42

Last Alarm

Chapter Forty-Two

"Enemy at the Gates"

Part Six

To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.

_Euripides

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Rear of Takagi Manor

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

I was never a gambling man in cards or in life as I was always the type to "play it safe" in everything I did, although that didn't guarantee that everything I had ever planned had ended up working out perfectly in the end.

In truth, some of my most brilliant plans have ended up becoming my most spectacular of failures because I should have trusted in my instincts, instead of trying to plan and control every situation.

And based on my history of successes versus failures in life, you'd have thought I'd have learned my lesson by now.

Nope.

But then again, there was just too much at stake now to gamble on the hope that the kids would be open-minded enough to listen to reason, after all that had happened to them this morning.

Being yelled at was one thing, but being rounded up like a bunch of escaped criminals and threatened with solitary confinement was something else entirely, and there are few people in this world that would trust anyone after experiencing something like that.

And so while I was desperately negotiating with Saya's parents to try to avoid having the teens locked away like condemned prisoners that were about to be sent to Death Row, I had come up with a hastily made plan that I hoped would appease everyone and bring an end to our uneasy situation once and for all.

And then finally after getting approval from Saya's parents to inform the young runaways that their "prison sentence" had been temporarily suspended pending their response to the terms that the Takagi's and I had agreed upon for their release, I then walked over to try to smooth things over with the kids, knowing that what I was about to tell them wasn't going to be received very well by them.

With the stakes as high as they could possibly be, I had then intentionally steered the teens towards the only two realistic choices left that the Takagi's and I had agreed upon, which would leave them with no other choice but to either agree to one of the choices being offered to them… or be placed under house arrest.

Like I had told the Takagi's, I was going to make the teens an offer they couldn't refuse.

It was a low down, dirty thing to do by giving them no other options to choose from, but I knew of no other way to resolve the tense situation.

But to be honest, there was another reason that I was forcing the teens to make a decision now.

I was exhausted physical and mentally, and on top of that my head hurt like hell, and I was really hoping that the teens would give up their insane plan to go find their families and agree to let the JSDF handle the matter so that we could finally end this whole nightmare, and I could grab another mug of coffee and some aspirin and go back to bed.

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

So now there was only one of two choices left, and the last thing any of us wanted was to lock the kids away.

Because for Yuriko, Soichiro, and I, locking the kids away would mean a lot more than just losing their trust.

It would mean losing our "daughters" Saya and Saeko, in the process.

After informing the teens of what Saya's parents and I had discussed and after basically backing them into a corner with only two options left for them, the teens were visibly leaning towards the final option in which Saya's parents had offered to accompany all of us in searching for Rei and Takashi's parents.

It was a suicidal and insane plan, but a far better option than being locked away, at least from the teen's perspective anyway.

Personally, I'd rather have made a HALO jump over downtown Manhattan in heavy fog.

At least I'd have had better odds at surviving that, than what the teens were wanting to do.

But since I knew that there really wasn't going to be much 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 else I needed to hear from them before we went any further.

And in order for me to get that answer, I needed to give the kids to a little "test" to see what was really in their hearts, with the determining factor of what would done after all, based completely on their response.

But from all appearances, things weren't looking so promising, however.

"That's not fair!" Rei shouted in frustration, her eyes ablaze with fury. "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 pissed off as Rei was, and maybe even more. "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 in a gentle tone in an effort to calm everyone down, 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 as the teens all eyed me suspiciously. "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 now confused and troubled faces of the teens. "Do you trust me….?"

"…..Or not?"

And there it was, as simple and as direct a question as they come…would the kids trust me again or wouldn't they?

Unfortunately, from the looks of suspicion and the whispers of distrust being whispered amongst the teens after I had finished speaking, I wasn't all that sure that I was going to get the answer I was hoping for, after all.

And I felt my heart sink after realizing just how much damage had been done to our relationship with each other, all because Saya's father and I had lost our tempers and acted like complete assholes.

Just like the way my father had acted towards me all too frequently, which had resulted in my losing all respect for my father afterwards.

But I was not about to risk failure after all I had done to try to keep the kids from being locked away for their own good just because I had acted stupidly, and it was then that I decided to go for broke and appeal to their hearts….

And as I did, I prayed that whatever the kids decided wouldn't end up with them being taken away where I would never see them…..or Saeko, ever again.

"You kids have been through hell the past few days…." I began as the kids stopped talking amongst themselves and turned their attention towards me as I spoke.

"You've seen horrors of the like that most people would have never imagined seeing in their lifetimes….." I continued as the teens stepped closer to me, listening intently. "And you have all suffered greatly from what's going on as well."

"And at a time when families need to be together the most in order to survive…"I added. "You are instead, separated from yours.

"And now understandably, all you want to do is find them." I said as Rei moved over to Takashi and wrapped both of her arms around right arm, clinging to him for comfort.

"Out of desperation all of you asked for my help, and I let you down…." I said with sincere regret in my voice. "And because of the way you were treated by myself as well as the rest of the adults here, it's completely understandable that all of you are afraid to place any trust in me, or anyone else for that matter."

"But even though it was wrong of me to yell at you the way I did, I want you to understand something guys….." I said as I looked each of the teens in the eye.

"We were scared…." I said matter-of-factly as the teens looked at me with visible surprise all over their faces, evidently shocked to hear me admit to something like that.

"Yuriko, Soichiro, Shizuka, and I were scared…..plain and simple." I said shrugging my shoulders as the teens then looked past me at the rest of the adults standing quietly nearby.

"After all that's happened in the past four days, we were all scared to death that we were going to lose all of you….." I continued as I noticed the teens hanging on to my every word as the angry looks on their faces seemed to soften.

"And the reason we felt that way was because we knew that helping each other to find your families was far more important to all of you than anything else." I added as the teens glanced at each other.

"But we also knew that if you guys tried to go find them on your own, you would all be killed." I said as the teens hung their heads, remembering the errors I had pointed out in their little "plan" to escape the mansion.

"And now after all that's happened, I'm hoping that now all of you can finally understand that we had good reason to be afraid." I said gesturing to the weapons and the pile of snacks lying on the ground as I noticed a couple of the teen's blushing beet-red from embarrassment.

"I can't begin to describe to you guys what it's like to be so afraid for the lives of your children that you'd be willing to do anything, even something questionable like what we have done, to make sure that your children are safe, guys." I added as I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, pointing to Saya's parents.

"And until you guys become parents yourselves, you'll never be able to understand just how horrible that fear can be." I said looking directly at Saeko as she returned my gaze.

"You'll do anything to protect your children, believe me…..." I added as I noticed that even the seemingly permanent scowl on Saya's face had disappeared. "Even if your children don't understand exactly why, you're being so overly-protective."

"I'm not a parent…." I said glancing over at Saeko as she lowered her gaze. "But like I told you guys earlier, that never made any difference in the way I felt about any of you, because I was just as scared as everyone else at the thought of any of you getting hurt."

"And because of that fear, I was even willing to disappear from your lives forever if it meant that all of you would be safe." I added as I noticed Saeko lift her head and stare at me sadly.

"But as it turns out, I was wrong to do that." I said as I began to feel my stomach knotting up at the look Saeko was giving me. "And I'm sorry for how badly everything turned out."

"I know how worried you are about your parents and how much you want to find them as soon as possible…." I said once again looking over at Takashi and Rei. "But I still say that letting the JSDF find them for you is the best option here, and I really wish that you would choose that option…. over anything else."

"But if that is not an option to you, then I need all of you to answer my question….." I said in as serious a tone as I could muster.

"Do you trust me?" I said praying that everything I had said had not been for nothing.

For a long heart-stopping moment there were no words said by anyone as each of the five teenage boys and girls standing in front of me quickly looked back and forth at each other and then back at me as if unsure as to how to reply.

And as each second passed with no response by any of the teens, my anxiety grew that perhaps I had failed in my efforts after all, and that my sincere appeal to the teens to trust in me again had been for nothing.

And like it had been with Alice, my heart sank as I now believed that due to my loss of control with the teens earlier, I had destroyed any chance of ever redeeming myself with the kids.

And worse, if the kids had decided to never trust me again, then it would mean that all bets were off with the Takagi's, and the teens would then be locked away without another word and then handed over to the JSDF at the earliest convenience.

And I would be forever haunted by the faces of those five young people, with eyes filled with nothing but hate for me because of their belief that I had betrayed them.

But even more importantly, I would have lost the one reason I had left for even bothering to want to live any longer…..

"Jimu-san." Takashi said abruptly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Do we have your word that everything you said about helping us is true?"

"Yes, son…." I replied nodding my head, a glimmer of hope beginning to burn within me. "I give you my word that everything I have said is the truth."

"You promise that you will help us find our families and Takagi-san can come with us, if we agree to trust you and agree to your terms?" Rei said looking at me warily, her trust in me still visibly shaken.

"Yes, Rei….." I replied as I felt my spirits began to soar. "I promise that I will help you."

"Or I will die trying." I said with a smirk as I tapped the bandage on my head for emphasis.

"Jimu-san….." Saeko said stepping away from the others as she then stood directly in front of me and looked up into my face as I towered over her.

"Jimu-san, do I have your word that this is not a trick?" Saeko said her eyes pleading as I found myself unable to speak at first because of the way she was looking at me, as I then gently placed both of my hands on each side of her face.

"Saeko, do you remember two days ago when you and I were alone at the top of the hill near the river?" I whispered to Saeko so the others wouldn't hear, as she gazed into my eyes.

"Hai." Saeko replied her sorrowful eyes staring into mine.

"Do you remember what I said about how honored I was to be by your side?" I said as Saeko lowered her gaze as her eyes began to tear.

"Hai." Saeko replied her voice sounding very distant.

"Did you believe my words then, sweetie?" I asked as Saeko then looked up into my face again.

"Hai." Saeko replied as I then pressed my forehead against hers, the same way that I had that night at the riverbank with death all around us.

"Then believe me now, baby." I whispered as I then kissed Saeko gently on her forehead.

