Hey guys, thanks for your wonderful reviews. As promised this chapter is a lot longer and you get to meet the characters you all know and love. Also, at the end of this chapter there will be a class list so you know what characters will be present in this story.

Anything in italics is someones thoughts.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Battle Royale are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Koushun Takami, respectively.

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The Reluctant Gladiators

Chapter 1: Taken

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And elderly woman walked briskly down a hallway in Shikon High. She was desperately trying to hold in her tears. The principal had called her to his office earlier.

Flashback

Kaede walked cautiously into Principal Myoga's office. He had called her to his office as soon as she had gotten to the school, which was at 7 in the morning. When she heard his voice on the loudspeakers her heart had clenched up.

Oh no, is he going to fire me? Did I give him a reason to fire me? My students love me, so it can't be that. But why else would he call me to his office this early in the morning. And why did his voice sound sad?

Myoga beckoned for her to sit down so she slid nervously into the chair sitting in front of his desk. Her hands gripped her thighs in fear; she was waiting for him to say the dreadful words 'you're fired.'

But they never came. Instead Myoga rubbed his temple and slid a sheet of paper across his desk.

"Kaede, I have some terrible news," he said, his voice cracking.

Kaede looked at fear on the paper that was now lying in front of her. She didn't want to look. She was afraid to look. Whatever it was made Myoga want to cry. "What is it Myoga?" she asked fearfully.

"Read the paper," said Myoga. I can't tell her. I can't say it out loud. If I do I'm afraid I'll break down.

Kaede reached out her hand gingerly and grabbed the lower right corner of the paper. She slid it onto her lap and read the top line: By the Notice of the Government. Kaede sharply looked back up at Myoga. "Myoga, what is this?"

"I can't say," said Myoga softly.

Kaede took a deep breath and read the paper.

September 23, 2004

By the Notice of the Government

School Name: Shikon High

Teacher: Ms. Kaede Akamatsu

Your class has been selected to participate in this years

Battle Royale. A bus will come at 9:30 this morning to

pick up the students. Have them ready or suffer dire

consequences. All students must be present or you, and

your whole class, will be executed on the spot.

Sincerely;

The Japanese Government

Kaede looked back up, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Is this for real Myoga? Are they serious? They are going to take my kids away?"

Myoga deeply sighed and placed a hand against his forehead. "I'm afraid so Kaede. It came this morning. I don't know what to say to you."

At this Kaede grew angry. "What do you mean you don't know what to say to me? I'm not the one whose life is about to be destroyed. What do you expect to say to my students? What am I suppose to say to them? 'Good morning class. Guess what? You are going to the Battle Royale. Hope you're prepared to die?' Is that what I'm suppose to say? Dammit, they're only 14! They are only in 9th grade, why the hell were they picked?"

"Kaede, you know as well as I do that every year a 9th grade class is picked," said Myoga calmly. Too calmly for Kaede's taste.

Kaede abruptly stood up and grabbed the closest thing to her, which happened to be a stapler, and threw it as hard as she could into a wall. "They can't do this! They can't continue to have students kill each other! It's all wrong," she sobbed.

Myoga stood up and walked around his desk until he was in front of Kaede. He gently drew her to him and held onto her as she cried on his shoulder. "I know," he soothed, "but the government is corrupt. And there is no group strong enough to put a stop to it. I don't know what we can do."

"I can't let my class be taken," said Kaede, withdrawing from Myoga. "They are not going to die a pointless death."

"Kaede, you know you can't stop them. You read the notice, if you resist you will also die."

"I don't care!" shouted Kaede. "I'm not going to stand by and watch my students be taken away to kill each other! I can't betray them like that!"

Myoga grabbed Kaede's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Kaede, you know you cannot do that. You have a family right?" Kaede nodded. "If you resist they will kill your family. The last teacher who resisted was taken and forced to watch her family get shot in front of her. They won't just kill you. They will torture you before you die. No matter what you do your students will be taken. It truly is hopeless. But no one can stop the government."

Kaede's shoulders sagged. She knew everything Myoga said was true. She pictured her 8 year old son and knew that she couldn't be the cause of his death if she resisted. When she knew that she would hand her class over peacefully she hated every part of herself. I'm no better than the people forcing these kids to kill each other. I'm going to let my class be taken from me. I'm going to betray every single one of them.

Kaede straightened back up and glanced at the clock. It was 9:00. Class was suppose to start right now. "I have to go to class now," she said softly, turning on her heel and leaving the office before Myoga could say anything else.

