Winter Eyes
Chapter Six: Remembering the Rest

Bobby didn't feel the need to beat him more. " It's nice to be able to talk about things with someone who doesn't hate me completely. You know?" The silver-haired boy stirred but didn't answer him. How could the brunette be so kind and normal now after beating Kyle to the point of tears?

"Do. do you ever feel lonely?" Came the hoarse whispering breath of the younger boy.
"Being lonely. is something you get used to after time. Now and then a companion is welcomed out of the silence." He laughed simply, as if his statement were a small joke.
Kyle looked up into his blank brown eyes, sitting up to face him. "Am I considered a companion?" The silver-head asked clearly and hopefully, his flushed face streaked with tear trails.
Bobby's eyes looked toward the ceiling in thought. "At times. Some day you're just an amusing bag of bones that leaks." He smirked, letting his empty shell-like eyes drift back to the golden cat ones. The younger growled in a cute pout.
"So what if I am?" The silver head dared to ask, and the brunette knew he was referring to the question of what his status with the girl was. It he really did like her, if he was 'in deep'.
"You'll wish you weren't," was his concise response as his darkened eyes narrowed threateningly.
"I can't help but wonder what threat you mean by that." Kyle pressed in an ignorant tone.
"Whatever will hurt the most." The conversation seemed slightly strange; they talked of serious matters as if it were just as normal as the weather. The younger of the two shut up, seeing his limit had been reached and realizing again, the fear of pain clouding his mind's eye. "What's the matter?" Bobby scoffed, "Cat got your tongue?" He could feel the older boy's burning gaze on him. The silver-head's golden cat eyes fell to the floor to avoid eye contact. It was a strange controlling stare that made Kyle feel as though he was being guarded in some way or the other.
"What." The silver-haired boy began, "What made you like this? Why do you hate me now? Why do you threaten me when in fourth grade you wouldn't have even thought of such things?"

"People change." Bobby stretched his arms over his head to aid the slight ach in his muscles.
"Too bad you're not a person anymore." This caught the brunette's attention. " I only wish." It seemed incredibly peculiar for Kyle to talk like that; to brave the fourteen-year-old. "You're the idiot."
"Hmm. I don't know why I just don't break some of your bones or something, Kyle." They stared at each other for a few more seconds. "You know I can't rely on people." The brunette attempted to weasel his way out of the other boy's next statement.
"I really do know what changed you now." The silver-head paused to get up and draw intimidating closer to the brunette. "Your mother."

{{"Even if I can't make it any better, Bobby, I'll comfort you
now." The younger child cradled his brown-haired friend.
"Kyle I-I. what would I do without you. and. I'll n-never hurt
you like I did yesterday." Kyle held and tightened his tender grip on
the brunette.
"I-I don't care how much you hurt me. I will always know there
is good in you, no matter how much you're becoming like your father or
how many times you hurt me. Nothing could ever make me believe that
you want to be like that." Bobby wrapped his arms around the silver-
haired boy and wept, sobbing that his mother was leaving; sobbing that
he had beat Kyle; sobbing that he knew he probably would never stop
his angry side, the side that had beaten his friend. Through the sobs
he whispered out a cry of affection that could not be made out as the
intended words but was understood to be a showing of the deep emotion
that swelled within his being. Never had someone cared so deeply and
been so concerned for him. The brunette wept; letting the tears fall
and soak his friend's shirt.
"I'll ask my parents if you can stay the night." Kyle whispered
softly as he pulled Bobby away a moment to look into his tear-clouded
eyes. The older boy simply nodded and stayed slumped on the floor
while the silver-head went to ask his parents. Soon enough his comrade
returned with good news. "I'll protect you for the night," The golden-
orbed boy paused, "but I don't now about forever."
"I don't really expect forever."
"Bobby. what does he do to you?"
The brunette hesitated before shaking his head. "Bad things." He
closed his deep auburn eyes. "I don't want you to worry. Just forget
it."}}

"You cried a lot that day." The brown-haired boy starred at the sliver-head who stood above him.
"No," Bobby stopped to move dropped strands of hair from his eyes, "The sky cried, I grieved." Kyle suddenly felt very helpless, as if the brown-eyed boy was casting a spell on him. The silver-head shivered and retreated to his bed again, seeing that Bobby had fixed an intense gaze on hßim. In response Kyle looked and starred back into his dangerously flashing orbs. Now it felt as though Kyle's mind was being poked ad prodded at. The silver boy looked away, not seeing Bobby's cat-faced grin, as if he'd just won some kind of competition.
"You're very amusing, idiot." Stated the brunette, a smirk spreading across his face. The idea that the auburn haired fourteen-year-old could be like he was before shattered in the silver-head's mind.
{{Bobby and Kyle were already dressed for bed and an inflated
mattress laid upon the floor of the golden-eyed child's room. Outside
the night had grown fierce; the shower had raged into a frightening
thunderstorm with the sights just barely protected from the darkness.
"Thank you," were the fervent words of the brunette as he
snuggled into the red set-up on the floor.
"It's okay." Kyle responded sincerely to his friend's polite
gesture, as a way of shoving of the great burden he was helping to
eliminate and comfort the older.}}

