I'm still alive and still working on this story. Just doing a bunch of other things at the moment. I do plan on finishing this story, but it will be very slow in updating. Sorry for that.

This chapter came out a little weird. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. I can't even kind of try to sort of write the characters how they should be, as I have no idea how they were to begin with. I'm just going where the drama takes me.

Runners are the first stage of infected. They run fast and eat you. Not sure if I ever mentioned that before in this story. I think I called them screamers or something before. I think in the game they are referred to as both things. I think I think too much.

THIRTEEN

Jigen groaned as he opened his eyes, quickly squinting as the morning sun filtered brightly in through the windows. He closed his eyes tightly before opening them again, glancing at his surroundings as he tried to figure out where he was.

"Why is..." he wondered, everything around him upside down.

Things became clearer as he looked up at his leg, a chain wrapped tightly around it as he hung suspended from the ceiling.

"Shit," he sighed, the events that led him to his current predicament coming back to him.

It all began when he and Goemon ran into a hoard of infected. Panicked at the size of what they now faced, the two ran. With no plan and a lack of time to come up with something, they ended up separated. Wanting to take a short cut through some of the dilapidated buildings, Jigen ran towards the warehouse in front of him, right into the trap he now found himself caught in.

Angry at himself, Jigen muttered a few profanities under his breath as he stared at his leg, the chain strangling it just above his ankle. A sudden and loud shriek broke him from his disparaging thoughts and to the floor, his eyes opening wide as a group of a dozen runners and clickers ran erratically below him, their arms reached up towards their potential meal.

He reached back and grabbed the pistol that was tucked under his belt, pulling it out and aiming it at the group. He paused as he stared at the thin layer of red residue that covered his hand and arm.

"Oh no," he gasped, his eyes now staring at his bag as it was being trampled by the infected, it's contents scattered around on the floor. "Shit," he growled, now aiming at the infected and one by one shooting them in the head.

With every one that fell, the noise from the gun brought three more, the medium sized rectangular building filling quickly.

He disposed of eight infected before running out of bullets. Annoyed, he threw the gun at the large crowd and looked around for a way to escape. He bent up and grabbed the chain, but saw no way to free himself with his weight pulling on it. He reached up and tried again, this time pulling himself up and trying to take his weight off the chain.

He let out a short yell as the chain loosened from the rafter it was hanging over, dropping him four feet lower. He glanced down as the rotting fingers of the infected brushed against his clothing.

"Just hang on," he told himself, his hands gripping the chain tighter. He closed his eyes, attempting to drown out the awful screeching and snarling while trying not to think about the situation he was in. "Just don't let go. Don't let go..."

His adrenaline pumping, he looked up and started to climb the chain. He pulled himself up enough to get his leg free, but still had nowhere to go. He eyed the rafter, thinking he could climb to it and then from there escape onto the roof.

Sweating hands prevented him from making much progress, his body sliding lower and lower towards his death. "Come on," he muttered as he climbed up one foot, only to slide back down two.

The rafter now not an option, Jigen looked around the room. He thought maybe he could swing his way towards one of the walls and land away from the infected, giving him a little room to make a run for it. It wasn't the greatest plan, but it was the only one he felt he had.

He started to swing, kicking his legs back and forth as he gained momentum. When he got high enough he closed his eyes and let go, his body soaring through the air and landing about twenty feet from the infected.

He let out a pained scream as he landed, the foot that had been wrapped in the chain injured, the ankle badly sprained. The pain shooting through his body, he fell to the ground.

The infected shrieked and ran towards their wounded prey.

"Damn it," Jigen said as he struggled to his feet and started to hobble away from them. He looked over his shoulder as the group quickly gained on him.

He no longer cared about the pain, but couldn't force his body to run like he wanted. He stared at the door in front of him, happy when he reached it, but not happy when it was locked. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he yelled as he struggled with the handle.

The first runner reached Jigen and grabbed onto him, it's putrid breath breathing on his face as it tried to take a bite of the flesh it craved.

Jigen kept the runner at arms length, struggling with it as the others closed in. A second runner came at his right, forcing him to grapple with an infected with each arm.

He let out a yell as his strength wained, the infected now all around him. Unable to fight anymore, Jigen looked up at the ones who would eventually end his life. "I'm sorry Ren," he said, a smile coming to his face as stared at the snarling creatures before him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, about to give up when a loud crash echoed throughout the building.