End Flashback

Kaede was now in the hallway in front of her classroom. She leaned against the wall and looked at the notice again. She would have preferred it if she had gotten fired. That would have been a 100 times better than this. As she read the notice again tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She sniffed them back and stuffed the notice in her purse. She would not terrify her class by walking into the classroom crying. In fact she wouldn't even tell them about the Battle Royale. Secretly she knew that she wouldn't be able to, it would be too hard, but the excuse she made was that she would let her students have as much time as possible to live their lives freely and without fear. Kaede plastered a smile on her face and walked into her classroom.

When the door opened the conversations ceased. One student, Miroku Sugimura, stood up and bowed down.

"So glad you could join us on this fine, fine day Ms. Kaede," he said jokingly. Miroku had black hair that was pulled back into a tiny ponytail at the base of his neck, eyes that were always full of laughter, and a mouth that seemed to be turned up in a perpetual grin. He wore what all the boys wore in his class: a pair of gray slacks, a white, short sleeve button down shirt, and a dark blue tie. He was definitely the jokester of the class. He could find a way to make fun of anything. And he was the kind of person that no one could dislike. Even if someone got angry with him a minute later they liked him again.

"Since you're late does this mean we can give you a detention?" asked Kouga Sasagawa with a smile on his face. Kouga had long black hair that was pulled into a high ponytail. He was a star soccer player and a sprinter on the track team. No one was ever able to beat him when it came to running.

"Or how about each of us can get one free tardy to make up for yours?" suggested Inuyasha Shimizu. Inuyasha had long black hair that went down to his waist. He was best friends with Miroku and when the two of them got together they were always bound to get in trouble. Inuyasha was the other star of the soccer team. He and Kouga made an unbeatable duo and when they worked together they could almost always score on the opposing team.

"Here, here!" shouted Miroku, holding up one of Inuyasha's arms in victory, "my buddy Inuyasha wins for coming up with the best idea for how to deal with the catastrophe that has befallen us this morning."

Inuyasha raised his other arm and took in the applause with a few bows.

Kaede smiled at her class. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I promise to never be late again." At these words Kaede choked up. After this morning she would never see her class again.

Seeing Kaede in distress made all the students sit back down and stare at their teacher in confusion.

"Ms. Kaede, what is wrong?" asked Kagome Higurashi softly. Kagome was a star student and was liked by just about everyone in the class. She was willing to help anyone with their schoolwork and went out of her way to help Kaede with anything that needed done. She had wavy black hair that fell halfway down her back. She wore the traditional Japanese school uniform, a sailor outfit. Her skirt was a soft, muted gray and her shirt was white. The bow around her neck was a dark blue. Every girl in the class wore an outfit identical to Kagome's. Kagome glanced at her best friend, Sango Hiraikotsu, who stared back at her worriedly.

Sango had straight black hair that when down fell to her waist. But today she had it tied back in a high ponytail. Sango was a very athletic girl; she played soccer, basketball, and softball, and was also a runner on the track team. She had a very confident personality but currently she was chewing the end of her eraser nervously and waited for Kaede's response.

"Hm? Oh I'm sorry. I just had a tough morning," replied Kaede. "But I do have a surprise trip for you guys."

"Sweet!" shouted Shippo Inada, jumping out of his seat. He sat back down at the odd looks he received from his classmates. Shippo was an odd student. He was short for a guy, only reaching 5 feet, but the odd thing about him was the fact that he dyed his hair a bright orange. His hair went a little past his shoulders but he always kept it held back in a ponytail. And he also got a kick out of tying a little blue bow in it. Shippo grinned sheepishly. "What?" he said, "I just like going on field trips."

"Or it's just because you're a crappy student," remarked Sesshoumaru Taisho. Sesshoumaru was tall; he was pushing 6 ½ feet. He had pure white hair that went past his waist and it was a constant debate in the class, especially amongst the girls, of whether his hair was naturally white or he dyed it. Sesshoumaru never offered an answer so it was still up in the air. He was also the star basketball player, which would make sense given his size. His teammates loved him but he tended to keep to himself. He had few friends but his best friend made people turn their heads. It was Rin Kitano, a petite girl who was cheerful and outgoing. She was the exact opposite of Sesshoumaru, always the center of attention and willing to help anyone. But for as long as anybody could remember she and Sesshoumaru were always together. They definitely weren't going out, they were just inseparable best friends.

Rin, who always sat behind Sesshoumaru, smacked the back of his head. "Be nice," she scolded. She turned to Shippo and gave him a bright smile. "Sorry about my idiot friend here. Just ignore everything he says."

Sesshoumaru turned in his seat and gave Rin a withering glare.

Rin responded by patting his head like a dog. "There, there boy, don't get upset with me. You know I only speak the truth."

Sesshoumaru, realizing that it wasn't worth arguing with Rin (he always lost) turned back to the front and returned his expression to the impassive one it was before Shippo's comment.

