This was incredibly powerful! In a short piece, you've managed to capture a really complex relationship and characters. I've always been fascinated by Ryou and the Spirits' day-to-day interactions and your fic really grabs what I find most compelling about it. Thanks so much for sharing!

Wow! It's so dark and twisted, I love it. I also love Ryou's answer at the end.

That was pretty twisted and I loved it! I like how Yami Bakura is helping out in his own, messed-up way. Yugi's comment at the end was the perfect way to end it, especially with Ryou saying that it's just a painting.

This was really powerful - dark and emotional. Loved it ~

I think that this was very interesting, to say the least.

I can really imagine Ryou doing that.

I like it. It is interesting.

This is very good. I love the way you write Y. Bakura, and the flashbacks fit really well with the rest of the story. I was sort of hoping you'd expand upon Yuugi's comment at the end, but then again that might ruin the effect.

This is wonderful; so well written, and so fitting for the two of them; I also loved Yugi's remark (and especially that he's looking "almost angry" when saying it), as well as Ryou's answer to it.

I loved this!

If there is a story on this site that is an absolutely perfect nutshell of the relationship between Ryou and the spirit of the ring, this would be it. I can't express how unbeLIEvable this story really is. I just...wow. I can't get over it. Freaking fantastic work.

Wow. That was absolutely beautiful. My flesh is just crawling...

There's somethihng so eerie about it. It's almost tender until you remind the reader that this is the spirit of the ring, and he is not above harming Ryou to get the desired effect.

Yugi's observation at the end was wonderful and startling.

And the comment about feedback being an artist's true reward-well, here's yours: Amazing work.

*nods* Beautifully done. I liked how you alternated between the present and past, to give us the background behind Ryou's answers, so they mean a lot more than the simple answers Ryou made them out to be. I loved Bakura's line about making the first move. It's the smae thing with writing, I find. You can sit there thinking about the plot and characters and worry about what'll happen five chapters down the road (guilty of that) but once you start, everything flows out and most of the time it turns out well. Or at least, to your satisfaction.

I'd like to see Ryou's portrait. I loved how he started out painting himself, and then gradually started to blend in Bakura's attributes.

Yugi's reaction was very understandable, and very Yugi. I don't want to say predictable, but come on. This is the Pharaoh and his host we're talking about, the accusation was to be expected I guess. I loved Ryou's answer.

I would have loved to see more of this (particuarly more of Yugi and Ryou's confrontation) but it's brilliant as a one shot. Great job.

Wow, I really liked this. Excellent job.

Oh, wow... This story was just so well, there. It made me feel sad and yet it wasn't really sad.

I've never read any kind of one-shot by anyone that had this much feeling and well the flawless writing what can I say.

I need to add it to my favorites it's just so... good for lack of better words.

Thanks you for writing. I can't tell you how this fic made me feel and how glad I am that I could read your superb writing. Thanks so much. You will truly become someone if you choose to.

Aw... I was hoping Yami Bakura would come out and go kill that bastard Pharaoh or something... But doesn't blood turn brown, then black when dried? It doesn't exactly stay red...