Yoshitoki Kuninobu: {G8 to C7} Feel Alive
It never really set into Yoshitoki Kuninobu just how alive he felt on the island. Then again, when you're that close to death, what else was there to feel? His threatening heartbeat and ticking watch loomed over him, causing his thoughts to trip over one another. The gun in his hand became his world in minutes. It didn't take him long to figure out the shadows it cast or how to aim it at a passing bird.
Two pounds, that's all it must have weighed, but everything that came with it made it feel more like twenty or ten. Never took a shot with it for fear of attracting bad company. Once someone had the jump on you, you might as well be squashed. The imagery made Yoshi laugh a little, something that sounded more like choking than outright laughter.
Nine to go. Kayoko's name had been on the report and that was that, the end for her. A deep part of him was relieved to be rid of her. It meant not having her to spread his name around in hate. Hate.
His throat felt impossibly dry. He had already drowned himself in the water bottles, desperately trying to wash the blood off of himself. The red, now faded to an orangey brown, stayed stuck on his fingers. It sickened him. It was one thing to be playing the game, but another to be really signalling it out to the world. Smelling like blood killed the element of surprise entirely, even if some of it was his own. Not like anyone would understand. Yoshitoki sniffled.
He had a feeling he would remember that smell for the rest of his life. The look in Toshinori's eyes. Kayoko's cries. Yoshi tried to smother it all away, pointing his gun at every rustle in the forest. There was a reason to take down everyone now. A real reason to live. He had seen the face of death and survived it. Nobu was alive.
Something sounded like feet running. Running fast, running hard in this direction. It almost sounded frantic, like somebody being chased. Yoshitoki readied his gun, backing up towards a pile of bushes. Whomever it was had to be crazy. They were making too much noise. Why? Pounding, more pounding, that was his heart driving away.
One shot, Yoshitoki, that's all it takes. It's gonna be their last mistake.
The Browning Buckmark Bullseye was shaking, all too eager to make its mark in the middle of the board. They're coming-- His mind went into overdrive. What if this was some sort of distraction? A trap to get him to fire at one person only to have another shoot him in the head? Tactics. But, no. There was no way someone got around him that fast. Yoshitoki had been awake the whole time. Except for when he had dozed off.
Relax -- shoot to kill. As soon as they come into view. As soon as you can see 'em
(one mississippi, two mississippi)
As soon as
BANG!!
Too early. The bullet hit air, his body stumbling from the unexpected recoil. Again, again. He knew enough to know that his target was another boy, one of the only ones left in the game. Everything in a flash. The trees blocked out too much of the waning light, shading out his face. Damn it. Yoshi collected his balance, took aim to make a headshot.
Sh...?
Shuuya.
Shuuya.
His stomach swallowed his lungs.
"Yoshitoki!! Whoah, stop, it's me." A voice too familiar, too close for comfort. He was laughing happily, not a hint of hysteria underlining his laughter, despite the fact he'd just had a bullet shot at him. Maybe he was too blind, too glad, too glad to be with his best friend again. "Yoshi, man... I can't believe it's you. I can't fucking believe it's you. I mean, I knew it would be, but...damn, it's you."
The gun, along with all the hostility and silent reverie he had amped himself up with, slipped out of his hand and fell to the grass.
"Ah, Shuuya," Eyes darted all over his friend's body. He could smell the same kind of smell that Yoshitoki was carrying with him. Blood, unmistakenable. Months ago, he might not have recognized it, but, here on the island, he had almost found an unshakeable friend in that scent. "It's you." His throat ran itself coarse, not knowing what to say. You, too, Shuu?
There was a silver gun in one of Shuuya's hands and a squarish, blinking object. They shone brightly in the dark. "Yoshi, I-I..." He pulled Yoshi into a tight, brotherly embrace. "It's really you."
"Yeah, it's me." Well, this was anticlimactic. Everything felt like it was bricking him in the head. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Trade notes or something? Go on a killing spree? Yeah, right. Their meeting had come a little too late. Alone was what he had to be now. He had already accepted it, and now a dramatic change of plans.
"I should've found you sooner, I'm so sorry." Shuuya's body shook. "It's just--God, so much happened. You wouldn't believe how much I've gone through. You, you're okay, right? Right?"
