A/N: Sorry for the wait.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

The Gantz players returned to the room with only a few minutes to spare, and it didn't take Kurono long to notice their missing members; one, in particular, stood out from the rest. Kurono's eyes darted back and forth, hoping for more returnees. Kishimoto's expression was grave, and she was on the verge of tears. "Where's Kato?" Kurono hesitated to ask, but he feared the answer. No, no way was Kato dead, he hadn't even seen him - was he even there when they met up again? I didn't even notice because I was too busy acting like a hotshot. Kato.

"He's probably dead already," Nishi scoffed when it looked like no one else wanted to state the truth. Nishi had seen his condition, so he wasn't just saying it because he didn't care; it was a fact.

Kurono whipped round to glare at Nishi. "No! That's not true! I didn't even see..."

"Well I did, and trust me, he isn't coming back."

Kurono's eyes clouded, and anger shone in his eyes, but before he could take that out on Nishi, Gantz began to transfer someone else into the room. The team stared with anticipation before breaking into celebration when Kato appeared. "Kato!"

Togo nodded his approval and gave a thumbs up.

"Gimme a break, seriously?" Nishi clicked his tongue, dissatisfaction evident on his face. "Whatever."

Kishimoto wrapped her arms around Kato's waist. "Oh Kato, I thought I'd lost you..."

Kato smiled and lay his hand on the small of her back. "Me too." Kato then regarded the room, mentally noting how many players were left. "Hey, Hojo and Sadako aren't back yet."

Kurono sighed sadly and felt Sei hold his hand. "I - I don't think they made it."

The Gantz timer pinged to let them know no one else would be returning. Kato frowned. "I see. I guess Kondo and that Saito guy didn't make it either."

Nishi rolled his eyes and stepped in front of the ball. "Yeah yeah, what a shame, but there are more important things to care about than useless idiots who lack survival skills. Gantz, show us the scores already." Nishi was aware that the team expressed their anger behind his back and couldn't give a damn.

Okay, here are your scores.

Rice: 0 points.

Looks like you're just a dull dog after all.

Dude: 0 points.

Come on, I expected better from a punk like you.

Nozaki blinked. "Who's this thing calling a punk?"

Tetsuo laughed. "Well, he's got a point."

Kato-cha: 0 points.

What the hell does big tits see in you?

Kishimoto placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "That's just not fair! He saved my life! And it's not all about killing the aliens."

Nishi gave her an incredulous look. "The fuck? Are you delusional? That's precisely what it's about. Honestly, your ability to show ignorance when it comes to your so-called boyfriend is utterly distasteful."

Kishimoto huffed. "I'm not ignorant, but Kato-"

Kato sighed. "No, Nishi is right."

Kishimoto turned to Kato and shook her head. "No, that's not true."

"I can't continue refusing to fight for the sake of the aliens, or even for who come here. I think it's gone too far now. I think they're going to come no matter what I do, and I will no longer stand by and let my team risk their lives. I know now that it won't work anymore. The aliens won't listen to us. It's not our fault, but we're part of this fight between Gantz and the aliens, and if I have to side with Gantz to protect people, then so be it."

Kurono smiled with admiration. "Kato..."

The team nodded in agreement.

Nishi grinned. "About time. Welcome to the real world."

Kato frowned at Nishi's amused expression, knowing what he was thinking. "I won't enjoy it, but I've accepted it."

"We'll see."

Tough chick: 0 points.

You were tougher before. What happened?

Sei tilted her head. "That's kind of insulting. Guess I'll score some points next time and then we'll see."

Kurono smiled. "It doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're okay."

Nishi grimaced. "Gantz, hurry up with the scores before I puke."

Terminator chick: 8 points.

Total 27 points.

73 more to go.

Bikie no.1: 8 points.

Total 23 points.

77 more to go.

Way to make a comeback!

Nozaki laughed. "Bikie number one? That's funny as shit."

Tetsuo growled. "Piss off."

Nishi: 8 points.

Total 14 points.

86 more to go.

You won't quit, will you.

Nishi scoffed. "Bastard, like I have a choice."

Kurono: 16 points.

Total points 54.

Only 46 more to go.

Sniper dude: 16 points.

Total points 20.

80 more to go.

The Gantz ball faded to black.

Before Nishi left them in the room like usual, he turned to face the sniper. "By the way, of all the times you did help, your so-called partnership was pathetic."

Togo looked down at Nishi and shrugged. "I was giving you the 'benefit of the doubt;' you know, faith that you could do it, being supportive and all. Besides, I was curious to see how things played out since it was the first time I'd seen you protect anyone without motive."

