Hey all, so sorry for the long delay. But I started college so most of my free time is gone. As you've experienced first hand, my updates will be slowing down. I'll try not to let more than 2 weeks pass between updates, but it will all be based on how much work my teachers pile on. Stupid college.
Well anyways, this chapter we will be jumping around between quite a lot of characters. And the chapter is also very light on the dialog. And this chapter also had about 4 different versions, I took more time revising the stupid thing than actually writing it. Well hopefully you all will enjoy!
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The Reluctant GladiatorsChapter 8: Strength
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September 24, 2004: 12:00 AM22 Students Remain
A soft trail of moonlight filtered through the front windows of an abandoned house. A house that used to be full of a loving and happy family. A family that was later forced to leave their house at gunpoint. All because of the Battle Royale.
As the family trailed after the other inhabitants of the island they silently prayed. They prayed that their house could become a refuge for a student that would be forced to participate in the Battle Royale. And so they had intentionally left their back door unlocked. The soldiers were forcing everyone to lock their doors. But while the soldiers weren't looking this family managed to sneak an unlocked door past them. They fervently hoped that a student would come across their house and discover the unlocked door. That maybe the student could find safety and comfort in their house. That maybe the student could feel the traces of love that graced the interior of the house. And just maybe the student would remember that many people loved them.
The family's prayers were answered. Their house had become a refuge. But not just for one student, no, their house was a refuge for two. Two innocent schoolgirls who were thrown into this nightmare just six hours ago. Two girls who already witnessed the death of three students. One of who was already forced to kill. The girls now sat by the front door of the house. One kept watch out the window framing the left of the door. The other watched out the window framing the right. Every now and then one of them would steal a glance towards the other. One girl's head was beginning to nod; she was fighting sleep and was beginning to lose.
"Sango, get some sleep," suggested the tired girl's companion.
Sango jerked awake. She silently cursed herself for nodding off. "I can't Kagome. Not yet at least. It's almost midnight, that damn announcement is supposed to be coming pretty soon."
Kagome sighed and went back to looking out the window. "All right. But as soon as the announcement is over you are going to sleep. I'll take the first watch."
"What about our game of rock, paper, scissors?" asked Sango with a slight grin.
Kagome laughed lightly. "Oh yes, I almost forgot about that. How about instead of rock, paper, scissors for sleeping rights we use it for something else."
Her interest piqued Sango stared at Kagome, awaiting an explanation for the odd statement.
"We'll play the game, and whoever loses has to treat the other to a huge dinner once we get off the island."
Sango's eyes lowered. "Kagome, only one person can get off the island."
Kagome whipped her head to Sango, her eyes blazing with anger. "So that's it?" she said between clenched teeth, "you're giving up just like that? Kazuhiko said only one survives so you believe him? That's what he wants to believe Sango. He wants us to think there is no hope so we kill each other. Don't believe him Sango. Don't believe that bastard. We're getting off this island. Don't let anything else cross your mind except survival and getting off this shitty piece of land."
Tears threatened to overflow from Sango's eyes. Her shoulders slightly shook as she tried to hold them in. "I'm sorry Kagome," she choked out, "but you're not the one who killed somebody. I did. When I saw Hiten's lifeless body fall to the side of me all hope I had of escaping left. I don't see how we can beat Kazuhiko at his own game."
Kagome's eyes softened at the sight of Sango's quiet sobs. She mentally slapped herself. She had brought her friend to tears by her outburst. And Sango rarely cried. And she was the one who caused her best friend to cry. Kagome reached out a hand and grasped one of Sango's. "Forgive me Sango. I had no right to yell at you like that. I'm just so stressed right now. I keep thinking I saw a figure flitting around the trees. And every time it was just a figment of my imagination. I took my anger on the situation out on you, I'm sorry."
Sango squeezed Kagome's hand and smiled sadly at her. "Don't worry about it Kag. If you weren't stressed I would think something was wrong with you. But I know what you mean. My heart has jumped at least ten times since we've been keeping watch. Just the slightest movement frightens me. The breeze making the trees branches sway makes me think somebody is in them. Just stalking us. Just waiting for us to put our guard down so they can kill us."
