Highschool of the Dead: Resurrection

by GLG-3883

Takashi continues to battle the horde of undead, but friends and enemies, old and new, are always present. Now it's a race against fate to determine whether the living or undead will reign in Japan, and the rest of the world.

35. On the trail of the Dead

Hello people, and welcome back to Highschool of the Dead: Resurrection. Am I the only one who thinks that the Ghosts dun phucked up by capturing Itachi...?

---

While Saeko was preparing herself, the rest of the group went to Shizuka's place to think things over, with Masato remaining outside to keep a watch for more surprises.

"How are we going to save Itachi?" Alice asked.

"Well, first we're going to have to have someone do his job and scout the place." Saya said.

"But who? He's the- wait a minute...maybe we can just look the place over through a scope, or two." Rei said.

"Not a bad idea, although Corporal Toriyama will need to greenlight whatever we come up with; he's the expert afterall." Kohta said.

"Right." Rei said.

"Wait, something just dawned on me! Why would the Ghosts only send three guys to capture Itachi? I mean, that's one hell of a risk considering that they have to know who they're dealing with, and how many people live here." Takashi said.

"Not to mention that refinery is not far." Saya said as Zeke started barking.

"What is it boy?" Alice asked before Masato came inside.

"Heads up people." He said.

"Sir?" Takashi asked.

"I heard an engine starting while I came here to break the news to you, and the Ghosts used a tranquilizer dart to knock Itachi out." Masato said.

"A tranq dart? That's not good; not just anyone has access to those." Kohta said.

"As for their numbers...I spotted a convoy of humvees heading this way." Masato said, and everyone sobered up.

"Great, looks like we're not out of the woods yet." Saya said seriously.

"Luckily, I have a surprise of my own for them." Masato said before reaching past the door, and brandishing an M60, much to Kohta's amazement.

"That's an M60 machine gun! Where did you get that!?" He asked.

"I got it off the man who nearly ended my life." Masato said seriously, then Takashi went outside to see no less than four humvees stopping by their front yards, then everyone else followed.

"Oh fuck..." Takashi breathed out, before 16 Ghosts, all armed with M4s and shotguns got out of the humvees.

"Search each house, and take no prisoners." A Ghost said.

"But...they have a bunch of women with them." Another Ghost said.

"I don't care if they have the holy fucking grail with them. Take...no...prisoners!" The first Ghost said seriously before leading a group of Ghosts into Saeko's apartment.

"Saeko's in there!" Rei exclaimed.

"She's on her own, for now." Takashi said.

"What do we do now?" Alice asked.

"We'll have to hold- Hey, where's Corporal Toriyama?" Kohta asked.

"He's...on his way downstairs..." Shizuka said.

"Great..." Saya groaned.

"Well, let's wish him luck, and Saeko too." Kohta said.

---

Masato marched downstairs with his M60 in hand, as well as the SCAR over his shoulder with the suppressor attached, and then when he got to a side-room, he hid, put his M60 down, and waited for the Ghosts to show up. Once they did, he retreated further into his cover, and once the Ghosts got close enough, he sprung out and took full advantage of their surprise while he rapidly put one bullet after another through their faces as they scrambled to point their guns at him. Luckily, the floor wasn't covered by carpets, so cleaning up the blood wasn't going to be too big of a problem.

He then looted their bodies for their ammo, with one of them holding a grenade on him, then he grabbed his M60, and went to the front door before looking out the window. At first, he saw no Ghosts outside, but then saw a group coming out of an apartment no one was using, then went straight for the apartment he was in. Masato then took cover behind a wall, with his M60 pointed at the door, then opened fire the moment the Ghosts showed their faces. Each bullet tore through their bodies, even with their armor which didn't even compare to his ceramic armor, even though it was almost ruined.

Once they were dead, Masato heard more commotion from the rest of the Ghosts, and prepared for more attacks, but once he saw the Ghosts, and they saw the shredded bodies of their comrades, they immediately bolted for the nearest humvee and Masato dropped the M60, pulled his SCAR, and shot them both in the back, killing one, and crippling the other. As he laid there screaming in pain, Masato looted the dead bodies, then dragged them out of the building one by one, then went upstairs to do the same. Once he got there, everyone else was looking over the bodies, except for Shizuka, who was keeping Alice away from the gruesome sight until the others also disposed of the bodies.

When they were done, Masato went to the other Ghost he shot, but he was already dead.

"A shame, I had more questions for that one." Masato said.

"What about Saeko?" Rei asked.

"If those Ghosts killed her they would have come out by now." Takashi said.

"But what if they didn't kill her?" Shizuka asked.

"Not likely. Their leader said not to take prisoners, and he lead a group into her apartment himself." Takashi said.

"Well, either way, we're going to have to scout that refinery now, and then make a plan." Saya said.

"This would be alot easier if we knew how many there were." Rei said as Saeko walked out of her apartment...dragging the Ghosts' leader behind her, with multiple wounds on his body.

"No need. I already know." She said seriously before letting go of the still-alive Ghost.

"What...the...fuck did you do to him?!" Takashi asked seriously.

"Nothing that wasn't called for. Now, there's about 50 Ghosts left in that refinery, not including the ones we killed here. They also have some high-end equipment thanks to the military base they overran, but they should be turning in for the day any minute now." Saeko said.

"Fuck you...! You really...think you can...take on 50...of boss Kazama's boys?! We eat little bitches like all of you...for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert..." The Ghost said, before Saeko jammed her gunto into his head without even looking at him.

"That's about to change..." She said coldly.

"Jesus Christ Saeko..." Rei breathed out.

"Let's go get Itachi back." Saeko said before walking off.

"Wait, I was going to scout the place first." Takashi said.

"No, if anyone is going to scout that place it's going to be me." Saeko said.

"That not what the plan was. Seriously, I know you're supposed to watch over him, but he's turned over a new leaf. Why are you so hung up on this?" Saya asked and everyone shared glances.

"Well...the thing is..." Rei trailed off and Saya deflated.

"You have got to be kidding me..." She groaned.

"It goes deeper than that; he's been a major asset to our group even before he turned over a new leaf. Once he put his mind to it, he conquered multiple flaws, continued to make himself as useful as before, and then some. He even saved our lives while using weapons he once scorned, in addition to his natural creativity.. Once he finally redeemed himself, he earned a true place in not only this group, and in my heart. Now...he's in the hands of men who have no benevolent intentions towards him." Saeko said.

"She's right...Itachi's one of us, and he should be treated as such." Kohta said.

"Why is this even being debated? We should just go get him." Rei said.

"It's not that simple; 70 Ghosts is more than we can handle with brute force, and besides, there's no way they'd just let us walk in there and grab him. Even if we do sneak in and grab him, they're going to come after us later on." Saya said.

"The Ghosts need to be defeated, but if anyone is going to rescue Itachi, it's going to be me." Saeko said.

"Just because he got into your pants, doesn't mean you can pull any army of one stunts." Saya said seriously.

"I told you it goes deeper than that, and of course I'm not going to fight them all at once." Saeko said.

"Damn right you aren't." Saya said.

"Enough. We should search these humvees for anything useful." Masato said, then everyone collected themselves and looked over the inside of each humvee...and they couldn't beleive their eyes.

"Look at all of this. These guys have some really high-end stuff." Kohta said.

"No kidding. Walkie talkies, whole boxes of ammo, flashlights, gas masks...what don't these guys have?" Takashi asked.

"And there's probably even more of this at the refinery." Saya said.

"More importantly, we have a reliable way of getting to the refinery quickly." Saeko said.

"This feels like we're in the middle of a war..." Rei trailed off.

"In a way, we are." Takashi said and Alice stepped forward.

"When are we leaving? Itachi's in trouble, and we have to go save him." She said.

"We are going to save him, you're staying here." Takashi said.

"But...Itachi's my friend too." Alice said, then Rei knelt to her level.

"There are 70 bad guys between us and Itachi, and they are very different from the zombies. You can't handle that much, and we're not going to put you in this kind of danger." Rei said and Alice deflated.

"O.k..." She breathed out, before Rei hugged her.

"Itachi is coming back, one way or another." Rei said, and Alice returned the hug.

"I hope he isn't hurt too badly..." She said before the two let each other go.

"I'll stay here with Alice and Zeke, and I'll keep any medical supplies on hand if you need them." Shizuka said.

"Good idea." Takashi said before rushing over to the garage.

"Where are you going?" Saya asked.

"To get my motorcycle. The rest of you get the humvees ready." Takashi said, and everyone looked at each other before getting the supplies in order.

"Kohta." Masato said.

"Yes sir?" Kohta asked.

"Would you prefer to use the SAW, or this M60?" Masato asked.

"Well, if it's all the same, I'd like to stay with this SAW." Kohta said.

"Very well then." Masato before grabbing a belt of ammo from the humvee, and replacing the partially-spent belt in the M60 with the new one.

"Wait, maybe I could use the M60 afterall." Kohta said, then Masato hummed in acknowledgement as he switched weapons with Kohta, who marveled at his larger toy as Takashi drove out on his motorcycle.

"Wait!" Rei yelled before Takashi stopped, then Rei rushed over to give him a walkie talkie, and her Springfield.

