MURDER GAME 3: FINALE
REDEMPTION
As usual…a beautiful girl stands in my way.
*
Who said that? And about whom? A red herring? Well…I think we need to no longer wait a second longer.
No fancy intros, no flashback…just…
COMING OUT TO PLAY?
*
Last time on…
*
OH SCREW THIS! LET’S GET ON WITH IT!
*
(Last time, Chromus/Spirit being the utter bastard that he is…delayed revealing the votes of the three detectives who were taking the quiz…partly because he didn’t want anybody taking the home quiz to have any sort of advantage, and partly because…well, he likes seeing people suffer…^_^)
(We have a few cut shots of the three detectives, Triela, Hinata and Ban on their quizzes. Ban isn’t exactly an exam liking man, but he’s concentrating a mile a minute, that intelligent quarter-German brain wanting to make certain he puts a cyborg and a ninja on the sidelines…)
(Triela, who is used to lectures, on the other hand is not an exam buff. In fact, of the three, she looks the most frustrated…but at the same time, seems to move the pen the quickest…rushing or confident? The sweat on her brow says otherwise, but this girl has been unpredictable since minute one…)
(Of the three, Hinata is easily the calmest – considering the last written exam she’s taken, this is a piece of cake in comparison…at least she’s going in there for herself and not having to worry about others. However, we’ve got a Byakugan detector on site in case she decides to ‘cheat.’ Fortunately, Hinata’s a good girl and we don’t get any cheating…)
*
(Triela is the first to finish at around 20 minutes. She hands it over to Ohjiro as Kano waits on the other two…)
(Ban is next, around 8 minutes later. He seems confident, his smile infuriating Triela to no end…)
(Lastly, at 35 minutes, Hinata finishes…she hands her in to Kano, no real emotion on her face as she relaxes…Ban seems to notice something about her…)
Ban: I think…
Kano: O.K ladies and gentleman, we’re are going to grade them considering how that we actually know who our murderess is…
Ohjiro: …and we won’t be a moment.
(The two leave…making a VERY uncomfortable silence for the next few minutes…)
Triela: This was bad. The nerves in me were bad and I rushed through with all the strong points – I feel I’m right but the air of suspicion around here won’t dull until I’m satisfied…
Ban: I feel very confident, but something about the way Hinata finished that quiz suggested that she could have done better…I dunno, but this feeling aside from confidence…there is some doubt…
Hinata: The exam didn’t bother me…I risked helping Naruto-kun out to get through an exam which was slightly nerve-wracking…but here, the nerves were gone…because I wanted to PROVE that I deserve to be here…
*
(It isn’t long before the Prince of the Layer and the Miracle Editor are back. Both seem a little…stunned.)
(Why is that? Well…you’ll have to scroll down to the end and see what happens during the revealing. However, you’ll be spoiled to hell if you do that so just bare with me…)
Ohjiro: Well…we indeed have a winner.
Kano: However, it’s way too easy to reveal him or her here. We have one location to go to…and to reveal our cold murderess.
Ohjiro: Indeed…where it all started.
(A shot outside the window of a former colourful big top, now dreary grey with echoes of destruction during the fire…but the destruction really began that fateful day when Kalos Eido died…)
Shot of the killer strike down to Kalos…
*
KALEIDO STAGE
(We get three cut shots, one in the destroyed big top area where most of the practice goes…there, Anna Respighi waits.)
*
(Next, the main performance room. The largest most spacious room is home to the smallest suspect. Ruri Hoshino waits.)
*
(Lastly, where she’s been most of this game, in the Gendo position in Kalos’ former office. Duplica Imite waits.)
*
Ohjiro: The three of you will be going into separate vans. Awaiting out there is a driver.)
(Shot of the three drivers, and our final brief author cameos, Adam R. Pulver, Star ‘You suck’ Otaku and Arthur ‘Artful – you cosplay as Joker or Junior at Acen2006 and Star glomps you I will turn you into mush’ Wilborn (just kidding Art…*hides Junior outfit*))
Kano: You will all drive to Kaleido Stage…but you will be blindfolded.
Ohjiro: When you exit, your driver will lead you to the path you must take, and through to where you will face one of the three suspects.
Kano: Two of you will come face to face with innocent parties. Whether you will know this or not is up to your own beliefs. However, it will be confirmed somehow they are innocent…
Ohjiro: …one of you however will come face to face with our murderess. And when you do, all will be revealed.
Kano: There, an arrest will have to be made, but don’t expect it to be easy. All three are VERY dangerous, so I suggest some self defence is an order of the day…
(Fortunately, all three are very well adversed to that. In a weird way, good job Aya wasn’t in the final three…)
Ohjiro: So you three, we are going to head out to the abyss.
Kano: Any last words?
(It seems Triela has something to say…but she holds it in. Ban just looks disinterested whilst Hinata’s shallow breathing shows she is nervous, but at the same time, ready…)
Ohjiro: (nods) Very well. We’ll lead you three to a specific van, and then it’s all your destiny.
Kano: One last moment of good luck…as you’ve made your own graves…forgive the pun…
Ohjiro: Into the darkness, and word of caution. After tonight, one of your lives will change…
Kano: …if you live through it…
*
VAN 1
(BAN AND ADAM)
Adam: I’m not too familiar with your work to be honest…
Ban: What?!!! We’re the Getbackers, we have a (near) 100% success rate…
Adam: Are you badass?
Ban: Hell yeah.
Adam: That works. Anything for the bad ass to win instead of the cute girls.
Ban: Damn straight.
*
(HINATA AND STAR)
Star: …go for it my dear!!!
Hinata: R-Right…
Star: And above all, survive this…if you don’t, I won’t have anyone…
Hinata: Huh?
Star: (fast) NOTHING, NOTHING!
*
(ARTFUL AND TRIELA)
Artful: …it’s not that I mind girls with guns…
Triela: Good…because this is no small talk before I show Ban whose the better detective…
Artful: (sigh) I get the short end of the straw…this is Chromus’ revenge is it…I’ll get him for this!!!
