Survivor: Konoha

by Gomamon

Sixteen castaways, all from different anime series, will embark on the adventure of a lifetime. For the next thirty nine days, they will have to survive the wilderness as well as each other. Who can outwit, outplay, outlast? Who will be the Sole Survivor?

13. Episode 13: Bittersweet Victory, Part 1

Survivor: Konoha
By: Gomamon

Last Time on Survivor:

Mai had a growing concern that Shannon was an unbeatable opponent in the finals. Her worst fears were confirmed when the swordsman nearly won the immunity challenge until she manipulated the outcome, thus prompting a third consecutive victory for Bulma. The inventor further ensured her safety by making a Final Two deal with Mai, while her former ally Roy declared a gutsy promise that he will throw the final immunity challenge. Meanwhile, Mai and Kari experienced a fallout when the latter refused to betray Shannon for ethical reasons. Nonetheless, Mai secured enough votes to take out her largest threat from this game.

Four castaways remain. Who will be the Sole Survivor?

Episode Thirteen: Bittersweet Victory

Sarutobi Tribe : Bulma (Dragonball Z), Kari (Digimon), Mai (Yu-gi-oh), Roy (Fullmetal Alchemist)

- - -

DAY 37

Over the past few days, Mai Valentine developed a quirky habit unbeknownst to her other tribe members. Before the start of every morning, the adventurous blonde would quietly sneak out of camp and trek to the waterfall. In this unusual place, at a most peculiar time of the hour, she was here to watch the Konoha sunrise all by herself. Mai would later explain, to the inquiring Survivor production crew, that the sunrise looked particularly glorious through the reflection of the water. In her opinion, it was worth waking up early every morning just to catch a glimpse of this spectacular sight.

"This is my happy place." Mai smiled, when asked why she bothered to watch the sunrise every morning. "This is my escape from reality."

Watching these sunrises offered Mai some much needed solace in the game. They reminded her there was more to the Survivor experience than the one million dollars grand prize in the end. After all, how many more times in her life will she live on a foreign land for thirty seven days? How often will she be able to watch another beautiful sunrise back at home? While winning the game was a significant priority, Mai also wanted to enjoy this opportunity of a life time as best as she could. Looking back at her Survivor journey several years from now, she hoped she would have made many fond memories that could bring a smile to her face.

More importantly, watching these sunrises made Mai appreciate the fact that she was still playing the game. It was a feat that twelve other individuals failed to accomplish. Who would have thought that somebody as bold and outspoken as her would make it to the final four? Mai would like to believe that she made it this far based on purely skill, but she knew luck played a major role in her achievements thus far. As Might Guy would describe it, the gods of fortune had been constantly smiling upon her.

If she didn't use that hidden immunity idol against Kurz…

If she didn't secure enough votes against Holland…

If she didn't get the upper hand in that tiebreaker against Faye…

Mai shook her head and smiled to herself. No, not now. She will not think about the game right now. This was her happy place, a place where she will momentarily put aside the stressful aspects of her experience. Right now, she only wanted to feel grateful. She was grateful about the good fortunes in her journey thus far, in a whimsical game where anything can happen. A game that she may not be part of beyond day thirty seven.

It was why, with good reason, Mai Valentine viewed every sunrise in Konoha like it was her last one.

- - -

Roy Mustang was in deep trouble.

He knew he was in a precarious position from the minute he woke up. If only he did not oversleep this morning. He should have known better than to leave the three women at camp alone and unsupervised. They were dangerous enough as individual players, but they were even more threatening as a group. Unfortunately, Roy was not part of that group. It wasn't because he carried the title of 'last man standing' that stood out like a sore thumb, but it had more to do with the fact that he was up against a tight-knitted twosome and a turncoat ally who will never force a tie. It would be easy and almost too convenient for the three of them to collaborate together for a final three alliance.

Oh, their scheming wasn't too explicit. The women tried to be discreet. From the moment Roy made the slightest movement in his sleeping bag, Bulma and Kari immediately stopped talking to each other, if only a few seconds too late. Roy couldn't hear what they were whispering about, but he could understand the gist of it. What else could they be discussing about at this stage of the game?

"Good morning." Roy said cautiously.

"Hi." Bulma greeted the colonel with a warm smile. "Breakfast is almost ready."

Roy sat down next to the two women by the campfire. Bulma tried to engage him in a casual conversation, but he hardly paid any attention to inventor. He knew her well enough to understand that she had put on her best poker face. In other words, Bulma had mastered the ability to conceal her plotting underneath her friendly demeanour, whereas her young companion was not quite as good as an actress. Roy focused the most on Kari, who kept her head down shamefully for the entire time, who couldn't look at him straight in the eye, and who was most certainly hiding something behind her shaky smile and teary eyes.

She knew.

She knew that he could read through her like an open book.

And she knew that Roy quickly deducted he was the obvious outsider in the group, because the women had made a pact to stick together a while ago.

Kari, of course, felt incredibly guilty when she agreed to vote out Roy this morning. It wasn't her proudest moment in the game. It wasn't even her suggestion in the first place. Quite unsurprisingly, Bulma was the one who initiated the idea, and Kari felt she had no choice than to jump on the easy bandwagon. She would be a fool to decline a final three deal at this stage. So, why make life so hard for herself? Why not just vote out Roy and guarantee herself safety for one more tribal council?

Poor Roy Mustang. Such a nice guy. He was always so friendly to Kari, but how did she thank him in return? She voted against the colonel three separate times in the game. Four if the tiebreaker was included. To an uninformed outsider, it might seem like Kari had some grudge against Roy, although the young DigiDestined would be quick to dispel that belief. She genuinely enjoyed Roy's company very much. It was just that voting against him seemed so convenient at the time. All the time, in fact. Roy was an easy target for Kari at tribal council. She liked to joke that it was because he had only three letters in his name.

Kari: Roy is great. He's easily one of my favourite people out here. That's why it kills me to write his name down at every tribal council. And the worst thing is…I don't really have a good reason for it. I guess it's because I know he won't get angry about the vote. Roy is an incredibly understanding guy who never takes the game too personally. But that's not a very good explanation, is it? Anyway, I really didn't want to vote against Roy last night. Ideally, it should have been Bulma's turn to go next, but she won immunity. Roy happened to be the best…uh, alternative out of the few limited options.

The most challenging aspect of every tribal council was coping with the dreary morning after. Some people might feel a sense of accomplishment, but not Kari Kamiya. She just felt awkward afterwards. It was especially difficult when the person she voted against still remained in the game. She had to come face-to-face with somebody whom she openly expressed a desire to send home. More than once too. And she was about to do it again.

"Uh…I'll go get the treemail." Kari muttered as she got up from her seat. She did not want to be in the presence of Roy due to sheer guilt, so she could politely excuse herself from camp. Of course, Roy saw this as a prime opportunity to persuade Kari to change her mind. Naturally, he volunteered to go with her, much to her dismay.

"Then I'll come too!" Bulma piped up. She, like Roy, never missed a window of opportunity.

"It's okay! I can get the treemail by myself." Kari laughed nervously. She expected this to happen. "I want to be alone for a while, if you guys don't mind."

Roy bit his lips out of frustration. He couldn't think of a legitimate excuse to accompany Kari without coming across as too invasive. The last thing he wanted was to turn off Kari from any prospects of a future alliance. Meanwhile, Bulma just shrugged her shoulders at Kari's request. She didn't really want to spend another fifteen minutes with the young DigiDestined anyway. Her main objective was to prevent Roy and Kari from spending any alone time together. In fact, Bulma had no intentions of letting the colonel out of her sights today. She will keep him in constant surveillance under her watchful eye.

And so, Kari was free.

"I don't think I'll head back to camp until it's time for the immunity challenge." Kari joked to a nearby cameraperson as soon as she was out of proximity. Spending time in solitude was the ideal alternative over being in the middle of a power struggle between Bulma and Roy. "I'll just walk around the forest in circles."

As she aimlessly navigated her way through the sea of trees, Kari slowly recalled the chat she had with Bulma early this morning. It wasn't a pleasant conversation, and not just because they were scheming against her good friend Roy. There was something about Bulma's business-like demeanour that seemed so cold and callous. She acted as if she had no friendship with Roy despite living together for the past few weeks. Never mind the fact that they were in an alliance with each other only yesterday. Kari could not do that – she didn't have the ability to turn a blind eye on her existing relationships. It might mean she was an emotional player, but she cannot vote out a fellow friend without feeling so remorseful over her decision.

But Bulma was different. She was a cold-blooded mercenary. At times, it was unclear if this woman even considered anyone a genuine friend. She certainly did not lose any sleep after tribal council. And she definitely did not feel any of the tremendous guilt that plagued Kari from day to day.

"We have to vote out Roy." Bulma had told her. In fact, that was the first thing she said to Kari this morning. Vote out Roy, thanks for your time! Just like that. Bulma was never one to waste words on people. "I've thought about it last night, and it's the most logical move for all of us. If we let the weasel make it to the final two, he'll win this game. Mark my words. Roy will schmooze and sweet-talk his way to a million dollars."

"Have you talked to Mai yet?" Kari asked.

"Not yet, but I'll talk to her…soon." Bulma smiled a little. She caught herself just in time. What she really wanted to end the sentence with was the word 'regardless'. She will talk with Mai regardless if Kari agreed to this deal or not. For her own sake, she hoped the DigiDestined would be wise enough to jump on the easy bandwagon. "Roy will be a big pain in the ass for the next twenty four hours. He won't give up without a fight. So, we have to stay strong. We can't let him get to us. Once he's voted off, the three of us can battle it out in the final challenge. Then, it'll be an even-levelled playing field."

As Bulma spoke, Kari thought she was reminded of somebody familiar, although she couldn't identify exactly who. Then, the ugly truth came at her like a sledgehammer. That ruthlessness. That mean-spirited attitude. That mercenary style of game play. Yes, the uncanny parallels became very obvious to Kari all of a sudden. She recognized this person. No, not one individual person, but multiple persons.

Because guess what?

Faye had been a ruthless schemer who would do anything to win a million dollars. And Harley had been a mean-spirited gossip who made sarcastic quips behind people's backs. And Holland had been a mercenary leader who turned against his closest allies in a heartbeat.

Kari shook her head vigorously. She tried so hard to see the good in people, but this time she couldn't shake off the horrible image from her head. There were shades of all three personalities contained within Bulma. She was practically the embodiment of Jiraiya. That woman represented everything Kari despised about her former tribe. Bulma was Jiraiya.

How horrible.

"Are you on board?" Bulma asked, catching the young girl off guard.

There was only one person more horrible than the scheming inventor.

"Okay. I'm in." Kari muttered quietly. She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. She could not believe she just said those words, but she did.

Despite the unpleasant resemblances between Bulma and the former Jiraiya members, Kari did not let that get in the way of her judgment. She might not necessarily like the inventor very much, but that woman made a legitimate point in her explanation. It was in everybody's best interests, including Kari, to vote out the largest threat. It was as simple as that. Roy Mustang had to go, no matter what Kari might think about the people who was voting alongside with her.

This game was ugly. But Kari knew that already. She was aware of the true nature of Survivor a long time ago.

Contrary to how other players might perceive her, she was not an innocent little girl. At the end of the day, Kari was just as bad as her enemies.

After all, she was Jiraiya too.

