Riko's fingers gently set up the clear IV bag, letting it receive elevation from the chair used in far too many sleepless nights. The room she was in ran silent, only the rummaging of Riko securing the storage of water, along with You's soft breathing, filled the empty space between them.
The nights before had been intensely rough on both girls' hands. You couldn't focus on anything, her hands wouldn't meet their target nor could she grip onto anything in such a weak state. She hadn't even used her voice since the night Riko gave her the last test trial two days prior, the trial that felt as if it was ending all of Riko's hard work. After such a result, Riko didn't dare to try another one, but rather she could only wait until this one ran out of You's system. The healing process was even longer though with every antibiotic gone, meaning it was truly You against the disease now.
Pessimism wasn't in Riko's name though. You had defied so many odds, she was just about one of the most functional of the entire infected bunch around the world, but with You only waking up twice for a brief moment between the last two days, doubt was beginning to creep into Riko's mind.
With the IV bag in place, Riko crouched down beside You. She slept on the bed as Riko organized her makeshift hospital setup.
The syringe didn't phase You when it slid into her skin, she didn't even jump when Riko placed the tape harshly into place to keep it from moving. Riko needed it to stay there for a long time anyways.
You only slept as Riko moved about. The soft rise and fall of her chest let those know she was alive.
As the young girl finished her tasks at hand she stopped, letting herself get a look at her love. She was much more delicate than before, the bones around her collar protruded more as her cheeks were slightly sunk in. Her hair stuck to her face, baby hairs curling at the start of her scalp. Her lips were partially open, slightly chapped, while her skin had a light pink shade to it. The imperfections of her little scars were obvious, yet Riko was always the one to question how You could ever fall in love with her.
Touching You's forehead with her hand, wiping a bit of the sweat that had gathered, Riko moved the hair from her face as she placed a kiss onto her. She was still warm but far less than she had been the night before.
Letting her hand run down her lover's face, Riko smiled at You, as if she could see her,
"I'll be back before you know it, okay? Just sit back and relax, by the time you wake up I'll have food and even some painkillers. Don't you worry."
Getting up, Riko stretched slightly as she turned towards the door, already seeing her backpack ready to go by the entrance.
She had packed the night before after an intensely heated debate with herself over her situation. It couldn't have been a worse time to run out of supplies and for You to be needing constant attention. It wouldn't have happened, as Riko had rationed everything out, but yet with You needing more to sustain the human side of her, it was any wonder how the couple had lasted so long before.
With Riko moving towards the entrance, she found herself picking up her backpack. She adjusted it to her needs, ensuring an easy pull out of any weapons she might need. As the backpack was pulled by the straps, Riko paused for a moment.
This wasn't just a simple journey she was taking with You again, but rather there was no room for failure in her task. She was all they both had. Whether she made it home that night would determine both of their futures.
Turning to face You one last time, Riko faked a smile. You couldn't see her, but she also couldn't show the fear across her face, despite it being laced into her words.
Raising her hand, Riko gave a slight wave to You's unconscious body,
"I'll see you later, You. Don't get up, alright? Stay put, o-or i'll be upset when I get back."
Despite trying to sound serious, Riko's voice failed her. Instead she rested her hand on the door frame, whispering out,
"Just, be okay. Please?"
Twigs scraped against Riko's pants-covered ankles as she battled against the bushes guarding the shoreline. It would've been grand if she had asked her guests how she was supposed to get inside the so-called village. Everyone had told her to go to the ocean and follow the school, but Riko had no idea what to even do past that. She couldn't even remember where the Inn they were talking about was nor how long she was supposed to be walking. She was on a timed schedule and she did not want to spend her day out in the open walking on the beach.
With that, Riko decided to do what was best, cut through the wooded area and head into the streets, hopefully remembering her way from there.
As Riko looked back, she could see the ocean fading into the distance as she went further into bushes leading towards the woods.
A village shouldn't be so difficult to find.
As Riko found herself looking all around, swatting leaves from her vision, something finally came into view. It was a fence standing higher than she could reach, clearly failing against the test of time as it looked like nature was taking its course upon it.
It wasn't so much as an entrance Riko was looking for, but it was something.
Beyond the fence was an open field of grass, with a few scattered smaller buildings kilometers into the distance, but not a single person was around that she could see.
As Riko ran her fingers across the wire, she trailed down the hopeful fence path leading to the main entrance she sought for.
Though she was only walking around the guarded area, she couldn't help but think what she was doing was wrong. Obviously if they were a growing community, wouldn't they be more friendly? It felt illegal to even be near a place so guarded and quiet.
Before Riko could question any further though, she spotted something to take those thoughts away. The fence had a slight disconnection in its link to the poles. It was obvious that it was man-made as whoever had done it attempted to put it back into place without much success.
Riko crouched down by the broken piece, pushing the fence outwards to see how wide the entrance was. Seeing it could easily fit a person, there wasn't any doubt the hole must've been how the teenage trio escaped their home in the first place.
Sighing out Riko debating her options, she could either keep going and try to find out where the entrance of the village really was, while having to keep an eye out for an infected nearby, or she could sneak in and hope to blend in as she looked for any of her previous guests for help.
Knowing You would not be sitting still if she were to awaken soon, Riko decided to cut her options and just try to find Kanan and Mari as they would be the most helpful to her and her situation.
Pushing the fence open, Riko crawled into the entrance, trying her best to not alert anyone near.
Unfortunately, that was an issue. Two reasons: one, Riko couldn't even remember the last time she had snuck through a fence. The last memory to pop into her head was of You trying to get her to jump over the Aquarium fence when they had first arrived. They usually avoided going through them for one specific reason You constantly warned about: the noise. Which was the second issue as once Riko was about mid-way through her intense struggle against the metal, she could hear the fence begin to screech from being pushed so far.
Attempting to get through the fence with as little noise as possible, Riko tried to slow down her breathing to really focus in on a way to get through simpler.
Pausing, her ears focused in. She slowly moved her arms through, gripping the grass beneath her. Almost as if she were a sloth, Riko got about to her upper torso before her hearing caught onto something from a horror film.
A small groan, just short of hearing in the distance, cut its way through Riko's task at hand. It was all it took for her previous slow pace to go into overdrive.
Propelling herself forward, Riko forced herself more through the fence, immediately wishing she was a teenager again to escape faster. She could feel her backpack finally pushed through the opening, leaving her waist and below still on the other side in the target zone.
