Years of Lies [IC] [Best Veteran Q2 '12]

Relax for as long as he could, yeah that's definitely not something Shizuka should have expected to receive when the Reaping was involved. The scene that had just taken place was definitely not one for the feint of heart, not that any of it had bothered Shizuka in the least bit - well that is except for the fact that he had to move from his seat. The demon Ryuu and Bernkastel had been having words the whole time, about what he didn't know as he'd tuned them out, and finally Ryuu had snapped and charged at Bernkastel. Shizuka's wings quickly unfolded themselves mere seconds before Ryuu landed and Shizu broke off to the right and away from danger. Bernkastel had used her own demon wings to fly upwards, while Marisa had moved to the left. It was then that Bernkastel spoke to both Shizu and Marisa.

"Marisa. Shizuka. You might not want to sit there," was all she said before red smoke surrounded and engulfed the other Demon. Shizuka didn't hesitate, his face still emotionless but his eyes showing complete shock at the power that the female demon was showing. While walking to a better vantage point away from the immediate danger of being dragged into a fight, the red smoke that Bernkastel had created made it way back over to where Bern had landed and began to take form - the form of another demon who Bernkastel called Mammon.

"Alright. Everyone who doesn't want to die, search this place for cameras and listening devices," snapped Bernkastel to the remaining competitors - most of whom quickly scattered around the helicopter to do as she bidded. Shizu stood exactly in the same spot knowing that if he showed fear of her now, she wouldn't see him as competiton and he would definitely have left himself vulnerable to attack. His thoughts were again interrupted by Mammon beginning to circle and entice Ryuu ever more, but it didn't last very long as Ryuu lunged and began pummeling the demon creation into the ground. Blood began to splatter slightly on the walls closest to them and finally Mammon lay on the ground motionless and deep in a pool of blood, the blood also being Ryuu's as he'd split his head open during his assault. Just then the other competitors had returned and started making a pile of all the devices they had found. Bernkastel had walked over and had a few more words with Ryuu but she hadn't said them loud enough for everyone to hear, then she made some sort of mark on Mammon who then burst back into the red smoke from earlier and returned into the symbols on Bernkastel's arm - symbols Shizuka had not seen until now.

Symbols on her arm. Definitely something to keep in mind with regards to her fighting abilities.

"Is that all of them," asked Bernkastel yet again interrupting Shizu's thoughts. This Reaping had only becoming more and more interesting by the second and Shizuka began to realized he needed to start focus on observing everyone now before the Reaping actually begun, otherwise he was going to be at a serious disadvantage. Nevertheless he wasn't going down without a fight. He made his way over to Amelia to see how she was doing, he placed his hand on her shoulder making her jump slightly - he had caught he off guard as she stared at Bernkastel and Ryuu.

"Are you alright?"

-Raike watched as Ryuu tore his eyes away from him to stare at Bernkastel. She had said before, that he was not the highest of the demons, and that he had also been beaten by a girl in the polls. Raike nodded in agreement, and cracked a half smile at the last part of the sentence. When she claimed that she could kill Ryuu, Raike didn't doubt her, which was why he hadn't been too smart with her, and half of the reason he hadn't talked to her. Well, eventually, the inevitable happened, and Raike watched as Ryuu went and tried to impale Bern with his horns.

He raised his eyebrows slightly as Bernkastel flew up above Ryuu, and then landed back in her seat, before biting her thumb and wiping the blood across her wrist. Some kind of demon emerged a red mist, and hovered beside Bern. Mammon was her name, and Bern seemed to have set her on Ryuu. This had the opposite effect of course, because Ryuu just grabbed her, and started pounding the crap outta of her. Eventually after a few hours, Ryuu ceased with the pummeling, and Raike watched as Bern simply walked over and drew an X on
Mammons head in blood, after which she dispersed to dust.

Ryuu sat in a large pool of blood, mostly from Mammon's, but some of his also. He also seemed to be looking at Bern, with a more respectful glare, and he also had a half smile on his face. Raike crossed his arms, but held his legs up to avoid the blood pool.-

"Well, I hope you got the last of that rage stuff outta your system Ryuu, because I doubt we can get another copter. You wanted blood, and you got it. Good show."

-Raike said closing his eyes-

Xavier was still grumbling inside his head, when he heard Bernkastel's voice beside him. "...Xavier. What are you doing...?" Bernkastel abruptly took his arm, and dragged him all the way back into his seat. For once, Xavier's surprise showed clearly on his face. Mouth gaping, hair out of his wide eyes, and the brown set scanning her body rapidly. He remembered what had happened on the train....But for some odd reason, he hadn't expected that. "I didn't mean you."

He shook his head lightly once she was out of view, couldn't let anybody see more of his emotionfull face. It might have them think he was uncapable or something....But who would be frightened of him anyway? All he was being was an emotionless teenager. It wasn't like Bernkastel. She was one to be scared of because she had actually won these games. Twice. Twice! And she didn't even escape to the safety of the victor's district. Xavier however, would've gladly taken the opportunity to go there. Although, he would've just gone there to not have to deal with people anymore, not to run away from the games. Hm, interesting.

Xavier turned his his head towards Ryuu's direction, cautiously taking a small look at the 'corpse'. Yeah...There was no way that the demon dubbed Mammon could possibly be dead. I mean really? Who in the right mind would've thought that Ryuu would just kill a demon that fast? Her skin wasn't pale enough to be from blood loss, and she didn't even give off that she was earth-born. Well, seems like everyone else was convinced.....Idiots....Even Bernkastel sounded as if she was being sarcastic, which she didn't really give out that tone, but when you've spoken blank your whole life....It's like a whole other language that only you, and other emotionless people can understand. It's sort of odd, really. "......Well Ryuu, it seems as if your ego got a fair amount of feeding today, hm.....? God, you're an idiot......." Xavier let out a small sigh, turning to glance at the ones on the floor, then to Paris, then back to Ryuu.

