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

Souji watched while Hitomi analized the piece of evidence he had found, suddenly over conscious of her presence beside him. Even though the situation gave little time for him to dwell in it, knowing that his feelings were out in the open like that managed to nag at him even through the situation they were in. The delinquent heard her words, and looked at her slightly surprised.

"Communications Satellite?" - he looked at her without hiding his surprise. - "These things don't fall down from the sky like that. And they're unmanned, so the infection shouldn't affect it. What the hell is going on here?" - he mused, looking at the scrap metal in front of him. - "Was it brought down by the command center? - he asked more to himself then to her.

It was pointless to think about it, as he couldn't even begin to grasp the situation. Things were fucked up, and that was enough for him to know he had to watch his back. He looked at his teacher beside him, and blushed slightly. - "Hey, how are you holding up?" - he asked, concerned. Truthfully he was scouting the terrain, because after they talk just before, he knew things oughta be awkward between the two of them, and he wanted to make sure he wouldn't step in any landmine along the way.

"I mean... You know... From before..." - her words got back to his head, once more, and he wished they were true. - "Are we... good?" - he couldn't hide the fear and embarassment from his voice.
 
"Y-yeah, we are good," Hitomi repeated his words, unable to come up with her own at the moment as her mind replayed everything they had said to each other. She grasped her left arm with her right, her arm pressing over her chest in a slightly protective manner. She wasn't feeling threatened by Souji, rather she was afraid of herself more than anything.

Why was she so filled with confusion and doubt? She couldn't say for certain, but she hoped it was all due to the crazy turn of events over the past few days. She had seen so much death, so much danger, that an ordinary person probably would have been driven mad by it all had it not been for her strong determination and will to live. Never before did she have such a strong drive and purpose to her life, to defend these her remaining students from not only this strange epidemic of the dead, but also from the panic-stricken lawlessness that had surrounded them just the day before. What would the world be like when everything was finally settled out? What would she be like? She shuttered at the thought, realizing that her own morals were slowly being eroded throughout their adventure.

Hitomi swayed a bit, "I can't imagine what would cause a satellite to fall though, unless there was some large force out in space that knocked them out of orbit. They usually follow relatively stable orbital patterns... Unless..."

She realized that there might be nuclear missile strikes going on between the US and the former Soviet Union (or others with nuclear warheads) which might explain how such a large number of them would have been shot down by anti-warhead missiles that would automatically lock onto hostile ballistic missiles flying overhead. That would not explain why the debris fell on top of them, but that of course should simply be a random phenomena... Which seemed to be happening a lot as of late.
 
"Right." - he answered briefly, not knowing exactly how to respond to it. He could clearly see her defensive stance before him, and imagined that she was just as conscious of the previous development as he was, if not more. She was scared of him, and he couldn't blame her. He nodded a few times, turning his gaze back to the sattelite scrap. - "We should go back inside, sensei. Until we know its safe, we better get some shelter..." - he said, and tried to smile at her, but felt awkward doing that as well.

Once inside the house, he heard the other three students complaining, a look of worry on their faces.

"Are you sure, Emiko? Is it plugged?" - Kirino asked, bending his body to look at the tv, suporting herself with her hands on her knees.

"Yes, its plugged..." - Emiko replied, with an "I'm-not-that-stupid" tone.

"My watch is not working anymore, as well... And I tested oba-chan's radio. Its dead too." - Yukihito interveined, walking to the tv with Kirino and pressing the on/off button continuously. - "Nothing is working..."

Souji frowned slightly when he heard their conversation.

"What happened?" - he asked, sitting on the couch. He felt exhausted already, his breath ragged, and his wounds in pain. He barely did any exercise, and he was already like that. His wounds were more severe than he thought. He tried to cover it up, but a painful expression was still visible on his face. He felt the bandages on his shoulder wetting as well, but kept quiet about it.

"All the eletronic devices are dead. Television, radio, clocks... We can't use any of them..." - Yukihito reported, looking at Hitomi, as if she was the one who could handle the situation. Souji guessed that, in the abscence of Tomoki, she was really the one in charge.

"That explains why the hell my phone broke down to..." - Souji mused, looking at his teacher. - "What the hell is going on?"
 
"You can call me Hitomi you know," she said to Souji softly as they entered the house, "I'm not really your teacher anymore after all... I should start treating you more like my equal."

Hitomi left it at that as she saw the other students worried about the lack of electronic support in the house. She could only figure that one thing could be the cause of everything breaking at the same time.

"It was an EMP shock," Hitomi sighed, "Most likely due to nuclear warheads detonating in the lower levels of the atmosphere... It means things have gotten even worse since most of the utilities would also be knocked out with such a powerful electromagnetic shock... It also means that the rest of the world is probably in choas right now and suffering the same sort of epidemic as we are."
 
Souji heard a cry of despair from the two girls on the room in response to Hitomi's words, while he kept there, sitting, trying to catch his breath and thinking about what was just said. It made complete sense, but it was also the worst case scenario for them. If that was true, there was no safe place, nowhere to run, and fighting became life from now on. If that was a terrifying thought for him, who was a fairly brave guy with nothing else to lose beside the woman standing beside him, he could only imagined the shock it was to those three, and Hitomi and Tomoki who were about to start a life together as a couple.

