When they got back to the hideout, Mahes voraciously attacked the food that Bakura offered him. Eventually, Bakura had to stop him, reminding him testily that there wasn't an unlimited amount of food here, as there had been in the palace. Mahes looked slightly embarrassed, but then turned his attention to his surroundings, inspecting the place where he would now be living.

It seemed that Bakura had managed to acquire most of the essential things, if only in small amounts: he had food, bathing oils, and some clothing. There were even a few pieces of jewelry lying about, as well as a small straw-filled mattress over in the corner. Mahes had to admit that Bakura had been honest when he'd said that he was a decent thief.

Mahes felt a jolt go through him at the sudden realization that he would soon be expected to steal these sorts of things himself.

As if reading his mind, Bakura asked, "So, when do you want to go out to the market and learn how to be a thief?"

Mahes jumped a little at Bakura's question. "Um...whenever you think would be best, I guess..."

"Don't tell me you're scared," said Bakura mockingly.

"A little," admitted Mahes. He didn't have the same sort of pride that Bakura had. "But I won't back out or anything," he continued, wanting to reassure Bakura.

Bakura nodded stiffly, seeming to accept this.

"Well, I might as well start teaching you now," Bakura said. "No sense in waiting."

Mahes swallowed hard, but the look on his face was resolute.

"Come here," said Bakura, picking up a small container.

Mahes looked at him questioningly.

"The kohl under your eyes is all smudged; it's practically gone," explained Bakura. "You know you need kohl under your eyes, since we'll be going out in the sun. I don't have a mirror, so I'll put it on for you."

"Oh! Of course," Mahes said, understanding. He walked over to Bakura obediently and closed his eyes. Bakura wiped the stray kohl from Mahes' face, and then dipped a stick of wood into the container and used it to gently paint black lines underneath Mahes' eyes.

When Bakura was through, Mahes opened his eyes and asked, "Would you like me to do the same for you?"

Bakura already had kohl under his eyes, but it didn't look very pretty; it was obvious he'd done it without the aid of a mirror. Bakura nodded and handed the container to Mahes, and Mahes did for Bakura what Bakura had just done for him. When Mahes was finished, he set the container of kohl back in its place and admired his work.

Bakura opened his eyes. "Ready?" he asked.

"Guess so," said Mahes, the nervousness evident in his voice.

Surprisingly, Bakura reached out and grasped Mahes' hand, squeezing it briefly in reassurance. Before Mahes could even react, Bakura's hand was already gone, and then Bakura quickly turned to head outside. Mahes followed without question.

Neither spoke as they walked through the desert heat. Mahes was really beginning to wish that he'd remembered to tie up his horse when he'd first come back to find Bakura. As it was, the horse was gone, so the two had no choice but to walk. The journey was long and tiresome, and as they continued to traverse the desert, Mahes' mind began to turn to darker thoughts. The longer they walked, the more nervous Mahes felt about what he was going to have to do. His head began to fill with fear and worry. He played out various possible scenarios in his mind, and somehow, none of them turned out well for him. He thought of what they'd do to him if he were caught and shuddered violently.

When they finally neared their destination, Bakura stopped abruptly just outside of the market. Still lost in thought, Mahes almost bumped right into Bakura's back.

Bakura turned to him and said, "Alright, we're going in. Just act normal. Like you're shopping."

Mahes nodded and followed Bakura into the marketplace. Soon, the two began walking side by side. Mahes attempted to act natural, while Bakura seemed to be looking for something. Bakura constantly glanced back and forth, taking in the thick crowd of colorfully-dressed shoppers and the tables that were set out with all different sorts of wares.

"There!" said Bakura finally, stopping again and focusing his eyes on something. "See that merchant selling fish? That's what we need. You won't be getting any of that fancy meat like you got in the palace. Fish is where we get our protein. Now, just wait until he's distracted..."

"You...you want me to go up and steal from a vendor? Right away?" asked Mahes. He couldn't hide his apprehension.

"Oh, don't be a baby," said Bakura. "You said you wanted to be a thief."

"Oh...OK..." Mahes said. But he was visibly shaking with fear.

