Author's note: So very sorry for the super long hiatus. I just lost the will to continue and was working on a bunch of other things as well. This episode gets a little smutty, just so you know. Enjoy.
Saeko awoke with a start, her heart racing, patting herself all over her body and scanning the area frantically like a character from a horror movie. The room was undisturbed, the electricity still functional with the air conditioner giving off a light hum. She was back in Ryuji's room.
"Great, you're awake." Ryuji chuckled. He was wearing an apron and had a platter with a glass of green tea and a small steaming pot of egg congee in his hands. Shizuka was sitting next to the bed with a fresh change of clothes.
Saeko flung the blanket off and tackled him with an embrace, crying her eyes out and nearly knocking the pot out of his hands and on to him. "I-I…watched you get tortured…..a-an-and I killed you…Oh god, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…" her words were lost in tears again. Her tears and snot left stains all over his shirt, but she didn't care. Saeko sobbed into his chest, taking deep breaths of his scent in, hugging him close as if to ascertain he was not just another figment of her imagination or a drug-induced hallucination.
"Shhh, shhhh, it's okay, it's okay." He whispered, planting soft pecks on her face. He took her hand and pressed it against his face, allowing her to feel his warmth and confirm that the nightmare within a nightmare was now truly over. "I'm alive. I'm right here." He continued kissing her, this time the palm and the fingertips. After several kisses on her lips and soft fondling, she finally calmed down.
Shizuka handed her a box of tissues to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.
"I'm sorry you had to see that. Thank you." Saeko apologized as she accepted the tissues and sat in front of the pot. The smell of bonito broth made her stomach rumble, complaining to hurry up.
"It's fine. You weren't as bad as others I've seen that have gone through similar methods."
"How long was I unconscious? And what exactly was I administered?"
"You were out for 48 hours." Shizuka answered.
"And that was a cocktail of drugs which is a pretty lengthy list that you do not want to hear. But long story short, it brings out your innermost fears, and makes you experience it in the worst way possible."
So that's what those hallucinations meant. But thinking back on it, it made sense. She was afraid of herself, her blinding lust for blood, and its volatile nature when it sets in.
"I did ask Michaela to lower the dosage and dilute the solution since it's your first time. She did, but only by a tenth of what I asked. It was strong enough to easily kill you through shock or cardiac arrest or turn you into a vegetable. You actually survived, and you're conscious, so congratulations. I'm actually impressed."
"Thank you….I guess." Saeko took the spoon in her hand, but she was forced to use both hands to keep it from slipping out of her fingers.
"Oh, yeah, there are temporary side effects, one of them being general fatigue, some numbness and slowed reaction time, but you're athletic so you should be fine after a day or so." Taking the spoon from her, he dipped it into the pot and held it out to her. Saeko chewed on her lower lip, apprehensive at being spoon fed literally like an infant, but her stomach that had been empty for the last two days continued to growl louder, compelling her to swallow the congee along with her pride.
"So, what exactly did you see?"
After a long pause chewing on her lip, she sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"We won't force you, but it's easier to process when you just talk about it in my experience."
"Woman," Ryuji said as he shook his head in disappointment at her lack of confidence in him, "I've lived the mercenary life since I could remember, a long chapter that involves bio-organic weapons and an even longer one as a freelancer. I've seen so much fucked up shit in my life, I promise nothing you say can offend me or freak me out."
"It's….well, I..." Saeko started fidgeting around, the images of his torture, the pain she suffered, everything still freshly emblazoned in her mind.
"It's okay, take your time." Shizuka assured her softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I saw you….being tortured."
"Oh, really?" He was unimpressed. "I've been tortured before. I'm basically Deadpool minus the cancer, and it hurts, but that's basically it. It wasn't as bad as drills that Michaela put us through periodically. I mean, the worst I had was getting my leg stung by desert scorpions. That was hell. Was that it?"
"No. I was….also tortured. I don't remember much about that. And then, there was a part where we were fighting. Trying to kill each other. I killed you. Drunk on bloodlust, I killed you. Took your head off."
