Oppressive darkness blanketed the once vibrant city giving the night an ominous air as the survivors of the end of the world faced their first night with little to no electrical power.

Each of the three groups of teens had seen signs of life as they retreated to the vacant and dead love hotel. Takashi and Rei had spotted several vans and trucks full of survivors on the highway, the pair had even managed to lure some of the zombies away from a few of the stranded vehicles but the zombies had been more intent on their prey trapped in or atop the vehicles that only a few of the undead had bothered to chase after the teens on the motorbike.

Shinji and Kohta had been forced to shoot at a crowd of crazed survivors to force them to disperse before the TOMCARs rolled through a ravaged street. The snipers had even had to turn around to shoot at the lawless crowd as some had taken to the notion of pursing the two armored vehicles. Shinji had managed to disable a vehicle by shooting out its tire while Kohta had shot at the driver of a second vehicle, causing the driver to swerve and crash into a burnt out car. The encounter served to prove the point that not all survivors were worth saving.

Sousuke and Saeko had not encountered anyone but they had seen plenty of campfires scattered throughout the city to suggest that there were others who had managed to endure everything thus far. As they were in a rush to rejoin the others in their group and had no need for any supplies they had stopped only to switch positions, allowing Sagara to control the bike while Saeko clung to him from behind.

He had to silently admit that he was glad to have the air rushing past his ears as he focused on the gloomy road and the potential threats that were always just beyond the meager light of the motorbike's headlight. Try as he might though he could not get past the feel of Saeko's firm breasts pressed against his back. The leather padding of her jacket and bullet proof plating in his Kevlar vest failed to diminish the fact that she was clinging to him so tightly.

Only his ridged training kept him from stopping the bike, storm whatever safe haven they might find, and screw her brains out. Had he been one of those people who could multi-task he might even have recalled their encounter in the garage the previous night while keeping the bike upright on the road. Sousuke Sagara though was a single minded man intent on performing whatever job or task assigned to him with utter conviction. Right now his job was to secure a safe place for the group of scattered survivors to hole up for the night.

It was no surprise that he and Saeko were the first to arrive at the now abandoned love hotel. Saya and Kaname would need a few days to get used to the speed and power of the TOMCARs, while Rei and Takashi had the furthest to go as they had headed to the southern barricades.

Using a rope, grappling hook, flashlight, Leatherman, and his gun he managed to sweep the four story complex, ensuring that the building was devoid of any threats to the teenaged survivors, all before twin TOMCARs arrived. With the girls' assistance he was able to move several dumpsters into the alley, allowing the group to hide their vehicles and secure the building.

Shinji and Saya managed to restore power to the hotel's security system, rearming the doors, activating the CCTVs and emergency lights inside the building. The special nature of the love hotels prevented light and sound from escaping giving the group even more security though Sagara insisted that they once again set up a watch.

The hotel was situated on the southwest corner of an intersection. Though dwarfed by the buildings behind it, the hotel was far taller than the other buildings that it faced. Set on the edge of a shopping district as it turned into a residential district it had drawn little attention other survivors as it offered little in the way of supplies and its sturdy security appeared to dissuade most from attempting to break in.

Shinji quickly set up shop in the corner room on the second floor (a voyeur themed room with plenty of monitors and cameras), a position that allowed him to watch over the deserted streets while also giving him access to the CCTV system that he and Saya had managed to reboot. Kohta of course took the neighboring room (a vanilla room with a heart-shaped bed in the center and giant mirror ceiling that hid several cameras and a giant TV connected to the cameras) and began to inventory their remaining ammo as well as helping any of the other teens with the cleaning and maintenance of their weapons. Rei took the next room (a spacious room with hardwood floors, two horse carousel, hot tub, and open shower) and began repairing her spear as well as working on several more once she'd raided the janitor's closet. Kyoko (giant cage with chains, manacles, whips, and a bed covered in the softest leather) and Kaname (large bed, open shower, and images of men and women in each position of the Karma Sutra) claimed the rooms closest to the vending machines before taking a crowbar to the machines to restock the group's supplies. Takashi claimed the next room (though he blushed at the posters that depicted life-sized anime characters in the nude) while Saeko took the room opposite of him (space themed room with miniature stars strung from the ceiling and a circular bed in the middle of the room). Saya occupied the room opposite the hallway from Shinji (undersea theme featuring a giant bathtub large enough for four, and soft blue-green lights) while Sagara (sailor room with a hammock, bed, bar, and hot-tub) claimed the room closest to the stairwell.