- - -

Bulma secured her third and final vote when Mai returned from her trip to the waterfall. Naturally, the blonde agreed to vote out Roy without any hesitance whatsoever. Their exchange was short and sweet. And with that, the colonel's last shred of power in this game was removed. His last glimmer of hope was diminished. The three women all wanted to eliminate their largest threat in this game. Bulma agreed. Kari agreed. Mai sure as hell agreed. And that was that. Roy was going home tonight, almost in an unceremonious manner.

Life was good for Bulma at the moment. She had her numbers all planned out. Everything was going her way.

There was just one problem.

"Bulma, please listen..." Roy hated the blatant desperation in his voice, but at this point, he really had no other moves to play. He had to plead his case to his remaining ally in the game. "If you and I vote against Mai, and we convince Kari to do the same, then we're all in the final three!"

Oh boy. The inventor shook her head in disbelief. She can't fathom this turn of events. Roy still thought they were in an alliance together. After she secretly stashed three votes against him at the upcoming tribal council. Pfft! As if she still wanted anything to do with him. He was so pathetic that Bulma wanted to laugh in his face. And she almost did too.

"This might be a pointless question, but when are you going to give up and admit defeat?" Bulma asked with a small sigh.

"I can go on like this all day long." Roy said, humourlessly.

"That's what she said!" Bulma did not miss a beat. She raised her arm in the air for a mutual high-five, but received no response from her companion. Not even a look of acknowledgement. Her attempt to ease the tension with her quick wit normally worked with Roy in their usual conversations. However, he wasn't in a very enthusiastic mood today. He had no time for her juvenile jokes.

"I'm being serious here!" Roy snapped.

C'mon, that was a good joke! He totally set himself up. I deserve a small chuckle at least. The sassy inventor slowly retracted her arm, trying her best to refrain herself from making a snide remark. She only realized now that Roy had lost his sense of humour along with his good sportsmanship and possibly his pride.

"Kari will never vote out Mai. That, I know for a fact." Bulma shook her head, speaking more seriously this time.

"At least we could force a tie against them..."

"No."

Roy grunted in frustration. He shouldn't have wasted his breath. Bulma, one of the most selfish players in the game, will never want to draw rocks for another player.

"Roy, I'm really sorry. I wish there was more I can do." Bulma sighed. There may be a hint of genuine remorse in her voice. "To be honest, I think it's my best move if I vote you out now. Mai and Kari are just easier opponents to go against in the final challenge."

"I already told everybody that I'd throw the challenge! That's how desperate I am!" Roy exclaimed.

"I don't believe you for a second, Roy Mustang. You're far too competitive to give up on the final challenge like that." Bulma smirked a little. "Besides, I can see through your clever plan. If you go to the final three with Kari and me, you know we'll both take you to the finals. You don't need to win that challenge."

Roy said nothing. He hadn't decided in his mind yet whether or not he would honour that bold promise he made last night. Would he really step down at the final immunity challenge? Would he really want to put his fate in another player's hands? Roy didn't even know the answer himself.

"What if I win immunity today? What would you do then?" Roy asked.

"Oh Roy." Bulma gestured her hand toward the immunity headband around her neck. "How many challenges have you won so far? It's exactly the reason why Mai wanted to keep you around over Shannon in the first place."

The apparent helplessness of his situation frustrated Roy immensely. Once a powerful player early on, he knew he had been extremely fortunate to survive the past two tribal councils – if just barely. But his luck was about to run out in the final four. Now at the mercy of three women who all wanted him gone, Roy was a sitting duck with almost no power in the game.

The only power he had left was the jury card.

"You shouldn't burn your bridges like that. I'm on the jury too, you know." Roy warned.

"Roy, don't go so low. Don't threaten me with your jury vote. You're starting to lose my respect." Bulma shook her head. "Take your loss like a real man."

"I'm serious, Bulma. I'm not out of options yet." Roy said, almost ominously. "I'm only asking you to work with me because I want to take you to the final two. We played similar games. I would love to sit next to my equal on the final night."

Bulma tossed him a curious glance. Was he bluffing? Did he really have a trump card in his sleeves? She wasn't sure if she should believe him. She can't picture a scenario where Roy would have any power at the next tribal council. Then again, he was just smart enough to come up with a crafty plan on his own. May be she should lie to him and keep him happy? Bulma wasn't one to lead people on with false hope, but sometimes that was the safest option.

Bulma: I want to go against Mai in the final two. I don't think she's very popular with the jury. I know for a fact that I'll get Harley, Faye, and Shannon's votes. That's three right there. Holland will probably lean my way too if he doesn't vote with his crotch. And Roy, despite what he says, will give me a vote because he knows I played one hell of a game. He might be an untrustworthy little weasel, but I know he's not a sore loser. That's the best thing about Roy. He won't cast a bitter vote on the jury.

The production crew was impressed when they heard this confessional. Bulma was clearly a woman with a plan. She knew what she was doing, and she also knew exactly how she will achieve it.

Bulma: Here's my problem. Roy isn't on the jury yet. I need his vote, so why would I possibly want to take him to the final two? I'm ready to cut all ties with him and vote him out at the next tribal council. I'm just afraid that Roy will do something really crazy to mess up my plans. Such as winning today's immunity. So, I need to make sure I'm still on good terms with him. Better safe than sorry. I'll probably still vote him out next, but oh well.

With all things considered, Bulma ultimately decided that she'd rather have Roy Mustang as a friend than an enemy. Plus, she needed his vote on the jury. So, okay, she would entertain herself with his crazy schemes for a little while. Listen to what he had to say. Then, vote him out at tonight's tribal council regardless. Bulma knew it was dangerous to play with fire like this, but as long as she can keep Roy from doing additional damage...

"If I win immunity again, I'll reconsider your plan." Bulma said finally, with a small frown. That seemed like a fair and plausible deal. She could easily win immunity for a fourth time, considering her dismal competition.

"Okay. Good. That's a start." Roy sighed in relief. At least he got somewhere with this speech.

"And if you win immunity, I'll go with you for sure." Bulma continued.

"Even better." Roy grinned. That sounded very reassuring.

"All bets are off if Mai wins immunity. That's just a dead end right there." Bulma shrugged her shoulders, while Roy grimaced. Mai winning immunity would be the worst case scenario for him. "Sorry."

"What if Kari wins?" Roy asked.

"Oh please. We're talking about realistic scenarios here." Bulma scoffed. As if Kari ever stood a chance of winning an immunity challenge. She wasn't even a serious contender.

Roy nodded his head, seemingly satisfied. He did not know yet that Bulma was just feeding him with false hope to keep herself on his good side. In reality, as things were at the moment, nothing had changed. Roy was still a marked man. And if he didn't win immunity today, he was definitely going home.

- - -

Immunity was back up for grabs again.

"Welcome to your penultimate immunity challenge." Iruka spoke to the final four castaways with a cheery smile, as always. "Today, you'll be navigating in a maze. Each of you will start at a different corner of the maze – and don't worry, the maze is designed symmetrically, so the level of difficulty will be the same for everybody. Obviously, the first person to arrive at the centre of the maze will win immunity."

"But there's a twist!" Bulma said half-jokingly.

"Indeed. There is a tiny twist in this challenge." Iruka nodded, looking a bit embarrassed. After thirty seven days, the players were totally used to these challenges. They weren't fazed by anything. "At every turn and intersection, there will be a personal question about one of your fallen comrades. If you answer correctly, you'll be guided in the right direction in the maze. If not, you have to go back and answer the question again."

Mai looked particularly confident after hearing the instructions. For somebody who got to live with both starting tribes, she was acquainted with nearly every player in this game. Since this was essentially a 'fallen comrades' challenge that takes place in a maze, Mai thought she might have the upper hand over everybody else.

"All of these questions will be about the players who have at least made the merge. Once again, this is done so that the level of difficulty is roughly the same with everyone." Iruka continued, "You should all be able to answer questions about Zolo, even if he only lived in the merged tribe for a few days."

Uh oh. Bulma cringed. She couldn't recall a single tidbit of information about Zolo other than the fact that he cursed a lot. She barely remembered what that pirate guy even looked like!

Then, she turned to glance at Roy Mustang on her left. He looked totally relaxed. And why shouldn't he? That guy had a killer memory. Plus, he knew Zolo and Meryl better than anybody else just from the amount of time they spent on the same tribe. This challenge was practically designed for a social butterfly like him. Bulma would go as far to say that Roy almost had an unfair advantage in this challenge. Despite what Iruka may say about the level of difficulty, she thought Roy surely had the best odds to win.

And if Roy won...

Bulma closed her eyes and shook her head. That would be the worst case scenario ever. She didn't want to jinx it, but she cannot begin to imagine how awful things would be if everybody's intended target was immune tonight. No, Roy simply must not win this challenge, or else he will inadvertently seal Bulma's fate in the game.

- - -

"Survivors ready? Go!"

The immunity challenge commenced. Each person started at a different corner in the hedge maze, so they had no idea how much progress the other players made. They had to rely on their intuition, as well as their knowledge of the fallen comrades, in order to navigate their way to the centre.

Bulma arrived at the first intersection, anticipating the worst. There was a question posted on the wall with several possible answers underneath it.

"How many earrings does Zolo wear on his left ear?" Bulma read the question out loud.

The inventor immediately turned to a nearby camera with a dumbfounded expression on her face. How on earth was she supposed to know that? She had no idea at all. She would be more than happy to answer a complex math or physics question, but this 'fallen comrades' crap felt impossible.

"I'll never be able to get out of the maze at this rate." Bulma joked.

The instructions told her to turn left if she thought the answer was 'one', turn right if the answer was 'two', or go straight ahead if the answer was 'three'. Bulma, who couldn't even recall that Zolo wore jewellery on any part of his body, took a random guess and walked straight ahead. She figured the fewer turns she made, the less likely she will get lost in this maze.

Rather surprisingly, Bulma guessed the correct answer for her first question. Zolo did indeed wear three triangular earrings on his left ear. However, Bulma had no idea she was moving in the right direction until she stumbled upon the second question.

"What insurance company does Meryl work for?" Bulma rolled her eyes. Oh great. Another difficult question about somebody she barely knew.

This time, Bulma turned left. She hoped that she would make another lucky guess...

- - -

"Meryl works for the Bernardelli Insurance Society, so I have to turn right." Roy proclaimed.

So far, Roy Mustang was rocking this challenge like nobody's business. He answered the first two questions correctly with relative ease. All that time schmoozing with his tribe members finally paid off in the end. It also didn't hurt that Roy had a very sharp memory and could remember the most mundane details of somebody's life.

Roy ran to his next intersection. There was no time to waste. In a challenge that meant either life or death to him, it was absolutely crucial that he won this immunity today. So, Roy ran. He ran like the wind. He ran like somebody who was chasing after his destiny. He ran very quickly, but he also ran very carelessly.

Because he ran right past a hidden intersection without even noticing.

He didn't stop to read the third question and he ran right into a dead end.

"Shit. I got it wrong." Roy muttered under his breath. He realized that he made a mistake, but he was unaware what mistake he made. For all he knew, Roy thought he answered the second question incorrectly.

The careless colonel had no idea that he zoomed right past an intersection. And ironically, he was going to commit the same mistake twice. As he retraced back his steps, he passed the third question without stopping again. He ran all the way back to the second intersection, where he reread that question about Meryl again. This time, he took the alternative (and the incorrect) route. He had no idea he was plunging himself into an even bigger mistake.

It was a mistake that could possibly cost him this win.

