38

Last Alarm

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Enemy at the Gates"

Part Two

"You cannot easily drop a person out of your mind, especially when that person has left a special mark on your heart. "

Unknown

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Jim's Room

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day Plus Four

"Jimu-san, are you alright?" Saeko asked her voice filled with worry as she and the other teens noticed the troubled look on Jim's face as he sat quietly in a chair near Shizuka's bed staring blankly out the open doors that lead out onto the balcony.

It had been almost two hours since the teens had been told to leave by Yuriko Takagi so that she could speak privately with the American, which had almost exploded into an ugly scene when Saya immediately bristled at her mother's request and then in front of everyone, brazenly questioned her mother's true motives for wanting the teens to leave in the first place.

Immediately upon noticing the uneasy tension that was building between mother and daughter, the American had politely, but firmly, ordered everyone out of the room in order to avoid a heated scene from exploding between Saya and her mother, although Saya had been absolutely livid afterwards believing that the American seemed to have taken her mother's side.

Ignoring Saya's angry rant's as best they could as they walked down the long hallway headed towards the dining room, the focus of the teens suddenly became less attentive to Saya's words and became more focused on their hunger as they entered the large dining room and everyone's stomachs growled from the wonderful smells that were coming from the table that had been piled high with a wide variety of breakfast delights as everyone then quickly rushed to their seats and without ceremony, began to devour everything in sight.

Although her own stomach was growling just as loudly with hunger as the other teens, Saya stubbornly refused to touch her food and merely sat in her chair quietly and sulked while everyone else ate noisily around her, the happy breakfast atmosphere only slightly soured by Saya's foul mood.

Especially Kouta, who helped himself to several plates of food, too hungry to care at all about Saya's look of disgust while he stuffed himself.

After everyone had finally finished eating, the teens had then spoken quietly amongst themselves for a long while before leaving the table and walking down the long hallway on the other side of the mansion headed towards Soichiro Takagi's private study in order to make one last attempt to speak candidly with Saya's father.

To their dismay however, the teen's reception by Soichiro Takagi had been very lukewarm upon their arrival, as if their very presence was a burden that no one wished to deal with at the present time.

And then after only being allowed a few minutes to voice their concerns after waiting almost half an hour in the hallway, the entire visit had then ended up turning out disastrously as the Lord of Takagi Manor abruptly lost his patience with the teen's persistent requests for help in finding their families and then proceeded to yell at them and order them out of his office with strict orders to return to their rooms immediately.

Completely frustrated by the uncooperativeness of their host, the thoroughly discouraged group of teens had then returned to their section of the house hoping to speak with Shizuka and Jim hoping that the two adults that they knew they could trust would be more inclined to listen to them.

However, their plans to enter the American's room and talk to their friends were brought to an abrupt halt as the men guarding Jim's room ordered them all to stop as they approached.

And despite their loud protests, the guards stubbornly refused to allow any of them to pass stating that they were under orders not to allow any of the teen's, including Saya, into the American's room under any circumstances by order of Yuriko Takagi, which had then resulted in Saya coming unglued and forcing everyone to drag Saya away to Takashi's room, while she kicked and screamed epithets at the guards

Confounded by the guard's adamant reluctance to allow them entry, the teens had then all gathered in Takashi's room and had been forced to wait for almost an hour before they all finally heard the sound of the door to the American's room being opened, indicating that Saya's mother was finally making her exit from the American's room.

Completely frustrated and close to mutiny from being treated so harshly by all of the adults, not one of the teens exchanged the usual customary greetings or words of any kind towards Saya's mother as they quietly exited Takashi's room and filed stiffly past Yuriko, with the exception of Saya, who angrily glared at her mother as Yuriko walked calmly past all of them, ignoring her daughter's angry gaze.

And as the teens then roughly pushed past the guards and entered the American's room without knocking, the teens suddenly hesitated a moment at the door as they noticed that the atmosphere within the make-shift hospital room had changed dramatically since they had left.

Unlike before, the atmosphere was now noticeably gloomy as they walked in and found the school nurse sitting on the edge of her bed staring at the floor, while the American who was dressed in green hospital scrubs and sitting in a chair near Shizuka's bed, was staring blankly out the open doors leading out onto the balcony.

And as the teens moved further into the room, they each exchanged nervous glances with each other as they all noticed that Shizuka made no effort to greet them as they entered the room or even bothered to tell the American that they had arrived, but instead immediately turned her head away as if she were afraid to face any of them.

"Oh shit." Takashi swore under his breath. "What the hell happened now?"

"Something of great magnitude was discussed, apparently." Saeko whispered in reply. "And it must have been something very distressing to have affected both of them so badly."

"What do you think Saya's mom told them?" Rei whispered nervously as she reflexively grabbed hold of Takashi's arm.

"I don't know, but it must have been pretty bad judging by the way they're acting now compared to a while ago." Takashi whispered in reply.

"Whatever it was, we must tread carefully." Saeko warned. "Otherwise our proposal may make matters worse and our entire plan may be jeopardized."

"Agreed." Takashi replied as Alice, upon noticing the sad face of the nice lady that had been so kind to her, moved away from the teens and rushed forward to find out why the woman was so upset.

"Oba-chan? Daijobu?!" Alice asked Shizuka as the little girl walked over to where the school nurse sat on the edge of her bed as Shizuka turned at the sound of Alice's voice and then reached down and hugged her.

"Hai, Arisu-chan, everything's alright."Shizuka replied in a very soft voice as she wrapped her arms around the tiny girl and hugged her tightly.

"Oh crap, it's worse than I thought." Takashi thought to himself as he watched Shizuka hugging Alice as if she were afraid to ever let go, which set the alarms going off full blast in each of the teens as they realized that something was indeed very wrong.

"Sensei, what's wrong? What happened?" Rei said in a worried voice as she walked over to where Shizuka sat and placed her hand on the nurse's shoulder, as Rei then immediately looked over at Takashi with worried eyes when Shizuka didn't answer or even raise her head in response.

"Jimu-san, what happened?!" Takashi asked as he turned to face the American and then became even more alarmed when the man didn't respond either.

"Jimu-san, are you alright?!" Saeko asked her voice filled with worry as she and the other teens gazed upon the troubled face of the American as he sat on a chair and stared blankly out towards the open doors leading out onto the balcony.

Her anxiety mounting, Saeko walked over and placed her hand on the man's shoulder as he looked up and finally seemed to notice that the teens had returned.

"Hey, sweetie!" Jim said as he forced a smile on his face as he looked up at Saeko . "Sorry hon, didn't see ya'll come in. Guess you caught me daydreaming."

"Are you sure?" Saeko asked glancing over at her friends who were also visibly worried about the strange behavior of the two adults. "You and Marikawa-sensei seem to be very upset about something."

"Naw, I'm just having a senior moment, hon." Jim replied with a chuckle. "I have a lot of those nowadays."

"And Shizuka's just upset because I threw that rice-oatmeal-crap she tried to force me to eat out the window."

"Wow, that's a beautiful kimono you're wearing by the way." The American said intentionally changing the subject as he pretended to admire the beautiful blue kimono that Saeko was wearing.

"Thank you." Saeko replied blushing slightly. "Yuriko-san gave it to me to wear."

"Looks great on you, hon." Jim said smiling. "It really does."

"Thank you." Saeko replied wondering why she was suddenly feeling so self-conscious in front of the man. "My father prefers that I wear kimono as well when I'm at home, but I find them a little too heavy and restrictive to wear all the time."

"Well, it looks great on you hon." The American said with a wink.

"And it's certainly a huge improvement over your last outfit, sweetie." Jim said chuckling as Saeko blushed even more over the fact that she had indeed worn practically nothing in the past 24 hours with the exception of a tee shirt and panties.

"Hai." Saeko said as she looked into the man's eyes and was shocked to see that despite the smile on the man's face, his eyes seemed hauntingly dull, as if the very spark of life in him had been snuffed out.

"Jimu-san, are you sure everything is alright? You really do seem to be upset about something." Saeko said as the smile dropped slightly from the man's face.

"Naw, I'm fine." Jim replied his smile returning slightly even though it was obvious he was forcing it there.

"Ano, I don't mean to upset anyone, but what exactly did Yuriko-san talk to you and Marikawa-sensei about?" Takashi asked as he carefully studied the faces of the two adults who were still obviously making every attempt to hide their unease in front of the teens, but failing miserably.

"Saya's mom just had a lot of questions that she wished to discuss with me." The American replied finally after quickly glancing over at Shizuka before he spoke. "Nothing all that dramatic, really."

"If it wasn't all that big a deal then why the hell did she throw us out?" Saya said sarcastically, not even attempting to hide her contempt for her mother.

"Dammit, Saya!" Takashi hissed glaring at her as Jim glanced at the two teens and then smirked slightly.

"Pumpkin, It's pretty plain to see that you and your mother have issues…." Jim said as he looked at Saya with a concerned look on his face.

"But regardless of what you think, the reason your mother asked all of you to leave was because she was just concerned that perhaps some of the things that she wanted to discuss with me might be a little too sensitive to talk about openly in front of ya'll, that's all."

"Bullshit!" Saya snapped as Shizuka gasped at Saya's remark as the American stopped speaking for a moment and seemed to be calmly choosing his next words carefully before he calmly moved forward in his chair and stared into Saya's face with a very stern look.

"Young lady, I get it that you and your parents have some personal issues to work out amongst yourselves…." The man said in a neutral tone obviously trying hard to remain calm and be patient with the errant teen.

"And believe it or not Pumpkin, I really do understand the feelings of hurt and anger that you're feeling against your parents because I've also had "issues" with my parents at one time or another when I was your age."

"But believe me sweetie when I tell you that especially with the way things are right now, life is far too short to keep all that anger bottled up against your parents, because one day Pumpkin, they might not be around anymore, and believe me when I tell you that you will regret all the things you said or did in anger towards them when that day comes."

"But by then it might be too late." Jim said as Saya turned her head and pouted as Saeko noticed an angry scowl beginning to form on the man's face although his voice remained calm as he continued speaking.

"I think you're a very sweet person at heart Saya and I really do care about you a lot." Jim continued despite the fact that Saya was visibly trying to ignore him.

"And I also know that you also care very much about the rest of us because you wouldn't have done the things you've for us in the past four days."

"And when you're not being grumpy all the time with everyone, you're a joy to have around because despite your sarcasm and temper, you actually are a lot of fun to have around, and I've seen the good side of you and I know this angry persona you constantly display isn't the real you."

"And because I really don't want a repeat of that ugly scene when you and I first met four days ago to happen again, I'm trying really hard to be patient with you sweetie, despite the fact of how ugly you're being with me right now."

"But if you ever mouth off at me like that again young lady, I'm gonna spank your butt!" The American suddenly snapped at her causing Saya to flinch at the sharpness in his voice as she turned her head and noticed the angry look on his face and in his eyes.

Embarrassed at being snapped at in front of everyone, Saya immediately bristled in response to the man's threat and opened her mouth to say something in response when Rei suddenly reached over and pinched Saya in her arm as a warning to back off.

Taking the hint, Saya then glared angrily at Rei but said nothing further as she rubbed the sore spot on her arm.

"Ano,…" Takashi said raising his hand as if he were still in a classroom, sweating slightly in fear of any possible backlash by Saya or the American from interrupting as he attempted to defuse the situation from continuing any further.

"If it's not too much of a secret then, is there anything about your discussion with Saya's mother that you can tell us, Jimu-san?" Takashi said quickly flashing an annoyed look at Saya, as he and the teens then sat on the large sofa against the wall across from the two adults.

"Well, she had a ton of questions…." Jim began after quickly glancing over at Shizuka who looked back at him with a worried look as she held Alice in her arms while the puppy lay quietly on the floor chewing on someone's slipper.

