Day Two: Afternoon

[Burter]

Day Two
Noon - 6:00 PM

The sun was up once again for Day Two, way above everybody's head.

"The pace is slipping, little warriors. 31 are left, it's the middle of the Day Two and you only have a few days before everybody loses! Get a move on: this ISN'T a camping trip!

Here is the death list:

#03 Android 18
#14 Pikkon

And now, it's time to announce the new forbidden zones! These zones will be activated in six hours! If you're in one of these spots at noon...BOOM! Hehe!

A2
C7

That's it! Good luck, all!

This is Karl, over and out!"

[Burter]

Face to Face

Cell Jr

Super Buu

The puttalin warrior known as Super Buu had seen a lot of strange things in his lifetime, but this had to rank up there in the top ten. As he stopped his bicycle, his eyes gazed upon a moving cardboard box (literally moving), branches sticking out from the side and a faint 'ku ku ku' coming out of it.

"Damn," he muttered, "I'm already hallucinating."

The box continued to shuffle to the side, a few feet at a time. Buu just sat there on his bike, trying to make sense of what could possess the object to move. Was it running away from home. Did it have abusive parents? Maybe box-families weren't as tight as people made them out to be. This box was obviously lonely...and needed a friend.

After setting his bike aside, Buu moved to walk along the box and see what it's problem was. "So, uh," he began, "What's your story...box."

The 'ku ku ku' stopped, but the box continued moving (perhaps faster). Obviously, Buu got no answer.

"Come on," Buu reasoned with his hallucination. "No need to be shy. I'm here to be your friend, little box. Can't we just be friends?"

Again, no response. Buu frowned.

"You know, it's rude not to answer when spoken to," he insisted. "Don't take advantage of my friendliness, Mr. Box. You hear me?"

You guessed it. No response.

Super Buu growled and set his hand atop the box. "Fine then, take this you ungrateful little peice of cardboard!" With a flash of ki, the top of the box ripped apart and the energy blast knocked the driver of the cardboard upside the head.

"Ouch!" Came a voice inside the box.

Buu blinked. Did the box say ouch? "Oh, so NOW you talk, huh?"

Cell Jr, from in the box, raised it up a bit and slammed his foot down onto Super Buu's in order to distract him. "Ha!"

"Fuck!" Buu grunted, raising his foot and grabbing it, hopping along as he carrassed it. "Motherfucker! That was my foot! You stupid box! Damn you! I'll get you next time, box! NEXT TIME, IT'S YOU AND ME!"

It was too late. Mr. Cardboard Box was long gone, shouting 'ku ku ku' all the way home.

31 Remain

The top of CJ's box has a hole in it.

[Tapion]

Thump thump?thump thump?thump thump?

The sickening beat reverberated itself throughout the otherwise tranquil jungle, bouncing off trees, echoing through valleys, and ringing continually through the roiling, colorless, fog which now occupied the non-transformer?s mind. Undisturbed the beat continued its belligerent pattern, the seconds had long ago grown into minutes, and the minutes were on the verge of an hour.

Thump thump?thump thump?thump thump?

The sound continued. Like a beating heart exposed to the word, the timely rhythm showed no sign of slowing. The enduring noise now rang through Tapion?s very body, his hands shook almost in rhythm to the devilish beat as his mind tried fruitlessly to block it out.

Nearly sixty full minutes had since passed since the deadly duo had first stumbled upon the lifeless body of the very man whom had once dared to shove a knife within their backs. As if death hadn?t been enough penance for his foolish mistake, the inanimate warrior?s corps now found itself strung up upon the front door of what appeared to be a school. His hands bolted into the thick wood of the building with dual piercing metal nails preventing any chance of escape.

With fists now soaked in blood, but with a grimace which showed a thirst for vengeance still not quenched, Retane continued unloading strike after strike into the helpless body.

Thump thump?thump thump?thump thump?

Death was one thing; after all, the entire sport of this game was murder. But as he sat with his back facing the brutal sc?ne of violence unfolding just behind him, Tapion couldn?t help but feel the inners of his stomach coming up into his throat.

The cold blooded namekian who now had resorted to brutality far beyond the normal realm of thought, was truly beginning to show signs of unfolding. His brow glistened with sweat, his heavy panting coming in much too frequent intervals, but despite his own fatigue and almost complete energyless state?he continued.

Placing the dirtied palms of his hands over his eyes, Tapion wondered. Was this man the same I forged an alliance with, or is this someone else? His appearance showed no hint of change, but his mental stability was certainly in question. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out one of his remaining explosives, the non-transformer questioned whether his emerald ally needed to be put down, before he became a danger to himself?and more importantly the group.

After a moment of rubbing his thumb across the slick black surface of the military issued weapon, Tapion?s mind quickly concluded the answer to his question. It?s better to aligned with the crazies then to be fighting them.

Just then through the inners of the school a glimpse of a shadow suddenly caught the attention of the non-transformer. With a now wide open grin only one thought passed through the crimson haired fighter?s mind. Good thing I hadn't put away my grenade yet?

[Bardock]

This tracking device was a truly magnificent thing indeed. Bardock managed to successfully circumvent any players in his path, making sure to note each and every location and attempting to analyze their possible movements. He got a chuckle when a few of the red blips clashed. However, some of the larger groups worried him. It would be too much to hope that they would all kill each other in the end.

As much as he had been adamant against moving in groups, they provided a little security until some of the stronger allied players were taken out. He growled low in his throat. It was time to change tactics, if only temporarily. He didn?t need much convincing.

?No blind trust,? he whispered to the winds. ?Get in, get what you need, get out.?

