Highschool of the Dead: Us or Them

by HoTDFan

Three brothers from a military family are transferred to Fujimi Academy one day prior to the Z-Day outbreaks. Just when their lives seem to be getting back on track the world is completely unprepared for the living nightmare that opens up a new chapter in human history. The day humans were put back on the food chain. Rated-M. It is Highschool of the Dead afterall.

10. Chapter 10: A New Day

Z-Day+13

'Journal Entry #4: It's been two weeks since the world was ravaged by some unknown infection that's turning anyone killed by it into what is beyond question the walking dead, or 'Them' as we've taken to referring to 'Them' as. 'They' now wander aimlessly, seeking to devour the first living person 'They' can find, and anyone who gets eaten or even bitten eventually turns into one of 'Them'.

'I know I've mentioned this in my last three entries, but I feel it helps refresh my sense of purpose every time I write something down in this journal. Since we've all pretty much come to accept that this situation isn't going to be ending anytime soon, I figured it would be wise to catalog and record everything that I encounter in this journal. You know, for the future historians and any other survivors that might come across this one day; so that they can learn of our trials and hardships in this new, bloody chapter of human history.

'Things seem to have finally calmed down after the death of Johann's girlfriend, Toshimi. However, the poor bloke is still in shock and has been silent ever since we came back from that godawful place. I know both me and Marcus wish there was something we could've done, but I think we've now come to peace with the fact that all we can do is make sure this never happens again to anyone. Frasier, on the other hand, deeply concerns me; what with his relapsing into this paranoid drive where he has to fortify every last inch of this hotel from a potential attack. It really makes me worry what he might do if we ever run into any other potential survivors from now on, regardless of whether or not they're friendly. Fortunately, he hasn't been squabbling with Hitomi-san lately, so I guess we can only take what we can get from the situation…for now anyway.

'On the bright side, we actually have a legitimate energy source that allows us to channel electricity to certain rooms of the hotel. With the help and guidance of Saya-san (she insists I refer to her as 'Takagi-san', but what she doesn't know I write down here won't hurt her), we were able to hook up generators all around the place. So long as we have gasoline, this place can easily sustain our low energy demands. Thank God for all those abandoned cars all over the place.

'Food and fresh water is plentiful thanks to proper rationing,along with several very fruitful scavenging trips that have left us with just enough to last a couple months, given how large our group has grown.

Our armaments have given us a major edge against everything currently lurking the streets, be it living or otherwise. But best of all, we're pretty much like a family now, and I even went to the liberty of giving everyone a distinct codename last night, though I'm currently at a loss as to when we would ever actually need to use them:

Noah (that's me) – Tesla (since Edison is way too overrated)

Marcus – Funny Man

Frasier - Patton

Kohta – NRA (of course he was the only one who got it right away)

Shizuka – Bones (damn my love for Star Trek!)

Takashi – Semi-Patton (I couldn't come up with any better names)

Rei – Lancer (I couldn't come up with anything spear-related here either)

Johann - Mozart

Saya - Einstein

Alice - Purity

Saeko - Ronin

Hitomi - Bronze

Kiriko – Mother Hen

Zeke - The Dog (points for originality)

'My only regrets so far are that I couldn't save Toshimi or Uncle Mark. But Frasier is right; I have to be stronger for them. I have to be able to move on and protect those I can now. Hopefully we can all start relaxing and just wait this out with our abundance of resources and manpower. I think it would really do everyone some good to get to know one another. This is Noah Lawson, signing off.'

Setting the book closed, Noah softly smiled to himself before shutting off the lamp at his side; not even realizing he'd pretty much kept himself awake all night as the wall-mounted clock showed it was just barely past six in the morning. He then glanced over at Marcus' figure lying one bed over; fast asleep and occasionally snoring, causing Noah to let out a chuckle of amusement. Placing his personal journal under his pillow, the youngest Lawson soon drifted off into a relatively pleasant sleep.

Just outside his room, Rei had just finished dressing up for the chilly morning air outside. Takashi and Kohta had just finished their late night watch and were ready for some much needed rest. Rei perked her head up when she could see them both walking down the hall, half-awake now as sleep was just within their grasp now.

"See anything interesting out there?" Rei asked curiously as they passed her by.

"Nothing aside from the occasional distant gunshot. It might've been more of those convicts or another survivor, but it's hard to tell. Luckily it was far away, so it shouldn't be any concern of ours." Kohta answered as he could recall how those shots came from the south, putting him and Takashi on full alert just hours ago when it happened.

"For now anyway. If you hear any more and it sounds like itscoming closer, don't hesitate to wake the rest of us up." Takashi instructed as he looked back to Rei; earning a gentle nod of acknowledgment before he faintly smiled at her and proceeded to enter the room he'd been sharing with Saeko; eager to crawl back into bed and feel her warmth and affection take him over again.

As the doors to their respective rooms closed behind her, Rei began to softly hum to herself; casually making her way to the rooftop to take watch with her mother before finding herself coming to a complete halt in front of Johann's room. A chilling feeling crept into her body as she looked concernedly to the door; an indescribable feeling that somehow, some way, something here was very wrong; and not just because of Johann's recent reclusive behavior. Ever since the events that took place a few days ago, the rest of the group was still entirely in the dark about what had occurred back at the cabin the search party had gone to. Out of respect, they'd not bothered to push the four survivors for details regarding that horrible event, but it still pained her greatly whenever she'd look upon their faces, seeing how they were clearly trying to hide their true feelings and bury whatever they could mentally. Whatever had happened though, there was no question that Johann had received the worst of it.

Overcome with worry for Johann and eager to see he was alright, Rei slowly pushed the door open and poked her head inside; all the while hoping that he'd be fast asleep and safe in his bed. At first it was pitch black, but Rei slowly felt up the wall until she could feel the knob to the dimmer switch and gave it a light turn, causing the lights to slowly fade on and illuminate the room.

After adjusting to the light, Rei instantly noticed both beds were completely empty. She could feel her heart sink as she moved in to confirm Johann hadn't simply rolled out of bed or went to the bathroom when she looked to see that the door was wide open. Without hesitation, she bolted down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen in the hopes that Johann had simply gotten hungry and was currently breaking the food rule Frasier had established when they had first arrived at the hotel.

Upon finding the kitchen completely empty, all Rei could do now was slap the counter out of disappointment and overwhelming worry. She began to walk back to her room to think further on the matter, only to nearly jump when she came face to face with Frasier, who had most likely followed her after she ran down the stairs, inadvertently waking him up in the process.

"Oh...i-it's just you, Frasier-san. Y-You're up very early." Rei softly stammered as she looked up to see him staring straight down at her without uttering a word.

"Y-You must be wondering what I'm doing down here. Well, you see, it's because I..." Rei attempted to explain before her voice slowly trailed off as his intense, soul-crushing glare caused her to emotionally fold and fall silent before he then took a deep breath, as if ready to compose his words aloud to her now.

"You were supposed to be on watch several minutes ago, and here you are in the kitchen grabbing a snack. This is something I expected from Hirano-san, not you Rei-san." Frasier said in a very firm and irritated groan before pinching the bridge of his nose the same way he would whenever Marcus would say or do something embarrassing to the Lawson name.

"I know that! I wanted to check in on Johann before I began my watch, but he's not in his room, so I came down here to find him. Believe it or not, I was just about to come tell you." Rei stated with little patience for the accusation, but much more importantly being fueled by the worry-induced adrenaline coursing through her now that she knew for a fact Johann wasn't in the hotel anymore.

"Hmm, that is...most discerning of you. I might have an idea where he is if he isn't here." Frasier said with a pause, realizing Rei was actually doing the right thing here, now prompting him to think of where their German friend could possibly be if he'd managed to leave without anyone else noticing.

Without another word, he motioned Rei to follow him back up the stairs until they stood at the exit that would lead to the roof where Kiriko was most likely already waiting for Rei to join her.

"Stay here while I fill her in on what's going on." Frasier instructed before leaving Rei at the top of the stairs as he stepped through the door onto the roof.

The young Brit shrugged off the chilling morning breeze as he turned his focus towards Kiriko, who was already walking towards him with the AR-15 in hand; a curious gaze on her soft face as she clearly wasn't expecting him to be up here at this shift.

"You're taking over for Rei, I assume?" Kiriko wasted no time asking as her fingers lightly tapped against the side of the firearm; all the while pacing back and forth while never taking her eyes off Frasier.

"No. Rei actually brought something of a situation to my attention I thought you should know about. She believes Johann has gone missing. If he's left, then he obviously did it in the middle of the night where none of us keeping watch would notice him. I'm heading out to find out what he's up to, and something tells me Rei won't let me do this alone." Frasier proceeded to explain as Kiriko looked at him intently, silently appreciating that he was being direct and getting straight to the point.

"Alright, Frasier-san, I see where this is going. I'm sorry, but I just can't let Rei go out there with you, especially while it's still dark. Johann-kun must've had his reasons for going outside. If he needed help, surely he would've asked. Just wait till morning breaks so you can take someone else. Rei is staying here where it's safe." Kiriko announced in a firm tone with no hesitation as she didn't want to even hazard the thought of something happening to her daughter out there.

"I know-" Frasier began to reply, only for Kiriko to suddenly step even closer to him; cutting him off and leaving him mildly confused what she was about to do or say next.

"Frasier-san, it's like me asking you to trust a stranger with Noah-kun or Marcus-kun's lives out there! Please, just try and process that for me will you?" Kiriko denied as her example caused Frasier's eyes to widen at first at just the thought before he formed a scowl; finally understanding just how vital it was that Rei was left behind where it would be safe.

"As you wish. Please continue to keep an eye on the place, and let the others know I'll be back soon if I've yet to return by the time they wake up. This really shouldn't take too long though." Frasier responded before he began to head off to equip himself; knowing that he didn't have the time nor patience to try and convince Kiriko to let Rei tag along.

"Well? What did she say? Can I go with you?" Rei asked nervously as she watched Frasier approaching her, unable to bear having to wait for an answer for a second longer. She knew all too well how dangerous it was out there, and more than anything in this moment, she hated the idea of having to wait here while Johann was potentially in harm's way.

"I'm going after Johann by myself. Your mother wants you to remain here where it's safe, and I can't help but agree. Don't worry, Rei-san. I'll find him one way or another." Frasier answered in his typical cold manner as he brushed past her; not even noticing how visibly dismayed she was to know she was being forced onto the sidelines.

Unwilling and unable to accept this decision; Rei immediately rushed up the stairs to confront her mother. Kiriko watched as Rei approached her with that familiar look of burning determination in her eyes; a look she could only recall Rei having before whenever the topic of finding her father came up. Kiriko let out a weary sigh as she braced herself for what Rei no doubt had to say about being forced to stay behind.

"Mom, Johann is out there all alone, and for all we know, he might be hurt. I need to be there and make sure he's alright. I know it's not easy to let me go out there without you to keep me safe, but this is really important to me." Rei began to explain as her mother folded her arms and simply stood there as if waiting for her daughter to say what she had to before giving her the same answer she just gave Frasier.

"Just answer me this one thing, Rei: Would you be so willing and able to go back out there if it were one of the others? Would you truly feel the same way you do now?" Kiriko questioned seriously as she could see Rei was visibly upset by such a question.

"What are you talking about? Of course I would! I'd do this for anyone in our group! How can you even ask me such a thing?!" Rei answered, completely in shock that her mother was actually bringing her character into question; especially when it came to her feelings towards her friends.

"Really? Are you sure it isn't because Johann-kun is one of the only things keeping you distracted from what occurred between you and Takashi-kun? I know it hurts, but you can't just risk yourself like this. Just wait and I'm sure he'll turn up in one piece." Kiriko replied firmly, clearly not wanting to make a debate out of something this serious; even despite how clearly hurt Rei was from having her feelings called into question.

"You mean aside from finding dad!? Mom, this isn't about me! Johann is my friend, and I can't just stay here while he might be hurt! And I'm not doing this just because it's him, okay? I'd go even if it was Saeko-san out there! Please, mom…just let me do this on my own. I'm not your baby girl anymore. I can hold my own just fine out there." Rei began to explain before Kiriko suddenly pulled her close and tightly held onto her affectionately. Rei could practically feel a chill of emotion rush through her as she could feel her mother was actually shaking. The stress and thought of Rei being in danger clearly didn't settle well with her in even the slightest.

"Not to me! You'll always be my baby no matter how old you get, Rei. Listen, I still truly think its best that you stay here…but if he really means THAT much to you…I won't force you." Kiriko whispered into Rei's ear; her voice actually trembling, as she tried to remain calm and composed despite how hard it was for her to accept Rei showing such eagerness to trek into danger for someone she barely even knew.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be back with Johann in no time! Just you watch!" Rei vowed proudly and confidently before holding out her pinky finger with a soft yet grateful smile on her face.

"Oh, I'll be watching alright! Before you go though, could you please send Frasier-san up so I can have a word with him? I need to establish something with him." Kiriko said in a softer, understanding tone as her pinky wrapped and curved around Rei's. A warm smile formed between them as her daughter nodded only to quickly head back inside.

The moment Frasier returned to the roof with Rei, Kiriko approached him only to suddenly grab him with her right hand tightly grasping the collar of his shirt. Both Rei and Frasier were shocked at first, not expecting her to be suddenly using physical force against someone far beyond her weight class and height so fearlessly.

"You take care of her. Keep my baby safe…or so help me, you'll be hanging by the tendons in your ankles faster than you can blink. Got it?" Kiriko unexpectedly said in such a calm, motherly tone before unexpectedly shifting into a low growl that even Frasier found himself being quite wary of upon seeing the sheer fire in her eyes. Her gaze locked into his as her facial expression made it very clear that he'd immensely regret it if anything actually did happen to Rei.

"Mom..." Rei softly grumbled out of embarrassment as she couldn't help but blush; not even catching the last part her mother threatened Frasier with, nor even seeing such a rare sight as Frasier looking genuinely intimidated by her mother's potential wrath.

"Certainly; I'm the best suited for surviving all of this, so no need to give me a speech. Also...don't ever threaten me…EVER." Frasier said in complete understanding before he suddenly grasped her wrist and squeezed to reinforce his point; both of them breaking off as he then took off to go load up for the search.

Rei couldn't help but look on perplexed at whatever could've been exchanged so quietly between her mother and Frasier as the brute himself passed her by. Kiriko's eyes locked on his back; the piercing glare in her eyes making it all too clear what she was willing to do to keep her daughter safe in their new world. She gave her mother a soft grateful smile, still amazed that she was letting her go, before she jogged down the steps to accompany Frasier to the armory.

Frasier handed the loaded Springfield Super Match M1A1 with attached bayonet to Rei, along with a spare magazine to carry on her just in case. He then equipped himself with the Armalite AR-10 Kohta had been using, holstering the carrying strap along his shoulder as he continued to fill the pockets of his sage green jacket with spare magazines as well as his personal combat knife, which now had several tally marks he'd been carving into the handle; as if indicating how many of 'Them' he'd personally put down with that knife alone.

"Should I take this?" Rei questioned as she held up a flashlight, playfully shaking it back and forth as Frasier turned back to look at her with a barely amused smirk.

"Sure. As much as I don't like giving my position away, it'll be far too dangerous for us to go into the forest without any proper light." Frasier hesitantly agreed as they closed the armory back up and began to head down to the front exit to take the SDF truck. The instant he mentioned a forest, Rei couldn't help but take a mental step back to make sure she'd heard him correctly, especially when a certain distressing thought came to mind the instant afterward.

"What? You don't mean we're going to that hideout you guys went to before, right?" Rei asked hesitantly her heart instantly felt uneasy at the very thought of going there. None of them had ever spoken a word of what they experienced at that place; but everyone else in the group could tell that if their reluctance to speak and Johann's virtually comatose state was any indication, something unspeakable must have happened.

"Yes. I'll take the road this time around since the area might still be filled with 'Them'. Hopefully for ours and Johann's sake,those rotting bastards have moved elsewhere since then." Frasier answered, locking the twin doors behind him and walking Rei over to the SDF truck parked just a few meters away.

