18 / Who Let the Zombies Out

Kotaro grumbled as he went back to his office; the van's keys were back at his desk.

He couldn't believe he had forgotten about the brother.

Sakura, when she was still alive, had told Inui about the young man once or twice, maybe more. Back then, stupid little Inui had been too charmed by his crush to actually listen. Inui should have listened and now, because he hadn't, Kotaro was reaping what he sowed.

In all fairness, Kotaro had not really been thinking clearly when he decided to bring Sakura and those other girls back from the dead to save Saga as idols. Sure, he had wanted to make Sakura's dreams come true and while he was at it, save Saga from the slow, agonizing death spiral it seemed to be heading towards. It was a simple plan. A genius plan. Revive Sakura and team and then revelitize the Saga Prefecture. Simple. Kotaro would use his charm, his makeup skills, his genius to turn these girls into idols that would be loved not just by Saga but Japan as a whole and in turn, Saga would be saved! Simple plan, just plain simple...on paper.

Kotaro had not really thought far beyond "help Sakura and save Saga".

He hadn't been worried when the rest of the girls, Saki, Ai, Junko, Lily and Yugiri had woken up and had wanted nothing to do with it...at first. Sakura had protested too, of course, but she had gone along with it if only because she wanted her memories back.

The girls had a second chance at life, and that was all that mattered, really.

So what if Lily's old man had shown up!? So what if Saki had met up with her old boss!? So what!? Dead was dead! That was that!

But recent events gave him pause.

Ai and Junko's despair had made him pause.

Lily's father had made him pause...Saki's old friend had made him pause...Sakura's memories had almost broke his heart.

He had been thinking so much about everything else that he had forgotten to think about the girls. To him, Sakura had mattered the most. She was the important one. But then, from the shadows, he had seen the others, Junko and Ai stuck in their despair, Lily in her youth, Yugiri in her past, Saki in her violence, Tae in her legend. He had tried to inspire them, tried to make them want to give their new lives a shot. They were his responsibility now. He had done this to them, and now, he had to take care of them...as best as he could, as best as his wallet could afford.

True, he wasn't the best caretaker but the girls were smart. They had each other now.

He knew he had to keep his distance, to only interfere when the others girls couldn't.

The master had told him that the girls were still dead. For as much as they were living now, they were still dead.

"Eventually, the years will catch up...perhaps their bodies will fail them, perhaps they'll get destroyed...but they'll die again. Eventually. Time is infinite and it moves without mercy. They'll know when it's their time. That's the charm about the dead...they know when it's time for them to rest for eternity."

That man the master had told him about had probably figured that out, too.

Dead was dead, hadn't he told himself that a thousand times over?

Dead was dead.

They were dead.

And he had completely forgotten about Sakura's little brother.

At first, he hadn't been too worried. Dead was dead, after all. Takeo Go and Reiko Kirishima had figured this out, too. Two and Six were different people, after all. Dead was dead.

But Sakura's brother had obviously done something more than just put two and two together. Dead was dead, after all, so how had that kid figured out otherwise? What had changed? What had Kotaro not noticed?

Kotaro had been keeping up with all the blogs and news about Franchouchou. He knew about that death metal blog, knew about a few stories here and there. But those were just stories, rumors, nonsense. No one could connect them and say, "Ah! I see now!", at least, that's what Kotaro figured.

If anyone had recognized the more famous members of Franchouchou they'll probably chalk it up to a very distant family member or just an identical stranger. That was the logical thing to do.

Whatever.

It didn't really matter how Sakura's brother had found them out. He just knew that Sakura's lapse of judgement yesterday had answered it all. Kotaro figured that Sakura would tell her brother the truth and then, who knows what would happen then.

Kotaro can't even get mad about it.

He knows he should have been careful, should have dealt with this problem before it got out of hand but…

...Sakura wasn't like Lily. Like Saki.

Sakura had just remembered her family a few months back. It was obvious why she reacted so harshly and just up and revealed herself to her little brother. Something had happened, something had changed.

Kotaro knew it was his fault; Sakura was the living dead because of him, because of his dream, because of his desperation.

He opened the office door, found the keys and with a sigh, turned and began walking again.

With any luck, they wouldn't have gotten far andー

"Hey! Shades!"

