Chapter 2-Souls and Schemes/The Tears of A Forgotten Soul
Runi sighs, opening the doors to his dreaded return to Domino High. He'd been in the hospital for three days, making today a Friday. The only thing he was grateful for was that it seemed he had one friend. His name was Ryou Bakura. It was Bakura who had found him in the hall and had the nurse call the ambulance. They had talked about school and their families. In this subject, Runi didn't have must to say, everyone in his family had died or had killed themselves. It was only he left in his family.
Though all had gone well in his recover, two things had been nagging in the back of his head. One, his black book was missing. Bakura hadn't seen it when he was found Runi lying there. His book, it was gone, but no one ever could have read it nor could they have taken it. No one ever was willing to touch that book. Second, no one seemed to think Domino had had a hall monitor after the upper-class man Ushiro had gone crazy. When he asked Bakura inquisitively about the hall monitor Renyo, Bakura just answered with a simple, "Who?" .It seemed that everyone except himself had forgotten about Renyo the Hall Monitor.
When he reached his locker, Runi opened it quickly. His combo was much too easy to remember! It was his best friend's birth month and date. November on the left in it's numerical abbreviation then a zero 0, which was easy enough to remember without it being in any association with Khepri's birthday. He sighs unhappily, Khepri had died of an incurable disease. Though she was his foster mother, he still considered her his friend, and not his mom. A mom bosses you around and tells you to pick up or clean your room. Khepri never did that. She was a friend. A helper, a supporter. He missed her so much, which was to be expected, since she was the only person who ever showed him what togetherness and belonging meant.
As Runi opens the locker door, he blinks. His book? It was there! In his locker! But, how? No one knew his combo except, well, himself! Reaching in and grabbing the black book, he pulls it out and looks down just as a note written on rough parchment falls out of the book. Runi bends down, picking it up and opening it to read it.
'I have retrieved the book, I see you have yet to learn it's importance. Never the less, DO NOT LOSE IT AGAIN, RUNI! Or consequences will occur.'
Blinking several times, Runi pondered the fact that he knew for sure that he did not write this note to himself. Perhaps he was just fantasizing. Worried, Runi glances up the hall. Had someone been watching him, knowing what his combo was and what he was doing? He had heard there were many stalkers in Domino. Nah, he was dreaming again. However, that handwriting looked too familiar.
The bell rings, he would save this thought for later. Runi shuts his locker and puts the lock back on. He'd have to be quick on his feet to get to the first period assembly in the auditorium.
******
Once the assembly starts, Runi becomes very confused. The school was going to pick a hall monitor. The Principal stood on the stage explaining the reasons why Domino High was needed.
"Our school has too many wandering students. We NEED to add in a hall monitor for the benefit of the community of our school." Said the Principal firmly, "In recent study, there has been an increasing case of violent acts and bullying in this highschool.
"Our hall monitor has been chosen out of request and with the accordance of his grades and credits so far. Therefore, as of today, Domino City Highschool's hall monitor is... Runihura Hontuu!"
A few people clapped, or looked back like the Egyptian was a suck up, making Runi sink in his seat. He wasn't expecting this. He was NOT expecting THIS! No way he wanted to be hall monitor!! Out of request? What did they mean by that??
"Runi?" said the Principal, waiting, "Come on up here."
Nervously, he stands and walking to the stage. What choice did he have? The Principal puts a white band around his arm below the black one with the "EX" on it. This band read "Hall Monitor".
"Good luck." The Principal turns to the students, "You may move to your next class."
Once most of the peers had left, Runi walks up behind the Principal and taps his shoulder.
"Um, excuse me, sir, but, would it be any trouble if I asked you why and how exactly I was chosen? I'm new here, as you must realize, which means I do not the know the whole school by heart."
"Well," said the Principal, turning around, "You asked about it and gave the administration the whole idea, besides, you're the smartest kid in this school. You are perfect for the job, now, move along."
******
Walking through the halls a few periods later, Runi thinks to himself, hold his black book close to him, "I don't understand. I don't remember asking anyone anything, and who was that note from?"
He sees a student at a drinking fountain and sighs. Having to do his duties, Runi smiles at the lower-classman and asks for his pass. The boy shows it to him and walks off back to class.
Wondering once more through the halls, Runi stops suddenly, starting to feel very dizzy. He runs to the nearest bathroom and leans on a wall, taking deep breaths. The room was spinning fast. He had to lean on something. Moving to the sink and leaning on it, Runi looks up into the dirty mirror, gently putting his book on the tiled floor. Once his eyes focus, better he gets a mental shock. Though the boy in the mirror looks like himself, it was very different. The reflection's eyes were crimson, not the green he knew. Along the reflection's right cheek was a very thin, but very long scar. Runi puts his hand to his cheek to feel the imaginary scar, but the reflection did not move. Instead it smirked and the room became cold, and dark. Just in the second the room changed, it went back to normal again. When Runi could move his head again to look in the mirror, he notices that the boy had gone and his normal reflection was in the mirror.
