Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Defy and Comply ❯ Lesson 17: Why Should I Care? ( Chapter 17 )

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Defy and Comply

Lesson 17: Why Should I Care?

By: Revamp

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Everyone looked on at the horror before them. Their faces were riddled in repulsion and shock and the room was rendered speechless. Before them, attached to the wheel was Kazoo, with a sword sticking through his chest, in nearly the same place that it had struck Lamar those years ago. Sunoma, Taiga, Ame and Masato remained reserved, wearing their stone-chiseled faces.

"This concludes our trial. Now that the perpetrator has been punished, all students are required to meet in the gymnasium in two hours for further instruction," the hooded man arose from his plush throne as the room filled with gossip and reactions that were delayed or held back.

The chains loosened around Kazoo's body, and he fell to the floor. With one swift motion, the blue-haired teen pulled out the blade before his body made contact with the ground. Landing with a smack, the air beat out of him and his newly acquired pain resonated with great intensity through his body. Kazoo called out in pain after he caught the breath that was beaten out of him. The blade landed on the ground with a metallic klank as droplets of crimson dispersed onto the cold, hard tile.

Lamar was still bent over, heaving painfully with his hands on his knees. His breaths were jagged and sharp as Taiga patted his back, trying to calm the man he loved down. "Hey, pull yourself together." The yakuza tried his best to chide him.

"Oh god," Lamar's voice trembled, "that wheel..."

Kiyomaru ran towards the fallen teen, but Tsukimi held out her hand with a tear stricken, stern frown and glared him down. The blue-haired boy was taken aback by what she was doing. Did she really just plan on letting him die right there? Kazoo needed immediate attention. "What?"

"I'll do it," Tsukimi said quietly as she walked over and glared down at him with hurt and hatred in her bi-colored eyes.

Kazoo was lying on his back with his hand compressed on his chest, trying to keep the blood from escaping, even though it was already accumulating below his body and running out onto the floor. A small stream of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth as he choked on his own fluids. Truly, he looked pathetic below her feet.

"Tsukimi..." Dull, blue eyes stared at her, riddled with pain as his voice cracked.

The multi-colored haired girl balled her fists until they turned white, shaking as her emotions waged war on each other. So many people had been dying lately...Yuunatsu, Mishio, Karaya...and now Kazoo laid at her feet in need of critical care or he would succumb to death as well. The man who murdered her best friend.

In a sense, Tsukimi felt a sense of justification when she looked into those light blue eyes, so full of pain and suffering. Kazoo could never suffer enough for what he did to Mishio...but at the same time, he saved her life and he killed the man who tried to poison her. Kazoo was the man that she had grown attached to, all while not knowing that he killed her best friend. She had feelings for him, despite what he did, and maybe that's why the pain was so much worse. Kazoo saved her life, and she felt some sense of responsibility in repaying the favor. So many feelings clashed and warred within the confines of her mind as she stared down at the fading body below her.

Extending his bloody hand out, that he had been compressing his chest with, Kazoo grabbed the girl's ankle, lining it with viscera as his limb shook. He coughed on the welling fluids in his throat and looked to the girl with half-lidded eyes. "Please, help me..." His voice was weak and laced in pain.

"You don't deserve my help," Tsukimi shot coldly.

"I know...I know I've done you wrong. I don't expect you to care about me anymore, but...I'll do anything to make it better...I swear. I'll be your slave for the rest of my life...just don't leave me here to die." Kazoo panted for a moment. His vision blurred momentarily as sweat covered his skin in a thin layer as pains shot through his body. "Take the sword and kill me if nothing else. I didn't let them suffer like this."

He fucked everything up, and in many ways, Kazoo anticipated that it would all come to this. Tsukimi's eyes held such pain...such anger...such...hatred for him that he could barely stand looking into them. The notion of shoving the sword blade right between his eyes was tempting, but at the same time, the girl continued to have the confliction over the fact that he saved her life, over the fact that they had made love, and she found herself hesitating. It was true, Kazoo killed them instantly, which provided some sense of solace in the fact that they didn't suffer.

"You can't leave him to die," Taiga spoke up, closing his eyes and tilting his head down.

"He deserved it. He had no excuse to kill someone," Prasuna argued the yakuza's opinion. Taiga had killed people before, and got away with it, but things didn't work like that here. The thespian would have been more lenient if he had just killed Yuunatsu, but he had no excuse for killing Mishio and she firmly believed in an eye for an eye.

"I understand why he did it." Even if it was wrong, in many ways the yakuza agreed with Kazoo's methods. Mishio would not have lasted long once everyone began to murder each other. He remembered what happened last time the killing happened. Everyone who was disabled or had limited mobility or incurable illnesses was all killed first.

"He's a monster," Prasuna wasn't going to let it go. What Kazoo did was wrong. No one was forced to kill each other and yet he did anyway. That was despicable.

Lamar stood up; uneasiness still clung to his form from his unsettled and searing stomach. Wiping his mouth, the green-haired male glared at the girl from his position. "What makes ya better? We're all gonna be put against each other. You'll all be monsters. You can't run from it. That meeting you're about to have is gonna be a real eye opener."

