Tsuki: I love cliffhangers.

Bakura: Hai they all know by now.

Tsuki: Shut up.

Honey- In Ancient Egypt honey was used as in antibacterial

Acacia - one use is for internal bleeding( hey you never know how bad arrow injuries can be)

Poppy - one use is that it deadens pain

Frankincense- one use is to stop bleeding

Garlic- one use is to give vitality

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Arétut lie in her cot that was in the corner of Djal's room with her blanket pulled up to her chin. Already wide awake she waited for the first signs of dawn, that was when she was allowed to get up. Get up and away from Djal, only to come back to this room in the evening…back to him. Whether she complied or not, it did not matter to Djal. He always got his way.

As sunlight crept through the window she stood, smoothing the wrinkles from her dress. She reached up, touching her bruised cheekbone. Tears welled up in her eyes. Djal always hit her, always touched her. When she was younger he used to tell her that he did it because she should repay him for taking her in. But Aré knew it was wrong. From the very first night it was wrong, last night it was wrong…it always would be.

She exited the room silently, making her way down to Bakura's room. When she got there she listened at the door. She expected to hear him trying to do something he could not or just cursing his bad luck even, but silence greeted her.

Aré slipped in the room and as she neared the bed, she saw the blood staining the sheets and Bakura's obvious re-opened leg wound. Guilt gripped the young girl. She could of sworn she'd done everything right. She ran over to him and gripped his shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"Bakura? Bakura wake up."

Bakura's eyes shot open and in a flash his hand was wrapped around her wrist, squeezing tightly as he pulled her hand away from his shoulder. "Okay! Alright! I'm alive! I feel the pain! Pain equals alive!"

She pulled him upright, slightly hugging him. "I am so sorry Bakura. I-I must have done something wrong."

Bakura blinked at her reaction, not only was she hugging him but apologizing for something as well. He pulled away. "What are you sorry for?"

"The gash in your leg, I could have sworn to the very Gods that I had done everything right, instead I probably put you in more pain that you should have been and-"

"You did do everything right."

"What?"

"I picked the stitches loose so I would bleed out and lose consciousness."

A crack rang through the room as Aré's hand was brought against Bakura's face. He stared at her in shock.

"I really though that I had hurt you Bakura!"

"Well I was hurting! All I wanted to do was get away from the pain!"

"Well that is not the way to do it!. You have just created more pain for yourself anyway."

Bakura narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Arétut picked up some materials and walked back towards Bakura. "Now, I have to stitch it back up."

Bakura looked away smugly. "It didn't bother me before."

Arétut whispered in Bakura's ear. "You were unconscious last time."

Bakura looked slightly alarmed as he turned to look at her. "You wouldn't!"

"I have no choice Bakura, I have to take care of you." As she began to stitch up Bakura he closed his eyes against the pain. She dug a little too deep and Bakura clenched his teeth.

"Must you be so harsh?"

"Just remember, you brought this upon yourself." She turned back to her work and for the first time Bakura noticed the bruise on her left cheek.

"Hey, what happened to your cheek?"

Aré abruptly stopped her work and looked up at him. "I-I um, well it's nothing." She looked back down to continue her work.

Bakura reached a hand out, tilting her head up so she was looking at him. "What kind of accident?"

"I…ran into something."

"Someone's fist maybe?"

Aré pulled back some, keeping the urge to cry at bay.

"And you always act different around me. But when the High Priest is around, you act like you're acting now. Scared."

She did not answer and she silently finished the task at hand, placing, a fresh layer of honey and new linen over the wound securely. She stood but Bakura grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving.

"It's him isn't it? He hit you?"

Aré nodded, sitting back down. She forced a laugh and a smile. "It is nothing really. He does it all the time."

"Why?"

"He took me in when I was younger. I guess that sometimes I do not show him the respect he deserves from me for that."

"That's no-" Bakura stopped himself. Why did he care? This was the girl's problem not his. He barely knew her. He needed something to focus on besides her. Bakura tensed up his shoulder, feeling the surge of pain from the action. He could focus on that.

