Genkai, Botan, Yana, Kaito, and I all sat quietly for a long while, staring into the darkness of the cave that Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei had disappeared into with Mitarai. It was Yana who finally broke the silence. "How will we know who wins?"

"If a stampede of demons starts storming out of the cave, it's safe to assume we've lost," Genkai said dryly. "For now, we wait. We'll know when they've finally reached Sensui."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Powers like Yusuke's and Sensui's don't clash quietly," said Genkai. "Even non-psychics will feel that battle, when it begins."

Neither Yana nor Kaito looked comforted by that. I wasn't feeling particularly reassured, either.

"Are you saying this is going to be like Yusuke's fight with Toguro?" I asked, remembering the crumbling stadium, the hostility of Toguro's energy, and the sheer carnage all around.

"No." I started to relax, too soon. "It's bigger than that."

"Bigger than—" I stared at Genkai. "You're not serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Indeed, she did not. "That energy blast that laid you out flat and broke Botan's back was little more than a love tap. If he'd really put his energy behind it, Sensui could have obliterated the entire block without so much as breaking a sweat."

Dying so many times had somewhat lessened my fear of death itself, but the idea that I'd come so close to being little more than blood spatter on rubble still managed to unsettle me. Shakily, I said, "Let's just hope Yusuke doesn't need any extra motivation to tap into his full power this time."

Genkai grunted, and I don't think I imagined the fact that she looked a little doubtful and apprehensive.

"I'm beginning to think Shuichi left out some key details when we spoke on the phone," Kaito said slowly, brow furrowing. He and Yana looked between me and Botan with some concern. "You two were injured? By Sensui?"

"Well, really I was only injured by a bookshelf that fell on top of me!" Botan corrected quickly, trying to calm his worry. "Though, I suppose it did only fall because Sensui's energy blew up Yusuke's apartment…"

Kaito and Yana's eyes slid to me. I shrugged. "Most of my injuries were from Sniper. But the blast did knock me out for a bit, yeah."

"Are you both alright?" asked Yana, concerned.

"Oh, yes, right as rain!" Botan smiled. "Genkai fixed me up before I even realized I'd been hurt!"

I shrugged again. "I've had worse."

I could have already healed the small wounds from Sniper and the bruises from the explosion myself if I had put my mind to it, but I wanted to conserve my energy. I'd already healed Mitarai recently, and Kido before that. I didn't want to risk exhausting myself any further, in case my ability to fight and repel demons became necessary soon.

"Have you really?" Kaito looked interested. I wished I hadn't said anything, then, because I'm sure that my words and my tone had just been slotted into place in Kaito's mind as yet another piece of evidence in whatever hypothesis he was constructing regarding my background. I was seriously considering simply telling Kaito what had happened in the bluntest terms possible, just to nip his curiosity in the bud before he decided to pass the time until the end of the world with a lengthy interrogation, but Yana spoke again before I could.

"Hey, look, they're coming back." Yana nodded to the entrance of the cave. I turned, and was able to make out the four shapes of our returning friends and allies.

"Well, that was fast!" Botan sounded like she couldn't decide whether to be skeptical or happy.

"Too fast," Genkai noted grimly. And indeed, the group emerging from the cave did not look at all victorious.

"We need seven players!" Yusuke griped as soon as they were in earshot once again.

Mitarai quickly explained, "The Game Master's territory is blocking the way down. The rules of his territory are the same as the rules of the game he's recreating—in this case, Goblin City. We need seven people to enter his territory, and we'll have to beat him at his own game if we want to pass."

Genkai absorbed this news with a low grunt, then looked over the rest of us with a critical eye. "Kaito, Yana, Ren. Which of you is the worst at video games?"

Kaito looked downright insulted at the question, which left me and Yana to determine which of us was the less experienced gamer. Yana shrugged apologetically. "I don't play them much."

All eyes turned to me, and I sighed. "I'm pretty good at puzzle games, but that's about it."

"A good number of the games in Goblin City are puzzles," Kaito said, light glinting off his glasses. "Are you any good?"

"She's kick ass at Tetris," Yusuke reported loudly. "I watched her go for like an hour straight once, and she hardly blinked."

