CHAPTER ONE: Cut Scene

"Kagura?"

Kagura Sano (Girl No. 22) turned to see Shinji Mimura (Boy No. 19) in front of her. He was alone. At that moment, Kagura felt so relieved she stood in shock, barely managing to speak the words she wished to say, "...Shinji...Shin...I...I found..." she gave a little 'hah,' "I found you."

"Found me?" Mimura asked, a confused face on him. His gun was still pointed and Kagura glanced at the gun, afraid to step forward. Mimura probably wouldn't trust anyone except Shutter Nanahara, Yutaka Seto and Hiroki Sugimura. Maybe even Yoshitoki Kuninobu, but he was killed right off the bat at the beginning, before all this had happened. It was hard to earn trust from Mim. She looked back into Mimura's eyes...a dark brown, almost black color. She loved his eyes...they were intense, dark and stormy. Always sucked you in if you caught his eye at the right moment at the right time. She was one of the few who knew this about him...out of half the girls at school who are sweet on him. But then...some people, they just give up too easily. She smiled, still in the shock state of moment, then bent down, tears streaming from her eyes. "Yes...I found you, Shinji."

"You were looking for me?"

She nodded. As far as she knew, she and Yutaka were the only ones who called him Shinji. Everyone else called him by his last name, or his popular nicknames of 'Mim,' 'The Third Man,' even 'Hoop King Mimura.' He studied her for a moment as she continued to silently sob, her face buried in her knees as they were drawn close in a ball structure. She heard a soft thud of when he dropped the gun and walked slowly to her, eyeing her cautiously. Her weapon had been no gun, but rather a device that told you who died, when and by whose hands. It was useful in many occasions, but not by much, there was no offensive weapon to use. Luckily, she hadn't encountered anyone before Shinji. Her heart began to beat face, her nerves starting to work as he drew nearer. She was always like that around him, even though she tried getting a little closer, she always failed. For a moment, she thought he was going to wrap his arms around her, and she panicked...she'd never been in Mimura's arms before...what would it feel like? Instead, he sat next to her, letting her sob until she finally quieted down.

"Why?" he asked, looking forward and not at her as she wiped the tears away. She glanced at him, then at the gun and then back at him, "You abandoned your gun..." she didn't answer his question, "Why?"

He faced her, a skeptical look on him...one eyebrow raised and his famous smile that he was known for, "Do I need it?"

She blushed, shook her head and she turned away from him. That smile...it was the smile. The moment she had first witness that smile...she fell in love with Shinji. Back two years ago when she and Shinji were thirteen, when she had first met Shinji at a bar where his uncle worked. Her mother was only in there for a few moments, but she caught sight of Shinji blowing off some girl. That smirk was the reason why she was so drawn to him. It was ironic, like...a sarcastic, yet genuine smile. Since then, she wasn't able to get him out of her mind...and she no longer was a stranger to the meaning of 'love.'

Shinji moved, taking her from her thoughts and she glanced at him, he looked forward, saying nothing. Just...sat there. She had been in 'love' before...she had been out with guys before but...something about Mim. Something about him made her drawn to him like a light to a moth. Something about the way he talks, moves...the way he is. She never felt this sort of feeling towards anyone before in her life. In all truth she still didn't tell him how she felt. She was afraid. Shinji and her had been friends...maybe not as close as Shuuya and Mim, but they were friends. And she wanted to keep growing with him, she wanted to keep that friendship and keep it going forward so that he could know that she will always be there. Always. But if she told him, where would that leave them after he rejected her. There were many cases where a couple broke up...or someone rejected the other and after that...they are like total strangers. No...she didn't want that.

She gasped and coughed several times, making an unpleasant sound while doing it. Great...that cold she caught three days ago was still kicking. She had to stay home all three days because it was so bad. She was recovering and her mother insisted that she stay home one more day...but Kagura hadn't seen Shinji in three days. She wanted to have fun...so she went anyway. A rustling sound came from the left of her and she glanced to see Shinji dig into his bag that the contestants received before they left the building and pull out a bottle of water. He smiled at her again, "Here. This'll help that cold of yours. You sure you're okay?"