*
(There is very little talk in the vans – Ban’s confidence, Triela’s anger and Hinata’s nervousness are all there, but only Kano and Ohjiro know the truth…)
(…the truth of the killer’s identity…)
*
KALEIDO STAGE
(All three vans park in a triangle a far way off each other. Our three author cameos lead the now blindfolded detectives out of the vans, ready for a real killer’s game…)
(…outside are two knights…one holding a card similar to the one that Hinata is clutching to her chest…the other has what appears to be a near twin tied up and struggling by his side…)
(…these are the other two author cameos from earlier in the fic, Joe Klemm and Zach Kaiser. The two are holding spears to two of the exits…)
Joe: …I feel bad for this…
Zach: No choice…personal feelings aside, let’s do this…
(Star, Adam and Art nod as two of them pass by a door where our two knights were guarding…and one is guiding into a different area…)
(…but who has got to who?)
*
BAN: PATH OF AGGRESSION
TRIELA: PATH OF DEFENCE
HINATA: PATH OF DESTRUCTION
(Each of them has been given a set path to one of the three places that you saw our three suspects in…and they are all realising that it is coming to an end…)
Ban: Ginji…when I see you next…
(A linger of doubt hits the Getbacker…)
Ban: …either we gourge on sushi or we go back to looking at the back of dustbins…
(Ban chuckles to himself)
Ban: At least I ate well here…
(Ban follows the path of aggression…)
*
Hinata: Everyone…
(Hinata is also relying on the gods…well…her friends…)
Hinata: Kiba-kun…Shino-kun…
(A close of the eyes…)
Hinata: Naruto-kun…
(…and a clutch of the card…)
Hinata: Negi-kun…
(Hinata follows the path of defence…)
*
Triela: This is nothing…
(Triela’s bobbing Adam’s apple in her still organic throat suggests otherwise though….and even she’s feeling for her own pactio…)
Triela: No…not relying on anything now…friendship…love…strength…companions…
(Triela lets it go as she takes a deep breath…)
Triela: …though feeling Henrietta’s warmth and seeing Rico’s smile and sneering at Claes’ sarcasm would be a nice comfort right about now…
(Triela closes her eyes for a moment and nods…)
Triela: Girls…I’m coming home.
(Triela follows the path of destruction…)
*
AND THEY LEAD TO…
(Shot of Ban outside a door with a cross on it…)
(…and he enters the Hiruma way…)
*SMASH*
(Ban is inside the training room where he finds…)
Ban: (smirks) You.
(Standing in front of him, idly tossing some diablo…is Anna Respighi.)
Anna: Welcome.
*
(Triela is opposite the door…upstairs in a certain office…the mark of fire is on this door.)
Triela: So this is where it ends…
(Triela smashes the door with her fist as she sees a young lady chanting as Triela smiles.)
Triela: I thought so.
(Triela holds back as Duplica jumps into a martial arts pose..)
*
Hinata: BYAGUKAN!
(After activating her clan’s technique, Hinata opens a pair of curtains with a strong palm as she prepares for the worst…)
Hinata: Over there!!!
(Hinata jumps back as Ruri appears, engulfed in blue light, ready to speak…)
*
LET’S REVEAL SHALL WE?!!!
*
(Shot of Triela in a martial arts pose as Duplica (naturally) imitates the pose.)
Duplica: Bit frisky aren’t we? Invading the remains of these quarters I had managed to acquire?
Triela: Yes…by killing the former boss?
(Duplica’s eyebrows raise…)
Duplica: So…that’s why you’re here?!!!
Triela: Of course…you did it!!! All the signs are to it…
Duplica: You…you mean…
(Duplica’s cocky look vanishes when she realises…)
Duplica: You’re serious aren’t you?
(Triela stops as Duplica’s face takes a tone that hasn’t been seen in this fic…)
Triela: Of…Of course I am – you killed Kalos to get revenge in that incident and to take over Kaleido Stage yourself…you knew about the DNA inside the safe…you pretends not to and wanted to use it in a way to Kal…
Duplica: STOP RIGHT THERE!!!!
(Duplica’s tone of voice puts Triela a step back…and now we get something unexpected. Duplica’s face reverted back to the face of the innocent girl way back in 1998 when she debuted on Pokemon…)
(…tears come, and is it acting?)
Duplica: You…think I did it? I…I couldn’t have!!!
Triela: But…you don’t have an ali…
?????: Of course she doesn’t…
(Triela turns and sees a beautiful blond woman. This is Layla Hamilton, along with Akari Kanzaki, Jessie Gurtland, Sena Kobayakawa and a badly hurt Touji Suzuhara and Rosetta Passel…)
Duplica: L-Layla-san…
Layla: (smiles) The innocent face…it’s been a long time since I saw a genuine emotion on your features. A young girl with such responsibility…I think a number of us can agree with that.
(Rosetta, Akari, Jessie and even Triela nod at that…)
Triela: Well, then wh…
Layla: Duplica didn’t have an alibi at the time of the murder…because she SAW the murder.
(A pin drops…)
Triela: W-what?
Duplica: Yeah…do you think I would have answered your question ‘Oh yes, I was at the scene of the crime and saw Kalos getting bludgeoned?’
Triela: But then….
Layla: Sarah said something about seeing someone remember, and Touji…
Touji: Yeah…it wasn’t Duplica…but…
Duplica: I…I was going to try and find Kalos, to confront him about what he did after I got out of hospital, and felt the only real chance was at night, as the doors to Kaleido Stage closed…
*
FLASHBACK
Duplica: Unfortunately…I hadn’t guaranteed on my own limitations due to my return from hospital. I watched the guarding and began to navigate a vine from the side…
…I then heard a sound from the bushes and saw Touji getting up to the roof…and then almost as quickly…
*
Duplica: …Touji was down and I went over and dragged him to the bushes, when I realised someone else must have been up there. I struggled to climb up and then…
(Shot of Duplica seeing a bloodied Kalos through the window…)
Duplica: There were several footprints if you remember…now you know…
*
Triela: But if that’s true, then why…
Duplica: …simple, I didn’t see the killer’s face. If I told the truth, what would you have thought?