The walls shook and the windows rattled, debris flying towards the crowd of infected, which were soon crushed underneath the large military transport truck that sped towards them.

The attention of the infected now on the truck, Jigen was able to toss the two he still held away and leap out of the way of the truck.

The trucks tires locked and screeched, the vehicle eventually slamming into the wall and stopping. The drivers side door opened, Goemon jumping from it. "Jigen," he yelled. "Behind you!"

Jigen, laying on the floor and covering his head from flying debris and body parts, lifted his arms and looked over his left shoulder as a clicker ran towards him. He didn't have much time to act before the clicker was on top of him.

"Jigen," Goemon yelled as he rushed towards him. He grabbed the clicker and pulled it away from his friend. Placing his hand on the back of it's head he slammed it's face into the pavement repeatedly until it stopped moving before tossing it away.

"You okay?" Goemon asked, worried when he got no response. He rushed over to Jigen, then smiled when he saw his friend alive and unbitten, only unconscious.

Goemon looked back as screams filled the air, a small group of infected running towards the warehouse. He looked down at Jigen and picked him up, draping him over his shoulders and carrying him through the mangled mess of bodies and out a side door.

...

Jigen opened his eyes and gasped, sitting up quickly and looking around him.

"It's okay," Goemon assured him. "We're safe."

Jigen let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his face with his hands. "Where are we?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

"An old garage. The walls and doors are intact, so we shouldn't have a problem with anything getting inside." Goemon reached into a bag and grabbed a bottle of water, walking over to Jigen and handing it to him. "Here."

Jigen looked over and stared blankly at the bottle.

"It's clean," Goemon said. "The bottle has never been opened."

Jigen took it, unscrewing the lid and gulping down half of it. "Lucky find," he said as he handed the bottle back.

"Keep it," Goemon told him. "We have plenty."

Jigen looked around him, an unsure expression on his face. "Are we dead?"

Goemon only stared at him.

"We're dead, aren't we?" Jigen wondered as he stared at Goemon. "We're in a safe place, we have plenty of water... There is no way I survived that. This is all a dream, isn't it? I mean, you... and that truck and-"

"This isn't a dream."

Jigen shook his head. "No, it has to be. You found a truck that worked and crashed it into a building. No way that could have been real."

"It was real."

"All of it?"

Goemon nodded. "All of it."

Jigen stared off in thought before looking at Goemon in annoyance. "You almost ran me over!"

Goemon grinned. "Well, you always did say I was a bad driver."

"Yeah, because you drove like an old lady! Not a fucking maniac!" He stared at Goemon as a smile formed. "You stupid son of a bitch," he said as he started to laugh. "You drove through a fucking building!"

Goemon looked at him and smiled.

"I thought I was dead," he said, laughing elatedly. "Those things were all around me and then... and then..." His smile faded as he stared at Goemon in confusion. "Wait. We have plenty of water?"

Goemon nodded.

"Bottled water. Unopened bottled water."

"Yes," Goemon said. He walked over to a tarp that was draped over something and lifted it up. Underneath was cases of water and several boxes of canned and boxed food.

"Where...?" Jigen wondered as he stared at the items.

"They were in the distribution center."

"The distri- You made it to the distribution center." Jigen started to laugh again. "Of course you did!"

"They were in the back of the truck. I was going back for more when I heard the gunshots."

"The truck was there, too," Jigen said as he continued to laugh. "And now we have to carry all of this stuff back with us." He stopped laughing and grabbed a piece of wood next to him, throwing it at Goemon. "Why didn't you take this stuff closer to the apartment?"

Goemon dodged the piece of wood and stared at Jigen. "I apologize for saving you," he said with a glare.

"The apartment," Jigen muttered as he stared off. "Fuck."

"I'm sure Ren is fine. I fired off another flare shortly after the one you fired off."

"Thanks," Jigen said, feeling some relief, but still angry. "I didn't fire that flare, though. It must have fallen out of my bag and..."

"Oh." There was a couple seconds of silence. "So, that wasn't what was bothering you, then."

"Yeah, it was, but-" Jigen sighed and shook his head slowly as he stared off at the floor. "I fucked up." He lifted his head and stared at Goemon. "I completely fucked up."

"You panicked. We panicked."

"I could have gotten both of us killed. I mean, you did all of this," he said while motioning towards the water and food, "and what'd I do? I got caught in a fucking trap and almost got my stupid ass killed. And then my bag and the flare and..."

