43

Last Alarm

Chapter Forty-Three

"Enemy at the Gates"

Part Seven

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Front Lawn of Takagi Manor

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

It wasn't supposed to have turned out like this…

The strategy had been so simple, had been planned so carefully, and executed so brilliantly, that everything should have gone perfectly.

Not like this.

Ever since he had first driven the school's mini-bus past the well-guarded checkpoint on the road that lead up towards Takagi Mansion, Koichi Shido had immediately recognized the unique potential that the luxurious mansion offered as he laid his eyes on the sprawling mansion at the top of the hill for the first time.

"It is almost perfect in every way…." Shido had thought to himself as his greedy eyes took in every detail of the mansion as well as the surrounding area.

Strategically speaking, in all respects Takagi Mansion did indeed appear to be the perfect sanctuary from the walking death that roamed the streets of Tokonosu City, and the former schoolteacher immediately began to formulate a plan in order to put into motion his vision of a society under his rule by means of using the luxurious mansion as his personal stronghold.

Sturdily constructed atop a large hill located in a quiet neighborhood on the far northwest portion of the city, the sprawling mansion seemed from all appearances to have been designed to be more of a fortress than a dwelling.

The mansion boasted an unobstructed view of the city in all directions, and was surrounded by thick, heavily fortified walls with heavy iron gates built all around the huge structure in order to protect its occupants, with the only visible access to the mansion being two small service roads leading towards the front and rear of the mansion.

And as luck would have it, because Takagi Manor had been constructed well away from the downtown area, the fairly isolated location of the mansion also aided in making the luxurious residence an ideal sanctuary now that the majority of the Infected were currently concentrated towards the busier and more heavily populated downtown and coastal sections of the city, leaving the area where Takagi Manor sat, relatively safe.

When the former schoolteacher and his group of students finally disembarked their bus after having been guided to a spot where several other larger vehicles sat, Shido was even further impressed at what he saw as he watched the beehive of activity going on all around him on the grounds of the mansion.

All around people were busy at work with large groups of volunteers hastily unloading a small number of cargo vans that had just delivered a huge supply of food, clothing and other supplies, while other teams of volunteers busied themselves on the other side of the sprawling grounds with erecting a small tent city that was hastily being erected for the refugees of the Outbreak, complete with portable toilets, showers, and even a hospital tent for the weary survivors who were steadily trickling in seeking refuge from the horror they had just barely escaped.

And as his eyes took in every detail of his surroundings, Shido was even further amazed at how efficient and well organized everything was being handled with the efficiency rivaling that of the JSDF's ability.

Impressed by all that he saw, the smile on Shido's face grew even wider as his mind filled with thoughts of Takagi Manor and all that lay within…. under his control.

And as he and his students were ushered towards the quarantine area to be examined by the medical staff for any signs of possible infection before being escorted to the mess tent and then to their assigned tent, Shido's mind had already contemplated and rejected dozens of scenarios of how best to go about removing the mansion from the control of its current owners.

However, after discreetly taking a careful count of the large number of heavily-armed servants walking around the grounds of the mansion, Shido began to realize to his dismay that seizing the mansion and all its assets for himself would be next to impossible with only himself and a mere handful of his former students on hand to attempt a takeover of such magnitude.

But as if Fate itself had smiled upon him, the perfect opportunity to put his plans into motion suddenly arrived the very next morning, as a small convoy of cargo vans suddenly rushed through the front gates of the mansion carrying the battered body of the hated American and the small group of students and the school nurse from Fujimi High, that had abruptly abandoned him and the remaining students two days earlier.

Shocked at first by the sudden appearance of the seriously wounded American and the small party of teenagers that had humiliated him, Shido had briefly felt a chill of fear run through him at the realization that his enemies' arrival could very well place him and his students in jeopardy, once word got out of his actions against the injured boy during his escape at the school.

But just as he was formulating a plan on how best to leave the grounds of the mansion without being seen, a sudden thought came to him that gave him reason to pause as he listened to the nervous voices of the large crowd whom had gathered.

And as Shido listened to the hushed whispers being uttered by his fellow refugees that the whole reason for the Outbreak was due to Japan being under attack by the United States and that the American was possibly a captured enemy soldier, then the idea of using the American as a means to spread fear throughout the other refugees and eventually sway them to turn against their hosts for harboring an "enemy combatant", began to form in Shido's mind.

And then almost immediately Shido had then quickly gathered his students around him and hastily gave them instructions as he began to put Phase One of his plan into motion, while the wounded American and the traitorous school nurse and her party of former students were being off-loaded from the vans.

It had been surprisingly easy to incite frenzied panic into the already frightened crowd through the staged shouts of fear and panic being uttered by his students amongst the refugees, and his plan had nearly been a complete success on its first attempt, much to Shido's surprise.

That is until one of the students that had arrived with the American, a boy by the name of Kumoro, Takashi had interfered by firing a pistol into the air and holding the mob at bay until the Lord of Takagi Manor and his staff had arrived and disarmed the boy and then dispersed the unruly mob.

Yet despite Shido's first attempt at overthrowing the hierarchy at Takagi Manor had not proven successful, the former schoolteacher had not been discouraged in the slightest by the setback as he gloated on how easily the crowd had been whipped into a frenzy, with almost no effort at all.

Encouraged by this, Shido had then decided to wait patiently in the shadows for his next available opportunity, as he continued to meticulously scrutinize every detail about the mansion and its occupants as his grandiose plan of establishing the foundation for his "New World" at Takagi Manor now seemed to be just within his grasp.

"Yes, it had been almost too easy….." Shido had thought to himself as he remembered how he had laughed inwardly at the ease with which he and his loyal students had driven the other refugees to a state of almost near panic with the belief that the members of theTakagi Household were actually involved in a conspiracy against the Nation of Japan and perhaps even directly involved with the Outbreak.

And now just barely over 48 hours later after the arrival of the wounded American and his group, the small flicker of paranoia that Shido and his students had fanned had now successfully reached an almost fevered pitch, until almost all of the other refugees had unanimously sided with him in a planned confrontation and if need be, perhaps an even possible coup over their hosts.

Hugely supports now with a force of "followers" that he had successfully duped into his control and were now more than willing to overthrow their hosts, Shido had then shrewdly suggested to the mob that he would request an audience with the Lord of Takagi Manor in hopes of being able to voice their concerns and perhaps solve the matter without resorting to violent means, which to his students, had seemed contradictory to his original plans.

However, Shido's true motives were anything but diplomatic as his hopes were that any diplomatic attempts on his part with the Lord of Takagi Manor would fail, thus helping him prove that the members of the Takagi Household could not be trusted, and perhaps indeed were traitors to their own country.

And then there would be no other choice but for Shido and his fellow refugees to take action and place their hosts into "custody", to insure their own safety.

And with no representative of the Japanese Government or JSDF on hand, Shido being the one who had ultimately arranged the coup, and thus the one who had saved everyone's lives, would be the only logical choice to be appointed as leader over the remaining survivors.

