Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Past is Present ❯ The Tomb Robbers' Code ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

PT: Ok, here's a new chapter for everyone. This is when it starts getting interesting.

Kureulna, Egypt 2930 BC

Eleniay Terada, a 17 year old Egyptian girl, raced through the dusty streets of Kureulna, Egypt in a fleeting attempt to escape her pursuers. "There she is! After her!" she heard an angry shout as the soldiers drew ever closer. Eleniay raced on, her feet barely touching the ground as she easily out ran the larger, slower, and less athletic, men. Eleniay was always in these types of situations, for she was a known thief who lived on anything she could come by. Sometimes people felt sorry for her and gave her food and clothing out of shear pity, but on most days, in order for Eleniay to have food on her table that night, she had to `borrow' food and other precious items from those who `already had so much that they would not notice a few missing crumbs'.

These thoughts often got her into trouble and she spent much of her time dodging the `market police' as she liked to call them and trying to find places to hide where she could enjoy her well earned spoils in peace. However, this was harder than it sounded, as Eleniay had beautiful blonde hair that could be spotted a mile away in the sea of black haired passersby. This did not discourage her; it almost made it more of a game by teaching her the best possible times and places to `go to market' when certain soldiers were standing guard that were easier for her to escape. She was not always lucky though, many a night she went hungry after finding nothing to eat, and she had already been caught stealing twice. Once more and she would be shipped off to an unknown land and sold as a slave to work in mines for her punishment; those who met this fate were never seen nor heard from again.

Although Eleniay was an orphan, she was an optimistic girl by nature and this kept most of her disadvantages from bringing her spirits down. Some of her other qualities were determination; stubbornness; and her keen awareness of her surroundings, which made her quick to learn. However, her dealings on the streets left her extremely wary of other people. She had no siblings and her father had been executed at the hands of the Pharaoh several years ago. She had been too small to remember him, but she knew that he had meant the world to her mother, and his death had caused her to go into a mental depression that she never fully recovered from. She eventually drove Eleniay away and refused to care for her any longer. As she learned several years later, her mother had died of a broken heart. Eleniay hated the Pharaoh for tearing her family apart and vowed to someday get revenge, but until then, living from day to day was challenging enough in itself.

Eleniay looked up at the darkening sky and felt a calming sense of peace as the wind rushed through her long golden hair, wishing, not for the first time, that she did not have to steal to survive. She strolled down the city's dusty street, wearing a protective cloak and hood over her hair, not only to keep her warm to keep a low profile of her being. She glanced around casually, planning her next strike, and noticed a vegetable stand that she had seemed to bypass. She crept up quietly, when the vegetable vender's attention had been diverted for just a moment by a potential customer. Eleniay slowly reached out her hand, focusing all her attention on grabbing a vegetable without moving the others. She put her hand on the produce and gently brought it away from the cart when her wrist was grabbed by a guard!

"Not this time little missy!" he laughed, as he pulled off Eleniay's hood, revealing her long golden hair. "Heh, thought you'd try your luck again, eh?" he grinned at her, "third time's the charm you know." Eleniay looked up at him with fear in her eyes, but he just chuckled, "You are a foolish girl to have tried that stunt again."

Just then, another soldier came over to them and Eleniay's captor turned his head to talk with him. Without thinking, Eleniay wrenched her hand away and took off in the opposite direction as fast as her legs would carry her. "NO! STOP HER! STOP THAT GIRL!" Eleniay heard the shout of the guard behind her and then the sound of many footsteps rushing to recapture her. However, she knew that if she were to look back, it would only slow her down, and she couldn't afford that. She had to get away from the guards-away from this city, as fast as possible, for she did not want to be sent away to the place where all the unfortunate went.

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A boy with a shock of white hair lurked in an ally way between two buildings, unbeknownst to passersby. His hand touched the cool stone of the wall, and his gaze drifted out to the activity of the market. It had been a long time since he'd been here last; almost seven years.

His attention was diverted to a soldier keeping watch at a nearby street corner, and his hand clenched subconsciously. His big brown eyes narrowed coldly, and he gritted his teeth in pure disgust. How he loathed those associated to the Pharaoh of Egypt. They would pay for the pain they had caused him all those years ago. For you see, seven years ago his family and friends had been murdered.

~ Flashback ~

"Baku, mommy wants you to get up. The sun woke up before you today. Come on, get up! Get up!"

Ten year old Bakura lay on his back in his straw cot and slowly opened his eyes, allowing the world to come into focus. He could hear the voice of his five year old sister as she clung to his arm in an attempt to arise him. He chuckled to himself as he heard her say, "Come see what I helped mommy do, Baku, come see!" She called him `Baku' because she was unable to pronounce his full name.

Bakura yawned and stretched his arms before replying, "Alright Nika; I'm getting up." He shook his head groggily and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes as his snow white hair flopped in his face. Nika grabbed his hand excitedly and pulled him over to the cooking area where his mother, Sasha, and twelve year old sister, Helenia, were already busy cooking breakfast.

"You are up late this morning," Sasha commented dryly without looking up, "You'd best get out there and go to work."

Bakura frowned at his mother. She usually wasn't so snappish at him when he slept past sunrise.

"See! Look Baku, I made this for you!" Nika announced proudly as she held up a hunk of bread and offered it to him, "Mommy teached me how to make bread when you were sleeping."

Bakura smiled at his little sister and took the bread from her. "Thank you Nika, I'll eat this for my midday meal." Then he gave her a quick hug and grabbed a piece of meat for breakfast before heading out the door, still wondering what was on his mother's mind.