Now for the hard part: who was willing to take him in?

He glanced at the GPS. A bunch of blips were convening towards the same spot. Now was as good a time as ever. The saiya-jin put some hustle in the muscle and approached a large ridge. He skidded to a stop and leered over the edge. Three warriors were approaching, as the machine had told him. Bardock couldn?t help but smirk. He knew every single one of them. The fighter silently exhaled, stowing his GPS in his bag.

Now or never.

With a mighty leap, he jumped into the air, did a quick aerial flip for show, and landed in crouch before the wandering trio. Slowly, he stood to his full height, showing his face.

?Hello,? he said bluntly, cocking his head. He nodded to Bra, and pointedly removed his sunglasses. ?Nice to see you again,? he continued slowly, his good eye roving around the group.

Prince Vegeta, wounded. Reijin, a proud saiyan, no doubt the head of the party.

?What are you doing here?? one of them asked.

?I need a friend, and you need what I have to offer,? he answered, smiling cryptically. A hand grazed the trigger of his holstered pistol. ?Unless you want to give it a go. Either way.?

[Retane]

(Before Tapion's post)

The duo had pastthe school once, notiving thqat it was a wreck and moved on. Retane stopped though, turning back as he smelt the putrid glimpse of death, an old rival, and a namekian. His gun was at his side, and his trigger happy finger ready to unload when aimed. They stalked to the front doors of the school and with a masive increase of power, te doors sprang open. They saw nothing but a ghost school, no sound of life came to the warriors' ears, not even a creak or groan of old age.

Retane moved on, casually, letting his nose guide him to the scent. He paused only for a moment to retreive the extra backpack that rested in a locker, and tossed it to Tapion, who knew to salvage everything, even the pack itself. They both haulted as they came across a disfigured face of their betrayer, the wannabe-Namek Pikkon. He was dead, just as the announcer had said and it only bothered the namekian even more. A namek had killed him. That was obvious from the stench that lingered.

The mercenary turned to Tapion and pointed at the camera room close by, "Get the films and anything we may need." Tapion nodded and complied. Retane on the oter hand had other plans. He grabbed the legs of the dead foe and began to pull him towards the outside. A streak of blood follwed the path of the alien but the traces did not hinder the namek from seeing through to his actions.

As he reached the outside, his broken wrist aching he leaned over and hoisted the corpse to his shoulder. Tapion came out with a machine and a few disc and stared at his comrade with a weird look. Retane only grabbed his gun and stamped a nail in one of the hands, then placed the other hand upon the second of the double doors and nailt it as well, leaving Pikkons body dangling there, limp. The mercenary then shoved his head up, and gave him two fresh new ear rings.

He sneered at his art work, then smiled as he slammed a face into the deceased Pikkon. It wasnt enough though. Retane had to hit him again and again and again and again! He kept on hitting the face of the green humanoid.

(After Tapions Post)

Retane let out a gluttorial growl as the two ears finally ripped from the nails. He reached for his gun and pressed it up against Pikkons forhead and loosed a nail, pinning what use to be a cranium to the doors as well.

When he turned and stalked off, Tapion was looking off, paranoid of sort. The savage namekian only stalked straight in the vicinity that he was looking. A squirel scattered to be from in his way and the namekian only frowned. He wanted that fickle namekian!

"Why?" Is all Tapion could ask.

"I figured it should be a Holy School." Retane's sour humor didn't catch the Konats sense for a second till he understood and only offered a glint of a smile. The assassin watched all of his ally's actions from the corner of his eye.

[Kami]

The scouter started to blip faintly as traces of fighters began to emerge in the distance. Kami tapped the side to make sure it was working properly and the blips remained. Someone was out there, the only question was who. "You think we might have company soon Jack?" The pirate was chugging along next to the Namekian, not missing a single stride.

"Captain Jack," he corrected, "And yes, somehow the wonders of this island might possibly allow us to be graced by the presence of someone else."

Kami was taken aback by the rather smooth word choice of the pirate and was once again reminded of how good he must be at what it is exactly that he does with his time.

The duo carried onward, their eyes set on the horizon.

Kami let his mind wander for a moment, the long hours of waiting had begun to wear on him only a bit. He was here to find a fight worthy of his time and energy. It was part of the reason he didn't try and pick a fight with the pirate. He might've assumed too little and got himself into trouble.

Jack spoke while they ran. "Not to be out place mate, but why might an older individual such as yourself be in a place such as this." Jack hopped over an old log, "What keeps you movin' along eh?"

The Namekian warrior smiled and said only a few simple words.
"Just remember what ol' Kami does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Kami just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, "Give me your best shot. I can take it." "

[King Cold444]

Cold figured they were lost, though Koola swore otherwise. He didn't know where they were and it was more upsetting to him then it would've been under other circumstances. Taking a deep breath and a bite out of the loaf of bread that had done its time in the bottom of his bag, he motioned to Koola. Naturally the boy thought Cold had spotted an enemy and upholstered a ball of ki, tearing through a rabbit or something. KC couldn't tell what it used to be before turning to a stain.

"We need to stock up on food, otherwise we'll just be fatigued when we run into someone." The emperor looked over his shoulder, to the mess that Koola made and jabbed a thumb towards it. "It'll probably look like that when we're through with them... y'know, for their food."

"I'm low on rations myself." Koola sighed, returning from his bag of supplies. The distant popping and crackling had them aware that Karl was probably getting ready to speak, as he had every bit of hours. King Cold couldn't help but wonder if Karl got any sleep these past two days.

"The pace is slipping little warriors." The dominating voice of their host sounded from all about them, projecting through much of the island.