"Oh. Wow, okay. I stand corrected. Damn. Me getting killed, huh? Well it's not impossible."
"But….what does it mean?"
"I'm not the one with a PhD in psychology. Or a medical degree for that matter. Nurse? Any professional input you can squeeze in?"
"Mmmm….not really, actually." Shizuka said with a frown. "I didn't go through all the training to do therapy to get my degree, so….but, I can assume that your fear is loss of self-control. It's….basically your psychological crutch."
"That doesn't sound too far off the mark." Saeko admitted, accepting another spoonful of congee in her mouth. "Mm….this is…good. Who made this?"
"Me. You're welcome, by the way." Ryuji winked.
"I never knew you were good at cooking." She commented as she ate. There was a hint of ground ginger in it that pricked her tongue every now and then.
"I picked up after mom, Vector and Michaela. Everyone else can do basic stuff every now and then, but sometimes basic doesn't cut it. We like our fancy home cooked meals as much as we do fancy restaurant-served ones."
"You learned from them?"
"And Gordon Ramsay, yeah."
"Who's Gordon Ramsay?"
"He—-" Ryuji stopped himself, completely forgetting that overseas subculture is not something Saeko was well-versed in. As a last resort, he turned to Shizuka with a pleading look.
"I don't know either."
"Goddammit….I swear, I need to get you two up to speed on my references. We're having a Netflix and Youtube marathon when we get back. And I'm going to introduce you to facebook." Once she had finished eating, Ryuji committed to stroking her cheeks, her hair and under her chin. In fact, he heard her purr softly. Purr, like a cat would.
Why did she have to be so damn beautiful and adorable at the same time?
Feeling a switch flip inside himself, Ryuji set the bowl aside and kissed her, pushing her down on the bed. Saeko let out a muffled yelp, but soon gave in, letting his tongue venture in her mouth, his hands gently running along her thighs and braless breasts over the fabric of a loose-fitting tanktop. She even felt a knee gently rubbing against her crotch, two fingers caressing her earlobe. Her hand instinctively reached for his pants, ready to massage his already hardened crotch area.
"You're welcome to join too, you know?" Ryuji said as he sat upright on his knees with an inviting glance towards Shizuka, a naughty grin spreading on his face.
"Wha….I….um….." Shizuka's face rapidly went red as she continued to stammer incoherently.
"Saeko, you wouldn't mind sharing, would you?"
"Not at all. He is quite skilled."
"Ummm….okay, just a little bit though. I do have a roommate that's also….well, we're kind of….friends with benefits, and she says it's okay, but, you know, considering this situation we're in…" She continued to go on and on, but Ryuji silenced her lips with his fingers.
"Okay, I got it. You're welcome to stop me any time." They may have roughly a decade-wide age gap, but Shizuka did find him attractive. Not that she would have acted on it, but now, without any social inhibitors, it felt bizarre, but in a good kind of way.
"This feels kinda weird, doing it with a student…" Shizuka whispered as she sat down next to him, her eyes trying desperately not to meet the former student's gaze.
"What, does it remind you of a porno flick you saw?" Shizuka couldn't help but laugh at that, but it was a nervous laugh, because he was right on the money. He definitely knew that, because the grin only widened some more.
They started taking tentative pecks at each other's face; the nose, brow line, and above the clavicle. But within a minute, their lips met, and their heat immediately began rising. One hand traveled along her spine and lost itself in her long blonde hair while the other hovered around her navel, tickling her with his fingertips. After a full minute, they separated.
"Whoa…..Best kiss ever, I think."
"My my. You, nurse, are very good at twirling your tongue around."
"Ahem." Saeko tugged at his shirt and cleared her throat. "I believe I require some attention as well."
"True, you are the patient here."
"Knock knock," Michaela chimed as she poked her head in through the door and saw Saeko and Ryuji mid-kiss while Shizuka sat beside them. "Oh….well, then."
"Seriously? Now? You're doing this to me now?" Ryuji peeled his lips off of her, growling as he glared at Michaela with a devilish grin.
"I could say the same to you. Let her recover, for crying out loud. And stop seducing my student, horn-dog."
