Nishi looked at Yoko with a frown, wondering why they were all back in the room; it made him edgy because they didn't know what happened from here; he was positive their time ran out. "Did you kill the alien or not?"

Yoko tensed under Nishi's glare, and for the first time, she was afraid of him. "I – I didn't…"

Nishi turned away from her, still with a deep frown, and knelt in front of Gantz. "Then why are we back here…" Nishi suspected Gantz wouldn't let their mistake go without consequence and felt his palms perspiring within his gloves. Fear tightened in his chest; when people left the boundary or spoke about Gantz outside, their heads exploded, and Nishi tried to remain calm. Gantz would punish them, no doubt about it.

"If we're back here, does that mean we can go home?" The man behind them, the one new survivor thanks to a reluctant Nishi, asked as he stepped closer. "Where is everyone else?"

Nishi stood up, his focus solely on the ball, just waiting for the inevitable, doing his best not to show fear, but – no, he couldn't deny it, even if he only admitted it to himself; the consequences fucking terrified him. "Dead," he said bluntly and as smoothly as possible, too consumed with anxiousness to care about the man's strange calmness. Nishi clenched his fists and felt Yoko staring at him with what was probably guilt, and rightly so since it was her fault. "Gantz! Get this over with!"

Yoko shook with fear, wondering what Nishi was thinking. Get this over with? Yoko looked at the ball and suddenly felt her chest constrict when she realized… they were going to die. "Nishi…" Yoko thought apologizing at this point was useless; what could she really say? She chose to save him, but that was her mistake, not Nishi's.

Okay, here are your scores.

Nishi and Yoko stared in surprise; it took them a moment to process the fact they weren't going to die. "It's…still scoring us?" Yoko asked slowly as they both stepped closer.

Dog: 0 points.

Total points: 0.

Coward: 0 points.

Total points: 0.

Relies too much on others. Screams a lot.

Nishi rolled his eyes, no surprise there. Suddenly, a bad feeling clutched his heart, and it had to do with their scores.

Yoko gasped in horror when her own score appeared on the ball, and she fell to her knees. "No…"

Flat chest: -102 points.

Total points: 0.

Let's start over.

Nishi-kun: -85 points.

Total points: 0.

Let's start over.

Nishi's eyes widened at the numbers, his fists clenched, and his eyes narrowed into slits. "No way… fuck… this can't be happening…" Nishi turned to Yoko and started to shout, "Thanks to you my fucking points are gone, they're gone!" Nishi's breathing became erratic, and he shoved her backward. "Did you really think you were making the right decision!"

Yoko didn't reply, but she frowned; she couldn't blame Nishi for being angry, but she did it to save his life.

The man stepped forward and held his hands up. "You shouldn't treat-"

Nishi turned sharply and took the gun from his jacket, aiming for the man's head. "You shut the fuck up, you wouldn't even be here right now if it weren't for me, and by the way, I couldn't care less about your pathetic life, the only reason you're still alive is because I was out of time. Any other situation and I would have left you there to die!"

Yoko stepped forward; she wasn't going to lecture Nishi about morals, but – "It's not his fault Nishi!"

Nishi tensed and struggled to keep it together. "You're right," he said, and then turned to aim his gun again. "It's yours." Nishi gritted his teeth, his fingers twitching on the triggers. "It's your fault! What went through your fucking head, I told you to kill it, why didn't you kill it!" God, he wanted to throw up.

Tears sprang to Yoko's eyes, her mind filled with so many emotions, but she didn't break down, she couldn't… "I don't know! I wasn't even sure what was happening, my body reacted on its own, I wanted to save you!"

Nishi stepped closer, the gun shaking in his grip, his eyes wide with anger. "Who fucking asked you to! I didn't need saving damn it, I told you to kill the alien! We were out of time, and I would not have died!"

Despite the gun pressed against her forehead, Yoko didn't relent; how could she make him understand? "How could I have known, we don't know how much the suit protects us, it was a split-second decision."

"And you made the wrong one! You might think you were being a hero, but your actions were selfish! Did you think I would be grateful! You had no right to risk anyone's life!"

Yoko slumped, and she finally understood his anger. "You're right… I'm – no, I don't have the right to even apologize… it won't change anything." Their points were gone; everything they went through had all been for nothing. "I deserve to die…" Yoko lowered her head to the floor, hands curled into fists. "Kill me if you want."

Nishi's fingers pressed against the triggers, but he stopped and lowered the gun at the last moment. "You should have gone free, and now you're stuck here, serves you right. I guess that's a good enough punishment."

Yoko looked up at Nishi in shock. "Nishi…" Yoko stepped closer, reaching out for him, but he yanked his arm away.

"I won't be coming back. Follow me, and I really will kill you."

Yoko inhaled a sharp breath; his words struck her hard because she knew what he meant by them; he wouldn't be coming back home with her. Yoko sighed; for the first time since appearing in the Gantz room, she felt utterly alone. Yoko headed for the exit, Nishi was already gone, and she couldn't help but think how empty her apartment would feel once she was home.

"Excuse me, am I free to go?"

