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.

12. Chapter 12: The Lion's Den

Z-Day+14

Fujimi Academy

Hours after being beaten and knocked unconscious, Noah slowly sat up and began to rub his aching jawline; his entire head throbbing painfully like the mother of all migraines. It stung especially hard when he felt where Tsunoda had kicked him. The young Brit slowly shifted his gaze to see Marcus was still lying on the frigid concrete ground, still knocked out cold from taking a rifle butt to the back of the head. Looking at his brother in such a state couldn't help but produce a twisting feeling of guilt in Noah's gut. It was his entire fault for not heeding Marcus' warning that they were now in this mess. A part of him couldn't shake the thought that if he had paid closer attention to the warning signs, perhaps they could've avoided coming here altogether.

"I see that silver-tongued serpent has gotten his hands on yet another group." a low, raspy voice commented, instantly causing Noah to look around warily; only now just realizing how dark the room they were being held in really was.

It was still quite grey outside from the storm passing lack of light made it hard for him to see anything beyond several feet. The only real source of dim light came from the small horizontal slit of a window positioned on the upper wall. Noah slowly stood up with a sharp pain aching in his sides as he looked into the blank void where the voice came from.

"You mean we aren't the first? Wait, w-who am I speaking to?" Noah whispered nervously, as if wary he was being watched by one of Shido's followers.

"I'm afraid not. And you can rest assured, I'm a friend." the voice responded, sounding weak and emotionally drained now that Noah was paying closer attention, in spite of his words of reassurance.

"You sound very close. Where are you?" Noah began to ask as he carefully tip-toed into the darker section of the room; his feet shuffling forward while he tried to gain some perspective of his surroundings.

Just when he thought his mind had been playing tricks, he suddenly felt his feet bump up against what felt like a leg. He was initially startled but soon regained his nerve when the person he walked into didn't seem to have much in terms of a response.

"I'm sorry; it's kinda hard to see you down there. Who are you now?" Noah announced apologetically before crouching down to try and speak face to face with the unknown prisoner. For a moment there was no answer, just the sound of something being scratched against the surface of the floor.

Suddenly, a small flame on a match dimly lit up to reveal a man in his mid to late thirties. He had a strong, masculine jawline; his weary eyes a soft brown that looked straight at Noah, who was instantly hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia as he recognized this man before him.

"Tadashi Miyamoto?" Noah softly muttered in confusion as the man slowly yet reluctantly nodded his head in acknowledgment; the knowing expression in his tired eyes showing he recognized the youngest Lawson as well, which only seemed to make his demeanor that much more weary to be reunited with the young boy in such a place as this.

"Oh my God...how the hell did you end up HERE of all places? I thought you and all the others were holed up in that elementary school to lead the evacuation to...well, somewhere." Noah said out of astonishment as he couldn't even begin to comprehend why the detective was now in a cell with them. However, he only realized how much his excited words truly hurt Tadashi when he saw an unmistakable look of regret and resentment flash through his eyes as he bowed his head in defeat.

"We were, originally. The remnants of the officers I rallied managed to send out a distress signal for just about anyone to pick up after we cleared out the elementary school. Everything had all been set up perfectly for the long run. We had a secure perimeter, enough supplies to last us for a few weeks without outside contact, and we even had contact with the Self Defense Force before all the power went out.

"Over the course of a single week, we had managed to save over sixty survivors; mostly desperate families trying to survive and help make what use we could of the place. Then one day, this high school teacher and his students arrived, requesting sanctuary just like everyone else. There was no way we were about to deny anyone shelter, so we let them in. Not even a day goes by, and he starts talking about how only the strongest deserve survive and that we need stronger leadership. The people were so desperate and afraid; I think they actually believed most of the things he said.

"While my back was turned, he'd start instigating fights and interpersonal drama among the other survivors, just to prove to them that I couldn't control the situation and that the police were obsolete while he could keep them safe and well fed. He kept pushing me to leave for somewhere safer despite how defensible I had made the place. Nevertheless, everyone else felt like trapped rats and couldn't seem to agree more.

"Eventually it was suggested that we make Fujimi Academy our new Evac zone. With 'Them' attacking almost every few hours, I knew the people wouldn't have taken no for an answer for much longer. I reluctantly took most of my fellow officers with me to check it out and hopefully clear what we hoped would have been little resistance. Everything was going quite smoothly as we went from room to room; from hallway to hallway while clearing the place out of 'Them'. But when it seemed like we might actually have cleared it all out, one of my men suddenly ventured too far in by himself. We followed in the hope of reaching him in time…only for him to suddenly lock us in with more of 'Them' without any exit in sight.

"By the time I realized what had happened, those people following that teacher had convinced all the other survivors we were looking over to mutiny against us. We had to fight tooth and nail to get out of that hall with our lives…and those people were just waiting for us outside the gates. I was one of only three that made it out of that deathtrap alive. Before I could try and reason with them, that bastard Shido had us beaten and tied up before throwing us into what must've been the storage area for all of the athletic equipment. It wasn't until later that not only had they built this cage we're in now to throw me in; but that scum had worked his charm on my last two fellow officers to join his side. I'm now all that remains of the Tokonosu Police.

"Ever since then I've been trapped here, just barely fed, left to wonder if I'll ever see my family again." Tadashi finished explaining to Noah; his voice trembling with mixed emotions as the longer he went on, the lower and weaker his tone became before falling silent and leaving Noah in awe of everything that had happened since last he saw the once proud detective.

Unable to say anything, Noah silently placed his hand on Tadashi's shoulder to express his understanding and utmost sympathy for the tragic downfall of the noble detective. Tadashi let out a remorseful sigh as he barely managed to pull himself up onto his feet, wobbling a bit as he seemed noticeably weary just from moving around.

"Nothing here matters anymore. To hell with these people; if they want to put their faith into a mad man, then so be it. All I want now is to be with my family…if they're even still alive at this point..." Tadashi grumbled bitterly at the memory of how quickly the people he'd taken in and protected were so quick to turn on him despite how hard he tried to look after them; causing Noah to perk up somewhat when he realized that not all was lost for Tadashi as the facts and memories in his head all seemed to simultaneously click together in that instant.

"Well, as coincidental as this might sound to you...I happen to know where they are right now." Noah said softly as he couldn't help but smile at the look of awe that suddenly filled Tadashi's otherwise gloomy face.

"You what? Y-you know where my wife and daughter are? Kiriko and Rei Miyamoto?!" Tadashi suddenly exclaimed in a hopeful tone as both his hands grasped Noah's shoulders, dropping the match and allowing the darkness to return.

"Yes. My group ran into them eight days ago, along with several others led by this guy named Takashi Komuro. Ever since we combined forces, they've been holing up in a hotel my brothers and I fortified. If we can escape this place together, I can reunite you with your family." Noah calmly explained as all became silent once more. Although he couldn't really see Tadashi's expression, it would've been a safe bet that he was showing nothing but absolute joy and relief from the renewed hope in his heart.

"Noah-san, was it? If you help me out of here and get me back to my family, I will be forever in your debt. You help me, and I'll help you; alright?" Tadashi suddenly said as he had much more energy and renewed vigor in his demeanor now.

"How can I not say yes? Of course I'll help you escape; me and my brother. It would really help though if we had a layout of the area. I don't suppose you've tried to escape, or at the very least check for structural weaknesses?" Noah accepted without hesitation before making it clear a plan was needed before they could even consider escaping from wherever they were being held.

"I've only caught glimpses of the place when we initially arrived. Perhaps there's a student map lying around in the hallways somewhere? If we could get one of those, then we'd have a clear idea of where to go." Tadashi answered as he satback against the wall, slowly sitting down as if getting ready to go to sleep.

"Then I suppose all we can do is wait until morning. It's too dark to get anything done in here right now. Besides, what good is looking for a student map if we don't even have a means to unlock this bloody cage?" Noah sighed as he looked up at the small windowsill before walking back to Marcus and sitting beside him, hoping that things wouldn't get any worse than they already had.

At the Hotel…

Meanwhile, Frasier stood at the top of the hotel, pacing back and forth as he kept angrily mumbling to himself every now and then; watching down a single stretch of road, as if anticipating his brothers to come running back any second now; all the while not even noticing Hitomi peeking at him from around the corner before she retreated back down to the third floor where the rest of the group was waiting anxiously themselves.

"Well? What's he doing now?" Saya asked tensely with her arms crossed while instinctively tapping her foot to the floor impatiently. Clearly Noah and Marcus' prolonged absence had left the rest of the group just as on edge, even if they weren't as quick to show it.

"He's just pacing around like a caged animal like the last time. You know he isn't going to be able to stay calm for much longer." Hitomi answered concernedly, given how unstable Frasier clearly seemed to be the further he went without knowing where his younger brothers were.

"I'm worried about him. It isn't easy not knowing where your family is in times like these." Shizuka said worriedly before looking down, trying to imagine how he was no doubt feeling on the inside; feeling a maternal need to take care of him and nurture his pain before something irreparable could happen.

"Worried about him? What about us? How long do you think it'll be before he takes his pent up anger out on us?" Rei said, bringing up an unfortunately solid point that seemed to have crossed everyone's mind now given their clearly frightened expressions at the idea of Frasier completely losing control.

"Then perhaps we should stop talking behind his back and get out there and find Noah-kun and Marcus-kun. If we split up into several teams, we can cover plenty of ground in no time." Saeko said rather defensively as there was some definite anger now hanging within her words; clearly annoyed that the rest of the group seemed more focused on talking about the problem rather than working towards solving it.

Nobody said anything after that. It was already bad enough that two of them were out missing, but to suggest they all split up and head back out into the city while it was still dark was just something they couldn't possibly do; never mind the fact it was raining really hard, making it virtually impossible to see anything from a distance.

"Maybe when the sun comes back up and the rain calms down,we can do something. Until then, all we can do is wait, remain vigilant, and help Frasier-san in any way we can. Agreed?" Hitomi advised calmly before confirming with the others on how they were to handle this; watching as one by one they seemed to agree with silent nods, some more reluctant than others; but in the end, they knew they owed it to him to help out after all he'd done for both groups.

"I think someone should sleep in the same room as him, just for tonight at least. Make sure he doesn't take action into his own hands should his patience run out." Shizuka suddenly brought up as she looked at them, hoping someone would volunteer to help, but ready to do it herself nonetheless should nobody speak up.

"I'll do it." a soft voice suddenly announced; causing the group to look around in surprise before seeing Alice standing behind them; wearing a set of white pajamas with a red polka dot pattern they'd found in one of the suitcases that was only a little big for her in the arms, effectively concealing her hands unless she rolled the sleeves up.

"Alice-chan, you can't. It wouldn't be safe for you." Saya objected as she instinctively came to the little girls' side. The young girl then formed a somewhat disappointed frown as she shook her head in denial.

"But he's my friend, and good friends always stick together." Alice said in a surprisingly direct tone before she crossed both arms stubbornly; unable to accept that Saya wouldn't even give her a chance to help out when her newfound friend needed it most. A rather ashamed look filled Saya's face as she was quite surprised to see Alice turn the tables by giving her the lecture for once.

"It's not that we don't want to help him, Alice-chan, but this is a very delicate situation right now, and it may be better if we handle it while you stay back. If anything comes up, I'll let you know how you can help. Does that sound fair?" Takashi suddenly offered as Alice took a brief moment to think before she gently, if not reluctantly, nodded in acceptance.

"That's what I like to hear. Now head back to your room; it's way past your bedtime. Marikawa-sensei will be there soon totuck you in." Takashi then softly instructed with a warm smile on his face, somewhat blushing when Alice gently hugged his sides before she took off to do as she was told.

"Oh. That reminds me, there's something very important I wanted to propose to you all! You see, with the way things have been going lately, I've decided I want to start seeing at least one to two of you a day, just so we can talk and make sure everyone is holding on. I think we can all agree that it's very important we don't slip away from each other and break down when we need to be at our strongest. So if anyone would like to volunteer to go first, we can meet in my room and talk about whatever could otherwise be bothering you!" Shizuka suddenly cheerfully announced, despite how serious this therapy idea really was to her. The others initially looked apprehensive of the concept, but the more they actually thought about it, the more they liked the idea of being able to get some things off of their otherwise heavy conscience.

Before anyone could volunteer though, the sound of heavy footsteps caught their attention within seconds. Their heads collectively turned to see Frasier heading down the stairs and straight past them towards the room that had been made into the makeshift armory.

"Hey, Frasier...what are you up to over there?" Johann calmly, if somewhat nervously, asked when he tried to spark up a conversation with the short tempered Brit who's patience seemed to be at an all-time low.

"I'm heading out there. As for why, I think you all should know damn well by now, so I'm going to save my breath." Frasier answered briefly as he didn't even stop to look at Johann, nor the others for that matter.

"Out there? In the cold rain? I know Noah-san and Marcus-san mean the world to you, but surely this can wait until the weather calms down?" Takashi questioned in alarm as he and the rest of the group hurried after Frasier as he kept on his way.

"The longer I stay HERE, the more likely they won't survive out THERE! Our training has prepared us for how to survive out in the wild, but they're still just teenagers in comparison to myself. They aren't ready to survive on their own…at least not for much longer." Frasier expressed angrily as he stood with his back turned to them; his voice low as he was trying his hardest to hold back any emotion from slipping into his words.

"But it's too dark out there, and you know 'They' will be more active and stronger until sunrise. You're capable of lasting longer out there than any of us here, I don't doubt that; but your emotions are clouding your judgment, and it could cost you your life if you don't think this through." Saeko protested in intervention before she grasped his shoulder tightly, only to cause him to spin around and break the hold outright.

"I don't care what happens to me! I'm expendable, Saeko-san! It's my sole duty as a brother to do what I must to ensure they survive! You of all people should know that by now!" Frasier suddenly snapped as he glared angrily at her, his now strained voice fueled by a mixture of both anger and frustration at how useless he felt not being able to help his only family. The others slightly recoiled back as Saeko just bowed her head.

"Please, don't talk like that. I don't want to hear you saying such things." Saeko muttered softly, trying her best to contain the emotions she so desperately felt she needed to get out after hearing how expendable her close friend considered himself. Then without warning, she wrapped her arms around him, interlacing her fingers together as he formed a look of genuine surprise.

"I'm sorry, Saeko-san, but that's just how I see things. Please, let me go so I can do what needs to be done." Frasier said in an apologetic sigh before requesting one last time that she drop the subject.

"No." was all he heard her whisper as her hold on him only seemed to tighten up.

"What?! I wasn't asking for your permission! Let me go now!" Frasier said out of surprise as he attempted to pull away, only for her body to remain attached and clinging to him like he was made out of glue.

"I'm not letting you go, Frasier-kun. No matter what, I refuse to lose you like this. You mean more to all of us than you can see. We'll all help you when morning arrives, I promise you that much." Saeko vowed as she spoke with fierce determination that showed no intent to back down despite his frustrated squirming.

"Damn you, Saeko-san. You...you win, dammit. I'll wait until morning, but after that, all bets are off. Nothing will stand in my way the second I see the bloody sun." Frasier grumbled in defeat as he knew he wouldn't be able to shake her off without actually hurting her in the process; only able to calm down long enough to realize that she actually had a valid point about him not using proper judgement. He would've no doubt lambasted anyone else who'd been acting the way he had just seconds ago, which only made his self-recognition of that fact all the more painful to know he lost his own self-control like that so easily.

'I wouldn't have it any other way, Frasier-kun.' Saeko thought to herself as she released him from her grip; watching as he paused to contemplate his next move before slowly making his way back to his room, all the others making way as he brushed right past them.

Soon the rest of the group began to disperse to their own rooms for the night. Hitomi in the end was the one who made the choice to bunk in the same room as Frasier to ensure that he wouldn't do anything hasty or lose his temper. A part of her couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for him now as she could understand perfectly where he was coming from. However, she still knew order needed to be maintained if they were to have any hope of really surviving this endless nightmare.

"Is Frasier-niichan going to be okay?" Alice softly whispered as she looked up at Shizuka while being gently tucked into bed. The blonde nurse appeared taken aback for a moment as she was quite surprised to see how much Alice already knew of their latest situation.

"Of course he will. At least for tonight...the sooner we can find Noah-kun and Marcus-kun, the better. You just focus on staying happy for us and staying out of trouble, sweetie." Shizuka softly replied in her motherly tone before gently kissing Alice's forehead.

The young girl nodded gently before snuggling up to her pillow and falling asleep within seconds; a warm and contented smile on her little face. Shizuka couldn't help but take a moment to admire the precious sight, only to then turn her head and see Saya standing in the doorway. She had an anxious look on her face that silently said it all as Shizuka couldn't help but smile in satisfaction as to what their pink-haired genius could've possibly been here for.

"I-I'd like to talk if you aren't too tired...it's important." Saya requested with a broken whimper as it practically oozed with woe.

Shizuka however seemed to be absolutely delighted and immediately had Saya follow her downstairs into the lobby, having the young teen lie down on one of the several couches as she pulled over a wooden chair to sit herself down. To reserve fuel, the eager nurse instead lit several candles up, a calming scent of vanilla quickly filling the large expanse of the lobby. The small flames danced and held back the darkness as Shizuka then sat over the distressed Saya.

"Aright, now what seems to be troubling you, Takagi-san?" Shizuka said to start things off as she looked down at Saya with genuine concern; watching as she had an immensely painful look of guilt on her face that couldn't be held back even if she tried.

"Y-You remember when Hirano took Komuro and I out to improve our shooting the other day? It's because of me that Komuro's in the condition he's in now. I was too scared to say anything before, but I can't stop thinking about it. I allowed my drive to be perfect to nearly kill all of us! Komuro, our leader, is injured because I was too stupid to listen to my own advice!He's limping around because of me!" Saya began to express in a low sob as she had to fight every tear that tried to escape her otherwise fierce eyes. Shizuka meanwhile just sat there, listening to every word, gently nodding in understanding as Saya lamented over her mistake.

"Well, you can be a bit impulsive at times. So what exactly happened for this to be the case?" Shizuka noted before inquiring further on the specifics of the incident as Saya had to steel herself with deep breaths to think back on that godawful day.

"Well, there were some turned SDF soldiers heading our way. It was a tough shot, but I was determined to prove to myself that I could handle it. I kept firing, but the bullets kept getting deflected from 'Their' body armor and helmets. Hirano warned me to stop for some reason, but I kept going though, thinking if I kept it up, eventually I'd hit my mark. What I didn't notice was that one of 'Them' had a bandolier of grenades strapped to its chest. Everything turned white for a split second, and this hot flash surged. The force from the explosion was even strong enough to send us all flying back. Hirano and I were fine once the ringing in our ears stopped, but a piece of shrapnel had hit Komuro's leg. I've never felt as bad for my actions as I did that morning. It's been eating away at me nonstop since then. I want so much to be angry, to yell at something or someone, but it always comes back to me realizing that's what started this mess in the first place." Saya recapped before confessing her inner turmoil. Shizuka however remained strong and formed a soft smile.

"Aww, you feel guilty, and it's perfectly understandable to be upset with yourself for it. Have you talked to Komuro-kun about it yet?" Shizuka said in a soft sigh before asking further on Saya's actions as the bespectacled girl had to fight to keep from flat out sobbing now that the truth was out between them.

"I-I've been somewhat avoiding him actually. It's hard to look at him limping and not be reminded of my failure; of how I put his life in jeopardy just to feel like I could do more." Saya answered as she turned away to face the couch cushions, as if horribly embarrassed by such a feeling.

"Everyone makes a mistake and fails at some point in their life, Saya-chan. You just need to learn how to accept it and move on. Try and acknowledge what you did wrong and-" Shizuka attempted to explain before Saya suddenly sat up with an angered expression behind her glasses that instantly rendered the well-meaning nurse silent.

"That's just it! I can never fail! My parents paid the best to ensure that everything I did would work without a hitch; to make sure I could successfully do whatever I put my mind towards! It's not just something I can shake my head away from now." Saya shouted in an outburst, her posture showing that of extreme agitation and distraction.

"It sounds like they really pressured you hard to be the best you could be." Shizuka noted as Saya bowed her head, falling silent for several seconds before letting out a soft chuckle, like Shizuka just made the most obvious observation of the century.

