Princess, Crown Not Included

"What are we going to do..." Femii panicked, her hands covering her mouth in fear. I muttered something incoherent and ran a hand through my hair distractedly, three worried stares fixed on the statue before us. Usually, the pedestal before it held a beautiful pottery bowl, filled with water from the temple spring as an offering. But unfortunately, about thirty five seconds ago a bird had flow right through the chamber and knocked it onto the alabaster floor, where it had promptly cracked in two. This, as was to be expected, would not go down well with Isis.

"Stupid bird...." Astarte growled in exasperation. "I didn't even think we got falcons in this part of Egypt!"

"Apparently we do now," Femii reasoned, ever the voice of rationality, albeit a voice of rationality that was now cracking in anxiety. "The point is, what are we going to do? If anyone sees this we can kiss goodbye to ever leaving the temple again!"

"Okay, just calm down," I urged them both, taking Femii's shoulders in a grip that most definitely did not seem not calm. "First thing's first, we replace it. Where do we find a replacement for a lapiz-inlaid offering bowl?"

"There's bound to be one somewhere," Astarte reasoned. "The temple's full of old rooms no-one ever goes into, and at least half of them are storage rooms."

"Alright, here is what we do," I said decisively, my hands still gripping Femii's shoulders tightly. "Femii, you take the east wing while I search the west, Astarte can take the antechamber, we meet back here before evening rituals and no-one ever knows what happened. Agreed?" They both nodded and I released Femii's shoulders, and we fairly sprinted away on our search.

To be honest, I wasn't entirely enamoured of the idea of being in the west wing alone, it was darker than the east wing and it echoed more, giving it a far more eerie atmosphere. But there were less rooms, and I knew Femii would cover the east wing quicker than I could ever hope to, and with just a few hours left till we had to have the replacement found, time was a factor.

Half of the rooms I looked in were filled with nothing but dust and emptiness. Another few were obviously home to more than a few spiders. The rest of them yielded only either broken or ugly "treasures" that would definitely not help. I decided to try one last room and then give up. I sighed as my hand closed around the side of the curtain that hung across the doorway, pausing for a moment to contemplate just how many ways the priests could kill us.

Another hand closed over mine. I gasped.

"Boo."

Before I had time to scream, the hand was over my mouth and I found myself pushed through the doorway and pushed against the wall. My desperate struggle proved completely fruitless, so I gave up and satisfied myself with glaring at my captor. I found my gaze locked with a cold, glittering cinnamon stare, horribly familiar, though I wasn't sure where from.

"My oh my, what do we have here..." he mused, a mocking smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. "It can't possibly be a temple girl. They're so protected, they wouldn't dare go wandering around the dark, spidery back rooms of the temple without someone to hold their hand..." I tried to stamp on his foot, but he dodged away lightly, laughing. "Feisty... I like it. Maybe if your little friend had played dirty last week we'd have gotten somewhere." Suddenly I gasped in fearful recognition, all bravery evaporating. I knew I'd seen him before!

"Y-you..." I managed to stutter. "You're the one who killed Dendera... Bakura..."

"I had my reasons," Bakura murmured, pushing a strand of hair from my face. Involuntarily, I shivered at the brush of his skin on mine. "Scared?" He breathed, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. I nodded mutely, fear constricting my throat. "I must congratulate you, by the way. That shoe you threw at me at your dear Dendera's funeral was an excellent shot."

"Just let me go, Thief," I spat, trying to put as much conviction into the words as I could. I tried to wriggle free again, but he only laughed and pressed me against the wall harder.

"I'll let go when you decide to listen to what I have to say," he told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. I will pretend to listen and then do you promise to let me go?"

"On my honour," he swore, his face the vision of honesty. Scoffing, I nevertheless held off my struggles and allowed him to speak. "Thank you, beautiful."

"Just say what you wanted to say," I snapped. He laughed.

"So fiery. I like you far better than that green-eyed witch I met." At my raised eyebrows, he laughed again and continued. "I have a business proposition for you."

"A business proposition?" I repeated incredulously. "You kill one of my... friends, you threaten my best friend, and you trap me in this room against my will and you expect me to accept a business proposition?!"

"You promised you'd hear me out," he reminded me. With yet another eye roll, I fell silent. "I assume you are familiar with the story of my village?"

"You mean Kul Elna?"

"That's the very one." I nodded- everyone knew the story of Kul Elna, how Lord Akunadin had ordered the entire village killed to create the Millennium Items that protected our land. Bakura returned the nod, appearing to consider how to phrase his question. "Do you think, Ariam, that what he did was right?

"Yes I do!" I replied vehemently. "The loss of one village to protect a whole country? I think it a worthy sacrifice to make. Especially a village filled with people like-"

"Like who? People like... me, do you mean?" Bakura cut across, his cold cinnamon eyes glittering in anger all of a sudden. I nodded defiantly. "People like... what, exactly?"

"Thieves and killers," I spat back. "The dregs of society!"

"And yet you haven't pushed me away," he smirked, stroking back a strand of hair from my cheek. My eyes widened in disbelief.

"In case you hadn't realised, you appear to be pinning my shoulders to a wall," I commented, giving another wriggle. Abruptly he removed his grip, placing his hands instead on the stone either side of me, so I was no longer held against the rock but caged in.

"Leave now, then," he murmured, a look passing over his eyes that I couldn't name. Stunned into stillness by the unexpected move, I stayed still. He gave a short "heh", the ghost of a smirk pulling at his lips. "Just as I thought..."

