Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Love Hina - Nijuuhachi Hi Ato ❯ As Reality Sets In ( Chapter 4 )

Love Hina - Nijuuhachi Hi Ato

Chapter 04

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~~~~~~~ As Reality Sets In ~~~~~~~

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This chapter is dedicated to Maria, my girlfriend, my biggest fan.

1:34pm

The van journey was more or less quiet, just the roar of the engine as it sped down the dead motorways towards their destination. Cars, coaches and many other forms of transport were strewn over the lanes, so driving was more precarious. Infected did appear every now and then, but they were long gone after driving away further.

Naru was still in anguish over what happened earlier, her sister, killed. But she was Infected… She'd kill me without even thinking about it… She looked to Keitaro and saw him; his eyes glazed over as he barely noticed the landscape. Keitaro didn't want to kill her… I know him, he'd only kill if there was no other option… Naru took out yet another tissue and wiped at her face; her cheeks were bright red and puffy from all the tears. Looking down, she placed a hand delicately on his thigh. This startled him and he involuntarily grabbed whatever was holding him. Noticing that it was Naru's hand, he relaxed the grip before he crushed it.

"Keitaro…" She spoke. He looked at her, one eye had a small bruise on it from earlier, and it was healing well. "I'm… sorry…" She paused to wipe away the misty vision she had. "I don't hate you… I was just…"

Keitaro squeezed her hand softly, "I understand Narusegawa, I knew you didn't mean it." He smiled gently to put her at ease, which seemed to work.

Naru began to cry again, but this time it was due to the misunderstanding being cleared up. Motoko saw this and inwardly was happy that the two had made up. She glanced at Shinobu, who was much more cheerful than before, although a bit muted. Not surprising really… She's been through the same thing as me, and indeed Naru-sempai. All of us have lost someone important to us… She thought of Keitaro's face as he got into the van before leaving. What will happen to Keitaro if the worst comes true?

2:55pm

Keitaro's hometown

"Shizuoka City…" Haruka spoke with a hint of fear.

"Looks like it was one of the first cities to fall…" Seta spoke seriously as they drove slowly by a tank, the top hatch open and the operator eviscerated, blood and entrails spattered over the top.

There were many armoured vehicles with their doors ripped off their hinges, and their occupants massacred. Kitsune, on the motorbike outside, was overly cautious as she was more vulnerable to attack. Though the slightest noise alerts the Infected, none were forthcoming. This confused Motoko and Haruka, even Seta was curious as to the reason. The kendo expert noticed strange things though, like the fact that some of the light armoury were attacked with weapons other than the hands of the Infected. Some bore unmistakable bullet holes, blade markings and even other unexplainable types of destruction, twisted metal, molten vehicles and bodies. It doesn't make any sense… Motoko began to scrutinise the wreckage. These weren't made by the Infected… They only attack using their hands. Even my… my sister dropped her katana… She gripped the katana with two bells on it tighter.

The van drove on through the hostile territory, heading for the childhood home of Keitaro.

3:24pm

Further inside Shizuoka City

The burned out cars had long been passed by, but there were still blockages on the streets as others piled into one another, cutting off several roads that could have been used. Despite travelling through the city, they hadn't seen a live Infected yet, which was highly suspicious. The unfamiliar circumstances of this led to everyone growing more and more nervous, as the growing quiet continued to chill them.

They stopped as they reached the end of Keitaro's street, and after turning off their engines they walked slowly to his house. Each was alert and the ones that couldn't defend themselves (Shinobu and Sarah) clung to someone they trusted, so Seta and Keitaro were more careful as they had to protect another person. Naru remained close to Mitsune, who smirked as she held out her sake in preparation to light it just in case.

"Here we are…" Keitaro looked up to his old home of nineteen years. There was no light and the curtains were shut.

"Remember, if there's any movement inside..." Haruka warned.

"I know..." Keitaro spoke back quickly.

Taking out his keys that he had in his bag, he unlocked the house and walked in. The latches being pulled away with some effort. Seems like it hasn't been opened in a while... He was careful to take his shoes off and put on his old slippers, which were still waiting for him despite the amount of time he was away from home.

Pushing it away from him, the door swung inwards with a small creak. The air was distinctly musty as the sunlight clearly showed the dust floating about in the air. The stillness gave an eerie atmosphere for everyone as they walked in one by one. Keitaro looked around and wiped a nearby surface, noting that his finger was caked in the dust. Walking through the still flat, he looked at the walls with his family photos on them, and he couldn't help but feel a little happy, being reminded of his time when he was young and lived there. Passing many pictures of his childhood, he noticed that one of the frames was empty, the photo was missing. That's strange... He walked into the small corridor from the living room and passed his old bedroom, the door was closed. It was now that he smelled a unique scent, and it wasn't pleasant. It came from the door at the end of the corridor, his parent's room.

"Urashima, wait!" Motoko grabbed his arm whilst her thumb on the other hand pulled her katana an inch out of its sheath. Tearing himself away from her grip, he ran to the door and pushed it so hard that it rebounded from inside the wall, bouncing back a tad.