And once his position as the leader was established, Shido's next plan of action in order to build his "New Empire" would be to deal with the traitorous members of the "Old Regime."

And by law in Japan there is only one punishment for treason…." Shido thought to himself with glee as he envisioned himself standing over his victims and holding the very sword that the Lord of Takagi Manor always carried, high over his head as his bound and helpless victims awaited his fatal strike.

Visions of the Takagi Household lying decapitated at his feet while the American was being torn apart by the vengeance-crazed refugees, had so enraptured Shido that when his request for an audience with the Lord of Takagi Manor had gone ignored, his fury at being ignored and his increasing thirst for vengeance had become overwhelming.

And despite the fact that it had actually been his hope in the first place that any attempts at diplomacy would ultimately fail in the first place, his fury at being completely ignored without having even been given an audience by any representative of the Takagi House had caused something inside the former schoolteacher to snap, and it was all his students could do to keep him from ordering his new "followers" to begin his seizure of the mansion prematurely.

But then after composing himself, one of his students, a boy by the name of Kurokami, had come running into his tent with news that the hated teenagers that had betrayed him including the only daughter of the Takagi Household, had been caught by the mansion's security staff while attempting to run away.

And Shido's rage had then turned to glee at this latest bit of news as the realization that the teenager's running away would serve as the perfect excuse for him to openly question the Takagi's ability to protect their "guest's", if they and their staff could not even handle a small group of spoiled children.

And it was also then that Shido had also realized that with the members of the Takagi House currently in the throes of such turmoil and mistrust in their own midst, their guard would most definitely be down, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

Shido grinned evilly at the image of his humiliating the Takagi's in front of everyone as his "army" of loyal followers swooped in and took their hosts and their staff under "custody", and so rather than try to go along with his original plan and peacefully confront his hosts and try to prove their authority and their loyalties questionable in front of all of the refugees, Shido's lust for power and revenge had proven overpowering….

And so he had decided to go forward with his plan to use force instead, and end it all in one fell swoop.

And so after making no guards were visible anywhere and presumably still occupied with the teenage escapees, Shido had then led over 100 of his "followers" towards the front of the mansion, hoping to draw out the members of the Takagi Household, by making them believe that a large group of frustrated refugees was gathering in the front of the mansion and wished to be heard.

Meanwhile, two smaller groups of Shido's "followers" had discreetly placed themselves on both sides of the mansion, making a show of mindlessly milling around, hoping to catch the members of the Takagi House and their security staff unawares before any of them could bring their weapons into play.

Until this very moment everything had been planned and executed so perfectly that every part of his plan should have fallen into place with a minimum of effort on his part, relatively few casualties, and with absolutely no risk to himself.

Yes, it should have all been absolutely perfect, Shido thought to himself as he gritted his teeth in anger.

Not like this.

And now as the razor-sharp point of a bayonet pierced the skin of his cheek, Shido screamed in a voice that was a mixture of both pain and rage over the fact that his glorious vision of establishing the foundation for his new world order on the fortified grounds of Takagi Manor, had failed horribly.

And worse, all of his brilliantly laid plans that he had set into motion had been foiled, not by either the Lord or Lady of Takagi Manor whom Shido considered to be his equal in stature or intelligence to which Shido would have grudgingly consented defeat by someone he would have at least considered a worthy adversary.

No, instead his plans had been foiled in the most humiliating way possible, as Shido ground his teeth in rage that everything he had strived for had been undone by the actions of a mere teenage girl from his school who had recognized him as he had walked up the top of the staircase leading into the front entrance of the mansion.

And the shame Shido felt at being thwarted in his plans by a mere girl was almost as painful as the bayonet digging into his flesh as Shido screamed once more as the girl applied more pressure on the blade slicing into his flesh.

And Shido cursed himself as well knowing that he himself was also very much to blame for the predicament he was in because in the end, it had been his own overpowering lust for power and revenge that had been the reason he had moved too quickly.

And now his arrogance was going to cost him everything as Shido cursed himself under his breath for his impatience and the predicament he was in as a result of it, as he glared angrily at the young schoolgirl standing in front of him who was holding a rifle tipped with a bayonet pressed against the left side of his face as the razor-sharp blade began to penetrate even deeper into the soft tissue of his left cheek.

This time Shido merely gritted his teeth at the pain, unable to do anything more than try to keep from crying out in either fear or pain and protect what little dignity he could as the teen mercilessly continued to slowly press the point of the bayonet into his skin and a thin stream of blood began to run down his cheek before she stopped applying pressure.

With his back pressed against the railing at the top of the steps leading to the front entrance of the mansion, Shido stood helpless 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 stared 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 loudly out of pain and fear, but somehow miraculously managed to prevent himself from screaming.

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

"Please…!" Shido yelped at the adults standing behind the teenage girl who were gazing upon the drama unfolding before them in shock. "Somebody please stop her! I don't know what the devil she's talking about!"

"You honestly don't know why, Shido-sensei?" Rei said as her hands gripped the rifle so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Shall I remind you then, Sensei?" Rei said coldly as she then twisted the edge of the bayonet into the man's face as Koichi Shido screamed, unable to hold back the panic he felt any longer.

"PLEASE!" Shido screamed in terror as he cast another panic-filled glance in the direction of the adults who still seemed to be reluctant to move at all towards the angry teenage girl.

"AREN'T ANY OF YOU GOING TO STOP HER?!" The teacher screamed in fright as Takashi finally snapped out of his shock and then immediately stepped forward after realizing to his horror, that Rei indeed was a heartbeat away from killing the man.

"REI! STOP!" Takashi shouted to no avail as Rei intentionally ignored him and kept the blade of the bayonet firmly in place.

"Miyamoto-san…NO!" Shizuka screamed in horror, as unbeknownst to her, Alice who had been standing by her side, suddenly turned and ran towards the open door leading into the mansion with the puppy Zeke running at her heels.

"You know exactly why I'm doing this, Shido-sensei….." Rei hissed angrily as the tip of the bayonet began to shake slightly causing the former schoolteacher to whimper in pain.

"Or do you really need me to remind you?" Rei said as she put more pressure on the bayonet against Shido's face and then grinned even more at the way the former schoolteacher's eyes grew even wider in terror as he gasped loudly.

"No,…..I don't have to remind you at all… do I, Sensei?" Rei said her eyes becoming wild as she tightened her grip on the rifle. "You remember it all clearly, don't you?"

"JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU BLATHERING ON ABOUT GIRL?!" The Security Chief Yoshioka suddenly roared as Takashi jumped at being startled by the man's sudden shout as he turned and saw that the Security Chief and a few of his men had evidently been alerted to the drama unfolding outside and had now arrived to quell the disturbance.

Relieved that help seemed to have finally arrived, Takashi was about to breathe a sigh of relief upon the timely arrival of the heavily-armed guards, until he noticed to his horror that the Security Chief was aiming the muzzle of his pistol, not at the angry crowd or at the schoolteacher….