"How about you just tell me your business proposition so I can pretend to think about it, turn you down and have you honor your promise and leave me alone?" I prompted, sick of this to-ing and fro-ing.

"It's the same offer I gave your little friend, my pet," he drawled. "And I assume you girls had one of your little chats that you all seem to love so much, so I hardly need to repeat myself." My jaw dropped in shock.

"You want me to join you?!" I shrieked, making him slap a hand over my mouth in case anyone heard me. I shrugged the grip off. "You must be mad! What makes you think I would help you?!"

"Because you don't see the whole story," he hissed, our noses an inch apart. "Yes, my village was full of thieves and killers, criminals. But they were my family, Ariam! Can you imagine, just for one second, how it would feel to have everyone you ever loved killed?!" His tone rose with each word, his voice cracking almost indiscernibly on the last word. I gasped quietly as a faint flush began to creep over his face, the palest tinge to his tanned cheeks. "How would you feel if you had to watch your parents, Femii, Astarte, be killed right in front of you, to be the only one left and have to live with it all?" He stopped, a tension in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. To my annoyance I felt a jolt of sympathy in my heart- I tried to stop it, but I knew he was right, I wouldn't be able to stand it if I lost my friends. I watched him quietly for a moment, feeling my glare falter and then wither altogether.

"So, what do you want, exactly?" I asked, the conviction gone from my words. He smirked that cruel smirk of his, and I felt my stomach knot.

"Well, it's quite simple, really," he said after a moment, the knuckles of one hand still brushing my cheek. "I am going to exact my revenge. To make them suffer my family did. And you're going to help me."

"Sorry, I have plans this week that involve me not becoming a traitor," I spat, proud of the conviction in the words that I couldn't make myself feel. "What makes you think that I woul-" My words were cut off as his lips suddenly found mine, silencing me in the gentlest kiss I'd ever felt. His lips were soft as silk, despite the harsh desert winds and scorching heat of Egypt, and when he traced his fingertips down my arm, the touch was so light I almost didn't feel it. Almost.

He finally broke away from me, his gaze finding mine and holding it hypnotically. "Could someone evil kiss you so tenderly, Ariam?" he questioned, his voice barely a whisper. I had no voice or breath to answer: his lips had stolen both. "You know yourself what the Pharaoh did, Ariam," he hissed. "All I want is to avenge my family. It's my right, wouldn't you think?"

I shivered. "Bakura... what you're asking me to do goes against everything I've learned, how I've been brought up, what I am. I can't do something like that," I managed to articulate, everything feeling sluggish as I tried to 'reason' with him. "I mean... the Pharaoh? I can't... Astarte..."

"Ariam, she knows as well as you or I what he did," he countered. "She knew what she was involving herself with. Do you not think, embroiling herself knowingly with that... that scum, she deserves everything she gets?" he spat, venom dripping from every word. My eyes narrowed sharply in a flash of irritation.

"Astarte's my best friend, don't you dare say that kind of thing!" I ordered, raising my knee sharply and hitting his stomach hard. It was a few inches higher than my preferred target, but it did the same job- his scarred face crunching up in pain, he doubled over, clutching his stomach, a low groan rumbling in his throat. Despite myself, I felt a pang of guilt tighten in my chest.

"Oh, gods... I, um... I'm sorry, I..." I muttered, laying one hand on his shoulder gingerly. He turned his head up to look at me, a grin on his face that was contorted by the aftershock of my attack.

"Quite the feisty one, aren't you," he muttered with a half-laugh. I returned it, feeling myself being hypnotised by his eyes again. He straightened back up, and I suddenly found his lips an inch from mine, his breath sweeping over my cheeks gently. "So what do you say, Ariam?" he asked softly. "Help me avenge them..." His words were a whisper as his knuckles caressed my cheek. "Be mine..."

I felt my resolve shatter. Wordlessly sliding one hand round his neck, I closed the distance between us, my eyes flickering closed as I turned my back on everything I was with one kiss. The annoyance I felt as he broke away confused me- five minutes ago I had been ready to smash his head in with a statue, and now I felt cheated when he stopped kissing me?

"You should get back..." he murmured. "They'll be worried..."

"Who will...?" I asked, my mind clouded and confused. He laughed, different to his usual murderous cackle- a soft sound that brought a shiver to the back of my neck.

"Your friends, Ariam?" he reminded me. "They'll be suspicious if you stay away too long."

"How can I go back? How can I look Astarte in the face now?" I sighed, my eyes downwards. Taking my chin between two fingers, he pulled my gaze into his.

"You can still be faithful to your friends and love me, you know, Ariam," he smiled, amused at my seeming innocence. I frowned.

"Bakura, you want to kill my best friend's lover!" I reminded him. A grin began to twitch at the corners of his mouth.

"I don't want to kill him, Ariam... Just destroy him." The smirk widened. "Now go, get back to your temple. You have... work... I think..." He pressed a light kiss to my forehead, running one hand down my bare arm lightly. "I'll come to your room three sunsets from now. Don't be asleep," he warned, a glitter in his eye. Before I could answer him he was gone, a flash of scarlet and white sweeping from the room leaving only the ghost of his touch behind. I stayed long after he had gone, frozen in my position against the wall, my heart racing and a breathless laugh on my lips.

"I only came in here for a bowl..."