-----G7
Thankfully for Yukiko, she had been seated right next to Yumiko during the explanation of the rules by Kamon. Unfortunately though... she had been at the front.
Hayashida's body had been so close to her...
So close...
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve frantically as she emerged from the school building, trying to get clearer vision... tears... too many tears...
It seemed as if no one was around, and Yukiko was especially thankful Kazuo wasn't. He was such a cold and heartless person, and she was terrified that he would be playing. The rest of the gang too... so many people who might be prepared to kill her... to kill Yumiko too.
No! I can't let that happen! No matter what happens... that can't...
She came to a halt, and turned back, to face the school. Such a dark and foreboding building. It made her shiver with fear.
Don't loose faith Yukiko
"I won't..." she whispered. She couldn't stand by and let anyone start killing! Even if they all ended up dying within 24 hours, she had to make sure they wouldn't play. Even though she didn't think she was good at anything particularly herself, she knew that their class was one not to mess with lightly. People like Shuuya, Shinji, Yukie, Hiroki... together they would be a great team. They had their own strengths, and in combination, who could stand against them? They might only be kids, but they could still give Kamon a run for his money. And if some of the others who Yukiko was generally scared by joined them too... kids like Mitsuko, Kazuo and Kawada... then they'd be unstoppable.
All it would take would be one student to stand up and refuse to play, no matter what. It would just take one person to have the courage to stand up, in front of the line of guns and refuse to back down.
Refuse no matter what.
Yukiko stood her ground. Kuninobu would be the next student out of the building, and he was a friend of Shuuya. She could definitely trust him.
Trust... such a strange term in many ways. That was the whole point, wasn't it? Scare people into thinking they can't trust and they'll become the mindless workforce the government wanted. Everyone would fall into line and obey... that's why the resistance movements were largely ineffective. Not even those working with each other against the government could trust each other. It was the whole reason behind Battle Royale. Their class was supposed to be there now, proving it to the whole nation.
In how ever many days, the dreaded helicopter would land, and one of them would emerge. Maybe Kazuo, maybe Mitsuko, maybe Shogo. Only one. A public display of utter betrayal.
But Yukiko refused to. Trust... she had to trust anyone. Whether it was Yumiko or Mitsuko, she would trust them all. It was the only way they could hope to beat the system. The smallest shred of mistrust, and they would be finished. All of them.
Yukiko heard the sound of someone's footsteps. She took a deep breath, and prepared herself.
Yoshitoki came into the corridor that lead up to the exit. He obviously saw Yukiko's silhouette outside, as he seemed to slow down. She didn't move. She wanted to get the chance to talk to him before doing anything. For all he knew, she could be waiting to do him in, so she couldn't do anything that would appear threatening, though the thought of Yukiko actually trying to kill anyone was more than ludicrous. She couldn't hurt a fly.
"Kitano?" Yoshitoki said cautiously as he emerged.
She nodded. "Kuninobu..."
He looked around nervously, sweating heavily. In addition to the anguish he was going through because of the situation itself, he had not been expecting to find Yukiko there. He rarely talked to either her of Yumiko, though they were on friendly terms. "You... you're waiting for Kusaka?"
"For everyone." Yukiko said confidently.
Kuninobu raised an eyebrow. "... wha?"
"We have to work together!" Yukiko said, attempting to sound motivating, though her unthreatening appearance and meek voice didn't help her achieve this.
Still, her plea seemed to be working. Yoshitoki cracked his trade mark goofy grin. "... You mean it? You... think we can?" he said, his voice shaking slightly.
Yukiko nodded and giggled. "Why not? It's worth a try at least!" she said.
"Even the... bad kids?"
"Even them. Everyone..." she replied. This was turning out to be much easier than she had expected. Maybe they really would be able to convince everyone! Maybe... they could all go home...
"Mitsuko? Kiriyama? You can't be serious! We'll be shot on sight!"
Yukiko shrugged. "Maybe. But at least we will have tried."
"Yukiko!"
At the sound of her name, Yukiko turned to back to face the school. Yumiko was running at full speed towards the pair of them, her arms outstretched, tears streaming away.
