GKC: What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter of "The Dead's Reaper".
KRD: That's right! And it's back on the road again, and next stop is Yamato's house!
GKC: A yakuza house. Stocked with possible weapons and supplies. A survivor's wet dream.
KRD: I think Reaper will have an orgasm if he sees the stockpile of weapons… -_-
GKC: No… he'd probably have a seizure along with Hirano.
Now for the disclaimer: I do not own, except my OC, Resident Evil or Highschool of the Dead. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!
Resident Evil: The Dead's Reaper
Chapter 7: The Second Encounter
With the Humvee they 'borrowed' from Shizuka's friend, they made their way from the duplex and the horde of 'them'. Right now, they're heading to Yamato's home to acquire more weapons and supplies for them to use before they cross the river.
"Ne, Kusanagi-kun. How far is your place from Rika's home?" Shizuka asked, as she drove the Humvee.
"Who's Rika?" Takashi asked.
"Ah, I knew I forgot something!" Shizuka bopped her head playfully. "My friend's name is Rika Tajima, a Sergeant in JSDF."
"Hm, must be a pretty impressive soldier to acquire the funds to get this Humvee and those guns." Reaper comments.
"That explains why she can afford her own place and have lots of weapons." Yamato surmised.
"Yeah, no wonder." Kurogasa concurred.
"My home isn't too far from here, but we may have to take a detour just in case we run into any of 'them'," Yamato answered.
"Unsurprising at this point." Reaper remarked.
"Huh? Why is that?" Shizuka asked.
"Besides the girls, none of us guys have really taken some good rest or sleep. We're literally running on fumes here," Hirano answered as he yawned.
"Yeah, I haven't really slept." Kurogasa yawned as he leaned on Rei for a bit.
"You have no right to say that. After all, you did do 'it' with Miyamoto-san," Yuki snarked and they blushed red at the mention.
"Are you kidding me right now? Damn you and your teenage hormones." The super soldier cursed. "I was up to my neck in undead and you two were busy breeding like rabbits."
"It?" Their newest addition in the group, also the youngest, asked innocently. Her name is Alice Maresato, as she introduced herself earlier. She's in second grade and her father is… well, was a newspaper reporter for the city.
"It's best that you don't know, Alice-chan." Saya sighed and massaged her temples.
"Of course, I could let it slide if Miyamoto-san tells me all the details." Yuki smirked.
"I'm not telling anyone!" Rei huffed and looked away in embarrassment.
"Both of you shut up about that. This is not the time for gossip." The ex-Umbrella agent interjected with a hint of annoyance.
"Well anyways, we shouldn't be far now. Some more turns, and we will get into Yamato's house," Yuki said. "And then, we can get some rest for us."
"I'll be looking forward to some shut eye," Takashi yawned as he leaned next to Saeko who was already asleep sometime before. Not to mention that she was drooling too.
"We all are," Kohta said as he too yawned.
"Umm… I think we have a problem," Shizuka announced as she pointed forward. Lo and behold, there were several of 'them' ahead. Thankfully, 'they' didn't notice the group just yet.
"Damn it! So close!" Kurogasa cursed.
"It seems we have to go around 'them'," Saya noted sourly.
"Yeah. I'll give you the direction, Sensei. So drive on and we'll go around them," Yuki said to Shizuka who nodded.
"I guess a detour is scheduled," Yamato sighed.
The detour was taking longer than they expected since the neighborhood was littered with 'them'. But thanks to Yuki's guidance, they managed to get away from 'them' without having to fight their way through. And now they're stopped in front of a Japanese-styled house. It wasn't as big as they expected, considering Yamato's father was a politician and his mother was the heiress of the Mitsuhane Yakuza. It still looked impressive, though.
"So this is your home, Senpai?" Kurogasa asked.
Yamato-senpai nodded. "Yeah. Let's go in." He then reached for the handle, only to find the gate was locked. "Huh? It's locked." He knocked on the door and a roguish voice replied to him.
"Go away! We don't accept refugees here!"
"Sheesh, how rude!" Saya snapped.
"I said go away!"
*KACHINK!*
"Oh shoot… get back!" Yamato warned as everyone backed away.
*BANG!*
A shotgun bullet ripped through the air from the peephole and thankfully, it didn't hit any of them.
"I said we don't accept refugees, you twits!"
"You are the twit, you idiot! Did you realize you almost shot the son of your boss lady, Sawada!?" Yuki shouted. There was a gasp from behind the gates and peephole. A pair of eyes widened in shock before the peephole closed and the gates opened, revealing a Yakuza member with a shaved head.
"B-Bocchan!? Yuki-Jouchan!?" the Yakuza gaped.
"Oh, now you notice." Yuki rolled her eyes before stomping over to him and pulled his cheeks. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING TRYING TO SHOOT US, HUH?!"
"ITETETETETETETETE! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"
"Not so loud, guys! Let's go in," Yamato as he ushered the group in. "Now, mind telling us why you did that?"
"Sorry, Bocchan. The last time we let someone in, they had someone already bitten with them. Those idiots made me kill Shingo and Yuzuki…" Sawada apologized.
"What? Shingo and Yuzuki?" Yamato gasped before he cursed. "Damn…"
"Sorry, Bocchan. It had to be done," Sawada looked down in shame. "Because of that, Boss Lady told us to not accept anyone in except for you and your friends."
"I see. Is Okaa-san still here?" Yamato asked.
"No. She needed to take off and meet with Souichiro Takagi at their estate. She went there with Yukari-Jouchan and Yuuhi-Jouchan. Yahiko-dono already went there before them."
"My father's?!" Saya gasped.
"Yokatta… at least my sisters are safe." Yamato sighed in relief.
"Looks like we have a common destination now," Kurogasa said.
"If we're going to get them, we'll need either a bigger vehicle or more transportation. There's hardly any room in the Humvee as it is." Reaper comments, making Sawada gape in silent shock at the armored soldier.
Yamato nodded at that before turning to Sawada. "My friends and I need a place to rest for now since we haven't really slept for three days. We're busy fighting against 'them' and right now we're on fumes."
"I'll get the boys to set some futon for your friends, Bocchan," Sawada replied. "Uh, sorry about earlier. We're still jumpy and wary to anyone thanks to what happened."
"No it's okay. You guys have been through a lot." Yamato waved off with a sad smile. "Thanks for helping us out."
"Yeah, we really appreciate it," Kurogasa added with a small grin.
"You folks really deserve some credit for helping our Bocchan here. You'll get the hospitality of the Mitsuhane Group here and I guarantee it!" Sawada grinned. He then turned to one of his men, "Oi! Get your asses moving! Bocchan and his friends need some place to crash and treat 'em like they're one of our own!"
"On it, Boss!" the Yakuza member saluted as he went away.
"And we also need some weapons and supplies too. We plan to meet up with our parents at the Takagi Estate."
"You got it!" Sawada grinned before he too left, but before that, Yuki added.
