Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

SCEPTER4 Headquarters

His phone was ringing. Not the phone in his office. His personal phone. Munakata pulled the cell phone from his coat pocket in a heartbeat and closed the door to his office. When he looked at the caller id he tried not to be disappointed as he answered the unfamiliar number.

"This is Munakata Reisi. Who am I speaking to?" He asked as politely as he could manage considering the circumstances. He hadn't slept at all. Organizing and defending evacuation points, along with figuring out where to evacuate all the citizens to, had taken up all his time. He was lucky to have someone like Awashima under his command. She was a capable lieutenant and things might not have gone as smoothly as they were otherwise.

"Oh! Hi! Sorry, I didn't think I'd actually get through." The person on the other side, most likely a kid from how young he sounded, told him with excitement. He sounded like a teenager and was in danger if he was calling SCEPTER4. The only question was how the kid had gotten his personal number. "Oh, yeah. I'm Yashiro Isana."

The line went quiet and for a moment Munakata thought the call had gotten dropped. The kid was silent.

"Okay Isana-san. Can you tell me where you are?" Munakata asked, hoping he sounded more patient than he felt. It would do him no good to be short with someone in shock.

"Right. Sorry. This is all just…" Isana trailed off and Munakata found himself sympathizing with the kid despite his underlying irritation. The last few hours had been rough for him, and he could only imagine it was worse for kids. Still, he wished that Isana would get to the point. Calls were being dropped left and right, making long conversations a luxury. "I'm a student. At Ashinaka High School."

Ashinaka High School? Munakata froze for a moment as he looked at the map of the Tokyo Metropolis stretched across the wall behind his desk. His gaze zeroed in on the small island and he frowned. How had he forgotten about the school on the island? The island was the perfect place to evacuate to. But he'd been so focused on areas close to the barracks that he hadn't thought of evacuating so far away. He hadn't even spared a thought for Mihashira Tower, and his boss was there.

Then another thought struck him like lightning. Why was a student calling him?

"Isana-san, are there any teachers on the island?" Munakata asked as he retrieved a marker from his desk and circled the island. He put his phone on speaker and left it on his desk so he could trace possible routes to the island from the barracks.

"All the teachers left last night with the day students." Isana told him, voice a little shaky, and Munakata had to stop himself from snapping the marker in two. The teachers had left? There hadn't been an emergency call to the police department or SCEPTER4. Ashinaka had not been on the list of schools that had called in, or he would have already sent people there. As it was he had forgotten them.

"Okay. How many students are left on the island?" He asked as he circled the evacuation points where refugees were gathering. There had to be routes to the school from each point and they all had to be cleared for transportation. "Are all the students on the island safe?"

"Uh...there's only about thirty of us. I think." Isana told him, voice laced with uncertainty and nervousness. "We're kind of everywhere right now."

"You should try to gather everyone into the dorms. Are there any infected on the island?" Munakata asked while writing '30' next to the island. Statistics for the school floated through his mind and he realized it was only a fraction of the island's normal population. The phone went silent for a moment and he turned to check that the call hadn't ended. "Isana-san?"

"I don't...I don't think so. We haven't really gone around to check."

Munakata stared at his phone for a moment and wondered why the kid had hesitated when he answered. He found it impossible to believe that Isana had no knowledge of the infection. There were still two news stations reporting on the situation. His mind went to the reports Kokujoji had been sending him, and how the infection was transferred. Scratches and bites were lethal now. If anyone on the island even had the potential of infection they were going to have to be eliminated. They had to make the island secure for refugees.

Before he could further question Isana about the infection a harsh crackling sound came from his phone. He snatched it up and tried to reassure the teenager that he would help him.

"Keep all students in the dorms and only let in the team I send to you." He said before his phone beeped and a red circle spread across the screen to show that the call had ended. Munakata put it away as he opened his office door and waved Awashima over. She had a quick word with the person she'd been working with before walking over.

"Find Akiyama and have him gather a team. Then meet me in the conference room." He told his lieutenant as he dove back into the careful insanity of the barracks. Awashima disappeared immediately, looking more than a little worried. He wondered briefly if she had called her family yesterday.

