Battle of the Sexes: Anime Style Chapter 25: The Beating of Your Heart, Baby!, a yu yu hakusho fanfic

A/N: Welcome back, welcome back, welcome baaaaack! This is officially the final installment to what has now been designated my summer reader. I had planned to get this up and running around the same time that MTVs 23rd season of The Challenge premiered but, meh, when do things ever go according to plan in life? For those of you who haven't been made aware on my old tumblr blog, I am scheduled to make a trip to Japan at the end of this month for my job. So I gotta say, I do plan on doing some writing in the Land of the Rising Sun because what better place to gain inspiration right? Anyway, I won't be ranting long, just know that I appreciate those of you who've checked back in with this story over the years and hope that you enjoy these final chapters! So without further ado...let's get this ish started!

Disclaimer: See like the first 10 chapters. I'm too lazy for this at this point. You know by now that I don't own these characters, lol. Crap, I ended up doing a disclaimer anyway. BLEEP!

Song(s) Disclaimer: "New Workout Plan" by Kanye West; "Goodbye to You" by Michelle Branch; "Fallen" by Sarach MacLachlan; "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyoncé

Battle of the Sexes: Anime Style

Chapter 25: The Beating of Your Heart, Baby!

Early Morning in Starfish…

The climate was humid and mild in the early morning hours as a few of the members from the girls' team were getting themselves in physical shape to hopefully continue their win from the previous challenge. They had criticized the boys for their militant workout routines at the butt-crack of dawn, but as time went on, they had decided that maybe staying physically fit for the competition was probably not the worst idea. In fact it was a great idea.

Surprisingly, the idea sprung forth at a team meeting the previous night from one of the most unlikely parties: Lacus Clyne. The girl seemed determined and strangely aloof for some reason since their last challenge. No one could figure out why, but it went without saying that she was beginning to give Bra a run for her money.

Girls' Team Meeting: Previous Night…

"Okay ladies, we done good this round!" Pan started as she sat before her teammates in the common area. They all seemed pleased with the Inner Circle's decision to finally start eliminating players with the lowest score. Sure it took them years and an embarrassing amount of challenge losses to realize such a simple concept, but it was better late than never. "This doesn't mean that we can get cocky, though. We've gotta really get on our A-game if we're gonna catch up to the boys. I mean, we've still got like a 30,000 point difference between us, and that simply will not do." Pan held up her index finger, wagging it back and forth in a 'tsk' motion to emphasize her disapproval.

"Right," Keiko interjected, "we've got to come together and establish a plan of action. Before you know it, this competition will be down to the final 3, and if the gap between us and the boys is still a runaway, we'll be a national laughing stock."

"I thought we already were a national laughing stock." Kagome added with a wry smile.

Faye rolled her eyes at Kagome's comment. "Tabloid gossip doesn't count. MTV will do anything to get ratings for this god awful show. And the best way to gain viewership is, believe it or not, to pick a team to hate on."

Serena's eyes lowered upon hearing such a painful truth. "So, you're saying that we're the hated team? But…why?" Serena was on the verge of tears.

Serena: Sailor Moon (Gals) After all of the horrible, crude things that the guys have done since we started this competition, namely to us, how could we possibly be the most hated team by the viewers? It doesn't make any sense! What does it take to get America's approval and praise? Fart jokes and substance abuse?

MTV Producer: More tits.

Serena: What?

MTV Producer: Nothing.

Serena: …

"I dunno, S," Faye sighed, "welcome to the harsh, cruel, logic-free, world of reality television."

"So that means that… the viewers are rooting for the boys to win?" Sango shook her head in disbelief.

"Yep." Faye leaned her back against the kitchenette counter as she lazily sipped her cranberry and vodka. "Oh, but don't be too disappointed. Our team did get some love. In an online poll on Zap 2 it, when asked to pick their favorite player, viewers chose…and I kid you not…Bra." Faye wasn't at all surprised by the collective sounds of choking and gasps along with the occasional 'what the BLEEP' that filtered throughout the common area of their villa.

"I literally hate this whole show." Android 18 grumbled as she took a much needed swig from her beer can.

"Hey, where is Bra, anyway?" Aeka observed. She noticed that the blue-haired Saiyan princess was missing.

"We're having a team meeting," Keiko answered dryly, "she's anywhere but where she's been instructed to be."

"Oh, yes. I suppose that was silly of me. Carry on then." Aeka chuckled.

Keiko: Yu Yu Hakusho (Gals) I've noticed that Bra has been conveniently absent for all of our team meetings. She makes no effort to work together with the rest of us, but the second we struggle in a competition, she's the most vocal about it. Yeah, I can definitely see why the viewers love her so much. *ROLLS EYES*

"Anyway, that's not important," Keiko redirected the conversation, "what is important is how we're going to shape up to improve ourselves in this competition."

"War." Came Lacus' flat tone, suddenly.

"What was that, Lacus?" Cagalli had to nudge the pink-haired girl to speak up. Even sitting right next to her as she was, the other could barely be heard.

"I said war." Lacus spoke again. "We need to go to war."

Faye was intrigued. "Hmm, go on."

"The boys have been doing it right. They've been focused on the win. They employed their skills as soldiers, warriors, and trained fighters. They've channeled everything they know about battle into this competition. They've been ruthless, cold, and manipulative all for the sake of this game. Meanwhile, we've done nothing but bicker with one another and worse yet…fall into their trap. As a result, they have been defeating us with hardly any difficulty, and we've allowed it to happen because we've been foolish and naïve." Lacus stood to her feet then, the look in her eyes unlike anything they had seen before. Her blue orbs, usually so warm and inviting, held such darkness and grim determination.

She made her way to the center of the common area, all of their eyes glued upon her small form as she spoke with a chilling tone. "Enough. Enough of falling for their tricks. Enough of going against one another. Now is the time to come together as warriors. We are strong as, if not stronger than, they will ever dream to be. Yet they do not believe it. They do not believe that they can be defeated by us, because we are female. And as females we tend to think with our hearts. Well it is my sincere belief that the heart, when properly trained, can be the strongest component of the human body. They think that it's a weakness. I think that it's a strength. Our strength." Her eyes changed, then. The pupils had become small and constricted, appearing to be barely the size of a pinhole.

Cagalli noticed the change in her eyes and was in a mild state of panic. She leaned to her right to whisper to Miriallia who held a similar worried expression, as they were the only two present in the room who knew what was happening to their teammate. "Oh my God, is she in SEED mode?"

"Definitely." Miriallia gulped with widened eyes.

Cagalli: Gundam SEED (Gals) Okay, I don't know who on the boys' team pissed Lacus off, but if she's angry enough to go into SEED mode then…how can I say it…this is serious shBLEEP. *PANIC MODE ACTIVATED*

Faye warily approached the young Coordinator from behind as she stood stiffly in the middle of the common area. "Umm, sweetie, are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Alright, because, you know, at the end of the day this is still just a game. You do realize that, right?" Faye reminded.

Lacus turned on her heel to come face to face with Faye. "Fifty thousand dollars is at stake." Lacus arched an eyebrow as she spoke the money hungry bounty hunter's language.

Faye paused for a moment as if to contemplate the situation. "Girl's got a point." Faye nodded.

Lacus: Gundam SEED (Gals) If Kurama feels that he can play the role of the gentleman just to get me to trust him so that he can use my emotions to his and his team's advantage, then he is tragically foolish. I am Lacus Clyne, daughter of PLANT Supreme Chairman Siegel Clyne. I bend to the will of no one. Surely not those who lie.

Haro: Gundam SEED (Genderless machine with a limited vocabulary) Haro! Haro! This mean war! Angry! Red is dead.

It was decided. "Lacus, I like how you think! I say we channel our own inner soldiers. Starting tomorrow morning, we train!" Faye was completely sold.

"Yes, Pinky's right!" Pan agreed. "We've got soldiers, fighters, and supercharged warriors on our team, too. And it's long past time to start using what we got and start kicking some ass!" Pan flexed a muscle, excited at the prospect of training once again. She was starting to get a little rusty and could use the exercise anyway.

"Hey, not all of us are the strongest fighters, you know." Serena was a bit apprehensive about their plan.

"Don't worry, Serena." Keiko assured. "I'm not much of a fighter either. But I've had a taste of what it feels like to be in 'warrior mode' so to say. And I must admit, it's a rush!" Keiko smiled, recollecting her match during the gladiator challenge against the bull. Ever since then, she had had a taste for action, so she was completely onboard with the training idea.

"That was awesome, by the way." Kagome complimented, the other teammates nodding in agreement.

"Why thank you, Kagome. I like to think so." Keiko expressed her gratitude with a bright grin.

"Now you know how Yusuke feels before he engages in a fight." Botan added. "One could say that perhaps it was just what you two needed to draw you closer together." Botan winked.

Keiko blushed lightly at the thought, but shook it off. She and Yusuke weren't exactly in a good place, and she couldn't afford to allow thoughts of their crumbling relationship to distract her from their mission.

From the back corner of the room, Ryoko and Hilde observed Keiko's face falter once being reminded of her and Yusuke's relationship. Their manipulations were clearly working and it showed in Keiko's latest performance. Yusuke obviously meant the world to her, and the thought of their relationship being in jeopardy was certainly messing with her head. They spared each other a knowing look before returning their attention to the rest of the meeting.

Hilde: Gundam Wing (Gals) Both Ryoko and I were actually liking what we were hearing in the team meeting. The Inner Circle had agreed to stick to the format of eliminating players with the lowest scores. They weren't being whiny, which was a major plus. And more importantly, they were implementing a plan that I had begged them to start when I was in the Inner Circle…training. I was one of the few who thought that the boys' morning training sessions were a damn good idea, but my idea was ignored because they didn't want to 'copy the boys.' But this is the way I see it. A good idea is a good idea. So I was really glad to see progress. Plus, the whole screwing with someone else's relationship just to get ahead isn't really my style. I've got an honor code, so Ryoko and I decided to tell Bra we wanted out of the alliance because we're just…that BLEEPING dumb. *AWKWARD PAUSE*

"So it's decided then," Pan confirmed, "we start training sessions first thing tomorrow morning, before sunrise. So get some shut eye, because you're gonna need it! Meeting adjourned."

