After many minutes spent running through the rain, not caring that they are soaking wet from head to toe, the two stop running to catch their breath after they are far away from the manor they've woken up in. Even though they didn't run for too long, they're really tired due to what they've witnessed back there. With a potential zombie apocalypse seemingly imminent, no one can blame them.

"We… We made it… We made it out…" Sakura panted, her hands nestled on her knees.

"We gladly did…" Kakyoin concurred, combing his now wet hair with his hand. He can't wait to properly comb his hair after this is over and they figured out what to do next.

Once they've calmed down, the two are made aware of the rushing river nearby. Turning their heads to it led them to spot a stone erected beside it. Written on it are kanji denoting the name of the river as well as the prefecture.

｢Choda River｣
｢Saga Prefecture｣

"Sa…ga…?" Sakura said, curiosity lacing her voice.

"We're in… Saga Prefecture?" Kakyoin added, looking surprised and puzzled the most out of the two. He finds the name "Saga" intriguing to him, but for what reason, he has no clue. Like this is the first time he saw that name. How odd… What is this 「strange feeling」 I had when reading the name… And why am I feeling it in the first place?

Just as abrupt as hearing the river, a voice pipes up in the splashing rain. "Heeeeeeey, you two! What're you doing out this late?" It's a policeman lazily trudging across the puddled sidewalk with a bicycle he's pulling beside him. He next asks in the same lazy tone of voice, "What's the matter? Are you two lookin' to be arrested? 'Cuz I'll arrest you two!"

Relieved to see someone who is not a zombie, the two walk up to him as he speaks up about how he wants to go home because his underwear is soaked. "Officer! Thank goodness! We need help!" Sakura pleaded.

As they move closer, the policeman stops and squints his eyes on the two…

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

…only to be replaced with terrified ones. Dropping his bicycle to the ground, he scurried away from the two fearfully after falling on his rear, not caring his pants got more wet. "W-Wha…! Y-YOU! YOU TWO…!"

Perplexed by his behavior, the two were about to ask what the matter was, only to be alarmed when the scared policeman pointed his gun at the two, freaking them out. "Y-You two…! STAY BACK! W-WHA… W-WHAT ARE YOU TWO!?"

"Huh? What are we…?" Kakyoin muttered in puzzlement, him and Sakura growing more confused over his odd statement and his sudden change in behavior. Then they spot a mirror above a pole near them and, out of curiosity, they look up to see themselves in the mirror…

…not knowing what they see would shatter the illusion of how they see themselves.

The reflection was obscured at first, but it cleared up that reveals, just as lightning flashed from above illuminating the mirror, their faces possessing sunken cheeks, dead red eyes, and greenish or bluish skin reeking with decay. They have scars too, with Sakura having a long, stitched-up scar draped over her forehead, while Kakyoin has two smaller, clean scars lining his eyes vertically.

Such scars, eyes and skin color were found on the zombies back in the mansion…

With all of these in mind, the two realize to their horror that they are actually… zombies.

Meaning, counting them, there are fourteen zombies in the mansion in total…

Lightning flashed again, illuminating their face to harrowingly show they are not imagining this and also emphasizing their decaying appearances…

ドガッ!

Two gunshots cut through the pouring rain and their thoughts. They both looked down and respectively saw a hole in Sakura's neck and Kakyoin's chest.

Tense seconds passed as Sakura and Kakyoin looked behind them and saw the terrified police officer shakily holding his gun, smoke coming out of the barrel. The former stares for a moment before her body gives out on her uncannily and she lies on the ground with her hair and limbs sprawled out around her, face frozen in shock and horror at the realization she's a zombie the whole time. For her, this is the pinnacle of this terrifying night.

"Sakura?" Kakyoin looked down to her in surprise and concern, who doesn't have the strength to look at him. He slowly turned to the policeman and, without thinking, took a step forward in a daze. This prompted the policeman to stand up quickly and aimed the gun at him, shouting, "S-STAY BACK! You… YOU…! ZOMBIE…!"

"Hold on! T-This… This has to be some kind of mistake…!" He tried reasoning him, refusing to believe what he saw in the mirror.

"I-I'M WARNING YOU! I-IF YOU DARE STEP CLOSER, I'LL…!"

バグォッ

Someone slammed a shovel to the back of his head, stopping his manic words and knocking him out.

