The sun was hiding behind the clouds, like it was afraid of what was about to happen.

Hisashi watched the white-haired girl carefully, unsure if she could actually do it. "Yuk, I can—"

"No," Yuki said, shaking her head. "I have to do it."

But even so, her voice shook.

It'd taken fourteen-year-old Yuki almost a week to get the courage to come this far and, even now, she didn't think she could do it. What was she going to do if he wouldn't let her leave? What if Hisashi got involved? What would she tell Rei and Takashi if Hisashi was hurt? She shuddered at just the idea—never mind if it actually happened—but they were the whole reason she was here: if she wanted to have real friendships, if she wanted to be able to stand on the same ground as Takashi, she had to leave this house. It wasn't a matter of choice anymore; this was the best thing so she could continue being with Hisashi, Takashi, Morita, and Rei. This was the only way she could be with her friends without worrying about them getting hurt.

"I'm here with you," Hisashi murmured, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right here the entire time."

That's the problem, she thought bitterly, even if she knew there was no way she'd be able to do this without him.

She took a deep breath, trying to center herself, willing herself not to be so afraid.

With a shaky hand, she opened the door.

The smell of cigarettes and alcohol was thick in the air, almost suffocating. Hisashi coughed a little, but Yuki was too used to it, inching her way to the living room.

He sat in the reclining chair, a bottle of beer in his hand. Two-hundred-and-fifty pounds of beer belly, the man looked more like a pot-belly pig than a person. A mess of white hair, the same as Yuki, was the only thing Hisashi could make out from his post at the edge of the entrance, but he could imagine the thick legs and big fists just from the bruises left on Yuki.

When the man caught sight of her, though, his glazed grey eyes sharpened. "What the hell do ya want?" the man barked.

"U-u-um…" she stammered, her words jumbling together. "I… I need to… talk… to you," she finally mumbled out.

The man raised an eyebrow, daring her to say something.

"I-I'm m-m-moving out, father," she said, looking at his feet.

He snarled, causing her head to snap up just in time to see a hand coming down. Hisashi's eyes widened at the sound of his palm hitting her cheek, cracking with such a force he was surprised that she didn't break down in tears. Hell, Hisashi was sure Rei would cry just hearing a sound like that, let alone having experience the pain it no doubt brought along with it.

"You're what!?" he demanded. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Moving? That's not a funny joke!"

"It's not a joke…" she said quietly, hand on her cheek as she looked down again. "I'm moving in with a friend."

Suddenly, the man caught sight of Hisashi and shoved Yuki into the wall, ramming her into the glass showcase. The force actually shattered the glass, scattering the knives inside.

"You!" the man boomed, leering down at Hisashi. "You're the one who's been putting these stupid ideas into her head, aren't you!?" He grabbed Hisashi's uniform shirt, bringing his face inches from his own. "Do you think you can take care of her? Huh? Do you think you can take care of her better than I can? Can you handle her? She's a piece of shit, you know! Look at how pathetic she is, covered in scars and bruises, laying in a pile of glass like some problem doll that no one wants. And now look at how selfish she's being, leaving her own mother behind to go play slut with you. I get needing to get laid, kid, but is she worth it!?"

Maybe it was the spit coming from his mouth, maybe it was the seriousness on his face; whatever it was, Hisashi decided he was tired of playing the good guy in the background. Gripping the man's stained collar, he pulled Yuki's dad over his shoulder, flinging him into the door behind him.

Yuki's eyes widened, her entire body frozen.

Her dad looked around, confused. Obviously, he didn't know what had happened. With a growl, though, he shoved himself back up and came at Hisashi, who just moved to the side a little. The man slipped on the glass, falling on his face into the floorboards. Hissing, his clasped around the wooden handle of a sharp knife, one personally made for his thick fingers, and he stood up, turning around to slash at Hisashi. He managed to catch him by surprise, Hisashi barely making it out of the way in time.

"Alright, boy, if that's how you want it, then I'll give," he snarled, nose flaring.

Hisashi was calm, calculating. He couldn't help but note that man looked like a bull who had lost his favorite red sash.

The man whipped the tip of the blade out, aiming for Hisashi's throat, but Hisashi maneuvered himself out of the way, flipping onto the couch and rolling on the floor. The man used it to his advantage, stumbling over to him. Before he could wrap around the sofa, pain sliced into his arm. Grunting, he turned to see Yuki standing behind him, a shade of glass in her bleeding palms.

The man laughed, throaty and thick, before backhanding her. She stumbled back, the shade cutting deeper into her hand, and landed on a pile of glass on her butt, groaning. Hisashi stood up just in time to see the knife go down towards Yuki. She cried out in pain, and he hurriedly grabbed a bowl of chips, bashing it over the man's head.