"You have no idea...all the tests, all those extracurricular programs, the long hours of studying while every other kid got to enjoy themselves and have fun; and if those constant expectations weren't met, it just led to even more studying." Saya said out of painful remembrance of how her parents treated her, shuddering at those repressed memories that began to flood into her mind.

"Tell me, Saya-chan, do you regret the things you've learned? I mean, it sounds like they only did it to help prepare you for the world and to ensure that you could handle whatever came your way all on your own." Shizuka asked as she tried to help give some much needed outside perspective. Saya however seemed to have a rather rough reaction from hearing that as she gave Shizuka another one of her signature piercing glares.

"I'm not an idiot! I know they wanted that as the end result, butthe way they went about it...every time I made a mistake, my father wouldn't yell or shout, he'd just shake his head and say nothing to me; like I suddenly didn't exist until I earned my next achievement, and all while my mother just went along with it like it was completely normal. It hurt so bad, I didn't even want to think about it anymore; to just be able to move on and forget wouldn't be anything short of a miracle for me. I guess in the end, I got what I wished for." Saya said out of the usual burst of anger she'd express whenever something irked her; but the further she explained herself, the more pained and emotionally drained her voice became. She then fell silent for a few seconds only to look up when Shizuka placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I personally think you've turned out quite well in the end, Saya-chan. Yes, you can be a little grumpy sometimes and take it out on us when it's uncalled for, but I'm proud to be the friendof someone such as you. If you want my advice, I would suggest you apologize to Komuro-kun and help him whenever he needs it, the way you always have been. As for your parents, don't worry about what they think! All you need to ask right now is if you're satisfied with yourself and what you're currently doing." Shizuka said in the sweetest voice, her words so loving and genuine, Saya had no choice other than to smile right back. She then sat upright and held onto Shizuka the way a lost child would when they found their mother.

"T-thank you, Marikawa-sensei; this actually helped a lot more than I thought it would. I think tomorrow I'll talk to Komuro." Saya gently whispered before pulling away, trying her hardest to hide a slight sniffle as Shizuka on the other hand seemed to be overly ecstatic at how well her first session turned out.

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear you say that, Saya-chan! If you ever want to talk about anything else, you just come right on back to me! And also, you don't have to bother with that 'sensei' nonsense anymore. You can just call me Shizuka if you like." Shizuka gleefully announced before pulling Saya into her chest, practically suffocating the pink-haired genius between her bountiful bosoms before letting her go.

"I will. Goodnight…Shizuka." Saya responded before heading back up the stairs; genuinely smiling to herself as it felt like entire loads of remorse and stress had been lifted from her shoulders; giving her a new positive outlook on how to confront Takashi over the accident she'd inadvertently caused.

Shizuka meanwhile remained in the lobby for a few moments, taking a moment to reflect on how her own parents were when she was Saya's age. They always wanted what was best for her, yet at the same time they never put any pressure on her to succeed. Even though they had passed several years prior to the outbreak, a part of her couldn't help but miss them now more than ever.

Luckily for her, things between them had ended quite well, so there wasn't any regret or things Shizuka wished she could take back. She soon found herself instinctively looking over at the entry doors to the hotel, silently hoping that Noah and Marcus were still doing alright despite the fact they'd yet to come home from their scavenging mission. It felt strange not having them here, but she knew she couldn't spend all night dwelling on it. Without much reason to stay down in the lobby, Shizuka slowly made her way up the stairs before crashing into bed with the hope that things would get better for the group come morning.

Z-Day+15

Early Afternoon…

Sheer determination practically surged through every fiber of Frasier's being as he continuously made his way alone through the lifeless streets. That fire had been raging within hi nonstop since he'd woken up this morning, not even bothering to exchange words with the rest of the group before he'd suited up and went out to begin his long-anticipated search for his brothers. Sure this single-minded obsession would no doubt have interpersonal consequences between him and the rest of the group once he'd return with his brothers in tow, but right now that meant nothing to him. Right now, all he cared about was finding Noah and Marcus, come hell or high water.

Frasier had already managed to cover several blocks on his way to finding the store Noah and Marcus were supposedly checking out from what he'd remembered. The still heavily pouring rain didn't remotely bother him. In fact, it somewhat made him feel at home; the cool air helping him focus to be constantly moving. Eventually, he came across a scene with a shopping cart filled with raw building materials, numerous formerly undead corpses that were lying strewn about in the street, and two bullet shells he knew had to have been fired by his brothers if he knew the guns they'd taken with them. Although he could not see any other signs of their having been here, a part of him couldn't help but feel hope considering that they were able to put up a fight, and there was no other sign of blood than what had been shed by all the former undead.

Before he could determine which way they could've traveled, he heard the sudden deafening sound of gunshots echoing from nearby. While nowhere close enough, or at an angle to be directed at him; he only began to look around before his honed ears managed to deduce the exact location of the shooter. Without hesitation, he ran down the street until finding himself standing before an office building with a helicopter crashed into the side of it. The grey skies and constant rain had helped conceal the smoke, but the sound of it crashing would've been loud enough for him or anyone else in the group to hear should it have happened earlier that day.

'Hmm, this thing must've no doubt crashed back when that EMP hit; although this doesn't look like any civilian helicopter either. Surely the SDF must have EMP-protected engines just like the truck. If so, from the looks of this wreck, this must've been about two days ago.' Frasier thought to himself before unsheathing his combat knife and pulling Mark's Glock 17 from the holster on his hip. Expecting trouble, he carefully infiltrated the building through a nearby window, landing as gratefully as he could before scanning the seemingly empty office space for any signs of movement.

The stench of death was strong, yet none of 'Them' could be seen or heard in the expansive room. He quietly walked through several aisles of cubicles before standing in the doorway to the lobby. It looked just the same as any place did with high volumes of people during the outbreak: a real massacre. The walls were practically coated with blood as printer paper and other various office supplies littered the area. No bodies though,which was somewhat of a relief for the time being.

Expecting the elevators to be down, he jogged up the stairs for several flights before noticing that all-too familiar stench of rotting flesh had suddenly become even stronger than before. He was now certain 'They' had to be nearby now, soon hearing the sounds of low, hungered groans coming from the stairway above him.

"Shit!" a soft and somewhat feminine voice cursed before another series of gunshots could be heard going off. 'They' let out even louder groans as Frasier watched 'Them' pouring into the top floor where the helicopter was embedded into.

Operating under the hope that this survivor could be a potential witness to what happened to his brothers, the young Brit spared no time rushing into the action. Over six of 'Them' were wandering into the room, 'Their' hands reached out with all jaws hung wide open in anticipation. Feet dragged along the blood stained carpet as Frasier began to pick out his first target.

*wham*

With a single kick to the back of a leg, the reanimated husk dressed as a former student fell to its knees before Frasier dug his knife into the back of its skull. The undead office worker nearby shifted focus onto the ambush, only to be greeted by a single 9mm round to the face. A single dime-sized hole punctured its face before exploding out the back of the skull, splattering its gooey contents onto the floor.

Several more gunshots suddenly rang out throughout the office with a crackling boom with such power behind it that instantly dwarfed the sound Mark's handgun had made. Two of 'Them' struck by the thunderous volley were sent flying back with large gaping holes where the faces should've been as the glass window behind the pair shattered into hundreds of fragments that then trickled onto the floor while one of the bodies went tumbling out to splatter onto the ground below. Frasier then turned to see the last of the two undead were focused on him.

Without hesitation, he pulled his combat knife only to throw it straight into the left eye of the first one. The second undeadoffice worker however managed to close the gap before Frasier could properly react and had both hands wrapped around his forearms. Startled by how quick it was able to react and how strong the creature was, Frasier had found himself pinned up against a cubicle border. He barely managed to tilt his head in time to avoid having his face bitten off on the spot.

Using the opening to counter attack, Frasier shoved the undead fiend with all his might before unleashing a flurry of punches into the torso region like it was a punching bag; remembering that it wouldn't do anything against one of 'Them', he then uppercut into the jawline, watching the head rock back to reveal the narrowly built neck. Grasping it with one hand, he then swept one foot against the back of the infected office worker's ankles, forcing it onto its back. Giving it no time to recover, he knew he had to improvise. Without a second thought, he lifted the nearby printer over his head only to bring it cashing down onto the last of 'Them' beneath him.

*crash*

After the body stopped twitching, he walked over to pick up hisweapons; wiping the necrotic blood off of the blade before turning to see the survivor he'd come to the aid of was now walking towards him with a rather confident stride and a very charmed grin.

Before him stood a tanned woman in her late 20's standing at 170 cm (5'6), with purple hair tied into a ponytail with several loose strands hanging out in front of her face. She was wearing a black combat suit with a bulletproof vest, and around her neck appeared to be a white choke collar along with shooting glasses. Her intense red eyes gazed upon him with a rather pleased look behind them as she curved a smile; holding what he could instantly recognize as a Heckler & Koch PSG-1 rifle, the barrel still smoking.

"Hmm, I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed that a young man such as you had to come to my rescue; although I'm grateful nonetheless for the help." she spoke in a somewhat bitter tone, still smirking though; making it hard for Frasier to tell what she really felt. Her stride and demeanor clearly showed this woman was a natural born fighter with all the confidence in the world.

"It wasn't exactly part of the plan, but you're welcome. You're Self Defense Force, I take it?" Frasier replied as he raised an eyebrow at her, taking a moment to inspect the uniform she wore only for her to shake her head whilst lighting up a cigarette she'd pulled out of a pack in one of her many pockets. Her thumb rubbed hard against the lighter before a tiny flame began to light the end of her cigarette.

"Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, SFGp (Special Forces Group) to be exact. But yes, I'm one of the top ranking snipers in all of the JGSDF. Rika Minami, a pleasure to meet you. And you are?" the SFGp officer known as Rika said before questioning Frasier herself like it was only the most natural thing to do in this moment.

"Lawson, Frasier Lawson. I'm looking for two younger boys, ages fourteen and sixteen; Caucasian obviously, umm...about these heights? Any information would be greatly appreciated." Frasier wasted no time with the intro before immediately cutting to the chase; using both hands to display their heights as Rika just stared at him for a few moments before blowing out a tiny trail of smoke.

"Sorry, but I only just managed to touchdown on land not too long ago. I'm looking for someone myself actually, a very close friend of mine. You look quite young; perhaps you went to the same high school she worked at? Tell me, did you ever attend Fujimi Academy?" Rika said in apology before turning the topic over to her own personal dilemma. Frasier slightly raised an eyebrow at the rather odd coincidence that he attended the same school as Rika's missing friend.

"Y-yeah...I don't suppose you could describe her now?" Frasier hesitantly answered before noticing Rika seemed even more focused on him now as she stepped closer to hear his answer. Her eyes never blinked once as she without a doubt had some form of an intimidation factor to her personality that managed to even put him on edge.

"I'm looking for a woman about 176 cm (5'9), soft yellow eyes, very long blonde hair, probably the biggest tits you'll ever see on a woman?" Rika said as she continued to describe her friend's characteristics, Frasier's eyes slowly growing wider as he realized he knew exactly who it was.

"Marikawa-sensei..." he gently muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, his voice wasn't as subtle as he thought, for the moment Rika heard that, she suddenly closed the gap between them before he could even blink. Her right hand suddenly grasped his collar and pulled his head down to her level so he couldn't look away.

"Where is she?" Rika said in a dead serious voice, her eyes practically piercing into Frasier's as she watched for any reaction she could hope to find. However, completely unaware of his typical reaction to a threat, Rika suddenly felt his massive hand grasp her arm only to twist it around until it was behind her back.

'Hard way it is, tough guy!' Rika thought to herself before managing to break the hold by kicking back into Frasier's knees and mustering the strength to flip him over her back and into a nearby desk with a satisfying crash. She then cracked her knuckles before slowly approaching him.

Frasier felt his vision spin for a split moment, coming back just in time to see Rika had already made a straight beeline for him. A single fist extended out from her reach and straight into his solar plexus, effectively knocking the wind right out of him. She simply stood there grinning to herself as Frasier suddenly keeled over with one hand over his chest.

"Is that the best you've got? You hit like a woman!" Frasier asked before really digging under Rika's skin with that last remark, barely able to dodge her leg as she attempted to kick him with lightning fast reflexes; rolling over until he could properly stand back up to face her.

Knowing what she was potentially capable of, Frasier rushed straight in, ducking under her follow up punch before his arms wrapped around her athletically tuned torso. Rika's eyes widened as he managed to lift her up only to then body slam her to the ground with a tremendous thud. Knowing she'd retaliate within seconds, Frasier drew his knife only to then place it at the edge of her throat.

"Impressive…damn impressive. You're no civilian, that's for damn sure; American military perhaps?" Rika grumbled as she spoke in a tone that somewhat hinted at admiration for his unexpected display of combat prowess.

"United Kingdom, and don't change the subject! Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right here!" Frasier corrected before his angered voice turned into a low growl.

Before an answer could be given, he suddenly felt something cold pressing against the side of his head. To his horror, even after slamming her down with him on top, the SFGp officer managed to take Mark's pistol from him and place it against his temple without him even knowing up until now; effectively leaving the two at a sudden death stalemate, their intense glares trying to overpower the others with the hope of them backing down.

"I have to warn you, Rika-san, I have no intent on losing this. My brothers need me, and nothing's going to stop me from finding them and getting them to safety!" Frasier warned as he only gripped the handle to the combat knife even tighter. Rika gazed up to see a fierce look of determination burning in his crystal blue eyes.

"That's good, Lawson-kun, because you'll need that determination if you want to have any hope of beating me. Just tell me where Shizuka Marikawa is and I'll back off." Rika noted before her voice seemed to turn into a growl of its own; making it clear Frasier didn't have a chance of intimidating her into submission without a real ace up his sleeve to convince her otherwise.

"She's part of a group of survivors I'm allied with. You'd know that by now if you didn't make the mistake of grabbing me, you twit. Now drop the damn gun." Frasier calmly answered before demanding her to disarm in a more aggressive snarl again.

With that said, Rika slowly reeled her arms back, watching as Frasier slowly pulled himself back, standing over her before holding his hand out. The SFGp officer smiled before taking his hand, feeling how strong his grip was before she was hoisted back up to her feet in an effortless pull on his part.

"Such a gentleman." Rika playfully teased as she shot him a flirtatious grin of approval. His expression however did not change as he just stared at her with his hand still held out.

"Actually, it's because you have something of mine." he said without any concern for Rika, watching her form a sly smirk before holding the handgun up to show him where it was; slowly handing it over only to pull it away at the last second.

"I think I'll hold onto this. You can have it back when you take me to Shizuka." Rika said without any humor to be found in her words; Frasier glaring at the handgun intently before reluctantly nodding, knowing begrudgingly that she would be ready for him if he lashed out at her a second time.

A part of him was also considerably hesitant to argue with her,seeing how she could actually hold her own against even the likes of him. Before any more words could be exchanged, the two suddenly could see the multitudes of 'Them' in the streets below had been drawn in by the gunshots from earlier. As they hustled down the stairs and out the back exit, the entire building was soon filled with undead pouring in from the front entrance.

Back at Fujimi Academy…

Throughout the half of the night since Marcus had regained consciousness and had been filled in on where they were and who their detective cellmate was, the captured Lawson brothers and Tadashi Miyamoto tried to devise an escape plan. However, no matter how many ideas they tried to brainstorm on together, they continuously had to question how they'd be able to accomplish such a thing to begin with when they had no layout of the wing they were being held in, nor any real idea how organized Shido kept his security. And even if those two things weren't an issue, then always came the matter of how they'd be able to defend themselves if they were to run into any of 'Them' supposing they even did manage to escape the it was decided they would wait on further elaborating on a plan until morning. Sure enough, as soon as the sun had risen, the three were back to their constant plotting circle; ignoring the damp cold of the room they were being held in as all they could focus on was finding some kind of solution.

"Okay, the first thing we need to focus on is how we're able to get out of this cage. Everything else is pointless if we can't figure that out." Noah instructed in a hushed whisper, ever cautious to the thought that some of Shido's people could be standing guard outside the door and his voice may have possibly been carrying.

"Well, unless you've got a paperclip or a bobby pin of some kind on you, I can't think of any way we could be able to do that." Marcus retorted regretfully as he and Noah instinctively looked to Tadashi in the hopes he might've had a solution; especially since his coat was lying in a pile in a corner of the cage. However, the middle-aged detective could tell what was on their minds and gave a regretful sigh.

"I'm sorry, boys. Before they threw me in here, those bastards completely frisked me and even took all the buttons from my jacket and broke the pin off from my badge. I don't have anything we could even substitute as a lock pick, let alone a real one." Tadashi admitted with remorse as the three of them were left right back where they'd started.

"Well, alright, let's forget the lock pick for a second. Let's say somehow we are able to get out of here. Say we're able to somehow escape this place. I hate to keep beating a dead horse here, but we NEED to do something about defending ourselves. Surely if we could get the drop on one of the guards, we could be able to take one of their weapons." Marcus suggested as Noah rested his chin in his palm like he normally would when deep in thought.

"No, that's too risky. As soon as someone comes across the body, the whole place will know we've escaped, and the last thing we need is these psychos hunting us down; god forbid somehow managing to track us back to the hotel. That happens; we put the entire group in danger." Noah instantly counteracted as Marcus couldn't help but pound his fist into the ground in frustration.

"Well, what about the armory? I know we never got to see it while…Miku, was giving us the tour, but what about you, Miyamoto-san? Surely you must've seen where it was before these people got the drop on you." Marcus suggested in momentary desperation as Tadashi met him with yet another weary sigh.

"They hadn't even begun to fortify this place when we were clearing it out. I'm afraid I've no idea where they're keeping their weapons." Tadashi confessed as the three of them quickly returned to silence once more in this miserable cycle of coming up with ideas, only for them to quickly get shot down. As much as they hated the idea of leaving their fates up to chance, there was no use denying that with things the way they were, they were going to need a miracle if they were to have any hope of getting out of this place.

Suddenly, the door above was kicked wide open as a handful of Shido's men armed with assault rifles walked in. All three prisoners watched intently as Teru was among their unexpected visitors, staring right back before pointing directly at Noah. The cage door was quickly opened up as their rifles were kept raised to dissuade the three from trying anything clever. Before any of them could react, Teru and another quickly grabbed Noah by his arms, forcefully dragging him out despite how much he tried to struggle and protest against them.

"Hey, what the fuck are you doing with him?! Hey! I'm talking to you! Hey!" Marcus demanded in a loud and furious shout as he had to restrain himself from lashing out against his captors; all the while knowing that if he stepped out of line, it would all end for them right here in this dingy little basement. He could only look on in despair; watching his terrified little brother being dragged out of the room and up the stairs before the door was slammed shut once more.

Noah honestly didn't know what to expect from these psychopaths now as they guided him down the vacant hallways. Their intent was crystal clear: to keep him and Marcus separate in order to maintain control, but for what reason he could be left to wonder. All he could do right now was hope that they weren't dragging him out for an execution. His heart raced hard against his chest as one of the men escorting him had the barrel of a rifle pressing into his back, ready to shoot if he even remotely looked like he was going to try something.

Despite the severe circumstances he found himself in, Noah did feel some relief when he was able to see light beaming down through the windows they were passing by; looking outside to see the rain had ceased for the time being as the grey clouds prowled above, ready to start once again at any given moment. After passing through several more hallways and over one of the bridges connecting the wings of the school together, Noah found himself being lead into what had to be the former gymnasium.

[Om – At Giza]

A thick, overwhelming, almost nauseating smell of sweat suddenly permeated the air. The doors were slammed shut behind him as the cool air he had been feeling against his skin just seconds ago was now replaced with intense warmth that was radiating from all across the room. Makeshift curtains had been placed over almost all of the windows, reducing visibility once again; but the sight of what looked like thirty candles flickered and danced in the unknown void.

"Ah, if it isn't our newest arrival; please, come on over and sit down with me, my boy. We have so much to discuss." Shido's all-too recognizable voice spoke out with a rather pleasant sigh before he motioned Noah to sit beside him on a stool setup next to the roller chair the two-faced leader had perched himself on a slightly raised pedestal in the center of the gymnasium.

