Gantz: The beginning Chapter 14: 100 points, a gantz fanfic

Yoko dove in between two columns as the alien's large arm swiped at them, breaking them in half, causing more of the upper level's ceiling to crumble down upon them. She gritted her teeth, anger filling her eyes and what she could only assume were tears, but the anger consuming her was far too great to give in to her emotions. "Damn you, I'll make you pay, I'll kill you, if it's the last thing I do you fucking asshole!" Yoko's legs bulged as she began to use the suit's strength, crouching low, one of the larger guns in her grip. Yoko glanced over to the remains of a large gift store, nothing but broken pieces of wall and glass now, built upon each other when the ceiling fell with it. Her teammate was under there, she knew, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to help relieve him of the weight that slowly crushed him. The memory played in her mind when he crashed into the column holding the shop's archway up, the way the store collapsed. Yoko tightened her hold when she remembered seeing his face express panic as he wrapped his arms over his head. Yoko could just about see one of his arms and shoulder, his head slightly hidden amongst the rubble but visible enough to see a large gash down one side of his face. The angry tears were not from the sight she reluctantly turned away from, at least not the main reason, and she felt the rest of her suit bulge at the recent memory.

Yoko dodged the large arm once more and rolled herself across the floor as it broke apart the railing that protected people while they shopped. The other arm was already missing, courtesy of her other teammate, right before…. Anger flooded through Yoko as she used the suit's strength to propel herself into the air, above the alien's head. "Bastard!" Yoko fired five shots before gravity pulled her down toward its form, and she grabbed hold of its shoulder to fire three more shots before the effects of the gun threw her off as parts of the alien's body blew up. Yoko felt like she was falling in slow motion as she watched the head explode, and she didn't feel the joy in her victory to even celebrate because the kill wasn't hers. "It's not fair."

…..

There were seven other players at the start of the mission when Nishi, Yoko, and Jiro appeared in the room, their faces void of the same surprise the others were showing. It was hard to imagine that this was their third mission without Ryo, hard to imagine how far they'd come, as a team or as individuals. Their personality changes were good and bad, and one might consider their overall skills and ability to become numb to the Gantz world an awful thing, but it kept them alive. When the Gantz showed them their next target, everyone in the room, excluding the three members in suits, began laughing at the absurdity. The weapons and cases were revealed once Gantz opened, and Jiro, Nishi, and Yoko were quick to arm themselves. It became clear very quickly to each new set of players that the three silent ones only concerned themselves with each other and offered very little information to anyone else; by now, they no longer cared. Nishi suspected Ryo's death caused Jiro's sudden silence and somewhat coldness to others; the old man was technically their leader and losing one of his 'comrades' was probably affecting him more than he let on. The alien appeared to be in some form of a shop's decor, one they used for clothing, hence the name, mannequin alien.

The discovery of other weapons proved relatively useful, and sometimes, though not as effective, it had gotten them through a dangerous mission. The 'trap gun,' which they dubbed it, fired three laser anchors connected by strong rope on the first shot and wrapped around the target securely before the anchors buried inside the ground. The second shot sends the target away by the same transportation as Gantz. Despite only being sent away to an unknown place, the result was the same, and they gained their points. Jiro was the first to use this weapon on their first mission after Ryo's death, stopping an alien's claw-like hands from slicing Yoko's head off, defeating the boss, and therefore earning himself at least fifteen points for the entire mission; it was on this mission that the survivor from the spidrat mission met her end. Yoko was responsible for killing the boss in the next mission, gaining herself eleven points. Without realizing it, the team took turns to defeat the boss, allowing them to score equal points. They didn't plan it this way because it was usually always Nishi to go after the boss at the end, and Yoko and Jiro suspected that he didn't particularly like the subconscious decision. Regardless, they were closer than ever before, and it was only thanks to this that Jiro and Yoko were catching up to Nishi's score, which was now at eighty-three, making them realize they might achieve their freedom together after all.

Nishi's last score angered him; while he did defeat the boss as per the order of their turn, the alien's point value was only six, only one point higher than the smaller ones. The aliens' overall point value had been low in the previous three missions; only by defeating the boss on two of the missions were the points the highest. It was unfortunate, but not surprising, that the harder the mission, the higher the points.

