The night air was cool as it coiled around his body, causing an occasional shiver. He buried himself deeper into his robe and continued onward; the cold air didn't bother him very much. Ryou had long since grown used to everything about the night. The moon put him at ease more than the sun and the stars made good company. During the day, there was nothing but clear blue, but at night the whole sky was lit with tiny specks. He liked to think they symbolized each life that had passed, the biggest one to the north being Amane.

Years of being trained in thievery taught him that the cover of darkness was the best time to strike, unless you're after freshly cooked food. It was easier to slip into a house when everybody's asleep and blind to the world. There were fewer guards about as well, allowing thieves and criminals to roam free. It was during this time that both Ryou and his brother flourished. It took quite a bit of time to get used to; as a child, he was used to sleeping with the sun and rising with it. Now he was used to setting and rising with the moon, like a true child of the night.

When the sun was set, he felt tranquil… if it were under other circumstances, he would be at peace under the stars at this time. As Ryou trudged along, he glanced up to seek solace from the glittering specks. His feet shuffled along the sand stumbling over a shrub.

"Pick up the pace, Ryou."

Ryou wordlessly followed his brother's order and quickened his shuffling pace. He and his brother barely had a chance to relax from their failed tomb mission before they had been sent out again.

…

"I want you to find that priest." Itja ordered.

Ryou rubbed his eyes and yawned; his mentor had rudely awoken him from a food-related dream to give him a mission. His brother was already awake, though the ever-present bags under his eyes signaled he didn't catch up on sleep either.

"But… why?" Ryou asked, pulling his hand from his eye to gaze up at the taller man curiously.

"Like I said yesterday, he could have relations to Pharaoh Atem," Itja replied, looking annoyed he had to repeat himself. Ryou looked down sheepishly.

"Why do you think that?" Bakura asked with a scoff. "He could be from any city."

"It's the only lead I've seen in quite a while. If you don't do it, I will, but I will punish you later for refusing such an important mission."

"No. We'll do it." Bakura answered hastily, his eyes narrowing. "Once we find him, what do you want us to do with him?"

"I want you to get him here."

"How?"

Itja rolled his eyes. "Do I have to hold your hand? Use your imagination. You'll come up with something. Now get going, the quicker you finish this mission the better."

…

Ryou sighed at the memory… he was still tired. His feet were trudging along the earth at a near-snail pace, despite his brother's prompts to get him to walk faster.

"It's not like we're on a time limit," he tried to reason.

"That priest could leave the city at any time now. So yes we are. Now stop moving at the pace of a lame donkey and get a move on!"

His brother was already several strides in front of him. He didn't even bother turning his head to address Ryou; he merely kept walking with swift steps that reflected his short temper and violent personality.

Ryou forced his tired feet to move faster until he was walking alongside his brother. They were traveling along a path worn down by variations of travelers, so it was impossible to get lost, even with Ryou's poor sense of direction. Nobody was out in the dead of night, but during the day the road would surely be packed with people including journeymen, farmers, merchants, and platoons of guards.

The city soon made its appearance on the horizon. It wasn't a vast city, but the buildings and houses still rose up against the otherwise flat environment. They had been staying in their current hideout for quite sometime, so he and his brother had been here often.

Knowing the main road would be guarded even in the middle of the night, they went around, finding a crumbled section of wall that was easy to climb over. Ryou allowed Bakura to lead like usual as they headed away from the wall and into the city. Pits and scones burned in the streets and on some of the building's walls. They avoided the illumination, not wanting to be detected, especially so early into their mission.

They headed in the direction of the city temple, which was near its center. Itja had taught them that the concept of Gods was ridiculous, and the life of religion was no life at all. Eventually Ryou absorbed this philosophy; he had seen too many hardships in his short life to believe that there were merciful Gods.

Bakura suddenly turned and crouched as they were passing through a narrow alley. Ryou stopped as well, not expecting the sudden halt. He sat down on the ground next to his brother.