With deep hesitation, Noah carefully shuffled over towards him; trying his best not to trip over anything that might've been in his path before he eventually stood at Shido's side. Wary that this frighteningly intelligent sociopath would no doubt try to psychologically pick him apart, he did everything he could to seem calm and completely detached from his true feelings of fear and contempt for the sharp-dressed man. He then could hear an odd series of sounds echoing from all around in the massive room, consisting of mostly flesh slapping, heavy huffing moans and groans of deep pleasure, and even angered snarls every now and then.

"W-what's that sound?" Noah softly whispered to Shido as he tried to hold onto his nerve for as long as he could, at this point having no earthly idea what to expect from this man and his sick little cult.

"That? Oh, just one of MANY reasons to be a part of our little family. Take a closer look for yourself and tell me what you think." Shido answered in a coy manner before lightly guiding Noah's head to look straight ahead.

The longer he stared, the easier it became for him to see a sight that made his eyes slowly widen and the greatest chill slowly crawl up his spine. Several groups of writhing bodies were pressing up together, completely unclothed and unhindered by shame; men and women alike basking in debauchery unlike anything Noah had ever witnessed before; his stomach slowly churning as he felt his entire body burning up from both embarrassment and disgust.

"It's perfectly alright if you want to join them. I can't say I blame you to be honest. It's only natural after all, is it not?" Shido suddenly whispered into Noah's ear; making his skin practically crawl in response. As if on cue, several naked women suddenly emerged out from the mass orgy; crawling and striding towards Noah with looks of sheer desire, as if hoping to entice him into joining them right then and there. However, instead of finding himself intrigued or aroused, he clenched both fists at the sight of this perverse depravity as it instantly brought back memories of how powerless he'd felt back at that godforsaken cabin in the woods.

"Just so you all know...the last person that tried to touch me like that ended up with a broken chair leg lodged in his windpipe; just putting that out there." Noah warned, speaking without any emotion in his tone, which made it all the more intimidating for them when his eyes suddenly looked over in their direction. His otherwise soft blue eyes narrowed tight, causing the approaching suitors to recoil back into the shadows to find an alternative partner. Shido himself was very much taken aback by the strong display of willpower from the young Brit. The disarming fear he saw in their eyes especially couldn't help but force him to rethink his original intended strategy on the spot.

"Forgive me; I think we got off to a bad start…Noah-san, was it? I do apologize for the inconvenience I've placed upon you two. It must be quite scary for you right now." Shido began to express with what felt like genuine sincerity in his voice and body language; his yellow eyes shifting over to look at Noah while the rest of his head remained facing straight forward. Noah however remained true to his gut and showed no response as he just stared straight on towards the shroud that surrounded the both of them; trying to ignore the fact a bunch of people were fornicating all around them in a display that would've no doubt made the ancient Romans blush.

"I know it must seem like I'm the bad guy here, but you must understand that we just have to do what we can to prevent other groups from attacking us. Had I let you and your brother go,who knows how many of your group you'd bring back to try and seize all we've fought so hard for? Surely someone as smart as you hadn't thought of the possibility while getting a firsthand look at our setup?" Shido continued in an attempt to sound apologetic about what had gone down. Noah now couldn't help but feel an inkling of doubt in his resolve; that perhaps Shido really had merely reacted out of fear in an effort to protect those that trusted him with their very lives.

"You should've trusted us; considering Marcus and I cleared all those dead out for you. My group might've been willing to form an alliance or at least setup a trade system." Noah responded softly as he wanted to hear what Shido had to say about that.

"Hmm, perhaps. Perhaps you are right, and I've entirely misjudged the situation and should reconsider?" Shido asked in an unstintingly calm and confident tone. Somehow it just managed to constantly make Noah's skin crawl how self-assured and naturally charismatic this man was. He was clearly not the type to be shaken easily; and he was clearly a very intelligent man.

Confident, charismatic, sociopathic and intelligent: an incredibly dangerous combination that momentarily made Noah's blood run cold. The way he carried himself and spoke to others seemed so naturally charming and inviting. It was no wonder he was able to easily influence so many weaker-willed people. Just the thought of it instantly brought the youngest Lawson's guard back up as he honestly had no idea just what Shido had up his sleeve.

"I'm told you come from a military family. I wonder now, does that also mean your eldest sibling is trained in such arts?" Shido asked curiously as his hand hovered just barely an inch over Noah's shoulder as the young Brit couldn't help but wonder with grim curiosity where the teacher was going with this new line of questioning. Perhaps there was a way he could gain some kind of advantage in this unspoken battle of wits.

"Who, Frasier? If you think that Marcus and I are a force to be reckoned with, just wait until you meet him. He's the equivalent of ten highly trained soldiers easy! He wouldn't be very happy if he knew what you're doing to us right now. And believe me, if you have any intent on living, you do not want to be in his crosshairs. Let us go now and he'll never know a thing about this place." Noah stated firmly, proceeding to then describe his ace in the hole to hopefully persuade Shido into releasing them. However, upon hearing of such a survivor, Shido instead seemed all the more delighted to have inadvertently run into the Lawson trio.

"Noah-san, you have no idea how many people you'd be saving if you three were to help us. What do you think would happen if a hostile bunch of survivors attacked; or if the dead managed to find a way inside here? We'd have virtually no one to protect us. All these ordinary people are just trying to survive these hard times "Shido exclaimed as Noah paused for a moment at that thought. Deep down, he knew all these people that were supposedly brainwashed wouldn't stand a fighting chance outside this little sanctuary of theirs. Their blood would all be on Noah's hands if he did nothing to help them. However, it was in that moment of doubt he then remembered what he saw in the courtyard, as well as what he recalled from Tadashi's story; a spark of anger igniting in his chest now.

"You should've thought of that before killing all those police officers. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the dead just walked on in and killed all of you tonight. That's not our problem though." Noah responded, thinking of what Frasier would've no doubt said as he attempted to sound as cold and brutally calculating in an attempt to use Shido's own tactics against him. However, the spindly teacher did not show any hint of fear nor concern over Noah's words. Instead he just bowed his head as if disappointed in Noah's answer.

"Such cruel words from such a gifted young mind; and Miku-chan told me you had a considerably big heart as well, that you cared about others in a selfless manner like she'd never seen before. I guess you were just lying to get what you wanted from her. Is that it? Is that the kind of person you truly are, Noah-san?" Shido sighed as Noah instantly felt incredibly guilty and vulnerable that Shido would actually use his feelings for Mikuas a weapon to coerce him. What was worse was that it was actually working the more he dwelled on it.

"I didn't mean it like that...I just...look, you have loads of guns, right? Why would you need us to help you out?" Noah said nervously as he couldn't take the thought of being so callous towards the life and fate of another living being. Shido meanwhile just kept watching, smiling, taking mental notes of how hard Noah reacted to his continuous questions and reverse psychology.

"We might be well armed, but most of my people can hardly use these weapons properly, unlike you with your little display of skill yesterday. Imagine what it would be like to know that with your help, these people just might live to see the world go back to the way it once was. You'd be a real hero, Noah-san; to me, to them, even to Miku-chan." Shido answered before suddenly giving Noah a glimpse of what he could really do for them. His soothing voice made it all seem so promising and such a worthy cause to take up.

"Where did your group even obtain those kinds of guns?" Noah suddenly asked to change the subject as he watched Shido forma rather pleased grin, as if he was now eager to talk about it with him like it was some kind of prize to boast about, or one more thing to prove just how formidable his group really was.

"And why would you ask that? It couldn't perhaps be greater than what your friends possess back wherever you're settled, could it? It's quite okay to be jealous, Noah-san. I hardly know a thing about guns myself, and even I can tell what we've obtained is a goldmine by any standards." Shido prodded, his tone peeking with intrigue as he raised a curious eyebrow; those intense yellow eyes staring into Noah's soft blue ones to gauge even the most minor reaction.

"It's just that most of those weapons I saw your people carrying aren't used by the police or even the Self Defense Force. You'll have to forgive me for my curiosity. My training has made me very gun-savvy, you understand." Noah answered, doing his best to avoid answering that second question at all costs.

"An odd question indeed, but very perceptive eyes nonetheless,my young friend. I can't recall the exact day, but during the middle of a scavenging trip, one of my students noticed a trail of smoke on the horizon. Naturally one random trail of smoke would mean nothing when the rest of the city had numerous fires all around." Shido noted in a more reserved sigh before sitting back comfortably in his self-appointed throne and proceeding to answer Noah's question.

"However, there were two things that got my attention when she explained it: she claimed it had only just formed less than an hour ago at that time, and it seemed to be coming from outside of the city limits. We initially thought it was a signal from more survivors held up in the woods. However, when we arrived, there was nothing but the burning remains of what must've been a cabin. There was nobody else around but us, and it was for a moment even I couldn't help but let a moment of despair hang. For all I knew, I'd had us all go out that far from the city for nothing.

"However, it was through sheer luck that I was able to spot a hidden dugout in the side of a large slope. Granted, we weren't sure what we would run into down there, but when we did go, we found entire walls decorated with an arrangement of firearms and other survival gear. Taking everything we could possibly carry, several trips were made until just about everyone here could hold a weapon should the need ever arise. Thanks to my leadership, this group was saved once again and we finally had everything needed to permanently settle down and see this crisis through to the very end." Shido finished explaining as Noah meanwhile sat there completely dumbfounded at the unbelievable coincidence that Shido's group was the one responsible for taking Joe and Buck's remaining arsenal.

"Are you alright, Noah-san? You look as though you just saw a ghost." Shido inquired softly as Noah quickly snapped back into reality, trying to remain composed and calm as the former teacher continued to quietly observe and mentally note Noah's behavioral patterns.

"No…I'm just realizing something that'll completely bite me in ass later." Noah responded as he could only wish now in hindsight that he could've suggested that Frasier destroyed the rest of that encampment while they had the chance.

"Is that so? Mind it sharing with me? Perhaps I can help?" Shido asked curiously before he leaned forward as Noah realized he was unwittingly playing right into this devil's hands.

"It's fine. It's nothing, really!" Noah said hurriedly as he nervously dismissed the thoughts of Frasier lecturing him for a solid year over what they did and what kind of punishment they were in for. Shido however did not seem fazed by such an answer, as if he knew Noah was trying to dodge the question.

"You know, it's not polite to have secrets, Noah-san. Please, feel free to tell me what's so clearly troubling you." Shido offered as he tried to guilt Noah into telling him. From his experience, providing the role of the heartfelt listener, the shoulder to cry on as it were, was one of the more effective ways to make people lower their guards and learn to put their trust in him. All he needed to do was push Noah's right buttons, and he knew he'd have the young Brit in his thrall just like that.

"Umm...well, if you must know, we were meant to be back with our group two hours after departing from a big estate we're all holed up in. If for whatever reason we ran into trouble, we were meant to stay at an agreed location, which just so happens to be this very school. Frasier's most likely searched where we were scavenging last and killed every one of 'Them' he's come across while making his way up here as we speak! I have to admit, I feel sorry for how unprepared your men will be when he starts shooting first and asking questions never." Noah began to explain; now thinking of Marcus as he tried his damn hardest to fabricate a lie that would catch Shido off guard. To his surprise,the otherwise calm and reserved man began to lean back with a slight look of nervousness in his yellow eyes.

"I-I see...well, he'd best be civil with us, or else he'll be in for quite a rude awakening. My men will make short work of him!" Shido boasted as he was now on the defensive, trying to keep Noah from seeing how nervous he was feeling right now.

"But didn't you say they had no idea how to use those guns? Frasier's trained to slaughter men trained for heavy combat, so try not to imagine what will happen when he faces men who've hardly ever fired a gun before." Noah commented as he used Shido's own words against him, really enjoying that look of absolute fear Shido seemed to be expressing as a nervous sweat began to form on his forehead.

"I...no...He couldn't just...ugh! Surely you're just bluffing! Even if he is as good as you claim; there's over forty of us and only one of him! He might kill some, but he can't hope to kill all of us!" Shido stammered for a few seconds, managing to compose himself long enough to realize that statistically they still had the advantage of numbers against this impending army of one.

"Maybe...but that's implying he doesn't bring more of our group along with him!" Noah replied reluctantly, as if out of ideas, before suddenly realizing and bringing up the possibility of Takashi's group coming to the rescue as well; an immense swelling of hopeful pride filling his chest as he knew this was his ultimate ace in the hole now.

"M-more…?" Shido muttered as he looked completely hopeless collapsing back into his chair, almost as if he truly regretted taking them captive now and recognized that he had officially fucked up beyond all recognition. Noah smiled to himself as he could see he'd actually managed to break Shido's confident demeanor hard enough to get him reconsidering now.

"Oh yes! We have another group of survivors from this very school that will surely join him in battle to come rescue us. We're actually two groups joined together, and we're a force you don't wanna mess with!" Noah exclaimed proudly as Shido suddenly raised an eyebrow when he mentioned students from this school.

"Is that so? Well, if you're telling the truth, then clearly you'd know their names. I'll know if you're lying, too! Don't forget, I used to be a teacher here myself!" Shido then said as he was praying deep down that Noah would just have a random bunch of names to drop to prove he was full of shit.

"Their names…? Alright then: Saeko Busujima, Takashi Komuro, Kohta Hirano, Saya Takagi, and Rei Miyamoto! Still think I'm lying?" Noah proudly exclaimed as he could only now sit back and watch as Shido collapsed under the pressure. However, instead of squirming about in defeated despair, he just sat there silent for several minutes. His face was completely blank and devoid of any real reaction until he then stood up and turned his back to Noah.

"Teru-san...please take him back to the others. I-I need to think things over." Shido said in a soft hush as Noah was quickly escorted out of the gymnasium.

The youngest Lawson now was unable to see the wicked look Shido was making to himself. His lips and eyes pulled back to form a devilish smile as a low chuckle swiftly turned into a hysterical laughter that echoed throughout the entire gymnasium. His thin fingers slowly ran through his raven black hair as the demented teacher had to take a moment to calm himself and let out a low sigh of absolute bliss.

'Oh, Noah-san...for someone so smart; that was the single STUPIDEST thing you could've ever said to me. Oh, how I can't wait for your group to arrive. Oh, what a day! What a wonderful day!' Shido thought ecstatically to himself before he began to disrobe on the spot, pulling off his clothes only to then descend into the arms of several female followers eagerly awaiting him.

[]

The sound of the door opening instantly caught Marcus and Tadashi's attention as they looked to the stairs for Teru and two other men to drag Noah back with them. The two kept their rifles on the two prisoners while Teru worked to get the cage door open; struggling a bit as he tried to work the key to get the door unlocked.

"Need a hand there, mate?" Marcus quipped sarcastically as Teru snarled at him in response before finally managing to get the door open, wasting no time to throw Noah back inside before slamming the door shut again, now having to wrestle the keys out the hole. Once finished, the three men wasted no words with their prisoners before heading back up the stairs, and entrapping the three in the gloomy basement's darkness with a deafening slam of the door above.

"Oh Christ, Noah, I was afraid I wasn't gonna see you again. What the hell did those gobshites do to you?" Marcus asked in worried relief as he instinctively hugged his little brother. While the reunion was pleasant, it was all-too short lived as they once again found themselves in that all too familiar situation of having no means of escape.

"They didn't do anything to me. They just brought me to the gymnasium to talk with Shido." Noah replied; just the sound of the teachers name earning a spiteful grunt from Tadashi.

"You were so right about those people, Marcus. He has them all under his thrall. When I went in there, there were all these people all over the place…and they were all screwing like mad all around us. It was like something right out of those old Renaissance paintings of the Romans. It was disgusting!" Noah explained as Marcus couldn't help but feel his stomach twist likewise as his brothers' had. No wonder they were so loyal to that slick little freak if he supported them doing such things in their free time.

"I was hoping I could be able to maybe pick one of the guards' pockets along the way, like a paperclip or a safety pin or something, but no such luck. Sorry, guys." Noah lamented as they all let out a collective sigh of disappointment; once more right back where they'd started.

"So what exactly did that freak want with you?" Marcus finally asked as Noah kept looking up at the grey sky outside.

"He was trying to convince me to have us both stay here, join his community, maybe even train his people to actually fight. He even talked about getting Frasier to come here and join up, but thankfully I managed to scare him good." Noah explained as Marcus instantly perked up at the thought of Shido actually getting knocked down a peg.

"Yeah, I told him about our combined groups back at the hotel. Even spun up some bullshit story about them all coming here to save us and rain hellfire down on this place. I think he actually believed it too." Noah went on, instinctively smiling at the fact he at least had gotten the last word out of that whole conversation as Marcus couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"You know, I actually wouldn't be surprised if Frasier was actually tearing the whole bloody city apart to find us right about now." Marcus mentioned, which managed to spark feelings of both hope and dread in both brothers' stomachs as they thought of just how absolutely livid Frasier would be when he'd eventually find them.

The door suddenly opened up again, causing Noah and Marcus to turn in alarm, only to see none other than Miku Yuuki hesitantly stepping out of the shadows before them. She immediately rushed over the moment she noticed the bruises and cuts they'd received at the hands of Shido's followers. Marcus intensely glared at her like he was ready to break her neck the instant she'd be within his reach, while Noah tried to hold back those nagging feelings of doubt and betrayal that had been festering deep within his heart since yesterday.

"What the hell do YOU want?" Marcus grumbled bitterly, trying his best to not lash out as he paced back and forth across the small cage like a trapped animal.

"The others told me you had caused some trouble yesterday and were being held down here. I wanted to hear your side of this story. I…I just need to know why you did what you did." Miku explained as she spoke in a soft yet somewhat shaken, voice, her eyes filled with confusion rather than contempt.

"'Why we did what we did'? We were just trying to leave when your friends and leader decided to take us prisoner. You people are just a bunch of mindless sheep following a crazed, narcissistic shepherd." Marcus repeated before his voice began to rise in uncontrollable anger. Both his fists were clenched tight as he tried his best to remain calm despite how hard it was when just looking at Miku brought his blood to a boil.

"Shido-sama said you could've left and returned with your group to take everything we have; that you refused to listen to reason and showed no intention of cooperating with us." Miku said, repeating his words like it was nothing but the honest truth.

"Wrong, we had no intentions of raiding your group! We have more than enough food and energy to sustain ourselves for like three months!" Marcus exclaimed as he could no longer contain himself, Noah having to now step in and hold him back so he couldn't lunge at her.

"How can you be with people like these? I have to admit I'm disappointed; I thought you would know better..." Noah then asked in such a pained voice that Miku was visibly hurt when hearing it from him; bowing her head in shame before she slowly walked away, ready to leave them to their thoughts once more.

"Wait...Miku-chan!" Noah called out regretfully, watching as she stopped in her tracks only to slowly come back with tears in her eyes.

"Noah, forget her already, will you? She's clearly too far gone, just like the rest of these assholes. She's just one of them after all. Let her find out her mistake the hard way." Marcus groaned as he just shook his head at Noah's foolish display of patience and compassion towards the girl.

"Why do you follow Shido the way you do, Miku-chan? Can you really not see that you're all just being strung along here?" Noah asked, ignoring Marcus' venomous comments, as he was hoping she could learn to see reason or at the very least give him some answers. Somehow, something inside him felt certain that she was at least somewhat really aware of the situation she was in.

"I know exactly what he's up to! He cares about us, all of us! He cares about me! Shido knows what's best and has saved so many lives with his wisdom." Miku suddenly shouted in an angered outburst as she frowned at Noah for calling their leader into question.

"Does he? Or is he just saying what you all want to hear? He's just manipulating all of you, and the longer you stay here, the harder it will be to break away from his control." Noah doubted with a raised eyebrow as he couldn't bear to hear Miku speaking so confidently about the intentions of that maniac. No matter what he heard, it was as if he couldn't bear to accept the idea of her being completely beyond reasoning.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'm happy here?! That for the first time ever, I found somewhere where I belong and am accepted for who I am? They might not be perfect to you Noah; but to me, these people are my family now...I can't just turn my back on them after everything they've done for me." Miku angrily asked Noah as she attempted to justify her being with these people. It only made sense to her. These were the only people she could rely on ever since the outbreak.

"Listen to yourself, Miku-chan! Can't you see these people are just using you for...for... goddammit, woman! Just take a good look at what goes on around here, and then tell me with a straight face that this is REALLY what you want!" Noah snapped in what was perhaps the first time he'd ever lost control midway through a sentence from all his frustration. Even he didn't know how to explain it to himself, but he just refused to believe it was too late to get through to her. He needed to hold onto the belief that there was something he could do to help her avoid becoming like all the others.