"But the main thing that she was interested in was whether I really was just a fireman or whether it was just a cover story, especially considering that I'm currently employed on a PMC Security Team that her and her husband partly own, which is understandable."

"And?" Saya asked in a more humble tone as she leaned forward listening intensely as the rest of the teens were. "What did you tell her when she asked if you really were a fireman?"

"I told your mother the truth, Pumpkin…." Jim said his voice seeming to trail off as the teens waited eagerly for his answer.

"Which is?" Saya said curtly, quickly losing patience as the man seemed to be taking forever to answer as everyone else turned their heads and glared at her in annoyance.

"I used to be a firefighter, at one time." The American said as he turned his head and stared out the open doors of the balcony once more.

"But that's in the past." The man said with a heavy sigh as everyone noticed a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I just keep my old badge with me nowadays as a memento." The man said with a thin smile." And it also helps to serve as a cover story when I'm on a mission."

"I KNEW IT!" Kouta shouted as everyone jumped from his loud shout as they all then glared at him for startling them. "YOU REALLY WERE A SEAL!"

"Son, for the last time I'm not a SEAL." The American said with a frown as he flashed an annoyed look at Kouta.

"Then what are you really, Jimu-san?" Rei asked interrupting before the man could say anything further.

"What do ya mean, hon?" Jim asked as Rei looked at him with an accusing stare.

"You say that you were once a fireman at one time, but no fireman in the world that I know of is trained in weapons and tactics like you are."

"Like I said sweetie, I was a fireman at one time." Jim said in reply as he looked at Rei with a slight smile.

"But now I'm a medic assigned to a Security Team." The American said as he raised his hand up to silence Kouta before he could ask another question about his background.

"What kind of "Security Team" hires a retired firefighter?" Saya said with heavy sarcasm. "You can't really expect us all to believe that a bunch of mercenaries just decided to hire some ordinary American firefighter off the street who just happens to know how to use weapons and fight like you do?!"

"Saya, will you knock it off already?!" Takashi snapped at Saya as she gave him an annoyed look in response and then quietly turned her head and sulked.

"We really don't mean to pry Jimu-san." Saeko said apologetically after flashing an angry look at Saya. "But Takagi-san has a point, the tactics we've seen you employ and the ways we've seen you fight are not the normal actions of a normal fireman that we see every day."

"And while you say you're a medic with a "Security Team", it's obvious that you have had combat training before." Takashi added. "So we are just wondering if you were a soldier or secret agent or whatever, before you became a mercenary."

"Why do you want to know so badly, guys?" The American said finally with a sigh as he gazed at the teens with a weary look on his face.

" Ya'll planning to hire my services or something?" Jim said jokingly as he then noticed the teens visibly stiffen at his remark.

"You're kidding me." The man said sucking in his breath as Shizuka glanced at him with a frightened look.

The silence in the room was almost deafening as the American seemed to be unsure as to how to reply as everyone eagerly waited for him to speak.

Finally after a long uncomfortable silence, the man gave a heavy sigh and looked at each of the teen's faces as he finally gave his answer.

"Alright, I'll tell you the same thing I told Saya's mom when she asked me the same thing about my background…." The American began as all of the teens leaned forward listening.

"Which is?" Kouta asked eagerly.

"Well, I told her… "I could tell you what my real identity is, Yuriko-san." The American said in a low voice as the teens leaned even closer and listened intently, the suspense palpable in the air.

"But then I'd have to kill you." The American said with a grin as each of the faces of the teen's fell at the man's answer.

All with the exception of Kouta that is, whose eyes seemed to light up despite the man's remark.

"What are you so happy about, fatty?!" Saya said in annoyance noticing Kouta's reaction. "He just told us a whole lot of nothing and you're acting like you just won the lottery."

"Don't you see?!" Kouta whispered in Japanese to Saya. "He keeps avoiding our questions about his real identity every time we ask, so that proves that he has to be former Special Forces and not just a fireman!"

"Huh?" Rei replied confused by Kouta's remark as the other teens looked over at the visibly excited teen as well, each of them equally confounded by Kouta's conclusion.

"Are you really that dumb?" Saya said sarcastically as she shook her head in disgust. "Can't you tell he's just screwing with us, again?"

"No, he's not." Kouta said his face becoming serious. "In fact, I'm even more convinced now that he may be an even more valuable asset to us than any of us realized."

"Come again?" Takashi said confused as he stared at Kouta who was practically bouncing in his seat.

"I'm afraid I don't understand either, Hirano-kun." Saeko said baffled by Kouta's words as well. "Could you explain how you've come to that conclusion?"

"Well for starters, anyone who was formerly in Special Forces or has any type of Covert Operations background does not normally like to talk about what they did before." Kouta said in a low voice as he began to explain.

"And as all of you have noticed, although he admits he works as a "Medic" on a "Security Team", he never talks about it or talks about anything to do with his past with any detail, not even about his being a fireman at one time."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything, Kouta." Takashi said frowning in disbelief. "Maybe he just doesn't want to talk about it."

"Well, actually tubby has a point there, sort of." Saya said with a scowl. "One of our former guards was a man named Andrew-san who was a British commando or something like that at one time, but he didn't like to talk about his past either."

"Exactly." Kouta said triumphantly. "So even though Jimu-san admits that he was once a firefighter, the fact that he won't tell us whether he was Special Forces or even ex-Military means that he doesn't want to give away too much information because his identity must still be highly secret."

"That still doesn't make any sense." Rei said shaking her head in confusion. "If he really was a commando at one time, why not just tell us? It's not like we couldn't tell that he was more than just a fireman with all those guns and equipment he carried."

"Because I suspect he might have been a member of one of the American anti-terror units." Kouta replied. "And those men are even more vigilant about keeping their identities secret than most Special Operations people do."

"That's the reason for his having a cover story." Kouta explained. "That is an asset that all Covert Operatives employ because while he might be running all around the city with a ton of weapons, no one could prove he was a covert operative working for a foreign government just because of that."

"And his being a fireman at one time is a perfect cover story, because anyone looking for information about his past would only find records showing he was a fireman, and that would make any attempts to find him guilty of being a spy or commando impossible."

"Even with all those guns he was carrying?" Saya said in a very condescending tone.

"Unless they could directly trace the guns back to him, all he had to say was that he had found them." Kouta replied. "The same way we found those guns and the Humvee at that condo where that friend of Marikawa-sensei's lived at."

"Well, I guess that makes sense when you put it that way." Takashi said shaking his head still a little confused.

"And I also believe that based on the fact that he won't tell us anything about who he really is or where he got his training points to the fact that he might have been one of the American anti-terrorism units like DELTA Force or SEAL Team Six." Kouta added as the rest of the teens looked at him with even more confusion than before.

"Not that I know what the hell you're talking about, but even if that's true, what difference does that make?" Saya said rolling her eyes at Kouta's words completely unconvinced of anything he had said so far.

"It means that he's even more highly trained than most men in Special Forces units are…." Kouta said his face suddenly becoming very serious.

"And personally, I truly believe that Jimu-san is actually an American Naval Commando based on what I've seen so far." Kouta added.

"Sounds like you're talking out of your butt, fatty." Saya said rolling her eyes. "You honestly expect us to believe this smart-ass clown is actually some sort of "Terminator" or "Rambo?"

"I know it seems far-fetched…" Kouta said looking at everyone seriously. "But think about it….."

"All of you saw how he managed to survive after jumping into the river, even though there was no way anyone else could have done that with the way the river was moving so fast." Kouta began in explanation.

"That's true." Takashi said nodding his head. "The current was so swift Busujima-sempai and I were almost sucked under as well when we tried to grab what we thought was him."

"And he was wearing that heavy pack of his also." Saeko added. "That would have weighed him down even more and made swimming almost impossible, at least to most people."

"For most people yes….." Kouta said nodding his head in agreement

"However, being able to survive and operate in water is a specialty of the American SEAL Teams." Kouta said in a hushed voice. "And "drown-proofing" is one of the skills they are most famous for."

"Drown-proofing?" Saeko asked. "What's that?"

"I saw it on the Discovery Channel once…." Kouta said as he began to explain. "They were filming a bunch of candidates going through Basic Underwater Demolition training, and one of the skills they had to master to become a SEAL was "drown-proofing."

"Basically, the instructors there tie your hands and feet together and then throw you in a large pool." Kouta explained as everyone's eyes widened. "And then the trainee is supposed to try to stay afloat and also do a number of skills while tied up that way without drowning."

"That's crazy!" Rei said as everyone sucked in their breath in awe at Kouta's words.

"That's just for starters….." Kouta continued as he and the teens were completely unaware that Jim and Shizuka were staring at the teens with puzzled looks wondering why the teens had suddenly stopped talking to them and had begun speaking quietly amongst themselves.

"There's a lot more involved in their training, and all of it is even far more dangerous than that." Kouta continued. "Which also explains why he was able to take out all of those men back at the river all by himself."

"And all of you saw the way he fought the guards back at the condo." Kouta said as everyone's eyes grew wide. "He didn't even have a weapon, but he managed to take out all of those guards with his bare hands before he was knocked out."

"Like I said, men in Special Operations are trained to do anything they must in order to succeed in their mission." Kouta went on. "And they're trained to survive almost anything."

"Therefore the fact that Jimu-san's real identity is still classified and he is still working as an active Operator in a so-called "Security Team" proves that he had to have been active in one of those units at one time."

"I still don't get it." Takashi asked. "How do you know that for sure?"

"Well for one, his real cover is so secret that not even Takagi-san's parents know who he really is." Kouta explained.

"Even with all the people they know in the political arena and in the JSDF, they still weren't able to access his military background, which points to the possibility that he has a high Security Clearance that's still active."

"And if you remember, Jimu-san stated that he hadn't been a mercenary very long, which means he had to have left the American Military not too long ago." Kouta added.

"And the only ones that still serve in Special Operations at his age are veterans with a lot of combat experience under their belt such as DELTA Force and SEAL Team Six, because all of the other units don't allow men out on covert operations when they reach a certain age."

"And by the way, just so you know, most of the men employed as "Private Military Contractors" with "Private Security Companies" are former Special Forces personnel."

"Which means that despite his laid-back persona and the fact that Jimu-san say he's only a "medic", he's actually much more lethal than he appears." Kouta said as the teens all reflexively looked up at the American who had been quietly staring at all of them with a very confused expression on his face as everyone jumped at having been caught quietly speaking amongst themselves.

"What?" The American said completely bewildered by the teen's strange behavior.

"Oh, nothing!" Saya said smiling nervously and waving both of her hands in an effort to downplay the teen's sudden alarm at having been noticed by the American.

"We were just saying that if you don't want to talk about how dangerous…uh, I mean, if you don't want to talk about your real identity, that's okay with us." Saya said with a nervous laugh.

"Seemed like an awful lot of conversation for just saying "okay". The American said suspiciously. "Are you sure that's all?"

"Yes, that's all." Takashi said smiling as he and the rest of the teens, like Saya, immediately smiled and then bowed nervously all at once. "We're good with that."

"Uh-huh." The American said completely unconvinced as he studied the faces of the teens intently as they all tried to avoid looking him in the eye.

"By the way, how did you get out of the handcuffs?" Saeko asked trying to change the subject as she smiled nervously.

"Huh? Oh that." Jim said chuckling as Shizuka glared at him. "Oh that was nothing special, I just picked the lock."

"Picked the lock?" Takashi asked with a frown. "How did you do that?"

"With this…." The American replied as he reached over and picked up a small *emesis basin that was on a small TV tray next to him and showed it to the teens.

(*Emesis basin- Small, plastic kidney-shaped container used in hospitals for patients to vomit into - commonly referred to in the medical field as a "Puke-Pan")

"I used a suturing needle I swiped from the hospital tent to get out of my cuffs." Jim said as the teens looked at the strange "J"-shaped needle sitting in the tray surrounded by bloody dressings as they all then began to wonder how such a device could have been smuggled, much less used by the American to escape his restraints.

