Sealed Lost Home

Feelings are Hell

It has been a full week now ever since this phenomenon happened. Bakura is not dead (apparently), he got himself trapped in another universe, and he's essentially squatting in some random family's house in the middle of Denver, Colorado. His Millennium Ring is now a piece of regular jewelry, he's the main antagonist in a manga/anime series that got popular, and he's stuck without any answers as to how he's here. Bakura is basically a regular teenager here.

And he hates it. He hates it with every bone in his body.

What separated him from any teenage vagrant was his dueling deck, the abilities given by his ring, and the voice of Zorc ringing in his head. He isn't even a teenager, in a technical sense. He's some sort of fusion between the soul of an ancient Egyptian thief king of the same name and fragments of Zorc Necrophades, an embodiment of darkness. Bakura shouldn't have to live off a Pop Tart for breakfast, a roommate who blasts depressing music, a trip to see some movie called "Spiderverse", and a sleeping bag.

But he does. He can't help but fuel himself with more hate over the predicament than he has on the first day.

So Bakura goes for a walk. He doesn't have a destination in mind and only plans to go around this neighborhood in circles. This time, however, he makes sure that he wasn't followed by Xavier, Lana, or any one of Xavier's peers. It can only add to the fire bubbling inside Bakura if they kept hammering in random crap that he doesn't care about.

The skies are sunny, in comparison to the rain and thunder that happened yesterday. The sun has just come out to blast the rain puddles with its heat, only serving to make them hotter rather than boil them. Only the animals are out now, the birds getting ready to find breakfast and the squirrels going to harass the birds. Bakura feel his cheeks stretched out for a bit when he catches one squirrel chasing after the bird who grabbed hold of its meal. Once the squirrel tackles the bird, a chuckle is heard.

Who was that, Bakura thinks? Wait... did that come... out of himself? He clamps his mouth shut and walks off, his dim shadow following suit.

The quiet natural beauty of the neighborhood, while nice, is also a bit boring. Compared to Domino City, the stimuli, cars, big towers, and advertisements blasting at his face seem almost absent. Perhaps Bakura can just take one walk down the city landscape nearby? It'd make for a longer time out of the house, but this could be exactly what the thief needs to get himself fully immersed in this new world.

The idea of immersion for most people is very different from Bakura's idea. Freedom in his world meant running around rampant like a dirty criminal, whether it is by committing petty theft in gas stations, scaring people into giving up wallets or disturbing the general public. He especially loves the chase scenes he would get from the store owners before they trip on their own feet.

After that, Bakura dabbles in the art of graffiti after stealing a boxful of spray paint. The alley walls are now decked with night blue paint to depict the sky raining down meteors and fire. He paints Egyptian pyramids being destroyed, a Pharaoh and his loyal subjects burned to a crisp, and a shadowy figure with white hair blowing in the wind and a demonic smile.

Bakura stares at his art (or vandalism, as some people might call it) and basked in the masterpiece. He feels... off, for some reason. A strange feeling went past him, yet he doesn't find himself willing to brush it off this time. Does he even want to stop smiling...?

Is he... happy? Not the malicious glee he gets out of the theft and public discourse, but real and tangible happiness that he wants to hold close and never let go. Is he feeling cheery...?

He doesn't know, and this is what makes him terrified. Again, Bakura has not been a human for a while now. With the fragments of Zorc, he has been used to his emotions being nullified until he would be incapable of feeling them. This goes with all emotions that do not consist of rage and sadism. So for Bakura to be blasted with all these new feelings...

It's new. It's weird. It's human... but Bakura doesn't want that, does he?

A beeping noise is heard near the alley and blue and red flash down the entrance of the alley. Shit, it's the cops. Bakura bolts out of the scene in an instant and he was not even sure if his feet even touched the ground at times. If it were up to him, they'd all be in the Shadow Realm right now, but access to the hell dimension is very much limited at this rate.

Throughout the chase against the police, the shadowy forces of his mind are still dueling against the new white lights given to him. They are still trying to decide whether they should even attack or let themselves be engulfed in their humane presence. It is causing Bakura's mind to go back and forth between adrenaline over the hair raising suspense or fear that he might get caught this time.

No... He is the Thief King. He never gets caught unless he wanted to.

So Bakura makes a right turn into the forest, gripping the branches as he climbs higher and higher until the leaves conceal his entire body. Those idiotic policemen search all over for him for what seems like twenty minutes, if he had to guess.

Policeman: C'mon out! You can't hide forever!

Bakura just rolls his eyes and watches as the policemen search every bit of ground in the forest and, eventually, get called up and give up on the search. Perhaps someone else is running amok as well, not like he cared. He remains a free criminal, just like always.

Always... Bakura thinks back to the Pharaoh and Yugi, the blind optimism and impeccable luck. Did he escape death at their hands by being sent here...? Could this dimension be more of a blessing...?

Not really. He still doesn't have his powers, he doesn't know if Zorc is killed or not, and he has to deal with these goddamn feelings that don't seem to be going away. Even as he enters Xavier's house, they remain.

Xavier: (eating toast at the dinner table) Bakura? Where have you been?

Bakura: . . . . I hate being human.

Xavier: (shrugs) Don't we all?

Xavier has no idea...