"Define okay," Yoshi winced when Shuuya released him from his hug. He hadn't realized just how many hits Toshinori had landed on him. He'd have to check himself for bruises later. To make it look like nothing was wrong, Yoshitoki bluffed a smile onto his face, only half as wide as Shuu's. "I've gone through my fair share of stuff, too."
"I've gone through so much shit, Yoshi. This game, everyone... But, now you're here. And everything's going to be okay again."
It's funny, he had wanted to say the same thing to Noriko if he had found her. What kind, meaningless bullshit.
Shuuya continued, "Faith. Always had it." There were tears in his eyes. The rockstar-in-training wore his heart on his sleeve like it was his best accessory. And it was, just not here. It didn't belong here. No one did. C'mon, don't make me cry again. Yoshitoki had shed enough tears by himself to fill an ocean. "If only I had found you sooner. Wow, now, it's you right here."
"Please, don't cry. You're such a crybaby, sometimes." It was supposed to be a joke, but his voice sounded too flat in its delivery.
"Stay, Yoshitoki. I don't want you to leave me, ever." Something flashed in Shuuya's eyes that caught Yoshitoki off guard. Something serious that wasn't supposed to be there. It made Yoshi step back a little, only to have Shuu drop everything he was holding and grab onto his arms. Kept him in place when he tried to shake off his grip. "We have to stick together from now on. Trust me on this. I know I sound weird, but, look all around us. People...I can't believe it...nine left."
"Okay, okay. Yeah. Nine left. You're hurting me." Look at those odds. Shuuya loosened his hold on Yoshitoki. "Things are getting down to the wire, huh? We've got, like, four reports to go. Less than a day." He wished he had something heavier to say about it. Those were the cold, blunt facts of it. Four reports and it was over, all within so many hours. How many hours did they have left, anyway?
"I know. It sucks." He looked as deflated as Yoshi felt. It made Yoshi want to cry. "You're here, at least. I'm glad I found you before, you know, before anything happened." It seemed like Shuu was finally looking at him, staring at him up and down. "You look terrible. I don't mean that for real, but... Your lip's bleeding."
"Oh yeah," Yoshitoki didn't know whether to admit the truth or run with a lie. "Had a bit of an accident." A half-truth. "It was dark the other night and I ran myself into a tree branch. Real nasty. I must've reopened my lip somehow." He rubbed at it with the back of his hand. It hurt.
"Don't do that, you're gonna make it bleed more." There was that look again. Honest concern.
"Everything with you is honest, isn't it?" Yoshitoki put his thumb over the split. "You can't lie about anything, can you?"
"Huh, where's this coming from?" He looked slightly amused. "We should find somewhere to sit down. Why not over there?" He gestured over to a tall, winding tree, then walked over and sat down, not forgetting to pick up their fallen weaponry. Two guns, one of the guns being Yoshi's, and the odd-looking device sat out before them. Yoshi took his seat next to Shuuya.
Yoshi got the sense that if there was any moment to get everything out into the open, then this was it. Almost like a final goodbye because when the end came, there might not be another chance. Everything went quiet. It was a quiet that sounded more comfortable than awkward and the two boys fell into it, staring out into nothing.
Do you know how easy it would be for me to just pick up one of these guns and shoot you in the head? You'd never even expect it, would you? He glanced over at Shuuya's gentle face. I could end this for you so easily. I could be your worst mistake. One shot and that's that.
"Baron Gong." What? That was random. "Remember that show? Two from one. We used to copy all of the moves. Haha, change combine. We must have been crazy little kids." Shuu laughed.
"No, you were the crazy one." Yoshi joined in. "Hey, you remember Eddie? I loved that dog. When he was around, it was always you, me, and Eddie always getting into trouble. I even taught him how to roll over. He made everyone laugh, didn't he? Best dog in the whole world. I miss him. Don't you miss him?"
"Yeah, those were the days. And remember when..."
They talked and they talked about the past. It almost made Yoshitoki forget that they were still in the game. Do you remember when this and that happened? Remember that one time in gym class, how you split your pants right open? Haha, I won't forget the look on your face, Shuu. Remember how we used to jump off of the swings, no matter how high up in the air we were? Remember when I ran myself into the wall and lost a tooth? Remember that time when you played your first song on guitar? You were terrible! Hahaha.