He knew? He knew she had a cold? For a moment, she felt revived...then sunk back down. Don't flatter yourself, Gura, she said to herself...almost shaking her head to go with the thought. It's common to think someone who's been out for three days has a bad cold. But at least he noticed you were gone, that inside voice said to her. Who wouldn't notice, she shot back. She nodded, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you." She took a sip of water and handed it back to Shinji who pressured her to drink more. "No..." she said, "This is your—"

"I've still got three more bottles. Besides, I can't be getting that cold of yours, now can I?" he interrupted, that smile still plastered on his face. She blushed and nodded then took a gulp. He moved to her other arm, "Do you have any injuries?" he asked, inspecting her left arm, the smile faded into a curve of concern. She blushed even redder at his touch and managed to sputter, "No...I...I don-don't have a-any."

He moved back into his spot, nodding, that smile back on his face again, "That's good. Might have to worry about infection if you had an open wound. Could be pretty serious, you know?"

"I know..." she said. There was a moment of silence then, both of them lost in their own thoughts. He was the first to break their silence, "So why were you looking for me? There are plenty other guys that could help you. Why did you choose me?"

So ironic she couldn't help but chuckle. She was in such a fit of laughter that she didn't notice Shinji's face that he gave her. You know...that inner voice was speaking again...we could be dead tomorrow. She abruptly stopped laughing and looked up...tears streaming from her eyes again. We could be dead tomorrow. Shinji moved a little closer and wrapped his arm around her, "What's with the waterworks, Gura?" He seemed to forget that last question. He even used her nickname her friends had given her. This was the first time a guy had called her that.

"It...it's just...I...I thought I was strong...I thought I would never be afraid. I mean... Tomboy Gura...afraid? How bizarre is that?" she was spilling. The thing about her is when she starts...she doesn't stop until she's done. She took a deep breath and continued, "I mean...back then, before all this. I wasn't afraid of anything. Not of pain, not of sorrow...not even death. Not even fucking death," she looked up at Shinji, who was listening to her intently. The tears started to flow like rivers, she couldn't hold them back, "I thought nothing could make me break. Nothing. I thought I was strong. But...now I realize...now...I realize that...that..." her voice trailed. She paused a moment, to recollect her thoughts, "I mean I wasn't afraid of anything. I wasn't supposed to be afraid!" her voice grew higher until she was at a declaring point, "I was supposed to be strong!" for a moment, the tears had resided. But now they came back, "But...but here I am...and I'm scared shitless. I'm scared out of my mind. And I hate it, I hate it! I hate being weak." She was afraid this entire time. She was never strong, she was weak...it was pathetic that she finally realized it. "Now...now I know. There was always something that I was sacred of. I can't believe I missed it before. I was always scared...I was always weak. It was pathetic. Pathetic that I finally realized it now. And..." her voice trailed. The tears resided, but they started up once more, "It's...it's even more pathetic...that...that it took his game, this fucking goddamn shitty game that made me realize. This goddamn fucking game!"

Shinji looked at her, his face sympathetic and he continued to hold her close, she slumped comfortably in his hold as she slightly blushed. He sighed, took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry. I know. I know how it is. I'm scared. I'm scared shitless too. I thought I was strong. I thought nothing could break me too. But you're right, I'm not strong. I don't think I'm afraid of death itself...I think I'm afraid of the feelings that I have. Afraid of loosing someone I learned to care for die in front of me. Afraid of being able to survive and not being there for the people I love. Afraid of not helping those who are in need of it. Afraid of not being the person I want to be," he paused. Kagura's eyes started to dry as she listened to Shinji. This was the first time he's shown a serious side. The Shinji she saw was always joking, took nothing serious. This game tends to show a person's other nature. His smile appeared on his face again, "But you know? That's okay," he said, turning his gaze to Kagura, "That's okay. Because...it's human. It part of being human. Like feeling pain, sorrow. Because if you don't feel anything, then you aren't human. And if you aren't human, then you can never know the feeling. The feeling of holding someone you love. The feeling of making friends that you can trust. The feeling of loosing someone that you keep precious. The feeling of sorrow and pain of someone who hurt you. And those feelings are vital because...because those feelings...they make you who you are. Not what you are, who you are."

Kagura sat speechless. He had no idea...no idea how much she needed to hear that, "No...no idea. No idea...how much...I needed to hear that. Thank you, Arigatou.

Shinji smiled at her, a warm feeling spreading across her heart. At the moment, she knew she fell more in love with Shinji. We could be dead tomorrow. The thought reentered her mind like an arrow and she decided...it was time. "Shinji..." he glanced at her to tell her she had his attention, she glanced down, slightly blushing, "You know...we could be dead tomorrow. We could be dead within three hours. Hell, we could even be dead within five fucking minutes. And..." she trailed, and she turned to gaze at his dark eyes, "Shinji? Do you like someone?"

