Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Game ❯ A game within the game ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Category: Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe
Minor Anime: Trigun, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Yu Yu Hakusho
Pairings: 1x2 main
Warnings: shonen ai
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Website: www . geocities . com / arigatomina

The Game

Part 7: “A game within the game”

The void held for nearly a minute before lightening into a gray tunnel around them, the surface of rocky walls shadowed by drifting fog. A heavy airless sensation settled on them, and the two players stared at the tall doors standing before them. They were in a natural tunnel, one end emitting a faint light, the other…blocked off by a wide wooden arch with a small sheet of paper tacked onto it. That sullen gray fog obscured the writing.

“The task,” said Setsuna, her voice echoing strangely, “is to defeat the Game Master in four out of seven competitions, and to rescue your comrade. In order to complete this task you require three additional players.”

Heero and Duo jolted in surprise. They’d spent so long as a pair in the last realm that they hadn’t noticed Wolfwood’s absence. A quick look proved that he wasn’t in the tunnel with them. Duo grumbled under his breath, wondering what Wolfwood would say to them when they ‘rescued’ him. It was hardly fair that he was once again the ‘solo’ player while Heero and Duo were familiarly paired up.

Heero was having similar thoughts. He pushed them aside in order to focus on what the guide had said. “Additional players?”

“Imported players,” said Duo, “Quatre mentioned that.”

“You currently have the sufficient number of available players in your queue to attempt this task,” Setsuna said in answer to Heero’s question. “Your Import Queue.”

As she spoke the last two words, a rectangular ‘screen’ appeared in front of Heero and Duo. It looked like a long computer projection, only it was floating in midair as if it were reflecting off the surface of that fog. There were six blocks sectioned on the screen, a small ‘profile’ picture in the upper left of each section. Duo grinned when he realized what it was.

“It’s the people we’ve met,” Duo explained to Heero. “So the ‘significant characters’ get put into this queue for us to import into other tasks. I’ve played games like this.”

Heero raised an eyebrow and looked back at the projected screen. The first picture was of the woman they’d met. There was no name or information beside her picture except for a small line that read bounty hunter, and handgun marked under her skills. She was considered a significant character?

The next profile was considerably more detailed. Yukimura’s picture was set next to a list of details ranging from his full name, to his skill at swordsmanship, flirting, and drinking. Sasuke’s profile followed with swordsmanship and speed marked as his skills, and an odd silver ‘Original Unknown’ placed where his name should have been. This made Heero pause for a moment since they’d been given the boy’s name as clearly as they’d been given Yukimura’s. The fourth and fifth profiles were even more startling.

“We never met them,” Duo protested, his eyes wide. “I’d have remembered a guy with hair that orange. And how can ‘blind’ be a skill?”

Heero shook his head and stepped a bit closer to the projection. The two profiles featured unusual looking people. One had bright orange hair and orange cat-shaped eyes, and absolutely no information beside his picture. The other had pale bluish white hair, his eyes closed. His name was given as Akira, and as Duo had noted, blind was listed as his skill.

“Wolfwood must have met them,” said Heero. “If it lists the people we met, it would be natural to list any he encountered as well.”

The sixth and last profile was Saizo’s, and there was nothing next to his picture aside from his name. That made sense since they hadn’t really seen any of his skills. Duo guessed the available characters were listed in the order they’d met them.

“Choose three additional players to commence with the task,” said Setsuna.

“Right,” Duo said quickly, flashing a weak grin at Heero. “I don’t know what kind of people Wolfwood met, but if they’re anything like that girl, I don’t want to risk it.”

Heero was quick to agree with that. As soon as he’d given the names of the characters they wanted, the projected 'Import Queue' vanished and the tunnel changed around them. That gray fog faded out to reveal dark walls and two strangers standing in front of the tall doors. Yukimura, Sasuke, and Saizo were now standing a few feet down the tunnel from them. Their expressions were every bit as startled as the two strangers’.

Duo grimaced. He didn’t know if he should explain to the people they knew, or the two who obviously belonged to this realm. Yukimura took a slow step toward him, his face pulled into a strained frown. Duo remembered how quickly the man had drawn a sword on him during their last encounter and decided to explain to him first.

