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

"K-kerin-onii-sama...! Wake up..! Breakfast!"

Kerin mumbled a little then snapped his eyes open as he felt a pair of small hands gently shook him awake. He looked back at those big, golden eyes of Marisa and blinked once, twice, three times. What? Where was he? He rubbed his own eyes and yawned, stretching his arms out and pulled his shoulders back until he heard a small snap. Well, that wasn't a bad sleep though he could have gone for longer. What time was it anyways? He quickly scanned the area as he cleaned his mouth out with his tongue; his eyes told him he had wandered to some kind of tropical area. He had gone outside? He didn't remember opening a door except an elevator one.

"Where a--" his eyes went to the grassy floor around him. There were dry steaks next to him and dry blood on his hands (and two plates of food to the side?) Oh, yeah. That's what happened last night. He got thirsty. So he must have fallen asleep. Hah. That wasn't all that surprising; he was definitely exhausted. That still didn't answer his question. "Where are we?"

The haze in his mind disappeared and he suddenly realised what he had done and who was standing over him. He wiped his face and hands on his now dingy singlet (which had its fair share of blood on it), shuffled himself up, coughed a few times and threw the dry steaks into the trees around him with a flick of his wrist. Marisa, Marisa was standing over him! She didn't need to see this, though she was probably one of the three other people who understood his need for it (though he didn't think she understood why he chose to kind of shy away in the first place).

"Marisa! Marisa, hi," he let out a little laugh.

Chapter 3.5 - Paris Junibe - Demon District

Don't you just hate it when, in the best dream ever, something happens that wakes you? 'Sunlight. Ooh, how I loathe you,' I groaned mentally. Honestly... I didn't get much sleep, and I woke up annoyed. Stress is not a part of beauty! Anyone who cared about appearance would know this! A thousand scrunches of the face, was one wrinkle! Wrinkle!! Wrinkles were NOT beautiful. It was made so that displeased people were ugly and older-looking faster. As for sleep, there really was 'beauty sleep'. A perfect amount of hours and minutes which would remove bags under the eyes, cleanse your facial features, and allowed the brain to work at its full potential. I had gotten eight hours, twenty three minutes. Definitely not enough. My beauty sleep mark was ten hours, fifteen minutes. Ugh.... That two hour difference was going to screw me over.

Carefully, I slid out from bed, and adjusted my hair. Stupid Population Games.... Couldn't I just give the Government my pocket change and go back home? This was all such a pain. Beautiful people shouldn't be obliged to participate. The word was short-handed, as it was. How about people who didn't do anything? Tch...

My eyes shifted to the one other person in the room. A boy. My lips curled up into a deliberate smile. Xavier was a smart boy. He must know about the sciences of beauty, because he was drop-dead handsome. Best non-celebrity i've seen in YEARS. Since he didn't express much emotion, that meant less scrunching of the face. Thus, less wrinkles. And, overall, longer beauty. He seemed to be someone who knew the importance of sleep. 'Mmm~' I licked my lips. It took everything I had not to jump him in his weak form. 'I am SO hooking up with you after this, sexy.' I moved off the bed, and pulled my hair back.

'Stupid sun,' I jerked the curtains leading to the balcony shut, as so the sun would not disturb Xavier as it had me. Well... Better go clean up before stupid training... Whatev. Sighing, and with no belongings to take, I opened the door to leave. That was when I stopped, and looked at the square piece of white taped to the red-wood finish. "....." Paper. Gingerly, I peeled it off with the tips of my fingers like it was some disgusting dead thing. Unfolding, I read the words.

'Good night,' it said. The words were a sort of fancy handwriting that even I couldn't achieve. But it was familiar. The idiotic stalker...! Well, of course I was talking about Bernkastel. Who else? She was a true WITCH. Creepy and murderous. Xavier didn't NEED to see such a stupid message from HER. Crumbling the paper inside my palm, I jerked my hand back to throw it away. I missed the garbage can, and I cursed silently. Whatever. Like Xavier would read it. Turning my head, I shut his door behind me, and headed for the elevator.

Ryuu opened his eyes and sat up on his bed instantly. Like many nights before, he was dreamless. One second, he lay in his bed, and the next, he lay awake. He didn't mind not having dreams, but it got a bit old for him. He wished he could dream about something, even if it was a nightmare. It really begged the question: Is it better to dream a bad dream, or to not dream at all?

Ryuu got out of his sleeping attire quickly, dressing up in an outfit he had on that was similar to the night before; dark pants with a coat reaching down to his ankles. The sleeves, however, were ripped off, revealing his well-toned muscles. If he wanted to, he could probably break almost any of the contestants in half like they were toothpicks.

Ryuu made his way out of his room, responding to his now grumbling stomach as it yearns for food. Ryuu would oblige it. He made his way to the dining hall, the room a bit different than last night. A table stood in the corner with all manner of goodies to enjoy. Ryuu looked over it carefully. In all honesty, he didn't know what to get first. Should he make himself an omelette? Perhaps a few pancakes? Really, any of them would be good choices. But Ryuu wanted a bit of everything, so instead of getting anything particular, he grabbed at the edges of the table, and lifted it, up, moving the entire thing, with all of its contents to the far side of the room, close to where he was the night before. Grabbing a chair, he sat down, and dug in.

Chapter 3.5 - Marisa Ryunatta - Vampire District

"Where a----"….. "Where are we?"….. "Marisa! Marisa, hi"

'Kerin is so funny!' I realized with a giggle. It was entertaining; just watching him self-consciously clean himself up. We were both vampires…! Though, maybe it was because, according to Fang, that Kerin was originally human. Anyways, I understood that he needed to drink blood. It was normal for our species, and it didn't bother me all that much. I had a high tolerance for the smell, not to mention I didn't need much due to my age. Though, soon enough, I would need to feed more than once a day, and the pills in my pocket would not be able to curb my hunger. It was a scary thought, yes, but it was believed to be a milestone for our culture. It was a right of passing to turn sixteen, and to gain our utmost abilities which were like a fingerprint to us. All vampires had something unique. Not just in their appearance and personality, but deep within; their best manipulation. It could be a certain element like fire or earth or void. Or, it could be a material. Our best factories were filled with vampires who could manipulate the materials in use. Like iron. The possibilities were endless.

