Folie a Deux

by Technomad

A Battle Royale AU story

Chapter 1---Cliffside Decision

Okishima Island

"It's so peaceful here," whispered Sakura Ogawai. She nestled closer to her boyfriend, Kazuhiko Yamamoto, looking out over the Seto Inland Sea. They were seated on the edge of a tall cliff, with the waves pounding the shore thirty meters below. The moon was full overhead, and she could see the moonlight shimmering on the water, as well as the lights of towns lining the shoreline opposite. It was a lovely evening.

"I know," murmured Kazuhiko. "It won't last, though."

"I don't want to die!" Sakura burst out passionately. She felt tears running down her face. "I don't! I don't! I don't!" She gripped his arm as hard as she could. "But you have to play, Kaz! Play to win!"

Kazuhiko looked deep into her eyes. "What if we play?"

"What?" Sakura tried to wrap her mind around the idea. "Play---together?"

Kazuhiko nodded, giving her a dark smile. She felt herself involuntarily returning it. "Yes. Team up and play. With two of us working together, we should be able to cut quite a swath through the rest of our classmates. You don't care about any of them, do you now?"

Sakura shook her head. Ever since she'd first met Kazuhiko, the thrill of finding a fellow spirit and the activities they had found for themselves had meant that she hardly paid attention to who was in class with her any more. They kept up their grades because it was good policy to do so; the more they played the role of "good little boy/girl" where the adults could see them, the more freedom they had to do as they pleased.

She held up her purse. "Remember this?"

"It's a purse."

"Silly boy! Remember how we got it?"

"Sure do!" He grinned at the memory. It had been one of their first joint exploits. They had been sitting side-by-side in the train station on their first date, when an older girl had come by, obviously far the worse for drink. She had a purse in her hand, and was trying to fumble money out of a huge wad of bills to pay for her ticket. Kazuhiko and Sakura had exchanged glances, and had wordlessly come to a decision.

Luring the girl out of the station had been almost ridiculously easy---all it had taken was Sakura approaching her and offering her more to drink. Once they'd enticed her into a deserted alley, they had pounced. Leaving her body stuffed into a convenient trash container, they had headed for Sakura's home, which was closest by. Nobody paid attention to a clean-cut young man and his girlfriend walking down the street, even if the girl was clutching a purse that didn't go with her outfit. After all, young girls often didn't have the money for matching accessories, did they?

"I've kept it ever since, as a souvenir of an auspicious occasion. I'd longed for a fellow-spirit, and finding one who's male, good in bed, and good-looking was a dream come true."

"They've never even come close to suspecting us, have they, Sakura?" Kazuhiko smiled. The moonlight turned his smile into an evil leer. "Unlike some people, our reputation is pure gold!"

Since they'd teamed up, Kazuhiko and Sakura had caused a crime wave in Shiroiwa and surrounding towns. Even the government-controlled press had had to take notice---there had been editorials calling on the authorities to crack down on crime, and they had seen reports on TV and in the papers about known Yakuza and other criminals being hauled in for "questioning."

Nobody had even whispered an accusation about either of them. Of course, they had taken all possible precautions---rubber gloves with the palms cut out so their hands wouldn't sweat, bathing caps to keep their hair in place, and careful reconnaissance before striking---but how easy it was to get away with murder, theft, and arson, as long as you were careful to keep up appearances in public!

Sakura smiled back, rather maliciously. "It's so convenient, having Kiriyama's thugs, or Mitsuko and her slappers, around. Nobody pays attention to us, and if people stumble on clues, they never look at us twice."

"And if they end up going away, or worse, for some of the things we do---couldn't happen to nicer people." Kazuhiko grinned at his girlfriend. "So---shall we team up and see how far we go?"

As he spoke, he was writing rapidly on the note he had handed Sakura, and then pressing it into her palm. She unfolded it, and read: They are listening to us. We're wired for sound---it's in these collars.

She nodded. Kneeling down, she wrote with her fingertip in some loose dirt: Once we have the others taken care of, we'll have twenty hours to figure out something to do about the collars.

Until the collars were removed, they'd have to be careful what they said. As long as they could write, though, they could communicate freely; the cameras that were recording this for the home audience wouldn't be able to pick up what they wrote on the ground unless they were uncharacteristically careless.

A rustle behind them alerted them to the fact that they weren't alone. Kazuhiko hefted his Colt Python, and Sakura drew the Glock she'd been issued. Wary as wild animals, they peered toward the noise.

At first, they couldn't see what it was, and then they could. Out of the shadows stepped a girl in an unmistakable school uniform. It was Yukio Utsumi, and she was carrying a pistol. Haruka Tanizawa was behind her.

"Kazuhiko? Sakura?" Yukio called. "It's okay---we're not playing!" She came closer, not seeming to sense danger from them. "We're teaming up, to try to find a way out!"

Wordlessly, Kazuhiko signalled Sakura to let the girls come closer. They did, and looked dreadfully surprised when he raised his Python and gave them each three rounds in the midsection, once they were close enough that he was sure to hit his target. Surprised looks on their faces, both girls crumpled, dead before they even hit the ground.

Sakura smiled as she began rifling through their bags, which she had spotted in the shadows on the edge of the trees. "It's always special with you, Kaz," she murmured, appropriating their late classmates' supplies. "Always."

END Chapter 01

Author's note: I was reading another BR fic where the author was complaining that the class "Romeo-and-Juliet" always commited suicide in BR fiction just as they did in the original version(s). That got me thinking: What if Kaz and Sakura had been more like the Homolkas, or like the Joker and Harley Quinn? What if they'd both been sociopathic, and their relationship had been at least as much about sharing their sociopathy and teaming up against the rest of the world as it was about love?

Hence, this fic. I'm just going to see where it takes me. I hope you like it.