Kotaro stopped, turned and stared as the rest of Franchouchou walked up to him. They were dressed in their uniforms, Tae with her robes, Yugiri with her kimono. They all wore makeup, and were moving quickly towards him.

"Give us a ride, why don't ya?" Saki went on, nodding his way. She obviously knew what he was planning.

Well, damn, he figured.

The more the merrier…

The cafe Genji had mentioned was just opening when the siblings arrived. There were a few folks already in tables, examining menus and talking animatedly with each other. Sakura and Genji made sure to sit as far away as possible.

"You holding up okay?" Genji asked his sister as they sat down. Sakura, sniffing slightly, nodded with a smile.

"Ah...yes...I think I'll be fine...so long as I don't cry anymore…" Genji nodded.

He knew his eyes were a little red too. He couldn't really remember how long they had just stood there in the street, holding each other and crying. Sakura's makeup had been ruined by the tears, revealing a bit more of her rotten skin but Genji had not cared. They had passed by a convenience store on the way to the cafe and realizing there could be trouble if people noticed that blue skin, Genji had bought his sister some cheap cosmetics so she could fix her makeup. Once Sakura decided she looked decentーhumanーthey made their way to the cafe and now, they were here.

A waitress finally noticed them, walked their way and asked what they would like to order. Genji ordered some cold coffee and asked Sakura if she'll like something. Of course, his sister had protested but Genji told her to order something. It was his treat. The pink haired girl, looking a bit anxious, scanned the menu before shyly asking for a milkshake. Strawberry flavored, please.

With the waitress gone, the siblings were alone once again.

Both of them were silent for a while, waiting for their beverages. They avoided staring at each other but it wasn't long before Sakura asked, "So...h-how is everything…?" Genji gives her a small smile.

"We moved to Florida," he tells her, as if that answers everything. Sakura giggles all of the sudden.

"Florida, eh?"

"Florida."

"And? How...how is everyone? How are you?"

"Everyone's fine. Mom and Ben married...the old man's busy at Tokyo." Sakura nodded. Genji went on. "I work freelance...sound design..." Sakura raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're a sound designer?" Her brother shrugged.

"Eh...I like to make sounds, I guess...started a year after I moved out from the old man's...eh, you know."

"Ah," Sakura nods, and then, smiles again. "Do you like it?"

"...it's alright." It was more than alright. Sakura knew that that meant that Genji absolutely adored his job.

Genji was like that. He expressed himself so little sometimes, but growing up, Sakura had learned that something just being 'alright' to him was enough. As a child, he would have smiled more, talked more, laughed more but as he got older and their parents separated, he had become quieter, angrier, rarely talking unless spoken to. Sakura had only been familiar with those two sides of him, the child that laughed and loved and the teenager that had, at one time, hated her and their father. But now, he was older, he had changed. He wasn't loud, he wasn't anxious. He was less angry, less upset. He seemed to be an in-between of the child and the teenager.

(Genji looked so much like their father...it hurt)

"And...what about Dad…? Is he…?"

Genji shrugged. "Eh...he's fine. I think. Haven't really talked to him in a while. Mom talks to him once in a while...so, he's fine." The waitress returned, leaving behind a cold coffee for Genji and a milkshake for Sakura. The young woman asked if they needed anything else but Genji shook his head, and bowing, the waitress left them alone once again.

Genji took a sip of his drink and Sakura just stared at her milkshake. There was straw on it's side, left behind by the waitress.

"Are you still mad at him…?" Sakura asked him silently. Genji grunted.

"...Not anymore…"

"But you're not talking to him…"

Genji grunted again, glancing Sakura's way as he took a sip of his coffee. "I guess I didn't see a reason to talk to him...not after that…" Sakura looked down at her lap, suddenly ashamed she had brought her death back to the fold. Not like they could avoid it. She was dead. That was a given. "Hey...sis, eh...it's fine. I get it, really." He chuckled, making Sakura glance at him. "Mom told me to have a chat with him some time back...have a chat with your father, she said."

"And did you?" she pressed. Genji rolled his eyes, suddenly exasperated.

"No."

Sakura gave him a disapproving look. "Genji…"

"What?"

Sakura sighed.

/…..