Goemon stared down at the floor. "I'm sure she'll understand."

"She won't. She'll be mad and yell at me, but, whatever," he muttered. "I deserve it."

Goemon rolled his eyes. "After all of this, why are you being so pathetic?"

"Pathetic?" Jigen said with a glare. "You think I'm being pathetic?! Let me show you how pathetic I can be," he threatened as he got to his feet. He started towards Goemon, yelling out in pain and falling to the floor when he put his full weight on his right foot.

Goemon rushed forward and helped him to his feet, wrapping an arm around him as he led him to a metal folding chair.

Jigen sat down in the chair and wiped the tears from his eyes as he breathed heavily, the pain from his ankle shooting up his leg. "Don't you dare say anything."

"I wasn't going to." Goemon stood back and watched as Jigen sat bent over in pain. "You couldn't have prevented any of this. Don't blame yourself for what happened."

Jigen said nothing as the pain he felt started to dull.

"When we get back to the apartment I'll wrap your foot and give you something for the pain," Goemon said before he started walking towards the supplies he obtained. "And Ren will be happy to see you alive. I doubt there will be a lot of yelling." He got to his bag sitting next to one of the cases of water and crouched down, digging through it and pulling out a small white rectangular box. "I was going to save these for after we got back, but I'm sure you can use them now," he said as he started back towards Jigen.

Jigen looked up as he was handed the box. He smiled as he took them. "Wow, I haven't seen one of these in a long time," he said as he pulled a cigarette from the box.

"They were in the glove compartment of the truck."

Jigen placed the cigarette in his mouth and dug through his pocket for a lighter. Finding it and pulling it out, he lit the cigarette and took a long drag before slowly exhaling the smoke. "Thanks."

Goemon nodded.

"Can't find these things anywhere," Jigen said as he held the cigarette out in front of him and stared at it.

"I guess a lot of people didn't want to pick up a habit that'd kill them," Goemon said as he walked over to one of the doors and peered out the window.

Jigen nodded as he took another drag. "They just waited and let the search for a cure do that for them."

"That isn't funny."

"No," Jigen said as he exhaled smoke. "It isn't."

Goemon walked to a spot on the floor and sat down, staring off into space.

Jigen finished the cigarette and flicked what was left away from him. "Hey," he said, looking at Goemon. "Do you think Lupin's still alive?"

"No," Goemon answered without pause.

"Oh."

"Do you?"

Jigen sighed as he stared off at the floor. He thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging. "He's been through a lot and always managed to survive. We all have." He looked over at Goemon. "I kind of figured you were dead, but then you showed up. And I'm sure you thought the same of me."

"I did."

"So what makes Lupin so different?"

Goemon looked at Jigen with a serious stare. "I left him alone with Fujiko. If the infected haven't killed him by now, she has."

Jigen stared at him for a second before laughing, Goemon joining him.

Their laughter faded and the two stared off in thought

After a few minutes of silence Jigen spoke. "So, how do we get all this food and water back to the apartment? I doubt I'll be much help with my foot all fucked up."

"I'll come back tonight and start-"

"You're not coming all the way out here alone."

"So we leave it here for the scavengers to take?" Goemon said in annoyance.

"No, of course we don't," Jigen scoffed. "We almost died getting this stuff."

The two stared off as they thought.

"I could always bring Ren with me," Goemon suggested.

"No."

"She could keep watch while I bring the items back."

"I'm still saying no."

Goemon sighed. "We're running low on food and we really need the water."

Jigen stayed quiet as he thought.

"She really should be brought out with us more," Goemon said. "She is capable of taking care of herself."

Jigen looked towards the ceiling and sighed. "Fine, but only if she's comfortable with the idea. If she has any doubts, she isn't going."

Goemon nodded. "If she decides to come with I promise to keep her safe."

Jigen looked over at him and nodded.

"We should be getting back before it gets too late." Goemon stood and walked towards Jigen. "Can you walk?"

"No, but I have an idea." He pointed to the far wall, where a wooden dolly was leaned up against it. He then looked at Goemon and smiled.

Goemon stared at the dolly and sighed.

They left the garage, Goemon finding a rope and tying it to the dolly, Jigen sitting on it comfortably as Goemon pulled him down the street.

With his back to Goemon and armed with Goemon's rifle, Jigen scanned the streets of anything that may be a threat. "Hey," he said, his eyes continually scanning in front of him.

Goemon continued pulling the dolly while keeping watch. "Yeah?"