“You guys don’t mind helping us out on a little task, do you?” asked Duo, with a weak smile. “I don’t think it’ll take very long…”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve interrupted?” Yukimura said slowly, his tone just a little dumbfounded. “It took weeks to get accustomed to having two distinctly different memories of our last encounter with the two of you. We were in the middle of a very significant battle. If we are not returned to the precise moment, with our wits intact, who knows what will happen.”

“I’m sure the game will take care of that,” Duo said quickly, his smile growing weaker by the second. “We really didn’t have a choice about importing characters. It’s part of the task.”

Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of Duo, his golden eyes glinting dangerously up at him. “I want my sword back. Now.”

Yukimura blinked and looked down at the boy’s clenched right hand. He caught Sasuke’s wrist and scowled at him. “I wondered why you weren’t with us earlier. What did you do?”

Sasuke’s expression went from furious to sullenly wary. “Nothing…”

“Don’t lie, you’re bleeding. Saizo-“

The man hurried over and Sasuke squirmed as a cloth was wrapped over his sliced palm. “It’s nothing. Let go…!”

Heero had flinched when the boy mentioned his sword. Now he caught Duo’s attention. “Our weapons are gone.”

“What?” Duo blurted, throwing a hand up to grope over his back where his scythe had been hanging. “How-“

“Excuse me,” an exasperated voice called out. “Who are you people?”

Yukimura had assumed the two strangers standing near the wooden door were associates of Heero and Duo. Now he straightened up and eyed them curiously. Duo and Heero did the same, though they were a bit more wary.

The person who’d spoken was a tall young man with long red hair and bright green eyes. His voice was startling because it sounded almost identical to Yukimura’s. Duo glanced down at the other stranger and promptly did a double take. This one was Sasuke’s height and had black hair that swept back so that it resembled a flame. His eyes were what made Duo stare at him. The scowling boy had wide cat-shaped red eyes, his face and build remarkably similar to Sasuke.

“This is interesting,” Yukimura said slowly, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Sasuke…you didn’t tell me you had a brother.”

“Baka!” Sasuke growled. “You’re one to talk. That guy sounds just like you!”

The redhead in question raised an eyebrow. “Are you referring to me? I don’t hear any resemblance.”

“Then you’re tone deaf,” the short black-haired male said. His voice startled the others, much deeper than any of them had expected. He glared at them all impatiently, not looking too amused at the chatter. “Answer the question or get lost. How did you get in here in an instant? And what did you do to Yusuke and the boy?”

Heero and Duo exchanged a quick glance. Heero stepped forward to explain. “We’re taking part in a game of sorts. Our current task is to defeat the ‘Game Master’ in order to rescue our comrade. If we’ve replaced acquaintances of yours, they should come back once we’ve finished the task. Everything will revert to the way it was before we arrived, providing we complete the task.”

Duo was surprised at how confidently Heero said that, considering they didn’t know what actually happened once they left a realm. From what little Yukimura had said, their presence had definitely affected the ‘import players’ they left behind. But now wasn’t the best time to admit that. They’d probably need the two strangers’ assistance once they started on the actual task. Setsuna had said it was ‘four out of seven,’ so they’d need seven people to proceed.

“Am I to understand,” said the redhead, “that you are skewing our reality in order to…to play a game?”

“Rather inconsiderate, isn’t it?” Yukimura commented.

The two exchanged a commiserating look, and Duo found himself ogling them. Their voices weren’t just similar, they were identical. Had the game malfunctioned? Or had they simply imported a character with a similar ‘design’ as one of the characters already established in this realm? What were the chances of that?

“Stop that,” Sasuke grumbled, sending a disgruntled look at Yukimura. “It’s creepy.”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Yukimura said airily, lifting his nose in playful disdain.

“No,” echoed the redhead, a hint of amusement also dawning in his eyes, “I have no idea, either.”

Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched and he scowled at both of the slender men. “As if one Yukimura wasn’t bad enough…”

Duo couldn’t help but grin at the boy’s tone, and the genuine amusement on Yukimura’s face. He moved forward to clap a hand on Heero’s shoulder and introduced them to the strangers. The redhead nodded in response and gave his name as Kurama.

“This is Hiei,” he said, in reference to the scowling black-haired male standing beside him.

“And this is a waste of time,” Hiei growled. “Are we going in or not? You said we had to get seven people – there are seven now.”

“That’s true,” Kurama noted. He directed Heero’s attention to the piece of paper on the doors blocking the tunnel. “You say the five of you are looking to defeat the ‘Game Master’ in order to complete a task? That’s exactly what we were about to do. I don’t know what game you’re referring to, but once we enter these doors we’ll be in a game field. The rules are strict in that you cannot go against the ‘master’ of the field. If you intend to accompany us, you will have to adhere to the rules. This means no violence, no pulling weapons on the master of the field.”

Heero noticed the redhead looked at Hiei when he gave that last warning. He shot a dark look at Duo. “That explains why our weapons are gone. It looks like we’ll have to complete the task without fighting.”

“It is a ‘game’ master,” said Duo. “Maybe this task is just winning games. Like…playing a game…within The Game. That’s kind of funny if you think about it.”

“So happy you’re amused,” a low voice growled out spitefully.

Duo scowled down at the black-haired male, who was currently sending him a distasteful look. Kurama cut off the scowling match by stepping between them and plucking the paper off the door. He shrugged at Duo and gave a slightly apologetic smile.

“Don’t mind him,” said Kurama. “He’s been in a foul mood for days. We really need to hurry. If we take too long, the demon world will come pouring through this tunnel on its way to invading the Earth. It would be best if that didn’t happen.”

The redhead pushed the doors open to a blinding room, and Yukimura eased in front of Duo and Heero so he could follow Kurama.

“You have demons in your world, too?” asked Yukimura, his tone conversational and curious.

Kurama’s response was a tad flippant. “Yes, but few are as courteous as Hiei and I are.”

“Really,” Yukimura breathed. “I didn’t know demons could be so attractive looking…”

A low snort trailed after them, and Duo shook his head in wonder. “He hits on anything that moves, doesn’t he.”

“Just about,” Sasuke muttered.

He stepped into the blinding light with a sad looking Saizo trailing after him. Duo and Heero went through last. Those tall doors snapped shut behind them.

The blinding light eased into a more bearable yellow glow, illuminating a wide room with a large screen across from the door and empty space to the left, like a simulation chamber that hadn’t been activated yet. To their right stood a small figure, a boy perhaps six or seven years old, with mussy brown hair sticking out from under the hood of his monster suit. He was wearing a bulky outfit that looked to be some sort of demon or devil, green and smooth with curved horns on either side of the head. Duo’s first reaction was that the boy was cute, like an American child on Earth preparing for a Halloween party. The little boy’s wide, overly toothy grin helped to dissolve that ‘cute’ impression.

“Welcome to the game realm,” the boy grinned, his voice loud and taunting. He didn’t seem to notice that five of them weren’t originally from his world. “None of you will make it out of this room, but let’s have some fun playing together, anyway.”

He stepped to the side and a contraption appeared beside him. Large and bulky, it resembled a slot machine with three slots and a long handle, which the boy closed both hands around. He pulled it down so the three slots spun, flashing blurred pictures as he grinned at them and spoke again.

“There are seven mini-games in this one,” the boy said, “but you’ll only have to play four of them. Technically the player dies if he loses the game, but Sensui-sama said I can keep you guys here when that happens. So, you’ll lose your souls, but you won’t actually die. You’ll just get stuck in the game. I promise I’ll start it up and play with you when I get a chance. There’s nothing like captive playmates, and it looks like a really fun game. I was saving it just for this.”

The boy’s tone was spoiled and juvenile, but his smile faded from evilly smug to genuinely happy. Duo shot a look at Kurama and Hiei since they were from this realm and more likely to know what was going on. The redhead caught his look and sidled closer to him, dropping his voice so the others would hear but that boy wouldn’t.