By now Cold and Koola slumped down and examined their weaponry, making sure it remained functional. The rifle sat quite well at Colds hip and, when he was ready to use it, his good hand was quick on the draw. Honestly, he sat there practicing his adeptness with the weapon. It wasn't fashioned to be proportional to the size of an intergalactic alien of his standing, but he could squeeze the trigger and that's all that mattered.

"You know, I'm beginning to think that the host is a fag." Cold snarled, his lips curling back to reveal his teeth. "And where do they keep the equipment?"

Uniformly, he announced the dead--without respects--and danger zones. Then he was gone, for hours of doing whateverthefuck he did. Did he even watch this thing?

A low crackling and moan of electricity caused Cold to turn about, facing Koola with his designated weapon.

"What happens if you taze someone in the head for a while?" Cold was unfamiliar with the weaponry, though he knew each could be as deadly as the next. He'd rather pull limb from limb anyday of the week.

"I dunno... They'd die." Koola answered. Cold knew this, of course.

"Will their heads blow up? I mean these weapons are tuned to kill the most potent of warriors." Cold replied. He was anxious to see what electricity did to the brain and promised himself to aim a tad bit more for the face next time he pulled the trigger.

The sun was high and, although the spoke on the vantage provided by the cloak of nightfall, they would hunt to secure a proper meal by nightfall. Someone on the damned island had to have jerky.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see." Koola responded.

"That's what I like to hear," Cold scrambled to his feet without Koola's aid. A grin, despite his injury, plastered his features. "Lets get a move on."

Koola probably noticed the violet secretion pooled where KC sat, but he knew better than to mention it if the dying man wished to keep it out of their discussion.

[Vegeta]

The Prince rose from where he rested, holding the bandages Bra had helped apply after his rib injury. Bardock stood across from the group, hovering an uneasy hand above his weapon. The great saiyan prince didn?t think he could win the fight, but maybe he was still a decent diplomat.

?What are you doing here?? Bra chimed in, finally cutting the tense atmosphere. Reijin remained still, formulating his next move like a grand chess master. Vegeta approached the newcomer, as he replied.

?I need a friend, and you need what I have to offer. Unless you want to give it a go.? The saiyajin hinted a smile, it made the Prince uneasy. ?What does he have to smile about?? He wondered.

A slight pause, long enough for the air to grow completely silent. Even the island seemed to hush waiting for a reply. ?Ha!? Vegeta made an exaggerated laughing gesture, ?What could you have that we need?? Everyone kept one eye on the ki pistol attached to Bardock?s side until he slid the device from his satchel. A starscape of blinking lights faded across the map of the island, some moving while others (theirs included) remained still.

Vegeta?s eyes expanded past any reasonable size, ?So we can finally get the jump on them? Anyone who sits still is in trouble then? Well, Bardock. You?ve got a team? for now. I?ll kill you personally if you try anything.? The prince slumped onto a rock and began picking at the grass. He appeared relaxed but the rest of the group remained frozen in disbelief.

[Warako]

'ku ku ku' laughed Cell Junior as he scurried away from his former Outcast ally in hopes of saving his own tail.

After a brief waddle through shrubbery and high grass, CJ made his way to another stretch of plains as he perked up, his cerulean shelled head slowly rising from the new hole in the top of his box.

"Up Eye-scope," chuckled the little monster as he rotated his neck around to look at the surrounding area. "Where to next? Um."

With nothing but a flat stretch of land before his eyes, there wasn't much of a choice the young boy could make but to pick a direction, which he did so without hesitation.

'That way should work,' pondered the cardboard hermit who began his movement towards his next destination, all the while perking his head from the hole like the 'Whack A' Mole' game only to spot any possible Mole Whackers.

[Yamu]

Yamu felt like they were going in circles, but truthfully everything had looked the same on the island except for the Hill and the Farm. The hairless human had drawn a little barn on his map where they had found the quaint structures, the food they had packed would only last two or three days and he was determined to not let hunger be a factor in the game.

The three of them would talk in snippets or share a quick joke as they hiked, but none of them wanted to give their position away so talk was short and soft as the sun was up high. The all felt a sense of foreboding, the night had been so calm the day would surely make up for it. The trio was tense on constant alert for the slightest threats. The mental down time let the Arlian Guardian?s imagination wander, as hard as he tried to pay attention to his surroundings day dreams of what the future might hold bubbled up, unwanted, into his brain.

?So, Yamu, ever heard the one about the Namek on Arlia?? Jeice said with a smile as he edged backwards a little so he only had to talk just above a whisper, ?He goes up to the King and asks him-?

?Shss!? Paragus hissed, dropping to a kneeling position with his gun sighted an aimed. Right behind his warning all three of their scouters went off showing two power signatures directly in front of them. Paragus?s one good eye was very good, indeed. The warriors took cover, S-man hissing as he followed Jeice behind a low outcropping of rocks.

The two readings stopped moving forward just as they took cover.

Of course their scouters would have picked us up as well?

Luckily, from their cover Yamu could see the others clearly clearly, like they had lined up behind an incomplete breast works, parallel but just not continuous coverage.

None of them knew any official hand signals but a short pantomime from Yamu was all that was needed and a quick nod back from the other two put them all on the same page. They had strayed off the road and the trees were thick here, you couldn?t see past fifty feet without a wall of wood keeping your vision form going any further. They would use the thick woods to their advantage.

Paragus sprang up from the mass of logs and began spraying a volley ki bullets in a wide arc, erupting trees and creating a hellish drum solo that resonated outward. Jeice and Yamu spun and dashed forward, their melee weapons itching for bloos and their saibaman on the front line, giggling in his eagerness for violence.

