Ok, I think there will be some problem by discerning Fuyumi (girl) and Fuyuki (boy) from each other at the first reading - at least I got some notices in reference to that, but ah well... enjoy... :)


Chapter 7

Two boys (the taller ones) and two girls (the others) were among them. The tallest of all was definitely Baku Shoda (boys #11) - he had that typical spike hair made with hair gel - the other boy in the black uniform was Fuyuki Egami (boys #3), that lanky, but still tough athlete. He was a superb long-distance runner and participated in a lot of foot-race, where he usually put up a good show. Many girls just shook the head when they saw Fuyuki in the running track day by day as he practised for hours long. If not in other cases, now he could use this ability against the wolves.

Both of the girls were blonde. The colour came into fashion by US model, but abated a bit when the war broke out - even so if something ever started out, won't come to an end so easily. Nana said leastwise, she will not colour her hair back to brown, because she has not enough money for it. In these critical times it's quite hard to live as a common men day after day, just the parvenus, like the Ryusakis could afford continuing their earlier life. Anyway, that blonde hair will grow down, so what to worry about?

At the present - here, on the game field stood just Nana Bunya (girls #2) as one of the girls with Baku and Fuyuki. Her mate was the tallest of the girls, Fuyumi Morimoto (girls #7) with shoulder-deep hair. If rumors are true, they had just reunited with Baku Shoda again, but that's not the point right now. Besides her and Nana, there are two more blondes in the class, Rena and Yaeka Sugiyama (girls #13).

The four students might have met right this time, they were making up to each other hands holding up in the air.

"We didn't have the opportunity to show you before, that we have nothing to harm you and we don't want to attack as well." said Fuyuki.

"I thought so!" Baku Shoda replied immediately in his regular pompous style. "I don't think you could hurt me anyway."

Fuyuki by hearing that, acted like nothing had happened, but memorised this hostile comment in himself. As a matter of fact, he had the most conflict with Shoda (everyone named him simply in his surname and Baku Baisotei as well to differentiate these two), mainly in PE lessons.

"I suppose it's not the time for hating each other." said Fuyuki.

"Yeah, Baku, we agreed not to be in the game." Fuyumi said that to Shoda.

" And if they provoke us?" asked Shoda arrogantly. BTW, he didn't remember such conversation from earlier at all.

"They won't provoke you if you are not such..."

"Such what? Come on, speak, once you have started...!"

He stood by Fuyumi in face to face and looked at her threatening. The two face almost abutted, in normal situation they'd surely end up kissing. Maybe Shoda wanted that way in the end, but Fuyumi turned her face away.

"We should figure out how to pass through into the next area thing." she said evasively and stepped to the door of the warehouse.

They knew, there's no other way through the next zone, an on the face of endless, at least 8 metres high electric fence cut the game field into half. The students started to examine the whole building - which had the size of a garage - there wasn't any conventional door, probably an elevator-like the one, controlled by electricity.

"The warehouse is the only passage." stated Fuyuki and left the plate of the electric fence, which had a lightning symbol and a warning text in it.

"Why are you so sure? You touched it?" Shoda bantered him.

"No, I'm not."

"You daren't. So coward to do!"

"No, I just don't wanna, okay?"

Nana had enough of the argument so she shouted to the boys:

"Oh, stop it already! Before you jump each other's throat, hell, I will open that damn door for you!"

As she tried to examine the wall in the dark, she found something. A small, flat device, which - it seemed - it was tightened to the warehouse wall.

"Here's something!" she attracted the attention of the classmates. Just in time, because Shoda was about to insult Fuyuki again. Now they gathered round Nana and took stock of the device. With a single click Shoda opened light to his watch, so they all could see more, but it had the danger, that others in the near may detect them.

"This must be a decoder." said one of the boys after a long silence.

"Do we need a code?" asked some of the girls after that.

"No, it says: Congratulations! You reached the goal first! Type your name."

Fuyuki shouted out with the joy of the victorious' on his face.

"Wow, I'm the first, I'll get the best weapon!" he almost typed his name on the keyboard of the device, the fingers prolifically chattered over it, whereof Shoda stopped him.

"Hey, Fuyuki, we are here, too!" this time the girls agreed with him.

Fuyuki turned to the direction of Nana.

"What are you crying at, Nana? You're with me, dontcha remember? We are the first two!"

"And what about us?" asked Fuyumi displeasedly with crossed arms in her chest.

So Fuyuki tried to explain himself, as they got used to that in their everyday life in school or the student hostel. He find an excuse or tried to find one at least for anything and wanted to save his skin, when the matter was definitely lost. That's why he earned the grudge of Baku Shoda and some others, too. It happened sometimes, that Fuyuki betrayed the friends openly in the defence of himself.

"I reached here first, do I Shoda?" he hove "Don't disclaim it, at least now! I'm a far better runner than you!"

Baku and Fuyumi gave him the counterattack:

"Sure. We all got here almost at the same time!"

