A/N: Did a few small edits...mostly because the beginning was a little confusing. Sorry about that.

26 / feat. the Parents

Everything started a few hours ago.

Sakura didn't know where she was going; she had been running for what seemed like hours, making turns, avoiding pedestrians, all the while hearing her brother and the stranger, Renoir, arguing in the background. Behind them, slightly out of breath, were the trio of suits.

"You want a rear view mirror for the next guy you're planning to hit, man!?" Genji cried out, huffing and puffing as he ran. "We lost our damn groceries because of you!" Renoir let out and indignant, and struggling, "Hey! I...huff!...I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Guys! Please! Not now!" Sakura yelled, dodging an old lady and her dog. Behind her, Genji did the same while Renoir almost crashed against the dog that barked in annoyance as the old lady grumbled at their carelessness. A few seconds later, the suits sidestepped the woman, the redhead sticking out his tongue at the dog that tried to get a bite in, as the old lady held him back.

"Twice! Twice in a week! That's gotta be some stupid record!" Genji said, completely ignoring his older sister's plea. Renoir frowned and shouted back.

"It was an accident!"

"Tell that to them!" Genji pointed a thumb back at the trio of thugs that were chasing them, his face a mix of tired and annoyed.

"They didn't even give me a chance last time! What makes you think they'll do now!?"

"Guys…!" That was Sakura again; she was starting to get tired of all the arguing (and hadn't they just passed that building a few minutes ago!? And that lady with that dog was back again!)

"Why the hell don't you watch where your big ass head is going, then!?" Genji retorted, still ignoring his worried sister.

"Look, Iーahh!" Before Renoir can respond, he's already falling. He slams hard unto the pavement, Genji actually stopping in pure disbelief of what is actually happening. Sakura, hearing Renoir's yelp, panics and puts on the breaks turning her head quickly, feeling it crack. She sees Renoir in the ground and a little far back, the trio of thugs, still running towards them.

"Genji!"

Her brother shakes his surprise away, grunts, and quickly grabs unto Renoir's legs while Sakura, with great care, grabs hold of Renoir's shirt and both siblings them pull him up. Instead of trying to get him back to his feet, the two of them just carry him, all the while Renoir protests halfheartedly. They keep running.

/…..

Behind them, Oki and his gang are struggling to keep up. They've been passing the same building for the last ten minutes, and that lady with the dog has finally given up and disappeared into another street, her little pooch barking all the way.

Oki would have been angry if he wasn't so busy trying to breath and admiring the pink haired girl from afar.

What a beauty. She moved with a bit of grace, tripping a few times here and there but recovering just as quickly. She sidestepped everyone like a pro, and seemed to be, out of all six of them, the least bothered by their running. Oki found it surprising that the two fools behind her had actually managed to keep up but then again he and the others were not doing much better.

The only reason they had even managed to keep them on their sights was because the poor girl was leading them all in circles. Oh, there's that building again.

Oki lets out a small laugh, breathing in and out fast.

"Wha-huff! What is so damn funny!?" Glasses asks; he's already looking worse for wear, his shirt and suit are soaked with his sweat and he's holding unto his glasses with one hand to stop them from slipping.

"Them," Oki comments, smile in place. His breathing is fast, his hair a mess (tragic), and his suit's already been ruined by a bit of sweat. "It's almost as if they planned this out in advance."

"Huff, huff...planned?" the redhead asks, running next to him. His red hair is wet with sweat, a few strands of it sticking like glue to his forehead as he keeps on running. "Hitting you in the face was a plan?"

"Huff…that guy...he's an idiot," Oki responds, a little out of breath as they make another turn. "It's either his luck or mine that got screwed over today."

"Maybe it...it is yours, man…" the redhead says, grinning despite it all. "You're the one that spotted that girl again, after all!" Glasses groans next to Oki. He sounds so tired.

"I still can't believe you want to ask her out after what she did last time!"

"Eh, details, details. She can throw as many milkshakes as she wants…I certainly won't mind." Glasses just groans louder.

"We are suppose to teach them a lesson, right!? That's the plan!"

"Only if we catch them," Oki pointed out. "Who knows? Maybe they'll like my proposition...would save us the trouble, wouldn't it?"

