…

…

…

… Oh- OH. OH.

…

I'm still alive. Huh.

…

Look at that.

[VII. Reagan's thoughts can be organized into three separate 'subjects'.]

Chapter VII – Third Time's the Charm

'BeeChild'...!?

"Get up!" Daniel attempted to lift Leo off of the ground, only succeeding when Leo used a free hand to push himself up.

"... What the hell is a 'BeeChild'?" Leo managed to ask, after he had gotten to his feet. "And... Wait-" he spun around, "where are we?"
The four Players had 'Dropped' inside the 104 Lobby, but as Leo looked around, he realised that they were in some sort of department store.

"Camila said that it was Mus Rattus, or… Something." Anjelo raised his arms and pointed out. "Buuut as you can see... She's left. Along with Michael."

"And as for 'BeeChild'..." Reagan continued, "... Daniel figured that one out." Reagan gestured behind her, to an innumerable amount of shelves, each shelf lined with the same product: 'The always-popular Shibuya Baby Bee Doll is now 10% off!'

"... I'd hope that anyone would figure it out, upon seeing... This." Leo attempted to take in the incredible number of dolls that lay before him.

"Ah... Yeah..." Reagan looked to the side.

"Look," Daniel pointed to the closest of the 'Baby Bee Doll' boxes, "some of 'em have dice on top of 'em."

"... Right...?" Leo looked at him, uncertainly.

"And some..." Daniel moved his finger to the right, "... Have crates on 'em; inside, there were a bunch of puzzle pieces."

"Ah..." Leo looked at Anjelo and Reagan, starting to understand what Daniel was getting at.

"I think one had a puzzle box on it..." Daniel exhaled; it appeared that he had been investigating for a while, before Leo had awoken.

"I get it... So..." Leo stretched his arms, and wondered where he should start, "... We have to 'conquer' a certain 'cube', that's on one of these 'BeeChild' dolls..."

"The '3 Cubed Cubes Cube'." Anjelo drew out each syllable, seemingly enjoying the name. Daniel nodded, and jogged back into the shelves.

"So... Hey," Leo turned back, before he got started, "how long was I out? Were you all searching before I woke up?" Leo's voice had a slightly apologetic tone to it.
Anjelo and Reagan looked at each other.

"Oh... Yes, we were..." Anjelo looked down, and laughed, while Reagan merely sighed.
Leo raised an eyebrow, and looked down to his left hand...

"... What...?"

14:26...
14:25...
14:24...

"... The original TimeLimit was 20 Minutes... But you took... A little longer to wake up." Reagan scratched her head, and got back to searching.

14:17...
14:16...
14:15...

A puzzle box containing a red and black Player Pin replica, that could be unlocked by sliding moveable, carved sections around. Solved by Reagan, in 2 Minutes.
The Timer didn't stop.
A Rubik's Cube with different Noise Symbols on each side, instead of colours. Solved by Daniel, in 6 Minutes.
The Timer didn't stop.
A crate with 3D Tetris pieces inside, that had to be arranged to form a perfect cube. Solved by Anjelo, in 4 Minutes.
The Timer didn't stop.
Three dice with Reaper Skull Sigils, for ones, along a paper that challenged Leo to roll '3' on each die at the same time. 'Solved' by Leo, in 7 Minutes.
The Timer didn't stop.

7:11...
7:10...
7:09...

"Hey..." Leo huffed, reaching for another 'puzzle', "anyone figure out '3 Cubed Cubes Cube'...?"

"Depends..." Reagan glanced at her Timer, before continuing, "... '3 Cubed' is 9 by 9 by 9… That's 27."

"I thought '27 Cubes Cube' was a 'Cube made of 27 Individual Cubes'..." Daniel wheezed, and ran to the far end of the aisle, to find something else to solve.

"In other words… A 'Rubik's Cube'. Right?" Anjelo joined in the casual talk, as if it could help.

"Yeah, but," Daniel surveyed the store; other Players looked similarly desperate, "I found one and solved it, but..." Leo momentarily shifted his gaze to Daniel, "... Nothin'..."

"Oh, you know how to solve a Rubik's Cube? Bravo, Dunkerman...!" Anjelo ran his hands over the doll boxes, searching for a puzzle yet to be solved.

