Trial and Error
Chapter Two: Trial of the Heart
---- Memory Sequence
His hands gripped his sides as he willed his pounding heart to slow. Tipping his head back, he mulled over what had happened a mere five minutes ago.
What had happened?
He wasn't sure.
He remembered dreaming… he blushed.
His only reprieve from the cruel hands of reality.
But then… he had heard a noise that was all too familiar in the real world and fit no where inside his… dream. He had opened his eyes and thought had had still been dreaming.
That white – haired demon, which haunted him in every waking and sleeping moment, had been towering over him.
He covered his face with his hands and could feel his skin burning.
Had he touched him… anywhere?
He couldn't remember. Didn't think so.
Was he naked?
No… he still had his pale blue pajama pants in tact.
He still didn't understand.
Should he go and find his dark side?
Question him about his actions?
No. No, stay put.
He looked over to his clock.
3:49 am.
Sleep… he should try to go back to sleep…
Why did that seem so impossible to him?
-
Shuffling out of the bathroom with a yawn, bare feet made their way down that staircase and into the empty living room.
Mn… something smelled delicious.
Wandering to the right, mahogany eyes scanned the too brightly sun – lit kitchen, stopping in the doorway to wince and shield his eyes. Following the alluring scent of meat, he took a seat at the white and brown island, in front of a large plate piled with a variety of the delicious products of morning goodness.
Resisting the strong urge to slam his head down into the meat and gorge himself, dark eyes instead flickered to the body sitting across from him.
He had his head lowered, a bowl of cereal four inches from his nose. The spoon was barely leaving the bowl, from what he could see, the cereal (whatever kind it had been) now reduced to a soggy mush. How long had he been sitting there?
Green eyes suddenly looked up and then were back down on his bowl, the small body shifting nervously and the spoon slowly being spun around in the milk.
"Good morning, Yami."
The soft voice was unexpected, but the elder hid all surprise.
"Good morning… Hikari." Bakura muttered this, unsure of what title to give his other self. He had never truly spoken to the boy by name and he thought 'Hikari' to be the easiest to start off with. They both knew who he was talking to by the harsh tone his voice took. Mentally shaking himself, the elder started in on his plate of food.
Ryou stared down at his bowl of soft cereal, left hand holding his forehead and his right twirling the spoon again. His white hair hid his eyes as he thought.
Hikari?
Bakura had never… not even once…
Was he up to something?
He might be.
There was no other reason to come into his room at that ungodly hour.
That was really bothering him.
Now should he ask?
It was a better time than last night had been.
"Yami -" He looked up, mouth open and about to ask… when he realized that dark eyes were still watching him. The words died in his throat and they merely stared at one another. Surprisingly, Bakura spoke first.
"Eat." He pushed the plate forward.
Ryou looked down at the assortment of meat he had arranged for his yami earlier that morning… bacon, sausage, the ham left over from dinner the night before… he knew there was more, but he couldn't remember and it was probably buried…
It didn't matter.
Bakura never offered him his food, especially if it was meat.
He looked up again, seeing that the eyes staring at him had narrowed. An arm reached across the table and moved the bowl away, pushing the plate nearly to the edge in its place.
"Eat the damned meat. You need to gain weight." The older male growled out, taking a large piece of ham to chew on.
Ryou picked up a strip of bacon out of fear of getting yelled at and took a small bite.
After a moment, he tried again, keeping his eyes lowered and his voice soft, "Yami… I have a question."
Bakura grunted in response.
Taking that as a sign to continue, Ryou blurted out, "Why were you in my room last night?"
Silence followed, making the younger boy's stomach turn.
He shouldn't have said anything.
Never asking questions involving the spirit was always the wisest choice.
"I don't know."
Ryou looked up, yet again, his light eyes full of surprise and confusion. The answer was short, spoken quietly, there was no menace evident… what was going on?
He studied the elder male across from him, now leaning back in his stool. The sunlight coming through the sliding glass doors behind him covered the boy's back and Bakura's front. He noticed that at the angle his dark was sitting at, his white bangs acted as a visor, shading his eyes.
Letting his vision slide lower as he started on a new slice of bacon, Ryou felt himself flushing. How could he not have noticed that earlier?
His yami's chest was bare, every muscle visible in the mid – morning light.
'Beautiful…'
Catching himself, Ryou's head jerked in embarrassment, pushing his stool back with a scrape. The sound must have startled Bakura, the darker male quickly sitting up straight, muscles tensing.
"What?" His voice was sharp, demanding an answer.
Another glimpse of the built chest made the younger male unconsciously hold the side of his hand under his nose. Keeping his head low, Ryou slipped out of his chair and walked quickly towards the stairs, murmuring something about a shower.