After two long nights packed together in the apartments most of the teens were relieved to have a room and bed to themselves. Though the rooms did not necessarily fit their individual personalities, they all agreed that staying together on the same floor was the best idea. Each teen had slowly learned his or her role in the group. Aside from being a sniper Shinji was as their in charge of surveillance and monitoring the CCTV equipment. Saya monitored the walkie talkies and supported Shinji by helping him maintain and check the cameras. Kyoko was in charge of food – inventory and cooking. Kaname and Takashi planned the group's route and managed the teens' morale. While each of them was to take care of their own firearms, the girls often sought out Kohta to assist them. Rei and Saeko tended to their own weapons as well when not assisting Kyoko with raiding the vending machines, leaving Sagara to set up a defensive perimeter and to set up watch.

As he watched the two co-leaders discussing the events of the day as well as their plans for tomorrow Sagara felt an odd ease. It was like watching his commanders planning out a mission. He knew his place as a soldier and now as one of the group. Initially he had simply been there to guard Kaname, but due to the fact that they had faced many dire situations together had become relatively close as a result. He had never mistaken that comradery for anything else as he knew that men, and women, who fought together often shared a strong bond with each other. Yes, he trusted her, just as he trusted Tessa, and there had been a level of attraction, but he knew that they could never be. It was even worse than with Tessa as the silver-haired girl at least understood and accepted that Sagara was a soldier, but Kaname on the other hand did not, could not accept what war had made him.

Her repeated attempts to make him into a normal person had only made things worse as it had made him despise what he had become. After the other day though he understood and accepted that he could never be who she thought she wanted because she and the others would need him to be who he really was if they hoped to survive.

With their plans for the morrow set Sousuke excused himself from the informal meeting. It would be hours before he was needed for watch, but he was not completely comfortable given the fact that all of their watches had died during the EMP attack. Still, he knew his limits. Marching himself off to the sailor room he grabbed hold of a blanket and a pillow. Tossing them down on the floor he positioned himself next to the open door making sure that his pack and things were never out of hand.

X

Dark lights hummed and crackled, casting their special illumination over the love hotel. Shinji couldn't help but find it amusing. Not only were the specialized lights easier on the human eye, but they could also detect traces of bodily fluids on the multitude of surfaces. Given the type of hotel the group currently inhabited it made sense that the owners used black lights. From what little his cameras could see of the city beyond the hotel's walls it was clear that the lights were not drawing the attention of anyone or thing that moved outside.

With Saya's assistance he'd managed to restore power to the hotel's CCTV grid and hooked it up to the monitors and TVs in the corner room. It was actually surprisingly easy, almost as though the room were set up as a second monitoring station. Hell, there were even cameras off of the hotel's premises that were hooked into this network. While most had been knocked out during the EMP attack, there were a few that were still relaying. What had been a truly saving grace though was the fact that the hotel had a backup generator and several spare tanks of fuel. With the group using only power on the second floor and only the emergency power at that, they were likely to have fuel available for the TOMCARs.

Distant snores reached his ears along with the sound of running water. Given the hour he was not surprised that most of his companions were now asleep or at least preparing for bed. He had initially expected to be paired up with Kohta for the first shift on the watch as the two snipers were proving to be an effective team, but when Sagara had used the growing bond between the two as an example of why it was important for everyone to pair up with someone else rather than focusing just on their best pairings Takashi had quickly agreed.

"How's it going?" the buxom pinkette asked as she slipped into his room.

He shrugged even though he doubted that she'd seen it, "Okay."