Twisting herself, Riko flipped herself onto her back in order to see just how much time she had left.
The bushes around were being pushed aside faster, the groans were turning into screams, surely calling attention to anyone near. Riko already knew she was done for as soon as the first yell pierced the skies, disturbing the nearby wildlife into fleeing the scene.
Rather than keeping quiet, Riko began to feel her whimpers escape her mouth as the fence kept catching onto every stray cloth from her pants, leaving tiny holes in its place.
Riko wasn't sure if she should be more scared from the zombie or from getting tetanus. Or the soon third option that yelled towards her direction.
"Hey! Someones by the fence!"
Kicking at the ground faster, Riko could feel the tears building in her eyes. Now the plan of being stealthy was long gone and soon so was her only chance at surviving her day. In her mind ran a long line of curse words as she battled against the fence.
With just the laces of her shoes entangled in the wires, Riko looked up to see a woman running towards her from the other side of the fence. Her mouth foamed with blood merging along with her spit, dripping its way down onto her already torn apart shirt. Her eyes were bloodshot red as her skin ran pale with veins to protrude along her slender body.
Riko's arm felt like it weighed nearly a ton as it stretched behind her, grazing the revolver in her backpack strap. Wrapping her fingers around the metal, the weapon was tugged from its hold into her eyesight yet Riko sat without firing. The pistol was merely in her hands, almost as if she were just going to present it to the infected women no more than a couple feet from her.
Frozen in her spot, Riko's mind raced of how that woman, in her animalistic rage, could've been You. How it would be if she couldn't make it home.
With a single blink, the woman was soon headed towards the floor as a gunshot echoed in the air. Her blood splattered across the trees surrounding the fence while her body fell with a heavy thump, ensuring there wasn't any possibility of survival.
But the gunshot wasn't from Riko.
Riko instead couldn't even feel who she was. Her life had played before her very own eyes and even when she had only one thing to fight for, she couldn't bring herself to continue. Instead, once more, someone else had to be the one to her rescue.
Turning her head, Riko was met with the sun shining in her eyes. There were no more trees to block the light nor to hide her presence.
"Grab her!"
Hearing those words Riko was knocked back into reality. She faced forward to see her position was not the most friendly. She was stuck breaking into a village with a gun in her hands. What a first impression.
Quickly sliding the pistol back into her backpack, Riko tried to free herself from the fence's cloth-catching wires once more. She could hear footsteps gaining on her. They stomped harshly against the grass, not letting the young girl have even a moment to feel relaxed.
As Riko finally tore the rest of herself from the cloth-catching fence, she turned to immediately apologize for her actions and trouble she had caused. Before she could get the words out though, Riko only caught sight of the back end of a rifle, taking the shining sun from her vision with a splash of pain across her face.
Sleep was a luxury. To be in an unconscious state, not caring about the world falling apart around you, was truly a gift. However, it sure didn't last very long in Riko's case.
Rather than waking up to her own accord, Riko felt her own heart drop deep within her sleep first before feeling her body hit the floor. She wearily opened her eyes, breathing in for a quick moment before coughing out the sand that she inhaled into her mouth. She could hear voices, numerous people all around her, whispering something she just couldn't catch.
Riko groaned as she picked her head up, turning around to see an entire group of people surrounding her. There were men and women of all ages, faces blinded by the sun's shining rays, all speaking to one another as they looked her up and down. Before Riko could even grasp onto what was happening or where she was, her attention was called forward.
"Get up."
A voice rang in Riko's ears, demanding her actions.
Turning forward, Riko saw just who it came from.
A girl, no, a woman, no more than a year or two older stood in front of her. She held onto a silver katana sharpened to the touch, blinding anyone who dared to look at it. It was long, nearly touching the sandy beach by a mere few inches.
The woman had sleek black hair, flowing in the wind without a split end to be seen anywhere. Her bangs her slit straight across her forehead, as if measured to preciseness. The only fault to her porcelain skin was the beauty mark by her lip, but even then it just popped her features even more.
Finally reaching her eyes, Riko saw they were blindingly green, similar to emeralds. They were almost familiar to someone else she had met before, but these were not of an innocent child.
The woman spoke louder to Riko,
"I said, get up."
Her voice was calm yet loud enough for the audience around to hear.
Riko couldn't tell if the way she felt was from the lack of food she had been missing recently or the fact that she had been practically left out to be a dried grape for an hour in the sun. Either way, her legs shook as they stood up before the woman.
Riko oddly felt more light to her feet. That was before she noticed, they took her backpack, leaving her defenseless.
You had always told her, keep the pocket knife close by and don't let it out of sight. Being unarmed in a fight nowadays was almost a death wish. Where there were no rules, there were no morals.
Riko's hands began to sweat as they were met with nothing in her pockets. Her mouth had long run dry with fear shaking her to her core.
Riko's eyes finally glanced around once more as she noticed, they were entirely surrounded by people, not a single exit around her. She could hear the oceanside, as well as see the Inn she had heard about from Kanan and Mari just above the crowds' heads.
It came to Riko's attention that there was a chance if she had just traveled a mile or two more she could've made it to this spot.
But instead she broke in with an infected woman trailing her, leaving a very bad first impression.
Riko's mind raced with regret as she took a slight step back from the woman who continued to stare a hole into her head. Her eye twitched with Riko's fear being so blatantly obvious.
"What's your name?"
Riko felt her lips shaking and though her jaw opened, her voice wouldn't make itself known. She hadn't ever been in a situation similar to where she was now, alone with no one to turn to. Her life had been so peaceful not even 24-hours before.
Riko could tell she was aggravating the mysterious woman though by the way her patience visibly faded with every ticking second. Clenching her fists, Riko tried harder to get her name out,
"R-R-Riko."
With a raised eyebrow, the woman tilted her head upwards,
"Well, Riko, my name is Dia Kurosawa. I lead this village and I heard we had an intruder. So, dare to tell me what you are doing here?"
Dia took a small step forward and though the action was minicual, Riko's feet stumbled backwards, tripping on themselves as she landed onto the sand. Dia didn't break her curious glance but Riko could feel herself sweating up a storm over trying to answer a single question. She truly felt she couldn't breathe, like this woman was taking her breath away but in the worst possible way.