"Oh...right, can't leave without these." Takashi said before Rei pressed her lips against his.

"Or that..." She breathed out, then shared a smile with Takashi before Rei watched him drive off.

"Let's go inside now." Shizuka said, and Alice sighed.

"O.k..." She said before following Shizuka inside as the group closed the doors to the humvees one by one.

---

Takashi drove down the street block by block, with few to no zombies noticing him; maybe they killed off most of them, or the Ghosts already dealt with the zombies that were leftover. Either way, Takashi wasn't going to complain about an easy trip to the refinery, which he could already see in the distance. He then thought about how the Ghosts could be listening and looking for people following them, then parked in an alleyway, which had a handful of zombies there, but a few swings from his bat was all it took to get rid of them.

He then went up each floor of a zombie-free building, until he finally reached the roof, then he took out the Springfield, and looked through the scope. He wasn't close enough to the refinery to see too many details, but he did see the front entrance was guarded...and that the place was enormous. Silos, smokestacks, pipelines, stacks of shipping containers, all as far as the eye could see. He then aimed his Springfield at the neighboring buildings, what few there were, and saw no Ghosts on any of the rooftops...but there were some in the top floors. He then put the Springfield away, then grabbed his walkie talkie, and pushed the button.

"Hey, can you hear?" Takashi asked.

"I hear you." Rei said.

"I found the refinery." Takashi said.

"Any sign of Itachi?" Rei asked.

"No, but the place has a fuck ton of Ghosts at the front gate, and even more in the surrounding buildings." Takashi said.

"So that Ghost Saeko interrogated was telling the truth. What else do you see?" Rei asked.

"Other than the refinery looking like a fucking maze, I got nothing." Takashi said.

"Well look closer if you can. That man needs our help more and more every minute." Rei said seriously.

"I know that!" Takashi snapped before turning the walkie talkie off, sighing, then going back downstairs. Once he was on the streets again, he got back on his motorcycle, drove over to one of the buildings further down the road, then looked down the scope of his Springfield at what was on the other side of the road. Minutes passed, and Takashi saw nothing of interest, so he drove to another side of the refinery to get a different angle. He then entered a building, and looked around for zombies or Ghosts, making sure to stay out of the open in the process.

Next thing he knew, he heard gunfire, and saw a few Ghosts shooting at the zombies, but then another Ghost came by a stopped them

"What are you doing!? Those zombies can keep the others out of the refinery." He said.

"Didn't think of that." A Ghost said.

"Obviously...why the fuck did Kazama put me out here with you turds?" The other Ghost asked while shaking his head. Takashi then pulled an M9, screwed the suppressor on, then shot each Ghost in the head while they were looking away from each other. The last Ghost however spotted him, and fired several bullets his way just as Takashi shot him. Luckily, none of the bullets hit him, but it was more than enough to make Takashi get back into cover, and look around for more Ghosts.

When no more came out, he slowly walked into the open, and went up the stairs with his M9 trained on the way up. Still no more Ghosts appeared, and it stayed that way the whole time he went up each floor and reached the top floor. He then saw a window he immediately used to look through, and when he did, he had a much wider view of the refinery, including the number of Ghosts there. Even a minor head count got him nervous; just on the outside alone he saw no less than 30, and who knows how many where in the places he couldn't see.

Then, to his horror, he saw Itachi through the window of a distant structure within the refinery...and he was being dragged through a doorway by two Ghosts.

"Oh my god..." Takashi breathed out, then his walkie talkie sparked.

"Takashi? Can you see him?" Saeko asked.

"I see him...and I think they're going to torture him." Takashi said seriously.

"No..." Saeko trailed off.

"Please tell me that you all have a plan, because now would be a damn good time." Takashi said.

"Yes we do...yes we do." Saeko said before putting the walkie talkie away, then she looked over the refinery from where she was: the top of a building not far from the refinery before looking over Itachi's compound bow, then slinging it over her shoulder before putting the mempo that belonged to him, over her own face.

---

While the pair was away, the rest of the group prepared for the attack while Masato went to the gas station to retrieve the rest of the oil they took from the mall. Once he had it, Masato drove it up to the group's homes, and together with a humvee that Saya was driving, they waited for Takashi to return. When he did, they followed him to the refinery to plan their assault, and once they got there, Masato began to prepare their weapons, while the other went to the mouth of a three-way intersection to look the refinery over.

"The sun's going down soon..." Rei said.

"Yeah, and those clouds still won't go away." Takashi said.

"And the Ghosts will probably get ready for bed soon." Kohta said.

"Which is actually a good chance to catch them with their pants down." Takashi said.

"Takashi Komuro...when did you become a dirty player?" Saya asked.

"The same time these guys kidnapped a member of our group." Takashi said seriously.

"Normally, I'd be against this kind of thing, but in this case, you're right, and so is Saeko. These guys need to be stopped, and Itachi needs to be freed." Rei said.

"Well, we should get on it. They're probably-" Kohta stopped talking the moment the refinery lit up with floodlights.

"Well shit...there goes any element of surprise." Takashi said.

"They're probably expecting us. Can't say I'm surprised..." Saya said.

"Wait, where's Saeko?" Rei asked.

"I thought she was with you." Takashi said.

"She was, but we went to do a scouting mission of her own...wait, oh she's not..." Rei groaned.

"Dare I ask...?" Takashi asked.

"She went off on her own instead of meeting us here..." Rei groaned.

"What?!" Takashi asked seriously.

"Like I said, she did her own scouting mission, and she told us she'd meet us here...but obviously she didn't." Rei said.

"Is she out of her damn mind!?" Takashi exclaimed.

"Could she have been captured?" Kohta asked.

"So she wasn't." Saya said, and the other three looked at her as she watched the refinery with binoculars.

"What do you see?" Rei asked.

"Saeko is making a move on the refinery's flank." Saya said.

"She's what now?" Kohta asked, then Masato approached.

"Why are there zombies at the front gate? Don't the Ghosts care about the risk they pose to their base?" He asked.

"Maybe they're using the zombies to ward off potential attackers. I does make some sense." Kohta said.

"Actually...I heard some Ghosts talking about that very thing earlier." Takashi said.

"Well, we have to go get Itachi, and keep Saeko out of trouble." Kohta said.

"I will help her, the rest of you stay here and get the Ghosts' attention." Masato said before getting in the truck full of oil drums, then driving to the other side as the others watched.

"Well..that's one way to make a game plan..." Saya said.

"But what can we do? We have a terrible angle from here, and a frontal assault is suicide." Kohta said.

"We'll have to a adapt somehow." Rei said as Takashi looked around, then spotted a series of buildings within decent range of the refinery, then hummed in thought.

---

While the group mulled over their part of the assault, the Ghosts inside were patrolling every part of the refinery's perimeter...with Saeko being required to sneak past two of them, with each of them carrying M4s. She waited behind a barrier for them to pass, before she rushed to the other side of the street she was on and hid behind another wall. After making sure they didn't hear her, she continued along the wall, making sure to keep the noise down, and looking around for more Ghosts.

She then noticed the sky was getting cloudier as she continued sneaking from one building to another, with the Ghosts still not getting any wind of her. Her luck however, didn't last; after sneaking through and past no less than 15 Ghosts, she entered another building...and her way was blocked by a group of nine, all of whom were drinking sake, standing around smoking, or were even playing board games, all while having so many conversations at once, she couldn't make out what they were saying, nor did she care.

The problem was how she would get past them; she was decent with the bow she has, but she would never be able to deal with them before they got a bead on her, even though most of them were probably drunk. Using her sword and rushing through them was out of the question several times over; even with her skill, multiple bullets spraying her way from multiple angles was a death sentence, and even if she survived...what were the chances they'd let her live long, or even take advantage of the fact that she was their opposite gender? Even the grenade she had on her wasn't an option; it was a last resort, and the noise would make things far more complicated than they should be.

The choice was then made for her as a Ghost went her way, and she had to retreat behind the wall.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Another Ghost asked.

"I'm going to take a piss. What's it look like I'm going?" The first Ghost said.

"It's where does it look like I'm going." A third Ghost said.

"Yeah, fuck you too Seiji." The first Ghost said before rounding the corner...then taking Saeko's wakizashi to the throat. She didn't even take the time to ponder what happened, before dragging the Ghost out of sight, even as he spent his last seconds of life trying to gasp at her throat, and failing miserably. Once he was out of sight, Saeko then looked at the rest of the Ghosts, who were blissfully unaware of what happened just outside their door, and remained so as Saeko analyzed the distance between each Ghost, drew a Glock, and screwed a suppressor unto it.

Once she got it secured onto the gun, she pointed it at the furthest Ghost, then put a bullet through his head, the the head of the Ghost he was talking to. She then shot down another Ghost who saw his friends die, then she shot the ones who saw him die, and rinsed and repeated until only a few drunk Ghosts were left. Amazingly, they were so inebriated that they weren't curious about what happened around until it was too late to stop Saeko, as she hid once again and reloaded.