- - -

So far, Mai answered the first two questions incorrectly. It was somewhat excusable that she thought Zolo wore only two earrings on his left ear, but the blonde felt a little embarrassed that she couldn't remember what company Meryl worked for. And Meryl was supposed to be her friend too. For somebody who felt very confident going into this challenge, Mai's current performance could be described as pathetic. It wasn't because Mai didn't care about the people she lived with. She just had a really poor memory.

Nonetheless, she made a quick recovery from her earlier mistakes. The blonde was actually the first player to arrive at the third intersection, due to the bigger blunders of her competitors. Mai was somehow in the lead, and she didn't even know it.

"Where is Holland's tattoo located?" Mai read the question out loud. "Turn left if it is on his left arm, turn right if it is on his right arm, or go straight if he doesn't have a tattoo."

Holland, Holland, Holland. The blonde closed her eyes and tried to recollect a vague image of the Gekko-State leader. Yes, she could remember that he had a tattoo on his arm. Some sort of weird symbol. But which arm was it? The left or the right?

That was the biggest problem Mai encountered so far in this challenge. She knew about some of the details about her fallen comrades, but she just didn't remember exactly what they were. She knew those earrings on Zolo's ears were a gift from his childhood friend. She knew Meryl worked for an insurance company with her best friend Millie. And she knew Holland got that tattoo during his rebellious teenage years. But for the life of her, she just couldn't remember the specific details that mattered.

What arm was the tattoo located at? Left or right?

Mai took an impatient sigh. No, she couldn't remember. Oh well, couldn't help it. She'd just have to take another guess again.

So, she turned right.

- - -

Kari was fairly certain that Holland had a tattoo on his left arm. The middle-aged man was not very modest about his lanky body, so he often walked around camp shirtless or even in his underwear. Kari remembered having a casual conversation about that tattoo with Holland during the first week they were living together. That was back when Holland and Kari actually respected one another. Looking back, the young girl found it funny how much her relationships changed in this game. If Guy didn't get voted off, would she still be friends with Holland? Or better yet, would he still be in the game?

Although she guessed on the first two questions on the maze, Kari was now the leader in this challenge. Mai just made a wrong turn, Roy was still on the wrong route, and Bulma had no idea how to answer any of these questions. For possibly the first time ever, little Kari was actually a contender to win immunity – and she didn't even realize it.

However, that lead of hers was short-lived as soon as she arrived at the fourth intersection.

The next question was about Harley.

And that man, even if he was not physically in the game, seemed destined to cause nuisance to his archenemy as much as possible.

- - -

By the time Roy found the third intersection, he figured he was too far behind to actually win this immunity. He thought the other women would be at their fifth or sixth intersection by now. Little did he know that they were struggling just as much as him. Despite his lack of optimism, Roy decided that he won't give up on this challenge without trying his best. So, he continued to run like a madman throughout the maze, but he was much more cautious this time. He made sure to turn his head both ways and look at every direction in case there was a missing intersection. He then breezed past the next two questions about Harley and Faye. And soon, unbeknownst to the colonel, he regained his lead again.

Meanwhile, Bulma was as lost as ever. She, like the colonel, missed the third hidden intersection. She spent the next few minutes walking around in circles, fully accepting the fact that she will not win immunity for a fourth consecutive time.

Mai fared slightly better than the inventor. She made it past the fourth intersection without trouble – thanks Harley – but she struggled at the fifth one. Unsurprisingly, since that question was related to Faye. And Mai knew almost nothing about the antagonistic bounty huntress. So, once again, Mai answered incorrectly and reached another dead end, wasting much valuable time.

Roy's only real contender was Kari, who managed to catch up through a series of lucky guesses and careful observations. She may not be the loudest person in a group sometimes, but she was certainly the most attentive. She always had an eye for details. And more importantly, she was genuinely interested in learning more about her fellow tribe members. That was why, for the first time ever, Kari was in the top two for a challenge. And she might possibly take home the upset victory.

Roy and Kari arrived at their sixth and final intersection around the same time. The last question was about Shannon: What was his twin sister's name?

Turn left if her name is Pacifica.

Go straight ahead if her name is Raquel.

One name. That was what it came down to. Roy laughed, knowing that he was one just name away from winning the most important immunity in his life. He couldn't believe how close he was to winning this challenge.

And that was why it felt so tragic when he made the left turn and indirectly handed Kari the win.

"Kari wins immunity!" Iruka announced through his megaphone, signifying the challenge was over. The petite DigiDestined was the first player to arrive at the centre of the maze, having answered the last question about Shannon correctly.

The young girl let out a gleeful shriek. This was her first victory ever. She actually won something! How did that happen!?

Roy fell on his knees when he heard the results, although he knew he had the wrong answer when he saw a dead end ahead of him. He knew right away he shouldn't have made that turn. If only he ran straight ahead, he could have defeated Kari on a simple footrace. But no, he answered the last question incorrectly, and that was what cost him this game. Of course it had to be the other name. The one that Roy didn't pick. The one that anybody who knew Shannon well enough would know. Raquel. Stupid Raquel. What kind of name was Raquel anyway?

Whoever she was, Roy only knew one thing about this woman he never met:

Raquel Casull just lost him one million dollars today.

- - -

The moment Roy lost that immunity challenge, he lost his last piece of bargaining chip in the tribe. As soon as the players returned to camp, the three women immediately met up and confirmed their common objective. Roy, Roy, and Roy. Yep, their meeting was over before it even began. The vote couldn't be any easier tonight. Goodbye, Roy Mustang!

"Roy just has to go. There's no other way." Mai acted as the ringleader behind the rally to get rid of Roy. The blonde wanted that pesky man gone for a couple of tribal councils now, and the right moment had finally come. "The three of us would have a much better chance at the last immunity challenge against each other."

"I'm totally on board with you, girlfriend." Bulma nodded her head, happy to agree.

"Yeah." Kari added meekly. She still felt remorseful about writing down her friend's name again.

"Well, that was quick." Mai shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. Strategy sessions could be as quick as thirty seconds when there was a common enemy among the group. "Meeting adjourned, I suppose."

Bulma was so certain that Roy was going home tonight; she began to make plans in preparation for the final three. It was never too early to plan ahead, especially when there was another tribal council tomorrow. The inventor might have survived the upcoming vote, but she needed to guarantee herself a spot in the final two. What she really wanted was a concrete deal with Mai Valentine, her ideal finalist. Bulma automatically assumed that sitting next to Mai in the finals would mean a million dollars in her bank account. Surely, the jury would be more impressed with Bulma's quiet and deceptive strategy than Mai's 'blatantly backstab everyone and their mothers' strategy, if one could even call that a strategy. The inventor knew who she wanted to go up against on the final night. She just needed to persuade Mai to think the same way.

"Remember that final two deal we discussed a while ago?" Bulma had the opportunity to speak with Mai in private once Kari had disappeared from proximity. "I hope you aren't going to take Kari, because we both know that girl doesn't deserve to win. Nice girl, but not a winner. Plus, she'll kill you in the jury. She'll cream both of us."

Bulma looked up at Mai expectantly. The blonde didn't give a response yet.

"To be honest, we stand the best chance against each other in the final two. Neither of us can go up against Roy or Kari and win," said Bulma.

Mai wasn't convinced yet. She thought she stood a fair chance against Kari, whom most jurors liked but never really respected as a player. Roy might be a more formidable opponent, but he too burned down a lot of bridges, so he can't be that popular with the jury either. The only player who was unbeatable in a final two scenario was Shannon Casull, and he wasn't here anymore thanks to Mai.

"So, are you game? Game for final two with me?" Bulma asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Fine. I guess I've no other choice." Mai lied. She would be a fool to turn down a final two deal with Bulma. She knew how the inventor operated. If Mai didn't say yes, Bulma would just go to Kari and offer the same deal. Mai might as well accept the deal and reap the benefits.

Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

Mai: Yep, I'm all set for the finals. Roy is going home tonight, and I made a final two deal with both Bulma and Kari. Obviously, I can't honour both obligations. Then again, I never intend to win the final immunity challenge. I'm going to throw it. Well, I won't make a big spectacle about it like Roy did, but yeah...I decided that it's not in my best interest to win the final challenge. Bulma and Kari will both take me to the finals, so I see no reason to upset one of them by winning. And no matter what Bulma says, I think I stand a good chance against either of them in the finals. Actually, I feel pretty good about my plans for the end game. I feel pretty day-um good!

The blonde looked pretty relaxed in her confessional. She wasn't stressed about the upcoming tribal councils at all.

Mai: Right now, I just don't want any more blood on my hands. Even though I made a final two deal with Bulma and Kari, I don't want to betray either of them unless it's absolutely necessary. I'll make the final two anyway. So, it's a case of 'why buy the cow when I can get the milk for free'? I backstabbed enough people as it is. I'm done screwing people over. And I just want at least one supporter on the jury...

While the women contemplated about their plans for the end game, Roy was focused solely on surviving the next tribal council. He didn't have the luxury of thinking about a future that will likely not exist beyond tomorrow. In a couple of hours, he will go from being the last man standing to being the last man voted off. His fate in this game seemed inevitable.

"I'm sorry. They're voting for you tonight." Kari muttered sadly. Her first priority after the immunity challenge was to make a heartfelt apology to the man she wronged the most. Even though he was supposed to be her friend, it seemed as if there was little she can do to change the outcome. She was going to vote for him at tribal council. Again. So, Kari thought she, at the very least, owed him a sincere apology.

"So I figured." Roy sighed with defeat.

"I'm really, really, really sorry." Kari looked sheepish.

"Oh no. Not this again." Roy chuckled, shaking his head. "I told you already, Kari. Don't worry about it." He flashed a faint smile at the young girl. "Kari, I understand why you're voting against me. I don't mind. It's just a game!" His smile quickly turned into a mischievous grin. "Although now I know for sure that you hate my guts..."

"No, don't say that! I don't hate you at all!" Kari protested.

"I know you've been secretly conspiring against me all along. Don't even try to deny it." Roy teased her playfully.

"Roy!" Kari exclaimed out of exasperation.

Roy simply laughed. He reached his hand out and patted the young girl on her knee. In many ways, Kari was like a breath of fresh air in Survivor. She was always so innocent, untainted by the nastiness that was so prevalent in the game. Here was a girl who rarely lies, seldom backstabs, and never speaks badly about another player. Compared to everybody else, she seemed like an impenetrable pillar of goodness. But as good as Kari might seem, Roy can't help but think she might have an ulterior motive. It was suspicious of her to approach a doomed man just hours before tribal council. Was she not afraid that he'll pester her to change her mind, like any sane player would do in these circumstances? Or was there something else she desperately wanted from him? Forgiveness? A jury vote perhaps? No, that wasn't it. She didn't seem like that type of character. Roy must dig a little deeper. He must learn to read between the lines.

Here were the facts: the young DigiDestined did not want to vote for her friend tonight. Not again. She already expressed some hesitance about writing his name down. After all, she wouldn't have apologized to him earlier if it had been something she was willing to do. So, Kari was feeling reluctant and also a bit indecisive. That much Roy knew. He figured the only reason she voted with Mai and Bulma was because she didn't have a better alternative. And Roy had the whole afternoon to convince Kari that he was her ideal alternative.

"Will you do me a favour?" Roy glanced at his friend, smiling sadly. He then continued to speak without waiting for a response. "Don't vote for me tonight."