"Okay, game plan," Bakura said quietly. "The bastard didn't provide us with much information, the horse's ass, so we have to figure it out." Using his finger, he drew something in the dirt that Ryou couldn't quite identify.

"Brother, why did you draw a cow on the ground?"

"Wh –? It's not a cow, it's the temple!" Bakura hissed.

"Are you sure? Look, the legs are right there –"

"It's not a cow. Stop being stupid."

"Well, maybe if you had drawn it better..."

"Fine. You draw it then."

Ryou dusted over the previous sketch and drew an outline of the temple the best he could. He drew some of the buildings around it, hoping they were reasonably accurate.

"Okay. We're here." He put an X where the two of them were in comparison to the temple. "We need to find out where the priests stay, and we need to find out that brat's movement throughout the day."

Ryou nodded as his brother spoke, finding the plan reasonable.

"After we figure out his schedule, we can ambush him when he's alone and knock him out. – what? What's that look?"

Ryou wasn't aware he had made a look. He straightened out his face to attempt to appear innocent."What look?"

"Don't chicken out. It's not like we're going to kill him."

"I know... we just normally don't have to do anything that involves hurting people." Ryou awkwardly shifted in place.

"Well, there's a first for everything." Bakura scoffed as he erased the drawing by shuffling his foot over the dust and stood up. "Let's scout the area a bit better then we'll rest before the sun rises."

Ryou nodded and stood as well. He followed his brother through the alleyways and did his best to memorize the area, including possible hiding places and getaway routes. It was one of the first things Itja taught them; they had to know their environment well, especially for extensive missions such as this. They avoided some of the guards that patrolled outside the temple, staying in the shadows and waiting patiently for them to pass before continuing on their way. They managed to find a good hiding place under a broken cart, which was discarded in a ditch behind a large building.

Along with the broken cart, they found several convenient getaways in case things went wrong. Bakura was reckless and brash at times, but it even he knew there was always a possibility of a mistake. Or perhaps it was because Ryou was accompanying him, and he had a tendency to mess things up.

Would he be this careful if he was doing this mission on his own? Ryou couldn't help but wonder as they looped back to their original position..

The two of them sat down on the ground and gave themselves a quick rest before the sun rose. Ryou shuffled a bit closer to Bakura and leaned against him. Like usual, Bakura grunted and pushed Ryou off of him.

"Stop." He growled. "We aren't kids anymore."

It hurt to hear, even if he said it each time Ryou tried to display any affection. Ryou stared down at his dirty hands before bringing his knees up. He curled his arms around them and buried his face in his knees. It was a cold night, and now it felt even colder.

…

Ryou didn't sleep much. He mostly dozed until Bakura shook him awake. Wordlessly, the two pulled up their hoods and left the sanctuary of the dirty alley. People were beginning to come out of the woodwork, many heading to the river or to the fields for work. They paid little mind to the two brothers who were well hidden under their robes.

As hungry as Ryou was, it seemed Bakura didn't want to stop to steal any sort of breakfast. He was heading for the temple, his chestnut eyes hard with focus. Ryou ignored his hunger and instead focused on the mission as well. He had some misgivings about what they were doing, but as much as he was against hurting somebody, he wanted to impress Itja and show the man he was just as determined and skilled as his brother.

In the temple courtyard, many of the priests were already awake and washing the statues. Bakura merely scoffed at the sight. They both slid off to the side and watched them closely, though after a while, he couldn't pick out Malik among them.

It would be far easier if they could look out from a roof, but in the broad daylight, when people hung around on their rooftops with their families, it would be risky and idiotic to even try. They had to remain on the ground and do there best to scout the priest out. Minutes ticked into hours. The priests had cleaned the statues and entered the temple. The brothers kept a close eye on who entered and exited the temple, and while they saw many people, none fit Malik's appearance. As it approached midday and people thinned out to find shade or eat lunch, Bakura let out an irritated sigh.

"We aren't going to find him sitting around. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the temple and courtyard, you scout around the area." His gaze turned into a glare, "And don't get caught, because Itja isn't here to save you."