Triela: G-good point…
(Triela seems to be clinging onto the fact…any fact…that she still thinks Duplica is the killer. Rosetta is the one however which ends the doubt…)
Rosetta: Duplica…she wanted to save us after Kalos’ death – she was the only one that could…otherwise we don’t know what would have happened. There was no-one with both the financial clout and also the business know-how…
Touji: …that, and if she knew about the DNA, she would have helped us. I’m certain of that…she wouldn’t have benefited from knowing about it…
Triela: Then…who…
Jessie: Well, I think we know…and we need to stop her. Akari?
Akari: Y-yeah…
(Akari seems nervous…)
*
(…yep, the hint hits, and the finale comes when…)
Hinata: Ruri?
(The Hoshino girl looks up at the pale eyes of the Hyuga heiress, as Ruri speaks slowly…)
Ruri: Here…where it began. And the fact that you’re here suggests something as well…
(Hinata bows her head down and is silent…)
Ruri: …it leads to me. The jewel – the motive, the guilt, the fear, the love…it all goes down to m…
(The next reaction from Hinata however catches Ruri off guard…)
(…she cries…)
Ruri: Huh?
(Very out of character for Ruri to be surprised, and even more so when Hinata’s palm strikes the wall…)
Ruri: What is…
Hinata: I…I lost…
(The frustration on Hinata’s face is obvious, yet surprising to everyone probably reading this, and Ruri herself is in a bit of shock to her reaction. This wasn’t in the…)
*checks writing*
(…no, it WASN’T in the script.)
Ruri: Um…
(Hinata turns and steadily walks up to Ruri. This reaction and Hinata’s bravery/stupidity (you decide) makes the normally reserved and calm Ruri a lot more nervous…in fact, she’s backing off…)
Ruri: Miss Hyuga, what are y…
(Hinata puts a hand on Ruri’s shoulder – Ruri, gobsmacked, does nothing…and then sees Hinata’s smile, with tears…)
Hinata: I know you didn’t do it.
(Ruri’s eyes widen…)
Ruri: B-but…you came for me right? I…I mean…I…I didn’t…
Hinata: (shakes her head) You didn’t. You are not the person I voted for to meet…
(Suddenly, it makes sense. Hinata voted for someone else. Because she didn’t get the person she voted for (and apparently Triela did), she knows Ruri is innocent.)
(Which of course, leads to one obvious conclusion…but let’s draw it out a bit first…)
*
Ruri: I was in a contact with my father back home at the time of the murder, but as you probably know, it was a rather sensitive subject. But…I did speak with Kalos and gave him some details which he probably still had on him…
(Way back in episode 1, remember the receipt for the court case?)
(The night of the murder, Ruri left her workstation through a back door and Haley therefore couldn’t really confirm an alibi. However, Hoshino DID have an alibi…)
Ruri: I made a call long distance via payphone on the way…which I could have used as an alibi…if these connection worked for future calls…which they don’t.
(Without a way to trace the call, Ruri couldn’t confirm an alibi, and indeed, providing the ‘hard to approach’…er…approach…
Ruri: I didn’t want people to know about the illness I caused…but everything left my mind when I realised I was putting myself into more trouble. In reality, I was the true idiot…
(And she clicked what happened when the detectives found the jewel in her home…)
Ruri: …I put the links in, and I realised who done it. I can’t believe it…
*
(Shot of Ruri, with Hinata exiting the room. She didn’t get anybody to help her, even Haley isn’t there…)
(…but there is only one destination that is needed…)
*
KILLER IS REVEALED…
…
…
…
*
Ban: (lights a cigeratte) As usual…a beautiful girl stands in my way.
(Anna giggles…)
Anna: You were always a funny man Mr. Mido, but I’m afraid I can’t be taken with you now…
(Ban nods…)
Ban: Don’t bother defending yourself…you did it, didn’t you?
(Anna doesn’t even bother trying the shy act, she simply nods and smiles.)
Anna: I guess I don’t really need to say anything more…so yeah, it was me…
KILLER: ANNA RESPIGHI
*
Anna: After the meeting, I went over to Kaleido Stage…on foot. I knew if I took any vehicles there was a chance of a witness knowing I went there. Fortunately, I may not be in the same league as many of the friends, I’m still a Cosmo Beauty hopeful, so I know how to be fast and how to pace myself.
(Shot of Anna heading to the farside of the Kaleido Stage…)
Anna: In respects, both fortunate and unfortunately, it seemed other people had their eyes on revenge too. Touji…
*CHOP*
Anna: …was unfortunate. I sensed he knew it was me when I stopped him…that’s why he was mostly hostile to me every since.
(Anna is on the roof, slowly depositing Touji on the floor, before heading back up…making sure no-one saw her…though the slight rustle of the bushes alerted Sarah…)
Anna: The thoughts of Tenchi were on my mind, the thoughts of Elaine were on my mind, the thoughts of the church, Kris…
*SNAP*
Anna: …it made me dark.
VO: Originally, Anna’s intentions were not to kill Kalos, but indeed, rather to straighten things out like two professionals. However, the mumbled thoughts in her head made the normally docile Anna turn violent.
Anna: My dark side originated on the tennis court against my sister Elaine. Because of me, her condition, which was similar to the ones suffering from the virus that Jet and Touji were suffering from, was getting worse. It just added to the incentive.
(Shot of Anna with the sword…she stole from Tenchi.)
Anna: I took the sword as a protection measure. I’m not a prolific swordswoman but I, like any prospective Cosmo Beauty, have fenced, so I knew how to use a sword, and whilst heavy in my 'normal’ mode…
(Shot of a sneering Anna on the roof as she uses the sword to pry open the windowsill…)
Anna: …was as light as a feather when I turned dark.