"I can't vote for Mai." Kari shook her head, as much as it pained her to do so. A promise was a promise. Mai had watched her back for a large portion of this game. Kari was just too loyal to betray her friend at the final four

"No, not her. I don't want to vote out Mai tonight. That's a lost cause." Roy smiled slyly at the Digidestined. He paused for a few seconds, waiting for Kari to understand the meaning behind his words. "I just want you to help me force a tie."

He stopped for another pause. Wait for it, wait for it.

"Let's vote against Bulma."

Kari looked a bit baffled by his suggestion at first. She didn't get his message right away, since the thought process was still developing in her brain.

But then, an intrigued smile crossed her lips.

"Okay, I'm listening..."

- - -

Tonight marked the first time the jurors outnumbered the remaining players at tribal council. All of a sudden, the power at tribal council seemed to be shifting. It became clearer to everybody that the jury will ultimately decide who wins the one million dollars in the end. And for that reason, the four players phrased their answers very carefully and eloquently tonight. Bulma was more serious than usual, and often she would find a way to compliment herself or insult another player in her answers. Mai also addressed most of her answers to the jury instead of Iruka, to the extent where the host reminded her that she cannot communicate with the jurors. As for Roy, he especially catered his answers to the jury. However, he decided that actions speak louder than words. Because if he survived the tribal council tonight, he was certain these jurors will give him a lot of respect.

A popular discussion topic was Roy's outrageous deal at the last tribal council. Previously, the colonel made a very bold claim when he declared that he'd lose the final challenge on purpose if he made it to the final three. Iruka dismissed the idea as an empty promise at first, but now he was feeling a little intrigued. If Roy did survive this tribal council, he had a very fascinating dilemma ahead of him. So, the host asked Roy to elaborate more on this issue.

"I'm surprised that nobody took my offer seriously." Roy took several glances at the jurors, including them in his statement. "What I'm doing is basically increasing their chances to make it to the final two."

"Is anyone buying it? Does anyone believe Roy?" Iruka asked.

There was some whispering among the jurors until Iruka told them to hush. Bulma and Kari were too diplomatic to answer such a question. Only Mai, always the bold and outspoken one, was seen shaking her head.

"It's bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Roy is full of shit." Mai spoke in a self-assured manner. She sounded as if she knew she was definitely right. "There's no way he'll honour that deal. And I don't think what he did is very smart either. It just tells everyone that he's very desperate to make a deal like that."

"But if I break the deal, wouldn't that be an incentive to take me to the final two?" Roy suggested.

"You're playing the devil's advocate. That's what you do best, Roy. You play these mind games so other people will get confused and make a mistake." Mai argued back. "If anyone takes your offer at face value, they'd realize how stupid it is. Anyone who takes you to the final three is a dumbass. You'll just say 'Gotch'ya!' and win the final immunity challenge anyway. Your word means nothing in the game."

"It's a little rich coming from you, Mai, considering how many promises you have broken in the past." Roy shrugged his shoulders.

"But this isn't about me. It's about you and a promise that you won't be able to keep." Mai snapped.

"You just sound like a hypocrite." Roy shrugged again.

"Dude, whatever. You reek of desperation anyway. You'd say anything to save your own skin. I'm sure the jury can tell." Mai rolled her eyes. She couldn't wait for this tribal council to be over so she wouldn't have to put up with Roy anymore. He was being so abrasive tonight. She normally liked the guy and all, but he was going all out on his final night. He won't get voted off without a blaze of glory. "Next question, please."

Iruka smiled nervously. Whenever there was a conflict at tribal council, he tended to let it play out naturally without any interference. Sometimes, a player had to specifically demand a topic be dropped in order for the discussion to move on.

Other than Roy's ballsy deal, another popular topic tonight was Kari's surprise victory at the immunity challenge. Some of the jurors were pleasantly surprised to see that she was not totally useless in the challenges. Sensing their curiosity, Iruka brought up the subject and asked Kari to explain why she won this challenge in particular.

"I guess I'm just good at listening to what people have to say. I like making friends with people and I like listening to their stories." Kari replied. As she spoke, she could see Harley rolling his eyes and whispering something scandalous to his buddy Faye, which makes her snicker. The young girl tried to ignore them and not let this influence her answer. "Um, I think I'm pretty observant. I notice some details about people that others may not see."

"Bulma, on the other hand, your performance today was not that spectacular..." Iruka began.

"I know what you're implying. And no, I didn't lose the challenge because I don't give a damn about my fallen comrades." Bulma smiled dryly at the jurors. "I thought the challenge design was a little unfair, because I barely had any time to know Zolo or Meryl. It's difficult to answer questions about people who are like strangers to me."

"Well, Kari managed." Iruka pointed out.

"Good for her." Bulma resisted the urge to snark back at the host.

"Do you feel vulnerable without the immunity headband tonight?" Iruka asked.

"I never feel like I'm safe in this game. It's a gut instinct; I can't help it. I've been a target since the first week on the game, so I always feel like I'm in some sort of danger. In some ways, I'm kind of like the persistent underdog who fought against the worst odds ever. I guess I made it this far with my charming personality." Bulma laughed. "Anyway, if there's one thing this game taught me, I learned to never take anything for granted. I won't be surprised if my name came up."

"Mai, what about you?"

"My fingers are crossed. I hope it's not me." Mai joked.

"Roy?"

"I brought my belongings and bid my farewells, so I'm anticipating the worst tonight." Roy said in a solemn voice. "But who knows? I may have a guardian angel somewhere in this tribe. In any case, I won't give up until my torch is snuffed."

Sitting at the jury, Shannon's eyes lit up. His personal experience with a 'guardian angel' rang a bell in his head. Could it be? The swordsman shot a curious glance at Roy first, and then Kari. He could read in between the lines. Something big, something crazy, something unexpected was definitely going to happen tonight.

Iruka ended the discussion here and instructed the players to vote. First Mai. Then Bulma. Roy afterwards. And finally, Kari. She took a slightly longer time with her vote than usual. Most people just assumed that she was apologizing to Roy a million times, but that wasn't the case at all. She felt apologetic, yes. But the recipient of her vote was not Roy. Once again, the quiet DigiDestined was going to give everybody a startling surprise tonight, one that will surely alter the course of this game.

After this tribal council, there was no way Mai and Bulma will end up in the final two together.

They'd be lucky if even one of them made it to that point.

- - -

"Once the votes have been read, I'll ask the person voted off to leave tribal council area immediately." Iruka made his obligatory remarks before revealing the results. "I'll now read the votes."

First vote.

"Roy."

The colonel just shrugged his shoulders. This came as no surprise to him.

"Bulma."

She smiled tensely at her name. It had been a long time since her name came up at any tribal council. Although the inventor didn't think she had anything to worry about tonight, it still felt slightly discomforting to hear her name at all. Iruka normally had a sweet and pleasant voice, but not in this context.

Third vote.

"Roy."

He nodded his head, as if to accept his fate.

But then, something magical happened. It was the same kind of magic that got Kurz Weber voted off. Somehow, some way, Roy managed to undo his destiny that had previously been set in stone. What was supposed to be an uneventful night suddenly got a lot more interesting when Iruka turned over the fourth and final vote.

That vote belonged to Kari, and it had five letters written neatly on the parchment.

"Bulma." Iruka read the name out loud. The inventor gasped, while a few faces lit up from the jury. "We have a tie."

Initially perplexed by the shocking results, Bulma needn't look further than the young girl sitting next to her in order to understand what happened tonight. She was sitting right beside the culprit, who had her head down and refused to make eye contact with anybody. But all of the players and jurors were looking at her. They knew she was responsible for what happened tonight. She was the only person smart enough – or stupid, depending on whose perspective – to force a tie at this tribal council.

Little innocent Kari Kamiya was not so innocent anymore.

However, Kari ended up being the least of Bulma's concerns at the moment. Right now, the inventor was too focused on communicating with Mai. Through her eyes. Through mouthing silent words to the blonde. Actually, Bulma only wanted to speak one word – 'no'. No. No, don't do it, Mai. No!

But at the same time, Mai was also passing a silent message with her body language. She too was communicating the same dreadful word: No. No, can't do it, Bulma. Sorry. But no.

Bulma dropped her head, looking defeated already. Mai's response was all she needed to see. In a matter of seconds, she watched her entire game – along with her beautifully crafted plans for the end game – crumble right in front of her. She no longer had a legitimate final two deal with Mai. She didn't even have a guaranteed position in the final three. In fact, Bulma had about ninety seconds left in her life span before the inevitable happened. Mai will then switch her vote in order to avoid another tie, just like Bulma had done so in the past. Unsurprisingly, the blonde would rather backstab another jury member than to become the unfortunate victim of a chance elimination.

For somebody who was so vehement to avoid a purple rock under any circumstances, Bulma's destiny now rested solely on a tiebreaker that will never happen.

She almost wanted to laugh out loud.

The irony was killing her.

- - -

With three votes, Bulma became the thirteenth person to be voted out of Survivor: Konoha.

She never saw it coming.

As she stood up and grabbed her torch, Bulma glared at each of the three remaining players. None of them would look at her straight in the eye. She wondered who was the most responsible for her ouster tonight. Was it Roy, who orchestrated this vote so he can save himself? Or was it Mai, who switched her vote before the tiebreaker in order to save herself? In the end, Bulma settled on Kari as the chief culprit. That devious girl was the catalyst which led to the inventor's ultimate demise. But Bulma wasn't bitter about the outcome. Just disappointed. Very disappointed, mostly in herself. After thirty seven days, she was finally outsmarted – by the one player whom she had underestimated for the entire game.

"Bulma, the tribe has spoken." Iruka extinguished the flame on her torch. Bulma closed her eyes and nodded her head once. "It's time for you to go."

The inventor smiled a little to herself as she began the walk of shame. A few seconds later, she was over it. The game was over. Whatever. She shouldn't feel upset about tribal council anymore. Fourth place was not too shabby, after all. Step by step, Bulma marched down the dwindling path until her figure finally disappeared among the darkness.

And then, there were three.

Kari had a lot on her mind as she left tribal council that night. She can't help but wonder if she made the right decision. After Roy spent the whole afternoon poisoning her mind – no, he wouldn't appreciate such a biased term. No, after he spent the whole afternoon enlightening Kari with his theories, she realized it might not be in her best interests to keep Bulma around at the final three. As he so eloquently pointed out, the inventor's plans for the end game did not include Kari anywhere in the picture. Bulma obviously wanted to sit next to Mai at the final two, while Mai didn't really mind as long as somebody takes her to the finals. Given Kari's lack of available options, that puts her at an obvious disadvantage going into the final challenge, where she must win or she will be sent home as the third placer.

"But it could be avoided if you vote with me tonight." Roy had told her. "Kari, your destiny is in your own hands. Do you want to win this game? Or are you playing for third place?"

His words echoed in Kari's head for the entire night. Did she want to take a huge risk? Or was she willing to let Mai and Bulma go to the final two with each other? Then again, Kari thought she was oversimplifying the situation. On the flip side, voting off Bulma tonight carried some severe consequences in the future. She will make another bitter enemy on the jury. And her chances of winning will grow even slimmer.

"Do it for me. Do it for a friend." Those were Roy's last words before they departed for tribal council.

After tonight, Kari realized an important truth about herself. She didn't vote for Bulma because of what Roy told her. And she definitely didn't make this decision because she felt sorry for her friend Roy. In the end, Kari cast a vote against Bulma because she knew this was the best move for her game. Not Mai's. Not Roy's. But Kari's game. She was playing her own game, as ruthless and cutthroat as it may be. She will make her own decisions, cast her own votes, and take responsibility over her own actions. No longer will anyone dictate Kari how to play Survivor. Starting from now, she will do whatever as she pleased.

