Here's how a romance usually plays out:

Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with said girl, boy and girl face adversities from parents/society/whatever, boy and girl become a couple and then boy and girl live happily ever after.

Oh, if only that was true for me.

When the boy meets the girl, the girl is (mostly) oblivious to the boy's infatuation with her or she is in love with someone else (someone that is cooler, or richer, or stronger than our protagonist) and won't notice the boy's affections for her so that the plot doesn't end in five minutes. If this story goes on and the romance drags on for far too long, then it can either be entertaining or just plain annoying. That's not even mentioning what is commonly known as "the unspoken thing".

The girl I met knew that I watched her, knew that I took her photograph and knew that I was thinking about her.

Most boys in my situation would be happy to know that they are being thought of and hope this would lead to something extraordinary.

Oh yes, I can admit that seeing Bel at school was extraordinary to me…

What happened after that would be considered "foolish".

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1st Shot

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Stranger Things

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After the initial shock of seeing Bel wears off, the boy attempts to focus on studying for his math test rather than how many girls are asking about Bel's life in America. Even if the reporter in him has so many questions on his mind (in regards to what happened to Kiryu, how she became a Dark Signer, who were the other women with her and more), he still keeps his eyes on the page in regards to the order of operations and figures out his sentence to remember PEMDAS.

"Please explain more about the darkness and signers…" Shooti mutters, oblivious to someone approaching him from behind.

"Of course," someone answers back. "All you had to do was ask."

Shooti looks up from his textbook and nearly jumps out of his seat when he sees Bel sitting in front of him, smiling all the while. He sets his book down as Bel giggles.

"Nice to meet you," she says. "You're Shooti Hayami, correct?"

Shooti manages to nod his head all while Bel continues to speak.

"Tell me more about yourself," she says. "Do you like books?"

"Uh, yeah, I like books. I'm currently reading A Wrinkle in Time and my favorite book is The Invention of Hugo Cabret." Shooti brings his arms out in front of him, a tic that states how excited he is about something. "The combination of story and black and white drawings pulls you in like the scene of your favorite movie. I read the book twenty times and found that I wanted to really explore the power behind a camera lens...to see what magic one could make."

"I see…" Bel smiles. "I'm currently reading Moon Over Manifest, but my favorite book is The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder."

Shooti laughs. He doesn't mean to be rude, but the name appears out of nowhere for him. "What type of a name is that for an author, or anyone, to have?" he asks. "How old is he?"

Bel's eyes darken slightly. "She died at age 87, October 7, 2014. And that is her real name."

Shooti stops laughing and his cheeks turn red in embarrassment. "...Oh."

Yep, mistake number four: angering the girl for making fun at the name of her favorite author.

Bel digs out the book from her bag and shows it to Shooti, the cover depicting the silhouettes of children in Ancient Egyptian garb while a brick apartment, street sign and parking meter are prominently displayed.

"I've always been a fan of ancient history," Bel explains. "The kids in the book are like me, pretending that they have a secret place they call their own and not letting anyone take away their fantasy even if danger is all around. I've read it twenty-five times."

Shooti takes the book into his hand and leafs through it, glimpsing at black and white pictures of children in their own world of Ancient Egypt. "I see."

"It even got a sequel thirty years later, where the characters pretend they're gypsies. Zilpha Keatley Snyder was amazing at writing stories like this, don't you think?"

"Huh."

Bel places her hand over Shooti's own, smiling at him with a look in her eyes that is both dreamy and mysterious. Shooti looks in confusion at the touch; it is cold as ice.

"You can borrow it if you want," she says. "Just give it to me after you're done and tell me what you think."

Shooti sets the book in his lap as he tries to stop his heart from pounding and attempts to ask his next question.

"D...do you…" he stammers. "Do you...you want to go...I...I mean…"

Before Shooti can finish the question, the girl does something absolutely unexpected.

She smiles, leans forward and whispers something into the boy's ear.

"Let's go chase shadows at lunch. I'll be waiting."

The girl walks back to her seat as the boy looks in confusion. Aside from his babysitter and mother, the boy has never felt signs of affection or like towards another female. He surely can't be falling in love with her so soon, right?