As the team dispersed to their rooms, Keiko pulled Android 18 and Sango aside. She had plans for them in regards to the new training sessions. And it would prove to be beautifully terrifying.

Present…

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and get them sit-ups right and, tuck yo' tummy tight and do yo' crunches like this…

The girls meant business as they all engaged in various aerobics and exercise routines to get themselves fit and in tip-top condition for the competition. The time for lazing about while the boys left them in the dust was over. It was a little after 5am and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. But the early start was a non-issue to them as sweat sheened upon their chests and exposed abdomens in their workout gear. As it stood, the only thing on their minds was Pilates.

"Come on, push it!" Cagalli coached Keiko who was her designated partner for their crunches session along with Faye and Botan. She sat on the other girl's feet Indian style keeping her feet and legs steady.

"I…am…trying!" Keiko strained as she struggled to pull herself up for the 50th time.

"You can do it! Think of the win, Keiko! Think about how the boys think we're a weak joke. They don't believe you can do it! They think you're worthless! Prove them wrong, Keiko! Prove them all wrong!"

"Even…Yusuke…" Keiko breathed.

"Especially Yusuke! Now pull it up!" Cagalli growled in her best drill sergeant voice.

"Right! Especially…" Keiko seemed to get a second wind as she raised her body up completing her 50th rep and going back down to raise up again for rep number 51, "…YUSUKE!" She was going to reach the 100 crunch rep requirement in the given 2 minute time limit, or die trying. She had a definite goal set, and she wasn't going to stop until she reached it.

…That's right, put in work. Move yo' ass, go berserk. Eat yo' salad no dessert. Get that man you deserve…

Nearby, Miriallia and Lacus were engaged in a flexed-arm hang session on a tree. Lacus encouraged the auburn-haired girl as she supported her weight on a sturdy tree branch, struggling to keep her chin above the top. She tried to ignore the slight stinging sensation of the coarse bark that pressed against the palm of her gloved hands, raising her head upwards to distract from the task at hand.

Lacus was keeping watch on her phone's stop clock. 70 seconds. That's all the girl had to hang for, and she was ready to rotate. They would continue the rotation until their training captain, Pan, told them to change exercise stations. "30 seconds. You can do this, Miriallia. You're almost there. Focus!" Lacus noticed that Miriallia's arms were beginning to tremble as she fought to hang for the remainder of her time. "Don't you dare let go. I will make you start over!" Lacus ordered harshly.

"Okay…geez." Miriallia forced.

Miriallia: Gundam SEED (Gals) I don't like this new Lacus. She scares me.

Kagome stood downwind from Sango watching the other intently in anticipation for the demon slayer's next move. She clenched her bow and arrow tightly and held it at the ready. She noticed that the slayer held her hand concealed behind her back. The young priestess was ready for it, flinching slightly at the tickling sensation of sweat that trailed down her temple. "Let's go." She murmured.

With lightning speed, Sango revealed the item concealed behind her back, tossing the object into the air. Kagome didn't waste time as she drew back on her bow, taking aim with her arrow and releasing it with expert precision towards the peach that Sango and made airborne. She watched as her arrow made contact, impaling the fruit through the middle as it landed onto the grassy field with a light thud.

"Think fast!" Sango shouted. She wasn't done yet as she tossed another piece of fruit into the air, urging Kagome to take aim and fire once again.

Kagome's arrow nearly reached its target before the silhouette of a mysterious creature flew in front of the target, stopping the arrow from reaching its destination. The creature let out a loud screech upon taking the hit, falling to the ground with the arrow lodged in its form.

"Oh no!" Kagome and Sango both gasped in shock, thinking that they had just hit a bird.

"Oh please, no!" Kagome was horrified as she and Sango ran toward the fallen creature, hoping against all hopes that they hadn't killed the poor thing.

Android 18, who was training half of her squad –a title that the Inner Circle had decided upon once they designated Sango and she as squad leaders for training- noticed the commotion and halted briefly from the second lap of their 3 mile run. "The hell…?" Android 18 furrowed her brow as she examined what was going on with Kagome and Sango in the distance. Her team took her pausing as a chance to hunch themselves over and desperately try to catch their breath. She noticed her squad trying to give her the slip and catch a break without her permission, and she immediately went into command mode. "Hey, I don't remember saying 'halt!'"

"18…I don't think…that…was a mile." Winry was certain that she was on the verge of heart failure. "We've run…to the beach and back. Twice. It's like…five minutes away…driving…"

Winry: Full Metal Alchemist (Gals) We just had to get the bionic woman as our squad leader, didn't we? It's moments such as that where I seriously start to wonder if God hates me.

"Are you back-talking me, Rockbell?" Android 18 stepped to the blonde welder, causing the girl to immediately straighten up.

"No ma'am."

"Then shut-up and move your ass!" Android 18's voice was like thunder, willing her squad into action.

"Yes ma'am!" Winry, Serena and Aeka cried in unison as they continued on their route for the third time.

"And don't even think about taking any shortcuts because I will find out, and you will deal with my foot in your ass for your stupidity!" Android 18 shouted to their retreating forms, lighting the proverbial fire under their tails in the process.

"Must you provoke her?" Aeka forced as she trotted toward the beach once again. "I've no interest in pulling metal out of my rear-end for your foolishness, Winry!"

"Now, now…let's not fight." Serena huffed between breaths. "Teamwork, remember? It's the only way we can succeed."

"Fine!" Aeka rolled her eyes as the three girls headed for their destination, a burning sensation arising in their abdomens that they would indeed be foolish to surrender to a shortcut for.

Aeka: Tenchi Muyo (Gals) *HOLDING HER iPHONE 5* Remind me to kill Lacus Clyne in her sleep tonight.

Siri: Apple (Sinfully overrated voice command system) Okay, I'll remind you.

Aeka: *CRAZY EYES*

Android 18 curiously made her way toward Sango and Kagome who were frantically running in the direction of the fallen creature. Suddenly, she saw both girls let out a shriek and begin to run in the opposite direction. The android released an exasperated sigh. "Now what?"

"Oh my god!" Kagome squealed as she and Sango ran toward the villa, now drawing the attention of everyone in the area, causing them to pause their exercises in concern.

"What's going on?" Botan shouted, subconsciously grateful that something was interrupting her crunches session. Faye was such a slave-driver who didn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'mercy.'

"Ick!" Kagome shivered as if she had bugs crawling over her body.

"What, what, what?" Faye pressed. She was annoyed that their exercises were being interrupted and was tempted to tell both Sango and Kagome to suck it up. She didn't care what it was.

"Bat!" Sango squeaked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Faye scrunched her face in confusion.

Pan then made her way toward the crowd that had gathered around Kagome and Sango. "You girls better have a damn good reason for breaking rotation!" Her small voice was fierce and commanding as she stood by with her hands on her hips.

"I hit a bat!" Kagome stated in a rushed tone.

"Congratulations. You can hit things. Get back in line!" Pan wasn't impressed.

"I'm not going back over there!" Kagome shook her head nervously.

"Me neither. Bats really give me the creeps." Sango admitted.

Pan released a frustrated huff, flailing her arms in the air at their cowardice. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me! How is it that you two morons can fight demons on a daily basis and be scared of a damn bat?"

Android 18 had to agree. "Damn good question, small fry."

"Hey! That's Captain small fry!" Pan corrected.

"Whatever. I'm going to check this thing out." The android ventured toward the alleged bat, hardly fazed by the situation.

"Be careful." Kagome warned.

Android 18 could only roll her eyes. As if she needed to be cautious around some stupid rodent with wings. She made it over to the creature and noticed that Kagome's arrow was stuck in its leg. "Hmm." She studied the little brown mammal, surmising that it was a Brazilian Free-Tailed from her limited knowledge of chiropterans. She saw the creature twitch suddenly, letting out low screeches as if in pain, and flapping its wings wildly. "Hey guys," she called with an unenthused tone, "this thing's still alive."

"WHAT!" Sango yelped.

"Okay. I'm done. Later." And in little to no time, Kagome skedaddled into the villa, Sango following close behind. They ignored Faye and Pan's protests as they closed the sliding glass doors behind them and headed for their bedroom. As far as they were concerned, their exercises were done for the remainder of the morning.

Sango: Inuyasha (Gals) It's the diseases they carry that I'm terrified of, that's all. Honest! *LYING LIAR FROM LIARTOWN*

Botan rushed over to join Android 18 and survey the status of the bat. "Oh, the poor thing must be in so much pain!" She cried in sympathy.

"What are you, some kind of tree-hugging environmentalist?" Android 18 queried with dry sarcasm.

"Well no. But being the grim reaper tends to give one an appreciation for all life." Botan explained.

"But your sole occupation isn't even about life. It's about death. So what are you talking about?" The blonde android folded her arms, not really following Botan's explanation.

"Enough, no time for talking! We must help this poor, defenseless, creature!" Botan declared as she leaned down near the bat to pick it up.

"I wouldn't do that." Android 18 advised.

"Nonsense. It'll sense that I'm here to help, and mean it absolutely no harm." Botan assured with bright confidence.

"Okay." Android 18 replied nonchalantly. Some people just had to learn the hard way she supposed.

Botan reached for the arrow lodged in the bat's leg, Pan, Faye and Keiko arriving to the scene to observe her actions.

"Whoa, what is she doing?" Pan started.

"Something stupid." Android 18 replied dryly.

"Umm, Botan," Keiko began carefully, "maybe you shouldn't. I mean we can always call animal control. I'm sure they'll know what to do. Botan-"

"No," Android 18 raised her hand interrupting Keiko's warning, "let her do exactly what she wants to do." She smirked.

