Day One: Morning

[Yamu]

Yamu and Paragus walked, not stealthily exactly, but both had a visible air of readiness. The two men were compressed springs, coiled snakes ready to strike at a moment?s notice?but that did not mean there was no time for camaraderie.

The unlikely pair sat down for a rest and a snack at the top of a low rise that gave them an excellent view of the surrounding clearing. The small thicket they sat in gave them a little cover and a clear site range in every direction.

?Let me see that bat of yours, Yamu.? The one eyed warrior asked as they both sipped their water. The ebony eyed Earthling flipped the bat, grabbing it by the head and offering the handle to Paragus. ?Nice?I expected it to be lighter?? he surveyed the wooden weapon slowly rotating it in his hands. ?Who?s ?Kari???

Yamu leaned his hand forward, silently asking for the symmetrical club back. He spun it over his head with a wink?



Kari Nor jumped up with alarm. That was the signal?Yamu meant her to go to bed now. She pouted a little as Moira escorted her to her bunk even if her eye lids had been getting heavy for some time there, it had been a long night waiting for the opening of the Dante?s Abyss.

The small girl rested her head on the hologram?s chest. ?You?ll wake me up if he gets into a fight, won?t you Moira?

?Of course, sweetie. Right now you need some sleep so you can watch the rest??

?Thank you?? she gave the artificial being a kiss on the cheek before rolling out of her arms and into her bunk.

Moira left the room, but stood outside the door, rubbing the spot on her cheek where the little girl had kissed?wishing she could feel it.



Yamu knew his young ward was now fast asleep so he began, ?I led a campaign on Arlia not to long ago, a lot of people died but their Civil War is finally over. A girl name Kari?s parents got caught in the crossfire when one of my agents self-detonated in order to take down a rival. Truthfully?it was a miracle the girl survived and yet another that she was found in time to rescue her. I owe it to all those who died to at least take care of her and I have been ever since. That name reminds me not only of my debt to her, but all of Arlia.?

?Probably should have engraved it on Rocket Launcher.?

Yamu laughed, ?I like this,? he held the smooth weapon up to his face, ??I started fighting close quarters, it is what I?m good at. Plus, wood is easier to engrave then metal.? The two shared a weak laugh, happy for any distraction from the game albeit brief or lame. ?What about you? What are you doing in this game??

Paragus shrugged as he took a long swig, ?I?m a professional fighter, y?know? Where else would I be??

An explosion over Yamu?s head sent both men into a prone position, scanning every direction for the attack. The both looked at where the explosion had come from and saw a perfect hole blown clear through the tree.

They heard a sardonic laugh and both looked up to see a cyan haired girl toting a machine gun walking across the clearing. ?You should really keep your guard up, Yamu. I was tempted to aim just a little farther down!?

Yamu smiled, a mixture of happiness and irritation, ?Normal people say ?hello?, not hand out heart attacks.?

?I?m special like that, plus, if I?m going to kill you it will be in the Finals!?

Another familiar face crossed behind her.

?Jeice?!? Paragus and Yamu spoke in unison, then looked at each other. ?You should have said something?? Both stared at the other and decided to greet the new arrivals instead of saying the same thing at the same time again.

Pleasantries and introductions were short, all four knew why they were there and making friends did not even make the list. Everyone was a little surprised the others knew each other, but the fighting community could be quite small sometimes.

?So, have either of you two seen any actions yet?? Yamu asked as they set off once again, with no particular goal in mind.

?No?just her nearly turning me to swiss cheese!? Jeice joked as they hiked deeper into the woods.

?None of us? None of us have had a fight yet?? Eight eyes looked back and forth from one another with a twinge of shame. ?C?mon, this is DANTE, fighting is what this game is all about! This is the only place where the entire Quadrant can see you fight, where a nobody can become a celebrity. It is a travesty that all of u have gone this long without seeing at least a little blood?? With that he turned in a flair of his cloak deeper into the woods.

The always curious Paragus asked, ?Where are we going??

?To kill someone.?

Bulma pressed the muzzle of her gun to his chest, ?Then I?ll take the lead.?

?And why is that?? He asked pumping up every inch of his height and bulk to tower over the young woman.

?Because I have this and you have ?Kari?.?

He smiled, ?Just you wait?see how much damage I do with this compared to you with that when we finally fight.?

Jeice and Paragus rolled their eyes and gave each other a look, hoping the other two did not always have spats like that.