Chapter 11: Survival of the fittest... Not.
*Part 2*

~June's POV~ After Byakuya and I had finished eating the bananas, we began walking again.

You know what? Surprisingly, the bananas were actually real... I guess Mr. Xander stocked the VSR full of actual things people might find in the jungle... Yikes, Mr. Xander really takes his lessons seriously...

About three hours later, Byakuya and I were still walking.

And what's even worse...

"Something stinks...," Byakuya said as he sniffed the air. "I think it's you... No, no... It's most definitely you..."

I glared at him. Then, I sniffed him. I made a face. "Uck... I'm NOT the only one... Togami, you stink to high heaven...!" I said.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I get it, we BOTH smell..."

"Jeez," I muttered. "Who knew after only about half a day in here we'd stink this much???"

"I didn't... But, we do... Especially you..." Byakuya said. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. The point is we stink and we need to do something about it..." I said.

"Well, the jungle doesn't exactly have WORKING SHOWERS you know...!" Byakuya pointed out bluntly.

"Well, what are we supposed to do then?" I asked.

"Don't ask me! I have no idea!" Byakuya said.

I thought for a second. Then, I spoke up. "Hey, Togami, jungles have nature, correct?"

Byakuya gave me a look. "Um... Yes... Thanks for stating the obvious..."

I rolled my eyes. "Just listen; jungles have nature such as trees and plants and things, right? So, naturally, these trees and plants need things to live, one of these things being water, right? And if they need water, there has to be some sources of water around here..." I said.

"Sources of water such as a waterfall, I'm guessing?" Byakuya said. I nodded.

"Precisely. And, if we find said waterfall, we find a way to get ourselves clean." I said.

Byakuya looked at me. "Wait just a second... Are you saying that we're going to shower in the jungle?"

"Well, technically this isn't a real jungle..." I said.

"Yes, I already know that. But, what I'm specifically asking is we're going to SHOWER HERE...?" Byakuya said.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying." I said.

Byakuya just stood there.

"Well, obviously we're going to be taking them SEPARATELY OF COURSE." I said.

"Obviously," Byakuya agreed. "But, this is all only if we even find a waterfall. So don't get your hopes up. We may end up stinking for the entire forty-eight hours."

I sniffed. "God, I hope not..."

Byakuya and I walked farther and farther, until I saw something that made me stop cold.

Byakuya stopped too. "What?" He asked.

I pointed. "Look."

Byakuya looked over to where I was pointing. His eyes widened.

There, where I was pointing, was a glorious and large waterfall, perfect for bathing in.

"It seems we've hit the jackpot." I said.

Byakuya and I then approached the waterfall.

It looked real, sounded real, it seemed real.

"Okay, this is how it's gonna go: there's no soap here in the jungle, so, we're just going to wet ourselves down which will hopefully get rid of the stink. And, we will NOT, I repeat, will NOT be removing any articles of clothing, got it?" I said.

"I have no problem with this plan." Byakuya said simply. I nodded.

"Good. Now, who's going first?" I said.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter to me, just as long as we get rid of this stink..." Byakuya said. I shrugged.

"Alright. I guess I'll go first then." I said. Then I stepped into the waterfall.

~Third Person POV~ "Do you really think this is gonna work?" Erin asked Chihiro, who was working on something.

Chihiro nodded. "Yes, this should work."

Hina leaned over to Erin. "Um, explain to me what Chihiro's trying to do again...?" She said.

Before Erin got the chance to speak, Chihiro cut right in. "I'm attempting to gain access to the VSR's surveillance system."

"And that means...?" Makoto asked, he was also with them.

"I'm going to try to hack into the surveillance system so we can watch Byakuya and June." Chihiro explained.

"Oh, I get it now..." Hina said.

"Shh! Guys, you have to be quiet...! Lights out was an hour ago! We're supposed to be in our dorm rooms sleeping right now...!" Erin said.

"Yeah, let's try and keep it down..." Makoto said.

"Okay... I'm almost done... And... I'm in!" Chihiro said. Suddenly, the video camera footage (which was live) from the VSR was playing on Chihiro's laptop in front of their eyes.

"There. Now we can see what's happening." Chihiro said. Erin smiled.

"Awesome."

Makoto smiled also. "Well, that's the Ultimate Hacker for ya'."

"Programmer, actually." Chihiro corrected him. Makoto shrugged his shoulders.

Hina suddenly squinted at the screen of the laptop. "Huh... I don't see June or Byakuya..."