But before the answer can enter his head, the boy recalls what Carly said two nights ago, and what Bel asked about taking a photo of her. The fact that the boy is developing feelings for a Dark Signer (beings that can make a member of Team Satisfaction scream in fear) frightens him, but the fact that Bel is interacting with him is a good sign...at least, that's what the boy hopes for.

Forgetting his math book, the boy opens The Egypt Game and stares at the writing in front of him.

"Domino Haikyo 25."

Haikyo is the term for urban exploration, something that the boy is familiar with (he won't explain how to just anybody though) but the number is what makes him nervous. Most people would scoff at how a number can be so threatening, but the boy knows how personal that number is, and makes him question whether Bel knows its significance or not.

If the boy knows any better, he will read the book and hand it to that girl as soon as he can and not ask questions if "Domino Haikyo 25" means what he thinks it means.

But he doesn't, and that leads to his fifth mistake.

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Time flies so fast that the boy doesn't even recall whether or not he did a good job on his math test. He finishes the test with twenty minutes to spare and spends that time reading through the first few chapters of The Egypt Game as he begins to see the budding friendship between Melanie and April, how they find the Nefertiti bust, and how they slowly begin to create the land of Ancient Egypt in someone's backyard.

After history (which, coincidentally, is all about Ancient Egypt), it is time for lunch. The boy is glad that he brought a bento from home and makes his way to the canteen, hoping to find a decent spot so he can take photos after he's done eating.

Instead, he finds two specific people waiting for him.


"Shooti, over here!"

Shooti looks over the heads of multiple students seating themselves down for lunch to see Jun standing on top of a table and waving his arms to get the boy's attention (and getting the attention of other students who look at Jun as if he is possessed). Shooti sighs as he makes his way to where his friend is standing and only stops when he sees who is also seated there.

It is Bel.

"So," says Jun, hopping down from the table as Shooti stands still. Jun just wraps an arm around his friend's shoulder, his mouth stretched into another monkey-like grin. "Why didn't you go and tell me that you got yourself a girlfriend?"

"I...I mean, we…we aren't..." Shooti stutters as he notices Bel on a laptop decorated with a hummingbird decal colored green and orange. This causes him to blush; orange and green are his favorite colors.

Bel looks up from her work and beams at Shooti. It is then that he notices something odd about her; she has no lunch on her at all.

And, as far as Shooti can recall, Jun hasn't brought a lunch on him since the school year began. He knows how Jun lives alone with his father (who makes a living as a policeman), and that Jun consumes a boatload of calories due to his metabolism and love of running, but it is odd that Jun hasn't been even ordered a canteen lunch (which is usually cooked with help from the sisters Millefeui and Kanata, whose mother own the Café in Wonderland where many students hang out) for the past few weeks or so.

And, even stranger, Jun had turned down having dinner with Shooti and his mother many times even though they treat the blonde boy as if he is part of the family. In fact, if Shooti doesn't know better, he can tell that Jun looks a bit pallid than usual.

But those thoughts leave his mind as Jun drags him toward the table to eat.

"So," says Bel, watching Jun seat Shooti down. "How far have you gotten into the book?"

"Uh, I just read the first three chapters," Shooti answers, unpacking his lunch, and muttering "Itadakimasu" under his breath before he digs into some home-cooked chicken teriyaki.

Bel says nothing else as she brings her eyes back to her laptop, the screen on an article in regards to the hobby of haikyo. She briefly looks at the article before speaking.

"So Shooti," she begins, eyeing Shooti as he takes a bite out of some carrot pickles. "Jun tells me that you like photography, right?"

"Like" photography? The boy loves photography.

It's been a tradition that the men of the Hayami family, as far as the boy can recall, are into pictures and photographs. The boy is no exception as the most precious item he has on hand is a teal digital camera his babysitter bought for him as a birthday gift last year, and he's been using it to take photos whenever he can venture out to some of the more mysterious places in Domino.

His dream is that he will become a reporter just like Carly, and that the two team up to uncover the secrets of Domino Below to share on Chasing Shadows, or perhaps go through some urban exploration and see what type of abandoned areas they can find.