I huffed. "Thanks, Yusuke, that's very a flattering description." Yusuke either did not pick up on, or chose to ignore my sarcasm, because he grinned unrepentantly.

"Yana, stay here with Botan," Genkai said decisively. "We'll return once Game Master is defeated."

Botan got halfway through a nod before her brow furrowed. "Hey now, why didn't you ask me!"

Botan's protests were ignored, and the seven of us returned to the cave, following the light of small, glowing plants that had been seeded by Kurama on the first foray into the cave. I marveled at them as we walked, wondering what sort of environment would create such luminous vegetation. They had to be Demon World plants... or could they be normal plants, mutated by Kurama's energy? I wasn't entirely sure exactly how his powers worked. I made a note to ask him, if we all got out of this alive.

"Mitarai," Kurama spoke up when we'd walked in silence for nearly ten minutes through dark tunnels. "How does this Game Master's territory work?"

"I'm not sure," Mitarai said apologetically. "It's like I said before, he's never used it in front of me. All I know is that he can recreate video games."

"And in this case, that game is Goblin City." Kurama turned to survey the rest of the group. "Who among us has played it before?"

"I have!" Yusuke raised his hand, waving it enthusiastically. Hiei shot him an annoyed look. "I have, all the time!"

"A few times," Mitarai added softly.

"I own the home game," Kaito reported, matter-of-fact.

"Ditto," said Genkai. Yusuke did a double take.

"Seriously?!"

Genkai gave her student a distinctly unimpressed look. "You think I've been playing solitaire for the last 50 years?"

"I've only played once," I added, before Yusuke could retort with something horribly disrespectful. "And only halfway—my friend made me sub in for the puzzle and quiz games so she could finally beat it."

And then, after, I'd been abducted by Dr. Ichigaki's goons. I was starting to really hate Goblin City.

"I have also played it often," Kurama said, looking pleased. "That makes nearly all of us. Now, how many have actually beaten the game?"

Yusuke grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and mumbling about getting 'hung up in the middle somewhere.' Genkai had only made it to the end a few times, while both Kaito and Kurama could beat the game about three out of four times.

That made five experienced players, two of whom were truly skilled. The weak points were myself, with my limited skills and experience, and Hiei, who I was fairly certain would sooner take his sword to a game console than try to operate it. Not terrible odds, but not great, either. But Kurama pointed out a further challenge, looking grim.

"But those scores were all against the real Goblin King. The Game Master must be an even stronger player." Kurama's voice was meaningful, and Kaito finished his point.

"Or else why would he have chosen this game to recreate in his territory?"

We rounded the corner then, and quickly halted. Though I had yet to encounter a psychic's territory in action, Amanuma's was impossible to miss: giant doors covered the passageway of the cave from ground to ceiling, emblazoned with a giant "G" for Goblin City.

"We're seven, now where do we stick the quarter?" Yusuke said as we halted in front of the doors. His response was a voice that sounded exactly like the recording from the arcade game.

"Welcome to Goblin City, where your team of seven heroes must clash iron with the evil Goblin King and restore peace to the town!"

The massive doors swung open. At first everything was black, but then the darkness solidified into a cavernous room which contained a large screen, two podiums with video game controls, something that looked like a lottery machine, and a solitary chair in which a small, cloaked figure lounged.

"Out of curiosity, before we all walk into this obvious trap—" I said quickly before any of our group walked forward to actually enter the Game Master's territory, "What happens if we lose?"

There was a beat of silence where the group considered this, then turned to Mitarai. Mitarai shook his head silently, indicating that he didn't know.

"If his territory is anything like mine," Kaito said, looking grim, "then we'll lose our souls."

"Awesome," I said, without an ounce of sincerity. To Mitarai I said, "You're sure there's no back door to this place that you forgot to mention?"

Mitarai, looking very pale, shook his head. "This is the only way through the cave."

"We have no choice but to enter and win," said Kurama. He wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean I had to like it. I lagged behind the group as we all stepped forward into the Game Master's territory, making sure to keep a healthy distance from Hiei at all times, lest I accidentally singe him with my energy.