Ryou huffed, offended. "I can do a simple scouting job."

"Tch. Be back before sunset if you don't find anything."

Ryou nodded. He turned and left, though as he walked, he quickly realized he had no idea which direction to go in. His steps faltered and he glanced around, trying to remember how to find his way around from their scouting last night. He padded along with the crowd, keeping an eye out for any signs of Malik. He didn't think he would find anything; it was a large city and Malik could have been anywhere.

After awhile of searching the areas near the temple, he sighed and decided he was hungry. He hadn't eaten since... well, he couldn't remember. He headed to a nearby marketplace that milled with people looking to trade. As he walked, he allowed his eyes to search over the stalls, his lax pose and natural step assuring that he wouldn't be seen as suspicious. The process was as simple as breathing to him.

Ryou spotted an older vendor who had nuts and chickpeas laying out. He wasn't a fan of chickpeas, but he only needed a few to sate his hunger, and the merchant looked as if he wouldn't put up much of a fight. He headed towards the table where the man had his products. As Ryou approached, he saw somebody complaining about his produce. It was an elderly woman, and it looked as if the two were in a heated argument.

Child's play, he couldn't help but think. He swept by the table as the man spat something at the woman. He reached out with his fingers, easily scooping a few of the chickpeas into his hand. He retracted his appendage back into his robe, silently praising himself for the victory. He casually left the stall and slipped onto the ground in the shade once he was a safe distance away. He licked his lips and began nibbling on the chickpeas. He hated the way they tasted, but his stomach sung in delight as he consumed them.

"...We can't let Malik leave on his own again. It's too dangerous."

Ryou's interest perked as he heard the name. He quickly glanced around, forgetting not to act suspicious. The source of the voice came from a tall, broad-shouldered man who walked beside a tall yet petite woman.

"I know that, Rishid. I know that as well as anybody."

The woman's voice was sharp with intelligence.

As they passed, Ryou stuffed the rest of the chickpeas into his robe and stood up to follow them. He tried to act inconspicuous as he walked a few paces behind them. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice his presence.

"You explained to him that it is dangerous to go into tombs alone, yes?" The woman asked.

"I did... but you know how hot-headed he can be."

There was an exasperated sigh, followed by what sounded like an agreement.

Ryou couldn't be sure that they were speaking of the Malik he was tracking, but it couldn't hurt to continue following them, so he did. He remained as careful as he could as he strained his ears to pick up bits of their conversation.

He tracked them through the streets until they eventually headed down a grassy courtyard and into a large building. He cursed to himself; he couldn't enter such an area without making himself obvious. He hung back and analyzed the area instead. He came to the conclusion that the building was an inn for wealthy men and nobles – or even a visiting priests, given its graceful architecture and the stature of the structure itself.

That means there will be guards. I'll have to be careful.

Ryou moved quickly so he wouldn't lose them. Thinking fast, he decided to try and eavesdrop on anything else they might say. He headed around the the side of the building and into the dark crack of an alleyway. It seemed trodden on, so he assumed it lead to a back entrance for servants. He crouched beneath the small windows, hoping he would hear them speak again. He strained his ears as he followed the perimeter of the building. Perhaps he could get more information that would include Malik's whereabouts.

Then, he heard the deep tone of the man through one of the smaller windows. Remaining on his hands and knees, he edged towards it, doing his best to stay in the shadow of the building to reduce detection.

"That was a foolish thing to do, Malik."

"What? Visiting the family tomb? How is that foolish?"

Ryou recognized the brash voice of Malik. He sounded defensive and hostile.

"That's not the problem," he heard the woman's voice. "You went without us. We told you not to."

"It's not like I was in any danger, Ishizu." Snorted Malik's nasally voice.

"But you were! You know how common tomb robbers are, especially here."

This statement was followed by an angry growl.

"Malik..." Rishid began to speak, "It's our duty to protect you. That's what Father told us to do."