"Have someone secure the Humvee we came with! It has our supplies too!"
"I'll get Jouji to do that!"
With that, they finally entered the Kusanagi house as the gates closed behind them.
"Ughhhhhh… finally…" Kurogasa sighed in heavy relief as he went to the outside onsen and dipped in, relaxing for the first time in a long while.
"You're telling me… Now I get why the girls got high back in Shizuka-sensei's friends' place," Takashi replied as Kohta nodded.
"I could get used to this…" Kohta sighed in content.
"Well enjoy it while you can." Reaper said. "Because as soon as we resupply and rest, we have to keep moving."
"Reaper's right. No matter how much I want to stay here, we have our own priorities right now," Yamato added.
Kurogasa was silent for a while as he dipped his head halfway into the warm water.
"What's wrong, Kuro?" Takashi asked.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just… thinking about my parents." He said after taking his head out of the water. "I just hope they're okay."
"I'm sure they're alright. Don't lose hope, Kurogasa-kun," Yamato assured.
"I know. Kaa-san can take care of herself since she's a kendoka expert. Not sure about Dad though. He always gets into trouble and gets saved by Kaa-san every time."
"Say, Senpai. Just how big is your mother's Yakuza group?" Takashi asked curiously.
"The Mitsuhane Group is amongst the Big Five in Japan's Underworld. Unlike many however, not all of their activities were illegal or crime related, mainly because Ojii-san is an honorable sort and somewhat picky in picking up jobs," Yamato answered as he splashed some water to his face.
"At least there's some hope in humanity." Kurogasa scoffed good-naturedly.
"Amen to that." Yamato chuckled.
Reaper huffed, folding his arms over his scarred chest. "Don't always believe in that word." He stated.
"Say, what do you think the girls are doing right now?" Kohta asked before he grinned a little lecherously. "Wanna peek on them?"
"I'm not going to do that." Kurogasa groaned.
"After what you and Rei did, I'd say otherwise." Yamato smirked, making his kouhai flinch with a blush.
"Urusai," Kurogasa deadpanned at him.
"Idiots…" Reaper said under his breath while washing his face with some of the water.
"Speaking of which, what's your relationship with Satonaka-san?" Takashi asked Yamato.
"Yuki and I are childhood friends. We went to the same elementary school and in the same class. Her parents died in a traffic accident when she was in the fourth grade. She went into a depression for some time before I snapped her out of it. And since then, she lives here and Okaa-san already thought of her as her own daughter," Yamato-senpai explained.
Takashi, Hirano, and Kurogasa looked at each other before they asked him.
"So… she lives with you," Takashi started slowly.
"Yes."
"And your mother thought of her like her own child," Hirano added.
"Yes. What's your point?" Yamato asked curiously.
"Trying to figure out if you two are… you know…" Kurogasa said.
"What?" Yamsto asked, feeling lost and confused.
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Kurogasa deadpanned.
"What are you trying to say?" Yamato was genuinely lost.
"Are you two like… me and Rei? Lovers?"
There was silence before Yamato sighed and looked incredulous. "How in the world did you come to that conclusion?"
"Well you two grew up with each other so I'm thinking that there should've been something between you two. Like a spark." Kurogasa said.
"What spark?" Yamato asked and they all groaned.
"A talented swordsman, but dull as a rusty katana," Kurogasa facepalmed.
"Damn, this is really painful to watch and hear," Takashi also facepalmed.
"So everyone does have their weird side," Hirano deadpanned.
"…For some reason, I felt really insulted at that," Yamato replied, his eyebrow twitching.
"That's because it was an insult." Reaper said bluntly, much to Yamato's incredulous shock.
Meanwhile with the girls…
"Sensei…" Rei said to Shizuka as the girls were in one guest room. "Since I didn't use… protection… How long do you think I have before the symptoms show up?"
"Symptoms?" Shizuka looked at Rei for a moment before gasping in realization. "Oh, you mean after you and Kurogasa-kun did the nasty!" She said rather childishly.
"Sensei~" Rei pouted in embarrassment.
Shizuka smiled apologetically, "Sorry, sorry," She waved her hands a little frantically. "But to answer your question, I guess if you really do end up getting… well, pregnant then you might experience nausea first then after that are the mood swings and the strange food cravings. But getting pregnant is a 50-50 chance of that actually happening."
"But… how long?"
"Normally it would be two to three weeks before the symptoms start showing."
"Two to three weeks…" Rei murmured.
"You should've waited until all of this was over…" Saya frowned.
Saeko decided to give her kouhai a break, "Now, now, everyone has those desires at some point. It can't be helped if a man and a woman want to express themselves that way."
"I just… when Kuro told me about Tall Oaks… I had to do something." Rei said. "I wanted him to know that he wasn't alone… he's suffered for so long, and I wanted to be there for him… That's why I…"
"That's why you slept with him without a second thought." Yuki said bluntly.
"…Yes." Rei meekly nodded.
"It's as I said before, as long as you two are happy, then who are we to judge?" Saeko smiled.
"I'm not changing any diapers if you do have a baby." Saya vehemently said.
"Even if I asked you to be their godmother?" Rei asked.
"I'm too young to be a godmother!"
"But think about it. You and Reaper as godparents?" Saeko teased. "Their kid is going to be quite the troublemaker from being taught by two badass godparents while Rei and Kurogasa-dono are going to nurture their caring side."
"We're not together!" Saya screeched, despite the heavy blush on her cheeks, making the girls laugh.
"But in any case, if you do get pregnant, we'll help you out." Yuki assured Rei. "After all, especially in times like this, a baby could be a symbol of hope for the future." the girls stared at her in slight surprise. "What?"
"That was pretty philosophical of you." Saya commented.
"I-I was just speaking my mind, is all." Yuki stuttered, looking away.
"We all have those moments." Saeko chuckled.
After taking a refreshing bath that they all needed, they finally headed to the dojo which was converted into a makeshift bedroom with everyone. Yamato and Yuki even joined them there even if they have their own bedrooms. They said it was easier to be in one place just in case they have to evacuate the house.
"Man, finally! We can have some shut eye!" Takashi sighed in relief as he plopped to his futon.
"Mhmm… A good night's rest is something we all need," Saeko replied as she too laid on her futon.
"Yeah, I'm ready to sleep." Kurogasa said as he laid on his.
"And no sleeping together with Kururugi-kun, Miyamoto-san." Yuki warned. "We don't need to wake up to the two of you doing 'it'."
"Gah! Of course not!" Rei denied while blushing red.
"Hai, hai, that's enough. Remember we have a child here," Yamato said as he gestured to Alice who was holding the dog that Reaper picked up together with her, which they called Zeke.
"Geez, be more subtle," Saya scolded.
"I didn't get explicit." Yuki said. "And besides she doesn't know what 'it' is."
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…" Hirano snored loudly on his futon.
"At least he has the right idea. See you guys later." Takashi said before going to sleep.
