Thank you thank you Kaz!!
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She was being prodded.
Prodded by a sharp thing, she realized as she opened her eyes and squinted up at whomever was poking her.
Guards! Her mind shrieked as she quickly sat up and shook Bakura awake.
"What now?" he muttered.
"Bakura sweetie, we're surrounded by guards."
Bakura shot up to a sitting position immediately.
"By the order of Pharaoh, you are both under arrest." The one closest to Tanith announced.
"For what reason." She demanded as her and Bakura slowly rose to their feet under the supervision of the guards.
"For treasonous actions against the pharaoh."
Tanith wiped her forehead in relief, "Thank Ra, here I was thinking it was for that cat the other white meat sign I put up."
The guards looked at her in shock. Both heard of the seditious sign that was the talk of many temples and the palace. Once they recovered from their shock they prodded both teens with their spears.
"What now?!" Tanith exclaimed as she dug in her feet and turned to Bakura, "I think they want us to go with them."
"Whatever gave you that impression." He replied mildly before being shoved forward toward the palace.
People stared at the two teens as they marched in front of the armed soldiers. Tanith heard their whispers and made faces at the people they passed. Bakura merely glared at them and back at the guards.
Upon entering the palace, three more guards were added to the mix and began to separate Bakura from Tanith. It took two for the angry girl to be taken to her room while the remaining three dragged Bakura away to the dungeons.
"If you don't let go of me right this minute you stupid storm troopers," Tanith screamed as she was guided into her room. "I'm gonna shove those foolish sticks straight up your--"
"Tanith." A familiar firm voice interrupted. He turned away from the balcony view and faced her as the guards shut the door behind them.
"Master."
Akunadin smiled at the now reserved girl in front of him. Her hair was in tangles, her eyes were downcast and she wore some smelly clothing. But she was still beautiful to him.
"Your friend has been taken to the dungeons to await execution for the crimes of kidnapping, defiling the name of Pharaoh and insulting the gods." He told her matter-of-factly. "No doubt by this time tomorrow he will be dead. What have you to say about that?"
"That one: I wasn't kidnapped, I ran away. Two: I wrote that sign and three: I wrote that other sign too!"
He shrugged as he sauntered up to her, and tilted her chin up so they could face one another, "I could call off his execution-- if you became my bed partner."
Tanith snorted and jerked her head to the side, "Ooo look at me, my name is Mary Sue and Master Akunadin likes me."
"Mary what?!"
Tanith ignored him and continued in a sugar sweet voice, "I can make things move, I befriended Bakura, can kick anyone's butt and-and I'm beautiful and have really great hair and I'm smart! Really smart!"
"Tanith." Her master said calmly but she went on.
"I survived a great catastrophe, I can drink most of the guards under the table." She wasn't going to add that she'd make sure she was drinking water beforehand like Bakura.
She was going to continue but Akunadin grabbed a hold of her and shook her.
"Stop it!"
"Then don't make me decide between you and Bakura. I'll forget what you just said and we can go back to normal. You confess all your sins to me and I be a good little apprentice and stir up trouble from time to time." She cried.
He turned away from her, "Things can never be normal again."
Tanith frown and turned him back to face her. He kept his gaze away from her and sighed.
"I told him. I told my brother, that to save his kingdom, I sacrificed the lives and souls of your village."
She gasped, "So pharaoh knows--about Kuruelna."
Akunadin nodded, "I told him how I made the Millennium Items, exactly how I murdered your family and the rest of the village."
Tanith hugged him, "You didn't have to."
"I did!" he argued pushing her away. "I wanted things to be clear for us. It was always between us how I wasn't brave enough to tell my king that I created the Items with the blood and souls of your people."
You did it for me, she whispered in her inner most mind. Aloud she asked quietly, "How did Pharaoh take the news?"
Her master began to pace, "He's horrified! Ashamed! Angry with me! Angry at himself. Last I saw, he was destroying his rooms. If he continues in this manner I'm afraid for him."
"Afraid he'll do something he might regret?"
"Afraid for his health. He looked feverish, his eyes took on a wildness I've never seen."
Tanith nodded, "I see. Did you explain to your brother that you didn't kill everybody in Kuruelna? That there is a survivor from the massacre." Let's keep Bakura out of this for now..
"I explained that I took you in, raised you as I would my own child but my brother was so caught up in the knowledge that he ordered the murders of so many that he didn't seem to hear me."
"You ordered the deed done, Master. Pharaoh didn't know, why is he blaming himself?"
Akunadin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously ripping out strands. "You do not understand such matters, Tanith. When one is pharaoh, one takes on the responsibilities of his men. When one follower kills, the pharaoh kills."
"When his High Priest orchestrates the mass killing of a village, it is the Pharaoh who does it."
"Correct." He sighed, "And it was all for nothing."
"You saved the people of the kingdom, you spared them the horror and terror of Kuruelna's fate." She argued.
"I made Kuruelna's fate!" Akunadin snapped. "I caused their suffering, the bloodshed, their unrestful spirits still haunt me to this day!"
You caused Bakura to hate, she added silently. You created the man he is.
