Who: Sparx Larsa<br/>For: Open<br/>Where: At the top of the mountain and wishing he was dead.<br/>When: Early Afternoon, Sunday<br/><div class="floatleft">(http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/3635/sparxlarsa.jpg)</div><hr/><br/>Sparx watched Yumi literally sprint off back to the top, and his eyes were wide. He couldn't believe the strength she had. He happened to look over to Siren. She probably had the same amount of strength, or even more, yet she hung back here with someone as weak as him. It wouldn't be fair... it wouldn't be fair at all if she got failed because of him. ~Fuck thirty seconds! Full steam ahead!~ He closed his eyes and grit his teeth, and just went for it. One foot in front of the other. No breaks, no bitching. He thought of Henrick, and Yumi who didn't stop for anything. He thought of Siren who actually supported him. He thought of Zaara, who really looked stuck at the moment. Sparx could tell it was because he crashed at an angle, which he confirmed once he finally caught up. "Don't pull straight, or you'll break your horn. Slant to the left a bit, and be smooth with it."<br/><br/>Zaara was the first person to talk to Sparx. He couldn't leave<em>him</em>behind of all people. Besides, waiting for Zaara to pull himself out meant he'd catch a bit of a break. One his friend was free, ~Heh, friend... that sounds nice...~ he'd start his trek back up the rest of the hill. He was actually almost there. Sure, he'd barely have any energy left to stand afterwords, and yeah, he felt like he was going to pass out, but he knew he could do it if he tried hard enough. He knew he couldn't let Siren get in trouble for his weakness. He would have to remind himself to thank her properly later. So he fought through and finally, he made it to the top. It actually took him way less than an hour and a half, but he made it.<br/><br/>~Fuck... YEAH!!!~ He was panting heavily as he took his final steps. It was taking all his remaining energy just to hold himself up. His poor little heart was ready to burst, but damn if he would let it in front of all these people. That's when he saw Shizuru. The demoness looked as fearsome as ever. Sparx's eyes fell upon hers with little fear for once. He knew he was weak, yes, and if she was to punish him for it then dammit he'd accept any of it. He did his fucking best and need didn't need the approval of her. Especially if failing meant he'd never have to see her again. That would be awesome. And then, silence.<br/><br/>His eyes widened when she actually pointed at him and made him the leader. 'WHAT' was plastered all over his face. He just... stood there in sheer bafflement. He didn't even feel the pain of his strained muscles anymore. Was this a trick? Was she teasing him? No, she was serious. She even handed him a special uniform. He held it in his hands for a moment and just looked at it. ~I made it...?I passed?~ Never had Sparx EVER succeeded in anything like this. Sure, he was champion of cyberspace, but nobody really cared about that. This was real life. Sparx never won anything in real life. It was just a moment... just a small fleeting moment where he actually felt proud of himself.<br/><br/>Then he looked around.<br/><br/>He saw all the other students who he felt did much better than he, and they probably felt the same. He gulped... ~Oh fuck... I just became the target...~ In HALO and in multiplayer Death Match in general, the man with the leading scores always becomes the main target. Everybody on the server is out for his blood, and even after he drops from the lead, he becomes a sheep for the slaughter. An outcast that gets repeatedly spawn-camped, plasma-grenaded, and tea-bagged mercilessly. Was this fate now going to befall Sparx... in real life? He didn't want to know what the live version of a teabag felt like...<br/><br/>Then he thought about it. ~YOU!~ His eyes whipped around to Shizuru-sensei. She did this on purpose! She had too! She couldn't just fail him. No, that'd be too easy. She wanted the other students to hate him. She wanted to turn everyone against him so that every single day he'd have to fight for his life, to fight for his title. Oh... this woman was the pure definition of demon... but Sparx accepted it. He growled deeply under his breath and gripped the uniform tightly. She was challenging him, wasn't she? Sparx never backed away from a challenge. He made it up this impossible hill even when he thought he'd never do it, and he made it with honor and friends beside him. If he could do that, he could definitely take on sensei's brutal punishments.<br/><br/>~I will become strong... just you wait. I am no target, and I am not a frag!~ He was so focused that he didn't realize his energy levels were near zero. The first to drop were his knees, and then he fell over on his face, completely exhausted. He wasn't passed out just yet, but he kinda wished he did. Oh well... He slid his leadership uniform underneath his face and closed his eyes. ~As soon as I take this nap, you'll see... you'll all see.~