Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Love Hina - Nijuuhachi Hi Ato ❯ Sayonara Hinata Springs ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Love Hina - Nijuuhachi Hi Ato
Chapter 03
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~~~~ Sayonara Hinata Springs ~~~~
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One second later

Realisation flared through Keitaro's face, "Seta-san! How did you get away?"

"Mind if I come in?" He asked first, before Haruka threw him in, locking the door immediately. "I'll take that as a yes." He said standing up, his head bleeding.

"Seta, you idiot!" Haruka berated him. "You could have been seen!"

"I didn't see any of the Infected... Just bodies..." He smiled, "It's good to see you again Haruka-chan."

She glared evilly at him, resisting the urge to punch him. "Idiot... What if you get caught by them..." She lowered her eyes, the fringe covering them, "What if they killed you?"

Keitaro could see her cheeks getting wetter, she was crying. Motoko felt shocked. I've never seen her like this before... Seta too could tell, he walked up to her and cupped her chin, pulling her face up to his. "That doesn't matter to me, as long as you're safe."

Keitaro could see her eyes now; they were red and showing many emotions. Haruka grew sterner. "Be careful Seta." She flipped her eyes to her right where Keitaro stood. "Act as if you never saw that."

Keitaro nodded without a word. Motoko spoke up. "I believe that it is time to go now, we must get away from this area."

"Wait." Keitaro said. "We have Seta now, we might as well find the others now. The nearest person to us is Shinobu, I know her address, we should find her first before leaving Hinata Springs."

Motoko was unsure, as was Haruka, "It's dangerous," Motoko began, "They don't have the same skills as Seta and I. They might already be..."

"No!" Keitaro raised his voice, "I'm not going without at least looking for them in their homes!" He lowered his head, "They might be alive, we have to check..."

Motoko was stunned. He cares about us? Why does he care so much? "Keitaro, are you sure you want to this?"

Keitaro nodded, "It's my duty as manager to ensure the safety of all the residents."

Haruka smirked, "I think you're taking that definition too literally Keitaro." She sighed, lighting up her first cigarette of the day, "Okay," She said finally, taking a drag on it, "We'll go find the others then." She began to think out loud, "But, where would Kitsune go...?"

"I'm sure we'll find her!" Keitaro stated reassuringly.

"Okay Keitaro-kun..." Seta stated finally, his hand on the door latches, "You ready?"

Keitaro picked up a bag he packed the night before, as did Motoko and Haruka. He also had the Hina blade tucked in his belt.

"Right... Let's go!" Seta unlocked the door quickly, and they all launched out of the door.

Haruka locked the door behind them. "Well I might want to come back..." She said.

"The van... Quick!" Seta said, running down the few steps.

Keitaro was in shock, Seta's van had undergone a few cosmetic alterations. The front bumper was now much thicker and sharper, dried on blood was caked all over it. The windows were also fortified; the glass appeared much thicker than it used to be. The doors had metal plating on it, as if were a shell of armour. Keitaro could've sworn he saw something moving inside the van. Seta opened the door carefully.

Suddenly, a short blonde haired girl jumped out of the van towards Seta.

"Papa!" Sarah cried.

Seta became stern, "Not now Sarah, we have to go now..."

Motoko and Keitaro got in the back, the latter in the middle, while Haruka joined Seta up front. Once in, Seta turned around and playfully patted her on the head, "Sorry I left you alone, but I had to check..." Seta started up the van, which now sounded far more powerful, and drove off.

Just like me... Keitaro thought. He looked to the young girl on his left. She looks so different... Sarah appearance was no longer that of a bratty child. She seemed to grow up quickly, her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her clothing was mostly khaki. What shocked Keitaro was the fear on her face; she had this permanent scared look which he had never seen before.

"Sarah..." Keitaro said, holding out his hand to comfort her somehow.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" She screamed.

Everyone jumped from her outburst. She started sobbing, not even bothering to wipe up her tears; just letting them stream over her cheeks onto her top. Seta glanced knowingly at Keitaro. Understanding for once, Keitaro put his arm around the girl gently and stroked her arm slowly. Taking a chance after five minutes, he pulled her closer, and felt happier when Sarah leant into him for support. She's shivering, but she doesn't feel cold... It must have been scary for everyone... While still looking at Sarah, his right hand came in contact with Motoko's. Angling his head to her with dread, he was surprised to see her looking out the window nonchalantly. He felt fingers intertwining with his, as her hand was underneath his. His heart slowed as he took this in. Motoko is... holding my hand...? He tried to shake off this possibility, but he could see no other reason for her doing such a thing. Looking back, she continued to face away from him, but he could see the telltale signs of a blush spread across her cheeks. I'd best not say anything now... He turned away to Sarah, who was now embedding herself his jumper. Besides... It feels nice; her skin is soft...

Seta was watching this happen thanks to the rear view mirror. He smiled to himself. I thought so... When everything seems hopeless, we only have each other... He looked to Haruka who had a bored expression, her cigarette glowing red from the open window. She too turned to the right and clutched Seta's hand for a brief moment before he changed gears again.

