Sorry for taking a while, but I was busy with some things. ^^'

Anyway, here's Chapter 7! :D

HUGE thanks to Kiwikowa for the review! 8D

Kiwikowa: Yeah, I really feel like he can't be feigning that shyness, too. ;w; I just hope he doesn't end up being as big of a douche as his brother (who, I actually don't hate as much as a lot of the fanbase does - I don't really hate anyone but a character named Seira who's in the games). And yes, I had to put those bits with Yamato - it made sense to me. XD

Hope you enjoy~ X3


"Here we are onto Round 3," Matthew smiled as he bowed his head in direction to the HEAVENS member. "Hello there, Shion."

"Greetings," the pale-haired male murmured as he dipped his head in greeting.

Otoya was surprised that the Canadian host didn't press him for any details on himself like he did with Eiji, or ask if he was pumped like he did with Yamato. Instead, he remarked to the youngster, "Just like with your two teammates before you, you will first go through the quick cash-grabber round. So, are you ready?"

"Ready," his pale eyes narrowed to the size of poison darts.

Otoya felt a bit unnerved at seeing that. Cecil was also rather unnerved at the look that the HEAVENS member gave. In all honesty, his eyes were steely and polished.

"Your time…" Matthew spoke up. "Starts…now! What is the smallest of the moons of Jupiter?"

"Europa," answered Shion, his eyes flashing a little.

"Correct!" Matthew nodded. "Which country is Prague in?"

"The Czech Republic," responded Shion.

"Correct! Which insect accurately indicates the air's temperature?"

"The cricket."

"Correct!"

"Wonder how many questions it'll take before this guy screws up on answering," wondered Syo as he rested his chin in his hand while leaning on the couch's arm.

"Hard to tell," said Masato as he gazed closely at the strange HEAVENS member.

"So far it's three," piped up Natsuki as he held up the exact number of fingers.

"What is the currency of Switzerland?" questioned Matthew.

"Euro," said Shion.

"Swiss franc," corrected Matthew.

Shion's eyes narrowed a little bit more to the size of poison darts, but he didn't say anything or react elsewhere when it came to body language. Once more, Otoya didn't like that expression on the HEAVENS member's face, but his eyes were glued to the screen nonetheless.

"Which country beginning with a 'T' has a shoreline on the Andaman Sea?" questioned Matthew.

"Pass," Shion didn't even give it a second thought.

"Thailand," said Matthew.

"He didn't even bother to think of something!" remarked Cecil incredulously. "He could've at least guessed!"

"Perhaps he just didn't know a country beginning with T," said Ren with a shrug.

"To the nearest mile, what is the length of a marathon?" inquired Matthew.

"Twenty-seven," responded Shion.

"Twenty-six," corrected Matthew.

Shion simply blinked at getting the question wrong, but the steely look that glazed over his eyes appeared hard and unfriendly. Otoya felt a chill just by looking at them, and he wondered how Matthew didn't at all look perturbed since he was so close to him, too.

"Who is the ghost that appears at the banquet in Shakespeare's Macbeth?" asked Matthew.

"Banquo," this time Shion responded. When Matthew affirmed that it was correct, the pale-haired boy blinked. When his eyes opened from the blink, they were this time fixed at the timer which now displayed thirty seconds.

"What is the green pigment in plants called?"

"Chlorophyll."

"Correct! Water and what are the main ingredients of pasta?"

"Flour."

"Correct!"

"That's six correct this time," Natsuki had counted the whole time whenever Shion got a correct answer. Everyone noticed that this time, there were thirty seconds left on the clock.

"Which is heavier – a proton or an electron?" asked Matthew.

"A proton," said Shion.

"Correct!" Matthew was even smiling a bit.

"Make that seven now," said Syo with a frown. Cecil's tanned face was also furrowed down to a scowl.

Otoya was still wondering how the Canadian host was not at all phased with Shion's rather unsettling gaze before remembering, as the timer was running out, that there were people who were far scarier and more disturbing looking than him.