The shock began to course through him, as he half-walked forwards, unsure as to whether it was necessary. The room was quiet but peaceful, as the soothing yellow light bathed the furniture in a calming glow. The bed was the main focus of the light, wherein lay two people. Their skin was turning black and green at the edges, but at least, to Keitaro, they still looked recognisable as his dead parents. Haruka, who hovered at the entrance, closed her eyes in a quick prayer and then ushered everyone back to the living room to give him time alone.

He moved closer to the bed and could see their expressions. Unlike the scene at Shinobu's house, this one contrasted in that they weren't attacked and killed by the Infected. A cursory glance at the bedside table and the small bottles of sake and empty pill containers made their demise obvious. Looking on, he saw the leftovers of what appeared to be a large meal, with high quality food. Thankfully, their eyes were closed, having died in their sleep, and they were wearing white. Funeral robes... They prepared themselves for this... His glasses, opaque to hide his emotion, moved down as he saw his mother holding a photo. The one from that frame... He pulled it out from beneath her fingers, but couldn't get rid of the feeling of her hardness due to rigor mortis. He pulled the bedsheets over them, stood up to the door, and gave them a small bow, and left, closing the door behind him.

He went into his own room and the familiar smell of his deodorant and aftershave came to him. Sitting on his bed, he looked at the walls, although some were now bearing less than they used to, the emphasis that it was his room still remained. Some of his older books were on the shelves, and some had toppled over without any bookends. His desk was tidy; his mother had done that every time he left the home to make it welcome for him to come back.

There was no solace here any more.

Looking at the photo, he saw it was a picture of him grinning widely, hand outstretched to the camera. From what he could gather, his hands were dirty, sand covering them. In the background were some swings which seemed oddly familiar. The look of glee in the young Keitaro's face made him smile a little, until he turned the photo around.

"Dearest Keitaro,

We're proud you made it into Toudai, our only wish was for you to be happy in life, and now you are. With endless love we left you sleeping, now we are sleeping too.

Don't wake up."

A small droplet fell onto the last line, as his vision grew blurrier. Taking his glasses off, Keitaro cried. Cupping his face in his hands, he let out a few sobs, still clutching the picture. They're gone… They're really… dead… He peered out between his fingers. I never told them how much they meant to me… He looked at the photo again. They still cared for me, even though they were annoyed at me trying to go for Toudai each year… Sniffing once more he began to wipe his eyes. I can't break down now, everyone needs me… I have to protect them. He breathed on his lenses and starting wiping them against his top. The only destination now is Okinawa, and we need to get a boat there. We have to get to Osaka then, to the main port… He stood up and put his glasses on. We're the only ones left… Tucking the photo in his bag, he opened the door and, taking the last ever look at his room, left, closing it behind him.

Keitaro's home

Living Room

The mood was sombre; everyone had their own demons to conquer and their worst fears too. Some had seen family members killed, or worse, Infected. The others had seen it happen to so many other people, but were too weak or afraid to help, and perhaps wanted to stay alive than risk their lives for strangers. Keitaro could see the emotions on everyone, each reliving the worst of the past few weeks he'd been in hospital.

At times like these, friends are needed to keep ourselves sane… He smiled at them, as a few began to look up at him. "Everyone, let's get going now. I've said my goodbyes, there's no need to stay here any more."

Haruka smiled back, seeing the change in her nephew. He finally knows what it means to have friends. She fumbled about her back pocket for a packet of cigarettes, but found none, and sighed. Seta idly handed her one from his. She gave him a look, but her eyes were humorous.

Keitaro's smile seemed to brighten the atmosphere, dissipating it completely in an instant. The veil of mourning had been pulled away and now the others wanted to smile too. Shinobu, especially tearful for Keitaro when he went into his parent's room, had the largest smile in the room. Naru and Mitsune also cracked a smile, Motoko relaxed more and smiled too. Sarah instead stopped looking scared, which was quite something considering she hadn't once been calm since everything started. Seta was smiling as usual, inwardly proud of Keitaro.

"Let's go then part timer!" He said cheerfully.

"Seta-san!" Keitaro replied, closing his eyes with a half-whiney voice, "I'm not your part timer still!" He saw everyone looking at him and lots of held back laughter came to his ears. "Fine…" He acted as if he were scolded and started to sulk.

"Come on nephew, we're going now." Haruka smirked at him, her cigarette now lit. She holstered her bag on her shoulder. "Keep a look out for Infected, we're not out of the city yet, and there's lots of places for them to hide."

"Right."

Keitaro had his katana at the ready, the sheath was latched around his back, the handle reaching his left hip, to be pulled out quickly using his right hand. Motoko likewise had a thumb perched on the hilt of her own. Seta and Haruka pulled out their weapons and opened the door, scouting the immediate area around them. The rest followed them out, Motoko and Keitaro at the rear of the group.

Outside Keitaro's home

Reaching the van and motorbike, Haruka climbed into the driver's seat this time, and unlocked the door for the other side, and the side door. Letting everyone in, Sarah dropped her bag on the floor, and a metallic sound resounded over the area. Everyone paused, waiting for the screams, which didn't come, and quickly hurried into the van. Keitaro and Mitsune were the only ones outside.

