InuYasha Fan Fiction / The Wallflower Fan Fiction ❯ Jaded by Life, Tainted by Death ❯ Introduction ( Chapter 1 )

Prologue

 

Battle Royale was a program that the Japanese government has designed and created for the common goods of the society. A class of grade 10 was chosen in a random manner- Etioku High was the lucky school. Parents knew about the program even before the official government notifications and those who went against it were silenced; their children were orphaned and were lied to about their parents' death. Strangely, many parents accepted the philosophy and the reasoning of this program and sworn to secrecy.

 

On one sunny afternoon, the grim-faced teacher informed the grade tens they were going on a camping trip the day after and should be packing tonight. They didn't do much in school that day, except it seemed to them they were going though an intensive geography class- they studied a map of a particularly strange deserted island. The next morning, the bus was loaded with excited students listening to disc mans and mp3s. They realized something was wrong when the bus made a right turn to a highly secured area. The watchful students woke up the sleeping students and many demanded answers from the teachers. The only responses they received were grins and to be quiet. Dogs barked at the students when they walked off the bus in confusion. Soldiers forced chromed metal collars around the necks of the students and those who wanted to run away were pulled back roughly by the soldiers. The students who questioned the soldiers and the meaning of the collars were ignored and were given deathly cold glares. One of the more aggressive boys, Doumyouji Tsukasa, realized their questions were not answered punched an unprepared and surprised soldier across the face before he had the chance to close the clasp of the metal collar around him. That was quickly brought to attention and two soldiers broke his nose with their rods and held him while the bruised soldier closed the clasp of the collar.

 

The reluctant students were brought into a caged room. There, they were explained to about the rules and the reasoning behind Battle Royale. Students fingered their one-inch collars in horror when the philosophy and objective were presented to them. The philosophy was the survival of the fittest. The objective of the game was to survive and out last all others. The rules were simple; the students were to kill each other for three days. If one refused to kill, his/her head would be blown apart, since the metal collar was a detonator, as well as a heart rate monitor and government's tracking system.

With the possibility that there were more than a student alive on the third day, the government randomly set off the metal collar until one remained and was determined a winner. Each student was given a survival pack, an AK-47, a bullet proof vest and a helmet with attached ear piece and mouth piece which had the ability to inform the students the death toll and the government can listen in on them. Once they put on their helmets did they realize they can't take them off until they are dead. They were to exit from the weapon room and should begin killing immediately.

 

On the third day, Doumyouji Tsukasa, Hanazawa Rui, Mimasaka Akira, Nishikado Soujirori and Makino Tsukushi outlasted the other. They had two hours to figure out how to get the collars off. Hanazawa Rui had a charged laptop as a surprise in his survival pack. Little did the soldiers know they were making a big mistake- Rui's joy was found in computers. He hacked into the government's program that held each of the tormented students for captives and modified the tracking system and the heart rate monitor; to the government, the other four students were dead. Their helmets fell off their heads. In the first time for three days, they smiled.

 

“Just kill me, please.” Rui still heard the girl's voice.

She pleaded him with her eyes. Her hands were caked with dry blood; her fingernails were stained with a brownish hue. Rui saw the killing behind the tree. The soon-to-be victim threatened the girl with his dagger before she plunged her own saber into him.

 

“I.. can't.” Rui stammered, forgetting the mouth piece.

 

“If you don't kill her soon, I'll set the detonator around your neck. We abhorred cowards.” The monotone in his ear piece said. He couldn't pull those away; the clasp of the attached helmet could only be released once the student is dead.

 

“If you don't, I'll kill you.” The girl yelled as she charged at him with the saber that she had penetrated into the victim's body minutes ago.

 

It was only instinct.

It was only self defense.

 

The girl fell on him and an inhumane, gagging sound. Hanazawa Rui blinked as her eyes stared into his. He realized his hands were on the handle of the short sword with its blade in her heart.

 

“Thank..you.” She whispered in his ears coarsely as the girl fell into a momentary spasm before all signs of life were gone. Rui rolled the body over and heard the monotone voice again, yet it seemed more cheerful with its message. “number six's Higurashi Kagome is dead. Congratulations goes number fifteen's Hanazawa Rui for his first kill. 24 are still alive.”

 

Rui brushed Kagome's eyelids down before walking away. His face reflected a kind of torment that he should by no means feel at his age.

 

“Are you okay, Rui?” Tsukushi placed a hand tentatively on his shoulders. Rui closed the lap top with a firm push of the lid.

 

“You're still thinking about…” Mimasaka Akira's question was cut off by Rui's cold and frigid voice.

 

“Yes, I was thinking about Higurashi Kagome. You weren't there.”

 

“You don't have to hold it inside you, it will be a little better if you talk to us about it. We care and understand what you're going through.” Akira patted Rui's other shoulder. He stayed silent. The rest of the group stared at each other for a few moments before they stared warily at a Rui that was again, in his own world.