Instead, the Security Chief's Beretta 92 was aimed directly at Rei, and Takashi was also horrified to see that the man's finger was tightening over the trigger of his pistol.

"DAMMIT GIRL, PUT THAT WEAPON DOWN NOW!" Yoshioka roared as Takashi looked on in horror, unable to speak.

"F_CK YOU…..!" Rei screamed in rage as Shido yelped in terror from the blade cutting his skin even more from Rei flinching suddenly. "HE DESERVES TO PAY FOR WHAT HE DID!"

"Yoshioka-san…!" Soichiro Takagi boomed as the Security Chief turned to face Soichiro, just as his finger was tightening on the trigger.

"Put your weapon away and stand down, Yoshioka-san….." Saya's father commanded as the Security Chief hesitated, his pistol still leveled at the teenage girl.

"Do it now, Ken-san…." Soichiro said as the Security Chief gritted his teeth, but then reluctantly lowered and holstered his pistol.

"Now then….." Soichiro said turning his attention back towards Rei. "What is this all about, child?"

Takashi held his breath when Rei did not immediately respond to Saya's father, and for several tense moments Rei merely stood there continuing to hold the former schoolteacher at bay without uttering a word.

"Well…?" Saya's father asked briskly, visibly running out of patience. "Are you going to explain yourself or not, girl?"

"REI!" Takashi hissed as everyone suddenly noticed Rei's lips beginning to quiver and her whole body beginning to tremble slightly before she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"My father…." Rei stammered finally as hot tears fell down her cheeks as she withdrew the tip of the bayonet from Shido's face and then angrily placed it underneath his chin as the schoolteacher whimpered in fear.

"My father…." The teenage girl repeated as her body suddenly began to shake as she then began to lower the rifle she held in her hands as she began to sob pitifully, as everyone began to breathe a sigh of relief, believing that perhaps the young girl had finally come to her senses.

"Your father what, child?" Soichiro said in a sympathetic tone as Saya looked over at her father in surprise having not seen her father speak so gently to anyone before.

"My father….." The teenage girl said once more between sobs as she suddenly lifted her head up, her eyes filled with murderous fury as the rifle she held in her hands suddenly shot up and the tip of the bayonet poked the schoolteacher under the chin.

"MY FATHER SUFFERED BECAUSE OF HIM!" Rei screamed as Shido screamed in pain as the tip of the bayonet now sliced into the soft flesh of his chin.

"In what way has this man made your father suffer?" Soichiro replied keeping his voice level, as Rei continued to apply pressure to the bayonet under Shido's chin.

"My father is a police detective…." Rei began in explanation, her entire body now shaking with anger. "And he was investigating this man's father for corruption."

"And because of that, this man's father ordered him to hold me back a grade just to teach my father a lesson!" Rei shouted as everyone winced at Shido's scream of pain as the blade sliced deeper into his chin.

"My father was always so strong….." Rei said barely able to keep her eyes open because of her tears as she released some of the pressure on the bayonet. "And he was so upset because of what had happened to me….."

"And he was so upset…"Rei said gritting her teeth as she shoved the bayonet back into Shido's face.

"AND HE WAS SO UPSET THAT HE CRIED AS HE BEGGED ME ON HIS KNEES TO FORGIVE HIM!" Rei shrieked in anger as she suddenly slashed the tip of the bayonet down and across Shido's chest and sliced his shirt open, somehow miraculously not breaking the skin as Shido screamed again in terror.

"YOU COWARD!" Rei spat as she once again placed the tip of the bayonet under Shido's chin and lifted the blade up until the man was standing on the tips of his toes.

"You are deserving of worse than death…." Rei hissed as Shido whimpered.

"But killing you will have to do….." Rei said as she took a deep breath and then acted as if she were about to thrust the tip of the bayonet through the schoolteacher's throat.

"REI…DON'T DO IT…PLEASE!" Takashi shouted desperately as Soichiro raised his hand up to silence him.

"Well if you're going to kill him girl, then kill him…!" Soichiro thundered as everyone including Rei, reacted in shock to his words.

"Na-nani?" Rei said incredulous that the Lord of Takagi Manor would even say such a thing.

"You heard me girl…kill him." Soichiro said as his eyes fixed themselves upon the quivering teacher's face and he glared at the cowering man in disgust.

"Takagi-sama, you can't be serious!" Shizuka began as Soichiro held up his hand to silence her.

"I know this man's father…." Soichiro continued as he then turned to look upon Rei with a disapproving look. "And based on the character of his father, I have no reason to believe that what this child says about this man is untrue, either."

"Therefore, if you wish to kill him, then no one here will stop you, child." Soichiro said as everyone within earshot, including some in the mob below, gasped loudly in surprise.

"Soichiro-san.…!" Yuriko said in protest as she stepped forward to try to put an end to the tense situation as a young girl from somewhere in the crowd shouted something unintelligible causing all of the people in the mob to begin yelling angrily in protest.

"However in my opinion, child…." Soichiro said ignoring the angry shouts of the mob as he glanced over at Yuriko as his wife immediately stopped herself upon noticing the serious look in his eye.

"I do not believe that your father would ever wish his child to suffer with the guilt of having that man's blood on your hands, even though I have no doubt that he is deserving of death." Soichiro added.

"However, if your thirst for revenge is truly that great, then do as you will…." Soichiro said crossing his arms as everyone standing around him gawked at the Lord of Takagi Manor in shock and disbelief, before gazing back over at Rei with anxious eyes as the teenager then turned her attention back to Shido and then angrily raised the blade of the bayonet even higher as he whimpered again in fright.

"REI, DON'T!" Takashi shouted as he took a step towards Rei but was then abruptly stopped as Saya's father suddenly grabbed his arm.

"This is Miyamoto-san's decision Komuro-san…." Soichiro said coldly as he stared into Takashi's eyes. "And she must choose for herself where her heart truly lies."

"BUT SHE'S ABOUT TO MURDER HIM…..!" Takashi shouted in anger. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING TO LET THIS HAPPEN!"

"Perhaps….." Soichiro said not taking his eyes off Rei as prepared to thrust the bayonet through the teacher's throat.

"But the choice of whether your friend truly wishes to kill this man or not, is still hers to make…" Soichiro said turning his head to face Takashi. "And no matter what any of us does, sooner or later she will have to decide for herself if killing this man is worth losing her soul over."

"Better it is that she decides that for herself now…." Soichiro said releasing Takashi's arm as Rei let out a startled gasp as everyone turned to see what had startled the angry teen.

"You stupid, pathetic fools.…!" Shido's angry voice hissed as everyone gazed upon the helpless schoolteacher and were startled by the sudden change in the man's demeanor as he glared furiously at all of them, the weak, pathetic, cowardly man that had been pleading for his life a mere moment earlier now vanished.

