April 8th, 2026:
Day 9. It's been 9 days since You has turned into one of those 'things'. I lost track of when this entire pandemic started, those days don't really matter anymore anyways. You is on a limited schedule so I haven't exactly been thinking about anything else besides that. I feel as if I'm losing her, slowly but surely. It's just getting worse with the virus eating away at the human side of her. While I keep giving her doses of my own uncontaminated blood to keep her human side fighting, I feel as if it isn't exactly helping. You won't believe how difficult that was at first, with her thrashing around trying to snap at me. It was frightening to see her look at me, but not truly see me. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, I don't know how to explain myself very well. You was always the good one at expressing herself...
Anyways, I've tested trial two on her already three days ago. As per my last entries, trial one failed. I had high hopes for it when I studied it, but then again I was in dire need to just give her anything that might help. Trial two however showed results, while she can't exactly talk or really do anything human, she has learned to open doors, something the infected have not been able to do just yet. She can also eat regular food, though she highly prefers meat. It's hard to get her to even look at anything else. That has definitely put a strain on me since my hunting skills were never really… up to par compared to You's. Oh, I almost forgot! She also can respond to her name and will occasionally listen to me! Or at least, I think she's listening. She's in an almost puppy-like state at the moment, she sees me but she hasn't broken through to her true self yet. I have high hopes for trial three as I know I can find the missing piece. I just need more time. But, we don't really have that now do we. Guess there won't be a lot of sleep in my future...
Riko put down her pencil as she rubbed her hands over her face. A heavy sigh filled the room as she tried to compose herself.
All of her journal entries had been like that recently, entirely studying You rather than actually doing her job and creating more formulas to test. It was getting quite tiresome. Riko just wanted things to be how they were before, when You would drag her from her work to go to bed every night. Now, she was exhausted every morning, but she couldn't go to sleep. Not when she had the same recurring nightmare every night and the same reality every day.
It was as if there was a record playing in her head over and over again of that ill fated day. Riko didn't want to remember it, the look on You's face when they both realized that was it. It was the end of their journey together. As much as she tried staying up into the depths of the night with her research, the memories always reared their ugly heads into her dreams.
The sound of glass breaking echoed in the unkempt parking lot of the hospital. You stood by the now shattered door, taking a look around the area she was in.
She waited a moment for anything that might have heard what was happening within the vicinity. However, nothing but leaves rustling in the wind filled You's ears though. It was getting quite cloudy out, meaning this supply pick-up had to be quick. It was a good thing she made sure to empty her and Riko's backpacks of unnecessary things for a fast grab-and-go.
As the coast was clear, You looked across the parking lot, giving a quick salute. Peeking up from the bushes, Riko saw her cue. She glanced around at her surroundings, taking note of its emptiness, before scurrying towards You while holding her revolver close to her. She made sure to do a double take at the cars that were abandoned around the area, making sure nothing popped out from them.
It was almost like a routine between the two, You did the grunt work while Riko kept a look out for any stragglers that might be nearby.
Of course, Riko could do most of the things You could, as the young sailor actually taught her nearly everything she knew just in case she were to ever be in trouble. However, Riko just preferred for You to do it all. She didn't have the stamina to keep up, as after one outing Riko was ready to call it a week. Plus, it was almost as if Riko had a protector to keep her safe.
With Riko rushing towards You, it was the sailor's turn to keep lookout. You didn't like putting her guard down, as she knew how easily something could be taken in the blink of an eye in this world.
No words were said between one another as they both stepped into the hospital. Riko kept her revolver close to her chest while peeking behind them to make sure no one was following. You was a couple steps ahead, guiding them both, making sure every corner was safe.
Riko wasn't one to really use any of her weapons, in fact her revolver was fully loaded at all times from lack of firing. It was more for safe-keeping though rather than for actual use. If You were ever in trouble, Riko was sure to only handle it then. You did teach her to use it properly, Riko just preferred to be the one who gathered bullets for You rather than herself.
While there were no more morals in a post apocalyptic world, Riko still held onto the promises she made when she got her first job at the hospital. She didn't ever want to harm another human, only help them. Although, if they wanted to murder her, there were a few exceptions then.