"It's not about morals anymore. You can drop the holier than thou act," Taiga was getting sick of people shoving his flaws into his face, and this stuck up diva was no exception. She wasn't fooling anyone with her goody-two shoes act and when the killing events started, they would be put on the same level.

"I'll help you," Tsukimi's voice was low, but audible enough to cut through the argument, causing Prasuna and Taiga to direct their attentions to the solemn girl, standing there with her bangs shading her eyes.

"But-" Prasuna tried to protest but she was cut off by Tsukimi.

"If we just leave him here to die, we aren't being any better than he is for killing our classmates. In fact, if we leave him here, we'll be killing him." What kind of people would they be to let him die like that? It was inhumane. Tsukimi couldn't force herself to do it no matter how much she felt Kazoo deserved it.

Kazoo smiled weakly at the girl, "thank...you..." His words slipped into a whisper as everything went black and his head hit the ground. His bloody hand slide down Tsukimi's ankle, coating it in blood on its way down and coating her black, high heel in a thin layer of red.

"I'll take him back to my room..." Tsukimi trailed, tilting her head down. She didn't want to do it, but she knew the guilt weighing on her shoulders was far more if Kazoo was dead than if he was alive.

"I'll carry him," Gaz offered his assistance and Tsukimi thanked him as the well-built rock star walked over to the bloody engineer and gently lifted him, bride and groom style. He was careful as not to extend his injuries any more than what they were already. Kazoo's body was losing heat already and the blood from his pierced back dripped down his exposed abs.

Piercing, dark blue eyes gazed over his class mates. "The rest of you should find first aid kids and stiff to help him. He's hurt badly."

"He's right, if Kazoo dies it's on our asses and we'll have to have another trial." That was one thing that Taiga didn't want to relive yet again.

"Ame, do y'have a sewing kit?" Masato turned to the fashion designer, who cocked her head in question.

"A sewing kit?"

"We can sew him up with it. Y're a fashion designer, I thought y'd have one for sure." It seemed like a logical deduction. Sure, a sewing kit wasn't going to be like surgical thread, but it would be better to try and hold him together with something. If they didn't then he'd get an infection and die in their care.

"I'll retrieve them," the lolita replied with a small smile and dismissed herself from the room.

"I'll gather first aid kits," Kokken looked determined as she took off to get as many kits as she could. Since the dome dropped, they would need to get as many supplies as they could before everyone else took them for themselves.

"I'll help!" Aioli volunteered, as the two girls darted off to gather their supplies.

"I'll go to the nurse's office and find antibiotics and a few supplies," Kraki turned to dart away, and Kiyomaru followed.

"I shall assist you."

Taiga turned to the green-haired man at his side, concern reflected in his aqua eyes. "How do you feel?" He asked as Lamar straightened himself up, catching his breath from all of the dry heaving that he was doing.

"Like shit, which is also how I smell. Man, I gotta brush my teeth," Lamar made sure to stay a suitable distance from the yakuza. The last thing he wanted was for Taiga to smell his rancid breath. It repulsed him; no doubt it would churn a few stomachs if he decided to be too social or too close.

"You can't go around having anxiety attacks every time you see someone go through some shit," Taiga thought that Lamar would have built up some sort of immunity to seeing executions, considering he bore witness to so many of them but in that aspect he was wrong.

Perhaps it was just this execution in particular. Taiga could relate in small ways, but not to the same extent that his partner had. He could only imagine what was going in his friend's head; no doubt he was suffering some kind of post traumatic stress disorder from the events of before. Sometimes, he really worried about Lamar.

"It's just that-"

"Don't talk about it. For now, just relax. We both know what's coming next," Taiga walked up to the ex-rock star and patted him on the head a couple of times to attempt to calm his nerves. Lamar was visibly shaking from the course of events and even if he smelled a little pungent, it was no reason not to prove his worth by being there for him.

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Kazoo laid on top of the black, white and gold covers, his body caressed by the silky textures as they rubbed against his exposed skin. He was shirtless, minus the bandages that wrapped around his chest, stained with the remnants of blood that leaked from his sewn wound. None of them were doctors, and in truth they didn't know if the wound had been sewn together correctly. All they could go off of was what they had learned in a medical book. Luckily the sword had only pierced him in the shoulder and not the chest and no major arteries were present. It would just hurt a while, but he could have died from it if he had lost too much blood. They were just lucky that it didn't affect his chest or they would have to deal with Kazoo losing a lung or worse.

"We've done all that we can. Now, he just needs rest," Sunoma spoke, her ice blue eyes fixated on the blue-haired man's slumbering form. She could only imagine how much pain he had to be in. Even taking anything and everything that was gathered and found in the nurse's office, he could still suffer significant pain.

"That was freaky. Were you guys serious about killing each other?" Gaz couldn't get his mind off of what was said during the trial. They all talked about it as if it were something he should have known all along, when in reality, Gaz just learning about the true severity of the situation.

"That's what I was wondering," Ame hadn't heard anything about this nefarious deed, and now that it was thrown up in the trial she was suspicious.

