So, another short one, sorry. Just wanted to get this bit out.

Enjoy!
~Jehbel

The youth stood in the doorway of his bedroom, eyes wide with shock as he took in the scene before him.

His bedroom was a shambles. His mattress had been pulled completely clear of his bed, his cupboards emptied and clothing strewn about the room haphazardly. What looked like glass fragments littered the carpet and his rather impressive collection of figurines, games and manga were scattered everywhere. In the middle of the carnage sat his Other, currently in the process of tearing feathers from his favourite pillow.

"Bakura… what…? What are you doing? Stop this!" Ryou rushed into the room, hastily closing the door behind him in case one of his parents happened to pass by. If they saw this disaster zone both he and Bakura would be in huge trouble. Gingerly avoiding stepping on any glass shards or his beloved figurines, Ryou made his way to the centre of the room, where Bakura continued his assault on the pillow, after having paused momentarily at his Hikari's arrival.

Bakura didn't answer, choosing to respond with a low growl instead. However, his pace slowed slightly as he continued to yank fistfuls of soft downy feathers from the cotton encasing of the pillow. Squatting down beside his partner, Ryou put a hand out and clasped his Other's shoulder. "Bakura, you're worrying your Aibou. What's wrong?"

Bakura glared up into his partner's eyes, however Ryou could see that his anger was focused inward; Bakura was clearly furious at himself for something. While he was scary when in these moods, Ryou knew that it was better than Bakura taking his anger out on somebody else; at school, he was no longer permitted to attend the same classes as Toby, who still had a scar from the bite the thief had given him on the school cruise.

Bakura curled a lip as he picked up on Ryou's thoughts of Toby. Like the Pharaoh and his Aibou, Ryou and his thief spirit could communicate mentally, however the two white-haired teens were far more adept at it than Yami and Yugi had been before their split. Ryou sometimes longed for some mental solitude, for as well as being able to read his every thought, Bakura could force his way into Ryou's mind with ease, and force his partner to submit to his will. Generally the thief restrained himself; despite his unstable nature, Bakura cared for Ryou and tried to avoid causing him pain or suffering. Indeed, so protective of his Hikari was Bakura that it often landed them both in hot water; the thief had once dangled a fellow student off the school gymnasium roof for calling Ryou queer. The backlash had of course been shouldered by Ryou, who had not made his dual nature known to the broader school.

Bakura made a spitting sound, but thankfully did not complete the action. It had taken Ryou quite some time to convince the thief that spitting indoors was both disgusting and intolerable in his household. "Bah. I was looking for something… I have lost it." Bakura gestured about the room as though to point out the obviousness of his statement. "I was trying to retrieve it."

Ryou looked around incredulously, taking in the chaotic mess around him. "I understand your need to find something you have lost, Bakura, but why on earth would you feel the need to look for something inside my sealed up pillow? Or inside… my potplant?! Why did you rip it out of its soil? It'll probably die no- Bakura, where is my goldfish?" Ryou leapt to his feet with dismay, taking in the tragic sight of his little fish bowl, now holding barely an inch of water, one of his school socks draped sadly over the rim. The fish was nowhere in sight. Still sitting, Bakura gave a little snigger at Ryou's reaction to his vandalism. Reaching up, the thief grabbed his Aibou's hand, pulling Ryou down to his level, landing in his lap. Ryou gave a cry as he fell, grunting as Bakura's hard knees dug into his backside where he landed. Now openly laughing, but softly, Bakura wrapped his arms around Ryou, pinning the smaller boy against his chest possessively.

"The fish distracted you from what really matters: me. Be thankful- I sent it off with beautiful fanfare." Ryou gasped with distress as his mind caught images of Bakura gleefully throwing the small goldfish out the window. "Now stop your pouting; you look pathetic."

Ryou huffed; he knew better than to push Bakura any further when he was in such a mood; last time he had tried to calmly talk his partner out of a foul temper, he had ended up with a bite to his bottom lip and an aching body for days afterward. He and Bakura had been intimate many times, but whenever his partner was feeling particularly vindictive, it was usually Ryou who bore the brunt of it in bed that night. With a small shudder, Ryou moved his thoughts along hastily before Bakura picked up on them and took it for an invitation. Twisting slightly in his Other's arms, Ryou turned to look up at Bakura, his fingers lightly touching the thief's naturally scowling face.

"Would you like me to help you search for your lost item, Kurai? Will you tell me what it is you're looking for?"

Bakura blinked down at Ryou, his face neutral. Ryou could feel his thoughts swimming about, but he could not reach into them; Bakura was particularly adept at shielding his thoughts from his Aibou when he desired it and whatever the item was, he clearly did not want Ryou to find out about it. Frowning slightly, Ryou looked down at his lap, trying to recall if anything had particularly been bothering his Other lately.

Bakura gave Ryou a little jiggle. "It was an item that entered into my care until such time as I deem it necessary to hand back. What it is and who it belongs to does not matter." Despite his rebuff, Ryou was not upset; in all likelihood he'd find out what it was eventually. His curiosity however had escalated rapidly. Somebody had entrusted something to Bakura of all people? What kind of lunatic would do that? Or had Bakura stolen this item? The second option seemed to be more on par with his Other's personality. The questions swirled around Ryou's mind, causing his partner to tsk and pull him tight again. "Just forget about it. I'll find it." The promise, sounding more like a threat, was evident in Bakura's voice, making his Ryou fear for the remaining undamaged items in his room.

Casting about for a topic to distract his Other, Ryou's thoughts landed to Joey's upcoming party. "Bakura, do you mind if I go to Joey's party this Friday? Will you come?" He felt his partner's arms tighten slightly around him, before Bakura replied in a dangerous voice, "will that kusottare be there?"

Ryou winced slightly at the harsh term, but chose to overlook it. "I don't know. But if he is there, I will keep out of his way, how about that? I really would like to hang out with the crew for a while and just relax; things have been so tense lately." In response, Bakura's hands released his Hikari, moving up to his shoulders to massage them firmly; any harder and it would almost be painful. "I could make you stay home; I want you to stay home. But I won't stop you." Ryou smiled, closing his eyes to the intense ministrations Bakura was administering to his shoulders. "But I think I'll come along too. I always did enjoy a good party." With slight foreboding, Ryou nodded in assent, and his Other chuckled wickedly behind him.

A peaceful silence descended, broken only occasionally by Ryou's hums as Bakura worked the tension out of his shoulders. Ryou let his thoughts wander; somehow, in one fell swoop, Bakura had managed to trash his room, kill his goldfish, insult his friend's boyfriend and impose his dominance over Ryou, all in the space of about ten minutes. What is it about him that lets him get away with these brash actions? A thumb dug in particularly deep, making Ryou's breath hitch with pain a little. Yet he always puts me at ease just as quickly. Even if it can be a tad painful.

He could sense his Other's thoughts, not focused on the task of massaging, but clearly worrying at the issue of the missing item like a dog with an old meat bone. Without consciously meaning to, Ryou dug a little deeper into these thoughts, and suddenly, the image of the item was as clear as the sun outside.

It was an eye, shining golden.

Ryou frowned, wondering why the image was so familiar to him. It had not seemed to be a real eye, but rather a depiction of…

With sudden clarity, and an icy shiver that crept from the top of his head down to the soles of his feet, Ryou realised where he had seen the item before.

It was a piece of Yami's Millennium Puzzle.

Bakura began to laugh.

Kurai- Meaning: Darkness. Similar to the word Yami.

Kusottare- Literal meaning: shit drip. Generally used to mean "Piece of shit" or "Bastard".