Thank you Kaz for putting up with my questions.and Good.quotes.com for the sign.

The slave, Zayd watched the white haired thief leave with the suspicious character he followed from the palace. He sipped his ale for a moment longer before returning to the palace to report to his master, Akunadin.

He found his master pacing inside his apprentice's room, the girl nowhere in sight. Zayd cleared his throat and bowed before the older man before giving his report.

"I followed a man who upset the pharaoh and discovered they met up with the thief I spied Tanith with earlier. I suspect the man is none other than the girl."

Akunadin swore and marched out onto the balcony glaring down upon the city below.

"Can you find the thief and Tanith?" he demanded in a cool and deadly voice.

"I will." The slave replied "What shall I do when I find them?"

Akunadin slowly turned and sighed, "Bring the girl to me, we have much to discuss."

"And the thief?"

"We'll see."

************************************

The floor was cold, the blanket was moth eaten, her wig itched and she could have sworn she saw a rat run off with her beard as a mate. But she wouldn't have it any other way.

Tanith rolled over and looked at the young man asleep beside her. She watched the rise and fall of his chest, listened to his soft breathing. Asleep, Bakura was beautiful. The hard edges of his face softened. He pose was relaxed and at peace. He didn't look so old and wise anymore. He looked like the innocent boy he was before their home was destroyed.

Brown eyes snapped open and locked onto her own. For a moment alarm flashed across his face then recognition dawned on him and he let out a quiet sigh.

"Did I scare you?" she whispered.

"No!" he hissed back and rolled over. Tanith smirked and cuddled up to his back.

"What are you doing?" Bakura asked calmly in a low voice a moment later.

"I'm cold, you're warm."

"When I said you could stay with me, I didn't mean you could use me as a bedmate."

Tanith giggled and threw her arm around him, "You're warm."

Bakura nudged her arm off him with a sigh, rose to his feet and spread his blanket down on the floor then laid on it.

Tanith smiled and curled up behind him and threw her blanket and cloak over them both. Sometime during the night, Bakura turned over and threw an arm over Tanith and that was how they woke up.

"My beard ran off." She announced as Bakura rolled up their blankets and stored them in a hole in the wall. He looked at her and shook his head.

"I'm sure no one will know you're a girl under those rags." He shrugged. "If they do, I'll kill them before they touch you."

"No one will." Tanith replied and rattled a few broken vases along the walls. "And no one will touch you either."

"Sounds like a plan."

The Pickled Egg served them stew and ale for breakfast. They sat in relative silence sipping their drinks and eating their food when Bakura noticed someone was watching them.

"Don't look now but there's a man in the corner staring at you." He muttered. She nodded.

"I noticed. What's the plan?"

"The plan is to drink." Bakura replied motioning for the bar keep to bring him a drink. Once the man can over and set the beverage in front of him, Bakura whispered a few choice words to the man and sent him on his way.

Tanith watched as the bar keep went to the bar poured a mug of wine and hand it to the man in the corner. When the man heard the drink was from Bakura he looked over at him with a stunned expression and saw the thief raise his glass up in a toast.

"What are you doing?" Tanith muttered as her friend tossed back the drink and waited for the man in the corner to do the same.

"I'm drinking." He replied as the man took up the silent challenge and threw back his own drink. Bakura smiled and motioned for the bar keep to fill both their glasses back up. Once it was done, Bakura again threw back his drink followed by the man in the corner.

This went on back and forth for an hour until finally the man in the corner had one cup too many and passed out. Bakura roared with laughter.

"No one can beat me in a drinking contest!" he cried and chuckled, "Especially since I've been drinking water."

Tanith laughed, "Very smart, oh King of Thieves."

"Why thank you Princess." Bakura replied. "Now let's get out of here before I have to pay for our meal."

Tanith cracked up as they darted away out of sight.

"Why did we have to leave without paying?" she asked a moment later as they walked down the streets. "You probably have more riches than the king."

"Yes and I worked too hard getting those riches to fork it over to some greedy bar keep."

She giggled, "It was good stew. The guy does deserve some money."

"I left him a nice note about his stew. He should be honored just to receive that!"

"But what if he has five children to feed? It isn't fair that we gypped him if he has to feed five children."

Bakura snorted, "You're too sensitive. The owner probably has a opium addiction he has to worry about more than children."

"I'm not sensitive, I just think of others."

"Don't." he replied firmly. "You'll live a lot longer and much happier if you just thought about yourself."

Tanith smiled and gazed up at the morning sky, "I don't know. I'm pretty happy the way I am and with the life I've led."

"Kissing up to some man who you ended up running away from? Oh yeah, lovely."

"I only kiss up when I've been caught pulling pranks on the pharaoh's priests." She chuckled and linked her arm in his. "And if that doesn't work, I use any means necessary."

"Any means like what you tried using with me?"

She cut her eyes toward him, "Ya know you like me."

"As much as I would like being bit by a rat."

Tanith shoved Bakura away from her, "You're no fun."

"I'm a thief not a court jester."

"You're a real jerk that's what."

"Why thank you." Bakura replied with a bow.

She smacked on the shoulder and received a prompt fist to her arm. Tanith scowled and punched him back. This time Bakura punched her across the jaw. Tanith sent her new friend sailing four feet into a basket weaver's goods.

"Eat that!" Tanith cried whipping her wig off in anger. It itched!

