Welcome to chapter 2! I know things can get confusing, so let me know if you have any questions and I'll get to them asap. And remember! Comments keep me writing faster, because if you don't know me...I write really slowly the majority of the time.

This chapter is a lot of Mana meeting our little Kefi because they're really awkward! Akefia has no idea how to act around her and he's just trying to protect Akila! QuQ

Also, side note...I know Thief King Baku isn't really that tall, in fact he's only an inch taller than me, but let's ignore that! It's important for the story that he be tall!

Here we go!

How I Know You

Egyptians in the courtyard, my family in chains.
You witnessed our abduction, which possibly explains

How I know you.

Ryou was slow to leaving the boat, but he knew that he had to leave his memories behind him and keep moving. The slaves would be sent to the copper mines soon and he had to stop them, since Akefia had given in so easily, despite his pride. The girls would be fine in the palace as maid servants and the men would be put to work in the fields around the palace, supplying food to the royal family. But not Akefia. No, Ryou had a different plan for him.

"My son!" A voice called from right inside the palace gates. Ryou was getting closer, but he could guess who it was before he got there.

"Hello, father," he said, not sounding nearly as excited as his father had. He longed to get back on the boat and continue exploring down the Nile. Every time they came back to the palace, he found himself wishing he was further away than ever. Inside the palace, he was held still, forced into fancy clothes and fancy parties. He wanted to be free to roam the world.

"How many slaves did you bring us this time? We will need some big strong ones soon," the man said, a curt and friendly smile on his face. The smile did not reach his eyes however, as he lead Ryou inside the castle. Two of his guards were following him, as the royal priests needed protection the majority of the time. It was a dangerous world and the slaves could try to escape and take the priests as prisoners.

"A few women for the palace maids and a few men for the fields," Ryou answered. "I was on my way to assign them, as I have specific places I want them put. So if you'll excuse me-"

"Hold on, son," the man said, grabbing Ryou's wrist before he could walk away. When Ryou turned back to the shell of a man that was his father, the man's eyes were narrowed dangerously. He pulled his son close, so he could whisper. "Listen. I know you, and I know you want to return to your boat as soon as possible. But not this time."

"What do you mean, father?" Ryou asked, his attention caught. Usually he only spent a few days in the palace before they asked him to bring back more slaves and more riches that the Nile brought to them.

"The Pharaoh has fallen ill."

"What!" Ryou all but yelled.

"Hush!" his father chastised. "You are not leaving again. Any time now, the Pharaoh will succumb to his illness and you will need to be here to take his place."

"Not this again," Ryou sighed. Ever since he was born, his father had been grooming him to become the next in line. The Pharaoh had no children, as he was pretty young to take the throne. He had chosen his childhood best friend to take his place, should anything happen. That childhood best friend just happened to be the one that Ryou's father had arranged for him to marry.

"It's time to grow up, Ryou, and stop living that fantasy. They've already started building the Pharaoh's pyramid. That's how close he is to death. I've been setting this up for you ever since you were young and you will not ruin it now. Ever since your mother and Amane di-"

"Don't say that name!" Ryou interrupted. He'd already thought about them too much today, he didn't need another reminder. He yanked his hand out of his fathers grasp and began walking away briskly. "I need to go attend to the slaves."

"I will see you at the feast tonight!" his father replied, his voice daring Ryou to refuse. Of course, he knew he couldn't. But first, the slaves.

"Kefi! Kefi, let me look at your eye!"

Akefia barely had time to reach the other slaves when his sister saw him coming and ran to check his bandages. The bleeding had stopped long ago, but the bandages were probably still a mess. He dreaded the time where they would painfully remove them so he would be able to work properly. Removing bloodstained bandages could hurt just as much as the injury that caused them.

"I'm fine, Akila. They'll send me to a healer soon so I'll be able to work." He didn't want her to worry about him as much as he worried about her. Everybody that knew him knew how tough he acted, but he acted that way because he needed to protect her. They watched as their father got carted away by the guards months ago, and now they were in the same situation. And if anyone found out that they-

"Attention!" a royal guard called. "Your placements are in order."

Akefia felt his heart stop. Had that man kept his promise? If the others got sent to the mines, he didn't know what he would do. His temper was famous for being easily prodded.

"You've all been assigned palace duty by the head of the guards, Ryou Bakura. The women will be inside working as maids for tonight's feast and the men will be in the fields. Akefia is to report to the healers cabin with me and the others will be split into groups now."

Akefia breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At least they would be safe for now. He turned to his sister, bending down so he could look her in the eyes, despite the bandage still covering half of his face.

