Author's note: Took so long.. I'm sorry. I had my exams, a heat wave struck my country, and I just kinda ran out of time because I have so much to do now. ;; I will move homes at the end of the week, but I really hope I'll be able to write Chapter 49 quicker.

Enjoy this one!


"We've both been sound asleep
Wake up little Susie and weep
The movie's over, it's four o'clock
And we're in trouble deep"

- The Everly Brothers


The sun had already risen for some time, but it wasn't yet too hot when they were awoken by the light of day. It was hoped that a storm would crack, otherwise a heaviness like that would be less and less bearable.
Miho hoped to reach Kumamoto in the next few days. Within three days? Despite the heat, they would have to accelerate anyway. They would have to find Maho as soon as possible. They had never been so close to finding her. Miho could almost feel her near already. She felt less and less bereaved about Alice, it was a step. Her mourning was still going on... after all, it was true, crying and thinking about it wouldn't bring her back. And Kinuyo needed her. Maho too. Dogmeat too. The hypothetical others too.

Miho sighed and raised her head painfully, thinking back to Azumi who would never have the chance to see her family again. She was so close to her goal... but her life ended right at the worst moment. It was so frustrating. If they were still alive, they would wait for her... wait for her again and again, until they'd lost hope... and die as well? Was it possible to die from waiting, even while having enough food and continuing to live? Was it a death of the body, or a death of the mind? Would it be a physical-only life, the etheric having left the body after having yearned for so long?
Kinuyo, on her side, was petting Dogmeat. She said nothing, but the inexplicable feeling she felt more and more continued to grow. Her shoulders were hurting from being constantly clenched. She had pain in her neck and upper back. Even when trying to stretch her muscles, she couldn't get rid of the pain. Was it the stress of having to raid and put her life and Miho's in danger, in reality, which was disguised as apprehension about the meeting with Maho? It was almost impossible to tell. Not only was she terribly stressed, but she was also afraid it would show too much. It was a vicious circle. The more she felt stressed, the more she tried to hide it so Miho would see nothing and wouldn't worry, the more she hurt herself.
In any case, she counted on Dogmeat to help her cheering her partner up. The fact that they were getting closer to her sister helped a lot, but it was still difficult to get over the loss of someone as important as Alice was...

Miho searched in the bag and got out a biscuit ration, accompanied by some water. By raiding a small supermarket today, they would be able to get some food... anyway, they came to a point where they couldn't really do otherwise. The next 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart or Sunkus that would show up on their way would be their target.
Fresh products had given up the ghost for a while, but they would concentrate on dry products. If they had to eat instant noodles, rice or canned food, they would. As much as possible, one had to try to keep an almost normal diet, although they had never eaten as many preserves in their whole life.

Kinuyo looked at the biscuits and almost felt repelled. She wasn't sick, but... her appetite hit rock bottom. The more days passed, the less she wanted to eat. It was still this bloody feeling that gripped her. She was dying to get rid of it by talking to Miho... but... was it a good idea? It was so stupid, moreover... true, why make oneself sick out of apprehension? Maho was just a human being like the others, why was she so afraid to talk to her? In addition, they had already communicated. Kinuyo couldn't understand herself anymore. She started to have completely irrational fears.
Before Miho would start to look at her strangely because she didn't eat, she munched on a biscuit and tried her best to consume as much as possible. She drank water practically at every mouthful, for the sensation of swallowing was unbearable. It was as if anything passing in her throat ended up trapped there.

"Say, are you ready for our raid?" Miho asked.

"Yes, and I think I'll rather take a knife instead of a hammer, it's more manageable," Kinuyo replied. "The hammer is too heavy..."

Miho felt fearful. A knife..? Was it a good idea to leave a knife in her hands? Not that she would commit murder... but she was still afraid of suicide.
Still, she nodded. Kinuyo had the right to choose her weapon... and it's true, it would be smaller and manageable than a crowbar or a hammer. And above all, she had to calm down on paranoia... what would Maho think if she realized that her sister was such paranoid?

