WHEN THE ROAD ENDS:
A Special to "The Kazehaya Virus" Fanfic, written by Flaccid-Acid
AUTHOR's NOTES: First of all, My thanks to my friend and Fellow Nagatoroverse Colleague, Flaccid Acid for the inspiration for this tie-in to his excellent story, "The Kazehaya Virus," which just finished its first season story. For those of you not familiar with his story, a Zombie Apocalypse fell on Hayama and devastated the students of Kazehaya High School. Despite the hardships, the "Toro-Chan Family" managed to survive for weeks inside the Art Club Room, until a former classmate who turned early in the story returned with a vengeance and a horde of fellow zombies against the group. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to read The Kazehaya Virus here first, then read this story to get a different perspective.
In what was a shock to many readers, Our plucky protagonist, Naoto Hachioji, saved Nagatoro and the girls by getting them into his family's home, before he sacrificed himself after getting bitten by his zombified classmate. The result would come as no surprise to most fans of Zombie Apocalypse fiction, that a main character sometimes would not survive or make a noble sacrifice so that others can survive and move on. This is exactly what Senpai did, he sacrificed himself to protect the woman he loves, and the girls he swore to protect. And in this manner, I present my interpretation of what happened to his soul after his sacrifice.
BANG!
The last sensation Naoto remembered was a sharp pain in the side of his head, then a bright white light engulfed his sight. He could hear himself breathing, and slowly he opened his eyes. He was on the beach near the shrine, but the last thing he recalled was not being there.
"How did I get to the beach?" He asked himself. "The last thing I remember was kissing…" He jumped up, eyes wide and got to his knees, "Nagatoro!" He looked around, expecting to see devastation from the zombie hordes, but the beach looked pristine and there were only faint puffy clouds lingering in the sky.
"I-I don't understand, what happened to all of…" His voice trailed off as he suddenly noticed two people standing at the top of the pathway from the shrine to the beach, where everyone would go to watch the fireworks during the summer festival. The faces weren't discernible but the shape of the woman standing there was.
"P-President…" he stammered as they approached, the male shape turned out to be someone Naoto had gotten to know during the crisis, "Haru?" Naoto's mind was reeling, "That CAN'T Be Haru, I saw him die, when he…" his mind flashed back to the image of him falling from the roof leading a horde of zombies to fall to their supposed deaths, yet there he was, smiling at him and waving. "Naoto! Over Here!" he was shouting.
Naoto slowly walked over and felt very anxious because of what he saw on the President's face. A smile. "Yes, Naoto-Kun, it is Me. and yes, I am dead." she said matter of factly. "So is Haru, as is you, I am afraid." Naoto sighed in resignation, hanging his head in resignation. "I thought so, the last thing I remember was kissing Nagatoro goodbye then pushing her into my parents;' house before the horde reached them."
Sana nodded grimly, "You saved Hana, I am grateful that she will live on, and I am sorry that you and the Cat girl could not fulfill your own destiny together." A tear fell from Sana's eye, the first true emotion Naoto had seen from her in all the years she was His Senpai.
Haru took his hand, "I want to thank you as well, you kept Sakura safe from Riku when he turned, you kept your promise." Naoto nodded, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect them more," he looked down as he said that, "I didn't want to die, but I couldn't let them see me turn, I owed them that much."
The two nodded and turned toward the pathway, "Come, the others are waiting for us, they want to see you as well." Sana and Haru started down the path, as Naoto followed them. He noticed that the area looked like it did during the last summer festival, but there wasn't the stench of rot and decay around that had permeated his world the last weeks of his life.
"Over here, Naoto-Kun," Sana said as they stopped at the foot of the steps to the shrine. Naoto looked to see a group of adults gathered talking to each other, two who stood out to him, "Mom! Dad!' he shouted as he ran towards them, "NAOTO!" His mother shouted as the three embraced. "Oh my son, I'm so sorry your life ended before it could truly begin,"she said as they hugged each other,. "Some of our friends wanted to speak to you," his father said as he let go and turned him around. The people's faces looked familiar to him, "you're… You're the parents of my friends," he said.
"We know that you were an important part of our daughter's life, Naoto-chan," Sakura's father told him, "Without you, my daughter would have never learned to stand up for herself," Yoshi's mother told him.
"Hachioji-San, you made Hana's high school memories all the more pleasant, and you kept her grounded when the world sank into chaos," Sana's Uncle told him, "Maki was lucky to have such a brave Paisen to call her friend, thank you for looking after her," Gamo's mother told him.
The last pair of adults stood there waiting until the others were done, they stepped forward, flanked by two very familiar faces, Hayase's siblings, there was no doubt that these were Hayase's parents. "Naoto-san, I wish our meeting had been under happier circumstances, I can't begin to tell you how much you meant to our Hayase, she talked about you all the time," her mother told him. Haruna hugged him, "You protected her in the Most Senpai way possible, Naoto-Kun," she said, "I'm sorry that you got taken from her, she did love you so much." Naoto was practically in tears, "I wish I had been stronger, I feel like I failed her," he said.
"Don't you say that," Her father said to him, "I don't know what it was that attracted my daughter to you, but it's clear that she loved you for a reason, and that reason was that you made her happy," he said. "I would have been proud to call you my son-in-law," her father told him as he embraced the parents embraced him in one giant group hug.