"And? That's less than hitting the house cheek by jowl!"

"Even you haven't seen, who got here earlier, bro!"

Shoda immediately rushed at Fuyuki, they began to grapple. The girls were wash-out. That was only the matter of time, when will hell break loose. Moskvin was surely watching that with great content in his comfortable seat in the control room - sithence that was his aim of course. Dan in the near continued cursing.

"I knew, this Fuyuki is a treacherous little bastard!"

He almost let Rena and himself get detected by those four, he put himself in a flutter that much because of Fuyuki's behaviour. They could witness anything with Rena. Despite the pain coming from the wound, the boy wanted to interfere, but his girlfriend made him stop. Meanwhile things settled down by the warehouse, Shoda pulled the other boy against the wall, threatened him then finally set him free.

"Fine, write your name first, then. But I don't get it, what is the difference between first and second." Fuyuki growled bitterly.

"What, it doesn't matter now? It was just the same moments ago!" Shoda turned at him, while he was typing his name at the device.

The girls were listening in silence, as long Shoda typed Fuyumi's name, too.

"So there! Here you go! That's why you cried at!"

During that time the elevator door-like entrance opened up so the students could see a dark, square shaped hole in the middle of the building wall. The first duo stepped in and the next finally typed their names. They followed Shoda and Fuyumi soon enough.

There was a strange atmosphere within doors, some lamps took care about light and those were sagging from the roof in tore cables. The whole room smelled like in the hospital, there was some smoke diffusing in the air. Fuyuki barely entered the warehouse with Nana, the door closed itself automatically. Nothing else was there, like a lot of safe numbered from one to seventeen. Small lamps could be seen on every piece, if it was open, the lamp shone green, in the other case it was red. This time the students saw only two green lamps out of the seventeen, they understand immediately how things were going.

Shoda and Fuyumi went up to the opened safe in their near, they got the two weapons from its inside soon: a hunting knife with a stock made of bone and a Revolver. Fuyuki and Nana found an automatic UZI and some grenade from their box. All of them stared the gifts for long, they didn't know what to do next.

Suddenly the door opened again, the students got scared as one person. At first they believed, that new partners entered the room, but the dark hole was in the other side of the building at this time, in one word - they got free access to the second game field. It was quite scarry to go out in the darkness from the safety of the light, but they had no other choice. They had to leave the place immediately.

Fuyuki got going foremost with the first sparks of hate against Baku Shoda. If there hadn't been that whole stupid killing competition called "game", maybe he wouldn't felt the motivation to hurt his friend. Now, he needed great focusing to keep a check on the anger. So he prefer to ice Shoda and headed toward the next game field.

But the hot shot shouted after him, it made the other to stop. He turned back and tried to understand Shoda's words, but got very confused.

"Oy, just take a look, Fuyuki! We've permuted the weapons. We've got yours and you've got ours. We chose the wrong safe." Shoda explained.

And he was right. Nana was standing next to the safe with number one on it, and Fuyumi by the one with number two. They really have permuted the weapons the first and second pair should get.

"And?" Fuyuki was so confused, that he answered only that much.

That looked like he didn't cared, so that made the other boy extremely angry.

"What's with and, huh?" he asked with threatening eyes and got going toward Fuyuki. "we're going to exchange weapons nicely, that's the situation! Everyone gets what belongs to them."

Fuyuki got scared or maybe misunderstood the other's movement, but that's also possible he made this on purpose: he left himself to the killing desire and ranged the UZI at the classmate. He naturally won't give him the tool, which might cause his own death. Why should I ease his situation?

Fuyuki's fingers almost pulled the trigger, in vain that the other held his Revolver lowered by his limb. Shoda had an attitude, some philosophers called "übermensch", but he never got the idea to harm someone at all. At the moment at least. Now, he stood dumbfounded and stared at Fuyuki with surprised gaze. He didn't understand, why was Fuyuki doing all this. The two girl shared his perplexity.

The one with the UZI answered by seeing that many amused faces.

"You think I'll give the UZI back, eh? Sure, and then you'll have the faster and stronger gun! It will cost you nothing to crack me up! Don't take me a fool!" he squalled "I know, that you have always hated me and badgered whenever you could! It was only me who you ran me down on PE lessons for example! I know you would willingly kill me, you just wait for the perfect chance! This game came in handy for it!" he still held the gun ranging at Shoda.

"Don't be an idiot, Fuyuki! Put that fucking gun down, damn it!" the two girls ordered about him by turns, but he didn't obey.

Many seconds passed away in such movelessness, the students were waiting in a deadly excitement. Shoda felt fear first time during his life, and also a bit helplessness - few occasion happened, which he couldn't been able to handle. Yet, things went to the contrary, his life depended from Fuyuki's decision.