"But-"

"Uh-uh."

Just then, Botan snatched the arrow from the bat's leg, the creature letting out a wail of agony upon the action. She then closed her eyes and held her hands over its injury, a soft glow generating from her palm. They all watched as the bat's wound slowly began to close.

"What the…oh yeah, I forgot she could do that." Android 18 stated with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Android 18: Dragonball Z/GT (Gals) And I was so hoping for a show. I had my YouTube account on my phone ready and everything.

"There! All better, little one." Botan pet the winged mammal on its head, feeling triumphant that she saved the day. The bat then went airborne, circling in place over their heads and screeching with what Botan interpreted as excitement and gratitude for her aid.

"I think he's happy." Keiko giggled as they watched the bat flutter about in the air over their heads.

"Yeah, I guess…" Miriallia trailed, her ears were picking up on something in the distance, causing her to turn her head from the current event. "Hey, do you guys hear that?"

"Hear wha-?" Lacus frowned as Miriallia's hand shot up to shush her.

The others then began to follow Miriallia's example as they all focused their ears on the faint sound of screeching…lots of screeching.

"Is that…" Faye squinted her eyes across the field toward a collection of trees. The sun had still not fully risen, offering little light. However, it was enough to pick up on the silhouettes of several –no make that several hundred- flying creatures headed for their location. "Oh…shBLEEP."

There had to have been well over a hundred of them; bats. Their screeching was growing closer and they did not appear at all friendly judging by the urgency with which they seemed to be moving. It was clear that the injured bat's screeching was not out of excitement, but in fact was a cry for help.

"So," Cagalli swallowed, "training over?"

"Yep!" Pan shouted as she and the rest of the team ran from the swarm of bats. Unfortunately, they didn't notice the reinforcements approaching them from behind, and before they knew it, they were surrounded.

"Son of a bitch!" Android 18 griped as she and the rest of her now screaming teammates were swarmed by a mass of angry bats.

"Get it off me! Get it off me! Get it off me!" Keiko screamed as she flailed around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"The pool!" Cagalli shouted.

"There're too many! I can't see!" Lacus yelled as she swatted at the air in an attempt to keep the bats away.

"Oh, screw this!" Pan growled as she went airborne to have an advantage over the bats.

"Good idea!" Android 18 joined the smaller, young, Saiyan. They both aimed the palms of their hands toward the bats, a yellow light building up from the centers as they prepared to fire.

"Wait, no, don't kill them!" Botan protested.

"Are you KIDDING me?" Pan bit back.

"Please!" Botan begged.

"Ugh! Fine, damn it!" Pan was beyond pissed. But if she had a choice between hearing Botan whine non-stop about dead bats and having to waste her time stunning the winged pests, she chose the latter. So she and Android 18 raised their index fingers. They fired at each bat one by one, the creatures dropping like flies into a deep sleep.

"Pan, do you realize how long this is gonna take? There's like a hundred of these things." Android 18 complained.

"Don't remind me! Just shut-up and shoot!" Pan ordered.

Pan: Dragonball GT (Gals) Botan is officially on my list for that insane request. Trust me. You do not want to be on my list.

Meanwhile, in the villa, Bra, Ryoko, and Hilde watched the commotion from the safe confines of the ex-OZ soldier's bedroom. Bra couldn't help but be entertained as she watched them run around like idiots nearly pissing their pants from the sheer horror of it all. She nearly burst out into laughter once she saw, Cagalli, Lacus, Miriallia and Keiko jump into the pool for refuge from the chaos.

Finally, the laughter she had been holding in was released when she witnessed Faye and Botan run over to the boys' villa and interrupt their morning training session. She saw Yusuke mouth what she determined was something along the lines of 'what the BLEEP are you doing' before he and the rest of his teammates nearly lost it as a swarm of bats followed her fleeing comrades to the boys' villa. Apparently, Sango and Kagome weren't the only ones terrified of bats as at least half of the boys immediately began to freak out from the onslaught. "This is too, delicious."

"Tell me about it." Hilde chuckled.

"They look like ants. Funny little ants." Bra smiled manically. She noticed that Yusuke, Hiei, Android 17 and Trunks joined Pan and Android 18 in 'clean up' duty. So they didn't have much time for their own meeting. "Okay, let's hurry this up."

"Right." Ryoko took a seat next to Hilde on the other's bed.

"The plan seems to be making satisfactory progress. Not surprising. After all, it was my plan." Bra stated with a conceited smirk. "Keiko's score has lowered significantly since the last challenge. So after today's challenge, if we play our cards right, Hilde, you will definitely surpass her and regain your spot in the Inner Circle."

"Bra," Hilde began slowly, "about that…" Hilde tried to find the right words.

"Hmm?" Bra raised her eyebrows. Her sapphire eyes burned into Hilde's cool, blue gaze. Hilde tried to read what they were telling her, if anything, but Bra was dropping no hints about her disposition. She was a ticking time bomb, like that. Almost instantaneously, she could switch on the crazy, and bless the soul that provoked her mood shift.

"I've been thinking…actually we've been thinking," she gestured between herself and Ryoko, causing the space pirate to cast her a nervous glare, "you know, the Inner Circle seems to really be making progress. They're starting to shake off the dead weight by eliminating the weakest players. They've implemented this training program. We can tell that they're really trying to better this team."

"Excuse me?" Bra blinked with a tight smile as she perched herself on Hilde's dresser, swinging her legs back and forth like a child. Her tone was perky and she seemed to be challenging Hilde. The conversation was taking an obvious turn for the worse.

Ryoko sensed the tension rising in the room, causing her to whisper a cease and desist order through gritted teeth, "Abort." The space pirate examined Hilde from the corner of her eye.

"I'm…just saying that our main goal was to get into the Inner Circle to make logical decisions starting with Flay's elimination. But, as you can see, Flay's already been eliminated. And Keiko, Faye and Pan have all agreed to stick to that method and eliminate the player with the lowest score. They've promised." Hilde continued trying her best to sound pleasant and non-threatening.

"And?" Bra's tone was still perky, though the crazy was starting to show more and more in her icy stare.

"What I mean is…I don't really…see the point in us going through with infiltrating the Inner Circle anymore. I think the team is finally on the right path, now."

"I agree," Ryoko decided to back Hilde up, "the Inner Circle is finally making good, smart decisions for once."

"Well, I disagree." Bra retorted calmly. "The Inner Circle has only proven once that they're capable of logical thought by getting rid of Flay, and it took them forever just to do that. It's a clear demonstration that they can't be trusted with the power to eliminate team members."

"Okay, but, Bra if that's the case then let's examine what we're doing here." Hilde tried to be the voice of reason to the unreasonable. "For one, and please don't take this the wrong way but, what exactly makes you a trustworthy candidate to possess the power to eliminate members?"

"For one, I'm not an idiot and I do what I have to do in order to win." Bra answered curtly.

Ryoko took a breath before challenging Bra's answer. "Yes, but, Bra…that's usually for yourself."

Bra was beginning to catch on to what they were getting at. They wanted out. More importantly, they were dumb enough to entertain thoughts of the possibility of her actually granting such a ludicrous request.

Bra: Dragonball GT (Gals) I guess you could say I overestimated them. I mean we barely made it past Phase 1 of the plan and already they were forcing my hand to use my leverage against them. Why do people make me do these things?

Bra released a low chuckle, shaking her head from side to side in disappointment. She knew that it would come to this at some point, though she was expecting to at least make it to Phase 2 at that point. "You guys, I swear. There's nothing worse than a flake without a spine."

"Hey-"

"Look here," Bra cut off Hilde's protest, "I have my mission and I have recruited your partnership not because I actually need you, but because I actually thought highly of you. I knew that if there were any members on this team capable of bringing us to victory that it was definitely the two of you. But I see the error of my ways, now. As it turns out, you're just like the rest of them. Spineless, whiny little bitches who are completely foreign to the concept of getting BLEEP done. But it's fine. Thankfully, your sense of preparedness is by all accounts inferior compared to mine. So I made sure to keep a failsafe ready in the event that you decided to be predictable and reveal your unbearably dull colors." Bra's voice turned dark and scheming as she looked down at them from her place on the dresser upon which she sat.

"What are you saying?" Hilde's throat was suddenly dry.

"I'm saying, that if you two think that you can get into an alliance with me and then back out at your own discretion before the mission has been completed and expect me to be Mary Sunshine about it, then you have to be two of the dumbest bitches alive." She hopped down from the dresser then as she hovered over them, her presence making her appear seven feet tall despite her small stature.

"You're gonna blackmail us, aren't you?" Ryoko stated with a tone of defeat and crushed dreams.

"Well, well. Look who's learning things." Bra added with a sarcastic grin. Ryoko could only bury her face in her hands, Hilde shaking her head at her foolishness. What on Earth made her think that Bra could be reasoned with, was indeed a mystery. "Let's start with you, Hilde, since these delusions of grandeur that I could be 'talked out of proceeding with the plan' undoubtedly belong to you."

"Bra…" Hilde groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She really didn't think any of this through properly.

"I'm sure you have absolutely no intentions of letting word get out about your little 3-way with Duo and your military buddy after my sweet 16 party. Unless, of course, you're open to advertisements, I'd be more than happy to put a tip out on Facebook for you. Or maybe Craigslist is more your style." Bra threatened.

"How do you-"

"Whoa, you what?" Ryoko couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Oh I always know. What would people think of good-girl Hilde Schbeiker getting her naughty on with Duo Maxwell of all people? And you were even generous enough to bring a friend along for the ride. You know what they say. 'Sharing is caring.'" Bra snorted.

"Oh my God." Hilde grabbed one of her pillows and shielded her face with it to hide her shame.

"So it's true, then?" Ryoko prodded. "You actually had a threesome with Duo and your friend?

"Yes, okay! I did. This information does NOT leave this room!" Hilde gave Ryoko a sharp look, who replied with a zipping motion across her lips.

