Battle Royale FIC: The Lost Children of Battle Royale by Beniko Nakamura
Title: The Lost Children of Battle Royale by Beniko Nakamura
Fandom: Battle Royale
Summary: 100fandoms prompt #92 - 'sanction'. "There wasn't any choice in the end," Aiko says, twisting a strand of hair around one finger nervously.
The Lost Children of Battle Royale
by Beniko Nakamura
"There wasn't any choice in the end," Aiko* says,
twisting a strand of hair around one finger nervously.
She sips her latte quickly, as if afraid that someone
will take it away - or that she will have to abruptly
leave it. "That's what they told us, anyway. The survivor
gets so much publicity, and some of it is always negative.
It was supposed to be for the child's own protection, and
the parents volunteered for it. We all did." She stares
down at remnants of her chocolate chip cookie.
Aiko is the elder sister of Keiko Tanaka, one of the first
survivors of Battle Royale, four years ago. When her sister
emerged victorious, she, along with her entire family, was
offered the option of entering the Witness Protection
Programme in Nagasaki. Accepting the necessity for this,
Aiko agreed, and was relocated to a better university in
Nagasaki. Her father was offered a new job, and her mother
took up pottery in an evening class. Keiko was enrolled in
a new class, and a state-paid child psychologist made
weekly visits to their new house.
"Keiko didn't like the psychologist," Aiko recalls. "She
said he didn't know what he was talking about, that he -
he looked at her like a little girl." At twelve years old,
wasn't he right? Wasn't Keiko a little girl still? "No. How
can you think that?" But that's precisely what the government
thought, immediately after the implementation of the Battle
Royale Act. They took steps to tackle the growing problem of
the nation's youth, correctly identifying the threat they
posed as a group - but incorrectly deciding that, as
individuals, children were defenceless.
When Keiko broke cover and killed her psychologist, her
teacher and several children she declared a 'threat', no
one was more surprised than the BR Act's architects. The
murders were investigated quietly, and settled just as
quietly. The families of those killed were amply compensated,
and Keiko - and her family - were moved to new identities
with stricter controls on Keiko's behaviour and access to
weapons.
Three months later, the family was forced to move again.
"We've moved eight - no, nine - times now. The last time
was over a year ago." What changed? Aiko brightens. "Amendment
B was introduced," she says proudly.
One of the consequences of the BR Act was the little-known
Witness Protection Act Amendment Part B, otherwise known
as the Involuntary Witness Protection Programme. Our
correspondent, Beniko Nakamura spoke to the main proponents
of the Amendment when it was first introduced into law some
18 months ago.
"The growing number of survivors retaining their learned
skills and applying them to the general populace is a
considerable cause for concern," the Mayor of Kyoto, Namihiko
Itou, explained. "The Battle Royale Act was designed to curb
the number of youth-related attacks, not to increase their
severity." While the BR Act has succeeded in lowering the
number of violent attacks and curbing youth-related problems
such as alcohol abuse, absenteeism and disrespectful behaviour,
more serious crimes such as mass murder and terminating youths
without a BR warrant were on the increase. "We had to create
an entirely new crime category - BR-related unlawful killings
- for the acts perpetrated by the BR survivors."
While some human rights groups -the same groups who had
protested about the BR Act being implemented - opposed the
Amendment, it went generally unopposed in its passage through
the Chambers. "People saw the need for it, and acted accordingly,"
Mayor Itou said. "What was the alternative?"
What does Aiko think of the Amendment? Hers was one of the
first families affected by it. "Oh, it was brilliant!"
She says, brightening immediately. "We had to move one last
time, to be close enough to a facility, but I didn't mind so
much. They did the whole thing again - university for me, job
for father, an evening class for mother." And for her sister?
"A place in the programme. She's now in special classes, not
a normal school, and they put her on a regimen of drugs and
hypno-therapy. It's wonderful, she's almost normal again."
Does Mayor Itou think that the BR Act and all of the various
programmes that followed are worth it? Speaking to us just a
few weeks ago, Mayor Itou stuck to his previous convictions.
"Definitely. We have to curb youth crime and deal with the
growing threat it poses. The BR Act has been the most effective
way to deal with problem children."
The ironic part is that, before participating in Battle Royale,
Keiko had been a model student. "She liked school," Aiko says
quietly. "She couldn't wait to graduate and go on to university.
She wanted to be a teacher."
With sixteen kills outside of the Battle Royale framework and
an impressive resume, Keiko Tanaka just might get her wish.
