A/N: Second Chapter now up! Hope you all enjoy and please leave a review!

.

Chapter 2: Partners

.

.

.

"Ms. Minami, it is my understanding that you have been waiting on permission to enter Japan."

Rika answered Lt. Admiral Jameson with a nod of her head. "I have friends that I have to protect, and I can't do it on this boat out in the middle of the ocean."

For the last two days, Rika Minami had been stuck on a Japanese Self Defense Force ship called the 'Akagi'. While it was probably the safest spot in the world at the moment, she had spent all her time on the vessel trying to get off.

Just before the EMP went off, she had received a call from her best friend, a high school nurse named Shizuka Marikawa, telling her that she had lived through the initial outbreak. Rika didn't have many friends in the world, and the thought of losing her best one was too much to bear. Unfortunately, the SDF wasn't so willing to give up their best shot, so on the boat she had remained.

"Has the CO approved my request?"

"Are you absolutely sure you want to leave the safety of this vessel? Once you go, I can't guarantee that you'll be able to return," Jameson asked, hoping to persuade her to stay.

No amount of asking could turn Rika's back on her friends, though. She wasn't about to let a bunch of shambling corpses devour one of the only people she had left. "I can handle whatever is thrown at me. Just tell me when and how I can leave, Lieutenant Admiral."

Jameson sighed in disappointment, convinced that Rika's confidence would be the death of her. He pulled out a small yellow folder and handed it over to the markswoman and said, "The commander didn't want you leaving the vessel because he felt it was an unnecessary risk for one of our best soldiers. But, just recently, Interpol has requested an escort for one of their agents, who will be conducting an investigation in a major hot zone in Japan. If you want to go there, this is your ticket."

Rika took the folder and then gave Jameson a confused look. "What is Interpol doing sending agents into an infested area?" she asked.

"Apparently, this agent believes he can track down the cause of the outbreaks. As ridiculous as it sounds, the director of Interpol has backed him up."

Rika chuckled. She was asking to be dropped into an area crawling with THEM and even she thought that this wayward agent's claim was ridiculous. "Who is this man?"

"The madman's the same guy who worked on that Yakuza case a year or so back. Hayato Busujima, I think it was," Lt. Admiral Jameson answered jokingly.

Her entire body froze up and she dropped the folder when she heard the agent's name leave Jameson's mouth. Rika stared out into the ocean blankly, her mind spinning. "Hayato Busujima…" she mouthed, her trembling hands balled into a fist.

Jameson noticed Rika's strange reaction and asked concernedly, "Ms. Minami? Ms. Minami, are you alright?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," she answered, stooping over to pick up the scattered papers that now lay on the ship's deck, "It's just that we used to work together during my earlier days in the prefecture."

"Oh," Jameson laughed with relief, "Why do you look so upset, then? You two already know each other and have experience working together."

Rika let out a large sigh. "If you've ever met him, you'd know that Hayato isn't the kind of guy that's easy to work with. There were few in the department that could actually stand to be around him for more than a couple seconds."

"Come now, he can't be that bad."

"Again, you've never met him," Rika scoffed, shooting the poor Admiral a pointed glare, "The guy's an insufferable, narcissistic, son of a… nrgh…" She clenched her fists even tighter, unable to even bear the thought of working under Hayato again.

To her surprise, the Admiral started laughing heartily. Rika turned to him, now glaring even harder, and demanded, "What is it you find so funny?"

"It seems like you two have clashed a bit in the past," he answered with a smile.

Rika huffed angrily, "'a bit' isn't even half of it, sir. Is there any other way I can get to Japan other then having to deal with him?"

Jameson shook his head. "Sorry, Ms. Minami, this is your only shot. Either you take what we give you, or you stay on this boat until the epidemic ends or the world ends."

"Fine," Rika accepted begrudgingly, "I'll do it, for Shizuka. Just, damn it… damn it all…"

"I'll let the Commander know. Prepare your bags, because you leave tonight," Jameson said, giving Rika a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Minami."

"Yeah, thanks," Rika answered listlessly, not really paying attention to the Admiral. Once Jameson was further than an earshot away, she muttered to herself, "Of course. It's the end of the world and I have to work with the last guy I want to see."

It was 8:00 in the morning when Hayato began to wrap up the last of his packing. He had planned out every piece of equipment perfectly, as he usually did with everything.

All the food and gear he would need for his estimated time out in the field was packed in the most space efficient way possible. He had weighed and measured his backpack to ensure that it would be the ideal in terms of lightness and maneuverability. There was only one item that he was missing: his weapon of choice.

Unlike most Interpol agents at his level, Hayato was not an excellent shot. He wasn't even an average one. Even before the accident that claimed his left eye, an event he did not like to think back on often, his aim was off. But, with the lack of complete depth perception, any hopes he may have had of improving were dashed.

Hayato didn't need any sort of firearms, though, or at least he believed so. Being a Busujima meant that he had received kendo training at a very young age. When he had graduated from the academy, his father had handed down an important family heirloom, the Totsuka sword.

This katana was of the highest quality, possibly one of the most well crafted swords in existence. Only one sword was an equal match for it, and that was its twin, the Murata-tou, which was in the possession of Hayato's uncle, last he had seen.

Hayato approached the sword, which he kept up on a rack on his wall. Carefully, he picked up the sword and held it, familiarizing himself with the weight in his hands. He then drew it partially; checking the shining blade to insure it was as sharp as ever.