The close quarters pair circled around the sides of the swath of destruction the one eyed Saiya-Jin was creating, hoping to flank the mysterious pair that had showed up on their scouters.

Just as Yamu turned the corner of a thick oak to where the bleep was, Celipa dropped from an overhanging limb in a shower of leaves and branches and planted her shotgun into Yamu?s chest. ?Yamu??

?Celipa?? They paused, giving each other a surprised look as the old Saiya-Jin?s bullets continued to ring out. ?HOLD YOUR FIRE!? The veiny titan shouted, his voice barely able to reach over the din the weapon created.

The rhythmic ?thump? of the gun stopped and Jeice yelled from deeper in the woods, ?Have you been captured, Yamu??

?NO! THEY?RE FRIENDS!? He pitched his voice lower, nodding his head towards the barrel pressed against his chest. ?Aren?t we??

The female Saiya-Jin flashed a wicked smile, ?For now, I guess. Bujin-?

Just then the rhythmic thumping sound started again and Celipa and Yamu had to duck as ki bullets smashed into the tree just behind them.

Yamu shouted from the ground, ?PARAGUS!?

?IT?S NOT ME!? He replied, searching frantically for the incoming assault.

Celipa began to shout but she began just then the gun stopped, making her seem way too excited in her loud volume, ?NO! IT IS?Bujin?? The blue fighter walked out from behind a tree, smoke streaming from his gun. ?Bujin! I was about to say you could come on out!?

?I couldn?t hear you over my gun??

?Well?that certainly counts as a good introduction.? Yamu tried to make a friendly smile, ?C?mon?we raided a farm and have some food. You?re welcome to join us, it?d be nice to get to know you?Bujin was it??

?Yeah, whatever?as long as it isn?t bread??

Paragus walked up, his gun shouldered. ?You sure about them, Yams??

?I?m sure about one of ?em at least. I know you feel it?something big is coming and them two have some firepower. I know you have felt it. The air has been heavy all day.? The Saiya-Jin nodded grimly. ?Let?s go fire up some of those cans and make some new friends, eh? Feels like we?ll need ?em.?

[Bujin]

Life was sure full of surprises. One moment Bujin and Celipa were wandering aimlessly out in the woods worrying about their food supply and the constant reoccurrence of tree-sighting. The next moment, however, the blue midget was randomly firing at a shadowed figure that might have been there. When he thought about it, Bujin realized that he was horrifically inexperienced when it came to fighting. When he didn?t, though, the situation turned into something similar to the one he was in now ? firing at someone when he didn?t necessarily have to. Finally realizing the situation at hand, he lowered his weapon and came out.

Celipa was standing next to the anti-Bujin ? a mountain of flesh with veins covering the visible parts of his body. Just looking up to get a glimpse of the man?s face was difficult for the small man, and a literal pain in the neck. They were chattering about something, but Bujin couldn?t make out what they were saying, as the firing of his weapon left a loud ringing in his ears. Two more men came out from the surrounding wilderness, not firing apparently from an order of the giant. Celipa turned and said something, and Bujin could just understand the latter part of her sentence.

??was about to say that you could come out!? Celipa revealed with her perma-smile. Bujin chuckled.

?I couldn?t hear you over my gun?? Bujin answered, meaning it.

***

The duo was invited along for some sort of meal around a campfire. It was awfully inappropriate considering the circumstances, because they all knew that they would eventually be trying to blow each other?s faces off. Regardless, Bujin was fucking tired of bread, and was willing to do anything to eat some real food. So they all sat around the glowing warmth of the flames, staring at each other over their food until someone had the guts to speak up.

?So?Yamu,? Bujin said, ?Can I ask you something??

Yamu looked up, almost surprised that Bujin said anything. Flashing a friendly smile anyway, he spoke back, ?Yeah??

?How the hell did you get so frickin? huge?? Bujin inquired, glaring at him a bit. The question provoked a loud laugh from the female Saiyan sitting next to him, as Bujin had never brought up his height issue around her. Hell, the blue man couldn?t remember a time when it mattered. However, upon meeting the huge man, Bujin felt particularly small and unimportant. He had to uncover his secret, if only to start a conversation. However, the giant just chuckled and stayed quiet. So much for conversation. The red man that they called Jeice, who was sitting across the fire from Bujin clicked his tongue.

?So?you guys kill anyone yet?? he inquired softly, not hinting any humor in his question whatsoever.

?Nah,? Celipa answered, ?Came close, though. Both of us.?

Their new-found friends nodded and murmured with familiarity.

?Well?surely you?ll get some kills if you travel with us,? the one-eyed man who introduced himself as Paragus commented.

Bujin opened his mouth to comment, but was halted by a fluttery giggle coming from within.

Heh, they sure are nice, Rae commented cheerfully. If not violent.

?What do you expect?? Bujin said to the voice softly, trying desperately to avoid attention from his slightly more tangible friends. ?We?re in a game that requires murdering other contestants.?

?Ah, true,? Paragus nodded, thinking that the blue man was speaking to him. Bujin, glancing around, chuckled nervously.

?So?when do you guys want to go kill stuff??

[Bra]

Vegeta looked up from his ever-growing handful of grass to place an icy glare directly onto Bardock?s face. He was behaving strangely for a warrior, almost recklessly. He?d completely let his guard down; evidently he was absolutely confident he could defeat Bardock should anything happen.

Bra didn?t take too much interest in the events. A deal had already been struck, there was nothing for her to add. Instead, she gingerly rubbed her wrist, gently playing back and forth against the soft material covering her arms.