Looking at the digital map of Tokyo on the wall, which was always being updated as new information came in, he noticed the population of the evacuation points had plateaued. There had been no noticeable changes. Unfortunately, all those points beyond his prefecture weren't reporting in. They were controlled by the Tokyo Police Department. Watching the map he regretted not being more forceful about the police department and SCEPTER4 creating unified communication systems. Either way, he could work around it.

"We've lost power in Taito Ward, residential district."

Munakata frowned as he watched the broadcast coming from Taito shut off and leave the screen blank. Power outages were happening more often now and it was only a matter of time before the entire metro area went dark. It was another reason he needed to establish the school island as a refugee center. The whole island had an independent power supply from solar energy. Not to mention the infected would only have one viable option to get there. All he would have to worry about was defending the bridge.

Watching his people work Munakata knew they could do it. Nothing would stop them.

Iyashi Apartments

Inuyasha unwrapped the bandage from his girlfriend's arm with care and tried not to wince at the sight. Her wound had stopped bleeding a couple hours ago, but she had insisted on changing her dressing. He assumed it was her prowess as a nurse that had kept the wound clean and uninfected, but it was still disgusting as hell. The two long rips in her otherwise unmarred arm were deep and the first time he saw it he was convinced he saw bone. Now they were closed with butterfly sutures, but it continued to be unnerving to look at.

He was used to seeing such wounds on himself, but it felt wrong to see it on Kikyo. Picking up a bottle of some cream with a name he couldn't pronounce he applied some to the edges of her cut.

"Make sure not to…" Kikyo told him, trailing off as she looked away from her arm stretched over his lap.

"Get any in the cut. I know." He told her, parroting her earlier instructions before the painkillers had set in. While he didn't know if they were too powerful, or maybe not powerful enough, he had given her a couple to help her sleep through the pain. His broken wrist paled in comparison to what she must be going through, so he was more than willing to give up his prescription. Grabbing the pad of gauze she had set out he placed it gently on her wound, watching her to make sure he wasn't hurting her. Next he was supposed to wrap her arm with an elastic bandage and it was going to be a pain in the ass with one hand incapable of movement.

"We need to check my temperature next." Kikyo told him as he awkwardly tried to wrap her arm. It was a slow process.

"I don't think we need to." Inuyasha replied, a little too quickly, as he affixed the metal clasps that would keep the bandage in place. Closing the first aid kit, a beast that only a nurse would own, he noticed that it was a bit empty. When was the last time Kikyo had been able to refill it? He hoped they didn't need anything from it soon.

"Inuyasha, we have to. A fever is one of the-"

"I think ya'd know if ya had a fever." He told her sharply, desperate not to think about the email that Kagome had sent both of them. After Kikyo's run-in, something he was still kicking himself for, he had taken a closer look at what the old man had sent his best friend. It had said a bite or a scratch was a sure way to get infected and there were very clear symptoms. Things like a fever, sudden appetite, unchecked aggression, and an influx of energy.

Despite this, Kikyo showed no obvious signs of infection. Even her injury appeared uninfected and healing, although he would have to take Kikyo's word for it. He couldn't tell regardless. Either way, she wasn't infected. He knew it.

"Inuyasha…" Her voice trailed off behind him and he took a deep breath before he turned to smile at his girlfriend. She was resting on the couch, the drugs rushing through her system making her lethargic. Some part of his mind whispered that the drugs could be keeping the symptoms from showing, but he refused to listen. This was Kikyo. He'd loved her since they were kids and he wasn't going to lose her to this.

Being careful not to hit her with his cast, Inuyasha looped his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer. Kikyo snuggled up against him and her eyes fluttered as he pulled a blanket over her.

"Maybe we should go to th' hospital. Yer' runnin' out of supplies." He remarked while running his free hand through her hair. It was a bit tangled and he was gentle as he straightened it out. He should run her a bath before they left or the water shut off. She always enjoyed soaking after a long day at the E.R. At this point he would do anything if it made her feel better.