"We're not in Mushiori anymore," Yusuke mused, taking in the details of the Game Master's territory. It was incredibly realistic, but at the same time utterly uncanny. It was like some sort of bizarre dream come to life.

"You're in my territory now!" My feet skidded to a halt at the Game Master's words. The slight, cloaked figure hopped down from its throne. Too slight. And that voice... "Sure took you long enough to find seven people. Sheesh, even I've got six friends!"

"Mitarai." He jumped a little when I half-growled his name, turning wide eyes toward me. "Why didn't you mention that the Game Master is a fucking kid?"

Mitarai edged backwards nervously, and seemed to seriously consider hiding behind Yusuke. Shakily, he asked, "Does it matter?"

I did not answer immediately, too stunned by disbelief to form words. "Of course it fucking matters!"

Mitarai flinched, and I savored it—until Genkai said sharply, "It doesn't."

I turned my disbelieving stare on her, and Genkai stared back, unblinking and unyielding. "You've got to be joking. He's a kid. He can't be more than ten—"

"Eleven," muttered Mitarai.

"He's a child!"

"I don't give a damn if he's five or fifty," Genkai snapped impatiently. "He's standing between us and the portal to demon world, which means he's our enemy. It's as Kurama said—we have no choice but to win."

I looked to Kurama, then, not that I really expected any support. He looked no happier about it than I was, but he nodded solemnly, adding his silent support to Genkai's words. His too-green eyes, for the moment I looked at them, were also far too knowing for my taste. I looked quickly away, swallowing hard.

I wanted to argue. Words burned the back of my throat like bile. With difficulty, I pushed them down. I still didn't like it—I didn't like any of this—but Genkai was right. The kid was standing between us and the portal to demon world, which meant we had to stop him.

And anyway, it wasn't like we had to physically fight this kid. We just had to beat him at his own game. He wouldn't be harmed by losing a game in his own territory, would he? At worst, he might lose his soul, like Kaito had, and Genkai could guide it back into his body without too much trouble. I forced myself to take a deep breath and relax.

It would be alright. This wasn't the same as the little girl.

The Game Master, for his part, was utterly unbothered by our comments. He shot us a bright, challenging smile. "I may be small, but when it comes to video games my talent's huge! So let's play, shall we?"

So eager. Just a young kid, excited to show off his skills in a video game. How had he even become mixed up with Sensui in the first place?

Kurama turned to face the group, scanning all of us in turn and pitching his voice low so that the Game Master wouldn't overhear.

"Before we can challenge the Goblin King, we must defeat three lower goblins. Master Genkai, Mitarai, and Yusuke, your group will take on the three lower goblins," Kurama directed. "Once you've done that, Kaito and I will face the Game Master. And Ren will sub in for any puzzle games that arise."

We all nodded in agreement. It was the only strategy that made sense, really, considering our relative skills and experiences with the game. But I couldn't help hoping, for once in my life, that there weren't any puzzle games.

"Are you done whispering yet?" The Game Master whined. "I wanna play!"

Kurama turned to look at him, and I watched as his eyes grew more distant, more cold. It was a look I recognized from the Dark Tournament: his battle face.

"We're ready."

"Yes!" The Game Master grinned excitedly. A goblin appeared at his elbow, and the kid gestured dramatically as he ordered, "Pull the lever!"

The goblin did, and the slot machine which randomized the games decided on a level 7 tennis match. Fortunately for us, this turned out to be Mitarai's specialty, and he volunteered to go first. We all watched tensely as Mitarai began his match against the first goblin. As he played, the Game Master attempted to distract Mitarai with taunts about his general worthlessness and his relationship with Sensui. Mitarai, though clearly bothered, gamely struggled through.

"How the hell's he supposed to concentrate when that little bitch won't shut up?" Yusuke groused, eyes dark as the kid plucked at Mitarai's insecurities.

"That's precisely what the real Goblin King does to distract you," Kaito reminded him. "If you ever made it past the intro, you'd know that."

"Maybe so," I said, before Yusuke could retort, "But I doubt the video games's insults are quite this personal."