The sound of a single Infected echoed down the street, panting like a dog, except with blood coming out of his mouth instead of saliva. Mitsune, who was about to put her helmet on prepared a sake cocktail to throw at him, Motoko, who was already in the van, began to pull out her katana using her thumb. Keitaro held a hand out to his left, stopping her from exiting the van as he stared at the incoming creature.

He turned back and smiled genuinely. "Leave this one to me." He spoke calmly and surely, and he strolled forwards.

"Urashima! You can't fight him!" Motoko had to be held back by Seta and Haruka.

"He'll be fine…" Haruka said neutrally, knowing that wanting to fight, especially with that blade, would only be fatal for those who fought against the wielder. "It's been a while since the blade was in the hands of an Urashima, it's about time for it to be unleashed…"

Mitsune watched as Keitaro got further in front as the Infected got closer. Jumping, its arms outstretched, it tried to aim for his neck to bite him. Sporting a sinister smirk, a single fang visible, Keitaro grew darker as his sword arm did the talking. A long cut upwards, and the Infected remained hovering in the air, a red line across its right arm and leg. A left downward sweep to the middle of the line from the top right, and finally a right downward sweep from the middle again, to the bottom right.

The Infected was now emblazoned with a red 'K' on its front from the slash marks, as Keitaro sheathed his katana and moved away, once it clicked into its holder, the character exploded, flinging the Infected back several metres, now alight from the fire.

"Then again…" Haruka began, Keitaro's face normal in the sun, but when he passed under a shadow from the trees, it changed to show an evil, malicious grin, as he began walking back to the van, "The problem is the blade's unique aspect…"

Motoko was in awe by the power shown by the sword, and how it's ki had enveloped Keitaro. "What's that then Haruka-san?"

Haruka was mute for a second. Should I tell them? It might frighten them… She saw Motoko staring at her, along with Naru and Shinobu. Seta had also heard of the legends too, but never saw it in action before.

"Well, it had a… colourful past shall we say…" Haruka shook her head. "But I won't go on about that. The thing is, the blade now possesses cognitive abilities, to remember things, and this means that it has attained intelligence." Keitaro was too near to the van to continue talking much further, so Haruka summed it up. "In short, it now has its own soul…"

This stunned the others into silence. Motoko could not believe that such a story was true, and was about to contest it before Keitaro clutched the door, startling the girls in the back.

"You all okay? You all look worried…" He asked, the shadow permanently gone from his face.

Indeed, Shinobu was a very pale, and Naru was shivering slightly, Motoko was also a tad paler, but most of her body was paralysed. What if he attacks us now, I have to be able to make my move… But… I can't move my arms or legs… He sat down next to Motoko, once more leaning against the window. By the way Haruka was acting, completely natural that is, Motoko grew calmer and felt more at ease, and her limbs began to function normally. It seems that it's only during battle the blade's ki is activated… Otherwise Haruka-san would not be so composed about the presence of such a dangerous weapon.

"Everyone ready?" Seta asked, as Keitaro slammed the door shut. He took the quiet to be a positive answer. Haruka looked out of the van to Mitsune and gave her the thumbs up. She responded in kind, and put her helmet on and mounted her bike wearing her leather outfit suited to more masculine bikers.

At that moment

Keitaro's home

Starting their engines once more they sped off into the background as the view shows their retreat, and passes over the fence into Keitaro's path, and through the window. The serenity of the home came across in the pastel tones it was depicted, over each childhood photo and memory. Passing through the wall to his room, it showed the same layout as we saw before, his bed, desk shelves and anime posters, even some drawings of his.

A small tremor was heard and the view passes through the wall again, this time to the parent's room. Blurring as it passed over the deceased parents; it focused on the ceiling as a small crack appeared, then, tiny particles of dust began to fall, as the cracks grew. A large crash was now heard, the view angled to the right to show the window opposite the bed to show a large plume of dust, debris and smoke. Another crash, and then footsteps were heard.

The view started, and then jerked suddenly to the left, where the closed entrance was, slowing as it came into view. A few more steps were heard, then nothing, the door opened a tad, then fully, however whatever was behind the door could not be seen, as the view reacted harshly. It became filled with static and collapsed to the ground, and all that could be seen was a pair of legs entering the room, clean cut black shoes. The footsteps padded to a still, and the view began to recover, and got up off the floor, clearing through the static. The sound wasn't affected.

"Otouchan… Okaachan…"

The view cleared immediately to show drops of blood landing on the carpet, then panning up fast over the legs, then waist, and then shoulders of the person standing there. Tears of blood were pouring over the cheeks of the figure, despite there being no wound in those purple eyes.