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It had been several hours since he had left his shack that morning and he hadn't been able to steal anything worthwhile. He walked slowly with his eyes to the ground as he tried to think of a better way to make money for his family. Bakura pulled the hunk of bread his sister had made for him out of his knapsack and smiled. He knew she looked up to him, but what kind of role model was he? His mother had no idea he was a street thief, and he would never tell her because he knew she would be ashamed. She thought he worked for a black smith in the market. Technically, Bakura hadn't lied to his mother. He did `work' in the market; just not the kind of work she thought it was. It was true that sooner or later his family was bound to find out what he truly did, but until then, he planned on keeping it quiet.

Bakura was so busy concentrating on the ground that he was oblivious to his surroundings and was nearly trampled by several of the Pharaoh's soldiers on horseback, who came careening around a corner. They drew their swords and began slaughtering civilians as well as setting buildings and homes aflame as they rode passed. Horror and anger engulfed Bakura as he witnessed screaming children and frightened women being cut down before his very eyes. Any man who faced the madness was crushed beneath the riders' horses. Bakura moved swiftly in the opposite direction of the riders toward his home, his heart filled with fear and anger.

The feeling of dread increased as he neared his neighborhood, and he broke out in a run. He raced past the bakery, the fish market, the jewelry shop, and then passed the rich homes in a panic. All of which had been set aflame. He made it to the great wall that separated his poor community from the wealthy and squeezed through the gate. He ran past the two houses which marked the beginning of his neighborhood and then stopped dead in his tracks. All the houses on his entire street had been burned to a smoldering pile of ash, and the eerie silence that surrounded him rang in his ears. There were no children playing in the streets-no women hanging their laundry out to dry-no one going or coming from the marketplace. The air stank horribly of burnt flesh, but Bakura ignored it and ran to the remaining of what used to be his home. He sank to the ground and watched the dying fire as it consumed the last of the wood frame greedily. Angry, bitter tears formed in his eyes and he fought back a sob that was threatening to envelope.

He turned his head away from the ruins and took a step back. He didn't need to search through the burned remnants to know that his family was no longer in the realm of the living. They were gone forever-by the hands of the Pharaoh's guards no less. What terrible crime they committed to deserve this fate, only the gods knew.

Bakura froze as he heard the sounds of heavy footsteps drawing closer. He slipped away and hid himself in the shadows of the growing dusk, watching with growing malice and hatred as the guards prodded through the remaining of his beloved home. He vowed that he would one day avenge his family for their unfair deaths and make the Pharaoh feel what he had lost.

Only one thought kept repeating in his head. I never even had a chance to say goodbye.

~ End Flashback ~

Bakura growled angrily at the memory. Years after his family's death, he had learned that they had been sacrificed for the creation of the Millennium Items, which had been used to defend the city of the Pharaoh, Suez Sinai, from one of their deadliest foe. He had been the only one to survive the onslaught.

He heard a commotion in the swarms of people and then saw a girl with golden hair break free from the crowd and takeoff down the street. He grinned to himself and decided to follow her. He didn't know her name, but he knew who she was.

She was very fast, he had to admit, but he followed her swiftly, making sure he kept her in sight while he stayed hidden in the shadows.

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After a while, Eleniay's quick steps slackened, and she slowed to catch her breath. Her heart was racing furiously in her chest and she doubled over in exhaustion. There was a noise to her left, and she turned her head to find a boy watching her. He appeared to be around her age with brilliant white hair. He had his arms folded across his firm chest and a smug expression plastered on his face. They were silent for a long moment before the boy finally spoke, "So you are the one they have been talking about in the streets."

Eleniay didn't answer right away but eyed him suspiciously. She knew him as the `King of Thieves' as did everyone, but she was still unsure if she could trust him. "So what if I am? Are you going to turn me in?"

The boy shrugged carelessly and replied, "No, it's not my style to break the tomb robbers' code."

Eleniay looked at him blankly.

He sighed heavily and explained, "It's against the rules for a thief to rat out another thief."

The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, "You follow rules?"

He shrugged carelessly, "Only when I feel it desirable." Eleniay nodded slowly.

"Is there a name you go by?" Bakura asked after a pause. When she didn't answer he began, "My name is-"

"Yes, I know who you are," Eleniay snapped impatiently. "You are Bakura, The King of Thieves. I've heard all about you as everyone else has I'm sure."

The white haired boy just grinned broadly at her. "And I have worked hard for that reputation. So, now that that is settled, I will ask you again for your name."

"My philosophy is to never trust another human being unless he is dead because he will only betray you," Eleniay said shortly.

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

She nodded again and then shifted uncomfortably. "I should be getting on my way. Hopefully you won't hear of me again." She continued down the road, but didn't get more than a few steps when she heard the distant sound of shouting voices.

"You aren't going to get very far without being caught," Bakura said coolly, "but you can come with me, and I will keep you safe." Eleniay stopped in her tracks and looked back at him warily. He held out his hand and added, "Trust me."

"I….I'm sorry," Eleniay muttered, not looking him in the eyes. With that, she veered off the sandy road without another backward glance, and with only the cloak on her back and the stolen vegetable in hand, she disappeared from sight.

PT: I hope you enjoyed that because that's the last chapter you're getting unless I get at least five reviews. In fact, I was thinking I might take this story down because no one's responding to it. It's no fun taking the time to post a story if you don't get any reviews. I don't even care if it's a flame, I just want to know peoples' thoughts on it. Until next time (if there is a next time).