Despite the Game Master's taunts, Mitarai won the game and walked back to the group, looking shaken but satisfied. The Game Master hardly looked bothered by his goblin's loss, though, and the next spin of the slot machine determined the next game:

"A classic flight shooter." Genkai's smile was satisfied, and she cracked her knuckles. "I could clear out this game with one hand stuck in a vice. I'm calling this one."

Yusuke didn't protest, so Genkai strolled forward. She demolished the game quickly—it couldn't have taken more than five minutes, and Yusuke cheered and whooped loudly when she wrapped it up.

Next came a fighting game, which Yusuke took on with a confident grin. The game was a little more complex than the raw fist-swinging he was used to, but with the help of Genkai's shouted instructions Yusuke beat the final lower goblin with little trouble.

The Game Master sighed, but it sounded more like anticipation than disappointment. "AI is so disappointing. But that just means it's the Goblin King's turn!"

With those words, the Game Master removed his cloak with a flourish. He was small and skinny, with messy brown hair and a self-satisfied expression. All in all, he looked no different from any other snot-nosed kid hanging around an arcade.

Why was he trying to help end the world? There was no way he could truly understand what he was doing, surely. He was too young to comprehend it.

"It'd be much more authentic if he kept the robe on," Kaito sniffed, pushing up his glasses.

Mitarai looked vaguely ill. "He's so eager..."

"Yes," Kurama agreed, sounding wary. "The first three rounds were necessary to follow the game's script, but this is what he's been waiting for."

That did not sound promising. I had allowed myself to relax a little when the first three rounds had been won so easily, but now I realized that was a mistake. The Game Master didn't look at all fazed by the defeat of his goblins; on the contrary, he looked delighted. And that could only mean bad things for us.

Kurama pitched his voice lower, catching Yusuke's eye. "Yusuke. You'll need a Plan B. If the Game Master is equal in skill to the Goblin King in the game, it is most likely that either Kaito or I will defeat him, allowing the rest of our group to move on." Kurama's eyes were dark as they slid past Yusuke to regard the Game Master. "But I fear this child is far superior to even the computer's highest difficulty. Why else would he choose this specific game to bring to life?"

Yusuke looked uncertain. "Yeah… Unless he's got some fetish for losing, that's a pretty good point."

"So, in case Kaito and I don't make it, you need to start looking for another way out of this territory, and survive the game," Kurama finished.

I stared at Kurama's calm, serious face, dread coiling in my stomach. Yusuke's brows drew together. "In case you don't—"

Yusuke cut himself off. Kurama nodded.

We wouldn't die if we lost a game, would we? Kaito had said we might lose our souls, if it was like his territory. But if it wasn't like his territory, if it was like the real video game, what then? I hadn't been paying attention to that aspect of Goblin City when I played. But if Kurama, who had played it often, thought that a loss might be fatal, then the stakes were much higher than simply winning the game overall. We couldn't afford to lose a single mini game without losing our souls at best, or our lives at worst.

Behind us, the Game Master pulled the lever on the slot machine again, then groaned in disappointment. "Not the master quiz game! This is like my least favorite of all of 'em!"

Kaito smirked in satisfaction; clearly he was confident in his abilities in this mini game. To Kurama he said, "I trust you'll let me play."

Kurama assented, and Kaito stepped forward. The Game Master, despite his disappointment just a moment ago, still grinned, leaning on his podium, completely relaxed.

Kurama noticed it, too, his eyes narrowing at the Game Master. "He just said this was his least favorite game, yet he's still happy and at ease..." Kurama's voice was troubled. He turned to Mitarai. "Is there truly nothing more that you can tell us about the workings of the Game Master's power?"

"I've told you all I know," Mitarai said apologetically. "I never saw him practicing it, like I said before. I don't think Amanuma's used his power much. Mr. Sensui didn't really want him to."

Amanuma, he'd said. I wished Mitarai had kept calling him Game Master. Kurama frowned thoughtfully at the mention of Sensui, but turned back to watch Kaito face off against the Game Master without another word.

The game began. The Game Master made a show of giving Kaito a five question handicap, resting his hands behind his head and watching the screen without touching the controls. Kaito was clearly experienced with the game, hitting the answers even before the question was done, but the kid didn't look worried at all. His lack of concern was driving me crazy. Did he not care if he lost? Or was he just so sure of winning? And if he was, how?