Five minutes later
Maehara Restaurant

"Hmm, it took a while..." Seta mused. "Most of the roads blocked with cars, and there's a lot of fires around here..."

Keitaro picked up the Hina blade from the floor of the van, as did Motoko with her own ones. She seemed to change her mind, leaving the one with two bells on it against the seating. All except Sarah left the van, who locked all the doors from the inside.

"We're going in Seta-san." Keitaro stated, indicating himself and Motoko with the katana.

Seta nodded, "We'll defend the van... I don't know how much ammo I have left though..." Haruka seemed to be counting hers, placing numerous spare clips on her belt.

"Let's go Motoko-chan!" Keitaro signalled, once Seta had got his gun out.

They noted that the entrance was dusty. Experimenting, Keitaro found it locked. Pulling with all his might, he wrenched the door open, sliding it smoothly. Stepping inside, they sniffed the stale air of the restaurant. They pulled their weapons out of their respective sheathes. At once Keitaro could tell that his was different, the metal itself was black, and he could've sworn he saw a black aura surrounding it. Blinking once, it vanished, so he took it to a trick of the light. He did not notice Motoko concentrating on his blade, as if it were about to do something unexpected. Katana's at the ready, they both walked through the low tables of the restaurant to the family area beyond. There appeared to be half-eaten meals on the tables, though the only customers were countless flies as the food had gone off by weeks. Passing the counter and till, they stopped for a second. Keitaro pulled back the beaded curtain for Motoko who stepped into the family area first.

This was just a tiny area; the staircase to the above floors was right in front of them. There were some nondescript boxes beneath the stairs. To the right was a short hallway to another door. This had better locks and bolts, but they were ripped out of the wall. The door lay ajar, casting light on the bloodstained carpet beneath it. Looking up the steps, they could both tell that the trail led to the upper floors. The stairs were narrow, so Motoko chose to walk up it first. Creeping up close together, they made little sound, though some of the floorboards did involuntarily creak.

Reaching the first floor, Motoko scanned the landing and saw two doors. The furthest was closed, and the nearest to the steps was open. There was a sickening smell emanating from the door. Looking grimly to one another in the low light, they held tighter to their weapons and went to the room. Standing in the doorway, they could see it was a bedroom. The king size bed was to the right, a window with net curtain letting more light in.

The first thing they noticed was the amount of blood. It was everywhere, the walls, ceiling and the furniture. It still glimmered in some places; meaning it was recent. There were two, adult bodies found. The man was beside the bed on his front, he had cuts all over his back. It appeared his head was twisted at an impossible angle; his neck had been broken. The woman was lying on the bed, on her back. The look of horror and suffering on her face made Keitaro turn away, but not before he saw the rest of her body. He threw up outside of the room in disgust. Motoko could not stop growing paler from the sight; she had seen many people dead like this. Bones jutting out from the woman's chest clearly meant that the ribcage had been ripped open. Motoko shut her eyes in respect and prayed for the two.

Keitaro was now thoroughly depressed. "Let's go Motoko." He said after wiping away the bile around his lips, not looking at the people in the room. "Shinobu-chan's not here..."

"Wait..." Motoko paused, looking past the woman's body. "There's someone there."

Keitaro shifted his eyes past the gore and saw faint movement. A short person then stood up and from what little light fell upon that area, it seemed to notice them. A piercing scream and shriek came from the person, who charged around the bed and straight for Motoko. The light, reflected from the blood on the bed, finally revealed the person.

"Sh... Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro stammered.

She had changed. All she wore was a white night dress; well, its original colour was white at some point. Now it was all stained with blood of varying shades, bright red blood over the older maroon coloured blood. She had a manic expression, her irises the size of pinheads as she ran to them screaming. She lunged, and Motoko closed her eyes as she raised her katana.

A hand parried her attacking arm as Keitaro, dropping the Hina blade, stood in front. Arms outstretched he caught Shinobu and embraced her, her tears soaking his shirt.

He couldn't say anything to comfort the distraught girl; the whole setting was incredibly bleak. Instead he just chose to hold her quietly. He cast his eyes upon Motoko and noticed her shuddering.

"It's okay Motoko-chan." He said soothingly, "It's an easy mistake to..."

Screeches, dozens of them, came from outside. Keitaro looked around him, picking up the Hina blade and placing it in its sheath on his back.

"We have to get out of here... Haruka and the others are still outside!" He went for the top of the staircase when a crashing sound was heard. "They're inside!"

Shinobu fainted now, collapsing on the ground behind Keitaro. He removed the dark katana, holding it with both shaking hands at the first Infected to stagger up the steps. Not taking his eyes off the creature, he spoke.

"Motoko, find another way out... I'll hold them off..."

"Keitaro... What about Shinobu..." She replied, the thought that she nearly murdered her still raw.

"Go! Now!" He shouted, beginning to sweat as the Infected approached him.

