Mitchell awoke with a yawn, and immediately, he noticed that it was considerably dark outside. He sat up with a low sigh. Just like the next guy—that is to say, like Soryan—Mitchell hated waking up so early. Unfortunately, such a practice was no longer a choice, both because he was pretty much hard-wired to do it, and because it was now reasonable to do so, what with the zombie apocalypse and all. He supposed that, if he wasn't going to get much more rest, he might as well put his ample time to good use. How? He wasn't yet sure.
The American sluggishly surveyed the room until his eyes fell on Soryan, who snoozed away in a futon next to him. Strangely enough, although Soryan's backpack was at his side, his Tactical Shovel lay across his chest atop the futon covers.
Mitchell stared for a moment longer, and memories of the night before came back to him. His back, shoulders, and his feet had been aching, but after Soryan treated him, they were now loose and free, ready to spring into immediate action. It was as if any and all stiffness in his life had melted away. He felt like a free-flowing liquid, able to maneuver his limbs in whatever way he pleased. The American had to admit, despite Kasumi's inclination to tease, Soryan really did have Magic Hands.
Contemplatively, Mitchell got up and began equipping his riding armor. His clothes from the night before were still damp from when he'd washed and dried them, but he wore them anyways—he would rather take semi-dry clothes over the sweaty mess that they were the other day. Once he finished putting on his rudimentary attire, he moved on to his sword and his belt.
It was only while Mitchell was fastening his belt when he made a cursory glance through the nearest window—nothing more than a flit of his eyes. He did a double take when his eyes caught something—a strange shape and some discoloration in the glass. As it was when he awoke, it was dark outside, but the sun was rising. Had it been any darker, Mitchell would've missed the distinctly human silhouette that walked past his window.
Instantly, he froze. As it should be, the first thing that came to Mitchell's mind was the potential of danger. What that danger could be was up in the air. Now utterly concerned and paranoid, Mitchell silently hurried towards the window and stared into the darkness. His already slow, quiet breathing hitched.
"Oh fuck," Mitchell hissed. Zs were fucking everywhere, shuffling around the shrine grounds with no sense of direction. A number of emotions hit him at once, but at the moment, the biggest one was confusion. How the hell had they managed to get up here!?
His question was answered upon closer inspection; Mitchell could just barely make out more silhouettes emerging from the forest… A forest that led up the mountain. In seconds, he made the connection and understood.
Swiftly, Mitchell stepped over to Soryan and shook him. He opened his mouth to warn him, but had forgotten about Soryan's sensitivity when sleeping. "Dude, I don't wanna—"
Stiff as a board, Soryan sat straight up, eyes snapped open and covers thrown off of him. "What." He uttered a single word and didn't even bother to look over—it was almost as if it was out of reflex.
Mitchell wasn't fazed. They had far more pressing matters to worry about. "We got half the undead population outside right now. We gotta move. I'll go let Sango know."
Soryan was utterly flabbergasted, but he shot out of bed anyway, quickly throwing his backpack on before grasping his Tactical Shovel. He stumbled once, then twice—black spots covered his vision after standing up too quickly—but once he recovered, he quickly followed after Mitchell, cursing silently all the way.
With a hair-tingling sense of urgency, Mitchell quickly crept through the hall, stopping once he reached Sango's bedroom. He hoped she was decent when he entered, but it wasn't a priority at the moment. He slid the door open and found Sango immediately. Thankfully, she wore a nightgown. He stepped over to her bed and quietly whispered to her. "Hey, Sango, wake up."
It was a good thing Sango slept lightly. She drew a breath. "...Yes?"
"I hate to say this, but the undead have swarmed the shrine. They're everywhere out there."
The shrine maiden's eyes shot open. "What!?" She sat up rigidly.
Mitchell made a shushing motion and pointed to her bedroom window. Just then, an ominous silhouette passed. Sango's lips thinned. "I… see..."
"What's the call? This is your place, after all," Mitchell whispered. He looked over at Soryan, who was now standing in the doorway. The Cambodian merely shrugged, albeit warily.
"I...we could...um," Sango floundered. It was clear she wasn't prepared for the situation. "I say we should deal with them if we can." She bit her lip and looked at Mitchell. "How many are there?"
Mitchell's gaze was sympathetic. "Too many. Way too many for what you're thinkin'. Sorry."
"Yeah, no, it looks like a Japanese train station out there," Soryan blurted, checking the main hallway. Through a large window, he noted that the Zs were just as dense as they were when he and Mitchell had been separated from the others.
Sango winced. "Ah. That's...a lot." She sat there for a moment as her brain turned its cogs, searching for an answer. She looked out her window again, then got to her feet and peered past Soryan and into the hallway, as if to confirm whether Soryan was exaggerating. He wasn't.
The shrine maiden stared for a couple of more seconds, and Mitchell could see her spirits visibly dour. Despite her sudden depression, she still seemed adamant on standing her ground. "It's… We could…"
"Hey, Sango, can I say somethin' real quick?" Sango jolted, then looked at him, prompting Mitchell to take a breath. "I know what you're thinkin', and I understand why. If I had to leave the ranch and all the memories associated with it, I'd be pissed. But who's to say somethin' like this—" he gestured towards the front door, "—can't or won't happen again, or that the next people who visit aren't so friendly?"
Sango stared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly as she subtly shook her head. Mitchell threw up his hands. "I know it's none of my business what you do, but I just wanna say this." He stared her in the eyes. "If I absolutely had to leave, I'd leave to come back another day." He tore his gaze away from hers. "That's just my take on it though. I'm not the one who's going through that situation."
Sango's eyes flitted to the floor. "This place has a lot of history… It's not just my place of worship, it's the place that shaped me into who I am today..."
Mitchell said nothing, but his eyes were full of understanding. Sango looked up at him. "I… understand. I will return here eventually, though."
With a short exhale, she turned and grabbed a bag from beneath her bed and started walking around her room, packing away necessities.
Soryan shook his head tiredly. He was surprised that, although he was very alarmed, he wasn't panicking or making a huge effort to remain stealthy. "How the Hell did so many appear?"
Mitchell waited patiently near the door as Sango collected herself. He looked at Soryan. "From what I saw, they were comin' down from the mountain. Ya got any ideas for gettin' outta here?"
Soryan gave him a tired look. His eyes drooped slightly. "I don't…" he said. Then he did. "... Unless…" The Cambodian set his bag down and unzipped it. He retrieved the last bundle of ANFO. "I didn't think we'd use these up so quickly, but…" He gave Mitchell a raised brow.
"Oh yeah, dunno how I forgot about that," Mitchell replied.
At Mitchell's words, Sango looked over. She paused when she saw the bundle in Soryan's hands. She looked at the Ung, bewildered. "Um, is that...? What are you doing with explosives?"
Soryan looked at her. "Uh… solving our problems perhaps?" Sango blinked at Soryan's response. That... didn't answer her question. Regardless, Soryan turned to Mitchell. "There's too many of them for this to make a dent big enough for us to pass through without it closing. We can't use the explosive yield… but we can use the noise it will make."
Mitchell frowned. "It's probably our only option, to be honest. Do whatcha need to."
"Wait, hold on a second," Sango interjected. She looked between the two with abject concern. "Are you saying you're going to use that on shrine grounds?"
Soryan looked her in the eyes. "That would only be marginally effective. In fact, it would be counterintuitive and create a horde that would be actively looking for us in this area."
"Ya think we could hurl it downhill?" Mitchell asked.
Soryan shook his head. "No, we're heading down that hill. No matter where you throw it down that hill, those Zs are going to spread out around the street after falling down the hill and getting disoriented. We'd be making a problem concerning the motorcycle."
Mitchell raised a brow. "Okay, so whaddya suggest?"
The room went silent for a few seconds. "... How good is your throwing arm?" Soryan inquired.
"I'm confident enough that they won't be an issue after I get rid of it," Mitchell replied.
"There's a forest nearby, yeah? I don't think you can throw it that far, but throwing it in the general direction should be good," Soryan said.
Mitchell nodded. "Yeah, that should be fine."
Sango, who had been quietly watching, was only slightly relieved. "Okay. Considering our situation, I can live with that. Just please don't harm the shrine."
Soryan gave her a tired look—not one of disdain, only of fatigue. Without another word, he pushed the ANFO into Mitchell's chest and dug a lighter out of his pocket. "Here."
Mitchell took both items with a light nod. At the same time, Sango stepped into her bathroom. "I'm going to change. Just give me a few moments." She shut the door quietly.