Kagome opened her mouth to respond to her friend when a crackling was heard. Both girls jumped and tightened their hold on the other's hand. A little shriek escaped from Kagome's lips.
"Hello class!" came a booming voice from outside.
"Kazuhiko," whispered Kagome in anger, calming down when she realized they were still safe. However, she didn't loosen her hold on Sango's hand. And neither did Sango.
Unaware of how much he frightened the girls, and if he was aware he would have been happy, Kazuhiko continued on with his announcement.
"I am here with your first announcement of the game. I hope you are all having fun. Isn't this a beautiful island for your final moments to be decided? I truly outdid myself this year. Twenty-five of you will die in a beautiful location."
Rage replaced the fear in Sango's eyes. That bastard...it's like he's talking about a location of a party! He's fucking insane!
Kagome, realizing what would be coming, pulled out her map.
"I'm going to start off with your classmates who have died. You guys started off pretty good, four of your classmates have died. They are Hiten Kotohiki, Manten Kotohiki, Mayu Kuronaga, and Midoriko Ogawa. Now your beginning was good so don't start slacking off. There are still 21 students who have to die, so you're not safe yet!"
While Kazuhiko was talking in an entirely too cheerful voice Sango had gotten up and ran into the house's kitchen. Kagome heard her friend rummaging around. Sango came out a few seconds later, holding up a pen. Kagome smiled in appreciation and took the pen. She held in poised over the map in anticipation of Kazuhiko giving the new dead zones.
"Now here is the important part. You may want your maps out for this. I'm going to give you the coordinates of each section that will become off limits in the coming six hours. Make sure you are out of them by the appointed time. Or else you'll be treated to a lovely explosion which will also mark your end of the game. Are you ready? Here we go!"
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Kazuhiko's voice filtered out of the woods and surrounded every student on the island. "First coordinate will be B3. This area will be activated at 1:00 AM."
Sesshoumaru quickly poked a small hole in B3 with a stick he had grabbed. He glanced over at Rin and saw her quivering form. He desperately wanted to reach out and comfort her but he had to continue listening for the dead zones. And he couldn't blame her for being frightened. After all, they were currently in area B3.
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"At 2:00 AM the area of E8 will become activated."
Kouga smudged area E8 with some dirt. Ginta and Hakkaku looked over his shoulder and watched in silence as the island slowly became smaller.
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"Area D3 at 3:00 AM."
Yuka, with a marker that was found in the house, slowly drew an X through D3. All she and her friends were hoping for was that B8 didn't become a dead zone.
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"F3 becomes a dead zone at 4:00 AM."
Inuyasha leaned against a tree while Miroku marked off the new dead zones. He couldn't help but smile wryly when Miroku would dab his finger in his blood soaked shirt and then mark on the map. It seemed him being injured was good for something.
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"At 5:00 AM C5 is activated."
Naraku used the dagger he had found in Midoriko's bag. He used the tip to rip through the map. He was pleased about the dead zones. It would make it easier for him to hunt out his classmates.
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"And finally, at 6:00 AM area H6 is a dead zone. At that time I will be back with the next announcement. Happy hunting."
With a cruel chuckle Kazuhiko clicked off the intercom and the island plunged into silence.
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Kikyo silently folded up her map and returned it to her bag. She rezipped her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Stooping she picked her sickle back up. And then she just stood still. She had no clue what she was doing or what she was suppose to do. She gripped her sickle but the weapon felt odd in her slender hands. When she first discovered it she had taken a few practice swings. Each time she stumbled and lost her balance.