No more flying below the radar. No more hiding behind people's shadows. It may have taken her thirty seven days to arrive at this triumphant stage, but Kari finally believed she was ready.

She was ready to play hardball.

- - -

Bulma's Final Words

I got too complacent and planned a little too far ahead. I should have known Roy would be able to cook up a diabolical scheme. Oh well, I tip my hat off to a better player. I admit that I was outwitted, outplayed, and fully outlasted. For a woman my age, I thought I did pretty damn well in Survivor. It's not like I needed the money anyway. I was just here for the experience and the thrill of the game. It has been a fun thirty seven days, but right now I'm craving for some food, a shower, and a new set of clothes. Goodbye Konoha, and back to civilization I go!

- - -

DAY 38

Another morning, another sunrise, another trip to the waterfall. This time, Mai brought company to her favourite hangout. Kari was a little reluctant at first when asked to wake up this early in the morning, but she made a special exception for her friend Mai. The two of them had not spoken much since their feud a few days ago. Kari wasn't too sure if they forgave each other after such harsh words were exchanged. It didn't help matters that they voted for different people in the past few tribal councils. However, the tension between them mellowed out as the days passed by. At least they were on speaking terms now, although they still weren't as close as they previously were. Kari and Mai used to be two peas in a pod.

Mai must have been ready to move on if she invited Kari to watch the sunrise this morning. Or so the young DigiDestined hoped anyway.

The two of them quietly enjoyed the scenery by the waterfall. Mai sat down on the grass and glanced up at the sky. She smiled a little when Kari sat next to her and did the same thing. At first, there was just soothing silence between them. Neither of them knew what to say to each other, nor did they feel a compulsion to fill the air with their voices. This silence matched the beautiful atmosphere. It was very calming, almost peaceful. If there was one thing the tribe learned from Shannon, it was that a moment of silence can sometimes speak more volumes than a thousand words.

"It's beautiful." Kari said, finally breaking the silence. She looked at her friend with a radiant smile. "Thanks for showing me this, Mai."

"Yeah, yeah." Mai returned the smile. "That's what friends are for."

Kari: I reached my lowest point in Survivor around the time Guy got voted off. I remembered being really depressed, because I blamed myself for causing two of my best friends to go home back-to-back. Fortunately, Mai pulled me out of the slump and gave me motivation to continue playing this game. She was there for me when I needed her the most. If it wasn't for her support, I don't think I would have made it this far. I don't even think my experience would be half as pleasant without her. That's why I'll never write down her name at tribal council, no matter how much anybody convinces me. I'd be more than happy to take a bullet for my best friend Mai.

The young girl folded her arms around her knees, while smiling faintly at the camera.

Kari: We used to get along really well. We would talk for hours about anything and everything. But we, uh…got into a stupid argument a few days ago, and now we aren't as close. I don't even remember what we were arguing about. And really, I don't care. I'll apologize a million times if that's what it takes to mend our friendship. I just want the two of us to be friends again.

They didn't speak again until a few minutes later, when the sun had risen up and morning was officially started. Mai cracked a small joke about Roy being lonely all by himself, so the pair made their way back to camp. Then, the blonde made another enthusiastic suggestion, one that Kari heartily agreed to as soon as she heard it.

"Why don't we get treemail together?" Mai asked cheerfully. A sheepish smile crossed her face. "I kinda miss our girly talks in the forest."

Also smiling, Kari nodded her head with excitement. It was the way Mai said her last sentence – so nervous and uncharacteristic of the blonde – that made the young DigiDestined smile. She was just glad they were talking again. These past few days, the two of them had been avoiding each other as much as possible. Kari spent her time with Roy mostly, so camp life didn't feel too miserable. But poor Mai, who already voted off a majority of her real friends, felt so lonely without anybody to talk to. Shannon was a horrible conversationalist, and Bulma didn't perceive the blonde beyond a casual acquaintance. Besides, nobody in this tribe understood Mai as well as Kari did. Sweet, kind, gentle Kari. She had forgiven Mai long ago even without an official apology. And Mai never did quite apologize for her actions, which she deemed as necessary in order to make it this far in the game. In any case, their feud seemed so silly and pointless a few days later. Why were they arguing when they both realized they needed each other in the game?

This morning, the two girls took a particularly long path to retrieve the treemail. They made many unnecessary turns and stopped for the most mundane detours. Look at that cool mango tree! They did everything they could to prolong their trip as much as possible. Oh, isn't that a cute little rabbit over there? They wanted to distract themselves until their past conflict slowly eased away, vanishing from existence. That was a wicked sunrise this morning! Before they knew it, Mai and Kari were talking noisily in the forest, fully immersed in their many excitable conversations. The earlier silence was now replaced by their noisy chattering. And although Kari enjoyed that previous moment of silence, she much preferred to hear the loud and boisterous voice of her best friend again.

"You should have told me you were switching votes last night." Mai said all of a sudden, just when the two of them were comfortable enough with each other again. She frowned a little. "I don't mind voting out Bulma. You just had to tell me and I would've done it. There was no need for a tie."

"I'm sorry. I…I didn't know how to tell you." Kari admitted.

"It's okay. You put me in a really tough spot, but it's okay. I'll get over it." Mai sighed heavily.

Even though they were friends again, Mai just had to bring up the subject of the last tribal council. Because no, she was actually not okay with it. In fact, she was extremely aggravated with the outcome yesterday. Mai did not see it coming at all. Roy wasn't supposed to be in the final three. That pesky troublemaker was supposed to be gone. It was supposed to be girl power to the end. But for some reason, Kari decided to lie and embarrass Mai in front of everybody at tribal council. She put Mai in a very difficult position, especially right after the blonde promised a secret final two deal with Bulma. Now, Mai was unwillingly forced to betray yet another jury member, which was the one thing she worked so hard to avoid. Not to mention, her once perfect tribal council record was now tainted. That was supposed to be Mai's key selling point at the final two!

In short, Kari messed up last night. She screwed up Mai's perfectly laid out plans in the final two. And the blonde would be lying if she didn't admit that she was a little pissed off at her so-called friend.

"We…we're still okay, right?" Kari asked in alarm. She sounded somewhat nervous.

"Kari, we were supposed to be a team." Mai sighed again. Her demeanour was suddenly colder and more distant. She did not make any eye contact with Kari as she spoke. "Now, I don't know what we are anymore. I don't know where you stand with me, and I don't know where I stand with you."

"I'm standing by you one hundred percent!" Kari argued.

"How do I know that? I mean, we're still friends, but your actions in the past few days seem a little contrary…" Mai shot her a doubtful look. No, it was more than just a look of doubt. That look also contained some disapproval. As if she was disappointed in Kari for betraying her trust. Mai was obviously not pleased.

All of a sudden, the red flags rose up in Kari's head. Uh oh. She knew she was in trouble. All along, she just assumed that she and Mai were a sure thing to the end. Even their petty argument wouldn't affect their trust in each other, or so she thought. But these past few days had changed their relationship drastically, in more ways than Kari could ever imagine. It was because the young DigiDestined played the rebellious card one too many times. She voted alongside with Shannon. She even turned the tides at the last tribal council. What was supposed to be her acts of defiance were now interpreted as acts of disloyalty. Kari wasn't always there for Mai, so why should she expect the relationship to be reciprocal? After all, Kari had let down her friend when Mai needed her trust the most.

And now, a desperate Kari – who was almost certain that she won't win the last immunity challenge – realized that she couldn't depend on Mai being there for her in the final and most crucial moment of this game.

Mai: Kari and I have gone through a lot, but you know, she…she made some really questionable moves in these past few days. I mean, I risked my neck just so we could be in the final two, but she seems to be doing everything to prevent that from happening. She even kept Roy around in the final three, knowing that he's a very tough competitor and is the likely favourite to win the final immunity. I give up. I don't know what that girl is thinking most of the time. Is she really playing the game? Or did she make it to this point based on a total fluke?

The blonde wore a distrustful expression on her face. It reflected her feelings on Kari at the moment.

Mai: How much can I trust her? I don't know. On one hand, I'm glad that we're talking again. Then again, I know I'll never be able to trust her completely. She's a nice girl and all, but she's also a bit…eh, I don't want to say it. Perhaps she's a bit…a bit unreliable. Sometimes, it seems like I'm more of an ally to her than she is to me. And I'm sorry for saying this, but I think it's over. Nice Mai is over. From now on, it's every man and woman for themselves. If Kari wants to make it to the final two so badly, she can't count on me.

- - -

Against all odds, Roy Mustang was still playing Survivor: Konoha on the morning of Day 38. He couldn't believe it himself. He had to pinch his cheek just to make sure he wasn't living in a dream. How on earth did he not get voted out last night? Or the night before that? During these past few tribal councils, it seemed his name would always come up, yet the players could never get rid of him. With all due respect, Roy thought he was a certified goner after he turned against his alliance some time ago. Every morning since then, he felt as if he was living on borrowed time, totally suspended with shock and disbelief. How was he still here?

What is wrong with these people!? Roy thought to himself, chuckling silently.

Roy made it known from the beginning that he was bad business. He was a flirtatious charmer, hardcore strategist, and mastermind manipulator all rolled up into one. By all means, these players should have eliminated such a big threat as soon as the merge arrived. Yet, despite numerous attempts to overthrow him, he somehow remained in the game on the penultimate day. He was in the final three.

"And now I'm screwed. I made it this far and I have screwed myself in the worst possible way." Roy joked playfully to the cameras. "Because I promised everyone that I'll throw the final immunity challenge."

He only made such a bold promise because he never thought that scenario would happen. At that point, he would say anything – no matter how preposterous it might sound – to buy himself a few more days in the game. He was in a desperate position. And desperate players could make some desperate promises. Promises that Roy might not be able to keep. He never thought he would make it to the final three under his circumstances, but now that he actually did, it seemed like such a waste to throw everything away for third place. He fought through hell to make it to this point. How could he possibly step down at the most crucial moment?

Mai was right about him. He was indeed full of shit.

Roy will worry about the consequences of a broken promise when the time actually comes. For now, however, he just wanted to celebrate the fact that he made it this far. It would have to be a celebration of one, since Mai and Kari disappeared from camp early this morning. And that was just as well, because they weren't present when Iruka made a surprise visit this morning. The host was carrying a picnic basket in his hands.

"Hello." Iruka grinned at the sole member present at camp. "I brought a special present for the Sarutobi tribe."

"And it's all mine!" Roy rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"This picnic is for you to share with everyone." Iruka scolded him a little. He almost didn't want to hand the basket over to Roy until the colonel reassured him that he was only joking. "After you finished this meal, I want to meet the three of you for your final immunity challenge."

"Hey, I've an idea. Why don't you join us for the picnic? I'm sure the girls will love your company. And since they haven't come back yet, I don't want to eat the food by myself..." Roy suggested.

"I can't possibly take any of your food when you've all been eating so little." Iruka politely declined the offer.

"Come on! We want to know you a little better, you big stud!" Roy nudged him with his elbow.

"Oh god, Roy Mustang! Get a hold of yourself! Hitting on Iruka won't win you the million dollars!" Mai's voice suddenly exclaimed out of nowhere. Roy and Iruka both turned around at once. There she was, emerging from the forest with Kari trailing behind her. Both of them were giggling as they approached the men. Now everybody was here. "No offence, of course. We all know that Iruka is cute as hell." She eyed the host with a seductive look in her eyes. "Has anyone told you before that you're a very handsome guy?"