"And I promise you now that I will never break your trust in me again,* mija'." I said as tears fell from Saeko's eyes.

(Tejano expression for "My daughter")

For a few moments there were no words from anyone as Saeko and I stood there, everyone respectfully waiting for Saeko and I to finish speaking to one another. But I guess the suspense was just too much for everyone, as Takashi finally spoke up.

"Busujima-sempai…?" Takashi said interrupting as Saeko pulled away from me and wiped her eyes before turning to face the others.

"Hai?" Saeko asked trying to compose herself.

"What do you think, Sempai….?" Takashi asked as Saeko looked back towards me. "Can we trust him?"

"Hai…." Saeko said as a wave of relief washed over me after hearing her next words. "I trust him."

"Jimu-san…." Takashi said as he stepped away from the others and then stood in front of me next to Saeko as I noticed Rei casting a nasty look at him, probably for leaving her behind and for standing so close to Saeko, I guess.

"I will give you my answer as to whether we will trust you if you answer me one thing." Takashi said as he looked at me with a frown.

"What's that, son?" I asked as Takashi straightened up and looked me directly in the eye.

"Why should we trust you Jimu-san, if you won't even trust us by telling us what your terms are first, for helping us?" Takashi asked as all of the teens eagerly awaited my response.

"It's not a matter of me not trusting any of you, son…." I replied as I gazed at the anxious faces of each of the teens.

"But the truth is, if none of you trust me anymore Takashi, then what would be the point of talking about terms?" I replied as Takashi and the rest of the teens looked at me with confusion.

"What?" Takashi said obviously confused as I chuckled at the teen's confusion.

"The only way I can help all of you is if you trust me, guys." I began in explanation.

"Because if you don't, we're all just gonna end up getting ourselves killed if we can't trust each other to cover our backs when we go out there." I said pointing towards the city.

"The only way a soldier, fireman, policeman, or medic has a chance of survival whenever he enters a hostile environment, is because they know the guy standing next to him will be looking out for him, the same way he will be looking out for them." I said as the teens seemed to finally understand what I was getting at.

"We survived out there alone for three days because we trusted one another." I added as I noticed Takashi and Saeko nodding their heads in agreement. "And unless we have that same trust with each other again, I guarantee you we will not survive out there unless we know we can count on each other."

"So you see, if none of you trust me anymore….." I said bringing the point home at last. "Then why even bother continuing this conversation?"

"So I will ask all of you one last time…." I said calmly as I gazed into the faces of each of the teens.

"Do you trust me?" I asked again as I saw Takashi glance at each of his friends before turning to face me.

"Hai, Jimu-san." Takashi said at last, albeit still a little warily. "I trust you."

"How about the rest of you?" I said looking over at Rei, Saya and Kouta. "Do you trust me as well?"

Unfortunately, the silence that hung in the air spoke volumes to me that I had not made that much of an impression with the other teens as I had with Takashi and Saeko, which made it obvious that I was going to have to work a lot harder to gain their trust as time went by.

But I needed an answer now.

"This has to unanimous, guys…." I said with a tired sigh. "Otherwise we might as well walk away now."

"Minna…!" Takashi shouted obviously incensed by everyone's stubbornness as Rei and Saya snapped something at him in response as everyone then began to argue angrily in rapid Japanese.

As much as I always wanted to be a father, I always knew that raising children would be a huge challenge, to say the least.

And I also knew that if I ever did have children, trying to raise them during their teenage years would be even more so of a challenge than any other part of their lives.

Because like any parent will tell you, the time eventually comes when a child will eventually began to challenge the commands of his or her parents as they began to crave their own independence from their parent's rule, as they grow from childhood into young adulthood.

And as most of my friends have complained to me about their teenage children, teens will constantly "test" their parents to see just how much they can get away with as they "mature" into adulthood.

And it's that constant "testing" by teenagers that has resulted in many of my friends screaming at me for being so stupid as to ever want children of my own.

And I have to admit, after listening to all those horror stories, I personally dreaded ever having to endure the stress of dealing with my own teenage children, especially after seeing the many examples of crow's feet, premature baldness, and grey hairs on my friends that resulted from the stress of dealing with their own kids.

But I still wanted to have a family of my own despite all the horror stories and the physical "deformities" visible on my friends.

And as a husband and father, I had always hoped that I would be capable of being patient and calm during that challenging phase of their lives, and handle whatever crisis came with calmness and wisdom.

But reality can be quite cruel to a man's hopes and dreams.

Because unfortunately, with the stubborn way the teens were acting right now with eyes filled with resentment, I finally realized that all my attempts at being patient and using reason was just not working with these children at all.

And now I was really at a loss on what to do next.

I had already lost my temper once, and I absolutely refused to allow myself to ever succumb to that hated side of myself again.

But enough was enough.

"Fine….if that's the way you kids want to be, then screw it…." I said with a heavy sigh as I threw my hands up in frustration.

"Just don't blame me when you start losing your mind after staring at the same four walls for the next few days." I said dejectedly as I turned around and started to walk away.

"Jimu-san….!" I heard Saeko shout in a voice filled with surprise and despair. "Where are you going?!"

"I'm going to grab another cup of coffee, and go back to bed, sweetie…" I said over my shoulder as I could feel the eyes of everyone staring at me as I started walking. "I realize all of you are pissed at me, but you kids were given a chance to walk out of here, and you turned it away."

"If you guys aren't going to trust me, then I'm not gonna waste any more time on ya'll…." I said in a voice filled with disgust as I glanced over at the Takagi's.

"Thank you both for giving me a chance to try to reason with them….." I said with extreme disappointment visible on my face and in my voice as Saya's parents looked at me with sympathy in their eyes.

"They're all yours…" I said waving my hand. "I'm through wasting my time with them."

"JIMU-SAN!" Saeko shouted in a pleading voice as I stopped in my tracks, the sound of Saeko's pleading voice cutting into my heart like a knife.

"Just like that, you're giving up and leaving us, just because we won't do as you say?!" Saya said with a mixture of shock and scorn in her voice as I felt myself bristling at her scorn-filled words.

"I love you guys as if you were my own children….!" I replied angrily not turning my head as I fought to keep my emotions in control.

"But I'd rather have all of you locked away safe and sound and hating my guts, than risk losing all of you, because you guys care more about your bruised egos!"

"I'm sorry guys…." I said lowering my voice as I started walking back toward the mansion.

"But unless all of you trust me, I can't help you….." I said as each step I took away from the teens felt like someone stabbing me repeatedly in the heart.

Unfortunately, sometimes you just can't reason with people nicely, and sometimes you have to prove to them that their actions really will have serious consequences afterwards.

But in this particular case, I wasn't trying at all to force the kids to "behave" by threatening to walk away from them and leaving their fate in the hands of the Takagi's.

The real truth was, I had honestly believed that I had failed, and I was walking away so that I wouldn't see the looks of betrayal and of hate on each of their faces as they were taken away.

And seeing Saeko's face as she was taken away would have been all the more heartbreaking for me, personally.

That would have been a sight too horrible and far too painful for me to endure, and I would have never been able to erase it from my mind.

As it turned out however, apparently the sight of my turning around and leaving was just the jolt the teen's needed to finally come to their senses.

"H-he can't be serious!" Rei said in horror as she and the others watched the American walking away.

"It has to be a test…." Saya said adjusting her glasses as she looked at Saeko nervously.

"He's just testing us again….. neh ,Busujima-sempai?" Saya said in a voice that betrayed the fact that she really wasn't all that convinced that the American was indeed, bluffing.

"No…" Saeko said in a horrified voice. "It's not a test."

"He's really leaving…!" Saeko said as she glanced at the others with genuine fear in her eyes.

"Takashi, do something!" Rei shouted as she slapped Takashi angrily on the arm as he then shouted at her angrily in response as the rest of the teens once again began to violently argue with one another.

Hearing all the commotion going on behind me, I couldn't help but turn around and wonder what the hell had gotten the kids all fired up so much, that they were about to come to blows.

But as much as I wanted to go back and break up the argument, I figured that it was best that I stay out of it and let the kids work it out for themselves as the verbal onslaught continued between the teens for a few more moments before Saeko angrily shouted something that caused everyone to suddenly clam up.

"Whoa." I thought to myself as Saeko gazed at everyone with those cold steely eyes of hers for a moment before turning to Takashi and giving him a very frosty look, as he and everyone stared at Saeko in shock before Takashi finally turned his attention towards me again.

"Gomen nasai, Jimu-san….." Takashi said hastily as the rest of the teens looked at me with frightened eyes.

"You are right…" Takashi said as he glanced over at Saeko who was still angrily glaring at everyone.

"We all admit we were being stubborn, and we wish to apologize." Takashi said as the rest of the teens nodded in response, the defiance now completely gone from their faces from fear of Saeko, more than anything else.

"Are you sure, son?" I said not really all that convinced that everyone was completely united in their decision to trust me.

"It sounded to me like ya'll might have had a little difference of opinion, there." I added as I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at the nervous looks on everyone's faces.

"There are no differences, Jimu-san." Saeko replied in a threatening tone before Takashi could reply as everyone flinched at her voice.

"We all agree that we will trust you, Jimu-san." Saeko added as she turned her head around and gave everyone standing behind her another cold look before turning to face me again.

"However…." Saeko added before I could say anything in reply as she stepped forward and stood toe-to-toe with me again and then looked right up at me with that steely gaze of hers that seemed to chill the air around her.

"Do not betray our trust in you again, Jimu-san…." Saeko said her voice like ice.

"Or in mine." Saeko added those eyes of hers staring at me with an intensity that almost seemed to bore right through me.

Yuriko had told me about that stare when Saeko had held her off at the condo when I was about to be executed, but this was the first time I had seen it myself, and I have to admit, Yuriko was right about how blood-chilling that look was.

"Because if you do….." Saeko continued in a voice that, quite frankly, scared the hell out of me.

"I will never forgive you." Saeko said as a shiver went through me.