"... Why's the store empty, apart from the Players...?" Daniel wondered aloud, completely ignoring Anjelo.

6:58…
6:57…
6:56…

"Uh…" Reagan glanced at her Timer again. If they failed the Mission, they would incur a penalty, but according to the 'Basic Rules', they wouldn't necessarily be Erased on the spot; nevertheless, there was no point in giving up. Was there? "I think… There's some sort of fiesta outside," she answered Daniel, "I can barely make out some sort of-"

"Ah…!" Daniel yelled, freezing everyone in place; following this, he threw the doll box he was holding at the wall in anger. "That's Hachi-Fest!"

"… You mean the festival for that dog statue?" Reagan looked at him. "What, you don't like… Dogs?"

"No! It's-"

"Dunkerman, you hafta lighten up." Anjelo started to laugh.

"Shut it!" Daniel turned on Anjelo, but his next words were for everybody. "'Hachi-Ko'! 'Hachi' means 'Bee', and 'Ko' means 'Child'!"
Anjelo stopped laughing.

"… You're kidding me." Leo re-read the Mission Mail.

[Solve the 3 Cubed Cubes Cube upon the BeeChild.]

"… It wasn't 'solve the Rubik's Cube found on the BeeChild doll'…" Leo was about to ask Daniel where he had placed the cube, before he saw Reagan holding it; it had seemingly re-scrambled itself.

"'Solve the Rubik's Cube, whilst upon Hachiko'." Reagan said, and then motioned with her hand, for them to follow.

"Let's get a move on, Daniel…!" Anjelo said, already pushing Leo.

6:32…
6:31…
6:30…

"Five minutes! Come on, come on, come on!" Anjelo continued to push Leo all the way past Scramble Crossing, almost causing Leo to trip on something, or crash into something along the way.

"What are you doing?!" Leo protested.

"If you're payin' attention, then you'll be fine!" Anjelo insisted, keeping a firm grip on Leo, so as not to let him get away.

"Get… Off…!" Leo continued to thrash around, but to no avail; Anjelo refused to release him.

"There…!" Daniel dropped to one knee, exhausted. "There's Hachiko!"
Leo took his attention away from Anjelo, and spotted the Statue of Hachiko, barely visible through a swarm of festive citizens.

"Hachi! Please, bless me next!"

"Eri! I touched him!"

"Ugh, my hand slipped! Hope I didn't mess that up..."

"… On it!" Reagan looked around for a moment, then sprinted straight through the crowd- literally straight through, anyone who got in her way.

"You've got 4 Minutes 40, Raegen!" Anjelo alerted her, using the nickname that Coco had given her. "Be swift, like lightning! No pressure."

"…"

"…"
Leo and Daniel both stopped, and turned to examine Anjelo's face, not sure if he was joking around or not.

"… Are you staring at me?" Anjelo chuckled. "You're staring at me, aren't you?"

"No," Daniel instantly replied, sarcastically, "I was staring at the guy behind you- wait, what the hell…?" He broke off, upon realizing that there was, unexpectedly, a lightly-tanned young man that seemed to be watching them from a ways away. He was dressed in relatively simple attire consisting of a blue hoodie, and a pair of denim jeans with aesthetic tears around the knees, shins, and sides; his face, which appeared Middle-Eastern, bore a small goatee, and his short hair was cropped on either side of his head, leaving a noticeably thicker 'strip' down the centre of his scalp.

"'sup guys." he greeted them, far too casually. "you don't seem to be doing so well, Marked Boy." He addressed Leo.

"… 'Marked Boy'…?" Leo replied, uncertainly.

"That's you." He said simply, pulling out what appeared to be a Re:Phone. "… 4 Minutes and 26 Seconds left. You'd better hurry it up." He grinned after glancing the screen.

"You a Player?" Daniel asked the question, even though he felt like he knew the answer.

"I don't think he has a Timer…" Anjelo finally removed his hands from Leo, and faced the mysterious man, cautiously.

"You can tell, from here?" Leo's eyes flicked from Anjelo, to the man's hands, and then back to Anjelo.

