A/N: This chapter is supposed to be some kind of turning point but as I was writing it and read it through after, I realized that it's pretty lame... Though the stuff that happens isn't that important in it's self, the consequences are but still...
"I wonder what it is about this place..." Malik wondered aloud while he was grooming Pharaoh. The horse turned his ear towards the boy to indicate that he was listening though he didn't understand why was the boy so absent minded. Pharaoh kept a good distance to the village and to the building they were staying in, making anyone who wanted to check on him or take care of him walk a long distance. Malik didn't mind though, he liked it better here where he couldn't see the village nor the building and had been spending more time with the animal than with the people, or the person because he rarely associated with anyone else but Bakura.
"Do you think it would be ok to go on a small guest?" The boy asked from the horse who couldn't understand what he was saying but he had taken the habit to talk to him whenever he had something on his mind.
The horse neighed, shaking his head and swapping Malik with his tail. "Hey!" The boy yelled. "So you don't think it's a good idea then?" Pharaoh moved restlessly and whined.
"What's not a good idea?"
Malik turned around quickly to see Bakura who patted his horse and looked at him suspiciously. Malik was quick to look like it had been nothing at all.
"Nothing." He placed his hands behind his back and gave the innocent and definitely not going to do anything behind your back -look. Bakura's eyes narrowed but he didn't push on it, directing his attention towards the horse.
"I just thought you should come back, you've been here the whole day." The thief said while his eyes were still on Pharaoh. Malik blinked and tilted his head a bit.
"You weren't worried about me, now were you?"
"Hmph, of course not. Let's go." Bakura started walking away, expecting the boy to follow. He did after saying bye to the horse, running after the other.
Late that evening Malik was lying on the floor, head on his pillow, which he was grateful to have. He tried to find interesting shapes on the blood on the ceiling, a bit like the way one does when cloud watching. He had found a crocodile, a tree, a horse, he had decided that it was Pharaoh, and a face that looked to be in pain. He held his finger up in the air, tracing the lines of the shapes on the air, mumbling to himself.
Without the boy noticing, Bakura was looking rather amused by the self entertaining he was doing. The thief followed the finger in the air with his eyes and listened the quiet mumbled about crocodiles and what-not.
"Ah, it's a palm tree!" Malik suddenly exclaimed when he realized what one shape looked like. A chuckle escaped from Bakura at the boy's actions. Malik turned his head to see that he had been watched the whole time and looked a bit embarrassed, having forgotten that he wasn't alone.
"Um... there's a palm tree on the ceiling." He explained quietly, not looking at the other, who laughed silently.
"At least you have imagination."
"I guess so." Malik said, smiling a bit. "I used to do that all the time with the other kids, except we did it with clouds." He then frowned. "Haven't you ever been cloud watching?"
Bakura shook his head. "Never, I had other things to do as a kid."
"Oh... Like what?" The boy asked, sounding curios and flipping on his stomach so that he was facing the other, leaning his head on his hands.
"Surviving mostly."
"So you didn't play much?" Malik frowned a bit again.
"Not after my parents were killed." Bakura looked away.
"Didn't you have siblings to take care of you?"
"No, no one."
Now Malik felt very sorry for him, for not having anyone at all. Malik at least had had his older siblings there for him. He crawled carefully to the thief and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, looking at him with sympathy. Bakura glanced at the boy from the corner of his eye.
"Don't bother to feel sorry kid." He said after he turned away again. Malik sighed at the stubborn sense of pride but removed his hand, seating himself next to the other.
"You know, we should really go cloud watching some time. I can teach you how, it would be fun!" He suggested excitedly. "Then we could play hide and seek or something."
"I don't have time for that."
"But you have time to lay around the whole day and do nothing?"
"Yes, I'm too busy laying around doing nothing, I have no time for games."
Malik couldn't help but laugh at that. When the laugh escaped him, he clapped his hand over his mouth, hiding behind it as Bakura turned to look at him with question.
"What's so funny?"
"You." The boy smiled brightly, eyes sparkling in the dim light. Bakura stared at him, looking surprised and confused before quickly turning his head away.
"I'm not that funny..." He muttered.
"Whatever." Malik said but sounded suspiciously like he was still snickering.
"Ok, little brats' bedtime." Bakura informed and the boy did go to get his pillow and blanket but putting them down next to the thief's.
"I'm sleeping here." Malik told as a questioning glance was thrown his way. "I can't sleep over there anyways." With that said he wrapped the blanket around him and buried his face on the pillow. Bakura blinked at him but said nothing as he too laid down to get some sleep.
Malik felt just a bit bad when he sneaked out of the building that night. It was a couple of hours till sunrise and he would make sure to be back before it, just a quick look around, that would be all it took to satisfy his curiosity.