By the time the Ghosts drew they guns, and started waving them around with what little alertness they could muster, Saeko put her gun away, and had her gunto at the ready. She then rushed into the room, and severed their arms, or hands first so they couldn't shoot her, and their screams of pains were silenced a split second after they started as Saeko split or severed their heads...like the zombies she took as much joy in butchering as before. The memories got her heart racing as she continued putting the last of the Ghosts around her out of their misery in the same way, with none of them getting off a single shot.

Once the adrenaline high...and the smile plastered over her masked face wore off, Saeko immediately took cover, and listened for any more Ghosts to appear...but none did. She then relaxed in full, then looked over the massacre she caused...before recalling how immeasurably distasteful it was to take pleasure in another person's death. Zombies were one thing, but another person, even if they were evil, was another; Rei herself mentioned that if they get too used to all the fighting, they'd wind up being not much worse than the zombies, and the people, if one could call them that, the group was fighting, and how much more so when pleasure is taken in the destruction?

Saeko then shrugged off her guilt when she remembered why she was there in the first place. Now wasn't the time for internally debating her ethical standing; she had someone to rescue. She then left the building through the other side, still making sure to remain as stealthy as possible. Her luck continued however as there were as few Ghosts in the open, or even at a distance as there were originally. The place was massive however, so dropping her guard was unthinkable considering how she just now got rid of a whole room full of Ghosts, and who knows what else she'd encounter.

---

She then snuck by several more patrols, one by one...and then her breath hitched when she saw one Ghost, who was accompanied by three others, wearing the same ceramic armor Masato wears...and the nodachi was slung over his back.

"That must be Kazama..." Saeko whispered, before approaching as subtly as before.

"That's quite a blade boss. How'd you come by it?" A Ghost asked.

"I got it off that murdering bastard Hideo's group captured, and now it's mine." Kazama said.

"That's quite a lucky find." The Ghost said.

"Why do we even bother keeping him around? I mean, let's just kill him already." Another Ghost said.

"How many of my men has he killed so far? He doesn't get the easy way out." Kazama said seriously.

"He's got a point." The last Ghost said, and Saeko's heart sunk; she had to find Itachi fast. She then looked around, and then spotted a building that was smaller than the ones around it, before waiting for Kazama's group to leave the area. Once they did, Saeko bolted over to the building, went inside, and saw one hallway full of doors after another. She opened each door, but never saw anything that wasn't related to using the refinery itself: control panels, closests with uniforms, even makeshift living quarters, but no sign of Itachi anywhere.

Eventually, she got to a door that lead to a door stairs area, and saw even more doors that lead to nowhere interesting. The suspense, anxiety, and displeasure got to Saeko in a manner that completely lacked subtlety as she flung one door open after another, and still got nothing each time. She then found a door that lead to a staircase, and then the suspense turned to horror.

The entire room could also be described a torture chamber; she found one instrument after another, each more as menacing as the last. Pliers, knives of different sizes, a meat cleaver, a claw hammer, barbed wire, an acethylene torch, and even a screwdriver, and a funnel. Luckily, none of them had blood, or any sign of being washed on them, so they weren't used recently, which by default meant that they weren't used on Itachi. Saeko's brief moment of relief was made up for tenfold by what she saw next: Itachi was there, and alive...but next to impossible to look at.

He was chained to a small section of chain-link fence, that was somehow placed in that basement, without a single strip of clothing on his body. To make things worse, there were car batteries with the clasps clinging onto the chain-link fence...and Itachi was dripping wet from head to toe. Not only was he was just electrocuted...and recently, he was also drenched in water to make the damage even worse. Saeko then removed her mempo to reveal the other half of her disheartened face, before she took one step toward him after another, with the very ability to speak ripped from her mind itself as the gravity of what she saw sunk in bit by bit.

She didn't even consider the fact that Itachi's muscles were relaxed, so her being electrocuted wasn't likely as she reached out to bush his hair away from his face. She pulled her hand back as soon as she felt his skin however; he was freezing cold. The car batteries electrocuting him were one thing, but to add insult to injury, she turned around and spot multiple bags of ice that were all surrounding a table that was drenched in water, and had small pieces of ice on it. Itachi must have been bound to the table and covered in ice, before being chained up and electrocuted. Saeko then touched Itachi's neck to feel his pulse...which was extremely weak. Her eyes then burned and her body began to shake as the gravity of the moment sank in completely.

"Itachi...? Itachi? Can you hear me? Itachi! It's me, Saeko. I'm here to get you out of here. All of us are. Itachi? Itachi! Wake up! Please wake up..." She said as she shook Itachi multiple times, but he didn't move a muscle. She knew from his slowly but steadily-inflating chest that he was still alive, but his spirit was broken. Next thing she knew...an airhorn was blurring outside; they must have found the bodies of the Ghosts she slaughtered. Tears then poured down Saeko's face as her brow lowered with the moral dilemma she had at the time completely forgotten. She then put Itachi's mempo back on her face and drew her gunto, before walking out of the torture room. If they thought the sight of 15 dead Ghosts was horrible...they haven't seen anything.

---

On the other side of the refinery, Masato got the truck full of oil drums to the refinery's chain link fence just in time for the alarm to sound. He then drove the truck into the fence just far enough to get it to collapse somewhat, then he climbed over the fence, and into the refinery's perimeter. He then brandished his SCAR, with the suppressor attached to it as he marched through the refinery's side alternate to where Saeko was.

While he marched, he saw Ghosts aplenty rushing through the area, mostly to the walls, and the ones who ran past him were mentally scrambled by how sudden the situation was, and were most likely too tired to focus on the fact that they had an enemy soldier in their midst. Even the Ghosts that were on the wall, looked around the outside of the wall, but the only gunfire was heard at the front gate; so much for using the zombies as a deterrent. Masato simply watched them all run about aimlessly before simply walking off in another direction, and eventually went inside one of the larger buildings.

As he looked through the rooms, he saw more and more evidence of it being a makeshift barracks. Beds, storage cases, and more were everywhere he looked, and he wasn't even done yet. Most interestingly, he stumbled upon a room that had closed lockers full of guns, ammunition, and even melee weapons such as knives, or improvised ones like lead pipes, metal bats, and 2 x 4s, and they were everywhere he looked. The guns in particular were military grade assault rifles with attachments, shotguns, pistols, sniper rifles, and even hand-held SMGs, like mini-uzis. Masato set his SCAR down before looking over the locks; unfortunately they all needed a key he of course didn't have, so more searching was needed.

"Hey! Intruder!" A Ghost yelled, and Masato turned to see a whole group of them.

"Oh shit, he's in the armory!" Another Ghost yelled before they all took cover. Masato then walked out of the armory and closed the door behind him without taking any weapons; he knew that a gun wouldn't help if he couldn't hit his targets, and he saw no weapons on the Ghosts. He then charged down the hallway at them and they all looked at him funny as he bolted toward them.

"Why didn't he take any guns?" A Ghost asked.

"Who cares? Kill him!" Another Ghost yelled before they all rushed at him, only for Masato tackle one of them, then grab a punch aimed at his head, and twist the wrist of the Ghost that tried to punch him, before punching the Ghost in the face hard enough to shove him back. Masato then took a kick to his gut before giving the Ghost who kicked him an uppercut to the jaw, then slamming his head against the nearby wall, and shoving his dead body into the next Ghost. That Ghost then shoved the body aside, then ducked a hook punch aimed at his head, only to take the tip of Masato's elbow to the forehead before getting his neck snapped.

The Ghost behind him, then swung a 2x4 to Masato's head only for Masato to duck it, punch him in the hip, then grab the 2x4 and using it to block other 2x4s swung at him, before kicking the reeling Ghost in he head hard enough to knock him down and give Masato time to deal with the other Ghosts. Masato's 2x4 eventually split in half before he dodged a swing, then grabbed the 2x4, kneed the Ghost using it in the gut, then bashed his skull in with his own 2x4, before blocking yet another 2x4, pushing back, then kicking the Ghost in the gut before the Ghost Masato knocked down earlier grabbed his foot, only for Masato to lift his leg, and stomp on his head three times, with each one making his head hit the floor, on top of the force of the stomps.

Another Ghost tried to jam a knife into Masato's face, only for Masato to block it with his arm, which still had it's armor on it as always. Masato then stomped the Ghost's knee before removing the knife from his still-intact arm, jammed it into the neck of the Ghost who was still reeling from getting kicked down, before jamming the same knife into the face of the Ghost on the ground, who was screaming in pain thanks to his busted knee. When the fight was over, Masato went back to the armory, and grabbed his SCAR...only to see another wave of Ghosts approaching from down another hallway.

Once they saw him, they all wisely took cover behind corners, then Masato put his SCAR back down; there was no sense giving them a weapon to possibly take from him. The Ghosts then poked their heads out to look like Masato, only for one of them to get a fist in the face, then grabbed and shoved into another Ghost who was swinging a lead pipe his way. While the Ghost was reeling from the guilt of splitting the head of one of his friends, Masato ducked a punch before jamming his knife into the gut of the Ghost with the lead pipe, before letting the knife go, standing up, blocking several more punches, before holding the Ghost still, headbashing him, then smashing his head into the head, then pushing his body into another Ghost, who fell down from the impact.