Reijin glanced over. He?d noticed she had been doing that a lot since she woke up this morning. He shrugged it off, however, since there were more important things to do. Sauntering up to Bardock, he leaned closer into the global positioning system?s display. ?So, does this... ah, I see.? the younger saiyan said.

The cyan haired princess sighed, slowly making her way away from the group as Reijin and Bardock discussed either a route or an attack plan or... something. Bra didn?t care. Her father would prevent anything completely stupid from being decided upon, not that she doubted Reijin to begin with.

They had been walking for some time before Bardock had intruded, and thus they were too far away from the little house they had taken shelter in for the night. There was, however, a steep incline in the path that served very well as a chair, albeit an uncomfortable and very dusty one. Bra took her seat and stared down the trail she had just walked.

Playing with her wrist again, the princess hardly noticed the three sets of footsteps approaching her. A blast of ki energy erupted right next to her, hurling dust in her face. The shocked hybrid leapt to her feet, confused, only to see Reijin before her, lowering his outstretched arm.

?What do you think you?re doing?? Bra coldly inquired. The raven haired warrior almost raised an eyebrow. Usually, the girl would be screaming and cursing about such treatment, but instead, she seemed calm. Almost emotionless.

?I could have killed you if I wanted. Stay alert from now on.? the calculating fighter scolded. It was only then that he saw the faint blue glowing of Bra?s eyes, as it quickly faded away.

?Fuck you, Rei.? she retorted, folding her arms across her chest. Vegeta and Bardock came into view, both apparently totally disinterested with the exchange that had taken place. The quartet began walking, giving the girl the time she needed to fume in peace.

?Why do you keep doing that?? Reijin questioned. The whole group seemed to slow down, and it took a moment for Bra to realize he was talking to her. She blinked in surprise.

?Doing what?? she inquired. The older warrior didn?t say anything in response, and the girl brushed her wrist once again.

?That!? the Gaean trainee insisted.

?What?!? the princess retorted, becoming agitated with him.

?You keep playing with your wrist. Why?? Reijin demanded. ?Were you injured before you met up with us??

?No. I... you won?t care. It?s not important.? Bra replied, trying to brush the whole conversation off.

?But I want to know.? the youngest pure-blood pressed.

?Look... see... two years ago... two years ago today, Burter gave me a present. It was this bracelet and... I don?t have it. I gave it to Burter?s kid. I guess I just, I just miss them, I guess.? the girl explained. She looked to her father, expecting to see some kind of realization, but his expression remained absolutely deadpan.

?I... don?t understand. Why so suddenly is this important to you?? Reijin inquired. His analytical mind simply wouldn?t let him leave well enough alone.

?Because it?s my birthday, Reijin. Burter gave me the most important thing he owned for my birthday, and I don?t even have it or him anymore, okay?!? Bra?s voice cracked, and she swiftly turned away. ?Just forget about it.? she added, quickly breaking away from the group.

She quickly found herself alone in the jungle. She was only fifty feet or so away from the others, but the thick brush gave her a feeling of separation. Her scouter kept her walking parallel with the other three warriors, so at least she wouldn?t get lost.

Bra wasn?t crying, though she wanted to. It was probably Exosus? doing; toying with her mind just enough to prevent her from being able to release her sadness. It shouldn?t have been such a big deal, but Reijin?s constant digging seemed to aggravate things. Maybe it meant he cared? The cyan haired girl shook her head.

She leapt high through the trees, landing on a thick branch far above the forest floor. It wasn?t a big deal. Burter was alive, and so was BJ, so everything was fine. She just needed time to calm down.

Leaping from tree to tree, Bra suddenly figured it out. It wasn?t Reijin or Burter or BJ at all! It was dad. He forgot her birthday. Again. That?s what she was so upset about. She leapt to another tree, and suddenly, she smiled.

She had it all figured out, at least for the next couple minutes. She leapt forth again, deliberately missing the next branch and bursting back onto the trail just ahead of the others. Things were looking up.

[Yamu]

The campy fire did feel out of place, Rockwell amidst a war zone, but the Arian Guardian had to admit it was nice, plus he had been hungry and the beans actually did hit the spot.

?So?when do you guys want to go kill stuff?? The blue warrior asked. Meeting the group in the eyes, which was odd. Even in the short time Yamu had known Bujin he had already noticed he always seemed to address his comments to some unseen listener.

?Might as well start now, the day is already starting to wane?? Yamu said. ?I prefer to see my prey. Are we looking for anybody in particular??

?Someone strong?? Celipa muttered as they started through the woods, ?I?m tired of tip toeing around??



Cause and effect. Yamu pondered how little actions that seemed so trivial forced another action then another, until the place you arrived was so far away that little decision no longer seemed to be the cause. It had to be Fate, or some shadowy figure behind a closed door that had determined this outcome. Yamu found that people made their own fate, though. He had for so long believed that some destiny lay waiting for him, the only job he had in life was to find it and everything else would be taken care of for him. Life was proactive though, it was not to be lived or experienced but to be created. The brute knew that now, he had created his own legend on Arlia. He had made a plan and carried it out to fundamentally change an entire planet. No one had handed him his place of honor, he had grabbed it in his fists.

Dante was no Arlia, though. Yamu did not know how to approach the Island, was it a cause meant to shape him or and effect he was meant to shape. He shuddered to think the Abyss might be both.

He needed to be the whirlwind, the Island was too quite. He had the people and the weapons to be Cause. Yamu was no longer some peripheral sidekick, Day Two was seeing him as a player and he wanted to be Cause badly. The problem was, what if he was nothing more then an Effect? Dante could do that to the best of them, take a proud warrior and turn them on their heads.