"Don't know, man…" the redhead mutters, he's beginning to tire out, running a little behind the others. "If your old man finds out thatー"

"Ahh!"

Oki and the others blinked in surprise as they saw one of them, the idiot that kept hitting Oki in the face, fall. Again. It was almost comical how everything happened. He would have laughed out loud if he wasn't so out of breath. Maybe they'll be able to catch them. But then, the pretty girl and her companion were already grabbing the guy, carrying him like a sack of potatoes. They don't dare look back. Oki actually can't help but laugh.

"Did it seriously happen again!?" the redhead cries. Glasses's head already hurts.

"This is so dumb...so dumb…" he mutters.

"Quite the dedication that girl has for a stranger, wouldn't you say?" Oki says, slowing down a bit. It's already obvious they're not going to catch them. He's tired and the other two are ready to collapse. They slow down, too, following his example.

"It's stupid," Glasses deadpans but Oki just smirks.

"Stupid dedication, then...I'll like to believe you guys would show that kind of dedication to your Boss."

"Well...uh...uhm…" the redhead begins, stopping. Oki stops with him, while Glasses stays still in front of them, his headache growing by the second. Oki raises an eyebrow at the redhead and the guy is looking at everything but at him. "I mean...you know, man...I, well...uhh...I wouldn't exactly carry you, you know? You're kinda heavy…" Oki stares at his companion, eyes a little wide, as if unable to believe such treachery. Glasses is beginning to pull his hair out, his glasses all but forgotten in the floor.

"Heavy? Me?"

"Is this really the conversation we're having right now!?" Glasses yells, stomping his foot as Oki looks at the redhead accusingly. The redhead, a little shyly, just scratches the back of his head and tries to change the subject. He points at the direction he's pretty sure the pretty girl and those two ran off to.

"Oh, look!" he says. "They're gone!"

/…..

"Phew...we...we made it," Sakura whispers.

The siblings and Renoir had managed to hide behind an old abandoned building, hiding behind one of the many trees and bushes that was overlooking a closed off canal, full to the brim with water of previous rains. On the other side of the canal, they could see the back of houses and business and with it a rather empty looking street. They were safe.

Renoir lets out a deep breath as Genji glances his way with mild annoyance before eyeing the canal with a bit of concern. All three of them walk out of their hiding place, pacing a little too close to the canal. Sakura, knowing the trouble she'll be if she fell, keeps her distance, walks behind Genji.

"That...that was a close call…" Renoir mutters only for Genji to scoff.

"No, that canal's close," Genji said. "This was just stupid."

"Genji…" Sakura didn't even have the energy to scold her brother; her dead body was finally catching up to all that running she did.

Distracted as she was, Sakura didn't see the small pebble until it was already too late. She tripped, falling straight into her younger brother's back, holding unto him. Genji, surprised by the sudden push, jumped a bit towards Renoir who put up no resistance, unfortunately this caused all three of them to fall into the canal.

A few seconds later, Genji and Renoir's heads appear. Renoir is shaking his head, trying to get the water out of his eyes, while Genji, angrily and dripping wet, is about yell at his sister only to stop cold.

Oh...oh...shit…

Genji doesn't dare try to dive underwater again to see if Sakura is okay. He's already pushing Renoir to the sidewalk, getting him out of the canal, trying to think of a way to get this guy out of here, trying to find a way to get out of here. He can see the bubbles where he knows Sakura's hiding. Unfortunately, so can Renoir.

"Is she okay!?" There's a slight panic in his voice and Genji would have been touched if his sister wasn't actually dead and trying to hide that fact underwater. "One! One!" Sakura's not coming out of the water and that's already worrying the guy that thinks she's not dead. Shit, shit!

"Sh-she's fine…!" Genji stupidly says, trying to dig into his brain to find an explanation for why Sakura's still underwater. "She's just..." But Renoir doesn't hear him. He's already jumping into the canal again. "Oh...oh fuck…"

Underwater, already cursing her bad luck, Sakura watches as Renoir dives into the canal again. Sakura's makeup had washed up as soon as she hit the water, and now, her true form was out in the open for all to see.