"Now what, idiot?" the brown-haired teenager pushed.
The silver-head knowing what that meant, complied, eyes slightly tearing with internal pain. "My parents will let you stay for dinner. Au Graten potatoes and chicken.
"Sounds good."
A sharp wincing, crying sob broke out, "I hate you so much. you- you." There was no time for more words as bobby slapped him hard on the right side of his lithe body. A slight whining, sharp and chocked-back shrieking wail answered his offensive moment. Kyle was training and gasping; breathing hard as once more streaking tears pierced his cat-eyed barriers. The boy sat up after getting more control of his shaking self and looked straight into bobby's dark, dangerous orbs. The older boy's face was slightly flushed and he was starring into space or maybe right at the silver-head himself.

{{The dark, flaring, crashing world outside of the younger boy's
fortress frightened the whimpering brunette, who sat upright in the
floor-ridden mattress. Sweat matted his dark brown locks of hair and
his breath began to slow as he realized it was only a dream. Sounds of
the silver-head's soft rhythmic breathing reached him and slightly
comforted the small ten-year-old, though not completely. In his dream,
he had once again awakened his father's wrath. A soft, drifting warmth
radiated from his covered bed where ab0ve, out the window, rain poured
from the sky and dripped down the glossy pane. The young Bobby could
see a sweet smile had curled it's way loving upon the small child's
pink-flushed face. A moment passed and for a few seconds the
brunette's cheeks glowed a pale autumn pink. One small wet salted drop
of white-tinted sweat rolled down the side of is reddened face. Slowly
and carefully, not wanting to wake the other, the older of the two
climbed up to the bed. He nestled himself closely beside the younger
boy and his small arms curled themselves around Kyle's rising and
falling chest. The boy's dark brown strands of hair fell over onto the
pillow he was now sharing with the golden-eyed child.
At first the auburn-orbed male tensed, hoping not to wake his
sleeping hero, but no struggle or stirring commenced, only the same
soft breath patterned stayed soon another a like rhythm jointed the
first. In a moment something stirred Kyle, who felt the seeping warmth
of bobby's pale hand on his chest. At first the silver-head was
slightly embarrassed and blushing, but soon toned it down enough to
fall asleep in the presence of the gentle brown-haired ten-year-old.}}

"What are you looking at?!?" Was the brunette's defense. Kyle stopped his questionable stare on Bobby whose memory of that night had flared up. It now seemed as though a stage of denial had reared it's ugly head, although the brunette's eyes showed no sign. There was some of the memory that Bobby didn't want to remember. The nightmare that followed it was not something he wanted to engrave in his mind, but it was there none-the-less.

{{In the abyss of a nightmare world the small brunette ran, trying
desperately to escape the words and drunken threats of his father that
echoed behind him. Fear clutched at him with shadowed claws and he had
nowhere to go, no one to turn to. He saw something up ahead. The boy
squinted at the ghost-like form as his mother stood in the rain up
ahead, her light brown hair sagging from the water soaking it.
"Momma!" He cried in rapture. She frowned at him.

"No, Honey. Stay where you are." She spoke, her voice echoing as
Jacobs derogatory words grew louder behind him.

"Bu-But Momma. he's coming. an-and I can't run anymore." Tears
threatened to spill over his boyish cheeks. "Momma!" Bobby yelled in
fright as his mother disappeared, seeming to turn to mist and join the
rain in its' cold dance. "Momma." He whisper, the tears clouding his
vision and wetting his face. Then his eyes widened as he faced another
boy with silver-hair and golden eyes, looking worried about the older.
Kyle. it was Kyle.

"Bobby, what's coming?" spoke the boy, seeming unfazed by the
loudening curses.
"Kyle. I'm so glad you're here!" He exclaimed, running to take
his comrade into his arms, but he went right through him as Kyle too,
began to disappear. "No!" cried the boy, "No! Not you too! You can't
leave. you can't. I'll have no one left." The loneliness in his voice
sounded around the blackness about him and he turned to the hand of
his father coming down on him. A hoarse scream escaped the brunette's
lips.

Kyle awoke with a start. "Bobby?!?" He asked in fear for his
friend. "Bobby?!?" The brown-haired male clung to his companion as
tears fell from his dark eyes.

"D-don't leave me alone, Kyle. please. don't leave me alone." A
rasping sob was let out as the silver-head laid a hand comrade's head
and soothed him. Soon, all was well, and both boy's had fallen back to
sleep.}}