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High School of the Dead: The Decent into Darkness Chronicles (Wingshadow and Mech)

Souji had glimpses of the old woman working on his wounds, but he was too tired and in too much pain to care about it. She stuffed some of her homemade medicine down his throat and if he had any strentgh left in him, he would have complain about it. It tasted like one of those cheap, 70% alcoholic strentgh beverages you could find anywhere. Bottomline, it tasted like crap. Who was that old lady anyway? She did not seemed to be dangerous. At least, not like the dead.

As soon as she left the room, Souji closed his eyes and slept again. He could remember Hitomi saying it was going to be alright from now on, so he figured he could give in to that anoying sleepness that suddenly overcame him and so he did, letting himself go. He was fast asleep not long befor, dreaming with his father's death for the tenth time that night.

---

Souji woke up in the morning, feeling better. In incredible pain, but at least, the cold was gone, and he could think clearly. The shot in his shoulder was irradiating pain, much more than his ribs, but thankfully his leg hardly bothered him. He tried to sit on the bed and did it successfully, but imagined standing would be too much of a hassle, so he decided to just stay put.

He took a look on the room he was staying. It was a simple room, light coloured, packed with old but fitting furniture. He was alone in it, some liquids that smelled so bed he guessed they could only be homemade medicine in the nightstand beside him. He could really use some painkillers, but could not tell what was what in those bottles, so just let it go. He felt hungry, thirsty, dirty and needing to go to the bathroom, but on his own, it would probably be too hard for him to try it.

"Hey... Someone out there? I could use some help in here..." - he tried, talking to the closed door.
 
Tomoki's grandmother burst in just as Souji started talking, "Yeah, I ask myself the same question every morning, Sonny."

"Your teacher, I hear, has been mighty worried about you for the past few days. She prepared a bath for you in case you want it, even though I told her that sick people don't think about baths until they are sturdy enough to walk around on their own," she started mixing up some of the bottles and handed a glass of the foul-smelling stuff to him, "here, this should help with the shoulder pain."

The others were already in the dining room, taking votes on the identity of what Oba-chan had prepared for them. They all knew well that if they didn't eat it that Oba-chan might go postal on them, so that was not the issue... it was what were the proper toppings to put on it, as putting the wrong ones might well incur the wrath of the little old woman just as easily. Hitomi had cast her vote on eggs and bacon, but Tomoki cast his on oatmeal. The others were still undecided by the time Souji woke up.
 
'I was hoping for someone younger...' he thought to himself as the old woman stormed into the room. He remembered her from the glimpses he had amidst all the confusion and pain of the last few days, when everything was so blurry he could barely understand what was going on. Anyway, he didn't know who exactly she was or where the hell was he, but he guessed he could trust the old lady. She had tended him for some time now, while he was barely conscious.

The boy took the medicine and looked at it rather distressed. He would have to drink that willingly now? It crossed his mind that he would rather die in pain, but for some reason, decided to just indulge the old lady in what she wanted. He poured the stuff down his throat and gulped it down as he could. It was one of the most traumatic experinces he had gone through. Simply awful. - "God, it tastes like crap..." - he remarked, shaking his head, and putting the glass on the nightstand again. - "A bath would do nicely. I need to go to the bathroom too..."

He knew he would need help getting there, so he just waited for the old woman to ask for someone to help him.

It was Yukihito who came and helped him get to the bathroom. Once the boy was out, Souji did his business and then carefully took his clothes off, indulgin himself in the bath. He was feeling like crap, and although the bath did help, it was hardly enough to make him all better. Well, he guessed nothing would be all better again. He would never talk about things with his dad again. They wouldn't laugh together anymore, clean the guns together or train together until exhaustion before championships.

He was dead. The thought bring tears to Souji's eyes, and this time he was finally alone. He could finally had some time to himself, to cry over what he had lost. Inside an old bathtoob, in an old lady's house, Souji cried for the first time after all that happened. He cried until his eyes dried, making noise with the tubs water when his sobs were too loud.

He got out almost an hour later, dressing clean clothes they had brought to the bathroom with him. He called for Yukihito, who helped him back to the room were the old coot changed his bandages, and then he laid back in the bad, waiting for his food. While the woman left to get it, Souji turned to his classmate.

"How are the others?" - he asked, quietly.

"They're fine. Don't know what they're doing right now, though." - the boy smiled at him, calmly.

"Good. That's good..." - he nodded, hidding the disappointment of her not being there when he woke up. But it was fairly obvious she wouldn't be. He was just being silly. He knew it.

The old lady got back with food and water, and Souji first dranked the water as if it were the last jar in the whole world. Then he ate, with much more moderation than his attack on the water. Yukihito started talking about games while he ate, and both of them talked while he satisfied his hungry stomach.
 
Hitomi strutted in a short while later, looking quite refreshed and back to her old self as she approached his bed, "Well hey there. Glad to see you have found yourself something edible around here. I could swear that half of the stuff in her cupboards are pickled vegetables... or at least what used to be pickled vegetables."

