AN: I'm back guys, sorry for the delay! Thanks again for all the wonderful feedback and love! I'm trying to keep them in character, and am probably failing drastically at it, so I appreciate your love despite that! You remember that time your kept a secret from your friends and they found out anyway?

Left at the bus stop again, watching as his friends drove off in the Hot-Ra, Presley groaned and scuffed his sneaker against the cement curb, "I hate it when they send me home." He huffed and gripped the straps to his backpack. Looking down the street, he took note of his friends and guardians being long since out of side, and he stepped off the curb and crossed the street.

He wasn't expected home anytime soon, mom was out of town on a business trip for the museum, dad was supposed to come stay with him, but he hadn't showed up yet and he didn't want to ruin mom's trip by calling to tell her.

Of course, the reincarnated prince hummed to himself as he walked down the street, he most certainly could have told his guardians of his staying at the house alone, one of them would have been glad to stay with him, or he could go stay with them at the Sphinx and he had a bed there to sleep in and everything.

Where exactly they had gotten the bed was something he didn't know, and there was a part of him that couldn't be bothered to ask either, it was probably the same story as to how they had managed to get a refrigerator.

But he didn't, they were over-protective enough on their part, he didn't need to give them a reason to become even more so.

The city was nearly asleep, some cars still passed him on the street as he walked down the sidewalk, hands gripping the straps of his backpack lightly as he did, and he looked around to see what there was to see of the city at night. The only light was from the street lamps and the full moon above. He walked passed a deep dark alley way, jumping slightly at the sound of rattling from within, and jumped forward as quick as he could to get away from whatever lurked in the dark.

Meow

Out of the shadows came the cause of the noise in the dark shadows of the night, in the form of a very familiar companion, the one who often stayed with him through the night when the others weren't able to be there to watch over him through the skylight.

He pressed a hand to his chest as he tried to catch his breath, the feline weaving between his legs happily, purring as she rubbed her head against his lower legs. The boy prince knelt to pet his feline friend on the head, she liked being petted and he wondered why, only her head was uncovered and the rest of her was still wrapped up. He smiled when she nudged his hand, looking pointedly in the direction he had been heading in, and meowed again.

"Kahti!" the boy was happy his feline friend had joined him, "You scared me!"

The sacred cat rubbed against his hand and meowed again.

Smiling to himself, Presley stood and turned, "Come on Kahti." He began walking down the sidewalk once more and knew that the cat would follow him without turning to see if she would for himself, "We're not going home."

The mummified cat meowed in response, following at his side, faithfully protecting him from anything that may jump out at them. He walked through a silent intersection, looking down both streets, a car lit the end of the right end and quickly disappeared down a side street. There was music coming from the inside of a late night diner they walked passed, and he nodded along to the catchy beat as they crossed in front of it, and hummed it to himself when they had passed it completely and the beat began to fade in the background until the street was silent again.

"Do you think Ja-kal's going to be mad?"

Presley looked down to his feline friend, Kahti looked up at him in return, as though she knew that the question was being asked in her direction.

The panther cat meowed.

He sighed, "Yea, that's what I thought too." He hopped down the curb and they ran across the crosswalk when the signal began to blink with the red hand indicating that pedestrians should take caution and hurry through the intersection. "Hopefully they stay out late and don't come to check on me."

Kahti meowed again and he took it as her agreeing with him.

They both stopped at the end of the cement and the beginning of the wooden planks of the great dock that jet out into the bay, the waves gently lapped against the shore of stones, the boy looked down to his companion and sighed, smiling when she turned to look up at him.

"Will you come with me Kahti?" he frowned lightly, "I don't want to go home to an empty house just yet."

The panther cat purred and rubbed her head against his lower leg, causing him to smile again "Thanks girl."

They walked down across the planks, the lamps on the sides of the wooden pier lighting their way, the sounds of the bay below filling the silence with the sound of the sea smashing against the wooden poles that held the pier above the water. They came to the edge sooner then they had though, looking out at the darkened bay over the railing, Kahti sat and bat her paw at his foot as if to tell him to sit down with her.