Now the man standing before them wore a mask of sheer hate, the once frightened eyes transformed into blazing orbs of intense fury as all remnants of the man's previous persona finally disappeared….

And the real evil that was Koichi Shido now stood before them.

"You think that your wealth gives you the power to choose who lives and who dies….?!" Shido spat angrily as he glared furiously at Soichiro Takagi and then cast his gaze over at Rei.

"Or that you or this spoiled little brat can bring a stop to what is about to fall upon all of you today…?" Shido added as he glared evilly at Rei as she backed up instinctively in fear at the way Shido was looking at her.

"You pathetic little bitch…" Shido rasped as he glared at Rei. "Do you truly believe that you have what it takes to kill me?"

"Go ahead then….." Shido hissed as he stood up and then glared haughtily at Rei as she hesitated.

"I'm standing right here….." Shido said with a sneer at the teenage girl who was shocked to find herself actually beginning to grow afraid from the sudden change in the schoolteacher's demeanor as well as for the way he was suddenly challenging her.

"I'm unarmed, helpless….. and at your mercy….." Shido said in a mocking voice as he waved his hands in the air over his head, deliberately exposing himself as if daring Rei to strike him.

"What's wrong, Miyamoto-san….?" Shido said with a broad smile on his face as he spoke to the stunned teenager in a gentle voice as if he were speaking to a toddler, before his face suddenly twisted grotesquely in rage as he reached over and batted the end of the rifle away from his face.

"KILL ME YOU LITTLE WHORE!" Shido then roared as he suddenly lunged at Rei, who nearly fell backwards trying to get away from the enraged psychopath as the wild look on Shido's face slowly disappeared and he then laughed upon seeing how easily he had frightened the teen as he then calmly gazed upon Rei with a look of pure contempt.

"You can't can you?" Shido said with a smirk on his face as he looked over at the rest of the group standing behind Rei.

"None of you can….." Shido said as his gaze shifted over each face as he continued to glare at everyone defiantly. "And do you know why?"

"Why, pray tell?" Yoshioka said his hand drifting towards his Berretta again, the unease he felt at the sudden change in the teacher's demeanor beginning to grow as he looked all around at the mob who had been steadily beginning to draw closer while everyone's focus had been on the drama going on between the schoolteacher and the teen.

"Because if you kill me…." Shido said grinning at the Security Chief as he stepped over towards the railing.

"THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL US ALL!" Shido shouted for all to hear as the crowd of people standing on the front lawn suddenly roared angrily in unison as Yoshioka ordered his men to stand their ground.

"This is what real power is….." Shido said as the crowd began to surge forward.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

North Corner of Takagi Manor

Time: A Few Minutes Earlier

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

"Shido…..who?" I whispered to Saeko, as she, Alice, and I crouched near a small cluster of bushes on top of a small rise just near the garage near the north wall of the mansion as we watched the spectacle unfolding before us, although it was Saeko and Alice who had a better view of the whole ordeal than I did.

After Saeko had translated what little Alice had said about Rei trying to kill somebody, I had immediately grabbed both of the girls by the hand and started running towards the rear door leading into the mansion when alarms suddenly started ringing in my head, and I came to a sudden halt.

Acting purely on instinct, I then changed direction and all three of us then headed towards a small rise near the garage where the Takagi's personal vehicles were kept, which seemed to me to be a perfect place to safely observe what was happening since it was on a higher vantage point and was also overgrown with trees and other foliage that we could hide ourselves in without being seen.

Well, normally it would have been perfect spot from a military point of view, although once we got there I immediately noticed one small problem that made my observation spot less than perfect.

I couldn't see a damn thing.

With my prescription Oakley's confiscated along with the rest of my gear somewhere inside the mansion, I realized to my dismay that even though we were just a short distance away from where all the action was, we were just too far away for me to be able to see anything clearly from where we were hidden.

Although my vision really isn't all that bad, from where we were positioned, all I could make out was the outline of Rei and some other figure that she was holding captive at bayonet point at the top of the staircase, as well as a bunch of other people milling around on the grounds below, every one of them angrily waving their fists and shouting in angry Japanese.

And so unfortunately, I was forced to rely heavily on Saeko to give me the play-by-play as to what was going on as I strained my eyes as hard as I could to make out friend from foe.

"Shido-sensei was the teacher from our school who was with us on the bus, Jimu-san." Saeko replied in a low voice that was filled with tension as she spoke as the angry voices of the crowd began to rise in volume.

"He was also the one who tried to kill you on the mini-bus." Saeko said intentionally not bringing up the fact that it was I who had tried to kill the little turd earlier that day.

"That little weenie?!" I said as I took a closer look at the blurred figure leaning back against the rail of the staircase and screaming his head off. "You're kidding me, that's him?!"

"Hai." Saeko replied. "And right now Miyamoto-san is threatening to kill him, and Komuro-kun is trying to talk her out of it."

"Damn, it's a small world after all…." I said under my breath completely dumbfounded at this latest turn of events.

"I didn't expect to meet up with the little rat again so soon, and here of all places." I muttered as Alice flinched at the sound of the little weasel screaming again out of pain or fear.

"Sissy…" I said under my breath as I tried not to laugh at the fact that the guy was getting his ass kicked by a girl half his age.

"Neither did I, Jimu-san." Saeko replied through gritted teeth as the teacher screamed again.

While I doubted very much that there was any sympathy for the former schoolteacher in Saeko's heart as she listened to the man's screams, just the same, it must have been very unnerving for Saeko and Alice to think that Rei would willingly torture anyone so cruelly, even a cold-blooded murderer like that little prick screaming his head off down there.

"Well, while I admit that I do believe the world would be a nicer place without that little jerk…." I said with a smirk, a small part of me still laughing inwardly at the thought of the little prick peeing his pants while being threatened by a teenage girl much smaller than him.

"But what does Rei have against him that would make her want to kill him?" I said out loud, suddenly becoming curious as to why Rei of all people would want to kill the little twerp. "She wasn't even on the bus when he tried to sneak up and kill me."

"I don't know…." Saeko replied as I noticed the mob starting to become more vocal in their protest of the treatment of their apparent "leader" at the hands of the teenage assailant while the Takagi's and their security staff stood idly by while the teacher was screaming for help.

"But for some reason her hate for Shido-sensei is extremely high, because he was the reason she left the bus that night." Saeko added as the crowd began to grow even more unruly.

"Yeah, I remember that." I said with a frown as I heard the little rat scream in terror as Rei pricked him in the cheek with the bayonet again.

As much as I felt how much that psycho deserved the humiliation he was experiencing right now, I knew that unless someone put a stop to what Rei was doing and soon, things were going to go extremely sour, and whatever reasons Rei might have had for wanting to skewer the little rat would have to be cast aside as the growing anger of the crowd threatened to go out of control.

"Well, as much as I'd rather that Rei would just skewer the little prick…" I said as Saeko turned her head and looked at me with a frown.