"It turns out that it's true. Who knows what will happen in that gym," Kraki was apprehensive. She didn't want to think of what possibilities were held of the uncertain future that awaited her. When she thought about it, more and more of Sunoma's story was coming true, and it mounted her worry so much that she became ill thinking about it.

Kokken hung her head in defeat. She couldn't keep Taiga's secret a secret anymore. "It's all true, Gaz." Her voice was low and filled with regret.

"Why did you keep it a secret? You could have gotten us all out of here. You didn't have to drag us down with you." If he knew that anything like that was happening, Gaze would have gladly transferred out. He didn't want anything to do with this and the thought of having to kill someone was brutal and barbaric. Gaze was shocked that Kazoo had killed someone, and he was beginning not to know who to trust.

Sunoma turned to him and folded her arms over her breasts. "If everyone left, worse things would happen, then they would come after you anyway and then they would kill us. Anyone who gets in their way dies. At least here, you are given a chance for survival." Sure, it was cruel to keep Gaz here when he wanted to leave, it wasn't fair to the rest of the student body either, but she would rather give them all that chance than to send them off to the slaughter.

It was the best decision she could have made for the time being.

"Who's doing this? Is it the school's founder?" The dark skin on his face turned a shade of pale blue. He couldn't believe this was really happening. It sounded like something straight out of a horror movie.

"Where are the police? Why hasn't anyone called them?" Ever since Karaya's death, Aoili had not seen any police at the school, and it was beginning to grind on her nerves, causing her great fear over the uncertainty of the situation. The police should have been called for that. They should have been there, but no one ever came. It was as if no one ever called them to begin with.

Ame pulled her phone out of her lacey purse and flipped it open; much to her shock, in the corner of the screen was that familiar circle with a slash in it. She frowned at the object, "no signal."

Masato followed suit, taking his phone out, which usually got a signal no matter where he was located, only for it to turn up with the same results, "mine too."

"They blocked out reception," Tsukimi looked at her purple, gem-encrusted phone only to find that her results were the same as the others. Whoever had trapped them there, made sure that they would have no contact with the outside world. Her heart pounded in her chest, and that feeling of being trapped and alone shot through her.

"They more than likely killed the internet, too," Masato was certain f it. They wouldn't be so stupid as to block their cell signals without killing their other forms of communication as well.

"It really is all true," Tsukimi's hand fell to her side with her phone in it. Her eyes widened and her yellow and red pupils trembled. "Kazoo already has a huge scar on his back and another on his chest."

Sunoma looked as if a realization hit her. That meant that Lamar's story was true. He did try to kill Kazoo the time before, and that meant that his class was really supposed to all be killed. Everything that was scrawled down in his diary had checked out, and it took her until the dome closed to realize that she should have trusted him from the start.

"I noticed that when I was crudely sowing him together. What was it from? An old battle wound, perhaps?" Ame cocked her head. After all, she was a fashion designer, not a surgeon and she knew her needlework wasn't going to be perfect. Something was strange indeed. For someone to have prior wounds like that meant that something tragic had more than likely happened to that person.

"I believe it's from graduation. Lamar had told me that he killed Kazoo, but it seems Kazoo ended up living after all," Sunoma was shocked that someone would have lived from such an injury and even more so that they would show up alive and kill students. Kazoo's whole situation was beyond strange to her and now that he had been convicted, she found herself unable to trust him.

"This is wild. I knew something was up, but something like this? How are they even getting away with this?" The situation had reached a whole new level of dark in Masato's eyes. He had been keen on the fact that something bizarre was afoot, but just how bizarre it was didn't hit him until the trial took place.

"I wished I knew how to get through that dome. If we could find a weakness in it then we could leave no problem." It had to have a weak point; Gaz just knew that it did. No barrier was impregnable.

Aoili withdrew her body, hugging herself as fright and anxiety crossed her features. "I don't want to kill anyone and I hope Kazoo doesn't die." She had already been through so much, she didn't want it to happen again and yet, she felt like the vicious circle wasn't going to stop.

"I hope Lamar is alright. Did you see him during the punishment session?" Sunoma could see the fear in his eyes, the pressing fear on his form, so much that he lost everything.

"Yeah, he spewed everywhere," Masato saw it out of the corner of his eye and he had to admit that seeing someone fall apart like that was pitiful. Then again, he came from an environment where blood and guts was a way of life.

"That wasn't the reaction I expected from someone who has killed before," Ame thought it odd that Lamar was lose his lunch over someone's possible death. It made no sense. He should have had a tougher stomach being someone who had witnessed so much carnage before.

"He's not a monster. I imagine he feels bad for doing it before," Kokken was quick to defend him. She tried to put herself in his shoes, to imagine how horrible it was to be forced to kill people you spent time with and considered friends. The girl imagined that it was hard to see things that reminded him of a past he didn't want to remember. She would have felt the same way.

"He, Taiga and Kazoo are the only ones we have to guide us through what's about to happen. Prepared or not, we have to stare reality in the face," Sunoma knew this to be fact. She knew that this was no time to freak out, or curl back into her protective wall. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Reality's grip was cruel and unforgiving.