Wish we could be little kids again, running around and making fools of ourselves. Simpler times, my friend. Life was easy. Wish Eddie was still around. Wish we could hang out at the Charity House. Wish this was over. Wonder what Ms. Ryoko's doing. Wonder if she's feeling okay. She must be worried. And things turned dark again.
"As soon as we get out of here, Yoshi, I'm gonna play for hours and hours." Shuuya gritted his teeth. "This is gonna make for one hell of a song."
"As soon as we get out of here? What, you got some kind of plan?" Yoshitoki felt dizzy. Plan this, plan that, never do anything worthwhile.
"I...um..." Shuu looked uncomfortable. "I mean, we were trying to, at the start, but, then...you know... Things kind of went to shit. It was me and Mim at first, until we found Sakura, and..."
Yoshitoki learned about how they were supposed to escape together. Everybody. It sounded like they had gotten along a lot further than Yoshi's stunted ideas. But, Shinji left them for some reason and got killed. Not on purpose, but killed anyway. Then, it was Shuu and Sakura, then he had to go back and get something. This was when it was raining.
Comparing timelines in his head, Yoshitoki figured that that must have been around the time when he had seen Kazuo. Maybe sometime before. And sure enough, Kazuo put in an appearance in Shuu's story. Cut him. So, that's where the bloody smell had come from. Not from someone else. Distance; so he wasn't a killer after all.
"Yeah, I saw him, too. It must've been hours before you saw him, I don't know." Yoshi interrupted. "I had been hanging out in a house over at F6. When I came out, I saw him messing with Mitsuru and Keita's bodies. I think he killed them. I still have no fucking clue why." He shook his head. "Luckily, he didn't see me."
"How long were you there? Were you there alone?" Shuuya asked, his voice nervous.
"Well, I was there with Yuka and Yutaka. I know, weird team, right? Too weird." He sighed. "They--" Yoshitoki stopped himself. There was an angle to be played here. Give him a reason to make it okay to kill her. No, no. Yuka's alright. I don't have to kill her right now. I mean, I would have left me too if I were her. "They left to get some air or something. I don't know. They left me a note and left me behind, how shitty is that? But I'm not holding it against either of them."
"Hey, that's weird. I was with Shinji and you were with Yutaka."
"I know. And nothing much has happened to me, either." Yoshitoki shifted. "Running into a tree has been the most exciting thing to happen to me. You got any more that happened to you?" He looked over at Shuuya's little device. Interesting. It looked kind of like some weird video game or something.
"Yeah..." He looked broken. "There's more."
Yoshi changed the subject. "Hey, did you get the bonus weapon?" He picked up the handheld. On closer inspection, it looked like a GPS tracker of some kind, full of grids and numbers. There was a + sign next to a 7 and a 15. "What is this thing? It's like a map or something."
"More than a map," The smile returned to his face. "It's what brought me to you. See, it tells you where everyone is. All the people are numbers. Sakura's the 4. Yuka's the 16. Megumi's the 3. Kawada's the 5, and so on. Where the GPS is is the center plus sign. With this, we can find everyone."
"Wow, you were assigned this?" Rage fired up from his stomach. Noriko. The other 15. With the GPS, he could have, should have found her and rescued her for Yoshitoki. Shit. "Did you have this the whole fucking time, Shuuya? Don't you know what you could have done with this? A fucking GPS scanner!!"
"Wait, Yoshitoki, calm down! No, I didn't have it the whole time." Shuuya's smile left him, replaced with a harsh line. "It wouldn't have taken me so long to be with you if I had had it."
"Then, how'd you get it?" It took Yoshitoki all the strength he had to keep from punching Shuuya right where Kazuo had slashed him.
"I told you there was more. Yoshi, you have to promise not to leave me, okay? I can't have you leave me." There it was. That deflated look, like a beat dog. The anger released from Yoshi's face. "I don't want to be alone again."
"You won't be. I've got more to tell you, too. I wasn't done telling my story." Why hide it? Obviously, Shuuya had his own skeletons in the closet. Might as well let them all out at once. He reached over and picked up Shuuya's gun. Silver. Weird. Something about it seemed odd. "But, maybe we can save it for later."
It's the same gun. Yoshitoki knew this gun from somewhere. He had had it point right at his face before. Twice. It was the same one he had wrestled Toshinori for. The same one that Kotohiki had made stare him in the face. Same fucking gun. His heart sped up. So, that means... You and Kayoko...