It was oficial, though. Shit had hit the fan, and everybody was about to get dirt.

Emiko, with tears in her eyes, looked at her teacher, almost desperately. - "What about our family's sensei? I want to see my mom and dad again. They were fine that night when we were at your house, cause I phoned them. I want to meet them again." - Souji thought she was about to have a nervous breakdown and sighed. Who could blame her?

Yukihito looked at his friend, powerless, but the same wish seemed to glow behind his eyes, and was also truth to Kirino. Of course, they wanted to be with their family's. In the beggining, they all hoped that confusion would only last a while until the authorities could handle it, but now shit had just got real. There was no solution anymore. They wouldn't see their family's anymore, wouldn't go to school and meet with friends anymore and their previous lives were over. And just now that was sinking in to those three.

"Let's go back to Tokyo, sensei! My parents must be still at home!" - she pleaded, looking at the teacher, hoping for a positive answer, almost crying as Kirino tried to calm her down, despite her own growing despair. - "Please, I want to see them again!"

Souji looked around, knowing that Hitomi couldn't give her the answer she wanted to hear. He did not doubt, for one second, that she would be able to do it, but also knew that Emiko wouldn't accept her answer no matter how delicate she'd put it. It was too much hard of a truth, and he did not want her to play the part of the villain. That part suit him a lot better. Tomoki and Hitomi were the heroes. He was the troublemaker. Before Hitomi had a chance to answer, he got up. It took him a lot of effort to do it.

"That's impossible. We're not going back." - He said, plainly and cruely. - "Its too dangerous. The city was overrun. If your parents remained there, I'm sorry, but we can't save them anymore." - Emiko's eyes widened at his words, and she lost control exactly as he expected her to do. She would have lost it anyway, whoever denied her.

"SHUT UP!" - she snapped at him, and charged, slapping him across the face. Souji could have stopped her anytime, but he let her slap him the same way he did when Hitomi slaped him back at her house. - "What do you know?! You know nothing, you good-for-nothing delinquent! Just because you don't care about anyone doesn't mean we have to put up with your self-centered bullshit! I want to see my parents, you hear?!" - she screamed at him, punching his chest with her fists, as if trying to hammer something in it. One of the punches hit his bullet wound but he didn't flinched, even with the pain radiating from it, and the bandage getting wetter. - "I want them back! You know nothing, you idiot! Idiot!" - she kept punching as he watched her, only able to feel sorrow for her. He wanted his father back as well, but unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about that.
 
Hitomi quickly pulled Emiko away from Souji, knowing that if she didn't stop quickly she would re-open Souji's wounds and potentially damage his already weak health. "Emiko! Just stop and listen to yourself! We are not going to panic, and we are as sure as hell not going to turn on each other like a pack of wild animals. We are going to calm down and think things over for a change, if you like it or not."

She took a deep breath and continued, "Emiko, I am sorry but Souji is right to say that it is too dangerous right now to attempt to rescue them at this point. There is simply too highly concentrated population in Tokyo, which will mean thrusting ourselves right into the thick of danger. I realize that you must be worried sick about your parents and the rest of your family, but we need to trust that they have done the right thing and escaped from the city as quickly as they could. They wouldn't want you to run headlong into danger like that."

Hitomi brushed the girl's hair in a soothing manner, "Lets keep a hold of ourselves, alright? We will get through this, but for goodness sake we need to keep our heads on our shoulders."
 
Souji looked at them, and sighed, tiredly. Yukihito looked at him, fear in his eyes, that, as Kirino's, had tears in them. Emiko was the only one sobbing though. The boy nodded at the delinquent, acknowleding his actions, and Souji nodded right back, giving him a little tap on the shoulder as he made his way to the room he was staying for the time being. He certainly needed to change his bandages, as the wet feeling in them was bothering him as hell. All in all, he guesse he was ok though.

As he passed Emiko and Hitomi, he smiled at the teacher, slightly, leaving the poor girl in her care. It had been just a little since they got to really know those people, but right now they where the only family he got in the world. He started to care about them, and couldn't deny that anymore. Not without lying to himself, anyway.

He made his way to the bedroom and took his shirt out, a red stain in the bandages, around his wound. He took them out, and cleaned the painful wound, gritting his teeth, then started to bandage it again, but with only one hand, by himself, it was nearly impossible. Once he saw he couldn't do it, he finally gave up and laid in the bed without any bandage, looking at the ceiling. Now he could just hope Tomoki would come back with good news.
 
Hitomi tried her best to calm the girls down and have them eat some snacks before she went to help Souji replace his bandages. Oba-chan seemed to be trying to get the generator in the basement working at the time, so she wasn't available to help him. Souji's former teacher sat down beside him with a slight smile, trying to help dispel the awkwardness between them when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Rightly assuming that the dead never knocked, she hurried out to see who it was. There stood Tomoki with a few blood stains splattered on his shirt and a bat loosely held in his left hand. He was breathing heavily and his hair was in disarray as she sheepishly smiled at his fiance.

"It seems like I got a bit carried away," he grinned, earning him a stern look from Hitomi.

"Get your butt in here and wash yourself up," Hitomi placed her hands on her hips, trying to remain calm, "what the heck happened out there?"