"I'll shift to camera two, then." Chihiro said.

Suddenly, the camera angle changed as the view shifted. They were now all looking from a different position.

Suddenly, Makoto pointed at the screen. "Hey, I see them!" He said.

They all saw Byakuya standing, seeming like he was waiting for something.

"What's he doing?" Hina asked.

"I dunno..." Erin mumbled.
Suddenly, June emerged from a random waterfall, soaking wet as she wringed her hair to get all the water out of it.

Then, a few words were exchanged before Byakuya left and went inside the waterfall.

"What are they doing?" Erin asked.

"Hm..." Hina said.

"I think... They might be trying to bathe themselves in the waterfall..." Makoto said.

"But, there's like, no soap or anything there..." Hina said.

"I don't think it matters to them, they want to get as clean as they possibly can." Chihiro said.

"That makes sense." Hina said. Erin nodded.

"Yeah."

"So, I've been wondering, who's going next in the VSR?" Makoto said. "I know it's not me."

Erin raised her hand. "It's Ishimaru and I."

Hina smiled. "Oh, so you and your boyfriend are next?" She said coyly.

Erin blushed furiously. "He's NOT my boyfriend...! And he NEVER WILL be...!" She stated.

"You know, I could actually see that happen... You and Ishimaru would make a good couple..." Makoto said.

"Um, NO THANKS!" Erin said.

"Oh come on! I say, bring on the hanky-panky and don't spare me the details!" Hina said mischievously.

"Um, ew, Hina..." Makoto said.

"Yeah, EW!!!!! And NO WAY!!!" Erin said.

"Jeez! Calm down, I was JUST KIDDING...!" Hina said.

Erin sighed in relief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Byakuya's POV~ After June and I had finished "showering", we continued down the path and looked around.

Suddenly, June looked up. "Hey, it's starting to get... Dark..."

I looked up and saw she was right. Night was almost upon us.

I guess the VSR is set on some sort of timer.

"I say we settle in for the night and continue in the morning." June said.

I actually agreed.

So, we kept walking, trying to find a place to rest.

"Man... I hope we find a place soon... I'm getting tired..." June said. Then she yawned.

Meanwhile, it was getting darker and darker.

"I hope we find a place as well. I must admit I'm getting pretty tired too." I said.

June nodded. "Yeah, I hope it's-- Togami! Watch out for that--"

I suddenly tripped HARD over something and fell HARD.

I winced in pain.

"-- tree root..." June finished as she winced at me on the ground.

"Damn... June! You couldn't have warned me sooner?!" I demanded.

"I'm sorry...! I didn't see it any sooner...!" June said. "Are you alright?"

I groaned in pain. "I... I think I dislocated my ankle... I can't really move it..." I said.

June winced. "Ouch... I'm sorry..." She said.

"Whatever..." I mumbled before I tried to get up, but the second I put any amount of weight on my ankle, I felt immediate pain and almost fell down.

"Woah, woah, woah...!" June said as she caught me in time. "Don't do that, Togami!" Then she set me back down slowly.

"What am I supposed to do???" I asked impatiently.

"I... I don't really know... Man, if only Mikan were here... She'd be all over this...!" June said.

Mikan Tsumiki was one of our classmates and also a prodigy; Mikan held the title of the Ultimate Nurse.

And, as much as I hated to admit June was right, Mikan probably would have this solved in a matter of minutes.

Suddenly, June snapped her fingers. "Aha! I've got it! I know how we can fix this!" She said.

I looked up at her. "Do tell, O great and wise June...!" I said sarcastically.

June looked at me before she began talking again. "I know how we can fix this. I remember Mikan telling me at one point how to help heal a dislocated body part when there is no medical assistance available! She said that first we need something to wrap it in." Then, she looked around before she spotted a large leaf. She pulled it and broke it free before she wrapped it around my injured ankle.

"What's next?" I asked.

"Well, Mikan said that the next step would be to pop the joint back into place." June said.

My eyes widened a bit.

Pop the joint back into place...???

"And I assume that's going to be painful, yes?" I said.

June nodded.

I sighed. "Thought so."

June then got down on her knees and put both her hands gently on my ankle. "Okay, I think I can feel where it's dislocated... On the count of three, brace yourself, I'm going to pop your ankle back into place." She said.

"Alright, I'm not gonna lie, this is gonna hurt." June said.

I just nodded.

June nodded back. "Okay... One... Two..."

I held my breath.

"... Three."

June put pressure onto my injury.

