Stifling a yawn, Hara stretched as the early morning sunlight filtered in through the Venetian blinds, casting shadows over the soft linen sheets of her safe house bed. Yuji's strong arms caught her as she rolled over into his embrace, quelling the slight chill that had built up within her limbs with his body's own immeasurable warmth. She sighed blissfully as he kissed her neck, her ears sensing the dog-like sniffles coming from his nose as he inhaled the intoxicating aroma of her skin. Their tongues met in a flurry of quick strikes and long slides as the two locked lips in a passionate kiss, just a girl and her guardian angel sharing a tender moment far away from the sea of chaos. Deep in Hara's mind, she knew such a moment was far too good to be true, but she just wouldn't allow herself to believe it, wanting nothing more than for that moment to continue on for all eternity.
"Hara, wake up."
As the class president's eyes fluttered open, her dream had been a very far cry from the harsh and blurry vision of her true surroundings of squalor. The stripes of light, once pure and serene, had been corrupted, a dingy brown falling upon her uniform and the ratty comforter on which she'd somehow managed to sleep so soundly. Clutched between her arms, stiff cotton pushing into her chest, was the worn and beaten old pillow Yuji had coaxed her into resting upon just a few hours before. The case has a light film of translucent fluid upon it, about the right height for Hara's mouth, her teeth marks still quite evident within the absorbent object. Upon noticing her saliva, having apparently gotten to first base in her sleep, Hara proceeded to gag, jamming a finger into her mouth to dig out a stray piece of cotton that had attached itself to her inner cheek.
Yuji watched from the doorway, a smirk across his face as he did his best to stifle the building laughter from deep within his throat. While Hara cried out in triumph, extracting the fiber debris and flicking it away, Yuji turned and headed into the bathroom, pausing before the porcelain bowl. Although the process of awakening was slow, Hara was alert enough to recognize the sound of metal becoming undone, and the familiar sound of rustling fabric, a consistent blush coming into bloom within her cheeks long before the first sound of liquid striking the smooth, ivory surface of the toilet. Not wanting to seem like one of those slutty, perverted girls that stayed after school with the entire football team, despite cheerleading practice being cancelled, Hara quickly put on a faux expression of anger.
"Ugh! At least close the damn door!"
"The door's gone Hara. You want me to go do it outside where I'll get shot all hangin' out?"
"No…but um…can you at least stop talking to me while you're…in there…please? It's weird for me…"
"Why? Not like we have anything better to do."
"That is one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard."
"Oh c'mon…you know you love it Hara."
With the stream dying down to a mere trickle, then down to a drop or two, Yuji pushed himself back in and tried to flush, only to discover that the water apparently had been shut off to the domicile. Stretching as he exited the grimy lavatory, he let loose a massive yawn, catching Hara's eye and causing her to do the same, a massive yawn bellowing from her elegant and petit maw. That time, unlike before, Yuji simply had to laugh, his bedmate's behavior so adorable and similar to that of a kitten, not even a month old. As she threw a cross glare at him, the reigning champion flopped down on the bed, causing Hara to bounce a bit, giggling slightly herself.
"And what, Mister Naka, is so funny?"
"Well, Miss Kazuko, you are."
"What manners you have…saying such a clear insult to one as beautiful as myself. I'll have you know that I only happened to yawn because you did and I couldn't control myself. What's the matter Yuji? Tired? Didn't you sleep well?"
"Who wouldn't, next to you?"
"Cute…very cute."
"I just slept a couple of hours less than you did, that's all. By the way…you missed the update…"
"The wh…oh…yeah…the update. I forgot all about it. What's happened?"
"No danger zones near us. That's a plus. But…there are three more casualties, so all in all, bad news."
"Three? Who?"
"Itaki was first called, then Kasumi and Kane after her."
"Itaki…and Kasumi…and Kane too…Yuji, why are people playing this game? Are they that scared? Itaki was weird, but she would never hurt anyone. And the other two…they were a couple. They probably even died together. Why would someone kill them?"
There was a silence between the two that seemed to last for eons, the brief moment of silly happiness now gone, erased by the Program. Hara's breathing was slow and deep, drowning out that of Yuji, almost silent, as his open palm slid in circles over the young girl's back to calm her down. Hara hiccupped a few times, coughing once before facing Yuji again, telltale signs of distress marking her face as the once pale skin around her eyes had grown puffy and swollen, red as a spring rose from where the tears had streaked.