Walking forward, Dia tightened her grip on the katana as she now spoke with anger laced in between her words,
"You're wasting my time. Talk."
Stepping closer, Dia began to tower over Riko, only being a step away from her feet.
The situation looked so similar and before Riko knew it, her body was reacting faster than her mind.
"Okay, say that someone is standing over you like this,"
You positioned herself before Riko as the young girl sat on the floor, mindlessly swaying her feet side to side. They had been practicing for almost an hour on the basics of how to throw a punch and they were finally proceeding with more lessons. Not that Riko was dying to get any further.
"You, can I get back to my studies now?"
You let her hands fall to her sides. Riko wouldn't take her teachings seriously and while it wasn't important now, later on it could be dangerous to not know simple techniques.
With such thoughts to plague her mind, You let out in an exasperated tone,
"Riko, you have to at least know how to get out of these situations. What if I'm not there and you get stuck in something like this?"
Riko sighed as she heard how persistent You was going to be on the subject. Technically, You was right but that didn't mean she wanted to admit it.
Not saying anything though let You know she was victorious in their argument. You stood once more before Riko, now placing her foot exactly in position to tower over the young girl,
"Okay, if my foot is right here, you bring your knees inwards and make sure to catch either the person's ankles with the top of your foot, if they're light enough, or catch the back of their knee if you aren't sure about your own strength. The second option is a sure fire way to get anyone on the floor and just enough time to get back to your feet."
"Oh, so like this."
You didn't have a moment to prepare herself as not even a single blink could pass before she soon found herself looking at the ceiling of their aquarium home with the breath knocked out of her. Riko, however, gasped out loud as she heard how hard You's head hit the concrete floor.
Lightly rubbing her head, You got up on her elbows as Riko immediately rushed to her side. Putting her hands in You's ruffled mess of hair, Riko let out apologetically,
"I'm so sorry about that, I should've warned you!"
You laughed out loud though with how softly Riko tried to massage her head. Grabbing her hands, You smiled at Riko,
"It's fine, you're a natural. Next time let's practice outside, okay? Preferably in a patch of grass."
Opening her eyes, Riko found herself bringing her feet inwards, kicking at the back of Dia's knees. She watched as the tall woman fell backwards, hands attempting to grasp onto the air to keep herself up. Her body's natural reflexes, as well as gravity, gave into her fall though.
Stumbling to her feet, Riko now stood before Dia, switching the positions they were once in. All around the duo though, gasps could be heard as no stranger had ever dared to touch the leader like that.
The shame Riko brought to her made Dia's ears burn red as she looked up at her perpetrator. The intruder of her village, a girl who could barely even get her own name out, had made a fool of her in front of everyone.
Dia slowly stood up, loosening her shoulders. Giving a light crack to her neck, she prepared her stance. If Riko was willing to put up a fight, Dia was going to give one.
Without saying anything, Dia rushed forward as Riko let out a yelp. Riko tried backing further away, keeping the distance between the two of them the same but the people around wouldn't clear a way, meaning she was truly trapped. If Riko were to lose a single step, Dia's arms would surely make its friendly uninvited appearance around her and take her straight to the ground.
Dodging was easy to Riko, as You had gotten her familiar with that part of training, but that's all she knew how to do. Without anything by her side, she was in an endless loop until either one of them gave up.
As Riko would run closer towards the group of people, they all moved in formation without clearing a way. Frustrated, Riko yelled out,
"Agh, can't you guys move out of the way!"
"I think your sister is at it again, Ruby."
The trio of teenagers walked by one another, slowly dragging their feet after yet another painstakingly boring day. They had all gone to check in at the local inn but not before they had spent their morning cleaning the praying temple nearly three miles out.
After they were caught for sneaking out they were watched at all times, not bound to leave anyone's sight for more than ten minutes without a guardian nearby to watch them. The only time they could be alone was when they moved between jobs in town, so with that time they were sure to make it last as long as possible.
Hanamaru, though being the shortest, could see that the crowd of people obviously circled Dia. It was just like the feared woman to challenge people in the sand by the oceanside. Something about the battleground was Dia's expertise, as that was where she trained and even forced Ruby to as well. No matter their environment, Dia ensured Kurosawa's were never outmatched again.
Yoshiko, who was on the other side of Hanamaru, followed her earlier statement with a chuckle,
"Gosh, did she find someone else to torture today? Does she not get tired?"
Though both girls were her best friends, Ruby didn't appreciate them speaking down upon her sister.
The two siblings didn't exactly get along very well nowadays with the passing of their parents, but that didn't mean it was a free for all against her. Instead, Ruby let out in a annoyed tone,
"Can you two stop? She's doing her best, okay?"
Yoshiko and Hanamaru could tell with that voice, Ruby didn't want the conversation to continue on. Instead, they let the topic drop.
They all silently continued their walk, already knowing they had to check in at the local library until nightfall as that was when their parents had to pick them up.
The silence between the girls was just enough for a voice to cut through the crowd chattering air,
"Agh, can't you guys move out of the way!"
Instantly, the trio all stopped. They glanced at once another, immediately recognizing the voice. The same image popped in their heads of a nice woman who cared for them all during a rainy day. For Yoshiko though it was that and a slight reminder of her scar she was still hiding from her mom.
With all three girls turning to one another, they mentally agreed on what to do next. Rushing forward, the teenagers attempted to start slipping through the crowd, clearing a way to help the woman who would do the same for them.
Responsibilities or not, they had to know if it was really Riko and if she had brought her guest along with.
On the other side of the group of people though, walked a couple.
Kanan and Mari had been strolling along the beachside for their morning, checking to see if anything had washed upon its shore, but mostly Mari getting Kanan to avoid guard duty as long as possible to hang out with her longer.
As they both reached closer towards the Inn, they could see the crowd of people coming closer from the distance, all intensely focused on whatever was happening in the center.
Kanan placed her hands behind her head as she looked upon the group,
"Huh, I wonder what Dia's up to now?"
Mari didn't pay much attention though, already thinking of a way to get out of her own meetings when Kanan left. Instead she simply waved her hand dismissing the thought,
"Probably some boring town meeting we forgot about again. She'll give us the run down later, I'm sure."
Shrugging her shoulders, Kanan agreed. Even if they were there, Dia had a tendency to review with them in case they weren't paying attention again. She knew the duo so well.
