I thought I would never open my eyes again, but apparently I was wrong. I saw green... yes the trees. I saw the blue... yes the sky. I saw light... it was the sun glittering in my eyes. And then, I fully opened my eyes.

All around me the scenery seemed unrealistic. Was I in heaven? As a non-religious person I would not believe that kind of crap, but under the circumstances I sort of did. As I took a closer look around, I realized heaven was tropical? And at that moment and mosquito the size of my palm landed on my shoulder and was just about to stab its nail thick sucker into my skin. Heaven has mosquitoes? My head was swarming with questions, but my primal instincts overruled. I swatted in the air and caught the mosquito in my palm. I looked in my palm again and brushed off the mosquito corpse against the nearest tree.

The tree I brushed my hands on was some kind of vine tree...typical tropical forest tree, then I looked at the sun again. Judging from those information I assumed I was somewhere near the equator, or right on it. And if this was an island it would mean I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. Great, just great. And all of a sudden a gracious thought came to me. Back in the courtroom...the memory was a little fuzzy but I still remembered the most important details. I probably inhaled a lot of poison gas, yet I was alive and standing...That meant, Yumi, Charlotte, Silk and everyone else there that time was still alive! The gas wasn't meant to kill, it was only meant to knock out people! I had never been so thankful in my entire life. Out of pure joy, I ran through the jungle like a madman, until I tripped and fell into a stream. Cold water gave me a good shock. It felt as if I started my morning with seven cups of coffee.

I looked up and looked around the stream. I felt like I didn't start my morning with seven cups of coffee but with seven meth injections. Kneeling on the other side of the bank was a girl, familiar. I wanted to scream her name but no sound came out. I just kept watching her washing her ever so perfect caramel red hair. Then she looked up and saw me. The universe was silent except for the perfect harmony of the running stream between us.

"Charlotte." That was all I could mutter before my brains were literally fried by her appearance. Still the same clothes she wore in court. Red dress, the bottom part was now a little ripped and dirty.

She looked equally as shocked as I felt. She then stood bolt upright up and said, "Ling."

This may be the only time so far she has said my name without screaming.

I walked up to her, the water was about ankle deep as I waded through. I didn't care about my clothes getting wet. I didn't care about the soggy feeling in my shoes. All I cared about was getting on to her side and...what? Then she was literally right in my face.

"Are you real?" I asked. It was a really dumb questions to ask, but I didn't care.

She looked a little irritated and burst out. "Of course you moron! Who do you think I am? Besides being the generous and gracious Lady Charlotte Marina Aquitaine Alcott?" she was using her usual annoying voice. But I bore through it with a smile for once. I cupped my hand around her cheek which making her blush like red signal light.

"Yep, you are real." She slapped my hand away and backed up a few steps.

"How...how dare you touch me? You infidel!"

"Just making sure." I said plainly.

"Oh what?"

"That we are both living."

"Of course! But I wish you to die!"

An awkward silence followed her statement.

"Let's drop that subject now; do you want to go on a little adventure?"

Her eyes brightened, but before she could say a single word, her stomach growled.

"That...wasn't...wasn't me!" it was so fun to watch her panicking; seriously if you had been there you would understand.

"Alright, it seems we have to put aside our little adventure for now and go look for some food instead." I smiled.

She looked downwards, but her face was still glowing in embarrassment.

"Your stomach isn't the only one that growls." I toyed with her on purpose.

She managed to lower her head even more and make her face steam.

"Alright that was my stomach, I am hungry so what? Let's go." I walked a few steps forward then turned around and saw she had finally decided to come.

"So Ling..." she spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Do you know where we are?"

"Somewhere near the equator, but speaking precisely? No."

"Why are we here?"

"Don't know." After that she began to pile questions on me which none of them I had clues for much less answers."

After walking over several hills and being piled with several tons of questions. I was on the verge of strangling someone when from the corner of my eye I saw an object flying at me. I ducked and pushed Charlotte away. The next thing I know was 2 more of the similar shape object flew at me and I avoided all of them, and something tackled me out from the gloom. I was completely caught off guard as I tried to swing loose of it. But whatever it is held me in a firm lock and said to my ear.

"Well, well. If it wasn't fate already." I knew whose voice it was.

"Why are you here Steel?" I asked struggling for breath."

"This must be what they call miracle. Yes that's right, our reunion is a miracle." Stainless Steel said with a knife-edged voice. Everything around me was becoming a blur, I could barely make out the sound of Charlotte's ear piercing squeels. This time I was really dying...everything was becoming vaguer by the second. The light seemed to fade...then all of a sudden I felt Stainless Steel's grip on my neck vanish and I was on the ground realizing breathing was a luxury. Moments later everything became clear. Stainless Steel lay on the ground right next to me, except he was completely out cold. Then I heard another too familiar voice:

"Aren't you a famine god?" above me Yumi stood her extending a hand toward me.

"It's the only way to attract your attention." I said accepting Yumi's hand.

Then I saw Charlotte get up, her eyes red from crying. I turned around for a moment and waited until Charlotte called my name again.

"Yes?"

"What are we going to do now?" she said rubbing the corner of her eye.

I didn't speak for a moment, because in the big picture we were stuck here.

"She raises a good point." Yumi spoke up.

"I was thinking about the big picture for a moment...never mind forget about that. We will just stick to the current situation right now."

"And that is?" Yumi asked.

"Survival."

"That still does not explain anything!" Charlotte complained.

"I thought both the question and the answer are rhetorical enough." They both stared at me.

"Ok the details..." the 3 of us stood there as I organized my thoughts and finally I managed to come up with a plan.

"Alright, this is what we are going to." The 3 of us huddled like a team.

"We need to explore the island, but with not with him lose." I referred to Stainless Steel. Silence, they waited for me to go on.

"Yumi could you tie him up and guard him?"

"Where are you two going?" she asked rather suspiciously.

"You know what, Charlotte can stay behind with you. I am going to explore this place a little bit and I will be back at sunset."

"That's too dangerous, we need to all stick together." Yumi said. She does express a valid point there but I already had that figured.

"Of course I know it is. Leaving Charlotte here with Stainless Steel is certainly not an option, and if I bring Charlotte with me, she will slow me down like dead weight."

"Hey!" Charlotte complained, but I ignored her and continued:

"So it will be most reasonable for me to travel alone and explore this place."

"Very well then. Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't get killed out there, because the score between us isn't settled yet." She smiled.

"Will try. Bye." My lips formed the slightest smile. I turned around and waved goodbye.