"Listen, Akila. Do what they tell you. Don't try to act tough in front of them," he said, his voice low.

"I should be telling you the same thing," she huffed.

"I'm serious! And please, please Akila! Don't let them find out who you are! Promise me!" When he said that, he saw tears start to prick at the sides of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Kefi! I didn't mean for this to happen!" He pulled her into a tight hug, something he never did for anyone else, and shushed her.

"It isn't your fault. It's theirs," he hissed. "Be strong, but do what they say. Remember what I told you."

And he let her go, heading towards the guard who was supposed to lead him to the healers chamber. Akefia could hear his sister and the other villagers calling their goodbyes to him, sounding sad. He prayed to all of the gods in his head that they would keep their mouths shut and not reveal their secret. Their lives depended on it. As he walked, he noticed that he was at least a head taller than all of the guards he could see, something he found odd. Did they not have any taller men here?

He found his mind wandering back to the head of the guards. Ryou Bakura, that man had said. He was much shorter than Akefia was, but that didn't seem to intimidate him at all. Perhaps he has friends in high places that got him the job of annihilating whole towns.

"I'll take it from here, thank you."

Akefia had gotten lost in his thoughts when he heard another person. He looked up and saw that the guard was walking away, leaving him with the person who had spoke. His skin was almost as dark as Akefia's and the other villagers and his hair was a sandy blonde, laying at his shoulders in length. But the oddest thing was the way he was staring at Akefia, as if he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't really there.

"The healers, right?" he finally asked, cocking his head to the side. Akefia merely nodded. "Alright, follow me. Quickly now." It was strange to be rushed around by this person, who was looking around him almost frantically. When there were no others around, he motioned towards a door and hurried inside, shutting it behind them and locking the door.

"What the hell-"

"Akefia? Is that really you?" he asked, hushed. Akefia was stunned. Someone here knew him? But if he knew his name already, then he probably already knew who exactly he was!

"Who are you?" Akefia demanded, standing at his full height. The other was not too much shorter than him, but Akefia still intended to startle him.

"I grew up in Kul Elna, like you," he explained. "In fact, I had a good life there. You see, my father worked as adviser for the king of Kul Elna, which probably explains how I know you." Pictures started coming together in Akefia's mind and he realized that this person did know who he was.

"You know too much, and it's better if you didn't know me. I'm merely a slave now, just like the rest of you," Akefia warned, narrowing his eyes.

"I refuse to believe that!" the stranger exclaimed, still in a whispered tone. "I could never abandon that hope for freedom. And I don't think you've abandoned hope either."

"My only hope is silence. You can see what they've done to me already," Akefia sighed, gently rubbing against the bandages on his face. "Imagine what they would do to me if they found out. You've never seen me before."

"But you are our prince!" he said, kneeling suddenly. Akefia quickly pulled him to his feet and shook his shoulders angrily.

"They can NOT find out!" he said. "Akila is here as well. She can not be put into danger. Now take me to the healers so I can get to work. I am a slave now."

"Yes," the man said, looking highly dejected. "My name is Marik. I work in the palace as Ryou's personal servant, but I've learned the tricks of the royals and I have figured out how to get the things I want. I've become a bit of a helper with the others from Kul Elna. I'm able to get the good medicines and foods when things are scarce in our camp behind the palace."

"You've been taking care of our people?" Akefia asked, intrigued. Marik nodded. "Good. Thank you. But don't tell anyone that I am here, and that's an order."

"Yes, sir," he replied.

"Don't call me that," Akefia frowned. "Now let's go."

An hour later, Akefia was cleared by the healers. His bandages had been removed and they placed a heavy amount of herbs over the cut. He could still see, thank the gods, but they said a dark scar would be across his cheek for the rest of his life. He didn't care much about that, but the cut still hurt like nothing else. A knock on the door sounded and the healers opened it. There stood Marik and the head of the royal guards, Ryou.

He had changed into more regal attire, a nice undershirt beneath his red vest, and his hair was let down in long strands past his shoulders. Marik seemed to be looking over Akefia with a worried expression, noticing the deepness of the scar now that the bandages were removed.

"Are you ready for your task?" Ryou asked, stepping forward to examine the herbs that were chosen to heal Akefia's cut. "Your sister and the others have been shown to the slaves encampment and are preparing for tonight's feast."

Akefia stood up, not even wincing even though his eye still stung.

"Where am I going?"

"You have a very important job, actually," Ryou smiled. Akefia could've been fooled by that smile, but this person was a royal Egyptian, and Akefia would not be fooled. "Follow me. Marik, you're free to go."

"Thank you, sir," Marik bowed. He nodded towards Akefia, eyes showing that he intended his true respect to be for him. Akefia betrayed no emotion.