"And it won't, as long as you agree not to leave this alliance." Bra negotiated like a pro.

Hilde placed her face into the palm of her hand. "Okay." Her voice was muffled beneath her fingers.

"What was that?" Bra placed her hand behind her ear as if to be making an effort to hear the other girl more clearly.

"I said okay. You have my allegiance. Are you happy, now?" Hilde ground out.

"Delighted!" Bra perked. "And as for you, Ryoko, I happen to know that you're the one responsible for Julia breaking up with Spike all because you just couldn't keep your big mouth shut about something that never happened between him and Faye. I'm sure he would love to find out that the reason his girlfriend broke up with him is because of misinformation that you fed her. No doubt that he'd turn his entire team against you, and be out for your blood."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh I would. Make no mistake, ladies. I've come this far, and I have no intention of backing down. I will make it to the Inner Circle with or without you. And you will do your parts to ensure that I get there." She then looked to Hilde. "You, my dumb friend, clearly can't be trusted with your assignment on Keiko. So, I'll finish the job, myself. In the meantime, you will be there if and when I need you. Otherwise, stay out of my way. Or everyone will be informed of you and Duo's 'extra-curricular' activities."

Hilde remained silent as Bra laid out her ground rules, officially reducing them both to flunky status with every word. "And Ryoko, I'm certain that Spike won't let you live down the fact that you have a sinfully big mouth. Then again, your eternal torment by Spike Spiegel sounds like a party, to me. Maybe you're not the only one with the big mouth." Bra stated pointedly. "I advise you both not to remain stupid and do exactly as I say. Questions, comments, concerns?" Bra concluded as if she actually cared to hear their feedback.

Hilde and Ryoko could only stare in silence, both in shock and nervous after being quickly reminded about whom they were dealing with. Nothing was sacred to that girl. Nothing. They were mentally kicking themselves for forgetting that fact.

Hilde abruptly exited her room feeling a sudden need to be as far away from Bra as possible. The blue-haired Saiyan princess called out to her retreating form just as she hit the door. "Do smart things, Hilde."

Hilde stood at the door for a moment, completely mortified by the pickle that she had gotten herself into. Shaking her head unconsciously, she abandoned her room and headed downstairs. The bat crisis seemed to finally cool down as the back field was covered with hundreds of unconscious bats. She noticed that about ten animal control trucks were parked out front and was tempted to hop into one. The prospect of being caged with hundreds of bats who were certain to be angry once they regained consciousness seemed to be a hell of a lot more inviting than what she was currently dealing with.

She stepped out of the backdoor to find Faye outside on the back patio having a cigarette, watching the commotion from afar with animal control and Botan who had taken on the role of 'bat liberation coordinator.'

"Hey." Hilde greeted shortly.

"Hey." Faye breathed as she blew out a thin cloud of smoke from her rouge lips. "Yusuke's pissed at me and Botan for leading the bats over to the boys' villa." She admitted with a hint of amusement.

"Oh yeah?" Hilde tried to play it cool by feigning interest in the small talk.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day where Spike Spiegel runs from something no bigger than a dollar size bag of Doritos." Faye half-chuckled.

"Yeah, that's crazy…" Hilde replied with a half-hearted snort. Faye noticed that the other girl was shifting from side to side and fidgeting anxiously.

"What's up with you?" Faye scrutinized.

"Hmm? N-nothing, I'm cool. Hey, can I bum one of those?" Hilde nodded feverishly towards Faye's cigarette, causing the other to arch an eyebrow.

Faye cast her a strange look. "Since when do you smoke?"

"Since now." Hilde answered with an agitated tone, holding her hand out and wiggling her fingers back and forth in a 'gimme' motion.

Reaching into the small, red and white box, Faye pulled out a stick and passed it to Hilde. The other girl quickly jammed it between her lips and let Faye light the end for her, taking a long, desperate drag before blowing out a thick cloud of smoke. There was a beat before Faye decided to speak. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay."

Morning in White Shore…

"I have never wanted to ring a woman's neck so much in my life!" Yusuke lamented as he sat in the kitchenette with Hiei, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. The plan was to serve breakfast and have their scheduled team meeting, but the majority of their comrades needed to blow off some steam after the disaster earlier that morning, and so everyone was scattered about and disoriented. Faye and Botan running to their villa with a swarm of angry bats on their tail had completely thrown off their morning routine, and pretty much set a negative tone for the entire day. "Now I've got the Florida Bat Conservancy on my ass because I smoked a few, clearly pissed off, bats! I don't have time for this BLEEP!"

"Forget that," Hiei interjected, "we've got more important things to worry about."

"Right. Let me just calm down." Yusuke raised his hands as if to be getting himself together. He noticed that Sesshomaru leaned against the counter as if to be waiting for him to give instruction. It was unusual for the demon lord to make efforts of being part of their team, so he felt the need to question the demon about it. "Yo, Sessh. You're starting to come around more often, I noticed. Something you want to share?"

"First and foremost, if you appreciate having the ability to breathe without assistance, I suggest you make certain that that is the last time you address me by that insufferable name." Sesshomaru warned.

"Duly noted." Yusuke nodded warily.

"Secondly, I must admit, that I am interested to see how you will proceed with this new turn of events." Sesshomaru referenced the information that Yusuke received in his email that caused the latest paradigm shift in their team.

"You are aware that you're not going to be there, right?" Yusuke firmly reminded the demon lord.

"Indeed. I am aware. I am merely interested in the journey. Not necessarily the destination." He spared the dark-haired boy a knowing look, who returned the silent communication.

They all sat in silence as if to be in deep thought, broodingly contemplating what lied ahead for them in the future that seemed to quickly grow nearer with every passing second.

Yusuke: Yu Yu Hakusho (Guys) You guys have absolutely no idea what we're talking about, do you? *LAUGHS UNCONTROLLABLY* I swear it's nothing. We're just playing the part of the dramatic and mysterious Anime hero. It's in our contracts to exhibit this clichéd and melodramatic behavior at least once in a series. It is apparently sexy and good for marketing. Sorry. *NOT SORRY*

The silence seemed to go on for a moment too long bringing up a sense of awkwardness, making the spirit detective uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat, clearing his throat so as to remedy the lack of sound. His eyes shifted from Hiei, to Inuyasha, to Sesshomaru, and back again. This was ridiculous. "Alright, well…you guys are boring the hell outta me so, I'm gonna," he stood to his feet, "not be here. Adios!"

He decided to move on to the game room where Dearka, Athrun, Duo and Heero were engaged in a game of Call of Duty on Xbox Live. Kira sat on the pool table, wolfing down a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats as he watched the gameplay from behind. The atmosphere was tense which signified that the game in progress was currently not going well. Yusuke wondered what country the onslaught was coming from this morning.

"Damn Aussie kids! Go get eaten by a pack of dingoes, you BLEEPING brats!" Duo griped as he wore his headset, the temptation to throw it and the game out of the window quickly reaching a breaking point. At least his sudden outburst answered Yusuke's unasked question.

"So, what's the stats?" Yusuke attempted to make conversation, causing Kira to drop his spoon into his bowl to make a cut-off gesture warning Yusuke not to speak.

"Dude! Shut up! Jesus!" Dearka chastised.

"Yeah, really, Yusuke. You know better than to interrupt a Black Ops session. What's wrong with you?" Athrun scolded as he flipped through the strategy guide in his Game Informer. Yes. A bunch of 12 year olds on the other side of the globe had reduced him to consult a strategy guide. It was a travesty. "Damn it! How the hell do they have that many Claymores? Damn things are everywhere! AARRGH! ShBLEEP, I'm dead." Athrun threw down his controller, shooting Yusuke a death glare for breaking his concentration.

"Wait, so now I'm the only one on our team left?" Duo panicked. "But they've still got like eight people! BLEEPING Yusuke, man!"

"Okay, you know what, I'm leaving. Clearly this one's a serious deal."

Duo: Gundam Wing (Guys) First rule of Black Ops sessions: do not interrupt Black Ops sessions. Second rule of Black Ops sessions: you do not interrupt Black Ops sessions. Those are literally the only rules. Probably the simplest rules that exist to date, and yet there's still the occasional assBLEEP who can't seem to follow them. You know who you are. You should be hogtied and flogged.

Yusuke, having been banned from the game room, decided to venture upstairs to check on Kurama. He hadn't seen the kitsune all morning and needed to discuss important matters regarding the end of the competition with him. Once he arrived to Kurama and Hiei's room, he noticed that the other boy seemed to be slightly amused by something on his cellphone as he relaxed on his bed. Being as desperate for a thrill as he currently was, he tapped his knuckle on the doorpost to get his friend's attention.

"Oh, good morning, Yusuke. I didn't notice you standing there." Kurama smiled warmly.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to check on you. Maybe talk to you about a few things regarding the end of this competition." Yusuke spared him a knowing look.

"Certainly. I had a few concerns that I wanted to raise with you about that matter, as well." Kurama's tone was serious.

"Yeah," Yusuke nodded, "what were you laughing at just now?"

"Hm?"

"Your phone. What was so funny? I mean, if it's personal, you don't have to tell me. I was just curious. If it made you laugh, it's gotta be pretty damn interesting so…" Yusuke shrugged, hoping that he wasn't making Kurama uncomfortable. "I'm not prying too much, am I?"

"Of course not. I don't mind sharing it with you. I have nothing to hide." Kurama offered the spirit detective an assuring smile.

"Cool. So what was it?" Yusuke eagerly plopped himself down on the foot of Kurama's bed as if the other was about to tell him the most interesting story in the world.

"Well, I may have caused quite a fuss with one of our opponents."

"Our opponents?" Yusuke saw Kurama's eyes gesture toward the girls' villa. "Oh, you mean, them? Do tell! Who'd you piss off?"

"I think it's safe to say that Lacus is currently very cross with me." Kurama stated as he leisurely took a sip of tea from the mug that sat on his nightstand.