"What are you saying?" Aoili's brown eyes moved to the lolita's form. She didn't want to hear what was about to be said but she had a feeling it would be said regardless.

"We'll have to kill." There was no other way.

"I refuse!" Kiyomaru shouted firmly, holding his fist out in defiance. "There has to be a better way," he had remembered what Lamar went through and how it affected him. Kiyomaru didn't want to go through with that kind of pain and he was certain that Lamar didn't want him to go through that kind of pain either. One way or another, he had to keep these horrific events from happening, and by banding together and not conforming they were sure to beat the system. He had to have hope.

"I agree!" Aoili stood defiant and tall by Kiyomaru's side. "I won't do it! They're our classmates..." Her voice warped into sorrow. "...our friends..."

"Isn't that cute? How unrealistic," Ame remarked with a smile. If they thought they were going to ban together and have some sort of super hero ending where the good guys won and no one died, they were complete fools.

"She's right. Not everyone's gonna wanna live peacefully. Y're all full of delusions if y'believe that horseshit," Masato didn't want to shit on their happy parade but their endeavors were unrealistic considering the multitude of students in the graduating classes.

Someone was going to murder someone, and that was all there was to it.

"Maybe we can convince them," Kiyomaru's voice was a little lower this time. He wasn't going to give up just because people felt like being negative. Where there was a will, there was a way.

"That won't work." Everyone turned toward the bed to see Kazoo had waked up. "We tried that last time. Someone always ends up snapping. The odds of everyone listening is impossible. They don't understand like we do. They're just normal kids."

"You should rest, Kazoo...was it?" Aoili placed a finger to her lips. She was pretty sure that was his name, but it was hard to keep up with people who attended Shinjinku, much less new people that popped into her life.

"Yeah, and I'll be fine. I've lived through worse. The only thing that sucks is I'll have to deal with the pain. You can't just go to the doctor or take some meds. It's pure, unadultered pain," Kazoo's voice strained as he slowly and carefully sat up in bed. Wincing, he positioned himself in an upright position and stared at the group before him. "I suggest you all become masochists. It'll make life easier." Planting his feet on the ground, he went to get out of bed, only to have an angry-looking Tsukimi barge her way over and stomp on his foot with her spiked heels, driving an extra shot of pain through his body. "Ouch!" Kazoo shouted as he reeled back in pain. "Why did you do that?"

"You're not getting out of bed right after you scared everyone like that! Stay your ass in bed!" Her voice was commanding, and that cold look in her eyes amplified the chill in her tone. He had already fucked up once, and a stinging pain in his foot was minor to what she thought he deserved at the moment.

Kazoo rubbed his injured foot, straining against the pain of his stitches. "You didn't have to brutally stomp my foot with those heels." Honestly, the things literally formed a spike and he didn't even know how she walked in them, let alone used them to pierce his foot. On top of having a stab wound, he also now would have a nasty bruise.

"You deserve it for killing people, you asshole," Tsukimi shot, warning him not to test her patience with him. He was lucky she even offered to help him after knowing he had killed her best friend. It was something that she wasn't going to forget.

"That's pretty shitty, man. How can we trust you?" Masato added insult to injury. He wasn't about to take advice from him, not after he did what he did.

Kazoo glared at the bosozoku. "I never asked you too. I need to get my weapons."

"Weapons?" Ame arched an eyebrow.

"I made weapons to use in the killing spree. They're up in the living space I had. I figured they'd come in handy." It was just like before, and now he would be prepared for the onslaught.

"If you tell me where they are, I'll get them," Tsukimi said with a great deal of reluctance. It wasn't like she wanted to help him out, but she didn't want him getting out of bed with those injuries.

"You...will?" Kazoo was shocked that she even wanted to help him.

"I'm not hurt, you are."

Just then, a familiar voice cut through their conversation, drawing the attention to all of the student body that resided within Shinjinku Academy. "All students are to assemble in the gymnasium for further instruction. I repeat, all students are to assemble in the gymnasium for further instruction."

Lamar strapped his scythe onto his back after showering the brushing his teeth and downing mouth wash to get rid of the foul taste. Taiga picked up a pick axe and swung it over his shoulder, giving his love interest a serious expression.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm never ready," Lamar closed his eyes and clenched his fist, gritting his teeth as he tried to calm the flashbacks that shot through his memories like a barrage of arrows, striking pain to him relentlessly.

"At least we're ahead of the game by having weapons. That way no one can try anything funny," Taiga knew things were still going to get bad regardless, but the two of them could at least try to control their unruly class.

"Let's go," Lamar told him and walked out of their dorm room. Taiga soon followed him.

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Inside of the auditorium, the students assembled. Each of them glanced around at their fellows, who were standing, seated in chairs or leaned up against the walls. The student council, as well as the three graduates stood up front and center, along with Tsukimi, Gaz, Aoili, Kokken and those who were involved in the trial. Their eyes were transfixed on the wooden stage as men and women walked out with the same execution bags on their heads. The room fell silent as they appeared single file from behind the lush, red velvet curtains.

Students began to gossip amongst themselves and low voices and whispers filled the room. The bag-headed group on stage looked out over the sea of students, listening to the apprehension and dread that shot around the room with no reaction at all. It was as if they were statues.