Mitchell gave Soryan a flat look. "Great mornin' we're havin' so far." His words dripped with sarcasm.
Soryan merely huffed. "... Yep."
"I swear man, it's like they gravitate towards us regardless of what we do," Mitchell complained.
Soryan nodded along with that statement. "... Yep."
Mitchell adjusted his sword as he waited for Sango. His thoughts went to how they were going to get to Takagi Estate. Three people could fit on the bike, but any skillful maneuvers would be far too risky.
"Aight, so, are we ridin' threes on the bike or...?" Mitchell asked, just to make sure.
"It's not like we have much else," Soryan muttered. "I'd rather not hotfoot it over there, dude."
"Okay. Guess I'll just drive carefully then," Mitchell sighed. His fingers tapped on the pommel of his sword.
When the two went silent, they could clearly hear the sound of the groans just beyond the walls of Sango's home. Had the front door not been closed, Soryan and Mitchell would've been humming a different tune—and not a pretty one, at that.
After a minute of near-silence, Soryan and Mitchell were alerted by the squeaking of a door, and they each turned around. Face-to-face, they greeted the lovely Sango.
Gone was the lazy nightgown and the unkempt bed head; Sango's brown hair was now tied in a neat ponytail, and she was kept decent by a rather form-fitting dark blue long-sleeved shirt, the left breast of which had the Japanese kanji for 'purify'. Her lower body was clothed by a more conservative knee-length dark blue skirt and black tights. To protect her feet, she donned a pair of women's boots. Like the day before, her eyes were highlighted by that red eye-shadow. If the guys could describe her in one word, it would be: elegant. She was the breathtaking epitome of traditional Japanese beauty.
Mitchell appreciated what he saw, even if he didn't say it out loud. "You all set?"
Sango nodded, and she rested her hand on the katana sheathed at her waist. Her eyes shone with confidence. "Yes. Whenever you're ready."
Soryan swallowed. "Right, here's the plan one more time if anyone is confused. Mitch lights bomb, throws towards forest. When it blows, wait till the Zs in front of the house clear up. In fact, come back inside after you toss the charge, and we'll shut the doors until the majority passes. After that, we make a break for it."
"Aight, but what about the Zs on the other side of the house? Can't they just...walk and stumble into the windows and doors, and break through 'em?" Mitchell asked, gesturing towards the far side of the house.
"… I would like to say that sound bounces and that's how Zs are able to unanimously navigate up stairs that are only in one part of a room—like echolocation," Soryan posited. "I could be wrong though. We can move shit in front of the windows near the front of the house if it really bothers you."
Mitchell shrugged. "Better safe than sorry. If we get stuck in here, that's all she wrote."
"I agree," Sango said. She looked between them both. "It couldn't hurt to be more cautious."
Soryan hummed. "Alright. If that's how you want it, let's move stuff first while we still have the time. We need to be silent though," he said quietly.
Nobody argued, and the three quietly went to work rearranging available pieces of furniture. The job itself was done carefully, but as they were limited to a few chairs and a drawer, the end product was precarious at best. Soon, the only thing left unblocked was the front door.
The three stood in the center of the room, Soryan eyeing both Mitchell and Sango. He was now far more awake than he was a couple of minutes ago and much more 'aware' of the actual danger of the situation.
"You guys ready?" he asked.
Sango nodded. Mitchell rolled his shoulders in anticipation of shit hitting the fan.
It was time to go.
With a deep breath, Mitchell reached for the front door and gradually pulled it open. He took a cautious peek and, as he expected, the area was thick with Zs. There were so many of them that he couldn't really see the ground beneath their feet, and the main body of the group sat only a couple of meters away from the front door, aimlessly tripping over one another.
Mitchell's lips thinned into a frown. He stepped back into the house and flicked Soryan's lighter open. After a second, he lit the black-match fuse. Sparks spewed from the tip of it, and as Mitchell peeked outside, he could already see Zs turning towards the loud burning of the fuse. He didn't need any more warning. Mitchell quickly stepped outside and hurled the bundle towards the forest and away from the main group of Zs. The bundle spun awkwardly before landing in the forest with a distant thud.
Seconds passed, then the explosive-agent detonated. In an instant, the ANFO went up in flames, erupting with all the force of a hurricane. At ground zero, a tree had its trunk shattered into a thousand splinters, the shockwave kicking up dust and debris in every direction. The winds of the shockwave tore small leaves from a few nearby trees, blowing against their branches and snapping weaker twigs. A moment thereafter, there was a loud snapping, and the tree at ground zero began to fall. It struck the ground with a loud thud, and its leaves rustled loudly. What Zs nearby that the explosion didn't kill were finished off by the weight of the tree.
The Zs that approached the house halted, then slowly turned to the sound of the explosion. The group waited, tense as coiled springs as the horde slowly ebbed away. The collective groans from the mass of undead was loud in their ears.
When the majority of the Zs had moved at least a couple of meters, Mitchell deemed it a good time to move—the movements of the Zs had created an opening on the right side of the horde. Silently drawing his sword, Mitchell stepped outside, waving for his companions to follow. Sango immediately joined him, drawing her katana. After a moment, Soryan, too, brandished his shovel and ran after her.
The group of three kept well away from the main group of Zs, moving off to the right, but there were far too many to comfortably deal with. If ever there was a time that Soryan was anxious, it was now. He and his companions were forced to skim past Zs without making even the slightest bit of contact. For Sango, this was easy, but for Mitchell it was a bit more difficult, what with his larger frame. For Soryan, despite his apprehension, it was surprisingly easy—at least, easier than he thought it would be. It was like playing a game of Crossy Road, but in real life with flesh-eating monsters.
After many moments of silent trepidation, the group managed to circumvent the main building of the shrine. Halfway around though, Sango suddenly stopped. Soryan, alarmed by the sudden halting, stopped at her side and gave her a look. Without a word, Sango silently clasped her hands together and prayed. A moment later, she turned and followed after Mitchell. Soryan blinked, then followed.
After another minute of intense, slow, and precarious travel, the group had managed to weave between the Zs and arrived at the shrine's main entrance: the staircase. A number of zombies milled about on the staircase, but they weren't anything the group couldn't handle should the situation go south. After a little hesitation in which the three traded glances, Mitchell began cautiously descending the stairs, keeping to one side so as not to disturb the undead, Sango and Soryan following his example. The group did their best to ignore the wheezing breaths of the carcasses, and they had almost reached the bottom. Then the unexpected occurred.
From the dense forest to the right of the descending stairs, a particularly frenzied Z stumbled out. It fell directly onto Sango.
In a bout of surprise that immediately became adrenaline, Sango lurched backwards to evade it, but the Z had latched onto her free arm. In an attempt to free herself, Sango pivoted to the side, yanking her arm with her, but the Z stayed attached to her arm. Slightly panicked, Sango slammed the hilt of her weapon on its head, then on the wrist of the arm that held her, but the Z didn't budge. Instead the Z squeezed harder in a vice-like death grip that made Sango grimace. Quickly, the Z bit down.
Mitchell was faster. Like one would palm a basketball, he gripped the side of the Z's head, then slammed it into a nearby tree. The zombie's grip loosened, and Sango jerked away from it like it was hot frying oil. In a flash, Sango turned around, gripped her katana and sliced once. The Z's body fell to the ground, its head removed from its shoulders.
Mitchell breathed a quiet sigh of relief. That was way too close for comfort. He had reacted as quick as he could, but it happened so fast. He looked over to see Sango gazing at him. Mitchell gestured to her arm. "Sorry that took so long. You good?" he whispered.
Sango nodded. "I am. Thank you," she whispered back. She slashed her weapon to rid it of blood.
Soryan watched the whole interaction with a hitched breath and wide eyes. He didn't relax at all after, because Zs both up and down the stairs had noticed the commotion and were now stumbling towards them. He grunted in shock when a Z tripped and tumbled down the stairs from behind him, falling into a pair and knocking them to the side of the stairs.
Realizing that their position had been pretty much compromised, Mitchell turned the slow descent into a hurried one, brandishing his sword to meet the threat below. Sango easily followed his example, and Soryan choked, then cursed under his breath before hurrying after them.
They descended only a few steps, then they met resistance. Mitchell led his assault against the undead with a powerful kick. His boot crashed against a Z's chest, sending it back-first through the air and down the stairs. It collided with a couple of stragglers, sending each of them back down the hill.
