****CHAPTER 2 IS THE RE-WRITE!**** Please note that the original was kept in part for comparison and in part for nostalgia, and shouldn't really be read with any sort of a critical eye. It's like eight years old now and would be in the third grade if it was a person. ;)

05.02.2010: All scene-dividers have been eaten, again, on all of my stories. I give up. Please just go read this story on arowrites dot net where it hasn't been made incoherent; I am unable to keep up with this site's stupidity.

[Part One of what I have nicknamed: The Akara Files.]

I don't own Dragonlance, Akara's mine though. I never saw any fanfic with even a -remotely- similar idea behind it. And when it hit me- I had to write it.

~:+:~

In the center of the shining city of Palanthas, a single, lone black tower stood- the evil core of the city of good. A lone black-robed man with golden skin and penetrating golden eyes occupied it. The Master of Past and Present.

Akara shifted the pack on her shoulder. She wasn't a follower of any God or Goddess known to Krynn, but when Paladine himself offered her a mission and the means to accomplish it- she wasn't going to turn it down. Besides, she knew something of the powerful Raistlin Majere, and this would be a challenge well worth the risk and time.

She had been given 2 amulets to wear, and she glanced down where they rested against her chest on their chains. The first one protected her from the Grove's effects, she would feel no fear from it- it would also unlock tower doors, windows, and open the gate. The second protected her from being seen, sensed, or smelled by any undead guardian- or any of Raistlin's live creations for that matter.

The thief smiled wryly, nothing would protect her from the Archmagus' wrath if she was caught, and that was the way she preferred it.

She stood in front of the gate, looking it over suspiciously. The fabled Grove had not harmed or terrified her, though it had given her the creeps. Akara glanced back at the dark miniature-forest, and almost grinned- someday it would over-grow the proud city. Palanthas would seem to have rotted from the inside at last.

Though evil certainly wasn't rot. No, evil itself could be quite clean- much like a blade dipped in alcohol. Akara sighed; she had been standing here too long. Opening the gate just enough to squirm through, she was careful to shut it once again when she was on the other side.

A spectral guardian floated by, half-pausing for a second as if not sure what it had been intending to do, before continuing on its way. The girl shuddered slightly, watching the disembodied head float through a wall of the tower. Quickly she made her way to the base of the black spire.

It was much larger looking now that she stood close to it, rather than across the city. Still, she thought she would have enough rope. Digging in her pack, the finally found the grappling hook and it's length of cord. Coiling it, swinging, and then releasing all expertly, she felt the hook catch on the Death Walk and she checked it before putting her pack back on and starting the climb up.

Akara managed to get the window unlocked and get inside before the mage, alerted by the sound of the hook hitting his tower, was able to investigate. The rope was already coiled up in her bag again and she was already inside the study before he managed to teleport outside and look into the matter.

She was in the dragon's cave now, so to speak. The most powerful and reportedly evil of mortals was alerted that something was here, and he was looking for her.

Terrifying. She grinned wryly and moved to the desk, pulling the package she was to deliver out of her pack and setting it on his chair. It would be out of sight until the next time he pulled the chair from under the desk to sit.

She heard footsteps out in the hall of the tower, eyes widening; she quickly hid under the giant desk. The door was opened and a lamp lit. Raistlin Majere inspected the room slowly, standing near the chair as though he would pull it out to sit at any moment.

Which meant that Akara was most likely caught. She shut her eyes and swallowed, her heartbeat so loud in her ears she just *knew* he could hear it clearly as well.

But after several excruciatingly long moments of silence, Raistlin turned and walked through another door- to his bedchamber.

Akara almost breathed a sigh of relief, almost. She wasn't stupid- she'd stay hidden until she felt it was safe. A daredevil- most certainly, suicidal- maybe, but not stupid.

It had been almost 4 hours before the girl even moved an inch; she lay on her belly and slid out by going under the chair itself. Looking around, she finally pulled herself out completely and stood up.

Good, mission accomplished- time to get out.

She glanced from the window she had come in, to the door to Raistlin's bedchamber. Window, door, window, door.

A grin slowly spread across her face. Why not?

Besides the soft glow of dying embers of the fireplace, the room was completely and utterly dark. The thief was at home in the dark. She silently moved into the room, a piece of paper and a quill full of ink in hand. Akara moved to the bedside in complete silence, and looked at her target for the first time.

The lines of bitterness and pain he was told to always have had smoothed out in his sleep, the white hair was tangled a little, and almost in his face. Akara knew better than to try and move it. If she so much as breathed wrong he'd be awake in a second with a spell on his lips.

His lips, now that her attention was on them, were smooth looking; soft and un-flecked by blood for once. She imagined that his eyes were probably stunning, in a dangerously beautiful way- much like a deadly snake's could be.

The mischievous grin came back, she silently wrote her note and very, very, carefully set it down on his blanket-covered chest, expecting him to awaken and tear her apart with his magic at any second.

Nothing happened though, she slipped out of the room, and out of the tower, and finally off of the Master of the Past and Present's grounds completely.

Raistlin stirred when the light filtered into his room. It was dawn, and he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. The Archmagus coughed slightly and put a hand to his chest.

Crackle.

Blinking in shock and suddenly completely awake, he picked up the piece of paper and read it.

Dear Raistlin Majere,

I don't care what people say- your beautiful, especially when asleep.

Sincerely,

And the signature read "wouldn't you like to know?".

Raistlin blinked in utter surprise, got up, and demanded to know what had happened from the first guardian he encountered.

"We do not know, Master. None of us saw or felt anything last night." The disembodied head told him respectfully. "The live one's pool does not say anything either."

Cursing, he pulled his study chair out with a violent jerk, and then saw the brightly-wrapped package and card. Grabbing the card, he read it over.

You may have been able to stop the gods from entering your tower, Raistlin Majere, but in doing so you challenged me. And I passed that challenge on to a young thief.

Merry Yuletide- Raistlin.

~Paladine~

There was no mistaking it, the power radiating off of the card and package told that it really was from the God of good. The old man really *was* determined to harass him.

He cautiously opened the package, and actually smiled genuinely at what he saw. A small black rabbit blinked up at the Archmagus, an un-aging rabbit who Paladine had probably made immune to his cursed sight.

He picked the rabbit up out of the box and held it with one arm, stroking its back with his hand as he stared out the window.

Somewhere else on the continent, Akara grinned at an old man called Fizban.

"So, when's his birthday?"

~:+:~

END… for now :P

If I get enough positive reviews I'll make at least one sequel! Otherwise… ya won't ever have to see the fanfic again. It's going on my web page… (Shameless Plug Time…)

Which is called PlanetKulitron, and is located at .net//B

~_^ And if you order now…

Gah, my twisted humor.