As he came closer to the village, he was kind of starting to regret his decision to go explore it. It still had this creepy feeling to it and the fact that it was dark didn't help at all. The boy had took a small torch with him and made his way through the dead streets in it's faint light.
He passed many empty houses, peeking in a few of them but not daring to enter. A few skeletons lied around and Malik made sure not to go near them. The whole place had the feeling of death and he was getting ready to get the hell out of there when he saw a building that stood out from all the rest. It was much bigger for starters and it looked like it had been a beautiful building once but now it was wrecked and one wall was threatening to crumble down.
After a short while of considering, Malik decided to check it out before leaving, carefully walking closer to the building. Once he got there he peeked in from the large doorway. It seemed to have some kind of altar in the far back, with broken statues standing on it and around it. Curiosity won fear and the boy stepped in to take a closer look.
Now that he was closer, he saw that most of the statues either lacked the face or the head but they were still recognizable. They were, or had once been, the main gods of Egypt. Malik gasped and took a step back.
This was sacrilege.
Despite his young age he had enough sense to realize that he shouldn't be here, he shouldn't have come. Damn curiosity. Just as he was about to turn and run, he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. He gasped and attempted to get away but was held firmly in place.
"You shouldn't be here, Malik." The voice was cold and harsh but recognizable.
"I'm sorry, I was just-" A screech like sound was heard in the distance and the smell of blood and death flooded the large room. A white formless spirit flew past them as the air seemed to turn colder. Malik's eyes widened as he recognized the spirit from before. "We are-?"
"In Kul Elna." Bakura finished for him, eyes directed forward, towards the altar. He grabbed the back of Malik's neck and started to walk the boy towards it. The spirits were gathering around, flowing in the air and some times brushing past them.
"W-what's going on?" Malik asked fearfully. Once they reached the altar, Bakura knelt so that he was on the same level with the boy.
"I gathered some information... Wouldn't it be nice to just have them-" A gesture towards the spirits. "-leave us alone? At least for a long time if not permanently?"
"It would but..."
"But what? You know they are coming back sooner or later, most likely sooner, there is no but."
"Yes but how?" Malik eyed the spirits as they seemed restless.
"With a little something as sacrifice." Bakura pulled out a small knife and the boy stared at it wide eyed.
"W-what kind of sacrifice are we talking about?" He asked hesitantly, not sure if he would like the answer. As the answer to the question, the thief took a hold of his wrist, turning it so that the palm was up. With a quick movement Bakura cut the wrist open and the blood flowed out, dripping on the altar. Malik tried to yank away but his arm was held by the much stronger grip so he just closed his eyes, not wanting to see his own blood.
In a surprisingly short time, the boy started to feel weak and had trouble standing. Bakura let the wound drip a few more seconds before lifting it up to lick it, then wrapping it up with a piece of cloth. He caught the swaying boy in his arms, getting up. Malik cracked one eye open, noticing the spirits were now gone and felt relieved even though his wrist hurt and his vision was a bit blurry. Bakura carried him out of the village back to the building, laying him down on the blanket, being careful to place him comfortably. When the child was comfortable, he went to get him something to drink and eat.
"Here, drink." He had came back with a cup of water, placing it on Malik's lips, raising his head from the pillow. The boy did as he was told. "You've lost a lot of blood, just make sure you drink a lot and eat some." Then he left again to get something he needed.
Malik drank the rest of the water and started on the apple he had been brought. Bakura came back again, carrying a bottle of something and kneeling next to Malik, opening it and using it to wet a piece of cloth. He removed the make shift bandage on the wrist and saw that some of the blood had dried on the edges but some was still coming from the wound.
"What's that?" The boy asked.
"Alcohol. This will sting."
Malik winced as the cloth connected with the wound, it was by no means pleasant. With a few wipes it was over and the old bandage was replaced.
"Good boy, get some rest, it's morning soon." He left the boy to his peace now, exiting swiftly, leaving Malik a bit confused.
The sun was rising from the horizon as the thief was sitting on the sandy ground, watching Pharaoh in the distance. He had no idea why he even bothered to care about the boy. Malik was an annoying brat and nothing but a burden ever since he had been kidnapped. Still... There was something about him that managed to stir something inside the thief. What exactly that "something" was, he didn't have a clue.
That must have been the reason why he hadn't killed the boy. Bakura had taken lives before and it had never been much of an issue. And besides, if he had really sacrificed the boy, and not just his blood, there had had been a good possibility that he could have been left alone by the spirits, maybe even for good. Why was the boy's life suddenly more important than his own peace of mind?
A/N: Let's just except the fact that this fics chapters are shorter than my average ones and get it over with.
Please review!!