Jun laughs and pats Bel on the back. "What kind of question is that? Shooti would rather die than let his precious photographs be destroyed, am I right?"

The boy should have seen this as a warning, but he ignores it...which will lead to his sixth mistake after he asks about Domino Haikyo.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm that crazy into photography," Shooti begins, ignoring his friend's comment. "Why do you ask?"

"It's because of your name," Bel answers. "Are you related to that famous photographer, Shuta Hayami?"

That name makes the boy become silent. He hasn't been on good terms with his older brother ever since Shuta received a most unusual camera that grants him the ability to make predictions of the future whenever he takes a picture with it. Where he found it, the older brother will not answer, but the boy can sense how the older brother has drastically changed thanks to that thing.

Their relationship became more tense when, just out of curiosity, the boy took a picture of himself with said camera when Shuta was busy. But before he can see what the results are, Shuta drags the boy out and rips the photo in half. That evening, the older brother runs away from home, taking the camera with him.

The boy and his older brother haven't been in contact with each other ever since.

"Sort of," Shooti mumbles. "He's my older brother. Why do you ask?"

"I heard that he has taken lots of photographs of abandoned areas in Domino City and Domino Below and they all end up being, well, more mysterious."

"...How so?"

Bel motions for Shooti to take a look at the photos. Shooti gets up from his seat and looks over her shoulder to take a better view. The website shows apartments, a theater, and even an asylum, all of them devoid of life. But each of them depict numerous shadows clinging onto the walls, giving each photo an aura of gloominess and despair that causes Shooti to shudder. He hates photographs that depict ghosts and horrifying things like catacombs and graveyards.

"All of these were photographed by Shuta just a few weeks ago," Bel explains. "It's part of his portfolio, as he states on his website."

"...Domino Haikyo 25?" Shooti asks, hoping that it isn't the answer.

Bel nods her head, and Shooti feels his heart dropping to his stomach. "Yeah, that's it."

That isn't the answer the boy is looking for. What exactly is Shuta trying to accomplish by photographing abandoned places with a camera that predicts the future?

Jun notes the sweat falling down Shooti's forehead. "What's wrong? It's not like your brother is dead or anything."

"These places are all abandoned, Jun," says Bel. "But years ago, it's been told that people who entered them committed suicide, one way or another. No one knows how or why they decided to off themselves, but all of these places are now cursed.

"And now, ever since Shuta made the locations of these places known on his website, eyewitness reports say that those who enter these places feel like someone is watching them, touching them, possessing them, or if you want to go out there... attempting to murder them."

Great. Just another reason why the boy doesn't want to be involved in his brother's life now.

"And what's more, when I did a search on Domino Haikyo for more research, I found another website."

Bel quickly types the name of a new website as Jun and Shooti look on. The screen turns black, a loading symbol of a wheel runs, and then the screen shows numerous dots, red and white.

"What the…" Shooti gasps out.

"This is the website known as ' ,'" Bel explains, tenting her fingers over her mouth, eyes fixated on the homepage. "It's a message board that has various people go online from across Japan connect with one another."

"Wait, wait, wait…" says Shooti. Something isn't adding up. "You lived in California before coming to Domino City. How exactly did you find out about these websites so quickly? Better yet, how do you understand Japanese so well?"

Bel shrugs her shoulders and closes her eyes. "I said I lived in California, but I moved to Japan about a year ago and had Japanese tutoring twice a week (I'm a fast learner, don't you know?). My older sister, Korni, was into urban exploration and took me off on amazing adventures like the time we fed rabbits at Usagijima.

"But then, one day, she simply...vanished." Bel opens her eyes. "And I've been searching for her since. When I moved to Domino, I found out about your brother's love of haikyo and began a search to find my sister. I think she might be a Moderator for this site but...I can't be sure."

The boy feels his heart break at the story. Sure he's not on good terms with his older sibling, but he also is concerned as to where Shuta might have ended up. What if he's homeless, or someone stole his stuff, or worse, murdered?