Aré stood and fetched a stool from a nearby cabinet. She brought it over to the bed and offered Bakura her hand.

"Come on."

"What?"

"Your sheets need to be changed." She helped him up, then helped him sit on the stool and made her way back to the same cabinet, pulling out some fresh sheets. When she was done she went to do her other chores.

"Wait a minute! What am I supposed to do all day?"

Aré went to one of the bookshelves in the room and pulled a book out, setting it on the table next to Bakura. "Read. If you are in too much pain, just yell for me, I will not be far away from your room. I am sure I can find something to help."

"Read? You want me to read?"

"You can read, can you not?"

He narrowed her eyes at her, she was being mischievous again. "Of course I can read."

"Good then you will be able to entertain yourself. I will bring you breakfast when it is ready."

Djal sat at the table, eating his breakfast and talking to one of his close friends. This is the man who had brought Arétut to him almost four years ago, asking if Djal wanted to take the young girl off his hands.

"So my friend, how is Arétut?"

"Wonderful. Honestly Rudiju, I do not see why you wanted to get rid of her. So obedient, compliant, submissive." Djal laced his words with an underlying meaning that Rudiju easily understood.

"Yes well I have enough whores as it is running around my temple. Besides that girl's eyes always startled me, but you like such rare things. And I know you have played with her but more importantly…is she still an innocent?"

"Yes. But this summer is her twentieth…I intend to take her then."

"You will be keeping her then?"

"Of course."

"Where is the rest of my payment then?"

"No, no my friend it was half for her innocence, half when she has lost it."

"Then I guess I will be seeing you in the summer." Rudiju stood, nodding to his friend.

"Summer then."

Bakura examined the contents of the small vile that Aré had left when she had brought his breakfast. The stuff smelled horrible, looked horrible and probably tasted horrible as well. But she said it would help with the pain, to take it when he could not stand it any longer. And he was quickly reaching that threshold.

"Arétut!"

Aré poked her head around the door, slightly smiling at the thief. "Yes Bakura?"

"Wow that was fast."
"I told you that I would not be far off. What do you need?"

"Uh, what's in this?"

"It is a blend of acacia, frankincense, garlic and poppy all ground up and mixed with honey and water."

So he was right, it did taste horrible. Bakura set the little vile down on the table. "Right, I see why you said take it only if I can't stand it."

Aré giggled slightly and placed a fingertip to the tip of her nose. "If you hold your nose when you drink it, it does not taste or smell as bad."

"And you would know?"

Aré's smile slightly vanished and she touched her cheek. "I took some earlier. And if you have trouble sleeping tonight I can also get you something for that."

Bakura scratched the back of his head, chuckling at bit. "Yeah I guess I shouldn't be tearing open any more of my wounds. So when can I get up? I hate laying around all day, it's just not me."

"You are a fast healer…when you are not hurting yourself that is, so maybe within a couple of days."

"Oh."

"Are you done with your breakfast?"

"Oh, yes."

Aré strolled over, taking the tray. "I have to finish my chores now, if you wish I could eat lunch with you when the time comes."

Bakura smiled. Surprisingly he found that he enjoyed her company. Perhaps he was lonely, or maybe because she had been the only person he had known who did not treat him like dirt. "I would like that."

She smiled. "Very well then, I will be back later." Aré turned to leave and almost slammed into Djal. "Oh forgive me Lord Djal."

He brushed back some of her hair and she slightly flinched. "You are forgiven Arétut."

Djal turned his attention to 'Nakht'. "So how are you feeling today Nakht?"

Bakura gave him a blank look. Was he addressing him? With the grace of an all too skilled thief Bakura shifted his eyes slightly, only enough to view Aré looking worriedly at the two. She must have given the High Priest a different name. But why? She did not seem to know that he was a tomb raider.

"Uh. much better. Thanks to Arétut that is."

Djal shot a look at Arétut over his shoulder that made the girl shrink back a little. "Yes well she is quite skilled when it comes to the care of others. Where are you from Nakht?"

