41

Last Alarm

Chapter Forty-One

"Enemy at the Gates"

Part Five

"In the end, you have to choose whether or not to trust someone."

― Sophie Kinsella

As grown adults trapped in the never ending grind of life in a cut-throat world, there are times that we forget what it was like to be young and carefree like the many youths of today, as we struggle desperately to scratch out a living in an often harsh and unforgiving world.

And because we're so busy just trying to keep our heads above water, it really is easy to forget that there was ever a time that we used to enjoy life so very long ago, during the early days of our innocence.

But like everyone born in this world, eventually as time passes and the daily worries and stresses of life gradually overtake us; life becomes less simple as when we remembered it, as we are gradually swept away by the ever-increasing pressures that life in today's society demands.

And then one day we just happen to look at ourselves in a figurative "mirror", and the realization of just how different we are now from the person we once were then comes as a complete shock to us as we examine our "reflection" more closely, and see just how much time and life itself has taken its toll on us.

But then when we begin to realize just how much we've changed on the inside from the person that we once used to be…

Then that revelation can be even more startling to us than the sight of our true reflection during a bad hair day in a literal mirror.

Like most people in the world, life for me as a child started out innocently enough, when life for me as a child was all about having fun and playing games with others my age at every given opportunity.

But as I grew older, I was then taught that life wasn't about play anymore, and now it was time to learn how to be able to function in a world that demanded my servitude if I ever wished to be a "productive" member of society, as I found myself shipped off to public school almost every day of the week for most of my youth.

But my real education about life in the world we live in, started when I was a student attending classes in a junior high school located in the middle of the East Side ghetto. And it was there that I learned to my horror, that life wasn't just tough, but it could be exceedingly dangerous as well.

And it was there attending that school and living in that neighborhood that I learned that my life was now all about survival from those who cared little about morality or even human decency, and where not even a child was immune from violence or death.

Later, as I grew to be a teenager and attended high school in the middle of downtown San Antonio, I was then taught that survival in this world was now all about striving to succeed in a harsh society where competition for prime jobs was fierce, and those that didn't fight or cheat their way to the top were failures as far as the world was concerned.

And as such, we who were not able to rub shoulders with the cream of society were then left to find whatever means we could to live in an ever changing world, with a constantly unstable economy.

But somewhere in all that ugliness, I also learned about love.

And I also learned that life could still be about fun, adventure, and happiness, if you just found that right "someone" to share it with.

But then when I grew older still, I eventually learned the harsh reality that life in this world left little time for fun or adventure, as I struggled to help my family, who were often unemployed at the time, make ends meet on my measly pay as a Paramedic at a whopping $7.50 an hour during the 1990's.

And love?

Well, love was even harder to find than what I was led to believe.

But it was during the time that I served as a Paramedic and then later as a Fireman, that I came to realize just how tragic life can really be as I witnessed tragedy and death befall so many, at any given moment, upon any given person, at any given age.

And for many years, I and so many of my colleagues in Emergency Services tried hard to help protect others from death and tragedy as much as humanly possible.

But sometimes it just wasn't enough.

And after witnessing so much tragedy and seeing just how fragile life really is over the years, I began to really appreciate just how blessed we are for those of us whose loved ones are still alive and safe.

Unfortunately, seeing tragedy as often as we do can also make us extremely paranoid about losing our loved ones too.

And as a result, some of us can even go overboard in our efforts to take care of our loved ones in an effort to avoid the same tragedy from befalling them as we see befalling others every day.

And so because of my own fears for the welfare of my family and friends, for many years I lived my life putting the needs of my loved ones first, afraid that perhaps if I didn't, their whole world would fall apart.

Their needs always came first, and mine were always second.

Part of the reason I allowed myself to think that way was because one of the great things that I had been taught by my parents was never to be selfish, and I had always done my best not to be.

But in truth, like my younger brother would often tell me, over the years I had eventually taken the whole principle of self-sacrifice to an extreme, and had sacrificed much of my own chances for happiness in the process.

And before long, I had become so used to putting everyone else's needs and wants before mine that I began to believe that anything that I desired for myself was an act of selfishness on my part, and so without realizing it, I had begun to deny myself even simple pleasures in life that most people would ordinarily take for granted.

But as twisted as I my thinking had become that somehow it was wrong of me to be so selfish when others depended on me, I denied myself those things…..

And so my own life and my own heart's desires took a back seat until I realized too late, just how truly hollow and empty my life really was, as I looked at myself in a figurative "mirror" for the first time in many years.

And then the sadness and loneliness that I felt at that revelation turned into resentment and then later anger when many, including some of the very ones I had sacrificed so much for, began to scoff at the selfless sacrifices I had made my entire life on their behalf, and treat them as if they were nothing.

And then my anger turned into bitterness at the realization that I had thrown my entire life away for those who truly did not appreciate what I had sacrificed on their behalf, and I began to regret everything that I had ever done in life, including many of the choices I had made.

And then my bitterness turned to hate, as I began to truly believe I had wasted my life for nothing.

And then it was finally on that day, that I realized just how much I had truly changed on the inside, as well.

I had willingly sacrificed so much of myself because I loved my family and my friends and I believed in what I was doing, and would have gladly done so again.

But it still broke my heart to think that all I had done hadn't been appreciated by anyone after all.

Or so I thought at the time….

My situation wasn't all that unique though, because the world is full of stories of so many others who willingly and unselfishly continue to give of themselves to others in this world, sacrificing their own wants and desires and even their very lives for the sake of their loved ones,….. or even perfect strangers.

And even though many of their personal hopes and dreams are often left unfulfilled, there is a comfort that we all have found in knowing that our sacrifice was worth it all, and we'd do it again if given the choice.

Because that is the kind of people we are.

Sadly though, there are even many more tragic stories of people becoming so wrapped up with concern over the material needs of their loved ones, that they may easily forget that there are needs even more important than providing a roof over their heads, or food on the table, or even clothing on their backs.

And sometimes we can all forget just how important those other needs are, until it's too late.

Sadly, Saya Takagi's story was the perfect example of how material success had allowed her two very rich and powerful parents the ability to provide everything that their child could ever want materially.

But in the process, they had utterly failed to realize that what Saya wanted most from them was something far more precious.

And because of their error, the mistake they had made had almost ended up tragically.

Emotional needs are notoriously harder for the average person to deal with than the physical ones, and that is true even for those of us in Emergency Services where our primary focus is on the victim's safety and well-being, and not so much their emotional needs during a crisis.

Heroic images of firemen charging into a burning building, or policemen tackling a perpetrator to the ground, or a paramedic defibrillating an unconscious patient back to life, are what often fill the minds of the public whenever they think of anyone in Emergency Services.

And sadly, sometimes even we can get so wrapped up in our own image of what we are and what we should be, that we forget that sometimes what a victim needs is not a "knight in shining armor" coming to the rescue,… but something else entirely.

There are few people I know of in this world who would care about how quickly the Police, Fire trucks and Ambulances arrived upon the scene of an accident when most of their family has been killed in a car wreck, and their family member's shattered bodies and parts of bodies are littering the freeway.

Nor is a person all that concerned about how we performed CPR, drug therapy, intubation and other life-saving techniques that we used to try to save their family member or friend, as they watch us covering their loved one's body with a blanket.

In those situations, what is required is something more than us just doing our job, and it is definitely not something that can be taught in any book.

And it's that ability to go "above and beyond" and become that someone who is willing to give the badly needed emotional support that is now sorely needed, that can sometimes do more to aid in a victim's recovery than anything else we have done,….. or tried to do.

But there are times when not everyone realizes that "need" when the situation calls for it, and sometimes we only have ourselves to blame for what happens afterward.

And such was the case now, because Yuriko, Soichiro, and I had been so focused on the safety and well-being of the teens, that we hadn't realized until it was almost too late that we had overlooked the fact that what the teens really needed from us was not our protection…..

What they really needed,….. was our help.

But instead, we had each turned them away.

And I had done so in the worst possible way.

At the time I had been so worried about Saeko's emotional attachment to me, that by trying to remove myself from her life so she wouldn't be hurt, I hadn't stopped to realize that perhaps what I was doing was the wrong thing after all, and what was really needed here was not what I thought was best for her…

But something else entirely.

But now I did.

I only hoped that it wasn't already too late.

In attempting to find Saeko and the other teens so that I could apologize to them and try to make amends, I had accidentally stumbled upon the Takagi's security guards who were forcefully dragging the teens away to be locked up in their rooms, after being caught in a botched attempt to run away.

I had managed to defuse the tense situation temporarily by sneaking up behind Saya's parents and a few of their guards and hold them at gunpoint where I then forced Saya's parents to have the teens released.

And then the real fun began trying to convince Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi to calm down long enough so that I could try to reason with them.

And so finally, after much frustration and a few more grey hairs added to my head than I wanted, I had finally managed to succeed in defusing the near explosive stand-off, without a shot being fired.

And even more of a miracle, I had also managed to convince Saya's parents to order their trigger-happy guards to leave so that I could attempt to talk to the teens quietly and try to once again regain their trust.

But while the kids were extremely thrilled to no longer be in the clutches of the guards anymore, one look at their faces was enough to convince me that I had my work cut out for me as far as getting them to trust me again, after everything that had happened that morning.

Not that I blamed them.

I had failed Saeko and the others when they had needed me most, and from the looks on their faces I knew now that I could not afford to fail them again.

Because for me personally, a lot more would be lost than just their trust.

It would have also meant the loss of the one who had now become very dear to me.

After making sure the other teens were not harmed, I glanced over at Saeko and I was stabbed in the heart by the look I saw in her eyes.

And the reason I felt that way was because the look she gave me reminded me so much of the image of the sad little girl with the pigtails that I had seen on the riverbank, after I had nearly drowned three days ago.

The very same little girl who had appeared to me just as I was about to squeeze the trigger of my pistol and put a bullet in my head, mercifully ending a lifetime of pain and suffering…..finally.

I know that it was only my mind playing tricks on me at the time from the hypoxia I was experiencing after having nearly drowned, and I knew that it really wasn't Saeko's face I had seen that day who had screamed "Daddy no!" thus saving my life when I had come so close to ending it.