"Okay, how did you get that in here without anyone noticing?" Saya said looking a little green. "And how did you use it to get out of your handcuffs?"

"The smuggling part was easy…." Jim began to explain. "Before I was put "under" at the hospital tent, I waited as the nurses were preparing everything for the surgeon. And then when no one was looking, I snagged a suture needle before anyone noticed."

"How could they have not noticed that was missing?" Takashi said confused. "They would have needed that needle to stitch your wounds, wouldn't they?"

"If the nurses had only taken out only one needle, yes." The American said with a smirk. "But when it comes to surgery, all surgeons and their surgical staff practice "sterile technique" when it comes to laying out equipment for any surgical procedures."

"Sterile technique?" Rei asked frowning in confusion.

"Basically what Jimu-san means is that all instruments and other materials used in surgery are kept as sterile as possible to keep the patient from receiving any secondary infections from any type of contamination." Shizuka said interrupting as she glared at the American who was grinning at her despite her angry gaze.

"And in order to maintain "sterile technique" during surgery, multiple sterile instruments are laid out on a table in case a surgeon accidentally drops something or it's otherwise contaminated and can't be used for some reason." Shizuka added.

"And if he does drop an instrument or accidentally contaminates them in any way then he has a spare nearby that he can use immediately, instead of someone having to search for another one for him to use."

"In this case, Jimu-san stole a suturing needle out of several that were lying on a surgical tray when no one was looking, and then he used it later to pick the lock on his handcuffs." Shizuka said with a huff.

"And I'm still mad at him because he could have gotten a bad infection with the way he hid it from everyone."

"Why? Where did you hide it?" Saeko asked as the American winked at Shizuka who snorted angrily in response.

"The only place I could….." Jim replied with a wink.

"I stuck it underneath the skin of my right thigh." The American said as he patted the slight bulge of a bandage underneath his right pant leg.

"And then when I woke up later and noticed that everyone was gone and that you, Alice, and Shizuka were asleep, I dug it out and picked my handcuffs with it."

"EWWWWW, THAT'S SICK!" Rei and Saya said, involuntarily shuddering and making gagging noises as the rest of the teens looked at the man in horror as he roared with laughter at their reaction.

"I would have never thought of doing something like that." Takashi said glancing over at Saeko.

"Neither would I." Saeko admitted as they both gazed at the man who was still laughing at Rei and Saya despite Shizuka's angry glare. "His resourcefulness is uncanny."

"Just like I said….." Kouta whispered to Takashi and Saeko as the man laughed while Shizuka heatedly scolded him. "Men like him will do anything to succeed in their mission."

"So what does that mean for us, though?" Takashi whispered. "Are you implying that he might be a danger to us, after all?"

"No." Saeko said interrupting as she watched Shizuka reach up and pinch the man hard on his arm making him howl. "I don't believe Jimu-san would ever do anything to harm us, especially after all that he has done for us already."

"But I believe that what Hirano-kun is trying to say is that our best chance for our plan to succeed depends greatly upon Jimu-san's willingness to help us."

"Which means that whatever my mother told him may have just ruined our chances of leaving here if she's managed to turn him against us." Saya interrupted gritting her teeth in anger after overhearing the other teens talking.

"What else did Yuriko-san discuss with you, Jimu-san?" Takashi said out loud breaking up their quiet discussion after noticing that Saya was on the verge of blowing a gasket again.

"Well, we talked a little bit about the name you gave Alice's puppy here." The American said as he scratched the puppy Alice was now holding in her arms on the head as the puppy licked his hand. "Shizuka told us you named him "Zeke."

"Hai!" Kouta replied with a grin. "We named him that after the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen fighter."

"Rei-sen"? The American said shrugging his shoulders. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that particular aircraft."

"It was used during the Pacific War." Kouta explained. "The Allies usually called it the "Zero" or "Zeke" because of the red "Rising Sun" emblem painted on the side."

"Ohhh, yeah." The American said still scratching the puppy's head. "I remember that now. The "Zero" fighter."

"Well I'm glad ya'll decided to call him "Zeke" instead of "Zero". The American said with a chuckle. "Naming him "Zero" would have sounded pretty dumb in my opinion."

"We thought so too." Takashi agreed.

"So what else did my mother talk to you about?'' Saya said through gritted teeth, just barely controlling her anger. "You can't expect us to believe you droned on for hours about the dog."

Noticing the angry tone having returned in Saya's voice, the American immediately stopped scratching "Zeke's" head as Shizuka glanced over at him, her eyes filled with alarm as the man sighed heavily and then turned to face the teens.

"Well, as you have all already guessed, we also talked about ya'll for a little bit." Jim said finally. "Your mother was very concerned about ya'll's welfare, actually."

"Hah, that's a laugh." Saya said sarcastically as the American glanced over at Saya and then shrugged his shoulders in resignation.

"Pumpkin, regardless of what you think, your mom really does care about you kids." Jim said as he looked at Saya worriedly. "And I have to say after talking with her, I'm more than a little concerned about ya'll as well."

"What do you mean?" Saeko said casting a warning glance at Saya. "What did she say?"

"Saya's mother was very concerned about how all of you are dealing with being separated from your families." The American replied trying hard to remain calm despite Saya's rudeness. "And she was extremely worried about what effect it might be having on all of you, right now."

"None of us are really sure exactly what's happened to our families." Kouta said quietly as everyone looked at him. "All of my family was overseas right now, and I haven't heard from them since this all began."

"But since there weren't any reports mentioned of any Contagion found in any of those countries where my family where staying on the TV that we were watching in the Teacher's Lounge back at the school, then I'm sure they're alright." Kouta said obviously trying to remain upbeat.

"My father was overseas as well…." Saeko said as everyone turned to look at her. "He was teaching in one of our dojo's in France, and I'm not sure if he's alright or not."

"My father is a policeman and he was on duty the first day of the Outbreak…." Rei began.

"And when I called him on Takashi's cell phone, I could hear him but he couldn't hear me and then the phone went dead." Rei said the worry she felt clearly visible in her voice.

"My mother is probably still at her job at the school she works for." Takashi said staring at the floor. "But for some reason she's not answering her phone either and I still haven't been able to make contact with her yet."

"Which is why we wanted to speak with you, Jimu-san." Rei said hesitantly as everyone glanced at each other nervously. "We came here to ask for your help."

"My help? The American said dreading the words he knew were about to be said next as he noticed the tense looks suddenly forming on the faces of the teens.

"Yes….." Saeko replied. "While there is nothing we can do at the moment to contact our own families because of everything that's happening right now, we believe that Komuro-kun and Miyamoto-san's families are still alive somewhere in the city."

"And we want you to help us find them, Jimu-san." Saeko said as Shizuka let out a loud gasp as the look on the faces of the school nurse and the American became one of shock at Saeko's words.

"Minna…." Shizuka said her voice filled with disbelief and fear. "You can't be serious!"

"We are…" Takashi replied flatly as he glanced over at Shizuka. "It's been four days now since the Outbreak began, and Rei and I don't know if our parents are okay or not."

"Demo!" Shizuka began but stopped herself when Jim raised his hand to silence her.

"I understand both of you are very worried about your families, son." Jim said interrupting. "But instead of running off half-cocked and trying to find them by yourselves, maybe we should ask Saya's dad to see if he can help us first."

"Yeah, we tried that already." Saya said with scorn. "Lot of good that did."

"Why? What happened?" Jim asked noticing the angry look that was beginning to come over Takashi's face.

"I asked Saya's father if there was a way to make contact with the school where my mother was working since I couldn't reach her on my cell phone." Takashi replied with a frown as he balled his fists and stared hard at the floor.

"But her father said all phone service except by satellite phone is down throughout the city and any communications by radio have been unsuccessful, even on the Police channels."

"And then when I asked if there was a way someone could go over there and see if she was alright, he said it was too dangerous to attempt to go over there and then he said that he had made contact last night with the JSDF by SAT phone and Saya's uncle had told him that the JSDF would be in that area in a couple of days anyway, and so he told us to be patient."

"That's not all he said!" Saya said almost shouting as her body was actually beginning to shake with anger as she spoke.

"When Komuro-kun asked Papa if he could give us some supplies so that he and Miyamoto-san could go out on their own to find their parents, he began yelling at all of us and told us we were acting like complete idiots for wanting to attempt something so dangerous!" Saya said angrily between clenched teeth.

"And then Saya yelled back at him that he did not have a legal right to keep us confined here." Takashi added barely controlling his own anger as Rei placed her hand on Takashi's shoulder trying to calm him.

"Uh-huh, and how did that work out?" The American asked already knowing the answer.

"Ano…..Takagi-san's father then got really mad and yelled at all of us to leave his office and told us that we were confined to our rooms from now on." Kouta replied as everyone looked warily over at Saya who was grinding her teeth in anger.

"Well there's a shock…" Jim said rolling his eyes.

"I'M NOT SOME LITTLE BABY THAT CAN BE SENT TO MY ROOM JUST BECAUSE I DON'T AGREE WITH THEM!" Saya suddenly screeched out loud startling everyone as her anger finally boiled over.

"Pumpkin, calm down honey." The American said trying to calm her.

"I AM CALM!" Saya shouted as the man gave Saya a stern look as she then huffed angrily but then settled down.

"Once we realized for certain that we couldn't expect any help from Saya's parents, we then realized that the only way we could find out if my mom and Rei's parents are okay is if we followed a plan that we came up with last night, which was to sneak out of here and look for them on our own." Takashi said as Shizuka stared at him with horrified eyes.

"And in order to do that we'd need to get our weapons back and some supplies and also leave her without anyone noticing." Takashi added noticing the sideways glance Shizuka gave Jim as the American listened to the teens quietly.

"But most importantly, we need someone to help us get there safely." Saeko added. "Someone whose skills have already proven invaluable, and someone we know we can trust."

"Jimu-san, will you help us?" Saeko said as the American looked into the faces of each of the teens who were eagerly awaiting his answer as the man looked back at the teens with a serious expression on his face.

"I'm sorry guys, but the answer is no." Jim said finally as the teens faces fell in disappointment and shock at the man's refusal.

Saya however, was not at all surprised by the man's answer, and her voice was filled with nothing but contempt when she spoke.

"I knew it!" Saya hissed angrily. "I knew she got to you!"

"Nobody got to me, Saya!" Jim snapped angrily at Saya before he stopped himself and then attempted to continue speaking calmly despite Saya's outburst.

"Your mother didn't "get" to me Pumpkin, but she did point out some things to me that quite frankly, we need to have a serious talk about." The American said trying hard not to lose his patience with the angry teenager.

"Why, what did Yuriko-san say?" Saeko asked her voice still filled with disappointment.

"One of the things Saya's mother had asked me about besides the ones I just told ya'll is if I knew exactly what happened after I was knocked out back at the condo." The American said his voice deepening as each of the teens shuddered slightly.

"And when I said no, she told me a rather interesting story about all of you." The man continued as he looked at all of the teenagers who all began to fidget under his stare. "And I have to say I was extremely shocked at what I heard."

"Jimu-san." Takashi began hurriedly. "Let me explain."

"Before you do, son….." The American said holding up his hand. "I want to say something first."

"When I first met all of you back at your school, I was extremely impressed by the fact that all of you had managed to survive when so many others had not."

"But the reason all of you were still alive wasn't because you tried to hide or run away from danger like the other students in your school who panicked and ended up just getting themselves killed."

"The reason all of you survived when so many of your fellow students did not was because each of you worked as a team, and in the process of trying to survive, you didn't think only of your own survival, but you also helped others along the way, including myself."