For You though, since she studied marine biology, she didn't have any trouble clearing a path.
Riko had actually only ever gotten into one altercation with other non-infected humans, but it was only when You was cornered. Even then the red-haired girl still never pulled out her gun. Instead Riko always used a blade that You hand-crafted herself.
It was gifted to Riko on her birthday, as it fell within the first couple months of the apocalypse. Though it wasn't a gift the red-haired girl would've liked to have in general, she still kept it by her side, as it was made with good intentions. With a little music note carved into the base, it was all Riko could ever need.
As the girls tracked their way further in, they headed towards the surgical center of the hospital. This had been their third, and largest, one they had visited. Most times the hospitals had already been ransacked, leading them to just wasting their resources on a couple bandages and disorganized medicine tablets.
Riko's main reason for calling on the constant missions was because she needed more supplies to prove if her hypothesis was fact or fiction.
She was using the same formula that was created for treating cancer patients via chemotherapy. She was sure there had to be a way it could be improved and used on only the infected cells that entered the bloodstream. If she could get the antibodies to attack properly, then the body could fight off the disease itself while possibly multiplying, thus restoring the person entirely. The host would need to still have enough cells that stayed, well, human during the process though. Many patients lost all traces of human restoration within a month, of course each person varied but that was the usual time frame. Riko had only found that out when the disease was brand new and she still had time to properly research and test the patients. Nowadays, everything was more of a guessing game.
Riko felt she was nearing a breakthrough, but the problem was with each test she ran out of more and more supplies. She knew she was on the verge of something though and it wouldn't take much to convince You to head out with her when she showed her the results she had. Out of everyone, You believed in her the most. When everything was falling apart and she was told to pack up her things at work, You pushed her to keep her research going on her own. If anyone could find a cure, it had to be Riko.
As they entered the surgical floor, the girls slowly stepped around the debris left in the hospital halls. There was what seemed to be a lockdown before an entire evacuation, as the doors leading to each room were barricaded shut. You kept her words to herself as she could see bloodied hand prints streaked across a few of the glass windows, ruining their clear surface. She instead focused on what was up ahead, a large plastic hall leading to the backrooms. Both girls could only assume it was made for others to know it was a hazardous area.
You peeked her head into the plastic door flaps, taking a quick glance around the hall before slowly walking in. The hall led them to the laboratory center, assumingly where all of the test results were placed after their surgeries were performed. The space was eerily quiet as the only steps that could be heard were from the shoes of You and Riko.
As they walked into more forgein territory, Riko now took the lead as she had more of an idea of where to go. They made their way to their destination, briefly looking to make sure no one was around and the bodies that were on the floor were actually dead.
The only way to check for any signs of life was to watch the infected, as they still took in short rapid breaths, even while they slept.
A couple of the bodies looked questionable but before You could put them down for sure, Riko most times would put her hand on her shoulder, motioning for them to move on and not make any noise. Hospitals were mine fields for the infected, since once anyone began showing the first symptoms, families would immediately turn the patients into the hospital's care, hoping they could be saved. Unfortunately, helping wasn't in the hospital's name during the peak of the pandemic. Riko knew the truth, considering she had worked up until the infection cases overtook Numazu entirely.
Once admitted to the hospital, nurses would separate patients from their family, feeding them lies to tell them that their loved one was in critical condition and wouldn't make it. That was only before the doctors slipped a dangerously high paralytic dosage into their IV, ensuring a peaceful death at the very least. While it worked in most cases, other times the patients were too far gone and the drug did nothing to them. That only led to harsh discoveries for the morgue workers when it was their turn to pick up the body.
Riko stopped in front of one of the large doors, knowing exactly where she was. It was the main storage area where the nurses would get the supplies needed for surgery. It had IVs, collection tubes, and just about everything Riko could ever need. Yet, as always, they were locked tight due to so many valuable things inside them. Riko only stood for a moment at the towering doors before stepping to the side, taking her pocket knife out to hand over to You.
You took a hold of the knife before getting down on her knee to work her magic. Riko could feel her palms sweating as this was practically their last chance. It was the biggest hospital in Numazu, if they didn't have what she needed, nowhere else would.
