"Take. It. Off."

It's not a request, but a demand. Ryou flinches to the harshness in his voice.

He's stupid, incredibly stupid for even trying to hide this. Probably even more so for trying to continue and keep this hidden from Bakura.

"No..."

His defiance is weak, trembling. His hand is tightly grasping the fabric of his clothes, just above the injury.

There's a low, threatening growl that escapes from Bakura as he takes a step forward. If Ryou could step further back into the wall, he would.

"No?"

Bakura repeats, eyes glaring at Ryou's hand over his chest. For a moment, his grip seems to waver.

"That's not the answer I'll accept."

Ryou's mouth opens, he wants to protest and tell Bakura that he's fine. Bakura knows the answer is complete and utter bullshit, they both know it.

He's not allowed to get a word in as Bakura nearly lunges at Ryou, hands firmly gripping at the bottom of his shirt and lifting it up. Ryou is weakly protesting and trying to shove his shirt back down. He fails. Bakura has always been stronger than him.

Bakura manages to lift the shirt enough to spot some red against his skin. Dark red. Dried blood. Old wounds were opening, again. He glares at the sight before letting the shirt drop, his glare returning to Ryou.

"Bloody hell. Have you been wearing that damned thing again?"

Ryou's eyes look elsewhere. He knows he shouldn't be wearing the Millenium Ring, he knows that ancient piece of jewelry still contains some darkness lingering within. And yet, sometimes he just found himself drawn to it.

"I..."

An apology won't cut it, he knows. He's not getting a chance to even try to apologize.

"Then why the hell do you still wear it?"

Because he's worn it for so long, nearly all his life. It was almost a necessity to have, to wear. One reason. Maybe he was just too attached to the damn thing. People grew fond of inanimate objects over time. Another reason. A gift from his father. A sentimental, personal reason.

"It ties me to you."

A stupid reason.

Bakura scoffs.

"Don't try to be so romantic."

It's a sarcastic response. He's not even sure how to feel about this. Just what exactly was going on in that mind of his? While he may know him, inside out and more than anyone else ever could, sometimes the boy was rather...perplexing. Strange.

"I'm not-! I...If you're not around, wearing it-" makes it feel as if you're here with me, "It's stupid."

There, he says it; admits his flawed reasoning.

"It is stupid. You don't need to wear it anymore."

A smirk forms on Bakura's lips. It's unsettling to most, familiar to Ryou. And he knows if that golden ring was still around his neck, the ex-spirit would have easily torn it off.

"Especially since I'll never leave your side. Even if you desperately beg me to. I'm bound to you, for all eternity."