Gantz started to transfer them to their target's location, and it was the first time they appeared inside a building and not outside on the streets. The players realized the building was a large shopping mall, and some of the players who deemed it familiar pointed out its location was somewhere in Kyoto. Except for the Gantz members, the mall was quiet, the stores were almost pitch-black, but the rest of the mall was dimly lit by the backup paneled lights.

Nishi pulled out the GPS from his pocket; he didn't care about the building's location; he cared about the aliens. While searching the map, he noticed one distinctive difference, and he gestured to Yoko and Jiro to look at their own. "The barrier extends no further than this mall, so I think it's safe to say we cannot leave the building."

They heard padding across the floor as the dog began to wander off. "How does he know to stay within the boundary area anyway," said Yoko offhandedly.

"Who knows, but it's the only thing he's good at so who cares."

Jiro looked at the fresh players talking amongst themselves. "Can't say much about them either, I guess." Jiro sighed with a tilt of his head; not one among them had a suit on, and what was even more surprising was they didn't even have a weapon this time, regarding them nothing more than toys meant for kids.

Two of them strayed off from the group, a couple, and head toward the exit after announcing they were fed up with the charade. Yoko bit her lip, shuffling her feet, wondering if she wanted to say anything; she glanced at Jiro, who sighed in dismay. To their surprise, Nishi spoke first, "I wouldn't go that way if I were you." Despite the grin on his face, the warning was noticeably clear, regardless of how derisive his tone sounded. The couple stopped and turned to the teen, regarding his warning with curiosity.

"Why not, are you the boss of this charade?"

Nishi turned to them with a tilt of his head. "Not at all, go right ahead and leave if you want, but that's as far as you're going to get."

The other inexperienced players listened intently as if Nishi's words were full of helpful intentions, but Yoko and Jiro were aware of the mocking behind it; they knew he didn't give a damn if they believed him or not. "Come on honey," the woman said. "Let's go home, I'm scared."

Yoko tilted her head, and then her eyes widened ever so slightly as she recognized the couple. "Oh, hey, isn't that the same couple Daikai tried to warn that time?"

Jiro looked back and nodded. "I believe it is, they didn't listen then either, I guess they don't recognize us."

When the couple stepped through the exit, their heads exploded, causing blood to cover the revolving doors' glass. There's a momentary sound of screams from the others, their faces contorted into horror. Nishi turned back with a shrug and laughed, "Well, if that's not a big enough clue not to leave, then you really are all dead meat."

"Nishi," Jiro scolded lightly with a shake of his head.

The boy huffed in response. "It's not my fault they didn't take me seriously."

The terror of the couple's death died off quickly, and another player began to speculate their situation. He was part of a group of three who seemingly knew each other, possibly their deaths were the same; they were perhaps a few years older than Yoko. "I get it. That ball is giving us a golden opportunity here people." The other three, a man in what looked to be a company suit, his badge suggested he worked at a bank, probably an accountant, and a woman in a red blouse and a knee-length matching skirt, wearing heels way too excessive, turned to hear the explanation. With a smile on his face, the man continued to elaborate his idea, "We're in a mall with no signs of a break in, and I just bet the cameras have been disabled, we've been sent here to loot this mall." He pointed to Jiro and his team. "And the reason they didn't say anything, is because they wanted all the good stuff for themselves."

Nishi and Yoko stared at them with incredulous expressions; Jiro scratched his head and said, "I think I just had a small aneurism from the sheer stupidity of that statement." Nishi grinned in amusement, and Yoko stifled a laugh. The four newbies ran happily to what would probably be their horrifying deaths. "I almost feel sorry for them."

Nishi clicked his tongue. "Who the hell cares." Yoko and Jiro stepped beside Nishi as he started to look at the map once more, regarding it and the mall's layout carefully. The mall had three levels, and Nishi snorted at the convenience since there appeared to be aliens on each level. Splitting up was always their best option, so Jiro took the lower level, and Nishi took the second, leaving Yoko to the top.

According to the map, at least three aliens were on each level, but it wouldn't be clear how many points they were worth until the mission was over. Yoko followed the map's directions while checking inside each store as she passed, there was already a trail of broken windows, no doubt from the other players during their' looting.' As she passed by a familiar clothing store, Enchainment uni, point de mignon, a leather jacket in the front window caught her attention. "I've always wanted one like that," she muttered. Yoko shook her head. "I'm not a thief."