A few tables away, a trio of gentlemen, young, well-dressed, sat in a circle. One of them, a redhead, had taken a chair from one of the other tables, sitting backwards on it and grabbing one of the menus that had been left behind on the top of the table. The redhead let out a few murmurs as he scanned the menu, glaring a bit as he struggled on what to order.

His two companions, one with messy brown hair and the other, black hair and glasses, stared at him with a certain degree of amusement. The waitress had already taken their orders while their friend had been busy grabbing his chair, she had even passed by a few minutes ago but still, redhead was busy staring at the menu, unable to decide.

Glasses shook his head at the redhead before turning towards the other young man. "So...what's the word? Old man still fuming out of his mouth?"

The young man examined his tie. It was a coal black. Presentable, honest. He shrugged. "He's been hearing those rumors again...about you know what. Told him it was just that. Rumors."

"I'm surprised he's making this much noise about some rumors...it's been years," the redhead commented, eyes still glued to the menu. Glasses frowned next to him.

"He has to get tired eventually…"

The young man, still examining his tie, shook his head. He looked up, brown eyes staring into the distance. "It's been more than twenty years...of course he's not going to let it go." He looked around the cafe as the redhead asked Glasses what he had ordered and if it was any good. The young man ignored the two men and kept on looking.

The cafe wasn't full this early in the morning. Most of the folks around here were heading to work, a few others, out of habit, came for coffee and some breakfast. But it was a table a bit far away that caught his attention. They were seated facing each other, one of them had what seemed to be coffee and the other, a milkshake. Probably vanilla or strawberry by the color. They were a young man and a young woman. It was the young woman that caught his attention the most. She had the prettiest face, and the most magnificent dark pink hair he had seen. She wore a shirt and a skirt with frills, and despite looking rather informal, it did nothing to disturb her good looks. He almost swore she looked familiar but he squashed that thought. He would have known if she looked familiar.

(there was something missing)

"Would you look at that…" he whispered. The other two glanced at him, then, they stared at what he was looking at. The redhead grinned with amusement while Glasses groaned.

"Really?" Glasses asked, as if exasperated by his friend's discovery. "Really?"

"What?"

"She is cute," the redhead commented, putting the menu down. "Not my type but definitely a sight." He clicked his tongue. "Hmm...she seems familiar…"

The young man was already getting up, fixing his tie and passing a hand through his messy hair to tame it. His hair remained a little messy but it seemed alright. Glasses just fixed him a look. "Really?" he repeated, as if he couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"What? Can't a man take an interest in a young woman and ask her out?"

"Your old man might complain," the redhead but in.

The young man shrugged. "He's always complaining...besides, we don't know if she'll say 'yes'."

"...really?" Glasses went on, sighing. The young man nodded, grinning.

"Yes...really...andーoh. It seems another friend of theirs has joined the table."

Turning their attention away from their friend, the redhead and Glasses noticed a third person, a young man, wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, slam himself unto the table, spooking the young lady and making the young man turned to stare at him as if he was crazy.

"Quite the crowd, there," the redhead muttered as he and Glasses stood up. The young man left some cash behind and started walking, Glasses and the redhead following after him.

/…..

Yugiri let out a small hum as she and others watched from within the van.

Their manager had parked the van in the small parking lot a street away from the cafe. They kept themselves hidden by other cars but they could all see Sakura and her brother in the distance. It helped that they were not looking around, too.

The girls and Kotaro had found Sakura and that young man almost immediately. Lily had spotted them first, sitting in the farthest table possible of a recently opened cafe. They had passed by the cafe a few times when going to concerts and meet-and-greets. This was the first time that Yugiri truly saw it.

The place was rather small; it had very little room inside the cafe itself, maybe give or take two tables and four chairs. There was a counter and perhaps a kitchen and that glass box with many cakes and dishes inside. Most of the cafe's clients were seated outside while waitresses came and went, taking order after order.

A few minutes ago, the girls had watched a waitress take Sakura's and her brother's orders, coming back later with beverages in hand and then leaving to help their next patron.

The rest of Franchouchou was huddled together by the window, Ai and Junko peeking from behind Lily and Saki, while Tae and Yugiri, taller than most, huddled behind the two idols. Kotaro was at the wheel, grumbling, glancing once or twice at the cafe's direction, but keeping his eyes to the front.

Yugiri glanced at him a few times.