He laughed softly and nodded, shrugging off his backpack, and sat over the edge. His legs dangled over the edge of the pier and he leaned forward on his crossed arms on the lower portion off the railing. Kahti sat next to him and her purring echoed slightly louder then the waves smacking the poles under them.

"Mom's out of town right now, Kahti." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the cat turn to look at him as though to listen to him speak to her "On a business trip for the museum." He reached out to pet her head and she tilted it to the side, purring loudly, "Dad was supposed to come stay with me, but something came up." He sighed sadly and turned to look at his feline companion "Something always comes up."

"I feel slightly bad about leaving him at the bus stop like we did."

Nefertina stepped quietly over the side of the roof, holding a hand out for her companion to grab onto in aid of getting up to the roof, Ja-kal's fingers curled around her palm and she pulled him up to stand with her on the roof of their princes house.

"It was for his own good and he knows that." The falcon avatar straightened and turned to look at the chariot driver, "And it is a school night. He should not be out too late."

She didn't seem to agree with his logic personally, but knew that outside of personal feeling, it made sense to send him home because of having school in the morning and he was only a young twelve year old. They shared a silent look and turned around in the direction of the skylight that stood over their princes bedroom.

Ja-kal inhaled deeply, when they came to stand before the windows, and Nefertina stared at the sight (or lack thereof) that stood before them.

She turned her head to look at the falcon guardian, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

He nodded mutely for a moment, "Do you mean what we are not seeing?"

The bedroom was empty, there was no twelve year old reincarnated prince sleeping soundly under the covers, getting a good nights rest for a long day of learning the next day. The bed was still made up, not a spot out of place, clearly not having been slept in or on with the indication of the young boy having merely gotten out of bed for a glass of water.

"Won't his mom worry if she comes to check on him?"

Ja-kal hummed, "I don't think that will happen," he turned away from the empty bedroom and pointed down to the empty driveway, "I do believe, however, that our prince has been keeping secrets." She stood in her position and watched him cross over to the edge of the roof, "Let's go alert the others and find our prince."

"Do you think that Rath can track him by his amulet?"

"He has before."

They shared a nod and jumped over the edge of the roof in sync.

"Dad did call though, Kahti."

Presley stared out at the bay before them, petting absently at his companions head, the feline purred and he felt her turn her head towards him as he spoke.

"Said he was sorry that he couldn't make it." He shook his head. "He said that something came up." And snorted softly, "I don't know what I expected from him."

He was so caught up in his thoughts, and the seemingly one sided conversation he was having with his cat, that he didn't hear the vehicle pulling up at the other end of the pier or the footsteps as the others came walking up behind them.

They stopped short when they heard his voice though, Kahti looking up at the young master, his fingers stroking absently at her head. Presley was caught in his thoughts, and it dialed down on any lecture they'd come prepared with, listening to the conversation he was having with his small friend.

"I should probably call mom and tell her that he can't come." They exchanged looks and Kahti meowed, "But I don't want to ruin her trip. She loves going on trips for the museum." Nefertina looked between her three male companions, mouthing the question they were all thinking, and the others could only shrug in reply to it, "And I know what you're thinking. I should tell the others. They should know."

Presley kicked lightly, his fingers stilling in their stroking of the sacred cats head long enough that she meowed softly to get it to start once more, "I just don't want them to get tired of me being there, you know?" he shrugged himself, "I mean, I don't think they'd think so, but you never know." He looked down to the panther cat "Because, I mean, they're adults and I'm a kid." Kahti nudged his hand with her head fondly.

It was the sacred cat that noticed them first, her head turning in their direction with a quick snap, Presley didn't seem to notice their being there though as he let up on petting her head and crossed his arm back over the railing.

They each made gestures to keep their presence a secret, and as though she understood their request, the cat turned her head back around silently and purred in content as she laid down next to the young prince beside her.

"Why am I not good enough for him to stay, Kahti?"

Nefertina covered her mouth with her hand to keep from calling out, it wasn't often that Presley spoke about his father, and they didn't know much about him other then what they had seen of him when he had last visited. They didn't think much of the man, for obvious reasons; choosing his adventures over his own family and leaving his son without a father to look to for guidance. The other three stiffened beside her, similar thoughts crossing through their minds, and a slow boiling anger for the man boiled just under the skin for the pain and the hurt he had caused their prince and friend.