Rei wasted no time climbing inside as Frasier followed suit getting into the drivers' seat. Despite her green sweater and blue jeans giving her enough warmth from the morning air, her fingerless gloves didn't do much for her fingers as a result. Putting the cold aside, Rei peeked out the passenger window before briefly waving up to the roof, unsure if her mother could actually see her.

The truck's engine quickly revved up and let out what sounded like a low growl before the wheels started rolling. Kiriko watched as the taillights to the SDF vehicle instantly caught her attention. Those two small red tail lights quickly vanished and faded into obscurity as she could only hope that Rei wouldn't need her and that they would indeed find Johann unharmed. She then noticed a popping sound resonating from the south that sounded like someone was firing off several guns. Her eyes narrowed as she could only imagine who was behind the trigger and what they were possibly fighting.

Ten Minutes Later

"So, I have a question." Rei suddenly announced once she could no longer handle the awkward silence between her and Frasier. While the early morning mist covering the beautiful forest was something to truly behold after being trapped in a city fully of walking corpses trying to eat her, the lack of social interaction couldn't help but seriously get on her nerves.

"I don't suppose I can opt to skip from answering it?" Frasier instantly asked as Rei glared at him in annoyance at how quick he was to avoid even making simple conversation.

"Well, unless you want to just keep driving in awkward silence,I suppose you can." Rei replied with heavy sarcasm in her tone as she rolled her eyes at him; watching as Frasier just smirked and went on for a few moments without showing any intention to talk back to her now.

"That's not funny, Frasier-san. Anyway, I just wanted to know…what it felt like for you when you killed your first." Rei announced in an annoyed grumble before she proceeded to ask her question anyway, clearly not wanting to put aside what had been on her mind the most frequently in regards to the eldest Lawson any longer.

"My first undead kill? Not much aside from an adrenaline rush." Frasier replied without any hint of concern or remorse.

"No, I mean...what was it like when you killed your first survivor? Like that convict we encountered before you shot him." Rei corrected as she was more concernedly curious about how he personally felt inside after killing what he knew to be a living breathing human being with a soul.

"Recoil." Frasier bluntly replied in a dead serious grunt, completely ignoring the shocked look on Rei's face at such a cold answer. She was momentarily speechless and unable to comprehend how he could be so callous and uncaring towards erasing a human being's very existence.

"Oh...well, what about before this all started? Did you ever kill someone before the outbreaks?" Rei muttered out of uncertainty, refusing to let this discussion end on such a morbid note. Frasier however remained dead quiet this time as he just gripped the steering wheel, never once averting his gaze from the road.

"Frasier-san? C'mon, answer me!" Rei prodded in concern, gently shaking his shoulder while still having no idea how he would possibly answer her next.

*Screech*

His foot suddenly came down upon the brake pedal; causing the SDF truck to stop right at a long stretch of road that seemed to just keep going while covered by the foggy mist. Rei was barely able to react in time as her hands braced against the dashboard. Her whole body was slightly trembling as she turned to see him completely unfazed by the suddenly halt.

"My story is my own, Rei-san. There's nothing in it for you or anyone else who might be curious about it. Now c'mon, let's go find Johann while there's still a chance we won't find him as 'Their' next meal." Frasier slowly and quietly retorted as he slowly turned his head to look her straight in the eye before turning off the engine and making his exit from the vehicle.

'Fine. You can shut me out, you can shut the rest of the group out, but one day you'll realize you need to let us in. I just hope you understand we only want to help you.' Rei thought to herself as she knew it would be wise to avoid putting any more pressure on the matter; all the while hoping that maybe someday Frasier could open up to them and stop going out of his way to isolate himself.

The sun was still less than an hour away from rising, but it thankfully wasn't pitch black anymore. The skies were an odd blend of grey and very dark blue. The wind was especially aggressive and nipping at their exposed skin, but they shrugged it off and pushed on through the dense forest. While Frasier could care less about the beauty this place had to offer, Rei on the other hand was enthralled by nature, completely absorbed in how calming it felt to not be surrounded by concrete and metal for the first time in two weeks; to actually hear the morning songs and chirps of the birds nested above.

When things seemed to go nowhere after a little while, Rei stopped when Frasier suddenly held up a fist. At first she was uncertain why, but she soon realized when the all-too familiar stench of rotting flesh quickly emanated from not too far away. She looked around nervously as Frasier's eyes followed several footprints heading in the same direction they had to go in order to find Joe's cabin.

Just as they stepped over a log that was covered with blood, the two stopped just in time before tripping over four motionless corpses lying in wait for anyone to discover. Rei looked away in disgust as Frasier observed the remnants of the bloody carnage to see that each one suffered a series of heavy blunt strikes; reducing all 'Their' skulls to sickening mush.

"Hmm, this must be Johann's doing. What an interesting turn of events." Frasier remarked softly as he could see a single set of bloody footprints trailing off to the cabin site.

"What do you mean? If 'They' jumped Johann, it's only natural he'd fight back." Rei commented in mild confusion to Frasier's statement as he already got up and headed off without even waiting for her.

"Exactly. This shows that Johann is actually fighting back and trying to stay alive. His motive must be something entirely different from what I had originally anticipated." Frasier muttered as he slowed down so that Rei could keep up with him while still not even bothering to give her eye contact while speaking to her.

"What, as opposed to just letting himself be killed just like that? That's what you were expecting? Why on Earth would you think that?" Rei continued to question as she couldn't put together what Frasier was getting at. The more she dwelt on what Frasier could've possibly meant, the more she felt an unsettling cold sensation build up in her chest; especially when Frasier suddenly stopped in his tracks and gave her that chilling glare he would give right before saying something truly cold and heartless.

"Because I expected him to kill himself, Rei-san. After what happened at that cabin, he was broken beyond recognition. You've seen how he hardly eats and never speaks nowadays. I figured it was only a matter of time before he ended the pain by his own hand." Frasier explained in a soft yet brutally cold whisper as Rei trembled in disbelief at how he had been keeping this unspeakable thought to himself and still showed absolutely no concern for Johann.

"Hold on, you mean you KNEW this might happen, and you didn't even think to warn any of us?! What if he actually DID kill himself? Then what would you do?" Rei said in a low infuriated growl as she clenched her fists; completely in shock and yet also disgusted at how uncaring Frasier was to actually keep such a horrible thought from the rest of them, simply leaving their most damaged member to his own destructive devices.

"We can either discuss something you already know the answer to, or we can keep moving and find him while he still has some semblance of a will to live." Frasier offered as Rei continued to glare angrily at him before letting out a huff of defeat. In that instant, her resolve to find Johann and keep him out of harm's way had virtually skyrocketed.

Moments later, they broke through a tree line and paused when they came across the large yet all-too familiar clearing. Frasier took a deep breath as Rei stared at the smoldering wreckage that was once the two-story cabin from hell. A black husk of its former self was all that remained. Rei nervously watched as Frasier drew the rifle and began to survey the open clearing.

"It's clear, for now anyway. Let's go in for a better look and see if he's left any more clues." Frasier softly whispered as Rei nodded in agreement. Both calmly walked down the dirt slope, never ceasing to scan every inch of the tree line for either any sign of Johann or any more of 'Them'.

As they approached the charred remains of the cabin, they took a moment to look around and see if anything had survived the unforgiving flames. Aside from the charred skeletal remains of the cabin's structure, only the embers, piles of ash; and Frasier, Noah, Marcus and Johann's horrid memories were all that remained. With nothing worth mentioning to see, the two searchers began to further inspect the area until Frasier softly whistled for Rei to rally over to his side.

"See that? Just over those bushes?" Frasier gently whispered as he pointed to the tree line while Rei tried to spot anything out of the ordinary. Just when it seemed like it was only a bundle of bushes, she noticed slight movement through a small gap between them.

"You think that's him? I can barely tell if that's even a person..." Rei whispered before Frasier stood up and looked through the scope, only to determine that it was indeed Johann's figure slumped over on his knees.

"It's him alright. It doesn't look like he's hurt, so that's some good news. But..." Frasier confirmed only to then trail off; causing Rei to look back at him concernedly. Somehow she could tell she was going to regret asking where Frasier was about to go with his thinking.

"But what? If it's him and he's not hurt, then let's go talk to him!" Rei stated eagerly before getting up to approach Johann, not wanting to waste a second more now that he was right in front of them, only for Frasier to suddenly pull her back.

"Hold on! He might be human still, but we have no idea how stable he might be now. There's no telling just what's going through his head at this point. Perhaps its best we let him figure this out for himself for now; and if he comes back to us, we'll take him back then." Frasier announced in a low hiss as he watched Rei look back at him with an infuriated glare in her eyes.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing! For someone who's meant to protect those who can't protect themselves, you sure seem quick to cut out any sign of weakness in the group. Is this how you soldiers handle things?" Rei scorned as Frasier just glared right back at her, frustrated that she still didn't understand the potential danger here; both standing off as they simply couldn't accept what the other was trying to tell them.

"It's how people who have common sense handle things. You didn't seem to have any issue with me taking care of that convict when you first encountered my group. Where was that outspoken anger then?" Frasier replied before forcing Rei to think back to that chilling moment they watched Frasier execute a living man like it was nothing.

"That was different!" Rei growled as she shook her head, as though to forcefully convince herself that that somehow had to be justified.

"Was it now? To me, it was simply a means to keep a potentially dangerous threat away from everyone else in the group. Strong people like me have to get our hands dirty all the time, while weak people like you do nothing but judge us for making the hard choices in life while offering no realistic alternatives to the problem. Johann is just a stranger to you; Hitomi is just a stranger to Marcus. Why you two are so eager to trust someone you barely know in a crisis like this simply baffles me!" Frasier scorned as he shook his head while his voice began to sharply rise in anger.

"Excuse me? Maybe if you stopped focusing on everyone else and let us help you every now and then, things would be easier on you and you wouldn't be so quick to judge us for our feeling the way we do!" Rei scoffed in angry disbelief as she pointed a single finger up against his chest. His sharp blue eyes instantly focused on her finger the way a dog would hone in on a tennis ball.

"Yeah? Well if what I've come to understand from your group is correct; maybe if you were stronger, your boyfriend Hisashi would still be alive. Maybe if Johann was stronger, his precious Toshimi would still be alive. Maybe if I had been stronger, my own uncle would still be here!" Frasier growled painfully as Rei looked at him in disbelieving shock by the choice of words coming from his mouth.

*Wram*

A rough impact sound rang out as Rei's fist swiftly planted into Frasier's cheek. His head slightly tilted over from the display of unexpected force she managed to put into that punch. A single one of his eyes stared at her as she scowled back at first before realizing that she actually just struck the strongest member in their group. Frasier's head slowly straightened back as he looked down at Rei before licking his lips slowly, as if tasting for blood.

"Are you done yet?" Frasier asked in an emotionless whisper as he wiped his wet cheek off, only to then form a smirk. Almost like her aggression and momentary loss of control brought partial joy to him.

Rei looked entirely shocked as she was certain he'd feel some ounce of pain from that direct blow to his face. She then slowly nodded her head, never once breaking eye contact with him as she could feel her entire body trembling; pumping full of adrenaline; silently praying deep down that he didn't have any urge to retaliate, given how one of his hits could easily be a devastating blow to her.

"Good. Don't do that again. If you really feel confident enough to help him, then go right ahead. Just know this: if Johann shows any sign of aggression towards you, I'm putting one in him." Frasier said calmly before giving Rei the opportunity she desired; watching as she gently nodded in hesitant acknowledgement before carefully tip toeing over to speak to their broken comrade. While not saying a word more, she silently couldn't believe what Frasier was saying. If she couldn't get through to Johann, she'd have to watch him get put down like a rabid dog. All at once, every instinct and fiber of her being screamed that she needed to do everything in her power to reach out to Johann and bring him back. He was too important to her and the rest of their group, and she would be damned if she was going to let them lose another.

Rei nervously swallowed her nervousness and steadily approached Johann's slumped over, motionless form. His body was hunched over as his shoulders would occasionally tremble, as though he were weeping silently. The sound of heavy ragged breathing became more and more prominent with each step she took towards him. She occasionally would look at her own feet to make sure she wasn't about to step on a twig or piles of leaves; the very last thing she wanted to do was startle Johann and inadvertently get him shot by the cold-hearted Brit positioned just several yards behind her.

As she was within arm's reach and seemed to be completely undetected by Johann; she suddenly froze, not knowing how to address him properly without risk of spooking him. Instead, she carefully knelt beside him, instantly noticing how his eyes just looked straight on before one slowly shifted to address her unexpected presence.

"Hello, Rei." Johann suddenly said in a dull, yet very soft voice that completely caught her off guard to what she was expecting. He hadn't spoken in so long; she hadn't been expecting him to suddenly be willing to speak to her at all at this moment.

"Hello, Johann...do you mind if I ask what you're doing all the way out here?" Rei greeted him gently before approaching this no doubt delicate matter with as much tenderness as possible. She then caught a glimpse of what looked like several rocks piled up in a circle over a dug up mound of dirt. On the top, nailed to a small stick protruding from it, was a small photo of Johann and who she could only assume was Toshimi, when they were both no older than twelve-years old. She could feel an emotional spark in her chest as she saw how completely happy the two of them looked when playing in what had to be a park.

"I had to come back and say goodbye to her. You just wouldn't understand, Rei." Johann began to explain hesitantly, clearly not wanting to risk seeing Rei looking at him no doubt like he'd completely lost it. But what he didn't see was that she was actually looking at him with what anyone could recognize as unparalleled sympathy and sadness.

"Maybe not...but maybe you could explain it to me. Help me to understand. I don't know if you've noticed recently, but we've all been worried about you these last few days, Johann. I…I've been really worried about you especially." Rei softly suggested as she gently laid a supportive hand on his shoulder in the hopes of silently communicating to him her sole desire to be here for him and listen to everything he could possibly have to say.

"The man looking after her…he was my neighbor. I trusted him, Rei. I really did. I was so caught up in trying to convince myself that everything would be alright for us in the end; that no matter what happened, Toshimi would be alright." Johann began to explain as Rei could already feel herself fighting the urge to cry. The faint trace of hope that barely registered into his words felt weak, like a slowly dying fire relentlessly being hit by sharp, cold winds.

"He did…such unspeakable things to her...forcing himself onto her over and over and over again; mutilating her, breaking her spirit piece by piece; all of that while barely keeping her alive…just so she could suffer by his hand for one more day. The bruises, the cuts, the very look in her eye…when I saw what that animal had done to her, I felt a piece of me crumble apart and die. There's no telling how many people have suffered because of that man and his friend, but the only positive thing to come from all this as that they're both dead and rotting." Johann continued; his face twisting with barely restrained rage and sorrow as Rei felt her blood go cold to hear the horrible things these monsters had done to the girl he loved.

She felt the cold sensation of sorrow and fear grasp her heart as she felt her throat becoming dry, just trying to remain silent and hear everything he had to say. Stinging tears trailed down her face as she couldn't bear to think of anyone suffering in such ways, especially someone who had sounded so pure and sweet like Johann had described. The young German on the other hand struggled to remain strong and continued to tell her every last relevant detail just so he could finally get the horrible words and memories out in the open.

"Johann...please, stop. You don't need to say anymore. I can't begin to imagine how hard this must be for you right now." Rei sniffled slightly before she brushed her own tears away, knowing she couldn't let him see her like this when he needed someone to be strong for him now more than ever.

"I do though! You need to hear everything so you can truly understand this Hell I'm stuck in!" Johann suddenly snapped as she slightly recoiled back, all while Frasier took notice and adjusted his sights, just waiting for another sign for him to pull the trigger.

"I'm sorry…you're right... please continue, Johann." Rei apologized as she scooted closer to his side before placing her gentle hand on his shoulder again to hear what else Johann had to say about his inner turmoil.

