she grinned devilishly and the orb in her hand grew bright as the sun for a flash of a second. Bakura shielded his eyes at the intensity of the light, but it soon faded back to its dimmer self. Something whizzed by Bakura's ear that he could barely see coming. It lodged itself into the bed next to his head. He eyed it and pulled it out.
A golden dagger. He looked back up to the girl who was now sitting inquisitively on the rafters, legs crossed on top of eachother at the knee, arms crossed across the chest, one hand still holding the glowing orb. A fiery looking monster was floating behind her, not doing much help in illuminating who she was. She waved one of her hands down to Bakura.
"Here, let my monster heat the dagger. Shove it into the lock on the door and it will form itself into a key."
The monster drifted down. It was a human in shape but it was black and outlined only in the dim orange flames. Bakura warily held out the dagger. The creature reached out and caressed the dagger in both hands. The easily melted gold began to soften and Bakura crawled off the bed and to the door with it, holding it away from himself as so not to let the gold drip on his skin.
"Hurry now. Before it solidifies again."
"I'm going, I'm going."
Bakura rammed the dagger into the lock on the door and let go of the hot handle of the dagger. The fiery monster leapt back up to its master and faded out of existence next to her. He paused for a minute and reached out to the dagger again and as soon as the handle was cool enough to touch again he turned the dagger to the left as far as it would go, then pulled on an outer rim of the door and it moved. It wasn't as if guards actually guarded pharaoh's room all the time, and Bakura hadn't the slightest worry of them. Light filled the room through the crack of the door and Bakura looked back into the room and up to the girl.
And he DID know her. And he was disgusted that SHE had helped HIM. Eva. Oh Gods, why did it have to be Eva! A rival in all ways, she thought it all a competition against Bakura. Trying to rob tombs thinking that she had gotten there first, when in reality Bakura had already broken in and looted the place to the last spendable penny. Bakura glared up at her. This was just too weird.
"Eva."
She smiled as if glad to be recognized.
"Bakura."
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?"
"Finding some food in the kitchens. You DO realize they are near here, don't you?"
"Yes," Bakura retorted, taken aback.
"I'll be on my way then, Thief King."
She stood up and walked away smiling on the rafter beam, hands clasped behind her back.
No. She's not an egotistic woman. She's an arrogant bitch. He hoped not to see her again. EVER. He could do without her trailing him. Sahkmet, lioness of revenge and war lay a curse upon her! Let her be caught. She thinks she can mock Bakura so easily. However... he looked out over the balcony of the palace and to the expansive city below. He was out and he was taking this opportunity, no matter who had just helped him.
(Author's Note: Haha. I bet you don't the like OC, Eva. But she isn't a Mary Sue, and you won't be seeing any more of her. I want to introduce some colorful characters of several backgrounds that Bakura already knows. Some are my friends characters, others are from my roleplays and they played an important part in the idea of this story. Sorry, this is just how it goes. Yet again, I'm sorry also about this: don't review and say that you want your OC in here. It won't likely happen. I know the plot of this story until the very end and most of the character slots are filled. So unless you want to be a not so colorful farmer or fisherman... I think no. The characters here will likely play a part in my other fanfic, Thief King. So if you really want you AE OC in a fic of mine, look to my other fic.)