It hurt alright, it hurt PRETTY BAD.

I bit my lip before suddenly I felt my ankle pop back into place.

I let out a huge breath when June let go and my ankle popped back into place.

"Um... Ow!" I snapped.

"Sorry...! I know it hurts, just bare through it... It'll feel better soon... Let me help you up." June said before she held out her hand to me. I reluctantly took it.

She wrapped one of her arms around my shoulders to steady me. Then, we began walking slowly and carefully.

I grunted every step we took. The pain was pretty bad.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay. We're gonna find a resting place soon. Just hang in there." June said. I looked at her.

"Um... June?" I asked.

"Yes, Togami?"

"Why are you being... Nice to me...?" I asked. I mean, just awhile go, she HATED ME.

"Well, when someone is hurt, they're hurt. It doesn't matter how much you might hate the person, if they're hurt, you help them." June said. I looked at her.

Oh please! If someone was hurt and I was in June's shoes, I honestly wouldn't care at all. And, if that person so happened to be my enemy, forget about it! I wouldn't help them! No way!

"Yeah, but, why?" I asked. "If I was in your position, I wouldn't help. But, why would you? I mean, you get nothing out of it. So, why? I wouldn't help, so why should you?"

June sighed. "Because, I'm not like you, Togami; I'm not cold and heartless." She said.

Ouch. That stung.

"Okay, point proven. Alright, whatever. It doesn't matter to me. I still wouldn't help." I said.

June sighed again. "Of course you wouldn't."

What's that supposed to mean?

Oh well, it doesn't matter.

Eventually, we found a nice cave.

After June inspected it to make sure it was suitable, she helped me inside and we both sat down.

Then, June took five minutes to make a fire.

Once it was big enough, we both sat around it, warming up.

"Where'd you learn to make a fire?" I asked.

"My dad taught me. He, Jesse, Erin, and I went camping once. Dad taught each of us how to start a fire. It's actually pretty easy." June explained. I nodded.

I remember that once June and her family invited me on a camping trip with them.

Of course this was when we were still friends.

My parents didn't want me to go, they said it was improper for a Togami to go camping.

However, back then, I didn't care. I went anyways.

And, I actually had a fun time.

I also remember that while June's older brother, Jesse, was making s'mores over the fire, his jacket accidentally caught fire and he had to run into the lake just to put it out. I remember June and I laughed for hours after that. Jesse, of course, was less than pleased. In fact, I remember the look on his face when June's dad dragged him out of the lake; he was soaking wet and dripping. It was actually pretty hilarious.

I chuckled silently to myself as I recalled the memory.

Suddenly, June looked at me. "Um, what are you laughing at?"

I immediately stopped.

"Nothing. I just can't wait to be out of this stupid place and back in my dorm room." I stated simply.

"That's one thing I can agree with." June said.

After awhile, we fell into an immediate sleep.

~June's POV~ The next twenty-four hours were uneventful; Byakuya and I basically did what we did the day before, except, minus Byakuya's now injured ankle.

"How much longer?" Byakuya asked. I checked my watch.

"About two more minutes until it's officially been forty-eight hours." I announced.

Then, two minutes later, right on the dot, Mr. Xander came on over the loudspeaker. "June, Byakuya, congratulations. You've survived the Virtual Simulation Room! Your time is officially up."

I sighed in relief. "About freaking time! Now I can take an actual shower!" I said. Suddenly, the VSR changed from the jungle setting to its usual setting; blank and white and empty.

The door suddenly opened and out stepped Mr. Xander. "Hello. Come on out."

He didn't have to say it twice.

Byakuya and I immediately scrambled out of the room and into the hallway.

Mr. Xander smiled at us. "Well done." He said.

Byakuya looked pretty pissed off at what we had been put through.

"What happened to your ankle, Byakuya?" Mr. Xander asked.

Byakuya breathed in. "I dislocated it and June fixed it."

I smiled.

"And, I have to admit I owe June a thank you for that: thank you, June. Although I probably still need slight medical attention." Byakuya said.

I nodded, surprised that Byakuya thanked me. "You're welcome..." I said.

Then I turned to Mr. Xander. "Who's going next?" I asked.

"Erin and Ishimaru." Mr. Xander replied. I nodded.

I guess I'll have to warn Erin about what's in store for her and Ishimaru...

After that, Byakuya and I immediately headed back to our dorm rooms to take actual showers.

I smiled as the warm water cascaded down my body.

I'll never take a warm shower for granted EVER AGAIN.