Hikari slowly stood up as she was the first one called. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, but now everyone was scrutinizing her. She would be the first person to leave this makeshift school, the last bastion of normality, and she was going to be the first to enter the dark and cold world of the Program in the forest around them. She wasn't much of the survivor type, she was cute, sweet, always ready to brighten some one's day, and she was also the second shortest in the class with Kohaku being the first. Her hair was parted above her right hear and hung cutely around her neck. Her knees were visibly shaking as she walked up to get her things. Nanashi handed her a bag with "Girl 1" sewn on the strap and her personal bag that she had brought on the bus. Hikari then turned back to the class and gave them a small, pitiful smile. For some, it was a final piece of hope until the madness began. She then walked out of the door. Kubo was next, and then Hikari's friend Hikaru. After the students filed out, Nanashi got up and walked over to the camera room.

"There we are, I see that you guys are doing a good job keeping up with the kids. Anything significant happen when they went off adventuring?"

"Why don't you see for yourself. Fuyumaru, rewind the cameras to when Hikari stepped outside."

"As you wish sir, here we are."

Nanashi dismissed his men while he watched the recordings of the children leaving the building. Hikari had hid behind some bushes when she was let out and then she let Kubo, who didn't notice her, walk by. He stayed near the area, watching the door. Hikaru came out next. As she passed near the bush which was Hikari's hiding place, the smaller girl tugged at her ankle. The two friends exchanged quick smiles with each other and left together into the darkness. Tenchi and the quadruplets met up in a small cluster of trees due right of the school. A pre-arranged meeting place while Nanashi was focusing on other matters perhaps? Anyways, after the five of them left they walked out of the range of that camera. When Sacula came out, Kubo revealed himself and waved to her. She met up with him and they went up a hill. The next big thing didn't happen until Hana arrived.

Hana looked around until she saw a small alcove made from the crumbling wall of the derelict school. She bent down and opened her bag, removing a long, cruel, hunting rifle and a pack of bullets. As Hana opened up the gun and loaded the chamber, she muttered something which was mainly unintelligible, but sounded like "have to kill," "not my fault," "not a murderer." As she held the gun ready, the next person too arrive, Miko, came around the corner. He was a tall and thuggish brute, and many suspected he had connections with the Yakuza. He turned around to look at the medium sized, 5'3" girl with her hair always done up in two little pigtails, the girl who loved to dance and held the school record for amount of chili peppers eaten in five minutes, the girl who was notorious for comically finding the funny parts in a bad situation. And then she pulled the trigger and shot him dead.

Still sobbing, Hana checked the gun to make sure it was loaded. Over in the camera room, the men were smiling with glee. They were required to read the case files of the students, and the next person out was Reiko, Hana's best friend. Sure enough, Reiko was then shown walking along the twisted hallways when she saw Miko's crumpled body. Momentarily forgetting herself, Reiko ran and checked for a pulse.

"Nothing, he's dead.. and this one wasn't killed by that monster either. I hate to think of it, but some one in our class took a human life already. I wonder if- Hana!" She jumped up startled as she saw the long barrel of the rifle for the first time with her best friend on the other end.

"You seem so sorry for him Reiko. Why? That's the game, he lost."

"You mean this fight was the game attacking you. Miko played, right? He was trying to kill you and you did all you could in self-defense. That's why he's dead, right Hana?" As Reiko looked into her friend's eyes, she could feel hope slipping away. Hana's eyes were full of madness now, she was lost.

"Sorry Reiko, but only one can live. I'm gonna have to kill you now. No hard feelings. That's the game, and it's the only rule."

"Hana, no!" Reiko ran towards Hana and grabbed the barrel of the gun, trying to wrentch it from her friend's grip. The two girls struggled with the gun for a while as neither seemed able to command complete control of it. Then it went off.

For the next two seconds time stood still as Reiko stared into Hana's now lifeless eyes. The tears flowing down Reiko's cheeks matched the red blood flowing down Hana's that was spilling from the hole in the middle of her forehead. Then Hana fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Hana, I'm just so sorry..." Reiko passed her fingers over her friend's eyes, closing them. She was about to consider plans for a proper burial when she heard the footsteps of Kisho, the next person due to come out. She grabbed her things and took the day packs of Hana and Miko before she fled into the night. Kisho then stepped out into the open and almost hurled at the sight of the bodies. He thought he saw a girl running off into the dark- maybe Reiko, Reiko always had her hair in that long, single braid to her back. But no, Hana was the dead girl, and not even the Program would make those two fight. They were just too close friends. Feeling slightly guilty, Kisho grabbed Hana's and Miko's personal items before he too ran off.

The rest of the group tended to move fairly quickly, no one wanted to linger near the bodies of those who, just yesterday, had been normal classmates and friends. Elleanor was able to wait for Kohaku, but she didn't mind terriably as he was was the next person after her. Plus he was an emotional wreck There was no way she could consider herself a friend if she left him to face the Program alone in his current state. But everyone who left after Hana was taken over by the Program, whether they were great pacifists or were planing on playing, were forced to contort their faces in disbelief that people whom they had known so long had killed, and were capable of killing again.

Of course, Nanashi knew nothing of this. Once he had heard that Hana's and Miko's deaths were the only ones besides Minako and Takashi so far, he had left to go to the rest of the crewmen and collect the money of those who had bet on the losers.

38 students remain

---End