(Hatsuharu jokes, please hold onto them, we’re almost at the end…)
Anna: …the worst feeling of thought was that I knew that others would be in trouble, including Ruri…and she was the one who suffered the most when I realised what I had done.
(SHOT OF ANNA ON THE WINDOWLEDGE, MOVING ACROSS…KALOS SLOWLY EXITS HIS OFFICE…)
(…ANNA, GRACEFUL IN FLIGHT, SUDDENLY LEAPS AS IN A FIT OF RAGE, SHE DRAWS THE SWORD. THE SOUND OF THE SCABBARD DRAWN ALERTS KALOS…)
(…BUT IT’S TOO LATE.)
*
(Anna’s dark side walks past the body…and with her improved strength, rips oven the door…suddenly, it becomes obvious how some of the other things that happened (such as Seta’s drawers) occurred..)
(…and then she woke up…)
*
(A picturesque scene is ruined by the blood splashed on the blunette. Anna seems in shock and fear that she’s murdered a human…Kalos’ blood began to solidify as Anna drops the sword in shock.)
(However, she realises what has happened…and picks up the sword (to be used as a killer clue of course) before looking outside.)
Anna: I…I had to wait a while, but I didn’t know if Touji was going to recover, because I had a feeling he would find the body…which would have helped my cause…but I panicked.
(Shot of Anna jumping out the window, making sure no one sees her and leaping down silently down the side. Without warning, she simply runs…)
(…and runs…)
(…and runs some more…)
*
Anna: I DID tell the truth about the cleansing…I just didn’t say it was after the murder happened…
(I would nosebleed, but the joke has been done before so we skip the part where Anna bathes in the cold showers of the waterfall in their Garden of Eden. To quote Kuon from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – ‘You fans out there, I can only apologise for your disappointment…’)
Anna: Blood washed…and panic set in. The only thing I could do was to continue running…I wanted to run my sins off…and hope Kris and God would forgive me…
(Shot of Anna legitimately running away from the scene…leading to early suspicion from detectives, readers and fellow suspects…)
Anna: …however, somewhere inside me realised…I need to face the music. In my dark mind, it knew that others would have just as much a dark cloud as others…
(Shot of Anna returning to the glade…and making sure Tenchi wasn’t around…)
Anna: I hid the gem there (another item used as a killer clue prior to the kidnapping) and had to make sure Tenchi wasn’t inside to put the sword back…
(It seemed Tenchi may not have been entirely truthful…did he know the sword was missing, and did he therefore suspect Anna but didn’t want to admit it?)
*
(Either way, Ban has got his man…or woman here (we’re not in the OVA version))
Ban: So…you snuck by everybody, and those that MAY have suspected you, looked the other way…
Anna: It…wasn’t intended to be like that, but once I started, I couldn’t finish…
Ban: Hmm…to be honest, I can understand. Trust me…I’ve had to do something similar at one point which I didn’t want…but I HAD to…
(Ban casually stubs out a cigeratte…)
Ban: …so I can see where you’re coming on.
(Ban however adjusts his glasses…)
Ban: However…that doesn’t mean I can sit by when the winner’s circle is ready for me…
(Anna shakes her head…)
Anna: You were always the most fickle of the detectives Mido-san…but at the same time, the most dangerous.
(Anna suddenly closes her eyes. Ban is surprised, and wonders if she is going to fight in the dark so to speak to avoid her Jagan…)
(…unfortunately, it’s much worse.)
(As Anna opens her eyes again, her face turns a little less cute, a little more edgier, and a whole lot nastier…)
Anna: (sneers) Time to play the game…
(Anna somersault onto a ledge and grabs what appears to be…a sniper rifle?)
Ban: (smiles) Oh yes, I almost forgot. For someone who seems so shy and upset, you still killed two more people to make sure of your tracks.
Dark Anna: (chuckles) Well of course. I knew Kensuke had photographic evidence of me and so I had to destroy him…
Ban: You punched his throat with your strength right? But what did Jet have to do with anything?
Dark Anna: The Evan virus and the cure. The plan was to steal his cybernetic arm after he died…unfortunately, it appeared you guys were after him as well, so that plan was abandoned.
(Anna twirls her gun…)
Anna: Amazing the skills you pick you from the future…
(Ban adjusts his glasses indeed…)
Ban: Indeed…but let’s see where your future…
(A moment’s pause and then…JAGAN!)
Ban: …GOES!
(It appears Anna didn’t completely research, and she gets struck by Ban’s lethal Jagan, which, if you recall, has the ability to put any enemy in Ban’s way into a dream like state for 60 seconds…and in this state…)
*
Anna: Where am I?
(‘Anna’ is on the side of a bed, where she is watching another Anna and a third one…no wait…)
(…that’s Elaine…)
‘Anna’: What is…
Other Anna: (crying) Why…why did I do this? I just wanted everyone to recognise me…
(The sobbing continues as the thoughts mangle our murderess – it flashes from the tennis racquet throw, to Kris and Akari, to Ichino, Jessie and Tanya, her hammering at the hands of Mylandah, her parents….Tenchi…Ruri…)
(Mangled memories of blood as it cries through her tears…)
Ban: Just one minute.
*
(Anna ‘awakes’ to see Ban pinning her from behind. Her gun has been disarmed as Anna struggles slightly but this time, she can’t win this power battle…)
Ban: (quietly softly and almost sadly) Did you have a nice dream?
(Anna has reverted back to normal and struggles a bit, crying…)
Anna: Let me go! Please, I can’t let it end like this…I have to…I have to save her…I…
Ruri: She’ll be alright…
(Anna and Ban stare as Ruri and Hinata make their way towards them. Ban holds firm as Ruri walks calmly up to Anna…)
(…and slaps her on the face. Peaceland flashback anyone?)
