Two more days passed with relatively few issues in the Bakura household. After some further bed rest, the past-experiment managed to fight off the last vestiges of his cold. This was of great relief to Ryou, as he wasn't sure what else he could do for the unusual creature. 'Thank heavens...' Though it certainly hadn't been a fun time, Ryou had learned a lot about the unusual mix now living with him. And while Bakura wasn't terribly talkative, he still had plenty of opinions and ideas. And he wasn't afraid to voice them- but only if he felt someone was listening.

And Ryou slowly got the feeling that the lab workers he'd been surrounded by... hadn't cared to listen much at all. So he tried to make it extra clear to Bakura that he was there to answer any questions or listen to any problems the new tenant might be having. Neither of the pair knew that this simple promise would be put to the test only a few hours later...

It was still fairly early in the morning the next day, when Ryou Bakura felt an urgent tapping on his left shoulder.

"Ryou."

"Ngh?" The sleep-dazed teen blinked in confusion- why did that voice sound so familiar?

"Ryou." And it was sounding more insistent with every word. "Ryou, I have to go to the bathroom."

This further baffled the barely-waking youth- Bakura had never asked for permission before. Was this something that he'd had to do at night, when the lab was running low on staff? "Um, you have my permission..."

"I know that!" The manimal hissed impatiently, his voice rising just above a whisper. "I can't get the d*mn thing open! There's something blocking the top!"

"Blocking? What- oh, that's right-" Ryou groaned as he slowly put his thoughts together. He'd gotten so used to living alone that he rarely bothered to put the seat down on the upstairs bathroom.

But apparently, in his exhaustive state just before bed, he'd done just that- and now the poor hybrid was evidently confused by this unwarranted denial.

"I'm sorry, Bakura- I must've been really tired and put the lid down. You can just lift it up until it touches the tank, and it'll stay there."

The hybrid seemed confused, but evidently decided the sleep-addled teen wasn't going to explain further. Besides, his instructions seemed simple enough- what could go wrong? He headed down the hall with this new information in mind, determined to best the porcelain portal.

There was a few moments of silence, followed by Ryou snuggling back under his covers. However, any attempts at further rest were foiled when he heard an ear-piercing shriek from just down the hall.

"BAKURA!" Immediately terrified, Ryou jumped up and flew down the hallway. The scream had been a genuine cry of alarm, and was the first truly loud utterance the hybrid had made. Ryou wasn't sure what he was expecting when he threw open the bathroom door...

...but it certainly wasn't this.

Ryou quickly had to fight to keep any signs of amusement off his face. The situation before him was unfortunately humorous.

The former experiment looked absolutely miserable. Apparently, he'd misunderstood his landlord's instructions and had lifted both the seat AND the lid of the commode before trying to sit down. His boxers hadn't even been lowered more than an inch, suggesting his impromptu 'swim' was very much a surprise. His lower half was completely soaked, and his white tail was drooping limply while his fur audibly dripped onto the white tiled floor.

Ryou easily lowered the seat to the rim of the bowl before turning to the disheveled house-guest. "Well, it looks like you'll need a bath once you've finished."

For the first time, Bakura actually showed his fangs a bit as he tartly replied, "no, I don't."

But to Ryou's credit, he didn't back down. "Yes, you do."

"I just got all wet; I'm not doing it again!"

The hybrid's clear dislike of water was again apparent, so Ryou tried to calm his tone before rationally explaining himself. "Bakura, I'm sorry; but this really isn't up for debate. You could get very, very sick again- remember how bad the last time was? There's a lot of germs in toilet water, and I don't want you to fall ill a second time."

"..."

"Bakura?"

"...fine." The half-human, half-animal was still getting used to his landlord's caring for him, but he could still recognize the genuine concern in his voice. It was almost irritating- it was much harder than he thought to refuse someone who actually had your best interests at heart.

Pleased with the (albiet reluctant) acceptance, Ryou gestured towards the shower caddy hanging from the wall base of the metal shower head.

"You know how to use soap and shampoo, I take it?"

"I understand the basic concepts." The cat-mix replied in a voice that was surely the driest part of him.

Ryou then showed him the basics of managing the faucet and dials before ducking back into the hall. "These are for you to dry yourself-" he pointed to a rack with two pale blue towels hanging on it, "-and I'll put some fresh clothes just outside the door, so you can change once you're out."

"Ngh." Bakura let out a grunt that may or may not have been gratitude. But then again, given his sudden and unanticipated saturation with un-warmed toilet water... perhaps a little attitude was hardly unexpected.

Ryou only managed a short rest before he realized he'd forgotten to show Bakura the hair dryer. He knew his own hair took ages to dry, and the other male's was definitely of similar length, if not consistency. As he started to demonstrate the grooming tool, Ryou suddenly remembered that the older dryer was far from quiet when running at full power. 'Oh dear... I hope the noise doesn't put him off.'

But the genetic hybrid was actually rather pleased with this new device- the sound was unpleasant, sure- but the warmth and promise of sooner-dried hair/fur was worth it. For a moment, Ryou thought his new roommate had zoned out under the soothing waves of warm air. The look on his face was certainly more positive as he closed his eyes and felt his landlord carefully brushing his silver locks. Bakura was somewhat dismayed when the device was turned off and unplugged, but on the whole he looked (and smelled) quite a bit better.

"You look very nice- now go on and head back to bed before the sun comes up." Ryou smiled as he 'shooed' the bewildered crossbreed towards the hall.

But Bakura was nothing if not sharp, and gave the other male a sharp look. "Hn? And aren't you going to bed as well?"

Ryou gave an awkward laugh- he'd been hoping to avoid making the cross-breed feel any further guilt. "Oh, well; like I said, toilet water is very bad for you- I'll catch some sleep after I've finished cleaning the bathroom with a sanitizer."

Despite the blase tone, Bakura wasn't fooled, and he insisted on helping the homeowner's son by imitating everything Ryou did. Soon the room was sparkling clean again, and the two tired males stumbled back to their respective rooms.

Ryou felt impressed by the way Bakura had quickly caught on to his cleaning procedures- and perhaps a bit perturbed. Something seemed off about the new house-guest. Namely, how Bakura wasn't quite what Izou Bakura had said. 'Father seemed insistent that he had little-to-no social skills and wasn't able to speak fluidly- but either that was lie, or he simply never bothered trying to interact properly with him...' Either scenario presented its own disturbing implications, and his thoughts swirled in an unnerving spiral of misgivings and distrust. But eventually, his tiredness outweighed his uneasiness, and Ryou Bakura drifted back into a deep slumber.