I wonder… Was my ability to see the written and unwritten history, my manipulation? Was I going to be known as a fortune-teller, like the Mayans we talked about in class? I didn't yet know what I wanted to do with my life. I loved my violin, but I wouldn't be able to make it my profession. Not against vampires who manipulated instruments as a born talent… So what, then? I liked animals. Maybe I could be a doctor for familiars. Though, not very many people had familiars these days. No zoos, either. All animals were kept outside the districts, besides the summoned familiars. These familiars mostly belonged to government officials or the rich. I didn't want to work with either…

My eyes shifted to the forest-like patch in the training center, where Kerin had thrown the remains of his steaks. I then cocked my head to the side curiously; blinking my golden-blonde lashes.

"Uu, we're in the training place! Kerin was silly and fell asleep here! Sleep walking is bad." I dragged out 'bad' and giggled happily. "They…. Re…Renovated!" I beamed widely, and took Kerin by the wrist; only because he would probably be uncomfortable with me touching the dried blood on his hands. It was fine with me, though. Because Kerin was Kerin, and Kerin was a nice person! It was better that I found him with dried steaks, than with a living person. Trust me; I've seen vampires passed out with another after sucking their blood. Not pretty.

"We're gonna clean Kerin up! Here!" I grabbed his plate, and carefully gave it to him. "Eat, Kerin-sama!"

Chapter 3.5 - Mammon - Underworld

"....."

Real demons did not dream. That was the first difference between us. We rarely slept. Slept only after extensive use of our powers, or, in this case, to finish up a contract. At this point, it wasn't a dream, but could be classified as one since I was 'sleeping'. No. When a real demon slept alongside a person after they had fullfilled a contract quota, something interesting happened. It was a sense of reality, with the dreamy blur of something unreal. There was nothing, yet everything. Everything flashed through our minds like some sort of amazing historical timeline. Everything in existance. Everything I could manifest to the great of my abilities. This would be come to be known as Vision Telepathy, since there was no two words which could better title it. It was a point in time where the contractee and contractor envisioned a set list of things. In my case, anything and everything I could manifest at some point. That was me. I was made up of every sort of code out in what we call our Universe of Space. A complicated set of numbers which could create one thing even with a total of zero.

I reached my arms out into this vast plain of everything-ness. It colored me. Shaped me. Took form inside my palms. It was a dark light, if that made any sense. It was brighter than anything possible, yet it was dyed the color of black. The darkness enveloped my whole. Carressed it like a mother's warmth. I could only imagine what it would feel like, though. Real demons did not have a one creator. They came into being by a sort of chemical base that could simply not be comprehended. A manifestation without a single owner. So, was I owned? Was I owned by every existance, due to my nature being born from existance itself? If a man fell into the bush, and nobody was around to help him, did the man exist?

I awoke with a sense that I had only closed my eyes briefly. I didn't stretch or yawn. I did not feel the side effects of awakening. It was like I was in an eternal state of mind, in which I could not fall into unconsciousness. I blinked up at the light which had drifted up onto the high ceiling; casting the shadows of objects to loom over. Instinctively, I rose from the bed, and looked down at the boy. My eyes, lowered down almost in pity, gazed down at the exposed skin of his palm. A symbol made of a crimson red, was engraved into the human's skin. The same symbol which was now swirling uncontrollably on my left pupil. We were bound by matter. A contract which could not be broken. I would stay with Raike until the end of his life, or until I was no longer in working condition. My hand, like some sort of alien abductor, reached out within inches of the demonic symbol. That too, began to spin. It hurt my brain to move the marking elsewhere, but it was nessesary. We could not afford to throw out the information that I, Mammon, had made a contract with a Human. Keeping the same distance, I trailed my close, almost-touch right up to the space over his heart. At that point, the marking disappeared. If I checked his chest now, I would be able to see it.

"Raike," Though all my own power was stored inside me, all he really had to do, was give a single order, and I would give him the energy to create whatever he desired. In this case, flame wings, it seemed. I backed away to give my contractor some room to awaken. Though, he may not need it. My contractors had the tendency to wake up with a searing pain as though they were on fire. However, Raike was a fire mage. He controlled heat; even unconsciously. He was a human sun, and, if he wanted to be, he could be just as radiant.

"Training place..." Kerin looked around. Indeed, it seemed a lot different than what he remembered from last night. It was a forest now, a little dense if he looked into it. Why a forest then? Ugh, was the gods planning on a game of hide and seek or something? Because that would not be fun. At all. Though, it would most likely be less fun if it was the actual game, since everyone would be trying to kill everyone. Hopefully, all of the players would be on speaking terms and not try and kill eachother. Hopefully. Though, knowing Ryuu, that wasn't likely. Bleaugh.

Marisa grabbed him by the arm and yanked at him. Kerin followed and got to his feet and took the plate the thrust at him with a "Thank-you". Ooh, bacon! Pancakes! And fruit! Boy, Kerin felt pretty damn hungry. Not thirsty, thank god. Well, his neck twinged, but it always did that. He wouldn't need anything to drink until at least tomorrow. Depending on what he did that day. Since it was training, Kerin would probably burn off the blood quickly, which wasn't a good thing for him. But he would have to hack it. He had to.

In any case, he pulled his hand out of Marisa's grip and used his hands to eat what was on his plate as Marisa led him away from his 'bed' and towards the elevators. He needed to shower, he needed to change. Though, if Marisa wished, he could just grab some clothes from his room and shower up in hers if she felt like she needed him there.

"Need some clothes," Kerin mumbled through a full mouth, stabbing his floor with a greasy thumb.

-I felt the sinking, then rising of my bed as if someone was getting up. The thing that was weird was that I didn't remember allowing anyone to sleep in my bed, let alone in my room! Normally I probably would have been a bit more pissed, but hey, I had just woken up... and I was still temporarily tired. Inside, I could feel the normal warmth that indicated my own fire abilities, but then there was something else, something abnormal. For some reason, it seemed that my flames were growing on their own, gradually exceeding the boundaries I had put in place in order to keep me from glowing like the sun, and burning my cloths.