Ryuu was satisfied, his bloodthirst was quenched. However, he was more than ever eager to arrive and begin the games. One thing was proven clear: he had competition. But to be fair, that was from a demon, a two-time winning demon. He was still unsure if the humans and the angels would provide similar entertainment. After all, they were raised in different worlds. For those of the vampire and demon districts, many had to fight quite a lot. In Ryuu's case, he had gotten into fights every day, and repetition makes you better. The humans were less so capable, and most probably weren't fighters, as he realized. He had a good feeling who was going first in the competition. His thought process was interrupted by Raike speaking.

"Well, I hope you got the last of that rage stuff outta your system Ryuu, because I doubt we can get another copter. You wanted blood, and you got it. Good show."

He stared at Raike and smiled, but his speech was anything but pleasant.

"If you like what I did there, just wait what I do to you in the Reaping. This of this as a...prelude."

His concentration broke off from Raike however, as he heard the other demon, Xavier, speak towards him.

"......Well Ryuu, it seems as if your ego got a fair amount of feeding today, hm.....? God, you're an idiot......."

Ryuu looked at him. He knew the reaction Xavier would most likely expect, perhaps some violence, some rage, and under normal circumstances yes, Ryuu had a reputation to keep up, after all. But Ryuu, as mentioned earlier, wasn't someone who got offended when insulted. To him, it was just an excuse to kick the living hell out of the person. But this case should be the same. Xavier was a demon, surely he would be strong. He wanted to fight him where it counted, in the arena. Ryuu offered a rebuttal, nonetheless.

"Ha! You think I do this to quell some sort of ego? Let me tell you, demon, I do this for a different reason. I do this because I love it. Like so many others who continue to do the things they love, so will I. The end result matters not to me, but the process of doing so does. Do you not yourself want to do the things you like, the things you enjoy? Because those who deny themselves this are who I believe are the true idiots. Very much so like the angels enjoy their praying or the humans enjoy their pottery-making, or whatever it is they do. I too have my enjoyments, my hobbies, and this so happens to be one of them. So judge me all your want, I suppose it won't matter for much longer anyways, you'll be dead soon..."

Ryuu looked away again, and for the first time, examined all of the people individually. His faced turned to the competition, one by one. Raike was a human, but he still expected some fight from him. He knew he had some sort of training, some sort of fighting background, he could feel it. Xavier was a given tough, a demon. As was Bernkastel, and she just proved it. The angels made Ryuu's stomach churn. He really didn't expect any sort of fight from them. None of them. That goes same for the humans, expect perhaps Raike. Then there's the vampires. Mixed feelings, from Ryuu. Marisa should be tough. Perhaps she didn't look it, but she was. Kerin was a sympathetic fool, at least to Ryuu, and he expected no trouble from him. As for the rest, bait. That's how Ryuu saw it. The demons were the threat, the vampires less so, but still opposition. The humans and the angels shouldn't give him much trouble, maybe one or two, but most of them were in the wrong place. Too bad for them, it seemed.

Ryuu cracked his neck, and moved around his shoulders, which tensed a bit. He was looking forward to the Reaping, but first...

"When will this damn helicopter take off?!"

Chapter 2 - Amelia Kunjui - Angel District

I looked up at Shizuka, with my hands covering most of my snow-pale face. My eyes were wide in fear. I just watched a demon being beaten to death. Blood... I pulled up my bare feet to share my seat, with my hands now holding the sides of my head. Again and again I saw behind my closed eyelids as the final blow struck her. The blood splattering at my heels... I shook my head at Shizuka's question. "N-...No, I'm not..." I mumbled admittingly. I removed my hands, with my eyes squinted up at his face. His nightstreak black wings were coiled behind him, however I could just make out a few feathers gliding down at his sides. It calmed me, to known he was my ally.

My head swung to the sides, when Ryuu yelled a question about our departure. I looked back at the metal, which formed the hallow machine encasing us. Hesitantly, I touched the surface. "..." After a few seconds, I replied to Ryuu. "W-we're already in the air. H-have been since the doors closed. Um... Two more hours until landing." When Pewita shot me a suspicious look, I couldn't help but jump, squeak, and add; "T-that's my guess, anyways." Of course it wasn't a guess. I had lied about that part. Though, it wasn't a very good lie... With my touch, I could see everything that everyone else couldn't. The wild birds... White bodies and grey-tipped feathers, hovering among the clear blue sky... The white sea trapped creatures under the surface, but large, elephant-sized things would sometimes break this barrier. I watched a dark patch; a fish jumped out, but... It never made it back to the water. I frowned, and watched the helpless fish squirm around until it disappeared from my view. It was as if that fish had hit an unnoticeable glass sheet carefully layered atop the sea... We must be up north still. Even though the heating system kept us warm in here... Outside, was a frozen wasteland. Where my people used to florish.

Chapter 2 - Pewita Humoi - Angel District

Do you know what I enjoy? Do you know what makes me giddy in happiness? What my best dreams are about? People getting beaten bloody... Not any kind of person, but people who think they're oh-so-better than us like Amelia, or in this case, Mammon. Though, it did sadden me that it was Ryuu beating her down into the metal and not me. I wanted to be the one with bloodied fists. The one having a broken body beneath my feet. I held in my urge to hit someone. Better I save my strength for the real thing. Maybe I could break some sort of record for the most kills! That idea made me excited. What I needed to do, was expand my allies. Ryuu would be a good choice, but he didn't seem too fond of angels. Heck, of his own species! How could I convince him, I was worth having as an ally? Bernkastel, even though she was a two-time winner and obviously powerful, didn't seem to be an ally of his. Was he perhaps, stupid? If he was, I would need to steer clear. Stupid people are alot more dangerous than smart people. Why? Because it's impossible to tell what they're going to do next. I was not going to bring myself into that sort of situation.

