Part Two:
"Swear."
(Quick Author note: Creative liberty in full effect... things may be a little off chronology-wise, but hey, this is how the story came out of my head. And for trivia's sake, the name of the story, 'Memento Mori', is Latin. It translates to 'Remember you will die'.)
Almost true to Raven's prediction about he and Tommy being fated to meet, the two boys became all but inseparable after that. They sat as close together during class as possible, snickering jokes between one another. They sat together at lunch, swapping things they didn't like between themselves and Stevie, who was a loyal third in their little group. And after school, they almost always went straight to Tommy's house to play video games, watch TV, and pig out on junk food. It was as close as the boys- Raven especially- had ever come in their lives to true stereotypical adolescent bliss.
In the hallways, they were untouchable. They fought together, Raven with his tenacity, and Tommy with his strength, and Stevie usually getting tossed into a trash bin early on. And it became clear to all that Raven and Tommy were super-tight, their very presence daring anyone to find a pair of friends more loyal and true to each other.
It was one afternoon, when the three were hanging out in Tommy's room, when Raven got the idea to try something that he'd read in a book once. The three were watching the TV eagerly- wrestling was on. And the boys were huge wrestling fans.
"Yeeeeah!" Tommy cried out as the immortal Hogan took the ring. Dreamer was a full-fledged Hulkamaniac, with a devoutness that made even his friends laugh out loud. "Check it out, man. Hogan's gonna cream this guy. He's the greatest."
"Mmm… he's okay, I guess. A bit overrated in my opinion. Not bad, but he's not my favorite."
Tommy gaped at Raven as if he'd just spoken utter blasphemy. "Okay? Not bad? This is HOGAN, brotherrrrrr. If he's not your favorite, then who the heck is?"
Raven leaned back thoughtfully. "The Undertaker."
"Undertaker? Why?"
"Simple, really." Raven glanced pointedly at Tommy, and grinned. "Everyone else's favorite is Hogan. Since when have I done what everyone else does?"
"Oh, yeah? Well…" Tommy puffed his chest out, and lept to his feet. "…you better get ready to eat those words, Brotherrrrr, 'cuz I'm comin' for ya! Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on youuuu?"
"I'll tell you what I'll do, Hogan." Raven stood up, drawing himself to his full height. "I will take the power of all my Creatures of the Night, and crush you! Bearer, bring me my Urn!"
An awkward pause. Raven glanced pointedly at Stevie, who blinked in confusion. "BEARER… I said bring me my Urn…"
"Oh! Right, right…" Hastily stuffing a pillow into his shirt, Stevie looked around and finally grabbed a coffee can full of loose change off Tommy's dresser, and held it out, speaking in a high-pitched voice. "Ohhhh, Yeeesssssss, Undertaker! Here is your Urn, filled with all the power of… um… Dead Stuuuufffff!"
As Raven reached out for the coffee can, Tommy pounced on him, sending the two boys tumbling onto the bed. And so began the epic battle between Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker, with Paul Bearer cheering them on at ringside while trying to keep his pillow in his shirt. Eventually, the battle spilled off the bed, onto the floor with a great 'THUD', but the two legendary combatants kept fighting, neither giving in, until…
"TOMMY! RAVEN! STEVIE! YOU THREE KEEP IT DOWN UP THERE!"
A lengthy pause… leading to three peals of laughter.
"Oh, man…" Raven took a few deep breaths, then looked at Tommy seriously for a moment. "Tommy, can I talk to you for a minute? Stevie, can you beat it for a bit 'till I'm done talking to Tommy?"
"Okay." Stevie took the pillow out of his shirt and set the coffee can back on Tommy's dresser, and left the room. Tommy looked at his friend curiously.
"What's up, man?"
"Tommy… we're close, you and I, right?"
"Course we are. None tighter than us, you know that."
"Would you be willing to swear by it?"
Tommy blinked. "I'm… not following you here."
"Well… I read this thing, right, about this little ritual that close friends sometimes do. They each prick their fingers with a pin, then touch their bleeding fingers together so the blood mixes, and swear to never betray each other. It's called becoming blood brothers, and… well, I wanted to know if you'd want to try it."
"Hm… that's a little weird, isn't it? Heavy stuff."
"Well, if you don't want to…" Raven shrugged. "Sorry I brought it up."
"Hey, wait a sec. I never said I didn't want to." Tommy smiled. "You're my very best friend, Raven. I wanna make sure it stays that way."
"Okay. Let's see here..." Raven looked around, and eventually spied an old, forgotten Boy Scout pin in a little junk tray. Unflinching, he stabbed his index finger with it, drawing blood. Tommy did likewise, and the two touched fingers solemnly.
"Tommy Dreamer, I swear my eternal friendship and loyalty to you. Should I ever strike out at you in anger, may I one day lose what I hold most dear." Raven looked up at Tommy. "Now your turn. Swear."
"Okay… um, Raven, I swear my eternal friendship and loyalty to you. If I ever spill your blood in anger, may you come from my sworn brother to my sworn enemy."
They put their hands back down at their sides and smiled at each other, the smile of two dear friends and sworn brothers who share a guarded secret. Little did they know that they had just sealed their own fates.
"Hey, Stevie! You can come back in now… and bring some bandaids with you, okay?"