The gradual pace of the flames picked up, and knowing that I would not be able to prevent it, I did what I could and rolled off of the bed, hardly feeling the impact of hitting the ground on my left arm, and jumped away from the bed. A few seconds later, I released the boundaries, allowing the flame through, but not before putting some restrictions on it, lest it burn the whole building down. Instead of the blast incinerating everything in the vicinity, it only released a golden flash of blinding light, very briefly. When the light subsided, I still glowed slightly, but I felt a stronger heat, somewhere on my chest. I lifted my right hand to touch the place where the heat was originating from, which was on my chest just above my heart, and squinted at the demon standing on the other side of the bed.

Dropping my hand I held up the base of my coat which I had left on when I fell asleep, and growled slightly when I saw that it was singed; It was my favorite jacket and not only because I thought it looked cool, but because it was made from a special type of material most adept fire users wore. This material was known to be very resistant to fire, and since more fire wizards couldn't completely control their power, this material cut down on clothing costs. These cloths in particular were made from a very high grade form of that thread, making it more resistant than usual, and now it was burnt. I rolled my neck a few times, then sat on the bed and closed my eyes.-

"It's done now isn't it? The contract? A bit of a warning would have been nice, but I guess these arena people will have a way of restoring my jacket. Anyway, its morning, I'm hungry, and... yeah, I'm hungry, so I'm gonna go eat something." I said, walking towards my door, already having put on my boots and a new coat. My gloves seemed to have a new sheen about them also. " You should probably get back to Bernkastel before she gets suspicious, we can go over the details of this thing later; don't miss me too much." And with that, I was out the door, already pushing the button for the dining hall, and trying to calm my raging stomach.

(OOC: it seems to be working again!!)

Kerin blinked a few times as Marisa pushed him back, forth and around his room. Waah, not so early in the morning! Kerin was barely awake, let alone conscious enough to be wandering backwards and forwards trying to find suitable clothes. Marisa had already picked out something for him though; a tan parka, a light blue shirt with a bird on it and a pair of jeans. Kerin had just enough time to grab appropriate underwear (he was glad Marisa did not pick that. A pair of white and red boxers with hearts adorning them lay close to the top and Kerin would rather be dead than wearing those) before Marisa pulled him into the bathroom with a gleeful smile.

"Shower!" she exclaimed at him, throwing him his clothes and towel. Without any time to object, she closed the door on him, leaving Kerin to himself. He sighed. What an enthusiastic girl. Kerin took a few moments to wash his face, to wake himself up before turning the shower on. There, that was better. At least he had some sense in him now.

His shower was fairly brief and he pulled on his clothes quite quickly. Sure, his shirt wasn't entirely to his liking but whatever, a shirt was a shirt. It was comfortable and it did the job of covering his torso. He then spent a minute or two inspecting the alchemy rock things that Bern have given him last night. He hadn't taken them off and didn't want to either; the feeling that burned in his gut when he thought about his past was gone and he liked it better that way. When he was done, he exited the bathroom, only to find Marisa gone. Oh, right, she was going to shower in her room. Grabbing his wallet and phone he had left on a bench the night before during his search for food, he left his room and took the elevator up to Marisa's.

"Marisa? Are you here?" he called out, opening her front door slowly. She didn't want to walk on the poor girl if she had forgotten something and wandered out of the shower butt naked. But, it's not like Kerin hadn't seen any of it before; he had other sister he had dressed before, it was no big deal.

Ryuu was more than full. He had always been a big eater, and would often eat almost anything. Almost. Some things were just to unbearable to bring himself to eat. There was once a time back in the demon district, for example, where...never mind, a tale for a different time.

Ryuu stood up slowly, wiping his mouth with his arm, and casually began to walk out of the room...before he grabbed the table with the food on in and tossed it out of the window. Shattered glass littered the floor, and crashes of plates and food fell towards the ground. The shattering of the plates and all other objects from the table with the food on in falling was like a symphony of music in Ryuu's mind. He closed his eyes and listened, as if composing the piece of chaos.

When everything was quiet again, Ryuu walked out of the room. It was time he got some training in, and what better place than the training room.

Ryuu proceeded there, his thoughts bent on the coming competition, the Reaping. He had been denied years after years of participation before. Actually being here was, in a way, supposed to be like a dream for Ryuu. But ever since he got here, things haven't always been as they appeared. All it was filled with was fine foods, casual rides, and luxurious settings. If Ryuu wanted all that garbage, he could have stayed in his mansion in the Demon District. He was here for the fight, the killing, the action. Although the fight with Natruo was nice, it didn't do much but whet his appetite. So much more could be done here. He was eager to get started, and he'd start with a bit of training.

Now, when Ryuu says a bit, it must always be understood that his "bit" would be taken way out of proportion from an ordinary reasonable person. Ryuu certainly is not ordinary (and he sure as hell ain't reasonable).

Ryuu finally reached the training ground. The room looked a lot different than it did the night before, a forrest littering the area.

"What the f***?" Ryuu exclaimed out loud. He looked around it, wondering what it was all about. He shrugged, and stretched as he spoke to himself.

"Well, it'll do." A second later, he positioned himself, squared up, and charged the tree. It took one blow from a full-fledged charge of the Rhino to snap the tree in half, and bring it down in a large crash.

*Chapter 3.5 - Marisa Ryunatta - Vampire District

As soon as I had Kerin all ready in the shower, I hopped myself out and made my way to my room. Training... Well, according to the way the room was set up, there were going to be stations, and everyone could freely move around to train at them. Which meant.... Ryuu would be there. With about three-dozen different weapons and things that couldn't possibly be weapons. Like a pencil, maybe. Basically, the best place for him to go on a rampage before the games began. 'And to think... I'll be chained to him during the games...' A light whimper came out from my throat as I entered into my room. He was gigantic in comparison to Bernkastel. Me? I was the smallest and weakest out of everyone here. And with Kerin or Fang or Bern present...? What would that mean for me?