"Do you know what the worst part about all this is? I couldn't even bring myself to accept that she wasn't going to make it. I was willing to bring her back to the hotel just so I could feed my idiotic delusion that she would pull through. When Frasier finally made me see the truth; finally made me look at what this world had done to her…I…I-I couldn't even pull the trigger! Frasier had to do it for me! She was the most wonderful person in the world to me; she was waiting for me to be by her side again, and I couldn't even be strong enough to help end her suffering! Oh God! I promised I would be there to protect her…a-and I failed her! I failed her in every possible way!" Johann continued, his voice cracking more and more until finally, he broke down into full blown sobs, unable to form any more words as he bowed his head and proceeded to let his tears rain onto the dirt; Rei unable to keep from letting a few of her own fall as she saw the poor boy's spirit completely break right before her eyes. All she could think to do now was to simply be here at his side, to let him let all his sorrow out and hopefully realize that he didn't have to go through this alone anymore; not if she had anything to say about it. All she knew at this moment was that she couldn't bear to see him in such despair, not after all the times before where he'd managed to help restore her faith and optimism for no gain of his own.

After several minutes, the whites of Johann's eyes were now completely bloodshot as he had finally expended the last of his tears, at least for now. Instead he could only express his tragic loss through heavy rasping breaths. A painful look of pure regret painted his face as he bowed his head low, unable to utter another word now. He then slowly turned his head to face Rei with a look of silent desperation.

"Rei...do you forgive me? Please…please tell me that you forgive me..." Johann softly asked in a low mumble as his lips began to quiver again; all as Rei looked deep into his green eyes,only to then lean forward and gently wrap her warm, comforting arms around him.

"Oh, Johann, of course I do. We all do. This wasn't your fault. None of it was." Rei softly whispered into his ear as she felt him slowly holding onto her the way a lost child would hold onto its mother when finally reunited. His breathing was understandably ragged and heavy as he trembled all over. His eyes shut tight as he could feel her soft, gentle hand tenderly rubbing the back of his head in a nurturing manner.

"I can never forget her, that look in her eye. She waited for me, Rei. Toshimi expected me to be there for her…and I failed." Johann sobbed into her shoulder as the raw emotion kept washing over him just when he thought he'd finally managed to put it aside for even a moment.

"You shouldn't have to forget her, Johann. You can keep her memory alive within you always, but that doesn't mean you have to carry this pain with you as well. I know how painful this is for you, but there is something to be taken from this tragedy. Like I said, none of this is your fault. You had no more idea this would happen than anyone else. The only thing you can do wrong now is not learn from what's happened. The best thing you can do now is to take what happened here and do everything you can to make sure it never happens to anyone you love again. You have to let the pain go and move on so it doesn't consume you." Rei explained sincerely as she gently cradled him in her arms.

"No...I can't go back. I deserve this...Toshimi would-" Johann denied as he began to pull away; trying to speak out again, only for Rei's finger to suddenly press up against his lips before she gently made the softest hushing sound; just as the first rays of the dawning sun broke over the horizon across the forest, allowing Johann to see the pure sympathetic emotion and affection in her shimmering reddish-brown eyes.

"Toshimi wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. She'd want you to move on and be happy. Don't you think she'd be sad to see you being so hard on yourself? Please, come back to us, Johann. It's never too late to change." Rei explained as she could see a faint light forming in Johann's eyes as her words clearly hit him hard.

Johann paused for just a moment in deep contemplation; remembering the last words Toshimi had whispered to him,before finally nodding as Rei proceeded to stand up, brushing the dirt off from her knees while he looked up at her in silent and appreciative acknowledgment. Giving him a warm and grateful smile of her own, she offered him her hand before helping him back to his feet. Johann then turned to look back at the small memorial he'd dug out; at the nostalgic photo of such infinitely happier times. A low sigh escaped his lips before he shifted his attention back to Rei.

"Alright…I'm ready." Johann finally announced as Rei gave him an appreciative nod and affectionate smile before gently taking his hand in her own and proceeding to guide him back towards Frasier's position.

The eldest Lawson adjusted his close-fitting cap before standing back up to reveal himself to Johann. The young German greeted him with the faintest smile as Rei continued to walk loyally by his side hand in hand.

"We should go before any of 'Them' arrive. No doubt this forest will have a few stragglers left." Frasier advised without even acknowledging Johann's presence; far more concerned about the situation at hand. Rei scowled at his lack of sympathy for their German compatriot, but at the same time she decided to ignore it and still be immensely grateful to whatever powers that be that she had managed to bring Johann back.

"Actually, let's grab some more weapons and ammo from the dugout. Might as well since we're here." Frasier suddenly brought up while they crossed the empty clearing; the winds becoming slighter stronger as they soon entered the bunker-like structure.

At first it was pitch black, but once they got out of the sunlight and adjusted to the dark, they came to see a most unexpected sight. Frasier's lower jaw slowly dropped as he was met with nothing but an empty wall staring right back at him. All the guns, ammunition, and even the van were no longer there.

"Where are these supposed guns meant to be now?" Rei suddenly asked as both she and Johann looked curiously around the dugout to see if perhaps there was anything in even the slightest they could've missed, even down to any stray bullets lying around.

"Here! There was an entire arsenal that was meant to be...right...here!" Frasier attempted to explain as he motioned towards the wall filled with nothing but empty racks. The young Brit was completely baffled at the fact the entire place had been entirely cleaned out.

"You don't suppose someone else might've stumbled onto this place and took these weapons for themselves?" Johann suggested as Frasier looked down in confusion and defeat, only to slam his fist down on the nearby wooden counter before he turned to leave the dugout now that there was nothing left for them.

"I suppose that's what happened. I don't see it being any other way. Well, not unless 'They' have acquired a new taste for collecting guns." Frasier said in a low grumble as he knelt down at the entrance to discover several tire tracks he'd failed to noticed that could be seen leading both in and out of the area; trailing off all the way back into the forest.

"That's not funny." Rei said as she crossed her arms, nearly shuddering at the very thought of the undead becoming advanced enough to start wielding weapons.

Frasier slightly smirked to himself at the reaction she gave before he motioned for them to move on; knowing that there was no point in staying at this wretched sight any longer. They were all left with an uneasy feeling though, now that there was the possibility of a group somewhere out there equipped with an arsenal large enough to outfit a small militia.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel…

Kiriko paced back and forth across the rooftop of the hotel in anticipation. A part of her couldn't help but regret allowing Rei to venture outside with Frasier to find and bring back Johann. Somehow she knew deep down it would be alright; that any minute now that truck would come driving down the road and relieve her of this burden. But she just couldn't shake off the worrying feeling that anything that could go wrong would go wrong.

Her otherwise deep concentration was suddenly interrupted when the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching from behind. Kiriko looked back over her shoulder to catch Hitomi's welcoming smile as the young officer approached. She wore what looked like the grey hoodie Marcus had been seen using for the last few days.

"Morning; shouldn't there be another lookout up here with you? Or are they using the restroom?" Hitomi calmly announced in a friendly tone before realizing that it was just the two of them on the rooftop.

Kiriko was silent at first, uncertain whether or not she should just be upfront with Hitomi over their three comrades' whereabouts; but she then realized it would no doubt be best that she be upfront and remain honest to avoid dissolving the trust and respect the two shared for one another.

"Frasier-san and my daughter have ventured out to find Johann-kun, wherever he may be right now. It would seem he's wandered off on his own, and Rei has proven more than determined to bring him back safe." Kiriko confessed as she proceeded to not hold back anything from her fellow officer. Hitomi practically went pale and wide-eyed the instant Kiriko finished.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I didn't even anticipate Johann-kun running off in his condition...wait, you let her go out there…with Frasier? Don't you know how risky that is!?" Hitomi lamented in regret at how serious Johann's depression had proven itself to be; only to just as suddenly completely lose her calm at the mention of Rei being all alone with Frasier of all people.

"She was so determined to go find him; there was nothing I could've said to dissuade her that wouldn't result in her sneaking off later to find him on her own. So I figured I might as well let her tag along with our strongest member. Trust me; I've learned the hard way with telling her she can't do something before. It's like she takes it as a personal challenge or something." Kiriko explained more firmly as she made it quite clear she knew from experience what she was doing.

"I see…" Hitomi murmured at a loss for further words; looking out over the horizon of buildings, unable to shake off the worsening feeling of worry for Rei and Johann's safety. There wasn't one thing about what they could possibly have been facing that set well with her: surrounded by the dead; hostile survivors; and stuck side by side with her least favorite person on the planet to top it all off.

"You really distrust Frasier-san that much? Is there some kind of history between you two we should know about?" Kiriko suddenly asked; instantly snapping Hitomi back to reality.

"Not exactly; I only met him and his brothers on the day this all started. But Frasier has been constantly questioning my it's because I'm a woman or just because I'm smaller than him is still to be determined. What really gets under my skin about him though is the fact that he'd gladly sacrifice anyone that showed even the smallest sign of weakness if it meant staying alive. That and the combination of his strength and his very short temper could easily result in one, if not all, of us getting hurt…or much worse." Hitomi explained; leaving Kiriko a cautionary warning of the behavioral patterns she'd become all too familiar with for Frasier.

"You're afraid of him and presume the worst of him. Hitomi-san, I understand that he can be very crass and rough at not the best of times, but lately you two seem to have been getting along just fine. Does that not count for something?" Kiriko somewhat lectured as she couldn't help but feel that Hitomi wasn't going to listen to reason.

"That's just it though! He has been quiet…TOO quiet for my liking. He's not the kind of person to keep his thoughts, ideas and opinions to himself. What if he's up to something and...Oh my God... I must sound like a paranoid wreck to you, huh?" Hitomi exclaimed in a nervous rant, her words slowing down enough to realize the expression on Kiriko's face said it all: she was truly letting Frasier get under her skin to the point she was instinctively making the worst out of every little thing he did.

"It's alright, Hitomi-san. Things have been tough for everybody emotionally after whatever it is those boys went through. None of them have said one word about it, and it's left quite a lot to the imagination for most of us, considering another was supposed to return with them." Kiriko said sympathetically as Hitomi recalled how when she asked Marcus what happened that very night, he broke into tears in her lap like a small child and downright refused to talk about it.

"Yeah...aside from Johann-kun being nearly comatose and mute, Marcus-kun and Noah-kun have also been completely silent about it. I still have no idea what may have happened, but hopefully one of them will be able to talk about it soon." Hitomi mentioned before looking down, a part of her feeling a strange guilt that surfaced within her for not being there to protect them from whatever dangers they'd faced out there.

"Speaking of Marcus-kun...I wanted to ask you about that. Just what do you think you're doing, Officer Hitomi?" Kiriko spoke softly before suddenly catching Hitomi off guard with such a deeply personal accusation.

"Er...nothing that should be of any concern to you. H-He's just...stop looking at me like that! What do you want me to say? I find him attractive, and our personalities just click! How can I NOT like someone who can make me smile despite everything we've all gone through?" Hitomi attempted to explain through her initial stuttering before suddenly going on the defensive.

"It's just…he's a bit young, don't you think?" Kiriko asked with a raised eyebrow as she noticed just how nervous and on guard Hitomi was from what should've just been a simple question.

"I think he's proven to be mature enough to be considered a man...besides, in his culture, sixteen is when they become it's not like I'm old enough to be his mother; I'm only 19." Hitomi said as she tried desperately to justify how she felt for Marcus; hating to have to be put on the spot about something so personal now of all times.

"Perhaps that's true in his society, but not in ours. I know the age of consent here is thirteen, but in the grand scheme of things, you really should be more focused on survival than a relationship with someone you relatively only just met." Kiriko finally finished, hating the look of immense hurt on Hitomi's face as the weight of her words sank in all at once.

"Maybe you should focus on yourself instead of me..." Hitomi grumbled quietly as she turned away with her fists threatening to clench tight. Where the hell did that woman get off telling her how she should live her life and who she should or shouldn't be attracted to?

"Hey! I'm focusing on what's best for the rest of us here! I know it must hurt like hell to hear this, but you're going to be a major distraction for Marcus-kun eventually. At least…just think it over for a bit, okay?" Kiriko snapped as she made it quite clear she wouldn't take that kind of tone, even if it was from a fellow officer; trying to keep her emotions under control as she calmed herself so that Hitomi would hopefully take her words into consideration. She never wanted to destroy the loving relationship between two people, but right now all she wanted was to just ensure some stability among the members of their group.

Before anything else could be said, the sound of footsteps could be heard from the stairwell. Both women turned to see Noah stepping out to no doubt begin his watch.

"Oh, Kiriko-sensei, you're still up here? I…hope I'm not interrupting anything." Noah said out of surprise as he casually approached the two women who both simply stared at him, hoping that he didn't hear anything from their conversation. Luckily, he seemed to be completely unaware as far as they could tell.

"Not at all, Noah-kun, I was just waiting for you. I'll see you in a few hours with breakfast ready." Kiriko said in a nonchalant tone as she passed him by with purposeful strides in her step, leaving the young Brit alone with Hitomi; who stood there feeling unbearably awkward now that her relationship with Marcus had been forced out into the open, even if it was only between the two of them. Just a moment later, the SDF truck had finally returned as Noah looked down from the roof at its unexpected return. Surely if Frasier had any reason to use it, he would've no doubt informed his brothers first thing so they wouldn't have woken up wondering where he was.

"Hmm, wonder what they were up to?" Noah wondered aloud as Hitomi shrugged her shoulders, deciding to keep that knowledge to herself for the time being; watching as the three returning group members made their way to the entrance.

In the Lobby…

"Do you think anyone else knows we were gone?" Rei asked Frasier as they entered the lobby, whispering to him as if expecting the rest of the group to be just around the corner waiting for them.

"Unlikely. Although some lights were on when I pulled in, so there's no telling who's been up and what they know. Anyway, does it really matter now? Johann is back, and hopefully he'll stay put this time. Right?" Frasier muttered before putting on a more annoyed tone as he shot a quick glance to Johann, who was either too tired to notice the condescending way he was being spoken to, or simply chose to ignore it.

Rei lightly nudged Frasier's side a bit harder than she'd intended to show her disapproval of his attitude before the eldest Lawson shrugged it off and made for the stairs, no doubt wanting to return to his bed and catch up on his lost rest. Johann followed suit to sleep off the whole emotional experience before he suddenly felt Rei's hand gently grab his own, stopping him briefly and prompting him to look back at her. After how she'd pretty much poured her heart out to him to bring him back around in his darkest hour, he couldn't begin to fathom what could have possibly been on her mind to share with him now.

"Hold on, Johann. I-I don't think you should go back there." Rei suggested as she looked deep into his eyes, her own eyes glistening with an unspoken yet powerful emotion, almost as if she were pleading him not to leave.

"What are you talking about?" Johann asked confusedly, not having the slightest clue what that was even supposed to mean.

"I mean to your room. It's just you up there, right? Well…I was thinking after everything you've been through…maybe someone should be there to keep an eye on you and make sure everything is alright." Rei began to explain as her eyes slowly shifted to the floor nervously the more she said; uncertain how he'd react to practically being babysat.

"Really? I mean, it's very kind of you to offer, but I couldn't possibly ask you or anyone else to go out of their way for me like that. Honestly, I'm still kind of amazed both you and Frasier went out looking for me." Johann said in gratefully as he still was struggling to comprehend how they both had gone to such dangerous lengths to find him and bring him home.

'Yeah...both of us...' Rei thought to herself as she still couldn't believe how cold and unsympathetic Frasier was, even with delicate moments like today. It constantly made Rei reluctantly wonder just what the hell his life must've been like before to make him so cruel towards even his own friends, if he'd even consider any of them to be such a thing.

"Well, I'm going to talk about it with my mom and see what she thinks. I hope you'll think about it too, Johann. We should be eating breakfast soon. I hope you'll join us." Rei said invitingly, hoping he would accept. It brought warmth to her heart to see his spirit even partially restored, and she didn't want to risk him potentially slipping back to how he had been before.

"I think I'd rather just be alone for now. I've…I've still got a lot of things to process. Maybe later I'll join you guys for dinner." Johann said in a soft murmur, somewhat hesitant to being around the rest of the group, before finally attempting trying to cooperate with Rei. He knew just what a tremendous amount of effort she was really putting toward being here for him, and the last thing he wanted to do was make her think he didn't appreciate everything she did.

