||At the Nile||

*****(Malik's POV) (Nile River, 25 minutes away from Bakura-Chan and Mariku's hideout)*****

I could hear the Nile River. I could also feel it, because it was several degrees cooler near the river.
Bakura and I reached the edge of the desert, and slid into the reeds.

We had already traveled through several farms, and "temporarily borrowed" a small part or two to gather water. What we had actually done was steal them, but I went along with what Bakura said, though I heavily doubt we will be returning them.

Where the reeds were, there was finally water. I breathed out heavily. I thought we'd never make it to the water.

"Not tired already, are you Malik?" Bakura teased, "I wanted to take a short cut back, through those spiny bushes you hated."

The spiny bushes had thorns on them, but it would indeed be a short cut. You may be thinking of a small bush about knee high, with a few green needles sticking out it... well, then you really didn't get the point of why I hated these bushes. Its because they weren't small and green.

No, they were taller than our heads, brown, dried out, and the thorns sticking out of them didn't look too terribly inviting. I would rather not go through there.

"Bakura, then we won't be able to return the pots." I said, making an excuse.

"The pots won't be missed, don't worry. You're just afraid I'll get you lost."

For those of you out there who happen to experts on Egypt and everything about it, you may note there were no such things as huge thorny bushes. Well, if I haven't said it enough times, the world is still covered in evil.

These bushes, per say, are actually a duel monster, but before it was placed away in a stone tablet or card. It was the Dark world Thorns. However, this is not important.

I placed the pot underwater and watched it fill with water. Water for Tetra.

Tetra.

My original intentions were only to take the powers from the Millennium Chain, and use them to further strengthen my Millennium Rod. However, I could not wield the Millennium Chain's power, only the chosen one is capable of doing such a thing, as with every Millennium Item.

If I could have originally I would have simply captured the chosen one...

But it just so happened that the chosen one's brother was already under my control. I ordered him to bring the chosen one to me, but he refused. He threatened to kill himself. I decided then to risk the chance of never finding the chosen one again. I ordered the chosen one's brother give them the Millennium Chain, and he did, but I have no idea what became of him after that.

The point of the matter was, that the Millennium Chain was given to the Chosen one. Upon becoming friends with Bakura, I had him keep an eye on the chosen one. I told him to bring the chosen to me, and that I would be in Egypt...

Eventually, yes, everything went to plan. I knew it was a possibility that the Millennium Chain contained a spirit yami... but I never knew the chosen one was a girl until recently. When I got hold of this bit of news, along with the name Tetra, it didn't matter to me... as I would still attain the power from the Millennium Chain.

But now that I actually know Tetra... there is no possible way for me to attain the Millennium Chain's power. I can't bring myself to harm someone I personally know, especially if its a girl. Not that I like her, just something inside me refuses to harm her... But another something inside still yearns for power...

Could it be that I have a yami*?

I shook all my thoughts from head, and pulled the now full pot out of the water.

"Bakura, can we head back now, before the heat gets to my head too?"

"Sure, Malik, but we won't go through the thorns, I want to get back to Tetra as soon as possible."

"That's because you like her, Bakura."

Bakura turned a little red. He liked Tetra, but he just isn't the type to show heavy emotions. For the most part he's a cold-hearted jerk and could care less about any one but himself. Yet, for some reason, he lets down his guard when it comes to Tetra. Yes she's pretty, but I'll never understand why Bakura likes her.

"No, Malik, I just don't trust our past selves to be too reliable."

*****(No POV) (Back to Bakura-Chan, Mariku, and Tetra 10 minutes from market place)*****

Its a good thing that Bakura didn't trust his past self, and had decided to turn back early, but it would all be in vain. Bakura-Chan and Mariku already had a cleverly laid out plan to keep Tetra, and they were nearly upon the market place, were it would be virtually impossible to locate them...

It is also known that Yami, Yugi, Tea, Tristin, Mai, Joey, Shadi, and Isis have all been sent back in time as well. They have borrowed a caravan of camels, and are heading towards the palace. But help do they expect to find there? The pharaoh will surely deny their entrance... or would he?

Millennium Items, whence used, have good persuasive effects.

However, this time has not come yet, so we will go back to Bakura-Chan, Mariku, and Tetra, for the time being.
*****

Closing in on the market place, Bakura-Chan checked again to see that all his white hair was securely covered.