She sat down on the bed beside Souji and Yukihito moved over a bit to give her some space. She could tell that he was doing much better already, but there was something that was still troubling him, or rather haunting him, which she concluded must have had something to do with that last phone call that he had received on their way. He had not spoken a word about it, so she thought it must be personal. Even so, she could not precisely pinpoint what it could be. Whatever it was, she decided it would be best to wait until he felt comfortable sharing it with her or if the situation around it exploded, that she should make sure to be close enough to him to help him through it. She didn't know why, but the boy had a peculiar tendency to cling to her when he (or herself for that matter) was broken down. He had denied any feelings for her, but even that didn't quite explain everything.

Hitomi looked him over. Souji had somehow managed to grow in maturity (in Hitomi's eyes at least) by at least five years if not more in the space of only a few days, which was not a simple feat by any stretch of the imagination. She placed a hand on his shoulder then pulled him into a warm hug, perhaps lingering a bit too long before backign away.

"Just making sure you're still all there," she winked at him, "So, do you have any plans on how we should proceed once you're well enough? I thought you said something about target practice."
 
"Hey..." - he greeted, when he saw her entering the room. She seemed fine, looking as good as she ever was. He looked around to see if the old lady was around, and when he saw it was safe, he answered. - "Well, yeah... Edible. Not at all tasty." - he confided, making Yukihito laugh a bit. - "But I guess I better be grateful for what little we can find, these days..."

He looked at her, puzzled, when she spent some time looking at him, as if analizing him. - "What is it?" - he asked. He could see something in her eyes. Curiosity? Maybe. More like, concern. As if she saw something was bothering him. He knew what it was and it remembered him of his father's death once again. The moments of silence before his father pulled the trigger. - "If you have something to ask, fire it away..." - Then she suddenly embraced him. He frozed for a few seconds, then wraped his arms around her, tightly. He felt like crying again. He thought he had ran out of tears, but it clearly wasn't true. He wanted to stay like that. To feel comfortable in her arms, for as long as he could. Forever if possible. He knew it was just a silly wish, but he had it anyway. He held on to her anyway, as long as she allowed him to. He wanted to be comforted by her. He needed it. But his pride would never allow it to just blurt it out on her.

When they broke away, he quickly wiped his eyes, only the trace of his tears lingering in his eyes. And he had spend some time cleaning his face before getting out of the tub so no one could see it. He was glad she went directly into a different subject. - "Yes, I did say I would teach you all how to shoot, but not before we can put our hands on some silencers. Waste ammo just to call the enemy here would be pretty stupid, right?"
 
"Yes, I suppose that would be pretty silly," Hitomi laughed, "After all that effort we put into finding a place where we could get some peace and quiet for a change."

She stood up and walked toward the door, "Just let me know if you need anything, alright? Oba-chan tends to be a bit forgetful, so don't trust her to get everything straight."

"I heard that!"

"Well, some of the time anyway," Hitomi gave him one last smile before stepping out of the room to give him some privacy.

----

"How is he doing?" Tomoki asked, who happened to be standing just outside the door. He had made it a point to look after him throughout the night, the young delinquent having grown on him throughout their adventures together despite how much the boy seemed to dislike him. In some way, he reminded him of himself, blindly seeking to find some small way in which to vent his frustrations and gain the attention of the one he loved most in the world. He might have even offered to help him achieve these, if it wasn't already painfully clear to Tomoki that the one whom Souji pined for was no other than his own fiance.

"He's going to be fine, I think," Hitomi replied, but it came out as more of a question than an answer, "He might need a little more time to adjust for the time being though."

"That's understandable. The kid nearly died... I hate to think what would have happened if we had not stopped here," Tomoki mused.

"Let's jsut focus on the present and try to ease into as normal of a life that we can live here as possible, alright?" Hitomi tried to focus on the positive side of things.

"Alright," Tomoki leaned forward and quickly placed a kiss on his fiance's lips before heading outside, "I'll see what I can do about the gate."

Hitomi blinked, watching her fiance hurry off to ward the fence like a boy who had just done something mischievous and was fleeing gleefully from his mother's righteous wrath. She sighed and placed her hands onto her hips, wondering why she had fallen for the fool who in some ways was still very much the young boy she had known for most of her life, rather than the man that she wished he might someday be. In any case, her love for him remained unshaken.
 
Souji nodded to her and waved as she walked out the door. He had hoped to talk a little bit more with her, but couldn't say anything when she decided to leave the room. He knew it was probably for the best. Even with the world gone crazy, she was still Ishikawa-sensei's fiance and his teacher. And Souji was just the delinquent and problem student, just like he had always been since he got into High School. Probably a lot more troublesome now that he got shot.

"Are you alright?" - asked Yukihito, whom Souji had forgotten was in the room with him.

"Yeah, I'm good." - he answered, looking at the other boy. He looked outside the window, where the sun was shining brightly and then back to his classmate. - "Hey, can you help go outside?"