“This realm is based on a real console game,” said Kurama. “His ability is to bring that game to life, and by stepping through the doors, we’ve entered into that game. The only way out now is to defeat it according to the rules. If we fail, he – the Game Master – gets our lives. I don’t know if we’d really be trapped inside this particular game, but it would be a form of death regardless. And if we win…”

The slots slowed their spinning and came to rest on three identical pictures of an aircraft, a sleek gray jet with childishly designed ‘rifles’ sticking out from either side of the nose. The costumed boy grinned and waved a hand at the empty space to their left. A small plane appeared in front of the screen. It was clearly a toy, with an open seat and a small screen on the dashboard. If there had been a slot to put quarters in, it might have been taken right out of a shopping mall. The large screen covering the wall across from the door lit up to show a corridor gray blocky buildings.

“Who’s first?” the boy asked cheerfully, his grin just a little evil. “I can spin if there aren’t any volunteers.”

Duo and Heero glanced over their associates. There hadn’t been any advanced technology in Yukimura’s realm, so they were unlikely choices. Kurama raised an eyebrow when they looked at him, and Hiei was sneering at the toy plane with a look of utter contempt. Heero frowned over at the impatient ‘game master,’ who was just starting to tap one of his ‘clawed’ feet on the ground.

“Can a player attempt more than one task?” asked Heero.

“No,” the boy shot back, his dark smile flashing once more. “Seven players, seven games. Even if you win – which isn’t going to happen – you can’t play more than one game.”

Heero nodded sharply and turned back to Duo. “You take this one. If it’s a matter of piloting, you’re the best choice.”

Never one to ignore a compliment from his partner, Duo preened a little. He cracked his knuckles and stepped over to the toy airplane with a smug smile. The little boy sniffed at his confidence, not at all amused or worried.

“So what’s the goal of this game?” asked Duo. “Fly through some obstacles till I destroy a target?”

The boy’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance. “It’s not easy. I’ve seen people play this game all the time, and no one ever gets past the two minute mark. You’ll be blown to bits twenty-three seconds in, if you even make it that far.”

Duo climbed over the side of the toy plane and settled into the hard seat. The steering wheel was a half circle with two handles to grip, small red buttons topping each to fire the guns. It was a little strange to be in a ‘toy’ plane, but Duo wasn’t worried. He smirked over at the ‘Game Master.’

“You may have seen other people play,” Duo said cheerfully, “but I bet you’ve never seen a Gundam pilot play.”

The boy blinked, losing his manufactured sneer for a confused expression that made him look his age. “A what pilot…?”

“You’ll see,” Duo smiled.

The screen across from him flickered, and Duo had a brief moment of vertigo. It reminded him of when he’d first gone into the game and the screen had swallowed him up. He was sure that for Heero and the others, Duo was still sitting in the little plane. But for him, he was flying in a real plane, and the corridor – while still looking blocky and artificial – was real enough that he could hear the wind rushing over the nose of the craft.

A small red light flashed on top of one of the blocks, like a firefly before the sun went down. Duo barely had time to pinpoint its location. Then he was firing at a number of dim flickers, only peripherally aware of the vague explosions striking the blocks he was flying past. So long as none hit him, he wasn’t concerned with them. Compared to the simulations they’d had back on the satellite, these targets were almost easy.

A gossamer shield had fallen over the cockpit the moment the screen activated. From where Heero stood, it looked as if the shield were made of energy, some sort of hologram. Duo’s expression had gone blank at the same moment and if not for his hands on the steering mechanism, he might have been asleep with his eyes open. In contrast, the miniature jet on the screen across the room from them was very active, spinning and firing in a graceful dance that Heero had seen repeated numerous times in the past.

Duo rarely stopped to wonder if a maneuver were physically possible for the craft he was piloting. If he thought he could do it, he did it. That was one of the reasons he was more skilled at piloting – his imagination made him try things that no sane pilot would attempt. And with Duo, trying usually meant succeeding.