The only way that it made sense was if Shuuya had killed her. Just like how he was wearing Oda's blood, Shuuya was wearing Kayoko's. It all fit together. When Kayoko told him that he was going to keep on living to see everyone he loved die, she had had Shuu in mind. And, what? Shuuya, you actually...you, of all people...
Yoshitoki exhaled sharply. "Don't tell me anymore. I don't care what happened between you and whomever else." I don't want to hear you say it. "Whatever happened, save it. You can tell me later." How about never? You weren't supposed to fall from grace, too.
Then again, we do what we have to do. Kill because we have to. The thought didn't help him relax very much. It was a matter of time before Shuuya would get some sense into his naive little head and off Yoshitoki. He had the chance. There were plenty of openings. And how was Yoshi supposed to carry on killing (I hate that word) with virtuous Shuu around?
"But, Yoshitoki--"
"It doesn't matter right now," Yoshi hissed. "Let's stop talking about it. We've got to get a move on. We should find people and try out a plan. I've got one, too. Maybe not as good as Mim's, but...whatever. You said the word before. Faith."
"Yeah!!" Shuuya was back to his usual cheery self. "You serious, man? You've really got a plan?"
"Mmhm. I don't know if it'll work, exactly. Um, faith." He got up from the ground, holding the tracker and Shuuya's gun. "Looks like people are moving around. We should do the same, huh?" He wiped his lip. It hadn't stopped bleeding. "First, we should find Sakura and Yuka. They're both in C7. We're in G8. If we hurry, they'll still be there." Another half-truth.
"C7...isn't that the zone with the mountains?"
"Yeah. Stop giving me that weird look," Yoshitoki laughed. "Let's get going. Race you there. Everything's clear." He picked up his bag and strapped it across his body. "Just like old times, huh?" Yoshi handed the silver pistol off to Shuuya, then picked up his own gun and started running, GPS in one hand and gun in the other.
If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend like they were kids playing tag.
* * *
C7. It took a lot longer than he had thought to reach the mountains. Stopping to catch his breath, he glanced down at the scanner. Once I'm out of here, I swear I'll never run again. Five numbers cluttered the zone. 5, 6, 7, 15, 16. All in order, sort of. I hadn't been planning on 6, but you know what? A two-for-one special, then.
The plan? Eliminate the real threats left on the island. Maybe it was a little too obvious. He looked over at Shuuya, watching him regain air. Looks like he wasn't as fit at running as Yoshitoki had thought. Or, maybe the island's put a lot of stress on him. They caught eyes. Yoshi looked away.
"Shit, I should have been looking at the GPS when we were running." Yoshitoki said, making care to sound particularly stressed.
"What happened?" Shuuya walked closer for a look.
"I think Sakura's wandered out of the zone. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it. It's okay." He smiled gently, not an ounce of blame anywhere to be found. Yoshitoki could see why so many girls liked him. It put an unpleasant twist in his stomach. "Yuka's still here, right?"
Yoshi shrugged. "I'm not sure. The GPS is freaking out on me. I think it might be broken. We should keep walking. Maybe she's around this side of the mountain."
"Let me see that." Shuuya reached for the GPS. Yoshi snatched it away, keeping it close to his body. If Shuuya saw the GPS, then show's over, folks. Got to think on my feet here. He's not as stupid as he looks.
"I think I can fix it, don't worry about it. For now, let's keep walking." His voice lost its steady for a moment, quivering in the middle of his sentences. Why was it so damn dark outside? Yoshitoki walked, not caring how suspicious Shuu might or might not be. Okay, that was a whole lie. His nerves stood on end, every sense tingled.
Here we go, you can do this.
It was dark, but he could make out just enough of the bulky figure to know who it was. He had the jump on him; his back was turned. Yoshi looked over at Shuuya and handed him the tracker, not listening to his surprise. "Fix it," was all Yoshi mumbled and he raised his gun, ready to make this shot count for something.
"Yoshi--?!!!"
"I WANT TO FEEEEEEL!"
BANG!!
It sounded like an explosion. Yoshitoki fired frantically into its direction. BANG! BANG! BANG!
And with every shot he fired, he couldn't feel more alive knowing that soon enough, someone else wouldn't be feeling very much anymore.