Yumiko... she's always there for me...
"Yumiko!" Yukiko cried out joyously, as her best friend reached her, and leant down so they could hug each other.
Yumiko...
The soldiers unzipped the bag with a slow and almost robotic motion.
Yukiko didn't realise how hard her hands were gripping against the edge of the table, even when the knuckles started to turn white. She was aware of how erratic her breathing was though, deep gasping breaths as here eyes widened with morbid terror.
The soldiers finished unzipping, and pulled away either side to reveal the contents.
Hayashida's head hung out, his jaw still locked in a grotesque scream. The edge of his head had crumbled away, his brain slowly oozing out with occasional droplets of congealed blood that landed on the floor with a wet and dull thud. On of the eyes hung out of the festering lump of bloodied flesh, but by far, the worst part was the smell...
It wafted towards Yukiko, the smell of decay and rot. It chocked her...
A scream escaped her throat as her eyes watered with tears. Her hands gripped even harder to the table, her mouth taking more large unpredictable gulps of the air that she both needed to survive, but that made her feel sick.
She felt something, and looked down, startled.
Yumiko was reaching across from the desk next to her, placing her hand over her friend's coiled fist. Yukiko closed her eyes. Slowly, her breathing returned to a more normal state. She was still distressed, and she still felt sick. But she was no longer panicking.
Turning to face Yumiko, she mouthed a silent "thank you" with her quivering lips.
Yumiko smiled and nodded.
"Don't leave, OK?" Yukiko whispered quietly.
Yumiko smiled maternally. "I'm not going anywhere."
-----G7
"Boys #8: Yoji Kuramoto."
Yoji turned his head to the seat behind him, staring one last time at the crying Yoshimi Yahagi, the only girl who ever understood, and the only girl he had ever loved. He didn't know if they would ever see each other again. In a way, he hoped not. He didn't know what sort of things could happen in a game like this, but if they turned on each other…
… it would be worse than never seeing her again.
Tearfully, he broke the gaze, hearing her whimper helplessly behind him. Strolling forward, he was handed a bag by the faceless and nameless soldier who stood there with an iron expression. Strangely, even though the bag itself was a symbol of what they were about to all face, it was comforting to hold it at last.
Yoji strolled out of the building, whimpering softly. Up ahead stood the bleak gaping hole that was the exit from the school. He walked forward slowly, and cautiously.
You can do this Yoji! You're a boy... no, you're a man! And men are brave. Men protect women, with their lives if need be! But you can do that... you're brave Yoji.
Yoji always took pride in how macho he thought he was. Though most people disagreed with him on this, he rarely let it bother him. After all, he was a man, and men didn't care what other people thought. Up ahead, he could begin to make out the outlines of three figures of varying height. He slowed down. Uh-oh...
They're waiting for me?
Yoji, they're going to kill you
Then he realised that they wouldn't be playing. Of course not! If they were, then they would be at each other's throats at that very moment! Of course! They must be friends.
But what friends do you have? Yoshimi,KazushiandTadakatsu are still in the classroom. Who else ever liked you?
As he made his way into the open area just outside the school, he was able to make out who the figures were. Yukiko Kitano and Yumiko Kusaka, those girls who were best friends. Always came together, like two peas in a pod. And Yoshitoki Kuninobu, friends with people like Shuuya and Mimura. The boys who tended to keep their distance from Yoji. Why on earth were they waiting for him of all people?
They arn't waiting for you! They'll be waiting for someone after you... they don't want you here
Yoji gulped. That was an all-too familiar situation. Most parties he had turned up for, he'd ended up feeling like he wasn't wanted. Just like now... it was as if everyone was telepathically telling him to get lost.
"Hey Yoji!" Kuninobu exclaimed, grinning widely.
Yoji stopped, and looked around nervously.
"Hey, it's OK!" Yumiko proclaimed. "We arn't going to hurt you."
"We're teaming up! Join us Yoji! None of us should have to kill..." Yukiko added.
Yoji took a deep breath.
Look at them! All smiling at you... grinning... they have to be lying! It's a trick! It's a trap! Run Yoji!