Yamu decided not to concern himself with that. Life was a series of Cause and Effects and which one did not matter right now. The only thing hat mattered was that he was alive, strong, and that the order was always the same.

Cause and Effect?but what happened if the Effect comes before the Cause?

[Jeice]

Jeice hadn?t anticipated the trials and tribulations the so called game would bring with it, the wear and tear that it does to you mentally and physically. He felt his movements beginning to get sluggish as time went on. The sleep deprivation was getting to him, but he knew he had to stay on his toes while the others were awake. He sized up the new additions to his team with judgmental eyes, he had his doubts about trusting them, but it was hard to trust anyone on the island. The only two people he trusted were the two people he entered the game with.

The new faces seemed to be trustworthy, but he knew nothing was certain on the island. His eyes shifted to the small green alien he had hatched. The saibaman seemed to be in its own world as it scurried between the members of the group, looking behind trees and bushes as if it were looking for an opponent. The red warrior had been just as eager to fight. He wanted to exterminate another contestant as brutally as he could, far from his usual intentions, but he figured the more blood that was spilled early on would mean the less days on the island.

Then it hit him, his face went blank as he stared at the crew he had been traveling with. It dawned upon him that if they made it to be the last fighters left, they would have to turn on each other. He began to play out in his head who betray who, who would be the first one to kill one of his own, or who would lay himself down to allow his teammate to advance. Jeice knew it would be difficult to make any sort of attack on the bald human or the one eyed saiyan; he viewed them as friends after the last day. If he would be traveling with the new additions for long he was sure his feelings towards them would change as well, in a positive or negative way.

He didn?t want to think about it. His head jerked upward to gaze at the cloud covered sky. He didn?t know how long he had been on the island, only that he had spent one night. A sense of time was unnecessary on the island anyway, the only thing that truly mattered was hunting and killing the other combatants scattered across the island. A rumbling started in the pit of his stomach due to hunger, his hand stretched across it as if to relieve the pain. He reached around to his bag and quickly pulled out a carrot he had picked from the farm. Specs of dirt rested on the outer skin of the vegetable, Jeice didn?t seem to mind as he quickly bit a large chunk of it off.

His own thoughts secluded him from the conversation that the rest of the group had been having. He was planning on what he would do to the next person they came in contact with that dared to oppose them. The sadistic images flashed through his head as he bit away at the dark orange carrot.

?Hey, I?m talking to you.? Yamu?s voice quickly snapped him back to reality.

He swallowed the remaining pieces in his mouth. ?Sorry, what?s up??

?You looked like you were in a trance.? The bald warrior said as his lips stretched into a grin. ?I was just saying it looked like S-man was eager to fight somebody.?

?Yeah, hopefully he will come in handy next time we run in to someone.? Jeice replied as he watched the small green alien jump around.

[Android 17]

Since departing from their campsite halfway through the day, the saiya-jin and android twosome had barely covered any real distance. Despite that, the additional spare time had given both of them some time to focus their thoughts in preparation for whatever waited for them on the horizon. Although his thoughts were mainly shrouded in a fine dense layer of aromatic smoke, the android had nonetheless managed to perfect yet another poem over the course of the last few hours.

?I got something for you, man,? Seventeen stammered?dragging the last syllable of the word ?man? out for a few seconds as he exhaled another puff of gray smoke. Raditzu paused in his tracks and spun around to face his giddy partner. Although the monkey-hybrid had turned down to offer for some pot a few hours ago, the android had made certain he saved his partner some just in case he needed to take the edge off.

?And what?s that, Seventeen?? The long-haired superstar inquired, his voice laced with a sarcastic undertone as he arched an eyebrow at his jovial companion. Muttering incoherently, the cybernetic warrior placed his blunt gently between his teeth and reached into the pocket of his jeans. A few beats later, the machine-hybrid pulled yet another crumpled up scrap of paper from his pants.

?Okay,? the cyborg muttered as he struggled to flatten out the document. With and almost incoherent grogginess afflicting his voice, the android lifted the document up to his bloodshot eyes and began to recite his newest, poetic work to his long-haired cohort.

?This lifeless agony,
blood sucking misery.
My heart has grown so cold,
it?s rotting me down to the core.

Don?t fucking look me in the face.
The blood in my eyes shows the weight
Suffering has never felt so good\

You suffer, I suffer.?

With a swift motion, the machine-hybrid pocketed the grimy piece of paper and took another long drag on his blunt. As he exhaled the resulting cloud of the smoke, Seventeen glanced over at Raditzu and saw that his partner was snickering softly. Arching his eyebrow at the monkey-hybrid, the android lowered his blunt away from his face and put a hand on one of his hips.

?What?s so funny?? The cybernetic warrior groaned, rubbing on of his half-closed eyes with a grimy hand.

?It?s nothing,? Raditzu responded, a smile still plastered across his chiseled countenance. The saiya-jin then lifted his hands and pantomimed a clapping motion for a few moments. ?That?s a large improvement over your last poem when it comes to theme and whatnot. You got down the whole angst and pain angle down in such a manner that the reader could picture you cutting yourself as you write the poem.?

?Think I should pick that up?? The machine-hybrid asked. After popping the question, Seventeen looked down at the rest of his body and glanced over his attire. About an hour ago, he had changed out of his normal clothes and into the outfit he had stolen from the school. Now the android was clad in a pair of Chuck Taylor All-Stars, black pants that were at least two sizes too small, and a black My Chemical Romance t-shirt.