"Do you think they'll have taken everything before us?... I mean, my question is odd... but do you think there will be something left when we'll go in?" her lover questioned, seeming to reflect on something.

"In my opinion there will always be something," replied Miho. "It is impossible that they'd be still here if there was no food left. If we have to kill them all to search in their safe, we will do it... it's a matter of necessity."

"Food in a safe? I would rather put some money in it... well, even if money has no more value now... in any case, it's what I would have put if I had a safe. Maybe the urns too, if we really had to protect everything... our pictures... or maybe some other stuff."

"No, I didn't mean they'd put food in it," Miho said. "Rather, they would use it to hide weapons or something like that. Of course there must always be money. But nowadays, it's just bits of paper and metal... in fact, it's more or less what it has always been, except that it is no longer valuable."

Kinuyo, distracted, ate a little more than she seemed to have thought.

"I wonder what it's going to replace money when civilization comes back," she said. "It's weird, but I feel that some people's collections of beer capsules or Coca-Cola of some might prove to be useful. Hopefully, it will make the new world currency... or at least the new Japanese currency. Exit yen, hello caps."

"When you think about it, it's true... capsules vaguely have the form of coins, and it makes a nice sound when you shake a bunch of them. Good plan."

Dogmeat stood up and approached. Miho poured some water into the porcelain bowl and then finished her ration. She resumed:

"I still think civilisation will take some years to come back," she said. "On the other hand, there is a detail... we won't be able to do heads or tails. Such a shame."

"Yes," Kinuyo said after drinking a sip of water. "We can still do it. A coin is a coin, and whether it has value or not, we can still flip it anyway. But it would be like playing with a pebble. Maybe the coins will become the new ohajiki, or they will be used as pawns. A funny game with the old money of the century."

They got up and cleaned up before taking their stuff and the knife in the house. The hammer remained in the suitcase. Maybe it would still be useful, after all, it wasn't lost. They left with their dog.
Another fresh start to Kumamoto. There were... maybe two, three days of walking left? Four if they took a bit longer? By accelerating the pace in spite of the heat, they could cover this distance quicker.

No one seemed to follow them, despite the fear that came from Azumi's last recording. It was a good thing, although Miho was always on her guard. Kinuyo looked a little less attentive than usual. It was with no doubt from the hot weather, but she was always very careful.
Dogmeat, ultimately, was their ears. He could hear much more finely. He was also their nose, because the smells made his cells react more vividly. He wasn't their eyes, however. With two pairs of human eyes each with normal vision, there was not much more to ask for. After all, even the ghosts could possibly warn them. In the end, they were doing much better than they looked...

Miho suddenly remembered something. She had never known why Kinuyo had left her vault. Hosomi wanted freedom, Tamada probably too... but Kinuyo had been the one who had the idea to run away... but why? Why only with Hosomi, Tamada, and Fukuda? Why didn't you bring the others? Maybe it was just a matter of supplies... after all, the more people there were, the more often they had to replenish their stocks. Running out of food would have been quick. This probably explained why Teramoto, Hamada, Nagura and Ikeda weren't told to come.
And then, remembering that Ikeda suffered from bipolar disorder and that Nagura was in poor health, their survival would have been catastrophic. That was probably why she hadn't brought them with her. Miho thought back to Fukuda, who had remained in Vault 64, and who may be still alive. In the end, Hosomi and Tamada may have saved her life by deciding to abandon her at the last moment.
She was directly brought back to her own friends. She didn't even remember their voices and began to lose the memory of their faces, it was weird. As much as she remembered that of Maho, that of Alice's mother, or of her own mother, her memory went foggy when it was about her Ooarai friends. Was it the detachment that was progressing more and more?... Could Kinuyo recall the faces of her loved ones? Her own parents..? Tsuji-san..?... Or had the limits of human memory caught her up...?