"So…" Jun begins, quickly counting up the number of dots. "There's 25 all together."

Bel nods her head. "They all appeared last night. It might be a sign."

"Or a threat…" Shooti murmurs. "But for what?"

The boy never gets an answer as he realizes that lunch is about to end soon and he needs to finish before he heads off to his next class (Science, his favorite). The thought of red and white dots doesn't enter his mind until later that night.

Because the only thing on the boy's mind right now (aside from not wanting to be late for class) is what his older brother is doing, and whether or not Shuta realizes what he is about to unleash.

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The rest of the day has the boy having his focus on a variety of subjects: his classes, his brother's whereabouts, and of Bel.

When he has PE at the end of the day, where the class goes through the mile run, the boy does his best to run, and is amazed at how both Jun and Bel run without being winded, and how they seem to be talking without being short of breath.

Now, the boy knows how Jun has unlimited amounts of energy and how the blond boy likes to run (hence why Jun is part of the track and field team the school offers), but there is no way that Bel should be able to catch up with someone who has been a running champ for the past two years and counting. Nor should the two be able to run that fast since neither of them had lunch.

The boy finds that suspicious, but he knows that no one will believe him if he voices his theory without proof. So, as he changes out of his PE uniform and gathers his stuff, he is happy that the mile run is done with, for now, and just wants to go back home and rest.

But fate, apparently, has other plans.


"Shooti," says Bel, waiting for the boy at the entrance to the school. "Can I ask you something?"

Shooti looks in alarm as Jun also appears, looking at his watch as if waiting for something.

"What is it?" Shooti asks. Bel lets out a sigh.

"If it's possible," she begins. "Do you mind if I visit your place before I go back home? I...I want to check something."

The boy is shocked; he hasn't even known Bel for a day and already she wants to see where he lives?

"Um...well...I…." Shooti stutters, his face turning red as Bel tilts her head at him. Jun just chuckles.

*He means 'Yes,'" he explains. "You two go have your fun. I gotta get home early."

"What? No hitting the arcade today?" says Shooti.

Jun shrugs his shoulders. "Have something important waiting for me there. So," he clasps a hand on his friend's shoulder, squeezing it tight as he whispers, "Be safe, ok?"

The boy should have been more aware of the vagueness of those words, but brushes them aside. Mistake number 7.

"I'll be okay, Jun," Shooti replies. "I'm just walking back home from school. Not like that's ever killed anyone."

Jun says nothing, but then he beams at the two before the two groups go their separate ways. As they walk under a burning sun, Shooti starts asking Bel plenty of questions.

"What's your favorite colors?"

"Orange and green."

"Favorite food?"

"Grilled salmon with a baked potato and steamed broccoli, mango lassi (an Indian yogurt drink) and carrot cake."

"Zodiac sign?"

"Aquarius."

"Favorite movie?"

*Metropolis. The black and white movie, not the anime one."

"Hobbies?"

Bel just smiles. "I write and recite my writings." Shooti looks in confusion. "I was part of a performance arts group in my old school, and I would recite what I wrote to those who would listen."

"So, you're a poet?"

Bel laughs slightly, hand close to her mouth. "That's too general of a word. Here. Let me recite one of my works."

She clears her throat. "I walk amongst the tombstones and toadstools, searching for spirits unseen and sights unknown to fill my mind with flights of fantasy. I float amongst the River Styx in search of souls who seek solitude and solace. I find myself in pursuit of nightmares and fairy tales from the precious moments of my youth and push the mental boundaries beyond those that my parents constructed…"

With each word she speaks, the boy is spellbound. This isn't poetry, nor is it a monologue; this is a continuous train of thoughts woven into a fine tapestry that leaves a lasting image in the boy's mind. If he has the artistic skills, he would use these thousand words to paint a picture. But instead, he lets himself listen to her voice, filled with longing, and thinks of what it would be like to get closer to her.

But despite her rhetoric, once again, the boy picks up something off. Unless she has a large lung capacity, Bel speaks nonstop for at least five minutes, never once pausing to take a breath. It all comes out like water from a broken dam, never ceasing, overflowing with emotion and soul, filling the boy with a sense of wonder, awe and fantasy despite the strangeness of this girl.