As the TVs in his room were connected to the cameras it only made sense that that room should be the guard station. The other rooms had only token windows while this had two walls which overlooked the street and the buildings opposite it. It was designed so that the inhabitants could look out and not be noticed. The room was large enough to sport an open shower with one-sided glass so that the occupant could look into the neighboring room. The queen-sized mattress stood atop a revolving platform, and the only true wall in the room was occupied by a giant TV.

He could smell lavender on her as she sat next to him. Given the size of the TV her act had not been necessary. Still, he did not mind it when she leaned against him. "This is so boring."

"Yeah," he gulped.

"How did you and Kohta manage to do this the other night?"

"We talked," he replied. "I told him about life at Jindai and he told me about life at Fujimi."

They sat there watching the nearly static images of the alley, the streets below, the stairwell, and two views of the hallway. The clock on the display said that it was close to 10pm, though they had guessed the actual time when they'd reset the system. Two figures emerged from neighboring rooms.

"I can't do this," Saya lamented.

He spared her a glance, "Can't do what? The watch or can't sit still because you know you left more people behind?"

The pinkette's mouth opened to object.

"Ah," Shinji nodded. "You've got a thing for Takashi." Even in the dim light he could tell that she was glaring venomously at him. "Childhood friends, right?"

He'd seen Kaname slug Sagara but he'd never imagined himself being hit by a girl. Fortunately for him Saya lacked Kaname's ferocity as the punch to his shoulder barely budged the scrawny teen. Still, he could not help but feel terrible as he saw the tears forming in her eyes.

"Um, I'm sorry," he fumbled for the right words to say. Having never been in such a predicament he kept coming up blank. He surprised them both by reaching out and pulling her to him, an act made all the more awkward by their positioning at the foot of the mattress. The pair managed to spill off of the edge of the mattress and onto the floor with Shinji on the bottom and Saya landing in his lap.

Both teens were suddenly awake and aware of where their respective body parts were in relation to the other's.

"Pervert!" she hissed.

Shinji was expecting to be hit again and braced himself for a thundering punch that would make Kaname envious, but instead he felt Saya's damp locks against his shoulder as she nestled against him. His mind panicked, unsure what to do, but somehow his arms found the courage to pull her to him so that one of her ample breasts was pressed against his chest. He wasn't sure how long they sat there as her head kept him from seeing the flashing numbers at the bottom corner of the monitor. The only thing that changed was that Kaname and Takashi had returned to their rooms.

'No, wait, that wasn't right. They'd gone into Takashi's room.' He was glad that Saya wasn't focused on the TV. 'They're probably just talking about tomorrow.'

The smell of Saya's lavender scented shampoo was nice he decided.

Like most of the boys in his year Shinji had once crushed on the teal-haired beauty but like everyone else had given up on it soon after. He understood what it was like to be overlooked and unnoticed by a crush.

Finally, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he muttered into her hair.

"I shouldn't have hit you."

"It's alright," he replied. "You've been through a lot today."

He found himself stroking her hair though he wanted to stroke something else, and in private too.

"Thanks." He could feel the warmth of her breath caressing his ear as she turned so that she was now pressing both of her breasts into his chest.

All he could do was gulp.

"Don't tell anyone about this."

Again he gulped. "Okay." He was sure his voice had cracked.

Shinji Kazama had faced hordes of undead, raced up a mountainside while being shot at by hundreds of automated guns, his class trip had been hijacked by terrorists twice, he had scaled the side of an apartment building to steal girl's underwear and been confronted by that vary same girl yet his heart never raced as it did now. Were he to measure time by the beating of his heart then this single moment lasted longer than both field trips combined.

Dawn's light cleaved through the darkness as the sun peeked through the buildings on the horizon. Packing the TOMCARs with every necessity they could salvage from the hotel the teens headed south and west again. The ravaged highway that Rei and Takashi had driven down the previous night had been full of dark shadows from the numerous vehicles that had been affected by the EMP blast. What the night had failed to show them was now on full display as the teens eyed the stretch of highway.

"I didn't realize there were that many," Rei muttered as she gazed upon the bloody remains of over a hundred vehicles. She recalled seeing signs of life from the cars, even a few cries for help as she and Takashi had sped by; now there were only piles of broken, gnawed on bones that remained.