A Z lunged for Mitchell's torso, but the American thrust his blade into and through its face, bisecting its brain. He kicked its unmoving body down the stairs just as another Z swiped at him. Mitchell easily sidestepped the blow, simultaneously tripping the assailant in one smooth motion. Before the Z could recover, Mitchell spun around and plunged the tip of his sword into its nape. He swiftly pulled his weapon free and gripped the hilt with both hands, stepping to his right to deliver a swing to a Z that approached him from behind. His blade cleaved through its neck, and the Z's head fell from its body.
Mitchell turned to see Sango covering his immediate flank, pirouetting around a Z and decapitating it easily. A Z reached out for her, but she took both of its arms with a powerful upward slash, then she flourished her weapon into a horizontal slash that took its head. Wasting no movement, she stepped forward and kicked a zombie with enough force to send it onto its back. Before it could rise, Mitchell brought his sword down on its skull in a murderstroke, killing it instantly.
Sango's strikes were elegant, yet efficient, a stark contrast to Mitchell's brutal, straightforward fighting style. Despite this, their teamwork was remarkably effective for their first time fighting together. Mitchell wondered how Sango would compare to someone like Saeko in terms of skill.
Off to the side, and with teeth bared slightly, Soryan swung the flat side of his shovel, and it smashed harshly into the side of a Zs face. It was sent careening down the stairs. Soryan turned, then brought his shovel up in two hands to block a swipe at his face. With a grunt, he kicked the offender, then slid his shovel along its arm. The sharp tip of his spade met the Z's throat, and Soryan thrust forward, stabbing it against a tree. For once, he held his venomous tongue. When he retrieved his weapon, he turned to his still occupied companions, then waved down the hill.
As one, they hurried down, eventually abandoning stealth entirely. Mitchell led them to the copse where, thankfully, there weren't any Zs nearby. Sango's eyes widened upon seeing the motorcycle, but she said nothing. Mitchell wasted no time pushing it to the road and enabling the gas.
"Okay, so, y'all better figure out the seating arrangement in a hurry 'cause we gotta go," Mitchell stated matter-of-factly.
Sango gave the bike an unsure look. She took a breath and looked back at Mitchell. "I'll ride behind you then, if you don't mind."
Soryan blinked, shaking his head. It didn't matter who got on or how, they just needed to get out of there.
"Aight then." Mitchell kickstarted the bike and it roared to life once again. Sango jumped at the sudden roar, but without much hesitation, she swung her leg over and sat directly behind the American. Likewise, Soryan quickly sat himself behind her.
With everyone onboard, Mitchell revved the throttle and the bike raced forward. The group rode away just in time for the rest of the horde to begin their descent down the hill. Soon enough, the Outcasts plus Sango were well on their way to Takagi Estate, the bright morning sun rising against their backs. Sango subconsciously pulled herself closer to Mitchell, hugging him tightly.
The Takagi Estate was hardly ever considered a busy place, but after the apocalypse had begun—an event of which was immediately followed by the acceptance of refugees into its walls—it had become a hub of activity that one couldn't find anywhere else in the city. One could say it was the last bastion of humanity left in Tokonosu City. That is to say, it was full of people, of refugees from rich to poor, snobbish to humble. Included among the more common folk of the population, sitting at a courtyard fountain near an area reserved for the bus survivors to camp, the girls of the Outcasts rested. Well, they tried to rest, but the situation didn't allow it much.
"Ugh," Kasumi groaned in disgust. Her hands were splayed against the lip of the fountain behind her as she leaned back, one leg crossed over the other. "If I knew things were going to be like this when we got here, I would've taken my chances out there," she said hotly. She knew that the other girls were thinking the same thing. In fact, Chizuru was quick to verbally agree with her.
"I know, right? I wanted to get away from stuff like this, but instead I walked right into it," Chizuru huffed, exasperated. She sat with her hands in her lap and her legs close together, idly adjusting her rear every-once-in-a-while when a certain position became too uncomfortable.
Ever since the Outcasts, Takashi's group, and the bus refugees had been rescued by Saya's mother and brought to the Takagi Estate, leers had followed the girls wherever they went. Not even girls like Bunko, Yoshie, or Chisato were exempt from the wandering gazes of both the Estate's men and a number of more delinquent or greasy refugees.
"I swear, they're not even trying to be subtle at this point," Kasumi said. She glared at the peanut gallery, painfully enduring what felt like worms wriggling on and beneath her skin. She shivered when all she received for her trouble was a few winks and sleazy smirks.
It was like she'd been made into an exotic exhibit of some sort—an object to dehumanize and stare at. Her splayed fingers balled, tightening slightly. Her spear sat not a few centimeters away. Oh, how she wished she could take it and give them a proper show, intimidate them into leaving her alone, but she stayed her hand. It took much self-restraint.
"Look, maybe we should just talk about something else, get your mind off of things," Chizuru offered. "We never talked about that thing that happened yesterday—y'know, that massive explosion?" It was clear that this was her own, less venomous attempt to ignore the leers, but neither Kasumi nor Wakaba pointed that out.
"No, we didn't. We were pretty busy getting settled in at the time," Wakaba replied. She sighed and looked off towards the estate's distant front gate with sad eyes, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin atop them in a feeble attempt to hide herself from lascivious stares that wanted to take advantage of her. "I hope the boys are alright…"
Kasumi paused at that, then her curled fingers relaxed slightly. She sighed, then leaned forward, bringing her hands to her side. Had she not had perfect posture, she would've been slouching forward in worry and discontent. If there was one thing that could preoccupy her more than anything else, it was her friends. In this special case, it would be her missing male friends. Immediately, her thoughts drifted away from the incessant leering of the more unsavory population.
Chizuru saw the expression on her face, and she mentally slapped herself. She'd gone from one sore topic right into a worrying one. The gymnast tossed her hair. "I'm sure they are. They seem pretty resourceful from what I can tell," she reassured. She paused. "… That reminds me, you two have known them for a while, right? What's the story with them?"
Kasumi and Wakaba looked at her, then at each other. Some kind of silent conversation was held between them. Chizuru could only wonder what it was about when they looked back at her.
"Do you want the full story? Or…" Kasumi asked.
Chizuru shrugged. "If you're willing to put up with me, then yeah." She paused. "I think I asked the same question a few days ago, actually."
Kasumi stopped. She glanced at Wakaba again, and when the girl nodded, Kasumi sighed. "I'm pretty sure I can trust you, so I don't mind sharing anymore."
Chizuru smirked. "Cool. I guess I managed to charm my way into your heart, huh?"
Kasumi laughed. "Yep, you've got my official seal of approval." She playfully batted Chizuru on the shoulder before looking towards the ground. "So… where should I start?" She paused. "Well, I can tell you that our story is… quite the story. Long-story short, these past two years were hell for the four of us."
The sudden shift in attitude caught Chizuru off guard, and her mouth opened slightly.
Kasumi sighed. "I… met Mitchell when he first transferred to Fujimi Academy almost two years ago." She looked over to Wakaba. "Wakaba introduced him to me."
Wakaba's smile was warm, but Chizuru could somehow tell by the quirk of her lips that it was also dim. It was better than the depressing aura she was giving off earlier. "You two certainly had no trouble getting along."
Kasumi half-smirked. Semi-distant memories filled her mind. "Heh. Yeah." She nodded to herself before turning back to Chizuru. "So, uh, actually, let's rewind. Context: Wakaba is hot—like really hot, we both know this, right?"
Wakaba blushed and muttered something under her breath as Chizuru blinked. "Uh, yeah."
"Basically," Kasumi continued, "She was bullied by other girls because she had all the looks but never really put them to use—she's shy but sexy is what I'm saying." Chizuru frowned at that, but said nothing. "I came along to help her, and we became friends after that. Unfortunately, even with my help, the bullying continued."
Chizuru nodded slowly. "I see…" She took a wild guess. "Is this the part where Mitchell comes in?"
Kasumi stared at her. "Nope, it gets way worse before that," she answered. Her eyes narrowed. "So, the bullying continues. Enter… let's call him Mr. S—or as Mitchell likes to call him, the Pedo in Pinstripe." Wakaba visibly shook at the mere mention of the man, and Chizuru's eyes narrowed at his title.
"Mr. S was an… educator at our school, and he had a good reputation, somehow. When he saw that Wakaba was getting bullied, he put on a goody-two-shoes exterior and came to her 'rescue'," Kasumi said, quoting the air. "Mr. S drove the bullies away, and it finally looked like things were turning around. But… we fell for his trap. Apparently, he thought that because he helped Wakaba with her situation, he was entitled to her body."