When Ryuu was done yelling at us, I was shocked to find Amelia's voice enter my ears. I had expected her to faint over the stench of a fight. When I looked over in her direction, I couldn't help but smirk. She was trying dearly not to cry. The weakling... Another surprise awaited me. How could she possibly know we were already in the air, and, to top it off, that we were two hours away from our desination? I shot her a look, which made her squirm around and add that it was her 'guess'. Yeah, you weren't fooling anyone except stupid people. I certainly was not stupid, so the joke was on her.

Chapter 2 - Marisa Ryunatta - Vampire District

I scrunched up my nose at the lingering scent of blood. I wasn't as overpowering with it, than Kerin was. Being sensitive to scents was both a blessing, and a curse. In the arena, us vampires would be able to sense a fight from a mile away. Being who I was, I would head in the opposite direction; away from the potential enemy. Shiro would be a different matter. She would head towards the fight, in hopes of both a kill and a drink. For our group of allies, that wouldn't be a problem. We could just feed off animals or ourselves if there wasn't an easy kill laying around. Although, I don't think I would be able to sink my fangs into a rabbit... They're just too cute!... On second thought, maybe Fang or Kerin would allow me to drink from them... They'd understand!

Once Ryuu was seated, I scurried myself over to Kerin, and held out a tablet. "Uuu. Here," I placed it inside his palm, and wrapped his fingers around it. I hoped he knew what it was. A blood capsule. These things were made vampires, for vampires. This tablet tricked the mind into believing they just has a drink. This capsule would keep even the most blood-thirsty of vampires satisfied for about four hours. Suddenly, I had an idea. If it worked for vampires, couldn't it work for demons? I smiled brightly and ran over to Ryuu. "Here!" I held out the single capsule in my outstretched palms, awaiting the boy to take it.

"Here."

Kerin looked down into his palm. Oh! A blood capsule! He hastily thanked Marisa and swallowed it whole. Kerin had never liked actually drinking blood; it reminded him too much of what he was. He had either lived off bloody steaks (though even then he felt bad enough for the cow), these capsules and sometimes even his own blood, despite the amount of pain. He exhaled as he felt the capsules take its effect. He was able to take his arm away from his face. The blood still smelt good, but now it was like baked bread after a three course meal; it still smelt good, but you didn't really want to eat it. Kerin was about to thank Marisa but she broke from his hold again and toddled over to Ryuu. What?!

"Marisa, no!" Kerin quickly stepped over to her, and stood next to her. She had her hand outstretched to Ryuu, with another capsule in it. Kerin looked up and at Ryuu. Why did he need it, he was covered in blood. Kerin sniffed but didn't pull Marisa away. She could do what she wanted, although talking to someone who had just beaten the living crap out of another demon was probably not on top of Kerin's list of good ideas.

Ryuu closed his eyes for a moment, and daydreamed about the coming slaughter. A subtle voice was heard on the outside, but he didn't really listen to it. He was in his own world now.

It was very clear that many would die, very soon. Ryuu, at this point though, has had a bit of change of heart. First going into this competition, he believed he would easily defeat it. Now, he wasn't so sure. Now, he had competition. He soaked in the idea that this might be his final fights. He felt a hole in his body, and emptiness, as if he had been doing something for so long, and now he believes that emptiness will be filled. This is the culmination of his whole life of death and fighting. It was actually quite a beautiful moment, in Ryuu's eyes. Others would find it quite sickening. They say that you show your true colors right before you die. Ryuu believed that, as many of his past victims begged and begged. Others cursed his name. There were few that piqued his interest. One smiled. He never got his name, but he smiled right before death, a smile that still pictured in Ryuu's memories, as if burned in there, similar to the emblem now burned on his forearm. To this day, Ryuu has never understood why that demon smiled. Maybe one day, he'd find out.

Ryuu opened his eyes to see Marisa, the vampire come up to Ryuu and hold out something, saying "Here!" A smile was on her face.

Ryuu was less happy about it. He looked at her, half puzzled, half pissed off, you know, his usual personality. He looked at her intently, his very words could be felt with hatred.

"What the f**k is this?" He grabbed it, looking at her, one of the expected best in the competition. It was safe to say Ryuu might have hated her the most.

"Get the f*** away from me!" Ryuu shouted at her. He turned his attention to the capsule she gave him. He wondered what it was.

Kerin quickly pulled Marisa back as the demon boy Ryuu swiped the capsule from her hand. He inspected her hand hastily. Thank god, the ass hole didn't hurt her. He took the capsule though. That wasn't any kind of thanks though. Kerin gave Ryuu a dirty look. Ugh, the blood was so strong. It was lucky that Marisa had given him the capsule now and not before otherwise Kerin would probably be licking it off the ground and Ryuu now.

"Ass hole, that's no way to thank someone. She's only trying to help," Kerin snapped at Ryuu. Sure, this probably wasn't a good idea but this guy... this guy pissed Kerin off so much. To just waltz around, saying he was the best even though he pretty much has his ass handed to him on a plate by Bernkastel. These were the kind of guys Kerin could not tolerate back in the human district, the ones that teased him and his family. He exhaled, trying to control his anger. Oh come on, one more threat would be okay. "Swallow it. I hope you choke on it."

Ryuu examined the capsule intently. He wasn't one to accept help from anyone, ever. But whatever it is, whether a trap or a simple offering of peace, Ryuu cared not. He most likely would never have use for it. He put it away into his coat pocket. Ryuu stared randomly at the ground now, but heard someone say something.