"Oh…well, I understand. I hope you'll join us later on though. We really do all care about you, Johann." Rei said shyly as she watched Johann form the faintest smile for a moment before he proceeded to head back upstairs.

Rei stood there alone in the lobby, pondering to herself as she looked outside to see several of 'Them' moving down the road. Within not even five seconds, she watched as all three suddenly dropped dead in a quick succession of shots. Remembering her mother was on watch when she'd left, she dashed for the stairs only to abruptly stop when Kiriko herself was descending them.

"Aah! I didn't see you there, mom. I'm sorry it took so long...I take it we're no longer on watch?" Rei exclaimed in a very surprised yelp before proceeding to apologize for what must've felt like an eternity for her mother of waiting for her return. Kiriko just stood there, staring down at her daughter with both arms folded the way she always did when she was considerably upset about something.

"Hitomi-san and Noah-kun are taking the next watch shift. It sounds like they already took care of whatever it was that they spotted though. So, do you care to tell me what on Earth happened, or do you intend to keep me guessing some more; waiting and worrying about whether or not you're safe or in serious danger yet again?" Kiriko answered in a firm, no-nonsense tone as she glared down at Rei like she was about to be grounded. Clearly she was deeply concerned for her daughter's safety, but it was quite clear now that she wouldn't accept beingkept in the dark for a second longer.

Before Rei could give an honest answer, the two of them could hear footsteps slowly descending from above; the others most likely awakened from the gunshots moments ago, signaling that it was time for yet another "wonderful" day in the zombie apocalypse.

"Mom, I promise I'll tell you every last detail you could ever want to know, but when we're alone, alright?" Rei said as she held out her pinky finger to her mother, who just rolled her eyes before regrettably wrapping her own pinky finger around Rei's; turning just in time to see Saeko was the first to be downstairs.

"Good morning, you two. Watch went well, I assume?" Saeko said in a rather pleasant tone as Rei nervously rubbed the back of her head whilst Kiriko just sighed and nodded slowly in response.

"Excellent. Hopefully once I learn to shoot I can be allowed to take watch as well." Saeko said calmly before once more expressing her desire to be more helpful in protecting the group at all times; recalling that Frasier did agree to teach her how to use that handgun Kohta gave her a while back.

Two Hours Later…

Breakfast had been unusually quiet for everyone who wasn't either sleeping or busy keeping watch. Alice had expressed the desire for pancakes, and whilst their sweet taste was something of a temporary solace from the stresses of the world for everyone at the dining table, they still were all visibly troubled by their constant imagining of what horrors had affected Frasier, his brothers and Johann so immensely. Of course, now that Rei knew, she couldn't help but feel a twisting sensation of guilt in her stomach. She hated the idea of keeping this a secret from everyone, but she detested the idea of making the rest of the day unimaginably depressing for them all by sharing the horrid details even more. And even then, that was only one thing that had been on everyone's minds. As well off as they were in this hotel, there were still always creeping doubts about how prepared they all were individually for whatever threat could come for them at any given moment.

Once breakfast had been finished and Rei and Kiriko had offered to take care of the dishes, Kohta began to head back up the stairs to go through his daily ritual of inspecting all the guns in the armory to make sure they were in peak working condition.

"Hirano, wait right there." The all-too familiar reprimanding tone of Saya Takagi caused the timid gun otaku to freeze in his tracks as the sounds of her approaching footsteps came closer and closer from behind before he suddenly felt her fingers pinching his ear and forcibly turning him to face her. As biting as her words towards him typically were, Kohta still had the utmost respect for the group's self-proclaimed genius, and didn't dare ask what she wanted in fear of evoking what further wrath someone like her could be capable of.

"Do you have any real plans for today, or do you just plan on checking all our guns again like you always do?" Saya unexpectedly asked as Kohta struggled to find the words to answer her with before nervously shaking his head in the negative. To his surprise, Saya let go of his ear and placed her hands on her hips; standing tall like one with a serious proposition in mind.

"Alright then. I want you to train me, Hirano." Saya finally stated in such a blunt and to-the-point manner, it nearly caused Kohta to topple over from how suddenly this had come.

"I-I'm sorry, Takagi-san…what?" Kohta asked in a trembling whimper as Saya's brow instantly twitched before she immediately strode over to him and pinched his chubby cheek with more force than needed.

"Open your idiot ears and listen, you chubby otaku! I want you to teach me how to shoot more properly. I'm tired of being virtually useless whenever we're in a bind, and you're the only one I can ask this of who would actually take it seriously." Saya explained, trying her best to not start flat out yelling at him for making her repeat herself.

"What are you guys doing?" Takashi's voice suddenly interrupted; causing Saya's grip on Kohta's face to momentarily tighten even more before she let go and composed herself, shooting their confused leader her signature irritated glare as Kohta rubbed the red spot on his face.

"I want Hirano to teach me how to shoot more properly. There's no telling what might come our way in the future, and I want to be fully prepared when it happens." Saya replied as Kohta dutifully approached her while Takashi looked to be in fairly deep contemplation as to her reasoning.

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. You wouldn't mind if I join, would you?" Takashi suddenly suggested; causing both of his friends to look at him with confusion of their own.

"Marcus-san and Saeko-chan are currently keeping watch, and everyone else is off doing their own thing, so I figure this is as good a chance to get some practice in as any. And besides, I still haven't really gotten the hang of that shotgun, and I really wanna know what I'm doing just in case what you're saying does end up happening, Takagi-san." Takashi elaborated as Kohta and Saya momentarily glanced to each other as if to confirm whether they both thought it was really a good idea to bring their leader out into the open with them. Eventually, they both slightly nodded as Kohta motioned for them both to follow him to the armory.

"I spotted a nearby park the last time I was on watch. It looked like some kind of SDF outpost had been set up there back in the beginning and got overrun. Luckily there weren't too many of 'Them' around, and I've managed to figure out how we can get there on foot, so we can use that spot as our practice range." Kohta explained as they filed into the armory; the gun enthusiast wasting no time grabbing his Armalite AR-10 before handing Takashi his Bennelli M4 Super 90 and grabbing one of the spare MP5SFK's, slinging it over his back. All the while Saya grabbed for her Luger PO8 only to recall that it had been traded to Isao just a few days ago, leaving her standing around to wait impatiently for the other two; her rigid and visibly impatient body language clearly showing how nervous she was about what they were about to do. But damn if that was going to stop Saya Takagi from learning how to make herself more combat dependable. It was pretty much the same as any other instance where she wanted to improve at something: nothing was going to get in her way of doing what she sought to do.

Once everyone was geared up, they began to make their way back down to the lobby, only to suddenly run into Rei and Kiriko as they made their way from the kitchen; both of them looking very intently at the mini arsenal the three were now carrying.

"What are you guys doing?" Rei asked hesitantly; knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"Kohta-san's gonna take us to a nearby park for shooting practice." Takashi explained, prompting Rei to start making her way for the stairs, no doubt the armory, as well before Kiriko suddenly grabbed her by the wrist.

"Mom, let go! If they're going outside, I need to be able to watch their backs!" Rei protested while Kiriko stood her ground, refusing to budge or even loosen her grip.

"No, if you think I'm going to let you go out there without me to look after you twice in one day, then you've got another thing coming, young lady!" Kiriko reprimanded before Takashi suddenly placed his hands on both their shoulders, effectively silencing them both.

"No, you guys need to stay here. We may already have people on watch, but if something happens while we're gone, we need as many people available to protect this place as possible. Besides, Kohta-san already confirmed there aren't too many of 'Them' around that area, so even if we do make any noise, we should still be able to make it back okay. Besides, with Kohta-san keeping watch, there's no way any of 'Them' would be able to get the drop on us." Takashi attempted to reassure the two as Kohta and Saya were both growing increasingly impatient as time was wasting.

At first it seemed as though Rei was about to further argue for him to let her come with, but after several seconds of struggling to find the words, she unexpectedly relented and reluctantly nodded her head in understanding, prompting Takashi and Kiriko to let go of her as Takashi rejoined his little trio.

"Please, Takashi, just promise me you'll be careful." Rei softly pleaded as Takashi gave a slight yet clearly grateful smile as he held up his pinky.

"I promise. And, Rei…if Saeko-chan or Frasier-san ask where we are, don't feel the need to lie for us." Takashi asked in return, and while being asked to even talk with Saeko if the need arose gave a brief sharp painful sensation in Rei's gut, she still nodded in understanding of his request nonetheless.

"Alright. Thank you. We shouldn't be gone for more than an hour, two at the most. We'll be back okay, Rei, so don't worry." Takashi reassured her once again before he, Saya and Kohta finally made their way out the entrance, effectively leaving Rei and Kiriko alone in the lobby.

"Rei, would you mind telling me what the hell that was?" Kiriko suddenly asked in that signature serious tone that Rei always dreaded; the kind that told her that Kiriko wouldn't let her go until she got a satisfying answer.

"W-what do you mean?" Rei asked nervously, only for Kiriko to grab her by the shoulder and turn her around so they'd be looking each other in the eye; Rei instantly recognizing the piercing and burning glare in her mothers' eyes. She was not in the mood for anything but the truth plain and simple.

"You know exactly what, Rei. The instant Takashi-chan mentions they're going out; you're all fired up and ready to go out there to watch his back! I try to stop you, and you even go so far as to demand I let you go. I know you well enough to know you'd never talk to me like that in any other scenario, so what changed? And don't even think about telling me that this is about your feelings for him. Those may not have changed, but I know you're smart enough not to needlessly put your life at risk for him over something this simple. We both know how capable Hirano-kun is when it comes to keeping watch and shooting, and with the overall lack of 'Them' that have been roaming around these parts, they shouldn't be in any overwhelming danger this time around. So tell me, what's suddenly got you so desperate to go out there when you know you don't need to?"

Every one of Kiriko's words stabbed at Rei's heart like a knife. She'd completely cast aside any kind of excuse she could've come up with to justify her actions, and now here she was, being stared down by her own mother and finding herself with no other option but to tell her the hard truth, no matter how much it was already hurting her to even consider telling her such a truth as this.

"Because there's still no telling what they could run into out there, whether it be 'Them', more of those convicts or even someone somehow worse than that! We act like we're completely safe here and that 'They' are the only thing we have to worry about out there, but there are still so many things that are so much worse out there!" Rei finally relented, letting out the remainders of her swelling emotions from when she'd listened to Johann recount the experience at that cabin. Upon receiving her answer, Kiriko let her daughter go and gently guided her to one of the chairs before setting her down softly and sitting beside her; the once burning look of serious intent in her eyes now officially died out and replaced with her natural motherly concern.

"Rei, you've never expressed worries like this before. Ever since we got here, you always seemed like we'd finally found a place to call home, if even just temporarily. Tell me, where did this all suddenly come from?" Kiriko asked softly as she gently rubbed Rei's shoulder as she could see her daughter was trying to fight back tears now that the she knew she couldn't keep the facts hidden any longer.

"Earlier, when Frasier-san and I went looking for Johann…" Rei began, already struggling to form the words as the memories of just how broken Johann was when he'd finally told her came rushing back to her all at once. Kiriko could see just how hard it was for her daughter to share this, so she laid a supportive hand on her shoulder for reassurance.

"Take your time, Rei. I know this must be hard." Kiriko spoke soothingly as Rei tried to wipe away her tears as all she could think about now was all the horrible things Johann had shared with her and how she could possibly be able to tell her mother such things.

"W-when we found him…he…he'd gone to that cabin…to say goodbye to his girlfriend…he'd told me about her long before…s-she was the one who was supposed to have come back with them that day." Rei reluctantly continued, not seeing how Kiriko's expression already began to slowly sink at the very thought of that cabin. The rest of the group pretty much knew the very idea of it was almost taboo after how they'd seen how it affected their four search party members; and Kiriko could already feel chills as she wasn't sure she really wanted to hear the long-hidden details of what had happened in that horrible place.

"Johann had made a memorial for her…that's why he left…oh, mom…he was so broken, like every last bit of hope he still had withered and died. I-I couldn't bear to see him like that, so I asked him to tell me what happened. Nobody should have to go through such misery like that by themselves! And especially not after all the times I had doubts about us lasting out here only for him to give that hope right back! I wanted to be there for him more than anything…and the things he told me…" Rei continued, trying so hard to keep from breaking out into sobs as she could almost feel that unspeakable pain Johann had been experiencing consuming her insides at this very moment.

"Please, Rei, don't hold anything back. I understand completely, you wanted to be there for him; now let me be here for you. Let it all out, sweetie." Kiriko spoke in a comforting whisper as Rei rested her head in her mother's lap, burying her face in her hands as she couldn't bear to keep the emotions in for a second longer.

"The men in that cabin watching after her…Johann said one of them was his neighbor, someone he trusted…and those men…the things he said they did to her, what they forced him and the others to listen to them do…" Rei struggled to continue, all while Kiriko felt her blood practically freeze as she couldn't bear to ask specifics. Just the fact that someone even Johann felt was trustworthy could do something to someone else that could traumatize their friends so immensely left her speechless.

"Oh my God…" Kiriko muttered in a nearly breathless sigh as Rei continued to sob into her lap, both for herself and for Johann, now that she no longer needed to hold back and be strong for him now.

"Oh, mom…if you'd seen him, just how devastated he was…there was a time I wasn't sure if I could convince him to come back to us." Rei muttered as she finally willed the strength to get back up and wipe the tears from her eyes as Kiriko handed her a nearby box of tissues for the trails still running down her face.

"I know, Rei. And…I'm glad you went out to find him. You're right; nobody should ever have to suffer that kind of grief alone. I'm sorry for what I said, about you looking after him just to keep yourself distracted. It's clear to me now you really DO care about him, and…and I'm proud of you for doing what you did." Kiriko reassured as Rei looked up at her mother in shock, unable to comprehend that her mother was actually admitting to being wrong and praising her for actions she had just been reprimanding her for only this morning.

"Thank you, mom." Rei expressed with a trembling smile as she hugged her mother warmly, which Kiriko gladly returned as she could feel some strong emotion welling up in her chest as well to realize just how truly grown up her precious daughter had become from all the world had thrown at them.

"Mom…I know this might not be the best time, but there's something serious I want to ask you." Rei suddenly requested once she and her mother separated; immediately catching Kiriko's attention as she honestly couldn't imagine what Rei could possibly have to say next after a moment like this.

"I may have managed to bring Johann back to us, but I know he's still going through a lot of pain right now, and I know he doesn't feel ready to integrate with the rest of the group again, but I really don't want to leave him by himself either. So, I was wondering…" Rei began to ask nervously, clearly choosing her words carefully as she knew all too well just how badly Kiriko could react to what she was about to propose if there was any way to misinterpret it. However, her mother actually smiled before she could even finish.

"I understand, Rei. Johann-kun needs to know that we're there for him, and him being all alone at night could lead to any number of possibilities, none of them good. If you want us to have Johann stay in our room from now on, it's alright by me." Kiriko immediately reassured, and while Rei was still taken aback at how accepting her mother was of the very idea by itself, she was still nervous as to what would happen once she'd actually finish.

"Actually…I know Johann feels really at ease with me especially, and you have sometimes proved to be a bit intimidating to others before, so…I was actually wondering if perhaps…I-I could stay with Johann in his room from now on, just so he isn't alone." Rei finally finished, and just as she'd feared, the welcoming look in Kiriko's eyes dimmed as if someone in her head had flipped a switch.

"You know I can't allow that, Rei. You may have managed to bring him back from whatever abyss he may have been in, but there's still no telling what could happen if you two are alone in the same bedroom at night; and as your mother, I won't allow that." Kiriko immediately stated as if it were automatically engraved in stone.

"But mom, Johann couldn't possibly be like that. I know we've only known each other for a short time, but there's just this feeling I have when I'm around him. He doesn't come off as threatening or having any ulterior motives or desires or anything of the sort, and I like to think I picked up that ability to read people from you and dad. Please, I know it's not easy, but I want you to trust me on this." Rei pleaded, all while Kiriko looked to be going through a complete mental battle in her head between trusting her protective motherly instincts and actually trusting what her daughter was saying if she really felt so confident about being safe with their German counterpart.