"… I don't hear any ticking from him. Do you?" He said with a curt, try-thinking-outside-of-the-box tone.

"Hey." Daniel stood up deliberately and spoke again, with more force this time. "Don't ignore me. Are you a Player?" As he asked him, he brought out a Shockwave Pin, feeling a sense of danger. The man slipped his Phone into the pocket of his hoodie, and swept a hand through his hair.

"… Nope." He said, confirming Daniel's worries. "I'm not a Player."

"A Reaper, then." Leo began to step forward, but found himself stopped by some invisible force.
!... What's this… Feeling? Leo clutched at his chest with one hand. I've felt this before, from Katy…!
One look at Daniel and Anjelo told Leo that they could feel it too.

"Yeah, but not just any Reaper…" The man grinned again, this time he took a step forward, and the strange sensation hit the three Players, heavier.

It's almost like…

"I'm Isshin Genkata, but you can call me the 'Prince of Persia', got it?" He laughed at his own joke.
The three Players instinctively jumped back, as they felt another wave of the invisible force hit them. "I'm the Game Master this week. Nice to meet you."

… It's almost like his spirit is crushing me.

4:31…
4:30…
4:29…

Gotcha!
Reagan swung herself up onto Hachiko's podium, comfortable in the knowledge that no-one could see, or touch her.

"Let's get to it, then…" She twirled the cube on her finger for a second, memorizing the different symbols on each side.

Click
Click-Click
Cli- Click

4:29…
4:28…
4:27…

Reagan managed to finish a side within a matter of seconds, granted, it was already mostly completed; hoping that she could figure the whole thing out before her time was up, she called for her Partner. "Mihael-" she was about to raise her head, when…

"Grr…"

… What's that…? Reagan froze temporarily, her eyes darting around for the growl's source.

"GRR…!"
Before Reagan had time to move, she felt herself falling to the ground.

"Agh…!" She landed heavily, having not expected to fall off Hachiko like that.
'Fall'? Well, that's not entirely accurate… "… What in the…?!" Reagan watched from the hard, stone ground, as the Statue of Hachiko jumped off of its pedestal; its surface started to develop the same patterns that she had seen on… "Noise…!" She gasped.
The Hachiko Noise, apparently imperceptible to the people of the RealGround, sunk low and prepared to pounce.

4:24…
4:23…
4:22…

Sssksshh…!

Leo slid back as he dispatched the third Noise Symbol that Genkata had sent at him, putting some distance between Genkata and himself.

"He's just toying with us…" Anjelo noted, fiddling with his Quake Pin. "Just make sure you don't touch it, Leo." He reminded him.

"Yeah…" Leo nodded, catching his breath. So… He thought to himself. I guess he's the 'source' of the Noise…?

"Aren't you, like…" Daniel drew in a deep breath, and shook his head, catching Leo's attention. "Aren't you the boss? Shouldn't you… I dunno, hang back until the last Day?"

"Well, I'm supposed to, actually." Genkata stroked his chin, contemplating summoning a few more Noise. "… But I wanted to see you, Marked Boy." He pointed at Leo.

"You keep saying that I'm 'Marked', what do you mean?" Leo cut in, slightly frustrated at his own ignorance.

"Oh, wow," Genkata held a hand to his forehead, amused, "you don't even know?"
Leo merely waited for a proper answer, his eyebrow twitching in irritation. "Well, I guess I can… Give you a hint," he took his hand away from his forehead, "what's the maximum amount of Days given to a Player?"

"… Twelve, right?" Leo replied uncertainly, but immediately after, he realized what Genkata was getting at. "Oh…!"

"Exactly," Genkata shook his head, dissatisfied with Leo, "right now, you have…" He paused, glancing at his Phone's screen, and ran some numbers through his head. "… You have 4:19 on your Mission Timer, and 12:22:28:35 on your Existence Timer." Genkata tilted his head forward, as if saying 'understand?'

That's right… I didn't even think about it… Leo brought his right hand up, confirming Genkata's statement; his brow furrowed in a mixture of confusion and anxiety, as he attempted to understand what was happening, and not only 'what', but 'why'.
I started with… Thirteen Days…?