Yoko turned to the man with a cold expression. "You will never be free." Yoko walked away without another word.

…

Yoko stared at the television, watching the news, barely registering what the reporter was talking about. Images of her college displayed on the screen, the destruction was unexplainable, and they speculated vandalism, which she already expected anyway. "I wonder where the alien went…" Yoko looked over at the empty space where Nishi usually sat. "Did he – go back home…?"

…

Nishi handed the keys back to the motel owner, his face void of expression; even though the motel was a reasonable price, he only had enough money to stay one night and wasn't about to resort to asking for liberties just because of his age. Nishi couldn't afford to spend any more money since he was down to his last five thousand and would need that for food. It was only thanks to Yoko that he could save the money he had, but he sure as hell wasn't going back to her.

"You got anywhere else to go kid?" the owner asked as Nishi opened the exit door.

Nishi turned back with a frown. "None of your business."

The man sighed; the attitude of his guests wasn't unusual. "Look, kinda feel bad letting you go out there when I know you don't have a place to stay, because you wouldn't be here otherwise."

Nishi proceeded to make his way through the door. "Luckily for you, that's not your problem."

"Wait!" Nishi stopped again with a sigh of annoyance and turned to see the man now in front of him. "I get the feeling you're the proud type, and I feel like you won't accept a room for free even if I offered it."

Nishi thought he probably would, but his pride wanted to see what else the man would offer. "So?"

"Weekends are pretty busy for me, a motel, even as small as this one, is hard to manage alone. I have to shut up for most of the afternoon while I clean the empty rooms, it's a hassle since I can't take new bookings while I'm gone."

Nishi pursed his lips. "Spit it out already."

"What if you manage the desk while I'm gone, that way I don't have to lose out on extra money. It's just on weekends."

Nishi raised an eyebrow. "You're offering me a free room and I just have to take bookings?" The boy was skeptical; it was almost as easy as offering the room for nothing. I don't really have a choice, he thought.

"Yeah, and I also have stocks to fill in the evening on Fridays and Sundays, so you might be working during the night, but I can pay you for that." The evening work worried him since Gantz could transfer him anytime, but it was usually relatively late when that happened. "Is that a yes?"

It was a hell of a lot better than the streets. "Sure, why not."

The owner grinned and handed Nishi back his key. "Perfect! Thanks a lot kid."

…..

Nishi stared at the motel room ceiling, lying on the bed, arms behind his head. He couldn't get the image of his points disappearing out of his mind; every time he thought about it, it made him angry. "I have to start over because of her foolish decision, and there's a chance I could die before I even get back the points I lost…" Nishi wondered if the alien they didn't kill would be their next target; it made sense, he thought, but would that be the only target, or would there be others?

…

Yoko walked into her apartment with a tired sigh after a busy shift at work. "Customers are such ass holes, what part of we shut in fifteen minutes, don't they understand, damn it." Yoko threw her keys on the counter, glancing at the key beside it; she found it in her mailbox two days ago. Yoko picked up the picture frame sat on her countertop; it was her and Nishi's photo from her phone. Call her sentimental, but it was all she had now. "Nishi…"

Her phone started ringing, and she jumped and nearly dropped the picture. Yoko returned the picture and fumbled in her bag for her phone until she realized that the noise came from her kitchen draw. "What the…?" Yoko quickly retrieved the other phone she had, and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face when she saw his name. "No way…" Without trying to sound too eager to hear his voice, she answered, "Nishi?"

"Turn on the news," he told her without so much as a hello. Yoko complied and switched on her television to the right station.

- Our top story today, it's been announced that three times elected parliament member, Goro Suzuki, is currently receiving treatment for liver cancer; he was diagnosed last week. -

Yoko practically saw the grin on Nishi's face.

"I guess you won't be voting for him again."

Yoko wanted to ask Nishi how he was, but she knew he'd just hang up on her. "Damn, I wonder what will happen now."

"He's probably got some poor pathetic underling to spy while he's out of commission, I don't think the prime minister agrees with his views, and Suzuki wants nothing more than to see him fall from power."

- In other news, a local businessman, Noboru Takada, regained consciousness after surviving a car crash. -

Yoko's eyes widened when she recognized the man they were talking about. "Nishi…"

Nishi sat up and turned up the tv. "I see it, I guess even Gantz can make a mistake."

Yoko sat down on the couch. "Does that mean there's two of them?"

"Looks that way, he's basically a copy."

"Then what happens if he goes home and sees his other self?"

"Not our problem."

There was silence for a moment, and Yoko struggled to think of something else to say, anything to keep hearing his voice. "Nishi, are you-"

The phone call ended abruptly.

Yoko sighed in defeat, she wanted to ask him to come back, but she knew he'd never forgive her; it was a miracle to even talk to him for just that brief time. She sent him a message, it was brief, and she didn't expect a reply, but wanted to let him know that she was still part of his team.

:See you on the next mission.:

…

Nishi and Yoko appeared in the room first; she couldn't even look at him, her guilt over their last mission still weighed heavily inside her chest. Nishi didn't say anything, and at least he wasn't yelling and didn't look as angry as before. The previous survivor appeared next and looked at the two teens. "I didn't die," he said. He was calmer than Nishi expected him to be. "How is that possible?"