"Lacus? Why? What'd you do to her?"

"What none of you could." Kurama began. He placed his mug back onto his nightstand and locked his emerald gaze with Yusuke's dark orbs. "I gained her trust and subsequently learned the weaknesses of every last one of her team members. Once I collected all of the necessary information, I determined that she was no longer any use to me and severed our ties." Kurama's eyes narrowed into shaded slits. "You see, while the lot of you were busy with your boisterous tactics to antagonize the girls' team, I was gaining every bit of intelligence that we needed to reign supreme in this competition. And all it took was a gesture of feigned kindness and concern for a young woman's broken heart."

Yusuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. This whole time, Kurama was actually the one pulling strings to ensure their victory. It was sneaky. It was sly, just like a fox. "Dude…that's hardcore."

"You have no idea."

"I gotta say, I didn't know you had it in you, fox-boy." Yusuke offered his friend a sly grin.

"There are a lot of things that you don't know about me, Yusuke." Kurama stood from the bed and headed for the door. "Well now, I believe we have a challenge to prepare for." He smiled over his shoulder at Yusuke before exiting his bedroom, though the smile immediately disappeared once he turned his head away and approached the hallway. A plethora of emotions ranging from disgust and agitation quickly became etched over his beautiful features, something that threw Android 17 for a loop as he exited the restroom.

"Hmm." Android 17 narrowed his eyes as he watched Kurama head downstairs and out of the front door. He then peeked inside Kurama's room to notice Yusuke examining one of Kurama's books. "Hey."

Yusuke perked at the sound of Android 17's voice. "Hey man, what's up?"

"What's going on with Kurama? Did you piss him off?" Android 17 smirked. He was mildly amused by the prospect of Yusuke pissing off the kitsune.

Android 17: Dragonball Z/GT (Guys) Maybe he finally broke it to him that real men don't smell like florist shops. Ever.

"What? No." Yusuke's face contorted in confusion.

"Well, he certainly looked pretty pissed off when he left this room just a minute ago." The raven-haired android informed.

"Really?" Yusuke's eyes widened upon hearing such information. "Are you sure? He seemed fine when he left. At least I thought he was. He looked pissed, you said?"

"Highly." Android 17 nodded.

"What the hell…" Yusuke trailed. He couldn't figure it out.

"Hey guys, we got a text from the producers!" Trunks voice could be heard from the first floor, interrupting Yusuke's thoughts.

In Starfish…

"Hope you're familiar with the Art of Zen. Embracing its teachings is the only way you can win. Be prepared to leave the villas at 11am…grasshoppers." Keiko read off the text message to her team. "Hmm. I guess we'll be doing something Martial Arts related, then?"

"It certainly sounds that way." Botan scratched her chin.

"Yeah, but then again, we know by now that when it comes to this competition, things are never what they seem." Pan added dryly.

"True." Keiko agreed. "Well team, it's time to give it all we've got today. Let's get out there and do our best!"

"Right!" The girls' team chorused with enthusiasm as they all scattered in preparation for the next challenge. Pan was correct in her assessment. The competition from day one was never as it seemed. However, being paranoid about the unknown would only serve to hurt them immensely in the next challenge.

17th Challenge: The Beating of Your Heart, Baby!

The challengers arrived to a large field not far from a local park. As the afternoon progressed, a significant amount of clouds had collected in the sky giving them momentary breaks from the ruthless rays of sunlight. There he stood with Brad once again by his side –who it seemed had been convinced to don Jonny's trademark Aloha shirts- waving down the competitors was Jonny Moseley looking enthused and cheerful as per usual.

Hilde and Ryoko mostly trailed behind so as to stay as far away as possible from Bra, whom they noticed had already begun her work on Keiko. Thankfully, it appeared that Keiko wasn't playing into her tricks, though she was visibly annoyed by the blue-haired girl. For reasons unknown to Keiko, the girl wouldn't stop going on and on about friends of hers who had lost their boyfriends to strippers, within her earshot no less.

"Yeah, I told Caitlin not to worry, because I mean if he's just gonna run off with a skanky stripper then he's not worth her time, you know?" Bra regarded Pan who was clearly growing bored with the conversation.

"Yea-huh." Pan half-answered.

"Okay, Bra," Keiko started, rolling her eyes, "I know what you're doing, so you can stop now."

"Sorry Keiko, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Bra played innocent. "I was in the middle of a conversation with Pan, so…"

"Oh please!" Keiko snapped. "You're so obvious!"

"Keiko, I seriously don't know what you're talking about, okay?" Bra huffed.

"You're trying to get me to break up with Yusuke just so you can make your move. Well, I'm not buying it. I'm too smart for that, though you're clearly not smart enough to think up a better strategy." Keiko folded her arms. The challengers were growing closer to Jonny and Brad's location, a large tower becoming more visible behind them as they gained distance to their host. They stopped, however, to gawk at the current back and forth that was transpiring within their group.

Bra stopped then, indignantly placing her hands on her hips as she faced Keiko, getting in the other's face. "Umm, okay. First of all Keiko, that couldn't be the farthest from the truth. And even if it were, I guarantee you that if by some twist of personal sanity I was to develop even an iota of desire for your frumpy little boyfriend, I wouldn't need to convince you to break up with him in order to get him. So you can stop entertaining those grandiose fantasies right now. You're only embarrassing yourself."

"Damn." Duo breathed. The boys couldn't help but react to Bra's bold attitude. They honestly couldn't believe what she had just said, especially Yusuke who at the moment was trying to pretend that he wasn't hearing the exchange by looking anywhere and at anything but Bra and Keiko.

Yusuke: Yu Yu Hakusho (Guys) *WHISTLING NONCHALANTLY* Oh what? Sorry I was just admiring the…plaster on the…ceiling. It's magnificent. *LOOKS UP AND CONTINUES WHISTLING*

MTV Producer: Coward.

Yusuke: Yep. *KEEPS WHISTLING*

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Keiko moved a bit closer toward Bra.

"Are you having language comprehension difficulties, now?" Bra half-chuckled. "Okay then, I'll use simple-speak. If I wanted your boyfriend, I could get him in a heartbeat. But, since I actually have standards, you can stop worrying that I'll be one of the many girls to divert his, likely bored, attention away from you."

"Whoa." Dearka whispered with widened eyes covering his mouth in absolute shock. If only he had popcorn.

And that was all it took. Keiko was fuming. She didn't care that Bra was exponentially stronger than her. She didn't care that the girl could, quite literally, blast her into another state. She wasn't going to tolerate it anymore. She wasn't going to let Bra speak to them all as though they were trash because the spoiled, half-Saiyan, princess knew that the majority of the team feared her wrath. She didn't give a damn about Bra's wrath. At this point, all she cared about was:

SLLLAAAAP!

The sound reverberated throughout the entire field. A flock of birds abandoned a nearby tree having been startled from the unnerving pop of Keiko's palm making violent contact with the left side of Bra's face. The earth seemed to stand still. No one could speak. Even Jonny and Brad, who had witnessed the incident from the distance, could only stand frozen with their mouths agape in disbelief.

All eyes rested on Bra, the tension thick enough to slice with a buzz saw. No one knew what the unstable and unpredictable girl was going to do. It was nerve-wracking. Pan took this time to position herself adjacent to her childhood friend, making sure that if it were necessary, she could take the girl down to prevent her from seriously injuring Keiko. Or worse.

Pan: Dragonball Z/GT (Gals) I don't think I've ever been that nervous about what Bra was going to do since I've known her. I'm not gonna lie. I was terrified! I mean, she got slapped! In the face! Do you have any idea how much that girl cherishes her face! More than her shoe collection. Trust me, that's way more serious than it sounds. *BITES NAILS*

Trunks: Dragonball Z/GT (Guys) *ON THE PHONE* Yeah about five feet, 90 pounds. Uh-huh. *POINTS TO PHONE* Morticians. Yes, I see. So…how fast can you deliver one for a body that size? You take credit cards? *AWKWARD SMILE*

Lacus: Gundam SEED (Gals) *PLAYING ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND SINGING* Goodbye to youuuuu. Goodbye to everything, that I knewwww. You were the one I loved. The one thing that I tried to hold ontooooo.

MTV Producer: *HOLDS UP LIGHTER*

Bra slowly raised her hand to palm the side of her face where Keiko's palm had made its clean and unexpected assault. She lightly dragged her fingertips upon her jawline, a slight tingling sensation beginning to fade in the process. She eyed the brown-haired girl who had struck her with a hint of amusement in her sapphire orbs. Keiko stood before her panting and clearly tense as she balled her fists to her side. "Hm. You seem upset, Keiko."

"I am!" Keiko growled.

"Then I guess I'll leave you alone, then." Bra shrugged and proceeded to the challenge area to meet up with Jonny and Brad.

"Oh come on, Bra," Pan held her hands up and stood in front of Keiko, "there's no need to do anything that you know you're gonna re-wa-wa-wait a minute…WHAT?" Pan had to do a double-take between Keiko and Bra's retreating form.

"Come on guys, we don't wanna keep Jonny waiting! We've got a challenge to do!" Bra smiled brightly as she gestured for the rest of the team to follow along.

The rest of the competitors stood in place, dumbfounded as they scratched their heads all trying to process some very confusing information. "Okay," Faye started, raising her index fingers up unconsciously, "what…the BLEEP."

"Perhaps, young Bra, has finally decided to be a team player." Miroku rubbed his chin.

"No." Faye fervently shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No. Hell no."

Hilde felt awkward as she had an idea as to what was going on with Bra. "Well guys, we can't really waste time standing around here. You heard the crazy one. We've got a challenge, so let's…go! Go ladies." Hilde half-cheered.

Hilde: Gundam Wing (Gals) God, please just make them leave it alone and move on. Please!

