Palace Rebel!

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Chapter Fifty-Three

Crashing

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Ryou's eyes watered slightly staring around it was dark, he could barely see anything… He slowly stepped forward, though it didn't really matter… he doubted he would get anywhere anytime soon.

It just seemed to swirl with darkness, and purples? He could feel his necklace growing hotter on his skin.

He shook slightly with each step he took, it was dead silent except a few screams in the distance… but no matter how far he went they didn't seem to be getting closer or further.

He shook his white hair violently.

He didn't like it here, though it felt like he'd been here before?

Why? He glanced around carefully, memories were playing in the background now.

His memories.

He swallowed nervously, they were bad memories… When his mother and sister died, his brother left, when his father beat him, every negative thought, action, scene in his life… He cried slowly walking through the darkness, all the screams… painful shrills… He froze as the noises slowly died away, but were still there.

Quieted, not gone.

But the thing that made freeze was the shadow looming in front of him, it slunk up and was completely black, and blurry… it had a glowing eyeball on it's head, it seemed to be forming into a human shape?

"H-he-hello?" Ryou asked shakily.

His eyes widened as a smirk drew across the shadows face and two purple eyes flew open, "hello Yanushi~"

"What?" Ryou took a shaky step back as the boy? stood in front of him, he was still just a black shadow with a glowing eyeball, purple eyes and a huge smirk. He looked so beautifully dangerous in his own way.

"Ryou correct?" the shadow spoke, "don't you recognise me?"

"You've never really spoken," Ryou glanced up and down, "but is it you?"

"Yes its me," the shadow boy smiled, "I've been wanting to talk to you for so long~ It's just been hard~"

"You look like a boy?"

The shadow seemed to chuckle at this remark, "I am… did you want me to show you my truth self? Though I'm connected to the shadows these days…"

"Um… true self?" Ryou gulped slightly as the blackness seemed to drown out from the other boy, revealing a light dusty grey hair, tanned skin, a red coat and a pair of purple pants, "you look like the boy from the graffiti?"

"I am," the shadow boy smiled, "I told you I wanted to talk with you for a long time Yanushi~"

"Landlord…why do you use that term," Ryou asked awkwardly feeling slightly nervous around the other teen.

"What would you like me to call you, Ryou?"

"Ryou please… what is your name?"

"Thief king," the boy smiled, "but you may call me Akefia~"

"Akefia…" Ryou tested out the name, "where are we?"

"This place? Do you like it?"

"No…not really," Ryou swallowed nervously.

"Its painful isn't it?" the other teen chuckled snapping his fingers, Ryou glanced around as everything seemed to disappear, it was silent, "I can make it all disappear Ryou… If you let me," he smirked taking a step closer.

Ryou glanced at the boys feet as he walked, they were connected to the shadows still… "How?"

"I can get rid of those who hurt you? I can help if you let me," Akefia smirked snapping his fingers again and putting an arm around Ryou, "look?" he pointed at the two girls, "I can bring them back… they don't have to be gone!"

"Amane? Mother?" Ryou stared at the two.

"Don't you like my gift?"

"Akefia… this doesn't help me…"

"But brother!" Amane protested.

"Shh little girl," Akefia growled slightly, "Ryou! I can help you!" he snapped his fingers, "I can get rid of those who hurt you," he pointed as a wall grew out of the ground.

Ryou's eyes widened as the ancient brick wall grew out of the ground, and with it his father, Marik, Mariku, Bakura, Rishid, Isis, Shadi, Atem, Yami, Yugi, they were all chained up by their wrist… hanging unconscious, "what is this!" Ryou quickly ran over to Mariku, "Mariku! Wake up! I want to wake up now Akefia!"

"Ryou… these are the people who are hurting you," Akefia said softly, "they want to hurt you! They want to keep us apart!"

"Us?" Ryou blinked.

"Ryou, aren't these the people in your life that have hurt you?" Akefia growled, "they have brought you pain! But I can make them go away… we can be happy!"

"I don't want them to go away," Ryou shook his head, "they have also brought me happiness…"

"But I can make you happy! You don't need them," Akefia protested, "have you forgotten? They hurt you!" Akefia snapped his fingers and the memories and voices all came flooding back to Ryou, "look! But if you let me I can fix everything!"

