So this is my first fic for this account (I have another one lol)

I wrote it for a friend and gave her permission to post this story on her own account but since she hasn't gone around to doing it, I'm doing it lol xD

Anyways, this is a Saiyuki cross to the modern times | in a parallel world where a program called Battle Royale exists. Now I'm not going to say more because I explain it in the story but I'll tell you one thing, the Hunger Games was based off Battle Royale so that should give you guys an idea xD

ENJOY

Without knowing why but with a suspicion, Genjo Sanzo found himself on a bus, alone, with two armed men situated at the front with the driver. They wore helmets with the government's not-so-secret abbreviation – B.R. – which informed him that he had been selected at random from the Japanese lists of juvenile youths with intriguing battling skills and would now have to kill all of his opponents if he wanted to live. He was going to take part in the Battle Royale program; something the government invented years ago after the publishing of the actual book the event was based off in order to entertain the rich folk of the world that would wager on a potential winner based off the profiles they were given.

From year to year, the location of the horrendous massacre would change from countries to countries; the previous year, it had been held in the United States of America and the one before that had been in Russia. Only part of the footage was actually shown to the public after the deed was done to warn them that a winner had been chosen; it was a device used to control the population's behaviour because they all strongly believed that if they were good, then they or their loved ones would be spared from the bloody arena.

However, Genjo Sanzo was probably the only one who knew that they were all mistaken; that good behaviour, high statuses or bribery had no play whatsoever in the selection of the participants, the only thing the government cared for was strength and fighting skills. Any physical advantage to make the battle all the more entertaining to its rich viewers whom were ready to spend thousands of dollars blindly on wagering a victor was what the government searched for.

"This guy's pretty quiet." Remarked one of the armed men at the front; he tried to be quiet but his voice still made its way to Genjo's ears. "One would think that a person would freak out in this situation…"

"It's because you're new and this is the first guy you've ever seen being hauled to the arena." Stated the other who was clearly annoyed by his companion's ignorance. "Every other person I escorted to the arena always flipped out and demanded to be let off the bus; throwing claims like they weren't fighting material. This guy's different."

"Because he's quiet?"

"Because he knows what's going on, has accepted his fate and isn't struggling." Corrected the wiser of the two guards, "And that's how he's going to win."

The younger must have given his superior a look of perplexity but that was information hypothesized by Genjo since he couldn't see their faces due to the helmets. "How do you know that?"

"I heard that every other participant who won was always calm and level headed on their way to the arena." He explained, "It's a rumour but it seems credible enough."

"Still…" the other persisted. "He was dragged out of his home and planted on bus…anyone would be spooked in this situation."

"Again; not if you're calm and level headed."

It was true.

Genjo Sanzo had brutally been ripped out of his home and he had felt something near panic at the time because he didn't understand why the people were present. He tried to fend them off and remembered knocking a few of them out before feeling a heavy blow to the back of the head which pushed him into unconsciousness. He remembered coming to a few times; his eyes had felt heavy and his mind was fogged but he still knew that whoever had taken him had drugged him. The next time he opened his eyes for a vague second, he saw a blinding light and heard:

"He's perfectly fine but might wake up with a migraine."

At the time he hadn't understood what the man meant because everything was happening so fast not to mention that he was drugged, but now that he replayed the memories in his head, he knew that he had been examined by a doctor to see if he was still able to participate in the program. And the doctor had been right; he did have a slight migraine, but that wasn't going to be enough to pull him out of the situation.

Genjo turned his gaze to stare outside, trying his best to ignore the chat the two guards were having about the possible victor of this year and concentrated on locating himself. He had always had a fascination with geography – something he couldn't necessarily explain – thus he memorised each mountain, hill, peninsula, curve, forest and whatnot of many lands such as Japan. Something that proved to be very convenient for him at the moment, since he now knew that he was still in the Kanto Region but in the outskirts Chiba Prefecture, where thick forests began. Judging by the distance they'd traveled, Genjo Sanzo assumed that he must have been out for at least a day if he counted the duration of the inspection he had gone through with the doctor when he was drugged.