Kanako stood contemplatively by the bed of her dead adoptive parents. At least they died peacefully… Looking around the place, she noticed that the room had been disturbed recently. Going on a hunch she walked into Keitaro's room and saw that the bed had been sat on recently, it was still warm. Oniisan was here… She could tell that most of the room had otherwise been left untouched. Her vision became red with blood as she began to cry more, picking out another tissue from her pocket, she dabbed at her face and wiped her eyes, and cleaned away the streaks of blood that remained. Holding the tissue now soaked in blood, she scrunched it up and threw it in Keitaro's bin. Where would he go now? She recalled the manager's portfolio from Hinata-sou. That's right, he was probably going to Okinawa. If I'm going to find him, I'll have to go there…

Her sad face distorted once more. Then I can have him… He'll be all mine… She stood up and was about to leave the room when one picture stood out from the others. It had a boy sitting next to an even younger girl, with a large fringe over her face, and also a familiar antenna with a kink in the middle, though smaller than the one the owner currently has. Stopping, Kanako picking up the frame and removed the photo. I've never seen this one before… Hugging it close to her chest, she sighed happily, but felt a familiar twinge coming back, so she quickly put the photo in her bag before her muscles began to contract, grinding her teeth and storming out of the house with jerking movements. She walked past the parents room, where a giant gaping hole in the wall, and nearby lay a huge driver's cabin of a trailer. Which had smashed into a small shed from the neighbouring house. Sensing no Infected around her, she climbed into the cabin and turned the ignition key, applying lots of pressure to the accelerator, crushing vaguely human, and knocking out any obstacles that got in the way.

Meanwhile

Approximately 10000 feet above north Tokyo Prefecture

"Target Acquired." An electronic male voice announced. "Distance to target: 30 Kilometres. ETA at current speed: 50 Minutes."

"Good." Another voice said. The speed indicator was reading 'M2', and was obvious as the speed of the changing land below, and the fact that any humans left alive would hear a roaring sound and a distinct object streaking across the sky in an instant.

50 minutes later

10000 feet above Hinata Springs

"Slowing to landing speed." Pulling out of Mach 2, the flying vehicle slowed to a mere 500miles per hour and began its descent into the city. Reverse thrusters slowed it further to 200miles per hour, and, bracing for impact it crashed straight into a road. The humongous shockwave that followed created a sphere of devastation around it, buildings exploded and debris flew in all directions, road and tarmac upturned, and around five blocks completely knocked flat. The point of origin was deep underground.

Thankfully, it had transformed before hitting the ground, looking akin to a space shuttle pod for re-entry into the atmosphere. Releasing steam, it began to sprout legs and arms, and then crawled out of the hole it plummeted into.

"Where's Hinata-sou?" The operator asked.

The electronic voice answered. "Hinata-sou located 106 degrees west, 26 degrees above ground, to a height of 250 feet. Distance, 600 metres."

"Let's go there." The operator pressed some buttons and the machine moved and started walking in that direction.

The eerie screeching began around Hinata Springs. "Warning. Multiple incoming hostiles." The arms of the machine sprouted mean looking weapons on either hand. "Orders?"

The operator didn't hesitate once. "Kill all the Infected that try to attack, and don't let them stop us getting there. Leave the humans, if there are any left…"

The voice started up again. "Acknowledged. Primary objective: Reach destination, Hinata-sou. Secondary objective: Elimination of contaminated humans that attempt contact." The arms began to glow a bright green, as the legs began to flex, as if ready to sprint. "Execution of primary objective initialising. Secondary objective in high alert mode: Weaponry online and charged. Self-defence mode on, assigning targets."

On the multitude of screens inside the machine, the Infected that grew larger on the displays now were illuminated with red crosshairs on them. Bursting forwards, the legs of the machine made huge strides towards Hinata-sou, running at speeds no human could even dare to compete with.

The arms locked on to the first target closest to them, and began to fire its machine gun, ejecting the bullets from the side of the arm onto the ground. Screaming with pain, the Infected were down from the instant kills, but their cries brought more Infected as the buildings now had streams of them trying to attack this monstrosity.

Calculating the chances of large kills, the robot made a choice. "Deploying anti-personnel missiles." The back pulled away showing row after row of small holes, which were then filled with small objects. After a second, they flew out of the back, each one locked on to an individual Infected, or group. Detonations followed soon after as each enemy was pulverised by the military might.

The waves of Infected were pushed back by this offensive as the machine continued running through the streets. The target scanner found multiple enemies in the surrounding streets ready to jump out. The palms of the robot opened up to show two barrels with concentric rings around them. Green lightning began to course between them cumulating at the tip of the barrel, a small ball being created or green energy. The plasma laser shot out from both palms at either side of the robot, slicing straight through the buildings around it. A burning sound from the high temperature beam could be smelled, before the dust from the small building that began to topple from having their supports cuts straight through. The scanner show no more alive enemies as the beam neatly cut through all of them, their corpses now in half but not bleeding due to the cauterising from the immense heat from the plasma.

"Just a few more blocks to go…" The operator mumbled.

10 minutes later

"Approaching stairs to destination."

Sure enough, the nostalgic appearance of the misty stairs up to Hinata-sou were in view, but so was the huge group of Infected lying in wait for the robot.

"Charge through them!" The operator shouted.

"Acknowledged." The robot grew large blades on it arms, and went straight into the group cutting, dicing, and chopping off various body parts of the Infected, all the while getting closer to its target.

"Launch upwards and start scanning for survivors."

Blasting off from its feet, sending the other Infected away with the fire from its feet, the rocket propelled robot flew over the steps, all the while checking for any non-Infected human using the radar and Rage detector. Landing at the top of the steps, it told the bad news.

"No non-Infected human present here. Incoming hostiles from the building."