"So where are we going Ms. Kaede?" asked Kagome.

"Oh, to a museum that specializes in ancient Japanese artifacts. Since we are currently studying the Feudal Age I thought it would be a treat," Kaede said, trying to keep her voice calm. I'm lying to them. The last memory they'll have of me is me lying to them.

"Oh," said Miroku glumly. "I guess it's better than staying in school. But I was hoping it would have been a little more exciting."

"You just want to go to a water park," remarked Inuyasha. He knew his friend too well. Because in addition to being a jokester Miroku was also a player.

"Well what's wrong with that? Don't you want to see all the hot girls in their bathing suits?" wondered Miroku.

"You perve. Just stop talking."

Miroku shrugged his shoulders and settled back in his chair, a lopsided grin on his face.

"So Ms. Kaede, when are we going?" asked Sango.

Kaede glanced at the wall clock which read 9:20. "The bus is coming at 9:30 so let's head outside now."

In the class's excitement of leaving the school for the day they didn't begin to wonder how strange it all was. How they didn't need permission slips to leave the school. How Kaede seemed to be drenched in sadness. How when they filed onto the bus a driver with sad eyes stared at them. And how as they drove off a black sedan followed them, the man in the passenger seat loading bullets into a pistol.

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Kouga looked out the window at the passing scenery. He looked at his watch next and grew worried. They had been driving for over an hour. He could have sworn that they should have arrived at the museum a good half hour before now. He scanned the rest of the bus and saw some of the other students looking worried as well. He turned to his friends sitting behind him, Hakkaku Numai and Ginta Kawada.

Hakkaku and Ginta were best friends with Kouga. Actually, they were more like Kouga's followers. And both had their own styles. Hakkaku had dyed the sides of his hair a light blue, leaving the top of his hair his natural black. It gave the appearance of a weird mohawk. While Hakkaka hair gave the appearance of a mohawk Ginta had a full-fledged one. He had dyed his hair blonde and spiked it up into a mohawk. He had 6 thick spikes running along the middle of his head. Both of them played soccer with Kouga, but they were in the reserves.

"Are you guys noticing anything strange about this trip?" asked Kouga.

Hakkaku met his friend's eyes and Kouga was surprised to see that his friend looked frightened. "Something isn't right Kouga. We are driving out of Tokyo and heading towards the ocean. I don't know where we are going but it definitely isn't a museum."

Kouga punched the back of his seat. "Shit," he cursed under his breath.

Ayame Seto, a cute girl with red hair that was pulled into two high pigtails and stunning green eyes, turned in her seat when she heard Kouga curse.

"Kouga?" she asked hesitantly, "what's wrong?"

Kouga looked at the frightened girl in front of him. "I'm not sure Ayame. But I am about to find out."

When Kouga stood up Kaede immediately turned around. "Kouga, sit down please. It's not safe to stand up."

"Ms. Kaede, what's wrong? Where are you taking us?" he asked while sitting down.

Kaede didn't respond. Instead tears formed in her eyes and silently streamed down her face. Now the class went into an uproar.

"What's wrong? Why is Ms. Kaede crying?" asked Kikyo Matsui, a quiet girl who had half of her long, black hair pulled back.

"Why are we going towards the ocean?" wondered Kagura Utsumi, a tough girl with shocking red eyes.

Inuyasha turned in his seat to look at Kagome and Sango. Their eyes were filled with terror.

"Inuyasha? Do you know what's going on?" asked Kagome, clutching Sango's hand in fear.

"I don't know, but I'm not just gonna sit here any longer," he growled. He stood up and beckoned for Miroku and Kouga to follow him. "Come on, let's go stop the bus."

Before Miroku and Kouga could even stand up the bus slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road. As soon as it stopped the door opened and a man wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt and sporting slicked back hair walked onto the bus. The sight of him made everyone go silent in fear. It wasn't his clothes, his hair, or even his cold eyes that frightened them. It was the fact that he was holding an assault rifle and he currently had it pointing at the students.

"What the fuck is going on here?" demanded Inuyasha.

"How about you be a good boy and sit down and shut up. Because you know if you don't I will have no problem pulling this trigger and splattering your brains on that pretty girl sitting behind you," answered the man, swinging the rifle until it was pointing at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha held up his hands and slowly slid back into this seat. He heard Kagome give a huge sigh of relief when he obeyed without any of his usual snide remarks.

Once Inuyasha was sitting back down the man beckoned to someone outside and they watched as another man walked onto the bus. This man looked to be in his mid 40s and had gray-specked hair. He was wearing tan dress pants and a dark blue golf shirt. Even though he carried no visible weapons everyone could tell right away that he was the boss. It was a combination of the way the other man visibly tensed up when around him and the way his eyes displayed zero emotion as they slowly sweeped the bus, taking in the faces of the scared 9th graders. He nodded once to the man holding the rifle and he immediately grabbed Kaede by her arm and roughly threw her against him.