The Egyptian stares. What had just happened? Who had that been in the mirror? Just as he bends down to pick up his book and shake the thoughts out of his head, Runi looks up as the door to the Boy's Bathroom opened and Bakura walked in. Was it Bakura? Since he was still in a dizzy state, the only features he could make out were that Bakura's hair was wilder, more untidy, and that his eyes were narrower.
"I've been looking for you Runihura..." he said, his voice slightly deeper and without an accent.
"Bakura?" Runi asked, a little confused. "Yes and No."
"Why have you been looking for me?"
"I have a present for you..." Bakura smirks evilly
"Really?" said Runi a little relieved, it was only something Bakura wanted to give him, right? Not to be scared of, right? In addition, to explain Bakura's strange appearance, maybe he had a nasty cold, or something, "May I see it?"
Bakura laughed, still smirking. "As you wish," he snaps his fingers and a thin gold band with Egyptian inscriptions appears around Runi's neck, "My friend said that you should enjoy its company..."
"What? What is this??" Runi reaches up to pull off the tight band off but fails, receiving a very painful shock. This made him wince terribly.
Bakura laughs again, his smirk curling into a twisted smile. "Allow me to explain. You have a book called 'The Book of Souls'. This book contains the secrets to every one you knows deepest and worst fears. You can even take souls with it." He points to Runi's black book. "That book grants the owner one wish. Any wish. Which it very important for me to have."
Runi's eyes widen. No, come off it. Was Bakura going crazy? However, something in his mind was telling Runi that this was the truth.
"You, I want that book, I NEED that book. Unfortunately, I cannot touch that book unless the current owner gives it to me, or dies. I decided to force you to give it to me, and spare your life. You see," Bakura points to the band around Runi's neck, "Slowly, your soul will be drained out of your body and into that band. Fail to hand over the book, and you will face a penalty worse than death."
"I don't understand!"
"You will." Said Bakura, "Soon enough." The maniac holds up 3 fingers, "You have three days till your soul is completely gone. At that time, I will take the book. If you give it to me the book before then, I will free your soul from the band. But be warned, the second you hand the book to me, you will fall dead."
Laughing wickedly, he leaves the bathroom. Runi falls to his knees staring at his book. The Book of Souls...?
Runi sighs, opening the doors to his dreaded return to Domino High. He'd been in the hospital for three days, making today a Friday. The only thing he was grateful for was that it seemed he had one friend. His name was Ryou Bakura. It was Bakura who had found him in the hall and had the nurse call the ambulance. They had talked about school and their families. In this subject, Runi didn't have must to say, everyone in his family had died or had killed themselves. It was only he left in his family.
Though all had gone well in his recover, two things had been nagging in the back of his head. One, his black book was missing. Bakura hadn't seen it when he was found Runi lying there. His book, it was gone, but no one ever could have read it nor could they have taken it. No one ever was willing to touch that book. Second, no one seemed to think Domino had had a hall monitor after the upper-class man Ushiro had gone crazy. When he asked Bakura inquisitively about the hall monitor Renyo, Bakura just answered with a simple, "Who?" .It seemed that everyone except himself had forgotten about Renyo the Hall Monitor.
When he reached his locker, Runi opened it quickly. His combo was much too easy to remember! It was his best friend's birth month and date. November on the left in it's numerical abbreviation then a zero 0, which was easy enough to remember without it being in any association with Khepri's birthday. He sighs unhappily, Khepri had died of an incurable disease. Though she was his foster mother, he still considered her his friend, and not his mom. A mom bosses you around and tells you to pick up or clean your room. Khepri never did that. She was a friend. A helper, a supporter. He missed her so much, which was to be expected, since she was the only person who ever showed him what togetherness and belonging meant.
As Runi opens the locker door, he blinks. His book? It was there! In his locker! But, how? No one knew his combo except, well, himself! Reaching in and grabbing the black book, he pulls it out and looks down just as a note written on rough parchment falls out of the book. Runi bends down, picking it up and opening it to read it.
'I have retrieved the book, I see you have yet to learn it's importance. Never the less, DO NOT LOSE IT AGAIN, RUNI! Or consequences will occur.'
Blinking several times, Runi pondered the fact that he knew for sure that he did not write this note to himself. Perhaps he was just fantasizing. Worried, Runi glances up the hall. Had someone been watching him, knowing what his combo was and what he was doing? He had heard there were many stalkers in Domino. Nah, he was dreaming again. However, that handwriting looked too familiar.
The bell rings, he would save this thought for later. Runi shuts his locker and puts the lock back on. He'd have to be quick on his feet to get to the first period assembly in the auditorium.