"So you aren't glad to see me?" Tomoki teased her, walking over to the bathroom which thankfully already had a tub filled with water ready (albeit cold water), "There are a whole bunch of them near the south parameter of the property. We should probably get ready to clear them out and refortify when we can. I don't think we can keep running forever."

He stripped and sunk his body into the water, the blood diluting as his body slipped into it... He hid his left side from view, however, which had a small cut in it.
 
Souji looked at Hitomi when she entered the room, and blushed when he realized he wasn't wearing any shirt. Flustered, the tried to cover his body with his shirt, without realizing how stupid that gesture was. - "Sensei... what's up?" - he asked, feigning normality, though he was over conscious of her presence to the limit. He looked at her nervously as she sat down beside him, but thankfully a knock on the door caught ther attention. He tranquilized her. - "I'll be fine, go answer it... I'll wait until you're free to help me..." - he said.

When she left, the breath caught in his lungs was released, and he felt a lot calmer. He asked himself if it would be always that awkward around her from now on. He heard her conversation with Tomoki, and cursed his wounds. He wasn't in much condition to fight. If he was, he would take care of the surrounding enemys with ease. But in that state all he could do was lay down and wait. Trying to be a hero would get him killed in no time.

He looked at the ceiling, sighing as he waited for her. He know her fianceé took priority over him, but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Feeling about it, he doze off, taking a nap while he waited for her to come back to help him, his defenseless form sleeping peacefully, chest going up and down with his slow and calm breath.
 
Hitomi returned a short while later and began to gently bind his wounds once again with the treated bandages, trying to keep from putting too much pressure on the wounds and waking him up from his slumber, but knowing that if she didn't tend to them they might become infected which in his condition would be a very serious condition. She wasn't too worried about her fiance, thinking that the blood that he was washing off was only that of the dead that he had been fighting.

Tomoki, meanwhile, stepped out of the bath and dressed himself in fresh clothes, making sure to wrap up the shallow gash on his side in order to keep Hitomi from worrying for as long as he could. He knew what it meant, that inevitably his fate had been sealed and that it was only a matter of time before it came to an ugly head. Even so, he wished the opportunity to make peace and set a few things in order before his time expired... There were some things that were yet left unsaid.
 
Souji woke up a little while later, with Hitomi tending to his wounds, a blush making its way to his face fairly quickly. He could feel her touch, soothing and gentle, and almost feel glad for being shot, at the circunstances. It was heaven to have her taking care of him, with such tenderness. He looked at her, and admired her features. Such a beautiful face. Seeing her delicate facial features and the angelic air around her at the precise moment, no one would imagine the fierce that hid inside her. The will she had to protect what was important to her, and the strentgh of heart she carried. Luckily, he knew.

"How is Ishikawa-sensei? What did he say?" - he asked, intending to start a conversation, as he heard what he said before and pretty much knew the situation, but it still felt a little uncomfortable to be alone with her, even more in silence. And that was aggravated by her hands, touching his chest so softly. - "Are we alright for the moment?" - he asked.

And after that, asked - "And Emiko? Is she alright?" - that, he couldn't knew, but was genuinely worried about the girl. About all three of them. While he talked though, in the back of his mind, he wished she never finished bandaging him.
 
"He's fine, he just seems to be a bit tired," Hitomi reassured him, "He said that some of them got through the south fence. I will head out in a little bit to see how many are still wandering around inside the property. Don't worry, I won't be attacking them."

She could tell that he was enjoying her presence and was soaking in her radiance, and she actually didn't mind. Perhaps it was her vanity or perhaps it was something else, but she actually liked his attention, even if it was a tad bit impure.

"Emiko should be alright as well," Hitomi finished wrapping his wounds and pulled his shirt back over his shoulders, "I promised I would do everything I could to get in contact with her parents. With how things stand right now, however, there isn't much I can do now is there?"
 
"You're right..." - he nodded, knowing it as well. - "There's nothing we can do for now." - he agreeded, though a plan did form inside his head. He decided to share when the time was right though, as for now he wasn't in any shape to put it into motion. The right move for now was to recover, so he would be useful for them. And he knew he could help in many ways. Scouting, training. There was a lot he could do for the team, and he was willing to, as soon as he got better. Mostly for her.

Souji helped her put his shirt on him, and looked at her when she finished. He stared at her for a few seconds, then his hand raised on its own, going for her hair. He took a lock of it from her shoulder, and played with it slowly, even though he was a bit affraid of the act being rejected. He did it nonetheless. - "I always liked you hair, you know? When I watched from afar. The way it flew behind you when you moved. So charming." - he confessed, looking at the lock between his fingers. - "Always wondered its scent..." - he finished, and brought it next to his nose. Then he smiled and played with her. - "Smells like oba-chan now. We should get you a new shampoo..." - and then he chucked slightly, letting go of her hair.

The boy got up then, and looked at her. - "You said you're going to take a look around the property to see how many of them are roaming around, right? I'm going with you..." - he looked at her, and quickly scowled. - "Don't even try it. I'm not going to let you get out by yourself..." - If there weren't many of them, Souji was confident he could manage it. In the worst case scenario, he still had his gun on the leg holster.
 