"What? I don't think you're supposed to leave the bed just yet, Serizawa-san..." - protested the otaku.

"I'm not going to run a marathon, I just want to get some fresh air. You'll be helping me anyway, so I won't be doing any effort at all on my own." - reasoned Souji.

"Alright then..." - Yukihito was still a bit unsure, but he wasn't the kind of guy that normally imposed his will onto others. Soujy, on the other hand, could be rather stubborn. The nerd helped the delinquent up and they made their way to the porch, where Souji sat in a chair, looking at the farm. It was nice and quiet there, as if the world had been left untouch.

Souji reached to his pocked, and found his cellphone there, his batery depleting quickly. He would be out of it soon enough. Souji took his time browsing on the photos he had there, some in which his father was still alive. He noticed the sign of a recorded conversation in the corner of the screen, and without memory of setting it to record something, went on to see what he recorded on there by accident.
 
Souji nodded to her and waved as she walked out the door. He had hoped to talk a little bit more with her, but couldn't say anything when she decided to leave the room. He knew it was probably for the best. Even with the world gone crazy, she was still Ishikawa-sensei's fiance and his teacher. And Souji was just the delinquent and problem student, just like he had always been since he got into High School. Probably a lot more troublesome now that he got shot.

"Are you alright?" - asked Yukihito, whom Souji had forgotten was in the room with him.

"Yeah, I'm good." - he answered, looking at the other boy. He looked outside the window, where the sun was shining brightly and then back to his classmate. - "Hey, can you help go outside?"

"What? I don't think you're supposed to leave the bed just yet, Serizawa-san..." - protested the otaku.

"I'm not going to run a marathon, I just want to get some fresh air. You'll be helping me anyway, so I won't be doing any effort at all on my own." - reasoned Souji.

"But... I don't think obaa-san and Marasaki-sensei will like that..." - he said, uncertain.

"It will be ok. Don't be a coward and help me here..."

"Alright then..." - Yukihito was still a bit unsure, but he wasn't the kind of guy that normally imposed his will onto others. Soujy, on the other hand, could be rather stubborn. The nerd helped the delinquent up and they made their way to the porch, where Souji sat in a chair, looking at the farm. It was nice and quiet there, as if the world had been left untouch.

Souji reached to his pocked, and found his cellphone there, his batery depleting quickly. He would be out of it soon enough. Souji took his time browsing on the photos he had there, some in which his father was still alive. He noticed the sign of a recorded conversation in the corner of the screen, and without memory of setting it to record something, went on to see what he recorded on there by accident...
 
Hitomi was outside at the time, unaware of Souji's presence as she looked over the property from a distance. The morning breeze blew across her face in an oddly serene fashion, her lips were slightly pursed in solemnity. It was not until now that she had stopped to think about the gravity of the situation which may well have encompassed the world by that time. Communications were down, so it was impossible to say for certain, but it seemed likely that the world powers that still had operating governments might start acting out in panic, sparking more conflict and misery than was already by the dead.

Who were these dead anyway? How on earth did they come into existence in the first place? They were clearly not a natural phenomena, but who would conscientiously create such a terrible plague, if this indeed could be called a plague, and unleash it upon the populace? Was it an attack from another country? Was it a freak experiment that had somehow managed to escape the laboratory? Whatever it was, it had a terrible knack of causing the dead to appear in mass quantities and in the worst possible situations, almost as if someone were commanding them to gather in force and march on the living. That also seemed unlikely as they lacked all senses other than touch and hearing. Even so, there was something beyond the surface of their rotten skin that caused her skin to crawl, making her wonder if there was something terribly insidious about the epidemic which no one had caught on to yet.

Just as she thought this, she spied Souji looking down at his phone. Her initial reaction was to let him have some privacy or perhaps tell him to get back inside and rest for his own good, but instead she decided to eavesdrop on the young man, her desire for answers concerning his depressed mood getting the better of her.

(I am really, really sorry it has taken me so damn long to get back to this RP)
 
Souji looked at the rather sexy picture of the Idol Mizuki Yunathe on his wallpaper, looking at him with a warm smile in her white bikini, considering if he really did want to hear to what was stored in his cellphone memory. He thought about what was the only conversation he could have possibly recorded by mistake on the last few days. Only one call had come since the walking dead outbreak. His father's last call. It could only be it.

What a morbid thing to record. Not a congratulation for his last gold medal at a competition. Not a good luck call. Not a Happy Birthday call. Not. The last farewell of someone who would blow his own brains out so he wouldn't become a zombie. Did he really wanted to hear that again? Did he needed it? What good would come from it?

Even without knowing the answer, his finger pressed the play button, and he listened to it attentively. His father's voice came almost immediately:

---

"Souji? I'm glad to hear from you son..."

"Yeah... Me too... Where are you? Camp East right? We're on our way there..."