With a small click, the door was open for them. You stood up, handing the pocket knife back to Riko, as she whispered for only them to hear,
"You ready?"
Riko nodded her head, placing her hand on You's shoulder,
"Yeah, let's do this."
You stepped aside, letting Riko walk into the room first. As Riko pushed the door open, she took a glance around.
The room looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. Dust collected all over the counters while cobwebs softly swayed in her field of view. The door's opening motion pushed wind in for probably the first time in years.
You quickly dug into her backpack, pulling out a flashlight to help illuminate the room as Riko walked forward, already spotting something out of the ordinary. It didn't take but a moment later for her to pause in her tracks and as You walked beside her, she too stopped at the view in front of them.
As if frozen in time, there was an open journal on the messy counter with scribbles all over it. Though it was a bit away, Riko recognized the chemical structures written all over the pages. Around the counter as well were fresh stacks of test tubes lined along the wall, labeled with what was last being tested from the previous person there.
You and Riko looked at one another with a large smile encompassing their faces as it was just what they needed. Though they didn't want to make noise, Riko lightly jumped up and down in her spot as You quietly giggled at the young girl's excitement.
Riko scurried over, taking a hold of the journal as You brought the light alongside with her. All in it were forgeign words to You, but to Riko it was as if she had just gotten a cheat sheet. Some combinations she had thought to use were already written in the book as well as their results, meaning she wouldn't have to waste supplies when she could just see what had positive impacts on the body and build along those.
Stuffing what she could in her bag, Riko took the journal as well as just about anything that looked needed from the counters. She took You's backpack off as well, using her extra space she had. She wasn't sure if she wanted to risk coming back now that they had opened the doors for all.
Wrapping the tubes in the spare clothes she had brought along, Riko safely secured her, as well as You's, bag for travel. With both of them ready, Riko turned to You, handing her back her backpack. Before she could put it on though, Riko motioned for her to hand-carry it as she knew if something were to happen she wouldn't want the shards of glass to puncture their skin.
Though they knew they couldn't stay any longer, Riko quickly put her hand on You's shoulder to stop her from moving, earning a confused look from the sailor. Swiftly standing on her tippy toes, Riko pressed her lips onto You's, receiving a heated blush from the grey-haired girl. Those kisses were always easier when You was the shorter one in school.
"What was that?"
Riko shrugged her shoulders as she swayed back and forth as if she were a little kid,
"Just a thank you for coming along."
You looked down at her feet, as she was a bit embarrassed to look at Riko. Their moment couldn't last a second longer though as they could already hear groaning down the hall,
"Don't thank me yet, Riko."
Turning, You withdrew her gun from her holster and gave Riko her backpack as she headed for the door. Riko followed behind, quickly looking around the room to make sure she had taken everything they could need before jogging alongside You.
As they slowly made their way out of the laboratory floor, You stopped Riko before the plastic hall. She could hear moving in the walls, followed by low groans. Stepping forward slowly, Riko intently watched You as she tried to gain the upper hand against the infected man up ahead. They were great at listening so You knew she had to move slowly.
The red-haired girl watched, heart thumping in her ears, as You took each step painfully slow. She had the tactical method of catching the zombies off guard, taking them to the ground, before slowly suffocating them. It was a long process, but it had worked so far so who was Riko to try and mess with the formula now.
Riko couldn't watch You's slow journey for long though as the thumps of her heart beating in her ear drums were soon replaced with rapid breathing, earning a shiver down her spine. Almost as if she were in a horror movie, as the red-haired girl turned, a pair of hands gripped onto her shoulders as a woman in a surgical gown took Riko down to the floor. Yelling out in shock, Riko fell to the ground, letting everything in her hands land beside her. You turned back as she heard the screams,
"Riko! Hold on!"
Riko had the woman gripped by the shoulders, keeping her a safe distance from her. The infected woman's jaws snapped open and close as she spit onto her, attempting to bite at the young girl.
Riko hated seeing the zombies up close, their oddly pale skin and soulless eyes haunted her dreams. The worst part was the only color they ever got to vary up their skin was the black blood that coursed through their veins, protruding out as they screamed into the faces of their prey.