But even though that image of Saeko as a little girl had only been my imagination at work, there was no denying that this young girl standing before me had saved my life time, and time again since I met her, willingly and unselfishly putting her own life at risk for me each time.

And that was what had scared Yuriko, Shizuka, and I, the most.

All this time Yuriko, Shizuka and I had assumed that Saeko's attachment to me was nothing more than her emotions getting the best of her due to her being separated from her real father, and we were all afraid that it would cause her nothing but hardship and pain if we allowed it to continue.

But now I realized that we had been wrong about her, all along ….

And now it was time to fix that mistake once and for all.

I could no longer stand the sight of Saeko looking at me with such sad eyes as I walked over and wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly, wanting to beg her forgiveness for having been so stupid earlier, and wanting so desperately to make it up to her.

"What I've done to you was without a doubt the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life." I whispered to Saeko as I held her praying that Saeko would forgive me for the horrible way I had treated her.

"And now I want to make it up to you, if you'll let me." I said to her gently as I tenderly kissed her on the forehead before turning my attention back to the other teens.

As much as I wanted to tell Saeko what was in my heart, we were still in a very grave situation. And despite my desperate desire to tell Saeko at last what was in my heart, it would have to wait until this dilemma we were all involved in was taken care first.

"I realize all of you are still pissed at me." I said turning my attention back towards the other teens as everyone stared back at me with obvious looks of anger and distrust on their faces. "And I don't blame you."

"You came to me at a time you needed me most…. and I failed you." I admitted which seemed to cause everyone to look at me with the same look of shock that had been on Shizuka's face earlier, none of them apparently expecting me to apologize to them, I suppose.

"Not only that, I said some pretty horrible things to all of you that were completely inappropriate for me to say." I added lowering my eyes as I released Saeko and then stepped back so that I could face everyone.

"What you saw was a side of me I never wanted anyone in this world to see, especially all of you." I said with sincere regret as I looked back over at Saeko and then felt the guilt beginning to gnaw at me again as I gazed into her eyes.

"And I know that what I said to you Saeko, hurt you more than what I said to the others." I said with a sigh as Saeko looked at the ground, her eyes downcast.

"I'm not going to try to justify my yelling at all of you, the way I did." I continued looking back again at the others. "It was uncalled for, and I'm sorry I did that."

"So let me begin by saying that I'm sorry I hurt you guys. And now I want to make it up to you if you'll let me."

"And while it is true that none of you are of my blood, we all know that has never made a difference in the way I have felt about any of you." I added as I reached over and brushed Saeko's hair with my hand as she lifted her head up and looked at me, a little surprised I guess, that I was being so affectionate with her now after I had been so horrible to her earlier.

"And especially you, baby." I added as I gazed into her face again, and became even more resolved to hold nothing back from her any longer about how dear she was to me after today.

"And as far as not being your father….." I said as she looked at me wide-eyed. "Well, I do believe it's time for you and I to have a little talk about that.

"And after we're done clearing the air between us,….I added as I smiled gently at her. "You then have a very big decision to make."

"What do you mean, Jimu-san? " Saeko asked visibly confused by the way I was behaving. "What kind of decision?"

"A decision on whether you and I continue from this point on with our lives as friends,….." I said in reply to Saeko as I felt my heart pounding in response to what I was about to tell her.

"Or family." I said as Saeko's mouth dropped.

"Eh?!" Saeko said either out of confusion or shock as she and everyone else was staring at me with their mouths dropped open in shock at my words.

Shizuka however, looked like she was about to blow a gasket.

I really couldn't blame Shizuka for getting upset with me after what I had just said though.

After that intense, nerve-wracking, discussion that I had with her and Yuriko about the dangers of Saeko's emotional attachment to me, and then after I had agreed to distance myself from Saeko for good, what I had just said was now the exact opposite of everything I had agreed to earlier.

But those so-called "good intentions" on our part to try to avoid hurting Saeko, had instead ended up in disaster.

And I had no interest anymore in going along with that plan anymore.

All along my gut, and my heart, had convinced me that what we had done had never been the right thing to do in the first place.

And now I knew it for certain, and I absolutely refused to make the same mistake again.

But before I could settle the matter between Saeko and I, there was something else that had to be done first.

"I'll explain everything in a little bit, sweetie." I said to Saeko as I raised up my hand in an attempt to stop Shizuka from killing me before I had a chance to explain myself.

"Guys, I know you're confused as to what's going…." I said staring at the others as Shizuka silently fumed.

"But for now, we need to focus on this mess we're all in,….agreed?" I said as the teens quickly composed themselves and nodded their heads in agreement.

"Jimu-san…." Shizuka said trying to stay composed despite her fury with me as I shook my head.

"What goes on between me and Saeko is personal now, Sensei." I said trying not to sound rude.

"And no one here has any say about it anymore, understand?" I said directing my words to her as well as the others.

"Ha-hai." Shizuka said her eyes wide with surprised I'm sure by my stating that the drama between me and Saeko was now a private matter between us and neither her, Saya's parents, or anybody else for that matter was to interfere.

"Hai." Takashi and the other teens replied just as shocked as Shizuka as they all then began to bombard me with all sorts of questions.

"Jimu-san, what's going on?" Shizuka asked anxiously as Saya stepped in front of her rudely.

"Never mind that!" Saya snapped. "What did my parents say about us leaving?!"

"Are we really free to go?" Kouta said meekly as Saya shot him an angry look for daring to interrupt her, apparently.

"Jimu-san, why did all the guards leave?" Takashi asked as he held his hand up for the others to be quiet as he looked nervously over at Saya's parents who were still standing in the same spot where I had left them, both of them watching all of us quietly.

"Were you able to convince Saya's parents to let us go?" Takashi asked turning back to me.

"Yeah, I can't believe you talked my parents into letting us go like that." Saya said interrupting again as she looked at her parents out of the corner of her eye and made a nasty face. "I thought for sure they were gonna kill you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pumpkin." I said sourly as I looked over at Shizuka whom I could tell was even more anxious for answers about what was going on, than the teens were.

Unfortunately, Shizuka would have to get her answers elsewhere.

"Shizuka-san?" I said as I began feeling guilty for what I was about to tell her, even though I knew it was really for the best considering that I knew exactly what her reaction would be once she found out what I was about to tell the kids.

"Hai, Jimu-san?" Shizuka said as she was about to step towards me, until she saw me raise my hand for her to stop.

"Gomen nasai, Sensei." I said with sincere regret. "But I really need to speak to the others privately for now, if you don't mind."

"Ara?!" Shizuka said surprised no doubt, by what I had just said as I also noticed out of the corner of my eye that the teens were staring at me in surprise as well, at my asking Shizuka to leave us.

"Forgive me Sensei, it's nothing personal." I added quickly realizing that her feelings were probably hurt at being excluded from our conversation, since she was just as much a part of the group as I was.

But I knew that what I was about to say would definitely upset Shizuka greatly, and there was no doubt in my mind that she would react just as angrily as Yuriko had earlier, once she found out.

And right now the last thing I needed was Shizuka going on a tirade, since I was pretty sure the teens wouldn't be all that happy with me either, once I started talking.

And that being the case, I figured it was best that Saya's parents be the one to fill the school nurse in on what was going on, even though I still felt like a jerk for having to ask her to leave after all she had already been through this morning.

"But if you don't mind,…." I continued, feeling even more guilty as I saw the hurt look in Shizuka's face. "I think it would be best that Yuriko-san and Soichiro-san explain everything to you about what's going on while I speak to the children….okay?"

"Hai, Jimu-san. Wakarimashita." Shizuka replied even though the hurt was quite evident in her voice as she turned away, and with Alice in tow, walked over to where Saya's parents were standing as they began speaking quietly to her in a low tone so the teens wouldn't overhear.

"Jimu-san,…what's going on?" Saeko asked as the eyes of her and everyone else in the group of teens stared at me with eyes that were wide with shock at my having asked Shizuka to leave.

"Yeah, why did you ask Marikawa-sensei to leave like that?" Saya piped up suspiciously. "Why all the secrecy all of a sudden?"

"I asked her to leave because I didn't want to upset her with what I'm about to tell all of you." I said with a sigh, dreading what I was about to say to them as I noticed the teens looking at each other with even more worry than before.

"Why would Marikawa-sensei be upset?" Rei asked anxiously as she grabbed Takashi's arm as if she were deeply frightened, as I noticed both Saya and Saeko flashing an angry look at her. "What did you and Saya's parents talk about?"

"Great." I thought to myself. "On top of everything else, I got a love triangle going on between these kids too…just perfect."

"Jimu-san, what did Takagi-san's parents tell you?" Takashi asked snapping me out of my thoughts as all of the teens were staring at Saya's parents with looks of fear and worry, while Alice who was obviously bored and oblivious to the drama going on around her was happily playing with her puppy, Zeke.

"Yeah, and why did my mother act like she wanted to kill you, anyway?" Saya said looking up at me suspiciously as she adjusted her glasses, evidently closely examining my face for any visible indication that anything I said next might be a lie.

And as I gazed back at Saya, I couldn't help but notice that the same look of suspicion that was on Saya's face was also visible upon the faces of all of the teens, which reminded me again that nothing less than telling the teens the absolute truth would do if I ever hoped to regain their trust again.

"Your mother was upset because I had offered one suggestion on how best to resolve this whole situation even though I knew that she and your father would most likely not be happy about it…" I began with a sigh as the headache that was pounding my head, was also making my ability to focus on what I was going to say to the kids even harder.

"And as all of you saw, she wasn't too happy about it." I said with a tired smirk, my body feeling drained after trying so hard to negotiate a cease-fire with Saya's parents.

"But before I could explain the alternative to that plan, she freaked out before I could finish and I couldn't get a word in edge-wise until your dad intervened and I could finally explain my idea to them."

"Idea?... What idea?" Rei asked anxiously as all of the teens looked at me intently, waiting for my explanation.

"I had an idea for a plan that would make it possible for you and Takashi to find your families…." I replied to Rei as the eyes of the teens grew even wider than before.

"But this time without getting yourselves killed by doing something as stupid as what you kids just did right now." I added with a bit of irritation in my voice that I have to admit, really wasn't the smartest thing to do at the time.

I guess the headache I had was worse than I thought, because there are few things I know of that will piss off a teenager even more than taking away their smart phone from them, and that is being told that something they did was stupid.