"Huh?"

Blinking in surprise, Kakyoin stared at the now-unconscious police officer lying face down on the wet ground, then to the newly-arrived figure showing up out of the blue. The figure holding a shovel is a brown-haired man slightly taller or on par to his height, dressed in a suit consisting of red vest, white shirt, black bow tie and pants, a coat hanging from his shoulders like a cape, and most peculiar of all in this time of night, black sunglasses. He has a serious expression on him as the man walks up to the lying Sakura while holding an umbrella and shovel neatly with his left hand, who looks up to him and sees he's looking down on her. Tiredness soon caught up to Sakura though, so she closed her eyes and lulled to sleep.

Seeing he doesn't seem fazed or scared that they are zombies and likely knows what's going on based on this, Kakyoin gets his attention. "Hey."

"Hm? What is it? If you thought I was ignoring you, then no. I haven't forgotten you're with Sakura-chan. So don't be jealous." The man turned to him and replied in a dismissive tone.

Hearing him utter Sakura's name despite not having met him yet, Kakyoin is now determined to get answers from the strange man. "What's going on here? Why am I and Sakura… zombies? And speaking of zombies, why are there other zombies, including Avdol, back in the mansion? Do you have anything to do with them?" He stared at him down, telling him silently that he'll not be satisfied until he gets an answer. A proper and satisfying answer actually.

"…As for the first and third question, I'll explain tomorrow," the man replied. "As for the second… ｢You're dead｣."

"I'm… I'm what?" He sputtered, blinking in apparent denial.

"You died," he repeated. "If you want proof, check your abdomen."

"…My abdomen?"

Feeling nervous all of a sudden, Kakyoin unbuttons his shirt and looks down. He lets out a hitched gasp when he sees the proof.

ドドドドドドドド

Kakyoin could only widen his eyes in shock at the bandages wrapped around his abdomen, where he received a fatal wound thanks to DIO. While it's most likely healed and filled with spare flesh and part of his spine, it did not comfort him; along with his sickly skin, this was proof that The World did punch through his gut.

Meaning the nightmare of DIO killing him was all too real…

Shakily putting his hand on where he thought his gaping wound would be, Kakyoin feels his breath rattling as memories of his death play in his head. "It… It can't be…" Try as he might, he didn't have it in him to deny the reality that he did truly die fighting against DIO, getting a hole in his abdomen for his trouble. "This… A-Ah… I-I…"

"Look," the man put his right hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts as he said, "It sucks knowing you died with that wound remaining on you even if they're covered in bandages, but do not fret. That wound is insignificant when you get to have 「second chance」 in life alongside Sakura-chan here. Also, for the sake of comfort, you two are not the only ones who died so horrifically and abruptly."

"…Only one?" Confused at first, Kakyoin realizes what he's talking about, as he refers to the twelve zombies left back in the mansion. Glancing at the sleeping Sakura, he took note of the scar on her head, leading him to believe a head trauma may have killed her.

Avdol is not left out, as he sacrificed himself for Polnareff and Iggy's sake before DIO was fought. Sadly, the latter dies shortly after Avdol does.

He didn't recognize anyone else back in the mansion, but he could obviously tell they had died just like him, and horrifically too. Again, counting him and Sakura, fourteen zombies accounted for.

However, this begs the question of why he, Sakura, Avdol, and the others were revived as zombies. "Hold on, I don't think I understand yet the bigger picture here. Why did Sakura, Avdol, the others, and I come back as zombies? I heard you said you will answer tomorrow, but I insist. I really need to know now."

Rubbing his chin in thought, the man says, "Alright. Guess I should lay out the bare facts once you and Sakura-chan go back to the mansion, which, by the way, is now your 「residence」. I'll disclose the rest next morning because right now, I need sleep. Sooooo, let's get moving if you really want to know now. Preferably to the van just a few blocks away. Yeah, I managed to track you two down when I realized you two ran outside." He walks past Kakyoin, but not before telling him to carry Sakura back because his hands are full.

Once the man left, Kakyoin turned to the girl still asleep on the ground. After a few seconds standing in mild contemplation, he let out a sigh before he scooped her up in his arms and started walking back towards the van the strange man told him about. He could only hope he got answers later and tomorrow, because right now, he's too confused and tired to comprehend the fact that, in an act against fate, he had come back to life.