"No! Don't come! It's been overrun, Souji... It's a slaughterhouse. Everything here is dead, or soon to be dead. Prime Minister got bitten, his security scheme failed. Government officials scattered. Complete chaos son. Couldn't do a thing about it..."

"I understand. Anything else I need to know?"

"Yeah. Last order too all troops was to "Do their best". That's it... All public services will probably go down in the next twenty four hours. Also, South and West Refugee camps were under heavy attack. Don't know how much they will hold, but probably not for long. It seems they're being attracted to large groups of people..."

"Got it. Did they got you?"

"Yeah. I was protecting the first lady. She tried to run in high heels, fell right in the middle of them. They bit my arm... You know what it happens, right?"

"Yeah. I do..."

"How about you? Are you ok? "

"Yeah. I'm with a couple of people from school. We're fine."

"Good, good." - there was a long pause - "So. How many did you beat?"

"Some."

"Bullshit. I know you kept count. How much?"

"Twenty seven. Give or take."

"Ha. I won. I got to 79 of them. You still have a long way to go before reaching my level."

Souji let out a soft chuckle.

"No fair... You had an Assault Rifle from the start."

"Shut it, you were always a bad loser..."

"True."

It went silent for a while.

"Do you remember what I taught you about war?"

"Sure. Always... Always keep the last bullet to yourself..."

"Good boy. I'll use mine now. You do your best, alright?"

"Wait... I'm not gonna leave you by yourself... I'll stay here..."

"Souji..."

"Shut it. No way..."

"You grew up. Always had a tough body, but glass like feelings..."

"Shut up."

"Do you think I'll be able to meet your mother on the other side?"

"No way dad... She's an angel in heaven and you're a jerk. You're going straight down to hell..."

His father laughed wholeheartedly.

"Guess you're right. Smart kid."

"Save a place for me there. I'll be right behind you..."

"You better don't. And don't cry. Take it like a man. Good bye Souji. Be safe."

"Yeah... Good bye, dad..."

---

The sound of the shot came loud, right after a long pause. The shot that he knew had taken the life of his father. From his own gun, by his own finger. Souji was the one that cleaned that weapon the night before hell broke loose, and the one who loaded it after wards. He felt like crying again, but he wasn't inside the bathroom and alone anymore. He couldn't cry where anyone could see him.

He just couldn't cry.

The cellphone fell from his hands and dismantled itself when it hit the floor, Mizuki Yuna disappearing in an instant when the battery rolling throught the porch.

That cellphone served him no purpose anymore...
 
"Souji..." the color drained from Hitomi's face as she stood behind him, unable to believe what she had just heard but being unable to reconcile any other answer with reality. Why hadn't she seen it before? She felt completely speechless, shocked beyond words. Souji's own father had been bitten, the one man in the entire world that Souji had ever looked up to, and the only remaining family (at least biological family) that he had left in the world. She felt pangs of guilt running through her for listening in on the recording, as it was most certainly a private matter, but at the same time she felt compelled to do something, anything to help ease his pain.

She quickly hugged him from behind, holding him close to her chest as her head rested against his right shoulder, "Souji, I'm so sorry..."

Hitomi 's hair brushed against his face and her pleasant scent blew across him as the wind picked up slightly. Her arms tightened around him to keep him from running or breaking out of the embrace, for she felt that she needed to hold him lest he break into thousands of petals and drift away in the wind right before her very eyes. How had she been so blind, and so ignorant? She felt relieved to know, but at the same time she struggled against the growing sensations within her own heart toward her student.

Tomoki stood a far ways off, a perplexed look on his face as he worked on replacing the chain on the gate
 
He had failed in noticing Hitomi standing behind him and listening to the cellphone, and only noticed her when she suddenly embraced him from behind, the scent of her hair tickling his nose, letting him know instantly who she was. It was a warm embrace, and it seemed to sooth the pain in his heart almost as greatly as it did with the pain in his body. By her words he knew she had listened to it, and he felt slightly bad about it. Because it could make her worried about him, and he did not want that.

"You heard it..." - his voice wasn't acusing or anything. He just stated a fact. - "That fucking old man is so stupid... Dying like that." - he took a deep breath. He thought he wasn't making too much of a sens, but didn't cared. he felt the need to talk. The need for her to listen to him. - "He was supposed to be invincible, you know? He was the one who taught me to be invincible. To trust in myself, in my abillities, to be always certain I could win, no matter the odds. To keep moving forward no matter how beaten up I was..."

Tears made their way to his eyes, but he wiped them out, feeling her hair brushing against his face, so delicate it was almost ethereal. He wrapped his own arms above hers, locking her there. He did not want for her to let go anymore. He turned his head slightly to the side, and rested his face against her. He felt like he needed her strentgh.

"I believed it... I believed he was invincible. That he would never be defeated by anything... I believed we both were invicible..." - His eyes were teary again. - "Damn it... What am I supposed to believe now, sensei?" - his voice came out slightly shaky.
 
