The cold moonlight passed through a crack in the drawn curtain, causing Ryou to stir.
It had only been a week since he was rescued, along with the others, and as expected he was having trouble adjusting to life back with his friends. The thought of Bakura out there, watching, waiting, causing shivers to roll down his spine.
His dreams were spoiled and his waking moments were haunting. He dared not leave the apartment, and would not be without someone at all times.
For Yuugi it was a huge step backwards. They had spent years working to help Ryou escape Bakura's hauntings. They spent countless sleepless nights, comforting their friend and trying to show that everything would be okay, but here he was, worse than before. The tortured screams travelled through the building at night, as nightmares of pain and torture cursed Ryou's thoughts. Keeping the group of friends awake, including this night, when the nightmares seemed to be particularly bad.
Yuugi gave a soft sigh, sipping the cup of coffee. Tea was busy making more, while Tristan and Duke were both asleep at the table.
Another loud yell, panicked and hurried jolted them awake, Tea almost spilling the hot water. Yuugi gave a soft groan.
"Was it as bad as this when you helped him previously?" Atemu frowned, glancing to the others. Tea gave a shake of her head and Yuugi muttered a soft no.
"Bakura did not have a physical form, so Ryou suffered mental torture. But because he had suffered it for so long...It was just breaking him from routine. Now though...Bakura is still out there, and they seem to be connected by something. Suffering physical and mental anguish, along with Bakura haunting him, it can't be good for him"
"I agree" A voice at the door caused them to turn, but the shadow figure stepped further back, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Atemu grew more alert, moving to stand beside Yuugi.
"How long have you been hiding in the shadows thief?" The last word was punctuated with disdain, but Akefia only shrunk back further, uttering a soft 'nevermind'.
Tea took the chance to step forward, offering a soft smile to Akefia.
"Is Ryou keeping you awake as well?" She kept her voice low, obviously trying not to threaten him. They had seemed to form a shaky friendship over the course of the week. Akefia was starting to open up to her a bit more, which was good considering he was the closest to Ryou, and to get Ryou to open up they would need to start trusting Akefia more.
Akefia gave a soft shrug, before looking around.
"I was just down to get something cold for Ryou, he is sweating a lot, I did not expect you all to be down here"
"The house is ours" Atemu shot back, and Yami nodded. The atmosphere was getting rather tense. Yuugi glared at the pair of them.
"Yami, Atemu, come see how Marik is doing with me" The younger offered a soft smile to the two, before practically dragging the pair away.
When Yuugi and the others left the room, Tristan stood up, giving a large yawn.
"There is a new basin in the garage that you can fill with water. I'll go get it for you." Akefia gave a soft nod, stepping further into the kitchen. He knew he wasn't welcomed here, they weren't his friends. Sometimes it felt worse than living with the demons. But at the same time, he knew Ryou would be safe, and cared for here.
Even Joey was awake now, looking over to Akefia. He knew how Atemu and Yami felt, they had been speaking to him about it. But Ryou, and Yuugi both seemed to trust the other, so it was only fair they gave him a chance. He after all, was only working with orders from Ryou's dark half, the Spirit of the Ring. Technically the Thief King had been in the exact same situation as Ryou.
"Why don't you give us a list of what you need? We can help you out with this" He gave Akefia a confident smile, and Akefia couldn't help a soft smile back, before nodding.
While they helped Akefia out, Yuugi made sure to take Yami and Atemu into their room first.
"What was that about?! Akefia is here to help Ryou. There's no need to be so hostile towards him" He snapped, glaring at the pair of them.
"Once a thief, always a thief. We can't exactly trust him, we know nothing about his relationship with Bakura. Me and Atemu work together to overcome situations, who is to say Akefia is not working as a spy for the Spirit of the Ring!" Yami snorted, folding his arms.
"Yami is right Yuugi. I lived in the same time as him, I saw the destruction and terror he caused my people. I can't just forgive and forget, and I do not believe he has changed. We are relying on Ryou's word. Not that I do not trust Ryou, but he has been through such an awful experience, where the only option he could rely on, is someone whos character should be judged in the first place. Akefia showed Ryou a small amount of kindness, and Ryou clung to that. You know Ryou tries to see the good in everyone just as well as we do"
Yuugi glared at them both, and rolled his eyes.
"Ryou trusts them, and he's our guest. At least be civil to him"
Both Atemu and Yami looked at each other, before Atemu sighed.
"For you Yuugi, I will be civil. But that is all I can be, please understand."
Yami however, gave a loud sigh, before throwing his hands up in the air.
"Fine! But if he betrays us, don't be surprised" Yuugi nodded, he knew he was asking a lot of the pair. Akefia had been a thorn in Atemu's side for millennia, and Yami was protective of Atemu just as he was protective of Yuugi. They had fought against Bakura and Akefia for so long, they had been enemies for so long. But he needed to show Ryou that he could feel safe here, and that meant accepting Akefia.
Yuugi led Atemu and Yami to Marik's room in silence, giving a quiet knock he pushed the door open carefully. The first thing the trio noticed, was that Marik wasn't in his bed. Scanning the room, he noticed one of the cupboard doors move ever so slightly.