And right now I had just said the wrong thing, at the worst possible time.

"What do you mean what we did was stupid?!" Rei snapped at me, her eyes still full of anger as she stepped forward with her hands balled into fists. "What do you know about how we feel?!"

"We had no choice!" Takashi suddenly exploded in frustration. "None of you wanted to help us, what could we do?!"

The headache I was feeling was definitely affecting my ability to solve this problem quietly without stirring up a hornets nest with the kids, and I realized that unless I started becoming a little more tactful in the way I spoke to them, I would never even come close to putting my plan in motion to resolve this issue if I wasn't more careful with what I said.

"There's always a choice, guys…." I said catching myself and then speaking to them in a neutral tone so as not to further antagonize Takashi or the others as the situation seemed on the brink of deteriorating again.

"The problem is, the choice you made, was the wrong one." I added as Takashi was about to say something but then stopped himself as Saya rudely pushed him out of the way as she stepped forward.

"You haven't answered our question, yet!" Saya suddenly snapped surprising me and everyone else with her sudden boldness. "Are we free to go or not!"

"Uhmmm,….."I said hesitantly, knowing that they were not going to like what I was about to tell them. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean, not exactly?!" Saya shouted accusingly. "Are we free to go or not?"

"Cool your jets, all of you!" I said sternly to the teens as each of them were about to begin yelling at me again, as I flashed an annoyed look at Saya. "Let me finish what I was about to say before all of you decide to go off half-cocked again!"

"Now before all of you start yelling at me again for saying that what you did was stupid…..!" I said raising my voice just as every teenage mouth opened to scream in anger at me at the same time,…. again. " Let me explain something to you first…"

"I'm not going to try to justify my yelling at ya'll the way I did, or excuse the rough way all of you were treated after ya'll were caught trying to run away." I continued as the teens settled down somewhat although they were all visibly wanting to say something in angry protest.

"Emotions were running high by all of us at the time, and a lot of things were said and done by everyone here, that was completely wrong." I added as the teens stood there and fumed silently. "And we are all to blame for this mess that we're in."

"But whether you want to admit it or not..." I said looking at the kids sternly. "What you kids just did right now was the most bone-headed thing ya'll could have done, and I doubt very much that any one of your parents would have appreciated what ya'll attempted to do if you had gotten yourselves killed because of it."

"And I also know…..!" I said sharply just as the teens were about to go off on me again.

"I also know that you guys haven't given up on trying to find your families, despite this little "setback." I added as the angry looks on the faces of the teens immediately disappeared after I finished speaking and they all stared back at me with blank expressions on their faces.

I don't know what it is that we were thinking of when we were teenagers that made us believe that our parents were ever fooled by the innocent faces we made whenever we were caught doing something wrong.

I guess it's just an instinct in us that pops up when we know we're in trouble I guess.

Although if you ask me it's a wasted effort, because it never friggin works.

"Don't give me that innocent "I dunno what you're talking about Jimu-san" look." I said with a frown as the teens, including Saeko, looked at me as if I were crazy.

"Ya'll kids ain't fooling anyone, so drop the act." I said shaking my head in disgust finally understanding why my mother always used to tell me "How stupid do you think I am?" every time I tried to act innocent, when it was obvious I had been guilty all along.

"I'm afraid we don't know what you mean, Jimu-san." Saya said with heavy sarcasm obviously assuming the role of spokesman for the entire group, as she glared angrily at me. "Do you really believe we're that stupid to try this again?"

"Stupid?...No." I replied looking right back at Saya's anger-filled eyes.

"Stubborn?...Hell, yes."I added trying to keep my voice even and not lose my cool with the teens who were now more than ready to take all of their frustrations out on me.

"What makes you believe that?!" Rei snapped, obviously as angry with me as Saya was. "We weren't able to sneak out without all the guards pouncing on us, and even if we had been able to leave, you said it yourself that we wouldn't survive outside these walls!"

"The reason I believe that Rei, is because ya'll came to my room asking for my help so you could escape this place and help you find your parents, even after Saya's parents had told you it was too dangerous." I replied keeping my frustration in check even though a big part of me wanted to act just as ugly at Saya and Rei, the same way they were acting towards me.

"And the fact that all of you were caught trying to run away proves that you guys aren't about to let what anyone says or does, stop you from trying to find your families." I added as the teen's anger seemed to deflate a little at my words.

"Look guys, I know you are worried sick about your families,…"I said after taking a deep breath and trying once again to be patient. "And believe me I understand, because like all of you, I'm also worried about my own family back home."

"But despite how worried I am about my family, as well as my buddies who are still running around out there in the city somewhere…." I added hoping the kids would see that they weren't the only ones who were separated from their families and loved ones. "I did not allow that worry to interfere with my concern over your lives."

"I want you to remember something…" I said hoping that what I was saying was beginning to strike home with them.

"I didn't just leave you there at the school and promise to bring back help, remember?" I said as the anger in the eyes of the teens began to visibly melt away. "I took all of you with me and made sure to do everything I could to keep you safe, including teaching you some things on how to survive in case something happened to me."

"I thought you said doing all that was a mistake!" Saya retorted hotly her emotions once again getting in the way of her ability to reason clearly, just like her father.

"Maybe it was,….." I said shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders in frustration. "Because now look at the situation you're in now, not to mention the fact that all of you could have been seriously injured or even killed if those people hadn't stopped you."

"What do you mean?!" Rei snapped. "Are you saying that it's okay the way those guards treated us?!"

"No it wasn't." I replied interrupting her, as I gave Rei a hard look.

As much as I was trying really hard to be the "nice guy" here and not make things worse, I was getting really tired of being everyone's punching bag.

And if these kids didn't start to cool off soon and listen to reason, I was going to have to put my foot down and start making my point in a way that wasn't so…. "nice."

"And by the way, just so all of you know, I was just about to pull the trigger on a couple of them myself for what they were doing to all of you until I saw your mother's face, Pumpkin." I said looking at Saya as every one of the teens reacted in shock at what I had just said.

"My, mom?" Saya said extremely surprised by what I had revealed about her mother. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Your mom was crying because she was scared for you, Saya." I said hoping that I had finally managed to make a breakthrough with the pink-haired hothead. "And when I saw how upset she was, I stopped what I was about to do because I remembered how upset my mother was when I ran away from home, too."

"You ran away from home?" Saya said in disbelief as the rest of the teens looked at me with shock at this latest revelation of my past.

"Yes, I did." I said with a sigh, the image of my mother's face haunting me again. "And I was about your age too, when I did it."

"The circumstances under which I left were very different however from yours though, guys." I replied as I noticed Saeko looking at me strangely.

"Oh yeah, how?" Saya said suspiciously, obviously not all that impressed by my admitting I had done something just as reckless as they had done.

"I left because I was tired of my father getting drunk and beating my brother and I." I replied as I heard Saeko gasp in surprise as Saya looked at me with genuine surprise on her face.

"But when I left home, I hadn't realized how much I was also actually hurting my mother and my brother when I left." I continued as the teens listened with keener interest than before. "And surprisingly enough, even my own father was upset that I had run away, even though he knew all along he was the reason I had left."

"I returned home the next day." I said wanting to finish my own story quickly so I forget about that sad chapter of my past and return to the matter at hand. "But I've never forgiven myself for the pain I saw in their faces."

"So believe me when I tell you guys that the Takagi's really do care about all of you." I said looking back at the faces of the teens. "And what all of you saw earlier was just the both of them overreacting to what all of you had done."

"Overreacting?!" Rei said bitterly before Saya could open her mouth.

"Yes Rei, because they were panicking at the thought that they had almost lost all of you." I added as the teens glanced over at Saya's parents who were still talking with Shizuka.

"And after realizing what all of you had tried to do, the only solution they could think of to try to keep all of you from getting yourselves killed, was to lock all of you up in your room, since it was obvious none of you were going to let anything stand in your way of trying to leave." I said my frustration growing as I began wondering if anything I was saying was getting through those thick, teenage skulls of theirs, and I wasn't just wasting my words on them all this time.

"You see? That's why I don't trust them." Saya said hotly as I resisted the urge to suddenly walk over and give her stubborn little butt a good swat. At this rate, I was never going to be able to end this situation with Saya constantly stirring up everyone's anger every time I said something.

Geez, no wonder her father was always scowling.

"And that's the kind of attitude that got ya'll in this mess!" I snapped at Saya, startling her as my patience with her finally came to an end as her parents immediately stopped talking to Shizuka and stared at me as I shook my hand at them signaling that everything was still cool even though I was a heartbeat away from telling them to go ahead and lock the kids away, after all.

"So unless ya'll really do want to be locked away in your rooms and treated as prisoners drop the attitude, all of you!"

"What do you mean?!" Saya snapped back at me. "You mean we're going to be locked up if we don't agree with what you have to say?!"

"Is this true Jimu-san?!" Saeko asked as I noticed her eyes also beginning to burn with anger.

"Aw, crap." I thought to myself as my head began pounding even worse than before. "Now I've done it."

"Well, reasoning with them calmly didn't work." I thought to myself just as everyone was about to start screaming all over again.

"Guess it's time for "Plan B"." I said under my breath as I looked at all of the teens with the angriest look I could muster and then barked at them like only a frustrated "father" could.

"Unless you kids want to get yourselves locked up in your rooms like a bunch of spoiled kids on a permanent "time-out"….!" I snapped angrily as I stepped towards the kids and they all immediately clammed up and stepped back, probably thinking that I was about to chew them out or began whipping their butts, or both. "Then all of you better cool off and think about the only other options you have left now, after pulling this little stunt of yours!"

"One, you can wait till we get word from the JSDF that your parents are okay and we can meet up with them later at a designated "safe zone" that the Takagi's will be relocating everyone to." I said counting off the teen's only choices as each of the teens pouted, but remained silent while I spoke.

"Two, you can try to escape again, where if you succeed you will more than likely be killed or worse, by whatever's waiting for you out there in the city."

"Three, we can all take a huge risk and go find your parents on our own because the Takagi's have agreed to allow you to leave after all…." I said dropping the angry look on my face as I saw their eyes suddenly light up at that, like I knew it would.

