This is going to start out with what's going on with Akila. Because its somewhat important. In fact this whole chapter I think will be Akila... I promise the next one will be about Khet though... Enjoy...

By the way, this is still the same storyline...

Akila shook her head trying to get rid of the buzzy noises nipping at the edges of her head.. Something didn't feel right. She looked down.

No wonder, she was hovering 5 feet off the ground!

Okay, so hovering was the wrong word for it. Actually, she was being dangled from a single rope from a stone ceiling, over a stone floor. At least she hoped it was a stone floor and not the empty blackness she perceived. Squinting, she could see what appeared to be stone, so she figured if she could get her hands free she'd be able to get to the wooden door that she could see at the other end of the room. After that she could wonder how the heck she got here and what she was going to do from there. No windows, so she couldn't even tell what time it was.

The knot around her hands didn't look too powerful... With a lot of swinging and bouncing off walls, Akila succeeded in getting one foot up to the knot where she tried to push it off.

Well...Somehow, she got her foot tangled up right there next to her hands. It was a step up, not down. So with more work, and a lot more noise than the first time, she got her other foot up there. Again, the foot ended up with the hands. Now she was stuck, hog-tied, and being hung from the ceiling. Akila growled. She was losing her patience quickly. In a vain attempt to get something-anything- loose, Akila made a HUGE amount of noise. Finally she heard the door start to open. Since at this point, her body was facing up toward the ceiling, Akila let her head drop backward so she could see who it was. She groaned loudly when she realized it was none other than Bakura.

The smirk he was wearing agitated her more than the ropes.

"My, my, my...I'm guessing all this noise was you getting yourself into such a...lovely...position."

Akila bared her teeth and growled slightly. "Quit smirking and let me down!"

The Thief King began circling around her, passing in and out of her restricted line of vision. "Now why would I do that when I have you in such a wonderful position?"

Akila, knowing that in his position she would do the same, accepted this as logical, but not as an answer. She resorted to glaring at him as he passed by. Perhaps this unsettled him, or maybe he just got bored. But whatever the reason, he stopped directly in front of her and assumed an exaggerated thinking pose..

"But I may consider it, if say...you promise not to hurt me if I do."

Akila nodded vigorously. At this point she would do nearly anything to get released. Nearly. "Fine, whatever, just cut me down!"

He smirked and turned so his back was toward her and took a step towards the door. "I said I'd consider it, I didn't say I would."

That was too much. "Look, I don't know what the khet you have planned for me but by Ra if you don't let me down..."

The Thief King whirled around and Akila caught the flash of a knife as it whizzed through the air. Akila pulled herself together into a ball. Barely three seconds later she was flat on her back, the dagger lodged in the wall barely three millimeters above where her head had been before. Or where she thought her head had been before. She stared at is stunned for a moment. "Um...thanks?" She was still flat on her back.

All she got in return was a grunt. She pulled herself to her feet, as obviously Bakura wasn't enough of a gentleman to offer to help her up. At least he was polite enough to leave the door open, thought he moment she stepped through, the door came closed. She wasn't far enough away though apparently because the momentum of the door caused he to fall forward- right into Bakura's arms. She looked up to see the amusement in his eyes and in the grin playing across his features. This angered her more than anything else. Quickly she pulled away and returned to glaring daggers at him.

He turned around with a silent sigh. So close, but yet so far. When he started down the hallway, she followed. This made him wonder if maybe she was beginning to trust him. He stopped in front of a door and indicated to her with a flick of his wrist, which made her want to break it.

"What?"

"Inside."

"Uh...no!"

A vein in his temple pulsed.

"Uh...yes!"

"Uh...No!"

"Don't make me angry..."

"Don't make me angry!"

He narrowed his eyes, annoyed. "Watch it, girl..."

"Boy this is sounding familiar."

She was referring to the banter that had occurred before either knew the other's identity. The one from the Pharaoh's Ball. Was that really only yesterday? She'd ran into him, while both were wearing cloaks. The impact had knocked both hoods back.

'Watch where you're going, wench!'

'Watch where you are going.'

He narrowed his eyes, annoyed. 'Don't make me angry...'

'Don't make me angry!'

'Watch it, girl...'

'Oh, I'm soooo scared.'