"Stop it! Please! Stop it!" Ryou clutched his head and fell to his knees clutching his brown eyes closed as he balled up and tried to shut out the images and sounds, he blinked slightly as they seemed to disappear at the snap of the other teens fingers

"They hurt don't they?" Akefia walked over slowly, "but I can make it all go away… I want to help you Ryou! Let me!"

"No!" Ryou froze as two voices came from the wall behind him and he heard feet bang the ground.

"Get out!" Akefia snarled angrily snatching Ryou off the ground and hugging him tightly, "I want to protect my Yanushi! Your parasites~"

"Ryou," one of the voices broke in, "look at us…"

Ryou slowly turned around to stare at the two teens, "Mariku? Atem?"

"Hello Ryou," Atem smiled.

"Ryou!" Akefia sounded stressed out all of a sudden, "don't listen to them! they hurt you! I can make them go away Ryou!"

"They haven't hurt me?" Ryou shook his head slightly.

"They have!" Akefia protested snapping his fingers again bring back any painful memory, thought or image of Mariku or Atem, "look! Ryou!"

"Stop it!" Ryou teared slightly.

"I can Ryou! I can make it go away! All of it!" Akefia snapped his fingers again and it disappeared.

"Ryou," Mariku walked closer, the shadows fighting his presence in Ryou's dream slash mind… Ryou was fighting him, "come here…you need to wake up now…"

"I want to wake up now!" Ryou screamed as more painful memories flooded his mind, "stop it!"

"But Ryou," Akefia sounded worried, "I'm just trying to show you that they hurt you… I want to protect you…"

"Stop it!" Ryou teared, "it hurts Akefia!"

"I know," Akefia said quietly, "but I could make it all go away if you let me help you… no one can hurt you again! No one will! WE will be happy!"

"I want to wake up! Please!" Ryou screamed clutching his head.

"Atem, don't touch anything," Mariku said quietly, "I will be back Ryou."

"Mariku?" Ryou teared slightly as his friend disappeared, "make it stop Akefia…"

Akefia snapped his fingers as Ryou feel to the ground crying, unable to stop as the sounds and images disappeared, "no!" Akefia looked around worriedly as the place seemed to crash around them and Atem and everyone else disappeared until it was just Ryou and Akefia in a blank room, "Ryou! Please!" Akefia wavered as he slowly disappeared into the darkness and then he couldn't see anything.

"Ryou."

"Wake up!"

"Is he ok?"

"Yeah"

"Ryou?"

"Wake up now."

"Huh?" Ryou blinked slightly, the blackness washing away, Mariku was staring at him worriedly, "Mariku!" Ryou suddenly bolted awake and flung himself at the tanned teen before crying.

"I told you I'd be right back Ryou," Mariku sighed, "you're ok now…"

Ryou sobbed quietly into the other teens chest as he held him close.

"Y-you were there," Ryou said quietly.

"I'm here now and that's all that matters," Mariku smoothed.

"Are you ok Ryou?" it was his brother's voice, he sounded worried as well.

"Bakura," Ryou sniffed, "it hurt…"

"You're awake now," Bakura sighed sitting down on the bed beside Mariku and his brother.

"But it hurt… it really hurt," Ryou teared.

"It was a dream," Bakura reassured.

"I want Rishid-kun!" Ryou burst out suddenly. He wanted Rishid. He had always helped when he was younger and he wanted him now.

"You want my brother?" Marik blinked walking into the room, Ryou was crying on the bed and his brother and Bakura were sitting around staring at him worriedly and now the teen wanted his brother. Weird.

"I need Rishid-kun!" Ryou pushed everyone away hugging around his arms tightly and leaving his head faced at the ground… Rishid did have a room to live inside the palace walls but he did actually own a house outside with Isis… even if they weren't home he could wait for them or just go home himself, he wanted Rishid. He needed him.

"Ryou!" Mariku called out after the pale teen still crying as he stormed off, "we should go get him…"

"Come on," Bakura growled as the three of them went after the first pale teen.

Ryou sniffed he wanted Rishid, "Ryou you don't need him!"

Ryou shook his head violently as Akefia's voice seemed to scream through his mind, "go away! Leave me alone!"