"Uhmmm…..okay, sweetie." I said raising my hands in surrender as the icy stare on Saeko's face slowly melted away and the intense look in her eyes softened.

"We good then, guys?" I asked the teens after gathering my wits together as the rest of the kids slowly nodded their heads as Saya then boldly stepped forward before Takashi could get a word in.

"So what are these super-secret terms you and my Mama and Papa talked about?" Saya asked as Takashi frowned at her with annoyance.

"Takagi-san….!" Takashi snapped obviously annoyed at the little hot-head for once again trying to hog the whole conversation even though she had been the one to state earlier that Takashi was the actual leader and spokesman of the group.

"Talk to the hand, Komuro-kun!" Saya said ignoring him as she raised her open palm in front of his face, effectively shutting him up.

"The terms your parents and I agreed upon are simple….." I replied snickering at the pissed off look Takashi was giving Saya as she held her open palm in front of his face as the rest of the teens gathered around listening intently.

"One, since Saya is their daughter and they are responsible for her welfare…..." I said as a deep scowl formed over Saya's face in response to my words, but remained silent as I continued to speak. "Then her safety takes priority over ours."

"Which means that once we're out in the field and they determine that proceeding any further would place their lives and that of Saya's in extreme jeopardy….." I added. "Then they and their party will turn back, and Saya will be leaving with them, with or without us."

"Secondly….." I said giving each of the teens a serious look.

"We are guests here, and if you want the Takagi's help, then all of you will conduct yourselves accordingly, and will be respectful to Mr. and Mrs. Takagi and their staff at all times for the duration of our stay." I said as the teens all gave me a look as if they wanted to tear me to pieces.

"Is that all?!" Rei said with disgust. "You were making such a big deal about that?!"

"No, that's not all, young lady." I said trying hard to keep a straight face to keep from grinning for what I was about to say next.

"Those were the terms that the Takagi's agreed to…." I said grinning at the teens evilly. "Their concern is more for their daughter's welfare, which considering the danger involved, is quite understandable."

"My terms however for helping you little stinkers, are a hell of a lot much strict…." I said as the teens began to glance at each other with worried looks as if wondering to themselves as to what in the world was I going to demand of the rest of them, in comparison to the Takagi's terms for Saya.

"Ano….what are your terms, Jimu-san?" Kouta said meekly as he raised his hand me as if he were still in a classroom, as the rest of the teens began to fidget.

"In case all of you have forgotten, I'm a Private Military Contractor now…." I said looking over at Saya's parents with a smirk. "And as Mr. and Mrs. Takagi can tell you, the price for hiring the services of a PMC is extremely high."

"That is very true…." Soichiro said aloud, a hint of a smile breaking on his face. "And the service they provide is not always all that desirable either."

"Wow, did he just actually make a joke?" I thought to myself as I saw Yuriko turn to her husband with a surprised look on her face as if she couldn't believe that her husband had actually made a joke either.

"If you want great service you gotta pay for it first…." I retorted as I heard Yuriko suddenly snicker.

"Last time I looked, you ain't paid me yet." I added as I turned my attention back to the teens.

"And as much as I care about you guys and want to help you, I ain't cheap." I said as the grin on my face got even bigger. "And just so you know, the cost for my services is very high."

"And in ya'll's case, I'm charging double my normal fee." I added as each of the teens acted as if I were nuts.

"You're charging us?!" Takashi said practically choking with disbelief that I would even consider asking a bunch of teenagers to pay me for my services as a mercenary to help them find their families.

"Damn right, I'm charging you!" I replied with mock irritation in my voice. "You kids have been a handful since I first met you, and no way in hell am I gonna go traipsing off in a city full of hundreds of thousands of Infected and not receive some sort of compensation for my trouble."

"But we don't have any money!" Takashi and Rei both said in exasperation as I fought the urge to crack up in front of the kids.

"I've got some!" Saya interjected as she took a step forward and glared defiantly at me. "Mama and Papa give me a pretty good allowance, and I've saved a lot of it!"

"Who said anything about money, Pumpkin?" I growled as I heard Yuriko and Shizuka unsuccessfully trying to stifle a giggle behind me, evidently realizing that I was just teasing the kids now. "You honestly think money is any good to anyone, right now?"

"Well, what do you want?!" Rei snapped angrily as Takashi tried in vain to calm her.

"I'm willing to take responsibility for you lives and help you find your families…." I began as I looked at the teens with a serious look on my face.

"But my terms for providing my services are that all of you are to agree….on your families honor….. that you are going to do exactly what I say, no matter what." I said taking a step towards the teens and pointing my finger at them as the teens recoiled slightly.

"Which means when I tell you to hide…...you hide." I said sternly looking into each of their shocked faces.

"And when I tell you to run…..you run." I said as I scowled deeply and then leaned forward towards them.

"AND WHEN I TELL YOU LITTLE RUG RATS TO HIT THE DIRT…..YOU BETTER START DIGGING A HOLE WITH YOUR TEETH BIG ENOUGH TO HIDE YOUR BUTT, OTHERWISE THE NEXT THING YOU'LL FEEL IS MY BOOT SHOVING IT'S WAY RIGHT UP YOUR BUTT, IS THAT CLEAR?!" I roared suddenly in my best impersonation of a Marine Drill Sergeant as all of the teens, including Saeko flinched at my outburst.

Saeko may have an edge in intimidating people with those scary eyes of hers, but I had my gifts too, and my large size and gruff demeanor was working extremely well right now in making the kids realize I was in no mood for any more argument, even though there was no way I was going to physically harm any of the teens.

But they didn't know that.

"No excuses, no arguments, and no whining!" I barked as I heard Soichiro snickering behind me now. "Because if you don't, this whole conversation ends right here and now and ya'll can go back up to your rooms for the remainder of the duration!"

"So the choice is up to you, if you want me to help you find your parents, those are my terms." I said sternly as the teens all stared at me open-mouthed as if they couldn't believe what they'd just heard.

"Ha-hai, Jimu-san….we agree." Takashi said finally after a long period of silence as the other teenagers nodded reluctantly in response after finally realized that they simply had no other choice.

"Very well then…." I said with a tired sigh as a part of me was rejoicing that the matter had finally been settled at last, but at the same time, I also realized that an even bigger problem lay ahead.

Despite our better judgment, Saya's parents and I had given our word to the teens that we would help them find Takashi and Rei's parents.

And now we had to keep our end of the bargain and go into a major metropolitan city infested with perhaps hundreds of thousands of Infected to search for the proverbial "needle in the haystack", meaning Rei and Takashi's parents, and then by some miracle make it out alive as well.

Talk about a monumental task.

"Maybe I should have just let the Takagi's lock up the kids after all." I thought bitterly to myself as the full weight of what I had just done came crashing down on my head.

Ah well, I figured that if I was going to be forced to go out there and perhaps die a horrible and painful death, then I might as well make the teens pay dearly for my life first.

"Alright you guy's…" I began trying to keep from grinning like an idiot for what I was about to do now. "We still need to come up with a plan on how best to go about looking for Rei and Takashi's parents, so as soon as ya'll pick that stuff up off the lawn and put those guns away, ya'll can go inside with Saya's parents and start making plans."

"But before you do that…." I said glancing over at the Takagi's and Shizuka and giving them a wink.

"I do believe that all of you owe Mr. and Mrs. Takagi an apology, first." I said as the teens immediately looked at me in shock.

"WHAT!" Saya screeched as the mouths of the other teens dropped.

"You heard me." I said as each of the teenagers looked at me as if I finally lost my mind.

"Look guys…" I began with a sigh as I rubbed my tired eyes. "I realize that all of you feel that ya'll are the victims here after everything that happened to you this morning."

"But there are two sides to every story…." I added as I gazed at the kids wearily.

"And regardless of what your reasons are, for what all of you did today….." I continued before any of the kids could begin to protest.

"The fact of the matter is that all of you have also caused a lot of unnecessary hurt and anguish to people who care very much for each and every one of you."

"And your little stunt scared the hell out of all of us, especially those people standing over there." I said pointing at Saya's parents and Shizuka.

"And like it or not, you owe these people an apology for the trouble you caused today…." I said as the teens continued to stare at me as if were a madman.

"And I suggest you get to it." I said sternly as the teens continued to gape at me.

"Why should we apologize?!" Saya asked in a defiant tone. "They're the ones who ordered us to be dragged away like criminals!"

"Because showing all of them that you appreciate everything they've done for all of you and that you are sorry for the trouble you caused, would go a long way to smoothing things over with them…." I replied with a tired sigh as I once again wondered if the Takagi's idea of locking up the kids in their rooms wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"Especially since they are now willing to put their own lives and their only daughter's at risk, in order to help you." I added as the teens glanced at each other and then grumbled something unintelligible under their breaths.

"That didn't sound like any apology I've ever heard…." I said staring at the teens crossly as they all looked up at me with renewed defiance in their eyes.

"Of course, if all of you would rather just sit in your rooms staring at the same four walls everyday…" I said as the looks of defiance slowly began to disappear from the faces of the teens again.

"I didn't think so…" I said wearily as I pointed at Saya's parents, sighing with relief mentally that the teens had finally agreed to apologize, as they all then reluctantly nodded their heads in resignation and then turned to face to Saya's parents and Shizuka, and apologize.

To be honest, I didn't blame the kids one bit for being reluctant to apologize to the Takagi's after everything that had been done to them, and I admit, it probably was unfair of me to force them to do that.

However, I knew that it was absolutely necessary because I knew it would help smooth things over with our hosts. After all, Saya's parents were risking their lives and that of Saya's by going into the city with us.

But another reason I had for making the teens apologize, was because like Saya's parents, I was also extremely upset with all of the teens for trying to run away and also nearly giving me a heart attack from all the stress of dealing with all the drama they had caused because of that.

And it was my sincere hope that perhaps the embarrassment that the teens would experience from this little "lesson" in humility and the subsequent chewing out I knew they were going to receive afterwards from the other adults, would serve as a strong "reminder" for the teens to never even think about doing anything so reckless ever again.

