The first time his eyes had spotted something golden in Ryou's living room, his heart had nearly stopped beating. He could recall the exact moment, how a jolt of fear soared throughout his body, dark memories resurged in his mind, body, soul. Diva could have sworn his breath had come to a halt, everything had just stopped. And when his eyes somehow focused on the golden object, he was finally able to let out a breath. It was nothing more than an unfinished model, a pyramid, that the resident had been working on.
The second time his eyes caught hold of another golden imitation, it was while walking through the halls of this home. It had nearly made him jump, the golden color shining in the unlit hall. He managed to only be startled by the sudden glow of a painting. Something he assumed Ryou had done as well. He hated to admit that it looked so similar to the Millennium Ring, keeping that circular shape with those ancient patterns, that eye dead center of this artwork. If he had never seen the ring before, he would have definitely assumed this was what it may have looked like, or even be what it was based off of. He made sure his gaze always looked elsewhere when walking down this hall.
Diva was glad he hadn't had a third encounter with something that looked like that cursed object in this home. The last thing he needed was another irrational scare to run him out of here.
He was foolish to think that cursed item would be here. It was gone, far, far away in Egypt. (Sometimes he liked to think it was trapped in another dimension, banished there for good.) Last he heard it was supposed to be returned to it's original resting place, along with the other items (excluding one).
Standing at the entrance to Ryou's apartment, his gaze drifts throughout the home. He wouldn't catch sight of anything else that would make his blood run cold, he knew. After reassuring that nothing was wrong, this home was free of any Millennium Items or anything that may resemble them, he was free to move inside. He walks calmly towards Ryou's room, intending to speak with him as they had planned to earlier.
As Diva approaches, he stops right outside the door. Ryou was speaking to someone- but who else was here? He first imagined that the white haired male was on his phone, but his voice was too low. He was trying to keep it almost to a whisper.
There's hesitation in knocking and against better judgment, he doesn't. Instead, Diva leans closer to the door, careful not to press his body too much against it or make the floorboards creak to alert his presence.
"I thought you'd come back, you know. I really did. You always had a plan of revival." A deep sigh. "Didn't even leave a piece of yourself behind? Not even in me?" A forced chuckle. "Is it that silly of me to hope you'd return? You...I remember that promise you made to me. You said that you'd always be beside me, that you'd always find your way back to the light..." Another sigh. A pause. "Maybe I'm hoping too much. You did tell me to never grow attached to you..." A sniffle. "I just can't believe that you're-"
The door creaks as Diva accidentally pressed himself against it, causing Ryou to gasp to the interruption. There's the sound of quick movement from beyond the door and he waits a moment before pushing it open. Inside, he finds Ryou sitting on the bed, forcing a smile with a hand resting upon a pillow. A piece of string could be seen dangling down from underneath it, off the side of the bed.
"Ryou?" Diva speaks as he takes slow steps inside, golden hues scan the room before resting upon the other boy, the only person here. "Who were you talking to?"
That smile of his wavers and he breaks into a nervous laugh, unable to meet his gaze. "N-No one! Just myself."
"Really?" The blue haired male crosses his arms, a disapproving look on his face. "I find that hard to believe." Somewhat. He knew the other occasionally mumbled to himself, though it was usually to help him concentrate on another task or even be a simple chant for some type of spell (one he claimed warded off lingering spirits).
The white haired male bites his lip, brown hues unintentionally glancing to the pillow and going wide as he notices the visible string. It's too late to hide it. He refuses to respond.
"Is something going on, Ryou?" Diva asks, this time with concern, worry, even a hint of irritation. It's not his intention to sound so, but he wants to know what's going on. He has a right to know, doesn't he?
"Um..." Ryou gulps, hesitating on answering. "It's..." His gaze finally drifts to Diva, eyes slowly looking up and meeting with his. They stare for a moment before he finally says, "Nothing."
The response is agitating, even more so since he knows something is wrong. Did the other not trust him to speak of his problems? Wasn't he considered a friend? Was he not allowed to help? His eyes go from him to the pillow, glaring. "What are you hiding?"
The hand on the pillow tightens, squeezing the white fabric. The room remains silent before Ryou sighs. "Just a warning, you won't like this..." He mumbles, waiting to see if Diva would reconsider. When he doesn't, he pushes the pillow aside.
The moment golden eyes meet, his breath is lost and his body freezes in place. The anger that had been growing disappears, all replaced with fear and the urge to run out of this room, this house. This isn't fear like before, when his eyes had been playing tricks on him and torturing him with only visions of this cursed object. No, this time it's real.