We soon found out when, on the sixth question, the Game Master answered correctly before even the first word appeared on the screen. He hadn't just memorized all the questions and their answers; he'd also figured out the seemingly random order in which the questions were posed. After using the first five questions to determine the pattern, the Game Master could answer the questions before they were even posed.

Kaito made a valiant effort. He buzzed in before the Game Master could, answering at random and trying to bank on his 25% chance of answering a question correctly through sheer chance, but soon enough he got three questions wrong, losing the game.

Next to me, Kurama tensed, inhaling sharply. I held my own breath, waiting for Kaito to fall to the ground, soulless or dead… but nothing happened. Kaito walked back to the group, completely unharmed, and looking rather surprised about it himself.

"As far as gaming goes, that makes Kurama our last hope." Yusuke frowned.

"Unless we get a puzzle game," I agreed, trying not to let my distaste for that idea show. "But at least we know now that losing a mini game isn't going to kill us, or forfeit our souls."

"Yeah, but what about if we lose the game?" Yusuke asked. "I haven't been too worried since we won the first three games, but now… Arcades do get pretty creative with their death scenes."

Kaito rejoined the group, looking unsettled. "There's something really strange about that kid. He acted... chummy." He glanced back at Amanuma, who was still smiling, leaning against his slot machine and watching us. "Does he even realize what he's involved in?"

"Think, Kaito," Kurama said, voice urgent. "Do you feel any different? Physically?"

"No," Kaito replied, sounding surprised himself. "That's partly why it's so strange. I thought he'd take my soul for losing in his territory, but I almost feel... better."

Kurama did not look relieved by this news, his eyes shadowed. "Yes... that would fit the pattern."

Pattern? What pattern? Yusuke's eyebrow twitched, and he crossed his arms, fixing Kuama with an impatient look.

"Alright, I'm gonna start charging you money for being vague."

"I now suspect that even if we failed every game, none of us would lose our lives," Kurama revealed. "Not as long as we keep playing."

Yusuke's face was clouded with confusion. "But I'm sure you die in the video game..."

"Yes," Kurama agreed, "but only when you're finished completely. When you fail in Goblin City, you're given the choice to either give up or continue—putting in more quarters in the arcade version, or pressing start at home. As long as you choose to continue, you can begin again without going through the introductory sequence. But if you give up, the words 'The End' appear in red on the screen, above the graves of your fallen heroes."

I could see Yusuke connecting the dots from the shifting expressions on his face. When it dawned on him, his voice rose in disbelief. "You mean unless we beat this kid at this game that's probably been his babysitter most of his life, we'll have to keep playing and playing if we want to live?" Yusuke cursed. "We don't have time for that!"

"That is precisely our enemy's point: to trap us inside this territory until the tunnel to demon world can be completed," Kurama said solemnly. "It's not a matter of fighting for our lives here, but for our time."

Kurama's eyes were still dark, and nothing he'd said so far seemed to warrant the peculiar expression on his face. It left me with an uneasy feeling that I was missing something important, a feeling that didn't lessen as Yusuke bickered with the Game Master and Hiei slumped against the wall with an order to wake him for the end of the world.

"Pretty smart!" Amanuma said brightly. "You've figured out Sensui's awesome plan, and now you know that we have all the time in the world to play games, so come on! Let's play some more, 'cause you guys are fun to beat!"

"You've got to be the stupidest, most immature brat that ever lived," Yusuke griped,"and that means a lot, comin' from me. Your games are gonna get us all killed!"

"Nah," Amanuma scoffed dismissively. "Once the tunnel is done, I'll throw the game and lose. Then you'll all be free to go!"

"Yeah? And what are we gonna be free to go to if the whole world's been turned into a demon parking lot?" Yusuke snarled at Amanuma's lack of care, turning to appeal to Kurama. "Kurama, is there any way you can whoop this kid's ass?"

Kurama hesitated, seeming to consider his words carefully. "Actually... I'm more worried of defeating Amanuma than I am of not."

Yusuke looked as unimpressed as I was with Kurama's persistent vagueness. "You wanna translate that?"