This is bad… "Okay, get to my room, I need some things before we leave… Go via the outside." Tapping in the security code for the alarms and other anti-burglar devices, the window opened automatically for the machine to get in. The front opened up and out, a small step extending out to let the occupant (who was wearing green camouflage gear) walk onto the ground.

Looking around, Kaorra Suu wiped her face of the sweat she was building up. No one's here then… Where did they go? Walking into more of the leafy jungle, she uncovered a bush that hid a familiar logo, one that implied radioactive material was present. Pulling out a console nearby, she began to type into it. I need to build this into the back; the battery won't last long.

Sighing deeply, she began to dismantle the necessary components, as the Infected roamed outside her room, unable to get in due to the metallic door in the way. Pulling out a small compartment below the mini rocket launchers on the back, she removed the hundreds of AA type batteries from the slot, throwing them on the ground. Soldering the wires into the unit, Suu bit her tongue in mild humour at the ease at which she was performing such a complicated procedure, merging new power sources.

The banging on the door increased a little as more Infected arrived outside. Paying them no notice, she moved the miniature nuclear reactor carefully into the open gap, and then powered it up by flicking a switch. Moving to another one of the trees in her room, she removed some bark and, with a metallic extending arm, removed a glowing green tube. Handling it slowly, she inserted it into an open area of the reactor, closing the hole once the luminous material was inside.

The increase in humming meant that the plutonium was heating up, creating the steam required to power the various cogs and gears needed to run the Mecha Tama Unit X. The form of the beast appeared to be that of a turtle standing up on its hind legs, but was more agile than its former compatriots, the limbs sleeker and more polished than the rest of its body. The arms where the blades had the blood of the Infected on them due to the blade attacks in the latter part of reaching Hinata-sou.

Suu double-checked inside the seat monitors, and was pleased to see that it was now running under the reactor's power, no longer the disposable batteries she was using before. She smiled a little and walked away into her room further, noticing that her leaves were showing signs of lack of upkeep, they were mostly brown and withered away. The pond was a stagnant green from not having any oxidisers thrown in, nor keeping it flowing by the occasional dip inside it. She picked up more personal items, mostly those with the triple eye symbol on them.

Where is it? Her usually organised brain couldn't remember where she left her masterpiece that she created so long ago. Rummaging about further in the trees, she found the item, a seemingly ordinary pocket watch. Found it… She grinned broadly, showing some semblance of her old self. I couldn't make one like in back in Molmol; they didn't have the raw materials… Walking to the mecha, she kneeled in the seat and removed the headrest, exposing another niche in the body of the robot. Pressing a switch nearby, a small tray opened out like a typical CD-ROM, one the exact shape and size of the watch. Lying it on its back, the top with the button facing outwards, she pushed the switch again and it slid in, a satisfying click indicating it had been accepted.

Grabbing a few more very personal things, such as photos and whatnot, she stored them behind her chair, which already had some food stored there. Wanly looking back at her room as her hair covered her face as she sat in the chair of the mecha, she pulled a lever to her right, causing the Mecha Tama to close the main hatch. As the door moved upwards, the shadows deftly hid a small tear that fell to her lap. Hissing from the locking mechanism, Suu looked at the monitors around her, showing the Infected outside her door thanks to the x-rays of the building, and the power status glowing reassuringly on the top right in small writing and visual indicators.

Placing her arms inside those of the mecha, she began to manipulate the controls from there, switching to different modes of the view, from the house, until she decided to take action.

"Activate the Keitaro Radar, and place the 3D map onscreen."

A slight whirring behind her head meant the top button on the radar had been pressed, and the resulting dot had now appeared, and the radar itself was moved into an upright position to show the exact bearing to Keitaro. Gripping the hand controls, the screen now had the smooth yellow dot pointing on the very left. Making the mecha turn to her left, the dot now moved slowly into the middle, moving only slightly. So, he's alive… Images of maps appeared now and scaled to match the location of the dot.

"Have the bearing of the dot match the line from us to the target."

The screen morphed into an overhead map now, a red line coursing over the landscape of the south of Tokyo, not stopping anywhere. Testing it, Suu made the mecha turn, and sure enough, the bearing stayed the same, with the turtle logo now facing in the wrong direction.

Finally ready, she made it jump out of her room, landing outside the entrance of Hinata-sou. Putting a seatbelt on, she began to pull at several levers, twisting certain one, and pushing them in. As the Infected ran out to greet them, the Mecha Tama X transformed once more into a plane of sorts, with Suu in the cockpit. Within moments, they had taken off vertically and launched off in the direction shown by the radar.

Soon… We'll be together… Keitaro… Suu smirked as she increased power to the thrusters, leaving the Infected screeching up at the now empty skies in frustration.

Meanwhile

Tokaido Highway

Once the main path connecting East and West Japan, it had tarmac laid over it, and the national road was created. Dodging through the still vehicles, a lone white van and motorbike kept on moving sullenly past debris and bodies. Reaching the first tunnel, the van stopped, the motorbike a second or two later.

"I don't like this…" Keitaro began. "It's too dark…"

Sure enough, the vast quiet and foreboding blackness of the tunnel beckoned them.