"Who was the king of Mount Olympus?" questioned Matthew.

"Zeus," said Shion as his eyes sharply glanced at the timer.

"Correct! In which country are Daewoo cars made?"

"Korea."

"Correct!" The timer then reached seven seconds as Matthew asked a final question, "How many balls are there on a pool table at the start of a game?"

"Fifteen," Shion said in his normal tone as the horn suddenly blared loudly – signalling that the timer was at zero.

Matthew whistled, "Made it in time as well!" He smiled, "Shion, that was ten questions correct – this means, you've gained two million yen!"

"HEAVENS just keeps on getting good amounts," observed Masato. "It seems they really have brushed up on a lot of trivia."

"Luck plays a big part as well," reminded Tokiya, his own blue eyes narrowing.

Shion simply bowed his head as the audience applauded at his success. The rest of the HEAVENS members looked really satisfied and joined with the applause.

"Still, there is one thing that stands in your way," said Matthew as he turned in direction to the ramp. "And that is the Chaser."

Once more, the stage flashed with red lights as the question mark glowed a vivid scarlet as Sadik appeared again. The Turkish man was grinning wickedly as usual before rubbing his hands again. Shion simply gazed up at him with his eyes still steely and strong. Sadik quirked an eyebrow at the young man, but he seemed highly amused at the youngster's sturdy position.

"Greetings to you, Shion," said Sadik pleasantly as he sat down. As soon as he did so, a white flash transformed the stage from its red coat to its normal electric blue.

"Greetings," Shion greeted back politely.

"So your head's not in the clouds after all," said Sadik as he rubbed his chin. "Not bad, but let's see if it's your fate in the stars to lose."

Shion responded curtly, "The stars brought me here to win, and win, I shall."

There was a loud "ooooh" that came from the audience as Sadik quirked his eyebrow again. However, he reared back his head and gave loud bursts of bark-like laughter before rubbing his chin again. "Ha! You know what? I like you already, kid," Sadik was rubbing his hands together. "Now I'm really ready for this! I finally get to face someone with a real pair of steel, and also looks like, starry balls from this team!"

"He…does not have to be so crude…" Masato was cringing slightly at Sadik's rather forward and casual form of mannerisms.

Ren meanwhile was laughing jovially, "I quite like this Chaser! He must be great company."

"Now, let's put some money on the table," said Matthew as the game board wiped itself and produced Shion's two million yen. "There's your amount, Shion. But if you want to take a step forward closer to home, then the Chaser will offer you…" he brought his hand up in Sadik's direction on cue.

"Will you go for a red giant or a white dwarf?" wondered Sadik. "Tell you what? 'Cause I like you, kid, I'll offer you three hundred thousand yen."

"I really don't want to see what he'd do if he hates you," Syo remarked. Otoya inwardly shuddered at the idea himself.

"But if you want to risk it and take a step closer to the Phantom at his haunting keep, then he will offer you…" once more, Matthew raised his arm on cue in Sadik's direction.

"Again, 'cause I like you, kid," Sadik raised his head as he leaned forward and looked down at Shion. He winked, "I'll offer you five million one hundred thousand yen."

The huge amount appeared on the game board as everyone gasped in shock at it. Some of the girls in the audience were squealing in anticipation. Haruka was one of the ones who audibly gasped. Reiji himself looked extremely excited, while Ai tilted his head and observed closely – interested to see the response. Ranmaru arched both of his eyebrows up as he gazed closely: now wondering what the HEAVENS member would do.

STARISH were also amazed at the huge amount that was offered to Shion. And immediately, they started chatting amongst themselves – wondering what the pale-haired HEAVENS member was going to do.

"Five million, one hundred thousand!" Syo was shocked. "Wow!"

"I guess Sadik must really like him?" wondered Natsuki as he pondered a little.