Motoko said no more and ran to the next staircase. Keitaro had taken a swipe at the first opponent, cutting a large gash in its chest. It 'gacked' painfully and fell backwards, only to be replaced by another, who jumped for Keitaro. Not reacting from the first as yet, he could only impale the non-human, but in the kidney area. Its bloody red gaze bore into the terrified chocolate brown eyes of the former ronin.

Screaming in anguish, he thrust the katana deeper, causing pain to the Infected, but not enough as it was about to bring its dripping hands into the neck of Keitaro. Time slowed as the hands closed in, seconds becoming minutes. Closing his eyes, waiting for death, or worse, he felt a vibration in the sword hand. Snapping them open again, he saw the blade glowing, the dark aura he saw earlier wrapping itself around the metal, as if it were water flowing down a plughole. Suddenly, the aura grew red and expanded towards the tip, which was embedded in the Infected. Time returning to normal, the Infecting was flung in the air, piling into the others waiting to come up. The aura then ignited once away from the tip, creating a swirling vortex of fire, burning the Infected and most of the ground floor. They all screamed in pain, running about randomly in the tiny area below, setting more of the wallpaper alight.

"Keitaro!" Motoko's voice came from above. "Up here!"

Stunned for one moment, he realised that the flames were inching up the carpet on the steps, the wooden banister also burning. "C... Coming!"

Putting away the sword, which now looked plain and ordinary, he gently cradled Shinobu in his arms and ran towards the stairs, the flames now licking the side of the floor he was on. Gunfire could be heard outside. They've started shooting, that means we have to hurry... Running up the stairs with difficulty he saw the first floor crash down, the house now fully ablaze from the inside. Having reached the second floor, there was no sign of Motoko; all the doors were locked with no sign of having been opened. A shadow moved in a pale beam of light.

"Keitaro!" Motoko had gone up into the attic and popped her head down to call him. He went straight there and climbed the ladder, being careful not to hit Shinobu against the trapdoor. The attic had a skylight directly above him. Motoko moved Keitaro out of the way and unceremoniously smashed it into tiny pieces, knocking away the jutting shards of glass still in the frame. She jumped up and then held an arm down. Passing Shinobu to her, she placed the young girl on the roof for a second before lowering a hand to help Keitaro. Accepting it, he managed to get onto the roof with little hassle. Motoko noticed the staircase catch fire and looked to Keitaro confused.

"What did you do?!" Her expression giving one of extreme suspicion.

"I... don't know..." He answered honestly. "The katana made a fire... Like a tornado."

"I knew this blade possessed some form of ki..." She narrowed her eyes, "The aura it gave off was evil though..."

The roars of pain and continued sounds of bullets hitting flesh brought her out of her observation. She turned to the front of the restaurant. "We must go Keitaro..."

Picking up Shinobu, he ran off ahead. The roof was slanted so he had to run up then take his time going down as a few tiles threatened to give way, slipping beneath his feet. They looked down and saw that they were still too high above the van. Bodies were piling up around the openings to alleys and several lay on the main road. Haruka and Seta seemed to be on top of the situation.

"Haruka-obasan!" A can flew into his face as he realised his mistake.

"Call me Haruka-san." She said, still chewing on her cigarette as she shot at three new Infected, all headshots.

"How do we get down?!" He cried above the din.

Seta took up the reply, still sounding cheerful. "On your right, there's a small house, go there and we'll meet you there." He blew away the stomach of one Infected.

"Okay!" Turning to his right they both ran to the building he said. It was far away.

"Keitaro, do you think they'll be alright?" Motoko asked.

"Sure they will." Keitaro grinned, "Haruka-obasan's been through a lot..."

Meanwhile
In front of the Maehara restaurant

Haruka popped in another clip into one of her dual Desert Eagles. Seta picked out another six bullets to put in his Magnum revolver. The stopped for a second and smirked at one another, unleashing more bullets into a group of Infected that were clambering over the dead bodies.

"Brings back memories, eh?" Seta said, growing more melancholic as he shot another Infected.

"Yeah..." Haruka replied, her face becoming a shade darker, "They were fun times." Shooting an Infected in non-lethal places three times, she finally hit its heart. "I don't want that past to come back though..."

"I know Haruka-chan..." Seta paused as he placed more bullets into his gun. "We'll get through this." He looked to the van, "Shall we get moving?"

Haruka nodded, and began moving towards the tank-like vehicle.

"Sarah!" Seta shouted, "Drive along with us as quick as you can."

The blonde American understood and went into the drivers seat, firing up the engine and using the special paddle extenders from under the seat, she drove it forwards as Seta and Haruka started to run to the lower house ahead.

Meanwhile
On the rooftops

Checking the height between two different houses, Keitaro crouched and slowly placed his feet on the slanted tiles, still holding Shinobu. Motoko followed suit as they ran on to the final house, which was much lower. Doing the same for that roof, they walked over to the edge and saw that the ground was far too high. About to turn away, the screeching of tyres meant that the van had parked right below them.