Taiga and Lamar walked in late with their weapons strapped to their backs.

Kiyomaru turned around to see the two of them. They looked as if they were going to go right along with the plans on murdering everyone. Aghast, he drew back. "What are you doing? Why would you bring weapons-"

Taiga cut him off. Whatever he was thinking that was suspicious, he was going to kill that shit where it stood. "Fuck off! This isn't about protocol anymore. Consider us your body guards if anyone tires to kill you."

Kiyomaru looked nervously to the side. His voice was subdued. "Yes, I suppose. Thank you."

"Welcome to hell, ladies and gentlemen," Lamar said lowly as the voice of the same bag-headed man who hosted their trial sounded through the air.

"Silence!" The baritone voice commanded and received the attention it so deserved. The students had their full attention. "As you are all aware, you have been contained on school grounds. This event is called graduation, and it is how those of Shinjinku Academy are chosen to be set fourth into the world. We of Shinjinku are like precious chicks longing to break out of our shell and explore the outside world."

"To get slaughtered, you mean," Kazoo mumbled under his breath as the bag-headed man continued to give his speech, puffed up with pride and passion.

"However, even among the elite, all chicks are not created equal. There are those who are killed before ever having the chance to be allowed to mature and become adults. Only the strong survive."

"As you all know, becoming a member of Shinjiku Academy, student population from this point out will mean sacrificing life outside of this dome. You are all forbidden from leaving or having contact outside of this school itself. The only way out of here is in a body bag."

"Or if you graduate, but even then you're too damaged to bring yourself to talk about it," Taiga noted as a clatter of conversation erupted throughout the auditorium. The sounds of worry and terror were like a symphony to the bag head's ears.

"As prestigious students of Shinjinku, you all are the hope of the future. We have the special honor of breaking the world's youth, giving the world only the most talented individuals as they cannot be tainted by the useless," he threw out his arms, stating his motives as if they were the simplest of concepts to grasp. There was a sick amusement in his voice that made the innards of every student clench and churn. "How could the world revere us with such weakness showing? We cannot allow our foundation to be cracked and flawed. As a result, we have formed our own special graduation that all of you are lucky enough to participate in. If you refuse to participate in the graduation, then encouragement will be supplied."

Prasuna didn't know what he meant by the word encouragement but she had a feeling that she didn't want to find out. Stepping to the front of the group, she planted her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one side. "So, those who don't graduate are forced to stay here forever?"

"At least we don't have to go through it alone," a male student behind her said.

"What happens if we can't graduate?" A girl in ponytails looked worried to her right as she fiddled with the golden bow on her uniform. The piece of fabric slid in and out of her curved fingers.

"You will never leave the school," the bag-head's voice was dire, before slipping into a tone of faux sympathy. "Do not fear, as you're not completely useless. You still have a purpose."

"As what? Fertilizer?" Lamar said under his breath.

"It's just some insane bullshit. Who believes this trash?" If anyone did, Taiga would be certain he saved them the delusions and killed them first. The more bag head rambled on, the more it pissed him off.

The hooded man became elated as he held his hands out and looked up towards the ceiling. "Here, you will compete for the right to graduate. Doesn't that excite you? It's an honor, you know."

Gesturing behind him, there was a mound of weapons that was piled high in the thousands. Anything anyone could imagine using to kill someone was located in that pile of murder tools except guns of any kind. "Last man...or woman standing wins the right to graduate. Don't you want to come up and grab a weapon while you can? Time is short and you're all so young."

Kokken screwed her eyes shut as fear and dread coursed through her. She hugged herself tightly, as if she wished everything would just go away. "I hate this."

"You mean we have to kill each other?" Another male student leaned forward, horror riddled into his form. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this for real?

"How could you ever get away with this? How could the school board or the founder know about this or tolerate it?" Aoili clenched her fists, outrage and anger blossomed within her. She wanted to know what the hell was going on, and how they were getting away with everything. She demanded answers. "This is torture and slavery!"

"It's more than that, these procedures are necessary," the man explained, as if they were merely taking a small test. He was far too nonchalant about the fact that he was committing genocide.

"My ass they are," Masato grumbled.

"This should not be questioned," the bag head held up a finger, as if to note some sort of importance. "It is a beautiful, horrible idea and it has worked well since the school's founding six years ago."

"What?" Taiga was shocked to find out that things were going on that long. This was something that he had no prior recollection of being stated in the last graduation.

"How could you do this...to innocent people...Those who are supposed to teach the youth of Japan, to nurture and help them, to lead misguided students in the right path and encourage those who are academically gifted towards a brighter future? After everything...you're just going to cage us here to die? We try so hard to find ourselves and make something of a purpose for our lives and for what?" Kiyomaru looked at his trembling hands after making that emotional speech. In the end, he knew that it meant nothing and that he was getting himself worked up over nothing, but at the same time, he felt betrayed the school system. The very people who were supposed to pose as role models were the ones to deliver the devastating blow, and while he knew that in his heart, this was going to go this way, he couldn't help but speak out against it.