"Good night everyone." Shizuka said before the same happened as she quickly fell asleep on her futon.
"It's still noon, though," Alice pointed out.
"Everyone is tired so we need as much rest as we can." Saya sighed. "And I'm tired too, so let's get some sleep."
"Okay." Alice said before she went to lay on her futon with Zeke curling up next to her.
While the group were sleeping, Reaper was out patrolling the streets, eliminating any undead bastard that stood in his path.
After he had finished bathing, he recollected his armor after it had been thoroughly cleaned of all the blood and urine that got on its surface, and informed the yakuza guards that he was going out to patrol the streets. He took with him an MP5 customized for silent running missions complete with a silencer, red dot sight, a foregrip, and an extended ammo magazine clip. On his hip holster was his M9, outfitted with a laser sight, a silencer, and FMJ-laced bullets.
He had been patrolling for a while, but something definitely seemed off. He hasn't seen the Tyrant in quite some time. In fact, it's a miracle that he wasn't found during the time they were staying at Shizuka's friend's house. Unfortunately, that did little to calm his nerves since he knew from experience that the Tyrant was a relentless hunter and will never stop pursuing its target.
"Well, well, never thought I'd see you take up the mantle of Reaper again, Nocturne."
Reaper immediately turned around, his weapon aimed at who was speaking to him. But when he did, he saw someone he did not expect.
Standing in front of him was a woman in her mid-30's with short black hair that framed her face in a bob-like style and had hazel eyes. Her clothes consisted of a red long-sleeved shirt with a high collar, and her lower half were a pair of tight black leather pants held together by a belt and black calf-high boots.
"Ada Wong?" The clone said with mild surprise.
"Long time no see." Ada smirked softly.
"What the hell are you doing all the way here in Japan?" Reaper asked, lowering his weapon. "Aren't you supposed to be with Leon?"
"Sorry, but that's my little secret right now." The Asian woman wagged her finger like she was talking to a child.
Crimson eyes narrowed behind the armored helmet, "What sort of angle are you playing this time? Acting like another double agent for Umbrella? Or is it for Blue Umbrella?"
"Hmhm, what do you think?" Ada smiled wryly.
Reaper scoffed, "It's none of my business. Even if you were working for the bastards behind this outbreak, I doubt you'd get anything out of it."
"For once, you're right." Ada said, again mildly surprising the clone. "The whole world's already gone to hell, I won't profit from anything if it's gonna end. So… I might as well do a bit of Samaritan work." She shrugged.
"If I had a dime for every time I heard that." Reaper deadpanned. "We both know you're only looking out for yourself, no matter what your intentions are. So long as it benefits you in the end."
"Maybe, maybe not."
"How about you start talking about why you're really here."
"I told you, a bit of Samaritan work." Ada repeated. "To be more specific, currently working on a possible lead."
"For?"
"What else? The source of the world outbreak." Ada answered. "I don't have conclusive evidence at the moment, but when I do, you'll be the first to know."
"And what do you want in return when you give me that information?" Reaper inquired.
Ada smirked, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret."
"Figures…" Reaper groaned, rolling his eyes behind his mask. "Fine, keep your secrets."
"That's what I planned to do anyways," Ada said before she took out her grappling gun. She gave the super soldier a wink, "Catch you later." And with that, she pulled the trigger and the grapple hook shot out before attaching to a building and she sprung away like a certain spider hero.
"Che… you're right, Leon. Ada is a piece of work." Reaper scoffed before going back to patrol.
When Yamato woke up, he realized that the sun was setting on the horizon. He looked around to see the members of the group still asleep. He was thinking about getting more sleep when his stomach rumbled. "I guess it's almost dinner time," Yamato said as he stood up and stretched his body to loosen up and get rid of the kinks.
He walked out of the dojo and saw the Yakuza members of his mother's family bustling around to prepare for dinner.
"Smells good." Yamato greeted, making the Yakuza members notice. "What's for dinner?"
"Ah, you're awake, Bocchan!" replied a Yakuza member wearing sunglasses. "You're just in time for your favorite! We're having curry tonight!"
"Can't wait for that," Yamato grinned. "Say, where is Sawada? I need him to get our group armed and supplied before we're heading to Takagi estate."
"He's on guard duty." He said. "Oh, speaking of, here. Sawada wanted you to have this." He then showed two sheathed katanas. "Figured a couple of your friends could use an upgrade."
"My thanks," Yamato replied. "But why only two?"
"Ah, the last one is special for you. Wait here, I'll have one of the boys to get it for you," the sunglasses wearing Yakuza answered before turning to another member. He barked a command and the other member did as he was told to.
Five minutes later, he returned with a beautifully sheathed katana. The sheath was dark blue with red strings wrapped near the hilt. The tsuba was rectangular and gold colored with intrinsic carvings decorated it. The hilt was wrapped in dark blue cloth with diamond patterns on it. Yamato took the katana and unsheathed it, revealing the wavy pattern across its cutting edge.
"Isn't this…"
"Yeah, it's a Tamahagane steel-made katana, the last and lost masterpiece of the Legendary Blacksmith, Masamune," the Yakuza member replied with a grin. "The Boss Lady wanted it to be your birthday gift, but considering that things turned to hell, today's good time as any."
Yamato gave the sword few practice swings and marveled at how right the sword was in his hand. "This is incredible. I'll be sure to thank Okaa-san for this katana when we meet."
"Happy to be of help, Bocchan. And you don't have to worry about the sword getting dull. The sheath's lined with sharpening stone to keep your katana sharp and deadly."
"Once more, you guys have my thanks," Yamato smiled as the Yakuza member grinned back at him.
"No problem, Bocchan."
"Ara, that's a beautiful katana you have, Yamato," Yamato turned to see Saeko standing in front of the dojo's entrance.
"Good evening, Saeko. How was your sleep?" Yamato asked.
"I slept well, considering how things are. I woke up because of the smell for dinner and I'm sure everyone will wake up soon," Saeko answered.
"Amen to that." Yamato chuckled. "Shall we then?"
"-ro, Kuro, wake up. Dinner's ready."
"Mmmmmmm… five more minutes Rei…" Kurogasa groaned, rolling over a bit.
"C'mon, everyone's waiting for you," He heard Rei trying to wake me up again.
"…I said five more minutes…" He mumbled and turned around so he could get more sleep.
"Please Kuro?" Rei asked nicely.
"Hehhhhhhhh… fine…" Kurogasa sighed as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I was having a good dream too…"
"About what?"
"You…"
Rei giggled at that. "Hehehe… you're such a sweet talker."
"What can I say? It took a zombie apocalypse to change me." Kurogasa shrugged helplessly, making Rei giggle more. "But seriously… the dream I had. We were together with the others, with no zombies around, and everything. It was… a normal day."
"It's a nice dream… but we can't always get hung up on it," Rei smiled sadly at that.
"You're right," Kurogasa replied as he slapped his cheeks and stood up. "Okay, let's join the others before we run out of dinner."