The Revolver was by him for nothing, whereat he started to lift it up, he took some hell of a bullets to the belly. The safes were too small to hide behind. He really didn't get Fuyuki's behaviour, not, because he perhaps said it in German (Shoda was week in languages), but, because Fuyuki's blow-up was fully baseless. A spoiled only child as Shoda is; his type is usually a man of moods, his changing of cheer is not bound to a single person, he act with others how his day momentarily like. Fuyuki was unlucky by him, and they were always opponents in football, that's why Shoda insulted him more often. He never bore unnecessary quibbling on the pitch, when that went against the game - he hit the roof at those times. But nobody knew it, hence Fuyuki take these upon himself.

"Calm down, okay?" Shoda finally sounded.

First it seemed that his words worked, Fuyuki put his anger away and lowered down the gun. All the others relieved but in the next moment they heard an ear-splitting noise and saw Shoda falling down onto the ground. He died immediately, the other boy shot him by the chest. Only the wonder could save him, all parts of the body became full of blood soon enough. Baku Shoda didn't move anymore, the room sat in full silence. Full, desperate silence.

So, Fuyuki Egami has started the game. One of the girls, Fuyumi stared at the goner, with a lenten face - whom she once loved. Her eyes were covered in tears, she cried over Shoda in this condition. Nana's anger was greater then she could cry.

"What have you done, you a-hole? What did Baku do to you? He didn't attack and not even ranged that fucking gun at you! Fu, just you wait! Just you wait! I'll get you!" she was so angry, that she could only cursing. Her mouth moved almost unawares.

It had the danger, that Fuyuki will shoot her too - even the rule: the pairs have to work together or by the death of one the other will also die, but Fuyuki stood in one place with lifeless stare as he would be in another place in mind.

"It wasn't me. Shoda started all this!" he sounded "I just defended myself."

"Yeah, sure! Don't blame him!" Nana replied "you know what? I've done with you! I'm not working with you anymore, fuck that stupid rule!"

She stepped up to Fuyumi so she could help the girl up, who was extremely desperate and sank in herself, she wanted to leave their crazy classmate behind as fast as they can.

The boy noticed her intention and to prevent that, he pointed the UZI to the two girls.

"Stop! Nana you stay here! We're a team, if you die, so do I. Don't even try to resist!"

Fuyumi hardened into stone from frighten, but not Nana, she turned reckless against Fuyuki.

"Go on, kill me! Finally you're going to die as well. It's better for everyone without a psychotic bastard like you! Maybe they've still got their good sense."

"I SAID TO COME HERE!" he shouted from full throat, then aimed the other girl with the weapon "OR I SHOOT FUYUMI!"

Fuyumi cried with red face.

"LOWER THAT DAMN GUN ALREADY!"

"Say Nana to come here then! he squalled back "when I killed Shoda, as his mate, you would have died too!"

Seeing the circumstances they all forgot this fact - or they didn't know whether Fuyumi and Shoda was an original pair or not; even Fuyumi herself forgot, that she had another partner, not Baku Shoda. She didn't ease the belly from that anyway, she realised at this holy second how much risk she have taken by letting herself and the original partner separate from each other.

"Hey! How long do I have to wait?" asked Fuyuki.

Nana finally nodded then returned to the boy, the other blonde girl watched it with great fear - she knew that Fuyuki won't fulfil the promise.

Well, she was right.

"I can't let you just walk away, I'm sure you would tell the others, what happened here." so Fuyuki wanted to send his target after Baku Shoda and with this movement another important thing came into his mind.

"I don't know, how is it, that you are still alive, you can't be so lucky at the very beginning! Or maybe you had an other partner? In any way soever: die!" he barely said out, pulled the trigger immediately.

Fuyumi waited for her end with the eyes closed, but nothing happened. She heard a painful groan and as she opened her eyes again, she saw Fuyuki on the floor, knocked down by Nana, the girl who had usually a peaceful temper. Fuyuki lied unconscious, a narrow trail of blood flew slowly out of his ears.

From the relief and because of the ironic situation, Fuyumi smiled.

"Basilar skull fracture. Wow."

By the way, these two (even Fuyuki) chose biology as elective course for the last two school years.

Nana looked down to the boy with contumeliously look.

"His kind deserves no other! I would willingly beat the shit out of him, even if I killed myself with that. But I wouldn't be better than him then..." she still spit on the classmate's body. A one with full of rheum.

"That's yours, you SOB!"

They wasted enough time with that, so she discard the small metal box-thing which she used to deal with Fuyuki - there were many of these amongst the safes.

Fuyumi threw a final glance at Shoda, and started to cry again silently. It was hard to process, that they could enjoy the view in the streets of London or some other place in England together; they could go for a walk in the typical cobble roads of the old villages... watching the store windows while they were having an ice cream... or wonder the sunset. In normal case. Why on earth is this nonsense game?

She took a final leave from Baku in her mind, and after that she hurried after Nana - who quickly gathered all the weapons they got from the safes - unwillingly at first, but with the uttermost speed in the end. The fresh dawn found them on the other side.


[Number of students: 33]


Baku Shoda eliminated