a/n:  Sorry it’s taken me so long to write more!  I’ve been busy on my other fics... Dilemma, No Words To Describe, An Unlikely Friendship, and Nothing To Look At.  Why don’t you check them out?  If you’re not already reading them that is.  Anyway, here’s the next chapter...

 

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      Yami awoke the next morning to Ariah’s haunting singing.  He sat up and followed the sound to the window.  He could see her down by the Nile, her back facing him.  There was a warm breeze, but her hair was as still as if the air wasn’t blowing.

      As if she could sense him watching her, she turned her head and looked over her shoulder at him.  The song ended abruptly as she looked at him.  The wind blew again and took her with it.

      - Oh no.  Now she’s going to come bother me, - he thought and left the window.  He considered changing but suddenly the door burst open and Ria stood there, breathing heavily.

      “What is it?” he asked.

      “Pharaoh!  Bakura’s been spotted!  Outside Thebes!” she said breathlessly.  She looked as though she had just run the entire way to his room.

      Yami forgot about Ariah as he grabbed his cape on his way out of his room.  “Let’s move,” he said, swinging it over his shoulders as he walked quickly down the hall.

 

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      Ariah appeared in his room.  “Bakura...” she muttered, considering the name.  She touched her bottom lip with her finger.  “Hmmm...”

      - Bakura, - she thought, vanishing from her spot in the Pharaoh’s room.

      She then found herself in the desert, invisible, looking out over miles of sand.  “What...?” she whispered, confused.  She looked around, then caught sight of a small tent out of the corner of her eye.  She turned around to see a little campsite.  Ariah laughed at herself, then looked beyond the camp.

      A large city stood there in the distance, a palace visible.  She recognized it instantly.

      “But... this is... Elephantine,” she said, confused.  “Thebes is across the Nile.”  She folded her arms.  “Well, Pharaoh’s search troops must have graduated prematurely.”

      She turned back to the tent to see a white haired man exit it.  He sat down, holding a small box.  Ariah walked around him and got down on her knees to get a better look at his face.  It was hard and his eyes were cold, though they held a certain appeal.

      - Hmmm.... - she thought, impressed.  - If Pharaoh wasn’t so much fun to annoy, I’d ditch him for this guy in an instant. -

      Bakura opened the box, lifting the lid towards Ariah.  She vanished from her spot and reappeared behind him.  She looked over his shoulder into the box and put a hand over her mouth.  Bakura ran his hand over the jewels and gold inside the box.

      - You’re a... tomb robber!  Hmmm... bad, - she thought with a grin.  - It’s no wonder Pharaoh Yami’s after you. -

      Suddenly, Bakura snapped the lid shut and looked around sharply.  He stood up, shivering slightly, his hand on the dagger in his belt.  Ariah backed away from him, realizing her mistake.

      - Rats, - she thought.  - Forgot about that. -

      The tomb robber looked in every direction, but when he didn’t see anything, picked up the box of jewels and went back into the tent.

      - Pharaoh will want to know about this, - Ariah thought, looking out over the palace.  She then vanished from the desert.

 

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      Yami entered his room that night, furious.  His search party had spotted the wrong man.  He tossed his cape aside and sat down on his bed, putting his face in his hands.

      “Wrong man?”

      Yami turned to see Ariah lounging on his bed.  “How did you know?” he asked, confused.

      “You’re looking for Bakura, the tomb robber.  White hair, really hot, you know the one,” she said with a cool attitude.

      Yami stared at her.  “I told you not to follow me when...!” he exclaimed, but she interrupted.

      “For the love of Ra, I didn’t follow you.  It’s complicated how I know, but lets just say I know where the tomb robber is,” she said, moving to the edge of the bed next to Yami.

      He could feel a chill coming from her, but stayed put.  “Why should I trust you?” he asked.

      “Because if you don’t you’ll be sorry.  And have I ever been dishonest before?” she asked spreading her hands slightly and giving him a sly grin.

      He scowled at her.  “Where is he?” he snarled, hating having to ask her for information.

      “Ask me later,” she said, standing and turning away to hide her grin.  She was going to make him work for the information.

      “Tell me now, I demand you to!” he said, standing as well.

      “And how will you make me, hmmm?” she asked, turning to face him.  She could see his mind working as he glared at her.  “You can’t,” she said for him with an evil grin.

      Yami closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  When he spoke, it was clear he was struggling to keep his voice even.  “Please, tell me.  I have to find him.”

      Ariah looked at him for a brief second in surprise.  Then her sly look came back.  “Well, since you asked so nicely... he’s outside /Elephantine/, not Thebes.  You can see the entire city from his camp.”

      “Elephantine!” Yami cried.  “Are you sure?” he asked.

      Ariah rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I’m positive.”

      “How?  How do you know what he looks like?  How did you even know his name?” he asked her, now beginning to doubt her information.

      Ariah sighed.  “When Ria told you about him, she said his name.  I was in your room, I was just invisible.  If I concentrate on someone’s name, I can transport myself to where they are.  I can also transport myself around a room and other places that I concentrate on.  See?”  She vanished from sight and reappeared behind him.

      He quickly turned around, surprise evident on his face.  “How did you... how did you do that?” he asked.

      “It’s a ghost thing,” she replied.

      “So, you transported to where Bakura is?” he asked, understanding.

      “Yup.”

      “I must find him,” Yami said, once more grabbing his cape.

      “Hey!  What about a thank you?” she asked.

      He turned to look at her and for a moment she thought he was going to yell.  But he merely said, “Thank you.”  He then turned towards the door, only to be stopped by Ariah again.

      “Hey, can I come?”

      He closed his eyes and breathed, trying to keep his cool.  “No,” he replied.

      “Why not?  I gave you his location,” she said, folding her arms.

      “And if I could, I would reward you.  But I have to go.”

      “Who says you can’t reward me?” she asked indignantly.

      Yami sighed.  “Ariah, you’re a ghost.”

      “Oh, well spotted,” she replied dryly.  “You can still reward me.”

      “How?  What do you want?” he asked, growing impatient.

      “To go with you of course.”

      He sighed, growing angry.  “If you stay silent, you can come,” he said finally.

      She beamed.  “Thanks, but no thanks.”

      His eyes blazed.  “What?”

      “I don’t /really/ want to go.  I just wanted to see how long it would take before you gave in,” she said, smiling.

      “I don’t have time for this,” he said, pulling his door open and storming through.

      “Hm, that was fun,” she said, putting a finger to her lip.  She looked around and thought for a minute.  “Well, it wouldn’t hurt anything if I just looked around a bit.”

      She walked around his room slowly, looking at things that were in the open.  She walked around his bed and got an idea.  She got down on the floor and passed through the long sheets.  Her eyes widened at what she saw.  It was a simple leather bag, but Ariah knew instantly what was in it.  Her mother, Cleopatra, had been the only one she knew of that could work what was in that bag.

      Ariah put a hand to her mouth.  “Sweet Isis,” she whispered.  “The Mazes of Ammon-Ra!”

 

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a/n:  Okay, um, not much to say.  Just review if you want to know more!