Laughter sounded from the store next door as she passed Enchainment, and as she peered inside the hole of broken glass, she saw the three friends and froze. There was no doubt that the fourth figure with them was one of the aliens, even though she checked her map to be sure, but what caused her to freeze was the obliviousness the guys showed as they continued to dress the damn thing in rather erotic clothing. "Idiots." They didn't notice her as she stepped into the store, and, with great relief, neither did the alien. Yoko aimed her gun, the screen at the end exposed bones which confirmed the alien, and she pulled both triggers. The three turned to her when they heard the sound, and Yoko glared in frustration at their stupidity before the alien blew apart. They gave a loud shriek of protest, their faces contorted into fear as they stare at the remains of the mannequin they were just dressing and then over at Yoko. "You're lucky I wasn't my other teammate, he doesn't care who gets in his way, if you're in the line of fire, he'll still shoot." Yoko then left.

The three friends shared a glance and rushed to follow, only to bombard Yoko with a series of annoying questions. "Do aliens really exist then?" "How many have you killed?" "Are we really supposed to hunt those things?"

Yoko clenched a fist and turned to them, her eyes narrowed. "Get lost before you distract me." When she turned back to continue her pace, she offered a last piece of advice, "Your best chance of survival is to avoid all other mannequins."

Jiro stepped inside the store of a toy shop; the broken door was a sure sign that a player came here recently, though, given the age group, it was probably just to mess around. Before he had a chance to look any further, a scream came from outside, and the high pitch tone indicated that it belonged to a female. Jiro hardly believed it to be Yoko, and their other female player was already dead so that only left… As Jiro ran out of the store, the female ran into him at full speed, and they both toppled to the floor. Jiro tried to push her off, but she practically clung to him out of fear. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were full of tears. Jiro smiled at her. "It will be okay, but if you don't let go, I can't defeat what's chasing you." His smile was kind and genuine to anyone else, but to his teammates who knew him, his smile was forced, and there were hidden motives in his eyes. While Jiro wouldn't place anyone in danger on purpose, he would use the distraction to his advantage if possible but having someone else with him who wasn't capable of protecting themselves was dangerous. "Where is the alien?" The woman with the red attire pointed to the opposite side where a large jewelry store was, and then he saw the reason for the alien's sudden need to chase her. The woman wore expensive-looking diamond earrings and a sparkling silver necklace, something she most definitely wasn't wearing before.

"I was only trying them on, I wasn't going to steal anything," she said when she saw Jiro's disapproval.

The alien revealed itself, and Jiro noticed an angry frown upon its face, something he knew mannequins didn't have. While ordinary citizens outside the Gantz world were oblivious to the aliens, it appeared the aliens could disguise themselves well enough to 'live' among their world in a tangible form. "It's mad," Jiro said. "It thinks that the jewelry belongs to it."

The alien ran at them, and Jiro turned on his heel to avoid an attack, but he realized it wasn't for him. There wasn't time to save the woman, but he fired his gun to the back of the mannequin while it was busy beating the woman to a pulp with heavy fists, and it bulged before splitting in half.

Nishi glimpsed at his controller as he walked down the long path on the left side, the aliens were tough to locate despite the map, but he figured the distinction would be easy to spot once he saw one. Nishi didn't suspect the aliens were actually mannequins; he believed Gantz's names were merely descriptions of their forms and not what they actually were. The other players who took the opportunity to steal didn't surprise him, and he hoped that would cause a decent enough distraction if they came across one accidentally.

As Nishi paused beside a stall set up in between the path leading to the right side, he heard glass shatter and then quickly jumped to the side as a player, the accountant if he remembered correctly, came flying at him screaming. Nishi leaned over the railing and saw the man fall to his death, landing with a crack on his back. Nishi couldn't help but cringe slightly, muttering under his breath about sharing the same pain for however many seconds before dying, except the difference was that Nishi didn't die. Nishi quickly changed his frequency when a figure appeared from the window, no doubt the alien he was looking for. Nishi grinned when the alien looked his way because he knew it couldn't see him, and so he stepped close enough to aim the gun right at its head. Nishi appeared again to check the map when the alien's head blew up. A frown appeared on his face when he noticed the dots which indicated the aliens were moving in the same direction, and as he expanded the map, he saw the ones from Yoko's and Jiro's level do the same. "Is someone luring them somewhere?" Nishi gritted his teeth in annoyance, wondering if either Yoko or Jiro planned to take all the points from this mission for themselves.