Bakura crawled to his feet and summoned his Kaa monster. Its giant bat like wings sprang from its large muscular body. Bat wing like ears on a small head with glowing white eyes. A sharp chin extended from his head like a beard would on an Egyptian bust of a pharaoh.

People began to scream at the revealing of the angry monster Diabound. Tanith stood agape at the transformation that the monster went through. Her only thought, a solemn wish she had a Kaa just as powerful. All she had was her power to move things.

"Let's see you top this." Bakura said pleased at the fear and chaos he created.

"I don't need to." Tanith replied calmly crossing her arms before her. "Keep this up, we're going to get the Priests breathing down our necks."

"And what do I care about these Priests. You fear them more than I." He told her.

"I fear them because they were the ones who destroyed our home." She retorted without thinking. Tanith held her breath. Too close!

"The pharaoh destroyed Kuruelna." Bakura shouted. "His priests may have done the deed but he ordered it."

No my friend, he didn't. My master did. The king had no idea what creating the Millennium Items entailed. My king is innocent, my master is not. Tanith thought sadly. She shook her head and sighed.

"What? No witty retort?" he continued with a sneer. "I'm surprised you're not defending your pharaoh."

"When his time comes, he will be judged." She replied.

Bakura let out a harsh laugh, "When I am ready I will judge him and steal all his power and riches."

"That pathway will lead to destruction, Bakura." Tanith warned. She looked around and noticed armed guards approaching. "We need to forget our little war and think about getting out of here. Soldiers approach."

Bakura looked at the men marching purposely towards them and grinned viciously.

"Up for a bit of fun, Princess?"

She frowned and looked back and forth between her friend and the guards. Understanding dawned on her face then a mischievous grin slowly appeared on her face.

"What do you have in mind?"

"A game of Knock-the-soldier-down?"

Both teenagers chuckled and Diabound was sent swooping down upon the guards as barrels were sent into the rest. The monster grasped struggling man after man and threw them away from it into the sky. When there were no more barrels, gobs of horse poo were flung into the eyes of the fleeing men

"That was fun." Tanith said once the soldiers were gone. "We should get into arguments more often."

Bakura smirked as his monster faded away, "So how many did you score? I got ten."

"Five with the barrels, five with the horse crap.. equals…we're tied." She replied with a laugh.

He chuckled as well and threw his arm around the petite girl, "Let's see what sort of trouble we can get into elsewhere."

************************************

"Master?" Zayd said before bowing before the robed man pacing on the balcony off Tanith's room. The slave waited for the man to acknowledge him before continuing but as minutes passed, Priest Akunadin continued pacing as he had continued doing since noon.

"I have news of the girl." Zayd told his master. The older man stopped and calmly motioned for the man to continue. "A group of soldiers patrolling in the city came back to report a red haired demon and her white haired lover sent their spawn after them and flung dung in their eyes with their 'powers of darkness'"

The priest chuckled, "Yes that does sound like my apprentice. What else have you heard?"

"That these same individuals went on a rampage of looting shops, stealing goods and –erm- causing general trouble for the people."

"Describe general trouble."

"A self respecting woman had her dress flipped over her head and was extremely embarrassed. Wineskins full of yak pee were dropped on various members of the populace. Fruit mysteriously began to fly and attack their merchants. A dead dog was dumped from the top of the palace walls and a sign was placed by it."

"What did the sign say?" Akunadin inquired trying not to laugh.

"Here lies all cold and hard, the last dumb dog that pooped in my yard –signed Pharaoh."

The priest didn't know whether to laugh or demand Tanith's head on a platter. Most of the girl's antics were childish and didn't demand attention but…

"How many people have seen that sign?" he inquired.

"Six before I removed it. An hour later I happen to walk by and a dead cat with another sign was there."

"And this sign read?" Akunadin asked dreading the answer.

"Cat: the other white meat."

The priest threw up his hands and began pacing again, "She is pushing the boundaries of my patience. First she insults Pharaoh then she attempts to anger the gods. Have I raised this child wrong?"

"No master."

"Of course you wouldn't think so, you're a slave." Akunadin snapped. "Ra I wish Tanith was here. If she was she'd know exactly what to say and not be afraid to say it."

"But if she was here, you wouldn't have the problem at hand." The slave meekly replied. The priest stormed over and slapped the slave across the face.

"When I want your opinion I'll ask it!" he seethed and went back to pacing on the balcony. "Leave me and find Tanith. Don't return until you have her."

The slave bowed, "Yes master." And left without a word

************************************

Tanith curled up next to Bakura on their shared blanket and gazed up at the night sky above them. She smiled in remembrance of all the things her friend and her did. Dropping wineskins off buildings, leaving dead animals all along the palace walls with funny signs nearby.

She giggled, "Remember that one sign next to the dung pile? It's not dung, it's an offering to the earth."

"I remember the time we dragged someone's donkey to the palace walls and stuck a crown on him similar to the pharaoh's."

"Your idea, not mine."

"And whose idea was it to attach that sign to a cat that read Cat the other white meat?"

"That would be you." Tanith replied. "I did the dog one, wherever it went."

"It was funny, insulting and yet tactful."

"Tact is for people not witty enough for sarcasm."

"Must practice that."

Tanith laughed and pulled the blanket over them both. She laid back in Bakura's arms and yawned. "Being a menace to society takes a lot out of a person."

Bakura yawned too, "It sure does."

"Tell me something."

"What?"

"Can I see where you stash your treasure? I promise not to tell."

"No."

"Okay."

But as they both drifted off to sleep, Bakura began to have second thoughts about the matter.