"When a Player is initiated into the Game, they are assigned 'X Days'; that is… A random number of Days, from 1 to 12." Genkata elaborated, gesticulating with one hand. "… But not you. It was decided that you would receive, and not by chance," he added, "an 'illegal' number of Days to Exist." shrugging, either not worried, or not caring about whether or not Leo was taking in everything he was saying, Genkata summed up his point.
"You, Leo Parker… Are the Marked Player."

4:07…
4:06…
4:05…

I suppose this is what the Mission meant by 'The Bee is Wild': 'Hachi is Wild'.
Typical.
Reagan cricked her neck in irritation at yet another of Genkata's tricks, and leapt back onto the Hachiko Noise, wrapping an arm around its granite head, in an effort to prevent being bucked off of its back, again.
I'm not getting very far… She spared a second to think, not daring to take any more of her attention off of the Hachiko Noise.

3:58…
3:57…
3:56…

Reagan considered the current situation's three issues:
One: I need to solve the cube.
Two: I need to stop the Hachiko Noise from throwing me off.
Three… She thought to herself, slightly irritated … The other's aren't helping me. Why's that…?
Reagan tightened her grip, as the Hachiko Noise began to thrash around faster; calming herself, she closed her eyes, and breathed…
Just… Think about it logically… No unnecessary thoughts…
The world blinked, and swarm of thoughts raged through her mind.

- time without fail; when I'm thrown off, the cube resets itself; I can-

- assume that the others are dealing with something else, otherwise they would-

- use both hands; hold on properly, but it'd-

- help; can't waste a second -

- waiting for the right moment… But then again, I could-

- be difficult; I need to solve the cube at the same time... It's a good thing that I'm not-

- looking; no time to-

- use that… No harm trying-

- being burned by this one-

- since the other Noise were susceptible it; I have just enough time to -

- waste-

- otherwise, I might've given up a lot earlier… But I won't, now. I won't-

- do it.

Reagan's eyes snapped open, as she momentarily released Hachiko; her left hand dove into her pocket for the Thunderbolt Pin, whilst her right hand continued to keep a firm hold on the Rubik's Cube

"Let's see if this works…!" Reagan wound back…

Crackle…!

"Thunderbolt!"

… And struck the Hachiko Noise's neck full-on, with her left palm. Light flashed like that from a thunderstorm, as she ran the Psych through the Hachiko Noise.

"GRAAOOOHHHH!" The Hachiko Noise roared, recoiling from the bright green spikes attacking it.

A concept of the OverAssist Gear is stimulating muscles with electricity to enhance performance, and increase speed… Reagan recalled dashing forward to grab Leo. Maybe I can emulate that with the Thunderbolt Pin!
Reagan increased the output of her Thunderbolt Psych; her left hand kept the Hachiko Noise from moving, while her right hand, now bursting with energy, started another attempt on the cube.

3:46…
3:45…
3:44…

"Nel…!" Out of the corner of his eye, Leo noticed that Reagan was locked in a struggle with the Statue of Hachiko, which, inexplicably, seemed to have animated itself.
Just as he turned to run to her, he felt a sudden, sharp pain on his face.

"Pay attention." Anjelo, who had delivered a sharp slap to Leo's cheek, calmly advised him. "You think I haven't thought about helping her? If let our guard down around this guy… He could probably Erase us on the spot."

"Ah well, I could," Genkata agreed, casually; his tone carrying a trace of slight disappointment, "but y'see, it's like the sporty guy said; I'm actually not even 'supposed' to show myself until Day 7… Tradition, y'know." Pausing to scratch his head, Genkata yawned and stowed his Phone back in his pocket, "… And even though I don't care about that little custom; by rule, Reapers can't directly attack Players, anyway. Yet."

"'Yet', huh…?" Daniel repeated; he thought about asking Genkata exactly what he meant, but someone else spoke first.

"Wait." Leo, bringing his mind back to what was happening before he noticed Reagan. "I'm 'Marked', you said; I have Thirteen Days. Why do I have an illegal Day-count? Is it because I'm Marked? Or am I Marked because I'm breaking the rules?"
Come to think of it… Leo noted, internally. The guy in the hood said something about that, too…
Genkata considered Leo for a moment, but then chuckled.

