Rin didn't know when it started. Weeks ago, years ago, hell, It probably was centuries ago, but he never kexpected he had to do this kind of stuff. Shooting people, stabbing people, well, they weren't even people. They just looked human, the creatures he killed. But they were no longer believed, or considered human to anyone. Much less to him.

To think, seven years ago, he was swimming in Australia, within arms' reach for the olympic life, and was going back home for a year to spend with his family and his friends, to suddenly get stuck in Japan for the rest of his life, fighting to live everyday, praying for survival every night. He never expected him and his friends to have to stick together with knives and broken baseball bats to strive on living, and ending up running for years. He didn't even know what happened, how it happened, and why.

-Five years earlier-

"Rin! we need to run!" Makoto's loud, panicked voice sounded throughout the building that used ti be Samezuka Academy, but now was ruins after an infestation. Rin was panicking, he was trying to help students get out, and trying to find survivors after an attack just three days , Sousuke, Ai, and Momotarou were all working to help the few who they had fiound survive by sharing food and keeping the destroyed school as a base of where they now "lived". Sousuke, who had returned from Tokyo to meet Rin, was stuck in the mess, and was doing hisd best to calm panicked people calm down, and reassure them that they'd be safe if they stuck to him and Rin.

Rin ran through the ruins, Helping a young styudent, must be a first-year, get free from a pile that had broken his leg, who had been crying from the pain. Makoto and the Iwatobis had also camped into the samezuka building, scouting to see if the monsters that were hunting them came closer, and Harukawas the one who had seen them approaching when Makoto had yelled at Rin. Rei was injured, and Nagisa and Makoto were doing what they could to make a cast to his leg to he could kind-of walk long enough to come to safety, butnone of them had any idea how long he'd go on with it. The hospital was destroyed, and most doctors and nurses were turned long ago, and killed.

Rin finally got the kid to Makoto and Nagisa, as the two of them finished on Rei, and Haru was looking out to make sure they were safe for long enough to run. "Rin, they're coming." Haru said, in a calm voice. Rin was getting pissed off at his calmness in this situation, and no one really understood how he could be, but no-one had the wish to arguie about it right now, as they all needed to stick together.

"Onii-chan!" Gou's voice was heard, and Rin perked up, having worried for days about her as she had beenunseen for days, and Rin had half-heartedly prayed she was alive, and the moment he heard her voice made his heart almost break, yet heal. He wanted to hug her tight, and just spin her around, and cry, but he couldn't allow that right now.

The maroon-haired woman was running towards them, her hair not in it's usual ponytail, but hanging freely after her, messy as if not touched for days, most likely not weeks, but she still had a smile on her face, her red eyes glistening, tears running down her cheeks as she finally reached her brother, and almost jumped on him, but calmed down right before, stopping to stare at him, smiling brightly, as it to ensure him she was alright. Rin quickly wrapped hisd arms around her, hugging her as tight as he could, feeling his eyes wetting with tears.

A cough from the right separated them as they looked at Sousuke glaring at them, poitning right behind them. Gou didn't really dare look, but she felt her brother tense up, and start to back away, grabbing her hand. Then she heard the growling noises, and she let a small whimper out. Those monsters- demons, or whatever they were, they had arrived, and Sou was already running, helping Momo grab some of their bags they had, as the Iwatobis were getting ready too, holding Rei so he didn't have to walk too much.

-Back to present-

Rin sighed, and downed some of the water in the old water bottle he had with him, which had surprisingly survived for so many years, enthough worn out, and close to cracking in a lot of places, but it was Rin's only one, he couldn't risk losing it. He felt a brush next to him, and he whipped his head quickly to the right, grabbing a knife sdtrapped to the backpack, but calmed down when Sousuke raised his hands, to calm him.

"Just me." he stated, and Rin breathed out a sigh in relief as he looked at the now much older Sousuke. He rarely bothered to cut his hair, only when he felt the length getting in his way, so his once short hair now reached his shoulders, while Rin's was the same length it always had been, if not slightly shorter. cutting hair with knives wasn't a very effective way in getting it perfect, so some places were loner, and his bangs were down to his lips, still parted in the middke, but the old two parts that used to hang in his face were gone, merging with the rest of the hair to the sides. It made him look older, Sousuke usually joked. Both men were still muscular, but alot thinner from lack of food and sleep, and stress. everyone on their team had practically gotten permanent eyebags, even if some had fainter ones, specifically Haru and Gou. Rin always made sure she didn't have to feel worried, if he could help it.

He was now staring at her, sleeping on the ground in front of him. She aged well for being in the middle of all this. Her once long hair had been cut off by herself, saying it always got in the way, but it still was long enough to put up, as she always did. her bangs had grown to her shoulders, so it always became part of the ponytail now, making her small forehead visible. Rin reached out and stroked it, touching the few scars she had on her face, one toing an inch away from her eye. Sousuke sighed next to him, Making rin retreat his hand.

"she's strong. I've never seen her break down from fear, or pain." he stated, looking at the sleeping woman, who now grumbled in her sleep, probably having a nightmare. Rin nodded, and looked away. He wanted to keep her safe, but seeing her already having scars almost all over, from battles and injuries, made it hurt, as he had made his mind up that it was his fault. He could have taken her with him to Australia long ago, and she had been safe, hopefully.

"I admire her for it... I want to cry everyday this hell is going on, but she just- never does. and it's been years since this shit started." Rin said, and Sousuke frowned and looked at him. "She has cried. Just not in front of people." he said, making Rin sigh, moving his hand away from her and to his own face, touching a similar scar, but on his cheek. It as longer, an injury when he fucked up and had fallen down, breaking three ribs in the progress.

Sousuke sighed, and got up, moving over to His and Rin's designated sleeping spots for the night. "Get some sleep, I'll wake Makoto and get him on the watch until morning." she stated, and Rin didn't object at all, but yawned, and followed Sou, picking Gou up carefully to not ake her up, and went to the spot, and put her down gently. She groaned in her sleep, but Calmed down when Rin hushed her slightly, and put a hand to her cheek, feling her tense up, then relax. Sousuke mioved over to Makoto, who was sleeping next to Haru, and woke him up.

"Rin's sleeping, can you watch for the rest?" Sou asked, and Makoto groggily asked him to repeat, and as Sousuke did, he woke up more. "Ah, sure. Get some sleep you too." Makoto said, as he got up and walked over to where Rin had sat. Sousuke nodded, and laid down next to the redheaded friend of his, almost falling sleep immdiately, letting Makoto guard them all until the sun would rise.