"Thanks," Hitomi smiled in a slightly shy manner, "But I think smelling of Oba-chan is the least of our worries right now."

She found him charming to say the least, perhaps adding to her conflicted feelings concerning Souji as well as making her act even more awkward around her former student. The dynamics between them had changed so much over so little time, it was quite shocking. She found it flattering that he could still see her as the same woman as before this all began, having loved every aspect of her being from the way she acted to the way her hair moved in the wind and even the distinct scent of her hair conditioner. Souji might have been terribly rough around the edges towards others, but when it came to Hitomi he could be quite the smooth talker. None of this, however, lessened her resolve to keep Souji safe even if it meant opposing him on this point.

"No, Souji," Hitomi's voice was firm but her face was understanding and soft, "I need to do this, but I can't let you go out there in your current condition. You will push yourself too hard and get even worse. I need you to get better so we can fight side by side like we used to... I need you to do that for me, alright?"

She planted a peck on his cheek and stood up to turn toward the door, just as Tomoki stepped inside. His eyebrows slightly raised upon realizing that he might have come in at a bad time.

"Um, yeah I can see that Souji-kun is doing better," he scratched the back of his head in a nervous manner, "May I talk with him for a bit?"

"Sure," Hitomi nodded and slipped by him, glad for the opportunity her fiance had given her to escape the situation and head out by herself.

Tomoki stopped Souji from leaving with Hitomi, easing him back onto the bed as he sat down beside him, "I need to tell you something, Souji, and I don't want you to panic or anything, alright?"

He folded his hands together in his lap in a markedly nervous manner, his firm eyes showing hints of wavering as he continued, "Souji, I want you to take care of Hitomi for me... I know this is a lot ot ask of you, but I don't think there is anyone else here that is cut out for the task. Hitomi's extended family is nowhere around here, and I doubt they could help her even if they were nearby. I need you to watch after her and love her as you already have, and I trust that you will in the future. Can you do that for me?"

He gestured to his left side, "I... Sort of got a bit careless out there, if you know what I mean."
 
Souji felt his resolve falter once she told him to stay there. He couldn't refuse her when she asked like that. Yes, he was a rather stubborn kid, indeed, but her sweet way of asking was probably the way to go around his stubborness. He just had to figure out a way of not letting her know that, so she could take advantage of that from then on. He sighed, and sat back on the bed, feigning slight annoyance, though he was moved with her concern with him.

"Alright. I'm not feeling so great, and I don't want to be a hindrance. But take someone with you, you hear me?" - he told her with a slight bossing tone to his voice, although he blushed when she kissed his cheek. Even more when Tomoki got in, the boy wondering if the male teacher had misinterpreted the situation. He watched Hitomi get out, and turned his gaze back at the older man.

"Me, panicking?" - he waved it off, sighing. - "Do you know who you're talking to?" - he answered back with the confidence of his not so old self. - "What happened?"

He listened to Tomoki's words, growing pale at each new world, the worst case scenario already playing inside his head. He could guess where that was going to, and despide his previous confidence, he couldn't hide the shock, or the fact that all color had left from his face. - "Damn, Ishikawa!" - he almost shouted, but quickly lowered his voice. - "You got bitten?! Fuck!" - he bit the back of his hand slightly while his mind trying to cope with the new information. He was sad and worried about the teacher, as he took a liking to the man after all they been through, but that was not what worried him the most. It was her.

Something like that would devastate her. Souji could only imagine how Hitomi would react to the fact that her fiance had been bitten and soon would become a flesh eaten monster. How could they tell her that? He looked at his teacher once again. - "I'm the only one who knows right?" - he did not know why the teacher trusted him with it, but felt glad that the man thought he could count on him. - "What... What do we do now?" - he asked. He knew the logical answer to his own question. The same alternative his father had chosen. - "We should wait. Maybe there's a chance it won't happen..." - he tried, completely at a loss.
 
"You and I are the only ones who know," Tomoki shrugged, taking all of this in quite casually despite the fact that it spelled his own impending death,"But if it gets much worse I'm not sure how much longer I can keep it a secret. I'm already feeling dehydrated and the wound won't stop bleeding. Even if I don't turn I will bleed out by the end of the day at this rate."

"No, you know as well as I do that won't happen," he placed a hand on the younger male's shoulder, "That's why I need you to promise me... You are the only one I can trust with this..."

He smiled, trying to lighten the mood, "I know you always felt jealous of me, but I hardly expected me to start to grow on you... Name one of your kids after me, alright?"
 
"Grown on me? Now's the time I want to punch in the face more than ever, you dumb prick..." - he Souji replied, disheartened. It was obviously a lie, not a joke, and not meant to be funny, but the boy didn't know what to do or say. His father was fatalist about it, miles away from distance, and he couldn't do anything. Now, watch another one dying in front of him was way to cruel. He was jealous of the man alright, but even before he never wished for him to die.

"Of course. Of course I'll take care of her. Always..." - he sighed, finally answering the man's request. - "Even if you did not asked me to... I promise you, I'll do whatever I need to keep her safe and well..." - he finished, thinking about the whole situation. He still couldn't believe that man would die like that.

"You have to tell her..." - the boy spoke, after a while spent in silent contemplation. - "What do you want to do next?" - he asked. - "If it happens, you can't be around us."
 