You may think they he didn't want to be revealed as the infamous white haired thief and tomb robber that all of upper Egypt was on the lookout for. No; actually Bakura-Chan loved all the fame he got it for this, even if it did mean he was chased down by the guards. (The guards however, "are slower than sand fleas" to quote Bakura-Chan.)

He has his fans, and doesn't cover up his hair while its working, but, plain and simple, when he isn't in town to steal, he doesn't want all the unnecessary attention his white hair gives him.

Mariku didn't have to take such precautions, because he isn't known as the "local resident tomb robber" that everyone either hated, loved, or feared. No, Mariku, thanks to his father's good reputation, was known purely as "the kid of that one guy who designed the pyramid for the pharaoh."

No-one really cared where Mariku was all day, except maybe his sister. He and Bakura-Chan are allot alike, but how they met is truly a long story.

Tetra was plain annoyed by silence that had filled the air since they had left the hideout. Exhausted, she was glad that they were finally going under the cover of the market place.

The early evening sun burned on Tetra's skin. Tetra wasn't one to get sun burn, but any thing was possible...she never had been anyplace but America and Japan. Her skinned would certainly be tanned by the time she got back... if she got back.

The sun made the shadows long, and relentless to the quickly cooling sand. But there were few shadows, and the sun would still be up for several more hours, and then leading into a beautiful sunset.

A building finally laid its shadow on the three, and Tetra only had a moment to sigh before Bakura-Chan grabbed her arm tightly.

"This way, Tetra." he said, still playing to be Mr.. nice guy, but it was obviously an order.

Mariku followed behind. It seems as if the two didn't want to loose Tetra in the abyss of the large market place. Tetra didn't want to get lost anymore than they didn't want her to run away. She reluctantly let Bakura-Chan drag her to wherever he was really taking her.

Finally, as the crowds decreased a bit, Bakura-Chan let go of Tetra, and the three stopped a small jewelry stand. He had Tetra look at the jewelry, and he backed up a bit to have a small chat with Mariku...

"I don't suppose she'll like it when we tell her that she isn't going back to her friends."

"Of course not, but maybe she'll warm up to the idea of staying with us if we impress her with some food and jewelry or something."

"I see... then, will we be buying or stealing?"

"Whichever."

Tetra, however, had been listening in to the entire conversation. She smirked to herself and looked at the jewelry a little. She didn't find anything she too terribly liked, as they were probably all stolen from some tomb or palace in the first place.

Just to spite the two "secretly chatting" Egyptians, she suddenly said,

"I'll buy this one." and she pointed to some random piece of jewelry.

Bakura-Chan and Mariku gapped at her in shock. She didn't have any money, did she?

In her pocket she used a finger nail to chip a small corner off the gold trinket that Bakura had given her. No need to use all of it. She proudly pulled it and showed it to the market tender. He traded her the gold for a small silver bracelet, which had black paint and the shapes of woman's face going all the way around. The paint was chipped here and there, but it looked decent.

Bakura-Chan gaped some more when she had pulled that gold piece out of thin air. 'Girls aren't supposed to be thieves' he reasoned, 'They don't have the skill for it.' But, then again, 'How could she have gotten gold, if she wasn't a thief?' also popped into his head.

He shook it off, no big deal, 'she probably got it from the "future me" or whatever.'

"Do you like the bracelet you bought?" Bakura-Chan asked her.

Tetra looked at him quizzically.

/What is he getting at?/

"Yes, I suppose." she answered quickly, and she put the bracelet on.

"Ah." he said, looking at Mariku.

Mariku then said, getting the hint,

"How would you like some dinner? Fish sound good, 'Kura?"

Bakura-Chan nodded and smirked. His plan was going just the way he liked, nice and smooth.

Though, Tetra already knew the plan, and she didn't know how to get out of it.

/But if these two are anything like their future counterparts,/ she reasoned, /its better to cooperate then to make them angry./

//Smart girl.//

/Why thank you, I'd like to think so./

//I was being sarcastic.//

/Obviously./

Tetra laughed half-heartedly.

/Great, I get to eat fish./

//Heh. Raw fish.//

/GROSS! You have got to be kidding!/

//You can hope its been dried, if you prefer not to eat it raw. Though I doubt it.//

"It will be dried fish, won't it?" she asked Bakura-Chan as he again grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the next destination.

"Why not? Whatever you like, Tetra." he said.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

^_^ So there you have it, a nice long update! And you guys deserve it, too!