Now the sun was setting or was rising – he wasn't too sure anymore – he just knew that they must have been nearing the location to the arena. As his eyes concentrated on the sun painting the sky orange and amber, a certain feeling birthed in his stomach that he immediately identified as need. Genjo wondered for a few minutes what the need could be when he realised that he hadn't had a smoke in a while – a realisation he would have had earlier if it wouldn't have been for the fact that the government had basically kidnapped him.

"Hey." He called catching the attention of the two guards. "Got any smokes?"

They both exchanged looks, the youngest seemed to be wondering if they were ever given permission to do such a thing or even simply interact with the participant of the program but the eldest one made up his mind rather quickly. He walked to where Genjo sat and pulled out a pack from his right pocket and handed it to the participant.

"We don't normally talk to participants." The elder guard explained, taking a seat across the youth before tossing him his lighter. Genjo lit up his cigarette and gave it back to the government agent. "No, keep it."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged and puffed out a cloud of smoke. There was silence as Genjo pondered whether he should question the guard on what he was supposed to expect once they would arrive in the location and since the man was still present before him, he began to assume that he was open to the idea of answering. "So…what's your name?"

Might as well start small.

"Just call me Ichi." The elder guard quickly hushed, "We're not allowed to divulge our real names."

"Right then, what exactly can you tell me about the arena?" Genjo asked crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't expecting any information from the guard at this point but there was never any harm in trying.

"I'm technically not supposed to say anything—"

"Don't tell me you're thinking on spilling what we know!" The younger guard accused moving to the duo. Clearly, he was a bit more uptight about the rules but there was still a sense of naivety Genjo could sense which he knew he would be able to use to his advantage.

"I don't see why not." Ichi shrugged, "I'm just going to tell him about the landscape."

"But you can't!" The other insisted.

"Well, if I remember correctly," Genjo intruded calmly, "The whole point of the B.R. program is to provide an amusement for a bunch of rich-stiffs and as the participants enter the arena, they are already given either an unfair advantage or an unfair disadvantage for entertainment purposes. The chance of an unfair disadvantage is 60% which means I'm most likely going to end up with one; if you guys inform me about a few things I have to expect, then that would neutralise everything. But even then, on the off chance that I do get an unfair advantage, then what you will tell me will just be an added bonus to provide further amusement for the viewers."

Ichi seemed satisfied with Genjo's reasoning and nodded whereas the young-gun was still nervous and reluctant to reveal any secrets. "Before I do that," Ichi started, "I'm going to need to know more about you."

"Why?" Genjo asked coldly.

"Because there are weapons of all types and health packs scattered through the arena," he explained, "And by telling me what you fight best with, I'll be able to give you a location to where the object of your desire lays."

There was a short silence as Genjo accepted that if he wanted to continue living, he would have to tell this stranger a little about himself. "Fine." He sighed and breathed deeply the smoke of the cigarette. "I used to be a soldier for the Japanese army; I fought at the end of the civil war that was caused by the government accepting the B.R. program."

"Interesting," Ichi commented, "Were you for or against the government?"

"I was against the government which is probably another reason to why I'm here…" Genjo Sanzo admitted grimly before continuing. "But once we lost and because I went against the regulations set by the military, I was kicked out and dumped on the street curve. I was homeless for about a year before I turned to religion for sanctuary and became the passive man."

"Looks like that won't be the case for long." Snickered the younger guard who was soon punched by his superior. "Ow!"

"Right, let's go back to your military background," Ichi began, "What exactly did you do?"

"I did a little of everything." Genjo admitted, "However, I did excel in two different things; snipping and crossfire action."

