Author's note : Hello everybody~! I feel better now. The effects of the surgery have worn off and I'm almost fully recovered. I'll have more energy to translate. I'm currently writing chapter 17 in original version and I'm going to start the translation of chapter 10. Ten chapters, already ? Wow! It's a lot ! Three is probably going to be my longest fic.

Ah, also ! I updated the previous chapters : now, this fic is divided in parts. War Never Changes, Vault 49, Kanto, Chuubu, and there will be the Kansai, Chuugoku, Kyushu and Aftermath parts. Seven parts... Symbolic meaning. Seven, seven... it's like number 3 here. ~ Try to think about it...

Enjoy your reading, red potato.~

"Love me as though there were no tomorrow
Take me out of this world tonight
Take me; make me forget my sorrow
So when I wake tomorrow, I'll know our love was right"

- Nat King Cole

A little more distance covered each day. It was what Miho said to herself when she spent her days walking. But now she had more than just a traveling companion. That was what gave her even more hope for the journey. Kinuyo had shown her something hard the night before, which had increased her self-confidence. As before, they walked hand in hand on the road, where no car would run; they had no more risk, unlike before the war, of getting eventually run over and killed by a drunk driver. Nobody would, now... They could walk in the middle of the road, something unthinkable three months ago. Dogmeat, a stick between his teeth, was trotting beside them.

Soon, wit no doubt, they would find Alice. They approached Toyama Prefecture: they would be soon done with Nagano Prefecture. How many had they passed through? Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Nagano. Four. Four prefectures. And how many left? They didn't know. This would depend on the path they would take. They were eager to arrive near the coast. It would be marvellous. In addition, the more they went away from Niigata, the less was the risk of being irradiated in case the urge to dive head first in the sea took over them. It was such a strange feeling to be back at the beach, as if they were on vacation, after the end of the world. They would have all the coastline for themselves, that was certain!

For the moment, they had the mountain landscapes, day and night, before their eyes. But soon it would change. Gradually, as they approached the coast, they were more and more telling themselves they'd do anything to remain on this kind of path. The sound of the sea was more soothing than the rivers'.

When they arrived near Otari, in the Kitaazumi district, Dogmeat suddenly started barking.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Miho questioned.

"Did something just scare him?" Kinuyo asked.

"I don't think so... it looks like he wants to show us something."

The dog kept barking. It seemed like he wanted them to follow him, then stopped in front of an abandoned house and started digging. His two owners joined him. He dug up what looked like a small slab. Miho lifted it.

Inside the small cavity that was protected by small concrete walls, about 50 centimeters deep, there was a pot. It was filled with food and cans of water. Supplies ! Miho was the first to dig into it, trying to see what was there.

"So, what are you finding here?" her partner said, looking interested.

"We have..." Miho began, taking out food from the small reserve. "Rice pots... Three tin cans of miso soup..."

She suddenly smiled.

"Oh, a box of macaroons! I love them!" she said happily, her eyes full of stars. "My mouth is already watering..."

"What else?" Kinuyo asked, curious.

"... A bag of dried sweet potatoes... Kadotani-san, the one who became our Overseer, loved them. She was eating these things all the time. At the same time, I understand her, they taste so good!"

"Not really my cup of tea", the other laughed . "I prefer shrimp puffs."

Miho got out the last cans of food and purified water. She had a little grin and tenderly looked at Kinuyo.

"And then... there's something that will make you happy!"

"Really?" the brunette wondered. "What is it?"

The redhead took out two familiar tins: sukiyaki-like beef.

"Tell me I'm dreaming..." Kinuyo whispered, her eyes opening wider and wider.

She pinched herself to see if it was real, then jumped on Miho, crazily enthusiastic, and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you... Thank you, Miho, you are my lucky charm! It's been such a long time since I wanted to have some again!"

"There are some lucky coincidences", her lover gently said.

"That's right... Let's hope that luck brings us Alice quickly, you'll feel more relaxed."

"Yeah..."

Dogmeat laid his head on their lap and sat down. They petted him. He was so adorable. Miho thought of Yukari, who had a slight crush on her... She had never felt any advances coming from her, but was afraid to spoil their friendship by responding. Yukari would be probably terribly hurt and jealous if she had seen her kissing Kinuyo as she had done several times in the day. It was finally a good thing that she wasn't here... Miho didn't want to hurt her in any way. She had probably already done it by leaving her anyway... But she promised to find her friends again one day.

Kinuyo and Miho got up. They had to find a place to sleep. They quickly closed the small hole, now empty, covered it with some leaves and soil, then went away. The sun was still here, but fatigue was beginning to be felt. They had wanted a moment of tranquility. Walking through the streets of Otari, they saw that some things seemed to have been moved: there was graffiti on the walls. They seemed recent: were there any other vault survivors?

A conversation noise was heard. Dogmeat growled. They listened. Two men, one with a particularly husky voice, as with a scorched throat, were talking. This made them feel pretty uneasy, especially as even their dog didn't have a good feeling.

"Could you find the money?"

