Anaya's Creator: Hey, what happened to my reviewers? I only got two reviews, last chapter! What gives? Are you guys all on a temporary hiatus or something? Suggest this fanfic to people, pretty please and thank you. R&R folks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Within the Palace Walls:

As the caravan proceeded through Thebes, Akina felt several eyes staring at her. This was not something she ever truly enjoyed; however, she held her head high and stood firm. There were some children she saw waving at her; she turned and gave them a gentle smile.

After dark they had reached the palace gates. Outside the palace everyone dismounted and the horses and Joshua were given to servants. "Be nice," Akina snorted in his ear as she dismounted. "I don't know when I'll be able to ride you."

Inside more servants come and whisked Kesi, Terentina, Serenity, and Akina away into rooms to get washed up and fresh new clothing. One of the servants tried to take away Akina's Eye of Horus necklace and convince her to put on a different one, but Akina refused, saying it was the only necklace she would wear and that was final.

When Terentina and the other girls saw her when the servants finished, they could hardly recognize her. She was in a bright purple tunic dress with a skirt that fell only to her knees and a top that laced up in the back with sleeves just covered her shoulders. Around her neck was her Eye of Horus pendent, there were also gold bands around her wrists, along with a gold serpent arm band on her upper arm and soft thin leather sandals on her feet with straps that wrapped around her calves. As they took a closer look, her eyes were lightly outlined in black, and her hair was now all down and tamed to lie flat pulled back with a thin golden band, much like our modern head band only it encircled her whole head. They all simply gaped at her.

"Is it that bad?" Akina asked timidly.

Terentina walked to her daughter and drew her arms slowly around her. "No daughter, you look beautiful," she whispered in her ear. "You are no longer my sweet little one, you've grown up."

Akina's eyes widened. Does wearing jewelry, make-up, and fine clothing really make me an adult, she thought. Her mother let go of her and Akina was able to get a good look at her and the others.

Her mother, Kesi, and Serenity all wore the same outfit more or less: a white linen dress that fell to their ankles and also laced up in the back. There were also gold bands around their wrists and slim necklaces around their necks with pieces of white and green speckled jade in the shape of scarabs attached to them. Their eyes had also been lined with make-up, Kesi were outlined in light red, Terentina in blue, and Serenity in an earth brown.

"Hey," Akina said, breaking the awkward silence that had ensued. "How about I show you all around the palace?"

"All right," Serenity exclaimed, trusting a fist into the air.

"And you have to show us everywhere." Kesi said excitedly.

"You guys can't go yet. It's time to eat," said a young-sounding voice. The girls looked around and saw a short boy in a white lavish tunic step out from behind a pillar. He had indigo eyes and long thick black hair. He looked about ten and only came up to Akina's elbows, and she happened to be the shortest of the group.

"We'll go later then, I'm famished." Akina said, thinking longingly of food. "I'll just escort you guys to the dinning room then."

"Is it true you four came all the way from Canaan?" the kid asked on the way.

"Well, actually, I'm from right here in Thebes, Serenity is from the Wilderness of Shur, and Akina and her mother are from Canaan. And I'm Kesi by the way," Kesi explained gesturing to each of her friends as she spoke.

"And who are you?" Akina asked.

"I'm Mokuba, I'm Priest Seth and Marik's little brother."

"I see," Akina answered pensively, and became absorbed in her thoughts not hearing Mokuba's other questions.

After the meal it was late, and the girls had decided to tour the palace the next morning. So instead everyone went to their rooms. Akina's was a side room connected to Yami's (no surprises there), it was fairly sized with a roomy cot covered in silk sheets and a dresser with a polished shape of bronze to use as a mirror and some containers, that, she guessed, were full of cosmetics, which she never planned to use.

Kesi's was about fifty paces down to the left. It was a little bigger than Akina's, and filled with pretty much the same thing.

Terentina's was fifty paces down to the right, and Serenity slept in her brother's room which was all the way at the end of the long hallway.

That night after everyone, or at least Yami, was asleep Akina crept out of her room and wandered through the hallways, quieter than a corpse. Eventually, she found herself in the temple of Ra she had met Marik in days ago. Here, she sat down at the foot of the statue with her hands together in a prayer and let everything go.

"Rain pours down to wash my sin, but to no avail,

Darkness has hidden the treacherous path I walk

Shall the clouds disperse or forever remain?

They have sequestered me from the bright light

When will I see that divine light once again?

Ever again..."

"Hey," someone yelled.

Akina gasped, awoken from her otherworldly state.

"What are you doing in here?" the voice demanded.

Akina turned and saw it was one of the elder priests. She spotted a corridor she hadn't seen before, leapt up, and ran for it.

"Hey, you can't go down that way," the priest yelled, running after her.

Akina lost track of how long she had been running, and fortunately for her the priest was older and slower than her. Then, up ahead, in the dim light of the torches she saw a shadowed figure with spiked hair round the corner towards, but, luckily, just before she slammed into him, he caught her by the upper arms, stopping her just in time about an inch from him.

"Akina?" the figure asked. It was Marik's voice.

She nodded.

Hearing someone coming their way, Marik pulled her back around the corner, opened a store cabinet, and gently pushed her inside it. "It's a tight fit, I know, but squeeze inside and keep quiet," he ordered hastily closing the cabinet doors behind Akina.

Master Marik, did you see a young lady pass this way?" the priest asked.

"She went that-a-way," he answered pointing down the hall he had originally come down.

"Thank you," the priest said and headed down the corridor.

When the priest was out of sight, Marik opened the door and let Akina out, she was now struggling to breathe.

"What's... the deal? I couldn't... breathe... in there," she said between her gasps for air.

"We aren't out of the desert yet. Come on," Marik grabbed her wrist and began running down the passage Akina had just come through. They ran down more hallways until they were well out of the temple and in one of the deserted moonlit gardens.

"So Akina," he said sitting down to rest by a small pool of water. "Long time no see, eh?"

Akina sat beside him, "Not too long," she said, sitting beside him.

"Oh yeah, you were that girl I fought a few days ago."

"I was,"

"You look lovely tonight,"

"Thanks,"

"Was that your first kiss?" he asked her as his arm wound her shoulders.

"Yep," Akina thought him as a friend, so this gesture didn't bother her too much.

"Mine to,"

"Really,"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that,"

"Want to try again?"

"What, the kiss?"

"No the fight,"

"Oh,"

"Disappointed,"

"Not quite," He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. His hand went to her cheek and the other touched her hair so lightly she could hardly feel it.

"I shouldn't have done that," Marik said as they broke apart.

"No, I liked it," Akina argued.

"No, I really shouldn't have done that," he pointed behind them and Akina saw...

Anaya's Creator: Mwa ha ha ha! A cliff-hanger! Sorry this was a short chapter people. Also, could you please still vote on whether you want this fic to end: Akina x Yami or Akina x Marik? I'm still curious. Please and thank you! REVIEW! I want more reviews please!

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