"I believe that everyone has their time to live, and their time to die," Hitomi replied softly, "Until our appointed time we are, indeed, invincible, but when our time is up there is nothing we can do to stop it. That is the double edged sword of fate. I believe that your father understands that better than anyone."

"We should trust in each other," she replied in a soothing tone, "Before everything is settled and over, I am sure we will all come into contact with loss to one degree or another, and we need each other to support us. If we stand alone and by ourselves we will simply fall into the pit of despair and loose whatever bright future may be ahead of us while trapped in the past. Things may never return to the way they once were, but at least we can trust each other to stand and hold each other up in the face of difficulties, both small and great. Please let me be that for you, and in return help me when I am suffering and ready to fall, alright?"

She probably didn't know how valuable this promise would be to her, nor how soon he would be called upon to perform it for her.
 
Souji heard her, quietly, pressing her arms tightly against his chest, his hands over hers, gripping them tightly. He let his tears fall this time, as he listened to her, and for the first time, he also notice she was wise. He was always to busy paying attention to her looks, her bright attitude and energy, that he never really saw how wise and really mature she really was. She was a real woman. Someone who everyone could really count on. It was the first time he felt like a child in front of her.

"That's so like you. Saying something like that..." - he smiled, even though his eyes were wet with tears. - "I'm not that good at relying on others you know? It wasn't what he taught me to do. I should be the one people relied on, but always stand alone, high, so anyone could take shelter on my shadow." - he confided to her, her scent making him dizzy. Making him talk. - "But this... This warmth... This embrace... You. I can't refuse it. I can't refuse you." - His grip tightned on her. It was true. Her presence was simply too much to him. Next to her, only she mattered to him. Even his father's death seemed to be far away when she was that close.

"You should know I would be there by your side anyway..." - he answered her, honestly. - "No matter what happened, how grim the situation you're in. When you need me, I'll be there for you. I'll protect you. I'll comfort you..." he paused, but added on his mind 'I'll love you and die for you'. He breathed heavily, his voice shaken with the angish and tears he was swallowing. - "You're all that I have left now... You're the only thing I have to live for..."
 
At first she merely resolved herself to comforting him, allowing him to finally open up to her and pour out his heart for her to collect and piece back together for him. That is something a teacher should do, especially if her student was now essentially an orphan. Hitomi's face flashed crimson red as he spoke those words however, as they were practically a confession of love. Yet, strangely she did not feel compelled to reject him. No, rather she felt her young teenager heart swoon at his words, striking right at her very core as she held him in her arms. Her adult heart, on the other hand, felt somewhat put-off, recalling her love for Tomoki. Yet, it was her rash side that won over for the moment as she looked away in confusion.

"S-souji," she stuttered, "Souji-kun I mean, w-well, I... I haven't been confessed to quite like that before... Not that I get confessed to very often..."

"I sound so stupid, don't I?" she hugged him a bit more tightly. She wanted to get up and run away in confusion, but perhaps it was has hands that clasped tightly on hers, or the tears in his eyes but whatever it was, it kept her firmly planted at that very spot. Her eyes widened slightly as the words started to slip from her lips.

"Actually, I think I might be falling in love with y-"

Her mind flashed to an image of Souji's smiling face. Souji swinging his bat at one of the dead, saving her for the first time. Herself grasping his collar and pulling him from the grasp of the dead on that same day. Souji's wounded and broken body in the back of the jeep as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was al becoming clear to her, and to her astonishment it didn't even feel particularly odd for her to say it.

"You."

She felt her heart rate quicken, and he probably felt it too as it was pounding away as if one of the dead had suddenly appeared before her. If it was even possible, she might have actually been calmer if there was one standing in front of her, as it would distract herself from the reality of her words. She had fallen for her own student, no less, but was still engaged to her childhood friend Tomoki. What the hell was she going to do?!
 
Souji's eyes widened at her words, and he probably would have blushed, had he enough blood for it. How long did he wait for that words? Dreamed about it? Was it ok to kiss her now? To say everything he had stored inside of him for so long? Was it fair to her? To Tomoki? Doubts ran through his mind as he looked inside her eyes, and saw the doubts of her own. Was it even true? He knew she wouldn't lie to him in something like that, but was she sure about it?

The boy wanted to test it. Kiss her. Taste her lips as he dreamt of doing for so long, but he knew he couldn't. It would hurt both Tomoki and her if he tried it. Not to say, he was scared of being rejected at the last moment as well. She loved Tomoki, he knew that for certain. Did she find a place for him as well in her heart? He couldn't know. He just knew she wasn't his woman. She was Tomoki's fiance. And even if Souji were the kind of guy to take away someone's else woman, he grew to respect Tomoki to much since the incident to that to her.

He smiled at her. - "You were right... That time, at my bedroom. I do love you. More then you'll ever know..." - he confessed finally. It was official. The bad boy had confessed his feelings to the popular teacher, amidst the chaos of dead-rising hell on Earth. He stared right in her eyes - "You can't imagine how many times I pictured you telling me that... In my dreams... So thank you for saying it." - he said, still smiling.