"So a pistol or a rifle doesn't make a difference to you?" Ichi asked earning a nod of affirmation from the priest. "Then I hope you're good in geography or else you're going to have to listen very carefully." Genjo only nodded to demonstrate that he was, in fact, listening and mentally taking in note every bit of information he was given. "First you're going to have to orient yourself, figure out which way is North and which is South. Once you've done that, you'll need to locate a mountain – there's only one in the arena so it should be easy to find. The given mountain is located in the South thus you will need to head South-West to get to an abandoned shack where a sniper rifle is located. The thing is barely standing anymore and half of it has already fallen into the only river within the perimeter so, basically, once you found the river and you know your West from East, you should be fine."

"While we're already spilling some things," the second guard chirped; Genjo knew he would soon break. "There's a health pack located in a giant peach tree North from the shack but it's in a clearing. If you ever find yourself desperate enough, or if you enter by that gate, you should grab it as quickly as you can and get out fast."

Genjo nodded as the bus hit a big bump and suddenly felt a burn on his hand; he cursed and waved it frantically as to have the stinging heat fan away. When he glanced downwards, he noticed that the cigarette hanging from his mouth was mostly ash which was what had fallen on him.

"Haha, well I guess you are nervous." Ichi laughed taking the cigarette from Genjo's mouth and throwing it out an open window. "I'll give you one piece of advice; keep calm and quiet, and don't you dare get distracted or else you'll die for sure."

Genjo smirked emptily, "It almost sounds like you're concerned."

"Look, I don't like the program, maybe not as much as you," Ichi explained quickly, "but no one who's sane wants to see people slaughter each other."

The bus stopped.

"We're here." The other guard stated.

"Time to go." Ichi declared patting Genjo's shoulder as he stood.

Quietly, Genjo followed the armed men out of the bus and followed them into a building where he noticed ten other people sitting and waiting all staring at him. He had been the last one to arrive.

The doors closed with a heavy clang and a voice appeared on the intercom. "Good, Genjo Sanzo has arrived." It said. "Please take a seat next to Lirin Houtou so we may begin the short presentation."

Without protest, the ex-soldier made his way to an empty seat next to a young looking girl with orange hair and tan skin. He noticed that her eyes were rather big, coloured with emeralds and that her cheekbones were high – something that lead him to believe she was a smiley person and would have a grin plastered on her visage if it weren't for the death sentence all but one was about the receive.

"Good." The voice concluded before continuing but then, it interrupted itself again. "No. This isn't right. There are only supposed to be ten participants. Not eleven."

Genjo quickly counted everyone in the room and concluded – just like the person hiding behind the intercom – that there were eleven participants in the room.

"What a foolish mistake. It seems that we will have to get rid of one of you." it informed.

Smiles and the desire to be chosen overtook everyone but Genjo Sanzo who was the only one to understand that an execution was insinuated. The priest had thought to say something – maybe warn the others – but before he could do such a thing, the person over the intercom had already chosen the sacrifice.

"Goodbye Lirin Houtou." It saluted.

None of them had the time to register the fact that the little girl sitting next to Genjo Sanzo had been chosen to die before a sickening shot was heard from nowhere in particular. Genjo looked at Lirin Houtou quickly, his eyes wide with disbelief, as he observe the red dot that appeared on her forehead explode with crimson liquid and the life flicker out of her eyes when her body began to slump over.

"Lirin!" Shouted a man situated further in the front.

"You will stay put." Warned the voice, "If you do not, then you too will follow her in the afterlife."

The man who had so recently stood to run to the dead body slowly began to resume his spot, however the hatred and sorrow in his grey eyes were horribly evident to all whose eyes were trained on him.

"Now that the numbers are all equal, let us begin the presentation." It declared, "As you now all know, you've been chosen to be participants in this year's Battle Royale program. In case any of you are unfamiliar with the rules, they go as follow: you will be sent into an arena where you will either be given an unfair advantage or unfair disadvantage. You will be unarmed and need to find weapons, food and healing packs for yourself in order to survive when you're not fighting for your life against other participants. The three previously mentioned things can be found anywhere in the arena, some are well hidden while others aren't; you'll need to look very well because the hidden items can potentially save your life. Besides that, there is no escaping the arena; a tall, cement fence guards the perimeters and if you ever manage to somehow climb over it; we will use the chip lodged into you to locate you and then terminate you."