Ruri: You created this chaos…you caused blood to fall on this ground…
(Ruri steps back and bows her head. She isn’t crying…but she’s certainly different than the usual Ruri-ruri…)
Ruri: …you managed to nearly frame me…
(The incident with the jewel was actually Anna doing. During the kidnapping…)
(…as the jewel is pulled towards to her, she actually takes it from the casing without anyone seeing. The kidnapper (Seta) gets the casing as they get ready to frame Ruri by dropping outside…)
(…but Anna went one step further.)
(After being released from hospital, she headed over to the Hoshino’s, where after some prying and power, she enters the house, and places the jewel in a vase. Unfortunately, the jostling forced the glass to break…causing a vital clue to how the jewel got there…)
*
Ruri: …and the blame was on many shoulders…however…if it wasn’t for this happening…I wouldn’t have had the panic…to help everyone.
(Ruri holds what appears to be a vial, it’s dew like and shaped into a crescent.)
Hinata: Anna-san…it’s the…cure…
(Anna’s body nearly goes limp, Ban is almost forced to catch her as she nearly slips out of her grip…Hinata is crying as she walks up to her as Anna cries as well…)
Anna: H-Hinata-chan…I-I-I’m so s-sorry…
(Hinata smiles slightly and wipes her own tears…)
Hinata: It’s O.K…
Anna: Deceiving you…sometimes I wanted to say that I did it…but…I…I couldn’t go back when I had went forward…
Touji: Indeed…
(Touji, half carried by Jessie, is led by Anna’s friends (Akari as well), Rosetta, Duplica…and Triela. Triela’s sight of Ban holding Anna makes Triela realise her worst fear…)
Touji: Ruri…please…
Duplica: (nods) It’s O.K – I’ve called Yomi. She and Chiriko are ready to go through everything. That means Akito…and Elaine as well…
(Anna and Ruri’s eyes light up…)
Anna: B-but…I…I…
Duplica: Anna…you’re going to suffer enough – I’m not letting you suffer more than you have to. We’ll save your sister…and make sure she doesn’t know what is going on…
Rosetta: Anna…we’ve had to call Jerry…
(Anna nods…)
Anna: Very well…
(Ban holds her tight as the game comes to an end…Triela isn’t happy, in fact, her frown is very strong. However Ban doesn’t seem to be too happy either…)
*
THE CLUES
(Whilst we wait for Jerry to get here, let’s go through the clues in this fic, both hidden, won and killer variety…)
(…well actually there wasn’t any hidden clues this time. Considering that both my previous games focused a lot on people finding stuff, I figured they would do the same…but I didn’t include them…)
(…you had to win them.)
*
THERE WERE TWO CLUES USED AS HINTS FOR PEOPLE WHO GOT MY RIDDLES OR WERE WILLING TO CAST A QUIZ AWAY IN RISK OF GETTING AN EXTRA HINT. FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T GET THE CLUES, HERE THEY WERE…
*
Clue 1
(Shot of the killer holding a picture of The Sexy No Jutsu Naruto and one of the main cast of Fruits Basket (Tohru, Kyo, Yuki and Shigure). The killer then lights them on fire…)
This was a tricky clue to work out but as I specifically included the Harem Jutsu, that was the clue. Harem you ask? But Anna isn’t from a harem show…
…indeed. Which is where the second part of the clue comes in – Fruits Basket and the burning.
What does one think of a killer and burning?
HELL.
That’s right – this was a reference to the infamous AMV AMV Hell – or to be precise, AMV Hell 3.
In that video, there is a short clip involving the Harem No Jutsu with Fruits Basket – and the sound overhead is from Family Guy, during the King and I parody.
I think people are now kicking themselves, but let’s recap what Peter says and what happens in the clip…
(Fruits Basket clip) ‘It’s a grim future, with lots of partial nudity…only one man can stop it…no…ONE MACHINE.’
(Kyo smashes the roof in Episode 1)
‘I am an Atomic Nuclear Neon Android. You may call me…’
‘…ANNA.’
*
(Later on in the same clip, we have a shot of the Harem No Jutsu – which links this very cryptic clue…)
*
The second clue actually brought a complaint from someone who shall remain nameless. Basically the complaint was…
‘Why the hell are you using so many characters from School Rumble?’
Why indeed. Most characters (bar Kaleido Star where it was set) were only one per series, yet School Rumble got the majority of their cast in there somewhere.
Didn’t anyone think that was a clue as well? Because if you know me, I have three favourite characters, yet only TWO of them were actually in the fic (Eri and Yakumo).
And Tenma was there, and Harima, Asou, Hanai, Akira, Suou, Ichijou and even Lala got in there. But there was one girl conspicuous by her absence…fellow Brit SARA AMIEDUS.
If you had realised – the hint there is Sara’s occupation – she’s a nun. And where is Anna based in the fic?
The Church.
*
The killer clues were extremely cryptic and very hard to work hard. Almost all had a link with Anna but not easily to spot. Let’s go through them all shall we?
*
1)
A map is located with four key locations – Cairo, Ulan Bator, Paris and Los Angeles. This clue if you recall, linked various people within these locations… but is there anything else that these can be linked with?
If you realised this clue, you’ll notice I didn’t actually include the COUNTRIES these were from. If you had, you would have noticed that whilst they were linked with the case, Ulan Bator and Paris were from MONGOLIA and FRANCE. Whilst not official in the series, Mongolia and France are where Lahrri and Mylandah are from in the BAV OVA.
2)
Clue two is an Egyptian artificat known as ‘The Third Eye.’ Pretty obvious as this is a key component of the case…now apparently back in the hands of the killer…so why give it away in the first place?
This wasn’t cryptic, rather the key to the case, next.
3)
A bloodied part of scrap is found – a blue and white scrap. It apparently belonged to Kalos as his blood and DNA. Nothing else is made much of it other than the fact that it was found with a slash of gravel signalling the killer escaped through the wall…ironically, this scrap could give the killer away the most clearly…if you knew what it meant.