Getting ready to take a shower was all a haze to me. I knew what I had to do, and my body did as such. However, my thoughts were elsewhere. Only when I felt the cold splatter of ice-water against my bare skin, did I snap out into reality and yelp. I hopped from both of my feet to avoid the sensor-activated streams, and I jammed my fingers into several of the buttons on the side of the shower. I was immediately doused with hot water, a foamy soap, and other products I hoped were not permanent. Scrapping an orange-scented glue substance from my limbs, I finally was able to fix the settings and have a somewhat normal shower. Hopping out, I realized that my skin was a bright pink from the brush I had been pain-stakingly rubbing against my skin. Oops. Raw like a chicken, I stepped out onto the mat and was bombarded with a blast of hot air. I humored myself with the thought of a chicken being roasted.

When the bathroom was done torturing me, I grabbed the nearest towel, and looked myself over in the mirror. Well.. Atleast my skin was turning pale again... My hair was a glossy waterfall of blonde, and I smelled thickly of orange. It would have to do. Wrapping the large towel over the entirety of my body, I stumbled out into my room. What I was not expecting, was that Kerin would be there to greet me. I sighed in relief, and gently opened the door for him.

"Kerin-onii-sama! The shower was bullying me!" I cried out; throwing myself into his legs.

Chapter 3.5 - Mammon - Underworld

I blinked several times at Raike, who had come from being a cute sleeping human, to an irritated, slightly smoking wizard of fire. I rolled my eyes away as a bright flash of light came from him. Good Lord... Human flashlight! When he finally dimmed down, I looked him over again. His coat was slightly burnt, yes, but nothing I couldn't fix.

"It's done now isn't it? The contract? A bit of a warning would have been nice, but I guess these arena people will have a way of restoring my jacket. Anyway, its morning, I'm hungry, and... yeah, I'm hungry, so I'm gonna go eat something."

"Um. Hello. Mammon of manifestation, here. How may I help you?" I muttered. "Manifestation is the creation of things out of nothing, or the repair of a three-dimentional object. I think your jacket counts, Raike." He now shared the power of a million-year-old demon servant of the Demon Lord, and the first thing he utters is a complaint about his jacket. Jeez. Well. Atleast he didn't burn down the building.... Taking the smoked jacket in my grasp, I snapped my fingers. That's how easy it was for me. A snap of my fingers, and the jacket seemed to be fresh out of a store. I then teleported myself beside the no-rest-more-eating boy, and hung it over his shoulder.

"There you are... And don't worry about Bernkastel. She doesn't need me 24/7 like you do. She favors Vergil, anyhow. The main problem is if that is what happens when you wake up, I'd hate to not be there when you turn into a human torch over that Ryuu child." I smirked, and slid myself into the elevator before Raike had a chance to close it on me.

I smiled softly. "Don't think you can get rid of me so easily."

Chapter 3.5 - Scarlet Uiromo - Vampire District

I clicked my tongue as I felt two pairs of strange eyes slide onto me and him. Hmph... I stuck out my tongue naturally, and pouted. They didn't know anything. They were all pawns, and they were all going to die. This was all just an easy way for the government to take care of all their problems. And me. Us! We were the ones who were designed to win this. No objections. No nothing. Wheither they deserved to know it or not, we had a contract which SAID the God government was personally going to make sure we won. And there would be no survivors besides us.

And that sat perfectly fine with me.

The room had lightened up since our arrival and, looking outside, I could see why. Just across the horizon, the sky was becoming a tropical camoflauge. Oranges and yellows and light blue. Purple and red... It was rather breathtaking. However, all of that was soon pulled away when a limo pulled up to the glass doors of the hotel. Oh... Who could this be? Another victim?

This was Natruo. Natruo the gamemaker. His well-sculpted body slid out of the passenger seat with ease, and his eyes flickered to the four pairs of eyes looking outside from inside. He smirked, and knocked on the glass. "Hey. Ready to train?" Even though I was going to win the Poppy Games, I was still rather cautious of this man. He was basically the middle-man between the government and us. And he was the one overseeing all the deaths in the arena.

So to make my first impression as clear as daylight, I stuck out my tongue and said, "Well, who said all the Gods were beautiful?"

Chapter 3.5 - Natruo - God District

"No sir, you will not be driving,"

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. This sleek beauty of a limo was mine anyhow. And I had the money to repair any damages taken to it. As for the several people I was to pick up, it honestly didn't matter what kind of condition they were in when they came for training. Why couldn't I drive something that belonged to me? I basically had government status, yet a mere servant was able to tell me what I could, or could not do. Apparently, according to him, I couldn't drive two blocks without running someone over with the side of the car. Don't ask if that is even possible, just take my word for it.

I was standing outside Venius Cloud's residence, and with each waking second, it was becoming closer to morning, and closer to the time I was designated to pick up the extras. I was going to be late, yet this servant was standing in my way. Crossing my arms, I looked down at the scrawny, silver-haired boy.

"I will be driving," I lowered my voice down.

He still did not waver, and he actually took my shoulder and pushed me in the direction of the passenger seat. Well then.

"Fine then, but if the extras want me to drive, I will be." The servant swallowed hard at this, but slowly managed to nod his head. He was more terrified of my driving, than my status as Game Designer. So would all these participants if they spent two minutes in a car with me. Sliding myself on the hood, I rolled around and popped myself into the seat beside the driver. The servant was calm, and took every safety measure possible even though there was nothing to really hit. But Venius said these exact words:

"If you were in a desert with absolutely no animals to hit, you would still hit something, Natruo."

Wheither it was my lack of driving skills, or the servant was actually gifted at the sort of thing, I was impressed overall that he didn't so much as allow a bug to splatter the windshield. These servants were amazing. High-class, you could say.

Pulling up to the marked hotel the group was apparently in, I straightened up the clothing I had changed into. Overtop my regular tank, I had on a light autumn jacket. My clean-cut jeans were damaged horribly, but it wasn't like I was going to a wedding reception. Sliding out of my seat and into the semi-morning air, the effect was immediate. Eyes trained on me, and through the glass of the doors and windows, I could see that they all recognized me. Who didn't? I was infamous to them. A sort of blood-lust celebrity who killed teenagers for the entertainment of the general public. Why, hello there~

"Well, who said all the Gods were beautiful?"