"It's just kissing, you Aryan cock-blocker. Do you see any coitus happening right now?"
"The way you kiss is far superior to plain sex, and I know you know that. You also have chores to do. Make your rounds outside with Vladimir. Take her with you too, just for a quick rehab. Also, I don't mind you employing the carrot and stick method, but make sure you apply the stick part as well. And I don't mean your cock."
"Alright, fine! Jeez."
"Good. You have fifteen minutes. Also, I have something for your sweetheart." As Michaela revealed herself in the doorway, she held out the sword Vector had confiscated from Saeko. "You owe me big for this. I'm giving this to you only because I won a bet with Vector, and if you want to keep this, you're going to have to work for it. This is a loan and not a transferal. Not yet, at least. Understood?"
"Yes. Thank you very much." Saeko sighed silently as she ran her hands across the length of the beautifully crafted blade which had very quickly become an extension of herself like a limb. With it, she felt…..complete again.
Vladimir was already waiting downstairs calibrating his goggles. "My turn for a run now, hm. Reminds me of the KGB and FSB lapdog days. Karena, what exactly am I supposed to be looking for?"
"Here's the list. If you need anything else, you are free to take them, but the items on the list take priority. Beltway will take point from here. Take the car our ignorant former attackers were using." The dinner table had an assortment of weapons laid out, ready for use. Vladimir was fitting a Springfield M1A1 with a high power scope and the included bayonet along with his side arm H&K pistol with a suppressor and several magazines of ammunition.
"Wait, how's the stack gonna work?"
"Arrowhead form. You'll be on either edge."
Ryuji frowned at Vladimir's words and looked towards his mother for support, but she shook her head silently. "Oh, fine. Be that way." Choosing the P-14 as his side arm along with accessories and extra ammunition, he picked up a quiver full of carbon fiber arrows and a compound bow.
Saeko frowned as she stared hard at the weapons lined up on the table. Considering the laws in Japan, barely a handful of civilians come across the opportunity to fire a gun, let alone touch one. She herself was finally getting used to the M37 revolver, but as for the criteria to choose a weapon, she was utterly clueless.
"Here, take this one." Ryuji snapped a Beretta up, fitted it with a light and laser pointer and loaded a round into the chamber before handing it to her. "Beretta 92FS. One of the easiest semi-automatic handguns to use in the market. Keep the revolver holstered until you lose gun itself or run out. And make sure you don't toss the mags, okay?"
"Understood."
Once the run-team had prepared to depart, they embraced the ones staying behind and set off. They were in luck. Due to the cacophony going on elsewhere, the herd of infected was thin, enough to ram through with a car. "Ryuji, you drive." Vladimir whispered.
"I thought you'd never ask."
"I would like to call shotgun." Saeko muttered into her earpiece.
"And so you have." Getting into the car left outside the safe house, Vladimir opened the sunroof from the back seat, serving as the lookout while Ryuji drove. The car violently rattled as it ran over the infected, creating a staccato of squelching and snapping sounds.
"Your mother mentioned something about a stack and an arrowhead. What does that mean?"
"Standard formation of a three-person team. You make a triangle, hence arrowhead. Person in the front is the person taking point. That's you. Vladimir and I will be behind you, covering your blind spots and our six."
Hector's voice crackled over the man-pack radio Vladimir had on his back which he then relayed to Ryuji, shifting course as needed. "This car is absolute shit." Vladimir grumbled.
"It's a hybrid car, it's made to be efficient so horsepower is the last thing to expect from this thing. Plus it's not stick."
"Oye muchachos, you're almost there. Take a left, one click ahead." As the car swung around the corner, the shopping mall that the Wolfpack landed the helicopter on came into view.
"Wait, you guys landed here?"
"You'd be surprised to see the stuff they have here. They have a DIY store, sports equipment, wood, power tools, and so on. Hector, anyone in there?"
"Oh yeah. I'm seeing….ten, no eleven heat signatures. Ooh, one of them's a cop in uniform. Aside from her there's only two people who have anything remotely resembling a weapon. But they should be smart enough to pick something up somewhere."