"Yeah, I thought all of you would like that idea." I said sarcastically as the attitude of the teen's changed dramatically from before.

"Honto?!" Takashi said with surprise as the rest of teens started to look at each other with broad smiles on their faces at the thought that I had managed to pull off a miracle with Saya's parents after all, and that they were out of the woods at last.

"But before ya'll get yourselves all worked up over that idea, there's something I have to tell you first." I said as the looks of suspicion immediately returned to their faces.

"Dammit, what now?!" Saya groaned in frustration as I noticed her parents pause from speaking to Shizuka to stop and glare at her.

"I promised all of you that I would help you find your families." I continued, ignoring Saya's outburst.

"But in my opinion, your best chance of succeeding is by trusting in the Takagi's and the JSDF to find them for you." I said as they began shaking their heads angrily and acted as if they were about to start arguing with me again.

"However, if you guys insist on finding your families on your own, then I cannot in good conscience let ya'll do it alone, so yes, I'll be coming with you." I said as they stopped shaking their heads and began to realize what I was driving at as they suddenly became all smiles again.

"Saya's parents have also agreed to give us whatever weapons and supplies we need for the journey….." I added just as the teens began hugging each other with broad smiles and blowing happy sighs of relief as I then took a deep breath in preparation for what I was going to say next.

And as I gazed upon their excited faces, I really began to feel bad about the fact that what I was about to say next would be equal to throwing a cold bucket of water over their heads.

"Saya however, stays here." I said emptying the bucket on each of their heads and dashing their hopes all at once as everyone, especially Saya,… gasped in shock.

"WHAT?!" Saya screeched at just about the same time as I suddenly heard Shizuka screaming in anger behind me as I turned and saw Saya's parents both grab her arms to prevent her from coming over and begin pounding me.

And from the way Shizuka was practically foaming at the mouth, Saya's parents had evidently reached the same point in the conversation that I had with the teens, right now.

And just like the way Yuriko had reacted earlier, Shizuka had also apparently jumped to the wrong conclusion and was now just as determined to tear me into itty-bitty pieces as Yuriko had been.

"Yup, right on cue." I thought sourly to myself turning my attention back to the teens who all seemed about ready to tear me a new one, as I heard Yuriko and Soichiro wrestling with Shizuka behind me.

"JIMU-SAN, WHAT DO YOU MEAN TAKAGI-SAN STAYS HERE?!" Kouta suddenly roared in anger, scaring everyone including Saya, by his sudden outburst.

Up to this point, Kouta had been pretty quiet throughout the entire conversation, but now he was even more pissed off than the rest of the group, and was visibly in no mood to stand meekly by while his potential "mate" was threatened with being taken from him.

And Kouta's angry reaction was exactly what I had been counting on, because I knew that even if the other teens would have agreed to leave Saya behind, Kouta would have fought like a mad man against that idea since he was so smitten with her.

And because of that, I was hoping that Kouta's and Saya's adamant refusal to agree to those conditions would then force the others to have to agree to either of the two "final options" that I was now prodding them all towards.

Because unless they all agreed to either of those "final options", there was nothing more I could do for them.

"You heard me." I said not blinking an eye hoping that the shock of being forced to leave Saya behind would be enough to finally force them to listen to reason. "If all of you insist on us going out there alone to find your families without any help, then Saya has to stay here."

"BUT WHY?!" Kouta shouted, surprising all of us again with the intensity of his rage.

"Because despite what all of you might think, I really do care about all of you very much…" I said looking Kouta in the eye as his anger abated quickly, and he stared at me in confusion.

"And believe it or not, so do the Takagi's…." I said as I glanced over my shoulder at Saya's parents watching all of us anxiously while poor little Alice was standing behind Yuriko nervously staring at Shizuka and probably wondering what had gotten the school nurse and everyone else so riled up all of a sudden.

Poor kid, she had been through so much already, and now she was forced to endure having to listen to all of us screaming like idiots at each other, all morning.

Too bad there wasn't a place I could get her an ice cream cone, she certainly deserved a double-scoop after today.

"And although it took a while….." I added trying not to laugh at Shizuka's angry face as I turned back to face the teens. "I was able to help convince Saya's parents that the only reason that Takashi and Rei had wanted to leave, was because they were worried about their families."

"And I also explained to them that the only reason that the rest of you tried to leave too, was because all of you were worried about Rei and Takashi going out there alone." I said directing my words to the other teens.

"And despite the Takagi's concern over your welfare,….." I continued. "I explained to them that legally, they have no hold over any of you, since not one of you has any family ties whatsoever, with them."

"And so while their concern is appreciated…." I said stressing my words dramatically. "They cannot legally force any of you to do anything."

"But Saya is their daughter." I said setting the noose around their necks. "And they are legally responsible for her life and her welfare, and her going with us would be kidnapping and child endangerment if we took her without her parents' permission."

"And obviously, there is no way in hell they are going to grant her permission to go with us out there." I said as the faces of the teens fell and Saya looked like she about to have a stroke.

"And if she tries to come with us,…" I added tightening the noose even more. "Then every single one of us will be locked up and handed to the authorities after we're all evacuated to the "safe zone" that we'll all be traveling to, in a couple of days."

"BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Saya screamed in anger as she glared at her me and then her parents with an intensity I had never seen before.

"Those are the terms on which your parents and I agreed upon, on which we would be able to leave so that Rei and Takashi could find their families, Saya." I said sternly as I crossed my arms across my chest, knowing that I could not back down no matter badly I felt if my plan had any hope of succeeding.

"And as per your parents, those terms are not negotiable." As I steeled myself for the angry maelstrom that I knew was about to be lashed against me.

"I'M NOT STAYING!" Saya screamed her eyes tearing up as they burned with anger and hate. "I DON'T CARE WHAT ANY OF YOU SAY! I'M NOT STAYING HERE!"

"JIMU-SAN, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Kouta shouted as the teens began to unleash their wrath upon me. "I WON'T LEAVE IF TAKAGI-SAMA ISN'T ALLOWED TO GO WITH US!"

"ARE ALL OF YOU CRAZY?!" Rei shouted next. "WE WON'T LEAVE HER BEHIND! SHE'S ONE OF US!"

"TAKASHI, SAY SOMETHING!" Rei screamed and then angrily slapped Takashi on the shoulder as he looked at her annoyed at her slapping him as he then stepped towards me, looking like he'd rather be somewhere else.

I had to admit, even though Rei and Takashi weren't married, it hadn't taken long for the boy to realize who the real boss in the family was, as I waited for him to begin screaming at me.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT, JIMU-SAN!" Takashi shouted in English before Rei yelled at him again and his frustration got the best of him, and he started screaming at me in Japanese.

Oh well, I couldn't understand a word he said, but at least he was saying something like the missus had told him to.

"Miyamoto-san is right, Jimu-san!" Saeko said frostily as I turned my head to face her as she looked right back at me with those cold, angry eyes of hers.

"Takagi-san is our friend and we won't leave her behind!" Saeko said as for the next few moments my ears were assailed by angry words in Japanese coming from all of the teens, who were now just as pissed off at me as Yuriko had been earlier.

I swear, I couldn't think of a time ever in my life, that I had ever been the focus of so much rage before, in one day.

But as much as it sucked to be me right now, it was all part of the plan, and all I could do now was let the kids expend their rage at me until I could finally tell them the "final option", which I hoped would finally settle the matter, at last.

All things considered, the plan was going along just fine which was a small miracle for me, since most of the plans I've ever made in my life usually end up falling flat on their face.

But then to my horror, even this plan almost seemed like it was in jeopardy and was in danger of falling apart too when I suddenly noticed that Saya had stopped screaming at me and was now staring at me silently with a funny look on her face.

"Oh shit." I thought to myself believing that the hot-headed little genius had finally figured out what I was up to. "Why is she looking at me like that?"

"Everyone stop talking!" Saya said as I held my breath, dreading what the pink-haired volcano was going to say next as everyone suddenly became real quiet, as a really weird look came over Saya's face.

"Hmmmm,….he's in trouble now." Soichiro mumbled under his breath upon noticing the way his daughter was staring at the American, as Yuriko nodded her head.

"So, ne?" Yuriko replied with a deep sigh as she and her husband waited for the American's hastily made plan to come falling apart around his ears as Saya began to speak.

As frustrating as raising their teenage daughter could be with her legendary nasty temper, there was no denying that when Saya was finally able to overcome her rage, she could be the most cold, calculating, and manipulative person, that either adult had ever known.

And now that Saya had apparently gotten over her initial anger, the other side of her personality that scared even her own parents had now taken over.

And the plan that the American had been skillfully directing the teenagers towards, now seemed doomed to fail.

"Jimu-san…." Saya said as she suddenly began speaking in a well composed manner like a lawyer in a court case about to drop a proverbial bomb upon a criminal on trial, just before he was then dragged off screaming to the gallows.

"I distinctly remember you saying that Komuro-kun was the real leader of the group, neh, Jimu-san….?" Saya said with a wicked smile on her face. "And you also said that Busujima-sempai was his second-in-command?"

"Yes I did." The American replied narrowing his eyes as he obviously sensed a trap that the teen was obviously setting up for him.

"And you said that you were just the "advisor" and that Komuro-kun and Busujima-sempai were the ones who really called the shots, for the rest of the group."

"And your point, Pumpkin?" The American said through gritted teeth, his patience with Saya visibly wearing thin.

"My point is, we'll take your so-called "advice" under "advisement" Jimu-san, but since Komuro-kun is our real leader, we'll do whatever Komuro-kun says we should do." Saya said curtly as she adjusted her glasses and grinned evilly in triumph.

"Takagi!" Takashi said in horror as Saya shot an angry glance at him for him to remain silent as everyone then noticed a smirk forming on the American's face.

"Is that so?" The American said with a chuckle as he gazed upon the teens who suddenly began to grow nervous at the man's strange reaction to Saya's challenge.

"So desu." Saya said grinning haughtily back at the man, not shaken by the man's nonchalant response.

"That the way the rest of you feel, too?" Jim said as the rest of the teens looked at him with defiance still in their eyes.

"Hai!" Rei said hotly as Takashi glanced over at her in surprise at her visible contempt for the American.

"Hai." Kouta said timidly looking away as Takashi glanced over at him next, shocked that his friends were actually being so defiant.