Nishi changed his frequency and used the suit to run across the mall with astonishing speed.

"Dude, I don't remember that being there before, is it new?" The three guys stood in front of a large statue, towering over them three times their height. There wasn't anything particular about its features other than its vast body.

"Maybe," another replied. "But I can't tell what kind of shop it's representing, it's just out in the open."

The third then said, "Maybe it's a mascot or something, but they haven't decided what to do with it yet and that's why it's kind of – plain?"

They started to laugh and began kicking the statue's legs. "Let's decorate it for them," the first one suggested. "There's an art store there, let's loot some paint and help this mall out a bit."

Yoko frowned in anticipation as she followed the two mannequins, her controller hiding her from their view. "It's like they're in a trance or something." As Yoko looked up, she saw the three from before stumbling out of an art store's now broken window, carrying paints and spray cans. "What the hell are they-" Yoko then discovered the answer when they spray the plain looking statue. Statue? Yoko craned her head up to see its full scale. Just in the open part of the mall like this? As she glanced below, she saw Nishi climbing the un-moving escalator, and as Yoko looked up past the top step toward a shop, she saw two of the aliens. They're acting the same way too. When Nishi caught her gaze, she looked back at him and realized they were on the same frequency. He pointed over at the statue on the far side, and she knew what he was asking, so she nodded that she understood; the large statue was the boss.

Suddenly, the aliens ran toward the larger one, and it was only then that they saw a face forming on its long, wide head. Eyes narrowed into slits when it looked down to see the three players below throwing paint at its legs and spraying its feet black.

Jiro started to run when the two aliens he was chasing did the same; their behavior was strange, he thought, and as he clambered up the last steps leading to the top floor. Jiro gasped as he looked at the three, still defacing the alien, unaware of its eyes upon them. As Jiro looked to his right, Yoko walked his way to greet him, and he smiled at her, glad to see she was okay.

Nishi continued to observe from the other side; the six smaller aliens now stood behind the three idiots, scattered in a half-circle, as though surrounding them and the more gigantic alien. Suddenly, they each took a leap into the air, and it was only at this point, the guys noticed what was going on around them. Nishi's eyes widened as the larger alien opened its mouth wide enough, and a loud crunch echoed as the smaller ones were eaten alive. "Are they some kind of kamikaze aliens or something," he muttered, utter surprise showing on his face.

Yoko covered her mouth in horror; they'd never seen the aliens attack each other before; she almost dropped her gun from the shock.

Screams of horror caught their attention, and it came from the three below as the large hands of the statue formed into fists and descend toward them at an alarming speed. "Run!" Yoko shouted, but neither of the guys was quick enough, and blood splattered the white floor as each one flattened under the heavy pressure.

"Holy shit," Nishi said with almost amusement. "Like a pancake." Nishi stepped forward when he saw the opportunity of distraction present itself. With his frequency still active, he ran past his team and fired a round of shots across the alien's arm. Even after the time lag, the damage was minimal, not enough to tear the muscle. "Damn it."

"Nishi!"

Nishi looked back at his team and then held his hand out for the gun Jiro threw to him. Tucking the smaller gun inside his jacket, Nishi favored the larger gun now in his hands, but before he could use it, the alien growled loudly and stretched into an upright position before it started swinging his fists around, managing to hit the railing nearby where Yoko and Jiro were standing as it stomped heavily in a circle. Jiro shielded Yoko as they jump to the side to avoid falling over the edge.

"Sorry old man, but I'm taking your points," Nishi gritted out and pulled the trigger, holding it in place for a moment before releasing it. The shot fired and blew a hole open in the alien's left chest plate; it let out a deep roar of pain before stumbling backward and hit the floor.

Jiro and Yoko ran over to meet Nishi as their frequency returned to normal, and Nishi grinned up at them. Jiro chuckled, "Well, you did steal my points, but I'm too impressed to be angry." The old man thumped his fist into his palm. "Your sniper skills just now might rival my own there lad, well done."

