A/N: Um yeah... I should probably try to get things rolling now... I know it's been long since I last updated but I had a small writer's block and wasn't really motivated to write any of this. A good thing about the block was that it forced me to think stuff through and now I have things figured out better.


Malik was bored. He could tell by the way the kid rocked back and forth on his seat on the floor and looked around as if he was nervous, being on the brink of some kind of hyperactivity. He looked like he would just bounce up and do something completely random at any second now.

Bakura would have snapped at him, finding this behavior to be annoying, but there was something he had realized when he was thinking through what the old man had said; the boy would have to volunteer to help him, he couldn't be forced. Maybe he could be bribed to help? Going home was a no-no and out of the question. What else could he want?

Of course, it never even crossed his mind that he could just explain the situation to the boy, who would understand and want to help, not only for his own sake but for Bakura's. Things didn't just work that way in his world.

"I'm bored..." Malik whined. "Isn't there anything to do around here?"

"Not really, there will be when we're moving though."

"We are? When?" The boy asked, almost sounding excited that something was about to happen.

"Well, I don't know exactly but we can't stay here forever, they'll find us."

"Who?"

"The men of the pharaoh of course."

"Oh... What would happen if they did?" Malik asked.

"What do you think? They'd either kill us or catch us and then execute us."

Malik looked at him wide eyed. "Everyone would die? What are dungeons for then? I though that's where all the criminals went."

Bakura snorted. "Only the petty ones are locked up, we would all just get killed."

"Oh..." The boy stayed silent, thinking it through before asking another question. "What about the slaves then? Aren't they people who have done something wrong?"

"They are just slaves." The other shrugged. "People taken from other countries or children of other slaves, some might have done something but no one really cares. You shouldn't either, just be glad you happened to be born free."

"So if I wasn't, I would have to slave all my life? I couldn't get free?"

What was it with all the questions? "Slave is born a slave, just like the pharaoh is born to be the pharaoh. It doesn't matter what kind of person you are or what you can do, it just matters who your parents are and what you were born to be."

Malik frowned. "Were you born to be a thief then?"

"Were you born to be an annoying brat?" Bakura bit back.

"I just want to know... No one has ever actually told me these things..." Malik said quietly, looking down.

"Welcome to the reality then, enjoy your stay."

Malik strangely at Bakura who seemed to be very sarcastic and cynical about everything. "Why are you so negative? Like the world is this terrible place..."

"Because that's how it is kid." Bakura just stated.

"What happened to make you this bitter?" Malik asked, tilting his head to a side.

"That's none of your busyness." The other told, crossing his arms.

The boy looked down. "Sorry, I just thought... Never mind." Malik glared slightly at the floor.

"Uh-hu, and next you're going to tell me that you actually care."

"What if I do? It would just be easier if we knew each other a bit better, since I'm going to be staying for a while..."

"That doesn't mean I have to tell you my life story."

"You never tell me anything... You could at least be a bit nicer." Malik mumbled and Bakura 'hmph'ed.

"That would totally cramp my style." His voice was however a bit softer now and almost sounded like he was kidding. Malik looked up and saw his smirk, it made him smile a bit.

Bakura was surprised by the small but sincere smile. The boy never smiled at him; he frowned, glared, whined that he was hungry but never did he smile. It made him feel a bit funny and his smirk softened just a bit.


They had been mostly just sitting around the whole day but now there seemed to be some kind of commotion in the other room so Bakura got up and went to check out what was happening, leaving Malik alone.

The boy wondered what was it about but remained on his spot. Soon the other came back and started to back all his stuff up. Malik was about to ask what was going on but Bakura beat him to it.

"Help me pack, we're leaving. Now."

Malik did as he was told and packed but then he was told to quickly get Pharaoh and bring him to the front of the cave. The boy ran to the oasis where the horse was. He galloped to him and whined in greeting.

"Hello boy, we're in a hurry, come on." Malik said and started running back to the cave, the horse in tow. Bakura was already at the front of the cave waiting for them. He loaded one sack on the back of the horse and lifted Malik on the back as well.

"The rest is coming right behind us." Said the thief, mounting the horse and signaling him to move.