"That little jerk isn't worth her becoming a murderer over, and the way that crowd is beginning to get all worked up, it won't be long before they start screaming for her blood and rush the guards." I added as I glanced over at Alice who was hugging the puppy for all she was worth.

"Daijobu, Alice…." I said as I reached over and wrapped my arm over her shoulders and gave her a quick hug.

"What do you propose we do, Jimu-san?" Saeko said as her eyes grew bigger as I released Alice and then loosened the sash holding my robe closed and then lifted my shirt up and began tearing away at the clear plastic wrap that was wrapped around my torso.

"Jimu-san, why are you wrapped in plastic….? " Saeko said as her eyes suddenly grew wide as she watched me pull out a Sig P220 semi-automatic pistol that I had kept concealed in the small of my back, which had been held in place by the plastic that I had wrapped around my torso.

"Hospital scrubs were never designed to hold the weight of a loaded pistol, and so I had to improvise a way to carry this…." I replied to Saeko with a wink as I tore off the rest of the plastic and tossed it away.

"I'm just glad they didn't frisk me after I gave Yuriko my guns earlier." I added as I then closed my robe again and then lifted up my left trouser leg and tore off the plastic wrap holding the spare magazines for the pistol that I had fastened on my left leg.

I then placed the spare magazines into the left pocket of my robe and then pulled back on the slide of the Sig slightly to make sure there was a round in the chamber before releasing the slide.

I had already checked the pistol earlier before I had concealed it underneath my robe, but just like Andy had trained me, I always made it a point to double-check my weapon as a precaution as I then took stock of my situation.

We were in a good spot tactically speaking, as we were able to observe the proceedings going on at the front of the mansion from our vantage point.

And as well concealed as we were, there was little chance of the three of us being spotted hiding underneath the brush on top of the small hill.

And even if by some slim chance we were spotted by someone, we still held the high ground and I could easily pick off any attackers with my pistol and perhaps even hold them off for a little while if need be, provided it wasn't the whole mob down there trying to charge us all at once.

But the fact remained that if indeed the mob did decide to go apeshit down there and tear up the mansion and everyone in it, my being armed with only one .45 caliber pistol and two spare magazines for a total of only 24 rounds wasn't going to be enough to keep myself and the two girls with me safe for very long.

And from what I could see, the odds didn't look very good that everyone was gonna kiss and make up down there as I looked over towards the garage for a fallback position, and then shook my head.

In most situations where danger is visibly brewing, the usual response by most people is to seek shelter in a house or building of some sort, or in this case, the garage where I knew the Humvee was being kept.

The problem with "forting up" however, is that sometimes the place you thought of as a shelter could just as easily end up becoming a trap, and so just as quickly as I thought of using the garage as a safe place to protect the girls in case our current position was compromised, I immediately rejected the idea of falling back to the garage with the girls if the worst did happen.

Because the fact was that even if we did manage to be able to make it to the garage, there would be no way out once we were inside and with the way the mob was working themselves up, it wouldn't be long before someone got the bright idea to burn the garage to the ground, with the three of us in it.

So as vulnerable as I felt hiding in the bushes with two young girls and only a .45 caliber pistol to protect us with, we were still better off where we were than trying to play Davy Crockett at the Alamo by attempting to lock ourselves in the garage.

And as anyone from San Antonio knows, "forting up" at the Alamo hadn't worked out very well for the Texans over 175 years ago, and I wasn't eager to repeat history again if I could help it.

"Jimu-san?!" Saeko said visibly surprised at how I had managed to conceal the fact that I was still armed. "I thought you gave all your guns to Yuriko-san?"

"I only gave Yuriko the guns that were in my hands to show her and her husband that I meant no harm to anyone….." I replied snapping out of my morbid thoughts.

"But I kept this one just in case they decided not to listen to reason, and I was then forced to take a….different tact."

"Different tact…?" Saeko said with a slight look of disapproval on her face as I sighed heavily knowing that she was not happy with the fact that I had prepared myself to be able to shoot it out with the Takagi's and their guards if things had not been resolved peacefully.

"Sweetie, as much as I wanted to settle things quietly and without anyone getting hurt…" I said as I looked Saeko in the eye. "There was no way I was going to allow anybody to hurt any of you."

"And no way in hell was I going to let anyone take my "baby girl" away from me either." I added as I leaned over and kissed Saeko on her forehead as I noticed her cheeks blushing.

"Or my grandbaby…." I said kissing Alice on the head as well as the puppy she was holding in her arms suddenly whined.

"Yeah, yeah….. you, too." I said intentionally kissing Zeke on the head in order to amuse Alice more than anything as the puppy licked me in the face.

"Phew…..doggie breath." I said making a face as Alice giggled in response.

"Where did you get all those guns anyway, Jimu-san?" Saeko asked looking a little amused herself. "Did you take them from the armory?"

"No, I took the guns I gave to Yuriko from the guys who were guarding my room." I replied as I wiped the puppy drool off my face.

"I got this one when I went into the kitchen to get some coffee, and I accidentally bumped into a guard having breakfast." I said looking at Saeko with a grin. "Needless to say, my presence kinda spoiled his meal."

"Jimu-san, you didn't kill any of them did you?' Saeko said with concern as I shook my head.

"Of course not sweetie, I wouldn't unnecessarily hurt anyone here unless they threatened your lives….." I said as I glanced at Saeko with an annoyed look for even thinking such a thing.

"Although I have to admit, I did hit the last guy pretty hard over the head with a teapot, though." I said with snicker as Saeko looked up at me and scowled.

"Hey, he was about to draw his weapon and I didn't have anything else to subdue him with…." I said as Saeko shook her head in annoyance.

"Anyway, like I said earlier we can't let Rei commit murder no matter how much that little prick deserves it..." I said as the voices of the mob became louder. "And if somebody doesn't do something soon, the Takagi's are going to have a full-scale riot on their hands."

"So what are you going to do?" Saeko asked again as I then placed my hand on her shoulder.

"You and Alice are going to stay right here and keep out of sight….." I said as I glanced over at Alice who was clutching her puppy and looking at me with frightened eyes.

"Jimu-san, what about you?!" Saeko said grabbing my arm, a frightened look on her face. "You are not thinking of going out there alone are you?!"

"Sweetie…" I said patting Saeko's hand.

"If the Takagi's and their guards can't handle that mob, then there's really not much I can do about it with just myself and this little toy." I said waving the pistol.

"Then what are you going to do?" Saeko asked still visibly alarmed.

"I'm gonna stay put right here and watch over both of you unless something happens and I have no choice but to act." I said shaking my head as the angry shouts of the crowd became louder still as some of the people began to surge forward.

"Oh boy, that's not good…." I said under my breath as I heard the Security Chief bark a few orders to his men at the front entrance of the mansion who had set up a defensive line at the bottom of the staircase, while a few others had set up a defensive perimeter around the small group at the top of the stairs.