"Amanuma's made it so that everyone in his territory operates under the laws of the game. Thus, our fate is the same as that of the challenger in the arcade. As long as we choose to continue, we can go on indefinitely. If we quit, our lives are over. However, as Kaito demonstrated, psychics are not immune to their own territory's logic. I'm afraid this young boy is naive when it comes to the dire consequences of his own power. If he loses, he, too, must follow his game counterpart's fate."

Kurama did not continue, did not specify what that fate was. I frowned, trying to remember what happened at the end of the game. I thought back to the night that I'd helped Naoko beat it. I'd just barely beaten the Goblin King at a game of Three Seven. Trumpets had blared, and over the sound of Naoko's cheers, there had been a clashing of swords, a dramatic scream...

"You mean he'll die." I said it flatly, watching Kurama's expression as I voiced the conclusion to his logic. His eyes moved from Yusuke to me, his gaze dark but unwavering.

"Yes."

"What?!" Yusuke looked between me and Kurama in disbelief. "Whaddaya mean, he'll die?"

I stared at Yusuke for a second, then remembered his mumbled excuses about never finishing the game. "That's what happens when you win at Goblin City, Yusuke." My voice bitter, I repeated the opening to the game's ending congratulations. "Hark, and rejoice."

Kaito finished the line, his voice shaking a little. "...For the evil Goblin King is dead, and peace has been restored to the town."

The Goblin King died if we won. Which meant that Amanuma would die, if we won. If we wanted to get past him, if we wanted to stop the imminent end of the world… Amanuma would have to die. And we would have to kill him.

I shut my eyes, breathing deeply to force back the memories of a little girl with pigtails and a sudden, horrible nausea. I'd had no choice, then. And while we had a choice here—to keep playing, to throw the game so Amanuma never lost—it wasn't a real choice. One child's life weighed against all the people who would suffer if that portal opened...

"Damn it!" Yusuke glared around at Amanuma's territory, hands balled into fists. "What the hell was Sensui thinking?!"

"Probably that we have a shred of morality, and won't want to kill a child," I said, dully. "I bet he was counting on us figuring it out. It's like Kurama said—he's not trying to kill us. He's trying to stall us."

"Ugh, are you guys done whispering yet?" Amanuma griped loudly. "I'm tired of waiting, I want to play! Ready or not, I'm pulling the lever!"

Amanuma spun the slot machine. I watched, feeling sick, and prayed, selfishly, for anything but a puzzle game. I didn't want to play. I didn't want to kill a child. Not again.

Yusuke clenched his jaw at Amanuma's words, then turned bright, angry eyes back to glance between the rest of us. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"Naive though he may be, I doubt he would be playing so confidently if he knew what awaited him if he lost," Kurama said. "No. I believe, like Mitarai, Amanuma is another victim of Sensui's manipulation."

I was only listening with half an ear. The slot machine's spinning was starting to slow. I watched without blinking, without breathing, as it finally slowed to a stop.

Puzzle game. Three Seven. Level G.

"Fuck."

Amanuma snickered at my loud curse. "What's the matter, no good at puzzle games? That's alright, I'll beat you no matter how good you are!"

He was smiling easily, so happy to be in his element. The corners of my eyes began to burn.

"Amanuma," I began hoarsely, stepping forward.

He sniffed imperiously, folding his arms and shooting a mild glare in Mitarai's direction before correcting, "That's 'Goblin King' to you!"

"Amanuma," I repeated. "Please. Is there any way you can stop the game? Can you dismiss the territory and let us go?"

Amanuma blinked in surprise for a moment, then laughed. "What, afraid you're gonna lose? No can do. Sensui asked me to keep you guys busy, so that's what I'm gonna do. Besides, this is fun!"

"Is it?" I asked, bitterly. "Tell me, Mr. Goblin King, what happens to you when we win the game?"

"If you win the game, you mean." Even as he said it, a little bit of uncertainty crept onto Amanuma's face. "Well, that's easy. The Goblin King is defeated and peace is restored to the town."

"Defeated?" I repeated skeptically. Amanuma's face had gone a shade paler. "You of all people should know that the Goblin King isn't just defeated. If we win, the Goblin King dies. You die, Amanuma."