"Iruka is one hot man." Roy agreed, nodding his head in full acknowledgement.

"Hot like fire!" Mai added, while playfully fanning herself with her hand.

"Stop it, you two!" Kari said in between her uncontrollable giggles.

"Anyway, there's more than just food in that picnic basket." Iruka, who was blushing madly from the insincere flattery, changed the subject at hand. For somebody who was so modest all of the time, it seemed amazing that he didn't collapse from embarrassment on the spot. "Open it, Roy. We added something unique this time. I think you might like what you see."

Curious, Roy peeked inside the picnic basket to see what other treasures it contained. Among the delicious sandwiches and buffalo wings, he also saw a rectangular book that seemed out of place in a typical picnic package. It was only when he pulled out the mysterious item and revealed in plain sight before the players realize this was no ordinary book. A huge grin spread across Roy's face instantly. This was a photo album, and he already recognized several familiar faces on the first page.

Roy: Wow. What a pleasant surprise. The three of us expected there to be a feast today more or less, but the family album was a nice additional touch. As we flipped through the pages, we saw all these pictures of our friends and families in the most casual settings, doing the most mundane things. They looked so…ordinary, yet so special at the same time. I was actually a little sentimental because I haven't seen these people for a while now. In fact, I know somebody who's really into photo albums, and I…I saw his face in a couple of these pictures. That was a special moment for me. I don't know how to describe it, but I felt really happy and really sad at the same time.

In a rare moment, Roy sounded a bit choked up as he was recording this video confessional. He held a hand over his face, hiding a glum expression. The colonel didn't say anything to the camera until he regained his composure some time later.

Roy: Seeing these photos made us all realize how far we've come in our journeys. It reiterated to me, especially, why I need to win the one million dollars. The photo album was just the right kind of motivation that I needed at this stage of the game. If there's any doubt that I have to win the final immunity challenge today, it's gone. My drive is back. There's no way I'll step down when I'm so close to the million. Not when there're people who are rooting for me to win this money back at home.

The three players set up their picnic by the waterfall, predictably enough. It was the appropriate setting where they can enjoy the food and the pictures in a serene, almost surreal, atmosphere. What was supposed to be a very tense day for all of them ended up being rather laidback and casual. The photo album just had the calming effect on the players. They went through each page and reminiscence over the pictures of their friends and families. With every photo, there was a story to tell – a cherished memory, a fond experience, or a special somebody they held close to their hearts. Sometimes, there was laughter. Other times, there were long periods of silence. Whatever the case was, it brought the final three closer as a group.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Kari exclaimed, while pointing at a photo of Mai posing on the Great Wall of China. She looked up at her friend, beaming. "You travel a lot!"

"Yeah, if I win the million, I plan to travel around the world for a few years." Mai grinned.

"Then, don't forget to send us postcards after you win." Roy said jokingly.

"Nah, I won't win the million dollars." Mai laughed, in a rare demonstration of modesty. She shook her head, almost as if she was certain that her victory was impossible. "But I will earn it. Some way, somehow."

"We believe in you." Kari nodded her head.

Roy: The family album is a blessing, but it's also a curse in many ways. For me, I saw these pictures as hindrances because they humanized my competitors. Throughout this game, I was happy to vote out people without ever thinking that I've crushed their dreams of winning the million. Now, it's different. Now, I realize that every one of us wanted to gain something from this experience. It gets a little harder to vote out someone after you visualized the friends and families that have so much meaning in their lives. It really messes up my win-it-for-myself mentality. In order to achieve my personal goals, I have to sacrifice the happiness of fifteen other people. I can't believe I'm only acknowledging this now, but only one of us can win the game. And I think it's very cruel that the other losers end up with nothing but the crushing feeling of defeat…

- - -

Halfway into their picnic, Mai noticed something strange about her serene surroundings. For starters, there were more Survivor production crew members than the usual amount, and some of them appeared to be swimming towards the waterfall with their equipment. By the time they set up three cylinder pillars in the water, it became clear to Mai what the sudden commotion was all about.

"Check it out. They're preparing for our final challenge." Mai nudged Kari in the shoulder. "I guess we have to stand underneath the waterfall or something."

"Yikes. That looks tiring already." Roy winced a little.

"Guy used to do this." Kari smiled. She clarified her statement when the other two had no idea what she was talking about. "He used to meditate under the waterfall for hours. He said it was a good way to collect his thoughts."

"That's another reason why I'm glad we voted him out!" Mai laughed.

Iruka arrived to meet the players as soon as they were finished with their picnic. Now, it was time for the final immunity challenge. Any sympathy Roy felt about his opponents earlier was forgotten immediately. He didn't suffer for thirty eight days just so he could give away the million dollars to another player. Looking back, it seemed ridiculous that he would even consider throwing the final immunity challenge. Although he would look like a liar for breaking his promise, Roy was willing to play a little dirty. As long as he won immunity today, he will have a guaranteed spot in the final two. He'll worry about the potential consequences later.

"Welcome to your final immunity challenge." Iruka declared.

Kari nervously returned the immunity headband. She feared that she won't get to hold this item ever again. Her last win almost seemed like a fluke. Today, she was competing against two people who were much bigger and stronger than her. While Kari believed she had as much willpower as anyone, she also knew there were other skills involved in an endurance challenge – upper body strength, lower body strength, dexterity, flexibility, and most importantly, luck. Kari usually didn't have a lot of luck in these challenges. She had little confidence that today will be any different.

"For the last time ever, immunity is back up for grabs." Iruka smiled. "As you may have guessed, today's challenge will test your endurance. How much do you want to win immunity?" His smile grew wider. "Each of you will stand on an individual pillar underneath the waterfall. If you fall off, you're out of the challenge. The last person standing wins immunity and will cast the deciding vote at tribal council."

Mai closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If there was a challenge she needed to win, it was this one. This was the most crucial immunity ever. She felt a little nervous, but also excited at the same time. The competitive fire within her was glowing as brightly as ever. She was determined to win this challenge. She was determined to make it to the final two no matter what.

"Hey Roy, aren't you forgetting something?" Mai cast an expectant glance at the colonel. "You're going to step down from the challenge, right? You promised."

"I changed my mind." Roy replied coolly.

"I believe your exact words were…" Mai cleared her throat and imitated Roy's voice. "I promise I will step down at the final challenge no matter what it is." She chuckled a little. "Well, step down now. If you're man enough to keep your promises, that is."

"No, thank you." Roy shook his head.

"Mister, you got some e'splainin' to do!" Mai teased him.

"I'll explain everything at tribal council, hopefully with the immunity headband in my possession." Roy smirked, calling her bluff. They locked eyes with each other. Game on. "Besides, you won't be satisfied if I just handed you the win. Where's the fun in that?"

Mai just grinned and shrugged her shoulders. Oh well. It was worth a shot. She knew all along that greedy man wouldn't step down at the final challenge.

After drawing for spots, the three castaways swam to the waterfall and climbed onto their assigned pillars. Roy got a bit frustrated that he could barely fit both his feet on the narrow surface, whereas the petite Kari had some space to move her feet around ("you know what they say about guys with big hands and feet?" Mai joked, although she had fairly limited moving space as well). This was troublesome because Roy was forced to stand still on the spot. A fidget, a twitch, or a slight movement could cause him to lose his balance and fall off the pillar.

Of course, it was difficult for anyone to stay still when a large torrent of water was constantly poured over their bodies. Imagine standing in a heavy rainstorm with no umbrella, except the sensation was a hundred times worse. The water came crashing down rapidly and even painfully. After ten seconds or so, Kari already felt exhausted. She felt as if someone was throwing hard punches to her body in all directions, especially on her head and shoulders, which suffered the most damage. And worst of all, the challenge had not started yet.

"Is everyone ready? Okay! Good luck!" Iruka gave the signal for the challenge to commence. "The final immunity challenge is officially in progress!"

It took a while for the players to adapt to their new environment. Unlike Guy, they didn't have bodies of steel, nor were any of them accustomed to standing under such a large body of water. After only thirty seconds, Kari was hurting. Really badly. She made the mistake of looking up for a brief second and almost suffocated herself with water. She choked so much that even the other players were getting worried about her. A few moments later, she reassured everyone that she was alright, if a little embarrassed. She can't believe her body was so fragile that she would be struggling this much already.

Out of the three players, Mai was the first to develop an effective coping strategy. She found it easy to concentrate in the challenge with her eyes closed, her head down, and her mind completely blank. She did not think about what she'd do if she lost the challenge. She did not think about what she'd do if she won the challenge either. She did not think, period. Roy, however, did the exact opposite. If he focused his thoughts on his friends and family, then his memories could distract him from his current situation in a positive way. Seeing those pictures in the photo album really motivated him to do well in the challenge. As long as he kept thinking about the people most important to him, and the fact that they were all rooting for him to win, Roy knew he could last in the challenge for an eternity.

- - -

Fourteen minutes later, Kari found herself swimming back to shore, where Iruka handed her a towel as well as a warm cup of tea.

"What happened?" Iruka asked out of curiosity.

"I slipped." Kari gave a curt reply, almost uncharacteristically so. She sounded very disappointed in herself.

It had been a careless mistake. When adjusting her feet to get a more comfortable posture, Kari didn't take into consideration that the surface was wet and thus slippery. As a result, moving her right foot forward caused her to slip on the surface and her entire body to fall backwards into the water. After a mere quarter of an hour, she was eliminated from the challenge. Less than fifteen minutes in fact – it might be a new record. With a million dollars at stake, this was the best effort Kari could put forth to win the challenge. No wonder she was so disappointed in herself.

Now, it was just Mai and Roy left on the pillars, standing side by side next to each other. They didn't speak. They didn't move. They didn't even look at each other. Meanwhile, Kari sat down on the grass and watched the challenge unfold as a powerless spectator. Her fate was in the hands of another player. All she could do now was cross her fingers and hope for the best outcome to happen.

"Who do you think will win?" Iruka sat next to the young girl. Drenched from head to toe, she was still drying her hair with the towel. "And who do you want to win?"

"That was a really harsh challenge. Water was running down my nose and going into my ears. I mean, it looks easy watching from here. But out there, it was really uncomfortable. So, I don't know. Whoever can endure the pain the longest will win." Kari stared at the two distant figures on the pillars. "Roy is in the military. He went through some harsh conditions before. I think he might have the upper hand in the long run."

She paused with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"But don't count Mai out yet. She's made out of tough stuff too. And I can tell she really wants to win this," said Kari.

"Who do you want to win the challenge?" Iruka asked.

"Definitely Mai. I always wanted to go to the final two with her, but I don't know if she feels the same way." Kari frowned a little. "We aren't as close as before. Plans might have changed from Mai's perspective."

That was just a more diplomatic way to phrase that Kari might join the jury tonight because Mai betrayed her. It wouldn't be a big surprise. It certainly wouldn't be the first time Mai backstabbed an ally. In fact, the blonde broke promises with almost every juror so far, except perhaps Faye. Kari had been warned multiple times before that Mai was not a trustworthy ally. She may find out soon if such rumours were true.

