Chapter 2

#Today's forecast is for clear skies and a comfortable 23 degrees.# Kouta always started the day with a warm mug of black coffee and a good dose of Mayuki Sasume the gorgeous weather lady from channel 37.

"Stop dreaming pal!" Yuka patted the top of Kouta's head like a stubborn puppy. She was Kouta's cousin and had recently moved in with Kouta at the Maple Inn, a secluded house on the top of the ranges.

"Why must you always shatter my fantasies Yuka?" Kouta whined as he fixed up his short crop of black hair.

"Because we have to live in this shitty place called the 'real world'" Yuka stuffed an array of pens and books into a rather bloated schoolbag. She flicked back her short brown hair and smiled. "Well we better get off to school then!"

"Please don't call it that, we are in uni now." Kouta continued his sullen attitude.

"Whatever, we're still learning aren't we?" Yuka gave a comical wink and grabbed the door ready to lock it as they left the traditional Japanese style building.

Kouta's shoes scraped with each step as they descended the long flight of stairs through the forest."You know, if you had paid more attention to the news today there was a pretty grim murder reported last night."

"I dunno why people like listening to such depressing things first thing in the morning." Yuka huffed.

"Well you said we need to live in the 'real world' right? Well bad things happen in the real world and it's important we-"

"Blah blah blah...hehehe." Yuka giggled in a cutesy schoolgirl kinda way. She could always make Kouta do whatever she wanted by making that sound.

"They couldn't even identify the body." Kouta continued anyway, somehow immune to the girl's spell. "Apparently another person went missing that night as well."

"Come on Kouta, stop talking about such dreary things. We can't all feel sad for a poor bloke that got killed when we don't even know them."

Yeah but..." Kouta gave up. He knew he shouldn't let the slightest hint of bad news bother him. But ever since his father and younger sister died in a tragic accident, he had always felt uneasy about the thought of death and dying. Some poor kid is going to wake up without a mother or father now.

…

KAMAKURA UNIVERSITY

"So as you can see from what we've gathered here, our valid conclusion would be that the mitochondria is indeed the site of maternal inheritance..." Kouta kept drifting in and out of his lesson, trying to pay attention. However the news still lurked inside his thoughts.

They said someone linked to the crime was believed to be missing. What if that person is still roaming around? The indecent wasn't far from here either...What if we encounter him on the way home? What if he butchers me – or Yuka for that matter – in the same way he butchered that poor guy?

"Kouta!" Yuka whispered urgently. She pointed with her eyes in front of Kouta. The professor was standing quite forebodingly over him.

"So what's the answer Kouta?"

The whole class was gawking at the dumbfounded young man. He laughed nervously then tried to think of something. "Uh...Photosynthesis..."

The scruffy looking professor smiled. "Thank you Kouta..." Then he proceeded to continue his lecture as he strolled further down the classroom.

"Phew..." Kouta crashed his head into the table exhausted.

"What's up with you today Kouta, you're not usually out of it this much." Yuka always felt she needed to look after poor Kouta. 'How would the poor guy cope without me around', she would always say to herself.

Kouta chuckled nervously. "I'm fine, I think it might be the air-conditioning or something hahaha."

Meanwhile in the preparation room a pretty young female assistant was busy unpacking a box of new ingredients and concoctions.

She hummed innocently to herself as she studied the contents inside each box. Soon she came across a much smaller delivery package with the words FRAGILE stamped all over it. She gently lifted out a small foam storage container, she winced at how cold it felt. The foam made squeaked as she lifted open the lid and revealed a single agar plate with a purple surface.

"Hmm...Did the professor order this?"

…

Kurama was summoned by Chief Director Kakuzawa. The ageing ruler of the research facility had his back turned when Kurama entered.

"Um...Excuse me Chief but I believe you wished to see me."

Kakuzawa wiped his hand over his slick grey hair and turned to face his subordinate. "Ahh Director Kurama, how is the Diclonii research progressing?"

Kurama adjusted his spectacles. "It has been rather slow lately. Ever since Isobi's indecent all employees have been working under strict quarantine conditions.

"I see. How about the retrieval of the 'Queen Bee'?"

"Again, our priorities have deviated somewhat since-"

Kakuzawa cut him off swiftly. "Capturing Lucy is our first task! I have no time to waste with a flu outbreak."

"But Chief this was anything but a normal Flu. The host had become possessed by the virus almost like a..." Kurama stopped himself. There was already enough superstition in his world having to deal with Diclonius let alone...

"I would rather not have to call you up here again to repeat myself, make sure Lucy is captured, she is absolutely crucial to our research."