******
Once the assembly starts, Runi becomes very confused. The school was going to pick a hall monitor. The Principal stood on the stage explaining the reasons why Domino High was needed.
"Our school has too many wandering students. We NEED to add in a hall monitor for the benefit of the community of our school." Said the Principal firmly, "In recent study, there has been an increasing case of violent acts and bullying in this highschool.
"Our hall monitor has been chosen out of request and with the accordance of his grades and credits so far. Therefore, as of today, Domino City Highschool's hall monitor is... Runihura Hontuu!"
A few people clapped, or looked back like the Egyptian was a suck up, making Runi sink in his seat. He wasn't expecting this. He was NOT expecting THIS! No way he wanted to be hall monitor!! Out of request? What did they mean by that??
"Runi?" said the Principal, waiting, "Come on up here."
Nervously, he stands and walking to the stage. What choice did he have? The Principal puts a white band around his arm below the black one with the "EX" on it. This band read "Hall Monitor".
"Good luck." The Principal turns to the students, "You may move to your next class."
Once most of the peers had left, Runi walks up behind the Principal and taps his shoulder.
"Um, excuse me, sir, but, would it be any trouble if I asked you why and how exactly I was chosen? I'm new here, as you must realize, which means I do not the know the whole school by heart."
"Well," said the Principal, turning around, "You asked about it and gave the administration the whole idea, besides, you're the smartest kid in this school. You are perfect for the job, now, move along."
******
Walking through the halls a few periods later, Runi thinks to himself, hold his black book close to him, "I don't understand. I don't remember asking anyone anything, and who was that note from?"
He sees a student at a drinking fountain and sighs. Having to do his duties, Runi smiles at the lower-classman and asks for his pass. The boy shows it to him and walks off back to class.
Wondering once more through the halls, Runi stops suddenly, starting to feel very dizzy. He runs to the nearest bathroom and leans on a wall, taking deep breaths. The room was spinning fast. He had to lean on something. Moving to the sink and leaning on it, Runi looks up into the dirty mirror, gently putting his book on the tiled floor. Once his eyes focus, better he gets a mental shock. Though the boy in the mirror looks like himself, it was very different. The reflection's eyes were crimson, not the green he knew. Along the reflection's right cheek was a very thin, but very long scar. Runi puts his hand to his cheek to feel the imaginary scar, but the reflection did not move. Instead it smirked and the room became cold, and dark. Just in the second the room changed, it went back to normal again. When Runi could move his head again to look in the mirror, he notices that the boy had gone and his normal reflection was in the mirror.
The Egyptian stares. What had just happened? Who had that been in the mirror? Just as he bends down to pick up his book and shake the thoughts out of his head, Runi looks up as the door to the Boy's Bathroom opened and Bakura walked in. Was it Bakura? Since he was still in a dizzy state, the only features he could make out were that Bakura's hair was wilder, more untidy, and that his eyes were narrower.
"I've been looking for you Runihura..." he said, his voice slightly deeper and without an accent.
"Bakura?" Runi asked, a little confused. "Yes and No."
"Why have you been looking for me?"
"I have a present for you..." Bakura smirks evilly
"Really?" said Runi a little relieved, it was only something Bakura wanted to give him, right? Not to be scared of, right? In addition, to explain Bakura's strange appearance, maybe he had a nasty cold, or something, "May I see it?"
Bakura laughed, still smirking. "As you wish," he snaps his fingers and a thin gold band with Egyptian inscriptions appears around Runi's neck, "My friend said that you should enjoy its company..."
"What? What is this??" Runi reaches up to pull off the tight band off but fails, receiving a very painful shock. This made him wince terribly.
Bakura laughs again, his smirk curling into a twisted smile. "Allow me to explain. You have a book called 'The Book of Souls'. This book contains the secrets to every one you knows deepest and worst fears. You can even take souls with it." He points to Runi's black book. "That book grants the owner one wish. Any wish. Which it very important for me to have."
Runi's eyes widen. No, come off it. Was Bakura going crazy? However, something in his mind was telling Runi that this was the truth.
"You, I want that book, I NEED that book. Unfortunately, I cannot touch that book unless the current owner gives it to me, or dies. I decided to force you to give it to me, and spare your life. You see," Bakura points to the band around Runi's neck, "Slowly, your soul will be drained out of your body and into that band. Fail to hand over the book, and you will face a penalty worse than death."
"I don't understand!"
"You will." Said Bakura, "Soon enough." The maniac holds up 3 fingers, "You have three days till your soul is completely gone. At that time, I will take the book. If you give it to me the book before then, I will free your soul from the band. But be warned, the second you hand the book to me, you will fall dead."
Laughing wickedly, he leaves the bathroom. Runi falls to his knees staring at his book. The Book of Souls...?