He seemed to be caught by surprise on this question. He looked away from her and thought, finally shaking his head no. Her hopes dropped, but she decided to tell him. She promised herself that someday, someday she would tell him. Soon enough, they will die. They will, and she promised, "Going to be dead soon. And...so much unsaid...for my part at least," she flashed a smile...it was rare...as if half happy, half sad. Her face was happy, but her eyes...her chocolate brown eyes were sad. She took a deep breath, "You...you're everything to me. I've never felt this way about someone before." She blushed, afraid to look at Shinji's face.

Shinji said nothing, only stared in shock for a moment. She glanced at his face and turned quickly back to the ground, a little taken aback by the surprise on his face. She knew that girls were always confessing to him...so why was it so surprising when she told him. He then shifted and faced forward, waiting (or pausing) for her to speak if there was something to be said. Kagura sighed, filling in the silence, "You...I...well, I...I don't know. It's just...you...you're so cool. They way you are...it seems as if nothing can...hurt you. It's like your invincible. And that's good...but there are times. When I'm there at the right moment at the right time, when I see another side. When there's another Shinji Mimura in there. One that doesn't come out as often. And I like that too. You...you make me feel..." she trailed, trying to find the right word. He made me feel many things...important to name one. He made her feel... "Safe," she said, smiling at him, finally facing him as he turned his gaze upon her again, "You make me feel safe. For that reason alone, daisuki."

Shinji shifted again, giving off a vibe of uncomfort, but...maybe it wasn't uneasiness...maybe it was something else. He saw Kagura gulp and silently inched away, giving him some room as he glanced at her, but said nothing. He sighed, "Well, Kagura. That's..." he trailed, trying to find the right word, "That's nice. To tell the honest truth, you're a girl that I got really close to. The only girl that I feel I can...really trust. Somehow, I feel..." he paused again, glancing at Kagura then focusing his gaze back at what's in front of him, "Comfortable around you. But you have the effect on everybody." He gave a small chuckle, and Kagura finally had the chance to turn to him. She could see the extremely slight blush and he hastily said, "I mean...I like you too. But...after we get out of here. Spend more time with Mim. Maybe...I could grow to love you too."

Kagura stared at him for a moment...then she burst out laughing. She didn't know what was funny, but the next moment, Shinji joined in. There was a moment of laughter that came from both of them, Kagura's tears still streaming down. It was better than nothing, it really was. They quickly quieted down when Shinji dug into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper and pencil. He began to write something down and took several moments to do it. He sat himself up and handed the paper to Kagura. Listen to me, Gura, the note said. There are mics on the collar, so whatever you do, DON'T say anything that doesn't want to be heard, 'K? I was able to grab a laptop from one of the houses. I tried to hack into the system and set a virus to their computers, but they bumped us before we could get anywhere because of the mics. So...here's a new plan. Kagura looked up to find that famous smile of his. He took the paper back and began to write again...this took a few seconds. A bomb. That was all that was written. "What?" Kagura asked, confused.

Shinji took the paper back again and began to write for several moments and handed the paper back to her. A bomb. To blow up the school and take out Sakamoto and his bastards.

Kagura took out her own pencil and began to furiously write as well. How?

Well, Yutaka and I found most of the stuff. But there are a couple of things that we are still in need of. Sulfur, gasoline. Most importantly, rope.

Rope?

Yeah. The school is in a constant danger zone, but there are hills that surround the place. We can take a pulley and roll it to down to the school and it's BOOM! Bye, suckers. Their game can go down with them. Kind of like the Titanic and her captain.

Kagura was speechless. Leave it to Mim to come up with a plan. That was how Mim was, he was always thinking about everything, always taking things into consideration. It was one of the reasons to why she liked him so much. Mim was always doing stuff like this. And he'd be above and before everyone else because of it. She nodded, indicating she understood what he was saying and he smiled, "You with me?"

"Do you really need to ask me that?" she replied, giving a small chuckle while she was it. He smiled at her again, that famous smile penetrating her. He held out his hand and then locked hands in a handshake form...a motion that meant they were a team. "Come on," he said, nodding his head towards the way he came, "Let's find Yutaka and get this show on the road!"