He had been so scared when he heard her scream. Then he had gone into the hallway to see her lying beneath a dead body and that fear had turned into adrenaline. After tossing the body out of the apartment that fear had returned. He had wasted no time in getting back to Kikyo, but she had locked herself in the bathroom where he could barely hear her crying. Panic had flooded his system and all he could think about was that she might be hurt. The old man's email had come back to him in a rush, but he couldn't remember why it was bad. Kikyo's soft crying had scrambled his thoughts. He'd had half a mind to bust down the door if it meant he could figure out why she was crying.

It had taken a small voice, which always sounded like Kagome, telling him that was a bad idea for him to calm down. The last thing he needed to do was scare her anymore. But he hadn't known what to do. He still didn't know what to do.

With care Inuyasha pulled himself out of Kikyo's unconscious hold, keeping her head on a pillow and the blanket up around her shoulders. He went to check the door even though he knew it was still locked. Then he checked on how much food was in their kitchen, wishing he hadn't eaten out so much lately. There wasn't much left. His baseball bat was in the living room now, so at least he was ready to defend himself and Kikyo. Still, while he didn't know what to do he knew someone who would.

Grabbing his phone off the coffee table he made a beeline for the bathroom, pulling up his contacts as he went. It was easy to find Kagome's number and he called her up as he turned on the bath, trying to juggle his phone with his broken hand while he attempted to get the temperature right.

He was so focused on the water that it took him a while to realize his call wasn't going through.

Nokori Hotel

Kusanagi opened the door carefully, glad that it didn't squeak as he peered through the small opening. The hotel was eerily silent, but he had heard some shuffling in the hallway. It was the infected that had been outside their door last night. At the end of the hallway was a man, standing unnaturally still, with the morning sun casting his shadow far. He was facing away from the door, but if they made too much noise he knew the man would attack and viciously. Looking back at Mikoto he nodded his head towards the infected and opened the door a bit wider.

Unfortunately, there was only one weapon between the two of them and Mikoto was both quicker and stronger than him. While Kusanagi didn't want his best friend to be in such danger he also knew it was best for Mikoto to handle the fighting. He didn't seem to hesitate much despite their human appearance. Kusanagi wondered if it had anything to do with his mystery woman that had sent them information about the outbreak.

Mikoto slipped through the opening, knife clenched tightly in one hand, and moved down the hall. Kusanagi watched him in case anything bad happened. His friend moved quickly though, jamming the blade into the base of the infected man's skull, upwards into his brain. The man collapsed silently. Both waited for a moment to listen, just in case they had attracted any unwanted attention, but there was nothing.

Kusanagi flipped the door latch inside the room so it would keep the door open before he joined Mikoto in the hall. Without a key to the room they had to have some way to get back in once it got dark. It had taken a fair bit of convincing to get Mikoto to agree to return once night came, but they were safest staying in the room for now. The infected seemed to become more active at night.

"The park is about 30 minutes away on foot." Kusanagi said as he and Mikoto made their way to the stairs that would take them down to the lobby. He pulled out a map from their room, which only covered a few miles around the hotel, and looked it over again. The park barely showed at the edge. "We also need to get food and water."

"Let's check the kitchen." Mikoto told him as he opened the door to stairs, letting the ominous red glow of the emergency lights spill into the hallway. There was a slight echo in the stairwell, but all the sound came from them. Most people had left during the craze yesterday, so they were, for the most part, alone in this area of Tokyo. Yet, with the absence of living people the infected were starting to calm down, becoming quiet, and that made it harder to avoid them.

"Never hurts to check. There might be something." Kusanagi agreed, folding the map and putting it in his back pocket. With a hotel this large there was bound to be a huge kitchen. Looking into the stairwell he suddenly wished for a flashlight. The emergency lights were better than nothing, but only a little better. The red glow left more shadows than he was comfortable with. Mikoto went first, as he always did, and Kusanagi followed him after propping the door open. Just in case.