After minutes that felt like hours, Kiriko reluctantly let out a heavy sigh, as if she'd completely exhausted herself trying to find some way to deny Rei's request in a way that wouldn't result in her daughter partially hating her; only to come up short.

"Dammit, you really don't make anything easy anymore, Rei. You're just like me when I was your age. Alright…if you really do feel as confident in Johann's character as you say you do; if you really do trust him and feel safe with him…*sigh* then do as you wish. But if anything at all DOES happen, I'll be right across the hall, and you tell me immediately once you get away, alright?" Kiriko finally relented, only to immediately slip back into her overprotective mode as Rei couldn't help but let out the smallest giggle at how her mother was trying so hard to put on a brave face while still exercising her role of authority.

"I promise, mom. I'll bring it up with him once it's time for dinner." Rei promised as she and Kiriko wrapped their pinkies together as they always would before they both got back up and headed upstairs to freshen up finally.

Outside, near the park…

Kohta, Saya and Takashi carefully walked up the street, grateful to see it was entirely clear at first glance. Nothing really moved aside from the trash occasionally being swept up by the wind and a dangling traffic light that would let out a low creak every now and then. Although Kohta himself was a social shut-in and Saya preferred to spend her free time reading and learning anything and everything she could; Takashi on the other hand felt it was quite bizarre to be walking down this road without hearing or seeing the familiar sights he'd previously become so accustomed to. No loud J-Pop music blaring in the air, no bright neon lights, and especially no laughter or even the sound of a couple arguing about something trivial as where to shop next. Apart of him almost missed it now in contrast to the dead silence.

"So what exactly do you have in mind for us to shoot, Hirano?Surely an SDF outpost would have quite a few things left over for us to use as target practice if it was abandoned in a hurry." Saya prodded as she looked around; trying to determine what Kohta was planning to do all the way out here.

"Well, I was thinking anyone can shoot at a bunch of cans or a large, broad target. So instead, we'll be shooting at a small group of 'Them', should we be able to run across any. The last time I scoped the place out was yesterday and there was barely more than a handful roaming around then." Kohta answered; causing both Saya and Takashi to freeze in place at the sudden lesson plan.

"Are you insane?! You want us to not only go looking for 'Them', but pick a fight with 'Them' too?!" Saya almost yelled out; causing both boys to nearly jump back as her voice echoed down the street and through some alleyways. That was the one thing they always disliked about roaming around the outside with Saya in tow; her short temper gave her a tendency to yell at some of the most inopportune times, even though she was the one to discover 'They' hunted by sound to begin with.

"Please relax, Takagi-san; we can fight from a distance, and if 'They' get too close, I should have no problem putting 'Them' down. Besides, I think that fear factor will help prepare you two for when we run into a real fight we can't run from. Remember what happened to us back at that barricade near your house?" Kohta said in an attempt to reassure the tempered genius, who began to slowly calm down when she noticed how he seemed so confident of himself. Preparing them better for a potential scenario that almost got them killed previously also didn't sound like such a bad idea the more they both thought about it.

"Fine, just...just be careful, okay? I don't want to have to eat you if I become one of 'Them' because of this." she grumbled in defeat; unknowingly causing Kohta to shiver at the very idea of her coming back as one of 'Them' just to bite him for his failure. Saya being alive was more than enough for him to contend with as it was.

"Don't worry, Takagi-san; I've got you covered!" Kohta announced rather inspired, shooting her a thumbs up before smiling confidently at Saya; causing her to blush for a moment before quickly returning to her standard annoyed look.

"Will you get on with it already?!" Saya shouted as her voice echoed even further this time, leading to an all too familiar groan that caused them to look up ahead and see several of 'Them' stumbling out of a nearby house: two men and a single woman, most likely a family at one point.

"It's show time!" Kohta said in a low yet excitable hush; handing Saya the MP5SFK carbine he had been carrying along his back, watching as she tried to steady her aim before he motioned her to take a crouched position to help stabilize herself. Takashi meanwhile kept the Bennelli M4 Super 90 close in hand, as if expecting to be jumped from another angle.

As Saya crouched down, she could feel her arms already starting to shake. She'd been so used to them only fighting the dead defensively, and now that they were going on the offensive, she couldn't help but feel her brain going into overdrive, wondering how many more of 'Them' any of the potential gunshots could attract due to their unfortunate lack of silencers. As she cocked her head to the side to aim, she could feel Kohta's hand gently rest on her shoulder as he leaned in close alongside her.

"Alright, Takagi-san, since you don't have a scope, aiming's going to be a little trickier. I don't think 'They' know exactly where we are yet, so we still have plenty of time. What you want to do is align your iron sights: these two little ridges here and the one at the end of the barrel. If you line those up in front of the spot you want to hit, just so long as your aim is steady, you'll be able to hit your target." Kohta instructed her calmly as Saya tried her best to follow what the normally awkward and bumbling otaku was saying. But before she could even start, Kohta suddenly grabbed the stock of her gun and her right arm that was holding the carbine steady.

"Your crouching posture is a little too rigid; you're just fighting yourself. You want to be able to keep your aim steady but also loosen your body up enough so as to absorb the recoil. It's especially important with any of our bigger guns. If you try firing those as rigid as you're being right now, you could really hurt your shoulder." Kohta went on further as he leveled the butt of the gun a little higher against her shoulder while helping her other arms raise the gun straight. As much as Saya felt the burning instinctual need to tell him off for both talking down to her like an idiot and touching her, the pink-haired girl was determined to get better, so she simply absorbed everything her impromptu trainer said as she finally leveled her eye with her iron sights on the first of 'Them' as it steadily made its way toward her.

"Okay, Takagi-san, just pick your target, remember to breathe calmly, and breathe in before you pull the trigger." Kohta whispered calmly, making sure not to lose his cool despite the short distance that was left between them and the undead. Saya could feel her heart racing, but at the same time, she didn't feel that typical sensation of panic take her over. She settled her sight on the male in the lead, centered on its head, breathed in just as she placed her finger over the trigger and…

*BLAM!*

The carbine letting out a deafening burst as Saya felt her gun kick upwards from the unexpected force. Just as she regained her senses, she was shocked to see the kickback had completely thrown her aim off and the bullet barely grazed the undead man's scalp. All at once, her burning temper and flaring sense of panic kicked back in as she leveled her gun again, getting back onto her feet and stepping back before aiming down the sights to his head again.

Not even bothering to breathe in this time, Saya immediately pulled the trigger and nearly fell over onto her back as she accidentally let out a burst of several rounds that tore the man's head apart; sending him collapsing to the ground as his two undead counterparts continued onwards toward the three teens, riled up more than ever.

Before Saya could aim at the next two, two even sharper rifle cracks sounded out as 'Their' heads almost simultaneously exploded, prompting her to look to see Kohta had taken care of them, trying to catch his breath after she'd had such a close call.

"I did exactly what you said and it still didn't work, you chubby idiot!" Saya instantly exploded as Kohta slung his rifle over his shoulder, breathing deep to regain his cool while she had once again slipped back into her typical attitude.

"I'm sorry, Takagi-san. I should've mentioned the recoil will always cause your gun to kick up. I should've told you to aim for the chest area, because the kickback will help you hit 'Their' heads. I'm sorry." Kohta unexpectedly apologized, instantly silencing the fiery-tempered genius as she couldn't find herself able to stay mad at him. Instead, she just let out a heavy sigh before roughly flicking her finger against his forehead.

"Well, just remember to tell me stuff like that before we begin practicing from now on, you stupid otaku." Saya grumbled as she got herself resituated with her gun; all while Takashi now looked fairly nervous, checking all around them.

"I don't like this, you guys. That was way too many shots. Maybe we should move elsewhere." Takashi suggested as though he were just waiting for a sudden mob of 'Them' to come crawling out of the wood work for them.

"No, it's alright, Komuro, we're still in the clear. If any more of 'Them' had heard those shots, we would've seen them by now. Just keep checking for them; but let's not stay out here too much longer." Kohta reassured him as he helped Saya get back into her crouching position.

"Alright, first off let's set this thing to single shot so you don't accidentally let off anymore bursts like that. Then let's see if we can find you a stationary target for you to practice your aim with." Kohta suggested as he flicked the switch on the side of Saya's carbine as she was already scanning the scene in front of them intently for something to test her skills with.

"How about that taxi over there?" Saya suggested as Kohta looked to see a single taxi cab sitting in the middle of the road perfectly centered, as if some outside force had intentionally set it up for them as target practice.

"Alright, that works. How about you aim for the sign on the roof first, since it's bigger." Kohta recommended as Saya was already eagerly getting her gun against her shoulder and aiming down the sights, making sure to line them up perfectly and centered on the taxi's roof sign.

Taking another deep breath, she quickly pulled the trigger, this time aiming the barrel to the edge of the windshield just in time as the recoil kicked her gun up; her ears instantly catching the sign of plastic shattering as she saw this time she'd managed to hit her target, instantly sparking an inspired fire inside her to see she'd succeeded.

"Very good, Takagi-san. But it's all about practice. Let's try going for a smaller target. How about one of the side-view mirrors?" Kohta congratulated the genius as she immediately aimed for one of the side mirrors, trying not to let her excitement get the better of her as she kept her aim focused just below the mirror.

With another quick pull of the trigger, the mirror practically exploded as Saya had to practically fight the urge to cheer at how much better she could already see her shooting was getting. She could practically envision herself being as good as Kohta already as she was already eagerly looking for something to shoot.

"See, it's not so hard at all, Takagi-san. How about we try to find you something a little more far away; best to practice your sharp-shooting while we can." Kohta exclaimed happily as he desperately want to give Saya a congratulatory pat on her back, but was still far too nervous to lest he immediately incur her wrath.

"Uh, guys? I think we may want to start leaving." Takashi suddenly recommended, catching both shooters' attention as they immediately spotted what had Takashi so worried. Shambling out of the bushes of the edge of the park was a couple of 'Them' all dressed in SDF uniforms, outfitted with heavy duty flak jackets, riot helmets and ammunition bandoliers.

"No, not just yet." Saya muttered with an unreadable grin as she quickly turned herself around, proceeding to actually aim at the two undead soldiers, almost as if she didn't even mind how heavily armored 'They' were.

"No, Takagi-san, Komuro's right. We've already pushed our luck far enough out here, so let's get going." Kohta agreed as he tried to get Saya back onto her feet, only for her to pull away from his grip and go through her process of aiming down the sights.

"No, I'm tired of stationary targets. The only way I'll be useful is if I can actually hit a mobile target." Saya protested as she instantly pulled the trigger, not even minding how the bullet ricocheted off the first soldiers' helmet.

"Takagi-san, we can practice again some other time, but we wanna be out of here before any more of 'Them' show up." Kohta tried to reason with the genius as she instantly fired off three more shots; each one either pounding into the flak jackets or bouncing off the helmets. In spite of her excitement, the fact that 'They' were still standing in spite of 'Their' heavy armor sparked that all too familiar burning frustration inside her as her grip on her carbine tightened and she gritted her teeth.

"Not until 'They're' both dead!" Saya argued as she suddenly flicked the switch on the side to fully automatic, proceeding to pull the trigger over and over again, forcing Kohta and Takashi to back away from the constant cracking gunshots as the two of 'Them' kept on getting pushed back from the numerous bullets, but still weren't going down.

'I'm not weak! I can fight! I can protect myself and the others! I can fight! I CAN FIGHT FOR MYSELF!' Saya thought furiously to herself as she kept firing before finally letting the zenith of her frustration and long-pent up anger and desire to prove herself peak; laying her finger down on the trigger and letting out a continuous barrage.

Just a fraction of a second before Saya let out the rest of her ammunition; Kohta was able to make out the unmistakable sight of a couple frag grenades hooked to the bandolier of the undead soldier in the lead. All at once, right as the first sound of the gun firing registered, he felt his whole body go cold as he turned to Saya, pretty much feeling the entire world come to a standstill.

"SAYA, DOOOON'T!" he screamed out right as the first bullet hit one of the grenades, and everything in that instant was devoured in a deafening, earth-shattering blast that sent all three teens flying and blacking out for a moment.

The ringing in Saya's head was unbearable as she opened her eyes to find she was looking through some kind of fading tunnel vision, as though she'd been knocked out cold and was finally regaining her senses. The distant sound of Kohta's voice calling her name brought her to roll onto her back, nearly being blinded by the brightness of the sun as Kohta quickly knelt to her side, shaking her by the shoulders; his face smeared with dirt and his eyes wide and scared behind his thick glasses.

"Saya, oh my God, are you okay?!" Kohta asked her worriedly, his voice trembling as he helped Saya sit back up; the young genius grateful that the ringing in her ears was finally gone.

"I-I think so…oh, Kohta, what happened?" she asked still in somewhat of a daze as she saw a large person-sized crater in the middle of the street; and splayed out next to it was the gruesome upper half of the other undead SDF soldier, with its arms still flailing and clawing at the air and groaning as if nothing had happened.

Before she could even waste another second to think, Kohta suddenly grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye as the look in his gaze looked evenly divided between anger and relief that she didn't seem to be hurt.

"I told you to stop, Saya! I said we could practice again some other time! Why'd you suddenly get all gung-ho on us?! Why'd you go off like that?! I thought you of all people would know how dangerous it is to go off half-cocked like that!" Kohta proceeded to actually shout, rendering the otherwise hot-headed genius absolutely dead silent as she momentarily couldn't believe this was the same chubby mild-mannered otaku who'd been loyally at her side all this time who almost always flinched whenever she addressed him.

"You're usually so observant, so why couldn't you see one of 'Them' had a bunch of grenades!? Why didn't you just stop when you saw 'They' were wearing helmets? It's not like 'They' would've followed us back to the hotel, we could've just left right then and there! Why did you pop off like that?!" Kohta continued unrelentingly, nearly causing Saya to shrink back as she didn't know how to handle this whole other side of Kohta. As he struggled to catch his breath from the adrenaline and the now subsiding anger and disbelief, Saya barely found the strength to answer him.

"I…I-I'm sorry…" Saya weakly muttered, instantly managing to diffuse Kohta's remaining anger as he couldn't believe what was happening: not that he'd actually screamed at the fiery-tempered genius, but that he'd never seen her reduced to such a timid state before. Something about it felt wrong to the young gun enthusiast. He was always so used to seeing her confident if not brash attitude, and to see her so submissive didn't sit well with him.

"I…it's okay, Takagi-san. I-I didn't mean to yell at you…look, we can talk about this more later if you want, but let's just get out of here first, okay? If all those gunshots somehow didn't attract more of 'Them', then that blast definitely will." Kohta apologized before helping Saya back to her feet; dreading the thought of finding a whole mob of the undead already pouring down the way they came.

"Alright…lead the way, Hira—wait, where's Komuro?" Saya agreed before suddenly realizing she couldn't see their leader among the thick smoke left over from the blast. As Kohta began to look himself, he realized with a fearful chill that he couldn't see Takashi anywhere either.

"*cough* I'm here! I'm over here!" Takashi's voice suddenly called out from a little ways up the street; prompting the two to hurry to his location, both silently thanking their lucky stars he hadn't gotten seriously hurt or worse from the blast. As they made their way through the smoke, they quickly found him leaning against a streetlight pole, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh man, you scared the hell out of me for a second. I was afraid you'd gotten killed in that blast." Kohta exclaimed in relief as Takashi couldn't help but crack another smirk.

"Thankfully not, but maybe let's avoid picking any more fights with 'Them' for a while, yeah? Now what do you say we get the hell out of here before more show up?" Takashi requested as Kohta and Saya both couldn't help but nod and smile at how nonchalant he was still trying to be after such a close call.

"You don't have to tell us twice." Kohta agreed as they began to make their way back, only for Takashi to let out a clearly painful groan as he suddenly collapsed onto his hip, clutching his right leg in pain.

"Komuro? What's wrong? What happened?" Saya asked worriedly as they both rushed to their leaders' side to see a decently sized cut run across his leg. Thankfully it looked like that was the extent of the damage, but it was still clear Takashi couldn't put any weight on that leg in this condition.