One step at a time, under Kyushu's scorching sun, they approached the town of Yufu. The landscapes were already a little more urban. Soon they'd fine a convenience store and raid it. For the time being, there were not any on the horizon. Just for now, one or two inns, or just trees along the road. Those trees were still standing and still had foliage or needles, but they looked really dull. It wasn't quite the same colors as in autumn, but their summer green wasn't as alive. Radiation, even in small numbers, affected the plants. If they touched one of these little leaves, it would fall into pieces. The wood was easier to break than before, and many things had become fragile.
Miho wondered how much radiation had destroyed their bodies. No symptoms for now... but that didn't mean that the effects weren't there.

They approached a Lawson convenience store. Not surrounded by barbed wire or anything at first glance. As they walked from behind, they noticed that the glass of the doors had been broken. Dogmeat seemed more attentive, but not aggressive. Miho motioned to Kinuyo to hide a little farther.
They hid behind a sign. It indicated "LAWSON STATION".
It was oddly silent. The raiders might have gone away to loot a place, but there would probably be someone to watch for thieves.

"Shall we?" whispered the brunette, holding her knife firmly.

"Not yet," the ginger replied.

She turned to the dog, who looked at her. She pointed to the convenience store.

"Dogmeat, good boy, go and see if there are any people, and if so, bark and play the good dog so you distract them," she whispered, seizing the crowbar.

The dog looked at her for a few seconds, then trotted toward the store. Miho and Kinuyo held their breath. If he barked, it would be risky. They would have to take the opponent by surprise.

Three voices were heard. Dogmeat barked. He was a perfect lure. Who would fear such an adorable dog? Miho glanced at Kinuyo, who didn't loosen the grip on her weapon. She motioned for her to advance silently. They wouldn't crawl on the ground, but approach slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. It would be necessary either to steal supplies without being noticed, or to use violence to neutralize them. There wasn't much else to do with this kind of people, after all. Pacifism would only lead to death... they'd better bare their teeth.

Gently, carefully, they entered through the broken doors. A frightful odor of bad hygiene escaped from there. Kinuyo almost got back outside, feeling her head badly spinning from the strong smell, but managed to get better. There was a woman and two men. Miho looked to the left, Kinuyo to the right: they were not far from where they were. They slipped in another section, always in the utmost prudence. However, the dog trick wouldn't last forever. Miho took advantage of it to steal some cans, without even looking at what was in it. Food was food.

The voices came closer. Miho held the crowbar more firmly. Kinuyo was a little closer to the three raiders, trying to observe while remaining on guard. She was hiding her long knife behind her back, ready to stab by surprise at the first opportunity. Miho had never seen her like this before. She was so vigilant, so caught up in the moment, not wandering off in her thoughts.
Miho felt an unknown instinct crossing her body and soul. She had this need for violence. She would never have thought she would feel it one day... but she had a sudden urge to kill. Was it his protective instinct that took over because her loved one was in deadly danger? Or was it the call of food and the fear to starve that made her mind go almost animal?

She could see one of the two men not far from her position. Quickly, she hid and snapped her fingers. Kinuyo instantly turned her head and glanced at her. She waved her hand to tell her she knew what she was doing. Miho walked slowly, closer and closer to the raider, circling around a section to take him by surprise. Dogmeat still played to distract them. They'd likely kill the woman last.
Silently, Miho almost held her breath. The slightest noise could draw attention. After all, it wasn't during their first raid that they would have to die. And above all, not before coming in Kumamoto.

And suddenly, on an impulse, she struck the raider's neck with a strength she had never had before. Not even the violence with which she had slapped Kinuyo when she had failed to kill Alice. Much stronger. It was as if the adrenaline had increased her strength tenfold.
The raider barely had time to realize what happened: a kick to the legs made him fall. He was not very imposing either, about a head taller than Miho was. He screamed in pain, drawing the attention of the other two.
Kinuyo moved back unexpectedly, trying to hide, her eyes looking suddenly vague. Dogmeat barked louder and louder. Miho pointed to a strategic place to bite to paralyze their second opponent, while she continued to violently hit her victim's head with the crowbar, trying to break his skull. She no longer thought, she hit; he was no longer a human being, he was a prey; Miho was no more a person, she was a hungry predator.