"It's up to you. It's up to each and every one of you to save yourselves. There is still hope if you can figure out the key behind the graduation. Don't fail yourselves or this school. Figure out the reasons behind our activities, or forever be dead to us. This is a place where horror comes true and not a single soul gets through." There was something about that last phrase that sent fear up the spines of every student in that crowded room. It was like a premise of what the future held for all of them, and they couldn't help but outwardly tremble.

Prasuna's eyebrows creased as a stern frown adorned her red lips. "This is barbaric."

"Even though it's required that you figure out the riddle or kill until no one is left but you, there are rules designed for your comfort." Honestly, they should all be happy that he was feeling a little lenient. After all, he could very well just make them fight without any breaks.

"Comfort? You got me fucked up if you think I think there's comfort in this shit hole." Kazoo glared down the suits on stage. Right now, he was suffering more than anyone else, and he already knew what comforts these guys were going to offer.

It wasn't worth his while.

"Make sure that you take comprehensive notes of these rules. They won't be repeated and if you break them, we'll have to have another trial." They were strong words of advice that all students should take heed to. If they didn't listen, it wasn't his fault if they ended up dead.

"Yeah, y'd like that," Masato wasn't stupid. That's exactly what these guys were planning. They were just jacking with them.

After that, the hooded man proceeded to give out a list of rules. The first rule was that they may only use the weapons in that pile or weapons that they found around the school. That meant that they could grab knives from the kitchen, pots, pans, weights from the gym or whatever they wanted to pick for themselves. The choice was theirs. They could also kill someone for their weapons or they could make a weapon of their own. No guns or canons were permitted. Those caught using them or making them would be prosecuted in a court of their peers. They could also choose not to bear arms but it was highly suggested that they not make that choice.

The second rule of their killing session was that they could not kill anyone past the time of ten o'clock p.m. From ten at night to seven in the morning was their resting period. They didn't have to be in their dorms but we suggest it. They suggested that additionally, they kept their rooms locked. After all, they would never know who might want to sneak into their room and attempt to gain the upper hand.

The last rule was that if a crime was committed during the night then a trial would be held. Unlike the warm up trial, those found guilty of disrupting order would be executed.

"Warm up trial?!" Kazoo couldn't believe what he was hearing! Warm up trial his ass!

Lamar closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, sticking his hands in his pockets. The "warm up trial". The very thing that gave him constant flashbacks. The very thing that caused him so much pain. He knew all about the horrible initiation that would bring on a series of similar events.

"That means we can't screw up," Tsukimi's said in a dark tone. She was trying to make notes mentally of all of the rules that had been established. There was no way that she was going to end up being executed, or killing someone at the wrong time. If she was going to be forced to kill, then she was going to do it in times where it was acceptable to do so.

"I wonder how many people will be executed," Kokken's mind began to wonder as she glanced across the room at all of the frightened, angry and shocked students. There were so many people, some of the were bound to kill each other and as a result they were also bound to be trialed as Kazoo was.

"People might be executed wrongly, since it's up to a group of students to decide," Tsukimi knew these trials had bad idea written on them. After all, if Kazoo hadn't have given up and revealed himself then they would have killed Lamar and Taiga, believing that they had kicked off the murders to prove their story about the killings in graduation.

"Man, either way innocent people die. Kill someone at the wrong time and your ass is grass. Kill in general and people die innocently. There's no good and evil here, just people wanting a chance at freedom." This wasn't something that Gaz wanted to get used to. It was like a horrible nightmare, and in the back of his mind he only wished that he could just wake up.

"That's not even guaranteed. They could be lying," Ame wondered if they had ever thought about that. Maybe there would be no true victor?

"We can't see out of the dome, either. It's just painted to look like the sky. We won't know if going back will be better or worse than life in here." The uncertainty scared Kokken a lot. What if she got out and no one was alive? What if she walked outside and then was executed on the spot? So many questions plagued her mind.

The hooded man proceeded to inform the students that there were also designated "no kill" areas of the school. The bathrooms, cafeteria and bathing areas were community areas and no killing was allowed to take place there. They would know what happened to those who did.

There would also be class events held in which a lucky contestant would be chosen to participate. They were voted into these events or selected at random. Death was ensured for the most part and new rules would be added accordingly.

"Now, it's time to get trigger happy!" At the sound of that voice, massive conversations erupted, but no one made a move. Some of the students cried, others were angry, sad or hysterical.

Worry shot through Kokken's form as she glanced around. "Oh god! What do we do now?"

"Come on Ara, we've got to get a weapon if we want to live." A boy nearby tried to talk his crying, red-haired classmate into making a move.

Tears rolled down the girl's face as she sobbed, bent over and trembling with emotion. "I-I can't. This is too much. You go and graduate, and when you do, tell everyone what happens here." She couldn't do it. There was no way that Ara could bring herself to kill another student.

Kraki turned to the group of students with a serious expression. They could tell that the situation had been wearing on her as well. "Before we start, I just wanted to say that I hardly knew a few of you."

Aoili looked to the side, sorrow and regret etched on her tanned skin. "Yeah, I'm a little sad none of us were really that close before."