The seconds ticked up on the corner of the wide screen, and by the thirty second mark the game was producing obstacles that were almost tailor-made for Duo’s favorite type of piloting. The tunnel narrowed till the edges of those blocky walls were ghosting the tips of the wings, and odd gates protruded at random to cut the jet in half, or crush it in a vice-like grip. Heero suspected there was a pattern to the movements, and if he’d been piloting, he would have slowed long enough to memorize the pattern before finding the safest timing to get through. Duo, in contrast, sped up at the first swiping obstacle, eager for the challenge.

Reckless as it was in real scenarios, watching the simulation on the screen Heero didn’t feel the tight disbelief he usually suffered while watching Duo fly. Duo’s strength lay in his willingness to throw caution to the wind and trust entirely in his instincts. That was fine and well for him, but it wasn’t something Heero could watch comfortably. This time, he stood back and enjoyed the show. All it took was a glance over at Duo’s blank face to remind him the simulated danger wasn’t real. If they lost four games and failed the task, then he would worry. The little ‘game master’ hadn’t said anything about a danger in failing a single mini-game.

“Yusuke would have enjoyed this,” Kurama murmured. He’d edged close to Heero and spoke without looking away from the screen. “Are you certain he will be returned after you complete your task? Once we’ve broken out of this field, things will become very dangerous.”

Heero glanced over for a second, taking in the redhead’s solemn expression. His gaze went back to the screen as he spoke. “As far as we know, your realm should go back to normal after we’re gone.”

“It really does,” said Yukimura, with an undercurrent of amusement in his voice. “You’ll remember this altered reality, but you’ll also remember the way it really happened. Technically, their presence in our world didn’t have any significant effect on things. Mostly you’ll have a disturbing headache a few days after the double memories end, and a slight problem when you try to tell which memory is more accurate. Since both are accurate, I’d recommend not thinking about it.”

Heero wondered what would happen once they defeated, or completed, the game. Would the ‘characters’ lose those doubled memories and be refreshed for the next player? There was clearly more to each realm than the tasks they’d seen so far. The story seemed to continue whether a player were there or not. He supposed that could explain how multiple players could take part in the same game. If one of the other groups entered Yukimura’s realm, they would probably find themselves in a later point in that ‘story’ than the place where Heero’s group had entered. But if they didn’t, if they entered at the same original point, did that mean Yukimura and the others would have three different memories of the same events, and so on?

“If you don’t think about it too much,” Yukimura was telling Kurama with a pleasant smile, “then you’re less likely to go crazy.”

“I see,” Kurama said slowly.

Duo completed his mini-game with something the screen proclaimed was a high score. His reaction, once the holographic shield came down and he was able to exit from the toy plane, was to grin at the angry little ‘Game Master.’ The boy scowled at him, his face turning red as if he’d toss himself at the floor and throw a full-fledged tantrum. Then he turned on his heel and padded – because of the thick feet of his monster suit – back to the slot machine. Duo headed over to lounge against the wall next to Heero, his smug smile and teasing eyes reminding his partner that he’d have to do just as well when his mini-game came up.

The slots came to rest on blue squares that were marked by fat white question marks. If anything, the boy looked happier to see this result than he had when the jet game had come up. He rounded with a toothy, taunting grin.

“Trivia,” the Game Master announced. “This time there’s no way you can win.”

“This is stupid.”

Heero and Duo glanced over in surprise to see the black-haired Hiei scowling down at his folded arms. Beside him, Kurama wore a painful, wincing smile.

“Please don’t resort to violence,” Kurama murmured, his tone just a little strained. “I can’t promise to get you your soul back if you attack the master of the field and lose it again. You’re too smart not to learn from your mistakes, Hiei.”

Hiei bristled and glowered over his shoulder. “What’s the point of this trivia thing?”

“To answer questions correctly, and to be the fastest person to do it,” said Kurama. “I’ve seen this game before. The questions are very difficult, so I should-“

“I’ll go,” said Hiei.

He crossed the room with a noted lack of enthusiasm, his face making him appear as if he were sleep walking, or dying from boredom. Heero and Duo exchanged a wary look, and the Game Master laughed with evident satisfaction.

“You’re not even human,” the boy taunted cheerfully. “There’s no way you’d know the answers to these trivia questions. But even if you do know, you won’t be able to answer them.”