Taking a chance, Motoko jumped off first and landed neatly on the roof of the van. Nervously, Keitaro stepped off and landed awkwardly, trying not to drop Shinobu. Motoko managed to stabilise him, and coaxed him into giving Shinobu to her. They both climbed down and finally reaching the safe cobbled stones of the road. Sarah unlocked the van's sliding door and beckoned them in; they did so without delay. Picking off a few more Infected, Seta and Haruka sat in their usual seats and locked the doors. In the back seats, Keitaro sat by the left window, Sarah to his right, followed by Shinobu and Motoko, who was holding the fainted girl.

Unfortunately, once Seta put his foot on the accelerator, the van stalled and the engine stopped running. Trying the key, it wouldn't catch on. Haruka made to shoot out of the window, but they were growing in number and she couldn't get all of them from her angle. The younger occupants of the car began to scream, before something extraordinary happened.

From one of the rooftops above, a figure began throwing small bottles at the large groups, fire smouldering from paper on the top of them. As soon as the bottles hit, the Infected became alight, screeching in pain and running randomly, hitting others in the process. The clothing was that similar to a nomad in the desert, clothing covering every part of the body, only the eyes being visible. The masked figure arched a sardonic smile under the scarf and pulled up on a motorbike hidden in a house. Driving level with the van, the person pulled down the mask.

"Hey again, did anyone miss me?" Mitsune said.

"K... Kitsune?!" Keitaro spluttered out.

Answering his unasked question, she elaborated, "I picked up a few skills around the place, especially riding this baby." She rubbed the motorbike affectionately. "My sake can be useful too, can't it?" Grinning as she pointed a thumb at the crispy Infected behind them.

Seta turned the key for yet another go, and the engine finally came to life. "Okay people, lets roll..."

They turned around, facing the only way out, where there were still some Infected trying to get around the fires. From nowhere, a chilly fog appeared, and three people emerged from it.

"The evil cannot be contained for long." The first councilman said.

"Keep the dream and promise alive..." The second said.

"Keep yourselves alive..." The final one said.

Another figure came out, and it was one of the town elders, however very much mutated into the form of the Infected, his eyes bleeding profusely. He lunged at one, who was able to parry his attacks for so long until he too was bitten. Not waiting around, Seta and Mitsune revved their engines and hurtled towards the fog. Haruka watched the remaining live elder, the head of the town surrounded by five Infected, smiling at her. He bowed deeply to Haruka.

"This is my punishment for interfering in your past... Forgive me Haruka-dono..."

She saw one of the Infected slice him in the back, and the rest pounced on him like lions to a prone zebra. Haruka closed her eyes, a guilty tear tracing a silver line against her cheek.

The fog evaporated immediately, and they were through it without a scratch leaving the dead and remaining few Infected behind.

"THERE YOU ARE!" A figure screamed, "ONIISAN!"

A young girl flew from the sky and landed on the road in front of the van. The force of the impact was such that the tarmac and concrete cracked and broke away, leaving a large crater and the road at an unnatural tilt. The van skidded around the new obstacle, as did the motorbike.

Kanako stalked out of the trench she created and glared daggers at the departing vehicles, her right hand becoming surrounded by black steam. Clenching her fist and crouching, she punched the road and what can only be described as a torpedo tunnelling just below the surface of the road emerged. It followed the pair leaving a trail of upturned road behind it.

Glancing back, Mitsune noticed this, and cursing to herself she one handedly picked out another bottle from her rucksack and threw it in the path of the projectile. It hit the road and exploded just as it met the tip of the destruction. The trail stopped there, and Mitsune smiled, speeding up to catch up with the van.

Kanako stood up, her eyes focusing on the vanishing targets, a look of undiluted hatred in them. She cracked her knuckles upon hearing more Infected approaching her at a run.

She laughed wildly, "I'll see you soon, oniisan!"

She looked up to the sky and roared, her arms at her side, as the dark aura covered her from head to toe, cracking up more of the road as a hot breeze flowed from her. The ensuing earthquake from this power made sure that the nearby buildings collapsed from the intense strain.

Meanwhile
In the van

"Who was that?!" Sarah cried between burrowing her head in Keitaro's top.

Only two people knew, and they were both stunned into silence. "Th... That's... My sister..." Keitaro said slowly.

Sarah and Motoko looked at him, "I never knew you had a sister..." Motoko said.

"I didn't think I needed to mention it... She's adopted... But..." He recalled the moment when she landed on the road. "What's happened to her? She's changed..."

"That ki of hers..." Motoko spoke up, her voice quivering, "It was evil... And very strong too."

Keitaro shook his head, as if by doing that it made it true. "No, it can't be..." He reminisced back to a time when he was still a naive boy, looking after his sister in the hot springs. "She isn't like that..."

"Well, I think that you need to think of her differently from now on Keitaro." Haruka said plainly.

"I guess so..." A glum Keitaro replied.