All were shocked to know that a chip had been installed in their bodies and subconsciously reached to certain areas in their bodies where they thought it might be; Genjo Sanzo reached the back of his head and was rather surprise to feel a slight bump.

"He's perfectly fine but might wake up with a migraine."

So that was when they did it… the priest concluded in his mind.

"Besides that, once you get into the arena, there are no rules except you must kill." The voice paused as if it was trying to remember something before speaking again, "One more thing. The duration of the program is, maximum, a week. If, by then, there are still more than three people alive, Hunters will enter the arena and finish off the remaining participants thus resulting with no winner this year. Understood?"

There was silence on the part of the participants thus the voice took it as an offer to continue with the presentation.

Suddenly, a white dot appeared on the wall where all were facing which spread into a large square. "Now we will begin with the analysis." Three pictures of Genjo Sanzo appeared on the white canvas; one was a body shot; the two others were different angles of his face. "Genjo Sanzo – number one. Gender: male. Age: twenty-five. Occupation: Priest. History: Genjo Sanzo used to be a soldier for the Japanese military but, after disobeying orders and fighting against the government, he was kicked out where he turned to religion for sanctuary. He is particularly deadly with a gun."

The picture changed to a young man with creamy brown hair and chocolate coloured eyes. He looked particularly innocent and the body shot showed that he was rather small. "Goku Son – number two. Gender: male. Age: eighteen. Occupation: drop out. History: Perhaps the fact that Goku Son was an orphan contributed to the mischief he caused at school which lead to his drop out. Nevertheless, he has developed a knack for martial arts and is considered a prodigy by all of his masters and is a street fighting legend. If the praises are just, any object seemingly safe can be made particularly dangerous in his hands."

The image changed once more and this time it was a man about the same age as Genjo Sanzo who had long, ruby coloured hair and crimson eyes. Genjo noted that there was a scar beneath his left eye which probably meant he had had his own fair share of fights.

"Sha Gojyo – number three. Gender: male. Age: twenty-four. Occupation: dojo owner. History: Evidently, Sha Gojyo is a well experienced martial artist and his favourite weapon seems to be a sickle. The hypothesized reason for such a taste in an odd weapon would be his connections to the Black Market."

A rather tall man with messy brown hair and a glint of insanity in his eyes then took the spotlight on the diorama. Genjo guessed he was the same age as Sha Gojyo.

"Cho Hakkai – number four. Gender: male. Age: twenty-four. Occupation: medical professor. History: Cho Hakkai used to be the best medical professor at the University of T but, after the suicide of his wife, he went insane and massacred a thousand innocent people in his establishment – three-hundred of which were his own students. We took the liberty of taking him out of his asylum for this special event."

Next was the man who had so recently stood up when Lirin Houtou was assassinated; like her he had tan skin but his hair was red just as his eyes were silver. He had a scar on his left cheek which Genjo recognized as a Yakuza branding.

"Kogaiji Houtou – number five. Gender: male. Age: twenty-three. Occupation: son of Yakuza leader Gyu-maoh. History: Kogaiji Houtou has been around fights and crime all his life thus making him extremely comfortable in this situation. He has a talent for killing with almost anything so he probably won't limit himself to just one weapon during the program. Fun fact: his half-sister, Lirin Houtou, was chosen to be part of the program but, due to a miscalculation, was murdered immediately to make the numbers accurate."

There was tension in the air emitted form Kogaiji Houtou who glared at the screen until the image change to that of a rather tall man with short, spiky black hair and greenish-brown eyes.