Becoming bored with the idea of a lecture about the safety and security of the town, Kanan yawned out,
"I guess. Well, when that happens we should see when she's free again. I can't remember the last time we've all hung out."
Mari sparked up in excitement but before she could agree, a voice ran through their ears.
"Agh, can't you guys move out of the way!"
Kanan stopped as Mari turned her head towards her. The voice was instantly recognized from the duo as a face popped into their heads. The nerdy doctor who could barely hold a gun for the life of her had to be in that circle, and if they were correct, Dia was there too.
Rushing forward, Kanan immediately ran across the sand and into the large crowd, knowing a person like Riko could not survive against Dia for long. Mari ran close behind, letting Kanan take the brunt work of pushing people as she apologized right behind her.
As the five girls rushed to Riko's aid, the young girl was yelling out towards the group of people hoping one would crack and help her in her time of need. Though they were staring directly at her, they all turned a blind eye to what was happening.
Riko's stamina had long run dry as by the time she peeked to see where Dia was once more, Riko could feel a brute force knock her down.
The breath she struggled to keep finally escaped her lips as her face was pushed against the sanded floor. The harder she struggled to escape Dia's grasp onto her, the more she could feel her strength wear thin against the sand.
With one flip, Riko was at her back as Dia swiftly pushed the blade she held since the beginning of the fight against her throat. Riko tilted her head further into the sand to create more distance, but she could only escape so far. With Riko's forearms locked against the ground by Dia's thighs, it left the young girl with nothing more to defend herself with.
As Dia sat atop of her, she lowered herself, whispering in front of Riko once more,
"I'm going to ask one last time, what are you doing here?"
Riko tried to catch her breath, she tried everything she could, but the pure panic that ran through her veins caused her words to trip over one another again. Her short intakes of air were blocked by hiccups of anxiety as her tears began to build around the corners of her eyes.
Dia couldn't handle such cowardness.
Pushing herself away from Riko, Dia flipped her kanata in her right hand and brought it to the left side of her body as she placed her free hand down onto Riko's throat, stopping her last breaths of air she so desperately needed.
With the sword facing outwards, Dia prepared to swipe straight across Riko's neck. Riko closed her eyes, letting her tears finally fall, as one last memory shined behind her darkness
You sat with her legs on both sides of Riko as their lesson was finally coming to its end for the day. With her hand positioned to falsely strike Riko, You spoke her instructions to her,
"So, if someone is above you, similar to this, all you have to do is pull out your pocket knife and strike them preferably at the neck or towards the ribs. Those are good ways to get the attacker to cover themselves in pain and for you to escape."
Riko, who was simply enjoying You on top of her, only had one question,
"What if I'm out of weapons? What do i do then?"
You leaned back, almost laughing at such an obvious question,
"Well, say you're out of weapons and the person has the upper hand on you, you're about as good as dead."
Riko's eyes widened, suddenly not as playful as she was before, she let out,
"H-Hold on, what?"
You rubbed the back of her head, almost feeling bad for telling Riko the truth. Laughing out anxiously, You could only smile before giving her reassurance,
"It's okay, just don't worry about that part of it. No matter where I'm at, I'll find a way to protect you. Promise."
As Riko could finally intake a breath of fresh air, she could begin to imagine the darkness of the afterlife in many different ways. The afterlife seemed like a place that would be magical, even freeing, yet currently it still felt like the hot sand on a crowded beach.
Peeking an eye open, Riko was met with Dia's sword, a mere few inches from her throat. Yet, it was shaking in the grasp of its owner.
As her eyes followed up towards Dia, she could see her hand struggling to bring it to swipe across her. It was being held back by a set of familiar faces.
Yoshiko and Hanamaru both held onto Dia's single arm almost as if they were hugging it, painfully obvious they were using everything they could to keep it from striking Riko. Ruby held onto Dia's torso, attempting to pull her off of Riko with just about little movement.
With all of them grabbing at Dia though, they managed to toss her onto her back, freeing Riko entirely. Grabbing at her own chest, Riko pushed herself backwards, away from the group, as she truly thought that was going to be it for her. She couldn't even express her gratitude yet though as Dia spent no time recovering from such a fall.
Quickly standing to her feet, Dia tightened her grip on the kanata once more but the trio was once again one step behind her. Yelling out in determination, the girls all grabbed at any part of Dia, attempting to stop her movement.
The teenagers all held onto her as if they were children begging their mother to go back into a candy shop. It wasn't even their life on the line but they had to try their best. After how Riko spared them it only seemed fair.
Clicking her tongue in frustration, Dia finally stopped her advance at Riko to see what the problem was. Turning to see who was holding back her arm, Yoshiko had her grip tight on it, with Hanamaru holding onto Yoshiko for assistance. Their feet dug into the sand to pull her backwards but the ground slid beneath them.
Dia was quick to turn her kanata around, bumping the handle onto Yoshiko's forehead, knowing a simple knock would get her down.
Yoshiko's grip left Dia's arm as she went to comfort her aching forehead. With Hanamaru's force pulling her back though, it caused both of them to fall onto the ground.
With a brief, "Kya!", followed by, "Zura!", Dia turned her attention towards the last of the rebellious trio.
Ruby held on tightly to Dia's torso, as Dia attempted multiple times to rip from her body. With a simple push to start, the young girl held tightly, burying herself further into Dia. Forcing more strength onto Ruby, Dia began to shove at the girl even harder to break her grasp.
Ruby, however, was there along the way with Dia's practice each day. Day after day getting beaten down in preparation to battle against others led to her to be able to take a hit.
It was why she held on so tightly to her sister, never letting her grip lighten even as Dia continuously pushed against her, even trying the sword handle method on her.
The crowd around could see Ruby try so harshly to hold onto Dia, bringing a wave of confusion of just who the traveler was.
Riko backed herself further away as Ruby kept her at bay, and seeing such actions brought anger even deeper to Dia.
Grabbing at her sisters head, Dia attempted to push it away from her body as she yelled out,
"Ruby, what are you doing! You're letting her get away!"
Ruby closed her eyes though, tightened her grip as she felt her sister's hands forcefully push against her face,
"Stop! She didn't do anything wrong, Dia! You're just going to hurt her!"
Dia let out a yell in annoyance as Ruby wasn't giving up. If only she showed this much determination in their practices.