That was the first thing I heard when I stepped inside the building. My eyes automatically scanned for the voice who said the comment, and they landed upon a girl in a black dress. A vampire. I narrowed my eyes calmly at her, and crossed my arms over eachother. This girl had guts.

"And who said you were any better, sweetheart?" I cooed. I removed my attention from her, to the taller boy at her side. Another vampire...? Or perhaps a demon. Whatever. I looked at the other... Three? Weren't there only supposed to be two? Whatever. Not my business.

The first on the list was someone by the name of Umi. She didn't really interest me much overall, so I allowed her impression to slip off of me. Really, the only interesting demons out of these entirety of the participants, were Ryuu and Bernkastel. The other girl was Mi... Miharu. She too was a little boring. The final extra was also the second male. Akira something-or-other. Eh. He was alright.

"Alright. Hopefully you all know what's up. Now, let's take you all to training," I paused half-way out the door with a slight, mischevious smile. "Who wants me to drive?"

The door opened, only to have an almost-naked Marisa in a towel grab Kerin by the legs. Oh boy.

"Kerin-onii-sama! The shower was bullying me!"

"M-Marisa!" Kerin let out a nervous laugh. Okay, so she was totally okay with just running around in a towel. Kerin was okay with it... kind of. It was just a little awkward, but Kerin was enough of a big brother to pull her back and guide her back to her bedroom, where all her clothes were.

"I'm sure if you treat it with kindness, it will return the favour to you?" Kerin pulled her wardrobe open and kind of ogled at it for a second. It very much full of clothes, much like Kerin's was, though the clothes were much smaller and consisted mostly of dresses and bright colours. She needed something more suitable for training, right? So maybe she should wear jeans or something flexible. In saying that, dresses were pretty easy, only that she would be showing her undies everytime she did a roll or something.

"What did you want to wear?" he asked her, pointing at one of the many colossal stacks of clothes.

Chapter 3.5 - Marisa Ryunatta - Vampire District

"Hau au... Okay, Kerin-onii-sama..."

Pouting slightly, due to my assault with the shower options, I followed Kerin over to my closet where he seemed to understand I couldn't wear just a normal summer dress. I may look and act like a child, but I still had problems with people seeing my underwear. Not to mention, the Gods. They were extreme sadists to have this sort of event happen each year...! To have teenagers slaughtered for their own amusement on live television, and mark it as a sort of way to lower the population...! The population was just fine, now! They already wiped out half the population on Earth!

Taking a deep breath, I shimmied myself inside and began paging through the articles of clothing. When I came back out, I had what appeared to be a huge bundle. Spreading it out on my bed, I asked for Kerin's opinion on it. This attire consisted of a knee-high blue dress with a white ribbon at the front. This dress had sleeves, but that didn't change the fact that my lower part would be exposed. I had that covered, as well. They weren't exactly jeans, but they would work. White pants which were just slightly on the long side for my ankles. Beaming up at Kerin, I patted the outfit.

"This!"

When he did confirm I could wear it, I scrambled to bunch it all up, and then I threw myself into the bathroom to change quickly. Coming out, I glomped Kerin again.

"Let's go, let's go!"

"......Toro?" Xavier blinked. His bed felt entirely different. There wasn't that one spot where the spring made itself more known anywhere. And it was too big. One foot wasn't sticking out over the edge. In fact, when Xavier stretched, it didn't even feel like it was close to the edge. He called out for his dog again before opening his eyes. His hair had fell to the side from sleeping, and he could see as clear as day he wasn't at his home. Xavier remembered that he wasn't home. He was at the training center. But where was Paris...? He raised his head, looking around the room before giving up. Not like he looked hard, or even at average for that matter. Well... It didn't really matter to him at this point in time. Xavier's hands went up into his messy, somewhat greasy hair. All he really wanted at the moment, was a shower.

Once he was up and off the bed, it took Xavier a few minutes just to find the washroom. Yeah, turns out in this place the washrooms are connected directly to the bedroom. Weird. But he guessed all rich people lived different. He didn't know any rich people. He's seen some of the residential zones by the market area. Two floors. And a basement from what he's heard from other demons. Well, he didn't exactly hear it from them. It was more like passive eavesdropping, but oh well. He even came across Bernkastel's house one time in one of his rare visits to civilization. At least that's what he believed. Because who else's father in the Demon District is an exorcist? None that he could bring up from memory. Which is weird since he was married to an angel... Which is what should make him infamous, but for whatever reason, whether Bern was his daughter for one, he was famous. "......" Basically, on one of the rare occasions Xavier came to civilization, he noticed the exorcist's house starting to flood with people. And that just happened to be only hours after the end of the Sixth Population Games. The very first games that Bernkastel Vermilia had participated in. Coincidence? Maybe, but Xavier didn't think so.

Xavier blinked, bringing himself out of that parade of thoughts. He tended to daze out when he had free time, the only thing knocking himself out of his cloud of thoughts being himself. Okay, he was going to take a shower. Right. Nodding to himself, Xavier went over to pick a pairing of clothing for today's training. At first, the wardrobe seemed to be a little familiar, it wasn't obnoxiously large like most of the things in this room. But then... Xavier looked inside. It was as if everything in the room had heard his obnoxious comment somehow, and somehow made the inside of the wardrobe full with pairs upon pairs of clothes. How did all of those articles of clothing even fit in there?! He hadn't seen that much in his life! Xavier pulled out one of the white, button-up T-shirts. He looked at the sides of the sleeves. An omega on both sides, one red, one blue, just like his average clothes. Did they come into his home to check his wardrobe? Oh, how thoughtful... Xavier rolled his eyes, taking black jeans with the T-shirt into the washroom.

Xavier stripped his clothes, and he carefully placed one of his hands under the faucet to test the temperature of the water. Once he had aquired his desired heat, he stepped in under the warm embrace of running water. And look at all of the different body washes they had~ Mango, orange, all different kinds of scents! A lot more than he had in the Demon District, that was for sure! Applying a wad of shampoo into his hand, he slowly massaged the substance into his scalp. It felt softer already. Xavier ended up deciding on the orange scented wad of body wash, and as soon as he applyed the gel-like substance onto his body, he washed himself off and stepped out. That was extremely refreshing!