The panther cat meowed softly, as though responding to him, turning to look up at him with wide cat eyes.

Presley sighed and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands, "I wish I was more important to dad then his supposed work."

Ja-kal was the first of them to step forward, having heard enough of the one-sided conversation their young friend was having with their cat, Kahti looked up at him as he approached them, and he waved a hand to maintain her silence. She purred and laid back down on her paws in response to his silent request of her.

Presley jumped under his hand when he curled his fingers over his shoulder, kneeling at his side, the boy looked alarmed at being caught by his guardian, "Ja-kal! I can ex-"

The falcon mummy held his hand up to silence the boy, gesturing to the area around him, "Do you mind if we join you?"

"We…?" he turned to look over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he came to see the others standing just behind them, "How long have you been there!"

Nefertina looked down at him sadly, "Long enough, my prince."

He looked alarmed for a few moment's longer, "So you heard that my mom is-"

"Out of town?" Rath nodded in affirmation "You should have said something on that matter, young prince."

"And that dad-"

"Abandoned his duty as a father?" Ja-kal nodded, gesturing for the others to join them, and they sat in similar fashion as their young prince did, "Yes. We heard that as well." The sacred cat hissed at having her spot stolen by the snake avatar, crawling up to lay in Presley's lap instead.

"The sight is pretty from here." Armon looked down to the reincarnated prince on the other side of Rath, "Do you come here often?"

"Sometimes." He felt Ja-kal stiffen next to him and refused to look up into his eyes to see the disapproval that was undoubtedly shining in them at his admittance. "Mom's a deep sleeper and I come here when I can't clear my head to sleep. Kahti's been coming with me now." The cat purred in his lap and licked his finger with her scratchy tongue.

"You should not have to come sit on your own, young prince." Rath touched a hand to his back, "You are always welcome to come to the Sphinx."

"But I don't come alone. Kahti comes with me."

"Be that as it may," the tutor continued, his hand still curled around the boy's lower back, "And as great a warrior she may be, she would hardly stand a chance on her own should Scarab come after you. We cannot protect you if we cannot find you."

Presley nodded at his words, smiling up at him, and it was returned in kind, before resting his chin on his hands again.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the water roll over itself and the cars zoom over the bridge in the distance like fireflies through the night sky, silence falling around them all like a thick blanket.

Nefertina leaned forward, to look at him from around Ja-kal, and feeling her gaze on him, the twelve year old prince turned to meet her eyes.

"How long is your mom going to be away?"

He seemed reluctant to answer the question, but the heat from the other's gazes were good enough incentive for him, "The next week."

"How long has she been away?"

Presley cringed slightly, "Since last weekend." And braced himself for the reactions that were sure to come.

Rath inhaled deeply. Armon stared at him in surprise. Nefertina's eyes had gone wide at the admission. The only one he had not gained a reaction from was the one sitting directly to his right, and he chanced a glance at the leader of his guardians, sharp eyes met his glance and he gulped silently, him and Kahti had agreed that he wouldn't be pleased with the nightly doings and his being home alone for so long.

Ja-kal pinched the bridge of his nose for a long moment, inhaling deeply, "She is due back next Friday, then?"

He nodded silently, his tone was the same one he used when they found out he had snuck out of the sphinx to go to the park on his own, he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it.

"We have more than enough room for you at the sphinx."

"But all my stuff is at home."

The mummy turned to give him a particular look, "Then we shall come with you to gather your things so that you may stay at the sphinx with us."

Presley looked stricken, he was old enough to stay home alone, and he said as much to the falcon mummy.

"But Ja-kal—"

"Presley."

The mummy knew, of course, that he had no authority to order his prince to do anything, but since the reincarnated prince insisted on being treated like twelve-year-old Presley Carnavon, and not Rapses, he found that telling that boy what he was going to do was well within his authority in that regard.

His young friend nodded silently, looking downwards as young boys do when they know they are not being given a choice. "Okay, Ja-kal."

AN: Thanks again for all your love and positivity! You guys are beautiful, and I love you all! I hope you liked this chapter too!