After moments contemplating what kind of happiness was hidden from him if he just surrender to what he was feeling, he finally continued.

"But you don't. You're just confused." - he tried to convice himself of that as much as he tried to convince her. It hurt. But he also thought it was true - "You worry about me. You care about me. And you're mixing everything. But Ishikawa-sensei is the one you love, not me..." - his hands still gripped hers, tightly. - "But its ok, you know? I'm glad I got to be your student, and I got you to like me even if a little. I'll keep loving you and protecting you anyway. So if you just stay with me like this... Its enough for me..."

For the first time, the boy noticed that being considerate of someone else's feelings hurt a lot more than protecting their bodies with his own.
 
"Y-yeah, I suppose you are right," Hitomi blinked, still red and confused but nodding in response to his words before letting out a nervous laugh, "I'm sorry if I just sprang that on you just there. Its that "like" sort of love, the sort of love that a teacher should have for all her students, right?"

She knew she was just avoiding the issue, taking the easy way out and resolving herself against making a change to her way of life. It was so easy to do, to just agree with him and allow the situation to unwind itself. It left her feeling downright horrible, as she felt like she was trampling on his honest declaration of his feelings. She had rejected some of his classmates that had confessed to her in her first year of working at the school as the PE teacher (before they knew she was engaged) but she had never felt guilty about it before. No, to the Hitomi in the past men other than the one she loved were not worth thinking much about, unless they happened to be her students in which case only their physical and mental development held any importance. Men were there to look and lust after her, not for her to satisfy any of those desire nor respond to them. Hitomi was no longer that Hitomi. She was someone different, someone awakened to the fragile nature of mankind who sought above all things to be loved by someone, for someone to acknowledge his or her existence in order to make their lives have significance among the millions that populated the planet's surface.

"You know, Tomoki was the one who confessed to me before we started to go out," Hitomi confided in him, "Your words had such an impact on me I guess I sort of got carried away. If you were to say those words to any girl and if she believes them I'm sure any girl would have a similar reaction. You could almost call it a gift."

She looked back over at Souji and brushed his tears away, "So don't worry, you will always have someone to stand by your side. Even if its not me, someday you will have a wonderful woman beside you who will never let you go."

Hitomi planted a chaste kiss on his cheek before gently pulling her arms from around him but allowed him to keep a hold of her hands as she sat behind him silently.

-----

Tomoki had finished outfitting the gate with a new chain when he heard a distinct "thud" in the distance. A cold chill ran down his spine as he wondered what it could be, as whatever it was had to be pretty large to be heard from that distance.
 
"I know, you don't have to explain it to me." - Souji answered to her, a sad smile on his lips. He was sad, yes, for a lot of different reasons, one being the outcome of their conversation and his confession. He did felt satisfied by it though. As if everything was in place. She wasn't a woman for him. He was not worthy of her as Tomoki was.

He listened to her, silently, paying attention to what she said while looking at the gate where Tomoki worked on the fence. When she finished, he turned to her once again. - "It doesn't matter if any girl will ever believe this words. Even if I were to say them once again, they will only be true today, when spoke to you." - He did not mean to make her feel worse about it, but felt like he needed to say it. Now that she new, what was the point of hiding anything else?

He caressed her hand when she sat beside him.

"You're the first one I ever loved. I did not have a childhood crush. I used to be pretty popular in middle schoo, you know? Not feared, but admired. Good at sports, good grades, strong. I was fourteen by then, a lot of friends and girls all over me. Everyone of my friends start to like someone. My locker was filled with love letters. But I turned every girl down, one by one." - he knew it was just silly childhood crushs, but at that time, for the ones who had them they were probably really important. - "Then I met you, and I fell in love... I thought about you all the time. I bought the picture you saw. Then everyone got to know you were engaged." - he sighed. - "It was a shock. I needed someone to blame. So I blamed it all on Ishikawa-sensei. I hated him with all I got. I thought about beating him..." - he laugh. - "So childish..."

He watched said man working on the fence, while he hold her hand. He was a good man. Souji had always known that. He was just a scapegoat, someone he had to blame so he could accept the situation he was in. - "But truth is, he's a good guy. Great even. Way better then me." - he honestly felt that. - "I was just envy... Because I knew he deserved you way more than me, actually. Now I can't even hate him anymore. I respect him. Even if you were serious before, I wouldn't be able to do anything..."

He stared at Tomoki some more, then laid his head agains her shoulder. - "But, this. I can have this right? For now..." - he asked, to be sure. He could settle for that.
 
"Of course," Hitomi nodded kindly and smiled, despite the fact that his words made her feel guilty for stealing his heart and making him suffer the despair of knowing that she could never return his genuine feelings.