Seta looked to his right to see the covered Mitsune making some hand signals to him. "Mitsune wants us to know where should go now." He shouted to the rest of the group as they sped through open country.

"We've got to get away from Japan. Okinawa would be the best place to get to before we leave the country." Keitaro though for a moment. "I think Narusegawa's house is in Tokyo..." Keitaro pondered out loud.

"It is, but in the area of Tokyo, not the centre." Haruka stated. "It's on our way from Hinata Springs."

"Okay..." Seta rolled down his window and shouted Naru's name to Mitsune, who nodded eagerly in reply.

9:40am
Naru's street

An eerie stillness struck everyone as they coasted quietly into the street. Hinata Springs was always like that, the silence would be considered normal there. However, in a suburb of Tokyo, it was not. Edging closer to the house, they were about to stop when a scream was heard at the other end of the road. Looking to one another, they were debating whether to help. Thankfully the decision was made for them.

"Kei... Keitaro..." The voice shouted.

"N... Narusegawa..." Keitaro muttered, opening the door and pulling out the blade before he realised what he was doing. "Everyone, help her!"

He ran down the road towards the screams, the others way behind him. He saw Naru cowering in a corner where two houses met, while a short Infected girl snarled at her.

"NO!" Keitaro bellowed, and he drew the blade back to attack, but again it took a will of its own and made his hand slash downwards. This created a lethal minuscule wall of flame, which sliced straight through the Infected, chopping it underneath the left arm to the above the right shoulder. Falling down, the two pieces 'thudded' dully on the road.

Walking up to Naru with a relieved smile he held out a hand to help her up, but she gave him an expression which he had never seen before. Wrath. She brought both her hands to his neck and started squeezing with a strength he hadn't felt before. He was forced to the ground, Naru sitting on his stomach continuing her attack. The others gasped and ran to them. His vision began to darken as the lack of oxygen finally made it mark.

"N... Naru..." He managed to breathe some words to her. "W... Why...?"

A momentary pause from the girl, and she released her hands, only to begin pounding his face and chest. "Why?!" She spat at him. "I should be asking that!" The fists began to lessen in power, and the number grew fewer. "W... Why... Why did you kill M... Mei-chan?"

"Mei... chan...?" He looked to the body, and saw orange-red hair, the bloody eyes now lifeless. "Yo... Your sister...?" Keitaro now was shaking, his actions now fully ingrained in his mind. Naru nodded, tears streaming down her face. "B... But... She was Infected... she would've..."

"NO!" Naru screamed again, punching Keitaro harder, who now felt more pain thanks to many bruises on his face. "NOOO!" Seta went behind her and held her up under her armpits, lifting her off Keitaro.

She turned to punch him, noticed it was Seta, who watched her with pity, and bawling out loud Naru buried her face in his labcoat, crying uncontrollably. Motoko, who had been keeping an eye out for any stray Infected who might've heard the screams, helped Keitaro up and looked him over. He had a black eye and also bore a cut lip. Bruises dotted his cheeks and forehead. She was sure there were also some more injuries under his jumper, but she chose not to probe further for fear of either hurting him or embarrassing herself. He dusted his back off and felt the sore spots on his body. Looking to Naru, he saw that she was still clinging to Seta, and feeling ashamed, he painfully walked away from her back to the van. He went straight by a prone Mitsune who had seen the whole thing pan out, and for once her eyes were open with unbridled pity and compassion for Keitaro. Sarah, seeing he was coming back to the van, unlocked the doors, and he begrudgingly sat in the back, not saying a word to the blonde girl. At that moment, Shinobu came to, her eyes rolling about in their sockets for a minute before she got her bearings, sitting after lying against the right hand window.

"Sempai...?" She asked in a puzzled fashion.

Keitaro, surprised by her recovery, turned to her and grimaced when she flinched from his appearance.

"What happened to you sempai?" She wanted to know in the way she always cared for him.

"Naru hit me." He lied slightly. "How are you?"

Thinking for a second she looked down and saw her bloody nightdress, and her irises retracted to pinpoints again. Images of blood, bones, faces and fire flashed through her mind. Realising he put his foot in it again, Keitaro hugged Shinobu, as she remained there frozen, replaying what she saw earlier that day.

"We'll get you some new clothes, yeah?" He rubbed her back too, needing some form of comfort for himself after killing someone whom was indirectly related to him. "Forget everything that's happened, when you're ready you can tell us." Shinobu, in some kind of trance, nodded in reply, and placed one hand on his back to acknowledge his hug. He patted her head, "It's okay, you can sleep here if you want, or cry..." He added on the last bit without thinking, and he became flustered, pulling back and scratching the back of his head, thinking he might have upset her again. "Th... That's if you want to do that that's all..." Her eyes grew wetter and happier again as her innocent lips curled upwards, the first smile for many weeks.