The hardest clue by far, this was a reference to my own sporting weakness. Like Adam is an American Football fan, I’m a European football fan (a.k.a. Soccer) and have three fantasy teams (The Kaleido Stars, The Deimon White Gunmen and the School Rumblers). However, the clue is that it’s blue and white. Not actually a reference to Anna’s hair, but to West Bromwich Albion, my football team. The reference is simply a sports reference, which Anna’s show of course has plenty of.
4)
The supposed murder weapon is found in episode 4 – the sword. It is in fact Seta’s sword, and prints show him on it. It’s not 100% certain this was the weapon that killed him though…
Actually, it WAS what killed Kalos, and it was in Tenchi’s possession. Despite various double bluffs, it was the obvious scenario…Anna stole it.
5)
A key and a safe number. The suspects trace the key to Kalos’ deposit box where they find out that none of the profits went missing the day of the murder, instead, a receipt to scramble a code – after enlisting some help of Ruri (who is still a suspect) they find out the code was a way to eliminate the Evan virus.
Not really a big clue, rather a link to show how Anna managed to get the key and details and why – namely her dark strength and also she needed the code for her sister.
6)
Four passport photographs are posted – one of the following. And here I reveal who they are. May Oak (Pokemon Advanced), Chiharu Maehara (CCS), Chika Minzauki (AYA) and Kano Miyazawa (Kare Kano) – Their link = killer.
Yep, the old other reality show clue. Anna’s original goal if you recall was that she was helping people be ‘married’ with or without consent. All four of these girls in past reality based fanfics may have been potential customers. (May with Koichi (AR2), Chiharu with Yamazaki (in general), Chika with Sandora (AR3) and Kano with Kikuchi (MG1))
7)
A hidden message is shown. F-T-K-I-L-E-N-T-V-. This is in reference to a particular anime…which if found out correctly, should narrow down the suspects CONSIDERABLY.
The dots were indeed missing letters and if worked out, they revealed…
FUTAKOI ALTERNATIVE.
This show is about twins. Next question.
8)
A script with past insurance claims showing what Kalos owed – the interesting thing though is that the fact that the bills for the court cases involving Anna and Ruri are different. Ruri’s case seems very accurate if they look at past evidence, but Anna’s seems out of place. In fact, it shows that Anna owes more because of her involvement with the future – but Anna claims that someone hacked into it and shows off her receipt to prove it. Is it heat or truth?
Again, no meaning for this clue – just the fact that Anna and Ruri were going to be the two big suspects.
9)
This killer clue is a selection of pictures of various anime characters through various animes…they are as follows…
Nanami Jinnai (El Hazard)
Miaka Yuuki (Fushigi Yuugi)
Mai Valentine (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Rinrin (Sister Princess)
Koharu Hotta (Princess Nine)
Ayumu ‘Osaka’ Kasuga (Azumanga Daioh)
Hitomi Kanzaki (Escaflowne)
Yuka (Goldenboy)
At this point, all the characters that were still as suspects had an English VA that was the same as one of the above characters…including Anna as well (Miaka). But, Koharu’s Japanese seiyuu is the only one of the above that voices a fellow MG character…Anna.
10)
Two part. A poster with the singer Full Moon,and tennis player Izumi Himuro. A shadow with a pokeball is shown. ‘ The shadow is not our killer…but if you can figure out the link between Moon and Izumi, then you’ll figure out what the name of our killer is…
The pokeball was not a link to Duplica…it was actually the word ‘master’ this was in reference to – and to show ‘He is My Master’ featuring a tomboy named IZUMI…her younger sister MITSUKI…and of course…the trademark lesbian character…
…NAMED ANNA.
*
(Shot of everyone in a huddle where Jerry has Anna now in handcuffs…he almost seems disappointed that it’s over…)
Jerry: Anna Respighi, you have been convicted of the crimes of murdering Kalos Eido, Kensuke Aida and Jet Black, as well as arson…
(Shot of Anna causing the fire which set Kaleido Stage to ashes…a farewell present if you wish…)
Jerry: …burglary, breaking and entering and…well…
Anna: It’s O.K, I know my rights.
(Anna turns to everyone there, former suspects Ruri and Duplica, KS performers Sora, Rosetta and May, a former performer in Layla, good friends Jessie and Akari, and detectives Triela, Hinata and our MG3 winner Ban.)
Anna: Kanzaki-san…Jessie-san…I’m sorry.
Akari: Anna-chan…
(Nope, no violent death this time (you honestly think I would kill Anna?!) as Anna’s sad smile leaves the stage for the last time. Kano and Ohjiro look a little sad themselves as she leaves – murdering Kalos because of a ruining to a business, a romance…but more importantly, for not getting the key to saving her sister.)
*
(Shot of Ban smirking at Triela – which he’s pretty much been doing since she got there. Triela not too surprisingly isn’t exactly forthcoming about wanting to congratulate him…)
Ohjiro: Well Ban Mido…congratulations. You correctly got the killer correct, and established the motive and why.
Ban: As if there was any doubt.
(Kano smiles…a bit sneakily…it’s like she knows something…)
Hinata: Congratulations Ban-san…
(Ban smiles (genuinely) at the ninja…as we see a police car and an ambulance outside. Touji is getting inside the ambulance, the two (Anna and Touji) looks once more…Anna apologising with her eyes this time. Touji seems indifferent, but he struggles in with a sigh.)
Ban: Thank’s little one. I didn’t have any problems with you, so I can clarify you as a good girl. Unlike others…
(Triela really is seething…her worst scenario has happened.)
Triela: Fine…you want me to congratulate you…fine. Congratulations on being the most egotistical and undeserving winner of a reality game yet…
Ban: Ha, sour grapes. You simply weren’t good enough Gunslinger Girl…
Triela: How this happened…
Ohjiro: Indeed Triela. You picked the WRONG suspect in Duplica and your score was immediately discarded when Ban got the correct killer and gave the description allowing him to win.
Ban: Indeed…in the end, no-one was a match for me.
Kano: (chuckles) Not quite.
(Ban looks slightly at Kano…)
Kano: It’s true…you won the game because you got the best score in the quiz. But…it wasn’t the ONLY best score.