((OOC: YOSHITOKI KUNINOBU attempts on KAZUO KIRIYAMA. Kill, wound, or fail? Wait for mod post to vote. :D PC Control approved by Gabrielle, yay~))
Two pounds, that's all it must have weighed, but everything that came with it made it feel more like twenty or ten. Never took a shot with it for fear of attracting bad company. Once someone had the jump on you, you might as well be squashed. The imagery made Yoshi laugh a little, something that sounded more like choking than outright laughter.
Nine to go. Kayoko's name had been on the report and that was that, the end for her. A deep part of him was relieved to be rid of her. It meant not having her to spread his name around in hate. Hate.
His throat felt impossibly dry. He had already drowned himself in the water bottles, desperately trying to wash the blood off of himself. The red, now faded to an orangey brown, stayed stuck on his fingers. It sickened him. It was one thing to be playing the game, but another to be really signalling it out to the world. Smelling like blood killed the element of surprise entirely, even if some of it was his own. Not like anyone would understand. Yoshitoki sniffled.
He had a feeling he would remember that smell for the rest of his life. The look in Toshinori's eyes. Kayoko's cries. Yoshi tried to smother it all away, pointing his gun at every rustle in the forest. There was a reason to take down everyone now. A real reason to live. He had seen the face of death and survived it. Nobu was alive.
Something sounded like feet running. Running fast, running hard in this direction. It almost sounded frantic, like somebody being chased. Yoshitoki readied his gun, backing up towards a pile of bushes. Whomever it was had to be crazy. They were making too much noise. Why? Pounding, more pounding, that was his heart driving away.
One shot, Yoshitoki, that's all it takes. It's gonna be their last mistake.
The Browning Buckmark Bullseye was shaking, all too eager to make its mark in the middle of the board. They're coming-- His mind went into overdrive. What if this was some sort of distraction? A trap to get him to fire at one person only to have another shoot him in the head? Tactics. But, no. There was no way someone got around him that fast. Yoshitoki had been awake the whole time. Except for when he had dozed off.
Relax -- shoot to kill. As soon as they come into view. As soon as you can see 'em
(one mississippi, two mississippi)
As soon as
BANG!!
Too early. The bullet hit air, his body stumbling from the unexpected recoil. Again, again. He knew enough to know that his target was another boy, one of the only ones left in the game. Everything in a flash. The trees blocked out too much of the waning light, shading out his face. Damn it. Yoshi collected his balance, took aim to make a headshot.
Sh...?
Shuuya.
Shuuya.
His stomach swallowed his lungs.
"Yoshitoki!! Whoah, stop, it's me." A voice too familiar, too close for comfort. He was laughing happily, not a hint of hysteria underlining his laughter, despite the fact he'd just had a bullet shot at him. Maybe he was too blind, too glad, too glad to be with his best friend again. "Yoshi, man... I can't believe it's you. I can't fucking believe it's you. I mean, I knew it would be, but...damn, it's you."
The gun, along with all the hostility and silent reverie he had amped himself up with, slipped out of his hand and fell to the grass.
"Ah, Shuuya," Eyes darted all over his friend's body. He could smell the same kind of smell that Yoshitoki was carrying with him. Blood, unmistakenable. Months ago, he might not have recognized it, but, here on the island, he had almost found an unshakeable friend in that scent. "It's you." His throat ran itself coarse, not knowing what to say. You, too, Shuu?
There was a silver gun in one of Shuuya's hands and a squarish, blinking object. They shone brightly in the dark. "Yoshi, I-I..." He pulled Yoshi into a tight, brotherly embrace. "It's really you."
"Yeah, it's me." Well, this was anticlimactic. Everything felt like it was bricking him in the head. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Trade notes or something? Go on a killing spree? Yeah, right. Their meeting had come a little too late. Alone was what he had to be now. He had already accepted it, and now a dramatic change of plans.
"I should've found you sooner, I'm so sorry." Shuuya's body shook. "It's just--God, so much happened. You wouldn't believe how much I've gone through. You, you're okay, right? Right?"
"Define okay," Yoshi winced when Shuuya released him from his hug. He hadn't realized just how many hits Toshinori had landed on him. He'd have to check himself for bruises later. To make it look like nothing was wrong, Yoshitoki bluffed a smile onto his face, only half as wide as Shuu's. "I've gone through my fair share of stuff, too."