"Saeko?" The American said looking over at Saeko as she looked at him briefly and then lowered her eyes. "How do you feel about all this, sweetie?"

"Gomen nasai, Jimu-san." Saeko said feeling slightly ashamed as she gazed upon the faces of all of her friends.

"But I'm afraid I have to agree with Takagi-san." Saeko said quietly as Saya and Rei stared at the American with looks of triumph on their faces.

"I see." The American said staring back at the teens with the grin still plastered on his face.

"Hmmm, I expected a much better argument from your daughter, than that." Soichiro said with a frown. "That was not quite at all what I expected her to say."

"So did I." Yuriko admitted a touch of disappointment in her voice. "Her frustration must be affecting her ability to think clearly."

"So it would seem." Soichiro agreed as Yuriko suddenly whirled upon him.

"What do you mean, my daughter?!" Yuriko said in a huff as Soichiro held his hand up and pointed to the American as the man began to speak again.

"Well kiddos, since all of you are determined to follow Takashi and leave this place no matter what I say, then let's just see how well all of you did on your very first mission together without any adult supervision, shall we?" The American said as he reached his hand out towards Kouta.

"Kouta, let me see that shotgun you're holding, son." Jim said holding out his hand as Kouta gingerly handed him the shotgun, while also trying not to drop the other weapons he held in his hands at the same time.

"Ithaca M37 pump-action shotgun." The American said examining the shotgun he took from Kouta. "12 gauge, pump-action. And this particular model carries five rounds in the tube and one extra in the chamber if I remember correctly."

"Hai, it was very popular with the American Army during the Vietnam War." Kouta said beaming with pride on his vast knowledge of weaponry.

"Well that makes sense; I'd agree that it's not a bad weapon for close-quarters fighting." The American said as he brought the shotgun to his shoulder.

"Would be a great weapon to have too, it weren't for the fact that it's completely empty." Jim said as he lowered the shotgun and racked the action of the weapon back and forth three times before holding it out in front of Kouta with the breech open to prove that it was indeed, unloaded.

"And that being the case, the only thing it's good for in its present state, is if you used it as a club." The American said with a frown as he unceremoniously tossed the shotgun to the ground as Kouta stared at him in shock for discarding the weapon as if it were mere refuse, as the American then grabbed one of the rifles that Kouta held.

"Springfield Super Match M1A1." The American said examining the rifle closely as if he were a drill sergeant inspecting a trooper's weapons.

"And this one has been upgraded with a new synthetic stock, Surefire M900 weaponlight, Aimpoint Red Dot sight, and even a bayonet to boot." Jim said as he hefted the rifle with a frown forming on his face.

"Hmmmm,….." The man said scratching his head as Kouta began to perspire. "Thought they stopped making these with the bayonet lug attached, back in 94" during the ban?"

"Ah well, I'm not a big fan of these myself, but it's a proven battle rifle and would have served you well." The American said with a frown as he removed the magazine of the rifle.

"If not for the fact that it, like the shotgun, is empty." The American said in mock horror as he casually tossed the magazine of the rifle onto the ground and then pulled back on the charging handle of the rifle.

"And duh,… no round in the chamber, either." Jim said shaking his head as he laid the rifle on the ground next to the shotgun and then grabbed the sniper rifle away from Kouta, whose face had now turned ashen in appearance.

"SOCOM Mk 11 Mod 0 sniper rifle." Kouta then heard the American say as he dropped the rifle's magazine from its magwell.

"This one seems to be set up in the usual standard U.S. Military sniper configuration, with Leupold Mark IV mil-dot tactical scope, 20-round magazine, and Harris bipod." The American said as Kouta watched Jim closely examining the sniper rifle.

"Actually, it's just an AR-10 fixed up to look like an SR-25." Kouta said meekly looking anxiously at the man while he inspected Kouta's favorite weapon.

"Nope, it's genuine alright." The American said shaking his head. "This is an actual Mk 11 by the fact that it has a 20 inch barrel versus the 24" inch barrel you would normally see on the Knight's Armament Company SR-25 rifle."

"And there's something else…" The American said scratching his head as a smile began to form on his face as Kouta felt a lump forming in his throat.

"Wha-what's that?" Kouta asked feeling light-headed.

"The stamp marks on this rifle have all been intentionally milled off." The American replied grinning broadly.

"What's that mean?" Saya asked curious as she, like the other teens began to grow worried as to the whole point of the American's "inspection."

"It means that this rifle's serial numbers and other identifying marks have been intentionally ground off thereby "sterilizing" it so that no one will be able to tell where this was made, or who it belonged to originally, Pumpkin." Jim said glancing over at Saya.

"Seems like Shizuka's friend must have "acquired" this rifle by some sort of "questionable" means, and didn't want it traced back to its original owner if it was ever discovered in her possession." The American added admiring the heavy rifle.

"And I'm venturing to guess that the original owner of this rifle was more than likely, United States Military." The American said with a smirk as Kouta stared at the rifle in the Americans hands more closely.

"Which means either someone in some U.S. Military armory "sterilized" this weapon for use in covert operations overseas….." Jim added as he brought the rifle to his shoulder and peered through the scope.

"Or more than likely, Shizuka's buddy must have milled them off herself." The American said as he scanned the other houses nearby with the rifle scope.

"Can't say as I blame her though…." Jim added as he lowered the rifle and then hefted it, visibly impressed with its balance. "If I was able to get my hands on a rifle like this, I'd be sure to remove any official markings, too."

"And wattayaknow, empty." The American said after removing the magazine from the rifle and then tossing it to the ground as he then pulled back on the charging handle and checked the chamber, as a strangled noise escaped from Kouta's lips.

"And just like all the others, unloaded and therefore, useless as a fighting weapon." Jim said in disgust as Kouta suddenly screamed shrilly as the American was about to toss the rifle to the ground.

"Just kidding." The American said with a wide grin as he carefully passed the rifle back to Kouta who looked like he was about to have a stroke as Shizuka glared angrily at Jim for scaring the teen, while Saya looked at Kouta with disgust as he was hugging his rifle like a newborn infant.

"Geez, did you have to scream like a little girl?!" Saya snapped in disgust. "What kind of man are you?!"

"Don't be too hard on him Pumpkin….." The American interrupted as Saya continued to glare at Kouta with disgust.

"In its current configuration, it's easily an eight thousand dollar rifle. And I'd have screamed my head off too if I saw somebody flinging it to the ground like it was nothing." Jim said chuckling as Kouta looked up and glared at him.

"Anyway, congratulations you two….." Jim said in a sarcastic tone as Saya and Kouta then turned to face him.

"Both of ya'll succeeded in one part of your task which I'm assuming was "Weapons Detail"…." The American said as his face suddenly became serious.

"But ya'll evidently got so excited about grabbing the guns and high-tailing out of here, that ya'll obviously didn't think about the fact that the guards may have thought to unload the guns before putting them in storage, didn't you?"

"Hai…." Kouta said lowering his head as he and Saya blushed beet-red with embarrassment.

"Didn't it even occur to you guys to maybe grab some extra ammo on the way out?" Jim said shaking his head as Saya's face turned even redder, but no longer because of embarrassment.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT?!" Saya exploded as she gave Kouta the stink-eye. "I'M NO GUN OTAKU, LIKE FATTY HERE!"

"How was I supposed to know we didn't have any bullets?!" Saya said lowering her voice as the American snapped his fingers at her to quiet down.

"The two of you were a team…." The American replied in a stern voice. "And since both of you were a team, both of you should have known exactly what you were doing before you started out on your task, therefore minimizing any chance of overlooking something."

"But you didn't, and so basically you and your friends would have ended up with nothing more than very expensive clubs to hold the beasties at bay with." Jim said giving the teens a stern look as they all looked at each other with looks of both embarrassment at having overlooked such an important detail as ammo for their weapons.

"Weapons detail…" The American said in in a serious tone. "Mission,….. failure."

"That's Strike One." Jim said sternly as he then turned his attention to Takashi and Rei.

"Alright you two, let's see how the both of you did." The American said pointing at the two teens. "What was your assignment?"

"We were supposed to get food from the kitchen." Rei said hesitantly as she pointed to a canvas bag lying on the ground that one of the guards had left behind, as she then looked over at Takashi for support, who was already looking like he wanted to run away.

"Food?" Jim said as his eyebrows rose in curiosity.

"Hmmm,… this ought to be good." The American said as he picked up the canvas bag Rei had pointed to and shook it.

"Feels kinda light as far as provisions for five teenagers go….." The man said frowning as he opened the top of the bag and peered inside, and then suddenly began to laugh as Rei and Takashi's shoulders drooped.

"Sorry about your lawn, folks..." The American said speaking to Saya's parents as he unceremoniously dumped the entire contents of the canvas bag onto the ground as everyone gasped in shock.

"But all of you need to see this." Jim said chuckling as Saya's parents and Shizuka leaned forward and then shook their heads in disbelief at the contents lying on the ground.

"Let's see here…" The American said pushing items around as everyone watched him while Rei and Takashi turned beet red from embarrassment. "A few rice balls wrapped in tissue paper…. some bean cakes also wrapped in tissue paper … a few celery sticks in a baggie… another plastic baggie full of uncooked rice,…. a tin of hard candy,…. some sort of green stuff in a jar…."

"Miso paste." Rei replied glancing over at Takashi and making a face as he tried to avoid her stare. "For making soup."

"Uh-huh…"The American said with a smirk on his face. "Did you think about bringing a few bottles of water and a pot to cook it in, sweetie?"

"Uhm ….no, I didn't think about that." Rei replied sheepishly as the American tossed the jar to the ground and shook his head as he reached for another item lying on the ground.

"What the heck is this?" Jim said pulling up an opaque plastic bag full of small orange colored objects as he peered at the contents inside and then made a face.

"It's a snack called, Tamagogani ." Rei said growing angry with Takashi for not saying anything. "They're dried Hermit crabs."

"Ewwwww." The American said dropping the bag as Alice began to laugh at the face the man made as he wiped his hands on his robe and then reached for a medium-size container and pulled off the lid.

"Oh geeeeeez…!" The American said making a gagging noise as he quickly closed the lid.

"I've smelled decomposed bodies that smell nicer than this." Jim said making a face. "What the hell is that?"