"Yeah." Rei nodded before she leaned up to kiss him, much to his confusion.
"Rei?"
"Don't worry Kuro. When all of this is over, I'm sure that dream of yours will one day come true." She smiled.
"I hope so too." Kurogasa smiled back. "And…" He said, before rubbing Rei's stomach. "Our child will have a future to grow up in."
"Seriously, the first thing you two do is get all lovey-dovey?" Yuki's voice asked.
"GAH!" They cried out in surprise, turning to see her leaning against the doorway. "Satonaka-senpai, please stop that!"
"Yeah, yeah, just stop rubbing it in my face, will you?" Yuki grumbled.
"Geez, what's wrong with you? Why are you so snarky?" Rei huffed as she placed her hands on her hips.
Kurogasa decided to take a shot in the dark and asked, "Senpai, do you… like Yamato-senpai by any chance?"
She nearly fell over at his words and looked at him incredulously. "W-Wha!? H-How did you-!?"
"Uh… the guys and I talked with him and… he's dense." Kurogasa said with a sheepish laugh.
"Really?" Rei asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah. He's so dense, it's too painful to watch," Kurogasa answered and cringed as Yuki curled on the ground with thick clouds of depression surrounding her.
"Haha… even my kouhai noticed… and that idiot… he completely missed it… haha… stupid, ridiculously strong, highly dense, idiotic swordsman…"
"Is, uh… is she alright?" Hirano asked as he came back into the dojo after washing his face.
"Hopefully?" Kurogasa winced.
"Um…" Rei spoke up to break the awkwardness. "So… Dinner?"
"Yeah, I'll meet up with you later. Let me just eat my stew of depression first." Yuki sulked.
"So far so good…" Reaper said as he continued his patrol. Everything seemed to be fine and there were no zombies to be found. So then why was…
"It's too quiet…" He said to himself. "Way too-"
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Something large and towering landed in front of him, cratering the road while dust billowed from the ground and when it cleared, there stood… The Tyrant!
"And I just had to jinx myself…" The super soldier cursed. "I was wondering when you'd show up, you pale-faced freak."
The Tyrant, called by Leon and Claire Redfield the call sign 'Mr. X', merely stared at the clone super soldier before it lumbered towards its target and threw a punch, forcing Reaper to roll out of the way. "Shit!" Reaper cursed before aiming his MP5 at the B.O.W, firing the 9mm bullets at the Tyrant. The bullets impact against the bullet-proof coat, sending sparks into the air.
The Tyrant walked towards the super soldier and went for another punch as Reaper used his own gun to block the blow. Unfortunately, the weapon was unable to handle the full force of the punch and was immediately shattered into pieces.
"Dammit!" Reaper snarled, quickly pulling out his pistol and fired five rounds into the Tyrant's face, stunning the creature as it fell on one knee. "Let's see if you'll still walk when I cut off your head." He pulled out his knife and went in to maim the bio-organic weapon's neck until an iron grip clasped his knife hand.
Mr. X's milky white eyes glared right into the ice blue optic eyes of Reaper's helmet, recovering from the bullets that hit its face.
"Oh, fuck me…"
In the next second, the super soldier was sent flying in the direction of the Yakuza compound…
Moments earlier…
Dinner was not exactly as they expected with Yakuzas around. They are less rambunctious and loud, but considering 'they' are around, noise was the last thing they needed. Not to mention, they're pretty decent people despite carrying the title of Yakuza. Take for example Sawada, who at first became a thief to get money for his sick mom and to take care of his sisters, but Yamato's grandfather took him in and made him a better person. To their surprise, he was also the nanny of Yamato and his sisters when they were young!
"Surprising, isn't it?" Yamato asked.
"Yeah. It's just… Yakuzas were never associated with good people before," Kurogasa answered as he ate his curry.
"You can thank Ojii-san for that. He's picky when it comes to new recruits. He always did background checks on each of them before he decides whether they were in or not," Yamato replied as he took another bite from his curry.
"What's with the fancy katana?" Takashi asked.
"Oh that? Heh, it's my mom's birthday present to me. It's a Tamahagane-steel katana made by the legendary Masamune himself." Yamato smirked, making Takashi's food go down the wrong pipe and pounded his chest.
Takashi took a glass of water and gulped it down. "For real?"
Yamato just smiled and put aside his plate for the moment and took the katana. He then unsheathed it a little and pointed at the section near the hilt. There was a carved stamp there and he knew what it meant. "See here? It's the seal of Masamune. Sometimes, he inscribed his signature on the blade he forged."
"Unreal…" Kurogasa said with awe.
"So how's your new katana? I hope you like it."
"Yeah, it's great." Kurogasa grinned. "Now I can double wield."
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
All of a sudden, everything suddenly shook.
"What was that?!" Hirano panicked.
"Looks like down time ended sooner than we thought." Yamato grimaced as he stood up and got his katana, as did Kurogasa and Saeko. The rest of them stood up too as they got their weapons ready, other than Shizuka, Alice, and Zeke.
"Don't worry, Bocchan! None of those freaks will get into this house! You can count on my life for that!" Sawada declared proudly.
"Sawada… You…" Yamato said, with a look of surprise.
"Go. You and your friends need to go to Don Takagi's house, right? Let some of us escort you to safety," Sawada smiled.
"Are you going to…" Yamato trailed off, but Sawada cut him off.
"Just go already! None of those freaks will ever taint this house, the house that you will go home to after all of this mess is cleared up!" Sawada then turned to the rest of his present members. "Alright, who here is ready to give their life for Bocchan and his friends!?"
"WE ARE!" They declared.
"You guys…"
"You got a good gang there, Senpai." Takashi grinned at Yamato. "I'm ready to get out of here."
"…Yeah," Yamato swallowed heavily before bowing to the Yakuza members. "Thank you so much for your dedication all this time."
"Stay safe, Bocchan," Sawada grinned softly. "We'll hold them off. Your humvee is fully loaded with more supplies and ready to go."
Yamato-senpai nodded before he turned the rest of us. "Alright, let's get to the humvee and get out of here ASAP! We'll head to Don Takagi's house at full speed!"
"Alright, boys! Arms up! Let's get those freaks out of our Bocchan's house!" Sawada rallied.
*CRAAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHHH*
Everyone looked shocked when they saw Reaper crashing through the building and slamming into a wall. "Ow…"
"Reaper!" Saya shouted as she ran over to him. "You okay?! What happened?!"
"Ugh… him…" Reaper groaned, pointing at the perpetrator that was Mr. X.
"Shit! Him again?!" Takashi cried out in dismay.
"All of you… run now… this is not something… you can fight…" Reaper groaned as he forced himself to stand.
"Damn… alright guys, let's book it to the Humvee! Quick!" Kurogasa ordered. The group nodded as they and the Yakuza made their way.
"Saya… go with them, I'll catch up."
"And leave you with him?! No way!"
