It's a sad world when a small boy could walk through a populated area, blood on his hands, and no one questions it. But Muhyo was glad about it, he didn't think he could handle dealing with people right now… or ever again.

"Hey Muhyo!"

The one person who'd bother with him in a bad mood just had to show up, of all the people… Yoichi, Page, Enchu and Ima were all at the camp as well. When the M.L.S had fallen against the barrage of undead the first thing they'd did was go get Enchu who'd been holding off in the Arcanum ever since it too had been overrun, before running to this island of safety. But the four of them had an easier time of adapting to the new life than Muhyo and Roji had.

"What do you want...?" He growled,turning to glare at Yoichi and trying to pull himself together. It wasn't easy, but he didn't want the idiot to start asking questions, he would find out eventually and Muhyo didn't want to be the one to tell him.

"Is there something wrong with a guy wanting to hang out with his best friends?" Yoichi said with a fake pout. "I just got back from a run and wanted to unwind a little with you guys."

Muhyo snorted and began to walk away, praying that Yoichi would get the hint and leave him alone. But it was futile as Yoichi followed him, a loud clanking from the crossbow on his back drawing attention to them.

"So what were you doing? I'm surprised you got to do anything bloody with how Roji has been such a mother-hen to you lately." waving to someone who'd shouted a hello Yoichi gestured at Muhyo's hands. "Does he know?"

There was a moment of silence where Muhyo tried to find some harsh comment to say, but he felt tears threatening to fall from his eyes and focused more on keeping them back.

"You, archer!" Lady luck seemed to feel Muhyo deserved a break as someone shouted for Yoichi. "We need some help with corpse removal."

"Awww drat, I guess I'll find you later to hang out."


He was trapped, alone with no way to save himself.

It was a new situation for him, since usually he was fine with getting out of messes by himself and having to go save the others. To have to wait and hope someone can rescue him was unnerving, especially when he knew his life was in the balance.

"Not much meat on this one, eh, Tila?" One of his captives said in his frog-like voice.

"Better than nothing, Jim." The other laughed as she pulled sharply on the rope that was tied around his wrists and neck, "And we didn' lose anymore members getting 'im."

The pair of cannibals continued to talk together, laughing and looking back at Muhyo with a hungry look in their eyes while licking their lips.

"How do you think he'd taste best…"Jim drawled after a while. "I think he'd be nice with a simple seasoning like you did on the chubby girl with the cane we had last week."

"Really? I was thinking in a soup with some of those green things we found growing in that garden. We could make the most of what little meat we have."

A deep growl suddenly echoed across the clearing they'd entered and the pair froze.

"Damn dogs… they're so annoying, vicious little things too." Tila hissed roughly pushing Muhyo down and handing the rope to Jim. "Don't let them get at supper here, I'll deal with them."

The growl came again and she followed the sound of it, pulling out a big butcher knife as she neared the sound.

"Come on now puppy and add yourself to the menu tonight."

The bushes rustled and for a moment everything seemed to go silent. Suddenly, a humanoid figure rushed out from the bushes with a demonic noise.

"It's a bloody corpse!" Jim shouted. "Get out of there."

But as she turned to run the figure pulled out a small dagger and swung the hilt down on the back of her head, knocking her unconscious.

'It's not a zombie," Muhyo thought as the cloaked figure paused to look at him and the fallen woman's companion. "A zombie wouldn't have used a weapon and would've just killed her."

Jim seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Muhyo as he took a defensive stance and grinned.

"Oh, human, are you… well that's just as good as dog meat."

The figure seemed to pause a moment to think before carefully retuning the dagger to whatever pocket it had come from, and Jim took it as a sign of submission.

"Giving up?" he laughed pulling harshly on the rope so Muhyo would get back up. "Good, hey hungry? We could always use new hunters and you seem to have the-"

A loud bang cut him off, and Muhyo quickly found himself the last one standing in the clearing with this unknown person and undoubtedly a small army of the undead homing in on their position. If he wasn't gagged he would've cursed.

The figure lowered the gun, taking a step towards him, and he took one back, there was no way he was letting this guy get anywhere near him without him knowing who he was. It paused before seemingly disappearing and reappearing behind him cutting off the gag and ropes binding him.

"And you call me the idiot…" It chuckled lightly. "Look who's the one in trouble now Muhyo."

"What do you-" He started, but as he turned to face the voice he was meeted with the familiar brown eyes and soft smile of his assistant.

"Come on lets get out of here before the Zombies find us…"


Yoichi waved goodbye to Muhyo as the young executor turned an

d practically ran back to his room. It was a little odd, but the judge shrugged it off and putting his mind to the current task.

Very few people were ever willing to help with corpse removal, and even out of the few that were if they knew who the body was they'd probably crack. Yoichi was one of the handful who people thought could handle anything that was thrown at him. But they were wrong.

"Looks like it was one of the new members of the camp." someone muttered and Yoichi blinked in surprise. There hadn't been any new members since Muhyo and Roji showed up…

A bad feeling in his gut Yoichi took a step forward to see the corpse ,almost collapsing on the spot.

A pool of blood had formed beneath him and the cause of death was obvious, as still clutched in his hand was a pistol. It wasn't a forced death either since there was a light smile on his face contrasted by the tears still lingering on the edges of his eye lashes. He hadn't died long ago.

Roji hadn't died long ago…

"I think I found out why." The same voice who'd called him over muttered.

The man was kneeling next to the body and prodding it like it was nothing more than a stuffed animal and Yoichi suddenly wanted to slap him for showing so little respect. But he was also holding up Roji's- 'no don't think like that it just hurts' the body's wrist where some bandages had begun to unwind.

"A bite. Good riddance, although I'd have preferred that he was found sooner for punishment..."