"Natto." Saeko replied giggling along with the others at the man's reaction. "Fermented soy beans."

'Geez,….haven't ya'll kids heard of bean dip?" The American said as he rummaged through the last items on the ground.

"A few packets of dried fruit,… and of course, several boxes of Pocky." The American said as he identified the last few items left on the ground as he grabbed one of the boxes of the ever-popular Japanese cookie snack and held it up for Saya's parents to see, before facing the teens.

"Gee, didn't see that coming." Jim said with heavy sarcasm at the teens as he rolled his eyes and then tore open one of the boxes and pulled out one of the chocolate covered cookie sticks and offered one to Alice who took it timidly, before sticking one in his own mouth, letting it hang like a cigarette.

"Yup, all the nutritional requirements needed to sustain the average high school student for an expedition through the valley of death…." Jim said sarcastically as he sucked on the chocolate of the Pocky stick.

"For about two hours." Jim said shaking his head as he bit down on the Pocky stick, crunching it between his teeth before grabbing another, and then handing the entire box to Alice as she then happily began to munch on another of the chocolate-covered snacks.

"I guess this would all be great for a snack or maybe a casual lunch…" The American said rolling his eyes again. "But as far as meeting any type of serious nutritional requirements for a group of five teenagers traveling for an undetermined amount of time in hostile territory,….."

"Not even close,….." Jim said as he looked at Takashi and Rei with a frown as they hung their heads.

"Provisions Detail….." The American said staring at Takashi and Rei as they hung their heads.

"Mission,…failure." Jim said with a frustrated sigh as he then looked over at Saeko as a pained expression began to form on her face.

"Strike two." Jim said as he stood up from kneeling on the ground and turned to face Saeko.

"What was your assignment, Saeko?" I asked knowing how humiliating this must all be to the teens as Saeko lowered her eyes.

But as hard as it was for me to see the downcast looks of disappointment and embarrassment on each of their faces, it was absolutely necessary in order to drive the point home as to just how ill-prepared the teens were for the horrors going on outside.

And even more importantly, I also hoped that perhaps by some chance they would be swayed from even trying at all to look for their parents on their own and let the JSDF find their families for them, even though the chances of that happening were practically nil.

But that still didn't make what I was doing any easier as I gazed upon their humiliated faces.

"I had volunteered to drive all of us out of here in the Humvee, since I'm the only one who knows how to drive." Saeko said looking embarrassed.

"But I could not find the keys anywhere…" Saeko continued. "And I was still looking for them in the garage when Komuro-kun and Miyamoto-san arrived, before we were captured."

"I see." I said stopping myself from chuckling at what Saeko had said.

"Saeko-chan…." I said gently so as not to embarrass her too much.

"The reason you couldn't find any keys is because the Humvee over there is the Military version and doesn't use keys to start it, to begin with." I explained as Saeko looked up at me in surprise as her cheeks blushed a deep red.

"And even if ya'll did manage to get the Humvee started…." I continued as Saeko stared down at the ground again, too embarrassed to look me in the face. "How were you going to get past all of the guards, or the gate if it was closed?"

When Saeko didn't offer a reply, I began to realize that I was in danger of pushing her and the rest of the teens too far by pointing out all the mistakes they had made.

And the danger was that if I did push them too far, it would only serve to make the teens miss the point that I was trying to make if they started to believe that all I was interested in was humiliating them.

It had not been my intent to embarrass the kids or make them feel stupid like some adults believe is the proper way of disciplining their children, similar to the way the Military trains its recruits by tearing the recruit down mentally, physically, and emotionally, and then building them up again as part of their fighting force.

It works in the Military, but doesn't always work so well in rearing children, and using "military-style" discipline to force the teens to see my point of view here was not my goal with the teens at all.

My real goal here was to make the teens realize for themselves just how badly things could have gone wrong for them, because like me so many years ago when I had run away from home, they too had let their anger and frustration get the best of them and had acted too hastily, without thinking things through.

Fortunately for them, they were now learning the error of their ways, but even though I could visibly see that the teens seemed to understand just how reckless they had been, I still needed to make sure that they would never attempt something like this again.

Saeko stared at the ground too embarrassed to speak, as she felt the American eyes staring at her as he waited for an answer as Saeko mentally cursed herself for having been so foolish.

As much as she and each of her friends hated to admit it, they had indeed, all been much too hasty in their desire to leave the mansion and had implemented their plan not just recklessly, but stupidly.

And now each of teens heads were hanging in embarrassment as the American pointed out each mistake that they had all made.

Mistakes that could have been potentially fatal for all of them.

And as the uncomfortable silence continued, Saeko felt a shiver running through her body as the American continued to watch her silently, reminding her of the many times her father had scolded her whenever she had made a mistake during her sessions with him during the early days of her kenjutsu training, when she was still a child.

Her father's scolding's that followed whenever she had made a mistake had always been firm, but never harsh, and the only reason Saeko had ever cried later after practice was over, was not due to her father's rebukes,….

But instead, the real reason for Saeko's tears was due to her own frustration with herself for believing she had failed her father's expectations, even though her father would always deny it.

But the truth was, the American wasn't really scolding her, and his words to her had not been harsh in any way at all.

But for some unexplained reason, the way the man was staring at her now without saying anything, was making Saeko feel extremely uncomfortable, and for Saeko his silence was now almost cutting as deeply into her heart as when he had been shouting at her earlier as Saeko to her horror, suddenly felt her eyes beginning to tear.

"Let me guess….." The American said as Saeko raised her head slightly and noticed him lift his head up and look up at the sky as he then closed his eyes as if he were in deep thought, as Saeko quickly wiped her eyes hoping no one had noticed.

"Everyone was going to climb into the Humvee and then you were going to put the "pedal to the metal" and blow past all of the guards, and be on your merry way to freedom before anyone could stop you, am I right?" Jim said opening his eyes as he gazed upon all of the teens with a sad smile on his face.

"Hai." Saeko said her lowering her head and staring at the ground again as the American shook his head and let out another long, tired sigh.

"Yeah, that would have worked right up until all of ya'll slammed head-on into that steel gate at the Main entrance." The American said as Saeko felt another wave of embarrassment wash over her.

"And even if you managed to get past that gate somehow without killing yourselves, you would have been stopped cold by that road block up the road with those concrete barriers closing off the street, which you guys obviously forgot all about."

"How did you know about that?" Saya said with surprise. "Your eyes were all swollen shut and you couldn't see."

"I'm quite familiar with the sounds of heavy construction equipment, Pumpkin." Jim said in reply as he glanced at Saya. "And I recognized the sounds of the forklift as it picked up the concrete divider that was blocking our path, and also when I heard the back-up alarm sounding as moved it out of our way."

"And that's how I know that if you guys had tried to drive through that road block, those guys would have never been able to get that thing out of the way before you kids splattered yourselves all over it." Jim said with a scowl as Saeko and the others glanced at each other in resignation.

"That's why I wish they never made "Grand Theft Auto." The American said in disgust as he shook his head. "Back home every teenager thinks that he can go off and steal a car and get away with all the same crap you see in that stupid game."

"And it's all fun and games until someone dies for real and only then does reality hit them after they watch their best friends being cut out of the car, piece-by-piece." Jim said as he looked at Saeko who averted her face from his gaze.

"Acquiring transport,…" I said with a heavy sigh as my heart sank at seeing Saeko's shoulders droop even further as she steeled herself for what I was about to say next.

"Mission….Failure." I said cursing myself inwardly for what I knew had to be done, but hating myself nonetheless. "Strike Three."

"I told you before guys, this isn't a game!" I said sternly as I eyeballed each of the teens as they all hung their heads embarrassed.

"And because this isn't a game, you're screw-up wouldn't have cost you a "time-out", kids." I said pausing dramatically in order for my words to sink in. "All of you would have been just plain old, dead."

"And like I said earlier whether you like it or not…." I went on satisfied that my point had been made and the kids now completely understood not to ever repeat the same mistake again.

"If those guards hadn't stopped you when they did, then "dead" is exactly what all of you would be right now." I said as I gave the kids a very disappointed look like a father scolding his children for misbehaving.

Even though it hadn't been my intention to humiliate the teens, I had to admit; the humiliation that they were feeling right now was a small price to pay, since a little embarrassment was nothing in comparison to what could have happened to them.

"So I'm a bad leader, then." Takashi suddenly said out loud bitterly, expecting me to begin chewing him and all the others out now, which I suppose most people would have done exactly that, if they had been in my place.

But that just wasn't my style.

"Son, if I thought that, I would have never trusted you to be the leader of this group in the first place." I said to Takashi as I walked over and placed my hand on his shoulder and looked him in the face.

"No, you're a good leader, son." I said trying to bring his spirits back up.

"Despite the fact you were doing something that I wholeheartedly disapprove of, the way you planned it was actually pretty good." I said as I patted him on the shoulder as he looked up at me quizzically.

"But it was the execution of your plan that was poorly done." I added. "And that was because all of you have no experience in things such as this, not to mention the fact that all of you were very upset at the time, too."

"And trying to do anything as risky as this when your emotions are running out of control at the same time, is just asking for disaster." I said as I reflected on my own reckless flight from home so many years ago.

"Whenever you guys do anything as high risk as what ya'll attempted to do today, there are many things to consider before you act." I said as the teens began to listen more intently.

"Like what?" Rei asked in a much milder tone, her attitude towards me having changed dramatically.

"For starters, whenever you plan an escape from any facility, you need to take into account a number of factors…." I began. "Ya'll's main concern was weapons, food, transportation and not much else."

"And while you started off good with the basics….." I said pointing to the guns and the snacks lying on the ground.

"Guns without ammo are obviously useless, and food that won't last you more than a day won't get you very far unless you can find more at someplace that hasn't been ransacked already by every panicked civilian looting everything in sight…"I pointed out as I looked over towards the direction of the garage where the Humvee was being kept.

"And having your own transportation is great, but not if you don't know anything about the vehicle you plan to use in the first place, much less how to find fuel for it, or make emergency repairs if it ever breaks down on you."

"And even if you have everything you need to survive out there…" I said pointing out towards the city where many areas were still visibly burning from the pillars of smoke that were drifting lazily into the sky.