"Right… I… Honestly forgot how little you know, for moment. Sorry." He added, still laughing; Leo gritted his teeth. "But more importantly…" Genkata pointed at Reagan. "You've got about three minutes left. "Shouldn't you be helping her?"
Suddenly, before the Reaper could even blink, Daniel charged forward.

"Shockwave!" Daniel's Psych hit Genkata dead-on, expelling a fierce wind away from the pair; causing Genkata to cry out and stumble back.

"Daniel! What're you…!" Leo started to shout, but stopped, realizing that Genkata was completely unscathed.

"… Wow…!" Genkata smirked, and nonchalantly dusted the front of his hoodie off; making it very clear that Daniel's attack had not affected him in the slightest. "That had a kick to it… For a Level 2 Psych."
Daniel froze momentarily, then leapt back in disbelief.

"… How did you do that?" Anjelo asked in a low voice.

"Psychs are only as powerful as you want them to be." Genkata stated simply, shrugging. "Your Soul, your Imagination… If these things aren't strong enough, then the Psych will be just as weak." He laughed, yet again. "And since defensive strength is centred around the strength of one's Soul, there's no way-"

"Quake!" Anjelo lashed out, sending a stream of rubble and debris flying into Genkata.
Just as before, it appeared to have no effect; the rocks and gravel fizzled and dropped onto the ground, leaving Genkata exactly where he was.

"… That you newbies can damage me: A Game Master." Genkata finished; his expression turned smug, and his eyes momentarily flashed with a golden colour.

2:44…
2:43…
2:42…

The Statue of Hachiko reared its head back and howled, a piercing, thunderous wail screamed through the sky; answering its call, a pack of Noise materialized, ready to attack.

Uh-Oh… Nelliel almost lost her grip on Hachiko's stony neck, upon spotting several new threats. That's not good… I'm only 94% through…!
To make matters worse, the Hachiko Noise seemed to be developing a resistance to the Thunderbolt Psych. Wait… Nelliel gaped; having accidently cast her gaze back in the direction of the Scramble, she saw her three fellow Players, all staring down a newcomer in a hoodie. What's happening over there…?

Crack

Unnoticed by Reagan, a tiny fracture started to form on the surface of the possessed Statue of Hachiko...

"…Guys," Daniel whispered to Leo and Angelo, "I have a plan…"

"Hm?" Genkata cocked his head sideways. "What're you guys whispering about, over there?" After a second or so, it was apparent that he was, to be blunt, being ignored; with that in mind, Genkata drew a Pin out from his pocket, similar to a Player Pin, the only difference being that the skull resembled that of an animal, perhaps a bird's, rather than a human's. "… Ruuude…" He sang playfully, preparing to summon another Noise…

"I'm out!" Anjelo announced loudly, throwing his arms up in the air, and catching Genkata off-guard; following this, he pivoted on his heel, and sprinted in the opposite direction, away from the Reaper and the two Players.

"Hey- what the hell!" Daniel stumbled as he turned, and shouted at a fleeing Anjelo.

"Mihael!? Wh- What are you…!" Leo turned his back to Genkata, who looked on, dumbfounded, as he called after Anjelo.

"… Uh…" Frozen in place, Genkata slowly began to lower his Pin-wielding arm; he had never seen anything quite like this, after all. "… Wow. Honestly, I…" He started to laugh, "I didn't expect any of you to freaking… Run so fast-"

"Pyrokinetics!" Leo bellowed as he whipped back around, slashing his arm through the air, at Genkata, with all his strength. The air immediately in front of Genkata seemed to ripple for a split-second, as if distorted by heat; Genkata had just enough time for his mouth to open in surprise, before-

BOOM!

A flash of white light seared Leo's eyes, and a deafening explosion shook his core. The blast had ignited several times more powerfully than the last time he had tried; anything caught by such an attack unawares would be annihilated in the blink of an eye, surely…

Cough… Cough…!

… Perhaps not.

Leo stepped back in shock, upon hearing a cough from inside the plume of smoke; even Leo's surprise attack, (indeed, Daniel's plan was for Anjelo to distract Genkata by running,) hadn't taken Genkata out.