The competitors all proceeded to the challenge area to finally meet up with Jonny and Brad. Whatever was going on with Bra, they would have to deal with it later. As they met up with Jonny, Serena once again noted that Sachiya was missing. She found it so strange that the girl was missing for this long. It was truly starting to worry her. She looked all around the challenge area, but there was still no sign of the purple-haired girl. She was tempted to question Jonny about it, but something stopped her.

Serena: Sailor Moon (Gals) I think Jonny noticed that I was looking for Sachiya. He kinda gave me a look. It wasn't an angry look or anything, but he did look pretty nervous. I couldn't tell if it was a 'please don't ask about Sachiya' look or a 'yes Sachiya is gone and even I don't know where she is or what happened to her' look. Hmmm.

"Alright guys, glad we were all able to make it…alive." Jonny cleared his throat, causing another wave of awkwardness to wash throughout the group. "Anyway, welcome to your 17th Challenge! As you can see, before you, stands a 200 foot old tower that has been modified to specifically be used for this challenge. At one side of the tower is a safety balloon. At the other side is…a tank of gators."

"What, were they out of sharks?" Athrun huffed sardonically.

"This is Florida. It's cheaper and quicker to acquire gators. And we're not big on clichés." Jonny explained.

"Not big on clichés?" Duo chirped. "What the hell was Tigre then? An original thought?"

"Shhh!" Heero elbowed Duo in the ribs. "Do not say his name."

"Yeah, really, Duo." Inuyasha shivered.

Inuyasha: Inuyasha (Guys) I'm afraid it'll be like that thing where you say his name three times and he appears. We can't afford to go through that a…third time.

"Guys," Jonny sighed, "can I just explain the challenge, please?" They all nodded, Jonny taking in a breath before continuing. "Okay, so here's the deal. You will each compete one at a time standing on that above platform. You will be hooked to a heart rate monitor that measures your heart rate in beats per minute. The overall object is to get your heart rate to 62bpm or less for full points. If and when you accomplish this, there is a trap door on the floor of the platform that will release you. The platform starts off hovering over the safety balloon. It will remain over this safety balloon for 90 seconds. After 90 seconds passes, the platform moves over the tank of alligators."

"Of course it does." Hiei snipped.

"Obviously, you don't want to be released over a tank of gators, so you want to make sure that your heart rate does not drop to 62bpm or less if and when the platform moves over the gator tank. However, there is a catch. If your heart rate reaches 72bpm you will be released, but receive no points if you are over the safety balloon. If your heart rate reaches 72bpm and you are released over the tank, you will receive half of the amount of points value for yourself and your team. Since we're certain hovering over an alligator tank with the prospect of being dropped into it can be quite unsettling, we can only encourage you to think happy thoughts, at the right time. The platform will move back over the safety balloon after one minute has passed. This rotation will continue for ten minutes from the first rotation, meaning that once the platform moves the first time, that is when the ten minutes begins. If your heart rate fails to reach 62bpm before ten minutes is up, you DQ and the trap door releases you. Over the safety balloon. Calm down guys." Jonny could tell that they were getting nervous, having not done the rotation math in their heads yet.

The competitors all released a collective sigh of relief upon learning that they would not be automatically released over a tank of gators. "There are rules. The number one rule: no flying or floating of any kind during this challenge. Anyone caught doing either will automatically DQ and gain no points for their team as well as risk removal from the competition entirely. So yeah, you don't wanna do that."

"Damn it." Trunks pouted. He could see, Pan, Bra, Ryoko and quite a few others on both teams grumbling over the no flight rule as well.

Trunks: Dragonball Z/GT (Guys) Well, there goes my plan.

"Alright, anyone that manages to get their heart rate to 62bpm within the first 90 seconds automatically gains 1000 points for their team and 500 for themselves. From that point on, at the first rotation, if you are released and your heart rate is 62bpm, you gain 400 points for yourself and 900 points for your team. If your heart rate is 72bpm on first rotation and you are released, the points you gain will be 200 for yourself and 450 for your team. The point values are half for all 72bpm that occur over the tank. However, if you are released over the safety balloon with a heart rate of 72bpm, you gain no points. By the second rotation, the points that you can gain will be 300 for yourself and 800 for your team if your heart rate reaches 62bpm. Are you guys following this?"

"Yeah," Ed chimed, "so basically, we lose a hundred points for all rotations that happen after the first 90 seconds. If we reach 72bpm and we're over the tank, we gain half point values, but none if we're over the balloon. And if we reach 62bpm, it doesn't matter what we're hovering over, but however long we take that determines how many points we gain?"

"Yep, you got it. Very good, Ed. Feel free to taunt your opposing teammates 'til your heart's content to aid with raising their blood pressure. I'm sure that'll be easy for you guys." Jonny nodded.

"Right, so what are we winning this time?" Yusuke urged.

"The winner of the challenge, meaning the player who manages to clear the platform in the quickest time, will receive the Chibi Wolf Hero and this team prize. Brad." Jonny regarded his adjunct co-host.

"A wireless Blu-Ray Player with box set of seasons 1-5 of Breaking Bad. Boys, you have a starting score of 103,549. Ladies, your starting score is 73,458." Brad introduced the prize and starting scores.

"Oh. Nice!" Yusuke smiled.

"Alright challengers, go ahead and follow Nicole over there at the tower and she'll get you prepped and ready!"

"Jonny," Lacus raised her hand as if she were in school, "I don't notice any safety cables and that's a really long drop. Are we going to be using cables?"

"No."

"WHAT?" A large portion of the competitors yelped.

"It's 200 BLEEPING feet!" Faye protested.

"Yes…umm…do your best." And with that, Jonny trotted off to meet with the judges and prepare for the challenge.

"I don't believe this." Faye palmed her forehead in exasperation.

"Faye, hon," Android 18 placed a hand on the other's shoulder, "how long have you been here?"

"Too long."

First up were the girls, and Lacus was hooked up to the heart monitor and ready to go. She could see the tank of alligators on the other side of the tower. She watched as they swam around, their eyes peering through the surface of the water, and it was then that she noticed something. "Hmm, are those not the exact same creatures that were used for our three-legged race?" She questioned the judge.

"Yes. We are literally that cheap." One of the judges answered.

"…"

"Alright, Lacus," Jonny called up to her with a megaphone, "when you hear my horn, the judges will turn on a switch that connects the monitors to the trap door. So I want you to start focusing on getting your heart rate to 62bpm, okay?"

Lacus gave him a thumbs up as she adjusted her helmet. At least they were kind enough to supply them with that much. Soon after, Jonny blew his horn, and Lacus closed her eyes. She could hear several members from the boys' team beginning with their taunting, but she ignored it.

"So Lacus," Came Duo's cheerful voice, "I never really did get a chance to ask you this. Not long ago, you were shamelessly used by a queer and made a fool of on national television in front of all of your teeny-bopper fans. Honestly, at this point, I don't even think fifty grand can buy back your dignity. How are you coping?"

His taunting generated a wave of guttural laughter to collect throughout his team. Lacus opened her eyes up slowly to gaze at the boys' line from the corner of her eye. She saw him then, his red-wine tresses blowing freely within the wind as he held his helmet under his arm. It wasn't hard to tell. He was chuckling, ever so subtly, with them. So casually and disrespectfully, Kurama was joining his teammates in their laughter. At her. She supposed she should've been enraged by it, but instead, something else happened.

"YO!" Pan shouted in excitement as Lacus was released with 54 seconds on the clock earning 500 points for herself and 1000 for her team. "Wait, was her heart rate 62bpm?" She nervously questioned the judge.

"58." The judge answered with a hint of shock.

"Wow, ok."

It was strange. Someone like Lacus, they would at least expect to scream on her way down toward the safety balloon. It was, after all, a 200 foot fall. Instead, she just glided down with the wind. The expression on her face was stony and unresponsive. Overall, it was just weird and slightly creepy.

"Yeah…yeah, that's weird." Pan stated as she watched the pink-haired girl make her way towards the safety balloon, finally reaching her destination and bouncing up and down until landing on the mat below.

"What?" Cagalli questioned.

"Talk to your friend when this is over. I think something's going on. Pan notified Cagalli, quietly.

"Why?"

"Not, now, Hiei's on the platform. I must taunt him." Pan smirked. "Hey, Hiei! I don't think you'll have to worry about the gators. They probably won't even bother with a small meal like you."

"Oh, that reminds me," Ryoko began, "I know you're a demon, which basically means that you're immortal. So, does this mean that you're gonna look like a 6th grader forever? Damn, that must keep you up at night, squirt!"

Hiei closed his eyes and focused only on the sound of his heart beating in his ears. As far as he was concerned, he was the only one present during the challenge. He was the only one doing battle, and his heart was his only opponent. He completely disappeared within himself, the taunting attempts by the girls being rendered useless as he truly couldn't even hear them. With his skills and experience, the task was a cakewalk to him. He hadn't even bothered to employ the supplied helmet. What did they take him for, some kind of amateur?

Hiei: Yu Yu Hakusho (Guys) I'm sure those incorrigible women were making the feeblest attempts to distract me from the mission. If anything, the only thing they succeeded at was demonstrating how unbearably stupid they are to even assume that I would be at all affected by such low-level tactics.

63 seconds were on the clock when the trap door was released and Hiei began to make his free fall toward the safety balloon, his arms casually crossed and his body remaining in an upright position the whole way down. It took him 27 seconds to get his heart rate down to 48bpm, quickly earning 1000 points for his team and 500 for himself.

"Holy BLEEP, he should be dead." One of the judges exclaimed. "His heart rate hit 48!"

"He's a demon." Kurama interjected. "A demon's heart rate functions differently than that of a human's."

"Oh crap." Pan gulped. "How many demons do we have on our team?"

"Zero." Keiko sighed.

"And…how many do the boys have?"

"I think three…and a half." Keiko answered uncertainly.

"And a half?"

"Inuyasha." Keiko clarified.

"Damn." Pan leaned against the backboard of the tower. "We're screwed."

"Yes," Yusuke assured, "yes you are."

"Shut up, Yusuke!" Pan snapped.