"You don't need to hold my hand. I'm not some child!"

"Well, you're definitely acting like one!" Ishizu hissed.

"And you're acting like Father!"

There was a moment of silence, followed by an exasperated sigh.

"You shouldn't have gone on your own, Malik. Tonight, we're going to have the guards make sure you're never alone, so you don't leave again."

"What?! You can't do that!"

"I can and will. We're leaving first thing in the morning. Since you already visited Mother, Rishid and I will go alone."

Malik sounded startled and appalled as he yelped,"That's hardly fair!"

"That's the way it is. I'm sorry..."

There was a thick silence that stretched on between the three of them.

"You're not sorry." Malik muttered bitterly.

Ryou remained there for several moments more. He heard the sounds of retreating footsteps, presumably Ishizu and Rishid, because he still heard Malik curse and sigh to himself in his room. Ryou grinned a bit. What luck! He had found out some helpful information that would surely assist them greatly in their mission.

I have to get to Bakura to tell him we only have until tomorrow morning! Ryou suddenly thought. He quickly backtracked until he was safely away from the building. He then sped through the city, doing his best not to draw attention as he tried to get to Bakura as quickly as possible.

…

"Bakura!" Ryou yelped upon seeing his brother right where he had left him.

Bakura suddenly whipped his head towards Ryou, obviously not expecting his brother's sudden appearance."Ryou, not so loud," he hissed. "What is it? I told you not to come back until sunset unless you found something out."

"But I did!"

"Oh? Spit it out then." Bakura seemed almost bored.

"I found Malik! He's staying at this really nice inn not far from here."

"What? Really?" For once Bakura seemed very interested. "How'd you manage to find him?"

"I was eating a bit of lunch when, by some miracle, a man and a woman walked by talking about Malik. I followed them, and they led me right to him!" Ryou said proudly.

"You followed them...? And you're sure they didn't see you?"

"Nope."

Bakura scoffed and glanced away. "Good job," he muttered before he began walking in the direction Ryou had come. "We'll need to figure out how we'll get him..."

Ryou's heart was still soaring at the compliment Bakura had given him. He followed close behind. "I heard that they're going to have his room guarded, so that he can't just leave. Apparently he's in trouble for visiting that tomb alone."

"Then we'll need to plan accordingly." Bakura then turned, his eyes dark. "You're absolutely sure all this information is correct?"

Ryou was taken back by the sudden intensity. "Yes, it is. I'm not stupid, you know." He couldn't help but snap.

Bakura's nostrils flared in anger for a moment before he sighed. He didn't say anything else as he turned around and began walking again. A bit hurt, Ryou silently lead the way back to the inn. Once they were there, Ryou stayed behind and let Bakura scout the area for himself.. He absently nibbled on the remaining chickpeas while he waited.

"I think I have a plan, but it'll be risky," he said as he returned. "There are two entrances, a back door for servants and the main front door. In the center of the inn is a garden area, which we don't want to get trapped in in case things go bad. So, we'll need to cause a distraction to get the guards away."

"That's risky..." Ryou repeated his brother with a sigh.

"It's the only way, unless you have any bright ideas."

Looking miserable, he shook his head.

"Okay. One of us will need to cause a disturbance and get the guards distracted. It's only a short window of opportunity, but the the other one of us can sneak in through the window, knock him out –"

"Isn't there a better way than knocking him out?" Ryou butt in. "I mean, knocking him unconscious could be risky... Itja said the techniques he taught us can cause severe injury..."

Bakura rolled his eyes.. "Fine. Looks like I'll have to be the one to do it. That means you're in charge of distracting the guards."

Ryou nodded. Even if it was a dangerous task, he felt more comfortable with it than

confronting Malik with the intention of hurting him, even if he was a stranger and vital. "When are we going to move out? His siblings said they were going to be out this evening, visiting the tomb he was in last night. Should we leave at nightfall, then?"

"Yes. Until then, we'll rest."

Ryou nodded in agreement. They'll need all their energy for this.