"Dokugakuji Sha – number seven. Gender: male. Age: twenty-nine. Occupation: body guard. History: Dokugakuji Gojyo is an experienced fighter what with his occupation however, he prefers fighting with a sword even if he hasn't had much of an opportunity to use it thus far. Plus, not only was he a year away from being too old to participate in the program, his brother Sha Gojyo was also selected; luck is just not on his side."

Genjo Sanzo noticed that they immediately skipped from five to seven which meant that Lirin Houtou was meant to have been number six and wasn't mentioned because she was now dead. The image then changed anew showing the first and only female participant; a woman with long purple hair – clearly dyed – and amber eyes – most likely contact lenses. She had a nice face with soft features, the typical face of a Japanese woman, but there was something about her that forced one to assume she wasn't…normal.

"Yaone Noname – number eight. Gender: female. Age: twenty-two. Occupation: none. History: Yaone Noname was the daughter of a typical pharmacist but, one day, heretic cultists who sacrificed her father and mother invaded their shop. She only spared because the people passing by heard horrible sounds and alerted the police; ever since that day she has barely left her home and, evidently, something has snapped in her pretty little head."

Genjo also noticed that the voice hadn't mentioned any combat skills apparent for the young lady thus would have to be on his guard to the highest point when and if he ever encountered her.

The following photographs were those of a man very similar to Dokugakuji Gojyo in looks; he too had short black hair but his eyes held a natural crimson tint which added to the general aura of ferocity surrounding him.

"Kenren Taishou – number nine. Gender: male. Age: twenty-four. Occupation: rogue soldier. History: Kenren was part of the Japanese militia until, for unknown reasons, he snapped, allegedly killing all of those under his command however this was never proven in court. Like Genjo Sanzo, this one prefers to fight long-range with a gun – normally a pistol."

Genjo immediately recognized the look in the man's eyes; it was those of a trained killer who knew he was doing which explained why he hadn't been proven guilty in court.

The second last profile to be shown was that of a man with long gold-blond hair resembling Genjo however, there were no blood links what so ever.

"Konzen Douji – number ten. Gender: male. Age: twenty-five. Occupation: information broker. History: Konzen Douji used to work as a Japanese soldier until he got greedy and began making money by selling government secrets to criminals – mainly the Yakuza. Of course, this was never proven because his illegal friends always got involved the second he was threatened prison but their saying clearly has no meaning now."

Genjo noticed Konzen Douji scowl quietly from his seat and avert his gaze from the screen basically admitting that whatever the voice said was the truth. How gutsy…

Lastly was a man with long mud coloured hair, wearing glasses which caused his jade eyes to sparkle in the three pictures of himself. He was dressed in the official Japanese army's clothes – the ones fit for a General – thus concluding that there was yet another soldier amongst them.

"Tenpou Gensui – number eleven. Gender: male. Age: twenty-four. Occupation: General of the Japanese army. History: Tenpou Gensui, last on the list of participants, was the General of the Japanese army. He was entrusted with many secrets concerning the country which strained his mind thus leading to insanity – nothing too uncommon."

And, with that, the listing and brief review of each profile was done but the voice had one last thing to say before sending off each participant into the arena.

"Before I allow the guards to return in the room and escort you the arena, I would like to thank all of you for participating in this year's Battle Royale program." The voice concluded with faked cheeriness. "Are there any questions before we begin the program?"

There was silence and, from the corner of his eye, Genjo noticed the participant Goku Son shyly raise his hand as if he wasn't too sure whether it was the way to proceed since there was no proof they were being watched.

"Yes, participant number two – Goku Son?" the voice permitted.

"U-um… there was a movie that came out not all that long ago…" he began clumsily, fidgeting his hands, "And it was about the Battle Royale program… and I was wondering if you guys would do what they did and send packages of food or something floating down with a little parachute or something…"

The voice laughed heartedly, "You amuse me, participant number two – Goku Son. No, we do no such thing. What you have seen is the classic embellishment towards reality that Americans exercise when writing a story or screenplay based off reality."

