Anzu groaned loudly, feeling something wet and cold dripping down her face. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a girl with long black hair wiping her face with a washcloth. The girl was dressed in a long cream colored dress. She wore lots of gold. On her arms, legs, and even in her hair. She wore fine makeup and a tiny jewel was placed on the end of each of her eyes. She was dressed too nicely for someone doing a servant's work.
The Princess sat up slightly, catching the attention of the black haired girl. The girl smiled, but it didn't seem too sincere. "Glad to see you're awake. My name is Vivian Wong; I'll be taking care of you until Master arrives later this morning."
Anzu shook her head. "Master?" she whispered, looking around and trying to figure out where she was. It definitely wasn't her room. Her room didn't have as much gold and precious items in it as this one did. Blinking, she turned to Vivian. "Where am I?"
Vivian stood and flipped a piece of hair over her shoulder. "In my Master's humble home."
"Doesn't look too humble to me."
The servant rolled her eyes. "Well when you're a Thief King, this is as humble as it gets."
The brunette's azure orbs widened. "Thief King?! I'm in the house of a Thief King?!" She panicked, trying to stand up. Vivian held her down on the bed. "W-what am I doing here? How did I get in this room?" She looked down at the sheer lilac dress she had on. "And what am I wearing?!"
Vivian sighed and studied her fingernails. "Yes, you're in the house of a Thief King, the greatest one there ever was. You arrived here last night by means of Mariku who brought you to this room and changed you into that outfit."
`A man dressed me?' A look of disgust came across Anzu's face. She shook her head. "Who is Mariku? Some pervert like that Bakura I met last night?"
The brown eyed girl chuckled. "If Master heard you speak like that, I don't know what kind of fury he'd be thrown into. Mariku is the Thief King's second-in-command."
"And who is your master?" the Princess questioned, already knowing the answer.
"The one you just spoke so ill of. The Thief King, Bakura."
Anzu groaned loudly, grabbing Vivian's washcloth and slapping it over her eyes. Just her luck to be stuck in the house of a crazy, perverted thief.
Seto sighed, looking around the mostly deserted bazaar of the town of Cairo. Where was Anzu? He looked angrily to the whistle in his hand. `I specifically told her to be here when I sounded the whistle. It's already been twenty minutes. Where could she be?'
He already knew the answer to that question. She was with that peasant boy. He didn't understand why she would be so late to come back though. She wasn't one to disobey the rules. And he didn't think she would like to be punished from going into the city again.
A horrible though came into the high-priest-in-training's mind. `What if something happened to her? What if that...that peasant did something to her? If he knows she is the Princess...if she told him that...then who knows what he might have done.'
Growling, Seto hopped up onto his horse and began to ride through the dirt streets. He had to find his cousin. If she was hurt - or worse - then that peasant boy would be severely punished.
The horse came to a halt as a white haired boy stepped quickly in front of it. Seto frowned down at the teenager. "What do you think you are doing?" he spat, his temper rising with every second.
The boy licked his lips, brown eyes twinkling. "You are the High Priest's son, are you not?" he asked.
"I am," the brunette replied, brows creasing as he studied the commoner.
"You are the cousin of the Princess Anzu?"
"I am!" Seto snapped, growing impatient. Every moment wasted was another moment that Anzu could be in danger.
The teen nodded. "Then please, follow me."
"Why should I trust you, street urchin?"
"My name is Bakura," Bakura said, waiting a moment to answer the question. "And you should follow me because your dear cousin's life is in danger."
That was all it took for Seto, trusting him or not, to go after him.
Pharaoh Akunamukanon sat at his throne, awaiting the return of Seto and his daughter. Looking over to his wife, he noticed the worried expression on her face. "Layla..?"
The queen turned to him. "Yes, my Pharaoh?"
"You seemed troubled. What's wrong with you?"
Layla sighed and hung her head. "I can't help but feel that something bad has happened to our daughter."
Akunamukanon placed his hand over hers. "You always think something will happen to her. Ever since Teana's death you've been afraid of losing Anzu."
"But I am afraid," the brown haired woman whispered. "I've lost one daughter and I don't want to lose Anzu. It would kill me."
"Don't worry. She is with Seto. I'm sure she is fine."
Before Layla could respond, the door to the throne room burst open. In came several guards, the high-priest-in-training, and an unfamiliar white haired boy. They all bowed respectfully to the Pharaoh and Queen.
Akunamukanon raised a questioning eyebrow as he spotted an adolescent with spiky tri colored hair being held by a guard. "What is the meaning of this?" he barked. Next to him, Layla's hands tightened on the arm of her throne. Her knuckles turned white from the force of her grip.