…

As soon as the sun began to dip behind the horizon, the two brothers were on the move. They did one last search of the perimeter to make sure there were no nightly guard patrols. They had practically memorized the outside of the building by now, but one could never be too careful, especially while doing something to dangerous. They halted behind the building where the small servant's entrance was located.

"I'm going to wait near the window. You get the guards away from the door so they don't hear anything," Bakura murmured to him.

Ryou nodded and wordlessly headed towards the small door. Getting through the narrow and decrepit passage was easy enough, though he still moved with great care. He didn't know the inside layout, since the two of them couldn't scout around the interior before before they initiated their plan. It seemed there were only a few hallways throughout the building, since it wasn't very vast. As he turned a corner, he suddenly shrunk back. Ryou could see a couple of guards outside a door.

Given where he was inside the building and where Malik's window was on the outside, he could easily presume that those guards were outside his room. Ryou swallowed fearfully. This was it. He would have to remember all his training to do this. He let out a careful breath an lingered in the shadows, trying to summon up the courage to run out. His brother would surely be getting impatient with his stalling, but moving his feet was such a difficult task...

He sighed inwardly and forced himself forward. He bolted into the open. "Thief! Thief!" He screamed, running at them. "Somebody stole my precious necklace!"

He forced some tears to well up in his eyes when the guards looked merely bored with him. "It was my father's! He's very wealthy, so he has a lot of gold, and he wouldn't care about one measly necklace, but this one was special!"

Both of them looked interested now that he had mentioned gold. They smirked at each other before one of them came forward. "Calm down. We'll find the thief. Which way did they go?"

Ryou sniffled and pointed down the hallway he had come from. "This way! He bolted out the servant's entrance!"

It was easy enough fulling the thick guards by using gold as leverage, but now he had to lure them from the building. He guided them down the narrow exit and then lead them onto the streets. "This way! I saw him go this way!"

The guards eagerly followed, their minds likely dancing with the thought of being rewarded by a wealthy family. However, after quite a few minutes of Ryou leading them in circles, one of them asked in an irritated tone, "Kid, are you sure they went this way? I don't see anyone."

They're catching onto me! No!

Thinking fast, he suddenly halted and turned around. His eyes flitted over their bodies. They landed on a dagger strapped to one of the guards' waist. Fear and desperation driving him, he flashed a hand out and grabbed the dagger. Before they could react, he slashed randomly at one of them.

There was a screech of pain as the guard backed up, clenching his wound. He growled and cursed, "You little son of a whore –!"

Ryou did barely any damage: just a shallow laceration across the front of his thigh, but it was enough to anger them. He dumbly dropped the dagger and tore off running, the two now furious guards in hot pursuit.

That was the stupidest thing I've ever done! Ryou thought, mortified. At least it will give Bakura time, though...

The men were cursing behind him. Despite one having a wound, their adult legs strode longer than his own, but he still had the advantage of speed. These guards were out of shape, they had groan lazy with easy jobs and big meals. He swung around the side of a building and knocked down an abandoned vendor stall to give himself some time.

He raced down the empty street, his eyes easily adjusting to the darkness of the night. His eyes switched to the rooftops.

No. They might trap me on one. He argued with himself. He had already done one idiotic thing, no need to add to it.

Instead he relied on their night blindness and the turning alleyways to get away from the guards. He turned on a dime and hurtled between two buildings. He looked back in horror to see they had been right behind him. The blood in his ears roared from adrenaline, blocking out noises he would have normally heard. The two tried to squeeze in after him, but they moved slowly and with great difficulty. There was barely any space for him, let alone two adults.

Fear yet again driving him, he made it out the other side and darted away, leaving the adults to shimmy down the narrow space. Panicking, his eyes searched frantically for someplace to go.

The broken cart!

He recalled it was nearby, so he picked up the pace. The guards made it out of the alleyway and were now after him again, but there was a large gap between them. They had been slowed down a significant amount, giving him the much needed extra time to get to the cart and hide.