He nodded over to Atemu, who was closer to the cupboard. He opened the door carefully, causing Marik to flinch and wake up with a gasp.
The wounds and bruises were healing, but it was obvious that mentally Marik was suffering greatly, just as Ryou was.
"Sorry for disturbing you Marik, we just wanted to check to see if you are ok, and when we didn't see you in the bed, we got worried."
Marik glanced over to the bed, before shaking his head.
"Malik sleeps in the bed, I only sleep in the bed if Malik says"
"But Malik is not here, this is your bed Marik, You can sleep here when you want."
Marik gave another soft shake of his head.
"Malik and me are connected. He can still cause me pain, he speaks to be about how me and Ryou made a huge mistake, how we need to go back. He...he misses me...I have been so bad, I need to go back"
Yuugi took a few steps towards him, before kneeling down beside him.
"Marik, look at me! We can help you, we can try and block him from your mind, sever the connection." Yami gave a nod, moving closer to Marik.
"We can help you, please let us." Marik shook his head at that, trying to close the cupboard door again.
"No no no, Malik will be annoyed. I...I have to keep him happy. He is already so angry, I made a mistake, need to go back to him."
Marik turned away, before muttering something under his breathe. Yuugi stood up and gave a soft sigh, letting Marik close the cupboard again quickly. They could hear quiet mutterings from the other. This was far worse than Yuugi had seen with Ryou, there was no way he would be able to help Marik so quick. They needed to get that demon out of his head.
"We have to get rid of the connection somehow, there has to be a way. Marik is not going to get a break from Malik unless we do. I feel so sorry for both of them. With the way they treated me...I would not wish that trouble on them at all, to know I suffered, only half of what the three of them suffered...I mean Akefia was just as trapped as the pair of them." Atemu gave a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"To sever the connection, we need access to the Puzzle, that has enough Shadow Magic to help us. But that means, trying to track down those two again. After our first assault there is no way they are going to be as careless. They are going to be well hidden."
"But Bakura and Malik still want Ryou and Marik, now I'm not saying using them as bait as last time, but there has to be a way to bring them out of hiding"
Yuugi looked to Atemu and Yami again, before giving a soft sigh.
"They are drawn to two things, their other halves...and shadow magic. If we could make something large enough to draw their attention..."
Atemu shook is head.
"Impossible without the items, shadow magic itself is really hard to control. It is unpredictable, and unstable. Anyone using it has a chance to get infected by the energy. I witnessed it during my time in Egypt. Creatures of darkness, how it manipulated the minds of the once pure and innocent. I would rather not see anyone use it at all. It is a dangerous energy we are nowhere near understanding."
The three began their walk back to the main room, noticing the others helping Akefia...well helping as much as they could. Tea was trying to talk to Akefia, but he was still avoiding questions and attention in general. It was obvious how uncomfortable he was in this situation.
"So, how is he?" Tristan queried as he looked up at the three, causing Yuugi to sigh loudly.
"There is no way he's coming back from this easily. We need to sever the connection between Marik and his dark half. Otherwise he's just going to be haunted by the monster. We need a trap to lure Bakura or Malik in...but we can't use Ryou or Marik as bait. We can't risk losing them to those monsters again, not considering what they'll do if they do catch them."
Akefia took the chance to look over to Yuugi, before glancing to the stairs.
"We can use me, I can lure them in. It doesn't matter if they catch me. I know Ryou would be against it...but if it is to get him better, and get Bakura's voice out of my head, then I am more than happy to volunteer. After all, Bakura is just as drawn to me as he is to Ryou. There is no way he would resist trying to catch me, to punish me for escaping, and to help Ryou escape. I have not left this house yet, I can feel his presence now and again. I will volunteer."
Yuugi frowned, stepping forward, before giving a soft sigh.
"If you're sure about this, we can have Yami use as much shadow-magic as possible to protect you. We just need to lure them in enough, Yami you'll be strong enough, right?"
The other gave a shrug, glancing between the group.
"Bakura and Marik's dark half have both had far more time to master using shadow-magic. I am not too sure I will be able to overpower them. But as long as they have their Millennium Items on them, I could possibly draw power from them. After all, as the Spirit of the Puzzle I do feel connected to all the items, though of course the Puzzle gives me the most energy. Perhaps I will have enough strength to draw one of them in...even both. If you're willing to risk your freedom on a chance" He muttered the last sentence, turning to Akefia, who gave a nod.
"Of course, anything to see Ryou better, and to not have him risk his own freedom. I am more than happy and willing to help out"
-x-
The day in question was an absolute dreary day, Yami had been practising his magic, and they had a far stronger plan of how things were going to happen.
Akefia would head out quietly, slip out the back to make it seem like he was escaping. Before that, Yuugi and Yami would head out seeming to go in the opposite direction. It was strange to do all this preparation, but there was no doubt Bakura and Malik knew where their house was, and were probably keeping tabs on what was going to happen.
They kept Atemu and the others in the apartment, to make sure they wouldn't try to go after Ryou and Marik while too many people were gone. It was risky, far too risky. But if they could get at least one of the demons trapped, they'd only have to worry about one left, and perhaps get information, or at the very least have a Millennium Item on their side for once.