Saeko however, was about to receive an even stronger "reminder" from me, as I walked back to where the teens were standing.

"Is he about to do what I think he is?" Soichiro said cocking an eyebrow as he heard his wife snickering quietly under her breath next to him as they watched the big American walking up behind the teens.

"Yes, I do believe so….." Yuriko giggled despite herself as they watched the teens preparing to bow in apology.

"I didn't think he was serious." Soichiro said with a smirk as he watched the American come to a halt directly behind the teens.

"Oh yes….." Shizuka whispered also trying to keep a straight face, but failing miserably. "He's definitely in full "Papa" mode now."

"I certainly hope he knows what he's doing." Soichiro replied, a hint of genuine concern in his voice.

"Don't worry Takagi-sama…." Shizuka said with a giggle. "Saeko-chan will be quite annoyed with him at first, but it'll be alright."

"I certainly hope so." Soichiro said warily.

"After all the damage she did to her room inside the mansion earlier, I'd hate to think what will happen if she decides to go on another rampage again." Soichiro said as he, Yuriko, and Shizuka braced themselves for what was about to happen next as Alice began to giggle as she also noticed what the American was about to do.

"This is extremely humiliating." Saeko thought to herself as she sighed in resignation and prepared to bow along with the others in apology, to Saya's parents.

"Gomen na_." Saeko began as she and the other teens bowed respectfully.

"WHACK!"

"_SAIIIIII!" Saeko yelped as she felt an extremely hard wallop on her unprotected rear as she immediately straightened up and instinctively placed her hands around her derriere for protection.

Her bottom on fire, Saeko whirled around angrily to face her attacker and then stared open-mouthed in shock into the angry face of the American who was standing behind her with one of his slippers in his hand.

"That was for trying to run away and scaring the hell out of me!" The American said sternly as Saeko rubbed her sore butt while she and the rest of the teens stared at the American in shocked silence.

Scowling at the teens fiercely, the American then casually dropped his slipper to the ground and then wiggled his foot back into it before he suddenly turned and grabbed ahold of Saeko and wrapped his arms around her in a crushing embrace.

"Don't you ever do anything like that to me again, young lady…." The American said as he held Saeko tightly against him as Saeko gasped in surprise.

"Because if you do, I promise you that I will throw you over my knee and make it physically impossible for you to sit down for a week, if you ever do anything stupid like that again." Jim said as Saeko found herself unable to speak, her heart pounding rapidly against her chest as the man held her tightly.

"The rest of you deserve a good smack as well…!" The American snapped angrily turning his attention back to the rest of the teens. "But I'm too damn tired to whup all of you, right now!"

"Besides….. " Jim added as he cast a quick glance over at Saya's parents and then grinned evilly.

"Since Saya and Kouta are going to both have to answer to Mr. and Mrs. Takagi for what they've done, I figure they'll be punished enough without my help." Jim said with a chuckle as Saya and Kouta both flinched at his words.

"And I'm pretty sure that Shizuka has some pretty choice words to say to the two of you for the trouble you've caused….." Jim said pointing at Takashi and Rei.

"So I'll let her take care of you both, for now." The American added with a grin as he watched the two teens turn their heads and then gulp as they noticed the extremely angry look on Shizuka's face.

"Why does he have to answer to my parents for?!" Saya asked irritably, her face turning red. "He's not a member of the family, and they don't have any authority over him."

"Maybe not now, but if he ever wishes to be on the good side of his future "in-laws", I figure he might wanna start by humbling himself to their authority now." Jim said with a chuckle as Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi's jaw dropped.

"WHAT!" Saya screeched as she and Kouta immediately blushed deep red in response to the American's words.

"Future "in-laws"….hmm?" Yuriko said mischievously as Soichiro made a choking sound and then turned his face towards Kouta and glared at him threateningly.

"Yeah, ya'll might wanna have a long talk about that as well….." The American added with a snicker as Saya began to blush even redder than Kouta who was now trying desperately to avoid Soichiro's glare.

As Saeko was being held tightly in the American's arms, she could feel her heart pounding against her chest, her heart overwhelmed by a flood of mixed emotions swirling through her all at once.

Every part of her wanted to return the man's embrace, her desire to put the ugliness that had happened earlier behind them and return to the way things were before.

And yet a small part of her still resented the way the man had treated her earlier, and his spanking her in front of everyone hadn't helped either.

Never had her own father ever disciplined her in such a way, Saeko thought to herself as the pain from the man's slipper continued to sting her.

"My mother however….." Saeko thought to herself as she shuddered slightly from the memory of the many times her mother had punished her severely without mercy.

In all fairness, the American had only slapped her bottom once with his slipper, but to Saeko, it felt like the man had put all of his strength behind the blow, based on the soreness Saeko felt to her bottom as compared to the other two times he had smacked her rump which had been more embarrassing, than painful.

Resentful for the way the American had humiliated her in front of everyone, as well as heartbroken from the way he had yelled at her earlier, Saeko felt as if her head was spinning with so many different thoughts and emotions threatening to overwhelm her as she fought the urge to pull herself away from the man's embrace and scream at him for causing her so much anguish.

And yet, an even bigger part of her wanted so much for him to continue to hold her and never let her go.

But despite her desperate desire to return the man's affection, once again her father's warning called out to her from the farthest reaches of her mind to resist that urge, despite her heart's desperate desire to fight it.

"You must learn to control your emotions at all times, my daughter….." The voice of her father echoed once again in her ears. "Or your emotions will be your undoing, child."

Her ears ringing with her father's warning, Saeko, with her face devoid of emotion, gently pulled herself away from the American's embrace and then stared coldly at him.

"Jimu-san." Saeko said stiffly. "You are my friend, and while I do understand that you did not mean speak to me the way you did earlier, and I have forgiven you for that….."

"You are not my father…" Saeko said her face beginning to darken. "And as I told you before…. I do not appreciate being treated like a child."

"You mean because I smacked your butt again?" The American replied with a smirk as Saeko nodded her head, the scowl on her face becoming even more severe as she noticed the amused look on the man's face.

"Hai, and I am not a "baby" Jimu-san, and I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me that." Saeko said frostily as the American looked at her for a long moment before the man's face split into a wide grin.

"Saeko-chan….." Jim said as he placed his hands on Saeko's shoulders and spoke to her in a gentle tone.

"I don't care if you're in your sixties and a grandmother, if you ever do anything so bone-headed like trying to run away from me again, I will spank your butt no matter how old you are." Jim said as Saeko's mouth dropped in shock.

"And besides….." The American added still grinning as he placed the fingertips of his right hand under Saeko's chin.

"If you weren't such a delinquent child in the first place I wouldn't have to spank you so much, so quit your whining." The American said as he playfully closed her open mouth as Saeko stared at him completely taken aback by the man's candor.

"I already explained to all of you earlier sweetie…" Jim continued as he gazed at Saeko fondly.

"While it is true that you and your friends are not of my blood, we all know that has never made a difference in the way I have felt about any of you." Jim said as Saeko looked at him wide-eyed as he gently brushed Saeko's hair with his hand.

"And especially you, Saeko." Jim added as Saeko felt her cheeks beginning to blush.

"And as far as to why I call you "baby"….?" The American said as his face became serious as he placed his hands on both sides of her face lovingly as tears began to form in Saeko's eyes.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you'll always be my "baby girl" whether you like it or not, Saeko-chan." Jim added as he removed his hands from Saeko's face and then brushed a tear off her cheek.

"But maybe we can "fix" that, if you want to…." The American said as Saeko's eyes grew even wider.

"I-I don't understand." Saeko stammered, unable to believe what she was hearing as she wiped her eyes.

"I know you don't, *mija'….." The American said with a warm smile on his face.

("Mija- Tejano expression for "My daughter")

"But you will." Jim said as he looked over to where Shizuka was standing nearby watching them, her eyes filled with worry.

"Shizuka-san…..?" Jim said looking over at the others who were staring at the American and Saeko with visible curiosity on their faces. "Would you mind taking the rest of the kids inside?"

"I would very much like to have a private conversation with my "little girl" alone, if ya'll don't mind." Jim said as he smiled fondly at Saeko.

"JIMU-SAN…..!" Shizuka said in horror as she felt a strong hand grip her shoulder and was surprised to see Yuriko holding her back as the Matriarch of the Takagi Household gazed at Shizuka with a tired smile and shook her head.

"Don't bother trying to interfere with them anymore, Sensei….." Yuriko said as Shizuka stared at Yuriko in surprise.

"I know this is exactly what we were afraid was going to happen….." Yuriko said as she glanced over at the big American towering over the kimono-clad, teenage girl.

"But perhaps we were wrong to interfere with them, in the first place." Yuriko said with a heavy sigh as Shizuka gazed over at the pair as well.

"Yuriko-san…are you sure?" Shizuka said hesitantly as Yuriko nodded her head.

"It's out of our hands now, Shizuka-san." Yuriko repeated as Shizuka frowned but then finally nodded her head in resignation.

"But maybe it's not such a bad thing after all… neh, Sensei?" Yuriko said as she turned her head and began to snicker at the sight of Saeko absent-mindedly rubbing her sore bottom again as the American was talking to her.

"After all, it is obvious he cares about her very much, even if he is a little…."unorthodox" in his way of parenting." Yuriko said trying to compose herself as she then began to giggle at the sight of the American wagging his finger at Saeko and scolding her as she pouted like a little girl.

"Perhaps you're right, Takagi-sama…" Shizuka agreed beginning to titter at the sight of Saeko finally growing annoyed with the man's wagging his finger at her, and suddenly try to slap the man's hand away.

"Maybe he was meant to be a part of Saeko-chan's life, after all….." Shizuka said as she and Yuriko then began to laugh hysterically as they watched the American take off his slipper and act like he was going to spank Saeko again as she covered her bottom with one hand and tried to ward him off with the other, her eyes filled with panic.