"Do you think he'll play for it?" mused Otoya. He honestly wasn't sure in this case – Shion didn't look reckless like Yamato, but he definitely wasn't shy and cautious like Eiji, either. In fact, the pale-haired HEAVENS member seemed to be on a different plane altogether.

"HEAVENS already has four million in their cash pot," surmised Tokiya. "And if Shion Amakusa is successful in his individual chase, then the total adds to nine million."

"But the question is," said Ren. "Will he be willing to risk getting close to the Chaser as a result? He cannot afford to get any questions wrong."

"Actually," said Masato. "He would have just one chance to get something wrong unless the Chaser himself gets it wrong."

"Details, details," Ren sighed as he rolled his eyes. Masato glared at him again – not at all liking the response he got.

"What do you think, Cecil-chan?" questioned Natsuki as he noticed the prince was silent.

"Honestly…I don't really know," admitted Cecil. "He's a strange guy, that one…"

"I'll say," Syo agreed as he nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You can discuss with your teammates," said Matthew. Shion simply nodded and turned around to face them.

"That's a crap load of money!" Yamato piped up. "Man, if you could win that…"

"It'll definitely help Kira!" Nagi was bouncing up and down, looking extremely excited. "It really would, wouldn't it?"

Kira wordlessly nodded, but his gaze was fixed onto Shion. However, the pale-haired male's eyes only settled on him for a second. Otoya was surprised Shion didn't look at Kira full on like how he did with others and the timer with such intensity.

"But, we need you here, too," said Eiji. "For the Final Chase."

"Definitely true," agreed Van. "We haven't lost anyone yet, and we don't wanna lose anyone now."

Eiichi simply shrugged when Shion's eyes fixed onto him, "I'm fifty-fifty here. Though yes, the money's good and it definitely helps the cause, do you really want to risk being eliminated? That's up to how confident you are with your abilities."

Shion tilted his head at that, which looked really odd in Otoya's opinion. But regardless, Shion appeared fine with all the input he was getting. He bowed deeply before turning back to Sadik. Then, he gave his answer.

"I will face the battle in the jaws of the beast," said Shion. "I will take your high offer."

Hearing this, everyone was gasping in shock, awe and mixtures of both. There were a lot of squeals and cries coming from the girls in the audience along with several from STARISH and HEAVENS. Yamato's jaw was dropped as he was one of those who gave a loud gasp; Eiji's had also gasped – his pale purple eyes widened, and his hands clapped over his mouth; Van's mouth was only slightly opened, but he looked surprised rather than horrified like Eiji; Eiichi looked surprised himself, but he was smiling as his glasses flashed sinisterly; Nagi squealed as he was fidgeting even more.

Kira's reaction on the other hand was something to take note of.

The dark-haired idol's pale yellow eyes stretched so wide, the whites were viewable. He clearly looked rattled, even if his face still seemed inexpressive.

Matthew however looked both stunned yet excited, but also a bit bad for the rest of the HEAVENS members who looked totally opposed with the idea, "Very well, then! Getting rid of your original offer, and the lower one, you take a step closer to the Chaser! What do you think, Sadik?"

"You truly do have balls, kid," Sadik looked quite happy. "Definitely gonna enjoy this one!"

"Now…" Matthew smiled at the audience, "Playing for five million one hundred thousand yen, the Chase is on!"

The stage once more flashed multiple white lights before its shade of bright electric blue then settled onto a dark indigo to highlight a more serious and tense atmosphere. And truly, from Shion's choice, the atmosphere appeared much tenser than before.

Kira noticeably did not look happy as his pale yellow eyes were blaring with a burning inferno. He was glaring quietly at the back of Shion's head, and, after a little while, he brought his gloved hand up to wipe at the side of his head. Beads of sweat had formed there, but he wiped his hand on his thigh before watching closely at the scene before him.

"Damn, I can't believe it!" Syo's jaw had dropped as well. "He chose the higher offer!"