That was past the line, and before he knew it he had the older man held up by the collar of his shirt and was right up in his face.

"Don't you DARE say that about him. He was a great person and you have no hope of ever

amounting up to as much as him as long as you live!"

The older man seemed shocked at the reaction and struggled weakly against Yoichi's grasp.

"I-I'm sorry! P-put me down, please!"

Realizing what he was doing and that he was choking the man Yoichi let go, watching with cold eyes as he scrambled away before getting to his feet.

"Treat him with respect…I'm calling Ima to deal with this. I have to do something more important…"

Shouting to a bystander to get the sword wielding judge, Yoichi took off to the lonesome hut that served as temporary housing to newcomers, uncaring of the tears pouring down his face.

"Why didn't you say anything Muhyo?"


"We have survivors! Someone open the gates for them!"

The call rang out just as Yoichi and Ima were signing off their guard shifts; it had gotten rare to even catch word of other survivals at this point, and they had started to get used to the idea they were the only survivors left in the area. To hear of another group who had survived out there with the undead was exciting and an event to celebrate.

"Come on Ima let's welcome them!"

A small crowd had already begun to form around the gates, but as two of the higher ranking and well known members getting the the front of the crowd was no hard job.

"I hear one's a mere child.." someone whispered.

"A child survived out there? Must be a strong group then if it wasn't picked off by now…" someone else, a woman, replied.

"I heard from one of the gate workers there's only two people….and neither are very old. Unless they lost everyone else on the way here that one guy must be an amazing fighter…"

"Or she…"

Ima shot Yoichi a look as the gate was opened. "You sure this is a good idea, I mean what if they're bit? Since we're here we'll have to be the ones to turn them away." She shook her head. "A child… the chances of it not being bit are almost none unless it's companion took the bites… and then…"

"Don't think about that, we have to be optimistic!" Yoichi grinned.

The figures both were in dark cloaks, and seemed to be a bit twitchy, but that was normal. So pushing through the crowd Yoichi held out a hand to the taller one.

"Welcome to the camp." he said, a slight moment of confusion pushed aside as the form gasped.

"Yoichi?" It said in a strangly masculine voice for such a slim figure.

"Yes…?" he said.. but as the other guy pulled off his hood his mind ground to a halt. "Roji!?"

The blond boy grinned, his eyes the only thing showing how exhausted he was.

"I'm so glad we weren't the only ones…"


Knees pulled up to his chin and eyes shut in concentration Muhyo focused on keeping himself from going insane; it was all he could do and he didn't even notice Yoichi slipping into the room after knocking.

"Muhyo?"

No reply, the smaller boy didn't even move to acknowledge him.

"Muhyo!"

This time there was a low growl, a clear sign he wanted to be left alone, but Yoichi ignored it and instead went to sit next to him.

"Go away."

Yoichi blinked in surprise at how the voice cracked. The raw pain could clearly be heard as the act of 'okay' was chipped away, and as he turned his head slightly to the side he could see how red Muhyo's eyes were plus a few of the tears still trickling from their corners.

"No, I won't."

Before Muhyo could push him away he pulled him into a tight hug, holding on even as a multitude of curses and complaining was heard shouted into his shirt. Eventually they quieted to light sobs and Yoichi felt it safe to loosen his grip a little.

"You better not say ANYTHING." Muhyo growled as he tried his best to bring the crying under control.

"I won't Muhyo I promise." The judge gently squeezed his friend's shoulders even as he himself felt the tears pouring down his face. "We won't let them beat us...everything will be okay…"

"Everything will be okay."


"Something is wrong…" Roji muttered, watching as people flooded the streets. "Do you have any idea what?"

He turned to Muhyo, curious if his seemingly all-knowing friend had an answer, but all he got was a shrug.

"Hmm, everyone seems to be leaving town…." the blond observed with a sigh. "Perhaps that virus they were trying to contain made it's way here."

"Hmph, well it's not anything we need to worry about." Muhyo grumbled as he climbed back into bed, but just as Roji went to reply a scream rang out from the street below quickly followed by another...and another.

Muyho walked over to the window, pushing his shocked assistant aside to see what was going on. It was hysteria out there with people turning on each other and ripping them to shreds, mothers attacking their children, husbands and wives, entire families being overcome by the same heartless madness.

"Come on we have to-" Muhyo was abruptly cut off by Roji's hand covering his mouth, the assistant looking at the door with a look of pure terror as the sounds of moans and uneven shuffling made it's way to the small office.

"Don't make a sound…"

The shuffling moved to right outside their door, and the creature began a slow, but strong attempt at breaking the door. Thud….Thud….Thud... Cracks began appearing as the door got closer and closer to breaking. Thud...Thud…..thud… A scream echoed from close by and the sounds outside the door stopped, before moving towards the sound of the scream.

It was a while before either decided to speak again.

"Looks like we're safe…" Roji sighed, letting go of the executor.

Muhyo looked at the door briefly, wondering what horrible event caused the dead to walk again. He looked over to where his assistant stood, prepared to give directions only to find the boy was missing.

"Wha-!" He was cut off when a heavy duffel bag was tossed into his arms. He staggered backwards and looked towards the direction the bag had come from to see his assistant pull a small step ladder out to grab something off the top of a shelf.

"Sorry, Muhyo!" he said quietly, jumping off the ladder to begin rummaging through the shelves and drawers around their office for more items they could use. "There's no time to waste. We have to get out of here."

Muhyo tossed the bag onto the couch. "I agree. What do you need?"

Roji looked at Muhyo with wide, teary eyes and a huge smile.

"Just you by my side...We've faced so much that I have no doubt that as long as you're with me…"

"Everything will be okay."