"And if not for all of you pulling together and helping one another the way you did, I have no doubts that none of us would be alive today."

"What all of you did was something few adults much less a bunch of high school kids would do when faced with danger, and I want you to know that as an adult, I'm extremely impressed by what all of you have achieved, and I'm also very proud of the way you have taken care of each other."

"And I also know that the only reason I'm alive now is because of what all of you did for me back at the condo….and I will never forget that."

"And I now know what it is exactly what you did for me, sweetie." Jim said as he looked up at Saeko who began to blush at his words. "I'm blown away by everything you did when I was about to be killed."

"You're our friend Jimu-san…." Saeko replied a little embarrassed by the man's praise. "You would have done the same for any of us."

"Yes I would." The American said as he gazed upon each of the teens as if he were intensely studying each of them. "Without a doubt, I would have done the same."

"But that would have been because as your guardian, I was responsible for all of you…" Jim said his voice suddenly deepening even more. "And as your guardian, it was my job to protect you."

"But as your guardian, I failed all of you miserably." The American said as everyone recoiled in shock at the man's words.

"Jimu-san, how can you say that?!" Saeko said stunned.

"Because I should have accepted sole responsibility for protecting all of you." Jim said with a sigh of resignation. "Not start teaching you things that quite frankly; none of you were ready for."

"What do you mean?" Takashi asked just as confused as the others.

"When we were about to leave the school, the worry that I had was what would happen to all of you if I were killed and all of you kids were left to fend for yourselves." Jim began in explanation.

"And because I had seen the courage all you had displayed and the concern each of you had for the lives and safety of each other, it was my hope that I could help teach you some of the things I knew to help you survive in case the worst happened, especially after what happened after the incident at the river."

"But now I realize that I never should have done that." The man said lowering his head as Takashi and Saeko reacted to the man's words as if they had been struck.

"I don't understand…?" Saeko said the hurt distinctly audible in her voice. "What did we do wrong?"

"Sweetie, you guys did nothing wrong." Jim said gently. "The fault is entirely mine for putting you in a position where you were forced to make decisions that all of you were not yet ready to make on your own."

"And part of the reason why I did that is because I ignored a basic rule of survival." The American said as he looked over at Shizuka.

"You must never let your emotions get in the way when others are depending on you." Jim said with a sigh as he returned his gaze back to the teens.

"When I first saw all of you back at the school fighting for your lives, I couldn't help but want to protect you and help you find your families." Jim continued as the teens continued to sit quietly, each of them still too stunned to speak as they listened to the man's explanation.

"But then after what happened at the river when all of you thought I had drowned, I felt really bad about what had happened and also about how upset all of you were when all of you thought that I had died and I just wanted to make things better and so basically I stopped treating all of you as survivors that I was supposed to protect and I "took you under my wing" so to speak."

But without realizing it, by doing that I made things worse because I started getting emotionally involved with all of you after that, and started treating all of you as if you were my own children because I never had any of my own."

"And for a short time, I was able to experience the happiness I had always hoped I'd be able to enjoy of being a father."

"But unfortunately, I didn't think about the consequences of my doing that would have on all of you later."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked puzzled. "In what way did you make things worse by doing that?"

"Because when we were attacked by Saya's mother and her men and I was near death and the time came for you to make the smart choice and save yourselves by going peacefully with Yuriko and her people and getting to safety…" The American replied as he faced the teens.

"You didn't."

"You didn't because you were afraid that Yuriko and her men were going to kill me." Jim continued before any of the teens could interrupt.

"And instead of going with Yuriko and her men you guys fought back and held them all off at knifepoint while an entire city of Infected was descending upon all of you."

"And then ya'll forced Yuriko to waste precious time trying to save me instead of leaving me behind and saving your own lives."

And because of that, all of you came extremely close to nearly being overrun by the Infected, not to mention nearly trapping yourselves on this side of the river before the Army blew up the tunnels."

"But…!" Takashi began in protest.

"I'm not through yet, son…."Jim said interrupting Takashi.

"And then when miracle of miracles, you guys actually made it over here, instead of letting Yuriko and her people handle the crowd that was trying to get to me, Yuriko told me how all of ya'll armed yourselves and held off an entire mob at gunpoint."

"Jimu-san, Takashi was trying to keep them from killing you!" Rei said.

"Yes, I know." The man said quietly. "And as a result, all of you kept an entire mob made of psychotic, panicked civilians bent on lynching me all by yourselves by arming yourselves and taking up defensive positions around a hospital tent full of innocent civilians."

"And then after the crowd had been stopped, instead of letting Yuriko and her men take over the situation, you ignored her when she told you to hand over your pistol and threatened to shoot a woman who was taunting you."

"Does that sound about right, so far?" The American said as he gazed into the faces of the teens.

"They were going to kill you! I had to do something!" Takashi suddenly shouted in protest.

"I know, son." Jim continued in a firm, but gentle voice. "And what you did was hold a pistol to a woman's head and scare her nearly half to death so that she actually peed in her pants."

"Not to mention the fact that you were just about to pull the trigger and kill her before Saya's father stopped you." Jim added as Takashi dropped his head.

"It's not his fault!" Saeko said coming to Takashi's defense. "We were all trying to stop them from killing you!"

"You should have let them, Saeko." The American said curtly as Saeko looked at him completely shocked by what the man had said.

"I was nearly dead anyway, all you should have stayed out of it."

"That's not fair!" Rei shouted as she jumped up from her seat. "We were all just trying to help you!"

"I am not your responsibility!" The American snapped as everyone reacted as if they'd been struck.

"I am expendable." Jim said lowering his voice. "You're not."

"And even if I were a close friend or even a family member, what makes any of you think I would want to live knowing that any one of you died trying to save me?"

"But we didn't threaten to hurt anyone until they tried to kill you, Jimu-san!" Takashi said exasperated.

"And I told all of you back at the river that you must never take any chances for me, ever." The American said sternly.

"And because you ignored what I told you, you nearly got yourselves killed not to mention the fact that a lot of other people almost got hurt because you were focusing your attention on me instead of the safety of the group."

"But you're part of the group!" Saeko shouted her eyes beginning to tear. "And we couldn't turn our back on you!"

"I'm NOT part of the group, Saeko!" Jim snapped as everyone looked at him stunned by his words.

"I only did what I thought any decent person would have done." Jim added lowering his voice.

"But instead of stopping there and just focusing on protecting all of you, I screwed up and nearly endangered your lives because of my getting too emotionally attached to all of you." The American said shaking his head.

"I am no friend or family member that you should have ever put your lives on the line for…." Jim continued. "I'm not your teacher, uncle, cousin, or anything like that."

"And I'm not your father." The man said looking down at the floor as Shizuka could see the teenage girl's heart literally breaking at the man's words.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Saeko suddenly shouted as her outburst seemed to have stunned the man as he immediately stopped speaking and looked at Saeko with a stricken look on his face.

Shizuka turned away, unable to look at the anguish on the man's face after seeing just how painful it was for him to have to speak to the teens in this manner, but knowing that it was absolutely necessary in order to prevent the teens from ever doing anything as exceedingly dangerous as they had, which would have only lead to their deaths eventually.

But as she turned away, Shizuka's heart broke as she gazed upon the faces of the teens who all looked as if they had been slapped.

But there was no other way.

The man sighed as he turned his head and stared out the large bay window for a moment before turning to face the teens once more.

"Guys….." The American began as he gazed upon the faces of the teens. "Despite everything that happened, l want you to know that I really care about all of you and despite the fact all of you could have been hurt or killed because of me, I'm very grateful for everything you did to try to help me."

"But now that all of you are in a safe place, there is no reason for any of you to do anything like that again."

"And I now realize that the things I did to try to teach you how to survive have instead had a very negative effect."

"And so I wanted to apologize to all of you for the mistakes I've made." The American said. "I thought that what I was doing was helping you, and now I know, I just made things worse."

"And so because of this, my being around you any longer is probably doing you more harm than good, especially since many of the people outside still believe that I'm some sort of spy and will probably try to kill me if they ever get the chance."

"Because of that, it's not safe to be around me, and after talking with Yuriko, I agree that it would be best that all of you no longer come here to visit me anymore." The American said as each of the teens gasped in shock at the American's words.

Conversing amongst themselves to pass the time till their relief arrived, the two guards standing outside the door of the American's room flinched at the sudden loud shouting erupting from the teens that echoed loudly through the door.

"What the hell?" Both of the guards said aloud as they both turned towards the door to investigate the loud clamor coming from within the room

But just as one of the guards was about to place his hand on the doorknob to make entry a familiar voice spoke up behind him.

"Don't." Yuriko said looking sadly at the door as the guards looked up in surprise at the Matriarch of the Takagi Household who had been quietly standing in the hallway right next to the guards after the teens had entered earlier.

"Takagi-sama…..?" The guard said confused as to why Yuriko had stopped him as Yuriko suddenly brought her finger to her lips quieting him.

"Do not interfere with them." Yuriko said as she stared past the guards at the door were the loud shouting had now stopped and the sound of a young girl talking loudly in despair was heard as Yuriko then turned and walked away.

"And do not let any of them know that I was here, either." Yuriko said as she walked down the long empty hallway headed towards the Main Section of the mansion.

"Hai, Takagi-sama." The guard said as they looked at each other and shrugged.

"Forgive me." Yuriko said as she walked down the long corridor alone.

"BUT WHY?!" Saeko said as she looked at the American angrily. "Why do you have to leave?"

"Are you angry with us?!" Takashi said. "I'm sorry about what happened, and I promise, I won't do anything like that again!"

"I'm not angry with any of you." The American replied. "And that's not why I have to leave."

"Then what is it?!" Rei said hotly her anxiety directed more towards the hurt her friends were feeling than the fact that the American was leaving.

"Guys…" Jim said trying to explain further as he gazed upon the anxious faces of the teens around him hoping that they would not realize that everything he was about to say next was a lie.

"The fact of the matter is besides the possibility of someone trying to kill me because they really think I'm a spy, there's also a very real possibility that a blood clot can lodge itself in my brain from my head injury and kill me, and so because of that I need to be placed in a facility that's far more medically advanced to treat me if the worst should happen."

"It's true." Shizuka said nodding her head. "He needs to be in an actual hospital where he can receive CT scans and other types of therapy that we just don't have here."

"So as soon as we're all evacuated to the next safe zone, I'm supposed to be airlifted with several other patients to a hospital ship." Jim said as the teens sat looking at him with stunned, not one of them believing a single word the man said.

"Then take us with you!" Saeko said as the American stiffened at Saeko's words and looked over at Shizuka as she met his gaze with a horrified look, as Saya noticed the look between the two adults and the shock she felt at Jim's sudden announcement immediately turned into rage.

"Saeko, I can't do that and you know it." Jim said shaking his head.

"You're place is with your families…." The American added. "Not with me."

"What did she tell you?" Saya said suddenly interrupting the American as everyone looked at her and was shocked to see the sudden change in Saya's face as she jumped up and stood in front of Shizuka shaking with anger, her face twisted in fury.

"Saya, calm down!" Takashi said trying to calm Saya who looked like she was about to blow a gasket.

"STAY OUT OF THIS KOMURO-KUN!" Saya shouted as she turned back to face Shizuka who had been startled by the teen suddenly shouting at her.

"WHAT THE HELL DID SHE TELL YOU?!" Saya screamed.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on here?!" The American said as he walked up between Saya and Shizuka and glanced back and forth between both of them wondering what all the shouting was about.

"Jimu-san…" Shizuka said as she looked up at the man but then said nothing more as she began to cry as she hugged Alice, who was looking at Saya with fright.

"Pumpkin, calm down honey. What's going on?" Jim said as he looked into Saya's face and was surprised to see Saya nearly in tears herself.