'So, desho….?" Yuriko said wiping the tears from her eyes from laughing at the pair's antics as she then began to walk over towards her husband and daughter who were waiting patiently for her and the others to join them, as Shizuka turned and then began fussing over the rest of the teens to hurry and pick up the food still littering the lawn.

"Hirano-kun…" Soichiro said in a gruff voice as he gazed over at Kouta who was in the middle of picking up the guns from off the lawn as the teen immediately flinched at the sound of Soichiro's voice, nearly causing him to drop the rifle he was carrying.

"Ha-HAI?!" Kouta managed to stammer as he felt a shiver running through his body under the chilling gaze of Saya's father.

"As soon as the plans for our departure are completed…" Soichiro began, his voice cold. "I would very much like to have a private conversation with you, in regards to your intentions towards my daughter."

"OTOSAN!" Saya said nearly choking at her father's words. "There's nothing to talk abou_!"

"But before we discuss that particular matter…." Soichiro continued as he completely ignored Saya's outburst. "I would prefer that you hand over those weapons over to my Security Chief for safe-keeping, until all of you have been properly trained in their use."

"Eh?!" Kouta said in shocked surprise as the color began to fade from his face.

"You heard me correctly, Hirano-kun…" Soichiro thundered. "I do not want any of you children running around my home with those weapons until all of you have been properly trained."

"Demo…." Kouta said before Soichiro silenced him with a chilling look.

"The fact that you and your friends tried to leave here with empty weapons leads me to believe it is far too dangerous for them to continue to be in your possession." Soichiro continued. "And until all of you have been trained properly, I want all of them to remain secured."

"Is that understood, Hirano-kun?" Soichiro said as Kouta continued to stare at Saya's father with a shocked expression on his face for a long awkward moment before he suddenly began to clutch the weapons in his arms even tighter as he slowly lowered his head and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.

"What did you say, Hirano-kun?" Soichiro asked cocking an eyebrow at the teenage boy's sudden strange behavior.

"I can't surrender these guns." Kouta said in a low voice as his body seemed to tremble slightly.

"Nani…?" Soichiro grunted in confusion as everyone stopped what they were doing and watched the escalating confrontation between Kouta and Saya's father.

"Kouta…..!" Takashi hissed in warning. "What are you doing, man?"

"They're empty anyway, chubby…..!"Saya said with a snort. "What's the big deal? They're useless anyway."

"I can't give them these guns…." Kouta said in an angry tone, not lifting his head as the scowl on Soichiro's face began to deepen and the color in his face darkened.

"Did I hear you correctly, Hirano-kun?" Soichiro said his voice beginning to rumble like the thunder of an approaching storm. "Are you telling me that you can't or you won't surrender those weapons, Hirano-kun?"

"Kouta-chan….." Shizuka said worriedly as she began to walk over towards Kouta, but then halted as Kouta looked up at her, his face a mask of fury.

"YOU'RE NOT TAKING MY GUNS AWAY FROM ME!" Kouta screamed his face wet with tears as everyone flinched at Kouta's outburst.

"KOUTA-CHAN….!" Shizuka said her eyes filled with shock at the teenager's sudden fury. "What's the matter? Why are you so upset?!"

"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE MY GUNS AWAY FROM ME!" Kouta shouted at the top of his lungs. "YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST!"

"KOUTA….!" Takashi yelled as the American suddenly spoke sharply and quickly raised his hand for everyone to be quiet as he then calmly approached Kouta.

"Kouta.…listen to me, son." The American said gently as he walked up and then stood next to the visibly upset teen. "There's no need to get upset."

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE I'M A STUPID LITTLE KID!" Kouta roared angrily as everyone flinched again at Kouta's angry outburst.

"I'M NOT A KID, AND I'M A BETTER SHOT THAN ANYBODY ELSE HERE!" Kouta shouted again as he glared at the American angrily. "AND I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO USE THESE GUNS PROPERLY!"

"I WAS TRAINED BY A DELTA FORCE CAPTAIN ON HOW TO SHOOT, AND I DON'T NEED ANYONE TO SHOW ME HOW TO USE THEM!"

"IF THEY TAKE THEM AWAY,I-I….." Kouta said as he then lowered his head and began to cry as the American stepped forward and placed his hand gently on Kouta's shoulder.

"If they took them away…what, son?" The American said looking at Kouta sadly.

"THEN I'LL BE JUST LIKE I WAS BEFORE!" Kouta howled startling everyone again with the intensity of his outburst.

"How were you before?" The American said calmly as Kouta suddenly composed himself and looked at Jim with confusion.

"Huh?" Kouta said confused at first by the man's question and also as to why the man was acting so calmly towards him.

"What kind of person were you before you held a gun in your hand, son?" Jim asked with a slight smirk on his face.

"I-I don't understand what you mean." Kouta said still puzzled with the way the American was acting so calmly even after the way he had shouted at him.

"You said you didn't want to go back to being the way you were before…" The American replied patiently. "What did you mean by that?"

"I-I…"Kouta stammered, unable to answer as the American then suddenly held out his hand.

"Let me see one of those guns, would you, son?" Jim said as Kouta looked at him confused.

"Eh…?" Kouta said confused as the American, without another word, then reached for the shotgun in Kouta's arms and took it from him.

"Hmmmm…." The American said as he looked at the shotgun in his hand and then at Kouta as if he were studying them both intensely before he laid the shotgun on the ground and then grabbed the barrel of the Springfield carbine Kouta held and took it away from him.

"Ano….Jimu-san? Kouta asked as the American closely examined the carbine and then looked at Kouta before laying it on the ground next to the shotgun and then finally reached for the sniper rifle as Kouta meekly handed it over, completely confused by what the man was doing.

"Jimu-san, what are you doing?" Saeko asked as she and the others watched the American with just as much confusion as Kouta.

"Just checking something, baby….." Jim replied casually as he gazed at Kouta silently for a moment and then frowned and shook his head.

"Well, I'm at a loss…." The American said scratching his head as Kouta looked at him completely confused.

"You didn't melt, disappear, explode, or burst into flame without a gun in your hand, so what's so different about you now, son?" The American asked with a grin as Kouta stared at him for a long moment and then hung his head in embarrassment.

Realizing that the teenager was now upset with himself for having exploded at everyone in anger, the American's smile disappeared as he then knelt down and picked up the sniper rifle from off the ground and then held it in front of Kouta.

"I want you to understand something, Kouta…" Jim said as Kouta raised his head. "I wasn't trying to make fun of you for being afraid that not having a gun was going to make you become something that you didn't want to be."

"The point I am trying to make with you, son ….." Jim continued. "Is that just because you don't have a gun in your hand, doesn't make you any better or worse a person, with one."

"The common mistake a person makes when they pick up one of these, Kouta…." The American went on as Kouta and everyone else listened quietly. "Is that for some reason some people believe that this amalgam of metal and plastic somehow magically turns you into a different person than the person you really are."

"Guns are cool, I admit…." Jim continued. "And they are a lot of fun to shoot, and are extremely useful for hunting and self-defense."

"But they are just a tool, son…." Jim added as he gazed into Kouta's face. "And all they're designed to do is shoot a projectile at high speed at an intended target, and that's it."

"And since guns don't have a conscience, it's up to the shooter to determine how he uses this particular "tool". The American said as he closed the lens caps on both ends of the riflescope.

"Whether the shooter is a decent person shooting a gun for fun, food, or self-defense…" Jim said flipping the safety lever over to "SAFE" with loud click. "Or whether he is a crazed maniac trying to kill someone, makes absolutely no difference to the gun."

"A person who is a good person or is an evil fiend, is still the same person whether he has a gun in his hands or not, Kouta….." The American added as he handed the rifle to Kouta.

"That over-inflated sense of ego that comes from holding one is all in a person's head, son." Jim said as Kouta hesitated a moment before accepting the rifle from him meekly. "And not from some non-existent "magical power" that people seem to think a firearm is capable of possessing."

"You've been holding a bunch of empty guns in your arms for a while now…." Jim continued with a smirk on his face. "And nothing about you has changed in all that time, as far as I can tell."

"And even after you realized that the guns were empty a while ago….." The American said with a chuckle.

"That didn't stop you from nearly biting my head off when I told you that Saya was going to be left behind." Jim said as Kouta and Saya's cheeks immediately blushed a deep-red.

"I admit, your knowledge of guns, and your skill with a rifle are extremely impressive, son." The American said after chuckling at the teenager's embarrassment.

"And since I'm assuming that the DELTA who trained you was more than likely, Larry Vickers….." The American said patting Kouta on the shoulder. "Then I have no doubt that what you learned from him, is what helped you achieve the high level of skill that you possess, that I have witnessed with my own eyes."

"But just so you know…." Jim said whispering quietly to Kouta so the others wouldn't overhear.

"Larry Vickers is actually a retired Master Sergeant, and not a captain." The American said as Kouta blushed again in embarrassment.

"In any case….." Jim said clapping Kouta on the shoulder as he continued speaking.

"I realize that part of the reason you were able to save Saya's life at your school with a makeshift gun that you made with your own hands, was probably because of what you learned from Master Sergeant Vickers…." Jim continued.

"And not only did you save her….." The American added as he leaned forward and pointed a finger towards Kouta. "But you have also saved our lives on several different occasions, using that same rifle that you're carrying now."

"But the courage that you showed when you decided to take it upon yourself to protect all of us from harm didn't come from this, Kouta." The American said tapping his finger on the receiver of the sniper rifle that Kouta held in his hands.

"It came from this….." The man added as he then tapped Kouta's chest directly over the spot where the teenager's heart was.

"I honestly don't know what kind of person you're afraid of becoming without a gun in your hands, son….." Jim said straightening up and patting Kouta on the shoulder. "But I guarantee you that you really have nothing to be afraid of."

"You've already proven yourself a man, Kouta….." The American said as he turned around to walk back towards Saeko. "And you don't have to have a gun in your hand…. to prove that you're a good one."

"Always remember that, son." The American said as he slowly walked towards Saeko.