"So, now what do we do? Clearly we're all dead, so what happens now?" the parents stepped back and slowly walked up the steps, fading into the mists that covered the steps midway up, "We will wait for our loved ones here, then we will see what lies next, for now, rest here, Senpai Hachioji. Hayase and her friends will arrive and they will want to see a friendly face." Hayase's father shook his hand and joined his wife in walking up the steps to the shrine, disappearing into the mist with the others. Haruna kissed him on the top of his head, "You know, Hayase may want this when she gets here, she would sleep with this when she was having a bad night," she handed him a plush ram, one that wore a pair of glasses. He looked at it and remembered the day when she gave him a haircut, and smiled, "Let me guess, this is supposed to be me?" he asked as he looked back, only to find her gone. He looked down at the Senpai ram and smiled. "There are worse things to be than a fluffy sheep," he said to himself as he sat on the bench waiting for her true love to cross over from the living world.
The funny thing about the afterlife, time doesn't move like it does in the living world, because it wasn't long before a familiar face arrived at the beach. "Senpai-Kun!" Sakura's voice echoed down the pathway as she came running. She hugged him tightly, "Senpai-kun, after all these years!" Naoto hugged her back, "Sakura, how long has it been?" she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Almost 15 years since that day, but you saved us all, we survived and made it to a safe zone, everyone was doing well…" her voice trailed off. Naoto let her go from the hug, "Sakura, what happened?"
"Would you believe I died giving birth to my son?" Naoto looked shocked. "You got married?" She smiled, "He was a militia officer at the safe zone, we met not long after we got there," she smiled but with a bit of melancholy in her voice, "Naoto-Kun, I have to tell you something about Hayase," she started. "She lost her mind when you died, she started to hallucinate that you were with her the whole time." Naoto hung his head down, "I never wanted her to suffer like that, Sakura, I guessed she loved me more than she wanted to admit."
She patted his knee as she stood up, "I want to see my parents, where are they?"
He pointed to the steps, "They're at the shrine, Sakura, and I'm glad you got to live a life worthy of you." she smiled and kissed his cheek, "I wouldn't have had that life if you hadn't saved us, I will forever be grateful, and my husband will tell our son about the person he was named for." with that she began her climb up the steps to the shrine disappearing into the mists.
Not long after, two more familiar voices arrived, "Paisen! Paisen!" Gamo and Yoshi had made it, and both hugged him like it had been a lifetime since they saw each other. "We knew you'd be here to greet us when it was our time, I kept my promise, Paisen, I kept the girls safe like I promised you !" Gamo said as she embraced him, Naoto hugged her back, "Gamo, I'm sorry I couldn't do more," She smiled through her tears, "Hey, stop that, you were our inspiration, you made the ultimate Hero move there, you gave us Hope." Yoshi just hugged him, "Thank you, Sensei," was all she could say.
"Gamo, what happened to Hayase? Sakura told Me that she fell apart after I…," she looked away. "I'm sorry, Paisen, we did everything we could to bring her out of it, but she wouldn't accept your death," Hana is looking after her, but she may not last much longer, she gave up the will to live without you," Naoto hung his head. "I never wanted to leave her, Gamo, I wanted to do all the things I promised her,"
Yoshi hugged him from the side, "But you didn't break your promise, Sensei," she said, "In Hayacchi's mind, you've done all those things you promised, and she's lived that life with you in her mind, that's how she coped," Naoto looked at her, "When her time comes, Sensei, you have to tell her that you love her and will always be with her, that will heal her." the sounds of a dog barking coming from the top of the steps caught Yoshi's attention, "Bokksu? Is that you?" she ran off towards the steps, following the sound of the dog barking and disappeared into the mists.
Gamo smiled as Yoshi disappeared, "Well, see you up there soon, Paisen, oh and here, thanks for letting me borrow this," she pulled out a small journal from her pocket, handing it to him, "My diary, you found it?" She smiled and winked, "Beleive it or not, I would read this to Hayacchi when she couldn't sleep, your words calmed her and it helped. See you later, Paisen." Gamo gave him one of her little salutes and walked up the steps to the shrine.
"Hajioji-Senpai?" Hana's voice appeared from behind him, startling him. "Hana, it's you, I didn't think you would get here after Gamo and Yoshi," She sat on the bench, "I've been here for some time, but I was with Sana Nee-chan first. She told me to come see you to tell you that I lived a life worthy of your sacrifice," Her face still stoic but the edges of emotion could be seen, "I ended up leading the surviving population after I came of age, we managed to find a cure for the virus and the world was saved." Naoto smiled at her, "I'm glad you were able to see it through to the end, But tell me, Hana, what about Hayase? Is she all right?"
Hana looked forward towards the setting sun, "Gamo Nii-chan and Yoshi-Senpai did their best to keep her comfortable and lucid. Gamo Nii-chan used your words to keep her mind from completely slipping away, but with her gone, she has given up her will to live. It was pure happenstance that my heart gave out when it did, but you gave me the opportunity to live that life and I am forever grateful, Senpai."
She stood up and walked towards the shrine steps, disappearing into the mists as a familiar voice sounded on the path.
"Senpai? Where are you? Senpai, please, answer Me!"
Naoto stood up and walked to the pathway, "Hayase! I'm here!" She was dressed in a light blue yukata, decorated with hibiscus flowers, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She ran to him and threw her arms around him, "Naoto, I was so worried, what kept you? Oh you look so handsome in that yukata," she said. He looked down to find himself dressed in a matching yukata, this one dark blue with the same flowers on it, but in the color of her outfit.
"I promised you that we would go to the next festival together, didn't I?" She kissed him as hard as she could, wrapping her arms around him. "Promise Me you won't make me wait for you again, Naoto-Kun?" He smiled at her, "We have the rest of eternity to be together now, Hayase, and I'll always be with you."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I have to acknowledge the writing of the great Mitch Albom, whose incredibly touching novel "The Five People you Meet in Heaven," served as a partial inspiration for this story. I also have to credit the Twilight Zone episode "The Passerby," for the idea of everyone of Naoto's loved ones on a road home to their final reward, so to speak.