They were only a couple floors up, so it didn't take long to get back to the lobby. The front doors were shut and he couldn't see any infected from their spot in a back corner. He hoped that there weren't too many that had gotten inside during the insanity last night. The hotel had was being evacuated as they had arrived last night and there was evidence of it everywhere. Suitcases abandoned in every corner, chairs and tables overturned, and phones off the hook.

It was a stark difference from last night when there had been people in every corner. Some had been on their phones and others were dragging family members and possessions behind them. There had been a few that had looked at them, as if contemplating approaching them, before a glare from Mikoto had sent them scurrying away. Now there weren't even looters like the news had warned. They might have come in the night. Kusanagi hoped there was still food and water in the kitchen.

They passed by the business center and heard a bit of shuffling. The door was shut and when he gently tried the handle he found that it locked. Releasing a sigh of relief they both avoided the door and silently searched for the kitchen door. It was near the back, as expected, the door opened a fraction. When they entered the kitchen it was bright from the overhead lights. Everything was made of gleaming stainless steel and it looked spotless. It was the kind of kitchen you wanted your food to come from.

Except for the blood on the floor.

It smeared across the ground and disappeared around the large island that dominated most of the room. It wasn't until he noticed the blood that Kusanagi heard the soft, almost non-existent breathing. Looking at the mirror that was situated in a top corner of the room he was able to see around the island where the blood led. There was an infected lying on the other side of the island. From what he could see the legs were mangled, but that didn't mean it couldn't be mobile. He'd seen infected drag a leg snapped in two if there were uninfected people nearby.

Looking at Mikoto he pointed in the direction that would take his friend behind the infected and then went the other way. He saw Mikoto get into position out of the corner of his eye and took a deep breath. Turning around the island he whistled quietly to get the infected's attention. The effect was immediate. It lifted itself up as if it was overtaken by an adrenaline. It moved, but when it did it wasn't very fast, and the intent was clear. It wanted to kill him. Fortunately, it never got the chance. Mikoto planted his foot on its back and shoved his knife into its skull. The whole process felt like it took forever, but it was only a couple of seconds.

Kusanagi wondered if it was always going to feel that way.

Mikoto pulled the knife out with a loud squelching sound. There wasn't a lot of blood, but he cleaned it on a nearby towel anyway.

"Ugh. That almost makes me not want to eat." Kusanagi groaned as the infected gave a single twitch and then stilled. He had never been this close before.

"I'm still hungry." Mikoto told him as he started searching the cabinets, completely ignoring the now fresh corpse on the floor. Kusanagi shook his head and started looking for anything worth eating. There was no stopping Mikoto's black hole of a stomach it seemed.

It didn't take long to find some cans of salted nuts and a couple cases of bottled water. He made a mental note to look for a backpack while they were out. They would need to bring food and water with them as they ventured farther from the hotel.

"Mikoto." He called out across the kitchen. His friend turned, a package of premade rice cakes in hand. Kusanagi wanted to sigh at his poor choice, but decided to just toss him the can of peanuts instead. Mikoto caught the can and put aside his sweets, tearing into the can. Kusanagi threw him a bottle of water, and they both settled in to eat. They were both hungry and peanuts were definitely not enough, but they would deal with it. It was better than nothing.

They ate in silence and listened for any infected that may have heard them. It was still quiet.

L-Breath Sports Store

The knife whistled through the air before it found its target with a thick, wet impact. Fushimi's hand shook as he watched the man that had been attacking Kagome fall to the floor. There wasn't a lot of blood that he could see from where he was, but the knife was firmly planted into the back of the man's skull. He took a deep breath. Kagome was fixing her appearance and rubbing her abused neck tenderly. Yata was halfway through the sports section with a bat raised. Sota was making a beeline for his sister, leaving behind a pile of trail mix and jerky. Both appeared relieved.

They had thought the store was safe when they'd first entered and seen it torn apart. It was an outdoor sports store and most of the damage seemed to be random looting. Kagome had told them most of the items in the store would be useful for survival. Since the area seemed abandoned because of the evacuation they had split across the store. Fushimi wondered if that was such a good idea anymore.