"I saw two girls who were stealing our food. They were cute, that's why I didn't do anything... but these bitches preferred kissing each other and going away. Once they'll have found the right guys, they'll stop being dykes. You'll fuck the brunette while the ginger will suck my dick."

"Do you know where they are now?"

Miho didn't take any time to hear the end of their conversation; she grabbed Kinuyo by the arm and immediately pulled her.

"Run away! We will settle further. It's dangerous. I think they're raiders."

"If we get caught, we'll have a bad time", her partner shook. "I'm following you!"

They began to run as fast as they could despite the weight of luggage. Dogmeat followed them, his claws snapping on the asphalt. Who knows what those freaks could do to them? Raping them? Killing them? Torture them? All three? No time to wonder; they were fleeing to the mountains. They took a road that was going up. They would be safe there. The raiders seemed to focus on the remains of the city. There was nothing interesting above. They found themselves near an old house itself next to a small forest area.

Breathless, they let themselves fall into the grass. The dog was panting but seemed to have calmed down. If there was a danger somewhere, he wouldn't think a second before attacking. Miho and Kinuyo trusted their Dogmeat.

The bags seemed to weigh a ton. They landed them heavily, then laid down on their back, until their hearts stopped beating wildly after that moment of panic.

"Now you see part of the reason why I didn't want my friends to follow me in the wasteland", Miho muttered.

"We didn't actually know that it their food... it could simply be someone else's. Someone who left their home for a vault when the alert was given. But the most important thing is that we could find some extra food."

"And even... imagine we would have been starving, there would have been no quarter. In any case, they won't find us here. And if they try anything, Dogmeat will know what to do..."

Kinuyo, having understood what Miho meant, giggled a bit.

"I don't think they'd take such a risk", she said.

"No", the ginger replied. "The kindest ones often become the most violent ones when they're angered..."

"I prefer not to imagine what would happen if Dogmeat had to attack to defend us", Kinuyo laughed.

"We should get up, shouldn't we?" Miho chuckled. "We're laying on the grass..."

"Not a bad idea", the other ended.

They sat up. The world was no longer what it used to be, but the nature was still wonderful. Magnificent. The sunlight still illuminated the lands of Japan. It wasn't too hot: just the right temperature to feel good. In addition, the sky was clear: it was unlikely that it would rain that night. It was one of the best times for a night under the stars, as they did since they both got out of their respective vaults.

"Hey", Miho murmured. "Before I came, did you have someone in your life?"

"Not really. Something happened with Tamada, but it was very short, much like a harmless affair. It lasted like, four, five days? Hosomi didn't even notice it, if you want to know... I think that's partly why her loss has hurt me even more... Don't worry, we weren't to the point of, you know... doing it... but in the end, I felt nothing more than friendly love towards her. And you ?"

"A friend of mine had a crush on me since the beginning", Miho said, smiling. "Yukari Akiyama, the loader of our team. She admired me greatly, respected me more than anyone and I sensed there was something else. But she never tried to actually flirt, probably out of fear of rejection. I wouldn't have been against the idea of being with her, but I was afraid to mess up our friendship if I did. Yukarin was an adorable person, you know. You really would have got along with her."

"Oh", Kinuyo said. "Finally, it seems that we were meant to end up together. Sometimes, life's full of surprises. I knew I was going to leave that prison called Vault 64, but I never expected to find such a person, especially having my life changed by this person herself."

She grabbed Tamada's urn and laid it next to her. Miho remembered when this poor girl had fallen with a thump, dying on the tatami, just in front of the opening that faced the outside, under the stars, after this magic moment with the few fireflies that were here, and had struggled to pronounce her last words, killed by radiation fever... She felt her throat tightening. She didn't have enough time to get to know her more and she regretted it.

Kinuyo squeezed her gently and gave her a small, quick kiss near the lips. Miho was starting to feel hungry: she knew very well what would please her partner.

"Sukiyaki beef tonight?" Miho said, smiling.

"With pleasure!" her girlfriend replied enthusiastically.

They prepared the dinner together, not without sometimes saying unbelievable nonsense that made them burst out laughing. Macaroons would be for the next day. Kinuyo was so eager to eat sukiyaki that she was terribly excited. When she was served, she almost pounced on the food as if she was starving: she had missed this dish so much that she was savouring it as much as possible. Miho loved it too, but preferred canned yakitori. It was the first time they enjoyed a meal so much since the bombings. Even the rice wasn't giving them the same effect.

Dogmeat, probably for the first time since long too, had dog food. He seemed to prefer corned-beef, but he was always happy to receive his food ration. He wasn't asking for much: love and food. He was loyal to Miho and Kinuyo, as if he had finally adopted them.

Tonight, the grass was their only mattress ; they had no desire to move from this place. It was only for one night, but it was almost like their house now. They didn't even need their blanket: the temperature was sufficient to allow them to sleep just lying on the grass and earth, that was both hard and soft at the same time. Looked after by the moon, they relaxed and were able to feel serene. The reassuring scents of nature they loved so much allowed them to sink into sleep soon...