"Well we can't show mercy! Look what happened to our parents!"
The two girls continued to argue, and though they were considered the leaders of the village, it was almost as if they were small children once more, fighting over a stuffed toy.
Before it could be taken a step further though, Kanan and Mari finally burst through the crowd. As they both reached the center, they could see Riko in front of them on the floor, still catching her breath, as everyone witnessed the two Kurosawa's fight.
Mari smiled at the sisters, amused that their sibling traits never died down. Tapping at Kanan, Mari signaled her to break them apart as she stepped down to help Riko.
Putting a light touch to Riko's back, the young girl jumped up before she locked eyes with Mari. She looked almost as afraid as the first time they met.
"M-Ma-"
"Hey, it's okay. We've got you now."
The tears began to build in Riko's eyes once more as she could only shake her head up and down. Her body shook in fear as well as simply an overwhelming of many other sensations. Not knowing she could react in such a way, Riko placed her hands over her head to find a way to block everything out anyway she could. Mari could only rub her back in soft circles as Riko continuously tried to slow her shaky breath.
Kanan, however, made her way towards the two Kurosawa's. She could see Hanamaru and Yoshiko sitting on the floor out of the corner of her eye, confused at just what they were supposed to be doing.
The sisters were entirely focused on one another, they didn't even see Kanan as she grabbed at the back of both of their shirts, ripping the two from one another in shock.
Knowing only one person who would dare to use such force with her, Dia didn't even need to look up before saying,
"Kanan, you have about four seconds to unhand me."
Kanan only smiled at Dia's threatening words though. Quickly dropping Ruby, the young girl fell with a small "Oof", as Kanan wrapped both of her hands around the older sister, giving her an extra tight squeeze,
"That sounded a lot like 'You have about four seconds to hug me', which you know I'd gladly do, Dia."
Struggling to escape her grasps, Kanan laughed before turning towards the crowd. While holding tightly to Dia, the taller girl shouted towards the group of people who were still watching,
"Okay, that's enough to see here, folks. Everything is under control, I hope to see this many people here for the next town meeting and not sacrifice. Go on now, go."
"You don't even go to half of the town meetings."
"Hey, I heard that!"
The people around spoke with one another, all eyeing the scene as they slowly started to walk away. Kanan was sure to extra stare down the person who obviously had a problem with her lack of attendance at town meetings.
Dia was furious at the outcome though. Struggling harder against Kanan, Dia grunted out,
"Let me go! We don't even know who this girl is, yet you five are protecting her? What if she isn't who she seems?"
Kanan slowly placed Dia on the ground, letting her grasp die down yet staying on her toes for safety. Before she could speak for Riko though, Ruby interrupted,
"But we do know her! At least, Yoshiko, Hanamaru, and I do."
Dia's anger disappeared almost instantly though as she heard her sister's voice. She hadn't realized how long it had been since they really spoke to one another. Still curious though, Dia hinted for more,
"How so?"
"She's the lady who gave us a place to stay when we snuck out. She gave us food, and well,"
Looking back, Ruby made eye contact with Riko before whispering back to Dia,
"She's the person we stole the fruit from as an apology to you."
Riko heard the whispers though, confirming her suspicions were true. Almost as if she wasn't nearly having a panic attack five minutes before, Riko pointed her shaky finger as she yelled out,
"I knew you guys stole my fruit! I'm only here because I ran out of food!"
As Ruby flinched at the truth, and Yoshiko as well as Hanamaru both looked in the other direction, Dia stepped forward. She looked down at Riko calmly but the young girl couldn't tell if that frightened her more than before. Raising her hands up, Riko quickly let out,
"Not that there's a problem with that! I'm sure those kids need all the protein they can get to grow up strong."
Dia stopped in front of Riko, slightly cautious of her stance, before glancing towards Kanan and Mari,
"How do you two know of her?"
Kanan and Mari nervously eyed one another before spouting out different answers,
"We met before the apocalypse!"
"We saw her around at the beach!"
Slapping her forehead, Kanan groaned at them being caught in their lie. Dia didn't entirely care at the moment though, instead she walked closer towards Riko and though she didn't have the look of death in her eyes, Riko couldn't help but lightly lean backwards.
Dia's feet strode across the sandy floor before finally stopping in front of her. She leaned down, placing a knee onto the sand before reaching out her hand for Riko to grab,
"Well then, I'd like to apologize for my actions before. I didn't know you helped my sister and her friends while they were away. I thought you were an intruder, and if you heard before, intruders are not welcome here."
Shakily grabbing her hand, Riko let Dia help her up. She didn't feel entirely comfortable around such a powerful woman, especially one who nearly murdered her a few moments before, plus the way she could flip a switch on her emotions was almost concerning.
Dia patted her down though, gracing over the patches of red skin across her arms and face that would soon turn to bruises from where the young girl was shoved too harshly. Avoiding Riko's eyes, Dia said aloud,
"We're going to have to give you replacement food for the one that my sister and her friends stole from you. The fruit is, well, no longer with us."
Riko looked at Dia confused at her terminology, that was before Mari bounced from behind whispering to Riko,
"That means she ate it herself."
Dia's cheeks burned as she was found guilty of her actions,
"I-It was a gift! I didn't think it was stolen from someone!"
Mari burst into laughter first before everyone around slowly joined in at Dia's embarrassment. Even Riko herself couldn't help the giggles arise from her chest. It was freeing, finally having a real moment to breathe.
With Dia not feeling her apology was enough, she herself guided Riko around their small village while the rest of the group went off to do the tasks they were all assigned to for the day. There was no escaping their pre-planned duties no matter how much they complained.
Riko was finally able to see things upfront with Dia's assistance, rather than hear them from afar. The fence they had around their land was slowly growing each day, as Dia informed Riko, and that with every piece of land that was taken back from the infected they slowly began moving more outwards. They could only hope to gather more people that could be trusted into their growing village and clear the woods faster, as that was the hardest part to keep eyes on. Their main goal was the school though as it sat at the top of the Island. If they could get there, they could oversee far much more than what they could by the sandy shores.
As they walked further into the town of Numazu, the two turned down one of the many streets. Dia informed Riko that each street they cleared was for a different purpose. Whether it was for food, water, clothing, or other tasks. Everything was divided and properly organized to maintain order.
Dia led Riko towards the food market road, already having in mind just who was going to get the best food for Riko as an apology.