Just as Bel finishes her speech, the two reach the boy's apartment. The boy quietly opens the door, mutters "Tadaima" despite knowing that his mother is still at work, and directs Bel to the shoe rack next to the door. Then, he leads her to the living room, a basic one with a large sofa that can sit up to five people, a television, and a table with a glass tabletop where a tissue box and a photograph of the boy, his mother and his older brother are the only decorations on it. The girl picks the photo up.

"You look cute in this picture," she comments.

Shooti sits down and looks at the photo, one that was taken five months ago at a dueling event at Kaiba Land. Shooti is wearing a medal around his neck, a prize he received for participating in a duel that day (against Haruka, a fellow student from DCIS, the so-called Princess of Prophecy due to her exceptional skill with the Prophecy monsters that has made her practically undefeated) alongside a large Duel Disk on his left arm.

"Thanks," Shooti mumbles, his cheeks tinged red. He recalls Haruka's combo of summoning her favorite Prophecy monsters (High Priestess and Empress) that shut down his OTK just one turn before he drew Short Circuit and handed him a solid defeat. Although, considering how many students have gone toe-to-toe with her (including Jun with his Six Samurai monsters), he is lucky enough to last around ten turns with her.

The day someone deals her a solid defeat is a long way ahead.

"You're a duelist, huh?" says Bel, snapping Shooti out of his thoughts. "What type of deck do you use?"

"I use a Batteryman deck. Do you want me to show it to you?"

Bel smiles. "I'd be delighted. But first, I'm a little thirsty. Could I have a glass of water?"

"Sure," Shooti stands up and heads for the kitchen. "Let me get that for…"

Then, the boy notices something wrong with that statement. He thinks he has been crazy the entire day, but this little question is what makes everything click like the shutter of a camera.

"You don't need food or drink…" he says, turning to face Bel. His heart beats loudly as he says this, denial racing through his mind at what he has realized. "Your skin feels cold to the touch…You don't feel tired or have to breathe..."

"Shooti, are you okay?" asks Bel, leaning forward to place a hand over his own. "Are you running a…"

"Don't come near me!" Shooti exclaims, walking backwards to the wall. When his back hits it, he slides to the floor. "You...you're a Dark Signer, right? You're dead, aren't you?"

There is a pause, like all sound has been muted as Bel slightly opens her mouth to speak. Then, she closes her mouth, removes her glasses and sets them on the table before finally closing her eyes. Shooti reaches for his cellphone still in his backpack, hoping to call someone to get him out of this mess.

After twenty seconds of uneasy silence, Bel speaks. "We were right. You were the one needed for our mission."

Shooti gasps when Bel suddenly opens her eyes. The sclera are like the negatives of a film strip, a solid black that looks unnatural. A small red mark appears in the corner of her left eye before her school uniform transforms into a black cloak with orange trim-just like the one she wore back at Satisfaction Town less than 48 hours ago.

Without hesitation, Shooti hastily pulls out his cellphone and presses the emergency call button. But just as he is about to enter the four number PIN, Bel narrows her eyes and he freezes as if she is a Gorgon, paralyzed by that glare to even lift a finger.

"Don't even bother to call him," she states, staring at Shooti straight in the eye. Her voice is edged with an icy tone. "Jun won't be available for a while."

The boy flinches; how does she know that is who he is going to call? Better yet, since the two are alone, what is Bel going to do to him?

And again, the boy makes another mistake here; he should have called his best friend either way, or at least sent a text message, instead of putting his phone away for later. After all, the boy thinks to himself, Jun will be okay.

Oh is the boy going to regret that later.

"I wish to talk to you," Bel continues. "You are needed for something we are currently investigating. However, I think it will be best that I explain everything from the beginning before you jump to the conclusion that I am here to kill you. That's not how the Dark Signers work."

"B...but what about Kiryu?" Shooti stammers out, remembering that it was Bel who announced that Kiryu had become a walking dead that fateful night at Satisfaction Town, how Kiryu screamed in denial at his new undead state.