"They're preparing for an attack." Saeko said bluntly stating the obvious as the shouts of the crowd began to rise even higher in volume.

"Yup…" I replied as I listened to the angry shouts of the crowd, all of them screaming in anger, barely a heartbeat away from exploding out of control and making an attempt to overpower the guards.

Despite everything they were doing to keep the mob at bay and protect everyone standing at the top of the staircase, I knew that ultimately the guards would be no match for the surging mob who were screaming for blood when all was said and done.

While there was no doubt that the guards would be able to take down a few people before they themselves were overwhelmed, their numbers were just too small and the bloodlust of the crowd was just too great.

And no matter what the Security Chief and his men did, they wouldn't be able to stop the slaughter that was sure to follow.

It's hard to believe the power of a vengeful mob until you actually witness it yourself, and once you've seen it, it's still difficult to believe that once normal people could be capable of such terrible cruelty and committing such horrible atrocities that often occur during a riot.

The Takagi's and their staff had already witnessed two days ago just how volatile and almost uncontrollable the refugees could be when the crowd had tried to lynch me, and right now they were doing their very best to avoid another confrontation.

But as I feared, Rei's little tiff with the schoolteacher was only serving to incite the crowd even more, and despite the presence of the heavily-armed guards, the crowd was still pushing forward despite the efforts of the guards to push them back, their courage boosted no doubt by their greater numbers and by the angry words of defiance coming from the psychotic schoolteacher.

"Jimu-san, look!" Saeko suddenly said as she pointed towards the crowd. "There amongst the crowd, do you see them?"

"I don't have my glasses on baby, remember?" I said trying to peer into the crowd in an attempt to make out whatever it was Saeko was pointing at, but only seeing a bunch of blurry figures.

"Gomen nasai,….." Saeko said as she placed her hand on my shoulder. "I forgot."

"But now I think I know why the crowd is being so antagonistic." Saeko said as I glanced over at her with curiosity.

"And I also believe it's the same reason as to why they were so eager to try to kill you when we first arrived." Saeko added as she then began to explain to me what it was she had just noticed.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Front Lawn of Takagi Manor

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

For most of his life Koichi Shido had lived a life of constant fear.

Fear from having to deal with the drunken rages of his alcoholic father, fear from always being the target of every bully he encountered at school as he grew up, fear of failing to get good grades, fear of finding a job in a slow economy, fear of not being able to pay his bills, fear of dealing with his coworkers, students, supervisors, and thanks to pressure from his father, fear of retaliation by the very police detective whose daughter Shido had intentionally held back a grade.

All his life Koichi Shido had lived a life of constant fear, always masking it behind the ever present smile on his face.

But no more.

Now nothing remained of the cowering, spineless weakling that the former schoolteacher had been forced to live as, which had plagued him all his life.

Here…..now…..was the man Shido had always knew himself to be, a strong leader…. powerful, fearless, cold….merciless.

All who saw him before who had once thought him spineless… who had thought him useless…. who had thought him weak, would know the true terror beneath the seemingly weak façade of the man standing before them, as Shido grinned evilly in triumph at the small group of people now staring back at him with genuine fear in their eyes, each of them now finally realizing the extreme danger they were in.

All of them now finally realizing the true power that he, Koichi Shido, had at his fingertips.

It had all come together so beautifully in the end after all, that even Shido had to admit to himself later that it all couldn't have gone better even if he had planned it that way.

The actions of that little tramp Miyamoto had at first seemed to have completely foiled his plans to take over Takagi Mansion, and Shido had almost himself become overcome with fear as his own demise seemed at hand.

But just as all seemed lost, the quick-thinking of one of his students, a young girl named Miku, who had screamed loudly in angry protest just as he was about to be killed, had not only broken the panicked spell that had overtaken him and awoken the fighting spirit which had been lying dormant within him all his life, but had also miraculously turned the tide by rallying the mob into a frenzy, which had now helped place him in a position of superiority over his adversaries.

And now Shido licked his lips in anticipation of how he would make his enemies' pay dearly for trying to humiliate him in front of his follower's, as Shido turned to face the crowd, heedless of the girl still pointing her bayonet at him knowing there was no way the girl or anyone else now posed a threat to him anymore.

And a thin smile formed over Shido's lips for a moment as the image of that little bitch Miyamoto writhing in agony as she was being tortured danced in his head, as he then opened his mouth to speak.

"MY FRIENDS…!" Shido began as he gazed over the angry faces of the crowd, their eyes filled with murder.

"AS YOU KNOW, MY PLAN WAS A PEACEFUL ONE, THAT ALL OF US WOULD COME HERE MERELY TO VOICE OUR CONCERNS OVER THE PRUDENCE OF KEEPING AN ENEMY OF THE STATE IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY TO HELPLESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN…" Shido shouted as the voices of the crowd began to howl in anger and contempt. "BECAUSE WE WERE AFRAID THAT THE LIVES OF OUR BELOVED FAMILIES WERE BEING PLACED IN UNNECESSARY DANGER BY HIS BEING KEPT HERE!"

"BUT NO ONE CAME TO TELL US THAT WE WERE SAFE…!" Shido said accusingly. "NO ONE CAME TO TELL US THAT THERE WAS NOTHING FOR US TO BE AFRAID OF….."

"NO ONE CAME AND SAID ANYTHING…!" Shido shouted as a loud roar escaped from the crowd.

"ALL WE WANTED WERE ANSWERS…!" Shido roared whipping the crowd into a fury. "AND FOR ALMOST TWO DAYS OUR PLEAS TO BE HEARD WERE IGNORED!"

"AND IN DESPERATION WE CAME HERE BECAUSE WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY OUR VOICES WERE BEING IGNORED…..!" Shido roared as he stabbed an accusing finger at the Lord of Takagi Manor.

"AND HOW DID OUR "PROTECTORS" RESPOND?!" Shido said with a sneer as he gestured back at the group of people staring back at him with anxious faces.

"THEY ALLOWED A CHILD WHOM WE ALL KNOW IS LOYAL TO THE ENEMY TO THREATEN ME WITH DEATH!" Shido roared as shouts of anger were directed at Rei as she looked wildly around, frightened by all the hate-filled taunts of the crowd.

"AND WITH YOUR OWN EARS YOU HEARD THE WORDS OF THE TRAITOR WHEN HE SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING….!" Shido shouted as he glared at Saya's father.

"Then kill him…" Shido hissed as he then pointed at Rei whose eyes were wide with fear as the hate-filled eyes of the crowd all fixated themselves upon her.

"Dono…" Yoshioka said in a low voice as Soichiro glanced over at him.

"I highly suggest that you and your family withdraw into the mansion until I we can secure that fool and disperse this mob….."Yoshioka said as his men that were set up in defensive line in front of the crowd shouldered their weapons as the mood of the crowd seemed to grow even more antagonistic at the sight of the heavily armed guards standing in front of them.

"Agreed….." Soichiro said finally, much to Yoshioka's relief.