"You're lying." Amanuma shook his head furiously, then forced a laugh. "Nice try, but I'm not falling for it. Sensui said you'd try something like this!"

"Because he's counting on us to figure it out," Kurama said grimly, stepping up beside me to address Amanuma himself. "When you beat Goblin City, they vividly depict the goblin king's death. It's an ending very specific to this game. Of course, Sensui never wanted you to practice your power playing Goblin City inside your territory, did he?"

"But how could you possibly know that?" Amanuma sounded truly shaken now, his face paper-white. "No, I couldn't play this because I didn't have seven people to play with! Besides, it's not like I died in other games!"

"But you have never tested your powers in manifesting any games of this type, have you?" Kurama pressed on, "Where you take the role of a villain who explicitly dies at the game's conclusion? Is that correct?"

"I dunno. Yes?"

"Surely Sensui gave you some reason for avoiding them?" Amanuma fell quiet, not responding. For a moment, everyone was tensely quiet.

"Three Seven!" Reported the game console, in a mechanical, booming voice. Amanuma jumped, looking started, and then turned to look at the controls with dread. "Player One, press start to begin!"

"Please, is there anything I can do to get out of this?" Amanuma asked desperately, shooting quick glances at me and then at Kurama. "Anything?"

"Stop the game," I said immediately, relieved. He knew the danger, now, which meant he'd have to release his power before it could take his own life. "Release your territory and let us all go."

"I can't!" Amanuma said miserably. "I've tried that before! It's impossible to shut it down while the game's still in progress! Unless you throw the game, there's no way out."

My relief fled immediately, leaving me cold. "If we throw the game, we'll die," I reminded him.

"Not if you keep playing!" Amanuma said desperately. "We can start all over again at the beginning!"

"We can't just play here forever," I said, gently. Amanuma's lip was starting to tremble, his eyes shining with gathering tears. "You know why Sensui asked you to stall us, don't you? What he's planning?"

"He—" Amanuma hiccoughed. "He was gonna let a bunch of demons loose, to mess with everybody. It was—" Another hiccough. "It was supposed to be funny! I-I wouldn't have to go to school for a while. And I wouldn't have to deal with any demons, because I'd be—"

Fat tears spilled over Amanuma's cheeks now, and he made a choked noise before he said, "I'd be s-safe in my t-territ-tory." And then he buried his face in his hands, his whole body shaking as he sobbed.

"Player One, press start to begin!"

A long pause followed where the only noise in the room was Amanuma's sobs. Then, soft clicks from Kurama's shoes as he stepped forward, approaching the control console. I stared at his back, uncomprehending. And then it clicked, and a conflicting mix of relief and anger washed over me.

"What are you doing?" The words were harsh, sharp, as they fell from my mouth. Kurama turned back to look at me, his face unreadable.

"What's best."

Amanuma took in a wet, rattling gasp. "But I'll die!"

I ignored Amanuma's protest as much as I could. To Kurama I voiced my own: "It's a puzzle game."

Something in Kurama's face softened a little, and I hated it. "We only need one more win. You don't have to play."

"And what if you lose? There's no way we'll be lucky enough to get two puzzle games in a row. If you lose, I'll lose the next game, and Hiei the next. We'll have to start all over again, and we both know we haven't got that sort of time. If I go, you'll still have one more chance to beat him if I lose."

And I resent you trying to take this choice away from me. I didn't say it aloud, but I didn't hide the thought from showing on my face, either. I resent your pity, or whatever this is.

Kurama's eyes darted over my face, assessing. Finally he asked, in a carefully neutral voice, "Are you capable?"

He didn't voice the full question, didn't say what he was really asking: Are you capable of killing this child?

I didn't want to. I really, really didn't want to. But we didn't have the option of playing forever, of not stopping Sensui, and the only thing worse than having to make a decision this awful was watching Kurama try to take the decision away from me—watching him watch me with those too-knowing eyes, the ones that told me that he knew or at least suspected what I'd done under the control of the veruka.

"You know that I am."

Kurama stood very still for a long moment. Then, slowly, reluctantly, he nodded. He stepped away from the podium.