Motoko was outside the van, seeing everything fold out in front of her whilst making sure more Infected didn't arrive. He really does care about us... He wants us to be... happy... She smiled as the others came back, and she chose to sit next to Keitaro. Seta was driver as per normal, Haruka next to him, but this time holding a scared Sarah, Naru in a state of shock leaning against the left window, and then the other three, Motoko, Keitaro and Shinobu sitting next to her. Mitsune mounted her motorbike to the right of the van. Seta dropped his glasses in Motoko's lap, who then shifted forward to give it to him. He whispered to her.

"Keep an eye out for Naru." He had a serious expression this time.

Motoko nodded and immediately glanced at the girl, but saw nothing peculiar. Sitting back in the seat, Seta started the engine; Mitsune followed suit. Without pausing, they drove out of the suburbs and into the open road, avoiding empty cars and the like that littered the road.

Meanwhile
Hinata Springs

A female presence walked through the empty streets. Every now and then, one Infected would run to her, to maim and kill her, but she dispatched every one without a single utterance. She was holding a small portfolio in her hands; the front cover said 'Hinata-sou tenants - Manager Only'. She was flicking through the pages and found the images of the current residents, each containing some information regarding their height and age, and more importantly, their address.

"So..." She said aloud, "He was at Shinobu's house."

Another patting of feet and three more Infected ran out of a house, obviously a family by the looks of the father, mother and child. Looking at them, she twisted her face into a gnarled toothy grin, before storing the book in her bag and proceeding to chop off each of their limbs using the aura blade around her hands. Leaving them incapable of movement, their screams and screeches now of intense agony, she walked on. Hmm... If I know my brother well, he's going to find everyone from Hinata-sou. It's been a while, so they have probably found Naru by now. The only other two here mentioned are Kaorra Suu and Otohime Mutsumi... Suu has no records of a place of birth, or other residence... Mutsumi isn't a paying resident; she seems to be an honorary member... The entry showing Mutsumi described her fainting a lot and how she lived near them and even worked in the Hinata Tea Shop. Kanako focused on the address that was listed. She lives in Okinawa? That's interesting... Kanako lifted her head from the book and looked up into the sky. For once, her eyes became more melancholic and happier, before returning to its cold, hard, state. I'll go there then, but first I need a form of transport....

Looking on the deserted street, all the cars were either totalled, missing doors and wheels or burnt out. She continued walking and found the small shops belonging to the town elders. She was rather surprised, her eyebrows raising in mild amusement, to see a black lorry with trailer parked nearby, facing the bridge that led out of Hinata Springs to the outskirts and then the motorway. She looked over the driver's cabin; it was in perfect condition, gleaming against the light fog and the fires elsewhere reflecting in its metallic paint. It even had the ignition key in it. The driver must've been pulled out... Looking on the street she saw a decomposing body nearby. Testing the engine, it worked and displayed a half-full tank. Good. What was he carrying? She left the drivers cab and walked to the back. Peering into the trailer, she found it contained food. This is helpful... She went in and took out a few boxes of cans and other non-perishable goods, placing them in the passenger's seat. Well... That should be enough...

Clapping her hands together to get rid of any dust, went to where the trailer connected with the drivers cabin. She pulled out the pins and cut through any cord holding the two together. Getting into the cabin, she started the engine and pulled out, but the trailer still wasn't detached. Speeding up, she noticed a lever in the cabin that had a picture of a trailer and an up arrow next to a picture of the cabin. Pulling it, she heard a satisfying wrench behind her; it had broken free. Some Infected, attracted by the grating noise, ran out to greet her. The lucky ones behind were crushed by the wayward trailer, which now careened into a house. Those unlucky ones now found themselves in the path of Kanako's new behemoth. Licking her lips with pleasure, she veered her way into a large group of them and proceeded to splatter them all over the front and sides of it. Speeding up, she had to turn on the windscreen wipers to clear the thick blood away from her view of the road. Looking forwards, staring through the Infected, the eyes were of a demon possessed, and she appeared to love every, squelching, second of it.

The view pulled away from her mad guise and moved to the side of the lorry, as its booming horn echoed around the streets. The unstoppable machine ploughed on, the sounds becoming less as it vanished amongst the houses. The view panned up, into the bright midday sky, and then panned down to...

Western edge of Kanagawa Prefecture
12:03pm

The van and motorbike were parked outside a large supermarket. All eight of them stared at the entrance, and Haruka opened the door. Inside there was no lighting, but the numerous windows made it bright enough.

"Shall we shop?" She said in a sarcastic voice, smirking with her cigarette.

The group split up into four groups, each taking an empty trolley. Seta and Sarah went for the chocolate and sweet section, Haruka and Mitsune for the alcohol section, Naru and Motoko to the canned food section, and finally Keitaro and Shinobu were left to find things that would be useful.

With Keitaro and Shinobu

Looking at the signs on the ceiling, Keitaro saw that this store also sold clothes.

"Let's go there first Shinobu-chan." He smiled meaningfully, "We could both do with some new clothes."