"I'm glad everyone is safe, at least we can go home now," Yoko said with a smile. Their celebration was cut short when the alien beside them started to move. Nishi was the first to notice and raised his weapon as the alien started to stand up. Yoko and Jiro turned in time to see it tower over them once again, surprise etched on their face. "But you – you shot a hole in its chest!"

The Gantz members separated from each other to prevent an easy attack, but they realized the alien could see them now as its eyes glared down. "Don't know when to die huh," Nishi muttered and raised his gun higher, aiming for the head this time. "Overgrown mannequin, I'll blow your fucking head off." Before Nishi could take another shot, the alien's large foot swung for him. The boy saw it in time, and he leaped into the air to avoid its attack, but as he tried to aim the gun, the alien attacked him again. Nishi couldn't dodge this time since he was in mid-air, and he felt the full weight of the alien's hand smash into him.

Yoko sprinted forward to reach Nishi as he crashed through a shop window, skidding into a column that broke upon impact. "Nishi!"

Nishi groaned and struggled to get to his feet; he pushed up onto his elbows and slowly to his knees. A loud crack sounded behind, and Nishi turned his head to see the wall beside him crumbling; he tried to move but let out a cry of protest as pain shot up his leg. Nishi gritted his teeth and saw that part of the heavy heap of rubble restricted his foot. Nishi kicked at the rubble, using the suit's strength to which was still active, to clear the weight.

Yoko reached Nishi while Jiro kept the alien busy; she skidded to his side, worried for the crumbling archway and ceiling above them. "Nishi, can you move?"

Nishi shook his head while still kicking the rubble. "My foot is stuck!"

Yoko crawled further in and saw the weight restricting Nishi's foot; she looked back at him and shook her head. "No way we're going to clear this ourselves. If I shoot the heap with my gun, we'll have seconds to get out, okay?"

Nishi nodded with a frown. "Just try not to blow my foot off."

Yoko smiled at him and then aimed the small gun in front of her. The ground suddenly shook around them, the force sent vibrations through the walls and split the ceiling above them, and it crumbled without warning. Yoko tried to cover Nishi with her own body, but he used the suit to shove her off, and she skidded backward into the railing. "Nishi!" The ceiling caved in, and Nishi turned to cover his head with his arms, eliciting a short scream before most of the rubble covered his body.

"Shin!"

Yoko turned to see Jiro still fighting the larger alien, but one of its arms was missing now, and she suddenly filled with hope. Yoko ran to his aid; if they could defeat it quickly, Nishi would be okay; she was almost positive his suit would keep him alive for now. "I'll distract it, okay?"

Jiro smiled with a nod. "Don't die!"

Yoko ran behind the alien, shooting its legs and shouting obscenities. The alien glared down at her, and as she ran in a full circle, it took a step back and swung its foot, smacking her square in the chest. Yoko cringed at the pain and skidded across the shiny floor for the second time; she cursed before getting to her feet and shouted loudly before it had a chance to return its attention back to Jiro.

The alien's shoulder suddenly tore open, and it stumbled forward; Jiro frowned in frustration. A large hand suddenly reached down to grab the old man, and Yoko dashed forward but didn't make it in time, and she froze. Jiro continued to fire his weapon as the alien picked him up, its large hand wrapping around him tightly. Yoko thrust her hand forward and cried out, "No!"

Jiro's eyes glistened as he stared into the alien's wide-open mouth; he closed his eyes tightly. My beautiful wife, I'm sorry I couldn't make it back this time. I love you.

Yoko watched in horror as Jiro's body was torn in half by the alien's sharp teeth. "No…." Tears clouded her vision as she stood there, gun in her hand, trying not to breakdown. "You…. you monster…" She glared up at the alien, who turned its attention to her as she yelled, "You monster!"

Yoko dove in between two columns as the alien's large arm swiped at them, breaking them in half, causing more of the upper level's ceiling to crumble down upon them. She gritted her teeth, anger filling her eyes and what she could only assume were tears, but the anger consuming her was far too great to give in to her emotions. "Damn you, I'll make you pay, I'll kill you, if it's the last thing I do you fucking asshole!" Yoko's legs bulged as she began to use the suit's strength, crouching low, one of the larger guns in her grip. Yoko glanced over to the remains of a large gift store, nothing but broken pieces of wall and glass now, built upon each other when the ceiling fell with it. Her teammate was under there, she knew, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to help relieve him of the weight that slowly crushed him. The memory played in her mind when he crashed into the column holding up the shop's archway, the way the store collapsed. Yoko tightened her hold when she remembered seeing his face express panic as he wrapped his arms over his head. Yoko could just about see one of his arms and shoulder, his head slightly hidden amongst the rubble but visible enough to see a large gash down one side of his face. The angry tears were not from the sight she reluctantly turned away from, at least not the main reason, and she felt the rest of her suit bulge at the recent memory.