"Swear."
(Quick Author note: Creative liberty in full effect... things may be a little off chronology-wise, but hey, this is how the story came out of my head. And for trivia's sake, the name of the story, 'Memento Mori', is Latin. It translates to 'Remember you will die'.)
Almost true to Raven's prediction about he and Tommy being fated to meet, the two boys became all but inseparable after that. They sat as close together during class as possible, snickering jokes between one another. They sat together at lunch, swapping things they didn't like between themselves and Stevie, who was a loyal third in their little group. And after school, they almost always went straight to Tommy's house to play video games, watch TV, and pig out on junk food. It was as close as the boys- Raven especially- had ever come in their lives to true stereotypical adolescent bliss.
In the hallways, they were untouchable. They fought together, Raven with his tenacity, and Tommy with his strength, and Stevie usually getting tossed into a trash bin early on. And it became clear to all that Raven and Tommy were super-tight, their very presence daring anyone to find a pair of friends more loyal and true to each other.
It was one afternoon, when the three were hanging out in Tommy's room, when Raven got the idea to try something that he'd read in a book once. The three were watching the TV eagerly- wrestling was on. And the boys were huge wrestling fans.
"Yeeeeah!" Tommy cried out as the immortal Hogan took the ring. Dreamer was a full-fledged Hulkamaniac, with a devoutness that made even his friends laugh out loud. "Check it out, man. Hogan's gonna cream this guy. He's the greatest."
"Mmm… he's okay, I guess. A bit overrated in my opinion. Not bad, but he's not my favorite."
Tommy gaped at Raven as if he'd just spoken utter blasphemy. "Okay? Not bad? This is HOGAN, brotherrrrrr. If he's not your favorite, then who the heck is?"
Raven leaned back thoughtfully. "The Undertaker."
"Undertaker? Why?"
"Simple, really." Raven glanced pointedly at Tommy, and grinned. "Everyone else's favorite is Hogan. Since when have I done what everyone else does?"
"Oh, yeah? Well…" Tommy puffed his chest out, and lept to his feet. "…you better get ready to eat those words, Brotherrrrr, 'cuz I'm comin' for ya! Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on youuuu?"
"I'll tell you what I'll do, Hogan." Raven stood up, drawing himself to his full height. "I will take the power of all my Creatures of the Night, and crush you! Bearer, bring me my Urn!"
An awkward pause. Raven glanced pointedly at Stevie, who blinked in confusion. "BEARER… I said bring me my Urn…"
"Oh! Right, right…" Hastily stuffing a pillow into his shirt, Stevie looked around and finally grabbed a coffee can full of loose change off Tommy's dresser, and held it out, speaking in a high-pitched voice. "Ohhhh, Yeeesssssss, Undertaker! Here is your Urn, filled with all the power of… um… Dead Stuuuufffff!"
As Raven reached out for the coffee can, Tommy pounced on him, sending the two boys tumbling onto the bed. And so began the epic battle between Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker, with Paul Bearer cheering them on at ringside while trying to keep his pillow in his shirt. Eventually, the battle spilled off the bed, onto the floor with a great 'THUD', but the two legendary combatants kept fighting, neither giving in, until…
"TOMMY! RAVEN! STEVIE! YOU THREE KEEP IT DOWN UP THERE!"
A lengthy pause… leading to three peals of laughter.
"Oh, man…" Raven took a few deep breaths, then looked at Tommy seriously for a moment. "Tommy, can I talk to you for a minute? Stevie, can you beat it for a bit 'till I'm done talking to Tommy?"
"Okay." Stevie took the pillow out of his shirt and set the coffee can back on Tommy's dresser, and left the room. Tommy looked at his friend curiously.
"What's up, man?"
"Tommy… we're close, you and I, right?"
"Course we are. None tighter than us, you know that."
"Would you be willing to swear by it?"
Tommy blinked. "I'm… not following you here."
"Well… I read this thing, right, about this little ritual that close friends sometimes do. They each prick their fingers with a pin, then touch their bleeding fingers together so the blood mixes, and swear to never betray each other. It's called becoming blood brothers, and… well, I wanted to know if you'd want to try it."
"Hm… that's a little weird, isn't it? Heavy stuff."
"Well, if you don't want to…" Raven shrugged. "Sorry I brought it up."
"Hey, wait a sec. I never said I didn't want to." Tommy smiled. "You're my very best friend, Raven. I wanna make sure it stays that way."
"Okay. Let's see here..." Raven looked around, and eventually spied an old, forgotten Boy Scout pin in a little junk tray. Unflinching, he stabbed his index finger with it, drawing blood. Tommy did likewise, and the two touched fingers solemnly.
"Tommy Dreamer, I swear my eternal friendship and loyalty to you. Should I ever strike out at you in anger, may I one day lose what I hold most dear." Raven looked up at Tommy. "Now your turn. Swear."
"Okay… um, Raven, I swear my eternal friendship and loyalty to you. If I ever spill your blood in anger, may you come from my sworn brother to my sworn enemy."
They put their hands back down at their sides and smiled at each other, the smile of two dear friends and sworn brothers who share a guarded secret. Little did they know that they had just sealed their own fates.
"Hey, Stevie! You can come back in now… and bring some bandaids with you, okay?"