Another Ghost shouted in fury as he charged at Masato, and tackled him to the ground before forcing Masato to block a flurry of wild, rapid punches, before Masato punched the Ghost in the upper gut as hard as he could, then pushed the Ghost off of him. The Ghost with the knife in his gut struggled to get up before bringing down the lead pipe, only to hit the ground as Masato wisely rolled to the side. Masato then removed the knife from his gut, making him reel in even more pain, before Masato ended his pain by stabbing him in the back of the head.

"No! You son of a bitch!" The last Ghost yelled before springing back up, and tackling Masato into the wall, then the Ghost tried to punch Masato in the face only for Masato to move his head to the side, making the Ghost break his fist against the concrete wall, then Masato jams his knife into the Ghost's head before looking over the results of the fight. He then took a moment to catch his breath before heading back to the armory and grabbing his SCAR before heading back outside, leaving the rest of the bodies behind to make the rest of the Ghosts who see the massacre too horrified to get near the rest of the weapons.

When he got outside, Masato was immediately shot at by several Ghosts, making him snap back into the hallway he walked out of, and waiting for the shooting to stop. Once it did, Masato peeked out to see the Ghosts still pointing M4s at him, before snapping back into cover before getting shot at yet again. He then crouched and peeked out before sticking his SCAR out to return fire, but the Ghosts got into cover once he did, then he leaned out and took aim at them, before shooting again as some Ghosts poked their heads out. The Ghosts who weren't shot down, returned fire, and Masato had to get back into cover.

Next thing he knew, the shooting stopped and was replaced with screaming, which made him look out again, to see Saeko there cutting the Ghosts down. Masato then shares a glance with her...and saw the unmistakable fury in her eyes which matched his own, then she was shot at from the side, and had to take cover. Masato then looked around to see where the shots came from: a balcony overhead, with multiple Ghosts looking to avenge their friends.

Masato then took aim, and put one bullet after another through their heads until the shooting stopped, before checking on Saeko.

"Have you found Itachi?" Masato asked.

"Yes...and he's not well, not well at all." Saeko said.

"Maybe Shizuka can do something for him." Masato said as simply as ever.

"Maybe...but first, these Ghosts are going to die." Saeko said.

"And so are those zombies...but for now..." Masato trailed off before running up to the same balcony the Ghosts were on, while Saeko looked over the bodies of the dead Ghosts at her feet. She found nothing aside from some pistol ammo, and M4 ammo she couldn't use, but did find some grenades, including a couple of flashbangs. She then looked at the chain link fence within sight, that had another horde of zombies tugging on it.

She then spotted Masato preparing to throw a grenade himself, then watched it fly towards the chain link fence. When the grenade blew up a chunk of the fence, and several zombies, group of Ghosts rushed over to deal with them...and their lack of experience under pressure showed. Multiple Ghosts wasted bullets by missing the heads, hitting below the head, or missing entirely as they frantically shot at the small but still noteworthy horde pouring into through the damaged fence.

When the zombies were finally dead, the Ghosts took a moment to get themselves together...but their relief was brief. Saeko put several arrows through the Ghost's bodies, with each one taking an arrow, and only a few lucky ones died instantly, while the others were hit in the legs, gut, or arm, and fell down screaming in pain. The few survivors looked around, or eyeballed their screaming companions in horror, which then became a blank when Saeko threw a flashbang, that stunned every Ghost that could still stand.

By the time it wore off, Saeko was directly behind one of them, and the others didn't have time to warn him, before Saeko impaled the Ghost in front of her through the back, and turned him towards the others as if daring them to shoot their comrade...but none of them did. Saeko then ripped her sword out of the Ghost's back, then severed his head before standing there as if nothing happened. The display of savagery, Saeko's nonchalant attitude about the nightmare she caused them, on top of everything else made the Ghosts flee from her...only to get shot dead by Masato. Saeko then retrieved the arrows from the wounded Ghosts, by pulling them out of their still-living bodies, then silencing their screams by stabbing them through the chest or head.

Masato then came down the stairs and lead Saeko to the front of the refinery, where another group of Ghosts were wandering about, then Saeko and Masato split up. The Ghosts themselves were looking around and chattering among themselves as they began to wake up entirely, but as they were doing so...Saeko threw another flashbang into the middle of the crowd, stunning them as well. While they were reeling from the pain, the ones that weren't effected, immediately checked on their friends, only for Saeko to dash out and slice through their necks halfway, or all the way, from behind as she passed them.

Eventually, some Ghosts discovered the carnage, only for Saeko to sever their heads as well, and others were impaled through the chest and left to bleed out. The Ghosts who recovered from the flashbang were treated to the sight of their uneffected comrades left butchered and bloody in their own home, with Saeko standing before them with her proud smile concealed by her mempo. Once the horror sank in, Saeko lashed out and finished her work by cutting down the last of the Ghosts as enthusiastically as she had before.

She then heard gunfire, and looked up to see Masato was getting shot at, by machine guns on the outer wall of the refinery. Saeko then took cover herself as the gunners spotted her, and for the better part of a minute, they both had no chance of getting out of cover. Masato had to retreat to another set of cover every now and then, and Saeko had to get further behind the wall she was behind, and not only did they not have a chance to return fire, but they couldn't even stick their heads out to look at where they were being shot at from. Even using grenades wasn't possible thanks to how poor their angle was, and how they couldn't see where their attackers were.

Next thing they knew, gunfire was heard from outside the refinery, and the shooting inside the refinery stopped cold. Saeko then looked out to see several gunners were dead, and the survivors were scrambling to shoot at the ones outside, only for more of them to be shot dead. Saeko then looked up at Masato, and he was looking through his scope at the city itself; he must have been looking at who was helping them, ut Saeko already had an idea. Masato then ran down the stairs to reunite with Saeko as the gunfire continued.

"Is it the rest of the group?" Saeko asked.

"Yes it is, and not a moment too soon." Masato said.

"There's bound to be more Ghosts further into the refinery." Saeko said.

"You deal with them...I'm not done yet." Masato said.

"What?" Saeko asked.

"Those zombies are going to die, and at my hands..." Masato trailed off before running back to the truck with the oil drums. Saeko then followed him out of curiosity, and saw that Masato brought every weapon he could call his own. His Desert Eagle, his M32, and even his chain; the chainsaw was out of the question since it was a glorified tool at best, but everything else was fair game.

"May I ask how many grenades you have left?" Saeko asked and Masato checked the M32.

"I've got one round..." He said.

"Do you think that will be enough?" Saeko asked.

"It will have to be." Masato said.

"Do you have any plans for this oil?" Saeko asked, and Masato glanced at her.

"I'm going to ram it through the front gate, and burn those zombies to ash." He said.

"Are you kidding me?!" Saeko exclaimed.

"I've done so before, and I have my mission...and so do you." Masato said, and Saeko sighed before running off. Masato then looked back to see the gunfire exchange was still taking place, before he wrapped the chain around his waist, put the pistols away, then slung his SCAR over his back before revving the oil truck's engine. He then drove around the refinery, to where the side the front gate was, then he floored it towards the front gate. Once he smashed through the front gate, and bulled over at least a dozen zombies in the process, he pulled his Desert Eagle, and smashed out the back window, before squeezing through it, and pushing several oil drums out of his way.

He then looked around to see the zombies swarming the truck, but the back still had enough room for him to jump off of it...perfect. He then climbed over the oil drums, jumped over the few zombies that were there, before pulling his knife, and lobotomizing them with it. He then sprinted away from the oil truck, pointed his M32 at it with his spare hand, then lobbed his last grenade into it. The blast leveled the front gate, and incinerated every zombies around it as Masato watched the firestorm he unleashed consume his hated adversaries.

"Nice fireworks display." A Ghost said, and Masato turned around to see a single one behind him...wearing JSDF ceramic armor.

"You've got alot of nerve wearing that armor around me...!" Masato said seriously.

"Why? You know how much it works. It's too bad my brothers in arms couldn't wear it, but hey, boss Kazama chose me to wear it for a reason." The Ghost said.

"I couldn't care less." Masato said, and the Ghost smirked.

"No...of course not. You just want to survive, like we did, but now...it's just you and me, asshole..." He said before Masato threw the M32 away, then he unslung his SCAR, and the Ghost pulled an Uzi, and the two ran to the sides while unloading bullets at each other. When they each got to cover neither of them landed any hits; Masato's shots bounced off the Ghost's armor, and his own armor, what was left of it, took superficial damage from a few shots, and the other shots missed.

Masato then reached into his ammo bag to grad his last clip of bullets, reloaded, then peeked out at the Ghost...who began spraying his cover with bullets as soon as Masato looked out, forcing him to get back into cover. Masato then looked out to see the Ghost reloading his Uzi, then walk out towards Masato get a better shot; Uzis weren't long-range weapons afterall. Masato then stayed in cover as his position was steadily riddled with bullets, then pointed his SCAR out to return fire, and wound up hitting the Ghost in the torso multiple times, but his armor just took the shots.

Once the Ghost got close enough...his overconfidence showed; he put his Uzi in Masato's face, which gave him a golden opportunity to wrestle the Uzi out of the Ghost's hand, which only worked to an extent. The Ghost continued firing past Masato, with none of the bullets hitting him, but it was still enough to distract him, but he still quickly threw a punch to a bullet hole in the Ghost's armor, which staggered the Ghost just enough to let Masato elbow the Ghost in the face, but the Ghost recovered before stopping another punch, then twisting Masato's wrist, then kneeing him in the gut.