"...~!" With a small & content smile on his face, not that there would be one if someone else was here, Xavier stepped out into the room. He felt really good! His hair was super soft, and his skin felt great! It was awesome to be able to finally have a shower where he hadn't needed to wipe himself down with a plant! "..." Xavier blinked as he stared at a crumpled paper on the floor. And by how it sat right next to the trashcan, somebody probably shot it and missed. Paris, most likely being the perpatrator. Well... It wouldn't hurt to take a peak. Calmly, Xavier reached down and picked up the wrinkled piece of paper, reading it swiftly. 'Good night,' it read. It was calligraphy. Fine calligraphy. Xavier tried to piece together who this was, thinking Bernkastel for a few minutes, but ultimately dismissing it as a servant's work. Everyone probably got one... Xavier put on his blank mask again as he walked out the door, quickly making his way to the dining hall.

"Looks great!" Kerin said with a smile. He was quite glad she went with a more pant-sy approach, and hopefully she would do so for the rest of their time here. And perhaps after their time here. He knew they could make it through the Poppy Games, he knew they could both make it and live together. And they would need Bernkastel's help for that. But yeah, they had a few more things to worry about right now.

"Let's go, let's go!" Marisa gave him a hug then grabbed his arm and pulled him to the elevator. Where were they going? Probably training, right? Kerin stabbed his thumb to the appropriate floor and waited briefly before the doors opened and revealed where Kerin had slept the night, only now it had a foreign user in it. Ryuu had taken the liberty of destroying a few trees, leaving them in pieces all over the place. Kerin gave him a funny look. Oh, he had been talking to Bernkastel last night? Kerin blinked, but thought not much of it; he couldn't hear what they were saying then anyways, since he had been a little too preoccupied.

"Should we go somewhere else?" he whispered to Marisa. He knew she was quite afraid of the guy, but should they stand up to their fear or show the Rhino that they were indeed scared of him and his stupid attitude. Well, Kerin wans't scared, just wary that if the guy ran and headbutted him like he had tried to do to Bernkastel on the helicopter, Kerin would have a very sore stomach indeed. But, if he could try and plan everything, Kerin could take him out. To protect Marisa, yeah.

Chapter 3.5 - Bernkastel Vermillia - Demon District

Have you ever wondered what I have thought about sleep? Of course you haven't. Sleeping is something you hardly think about in this kind of world, so why would I ever think about it? Well, I do. A lot. Some may say it is insomnia, while others would say it is the end result of me being dead. I am scared to sleep. Both unable to, and unwilling to allow myself to rest my head down and close my eyes. Oh, but you need sleep, don't you? Sleep is energy, right? Sleep is what helps you grow, and keep your memory and concentration strong... Right? I could care less what the human professionals have said. I am living proof this is all unreal. When was the last time I slept....? I cannot remember. And no, it isn't because my memory is all messed up. It was a period so long ago, I would never be able to place a specific date. Sleep is, and will always be, unimportant to me. It just gets in the way of what I can accomplish. Most, if not all teenagers, sleep away half of the day, before getting up to do something productive. Why waste that much time doing that, when you could be learning? Learning about things a twenty year-old wouldn't be able to touch until their thirties. Sleeping is a heavy weakness to all, but not to me. And then you may wonder... Where are the bags under my eyes? Why am I not dead, or collapsing all over? It's all about the science of humanoid beauty. All demons, vampires, angels and gods are born with a gene that enables them to become eye-catching. Unique, yet a beauty that humans could only achieve with their starved models and photoshop. Our bodies are made to heal imperfections when we desire a fix in them. So if you had a cool battle scar on your cheek, you could potentially keep it forever, if you didn't mentally wish for it to disappear.

"Lady Bernkastel, what are you doing…?"

I remove my gaze from the pieces of glass on the floor, to the door that hadjust opened. Two startled servants are looking at me curiously, with a longtable in their arms. Judging from the hole portrayed in the balcony window, itwas made by a large object of sorts, being thrown out. This must have been thatlarge object. It's a miracle the table itself appears unharmed, but I do notexpect things made by the Gods to be as easy to break, anyhow. Standing back upand removing my gloves, I look at them calmly.

"I was cleaning up," The two servants, one with brown eyesand hair and the other with black hair and gold eyes, hurry themselves into theroom, and fix the table back into place. Then they're apologizing. Apologizingfor the mess, and not being here to cater to my needs. I resist the urge tosmile, and keep the blank calmness on my face instead. They act as though theyhad broken a jillion rules which were punishable by death. Before they couldcontinue, I raise my hand out. They shut up immediately.
"You were doing your job, and you went to get the table Ryuuthrew out. You are not at fault." This soothes down their expression, when theyget this reassurance. For the rest of the clean-up, we are silent. The servantsreplace the glass door, while I go down on my hands and knees to pick up thesplinters of glass. One would think this to be insulting, but I find it to benot. I am simply showing a kindness by lowering myself down. The servants don'teven object outwardly.

And this was when Xavier came in; with servants still scrambling around toreplace the breakfast lost to Ryuu's gesture, and me throwing a handful ofglass away into the disposal. I straighten my hat out, and look him overcarefully. I can immediately tell the difference between a clean Xavier, andthe Xavier from last night. Moving closer to greet, I can also notice hisscent. Much more appropriate for one in the God's Land.

"Good morning, Xavier." My smooth voice says. If I had any expressionpreviously, it is gone now. "Ryuu decided to throw breakfast out the window. As per usual," I explain when I see his eyes trail to the servants. "How about we serve ourselves and have breakfast?

I growled slightly as she taunted me, it was too early, and I was still barely awake. "Look, I know I have your powers and all, but I don't to become all lazy off of them, I'm already pretty lazy right now. I don't like depending on people, and I only made an exception for you, since you are the closest person I have, and because I would probably be killed without your help. That doesn't mean I need you 24/7.... crap I forgot something..." I pushed the button for my room again and walked immediately to the bathroom, stopping only to turn and tell Mammon to stay out.