"Oh man, looks like some of the shrapnel from those grenades caught you, Komuro. Luckily it doesn't look like it hit any major arteries otherwise you'd be bleeding a lot more profusely." Kohta explained as he observed the wound; neither he nor Takashi noticing the sudden look of devastating realization in Saya's eyes as she kept rewinding those words in her head. Because she had to go and fly off the handle, she got Takashi hurt. She couldn't even find the will for words as she couldn't manage to completely wrap her head around this unbearable feeling of guilt.

"Yeah, lucky me…still hurts, though. Think you can help me up?" Takashi asked through gritted teeth as Kohta brought his leaders' arm over his shoulders and helped him back to his feet, Saya instantly joining and supporting Takashi's other side herself.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of here." Kohta announced as they both helped Takashi limp his way up the street back to the hotel.

A half hour later at the hotel…

Once they finally rounded the last street corner to the hotel, Kohta and Saya continued to help Takashi the rest of the way as though the devil himself were on their heels. They couldn't believe how much they'd lucked out by not running into any large numbers of 'Them' along the way.

Once they'd made it through the door, they nearly had to come to a screeching halt when being greeted by Saeko's towering figure; whose once piercing serious expression instantly changed to one of shock and fear the instant she saw the cut on Takashi's leg.

"What on earth happened?! We heard an explosion, and when Rei-san's mother told me you'd all gone out, I was worried sick!" Saeko demanded as she immediately took Saya's place in helping keep Takashi supported while the shell-shocked genius collapsed into one of the chairs.

"It was an accident…a dumb accident. I was trying to help them learn how to aim better using one of 'Them' as target practice…but I didn't even notice it had a grenade on it until it was too late." Kohta replied, catching Saya off guard that he was actually covering for her, no doubt aware that if Saeko found out Saya's unusual recklessness got Takashi hurt, there would be absolute hell to pay.

"Alright, well it doesn't matter anymore, but swear to me you'll be more careful from now on. There's no telling how much worse things could turn out if you're not careful out there." Saeko reprimanded as she and Kohta proceeded to help their injured leader up the stairs; while Saya was now officially left to her own thoughts and guilt-driven worries.

With Saeko and Kohta bracing his sides, Takashi limped up the stairs and down the second-floor hallway. Eventually they managed to reach the hotel room Shizuka had set up as her new impromptu medical station. Saeko banged on the door several times before checking back to see how Takashi was holding up. His pained expressions were like daggers being shoved into her heart accompanied by hateful self-criticizing words screaming in her head; knowing that she should've been there to protect him and shield him from any and all harm.

"Who is it?" Shizuka called out in a playful chime as she could be heard rummaging around behind the door.

"It's us, Shizuka-sensei! Komuro-kun's been hurt and we need you to look at it!" Saeko called out urgently. Despite seeming like it was just a minor cut as far as laceration wounds went, she didn't want to run the risk of it becoming infected.

"Oh, dear; well let me see it then! Come on in." Shizuka gasped before she unlocked the door and swung it wide open before all three teens poured in to see both her and Frasier staring at them before looking down to see Takashi's bleeding leg.

"What the hell happened to him?!" Frasier nearly shouted as he sat on one of the tables as it looked like Shizuka had been in the middle of checking up on the stitches she'd given him a few days ago. Several used bandage wraps were hung loosely at the side of the makeshift operating table, discarded and drenched in what was now crusty red blood.

"Kohta-san was teaching Takagi-san and I to shoot, and we decided to use some of 'Them' as live target practice. None of us noticed one of them had some grenades strapped onto it, and well…I'm pretty sure you can guess the rest." Takashi barely answered through his teeth as Shizuka applied her special medical gel to the cut on his leg; making it feel like the muscles affected by it were on fire. His leg was twitching hard as she massaged this mysterious substance deeper into the muscle tissue; Saeko putting a hand on his shoulder to reassure him as Kohta did his best to keep Takashi's leg from kicking out at Shizuka from an uncontrollable reflex.

"It was just you three? You should've had backup with you." Frasier scolded as he didn't seem to show any concern towards Takashi's pain from the whole incident.

"I'll be sure to remember that next time. Argh...what the hell is in this crap anyhow? Why...does it...feel so good now?" Takashi grumbled before shifting his attention to Shizuka. The burning sensation in his leg suddenly felt all tingly and warm, causing him to feel fuzzy all over in his lower region.

"Don't worry about what's in it, honey. Just relax and let me clean this up so I can see how bad of a boo-boo you've got here." Shizuka dismissed in a rather affectionate tone before running a damp wash cloth over Takashi's wound; scrubbing the blood away long enough to see the extent of the damage he'd received.

"Well, looks like you were lucky with this one, Komuro-kun. I don't think you'll actually need any stitches for this one; just some time to let it scab over and heal on its own. I will need to check every now and then though to make sure you didn't catch any infections though. If anything seems out of the ordinary you come straight to me." Shizuka said with a deep sigh of relief as she thoroughly examined the injury, proceeding to wrap his upper thigh in light bandages before lightly patting it down.

"That's a great relief to hear. Thank you so much, Marikawa-sensei. I owe you for that one." Saeko said before bowing in respect to the group's nurse; her tone much more calm now as she was visibly pleased to hear that Takashi would be alright in the end.

"Oh, don't you thank me for that! Just be sure to keep him off his feet for a while and avoid stretching that region for a while. So no late night antics, if you know what I mean." Shizuka said in a rather humble tone before making a lewd comment that caused Kohta, Saeko, and Takashi to all blush wildly at the very idea she was insinuating. Frasier on the other hand looked like his face was going to split in two from sheer rage at the very thought of that happening with Saeko. He quickly regained composure though and sealed that horrid thought aside for the time being.

"You two can go now. Coincidentally enough, I actually wanted to ask both our young leaders something very important, and now here they are. You can have them back when I'm through with them." Shizuka suddenly announced to Kohta and Saeko,who both seemed curious about whatever the frisky school nurse intended to speak to Frasier and Takashi about, unable to prepare themselves when the significantly tall nurse escorted them outside before closing the door behind her back.

'Great. Now she's probably going to say something REALLY perverted.' both Takashi and Frasier thought at the exact same time as she seemed to have a rather pleased look on her face to have them in her presence without anyone else around.

"Sorry about all that, but I was thinking about how we've all been going through some very rough times lately. While some of us are natural fighters, the others simply can't go on like this forever. All the dying and fighting is going to eventually get to them in the worst possible way. So I want to propose that every day, I can have one or two of you sit down with me for roughly an hour to discuss how we feel. Think of me not just as a nurse to patch everyone up, but also a therapist to keep everyone smiling and in check! What do you think? Doesn't that sound like a wonderful idea?!" Shizuka began to express rather somberly before proposing her idea; managing to catch the two young men completely off guard; her voice returning to its typical high-pitched squeal of joy as she clearly had been thinking about this for some time now.

"I...yes, that actually DOES sound like a really good idea. Frasier-san, do you have anything to add?" Takashi stumbled at first before finding himself in complete agreement with the insanely voluptuous nurse, who formed the brightest smile she had shown in quite some time.

"Yay! I knew you'd be able to appreciate this idea, Komuro-kun!What about you, Frasier-kun? Please tell me what you think of it!" Shizuka exclaimed in proudly before leaning down and planting a kiss on his cheek, her wet lips leaving a mark on him as he nearly fell off the table. The eager nurse then turned her gaze to see Frasier's reaction to her one-on-one therapy plan.

"Hmm, I do suppose it couldn't hurt the others to give it a go. However, I will not be personally attending this little therapy session of yours, Marikawa-sensei." Frasier answered in agreement, only to then throw her a curveball that completely caught her off guard.

"Aww, but why? Everyone has been though something painful;even you, Frasier-kun! Please, won't you at least consider it for me?" Shizuka whined before gently shaking his arm; hoping he'd perhaps consider changing his mind just for her.

"What's there to consider? This plan of yours is for the weak-minded and those that were unprepared for the horrors of this world. My training has conditioned me both physically and mentally for it. I don't feel fear like you do. I won't let it control me. I will consume it instead." Frasier said in a grumble as both his fists clenched tight. His glare became fiercer by the second as it was quite clear he had zero intentions of going through with it.

"You know, Frasier-kun…you don't have to be strong all the time. Contrary to what you might believe, it's alright to let your guard down around those who care deeply about you. I promise,whatever it is we talk about will be completely confidential." Shizuka said in a somewhat hurt tone before gently resting her hand on his shoulder before he averted his gaze to the other side of the room, almost as if reconsidering his stance on the matter.

"With all due respect, Marikawa-sensei, there's nothing for us to talk about. My story is my own, and that shall never change so long as I breathe." Frasier said with a reluctant sigh before stating his own personal stance once again. Shizuka slowly bowed her head before she then caught both boys off guard a second time by wrapping her arms around Frasier; gently hugging him as he just sat there, entirely perplexed by the unexpected display of affection and motherly concern.

"I know you've had a rough life even before all of this. Marcus-kun and I would sometimes talk about what your father was like back in my office at the academy. How he'd push his military vision upon you three; but you most of all, Frasier-kun. Also,how you never had a mother to comfort you emotionally or even to tell you that she loves you. I can-" Shizuka gently whispered in his ear, sending chills down his back at the fact she knew far more than most did, especially more than he'd ever want anyone outside the family to know about. He quickly placed his palm over her mouth at the end when he'd simply heard enough.

"No! None of you even know the half of it. Don't try to be something you're not for my sake. I've come to terms with what I am because of HIM. What I SHALL become should I survive all of this. And I most certainly know what I can NEVER even hope to obtain in this lifetime. So please, I don't want to talk about myself. There's nothing there that a caring soul such as yourself should ever have to see. Just finish my examination so I can return to my duties." Frasier pleaded in a surprisingly raspy and emotionally drained tone; lowering his head as if he completely forgot that Takashi was sitting there listening in on the entire conversation; currently wishing that he could just get up and limp away back to his bed.

"I'm sorry, Frasier-kun. Should you ever change your mind, you are certainly more than welcome to join in. I promise it will be worth it." Shizuka said in a final offer before giving him a faint smile when he remained silent, almost as if debating with himself mentally on whether or not to accept the kind offer.

Moments later, Shizuka finished patching both leaders up; playfully kissing their fresh bandages as she enjoyed how red in the face she could make both of them with nothing more than a harmless little kiss. It couldn't help but make her sometimes wonder how they might react should she ever lose control of her rather powerful libido and drop all inhibition for just one night. However, she was fortunately able to focus most of the time and keep herself occupied long enough to satiate that hunger for when it was lights out and her roommate was asleep.

"Oi! You done in there yet, ya sour sod?" Marcus' voice suddenly called out through the door, only for him to walk in before Frasier could respond accordingly for his younger brothers' impatience.

"Just about, though you should watch the way you speak to your elders, Marcus. We are in an area where you can be patched up almost right away, so forgive me if I might be inclined to hit you even more than usual." Frasier replied with a flat tone that made it near impossible for anyone to tell if he was joking around or not.

"I'm just kidding, you grouchy bell-end! I do hope your cut looks better, though. Especially considering you got that from saving me and Noah." Marcus said with a nervous chuckle before showing some sympathy near the end as he still seemed to regret being part of the reason Frasier got that injury in the first place.

"Well you won't have to worry about it, Marcus-kun. At the rate he's healing, I'd say he only has another two weeks of this before its all better!" Shizuka said before Frasier pulled his black tank top back on and slowly slid off the table to take his leave.

"Good. Noah's had some ideas lately you might want to hear soon, by the way. The last few days, he's been in that little workshop of his down in the basement area. I swear he just can't stop with the ideas to improve this place…err, not that you haven't made any major contributions yourself." Marcus said rather happily before alerting Frasier about the activity level of their determined little brother.

"Sure. He can tell me once dinner is ready. I hope you like spaghetti, because that's what Alice picked…again." Frasier acknowledged as he warned Marcus of what they'd be having in just a few hours.

"Again? Ugh, who was it that let her pick all the packaged meals now?" Marcus grumbled before trying to recall aloud who made the choice to let the little girl of their group have executive choice in what they'd have for dinner every night.

"That would be you." Takashi answered with a smirk as he, Shizuka, and even Frasier lightly chuckled when the realization hit Marcus that he was in fact the one who promised to Alice that she could make a 'big decision' too, just like the grownups.

"Oh yeah...well, hopefully we'll run out of that one soon. I know there was more than just goddamn spaghetti in those packages. I swear if I ever see another plate of the stuff again, it'll be too soon." Marcus said after a short burst of laughter as he tried to recover from the blowback of his own question.

"Marcus-kun? Do you mind if I talk to you about something?" Hitomi's voice suddenly asked as Takashi, Marcus, Shizuka, and Frasier turned to see her standing in the open doorway with a look of uncertainty in her soft, beautiful eyes. The middle Lawson nodded with a smile as he stepped outside the room only to end up following Hitomi down the hallway so nobody could overhear whatever she was about to lay on him.

"So…I wanted to talk about us..." Hitomi began to say as Marcus knew something wasn't right already just by the way she delivered that line, leaving an uneasy feeling in his gut.

"Oh. I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" Marcus asked curiously as he placed a hand on her shoulder only for Hitomi to shake her head, giving him some reassurance; but not enough to stop worrying about what could've possibly been bothering her.

"I've been thinking about us lately. I really, really like you, and every time you enter the room or crack another joke, there's no use in me hiding a smile. Despite the age difference, there's so much we have in common that makes me want you as…well,more than just a friend." Hitomi began as she couldn't help but speak out in a deeply affectionate tone that made it quite clear Marcus meant a lot to her.

"But...?" Marcus questioned as he knew she wouldn't have dragged him out here just to say all of that.

"But...we've only known each other for two weeks now, and I shouldn't be so quick to jump into a relationship, especially in these hard times." Hitomi continued as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall while looking down somberly. Marcus could easily tell it was killing her to say this.

"I figured this was what you were getting at. Hitomi-chan…is that really what you want? Cause I really like you too..." Marcus said hesitantly before wanting to confirm her decision to slow down.

"Marcus-kun, surely I can't mean that much to you." Hitomi retorted as she couldn't help but be surprised at how hurt he sounded at the fact she was essentially breaking things off with him.

"That's not true! I just...you know...we had that one night together." Marcus awkwardly answered as he lightly kicked at the floor with both hands in his pockets now; struggling to keep his composure and emotions in check.

"I do, but we didn't do anything serious or irreversible. We just got drunk that one night and made out. It was after a long succession of stressful days. I should've been more focused on the matter at hand. I'm really sorry it got this far, and…I'm sorry it had to come to this." Hitomi acknowledged but still chose to remain firm with her decision, no matter how much it pained her inside due to how much she'd come to love everything about him in those two weeks.

"I understand…well, if you ever want to talk, I'll be around. Maybe when things calm down, and we can get evacuated, do you think…you'll still be interested in me?" Marcus suggested as he once again caught Hitomi off guard with his unexpected display of determination for her heart that couldn't help but make her heart both sing and weep at the same time.

"Of course I will be, Marcus-kun! Once we're safe and not surrounded by 'Them', I promise you right now, I'm all yours. But for now, let's just stick to surviving all of this, alright?" Hitomi swore eagerly; watching as he was able to form a faint, but noticeable nonetheless, smile.

"Alright. So long as this is what you want, then so be it. I guess I should go check on something. Somewhere else." Marcus said before taking off and leaving Hitomi to herself in the middle of the hallway, still looking down despite knowing this was for the best.

"Police gir-Hitomi-san; may I have a word with you?" Frasier suddenly announced; spurring Hitomi to turn around to see a part of him leaning out the doorway. Initially she was skeptical of him just like whenever else they talked, but the way he asked it genuinely sounded like he wasn't here to start trouble for once.

"What do you need, Frasier-san? Something tells me you aren't here for idle chit-chat." Hitomi questioned straightforwardly; trying her best to remain neutral in case he had something good to say for a change, all while trying to hide her obvious pain from what she only just finished discussing with Marcus.