"Well, he's going to get caught, then!" exclaimed Cecil. "The Chaser he never got a question wrong!"

"It's not impossible, though," Tokiya said. When everyone turned to face him, the blue-haired idol explained, "Though I'm reluctant to say it in regards to HEAVENS, it's not at all impossible to take a higher offer and make it without getting caught. As long as you keep getting correct answers and stay one step ahead of the Chaser, then you're fine."

Masato nodded, "Ootori-san from before only got one question wrong – he could have played for the higher offer himself and probably made it with no problem."

"I still wouldn't risk it," said Syo stubbornly. "Especially not with these kinds of questions they're throwing at us. Either HEAVENS are a bunch of inhuman monsters, or they studied a lot."

"Could they be possibly cheating?" inquired Cecil. "Perhaps magic of some kind?"

"Can you sense any magic?" questioned Otoya.

"Well, no," answered Cecil. "But still!" however he pouted when the others ignored him and his accusation. This prompted Natsuki to pat his shoulder before hugging him.

"Then it's both luck and just studying hard," said Tokiya. "As much as I don't want to defend HEAVENS, the Chaser got nothing wrong so far as well."

"And don't forget," said Ren. "Shion is still the third one to play. The other four could get eliminated. My money's on Kiryuin."

"So you think Amakusa will make it?" questioned Otoya.

Ren shrugged, "Who knows? We'll only have to see."

"Now Shion, your first question," announced Matthew. STARISH became quiet to hear closely. "What does a numismatist collect?" questioned the Canadian host. "A) Coins, b) horseshoes, or c) rings?"

Sadik had pressed the buzzer first as per usual. Shion pressed his after, but his movement was rather slow, which was strange considering how he was usually so quick to move about during performing. However, Otoya simply attributed it as separation between idol duties and leisure.

"You put," said Matthew as Shion's answer was shown. "A) Coins. The correct answer is…"

Shion's answer flashed green.

"Coins!" Matthew smiled. "Still five steps until home, but closer to home, regardless. The Chaser has put…"

When Sadik's answer was shown overlapping Shion's, the red panel with the arrow appeared onto the game board.

"Next question," said Matthew. "In which Italian city is La Scala opera house? A) Sicily, b) Venice, or c) Milan."

Once more, Sadik was very quick with the buzzer. Otoya wondered how a person could know so much, but gazing at the Turkish man closely, the redhead remembered that Sadik looked pretty old – possibly the same age as Shining Saotome. Putting age as part of the factors, it did make a lot of sense: elders were quite knowledgeable and full of experience despite their age.

Which Otoya now found ironic as Shion moved like an old man – slow and somewhat minimal.

"You put," Matthew looked to see Shion's answer again. "B) Milan. The correct answer is…!"

With a bell-like 'ding!' Shion's answer flashed green again.

Matthew still appeared pretty happy at his success, in fact, Otoya saw that the Canadian host appeared pretty elated as Shion again moved forward. However, the bespectacled blonde cleared his throat before continuing, "The Phantom put…"

Sadik simply raised his head when his answer was shown to be the same as Shion's. His red arrow moved forward as well.

Matthew inquired, "The Spanish wine, Sangria, means which of the following words? Is it a) Flowing, b) Bleeding, or c) Mixing?"

Again, both buzzers were pressed.

"Shion, you put," Matthew looked up. "B) Bleeding. The answer is…"

Shion simply gave a blink when his answer was revealed to be correct again. He only gazed down at the game board with a calculating spark in his eye.

Sadik meanwhile was simply watching the youngster with intrigue. Quite frankly, he was the strangest boy he had ever met so far. The strangest, but also the most intriguing. His demeanour was very sturdy and unrelenting, yet there was a sort of steel-like component to him. Adding to that, he seemed to be existing in some other kind of era altogether. Still, he wasn't afraid in the slightest, nor was he boastful. The Turkish man's smile was spread out on his olive-skinned face as Matthew asked the next question.