"I'm... not sure I can tell her, kid," Tomoki sighed in response, "She might simply go hysterical right on the spot if I were, or worse, she might rush into the horde of the dead trying to kill herself. I don't think you fully understand how fragile Hitomi really is right now..."

He placed a hand on his knee and looked out toward the window, "You know, I always hated this house when I would visit over the summer when my parents would bring Hitomi and I over to spend the weekend. It was the heat, sure but one of the things that made it worth it is that Oba-chan would trust us to play by ourselves outside. She might not remember it now, but we used to play for hours under that tree out there, pretending that we were fighting hordes of evil goblins that were trying to take over Oba-chan's house. It was just a game we would play, but Hitomi was always the one who would pretend she was hurt and it was up to me to rescue her from the goblins."

He turned back toward Souji, "She might act tough and she indeed does have a strong head on her shoulders, but even she needs something to lean on when she is weary and upset. You need to be that support for her, no matter what..."

"As for me, there really is only one thing to do, isn't there?" he stood up and held out his bat toward Souji, "I want you to be the one who does it, when the time comes. Try to make it easy on Hitomi, alright? She's still a virgin."

The older man grinned and ruffled Souji's hair, "I'm really going to miss you, kid."

Just then, Hitomi burst into the door, a cold panic on her face. She didn't seem to have engaged them as she clearly didn't have any blood on her anywhere, but she still had an intense sense of urgency in her body language, "T-they are here!"

All around the house was a ring of the dead, groaning and stumbling toward the house even though there was very little if any sound coming from its direction. It was almost as if they knew where the living were, and were slowly adapting to the silence.

"Tomoki, come on," Hitomi urged her fiance to help her clear them out before they could reach the actual house and cause damage to it, "We need to hurry."

Hitomi's fiance nodded and stood up, giving a nod to Souji as he turned to join her, "Alright, lets kick some butt then..."

--------

The fighting seemed to go on for hours, the young couple were drenched with the putrid fluids of the dead as they leaned against each other on the front porch. Neither of them had been bitten during the ensuing fight, but even so Hitomi noticed that her fiance was somewhat stiff throughout the battle. She didn't think anything of it at the time, however, as she figured he was still not quite over his sprained leg from when he caught herself and Souji when she pulled him out of the school's window.

"Hey... Do you think we will still be able to make our wedding day?" Hitomi smiled, mostly asking in a sarcastic manner.

"Hun, um, about that..." Tomoki cringed, his side hurting a lot more than it did earlier, "I... I've been thinking about that more lately, and I was wondering..."

"Tomoki?" Hitomi blinked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can make it," Tomoki gave her an uneasy smile.

"W-well, how about next year?" Hitomi tried to return his smile, but it came across as more of a fearful curve to her mouth, "Or the one after that?"

"I'm sorry, Hitomi," Tomoki bent over and kissed his fiance softly, "But I don't think I can do that either."

"What are you talking about?!" Hitomi jumped back, "ARe you saying-"

"No, I love you more at this moment than I ever have," Tomoki interrupted her, "I want us to raise children together and for you to be there when I wake up and when I go to sleep each morning. But... It was never meant to be."

"What?!"

"I'm dying, Hitomi, and there is nothing I can do about it," Tomoki sighed deeply.

Hitomi's eyes grew wide in a cold panic, her head swimming with questions but without the hope of answers, "Why, Tomoki, why?!"

She fell to her knees and cried, the tears flowing from her eyes like salt streams before vanishing into the fabric of her blood-soaked flannel shirt.
 
Souji understood how delicate that was, and how hard it would be on her to know that Tomoki was dying. He also knew she put up a front of being strong but as any other human being, one could only take so much before breaking, and she wasn't any different. The young delinquent knew that the she could pretty much have the reaction the teacher had just said, even with all the help and support they could give her. Still it couldn't be a secret. After the tale about their youth, Souji once again spoke.

"I know that, but... She'll figure it out sooner or later..." - he said, sighing. - "We need to tell her before she learn the truth by herself..." - he stated, to remember that his condition would quickly go south to the point he would be unable to hide it. He looked at the bat pointed at him, and nodded, slowly. First he had to listen to his father's death, no he would have to kill his teacher? Could he take all that without breaking as well? He hoped so. He had to. For her sake. - "Yeah. I'll do it..." - he answered, barely audible, really feeling like a little kid when the man ruffled his head like that, the same way his dad used to. He stood strong though, as he wasn't about to cry in front of the older man.

As Hitomi entered the room and warned them about the danger, Souji got up too, and took one of the rifles he had stashed in the jeep when Hitomi suddenly left his house, some days ago. He went to the porch, and kneeled, carefully positioning the weapon so the recoil wouldn't hurt him, and aided the couple from afar, covering them up from any smart ass zombie that tried to sneak up on them. He shot one time after the other, managing to explode heads with only the subtle whistle of the silenced weapon.

---

When the fight was finally over, Souji got up, resting the rifle against the wall, and watched over the two lovers that stood amidst the corpses that only recently stoped moving. He couldn't even manage to be jealous anymore. Only sadness covered his heart as he looked at them. They loved each other, didn't day? Why did they had to part? Why did something like that happened? How could life been so unfair to someone so deserving of hapiness as Hitomi was?