"I guess I deserve that after the way I've been treating you, huh? All I wanted was to say I'm sorry for the way I've acted, especially for the way I've been treating you, Hitomi-san." Frasier sighed as he had anticipated Hitomi to still hold a grudge against him. Even so, there was a part of him that was just begging to tell her to stow away the crap long enough to let him finish.

"W-What? I'm sorry; I could've sworn you just said that you, Frasier Lawson, are apologizing for your attitude towards me?" Hitomi asked in bewilderment as she was visibly taken back by the unexpected apology from the last person on Earth she'd expect to be admitting any personal fault.

"Yeah, yeah; I've been a prick, what else is new? If you don't wanna hear it then I won't say it." Frasier grumbled before rolling his eyes in annoyance, feeling especially tempted to storm off and leave Hitomi by herself.

"No, no, it's just...well; to be honest this is truly unexpected, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical at first. You've been on my case ever since we first met, constantly questioning my ability to keep everyone safe. But please, continue." Hitomi said as she tried to explain why she was so reluctant to hear him out.

"Surely you of all people should know that trust isn't something that should be so easily handed over. Granted, I haven't exactly made it easy in your case, but my brothers always have and always will be my top priority when it comes to survival; even if it ends up with me dying for them." Frasier mentioned before trying to help her understand his reasoning; as if trying to put her in his shoes so that she may better understand him.

"I suppose you do have your reasons for being so damn stubborn. I just wish you'd have accepted me by now." Hitomi replied in an undeniably hurt tone; showing him that despite her rough exterior, his words and lack of trust was what had affected her most.

"That's just it, Hitomi-san...I've only now realized the effects of your influence on Marcus. Ever since what happened at that cabin, he's been so reclusive and horrified to even step outside. But...but thanks to you, he's now back to being that smiling goofball that always cracks a stupid joke at the worst times, usually at my expense. I-I just wanted to say…thank you for putting up with my crap and being there for him in ways I simply cannot." Frasier admitted as he spoke of Hitomi like she was a blessing that he'd failed to appreciate until now. Her eyes instantly lit up as she was astonished to see him think so highly of her now.

"Frasier-kun...that's so sweet of you to say. I'm really at a loss for words right now. I know it's only been two weeks since this all started, but you should know that I will do whatever it takes to see our groups evacuated and taken as far away as possible from 'Them'. I'm sorry if I've been giving you a rough time when I should've just taken the high road." Hitomi said sincerely before gently hugging the towering young man, who had no response to the physical touch of the young officer; standing there awkwardly as she made it quite clear to him that his maturity and kind words had just made her day.

"Yeah...well, enough of this feelings bollocks. I said what I needed to say, so just keep up the good work…Officer." Frasier suddenly replied distantly as if he was trying to keep himself from showing too much emotion; detesting the thought of everyone feeling that he had gone soft now by opening up.

"Wait! I know it's been rough for any of you to say anything but...I don't suppose you'd be willing to talk about what happened with...you know?" Hitomi suddenly inquired as she was determined to figure things out once and for all.

At first Frasier paused to think of a reply to such a question. While it didn't bother him personally, he certainly felt if he allowed the rest of the group to know what happened at Joe's cabin, it could result in a panic. However, he also determined that if he wanted to fully gain their trust, he couldn't afford to withhold vital information from them any longer.

"Sure…but not here. After dinner, I'll let everyone know exactly what happened…I promise." Frasier reluctantly answered as he bowed his head, almost certain this would be a mistake in the end despite how a part of him now felt they deserved to know the truth, no matter how badly it might hurt them.

A few hours later…

Johann sat alone his room as the others had no doubt begun to dig in downstairs. He looked out at the cityscape outside his window; silently wondering just how the rest of the world was managing to hold up by now. For all any of them knew, the rest of the world had managed to beat this thing and they simply got unlucky. Then again, who was to say anyone elsewhere in the world was even still alive anymore? The young German couldn't help but feel deep down that perhaps this was how it had to be from now on: every group concerned only for themselves as only the strongest would live another day. Another part of him then wondered how far this group would be willing to go to survive to see the end to this waking nightmare.

Before any more depressing thoughts could burrow into his head, there was a sudden knocking at his door. Johann slowly made his way over to open up; surprised to see Rei standing before him with a serving tray with two bowls on top of it. She had a calmingly pleasant smile to her as she walked inside and set it down on the edge of his bed.

"Do you mind if I join you, Johann?" Rei asked as she sat beside him and offered him his own individual serving of what looked like spaghetti once again, watching him slowly nod before taking it from her; feeling the warmth of the hot meal phasing through the ceramic bowl as he took a fork and began to twirl it around, unable to deny any longer how hungry he really was.

"I hate to sound rude, Rei, but why are you up here with me when you could be downstairs with everyone else?" Johann questioned as he couldn't imagine why she'd prefer his company to the rest of the group.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I had to get away from some of them. Takashi and Saeko-san have really been getting on my nerves lately. It's almost like they feel the need to show everyone they're together, and I just can't stand seeing it anymore. And not only that, but don't even get me started on Frasier-san. I swear someone really needs to teach him some manners." Rei confessed before she was soon unable to keep herself from expressing what seemed to bother her most of all amongst the people she knew she should've considered her second family by now; hating how bitter she felt inside despite thinking not too long ago that she had finally been able to accept her loss of Takashi's heart to the group's swordswoman.

"I'm sorry, Johann; you shouldn't have to hear all of that. After everything you've been through, my problems are so petty in comparison." Rei immediately apologized; worried that Johann would feel extremely awkward having to listen to her ranting on about her own issues.

"Don't be, Rei; you deserve to have someone listen to what bothers you too. Believe me, if I didn't want to hear it, I'd say so." Johann responded sincerely as Rei couldn't help but be surprised to see him willing to hear her out, feeling immensely grateful that she truly did have someone to confide with in him.

"Well there isn't much to say about it now. You already know how I felt about Takashi." Rei sighed as she shook her head to get rid of that image of him dwelling in her head.

Johann just sat there awkwardly, uncertain what to say now. Trying not to let the silence linger, he proceeded to suck up an entire strand of noodles that ended up slapping his cheek from the sudden force; leaving a bit of sauce on his cheek, causing Rei to inadvertently burst out giggling at the sight. Both of them proceeded to start laughing as he then realized how obvious and unsubtle he was when trying to slurp his food down. Rei offered him a small tissue from a whole box of them resting under a lampshade nearby, gently dabbing the spot on his upper left cheek before playfully tossing it at him; earning an amused grin from him before he noticed she'd hardly even started her own bowl.

"You should eat too, Rei. You've hardly touched your serving at all." Johann offered as she smiled in response before proceeding to eagerly chip away at the hearty meal, even if it was the same one for the fifth night in a row.

"Johann, do you think that perhaps one day things will actually return to the way they once were? Do you think we can really forget about the things we've had to do in order to survive?" Rei asked curiously, causing Johann to pause for a moment to think how he could possibly answer such a heavy question.

"To be honest, I have no idea. It's become obvious by this point the government has no means of fighting against 'Them' anymore. For now, I guess 'They' will mainly be found in cities and places with large concentrations of other survivors. But I'm sure in due time 'They' will start spreading out into the countryside to find more food. With any luck, before that happens, those residing in the country sides will have a plan, or at the very least be ready for 'Them'. As for if we can ever bring ourselves to forget the things we've seen and done…I really don't know." Johann said in a weary sigh as he couldn't help but feel that despite humanity being backed into a corner, there were still people who couldn't seem to understand the severity of the situation, and that it was essentially in the hands of whatever god there was what would become of them.

"I know I've asked you this before, but do you really think we can all survive this? How long do you think a group like this canhandle the tension of everything that's been happening?" Rei then asked as she held her knees together, resting her chin on them as she rocked back and forth a little, desperate for any kind of answer to set her worries at ease.

"It's hard to say. One day, we're finding a gold mine worth of supplies; and the next, we're fighting up to our necks in 'Them'. In all honesty, I guess it comes down to how much we're willing to put aside our differences and make use of our strengths." Johann said with a bit of uncertainty, hoping that nobody else would have to die from here on out, despite knowing that was just wishful thinking at this point.

"I'm sorry for all the questions, Johann. I…I just need to hear what others think, and so far your answers seem to be the most realistic, yet they always seem to have some hope behind them." Rei admitted shyly as Johann softly smiled at the sweet sentiment before things fell silent between them again.

"You know…we really miss your violin playing. It was really beautiful the other day when you played it at the mall. Hopefully, if you ever feel up for it, we can hear it again." Rei then commented in an almost dreamy tone of reminiscence; unknowingly causing Johann to suddenly form a rather gloomy expression.

"Perhaps...I don't know if I really can though. Playing such a fine instrument requires a strong emotional drive on my end, and as you can no doubt guess, nothing nice or inspiring would really be coming from me anytime soon. I'm very sorry to get your hopes up, Rei." Johann regretfully expressed, unwilling to see the no-doubt heartbreaking look of disappointment Rei must've had, not knowing that her face expressed nothing but more of her heartfelt sympathy as she understood everything behind his words.

"Please, don't feel like you have to be obliged to play for us. I'm sure you'll know when you're ready again when the time comes. I just want you to know and remember that I'm here for you, Johann; and I always will be. The rest of the group is here for you too, and I like to think even Frasier-san is here for you in an odd sense...even if he doesn't show it nearly as well as the others might." Rei comforted him as she didn't want to come off as selfish when talking about Johann playing the instrument again for them; instead wanting him to know she and their friends would be there whenever he'd need them, no matter what.

"So, Rei, you talked about staying in the same room with me at night from now on earlier? Well, I've been thinking about it, and…I-I think I'd like to give it a try, if you really meant it. I think I really could use the company." Johann suddenly yet hesitantly brought up before finally giving his long-awaited answer. For the first few seconds, Rei was extremely surprised to hear him say that; before a bright, joyful smile spread across her lips at his acceptance; her beautiful reddish-brown eyes practically sparkling.

"Really?! Oh, that's such a relief to hear, Johann! I promise you won't regret it." Rei expressed in great delight and cheer before gently hugging him. A faint smile formed on Johann's face as they just continued to talk on while the others were all finishing up downstairs.

Down in the Lobby…

"Noah, do you mind if you take Zeke outside? It's been a while since he's been to the bathroom, and I don't want to tread in a 'present' again. And Marcus, go get the heater ready for our watch. It looks like it'll be quite chilly tonight." Frasier suddenly requested to his brothers before he began to trail off, still somewhat annoyed that he had to be the one to personally come across a 'landmine' before someone else could notice that Zeke hadn't been taken outside to relieve himself.

Some of the others lightly chuckled as Noah and Marcus nodded in acknowledgment before getting up to take their furry friend outside. Once Frasier was certain that they were alone, he then gazed upon the rest of the group gathered around the dinner table with a deathly serious look on his face.

"Listen, before you all break away for bed or whatever you intend to do tonight…I feel it's time I finally let you all know what occurred at the cabin a few days ago. Takagi-san, may want to cover Alice's ears." Frasier began to announce as the numerous survivors before him all immediately settled down while Saya covered Alice's ears, to which the little girl just pouted from being left out.

"Alright…you see, w-we..." Frasier began to say with great hesitation, knowing that if he told them what happened to Toshimi, it could really derail any morale the group once had. Mixed looks of concern filled their faces, but when he looked at Saeko and Hitomi, both girls simply nodded in encouragement before he cleared his throat in a rough cough.

"When we arrived at the cabin, it was being occupied by someone we felt we could trust: an American neighbor of Johann's named Joe. When we got there, all seemed well. The solar power was there and plentiful, weapons and munitions were in good supply; an isolated cabin large enough for all of us to stay comfortably was at the ready. It looked like a hidden paradise at first glance, like a perfect getaway where we could all wait this nightmare out. However, there was this feeling of suspicion I just couldn't get rid of, and when I tried to open the bloody fridge…that's when Joe showed his true colors. He'd spiked our drinks, and I was the only one still conscious. Had I not been blindsided by his friend, Buck, I surely could've killed him then and there.

"When we'd all woken up, we found ourselves bound in the basement. Those men…they explained how they were serial killers... and rapists. They kept taunting us about how they were going to kill us, and make us suffer dearly before it happened. But it was then that they forced us all to listen to something…unspeakable. Joe went upstairs and...H-he forced us all to listen to him rape Johann's girlfriend, Toshimi. We all had to listen to this inhuman cruelty, but I know that for Johann above anyone else the pain was too great for mere words. All the while those animals laughed at us, taunting us as if they knew we were going to die there.

"Luckily we were able to barely overpower Buck, although he attempted to even sodomize Noah before it was all over. Marcus was the one who killed him. He used a piece of wood from the chair he'd managed to smash and drove it into that fucker's ear.I know that knowledge still haunts him, but I can't even imagine how terrified poor Noah was, knowing what he'd just barely avoided thanks to Marcus. By the time they'd managed to get me free, was when we ran into Johann after he'd made his way upstairs amid all the confusion. He was covered in blood when we saw him. I knew from the second I saw him that Joe had been taken care of as well.

"When things finally seemed to be in our control again, we went upstairs to free Toshimi and Joe's daughters. There were no daughters, and Toshimi was severely crippled. Both her legs had been severed clean; her body beaten and bruised, barely kept alive with medicine and a near broken spirit. As for Johann, the poor bloke wanted to bring her back so badly, convinced himself that we could save her still. When I made him see the reality of it all, I saw his spirit completely and utterly break beyond whispered something to him in the end, I don't know what it was, but I like to think it helped him understand what had to be done a bit better.

"Once Noah had taken Johann out of that room, it was just me and her left. I just gazed down upon her at first. The marks of pain and suffering that painted her body contrasted so sharply with that…strange look of calm and acceptance in her eye, but that didn't deter me from what I had to do, for I was trained to endure shocking situations and react accordingly. Nobody should ever have to suffer like she did…and so I ended it for her. After looting the dugout not too far away, I burned that god-forsaken cabin to the ground, and all the horrors that took place within its walls." Frasier finally finished as he couldn't speak in his typically firm, no-nonsense tone, but instead a rather emotionally driven one that showed genuine grief behind it. Bowing his head as he couldn't even look them in the eyes now.

Takashi's group however was in complete disarray. Kohta seemed visibly shaken by such a horrid description as he gripped the fork he'd been playing with to the point his knuckles turned white; Saya and Saeko each displayed looks of disgust and immense fear at the thought of someone being able to do such horrible things to another person. Shizuka bowed her head in sorrow as she felt immeasurable sadness not only for Toshimi,but Johann as well. The sorrow he must've felt, she couldn't even begin to comprehend how he handled it for as long as he did. Kiriko just bowed her head silently before closing her eyes tight, now fully understanding beyond question just why Johann had been so distant, as well as his motive for wandering off. Takashi on the other hand was wide eyed as he'd become very pale from hearing all of this. His chest began to hyperventilate as he then tried to stand up only to tumble over.

"Komuro-kun?!" Saeko cried out of concern as everyone quickly rushed over to see what had happened to him. Uncertain whether it had to do with his wound or the fact he'd just sat through what was easily the most tragic and terrifying story he'd heard in a long time.

"Stand back and let me see him." Shizuka requested urgently before they backed away long enough to let her determine what was going on with their beloved leader. Her hands felt all over his forehead and face before moving down to his chest, checking to make sure his vitals were still in balance.

"I'm fine, everyone. I-I just n-need to go lie down." Takashi suddenly said weakly; causing the group to become startled at his sudden recovery as Shizuka nearly leapt back into Saya and Kiriko.

"A-Are you sure? If you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me up, Komuro-kun." Shizuka questioned before he pulled away from the group to head for his room; the rest looking on with concern for their leader's health after two incidents on this day alone.

"I should go to him. Goodnight, everyone." Saeko stated seriously as she grabbed Takashi's red leather jacket he'd left resting on the neck of his chair.

"Good night." Saya and Kiriko said in sorrowful mutters while the rest of the group stood around awkwardly, uncertain what to do now before one by one, they all left to try and sleep after hearing such a chilling story; hoping to whatever God might be out there that they wouldn't have to share a similar fate, leaving just Frasier and Hitomi to clean up the plates left behind.

