The Survival Game

From that fateful promise, nothing else mattered to Yuno. Her entire world revolved around a single name.

Yukiteru Amano.

Her shattered, fragile mind clung to him like a lifeline in a stormy ocean. He was the only light in her darkness, the only thing that made sense amidst the chaos that consumed her existence. Yukiteru had accepted her, and that was enough. She would protect that light with everything she had—with her own life, if necessary.

Even if it meant crossing rivers of blood.

Even if it meant doing horrible things.

Her chance came with an event that would mark her forever. A cruel game, designed to crush bodies and shatter souls.

The Survival Game.

A bored God, playing with the lives of twelve chosen ones. A prize that no one should desire: the crown of a new God of time and space. And a battlefield where the only objective was to eliminate all others until only one remained.

But Yuno didn't care.

It could have been luck. It could have been pity. Or just a whim of the God who ruled the game. But Yukiteru and she had been chosen. And if this was a deadly game, then she would make sure that only one of them would fall—and it wouldn't be Yukiteru.

However, reality was cruel. Yukiteru didn't have the stomach for this kind of game. He passively accepted the misfortune that befell him, sinking into self-pity. In his own words, he was nothing more than a coward, a luckless incompetent.

And it was precisely this weakness that Yuno's broken mind knew how to exploit.

"You don't need to be afraid, Yuuki..." Her voice was a soft whisper, but laden with an unbreakable promise. "I will always protect you."

And he clung to that promise.

Yukiteru was not a fighter. But, as weak and fearful as he was, he wanted to live. In the end, his will to survive was greater than his cowardice.

But there was no love. Only the desperation of a powerless boy relying on a monster.

As for Yuno...

For Yuno, this was the consummation of everything she desired. In her shattered mind, Yukiteru finally accepted her. He needed her. And that, for her, was love.

The days passed. The game began.

While Yukiteru sought refuge in passive strategies, fleeing and hiding from danger, Yuno knew this was not a game for lambs. This was a game of predators.

And she would become the worst of all beasts.

"Information is gold, Yuuki," she whispered once, her eyes gleaming with a burning obsession. "If we know our enemies before they know us, we can take them down before they have a chance to take us down."

Hunt or be hunted. Kill or be killed.

There was no room for hesitation.

Time passed, and it soon became clear: Yuno was a natural born killer.

There was no mercy in her movements. There was no hesitation in her attacks. Her eyes sparkled like those of a beast at the height of the hunt. And, with that relentless determination, they achieved their first victory.

The fifth participant fell.

Reisuke Houjou. Just a harmless little boy... or so he wanted them to think. But the little strategist was a real threat, a cruel enemy who forced them to fight for their lives inside Yukiteru's own house.

But, in the end, Yuno won.

And, seeing her power, Yukiteru clung to her even more tightly.

But not out of love.

Out of fear.

Yukiteru didn't allow himself to show it. He avoided Yuno's eyes when she gazed at him tenderly. His breathing quickened whenever she got too close. Deep down, he knew—he saw what Yuno really was.

She was a lunatic monster.

But it was this monster that would keep him alive.

And while Yuno savored the illusion of eternal love alongside her Yuuki, he was just trying to survive.

Everything seemed to be going well.

Until the day Yuno met the one who...

Japan, Sakurami 2010

Minene Uryuu, the Ninth, was on the hunt.

She had meticulously planned her ambush, planning every detail to ensure the death of Yukiteru Amano. But Yuno was already expecting it. Her Future Diary had warned: Yukiteru was in danger.

Without hesitation, Yuno grabbed his hand and ran through the city. Their footsteps echoed against the concrete, while the boy struggled to keep up with the girl's frantic pace. His chest heaved, panic etched on his face.

Ninth, frustrated with the failure of her initial plan, did not back down. She was a soldier, an experienced terrorist—a hunter. If the first attack failed, she simply adapted.

The couple found refuge in a parking garage. A labyrinth of steel and concrete. Perhaps they could use this to their advantage.

But then came the blade.

Out of nowhere, a knife slid from under a car and plunged into Yukiteru's leg.

He screamed, his voice tinged with pain and despair, stumbling backward.

Yuno's eyes widened. Then, they darkened.

That was a mistake.

Her anger burned within her like an out-of-control fire. Her muscles tightened, her breathing became irregular, and a murderous glint ignited her gaze.

But before she could act, a second attack came—more lethal.

A grenade flew towards the car where Yukiteru was sheltering.

"YUUUKIIIIIII!"

Yuno's scream tore through the silence of the parking garage.

Time seemed to slow down. Yukiteru, his eyes wide, could only whisper:

"I... am I going to die?"

But then—

BANG!

An accurate shot hit the grenade in mid-air, detonating it before it could reach its target. The shockwave reverberated through the parking garage, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

Yuno spun her gaze, searching for the origin of the shot. And then she saw him.

Inside a car, a young man—even younger than she expected. With a relaxed expression, he opened the vehicle's door and, with a bored sigh, let out:

"Nene, you're such a brat, you know?"

On the other side, Ninth clicked her tongue, annoyed.

"Tsk... you again!?"

Yuno barely blinked. Her heart was still pounding in her chest.

Yukiteru, trembling, whispered beside her:

"Y-Yuno... what are we going to do!?"

Her voice came out tense, laden with frustration and adrenaline.

"I'm thinking..."

But there wasn't much time to think. Ninth's attack had been swift and merciless. Yuno had been caught off guard, without any weapons at her disposal.

Ninth, impatient, pulled out a belt of grenades and raised her gaze with disdain.

"I'm tired of this game. I want to see you get out of this one."

The stranger scratched his head with the tip of the gun, observing the scene as if it were a minor inconvenience in his day.

"Yeah... I want to see how I'm going to get out of this one..."

Sweat dripped down Yukiteru's face. He held his own head, his knees about to buckle.

Yuno, on the other hand, kept her eyes sharp, scanning every detail of the scene. She needed a solution.

And then, the stranger shouted:

"IF YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RUN TO ME!"

With a quick movement, he pulled two Mini Uzis from inside his overcoat and raised them.

It was the trigger for Ninth to act.

Without hesitation, she began to pull the pins from the grenades, throwing them one after another in their direction.

The world hung in suspense for an instant.

Yuno made her decision.

"LET'S GO, YUUKI!"

She didn't give Yukiteru time to hesitate. With force, she grabbed him and dashed towards the stranger, who at that moment became their best chance of survival.

Behind them, the bullets began to fly.

The sound of the Mini Uzis roared in the parking garage. Each grenade thrown by Ninth was intercepted in mid-air before it could touch the ground, exploding in violent successions that shook the structure around them.

The scene was hellish.

Pillars cracked, pieces of concrete fell, and the structure threatened to collapse.

Yuno and Yukiteru reached the stranger's side.

Yuno analyzed him with predatory eyes, trying to decipher who this man was who, for some reason, was helping them.

He didn't waste any time. He shouted, his voice almost being swallowed by the sounds of the explosions.

"GET IN THE FUCKING CAR!"

Yuno hesitated. Her instinct screamed that trusting him was a mistake.

But then—

"LET'S GO, YUNO! THE WALLS ARE GOING TO COLLAPSE!"

Yukiteru pulled her arm with unexpected strength.

Yuno's gaze flickered between him and the stranger. But time was short.

With an irritated grunt, she threw herself into the car along with Yukiteru.

______

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