"I've gone through so much shit, Yoshi. This game, everyone... But, now you're here. And everything's going to be okay again."
It's funny, he had wanted to say the same thing to Noriko if he had found her. What kind, meaningless bullshit.
Shuuya continued, "Faith. Always had it." There were tears in his eyes. The rockstar-in-training wore his heart on his sleeve like it was his best accessory. And it was, just not here. It didn't belong here. No one did. C'mon, don't make me cry again. Yoshitoki had shed enough tears by himself to fill an ocean. "If only I had found you sooner. Wow, now, it's you right here."
"Please, don't cry. You're such a crybaby, sometimes." It was supposed to be a joke, but his voice sounded too flat in its delivery.
"Stay, Yoshitoki. I don't want you to leave me, ever." Something flashed in Shuuya's eyes that caught Yoshitoki off guard. Something serious that wasn't supposed to be there. It made Yoshi step back a little, only to have Shuu drop everything he was holding and grab onto his arms. Kept him in place when he tried to shake off his grip. "We have to stick together from now on. Trust me on this. I know I sound weird, but, look all around us. People...I can't believe it...nine left."
"Okay, okay. Yeah. Nine left. You're hurting me." Look at those odds. Shuuya loosened his hold on Yoshitoki. "Things are getting down to the wire, huh? We've got, like, four reports to go. Less than a day." He wished he had something heavier to say about it. Those were the cold, blunt facts of it. Four reports and it was over, all within so many hours. How many hours did they have left, anyway?
"I know. It sucks." He looked as deflated as Yoshi felt. It made Yoshi want to cry. "You're here, at least. I'm glad I found you before, you know, before anything happened." It seemed like Shuu was finally looking at him, staring at him up and down. "You look terrible. I don't mean that for real, but... Your lip's bleeding."
"Oh yeah," Yoshitoki didn't know whether to admit the truth or run with a lie. "Had a bit of an accident." A half-truth. "It was dark the other night and I ran myself into a tree branch. Real nasty. I must've reopened my lip somehow." He rubbed at it with the back of his hand. It hurt.
"Don't do that, you're gonna make it bleed more." There was that look again. Honest concern.
"Everything with you is honest, isn't it?" Yoshitoki put his thumb over the split. "You can't lie about anything, can you?"
"Huh, where's this coming from?" He looked slightly amused. "We should find somewhere to sit down. Why not over there?" He gestured over to a tall, winding tree, then walked over and sat down, not forgetting to pick up their fallen weaponry. Two guns, one of the guns being Yoshi's, and the odd-looking device sat out before them. Yoshi took his seat next to Shuuya.
Yoshi got the sense that if there was any moment to get everything out into the open, then this was it. Almost like a final goodbye because when the end came, there might not be another chance. Everything went quiet. It was a quiet that sounded more comfortable than awkward and the two boys fell into it, staring out into nothing.
Do you know how easy it would be for me to just pick up one of these guns and shoot you in the head? You'd never even expect it, would you? He glanced over at Shuuya's gentle face. I could end this for you so easily. I could be your worst mistake. One shot and that's that.
"Baron Gong." What? That was random. "Remember that show? Two from one. We used to copy all of the moves. Haha, change combine. We must have been crazy little kids." Shuu laughed.
"No, you were the crazy one." Yoshi joined in. "Hey, you remember Eddie? I loved that dog. When he was around, it was always you, me, and Eddie always getting into trouble. I even taught him how to roll over. He made everyone laugh, didn't he? Best dog in the whole world. I miss him. Don't you miss him?"
"Yeah, those were the days. And remember when..."
They talked and they talked about the past. It almost made Yoshitoki forget that they were still in the game. Do you remember when this and that happened? Remember that one time in gym class, how you split your pants right open? Haha, I won't forget the look on your face, Shuu. Remember how we used to jump off of the swings, no matter how high up in the air we were? Remember when I ran myself into the wall and lost a tooth? Remember that time when you played your first song on guitar? You were terrible! Hahaha.
Wish we could be little kids again, running around and making fools of ourselves. Simpler times, my friend. Life was easy. Wish Eddie was still around. Wish we could hang out at the Charity House. Wish this was over. Wonder what Ms. Ryoko's doing. Wonder if she's feeling okay. She must be worried. And things turned dark again.