Just as Hayato had expected, the sword looked the same as it had the day he received it, as if it had been just newly forged. Sliding the blade back into the sheath, he strapped it around his waist so that it would be ready for use at a moments notice.

"You're taking the Totsuka sword?"

Hayato turned around and saw Director Saburo standing at his door. "I will be needing it if I want to stay alive, no? I'm sure you and the rest of the board are just worried to death about my safety, Saburo-dono," Busujima remarked as he stooped over to pick up his bag. Hayato slung the backpack over his shoulder and walked out with Saburo, closing his office behind him.

"I assume it's time for my departure?"

The director nodded and began to lead Agent Busujima towards the heli-pad. "We're going to land you as close to the Takagi estate as possible. Unfortunately, because of the amount of fires and diseased surrounding the place at the moment, the closest we could get was a shopping mall eight miles south."

Hayato cursed under his breath. The longer it took him to reach the Takagi estate, the more likely it was that Souichiro would be dead. If Souichiro was dead, Hayato's job would become infinitely more difficult.

"Souichiro is a tough son of a bitch," Hayato reassured the director, and partially himself, "If anyone's survived this long out there, it's him."

"When the Americans and Russians launched their nukes, the resulting explosions caused a widespread EMP over most of Japan," Saburo reminded him.

Hayato glared at the director, a bit annoyed that Saburo thought he had forgotten something so important. "I was there when the report came in, don't insult my memory, Saburo-dono."

"I'm not insulting your intelligence," the director said. "I just want to make sure you're staying realistic. It's very possible that you might not find what you're looking for."

"Saburo-dono, in all the years you have known me, have I been one to be unrealistic?" The director shook his head in concurrence. It was true; Hayato was actually the most pessimistic agent he had ever met. "I am fully aware that Souichiro may not be alive, in fact I'm expecting that he'll be dead by the time we get there. But, I believe in statistics, and statistics show that a man with Souichiro's resources, skills, and charisma has a better chance of surviving than an average citizen."

Saburo sighed and put his hands up in defeat. "Well, if there's no changing your mind, I might as well tell you that you're not going alone."

This was good news to Hayato. He had assumed that he would be carrying out this investigation alone. Having to look after another person made the assignment unnecessarily complicated. "I hope you are not forcing me to escort some worried mother so she can find her shambling corpse of a daughter," Agent Busujima grumbled.

"Not anything like that," Saburo answered with a shake of his head, "The truth of the matter is that we are assigning you an escort for your own protection."

Hayato felt insulted by Saburo's insinuation. "You do realize that I am extremely well trained in the art of kendo. I don't need a babysitter," he protested.

The director grinned, enjoying one of the rare moments he was actually able to get a reaction out of his top agent. "That would be true, were you a better shot. But, unfortunately, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn standing a foot away from it and getting up close to these things is what gets you killed."

"So who will be my bodyguard?"

Saburo chuckled to himself knowingly. "You'll get to meet her in a second."

"Her?"

The director pushed open the double doors to the helipad and held it open for Hayato. The Interpol agent stepped through, but stopped immediately when he saw a purple haired woman in a black combat suit and sporting a pair of shooting glasses standing in front of his helicopter. She had a large rifle slung over her shoulder and the look she gave Hayato told him that she was equally displeased to see him.

"Ah, you chose Rika Minami," he finally said in his usual emotionless tone. He walked straight up to the police officer and looked her over, as if examining a specimen in a lab. Hayato then looked straight down at her breasts, much to Rika's indignation.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, just about ready to knock the intrusive agent out.

"I see you went with the push up bra," Hayato responded, removing his gaze from Rika's ample bosom and returning her angry look with one of complete indifference. "Trying to impress someone? Or did you wear it just for me?"

Hayato's rude comment was met with a powerful left hook. He stumbled back, holding his left cheek, as Rika stormed over towards him angrily. "Wow," she snapped, her voice seething with frustration, "You're just as much of a jackass as you used to be!"

"And you're as unfocused and undedicated as I remember."

CRACK! Hayato was hit with another punch. "I'm not killing you? How's that for self control?"

"Saburo-dono, are you sure it is wise for me to travel with her?" Hayato called over to his boss, who found the entire reunion very amusing.

Saburo shook his head and walked over, putting himself between the two. "Ms. Minami, as much as we'd all like to punch him, sometimes, the two of you have a job. Now I was told you were one of the only officers willing to go back to Japan. I also heard that you're the best shot in your department, which makes you the perfect one for the job. As I'm sure you already know, Agent Busujima has the aim of a drunk teenager."

Rika snorted happily at the comment. "That's an understatement. I don't even know how this guy got through the academy with an aim like his."

"Maybe it was my genius and prodigal skills as a detective?" Hayato suggested sarcastically, annoyed that people were still on the subject of his aim.

Saburo gave Hayato a sharp jab in the ribs to keep him quiet and then turned back to Rika. "Look, the assignment he's been tasked with is extremely important and we need him not covered in bite marks or filled with bullet holes."

Rika straightened her posture and nodded obediently at the director's orders. "Understood, sir. I won't allow our past to interfere with our task."

"That's a relief to hear." Saburo stepped back from between the two and motioned towards the helicopter. The two stepped onto the helicopter, each not giving the other a second glance. The director cursed under his breath, wondering if he truly had made the right choice.

As the rotors began to whir and the aircraft slowly lifted itself off the ground, he called out to them, "Good luck you two and please, no more fighting!"