-
Running his fingers back through his hair, Ryou tilted his head back into the spray of hot water, rinsing the white suds away. It was impossible to keep his mind from thinking as he closed his eyes against the oncoming torrent of liquid.
Stupid yami and his stupid meat giving… thing.
Stupid yami and his stupid attractive body…
Stupid… just stupid yami!
Sighing to himself as he blinked water from his eyes, Ryou ran his hands back a few more times, just for good measure.
He had never really gotten an answer to his question. Of course Bakura wouldn't give him the real reason… but, he was still surprised that he hadn't been snapped at, like he had expected to be.
Something was going on with his yami and he would find out what.
Sighing again, Ryou leaned against the peach – colored wall.
Why did he have to be tortured with the feelings he held for his dark?
Sometimes he hated the way his body reacted when he saw the other male… or thought about him.
His hand lowered onto his need.
Water reduces friction…
How long had it been since he had done this?
'Too long.'
His head turned to the side as his fingers tightened, eyes closing and lips parting.
He needed to finish.
The only way to rid him of the fantasies he both loved and hated at the same time… for all of ten minutes.
Fantasies.
He had had one last night, before he had been woken up.
His cheeks darkened at the memory and his head turned again.
If only it was reality…
-
Bakura opened the bathroom door without bothering to knock, the rhythmic thumping of the water hitting the shower floor becoming louder. He thought about saying something to the boy, but decided against it.
He wouldn't be long anyways.
Not bothering to flush the toilet for a moment either, Bakura stood in front of the mirror, wiping away the steam that covered the reflective surface. After a few seconds of looking over his appearance, his eyes were drawn away from his own face and to the shower door over his shoulder.
Leaning closer to the mirror as if it would help to see behind him, the dark spirit turned around, staring at the glass door with a mildly confused look.
That boy definitely wasn't washing himself in there.
The door may have been glass, but it was designed to cloud the figure inside for privacy. Not to mention the towel bar that draped conveniently across the waist area and the steam that cloaked the walls.
Though, he could still see the form of his lighter half, a pale body outlined against the darker colored wall. He wasn't moving (that he could see) but something told him that his eyes misled him.
Pulling himself back, Bakura took a seat on the large sink, leaning back against his palms to put himself into a more comfortable position for watching. Attempting to keep the emotions he was feeling to a minimum and off of his features, the elder watched as the outline of Ryou slid over to the left to lean against the other wall. The form jerked slightly, but Bakura caught the small movement. He suppressed a sound at the mere thought of what the boy was doing, only to open his eyes (which he had momentarily shut) in time to see the pale form arch its back and tip his head against the wall. The small sounds could easily be picked out as the water slowly trickled down to nothing and the body slid down the wall, onto the floor.
Cursing silently to himself, Bakura felt his heart begin to pound in his chest at what he had just more or less witnessed, his black pajama pants not doing a very good job of hiding his excitement.
Calming himself down enough to stand up, Bakura stepped across the changing floor of white tile and brown, plush bath rugs. Gripping the side handle, the elder male threw the glass door open with an echoing rattle, placing his other hand against the wall. He stared down into wide, green eyes, unable to keep a small, leering smirk off his face.
"Oh, Hikari…" His voice was low, a hint of amusement tingeing the edges, "Did you have fun taking your shower?"
The younger boy was flushed a brilliant red, that had begun to spread down his throat, naked arms and legs scrambling in embarrassment to tuck his lower body out of sight. The chill from the outside air sent goose bumps rolling down his arms, making him cross them over his chest to grip his slim biceps.
"Wh-what are you doing!" His teeth chattered together angrily, "Close the door!"
Snarling in warning, Bakura made to take a step closer in intimidation. But… he stopped, seeing the smaller body press itself further into the corner.
Stupid kid.
Stupid bright, green eyes.
Stupid mortal emotions.
Standing up straight with a deep intake of breath, he tore his eyes away from the dripping wet boy, grabbing the tan – colored towel from the bar. Looking back down, he grunted, throwing it towards the huddled male.
Ryou quickly caught the thick material and placed it across his waist, looking back up at his yami and waiting for him to say something else.
Bakura merely watched the other for a moment longer in silence, before turning towards the bathroom door.
Stupid towels.
Just like blankets.
Always getting in the way.
-
Turning the page, Ryou shifted his position on the couch, sitting sideways and leaning to the side against the soft cushions. Pulling his knees up, he crossed his bare ankles. He stared down at the words printed on the page in front of him, but didn't read them.
Why couldn't he concentrate?
The book was getting good.
He wanted to finish…
He glanced at the clock hanging across the room, above the fireplace.