"Ass hole, that's no way to thank someone. She's only trying to help," Ryuu looked up, and examined the person who had spoken to him. It was a vampire, the one who sat next to Marisa. Ryuu didn't speak, but instead held his gaze steadily at him. The vampire exhaled. "Swallow it. I hope you choke on it."

Ryuu gave him a gaze. He studied him for a moment. He knew right away, he didn't like him. Ryuu memorized his face and clothing, and painted him out. He would be one of the first he targeted.

"I didn't ask for her help. What the f**k is she thinking, that we are all buddies or something? You do realize we'll be fighting each other until we die, right? That means that one of us will live, and the rest, ALL the rest, are dead. So enough with your petty 'alliances' and 'teams', and your 'friends'. Don't you understand that you'll have to kill each other eventually? So excuse me if I am reluctant to accept help from someone I'm going to try to kill pretty soon anyways. And you, you should understand that soon, very soon, you might have to try to kill her as well. So I'd appreciate it if you'd f**k off for now. I'll be seeing you in the Reaping soon though, very soon."

Ryuu turned away, closing his eyes and leaning back on his seat. Two hours from landing, and counting.

"And you, you should understand that soon, very soon, you might have to try to kill her as well. So I'd appreciate it if you'd f**k off for now. I'll be seeing you in the Reaping soon though, very soon," the demon boy turned around, sat in his seat and closed his eyes. Figured. He was probably all blooded out from his fight with Bernkastel's pet. Kerin wasn't looking for fight, but he did expect one and was ready for one. This kid fought on rage alone, so it would be easy to dodge his swings unless he had you pinned down, hence the fate of that other red demon. Getting in a good shot would be easy, to aim for the wings then go for the vitals. Anyways, it didn't matter. He wasn't going to fight him.

"I want to change that," Kerin said, glaring at Ryuu, his temperature rising again. It was true though. If Kerin followed the rules correctly, he'd have to kill Marisa (and Fang) to survive. But had anyone rebelled before? What if everyone fought against those keeping them in this stupid game. Even if it came to just him and Marisa, Kerin would find a way. For them both to live. He exhaled again. Calm down Kerin, fighting now won't get you anywhere, you gotta think about who you could hurt... there. Better. "I'm going to change that."

He pulled Marisa away from Ryuu and sat her back in a seat, on the other side of Bernkastel and sat next to her. Bernkastel seemed to know her stuff and at the moment, her and Ryuu had a disagreement going. Therefore, hanging near her was a good idea. Besides, what did this Ryuu kid know about alliances and friends anyways. All of Kerin's other friends were gone. These were his only ones. He intended on keeping them.

"Let's not go near the blood thirsty maniac again, okay?" he said quietly into Marisa's ear, his voice low enough so only she could hear him (hopefully). "If you want to make friends, try with someone who won't cut your throat when you talk to them." His eyes flickered to Bernkastel. Okay, sure, she was pretty violent in her fight but Fang was right. She would be a good ally.

Chapter 2 - Bernkastel Vermillia - Demon District

I watched, a blank expression painted across my face, as the fragile, little vampire not only approached Ryuu, but offered him a suspicious capsule inside her palm. The way she acted... It was as if she thought of him as a friend. According to Ryuu`s past behavior, he was lucky a little girl decided he wasn`t -that- threatening. He didn`t seem like the sociable type, unless his definition of a friendly hug was around their throat. With Marisa`s tiny hands extended to him like that, i pictured a mouse venturing into grass, where a snake laid in wait. And, as if he heard my thoughts, Ryuu snatched at the capsule, and hissed curse-filled questions at her. A warning for Marisa to back off before he attacked. A tiny girl against a giant like himself? He could flatten her to death just by laying on her. Crush every bone in her body. Though, it may not be as easy as i had imagined. Marisa, with her agile, swift feet could easily outrun Ryuu. Climb twenty feet up a tree within seconds. So, she wasn`t completely 0/100 against Ryuu. Just hope she didn`t find herself in physical combat.

My attention turned to the boy Marisa had taken refuge behind. The boy -Kerin- was exchanging words with Ryuu in the vampires defense. Kerin, a vampire himself, seemed to be the most level-headed out of all fifteen of us. Perhaps sixteen, because Jin didn`t exactly catch my eye as a strawberry. More like the poisonous nightshade. Anyways, back onto Kerin... Though his posture was strong, it was easy for me to notice how he didn`t bare his fangs. Vampires had the habit of doing so when their mood was `ruffled`, so... It led me to suspect he wasn`t too keen on who he was. Someone who questioned their species... I highly doubted he knew Marisa from before the reaping, so why did Marisa seem so comfortable, hiding behind his back? Why did he rush to her aid?

(To be editted)

No simple alliance i knew of, was that protective of one another. Unless... Unless Kerin felt some sort of pity for Marisa. Not Marisa exactly, but who she came out to be. A defenseless, friendly teen whom not only had the misfortune of being thrusted into the games, but also to be falsely accused in the surveys as a threat. Or, did it run deeper than that? A sense that Kerin had to protect her, over something he previously did, or that she reminded him of some loved one he was connected to?

My attention swiveled back onto their hostile conversation. Well, not hostile on Kerin`s part, but definitely so for Ryuu. The Rhyno was going on about how there was only going to be one winner, which technecially wasn`t true.

Rebellion. That`s what rang in my head at Kerin`s final words to Ryuu. He practically announced that he was going against the rules of the Population Games. Which, mind you, was a big no-no in the Gods eyes. He was just lucky all the previous devices weren`t picking up on his bold choosing of words. I lowered my eyesight to the floor, as Marisa was placed back beside me. Now was my chance to expose how important these games were.

"... Ryuu, technecially there can be four winners at most. However, that isn`t the case this year..." I looked back around at all the faces. Faust seemed slightly peeved at something. Paris wasn`t really paying attention. I didn`t care if she heard me or not. Besides her, i mostly had everyones attention again.