Nishi couldn't believe it. "Are you telling me that I lost an arm because you were curious? What the fuck kind of bullshit is that! I won't appreciate your faith if I'm dead! So by all means, shoot, got that?"

Togo smiled with amusement. "Noted."

Nishi narrowed his eyes when he thought back to what Togo said. "And furthermore, don't assume false pretenses. I just wanted the points, so there's your fucking motive."

Kurono remembered then that Nishi had saved his life and grew annoyed. "Speaking of, why did you do that?"

Nishi turned to regard Kurono frustratedly. "I just told you."

"You could have been sliced in half, why the hell did you save me?"

"Because I stupidly thought your useless friends would get the hint and shoot it while distracted. I was wrong and won't be making that mistake again."

Kurono frowned, looking unconvinced; he suspected there was another reason behind Nishi's aid, but for now, he kept quiet.

...

Three months have passed since the Gantz team faced the Reaper aliens. Several missions have been successful, but not without losses of those held in high regard; Tetsuo and Rice.

The team carried on fighting despite this, and although Kurono and Kato did their best to prepare new players for their first mission, their precedence's were to the team. Although each mission became tougher and deadlier, the scores were rising with each successful mission.

Nishi's score had risen back to a high sixty-six points.

Kato had overcome his fear of killing and now had fifty-nine.

Kishimoto soared above them with her impressive eighty-five.

Togo wasn't too far behind her due to his sniping skills at seventy-one.

Sei, determined to prove to Gantz and her boyfriend that she was a worthy adversary, had climbed to fifty-two points.

Nozaki, disheartened over the loss of Tetsuo, became eager to gain a hundred to repay him and personally visited Tetsuo's home to inform the family that Tetsuo died saving his life from a 'gang.'

There was stunned silence when Kurono's score of a hundred and nine appeared on the Gantz ball before displaying the hundred points menu. Several players, including Kato, told him to pick option one.

"You deserve it Kei," Kato told him. "You won't ever have to come back here again."

Kishimoto nodded. "After all you've done for us, it's time Kurono. You should go free."

Kurono could do nothing but stare at the ball in disbelief; he knew his score was close to a hundred, but it did nothing to stem the shock when he saw the display of his points. I can't believe I finally did it.

Sei held Kurono's hand. "Even if you go free, I promise to come to you so that we can be together."

Kurono wasn't surprised to hear Sei tell him that and was grateful; he suspected his Gantz free mind would still accept her as his girlfriend regardless. Is this what I really want? To never come back here again? To be free of all this? Kurono glanced around the room at his team. Do I have the right?

Kato smiled. "We're not far behind Kei, soon, we'll be joining you."

Kurono nodded. That's true, so what do I have to feel guilty about? I know they'll be fine...

Kurono turned to Gantz and took a deep breath. "Gantz, I choose-"

Nishi suddenly grabbed Kurono's shoulder, halting him from finishing his choice. "Don't."

Kurono turned to face Nishi with a surprised expression. Nishi looked annoyed for some reason, and Kurono chuckled. "Don't what, go free? You're the one that chose a weapon you didn't even like, so you can't suddenly be jealous."

Nishi gritted his teeth. "Fuck you Kei, do you think I'm that hung up on your damn score?"

Kurono tilted his head, wondering if Nishi knew how odd that sounded coming from him. "Yes?" Nishi huffed but didn't respond to the sarcastic but true reply. "If not, then why did you stop me?"

Nishi hesitated, but there was an underlying concern about what might happen if Kurono decided to leave because as much as he hated to admit it, given what he knew, they were screwed without him. "From making a big mistake." Nishi had postponed revealing important information for months but felt the time had come when he could no longer keep it to himself. "Listen up, assholes. I'm only telling you this because I don't think I have a choice now, so it'll be up to you whether you choose to believe me or not." Nishi walked to Gantz and knelt beside it to reach his hand in and pushed hard on the nape of the bald man's neck.

0003084819.

"Do you see that?" Nishi stood up and faced the ball. The timer was unclear, so Nishi made a guess the unit number was in seconds, given that Izumi told him it would be soon, and anything other than seconds would be too long. "That is how long we have left."

"Until what?" Kurono asked.

"Katastrophe."

Nishi began to explain in detail what he knew would likely happen by the time the countdown ended, still leaving out the information about the perfect score.

Even though the team looked skeptical, and Kurono looked annoyed that Nishi had kept it from them all this time, they appeared to take the information seriously.

"So what unit of time is that?" asked Nozaki.

Nishi leaned against the wall, his outward demeanor calm. "Seconds is probably the right accuracy."

Nozaki blinked and looked at the timer. "Okay, so what the hell is that in days?"