Masato then headbashed the Ghost in the face, then kicked him down before taking advantage of the lull in the fight to squeeze the pain out of his wrist, before making a fist with it several times. The Ghost however was giving no quarter; he threw another kick, which knocked Masato to the ground, then the Ghost tried to get on top of Masato, only to get both feet slammed into his gut, then shoved to the side. The two men both got up and stared each other down as the fire continued raging beside them.

"It's a shame that armor is damaged; I could use another." Masato said.

"You won't live long enough to take it..." The Ghost breathed out, before pulling a grenade and tossing it at Masato, who caught it. The Ghost then smirked before showing off the pin, making Masato chuck it at some of the zombies who survived the blaze, and stumbled towards them only to get blown to bits. The Ghost then drew a bayonet, and charged at Masato, who took a stab through his side, with barely enough time to side-step it, and avoid getting his vitals pierced.

Masato and the Ghost continued to wrestle with the knife before Masato shoved the Ghost to the ground, then untied the chain around his waist, and wrapped it several times until it was short and thick enough to be used at short range. The Ghost was clearly taken aback by the development his opponent pulled, but he still had his knife, so the fight wasn't even close to over. The pair continued to stare off at each other daring and waiting for each other to make the first move.

Masato moved first, with the Ghost caught off-guard, and he tried to lunge forward with his knife, hoping that he would be able to get inside the range of Masato's chain...he was dead wrong. Masato's chain lashed the Ghost across the face, then it was wrapped around the Ghost's leg, and yanked out from under him. The Ghost then wisely rolled away as Masato wrapped up his chain again, and dodged one lash after another until Masato stopped and took a breather.

The Ghost then charged again, and Masato ducked, let go of the chain, and tackled the Ghost to the ground before repeatedly punching the Ghost in the face. The Ghost then desperately tried to stab Masato in the neck, but the armor on Masato's shoulder took the hit instead, then Masato wrestled the knife away from the Ghost, dislocated his wrist, then took the knife before stomping on the Ghost's abdomen hard enough to make the Ghost vomit and lay there reeling in pain, and out of breath. Masato then took a moment to catch his own breath before looking over the still-raging fire as the rain came once again.

"Now...with this place cleared...its weapons can be used...to help clear...the undead..." Masato breathed out.

"What?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Blowing up that gate is one thing, but you want to use...every weapon in this place, just to get rid of some zombies?!" The Ghost asked, before Masato knelt over him and brandished the knife.

"Yes...because the zombies, are far more troublesome than you are...!" Masato growled before jamming the knife into the Ghost's face, then standing up and looking over his dead opponent.

---

Meanwhile, Saeko was running further and further into the refinery's heart, looking for any sign of the Ghosts, but found nothing. No gunfire, no ambushes, not even as footsteps aside from her own were heard. She even climbed to the tops of some buildings, or got on top of the pipelines to search for any Ghosts, but saw nothing.

Eventually however, she saw a figure moving through the pipelines, and then chased after it, making sure that her movements were as quiet as they could be. She even peeked around corners, or behind her to make sure she wasn't attacked, or in case she missed something...or someone. Further and further into the refinery she went, but still found nothing of value, or interest.

However...when she reached the bottom of the refinery's center, she saw the three Ghosts that were with Kazama earlier, in addition to three others Saeko then she pulled a grenade, removed the pin, waited a couple of seconds, then threw it. It flew until it reached the center of the group at chest-level, then exploded, shredding their upper bodies beyond recognition, and clearing the way for Saeko to dash past them. There was no point in being subtle now, not after a noise that serious.

Lo and behold, she spotted Kazama running through the pipelines, and immediately gave chase. His armor and nodachi, more so the former, slowed Kazama down considerably, but it was clear he was as used to it as Masato himself was, given how fluid his movements were. When Saeko catches him...and she will, Kazama will need his fluidity, armor, and superior weapon. The only question was...did his skill match her own, or his fury for that matter?

Kazama eventually stopped running at the end of a dead end, which was a long, empty corridor, with with pipelines on all sides. He was clearly done running, and wanted to catch his breath, which was perfectly fine. Saeko then casually walked out with his gunto drawn as Kazama turned to face her.

"So...you must be that would-be assassin who's been slaughtering my men." Kazama said.

"And you must be Kazama..." Saeko said.

"So you've heard of me? I do not remember hearing your name before." Kazama said.

"Nor do I believe you'd care to remember...or Itachi's for that matter." Saeko said, and Kazama's face soured.

"What...? His fate concerns you?! After everything he's done, to me, to my men, and wso knows how many others...you wanted to avenge him?" He asked seriously.

"I won't deny it...Itachi was a terrible person, and the world is probably better off without him, but the Itachi you speak of is dead, and another one took his place." Saeko said.

"And now both are gone, and the people he slaughtered have been avenged." Kazama said.

"You're half right; they were avenged, but Itachi still lives." Saeko said.

"I know, and when I'm done with you, I will return to that hole I left him in and finsih what I started." Kazama said.

"Wrong...you're going to die here, and I will make you suffer as he, and I both have suffered because of you. You see, I have seen him shed the arrogance you'vecondemned him for, and he's condemned himself for, at great personal pain on both our parts, and he's become the greatest man I've ever met. One you nearly took from this world...and me." Saeko said.

"Please...how many of my men have you killed in your noble quest to avenge him? You claim I nearly robbed this world of a good man, yet you killed plenty of good men in the process. You even have their blood all over your body as proof. It seems arrogance spreads like a virus." Kazama said.

"You yourself proved that philosophy right before you even said it; your men have attacked us without provocation; without reason; just because we were outsiders. Everything that happened here, you brought on yourself..." Saeko said.

"Enough of this! Die!" Kazama snapped before charging at Saeko, who didn't even flinch...until Kazama got within range, and Saeko slashed through Kazam'a arm between the ceramic plates, making him drop his nodachi and clutch his arm while growling in pain.

"You're not armored everywhere...like there for instance." Saeko said casually while smirking. Kazama then growled, grabbed the nodachi and swung her way again, before Saeko merely deflected each wild swing.

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" Kazama yelled, before Saeko ducked one swing then slashed Kazama's side, making him reel.

"Or there..." Saeko said simply before removing her mempo and chuckling.

"Stop mocking me!" Kazama snapped before swinging the nodachi with his good arm, over and over, but it was clear the nodachi was only so good with one hand, but in untrained hands, while fueled by uncontrolled fury,...Saeko's defense was almost unnecessary. Kazama's swings missed her by miles, and it only aded to the sweetness of her superiority. Next thing they knew, Kazama had Saeko's blade piercing his shoulder, rendering his good arm almost useless.

"Being mocked is the least of your worries; you wield a deadlier weapon than mine, and you are still losing, miserably." Saeko said, as Kazama stood there drenched in his own blood, and his rage being replaced with terror...much to Saeko's satisfaction.

"What...what sort of demon are you...?" He breathed out.

"One you woke up." Saeko said while looking over her bleeding opponent, and reveling in her victory, but as Kazama learned when Saeko impaled his leg...she wasn't done yet. Kazama then fell down screaming in pain, before desperately crawling back to get away from the demon-possessed woman walking towards him.

"Wait...! Please...spare my life. I'll give you whatever you want...!" Kazama said.

"You already are...as we speak." Saeko said coldly, and she wasn't lying; seeing the man who nearly killed Itachi in a manner that far exceeded even Itachi's most brutal moments was unforgivable, and incredibly satisfying as her ear-to-ear grin showed. She then recalled the time she was attacked on the street as a pre-teen, and senselessly beat her attacker...but now, there was nothing controlling her; this was as personal as it could possibly get., and it was about to get more personal...somehow.

"But...but if we...if we joined together..." Kazama trailed off.

"You had your chance to beg before you wound up in this miserable state, before we showed up at your front door for that matter. Now scrounge up some dignity...if you can." Saeko said, and Kazama sighed, before slowly standing up.

"Fine...if I'm dying...you're dying with me-" He stops talking the moment he lunged forward with his nodachi, only for Saeko to cut through his forearm, and severed his hand, and half his forearm, making him scream more than before. To add insult to injury, Saeko removed Kazama's other hand as he's holding what was left of his right forearm to stop the bleeding. She then kicked Kazama to the ground, and slowly walked over to him, and stabbed each of his calves, still ignoring how much pain she was causing.

Next thing they knew, the front gate exploded in a mass of fire and oil; Masato put that truck to use afterall. Saeko then looked at the night sky, which had just enough light to show how cloudy it was getting. It is quite fitting that just a hellish time was emphasized by fire and a storm, and speaking of which...Saeko had an execution to finish.

She then put her gunto away, grabbed the nodachi, then jammed it into Kazama's lower gut...where his armor wasn't there. She then drew her gunto again, put it in Kazama's hopeless face, then put the tip in his mouth before slowly pushing into it. Kazama then desperately tried to keep her blade from going further into his head by clamping it between his teeth...but that just made Saeko lean down to get a better look at her work, and push the blade even harder. She continued her work until Kazama's teeth broke, and the gunto came out the back of his head, finally ending his misery with the last thing he sees being the content look on Saeko's face.