"Where are we going?" Malik asked. "Why are we going?"

"Ask questions later." Was the only answer he got.


After a while of ridding, they arrived to a deserted looking building and stopped, dismounting the horse. The rest of the men who were also living in the cave came with all the stuff and began to carry it in the building.

"What is this place?" Malik asked.

"Hide out number two, used to be a part of that village over there."

The boy looked at the direction the other had gestured and saw that they were in fact lower than what the were and in the canyon rested a deserted looking village. A cold shiver ran up Malik's spine and he quickly turned his eyes away. Pharaoh was restless and as soon as they had unloaded him, he galloped out of sight. Malik glanced after the horse worriedly but was soon distracted by the insides of the building. It was very un-homey looking with spider webs and dust everywhere, he thought he saw blood on the walls too.

"Are we really going to live here?" He asked, hoping that it wasn't the case.

"Yeah... Needs a bit work though." Bakura said looking around and then throwing the sack he was carrying in one room in the back. He told Malik to stay there and went back out.

Malik wouldn't have wanted to be left alone but he searched his blanket and wrapped it around him, sitting on the dirty floor. This was not how he pictured his life to be like...

Bakura came back soon with more stuff and a few guys carrying the rest, leaving everything on the floor. He glanced at Malik who was hiding inside the blanket.

"You look scared kiddo."

"I don't like this place, the village gives me the creeps too..."

"I don't like this place either but we'll get used to it."

"I don't think I can sleep here..." Malik mumbled.

"Which do you prefer; getting caught by guards, sleeping outside or just forgetting your fear, being a man and sleeping here where it's warm and comfortable?"

"It's not comfortable in here..."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Stop whining already, it's getting on my nerves. At least we have a roof on top of our heads."

"The roof is bloody..." Malik said, looking up.

"Oh for the love of-" The thief stomped out of the room, muttering angrily under his breath, something about whining brats.


Night fell and Malik felt terribly tired but couldn't sleep because the place still crept him out. He tried to get comfortable but it was all in vain. Bakura had gathered all blankets and pillows he could find, piled them up and fallen asleep on the pile, he had even given Malik a pillow, telling him to stop whining and go to sleep, but he couldn't.

The boy was still awake and he guessed it was past midnight already. Isis had always told him to got to sleep early and he had but his sister wasn't here right now and he couldn't sleep. He was going to be so tired tomorrow.

Bakura mumbled something in his sleep and Malik thought of something. He crawled carefully next to the sleeping figure and curled up close him, or as he close as he dared to go.

The presence of the other was calming effect and he managed to get some sleep. He buried his face into the pillow, wiggled a bit closer to the sleeping man and fell a sleep with a sigh.


Bakura woke up the next morning at sunrise. He knew the sun was rising because it shone right at his eyes through the small window. He covered his eyes with his hand when he felt something pressed against him. It was warm and possibly breathing slowly.

He looked at his side and saw the boy sleeping there contently, curled up against his side. Bakura looked at the sleeping face and contemplated whether or not he should wake the boy, he looked so peaceful... He didn't need to decide when the boy woke up few seconds later, yawning widely and stretching his body.

Malik blinked and looked up at him. Bakura looked right back and neither said anything. Then Malik blushed and backed off a bit, taking his blanket and pillow with him.

"I was just...um... I couldn't fall asleep so I thought... yeah."

"That's ok, you could have asked me first though. Let's go find Pharaoh."

Malik looked surprised that he wasn't angry or anything resembling it. He got up quickly as he noticed that the other was almost out already and ran after him,slowing to walk beside him.

Everything looked much better in the sunlight, even the building didn't look so bad, though he suspected that the others had done something to it. The heard a whinny of the horse as he trotted lazily towards them. He seemed to be ok but was still not going very near the building.

"Hi boy." Malik petted the horse and smiled at him. Bakura looked through all his legs and hooves, there was nothing physically wrong with the animal but he was on edge.

"I don't think he likes this place very much." The boy said, still petting the animal affectionately.

"No one does..."


A/N: This is so not fabulous... I don't like this chapter, sure it had some emotional development but it lacks something... The next chapter will be more interesting, don't worry :) So what did you think?

Please review!!