?Nah,? the saiya-jin said after a short pause. ?I think the outfit seals the deal?you can wait until after we kill everyone else in the competition to finish your transition with some good ole fashion masochism,? Raditzu added?smiling as he motioned for his partner to resume their march to the horizon. Taking a final drag from his fourth blunt, the android discarded the remains and jogged forward until he was alongside his saiya-jin ally.

[Reijin]

It was a short time later that Reijin was sitting to the side, trying to come up with a game winning plan. Vejita was talking with Bardock about the specifics of their arrangement, and Bra was simply sitting off on her own as well, absently fondling her wrist as if something were bothering her.

Sighing, the Saiyan finally approached her as she was lost to her thoughts. At the least he'd give her a start as a friendly revenge for her 'voodoo doll' incident. She noticed nothing as he held out his arm, charging a small powerless blast within his palm. The girl just kept scratching at her wrist, making it very clear that something was obviously wrong with her.

The blast struck the ground directly before her, showering her with sand and grit. She leapt to her feet, whirling angrily on on the darker haired warrior. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded from him, recieving nothing more than an smirk in response. Her voice, while angry, was still strangely dead, showing none of the true passion he'd come to expect from her.

Knowing the nature of her Cryokinesis, he half expected the surrounding air to turn icy at that moment, but nothing happened. He decided to taunt her just to test, to find out if she hadn't agreed to use it for this tournament. "I could have killed you if I wanted. Stay alert from now on," he added. Finally in her cold rage he saw the spark of blue flash in her eyes, and a faint cool breeze washed over him within the mid-day heat. She had told him what he wanted to know, so he just smiled.

"Fuck you, Rei," she spat at him, not sure what he wanted. Once more she nervously was running her fingers over her wrist, which caught his attention once more.

Glancing down, he made a point to mention it. "Why do you keep doing that?"

Bra was quiet for a moment, but then she blinked. "Doing what?"

Silence passed between them for a moment and her hand expectantly returned to her wrist. "That!" he cried out, pouncing on the moment.

She was either ignoring him, or was so focused on her thoughts that she honestly wasn't following the conversation. "What?!" she growled again.

Throwing his arms to the side a bit, he grabbed her wrist and then let go as she snatched it back from him. "You keep playing with your wrist. Why? Were you injured before you met up with us?" If something was wrong, he needed to know. He couldn't make plans around unknown variables.

She turned from him, trying to walk a slight bit faster. "No. I... you won't care. It's not important." It was important enough for Reijin to push the issue, so she finally continued. "Look... see... two years ago... two years ago today, Burter gave me a present. It was this bracelet and... I don't have it. I gave it to Burter's kid. I guess I just, I just miss them, I guess."

"I... don't understand. Why so suddenly is this important to you?"

"Because its my birthday, Reijin," she sighed. "Burter gave me the most important thing he owned for my birthday, and I don't even have it or him anymore, ok?!" she cracked, her adolescent irritation showing through as her ice powers faded. "Just forget about it." She turned and stormed off.

The fighter's fingers swept through his hair a moment before he turned, walking to the group behind the pair. Vejita and Bardock were looking over the GPS to figure out the locations of other people when they saw another pair of warriors nearby that they began to grin over. "These two look like easy pickings," Vejita laughed.

Reijin looked down and recognized one of them. "That depends. I know for a fact that one of them is a very powerful ally." His finger stabbed the dot and pointed at the being he was referring to.

Bardock shrugged glancing at the storming Princess. "What's her problem?" he inquired.

"No idea. Although I do have to wonder why the hell everyone on this planet has their birthdays so close to one another," he chuckled.

His Prince looked over at him and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked, a faint thought evading him in the back of his mind.

"Well, apparently Bra said her birthday is today, and then my own birthday is coming up in a couple of days as well," he finished, watching as Vejita spun growling and stormed off to Bra, his memory finally realizing what he'd missed.

Bardock watched Vejita walk off as he laughed a bit. "How old will you be?" he asked, mostly for the sake of conversation.

"23."

"Congrats."

"Thanks."

[Jinpo]

Cargo tracked bloody footprints out of the school as he left a dry Pikkon behind, rotting in the teacher?s lounge. His Super Soaker had now been filled with a special type of ammo. The thick syrupy liquid sloshed around the storage tank with each step the Namekian took. Now, Cargo could carry his kill with him, wherever he went.

?The expression ?Blood is thicker than water? is most definitely true, at least in a literal sense.? he murmured to himself. However, clever witticisms would only pass the time for so long. Silence filled the air. The emerald-skinned warrior traveled warily down the path, keeping a wary eye out for anyone who could endanger his existence. The sun As the time passed the extreme anger that the teenage harbored towards the competition to fade.

Why?

This was the question that occupied all of Cargo?s thoughts. He had already determined that emotions like compassion and kindness were totally useless for a warrior but what effect did bearing ill will towards someone have to do with your fighting abilities. Why did it seem so attractive to him? Why had the child?s vision been clouded by it? Why do emotions exist? They only seem to hinder one from unlocking his true potential. Slowly, the hatred seeped out of every pore of the Namekian?s body, leaving him to haunt another.

What?

What was Cargo left with now? The game had taken everything from him. His only friend, his joy, his compassion. What else could it take from him?

?What is going on?? he cried. The world around him seemed different somehow. The vivid colors of the leaves around him suddenly seemed dull and faded. The grays of the boulders that he passed through his journey seemed colorless. Cargo was lost in a universe void of emotion.

The Namekian child abruptly stopped as he spotted a small flower patch directly in front of him. The blooming plants stood like a wall, blocking his path. Cargo?s eyes then focused on a single bee, buzzing from flower to flower. The process of plant procreation was taking place and new lives were being created. It was a beautiful thing.