Yoko looked at Nishi, who shrugged; even if they did help other players, it wasn't like they had an answer for his question anyway. "I don't know," Yoko replied.

Takada glanced between them. "You do, you both do, and you've known what's going on all along, have you no shame." Nishi and Yoko stayed quiet. "You can't just keep this to yourselves."

After the dog, other people transferred into the room, thus starting the usual gasp of confusion and panic. A tall male, dressed in a light blue sweater and black khakis spoke first, "Where are we, what is this place?"

"I don't know, but didn't we – I mean, wasn't we – dead?" A female looked at another stood next to her, who nodded in agreement. "Misuki, are we alive?"

Misuki felt her chest. "I can feel my heart beating."

A total of six new players this time; two females around the age of twenty-one, a male with brown hair dressed in a light blue sweater, an old woman who, by all appearances, looked to be homeless dressed in a moth-eaten dark green coat with holey pants and torn shoes, a man with short orange hair, average height, a dark suit, and another dressed in a black t-shirt and white joggers; he was short with black hair and glasses. They were quiet compared to those that came to the room before, the only ones that showed an enthusiastic response were the two females and the first male.

"I wonder what's going on," Misuki muttered loudly, looking to her friend who merely shrugged. "Does anyone know?" She looked around the room only to receive a response of shaking heads.

"They know," Takada said with frustration, pointing to Nishi and Yoko. "They know everything."

Nishi frowned with irritation. "God damn it he's annoying."

All eyes were on the two teens now, awaiting explanations with hopeful eyes. Nishi just looked at them, staring at him as if he were some kind of activist about to change their lives for the greater good, and he laughed. "Relying on a middle-school student? That's real courageous of you, honestly."

"Tell them what you know."

Nishi just smirked and tilted back against the wall. "Why don't you tell them, I'm sure they'll have no problem believing you, go ahead."

Takada froze and turned to face the others. "Well, I – we were given weapons and told to kill aliens by that black ball over there and-"

Yoko looked at Nishi in surprise; why was he letting this man tell them all? Nishi turned to her, still with a smirk on his face.

"Aliens?" Blue sweater asked, raising his eyebrow. "Are you high?"

"I'm telling the truth."

The man with orange hair started to step forward and pointed at Takada, recognition on his face. "Hey, wait a minute, you're that dude from the hospital."

Nishi chuckled, and Yoko looked at him. "Bingo." Now she understood.

The orange male continued, "On the news a week ago, he was in a car crash, I just bet he's hopped up on pain medication from the hospital."

Blue sweater turned to him. "Seriously?" He then turned back to Takada with a frown. "Man, don't try and fill our heads with your bullshit stories just because you're all whacky."

Takada held his hands up. "I'm not high on medication." Takada whirled around to Nishi and Yoko; the boy laughed at him.

"Aw shucks, they didn't believe you, too bad. It was a good try though, very enlightening."

Takada gritted his teeth, and just before he stepped closer, the ball began to sing.

Yoko stepped closer to Nishi and spoke quietly, "Do you think it'll be the alien we failed to kill last time?"

Nishi narrowed his eyes and tightened his hold on the gun in his pocket. "It's highly likely, but I'll be damned if I let it happen twice."

"What does it mean by, our lives are over?" Misuki asked with a tilt of her head. "Does that mean we really did die?"

Everyone gasped when the ball told them to 'eliminate this alien.'

Takada pointed at the ball, "That's the alien! That's the one I was talking about!"

Nishi glanced at Takada with a frown; one minute, the man was calm, and the next, he was frantic; it made him wonder if Takada had a multiple personality disorder. He might have even developed it after the last mission, Nishi thought.It certainly wouldn't surprise him.

Nishi and Yoko exchanged glances. "Do you think it's the only one we have to face?" she asked. Nishi shrugged and stepped off the wall as the black ball opened from three sides.

"There! See, it's giving us weapons, I'm not making it up!"

Nishi moved to grab one of the bigger guns this time and turned to Yoko. "These points are mine, got it?"

Yoko nodded in reply as she looked at the alien on the ball. "But what if you get in trouble…"

Nishi frowned at her. "The last time you helped me, it cost us both our points, so if it's all the same to you, I'd rather you just stay away."

The rest of the group was now investigating the equipment inside Gantz, inspecting only the weapons. "He isn't kidding around," Blue sweater said, turning a small gun in his hands.

"I told you!"

Misuki and her friend turned to him, "What happens now?" she asked.

Takada gulped, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. "I think, I mean, the last time we all got sent somewhere else, it was the alien's location."

After a few minutes, the people in the room began to transfer, panic in their voices. Yoko looked at Nishi and said, "Be careful." The boy simply responded with a smirk before they both transferred from the room.

When Nishi opened his eyes again, he gasped, "What the fuck." His eyes fell upon the other players and quickly located Yoko, who stood beside him in shock. "Why are we back here?"

They were back in the Gantz room.