"Ha-Hai….Jimu-san." Kouta said as he watched the big man walk away for a long moment before slowly picking up the other guns still lying on the ground and then quietly joining the others as they all headed back towards the mansion.

As she watched the others walking towards the mansion, Saeko couldn't help but feel moved by with the way the American had tried to offer some words of encouragement to Kouta, especially after seeing the exhausted look on the man's face as he approached her.

So many times before her own father had spoken in such a way to her, trying always to be gentle in the way he spoke, even when she was frustrated and not always heeding his advice, although his words and the wisdom behind them now had a profound effect on her now that she was older and could appreciate the wisdom of his words.

But as moved as she was that the man walking towards her had also proven to be kind, compassionate, and wise, much like her father, Saeko still couldn't help but feel an overwhelming urge to run after her friends, a sudden fear of being alone with the American threatening to overwhelm her.

Her fear had nothing to do with worry that the man would have done anything to harm her physically, although her bottom still stung from the man having spanked her with his slipper, as she absent-mindedly rubbed her sore derriere again.

But what frightened Saeko most was the uncertainty she felt at what the man was going to say to her now that they were alone as the man stopped in front of Saeko and smiled at her warmly as he held out his hand.

"Walk with me, baby girl." The American said gently as Saeko shyly offered her hand as he gently grasped it and then led her towards a small koi pond located towards the rear of the mansion.

"I'm sorry, Saeko…." The American said as they were walking towards the koi pond.

"Eh?" Saeko said surprised by the American's abrupt remark.

"I'm sorry for the way I hurt you, sweetie." The American said again gazing at Saeko as she timidly lowered her eyes.

"It's alright Jimu-san." Saeko replied. "It still stings a bit, but I'll be fine."

"I wasn't talking about your bottom, sweetie." The American said with chuckle as Saeko blushed.

"Oh…" Saeko said slightly embarrassed as she finally comprehended the true meaning of the American's words.

"It's alright Jimu-san, I know you didn't mean to yell at us the way you did." Saeko said as she turned her head away from the man's gaze.

"I know that you were being pressured by Saya-san's parents to distance yourself from us…" Saeko added as she felt her hand beginning to sweat in the man's grasp." And I also realize that you were also upset by the cruel things that Saya-san said to you."

"That's all true." Jim replied giving Saeko's hand a gentle squeeze as she turned to face him. "But that's not what I meant, sweetie."

"I don't understand." Saeko replied as the American sighed and then turned his head and stared at the koi swimming lazily in the small pond in front of them without speaking for a long moment as Saeko waited quietly for the man to continue.

"Do you remember that little doll that I gave to Alice earlier, Saeko-chan?" The American said abruptly startling Saeko slightly.

"Hai." Saeko replied remembering the small doll that Alice had been carrying as she then began to wonder what significance the little doll Alice carried had to do with anything.

"Many years ago I was walking through the Eisenhauer Flea Market back home in San Antonio where I used to visit every other weekend whenever I was bored…." The American began as he released Saeko's hand and looked up at the sky as if in deep thought.

"Flea market?" Saeko interrupted in confusion as Jim chuckled at the confused look on her face.

"It's basically a public market where people sell old stuff that they don't want anymore." The American explained as he continued with his story.

"Anyway, I hadn't found anything of interest to buy, and as I was about to leave, I saw this little girl who was probably about four years old with a dollar bill in her hand, shifting from one foot to the other moving back and forth in front of this table where a lot of toys were on display."

"I was just thinking to myself that it wasn't safe for such a little girl to be alone like that and I was wondering where her parents were, when I noticed that the reason that the little girl was standing there and moving back and forth was because she completely focused on this little doll that was for sale on the table."

"And so out of curiosity, I walked over to the table and saw that the doll she wanted cost more than the money she had in her hand, which was why she was shifting back and forth with the dollar in her hand instead of buying it."

"And even though there were a lot of other things on the table that she could buy with the money she had, her focus was completely on that little doll and nothing else."

"It was such a cute scene, that I couldn't help but laugh a little on how that little girl's attention was so riveted on that doll." The American said as Saeko saw a smile forming on the man's face.

"But then she must have heard me laugh, because then she turned around and looked at me." Jim said as Saeko noticed his face suddenly becoming serious.

"And when I saw her face, I immediately felt bad for laughing because then I could see that she was about to cry because she didn't have enough money to pay for the doll." Jim said as he looked at Saeko sadly.

"And so in that moment, I decided to buy that doll for her." The American continued as Saeko felt her heart being moved by the man's kindness.

"But being the person that I am, I was deathly worried about buying the doll for her because I didn't want to be encouraging a child to accept gifts from strangers." Jim added as a smirk formed on his face.

"And so I asked the saleswoman to go ahead and sell the doll to the little girl, and I would discreetly pay the balance for it without the little girl knowing, so that way the little girl wouldn't accept things from strangers later on in the future."

"That was very kind…." Saeko said looking at Jim with genuine admiration. "You made her very happy and you also protected her at the same time."

"Yes and no…." The American replied with a laugh as Saeko looked at him with confusion.

"Unfortunately, the saleswoman forgot that she wasn't supposed to tell the little girl about what I had done and she absent-mindedly blabbed to her that I had paid for the doll for her, instead of keeping quiet about it." Jim said as he shook his head and chuckled to himself.

"The little girl was just so happy to have the doll she wanted so badly that she didn't care who bought it for her and ran off with it as soon as she got it." The American said as Saeko began to laugh.

"But I managed to find her mother, who just happened to be a seller at another table and explained to her about what happened…" The American said as Saeko began to laugh even harder at the sheepish look on the man's face.

"And surprisingly, she wasn't upset about what I had done at all and we had a good laugh about it, too." Jim said as Saeko finally composed herself as Jim playfully tweaked her nose and then stood directly in front of her.

"When I was a younger man, I had always wanted to get married and have a family one day." The American said as he gazed fondly at Saeko. "And while I had always wanted children, it had never mattered to me before, whether my wife and I had boys or girls."

"But after that incident with that little girl, I really fell in love the idea of having a daughter." Jim added as he placed both of his hands on both sides of Saeko's face and held her there gently as she looked up at him, her cheeks blushing.

"And then when I saw that doll that Alice had left in my room, I suddenly remembered about that incident that had happened so long ago, and when I did, I realized something else." The American said said as he lowered his hands from Saeko's face and then placed them on her shoulders.

"When that little girl had looked at me, her eyes were so sad, as if her little heart was being torn apart because she wanted that little doll so much….. but she knew she couldn't have it, no matter what." Jim said as Saeko lowered her head, her eyes beginning to tear.

"And when I remembered that sad look that I had seen on her face….." Jim said as he looked at Saeko sadly.

"I realized that it was the same as yours when I told you to leave and never see me again." Jim said as tears began to fall down Saeko's face as the American embraced her.

"I'm so sorry, baby." Saeko heard him say before she suddenly burst into tears and could no longer hear him speaking anymore.

For a long while the American silently held Saeko in his arms trying to comfort her as the young woman wept, all the sadness and pain she had hidden away deep within her, once again coming out in a flood as she wept bitterly against the man's chest.

And long after Saeko had shed her last tear, the man continued to hold her as he gently brushed the hair on top of her head until Saeko began to gently pull herself away as she tried to compose herself.

"Are you okay, baby?" Jim asked in a gentle voice filled with concern as he gazed at Saeko sadly.

"Hai….Jimu-san." Saeko sniffed as she wiped her eyes with her hands. "I'm okay, now."

"I'm sorry….." Saeko said laughing slightly in embarrassment trying to lighten the mood. "I do not usually act this way…."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Saeko…." Jim said still staring sadly at Saeko. "After all I've done to you, I wouldn't blame you for hating me."

"Jimu-san, no!" Saeko said with horror. "I don't hate you! I didn't mean to…"

"I know, sweetie…I know." The American replied as he held his hand out to Saeko as she then timidly placed her hand in his.

"Before I met you Saeko-chan, I had prayed all my life to be blessed with a wife and child of my own….." The American said as he held Saeko's hand. "And for many years I wondered why my prayers hadn't been answered."

"I've never tried to blame God for the things that have happened to me….." Jim said as he wiped the remaining tears off of Saeko's cheeks as he spoke.

"But there were times I often wondered if perhaps I had done something that may have offended Him, and that perhaps maybe I had been found not deserving of having a family of my own." The American added.

"And as time went by, I started to truly believe that more and more….." Jim continued as he turned to look back at the fish swimming around in the koi pond again.

"But then as time passed, the loneliness and sadness I felt at not having a family of my own eventually turned into resentment whenever my friends used to complain about their wives or their kids, and tell me how lucky I was to still be single."

"And there were so many times that I wanted to scream at them about how stupid they were for telling me something like that…The American said bitterly. "Because I would have given anything to have what they had."

"It truly saddened me that I hadn't been deemed worthy of having my own family, while other people around me acted like their own families were nothing more than a nuisance." Jim said as the bitterness in his voice began to rise as Saeko patted his hand as he turned his head and looked at her.

"Sorry, sweetie….." The American said in apology as he patted Saeko's hand in return and smiled. "It still tears me up inside, sometimes."

"Daijobu, Jimu-san." Saeko said as the man quickly composed himself before continuing.

"Anyway, eventually I finally admitted to myself that I'd never have a wife or family of my own and gave up on ever finding that happiness in my lifetime….." Jim continued with a heavy sigh.

"But then I came across all of you…." Jim said as he patted Saeko's hand as a smile began to form on his face. "And for a few days, I had two "sons" and four "daughters" to look after."

"And one bossy "kid sister" too." Jim said referring to Shizuka as Saeko laughed.

"But as we've traveled together, there is no denying that you and I have become closer with one another, neh?" Jim said as he kissed Saeko on her forehead and she began to blush.

"And while it's true that nothing unites people together than being put in a life or death situation where they desperately need each other to survive…." The American said laughing a little at Saeko's embarrassment.