"As soon as we get out of here, Yoshi, I'm gonna play for hours and hours." Shuuya gritted his teeth. "This is gonna make for one hell of a song."
"As soon as we get out of here? What, you got some kind of plan?" Yoshitoki felt dizzy. Plan this, plan that, never do anything worthwhile.
"I...um..." Shuu looked uncomfortable. "I mean, we were trying to, at the start, but, then...you know... Things kind of went to shit. It was me and Mim at first, until we found Sakura, and..."
Yoshitoki learned about how they were supposed to escape together. Everybody. It sounded like they had gotten along a lot further than Yoshi's stunted ideas. But, Shinji left them for some reason and got killed. Not on purpose, but killed anyway. Then, it was Shuu and Sakura, then he had to go back and get something. This was when it was raining.
Comparing timelines in his head, Yoshitoki figured that that must have been around the time when he had seen Kazuo. Maybe sometime before. And sure enough, Kazuo put in an appearance in Shuu's story. Cut him. So, that's where the bloody smell had come from. Not from someone else. Distance; so he wasn't a killer after all.
"Yeah, I saw him, too. It must've been hours before you saw him, I don't know." Yoshi interrupted. "I had been hanging out in a house over at F6. When I came out, I saw him messing with Mitsuru and Keita's bodies. I think he killed them. I still have no fucking clue why." He shook his head. "Luckily, he didn't see me."
"How long were you there? Were you there alone?" Shuuya asked, his voice nervous.
"Well, I was there with Yuka and Yutaka. I know, weird team, right? Too weird." He sighed. "They--" Yoshitoki stopped himself. There was an angle to be played here. Give him a reason to make it okay to kill her. No, no. Yuka's alright. I don't have to kill her right now. I mean, I would have left me too if I were her. "They left to get some air or something. I don't know. They left me a note and left me behind, how shitty is that? But I'm not holding it against either of them."
"Hey, that's weird. I was with Shinji and you were with Yutaka."
"I know. And nothing much has happened to me, either." Yoshitoki shifted. "Running into a tree has been the most exciting thing to happen to me. You got any more that happened to you?" He looked over at Shuuya's little device. Interesting. It looked kind of like some weird video game or something.
"Yeah..." He looked broken. "There's more."
Yoshi changed the subject. "Hey, did you get the bonus weapon?" He picked up the handheld. On closer inspection, it looked like a GPS tracker of some kind, full of grids and numbers. There was a + sign next to a 7 and a 15. "What is this thing? It's like a map or something."
"More than a map," The smile returned to his face. "It's what brought me to you. See, it tells you where everyone is. All the people are numbers. Sakura's the 4. Yuka's the 16. Megumi's the 3. Kawada's the 5, and so on. Where the GPS is is the center plus sign. With this, we can find everyone."
"Wow, you were assigned this?" Rage fired up from his stomach. Noriko. The other 15. With the GPS, he could have, should have found her and rescued her for Yoshitoki. Shit. "Did you have this the whole fucking time, Shuuya? Don't you know what you could have done with this? A fucking GPS scanner!!"
"Wait, Yoshitoki, calm down! No, I didn't have it the whole time." Shuuya's smile left him, replaced with a harsh line. "It wouldn't have taken me so long to be with you if I had had it."
"Then, how'd you get it?" It took Yoshitoki all the strength he had to keep from punching Shuuya right where Kazuo had slashed him.
"I told you there was more. Yoshi, you have to promise not to leave me, okay? I can't have you leave me." There it was. That deflated look, like a beat dog. The anger released from Yoshi's face. "I don't want to be alone again."
"You won't be. I've got more to tell you, too. I wasn't done telling my story." Why hide it? Obviously, Shuuya had his own skeletons in the closet. Might as well let them all out at once. He reached over and picked up Shuuya's gun. Silver. Weird. Something about it seemed odd. "But, maybe we can save it for later."
It's the same gun. Yoshitoki knew this gun from somewhere. He had had it point right at his face before. Twice. It was the same one he had wrestled Toshinori for. The same one that Kotohiki had made stare him in the face. Same fucking gun. His heart sped up. So, that means... You and Kayoko...