Having stood watch with her Sagara recalled her tale of the ride up from the southern barricade and how she and Takashi had tried to south the area in the dying light of the previous dusk. She, like Takashi and Saya, knew this area well as they had grown up around here. It was her familiarity with the district that had resulted in her riding with him today in place of Saeko.

"What do we do?" Takashi asked as he turned to Kaname's TOMCAR. "The highway is full of Them, but I think we can manage for a few kilometers. If we're lucky we can even make it up to the exit leading into our neighborhood."

"I'm just an exit down from you then," Saeko stated. "Let's switch – since I know the road past your neighborhood better I'll go with Sousuke. We'll ride ahead to draw Them away, then once the road's clear the rest of you can follow."

"We'll fill up their bike with the rest of the fuel so that they won't need to stop at a gas station," Rei seconded as she stood up. "There's a gas station right after you exit from the highway before you reach our house so the rest of us can refuel before they rejoin us."

"I know where the police station is," Saeko added. "I can direct Sagara there once we've led them down the highway."

It sounded like a sound plan. Despite his reluctance to simply lure Them to some unknown place Sagara knew that it was the most viable plan they had. Yes, he'd lead them away, but he had a plan.

The ride itself went well as the nimble motorbike sped past and through the crowd of zombies. Saeko did her best to keep any of Them from getting too close whenever he slowed the bike so that They never lost interest in the pair of teens. It was an agonizingly slow drive at times as Sousuke fought his instincts to shoot the threats that lumbered towards him.

In his mind he'd run the calculations and knew that they would run out of ammo before they reached his apartment. The group's pace was startlingly slow and now that the infected had essentially over ran any attempt to keep them contained there were far more of Them around. It had taken nearly three days for clearer heads to prevail but then the EMP had thrown everything back into chaos.

During his shift on watch he'd seen several smaller groups running through the streets, most being chased by Them, but a few chasing or chased by other survivors. Rei had seen it too but had said nothing. Both of them recalled their recent encounter with the biker gang but only she considered what might have happened to her had someone like Sagara not been around.

As a soldier he did not like to think about those things. He knew that many mercenaries and lesser trained soldiers were prone to preying on the weak, but it was not something that he had ever allowed himself to do. In fact he prided himself as someone who refused to work for anyone who was willing to allow his men to do such things. Such acts were a sign that he was not dealing with professionals, and working with novices and hacks tended to lead to short careers and contracts.

Despite the circumstances, Sagara knew that he needed to maintain his cool. It was his job to lure Them down the highway while Saeko dealt with any of Them that came too close to the two teens. He needed to conserve fuel and ammo right now to give the group a better chance of survival. This was not like one of those zombie shooter games that Kaname had tried to get him into where he had unlimited ammo and just needed to shoot the gun off to the side to magically reload it. Reloading took time even for the best of them, and improper maintenance could lead to the firearm jamming at a crucial moment.

Feeling Saeko press her breasts into his back he knew that it was time for him to pull back the throttle. The wheel squealed in delight as the bike zoomed past a pair of zombies. More were shambling towards them, some turning to give chase.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as some of Them pulled themselves over the patrician separating the two sides of the highway, only for Them to fall through the gap between the two roads. Zombies were more like lemmings than lemmings were as the undead allowed their craving for flesh to drive them forward despite any possible damage that might be done to Them.

A tug on his sleeve was all he needed from Saeko to tell him that the two had reached their desired exit. Scanning the bridge he found the cut in the cement that the engineers had put in to keep the highway from buckling whenever it got too hot. Pulling over he handed his Berettas to the kendoka, "Cover me."

She nodded, taking aim at the closest zombie. Saeko managed to hit over half of her targets before she finally emptied both clips. It was more than enough time for him to plant the charges and set the detonators.

"You really were a terrorist, weren't you?"

He wasn't sure if she was joking, being sarcastic, or serious. He simply shrugged as he took the spent guns from her and replaced the clips. Making sure that the safety was in place he put them back into his bag. Detonator in hand he hopped onto the bike.