He couldn't hear them in the distance, but he could tell by the atmosphere around them, that their subject was grim, and he could imagine what it was. He saw the sudden panic in her face, and he knew that he had told her. His heart ached as he saw her falling to knees. He heard light steps behind her, and saw the three students behind him.

"Marasaki-sensei!" - Kirino gasped, looking at the pitiful state of her teacher, and was about to run to her, when Souji stopped her with his hand, shaking his head.

"What happened, Serizawa-san?" - asked Yukihito, suddenly aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"It's Ishikawa-sensei. He was hurt by them." - he answered simply. There was no reason to hide it now. He saw the shock in his classmates eyes, and saw Emiko and Kirino slowly come to tears. He knew exactly as they felt. - "Take them back inside..." - he told Yukihito, and left the porch. He was afraid to bother the two of them, but he couldn't care about it anymore. He wanted to hold her, just like she hold him when he needed.

A second later, he was beside the couple, a stern expression on his face as he looked to the older male.

"You should go back inside, take a shower and rest." - he told him, calmly. There was nothing else they could do. He just expected to keep the man alive as long as possible. The boy didn't know if he could bring himself to kill him when was finally time for it. - "I'll take her there..." - Then he kneeled before Hitomi and embraced her silently.

His arms went around her carefully, as if she was precious and about to break. His touch was delicate, but firm. What else could he do? What could he say? Words seemed to fail him as he watched the sobbing woman. Souji never felt so powerless in his entire life, not even when his father was dying on the other side of the line. If he could, he would bear all of her pain for her, feel all of her sadness in her place, so she could be happy. His embrace tightned around her.

"I'm here." - he told finally. - "I'm here with you."
 
Tomoki nodded and turned to leave, his right hand pressing lightly against his wound which continued to slowly bleed despite the clean bandages which he had wrapped it in just a short while ago. It was a sign of his mortal wound, for no matter how small, any cut or gash caused by one of them would eventually fester, rot, and result in death. He had seen the results countless times himself, with even young women and small children lining the ranks of the dead which marched against even their own living friends and relatives. It was a demoralizing and ironic turn of events which had fallen upon them all... and not least of all himself.

The teacher stripped down and nodded to his grandmother as he stepped into the small shower and turned the knob. The water felt frigid on his skin, except in the area around the wound which had already started to loose any sense of pain, temperature, or texture. He winced slightly as he peered toward his own likely painful demise...

"Boy... Take care of her for me," he whispered

-----

Hitomi clutched to Souji with both her arms, pressing him against her chest as she nestled her head against his shoulder. The tears which flowed uninhibited from her eyes streamed down her cheeks and into his shirt, the dampness spreading rapidly and without remorse. Her fingernails dug into his skin in a slightly painful manner as if she feared to loose him, her one source of comfort as her mind was thrown into a sudden state of chaos.

"T-tomoki!" she cried out in anguish, "Y-you promised me... You said that... You said that we would be together!"

Her eyes were shut, but recalled his joyful proposal which still rung painfully within her mind.

"No, no no no nono, this can't be..." she felt the strings which bound her mind begin to snap and loosen from around her, so violent was her rejection of this reality, "Oh please, just let me die instead! Y-you can't... Do this to me...."

Her eyes slightly opened and her legs forcefully pressed against Souji, pushing both of them down on their sides on the hard wooden porch. She still held him tightly, but there was something Souji had probably never seen before hidden within those eyes... A distant look, the look of a woman who had lost nearly everything in her life in an instant and felt desperate...

In need of something more.

Her sobs gradually dwindled, but she did not speak a word. She brushed her face against his shoulder, wiping away her tears, but as she did so, she pulled herself up slightly and pressed her lips to his cheek. Hitomi was still holding him in a very intimate fashion, one that belied something much more than merely teacher and student or even two very close friends seeking solace in each other. No, this was something more... Something even she would never have imagined just a few days prior.
 
Souji was feeling something stir up inside him, that he never, ever had felt before. He believed nothing in this world would ever hurt the way his father's death felt. But even then, looking at Hitomi's eyes at that moment, seeing the very light of life darkening inside her soul, was something that could bring him close to despair, much more painful than anything in the world. See her suffering was way worse than feeling pain himself. If he could, he would suffer for her. He wished he could feel all the pain of her flesh and all the anguish of her soul for her. He wished he could protect her from everything, but he couldn't. Just as Tomoki couldn't. No one could. He could only see her suffering and watch her pain, embrace her as tightly as he could, and hope that she could recover from that.

When she told to let her die instead, a shudder ran around his body, and he had to fight the fear those words caused on him. - "No! You won't die. You can't die, you understand?! You can't!" - He almost yelled, but he knew it was just words. His words couldn't help her now. His presence was everything he could hope offering her in hopes to ease her pain. He dropped to the ground with her, without complaining, even when the wound on his shoulder protested.

They stood there for some time. The boy was at a loss, not knowing how to act. He could face a massive horde of undead horror, but felt like a powerless little boy when he couldn't offer comfort to the woman he loved. His love for her couldn't do anything for her at that moment. He felt a soft, delicate kiss on his cheek, and his body froze. He knew what he could do. He knew that she probably wanted something to make her forget everything. She wanted to drown her sorrow and sadness in a brief moment of delight, but he also knew what would mean to give her that.