"The Gods are planning for there not to be a winner this year. No survivers. And, Kerin just unconsciously proved what i`m saying. Most, if not all of us, are against the God`s Government... So, they are going to eliminate us before we can cause a shift in power... They don`t want me here especially. They want me gone so i can`t take over their government."

-Raike watched as the little girl ran up to Ryuu with a little capsule in her hand. Raike shook his head slightly, predicting what was about to happen. Apparently, Ryuu seemed to tired to try and rush that girl because all he did was snatch the capsule from her, then curse her out, so much for keeping kids minds pure. As the kid then went to take shelter behind Kerin, Bern decided to take advantage of Ryuu's previous threat to explain just what was going to go down this year's game. Apparently there was to be no winner this year, which meant they were going to just assimilate all of us.

She also stated that the Gods wanted her gone especially, so she couldn't take the leading position of the rebelion to overthrow the current government. In a sense, this could also mean that each one of the people here where chosen, not randomly, but handpicked, each for some particular skill they posessed that could greatly increase the chances of a rebellion victory. He closed his eyes once more, and began to speak.-

"Okay Bernkastel, we know why they want you dead, but what about us? I can see that Ryuu would be an excelent warrior in a rebelion, but he only cares about killing, an unreliable source of power. Shiro... well she's just freaking psychotic, and I don't know about Marisa well, not yet at least. Even me? If anything I really didn't do much in my own district... well not as much as the rest of you."
-Raike sighed, going back over his record in his mind. He had done some things he regretted, but almost nothing servere enough to be rendered a threat, at least he thought.-

"The Gods are planning for there not to be a winner this year. No survivors. And, Kerin just unconsciously proved what I'm saying," Kerin's eyes moved over to Bernkastel again as she mentioned his name. Well, at least one person had bothered to remember his name. "Most, if not all of us, are against the God's Government... So, they are going to eliminate us before we can cause a shift in power. They don't want me here especially. They want me gone so I can't take over their government." Kerin nodded in agreement. He didn't want anyone to die. Well, maybe perhaps Shiro or Ryuu since they were just bat crap crazy, but he didn't really willed for them to die, right now. Perhaps if they threatened his or maybe Marisa's (or perhaps Fang's too!) life, but not now. They hadn't done anything yet.

"Okay Bernkastel, we know why they want you dead, but what about us?" One of the human boys spoke up. Kerin blinked at him. Human... he was human. No, now was not the time for self pity! "I can see that Ryuu would be an excelent warrior in a rebelion, but he only cares about killing, an unreliable source of power. Shiro... well she's just freaking psychotic, and I don't know about Marisa well, not yet at least. Even me? If anything I really didn't do much in my own district... well not as much as the rest of you."

Kerin almost laughed at the boy's response. How could he say that kind of thing out loud? Right in front of their faces? If Ryuu was actually paying attention, the human had nothing to protect him against anything. Just his arms, which would be barely useful against a demon's strength. Besides, Ryuu was not a excellent warrior. Kerin agreed with the second half of his statement. Yes, that was an unreliable source of power. And yes, Kerin hadn't done anything in his district that made him a threat of any sort. He had stayed quiet, never associating with anyone for his three years as a vampire, except for the odd fight once every two weeks that he did to protect someone else but that hardly made him dangerous.

"You... haven't even seen the real Shiro," Kerin's eyes drifted over to the drunken vampire. She was still quite dazey, she hadn't really moved that much since Fang had strapped her in. Like she wasn't even taking in anything. At all. When would the drugs wear off? "But... I agree with Bernkastel." Kerin fumbled with the pronunciation. Wait, what was he agreeing with? "I think that... that we shouldn't have to die. For amusement." There. Yeah. That's what she said, right?

Clicking my tongue inside my mouth, i leaned back and took in what the two boys had to say. "....." My eyes were still trained on Fausto`s shoes, when i finally spoke up. "...Yes, and are you saying he is the only unreliable one? Also...Ryuu isn`t here just for his brutual strength..." I looked up, to catch Ryuu`s eyes. "The government is just fine with him killing off demons. After all, the Gods want our population cut in half... The thing is, Ryuu killed an undercover God, and the Dominant God did not like that." I breathed out a sigh, and crossed my arms over eachother. I hated this. Explaining. Talking. I wanted to be unsociable, but these people were... "Agreed, Kerin. Shiro`s only here because she`s drugged up. Her temper is beyond anything..." My gaze ran back to Kerin. "My name is hard to pronounce, i know. But yes, these games aren`t just to lower the population. Its a sort of entertainment for them. Sickening..." My tattoo reappeared back on my wrist; flashing in and out of focus. A snake. It curled around my wrist, with its patterns playing around on its skin. "....." I used my other fingers to softly pet the snake. As if it was the real thing. I lowered my voice to a whisper, as i soothed the tattoo. "Lucifier, now isn`t the time... Later." I watched, as the snakes beady eyes trained onto my face. But, the snake obeyed; sliding up my arm. I could feel it move over my shoulder...Between my breasts before settling onto my stomach where nobody could see.

Xavier didn't turn an inch, nor did he even give a bother to actually listening to Ryuu's drawnout retort. God, Xavier already knew what 'The Rhyno' was basically going to say anyway. This is exactly what he thought Ryuu was going to say: 'Blah blah blah kill you blah blah blah you're all gonna die blah blah blah Me is winner blah blah blah kill blah.', which is basically what he said. And he already knew about the whole, liking killing, thing. Ryuu had already showcased that. He already 'killed' whoever Mammon was. If anybody's gonna be killed first though, it's Ryuu. Xavier probably won't be the first to kill him, but most if not all the others, are going after him first. Well, that's just a guess. "........" The boy was talked to loud and too much.

