Flight
Xatrina smiled, her eyes closed, trying to call back the peal of bells that had sounded in her head as her dream drew to a close.
But they wouldn't return.
Sighing, she rose, humming tunefully with her full voice as she picked out her new designer jeans and a black silk top.
She dressed, and was just about to reach for the door handle, when a speck of white caught her eye.
There it was again, just like yesterday.
A note on her bedside table.
She unfolded it carefully, and read:
'Youth, still glowing in its prime, Soon to be unduly extinguished, You have known a lot, too much to be exact. That is your crime, and consequently, I shall deal punishment.'
More threats, more direct this time. It didn't rhyme either.
She took up her phone, dialling Bakura's number quickly.
He had given it to her yesterday.
She waited. Waited. Waited.
Each ring was a stab at her heart. She looked at her watch. Eight in the morning. Surely he would be in.
Even if he was asleep, the phone would surely wake him.
Finally, she gave up, placing the receiver down gently.
Then she took it up again, dialling Téa's mobile number.
Thankfully, she picked up.
'Wharrisit?' a groan on the other end of the line, 'It's, like, sunrise!'
'It's Xatrina.' Said Xatrina, 'I got another note. Do you know where Bakura is? Only I called him and he wasn't in.'
'Maybe we should go over.' Téa was starting to sound more awake, 'He might just be a heavy sleeper.'
'Great. See you there.' Xatrina slammed down the phone, grabbed her coat and ran through the house to the front door.
Hurriedly, she left the building, shutting the door quietly behind her.
She rushed along the road, turned down the main street and hurtled down the small lane that led to Bakura's place.
She almost collided with Téa, who arrived at almost exactly the same time.
'Look.' Téa pointed to the door. Wedged between the wood and the frame, a piece of white paper flapped in the breeze.
'He got one too!' she gasped.
Xatrina wandered over and took it from the frame.
'No, it's from him.' She said, reading it slowly.
Bakura's usually neat handwriting was scrawled clumsily across the page.
It was as if Bakura had known she would find it first. It read:
Xatrina, I'm sorry. I'll miss you. Tell the other chaps they're the best. Most love, Your best friend in the whole wide world, Bakura.
'But-' she choked, 'It sounds like he's...he's...'
She burst into tears, and Téa hugged her tightly, taking the letter gently and reading it for herself.
'No. He can't have. Why would he? He did it, didn't he? He sent you the notes! That must have been it!'
'I don't care.' Sobbed Xatrina, 'It doesn't matter, now that he's...why would he do that to himself?'
'Maybe we should search the house.' Said Téa.
'I don't want to see-'
'It's Ok,' said Téa nervously, 'I'll do it myself.'
She turned the handle gently. It was open, to her surprise.
Xatrina waited for a while, then ran in after her. Téa couldn't find him first! He was Xatrina's best friend!
Téa stood in the doorway to his living room, staring at the television.
Xatrina pushed past her, her face still tear stained, and looked.
There was another note on the TV.
She could read it from here.
It said:
Don't you worry. I haven't gone. Just forget.
'He's not dead!' laughed Xatrina, 'That's what it means, I'm sure! But...'Just forget'? What does that mean?'
'I think I know what's going on.' Said Téa. 'Sit down. I'll tell you.'
Xatrina sat down on her best friend's couch, and Téa sat next to her.
Téa told her everything she knew.
The millennium items, Yugi and Marik, Ishizu, Shadi, Pegasus, Bakura, Ancient Egypt, Duel Monsters, Duellist Kingdom, Battle City, magic, the shadow realm, the spirit of the millennium ring, Yami, good and evil.
'Ok.' Xatrina felt like she had been holding her breath the whole time Téa had been talking, 'So the spirit in Bakura's millennium...necklace thing has been sending me these notes, and now Bakura is scared he'll hurt me, so he's run away.'
'Yeah.' Said Téa, 'Well, partly, Bakura's got the millennium ring. Ishizu's got the millennium necklace.'
'Don't get me wrong, I do believe you, but what if Yugi and Bakura are both just schizophrenic or something?'
'Believe me, they aren't.' said Téa, 'Yami's got real power, and Bakura's spirit took us all to the shadow realm once.'
'Ok.' Replied Xatrina, 'But this still means Bakura's gone, doesn't it?'
'Yeah.' Sighed Téa.
'Isn't there anyone you know who can find him again?' asked Xatrina desperately.
'Yes. Two people.' Said Téa, a sparkle igniting in her deep, ocean-blue eyes.
'Who?' asked Xatrina.
'You'll see.' Replied Téa.