With the woman thrashing all over Riko, she was beginning to lose her grip,
"Hurry You!"
It didn't take a moment longer for the woman to be off of her as You had taken her to the ground. Riko turned over, putting her hand over her chest to steady her uneven breath. With You on top of the woman now, she pinned her arms down with her legs as she placed one hand around her neck. You raised her free fist to strike the woman but before she could, she felt another body latch onto her back.
Riko looked up from her spot to see two zombies rather than the just one before. It seemed the man You was going to handle heard the noises and went straight for the young sailor.
You attempted to grip him in any way she could by switching between his shirt and hair. She tried to get him away from her, but with his rabid movement it became quite the challenge.
Riko could see You wasn't able to handle two zombies on her own. Standing up from her spot, Riko ran toward You as she quickly pulled out her pocket knife. She couldn't see exactly what was happening as You's hands were moving all over the unstable zombie. As Riko approached closer, she quickly yelled out,
"Move your hands!"
You didn't need to hear that twice, her hands instead went to the woman underneath her, slamming onto the woman's neck. As You pushed down hard enough to snap her windpipe, Riko grabbed at the man's hair, pulling his face away from You as she dug her knife into the flesh of his neck. She was sure to hear the cracks of bone as she vertically slit through him.
With his blood pouring everywhere, Riko tossed the now limp body off of You. As he fell to the floor though, You stayed with her hands on the woman's broken neck. Riko could see the man's blood all over You's back, drenching her once white shirt as it trailed further down. Kneeling beside her, Riko lightly attempted to dust off the blood,
"Hey, you okay?"
The grip You had on the woman stayed, though it was almost as if she were just resting her hands on her. It took a moment before the young sailor blinked, finally registering Riko's words. Shakily lifted her hands, You cleared her throat,
"Y-Yeah, I'm good."
Riko looked up as You attempted to quickly stand so they could continue their journey. She turned away from the gruesome scene but as she put her weight on one leg to move forward, the grey-haired girl found herself back on the floor.
"You!"
Riko quickly rolled You on her back, getting a good look at her. You's eyebrows were furrowed in pain as she closed her arms around herself, as if attempting to curl into a ball.
Riko grabbed at You's upper body, dragging her towards the wall to prop her up.
As she leaned back, the young sailor couldn't even keep her head up, letting it drop down to her chest.
Her face was flushed red with her breathing all over the place. Placing her hands on her face, Riko tried to get You to focus on her,
"You, tell me what's going on. Did you get bit? Can you breathe?"
You couldn't even keep her eyes open as she tried to listen to Riko's words,
"I-I don't know, I just don't really f-feel good right now."
Riko quickly began to tap against You's body, attempting to search for the culprit,
"Tell me if anything hurts."
As she started on her legs, Riko watched You's face for any reactions she might have, but she looked in pain with just about every touch. Her hands moved up, tapping from her thighs to her hands, before she began to reach her upper body. As Riko placed her hands on You's shoulders where all of the blood was, the young sailor yelped out in pain. Wasting no time, Riko gripped the fabric's head opening, tearing the cloth apart to get a better look at what she was dealing with.
Holding her breath, Riko could see a deep imprinted bite on You's right shoulder. The man must've bit a vein as You's human blood was beginning to overpower the zombies.
Riko could feel her throat tighten in panic she applied pressure towards the wound,
"It's okay, You. It's no big deal, I-I can fix this."
From the way Riko sounded, You knew what was to happen next. She had watched the process so many times with so many people in her life. She knew she had but a few minutes left before she were to fall unconscious. Once then she either had two chances. She could turn into one of those monsters or she could die peacefully in her sleep.
Both would mean leaving Riko.
Whichever it was, she didn't want her last sight of Riko to be like this. Tears building in Riko's eyes as she tried to patch her up like a rag doll. She had always imagined them growing old together, starting a family, and maybe even finally getting that dog they always talked about. Now, while she did have her regrets, at least in a way she did have a lot of time well spent with her love.
You placed her hand against Riko's, softly trying to get her to stop applying pressure and to just hold her,
"Hey, it's okay."
You repeated the words the young girl had told her, Riko however had fear written across her face as she couldn't give up now.