He quickly skidded around the corner freezing in front of the door that he was pretty sure was the Ishtar's, he sniffed banging on the door. He heard something from inside.

A sleepy guard opened the door, he had tanned skin and a tattoo covering half of his face and a single pigtail on the back of his head, Ryou sniffed quietly lunging at the guard and crying into him, "it hurt!" he teared.

"Young prince!" Rishid jumped slightly as the albino clung to him, he looked side to side before bringing the prince inside, he should take him straight to the palace but obviously something was wrong, he sighed turning on the light to the lounge room, "what hurts young master?"

"Rishid-kun! It hurt!" Ryou sobbed.

"Why don't I set you up a bed and we go to sleep for a while," Rishid suggested, "we can sort it out in the morning…then maybe go home?"

"No! Rishid-kun!" Ryou teared, "I can't go back to sleep! No! It hurt!"

"Did you have a nightmare Young Master?"

"It felt so real," Ryou sniffed, "it hurt Rishid-kun… why?"

Rishid glanced up as he heard another bang on the door, "Isis! Could you get that!?"

"Ok," came Isis sleepy voice as the walked sleepily over to the door rubbing her eye, before opening and almost getting knocked over as three teens bursted into her house.

"Sorry Isis!" Marik quickly apologised, he hadn't seen either of his siblings properly since they went their separate ways.

"Ryou!" Mariku and Bakura ran over and pushed Rishid aside.

"You can't just run off like that!" Mariku hugged around the crying teen.

"You scared us half to death!" Bakura growled.

"Hello brothers," Rishid said quietly, "young princes…"

"You can't have him!" Bakura snapped, "he's ours now! and I am no longer a prince!"

"By birthright you are," Rishid sighed, "and I should return him home… though for now I think the young prince just needs me."

"No!" Mariku snarled, "Ryou is mine! I'm not sharing!"

"Isis," Rishid sighed, "could you take the prince to my room? I still have his things in my draw…"

"Ok Rishid," Isis stared at her two brothers before picking up Ryou out of Mariku's powerful grip he just cried into her chest as she carried him away and carefully set him down on the bed where he almost instantly passed out before returning to the room where everyone else was, "he's asleep. I thought the spirit was gone years ago…"

"Apparently not," Rishid shook his head.

"Ryou is mine Rishid!" Mariku broke in, "you're not fucking allowed him!"

"Mariku…" Rishid asked quietly, "do you have romantic feeling for the prince?"

"So what if I do!" Mariku snapped, "he's mine! Not yours!"

"Brother?" Isis said quietly.

"Fuck off! All of you!" Mariku growled, "I want to see Ryou! Now!" he demanded walking out of the room and towards another closed door and swinging it open and trying to walk in, "what the fuck! Why can't I go in!"

"You're in connection with the rod aren't you?" Rishid walked up behind his trouble making brother, "I have an artefact in my draw that banishes the power of the Sennen items from the room… if you're in connection with one it won't let you in… he can't be bothered by the spirit while he's in this room…"

"Let me fucking in Rishid!" Mariku shut his eyes trying to break his connection with the rod, he stumbled forward slightly as the connection seemed to break and finally let him in, "Ryou…" he sat down calmly on the bed beside his object of affection.

Rishid sighed shaking his head but heading back to the lounge room where the other three were sitting still, "just let them be… it's lovely to see you two doing so well, especially our prince after so long away."

"Like fuck you guys cared," Bakura huffed, "and I'm pretty sure I robbed your neighbour's house a couple of weeks ago… if had of known you lived one house over I would of robbed you too."

"Lovely words of wisdom from my young master I see?" Rishid raised an eyebrow.

"I'm dittoing Kura's response," Marik pouted.

"And lovely dittoing from my brother I see?"

"Don't ever call me young master again," Bakura snapped.

"Young prince?"

"No! Bloody Bakura!"

"Brother? You're not going to take Kura to the castle are you?" Marik asked worriedly latching onto the pale teens arm making him smirk slightly.

"Yeah Marik~ That's exactly what he just wants to do~" Bakura chuckled darkly, "there's so many people I haven't made out with in there yet~" he winked cheekily.

"No!" Marik snapped.