Dia stopped in front of a fairly large house, standing up straighter as she prepared herself to go forth. Looking in, Riko could see a handful of people already talking amongst themselves within the shop. As Dia walked in though, everyone stepped aside, almost as if she were a feared lion rather than just a normal girl. Riko followed closely behind, as she really had no idea what else to do.
Dia stopped in front of the main counter and though everyone around her avoided their eyes in fear, a girl with bright orange hair cheerfully greeted her,
"Dia! Long time no see! What can I do for you?"
Dia kept a straight face, polar opposite to the girl, as she panned out,
"Hello, Chika, I'm here with a guest today. I need some of the best delicacies we have to see that our friend here has a nice meal for her travels."
Stepping aside, Dia introduced Riko to Chika. Riko awkwardly waved as the human mikan bounced up from behind the counter,
"Oh, a guest! It's been a while since we had one of those! Where are you from? What are you doing here? Do you plan on staying for a bit? Oh, I can show you around if you need a place to stay! We just cleared out these houses-"
"Chika, please, don't overwhelm her, she's been through a lot already. Just, see to her that she gets some food, consider it a personal gift from me."
Chika rested her head on her hands, slightly surprised that the stranger was getting top notch treatment from the village leader,
"Oh? A personal gift? She must be a big deal then. But sure, I'll give her something good, just wait here and I'll be right back."
As Chika headed towards the backroom to prepare her gathering, Dia looked at Riko before gesturing for them to step outside for a moment.
As they walked into the fresh air outside, the people all around went about their days almost as if there wasn't an apocalypse happening. Gathering food from the local market or simply strolling around to occupy time, they seemed happy and content with how things were.
Dia stood by the side of the store window to see inside as well as not be in the way of others wanting to enter. Shuffling to her side, Riko looked around at all the people passing by. It was odd to be stared at, as she hadn't exactly seen many people who didn't want to consume her around lately.
Dia's voice broke Riko from those thoughts,
"I guess I should ask, what are you exactly doing here? I feel as if I am rushing you out without really knowing who you are. I'm curious, you seem to have a good standing with others close to me anyways."
Riko cleared her throat as she gathered her thoughts. She didn't want to give away too much but she didn't exactly want to be seen as a person with far too many secrets to be trusted.
"Well, as I said earlier, I'm here for food but also medication if you have any to spare. Kanan and Mari made your village seem very put together, and I do have some things to exchange if you require currency."
Riko began to take off her backpack but was quickly stopped by the wave of Dia's hand,
"No, no, consider this on me for how harshly I acted towards you before. I don't exactly know what the others told you, but I have my reasons for not being so friendly towards intruders of any kind now. Not after how they murdered our previous leaders."
Riko could recall being told about the previous leaders murder and their connection to Dia from Kanan and Mari, and after finding out Dia and Ruby shared parents and the young girl was trying so desperately to attend their funeral, the two clues clicked themselves together.
Looking downwards, Riko spoke softly,
"I'm sorry for your loss, Dia."
Turning her head, Dia looked away. She didn't want sympathy, she just wanted to make sure it wouldn't ever happen again, especially now that she only had one family member left with her. Changing topics, Dia spoke out,
"You know, if you are alone, you can stay in this village with us. Obviously your standing is good with others and I'm sure after a few weeks everyone would forget about the incident earlier. I think you could fit in very nicely."
Riko smiled at the offer. Her words were the same as her friends.
"Thank you, but I have someone back home that is waiting for me. She's very sick right now so I can't afford to pack up and leave anytime soon, not while I'm still fixing her up."
Dia's attention was caught with the knowledge of a new person,
"If she's sick you could bring her over, we have medical supplies as well as our own doctor on hand. He's fairly old but he knows about every trick in the book."
Now it was Riko's turn to peak her head in interest. She wanted to learn more in her profession as she couldn't graduate at her highest due to the pandemic. She was cut short during her internship at the local hospital, where she was supposed to be learning things first hand. Where she was now was barely enough to pass as a newby doctor.
Instead, Riko could only sigh out. It was such a bad time to finally find another doctor with years of experience to help her grow more.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. But it's okay though, I believe she'll get through this. You see, I'm a doctor myself, sort of."
Dia was impressed with the new knowledge from the traveler. She hadn't seen a doctor so young before. Before Dia could continue her questioning of just what was wrong with the other person in question though, she could see Chika emerge from the backroom with all sorts of foods for Riko, already beginning to chop them up for travel.
Dia straightened herself up from the wall,
"Well, if you're caring for them I have faith in their recovery. Do remember though, you're free to come back anytime, with another person as well. I'm sure our local physician would love to have an apprentice to help out with the townsfolk if you'd be up for it."
Riko smiled as she shook her head. The idea of something more waiting for her and You was enough to strike joy in her heart, even if she wasn't exactly sure that the two of them would make it to the village again.
Dia gestured her head towards the shop once more before beginning to walk in, Riko following right behind her.
Chika saw the two enter as she was slowly organizing the food she collected. Waving her hand over, Chika called Dia and Riko over to behind the counter with her. As they circled towards where she was, Chika was showing them what she had gotten,
"Okay, so I gathered some of our fruits, some ripe to eat now while others are unripe so you can have them for a bit longer. I've also collected some meats, again some cooked and uncooked for now or later. And, I even brought some snacks to munch on right now as I organize everything into a traveler's case that won't be too heavy."
Riko awed at all the food she saw, almost tearing up as she hadn't seen so much to eat in just about months. Dia nodded her head at Chika's gathering,
"Good job, I'll leave her in your hands now so that you see her out. I have to go check in with the troublemakers then attend some other things. Thank you for helping, Chika, and hopefully I'll be seeing you again, Riko."
Chika and Riko waved as Dia was already leaving out of the door before she was entirely done with her sentence. Riko had never felt so uncomfortable in her life. The only way to calm down the inner awkwardness in her was to have someone she knew nearby, but with everyone who interrupted in the fight about to get the scolding of a lifetime, she was on her own with a painfully bright and cheery girl she met not even five minutes prior.
"Don't mind her, Dia's awkward with goodbyes."
Chika spoke to Riko as she continued her cutting of fruits. Riko hummed as she tensely kept her hands to herself. Gesturing towards the extra food, Chika giggled out,
"Feel free to grab some. You don't wanna speed-eat it later then travel on a full stomach."