"What's the matter, sweetie?' The American repeated as he placed his hand on Saya's shoulder and was startled when Saya suddenly slapped his hand away and then looked at him, her face a mask of fury.

"I KNOW YOU'RE LYING TO US!" Saya shouted. "YOU WOULDN'T BE SAYING ANY OF THESE THINGS TO US IF SHE HADN'T MADE YOU!"

"THEY ALWAYS DO THIS!" Saya shouted her voice beginning to increase in volume. "CAN'T YOU SEE THEY JUST HATE YOU BECAUSE YOU TREATED US BETTER THAN THEY HAVE?! THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US!"

"Honey, I don't know what's got you so upset, but unless you calm down and talk to me in English, I'm not going to be able to help you with whatever's bothering you." The American said calmly unable to understand anything Saya had said as she continued to shout in Japanese.

"SHE'S JUST TRYING TO FOOL YOU, DON'T YOU SEE THAT?! THEY JUST WANT YOU TO LEAVE!

"PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS SAYING NICE THINGS ABOUT HOW SMART MY PARENTS ARE OR HOW GENEROUS THEY ARE OR WHAT GREAT PARENTS THEY ARE!"

"BUT IT"S ALL BULLSHIT!"

"THEY NEVER CARED ABOUT ME! I WAS SCARED AND ALL ALONE AND THEY WERE TOO BUSY WORRYING ABOUT ALL THOSE STUPID PEOPLE OUT THERE TO COME LOOK FOR ME!"

"AND NOW THAT I'M SAFE ALL THEY DO IS IGNORE ME LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO! I HATE THEM!

"SAYA, YAMERO!" Takashi yelled as he suddenly pushed past Jim and then grabbed Saya by her shoulders and then began to shake her violently as everyone screamed in alarm for Takashi to stop.

"SMACK"

Everyone flinched as the American suddenly smacked Takashi hard on the back of his head, the unexpected slap startling the teen as he reflexively let go of Saya as the man then grabbed both teens by their arms and pulled them apart from each other.

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF BOTH OF YOU!" The American roared as he pulled Saya over towards the sofa and ordered her to sit as he then dragged Takashi towards the bed and forced him to sit on the bed next to Shizuka and Alice.

"Now both of you are going to explain to me just exactly what the hell that was that all about!" Jim said sternly as he stared at Saya and Takashi who looked at him with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Don't make me ask you kids twice." The American said in a warning tone as he folded his arms across his chest and glared at both of the teens waiting for them to answer.

"Ta-Takagi-san says that she knows you and Marikawa-sensei are lying to us because you would not be telling us any of these things if her mother hadn't forced you to because they actually hate you and don't really care about any of us." Rei said as the American looked over at Saya and then sighed and lowered his head.

"She also was saying how everyone says such nice things about her parents, but it's not true…." Rei continued hesitantly as Saya stared at the floor tears falling down her face. "Because when the Outbreak started her parents just left her there at the school alone because they were too busy taking care of those refugees outside."

"And she also said now that she's safe all they do is ignore her, and she hates them for it." Rei finished as Jim breathed a heavy sigh and then looked over at Takashi.

"I can see why Saya is upset, but why did you get upset, son?" The American said to Takashi as the teenager looked up at him as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well?" The man asked frowning.

For a moment Takashi said nothing, the emotions churning inside of him until finally, he began to speak.

"It's true what Rei said, Takagi-san was upset at the fact that she knows that her parents are forcing you to leave by making you think that everything you did actually put us in danger." Takashi began to explain as he looked over at Saya warily.

"But when Saya began to shout about how her parents always ignore her, I got upset because she's always complaining about her parents and I'm sick of hearing her all the time."

"And I just wanted her to stop complaining because at least she still has her parents." Takashi said. "We don't even know if our families are still alive or not."

"I just didn't want to hear her complaining anymore." Takashi added as Jim let out a big sigh after Takashi finished speaking.

"Guys, I'm sorry." Jim said lowering his head. "I never meant to upset any of you like this."

"This is exactly the reason why I cannot remain here with all of you any longer." The American continued as he shook his head.

"I still don't understand why you believe that!" Saeko said becoming angry. "Takagi-san is right! You have done nothing wrong and there is no reason you should leave!"

"That's because you're not thinking clearly, Saeko." Jim interrupted looking at Saeko.

"You're thinking with your emotions instead of your head, and it's clouded your judgment." The American said as Saeko gasped at his words which were the very same as the words her "father" told her in her dream the night before.

"All I wanted was to get all of you home to your families." Jim continued.

"I did not want to drive a wedge between you and your parents…" Jim said looking at Saya sadly. "But it appears that is exactly what I've done."

"And now that you guys are talking about sneaking out of here and wandering in the city alone I realize just how much damage I've really done to you all."

"And I can't let you do this because all of you will not survive out there."

"What do you mean?" Rei said angrily, feelings of resentment towards the American growing in her as she watched her friends falling apart around her.

"I mean exactly this….." The man said gesturing towards Takashi and Saya. "You guys honestly believe that you'll be able to go out there and survive long enough to find your parents?"

"You guys wouldn't last five minutes out there before ya'll would disagree about something and be at each other's throats."

"That's not true!" Rei shouted growing angry.

"Isn't it?" Jim replied as he looked up at Rei.

"Or have ya'll forgotten how you and Saya were trying to kill each other when I found all of you at the bridge two days ago?" Jim said as Rei then turned her head away and looked down at the floor shamefacedly.

Before any of the teens could reply a sudden noise from outside on the grounds of the mansion caught the man's attention as he held up his hand to silence the teens as he then walked over to the balcony.

"What the hell?" The teens heard the American say as they all walked out upon the balcony and gazed in the direction the American was looking.

And as they looked, each one them stared curiously at the large crowd of people standing in the front courtyard of the mansion, all of them gathered around as Yuriko and several of the Takagi guards stood at attention near the steps leading towards the front entrance.

And as they watched, Soichiro Takagi slowly descended the steps towards the crowd as a small forklift approached from around the corner of the mansion.

"What is that on the forklift?" Shizuka asked aloud as the American shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know." Jim replied. "I can't see anything without my glasses."

"It's a cage." Saya said suddenly. "And it looks like there's someone in it."

"Are you sure?" Takashi asked.

"Why would your parents put someone in a cage?" Takashi said aloud when suddenly he and everyone else suddenly flinched at the sound of a loud snarl coming from the cage.

"Because he's Infected." The American said with a deep sigh.

"I wonder who got bitten?" Rei said. "Was it one of the refugees?"

"No." Saya said flatly as she looked up at Jim. "It's not one of the refugees."

"Do you think one of the Infected managed to slip past the guards, then?" Kouta asked aloud as Jim shook his head.

"No." The American said quietly. "I know who he is."

"Really? Who is he?" Kouta asked curiously.

"He's the guard I stabbed in the leg with the spear back at the condo." The American said as he glanced over at Shizuka who was holding Alice tightly.

"What are they going to do with him?" Kouta asked as he adjusted his glasses as everyone quietly watched the forklift approach the spot where Soichiro Takagi stood, as Saya's father then straightened himself and began to address the crowd.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Front Yard in front of Main Entrance of Takagi Manor

Soichiro Takagi looked upon the faces of the large crowd of refugees gathered around the large courtyard in front of the steps leading up to the main entrance of the mansion, and as he gazed upon the faces of the over three hundred men, woman and children in the crowd, the faces that stared back at him shared the same look on their faces as their neighbor.

All of them were afraid.

"Good." Soichiro thought to himself. "They have every reason to be afraid."

"Is everything ready?" Soichiro said turning to face Yoshioka who stood at attention by his side.

"Hai, dono." Yoshioka replied.

"Very well." Soichiro acknowledged as he glanced over at Yuriko and the rest of his staff all stand silently behind him, their faces expressionless as he then turned to face the crowd.

"Listen to me all of you!" Soichiro said aloud his voice rumbling like thunder.

"For years I have served the people of Japan!" Soichiro said staring at the crowd with a steely gaze. "And although our political views may differ, never once in all my years of political service have I ever been deceitful or done anything for dishonest gain!"

"I have served Japan and its people all my life!" Soichiro said. "And I serve all of you even now!"

"My family and I did not hold back from allowing anyone seeking refuge to enter our home, and we have done everything in our power to provide food, shelter, and medical care for all of you!"

"Everything we have done has been done for the benefit of you and your families!" Soichiro said pausing for effect. "And my men and I are ready to fight to the death to make sure that no harm comes to anyone who has sought shelter within these walls!"

"However,…" Soichiro said pausing as he gazed at the crowd with an icy stare.

"There have been rumors being spread on these very grounds that America is at war with Japan and the Outbreak is a biological weapon brought down upon us by the Americans!" Soichiro continued.

"And despite all that my family and my staff have done for everyone seeking refuge here in my home, there have also been rumors spread that I and my family are American collaborators and have betrayed the nation of Japan and its people!"
"And there are also rumors that the injured American that many of you saw brought in here is actually a captured spy sent here to find our location so that the Americans can send their forces here to come and kill us."

"I have confirmed from the head of the JSDF that these rumors that Japan is under attack by the Americans are in fact untrue!" Soichiro said as a few loud murmurs were heard in the crowd as the frown on Soichiro's face deepened.

"And I assure you that my family's loyalty to our Nation and its people is without question." Soichiro added as his eyes seemed to burn with an intensity that caused many in the crowd to grow extremely uncomfortable at being caught in his gaze.

"But anyone who wishes to challenge my loyalty and that of my family's, is welcome to "discuss" it with me further if they wish." Soichiro added as he gripped his katana tightly in his left hand.

"But even if these rumors were true, this is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves!" Soichiro roared as the murmuring abruptly stopped.

"We are under attack from a very real threat on our very doorstep!" Soichiro added as he then nodded to Yoshioka who spoke briefly into a hand-held radio.

"And this enemy cares nothing about ideals, politics, or morality." Soichiro said as he gazed upon the crowd. "Nor does he know anything about compassion or mercy either."

"All of you must decide how you are going to act in the face of this enemy." Soichiro went on as everyone in the crowd turned their heads at the sound of a small forklift approaching as their eyes suddenly grew wide at the contents of the steel cage as a throaty growl was heard coming from within.

"And when you act, you must act decisively." Soichiro continued. "You must not hesitate even if that person standing before you was once a friend or loved one."

"This man's name was Tetsutaro Doi." Soichiro said as the forklift approached. "He was a former retainer of the Takagi family, as well as my best friend."

"And during a rescue operation….." Soichiro went on. "In the act of saving a colleague he was bitten!"

"This is a case of the ultimate sacrifice…." Soichiro added. "What he did was the most noble act a human being could do for another."

"However, because of his brave act, he is no longer human, and has now become something extremely dangerous, and is a threat to us all!"

"That is why…." Soichiro said as he shifted his foot forward. "Right here before all of you, I shall as the Head of the Takagi Family fulfill my obligation to my family's retainer, and also eliminate the threat to the very ones who have sought refuge in my home!"

And as the small forklift approached with its sad cargo, it was all that Soichiro could do to keep from crying out in a loud roar of pain and anger and lash out at everyone assembled around him for the grief that he felt in his heart for the loss of his friend and for what he was about to do.

And as he waited, Soichiro thought's returned to the memory of his arrival back at Takagi Manor yesterday along with the rest of his men and a few refugees that they had brought along with them on their return trip back to the mansion.

And Soichiro could think of nothing else but to unsheathe his katana and cut the American to pieces when he had been given the sad news of the circumstances surrounding the death of his best friend and most trusted retainer, Tetsutaro Doi.

And as he watched in horror as the thing that had once been like a brother to him savagely tried to break free from his bonds, Soichiro had been on his way down to the hospital tent to do exactly that when Yoshioka had come running up yelling that the refugees were beginning to riot on the other side of the mansion and Yuriko had radioed for help.