"Awe what don't want me to go~" He chuckled, "I left you for a year and you're barely noticed~ I could of been making out with anyone!"

"D-did you?" Marik asked quietly.

"No… and most people I met were idiots anyway, plus it's no fun if you're not there," Bakura pouted.

"But no brother," Rishid shook his head, "the prince has be banished from the palace… he is not allowed back."

"Did they finally actually banish me!?" Bakura burst out laughing, "Shit! took them long bloody enough!"

"Yes…" Rishid sighed, "and can I take a guess too… Marik you have a thing for the young lord?"

"Kura is mine Rishid," Marik poked out his tongue.

"Still not gay Marik," Bakura chuckled, "I can go out and make out with a bunch of girls to prove it~"

"No," Marik pouted but then smirked, "can I go make out with other people too then Kura~"

"No bloody way!" Bakura snapped, "I said I wasn't yours! But your bloody fucking 100 percent mine!"

"But I do have to return my prince to the palace tomorrow…" Rishid added breaking into the little fight.

"He doesn't want to go back," Bakura sneered.

"He has too," Rishid sighed, "he is the only heir to the throne without you, plus I think it would be better to send him home now before he gets hurt or hurts my brother."

"Hurt Mariku? How?" Marik spoke up.

"Ryou is meant to marry someone of the rulers choosing," Rishid sighed, "and Mariku is not on that list… he has rules and responsibilities as our future leader, and Mariku isn't in them…"

"Who gives a fuck about that stuff," Bakura snapped, "I might bloody well hate that bastard being near my bloody brother! But it's bloody obvious he likes him! He doesn't want to be our bloody future leader! He never did!"

"But he is our future leader," Rishid sighed, "you don't always get to pick the role you play in life!"

Ryou shivered slightly as Mariku held him closely as the fight floated into the room from the lounge room, "he is right Mariku… I have duties to my kingdom," he sniffed, "I should go home. I can't just keep dragging you along."

"You're not," Mariku reassured the pale teen, "home is the hideout, you deserve a normal life Ryou. To pick for yourself who you love and don't," Mariku was cut off suddenly.

"But I love you!" Ryou teared clutching the material of the other teens shirt and crying into his chest as Mariku held him close.

Mariku froze as those word left the white haired teens mouth and his eyes widened, "you…you love me?" he couldn't believe the pale teen was returning his feelings. Finally.

"I fucking love you Mariku and it's not fair!" Ryou teared clinging onto the other teens shirt, "because I can't! I have a duty to my kingdom!"

"Shh, sh, sh," Mariku patted down Ryou white puff of hair, "I love you too and the kingdom can screw itself if it thinks I'm going to let you go."

"It's not fair Mariku," Ryou sniffed, "why did I have to be the prince! I want to be normal!"

"You don't have to be," Mariku smoothed down Ryou's back, "we can be together… you don't have to be the prince. Bakura quit didn't he?" Mariku softly placed a hand under Ryou's chin forcing the teen to look up at him, but also making sure it was a gentle touch, "I love Ryou, not the prince… I love my little rabbit"

"But," Ryou sniffed, "I can't just quit! I never even wanted this! I was born into it!"

"I was born into a clan of tomb keepers," Mariku held Ryou's chin firmly, "my family had been doing it for generations, we stopped it, you can too…"

Ryou looked away slightly, "I'm not allowed to love you."

"But you do and love is a screwed up emotion but you can't ignore it," Mariku leant in slightly, "I love you too," he whispered quietly before connecting their lips together, happy to see Ryou wasn't pulling away, but he figured the kiss had been long enough anyway to prove his point and pulled away not wanting to push the other teen in case he was just too shocked to do anything.

"You kissed me…" Ryou said quietly averting his eyes back onto Mariku instead of his lap, "why do I love you? It's not fair."

"Shh," Mariku placed a soft kiss on Ryou's little nose, "my bunny rabbit, I can't tell you why you love me only you can, I could go on for days the things I love about you, but the list would never end…"

"I love you Mariku," Ryou cried softly, "I love you so much…"

"That's ok because I love you too," Mariku smirked slightly placing a kiss on the pale teens neck, "I promise I will never hurt you…"

"Ok," Ryou sniffed slightly as Mariku hugged him placing soft kisses along his neck, "I love you Mariku… every single little thing about you…"

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Rishid sighed staring around the room, "Isis… I think we should go to bed, Marik and Bakura… you are welcome to stay the night but I will be taking Ryou with me to the palace tomorrow. He will be returning home soon."