Silently agreeing, Riko carefully grabbed the thinly sliced meat Chika had prepared, savoring the first bite as much as she could.
"So, tell me about yourself, Riko. Anything interesting going on in your life right now?"
Riko sighed out, if only she knew the half of it. Rather than bringing down the hammer of all of her life problems though, Riko faked a smile,
"Well, I'm just a traveler in need of supplies. I have to get back home and if I leave soon I can get back before sundown."
"Ah man, I was going to offer you a place to stay for the night. I'm kind of the person who hoards all the new people that come over. Like we just got a new girl, can't remember her name for the life of me though. She's got black hair and purple eyes. Super leader-type-ish. Maybe I'll hear it from someone else sometime, since it's a bit too awkward to ask for it now again."
Chika laughed out her sentence and though the appearance sounded familiar to Riko, she let it go over her head.
"Thank you for the offer, but I promised You I'd be back as soon as I could."
As Chika went on to cut the meats now, she peaked in interest,
"Oh? Is this You-person special to you?"
Chika glanced at Riko to see the young girl's cheeks were tinted pink. It was hard not to blush when Riko thought about You,
"Yeah, she's the best person I've ever met. That's why I have to get home soon."
Smiling, Chika didn't beat around the bush with her questions,
"Are you two dating? Or is it a we're-the-last-two-people-in-the-world-so-let's-stick-together kind of thing?"
Riko became more embarrassed. She hadn't had anyone really question her dating life besides her mother when her and You first started seeing one another romantically. Scratching her cheek, Riko answered truthfully,
"We've been together for a while. About eight years now, but we've known each other for ten."
"Oh, so you guys have been through this whole thing together? Strong couple."
Riko chuckled out,
"Yeah, I guess we are. It was really all her though, she's been really patient with me and has done so much for my sake. I couldn't ask for anyone better."
Chika smiled at their love. It was nice to hear about a couple who were already together. Would be nice if a certain pining duo with blue and golden hair followed in their footsteps.
"Sounds like she's a great girl. She also sounds a lot like a giver, but what has she received from you?"
Though the question was full of curiosity, Riko couldn't help but feel a pang against her chest. She hadn't really thought about that. You had truly only asked for two things from Riko.
For Riko to take time for herself, even if it were in a dream, and if she would ever think about starting a family with her. Both things Riko pushed farther and farther into the future, but now there wasn't even a guarantee that either of those things could be a reality.
Looking down at her hands, Riko sighed out,
"I guess that's something I'm going to have to work on myself."
With Chika packing the final meats into her travel pack, she got up handing it over to Riko,
"Well, the faster you head home, the faster you can get working on those things."
Riko smiled at Chika's enthusiasm. Grabbing the bag, it was surprisingly light for how much she had stuffed into it. Chika helped Riko place it on top of her current backpack to keep her from having to carry it.
"There should be enough to last you about a few weeks if you ration it out with any current food you might have. I even put extra things to get you full faster such as bread and rice so you don't eat all the good things at once."
Riko adjusted herself as she felt lighter on her feet. She was beyond excited to go home to You now, especially knowing she would give her the proper things she needed to recover fully. As Chika called out to her co-workers that she was leading Riko out, they all waved their goodbyes as they walked out of the doors.
Riko could see the village life for what it was down the halls she traveled. Where they made clothes had a majority of older women teaching an assortment of younger children how to properly sew clothing for the upcoming summer.
They were able to spot Dia once more before Riko could leave but she only handed over a bottle of antibiotics before rushing off to leave again. Though she was Riko's most feared person hours before, now she realized Dia was actually very awkward at getting to know people.
Traveling further, Riko saw they had a water stream in their village. It passed under a bridge leading to their entrance from the rear, the closer one to the aquarium.
As Riko's steps echoed against the wood under her feet, she could see a group of children all playing by the water edge as they ran towards the bridge. They caught her attention but before Riko could look back to the entrance ahead, Chika cut in front of her line of sight, holding her hands out as she stopped the group right in front of them,
"Hey, what did I tell you little ones about playing near the water?"
Riko got a good look at the trio of kids, almost ironic that they were a group of three causing trouble. What a familiar sight.
The first one to speak was a grey-haired girl, already putting on a falsely cute face,
"Wah! Kasumin didn't know you were talking about this water! Kasumin just wanted to show Shizuko and Rinako how pretty the blue is!"
Riko smiled at Kasumi's words, it was adorable to hear a child speak in third person, especially with such a tiny voice. Chika, however, sighed out,
"Kasumi, I told you their names were Rina and Shizuku. And I know you wanna cheer Shizuku up but be careful, okay? Just one slip and you could end up in the water, and I'm pretty sure none of you know how to swim."
Kasumi pouted at her scolding before the brown-haired one spoke up,
"I don't mind that Kasumi calls me Shizuko, Miss Chika. But we'll be sure to be careful next time! Come on you guys."
Riko was taken back from the large change from the way the two girls spoke. She watched as they all ran past them, she even turned to see them go.
Before they could run far though, Shizuku turned back towards Chika and Riko. Riko hadn't noticed how blue her eyes were. Almost like a crisp ocean that she held onto so dearly with another. Shizuku waved at Riko as their eyes locked for a moment before running to catch up with the other two.
"She's a good kid."
Riko blinked, remembering where she was as Chika's words cut through her air.
"Y-Yeah, she has nice eyes. Blue."
Chika noticed how Riko continued to stare in the direction they had gone, almost like they were bringing something familiar to her mind.
"You know, if you have children, they're welcome to come. We don't yell at all the kids here, promise."
Riko smiled, she wondered if she really looked that old to have a family by then if this wasn't the first time someone thought that about her. Sighing out, Riko turned away from the kids,
"I don't have any kids, my family is just You and I. And I don't even know for how long that will be."
Chika hummed at Riko's words, not paying much attention to Riko's pessimism.
"It's okay, there's a lot of small or even broken families here. Little Rina is the last of her siblings, Kasumi doesn't have her mother anymore, and well, Shizuku lost everyone. It's a normal thing around here, but we're all here for each other. We can't replace the ones that are gone, but we can help you until you get back on your feet to keep trying in the world. Not everyone has given up hope, you know? There will be a good ending to this all, I'm sure of it."