Two stands appeared before the wide screen, a round red buzzer on each. The boy waited till Hiei was standing beside him, then he nodded at the screen. “You have to hit the buzzer before you can answer. The first person to hit gets to answer first. A wrong answer earns a point to the other person.”

The screen filled with blue and white text began marching down the screen. Less than two lines had appeared when the boy slammed his palm down on his buzzer and answered the question. Duo gaped from behind them.

“He didn’t even wait for the question to be asked!” Duo protested. “How can he answer without reading the question?”

Glitteringly smug brown eyes flicked back to him, and the boy smirked. “Because, I’m the Game Master. I’ve memorized every question in this game. I told you there was no way you guys could beat me with this one.”

Duo glared and shrugged off the restraining hand Heero had placed on his shoulder. “That’s cheating!”

“There are no rules against it,” Kurama said quietly. “In which case, Hiei is at an advantage.”

Duo’s mouth opened to demand an explanation, and Kurama redirected their attention to the players. Hiei had reached up to pull the white cloth band off his forehead and was now staring over at the ‘Game Master’. The boy yelped in surprise before hiding it behind a disgruntled expression.

“What good’s that going to do?” the boy grumbled, leaning away a little. “That won’t help you.”

Their rival answered three more questions before Heero spotted what Hiei was doing. The black-haired male had a third eye in the middle of his forehead, and it was trained on the costumed boy, a faint green glow ghosting over his face. Heero quickly motioned Duo to move to his right so he could see it as well.

“What is that?” Duo asked quietly, his expression almost as disgruntled as the little game master’s had been. “And isn’t he even going to try guessing at the answers? He’s falling behind…”

“Just wait,” said Kurama, who’d eased close enough to hear them. “This game should be over shortly.”

As if the redhead’s words were a signal to attack, Hiei turned his attention back to the screen. His hand moved over the buzzer and he waited for the next question. He hit the button before the boy’s hand had even begun to descend. The rest of the questions went the same way.

“You read my mind!” the boy yelled, stomping his foot in outrage. “You cheater! You’re not allowed to do stuff like that here! It’s my realm! You can’t attack me in my own realm!”

“I didn’t attack anyone,” said Hiei, rolling his eyes. The victory had been far too easy. He crossed over to the others and passed them until he came to the wall. Then he slunk down and folded his legs up, looking for the world like he’d just fallen asleep.

Kurama flashed a surprisingly sympathetic smile at the irate boy in the monster suit. “There were no rules against Hiei using his Jagan on you, so it’s no more cheating than you memorizing the questions was.”

The game boy didn’t answer as he turned back to his slot machine. His face had taken on a shadowy appearance that was far more worrisome than his taunts had been. He announced the following game with a cold voice and sharp resentful eyes.

The third game was one that Duo immediately recognized, a fighting game with trick potions and three ‘lives’ for the player to use. He immediately recommended Heero for the role, since it was a hand-to-hand combat game, rather than something with weapons. Yukimura dissuaded them by asking about the next game. If it were something involving advanced technology, like the plane, then they wouldn’t want to be reliant on him, Saizo, or Sasuke. Kurama mentioned, unenthusiastically, that he could probably handle any game they were given. But Yukimura insisted this one go to him.

Heero was skeptical, but they still had five games if this one were lost. He kept his doubts to himself, even when Yukimura lost his first two ‘lives’ to an oversized opponent, some blocky game character the size of a mountain. It wasn’t until Yukimura found one of the ‘potions’ Duo had mentioned that he finished the match. At that point, Heero grudgingly admitted the man could punch rather hard for someone with a penchant for swords.

Duo wasn’t impressed with the fighting game. The graphics had been bad. The universe – a boring brown rocky landscape with fewer details than the simulations they’d had on the satellite – was stark, and the actual difficulty lay almost entirely in finding the potion and growing tall enough to face the opponent. All in all, he was glad he’d gotten the flight game instead.

“One more win to get out,” said Duo. The fourth game clicked to a stop on the slot machine, and he flashed a grin at Heero. “Tetris. Anyone can play that.”

“I’ll go,” Kurama said softly, his expression oddly blank.