…..

Yoko was the first in the apartment as Gantz returned her to the room, followed by the dog. A frown crossed her face as she watched him wag his tail and said, "What the hell do you have to be happy about." The dog looked at her and then lowered its head slightly. When Yoko heard the transportation sound once more, she turned her head to see Nishi and sighed in relief.

Nishi exhaled when the transfer was completed. "Shit, I was almost crushed to death." Nishi looked over at Yoko and noticed her facial expression was one of both relief and sorrow. "The old man?" Yoko slowly shook her head without looking at him, and Nishi sat on the floor, disbelief flooding through him that Jiro was dead. The boy suddenly raised his fist and cracked the floor. "Fuck!"

Yoko's tears began to fall, and she started to shake. "Oh god…. we're going to die, aren't we…?"

Nishi looked up and got to his feet. "Hey, shut up."

Yoko shook her head vigorously. "No! We're going to die, Nishi."

Nishi frowned and grabbed hold of Yoko's arms to shake her. "Stop it!"

Yoko grabbed his jacket tightly, panic-stricken. "First Ryo, and now Jiro….

"Yoko!" Yoko gasped, and she hiccupped between breaths, trying not to collapse. "We're not going to die! Just because they did, that doesn't mean we're going to share the same fate!"

Yoko buried her face in his chest, and even though he let her, he didn't reciprocate the hug she gave him. "I don't wanna die…"

Nishi sighed, and when he pushed her back, he pressed his lips to hers. "Shut up already."

Yoko bit her lip, unable to bring herself under control just yet. "We were supposed to reach freedom together."

The Gantz timer's sound dinged, and the two turned their attention to the ball. "I suppose you would get the higher score," Nishi said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his tone.

Yoko hunched her shoulders and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling like she didn't deserve the points she would earn.

Dog: 0 points.

Total points: 0.

Nishi-kun: 2 points.

Total points: 85.

15 points to go, and you're done.

Nishi gritted his teeth in anger. "Two points, seriously?" The smaller aliens that he had followed flashed in his mind. "I knew I should have just killed them."

Yoko didn't say anything because he wasn't the only one who followed the other aliens. Yoko took a deep breath when her name appeared on the ball.

Flat chest: 26 points.

Total points: 102.

Nishi's eyes grew wide when he saw Yoko's score, and he heard her gasp before the ball changed to an entirely new screen.

Choose from 100 points menu.

1: Be free with your memory erased.

2: Receive a powerful weapon.

3: Resurrect a player from Gantz's memory.

Nishi looked at Yoko when she collapsed to her knees. "I – I have….a hundred points, Nishi, I did it…"

Nishi frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't expect me to congratulate you, but you killed the boss, so you earned it."

Yoko looked up at Nishi with wide eyes, and a sudden cold fear swept over her as he looked at her with what she assumed was most likely jealously. Realization dawned on her that she could go free, but… it meant she would leave him behind and everything they had, and it cut deeply into her heart. "Nishi…"

"Go already, you're free, you don't have to come back here anymore."

Yoko looked back at the ball, her heart hammering painfully in her chest. What should I do? If I leave, Nishi will be left alone to face the aliens by himself, and I would…. I would forget him…. "No."

"What?"

"Gantz…. I'm not ready to choose yet."

Nishi grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "What are you doing, pick option one right now!"

Yoko shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't." Yoko turned back to the ball. "Not this time, not yet."

Nishi saw the Gantz ball return to normal and slapped his hand on it. "She's not finished, Gantz!" Nishi turned abruptly on his heel, grabbed Yoko's arms harshly, and shoved her against the wall. "What the fuck is wrong with you! Are you out of your mind!" Yoko wasn't expecting Nishi's angry reaction, and before she could reply, he slammed his hand on the wall. "Why!"