I took a pretty quick shower, since I was still very hungry, but I didn't want to be all smelly and stuff before the training even started. The funny thing about this was that I didn't even sweat, for some reason and whether good or bad I didn't know, or care. Turning the water off I dried myself quickly and got changed into a shirt and a pair of jeans, both resembling my clothing that I already been wearing when I arrived the other day. The jacket was still the same though, although it smelled nice indicating that it had been washed and how those people got it done that fast is still a mystery to me. My hair was still damp, and shined as if someone had spilled glitter all over it as I stepped back into the elevator, this time waiting for Mammon to come before I pushed the button for the dining hall.

It opened up to a very large room, complete with some very fancy furniture and a long table. I sat myself down randomly on one of the chairs and ordered my omelet, taking another look around the place, and for a second I almost felt like I was disrespecting it by eating there. Almost. I ate large servings, sizes which might have even rivaled the appetite of Ryuu the Demon, but not quite, and I did not allow any food to get on my cloths, the table, or the floor. When I was done, I stood and thanked my servers for the meal before turning and walking out of the room just as casually as I had waltzed in. I waved to a passing Nokoto, and stepped into the elevator, pushing the training area button, rolling my neck and cracking my knuckles. Time to show off.

Chapter 3.5 - Scarlet Uiromo - Vampire District

"Mhm, you bet it will," I taunted back. He was a pain in my arse to deal with, but no way was I staying silent. I was gonna have fun if he persisted with his lame vampire jokes. "Hey a**hole, reread Twilight. Apparently, we sparkle." I wiggled my fingers out to imitate sparkling. Not only was I messing with him, but the idiocy of the humans. What the Hell were they thinking when they wrote THAT? I think the best vampire story I've heard about was Dracula. Damn right. Skewering humans on spears and sacrificing women on an altar. Castles were wonderful things, too. Maybe when I win, I'll have a nice castle on the hillside, with spears sticking out of the flower garden. "Oh, you're such a moron... In the end, you'll be kissing my ass and BEGGING me not to whip yours too hard." I leaned forward, and gave him a fanged smirk.

"Who wants me to drive?"

Hah! A God, driving? That would be entertaining. They only had the fancy limousines because they showed POWER and AUTHORITY. Did we have cars? Not really. Maybe five throughout the entire district. "Why not have your servant drive us? Tired of being a lazy fatass?" I think I went overboard with that one, because at that moment, he approached me as I was coming outside with Cyro. This made me stop, and stare up at him. He was much taller than myself, for obvious reasons. And then he downgraded me. He knelt down on one knee, and took on the form of a father having a talk with her daughter about respect or some crap like that. But his expression was not of a father. It was of enjoyable, murderous intent.

"Perhaps it is because my servant will be driving another car...? Which gives you plenty of room to sit up front with me. You can sit in the passenger seat." His eyes flashed, but I only crossed my arms. So what? Back in the day, kids would whine until they were able to sit up front with the driver! What was so special about that particular seat? It dawned on me that maybe he was hinting that I was some whining child.

I stuck my chin up in defiance, and looked him dead in the eye. "Tch. I'm not gonna sit beside an ugly giant!" To my amazement, he actually smiled, and stood back up. I was smirking back; knowing I had won. I was beginning to flaunt back at Akira, when Natruo's hand hand brushed my stomach, and grabbed at the collar of my dress. First, it was shock. Then anger. Then horror. Within two seconds, he pulled me into the air by a single hand. Instinctively, my hands grabbed and clawed at his wrist; urging him to let go. "Let go, you stupid--" And that was when he slammed me into the building's exterior wall. I felt the material crumble at my back, while my lungs felt the air being pressed out my throat. I made a small, choked sound, and stared at him. He was holding me back calmly. With one hand, while the other inspected the small bit of dirt which had gotten underneath his fingernails. My eyes slowly looked down at my stomach, and it took everything I had not to scream in fright. A stake made of metal had been plunged through my back, right through. I was skewered cleanly to the wall, and if Natruo let go, or pulled me off, my blood would rain like a fountain. I felt myself become pale, as all the blood and cells rushed to heal the wound. If it healed, then It would simply be broken through again when I came away from the wall.

"B-bastard," Damnit. I stuttered. His head tilted down, before the most devious of smiles washed across his lips.

"It was not an option, Scarlet Uiromo. You play by my rules now. This is my game board." My eyes widened in horror. He couldn't do this! I had a contract with the government and... "Do you understand, little girl~?" I nodded slowly. I just wanted to get this stake out of me, and heal myself up. He smiled wider to show his perfect white teeth; releasing his grip on me.

My heart rised up into my throat, as I felt myself fall and hit my knees on the cement. Oh God... The skewer. It ripped me. it ripped me!! My hands went to my stomach to stop the bleeding. And that was when I realized something much too horrible.

There was no wound. There was no blood. There was no pain, and there was not a metal stake, in sight.

Chapter 3.5 - Marisa Ryunatta - Vampire District

(To Be Editted)

Chapter 3.5 - Marisa Ryunatta - Vampire District

I paused outside the elevator, and stared at the boy who wasbusy destroying a few trees. He was like Natruo. They were both about the sameheight, and they both were physical fighters. But which was worse? The Game Designeror the demon dubbed as 'The Rhino'? I pondered this as I slowly made my wayaround Ryuu, and over to one of the barriers supporting the camouflage equipment.Berry juices and leaves; things that would allow you to blend in with nature.Picking off a stick over by the make-shift forest just across from it, I gentlytossed the stick at the barrier. Like a bouncy ball, the stick reflected off,and went flying back over to the forest. I smiled happily at this discovery.

"Uu, we'll stay," I answered. "Everyone's gonna be here soon~!" And with thatstatement, I took a stance, and ran at the barrier. At the last minute, Ijumped into it; body tilted slightly. Just like the stick, the barrier releaseda sort of energy which had me fly off instantaneously with a touch. You couldn'tsay I exactly made impact. Unlike the stick, however, my trip through the airwas much more graceful. Within about four seconds, I found myself falling intothe branches of a nearby tree. The barrier had catapulted me across. I actuallyFLEW for a few seconds…! Excited and with a few twigs attempting to snag me, Ipoked my head through the leaves and waved at Kerin.