"What!?" Chizuru demanded. "What the fuck!?"
Wakaba hid her face, and Kasumi rubbed her side. "Mr. S… tried to rape her after class one day. I came just in time to stop it. I thought that that viper was going to get what was coming to him, but somehow, he had a silver tongue so shiny that he convinced the entire school body to treat Wakaba and I as walking, talking sexual objects." She stared off into space, and her eyes seemed distant, unfocused, and full of disgust and hate. "It was Hell for a while. Sexual harassment was commonplace, from things like catcalling to groping us in the hallways. People shamelessly undressed us with their eyes and tried to take inappropriate pictures of us when we weren't paying attention. One guy even tried to make voodoo dolls of us. It was the worst…"
Chizuru stared gobsmacked beyond belief. "What the hell kind of school does that? They really allowed all of this to happen?" Her voice was filled with abject disbelief and disgust. She could only imagine what Hell that must've been. "How does that even happen?"
Kasumi's jaw clenched. "It was that bastard Shido. I don't know how he managed to manipulate people, but no matter what we said or did, he always somehow won," she seethed.
"How did you deal with it?" Chizuru asked tentatively.
Surprisingly, Wakaba answered. "We didn't. Mitchell did," she said. "When he found out what was going on, he came down like a brick wall and just took on everything. He saved us..."
Kasumi relaxed slightly, her hard expression softening. She continued to rub circles into Wakaba's back. Man, if only Soryan were here to massage the stress away... "Mitchell took a lot of heat off of us, and he dealt with a lot of hate for it. He was already dealing with the whole 'foreigner' thing you see all too often. From what I can tell though, he didn't really care." She paused, letting out a small chuckle. "The big guy just... came crashing into our lives... left a big impression on us. He was just… great." She snorted suddenly. "A real cowboy sometimes, and a goofball at others. And he can be really sassy when he wants to."
"I thought Mitchell was intimidating at first, but he's quite the gentleman," Wakaba added. "He's a better friend than I ever could've asked for, especially at the time."
"Yeah, what she said," Kasumi concurred, nodding along. "It's all of the little things, you know? The way he carries himself, the way he's always making sure we're comfortable, the way he's always offering help, the way he just… puts the well being of others before himself. He's always thinking of how he can make a situation better and how he can make others happier." She looked at Chizuru. "Like I said, he's just a great guy."
Chizuru nodded slowly. In her experience with Mitchell, she had seen some of that, but also a lot of his sass. He was a fun guy, so far. "… What about Soryan?"
"Sor?" Kasumi asked nobody. She licked her lips. "Soryan on the other hand... Soryan showed up with Mitchell one day during lunch. He was really endearing. Always just nice in general. If I had to say: a strange guy with a strange personality. He's really witty, too—I mean, he has ideas but doesn't really put them into practice all that often. Among friends, he really likes to drive conversation with this… I guess, this way of just getting people to smile. He's also really fun to tease. That guy can say the funniest things if you tease him enough."
"Or… the saddest things sometimes," Wakaba added. Kasumi's lips thinned.
Chizuru frowned. "What do you mean?"
Wakaba faltered. "W-well… he just… doesn't really like himself all that much… but he doesn't like to talk about it because he thinks it's just annoying for other people."
Kasumi closed her eyes. "I… he thinks that he doesn't deserve anyone's care, yet he hates pitying himself because he thinks that all of his shortcomings are his fault and that he should fix them himself." When her eyes opened again, her brows were narrowed. "God. I hate it when he does that. He doesn't think about how others might feel about it, and it's infuriating to watch. He doesn't deserve to be so… sad."
"... I can't decide on whether that's selfish or stupid," Chizuru said, shaking her head slightly. "Did he tell you this or…?"
"No," Wakaba replied. She blushed lightly. "We kind of figured it out ourselves…" She tilted her head into a more comfortable position. "He used to apologize for staring at us for a second too long. Now he kind of just… silently beats himself up about it…"
"Anyways," Kasumi started, "after we met Soryan… well, he kind of had to share the hate with us," she said sheepishly. "He wouldn't take shit though. Have you heard that boy yell? His lungs have got to be huge."
Wakaba giggled as a memory came to her, and when she and Kasumi met eyes, they shared it. A smile split Kasumi's lips. "After a few of Soryan's tirades, things sort of calmed down. Shido was still a threat, but with Mitchell there, he didn't try anything. After that, well, the rest is history."
Wakaba nodded emphatically. "They're our best friends. After all, they've more than earned it."
Chizuru shared a smile at the wholesome thought. "I see. Sounds like you have some keepers. Guys like them are rare these days, it seems."
Kasumi hummed like a machine. "You have no idea," she emphasized. She leaned back on her hands like she'd done before the conversation started. "It's one of the reasons that… I… really want them to come back."
Chizuru nodded. She'd almost forgotten what had led up to this conversation. She looked at both girls. "Well, we can only hope they hurry back, right? I've only known them for a day or so and I miss them already. That probably goes triple for you two."
"Again, you have no idea," Kasumi said. A thought occurred to her, and her lips slipped into a devious expression. "Right, Waka?"
Wakaba tilted her head. "Huh? What do you mean?"
The Spear-user replied with motions that only Wakaba could understand. A moment after, Wakaba blushed, red as a tomato and she pulled her legs in closer. "OH! Uh…"
Seeing their seemingly random mood swings, Chizuru looked between the Spear-user and the Archer in utter confusion. "... Did I miss something?"
"Uh, nothing!" Wakaba floundered, waving her arms. She pouted when Kasumi laughed. "You have no room to talk! You have it just as bad!"
Kasumi waved a hand dismissively. "What can I say? He's a great guy. Anyone would be lucky to have him."
Chizuru's brows rose up to her hairline. "Oh." She swallowed. "Are… are you talking about Mitchell?"
Kasumi gave her a look before shaking her head. "Well… actually, Wakaba likes Mitchell."
"Oh? And what about you?"
Kasumi crossed her arms. "Duh: Sor. Who else?"
"So both of you are crushing, huh? I was honestly joking about that girlfriend comment on the highway."
Kasumi gave Chizuru a dry look. "Of course you were."
"Kas! You can't just be so blasé about this!" Wakaba shook, completely red-faced. It was rather adorable from Chizuru's point of view.
"Oh really?" Kasumi taunted playfully. "What'cha gonna do about it?" she teased.
"I'll…" Wakaba trailed off. After a couple seconds of silence, she whined pitifully. Despite herself, Chizuru chuckled, and Kasumi laughed.
"Man, you are just so cute, Waka, you know that?" Kasumi said. "C'mere you." Without waiting for her to reply, she wrapped the girl in an affectionate hug and squeezed tightly, pulling her onto her own lap. Wakaba's lips trembled in embarrassment, but nonetheless, she leaned back into it. Chizuru felt her heart melt just seeing Wakaba's adorable expression.
It was unfortunate that, before the totally platonic impromptu cuddling session could proceed any further, the sound of heavy machinery drew the attention of the Outcasts. The girls unanimously stopped their ministrations and turned to see a forklift rolling towards them, a cage atop its forks. The forklift stopped next to the Outcasts—just adjacent to the fountain—before setting the cage down. Sitting face-down within it was a single Z.
Without a word, a number of men came and lined up near the cage, standing at attention. Off to the side, a beautiful, purple-haired woman wearing an extravagant red dress joined them, waiting for… something. The Outcasts recognized her as Saya's mother.
The girls were perplexed, as were other refugees in the area. The events were so random, in fact, that they managed to stop the lustful leers entirely, if only for a moment. The girls weren't given too much time to ponder the happenings though; a sleek, black car drove into the courtyard, and from it emerged a large, broad-shouldered man. There was a katana sheathed to his belt.
The man himself was, for lack of a better word, intense. He marched forward with purpose, his aura oozing authority and demanding respect. Obviously, given his means of arrival, he was of high ranking in this estate.
The man strode past the girls, then stopped just before the one-prisoner cage, turning towards the gathered crowd. Without a word about who he was or what he was doing, he spoke.
"This man's name is Tetsutarou Doi. He's the former retainer who had served the Takagi family. He is also my best friend. Today, during the rescue operation in an effort to save his associates, he was bitten. He is the ultimate case of self-sacrifice. What he did was something noble—something any human being could do."
The man closed his eyes, pausing for a second, and a wave of murmurs passed through the crowd.