Bakura sighed in exasperation. "Oh, fine, I'll show you how it's done. It will be a demonstration."

Mahes relaxed, but only slightly. Somehow, he feared for Bakura getting caught almost as much as he feared for himself. He watched nervously as Bakura walked towards the vendor. As he got closer, he began to crouch, keeping low to the ground so that he would be even less noticeable among the taller adults surrounding him. When he saw that the merchant was turned away and busy with a customer, Bakura deftly reached out and grabbed a fish from the table, stuffing it into his robes. He turned and walked casually back towards Mahes, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Wow," said Mahes, with undisguised admiration.

Bakura couldn't help but smile. "That's your demonstration. Now you try. Come on."

Mahes resumed following Bakura, and the two walked on until Bakura saw something else that caught his eye.

"Grapes!" said Bakura in excitement, as he spotted a merchant selling produce. "Those are the best. It's your turn. Just do what I did."

Mahes sucked in a deep breath. Every instinct in his body told him to stop, to walk away from all of this. But when he turned and looked into Bakura's eyes, his heart told him that he had no choice. It was time to be brave.

He mimicked Bakura's earlier actions as best he could, crouching down and sneaking towards the vendor's table. It seemed that the sun was beating down on his skin hotter than it ever had, and he felt the sweat trickling down his face. His heart trip-hammered in his chest, and eventually all the sounds around him seemed to fade until he could only hear his own racing heart.

Still, he made himself approach the edge of the table. Had the merchant noticed him? He didn't know. He only knew that he desperately wished that this was already over, whichever way it went. So the instant he saw the merchant turn away to speak to someone, he carelessly reached out and grabbed a bunch of grapes. Just as he was turning to sneak away, he heard the cry.

"Hey! Kid! What in Ra's name are you doing?"

The words hit him like lightning coursing through his body. For a moment, he felt frozen in place. Then he saw that the merchant was about to give chase, and he snapped to. He instinctively broke into a sprint, running as fast as he could, his feet pounding against the ground and throwing up sprays of sand in his wake.

Behind him, he heard a yelp of distress followed by a thud, but he paid no attention. Where was Bakura? He didn't see him anywhere. Had he abandoned him when the merchant had started chasing him? The thought brought a sinking feeling to his stomach, but he couldn't concentrate on that at the moment. Panic drove him on, and he dodged between the adults in the marketplace, hoping to become lost in the crowd.

Long after any sounds of pursuit had ceased, he continued to run, drawing more attention to himself than necessary. Grownups wondered why a child was running at full speed, knocking into them and frantically pushing through the throng of shoppers. Many of the adults made sounds of protest, but they had their own business to attend to, and dismissed him as an errant miscreant that was none of their concern.

Eventually, Mahes managed to reach the edge of the marketplace, but still he did not stop. He ran on until he could run no more, and then he finally collapsed to his knees, panting and out of breath. He didn't even know how long he had been there when he felt a light smack on the back of his head.

"Idiot," he heard Bakura hiss. "You almost got caught!"

"Bakura!" he yelled gratefully. With abandon, he jumped up and caught Bakura in a hug.

Bakura shoved him away. "I hope you know that I saved your ass back there," he said.

"What? But I didn't see you anywhere. I thought you might have left me," said Mahes.

"You thought I abandoned you?" Bakura said in accusatory voice. Was that hurt in his tone?

"I'm sorry...I should have known you wouldn't," said Mahes. "But then, where have you been, partner? You say you saved me. How did you do it? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

"Fuck," said Bakura. "When I saw that merchant coming after you, I threw myself down in front of him and he tripped over me. He thought I was just some dumb kid who had fallen down on accident. By the time he managed to get up, you were long gone."

"Oh...oh," said Mahes, eyes downcast.

"Screw you, Mahes," said Bakura vehemently. "I don't make many promises, but when I do, I keep them. I told you I'd stick with you and help you survive if you brought me that information. You really thought I'd leave you because of one mishap, on your very first try at stealing?"

"I'm sorry," whispered Mahes. But Bakura was already stalking away.