"You don't know me! How can you possibly know what I truly want? What I've gone through? What's best for me? I admit it's not the most ideal situation for a girl, but don't you dare act all high and mighty by judging me for what I'm doing to survive!" Miku snapped back as Noah recoiled, her words piercing him with such force he couldn't help but feel a deep and unbearable pain deep in his chest.

"I-I'm sorry, Miku-chan. You're right; I don't know you or what you've been through. But…perhaps you could maybe tell me?" Noah suddenly acknowledged quietly before asking to hear her story; hoping that it could at least explain why she was so confident and loyal and easy for Shido to manipulate.

"What do you care about my past? It's not important…I'm not important. Please, just forget about me, Noah-kun." Miku muttered quietly; her voice clearly trembling, making it quite clear that this was a very touchy subject for her. She then began to walk away only to feel herself being held back by something invisible.

"Stop…I wouldn't have asked if I didn't care. Please...I want to know more about you so I can maybe see why Shido is so great to you after all. Who knows...? Maybe he is right, and we're the ones truly in the wrong here?" Noah gently pleaded as Miku could see his hand reaching through the bars to her. With a heavy sigh, Miku reluctantly approached the cage again, sitting down so she and Noah could be at the same eye level as he gently placed his outstretched hand over hers in a silent show of support as he could practically see the mental battle she was going through to have to go back to such a repressed place.

"Okay...if you insist, Noah-kun. But don't expect anything special from me." Miku said in a defeated sigh before finally beginning.

[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OST- Hidden Thoughts]

"It all started when I was just a little girl, no older than 7. My dad had just passed away from a sudden stroke. He and I were really close, and losing him hurt more than anything in the entire world. But even my pain was nothing to how much it devastated my mom. She was so broken and depressed from it all, it was near impossible for her to hold onto a job for more than a week. A few months later, we couldn't even afford our home any longer, forcing us to stay in this dingy little hovel of an apartment.

"Despite losing the house, income was still too short, and she knew that by the end of the month we'd be out on the streets without a single yen to our name. When all seemed lost for us, my mom started dating this man who took good care of her and helped support us financially. I thought that our troubles were finally over; that maybe after so much struggling, things could finally go back to normal…I was so STUPID to think that!

"The man she was dating…his name was Mamoru. Not even a week after he started helping us, whenever mom was away…that sick fuck started to…to TOUCH me in places…t-to USE me; constantly warning me that if I said anything or tried to fight it, he'd leave my mom and we'd be broke again. I-I wanted to fight, I really tried…but over time, I just found myself accepting it…his abuse, his control, everything. When my mom finally figured it out, she was beyond furious. No word could hope to describe the anger or hatred she felt towards that man. We were still financially dependent on him, which I'm sure is the only reason she didn't try to kill him the first chance she had; but it did inspire and motivate her to get a new job so she could kick his ass to the curb. It wasn't even a month before she was working in a beauty salon and making enough money to support just the two of us.

"When Mamoru realized his money meant nothing to us anymore, it was too late. My mother tossed all of his crap out the door and burned anything else that remained of his. We never saw or heard from him again after that, and no words can describe how good it felt to see that piece of human filth finally gone. My poor mom…she couldn't even begin to express how sorry she was to me, how much she felt like a failure as a parent. I knew she always loved me though, and that it was such a tough situation for both of us. I forgave her, and for the next few months, it seemed like our long battle had finally been won.

"That should've been it for our troubles, we should've had a new start…but the things that monster had done to me...it changed who I was. I didn't care anymore about how well I did in school, nor did I care about myself for that matter. I started to let guys walk all over me…and more, just to feel recognized; like I actually existed and was worth more than I could ever give myself credit for. There, are you happy now, Noah-kun? Is that all you needed to hear to understand why I do this? Why I am the way I am? Do you feel better now?" Miku finished as she slowly had to turn away, her voice filled with long-lasting regret and spite towards herself just for letting him know how truly vulnerable and broken she was deep down; her back now facing Noah as he was at an absolute loss for words; silent tears of sadness for all her suffering welling in his eyes. He never could've imagined this enchanting girl he'd been so quickly taken by had gone through so much hell even before the world ended, and just the thought of someone doing such unspeakable things to her nearly drove him mad with anger towards this unforgiving world.

"I don't know why you even bothered with me in the first place, Noah-kun. You're probably just like the rest; you only saw me for my looks and nothing else, ready to use me and discard me the moment you lose interest once you get what you wanted." Miku then muttered in a bitter sigh as she brushed his hand away, only to look back surprised when he unexpectedly grasped her hand.

"Shut up...if that's what you really think; that that's why I care about you, than you couldn't possibly be more wrong. Granted, I do think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in my short life, but there's so much more reason to like you than just that!" Noah scolded with his voice trembling, feeling insulted that she would consider him to only value her for her body and nothing else. Miku could only stare at him, visibly shocked as she was uncertain whether or not she enjoyed how bold and assertive he was being right now.

"Like what?" Miku questioned with great doubt in her words, her face initially curious before realizing it was probably more sweet lies to make her think that he cared about her beyond her physical beauty.

"When I look at you, I see more than just a pretty face! Deep down I feel like behind all that is a strong, kind, genuinely caring person that has been through more than she wishes to admit…and far more than she ever deserved. I can't exactly back any of that up, considering how little I know of you still...but dammit, I was really hoping I could've gotten to know you more before this whole damn world went to shit!" Noah expressed in a short outburst that caused Miku to be visibly taken aback by such unexpected words that seemed to have genuinely touched her heart as she felt a strange sensation deep in her chest that quickly brought tears to her eyes.

"Noah-kun..." Miku softly muttered as she couldn't even muster up a real response when she could see her distance had caused him to become so clearly upset. Her body was slowly trembling as she bowed her head, as if to try and hide how much that truly meant to her. What could she ever have done to deserve the affection of someone so wonderful? That was the only question on her mind as she tried to fight the urge to start crying in front of him.

"When I realized you were still alive, I was beyond overjoyed. To see you had survived truly gave me great faith in karma; that in the end, good things happen to good people. Miku-chan, please don't let these people lead you down the wrong path! You're better than them, I just know it!" Noah continued to express as he held one of her hands, keeping constant eye contact to show her each word he said came from the bottom of his heart, because it did. For a moment, a light sparked within Miku's beautiful orange eyes that almost looked as though he'd finally managed to fully convey all his feelings to her. But just as quickly as it had appeared, that light quickly vanished as Miku's face was overcome with a veil of doubt.

"No…you're wrong, Noah-kun. If you only knew what I'd done to survive, you wouldn't think nearly so much of me then. P-please…just forget about me…alright?" Miku sadly sighed before she slowly pulled away from him; her voice low and full of remorse as she began to walk away, leaving Noah sitting there with a despaired expression painted on his face. Sorrow filled his heart as the doors slowly closed behind her.

[]

"Fucking bitch. That just figures." Marcus grumbled under his breath; certain that he was quiet enough, but instantly realizing he clearly wasn't when Noah turned back to him with a deathly angry glare.

"Shut the fuck up." Noah said in the most authoritative tone Marcus had ever heard come out from his little brother. That sheer look of intensity mixed with him on the verge of crying made Marcus wary of just what was happening to Noah.

"For Christ's sake, she's one of THEM! Noah, I don't think you really understand just how serious this is! We're trapped here with a bunch of lunatics following a crazed megalomaniac! Who knows how long it'll be before he decides we aren't worth the trouble of keeping alive and tells them to kill us both? You really think any of them will actually stop to question him on that?" Marcus argued as Noah had to repeatedly clench and open his fists in a futile attempt to recollect himself before he finally launched a furious foot into the bars with an infuriated shout of frustration.

"You think I don't know how much trouble we're in?! I KNOW this is bad! But that doesn't mean we're done for…at least not yet. Just have some faith, alright? We'll find a way out soon, I'm sure of it." Noah shouted in a rough scorn before lowering his voice, instantly regretting that he was so quick to snap at his own family.

"I-I'm sorry, Noah. I just can't stand feeling so helpless while at that madman's mercy. We usually have a solid plan, but for once, I'm at a loss. If Frasier was here, perhaps things would be different; but he isn't, so it's up to me now to save our asses before it's too late." Marcus apologized as he couldn't help but confess his fears to his younger brother as he instinctively began pacing anxiously once again.

"Don't worry, Marcus. We'll do this, all three of us together! We'll do him proud, we will. Honest." Noah said encouragingly as he was glad to see his words of encouragement could still inspire a smile from his older brother. Both of them looked out a nearby window to see the rain was about to start up again.

"Well, no matter how we try to escape, there's no question it would be safer at night. I don't know about the rest of you, but I intend to be fully energized for when that time comes, so try not to wake me until then, okay?" Marcus suddenly asked as he immediately began to find a spot against the bars for him to lie down on; letting out a tired yawn as he began to sit himself against the cage door for support, never expecting the sudden give of the door swinging open against his weight; causing Marcus to fall flat on the floor; not even bothering to look at the respective looks of amazement on Noah and Tadashi's faces.

"Holy shit, did that really just happen?" Marcus asked in disbelief as he picked himself back up to see that indeed the cage door was wide open for them to leave as they pleased.

"That guy Teru looked to be having some trouble with the cage's lock earlier. He must've neglected to actually lock it shut when he brought me back down here. Oh man, what luck!" Noah realized as he and Tadashi wasted absolutely no time stepping out; the middle-aged detective looking as though all his vigor and energy instantly returned to him now that he was out of those goddamned bars.

"Wait a second, boys, we need to be careful. Someone might've heard the sound of the cage opening, and I doubt staying in the cage and pretending it's still locked will be able to fool them. So I'm afraid if we're going to try escaping, it's going to be sooner rather than later." Tadashi recommended as both Lawson's instantly found themselves back in their defensive stances, as though expecting one of the guards to come charging down the stairs any second now.

"Hang on; we might actually be able to get the drop on them if they come down here. This place is still plenty dark, so I say we pick our corners, and the next person that comes down, we jump them; see if we can at least take their weapons if we aren't able to take them hostage." Noah suggested as he scanned the entirety of the basement, his mind once again working at full speed as he formulated yet another last-second plan.

"Alright, I'm still the stronger of the two of us, so I'll grab them. Noah, you take care of finding something for a weapon in case they try to break free." Marcus piped in as he could already feel his heart racing at the prospect of getting out of this hell once and for all.

Upstairs

Miku meanwhile was wandering the halls on her own, currently lost within her own head as she kept replaying the conversation she'd just had with Noah. She couldn't stop thinking back on that indescribable sensation she'd felt in her heart when Noah had completely poured out his deepest emotions to her. Everything about him had felt so undeniably different from every other boy who'd ever spoken to her. He never broke his gaze from hers, and she could see that he'd even been brought to tears from what he'd said to her. What kind of boy would actually do that if everything they were saying was bullshit?And the way he held her hand the entire way through. Not once was he ever forceful or aggressive with her. It was so gentle and…almost loving the way he spoke to her and held her hand. Just the thought made her unknowingly blush. It was all so much to try and wrap her head around, but at the same time it gave her such a strange yet wonderful feeling inside.

How could it be true? Noah hardly had time to get to know her, they both knew that. How could he be so sure of how he felt about her? How could he be so forgiving and compassionate for someone like her? Even despite these nagging doubts, she also couldn't ignore the fact that even after she'd let him in on her past, lamented how she'd become nothing more than a whore through her childhood trauma, Noah never backed away. If anything, it only seemed to make him that much more accepting of her. Just thinking about it brought those stinging tears back to Miku's eyes as she could only hope nobody else was coming by who would notice.

Before Miku could dwell any further on it, her ears suddenly picked up the sound of a commotion coming from outside. It didn't sound like a fight of any kind. It sounded more like the excited murmurings of a large crowd of people. Looking out the window in curiosity, she saw a large congregation of her fellow survivors gathered at the front gates of the school while those posted as security on the fences were talking among themselves near the levers for the gates. A sudden surging of excitement welled up inside her chest as she quickly ran for the entrance to join all the others. A gathering like this could only mean one thing: a search party had come across more survivors to add to their community!

As soon as Miku made her way into the large crowd; squeezing her way past numerous others so she could get a look at the gates, they slowly opened up with a loud metallic groan. Eager to get a good look at their new potential community members, she began to weave through the small crowd a little further until she had a clear sight of just over a dozen new survivors standing at the entrance alongside the search party that had found them.

As they all cautiously made their way inside through the gate, Miku immediately found herself looking each and every one of them over. The majority of them looked to be parents accompanying their children, ranging from kindergarten-age to high school-age like her. There was one man who had nearly a foot over all the others in terms of height. He looked to be a very intimidating sort, almost like what she would've guessed a yakuza would look like, but before she could focus on him any further, she caught something peculiar in her peripheral vision; but when she lowered her gaze to get a better look; in an instant, she felt her heart nearly stop and her entire body go frigid cold.

Her jaw slowly dropped as out of the several men and women standing before her group, was a middle-aged man with semi-long, greasy black hair tied into a messy, almost sleazy-looking ponytail, a messy little soul patch that barely extended beyond the point of stubble on his chin, menacing sunken brown eyes, all topped by a generally unpleasant and leering demeanor.

The urge to vomit from sheer shock and horror nearly enveloped Miku as she couldn't believe what she was seeing: it was the very man who'd destroyed her life from the very beginning, Mamoru.

Without even a second of hesitation, Miku instantly retreated back into the crowd and was soon sprinting back into the main building of the school; desperately searching anywhere for Shido. Whether Mamoru being here was a cruel twist of fate or just the mother of all coincidences, Miku was beyond determined to find Shido in the hopes that he'd be able to listen to reason and kick that human piece of shit out of here without a second thought. Surely he'd listen to her reasoning, take her words with confidence and look out for her by doing what she knew was best. He just had to; she knew he would, for Shido always cared for her well being alongside all the others. Within seconds of turning another corner, her eyes immediately spotted the wonderful sight of Shido making his way down the hallway on his own, not even noticing her running up behind him.

"Shido-sama, thank goodness I found you! I need to tell you something very important!" Miku exclaimed as he looked back at her over his shoulder with an air of curiosity.

"Miku-chan, you look as if you've just seen a ghost. Please, calm down so you can tell me what is so important." Shido said with a puzzled look before standing upright and gently putting his hands on her shoulders when he could see just how scared the young teen was.

"I-It's these newcomers being let in! I knew one of them in the past; and I'm telling you now, he does NOT belong with us! I'm beseeching you, please; you must kick him out immediately!" Miku pleaded as both her body and her voice were positively trembling with fear.

"And why is that, might I ask?" Shido inquired as he raised an eyebrow to her, noticing the look of hope in her eyes that he'd fulfill this sudden request; her faith and trust in him stronger than ever before.

"I-I can't say why...just please, trust me on this, Shido-sama. You can't let him stay here with us. You wouldn't do anything to put us in danger; you'd do anything for us…for me, right?" Miku began to plead once more as she couldn't bring herself to explain to Shido why she felt this way. Her voice was now strained as she had to hold back any tears that threatened to escape. There was a sudden silence between the two before Shido slightly cocked his head sideways with both eyes closed, that charming smile never once leaving his face.

"No. They will be just as useful as the last survivors that have joined up with us." was all he replied with in dismissal as he turned away, his hands sliding from her shoulders before he began to walk for the front of the school to introduce himself to the potential newcomers.

"B-but Shido-sama, you must-" Miku began to mumble in protest, only to feel a sudden horrid stinging sensation in her left cheek. Her eyes widened as she realized it was the back of Shido's hand that had struck her. What was even worse was when she looked up into his eyes; she didn't see those warm, loving eyes full of concern. All that could be seen was an unrefined anger and utter contempt for her defiance to his word; all showing through those piercing yellow eyes as that calm and inviting smile on his face never faltered. Such a terrifying look in his eyes contrasted against the smile on his face made her heart sink with absolute fear at the thought of what he'd have to say next.

"Miku-chan, there's a REASON I'm the leader in all of this. I'm the one that makes the important decisions that you're all too foolish to even comprehend. Did it ever once occur to you that we need the extra muscle; that if I don't let them in, we are all the more vulnerable to attack? No, you wouldn't think about that, because you've been under someone else's protection; MY protection, all while allowing everyone around you to handle every situation that pops up. But if I'm so cruel and foolish,perhaps you'd like to take your chances on the outside? It's survival of the fittest out there though, and believe me when I say this: You aren't very likely to survive for long out there on your own, so I suggest you think twice before ever questioning my decisions again." Shido practically hissed, leaving the baffled Miku completely paralyzed as she felt burning tears trickling down her cheeks. The stinging feeling from the slap completely dwarfed in comparison to the realization of what Shido TRULY thought and felt towards her; that reveal of what kind of man he REALLY was. To have had such a horrible truth exposed to her in such a painful, terrifying way made the poor girl feel nearly sick to her stomach as all that emotional weight came crashing down onto her shoulders in that instant. It was right there, Miku Yuuki felt something inside her figuratively die away.

"Now then, is that all? Well, is it?" Shido suddenly asked in a low hiss before leaning in closer with both eyes widened and expecting a response on the spot; his penetrating gaze leaving her completely speechless. Miku was so terrified; no words came out past her lips, barely able to give off a short nod of acknowledgment after it was clear his patience was already wearing thin within seconds of asking her.

Then just like that, that inviting and caring glow to his eyes she'd become so accustomed to seeing returned, and any trace of his rage completely vanished as if it was never there to begin with. He lightly brushed his parted hair aside before adjusting his spectacles that had been shaken loose when he swerved to backhand her.

"Good. I hope you'll be sure to remember this conversation the next time you have a 'suggestion' for me." Shido said softly as his words rang in Miku's ears for minutes before she snapped back into reality, not even noticing that he had already walked away while she stood there like a frozen statue.

It was then that she realized the horrible truth, that Noah was right all along. He'd tried so hard to make her see the truth, all because he cared about her; and she was too stupid to realize that. Shido didn't care about her in the slightest, and he never did. She was just another one of his mindless little pawns and nothing else. As if this world-shattering realization wasn't painful enough, just knowing that Mamoru would be staying in the same group, the same building, made her skin crawl with fear and disgust as she was certain that he'd remember her even after all these years. She couldn't possibly stay here even for a single night more, not after knowing the kind of twisted, lying opportunist Shido really was.

Finally able to stand back up on her own two feet, the shock momentarily worn off from the traumatizing discovery, Miku instantly made her way back to the basement. As she approached the door, there was a moment of hesitation. Before she could grab the door handle, those awful nagging doubts in her head forced her to contemplate on whether or not Noah actually meant anything about what he said to her earlier. It was all so sweet and just too good to be true, and after realizing how Shido was using her to get what he wanted, it now made her start to question Noah's true motives. Did he really care for her like he said so passionately that he did? Or was it just a way to earn her trust and potentially escape with her aid? What felt like the entire weight of the world began to press down on her mind before she took a deep breath, knowing that she could only gamble now on the choice she was about to make.

*click*

The door's lock popped as she carefully pushed it open to avoid drawing any attention if one of Shido's followers were nearby to hear the commotion. She took great care to check behind to be sure before entering the room, only to gasp when she saw the cell door was swung wide open. Miku suddenly felt an arm wrap around her neck, suddenly choking her as another figure leapt out of the shadows with what looked like a broken shard of glass in hand ready to attack. She shut her eyes tight as she anticipated the inevitable horrible pain she was about to receive.

"Woah, wait, it's Miku-chan!" Noah's voice whispered in a rough hush as he practically dragged his feet mid-stride to stop himself; causing Miku to open her eyes to see the sharpened glass shiv was just inches away from her stomach.

"So what? She's one of them!" Marcus' voice hissed from behind her as she stood there completely dumbfounded at how they managed to break out of their cell.

"He's right. Noah-san, I know this girl means a lot to you, but don't forget where her true allegiance lies." Tadashi suddenly agreed as he tried to reason with the young Lawson as he stepped out of the shadows.

"No, no, no, please, please listen to me. I'm not with them anymore. If there's one thing I've never been more sure of, it'sthat I want nothing to do with these people anymore. I swear I've seen the error of my way." Miku suddenly gasped as Marcus' hold on her didn't let up in the slightest.