Bel's eyes slightly widen before returning to their normal size. She places her hands over her lap and sighs (or at least, she looks like she does, seeing as she has no need for oxygen). "He is a special case, as will the rest of Team Satisfaction be in a short time."

"The rest of Team Satisfaction?" Shooti feels his heart pounding in his chest. "Wait, you're going to…"

"The Dark Signers do not kill," Bel repeats sternly. "We only feed off of the sin in people's souls and only devour a soul if they wreak of too much sin. Kiryu was at the wrong place at the wrong time when we went after Magician's Four, but we received word from our lord, the Dark King of the Afterlife, that he and his fellow 'Enforcers' will be needed for more important work in the future."

"'We?'" Shooti repeats, remembering the five women in black cloaks. "H...how many Dark Signers are there?"

"Seven, one for each sin and are differentiated by the trim of their cloaks. If we use the colors of a rainbow, the order goes: Kamitsure, me, Korni, Nagi, Natsume, Mikuri and Wataru. Each Dark Signer was once a person who died by unfortunate means related to a certain vice, chosen to be bound to one of the Earthbound Immortals in order to purge souls of sin and eventually open the Gates of Hamunaptra where…"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Shooti interrupts, remembering Bel's story from lunch. "You said 'Korni' is one of the Dark Signers; I thought you said that she was your older sister who ran away and joined some online forum! You lied to me!"

Shooti snarls. If there's one thing he hates outside of people telling him what not to do, is that he hates being lied to. "And I bet your story of living in California was also a complete lie, wasn't it?"

Bel snorts and clenches her teeth, the opposite of the girl with the bright smile from this morning. "What am I supposed to say at school? 'Oh, hi. I am a Dark Signer, resurrected by the Earthbound Immortal of the Hummingbird and feed off of the souls who reak of the sin of greed.' That's sure to get me friends."

When Shooti says nothing, Bel looks away and turns her gaze at the picture of Shooti and his family on the table, her face more solemn. "...But I was telling the truth at lunch about your brother. He's currently involved in some dark business that is letting his soul be consumed with greed."

The boy doesn't know whether to feel either worried or furious towards his older brother about what he is getting himself into, but that can come later.

Knowing that Bel will not hurt him, (nor kill him...at least not right now), the boy takes the time to seat himself on the sofa. Even if Carly's warning about the Dark Signers ring in his ears and he should be running as far away as he can from this Dark Signer, the boy is curious as to what Bel has to say to him.

"Do you know any significance of the number 25 and how it connects to Shuta Hayami?" Bel inquires after a minute of awkward silence.

Shooti nods his head. "25 is my brother's favorite number; it was on his 25th birthday that he first became known for his photographs, and he mentioned how it took him 25 times before he was able to publish his first book of photographs, Domino Below in Effect, which had photos of various buildings and people who live in the underground sections of Domino. He also mentioned that his next book would feature 25 unknown places that are just begging to be explored (his words, not mine)."

"Domino Haikyo 25?"

"That's the one."

Bel returns her gaze back at Shooti, contemplating her words before speaking. "So, if that's the case, do you think he is related to that online forum with the twenty five dots on them?"

"Depends. W...what do you suggest that website is planning?"

Bel shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe it's a gathering for those who use it. All we know is that website shall be the beginning of all of our troubles soon enough."

"So, let me get this straight. You want me to investigate something that might have my brother involved all because it had his favorite number in it, and you're also one of these Dark Signers that has resurrected a member of Team Satisfaction for some nefarious scheme. What else have I missed?"

"What would you like to know? Or better yet, what will you do if I told you everything you wanted to know? Post it online? Make yourself famous with this interview with a Dark Signer?" Bel clicks her teeth. "This isn't about the knowledge, but the prestige you'll receive from obtaining such a big scoop, isn't it?"

Again, the boy flinches; in a way, he wants to learn more about the Dark Signers out of curiosity, not out of cruelty to expose them and cause a ruckus not unlike the Witch Trials across the ocean centuries ago. And unlike some authors of Haikyo, If he was to be the one publishing a book on that subject, he wouldn't add a map to these places, thus causing more of the selfish and uncaring explorers to graffiti or damage the structures by taking chunks of it for themselves as souvenirs as their way of saying "X was here".