At the sight of their teacher being physically harmed the class broke free of their terror.

"Let her go you bastard!" shouted Kouga, jumping up to Kaede's defense.

Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru also jumped up and joined Kouga in the defense of their teacher.

The boss cackled and grabbed Kaede from the other man. He grabbed her upper arm and brought the frightened teacher in front of him. Then reaching his other hand behind him he drew out a 7 inch hunting knife. He brought the blade to Kaede's throat and pressed it against her skin.

"Now you boys will sit back down or I will slit your teachers throat right in front of you."

"Listen to him guys. I'll be fine. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," sobbed Kaede.

The boys looked at Kaede in alarm, their teacher was shaking against the man holding her but she wasn't crying because she was scared. It looked like she was crying for them. Too dumbstruck to do anything else the boys sat back down.

"What the hell do you plan on doing to us?"

Everyone looked towards the back seat where the bored voice came from. No one was surprised when they saw it was Naraku Onigumo. No one understood Naraku, he always sat in the back of the classroom and he almost never talked. And his expression never changed, he always looked bored. No matter what might happen he never displayed any emotion. Kagura had once tried to talk to him. No one knew what happened between them but Kagura was now terrified of Naraku and she never spoke of what happened. Her best friend, Kanna Yahagi, wasn't even able to get anything out of her.

"What am I going to do you?" asked the man holding Kaede. "I'm not going to do anything to you."

Everyone turned to look at the man, confusion plainly etched on their faces. The man laughed and before continuing he threw Kaede out of the bus and signaled for the other man to follow. He then handed the bus driver an oxygen mask, which confused and terrified the students. Was he going to poison them?

The man pulled out of his pocket a small metal can.

"Now I need you guys to go to sleep for a little while. When you wake up all of your questions will be answered."

"Tell us what you mean by you won't do anything to us!" shouted Kouga.

"I won't do anything to you," restated the man, "the question is what will you guys do to each other." He pushed a button on the can and gently rolled it down the aisle of the bus. The students all lifted their legs up, no one wanted the little metal can to touch them. As the sound of escaping gas filled the bus the man turned to leave the bus. The next words out of his mouth froze everyone's hearts. "Your class has been selected for this years Battle Royale." Then he swiftly left the bus, the door slamming behind him.

"Oh fuck," groaned Inuyasha before he, and everyone else, drifted off to sleep.

The bus started moving again, merging in with the surrounding traffic. As it traveled silently along the road no other drivers realized what it actually was. A coffin, bringing an innocent 9th grade class to its death.

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Ms. Kaede Akamatsu's 9th grade class:

1) Hojo Chigusa

2) Kagome Higurashi

3) Sango Hiraikotsu

4) Shippo Inada

5) Yuka Kanai

6) Ginta Kawada

7) Rin Kitano

8) Hiten Kotohiki

9) Manten Kotohiki

10) Mayu Kuronaga

11) Kikyo Matsui

12) Jaken Mimura

13) Ayumi Nanahara

14) Hakkaku Numai

15) Yura Oda

16) Midoriko Ogawa

17) Eri Oki

18) Naraku Onigumo

19) Nazuna Sakaki

20) Kouga Sasagawa

21) Ayame Seto

22) Inuyasha Shimizu

23) Miroku Sugimura

24) Sesshoumaru Taisho

25) Kagura Utsumi

26) Kanna Yahagi

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I got all of my last names (except the ones that are obviously from Inuyasha) from Battle Royale. I owe a lot to that book. And also in this story Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are not related. If they were they wouldn't be in the same grade and I couldn't have that. And if there any characters that you guys don't know who they are in the anime I will be glad to fill you in. But anyways, next chapter the class will wake up and the rules of the Battle Royale will be given. No death next chapter, I decided to be nice and give 2 chapters of no death because this story will soon be full of it. Please review!

Review Responses:

RavensFollower: Yea, I suppose that this story is unlike everything I've written before. But I'm going to try my hand at a story other than humor. And I believer that this is as far from as you can get! Well, thanks for trying out this story!

Mewie: Yea! Another fellow BR lover! It seems that most people have never heard of this book. But I have yet to see the movie. Is it worth buying it?

Sakaki-chan: Yes, BR is only the greatest book ever written.

CrAzY FoR VaMpIrEs: Yea! Other sick and twisted people who like this plot! Great to have you onboard!

Moonglow gal: Hehe, nice use of adjectives. But they all describe this story pretty well. Thanks for the review!