With that, Chika continued to walk towards the entrance as if she hadn't just dropped such a bombshell of words on Riko.
Riko walked behind Chika, looking down at the floor. She really had this chance, the chance to change everyone's life. To give others the possibility of not losing someone as so many had already. And now, she knew there actually were others, beside You and herself, that hadn't given up hope. They were waiting on a miracle Riko almost had in her grasps.
Stopping at the entrance, Chika turned around smiling at Riko.
"Well, we're here. I think I speak for everyone when we say we wish to see you again. I heard about your introduction here but I hope we didn't scare you off with that. We're a small place but once you're trusted you're always welcome back."
Nodding her head, Riko tightened her grip on her backpack,
"Thank you, I'll truly consider this place again. First impression was traumatizing, but you guys have good intentions so I can understand."
With those final words Chika signaled the guards to open the gate with her hand, while also shouting out to them,
"Open the gates and make sure the infected are clear for at least a mile out. Consider it special orders from Dia."
The large doors began to creak open, letting enough room for Riko to get past as guards on the outside already began pushing forward into the woods.
As she snuck between the frames, she glanced at Chika, even catching the village life continuing on behind her.
Chika never dropped her smile as she waved her hands, signaling their goodbye. Returning it, Riko waved back as she turned towards the forest with a new found determination.
There were finally others who would accept them into an easier life then they had been living the year before, taking out their daily struggle of attempting to get by. She just needed You. She needed her to make it out of her current battle, if not, the small glimmer of hope the village gave her wouldn't truly be a place worthy of returning back to.
Riko stared at the aquarium doors. The sun was just beginning to set, taking her eyes a moment to adjust to such darkness.
The journey was exhausting after the second mile, and though she wanted to take breaks, or even slow her pace, she just couldn't. Not when You was home waiting for her.
As Riko's fingers struggled to find the lock with the key, she could hear something behind the doors.
A faint breathing.
The only issue was that Riko knew she left You in the office with the IV bag strapped to the chair beside her and she knew her hearing was not that good.
With her heart skipping a beat, Riko put her other hand on top of her current one. She tried to steady herself faster into the keyhole without completely giving into any emotions circling through her head at the moment.
In its position, Riko quickly turned the key in the lock.
Pushing the door forward, an ungodly sight was laid before her, almost rendering her paralyzed.
The only thing that broke through her mind was the sound of her key hitting the cemented ground.
You was on the floor, right by the door propped up by the wall, waiting. Her hand was over her stomach while the other laid flat on the ground. The entirety of her front shirt, dripping down to her jeans, was drenched in the black blood that tainted her bloodstream for so long. It ran down her mouth, drying around the corners. Her head was tilted to the side as her breath harshly tried to escape her barely open mouth.
Riko let her backpack fall to the floor, immediately getting to her knees as her hands wrapped around You's cheeks, wiping away the mess around her face.
Almost in a sensory overload, Riko's fingers shook uncontrollably around You's face. It was barely warm in her grasp, almost like a person losing their inner flame.
Riko's fingers continuously rubbed at You, trying to get a reaction in any form. Her tears clouded her vision and though her throat felt near to closing, she attempted to choke out in short gasps,
"C-Come on, You. I'm h-home, get u-up."
You's eyes barely opened, a hint of blue cracked through Riko's panicking state, pausing her world entirely.
You smiled, oh so softly. That was something Riko hadn't seen in so long. It was a mix of pain yet relief, like a puppy waiting the entire day for their owner to return. It was only for a short moment though as You started to choke up more of the black liquid, flowing out of her mouth and ruining what Riko had just cleaned up.
Backing up, Riko stared at just how much was coming out, knowing You didn't have nearly enough liquids in her to replace what was leaving.
Grabbing underneath her shoulders, Riko attempted to grasp hold of You's body. She leaned You atop of her to get her away from the wall and hopefully back to the room where her makeshift IV rested.
Feeling the liquid seeping into her own shirt, Riko was far too busy trying to get both of them to their feet to feel disgusted over what was happening. She grunted in pain from already exhausting herself with the journey home. She held You close to her chest, straining her weary muscles.
"Help me out here, Y-You."
As Riko took a step though, You's feet caught under hers, sending both of them back on the floor. Riko made sure her hands landed under You's head, protecting what she could, but You still gasped out as the rest of her body slammed into the ground at full force.
Everything was becoming too much, slowly cracking down on Riko's already fragile mental state as she sat up from the fall.
She had to get You back to her office, she had to try and give her the antibiotics she got, she had to keep going. She had to get You through this. But how?
Riko sat still on the floor for a moment, truly looking at You. She was so skinny, easy to crack under even a harsh glare. Her skin paled, contrasting harshly against everything attempting to leave her mouth. Yet, she was at peace not being awake in the world, not suffering.
Bringing her knees inwards, Riko put her hands over her head. The thoughts began to swirl in her head of everything she had done.
She was at fault for everything. She could've just listened to You's one request, to end it right at that hospital. She didn't want to go through what Riko was doing to her. She just wanted an easy way out from the harsh world but Riko couldn't let go. It was always Riko's way, never what You wanted and now, look what that had gotten You.
Scratching her own fingers against her face, Riko let her sobs echo her body as she covered You from her sight. She had never felt so small, so useless. And now, the only person that had loved her with everything in them, was going to die twice because of her.
There was no movement, only cries filled the halls.
The noise was familiar though, waking a sleep sailor.
Riko kept her eyes closed as she heard shuffling, that was before she heard a shaky breath to pause her world,
"I-I-I'm… s-sorr… y, R-Ri… ko."
Riko's hands moved from her face as she stared down at them in front of her. She blinked at those words as she couldn't think of anything You should be sorry for, yet she was always the one apologizing.
Rather than continuing on feeling sorry for what she had done, a different emotion took over Riko. Frustration. There should be no sorries, no goodbyes, nothing. Not until there was nothing left to give. Not until her last dying breath. There was no room to give up.
Getting to her feet, Riko looked down at You. Her eyes slowly closed again but her tears ran down the sides of her face. She was in pain, and Riko could see it.
"Don't apologize. I think, no, I know I'm going to get you through this."
Riko clenched her fists. She felt as if she was going to cry for the umpeenth time that day, but she couldn't, not now. Not until there was a reason.
Right now though, Riko had a chance. A chance to save her love. And she was going to take it.