Kinuyo felt trapped. The violence around her was far too intense. She was totally overwhelmed by what happened, and worse: she had never expected it. Fear paralyzed her, just like anxiety paralyzed her when her comrades charged against her will. She was losing control. She felt like she was going crazy. She wanted to help Miho, she wanted to do it, but was unable to make a move with the knife. The fear of murder. The thought she was going to snatch someone's life. The fear of missing her shot and taking one that would kill her.
It was visceral. Her guts were no longer organic, they were a pool of lava. Her heart beat so hard she almost heard it, and she couldn't catch her breath. The fight-or-flight response intensified. Her whole body trembled. How would she protect Miho if she was not even able to fight a raider?

A painful shriek was heard. Dogmeat had bitten the second raider in the right place. Miho, from behind, came all of a sudden and had this time got the hang of it. She struck hard with the crowbar, breaking the skull of the man at the first blow. The woman had disappeared. Miho looked for her, and realized that she was heading for Kinuyo, who still seemed paralyzed. But she couldn't take out the crowbar from the dead man's brain. She tried without success.

"Kinuyo! Look out!"

The brunette turned, ready to strike...
...and an inexplicable thing happened.

A Western-looking woman armed with a .44 Magnum, wearing a long coat and a hat, came out of nowhere. A shot was fired. The last raider, hit right in the head, died instantly and fell at their feet. Miho and Kinuyo barely had time to realize what was going on before noticing the mysterious stranger had disappeared. A long silence ensued.

"What the... did you see what I just saw?"

"I wonder who it was," Miho breathed, trying to track the mysterious stranger. "She came at the right moment..."

"She just saved our lives... she looked straight in my eyes for a very short moment before shooting, then I don't know what happened... she was just gone."

"She shot her in the head", replied the redhead. "And then... I think she vanished... well, I can't say much. It happened so quickly..."

Dogmeat returned to the couple. Miho petted him.

"Our good buddy is back," she said gently.

She got up and looked at what she had just done. The crowbar was covered in blood on the curved end. Kinuyo looked at the corpses, looking both frightened and interested.

"To think that I wasn't even able to fight in your place," she sighed.

"I prefer that rather than seeing you wounded or dead," Miho breathed. "If you don't feel ready to kill... don't push yourself. I can protect you."

"But I promised myself to do it..."

"Things can't always go your way, Kinuyo... come on, we take what we need and we go."

"Sure."

After collecting canned food, biscuits, dog food and water bottles, they left the convenience store and resumed their walk in the city of Yufu. Miho felt Kinuyo thinking of herself as not good enough. She thought about her own self-esteem. She had already felt that way... and understood perfectly. She thought of distracting her tonight. Maybe not have it off, but she would massage her to relax her muscles. A little physical contact didn't hurt, and she only wanted to comfort her. It tore her inside to see her beloved in such a mood.

On the map, a place caught her attention. A ryokan. The perfect place to be comfortable. Relive the memories of Miyazu. Relax. Miho said nothing to Kinuyo, but made sure to take the road that led to it.
Only Dogmeat looked at her with an interested look, as if he knew that she had something in the back of her mind. Kinuyo, despite her strong intuition, didn't seem to suspect anything. Everything went as planned. Miho knew that this little gift would please her and relax her a little. It was obvious that after such a fright, after such an event, it was necessary to distract them both, in order not to think of the three people they had to kill... or rather, Miho and the Westerner had to kill.

They entered the building. No need to book: they just took the key to one of the double rooms and went to put their belongings there. Dogmeat preferred to go outside, always curious to go and sniff everything he could.