"Is that why you spared me? So I too can haunt you?" Tanith asked quietly. "Is the true reason you want me to become your bedmate because you want me to hate you--and I will, no doubt there. Do you wish for me to torment your conscience for the rest of my days?"
"I want you to love me as I love you." He cried turning to her.
She looked at the once proud and mighty man before her. He almost seemed to age before her. She noticed his light hair had turned white. His bright lavender eyes became dull and torn. Where was the Master she grew up with? Where was the great man she first met?
"I'm sorry Master." Tanith told him solemnly. "I cannot love you. You are my Master and friend. My keeper, your confidant and nothing more."
Anger clouded his features as he spat out, "Then you will never see your friend alive again." Then he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She crept up to the door and placed her ear to it, hearing the words being spoken outside.
"Do not let her leave until the boy thief is executed." Master snapped to the guards posted outside the door.
"What if she were to cast a demon spell. Make something fly at us." One asked with fear.
"Then the gods will have a red haired sacrifice after all these years."
Tanith pulled her ear away from the door with a sense of dread. If I try to escape, I'll be burnt alive. But if I don't Bakura will be beheaded! Oh great Bast, please show me a way to avert Bakura's execution and do it without facing my own.
She decided to change out of her clothes. They were getting too itchy and were of little use while she was imprisoned. She donned a dark blue silk shift edged with pale lavender. Once dressed she unhappily stood before the door again to think.
At that time the kitten Conniption popped out from under her bed and scampered up to her mistress. She mewed pathetically and clawed up the dress to Tanith's shoulder where she began nuzzling her check.
"Nippy, do you know a way out other than the door?" Tanith asked the kitten. With a daring leap down, landing roughly on her feet, led the girl to her bed and crawled underneath.
With a frown, Tanith lifted the bed with her power and discovered her kitten sitting on the second step of staircase leading underground. With a cry of delight, the girl raced down the steps and replaced the bed behind her.
For awhile the only thing Tanith could see was darkness. After about twenty steps, she began to see light ahead of her. Then at the base of a wall torch she found her kitten waiting.
"Good kitty! Thank you Bast!" Tanith cried grabbing the torch from the wall. She knelt down in front of her cat. "Nippy, can you show me the way to Bakura?"
"Mew" the kitten replied and scampered off with her mistress following.
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There were five hundred and thirty-four cracks in the wall and twenty bloodstains on the floor inside his cell. There were two big tough guys in the cell to Bakura's right that were in for attacking one of Pharaoh's soldiers.
Both seemed to be eyeing the teen with a bit too much interest for his tastes and if they decided to join Bakura in his cell they'd receive a very stern warning from Diabound.
In the cell on Bakura's left there were a number of men gathered around someone in rags and the sound of skin hitting skin echoed in the dank room. The teen ignored the grunts and groans but couldn't really ignore it when the person in rags face was rammed into bars beside him. He just did not like prison fights.
"Hey pretty." One of the men to his left beckoned. "Why don't you come closer so I can get a good look at'cha."
"Go away." Bakura replied immediately annoyed at his circumstances and the men around him.
"Aw don't be that way, cutie, how 'bout you and I go hitting the hot spots?."
"Sorry, I don't go for those outside my species."
The man scowled as his cellmates began to laugh then got a smug grin on his face, "I can tell that you want me."
Bakura smiled sweetly, "Ohhhh. You're so right. I want you--.to leave me alone."
The other prisoners around the teen began to laugh at the other man who was turning beet red in embarrassment and anger.
"Think you're so high and mighty, don'tcha." He snapped.
Bakura finally turned and looked at him, sending him the meanest and dirtiest glare he could muster--which was pretty darn scary if making the cellmates cower away and the man turn white was any indication.
"Hey you're real funny." One man on the right said.
"Hey you're stupid." Bakura shot back.
No one saw the guard go racing off and appear moments later flying gently into his chair where he laid unconscious. Nor did they see a shadow creep up upon them.
"Why don't you come over here and say that." The tough man snapped.
Bakura shook his head. "I'm lazy."
"What's a nice boy like you doing in a place like this?" someone new asked behind him. Bakura turned and his eyes lit up.
"Tanith!" he exclaimed running up to the door as a tiny kitten padded up to him and began winding itself between his legs. He noticed the feline and frowned down at her. "You brought a rat."
Tanith concentrated on the bars and they slowly bent to the sides as she replied, "That rat led me here. Looks like Bast favors you."
Once the bars were far enough apart Bakura stepped through them to freedom.
"The only thing that favors me is luck, let's get out of here." Bakura replied. Tanith motioned to her cat to come out and knelt down in front of her when the creature came.
"Nip, find Kura and I a way out."
"Mew" the feline replied and began walking off back into the shadows and back into the secret passages, leaving the shouting prisoners and oblivious guard behind.
It was after many twists and turns through a maze of darkness with only one torch to light the way and they were far enough away for no one to over hear did they speak again.
"We're following a rat."
"My Conniption is not a rat." Tanith argued. "She's a young cat being led by Bast the patron goddess of cats and goddess of life, dance and music."
"The pussy goddess."
Tanith shot him a dirty look over her shoulder as a ruckus was heard ahead of them. Suddenly they found themselves face to face with spear bearing guards.
"Oh my."