Smiling with joy Shinobu almost skipped there, pushing the trolley along like the child she was. When they reached there, although the selection was limited, it had both the sizes they were looking for. Grinning at each other, they then began picking out suitable clothes, asking each if certain items suited the person or not. Shinobu was the one who mostly did this. Picking out a flowery pink top along with a long grey skirt, she held them up against herself for Keitaro to decide.

"I don't think the skirt suits you Shinobu-chan..." He answered honestly, "It's too long..."

"I thought so..." She lowered the skirt dejectedly. "It's just that they don't have my usual type here..." Her eyes brightened up and she chose a pair of pale blue jeans. "How about this?" They were quite normal; the sewing was neon red and thus could be seen from afar. Keitaro put his thumb up.

After turning around and letting her change, she tapped him on the shoulder and she was sparkling in her new, more modern outfit. Keitaro nodded.

"It was a good choice Shinobu-chan."

She blushed, "I couldn't have done it without you..."

Keitaro blushed too, "Well, I don't know much about women's clothes, but you look very pretty in those..."

At these words she twirled around and went to look for more clothes, more blood rushing to her face. He complimented me! He complimented me!

Several minutes passed and they had found another change of clothes each. Satisfied with their choices they moved on. Walking back to find Naru and Motoko (Shinobu wanted to make sure they found stuff which didn't have to be cooked), Keitaro saw the electronics section. On full display was a portable radio, which didn't need batteries. It was powered only by rotating a small handle on it for a minute or two, and it would then run for half an hour. Seeing this as a useful thing to have, he picked up one, looked back, and got another three.

Meanwhile
With Naru and Motoko

The former still moved like a shadow, no sound left her lips, and the only movements were to pick up some cans she thought might be useful. Motoko sometimes disagreed with her, and once her complaint was made, Naru picked up the chosen can and put it back on the shelf without any argument. It went on like this until they had a half trolley full of food. Motoko was becoming more agitated by the lack of interaction with Naru, so she stopped in front of the chopped tomatoes. Stopping too, with the trolley, Naru around stared at the can and was about to pick up two cans before Motoko held out her hand.

"Enough Naru-sempai..." Motoko stated firmly, "You must break out of this... The death of a loved one is always tragic, but you must not punish yourself like this." Motoko lowered her face as she spoke. "I... saw my sister killed in front of me too, by her husband... I hated him before he killed her, and after, it only increased." She looked into Naru's eyes. "But he explained why he did it. I still disliked him, but I saw how much he regretted it. Surely Mei-chan would not want you to make yourself suffer more. Think about how Keitaro feels now."

Naru turned to Motoko her face still perfectly neutral, her eyes no longer with their inner brightness. Bit by bit, the cheeks grew puffier, the nose twitching more until sniffing was necessary, and finally tears welling up to the brim, at last pouring over the brim of the eyelids.

"Mo... toko... -chan..." She began.

Returning her hand to her side, Motoko gave her a quaint smile. "Do you want anything from here? You picked up some food before..."

"Y... Yes..." Naru paused and moved off to the canned fruit section, Motoko beside her. "Mei-chan always loved these..." She said, picking up a can of peach slices. She put it in the trolley as the tears grew plentiful. Motoko looked around the corner and picked up a packet of tissues, handing it to Naru, who, surprised, accepted it. "Th... Thank you Motoko-chan..." She sobbed.

"Come... Let's get more food..." Motoko spoke in a soothing fashion.

Meanwhile
With Haruka and Mitsune

"You think you have enough sake there Kitsune?" Said a sarcastic Haruka.

"Heh... It's not for drinking..." Mitsune smirked. "Since everything happened..." She paused, opening her eyes also, thinking about the days after the Infected arrived in Hinata-sou, "I... sobered up a little..." She grinned more, her eyes shutting quickly, "Can't be caught with my head down a toilet now can I?"

Haruka took a drag on her cigarette, "If you say so..." Haruka eyed up some of her favourite sake, now tantalisingly in front of her. Taking one, she placed it in their trolley, then took another two of them. Following the mischievous look by Mitsune she spoke. "Well... If we have to get sake, might as well be good sake."

"If you say so..." Mitsune repeated the same words Haruka did.

"So..." Haruka quickly changed the subject. "How come you were still in Hinata Springs?"

"I don't know..." Mitsune said vaguely, walking to the nearby fruit stall. "Hey! How come these apples aren't rotted like the rest?"

Indeed, the purple, mouldy fruits were not appealing to the tastebuds, but the golden green apples still appeared to be ripe. "They're irradiated, that's why." Haruka said, picking up one, smelling it, and biting into it. She lifted the entire box into the trolley and continued with her earlier question. "Did you want to stay near Hinata-sou?"

Mitsune stopped in her tracks, her hair shadowing her face. "How... how did you know...?" A tear streaked down her cheek instantly disappearing.

Haruka smiled wanly, satisfied her guess was correct. "Just like me..." Haruka looked off down the other aisles, seeing the others every now and then. "When I lived there, I felt young again... Like everything would turn out to be fine in the end." Her smile lessened in its size. "I also hoped... That everyone would come home somehow..."