* not her real name.
*
fin
Fandom: Battle Royale
Summary: 100fandoms prompt #92 - 'sanction'. "There wasn't any choice in the end," Aiko says, twisting a strand of hair around one finger nervously.
The Lost Children of Battle Royale
by Beniko Nakamura
"There wasn't any choice in the end," Aiko* says,
twisting a strand of hair around one finger nervously.
She sips her latte quickly, as if afraid that someone
will take it away - or that she will have to abruptly
leave it. "That's what they told us, anyway. The survivor
gets so much publicity, and some of it is always negative.
It was supposed to be for the child's own protection, and
the parents volunteered for it. We all did." She stares
down at remnants of her chocolate chip cookie.
Aiko is the elder sister of Keiko Tanaka, one of the first
survivors of Battle Royale, four years ago. When her sister
emerged victorious, she, along with her entire family, was
offered the option of entering the Witness Protection
Programme in Nagasaki. Accepting the necessity for this,
Aiko agreed, and was relocated to a better university in
Nagasaki. Her father was offered a new job, and her mother
took up pottery in an evening class. Keiko was enrolled in
a new class, and a state-paid child psychologist made
weekly visits to their new house.
"Keiko didn't like the psychologist," Aiko recalls. "She
said he didn't know what he was talking about, that he -
he looked at her like a little girl." At twelve years old,
wasn't he right? Wasn't Keiko a little girl still? "No. How
can you think that?" But that's precisely what the government
thought, immediately after the implementation of the Battle
Royale Act. They took steps to tackle the growing problem of
the nation's youth, correctly identifying the threat they
posed as a group - but incorrectly deciding that, as
individuals, children were defenceless.
When Keiko broke cover and killed her psychologist, her
teacher and several children she declared a 'threat', no
one was more surprised than the BR Act's architects. The
murders were investigated quietly, and settled just as
quietly. The families of those killed were amply compensated,
and Keiko - and her family - were moved to new identities
with stricter controls on Keiko's behaviour and access to
weapons.
Three months later, the family was forced to move again.
"We've moved eight - no, nine - times now. The last time
was over a year ago." What changed? Aiko brightens. "Amendment
B was introduced," she says proudly.
One of the consequences of the BR Act was the little-known
Witness Protection Act Amendment Part B, otherwise known
as the Involuntary Witness Protection Programme. Our
correspondent, Beniko Nakamura spoke to the main proponents
of the Amendment when it was first introduced into law some
18 months ago.
"The growing number of survivors retaining their learned
skills and applying them to the general populace is a
considerable cause for concern," the Mayor of Kyoto, Namihiko
Itou, explained. "The Battle Royale Act was designed to curb
the number of youth-related attacks, not to increase their
severity." While the BR Act has succeeded in lowering the
number of violent attacks and curbing youth-related problems
such as alcohol abuse, absenteeism and disrespectful behaviour,
more serious crimes such as mass murder and terminating youths
without a BR warrant were on the increase. "We had to create
an entirely new crime category - BR-related unlawful killings
- for the acts perpetrated by the BR survivors."
While some human rights groups -the same groups who had
protested about the BR Act being implemented - opposed the
Amendment, it went generally unopposed in its passage through
the Chambers. "People saw the need for it, and acted accordingly,"
Mayor Itou said. "What was the alternative?"
What does Aiko think of the Amendment? Hers was one of the
first families affected by it. "Oh, it was brilliant!"
She says, brightening immediately. "We had to move one last
time, to be close enough to a facility, but I didn't mind so
much. They did the whole thing again - university for me, job
for father, an evening class for mother." And for her sister?
"A place in the programme. She's now in special classes, not
a normal school, and they put her on a regimen of drugs and
hypno-therapy. It's wonderful, she's almost normal again."
Does Mayor Itou think that the BR Act and all of the various
programmes that followed are worth it? Speaking to us just a
few weeks ago, Mayor Itou stuck to his previous convictions.
"Definitely. We have to curb youth crime and deal with the
growing threat it poses. The BR Act has been the most effective
way to deal with problem children."
The ironic part is that, before participating in Battle Royale,
Keiko had been a model student. "She liked school," Aiko says
quietly. "She couldn't wait to graduate and go on to university.
She wanted to be a teacher."
With sixteen kills outside of the Battle Royale framework and
an impressive resume, Keiko Tanaka just might get her wish.
* not her real name.
*
fin