What the boy wants to do when he obtains that job in Chasing Shadows is to inform people with knowledge, and to ensure that said people do not use that knowledge to hurt others. That's what his brother taught him in the past whenever he took his photographs for magazine articles or the like...before that camera came and ruined everything.

"I…" Shooti begins, looking into Bel's black eyes. Despite how terrifying they look, he attempts to look past that and see her with those lively green ones from this morning. "I want to know you better. I find you so...different, and this was before I let it sink in that you're not really human."

"The person I was before I became resurrected by Ascilla piscu was your typical, run-of-the-mill clumsy girl who lived in a small town no one cares about, was ignored by her peers and bullied by the more popular students at school, dreamed of being famous, had a father who didn't give a damn about her and had little to no self confidence," Bel answers plainly. She looks at her hands and rubs the back of a thumb as she adds,"There was nothing special about her."

"I don't think a normal girl would be able to watch a spectacle like Metropolis nor have an interest in the color orange or Indian yogurt drinks. I mean, I'm into Blade Runner myself, I also like the color orange and my favorite drink is carrot juice."

"I doubt a normal girl would disobey her father into attending an underground performing artists show where you have to be at least 16 to enter, where people dress up in flamboyant costumes and drink cheap beer, while you hope to perform something you made only for your rival to pour her drink on it, ruin it, then you have to improv a new speech before some half-assed drunkard causes a riot by throwing an empty beer bottle at your face."

Shooti stays quiet before he slowly slips his hand into Bel's own, seeing the girl turn inward as she recalls that memory. Bel looks up as Shooti asks,

"Are you willing to tell me more about that night?"

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The next hour has Bel recount the series of unfortunate events that would lead her to her death as a normal girl and resurrection as a Dark Signer. The boy doesn't ask questions until the very end, spellbound by the girl's tale as he learns more about these mysterious figures and what they do when they aren't acting like vampires for human sin. Through it all, he never brings his phone out to record this information, out of respect for Bel, and only leaves to either go to the bathroom, get a drink of water or pick up something from his bedroom (his teal camera and deck, both of which Bel looks through intensively).

The two then talk some more about anything that comes into their minds before the boy reheats some leftover chicken teriyaki he ate for lunch (he has had to learn how to cook since his mother works graveyard shifts at the Domino City Hospital) for them to share. Despite Bel explaining that she does not need to eat (she and the other Dark Signers only partake in it to appear normal and also so that they don't have to tap into their respective Earthbound Immortal's energy reserves for mundane things), the boy urges her to at least have dinner since she is staying at his home as a guest. After having a taste of said chicken teriyaki, she accepts, her Dark Signers cloak transformed into her normal clothes and her eyes their original green color once more.

The boy has to resist the urge to laugh at Bel's inexperience in using chopsticks and gradually teaches her how to grip said chopsticks like a spoon to scoop up rice. This leads to a conversation as to how many schools in Japan actually assess students' skills in using them which causes Bel to laugh when the boy accidentally has a piece of chicken drop on his shirt when he uses his own chopsticks. The boy has to admit that, looking back, the scenario was kind of hilarious.

It is as they are about to finish their dinner that the boy gets the courage to ask her an important question.


"Say, Bel," he asks, watching Bel wipe a smudge of teriyaki sauce on the corner of her mouth with her thumb before licking it. Shooti blushes as he does his best to look at a spot on the couch. "You asked me this morning if I took a picture of you and, well, I took one of you and those other four Dark Signers just as Kiryu was dragged off to the afterlife…."

"We sent him to our sanctuary," Bel explains, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "He's currently back at Satisfaction Town as if nothing happened."

Shooti stares at her, trying to see any signs of Bel lying to him. But Bel just calmly takes a bite out of some carrot pickles, thus making it difficult to interpret what she is really thinking.

And besides, even if he does learn the truth, there's no feasible way for him to tell the other members of Team Satisfaction about it, nor does the boy find it possible for the three to even believe him.