"All that gear means nothing if you can't even get out of the very complex you're trying to escape from, in the first place." I said placing my hands on my hips and shaking my head again.

"This mansion is not just any old house, kids." I said continuing my lecture with the teens. "This is the home of a political representative of the Japanese Government."

"And while at first glance, it appears to be nothing more than a beautiful mansion." I added as I gestured toward the sprawling mansion. "You always have to assume that the residences of most politicians and diplomats have extreme security measures in place, and are usually built in such a way to withstand a potential terrorist attack."

"Huh?" Saya asked confused as I found myself chuckling at her ignorance.

"After all these years of living here, you're not even aware of how the Security is set up in your own home, Pumpkin?" I asked although I already knew her answer.

"I know we have a lot of guards around here." Saya said pouting. "But what's so great about this place?"

"Well in this case, you guys might have wanted to consider how to defeat the Security of this place first, before you tried to make your escape, guys." I said in reply as I pointed to the roof of the mansion.

"I know we've only been here a couple of day's guys, but in all the time we've been here, haven't any of you noticed those cameras on top of the roof?" I replied as the teens looked up to where I was pointing and noticed the multiple security cameras slowly sweepin the grounds of the mansion.

"Those cameras are strategically placed at an elevated level so that they can cover the grounds as well as get a good vantage point for anyone approaching from afar." I said realizing by the looks on the faces of the teens including Saya, that they had all been so hell-bent on leaving the mansion, that they had never even given a second thought on how to avoid the mansion's security measures.

"Those are the obvious ones…." I added as the teens listened intently now that they were beginning to realize just how much they had missed during their plan to escape.

"There are also several mounted around the grounds in strategic places all around so that every inch of this place is being watched as we speak." I went on as I then pointed to a landscaper's shed where a series of small cameras had been mounted on each corner.

"And in case you don't know, those cameras are also equipped for nighttime use so you guys would have been spotted, even if you tried to escape at night." I said as I heard Saya grumbling something under her breath.

"And it's a no-brainer that a place like this has motion detectors that will set off all the alarms and all the outside perimeter lights of this place if an intruder is detected on the grounds at night." I said as Saya stuck out her lower lip.

"And as far as crashing that gate…." I added smirking as I scratched the back of my head. "Well, even though that gate wasn't really wasn't designed to withstand being rammed by a really heavy, fast moving vehicle like the Humvee, it would have still caused heavy damage to it regardless, and pretty soon you'd be dead in the water."

"How do you know all of this?" Soichiro suddenly interrupted, apparently having overheard me as he and everyone then waited for me to answer.

"As soon as I was able to stand up and walk outside the balcony of my room, I was already looking for the weak spots of this place." I replied to Saya's father with a grin on my face. "And it took me all but a couple minutes to figure out the layout and what ya'll's security set-up was like in this place."

"You're certainly very observant." Soichiro said sounding slightly impressed although you couldn't tell it from looking at him with that deep scowl of his.

"I was trained to always be aware of your surroundings, no matter where you are, especially if the place is not familiar to you and you need to get out fast." I replied as I began to reminisce about the time I was first taught that very important lesson.

Leave it to Kouta though, to spoil what few fond memories I had of my past life as a fireman with his own far-fetched ideas of my non-existent Military background.

"Did you learn all that in the SEAL's?" Kouta asked trying to catch the American off guard as the man immediately flashed him an annoyed look.

"For the love of…..!" Jim snapped but then shook his head before he could respond.

"Aw, forget it." The American said. "Not even worth trying to convince him otherwise, anymore."

"No…" Jim said in reply. "I learned that as a firefighter."

"Really?" Yuriko said surprised as Kouta's face dropped in disappointment. "They taught you how to look for Security leaks in the Fire Service?"

"Not quite, Yuriko-san." The American replied with a chuckle as he began to explain.

"Part of our job in the Fire Department was to do what we call a "pre-plan", which was where an Engine Company would be assigned to visit a government, commercial, or privately owned facility in their "district" and get a layout of the building."

The point of doing all that was so that we would know exactly where any hazards existed inside the facility, in case of a fire or accident."

"And as we walked through the entire complex, we would always make a sketch of the interior layout of the building and label where the sprinkler rooms, fire exits, hazardous materials storage, elevators, and anything else we needed to know about the building and the surrounding area."

"And then after we had done all that we would then head back to the station and load all that information up into a computer program so that in case we ever made a call there, we had all the information we needed to know about the place and a detailed diagram of the interior and exterior as well." The American continued as everyone listened intently with keen interest.

"I always made it a habit even when I was off duty, that whenever I stayed in a hotel, went to a movie theater, or went anywhere where I knew a large number of people would be gathered, I would always make it a point to know where every fire alarm, fire exit, fire extinguisher, *AED, or standpipe hookup was so that if something happened, I knew what to do."

*(Automated External Defibrillator)

"And I've also been in enough secured facilities and private homes with high-end security devices and armed security personnel around to recognize a set-up like this one as well." The American said finally.

"Of course,…." Jim added with a chuckle. "It also helps to be best friends with the guy who helped your Security staff set up all this in the first place."

"So Andrew-san told you about this place before?" Soichiro said his eyebrows rising.

"No." The American replied being serious. "I've never seen or heard about this place until ya'll brought me here."

"Andy did teach me what to look for in places like this, which I didn't learn about as a fireman." The American added. "But it wasn't that hard to figure out anyway, once I got a good view of the layout."

"Hmmph….." Saya snorted scornfully.

"So you realized this place is basically a prison,..." Saya mumbled under her breath. "Big deal, I could have told you that."

Unfortunately, either Saya hadn't realized that she had spoken a bit louder than she thought she had, or she just didn't care, because I had heard her scornful remark loud and clear, and judging by the way her parents bristled, apparently they had heard her, too.

"Saya….." I said raising my hand up to the Takagi's and shaking my head before they could go off on their hot-headed daughter and disrupt the temporary peace I had achieved. "Walk with me, sweetie."

"Why, what's wrong?" Saya asked evidently oblivious that her parents and I had heard her.

"I just want to say something to you privately, hon." I replied as I gestured for her to follow me as we walked a few yards away from the others so we wouldn't be overheard as I then stopped and turned to face her.

"Look Pumpkin, you and I have had some ups and downs, ever since we first met…." I began as I looked into the teen's bewildered face. "And I regret that because I really do like you a lot sweetie, and I really want us to be friends."

"But as your friend,…" I continued lowering my voice. "I'm very worried about you because I see the same anger in you that I had for my own father for many years."

"And that anger I had for my dad brought out the worst in me Saya." I said hoping that for once her bitterness toward her parents wouldn't cloud her judgment right now.

"And it's taken me a long time to get rid of that hate, sweetie." I said placing my hand on Saya's shoulder as she looked like she wanted to say something, but then lowered her head instead.

"There are times when even I can't stop that anger from resurfacing again, as all of you saw earlier, Saya." I said as Saya looked up at me again. "And I hate the thought of you having to live with that same ugliness in your heart and having to suffer with it every day like I do, Pumpkin."

"And as much as I realize that you may have your reasons for being angry with your parents, there's something I want you to realize before it's too late, hon."

"What's that?" Saya said her voice for once, full of anger.

"I don't know the circumstances under which you live, Pumpkin." I said to Saya as she listened to me quietly. "But when I saw the look in your mother's eyes when she saw you being taken away, they were the same as my own mother's when I returned home after running away."

"And even though it'd probably take a jackhammer to change that look on your father's face, I know he was scared to death, when he thought he was going to lose you too." I added as I noticed Saya struggling to control her emotions as I saw her eyes beginning to tear.

"You don't know that." Saya said her scowl completely disappeared. "They're always trying to control me."

"You're their only child sweetie.' I replied realizing that despite her usually strong persona, she was a lot more vulnerable than she let on. "Of course they're strict; they don't want to lose you."

"But it's not fair!" Saya said exasperated as I patted her shoulder so she would settle down.

"People who are the parents of only one child have a tendency to smother their children, hon." I said with a smirk. "And with the way things are now and after everything that's happened, it's only natural that they want to keep you close."

"Close, so they can control me?" Saya snapped again, although this time it obviously wasn't out of anger as she turned her head so I couldn't see her face.

"Close, because they don't want to ever be apart from you again, Pumpkin." I replied gently so as not to push her emotions too far. "Because for the last few days they didn't even know you were even alive, honey."

"If that's true, then where were they when I was all alone out there?!" Saya demanded although there was no longer any anger in her voice.

"Searching frantically for you, like any good parent would…." I replied trying to be very careful with what I said next, lest I screw up this little heart-to-heart talk with Saya, and make things worse again.

"Remember hon, your father did go searching for you despite all those thousands of Infected in the city." I continued as Saya stood there silently staring at the ground again, while I spoke.

"And then when your father finally realized that you were somewhere else, your mom wasted no time in organizing a rescue party and running off to find you, despite the fact that everyone she took with her didn't know the first thing about performing a rescue."

"That's not my fault!" Saya suddenly shouted startling everyone, including me. "I didn't ask them to do that!"

"No one is saying it's your fault, Pumpkin." I said placing my hand on Saya's shoulder again as she finally calmed down again. "What I'm saying is, despite what you think, your mom and dad love you very much, and you are very precious to them."

"Until you're a parent yourself sweetie, it'd be very hard for me to explain to you with just words." I said as Saya looked up at me, her eyes definitely getting misty.

"But believe me as an adult; it's hard not to be overprotective sometimes when we're afraid for our loved ones." I added.

"I know they love me." Saya said removing her glasses so she could wipe her eyes. "But I don't understand why they're so strict with me all the time."

"Why don't you ask them, Pumpkin?" I said gesturing to her parents who were still standing anxiously nearby, no doubt more than a little worried after seeing Saya's outburst, and especially after noticing the tears falling down her face.

"Despite everything that's happened, believe me sweetie; they're scared to death right now." I said as Saya looked back at me with disbelief written all over her face. "And trust me when I tell you that all they want is for you to be with them."

"You think so?" Saya asked worriedly as she cast a quick glance over at her parents.

"Why do you think your mother wanted to kill me earlier, Pumpkin?" I said with a chuckle.