"However, he is no longer a human. He's become something extremely dangerous. That's why, as a man of the Takagi family, I shall fulfil my obligation to the retainer."
Dramatically, the man turned to the cage, then to a retainer adjacent to the cage. He nodded once.
With a little hesitation, the retainer undid the lock. Like a lion dying of hunger that sat before a steak, the Z lunged for the man, smashing through the metal gate of the cage.
It happened so quickly—one moment, the Z was throwing itself forward, the next, its head fell from its shoulders and its body slammed into the ground. The man—the patriarch of the Takagi estate—glared at it stoically before returning his katana to its sheath. The crowd stood stunned.
"This is the present we're facing. And so! Even if they're your wonderful friends, beloved family members, and people you once loved, you must defeat them without hesitation. If you want to survive, you must fight!"
Before a shocked, speechless crowd, the man walked away, the Takagi matriarch following a step behind. The Outcasts stared after them.
"Well… that happened," Chizuru said plainly. She shook her head incredulously. "What was that all about?"
Kasumi scoffed. "A speech from the captain of SS Obvious." She eyed the Z's corpse. "It's not like we all don't know this already."
"Kas, not so loud! They'll hear you," Wakaba said worriedly. She looked over at the nearby retainers who had yet to leave. Thankfully, they hadn't noticed. Kasumi merely grunted, wrapping her arms around Wakaba's waist before pulling the archer deeper into her lap. Wakaba squeaked at that.
Chizuru looked at them amusedly before she gave a cursory glance towards the camp where the bus survivors resided. "You girls want to head back to our area? I don't want to share a fountain with a floating zombie head."
"I think we should," Wakaba replied, looking around. With nothing to occupy the crowd, some guys had already returned to openly or slyly staring at the girls. That being said, Wakaba couldn't deny the fleeting desire to stay where she was seated, for Kasumi's thighs were remarkably soft. They felt like pillows against her rear… in a totally platonic way, of course.
With a sigh, Kasumi shrugged. "I guess. There's nothing to do here anyways."
Chizuru nodded, then the girls rose in unison, gathering their weapons and putting them away. It was almost like a rule of the universe that they were stopped.
"Hey, hold up a sec, ladies." The voice that halted them was confident, a little smug, and a little ostentatious. Each of the girls reacted with varying degrees of exasperation. Wakaba squeaked like a mouse, literally jumping in surprise. Kasumi's eyes narrowed, a quiet groan leaving her lips. Chizuru looked down, closing her eyes and sighing.
Like clockwork, the Outcasts turned around, Wakaba hiding behind her more confident companions. The girls were met by a rather handsome young man accompanied by a group of four others. The young man approached with a confident swagger. His posse were all decently attractive and they each held their heads high.
The girls instantly knew what type of guys they were dealing with. They'd dealt with guys like this many times before after all.
"Why don't you girls stick around? Y'know, come hang out with us," the 'leader' offered. His gaze swept over the girls. "You ladies looked pretty lonely over here. Like you needed a little loving. Need anyone to help ya… warm up a bit?" He thumbed the lips of his pants suggestively.
Kasumi nearly gagged. She realized that her interaction with Wakaba—all of that wholesome hugging and lap-sitting—might've been an incredibly sexually gratifying show for those who took it that way. She shivered in disgust and cringed when the leader thumbed his pants the way he did.
One of the leader's buddies stepped forward. "I agree. You girls seem to keep to yourselves a lot. Why dontcha get to know some people here? Like us? We're willing," he said, gesturing to his companions.
"Uh, sorry, we're not the type to hang out with strangers," Chizuru replied neutrally, fighting to keep the disgust off her face. The guys hadn't even bothered to give their names nor ask for theirs. That alone was a red flag in her eyes. What didn't help their case further were their hidden leers, shifty gazes, and definitely that pants motion that the leader just pulled. Chizuru wondered: was this the type of shit Kasumi and Wakaba had dealt with on the daily? Just much, much worse?
"Yeah, we'll just keep doing what we've been doing," Kasumi said flatly, eyes lidded. She had no patience for these guys. "You're making it kind of obvious what you guys want."
The leader held a hand to his heart. "Ow. That honestly hurts. Don't you think you're the ones making assumptions? Don't be like that. We're just trying to be friendly." He pouted.
Despite her greatest efforts, Kasumi recoiled in abject disgust. "Oh God," she muttered, looking away.
Wakaba poked her head out from behind her friends. "Um, excuse me, but I'm afraid we must politely decline. Thank you for offering, but we really must be on our way." She tugged on the backs of her friends' shirts. If it wasn't yet clear, she really didn't like being around these guys.
To the Outcasts' immense surprise and subsequent relief, the men actually complied. "Well, alright. It's clear you don't like us for some reason. But we'll be back for ya. You'll see we're not so bad once ya get to know us." He winked and gave them a finger pistol.
Despite their willingness to back off, both Kasumi and Wakaba shuddered at his gesture. Chizuru merely gave the man a pitiful look. Without replying, the girls turned away, and with that, they walked back to their designated camping area, now in lesser moods than before.
The bus survivors' camping territory was a large area with camping tents spread out in a circle that surrounded the bus. As they were, the girls shared a single tent. They didn't mind the proximity, but they lacked some privacy. It was the best they were going to get though, so they didn't complain.
On the door side of the bus was a large circle of lawn chairs upon which a handful of the bus survivors sat. Said survivors greeted the girls when they approached. Bunko gave them a friendly wave, Chisato and Yoshie each welcomed them with smiles, and Masao shamelessly stared at the girls. They all seemed to be having a discussion, seated around one another.
"How nice to see the venerable Lord Takagi living up to his lofty reputation," Yoshie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She sat on a folding chair, seemingly unimpressed by the broad-shouldered man's—Lord Takagi's—demonstration. With a sigh, she gripped a rather tasteless raspberry La Croix and took a long, slow sip from it.
Chisato shifted in her seat as she watched the woman, then she frowned, looking towards the distant fountain. "While he made a fair point about having to defend ourselves, he could've been less... extreme about it."
"He's Uyoku Dantai, sis. Duh, he's extreme. That's his whole schtick. What did you expect?" Masao cut in flatly. Chisato rolled her eyes.
Bunko turned to the Outcasts when they got closer. "Hi. Welcome back." She paused, her smile turning to concern. "Have you heard anything about your friends?" She instantly realized that that was the wrong question to ask.
Wakaba shook her head as Kasumi sighed, their expressions drooping and their eyes downcast. "No sign of them yet, sadly."
Chizuru lay her hands on their shoulders to reassure them, but she herself couldn't help glancing towards the distant front gate.
Yoshie saw their sorrowful faces, but nonetheless she smiled. "Oh, don't worry. Those boys seem to know what they're doing. They'll be back, I'm sure of it." Of course, she said that, but she herself wasn't one-hundred percent certain of anything.
"Yep! Why, I'll bet they'll be here any moment," Chisato boldly proclaimed.
"I hope," Kasumi muttered. She shivered as a number of darker thoughts entered her mind, and she shook her head.
Masao scoffed, but said nothing. Everyone ignored him.
"Cheer up," Chisato said. "Why don't you have a seat and get something to drink? If you want to."
"I think I'll take you up on that offer," Chizuru replied. Purposefully, she glanced at the other outcasts, then went over to Chisato and reached into a cooler that sat beside the woman, retrieving a bottle of water.
Wordlessly, Kasumi and Wakaba did the same. The Outcasts each pulled up a chair and did their best to make themselves comfortable. Considering that they were now out of view from all of the endless staring, but now had one-hundred percent of their focus on their missing companions, it was only marginally easier.
There was a bout of silence as everyone settled down. Yoshie tapped at her chin, thoughtful. Seeing Kasumi's and Wakaba's states of mental decline, she desired to start a conversation that could pull her savior's friends from the depths of worry. The answer soon came to her. "Say, did any of you see that explosion yesterday? It was huge!"
"I think we all saw it. If not, then you at least heard it. What do you think caused it?" Bunko asked. Her gaze swept across the gathered survivors, curiosity in her eyes.
"It might've been a gas leak or something," Chisato posited. "Maybe even a chemical explosion. They don't usually get that big, though."
"That can't be," Bunko frowned. "Why now of all times? It's not like there's anyone around to mess things up."
An odd, worrying thought occurred to Chisato. "...You think it could've been the boys?"
Yoshie inwardly face-palmed as Kasumi's and Wakaba's bowed heads rose. "...What are you saying?" Kasumi asked.