"But even despite that, I cannot deny that I've become very fond of you, sweetie." The American said as he brushed the top of Saeko's head with his hand.

"And I've often wondered as we traveled together, what it was about you that made me grow so fondly of you, more so than the others." Jim said looking at Saeko as she began to blush even more as he was gazing fondly at her.

"You're certainly more mature than the others, and I've often been amazed by your courage. But that still didn't explain the reason why I had started to become so fond of you Saeko-chan." Jim said as Saeko stared at the ground, too embarrassed by all the praise the man was giving her to look him in the face any longer.

"But regardless of the reason, when this wonderful, beautiful, young woman came into my life…." The American said as he placed his hand under Saeko's chin and gently lifted her head.

"Then in my eyes and in my heart, you became the "gift" that I had prayed for, for so long…Saeko-chan." Jim said as Saeko gasped in surprise. "And before I fully realized it, I had started treating you as my own child."

"But I never realized that my treating you as my own daughter was also deeply affecting you as well….." Jim said as a troubled look came over his face.

"And when Yuriko told me what happened back at the condo when you were trying to keep her and her guards from killing me, I was scared to death at what she told me."

"What do you mean, Jimu-san….?" Saeko asked growing nervous at what Yuriko Takagi might have said to the American, and fearing the worst. "What did she tell you?"

"And since this man has refused to abandon the "children" he has come to love so much….." The American said as Saeko looked at him with shock and horror in her eyes as she quickly turned her head away in embarrassment, at hearing the very same words she had spoken to Yuriko Takagi two days earlier.

"Then I refuse to abandon the "father" that I have come to love as well." Jim finished as he heard Saeko whimpering softly as he then placed his arms around her and held her close.

"After Yuriko told me what you had said, I was deeply afraid for you, baby…." Jim said as Saeko looked up at him, wiping her eyes.

"Afraid for me?'' Saeko asked curiously as she tried to compose herself. "Why?"

"I had already known from what you told me, that your father was somewhere overseas, and you have an uncle that you haven't seen in years….." Jim replied as Saeko nodded her head in response.

"Hai…" Saeko said nodding her head. "My mother died years ago, and I have no other family."

"That was why I was afraid, Saeko…." Jim said with a tired sigh. "And that's also why I decided to leave, as well."

"Why were you so afraid that you wanted to leave?!" Saeko said clutching the man's arm. "I still don't understand why, Jimu-san!"

"Because I had not expected that you would care for me so much in return, that you would put your own life at risk for me, the way you did, sweetie." The American replied placing his hand over Saeko's as he gazed into her eyes.

"And after what Yuriko told me, I was afraid of returning your affection for me, because I was afraid doing so would cause you irreparable harm emotionally, not to mention endangering your life."

"And after talking with Yuriko and Shizuka I was so convinced that my affection for you was merely the foolish dreams of a lonely old man who missed his chance at happiness in life, and was trying to make up for it by treating you as if you were my own child." Jim said hanging his head in embarrassment.

"But just because my life has been so empty, there was no reason for you to suffer from my pain as well….." Jim added. "And I couldn't live with myself if you were ever hurt because of me."

"And so I decided that it was best for me to leave before I caused you any more pain." Jim said as he noticed the crushed look on Saeko's face.

"I'm not your real father, Saeko…." Jim said as Saeko looked at him, as tears fell down her face. "And I'm sure that your real father loves you very, very much."

"And if we ever find him, I will tell him just how blessed he is to have such a wonderful child who has made such a wonderful impression on me." The American said brushing away Saeko's tears with his fingers.

"Jimu-san….." Saeko began, her heart breaking as Jim raised his hand to silence her.

"Before you say anything sweetie….." Jim said as a worried frown formed on his face. "There's something I wish to say to you first."

I don't know if what I'm about to say to you is truly appropriate…" Jim said as Saeko listened quietly.

"But with the way things are in the world right now, I'm very concerned about the possibility that our loved ones may not have survived any of this…." Jim said as Saeko lowered her eyes in response, confirming her own belief that her father truly had perished during the Outbreak.

"And even though I'm sure that's not really the case…." The American said trying not to sound discouraging. "I am worried about you and the others if the worst has happened."

"And based on the way Shizuka and the Takagi's were so overly protective of all of ya'll earlier…." Jim said with a smirk on his face. "I have no doubt that they would be willing to take the others under their wing, if they have nowhere else to go."

"Although I doubt Saya would like the idea of sharing her room with Rei…." The American snickered as Saeko then giggled along with him at the thought of the two girls squabbling with each other like spoiled siblings.

"And I have no idea how well Saya's father is going to take to Kouta living under the same roof as his daughter, now that he knows Kouta likes her." Jim added as he and Saeko both broke out in laughter.

"Ah well….." Jim said shaking his head. "I guess Shizuka and Alice can help Yuriko keep them from killing each other if things get too out of hand."

"What about you Jimu-san?" Saeko said worriedly. "What are you going to do?"

"Once we find out exactly what has happened to your families…" Jim replied his face becoming serious. "Then I need to find out what happened to my guys, and once I find them, I guess we'll all try to figure out exactly what our next move will be."

"I have no doubt the mission to Africa is a wash…." The American said with a smirk. "And that being the case, I'm pretty sure our next move will be to find out what is the status of our own families, and then find our way back home."

"But my real concern is you, Saeko…" Jim said as he turned to face Saeko as she looked up at him in surprise.

"Me?" Saeko said as the American stepped closer to her.

"Yes, baby…..you." Jim said as he placed both of his hands on Saeko's shoulders as her eyes grew wide in apprehension of what the man was about to say next.

"Being alone all these years for as long as I have…." The American began as he leaned down and gazed into Saeko's face as he spoke. "I would not wish that misery on my worst enemy, sweetie."

"And as fond as I am of you, Saeko…" The American added. "I can't stand the thought of you being left all alone in this world if the worst has actually happened to your family."

"All this time I was afraid that my affections for you were wrong…." The American continued. "And that unless I removed myself from your life, that my presence would only cause you more pain."

"But it wasn't until after I saw that doll in my room that I realized that maybe I had been wrong about everything….." Jim said cupping Saeko's cheek with his hand as she looked up at him, her eyes once again beginning to tear.

"And it was then that I began to realize that perhaps finally … after all these years, my prayers had been answered at last." The American said smiling fondly at Saeko as she gasped at the meaning behind his words.

"And because I'm so very fond of you Saeko, there's something very important that I want to ask you….." Jim said as Saeko noticed that the man seemed to be growing very nervous as he spoke.

"Hai, Jimu-san….?" Saeko replied her heart beginning to beat faster as her own fear of what the American was going to ask started to grow.

"If for some reason, we find that your father has not survived this horror…." Jim added as he gazed into Saeko's face and hesitated a moment before continuing.

"Then I would like you to consider coming back to Texas with me, Saeko….." Jim said as Saeko's eyes grew wide at the man's words.

"As my daughter…." Jim added as Saeko's jaw dropped.

"NANI?!" Saeko said in disbelief.

"I want to adopt you, baby." The American said abruptly as Saeko stared at him in shock. "That is, if you'd like me to."

"I-I-I…Saeko stammered as she found herself unable to speak, the full weight of the man's words hitting her like a ton of bricks as she found herself suddenly feeling faint.

My heart sank when I saw Saeko suddenly staring at me as if I were a crazy man after I had offered to adopt her as my own child, although I have to admit, what I had just told her probably did sound pretty insane.

But it was when the tears started to flow from her eyes and fall profusely down her face that I began to panic that perhaps I had gone too far, and had done exactly what Yuriko and Shizuka had warned me about.

That I had finally pushed Saeko's emotional stability over the edge.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie….." I quickly said to Saeko, mentally cursing myself for asking something so crazy from her as I tried to back pedal out of the disaster I had caused , feeling both foolish for what I had said and also feeling extremely disappointed by Saeko's reaction.

"I know what I said must have sounded crazy to you sweetie, so let's just forget about…..OOOMF!" I grunted as Saeko without any warning, suddenly rushed at me and slammed her body into mine, knocking the breath out of me as I felt her arms wrap around me and squeeze as hard as she could.

"Jimu-san please….shut up." The young teenage girl in my arms said tearfully, as Saeko Busujima, the greatest gift that I had ever been given in my life, squeezed my body in a bear hug so tight, that I could barely breathe.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Front Lawn of Takagi Manor

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

"I still think he's a real jerk…" Rei said under her breath bitterly as she, Takashi, and the others were walking quietly through the long hallway behind Saya and her parents, as they entered the large parlor towards the very front of the mansion.

Mentally fried and physically exhausted from their ordeal, Takashi merely rolled his eyes in response to Rei's remark, although he was careful to turn his face away first so that Rei wouldn't notice..

Ever since they had entered the mansion, Rei had been on a ceaseless rant about the way the American had manipulated the teens into agreeing to his terms without let-up, and Takashi was now growing extremely tired of listening to her.

Because even though she would never admit to it, Takashi knew that the real reason for Rei's rant was for the way that Jim had exposed the mistakes that he and Rei had made in acquiring provisions, and had thus embarrassed her in front of everyone.

And while everyone, including Saeko, had not escaped the American's exposing the mistakes that all of the teens had made in their failed attempt to leave the mansion, Rei's bruised ego however, absolutely refused to see the wisdom behind the man's actions, and she had taken the man's reproof extremely personal.

Having already tired of her quick temper, frequent mood swings, and ceaseless bickering over even the most minor of offenses long before the Outbreak ever even began, Takashi merely sighed as Rei continued to vent her frustrations, wishing that he had the courage to tell Rei to get over it and shut up, but knowing his life would be over, if he ever tried.

Oblivious to the tense atmosphere behind them, Saya was quietly walking next to her mother while Kouta was quietly walking behind the other teens trying to avoid the icy stare of Saya's father, and dreading the private conversation between Soichiro Takagi and himself that he knew was sure to come later.

"I don't like this any more than you do Rei…." Takashi said finally realizing he had better respond before Rei focused her wrath on him for ignoring her. "But he was right, we weren't ready to handle something like this alone."