"About Lupin." He paused, deciding against a long discussion about it. "You're probably right."

Goemon stared off with a pained look and nodded. "Yeah," he muttered in almost a whisper.

Jigen glanced over his right shoulder, looking at Goemon sorrowfully. "Whatever happened to him, it wasn't you fault."

Goemon said nothing.

Jigen sighed and turned back, continuing to watch the streets.

The trip from the garage to the apartment took them twenty five minutes. In those twenty five minutes they only ran across one clicker, Goemon taking care of it with a knife to the skull.

"If the streets are this empty it shouldn't take us any time to get the supplies back," Goemon said as he helped Jigen off the dolly and to the door.

"I'm still not sure about you guys going out at night."

"We'll be fine," Goemon assured him. "I have been taught to fight blindfolded," he boasted.

"Tch, braggart," Jigen muttered.

Goemon grinned as he opened the door.

"Don't move or I'll blow your head off!" Ren shouted as she came out from behind a corner, a shotgun held tight in her hands.

Over the shock of what greeted them, Goemon stared silently at her while Jigen glared. "Put that down before you kill someone," he yelled.

"Jigen," Ren said, a smile forming on her lips while tears started to fill her eyes. She dropped the shotgun and ran forward, arms wrapped around his waist as she held him as tight as she could.

"Hey," he said happily, his left arm holding her while his right hand tussled her hair.

"I thought you left me," she cried.

"I told you there'd be no yelling," Goemon said as he walked by the two and up the stairs.

Jigen gave him an annoyed look. He then looked back down at Ren. "I need to talk to you about something."

Ren pulled away from him, staring up in worry.

"Goemon was able to get a bunch of supplies, but we had to stash them somewhere. I fucked up my ankle, so I'm gonna be useless for a while. I need you to fill in for me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Ren said with a slow nod.

"I need you to go with Goemon to bring back the supplies. Are you okay with that?"

"Really?" The worry left her and she was soon filled with anticipation. "You mean it? I can go out on a supply run?"

Jigen nodded, a bit disappointed to see how excited she was. "Listen to Goemon and do what he tells you, okay?"

Ren nodded.

"And be careful."

"I will."

Jigen looked down at her and nodded. "Help me upstairs and then you can get ready to go."

"Okay," she said excitedly, getting on Jigen's right side and helping to brace him as he slowly limped up that stairs.

...

"I still can't believe you guys came back for me," Kai said while glancing behind him at Zenigata and Fujiko as they walked side by side. He looked ahead of him, to Lupin, who was walking ten feet in front of the group.

"I said we would," Zenigata said.

"Most people would have taken all of my food and killed me," Kai laughed. "Especially with how suspicious you two were. I don't even know why I thought I could trust you so much. Just being nice, I suppose."

Zenigata blocked out the man's words as he continued to talk, Kai becoming more open and personable with the group.

The four had been walking for almost three hours, traveling along the car littered expressway and now at the start of a very long tunnel. Their flashlights shining around them, they heard no noises and spotted no infected.

Packing what food of Kai's they could carry, the four were more exhausted than usual, their feet dragging as their pace slowed.

"Shishihara is on the other side of this tunnel," Zenigata said to Fujiko. "We'll stop there for the day."

Fujiko nodded, but said nothing.

Zenigata glanced over at her before continuing to look around him. "What you said to Lupin was pretty harsh."

"He'll get over it," she said tersely.

"He really does care about you. You know that, right?"

Fujiko only narrowed her eyes at this as she stared off in front of her.

"If he didn't he wouldn't have walked into a base filled with armed people to get you." Zenigata looked over at her and sighed. "Even I thought it was a stupid plan, but it worked, didn't it? You're here."

Fujiko sighed angrily. "Look, I don't really want to talk about this right-"

High pitched screams in the distance stopped her mid-sentence.

"Shit," Zenigata muttered as his heart started to race.

Kai ran back towards them. "Sounds like there's a bunch of them coming this way," he said in a panic. "What do we do?"

Zenigata looked around, spotting a wrecked semi ten yards in front of them. "We need to get to the semi. We can climb on top and hope they don't see us."

Kai nodded and rushed on ahead.

"Come on," Zenigata said as he ran forward, Fujiko following him.

"We're going on top of that semi," Kai told Lupin as he ran by him.

Lupin stopped and looked as Zenigata and Fujiko ran towards him.