There was a sharp screech and another thud as Tomoki finally looked up toward the sky. Countless small fragments of something were raining down in the area from space, slipping through the atmosphere and slamming into the ground a few hundred meters away. He could only wonder what they were parts of as he called out to the others in a loud voice.

"Everyone, take cover!" Tomoki shouted as another fragment screeched by, slamming into one of the nearby trees and causing it to snap and splinter, shooting splinters of wood out into the air and across the lawn.

"Its those damn bats again, isn't it?" Tomoki's grandmother appeared on the porch armed with her trusty shotgun, aiming toward the sky, "Don't you worry, I might have Alzheimer's but I can still skin the hair right off a camel's nose if I wanted to."

"GET BACK INSIDE!" Tomoki ran toward the house, the shards of metal raining down in a much more concentrated manner around them. Hitomi nudged Souji to try to get him to comply while the others hurried inside to find some sort of shelter.
 
Souji close his eyes after her answer, and decided to just take comfort in her company for the time being. Being with her, and keeping her safe was all that he had now. And by her side, all the pain seemed do wither away, even if just for a while. It was enough for him. He was so caught up he was in her scent and warmth. It was Tomoki's scream that made him wake up from his dream land.

He looked confused at the man who ran towards the house, his first thought being that the dead were attacking again. Then he noticed the falling debris all around the yard and surrounding area. He felt Hitomi nudging him, and he got up with her help ready to get shelter inside the house, for all the good that could do.

"What the hell is this?" - He asked, looking at the sky while the crossed the porch to the door. Thousands of possibilities ran through his head as he analized the situation, but he couldn't decide in one.

When they got to the door, Souji shoved both grandma and Hitomi inside, and turned to the yard, blocking the way out, and looked back to Tomoki, worried if the man would make it in time. - "Come on! Hurry!" - he shouted at his teacher, hoping he would made it. He was ready to give way for him to enter as soon as the man reached the porch, so he could lock the door.
 
More objects flew through the sky, one narrowly missing Tomoki's shoulder as he dove into the house and the door was shut after him. It struck one of the side tables and smashed it clean through, Oba-chan crying out in anger, "who the hell left that table out?"

For some time the barrage continued to hail down on the house, Hitomi sat beside her fiance huddled up next to the external bathroom wall while the students minus Souji huddled inside (there wasn't enough room in the bathroom for all of them to fit). As it finally subsided, Tomoki let go of Hitomi and peeked out the front door. Small fires were all around them, crackling slowly while there were pits in the ground all around. Several had hit the house itself but had not, thankfully set it on fire.

"Well, that was unexpected," Tomoki sighed, "Any ideas, guys? Its not like we were due for a meteor shower."
 
Souji closed the front door as soon as Tomoki dove inside, and after locking it if a twist of his wrist, he leaned against it, breathing hard. Just what the hell was that anyway? A plane acident? Nope, they were too small. Meteor shower? Could be. What the fuck had just happened there? His mind was racing as much as his heart, and all the commotion made him dizzy and his wounds radiating pain through his body. He looked at oba-chan when she asked her question, and answered sheepshily. - "That would be you, oba-chan..."

Whatever it was that was raining down on them, kept coming for a some time, assaulting the roof with unrelenting determination. Souji could hear the cry of his fellow classmates in the bathroom, but he barely registered it. He was too busy trying to figure out just what kind of crazy ass situation did the found themselves into that time. He was sure all that commotion would probably bring more trouble to them, but he felt it was better not to alarm the others now. It would be pointless anyway. He was in no condition to travel and keep running, so it was for the better to just keep recovering until he had enough strentgh no to be a burden to anyone.

Sometime later, it came to an and, and Souji peeked out the door together with Tomoki. Certainly it wasn't a pretty sight. For some reason, it was disturbing to see that death kept stalking them even from the sky now, it seemed. He was just glad the house was still standing and luckly not turned into a giant ball of flames. It was enough to still have a roof over their heads, for now. He looked at Tomoki, and sighed.

"Yeah, talk about it" - he answered Tomoki. - "But I guess meteor shower IS a possibility. I mean, we gotta take Murphy's Laws into consideration..." - the young delinquent sighed.

"Maybe a plane?" - tried Emiko.

"Doubt it... There was no bigger crash, just small ones. Even if a plane did catch on fire midair, the main body would still come down for a big crash." - Souji scrached the back of his head, sighing. - "Just what we needed right now..."

"Er... With all that ruckus..." - Kirino pondered, but seemed really uneasy about what she would say next. She took some deep breaths to muster her courage. - "Won't... Won't it attract the dead?"

Souji looked at her and sighed. He refrained from commenting on that, but it seemed he was not the only one thinking about that possibility.
 
"Impossible!" Oba-chan sputtered, "I have a small army of children running around my house, how could it NOT be one of them?"

The pelting rain of "meteors" continued to pound away at the house, gradually easing up and vanishing as suddenly as it had started. The roof had held up reasonably well, most of the penetration having occurred through the sides of the house instead of punching through the roof. Tomoki let out a relieved sigh and let the students out of the bathroom, all of whom seemed more than a little rattled from the shock.