Annoyed, Bakura had stormed off, but later had met when Akila jumped in to protect the Pharaoh. Isis had told her that the Pharaoh would be in danger that night, and had personally requested her assistance. So when the Thief King had attacked the Pharaoh, she had pinned him to a wall, and given the Pharaoh her pendant, which had the power to turn it's wearer invisible, among other things, to escape. Then she had fought with the Thief King, eventually beating him, though not until he had figured out that she worked at the library of the Temple of Bastet. After that, when the Pharaoh had come to return her pendant, as instructed, Bakura had carried her off, after knocking her unconscious of course. The coward. So now, she was pendant-less, annoyed, kidnapped, and practically under the power of the only person with a bigger price on his head than her own.

Somehow, that never was very comforting.

Back in the present, Bakura glared at her for a few more moments, at which she cocked an eyebrow and smirked. Unfortunately, this eliminated the little patience he had left, and he grabbed her arm roughly and pushed her into the room. Akila lost her balance and collapsed on the floor. As he walked through the door, she was starting to climb to her feet. By the time he turned around from shutting it, she was standing, and had put a couch thingymajigger between them.

"Oh, what makes you so anti social?" He asks smugly. He knew he was getting to her, and he liked the feeling. She however, didn't feel like answering. She'd been kidnapped and pushed around. She didn't feel any obligation to answer him.

Meanwhile, the Thief King had settled on the couch thingymajigger. "You don't have to talk…but you can hand me that water jug."

Although he hadn't really meant it as an insult, or even as a jibe, Akila, always sensitive to such things, took it as such. Annoyed, and fuming with a temper that would rival Khet's, she walked over toward the said jug and picked it up, with a wonderful, nasty, idea in mind. Walking back over to the couch thing, she held the jug out…

And tipped it over on top of the Thief King's head. Soaked and humiliated, he stood up fuming so hard, it's a surprise the water on him didn't evaporate. But it didn't, and he stood there glaring daggers at his captive.

"What…was that?"

"Payback." was the only answer he received. After her short answer Akila walked over to the window and stared out at the Ra that was just starting to sink. It was nowhere near sunset. What was she going to do until then? She certainly couldn't escape in broad daylight. No. She'd have to wait for night's cover. Then she could make her move.

Meanwhile, Bakura was trying to figure out what he'd done to her that would merit getting soaked. He hadn't gotten HER wet had he? No…so what was she aiming at? Finally he stormed over to the door. "I wouldn't leave this room if I were you. Serious consequences could occur. Just a warning." Then he slammed the door and stormed down the hallway, running into Malik. Malik looked him up and down and held back a laugh.

"What happened to you?"

"Shut up."

Break

Akila looked out and was relieved to see the Ra was completely gone. Perfect for her escape. Her plan was to sneak across the roof and land near the stables…wherever those were. She'd find them though. Climbing out of the window, she began her creeping. Unfortunately, she found her roof ended quickly, and the next level was too high up for her. So she was forced to swing into another window. This place was nice, she'd give the Thief King that much. She didn't like him. He scared her, yet aroused more emotions then she cared to experience. Making her way quietly through the halls, she couldn't help but be attracted to the shiny objects.

After all, in addition to being a librarian, she was also a thief. One well known. So well known, she was given a title. Rose of Egyptian Thieves. She kind of liked it actually. Thankfully, the gods liked her style, and her choice of targets. So, she had a deal. She'd work as their thief on Earth, and they'd keep the Pharaoh's guards from capturing her. It was as good as a pardon for her. She'd have been a fool to decline and anger the gods.

Distracted as such, and lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice when a certain someone stuck their foot out and she tripped, falling flat on her face. Before she could get up, the same person sat on her back, effectively pinning her. Twisting her head, she could see the person out of the corner of her eye. White hair shining in the moonlight made her want to curse, but she refrained. Bakura had a nasty habit of thinking it was funny.

"You tried to escape. How cute. Pity you happened right past me. Should have kept to the rooftops."

That made the score two for him, one for her. He was winning, but for how long? She wasn't struggling anymore so he stood her up and escorted her back to her room. "Nice try, but I'm the Thief King. You can't use novice tricks on me."

Obviously he didn't know who she was either. She didn't warrant him with an answer, and simply stood there fuming. He left the room smirking.