"I didn't know anyone but Taiga and Kazoo until all of this," Lamar stated.

"I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances," Sunoma held remorse in her tone. She knew in any other situation, they could have been close friends.

"I do not regret our friendship," Kiyomaru's visage remained strong, despite his horrible circumstances.

"Friendship can overcome all evils in the world, right?" Kokken knew that line was nothing short of a fantasy television show or a happy anime where love conquered all, but in a way she believed that their bond would hold them together in some way. At least, she wanted to believe it.

"If that's true, then this is the ultimate test," Taiga wasn't one to believe in such nonsensical phrases, but he also didn't want to completely smash the girl's hope. He would let her have a glimmer of light in the darkness.

"All that matters is what's ahead of us now. There will be no changing what we put behind us," Kiyomaru knew that the future was yet to be written and nothing could cover up their pasts. From this point on, they would be writing pure nightmare fuel.

"All bets are off. If we have to kill each other, then I hope you all understand." From this point on, Ame wasn't going to trust any of them. They were all under heavy suspicion and despite their claims of strong bonds, she wasn't as naive to believe that it was going to be enough to get her out of this school. The only way to live was to adapt and to rely on herself above everyone else.

"I think we'll hold out as long as we can." It was the only thing they could do at the moment, even if, in the back of his mind, Masato knew the inevitable would come.

"It'll be a race against the odds, let's try to stick together as long as we can," Gaz wasn't ready to face the situation alone and he believed there was safety in numbers.

"A good friend will stab you in the front," Taiga commented, sending a momentary feeling of unease down his fellow student's spines.

"We'll try to do research in between killings. When we get a feel of the rules we'll meet int he graveyard at a designated time," Lamar gave the instructions for their next move. No one knew about the graveyard but them. It would provide somewhat of a safe haven for them, until someone found out about its location.

"Graveyard?" The shock in the blue-haired rocker's voice was evident. Gaz had no idea that such a thing existed on school grounds.

"There's a...graveyard?" Kraki was unsettled by the new information as well.

"Yeah, we can show you where it is later. Huh?" Kazoo turned his head to see students rushing past him towards the pile of weapons.

Taiga's face lit up in realization as he dashed in front of the crowd and swung his pick axe across the front line, the blade nearly took one of the dark-haired male student's head off. The boy nearly fell backwards to avoid the strong swing. The yakuza pointed his axe at them with anger marred on his visage.

"What's the big idea? Are you trying to take all of the weapons for yourself?" The dark-haired student grabbed his neck with one hand and held his other fist up in outrage. He was still shaken and the cold feeling of metal running across his flesh was enough to keep him from acting rashly.

"What the fuck are you people thinking?! You all should be ashamed of yourselves, going after this pile of garbage. What will that solve? You think killing each other is the only way to solve this?" They were such idiots! They didn't even think! They just immediately got the preconceived notion that they would kill each other, and it disgusted Taiga to no end. He wasn't going to stand by while the students slaughtered each other to get a pile of weapons.

"We have to in order to graduate!" It wasn't like they wanted to do it, but they saw no other choice.

Kiyomaru walked up beside of Taiga. "We should band together instead of turning on each other," he wanted to help the yakuza talk some sense into the students. Even if everything was enveloped in chaos, he was still the student council president and he felt it was his duty to help lead his peers away from a grim reality and show them how to turn a negative into a positive.

"That's right," Kraki agreed. "If we don't kill each other or do what they say they can't win. Remember, we have two options."

"We should research and try to find out who is behind this," Lamar stepped out from the crowd and stood behind the yakuza. "Our strength is in our numbers."

Kiyomaru turned to the darkly dressed man. He was a little shocked to hear Lamar promoting unity among the student body. "I thought you were against this."

"It will hold off the killings and I meant what I said - there is strength in numbers. The more people that help us, the more information we can gather." Even if it was manipulating them, Lamar felt he could utilize the other students to help him succeed. In hindsight, it might keep them from killing each other, or bring about new allies. This was a game of survival.

"What're we gonna find? We're trapped in the school with no internet," Gaz didn't know what kind of resources they could utilize outside of the school walls when the dome was closed and they couldn't surf the web, much less use their cell phones.

"That's why we become resourceful. I have a few aces up my sleeve." Being able to gather information a year ahead of time put Lamar ahead of the game. He knew a few things that would help them out.

While the group of students was talking, Masato slowly made his way over to the pile of weapons. Brown eyes stared them down, quickly scanning over the various weapons of torture and death until they stopped on a machete. He wasn't so stupid that he was going to just walk around unarmed, especially while Taiga and Lamar had weapons of their own. He didn't trust anyone, and he didn't plan on starting.

If there was anything that his bosozoku life taught him, it was to stay ahead of the game and rely on his instinct. No way was he going to get killed off by some high school kids. He didn't give a rat's ass how special or talented they were. Now was the time to utilize his street smarts. Masato wasn't the most ruthless biker in all of Japan for no good reason.

Taking the machete, he stuck it under his long coat and walked off, heading back towards his dorm room. However, his shoes hitting the ground wasn't the only sound he heard. Pausing, the clacks of a second pair of shoes were heard.