"What? You changed sides in twenty minutes? Because that's how long you've been gone for. Bullshit, I don't buy it." Marcus doubted with a snarl as Tadashi couldn't seem to help but agree at the logical conclusion that she was just trying to deceive them.

"Please, Noah-kun, I came down here to open your cell, let you all go while there's still a chance! Most of the others are focused near the front of the school, so leaving out the side areas would be best. I swear to you I'm telling the truth! Noah-kun, you did so much to try and help me, now I want to return the favor. I want to help you." Miku pleaded as she had nothing but fear in her eyes. Noah then motioned Marcus to let go. With great reluctance, he went along with it and removed his arm from her neck.

"Why not go out the back?" Tadashi questioned the lack of her mentioning a potentially good escape route.

"It isn't a place often checked. There might be some of 'Them' lingering there. How likely are you to last without any real weapons on you?" Miku answered as they looked at one another; realizing that they had to revise which route to take.

"So out the sides we go." Marcus then suggested as he motioned the others towards the door while Miku just stood there grasping her sore, throbbing throat; looking at Noah as he just stood there looking right back at her with those caring blue eyes of his.

"Come with us." Noah suddenly suggested as both Miku and Marcus alike looked at him like he was completely mad.

"Oh, you can't be serious." Marcus groaned as he then realized that this sort of thing should've been expected of Noah.

"You knew it would come to this, Marcus. If you don't agree with my choice, then just get out of the way. Have fun explaining to Frasier that you left me in the middle of the city though." Noah brought up before making it crystal clear that with or without Marcus' help, Miku was coming with them.

"Okay, okay! Fuck, sometimes you're too smart for your own damn good. Let's just go while we still have a chance. You're responsible for whatever she does, so please warrant SOME caution, Noah." Marcus interrupted with both hands up, not even wanting to warrant such a thought before making it quite clear that Noah had to take some responsibility here, to which his younger brother replied with an eager smile before nodding his head in acknowledgment.

With no further interruptions, the four survivors made their way to the two bridges connecting the three main bodies of the school. The center building was clearly off limits, seeing how Shido's group was using it as their main quarters. The west wing would've been quick to move through, but the exit leading to the outer fences was far too exposed were they to be caught; leaving only the east wing of the school to cut through and make a break for the fences that would lead them straight into the staff parking lot.

So far, the coast seemed clear; no movement or anything could be seen in the nearby windows as they approached the chain-linked fence heavily reinforced with plywood and other various bits of scrap. It would've been rather impressive how well the place was fortified if they weren't so busy trying to escape this false haven.

"Okay, this shouldn't be an issue; just up and...Ah, crap." Marcus began to say optimistically before he grumbled out of annoyance at actually getting a better look at the fence.

"What is it? Oh...that." Noah asked as he walked over to see that the barricaded fence was too high to merely be scaled individually due to most of the holes in the chain-linked fence being patched in by the extra reinforcement.

"No matter, we'll just have to lift each other over one at a time." Tadashi suggested, refusing to be stopped because of a fence; his voice filled with determination as he looked around to see if anyone else was approaching.

"But wouldn't that mean one of us will have to be left behind?" Miku noted reluctantly as Noah and Marcus realized that she was absolutely right.

"Yes. I'm afraid you kids will have to go on without me." Tadashi answered with a heavy sigh before the others turned to see a resigned yet determined look on his face.

"What? No, you can't stay here! What do you think these people will do to you once they realize we've left with one of their own!" Noah exclaimed as he knew it was practically suicide for Tadashi to stay behind.

"He's right; you'd be taking an ass kicking on our behalf at the very least. We'll just find another way around somehow." Marcus added as Tadashi clenched his fists in frustration as his patience was wearing quite thin now.

"There isn't time for that. Just get out and find my family. Let them know I love them. Now go!" Tadashi ordered as he approached the fence and cupped his hands together to help form a step to boost them up.

"Fine. C'mon, over the top before somebody sees us." Marcus instructed as Tadashi began to help them scale over the wall one by one; lifting them by their feet high enough to where they could reach the very top and vault over, dropping down to the other side without so much as a scratch.

"Don't worry, Miyamoto-san. We'll be back with more help. I promise you we won't forget you. Just stay strong, mate." Noah vowed as Tadashi tossed something over the fence after he landed. The young Brit caught it just in time only to see it was Tadashi's detective badge.

"See you on the other side, little soldier." Tadashi said with a warm smile of confidence; knowing that Noah would keep his word before he retreated back to the school in hopes of the hostile survivors still remaining unaware of what was happening while the others made their daring escape into the city; knowing that it was up to them now to get him out of this mess one way or another.

As the three teens wasted no time fleeing down the winding road from the academy down into the city; that all too familiar clap of deafening thunder rolled through the sky, momentarily bring them to a halt in the middle of the road to catch their breath.

"Okay…we've got a considerable distance to go if we wanna get back to the hotel. But with this weather, I'm not sure if we'll be able to make it in time before nightfall." Marcus explained as he kept a wary eye to the sky, as if expecting that seemingly never-ending rain to come pouring down in an instant.

"It's just rain, though. If the cold is an issue, there are still plenty of department stores we haven't gone through yet. Surely there are still some jackets there." Miku piped in as Noah himself was instinctively looking back over his shoulder towards the academy, almost as if expecting a raging army of Shido's followers to come barreling down the street for them at any second, his heart continuously racing.

"That's not the issue here, Miku-chan. I don't know if you and the others have come to realize this by now, but the dead hunt by sound. If the rain starts pouring, it's gonna draw out virtually every single one in the city from all the noise. Trust me; we don't wanna be out in the open when that happens. So the way things are looking, we're going to have to look for shelter." Noah explained as Marcus was already wasting no time heading further down the road to put as much distance between themselves and the academy as possible.

By the time the three had managed to reach the foot of the hill and entered the heart of the city, just as they'd feared, the rain began to pour down in buckets; the wall of noise nearly deafening as they were caught out in the middle of an intersection when it came.

"Alright, this just got a lot harder. Quick, let's get inside so we can get a plan together." Marcus ordered as they all quickly made a beeline for a nearby convenience store. While it was still very dark inside, the three could still quickly make out they were the only ones inside with no sign of a reanimated clerk or anything of the sort.

Taking a moment to peek back outside, Noah instantly spotted a handful of shambling silhouettes making their way out from other buildings and alleyways down both sides of the street as another clap of thunder echoed above.

"Ugh, it's just like we feared. 'They're' already coming out of the wood work. If we're gonna keep going for the hotel, we're gonna need to prepare ourselves correctly." Noah explained as he and Marcus already made their way for a nearby coat rack in the back of the store filled with zip locked rain ponchos.

After the two Lawson's got themselves dressed into their respective ponchos, they quickly rejoined Miku at the window as they kept an open eye for a safe route to take past the swiftly growing numbers of 'Them' being attracted by the rainfall.

"Shit, we're really going to have be careful with this. This rain's so thick; I can't even see more than four feet in front of me." Marcus muttered with a frustrated grunt as he could barely even tell if there were even more of 'Them' shambling about further up the street around the corner from them.

"Do you think maybe we could just stay here and try to wait out the storm?" Miku suggested as both Lawson's took a moment to observe the store itself as if to actually consider the option, only to quickly shake their heads in reluctance afterward.

"As smart as that would seem, we're leaving too much up to chance. For starters, yes 'They' only hunt by sound, and with all the noise the rain is making, 'They' could wander blindly continuously as a result. However, there's still too much about how 'They' function we don't know for certain. What if one of 'Them' was to end up bumping against the window? I'm almost willing to bet 'They' could be stupid enough to mistake the sound of that impact to mean food is nearby. The noise it would then make trying to get in through the window could end up attracting others to do the same, and the process repeats until we suddenly have the whole street trying to get in here.

"I know it's a huge 'what-if', but with the way things are looking for us right now, I don't feel safe leaving that up to chance. Secondly, there's the fact we don't have any weapons we can use here." Noah proceeded to describe in great detail as though he were reading through the numerous thoughts and possibilities racing through his head like a textbook.

"Well, I saw one of the aisles had a small assortment of kitchen utensils, including some small cutlery. You don't think we could be able to make use of those?" Miku asked as she looked nervously out the window, now put on edge by the dreadful scenario Noah had just painted for her.

"Those are way flimsier than the combat knives we used when you first ran into us. Even if we did use them, they'd probably snap after only one use; considering the skull is the single hardest bone in the human body. I understand why it would seem like a good idea, but its more trouble than it's worth." Noah rebuked with hesitation as he knew she was only trying to be helpful while they were stuck in this puny convenience store without any means of an exit since wandering outside among the dead and hoping for the best was nothing less than a stupid idea.

"There's one thing more. I'm not stopping until we put as much distance between ourselves and that fucking school as possible. For all we know, they've already found out we escaped by now and are sending search parties as we speak; so the sooner we get moving, the better." Marcus grimly piped in, instantly leaving a heavy air of dread over the three of them as their already limited options had now become nonexistent.

"Dammit…I don't know, maybe we could actually try making a break for it northwards to the river. I mean, as long as we stay single file and don't stop, we may be able to avoid drawing any attention from 'Them' as long as the rain doesn't let up." Noah hesitantly relented as he could practically feel his whole body trembling at the idea of doing something he otherwise never would've even bothered pretending to consider.

As much as they all hated the idea of taking such a risky chance, none of them could deny the fact that they had no better options, so with a series of understanding nods, they all got into a single file line at the door; counting down the seconds for a handful of 'Them' to shamble by so they could have a clear shot for the street corner heading north.

"Alright, Miku-chan, I want you to hold onto my hand, and don't let go no matter what happens. We're gonna keep moving, understand?" Noah instructed as Miku immediately took his hand and gave him a single, courageous nod of understanding before he grabbed the door handle.

With not a second more to spare, Noah threw the door open and soon the three were bolting down the street in a single-file line through the dense pouring rain; barely managing to swerve their way around any obstructing undead standing in the middle of the road. Fortunately, luck was on their side for once as the deafening pour of the rain managed to completely wash out the sound of their footsteps. Now all the group could do was continue to run as far north through the city streets as they could; sidestepping 'Them', car wrecks, and managing to navigate their ways through alleyways and small parks alike, never once stopping to see if they were being followed.

After what must've been constant running for several kilometers northwards, the three survivors quickly realized that night was soon going to be upon them when the skies became darker with every passing minute. While they were able to avoid the sluggish undead and keep from running into any further trouble, they all silently it would be impossible to traverse the night with no flashlights or weapons on them; let alone survive any fight should the more active undead grab a hold of any of them.

"Quick; up there. We can hole up in that library until morning. Hurry on now." Marcus whispered as pointed out a rather large library on the bottom floor of a building standing on a nearby street corner. As Noah and Miku quickly made their way for it with him right on their heels, he could just barely hear 'Them' nearby, but just couldn't place exactly where 'They' were thanks to the thunder rumbling in the distance.

As the three stacked up on the door, Noah hesitantly reached for the doorknob, heart racing as he honestly had no clue what to expect inside this place. With the slightest bit of force, he let out a semi-relieved sigh to see the door was actually unlocked as it opened for him. The only problem now was that could've easily meant any number of 'Them' was lingering around inside just waiting for them.

The three teens quickly retreated into the library before softly closing the door shut behind them. They all struggled to see the inside of the library as it was unbelievably dark, and the interior was so spacious, with so many bookshelves standing around. Of course this put the three of them on edge, as this provided a myriad of hiding places for the dead…or worse.

"Alright, let's scout the place out before we do anything else. If it's clear, we'll barricade the door to keep out any unexpected guests, okay? Don't hesitate to run for safety if you do find anything." Noah whispered as Marcus and Miku both nodded as they all slowly proceeded deeper into the library; the thundering sound of the rain pounding against the ceiling several floors above and the windows echoing through the whole place.

Noah instinctively checked behind the librarian's desk, rooting through the drawers for anything even remotely useful. Fortunately, his eyes instantly came across a large flashlight, and upon inspecting it, the batteries actually worked as a blinding beam of light instantly extended as he flipped the switch.

"Thank god somebody here believed in being prepared." Noah muttered to himself as he proceeded to keep investigating aisle by aisle.

Meanwhile, Miku was carefully tiptoeing her way through the library on her own, keeping her ears open as best she could for any sound of shuffling feet or empty moans. Unfortunately, the heavy rainfall masked the light sound of her own footsteps, so it would do the exact same for any of 'Them' wandering around. She couldn't help but take a moment to silently curse her hastiness for not stopping by the armory so she could at least have gotten them some knives.

Just as she stepped around another corner, she was suddenly met with unexpected resistance as she ended up bumping right into what unmistakably felt like a person; causing her heart to skip a beat as she found her vision obstructed by the darkness.

Before Miku could instinctively scream and run, she felt a hand suddenly clap itself over her mouth, rendering her silent. For a split moment, her fear was amplified even more at the thought of this either being another of Shido's people that had somehow managed to track them, or someone else entirely.

"Shh, don't scream, it's just me." The comfortingly familiar whispering voice of Marcus reassured her as she thankfully felt all her flaring senses calm down at the sound. Once he saw she'd calmed herself, Marcus quickly removed his hand from her mouth.

"Oh, you scared the life out of me, Marcus-san." Miku gasped as the young Brit couldn't help but grin in slight embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Wouldn't happen if we had some damn lights." Marcus apologized as he continuously looked for some kind of supply closet door or anything that he could at least hope had what they needed.

Just then, a single beam of light shone over the both of them, temporarily blinding them before they saw Noah's all-too welcome smiling face approaching them with flashlight in hand as though it were some kind of hard won war trophy.

"Well what do you know? Ask and ye shall receive." Marcus mused as his little brother quickly handed it to him.

"I already checked most of the left half of the library. Looks like we lucked out, no signs of 'Them' so far." Noah informed as Marcus slowly swept the light over as much of the library as he could see to make sure everything was clear on his end.

"Alright. Miku and I will check the back for a supply closet. In the meantime, see if you can bar the door with one of the chairs." Marcus instructed as he suddenly grabbed Miku by the wrist, pulling her along before either she or Noah could think to answer. Left with no reason to question his brother, Noah quickly left to make sure this place would be secure for the night.

Meanwhile, as soon as Marcus felt Noah was out of ear shot, he let go of Miku's wrist before checking around a nearby corner to see an extended hallway with a few doors to investigate.

"Any particular reason you brought me along? Surely if one of 'Them' was in here, it would've heard us by now." Miku asked as she rubbed her wrist due to Marcus' rough grip.

"Yeah, listen…I just…I wanted to thank you." Marcus reluctantly admitted as he already began making his way down the hall, forcing Miku to follow after him as she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

"What I mean is…well, I definitely didn't make any secret out of not trusting you after what those people did to us, and…I'll admit, even in the beginning of all this, I still didn't trust you. Hell, I'm not sure if I even fully trust you still at this point. But nevertheless, the fact remains that you put your ass on the line to get us out of that hellhole and…well, I really appreciate you taking that risk." Marcus went on to elaborate as Miku couldn't help but smile and slightly blush that she was actually being genuinely thanked for what she'd tried so hard to do.

"Of course. I…I didn't want to believe what you and Noah-kun were saying about Shido before, but…well, it's like you'd said before. I learned the truth about that man the hard way. Even when he had no reason to, Noah-kun just wanted to help me…and I at least wanted to know I did the right thing at some point before I die." Miku answered, her voice soon trembling with emotion the more she lingered back on how painful learning the truth was. All the while, Marcus carefully opened the first door only to reveal a small bathroom.

"Well, if I know Noah, you can bet he's going to be fighting tooth and nail to protect you from now on." Marcus revealed as Miku found herself once again blushing to know the youngest Lawson would actually continue to be there for her even after this was all finished.

"I see…Noah-kun, he…he is really brave, isn't he?" Miku asked rhetorically as Marcus had to hide a slight smirk to hear the almost dreamy tone in her voice when talking about his brother.

"Yeah. Always has been for as long as I've known him. You, uh…you really care about him, don't you?" Marcus asked with slight hesitation as Miku momentarily stopped in her tracks to be asked something so bluntly.

"Of course I do. Why would you even ask me that?" Miku asked less out of embarrassment and more out of defense as if she were being accused of something as Marcus opened the second door to find a small surveillance room.

"I'm not questioning you. I just thought you should know…he REALLY cares about you too. I've had enough crushes on girls in my time to recognize when someone is smitten with another, and well…I see that look in his eyes whenever he sees you. Hell, I saw it in him even before all this shit went down. He had this piece of paper in his pocket with your name and number written on it. When I talked to him about it, I'd never seen the little guy so flustered." Marcus recounted with a nostalgic smile as Miku felt her heart flutter for a second.

"Look, I'm not going to tell either of you what to do, if you plan on doing anything; I realize this isn't exactly the best time for that, but can I just ask you one thing?" Marcus suddenly asked, instantly bringing Miku back to reality just as they reached the last door of the hall beside the exit.

"Of course." Miku replied curiously, wondering what on earth he could possibly have to ask of her at a time like this.

"Please don't do anything to hurt him. You're the very first girl I've ever seen him actually like, and…well, I just worry that going about it the wrong way could break him emotionally. Shit, I don't know what I'm trying to say, just please be delicate with him for me, okay?" Marcus tried to explain, feeling like an utter idiot as he struggled to get the point across that had started festering in his head the more he thought about Noah and Miku together. Thankfully, the look in her eyes as she took in what he said seemed all too understanding.

"I understand, Marcus-san. I promise you, I would never do anything to hurt someone as wonderful as him." Miku vowed as Marcus couldn't help but smile in response to show his appreciation for her answer just as he opened the last door and smiled even brighter at the sight of a supply closet.

"Ah, here we go." Marcus whispered triumphantly to himself as he reached up to one of the shelves and pulled down two small electric lamps, handing one to Miku as he tested the switch for his own, only to be met with yet another blinding light.

"Oh man, whoever ran this library was a bloody genius. EMP-safe flashlight AND lanterns? Talk about a lucky break." Marcus nearly cheered as Miku turned her own lantern on; smiling in gratitude they at least had a little more light. Not wasting a moment, Marcus opened the exit door to check; only instead of being met with an alley, he was instead met with a stairwell leading up.

"Alright, this must lead up to all the other business on the floors. Hey, listen, I'm gonna go check it out, at least make sure all the other doors are locked. Can you check up on Noah and make sure everything's alright?" Marcus asked Miku as he already began making his way up the stairs.

"Of course. Please be careful." Miku requested as she immediately made her way back down the hall for the library. As soon as she stepped back in, she immediately spotted Noah fitting one of the chairs over the door handles, effectively sealing it shut.

"Oh, hey, looks like you two lucked out." Noah greeted her theinstant he saw the glowing lantern in her hand.

"Yes, we did. Marcus-san is checking the upper floors to just make sure all the doors are locked up safe for us." Miku greeted him back as they both let out a collective sigh of relief. As Miku looked at Noah's smiling face, she felt her heart flutter again. To know the young boy had such strong feelings for her after such short periods of time they'd gotten to know each other couldn't help but make her whole face go hot.

However, just as before, she soon felt that cold feeling of nagging doubt scratching at the back of her mind. What did she do to deserve the affection of someone so wonderful?

"Noah-kun, can I ask you something?" Miku requested as she spoke rather softly, her words filled with uncertainty.

"Y-yes, of course; is something bothering you?" Noah answered before the two of them walked off into what looked like the section for people to study given how many desks there were;the towering bookcases practically boxing them in. For a few seconds, Miku remained silent, keeping her back turned to Noah as she set the lantern on the center table; taking a deep breath to calm her nerves so she could properly share the one thing that was tormenting her the most in this moment.

[Mass Effect 2 OST - Reflections (Extended Version)]

"It's you! I just…I don't understand you; no matter how hard I try to rationalize everything." Miku exclaimed with a frustrated sigh as she threw both her arms in the air in defeat; earning a respective look of confusion from Noah.

"Me? What exactly are you trying to rationalize me for?" Noah inquired as he genuinely had no idea as to why she'd be doing such a thing.

"Think about it, by now you could've easily ditched me after escaping the academy, or when we were entering the city at the bottom of the hill. Hell, you could've escaped just as easily without me to begin with. Please tell me the truth, Noah-kun: why are you really keeping me around? Why the hell are you risking your life for someone as useless as me?" Miku began to explain in greater detail as she started pacing back and forth; looking down as she couldn't even bare to look him in the eyes.