Sota was fretting over his sister. She caught Fushimi's eye across the store and smiled, nodding a little. With her silent reassurance he returned to the collection of knives he had been looking at. He stashed a few of the sets into his nearly empty backpack. While his aim might not always be as dead on as it had been today it wouldn't hurt to have a weapon on hand. Kagome was the only one among them that had a legitimate weapon and she'd been using it with deadly efficiency.

Her specialty compound bow was a gift from her grandfather. It had a unique mechanism that allowed it to collapse into a compact form for storage and traveling. So far he hadn't seen it that way. The only thing she had been missing at the time was arrows, but she was still fierce with it. Now she had ammo for it. He was sure that made her even more deadly than before.

Fushimi had a feeling her bow would see a lot more action in the coming days.

Looking down into his backpack he tried to get back to his previous job. Inside there was a couple rolls of duct tape, two multi-tools, a flint and tinder variant, a small bottle of iodine, and a couple coils of paracord. He wasn't sure what he should be picking up right now. Kagome had told him to find anything he might think useful. These things were useful, right? They weren't going camping. The shrine was a suitable shelter and it still had electricity and running water. He could understand non-perishable food and weapons, but some stuff in the store seemed pointless to him. Kagome seemed so confident as she drifted from one section to another. How could she know what they needed in this situation?

While the situation was bad it wasn't the same as what she had endured before.

Turning to find the others he noticed that Sota had returned to his packets of dried food. Kagome was going through something in the expansive camping section. Yata was in the water sports section and he wasn't even going to pretend that he understood why. Making his way towards Kagome he tried very hard not to feel like a student who hadn't read the directions.

As he got closer he noticed Kagome was rummaging through freeze dried food, looking at the nutritional facts. He assumed it was an American brand, but the lack of Japanese hardly got in her way.

"Hey Fushimi. What's up?" Kagome asked as she stuffed her unnaturally large yellow backpack with food. It was a casual question, as if they were out shopping instead of looting. It wasn't too amazing that she was able to keep calm in the middle of all this. Kagome had always been like that.

"Just trying to figure out what's 'useful'." He told her as he crouched down to inspect some cans with the same label as the bagged food. While his English was very rusty he was able to make out a few words, so he knew there was food inside the cans. Without checking the labels too closely he tossed a few into his backpack.

"Well, think of it this way." She told him as she shoved something that looked like chicken into her backpack. "Electricity is the crux of our civilization. We require it for nearly everything to work. Even cooking and retrieving water uses electricity today."

Fushimi thought of his routines and found his answer.

"We need ways to get clean water, heat, light, and communication." He listed off as Kagome finished gathering the camping food and closed her backpack. She looked around the store before making her way towards the shoes.

"Sota's gathering food, and Yata is gathering water and purification methods." Kagome reminded him as she looked through various styles and sizes, putting a couple of boxes aside. He followed her example, putting down his still half-empty backpack to find his size.

"Heat is just a matter of wearing thicker clothing and using more blankets." Fushimi found himself explaining out loud, mostly for his own benefit. Taking off his tennis shoes he pulled on his new hiking boots. "If we need light it should have a renewable energy source, like solar."

Kagome gathered a few pairs of men's boots, most likely for Yata and Sota, and didn't respond to his musings. She allowed him to figure it out himself. After lacing up his boots he spied some thick, woolen socks and tossed a couple pairs in his backpack. While it was only September there were still some chilly days and soon it would get much colder. Better to get it now than have to look for it later. Kagome noticed his action, smiled, and copied it by grabbing some in her size.

"I guess you know what to look for then." She said as she rolled a pair of socks together and threw them across the store. The bundle pegged Sota right in the back of the head and brought his, and Yata's, attention to them. Kagome beckoned them over with a grin. Fushimi was about to make his way into the camping section when he finally noticed something about Kagome that he hadn't all day.

"You aren't wearing you jacket." He remarked as he eyed the open neck and short sleeves of her shirt. He was so used to her not wearing it around him and the others that he hadn't realized she'd left it at the shrine. It was strange to see her out in the open, in what used to be a public space, without it. Not that he was complaining.