Parking the car near the emergency exit, Ryuji ushered Saeko out, signaling her to wait at the top of the stairs.
"What's the play then?" Vladimir asked over the radio once he confirmed Saeko was out of earshot.
"Vladimir, have our new girl clear the place." Karena's voice cut in. "She needs to accustom herself as quickly as possible."
"And so we shall. She's taking point so this should be a good field test."
"I'll convince her, she'll listen to me. If not….well, there's some things that she likes that I can postpone."
"Try not to take too many chances. You are only very hard to kill, not invincible."
"D'accord. I'll call you when we're about to leave. Over and out." Getting out of the car, they caught up with Saeko who was waiting outside the doorway, Glock in hand. Although still stiff, she silently signaled the back of the door and the vicinity of the entrance is clear. "Vladimir, what's on the list?"
"Some toiletries, medication, a lot of bandages, carbon fiber arrows and bowstrings, portable stoves and gas canisters, wires, rope, toothbrushes, air duster, oil spray, grease, stain remover, and chemical fertilizer. An oddly specific order for brand and maker, I might add."
"Fertilizer?" Saeko frowned in confusion.
"Oh yeah, uh, that's for Hector. It depends on the type, but most chemical fertilizers have ammonium nitrate in it. Mix that with fuel oil, and you got yourself an instant explosive. Nitromethane makes the best kind, to be more specific, with a 4:6 ratio. Prep it with a primer, and it does depend on how much but it should be enough to blow a car to pieces. You can also make napalm from a mixture of styrofoam with soap and lighter fluid."
"….I see…" That was all she could manage.
"Ah, never mind. I forgot. You're more of a humanities person. Your expectations for yourself are too damn high for the math and science." With a slightly mean grin, Saeko turned away with a pouty face. It was true. While she is under no means a simpleton, chemistry was not a subject she excelled at. "Oh….Saeko, heads up. Twelve o'clock. Knife in left."
Immediately responding to his voice, Saeko's fingers tightened around the knife hilt and Glock. A young woman in uniform, a police officer, stood a dozen or so meters away, and spotted Saeko while Ryuji and Vladimir stayed out of sight around the corner. Holding her hands up to show she meant no harm, the officer tried to communicate. "It's….It's okay! I'm a police officer, you're safe here! My senior's gone off to get help so just――" Her words were cut off as her eyes rolled in their sockets and she slumped to the floor.
The air behind her shimmered as Ryuji materialized seemingly out of nowhere with a sigh loud enough for Saeko to hear. Placing his right hand on the officer's left cheek and left hand on the right side of her head, he twisted the head, hard. With a snap like a dead branch breaking, the officer was dead.
"Ryuji, what did Karena say about maintaining formation?"
"The hell was I supposed to do?" Ryuji raised his tone slightly, clearly offended by Vladimir's rebuke. "Saeko showed no indication of shooting her even remotely. Even without the gun, with a guard that low, she coulda gotten close enough to cut her down with a knife or her sword but noooooo. She fucking hesitated." Taking the cuffs, baton and gun from the deceased officer's utility belt, he hoisted the body up onto his shoulders like a bale of hay and returned in about three minutes.
"You do realize that she has never killed anything aside from moving corpses, right?" Vladimir asked as he inspected the condition of the weapons they had commandeered.
"Of course," Ryuji snorted, and immediately turned around to face Saeko, his hand gripping her shoulder tightly. "I told you before: I like my women strong, spontaneous and without hesitation. Your performance before we reached the safe house…that was the kind incredible woman I saw. What happened? If you can't do what's necessary when it counts, you put everyone at risk."
Although she did her best to not give away that she was in pain, Saeko let out a small whimper as the pressure in her shoulder increased.
"Anyone like I saw just now has no place with us. I don't want to have to clean up another woman's body." Unlike at the safe house, Saeko did not feel goosebumps on her skin. Instead, the threatening whisper made her shudder and break out in a cold sweat. Her throat closed up. Ryuji's face was covered by the gasmask but this one time Saeko was glad for it. If she had seen his face now, she was sure that the fear radiating from the expression would stop her heart. "This is your only warning."