Immediately ordering Yoshioka and some of his men to secure the now infected Tetsutaro Doi, Soichiro and the other remaining guards had raced to Yuriko's aid and had barely arrived in the nick of time to prevent one of his daughter's childhood friends, Takashi Komuro, from killing a woman while the others held off the mob at gunpoint.

After immediately defusing the scene and having ordered the children escorted away by his wife and the crowd dispersed by his men, Soichiro's anger had calmed somewhat although his plans to take his revenge on the American for the death of his friend remained.

But it wasn't until after Yoshioka had presented the silver badge that identified their prisoner as an American firefighter that Soichiro's murderous rage then turned into one of shock, and his thirst for vengeance was temporarily forgotten over the mystery of the American's true identity.

And as the details of the "rescue" of his daughter Saya were then related to him later by his wife Yuriko, it became painfully clear that the entire incident had indeed been a tragic accident, and that the man that had inadvertently caused the death of his best and most trusted friend had acted purely out of instinct at seeing one of the teenage girls being struck by one of Yuriko's own men.

A young girl that in a tragic twist of fate, the American mercenary had grown extremely fond of and had begun to regard as his own daughter.

And despite his thirst for revenge, Soichiro finally admitted to himself that he could not fault the American for his actions knowing that he himself would have not allowed anyone to live even a heartbeat longer if anyone ever did such a thing to his own child.

But it was the identity of the young girl that the American had sought to defend that had taken Soichiro completely by surprise.

Saeko Busujima, the only daughter of Soichiro's kenjutsu teacher, who with the help of her friends including his own daughter Saya, had fought fiercely to prevent the American mercenary from being executed by Yuriko and her men.

Saeko Busujima, who in an equally tragic twist of fate, had also come to regard the American as if he were her own father.

And for a brief moment, Soichiro found himself actually feeling sorry for the American mercenary and the Japanese schoolgirl as he realized that their story was an example of irony so tragic that not even Shakespeare or the ancient Greek writers would have had the imagination to write such a tragic tale themselves.

"This man refused to abandon the "children" he has come to love so much." Saeko Busujima had told Yuriko when she refused to leave the unconscious American as an entire city of Infected were descending upon them.

"And I refuse to abandon the "father" that I have come to love as well." The daughter of Soichiro's kenjutsu teacher had then said to Yuriko as Soichiro shook his head and swore under his breath as the regrets he had in his own heart over the rift between himself and his own child surfaced.

"Heaven help me, but I actually envy that man." Soichiro thought to himself as he glanced over at his wife who was standing next to him. "The child is not even of his blood, yet her devotion to him is no less as strong."

"Yet my own child…." Soichiro thought as he closed his eyes and tried to imagine the last time Saya had ever smiled at him or his wife, but could not.

"Yet in my own child there is nothing but hate in her eyes towards her mother and I." Soichiro thought to himself as Soichiro raised his eyes to gaze upon the infected man inside the cage as the thing that had once been Testutaro Doi snarled angrily at him.

And all feelings of compassion that Soichiro had for the American mercenary and the young schoolgirl immediately disappeared as he felt a momentary flash of anger course through him as the remains of the bitterness and hate he still felt for the foreigner who had inadvertently killed his best friend resurfaced briefly at the sight of his the Infected man as Soichiro subconsciously tightened his grip on his katana.

"I'm sorry, old friend." Soichiro thought to himself as he nodded to Yoshioka who reached for his keys and walked towards the front of the cage.

"You died trying to save my child, and it pains me greatly to have to do this after all you've done for my family over the years."

"But perhaps many lives may be yet saved by your sacrifice today, Doi-san." Soichiro thought as he pushed forward on the tsuba of his katana, pushing the blade out of its scabbard slightly.

"Forgive me, my friend." Soichiro said as he then drew his katana completely free from its scabbard as Yoshioka carefully unlocked the padlock attached to the hasp of the bolt and then removed it.

"Open it." Soichiro ordered as Yoshioka pulled back on the bolt as the thing that had once been Soichiro Takagi's best friend slammed against the door of the cage causing it to fly open as it then charged forward, snarling and snapping its jaws.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Jim's Room

"What's he saying, guys?" The American asked as the Lord of Takagi Manor continued to speak to the crowd while the forklift operator lowered the cage to the ground a few feet away in front of him.

"I can barely hear him, but my father is saying that the man in the cage is Tetsutaro Doi, and that he was bitten trying to "rescue" a colleague." Saya said gritting her teeth.

"Go on." The American urged but then stopped when he noticed the anger building up in Saya again.

"Never mind." Jim said as Shizuka offered to translate but then stopped as they all saw Soichiro Takagi then gesture to one of the guards, who then moved towards the cage and unlatched it as the Infected man inside charged the door and burst through as the door flew open with a crash.

And then everyone gasped as Saya's father raised his katana over his head as the Infected man charged towards him and then swung the blade down in a powerful stroke, neatly severing the Infected man's head from his body as the head fell and rolled away while the body itself fell heavily to the ground.

"Sonuvabitch." Saeko heard the American say as she turned and noticed that the man seemed to be turning pale as he stared at the scene in shocked horror.

"Jimu-san, are you alright?" Saeko said worriedly when the man didn't answer as he turned away and began to walk silently away from the balcony and back into the room.

"Jimu-san, it's not your fault." Shizuka said as she and the others followed Jim into the room as the American suddenly stopped and then stood silently in the middle of the room. "You didn't know this would happen. "

"Marikawa-sensei is right; it's not your fault." Takashi said as Saya walked into the room her eyes blazing.

"Now do you understand what I mean when I said my parents are capable of anything!?" Saya said angrily as she and the others returned to the room as well. "They don't care who gets hurt, or even who dies so long as they get what they want!"

"My mother told you something that made you decide to turn against whatever plan we had to leave didn't she?" Saya said accusingly.

"SAYA, STOP IT!" Shizuka shouted as Saya immediately clammed up and sulked.

"Jimu-san, I know you're upset, but we need to talk about this." Shizuka said placing her hand on the man's shoulder.

"There's nothing to talk about, Sensei." Saya said curtly. "What we just saw now was an act of desperation by my Papa to restore control."

"But that will only work for a little while." Saya added with a scowl. "And it won't be long before things really get out of hand, and I for one want to leave this place before more heads start to roll across my lawn."

"Jimu-san, please." Saeko said pleading. "We know you're only trying to protect us, but we can't stay here any longer."

"Saeko and Saya are right." Takashi agreed. "We can't trust these people to help us. Not when they're forced to do things like this to maintain order."

"Jimu-san?" Saeko said growing worried as Jim continued to stand in the middle of the room not saying anything.

"Well do you now see what the kind of people you've sided with? " Saya said her anger building as the American stood in the middle of the room staring blankly at the floor. "Do you now understand what it is you've done by turning against us?"

"Or did my parents offer you enough money to buy your loyalty too?" Saya said her words dripping like venom from her lips.

"SAYA!" Shizuka shouted angrily at Saya, but then gasped in shock as she and everyone else then suddenly shrank back in fear at the look on the American's face as he suddenly whirled around to face them.

Until that very moment, Shizuka had seen the American become irritated with the teens on occasion, and he had even snapped at them a few times when they got out of hand, but never had the man displayed any real anger towards any of them at all in the four days they had been with him.

But as the man turned around to face them after Saya's caustic remark, everyone in the room was stunned by the look of raw fury in the man's face as Shizuka heard Saya gasp in shock at the terrifying look on the man's face as he stared right at her.

But of all the people in the room held spellbound by the man's angry gaze, it was Saeko that was more afraid than her friends, because unlike the others…..

She had seen that same look before.

And Saeko shuddered as she saw the same murderous look that had come over the American's face before when he was a mere heartbeat away from killing the teacher Shido, who the American had accused of cruelly killing one of their classmates as they tried to outrun the Infected back at their school.

The very same look that Saeko had seen again back at the condo as the man had nearly beaten to death one of the guards who had struck her in the face.

And now Saeko shuddered involuntarily at the memory of the man's face twisted grotesquely in rage, the eyes burning with a look of murderous hate as the man came within a hair-breadths away from killing both men.

And now the same murderous look was on his face again.

But this time, it was Saeko and her friends that were the ones caught in his furious gaze.

"SHUT UP!" The American roared as Saya and the rest of the group flinched at the man's angry roar.

"DON'T YOU EVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO ME AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME?!" The man shouted as everyone remained frozen in fear.

"YOU HONESTLY THINK I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY'S F_CKING MONEY?"

"F_CK YOU!"

"I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR BULLSHIT, LITTLE GIRL!"

"BELIEVE IT OR NOT MISSY, YOUR PARENTS REALLY DO LOVE YOU, AND THEY DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO TRY TO FIND YOUR BRATTY LITTLE ASS!" The man snarled as Saya looked at the man completely terrified as the others recoiled in fear at the American's angry verbal onslaught.

"THEY PUT THEIR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS ON THE LINE TO FIND YOU!"

"BUT DO YOU CARE?!

"WELL, APPARENTLY NOT, BECAUSE ALL I'VE HEARD FROM YOU ALL MORNING IS BITCH, BITCH, BITCH!"

"GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEAD SAYA, PEOPLE RISKED THEIR LIVES TO FIND YOU!

"THEY DIDN'T DO IT TO FIND ANY OF US, THEY DID IT TO FIND….YOU!" The man said as he pointed his finger accusingly at Saya.

"THEY DIDN'T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT ANY OF US, BUT THEY STILL TOOK US IN ANYWAY, EVEN AFTER I KILLED ONE OF THEIR MEN!"

"AND BECAUSE OF ME, THAT MAN OUT THERE DIED WHEN HE WAS ONLY TRYING TO HELP YOUR MOM FIND YOU BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT YOU WERE IN DANGER!"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! I KILLED HIM, NOT YOUR FATHER!" The American said as he suddenly gasped and then grabbed the sides of his head as if he were in great pain.

"I killed an innocent man who was just trying to help your mother find her baby…." Jim said as he closed his eyes and gasped again from the pain.

"Jimu-san, please calm down!" Shizuka shouted as Alice shrank back from the man terrified at the man's behavior.

Placing her hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him, the American suddenly raised his head and then looked up at Shizuka as the school nurse gasped at the terrifying look on the man's face as he then turned to face the teens once more as they all reflexively cringed away from him.

"You kids have no f_cking clue just how stupid you're being!" The American said angrily. "All of you think this is one great big f_cking adventure and how cool it is to be running around the city killing monsters with nobody telling you what to do!"

"This is all like one great big f_cking video game to all of you isn't it?!"

"Well wake up kiddies, this ain't no f_cking video game!" The man roared. "This is real f_cking life and death out there; you don't get super power-ups, or extra lives, or force fields or any of that Playstation bullshit like that!"

"You kids go out there, you're gonna die, because you don't have a f_cking clue just how dangerous it really is out there, or just how lucky you were to get out of that hell alive!"

"All you care about is how upset you are because everyone's treating you like a bunch of kids!"

"Well news flash people, YOU ARE A BUNCH OF KIDS!"

"JUST FOUR DAYS AGO THE ONLY THING YOU HAD TO WORRY ABOUT WAS EATING, SLEEPING, DOING YOUR HOMEWORK, AND MAYBE THINKING ABOUT GETTING KISSED OR EVEN GETTING LAID FOR THE FIRST TIME!"

"Now you kill a few zombies and kick some grownups in the ass and you think you can walk across an entire city full of Infected and think you have what it takes to survive?!"

"WELL GUESS AGAIN KIDDIES, BECAUSE IF THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK, THEN YOU'RE IN FOR ONE HELL OF A GREAT BIG F_CKING SURPRISE!"

"Look what happened to me!" The American continued as he began violently ripping the bandages off his head to everyone's shock as he then threw the bandages to the floor and then pointed to the area of his scalp where his wounds had been stitched together.