"Yeah...I figured I didn't really need it." Kagome replied slowly, rubbing her neck self-consciously. Fushimi almost wished he'd never brought the subject up because it was making her uncomfortable, but the damage was done. He shrugged his backpack onto one shoulder.

"Good. I hated that shade of red anyway." He told her succinctly, turning towards where he'd seen some flashlights. It wasn't that he wanted to ignore the soft smile she was undoubtedly sending his way, but he knew that he would blush if he did. Yata and Sota would never let him forget it. He passed by his friends, becoming irritated when he saw their full to bursting packs, and made a beeline to the other side of the store. Why had Kagome given him such vague instructions?

It didn't take long to find some solar powered flashlights among the dozens on a wall display. There were even a couple of lanterns and he shoved all that he could into his backpack. He even grabbed some backup batteries. When he was done he looked around to find the others hovering over a map at the front. Kagome was pointing some things out when she caught his eye and waved him over.

He joined them as Kagome explained the route they were going to take back to the shrine. It avoided the evacuation points and was a bit out of the way, but he assumed that, like always, she knew what she was doing. He followed her out of the store without question.

South Business District

Miroku readjusted his grip on his weapon, trying to ignore how clammy his hands were. Some part of him wished that they had stayed at the apartment, but he knew that wasn't possible. Not after last night. It had been a miracle that they were able to get through to Sota, however briefly, before losing service. Sango had been grateful to hear from her best friend's brother, but not knowing where Kagome was had made her anxious. He shared her feelings, but was quick to remind his fiancee that Kagome had survived perilous conditions before.

Now he just had to remind himself of the same thing. He knew that Kagome was safe, but some part of his mind whispered that this was not Aokigahara.

Shaking his head to dispel such negative thought Miroku refocused on his surroundings. Considering they were out in the open he never should have let himself drift. Luckily, they weren't in too populated an area. At first they had thought to try one of the evacuation points, see if the police would be willing to help them, but had abandoned the idea. If Sota was at the shrine that's where Kagome would be.

"Wait." Sango whispered as she put a hand out to stop him. Her bokken was in a defensive position, the light of the morning sun warming the wood and revealing dark red stains along its length. The sight made his stomach turn. Sango had been doing most of the fighting and he wondered how it was affecting her. While they knew there was no way to save infected individuals right now they still appeared human.

"What is it Sango?" He breathed as quietly as he could. Sango poked her head around the corner of the building they were pressed against instead of answering him. Following her lead, glad that he was a whole head taller than her, he looked in the same direction. His grip on his weapon tightened.

There were dozens of infected crowding the street. They were all standing so still they appeared almost statue like. The only thing that betrayed them was the occasional twitch.

"We have to find a way around them." Sango murmured to herself as her gaze darted in all directions. Miroku knew that she was trying to come up with a plan, so he kept his gaze on the infected.

A sudden crash echoed in the alleyway behind them. Miroku spun around faster than he ever thought he could to see an infected man running at them. He barely had time to lift his weapon before it was only a couple feet away, but he swung as hard as he could. The staff hit the side of the man's head and force it to smack into the wall of the building. Its skull was sandwiched between the two and blood spattered against the brick. The infected immediately stopped struggling and collapsed.

It all happened so fast and he was staring at the blood on the wall and his weapon and his hands. He wondered what Mushin would have said. Before he could dwell on that thought Sango was grabbing one of his hands and dragging him in the direction their attacker had come from.

"What-" He didn't get another word out before Sango interrupted him.

"They heard." She hissed and pulled on his hand to make him run faster. He was sure his heart stopped in that moment. He didn't dare look behind him. Didn't want to. The pounding of feet on asphalt made it clear that they were being pursued. They rounded some corporate offices and Miroku took charge, pulling Sango into an alley between two of the taller buildings. Scanning the area, desperate for anything, he noticed a security door that was propped open. It didn't bode well, but it was their only option.