Although, he did turn his face to watch the girl-Marisa, run up to Ryuu and hold out a capsule. Most likely that it was a blood capsule, as she was a vampire. ".....?" It didn't surprise him to find that Ryuu replied in a hostile manner, but he was slightly surprised to find another vampire rush over to her side. His solid memory immediately brought up the name- Kerin....Hm.

Xavier's concealed eyes scanned across the three, although he was tempted to cover his ears from all the noise. Didn't any of these people know when to be quiet? Or to enjoy a moment of a lock of noise? Xavier couldn't stand so much volume in a room for so long. Or anywhere for that matter. "......"

'Finally, a moment of sile-!!!' The sudden solemness was broken by Bernkastel, as she announced the fact that there was to be no winners this year. Xavier merely rolled his unseeable eyes at the news, then clutched his head in pure annoyance. Too much talking, too much sound, and most importantly too many people. He had basically lived inside a single shack himself, only coming out for necessary supplies. Even then, his house was far away from where typically all the other demons were. Way too many people! "......"

Finally having enough of all the speaking, Xavier swiveled his body to face the chamber walls. "....." Then he promptly bashed his head into the wall, seven times, and swiveled back to his prior position. What's bad is that he didn't show one single sign of emotion during the commotion, the wall now has a large dent in it, the left side of his face is now beginning to have his own blood trickle down his face, and how nonchalantly he was about it. Although what was good, (For Xavier anyway) was that he couldn't hear a single thing, besides a small ringing in his ears. To him, it was so much better than to listening to talking. "......"

"... Ryuu, technecially there can be four winners at most. However, that isn`t the case this year..."

Ryuu looked back at Bernkastel. Normally, he wouldn't care much for what people usually would be saying, but he had the feeling whenever she would be speaking now, it would be fore important reasons. Ryuu didn't believe her to be one who would speak for now reason.

"The Gods are planning for there not to be a winner this year. No survivers. And, Kerin just unconsciously proved what I`m saying. Most, if not all of us, are against the God`s Government... So, they are going to eliminate us before we can cause a shift in power... They don`t want me here especially. They want me gone so I can`t take over their government."

Ryuu was silent. Ryuu had not accounted for a political agenda behind all of this. So apparently most of the people here were opposed to the God's government, at least, according to Bern. Especially Bern. Ryuu remained silent as the rest began to speak. It was Raike who spoke next.

"Okay Bernkastel, we know why they want you dead, but what about us? I can see that Ryuu would be an excelent warrior in a rebelion, but he only cares about killing, an unreliable source of power. Shiro... well she's just freaking psychotic, and I don't know about Marisa well, not yet at least. Even me? If anything I really didn't do much in my own district... well not as much as the rest of you."

Ryuu was silent. He had caused a lot of commotion in his own district. Was this really their answer to that? He assumed they wouldn't care either way. Still, it angered Ryuu a little that people were thinking that he was going to help them in some rebellion. At least, that was the thought of some of the people around. Ryuu was here for one reason, and one reason only: to participate in the Reaping. He had been denied that by his parents years and years in a row, and now, he wanted to participate. Not in some rebellion against the Gods, no. He wanted to be here for the Reaping. Ryuu was a man of simple tastes. He cared not what government was in power, and how corrupt or malevolent they were. As long as Ryuu got to do what he wanted, he didn't care. Still, he respected Raike's answer, not a quick assumption, but a educated guess, a right guess. Ryuu had no intention of helping them overthrow the God's government, or whatever ideas they had going on in their mind. He also respected, to some VERY small degree, his fearlessness. He was a weak human, and he spoke without regret of what comes out of his mouth, an answer that was direct. Ryuu held back a smile.

"I think that... that we shouldn't have to die. For amusement." Ryuu heard the vampire next to Marisa say. A single word came to Ryuu's mind right away.

Coward.

When this contest would begin, Ryuu knew who he would want to go after first. He looked over the vampire, hated seeming through his eyes.

"...Yes, and are you saying he is the only unreliable one? Also...Ryuu isn't here just for his brutual strength..."

Bernkastel looked at Ryuu, as he now looked at her, wondering what she was thinking in her mind at the moment.

"The government is just fine with him killing off demons. After all, the Gods want our population cut in half... The thing is, Ryuu killed an undercover God, and the Dominant God did not like that." She continued saying.

Ah, so the truth comes out. Ryuu thought. Ryuu wondered how she knew about that in the first place. Quite an information connection, but then, someone who claims to want to take over their government would probably be well-informed.

"My name is hard to pronounce, I know. But yes, these games aren't just to lower the population. Its a sort of entertainment for them. Sickening..."

This was one thing he agreed with them. He was no one's puppet, and he while he would enjoy the Reaping, he had no intention of dancing for the God's entertainment, at least, not for the whole time. He would play along with them, for now. But all these people talking about possible rebellion, or cowardice in some case, was rather sickening. His thoughts were interrupted by a banging on the wall, by Xavier. He looked over the demon, wondering what caused him to do it.

Whatever the reason, and whatever the outcome, the point was that Ryuu was here for one thing: The Reaping. He would participate, and if he won, if he was the last one there, then he would try to do something with the God. Perhaps go on a killing spree, perhaps bring their entire government down, who knows? The world could be as Ryuu wants it.

Or he could die trying. Perhaps he wouldn't even make it that far. Perhaps he would be killed by one of these people. And if that happened, if he died in battle against these guys, or if he happened to survive and die fighting against the God's, well, that would sit alright with him as well. As said before, Ryuu was a man of simple tastes, and it was plainly obvious now: this event, and the events that immediately follow it would be the highlight of his life.