"N-No, I can't let you die!"
Riko yelled back and as her voice cracked, a tear carefully slid down her face. You could only smile at her, always trying so hard, even when there was no hope left.
"Riko, just stop. I'm done, this is it for me."
Those words stung harsher than Riko would've liked.
"No, I'm not ready, you can't just leave me. Not now, not when we're so close to the end."
The red-haired girl finally let You take a hold of her hands, as she too was feeling herself give up. Though they were covered in blood, You intertwined their fingers like it was just a normal day for them.
Riko leaned forward, resting her head on You's chest as sobs racked through her body. You's breathing was becoming softer as Riko laid close enough to listen.
"Can you do me a favor?"
A small sniffle came from the red-haired girl,
"Anything."
"Don't let me become one of those things. Please, just end everything here and finish this out on your own."
Riko quickly backed away, placing her hands on You's shoulders, almost offended that she could think Riko would ever do such a thing,
"I can't do that, You. W-What if you make it?"
You dryly laughed, shaking her head side to side. It was painfully obvious You wasn't immune, but she didn't have much time to keep up an argument. She couldn't let those be her last words to her love. Instead, You softly used what remaining dwindling strength she had left to lift her hand, pushing Riko's fallen hair from her face,
"I'm sorry, it was just a suggestion. But, I have to go now. Just, don't give up then, okay? Promise me that? If anyone can find a cure, I know it's you."
Riko couldn't even speak as she just nodded her head. With one hand she grabbed at You's limp fingers, locking their pinkies together. Riko used her free hand to draw You's face in, bringing them together for one last kiss. Blood streaked across You's cheek from Riko's hands, but she didn't mind as she couldn't exactly feel anything except the lips that were on hers.
While every kiss before tasted sweet, today's was a bit too salty for Riko's liking.
The red-haired girl laid herself back on You's chest, attempting to mask her sobs so as to not hurt You with her moving.
Every ounce of her body hurt. It was almost as if Riko's heart was actually physically breaking in two. However, she had to tell You one last thing. In what felt like the most painful sentence in her life, Riko whispered out one last time,
"I love you."
You closed her eyes, finally letting her own tears fall, as she felt Riko'a unsteady breath against her. It was a reality that was coming from a mile away, she didn't know why it hurt so bad.
Forcing her last breath out, You whispered back,
"I love you more."
Those final words echoed in Riko's head. She didn't know how her heart could continue to keep working after that moment. Perhaps it was the strength You had left in the world that powered her.
By the time Riko could remember coming to, the halls of the hospital were no longer lit up by the sunlight, but rather grey skies with heavy rain to accompany it filled her vision.
Riko could recall seeing a flash of You's motionless body, unaffected by the thundering booms of lighting striking nearby. It was so foreign to see her not cuddled next to her with each strike.
To see her love look so weak in that moment struck Riko in ways she didn't know. It didn't even take a second thought for her to feel the need to protect her.
Riko took You, carrying her comatose body, as well as the samples she had come for, on her back. Though it was hard to get You onto her, once she was situated, Riko thought of nothing but home. She knew they would be okay once they got there.
Along the way of their journey, Riko kept speaking to You, letting her know she was going to be safe. Luckily, all of the noise she was making was masked by the heavy rainfall surrounding her. And though her back hurt from You's weight, Riko couldn't stop now. You wouldn't stop until she had nothing left inside of her.
Riko didn't even check how long it had taken her to get home or if anyone had followed her, instead she just stumbled into their hideout at the aquarium, drenched from head to toe as dirt tracked in alongside her. Riko quickly shut the door with her foot as she made her way to the first place she could think of, the walrus exhibit. The animals had long been cleared out, leaving a wide empty space for Riko to begin her work.
Riko tried her best to be careful with You as she laid her down, but she knew she was on limited time.
With shaking hands, Riko stitched together You's shoulder. The bite had torn its way into the muscle, nearly taking an entire chunk out of her. Working to patch the most she was able to, Riko could see You flinching in pain over the cleaning process. It gave her hope that her nervous system would stay intact, showing her human side to be a bit more dominant.
Riko spent her entire night running around their aquarium home, pulling everything she could from medical to cleaning supplies.
