Author's note: Heh, I... I didn't know I could get this sappy... Anyway, I tend to write with minimal planning, but I'm hoping I'll be able to sprinkle little Bakura bits like this throughout the story.

I watched Ryou pull off his shirt. The teeth imprints had long faded and I didn't see any bruises. If anyone knows how tough Ryou is, it's me. I'm sure he's fine. I'm sure he could've handled the animal without my intervention. I still worry about him. Sometimes he's too tough for his own good.

I took the brush from his dresser and ran it through his hair. My eyes were on the mirror. I watched the stiff line of his mouth melt into the softest of relaxed smiles. I smoothed my hand down his hair after each stroke, enjoying the full, silkiness of it. He almost purred as he leaned into my touch. I sighed. "I know you're going to do what you think is right regardless of my opinion on the matter, but can you at least promise me that you won't over-stress yourself?"

Ryou rubbed his shoulder as he grinned at my reflection. "Poor impulse control is nothing I haven't dealt with before."

I snorted. "There's a wide gap between compulsively nicking things from shops and compulsive violent outbursts."

Ryou tilted his head as I moved on to a different section of his hair. His eyes flicked wistfully to the ceiling. "I'm not sure it's that bad..."

I gave his reflection a flat look. "He literally bites, Landlord."

Ryou laughed lightly. "Well, yes, that is why he's in the cage. I just mean..." He paused. "The Ishtars are afraid of him. After what happened to their father, I don't blame them, but I think he's gotten used to using intimidation to get what he wants. I think if that method stops working for him, he'll eventually realize he has to try something else." Contemplation creased Ryou's face. "Or escalate... I haven't spent enough time with him to decide how much he might escalate if push comes to shove." Ryou sighed. "I do wish Marik was more willing to talk about him, for his sake as much as Shadow's..."

I smirked. "One Ishtar at a time, Landlord."

Ryou laughed. Gods, he had the best laugh. It was genuine and sunny despite the burdens he shouldered for other people. But... "Now that you mention it, he said some kind of disturbing things about you when we were alone together."

Ryou only waited for me to continue.

"I didn't think much of it at the time." I smirked. "He was going on about your innocence being sexy." I frowned again. "The idea of you being shy or submissive was so ridiculous that it didn't occur to me how rapey it sounded until we started talking about impulse control problems."

"Hm." Ryou slipped into his own thoughts as I started his braid. At length, he said, "Well, someone has to do something." He smiled at my reflection until I tied off his hair. Then he turned around and leaned close to my ear. "Thank you for worrying about me, though."

The soft whisper of air on my temple gave me a pleasant shiver. I grabbed his waist to keep him close and pressed my face against his shoulder. As sappy as it was, I didn't know where I'd be without him. There was a time when someone had needed to do something about me, as well, and Ryou had been the only one determined enough to try. I didn't want anything bad to happen to Ryou. I didn't trust 'Shadow.'

On the other hand, Ryou was right. We couldn't exactly throw him out on his own. As much as I hated the thing that had climbed out of Marik's emotional baggage, the idea of completely abandoning him hit a little too close to home.

"I promise I'll be careful." Ryou's lips pressed the promise into my cheek. Then he leaned back and smiled ruefully. "I do hate doing this to you, but I will need a lot of help. My time and emotional energy are spread pretty thin these days."

I huffed my bangs out of my face and looked at our feet. "I know. I'll try."

Ryou grinned and hugged me again. We stood like that for a moment before he pulled away to finish changing for bed.