He would take advantage of her, of her fragile state of mind, even though know it was what she wanted, after she recovered, everything would probably be over for them. He wanted to give it to her. To make her forget, even if for only a second. But he knew it wouldn't be right. He felt so sad for her that he could cry himself, and even though he loved her, and more than anything, desired her body, he wouldn't be able to give it to her at that moment.

"Masaraki-sensei..." - He said, softly, his hand on her hair. He did not push her away, and he let her kiss him, and press her body against him, but made no effort to caress her in the same fashion. He did not know what to say, even though he knew saying her name was not even close to enough. - "It'll be alright. Someday. I'll make it alright. I swear." - He did not meant to make Tomoki's death alright. He wouldn't dare. He couldn't make it right. But still, their fear, their lives. He believed someday he would be able to make it work, mindless zombies around or not.

Still, while Tomoki got ready for what was coming, Souji simply embraced Hitomi tightly, controlling his own feelings as she laid upon him.
 
"No..." Hitomi softly replied, the strength and confidence in her voice having been sapped from her, "I don't think things will ever be right again. I've lost everything in the world that I could have called my own. I lost my family, my coworkers, and even my fiance. I'm all alone... I didn't want this. I didn't ask for this. All I wanted was..."

She pressed herself a bit more insistently against Souji, although it was clear that it would take more than a little urging on her part to break his resolve. She reached up and brushed back a strand of her hair which had fallen in front of her weary face. She placed a few more pecks on his neck and cheeks, as if begging him for some deeper sense of relief from her pain.

"Sometimes I wish that I could wake up from all of this and discover that it has all just been a horrible dream, a dream which would fade from my memory almost as soon as the scent of the morning breeze brushes across my face... As a young, beautiful and soon-to-be-married woman, death was the farthest thing from my mind. Things were so much simpler before, not having to worry about being torn apart, bitten, or even shot by another survivor. I just wanted to be loved, looked up to, respected... perhaps even envied. I wanted to live a fulfilling life and one that I could be proud of having lived," she continued, her voice growing ever more weaker until it was barely above a whisper. Sensing the boy's refusal to give in to what she desired, she withdrew from him slowly and sat back up on the porch beside him. She cast her eyes off to the distance, eyes filled with emptiness and pain.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." she apologized, but kept her eyes fixed upon the horizon, "I shouldn't have..."

Should not have what? She honestly did not know the answer to that question herself, as the abstract feeling of remorse was flowing into her devoid of object or escape. It was as if she knew not for what purpose she was fighting, or even to what end she continued to maintain her own existence.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you," she spoke at last, "I know... You must be carrying a lot of worries of your own."

She curled her legs up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them, sitting in a fetal-like position upon the wooden deck. All across the lawn were spread the stiff bodies of the dead, pools of blood staining the blades of healthy green grass.
 
Souji couldn't help but feel a little bit more at ease when Hitomi backed away from him, as it took all his willpower not to embrace the teacher, kiss her and proceed to give her what he want. His eyes kept glued at her, and he listed to her attentively. Words still wouldn't come easy to him, and he knew he had little to say that could make her feel better.

"You're not troubling me. And the only thing I worry about right now is you..." - He answered, honestly. His own pain mattered little now. Helping her was the only thing on his mind. And it made him feel stupid. There he was trying to comfort the woman he loved, who cried for another man. Still he couldn't care less. - "Yukihito-kun still respects you. Kirino-san and Emiko-san still look up to you... And I still love you. So you're not alone. You'll never be alone. I told you, didn't I. I'll be here by your side."

He wraped his arms around her tiny frame, and felt just how fragile she was under that tough exterior. He pulled her against his chest, kneeling behind her. He hoped he could offer her solace, without once more putting both of them in a complicated position.

"You still have us. Your students. And I'm yours. I've been yours since the first time I laid eyes upon you. So you still have something to call your own. Even... Even if it isn't what you want. You still have something to call your own."
 
"I'm afraid," Hitomi replied, "I'm afraid that I won't be able to protect you all... I feel like such a fool, thinking that I could stand boldly where angels fear to tread. How can I be comforted when I could not even protect the man I loved more than anyone else in the world? How can I protect anyone when..."

Hitomi blushed and looked away when Souji reaffirmed that he loved her, her head slightly dipping as she attempted to hide her embarrassment. She felt nearly the same way when Tomoki first confessed his love for her, so many years ago... Yet, why did this boy bring back those memories? Why was she so conflicted, confused, and protective of him? She subconsciously knew that it was a social taboo, but that was the least of her worries in a world in which the law of the fittest ruled supreme. She knew at that moment that it wasn't just physical attraction, or the natural desire to protect those under her authority, or even a self-serving wish to have someone to stroke her ego and make herself feel wanted and lusted after. This was something that she had never thought she could feel for another person again... She loved Souji too.

"N-no," Hitomi shook her head, "You are wrong... I... I want you, Souji. I'm not saying this out of desperation or self-pity either. No matter what I could wish or desire to be, I do not have the power to change what has passed. I cannot continue to blame myself for what has happened, but perhaps if we are together we can make a future for ourselves. Yes, it will be hard... And I understand that in the slight chance that society re-establishes itself within our lifetimes that things will be even harder for us, but that doesn't change how I feel about you."