Kurama nodded as he flicked up his glasses once more. "Of course Chief."

…

The professor wiped his brow as he retreated to his preparation room. "Boy what a day...I dunno about you Arisawa but I could sure do with a shoulder massage."

The young assistant returned from storage room. "Soon I'l have to earn a double salary for this..." She sighed as she began flexing her fingers around the scientist's broad shoulders. "By the way there was a strange specimen that came in today. Do you think they might have gotten the wrong address?"

Kakuzawa leaned back and closed his eyes in pleasure. "Oh...your so wonderful Arisawa, let's swap one day and let my hands do their magic."

"Stop ignoring me I'm serious." Arisawa groaned as she threw back her sheet ponytail.

"Okay let me see it then." The professor twirled around on his chair and faced the desk. Arisawa placed the foam container in front of him and opened the lid to reveal the agar plate inside.

Arisawa gasped when she discovered something. "Hold on, it wasn't like that a few hours ago. The pathogen must have grown, or evolved...but how-"

"Who's it from?" The professor spoke more sternly as he peered inside the container.

Arisawa scrambled around for the bx it came in. "Um let's see...To Professor Kakuzawa from Director Kurama."

"Hmph...So it has spread already..." Kakuzawa smiled in a shadowy manner.

"What was that?" Arisawa moved her face away from the box.

"Oh nothing...Nothing at all my love..."

…

Yuka and Kouta finished class early. They decided to take a walk through the city to grab some lunch.

"Hmm...I could go for some Chinese right now!" Yuka beamed.

"No, I hate foreign food. Let's just find some sushi." Kouta poked his head through the bustling crowd. "Huh? That's strange..."

Yuka peered over Kouta's shoulder. "What is it?"

The crowd had formed a circle around someone. A man in a dirty old trenchcoat was swaggering with his arms swaying loosely like an ape. Some people started murmuring in the crowd.

"This guy's a total drunk..."

"What the hell's wrong with him?"

Then. "Hey you're that guy that went missing right?" A young man approached the drunkard. The drunkard lifted his gaze to reveal blood coloured eyes. His face was wretched, scraps of flesh were missing across his cheeks and forehead. The man shifted forward for a closer look but the oddity lowered it's jaw, stretching and breaking it's greenish flesh and forming a web of saliva between his teeth.

The jaws clamped down on fresh meat.

"GAAAGGHHH!" An excruciating wail echoed through the crowd as the man tried to free himself from the monster's bite. The man's girlfriend came over and began hitting the beast on the back of it's head. He threw the man to the ground and moved on to his second course, digging his canines into the sweeter flesh of a young woman. Her screams were much higher in pitch and much more painful to hear.

Blood sprayed itself across the front rows of the crowd. The drama was now turning into a deadly risk. Now was the time for complete panic. Most of the crowd decided to abandon the poor couple and flee. However Kouta and Yuka were among some unfortunate few who were becoming trapped between the flock of terrified citizens rushing in countless directions. People were getting trampled and injured as the most desperate used dirty tactics to get as far away from the cannibal as possible.

Yuka was barged by one such person and began to fall. Kouta caught her arm before she fell. "Are you okay?" Yuka nodded slightly as she turned her focus ahead. The monster was eyeing the two of them as he swam through the sea of people. He swiped a few around to cut a path through the crowd but now it seemed he was getting picky about who's next on the menu.

Kouta hugged Yuka tightly as they knew they were finished.

…

The sand was soft and wet, rubbish was scattered among the stretch of what was once a pristine yellow beach. A young girl with short black hair was searching the variety of crumpled containers in search for any food for herself and her small puppy companion.

The puppy yapped loudly as it reached towards the girl. "Oh come now Wanta, I'm sure we'll find some food tomorrow." She picked up her tiny friend and was about to retreat to the pier where her shelter was until...

"Um...I'm sorry Miss, are you lost or something?" She faced a small naked girl with short pink hair. Her flesh was dry and her hands were like bones. Her expression was blank. "My name's Mayu, would you like to come back with me, maybe I can find you some clothes."

The mysterious child's eyes glowed red like fire. She opened her mouth revealing a set of fanged teeth. Saliva trailed down her teeth as she lowered her head over Mayu's exposed legs.

Mayu began trembling. "Uh...What are you-" A plume of sand rose over the two children. Mayu fell back but still held Wanta safely within her grasp. The other child cowered as she tried to find her prey.

"Don't move little girl." A deeper voice arrived from behind Mayu. Mayu faced another much older woman with pink hair who was also naked, and who also displayed a pair of bony protrusions on her head.