"Yeah..." Mitsune agreed. "That's how I felt too..." She smiled more truthfully, "Well... It's happened now, we're all together..."

Haruka resumed her deadpan expression. "We're not out of the woods yet... We still have to find Suu... Kanako is attacking us, and we still don't know why... And Keitaro will begin to wonder about his parents..." She looked into Mitsune's eyes. "We'll all die... Unless we get out of Japan..."

Mitsune stepped back. "Gees, no need to be depressing all of a sudden..."

Haruka took out the cigarette and blew smoke into the air, which then hovered around her face. "I'm always like that..."

Meanwhile
With Seta and Sarah

"Do we really need ten of these?" Seta half-moaned.

"But papa, I love Pocky!" Sarah whined.

"Okay then Sarah." Seta held out three things from their trolley. "But put these back if you get the Pocky."

Sarah again went into her usual tirade. "But I like Terry's Chocolate Orange too!"

This went on for a few minutes before a compromise was reached, she got seven Pocky if two chocolate oranges were put back. Hanging off the front of the trolley, Sarah picked things out for them to take.

"I'm only being fair Sarah... Too much chocolate isn't good for you..." Seta extinguished his cigarette, stamping it out on the floor.

"I know, but it's tasty!" Sarah grinned, her face already displaying smears over her lips and one or two brown fingerprints on her cheeks. One of the Oranges was open, and several slices were missing from it.

Seta smiled. Sarah is happier than usual, I knew Hinata-sou was a good influence on her. Now that most of us are back, she's becoming her old self. He watched as she swallowed another slice. Chocolate also keeps her amused, but not for long. Sure enough, he saw the telltale signs of gorging oneself, her eyes rolling a little in their sockets, their gaze one of sleep, though what she felt was sick of eating too much sugar. Seta pulled out a can of Coke from the trolley.

"Here..." He opened it for her. "Drink this Sarah."

"Thanks papa!" She chimed back, taking it with glee. Pulling it away after a few seconds, she sighed. "Ahhh. That's so good..." She smiled wryly at it, "If only it was cold though..."

"Well..." Seta began, explaining it again to her, "As there's no electricity, that means that the fridge's and freezers don't work. It's still drinkable warm..."

"... But it doesn't have the same... zing to it..." Sarah complained.

Seta didn't reply, she'd only get angry. He picked up more drinks since there were a wide variety of tastes around the group. That should be about it....

Checkout
12:37pm

Four trolleys were rolling up together, pausing as the faced each other.

"Good haul everyone?" Haruka grinned, her cigarette gone as she was munching the apple with much gusto.

"Yeah..." Keitaro spoke with a longing look at the apple she had.

"Right.... Let's go then." Seta grinned.

All four trolleys rolled through different tills, large grins apparent on everyone's face. Seta pulled out his credit card and left it on the counter as he and Sarah walked by.

Outside

"All packed up then?"

Haruka scanned over the van and Seta gave it an appraising look. Not wanting to risk leaving the back open, the fragile goods were stuffed into the boot area, the more durable wrapped up tightly on the roof. Everyone else appeared in a more jovial mood.

"Where are we going now Haruka-san?" A regressed, shy Shinobu stammered.

Haruka looked to Keitaro. "It's up to the manager... He chooses where we go."

Keitaro was still, the sun casting a shadow over his eyes. "Haruka-obasan, have you heard from my parents?"

Haruka, taken aback, didn't slap him over the head to correct his mistake. "They only contacted me once, before the phones went down... Since then, nothing..." She remained passive, not giving away the growing anxiety in her heart.

"Well then... We're going to see them..." He opened the door to the van and was about to step in.

"Keitaro..." Motoko spoke carefully, knowing how he reacted the last time. "It's been a while... We don't know..." She stopped upon seeing the look on his face, it was one she hadn't seen very often. He appeared troubled, though she was used to that, he always had some form of fear and anguish while living in Hinata-sou. There was something deeper in his eyes, one of regret. Why is he like that? The pain... I've not seen him like this since... Motoko tried to think of times when he had that look. Only when he talked about failing to get into Toudai... Could this mean he failed... his parents?

It was only for a second that his eyes dulled over with the look, but he immediately turned and sat inside the van. "Well!" Seta clapped. "As we're ready now, we should get going soon!"

Everyone stalked silently into the light tank, now replenished with some chocolate from the store. Keitaro sat next to Naru, Motoko and Shinobu to her right. Haruka took up the drivers seat, as Seta sat with Sarah in the passenger's seat. Mitsune nodded to the others and signalled she would follow them. Starting their engines, they launched off into the empty roads, to another empty city.

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Author's Notes

Ho hum, wrote this in Spain. Not much else to say, had a good time, got a tan, and was rather filled with healthy food. Well, at least I wrote something to pacify you hungry people. Enjoy!

- Jason