Sakura tried to swim away but someone was grabbing her arm. Looking up, she spotted Renoir, cheeks puffed, holding unto his breath, eyes closed, then opened. He stared at Sakura, unable to comprehend what was going on and then, his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to scream.

Takeo Go tried not to look too nervous in front of the rather imposing Aoi Mizuno, as he waited for Okoba to arrive.

It had been a day since the whole thing with Lily and those other dead girls from Franchouchou, a part of him sincerely couldn't really believe it. The other was ecstatic. His daughter was alive! His daughter was alive! His daughterー

But nothing made sense anymore.

His daughter was alive again. She had been dead, he had seen her body, he had buried her. How was it even possible?

(nothing made sense)

Aoi Mizuno couldn't help but stare at Takeo Go's form as she waited for Okoba to arrive.

The man was huge. Too big for it to be normal, or healthy.

Aoi remembered the times Ai would complain about being too small. She couldn't reach the cabinet, couldn't reach that book, couldn't this, couldn't that. Her daughter grew out of her little predicament as she got older and now she was dead.

And yet, the doctor was here, waiting outside this restaurant for a man that had just told her that Ai Mizuno, the legend, the dead girl, was alive and singing again. She wasn't going to run away. Not anymore.

The man grunted with a nod and Aoi, unsure of everything, nodded back.

Okoba arrived ten minutes later.

Renoir screamed.

There was a corpse (a corpse!) staring right at him. She's not moving, only staring at him with those dead, blue eyes, as Renoir keeps on screaming. She moves closer, spooking Renoir further. There's water in his lungs, there's a corpse trying to choke him. She's trying to grab his collar but Renoir slaps her hands away, but he's getting weaker, the water's making him heavier. And the damn corpse has his collar, she's choking (pushing) him, swimming towards the surface.

Renoir is too tired to scream but his instinct tells him to keep kicking; he flails his arms and legs around, trying to confuse the corpse so she'll let go. She doesn't.

The water is gone suddenly and Renoir is spitting the water, feeling something else grab him from behind.

He's too tired, he's too scared.

That guy, Genji, is dragging him to the side of the canal away from the corpse, away from her...but...no. The corpse is getting out of the water, she's talking, she's…

...it's One.

And Renoir sees no more as his eyes close and the darkness takes over.

/…..

"Is he okay?"

"He fainted… the idiot."

Sakura, wearing her brother's jacket, tries to hide her decaying face as she and Genji leaned over the fainted Renoir. Genji frowned over the young man, grumbling to himself.

"...okay," he said at last, getting up and offering his hand to Sakura. "Let's go."

"Wait...we can't leave him here!"

Genji sighs, the day's events finally catching up. "Yes, we can...he's fine...see, he's breathing and all that...now, let'sー"

"Genji." Sakura began, glaring. Her brother flinched. Sakura's expression was just as harsh as the old man's and he hated it. "We can't leave him here...those guys," her gaze softened, "if those guys find him they could really hurt him."

"And what do you suggest? We parade him all the way back to your house or mine?" Genji asks, a bit annoyed. "My apartment is at least an hour or so away without the taxi...and we obviously can't afford for anyone to see you…" Sakura shook her head.

"The mansion's closer...we'll go there…"

"This is a bad idea, Sakura…"

Sakura smiled a little sadly. "No, just my luck…"

Genji tried not to argue with her after that.

"Alright...so...here's everything…"

Okoba, Aoi and Takeo were already seated; they had decided for a table on the corner, making sure to avoid noisy neighbors and waitresses. Their orders had already been placed, two cups of coffee and green tea, their food was going to be a while.

Aoi grabbed the first folder Okoba had offered and began looking through it. They were copies of a blog, the important parts already highlighted with a yellow marker; the concert, the head banging, the girls jumping at the audience. It almost seemed that apart from one of them, that Minamoto girl, they had all lost control during the concert.

Takeo, too, had taken one of the folders. He was more delicate than Aoi was, taking his time. There's the blog posts that Okoba had told him about the other day and then, there was his notes. The word "zombie" popped up a lot in the notes.