Why did he want to know that? Bakura put up his defenses this man was trying to get his guard down. Obviously Djal did not believe Arétut's information. "Excuse me?"

"I asked, where are you from?"

Always ready with a lie Bakura responded. "Giza."

"You're quite a ways from home."

"Yes well that happens when one travels."

Djal glared at him. The sarcasm in Bakura's voice was quite clear.

"Will you be leaving when you are well?"

Bakura gave him a nod. "When I'm well."

Djal turned, putting his arm around Arétut's shoulders, making the girl visibly stiffen as if trying to avoid the contact. "You have chores to do, do you not?"

"Yes Lord Djal, I do."

"Then get to them." He shoved her off towards the door and with one final glare at Bakura he walked to the door himself. He stopped next to Aré. "I expect all of them done by sundown do I make myself clear."

"Yes sir."

"How clear?"

"Crystal, Lord Djal."

"That is a good girl." He patted her head. "Go on."

Aré walked out of the room and Djal looked to 'Nakht'. "I hope you do not mind but she will not be able to join you for lunch."
"May I ask why not?"

"With the number of things she has to do, and before sundown, she will not be having any herself."

That night…

There was that pain again. That pain that steadily built up, making the thief's breathing labored and made his eyes water. The throbbing pain in his wrist skulked up his arm to meet and meld with the pain in his shoulder that crept and spread across his back. And the anesthetic had long worn off, the new stitches uncomfortable and producing a dull yet steady pain. Even the gashes under his eye were on fire.

Bakura had tried to take the mixture that was in the vile Aré had left earlier but he found it too revolting. And he had tried to hold his nose to take it but found that method needed two hands and he only had one to use. He did not want this night to be like the last, he wanted to sleep, not be lost in oblivion. Bakura had tried to convince himself that he would not ask for the girl's help, not depend on her, but he was loosing his battle.

"Arétut…" He called out in a shaky voice. "Please…Arétut."

Bakura squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed a sob. What was he doing? He had no idea where her room was, she probably could not even hear him. And he did not need her, he did not need anyone. He took a deep breath in and a jolt of pain surged through the thief's body. Bakura pushed aside his pride, allowing his weakness to show…he did not care any longer.

"Arétut!"

In Djal's room Aré sat in her cot, her back against the wall and knees pulled up to her chest. She could hear Bakura calling for her, heat the pain that laced his voice. But she feared leaving the small cot. Aré knew that if Djal knew she left he would beat her. She looked to the bed, seeing Djal sleeping and made her decision. Aré made he way out of bed silently slipping through the door and bolted down the hall. She pushed open the door to Bakura's room and entered, quickly closing it behind her.

The trembling thief's gaze met hers and Bakura smiled. "I thought…you wou…wouldn't…come."

She walked over and sat on the edge of his cot. Her eyes caught sight of the vile, already opened and only a quarter drained. She grasped the small bottle, turning empathetic aquamarine eyes to Bakura. She knew how repulsive the substance was.

"Open your mouth."

Bakura complied without complaint and with one hand Aré held his nose while the other hand tipped the vile and poured the liquid down his throat. She waited until he swallowed then released his nose and took a hold of his hand, letting him grip hers as pain racked his body.

"Do not worry, I will stay with you until it takes effect."

Aré placed her other hand on Bakura's left cheek, caressing the skin with her thumb in a gesture of comfort. He looked so vulnerable, even more so than the night he arrived.

Bakura leaned his head into her touch, finding it something to place his focus on. And he found that he enjoyed it as well.

Minutes that seemed like hours passed and Bakura felt his pain slowly slip away. He sighed as his body relaxed and opened his eyes to look at Aré, who was still holding his hand and caressing his cheek.

"Ha…have I ever than…thanked you?"

Aré shook her head.

"Well…thank you."

She nodded and smiled. "You are welcome" Aré stayed with Bakura until he fell asleep then returned quickly to Djal's room.

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Bakura: *shakes head* You like this don't you?

Tsuki: I'm loving it!^_^ How about you guys? R&R.