"Miku-chan...Stop it. I think you know quite well why I care about you. I got you out of there because you deserve so much better than those creeps. No one as kindhearted as you needs to think so low of herself." Noah said in a gentle, approachable tone as he reached out to her; watching her silently contemplate an answer as his touch seemed to calm her for a split second. She then formed a regretful look before slapping his hand away.

"But that's where you're wrong! Oh, Noah-kun...you think you know me even after all I've said, but you've yet to hear the worst of it!" Miku reluctantly announced as she looked ready to start crying once more from so much time running from her inner demons.

"Miku-chan, it's okay." Noah reassured before he tried to hug her, only for Miku to gently pull away as if she resented him for trying to coddle her; regardless of how sweet he might've seemed.

"No, it's not okay! Don't you get it; you're too good for me! You could do so much better, and it hurts that you can't even see why because I can't tell you!" Miku exclaimed in frustration as she could feel tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes again; hating it when he'd form a look of deep concern and genuine compassion for her.

"But Miku-chan, you CAN tell me. You told me about your past; so don't hold back this time either. I swear I'll tell you what I truly think of you afterwards…if that will somehow help you in the end." Noah said softly in a more direct inflection before he vowed to make his final judgment with crossing his finger over his heart.

"Damn it, Noah-kun...fine. Sit down here and just try to bear with me here." Miku sighed before having him retire to a large beanbag chair resting in the corner of the section they were in.

"Of course. Take your time." Noah said as he watched Miku pacing around nervously again, contemplating how she was going to express herself to him without losing herself in the moment.

"Alright, here goes nothing...back in the early days of all this; back when I was in Shido's group, still naive and loyal as can be,there came a moment where one of the other students wanted us to stop to find his family. Nobody agreed with him, but he just kept on insisting that we stop and went as far as defying Shido directly. Eventually, we all had had enough of his complaints and we tossed him out of the bus into the rain.

"He must've spent a good twenty minutes pleading and begging us to let him back inside, but we just ignored him and fooled around during what Shido called 'free time'. Eventually he was attacked by 'Them', but we didn't lift a damn finger to help him. His blood coated the side of the bus as we just kept on with our business like nothing happened. Worst of all, I was actually proud of what we'd done…for Christ's sake, I was the one who suggested we throw him out in the first place! That poor boy is dead all because of me, and I was PROUD of what I'd done; that I'd made our leader happy for being a loyal little pet and obeying his every command without any questions.

"He was just like you: young, small, practically defenseless, and very innocent. On the way up here, I kept seeing his face, remembering how much he begged for forgiveness and our help…and how I did nothing to help him myself or stop the others from throwing him out. I-I am NOT a good person, Noah-kun. Whatever light you might've seen in me, it was just a spark and nothing more. I can't be with someone as good spirited and sweet as you. I don't deserve to. How can I hope to ever better myself and be even remotely as good as you are?" Miku confessed through her gradually increasing sobs of despair and self-loathing as Noah sat there entirely shell-shocked by what he'd just heard. No matter how true it was, he couldn't imagine her doing something so cruel, leaving him truly stunned and silent for several minutes which in turn caused Miku Yuuki to bow her head in shame; knowing he couldn't handle the truth about her.

"Simple: redeem yourself through personal atonement. Live with the wrong you've done to others and work to never let it happen again. You can't fix anything that happened to that other boy, but you can at least help others that are still alive." Noah suddenly advised as she looked back to him, completely shocked that he wasn't even remotely angered or disgusted with her actions like she was.

"Perhaps I can do that, but what about YOU? Are you honestly telling me that after hearing such a fucked up fact about me that you're still gonna give a damn about me?" Miku asked in disbelief as she honestly couldn't tell anymore if something had to have been wrong with Noah for him to still think she had a chance at being a better person after doing something as twisted as what she did.

"Yes I am. You may have done wrong, but who hasn't in their lifetime? I'm not gonna judge you for being influenced by a mad, twisted sociopath that essentially feeds off of controlling others. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time;doing what you had to in order to survive. I still think you're really special though." Noah explained his reasoning as Miku's expression softened the slightest bit as she seemed to get it, yet she still looked somewhat unconvinced, as if she still felt like he was just trying to say whatever he could to calm her down; the doubts swarming her mind once more.

"You do not! Don't lie to me!" Miku then scorned as she towered over him with both her hands on her hips; staring down at him with a frustrated glare as she couldn't bring herself to accept that Noah was still able to feel anything towards her.

"You wanna bet on that?" Noah suddenly said in an equally annoyed tone as he was sick of her constantly doubting his intentions; let alone how much it bothered him to see such self-loathing for something she had little to no real control over; standing up so she wasn't standing over him as much.

"Yeah, I actually do-" Miku said in a challenge, cut off at the end when Noah suddenly leaned closer. Her beautiful orange eyes widened at the unexpected touch of his lips to hers. At first she was beyond surprised, but within seconds she no longer cared and felt her eyes closing to fully embrace his affection.

[]

[Electric Light Orchestra – Don't Walk Away]

Her body trembled all over as he pressed himself closer to her, his chest pushing up against hers; causing Miku to clumsily stumble back against a bookcase before finding Noah holding her up by her sides. It felt so right to have him kissing her, to feel his soft, innocent hands gently bracing her upright. Wanting more, she gasped his shirt collar and pulled him closer, forcing him to kiss her even more. Warmth and heat began to rise within her body as she began to let her hands slowly trail along his arms, feeling more muscle than anticipated despite the thin frame he had.

Noah on the other hand felt his hormones and desire for Miku skyrocketing beyond anything he ever could've imagined. For the first time in what felt like years, he wasn't even thinking about the world's condition, nor the looming threat of Shido and his followers; not even about his own family. Right now, it wasjust him and the girl he'd found himself so madly stricken with. His hands curiously ran along her waistline; playfully rubbing at her stomach, earning a soft giggle from Miku at how innocent he was acting despite being so feisty and bold at the same time. He then could feel her hands holding onto his butt, playfully giving his cheeks a squeeze before slowly pulling him even closer.

A soft moan escaped from her soft, sweet-tasting lips as their hips began to press and grind up against one another. While Noah couldn't feel much due to the thickness of his jeans, Miku on the other hand was in a skirt and had no problem feeling herself being rubbed in just the right spot to get her burning in the loins; pulling her head away before feeling herself uncontrollably biting down on her own lip out of enjoyment as it felt like her body was on fire now. The anticipation slowly ate away at her patience before she finally lost it and shoved Noah down into the beanbag chair with a very delighted smile on her face that had him practically melting where he sat. Now he could feel his manhood becoming trapped and squeezed against his own clothing.

"You just sit there. If you think this is over, you've got another thing coming!" Miku said between heavy gasps as if she was somehow out of breath, desperately trying to unzip her hoodie before tossing it over Noah's face playfully. While it did help her cool down a little bit, it still wasn't enough to sate the carnal desires she had for the youngest Lawson.

Just as Noah managed to pull the pink hoodie from his face, he felt his jaw drop at the sight of Miku Yuuki slowly straddling him in nothing but a red and black-laced bra with matching panties. His member ached and yearned for release, but unfortunately for him she noticed this as well and slowly straddled him; pressing down on his bulge as her hands grasped his shoulders for balance.

"What's wrong, my little bookworm? I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" Miku suddenly asked in a playfully seductive tone before rocking back and forth; feeling his groin heating up through both his jeans and her panties, making her incredibly wet to know she was able to turn him on so easily.

"Not…at all! My sweet...just need to realign my-" Noah blurted out softly in a low grunt, doing his best to resist the obvious teasing before reaching down to adjust himself.

"Ah, ah, ah! Hands to your sides, Mr. Lawson! Allow me to do that for you." Miku said as she took the hand attempting to reach down into his jeans before pinning it above his head.

Not wanting to get on her bad side where she clearly had the advantage over him, Noah did as he was told and waited for her to do whatever it was she was going to do. However, instead of adjusting his throbbing manhood, she just grinned naughtily before grinding down even harder onto his bulge; enjoying his sighs and grunts as she felt quite good herself when she could feel him throbbing against her womanhood despite the clothes in the way.

"H-Hey! I thought you were gonna help me adjust!" Noah gently groaned as he was clearly on edge as Miku continued to sexually torture him with her delayed help.

"Ohhh, is someone feeling a little hot and bothered? Here, let me try again." Miku giggled before steadily bouncing up and down on his thighs. Noah was now grasping the ever loving shit out of the beanbag chair as she continuously bounced on his own beanbags.

Unable to handle it anymore, Noah suddenly reached up and grasped her voluptuous chest. His fingers pried and dug until they were under the lace bra, feeling and gently squeezing her amazingly warm and soft breasts to finally get even. Shocked to see Noah acting so in control and unexpected, Miku couldn't help but let out a moan of great enjoyment whenever his fingers would rub against her erect nipples. Noticing this delighted response, he then stopped randomly squeezing and fondling her huge fleshy globes and instead targeted her sensitive nipples; gently pinching and pulling on them between his fingers.

"Mmm! Mr. Lawson...for someone so innocent and good, you're being so naughty and bad!" Miku groaned in a lust fueled whisper as it was abundantly clear that she rather fancied his frisky side.

"Don't act like you aren't loving this." Noah suddenly responded in what had to be the most suave and manliest voice he'd ever been able to emit. Miku giggled at how quick he was to adapt before she reached back and unhooked the straps to her bra; letting it fall between his arms as he took a moment to gaze upon her beauty fully uncovered. Noah was unable to help swallowing a dry lump in his throat as he gazed at her large, supple breasts completely filling his palms to the point his fingers were almost sinking into the soft flesh. Slowly pulling her navy blue headband off, Miku carefully placed it on the back of his neck before pulling it towards her, causing Noah to sit up until his face was pressing up against her bountiful tits.

Her fingers gently began to fuss with his surprisingly soft and clean hair as his lips began to slowly suckle on her sensitive nipples. Noah made sure not to accidentally bite down on her small pink nubs, taking extra care in ensuring that she enjoyed every moment of this; his tongue slowly tracing every supple, delicious inch as he felt her writhing in pleasure at his loving touch.

"Okay...I'm done playing around. Hope can you say the same, Noah-kun." Miku suddenly announced in a sexually frustrated sigh as she could no longer hold herself back from taking things even further.

"I-I'm ready. Just let me get a little more comfortable." Noah shyly answered, as if he wasn't sure if he could keep up with her now; slowly pulling his drenched t-shirt off before gently setting it aside and looking up at Miku to see her reaction to his body. An intrigued smile formed along her soft lips as she playfully traced a finger along his rather well defined torso.

With only slight hesitation, Noah finally unbuckled his jeans and watched as Miku impatiently pulled them off from around his ankles only to then grasp at his warm bulge; now even more obvious to see without his pants to get in the way. Her hand began gently stroking it, with her smiling in anticipation as she could only be able to imagine his actual size now before her fingertips rested on the rims of his briefs. Without a moment to spare, Miku pulled his remaining undergarments straight down only to form a sly grin when she could see what he'd been hiding this entire time.

"Noah-kun...what in the world have you been doing to receive such a beautiful member? I don't know what I want to do with it first! Consider me impressed." Miku said as she found it hard to contain her excitement; slowly licking her lips as she grasped his shaft with both hands, stroking steadily in smooth rhythms while debating how to go further, enjoying the soft moans and whimpers of pleasure that escaped Noah's lips.

"Mmm, I think for waiting so long, I'm just going to put it in right off the bat. I need that beauty inside me right now." Miku impatiently said as she didn't even give him a chance to answer before she pulled her panties down, revealing her cleanly shaven slit; gleaming slightly from her love juices that had spilt out while grinding on him earlier.

Miku slowly straddled around on Noah before she was facing away from him. Her athletically toned ass looked so tempting to grab, causing Noah to blush heavily as she playfully wiggled it back and forth, knowing he'd be mesmerized by it before she carefully began to guide herself lower onto his thick, throbbing member that was just aching to be inside of her.

"W-wait...you're going to put it in like that?" Noah asked as he caused Miku to stop just seconds before she could properly align herself with him.

"Yeah; why? Is something wrong?" Miku responded curiously as she was uncertain what could've possibly possessed Noah to stop after the pace they were going at was seemingly perfect up until now.

"Well yeah...you're facing away from me. I want to see your face if I'm going to be doing this with you." Noah honestly answered as he caused Miku to momentarily pause, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. She was so used to her partner being so quick to get it over with; it almost caused her to question Noah's thoughts.

"Noah, are you sure? I can still make you feel insanely good all the same in this position. Trust me." Miku attempted to confirm as she meanwhile began to rub the tip of his prick against her clit to keep him rock hard; meanwhile having to bite her lip to keep from moaning from the heavenly sensation.

"Oh, believe me; I have no doubts in your abilities! It's just…I wanna see your beautiful eyes when we're making love. It just feels right, you know?" Noah explained as he slowly rubbed her hips, noticing an emotional glimmer in her eyes now.

"Did…did you really just call it 'making love'?" Miku whispered as if uncertain if he was for real at this point or just messing with her.

"M-maybe...was it wrong of me to say it like that?" Noah nervously replied as if he truly had no idea what to say now; knowing he was heavily outclassed, considering this was his first time ever being with a woman, let alone one as attractive as Miku.

"No! Quite the opposite really...you're such a sweetheart to me; so kind and innocent. I don't know if I can do this now..." Miku replied in a rather touched voice, uncertain what she should do now as Noah had truly caught her off guard.

"We don't have to. I don't want you to ever feel obliged to do something like this for me. I-Mmm!" Noah began to explain before Miku suddenly leaned in and kissed him; silencing his words as her tongue slipped into his mouth, exploring all around before gently playing with his tongue moments before pulling back with a look on her face now that made it quite clear her choice was cemented.

"I've made up my mind. I'm making you all mine, you little smooth talker, and there's nothing in this world that can change my mind now." Miku whispered into his ear before she slowly grasped both of his shoulders, his hands in turn holding onto her finely shaped hips before both of them let out moans of immense pleasure.

Without a second to spare, Miku, now facing Noah directly while straddled over his lap, slowly sat down until his manhood was practically impaling her. She instantly let out a loud gasp and moan of incredible pleasure; enjoying every inch of him slipping deeper and deeper into her the more she pushed down on him. Her grip on his shoulders intensified when she thought she had it all in, only for him to surprise her with a sudden thrust upwards; causing her to wince at the extra meat she had to work with now.

'So warm...and wet! It feels so odd…and soooo good! The Internet couldn't possibly prepare me for this.' Noah thought in pleasurable ecstasy to himself as his number one goal right now was to keep himself from climaxing so early despite how it felt like he'd only last for a few minutes, and that was wishful thinking as it was.

Noah could practically feel her inner walls squeezing around his shaft, as if testing it and adjusting itself for him. The warmth was perfect; it made his burning member seem like a dim candle in the shadows in contrast to how hot it was inside of his newfound lover. The wetness that coated his prick made it such a smooth experience; no delays or stuttering as Miku proceeded to go up and down on him; riding his length with great enthusiasm. Noah couldn't help but look over every inch of her gorgeous body now glistening with sweat in the light of the lantern; watching her supple breasts bouncing hypnotically as she moved. He didn't even realize he was now blushing heavily as she would moan with incredible pleasure with every move; all while hoping she wouldn't see how much this all put him into a frenzy.

Miku on the other hand felt he was a perfect fit for her, his thickness truly something she had never encountered before. But beyond his more than acceptable size, considering his age especially, and moderately decent skills in thrusting up at the right moment, there was something more to all of this that made it truly magical for Miku as well. Noah's all too sweet words just kept buzzing around in her head. For the first time ever, she felt truly worthy of his love despite all she had said before. It was like he could really see what good was left in her, to the point she now could see it for herself, finally giving her a reason to fight on and change for the better. It was a second chance she had never even considered before until meeting this very special boy. A single tear of joy ran down her flawless face; prompting her to lean in and meet Noah with another passionate tongue kiss as she bounced her body up and down along his throbbing cock, all while feeling that he would probably cum any minute now, considering this was still his first time.

Just as she was about to go up again, Noah suddenly kept her down and pressed his cock as hard as he could into her body. Miku felt her eyes rolling back as she stared up at the ceiling,feeling like he was trying to split her in two only to then suddenly find herself on bottom and him on top of her. Both her long, toned legs slowly wrapped around his cute butt before he began to rhythmically thrust back and forth, his balls every now and then slapping against her; causing Miku to slightly giggle at how he was taking things into his own hands.

"For someone so new to this...you sure know-agh! You sure know how to handle yourself!" Miku complimented, moaning halfway as Noah thrust deep into her, causing the young teen to repeat herself again.

"Am I doing well, Angel? Hope I'm not disappointing you." Noah said more out of concern than playful banter as Miku pulled his face closer to hers so he could get a good look at her shimmering orange eyes.

"My sweet Noah-kun, don't you worry about a thing. You're doing excellent, better than a girl like me could've ever hoped for. Now don't stop on me now; give me everything you've got." Miku answered as she gave him such a look that only inspired him to fight on, his pace picking up as the heat and intensity only increased for the two of them.

Miku titled her neck back as Noah looked over her gorgeous figure, his body perfectly lined up with hers. Their fingers interlaced, his lips tenderly kissing her neck affectionately while he continued to pound her into the beanbag chair. The bag over time shifted around under the pressure of the two lovers making love on it until it left their body imprints on the surface. What were awkward and feeble attempts to synchronize with Miku soon became smooth rhythmic motions as Noah carefully studied and anticipated how she'd move whenever he'd pull back only to thrust straight back into her.

"M-Miku...I can't keep this up. I'm gonna burst any second now!" Noah groaned as he tried to hold back that uncontrollable urge to let himself stop holding back and fill her up with his own love juices.

"What? Now? Pull it out!" Miku whispered in a low hiss as she watched Noah pull out just in time before his penis twitched slightly and a long stream of thick white goo shot up into the air and over her shoulder; staining the carpet behind them as he sat on both knees, looking completely embarrassed at the fact he couldn't last as long as he'd hoped to for Miku.

As if hit by a sudden delay from his nervous system; Noah suddenly felt the strain of contracting his muscles and having to control his motions in such an unknown manner to him. Practically out of breath, he slowly collapsed beside Miku, who looked at him smiling. While she may not have been able to cum herself, she was still greatly satisfied that she at least had experienced something she never thought she would in her entire life: a special experience shared with another human being that genuinely cared for her. She then began to stand, only for Noah to turn his head and look up at her.

"Where are you going?" Noah asked as he was uncertain why she was gathering her clothes scattered on the floor.

"Giving you some space; it's how most guys are after that kind of thing." Miku explained as she was not just speaking from experience, forming a surprised look when Noah reached out and gently grabbed her wrist.

"Please don't go. Stay here with me." Noah requested in a soft sigh as she didn't know what to say to that; slowly getting on both knees before she found herself snuggling up to him.

[]

Resting her ear against his chest, Miku listened to an all-too calming beat as Noah gently rubbed her back, their legs interlacing as she was still finding herself baffled at how wrong she was about his motives and intent for her. She slowly closed her eyes, a set of tears trickling down her face as a heartfelt smile was formed on her lips. For what felt like just a distant dream, for Miku Yuuki, she had finally found peace from a time so long ago.

Moments later, Marcus was approaching the back corner of the library the lantern light was coming from, eager to show Noah and Miku the flare gun he'd discovered in the emergency kit under a desk in the reception area of one of the upper floors. He quietly walked around the bend only to see both of them resting together in the nude, prompting him to back up slowly as he was completely gobsmacked to see such a sight at a time like this. However, he soon just smiled as he nodded in approval for Noah's self-initiation into manhood; feeling rather proud that he could find someone to love and care for beyond friendship in a time where it was so rare.

'Enjoy your rest, you little Romeo. You've certainly earned it after all the shit you've been through.' Marcus thought to himself as he went off to keep watch for any trouble, silently approving of both Noah and Miku's choices.

Z-Day+16

For the first time in what felt like months, the morning came not with a bright yet cloud-draped sky, but rather a pleasant warm sun. The ray shone through the windows of the library onto Noah and Miku's interlaced naked bodies as they remained comfortably embraced in each other's arms.