Chapter 2 - Amelia Kunjui - Angel District

My heart stopped for a moment. Just a millisecond, but i could tell. The rhythm of how frightened i was. That`s how i knew i was still alive. Alive among a bunch of rebels and bloodlings. Which was worse? Even i couldn't tell. Wasn't there a saying about blondes in the Human District? That they were marked stupid? Well... It's also a belief stupid people couldn't catch a cold. Perhaps that worked with heartattacks? I must have blacked out, because i found that one girl from the Human District holding me up. Nokoto was her name, right...? Practical blue eyes that seemed to hold years of experience in something. Striking brown hair that fell at her shoulders. Her life story came to me from her fingertips. A refined hardworker that wanted to become a dance instructor. Two loving parents...A brother. A sister... The perfect family. They had everything. Not the richest family, but... They were happy with what they had. My throat managed a soft squeak, before i edged distance between us. Rebels. Bloodlings. And then her. The one perfection among negatives. So, just like one side of a ying-yang, she was that piece of white centered by black. Just dragged anywhere negativity went. Why was she here?! If all the participants were hand-chosen, why was she here? All of us deserved to die for our mistakes, but hers were so little... Practically nothing compared to our corruption.

That's it! Her sister! She had been picked originally, but Nokoto took her place! She took the place of her sinning sister, knowing she would indeed die. She didn`t know anything about fighting. So, how could she possibly stand against a demon with bone-crushing strength, or vampires with their witchcraft? Even though some humans could become wizards with a price, she took the pure path. No, her bookshelves weren't filled with magic books, but ones of the thing she loved so much to do. Dance. The movements of the body, fixed perfectly to the rhythm of music. Everything is a rhythm. Everything is energy. Ahh... I'm spacing into different topics again...The vibrations of energy make up my Sense Feeling ability. Something i had been born with, anything i touch either becomes transparent to my eyes, or their lifestory is revealed before me. I guess its like... A fast-forward, slice-of-life movie with no pause or replay button. The only replays, are what the lifeform replays. It only pauses, when its finished. It finishes at the present. I can't see the future. The actual information i want, i can't see. How frustrating is that? Quite a bit.

I cleared my parched throat, and let out a few coughs when my saliva became lodged. I had had nothing to drink since last night. When i sat down for my French Lessons 101. Such pointless stuff, because the only three languages that survived, were English, Japanese, and, oddly enough, Mexican. All others perished, but the culture did not. Oh! The cultures! The only beauty in this gruesome world... I heard rumors that the Human's celebrate these...Holidays with fireworks and feasts. The humans were so...Weak, yet they never seemed to have a dull moment. Humor that demons couldn't understand. Drinks that a vampire has never tasted, and more importantly, the people angels wish were their own. People with pride, spirit, and hope. Ones who take honor in everything they did or spoke. Humans may not me strong physically, but their mental capabilities were extraordinary.

Ack! I`m doing it again!

I sweatdropped, before waving to the perplexed Nokoto. I must have spaced out for a while, because Bernkastel was being some sort of 'Answer Guru'. Jeez Bern... It isn't like you to be so talkactive! I sighed softly. Seems she failed to tell me about this whole thing beforehand. Some reliable source she was... But, i had to hand it to her. She was taking things quite smoothly. Like a real leader would. Bernkastel wasn't one to lie, either... If everyone knew that, they wouldn't question her information.

From the corner of my eye, i watched as a small, gold ring rolled onto the floor. Fausto's ring. I perked, stood up, and was about to pick it up as a kind gesture, when my hand brushed against the frantic humans. Instantly, his history blasted into my mind with such energy, i stumbled back. Huge buildings... A podium... Government leaders at a table, discussing the next poppy games... My eyes went wide, and before Fausto could speak, i rushed him; plunging my fist deep into his gut. Normally, the pressure to a human would have them keeling over and coughing blood. However, as i pinned him against the wall with only my fist, i heard a horrifying sound emitting from his vocals. Not words. Not screams. Laughter. A laughter that was first a few heartless chuckles, but soon grew to head-jerking, madman cackles. I backed off in surprise. My entire body in a chorus of twitching movements. Fausto stood against the wall, slowing is laughter as i saw him raise his head. I couldn't think at all, but...Funny thing is for such a proper lady like myself... My first thoughts were how horribly screwed we all were.

"What did you do with Fausto?!"

Kerin listened intently and nodded at the end of each of Bernkastel's phrases. It was as if Kerin was speaking through her, she was right about everything that Kerin seemed to have an opinion about. He looked over at Marisa. How could her dying be a form of entertainment?! She was a little girl! She probably could barely defend herself against anyone here. That's why Kerin needed to protect her. She was Dana, she was Nora, she was Quinn! She... was Quinn. Kerin wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Almost out of nowhere, one of the angels grabbed a human, punched him in the stomach and pinned him up against the side of the helicopter. Kerin quickly got to his feet, and kept a hand outstretched in front of Marisa. The boy though, instead of gasping for air or yelping in pain, laughed. Laughed? Quite maniacally enough that the angel released him from her grip and stepped back, her eyes wide in fear. Kerin's eyes darted back and forth between the two. As far as he could see, there was no motive, why did she attack him? Was she another blood thirsty psycho? How many of those kinds of people were on this helicopter?!

"What did you do with Fausto?!"

Kerin frowned. So... was this boy not who he was or was she confused or was ... okay, well, the crazy laugh was one big clue that something was up.

"What's going on!?" Kerin kept his hand protectively over Marisa. If this guy was to go nuts (well, more nuts), anyone could get hurt.