4:50 pm.
Nearly time to figure out what was for dinner.
Where had his day gone?
He remembered when he had made his way out of the bathroom, feeling more embarrassed than he had ever felt in his entire life. His other half was no where in sight, so he had at least gotten dressed in relative peace. He had gone downstairs next, finding the living room empty and silent…
----
This didn't exactly settle the uneasy feeling growing in his stomach.
The sounds of yelling brought him into the kitchen on quick feet.
Empty as well.
The plate of meat from earlier hadn't moved from its place on the island, food still present.
He didn't have time to think about the strangeness of meat still being accounted for after Bakura had been near by, another shrill yell cutting the air.
Outside?
He stepped up to the sliding glass doors and he felt his stomach churn again, even if this was just a memory.
Throwing open the door; he shouted, "YAMI!"
The spirit looked over his shoulder at him, a bland and slightly bored expression on his face.
"What is it now, Hikari?"
He rushed forward, hissing, "Put that cat down!" before scooping the upside – down animal into his arms, calico paws darting out to swipe at Bakura.
"Fifi! Fifi!" The shrill voice was back, "Give me back my Fifi, you monster!"
He quickly trotted over to the wooden fence that separated their yards, removing the cats' claws from his dark green shirt and handing it into the waiting hands of his elderly neighbor.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs.Crene, Bakura didn't mean it, I'm sure -"
"He certainly did mean it, the demon! Came right out and picked her up by the tail -"
"Ahh, don't you ever shut up, you ancient mummy?"
He felt his stomach churn again, his body slowly turning to stare at the other boy with a mortified expression, who was busy with a finger in his ear as the shrill voice began again…
----
Ryou closed his book, a small smile on his face. It had taken another ten minutes to calm Mrs.Crene down enough to convince her to go back into her house, all the while muttering about how horrible his yami was.
An argument, of course, had followed once he had gotten Bakura back into their own house.
They had gone back and forth for another ten minutes inside the kitchen, before he had gotten fed up and ended it all.
"Just. Go." He had pointed towards the stairs in the living room. "Stop talking. Just go."
And then he was gone. Up the stairs and in his room with a loud slam of his door, just like a spoiled child. He hadn't heard a sound since.
Ryou's head suddenly tilted slightly at a small creak from above him.
Speak of the demon.
The click of a door being opened soon followed and the younger white – haired boy quickly flipped open his book again, feeling guilty for some unknown reason. He read two sentences without comprehending what he was looking at, before he felt the presence of a second body standing behind him.
Pretending not to notice, Ryou tried to focus on the paper in his hands, the feeling of his yami's eyes on his back beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. Keeping his eyes trained on the book, he stated softly, "It's not polite to stare, Yami."
The feeling was gone from his back and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. The second male padded silently into the room, taking a seat in the matching green recliner under the clock.
Ryou glanced over at him, wondering what he was doing just sitting there. He could feel his cheeks becoming slightly warm as he found that his other half didn't have the decency to put on a shirt still and mahogany eyes staring were at him again, the rest of the pale face emotionless.
"…What?" He blinked, his book falling back into his lap.
It was a moment before the other replied, his voice low.
"You're reading a book."
Ryou blinked again, before nodding slightly. "Yeah…?"
Bakura sunk a few inches down into the chair, his expressionless face turning into a mixture of sourness and annoyance. He took his time speaking again, his voice still monotone.
"What book."
Green eyes took a confused look, watching his other suspiciously. Was he actually trying to start a conversation?
He was up to something.
"Just…" Ryou shrugged, looking down and toying with the book slightly, "Some… romance thing…"
A short laugh sounded from behind closed teeth, causing emerald orbs to snap up and glare slightly at him.
"Some romance thing? Nice title. Sounds like a real thriller of the emotions." Bakura laughed again, a smirk on his lips.
Ryou huffed at his remark, pulling his legs closer to his body and laying the book against his chest. "Why are you trying to make a conversation?"
The laughter stopped, all amusement gone from Bakura's face. Pushing himself back up in the chair, he stood up, shuffling over to the couch. Leaning down, the taller male placed one hand against the arm of the couch and the other on the back, lowering his head close to his lighter half's. He could see the flush that was gaining color across his cheeks, bright green eyes staring up at him in an insure manner.
After a moment of silently staring, Bakura spoke.
"I'm hungry. Make me dinner."
And then he was gone, walking back out of the room.
Ryou could hear his footsteps fading as they reached the top of the stairs. He placed a hand over his heart, breathing deeply, a door shutting above him.
Stupid yami.
-
Do you still like it? How much? Let me know and the third chapter will be yours.