…

…

…

…

"…So, those two have 「awoken」."

Someone said after no one (aside the unconscious policeman) were present in the area anymore. They had quietly watched the whole run-in between Sakura and Kakyoin, and an unlucky policeman, and the man wearing sunglasses met the two the whole time, having hid himself behind the curtain of the falling raindrops. No one noticed them, something they are fine with because they're not planning to meet with them yet.

"With those two up, I suppose it's only a matter of time before the other zombies 「wake up」. Once they do, I shall await the day Saga's 「fate」 will be tested. The day when there shall be only one winner… and I already know who will 「lose」."

No one witnessed the unknown figure leaving the scene when they're done narrating to themselves, by vanishing into thin air.

After they returned to the mansion, Kakyoin was told by the shady man to wait in the living room before he left to take care of something. Sitting on a couch, he kept watch over Sakura, who is currently sleeping beside him and hasn't stirred up during the interim. With arms crossed, he patiently waits for the man in the suit to appear to get some answers. Throughout this time, his mind grapples with the fact that he has been resurrected as a zombie. With the sealed wound on his abdomen serving as a reminder of how he died, he can only wonder just why he, Avdol, Sakura, and the others have been resurrected. If the man isn't planning to cause a zombie apocalypse fortunately enough, then what is his reason?

Kakyoin sighs, wanting to believe this is still all a dream in spite of reality splashing down on his face like rain.

Ten seconds would pass when the red-haired man senses movement. Guessing that she is waking up, he faces her so she will see him and doesn't panic thinking she is alone.

Comprehending a little she woke up in a room again, which is considerably brighter compared to the last room she woke up in, Sakura rises up to see she's on a couch. Puzzled since she doesn't remember sitting on it, she turns sideways only to see Kakyoin sitting beside her. "Oh? Kakyoin?" She whispered.

"Sakura, glad to see you're awake," he said with a small smile. "I was beginning to wonder if you're going to continue sleeping after you passed out an hour ago."

Immediately after facing him, she sees he has green skin, red eyes, and two scars lining his eyes. The same features she remembered also seeing on her when she looked at the street mirror. Believing it just her morbid imagination, she stood up and scampered to a nearby mirror. Unfortunately, she saw, to her dismay, her skin is indeed green and sickly, and her eyes are red, in addition to a large scar on her forehead.

"What the hell… This… This isn't real… This must be a nightmare!" She exclaimed in denial.

"As much as I want to deny it, we 「came back to life」 as 「zombies」, long after we died," Kakyoin stated simply, walking towards her. Sakura turned to him again as he added, "Whether I want to call our resurrection 「a blessing or a curse」, I guess we should accept that we are back in the living world."

Though he seems calm, Sakura can sense he has mixed feelings on getting resurrected. She empathized with him because they were revived without their consent.

Becoming curious, Sakura eyed Kakyoin for a second before asking, "Um… I don't mean to pry on you but… If I may ask Kakyoin, how did you… die?"

Flinching and going still for a moment upon hearing her question, Kakyoin sighed before unbuttoning his shirt. The red-haired girl began blushing, believing he's undressing for some reason only known by him. She would've freaked out and urged him to stop had she not seen the bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

"Eh?" Her eyes widened in surprise, wondering what necessitated such a volume of bandages on him as opposed to the bandages worn by the other zombies she had seen earlier except for the short-haired girl.

"Sakura, you may not be able to see it fortunately since it's covered by bandages but…" He pointed his finger to where his large wound was. "I met my end when a fist rammed through my abdomen. If that's not enough, I was thrown into a water tank, where I have died of blood loss thanks to my large wound, while my entire body is paralyzed to the point I almost couldn't talk…" he explained solemnly while trying not to feel uncomfortable disclosing the details of his death.

A gasp escaped from her as Sakura covered her mouth in shock over what she heard. "W-What…? That's… That's horrible!"

Kakyoin grimly nodded, stating, "It is. And even if my wound is apparently healed, I can't help but imagine a hole on my body in full display even as a zombie… It's just… too vivid to my liking."