"My Pharaoh, my Queen," the chief guard greeted, kneeling in respect. "This man witnessed this youth raping your daughter. He says he tried to stop him, but before he could knock him unconscious, the Princess was given to another man and taken somewhere out of the city by horseback."
The Pharaoh was paralyzed, unable to move after the news was given. Glancing momentarily at his wife, he saw tears welling in her eyes. Gaining control of himself, he stared down at the tri haired youth with fury in his eyes. "When did you witness this?" He directed the question towards the boy with the white hair.
The boy stepped forward and sunk to his knees in a low bow. "It was not too long ago, my Pharaoh. I was walking to a friend's house, which happened to be in the same area, when I heard the scream of a female. Racing toward the sound, I found him with your daughter, the Princess Anzu. I fought him and was able to knock him unconscious, but not before he gave the Princess to another man. As fast as I could, I sought out help. And I found the High Priest's son."
Akunamukanon nodded. "I praise you for your bravery, young lad."
"Bakura, my Pharaoh. My name is Bakura."
The leader nodded. He looked towards the one in the guard's hand. Disgust and loathing filled his eyes. "Take him to the dungeon," he ordered. "I shall speak with him when he awakes. His actions will not go unpunished. What he has done deserves nothing less than death by torture."
Unnoticed by the others in the room, Bakura smirked, shooting a glance of his once-friend. When the Pharaoh turned back to him, the smirk was replaced by the same reverential look he had on only moments before.
"When this is over and my daughter is found, you shall be highly rewarded, Bakura."
The white haired teenager bowed again. "I am honored, my Pharaoh. I only wish there was something more I could have done."
"What you have done is enough." Akunamukanon sat back down heavily on his throne. "Did you happen to see what the man on horseback looked like?"
"That I did not, my Pharaoh," Bakura replied with mock sorrow.
"Very well. I give you my thanks."
Bakura nodded once more, bowed to the Pharaoh and Queen, who was still sobbing, and exited the Throne Room. `The people of Egypt are so naive. They'll believe any old street rat that seems to be friendly. Just like thatidiot, Yami.' Smirking, he passed the Palace gates and wandered out of the city. `That old fool of a Pharaoh will never see his daughter again. Anzu will be mine forever.'
`I wonder what Yami's doing now. I hope he's okay.' Anzu sighed and looked down the well in front of her. After napping that morning, she had left Bakura's `humble' home to explore the area where it was. And she had to admit...the location was beautiful. Right in the center of a thriving oasis. It was hidden by many trees and the Nile flowed through it.
There was actually an entire city surrounding Bakura's house. Vivian said the city was called the Thieves' Quarters. No one except those who lived there knew where it was. And Bakura was proudly their leader.
`Some leader,' Anzu mused. `He's just a perverted teenager. How can he lead a city? Especially one full of outlaws? How do you control them?'
Shrugging her shoulders, she dipped her hands into the water in the well and splashed it onto her face. Her thoughts returned to Yami. She had promised to come see him again. What would happen when she never showed up? Would he be angry at her? `It's not like it's my fault, though. I got kidnapped by some Thief King. Yami's an understanding person. I'm sure he won't be mad at me.' She bit her lip. `I still have to tell him who I really am, though. What if he gets mad at me for lying to him? He has every reason to...I did conceal my identity...'
Shaking her head, she rid herself of the thoughts. `Yami loves me. He won't care that I lied about who I was. As love as I didn't lie about my feelings for him, which I didn't, then everything will be okay. All I need to do now is figure out how to get out of here!'
The sound of racing horses filled Anzu's ears. Turning, she saw a pure black stallion approaching her. And to her disappointment, it was Bakura holding the reigns. The horse stopped its gallop right beside her. Bakura smirked and scanned her quickly with his deadly chocolate orbs.
"You clean up nicely," he said, sliding from the horse to the ground. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "I must say, my dear, that I love that dress on you."
The brunette's nose wrinkled and she pulled out of him embrace. Bakura tsked loudly and turned her face to meet his. "Is that away to greet your love when he comes home from a long day?" he questioned.
"I am not your love," Anzu snapped.
"You will be." The white haired boy placed a hand to her cheek, tracing it gently with his thumb.
The Princess smacked his hand away. "Release me," she demanded.
Bakura started laughing, hooking an arm behind her back and pressing her against him. "This is my village, Princess. You're not one to give orders," he explained, burying his nose in her hair.
"Where is Yami?"