"We'll be gone before you wake up," Bakura said coldly, "do you have anywhere for us to sleep anyway? Or we might as well just go back to our hideout."

"The lounge can fold down to fit you two on it or you may join your brother on my bed and Mariku can sleep out here," RIshid sighed, "and I will be taking the prince with me, whether you like it or not."

"This is why we left," Marik huffed.

"Goodnight Marik, Prince Bakura," Isis bowed slightly and left the room.

"I quit being royal!" Bakura snarled after her, "why is that so hard to remember!"

"It's still your birth right… I'll be in the spare bedroom," Rishid sighed leaving the room.

"Hey Marik," Bakura smirked, "give me your blood?"

"No!" Marik shivered at the idea, "did you just want to sleep here? We should wait until my siblings are asleep before sneaking out. Though we should tell Mariku and Ryou," he whispered so his brother and sister wouldn't hear from memory nothing woke Rishid and everything woke Isis but she use to wear earplugs.

"Ok, I'll tell them," Bakura shrugged standing up, "you figure out the lounge. We won't be staying long."

"Ok," Marik shrugged as Bakura left the room.

Bakura carefully walked over to where he noticed Isis take his brother earlier and his friend storm off to, he paused in front of the closed door knocking slightly, "can I come in?"

Mariku glanced at the door momentarily before back down to the pale teen in his arms, "Ryou, you need to make a decision, come with us or go with Rishid"

"I want to go with you," Ryou said quietly snuggling into the other teen as he slowly stood up and placed an arm under his back and knees, "please?"

"Come on then," Mariku smirked walking over to the door as Ryou snuggled into him, "come in Kura," he knocked slightly, he blinked as the teen flew open the door.

"We need to get ready to go," Bakura huffed noticing the way Ryou was snuggled into the bigger teen, "your brother wants to take Ryou to the palace, you don't want that do you Ryou?"

"No," Ryou shook his head noting the tone of his brother's voice, he actually sounded worried he would want to go home? "I want to stay with you and Marik and Mariku…"

"Come on then," Bakura smirked, "we'll sit in the lounge room and wait a bit to get the other two asleep."

"Two secs…" Mariku froze slightly, "hold him," he quickly passed Ryou to his brother and walked back into the room opening the draw and fishing for something and pulling it out. It was still there, they had more than one, but he and Marik didn't have one, "come on."

"What were you grabbing?" Bakura raised an eyebrow accusingly.

"Something for Marik," Mariku shrugged, "they had another one in there so I only took one." Mariku shoved the albino teens back into the lounge room Marik was sitting on the ground staring up at the couch looking more than slightly confused.

"This thing is fucked up," Marik pouted, "it's broken…"

"Whatever," Bakura rolled his eyes placing his brother down, "are you awake Ryou?"

"Yeah…" Ryou bit his lip slightly as his brother placed him on the ground, "Bakura… Am I- Am I- Am I allowed to quit? Being a prince I mean? I know I have a duty— I know— but can I quit?"

"Yes," Bakura smirked, "I don't want you near him anyway, stay with us."

"Ok," Ryou smiled, "sorry for running off."

"It's ok," Mariku smirked, "let's go."

They shrugged leaving the house quietly, "will you tell me what you took from your brothers room now?" Bakura glanced at Mariku, noting the way he walked with his arm over his brother's shoulder.

"Oh…that," Mariku shrugged, "hey Marik. I stole this for you," he passed Marik a piece of paper.

"Huh?" Marik blinked being passed the paper, he flipped it over carefully, "Mariku…this is our family photo," he smiled happily, "thankyou!" he hugged his brother happily.

"Well… I figured they had more than one and you deserve one," Mariku shrugged. It was the only family photo that had all four before they split up and went their separate ways.

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Thankyou for reading

Feels like I haven't updated this story in a while? Not sureit just felt like this chapter was too similar to the previous but I couldn't think of any chapters to put in between.