You's body was burning with a fever as it was attempting to release any and all fluids it had. That called for a whole lot of cleaning duty on Riko's end.
Though she didn't want to cover You up, fearing she might cause her to have a stroke with such a high body temperature, Riko also knew if the young sailor made it, it wasn't going to be a pretty sight. There was a chance the now infected You could carry over the same strength regular You had, or even more.
Rather than taking her chances, instead, Riko went for two things. One being a cone head, often used on the animals, to keep her from biting. The other was something that You had long hidden away, far too embarrassed at her past self's part-time job at the aquarium.
After searching high and low, Riko finally found it in an empty storage closet. The uchicchi outfit You had sworn up and down she threw out when they had first settled into the aquarium. With a quick smile, Riko grabbed the outfit as she ran back toward the sleeping You. After watching so many people turn at the hospital she had previously worked at, she knew she would have but a couple more hours before You woke up, if she did. Their comatose state could only last so long before all hell broke loose.
With pain and lots of willpower, Riko managed to fit You into the uchicchi costume.
She was taller than when she was a teenager, but You still managed to not awkwardly poke out.
There was but one last touch, the head. Riko debated on putting the mask back on but she wasn't sure how You could function with it. When they were younger, You hated the head piece. The young sailor at the time preferred to run around with the mask off, as seeing people face to face made her happy.
Zombie or not, Riko didn't want to torture You with that, instead she placed the cone-head around You's neck.
With everything settled, Riko had fully safety proofed You. Ensuring she couldn't bite anyone with the cone and her costume took out the possibility of scratching others.
With a glance at her watch, she was out of time. Taking everything she had, Riko began making her way out of the room. She had left the blankets as well as random items that had previously laid around the place for the grey-haired girl.
As much as she wanted to be there by You's side, making sure she woke up to a familiar face, she also knew what chaos was about to happen.
Riko didn't leave entirely though, as she watched her through the clear glass that separated the audience from the entertainer.
Riko couldn't be sure exactly when You would wake up, if she still would. All she could do was wait.
This led to Riko staying awake for far longer than she had before, all for the efforts of seeing You open her eyes once more. Riko kept telling herself it was for research purposes but deep down she needed to know You wasn't going to die in her sleep.
By the third hour after Riko had left the room, she could feel herself drifting off as her adrenaline finally died down. Her head would slightly drop with every blink, only to be shot back upwards a second after. Riko would've thought for a moment that her tired state was giving her hallucinations when she saw You twitch in the distance, but when she focused more she could see that wasn't the case.
When the grey-haired girl finally opened her eyes though, she only stared at the ceiling, not making a move to get up. It was almost as if she didn't have a purpose at that moment. In fact, if it weren't for the rapid breathing beneath the costume, Riko would've thought she had died.
Tapping on the glass, Riko attempted to get You's attention. Which that she definitely did.
You's head snapped towards the sound. She pushed herself off the floor as the squeaks of her outfit filled the containment center. You ran towards the noise but was cut short as the glass between them stopped her.
Riko stared at the person who was once You.
The girl who once had a smile brighter than the sun, skin kissed by the gods, and eyes that shined like the ocean just wasn't the same.
Now it was just a body, lifeless and pale, attempting to break through the glass in a fury of anger. What was worse was that her eyes were still blue, only darker than before. It was like seeing You was there, but Riko just couldn't reach her.
Riko placed her hand on the glass barrier, swallowing her tears back as You kept scratching at her while yelling out in frustration.
Slowly walking back to her room, the young girl was beyond exhausted. Riko's fingers no longer danced across the empty hallway walls, flicking the chipped paint off the wall, but instead her feet sluggishly dragged her towards their old shared room as she fell to her bed.
While she wanted to sleep, to hopefully get this entire nightmare over with, sobs racked through her body as her head hit the pillow. She had held everything in until that moment, trying to be the tough one for You, but as she finally returned to an empty bed, it hit her all at once. There was a good chance she would have to start getting used to sleeping alone.
But for now, she just couldn't do it.
