Made it a long chapter to make up for how long I've kept you guys waiting.
(Alea's POV)
When I woke up I was looking up at a fabric ceiling. We must've made camp early this morning. I was probably asleep whenever we did. It was pretty bright outside, so I pulled back the mosquito net and walked outside.
However, the campsite was empty. A small fire was now just ashes. Midnight and Tethys were tied up and grazing happily on the oasis grass. Where was everyone?
I heard the faint sound of a waterfall and started heading in that direction. When I reached its source, I realized I was at the top of the waterfall. When I reached the edge and looked over it, I could see two familiar figures lounging in the pool below.
"Hey, Alea!" Kiko called up. "Good to see you awake!"
"Come on in!" Alexandria called. "The water's really nice!"
Well, I hadn't been in water for several days, and I could sure use a nice rinse. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute!" I called back down. I removed my gold belt, bracelets, anklets, shoes, and tiara. It was okay if my dress got wet. I could use the air spell I learned to dry it off. I walked back over to the edge, preparing to jump off into the water.
However, I stopped to look at the height…it was pretty high up. It made me nervous. "Uh…I think I'll just walk down!" I called to them. "By the way…where's Bakura?"
Suddenly, someone came up behind me and grabbed me, lifting me off the ground. "I'm right here," he said. He started walking backwards.
"Bakura, what are you doing?" I questioned.
"Walking down will take too long," he replied.
"…Oh, you cannot be serious," I said. But he had already started running before I could object.
"Bakura, you're insane!" I shouted as he jumped off the cliff with me. We landed with a huge splash. After we resurfaced, I was clinging to Bakura like a spooked cat. I probably looked like one, too. He pried me off of him and set me down in the water, laughing a little.
"That wasn't funny!" I said, laughing a little myself.
"Then why are you laughing?" he chuckled. I blushed hard. Kiko and Alexandria started laughing, too.
"Oh, shut up!" I said, splashing water in Bakura's face. He splashed me back. "Oh, yeah, real mature, Bakura," I said. I attempted to splash him again, but he dodged it and the water hit Kiko instead. Bakura laughed at her.
"Oh, you think that's funny, huh?" she said, tackling him. They both went under the water.
"Oh, shit," I said.
"Don't worry," Alexandria said. "This is typical Kiko and Bakura."
They resurfaced, Kiko having her arm around his throat and tugging at his face and Bakura pulling at her hair. They looked like two little boys fighting. Bakura then took the arm that was around his throat, pried it off, and flung Kiko into the water. She resurfaced and said, "Okay! Truce, truce!"
"What? Admitting you're too weak to beat me?" Bakura said.
"No! I just want to relax is all," she replied.
"Riiiiiight," Bakura said.
Kiko punched him in the shoulder and walked back over to her spot. Bakura and I rested against a large rock. We all quietly relaxed. I glanced a little over at Bakura. I had never seen him with his robe off. He actually looked…really nice. His muscles were nicely defined, his arms looked strong yet soft. I wondered what it would feel like to be held in them. Oh, but what was I saying? We were just friends…but still.
"Water snake!" Kiko shouted. We all scrambled out of the water.
"Where? Where?" I questioned.
Kiko started laughing. "I can't believe you all fell for that!" she laughed. Alexandria punched her in the shoulder.
"What?" Kiko said.
"Now you ruined the whole relaxation time for us," she replied.
"Oh, come on," Kiko said. "It was just a joke."
"Yeah, but when one actually comes up, you'll say it again and we won't believe you," I said. Kiko pouted.
"Anyway, I think I've had enough water time today," Alexandria said.
"Me, too," I agreed.
"Besides, we need to get going if we want to make it to the hideout by nightfall," Bakura reminded us. We walked back up to the top of the waterfall, where I retrieved my shoes and jewelry and we packed up. It was around one when we finally left the oasis.
As we rode towards the hideout, I couldn't help but think that I had seen a somewhat more different side of Bakura this morning. He seemed so playful today…so childish. Boy, would my family be completely surprised if they ever saw that side of him. I know I was. But…that just made it easier to be with him.
Hours seemed to pass as we made our way towards the hideout, only making a few stops. Whoever it was we were running from must've been seriously bad, otherwise we wouldn't be trying to get to the hideout this quickly. I'd have to ask him for the specifics when we got there.
Finally, just as the sun had set, we reached a small shack. This was probably the hideout…but, it seemed really small, especially for someone like Bakura whose main hideout is an entire village (even if it was in ruins).
As he helped me off Midnight, I felt a harsh pain in my rear. "Please tell me this isn't going to be the norm," I said. "I don't think my butt can take any more of it."
Bakura chuckled a little. "Maybe I can ease your pain a little" he said, grabbing my rear.
"Ouch!" I exclaimed. I gave him a quick slap to make him let go. "Don't do that, please," I said. "It's not funny when it hurts…and besides, that's perverted."
"Alright, alright," he replied. "I won't do it anymore."
The four of us went inside the shack, which only had a table, a few chairs, and a few crates. "Uh…is this really the hideout?" I questioned. "With you I really would've thought there would have at least been a bed."
"Don't worry, this is just the outside," he said. He nodded to Kiko, who went over to one of the crates and pushed it to the side, revealing a trapdoor. Alexandria opened it, revealing a flight of stairs that led down into a tunnel. "That's the real hideout," Bakura said.
"Bakura, what is it with you and tunnels?" I said.
"Well, what better place to hide than underground," he replied.
"Good point," I said.
As we descended the stairs, I noticed that Kiko and Alexandria weren't following.
"Aren't you guys coming with us?" I questioned.
"We're going to stay up here and keep watch in case anyone decides to come snooping around," Kiko replied. I just nodded in understanding. They closed the trapdoor behind us, leaving the torches in the tunnel as our only light.
"I noticed that all these tunnels are pretty elaborate," I said.
"Well, my grandfather was the one who built them," he explained. "Back when all the thieves of Kul Elna were alive, the original King of Thieves needed a place to hide all of them, so he had these tunnels built to comfortable house them. He figured that we deserved the same comfort the richest people in Egypt had. Of course, I don't think this was his intent, but it was also in case someone decided to kidnap a princess." I blushed.
"Well, from my perspective, I'd say he did a good job," I said. Bakura smiled and lightly wrapped his arm around my waist.
After walking down the long hallway, we reached a room with a king sized bed in it. "Well, this is it," he said. I immediately walked over to the bed and collapsed on it.
"Ugh! Sooo tired!" I said, my voice muffled by one of the pillows. Bakura lay down next to me.
"So, who is this guy we're running from?" I asked.
"Well, he was my mentor for a while," he replied. "He taught me most of the stuff I know. But a few years ago, I guess he realized that I was eventually going to become a better thief than he was, especially after I was able to recruit some of the finest thieves in Egypt, as oppose to his gang of scumbags. I guess he was too proud to let me become the best. So, it's become his goal to destroy me and everything I own."
"So…Ini-herit's death was on purpose?" I questioned. He looked at me, his expression pitying.
"Yeah," he replied. "Alea, I-"
"You don't need to say it," I said. "I guess it's just better to know that it wasn't a senseless killing…it doesn't make up for it at all, but it lessens the pain a little bit." He held me close to him.
"Let's just go to sleep," he said. "We've had a long day." I nodded and closed my eyes.
But resting peacefully was not an option tonight. In the middle of the night, a group of men burst into the room, one of them dragging Alexandria by her hair. She looked unconscious. Bakura began fighting them off, but there were too many. I got up and tried to help fight, but one of them struck me in the back of the head (which was still tender after my fall). Everything went black…