"...So," Shooti begins again. "Um, if you don't mind...could I take a picture of you? I mean, you... you did ask and all so...

Bel swallows as Shooti picks up his digicam, turning it on as the lens opens up. The girl stares at Shooti waiting for an answer before she smiles, puts her glasses back on, then places a pointer finger on her cheek and winks at him, both actions taken on the left side of her face.

Ch'csh. And with that, the photo is taken. Shooti looks at the picture of Bel smiling at him; she looks so...alive.

But just before Shooti can vocally state this to her, he gets an unexpected phone call.

The ringtone ("Kiri", the opening to Ergo Proxy,which Shooti binge-watched at least half of the series the day before) plays out before Shooti takes a look at the caller ID and find Carly's name displayed.

This confuses Shooti; for one thing, Carly usually babysits him on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The other thing is that she's usually so busy with her work that she sends him text messages rather than call.

Something isn't right.

As the first line of the song begins to play Shooti presses the call button and places the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Shooti!" Carly's voice is panicky. Shooti can hear her panting for breath amongst the various background noise of screams. It sounds like she is at an amusement park. "Oh God, are you okay? Where are you?"

"At home. Why? What's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm at Domino Station! Haven't you seen the news? There's been a terrible accident!"

Shooti walks up to the television and picks up the remote. He turns it on and waits for the screen to show the news as news reporter Angela Rains appears in front of Domino Station.

"I'm here in front of Domino Station where a number of students have jumped in front of an oncoming train," Angela begins, her face doing an inept job in hiding the terror of what has happened. "The station is bathed in blood and commuters have been seen screaming in terror at the site. No word as to why this happened has been brought forth so stay tuned for details."

As the news shows ambulances from the Domino Hospital, their red lights blaring and workers rushing in, Shooti can barely hear Carly continue over the screams and alarms on television.

"And you won't believe who I saw jump! Jun was there...he killed himself alongside 24 other students!"

Jun? No...no this couldn't be…

Shooti drops his phone in horror as he feels everything start to spin. Jun, his best friend since kindergarten, who was the first person to ask him to have lunch together on the first day of school, who helped Shooti choose the Batteryman archetype for his deck, who, just this morning, teased him about the adventures Shooti had with Carly over the weekend and as to how Shooti and Bel were already a couple...

Jun...has killed himself.

"Shooti?" Carly asks on the phone. "Shooti, are you still there?! Hello?"

Shooti numbly hangs up, his mind drained of emotions as he feels everything break like a crystal glass, his mouth dry as he opens to gasp for air before he hyperventilates or does something even worse.

The only thing that prevents him from screaming his lungs out is Bel walking towards him, firmly gripping his shoulders and making him face her. Shooti clenches his teeth as tears freely fall down his face before he wraps his arms around her body (ignoring the fact that he is technically embracing a corpse) and wets her school uniform with his tears as it sinks in that his best friend is dead and he could have prevented it if he paid more attention.

Ten more minutes of sobbing passes, as the news shows Angela Rains announcing that there are 25 corpses that have stained the train tracks red, before Bel speaks and Shooti apologizes to Jun for not saving him.

"Jun will be all right," Bel declares, patting Shooti's back. "After all, you can't easily kill someone who is already dead."

If the news of Jun committing suicide hasn't already shaken Shooti to the core, Bel's statement does the trick. The boy steps back and looks at Bel with a mixture of hope, disbelief and anger all rolled into one.

"W...what did you just say?" Shooti asks, honestly not knowing what to believe anymore.

Bel turns the television off and watches as Shooti takes two tissues into his hands. He dabs his eyes with one and blows his nose with another as Bel bites her bottom lip.

"Shooti," she says as she closes her eyes. "I'm surprised that Jun hasn't told you this sooner but…" she opens her eyes once again and they are the jet-black color of a Dark Signer, but they seem magnified due to her glasses, as if they are looking deep into Shooti's soul. Shooti stays quiet, the room silent enough to hear his pulse quicken as Bel speaks once more.

"Jun has been dead since July. He has been resurrected by us, and is now reborn as a Dark Signer Acolyte."