Chapter Eleven - Homeward Bound?

Light faded as the distance between the boy and the city increased. The darkness seemed cold, but somewhat inviting. Bakura had never been alone long before. Someone was always just a call away. But not anymore, and he felt completely and utterly alone. His distance to the city was farther, far enough not to be heard. And he headed towards the cliff walls instead of to the Nile. He was free, he realized, to do whatever he wished, to go anywhere he wanted. Which is why he went to the cliff face. It was huge and red, possibly dangerous to climb. There could be poisonous scorpians and rattlesnakes... but its not that he really cared if he were hurt. He would to be cautious, he wouldn't look for trouble.

The wind whistled around him, not strongly, but enough to make him quickly spasm and shiver to adjust. In Egypt, things grew cold quickly at night... Far more quickly than expected. Bakura wished, momoentarily, while draging his feet onward, that he had brought something to wrap around him - and food. He reached the wall and rested his forearm against it, and put down his head. Tears somehow seemed to want to creep into him, but he wouldn't allow it, he wished to be strong.

A rustling noise to his left alerted his attention to a small shrub. Wihtouy moving his head, he shifted his eyes and moved his head slowly to the bush. Bakura's eyes were widened, but not in fear. He stood up and walked to the bush and parted the branches and glared down. Two purply eyes and glittering gold earrings winced and looked guiltily up at Bakura.

"H...hey, Bakura"

"Maaliki!" Bakura hissed, "Why in Selket's name are you following me?"

"Selket, mistress of the scorpian, has not met up with me. But Bakura, you left, why have you left?"

"That was a figure of speech, and I wanted to go home."

"But you said-"

"And yes, my home is gone... But yesterday I was fearful to even visit and pay my last respects. I must go back."

Bakura let loose the parted branches and they snapped back into place.

"Do you understand?" Bakura sighed as he stepped back, "I have to go back."

Maaliki nodded as he backed up and came around the bush to face Bakura.

"I understand."

"Then go home!" Bakura shouted at him stubbornly.

"But," Maaliki stammered, dusting himself off. He looked pathedic.

"But nothing!" Bakura yelled, "I want to be alone, I can do just fine on my own."

Maaliki scrambled over to the enraged Bakura, "I want to help you, I want to be your friend, I want friends."

"Yah, and what about what I want."

Maaliki's face contored, "You promised me we could be friends..."

Bakura's eyes softened a bit, but he closed them as his thoughts focused on reasonable excuse to travel alone, "I'd come back. Your father will be angry. Its dangerous for a pampered brat like you. And I don't want you to come."

"You could get hurt and die and not come back," Maalik insisted placing his hands on Bakura's shoulders, "Yes, you're right, father would be angry, but he has a trip he's going on tomorrow, he won't miss me as long as I'm back by then. I am not a brat, and its just as dangerous if not more so for you to go alone. And I want to come."

This was the first time Bakura's excuses didn't win him what he wanted. His mother often told him he seemed to always want the last say in everything. Stunned by his loss, he let Maaliki drag him behind the bush and around a crevasse in the rock face.

"Look, I even brought a horse."

Of which, the hourse was eating on a few dates Maaliki must have dropped to help keep her quiet.

"No wonder you got here before me," Bakura mumbled sarcastically, "But you don't take horses into the desert, you take camels!"

"Well at least its better than on foot!"

"True..."

"And," Maaliki pointed to what appeared to be a pathway up the cliff, "that is the path my father and the other preists took on the travel to 'vanquish the evil' or some such a few months ago. I've never been up there but-"

"Well, doesn't that sound promising," Bakura cut him off, his eyes wandering up the path.

He turned to Maaliki and grinned.

"Alright, friend, let's go then," he said, patting the horse.

"That was the first time... you called me friend... without..."

"Without sounding sarcastic? Yah, probably."