Ryou found the pile of discarded wood quickly. Without hesitation, he dived under the wreckage and wriggled across the dusty ground as far back as he could go. In the distance, he heard the men searching for him.

"Where did that damn boy go?"

"He's as slippery as a damn fish."

Ryou's poor heart thumped within is small chest. He was sure it would break through his very ribcage. He squeezed his eyes shut and strained his ears to hear their steps. Thankfully, they were getting fainter. He breathed softly in relief, but he waited a long time until he was absolutely sure they had moved on. Not wanting to keep Bakura waiting, he hurried out from under the cart and headed back to the inn with great caution.

He carefully headed to the window and peaked over the edge. Right away he saw his brother standing next to a limp Malik.

"There you are," Bakura hissed upon seeing Ryou. "What took you so long?"

"They got suspicious, so I had to run from them..." he muttered. "How did your end go?"

"Never-mind that. We have to get out of here." He said as he hoisted Malik's unconscious body up and shoved him out of the window and into the deserted alleyway. "We have more important things to do."

Ryou backed away as Malik's body slumped onto the ground like a rag-doll. He glared up at up at Bakura. "Be careful with his body."

"It's heavy as a horse. It's impossible to be careful with it," Bakura argued.

Ryou gave his brother an eye-roll and a scowl. "Okay. So we have him, now how do we get him out of the city?"

Bakura merely scoffed. "I have a plan."

"Oh?"

Bakura leaned down and stripped him of his robes so he didn't have the appearance of a priest. He then heaved him upwards and pulled an arm around his shoulders. After he was prompted, Ryou did the same so Malik's body sagged between them.

"We have to be swift. Let's go."

Ryou was still very unsure of Bakura's "plan", but he had to trust in his brother's judgment. They half-dragged, half-carried Malik's body through the city. The streets were mostly empty except for the occasional guard. Ryou's heart beat faster as one spotted them and came over. He cast a panicked look at Bakura. He looked cool and composed.

"Halt! Who are you two? What are you doing with him?" He nodded towards Malik with a suspicious look.

When Bakura spoke, his words were slurred as if he were drunk. "We're just taking this guy home. He drank himself silly."

The guard then grinned knowingly and nodded. "Ah. Well, good on you two, but get home as soon as you can. You shouldn't be out at night. People will think you're up to something."

"We will, efendim." Bakura said with a respect Ryou has rarely heard.

The guard left, and with an internal sigh of relief, they continued taking the unconscious man through the city. Bakura used the same method to trick anybody who asked what they were doing. Ryou had to admit this was an incredibly ridiculous plan, and yet it was somehow working.

Ryou didn't feel relieved until the city was far behind them. He collapsed on the ground, his shoulders aching from the weight of Malik.

"We can't stop now," Bakura growled, trying to hold the priest up.

"But I'm so tired..."

Bakura rolled his eyes and let Malik drop to the ground.

"Stop throwing his body around!" Ryou hissed. "You're going to injure him at this rate."

Bakura stroked his jaw. "That bastard punched me. I'm not going easy on him."

"He punched you because you were a intruder in his room. You can hardly blame him."

His brother scoffed and turned away. He moved his robe and dug into the pouch at his waist, pulling out from strips of cloth and rope. He threw them at Ryou. "If you're going to rest, at least be useful and tie him up."

"Why? It's not like he's going to wake up."

"He could. Just do it."

And so, Ryou took the cloth and rope and began tying him up. He pulled both his wrists behind his body and tied the rope around both of them, securing it in a knot. He did the same with his ankles, trying to ignore the fresh stirs of guilt in his gut. Malik seemed like a nice enough man, and they were tying him up like a stuffed pig.

Bakura didn't help that guilt as he grabbed the cloth and tied it around his mouth as a makeshift gag. He then hoisted him up by the front of his body. "Take his feet," his brother ordered.

Ryou nodded and did as he was told. As they began walking, Bakura muttered,"We have to keep moving... They'll be looking for him."