Practice Makes Perfect

"I'm such a failure!" The voice of the young duelist of the Tsukumo family echoed through the house as he rushed upstairs, not even giving his sister Akari or his grandmother a chance to ask how everything went. Yuma slammed the bedroom door shut, then proceeded to slump himself into his hammock with a pillow over his face. He needed time to think about his most recent screw up, alone. But obviously the invisible duelist wasn't going to give him that time.

"Did everything go as you planned?" Yuma's ghostly partner questioned in curiosity as he hovered just above the boy. Though he expected a full report, he received no answer. This only made him ever more curious.

"You said everything would be fine as long as I stayed here and away from you. Were you wrong?"

"Geez Astral, cut it out!" Yuma yelled, his voice muffled somewhat by the pillow. Astral wasn't going to let him off the hook easily, of course.

"Cut what out? What do you need me to cut?" By now, the spirit knew Yuma was simply using a figure of speech. He'd spent enough time with the boy to discover the various sentences, as strange as some seemed, that humans used to communicate different meanings. But he had to know why his partner was so distraught. They were best friends, though neither of them liked to admit it often.

Yuma finally gave in, much to his annoyance and sat up, removing the pillow from his face. His eyes shined with a hint of tears.

"I messed up Astral. I just wasn't feelin' the flow!" Astral moved close to Yuma's side, paying close attention.

"Everything was great until I tried to make my move. I got the courage to ask her out, but when I got the courage to kiss her I just lost it!" He shouted out, not knowing Akari was secretly standing at the door listening in on her brother's conversation with "Astral."

"He's talking to his imaginary friend again...Geez Yuma, your such a kid." She thought to herself. But then again, who was the one with her ear against the door trying to get the story?

"You lost what?" Astral asked, determined to find out everything. Bet you didn't know he was so nosey himself, did you?

"My flow! I got so nervous and choked up...I just sneezed on her! All over her, and it totally grossed her out! I messed up Astral, and now all that's flowing is tears!" So there was the problem. Earlier, Yuma had finally "felt the flow" to ask Kotori, his long-term crush, out on an official date. And knowing Yuma, he screwed any chance of that date being successful by spreading cooties. With no further answer from his invisible friend, he proceeded to cry into his pillow, no longer finding a point in holding back his flow of tears.

Astral stared blankly at his friend for some time, then retreated to the window. Love and romance was nothing he could understand, at least not fully. He became curious when he would see a pair of lovers in the city hugging one another and kissing...If he could blush, he'd be doing so right now.

"Maybe you need practice, Yuma." The boy lifted his head, wiping his eyes which were becoming puffy and red. Astral turned his attention back to him, his arms crossed and his expression calming just as usual.

"Practice? You don't just practice kissing Astral, that's weird!"

"But you are weird. I've heard so many say so." The dueling spirit replied just as Yuma had finished his sentence. Annoyed, he jumped down from his hammock and beside Astral.

"Am not! Who's called me weird?!" Before he could rant any further on the subject, Astral was already coming up with a full list of people who've adressed Yuma as weird.

"Kotori, Shark, Tetsuo, Takashi, and don't even get me started on Akari-"

"S-Shut up!" The boy angrily interrupted, turning away from his partner. Akari still listened at the door, trying to make sense of Yuma's one-sided conversation.

"So now your trying to convince yourself your not weird...Smooth, lil' bro." Astral stared down at Yuma, this time with a hint of concern in his expression. Carefully, he floated close to the boy from behind and gently placed his head on his shoulder. This startled Yuma, causing him to tense up and bolt to the opposite wall of the room.

"Astral, what are you doing?"

"You need practice. Practice makes perfect, as you humans say." The spirit again brought up the idea of practicing. Yuma shook his head and stared awkwardly at his friend.

"Practicing kissing isn't normal. Besides, what do you expect me to practice on? Akari?" This made his older sister somewhat gag and narrow her eyes.

"No, because I am sure that is not normal as well." The two stood in silence for a moment or two, looking at one another. Of course, it was very awkward, for Yuma at least. Where was his partner going with all this practice stuff?

"I can help you, Yuma."

"How could you know anything about that?!" Yuma asked quickly, trying not to stutter as a pink shade was beginning to dust his cheeks. Astral made his way to the other side of the room, not hesitating to be mere inches away from Yuma, putting them in a rather strange position.

"I've seen this act of kissing. I've seen it on the T.V." Yuma turned his head in order to break eye contact with his ghostly companion, his blush growing deeper as the seconds passed.

"S-So..?" That was the only reply he could come up with for a second.

"Your a guy Astral! Guy and guys don't do that." He snapped, trying to get out of the situation Astral was pushing him into.

"But in Akari's books, I have seen it. Two males can kiss as well." That was something Yuma did not know about his sister, and something he didn't wish to know. The boy turned back to face Astral.

"And your into that stuff..?" Without another word, Astral placed a finger to the boy's lips to silence him. They remained as such for a moment before Yuma could get a reply.

"I'm into you, Yuma." Was what he heard after. His eyes widened, and became locked in Astral's gaze. His amber eyes staring right back into his, freezing him in place. The dueling spirit moved in closer still, gently moving his hands to rest against Yuma's cheeks as the distance between them slowly closed.

And so with parted lips, Astral had come into contact with his companion. His eyes remained open, watching Yuma intently for any reaction or objection to the sudden movement. However, the boy did not retreat. And rather to Astral's surprise, he too slowly parted his lips and began to kiss back.

The ghostly duelist slowly closed his eyes and pushed himself a little further as the two melted into one another's kiss. Yuma knew it was wrong, so why on Earth did it feel so perfect?

"Yuma!" The boy's eyes shot open at the sound of someone bursting through the doorway. Akari stood there, staring at Yuma's strange position.

"You...Your practicing kissing Kotori aren't you?" She said, not being able to hold back her laughter. Astral pulled away and looked at the woman with...Irritation? That's new.

"Sis, get out!" Yuma yelled, pushing his cackling sister out of the room, who proceeded to laugh hysterically down the stairs. Shutting the door once more, he sighed heavily and slid down against it to the floor. His partner floated by the window, not turning back to him.

"Astral?" He turned to face the boy who now had a bit of a smirk on his face, rosy red from the previous event he shared with his friend.

"I still have some things to learn. Can you..Help me practice some more?" He asked, quieter now out of apparent embarassment. This was all so crazy. But then again, it was quite wonderful. A smile crept onto Astral's lips as he again floated to meet his partner, face to face. Gently moving his hands to stroke Yuma's cheeks with his fingertips, he answered his question.

"Practice makes perfect. Shall we begin the next lesson?"