The only way that it made sense was if Shuuya had killed her. Just like how he was wearing Oda's blood, Shuuya was wearing Kayoko's. It all fit together. When Kayoko told him that he was going to keep on living to see everyone he loved die, she had had Shuu in mind. And, what? Shuuya, you actually...you, of all people...
Yoshitoki exhaled sharply. "Don't tell me anymore. I don't care what happened between you and whomever else." I don't want to hear you say it. "Whatever happened, save it. You can tell me later." How about never? You weren't supposed to fall from grace, too.
Then again, we do what we have to do. Kill because we have to. The thought didn't help him relax very much. It was a matter of time before Shuuya would get some sense into his naive little head and off Yoshitoki. He had the chance. There were plenty of openings. And how was Yoshi supposed to carry on killing (I hate that word) with virtuous Shuu around?
"But, Yoshitoki--"
"It doesn't matter right now," Yoshi hissed. "Let's stop talking about it. We've got to get a move on. We should find people and try out a plan. I've got one, too. Maybe not as good as Mim's, but...whatever. You said the word before. Faith."
"Yeah!!" Shuuya was back to his usual cheery self. "You serious, man? You've really got a plan?"
"Mmhm. I don't know if it'll work, exactly. Um, faith." He got up from the ground, holding the tracker and Shuuya's gun. "Looks like people are moving around. We should do the same, huh?" He wiped his lip. It hadn't stopped bleeding. "First, we should find Sakura and Yuka. They're both in C7. We're in G8. If we hurry, they'll still be there." Another half-truth.
"C7...isn't that the zone with the mountains?"
"Yeah. Stop giving me that weird look," Yoshitoki laughed. "Let's get going. Race you there. Everything's clear." He picked up his bag and strapped it across his body. "Just like old times, huh?" Yoshi handed the silver pistol off to Shuuya, then picked up his own gun and started running, GPS in one hand and gun in the other.
If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend like they were kids playing tag.
* * *
C7. It took a lot longer than he had thought to reach the mountains. Stopping to catch his breath, he glanced down at the scanner. Once I'm out of here, I swear I'll never run again. Five numbers cluttered the zone. 5, 6, 7, 15, 16. All in order, sort of. I hadn't been planning on 6, but you know what? A two-for-one special, then.
The plan? Eliminate the real threats left on the island. Maybe it was a little too obvious. He looked over at Shuuya, watching him regain air. Looks like he wasn't as fit at running as Yoshitoki had thought. Or, maybe the island's put a lot of stress on him. They caught eyes. Yoshi looked away.
"Shit, I should have been looking at the GPS when we were running." Yoshitoki said, making care to sound particularly stressed.
"What happened?" Shuuya walked closer for a look.
"I think Sakura's wandered out of the zone. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it. It's okay." He smiled gently, not an ounce of blame anywhere to be found. Yoshitoki could see why so many girls liked him. It put an unpleasant twist in his stomach. "Yuka's still here, right?"
Yoshi shrugged. "I'm not sure. The GPS is freaking out on me. I think it might be broken. We should keep walking. Maybe she's around this side of the mountain."
"Let me see that." Shuuya reached for the GPS. Yoshi snatched it away, keeping it close to his body. If Shuuya saw the GPS, then show's over, folks. Got to think on my feet here. He's not as stupid as he looks.
"I think I can fix it, don't worry about it. For now, let's keep walking." His voice lost its steady for a moment, quivering in the middle of his sentences. Why was it so damn dark outside? Yoshitoki walked, not caring how suspicious Shuu might or might not be. Okay, that was a whole lie. His nerves stood on end, every sense tingled.
Here we go, you can do this.
It was dark, but he could make out just enough of the bulky figure to know who it was. He had the jump on him; his back was turned. Yoshi looked over at Shuuya and handed him the tracker, not listening to his surprise. "Fix it," was all Yoshi mumbled and he raised his gun, ready to make this shot count for something.
"Yoshi--?!!!"
"I WANT TO FEEEEEEL!"
BANG!!
It sounded like an explosion. Yoshitoki fired frantically into its direction. BANG! BANG! BANG!
And with every shot he fired, he couldn't feel more alive knowing that soon enough, someone else wouldn't be feeling very much anymore.
((OOC: YOSHITOKI KUNINOBU attempts on KAZUO KIRIYAMA. Kill, wound, or fail? Wait for mod post to vote. :D PC Control approved by Gabrielle, yay~))