(Ban is confused…but Kano’s smirk increases as she continues…)
Kano: In short…you TIED with Hinata.
Ban/Triela: WHAT?!!!
Hinata: Um…
Kano: It’s true. You both scored 41 out of 50 on the final exam – HOWEVER…because Ban finished first, he won…
(Ban breathes a sigh of relief – Hinata is just shocked now of how close she was to victory…a bit faster and maybe…)
(…and just a linger of disappointment…)
Ban: I…nearly lost to a 13 year old wallflower…
*Ban shakes his head and quickly resumes his cocky self…though he still seems a little surprised and shaken…*
Ban: …but still, you were no match for the mighty…
(Suddenly, a smile from Hinata catches him off guard…)
Hinata: …well done Ban-san…I did my best.
(Hinata turns and goes to Triela…)
Hinata: Triela-san…you two have been against other for a while…give up now this…Ban won the game, Triela. I’m going to accept it…I think you should as well…
(The innocent nature and face of Hinata finally snaps Triela out of her competitive nature, and tears hit her cyborg face…)
Triela: Oh…I can’t help it…you’re so DAMN CUTE!!!
(Triela hugs Hinata once more…still disappointed (both of them) but finally, it seems the pain is over. Even Ban’s cockiness has ended…)
Ban: Well…I guess…
Kano: (smiles) Yes, I think this game is over.
(Ohjiro has a case for Ban.)
Kano: Ban Mido, you have won 1 million pounds. Convert that back home, and enjoy your life. Hinata Hyuga, you were so close…yet so far. Triela, perhaps you let emotion beat that great mind of yours…however, you were all wonderful detectives.
(Ban takes the case from Ohjiro, opens it…and his face is filled with glee…)
Ban: Th-thank you…
(Hinata claps…and Triela slowly does as well. Ban raises the case and makes a cry of a winner…)
Ban: I can’t believe it! Seriously…I was so nervous through at. I was never that confident, but going for Anna based on the instinct, and the simple things was better than logic. I nearly lost to be fair, and I never had a problem with Hinata so that would have probably been a worthy defeat, but I edged out…and kicked ass!
Hinata: I’m…a little disappointed…coming so close to victory, something I haven’t experienced much…and to lose at this stage…but I believe I proved myself. Kurenai-sensei, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun….Negi-kun….Naruto-kun…thank you for your belief…I hope I’ve done you proud…
Triela: To be fair, I was upset when I lost and got the wrong person…and Ban won. But Hinata was right…I was taking this too hard. Maybe Ban never apologised, but I don’t regret the game…made some great friends…
Hinata: Triela and I…we’re connected with Negi-kun now. And I want to see Kotone-chan again…the money would have been nice, but what I found here was worth almost as much….
Triela: Getting this far though does mean how much I’ve missed Henrietta, Rico and Ange. Hell, I even miss Claes now! It was a journey, but probably more stressful than killing assassins…I’m serious!
Ban: I got there to the end without Ginji…yet for me it was another day at the job. Trying to survive to scrap a bit of cash…just this time…nobody is going to stop me from claiming this!
(We fade to black, as we catch various clips, one of Anna’s crying as she leaves the premises…as we cut finally to…)
*
EPILOGUE
*
(Shot first of Seta on a plane…)
Seta: Leaving here was the right thing to do…the stigma of the town is going to be around for a long time…
(Seta looks next to him…an empty seat. )
Seta: Kensuke…sorry it ended that way.
*
Layla: Mmm…O.K, she’s heading over there now…thanks…
(Layla puts the phone done as Jessie comes over to her…)
Jessie: So?
(Layla nods…)
Layla: Akari is picking her up…she is second on the list…after…
*
(Shot of the hospital where a nervous Hikari Horaki is waiting outside…)
(Suddenly, a door opens as Yomi and Chiriko look at Hikari.)
(Hikari looks up…)
(…and see’s Yomi’s grin.)
Yomi: (thumbs up) He’s pulled through.
(Hikari’s eyes light up…she hugs Yomi and then Chiriko…)
Touji: Hey…I’ve just had a really serious operation…you don’t want me to get all jealous now don’t we?
(The three laugh…as Yomi looks down and smiles sadly…)
Yomi: All this…and in the end, she had the reasoning as much as you did…(calls out)…bring her in.
(Of course, we choose this moment to cut to…)
*
(…a wonderful sight of Kaleido Stage, outdoors whilst it’s being rebuilt, but at night, the former Kid’s Stage has been transformed into an outdoor spectacle…)
(…shot of Sora, soaring through the air as graceful as an angel, her body as light as a feather as Leon grapples her hands, Sora does a 180 degree twist which looks (and is) impossible to the bodies of you and me, grabs hold of Leon, who handsprings off his own trapeze and they jump in unison onto a higher trapeze...)
(…shot of Duplica watching in the distance, smiling as she gives some relief to her life now…including her newest acquisition…)
(…shot of Tamahome, in his new work as a Chinese acrobat and grabbing fellow Mandarin native (though from different times) May Wong by the arm, and she cartwheels, grabbing best friend Rosetta’s arms as they do a complicated trickle manoeuvre.)
Duplica: This is how it should be…well, nearly…
(Shot of a divorce paper behind her…between Miaka and Tamahome. Off the side, Mia looks sadly at it, as Anna Hart puts an arm around her…)
Anna: It had to be like this…
Mia: Yeah…
*
(Shot of a prison cell as Anna looks on, as Jerry looks sadly at her…)
Jerry: Miss Respighi, you have a visitor…
(Anna looks up…as she finishing skipping as she spots Ruri entering along with Haley and Akari…)
Ruri: Anna…
Anna: (nods) Ruri…
Ruri: I believe we have a couple more visitors…I think we need you to see this…
(Anna looks forward…and her eyes widen, tears in her eyes…)
(…shot of Tenchi…an arm around a girl…)
Tenchi: Anna…I believe you need to see this lady…
Anna: E-E-Elaine…
(Shot of a near identical girl with a bandage around her head…)
Elaine: Sis…
(Anna’s tears as she grabs her sister’s hands…the murder of a boss, and the circulation of an illness…and even the killer gets a smile at the end…)
(…and this is INDEED the end…)
*
(…not yet…)
(Final shots of Triela and Hinata…)
Hillshire: Triela, you can’t beat that guy…
(shot of the powerful assassin Pinocchio, who has defeated Triela once…and she’s sure she won’t be left alive this time…)
(…so she has one trick left…)
(…she grabs her card…)
Triela: ADIEAT!