Yoko flinched, and her emotions burst. "I don't want to forget you!"

Nishi frowned; he was unable to accept that as her answer. "Tell me you're joking, right? You can't be serious."

Yoko lowered her gaze to the ground, not willing to look at him. "I'm sorry, I just – I couldn't go home without knowing you'll be all right, because I would forget you and – and I wouldn't ever know if you – made it."

Nishi removed his hand, sheer disbelief on his face; there wasn't a single thing he agreed with about her decision because it was absolutely ridiculous. "You're such a hypocrite." Yoko looked up at him then as he turned his back to her, and she could see him clenching his fists. "All the times you were spouting crap about freedom, and then when you finally get the chance, you fucking refuse it. I'm starting to think Gantz brought you back with some braincells missing."

Yoko sighed and knew Nishi was right; who refused their own freedom like that from a world like this? "I'm sorry, I just want us to go together, at least then I-"

"And what makes you so sure you'll survive the next mission?"

Yoko gasped; Nishi's words sliced through her like a knife. "I didn't – I didn't think about that…" Yoko then frowned. "I will survive, and I will help you gain the points while doing it."

Nishi huffed a laugh. "I still have fifteen points left, there's no guarantee I will gain those in just one mission, you just got extremely lucky tonight."

"I will wait! However long it takes, I'll wait for you."

Nishi could hear the fear crackling in her voice, and he turned to face her. "You should have chosen your freedom."

"I'm not a hypocrite for waiting…"

"Maybe not, but let me ask you something, if I didn't make it tonight, would you have gone free?"

Yoko averted her eyes because she couldn't look at him when she told him her answer. "No, I – I would have chosen option three."

Nishi pursed his lips. "Thought so, hypocrite."

"I guess I am."

Nishi sighed and held his hand out. "Give me your phone."

Yoko looked up at him with a questioning gaze. "What?"

"Your phone, give it to me."

Yoko gave him another skeptical look before reaching down into the bag on the floor and pulled out her phone; she stood up and handed it to Nishi. "What are you-"

"Just shut up and close your eyes." Yoko did as he said and closed her eyes; immediately, she felt his lips on hers as he stepped beside her. "Here." Yoko opened her eyes and took her phone back; she gasped at what she saw. "Regardless of whether I gain a hundred points the next time we come here, you're going to go free, because the old man would not have waited for us, and I certainly wouldn't have. I would not have done the same, and by the time I have a hundred points neither of us will remember each other anyway, but at least you'll have a picture."

Yoko's eyes began to fill with tears as she gripped her phone, staring at the picture he took. "I will go free, I promise."

"Good, now let's get out of here." Yoko nodded, and they exit into the hallway. "By the way, if you die, I will not be using my points to bring you back. I just wanted to clear that up."

Yoko shook her head as she huffed a laugh. "I'd kill you if you did."

The two teens stepped into the night air and glanced at the dog as it pined a little. "I guess it pined for the old man after all," Nishi said before the dog suddenly looked up at them expectantly. "Not a chance mutt, get lost."

The dog lowered his head with a slight whimper before scampering off. "That was kinda mean, we're the only ones he know who are left."

Nishi ignored her statement, and as they made their way to the end of the road, he gestured to the envelope in her hand.

Yoko looked at the item in her hand and smiled sadly. "Oh, yeah. It's – it's a letter, Jiro gave it to me after we lost Ryo, he told me if anything happened to him, I should post this. It's for his wife I guess." Nishi remembered his own letter to his mother. Was he a coward for not having the guts to do the same? "Are you ready to go?" Nishi looked at Yoko and shrugged, and they made their way home.

My dearest wife,

If you are reading this, it's because I've died unexpectedly and can no longer be by your side. A very good friend of mine was kind enough to post this letter for me if such a time should happen.

I want you to know how much I loved and adored you every second we married.

When I asked you to marry me, and you said yes, I knew I would be the happiest man alive for the rest of our lives.

Please don't grieve. Just remember the good times, and I'll always be in your heart.

You won't be lonely; after all, you have that adorable grandchild of ours to care for when he comes for visits, just try not to spoil him too much, you know how he gets, and tell him – well, best not to upset him, I'm sure you'll think of something.

With all my heart, I love you dearly,

Jiro Sugihara.

xxxx.