Kikyo stared blankly at her weapon. She had considered it dropping it at least five times by now. She had actually dropped it every time and walked a few feet away. But every time she would turn around and retrieve it. And each time she had changed her mind her dislike for herself grew. After all, the only reason she would need a weapon would be if she planned on attacking one of her classmates. And no matter how much she disliked someone she would not want to kill them. Since like her they had done nothing wrong except being in the wrong class at the wrong time. No one was at fault except Kazuhiko and the government. And even if someone were at fault Kikyo still didn't think she would be able to kill them. She was a quiet and gentle person by nature and found it hard to even harm a defenseless fly. For that reason she now stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Kikyo was on the western side of the island, specifically on the bluffs of the D1 area. She had gone there immediately after she was released. For the past three hours she had thought about jumping and releasing herself from the game before someone could do it for her. She thought that suicide would be better then this continuing madness and chaos. But just as she couldn't abandon her sickle she couldn't jump. She couldn't will herself to take the fateful step that would send her plummeting to her death. Since unlike with dropping the sickle, the step would be irreversible. Once she took it there would be no turning back. One wouldn't think it would be that hard. After all, it was just a step. Just lifting your feet and stepping onto air. But as Kikyo would find out, that one step would prove to be harder to take then the act of burying her sickle in the back of one of her unsuspecting classmates.
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Shippo poked his head out of the bushes he was cowering in. His hands trembled in fear as he replaced his map in his bag. But then his hands had been trembling since this whole nightmare had begun. He had probably pinched himself at least ten times. But each time the pain was real and he stayed firmly imbedded in the nightmare.
Shippo desperately wanted to find someone he could trust. He didn't want to face the nightmare alone. But there was no way of finding someone he could trust. What would likely happen was he would find someone and then die. Especially since all he had was a seven inch knife.
"I'm as good as dead," he sobbed quietly to himself. As the tears slowly made their way down his face he thought back on another nightmare that was also real for him.
FlashbackAn eight year old Shippo glanced nervously around him before tossing the lid off a trashcan. He quickly rummaged through it and grinned in triumph when he pulled out a half-eaten sandwich. He sat down and began inhaling the food. When he heard heavy footsteps stop in front of him he looked up nervously. His heart fell. It was him.
"You little fuckin' runt. What do you think you're doing eating?" said the towering man in a menacing voice. "You can eat after you earn $50 for me. Until then you starve." The man cruelly ripped the sandwich out of Shippo's hands and smashed it with his foot.
Shippo's face crumbled when he saw the sandwich disappear under the man's boot. Tears sprang to his eyes and his stomach growled in protest. He was so hungry.
The man smirked and yanked Shippo up by his hair. When Shippo dared to squeal the man silenced with a hard slap to the face. "Remember," the man breathed in Shippo's face, "I killed your parents and I will have no problem killing you."
Shippo shrunk away from the alcohol-laden breath. The man laughed and threw Shippo mercilessly to the ground. Without a second look at the whimpering boy he left.
Shippo picked himself off and walked dejectedly down the street, not bothering to wipe the tears from his face. It had been like this for the past six months. The man, Keita, had killed his parents. His parents had taken him out to see a movie. They had gotten back from the movie too soon. Keita was in the process of robbing their house. Instead of just running away when they got home Keita had pulled out a gun. And he had shot Shippo's parents point-blank in their faces. Shippo cringed in horror as he watched his parent's faces explode in front of him. Keita had then glanced down the boy. And instead of shooting him as well he had slung Shippo over his shoulder and left the house.
Ever since that fateful night Shippo had been forced to steal for Keita. The only times he was able to eat was when he came back with $50. And then Keita normally only gave him rice and water. And Keita knew that he had the poor kid. Shippo was only eight, he wasn't old enough to escape or to want to die to be rid of the abuse. So Shippo had been stealing for Keita for the past six months. And the starvation Shippo went through clearly showed on his pale and gaunt frame. His shoulder blades jutted severely from his body and his face was sunken. He even walked like an old man who was tired of life.
Shippo was so lost in his thoughts he completely missed the young girl he walked by.
"Did that mean man hurt you?" piped up a small voice from behind him.
Shippo jumped and whirled around. A small girl in a yellow sundress was sitting on a front porch eating a handful of cookies. Shippo's mouth watered at the sight of food.