Chisato paused, and, realizing the implications of her words, backpedaled. She waved her hands placatingly. "That's not what I meant! I'm just saying that they're the only ones we know for sure are out there right now. Maybe they could've had a hand in it, is all I'm saying."
"Oh," Kasumi muttered. She realized that it would be something that the boys might be crazy enough to do. She rolled her eyes. "Well, even if that is the case, if a plane crash and the zombie apocalypse didn't do them in, then a plain old explosion isn't gonna cut it."
"U—huh?" Chisato uttered. "Plane… crash?" Her tone asked for an elaboration.
"Plane crash…" Bunko muttered. "I saw a… are you talking about that airbus crash the other day?" she asked incredulously. Her eyes widened. "You were there!?"
Kasumi nodded. "Yep. Right at ground zero. Scared the hell out of us." She popped open her soft drink and casually took a sip.
Chizuru looked baffled. "Wha—what the heck? Um, that's definitely something you should tell someone! Why haven't I heard about this!?"
"We didn't feel like it was important enough…?" Wakaba replied, unsure. She idly thumbed her own soft drink. It was chilly against her fingers. "I mean, we did come away unscathed."
Bunko stared in awe. "No wonder you guys are so… awesome. You've gone through so much!"
Wakaba blushed. "Oh, it's, um... it's nothing."
Chisato beamed. "Well, it's certainly reassuring to have such capable companions, right?" Masao grumbled at that.
Yoshie nodded, smirking. "Yep. It sure is."
Kasumi hummed. "By the way, to answer your question, I think it's best if… I think…" She trailed off.
Everyone stared at her. After a solid few seconds, they grew concerned.
"What. What is it? What's wrong?" Chizuru asked.
"Ah…" Wakaba uttered. Like Kasumi, she too froze up, staring into space with wide eyes. Her unopened drink slipped from her fingers, and after a second, her eyes glistened.
"Hey, are you okay—"
Without a word, Kasumi and Wakaba each got up and ran. Their companions were shocked, at least, until they caught sight of what exactly the girls were running at.
Because there at the front gate, standing just beyond the metal bars were Soryan and Mitchell.
"I'm sure you'll get along with 'em, Sango," Mitchell said confidently. He nodded to himself. "In fact, I can bet on it."
Soryan nodded along with Mitchell's words. It had been about an hour since they'd left the shrine, a time during which Mitchell did his best to assuage Sango's lingering reservations about leaving the shrine. After the maiden had been reasonably assured, Mitchell explained to Sango that he and Soryan were trying to link back up with the Outcasts. Naturally, this made Sango understandably nervous—not for any self-conscious reason, but because she didn't want to mess up whatever clear dynamic these Outcasts had.
"They do sound like good friends. I'll take your word for it," Sango replied. She glanced over at the resident American. "I'll admit, you've gotten me a little curious now."
"That's good," Mitchell replied. He gave her an amused look. "Just watch. You'll see you're worryin' over nothin'."
The group halted when an inexplicable blur of movement caught their eyes, and they each turned. Immediately, Mitchell's previous statement was put to the test, and they each displayed varying amounts of surprise.
Because from across the Takagi Estate's courtyard, barreling at them like a pair of heat-seeking Javelin missiles, Kasumi and Wakaba rapidly approached, sprinting like their lives depended on it. When they got close, it was evident that they wore expressions of ferocity and heartache on their faces. The trio was only given enough time for Mitchell to kick out the motorcycle's stand before the girls were upon them.
Kasumi all but growled at Soryan when she neared. "Where the fuck have you been!?" she roared, leaping at the unprepared Cambodian. Soryan's eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly as Kasumi wrapped her arms around his neck, then pulled herself up. He stumbled then righted himself as she swore lowly, but even as her words attempted to scathe Soryan, her glistening eyes belied her anger and exposed her true feelings: relief. Soryan was caught off guard by the fact that his crush was now glomping him, and he had no idea what to do other than return it.
Mitchell had half-a-second to brace himself before Wakaba collided with him. She wrapped her arms around the American as pained sobs clawed their way up her throat, stinging her eyes with salty tears. She didn't say anything because her emotions choked her, but even if she could, she would have remained silent, because all that mattered to her was that her companions had returned.
The momentum of Wakaba's collision knocked Mitchell backwards a step, but he managed to stay balanced. He grunted, but as he saw Wakaba's bedraggled state, he couldn't help but return her embrace with a slight frown. "We're back. Sorry it took so long."
Off to the side, Soryan almost wheezed as Kasumi's embrace tightened. "Yeah… sorry."
"Oh my God," Kasumi seethed. She almost pulled away from the Ung so she could slap him. "I…! You…! Don't you ever abandon us like that again!"
Wakaba nodded with her, her tears staining Mitchell's wear. "Yeah, what she said!"
The American nodded, his heart suddenly heavier. There was a twinge of guilt that picked at him, but he held fast, and as he looked into her eyes and saw what terror had just been there minutes before, he placed his hands upon Wakaba's back and, like one would console a child, rubbed in soft circles.
"You're preachin' to the choir, girls," he drawled quietly.
A short distance away, Sango watched respectfully. She eyed Soryan, then Mitchell. What in the world happened for there to be such an… emotional reunion? Had they been split up? She could only guess.
Sango's attention was taken by a new arrival—another beautiful young woman: Chizuru. The woman walked up to the group and said nothing, watching with lidded eyes as Mitchell attempted to comfort Wakaba. After a moment, her gaze flitted to Soryan. The boy was doing his best to rub circles on Kasumi's back.
"Just… hold me," Kasumi whispered.
When Mitchell noticed Chizuru's arrival, he patted Wakaba on her shoulders. "Uh, hey, I need to get somethin' from my bike real quick."
Wakaba looked up at him, then pressed an ear to his chest. "Can someone else get it?" she asked softly.
Mitchell wavered instantly, but pressed onward. "Um, well, I kinda gotta give Chizuru somethin' I found last night."
Wakaba looked reluctant, but she nodded gently. "Okay."
Seeing the Archer's reluctance, Mitchell stared down at her for a second before coming to a decision. "Actually y'know what? Fuck it, you're comin' with me."
Wakaba yelped in a high-pitched voice as Mitchell wrapped an arm around her and stepped over towards his bike, leaning over to reach into the bag on its side.
"Here ya are, Rescue Lead," Mitchell said, retrieving the kukri and presenting it to the gymnast hilt first. Chizuru's jaw dropped like a sack of rocks. Slowy, she reached out and took it with shaky hands.
"Holy shit." There was a certain excitement in her eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Now you can participate in our group activities." Mitchell smirked. He knew she'd love it.
"Alright then! Let's go sit down!" Rather harshly, Kasumi grabbed Soryan by his hand and began dragging him towards the bus survivors' area.
Mitchell looked down at Wakaba, who looked back up at him. "Well, I gotta move my bike. Wanna walk with me?"
Wakaba nodded. "Mhm. You have some explaining to do, Mitch."
Mitchell rubbed his neck sheepishly as they stepped away from each other. "Yeah, I know. Guess we should get over there, huh?"
Without further ado, Mitchell stepped over to the dirt bike and kicked up the stand. He turned back to Chizuru and Sango. "What y'all doin' standin' there? C'mon, let's go."
Chizuru's lips quirked upwards. "Alright then." She turned to the maiden. "You wanna sit with us? We don't mind."
Sango blinked, then nodded slowly. "Sure. Thank you."
Ahead of them, as Kasumi dragged Soryan with noticeable force, the bus survivors rose from their seats, Masao offering little resistance against the stronger Chisato. Kasumi stopped before them. "Where are you guys going?"
Yoshie gave her a soft stare. She had seen Kasumi's attitude towards the boys from a distance. She decided that the Outcasts would need some… alone time. "Just… giving you some space is all."
Chisato craned her neck to look back at the spear-user. "Yeah, don't worry about us. We'll leave you to your business." Bunko nodded along silently as Masao opened his mouth. Much to Masao's ire, Chisato elbowed him harshly.
In a few moments, the bus survivors disappeared into the courtyard, passing their tents without so much as a glance. Kasumi stared after them for a second longer before turning her attention back to her friend. She didn't release him until she stood before the now-empty chairs, at which point she urged—shoved—Soryan into one. "Here, sit down, you."
Sensing Kasumi's temper, the Cambodian allowed her to. "Uh… thanks?"
"Don't thank us yet," Kasumi admonished. "I've got some things to say, and I hope that you'll listen."