"That… That one hurt a bit…" Genkata stepped out, still coughing; his clothes and hair were singed from the Psych. "… Where the hell'd you get a Level 3 Pin…?" He mused, quickly recovering his composure.

"… It's fine, Leo." Daniel reassured him, preparing to use his Shockwave again, if necessary. "The plan also means that Anjelo can go an' help Nel, which means…" Daniel brought his Mission Timer up.

2:27…
2:26…
…
2:26

Daniel grinned as the Timer stopped. "… Mission Complete."
Leo's Phone beeped; wary of Genkata retaliating, Leo brought it out, and stole a glance at the screen.

[Main Mission Puzzle II Cleared.
Time Retrieved: 146 Seconds.
Bonus Time: 18 Seconds.
Total Time Reward: 00:02:34]

Leo's Existence Timer paused, flashing at 12:22:27:28, before rising to 12:22:30:02, like a clock being rewound.
Similarly, Daniel's Existence Timer soon found itself back at 09:22:30:02.

"…" Genkata stared at the two, deciding what course of action to take. Technically, he could still attack them; the Day wasn't yet over, even though the Mission was. After five seconds of silence, Genkata made his decision: His hand went to his pocket, and began to draw out a Pin-

"Thunderbolt!" Reagan dashed in and slammed her palm into Genkata's chest, electrocuting him, and sending him flying backwards.

"Gah…!" Genkata's eyes widened in surprise; if this was the RG, he would certainly be coughing out blood.

"Haahhh!" Still in midair, Reagan wound back; a mass of electricity gathered around her hand. "Come on!" She yelled, both at Genkata, and to Anjelo, (who had followed her,) Leo, and Daniel.

"… Right!" Leo, who was slightly taken aback by Reagan's rather ferocious sneak attack, readied his own attack. "Pyrokinetics!"

"Quake!"

"Shockwave!"

Reagan threw what could best be described as a cluster of lightning at Genkata's prone form, eliciting a large surge of her trademark bright, neon sparks around Genkata; next came Leo's Pyrokinetics, a burst of flame exploded into Existence, consuming Genkata in a fiery inferno of fire and smoke; Anjelo and Daniel provided support by raining down a storm of debris and wind.
Through the unbelievably devastating assault, Leo couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Genkata, but then remembered how his most powerful attack had 'hurt him a bit'.

"One more!" Reagan roared, raising her arm up for another Thunderbolt…

"That's enough." A hand grabbed onto Reagan's wrist from behind.

"What?! Don't stop, he's-" Reagan turned around to berate whoever had grabbed her, only to be stop in astonishment; the one who had stopped her, was none other than Isshin Genkata. "Ah…!" Reagan recoiled, and freed her arm from Genkata's grasp, before retreating several metres.

"… Look, your Mission's over. You're done. You did well, and all that…" Genkata waved his hand through the air, as if dismissing the fact that he had just walked- no, he had apparently managed to escape their attacks without being noticed, and sneak up behind Reagan without anyone noticing.
To make matters worse, he seemed to have been injured even less by their Psychs than before; if anything, he and his clothes somehow looked brand-new. "I was just going to give you this, Marked Boy." Genkata threw the Pin from earlier over his shoulder; Leo managed to catch it, despite his bewildered state of mind.

"… 'Marked Boy'…?" Reagan asked, her face still showing her sheer disbelief. "What's that?"

"Ugh…" Genkata held his forehead, as if experiencing a minor headache. "No. Sorry. I'm not telling the story again. I'm leaving." He turned, and started to walk away, as the four Players continued to stare in incredulity. "Y'know…" He stopped, to say one more thing. "I'm surprised no-one's pointed out the Sigil on you, yet." He said, simply, to Leo, who felt his heart skip a beat.

"… The what on me…?!" He took a step back.

"… Do you all see the Reapers' Sigil on your Re:Phone's backgrounds?" Genkata sighed. After a few seconds, Daniel turned his Phone on, and this time, looked past the menu options.

"… Yeah… I didn't see it before, with all the buttons, but… It's a skull and… An 'X'…?"

"Crossbones." Genkata supplied with a smirk. "It's a skull and crossbones."