"That's not what I meant, Takashi…!" Rei snapped angrily growing upset that Takashi would even agree even a little bit with what the American had done. "I mean the way he manipulated us into being forced to agree to his stupid plan!"

"I don't care for being tricked like that either….." Takashi agreed with a frown. "But I have to admit, his plan did keep Saya's parents from locking us up and now that they've promised to help us too, I can't think of how I could have done anything differently, if I had been in his shoes."

"But he's not our leader, Takashi!" Rei protested loudly, her voice echoing through the long hallway as everyone looked at her puzzled as to why she was practically screaming in anger as Takashi tried unsuccessfully to quiet her down.

"Rei, calm down!" Takashi said casting a nervous glance at Saya and her parents who were staring at them confused by Rei's outburst. "It's not about who's the leader here, it's all about helping us find our families without getting killed, don't you see?"

"That's what I hate about you Takashi…." Rei said angrily turning her head away and pouting. "You never stand up for yourself, and you always let others walk all over you."

"Rei….." Takashi began shaking his head at the irony of her words as Rei suddenly stopped moving and then gasped as if she had been struck, as she then suddenly whirled around and lunged at Kouta.

"Rei! What's wrong?!" Takashi shouted as Rei snatched one of the rifles from Kouta's grasp and then bolted towards the open front door of the mansion without a word.

On the fourth day of the Outbreak, few places were found left in the world that were left unaffected by the Infection that had spread like wildfire, devastating everything in its path.

While warfare and disease had often devastated villages, and even cities, in mankind's history, now entire countries throughout the world were being laid waste by the vast hordes of the Infected, which consumed everything in their path like swarms of hungry locusts with an insatiable hunger that few were able to escape.

But despite the horror erupting all around with them, there were many who sought not only merely to survive the Outbreak, but also to do all in their power to provide hope for others despite the desperate circumstances around them.

Some however, like many other individuals throughout mankind's history, saw something perversely advantageous in the Outbreak.

And for them, the Outbreak was not an unspeakable horror …..

But rather, the Outbreak was an opportunity for them to divulge in every form of twisted act that would have been once considered unthinkable, before the Outbreak began.

And on a small plot of land on the island of Japan, the actions of two very different "fathers" were about to affect their "children's" lives in ways that none of the once innocent youths, had ever imagined.

While one "father" sought only to find happiness with the "daughter" he cared for so deeply….

The other's interest in his "children" however, was merely for his own benefit…..

And his plans for them, were as dark as his heart.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Rear of Takagi Mansion

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

"OJI-CHANNNNNN!"

For the briefest of moments, my heart was the happiest it had ever been as I held my "daughter" in my arms, the joy I felt indescribable as I wrapped my arms around Saeko and hugged her tightly.

Although she hadn't said "yes" when I had asked her to become my daughter, there was no doubt that Saeko was just as happy as I was at the prospect, from the way she was hugging me in a near bone-crushing embrace

But as is usual with me whenever I seem about to enjoy even the faintest moment of happiness, something always manages to come in and snatch it away as I suddenly heard a small, shrill voice screaming as I lifted my head up as I was still holding Saeko, and was surprised to see that the person who was screaming was Alice as she was running towards us, her eyes filled with fear.

"OJI-CHAN! OJI-CHAN!" Alice shouted as she came running up and crashed against us, breathing heavily.

"Doshita no, Alice-chan?!" I said my voice filled with alarm as I removed myself from Saeko's embrace and then dropped down to one knee as Alice proceeded to hit me with a slew of Japanese that I couldn't even begin to try to figure out, as I blankly gazed into her tear-filled face.

Having used pretty much the extent of my Japanese by asking Alice what was wrong, I looked over at Saeko and shrugged as Alice then begin chattering away at Saeko excitedly, while I waited for a translation.

"What's she saying?" I asked as Saeko ignored me at first and just stared at Alice with a confused look on her face and then asked Alice to repeat herself, as the panic-filled little girl then began to speak slower, albeit her voice was just as anxious as before.

"Arisu-chan says there's a bunch of bad people standing in front of the mansion…." Saeko replied finally as Alice began to say something else as the confused expression on Saeko's face suddenly turned into one of alarm.

"And she also says that Miyamoto-san is threatening to kill one of them, Jimu-san!" Saeko said as I immediately grabbed both girls by the hand and then all three of us started running towards the front of the mansion.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Main Entrance of Takagi Mansion

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

Shido cursed himself under his breath for his impatience and the predicament he now found himself in as a result of it, as he stared panic-stricken at the sight of the young schoolgirl standing in front of him and holding a rifle tipped with a razor-sharp bayonet that she was pressing against the left side of his face.

Shido gritted his teeth at the sensation of the cold blade against his skin, unable to do anything more than try to keep from crying out in fear as the teen mercilessly continued to slowly press the point of the bayonet against his skin.

With his back pressed against the stone railing of the small patio at the top of the steps leading to the front entrance of the mansion, Shido stood helpless and unable to move as he stared into the hate-filled eyes of the young teenage girl who seemed merely a heartbeat away from killing him.

"Mi-Miyamoto-san, what are you doing?"Shido finally managed to squeak as the teenage girl glared at him with cold fury in her eyes.

"Don't play games with me, Sensei….!" Rei spat as she pressed the point of the bayonet even harder against Shido's cheek as he gasped out of fear.

"You know exactly why I'm doing this…" Rei said with a wicked grin on her face as Shido stared at her with wide, pleading eyes.

"Please…!" Shido yelped as the point of the bayonet scratched his skin slightly as he looked panic-stricken at the people standing all around in shock at the sight of the teenage girl holding the larger man at gunpoint.

"Somebody please help me! I don't know what she's talking about!" Shido screeched as the panic finally began to overwhelm him.

"You don't…?" Rei said her eyes narrowing as her hands suddenly gripped the rifle she was holding so tightly that her knuckles began turning white.

"Shall I remind you then, Shido-sensei?" Rei hissed angrily as she then twisted the edge of the bayonet into the man's face, penetrating the skin of his left cheek as Koichi Shido screamed.

Author's Notes: * SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL READERS*

I wish to thank all of you for the kind words of support all of you have given me over the many months that I have been posting "Last Alarm" here on this site, despite it admittedly being vastly different from most fanfics normally posted here.

Your kind words and positive reviews have always been a great help in encouraging me to always keep trying to do my best with each chapter that I write.

And as I've mentioned before in the past, a lot of my own personal experiences and insights as a firefighter/paramedic have been written into this story to make it unique, and for the most part, there has been a lot of positive response from the many readers of my story.

But like all things in life, not every work, no matter how much effort is put into it, is ever perfect.

And neither is my story.

While a few readers had complained in the past about the emotional drama written in "Last Alarm", what has actually been the biggest problem according to some readers who have PM'ed me, is the "Time Shift" that occurred in Chapters 25-30.

I had my reasons for writing the story the way I had, but unfortunately, very few people could understand why I wrote the story that way, and a couple of readers even stated flatly that they would no longer read my story because of that.

While I've never been guilty of pulling anyone's arm to read my story, I did realize that people would find it confusing, and I was hoping that when the story was finished, everyone could see why I had written the story that way.

Unfortunately, the end of "Last Alarm" is still a long ways off, and that being the case, I've decided that for the sake of those who have continued to support me all this time, I have come to the decision to go ahead and change those chapters and omit that "Time Shift" that I had written originally, altogether.

So as a result, if you look back at Chapters 25-30, that whole "Time Shift" part has been erased.

And you will also notice that Chapter 29, "Brother's" has also been removed altogether and will be posted later as a one-shot story that will be posted separately on the anniversary of September 11th .

And as a result, because of the changes I made in the story, the original ending of "Last Alarm" will also be changed as well, whenever I finally get to it.

So whatever you read before in those previous chapters, will no longer apply to what happens to the characters anymore, and the final outcome will be vastly different than before.

As a "guest reader" brought to my attention recently, the whole problem with the "Time Shift idea" (besides all the confusion that resulted from it) was the fact that with that "Time Shift", now everyone knew what happened to the characters in the end, and the point of even reading any further was now moot since the anticipation of what happened next, was gone.

That point had been made before by other readers, but this particular "guest reader" said it in such a respectful and sincere way, that I decided to heed their advice and change the chapters accordingly, as well as change the final outcome of "Last Alarm."

My thanks to that "guest reader" for their kind words.

The scene that I had written with the cast of HOTD now all grown up and talking with their teenage children about what happened to them during "The Outbreak" has a place in another story I might consider doing which would take place many years after "Last Alarm" takes place called "Last Alarm-Legacy" that would be about the adventures of the teenage children of the original HOTD cast.

But, that story will take place in an "Alternate Universe", and will have little in common with the original "Last Alarm", since I've decided to change a lot of things about the original story.

So now all of you can forget about what I had written earlier, because now the story will be different, and I'm hoping that the changes that I will be making in future chapters will renew your interest now that all of you know now that everything will be completely different from what you read earlier.

Like I've said before, "Last Alarm" is a "rough draft" and things can still change in the story at any time.

On another note:

Yep, it's pretty much official, Jim and Saeko are now "father and daughter", and will be going though many challenges to their new found relationship throughout the story.

And now that their relationship as "father and daughter is now finally established, I can now focus completely on the mayhem to come!

It might surprise all of you to know that originally there wasn't going to be anything written about Jim and Saeko becoming "father and daughter", like you've just read.

Originally, Jim was supposed to be "father figure" to all of the teens, as well as mentor and "big brother" to Shizuka, with no specific "father and child" pairing.

But as I was writing "Crossroads", the idea popped into my head, based on many factors, and I'm certainly glad it did.

The next chapter will not be as long as these last ones you've all read, because by this time, "Jim" has had quite enough drama for one morning, and is in no mood for any more.

And I think you'll get a kick out of the way Jim handles the next crisis.

As always, thank you for your kind words and your generous support.

Jim