That’s when Miroku of the Inuyasha team stepped up.

“Before we get off”, He began, “I just want to know one thing from any of you and it’s this…will any of the lovely ladies here bear my child?”

A huge “GAH!” filled the room from all the girls except for Faye (Cowboy Bebop) who just rolled her eyes and said. “Desperate loser.”

“Oie, Miroku!” Inuyasha remained calm despite all the glaring looks being sent in his team’s direction. “Couldn’t you wait after we get off?”

“I won’t have time.” Miroku said simply. Then he looked down at Omi (Weiss Kreuz) who was sitting in front of him. “How about you, young lady? Will you bear my child?”

Omi turned white. Then red. Then white again. “I…I…I’m a guy!”

Two of his teammates snickered while the other one pretended not to smile. Everyone heard this revelation and most of them started to laugh. The ones who weren’t laughing managed to crack smiles. Miroku smiled down at the embarrassed Omi and patted his head.

“I apologize.” He said. “I couldn’t tell…”

“No one can.” Yohji, Omi’s teammate, snickered.

“Sit down, Houshi-sama!” Sango hissed, pulling Miroku back down in his seat. Everyone was still laughing as the bus finally rolled to a stop by a dock. Other than the ocean to one side and a pile of luggage, separated with team names, there was nothing there. The doors of the bus finally opened and everyone began to step out. Omi was still red from being mistaken for a girl. And Yohji wasn’t letting him forget.

“After you, madamoiselle.” He joked, letting Omi out first. Omi glared at him and got out but made sure to step on Yohji’s toes as he did.

A chorus of “We made it!”, “I can’t find my towel!”, “I feel funny wearing these clothes”, I was not made to wear shoes”, “Watch your feet, princess!”, “Tell me they let us eat on this race!”, and “Cheetos!” filled the air as they tried to go for their bags.

“Stop!”

Everyone skidded to a stop.

“Step back!”

Everyone stepped back. Half the group fell down but they managed to go back.

“Good!” Then the voice finally stepped out from nowhere. It was a young boy with a big smile plastered on his face. Most of the teams had no clue who he was but the Rurouni Kenshin team just gawked and gasped.

“It’s you!” They all exclaimed. “Soujirou!”

“You know this guy?” Yohji asked them.

“Know him? This guy tried to kill us…I think.” Sanosuke said. “Ah, man, my memory from the Meiji era is starting to fade!”

“You have a mind to store memory?” A shocked Misao asked. Seta Soujirou, the boy, smiled at everyone.

“Welcome.” He greeted a now scared group. “Do not worry. I am not here to hurt anyone. I am merely a guide for you.”

“Oro? Guide?” Kenshin asked.

“Yes, Himura-san. Someone needs to tell you about this race and that will be me. I am Seta Soujirou to all who don’t know me. Whatever the Rurouni Kenshin team tells you, I assure you, has only happened in their world.”

“I don’t trust the kid…again.” Sanosuke muttered.

“You were invited by X-sama.” Soujirou went on. “You were asked to participate in a race around the world. You will travel in two months time through six continents. You will start from here, in Los Angeles, and you will end the race in New York City, New York. Along the way, many of you will be eliminated and will not be allowed to go further in the race. If you are eliminated, you will not be eligible to win the grand prize at the end of the race. You have all the necessities provided to you. As X-sama told you, some legs of this race are elimination legs and some aren’t. You will see when what I mean by those. ”

“Feh! What prize?” Inuyasha demanded.

Soujirou smiled. “You’ll see in the end. But don’t worry. While most of the time you are being timed while on a leg of the race, you will have rest periods. During those times you can eat, sleep, tour the city, or mingle with the other teams. While on the race though, you will face challenges. And the challenges are marked by different colors.”

First he held a red card that read ‘Roadblock.’ “Some challenges are called ‘Roadblocks’. These are challenges that can only be performed by one team member. The others will have to wait till their teammate finishes the Roadblock.”

Then he held up a yellow card. “These are ‘Detours.’ They are choices between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. As a team, you must decide which Detour you want to take. Some Detours may require risks but take very little time to complete. Others aren’t risky but may take up more time. Again, the decision is up to you.”

Now he held up a blue card. “This is a ‘Fast Forward’. There are only three of these in the race. This card will allow the leading team to skip all the Roadblocks and Detours in that leg of the race. Instead, they’ll do a special task. After completing the task, they will head straight to the Pit Stop.”

Finally, he held up an orange mat. “This is a ‘Yield’. Whoever finds it can stop another team from going forward. They’ll determine this with an hour glass and when all the sand in glass reaches the bottom, the team can move again.”

“All your markers are yellow and red.” Soujirou went on. “The Pit Stop is where you will end a leg of the race. Also, the last team to check in at a Pit Stop may or may not face elimination. As you read in your letters, 11 pit stops are elimination stop. Six are not. However, you will pay a price for coming in last.”

“I can’t believe it.” Sanosuke moaned. “Why is this kid our guide?”

“I’m only one of them.” Soujirou grinned. “I’m just here for this first leg. You will meet other friends along the way.”

Upon hearing the word ‘friends‘, everyone looked suspicious. As far as they knew, their ‘friends’ could also be their enemies from their original timelines. No one knew what this X had planned. All they knew that they had to compete in this race.

“Your first clue is in the envelope you bought with you.” Soujirou reminded them. Everyone looked at the red and yellow envelope they had. “Once you read the instructions, you will then take a car or taxi to the airport.. There, you will see a marker.”

“This is also your first decision. You may choose either to take a taxi or drive to the airport. If you drive, you can go at your own speed but you will have to find the airport on your own. If you go by taxi, the driver will take you to the airport but it may take time depending on traffic. For some of the younger teams, you have no choice but to take a taxi. Everyone else can decide for themselves.”

“It‘s time to begin now. Please take your places.”

The teams got into position, looking at their backpacks and other luggage. Soujirou just smiled.

“This is it.” He said. “On your mark…”

Everyone continued to look at their separate luggage.

“Get set…”

Any moment now, they had to start running.

“GO!”

Everyone made a beeline to their luggage and, after picking them up, made their way to a taxi or car.

Soujirou kept smiling. It was official. The race had begun.