Haircut

A pale set of hands gently pull back the silvery locks of hair in front of him. Warm, chocolate brown eyes stare down at the lone pair of scissors, a sense of unease and foreboding filling his thoughts. The pale digits run through the locks, the silky hair slides against his fingers in a fluid-like motion. He kneels on the comfortable surface of the bed under him. Timidly, Ryou picks up the crimson scissors and watches in awe at how the light reflects off the sharp blades.

He gulps. "Are you sure about this?"

The figure sitting in front of him releases a shaky breath before slightly nodding his head. "Yes Ryou I'm sure. How can I expect you to trust me if I can't allow you to do this? It has to be done, and you must be the one to do it."

Ryou nods his head, running his fingers through the silver mane for a final time. "Okay Bakura, I'll do it."

He can feel Bakura stiffen, in taking a sharp breath as Ryou's right hand opens the scissors. Ryou keeps his hands firm, not allowing them to shakes as he moves the scissors to a strand of hair. Sucking in a deep breath, the smaller male snaps his eyes shut as he cuts the first strand. Slowly, he hesitantly opens his eyes, seeing the cut strand of hair lying harmlessly on his knee. Releasing his breath, Ryou smiles nervously.

'O-okay, going good so far…'

Plucking up some newly discovered courage, Ryou returns to cutting Bakura's hair. Normally Ryou would never dare do such a thing, Bakura loves his hair after all, but this was the crazy male's idea and he wants Ryou to do it. How can Ryou deny such a request? However, Ryou is still unsure as to why Bakura wants his haircut, but it is his own body so Bakura has a right to do whatever he pleases with it.

'Come to think of it, that may be why he wants shorter hair. He's never done any permanent changes to my body when we shared… this could just be his way of showing his control over something that's completely his…'Ryou smiles, still focusing on the task in front of him.

As time goes by, more and more of silver hair piles around Ryou's knees; though the pale teen isn't worried. Ryou notices that Bakura is becoming more lax and calm with each snip and cut. Smiling softly, Ryou puts the scissors down and picks up his hairbrush. He gently moves the brush to run through Bakura's now short hair, tugging to get through some knots here and there. As he brushes, Ryou notices that it still spikes up in the 'bunny-ears' fashion as Ryou dubbed them. Doing a few finishing touches on the silver hair, Ryou sits up and grins. He gently pulls off his hair tie, allowing his snowy locks of hair to freely fall against his back, his bangs always framing his round face.

Getting up, Ryou quickly walks over to the dresser, grabbing the small mirror lying there. Turning around, Ryou holds in his grasp smiling nervously at Bakura. "Are you ready to see your new look?"

Bakura sits up straight, a serious look crossing his features. He stiffly nods his head, holding his hand out for the mirror. "Give it here."

Ryou nods his head and tentatively walks forward. He gives Bakura the mirror, his eyes betraying just how nervous he is. He remains silent, as Bakura looks himself over in the mirror with a neutral expression masking his pale face.

Bakura silently brings his free hand and tugs at a few strands of his spiky hair. His eyes widen slightly at his reflection. Silver spikes of hair rest at his shoulders, the spikes on the top of his head still sticking out like 'bunny ears' as he's caught Ryou referring to them as. His bangs still shadow over his eyes in a menacing and slightly dangerous looking fashion. He tilts his head at different angles, inspecting all he can of his new haircut. What surprises Bakura the most, is how much his hair resembles his original bodies style.

Placing the mirror by his lap, Bakura stares at Ryou with a blank expression. He smirks inwardly at how nervous and fidgeting Ryou is behaving under his intense stare. He gets up without uttering a single word as he approaches Ryou, almost like a predator stalking its prey. He grabs Ryou's wrist and pulls the younger male towards the bathroom.

Upon entering, Bakura pulls Ryou up to his side with the giant mirror facing them. The smaller teen stares at his reflection curiously before his eyes widen. Staring at their reflections, Ryou silently understands Bakura's strange actions.

The two look different.

Ryou's long, fluffy white hair seems to flow along his back, long strands framing his pale and slightly round face. His large brown eyes sparkle in the light, contrasting against his fair skin. Bakura, on the other hand, has sharper features that are accented with his now shorter hair. The short, silver spikes every which way, looking even messier than usual. His crimson eyes flash dangerously against his silver bangs, giving him an intimidating appearance. Ryou smiles at their reflections, Bakura smirks in return.

The reflections match their expressions, their feelings. Ryou reaches out, and lightly grabs hold of Bakura's dangling hand. Bakura turns to face Ryou, a baffled expression crossing his features. Ryou, in turn, gives Bakura a soft smile as a response. Standing completely still, Bakura relaxes, offering Ryou a small smile in return. They stay like that; hands entwined together, their reflections smiling.
The two look different.

They are not the same… and that is all they truly ever wanted. No one will mistake them now; no one… can call them the same. Bakura and Ryou, Ryou and Bakura, two completely different people living together in harmony and peace. Ryou truly understands Bakura and his true motives. A silent understanding passes between the two as they stand there while a new connection is formed. They are both together. They are both…

Free.