"Take my family and the children inside, Ken-san….." Soichiro said as he tightly gripped his katana.

"I on the other hand…" Soichiro added. "Shall remain here."

"Soichiro-san…..!" Yoshioka said as Soichiro turned his head to face him.

Of the few people, besides his wife, that had ever addressed him by anything other than his title, Yoshioka was one of the few people that Soichiro had ever allowed to call him by his first name.

And even so, the only time that the Security Chief had called him by his first name other than when they had been boys growing up together, was when Yoshioka was extremely concerned over the safety of Soichiro Takagi and his family.

And as Soichiro gazed into the eyes of his best friend, he could plainly see…..

That Yoshioka was genuinely frightened.

"Forgive me dono…..but you and the others must leave here, now!"Yoshikoa said as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "I cannot guarantee the safety of you or your family if you remain here, dono."

"I understand, old friend…"Soichiro said with a thin smile as he clapped Yoshioka on the shoulder.

"That is why I am entrusting you with the safety of my family…."Soichiro said as Yoshioka stared at him in shock.

"Take my family inside, Ken-san….." Soichiro said as the color of his face darkened as he turned to face the crowd. "I will handle things here."

"You mean we, will handle things here... neh, Soichiro-san…?" Yuriko said as she grabbed a pistol from off one of the bodyguards and walked over to where Soichiro stood as the others Saya stared in shock.

"Yuriko…." Soichiro said gruffly as Yuriko pulled back the slide of her pistol and let it slam forward.

"This is my home too, dear husband….." Yuriko said as she narrowed her eyes at the schoolteacher who was still speaking to the crowd as the angry voices of the mob began to rise in volume.

"And no one threatens my family, and gets away with it." Yuriko said with a smirk as she winked at her husband.

Soichiro immediately sighed in defeat, knowing full well from past experience that despite her mischievous smile, Yuriko was enraged at all that was transpiring and if he valued his own life, it was best that he remain silent and offer no further argument unless he wanted to invoke her wrath towards him as well, as Yuriko suddenly held up her hand just as Saya was stepping towards them in panic.

"Saya-chan….." Yuriko said as Saya hesitated. "Go inside with the others….. now."

"Mama….!" Saya said tears falling down her face as Shizuka grabbed her by the arm.

"Don't worry, my child….." Yuriko said as she glanced over at Saya and winked. "Your father and I will be joining you shortly after we take out the garbage."

"Takagi-sama…!" Yoshioka hissed in protest as Soichiro raised his hand, cutting him off.

"Our child's life is in your hands, old friend." Soichiro said as Yoshioka was about to say something further but then stopped himself and then reluctantly bowed in respect to Saya's parents.

Just as Yoshioka and his men were about to escort the teens and the school nurse away to safety, the blond woman that had been staring on in horror at the spectacle along with everyone else suddenly began looking around in all directions, her eyes wild with panic.

"Arisu-chan?!" The busty blond said her voice beginning to crack as she searched frantically around for the little girl who had somehow vanished without her realizing it.

"ARISU-CHAN!" Shizuka screamed upon realizing that the little girl who was was nowhere to be found as she started to become hysterical.

"Sensei….what's wrong?!" Saya said growing alarmed as she watched Shizuka beginning to spiral out of control before her very eyes.

"SHE'S GONE!" Shizuka screamed hysterically. "ARISU-CHAN IS GONE!"

"WHAT DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO HER?!" Shizuka screamed hysterically, a horrifying thought surfacing in her panicked mind that perhaps the little girl had been taken by one of the people in the mob, as the sound of the commotion behind him caught the attention of Shido who then noticed what was transpiring behind him.

"SEE NOW THE TRUE FACE OF THOSE WHO CLAIM THEMSELVES AS OUR SAVIOURS!" Shido roared as he pointed at Saya's father and mother over the angry shouts of the crowd, as everyone stiffened in response to Shido's taunt.

"NOT ONLY WOULD THEY WOULD HAVE WILLINGLY ENCOURAGED AN INNOCENT CHILD TO KILL ME, AN UNARMED, HELPLESS, SCHOOLTEACHER WHO WAS MERELY TRYING TO BRING ATTENTION TO OUR CONCERNS….!" Shido said the evil look on his face twisting into a wicked grin. "BUT NOW THEY WOULD ALSO FALSELY ACCUSE US OF HARMING AN INNOCENT CHILD, IN ORDER TO TURN ANY ATTENTION AWAY FROM THEIR OWN CRIMES!"

"LIARS,TRAITORS, MURDERERS, COWARDS…!" Shido shouted accusingly, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at Saya's parents with contempt as Soichiro's hand tightened on his katana.

"AND NOW THEY STAND READY TO KILL ANYONE WHO OPPOSES THEIR ACTIONS!" Shido roared pointing at Saya's parents as their hands tensed over their weapons as the crowd suddenly began to become even more threatening.

"ARE THESE THE ACTIONS OF SOMEONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE GENUINELY CONCERNED WITH OUR WELFARE?!" Shido shouted as Yoshioka and his men immediately began to push everyone towards the mansion as the crowd began to press against the guards on the grounds below whose fingers were moving dangerously close to the triggers of their weapons.

"ARE THESE THE ACTIONS OF PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE LOYAL TO THE NATION OF JAPAN AND its PEOPLE?!" The former schoolteacher continued as Soichiro instinctively shoved his thumb against the tsuba of his sword and then drew his sword from its scabbard.

"WOULD ANYONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE OUR PROTECTOR IGNORE OUR PLEAS FOR HELP AND ORDER A MAN TO BE EXECUTED FOR NO REASON?!" Shido roared as Yuriko thumbed the safety off her pistol.

"THESE PEOPLE ARE NO PROTECTORS….." Shido roared as he gazed over the crowd. "AND IF THEY WOULD KILL A DEFENSLESS MAN LIKE ME JUST FOR DARING TO SPEAK OOUTRIGHT ABOUT OUR CONCERNS, THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD DO TO THE REST OF YOU, AND TO YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN?!"

"NO MY FRIENDS, THEY ARE NOT OUR SAVIORS…!" Shido spat with contempt. "THEY ARE IN FACT, ENEMIES OF THE WORST KIND!"

"Traitors…" Shido said as he grinned evilly at Soichiro and Kiriko.

"Traitors to their country…." Shido said as he relished the anxious looks on the faces of the Takagi's and the rest of the people with them, knowing that despite the efforts of their heavily-armed security staff, in the end there would be no way to prevent what was about to happen.

"Traitors to their Emperor, their people, their friends, neighbors, family….." Shido continued his voice deepening dramatically.

"TRAITORS TO ALL OF YOU…!" Shido shouted as he whirled around to face the crowd and then stabbed a finger at them as the angry shouts of the crowd turned into a roar.

"And the only punishment for the crime of treason against the people of Japan…..." Shido said his eyes blazing. "…is death."