"Did that go well? They looked afraid and ready to start panicking. Yet, at the same time here I feel like I did the right thing." Frasier suddenly asked Hitomi as they both finished putting away the last of the silverware after several minutes of unbearable silence.

"The truth isn't always easy to hear, but telling them lies and giving them false hope would make them blind to the reality we're now in. I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of proud of you for actually going through with this, Frasier-san." Hitomi replied to reassure him that this act of honesty was the right choice, no matter how badly it might've been going against his instincts.

"I see. Well, let's just hope they'll be ready for the challenges we might face out there." Frasier remarked as he found himself wondering what they might face next and how ready the others would really be for it.

"With such a diverse group with such varied skills like ours, I say bring it on." Hitomi chuckled, causing Frasier to form a half smile at the remark. He then slowly looked down as if there was something else on his mind now.

"You remember when you and Noah asked about my motives for staying? Just after we'd barely survived that skirmish with that horde at Onbetsu Bridge?" Frasier suddenly recalled as Hitomi looked at him puzzled for a moment, trying to think back on the event that took place just less than two weeks ago when all of this was still fresh and chaotic.

"I…wait...I do now that you mention it. I also recall how quick you were to change the subject. Why? Feel the need to confess something?" Hitomi stumbled at first before suddenly remembering exactly what he was going on about.

"Yes. I stayed not for you or for the rest of the survivors in the city. I did it because on one of the private security terminals, I noticed someone I cared deeply for was still alive and near of that accursed bridge. Truth be told, I would've ditched you all right then and there had I not seen that terminal." Frasier explained as the look of shock on Hitomi's face only grew wider the longer he went on.

"You did what?! I-I-I can't believe you used me, my friends and fellow officers like that! Good people died because of you! But…but you also did it for someone you loved rather than to just save yourself..." Hitomi gasped as she kept bouncing back and forth between anger and a warm look of strange approval. Her voice trailed off gently once she finally realized that in the end, he made a sacrifice for someone he cared about that wasn't related to him by blood, something she never would've imagined him being capable of doing.

"Forgive me for the deception. I wish there was another way, but what happened, happened. I understand if you're furious at , I wouldn't blame you. But I don't regret saving her." Frasier sighed in a genuinely apologetic tone before he suddenly noticed Hitomi no longer appeared to be angry with him. No, instead she just formed a soft smile when hearing something she'd never expect to hear from the likes of Frasier.

"Awwww...and here I thought you were a heartless prick. True, you lied and almost got us killed, but you also did it for a girl you love, which is very sweet. As much as I want to, I honestly can't stay mad at you for such a thing." Hitomi suddenly said before she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging the eldest Lawson, and leaving him with no idea how to react to her sudden display of affection; standing there somewhat shy and embarrassed as she held him tight.

"This isn't necessary, Hitomi-san. Let go, please." Frasier requested as he still remained awkward as ever when receiving affection from another human being; watching Hitomi giggle to herself as she found it rather amusing how vulnerable he seemed right now at something as simple as a hug.

"Don't worry, Frasier-san. As of now, consider yourself on my good side. Go get some rest now. I think you've earned it." Hitomi calmly suggested as she leaned against the counter with a smile on her face.

"I'm on watch though." Frasier noted as Hitomi just stared at him blankly for a moment, somewhat caught off guard as she then began to laugh.

"Oh. Well go upstairs then and watch over us then so I can get some rest." Hitomi rephrased in the exact same tone, causing Frasier to let out a humored grunt before walking away to do just that. Hitomi couldn't help but smile to herself as she felt that perhaps he wasn't a lost cause after all.

Minutes before, upstairs…

Rei meanwhile had just closed the door to Johann's room before slowly walking down the hallway to see Takashi rushing past her, looking like he'd just seen a ghost. When she tried to reach out to him, he didn't even respond to her even for a second. Rei couldn't help but frown in disappointment as it felt he wouldn't even acknowledge her very existence now.

She then looked down the hall to see Saeko heading her way as well. She could see Takashi's red leather jacket tucked under her left arm as she purposefully strode down the hall. Something about seeing her with his clothes really boiled Rei's blood as she suddenly stepped directly in Saeko's way to cut her off. The young swordswoman stopped just in time before looking to see Rei glaring directly into her eyes.

"Oh, I almost didn't see you there, Rei-san. Do you need something?" Saeko said in a borderline sarcastic tone as she could clearly tell something was really bothering Rei.

"Yeah...I want to know what made you think you could take him from me." Rei suddenly announced in a low growl as she clenched her fists. Saeko was surprisingly taken aback by the upfront and unexpected aggression before she could even consider it had something to do with Takashi.

"I suppose this conversation was inevitable..." Saeko sighed softly as she looked away, as if a part of her was afraid of how Rei would react.

You're damn right this was inevitable! How could you steal Takashi from me?!" Rei scorned as Saeko then looked back at her with an ice cold glare, having to refrain from retaliating out of spite.

"Well what do you want me to say, Rei-san? There's no point in hiding my feelings for Komuro-kun any more than you can." Saeko responded in a very firm tone that made it very clear to Rei that she wasn't going to back down so easily; showing no regret for her actions as the two faced off just a few centimeters apart from each other.

"He's one of the only things I have left now! I could've had him back and to myself if you didn't get in the way!" Rei growled as she clenched both fists, desperately trying to keep her voice from rising any higher.

"Listen to yourself, Rei-san! He still cares about you! He cares about all of us, and you'd see that if you could put aside your jealousy for one minute! Even you can't deny that without him,none of us would still be here. He's our leader, and he has endured so much to keep us together through these rough times. At one point, if he wasn't there for me, I don't think I would've made it this far." Saeko said in an attempt to calm Rei down as she spoke in a hushed whisper; knowing the situation would only become much worse if any of the others were to see them fighting like this.

"I don't believe that. You're the strongest one in our group...you don't need him like I do!" Rei proclaimed as she shook her head in total denial; convinced that Saeko had to be lying at the end to trick her.

"That's where you're wrong, Rei-san. Do you remember when we were separated that one night; after we managed to escape Takagi-san's house?" Saeko softly expressed as she looked at her with a rather regretful look in her eyes.

"Yeah? What about it...?" Rei questioned as she felt especially annoyed to be reminded of that night especially; how she recalled constantly fretting and worrying for both Takashi's safety and what Saeko might've done without her to intervene.

"At that point, I was so consumed by this living nightmare, it was to the point I was willing to let myself die in one last glorious fight; slaughtering the dead, slicing and cutting 'Them' down until my last breath was drawn, throwing myself to the hordes with no intentions of coming back to you all. How could I possibly live when someone very close to me was possibly dead? Even if he wasn't dead, how could HE love someone like ME? Komuro-kun helped me forget about all my sadness that night. He helped me remember that I had so much more to live on for." Saeko spoke in a deep, somber mutter that caused Rei to pause for a moment, clearly taken aback by how broken Saeko seemed at this moment despite her previous impression of her being somewhat invincible.

"What did you two do at the shrine? Please... it's been killing me just dwelling on it over and over again. I need to know right now." Rei suddenly asked quietly as she couldn't stop thinking of how they had an entire night together. That thought alone burned her on the inside as she tried to ignore the fact that twenty minutes alone would've been enough for plenty of things to occur.

"He kissed me...simple as that. Komuro-kun reminded me that beneath the strong walls I've put up for myself and all to see, deep down I'm not only still human, but still a woman as well. He made me feel important, like he couldn't go on either without me by his side. For a moment, I felt wanted and even more alive than when I...look, just know that he's happy, and I promise to never hurt him." Saeko said in a rather pleased tone as she recalled how their first kiss had managed to calm her nerves after revealing her dark side to him; how he was able to calm the storm in a way no other person had ever done before in her life.

"It's not fair...I was so close to having him back, but then you came out of nowhere and stole him from me." Rei suddenly began to mutter in a weakened voice, trying her best to fight the tears that tried to break loose and trickle down her cheeks.

"I'm really sorry it went down this path, truly I am; but he's a man now, Rei-san. It's my personal duty as a woman to keep his pride and honor intact; to ensure that he can continue leading this group without any doubt in his abilities. Please, try not to be sad over him. He might not show it directly, but it still hurts him when you're feeling sad. Please be happy for his choice and know that no matter what, I will do everything I can to protect all of you the same way I would protect him." Saeko said in an attempt to reconcile and comfort the hurt young woman; trying to slowly reach out to her before her hand was lightly swatted away; understanding how if it were the other way around, she would most likely be just as upset, if not more volatile about it.

"Just go back to him, Busujima-san. It was stupid of me to actually think I would feel any better talking about this with you. It's only made things so much worse..." Rei muttered in defeat as she wished that she had just kept on walking; to keep closing up those emotions that slowly ate away at her over having to spill them out like a child who had yet learned to control them.

"I understand that you're angry and hurting inside. When the time comes and you've calmed down, I'd be more than willing to talk about it. I want to be your friend here, Rei-san; but you need to let go of this grudge before it eats away at you." Saeko said as she now spoke in a supportive voice, as if trying to instill some hope into Rei.

"Whatever, I don't need your friendship. I just need him..." Rei growled dismissively as she turned away from Saeko with her arms crossed. Clearly there was nothing else to be said as Saeko calmly passed her by and began to walk up the stairs to put away Takashi's jacket for him.

"Wait...before you go back to him...who was it that you thought for certain was dead; the one that you once cared for, Busujima-san?" Rei suddenly asked as she couldn't help but feel a strong sense of curiosity take over her.

"It doesn't matter, Rei-san. It turns out he's still alive and strong as ever. Now please...try to get some rest. Perhaps tomorrow we can train together to help let some steam off. There's a small gym in a sector of this hotel where we can practice. At least just think about it." Saeko responded before offering the emotionally distressed girl a chance to get some much needed payback. Rei at first remained silent but eventually she just nodded in acceptance, causing Saeko to smile before she soon vanished from sight, leaving Rei to her thoughts as she sighed, wishing once again that she had Takashi's heart again.

Inside his room, Johann had finally managed to get himself comfortable in his bed for what felt like the first time in years. The last several days of mourning had virtually robbed him of all the sleep he should've had over that time, and now he could practically feel his entire body was drained of all energy, ready to finally slip into the welcoming embrace of sleep once more. However, just as he was about to finally close his eyes, the sound of his door creaking open accompanied by the dim lights of the hallways spurred him awake. As the door slowly shut closed, his ears soon picked up the sound of soft footsteps slowly approaching the neighboring bed next to his; no doubt Rei getting ready for the very first night of their proposed room sharing.

Just as he was ready to finally put an end to this exhausting day, he suddenly felt himself being shaken ever so gently, prompting to roll onto his back to find Rei standing over his bedside; the look in her eyes expressing some kind of intent he couldn't have begun to guess.

"Rei…is something wrong?" Johann asked tiredly as he realized rei looked to be in serious mental debate as to whether she should actually say whatever was on her mind, all before she finally took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Johann…would it be alright if…if I sleep with you tonight?" Rei asked with the utmost hesitation, and for a second, Johann had to mentally step back to make sure his exhaustion wasn't playing tricks on him as Rei never broke her focus on him.

"Please, is it okay if I share your bed with you tonight?" Rei asked once more, clearing the air unknowingly for him as he wordlessly opened the blankets for the rest of the bed next to him for her. With a deeply grateful smile adorning her beautiful face, Rei wasted no time climbing into the bed and getting herself situated under the covers beside the dumbstruck German as she pulled the covers over herself.

"Good night, Johann." Rei softly whispered before the room was finally left in complete silence, with Johann still lying wide awake once more as he couldn't imagine what would prompt this amazing girl to want to share his bed with him while there was another she could have all to herself. But nevertheless, he couldn't bring himself to complain. Rei had gone so far out of her way for him in so many ways since her group first came here, what right did he have to complain if this was what she wanted?

However, he soon picked up the unmistakable sound of the softest weeping coming from right beside him, and the very sound of it gave Johann a horrible twisting feeling in his gut as he all at once realized he wasn't hearing things. He should've known something had to still be troubling Rei to make her want to be this close to him, but he never would've thought it was bad enough to drive her to tears like this.

He already knew at once he couldn't stand the sight of Rei crying, so he wasted no time rolling back onto his side to look at her as she had her face buried into her pillow. As much as the young man didn't want to startle her by calling her name, he still wanted to do something, anything, to make her forget her troubles.

"Rei?" Johann whispered softly in the hopes of getting her attention, all while silently preparing for her to tell him how she didn't want to talk about whatever was troubling her so badly.

However, instead of words, Johann was suddenly met with Rei unexpectedly reaching out and wrapping her slender, toned arms around him in a desperate embrace; this time not hugging him as a means of comforting him, but rather hugging him the same way a small child would desperately clutch onto her favorite stuffed animal in desperate need of comforting of her own.

At a complete loss for words, Johann could only struggle to wrap his mind around what to do here as he tried to process where he was now: sharing his bed with the beautiful young woman who'd managed to bring him back from the verge of an emotional abyss; with her holding onto him like her one true source of comfort in the world, being enveloped by the almost otherworldly warmth of her body as she continued to quietly cry into his chest.

As if he'd lost all control over himself, watching his body from the outside, Johann slowly brought his arms around Rei's delicate form in return, slowly and gently running his fingers through her long silk-smooth brown hair while holding her close, almost effectively bringing her tears to a stop as her grip on him became less emotionally desperate and more affectionately tight.

Johann couldn't even begin to try and process all the emotions that must've been flying about in the air around them at this point, but at the same time he realized he didn't care. Rei had quickly come to be one of his closest friends in the group since she'd first arrived, and it only felt right for him to be here for her for once, and it was just before he finally fell asleep that he realized that he didn't mind the idea of being here for her this way more than once if he needed to.

That night, the both of them slept more peacefully than they had in what felt like ages.

Meanwhile upstairs…

Saeko slowly pushed open the door to the room she'd been sharing with Takashi for the last six days. His head began to slowly rise up from the soft pillow he'd been using; forming a soft smile of relief to see it was his beloved samurai. She slowly knelt down by the bedside, gently holding her palm to his forehead to see if he was running a fever. Luckily he'd managed to cool off and seemed fine for the time being.

"Seems like you're feeling better already. Do you want to talk about anything?" Saeko noted in a relieved sigh before inquiring upon Takashi's innermost thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess the shock of it all just hit me a bit harder than I was expecting it to. Hearing about such horrible, vile acts; and from one of the living on top of that! No, it couldn't be 'Them', it had to be one of the few living survivors left in the entire world. It made me think of you, Rei, Takagi-san, everyone now that I think about it..." Takashi answered as he proceeded to express his worst fears of what other survivors had proven to be capable of; making the list of people he could potentially trust even smaller.

"Komuro-kun, please relax. We'll be okay. You need to control yourself though..." Saeko began to instruct in a calm yet concerned coo before he then sat up and swatted his sheets aside.

"That could've been us, Saeko-chan! Us! And it would've been my entire fault too! There's no telling how bad things will get now that it's every man for himself out there. The responsibility has been chewing me up inside lately, and this isn't helping-" Takashi snapped in a more emotional outcry that caused Saeko to initially reel back out of surprise. Pain loosely hung from his words as he made it quite clear the leadership role he'd taken up was finally taking a toll on his mind. Before he could continue his rant, he was soon interrupted by Saeko's soft lips pressing lightly against his.

The unexpected kiss heated up as Saeko pulled back for a moment only to then grasp both his shoulders, shoving him back into bed; playfully straddling his waistline as she then pinned his wrists above his head and continued to kiss him. Takashi closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling Saeko closer to him; her amazing breasts pressing down against his chest. She took one of his hands and gently guided it past her shirt and under her black-laced bra; Takashi realizing that her soft, pink nub of a nipple was erect with excitement.

"Let me help you forget your troubles for tonight, Komuro-kun." Saeko whispered in a seductive hush, her warm breath creeping down his neck as she then pulled him even closer to her chest, hoping to keep her man stable long enough so that he may lead them ever onward into a new day; doing her self-assigned duty as a woman to ensure this great man to her would be the best he could be thanks to her efforts, a soft moan escaping her lips as the night was still young.