Heero shook his head and waved him back. “If all we have to do is defeat this game, then I’ll take it.”

Kurama looked like he would protest and Duo forestalled him with a confident smile.

“Don’t worry,” said Duo. “Heero’s reflexes are insane, really. He’s like a human computer sometimes. No matter how good that kid is, there’s no way he can beat Heero at a game like this.”

“I see,” murmured Kurama. “And does Heero know what will happen when he wins…?”

Duo frowned a little, but Kurama was staring past him, looking at the ‘Game Master’ with what appeared to be pity. He didn’t know what to make of that.

Tetris was a very systematic game, and one Heero was quite familiar with. It involved using buttons to rotate blocks and fit them into a pattern that would clear the screen when they came to be lined up in a row. Compared to programming code to make the Zero System compatible with other gundams, this game required nothing more than reflexes. Heero suddenly understood why Hiei had looked so bored when he’d taken part in the trivia game. If there was no challenge, it was almost disappointing.

The victor was announced by a wildly flashing pink and blue light on the screen. A moment later the entire room began to shake and the boy in the monster suit pitched over onto his side. Heero rounded in surprise, and the others rushed forward to him, save for Hiei, who remained standing against the far wall.

“What is it?” asked Duo. “We won, right?”

“This realm is falling apart,” said Kurama. “The master of the realm has fallen, so there’s nothing to sustain it.”

Billowing clouds of unscented smoke obscured the area and the shaking increased until small chunks of rock fell down around them. Duo instinctively ducked closer to Heero, their hands rising to ward off any larger rocks that might fall at them in the blinding gray smoke. And just when it seemed the tunnel itself would cave in, the air cleared.

They were standing in a wide chamber of the cave they’d entered earlier. The only evidence of the ‘game’ they’d taken part in was the small gray console, complete with a dark controller, and the little boy lying a few feet from it. Kurama and Hiei were standing over the child with dark solemn expressions.

“Is he okay?” asked Duo, as he wandered over to them with Heero a few feet behind.

“He’s dead,” said Hiei.

“With that game,” Kurama said coldly, “the loser dies. I don’t believe he knew that. He wasn’t afraid, even when he was losing the last round. No one told him.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Heero, his eyes sharp. “It was a game.”

Yukimura and Saizo had come to stand beside the others, Sasuke trailing behind. At Heero’s angry words, Yukimura sent him a curious look. “You really don’t understand, do you. This game of yours may be a game to you, but to us, it’s life. It’s reality.”

“That game we played just now,” said Kurama, “was created by him, with his life force bound to the rules of the game. When we defeated him, the destruction of his realm took his life. There was never a chance for it to be otherwise.”

“But it’s because we’re here,” Duo put in quickly, his eyes darting from Heero to Kurama, and avoiding the body lying at their feet. “When we leave, things will revert to the way they should have been. So…it won’t end up like this when your friends are here instead, right?”

“I don’t know,” said Kurama. “If it came to his life or the human world, sacrifices would be required…”

“We move now,” Hiei said sharply, turning away to look down the tunnel. “Time is short.”

The two moved off without glancing back, Yukimura’s group following a few paces behind. Duo hesitated, finally letting his gaze drop to the boy. His bulky costume was gone, leaving him in a dark shirt and pale shorts that revealed how slight he was, and how young. He didn’t look injured at all, but he wasn’t breathing.

“It’s just a game, though,” Duo mumbled, sending a quick look at Heero. “Right? I mean, we might get really injured in the game, but the characters aren’t real.”

Even as he said it, he was beginning to wonder if that were true. They knew nothing about the game, or the realms the game sent them to. The idea that they could enter a world through the game, kill someone, and then exit again without the slightest remorse or worry, was daunting. How could they know what happened once they were gone?

“Let’s go,” said Heero.

He flashed one last look at the pale boy lying with one thin arm curled near his face. Then he caught Duo’s shoulder and turned him in the direction the others had gone. He didn’t mention the thoughts running through his mind, or how similar the boy was to a certain honey-haired girl he’d once killed just as unwittingly.

.-.
TBC