"WHAT SAY THE REST OF YOU….?!" Shido said gesturing to the crowd as Takashi and everyone else stared in horror at the faces of the crowd as over two hundred people shouted angrily as one.

"DEATH!" The angry crowd began to chant angrily as they shook their fists in defiance. "DEATH TO THE TRAITORS!"

"BOOM!"

The thunderous roar of a gunshot being fired at close range had an immediate, and profound effect on the crazed crowd as every man, woman, and even children in the unruly mob who had been screaming at the top of their lungs in rage with threats of murder were replaced with piercing screams of terror as the sound of a heavy .45 caliber round going off in their midst instinctively sent everyone flinging themselves to the ground to avoid being shot from the, as of yet, unknown assailant.

Immediately upon hearing the sound of the shot Yoshioka had immediately thrown himself upon Saya and the others, flattening all of them on the ground as he yanked his Beretta out of its holster and waved his pistol in all directions, his eyes scanning everywhere for the unseen threat as he noticed that Soichiro had instinctively pulled Yuriko to the ground and was hovering over her, protecting her with his body.

"TAKAGI-DONO….!" Yoshioka shouted, fearing the worst. "Are either of you_?!"

"We're fine, Ken-san….." Soichiro said cautiously looking in the direction of where the shot had come from and then suddenly made a choking sound before quickly composing himself before he slowly attempted to get to his feet.

"TAKAGI-SAMA…..!" Yoshioka shouted in alarm. "Stay down!"

"It's alright, Ken-san….that shot did not come from anyone in the mob." Soichiro said as he gestured for the others to get up off the ground as he helped Yuriko to her feet. "And from all appearances it would seem to appear that the immediate danger is now past."

"Dono….?" Yoshioka said as he and the others slowly picked themselves off the ground. "Are you certain?"

"Hai…"Soichiro said with a heavy sigh as Yuriko straightened up after getting back to her feet and then nearly dropped her pistol in shock as she finally noticed what her husband had seen earlier.

"You have got to be joking…"Yuriko said her jaw dropping as she stared at the sight below.

"As ridiculous as it is, I'm afraid it's not….." Soichiro said as he retrieved his sword from off the ground and then shoved his katana back into its scabbard with a loud "click."

"As the Americans would say…." Soichiro said in a voice that was heavy with sarcasm as everyone standing around peeked curiously over the edge of the railing and then reacted in shock at what they saw.

"The cavalry has arrived…" Soichiro added shaking his head.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Front Lawn of Takagi Manor

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

For the second time that very same week the angry voices of the unruly mob had been silenced by the roar of a gunshot as the now silent crowd cowered on the ground, each of them fearing that perhaps one of the security staff had opened fire on the crowd out of panic, and that the rest of the guards would then respond to the errant shot by opening fire on the crowd as well.

And then after a few extremely tense moments had passed with no other shots ringing out, everyone that was huddled on the ground began to ever so slowly, lift their heads up and turn cautiously in the direction of where the shot had been fired as many in the crowd gasped in shock at the sight of the "American commando" now calmly standing in their midst with a large piece of Pocky hanging from his mouth like a cigarette, and oddly dressed in a pair of green hospital scrubs and covered in a silk bathrobe, giving the man the appearance of a patient who had just escaped from a mental ward.

But as odd as the sight of the man standing there dressed as he was and with a large bandage wrapped around his head, what truly stunned everyone at the moment was the sight of the man holding a rather large semi-automatic pistol in one hand while his other hand tightly held onto the collar of a visibly panicked teenage boy dressed in the dark blue uniform of a high school student.

And as if to add to the insanity of the scene, standing right next to the man stood a beautiful, young Japanese girl with long, flowing, black hair who was dressed in a dark blue kimono and holding a visibly frightened teenage girl with short hair, in an arm lock.

"Oh, I'm sorry… did I break your concentration?" The American said with a look of genuine embarrassment on his face as if he were truly sorry for having alarmed everyone by his having fired a shot into the air.

"I didn't mean to do that….." The American added speaking to the crowd in an apologetic tone as he slowly swept the large pistol he held in his right hand back and forth over the hunkering crowd as they cowered on the ground.

"Please… continue….." The man said encouragingly as he turned his head to the side as if he were eagerly listening for a reply.

"Ya'll were saying something about ….."All traitors are deserving of death…..or some shit like that?" The big man said as he then roughly shoved the teenage boy he was holding to the ground and then cupped his left hand over his left ear as if he were straining to hear for any sound coming from the mob at all.

"What's the matter…?" The man said frowning as if he were confused by the crowd's failure to answer him when no one replied after several moments had passed.

"Oh… you're finished….?" The American as if he finally comprehended the real reason for the mob's apparent silence as he dropped his hand from behind his ear and then gazed over all of the terrified faces of the crowd staring back at him in horror.

"Oh, well then allow me to retort…." The man said sarcastically his face filled with contempt as he aimed the pistol towards the crowd of people on his left side as the cowering onlookers screamed in fear.

"I have come here to eat Pocky and kick ass…!" The big American growled as he then suddenly spit out the remaining piece of Pocky still hanging from his lips.

"And I'm aaaaall out of Pocky….." The man said with an evil grin on his face as he suddenly pointed his pistol directly into the crowd on his right side as several dozen of the people cowering on the ground suddenly screamed in terror.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Front Lawn of Takagi Manor – On top of the staircase

"Damn Americans…" Soichiro said rolling his eyes as everyone standing at the top of the staircase, including Shido, stared open-mouthed in shock at the spectacle going on below.

"Every one of them thinks he's John Wayne." Soichiro muttered under his breath.

"Iye…." Yuriko said with a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes and began to massage the bridge of her nose as was her usual habit whenever she was feeling overly stressed.

"This one is much worse."

Author's Notes:

To all my readers I want to apologize for the extended length of time all of you had to wait for this next chapter to be posted.

But because of an increase in fires, auto accidents, and heat-related EMS calls which usually occurs here in Texas during the hotter months of July and August, it was extremely difficult for me to finish the next chapter, basically because I was too exhausted to focus on writing during, and after each shift.

But I did manage to write up the first half of this chapter at least and so I decided to post what I've got so that all of ya'll won't have to wait any longer.

Originally, I had wanted to wrap up the showdown between Shido and the group in one large chapter, but because it's been almost two months since my last update, I decided to split the chapter up so that all of you wouldn't have to wait another month for me to finish.

The conclusion of the standoff at Takagi Manor will end in the next chapter which I'm hoping to finish within the next couple of weeks, now that things are slowing down a bit.

Thank you for your patience.

On another note, Chapter Four of Last Alarm, "The Floating Airport" has been re-written, so you may want to check out the changes when you get a chance.

"Last Alarm" as of now is still very much a "rough draft", so there will be changes made now and then to all of the chapters, including this one, at a later date.

But I'll be sure to give ya'll a heads up about any changes I make to any of the chapters.

As always thank you for your kind support. Jim