Shizuka had been paying very close attention to everything that was going on around him, but his eyes remained shut so as not to appear too interested - make them walk on thin ice when it comes to figuring me out. Bernkastel, Ryuu, Kerin and Marisa had been the ones causing all of the commotion for the majority of the helicopter ride; others would chime in periodically when the time was right, but other than that not much had been going on. That was until just a few moments ago, Shizu quickly replayed the scene that had snapped him out of his pretend sleeping. It started with Bernkastel,

"... Ryuu, technically there can be four winners at most. However, that isn`t the case this year...The Gods are planning for there not to be a winner this year. No survivors. And, Kerin just unconsciously proved what I`m saying. Most, if not all of us, are against the God`s Government... So, they are going to eliminate us before we can cause a shift in power... They don`t want me here especially. They want me gone so I can`t take over their government."

There was to be..no..winner..? That was when Shizuka knew he was completely missing out on some information, and he had the suspicions that Amelia and Bernkastel weren't letting on to all the information they had - hoping the little they do share will be enough to keep everyone at bay. Too bad for them Shizu was not everyone. His thoughts were again interrupted, this time by Raike,

"Okay Bernkastel, we know why they want you dead, but what about us? I can see that Ryuu would be an excelent warrior in a rebelion, but he only cares about killing, an unreliable source of power. Shiro... well she's just freaking psychotic, and I don't know about Marisa well, not yet at least. Even me? If anything I really didn't do much in my own district... well not as much as the rest of you."

And that was where Shizuka's mind clicked and registered the actual reason he had been picked for the Reaping, not by chance of having one of eighteen slips of paper chosen from a box by Taniko Kunjui. His talents for quick learning of multiple talents makes him a valuable asset as an expert in retaliating and adapting to different scenarios and environments. More and more people were becoming involved in the conversation, Kerin was the next speaker,

"I think that... that we shouldn't have to die. For amusement."

Bernkastel spoke up in rebuttle,

"...Yes, and are you saying he is the only unreliable one? Also...Ryuu isn't here just for his brutual strength..."

Bernkastel's attention shifted to Ryuu as she spoke,

"The government is just fine with him killing off demons. After all, the Gods want our population cut in half... The thing is, Ryuu killed an undercover God, and the Dominant God did not like that."

So Ryuu is here because he pissed off the wrong person, the person in charge of all of the districts. Nevertheless I'm sure they were also getting worried about him, from everything that's been shared about him he got on a lot of peoples bad sides and left bridges burning throughout the Demon district. Bernkastel continued to speak:

"My name is hard to pronounce, I know. But yes, these games aren't just to lower the population. Its a sort of entertainment for them. Sickening..."

Shizu was definitely going to need to get some more information out of Amelia, because whether she has more information or not - she'll be the one he'll have the least trouble getting it from, Bern has been through this carnival act for the gods twice before..she won't be easy to get on the same page with. Then suddenly Amelia attacked Fausto, catching everyone completely off guard as she'd been quite, to herself and nerve racking about everything that was happening to suddenly lunging and pinning someone to a wall. This girl was definitely not what Shizuka originally thought she was, he was going to have to be more careful.

"What did you do with Fausto," Amelia screamed. The Fausto, or fake Fausto as is being said at the moment, character began to laugh at her assault. It was then that Kerin jumped in yelling,

"What's going on!?"

Shizuka made his way over and stood next to Amelia and stared intently into the eyes of Fausto, if there was going to be a fight again he'd be involved this time. He was going to do whatever it took to protect Amelia now to not only prove to her she can trust him, but to try and get Bernkastel to finally take notice of him and hopefully aide them in their quest. His personal goal to win the Reaping to prove himself no longer had meaning, not when there was corrupted enemies already planning against him.

Chapter 2 - Marisa Ryunatta - Vampire District

I didn't cry at the news. The news Bernkastel had planned on telling us. However, she also didn't plan on telling us that Fausto was... Well, not him. Our bakery boy, wasn't naturally here. So, it took Amelia's touch to figure that out. Her Sense Feeling was quite the ability. Especially, with whom we were up against. However, I had not predicted that she would slam the boy into the helicopter. I yelped like the little, defenseless girl I was, when I felt the machine tip ever so slightly from the impact. Now Fausto was laughing. That definitely was not the tone of his voice.

"Body Jumper," I squeaked, scrambling myself beside Kerin's body. He was a safe person to be with. Bern, I was still unsure of. I watched as one of the large, male angels positioned himself beside Amelia. Which, wasn't the best idea. "M-mister government person...? Can you please go away?" I asked innocently, staring at Fausto.

He only laughed, and in the most low, auto-tuned voice, said; "Sweetheart, can you please go die in the arena for me? Thanks~" My eyes widened, and it wasn't because of how horrifyingly vengeful his fake voice sounded. Who was it, that called me sweetheart last? Why couldn't I remember this, when the future set before my hands was as clear as day? Perhaps that was the price to pay. The loss of my past, to gain a future in this defiant world? Unlike Amelia, who could see anything around her with a touch, I could could literally see, every pin-point move of the universe. Nobody liked playing memory games with me. I couldn't blame them. When I had the ability to see things before they happened. It wasn't like in those cheap, science fiction books where it came to me in a vision or dream. No no, I saw it. My world would run much more quickly, right until I had watched forty years of life, within forty seconds of my time.

So, one could say the set up was like a chessboard, with one extra rule. That one rule, has made a big impact on my life.

I can't physically age. I'm a twelve-year-old trapped in the body of a nine-year-old. A blessing and a curse. On one side, I can be the way I am; childish and fond of animals. While on the other, I can never really get my drivers license. I had Kerin thinking i was some little, poor child. Good and bad. One, I could keep his company. I wasn't using him. And, I didn't really mind...Cuddling up to him without a bunch of eyes coldly accusing me as I had seen being done to other teens. But, I didn't want to grow up. I was a child at heart, and I could act that way, until I died.

To add to my terror, I whimpered softly at Fausto's threat, and made myself into a tiny ball on Kerin's lap. "Mew...."