"I too believe it is unwise to spend any amount of time in a tunnel." Motoko spoke keeping her full concentration on the edge of the darkness. "The Infected seem to… thrive… in such places…" Her own experience made her shudder, and she grew more uneasy each passing second.

Haruka took one glance at the tunnel, and at the passengers, and made a decision. "Let's go around the tunnels… It's not essential to take the quickest path by Marikofuji and Takakusa-yama." Looking to Mitsune outside, she waved her finger in a circular pattern, and she understood. The van turned around and went by the road that cut around the mountain, and the same with the next tunnel.

An hour later

Aichi Prefecture, just past Horai Town

The cars began to grow more in number, and sometimes Haruka and Mitsune needed to slow down greatly to get past them.

"Something's wrong… There's far too many cars…" She mumbled.

Sure enough, a telling sign that the Infected caused more devastation emerged in front of them, from a plume of smoke. From behind it, the eerie sight of a tail fin of a jetliner came into view. The group stopped well before the crash, as the cars in front were all abandoned and clogged up the road tightly.

"It must've crashed…" Seta pondered, "Maybe one of the Infected got on the plane…"

"The fuel probably started burning everything around the crash site…" Haruka continued. As if on cue, a car exploded not too far in front of them, the bonnet flying up into the air.

"What about the Infected though?" Naru asked. "Did they die?"

"Probably, but some must have survived the plane crash if more than one was Infected." Motoko replied.

"And… The people in the cars?" Shinobu shyly popped her head into the conversation.

Keitaro could already see what had happened, as some bodies were on the road, whilst some windows were dark with dried blood from its victims. "Some tried to escape… But the others…"

"Let's get ourselves out of here, I don't like being near places like this…" Haruka stated.

Veering the van around the broken barrier at the side of the road, they drove over some countryside before reaching another road. "We'll go round Nagano, there's no need to get ourselves into more danger in there." She looked at the sky, "We need to find a place to sleep too, it's getting darker, and we need shelter away from the towns and roads, so the Infected don't catch us."

7:03pm

North-west of Seto City

"Here we are…" The van stopped at an isolated spot far from any roads, where the trees were covering a small ruin or sorts, made from stone. "We can stay here for the night, no one will find us here." Haruka got out of the van and started to unpack a few warm blankets.

Seta smiled at her, but as if startled, angled his eyes to the right somewhere in the sky, turning to face that direction.

Naru noticed this sudden movement. "What's wrong Seta-san?"

He didn't move. "Something's coming this way…"

At this point everyone looked in the same direction, but couldn't see anything.

"You hear that?" Keitaro started, putting a hand by his ear as a faint whistling sound approached. Soon it became clear that the sound was more powerful, and the sonic boom above hurt their ears.

"What was that thing?!" Sara half-shouted to get over the ringing in her ears.

"That looked like a Eurofighter…" Seta remarked, interested at the shape of it. "But not a standard model…"

They would soon find out, as it began to slow down quickly and veer towards them again.

"Doesn't it look like it's trying to find us?" Shinobu asked worriedly, backing away a few steps.

Angling downwards, the plane-like object plunged towards them at high speed.

"Everyone get away!" Keitaro pulled Motoko away, as she was going to try to repel it with her sword.

The flying machine continued to plummet, only to hover above the ground neatly using thrusters from underneath it. Landing neatly in the grass, the cockpit opened up, steam rising from it obscuring everything behind it. Keitaro took a staggered step forwards reaching over slightly to get his hand near the Hina Blade.

Without warning something sprung out of the steam, only to plant a kick on his cheek, flipping him upside down and sending him crashing into a tree, falling down head first.

"Suu!" Motoko cried out.

"Hi!" She gave a little salute and walked into the group, clutching her side briefly, "How's everyone?"

"Where've you been Suu? You left over three weeks ago!" Naru half-shouted, much to everyone's surprise. Suu closed one eye and pulled her head back in a mock scolding, knowing that she didn't tell her friends where she was.

"I'm sorry…" Suu put her hands behind her head. "Oniisan and oneesan wanted me safe at home, so I went back to them, but…" She paused and looked down, her arms crossed in front, rubbing what looked to be bruises, scratches and other wounds. "I wanted to come back…"

Shinobu saw the marks on her body. "Kaorra… What's wrong with your arms?"

It became obvious that all, including Keitaro (having got up from the floor) started to look at her injuries closely.

"What happened to you Suu?"

Concerned, Keitaro walked up to her and kneeled in front of her, peering closely at her arms, removing a small medical box from his backpack. He took out some plasters for the still raw wounds, and alcohol and cloth to wipe away any infection from the surrounding area of the bare flesh. Wincing, Suu smiled at Keitaro, who was too busy administering to her to notice.

"I wanted to come back…" She repeated. "I didn't want to leave you here all alone." She glanced back to her creation. "I built that whole thing from scratch in three weeks." Turning back to see their astonished looks, she grinned further. "It took me a while since all my useful stuff was here, but I did it, although I kept pushing myself too hard…" She rubbed a particular spot above her left hip. "I couldn't waste any time, so I ignored safety protocol, and sometimes things didn't work properly…"

Keitaro tenderly lifted up her top a little, after checking back visually to see if he had permission from Naru and Motoko, who both nodded inconspicuously. What he saw shocked him so much, he let go and fell backwards.