"There!" He shouted, undoubtedly bringing more attention to them, and pointed at the door. He pulled hard on Sango's hand to get her in front of him. She sprinted towards the door, several yards ahead of him in a few seconds. He watched her push the door open and slip inside. Relief flooded his system. At least she was safe. However, that relief was drowned by dread when he felt something yank on his backpack.

Without stopping, without thinking, he dropped his weapon and slid the backpack down his arms. He heard it drop to the ground as he dove into the building. Sango slammed the door shut behind him and engaged the emergency security lock as several bodies hit it. The whole door shuddered under the weight, but it didn't budge.

"That might not hold forever." Sango told him as she opened her backpack to look through the contents. It probably wasn't easy considering the dim lighting in the room that made more shadows than light. She made a frustrated noise and looked back at him. "Where's the flashlight?"

The question made Miroku freeze. There had only been one flashlight in their apartment and he'd put it in his backpack. Sango was doing most of the fighting, so he had decided to carry most of their stuff.

"Shit." He groaned as he looked at the door. The infected on the other side were more frenzied than before, as if sensing their desperation and fear. There was a powerful slam against the door that echoed in the cavernous space. Miroku flinched at the noise and stood up. Sango was frowning and worried her lower lip with her teeth.

"Let's not think about it." She said while slinging her own backpack onto her shoulders and letting it settle. Miroku followed her quietly into the heart of the small skyscraper they had taken refuge in. Guilt started to bloom in his chest as he thought of everything they had lost. That he had thrown away. Before he could think on it any longer Sango grabbed his hand. "It's fine. I'd rather have you than the backpack."

Miroku smiled down at Sango and squeezed her hand.

Keibi Apartments

He couldn't reach the kitchen sink without climbing on the counter, so he was washing his apple using the bathtub faucet. Shippo frowned as he watched the steady, yet slow, stream of water. It wasn't as much as last night and he hoped the water wasn't running out. He didn't even know if that was possible. That was something he'd never thought about. Just in case, he turned off the water.

Not waiting to dry the apple off he bit into it. It was still crisp and fresh and it made him happy to taste the sweetness. Apples were his favorite food ever. Normally his daddy would cut it in slices for him. Trying to ignore his father's continuing absence, Shippo went back to the living room of his apartment. His homework was scattered across the living room table and he settled between it and the couch. Taking another bite of his last apple he look at all his school work.

Maybe if he finished it his daddy would come home.

The television was off, because he couldn't watch it while doing his school work, but he didn't want it on. Mostly it was static aside from two news stations that repeated the same stuff every hour. It was scary and the noise made people try to open the door. So far, no one had been able to get inside and he wanted it to stay that way. So he stayed quiet.

Reaching for his small bottle of chocolate milk he took a few careful sips. There were only three bottles left. He frowned. There wasn't a lot of food in the kitchen, and he was supposed to go shopping with his daddy yesterday. Maybe that's why his daddy was taking so long. He was getting them food.

The phone rang without warning, echoing in the near silence, and it made him jump. Dropping his apple, Shippo ran for the landline on the kitchen counter. It rang three times while he clambered up a set of drawers and he was almost worried he'd miss it. In a panic he snatched up the phone and pressed the top part against his ear and shouted.

"Hello?!"

At first he only heard gentle static before a familiar voice responded.

"Shippo!"

Tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes at the sound of his father's voice.

"It's me daddy!" Shippo yelled while cradling the phone with both hands. He didn't care right now about being quiet. Static crackled across the phone and he frowned.

"...been tryin...door locked?" His father asked through the static. Only a couple of the words were clear, but the intended question was clear.

"I locked the door, but I can't hear you!" He told his daddy, hoping that his words went through. The static didn't go away.

"Listen...stay...apartment."

"I won't leave the apartment. I promise!" He replied as he sat on the counter and rested against the wall. The cabinets overhead brushed the top of his head.

"Don't...except me...Higurashi-sa…"

"What? I can't…" Shippo responded as he thought of his neighbor one floor up. He hadn't heard from her, and she hadn't stopped by the apartment, but he knew that she had a younger brother. They were probably together.

"Always...love you Sh…" His father's words were drowned out by the static noise, but the message was clear. It scared him.