The girl noticed Shippo's hungry gaze and smiled. "You want some?" she asked while holding out a cookie.
Shippo was about to nod when he changed his mind. He didn't want this girl to get involved. "Thanks," he croaked out, "but I have to leave now."
He was turning to leave when the door behind the girl opened. The girl's mom stepped onto the porch.
"Who are you talking to Kagome?" asked the mom gently.
Kagome smiled and pointed at Shippo. "Him mommy. Can he stay for dinner? He looks so hungry and he won't eat any of cookies." Kagome stared forlornly at her cookies. She couldn't understand how anyone could reject a cookie.
Kagome's mom smiled. "Of course dear." She stepped off the porch and walked to the frightened boy who appeared to be homeless. She crouched in front of him and smiled warmly. "Hello dear. Would you like to stay for dinner? We love guests."
Shippo stared at the friendly woman. She reminded him a lot of his own mother. At that moment he missed his mom more than ever. He wanted to be held and comforted by her. He wanted his mom to wipe his tears and tuck him into bed at night. To sing him soft songs and tell him bedtime stories. To give him the bowl to lick when she was done baking a cake. He just wanted his mom. Fresh tears sprang to Shippo's eyes. He was surprised when the woman carefully wiped them. She didn't even know him and yet she was being so kind. Shippo made up his mind. Keita would not rule him any longer. He nodded his head.
Kagome's face lit up and she jumped up with joy. She rushed down the steps and joined her mother and Shippo. "My name's Kagome. What's yours?" she asked brightly.
Shippo smiled shyly. "My name's Shippo. Umm, could I have a cookie?"
Kagome giggled and gave Shippo the rest of her cookies.
End FlashbackShippo sighed deeply. After that dinner with Kagome's family he had went to the police. They caught Keita a few days later and Shippo was freed from that terror. He was also put into a foster home. Kagome kept in touch with him and they became friends. But Shippo was adopted a couple of months later. And the couple that adopted him lived in a different school district then Kagome. Thus they went to different elementary and middle schools. They remained friends but they almost never got to see each other. In that kind of situation friends tend to drift apart. And that's what happened to Kagome and Shippo. The more years that passed the less they talked to each other.
They wound up going to the same high school and even wound up in the same class. But by that time Kagome had her group. She had three really good friend. She was still friendly to Shippo but then she was friendly to everyone. On one level Shippo wanted to renew his friendship with her. But on the other level he wanted to leave her be and not intrude upon her happiness. The side that said leave her alone won out. Shippo knew he would always love her as a friend, after all she had given him a new shot at life. But he thought that his part in her life was over. Kagome had saved him from Keita, he didn't want to ask anymore from her.
Shippo let out an insane chuckle. True, he was saved from the torture of Keita. But for what purpose? To be thrown into the Battle Royale to be killed by one his classmates. When Shippo was released from the law office he had immediately found some underbrush and hid in it. He was seriously considering just waiting in it until a student happened to stumble upon him and finish off his pathetic existence. But that was until the first announcement came.
When Kazuhiko's cold voice filtered out of the hidden speakers Shippo was reminded of Keita. He remembered the terror of being in that situation and the fact that Kagome saved him from it. He now thought of Kagome on this island. The thought of that sweet, caring girl partaking in this nightmare. He realized that at any moment someone could kill her. The thought of his rescuer and hero dying made his heart throb painfully.
With a start he realized that he had never thanked her for saving him. He knew Kagome wouldn't care if he thanked her or not. But suddenly it was important for Shippo to find Kagome and thank her for giving him a new shot of life. It was important for him to find Kagome before he died. With a newfound strength surging through his body Shippo stood up. I don't care what happens to me. But I cannot allow anyone to harm Kagome. She saved me from Keita. And I can finally repay her by saving her from our classmates.
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If you couldn't tell, I decided to base Kikyo's personality in this story on how she was before she died. So she won't be a bloodthirsty animal out for Inuyasha and Kagome's blood. Sorry to disappoint all of you Kikyo haters, but there will be enough people to hate in this story so there's no need to add another. Well I'm out. See you sometime (hopefully soon) with the next chapter.