"Tomoki," Oba-chan grabbed Tomoki's wrist firmly in her rough, wrinkled hands, "Are those people running around my grandchildren? Did I completely miss the wedding?!"

"Calm down, they are just my students, remember?" Tomoki tried to reassure her, as it was pointless to attempt to change the old crone's mind once it had been made up.

"Murphy's Law... The one about everything bad that could happen will happen, right?" Hitomi glanced over at Souji, "With how things are going, I would think a small army of the dead should probably be approaching our area right now."

"Don't go assuming the worst," Tomoki placed his hand on his chin as soon as Oba-chan released him from her grasp, "There is a good chance that the debris was spread over a large area, keeping them from all gathering in one place but rather remaining spread out. We can handle them if there are only a few, but if there is a large number there is a good chance they can just walk right over the fence around the property."

Hitomi looked over at the wall clock and was surprised to see that it had stopped working for some reason...

"I'm going to go check the parameter, you stay here and hold things down here in case something goes wrong while I am gone, alright Hitomi?" Tomoki stood up and grasped a wooden bat before heading out, "If I get overwhelmed I will just run away and head back here. No need for pointless heroics."

With that he headed back out before anyone else could protest, leaving Hitomi with a worried expression on her face. There was a sick sort of feeling pooling deep inside her, but she knew Tomoki wouldn't listen to her concerns.
 
Souji watched as Tomoki tried to explain things to oba-chan, and he sighed as he looked out of the window to see little spots where the fire remained, around the craters. They would probably have to extinguish it, as it could become troublesome if the grass around the yard all catch fire as well. 'That's the last thing we needed right now. God, I don't know if you're listening to me right now, please, give us a break' he thought, even though he wasn't really a believer.

He nodded at Hitomi when she commented on Murphy's Law. - "Yeah, that's it. I wouldn't be too surprised if one of them knocked on the door right now..." - he sighed.

"Don't talk like that, Serizawa-kun!" - Kirino replied, scared be the mere thought of it. She was tranquilized by Tomoki's words, at least until he got to the end of his sentence.

He watched the exchange between Hitomi and her fiance in silence, and as Tomoki wen out the door, he followed the older man. - "Hey, Ishikawa..." - he called his teacher without honorifics, even though he knew he should add it. Jealousy kept him from being respectful though, enven when he meant well. - "Take care..." - he added, going for his phone as the man walked away. Souji assembled the device once again, and tried to turn it on, but it simply appeared to have stop working.

"What the hell? It broke from just that?" - Souji complained, going back to the house, searching for the fire extinguisher. He put the phone away in his pocket anyway, and once with the equipment he wanted in hand, made his way to the yard, putting out fires throughout it. Doing it bring some pain to his shoulder, but he ignored it and kept doing, until all fires have been put out in the yard.

"Guess its fine now..." - he said, looking at one of the craters, where a large chunk of metal rest, cooling down from them crash. Then Souji noticed something. It was almost faded away, but the chunk of metal had something painted in it. He could see a draw in red, white and blue... A flag? An american flag, most certainly. And below it, the middle of a sencence that read "...n Communications Sat..." going from one end of the metal piece to the other. Souji wasn't an expert in english and couldn't tell what it was supposed to mean, so he turned to the house.

"Marasaki-sensei! Come take a look at this." - he called. He was still feeling awkward talking to her after all that happened in the porch but had no choice. Just to see her coming his way made his heart ache and beat way faster than normal.
 
"Sure thing, kid," Tomoki nodded to Souji in a grateful manner, glad that the two of them had come to something of a mutual understanding, "I've got someone I need to protect after all."

He headed out without another word, afraid that if he stuck around too much longer he might be tempted not to go out at all. Hitomi watched him leave with a concerned look pasted across her face, her hand cupping her left cheek as she silently observed his form slowly drifting further and further off into the distance.

"Of course it broke," Oba-chan replied hotly, "Its one of those damn electric ones after all... My son bought it for me, though, so I couldn't just throw it away!"

Hitomi watched Souji go to work extinguishing the flames, and she would have gone out to help him as well if she were not so dumbfounded by this recent turn of events. Just as soon as she felt that she had found some momentary solitude and peace, it is snatched away from her and thrown into the boisterous winds, never to be seen of again. Her own heart was being pulled in two directions as well, and despite how Souji and her had come to a verbal agreement and understanding earlier, she still felt more than a little uneasy concerning that issue. At the time being there was a more pressing matter at stake, however, as she suddenly realized Souji had been calling for her.

"W-what?" Hitomi shook her head to clear it as she stepped outside to see what her student wished for her to look at, "Oh my... It looks like its..."

Her eyes narrowed then widened, "Its a part of an american communications satellite, it seems. I wonder what could have possibly caused that to happen."

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"That's weird," Yukihito looked at his wristwatch, "My watch has stopped..."
 
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