"You're gonna die if you stick around! Go!" Reaper commanded, aiming his M9 while holding his combat knife in his non-dominant hand.
The pink-haired girl was conflicted in leaving her crush but reluctantly nodded and left the super soldier to face the B.O.W.
Unfortunately, the commotion got the attention of zombies from outside the compound. As soon as they got outside, there were a few of the gang members shooting some of them with their guns. Kurogasa moved in and quickly slashed them with his katana, decapitating their heads.
"HAAAAAAAAAAH!" Yamato yelled as he blurred away and hacked any of them that were caught by his katana.
"Eat lead!" Satonaka fired bullets after bullets at any of them in her sight. When she ran out of ammo, she quickly ejected the empty magazine before loading a new one swiftly and fired again.
"Time to rock and roll!" Kohta said before she started shooting with the modified AR-10.
"Take this!" Takashi shouted as he swung hard with the baseball bat he kept with him since escaping the school.
"HAHHHHHHH!" Saeko shouted, slashing another with her katana.
"C'mon, we gotta buy time for Bocchan!" Sawada ordered as he fired his AK-47 at the horde of 'them'. He then took a grenade and pulled the safety pin before throwing it. The explosion took a lot of 'them' in one go, not to mention, the explosion distracted 'them' long enough.
"Now's your chance, Bocchan! Go!" said the sunglasses wearing Yakuza as he also threw two more grenades.
"Alright! Let's go, everyone!" Yamato ordered.
Meanwhile, Reaper contended with the Tyrant, firing his handgun at the humanoid creature while also avoiding its wild yet powerful blows from hitting him. When the Tyrant got in range, Reaper used his knife to slash its wrist but the armored cuffs protected the flesh. However, that did not stop the super soldier from jumping into the air then delivering a powerful roundhouse kick that slammed right into the Tyrant's face, twisting the head around to the point the next made a wet, disgusting crack.
Mr. X landed with a thud, temporarily incapacitating it, and Reaper landed safely though he had to shake his leg. "Goddamn, just what's in that thing?" He muttered to himself. "Tyrants have never been that hard to hit before in the armor."
But he paid it no mind as he went after the group. He knew it's only a matter of time before Mr. X cracked its head back into place and followed him again. Maybe even the others as well. Reaper knew they were capable of handling zombies and maybe some bio-organic weapons but the Tyrant was in a different league altogether.
However, just to be safe…
Reaper pulled out a grenade and removed the pin then tossed it back behind him, the explosive landing at the feet of the Tyrant and engulfed in a big explosion. He ran past the Yakuza members before taking notice of the others getting in the jeep.
*VROOOOOOOOOOM!*
"Okay, we're good to go!" Shizuka said as she started up the jeep with Reaper approaching from behind.
They all boarded the Humvee which was already loaded with necessary supplies by Sawada and his men. As Yamato was about to get in, he looked at Sawada and some of his men who were still fighting against 'them'.
"Yamato, get in already!" Satonaka called out before her looks softened. "Look, I know you're worried and feeling bad for leaving Sawada and the others, but they've made their choice. All we can do now is to honor them."
*BOOOOOOOOOM*
"Yeah…" Yamato swallowed heavily as he got in. "Shizuka-sensei… Let's get out of here."
Shizuka-sensei nodded silently before she stomped the gas pedal as hard as she could. They were thrown backwards as the Humvee accelerated away.
LINE BREAK
Sawada watched as the Humvee that carried Yamato and his friends went further and further. He smiled. He knew that his Bocchan would be safe with Yuki and their other friends supported him.
"So… Have they gone already?" the sunglasses wearing Yakuza asked.
"Yeah. At the very least, all we can do now is to pray that Bocchan and the others will be safe," Sawada smiled.
"Come on, we still have some freaks to deal with," his friend told him as he gunned down several of 'them'.
"If we're going out, then we'll be going out with a bang!" Sawada grinned maniacally as he revealed he had strapped himself with a C4 Bomb and a detonator in hand.
"Aye, as long as Bocchan has a house to come home to," the other Yakuza revealed that he also strapped himself with a bomb.
"Alright then! Tonight, we dine in hell!" Sawada yelled as he made a mad dash and gunned down any of 'them' in his sight. 'Stay safe, Bocchan. It's a real honor to serve you and your family.'
The ride to the Takagi house was met with silence as none of them spoke. Then, they heard two massive explosions occurred and they looked where it happened.
"Hey, isn't that near Yamato's home?" Saya asked.
Yamato clenched his fingers around the sheath of the katana he wielded. Satonaka placed a hand comfortingly on his hand, "Yamato…"
"I know. It's just… it's really hard to accept that Sawada and the others are giving up their lives for us," Yamato replied.
"Like I said, the only thing we can do for them is honor them. We're doing that now by surviving this." Satonaka said.
"Yuki…" Yamato muttered, looking at her before nodding slowly, "You're right. Thank you. I won't let their sacrifices be in vain."
"Good, because we have problems of our own." Reaper said, getting all eyes on him. "That monster… the Tyrant? It's coming after us. And it's not going to stop."
"I thought that bastard was dead already." Takashi said.
"If only it were that easy." Reaper scoffed. "Tyrants were made to be tough SOBs. Bullets only stagger it and its coat protects its whole body from kinetic damage. My armor was designed to fight B. like them but… something was off. The kick I gave it had enough force to actually knock its head off but it survived. This Tyrant… it's been augmented to combat something like me."
"What do you mean?" Saeko pondered.
"It's a Reaper-Killer. The bastards must've made it to kill me."
"Meaning…" Rei began.
"This battle isn't over…" Kurogasa grimaced. "Not by a long shot…"
Takashi gulped, "Are there… more like it?"
Reaper closed his eyes, "Yes… and each one is worse than the last."
"W-What do we do then?" Alice asked worriedly.
"For now, all we can do is keep moving. Keep moving and survive." The super soldier informed his companions.
And so throughout the night they rode through the desolate and empty streets of the city. All of them were tired again and they managed to get some sleep while Shizuka stayed awake, driving the Humvee. By morning, they were already crossing the river to the other side, hoping to find their families there. As they crossed the river, Saya kept a lookout from the sunroof, having her binoculars at her eyes while Kohta sat on top of the Humvee with Alice on his lap. They were singing a Nursery Rhyme right now.
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
"Alright, how about I sing a parody of the song?" Kohta offered.
"Okay!" Alice chirped.
Shoot, shoot, shoot your gun
Kill them all now
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Life is but a dream!
*POP!*
"YOU IDIOT!" Saya smacked him on the head. "What kind of idiot sings such a violent song to a little girl!?"
"I thought I was cheering her up!" Kohta whined, before Saya smacked him again.
"Moron! That's not proper!" Saya barked angrily. "Don't teach inappropriate songs, got it?! Never bastardize Mother Goose!"
"Ha~i…" Kohta ducked out.