Shuddering just by imagining his death playing out, questions arose over how he could have died that way. He wouldn't have died like that unless someone was deranged and strong enough to kill him in that manner. Out of concern for the man, she asked, "Who… who killed you, Kakyoin?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but he stopped. As much as he wanted to answer her, he remembered the details revolving around it that are… out there, so to speak. He's pondering whether or not he answers her directly, and whether she might accept an explanation that a century-old vampire killed him using a Stand that could stop time. This must be her first exposure to the supernatural, so he needed to respond carefully…

…or simply leave it unanswered for a while.

"I'll answer once I believe you are ready to accept the circumstances surrounding it." That's his vague response.

Confused as to why he became hesitant to tell her, Sakura sees he's not going to budge, so she drops it. "Well… okay. If you insist, I won't ask again. You don't seem to like talking about your death. Sorry."

"I am, but I'll manage. Thank you for your concern anyway," he replied gratefully while buttoning his shirt. "Now that I told you how I died, how about you, Sakura? How did you die? Is it related to that big scar on your head? I assume it's from… head trauma, right?"

With her being next to answer, Sakura tries to remember how she died.

Keyword "tries" as no matter how hard she tries remembering, her mind draws up a blank.

In fact, she can't remember anything at all.

"Oh no… Oh no oh no oh no Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoooo!" Sakura undergoes a nervous breakdown, clutching her head as she tries in vain to remember anything.

"S-Sakura? What's wrong? Is everything alright?" Kakyoin asked worriedly.

"N-No. I'm… I'm not alright…" Sakura let out, breathing heavily with her eyes darting around almost frantically.

"Why is that?"

"Because… Because…"

"B-Because what…?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!"

Closing her mouth with her hand after shouting suddenly, Sakura stares at Kakyoin, who flinches back in surprise thanks to her sudden outburst. "Ahh! I-I'm sorry, Kakyoin! I'm sorry for making you jump out of your skin!" she apologized, bowing repeatedly to him.

"D-Don't worry Sakura. It's fine," Kakyoin reassured her. Listening to what she shouted now, he says, "So what was the reason why you can't tell me how you died? Is it because… you can't remember?"

Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura gloomily nods, stating, "Yeah… I can't remember who I am. Whether my life, hobbies, parents, where I was born or even my own death, I can't remember 「anything」."

"I… see…" He uttered out, feeling more worried for the girl because she got the short end of the stick compared to him. Does she have… 「amnesia」 then? Could something that gave her a big scar on her head cause her to lose her memory? He wondered, staring at the scar on Sakura's head. Wanting to lighten the mood, he says, "Well, at least you can remember your name."

"Ah, right. My name…" She goes ponderingly silent. "What is my name again?"

"Your name is Sakura Minamoto."

Hearing someone else speak up, the two turned until they saw the suited man wearing shades standing before them with the same impassive expression. This time, he's curiously carrying a zombie mutt or poodle dog covered in different stitches and one eye shut on his right hand. Said zombie dog wags its tail and has its tongue out. And lastly, as noted by Sakura in confusion, there's a dried squid in his left breast pocket.

Recognizing him, Sakura softly gasps, points at him and exclaims, "Ah! You're the man from earlier!"

"Yes. The same man who knocked the policeman out cold with a shovel," Kakyoin recalled in a blunt tone. "It's about time you show up."

"Apologies if I made you two wait," the man said, pushing the bridge of his sunglasses. "My name is Kotaro Tatsumi," he began introducing himself. "Starting tonight, you two are under my 「management」 as long as you both follow every word I say. If you do, then there will be no problems."

Listening to him, the two wonder what he meant by that. In response, Sakura replies, "I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're saying…"

"Same here," concurred Kakyoin. "But before you tell us more, can you tell us what the current year is? Since we died many years ago, many years have passed since then, so I think learning the current year should be important. So, will you tell us?"

"…It's 2018." Kotaro answered.

"2018?!" The two exclaimed in shock and unison, not expecting the gap between the year they died and the current year would be that big. This is especially true for Kakyoin, who remembered it was 1989 when he died, so to hear almost thirty years have passed since then is quite eye-boggling, to say the least.

"You heard me. ｢2018｣. Sakura Minamoto died ｢ten years ago｣ while Noriaki Kakyoin died at least ｢twenty-nine years ago｣," he continued, not skipping a beat. " Both of you came back as zombies alongside the others. As to why I revived you two as zombies… You two will work together as ｢Zombie #1｣ and ｢Cherry Boy｣ with your respective groups to ｢save｣ Saga Prefecture!"