"Suu… Why…?" He stood up and patted her head.

"Because I missed you all." She smiled again, some wisdom conveyed in the lightheartedness of her voice. "I'd do anything to see you again, Keitaro, Motoko, everyone…"

"A… Are you tired? We're about to set up camp and sleep here for tonight." Keitaro gave her a brave smile.

"Sure, just let me do something first." She pulled out a remote control from her pocket, aimed it over her shoulder and pressed a button on it. Sure enough, the plane transformed into the familiar figure of the terrors she created back in Hinata-sou.

"T… Turtle…" Pulling out her katana, she nervously stared at it, ready for any attack it'd make.

"It's okay…" Suu reassured her. "I've set it to kill any Infected near us."

At that point, all realised how lethal Suu's creations were, Keitaro was invincible when attacked by them, but if used for actual battles… They shuddered to think of the power it holds. The more menacing look it had on its face didn't calm them down either.

"Right, let's try to sleep then." Seta declared, clapping his hands together. "I have a small tent inside, but can only hold one adult, but you three," He indicated Suu, Sarah and Shinobu, "can fit in it. The rest of us stay outside in the shelter, and one can stay in the van if you want."

Seta and Haruka began to set up the tent, their movements showing that they were going through the motions of something done many times. Keitaro beckoned Suu over, talking quietly to her and walking with a hand on her back to the van. Motoko watched them out of the corner of her eye and, curious to what they were doing, followed them cautiously.

Behind the van

"Okay, lets see here…" Keitaro mumbled to himself.

Lifting up her top, he stared at the large bandage around her waist, covering the entirety of the left side of her body. The blood had seeped through most of the centre, spreading out to the edges of the wrapping. Pulling apart the safety pin, he began to slowly unwrap the bandage, coiling it around his hand in the process. Suu winced as more of the pressure was lifted on her belly, releasing the hold on the capillaries and threatening to bleed more. Having removed the entire roll, he stooped low to see the damage done.

He had never seen anything like this up close. A huge portion of her skin had been ripped or burned off, surrounding a straight cut that opened out wide in the middle, showing too much flesh beneath. The slice had some small stitches on the outer parts, but couldn't be attached to the middle area due to the size of the gap.

Clutching his hand and beginning to crush it, Suu's tears began to fall as the pain returned with a vengeance. Keitaro began to panic as the cut swelled and grew moister. S… So much blood… I don't know how to stop it… He threw open the first aid kit but couldn't find anything except more bandages. If only I had some pills to stop the pain…

A hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked back to see Motoko standing there, looking grim. She too kneeled down to Suu's level and saw the genuine tears in her eyes, and the terrible injury she had. Reaching into her left sleeve, she removed a small sachet and proceeded to tear off a corner, place it in her hand, and to pour it on the open wound. The effect was almost instantaneous, as Suu's expression changed from both eyes shut in agony, to one of mild bemusement, as the pain lessened to a dull throb in her side. Looking a Motoko in child-like wonder, she saw her take another sachet out and poured it over the same area, gently massaging it in.

"This should stop the bleeding and encourage coagulation to let it heal better…" She looked at the middle. "This is more serious however, and needs proper medical care if we are to stop the swelling."

Keitaro peeped at Motoko and chanced a question to Suu. "How did you get this?"

Suu looked embarrassed. "I was trying to build a nuclear fuel source, so that it didn't need to recharge or refuel." She gave a chuckle. "It didn't work too well… The fission and control rods didn't want to align properly, and it grew too violent to hold…" She closed her eyes, recalling the event. "It blew up… And I covered my face as the shrapnel went by me…" Her brow furrowed. "I forgot that there was boiling water in it… It sprayed over me, and a large piece of the rod…" She looked down at the cut, which seemed to be bleeding less. Keitaro took this chance to apply more care and then wrap a new bandage around it.

"Was it radioactive Suu?" Not known much about the innards of a nuclear reactor, Motoko didn't understand much of what she said, but knew that it had harmful radiation.

The Molmol princess was quiet and looked up to growing number of stars in the evening sky.

"Suu?" Keitaro asked.

"You know…" Suu began. "Oniisan always said that our loved ones, when they die, become one of those stars…"

"Suu…" Keitaro's mood darkened quickly. "How bad?"

She stared into his worried eyes, "Exposure wasn't lethal… But I did get a substantial dosage…" There was a long pause here. "I might develop cancer…"

The silence of the two said more than mere words could. That and the fact that their expressions grew more morose by the second.

"It's not that bad." Suu continued chirpily, "It's preventable, but I'll need to start the treatment soon..." She trailed off here as the obvious effects of not being treated for cancer are often fatal. One long cat-like yawn later indicated that she was sleepy. Keitaro looked to Motoko, who gave a faint smile.

"Shall I take you to bed then?" The huge grin on her face made it apparent that she was more than happy to be carried, and so he did so, picking her up gently and taking her to the tent that Shinobu and Sarah were waiting in. She snuggled up to Keitaro on the way, eliciting a short glare from Naru during the walk. He spoke at the tent entrance.