"Come now, quickly," Ryou said, heading off towards a set of stairs. "There's much to do before the feast tonight and you have someone to meet."

"What do you mean?" Akefia asked, getting suspicious.

"I'm assigning you as a bodyguard," he said, with no room to argue. "You may have noticed that you're a bit taller than the majority of the guards here. Not to mention you're pretty, uh, muscular as well. There's someone pretty important to me that I need you to protect."

"You're putting a slave, someone who is at war with your people, in charge of an important persons safety?" Akefia found himself laughing loudly, but Ryou just watched, smugly. Finally after Akefia had calmed down enough to glare at his captor, Ryou spoke.

"I wouldn't laugh too much. My plan was well thought out," he said. "After all, I do have control of your sister."

"Royals will stoop to any level, won't they?" Akefia growled. "Who am I supposed to babysit for you?"

"Come with me," Ryou said, motioning towards the door they were heading towards and trying to ignore the ache in his heart. If anyone should know the pain of ones sister being on the line, it was him. Regardless, he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a sing song voice called out from inside. Akefia frowned heavily. A girl? They wanted him to babysit some girl?

"It's me. I'm back from the Nile," Ryou replied. Before he could even finish the sentence, the door slammed open and a blur rushed out and threw itself at the captain of the royal guard. They both ended up in a heap on the ground.

"Hmph. Perhaps you need a bodyguard," Akefia said, rolling his eyes. The blur that had rushed at the unsuspecting Ryou was a girl, looking to be about 18 years old. She wore fine clothing, silks and sheer, shimmery clothes. A headdress was over her long, spiky brown hair and she had bright, green eyes. She seemed so innocent.

"Ryou! I waited for you for, like, ever! You're finally back!" she exclaimed, grabbing Ryou in the tightest hug that Akefia thought he'd ever seen.

"I was only gone for a few days, Mana," he replied. "I brought you present." Akefia's anger was burning inside him. A present? Is that what I am?

That's when the girl noticed Akefia. She immediately leaped up, rushing to him, eyes wide.

"Wow! You're tall! What happened to your eye? Are you from Kul Elna? My names Mana!"

"Mana!" Ryou exclaimed, pulling her back to his side. "Calm down. He can't answer so many questions at once. But it doesn't really matter. He's here to protect you. Ever since Atem named you as his successor, I've been looking for the right guard and I think I've found one for you."

Akefia was speechless. This child was named the successor to royal Egypt? The next Pharaoh? And they wanted a prisoner of Kul Elna to protect her? He could feel his nails digging into his palms because his hands were so tense. This was insane. If he didn't have Akila to worry about, he could just do away with the both of them now, the captain of the royal guard and the next Pharaoh. Ryou pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Akefia, remember what I said earlier," Ryou said, with a warning in his eyes. "Your assignment is to stay with her at all times and protect her. With your life."

"Whatever you say," Akefia muttered, still staring angrily.

"Mana," Ryou said, turning towards the girl. Akefia expected that he would give her a warning or tell the girl about Akila so that she could use it against him, but he didn't. Ryou just handed her a small bag. "This is a pack of herbs. Put them on his eye every half hour until the feast. I'll see you there." Then, he kissed her on the cheek and rushed back down the stairs.

Akefia glanced back at the girl without turning his head. She was staring at him, still wide eyed. He really didn't know what to do in this situation. Stand around. Protect the girl. That's what Ryou had said, but now, she was just staring at him and waiting for him to do something. He finally just let out a sigh and touched the base of the scar on his cheek to make sure the herbs were still in place.

"So..." she said, breaking into a smile and opening her door. "Come on in, then!"

Akefia followed her inside, cautiously. He had no idea how to be a bodyguard. He'd had a bodyguard when he was younger, but once he got older, they found no need for it. Inside the room, a bed was centered and there was a large mirror with a table next to it. Fancy looking rugs and blankets covered the floor and a large window with open curtains showed a very nice view of the royal Egypt marketplace. And there were several other women either cleaning or laying out on blankets sewing and cleaning outfits, all hand maids who seemed to be relatively healthy and content. Some of them appeared to be royal Egyptians, but Akefia could see the Kul Elna in some of the slaves. He prayed that they would not recognize him.

"Ladies!" Mana called, cheerfully motioning towards Akefia. "This is...oh. What's your name again?"

"Um, Akefia," he said, still feeling extremely strange. He wasn't used to being inside such a nice place surrounded by fancy clothes and women. He felt like he wanted to run far away and hide out in a cave. As soon as he said his name, one of the villagers perked up, staring at him in wonder. Shit.