"Just be prepared to beat him in case I lose," I muttered as I passed, walking towards the controls. Not that I was too worried about that. I might be distracted, but I was sure I could still play better than a sobbing eleven year old with his own imminent death hanging over him.

"Please, no," Amanuma sniffed as I took my place at the controls. "I don't want to die!"

"I don't want you to die, either." Amanuma's hitching, labored breaths paused for a moment as he looked at me, surprised and hopeful. "Sorry."

I pressed 'Start'.

Amanuma let out a pitiful moan, but then the blocks were falling. I heard the plasticy taps of Amanuma's hands on the buttons of the controls, but I did not look at him, or his half of the screen. There were only shapes and numbers. I carefully studied the blocks, putting them into strategic positions where I'd be likely to be able to clear them. And then came the necessary addition—one plus two plus four makes

Seven. Nana.

I shook my head, focusing on the blocks. One plus two plus four made

Nana.

I grit my teeth. I could not afford to have a breakdown, not over a stupid number in a stupid video game. Five plus one plus one made

Kill your opponents!

My hand jerked lightly on the controller, sending the falling block into the wrong position. I cursed, already planning damage control. Glancing over at Amanuma, I found him looking utterly panicked, his face shining with tears. I quickly looked away, back toward my own screen. Still, from the corner of my eye I could see he'd already made more than one serious mistake. Blocks were already beginning to pile up on his side of the screen.

"I don't wanna die," Amanuma breathed, just barely audible, and then repeated it, again and again, like a chant. "I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die…"

A frantic clatter of buttons and another moan indicated another mistake by Amanuma.

"Please, stop!"

I stole another glance at Amanuma—but it wasn't Amanuma. It was a little girl, with a bright yellow sundress and her hair in pigtails. Her eyes were wide and she was pleading for me to stop—

Kill your opponents.

The echo of Dr. Ichigaki's programming had my eyes cutting back to my own half of the screen. It wasn't the little girl, whose name I'd never learned. This was Amanuma, and he'd made his own bad decisions, and I'd made mine, and now we would both have to deal with them.

I cleared another set of blocks.

"Please," Amanuma cried desperately, one last time. And then his blocks hit the top of the screen.

The buzzer sounded. I let go of the controls immediately and turned to face Amanuma. Despite myself, I couldn't help hoping that we'd all been wrong, that Amanuma's power wouldn't really take his life. I was just in time to see the blank, empty gaze in the child's eyes before his body crumpled to the ground.

I gazed down at the body of the second child I'd ever killed. Joyous trumpets rang out.

"Game over! Hark and rejoice, for the evil Goblin King is dead, and peace has been restored to the town!"

No one rejoiced.

The earth shook under our feet, and I stumbled as the world twisted. For a moment I thought I was fainting, but then the world righted itself again and I was left standing on the stone floor of a cavernous tunnel once more. At my feet lay a lonely game console and Amanuma's corpse.

I stared at it, almost puzzled. He was definitely dead—all pale and still, his blank eyes still open and his lax features still tinged with both panic and dismay. But for all that I had killed him, there was no blood. I had killed people before, and even killed a child younger than Amanuma before, but there had always been evidence of what I'd done. There had always been blood. The lack of it unsettled me, and as I swallowed down my unease a horrible tension built in my chest.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen when I opened my mouth. A sob would have made sense, or maybe even vomit. But instead all I managed was a shaky exhale as the tension in my chest snapped, and I felt what little control I had over my offensive energy slip away as my aura snapped and flared. I was distantly aware of Hiei hissing softly and backing away several paces.

"Ren…" Yusuke stepped carefully around Amanuma's still body to lay a hand on my shoulder, heedless of the storm of energy whirling around me.

"Don't, Yusuke." I shrugged off his hand and grit my teeth, forcing myself to breathe the wayward energy back in, to contain the wildfire of my rage back beneath my skin. "Just… go stop Sensui."

"It's a promise."

Author's Note: Thanks for your patience, all, and thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story. I am working full-time and am also in grad school, so I haven't had the mental energy to dedicate to finishing this story. But the semester is over now, and I should have more time and energy to spend on writing again. This story is already plotted out through its end, so it's just a matter of getting the words down on paper. I started this story way back in 2017, but I think 2020 will finally see if finished.