There was a lull in the conversation as Mitchell, Wakaba, Chizuru, and Sango arrived, but rather than seating themselves, Chizuru addressed Kasumi. "Hey, she and I are just going to… hang out near the fountain for a bit, if you don't mind."
Kasumi leveled an analytical stare at her, and after a few moments, she nodded rigidly. "Okay. Just give us a few minutes," she said.
Chizuru gave a thumbs-up. "Cool, cool… Alright, whoever-you-are. Let's bounce." With that, she walked away, Sango following her with a concerned sheen in her eyes.
Mitchell kicked out the motorcycle stand, then Wakaba pushed him forward. She planted Mitchell into a seat next to Soryan. "Here. Now, I don't want to see you leave that seat until you explain yourself."
Mitchell sat down without resistance, raising his hands in a conceding gesture. He knew it was serious when both of them were like this. "Aight. But seriously, we're not goin' anywhere."
"You better not," Kasumi warned. Immediately after, silence dominated the camp, and after what felt like hours, the Spear-user sighed loudly. "Look, I'm not going to ask why you guys decided to up and split from us like that. What I am going to ask… actually, what I'm gonna make sure of is that you are never going to split off from us like that again. At least, not for a long time." She had a soft look in her eyes, one that said that she understood the necessity of Mitchell's and Soryan's actions, but her eyes also conveyed immense worry and hurt. "I just… I hated the thought that I might never see you guys again. Of not knowing whether you would live up to your promise and meet us here. I don't know how long I was waiting for you, but I sat here, watching that gate until I fell asleep. When I woke up, and you weren't there, well…"
"It was awful. Terrifying," Wakaba said quietly. "I was beginning to think you two might've actually…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
Mitchell sighed solemnly. "I understand, girls, really, I do. I'd be lyin' through my teeth if I said I wasn't on pins and needles worryin' if y'all were alright or not. But, lemme just say this: we didn't have much of a choice then. There was no choice—our position was untenable. If we stayed on that humvee any longer than we did, we would've died. We had to break off," he finished plainly, a grave expression on his face.
Soryan was caught off guard by the topic of conversation. He took a moment to gather himself. "Yeah... We couldn't drop back down on the other side of those cables either. There was a fuck-load of zombies coming from the top of the road, and we had to lure them away, or else they would've fallen face first on you. That's kind of why we booked it so fast. You guys were up shit's creek and we were the paddle."
Kasumi and Wakaba each looked down at that, frowns on their faces.
Mitchell eyed them both before shaking his head. "We won't make any excuses. We'll own up to what happened, but there's nothin' we could've done to turn that situation around." His tone gave no hint of superficiality.
Soryan grunted. "It was a shitshow from the start. We couldn't have gotten people up those cables any faster."
"Basically, what we're tryin' to say is… we're sorry it turned out like that. Everythin' went as well as it could've gone, but it still wasn't enough." Mitchell ran a hand over his quarter-inch hair, sighing.
"Splitting was the absolute last thing we would've done. It just so happens to be that this is one of those times where it had to be done," Soryan added. His eyes were downcast, and he took a breath.
There was an all-encompassing moment of silence, broken only by a gust of wind that blew through the camp. When it seemed like the conversation may go even farther south, Wakaba, without warning, slowly rose from her seat. She turned, then stepped towards the boys, the perfect picture of judgement. She stood herself right in front of them, forcing their necks to strain up. Then, she fell forward like a judge's gavel.
It almost seemed like she was to reprimand them, but rather than striking them, her arms wrapped around them. There were tears in her eyes once more.
"It's alright. Don't beat yourselves up over this. Just… please don't do that again," Wakaba whispered. Her arms were like a steel vice that wished never to let go.
Mitchell wordlessly returned the embrace, feeling her shake slightly. Soryan was stunned by the unexpected gesture of affection, but he eventually melted into it. His eyes felt hot for some reason.
A second later, another pair of arms wrapped around them from behind; Kasumi brought her head between them, pulling them together. "As long as we got our point across. We do everything together, remember?" she said quietly.
Mitchell closed his eyes, hugging Wakaba tighter. "Yeah."
Soryan gave a nod and an affirmative hum. He didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. He recalled the way that Kasumi and Wakaba had embraced him the day that the invasion started. The fact that they cared so much for his well being—that they cared for him at all was astonishing to him, and it made his heart heavy. Never once did he complain, though.
A half-hour came and went before Chizuru and Sango returned and sat themselves down. By then, the atmosphere was no longer thick with emotion. Now, it was light, and… normal. All of the original Outcasts came to recognize this atmosphere soon enough.
"So," Kasumi began, staring at the boys of the group. She placed an elbow on the edge of her chair's armrest, her hand set beside her face, and one leg crossed over the other. "What happened after you two...left?"
On the other side of Mitchell, Wakaba looked at the boys expectantly, sitting with one foot over the edge of her seat and the other loosely hugged to her chest. On the other side of Soryan, Kasumi stared at him, and to her right, Chizuru sat lazily, her legs fully extended now that the public was no longer staring at her.
The gymnast hummed at Kasumi's inquiry. "Yeah, surely you boys were up to some escapades out there."
Soryan frowned at Chizuru's diction, but Mitchell merely paused, gathering his thoughts. "Well...after we left, we hauled ass for a bit until we came across an import store. That's where we got that—" he threw a thumb towards his motorcycle, "—and your kukri." He nodded towards Chizuru with a happy smirk. The girl gave a toothless smile back, idly running a finger down the side of her new blade.
"Yeah," Soryan grunted, "that place was a gold mine of foreign goods. It had a bunch of good shit we could use. That's how I got this—" he raised his tactical shovel, then lowered it, "—and..." He paused. "Actually, yeah, I also got this." He took off his backpack and opened it, revealing a number of medical, utility, and food supplies. "And I got all this junk food from a convenience store. For the road, y'know?"
"Food!" Kasumi blurted, perking up at the sight of the backpack's contents.
The girl's utterance made Mitchell's expression scrunch up. "Did y'all not eat yet?"
At that moment, Wakaba's stomach chose to announce its presence. The archer's cheeks burned a bright red, and she brought both knees up to her chest, thrusting her face into them as Kasumi laughed up a storm with Chizuru and Soryan chuckling amusedly. Sango, too, was amused, but more towards the Outcasts' antics and attitudes rather than Wakaba's rebellious stomach.
"There's your answer," Soryan said simply.
"Well, we can't have that then, can we? Whatcha got in there, Sor?" Mitchell asked. He stared at the bag. "I'm feelin' kinda hungry myself."
Soryan peered into his bag. He found a vast array of the Japanese equivalent of Slim Jims, a dozen potato chip bags of different flavors, and numerous packets of beef jerky. "Uh… junk food from a convenience store."
"Food is food!" Kasumi exclaimed. She got up from her seat and stepped over to the Cambodian. Handily, she snatched a bag of some non-brand potato chips and a packet of beef jerky. "Thank you~" she sing-songed.
Soryan replied nothing, watching as she sat down and tore the jerky bag open before popping a piece of dried meat between her lips. Once she was satisfied, she held the bag out to Wakaba, who sheepishly took a piece and began nibbling on it.
"Er, I'll take one, if you don't mind," Chizuru said, raising a hand. Soryan tossed her the other bag of beef jerky then looked to Sango. The maiden shook her head.
It was then that Mitchell realized that Sango had yet to introduce herself. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. After we left the convenience store we got that food from, we came across a Shinto shrine. We met another survivor there." He glanced at Sango.
Everyone unanimously set their gazes on her. The maiden cleared her throat. "Yes. I have to say it was a relief to see living people again." She returned Mitchell's glance. "Trustworthy people at that." The shrine maiden stood and bowed. "Hello. I'm Sango Shinonome. It's nice to meet you. Mitchell and Soryan told me a great deal about you." Her gaze swept across the group.
Kasumi smiled at her. "Only good things, right? I'm Kasumi Mizuhara." She dignified that by biting a hefty chunk of jerky from a larger piece.
"I'm Wakaba Otonashi," Wakaba added. Rare as the occurrence was, she smirked. "The boys didn't give you too much trouble… did they?"
Sango tilted her head. "Well…" She shook her head. "Not really, no. They were actually rather helpful."
Mitchell raised a brow at Wakaba. "I find your lack of faith disturbing. I'll have you know we were on our best behavior."