But something stopped him from running. Something rooted him to the spot. "You guys serious?"
The three of them nodded, a little too optimistically for Yoji. He tightened his grip on the strap of his bag.
What if they're telling the truth?
We can all get out of this?
Yoshimi... I can make sure we both get home...
"Yeah, you guys are right!" Yoji exclaimed happily, running forward, smiling widely.
Kuninobu would have been surprised at this dramatic change of attitude from anyone other than Yoji. The fact that it was Yoji made all the difference. "Mood-Swing Yoji" the kid who he and Shuuya tended to keep away from. Most of the class tended to do the same. The trouble being you could never predict him. One moment he'd be incredibly and insuppressibly happy, the next, enraged and furious, and even then, he could still plunge into a torrent of tears over the smallest thing. He was hardly the sort of guy Kuninobu would most want as an ally in the programme, but he wasn't about to turn anyone away, especially as he'd always thought that Yoji was a nice guy somewhere underneath the violent mood swings.
"Glad to have you on board!" Yumiko said, shaking hands with Yoji.
-----G7
"Boys #9: Hiroshi Kuronaga"
Kazuo had already been let out, and the rest of the gang didn't seem to be terribly interested in Hiroshi's departure, save maybe Mitsuru, who looked up with an expression that Hiroshi found difficult to read. He slowly sidled down the aisle with his hands in his pockets. Strangely, the thought of going out to kill his classmates hadn't really settled in, and he wasn't feeling particularly bothered.
"Come now, don't hold us up!" Kamon said, his sugary smile invoking a sense of nausea in Hiroshi.
"Alright, I'm coming already!" he said irritably.
The guard handed him a bag which he took in silence. The corridor beckoned ahead of him, and he moved forwards at his own pace. He could have moved faster, but Hiroshi wasn't one to do things just because some twat in an army uniform told him so. Kazuo was the only person he seemed to bear any respect for.
Everyone else? Arseholes mainly... fuck em.
And so as long as Kazuo wasn't there telling him to run, Hiroshi was determined to take his time.
Up ahead was a small group. Hiroshi raised an eyebrow. What the hell?
Approaching without really giving off any emotion was something Yukiko found intimidating, as the figure of Hiroshi moved towards their group. There were now 5 of them, since Kotohiki had joined with them, though the poor girl looked incredibly nervous, and had been extremely non-committal.
Hiroshi sneered. Heh... it's those two... Yukiko and the other lez. Kuninobu, Shuuya's bum chum. That random girl who does that flower arranging crap... and the faggot. Pfft, what a sponge. Can't believed he bagged Yahagi!
"Hiroshi! We're going to team up! None of us want to play the game!" Yukiko proclaimed.
Huh? Hiroshi thought sarcastically, Are you stupid of what? Or did you just have your fingers in your ears for that entire thing?
The others were now looking at Kuronaga, possibly for some kind of response. He signed, and started to unzip his bag. "Any of you got a lighter?" he asked casually out of the corner of his mouth. Annoyingly he couldn't find his, though he had located his cigarettes almost instantly, as usual.
The five kids standing near to him looked at each other in confusion, and Yumiko noticed that Kotohiki was attempting to hide herself at the back of the group.
Hiroshi chuckled to himself. The poor kids all looked absolutely terrified! All he'd asked for was a light. If they had been expecting some huge emotional outpouring, then they'd come to the wrong person. Especially considering most of the people in the group were girls. Hiroshi would be damned if he ever placed trust in a girl. Can't trust the sodding things... He reminisced.
Something in his bag caught his eye.
A knife.
He smiled, and pulled it out.
Kotohiki gasped, and Yoshitoki took a step back unsubtly. "Hiroshi...?" whimpered Yukiko, gripping tightly to Yumiko's sleeve.
Hiroshi looked up at them. What a bunch of pussies!
With more speed than most people would probably have expected of him, he leapt forward with the knife outstretched in his hand. The group gasped together, Yukiko and Kotohiki screaming loudly. Before any of them had a chance to move, Hiroshi was among them, the knife in his hands thrusting forward.
It met flesh.