"I'm just really upset that I let myself down at the most crucial moment." Kari muttered quietly. She concealed her face behind the towel. "I should have tried harder. Or at least I should have lasted longer. I really wanted to prove to everyone that I'm capable by winning the challenge. But fifteen minutes…just isn't that impressive." She lowered her head in shame. "Yeah, I'm a bit of a joke."

Iruka offered her a sympathetic smile, but said nothing more. He had to remain partial as the host, even though it pained him to watch one of his favourite players act so devastated. However, she would be even more upset if she looked up right now and saw what was happening between Mai and Roy.

Because they were talking.

And one of them was about to sell Kari down the river.

- - -

Roy knew how to make the best out of an opportunity when he saw one. With Kari easily gone from the picture, he now had plenty of time and space to negotiate with Mai. They stood at the waterfall by themselves with nobody to interfere. The two of them could do or say whatever as they pleased. Roy couldn't tell if Mai was tired enough or desperate enough to make a deal with him yet. This, however, was not a pleasant challenge, and he had no desire to prolong their suffering if unnecessary. So, Roy cut straight to the chase. As soon as Kari was out of earshot, he tailored a special offer to Mai.

"Drop out!" Roy realized that he had to shout in order for Mai to hear what he was saying. It was difficult to communicate over the noise of the waterfall. "If you want to go to the final two with me, I'll take you! Drop out now!"

Mai just scoffed. How dare he insult her intelligence like this! Did he think she'd forget about his little stunt at the start of the challenge? Soon, everyone in the game will discover how much Roy values his so-called promises. He didn't drop out of the challenge when she asked him to, so she sure as hell won't drop out in the reversed scenario.

"Get real, Mustang." Mai muttered under her breath.

Mai: I may not always have been a good daughter, but my mother did not raise a stupid girl. She would have slapped me silly and called me a moron if I took Roy's offer then. That man cannot be trusted. He's even more untrustworthy than me. At least I don't tell blatant lies in front of everyone at tribal council. Anyway, his deal might have worked on the other chumps, but I know his tricks too well. Roy Mustang doesn't play fairly, and neither do I.

Ignoring him, Mai returned to her previous strategy and cleared her mind from any distracting thoughts. This proved to be difficult when Roy, who assumed that she didn't hear him the first time, continued to yell "drop out!" over and over again. She tried to block out his voice, but he was too persistent and perhaps too annoying. He was making her lose concentration. After a while, Mai finally had enough, so she replied back.

"Shut up, Roy! I'm not going to do it!" Mai shouted back.

"Don't you want to go to the final two!? If you drop out now, I guarantee you that I'll bring you to the finals!" Roy exclaimed.

Mai scoffed again. Following that logic, she saw no reason why she'd drop out of the challenge. Scenario one, Roy doesn't keep his promise and she will regret over this decision for the rest of her life. Scenario two, Roy will take her to the final two regardless of the deal. He probably preferred her as a final two partner over the meek but likable Kari. If that was the case, Mai thought it seemed infinitely less risky if she remained in the challenge and tried to win immunity herself. Besides, she was far too paranoid to allow another player control her fate. It was the reason why Mai refused to draw a purple rock for Bulma. She might be bold and outrageous, but Mai Valentine was not a gambler. When the decision could cost her potentially one million dollars, she tended to play on the safe side.

"Why should I trust you!? You're a liar!" Mai shouted.

"I swear on my life that I'll keep this promise!" Roy pleaded. He was getting a bit desperate himself. "Please, Mai, please!"

"What about Kari!?" Mai asked.

"She played this game like she was happy with third place!" Roy replied, "Let her have it!"

Mai stuck by her convictions in the end. She just can't bring herself to fall off the pillar. No, not when she was so close to the final two and the million dollars. While she would like to believe she was doing this out of loyalty to Kari, she knew the real reason was because Roy didn't provide her with enough incentives. Protecting her allegiance with Kari was just an afterthought. After all, Mai had always been playing this game for herself, first and foremost. Roy was right in a sense. Kari should have tried harder to win this challenge if she wasn't playing for third place. Nobody should get a free pass to the final two. Kari, like everybody else, should have to earn it by herself.

When Mai didn't respond back in a while, Roy could catch a hint. She simply didn't want to drop out of the challenge yet. Oh well, at least he tried. He will just have to hang on and try to win the challenge the fair way. This endurance challenge will soon become a battle of attrition, and Roy was under the belief that he would most likely win. After fighting so many wars in the past, he believed he could endure anything. Hell, he trained for years for a situation like this. In addition, he can tell from the stressful tone of Mai's voice that she was starting to feel fatigued. Her previous energy and determination were diminishing. She didn't have a lot of competitive fire left in her. Give another thirty minutes or so, she will buckle down under the pressure. All Roy had to do now was play the waiting game.

"My offer is open any time." Roy concluded, "Let me know if you're interested."

Mai only nodded her head.

- - -

Another hour passed by before Mai spoke up again. She can't believe she stood under the waterfall for almost ninety minutes now. It felt more like ninety days. She wasn't any more comfortable with the challenge than she was from the start, but at least she was getting used to her surroundings. Her problems now shifted from the mental to the physical aspects. Mai can't stop her body from shivering. The water was so damn cold. Since her one layer of clothing was fully soaked, it felt as if she wasn't wearing anything. Actually, she would have felt more comfortable dressed in her birthday suit, because being naked was at least better than having her wet clothes cling onto her body. (It was a good thing her clothes were so skimpy anyway.)

Then, there was her hair. The blonde was normally proud of her long curly locks, but they only got in the way during this challenge. She had to hold her hair back with one hand while she wiped her face with the other. She found that she couldn't even lower her head because her hair would hang down in the same direction, and it would be dripping with water. If only she had a short pixie cut like Meryl! The rest of her body did not fare any better. Mai's legs grew weaker with each passing second. It didn't help that her rather large feet could barely fit on the narrow pillar. Mai found herself wobbling a few times, only to regain her balance in the nick of time.

I can't hold on much longer. Mai thought to herself. This won't do. I have to propose something.

"Hey Roy, I've an offer!" Mai exclaimed.

There was a long pause.

"I'm listening!" was Roy's delayed reply. He had been 'in the zone' for a while now, so to speak. Suddenly hearing Mai's voice brought him back to reality, even though it took a few seconds for his body and mind to coordinate correctly again.

"If you jump off, I will take you to the final two!" Mai shouted eagerly.

And just like that, she had more or less stabbed the knife into her friend's back. In Mai's defence, she tried her best to withhold the temptation of a final two deal with Roy. She really did want to compete and win this challenge the legitimate way. At the same time, however, she didn't believe her body could sustain much longer. Meanwhile, Roy was as stiff as a rock. She knew all along that he would be tough competition in an endurance challenge. That was why she didn't want the colonel in the final three. She only had Kari to blame for the fact that she was competing against him instead of the middle-aged Bulma.

"You're willing to vote out Kari!?" Roy asked in surprise.

"Yes!!!" Mai really wanted this challenge to end as soon as possible, preferably before she catches a cold. "Now get your ass off before I change my mind!"

Sensing some urgency in Mai's voice, Roy was pleased that he now had a bargaining chip with the blonde. She might be a tad too naïve if she thought he would jump off that easily. There had to be a catch, of course. After all, she was dealing with Roy Mustang, part-time master manipulator and full-time conniving bastard.

"Okay, I'll jump off, but under one condition!" She couldn't see him, but Roy was actually grinning at the moment. "I want you to tell Kari exactly what you just told me! I want her to know the entire truth!"

"What!?" She didn't quite understand his motive at first.

"I want Kari to know that you're willing to betray her for a million dollars!" Roy exclaimed. There goes that friendship. At the same time, he pretty much confirmed another jury vote for himself if he made it to the final two. Everyone knew that Kari was an emotional player. She would never vote for Mai to win if she knew her dear friend made such a scandalous deal with the enemy.

Roy: Mai's true colours came out at the immunity challenge today. For a million dollars, she was willing to vote out her closest friend in the game. What a selfish woman, am I right? I wasn't surprised when she made that deal. I don't think anyone who got screwed over by her before would be surprised. Mai really would do anything to win the game. She sure is an ambitious woman, I'll give her that. But she doesn't understand that not everyone sees the game from a strategic standpoint. There are people like Kari, who won't appreciate the way Mai lied and deceived her way to the finals. That's why I want everyone to know about the deal she made. I want Mai to understand that you can't backstab so many people and expect to win a million dollars. It's just common sense.

Mai was not too happy when she learned about the new implications that Roy added to sweeten the deal on his behalf. He clearly wanted her to look as bad as possible in front of a jury, and especially in front of her best friend Kari. Why did this have to happen right after the two of them patch things up earlier today? If she accepted this deal, it could possibly tear their friendship apart forever. Kari might have forgiven her once, but not again, and definitely not for something of this latitude.

On the other hand, Mai honestly didn't believe she can win this challenge against Roy. It was one thing to be confident, but another to be completely ignorant. She tried to compete against him for almost ninety minutes now, but the outcome seemed to be inevitable. Mai thought she had only a few minutes left in her body at most. Why not secure her position in the game while she still can? She felt bad for betraying Kari, but that girl really should have tried harder to win this immunity challenge. Mai never promised her final two other than the mutual obligation from their tight friendship. A friendship that might not sustain beyond this tribal council.

"Also, I don't want to jump!" Roy's grin grew wider. Now that he had the upper hand in the negotiations, he could obviously request for more. "You jump first and I'll take you to the final two!"

"Screw you, Roy!" Mai shouted out of frustration.

"No, you wanted to screw over Kari! You can't screw both of us at once!" Roy laughed. He sounded quite pleased with himself. This was exactly what he wanted. He knew the blonde would crack sooner or later. "The deal is exactly what I asked for before! Take it or leave it!"

"Screw you!" Mai repeated angrily. She was on the verge of calling the whole deal off. If only she wasn't so physically and mentally exhausted right now. She hated to give into Roy's ridiculous demands, but she can't afford to play hardball in her current position. While Mai tried to concentrate on the challenge at hand, all of her problems and annoying quirks suddenly increased tenfold. The water was freezing! Her clothes stung like hell! And her legs felt like they were ready to break apart! No, Mai simply can't stand here much longer. She didn't want to endure another second under the waterfall.

"Well? Is that a yes or a no? I need an answer!" Roy exclaimed.

Roy leaned slightly forward to catch a better glimpse of her expression. And that was when he made a very significant mistake. He allowed his concentration to drift away. He wasn't supposed to be negotiating a deal with Mai. His main task was to stand still on a pillar – a pillar so narrow that he could fall off with simply the slightest movement. He warned himself beforehand that he couldn't move around at all. But for a moment, just a very brief moment, he lost focus. He lost his balance. And he inadvertently lost his chance to win the final immunity challenge.

Roy stumbled forward and dove right into the water.

His competitor gasped in glee.

"Mai wins immunity!" Iruka announced loud and clear. The blonde could barely react before falling off the pillar as well, but that didn't matter anymore. Roy fell first, while Mai was the last person standing. "Congratulations! You're guaranteed a spot in the final two!"

"Good job!" Kari clapped her hands together. She remained unaware about the tension that happened by the waterfall, but not for long. "You both did a great job!"

Mai was beaming with pride as she swam back to shore. Roy followed behind her, with a reasonably less enthusiastic reaction. Neither of them had won an immunity challenge before, but the former won one when it mattered the most, whereas the latter can only blame himself for suddenly losing his balance. In the end, karma came swinging at Roy when he least expected it. And he now realized he might have sealed his own fate.

Fortunately, he still had one trump card in his pocket.