"The Millennium Ring," Diva states, voice shaking, eyes glued to said ring.
Ryou, without fear, moves the item from the bed onto his lap. It makes Diva want to grabe that cursed item and toss it out the window, to get it away from this poor boy. He knows what it's capable of, the darkness it held- holds. What it had done to him long ago. If only his body could move.
"Why...Why do you have it?"
"Hmm..." Those brown eyes remain locked onto the golden ring, face scrunching as he has to think about his answer. "Truthfully, I don't why. It...appeared to me one day. By my bed." His gaze flickers over to his bedside. "I thought it was a dream, that it had come back to me. But when I reached to touch it, I found that it was quite real. I-I didn't know what to do."
It always had a way of coming back to him, he wanted to say. That no matter how hard he had tried to get rid of it, him or others, it had always found it's way back. Before, it had to be because of the spirit dwelling within it. But now, he was gone. He had been for a while now, a couple of years. And yet, it had still returned to him, the host of the ring.
"So, I kept it. I...should probably return it." Though he's not sure where exactly and taking a trip to Egypt isn't the easiest thing in the world. Finally, he looks to Diva. He isn't surprised by the fearful expression on his face. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I know this isn't something you want to see, that's why I..." hid it.
"You need to get rid of it," he replies that with such urgency, it makes Ryou's grip on the item tighten. "It's nothing but a bad omen. Especially if it found it's way to you here when it clearly should be dormant." Or destroyed. Or trapped. Any fate that damned the thing away from this world, from them.
"I can't discard it!" Ryou argues. "Not if there's a chance that-" He cuts himself off, deciding it best not to finish that sentence.
"Not unless if there's a chance of what?" If it weren't for that cursed object, Diva would have gotten closer to the other. "Don't tell me..." Golden eyes narrow as the room goes silent. His mind goes back to when Ryou was speaking to himself- the ring.
And it all clicks.
"You want that evil creature back?"
"He's not evil!" Ryou defends, too quickly. "I...know your experience with him wasn't pleasant, but he wasn't a bad person." Spirit. "I learned about what happened to him, his past and what made him that way. It's not what you think, Diva, really." He knew there were many things he had done wrong, to hurt others. But there were times he had been good, had shown mercy and even listened to his host. They were rare moments, moments that no one else had been granted to see.
"I don't understand." He couldn't. He refused to. That ring held a demon and Ryou wanted it back in this world. He had picked up on him being a little odd, but this was really taking the cake. The thought of him wanting such a creature in this world once more made his blood begin to boil. "He's a monster, Ryou."
"You could give him a second chance. I did," he replies before turning away from Diva. "Never mind, forget it." Hearing Ryou's voice go cold makes him flinch. "I don't expect you to understand." No one could. (Perhaps Yugi would, but that might even be a stretch to consider.)
Diva can't make a comment to that. He's right. He can't understand. That evil monster had changed and used him, taken over his body to fulfill his own needs. He would only ever see the ring as a vessel that held a monster, one waiting to sink it's teeth into a new host and toss aside.
As for Ryou's experience with it, Diva only knew so much. The ex-host hardly talked about it- him, always gaining a sad, longing look on his face when he did. Knowing that he truly missed that creature, it made him sick to his stomach. He wanted to ask how he could miss it? How that thing meant so much to him? But, Ryou was right. He wouldn't be able to understand.
"I still think you shouldn't keep it," Diva finally speaks. Ryou doesn't answer.
"I'm sorry, but I can't rid of it." Not yet.
He simply holds the Millennium Ring in his hands, carefully lifting it and taking the string, placing it around his neck. The golden object sits against his chest and Ryou has an almost defiant look in his eyes when theirs meet.
The action causes Diva to step back. He's expecting the ring to take over Ryou, to lose this pure boy to the darkness and become some cruel deformed creature just as he did. He can almost see another soul- a quick vision of Ryou with a dark expression, sharper hair, teeth, glowing red eyes. It reminds him of the past and his legs feel weak. He's glad that Ryou's expression has turned to worry rather than the menacing one he imagined.
"Keep it then." He can't do anything about it. He'd love to, but fear of the item is deeply rooted into his soul. "At least keep that off while I'm around, please?" Diva didn't mean to sound pleading, but he can't, can't be around the other if he's wearing that.
"I promise not to wear it while you're around." And he easily slides the ring off him, once again letting it sit in his lap.
Diva pulls his gaze away from him. It's best not to keep staring, to have this mixture of fear and anger flowing inside. He has to calm himself and decides to leave this room. He doesn't look back, even as he hears Ryou's apology.