"On the list of modern birth stones, which month has the opal as its birthstone? A) October, b) November, or c) December."

"Something I could actually answer!" Syo looked relieved. "I'm pretty sure it's October."

"You're right," this time, Cecil cracked a smile on his face. "It is October!"

"Oh yeah!" Otoya found himself beaming brightly. "Your birthday's in October! I almost forgot about that, Cecil!"

"Perhaps I should get you an opal necklace next year when your birthday comes," said Ren with a fond smile.

Cecil laughed, "That sounds lovely, actually!"

Otoya felt quite happy that they were at ease for once. They were too nervous and on edge with Shion's performance and Sadik's overall demeanour.

Seeing Shion once more get the question correct, though, the redhead felt his heart start to pick up on the pace. Same with Sadik getting it correct once again.

"You're almost there, Shion," Matthew said reassuringly, though it looked like he didn't need to be that way to the pale-haired boy. "Just two more steps, and you're home free!"

Shion simply cracked his head in Matthew's direction and gave him a steely look. Again, Otoya was wondering how the Canadian host didn't even buckle underneath such a stare.

But then, much to the redhead's shock, Shion did something he did not expect.

Shion smiled.

Though tiny and lasting for about a second, the pale-haired boy flashed a little smile in the Canadian host's direction before giving a little nod and turning back to the game board.

It was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

Otoya blinked a couple of times – now wondering if he had imagined things.

"The carpal bones are found in which part of the human body?" questioned Matthew. "A) Neck, b) Knee or c) Wrists."

And again, Sadik was fast on the buzzer with Shion not far behind.

And again, the answer from both sides was correct.

And again, Sadik's arrow and Shion's offer took a step forward.

Otoya was now wondering if Cecil had a point and Shion truly was inhuman or magical in any way. Just a thought.

"I think he can actually pull this off," marvelled Natsuki. "He only needs one question left, and he has two chances to get it wrong."

"Still two chances," pointed out Tokiya. "You can do badly in only two chances."

"We're one question from home," said Matthew. "To put five million one hundred thousand yen in the bank, good luck, Shion!"

"Thank you," murmured Shion. Otoya was quite surprised here as well – he didn't remember the pale-haired male ever saying those two words, either.

"Here's your next question. Which of these boys' names does not appear in the title of a Roald Dahl novel? Is it A) James, b) Charlie, or c) Tom?"

Sadik slammed his large hand down on his buzzer quickly, and Shion followed suit.

"You've put…" Matthew looked up at Shion's answer. "Tom."

"James and the Giant Peach," murmured Shion. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"What about Tom and the Wacky Grey Cat?" called out Sadik from his spot. The audience cracked up at hearing that.

Shion arched an elegant eyebrow, "I was never aware of that one when I was a child."

"Or perhaps it was Tom and the Great Big Sausage?" wondered Sadik as he made a gesture that appeared like he was rubbing his beard.

At this point, the audience was cracking hard – particularly the convention goers who howled with laughter. Yamato and Van were snickering from their spots as Eiichi simply grinned at the joke. In the waiting room, Masato looked appalled while Ren was laughing pretty hard at Sadik's wise-cracks.

Matthew the host however looked like he was going to die – he was trying to hold his laughter, but his face turned red before he laughed. He chortled for a good while before wiping the sweat from his forehead. He then cleared his throat, "Well, let's see what your answer is, Shion. If your answer is correct, then you take your winnings back to your team. Your answer was Tom, the correct answer is…!"

Everyone watched quietly with bated breath since it seemed nobody read the books before finally, there was a flash of green.

Then the whole stage flashed electric blue as it gained its colours back – Shion had the correct answer.

"Well done," Matthew was smiling as he stretched his hand out in Shion's direction. "Well done!"

"Thank you," Shion quietly thanked the blonde host with a bow of his head as his total added to HEAVENS' money pot. It boosted from four million to nine million one hundred thousand.