"Mattaku…" Kurogasa sighed as he was awake. He looked to his left, seeing Yamato and Satonaka sleeping. Takashi was sleeping too while Saeko slept on his lap. He then looked to his right and saw Rei sleeping on his shoulder, making him smile gently. "Oi… Rei, wake up. We're about to cross the river soon…" He whispered.
"Hmm~?" Rei stirred awake and rubbed her eyes. "…Really?"
"Yeah. We'll get to see our parents soon," Kurogasa smiled.
"I wonder if daddy will be there…" she yawned.
"Maybe… and hope I don't lose my thing down there when we meet him since we… well you know…" he laughed sheepishly.
Rei laughed at that. "Yeah, daddy can be overprotective sometimes."
Apparently, Satonaka and Yamato were awake and listened to them.
"I wonder… Which one is more overprotective? Inspector Miyamoto or Yamato here," Satonaka trailed off with a smirk.
"Yuki, I'm not overprotective," Yamato rebutted.
"Who was it that beat up the boys who wanted to date your sisters?" Satonaka shot back and her smirk widened.
"Uh… well, that's…" Yamato got out, looking away with a slight blush.
"Heh~ so you don't deny that?" Satonaka asked slyly.
"They looked like they were about to get grabby, okay?" Yamato grumbled.
"Hmph… I rest my case." Satonaka smirked victoriously.
"Oi!"
Soon the Humvee crossed the river and as soon as they were on shore, they soon came to a stop. Saya checked all around to make sure there was nothing.
"That's weird… there's no one here. Living or dead…" Saya muttered.
"Takashi, wake up." Kurogasa said.
"Hmm~? Wha?" Takashi asked sleepily with Saeko's head on his lap, also sleeping peacefully.
"Someone got really comfortable~," Satonaka sing-songed.
"What are you talking abou- HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!" Takashi freaked out, seeing Saeko sleeping on him.
"Oi, shut up!" Reaper said from atop the roof of the Humvee. "Have a spas attack another time. Just because nothing is out there, doesn't mean there won't be other things trying to kill us."
"Huh?" Saeko got out as she woke up.
"Good morning, you're drooling." Rei smirked.
"Huh?" Saeko asked again, before she wiped her mouth, noticing that she was drooling. "Ah!"
"Anyways, let's get out." Kurogasa said.
"Why?" Rei asked.
"Well, the sun's up, and…" Kurogasa said, looking at Rei, seeing as she was still in her pajamas, if a spaghetti strap tank top and white panties counted. "You and the other girls need to change."
"It's a good idea. There's no telling how long this pandemic will last so you might as well dress in something comfortable and not too constricting." Reaper agreed, checking his collection of weapons.
While the girls were changing behind the Humvee, the guys were at the front making sure they didn't peek at them. Of course with Kohta, he's too tempted to look.
"Oi Kohta, don't even think about it." Kurogasa warned.
"Bu~t!" He whined, only for gulping audibly when Yamato stared at him.
"Hirano-kun… I may tolerate perverts, but even I have my own limits. Stare at Yuki and you will be sorry, got it?"
"Sir, yes sir!" Kohta snapped a salute to him.
"…And to think he was that dense…" Takashi whispered to me.
"I know right?" Kurogasa whispered back.
"Did you two say something?" Yamato glared.
"Nothing!" They got out.
"Hmph…" Yamato scoffed.
"Yeesh, what's his problem?" Takashi muttered.
"You got me." Kurogasa muttered back.
"He's upset that his Yakuza friends are possibly dead." Reaper stated. He was currently slotting a clip into an M16 modified for assaults and raids. The rest of the boys remained silent. Most likely Sawada and the others were dead when they saw the explosions.
"By the way, Reaper…" Kurogasa began.
"Yeah?" Reaper looked to him, before seeing the boy… bow at him?
"I'm sorry…"
"Huh?"
"When I first met you… my hatred for Umbrella resurfaced because of the hell I went through at Tall Oaks… but… until now, you haven't shown any sign that you're still working for them. I was wrong to judge you like that. And you kept Rei safe which I'm thankful for. And for that… I'm sorry." Kurogasa said.
The super soldier stared at the teen for a moment before looking away, "Don't mention it. I don't really care much about it." He answered stiffly.
Kurogasa straightened up, looking at him. Takashi and Kohta stared at each other, then back at Reaper. Was he… acting tsundere?
"T-The hell are you looking at?" Reaper stuttered. "I don't care if you guys like me or not!"
"You're acting like a tsundere." Takashi pointed out.
"You wanna get shot? Because I'll shoot you." The super soldier warned.
"We're done!" Alice called out.
"Okay, you can come out now," Yamato called out and the girls walked out of their hiding.
They were starstruck when the boys saw what they were wearing. Rei and Saeko were wearing their school uniforms, but the skirts were different. Rei's skirt had a green checkered-flag like design and wears combat webbing for her Spring M1A1 rifle and Saeko's skirt was short and black while revealing her stockings on the slits that were on the sides of her thighs and they both wore fingerless gloves and pads on their elbows and knees. Saya wore a white jacket with a grey undershirt with green skirt and black boots. Shizuka-sensei wore her white collared dress shirt with a yellow skirt on and Alice's clothing remained the same. As for Satonaka-senpai, she wore a green vest with white hoodie over a sleeveless blue shirt and white pleated skirt. Tied to her waist in criss cross manner were the belts for her ammo and the holster for her Glock-19.
"Uh…" Kurogasa got out.
"What? Is something wrong?" Rei asked.
"No, you… look beautiful." Kurogasa said in a bit of awe.
"T-Thanks…" Rei stuttered with a blush.
"Wow, Saeko-senpai…" Takashi uttered with a blush.
"Hmm? What is it, Takashi?" Saeko asked curiously.
"Y-You look awesome… and beautiful too…" he finished distractedly.
"Ara, such flattery," Saeko giggled with a hint of blush on her cheeks.
"Anyways, we're bringing up the Humvee. You guys make sure there aren't any of 'them' coming." Saya said.
"Yes ma'am!" Kohta saluted.
With that, the five of them went towards the road just up the hill. With a nod, the five males jumped on the road and pointed their guns and swords to make sure they were in the clear.
"I swear, we're in some strange Charlie's Angels pose…" Kohta said randomly.
"Kohta… just don't." Reaper said dryly.
"Well, at least there's none of 'them'." Takashi said.
"Good, then let's bring up the Humvee." Saya said. "And we have to get to my house as soon as possible too."
"Right." Kurogasa nodded. "But uh… Saya…"
"It's fine." Saya got out, as she looked at him with a hint of sadness. "I'm not expecting anything, but, I still want to…"
"Of course you do…" Kurogasa muttered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay. Your parents will be alright. After all, Don Takagi does have some capable men working for him, right?"
"Kuro…" Saya murmured, before smiling sadly looking downwards. "Thank you…"
After bringing up the Humvee, Shizuka drove through the empty streets. The cherry blossoms gently fell while the wind blew some of them away as they drove.