Akefia leapt over the rooftops quietly, constantly looking around, checking his surroundings. He was following the path the others had planned out. They had one shot at this, if Bakura or Malik played into their hands, and he was sure Bakura would. After all there had to be a reason why Bakura dragged him from his own time period.
There was no doubt he was terrified of the demon, after all the hell and pain he caused him, but he had to do this. For Ryou's sake.
So he kept running, constantly looking, they hadn't a plan for if Bakura or Malik didn't show up...but they didn't really need one really. They'd just try again another time.
Well he assumed. He was never able to predict this group, especially The Spirit of the Puzzle. Unlike the Pharaoh, who would always think of the needs of the people, the other was focused more on pleasing Yuugi and the Pharaoh. No matter what, Yuugi and The Pharaoh came first in his mind.
He came to a pause at the edge of a building, something caught his eye, a shadow.
There was no time to think, he yelled 'now' automatically, and a mist of shadow surrounded himself and the figure, before Yami appeared from thin air, it was surprising how quickly Yami had mastered shadow magic.
With the boost of power from the figures Millennium Item, he ripped the ring from the others neck, before throwing it to Akefia without thinking. With that he summoned chains of pure magic, and secured Bakura.
This was it, they caught him! He was strangely predictable, Bakura would never usually put himself in such a risky situation. Something seemed different as well, he was cursing and struggling as predicted, but the veins of magic had grown more prominent. Bakura didn't look too good either. In fact he had bruises and scars all over his arms. This was far different than how he looked when he and Ryou left Bakura.
When Yuugi caught up to them, Yami hauled Bakura up.
"I'll take him back, I'll need the ring to draw from it's power" Akefia looked down to the Ring. He could just take it, use it's power... but no. This was for Ryou, he needed to do it for him.
He handed the ring back, taking another glance at Bakura before sighing.
"Right, we'll walk home. Make sure Ryou doesn't see him. He's been doing better, the last thing we need is for him to..." He gave a soft sigh.
Yami took that as his time to leave, grabbing Bakura once more, before turning.
"You'll be fine with the thief...?" Yami began, but a glare from Yuugi caused him to backtrack.
"Anyway, I'll make sure he's far away...be safe, and I still don't trust you thief!" With that Yami disappeared with Bakura, leaving Yuugi and Akefia on the rooftop alone.
"I'm sorry about how they treat you, I know you're trying."
Akefia shrugged, helping Yuugi down easily.
"I understand the hatred, I was awful to the Pharaoh and his people, Zorc and the Spirit controlled me for so long, blamed the Pharaoh for killing my home. I wanted revenge, I was obsessed with it. When I was in the Shadow Realm...I was content. I was back with my people, in the town I grew up. True it was in shadows, but it was home. Relaxing. Then Bakura had to come back, had to take control again. Of course he can't leave it alone. He's power hungry. I just...I don't want to fight now. I had my turn, and the Pharaoh won fair and square. I just want to get away from this place...it's hell."
He gave a soft sigh, and Yuugi frowned.
"But you're here now, and if it wasn't for you Ryou would have had to endure a lot worse at the hands of Bakura. You were willing to risk your own freedom to help us as well. It's good you're here Akefia."
The rest of the walk home was mostly in silence, with Yuugi stopping at a store to get a few things. Akefia kept by his side as he explained modern technology to him, even let him pick something out to take back to Ryou.
The minute they got home Akefia started acting more on edge.
"The magic here...it's far stronger. You have Bakura, Ryou and me...as well as the ring. Something is wrong, something is very wrong I can sense it." The others turned to Akefia, who looked up the stairs.
"Is Ryou okay? There's no way he would not be able to notice it." Akefia moved to go up the stairs, and Yuugi turned to Atemu, who was standing at the door.
"Something is wrong with Bakura, he seems very sick for some strange reason. We think Malik had something to do with this, but of course the thief is far too stubborn to talk. We have Ishizu here looking over the place. She knows more about Shadow-magic than any of us."
"Marik knows far more" A soft voice came from the stairs, and Ryou stepped down. It was the first time he had stepped out of his bedroom for months.
"If Bakura is here, I need to see him. If he is ill I want to comfort him. I know what he did to me, the nightmares he caused. But there is a bond between us, Akefia feels it too. There is...there is something really wrong with Bakura, we're not used to this negative energy...well all shadow-magic is negative energy, but nothing like this."
Atemu sighed, before walking to the door.
"Fine, but you're not going to like this"
Atemu led Yuugi and the others into the spare room, where Yami and Ishizu were standing around Bakura, who was looking far worse.
"We need Marik here. He knows far more than I do. I cannot assess his condition well enough. This is something I haven't seen before."
Yuugi glanced back to the door, before Ryou stepped forward.
"I'll go, he probably wont listen to me, but we were together through a lot of this. He may be able to give some advice."
"I'll come with you Ryou, he is my brother after all" Ishizu muttered, before offering a soft smile, and Ryou gave a nod, that was if Marik was in a well enough condition to talk...if anything at all.