Review Responses:
Guardian of the Hell Gate: Thanks for the review, and no worries about being easy please. I'm a very easy person to please as well. As well as easy to entertain. It doesn't take much to make me laugh, but hey, life's more fun that way!
Tanoliko: Aww, I'm sorry Inuyasha getting stabbed made you sad. But don't worry, he'll survive...maybe...or maybe he survived to just die at the hands of another student. Heheheh...hmm, I sound sort of evil talking about Inu dying so casually...oh well, guess it's fun being evil. And I guess I am evil when you think about, after all I'm writing a fic about everyone killing each other. There has to be some kind of evil in that. At least a little evil, right? I wanna be evil. Cuz then when people see you they would run away scared. That would be kind of cool.
Draconic Ban-sidhea: Guess what? This was the first I typed your name without having to check the spelling about 3 times! Yea! Let's break out the beer and party! Any excuse to party. And will Inu be among the last few characters standing? Hmm...::ponders deeply then stops when head starts to hurt:: Sorry, brain malfunctioned, guess you'll just have to wait and find out!
Lady-of-the-darkness: Hmm, yeah, I guess boring teachers does make a bad schedule. But I have to sit with some of those boring for 3 hours while they lecture about crap I don't care about...at 7 PM. Now that sucks. A lot. I'm fighting sleep practically the whole time. And I guess I'll guess the book you're going to buy...hmm...I'm going to guess The History of Barney. What? I'm not right? Oh come on, I have to be right! I'm always right! Well, it was worth of try, I wonder if there even is a book called that. If there is it should burn in hell.
Stargirl: Hmm, I couldn't compare Battle Royale to Lord of the Flies cuz I've never read 'Flies. And as for all those characters making it out alive, hehehe, you better start praying hard cuz most likely it won't be happening! Sorry about that, but I don't plan on having that many survivors. But thanks for the review!
Lilaznmiko22892: What would I do in that kind of situation? Probably go insane and paranoid. I don't think I could last that long in that kind of situation, but then I doubt many of us could! I do know one thing, I highly doubt I could kill someone, unless if I was put into a situation like Sango, then I could probably similar to her. Well thanks for checking out my story!
Mewie: Glad you liked the Mir/Inu interaction. They're trying to act normal since that's pretty much the only way to avoid going insane. But you can bet that the girls are never far from their minds. And you're right, I'm trying to give everyone a reason behind killing another. I don't just want everyone running around committing senseless acts of murder, because a) I highly doubt that would actually happen and b) there wouldn't much a story if that did happen. And as for Naraku, I'm kind of making him like that big baddie in the book, Kazuo. Kazuo had no emotions and just killed everyone, so I'm modeling Naraku after him.
Shadow-Wolf-Jedi-Demon: Wow, I'm flattered that you thought about my story that much! Ooh, I'm so happy now. And as for your Kouga request, I'll see what I can do about it. I've had another person request an honorable death for Kouga as well, so I'll probably be granting those requests.
Moonglow gal: Hehe, yeah, just about everyone is scared shitless in this story. Except for Naraku. Stupid ass, he's entirely too cool about this. And Inuyasha is ok...for now! ::insert evil laugh here::
Shadow-kitten: Well thanks for giving my story a chance even with the lack of reviews. It seems that most people don't like reading about the characters dying. What a pity. And thanks for the flattering remarks, I'm so glad you think my story is awesome! And this chapter had Shippo for you. Hope you enjoyed reading about him! Although with you being a Shippo lover you may not have liked how a made his past, but what can I say, I couldn't resist!
Animecutie: Yeah, the main characters will all be at least a little OC. I'm trying to keep them as much with their anime personalities as possible, but with the plot of this story, and them being just normal 9th graders, they are bound to be a little OC. But don't worry, you won't suddenly be seeing Naraku getting all warm and cuddly, he'll definitely be the big baddie just like he is in the anime! Well thanks for reviewing again, I definitely appreciate it!