Reaper watched this sight with a glare, "I used to enjoy this during the spring… now it's nothing more than a reminder of a dead world."
"At least we can enjoy it while we can." Saeko said.
"Busujima… something like this only lasts for so long before death comes to claim it." The super soldier reminded his school rival in the dojo and friend. "It's the same with humans and even an artificial creature like me."
"Even so, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy it." Saeko replied. "Come now, when was the last time you really relaxed?"
"Never. I'm a soldier, Busujima. People like me can only relax when they're dead."
The purple-haired young woman gave the clone a sad smile, "It's rather sad to live, don't you think? Never really having a chance to live your life."
"My life has always been nothing but battle after battle." Reaper stated. "People think they know the mindset of a soldier but… they're entirely wrong. We're nothing more than weapons of war used by politicians or corporations with hidden agendas. That's why I don't relax. I can't relax, Saeko. I'm a killer, born and bred to be one. Killing is in my blood."
"So is being human." Saeko countered, causing the soldier to look at her. "Before all of this, before this whole pandemic, weren't you really enjoying your life? Or was that all a lie?"
Reaper stayed silent as he remembered the talk he had with Saya.
Flashback
"I don't know what the hell you've been through before all of this, but that was then… this is now… you don't have to do everything by yourself." Takagi said. "Don't we mean anything to you…? Don't I mean anything?"
Reaper closed his eyes as his memories drifted to his time back in the school. How he experienced everything with those physically his age and the bonds he made with the people in his group.
"Was everything… a lie?" Saya whispered, as Reaper saw a bead of a tear about to fall and stain his clean armor…
End Flashback
"No, it wasn't a lie. At least, that's what I believe now. Before, I was living a lie. My name, my personality, everything was a lie. However, that changed… when I met all of you." Reaper admitted. "I never really smiled often. But when I'm with any of you, I feel… happy."
"Then isn't it all the more reason for you to live… for that happiness?"
"If only I could. I forgoed happiness when I wore this armor again. Now, I'm only the Reaper."
"Then when it's all over… would you take off that armor and just live as Nocturne?"
"Maybe… if I survive." He said.
"IT'S THEM!" Kohta shouted.
They all turned to see a horde of them incoming at us. Kohta's shouting apparently drew their attention to them.
"Great job, fatso!" Saya scowled.
"Sorry!" Kohta apologized.
"What do I do?!" Shizuka panicked.
"Take that left path!" Yamato ordered, pointing to a left fork on the road.
Shizuka swerved hard to the left, making them lean. They continued down the path, but there was another horde!
"Ah man, here too?!" Takashi asked incredulously.
"Go right! Right!" Saya shouted.
"Ah mou~! This is so confusing!" Shizuka-sensei wailed before she swerved to the right, again with 'them' clogging up the path, causing her to stop the Humvee.
"Damn! No way out!" Satonaka growled as she reached for her pilfered Glock-19. "If that's the case…"
"Then we'll have to fight our way out!" Yamato finished as he drew his katana.
"I hate to say it, but he's right." Kurogasa said, taking out his katana too.
"But we need a way out!" Saya pointed out.
"No duh!" Takashi said, annoyed. "Shizuka-sensei, stay with Alice and don't leave this car."
"Hai!" She nodded.
"If you need a gun or ammo, come over to me!" Reaper told the ones fighting.
"Kohta-chan…" Alice whimpered a bit.
"LET'S KILL 'EM!" Kohta cackled as he opened fire on the horde of 'them'.
"Save your ammo, idiot!" Yuki snapped as she easily scored headshot after headshot.
"I'm going in!" Kurogasa shouted as he jumped off the roof of the Humvee and charged in at 'them'.
"Kurogasa!" Rei shouted.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He yelled as he slashed some of 'them' with his katana. One of 'them' tried to sneak on him, but suddenly its head was cut off from its body. Yamato was there, before he blurred away and hacked any of 'them' caught in his range.
"Watch your surroundings Kururugi-kun." Yamato advised.
"U-Uh… yeah… Thanks…"
"Seriously, watch you back! You don't want to make your girlfriend sad, do you?" Satonaka reminded the two boys.
"Yuki, not now." Yamato said sternly.
"HYAH!" Saeko shouted as she slashed down one of 'them' down too. Heck even Zeke helped out, by biting one of 'their' legs.
"Take this!" Rei yelled as she speared down one of 'them' on the head. She then swept her leg out, causing another to fall and Rei killed it with a stab to the neck.
"There's too many!" Shizuka panicked.
"Whaddya expect?! They're zombies!" Saya snapped as she got out of the Humvee and got the shotgun.
"Saya, what are you doing?!" Reaper asked incredulously.
"What else!? I'm gonna blow their heads off!" Saya retorted.
"Do you even know how to use a gun?" Satonaka asked.
"Don't underestimate me! I'm a genius! I'll figure it out somehow!" she snapped and took aim at one of them. Saya fired, but her unsteady grip made her aim off and she was blasted off of her feet. "Oww!"
"That idiot…!" Satonaka growled before she picked up the fallen shotgun and fired, killing several of 'them' with a spread blast. Angrily, Satonaka turned to Saya, "What the hell are you doing, brat!? Are you going to get yourself killed!?"
"Who are you calling a brat?! I'm a genius!" Saya snapped back. "I'm not sitting around while you all do everything for me!"
"But what can you do!? You can't handle a gun and you can't fight! So be a good damsel and sit back! Make yourself useful by not getting yourself in trouble!" Yuki shot back viciously. "Being a genius doesn't mean you can and have to do anything yourself! You need to know your own limits!"
"Why you-!"
"Saya, just listen to what she says!" The shout came from… Kohta?
"What did you say?!"
"You need to listen! We can't have you or anyone else here dying in this group! If one of us dies, we all die! SO JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"
Reaper stared at the chubby boy for a moment after his shouting rendered Saya speechless, "Damn… it's always the quiet ones that snap first." He said before taking a few more headshots with his rifle.
Saya snapped her mouth shut at Kohta's scolding. She really didn't think through her actions and it nearly cost the group. While she really wanted to do something other than just sitting back and pray, she really could not do anything because she could not protect herself.
Reluctantly, she did what Satonaka and Kohta told her and went back to the Humvee with Satonaka covering her.
"There are too many of them!" Takashi growled as he bashed the head of one of 'them'.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! Just die already!" Kohta snarled as he fired bullets after bullets on them.
"Kuso… at this rate, we're gonna-!" Kurogasa gritted.
"Don't say it! The moment you say that, it's really over! Keep fighting!" Reaper ordered.
"Don't give in! They maybe have the number on their side, but that doesn't mean they can win!" Yamato rallied.
"But what can we do!?" Takashi countered.
"Thin them out enough and run over them with the Humvee!" Yamato spoke up.
"Easy for you to say that!" Satonaka shot back before she emptied her shotgun. She then used the weapon as a bat to smash 'their' heads who managed to get close to her before tossing the gun away. "Hirano! Lend me one of your guns!"