"As soon as I even mentioned the idea of taking you with us out there to find Takashi and Rei's parents, your mom flipped out at the mere thought of you being taken away from her again." I said as Saya began to smile as she wiped her face again, and sniffed.

"And your dad couldn't agree with me fast enough about leaving with the others as long as you stayed behind, so yeah, I'd say they really prefer to keep you around." I said as Saya finally laughed a little.

"So why don't you wipe your face and let's go back over there and see if we can't get ourselves out of this mess?" I said as Saya nodded her head and wiped her eyes.

"And after we get that mess all cleared up…." I continued. "Let's see if we can do something about getting your parents to understand more about the way you feel about the way they treat you, okay?"

"I don't know." Saya said worriedly, her anger at her parents now replaced with fear and worry.

"Don't worry, Saya." I said trying to reassure her. "Your parents and I had a very long talk about the way they've been treating you."

"And believe me when I tell you hon, that things are going to be a lot different for all of you from now on."

"What makes you so sure?" Saya said frowning for once out of worry, than anger.

"Let's just say that your mom and dad's eyes have been opened big time by what happened today…" I said glancing over at Saya's parent's.

"And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at just how much they've changed their attitude towards you and the others."

"You really mean that?" Saya asked in disbelief.

"Of course…" I said snickering. "Although I'm pretty sure, I'm still on your dad's shit list."

"Why do you say that?" Saya said giggling.

"Well, why else do you think your dad's been gripping the handle of his katana so tightly?" I said as Saya began to laugh again as we then both walked back to join the others who said nothing as we approached.

"Alright everyone…" I said as I stood in front of the teens again. "My headache's getting worse and I've blathered on long enough, so let's move on shall we?"

"Hai." The teens replied as I then gestured for Saya's parents and Shizuka to once again give us some privacy again as they moved away a few yards so we could continue our discussion.

"Alright guys,….I began again as the teens listened intently with no more visible signs of resentment as they had earlier. "Like I was saying earlier, you have very few options left to after what happened today."

"But I was able to finally reach an agreement with Saya's parents that would allow all of us to find Rei and Takashi's parents and allow Saya to come along as well." I said as the faces of the teens began to brighten again, although they still seemed a little hesitant at getting their hopes up again.

"And the only reason I was able to get them to agree to allow you to come along with us, Pumpkin….." I said as I looked at Saya with a smile. "Is because they have both offered to go with us, as well."

"WHAT?!" Saya shouted apparently shocked by what I had just said as the other teens also looked at me with stunned disbelief on their faces.

"Yeah, I know…" I said scratching my ear. "I was a little shocked myself that they offered to do that when I brought up that idea."

"THAT'S CRAZY!" Saya shouted as her parents frowned obviously offended by her outburst. "Why would they want to do that? Is it because they want to be there to push me around?!"

"Pumpkin,….." I said frowning at Saya after noticing the hurt look on the faces of her parents after overhearing what she had said, Saya's outburst not quite the reaction they were hoping for. "You're taking this all wrong."

"What makes you say that?!" Saya said hotly acting very much like a teenager whose plans for an exciting road trip with her friends had just been ruined by her parents deciding at the last minute to come along, thus spoiling all the fun..

"The reason they want to come with us Pumpkin, is because of what I just told you a minute ago….." I said leaning closer so that I was staring at Saya face-to-face trying to be patient despite Saya's constant mood swings.

"Your parents can't stand the thought of being separated from you again, Saya." I said as Saya's frown disappeared and she turned her head and stared at her parents with a look of shock.

"And they're willing to go through hell and back, if that's what it takes to be near you." I said as Saya seemed to be dumbstruck at what I had just said.

"I realize this is a major shock to all of you…" I said out loud as I then stood up and gazed upon the shocked faces of the rest of the teens who were still very much in shock over the fact that the very people who had tried to imprison them earlier, were now offering to help them.

"But there's something I want all of you to understand before any of you say anything else." I said as the teens turned to face me again.

"As things stand right now, the odds are stacked up even higher against than before of any of us of having any chance of survival out there, much less being successful finding Rei and Takashi's families."

"And as you've come to realize after all that's happened today, you can't afford to make any mistakes out there." I added as the teens hung their heads.

"Things were bad enough the first two days of the Outbreak….." I continued as the teens looked at each other grimly.

"But today marks the fourth day since all this horror happened and I can't even imagine how worse it's gotten since then." I pointed out as I gazed at their faces.

"I still believe that going out there alone is suicide, and that waiting for the JSDF is the best way to go about finding your families….." I said as I saw Rei and Takashi frown slightly at my words.

"But if you insist on going, then I highly suggest that you take Mr. and Mrs. Takagi's offer to go with us." I said as I pointed at Saya's parents.

"Because regardless of how you feel about them, they really do have your best interests at heart." I added as I glanced over at Saya's parents who were anxiously waiting to see how the teens would respond.

"And even though they're as much against this plan as I am, they are now willing to help you, despite the extreme risk that this "rescue" plan of yours will put on their own lives, as well as Saya's." I said as I took a step toward the teens and looked each of them in the eye before I continued.

"This isn't like Mr. and Mrs. Takagi are gonna be driving Saya and the rest of you to the movies or to the mall, guys." I said in a serious tone. "They are risking their lives and the life of their only daughter by offering to come with us."

"I don't know of anyone else in this world that would ever put their lives, not to mention the lives of their own family at risk the way those people over there are doing for you, guys." I said giving the teens a hard look hoping they understood the enormity of what Yuriko and Soichiro were willing to do for them.

"So you guys might want to consider that seriously, and maybe a show a little appreciation for what they're offering to do." I said as the teens looked first at me, and then back at Saya's parents, the weight of the Takagi's selfless sacrifice finally beginning to sink in as they the all bowed respectfully to Saya's parents.

"However, in order for you to receive their help and mine, it would also require strict adherence to the terms that Saya's parents and I have agreed upon." I said crossing my arms in front of my chest again as the teens looked at me with renewed alarm.

"And those terms are not negotiable…." I added as the teens looked at each other worriedly, each of them sensing a trap as Saeko stepped forward.

"What terms are you speaking of, Jimu-san?" Saeko asked cautiously.

"I cannot divulge that information unless all of you agree to them, first." I said as all of the teens reacted to my words as if they had been struck.

I had known since the beginning that the teens would be extremely frustrated with me when I began talking to them, because I knew that it would seem like I was manipulating them.

And in truth, I really was steering them towards the only two real options left for them.

Because unfortunately, after having argued with Saya's parents on how best to resolve the issue with the teens, we had all finally agreed that there were only four possible outcomes once all was said and done.

One, the teens would realize just how suicidal their plans to find Rei and Takashi's parents would be on their own and let the JSDF do it for them, which we all knew wasn't going to happen based on their behavior so far.

Two, the teens and I would be allowed to go and search for Rei and Takashi's parents with the Takagi's blessing, so long as Saya stayed behind.

Yeah, fat chance of that happening too.

Three, the teens and I, as well as the Takagi's and a few volunteers would strike out in an armed convoy and search for Rei and Takashi's parents.

It was still high risk, but a much better option than just loading the kids up in the Humvee with just an armful of weapons, some supplies, and hoping for the best.

Four, if the teens refused to agree to any of those options, we would then be forced to lock them away, where I would then never see them,….. or Saeko ever again.

But at least they would be safe, and more importantly,….alive.

I didn't want to go into the city, and neither did the Takagi's, but we would do it based on our own personal reasons for wanting to help the teens.

But if the teens didn't agree to the terms that Saya's parents and I had unconditionally demanded….

Well, in that case for them it would then really be… "Game over, man…..Game over".

I was exhausted, and my head hurt like hell, and I was really hoping that the teens would agree to let the JSDF handle the matter, so that we could end this whole nightmare.

But I knew the kids would never agree to that, and neither would they leave Saya behind.

And if there really was no other choice left but for me and Saya's parents to go with the teens into the city, then as much as I hated making the kids feel like I was jerking them around, there was something I needed to hear from them before we went any further.

Once I was able to get a word in edgewise, that is.

"That's not fair!" Rei said exasperated. "How are we supposed to agree to something we know nothing about, if you won't tell us?!"

"Jimu-san, this isn't right!" Takashi said just as hopping mad as Rei was. "How can you expect us to agree to something like that if you won't tell us what it is you want from us?!"

"There are times in life where you have to make decisions with very little to go on but faith, guys." I replied gently, now that the moment of truth had finally come.

"And sometimes when you're not exactly sure what to do in a situation where you have very little information or maybe no clue at all what you're getting involved in, sometimes you have to weigh your options based on nothing but a gut feeling."

"Or in this case,…." I added. "All of you must make your decision based upon whether all of you still trust me or not."

"So tell me,…" I said as I gazed upon the confused and troubled faces of the teens. "Do you trust me….?"

"…..Or not?"

Author's Notes:

This actually wasn't the way I had wanted to end this chapter.

I was trying really hard to wrap up this stand-off between the Takagi's and the teens, and also the tension between Jim and Saeko, as well as introduce the confrontation between Shido and his new followers in this chapter.

Unfortunately that plan was just way too ambitious when I finally saw how little I had completed in almost a month since my last update, and after admitting to myself that it was just far too much material to write in one chapter, I decided to split the chapter in half and post what I have…..again.

The good news is though, that all those subjects will all be resolved in the next half which will be out very soon.

I always knew that this part of the Takagi Manor arc would be the hardest to write since it was difficult for me to try to figure out how Jim would realistically convince someone like the Takagi's to allow their daughter and the other teens to go on a suicidal journey into the city during The Outbreak without having them all placed under house arrest first. And so for a while, I suffered some serious writer's block with this chapter.

I realized I could have just buzzed through this part of the story somehow, but this story is still very special to me and I don't want to half-ass it in any form or fashion.

But eventually, I finally figured out how Jim would convince the Takagi's to let the kids go finally, and after this chapter I'll finally be over "the hump" so to speak, that's been slowing me down so much all this time and everything else should fall in place a lot easier, because I'm extremely anxious to get to the Airport fight/evac with Andrew and Rika and then the fight at Takagi Manor after the EMP.

The next part of this chapter will be posted a lot faster than this one, I promise.

I just needed a little more time to finish the second half, and I'm sorry for the splitting of the chapter and the long delays in posting.

Thank you all for your patience and your continuous support.