As she looked over the remains of her hated foe, the clouds overhead began to shower the world beneath them once again.

---

Back at the front gate, Masato was looking over the battle ground at the front gate, and watched the rain slowly smother the fire he lit. When it was almost done, he saw the rest of the group approaching. Masato then took a moment to reload his SCAR, collect his chain, and then waited for the group to walk through the now-extinguished epicenter of the explosion.

"My God, this is just like that time at the military base..." Rei said.

"Corporal? Is Itachi here?" Kohta asked.

"Yes. You're swordswoman friend found him." Masato said.

"You mean Saeko?" Takashi asked.

"Yes." Masato said.

"Where are they now?" Rei asked.

"I do not know." Masato said.

"Well...should we go looking for them?" Rei asked.

"Saeko went deeper into the refinery, and it's highly likely that she saw the explosion just now. She may come to investigate, and soon." Masato said.

"So what? We're supposed to wait here until she gets back from...whatever she wanted to do?" Saya asked.

"I do not know, but in any case, there is a bounty of weapons and ordinance here, and I intend to make as much use of it as possible in the near future." Masato said.

"And so will we sir." Kohta said.

"Of that, I have no doubt..." Masato said.

"Well until then, we should go find our two other teammates." Takashi said, then they heard a voice they'd know anywhere.

"Both are present and accounted for." Saeko said as she brought Itachi's unconscious body over her should...with Itachi wrapped in a thermal blanket.

"Damn, what happened to him?" Takashi asked.

"These bastards covered him in ice before or after electrocuting him, and I have no idea for how long." Saeko said.

"That's not good...not good at all!" Saya breathed out.

"No kidding. We need to get him to Miss Shizuka, now!" Takashi said seriously.

"No not now, yesterday; being covered in ice is a great way to come down with a case of hypothermia, or a body temperature that's below at the most, 95 degrees fahrenheit, and that's a death sentence unless we warm him up, and quickly. Getting electrocuted on top of that...well, I don't know how much electricity was used, but it moves much slower through cold water than warm water." Saya said.

"Well, where does that leave him now?" Takashi said.

"It means he must have pissed them off good to get treated like that." Saya said.

"Which is why we should get him in the humvee and get back now!" Saeko said seriously.

"But can all of us fit in the humvee?" Rei asked.

"You go, I'll catch up with you." Masato said.

"But sir..." Takashi trailed off.

"But nothing; there are bound to be zombies on the way back, and I will have plenty of supplies to deal with them, even when I'm walking." Masato said.

"Alright...good luck sir." Takashi said before the group took Itachi back to the humvee, loaded him into the back, and Saya drove them back home. On the way, Saeko continued looking over Itachi's barely-alive body, thought back to how she butcherd Kazama to avenge him, and how much she enjoyed it. Would Itachi have done the same thing back when his arrogance was as firm as it was, or would he have done worse? It was unlikely she'd ever know, but regardless...she hoped with all her being that moments like this weren't going to be normal in the future.

---

When they got back home, Rei went straight to Shizuka, and Alice went to Rei.

"You're back!" Alice exclaimed.

"Yes we are, and so is Itachi." Rei said.

"Is he alright?" Alice asked.

"No...no he's not." Rei said.

"What's wrong with him?" Shizuka asked.

"He's been covered in ice for God-knows-how-long, and he's been electrocuted!" Rei said seriously, and Shizuka gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Where is he now?!" She asked.

"They took him to Saeko's place." Rei said, and Shizuka grabbed her tools before Rei lead the two back to Saeko and Itachi's apartment, and once Alice burst into the room, everyone looked at her.

"Alice wait!" Takashi said as he held Alice back.

"Let me go! I want to see him!" She exclaimed.

"No you can't. He's not well." Takashi said.

"I want to see him!" Alice exclaimed.

"And he needs to rest." Takashi said.

"Let her see him Takashi; he's not waking up anytime soon." Saeko said, and Takashi sighed before letting Alice go. The moment he did, Alice rushed over to see Itachi, who was still as motionless as ever, without a single hint of emotion on his face. The moment she saw him in the state he was in, she looked him over in disbelief...which quickly turned into sorrow.

"Itachi..." Alice whispered before her eyes watered, and not a soul in the room blamed her for it. It was clear as day that Alice had the most positive relationship with Itachi for the longest time, even when Itachi's pride was making a monster out of him. Now, here he was laying down, cold as ice, and in-between life and death, Alice must have been beside herself on the inside, despite her inability to belief how someone as strong as Itachi could be in such a pathetic state.

"Alice, Miss Shizuka has to examine Itachi now." Rei said, and Alice trembled before lowering her head and sniffling.

"O.k..." She breathed out before following Rei outside, and Shizuka went inside the room as everyone else waited outside for several uneasy minutes. In the meantime, Shizuka took Itachi's temperature...which was an alarmingly low 86 degrees, which went hand in hand with his heart rate, which was once per second, instead of three per two seconds, and his pulse itself was almost undetectable, even with a stethoscope. Shizuka then made sure the thermal blanket Saeko found at the refinery was firmly secured around Itachi's body before sighing.

---

Once Shizuka came out, everyone held their breath waiting for an answer..

"Well, the good news is that he's not in serious danger...but the bad news is that he's going nowhere." Shizuka said.

"Great..." Saya groaned.

"Just how bad it?" Rei asked.

"Well...he has a pretty nasty case of hypothermia, and that doesn't happen unless you're exposed to extreme cold for about an hour or so. Being electrocuted on top of that...well, depending on the voltage, he could be either somewhat paralyzed, or have minor muscle damage, but it's hard to tell at this point." Shizuka said.

"It's quite likely he wasn't exposed to much; the Ghosts wanted him to die slowly, and using all the electricity they had all at once would be counterproductive." Saeko said.

"Either way, he probably needs our help more than ever." Kohta said.

"And we're giving it to him." Takashi said.

"It's a miracle he's still alive; hypothermia and electrocution by themselves are nothing to make fun of...in combination? Like I said, it's a miracle he's still alive, low voltage or not." Rei said.

"How long before he's in top form?" Saeko asked, then Shizuka put one finger on her chin, and looked back at Itachi.

"Well...depending how how well his treatment goes, he should recover completely in about a week, or less if he's treated properly." Shizuka said.

"I'll keep an eye on him until then...all month if I have to." Saeko said.

"That...shouldn't be necessary, but point taken." Saya said.

"Wait, where's Masato?" Shizuka asked.

"He stayed at the base; we found a ton of weapons and ammo there, and...well, you know him." Takashi said, then Shizuka groaned and facepalmed.

"That man is impossible sometimes..." She breathed out.

"He'll be fine." Takashi said.

"Here's hoping." Kohta said.

"Well, in any case, let's get some sleep. I'm bushed..." Rei said.

"So am I." Saya said, before everyone left, except for Saeko, who shared glances with everyone before looking at Itachi's unconscious body. She then going into their room and holding his ice-cold hand...and whether it was her imagination or not, she felt his finger flex. Saeko couldn't help but smile; maybe Itachi's body was the only part of him that was cold...

---

In the following days, Masato made one trip after another to the refinery, taking the humvee back and forth in the process. On the way back, he stopped to slaughter every zombie he found, even if there was only one of the. If he could afford to, he used his knives, or just smashed the zombies heads in by slamming them into something, bludgeoned them with his Desert Eagle, or another blunt object he found, or just broke their necks. He did occasionally ram the zombies with his humvee, sometimes with enough force to send them flying, but he didn't make a habit out of it; humvees are tough, not indestructible.

Each time he came back, Kohta was like a kid in a candy store; SMGs, more shotguns, including a sawed-off, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenades, weapon attachments of all types, even melee weapons like the lead pipes were in storage at he refinery. Masato also found another suit of armor to replace his old one deep in the refinery's storage area. Granted it took Masato no less than two days to retrieve all of them, but that's including the time he spent killing zombies on the way, resting up after each fight, and preparing for the next, sometimes with Shizuka checking on his body, both professionally...and intimately. The pair's moments never went beyond a simple kiss, or showering together before sleeping next to each other, since things were still too intense for anything serious...but for how much longer?

As for everyone else, Kohta spent every waking moment looking over the new weapons, and sometimes training Alice if possible. She even traded her pistol, for a mini uzi since it held more bullets, but of course kept it in mind to never use the full-auto function, just like with the M4. Alice even tried holding a shotgun just to get a feel for it, and could barely hold it up for a few seconds before Kohta had to take it from her lest she pull a muscle. At one point, Kohta watched Alice's back, as she put her mini uzi to work on a small horde of zombies, and the pair dominated the fight just like they always did. At the rate she was going, Alice would be ready for a sniper rifle in less than a month.

Saeko continued to look after Itachi, who was still unconscious days after his rescue, despite being gradually warmed up, and thanks to the torture he went through, his mental state was all over the place. His hypothermia caused him to have trouble focusing on almost everything, which includes where his feet would be as he walked. Not that it mattered thanks to the summer weather, but it was practically unthinkable for him to wear clothes thanks to his hypothermia, even if his original outfit wasn't torn to shreds by the Ghosts who had him hostage. Shizuka of course checked in on him, and did physical examinations to determine whether or not he had trouble doing certain movements, and he passed most tests, but it was clear he wasn't in a good mood.