"Take a good look kiddies! Do you like what you see?!" The American shouted as the teens recoiled at the sight of the grotesque-looking wound where the man's hair had been shaven off and the flaps of tissue had been stitched together giving the man's scalp the appearance of the Frankenstein monster.

"And you kids want me to help you sneak out of here and go on a walkabout in Zombieland with you?!" Jim shouted as he continued to point at his wound. "F_ck that shit on purpose!"

"JIMU_SAN, ENOUGH!" Shizuka shouted as she moved between the American and the teens holding her hands up as Alice, who was frightened out of her mind grabbed the puppy "Zeke" and rushed into Takashi's arms.

"Jimu-san please stop, you're scaring them!" Shizuka said pleading as the American glared furiously down at her for a moment but then seemed to catch himself as his eyes began to soften and the murderous look in his eyes began to disappear as he lowered his voice and continued speaking in a milder tone.

"There's no way in hell I'm gonna help any of you kids do anything as stupid as that, so get that idiotic idea out of your head right here, right now." The American said in a stern tone.

"You kids nearly got your asses wasted several times already if I hadn't been there to save you." The man went on. "And you think you're gonna make it with just the clothes on your back and a couple of scavenged weapons with everything out there just waiting to eat, kill, or rape your sorry little asses?"

"Grow up!" The man said angrily between clenched teeth. "All of you grow up real quick or you'll be dead five minutes after you jump the wall."

"These people here are your absolute best chance at finding your families and surviving this shit, so quit acting like a bunch of whiny little brats and do something to help around here!"

"Cause like it or not kiddies, you're little asses are staying right here!" Jim said pointing his finger angrily at the teens.

"Now go back to your damn rooms and don't even think about doing anything so stupid again."

"And by the way, I'm letting Saya's parents know exactly what you're all up to, and I'll be sure to tell them to have the guards keep a closer eye on all of you from now on."

"Now get out!" The American said as he walked over and sat back on his bed. "All of you get out of here and don't come near me again."

"Jimu-san." Saeko began but was interrupted when Jim held his hand up to silence her.

"You heard me Ms. Busujima." The man snapped, refusing to look up at her. "I want you to leave and I want you to forget you ever knew me."

"I'm not your guardian, I'm not your uncle, and I sure as hell ain't your father." The man said as Saeko gasped loudly her heart breaking at the man's words.

"I'm just a worthless gaijin that screws up everything and everyone around him." The American said. "Now forget about me and move on with your life."

"Jimu-san, please…." Saeko said tears falling down her face as Jim whirled around and glared angrily at Saeko.

"GO!" The American shouted as Saeko flinched and then turned on her heel and wordlessly exited the room.

"Everyone, let's go." Shizuka said quietly as she began to gently push the teens who were still too stunned to move at first towards the door.

And as the teens hurriedly filed out of the room, Shizuka motioned for Takashi to take Alice outside as she turned to face the American who was staring out the open balcony doors again.

"Jimu-san?" Shizuka said somewhat hesitantly. "Before I leave, I need to replace the bandage on your head again."

"I've got it Shizuka…."The man said quietly. "Just make sure the kids get to their rooms and stay put."

"Jimu-san….please." Shizuka persisted worried more about the man's state of mind than his physical injury. "If I don't bandage it right away, you might get an infection."

"I'll take care of it later, Shizuka." The man replied his voice sounding hollow. "I just want to be alone right now."

"I know you do Jimu…" Shizuka said gently. "And I realize you're upset, but…."

"GET OUT!" The man suddenly roared as Shizuka flinched at the man's outburst and then quickly turned around and walked hurriedly out the door, slamming it shut behind her as she then took Alice by the hand away from Takashi and briskly walked down the hallway away from the sight of the teens as burning tears began to fall from her eyes.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Jim's Room

Time: 20 Minutes Earlier

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

"I'm sorry Jim, but I see no other options." Yuriko had said after she had finished speaking as Jim looked back at her completely stunned by everything she had told him.

For the better part of an hour Yuriko Takagi had described in extreme detail everything that had happened after the man had been knocked unconscious, and as she spoke the man had sat quietly with an expression of shocked disbelief on his face to everything Yuriko said, only occasionally glancing over at Shizuka who confirmed every detail that Yuriko had related with a nod of her head.

But it was when Yuriko had confided to him her worries that his continued association with the teens would only cause more harm especially to Saeko, and had then asked him to break off all contact with the teens that Shizuka could see a visible change come over the man, as if the very life in him had been torn away.

"I understand." The American replied after getting over his shock at Yuriko's suggestion as he lay back against the pillows.

"I only wanted to help them." Jim said shaking his head as he covered his face with his hands and sighed. "I didn't realize anything like that would happen."

"Perhaps my leaving would be in the best interests of the kids." The American said shaking his head.

"I realize how fond you have become of the children, Jim." Yuriko said a part of her regretting the pain she knew she was heaping on the man. "And I also realize after talking with Marikawa-sensei just how close you and Saeko Busujima have become."

"But after all that has happened, I'm truly afraid that the children's behavior has become far too unpredictable, and I'm afraid that they're quite capable of doing something extremely dangerous."

"What is it you feel they would do?" The American asked not really listening as the thought of what Yuriko had asked of him began to weigh heavily on his shoulders. "There's no reason for them to do anything out of the ordinary now, as far as I can tell."

"I wish that were true." Yuriko replied with a frown. "Unfortunately my husband and I agree that there is a possibility that the children may wish to go searching on their own within the city to find their families."

"And to be honest, I strongly believe they are already planning to do so as we speak." Yuriko replied as the American turned to look at her but said nothing.

"From your silence I gather that you realize that what I'm saying is a very strong possibility isn't it, Jim?" Yuriko asked looking the man in the eye.

"Unfortunately, I believe you're right." Jim said nodding his hean in agreement. "From what I've seen of them in action and from what you've told me, I would agree with you that they're more than capable of doing something like that."

"That's what I was afraid of." Yuriko said nodding her head. "Which is why the real reason for my wanting to speak with you without the children being present, Jim, is because I wanted to ask you for your help."

"My help?" The American asked puzzled.

"Hai." Yuriko replied. "I need your help in preventing the children from making any attempts to run off and go looking for their families on their own."

"What makes you think that I can stop them?" The American replied as he pointed to the bandages wrapped around his head. "I'm not exactly in a position to force my will on them as you can see."

"You won't have to force them to do anything unless you really feel you need to Jim." Yuriko said in reply.

"But I believe that you will be able to convince them because I believe they trust you Jim." Yuriko continued. "I can see it by the way they act around you."

"And especially the way Saeko-chan looks up to you." Yuriko said as the man looked away feeling a little uncomfortable with the way Yuriko was staring at him.

"She looks at you the same way a daughter would her father, Jim." Yuriko added. "And as I already mentioned, she has made it plain that in her eyes you might as well be."

"And because of that, I believe that it is vital that you convince her and the other children to give up on any escape plans they may try to come to you with."

"You're the only one who can, Jim." Yuriko said leaning forward.

"And if you really do care about her and the other teens as if they were your own children, then you must do whatever you have to in order to keep them from going off and doing something that we both know will end up getting all of them killed." Yuriko continued.

"Even if that means you must say or do something you don't really want to because you know it may hurt them." Yuriko added as the American sat still saying nothing for a long while before he finally nodded his head in resignation.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Jim's Room

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

For a long while the former American firefighter sat on the edge of his bed staring blankly out the open balcony doors as he listened to the sounds of silence all around him, the once noisy room filled with the sounds of laughter earlier that morning now silent as a tomb with the only sound at all being the slight howl of a gentle breeze blowing into the room.

And as the man sat quietly alone, his left hand slowly drifted up to the left side of his head as he gently brushed his fingers across the shaved area of his head feeling the stitches that were holding his scalp together as he then suddenly drew his hand away at the pain he felt upon touching a sensitive area.

And then after sitting quietly for a few moments more the man then stared towards the door leading into his room where everyone had exited as he gave a heavy sigh and let his eyes drift over to the coffee table in front of him as he spotted a small doll that Alice had been playing with earlier that morning which she had apparently left behind in her haste to leave the room along with the others.

Gingerly the man picked up the small doll and gazed at and then suddenly groaned at the memory of an incident that had occurred to him so many years before when he had met a young girl even younger than Alice whose eyes were filled with sadness over a doll almost resembling the same one he held in his hand.

And as the man looked at the doll and remembered that event, his heart began to tear in two at the memory of the young girl whose face had been so full of joy as they conversed together that morning, but now, like the little girl so many years ago, her face was now filled with nothing but sadness.

He had tried so hard to reason with the teens, his only desire being that none of them would get hurt in their attempt to re-join their families on their own.

Instead it had all gone horribly wrong, and instead of quietly convincing the teens to be patient and wait for a more opportune time to locate their loved ones, he had lost control and had become the monster that he had always feared lay dormant within him.

A monster very much like the one person he had loved deeply as a child, and later, had come to also fear greatly as well.

And on more than one occasion…come to hate.

A monster that he had prayed he would never become himself.

But in a moment of weakness in front of a group of people he cared deeply about he had inadvertently allowed the evil that lay dormant within him to awaken.

And to his shame, the young girl that he had begun to cherish as if she were his own child had seen the monster within him too, and like all the others in the room had recoiled in fear.

Fear…..of him.

And the memory of the pain he had seen in her eyes as she gazed upon the monster he had become was more than he could bear as the gravity of what he had done came in a rush as he angrily grabbed the end of the coffee table sitting in the middle of the room and threw it against the wall, as it disintegrated upon impact.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Takashi's Room

Time: Afternoon

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

"I knew it!" Saya said tears still falling down her face. "I knew my mother would do something like this!"

"Takagi-san, please calm down." Kouta said as he reflexively placed his arm around Saya's shoulders as to his surprise, she suddenly leaned against him and began crying.

"Takashi, what do we do now?" Rei said looking away from Saya as she placed her hand on Takashi's arm, hoping that he would be able to salvage what little life was left in the group.

Takashi sighed as he gazed upon his friends whose spirits had become almost completely dashed after the horrible outburst by the only adult other than Shizuka whom they had come to trust.

And now with the American adamantly opposed to their idea of leaving Takagi Manor to search for their parents and threatening to inform Saya's parents of their intentions of leaving, all of their carefully laid plans to leave the estate and continue their journey alone, had now been crushed.

And as Takashi gazed upon each of his friends, he could not help but share in their frustration as he gazed upon Saya who was still so angry that she could not keep the tears from falling, while Kouta appeared completely at a loss as well as he held her in his arms.

And to add to his anxiety, Rei was staring at him as if waiting for him to say something to renew everyone's hope that everything was going to be alright after all, even though Takashi had no idea what they were going to do next.

And then there was Saeko…

Takashi sighed again as he gazed upon Saeko who was also looking at him with an almost emotionless gaze as she patiently waited for Takashi to speak.

And as he looked into Saeko's eyes, Takashi could plainly see that while the American's sharp words had stung everyone, Saeko had been the most deeply affected by the American's angry words more so than any of them.

And even behind her calm gaze Takashi could see…..

Saeko's heart had been crushed.

For a long moment Takashi stood watching his friends as everyone looked up at him waiting for an answer, all of them looking to him for renewed hope.

All of them waiting for his decision on what thet should do next.

"I don't know what Saya's mother said to Jimu-san….." Takashi said finally as everyone looked up at him. "But it's obvious that her words had some terrific impact on Jimu-san if he's that strongly opposed to our leaving and for him to say the things he said."

"But regardless of what Yuriko-san told him, we do not answer to her or her husband." Takashi said as everyone's heads suddenly rose up at Takashi's words as they began to listen more intently, a glimmer of hope beginning to build in their hearts.