Okoba, for his part, drank his coffee slowly, waiting until the two parents had read most of his notes and the blog posts of those metalheads. After a few minutes, Aoi and Takeo drop the folders. Takeo looks like he wants to break down and just glares at the table and Aoi is composed, unshed tears trying to spill out into her cheeks.

He takes another few sips from his coffee before putting the drink down and asking, "What do you think?"

Aoi speaks first. She's still composed, professional. "Too much of a coincidence," she says. "Those blogs mention that...that thing...that zombie storyline they had going for the first few concerts…"

"...but...zombies?" Takeo's next. He's not looking up, he's grabbing his head with his left hand, as if trying to contain a headache. "How...how does it…?"

"The resemblance in that calendar," Aoi says, tapping her finger a little too hard on the folder. "Ai," she sighed, "Ai...Ai was hit by lightning...her whole body was burned to a crisp…and...Three...is covered in bandages...it makes no sense when one thinks about...but...had Ai survived…" Aoi shakes her head.

"Lily...uh, Six…" Takeo says next, still looking at the table. "Six's heart is out of her chest...and she sounds...just like her…"

They are quiet for a while. A waitress approaches, asking if they want anything. Okoba orders some rice and meat dishes for everyone. He's pretty sure he's the only one that will be eating but does it nonetheless.

"What do you want to do?" Okoba asks once the waitress leaves. Both parents let out a sigh, unsure.

"What...what can be done…?" Takeo mutters, shaking his head. "Where do we go from here?"

"It's obvious they'll deny everything…like any other sensible person," Aoi points out. "We can't just barge in and demand an explanation…I know Ai...she's a smart girl...if...if she's willing to play the ingenue, she will play it...just so she won't be found out…" Takeo was nodding.

"Yes...Lily...uh...she did the same thing...pretended she didn't know me…"

Okoba just nodded.

"So, it's a matter of them revealing themselves to you, then…?"

"Ai isn't so easily fooled…" Aoi said without much energy.

"Lily's a smart kid," Takeo whispers, a smile in place, despite the tears that are falling.

Okoba nods, understanding their reasoning. "So, that leaves us with the other girls…"

"What about them?" Aoi asks, passing a hand over her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. "Do their...parents...not know?" Okoba shook his head.

"Minamoto's father...her only relative currently living in Japan is...unavailable. I made some calls to his workplace and was cut off. They found out about my profession and thought the worst." Aoi just shrugged, unable to disagree with that remark. "Konno's parents died a few years after her accident...and well, that girl, Zero...still can't find a name to put her...and well, Yugiri is out for obvious reasons...but…" Aoi and Take turned to Okoba, who seemed to be thinking about something. "Nikaido...someone in Saga must know who she is…"

"Her parents?" Takeo wondered but Okoba just shook his head.

"Nah...her grandparents were her caretakers...they died twenty years ago, a bit after she did...but...Nikaido...Nikaido was a member of the gang...Dorami." Aoi didn't say anything. Her ears unfamiliar with the name but Takeo stared at him, eyes wide.

"Dorami...that...that...Dorami…"

"You know them?"

Takeo nodded, slowly. "Ah, yes...yes...they were...they had been a big deal in the 90s...a biker gang, yes?" Okoba nodded. "Hmm...one of my coworkers had run into a group of girls, bikers...and they stole his money...called themselves Dorami…"

"There's an actual gang member in that idol group?" Aoi asked, almost unable to believe it.

Okoba shrugged. "This situation is rather strange enough...nothing can really surprise me." He took a sip of his coffee and went on, "Nikaido and some other girl created the Dorami to fight another gang...however, after Nikaido's death, that first gang broke up...the ones that have been Dorami for a few years now are the girls that stayed behind…" Aoi raised an eyebrow.

"And your point…?"

"Reiko Kirishima…"

"Who?"

"Reiko Kirishima was the leader of Dorami when Nikaido was alive," Okoba explained. "If anyone knows or cares about Nikaido it would be her…"

"And you expect her to believe this story? There's a part of me that has trouble believing it...even after...all this…" Aoi said, gesturing towards the folders.

"That's a chance I can take…"

At that, all three adults remained silent, even as the waitress appeared with their meals.