"Akefia!" Mana smiled. "This is Akefia and he's going to be watching out for me, ok?" A few of the women waved at him, smiling, but that one who heard his name definitely recognized him. Akefia looked at her, pursing his lips tightly. She looked around nervously and nodded silently. "Ok, girls! Now where were we?"

The girls chatted a bit, giggling and laughing among themselves. Akefia just leaned against the wall, wondering if anyone was actually planning on killing the girl just for being the Pharaoh's successor. Of course, he had thought about it mere moments before. He knew he wouldn't do it though. When he looked at the innocent girl, who had no idea how much blood was on the hands of her Pharaoh, he couldn't help but see his sister. They were both so bubbly and innocent. The difference was that Mana grew up in a palace with rich clothing and Akila lived in the nicest hutch in Kul Elna, which wasn't actually that nice to be honest.

"Akefia," Mana said, appearing right in front of him suddenly. "I have to pick an outfit out for tonight. Will you help me?"

"What?" he asked, looking confused. He'd hoped that the girl would pretty much ignore him and leave him alone, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

"You're a man, and I want to impress a man. So what should I wear?"

"Um, I'm not sure I really-"

"Come on!" she exclaimed, grabbing the taller mans hand and pulling him towards a door on the other side of the room. The women watched him, wondering how he was going to react. "This is my closet."

"Really," Akefia sighed. "I'm not the type of person to know about...clothes."

"But you know about women and what makes them look good," she said, putting her hands on her hips. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't really know about women, so he nodded, face surely turning red. "Great! So I want to look regal, but tasteful. I want to turn heads!"

"Why not try turning heads with conversation?" he mused.

"Oh dear, Akefia! Conversation? Wit? I doubt that will do much in the world of royalty," Mana chuckled. A few of the hand maids chuckled as well. "Forget the inside. These days, the packaging is what catches peoples attention. And as the future Pharaoh, I need to turn heads." Akefia was trying his best to keep a straight face, but his eye was twitching in annoyance. While his people suffered, there were royals purely concerned with their clothing. And these are the people they want to rule Egypt?

"What's your favorite color, Akefia?" Mana said, walking into her huge closet. The walls were lined with linens and cloths. Wraps and shawls. Shoes and jewelry.

"Um, red," Akefia replied. He remembered his own red coat, probably laying somewhere on the banks of the Nile long forgotten. Mana walked over to red section of her closet, pulling clothes aside and trying to find something that fit her idea of "turning heads".

"Ok! Red is a good color!" Mana called out from in her closet, excitedly. "Should I do sheer and flowy or solid and tight fitting?"

"Please ask someone else," Akefia sighed, rubbing his temple in annoyance. He accidentally touched the side of the cut and hissed out in pain. The herbs must have dried out already, and soon as he realized it, the cut began to burn immensely.

"Oh! Does your eye hurt?" Mana asked, instantly dropping the dress she was holding and racing to see him. "Here! Let me get the bag Ryou gave me! Hold on!"

"I'm fine," he hissed, trying not to wince. The other girls were glancing at him curiously, but he just glared at them and they turned away, back to their work.

"Sit down here so I can reach your eye better," Mana said, pointing to the chair next to her table.

"I can do it myself you know," Akefia sighed. "Just give me the bag and go back to looking for your dress or whatever."

"No! I'll put them on since I can see your cut and I know where the herbs should be placed," she insisted. Akefia was reminded of the countless times Akila insisted on helping him, and out of nostalgia, he found himself sitting down. Maybe it was because he missed his sister and was wondering if she was truly ok. He was pulled out of his thoughts when she gently tapped a bit of the medicine on the base of the cut.

"Ah! Gentle!" he huffed.

"For a big, strong guy, you have a low pain tolerance don't you," Mana chuckled, tapping a little more in the same spot before moving upwards. "So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"You don't want to hear it," Akefia sighed, gritting his teeth.

"I do," she said, then she paused. "This one might hurt more. This part is deeper than the other parts of the cut."

"I'll tell you another time, not befo- Ow!"

"I told you it would hurt more," Mana chuckled before closing the bag. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But I can take it. I may seem like an airhead, trust me, I know what everyone says about me behind my back. But there's a reason Atem chose me."

With that, she pranced off to her closet again, leaving the bag of herbs next to Akefia on the table. He picked it up, shoving it into his pocket, and stood up to go back to the spot on the wall he'd chosen to think about what she'd said. She could take it? She could take hearing about how her people had kidnapped his people, killing as they went? She could take hearing about how his sister, who was even younger than she, was kidnapped just because she was from a different part of the land?

What a day...