"Yeah… The same skull on our Player Pins, and…" Daniel stopped, as he did a double take, almost dropping his Phone. "Why-…?!" His head snapped to the left, to look at Leo. "You mean that's…!"

"Wh- What? What is it?" Leo looked at everyone's faces; Daniel and Reagan were staring at him, looking even more shocked than they were at Genkata's recovery. Genkata had his usual look of amusement about him, but most strangely… Anjelo almost seemed to be confused, as if he had no idea what everyone else was talking about.

"Y-… Your back, Leo… I just thought it was part of your hoodie…" Reagan stuttered.

"My… what?!" Leo looked around the area, before noticing that the nearby Shibukyu Stationside had a row of tall windows installed. Leo scrambled over to them, and turned around, using the windows in a mirror. "… What the hell is this…?!" Leo stared at the back of his hoodie.

Marked on his back, as if painted, or even sewn in with white, was a big, unmistakable 'X'.
The Sigil of the Reapers' Crossbones.
Leo was the Marked Player.

[VIII. If it isn't clear by now, Genkata is part Persian. Half, to be precise. Just putting it out there.]

I hear those cries of, "Mary Sue!" ('Marty Stu'?) From you, buuut Genkata did state that Leo's attack 'hurt him a bit'. And anyway, there are good reasons to his high vitality. Not all of which you know.
Bear with me, please XD

I'm sorry this took so long; I've had a lot of stuff to deal with.
For example, I write books professionally, now! :D
None have been published yet, but that's probably because… None are finished yet…
…
Seems logical, to me…

I write much more professionally when I write books; indents, proper paragraphing, and such.
But I don't want to change my writing style for X Days so abruptly, so… I'll be sticking with this for a while :P

However!

I will be writing more 'professionally' in X Days – Marked, an X Days prequel! (Prologue's out, now :D)
It's part of an event I call Shibuya Operation – Story Storm, which is a sort of spin-off to The Twelve Shots of Summer, which was hosted by Chronic Guardian.

I'll be doing a lot more writing here, because of SOSS, and since we're on the subject, I highly recommend that you check the other participants' works on there; they've done so much for a n00b FanFiction writer, like myself, welcoming me, inviting me to TsoS, and now, participating in SOSS, which I am… Currently not doing a very good job of running…
I'm trying.

Anyway!

More updates will be coming! :P

Later!
-X

Preview of Chapter VIII – Marked 4 Erasure:

"Leo!" Daniel yelled.

"Move!" Reagan and Anjelo shouted simultaneously.
Leo turned to see a giant, horned Noise Symbol. The largest he had ever seen. Beyond that, it was… Blue. More of a cobalt shade, but certainly a far cry from the usual blood-red Noise Symbols.

"Pyro-… Aagh…!" Leo stumbled backwards, only now realizing that he had yet to recover his Pyrokinetics Pin from A-East.

"That was way too easy, Marked Boy." A Reaper stepped out from the shadows.

"Genkata!" Leo cursed. Of all the times to attack…

"It was such an easy Mission. I really thought you'd be a bit less trusting…" Genkata shook his head in disapproval. "Well, anyway. Who wants to fight first?" He grinned in anticipation, but was suddenly interrupted.

KZZZT…!

A lance of light arced out of the darkness, scoring a direct hit on the Noise Symbol. the Symbol screeched in agony, before exploding into static; wisps of black and white scattered around the area, before fading into nothingness.

"No Harrier Reapers but you, this Week? Hands-On as always, I see…" A voice issued from far behind the four Players, addressing Genkata.

"You…" Leo gasped, turning around to see a familiar face. "You're back…!"

"What are you trying to do, Isshin Genkata? You're pushing the rules, releasing a Ringleader Noise on Round 1 Players." The newcomer approached the gathered five.

"Actually… I was trying to lure you out of hiding." Genkata smirked. "Looks like it worked."

"You can decide whether or not it 'worked', after this." The newcomer's violet eyes flashed with a fierce energy, as she raised a single, black Pin. "I don't think you want to fight any more than I do." Katy cautioned Genkata, as a bright white light began to encircle her hand.
"Final warning."