"And since I do not need either theirs or Jimu-san's permission to go searching for my mother, then I'm going anyway regardless if they will help me or not." Takashi said finally as Rei clutched his arm even tighter.

"If you're leaving, then I'm going with you Takashi." Rei said the tone of her voice filled with conviction.

"My father and my mother are out there somewhere as well and I need to find them too." Rei added.

"Before the rest of you say anything, I want you to understand this…." Takashi began holding his hand up to silence the others before they could speak.

"What Jimu-san said is true…."Takashi continued. "It's extremely dangerous out there, and danger can come from anywhere and from anyone."

"Not only do we have to deal with "Them", but we also have to deal with people driven mad by what's happening out there. And we've already seen that some of those people don't care at all about the fact that we're still a bunch of teenagers still in high school."

"Komuro-kun is correct." Saeko said quietly as she nodded her head in agreement. "We have already been attacked twice by people who were not Infected, and I'm sure that it has only gotten worse since then."

"Exactly, so if any of you still wish to follow me, I want you to understand that once we're committed, there's no going back." Takashi said looking into each of his friend's faces with a serious look.

"Because once we have everything we need and slip over the wall, if we're caught by anyone of the Takagi House, we'll never be able to attempt something like this again."

"So once we get started, there can be no second thoughts, no hesitation of any kind, understand?" Takashi said as everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"We understand, Takashi." Rei said smiling as Saya and Kouta nodded in response.

"You can count on us Komuro-kun." Kouta said giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up as Saya looked over at Kouta with an annoyed scowl on her face.

"I can speak for myself, fatso." Saya said with a huff as she then turned to face Takashi and nodded her head. "We're with you Komuro-kun."

Feeling energized by his friend's confidence in him, Takashi gazed upon his friends once again; the dejected looks that had been on their faces earlier now completely vanished as everyone looked back at him with a look of eagerness and renewed hope.

"Alright then…." Takashi said smiling at his friends. "Because Jimu-san and Marikawa-sensei know what we have planned, we have to assume that they'll be informing Saya's parents about our plans to leave as soon as they can which means we have to move quickly and get out of here, now."

"Do you think they've told Saya's parents already?" Rei asked worriedly.

"I doubt it." Takashi replied. "Otherwise we'd have been dragged to our rooms and guards placed at each of our doors already, but that doesn't mean we have a lot of time to waste either."

"The plan is the same as before and everyone knows what to do, so as soon as you gather the items you were assigned, everyone meet at the back of the garage where the Humvee's being kept." Takashi said as Kouta suddenly jumped excitedly to his feet.

"Yes, sir! Weapons detail moving out!" Kouta said with a sharp salute as everyone began to immediately shush him.

"Hey you fat idiot, do you think you could have said that any louder?!" Saya hissed angrily as she bopped Kouta on the head.

"Oh sorry." Kouta apologized rubbing his head. "I just got so excited over the fact that we're actually leaving."

"Well keep it down, baka!" Saya said as Takashi snapped his fingers to gain their attention.

"Jimu-san was right, that this isn't a game guys." Takashi said his face growing serious. "One screw-up right now and its game over and we go back to our rooms looking like a bunch of idiots."

"But one screw-up out there and we don't get grounded or yelled at … we die. Got it?" Takashi added as he looked into the faces of each of his friends with a hard look.

"Hai." Everyone said nodding their heads, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation.

"Alright…" Takashi said finally. "Let's get going."

"Yokai." Kouta said as Saya rolled her eyes at him as they both walked to the door and then quietly walked out into the hallway closing the door behind them.

Waiting a few moments so as not to rouse the guard's suspicion, Rei walked to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob waiting a few more moments before she then turned to look back to see if Takashi was following behind her.

"Takashi, are you coming?!" Rei asked irritably as she noticed that Takashi's attention was completely focused on Saeko.

"I'll be right there Rei."Takashi replied as he cast a quick glance back at Rei.

"But…." Rei began but then stopped as Takashi suddenly raised his hand, interrupting her.

"Go on without me Rei, I'll catch up in a minute." Takashi said as Rei pouted but then quietly disappeared through the door headed towards the kitchen to carry out her assignment of finding food for their journey.

The two of them now alone, Takashi looked over at Saeko who stood silently in the middle of the room with her head lowered as Takashi walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder as she then lifted up her head and met his gaze.

"Saeko." Takashi began trying hard to be discreet about what he knew was weighing heavily on Saeko's mind and in her heart, but was unable to find the words to help him ease into the subject as he then took a deep breath and just spoke outright.

"I'm sorry about Jimu-san…." Takashi managed to blurt out as Saeko's eyes widened in surprise at Takashi's words before she then noticed the uncomfortable look on his face and realized he was only trying to comfort her, obviously knowing just how deeply she had been affected by the American's angry outburst and unsure of how to approach her about it.

"You don't have to apologize, Komuro-kun." Saeko said as she looked at Takashi and then smiled at him with that same calm smile that normally always seemed to be present on her face. "It is not your fault for what happened or for what Jimu-san said."

"He really didn't mean to yell at us like that, Sempai." Takashi said still trying to console Saeko whom he could see was trying hard to hide the hurt that she was really feeling.

"He really wanted to reason with us, but after seeing that man getting killed outside and after what Saya said afterwards, I think he just lost it."

"I could tell it had hurt him afterwards to say those things to all of us the way he did, and especially to you." Takashi added.

"I know Komuro-kun, I believe that as well." Saeko said sadly still staring at the floor.

"And despite the way he said them, I do believe that he only said those things because he really is afraid that we will get hurt, and not just because of anything Yuriko-san told him." Saeko added.

"He was only doing what he believed was right." Saeko said quietly. "And as hurtful as it was to hear him say the things he said and also the way he said them, I do understand why he felt he had to do that."

"But now I must do what I feel is right." Saeko said as she turned her head and looked at Takashi with a hard expression on her face. "No matter how much I know it will hurt him to know what I have done."

"Sempai." Takashi said looking sadly into Saeko's face.

"You don't have to do this." Takashi said as Saeko seemed to stiffen at his words. "I know you're worried about leaving him here after all that's happened."

"Unlike all the other adults, he and Marikawa-sensei have been exceptionally kind to all of us Komuro-kun." Saeko said turning away from him in order to hide her face from Takashi's gaze. "And as his friend, you're right, I am worried about him."

"He's been a friend to all of us, Saeko." Takashi admitted as he placed his hand on Saeko's shoulder again. "And even more than that, he's treated all of us as if we were his own family."

"And we all know how fond he is of you more so than the rest of us." Takashi said as he thought he heard a barely audible sob escape Saeko's lips.

"And everyone knows that you thought of him as a father even more strongly than we did." Takashi added as he felt her shoulders droop slightly.

"What are you trying to say, Komuro-kun?" Saeko said not looking up as she wiped her eyes.

"I guess I'm saying that it's okay if you wish to stay….." Takashi said as Saeko turned around and looked up into Takashi's face suddenly.

"You don't have to go with us if you don't want to, Sempai." Takashi said hesitantly as Saeko stared at him. "We'll manage by ourselves if you want to stay and help Marikawa-sensei look after Jimu-san and Arisu-chan."

For a long moment Saeko merely stared at Takashi without speaking as if seriously pondering his words before the expression on her face hardened once more and she then shook her head in response.

"No." Saeko said softly. "Thank you Komuro-kun for your concern, but I have no desire to stay here any longer, and I will be accompanying you and the others to find your families."

"Saeko…." Takashi began as Saeko gently lifted her hand and gently placed her fingertips over his lips to quiet him as Takashi began to blush deeply at her gentle touch.

"You are correct, Komuro-kun." Saeko said softly, a noticeable sadness in her voice.

"I did care for Jimu-san the same way as if he were my father, and a small part of me always will." Saeko said as she lowered her hand from Takashi's lips.

"He was very kind to me, and at a time when I was most afraid, he didn't act like I was a bother to him, but he treated me with the same kindness and compassion that a father would treat his own child, and I will always be grateful to him for that."

"However, he is not my father…" Saeko added her voice becoming hard. "And I now realize that my feelings for Jimu-san were really just my emotions getting the best of me, because my own father is not here."

"And to my shame, I allowed my feelings for him to cloud my judgment, and all of you were nearly hurt because I was so intent on trying to protect him, because I admit, a part of me wished that he really were my father." Saeko said her voice beginning to crack slightly.

"Saeko, it's alright…."Takashi began as Saeko suddenly whirled upon him angrily.

"No it isn't, Komuro-kun!" Saeko said hotly as Takashi shrank back from her angry gaze.

"It was childish, and I let my emotions get the best of me when I should have been focusing on helping you keep everyone safe!"

"This is not the time for sentiment!"Saeko added."Jimu-san was right in what he said…..."

"He is not my father." Saeko said lowering her voice. "And I am not his child."

"And even if he were, I was never responsible for his safety." Saeko continued. "And I do not want him to feel that he has to protect me or any of the others either."

"All of us knew that there was a strong possibility that he would be opposed to our plan from the start." Saeko added. "And we all prepared ourselves for that possibility."

"Jimu-san has made his choice, and I have made mine." Saeko said her voice firm as she looked at Takashi with a determined look on her face.

"I am with you Komuro-kun." Saeko continued as she looked at Takashi and smiled. "And no matter what dangers we shall face, we shall face them all together."

"And now I believe that it's time we leave this place." Saeko said as Takashi stared at her unsure of what to say for a few moments before he finally shrugged his shoulders and then nodded his head in response.

"Shall we go then?" Takashi said as he gestured towards the door.

"Hai." Saeko replied as she quietly moved towards the door.

Saeko?" Takashi said hesitantly just as she was about to place her hand on the doorknob. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Hai, Komuro-kun." Saeko replied immediately without looking up as she placed her hand on the doorknob.

"There is nothing left for me here." Saeko said as she turned the doorknob and walked out the door and into the hallway before Takashi could respond.

Author's Notes:

It's been over a month since I last posted a chapter and for those of you who've been waiting I apologize.

Things have been getting busier at work between calls and training and so between that and everyday worries, it's been very hard for me to focus on writing and so it took longer to do this chapter than I wanted.

What also made it harder I also have to admit was that quite frankly, this wasn't my favorite part of the story to write with Jim yelling at the kids and that didn't help things go any faster either.

This chapter is not as good as I'd like it to be, but after a month hiatus, I wanted to post it for all of you who have been waiting for the next chapter and I didn't want to leave you hanging any longer.

I'll probably change some things later when I began updating my old chapters again.

And while I'm not trying to win a prize with my fanfic here, I still wanted to do a decent job, so I took my time with it and tried to do a good job with it at least and so hopefully what you've read wasn't too bad.

While I don't have the time and energy to post three chapters a month like I did when I first started, the rest of the story will not take so long as this chapter did, and the next chapters will be a lot more fun to write for me too especially with what will be coming up next.

The confusion of whether Jim is a SEAL or not, and Kouta's reasons for believing he is one no matter how hard Jim denies it, is a humorous nod dedicated to the work of (Retired) Senior Chief Ron Shipley who has made it a point to expose those who try to pass themselves off as former SEAL Team members but in reality, have never even served in the Teams or even in the Navy for that matter.

Believe it or not, there are also people who try to pose themselves as firefighters with stories of bravery and courage they've never actually done, especially after September 11th where some guys actually preyed on the public's sentiment and claimed that they were firefighters and had helped the FDNY brothers at Ground Zero.

Of course, being a SEAL, Delta, or Green Beanie is a lot more glamorous in the eyes of most "posers" so I can't complain about the firefighter "posers" too much compared to the Spec Ops guys, and I applaud Senior Chief Shipley for what he's doing by exposing these guys.

Keep up the good work Senior Chief!

As always to my readers, thank you for your support.

See you next time! Jim