Sighing, the Thief began walking towards his home. He dragged Anzu with him. "Let's see...Yami...Yami, Yami, Yami..." Stopping after repeating the name several more times, he threw his arms up in defeat. "I honestly don't know," he answered with a large grin.
Anzu's eyes widened. "You did something to him, didn't you?" she questioned, beginning to get angry.
Bakura shrugged. "I can't say that I did anything."
The Princess growled and pushed the tall male against the side of a clay hut. She slapped him across the left cheek, her usually calm eyes blazing with rage. "You tell me what you did to him, you pig!"
Raising his left hand, Bakura pushed Anzu into the sand. "When you are here, you are not a Princess. You hold no royal status at all. You are a servant, my servant. My...pleasure servant, but I'd like to call you my lover. You shall demand nothing from me and not accuse me of crimes I have yet to commit. You will be respectful and loyal and loving and everything else a good lover should be." He bent over and squeezed her cheeks. "Is that clear?"
Anzu spat at him. Standing up, she brushed the sand off her sheer outfit and stormed away. The white haired boy followed after her. "Where are you going now, my sweet?" he questioned exasperatedly.
"Home," the brunette replied shortly, grabbing the reigns to Bakura's horse which were on the ground beside it. Grabbing the horse by the mane, she jumped up over its side. Shooting a glare at Bakura, she turned the horse in the opposite direction. "Once I get home, I will tell my father of the location of the Thieves' Quarters and everyone here will be arrested." She stared pointedly at him. "I will see to it that you are killed for capturing me."
Bakura rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid someone else has already been arrested for that crime, my flower," he said.
"What? Who?!"
The white haired teen began whistling, rubbing his neck. "Let's see...he had spiky hair...unusual red eyes...lived in a hideous little shack...oh, and yes, he was arrested by the High Priest's son for the rape and kidnapping of the Princess Anzu. Pharaoh was mighty angry. He said death by torture would be the only suitable way to kill him...."
Anzu's hands were trembling. "And you did that, didn't you?" she asked, her voice shaky. When receiving a satisfied nod, she could keep the tears from forming in her eyes. "How could you? I-I thought you were his friend."
"Oh, I am. Don't get me wrong, Princess. Yami and I are great friends! He was even thinking of coming to live in the Thieves' Quarters since Egypt wasn't doing him no good. But..." pausing, Bakura smirked, "he met you, and decided not to. Yami is a good thief; he has quick hands. He could have done mighty well as one of my top guys. But because of you, he decided not to join me. Well, I wondered who could be so good as to make him want to stay poor trash for the rest of his life, and then saw the two of you together." He took one of the girl's shaking hands in his own. "And I just couldn't let Teana leave me twice."
Anzu ripped her hand away. "Don't touch me, you bastard. I'm not staying with you in this place. I'm going home to Egypt and I'm going to free Yami. Then you'll be killed."
Bakura sighed loudly. "You know, Princess, you really are troublesome. Do you honestly think that I'll let you go so easily? I mean, did you really think you would just walk away and that would be that?" He chuckled and stood on his toes to whisper into her ear. "No, no. I have friends in the Dungeon of your Palace. One word from me, and they'll kill your family while they sleep - not to mention Yami. They'll have a fun time killing him if I tell them too. Not that he won't die anyways."
The brunette lowered her head. `So he really does have control over these people. I...I can't leave then. Not if Bakura could have everyone I care about murdered with the snap of his fingers.' She released the reigns. `I have no choice but to stay here with Bakura. Oh, Yami...I'm so sorry. You don't deserve any of this. I wish I could tell you myself how sorry I am...'
"My house is that way," the white haired teen said, knowing by her emotionless expression that he had won. "And I need to bring Khalid to the stables, so..." he waited patiently as Anzu got off the stallion. She turned her back to him, shoulders shaking as she cried. "Oh, my sweet. Do not cry."
"And why not?" She didn't turn to face him. "I have every reason to. The person I love has been arrested and sentenced to death for something he didn't even do. And-and I'm stuck here with the man who did that to him!" She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Chin up, desert flower. Everything will work out," Bakura exclaimed comfortingly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders loosely. "You'll come to enjoy living here with me, I promise." He kissed the tip of her ear and smiled. "Everything will work out. You won't even miss that stupid peasant."
Anzu stood up. "Stay away from me," she whispered. "I may be forced to live here, but you will not make me love you." And with that, she raced out of his sight.
The Thief King grinned and stood up, brushing the sand off his bottom. "We'll see about that, my Princess," he replied to himself.