Soon, the glow of the sun slowly stirred them both awake as they hesitantly opened their eyes in fear of being blinded. However, rather than the sun, it was each other's faces they immediately awoke to, and like a lightning bolt, they both instantly recalled what they had done the previous night. Only instead of embarrassed apologies or excuses of getting caught in the heat of the moment; they instead greeted each other with deep, loving smiles followed by a single lingering kiss to each other's' lips that seemed to silently communicate everything they both felt towards each other in this serene moment.

"Well, well, well, glad to see you two are up bright and early!" Marcus' voice suddenly greeted from around the bend, instantly causing both young lovers to nearly jump and scramble to cover themselves; instinctively grabbing the large blanket he had silently draped over them the previous night without their noticing. Both their faces were beet red as he couldn't help but give a slight chuckle at their embarrassment.

"Oh, Jesus, Marcus, how much did you see?!" Noah asked in a confused mix of anger and humiliation as Miku herself looked mortified at the thought of him peeping in on them while they were doing the deed.

"Don't worry, you both were long since unconscious by the time I found you. Only stopped by afterwards to make sure you both don't catch a cold while you're lying in the raw. Nothing more embarrassing than that, believe me." Marcus quipped as his jokes only seemed to embarrass them both more and more.

"But in all seriousness, good on you both. I know this isn't exactly the most fitting place in the world to enter the realm of adulthood, but I'm still happy for you both." Marcus suddenly congratulated; momentarily catching Noah and Miku by surprise that he was actually taking this opportunity to compliment them rather than keep making his humiliating jokes.

"Well…t-thank you, Marcus, but would you mind please pissing off so we can at least put some clothes on?" Noah demanded in great embarrassment as his brother did as he was told with that wide grin never leaving his face; leaving the two lovers to themselves as they decided to waste no more time and get back in their clothes.

"Noah-kun…thank you…" Miku softly whispered shyly once they were both halfway dressed, prompting Noah to stop midway through pulling his jeans back on.

"Well of course, you think I was just going to let Marcus watch us get dressed?" Noah asked with an amused smirk, softly chuckling to himself.

"No, not that. I mean…thank you for…last night. It was…it was magical." Miku admitted with a heavy blush as Noah instinctively found himself doing the same.

"No other time had ever felt nearly as incredible as it was with you, and…I-I just…I just want to thank you for making me feel loved…for once." Miku went on to describe as she could feel that familiar sensation of tears welling in her eyes. Only this time they were of silent joy.

As she pulled her skirt all the way back up and buttoned it, she felt the familiar gentle touch of Noah's hand on her shoulder as she turned to look him in his deep blue eyes.

"Miku…everything we did last night…that all came from the heart. Just because that night is over doesn't mean we are too. Everything I said, everything I wanted to show you that night…that was all real, and it still is." Noah attempted to explain as the two found themselves quickly becoming lost in each other's eyes again.

"I want you to come with us because I want to be with you. I want to be with you in every sense of the term. I know it must sound so idiotic to be saying this so soon, but I don't care. I couldn't see myself being able to keep going through all this without you by my side, Miku." Noah continued as he tried to fight back the overwhelming surge of emotion creeping up his throat the more he spoke. All the while Miku already had shimmering sets of tears streaming down her face as if she could already tell what Noah was struggling to just come out and say.

"You're the most beautiful person I've ever known, and I mean that in your heart. You belong with us, I just know it; and I know my brother Frasier might object to it, but I've made my decision. I've never been as sure about something before as I do right now." Noah finally brought himself to admit as his hands instinctively took Miku's gently as he had to work up the courage to look into her eyes once more as the final words slowly formed in his mouth.

"I love you, Miku Yuuki. Please know that I mean those words with every fiber of my being. I've never loved someone before like I love you…and that's why I wish what I know we both felt last night can continue forever." Noah finally confessed, letting his own long-restrained tears flow as Miku's lip began to tremble as she had to constantly replay those three wonderful words in her head: the words she never felt deserving of receiving from anyone, finally being spoken to her by the wonderful young man who'd brought light back into her life and her heart after what felt like a lifetime of loneliness.

Unable to think of the words to say, Miku took Noah's face into her hands and eagerly pressed her soft, warm lips to his in an emotional kiss he instantly returned as the two young teens held onto each other for what felt like a lifetime of endless bliss.

As their lips parted, Miku brushed the tears from her eyes as she gave Noah the warmest, most loving smile he'd ever received from another person.

"I love you too, Noah Lawson…if you only knew how much. You…you make me so happy!" Miku finally confessed herself before wrapping her arms around him in a tight, loving embrace as he slowly brought his arms back around her as well.

All the while, Marcus remained just around one of the corners with his arms crossed; listening in with an immensely pleased smile on his face.

'I completely misjudged you, Miku-san. Looks like Noah really was right about you all along. Well, as far as I'm concerned…welcome to the family.' Marcus thought satisfactorily to himself as he looked out the window to the rising sun. If what he'd just heard between the two lovers was going to be any indication, today may prove to be an incredible one.

After a few more minutes, Noah and Miku both stepped out completely redressed and ready to roll. Not needing to say another word, Marcus led them back to the rear hallway.

"I last checked this exit earlier this morning and there weren't any of 'Them' lingering around. I'm betting 'They' all got lured away by all the rain. Thankfully I scoped the area out from the roof as well, and we don't have much further to go until we get to the river; and then from there it's just a straight shot to the hotel." Marcus explained as he slowly opened the door labeled as the exit, carefully checking both paths of the alley to make sure they were in the clear.

"You don't think Shido might've sent search parties to look for us by now, do you?" Miku asked nervously as just the thought of facing that madman's wrath if she were to be brought back to him gave her horrible chills.

"I seriously doubt it. We ran for quite a long ways through that storm, and if 'They' are still dispersed throughout the city, it'll take those guys quite a while to get this far in. But regardless, I also found this handy flare gun, just because we've got fuck all in terms of any other weapons." Marcus attempted to reassure her as he pulled the flare gun from his waistband, holding it at the ready just in case.

"Alright, let's get moving." Noah recommended as they all three began to carefully make their way down the alley to the nearest exit with Marcus taking the lead.

"Noah…do you think the rest of your group will really be okay with me?" Miku asked in a nervous whisper as Noah was momentarily stopped by her question.

"I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't. What makes you suddenly ask?" Noah asked curiously as Marcus stopped as well so as not to leave them behind.

"It's just…you said your oldest brother might object to me coming with you, and that might already be if he doesn't know I was with the people that imprisoned you. If he and your group were to find that out, there's no telling what they might do." Miku continued, unknowingly giving both Lawson's an equally nervous feeling. Frasier was hostile enough to strangers as it was, and there was honestly NO telling what he might do if he were to find out the truth about her.

"Well…I know this isn't exactly the best answer, but we'll cross that bridge if we ever come to it. I swear I won't let anyone hurt you though, no matter who they are." Noah reassured her, only able to give her the most honest answer he could.

"That's right. And if the group does find out, I'll personally vouch for you myself. I know I had my doubts about you before, but with everything that's happened and the time to think having come and gone, I feel confident in saying you're okay in my book." Marcus added in as Miku couldn't help but smile in relief to know she had both of them on her side.

"Alright, we're almost to the mouth of the alley. We still don't know exactly what we may be walking into, Miku, so I want you to say back here until I give you the signal it's okay to come out, alright?" Noah instructed her as Marcus began to continue on his way to the street. While the look in Miku's eyes had clear hesitation to staying behind, the eventually nodded in understanding as Noah gave her an appreciative peck on the lips before quickly catching up to his brother.

As Marcus and Noah began to step out the mouth of the alley; for a split second, everything froze, as if their senses suddenly picked up the impression that they weren't alone. And it was in that fraction of a second, they both just barely made out large black objects like rifle butts flying right for their heads. And it was once that single second had registered to them, both brothers were instantly slammed right in their faces; knocking them both off their feet, with Marcus' rough impact with the sidewalk causing his arm to jerk enough to fire his flare gun blindly into the sky.

"SURPRISED TO SEE US, MOTHERFUCKERS!?" the familiar voice of Teru snapped with an aggressive excitement as he and three other men quickly started to stomp both Lawson's into the concrete before grabbing them by their collars.

"Oh man, what goddamn luck have WE got, huh? That didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. See, didn't I say this would be a good spot to check first?" Teru gloated as the three other men couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Line those fuckers against the wall! They're not worth the trouble keeping alive, no matter what Shido might say!" Teru snapped like a personality switch had been flipped inside his head as he watched Noah and Marcus being shoved up against the wall of the library.

"We shouldn't go against his word though. He knows best after all." one of the men he'd brought along said in disagreement; earning an annoyed glare from the young man.

"Believe me, I'm all Shido needs for protection, not these fucking kids! Now do as I say!" Teru growled as he grasped the man's collar; shoving him back a bit when there seemed to be no further resistance to his change of plans.

Meanwhile, Miku turned away, tears trickling down her cheeks as she did as Noah had instructed by remaining hidden away, unable to watch though as the three followers Teru was accompanied by took aim and prepared to execute Noah and Marcus on the spot. In that instant, a spark of resolve ignited within her chest. Knowing life wasn't worth living without her precious Noah; Miku broke from cover and ran out onto the scene, throwing herself between them and the Lawson's.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little whore herself?! Come to die with them?" Teru chuckled as he was delighted to see he wouldn't have to go searching for Miku after he'd dealt with Noah and Marcus.

"Actually, don't bother answering that; considering how it won't really matter in a second anyhow." Teru then said before she could respond, pulling out his handgun and aiming it straight at the brave yet defenseless Miku.

The sound of heavy footsteps was suddenly heard from above;causing Shido's followers to look up out of reaction. Without warning, a blur of a figure suddenly pounced from the roof and landed on one of the followers; ending with a horrid piercing sound. Warm, wet spurts of crimson-colored liquid splashed everyone nearby as they were all horrified to see a machete jutting out of the man's neck; the steel blade jutting up through the lower chin all the way up into the roof of his skull. The follower next to him attempted to take a shot but the interloper was way ahead of him.

Pulling the machete free from the first man's skull and placing the blade against the barrel of the rifle in hand, the assailant pushed it straight up; shoving the follower's arms in the air only to then take a combat knife from its holster and diagonally carve upwards against the stomach. More blood gushed out as the second man could only let out a rough gasp of searing pain seconds before being shot several times by his own allies in the hopes that one of the bullets would go through him and hit the frenzied killing machine in the crossfire.

The bullet riddled body was shoved straight into the third follower, pinning him to the floor under the corpse's weight. Teru knew exactly where this was going; and not wanting to be killed like this, he bolted from the scene as if there was no tomorrow, not even turning his back to watch as the man he'd left behind attempted to block the machete with his own rifle. The firearm was split up into two parts as the razor sharp steel cut right through it. Another blood-curdling scream rang out as ahand had been severed from its socket in the brutal strike. The agonized cries were quickly cut short though when the machete was then swiped horizontally into his skull, nearly cleaving it in half.

All throughout the carnage, Noah and Marcus were too paralyzed to look back; but after several seconds, they hesitantly glanced back over their shoulders. They both felt their eyes widen as for a split second, they saw Frasier's all too familiar gaze looking straight at them before taking off after the retreating Teru. Never before had they seen him act so explosively violent against an opponent living or otherwise. The dead were one thing, but to see how quick and decisive he was when taking another's life left them entirely speechless.

Just as Teru made it around the bend of a nearby alleyway, the bloodthirsty Brit wasn't too far behind him. Frasier practically leapt through the air with his arm outstretched before grabbing and throwing Teru down into the rough turf. Meanwhile, Noah, Marcus and Miku listened in both shock and absolute horror to Teru's resulting screams; too terrified to actually look and see whatever Frasier was doing to him. Teru tried to beg for mercy as Frasier's two hands reached directly into his mouth, a single hand hooked on the lower jawline while the second grasped the roof of his mouth. Between the sound of angered curses and snarls, the three could hear Teru's desperate garbled pleas for mercy as he tried to resist.

However, there was only a momentary struggle before both of Frasier's hands viciously pulled Teru's mouth in opposite directions. A stomach-twisting *CRACK* rang out that sent chills down the spines of all three petrified teens forced to listen to the eldest Lawson's impromptu execution of his last standing foe. With that horrifying crack of Teru's head virtually being split in half still echoing in their heads, they all three remained glued to where they stood in chilling fear.

The sound of Frasier's footsteps could then be heard growing louder and louder; his figure casually wandering out from the alley like he didn't even recall just butchering four human beings to pieces. Miku, Noah, and Marcus stood there paralyzed from the very thought of what he'd do next. Both his fists clenched tight before slowly releasing what looked like bits of teeth fragments that clattered against the street. The blood that covered his face and sage green jacket slowly became more and more noticeable the closer he came to them. This was the cold blooded killing machine the Lawson brother's father always wanted: no remorse, no regret, and certainly no restraint or mercy to be found in those cold blue eyes.

Frasier soon towered over his siblings when he returned to the morbid scene, his head looking straight while his eyes shifted downwards to address his terrified brothers. Noah and Marcus braced themselves for what should've been the loudest and most traumatizing lecture of a lifetime, expecting Frasier to practically use every curse word his vocabulary could muster up.

However, what happened next was the most unexpected thing they'd ever seen of him. He just remained silent, wrapping his arms around both of them before pulling his little brothers into his chest. The stench of death might've been strong, the sight might've been grisly, but nothing was more overpowering to their senses than to hear the sound of him sniffling, as if Frasier was now genuinely crying of out relief to see his brothers were still alive. The younger Lawson's began to sob themselves as they never thought they'd miss him as much as they did right now. His heartbeat pounded against their ears as he felt warm all over; his slow breathing felt heavy and rough from the explosion of emotions he couldn't hope to repress right now.

"C'mon; let's go home." Frasier then grumbled in a low, yet completely approachable, sigh; not even questioning who Mikuwas or why she was now following them back to the hotel the instant he started walking his brothers back.

"Mind if we bring a friend with us?" Marcus asked hesitantly as he motioned to Miku, who just nervously waved to him when his gaze looked over to her again.

"For now; we can talk about this later. You've been through enough, I'm certain." Frasier acknowledged as all he could care about now was what that his two most vital reasons to live were now safe and back under his immediate protection.

"Well, it's about goddamn time. Can we finally go to the hotel now?" another female voice suddenly called out as Noah and Marcus instantly flinched when they saw Rika had managed to get so close without them hearing her approach at all; almost as if she were a full-blown ninja. Neither of them could even comprehend where the hell she'd even come from; and of course the introduction of a completely new face had them both more than a little on edge.

"Frasier, do you know this woman?" Noah whispered as he seemed rather intimidated by her emotionless stare. The only thing he knew for certain was that she meant business by the way she carried herself, let alone the attire and weapons she had on her that even left him amazed.

"Kind of; apparently she knows Marikawa-sensei, so she's coming back with us. Let's just go home before the dead swarm this place." Frasier answered as he didn't seem too keen on Rika's company either.

The sun continued to rise as its pleasant warmth shone down on the five walking the desolate streets. After spending half the trip filling Frasier in on the details of what had happened over the last two days, Marcus slowly stumbled over from exhaustion, only for Frasier to then assist his walking by holding him up as they walked side by side. Noah smiled to himself to see that even after such a rush from combat, his eldest brother could still come back from it all to remember what truly mattered most to him: family.

After roughly twenty minutes of nonstop walking and no further interruptions, the five survivors approached the blessed familiar sight of the hotel; each one feeling some form of relief knowing that they were finally able to drop their burdens here. Several figures could be seen standing outside watching them, whom the Lawson's could immediately identify as Saeko, Takashi, Saya, Kiriko, Rei, and Kohta; who all most likely were returning from their own search for the missing siblings.

"Frasier-kun; you found them on your own, huh?" Saeko suddenly announced aloud for all to hear before she formed a relieved smile; happy to see that he could finally be at peace,knowing that Frasier could finally settle down after what must've felt like days of nonstop fighting.

"Indeed I have." Frasier said in a rather distant response to the group's swordswoman as he seemed to be distracted by something else entirely.

"So what happened to them? Are they going to be alright?" Kohta asked out of concern when he noticed the cuts and bruises on Noah and Marcus' faces, while still at least feeling relieved the group hadn't lost two of their closest friends.

"From what they shared with me, they were apparently kidnapped by another group. They're safe now though and in one piece; and that's all that matters. They just have a few cuts and bruises; but nothing that could keep a Lawson down." Frasier answered based off what little he'd been told. His confidence showed though, knowing that his brothers were tough enough to fight despite their injuries.

"Damn...well, at least they're safe now; and I'm sure Shizuka-sensei can patch them up no problem." Takashi said as he watched Kiriko helping Marcus walk, allowing Frasier to walk properly now that he didn't have to support his little brother's balance.

"Oh, thank goodness. We were so worried about you two! Let's get you both inside and under some blankets. You poor boys are going to catch your death of cold in soaked clothes like these." Kiriko said out of maternal instinct, feeling bad just for seeing them in such a rough state and overcome with an immediate need to take care of them; both her and Takashi now helping Marcus back inside the hotel where he'd be taken care of.

"And that woman over there; is she a friend of yours or something?" Saeko asked as she peered over at Rika, whom was standing quite close to Frasier; a bit more than to her liking. Whether it was a matter of trust in a stranger or jealousy was quite uncertain.

"This is Rika Minami. She's an officer of the JGSDF, Special Forces Group. Apparently Marikawa-sensei knows her from a long time ago." Frasier answered as he was still uncertain how Shizuka of all people could possibly know a woman like Rika.

"Damn right she'll know me. Oh and here's your little toy back. I just had to be sure that everything was on the up and up. This place looks pretty damn fortified. Did you do all this by yourself?" Rika confirmed before handing him Mark's handgun. She then proceeded to take observation of the defensive constructs this hotel now had.

"Affirmative; while I did have some help putting these barricades together, the overall design was mine. Nothing is getting inside without my knowing about it." Frasier acknowledged as he motioned towards the strategic barriers placed around the hotel's main hub to slow down the undead before then pointing up at the barbed wire looped around on almost all the window sills of the first and second floors.

"Good to know; very impressive actually, for a young man such as yourself anyhow. Care to show me inside or should I help myself?" Rika said as she was genuinely impressed at the display of ingenuity; her tone a little too welcoming for Saeko's taste as she quickly approached them.

"That won't be necessary. He's been out since yesterday and needs to recuperate. I'll show you the place myself." the group's sword wielder intervened, answering for Frasier before volunteering to show Rika around the hotel herself. Before either Frasier or Rika could respond to Saeko, Saya began to look past them before letting out a greatly surprised gasp.

"H-hey! That's Miku Yuuki, isn't it?!" Saya suddenly exclaimed in alarm as Saeko, Rei, and Kohta instantly seemed to notice her as there appeared to be a unanimous look of distrust and disgust amongst them when looking over at her.

"You guys know her?" Frasier questioned as he raised an eyebrow to their alarmed reaction to the girl Noah and Marcus were with.

"Yeah! She's with Koichi Shido's group! What the hell is she doing HERE?!" Rei exclaimed as she demanded to know what was going on; speaking in a very reactionary tone as if feeling threatened by Miku's very presence.

"And who exactly is that?" Frasier asked as he had no idea who they were referring to; but if the others having such a volatile reaction to this strange girl were any indication, he was more than determined to find out.

"Someone you'll NEVER want to meet in your life. Trust me;that man is incredibly dangerous. She was one of his crazy followers last time we met. If there was ever a time for you to trust me, this would be it." Rei answered with deep scorn and resentment hanging from her words; glaring at Miku as she could practically envision Shido's figure standing behind her with that all too chilling smile of his.

"Noah, Marcus said she was a friend of yours; someone that we could trust. He didn't lie to me, did he?" Frasier questioned with a curious hum before he formed an inquisitive look; anxious as to who was telling the truth now.

"Well...I-I mean she technically WAS with them before, but trust me, she's on our side in all this now; she helped us escape from that psycho's clutches." Noah answered as it was quite clear to him lying wasn't a viable option anymore.

"So it is true then...one of them originally, but then she decided out of nowhere to help you escape, huh? Interesting…" Frasier said in a low sigh, slightly cocking his head as his emotionless eyes shifted from Noah all the way over towards Miku, never blinking once. A strange feeling rose in Noah's stomach as he tried to recall where he'd seen that ominous look before.