Wakaba smiled sheepishly at that, and Kasumi looked at him. "Your best, huh?" She turned her head to Soryan. "And what exactly does that entail? I'm just saying, I've known you boys for a while." She pointed an accusatory morsel of jerky at them. Soryan tilted his head in a 'what the fuck does that mean,' look. "You know what I mean."
"I don't."
At the same time, Sango shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "Don't worry, it was nothing untoward. They were respectful to the shrine and Mitchell helped me make dinner. They were perfect gentlemen."
Chizuru gasped dramatically at the mention of dinner. "Dinner? Mitchell! How could you!?"
The sound that left Mitchell's lips was foreign. "Whut? What did I do?" Kasumi, who had just opened her bag of chips, snorted loudly. Wakaba stifled a giggle.
Chizuru fought the urge to laugh, pressing onwards. "How could you bring me a gift when you had dinner with another woman the night before?"
Mitchell's eyes widened dramatically. "Oh my God, you're right! Whatever was I thinkin', helpin' someone out!?" He exclaimed. He clapped his hands together apologetically, his expression becoming half-lidded. "Forgive my mistake. I have seen the light." In direct contrast to his over-the-top theatrics, his voice was drier than Sundowner winds.
Off to the side, Sango sank back in her seat, blushing lightly at all of their implications. Despite sitting three chairs away from him, Sango leaned towards Soryan, who regarded her by turning his head.
"Are they… flirting?" she asked rather innocently.
Soryan turned fully. "… Perhaps? I don't know, maybe. You asked the wrong guy, bud."
Mitchell rolled his eyes and gave Sango a lazy look. "Just lettin' ya know, take whatever ya hear from the teasin' twins over there—" he gestured to Chizuru and Kasumi, "—with a grain 'a salt. They really can't help themselves sometimes."
Kasumi only stuck her tongue out in retaliation, and Chizuru chuckled mirthfully as Wakaba giggled with equal pep. As for the shrine maiden, Sango hummed amusedly. It was strange for her: from the beginning of the entire motorcycle ride to the end of it, she'd been worried that Mitchell's group wouldn't accept her. Now though, seeing the way that they interacted with one another, she felt that she'd be okay doing the same. "I see. I'll keep that in mind."
Mitchell shifted in his seat, placing his hands on the armrests. He thought for a moment, then shifted again. "So. We've shared our story. Y'all wanna share yours? What've y'all been doin'?"
"Oh, where do we even begin?" Kasumi groaned. She chewed her last bits of jerky, then zipped up the bag before leaning back into her chair to such an extent that the chair nearly fell over. She yelped as she righted herself, Wakaba giggling at her, the archer's body shaking cheerfully. "Shush you!" Kasumi said, presenting a rare blush.
"Not long after you guys left, we were rescued by that Takagi girl's mom," Chizuru informed, giving Kasumi an amused glance. "Then we were brought straight here." She shrugged. "There isn't much of a story behind that, really."
"We spent most of the night settling in," Wakaba added, settling down. She paused before looking away sheepishly, poking her fingers together. "And, well, waiting for you to come back. Today, we kind of just… worried? A lot?"
Kasumi huffed. "Yeah—I can't tell you just how fun that that's been," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. She seethed immediately after. "Try worrying for your friends after being voluntold to become the number one all-you-can-stare exhibit. Let me tell you—two negatives do not make a positive."
Mitchell's eyes narrowed, and his teeth clenched behind his lips, his fists balling slightly. Surprisingly, Sango mirrored his expression. "Really?" She inquired. "Wait… what exactly do you mean by that?"
Kasumi grumbled before blowing a tuft of hair out of her face. "Not to be super crass, but they were… well, they were pretty much fucking us with their eyes. In other words, they wanted to have sex with us… or something along those lines I think. It's usually the same thing every time, so…"
"I...see…" Sango said, a bit unsettled. "So they just… shamelessly stare at you?"
"Yep," Chizuru replied, popping the 'p'. She shook her head. "You'll see what we mean soon enough."
Sango hummed, frowning. "Some of the men here truly have nothing better to do," she muttered. "I mean, at least be a little productive. Read a book. Run around and play tag or something, I don't care. But staring at girls all day? Gosh, I swear the world wasn't like that before this apocalypse started. Maybe there's another virus going around that takes away men's common sense..."
Mitchell barked a laugh. "Preach." He turned to Sango. "I think that virus is called 'Simping' by the way."
"Nah," Soryan said. "Can't be. If they were simping, the four of you would be sitting on thrones right now." His fingers swept across the girls of the group. For his subtle praises, Sango looked at him weirdly.
"All I know is, there's gotta be a water shortage here or somethin' 'cause, goddamn, they all sound thirsty as hell," Mitchell drawled, lazily eyeing the distant refugee camps.
"Ain't that the truth," Chizuru muttered. She thought back to the group of guys that had approached her, Kasumi, and Wakaba just an hour earlier. Such sad fellows they were...
"So... anything else worth mentionin'? Nothin' else besides 'We got gawked at all day'?" Mitchell inquired.
Kasumi looked up thoughtfully, as did the others. "... I can't really think of anything else interesting that happened so… I guess that's all," she shrugged.
"But none of that matters now. You both came back. That's all that matters to me," Wakaba added quickly, her eyes resolute.
Mitchell nodded firmly. "I couldn't agree more, Waka. You girls can consider this a promise: from now on, we're here to stay. For damn sure."
Both Kasumi and Wakaba smiled softly. If there was one constant that had never changed over the couple of years that they'd known each other, it was that Mitchell kept his promises.
For a long moment, Soryan remained silent, his brows furrowing and his fists clenching slightly as he went over the conversation. "...Yeah."
The conversation stilled for a moment, at least, until Chizuru recalled that certain arrangements needed to be made. "Oh, by the way, shouldn't we find you guys a tent for tonight? I mean, we do have room for Sango." She paused, thinking over that statement, then her gaze snapped to the other girls. "We do, right?"
Wakaba nodded. "We do. It'll be a little crowded, but we'll have to make do." Kasumi winced, but she nodded as well. There was an unspoken agreement among them that Sango would not share a tent with the boys.
"Oh, I really shouldn't impose—" Sango protested, but the girls wouldn't have it.
"Nope—you're coming with us and that's final. Let's get you situated," Kasumi cut her off. She rose from her seat and grabbed Sango by the hand before dragging the maiden to their tent.
Mitchell watched with an amused look before turning to Wakaba. "Y'all make her feel welcome, aight? She was pretty nervous about meetin' y'all."
Wakaba smiled reassuringly. "We will. She seems nice so far. I like her."
Chizuru smirked teasingly, resting her chin on the back of her hand as she looked Mitchell in the eyes. "Oh? Looking out for the new girl, are we?"
Mitchell simply shrugged. "She showed us hospitality, so we should do the same." He frowned. "Circumstances forced her to abandon her home to come with us. A little hospitality is the least we could do."
Chizuru's gaze softened. "I see… We'll do what we can." Resolute, both Chizuru and Wakaba stood, then took their leave.
"Thanks," Mitchell said after them. A moment later, he slapped his hands on his legs and stood up. "Welp, looks like I'm gonna hafta ask one of those estate folks if they got a tent we can use. Woohoo, yay, wish me fuckin' luck," he ended flatly. He marched towards the courtyard balcony, where a man could be seen standing watch over the refugees.
On his way over, Mitchell caught sight of numerous male refugees glaring daggers at him. Remembering what the girls had been through, he immediately glared back.
Soryan watched as Mitchell disappeared behind a tent and into the distance, and when the American was no longer visible, Soryan's gaze swept across the camp. It was quiet now that he was alone. He put two knuckles to his lips, his elbow resting on the arm of the chair, the fingers of his other hand thrumming against the opposite arm of the chair. He sat thinking for a moment, then he surveyed the empty camp once more, half-expecting something to happen. Nothing did. He looked up into the bright sky. It was midday.
"... Well… ok." Without purpose, the Ung rose. He supposed he might as well explore the Estate while he was there. Silently, he walked in a random direction.
A/N:
SYD: I… don't really have much to say.
RPG: I do.
SYD: Go on.
RPG: This chapter was fun to write. Like damn, so much happened.
SYD: Yep… Damn bruh we already more than halfway through the anime. Then we have to start making original content. Wait, we are making original content.
RPG: Exactly. Not like we don't already have plans though, right?
SYD: Right… Of course. Anyways, that's all I've got. You?
RPG: Nah. We're good here.
SYD: Cool. See you lot later.
RPG: Later on, y'all.