"We need to move," Zenigata said to him. "Hurry up."

Lupin watched as they ran by. He said nothing and continued walking in a slow pace.

Kai reached the semi first and jumped onto the hood. He helped Fujiko up and they both scrambled onto the cargo trailer, turning their flashlights off as the crouched down.

Zenigata followed, getting on top of the trailer and watching as Lupin slowly walked by the semi. "What are you doing," he asked in a loud whisper. "Lupin."

Lupin glanced back and glared at him. He reached behind him and pulled a steel pipe with a knife duct taped to it from his backpack. He got to the front of the semi and stopped, gripping the pipe tightly as he waited.

"Are you insane?" Zenigata said as he crawled to the front of the trailer and glared at Lupin.

Fujiko and Kai joined him as they watched, Kai seeming excited about the impending fight while Fujiko looked on in worry.

Zenigata started to make his way to the top of the cab when the first infected ran from the shadows.

The infected screamed as it raced towards Lupin.

Lupin stared it down and dodged it's lunge towards him. He brought the pipe back and drove the knife into the infected's head, kicking the now dead creature away from him as he pulled back and yanked the knife out.

Two more infected followed while a clicker straggled behind.

Lupin dealt with one of the infected as he did the first, killing it instantly. He spun and struck the next infected in the side of the head, yanking the weapon away and causing the blade of the knife to break off in the creature's skull.

The clicker rushed him from behind, it's hands reaching out towards him.

Lupin turned and hit it with the pipe, slowing the clicker down. He hit it again and knocked it to the ground. He stood over it and drove the end of the pipe into it's face.

The clicker let out a shriek and then stopped moving.

Lupin yanking the pipe from the clickers face and continued walking as the tunnel before him was quiet.

"Lupin, wait," Zenigata said and he jumped from the top of the cab to the ground and ran towards him. He grabbed Lupin's arm and pulled him towards him.

Lupin spun towards Zenigata and glared at him.

Zenigata was taken aback, Lupin's expression one of rage as the tears ran down his face.

Lupin yanked his arm away and turned, his head down as he continued on.

Zenigata looked back as Kai and Fujiko walked up to him. He gave Fujiko an annoyed look before staring back at Lupin. "We need to get out of this tunnel. It's starting to stink."

The two followed Zenigata as they got deeper into the tunnel.

...

Kai walked from the darkness and into the light, stopping and staring up at the sky. He inhaled deeply and sighed as he exhaled. "Fresh air," he said happily.

After Lupin had dispensed the infected the rest of their time in the tunnel was uneventful and quiet. Halfway to the exit they came upon an unsettling scene of carnage and death, their moods disheartened as they stared in shock at the cars and bodies piled up before them.

Although the images were still fresh in their minds, the fresh air and sunshine seemed to somewhat lighten their moods as they came to an interchange and stopped.

Zenigata pointed to some buildings in the distance. "We'll find a place there to stay for the night."

The others agreed and they walked down an offramp and into the small cluster of commercial buildings.

Lupin was in front, silently leading the group to one of the more secure buildings and walking through the broken door.

"Lupin, wait," Zenigata said in frustration. He sighed angrily and rushed after him into the building.

"I don't need your help," Lupin muttered as he started to search the area.

"Yeah, until you do," Zenigata said as he began searching the small offices towards the back of the building. He stopped when he got a stairway heading up.

Lupin pushed his way by and started up the stairs and to the door at the top of them.

"Stop," Zenigata demanded.

"Why?" Lupin spat as he glared down at Zenigata. He reached out and turned the door knob, pushing the door open. Suddenly a group of six infected rushed towards the opening, all of them on him before he could close the door.

"That's why," Zenigata growled, rushing up the stairs and helping to fight off the infected.

Lupin killed two of them before being shoved down the stairs, his body tumbling down to the floor at the bottom.

Zenigata killed two more before slamming the door shut. He backed off as pounds and screeches sounded from the other side.

"Are you okay?" Kai wondered as he rushed up to Lupin. "Did you get bit?" He quickly grabbed his testing device and put it to Lupin's neck, the lights on the small screen indicating he was clean.

Lupin sat up and shoved Kai away from him. "I'm fine," he growled. He stood up and limped off.

"What's up there?" Kai asked Zenigata, who was coming down the stairs.

"Storeroom," he answered. "And a couple of infected."

"Oh." Kai watched as Zenigata walked past him. "The first floor is clear. We found a place that might be good. A conference room, no windows, one door going into the place, outside a long hallway with two windowed doors on each end."