"What for!?"
"Just lend me one already!"
Kohta tossed one of his SMG to Satonaka before she easily nailed 'them' one by one with rapid headshots. While it put some breather to them, her action alone was not enough to deter them, nor did Yamato's quick blitzes. Even Reaper could hardly keep up in killing the endless horde of undead.
Just when they thought it got really bleak-
*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*
"Everyone! Are you alright?" They all tuned to see who it was…
"Kaa-san!?" Kurogasa gawked.
Standing in front of them was a woman in her late 30's with long flowing pink hair and grey eyes. She was wearing black kimono with lily patterns and red obi, although her kimono was stained with blood here and there. She was wearing white tabi socks and straw sandals to compliment her traditional look. This was Yukina Kururugi.
"Move in! Protect those children!" Another person said as some militaristic-like men came in and shot down the remaining zombies until there were none left standing.
"We're saved!" Kohta cheered.
"We're okay!" Alice cheered too.
"Yokatta…" Shizuka sighed in relief.
"Kaa-san!" Kurogasa shouted as he darted towards her and gave her a tight hug. "Yokatta… you're okay… you're okay…" He said, choking up and almost crying.
"There, there, Kurogasa," Yukina smiled as she returned the hug and patted her son on the back. "It's alright. I'm right here."
"Mrs. Kururugi." Rei recognized her as she walked up to them after Kurogasa broke the hug and wiped his tears.
"Ara, Rei-chan? Is that you?" Yukina gasped in surprise.
"It's so good to see you again!" The orange-haired girl said happily as the two hugged.
"Yes, it has been." Yukina said, as they let go and she held Rei's cheeks. "My goodness, look at you, you've grown into such a beautiful woman." She then looked towards Takashi and Saya. "Ah, Komuro-kun! Saya-chan! Hisashiburi."
"H-Hey." Takashi waved.
"It's been a while." Saya greeted her with a small smile.
"And this is Kohta Hirano, Alice Maresato, and Shizuka Marikawa, the doctor." Kurogasa gestured since Yukina already knows Yamato and Yuki.
"Wow, she's pre~tty." Kohta said with a dopey look on his face.
"Oi, easy." He frowned. "She's married to my dad."
"S-Sorry," Kohta replied sheepishly.
Reaper rolled his eyes, "Much as I enjoy this little family reunion, we have bigger concerns. Such as who these men are." He casted a wary glance at the men that helped kill the undead.
"They're my men." One of the military men said as he took off his helmet. Correction. It was a woman. She was about Yukina's age, if not a bit older, with long light purple hair with eyes that matched her eyes. She was Yuriko Takagi.
"Mama?!" Saya gasped as tears fell from her eyes. "Mama!" She then ran towards her and jumped into her arms.
"Oh Saya…" Yuriko returned the hug her daughter gave her. "I'm so glad you're alright."
"Un!" Saya nodded and didn't bother to hold back her tears.
"There, there. Everything's alright. Mama is right here for you," Yuriko said soothingly as she rubbed Saya's back.
"I must admit, Takagi," The super soldier said, approaching the older women. "I never expected your own mother to lead a military-based assault."
Saya then let go as the older Takagi looked at the clone. "Ara, you must be Nocturne-kun. Saya has told me all about you." Yuriko said.
"I'm sure she has." Reaper nodded then turned to Yukina, "Mrs. Kururugi." He greeted with another incline of his head.
"It's nice to meet you, Nocturne-san." Yukina said, "Thank you for looking after my son."
"Wasn't easy. Acted more like a brat than a teenager. Alice is more mature than him to be honest." Reaper said with a bit of snark.
"OI!"
"Even now, you haven't changed one bit, Reaper." A new voice said as a masked soldier approached the clone. He looked rather muscular and burlesque too.
"And you're supposed to be?"
"What? You don't recognize me?" The soldier chuckled, before taking off the mask and helmet, to reveal his features. He had short brown hair that was combed forward and his face was slightly growing a beard.
Reaper's eyes widened behind his helmet. "Chris Redfield?" He said in realization. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were still in the BSAA?"
"I am. HQ decided to have me stationed here to help out. Things are already bad back in the States, and Blue Umbrella already has enough on their hands as it is. But don't worry, Leon's on top of it." Chris said, before holding out his hand. "It's good to see you, though."
Reaper looked down at the offering then decided to reciprocate by grasping the older man's hand, "Likewise. How's your sister? Haven't seen her since… well, Raccoon City."
"She's here too. She's over back at the Takagi Estate." Chris answered. "I'm sure she'd be glad to see you."
"Last time we met, she shot me in the head. But why would you bring her here? She's a civilian, not a soldier."
"True. But since the world's now Raccoon City all over again, she asked me to bring her along."
"And you couldn't refuse, can you?" Reaper deadpanned.
"She's very persuasive." Chris admitted with a sheepish chuckle.
"I see…" The clone remarked and glanced at the group as well as Kurogasa and Saya's mothers. "Tell me, did a Yakuza woman arrive at the estate?"
"Yeah, said her name was Yume Kusanagi. Formerly Yume Mitsuhane."
"Hm, so she is still alive. Well, Yamato will be happy to hear this." Reaper said. "But enough about that, we should probably get moving. A Tyrant has been on our tail since last night."
"You sure?" Chris frowned.
"Positive. I will never forget a living weapon like that." The clone nodded. "But there was something different about it. Someone augmented it to match my armor's strength. Possibly even surpass it. These B. we've been seeing aren't just some run-of-the-mill mass production models."
"I see."
"Not only that, Las Plagas have popped out all over too."
Chris raised an eyebrow. "I thought Leon already dealt with them."
"He had dealt with them twice. Looks like there were some samples that still remained. But I don't think that's everything. I believe the whole world is being used as one big experimental project." Reaper explained.
"I see."
"Not to mention, Ada of all people showed up too."
"Ada? What's she doing here?"
"Said she was following on a lead of who started this whole mess." Reaper shrugged.
"Do you believe her?"
"Not really but I'm not gonna deny that she's had some useful information."
Chris crossed his arms as he looked down pondering, before looking up. "In any case, if what you've told me is true, then that means we're in deeper shit than we originally thought. Let's get moving then. I'm sure we have a lot to debrief and catch up on."
"Good, the others could use the rest." Reaper nodded in agreement.
At least, for the time being, things were starting to look up.
GKC: And that shall be the end of this chapter.
KRD: First Ada Wong, now Chris Redfield and the soon debut for Claire next chapter? The all-star team is coming together!
GKC: Well, some Resident Evil characters are making an appearance. Just like Mr. X. However, there are going to be other enemies besides "Reaper-Killers".
KRD: Oh yeah, he's got more planned for this story. So look forward to it!
GKC: In any case, review and comment on this chapter. Love it, hate it, but just know that you've read it! xD
KRD: We'll see you in the next chapter!
GKC: Peace out, everybody!