"Careful there, firecracker. You don't wanna get yourself worked up. You might find yourself swimming with the gators." Yusuke winked.

"Ugh!"

Next up was Winry, who appeared to be beyond apprehensive. Beads of sweat were collecting at her temples, and her cheeks were rosy and flushed with anxiety.

"This is clearly going to end well." Sango noted to Kagome as she studied the blonde girl's disposition.

"Do your best, Winry!" Kagome encouraged.

Winry: Full Metal Alchemist (Gals) I had been running all that morning and ever since that time, I could not, for the life of me, get my heart rate below 80. Couple that with the anticipation of the competition…I mean come on, alligators? I was doomed before I even began.

Winry began to fidget with the frayed ends of her blue jean shorts, nervously. She could feel the temperature in her helmet rising as her body temperature went through the roof. She tried not to think about the gator tank and just focused on calming herself and releasing that trap door. She had to think of something. Anything. Something pleasant. Something that eased her mind, made her feel safe and as though all was right in the world. She looked to her right and saw Ed standing there with a familiar smirk on his face. It was the one he would always have whenever he accomplished something, or even when he was just putting someone in their place with his skills in alchemy. But it was also a look that reminded her of something else. And this look was both nostalgic and…peaceful.

She closed her eyes then and brought herself back to a time when that look was the one thing she would look forward to seeing each day. A warm smile crept upon her face at the reverie.

"68bpm. 42 seconds left." The judge announced. But she ignored it. She was elsewhere. She was trapped within a place of perfect peace, warmth, and love. A place that deep down, she so longed to spend eternity with…

SNAP!

At 21 seconds left on the clock, Winry felt her body being released to the earth below. Her eyes quickly shot open as she hadn't remembered if she felt the platform rotate or not. God forbid she be hurling at however many miles per hour toward a tank full of, no doubt underfed, alligators. A sigh of relief escaped her lips once she realized that she was in fact heading towards the safety balloon meaning that she had done it. She had managed to gain 1000 points for her team and 500 to her personal score. She could hear the cheering voices of her teammates in the background and it made her proud that she was the one responsible for their chorus of victory.

"Wow!" Kagome clapped. "I thought for sure that she'd blow it and end up over the tank!"

"I know! Way to go, Winry!" Miriallia cheered.

For the boys, it was time for Spike to step up to the plate. The bounty hunter appeared a little skittish but nothing too out of the ordinary. At least, that's what his teammates believed. Faye on the other hand, she knew that his behavior was off, and she refused to believe that Spike Spiegel was nervous about the challenge. "Spike, don't tell me you're nervous about a few little harmless alligators." Faye teased. When Spike failed to answer her and only blinked, she became legitimately worried. "Spike?" No answer.

"Is he…" Botan was concerned as well.

"I don't know…Spike!" Faye called out a third time.

"Geez…what!" Spike bit back.

"What's wrong with you? You're acting…strange." Faye observed.

"Why don't you worry about your own teammates, Valentine!" Spike spat. It was obvious that he was nervous about something, and it became even more clear once Jonny blew his horn.

"91bpm. 85 seconds remaining." The judge announced.

"What the…" Yusuke was baffled, "what are you, having a heart attack, dude? Calm down!"

"Yes. By all means, yell at him. That'll definitely help him to find inner peace." Faye rolled her eyes.

"Faye, shut up." Yusuke retorted before returning his attentions back to his teammate. "Spike, man, what's wrong. You're the last person I'd expect to be nervous over something like this."

The man couldn't speak, but only stare down. The ground below began to grow blurry the more he stared at it. He couldn't understand but something had definitely thrown him off of his game that day.

Spike: Cowboy Bebop (Guys) It was the bats, okay? They really…shook me up. I had a…bad experience with bats as a kid. It's this whole thing. L-leave me alone! *POUTS*

"89bpm. 22 seconds left."

"Oh come on!" Yusuke groaned.

"Seriously, Spike? I know you're not afraid of heights, okay. I've seen you scale a skyscraper…on foot…running!" Faye was in so much disbelief, she was even drawn to help her bounty hunter partner with the challenge.

Faye: Cowboy Bebop (Gals) The building was rigged with teddy bombs! I've seen this guy do the impossible and not even blink. So needless to say, I was genuinely shocked. Amused and satisfied. But shocked.

"82bpm. 0 seconds remaining. Platform is now rotating." The judge updated the status of the match.

"BLEEP me. I don't believe this." Yusuke slammed his face into the palm of his hand as he leaned his forehead against the backboard of the tower, not wanting to witness the horrific events of Spike Spiegel's failure.

There he was, hovering about alligator infested tank waters. Surprisingly, this didn't do anything to raise his heart rate. In fact, his heart rate decided to continue its descent, much to Spike's chagrin.

Spike: Cowboy Bebop (Guys) I was trying to make it so that my heart rate stayed steady until I was over the balloon again. But I was just really having an off day. Usually I have expert control over all of my body functions. Not including flatulence of course, but that's another discussion for another day. Yeah, I dunno, I just couldn't hone my skills. I had too many distractions and it just…wasn't a good day.

"73bpm. 44 seconds remaining."

Not seconds later did the floor open, releasing Spike as he hurled fast toward the gator tank. "ShBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP !" He shouted the entire way down, earning 450 points for his team, and 200 for himself.

"Ohmygod!" Kagome gasped.

"Heavens, this can't be legal!" Aeka cried.

"When have these people ever cared about the law, Aeka? I mean, really!" Cagalli grasped her hair not believing what she was about to see.

"SPIKE!" Faye cried out, a little too nervously, causing the other challengers to give her a strange look. She fervently peered down from the tower and watched as Spike fell directly into the tank, the gators in its confines going straight for the new addition to their space. Faye immediately went to collar up one of the judges, much to the shock of everyone else. "Enough of this bullBLEEP! You get someone to get their ass down there and help him right now, damn it!"

"I-I c-can't. It's…it's not in the rules!"

"BLEEP your gBLEEP damn rules! I don't give a shBLEEP about your BLEEPING rules! Get him out of there now, or so help me I will throw your ass overboard right in there with him and give your little reptilian friends a nice little blonde-haired distraction!"

"Whoa, Faye, calm-"

"I swear to God, if the next word out of your mouth is 'down,' you're gonna find yourself going rub-a-dub-dub with the gators in the tub, also!" Faye cut off Pan who was attempting to calm her down.

Hilde: Gundam Wing (Gals) Okay. That was completely out of nowhere. No one could believe how Faye just went off on that judge. And for Spike of all people. I mean…we all knew they came together and knew each other before the competition. But no one was expecting her to go off like that. Besides, she didn't seem to care much when Tigre was trying to umm…get a piece of that, if you know what I'm saying. *WINKS*

"But, Faye," Pan began carefully, "Spike's fine. I dunno about the gators, but he's definitely fine. Look!" Pan pointed downward toward Spike who was wrestling the two alligators in the tank.

On the way down, he had removed his shoe laces and shirt employing them as ropes to snugly tie the creatures' jowls shut. The wet, tanned skin of his bare torso glistened in the sunlight as he calmly swam out of the tank, having essentially reduced the threat in the alligator tank by closing their mouths…literally. "Now, if only we could do that to a couple of the chicks, this game would run a lot smoother." He joked to himself as he wiped his hands together in a dusting motion, and casually exited the tanks.

"Dude! That was hardcore!" Dearka cheered along with the rest of the boys' team.

"Oh wait a minute," Yusuke came to a realization, "yo Spike! Did you do that on purpose?" Yusuke yelled down to his teammate.

"Of course I did! What you think I'm having my teammates take a risk with gators after Tigre?"

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" His entire team frantically chorused.

"Oh." Faye breathed, having collected herself.

"Umm, Faye," Kagome regarded her teammate, "you wanna…explain what that was all about?"

"What what was all about?"

Kagome: Inuyasha (Gals) Oh, I see. So that's how we're gonna play it. Figures. *ROLLS EYES*

Following Spike's impromptu act of heroism, it was now Keiko's turn. The girl had mostly been quite and stayed to herself while on the platform. She had been trying to calm herself, but she couldn't help but constantly think about what Bra had said and how much the other girl's words had royally pissed her off. In fact, the other girl had been grating on her nerves since the first day they met when they started the competition. Her eyes grazed over to the girl who was currently the bane of her existence. She noticed how she proceeded to casually converse and laugh with Yusuke as the two discussed how 'sweet' it was when Spike wrestled the alligators. And right in front of her.

"Keiko," The judge gained her attention, "you're up, hon. Stand here."

"Right." Keiko blinked. Her eyes drifted once again to Yusuke and Bra as the two continued to amicably go on and on about Spike's actions, which, the more she heard about it, the less spectacular it became. She watched as Bra playfully palmed Yusuke's forearm for just a second. Though it was just a second, it was enough to make her blood boil.

"…I wouldn't need to convince you to break up with him to get him…"

"If I wanted your boyfriend, I could get him in a heartbeat…"

Bra's words lingered in her mind, and played over again like a broken record. She then began to think about how she had seen Bra so easily gain the attention of all of the guys during their first time at Razzle's. She just drew guys to her like a magnet so effortlessly, it was like some sort of art for her. Then there was the subject of Yusuke and his apparent affinity for women with sex appeal and finesse. Qualities that she knew that she didn't have. She was quite ordinary and plain. When they went to Razzle's that time, she didn't exactly draw the guys in like Bra, did. Not that she was trying. It was just the principle. Sometimes she did wonder why Yusuke was with her. They were so different is so many ways. Yet, they were similar in others, and it was their similarities that she tried to focus on. She would be lying, however, if she said that there were times when she felt that Yusuke would leave her for someone more exciting and…wild.

"83bpm. 21 seconds remaining. 10th rotation." She finally slipped out of herself to realize that she hadn't focused at all on lowering her heart rate.