Thankfully, the electrical damage was almost nonexistent; he had no muscle damage, his brain wasn't damaged, and his heart and breathing were returning to normal more and more every day. Itachi could still speak properly, and Saeko tested his memory to see if he recalled certain events, and everything rang true in his mind. It was clear he was slightly out-of-training, and in a pretty serious amount of pain, but that's to be expected given his condition, and his recovery was anything but smiled each time Itachi showed signs of progress; his willpower was downright inhuman, even when he came back from the brink of death for the second time in his life.

Unfortunately, Itachi wasn't well enough to have any profound conversations, so Saeko held off on them until he was well enough. Nothing stopped Saeko, and occasionally Shizuka from making Itachi a meal or two, and Saeko tried to sleep in the same bed as Itachi to help warm him, but Itachi's skin was so raw from the electrocution, that she had to relocate to his old room. Eventually however, Itachi became well enough that she could sleep next to him without too much trouble, and she took full advantage of the temperature difference.

If there was one positive thing about Itachi's condition, it was how pleasant the contrast between how cold his flesh was, and how warm Saeko's flesh, and from the strength of Itachi's reactions, from his deeper breathes, to his content sighs, to his body's minor shifting, he enjoyed the contrast as much as Saeko did. She even rubbed against him to not only bathe in the resulting pleasure as much as possible, but to also speed his recovery, with an occasional massage to keep his muscles from needing more training later on. Each time they slept together, Itachi never groped Saeko, or even attempt to do so, but it was likely that he either wasn't in the mood, or was content to just lay next to the woman who had a larger place in his heart than anyone else.

At one point, Rei and Saya caught Saeko during a break between her moments looking after Itachi, to look at a clothing store they found aside from the first one they looked at. Saeko of course went with them, mostly to find Itachi some new clothes...and it turned out the clothes store was was for men, and women, but the men's department had more stuff in it than the women's department. She immediately searched through it, and found a tank top, and baggy pants that resembled Itachi's old outfit, and took a jacket to go with it. Rei and Saya found nothing that struck their fancy...but Rei found a handful of leather jackets, some of which fit her like a glove, but she wore neither of them...yet.

Takashi himself didn't do much aside from check in with everyone else, give each other updates on what was happening, and lead the teams that went to fetch supplies as they came in, and possibly plan out their next moves. The power plant was closer than ever now that the Ghosts were defeated, and more of the city was available now, and much thinking was needed, and even more anticipation was mounting. At one point, Rei caught Takashi as he prepared to drive his motorcycle around the city they cleared, including their old neighborhood, and Rei rode behind him. During the ride, Rei held onto Takashi with her arms around his abdomen, and took in the scenery as much as he did, with neither of them saying a word the whole time...not that any were needed.

---

On the fifth day, Saeko woke up next to a now-warm Itachi, and saw him sleeping as peacefully as ever, then got out of bed to prepare his breakfast, and her own for that matter. When they were done...with Itachi devouring his food in half the time it took Saeko as if the food was the only thing on Itachi's mind, Saeko left him to think about whatever was almost hopelessly occupying him. She then removed their dishes, and looked out the window at the somewhat cloudy sky; the storm that was drenching the city never returned, but some clouds stayed behind. Of course, there was nothing unusual about that, although it was still noteworthy.

She then took a minor pilgrimage to the temple, while simply shooting every zombie she saw with a suppressed M9 instead of using her gunto. When she got to the stairs, she had a minor moment of nostalgia, if it could be called that, where Itachi used to grab her butt as they went up the stairs, not that she minded, or wasn't teasing him with her tight pants. She then wondered if he really was going to do that every time they went to the temple, at least when he felt better.

As soon as Saeko reached the temple itself, everything became more serious as the memories flooded back to her: her duel with Hamato, his attempted kamikaze attack, her giving Rei her naginata, the times she and Itachi trained...and he blew her exceptations out of the water with how fast he was able to learn from her, and how well he was able to teach her, despite how much she had to learn about the bow. As she recalled each event, she was struck by how intense of an impact this one area has had on not only her, but the entire group, directly or indirectly. She then went over to the side house where she got the mempo for Itachi...and she wound up using it herself, and she looked at a part of the building in the back, where she and Itachi had yet to explore.

When she got there..she couldn't believe her eyes: a pure white hakama, with a black belt, and grey was set up on a rack, just waiting to be used. She immediately imagined Itachi wearing it, and knew right away she would give it to him the next time she brought him to this place. Not only would it fit Itachi thanks to it being the right size, but the color scheme fits him, and he's proven himself worthy of it plenty of times. Even if he didn't, he's paid for his sins at least twice over...by nearly dying without a shred of dignity.

Saeko then paid the central building a visit, and looked over the sword rack, which of course was now empty. She then sighed when she thought back to how the swords on it were used: the nodachi was used against her by an evil man, then used to help brutally execute him, and the wakizashi was used to assasinate several Ghosts in a way that a conventional samurai wouldn't even consider. Even the katana, which admittedly got the best treatment, was still used by someone with an impure past.

At that point, she had enough; Saeko leaned against the wall, and began weeping. The shame of how the blades were treated, the brutality at the refinery, Itachi's miserable state, her own confliction about unleashing her rage on Kazama and taking extreme pleasure in giving him what was coming to him, was all too much for her to bare. Saving Itachi was it's own reward...but the cost was more staggering than she could have imagined. She eventually got ahold of herself, and wiped her eyes before sighing; maybe Itachi could give her input on the matter when he recovered entirely.

---

When she got back in the afternoon, she checked in with the others, but nothing noteworthy was happening, so she went home to cook dinner for herself and Itachi. Once again, Itachi said nothing, and ate his food without even looking at Saeko more than once. Whatever was occupying his thoughts was clearly nothing to make light of.

When Saeko left and took care of the dishes, she went to Itachi's old room, and looked over the three swords they took from the temple...and remembered her plight caused by their resent actions. The longbow Itachi introduced her to was less of a concern...but it's presense still added insult to injury, despite how innocent it's uses have been. Itachi's compound bow wasn't even a factor since it was a birthday gift to him, and he himself said it was superior to his old bow, which was better off forgotten considering that he was still consumed by his arrogance at the time.

Saeko then went back to Itachi, who was sitting up in bed, still in thought, and Saeko stood by the door waiting for him to react. When he didn't, she went up to him, and sat down in front of him. Amazingly, he still didn't react to her beyond closing his eyes and sighing.

"We should talk..." Saeko breathed out.

"Yes...we should..." Itachi trailed off.

"How do you feel?" Saeko asked.

"I...I can think straight now...but I still feel like hell." Itachi said.

"I can imagine, but for what it's worth...when we rescued you, we got rid of the Ghosts, and we haven't heard from any other Ghosts since." Saeko said and Itachi trembled.

"Saeko...do you know why they captured me in the first place...?" He asked.

"No doubt it was to get revenge for the Ghosts you killed." Saeko said.

"It goes deeper than that...far deeper. Their leader, Kazama, has a zero-tolerance policy for people coming into the city. According to him, outsiders cannot be trusted, and he blamed me...me, for the trouble his group had. He accused me of hunting his men for fun right to my face, and that I represented everything wrong with the world before the zombie apocalypse...that I was an example of why outsiders are the scum of the earth" Itachi said...and Saeko stared at him with wide eyes the whole time.

"Itachi..." Saeko breathed out.

"The more I thought about it, the more I thought that he was right; the old Itachi as you say was a monster and a half, and even though the Ghosts made themselves our enemies, unfairly, I shouldn't have hunted them like animals the way I did." Itachi said seriously.

"If you didn't, they probably would have killed you on the spot instead of capture you...and we can't save a dead person." Saeko said.

"During the time I was in their hands...I wished I was. Kazama actually told me how he was going to lower my body's temperature with the ice, then shocked me until I stopped screaming. But that was just the start; he was going to raise my temperature...with a fucking blowtorch, then peel of my skin with a knife and pliers like I was a human onion! I don't even want to think about what the other tools were for..." Itachi said while trembling even more.

"But it's over now. Kazama and his minions are dead, and his threat died with them." Saeko said, and Itachi took a moment to compose himself.

"Another thing that went through my head...was you, and what we had together." He said.

"Itachi...we still have what we had, and it's not going anywhere...and neither am I." Saeko said, and Itachi pulled her into a hug, which Saeko returned without hesistation.

"I'm very happy to be with you Saeko, more than I can hope to express. You've shown me how not to live, and gave me a chance to make things right, despite how unfair I've been to you and everyone else...and I don't want you to leave me, not now or ever." Itachi said while tightening his hold on her.

"I told you...I'm not going anywhere. I love you too much." Saeko said, before Itachi let go of her...and she saw the tears drenching Itachi's face.

"I love you too." He whispered before pressing his lips agaisnt Saeko's. The pair then sat there holding that single position, completely relaxed, and without moving a muscle. Itachi's misery was practically drained out of him as if Saeko was doing it herself via her kiss. Eventually, Saeko broke the kiss and leaned her head on Itachi's shoulder as they continued holding each other.