"Zombie… #1? Cherry Boy?" Sakura repeated the titles given to them with incredulity.

"And… What's this about saving Saga Prefecture?" Kakyoin inquired, wondering if Kotaro is making true of his intent to tell them the reason why they had been revived.

BGM: What Will Happen? (Zombie Land Saga Original Soundtrack)

As if what Kotaro is saying doesn't sound absurd enough, he goes on to grab Sakura's chin, causing her to be bewildered and blushing. Kakyoin blinks in disbelief at his daring act (and somewhat incensed) as Kotaro continues, "「Number One」 is the 「codename」 you will undergo as an idol. Like I said, there'll be no problems if you follow my words so you don't have to worry about anything."

"Idol?"

"Yes. I'll turn you and the other 「zombie girls」 into ｢idols｣!" He made this bold statement.

Before Sakura can reply back, Kotaro lets go of her chin and faces Kakyoin next. Questioningly, he grabs his chin too and lifts it slightly. Such a gesture almost flustered Kakyoin, who would have a feeling so complicated if what Kotaro said to him didn't shock him..

"As for you Cherry Boy, you and the other 「zombie guys」 will use your ｢Stands｣ to protect the idols as bodyguards and fight against an enemy ｢Stand User｣ and their horde of ｢enemy Stands｣ lurking in Saga Prefecture!"

"What! Stands!?"

Forcing Kotaro's hands off his chin, Kakyoin looked at him with a shocked and prudent look, having not expected he would bring up the topic of Stands. He knows I have a Stand the whole time? If that is the case, then does that mean he must have resurrected me and Sakura as zombies through-!

"No. I don't have a Stand and didn't use them to revive you two as zombies. My method of resurrection is completely ｢unrelated｣ and ｢different｣ to Stands." Kotaro guessed his line of thought and quickly made this declaration.

"Huh?"

Wondering if he heard him right as his wariness vanishes immediately, Kakyoin asks if he used a Stand to revive them.

"I did not." Kotaro affirmed.

"…If you didn't use a Stand… How did you revive us?" Kakyoin asked this important question.

"Have you watched a zombie movie before?"

"Yes?"

"And there's your answer!"

There's a moment of silence before Kakyoin, unconvinced, states, "That doesn't explain it."

"And that's aaaaaall you'll ever get from me!" Kotaro maintains his stance on the matter, more or less telling Kakyoin that, 'I will not reveal the secret of my zombie revival process so deal with it.'

Still wanting to know exactly how, Kakyoin was about to ask again, sternly this time, when Sakura chimes in. "Um, excuse me…" The two turn to her as she asks, "What is this about… 「Stands」? You were surprised when you heard Kotaro-san mention it, Kakyoin, so may I ask… what is a Stand?"

Having almost forgotten again Sakura is present, Kakyoin found himself fumbling with his words, wondering if, and how, he could explain it to her. "Stands? Oh, uhhh, you see… Stands are-"

"You can talk about what Stands are the next morning, which is also when I'll clarify more regarding what I revealed to you two about saving Saga." Kotaro interrupted him, seeing they had dragged this conversation long enough.

Still unable to process what he's saying so absurdly, Sakura once again asks, "How, exactly, do we 'save' Saga?"

Kotaro stares at her in silence for three seconds. He then clears his throat before he repeats what he told Sakura and Kakyoin…

…In a bombastic display as he shouted his lungs out complete with one clenched hand raised up high in the air.

"IT'S THROUGH MAKING YOU GIRLS ｢IDOL SINGERS｣! AND THE GUYS USING THEIR ｢STANDS｣ TO ｢PROTECT｣ THE SOON-TO-BE IDOL GIRLS AS ｢BODYGUARDS｣! AAAALL TO ｢SAVE｣ SAGAAAAAAAAAAAA! ! ! ! !"

Hearing his nonsensical reason to "save" Saga Prefecture, Sakura and Kakyoin have one word describing succinctly their reactions and feelings over his bizarre motivation.

"…What?"

To be continued

Onomatopoeia:

ドガッ (Doga) - Gunshot

バグォッ (Bagou) - Shovel smacking

What changed?: Added a scene after Kakyoin carried the unconscious Sakura back to the mansion.