Zenigata nodded. "Yeah, sounds good." He glanced around. "We can set up some noise traps near all the doors leading in. Maybe put something on the floor in case scavengers get by those."

Kai nodded and the two set off to find items for their traps.

Lupin found his way to the conference room, limping inside and tossing his bag to the floor. He looked over at Fujiko, who was busy getting her bed ready. He inhaled to say something, but felt it better not to and remained quiet.

"The traps are all set up," Zenigata said as he and Kai entered the room.

"Anyone else starving?" Kai said with a laugh as he maneuvered his way past Zenigata and to his bag.

Zenigata nodded. "We'll eat and then start watch. One person on each door in the hall. We leave before sunrise, so if you start getting tired, wake someone up so you can get a nap in."

"So, who gets to go first?" Kai wondered as he was busy eating from the can of soup in his hand.

"We'll draw straws," Zenigata said.

Lupin looked down, then up at Fujiko. He sighed and started out the door. "I'll go first. I'm not very hungry," he muttered.

Zenigata glanced at him and then at Fujiko. "Fine. Kai, you take the second door when you're done. Me and Fujiko will take the second shift."

Kai nodded as he finished off the soup and grabbed another can.

Zenigata and Fujiko were silent as they ate, both staring at the floor as their minds wandered. Kai tried to start up a conversation, but saw that it was pointless. He remained quiet for the rest of his meal, finishing his third can of soup and leaving for the hallway.

Finished eating, Zenigata laid down some blankets on the floor and bunched up another for a pillow. He looked over as Fujiko was already settled into her bed, staring at her for a moment before he, too, lied down.

Fujiko turned onto on her back, staring up at the ceiling as the time seemed to slowly tick by. Unable to sleep, she turned over on her side and stared across the room to where Zenigata was laying. "Are you asleep?"

Zenigata rolled his eyes towards where Fujiko laid on the floor. "No."

"What you said earlier about Lupin... I know."

Zenigata sat up and leaned his back against the wall. He stared off at his lap as Fujiko spoke.

"I'm just afraid." She let out a long sigh and rolled over on her back, her eyes staring sleepily at the ceiling. "He comes up with some half-assed plan to save me and... What if I lose him because of it?"

Zenigata glanced over at her, but said nothing.

"I love him. I really do. And I don't need him running like some idiot into a building just to save me. I'm capable of taking care of myself, but he thinks he has to take care of me."

"You need to tell him this," Zenigata said. "Actually, you need to just acknowledge that he's here. You ignoring him isn't helping the situation."

Fujiko shook her head as tears ran down her temples. "I can't," she said, her voice breaking. "He'll want to know. And it'll kill him."

"It's killing him not knowing."

Fujiko was quiet as she wiped the tears away.

"He has to know," Zenigata said as he got up and walked towards her. He sat down beside her and stared into her eyes. "No matter how painful it is, he-"

"I lied."

"What?"

"I lied about everything," she said through pained sobs. "I was never in control. I tried, but... I was scared."

Zenigata stared at her in concern as he took her right hand in his and held it in comfort.

"They drugged me," she sobbed. "I woke up tied to the bed and... everything hurt. We talked." She shook her head and scoffed. "I talked to that asshole. He said he wasn't buying my act and he hit me. And then he..." Her body tensed as she thought back. "He said he wanted me awake so he could hear me scream. He told me what to say and when I didn't..." She sat up and lunged at Zenigata, hugging him as she cried into his shirt.

Zenigata wrapped his arms around her and held her gently.

"What if I'm pregnant," she said with a quivering voice.

"If you are, then we'll take care of it."

"How? We can barely take care of ourselves."

Zenigata gently pushed her away from him and stared at her. "Kumamoto. At the rate we're going it shouldn't take us more than a month to get there. And they'll have doctors and nurses and supplies."

Fujiko slightly nodded as she cast her eyes downward.

"And if you are pregnant and do have the baby, then Lupin can always help you raise it."

She quickly shook her head. "I don't want his help. I'd rather he forget about me. It's better that way."

"No it isn't. Without you he has nothing to live for."

"You're wrong. Without me he has nothing to die for."

Zenigata gave her a serious look and slowly nodded. "Get some sleep. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

"Thank you," she whispered, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. She pulled back and gave a slight smile before laying back down.

He stared at her for a few seconds before getting up and walking back to his bed.