"Shinobu-chan? Sara-chan? I'm bringing Suu in now..." Hearing no loud riposte by the blonde American girl, he unzipped the side and let Suu in, as she 'fwumped' into the small sleeping bags inside. Shinobu and Sarah were at the other end of the tent, waiting with anticipation.

Suu crawled into the bag and proceeded to snore away immediately. Shinobu too got inside her own, as did Sarah, the former worried dearly for her friend, the latter a bit annoyed that she said nothing about earlier.

"Kaorra..." Shinobu said, glancing once more at the darker skinned girl before finally dropping off.

Later that night

1:24am

An agonising scream echoed through the night, as everyone, startled, got out of bed, grabbing the nearest weapon to those who were owned one. Even Mitsune grabbed a sake bottle on instinct from inside the van.

"Shinobu!?" Concerned, everyone ran to the girl's tent, only to find the light on, and Shinobu cowering in the corner, her hand covering her face as she rocked gently on her knees. Sarah was standing over her; seemingly scared out her own wits from her peaceful sleep, trying to talk to the terrified girl.

"Shinobu?" Haruka popped her head into the tent, no cigarette, but one side of her hair was unruly and threatened to spread to the rest. Seeing the form the child took, she pulled back. "Keitaro?" He looked to her. "Stay with her for now... Sarah and Suu will be staying in the van tonight."

"O... Okay then Haruka-oba-" A pillow whapped him on the head, as she dragged Sarah away, and glaring at Seta to get Suu. "It's Haruka-san."

Getting inside the small tent after the two other children left, he lay on top of the sleeping bags, trying to wriggle inside one only to find that it was a little too tight. Shinobu had calmed down a little and was no longer rocking, just hugging around her knees. She looked back to see Keitaro drifting off to sleep. Her eyes mellowed further and she slowly climbed into her own sleeping bag. Not quite noticing this, Keitaro turned over to now be facing a blushing Shinobu, her cheeks lighting up the tent above, as she faced up. She lightly tried touching his hand, and getting no response she held it securely.

"Sempai..." Tears welled up and Shinobu began to cry quietly, the streams getting absorbed into the pillow beneath her.

"Shinobu-chan..." She looked to her left and saw his dark brown eyes staring back. "Whatever it was, it was just a nightmare."

Her half-smile vanished as more tears came out. "It wasn't like that..." She looked up again. "Is it really a nightmare if it happened?"

Keitaro's heart slowed by a beat. "You mean...?"

Shinobu began her story.

The day before

9am

Hinata Springs

"Shinobu, is it good?" Maehara Takami asked.

"Mmmm" Her mouth full, she couldn't reply to her mother, who had just supplied the tasty meal.

"Okay, are your bags packed?" Her father, Sato, spoke up. "We're leaving soon, we can't live like this, and need to get away from here..."

"We know dear..." Takami began. "That's why we're ready...."

A strange whistling sounded, and everyone in the building froze. "Did you put the kettle on?"

"Well, yeah, like always..." Shocked and holding a hand to her mouth she shivered. "Oh no... How could I have forgotten so easily?"

The dreaded screeches of the Infected echoed outside, as they began to stalk their prey, hunting through nearby homes. Grabbing a gun, Sato sighed. "They'll find us soon enough, I'll hold them off while you and Shinobu get out of here."

"No!" A fist smashed through the back door of the restaurant downstairs. "You can't leave us!"

He just smiled at her and took aim at the top of the steps, firing at the first few that kicked open the door. Takami ran back into the bedroom, pulling Shinobu along with her."

"O... Otousan... Otousan is fighting them...." She stammered out, shaking with fear.

"He'll be fine..." The sad smile she gave her daughter would be one of the last she ever made. "You should get dressed out of nightie though..."

Several gunshots later, Sato ran into the bedroom too, locking the door behind him. "I'm out of bullets..." He dropped the smoking weapon to the ground and forced a chest of drawers in the way of the door. He then walked up to Shinobu. "I love you very much Shinobu, I'm sorry the divorce tore you apart..."

"O... Otousan..."

Takami continued. "I'm sorry too Shinobu, for not thinking about your needs when it was time."

"Okaasan... I love you both so much...." She gave them both a big hug, her arms around their necks and crying for what she thought would be the last time.

Some of the Infected had reached the first floor, and started to pound on the door, parts of the wood giving way.

"They're here! We have to get out, we h-" Her voice was muffled as her mother put a cloth with chloroform on it on her face.

"You must survive Shinobu..." The last thing she saw before slipping into dreamland was both of her parents hugging her back with tears in their eyes.

After placing her unconscious body inside the wall closet, clicking the door shut, the father looked to his former ex-wife and then to the door. One soft and sweet kiss later, the chest was forced back, and the view freeze-framed at the gory face of one of the Infected jumping through the door.

Back in the present

"I woke up confused, inside the closet…" She sniffed once as she recalled the pain. "And when I opened the door…"

She moved into Keitaro for a hug, who returned it. "They loved you then, and still love you now. They wanted you to survive and be happy. So you shouldn't cry for them any more, just be happy."

Beneath her tears she cracked a smile and hugged him tighter.