She couldn't rightly tell if he was annoyed or worried. There was a small hint of something Yugiri couldn't recognize but she felt that it related to that young man sitting with Sakura.

The courtesan stared at the two siblings, sitting facing each other.

Sakura seemed shy when she talked and her brother was a little too serious, a great contrast to his attitude from a day ago. The young man smiled very little, and when Sakura talked to him, he seemed almost nervous on how to answer.

Kotaro let out a small grumble, turning away from the window. Saki turned to give him a look, rolled her eyes, before she glanced at Ai and Junko peeking over her shoulder. Ai had a small glare in her face.

Their leader eyed the girl with a worried glance. "What with that look, girl? Sensing trouble?" Ai shook her head.

"That's not it…" Ai sighed. "I'm just a little…worried, that's all...If someone recognizes Sakura...there could be trouble."

"Trouble?"

Yugiri was not exactly sure what she meant. Trouble could take many forms, and one of those had reared its ugly head some time back. Was this the kind of trouble she meant? Or was it a more modern sort of trouble that Ai spoke up?

"They...well, people might think that Sakura's...on a date."

Yugiri blinked.

"And that's bad because…?" Saki asked, sounding just as confused as Yugiri felt.

"Idols dating is usually frowned upon," Ai explained. "If the wrong person spots them and sees Sakura it would be all over the tabloids...And I know. They're definitely not on a date for obvious reasons but well...it could reflect badly on Franchouchou." Junko nodded sadly.

Saki scoffed. "Feh…! It's not like you two lovebirds are any different."

Ai shrugged despite feeling a bit of warmth in her cheeks as Junko held her hand gently. "Well...we can keep it to ourselves…" Junko nodded again, blushing and smiling shyly. Saki and Lily gave them knowing looks while Yugiri smiled.

No one had made a big deal when the two idols had told the group that they were interested in each other and were officially together. Saki had just raised her hands up in the air and cried out a "Finally!" while Lily, Sakura and Yugiri congratulated them and wished them good luck on their relationship. Tae had just groaned, latched onto Junko's head with a happy smile. Poor Junko had been taken by surprise but at least she understood that Tae, despite not understanding, meant well and was just happy for her two friends.

"It can't all be that bad…"

Ai shook her head again and was about to respond before Kotaro, suddenly angry and firm, but in and said, "That's how things are now, stupid! No dates! No boyfriends! Now, shut up!" Saki glared at him.

"We're inside the van," Lily deadpanned. "They can't hear us from hear."

"So!?" the man responded causing the little girl to shake her head while Saki, under her breath, remarked that he was an idiot. Yugiri shook her head.

(there was definitely something wrong)

"Oh!" Junko suddenly jumped, making the rest of the girls turn to stare at her. The Showa Idol pointed a shaking finger towards the distance. Everyone looked at where the young woman was pointing, it was Sakura's table, and saw, to their surprise, a stranger making his way towards it and slamming himself unto the table as if nothing mattered in the world.

"What the…?"

Yugiri pursed her lips.

Where had that young man come from?

"Okay...who is that?" Ai wondered, frowning.

"Ya thinkin' he's trouble?" Saki asked, making everyone (minus Tae) worry a bit. The girls were too far away, and the new stranger was facing away, head buried under his arms. Sakura and her brother just stared at him, one spooked and the other annoyed.

Yugiri moved her sight away slightly and then noticed them. They were three young men making their way towards Sakura's table. One was busy fixing his hair and tie, while the other two, a redhead and a young man with jet black hair and glasses, walked behind him. The courtesan frowned, glancing a bit at the young man and then at Sakura's table, the stranger was raising his head up as if finally taking notice of the siblings.

Yugiri turned towards the trio of strangers. Sakura and her brother hadn't seen them yet. They were both busy staring at the stranger that had crashed on their table.

The courtesan felt something inside of her, an odd feeling mixed with worry and concern. She had never felt such a thing before and it made her rather upset. But staring at the young man that was obviously staring at Sakura with that familiar, almost lustful look, upset Yugiri for some reason.

She was still struggling with the feeling when Saki cried out, "What the heck!? There's more!" It seems she and the others had just noticed the new trio of young men making their way towards Sakura's table. They were almost there when the stranger that had crashed into the table suddenly stood up and…

...accidentally headbutted the guy with messy brown hair with the back of his head.