Mahes ran to catch up with him. He soon reached Bakura and began walking by his side. Bakura did not acknowledge him, but he didn't stop him from following him, either. It was a long walk back to the hideout, and neither spoke a word.

When they finally reached the entrance to Bakura's place of residence, Mahes broke the silence. "Can...can I come in?" he asked.

"If you want," said Bakura, shrugging.

And so Mahes followed him inside. Bakura collapsed on the mattress, and Mahes sat down on the floor across from him.

"I'm really sorry," Mahes repeated. "I was just scared, and I'd never done anything like that before. I didn't even know what I was thinking..."

Bakura sighed, crossing his arms behind his head as he laid down fully on the mattress.

"But look!" said Mahes, pulling the grapes out of his robe. "I got away with what I stole."

"So did I," said Bakura, taking the fish out of his pocket. "And with much less trouble than you, I might add."

"Well...obviously, you're a better thief than me. You've had much more experience."

Bakura threw the fish at Mahes. "Better cook this before it goes bad," he said.

Mahes grasped at the slippery fish, finally managing to get hold of it. Then he looked at it in confusion. He really had no idea what to do with it.

"Hell, you don't even know how to cook, do you?" said Bakura in exasperation.

Mahes shook his head slowly.

"Well, that's what life in the palace will do to a person," said Bakura, almost talking to himself. "Don't know how to do a damn thing for yourself..."

"Sorry," said Mahes again.

"Oh, quit feeling so fucking sorry for yourself," said Bakura. "I'll show you how to do it. Might as well get used to showing you how to take care of yourself. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of that."

Mahes cast his eyes downwards, but in some sense, he was pleased. He understood that Bakura's words meant that he still expected Mahes to be staying with him indefinitely.

Bakura rose and went to get a knife. He showed Mahes how to gut a fish. He noticed Mahes wincing in disgust and he cut the fish open and discarded its innards, but he didn't comment on it. When the fish was clean, Bakura proceeded to show him how to make a fire and cook the fish over it. Mahes made sure to pay close attention to Bakura's instruction.

But once their meal was done cooking, all other thoughts left Mahes' mind, and he tore into his portion of the fish. He suddenly realized how much better food tasted when it was hard-won, and when you didn't know where your next meal was coming from.

Once the fish was gone, and the fire was put out, Mahes offered up the grapes that he'd managed to get away with.

"Dessert?" he asked.

Bakura smiled a little. "Well, I couldn't say no."

On impulse, Mahes pulled a grape from the bunch and stuffed it into Bakura's mouth with his fingers. Bakura closed his eyes for just a moment, sucking the grape away from Mahes' hand. Mahes pulled his fingers back as Bakura chewed contentedly.

"I'm really sorry," said Mahes yet again. "I was just scared..."

"Oh, quit it," said Bakura. "I know, it was your first time, you weren't in your right mind. Let's just forget about it."

Grateful, Mahes pulled another grape from the bunch and fed it to Bakura.

"Really, you didn't do so badly for your first time," Bakura admitted, once he swallowed the second grape. "You did get away with what you stole, after all."

"Only with your help," said Mahes, feeding Bakura another grape. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Bakura as he chewed. He reached out and pulled off a grape himself, and slid it into Mahes' mouth.

"Mm," Mahes intoned, sucking on Bakura's fingers slightly. Bakura shuddered a bit.

The two continued feeding each other in this way until all the grapes were gone. By the time they were done, dusk was falling, and the Egyptian night was getting chilly.

Full and tired, Bakura moved back onto the mattress and curled up. Mahes looked at him questioningly, unsure of what to do.

"It gets cold out here in the desert at night," Bakura said. "Not like your nice, warm little palace. You can...you can sleep next to me. It'll be warmer for me, and more comfortable for you than the floor."

Mahes didn't hesitate to slide onto the mattress next to Bakura. He snuggled into him, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"What are you..." started Bakura.

"Just keeping you warm, partner," said Mahes quietly.

Bakura seemed to accept this. He closed his eyes, and allowed Mahes to cuddle closer.

"Goodnight...partner," whispered Bakura.

AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please?