Once they were a safe distance away he kept revving the engine so that They kept chasing after the teens. The game of cat and mouse continued until they were on the exit ramp. Once there were enough of Them over the bombs he throttled the bike, sending it down the ramp even as he hit the detonator. The blast sent Them flying and leaving many with lingering injuries that would make it harder for Them to pursue anyone.

Monotonous days had come and gone since the small group had arrived in Japan. Despite the promise of additional forces they had received no word from the Tautha de Danaan or any of their contacts in Japan. The EMP burst had not affected their systems yet there was no word from anyone. It was disheartening. The sudden ping on his extended radar though startled the young pilot.

"Captain," he shouted into the com. "I've got a signal!"

"Who is it?" his young commander's voice squeaked over the com.

"Urzu 7 and Angel," he proclaimed. "They're reached the northern edge of my sensors. Their route appears to be taking them south and west so they should be out of range of my sensors soon. Orders?"

The first time she had ordered Kurz to focus on procuring the limited supplies that the crew of the Tautha de Danaan had managed to send them, but with little hope of them finding any more cargo or crew it was up to the handful of survivors to watch out for each other. Sagara may have only been a part-time member of Mithril, but he was all that they had left in Japan. "Bring them home."

"Aye Captain."

The sheer number of Them was mind boggling to Sousuke. Rationally he could not comprehend the speed with which They had spread given that the barricades on the bridge had only fallen the night before. There was also the fact that their numbers were significantly larger. The first day Sagara had estimated that the Jindai survivors had come across some three hundred in their flight from the high school, but today the two teens had encountered twice that many on the highway and nearly that many since taking the exit.

With their ammo reserves running dangerously low he had been forced to detour several times. The pair had not been able to return to the highway as there were still several hundred of Them milling about the exit and entrance ramps. Forced to take the smaller roads they had to navigate around small groups of zombies. The sound of the bike's motor drew Them out of the shattered remains of houses, from back alleys, shrubbery, and even from under cars and trucks.

It did not help that the zoning in this neighborhood kept the fences at a height of 1.5 meters. The barriers would keep the shorter child-sized zombies out but not the adult-sized ones. Many of the houses had opted for hedges instead of fences, though some combined both, either way the barriers had proven ineffective in keeping Them out.

Only the Busujima dojo had higher walls to prevent their students from creating too much of a racket for the neighbors.

"I doubt there is anyone there," Saeko stated as she unlocked the gate. "Father took some of his senior students to America for an international tournament."

Sousuke could not help but remain cautious as the pair swept the premises.

With the grounds absent of any sign of Them, the pair quickly entered the locked house so that Saeko could grab some of her own clothes.

"I never imagined bringing a man up to my room," she teased as she began to unbutton the remains of her Fujimi blouse. Blood that was not her own stained the white fabric but it was her own sweat that caused it to cling to her skin.

"I'll check the kitchen for supplies," he offered as he turned away.

"Don't bother – with father gone for at least a week I hadn't stocked up on anything," she explained. The sound of her blouse landing on the floor made his muscles go ridged as he stood in the threshold. "I only have a chance to stop in on the weekends so father tends to leave the pantry empty when he's gone."

The next thing he heard was her dresser drawer.

"Done," she stated slamming the drawer closed. "We just need to hit up the dojo for some weapons."

"Weapons?"

"Father is a collector and dealer of weapons," the violet haired girl elaborated. "He prefers to collect weapons used in other styles of martial arts – a rapier, saber, claymore, halberd, chain and sickle, gladius, Viking bastard sword, and machete. He also loved to collect katana – hunting down the handful of smiths that still practice the art of metal and blacksmithing."

Adorned in a light blue and grey tank top, leather jacket, leather skirt, and tall leather boots Saeko was dressed to face a horde of zombies. The tough leather was far better suited to dealing with the abuse it would face as the kendoka fought her way past and through zombies. Several straps suggested that she would be able to hold anything from a sheathed katana to a rifle and clips of ammo.

He didn't know why, but he gave her a nod of approval.

Saeko armed herself with a katana, shoved three more into her pack along with a welt stone and some oil. Sousuke took a wrench.