Genjo noticed Goku frown deeply once his question was answered and, in that instance, he couldn't help but think that the boy resembled very much a monkey.

"Right then, if there aren't any further questions…" the doors opened letting in light to the room that had darkened without anyone noticing and heavily armed guards enter. In pairs of two they walked up to participants and grabbed either side of their arms before dragging them out and towards a vehicle. Behind the cacophony created by the lot who protested, Genjo faintly heard the voice finish what it was saying. "…good luck and kill true."

Genjo was pushed on a vehicle by the two guards; he sat in the middle, quietly to their surprise, and enjoyed the ride – as best as he could – to his designated gate. On the way he lit up another cigarette and breathed it in deeply when a guard suddenly yanked it from his mouth and threw it out of the car.

"You might not want to smoke." He said, "Even if it is faint, the smell will attract or put others aware of your presence."

Genjo hadn't reacted right away, he was too upset by the fact that the guard had had the nerve to literally rip the cigarette from his mouth and throw it out. Without thinking of the inevitable consequences of his actions; Genjo grabbed the guard and threw him out of the car with a growl. "Don't fucking touch my cigarettes, ass hole!"

The second guard grabbed the angry priest's arm as a warning to not repeat that move with him but soon let go once he received a dirty glare. The car never stopped to re-embark the fallen guard – probably because they were on a schedule they had to keep.

Thirty minutes later, the vehicle slowed to a halt in front of a large stone gate. Genjo Sanzo was pushed out of the car and gestured to approach the doors.

"When the doors open, you'll hear a siren marking the beginning of the program." The guard called from the motorised transport. "That's your cue to run and never stop running until you find a weapon, got it?"

"You're not staying to keep an eye on me?" Genjo asked.

"Pff, you have a chip somewhere in your body." The guy declared as the mobile began to move slowly but gradually augmenting in speed. "If you try to run, we'll find you and kill you. As simple as that. Good luck."

Genjo observed the car disappearing in the distance, covered by thick greenery. He sighed and turned his gaze to the large doors of impending hell then lit a cigarette. It was most likely going to be one of the last ones he ever had thus he would enjoy every bit of the lung poisoning since it was now the last of his worries.

You'll need to locate a mountain – there's only one in the arena so it should be easy to find. The given mountain is located in the South thus you will need to head South-West to get to an abandoned shack where a sniper rifle is located. The thing is barely standing and half of it has already fallen into the only river within the perimeter so, basically, once you found the river and you know your West from East, you should be fine.

Right, Genjo thought fishing the lighter from his pocket. I need to concentrate…

He brought the artificially made fire to the tip of the cigarette, shielding it from the wind using his hand when the doors suddenly began to creak open heavily with a thunder-like sound. He looked towards the area he would soon call hell just as the siren went off marking the beginning.

"Alright. Here we go."

Ichi – One (in Japanese)

Noname – no name (she didn't have a last name…)

So can anyone tell that I've never watched Saiyuki before and just did a huge wiki-research on the characters? (that's actually a lie, I've watched the three first episodes lol)

But anyways, feel free to correct me about my accuracy and things like that because I know I will be off on a few things and the friend I wrote this for - who already read this chapter - is either too nice or too shy to tell me what I did wrong xD

Btw, if you're going to critise their occupations or something, I'd like to remind you that this is in a modern AU and since - as far as I'm concerned - the author of Saiyuki hasn't made a furturistic version of the anime or manga where it takes place in our time, I say I'm free to improvise of their jobs and stuff like that xP

Anyways, thanks a bunch for reviewing bros, the second chapter will be up in a few seconds xP

EDIT: forgot to mention that I know that Konzen, Tenpou and Kenren are technically Genjo, Sha and Cho (not necessarily in that order) but for the sake of having more participants in the B.R. program, let's pretitend they're totally different people because, when you think about it, some of the acted completely different from their 'curent' selves...