Fuck.

He had been caught.

A small smile adorned light blue lips as the fashion designer came closer and closer to the biker's form. He was like a rat in a trap with nowhere to go with to his death. Wasn't it funny when the predator becomes the prey? 'You think you're pretty slick, but I've noticed you and once you're in my sights you will have to comply to my demands. After all, this is a game of adaptation and Darwin's Law reigns true.'

Ame hooked her arms around the biker's waist, clinging to him softly as he flinched, nearly jumping out of his shoes. She couldn't help but smile subtly in her personal victory.

"Whaddya want, Ame?" Masato tried to keep his cool, even though his heart was beating against his sternum.

Ame pulled back as Masato turned around to face her. "I simply wanted to chat with you, and make an interesting proposition."

"I ain't got time for y'r bullshitting little games," the last thing he needed was to be pestered by that bothersome lolita. He knew that she was sly, so she obviously had something up that lacey sleeve of hers.

"I don't think everyone would find the fact that you took that machete too favorable," Ame noted curtly as she watched with amusement as the biker's face registered shock. He looked like a little kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. How cute.

"How did y'see that? I made sure no one was looking," he couldn't count how many times he had glanced around the room, and he didn't see anyone. Did Ame have eyes in the back of her head or what? How the hell did she see him?

"No misdeed escapes the eyes of the silent observer. You should choose your moves wisely or you'll hang from your guilt like a noose." It was a warning that she had no problem administering. Masato was nothing more than a spider caught in her tangled web and the more he struggled, the more entrapped he became. Watching him continuing to wrap himself in the threads of shame was most appealing.

"I'm not about to get picked off first. Fuck that shit," Masato wanted to live, and no matter how hard her words pressed on him, he wasn't going to just go back and admit he was wrong for taking it.

"I'll keep your secret, but there's a small price," Ame noted, her smooth voice seducing him into trying to comply with her ways.

"What's that?" No agreement with Ame was anything good. He knew that from observing her past victims. Ame was notorious for being sly and manipulative, and he wasn't sure he wanted any part of it.

"Use your weapon to protect me. We'll have the advantage if we work as a team," the lolita hated getting blood on her hands, but she knew that Masato was used to getting his hands dirty. She would provide the brains and he would provide the brawn. Between the two of them, they would be an unstoppable team. There wasn't anything to lose by gaining a partnership with her.

"Why the hell would I wanna be y'r bodyguard? I'm leader of the Rising Suns bosozoku gang. I don't need y'r shit." Did she think he was born yesterday? Hell no, he wouldn't be her slave.

Ame frowned, casting a look of false regret at his refusal. "Then I suppose I'll have to out you as a traitor. Shame, I thought we were all friends here." Nothing a little guilt to warp his honor code and prey on the semblance of kindness he might have.

As she expected, the confliction in the biker's eyes had shown that she was able to crack his tough exterior. Finally, after the internal war was done raging in his head, the biker hung his head, his voice lowered in defeat. "Only until we're the only ones left. Then it's fair game."

Ame smiled. "I'll make sure I frame you for murder. You have the one weapon that is stolen. I prefer a more...practical approach. I will also out you right now. You can work with me or one of three things will happen. I have given you two scenarios; the third is that I kill you. Right now, it's perfectly within the rules. In any case, you'll be found out no matter how this goes," the lolita wasn't there to screw around. She wanted Masato's complete loyalty and nothing less. The commanded respect and she would damned well get it.

"Y'cut-throated bitch," Masato gritted his teeth in irritation. He didn't want to be her slave, but right now, there was no other choice unless he wanted to make an enemy of her, and either way that situation turned out it would result in his death.

"Do you think this is a game? I have no intention of playing with any of you. I never did. You heard what Taiga and Lamar said. I am on my own mission. If you side with me, I'll take you to the top." If there was anything that Ame knew how to do, it was get to the top by her cunning and sly ways. Even if she put on a lolita facade, Ame was well aware of the cruelties of the world, and she was renowned as a fashion designer of magnitude and respect. She fought her way to the top, and crushed everyone who got in her way. This was no different, and she didn't give a damn who or what he was.

"So y'can kill me? I'd rather take this machete and chop off my own head than be a corpse at y'r feet," Masato had his honor. No way in hell was he going to just bow down to someone like that. He didn't even do that for his parents. What made this diminutive lolita think that she had an ounce of power over him?

"My goal isn't to kill you off, it's to try and get you out of here." The punishment for not complying would have been one of the three outcomes, but if they were to work together, then he would graduate with her. Ame was offering to take him to the top. What about that didn't he understand?

Masato cast her a skeptical glance. "How do I know y'won't fuck me over?"

"We'll make a pact. I'll help you out if you help me. If I attack you then you can kill me, the same for you. We all have our secrets, and I've been withholding a few myself. Let's just say, I'm a little ahead of my game and Lamar, Kazoo and Taiga aren't the only ones who know things about graduation." It was more than fair, and more than she was willing to offer, but Ame was well aware of the give and take rule. No matter how much she wasn't willing to give, there were certain lines she would be willing to bend on to get this male on her side.

...To Be Continued