Riko dragged her blankets out towards the walrus exhibit. She didn't care about the uncomfortable floors, or even any possible bugs that could've been crawling around, she just needed to be sure You was still there. While she couldn't have You in her arms once more, she was okay with resting herself near You's company.
Riko knew You could hear her as once she stepped into the hall, You was already scratching at the glass again.
Considering her good hearing, Riko didn't have to speak loud. The red-haired girl settled into sheets, taking one last glance at the new You before her,
"Goodnight, You."
Riko turned over, tightly shutting her eyes as she dragged her blanket over her head. All she could hear were the soft punches against the glass as her body attempted to lull itself to sleep.
That night had begun the recurring nightmare, taking Riko's already fragile sleep schedule to another level. No matter how many times she tried to think of anything else, her mind just went back to everything she could've done for fate to play out differently. She could've got up faster when the infected man attacked You, maybe handled the first infected woman that grabbed her better, or even just not have gone on that journey in the first place. But she couldn't change what had happened.
In some odd way though, it inspired Riko greatly.
She would do anything to have You in her arms again, even if it meant defying everything she once knew before.
Riko rubbed her eyes as she glanced at her watch. It was already two in the morning, way past her bedtime. She trudged her way into the same hall she had gotten so used to within the past week.
Just like always, she sat herself right by You's holding area. She hadn't brought her mattress out of the room yet, as she didn't want to think of that spot as her new sleeping area for good.
Recently, after the second dosage Riko had given You, You hadn't responded negatively to any noise. Rather, the young sailor perked up at hearing someone come near. Few times she was excited, most though she wore a blank expression with just a quick glance in the direction the sound came from. Riko couldn't judge, she knew it had to be boring in there.
"Sorry I'm late. Remember the last few trials I was telling you about? Yeah well, they were not too good, so I don't have anything new to bring you, You."
You sat by the glass, leaning against it, as she stared down at the blankets Riko sat atop of.
"It's okay though, I'm going to try and get through a couple more tomorrow and hopefully there will be a new dosage I can give you. We have a little over half a month left so don't panic yet, okay?"
You did nothing but huff against the glass, creating a breath of fog. Riko tried her best to look happy for her, but it hurt coming back with nothing new.
"H-Hey, why don't I tell you the story of one of my favorite dates of ours? You were actually wearing that costume, it was just about the funniest thing-"
You locked eyes with Riko, not saying anything, but rather just staring at her. Though it was horrifying to see You with deathly pale skin and glazed over eyes look straight at her, Riko couldn't help but think it was the real You poking out for a moment. She always tried to stop Riko when she would attempt to retell that story to anyone.
"Okay, how about I tell you the story of how you turned, again? You were a bit interested last time."
You did nothing but look away, blankly staring at Riko's sheets once more as she continued to lean on the glass. Though she looked like a depressed puppy, Riko took that as a sign. Pulling the blankets overself, Riko snuggled herself into the warmth.
The story telling had become a habit, as Riko couldn't exactly go a day without talking to You. It was the same as when they were just teenagers, staying up into the depths of the night on the phone just to hear one another for a minute longer. Plus, since calming down with the second dosage, it became much easier for Riko to tell the stories.
Riko knew You would stay awake most of the night while she slept, and would also most likely be in the same spot when she woke up, but it was nice to know You was always there no matter the time or place.
Riko yawned out, already feeling the tiredness creep up on her,
"Well, it all started a couple days ago. We had just enough supplies to get us to and back in one piece, or at least that was the plan."
Riko continued out her story and just like every night, she could gain a slight reaction from You, whether it was a small groan or just a twitch in her blank facial expression. It wasn't a lot but it was all she could ask for. Riko's own voice usually lulled herself to sleep, a pattern she was afraid of growing used to.
Though she wasn't one to pray, Riko did hope every night that You wasn't slipping from her. She still had a partial window of time to save her and so long as she kept her eating and drinking like a normal person, her transition would be stunted. Or at least, that was her hypothesis.
That only put extra strain on Riko as she had to wake up early each morning, despite staying awake all night, to check on the traps to make sure no infected would be attracted to the noise of the scared animals.
Of course, Riko only feared the traps would lure the undead, but it would soon draw in some unwanted guests into figuring out there was life within those aquarium walls.