(A semi automatic appears, and she fires. The bullets are magically but Pinocchio’s speed cannot avoid it this time…)
(…Hillshire, Jose and Henrietta are stunned…)
Henrietta: Triela…
(Triela turns around and bobs her tongue out…)
Triela: Er…surprise?
*
Hinata: ADIEAT!
(Hinata’s card now has an artifact of two bracelets around her wrist, as she seems to be facing one of the Akatsuki’s goons (who seem to have Venus fly traps for heads)…)
Kiba: Hinata, what the heck kinda jutsu is that…
(Hinata blushes…)
Hinata: A sp-special kind I got when I was out training as a detective…
(Hinata holds her arms out…)
Hinata: KORYDEMO!!
(From her wrists, chakra blasts emit and shot like bullets into the ninja…and the ninja crashes into a tree…)
Kiba: WHAT THE…
(Kiba is stunned…Shino might be as well, but you can’t really tell.)
(Hinata looks embarrassed…)
*
Ban: YES GINJI, WE ARE LIVING IN LUXURY!
Ginji: BAN-CHAN, YOU WERE AMAZING!
Paul: I’m…gonna faint…
(Ban’s debt has been paid at last…)
Ban: IT’S SUSHI AND SAKE ALL THE WAY BABY!
Hevn: Well, that means you’ve retired then?
Ban: Heh, I guess why n…
Himeko: Isn’t that your van?
(Ban turns around…and indeed, his Ladybug is getting towed away…)
Ban: DAMMIT! AT THIS RATE, I’LL BE SPENDING MY MONEY ON TOW FARES FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!!
(The more things change…the more they stay the same…)
*
THE END
AT LAST!!!!
Over a year…and I’m exhausted. But it’s been worth it…a real good winner despite being an utter bastard, and proves that I can surprise. Ban Mido, I salute you.
The good thing obviously was that the two favoured picks (Hinata to win, and Duplica as the killer) were BOTH incorrect. I’m sure with this being (possibly?) my last reality fic, a lot of people probably FINALLY expected the cute girl to win, but alas, again not quite. Not for want of trying, but more for fooling people…
Which I indeed did. Don’t get me wrong, I love Hinata (hell, she’s one of the good things in the fillers – I’m certain the animators are NaruHina fans…), but she wasn’t going to win. At one point, she was even going to be eliminated in third, but surprisingly again Adam convinced me to get her in the final three to try and fool people with the blunette connection…
As for Triela, she’s my favourite of the GSG and between her and Kino, I think girls and guns are slowly becoming high on the list (Rosette, Kirika, Rally as well easily) – and Triela, in reality, could have won…but being without a handler made her suffer physical, and indeed emotional problems.
As for my killer…Anna. Heh, a blunette got to the end, but wrong one. Not even Adam knew this, and it certainly will surprise many, but hey, a lot of the clues revolved about suspicion of damage were thinking of explosives, hacking, swords, weapons. It was simple really…Anna was simply strong and could do a lot of these things naturally. A lot simpler than a lot of people thinking…
Like with Izumi of MG2, people were fooled to the end, though we do have a winner…and I will be revealing it in my list soon.
So what now? Well, I’m going to work on my first non-reality fic in a whle, a Kaleido Star fanfic known as Dreams of the Future, as well as working on my own projects as a writer for a games company. Yep, I’m writing semi-professionally now, and really enjoying it.
Reality? Semi-retirement? Yes…but…
…due to the fact I won an e-bay package of the Amazing Race…maybe…just maybe…
And so, my final lot of notes!!!
*
*
The three author cameos are of course three of my good friends (and people who continually to tell me that I suck after my no-show at Acen) – and with Adam and Star, what they said are of course inside jokes. Adam’s comment was something when discussing this fic, to have the complete bastard win for a rarity. Not even Tracey (amazingly) has managed to win one of his…turns out his idea was right on the money.
As for Star, she and I of course have had a running gag with my original blunette fascination (though not as bad now…seriously…) – the joke here is in her original work ‘Kill Chromus’ one of the girls defending me was Hinata…which Star has to face. Though Aoi’s scene was probably the best…*nyuk nyuk*
The ‘Hiruma’ way of opening doors is hands in pockets, foot on door and a crashing sound. Nuff said.
Hatsuharu turns dark as well when emotions run high – hmmm…maybe a crossover pairing is on the mind…ignoring the manga of course…^_^
Kyon is actually the best character in Haruhi – his dead pan narrations and sarcasm make the show what it is. The line he says isn’t accurate but it’s in reference during their ‘movie’ when Saimoe 2006 Chromus pick Mikuru is changing from her bunny girl outfit to normal clothes…and the camera goes blue during the ‘important’ bits. Indeed, I was outraged at this disappointment…oh well, MIKURU BEAM!!!
I’ve mentioned this before, but here’s a reminder – in the OVA of Battle Athletes, Anna is infact male, and gives Nuriko a run for his money for most convincing crossdresser. The TV series however is the better version and I’ve always stuck with this version throughout.
What did Ban have to do? Well, I won’t spoil, but it’s early in Getbackers and it involves Himeko.
Peaceland, a.k.a. where Ruri was born. It also has an infamous moment where she shows powerful emotion (yes, I am talking about Ruri here) where she slaps a worker who experimented on her, making her the success she became. Ungrateful? No…considering what happened with her ‘family’ she had every right to be pissed…