"That's right. You aren't mad, are you?" Noah replied hesitantly, now feeling quite uneasy when Frasier seemed to be moving closer to her with every word he said; Miku standing there looking at both of them as she was extremely nervous why Frasier was so keenly staring at her without saying a word.

"No, I'm not mad. Just had to be sure is all." Frasier said in a calm voice as he then reached back behind him. Noah suddenly came to the horrid recollection that he was reaching for the handgun at his hip; doing so in the same exact manner he had when he executed that convict.

[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OST - Clash]

"NO!" Noah cried out as he was barely able to dart over in time to push Frasier's right arm aside, a single gunshot ringing out as he had to use all of his might to keep his eldest brother from realigning his aim.

"Noah?! Get off of me! She has to die! She's just a spy for them!" Frasier growled as he began to slowly outmuscle his young brother, steadily aiming again at Miku who stood there completely petrified by the two fighting siblings.

Absolutely refusing to allow Frasier to kill her, Noah suddenly hit him as hard as he possibly could across the jaw. Neither of them expected it, as Frasier dropped the gun to the ground and was sent tumbling to the street with it; rubbing his sore mouth before narrowing his eyes at the fact his little brother just managed to deck him. Noah too realized just how big of a mistake he had made as he could see the fire burning in Frasier's eyes now.

"Stop, please! She's NOT a spy! She wouldn't do that to us, I swear it!" Noah pleaded as tears rolled down his cheeks, knowing he couldn't hold his brother back much longer; unable to even think about grabbing the gun or taking another swing before Frasier could react and swoop up the handgun with no resistance until aiming for Miku again. Noah's little hands then clamped hard around Frasier's thick wrist, pushing up with what remaining energy he had left. A second gunshot went off, ringing in his ears as he felt his vision spin a little from disorientation.

"Shut up! Your emotions and naiveté blinds you from the possibility! Just...get...out...of my way!" Frasier snarled as his temper grew even shorter as he then slowly pried Noah's fingers off of his wrist before taking aim once more.

"No! Don't you dare touch her! You're a soldier, not a killer, Frasier...don't let your fears turn you into a monster! You're better than that!" Noah said as he pushed Frasier's arm straight up, the shot barely curving up in time to miss Miku again as she ducked at the sound in terrified panic.

Without warning, Frasier's free hand suddenly slugged Noah's stomach; causing him to keel over for a second. The pain was so unexpected and he found it hard to get the air back in his lungs. Noah felt spit trickling out past his lips before he had no other choice but to resort to one last move to dissuade Frasier's murderous intent.

As Frasier managed to finally line up yet another shot, he delayed himself from firing when Noah suddenly leapt in with both arms held straight to the sides, his body shielding Miku. Frasier just scowled as his little brother stood there, glaring back with a defiant stare to show he wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Move, Noah…now!" Frasier demanded without any hint of humor in his voice. Both crystal blue eyes glared intensely as Noah shook his head and remained strong by standing his ground.

"I said I wouldn't let you hurt her, Frasier. You still wanna try though? Fine; but you'll have to shoot me first." Noah replied in a huff as he was breathing hard after receiving that rough blow. Nevertheless, he was hell-bent on keeping Miku safe no matter what, even if it meant fighting his own flesh and blood to do it.

"Oh yeah? You really think that's going to stop me?" Frasier said almost out of amusement to this deadly gambit Noah was playing with him now; seeing it almost as a challenge he couldn't back down from. Noah then watched in horror as Frasier pressed the barrel of the handgun against his stomach before moving it around as if searching for something.

"Right there; at this angle, I'll miss your vital organs and the round will have no trouble passing through you and into her. Word of advice: don't ever question how far I'll go to do my job, Noah." Frasier then explained as Noah was genuinely disturbed to hear such words; let alone the fact he was most likely right about the possibility of the bullet being able to penetrate him with minimal damage and kill Miku still. At first Noah was horrified to see how fast it took Frasier to calculate such a shot, let alone show such a display of no remorse to shooting his own family.

"I thought your job was to protect your family at any cost. Is this how you intend to keep me safe? By shooting me because you're so afraid of trusting another survivor? You're pathetic." Noah questioned as he could see the conflict that was now clear as day in Frasier's eyes; hoping that he'd back down when realizing how hypocritical he was acting.

"Shut your fucking gob, Noah. Do you have any idea how obviously this is going to play out? She's one of them, she gains our trust, makes us think she's one of us, then one night she either starts slitting throats or giving this Shido character vital information to bring us down when we least expect it. I won't allow it! I can't allow it!" Frasier growled in barely restrained rage, trying to explain himself as his temper was clearly about to go critical.

"You were able to trust Johann and Hitomi eventually. You seem to be able to trust Takashi's group just fine. Now trust me, your own little brother, and let me show you that Miku Yuuki isn't as bad as you might think. Surely even you believe in redemption, Frasier? You of all people seem in need of it." Noah argued in a stubborn tone as he tried to break through to any sense of faith in his abilities that Frasier might still believe in. If he hadn't fired yet, there must've been something Noah said to delay him.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Move aside and let me do what I must to protect our group." Frasier ordered in a low voice before Noah bowed his head only to slowly shake it once again in disappointment.

"I thought you were above killing innocent people. I guess they were right about you after all. You're just looking out for yourself under the guise of protecting us all. You let paranoia drive your every action, your anger blindly leading you down a path you might one day never be able to return from, and in the end you'll have nothing but your own miserable self to blame for it all." Noah then lectured as he watched Frasier's face boil with anger and frustration; knowing the one thing Frasier absolutely detested was when his motives were brought into question.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!" Frasier suddenly bellowed out as he fired a single shot, the trigger squeezed hard as Noah and Miku's eyes widened from shock as there was then just a flash of light from the muzzle of the handgun.

Both looked down at their torsos, and then at each other to see if they'd been hit. Between his aggressive roar and the gunshot that quickly followed, both flinched and didn't hear the nearby car window shatter from Frasier diverting his aim at the last second before taking a random shot out of impulse and rage. Frasier's arm remained extended as the smoke from the barrel slowly fumed up into the air. His breathing was heavy as Noah and Miku watched how red in the face he was before calming down long enough to holster the weapon at his side.

"Just get inside. We'll talk about this without a bloody audience peering down on us, Noah." Frasier then warned before he stormed off and retreated into the hotel to hear more about this so called Shido that had now placed everyone so on edge.

[]

Everyone else who had just witnessed that volatile confrontation stood there, completely shaken in awe from the sudden conflict between siblings boiling down to one nearly shooting the other. However, it wasn't long before they all regained their nerve and began to follow Frasier back into the hotel without saying so much as a peep; all knowing that there was bound to be more tension when Noah and Marcus would eventually explain what had happened to them, and why someone from Shido's group was openly traveling with them, let alone the fact she was actually being let in and so willfully protected by Noah.

Before heading inside herself, Miku stopped at the doors, spurring Noah to turn and face her to see what was wrong. An atmosphere of doubt practically emanating from her was all he needed to know she didn't feel safe at all staying with them and for good reason too, seeing how off the handle Frasier was just moments ago.

"I don't think this will work. They'll never trust me, Noah-kun. I'll be alright…please, just go on without me." Miku said with great doubt and fear, completely terrified of his older brother after what had just happened.

"I know it won't happen overnight, but everyone, Frasier included, will eventually see you the way I do. Please, just give it a chance. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Noah explained as Miku still had some of her doubts reserved, but yet she couldn't help but believe in him. She leaned in and gently kissed his lips unexpectedly before he took her hand gently and walked her into the hotel lobby to see the others in his group; knowing that he couldn't let anything happen to his sweetheart now that she was finally free from Shido's toxic influence.

As they entered into the lobby, Hitomi shot Noah a friendly smile to show her personal relief to see him still kicking it before she locked the doors behind them to secure the perimeter. Without giving him a moment to catch his breath, Frasier suddenly pulled Noah over by his wrist before anyone could take notice as they were focused on Marcus being taken care of by Shizuka.

"You keep your mouth shut and you listen good, got it? I've already come to a conclusion about her. She can stay with us for now, but heed my words, Noah: if this Miku bitch so much as looks the wrong direction, shows any hint of betraying us, or gives me virtually any reason to suspect her of anything, I WILL kill her, and there will be NOTHING you can do to stop me. Even if you have the balls to get between us again, I'll just shoot you in both your kneecaps. I intend to bring you and Marcus back home alive, whether on your own two feet or by a stretcher. It's your choice." Frasier forewarned as his voice was low and threatening as always, but the intent he had made it even more intimidating than usual.

"Got it." Noah gently muttered as he slowly nodded to show that he acknowledged Frasier's conditions for letting Miku stay.

"Do you? Because you should also know that if you're wrong here, then whatever happens to us, whoever is hurt or killed because you didn't listen to me; that will all be on YOU. Hope you can live with that kind of guilt and failure, Noah. Dismissed." Frasier questioned in a low growl with strong doubt lingering within his words, looming over Noah before pulling away to wash the dried up blood from his hands and face. Noah meanwhile felt himself breathing hard from the thick tension as the possibility of Frasier being right now gripped at his heart before looking back to Miku, who had no idea what the two just went over; although given his expression, it wouldn't be hard to take a wild guess.

Marcus meanwhile was lying on a couch with Shizuka; the nurse more focused than ever to make sure none of his cuts were in need of stitching up. Her soft, caring hands gently guided up and down near his wounds; not even noticing that Rika had come into the lobby herself and was now slowly walking up behind her.

"Ahem, I don't suppose you'd know where my best friend would be?" Rika said with a sly smirk, speaking so softly, yet Shizuka's head immediately sprung up as she couldn't believe what she just heard.

The ditzy blonde slowly turned around just in time to see what must've looked like a ghost to her. Without warning, the entire hotel was practically filled with a grown woman's excited squeal before she jumped up only to slightly tower over Rika, wrapping her arms tight around the SFGp sniper only to squeeze as hard as possible; tears of pure joy flowing down her cheeks as Rika couldn't help but embrace the overwhelming affection of their reunion.

"Oh my goodness, Rika; it really is you! I was so worried about you when the phone died on me back at the estate! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Shizuka squealed as Rika just stood there and chuckled at how emotionally worked up her friend was getting; although she appreciated it all the same and felt herself smiling more than ever because of it.

"And yet you stayed alive all on your own. I'm so proud of you, Zu-Zu." Rika said in a proud sigh as she held Shizuka closer to her; feeling a million times better now knowing that she was able to protect her dearest friend.

"Pfft, haha! Zu-Zu? Who came up with that ridiculous nickname?" Marcus suddenly chuckled as he couldn't help but cackle at the rather adorable name for the well-endowed nurse who blushed a soft red at his laughter and playful teasing.

"I did. Got a problem with that, kid?" Rika said in an unamused growl as she stared straight down at him; watching him instantly stop laughing and falling silent.

"Er, no...not at all, ma'am!" Marcus stammered nervously as Rika then just grinned at how intimidated he seemed to be by her.

"Rika, be nice to him! He's hurting, you know! The poor dear has been out there with his little brother for nearly two days now!" Shizuka whined as if having to reel in her friend from going off on Marcus for something so harmless.

"Besides, he wouldn't be able to put up a fight against you, you big meanie!" Shizuka then teased as Marcus grumbled to himself; thinking that Rika didn't seem so tough at first glance, as if actually confident that he could take her one on one if he wasn't so tired and beaten already.

"You're no fun, Zu-Zu, but fine. I'll let him go with a warning this time." Rika responded with a sigh before passive aggressively tussling Marcus' hair as if intentionally trying to mess it up just to peeve him.

"So Rika, just how was it that you were able to find me?" Shizuka then pondered aloud as she was quite curious to see how Rika, even given her military talents, could track her down in the middle of an infested city.

"Yeah, what miracle allowed you to find our group?" Marcus sarcastically added as it was quite clear he didn't really approve of Shizuka's overly defensive friend who just glared at him before she looked around the lobby.

"Your leader over there, the tall one with blue eyes. Put up a bit of a fight before telling me though." Rika answered before pointing over to Frasier who was now sitting alone in the corner while cleaning his combat knife.

"Is that so? Ohhhhh Ffffrrrraassiieerr!" Shizuka pondered softly before letting out a gentle coo that instantly caught his attention more out of surprise than curiosity; putting his knife away before realizing she was towering over him with a rather mischievous look on her face.

"What is it?" Frasier asked as he tried to remain completely calm; uncertain what could possess those big yellow eyes to be staring at him with such intrigue.

"I hear you brought my best friend here. You have no idea how happy you've just made me. I think you deserve to be rewarded for your efforts." Shizuka said as she leaned over him, her massive chest pressing against his arm as he simply shook his head in response.

"No need to thank me. Your friend appears to be quite skilled in combat, so her being here is actually a valuable asset to me." Frasier said dismissively as he tried to casually ignore the fact her insane chest felt extremely soft pressing again his elbow.

"Oh, but I must insist that I reward you for being such a good boy. Maybe later when you bathe I can join you!" Shizuka suddenly whispered into his ears in a seductive sigh, her warm breath going down the side of his neck before one of her hands trailed up his thigh. Both of Frasier's eyes widened out of surprise as he practically jumped out of his seat out of embarrassment. If no one was watching the scene at first, then they were certainly watching now when they could see Frasier practically backing away with a nervous look to him they'd never seen before.

"Oh, that's not necessary! That's DEFINITELY not be necessary!" Frasier stammered out flustered as he backed up into Hitomi's path, who smirked to herself knowing that Shizuka must've said something lustful to have him acting like such a complete spaz. Knowing his reactions were too much to pass up on, she put her foot out and watched him stumble and trip onto his rear.

Without any time to react, Shizuka practically pounced on top of him. Her long legs wrapped around his body as she leaned over and started planting her lips all over his cheeks and neck. Knowing that he couldn't fight back or retaliate against her the way he naturally would, Frasier had no choice but to accept his humiliating fate; listening to everyone else giggling or laughing at how powerless he was to stop Shizuka from showing some appreciation for his deed. Even Marcus, who naturally should've been jealous beyond reason, was laughing at the sight; knowing it was completely worth it to see Frasier truly helpless and humiliated before the people he'd so desperately tried to keep in line.

"Okay, listen, as much fun as this is; we would all really like to hear where you two have been. We've all been worried sick about you." Rei brought up to Marcus and Noah directly; effectively silencing everyone else in the lobby as it was quite clear their curiosity for the two Lawson's misadventure was something they just had to hear now; especially if it would explain their least welcome new arrival Miku.

"Oh...right. Well, can you give us a minute? It's been pretty rough for us while we were gone." Marcus said as he looked over at Noah, knowing that he'd be somewhat hesitant to already be talking about their situation openly.

It was only minutes later that he and Marcus were sitting in the center of the room, sitting in their favorite chairs as they began to recollect and detail everything that had happened to them. Everyone was keenly listening in and completely silent while trying to imagine all the terrible things that they must've went through when looking over their injuries.

"These people; their leader's name was Shido; sharp dressed man, real smooth talker, real cult of personality type. He was real friendly at first, but that tune changed rather quickly when we tried to leave. He's amassed a group of roughly forty survivors, and they've all taken refuge in Fujimi Academy. Aside from having a decent setup of supplies and defenses, he's managed to procure the arsenal of firearms and munitions we didn't take from Buck and Joe's cabin site. In short, there's a mad man out there with a personal militia ready to do whatever he asks of them, and he may or may not know where we are." Marcus proceeded to explain as he could see the more he went on, the more this was gripping at the whole group's hearts and fears, Takashi's group especially feeling the worst of it; knowing their former foe was still a lingering threat that had only become twice as dangerous over time.

"Umm, it's not just that. There's something else that's very important...Rei, we found someone being held there. I don't know how to sugar coat this, so I'm just going to say it. Your father was there: Tadashi Miyamoto, and he's being held captive as we speak. There's no telling though how long he'll last,knowing Shido's short temper." Noah began to nervously explain as he was uncertain how to tactfully explain Tadashi's fate to his family; well aware of the emotional fallout it would cause amongst them.

"Is there any way you can prove this? He would've given you a sign or something. Please, we want to trust you, but we need to know to be sure." Kiriko suddenly asked as she seemed to be completely on edge after hearing such a serious claim. Rei meanwhile sat there completely stunned to hear any word of her father, let alone the dire situation he was now in. Noah reluctantly nodded in response, reaching into his pocket before handing her his badge.

"My God...t-that's his badge alright. Oh, Tadashi..." Kiriko softly muttered as she held it to her heart. Several tears trailed down her cheeks as Rei on the other hand seemed to be filled with both anger and determination; her hands clenching into fists to the point her knuckles were turning white. Noticing the sudden air of intensity this reveal had provoked within her, Johann silently tried to reach out to her to help her come back to reality, but like a shot she was out of her chair and bolting for the door to the stairwell. She began to walk down the stairs, Takashi and Saeko quickly following after her.

"Rei, where are you going?" Takashi asked as he lightly grasped her wrist only for her to abruptly pull away with a fierce look in her red eyes.

"Where do you think? I'm going there and I'm going to get my father back!" Rei exclaimed, making it quite clear she wasn't going to let anything in this city stand in the way of reuniting with her father now after all this time.

"You can't go alone, not against so many! We have to coordinate a plan or something before we just rush into the fray head on. Getting ourselves killed…or worse isn't going to change Tadashi-san's situation." Takashi warned as Rei seemed to be completely infuriated that she was once again being told to stay put now of all times.

"I can't just stay here! We all went out to look for Noah-san and Marcus-san! Why can't we go find my dad when we know EXACTLY where he is?! This is such bullshit...!" Rei fumed as she felt completely betrayed at how nobody else was speaking up on her behalf, not even her own mother who she thought would support this idea. She just stood there with a somber, even emotionally desperate expression on her face.

"That's exactly why we can't go now! We only have a vague idea of what's waiting for us over there, and it isn't looking good for us; let alone the fact we're all tired from searching today. Rei, please, just think what would happen if that freak managed to catch us and have us at his mercy? What then?" Takashi argued as he attempted to have Rei seriously reconsider her plan of attack; that if she were to fail, it would be catastrophic for all of them.

"I-I...Takashi...please...help me...I've come so far now, I can't just wait..." Rei pleaded in a weak mumble, hardly able to keep her sobs silent as she needed some reassurance that all would be alright in the end for her family.

"It's gonna be okay...we just need someone to...to…" Takashi began to say in a soft whisper before he suddenly went completely silent; his eyes closing shut before he collapsed on the staircase before Rei.

"Oh crap, did he just blackout again?" Johann asked out of concern as he peeked into the stairwell and saw Takashi's unconscious body; instantly recalling how Rei told him that he had a similar incident about a few nights ago.

'Komuro-kun...what's going on with you?' Saeko thought to herself as she knelt beside him, trying to hold him upright; her heart filled with concern as her mind didn't know how to handle this baffling situation while Shizuka came rushing down to investigate.

"He's breathing, but he's unconscious nonetheless. Best we get him into a bed." Shizuka analyzed before deciding how they should handle his unknown condition; knowing she'd have to examine him to have the faintest idea of what was going on with him.

The rest of the group silently stood there out of uncertainty for Takashi's fate, only for Frasier to suddenly let out genuine laughter. What made it strange was it wasn't his usual chuckle on the rare occurrence that he'd find something to be funny, but rather uncontrollable laughter that could only send terrified chills down their spines; his face expressing what could only be interpreted as twisted joy for the whole situation.

"What the hell could you possibly be laughing at?" Saya demanded to know as she spoke in a firm tone; glaring at him with unease in her words as he continued to laugh before shifting his attention towards her to answer in a more composed manner.

"Oh, nothing, just that this Shido person and his little cult are all going to feel quite foolish when they figure it out." Frasier softly replied as he tried to restrain that ominous laughter long enough to answer the nervous teen who could only narrow her eyes as she tried to think what he could've possibly meant by that.

"F-Figure what out?" Noah asked out of concern for Frasier; the rest of them looking back and forth amongst each other, uncertain what was going to happen now between the two rival groups, watching as Frasier then spoke in a low growl, his accent thicker than ever, his crystal blue eyes never blinking once when he finally answered after what felt like an eternal pause of anticipation.

"They're fucking with the wrong people."