"Well-said, Hitomi-chan, well said," Tomoki stood behind the two of them, wearing aged traditional japanese garb. He had thick bandages wrapped around his middle, most likely to hold the wound together. Already his eyes were beginning to glaze over, but his firm yet friendly smile remained spread across his face. Hitomi turned and bit her lower lip in in attempt to hold in the sudden rush of emotions that boiled up once again.

"Tomoki... I-"

"Its alright, love... I don't want you to hold onto me, as I am a man marked to die," Tomoki knelt down and patted his fiance's head, "I want you to live on, for both of us, and raise many fine children to start a new generation of our people for the future. Souji is a fine man... Perhaps finer than I could have ever been. I have already given him my blessing, and I want you to do the same. I'm sorry that I never married you... Its one of the few things I regret in life. But, as fate would have it, you have been given something even greater in its place, something that without all this happening you problably never would have discovered."

"Tomoki?" Hitomi blinked, not sure what he meant by that.

"You get to see me in my grandfather's old clothes, of course!" Tomoki grinned and stepped out onto the grass, "Souji... I'm ready... I don't know how much longer I will last."

Hitomi stood after gently pulling Souji's arms from around herself, silently heading inside the house so that she would not have to witness the scene that would soon come to pass upon that very lawn before the house. Tomoki reached toward his hip and drew out a katana from its sheath, kneeling and presenting it to Souji before turning to face away from the house.

"That is my grandfather's blade, Souji... One of his most prized possessions. although he never learned to wield it himself, he passed it down to me when he passed away ten years ago. I never really saw the true value in it until now, but on this day I hereby bestow it upon you. I have no other siblings that would accept the position you are in right now, so I think you are the most fit to receive it," he sat down, legs folded under himself as he placed his hands upon his knees and closed his eyes one last time. His shoulders were already starting to twitch, although he fought against the raging thrust in his dry and parched throat. He knew what he had done was noble in its own way, and that was enough for him... Knowing that the woman he loved would be cared for was sufficient to carry him from his current life, to whatever awaited him on the other side.
 
Souji couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation on his stomach a he heard Hitomi's confession, tough that wasn't what he meant. From her past actions, the boy had already noticed she liked him, even though he couldn't grasp how deep on what were the nature of her feelings. Hearing her say all that, the fact that she wanted him, still made his head flutter, even in the sour mood they were at the time. He listened to her in silence, holding her from behind, and was just as surprised as she was upon hearing Tomoki behind them. He looked at Tomoki, just a little embarassed about being caught hugging the teacher. He watched the exchange between the two of them in silence, not knowing what he could say to ease both their pains.

He knew it wasn't supposed to be like that. Hitomi and Tomoki were suppose to marry, have children, and Souji was the one supposed to suffer from affar, seeing them happy together. For a long time he conviced himself that it would be unfair for them to be together and for him to be alone, but now, he realized it was the opposite. It was unfair for them not be together. He felt like crying, seeing them like that, and if it wasn't for Tomoki cracking a joke, he probably would have. His father had it right: Souji was really soft when it came to his feelings, no matter his tough exterior. For a second, the boy laughed.

Then his next words brought him back to reality in a single, violent pull.

"Yes. I understand." - the boy replied, trying to sound as convincing as he could, but he knew that his voiced failed him, betraying his thoughts. He watched as his teacher went inside the house, and he walked behind Tomoki. The boy watched as the man drew the Katana from its sheath, feeling an invisible hand grasping his guts, and twisting them in a painful, horrible manner. It was fear, sadness, and despair, revolving inside his chest all at once. He would have to kill Tomoki? For real? He couldn't. After all they went through, how could he kill the man who saved him so many times before, and whom he also saved som many times before? He grew to like the man after all that. The boy was shaking when he took the sword, all color drained from his face. The wound on his shoulder was pulsing, pain radiating throughout his body. He took a deep breath then, closed his eyes, and his hand once again regained strentgh, the trembling fingers turning into a vice-like grip on the sword's handle. - "I'm honored to receive such a gift, and I'll wield it wisely and with the sameyou and your grandfather would, had you learned how to..." - He said, trying to be as formal as he could, but his throat was getting dry. Then he decided to speak his true feelings.

"I loved Hitomi since the first time I laid eyes upon her. And I hated you for being with her. I envied you. But as we survived all this, I grew to like you and respect you. And now, I hope I can become a man like you, sensei...." - He said, honestly. Souji really felt like that. His vision was getting blurred, though he did not realized it was becaus of his tears. The blade reflect the light from the moon as Souji raised it above his head, in a perfect stance. The sword felt perfectly balanced in his hands, and he could tell just from the handle, that it was a great sword. - "And someday I will. I'll be a man like you, and then your word will be true, and I'll be a fine man to be beside her."

His hands trembled once again, but another deep breath brought firmness back to his grip. The sword held high, steady.

"Goodbye, sensei. Thank you for everything you taught me. You're a great man. - Then he breathed out, and the sword fell upon the teacher, the blade whistling through the air, aiming directly at the back Tomoki's neck.
 
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