"That was so FUN! Au au!" I giggleduncontrollably, and sunk back into hiding. I felt like an animal; a cat,perhaps. My eyes adjusted to the insides of the tree's coverage, and I stealthymoved myself around; only getting caught a few times thanks to my dress. Then,I was hopping. It paid to be small and light. The branches did not break underthe weight of my body, and maneuvering through the tree was as easy as a play-structure.Within a few minutes, I had gone to the other side of the forest, and was nowpeering down at the demon. Sure, he could topple trees down with his sheerphysical strength, but I doubted that he could climb as easily as me. He hadpower, and I could just avoid him entirely. Well, if there were trees. The arenacould be basically anything; a snowy mountain top, to a blazing, endless desert.All I needed was a forest. It didn't matter if they were pine trees or oak. Icould sleep up on the tallest branches, away from Ryuu. If he attempted to takedown my tree, I could simply hop into another. Ryuu didn't seem to know anymagic, so he would have to PHYSICALLY get me, in order to harm me. Then again…Weren't we going to be chained together? If that was the case, wouldn't it bedifficult to get even a metre from him? But there must be some way to get ridof the chains that would bind us. Natruo would have to be pretty messed up tohave a small girl tied to a giant for a killing spree. And Ryuu didn't seemlike the kind of person to coo over how cute I was. He'd beat my face in withina millisecond.


Chapter 3.5 - Mammon - Underworld

"Look, I know I have your powers and all, but I don't to become all lazy off of them. I'm already pretty lazy right now. I don't like depending on people, and I only made an exception for you, since you are the closest person I have, and because I would probably be killed without your help. That doesn't mean I need you 24/7.... Crap I forgot something..."

Startled, I watched as we went back up to his room. I followed him, yet I knew not to follow him into the washroom. Come on, I wasn't gonna follow him EVERYWHERE. "Hmph..." As he showered, I leaned myself back against his bed. So... He was lazy? Hardly in my eyes. Let's see, he took his time to come over to the Demon's Tower and eavesdrop on Bernkastel... Then he trained without myself having to motivate him... Nope. Not lazy. As for that other bit. It startled me. Okay, so I was the closest person he had... I kind of felt honored. Did he not have friends back in the Human District? Surely he did... Right?

I sat myself up the moment the washroom door opened up. That was possibly the quickest shower in the history of showers. Even Zane, who wasn't particularly fond of water, took a good fifteen minutes underneath the shower head. I was half-expecting a load of steam to rush out from behind my contractor. You know, the water turned to mist when it hit his skin? Yes, I expected his skin to be warm enough to do that. Especially after his whole 'sun-boy' phase. He didn't even bother to dry his hair... Hm.

Sticking close to Raike, I followed him down to the dining room. I didn't even both hiding my appearance, since there were only servants around at this point. I guessed that everyone else was still in bed. Typical. There was really no point in me eating, either. Though I could digest food normally, it really wouldn't do much good for me. I didn't need food and water to survive. However, that did not mean that I didn't like food. It was alright.

So instead, I occupied mysel with watching the curious behavior of the human before me. Raike didn't need to know this, but this was the longest period of time I've ever spent with a human. Fascinating creatures, they were. Definitely Raike. He seemed to be making sure he left the place as clean as possible, save his plate and untensils. Not a single speck on anything else. In any case, the servants appreciated it, so I decided to not think much on it. Thanking them simply because Raike hyad, I left with him. However...

"Shi--" I jumped; immediately shapeshifting myself into my signature red mist, and slipping into Raike's arm. Not exactly his skin, but something ON his skin. A tattoo. Not an animal like Lucifier's, but a intricate spiral of designs. The most common shape being triangles. The reason why I had removed myself from view? Nokoto. I was not going to expose myself to any competitors unless given permission by Bernkastel or Raike. She didn't notice. She waved a greeting to Raike, and helped herself to a seat for breakfast. "....." I waited until we were in the elevator alone, to speak.

"You know, you'll get arthritis by doing that," I commented; obviously talking about how he was cracking his knuckles. When we were finally inside the training center, I was surprised to find exactly three other people there. Well, only two could be seen, really. Ryuu and Kerin. However, hiding inside a tree near the demon, was the little girl named Marisa. I was more transfixed on Ryuu, though. He was the one that beat me to the ground thanks to Bernkastel. Inwardly, I grinned.

"Permission to mess with Ryuu?" I asked Raike. "I'd like to see how pissed he'll be!~"

Miharu tensed, suddenly waking up. She felt for her knife under her bed, feeling that the room was off. When she opened her eyes, she glanced around and finally she remembered that she was now in the population games. How strange, the fact that she had been randomly sent here. She knew that she had pretty much been condemned to death, but she would fight. And if she was going to die, at least take someone out with her.

Miharu shifted, her bare feet touching the ground quietly as she got up from her bed. She pulled off her pajamas and put her regular clothes back on, hiding her knives and senbons, before putting her katana on her back. Today was a training day if she remembered correctly. She would have to make sure to only show a third of her strength in order to get people to underestimate her.

She stepped outside the door and into the hallway. It seemed fairly quiet, although people should have been awake by now. They could have been down in the dining hall around, or having their own little misadventures. However, Miharu knew that it would probably be best for her to head to the dining hall if no one was there in order to be a..."surprise".

Miharu walked to the elevator and waited for it to come. When it came, it was empty(1). She walked inside and pressed the floor in which the dining room was in. When she stepped out, she walked through a hallway before arriving at the dining room. It seemed almost empty, even though the dining hall was huge.

She sat down and grabbed some of the fruits that were at the table. She started eating quite calmly, ignoring the others that were there. However, when a "servant" tapped her on the shoulder, she stopped.

"Um, Miss?" questioned one of the "servants". "The training ground is a mile away from here and you need to be there soon."

Miharu glanced at her barely eaten breakfast and nodded. "Sorry that I made you have to clean up more."

The "servant" shook her head. "No, it is quite alright. You should hurry before you're late."

Miharu nodded, standing up. She half bowed to the "servant" who bowed back in slight shock before leaving. If she jogged, she would be there in about twelve minutes.