"Beautiful" murmured Kinuyo. "You brought me here on purpose, didn't you?"

"Okay, I'll admit it, yes," Miho laughed. "After such a shock, you deserved it. And we both needed a calm place."

"Yeah, in addition to such a wonderful setting, you could hardly want to ask for better."

"And also... I have a little something for you," Miho said softly.

She took out the massage oil. The brunette's eyes lit up. She undressed and laid down on one of the two beds. In the evening, they would bring them closer together.

"This is the first time someone massages my back," Kinuyo said. "But I know that smell. When I was little, on some mornings, I could sense it from my parents' room... and I realized over time that this smell and the funny noises I sometimes heard from my room was a steamy night indicator."

Miho couldn't help but laugh. She poured a bit of oil and rubbed her hands together.

"Oh, you and your sketchy revelations! Though sometimes I heard strange things too... but when I asked my parents, they said it was just the TV. Problem is, one day Maho pointed out to me that the TV was never running at that time."

"Or how to mess up in the right way", Kinuyo replied. "They must have realized it at some point, didn't they? Or else they thought you were both stupid..."

Miho started gently massaging her upper back. The smell of the oil got to her nostrils. It felt so good. Her lover's tense shoulders hadn't yet begun to relax, though.

"I think they believed that because we were still small, we wouldn't question what they said... but we knew very well that things were going on. We didn't know what these things were, but you could sense that it was getting... agitated in there."

"Listen, when I asked my parents how babies were made, I thought my mother was going to die because she was trying not to laugh" Kinuyo told with a giggle. "Well, like every child, I learned how they were made..."

She seemed to hesitate a moment, then continued:

"...You're going to think of me as silly, but up to a certain age I almost believed we were plants because of that little seed thing, and I ended up being afraid of getting pregnant everytime I ate sunflower seeds. When we think about it... it's a weird way to picture it. A seed in a human body that would make a baby magically pop up? You've got to be kidding me..."

"I would have liked to see that, little Kinuyo who is learning how human reproduction works and who thinks she's a plant because of Daddy and Mommy's little seeds," Miho chuckled. "Jokes aside, could you please avoid moving too much? I really need to relax you."

Kinuyo gave a little amused sigh and went silent, leaving Miho to her business. The redhead didn't lose a single moment of her precious time... this time spent besides the love of her life, whom she massaged gently, sometimes pressing a little more on the harder spots. Her muscles were slowly starting to decontract. The smell of massage oil was so sweet, in addition.
She felt, beneath these layers of flesh, her lover's bones. Lovely bones. They were more noticeable than at the beginning of the journey, but not to the point it'd get worrisome. They had both lost weight, anyway, and would probably start to get a little bit of it back once they'd get there. These bones... these delicate bones, hard to the touch like any other, slightly finer than her own. It was amazing how from one human being to another, even the skeleton could differ. These bones... which would be the last remain of her body when she would...

Miho didn't stop massaging, but couldn't get this thought out of her head. She thought of Azumi. Her bones were visible in some places. The putrefied flesh would have disappeared one day, and she would be no more than a skeleton in the middle of an old rice paddy.
Alice, Tamada... they would never have to endure this horrible cadaveric metamorphosis.
And Hosomi... was nothing more but remains after being a mutant bear's meal.

Kinuyo was definitely more relaxed after almost half an hour getting massaged. Miho felt it. Her lover's pulse was almost slower than usual. Her whole body was no longer a clenched mass, imprisoned in its own fibers, it was a body that was completely free of these toxins that assaulted it.

Miho took her hand. Kinuyo raised her head slightly and looked at her affectionately. One who gazed at her eyes could feel how much she thanked her. Her mouth was nowhere as expressive as her stare anyway.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Do I ever... I've never been so relaxed in my life."

Miho crouched and kissed her lips lovingly. It was going to be a great evening tonight. They would try to enjoy it as much as possible. Their last nights of road before arriving would be precious...