The audience was shouting, cheering and clapping uproariously at the pale-haired male's success since he not only made it back to his team and escaped the Chaser, but he also took the Chaser's bigger offer. Back at the HEAVENS table, Yamato and Nagi had stood up from their seats and applauded Shion elatedly. Van was sitting down at first before deciding to stand up as well. Eiji heaved a sigh of relief before clapping with a weak smile, and Eiichi simply crossed his arms over his chest and gave a nod of approval. Kira himself relaxed his shoulders, and the swirling inferno in his eyes died down as he gave a deep breath.

"Terrific, well done," Matthew was smiling. He turned in Shion's direction with his arm spread out in Sadik's direction.

But, much to his stunned surprise, and everyone else's amusement, Shion had already walked back to his spot at the table without another word.

This time, it was Sadik who was dying of laughter.

The Chaser actually stood up and was crouching slightly as he grabbed at his stomach while he gave a huge belly laugh. His whole body was wracking and heaving with his chortling.

"He didn't even say goodbye," said Matthew, who now looked a bit offended. "He just…he just left me. Do you know something?" he was looking up at Sadik with a scowl. "You know something about Shion? He never wrote, he…" he shook his head. "He never phoned…"

And, again to Otoya's surprise, Shion's face stretched into a bewildered expression at Matthew's words. "Did I…perhaps leave at the wrong moment?" he questioned, voice quiet, but noticeably it was a soft, hushed form of quietness rather than the steely tones he had displayed from before.

"No, no, you didn't," Matthew laughed this time, feeling a bit guilty for messing with the boy. He was astonished he was even able to in the first place. "You're fine with where you are, Shion, you just stay right there."

Sadik simply rubbed a tear of mirth from his eye before grinning, "Well, kid, since you already left, I gotta yell it now, but hey, you risked it, and you got it. Good on ya for having balls of steel and stars, kid!"

Shion simply dipped his head down at the Turkish man. Noticeably, his expression became serious again when dealing with the Phantom, but his eyes were no longer steely.

"Now, Van," Matthew called. "Ready to go on?"

"Of course," Van was grinning, looking quite ready.

"Of course he's ready," agreed Matthew. "Next to face the Chaser is Van Kiryuin!"

Back in the waiting room, STARISH couldn't help on what Shion had managed to achieve. He not only took the higher offer from the Phantom, but he got past him, and was able to make it back home.

"So that answers it, then," said Tokiya, though he looked highly unnerved at Shion's feat. "It's perfectly possible to make it with the higher offer without getting caught."

"And he got nothing wrong as well," said Natsuki, his own eyes wide.

"He's an alien," Syo threw his hands up. "There's no other explanation. He's an alien."

"Now HEAVENS has even more money than before," said Otoya. "I hope we can get just as much when we play."

"We will do our best," reassured Masato. "For you and the orphanage, we will play valiantly with honour, and make it!"

Ren nodded, "That, I can definitely agree on." Still, he couldn't help but look back to the screen as he saw Van get up from his spot and move towards Matthew. The two shook hands as Van stood tall and proud.


In all honesty, it was hard writing Shion - at first I had one interpretation in mind, but then I decided to use another because it became too tricky to incorporate it somehow. And then I began to think of way too many interpretations with the guy, and that brought only a crap ton of trouble for me. TT7TT

At first, I interpreted Shion as one of those guys who's more spiritual or obsessed with aliens and other planets and stuff like that, then it became a guy who's more "from a different era" (his mind probably existing in the era when samurai and shogun were far more common, probably), then this strange interpretation I myself am not really sure is. TTwTT

So far, he's probably the hardest.

Anyway, HEAVENS is now raising more and more money - will all of them really make it? Will anyone do anymore risks? Or will the rest of the members crash and burn, starting from Van? Will Shion's efforts inspire STARISH members to also take risks?

Tune in next time~

Peace out!
- Hebi-Kazechi-10