?Shit. This is boring.?

Cargo continued down the path, not caring that he destroyed the majority of the flowers in the process. The teenager had evolved. He had rid himself of feelings. He had become a callous fighter who was ready to do whatever was necessary to accomplish the goal set out for him. Metal Koola would no longer hold Cargo back. In fact, MK no longer concerned him. He had become a machine.

A fuckin? fighting machine ready for battle.

[Kami]

Through the trees Kami could make out a few people scattered about. They were talking amongst themselves, and the couter clearly picked up that they were fighters. Jack turned to Kami. "Do we have a plan?" Kami nodded. This was not the time to be a smartass and try to sneak up on these people. It was more than likely that at least one of them knew of the duo's presence.

Suddenly Kami was reminded of all the other times in DA when he was in a group, and when he encoutered groups but more importantly when he was snuck up on by someone. This was the vital piece of information that could keep him from getting killed. He tore off a piece of his white robe and made his way slowly out of the bushes. "Follow me Captain."

Kami made his way out of the brush and towards the group, waving his arm in the air. The white piece of cloth was his only signal to let the crowd know there was a hint of diplomacy in the air.

"If they're pirates we could ask for, uh...what's the word?" Jack kept walking along with Kami, they said nothing.

"Parlay! That's it, right. Yes. *cough*" THe duo slowly came in closer and Kami began to recognize the faces.

Bra.

Vegita,

Reijin.

And one other he wasn't too sure about. "Long time no see, eh?" The Namekian shouted. Tall tufts of hair jutted over to his direction. This was going to be interesting.

[Uno]

The pink giant was perambulating around, feeding on his scouter. The dim-witted Dodoria had already eaten several bunnies, a fish, some mushrooms, several things that look like mushrooms, and some fungus growing out of his boot. With a last ?Crunch!? the scouter was gone.

Dodoria glanced around the forest, hopelessly lost. ?Dodoria bored!? the overweight fighter exclaimed. He threw himself back down on the ground and crossed his arms in a pout. He stayed there in the sun until he saw a small green figure approaching. ?Baggy, who be that??

The little namekian walked by the mountainous Dodoria without a second glance. The large gumball quickly followed the green creature. He finally jumped in-front of the namekian and yelled, ?Hiya little man! What yur name?? The namekian stared coldly at the overjoyed tubby alien.

?Cargo,? was his reply. ?And you are??

?Dodoria call me Dodoria, and this is my friend Baggy! Dodoria likes little green man!? Cargo began to walk away from the ignorant gumwad. Dodoria caught his arm and asked, ?Will green man be friends?? The young namekian released himself form the overweight warrior?s grip. He started to walk away again, with the lonely giant tagging behind him.

Cargo looked behind him, with the large pink monster still trailing behind him. ?Well, you can come along if you want.? With that reply, Dodoria happily clapped his hands and rushed forward, grabbing a hold of his new, green friend.

?We are the bestest of friends, right??

?Just let go of me.?

ooc: Short and kind of sloppy, but I needed to get a post out to make sure I am still in the game.

[Retane]

Tapion and Retane had summised from the disc player, that there were powers far stronger then themselves in the game, one of them being last years Champion, the saiya-jin known as Raditzu. The other human monkey was a bit unknown to the two, ecept his name was Goku, or Kakorot as he chose. That was not what the duo wanted though. They wanted to know Pikkon's killer.

"Aha!" The konat smiled and turned the screen to the impateint namek. The assassin only glimpsed the scene at first, then did a double take and even moved closer to make sure that his eyes didn't deceive him.

"Cargo." The name was hardly heard as Retane's lips refused to move from their tightened scowl. The young namekian had been apart of Master of Assassins, and was an ally of one of the humans that helped Ret know what it really felt like to die. The assassin had no problem slaughtering innocent nameks, Cargo on the other hand, he would want to make suffer. Not in The Abyss though. No, he'd kill the pitiful slug if he met him in the game, only to weaken his resolve and insult his pride. After Dante though, that would be when the real fun began.

Turning and stalking off, the merc walked straight into the low hung limbs of a single tree in the grassy field. Chopping the limbs loose with his good hand, the mercenary only snarled as some of the limbs hung and ripped his clothes. Closer imspection of the broken vegetation and the mercenary caught sight of the thorns that protruded out of the bark. Picking them off carefully and tossing them to the ground as if he had just been insulted, Retane looked on at the tree.

"Move." Demanded the jade warrior in a whisper, his voice cold and wicked. Tapion watched the spectacle and wondered if the green guy was talking to him. That or he figured that Ret had finally snapped and lost it. The namek continued to stare ahead and a gluttorial call of annoyance muttered through his thin lips. Retane would only tell his foe once. After that, he would not have any mercy.

Placing his Nailgun on his belt, the assassin thrusted his good hand out at the tree, three chains slinging out and wrapping upon limbs. "Gotcha", is all the namek could say to his inanimate foe. Retane smiled as he watched an orb appear from thin air and slam into the trunk of the overgrown tree. As it collided, a flash of fire flared up and the trunk and body of the tree, leaving a thick trail of smoke in its wake. Though it was quick, the assassin knew the damage was dealt.

He smiled and with a simple yank, the tree leaned in his direction, it's main body, crumbling as it did. Retane suddenly realized the tree was coming at you and with a, "On no you don't, The mercenary leapt back and fell into a tumble. When he arose, the tree was dead on the ground.

Tapion just looked on, his move agape, "Are you going to take his head too?" The question was a sarcastic one but it shouldn't have been any surprise to him when Retane moved to what use to be the highest point of the giant plant.