"How can they be playing Yuji? How can they be playing this horrible game? Sefi's a creepy guy…but a killer? It's not possible. How could they make him into that cold-hearted bastard that killed my friends?"
"It's funny you say it like that…I heard the same thing about myself once or twice."
"W-w-why did you play Yuji?"
"Because people like you are few and far between Hara. I don't trust people like you do, I don't try to make peace when my life is on the line. When the Program says to kill, there are always going to be people, people just like Sefi, who leap at the opportunity. I didn't want to die Hara; I was on the school softball team, second base. I was my class's vice president. I was one of the leading characters in our school play. I had an awesome girlfriend in another class, and my family loved me and supported me through everything. I had too damn much going for me to just sit back and wait out the clock, or wait for some psychopath to find me and take me out. So I played…"
"Yuji…"
"You know what happened Hara? I was too damn shot up to play baseball, not to mention the fact that half the team was dead! There was no point in having a vice president when there was no class! The play was cancelled due to the tragedy, not like I would've been well enough to act in it anyway. My girlfriend? Her name was Sami Nokira, and she slit her wrists back home because she didn't think I'd make it, and she believed in that heaven and hell shit. Hell, my class, my girlfriend, my family too, all dead. The government shot my mom and dad because they fought when they got the news. I lost everything Hara, every-fucking-thing…even my humanity, all because of our 'wonderful' fucking government and this 'brilliant' game!"
"Yuji…that's so horrible…"
"So now, let me ask you something Hara. You're just like me. You've got a ton of friends, you're successful in school, hell, you've got more to live for than I did 'cause girls have it a helluva lot easier than guys. You're not even weak lot of lot of those girls out there. You jumped off a fucking building. So tell me Hara, why didn't you play?"
"Because none of us…deserve to die..."
"What?"
"None of us deserve to be here Yuji. Not me, not you, none of us. Sure, there are a few bad seeds in the class, but which class doesn't have someone like Kezika, or someone like Sefi? The point is that even they are just kids. We shouldn't have to be punished for the minor sins and transgressions of not only our class, but all classes in this country. It's not right, and I refuse to let them think it is by playing."
"That's your reason? That's it? That's all it took?"
"That's it…"
"You're…you're stronger than me…"
"Don't say that…"
"It's true. You're stronger than I'll ever be Hara."
"No. No Yuji. I'm not stronger than you. You…you survived…you lived on after all those horrible things happened to you. I could never have done that. I would've…taken the coward's way out…it runs in my genes after all…right?"
"No Hara, you're not like that…"
Following Yuji's feeble attempt at comforting Hara, there was an awkward silence between the two lovers, during which time not a single sound could be heard, not even their breathing. Neither of the two souls could find a single cheery thought to break through the veil of darkness that had arisen via their questions. Yuji's eyes were blank, a face wrought with pain and guilt, having given into his fears and become a horrible monster with nothing else left in his life. Tears flowing once more down her cheeks, eyes red like those of a mad bull, Hara was finally realizing exactly what the Program meant for her, and how even if she won, her life was ruined. It was a tough moment for both, as everything they'd known and learned was erased by the hideous realization of events that'd passed and events that were still to come.
"Hara…I want you to listen to me closely…please…"
"Y-yeah?"
"Hara…I know you might still have some friends alive out there. I know there are people you trust to keep you safe. I want you to trust no one in this game. Not even me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Listen! If anyone makes you even the slightest bit afraid, you run. And if you can't run, you shoot them. Don't kill them if you don't have to, but just make sure you are safe."
"Yuji, why…"
"Because I care about you Hara. I don't want you to die here. You don't deserve it. I want you to stand a fighting chance. Promise me you'll do as I say."
"Yuji…you know I will…"
"Good…stick to what I told you, and you'll make it out of this alive. I'll protect you Hara."
"But what about at the end…if it's just the two of us?"
"I…I don't know…we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?"
"Yuji…you're gonna stay safe too, right?"
"Hara, I'm not important. You are. You can be normal…you don't have anyone's blood on your hands."
"Yuji…"
"Hara, I love you, and I want you to survive above all else. You are my mission Hara. Trust me."
"But you just said…never mind. I love you too."
The two embraced in a touching scene, the clock slowly ticking off another danger zone as time seemed to fly by, unchanging their hideout as they remained safe in seclusion. They would have to fight eventually, and they wouldn't be able to stay together through the game, but at that moment, it didn't matter, because they just needed each other, and needed to be held and assured that everything was going to be okay. Fourteen students left across the city, and they were alone in their peace.