"Isn't there something you want to tell Kari?" Roy glared at the victorious blonde, who was still admiring her immunity headband with the utmost joy. "Or should I do the talking instead?"

"What do you want to tell me?" Kari appeared confused.

Mai sheepishly looked up at the other players as the joyous smile disappeared from her face. She might have won immunity and a guaranteed spot in the final two, but her celebration was short-lived. She was now responsible for choosing a final two partner tonight, and her options ranged between an angry loser and a possibly angrier ex-friend.

- - -

Tribal council couldn't come at a better time. After a change of clothes and another quick meal, the three players immediately headed for tribal council. Since only one person will vote tonight, there wasn't a lot of behind-the-scenes scheming unlike a typical tribal council night. However, that did not imply there won't be any heated exchanges at tribal council. Roy was certain there will be a lot of dramatic fireworks tonight. In fact, he will make that his top priority.

"I'll now bring in the members of our jury." Iruka announced.

The six jurors entered tribal council with solemn expressions. None of them looked too happy that Mai won immunity. The only exception was Holland, who showed a tiny smirk on his face. There you go. He nodded approvingly at her. Good girl. He always knew that woman was as tough as nails. And now that she was guaranteed to be in the final two, he might as well hand over his jury vote to her. There was no way Holland would vote for Kari or Roy to win the game unless under the most dire circumstances. He definitely did not want to see either of them to win over Mai.

"Welcome to your penultimate tribal council. Since Mai has immunity, she's the only one who will vote tonight. But first, I'd like to ask you a few questions." Iruka smiled gently at the three players. "Let's start with the immunity challenge. It didn't last very long, for one thing. Mai, you stood under the waterfall for an hour and twenty two minutes. Your reward was the immunity headband. How does it feel to win?"

"I'm really proud of myself, because that was a really difficult challenge today. I mean, I'm still trembling from the cold!" Mai laughed. She folded her arms across her chest. "On the first day, a lot of people would have never guessed that I'd win the final challenge, myself included. So, I'm glad that I exceeded my expectations and proved some people wrong."

"Why do you think you won today?" Iruka asked.

"I have lots and lots of determination." Mai said this with much confidence in her voice. "Everyone knows that I'm not the strongest person. I'm not even the smartest here. I'm just an ordinary girl with a lot of persistence and a small dash of good luck." She smiled at Iruka first, and then shifted her attention to the jurors. "I won the challenge today because I wanted to win the most. Out of everyone here, I'd say I'm the most ambitious player. I have the most drive."

"Kari, you were the first out in the challenge. You fell off after fifteen minutes or so, which is at least an hour less than the other two players." Iruka glanced at a troubled looking Kari. Losing the challenge was not her highlight of the day. "After hearing what Mai just said, does it mean you've the least determination out of everyone?"

"I don't think it's fair to judge my determination based on how well I do in a challenge. Um, there were also other factors involved." Kari winced a little. She can see that the jurors weren't too impressed with her response. "If I didn't slip so early on, I know I would've stayed on the pillar for a very long time. It was an accident. I lost due to an accident, and not because I don't have any determination."

Excuses, excuses. Harley just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Iruka, can I say something?" Roy raised his arm in the air. He was getting a bit impatient that Iruka still had not asked him any questions yet.

"Go ahead. I was just about to get to you." Iruka gestured his hand at him.

"Mai made a promise with me at the immunity challenge today. She said she'd take me to the final two if I jumped off my pillar, said Roy.

"You lost your balance and fell off. It was an accident. You wanted me to jump instead." Mai shook her head.

"The important point is, and this came out of your own mouth, you said you'd vote out Kari tonight and take me to the final two." Roy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Mai, if you don't honour your promise, I want the entire jury to know that you are a liar."

Mai was still shaking her head, either in denial or to demonstrate discontent.

"And you're a big fat hypocrite!" Mai snapped, "Are we ignoring the elephant in the room here? Roy, you told everyone that you'd step down at the final immunity challenge. And guess what? That didn't happen! You broke your promise and participated anyway! How dare you accuse me of being a liar!?"

"I did step down from the challenge in the end, didn't I? I'm not wearing the immunity headband right now, am I? I don't recall ever mentioning that I can't compete in the challenge and try to negotiate a deal. All I said was I won't win the final immunity, and you're right, that didn't happen!" Roy replied.

"Now you're just rewriting history." Mai scoffed.

By now, everyone noticed the obvious tension between Mai and Roy. If they thought their relationship hit the rocks at the previous tribal council, they just reached a new low. These two had not met eye to eye for a while now, but tribal council really brought out the ugliness in everyone. Kari, who was caught in the middle of the argument, was wise enough to keep her head down and not say anything about the matter. Not until someone directed a question her way anyway.

"You know what, Mai? You'll have to break a promise tonight no matter what. Either you vote out Kari, the friend whom you sold out at the first opportunity, or you vote out me, the guy whom you promised to take to the final two." Roy smirked a little. "We all know you're a notorious backstabber anyway. So, do what you want."

"Thanks so much for your input, Mr. Mustang." Mai said sarcastically.

Iruka didn't know how to follow up after that argument, so he decided to get straight to the vote. Before that happened, he allowed each player to make a final statement.

"I'm a bit surprised to hear what you did, Mai." Kari paused. She had to phrase her sentences carefully so she didn't offend Mai too much. "Um, I would have never betrayed you if I was in your position. I thought we were in this together until the end. I've always trusted you." She paused again. "I never wrote your name down before, so I hope you'll do the same for me. But no matter what happens tonight, we'll definitely still be friends."

Roy's message was short and to the point.

"You promised." Roy glared at the blonde. As an afterthought, he added, "Think about the jury."

Finally, Mai was given one last opportunity to explain the reasoning behind her vote. She stood up and addressed her speech to both Kari and Roy.

"This isn't an easy vote for me because I don't like to break promises. But for some reason, I always find myself in this position." Mai smiled nervously. Neither Kari nor Roy was smiling back. "Like I said before, I love winning. So, I'll cast my vote tonight based on whom I have a better chance against in the final two." She turned around to address the jury briefly. "That's not to say I'll win against this person for sure, but I won't regret it if I lose to this person in the final two. I'm sure you all know who I'm talking about." She paused, now with a wide grin on her face. It didn't suit the otherwise sombre atmosphere of tribal council. "Or do you?"

She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

"Yes, I admit that I made a promise with you at the challenge, Roy." Mai sighed remorsefully. This tribal council would have been a lot less tense if she didn't suggest that stupid deal under pressure. "But you can't hold me responsible if I don't keep the promise. After all, you broke your word as well. You're just as bad as I am. So, don't throw a hissy fit. That's not cool."

She now opened her eyes and stared directly at Roy.

"With that said, I was never going to honour the promise in the first place." She smirked in defiance. "I lied. I never wanted to take you to the final two. I said all that stuff at the waterfall in order to get you to jump off your pillar." She proudly raised her head. "And tonight, after I've watched you twist my words against me, I can say with confidence that I won't regret my decision at all."

Mai turned around and walked across the rope bridge to cast her vote.

After that speech, there was no doubt in anyone's mind whose name she was going to write down.

- - -

"The thirteenth person voted out of Survivor: Konoha, and the final member of our jury…"

Iruka pulled out the one and only parchment from the voting urn.

Kari and Roy exchanged glances with each other.

The vote was revealed.

"Roy."

He slowly nodded his head as if to accept his fate. Mai patted him on the shoulder, while Kari gave his arm a tiny affectionate squeeze. Both women genuinely liked Roy as a person. He was charming, funny, and an all around nice guy – most of the time. But in the end, he was just too much of a threat. While his strategy might be questionable at times, everyone in the jury understood that he played this game to the fullest extent. He made bold moves, he negotiated risky deals, and he crafted multiple alliances to save himself. Roy could arguably be one of the best players in the game. At least Mai thought so anyway. That was why she didn't want him anywhere near the final two. She started to plot against Roy since the final six, and it took four tribal councils to finally get rid of the smooth talker. At last, he was gone. At last, Mai emerged from tribal council victoriously.

Roy Mustang felt a little angry with the outcome, because he was so close to winning a million dollars. He was noticeably snippier at tonight's tribal council due to the sheer helplessness of his position. While he'd like to believe he had a fifty-fifty chance of surviving this vote, he knew from the bottom of his heart that Mai would never bring him to the final two. Roy put up a good fight to save himself tonight. He even tried to hold Mai accountable for a deal that never actually happened. In the end, his words were futile. She just wasn't persuaded enough.

"Roy, the tribe has spoken." Iruka quickly snuffed out the flame on his torch. "It's time for you to go."

"Good game." Roy smiled, bowing his head slightly to the two remaining women. They outsmarted, outplayed, and outlasted a strong competitor like him. Good game indeed. If he had a hat, he would have tipped it as a sign of good sportsmanship.

Roy then dragged his feet forward, somewhat reluctantly, as he began his walk of shame. Moments later, his shadowy figure blended in with the darkness surrounding him.

Soon, he disappeared from sight forever.

Or at least until tomorrow, anyway.

"Congratulations, Mai and Kari! You've made it to Day 39, but you still have one more obstacle to overcome." Iruka nodded his head at the two giddy castaways. "The jury of seven will be waiting at the final tribal council, where one of you will be a million dollars richer in twenty four hours. Get a good night of sleep. See you tomorrow."

Kari turned around and smiled gratefully at her blonde companion. Mai grinned back in acknowledgement. They will definitely celebrate tonight and even more during tomorrow. But for now, the two of them demonstrated their glee by simply holding hands. While Kari wasn't clear about what happened at the last immunity challenge, and while she wasn't certain whether or not Mai considered betraying her earlier today, none of these minor details really mattered at moment. She was in the final two, currently holding hands with her best friend in the game. Kari felt as if she already succeeded in the game regardless of the outcome tomorrow. This was her defining moment. Nobody can take it away from her.

Meanwhile, Mai felt relieved that tribal council was finally over. Yes, she might have won immunity. And yes, she might have just voted off Roy Mustang. But for some reason, the burden on her shoulders only grew heavier. She knew the game was over yet. It was far too early to celebrate. There was still one more day, one more tribal council, and one more hardship to overcome. If she thought the last immunity challenge was tough, she can expect a whole different ball game tomorrow.

Before she left tribal council, she made a quick headcount of all the jury members in the game. There was Meryl, Holland, Harley, Faye, Shannon, Bulma, and after tonight's events, Roy. She had no idea how any of them perceived her game play thus far. Would they reward her a million dollars? Mai didn't know what criteria they will evaluate her performance, nor did she know which jury members will ask her bitter questions. Overall, there were a lot of unknown elements that she cannot predict at the final tribal council. Fortunately, she can look forward to the one thing that will always be there for her.

Mai was certain that the sunrise tomorrow will be just as glorious.

- - -

Roy's Final Words

What a tremendous disappointment! I came so close to winning a million dollars, but I fell short at the last minute. For some reason, I can't win an immunity challenge to save my life, which is frustrating because the jury would likely favour me if I made it to the final two. I'm not sure if this Survivor experience changed me as a person, but I learned a lot more about myself. Before I came to Konoha, I made a list of goals that I wanted to achieve during my time here. I accomplished each goal except for the biggest one. Oh well. Nobody is perfect.

- - -

Author's Notes: I have to divide this episode into two parts because it's way too long. I'll upload Part 2 very soon. Please leave comments in your reviews! The story is about to end! Are you as excited as I am?