The pair managed to lock up the house and gate before heading down the street. The streets had been empty of life when they had arrived and the two had taken it as a sign that They had moved on from the neighborhood. As they made their way towards the police station it soon became clear why the streets appeared to be deserted. The ravaged streets were littered with corpses, some of them still moving despite being pinned to the ground by overturned concrete dividers, toppled lamp posts and telephone poles.

As the pair advanced upon the besieged police department it was clear that there were survivors inside. Unlike other departments which had focused on containing the infection the police in this district had instead sought to create a defensible position. Their fortifications though were slowly being chipped away and the handful of defenders pushed back.

The concrete dividers hindered the zombies, but it did not stop their advance. Even the wall of cars had failed to do so. The most effective barrier had probably been the line of bulldozers but that had realistically fallen once the EMP had fried their circuits. Without the ability to move heavy objects into the path of the zombies the police station and its defenders were left to defend each barricade before falling back to the police station. Using desks, cabinets, and riot shields the men that remained were valiantly holding the door.

Sagara assumed that it was like being crushed by a python as the defenders were slowly crushed and pushed back by the untiring horde of undead. It was likely that the police had run out of ammo soon after they had lost the bulldozers.

Wrench in hand Sousuke advanced on the besieged police station. Spotting an abandoned megaphone he picked it up and tested it, "HEY!"

Some of the zombies at the back turned around.

"Come and get some!" it was the only thing he could think of saying at the moment.

Dozens of undead broke off from the hundreds that swarmed the building.

Calmly he walked over to a fire hydrant, dropping the megaphone before handing his handguns to Saeko. His muscles strained against the metal but eventually he loosened it, sending a small spray over himself and Saeko. Another mighty push was all that was needed to remove the cap and send a powerful blast of water at the gathered zombies, knocking the horde off of their feet.

It was not enough to save the survivors in the building, but it would by some of them the time they needed to flee the building so that the defenders would not have died in vein.

Suddenly the ground shook as something heavy smashed into the ground. Dazed, Sagara could only watch as the water from the fire hydrant collided with something heavy. The ECS system suddenly turned itself off as the water disrupted the optical illusion it created, revealing the presence of an M9.

The third generation Arm Slave raised its foot in one swift kick that sent many more zombies flying. Another stomp sent a spray of red into the air only for the blood to be washed off by the water from the fire hydrant.

Cheers erupted from the building as the survivors watched their chances of seeing another dawn drastically improve. Picking up a car the AS used it to batter the remaining zombies in the area before creating a makeshift barricade by turning more vehicles on their sides and blocking off the intersections around the police station. Finally it crouched down, laying one hand down to the ground.

"Come on," Sagara urged Saeko. "He's alright."

"He?" she spit out, unsure what was happening.

"I know the pilot," he replied.

"I've never seen an AS like this one," the kendoka stated.

"They're the first of the third generation Arm Slaves," Sousuke said as he took her hand. Calmly he walked her over to the mechanical hand. "Few have seen them."

She was still unsure about everything, but she trusted him. Stepping onto the hand she stumbled into Sousuke as the AS lifted them into the air before leaping over the newly erected barrier.

*Why is it everytime I rescue you, you've got a hot chick with you?* the veteran sniper asked in his native German.

*I don't know what you're talking about,* Sagara replied as he helped steady Saeko.

"You speak German?" the violet haired girl asked.

Sagara nodded, "There was a German instructor at my camp in Helmajistan. I also speak Russian, English, Chinese, and Korean."

*I'll take you to your bike, then you can take me to Angel,* Kurz stated as he took them down the street.

Sagara nodded.

"How is that thing still running?" Saeko asked as they were set on the ground.

"It's running on a palladium reactor," his tone was matter of fact as though everyone should know the basics about the M9.

"But cold fusion is only theoretical," she muttered, unsure how she had even known that fact.

"It's been in use for a while now." His attitude suggested that this conversation was not unusual for him. Behind him the third generation AS faded from view.

"How does it do that?"

Finally he looked at her, "That's classified."