Nishi didn't respond with a usual quip; he was smart, but he wasn't a calculator. "We're likely talking weeks, not days. But that's just a guess."

Kishimoto stared at the hard floor in thought, mumbling calculations to herself. "I only know that if you times 60 seconds by 60 minutes, and then times that by the number of hours in one day, you'll get the number of seconds in a day. So sixty times sixty is three thousand six hundred, times that by twenty-four is... thirty-six times twenty-four is... eight hundred and sixty-four, then we just add the two zero's, I think that's right."

When the girl looked up from the floor, she found the team staring at her in somewhat awe. Kishimoto huffed slightly. "I had to study a lot."

Nishi grunted. "I guess what you lack in confidence, you make up for in brains. It won't save you on missions, but at least you're good for something."

Kishimoto decided to take Nishi's remark as a compliment, even though she had proved time and again now that her confidence had grown substantially. "So, all we have to do is divide the number on Gantz to the number I came up with. Does anyone have a phone to calculate it?"

Kurono chuckled. "You mean you don't know how to do that too?"

Nozaki pulled his phone out from his bag at the side of the room and typed in the sum on his phone's calculator. "I really wish I hadn't asked."

"What does it say?" Kato asked.

"According to this, we have thirty-five days."

Silence entered the room before Kurono's menu choice displayed on the ball once more.

"If we really are facing destruction of our world and an alien invasion, then we're gonna need all the help we can get," Kurono said.

Nishi smirked, assuming Kurono's choice was obvious, but his smirk faded with Kurono's following words. "Nishi, you've been in Gantz the longest, and you told me your team almost all reached a hundred points."

Nishi didn't like the sound of where this conversation was heading. "And?"

"I want to revive them." There were gasps from the team. "I think our best chances of survival are greater in numbers."

Nishi stepped away from the wall. "Are you braindead? Everyone on Gantz's deceased list are there for a reason. Don't you think the survivors here now are enough? Most of us have survived because we're the best players. So why bother reviving them?" Nishi was becoming annoyed.

"Kei is right," Kato said.

Nishi glared at Kato. "Oh big surprise."

Kato ignored the remark. "If Gantz can still revive people, then we should gain as many as possible."

Nishi scoffed. "You might have guts to shoot now, but your input isn't wanted. You're still a hypocrite in my eyes."

Kurono stood in front of the two before an argument broke out. "You might disagree with my decision, but to be honest, we wouldn't have gotten this far without your help. Everyone here has played their role whether you want to admit it or not. I said our chances are greater in numbers, and that's true, but I also want the chance to repay you for that by giving you your team back. Starting with that girl."

Nishi curled his hands into fists, hating that everyone was staring at him, assuming all kinds of bullshit he'd deny to his death. "That's the worst gift of gratitude I've ever heard. If you want to, 'repay me,' then give me a weapon. Yoko being here won't change a damn thing, and I'm the selfish one? You won't be doing her any favors by reviving her. All you're doing is reviving people for selfish gain just to survive." The irony of that statement hit Nishi with sudden realization, and Kurono grinned. "I hate you. Fine, do whatever you want. But let me make it perfectly clear that I had no part in this ridiculous plan. Besides, my 'team' won't believe I chose to revive someone over a weapon anyway."

Kurono laughed. "Then you don't have anything to worry about."

"So we're all agreed?" asked Kato.

Nozaki nodded. "I'll revive Tetsuo. It's the least I can do after he protected me."

"It's the best chance we have; I'm in," Kishimoto said.

"Are you sure?" Kato looked at her.

Kishimoto smiled. "My original self is alive, so what does it matter? At least I'll be with you and Ayamu."

Nishi clicked his tongue and looked at Kurono. "Just because some nutcase theorized that Gantz brought us back for recruitment purposes doesn't mean it's true. I, for one, will not be doing that, not even if Gantz makes me; I'd rather have my head blown off. I'm going for option two."

Kurono nodded; he wasn't about to get angry over Nishi's choice. "Okay, you do that. We'll gather the players while you get the weapons."

Togo frowned and said, "Ditto."

Nishi wasn't surprised to hear Togo agree with him. "At least someone else has sense."

Kurono turned to face Gantz. "Gantz, I choose option three."

Gantz displayed the deceased players.

"Please revive... what's her last name?"

Nishi shook his head. "You're still wasting your points."

"Just tell me, you'll thank me later."

Nishi scoffed. "Not likely, and neither will she." It was apparent Kurono had made his decision and wasn't about to change his mind. Nishi sighed. Although Nishi didn't recall anyone else with the name Yoko, he said, "Shin."

"Gantz, please revive Yoko Shin."

A/N: I know there was a lot of dialogue in this, and no action, sorry for that lol

Love to you all!