"I love you too Daddy! I can't hear you! Daddy? Daddy?!" He shouted into the phone, panic growing. There was a sudden, sharp noise that was followed by the steady dial tone. He knew what that meant. The call was over. Shippo dropped the phone and pulled his knees up to his forehead with a whimper.

"Where are you?"

Akafudao

There wasn't much in the general store, but Totsuka made do. There were a couple bottles of water and two boxes of energy bars in his pilfered messenger bag. It was much better than nothing. Poking through the empty shelves he found a package of cookies and three cans of soup.

Looking down at his bag Totsuka tried not to frown. There wasn't much in it, but it was already full. Looking around the ransacked store he decided to look in the fresh food section. He could always put some fruit in one of those little plastic bags.

Attempting to be careful he snuck around the store. So far he hadn't encountered anyone else, but he was afraid others would be a bit crazy right now. It was the main reason he had left Anna in the office with the door to the manager's office locked.

As he got closer to the produce section he saw more evidence of the previous night's frenzy. There was food tossed everywhere, like the rest of the store, but there were also phones, wallets, and even a baby carrier. All deemed worthless by their owners. Doing his best to ignore it he looked around the area. There was even less fresh food than there had been preserved.

Still, he spied three small peaches on one of the stands. Looking into his messenger bag he decided against putting them in there. With everything else he had gathered they wouldn't survive if he had to run. They were too delicate. Looking around he found a small backpack on the ground. It had obviously belonged to a child from both the size and the girlish design. It was a scarlet color with a cute black bow on the front pocket. It couldn't be more fitting for Anna, so Totsuka picked it up and put the peaches inside.

Deciding he had scrounged up enough, and not wanting to leave Anna alone any longer than he had to, he made his way back to the front of the store. He made sure to pass by the batteries so he could grab some for Anna's little flashlight. Near the front of the store he stopped next to a small, untouched shelf. It was filled with small journals and cute pens. Without thinking he picked up those with more red than the others and carefully stashed them with the peaches. Anna might not talk, but maybe she would write.

As he was exiting the store he heard some shuffling near a register and stopped. Peering over he desperately hoped it wasn't someone dangerous. A kid, younger than Anna, poked his head out before he was pulled back just as quickly. An older girl, his sister most likely, peered over the edge of the register and watched him carefully. Totsuka bit the inside of his cheek and looked back at her, trying his best to appear as unthreatening as possible.

They had to be here for food. There was no other reason that made sense. He shifted in his spot as he thought about the few cans of food left on the shelves. He had left them for others, but it wasn't much. Still, he had to think about Anna.

Making a quick decision, he pulled two of the peaches out of the backpack and put them on the register closest to him. Without trying to engage the obviously frightened siblings he turned and left the store. It hurt more than he might admit to abandon others for the first time in his life.

Ashinaka High School

Shiro sighed as he looked at the collection of students in his dorm break room. It had taken a bit of effort to gather everyone from across the campus. Most of the others had been either hiding or trying to call their families. A few had been taking advantage of the chef's absence to grab food. Kuroh had even spotted some students leaving across the bridge. Shiro hoped they were okay in the city.

Swallowing thickly he tried to find some courage inside himself. He was lucky to have Kuroh and Neko on either side of him. They lent him a strength he didn't know he needed. These were his classmates.

"I've called SCEPTER4 using the principal's contacts and told them about the situation here." He said as loudly and as clearly as he could manage. Everyone started to whisper to each other and it became somewhat loud in short order. Kuroh frowned at the sudden volume, but Shiro only cleared his throat to get some attention back. "Munakata-san is going to send a squad here soon to help us."

The room erupted then and Shiro made no effort to quiet them.

North ARK Offices

Anna peeked out of the window in the manager's office before ducking away swiftly. There was someone in the office. They were acting strange, shuffling around and sniffing the air, and it scared her. She wished there was some way to tell Totsuka about the person, but he had lost his phone. She had a bad feeling about all this. Tucking herself under the desk she tried to ignore the sounds coming from the office.