"Oh no." She whispered to herself

"Keiko, please try to calm down." Serena encouraged. At this point, she was the only one offering words of encouragement as the others had long given up. They knew that after the incident earlier, the chances of Keiko's heart rate dropping below 80 were slim to none. They could practically still see the vein of rage protruding in her forehead.

Botan: Yu Yu Hakusho (Gals) It was as if she couldn't even hear us. Her heart rate was 91bpm when she first started. Nearly ten minutes and she still didn't drop below 80. Poor, Keiko. I just didn't know what else to do for her.

Bra watched with a look of triumph in her scheming eyes as the ten minutes finally expired and the floor gave way, releasing Keiko to a big fat DQ. "Hmph." She smirked.

I've fallen, I have sunk so low, I messed up. Better I should know, so don't come 'round here, and tell me I told you so…

Keiko watched as her team grew further and further away. She wasn't certain, but as she made her descent to the balloon, she could've sworn that she caught Bra smiling. Her brow furrowed as that thought crossed her mind.

Keiko: Yu Yu Hakusho (Gals) I know I wasn't just imagining it. I know I saw Bra smiling when she saw me DQ. Now, this is strange. Why is this strange, you ask? Because the Bra I have had the displeasure to get to know, hates it when we fail. Fight or no fight. Her philosophy has always been 'get over it, and win.' So, for her to be smiling when I DQ'ed is extremely odd.

MTV Producer: How are you an honor student? In what ass-backwards universe are you an honor student?

Keiko: …

MTV Producer: *FACEPALM*

The game had gone on quite closely from that point on. To the boys' surprise, the girls were actually doing quite well of lowering their heart rate within 90 seconds. It was rather unexpected. Considering how much bickering and complaining they were known for, they had expected their heart rates to be damn near tachycardic. Bra, of course, managed to make it within the 90 second time frame, as did Hilde. As a result of Keiko's DQ, her score was brought down significantly, leaving barely a hundred point difference between her and Hilde. Hilde was sure she should've been excited for the accomplishment, but it was thus tainted and she couldn't help but be miserable about it.

Hilde: Gundam Wing (Gals) On the bright side, got to see Bra get slapped. So, small victories. *SHRUGS*

At the end of the day, the true victors lied with the ladies by a full 1000 points worth of difference. Inuyasha would forever kick himself for letting Kagome's mentioning Kikyo get to him. Try as he might, there was no force on Earth that could make him lower his heart rate once that infuriating subject was brought up.

Inuyasha: Inuyasha (Guys) Yeah that's it, they always hold it in and then lay it on us at the worst times! Well played, Kagome. Well played. Stupid girl! *POUTING*

"Alright guys, that was intense!" Jonny exclaimed. "First of all, let's give it up to Spike for taking the bite out of the gator tank! Dude, that was awesome!"

"I know." Spike pretended to not enjoy the applause that he was receiving.

"Yeah, I'm glad you were able to do that, I thought Faye was gonna have a heart attack, she was so worried about you!" Serena added, causing Faye to give her a disagreeable look.

"Was she now?" Spike smirked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Spike." Faye denied. "I think that girl wrapped her meatballs too tight this morning. She has no idea what she's talking about."

"Uh…huh." Spike spared Faye a look as he turned his attention back to Jonny.

"Jonny!" Faye prompted their host to proceed.

"Right, okay so today's challenge was pretty close. Good job both teams, but ultimately there can be only one winner. And that title, goes to the ladies! Guys, your final score is 114,049 and ladies your final score is 84,958. Chibi Wolf Hero recipient and winner of today's challenge is Hiei for finishing in the fastest time."

The girls didn't even hear the last portion about Hiei winning the team prize. What would a fire demon do with a Blu-Ray player and Breaking Bad box set anyway? They were too busy jumping up and down in their celebratory cheers. It was a victory that would make two consecutive wins in a row for their team. And they were determined to make it three.

Eliminations

Eliminations proceeded as normal, for the girls' team anyway. They decided to send Serena home, as she had the lowest score. Once again, the girls' Inner Circle demonstrated that they would stick to their guns of sending home players with the lowest score. The boys, however, had once again deviated from their usual elimination routine of releasing the player with the lowest score. This time, they let Dearka go, and he was quite far from the bottom. It didn't make any sense. Moreover, Dearka seemed to be completely fine with the decision.

"Later guys. Kick ass in the final challenge." He gave his team a knowing look, who returned with understanding nods. He then regarded Bra, and immediately turned his flirt on, "Sorry, babe, but it looks like I've gotta blow this joint."

Bra looked around as if to try to figure out who Dearka was talking to. "I'm sorry, are you talking to me?"

"I'm looking at you, aren't I?" Dearka rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that would be the confusing part. I don't know where you got the idea that I was your babe but you're quite mistaken." Bra folded her arms in defiance.

"What? But…we…at your party-"

"Yeah. And how long ago was that?" Bra started to tap her foot impatiently. Dearka could only stare at her with a confused look. "Ugh, seriously Dearka? The fact that you actually think you could retain my attention for more than a week is laughable. Adorable. But laughable." She then mock waved as the transportation vans pulled up to pick up the eliminated players.

"Wow. Okay. Whatever, Bra." Dearka chuckled and shooed Bra off as he headed towards the transportation van.

Dearka: Gundam SEED (Guys) That chick has serious issues. I'm not kidding. *PHONE BUZZES WITH TEXT MESSAGE* What the…really? Wow, you're never gonna guess who this is from. *HOLDS SCREEN UP TO SHOW MESSAGE*

From Bra: Hey, what r u doing?

Dude…issues! Anyone know how to block a person on a Galaxy S3?

The girls said their goodbyes to Serena who tried to hold back tears upon her exit. "I'm gonna miss you guys! Call me?"

"We definitely will!" Botan sniffed.

"Tell Yukina to keep in touch, too. And tell her I really did miss having her as a roommate when she left." A small tear rolled down Serena's cheek.

"Oh I will."

"Oh and Keiko, try to cheer up, okay? Don't let anyone make you miss out on your goals. You're gonna beat this, I know it." Serena smiled.

"Thank you, Serena." Keiko gave the blonde girl a warm hug.

Yusuke: Yu Yu Hakusho (Guys) Would you believe that that actually went on for like 20 minutes? It had to be cut for time because apparently, girls turn into blubbering idiots when a friend goes to another location on Earth that is easily able to be visited.

Literally 20 minutes later…

"Bye guys, I'm really really gonna miss you. Even you Bra. I know you're not really like that and really have a good, kind, heart underneath!" Serena waved from the transportation van.

"No she doesn't," Trunks added flatly, "go home."

"Bye, Kagome and Sango. I'll really miss you guys!"

"Goodbye, Serena!" Kagome held back tears.

Duo had to pinch the bridge of his nose. The goodbyes were dragging on far too long. "Goodbye Scarecrow. I think I'll miss you most of all." He mocked amongst his teammates, who chuckled to themselves.

"I know, right?" Yusuke quietly griped. "Just get in the damn balloon and float away already, Dorothy!"

Serena and Dearka had finally made their departure away from the competition leaving the challengers to return to the villas two players short. It had been a long, grueling day of personal and competition challenges, and it would only amplify as the days went on.

Starfish curbside…

The girls had decided to throw themselves another celebratory party in their villa. The muffled sounds of "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyoncé could be heard all the way outside as it blared through the stereo system. Hilde and Ryoko, in spite of the win for their team, weren't exactly in the mood for the festivities. They had more pressing issues to attend to; a darkness to overcome. And the name of that darkness was Bra Briefs.

Hilde took a drag from yet another cigarette that she had bummed off of Faye as she and Ryoko sat on the curb in deep thought on how to repair their very messed up situation.

"I sure hope you're not making a habit of that." Ryoko made a pointed comment about Hilde's new smoking vice.

"I'm not." Hilde answered idly as a thick cloud of smoke snaked its way from between her parted lips.

"Yeah." Ryoko absently fiddled with a few pebbles on the ground as she rested her chin on her knees. They had to think of something, and thus far nothing useful was populating in their minds. So far, all they had was slipping Nair in her conditioner. And while it would certainly prove to be entertaining, it wouldn't serve their main purpose which was to essentially get Bra off of their backs.

"This is sad. All of my training as a soldier and experience with war, battle strategy, and special ops yet I still can't figure out how to get some spoiled, rich, little brat out of my hair." Hilde extinguished her cigarette on the ground and rested her chin in her hand.

"Tell me about it. I've been a hardcore, renowned space pirate for eons, and even I'm stumped as to how to get Hell-Barbie to back off." Ryoko sighed.

There was a brief moment of silence as the two watched the sun set over the distant horizon, causing the sky to take on a beautiful, warm, orange-pink tint. That's when it finally hit her. A proverbial light bulb went off, as Hilde drew closer to concocting a plan. "Hey, isn't Bra the newly appointed CEO of her family's company, Capsule Corps?"

"Yeah, once the competition is finished. Why?"

A devious smirk spread across Hilde's lips as a plan finally emerged. Pulling out her cellphone, she searched through her contacts and selected the number that she wanted to dial. Waiting for her party to pick up, her stomach churned with anticipation. The solution was there all along, and she couldn't believe she didn't immediately consider it the first time Bra tried to pull her intimidation tactics on them. She finally heard her party answer after a few rings, and was thanking her lucky stars that the hardest part was finally over. "Hi, this is Hilde Schbeiker, we met a while ago at Bra's birthday party."

Ryoko watched the other girl intently as she continued on with her phone conversation. "How is Bra you ask? Well, that's actually why I'm calling you. I sort of have a bit of a favor to ask of you."

Capsule Corps Main HQ…

"Oh? What kind of favor?" Bulma Briefs questioned with perked interest.

"It's regarding your daughter."

End Chapter

Next Chapter - Chapter 26: Predator

Hilde and Ryoko implement the ultimate revenge plot against Bra. Meanwhile, Lacus genuinely angers Kurama and the two officially declare war, and the girls get a new "special" houseguest.