Chapter 8- Seiya, the Handsome Boy

Standing amidst the carnage of zombie bodies, in a run-down store, Seiya felt something familiar. The girl that stood in front with the kindest eyes, with a smile that could melt million hearts, Seiya felt a sense of déjà vu. Those odangos...

"Get away from her. No thanks to you, we had to fight." The butch blonde waved her bloody katana and hissed her words.

The odangogirl quickly stepped in and held the butch back. She turned and extended her hand, accompanied with, once again, the friendliest smile Seiya had ever laid eyes on. "Hi, my name is Usagi. This is Haruka and this is Mako. Are you alone?"

Seiya took her hand and felt little sparks of electricity flowing between them. The warmth in that hand stirred something deep inside. Ba-dum. The heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, the forgotten memory came and tears welled up in Seiya's eyes. "It was you...it was you that saved me two months ago."

"What?!" Usagi's eyes widened.

"When all hell broke loose, everyone was just out looking after themselves. I never expected any kindness from a stranger, but you showed me more than kindness. You gave me hope." Seiya wiped some tears away, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I am sorry, but I don't remember you..." Usagi apologized.

"Remember at the Ozeki supermarket? Everyone was raiding the store, and a big guy held a knife to my throat and took my bag. You saw the whole thing. Anyway, in the frenzy, I was knocked over and almost got stomped to death by the crowd. You came out
of nowhere and pulled me to safety. Then, you split your loot in half and gave them to me. I didn't even get a chance to say thank you, but you were gone in a flash. All I remembered was your odongo hair."

Usagi blushed profusely and laughed. "Oh, I remember you. Sorry, I had to get back to my little sister so I was in a rush. That was a crazy stampede, wasn't it?"

"Hate to interrupt this little reunion, Usagi, but we are on a tight schedule if we want to make it back within two days. We need to find a place to hunker down for the night and then go back tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Seiya." Mako gathered up
all the materials she needed and dropped them into her duffle bag.

"Come to my dump. Ever since my brothers died, I am just by myself. I haven't talked to anyone in ages, my voice felt weird." Seiya offered generously.

Haruka and Mako looked at each other, worried and hesitant.

"It's not far from here. I promise I won't bite." Seiya winked at Usagi.

Caught off guard by how flirty Seiya was, Usagi blushed again. Haruka immediately stepped in between the two. "Fine. If you try anything, I will personally drive this thing into your head. Got it?"

"Same goes for you. If you try anything or steal anything, I will fight back with all I got." Seiya smirked. "I have gotten quite good at fighting. Come, Usagi, I will be your bodyguard."

The sun was starting to set when the group exited the mall and head toward Seiya's place.


Seiya took off the jacket and plopped down on the bed. "So, welcome to my place. Nothing much to see. The water bucket on the balcony is for washing. It's rain water, so I wouldn't drink directly from it."

Usagi looked around and felt sadness welling up inside of her. She could see pictures of Seiya's brothers everywhere.

"Taki and Yaten. They used to do the runs themselves and they didn't let me go out. I was the youngest and they were protective. That was what got them killed. I could've helped..." Seiya got up from the bed and picked up one of the pictures.

"I am so sorry. You have no one else?"

Seiya shook his head sadly. "We came to Tokyo, just the three of us last year. My parents still lived in Canada. There is no way to know if they are alive or not."

Usagi looked at Seiya and then she looked at Haruka. "Maybe you can come with us? Haruka?"

"Hell no!"

"Usagi, I would follow you wherever you go and I would protect you. However, I don't think I can live with this ogre..." Seiya chuckled while pointing at Haruka.

With her face flushed red with anger, Haruka slammed down her fist. Mako quickly stepped in before it escalated.

"One more person does mean one more fighter. Seiya, how many zombies have you killed? How many people have you killed and why? Answer those and we will decide if you are a good fit for our family."

Seiya looked at the tall girl and thought for a moment. "A few dozen zombies. As for people, two. My brothers. They were turning and they asked me to kill them before they became monsters. Also, if I do join you guys, you will have a good connection to
the trading post."

"THE trading post?" Usagi asked. She did hear rumors about it when she was living with Chibiusa. She had also heard some terrible stories about that place. Certainly not a place for girls...

"You bring in food or other essential items to the Juban shopping district. They will trade base on the values of your items. I know the four guys that are running the post." Seiya's face turned serious. "Okay.I am going to let you in on a secret, as
my show of faith...don't think I am doing this for you, Haruka..."

Seiya stood up and unbutton his shirt. The bindings were visible now...

Usagi gasped. "You are a girl?" She still couldn't tear her eyes away from the handsome stranger. Half naked, with stunning abs. Usagi felt her heart racing...she quickly looked away when she caught Seiya's smirk.

"Like what you see?" Seiya let out another laugh when Usagi's face couldn't possibly get any redder.

"Anyway, my brothers were actually my sisters. We were already dressed as men before the apocalypse hit. We were discovered by this idol agency and they wanted us to pull off this gender-neutral look and be the next greatest boy band. Anyway, it was a
convenient way to protect ourselves during an apocalypse. For the trading post, I've seen desperate girls and women selling their bodies in order to trade with those guys. It was horrible. They knew they had the power because they had everything from
bullets to fuels." Seiya stuck up her nose in disgust.

Haruka was silent for a good while. Finally, she turned to Mako and Usagi, "if you guys feel like you can trust Seiya, then we can bring her in."

Usagi's face beamed and she ran over and gave Haruka a big hug. "I do. We should all stick together, I hate leaving anyone behind. It's horrible to be alone."

"The things I do for you, princess..." Haruka rubbed her temples. She gave Seiya another dirty look when Seiya smirked again. "What?"

"Looks like I have competition..." Seiya said as she put a hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"Haruka? No way..she has a wife, who is sooooooooo gorgeous by the way..." Usagi laughed.

"Oh, Seiya, do you think they will have medical equipment at the post? Ami mentioned that one of her equipment was broken and she needed a new one." Mako slapped a hand on her forehead, suddenly remembering her girlfriend's request.

"They said they have everything. I wouldn't be surprised. Although I would rather go raid a hospital then deal with those guys again." Seiya plopped down back on the bed and propped her head up.

Haruka sighed. "We need to get back tomorrow or they are going to come out to look for us. Raiding a hospital would need a lot of planning. Let's just go over there and see if they have it and what they want for as trade."

"In that case..." Seiya hooked a hand under her shirt and pulled out the binding. She threw it at Haruka, which caused Haruka to flinch in disgust.

"Ew, it's still warm."

"Butch up, Haruka. Tomorrow, we are going to take the motorcycles downstairs and we will go to the post. Best to leave the girls out of it. I hope you know how to ride one...if not, I am gonna have to teach you." Seiya said smugly.

Haruka rolled her eyes hard. "I used to be a racer. I might need to give you a few pointers..."

So, the two bois continued to bicker and argue late into the night. Usagi and Mako got bored of watching them and they retired to the couch. It was only the sight of Mako cuddling with Usagi that finally stopped those two.

Usagi had her eyes closed but her heart was still racing. She had a terrible feeling about tomorrow's side trip, but she kept it to herself. She could only hope that the rumors weren't true...