"Itachi...? There's something you should know. I killed Kazama myself...and it wasn't quick." Saeko said.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked.

"The moment I saw you in that torture chamber...I was more appalled than I've ever been, and I vowed to take revenge on Kazama, starting with his minions. When I was done with them, I went after Kazama himself, and during our fight, if you can call it that, I wounded him in ways I knew he would survive. Just as death wouldn't come to you quickly, the same could be said for Kazama. I even used the nodachi he had the audacity to use against me, to help his execution." Saeko said.

"Saeko...there's no way I'm going to feel sorry for him, even if your blades were drenched in sulfuric acid." Itachi said.

"Itachi, I didn't butcher him like that just to avenge you...I enjoyed every moment of it. This was the time I was assaulted as a child all over again, only this time...death was the intention, I enjoyed myself significantly more...and I didn't doubt myself for one moment." Saeko said.

"Well...I guess this means we're stuck together." Itachi said.

"What?" Saeko asked.

"If you recall, I wasn't much better before my first bow broke, but the difference is I didn't give a damn about the consequences, whereas you did. That thoughtfulness alone makes your case better than mine. On top of that...I've seen you aid the people around you so many more times than I've seen you go nuts as you described." Itachi said.

"That is true..." Saeko trailed off.

"As far as I'm concerned...the Saeko Busujima that I know and love, is an angel that sometimes acts like a demon." Itachi said, and Saeko smiled.

"And now, the Itachi Fujinaga holding me is a demon that always acts like an angel." She breathed out before locking eyes with Itachi.

"All the more reason for us to be stuck together; we apparently need each other to be balanced out." He said.

"And it shows...clearly..." Saeko breathed out as Itachi pulled her into another kiss that was softer, sweeter and deeper than the first one. The two then pulled away and locked together several more times as their hearts and lungs reacted to their passions. Saeko then ran a hand over Itachi's chest, and squeezed both sides, before pulling back.

"Saeko, don't worry. The pain stopped hours ago." Itachi said.

"Oh...I wish I knew that before." Saeko said.

"It could be worse." Itachi said.

"True...so, does this mean...well...we can go further?" Saeko asked.

"We can go as far as you want. Wait, did you...take a pill?" Itachi asked.

"No I haven't...but I did have my time of the month last night." Saeko said.

"Huh?" Itachi asked.

"I had to stop taking those pills at some point, and us women are at our lest fertile just before and after our time of the month." Saeko said, and Itachi stared at her.

"O.k...I trusted you before, I still trust you now." He said, before Saeko smiled, and took off her tank top...and Itachi watched her enticing breasts bounce before Saeko moved closer and turned around. She then sighed as Itachi's hands slide up her flat, sensitive belly with gentile until they enveloped her breasts, and gripped them from underneath, pressed them into each other, and even lifted them only to make them bounce as he let them go. He then moved his hands around her breasts to change the angle, and continued applying sweet pressure to the mound of plump, creamy flesh Saeko allowed him to play with. As always, Saeko's breasts offered little resistance as Itachi's powerful hands worked on her breasts, that were so large they barely fit into his hands.

Saeko did nothing but shift against the man behind her as her breasts were treated like the treasures they were. Itachi continued to squeeze her breasts, move them around, and press his hands into them from each angle as throughly as ever, all while reveling in how soft, smooth, and warm they were. Saeko then gasped as Itachi began to playfully twist and pinch her perky nipples, and smirked in response to her pleasured vocalizations.

Itachi stopped playing with her nipples a while later, and continued fondling Saeko's priceless breasts until she stopped him. She then took a moment to catch her breath, then stood up before taking her pants off, then her underwear followed. She then turned to see Itachi staring at her perfectly supple buttocks, and smirked at him, which signaled him to put his hand on it.

Once his hand reached her butt, Itachi treated each cheek the same way he treated her breasts. He squeezed one of her cheeks from underneath, moved up slowly while pressing his hand into her flesh, moved back down the side when he got to the top, and did the same thing to the other cheek. He continued kneading her flesh as Saeko graced his ears with pleasured gasps and chuckles, before she turned back around, and climbed into bed with him. Itachi of course opened the blankets for the woman giving herself to him wholeheartedly, then she simply laid on top of him with her breasts pressing into his chest, her indigo hair framing her angelic face, and his lean arms around her frame.

"Do you feel better?" Saeko asked.

"Much..." Itachi whispered.

"Good..." Saeko said before locking lips with Itachi once again. The pair then laid there kissing as passionately as ever, and only got more into it as their tongues danced around each other, and Itachi's hands worked their way from Saeko's lean back, down to her butt. As her flesh was once again played with, Saeko couldn't help but moan into their deep kiss, which occasionally broke with a wet sucking sound before they re-enaged their hungry mouths. Meanwhile, Itachi squeezed and rubbed Saeko's butt from top to bottom, and pressed each cheek together while continuing to fondle them for all they were worth.

Saeko then broke the kiss, and scootched up as she raised her upper body off the body, and put her hands on the bed's headboard to use it as leverage. She then threw her head back as Itachi's mouth clamped onto one of the irresistable breasts dangling in his face, and swirled his tongue around, and flicked it across her nipple. He eventually stuffed as much of her flesh into his mouth, and used his entire mouth, including his jaws to knead it.

His hands meanwhile continued to knead Saeko's buttocks, and rub her strong legs now that they were in reach, before traveling up her back and combing her silky, indigo hair. Saeko meanwhile continued to gasp in bliss as the man beneath her showed his love for her by filling her body with bliss. Eventually, she pulled back, and stopped Itachi's hands before collapsing on top of Itachi so she could catch her breath.

"Too much?" Itachi asked.

"No just...I need a moment..." Saeko said before her rapid breathing finally slowed down to a normal pace.

"Do you still want to fuck?" Itachi asked.

"Yes...we'll do it my way this time." Saeko said.

"Oh?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, you've done plenty so far, now let me do some work, not to mention your...ordeal demands me to do something for you. Now stay put, and let me take care of you." Saeko said softly, and Itachi watched as Saeko scootched back, put one knee on either side of Itachi's waist, gripped his swollen manhood, and lowered herself onto it inch by inch as her entrance was stretched out so Itachi's thick manhood could fit inside. When she took enough of Itachi's flesh into her womanhood, she looked down to see Itachi was still staring at her saliva-drenched breasts.

Saeko then came down and pressed her breasts into Itachi's chest as she slowly moved her lower body back and forth, causing Itachi's manhood to slowly, yet sweetly scrap her senstive inner walls. The whole time, Saeko let out deep, breathy gasps from her parted lips, and pressed her breasts into Itachi's chest over and over. Itachi meanwhille, breathed in and out as deeply as Saeko did, and the feeling of their breathes' warmth, on top of the subtle hints of pleasure in the sound made their moment of gentle lust even sweeter.

Itachi's hands once against rested on Saeko's lower body, and he felt her muscles flex faintly but enticingly as her moist, swollen womanhood enveloped his thick organ. Each time she did, the bulb of Itachi's manhood scraped Saeko's inner walls, and sent weak but consistant waves of pleasure shooting through both of their bodies. Itachi then went completely slack as Saeko continued to use his body, to please both of their bodies at once with her womanhood growing more and more narrow.

Eventually, Saeko pressed her lips against Itachi's and they continued sucking in air through their noses as their mouths locked together as deeply as ever. Itachi continued laying there taking the kiss as Saeko moved herself back and forth as tirelessly as ever; she was on a mission to make them both drown in the pleasure their flesh has to offer, and her mission would not be denied. Saeko eventually broke the kiss and smiled for a brief moment before getting back to slowly but steadily milking an orgasm out of the man beneath her.

"Saeko..." Itachi breathed out, and Saeko put one finger on his still-parted lips and shushed him before kissing him once again as she continued to slowly buck her hips, and let out the same arousing breaths she let out before. She then broke the kiss, locked eyes with the man whose flesh was merged with her own, and they each saw how much blood was flowing through them as both of them had their skin more red than before. Saeko then buried her face into Itachi's neck and began sucking on it as Itachi turned his head to give Saeko a better angle. He then held her head in place as they both approached their limits, with Itachi groaning in response to Saeko's treatment.

Eventually, both of them climaxed with each one of them letting off an elongated groan, with Saeko's smothered by Itachi's neck. Saeko then took a moment to let her trembling breaths stablize, and her spasming muscles relax before lifting herself off of Itachi's manhood and going slack, just as he did before her. She then looked out the window to see the sun was going down, and decided to stay with Itachi, and rest until they went to sleep. Itachi then turned his head towards her, locked eyes with her, and they shared one final kiss.

---

Wow...what a chapter. A siege, multiple intense fights, a ton of spoils, and two tons of sentimental stuff to top it all off. To paraphrase the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons: longest...chapter...ever. And for this story, he's right. Although I do not regret it one bit despite how hard it was to write, and how much time it took. Anyways, that's all for this arc, and I will get back to you with another arc before too much longer, I swear. So be sure to Rate, Review, and Share until then. Stay tuned.