Xatrina smiled, her eyes closed, trying to call back the peal of bells that had sounded in her head as her dream drew to a close.
But they wouldn't return.
Sighing, she rose, humming tunefully with her full voice as she picked out her new designer jeans and a black silk top.
She dressed, and was just about to reach for the door handle, when a speck of white caught her eye.
There it was again, just like yesterday.
A note on her bedside table.
She unfolded it carefully, and read:
'Youth, still glowing in its prime, Soon to be unduly extinguished, You have known a lot, too much to be exact. That is your crime, and consequently, I shall deal punishment.'
More threats, more direct this time. It didn't rhyme either.
She took up her phone, dialling Bakura's number quickly.
He had given it to her yesterday.
She waited. Waited. Waited.
Each ring was a stab at her heart. She looked at her watch. Eight in the morning. Surely he would be in.
Even if he was asleep, the phone would surely wake him.
Finally, she gave up, placing the receiver down gently.
Then she took it up again, dialling Téa's mobile number.
Thankfully, she picked up.
'Wharrisit?' a groan on the other end of the line, 'It's, like, sunrise!'
'It's Xatrina.' Said Xatrina, 'I got another note. Do you know where Bakura is? Only I called him and he wasn't in.'
'Maybe we should go over.' Téa was starting to sound more awake, 'He might just be a heavy sleeper.'
'Great. See you there.' Xatrina slammed down the phone, grabbed her coat and ran through the house to the front door.
Hurriedly, she left the building, shutting the door quietly behind her.
She rushed along the road, turned down the main street and hurtled down the small lane that led to Bakura's place.
She almost collided with Téa, who arrived at almost exactly the same time.
'Look.' Téa pointed to the door. Wedged between the wood and the frame, a piece of white paper flapped in the breeze.
'He got one too!' she gasped.
Xatrina wandered over and took it from the frame.
'No, it's from him.' She said, reading it slowly.
Bakura's usually neat handwriting was scrawled clumsily across the page.
It was as if Bakura had known she would find it first. It read:
Xatrina, I'm sorry. I'll miss you. Tell the other chaps they're the best. Most love, Your best friend in the whole wide world, Bakura.
'But-' she choked, 'It sounds like he's...he's...'
She burst into tears, and Téa hugged her tightly, taking the letter gently and reading it for herself.
'No. He can't have. Why would he? He did it, didn't he? He sent you the notes! That must have been it!'
'I don't care.' Sobbed Xatrina, 'It doesn't matter, now that he's...why would he do that to himself?'
'Maybe we should search the house.' Said Téa.
'I don't want to see-'
'It's Ok,' said Téa nervously, 'I'll do it myself.'
She turned the handle gently. It was open, to her surprise.
Xatrina waited for a while, then ran in after her. Téa couldn't find him first! He was Xatrina's best friend!
Téa stood in the doorway to his living room, staring at the television.
Xatrina pushed past her, her face still tear stained, and looked.
There was another note on the TV.
She could read it from here.
It said:
Don't you worry. I haven't gone. Just forget.
'He's not dead!' laughed Xatrina, 'That's what it means, I'm sure! But...'Just forget'? What does that mean?'
'I think I know what's going on.' Said Téa. 'Sit down. I'll tell you.'
Xatrina sat down on her best friend's couch, and Téa sat next to her.
Téa told her everything she knew.
The millennium items, Yugi and Marik, Ishizu, Shadi, Pegasus, Bakura, Ancient Egypt, Duel Monsters, Duellist Kingdom, Battle City, magic, the shadow realm, the spirit of the millennium ring, Yami, good and evil.
'Ok.' Xatrina felt like she had been holding her breath the whole time Téa had been talking, 'So the spirit in Bakura's millennium...necklace thing has been sending me these notes, and now Bakura is scared he'll hurt me, so he's run away.'
'Yeah.' Said Téa, 'Well, partly, Bakura's got the millennium ring. Ishizu's got the millennium necklace.'
'Don't get me wrong, I do believe you, but what if Yugi and Bakura are both just schizophrenic or something?'
'Believe me, they aren't.' said Téa, 'Yami's got real power, and Bakura's spirit took us all to the shadow realm once.'
'Ok.' Replied Xatrina, 'But this still means Bakura's gone, doesn't it?'
'Yeah.' Sighed Téa.
'Isn't there anyone you know who can find him again?' asked Xatrina desperately.
'Yes. Two people.' Said Téa, a sparkle igniting in her deep, ocean-blue eyes.
'Who?' asked Xatrina.
'You'll see.' Replied Téa.