He toppled over like a cow, landing with a hard thump on the hardwood.

Yuki kicked the arm around her away and scooted her back against the wall, trembling horribly.

"Yuki?" Hisashi said quietly, stepping slowly over to her. "Yuk, it's me."

He reached his hand out, but stopped.

There, along her outer thigh, was a deep, thick gash, blood practically pouring out of it.

–xxx–

Takagi's Estate, Tokonosu City

Fujimi, Japan

Z-Day+4 5:12pm

–xxx–

"And why would I do something like that!?" Takagi demands, looking incredulous. I can't really blame her—one minute the man is threatening us, the next he's asking for our help.

Apparently, in the time Takashi had taken to scold me for jumping in the middle of the thing with Kohta, one of the men working for Takagi's dad had reported that his demonstration—where he had cut off an undead's head in front of everyone—had accidently backfired, creating a group of "peace-loving" rebels who were dead set against everything the Takagis are saying and are working behind the scenes to create some sort of coup. In an effort to calm them before it gets too bad, Takagi's dad wants her to talk to them.

"If you speak to them, my daughter, I will know you are not a fool," he says.

"Saya, I'm asking you too," her mother says. "Those people will be too careful about what they say if your father or I were the ones to go. We need to know what they're really thinking, and we can't be certain they'll tell us the truth because of who we are."

"I-I'll go with her," Kohta volunteers.

"Yeah, me too," says Takashi.

"I'll come along too," I say. "Nothing else to do here."

"No," Takagi's dad says, looking at me. "I would like to speak to you for a time, daughter of Sora Hatsune."

I stiffen. "Fine," I say through gritted teeth.

Saeko looks at me. "Then I'll go."

But Takagi's dad shakes his head. "I would like to speak with you as well, Teacher Busujima's daughter."

We share a look, unsure what he could possibly want from either of us. Well, I guess wanting to talk to Saeko makes sense, but wanting to talk to me? My father hasn't had anything worth the Takagi's attention since I was six.

Instead of questioning him, though, I follow after him, Saeko not far behind us. When we get to a huge, extravagant dojo only a few moments later, he instructs Saeko to wait outside for us and slides open the door, motioning for me to go in.

I do as he says, going to the middle of the room to wait for him.

He slides the door shut behind him and joins me in the middle of the floor. "Sit, Hatsune."

I stare at him, trying to figure out his game.

"Stubborn, just like your father," he notes.

My eyes harden. "Don't compare me to that man."

"Then sit," he orders.

Grumbling, I plop down, crossing my legs as he does the same, watching me the whole time.

"I remember your father," he says. "A great physician, even better gambler."

I raise an eyebrow, inviting him to continue.

"Like every other person in power, I also remember his downfall. My wife and I were one of the ones who motioned for him to lose his license." When my expression doesn't change, he says, "After a while, an informant told me his daughter was trying to befriend mine in an effort to gain my favor. That was you, was it not?"

"It was," I answer.

He eyes me. "You aren't going to try to deny it?"

I raise an eyebrow. "What's the point? Everyone who knows my father knows that he only had one kid, and you've already made it abundantly clear that you know I'm her. Besides, you wouldn't bring it up if you weren't completely certain he wanted me to do that." I shrug. "My father's an idiot and likes to brag. I'm almost positive that he told his plan to someone else, thinking he was the smartest man alive, so I would've be surprised if someone just told you outright what was going on."

"You are an intelligent young lady," he says, but his eyes are still hard, like he's still trying to sort something out, so I know there's more he wants to say. "Have you come to ask for clemency for your family? Is that why you are here today?"

"No," I say instantly. His eyes widen a little, surprised, before his face is blank again, so I elaborate. "Don't get the wrong idea. I haven't spoken to or seen my father in over two years. When I ran away from home, I cut all ties with both my parents, so if some day my father comes to you, trying to use my friendship with Saya as leverage, just kick him out on his ass and leave him as fodder for the undead."

He narrows his eyes, trying to tell if I'm lying or not, before he starts laughing, loud and dark. "What amazing strength," he says, voice deep with amusement. "Your father could have learned a few things from you."

I blink, caught off guard. "Uh, well, I don't know about that..."

"Trust me, young lady, if your father had even an ounce of your honesty, he might not have met the downfall that he did," he assures me. "I'm sure it caused a rift between you and that useless daughter of mine."

It's my turn to glare at him. "With all due respect, sir, even if it's true that we've had our fair share of problems, it's equally true that she's helped me in more ways than just her intelligence. Don't get me wrong—her brains are one of the main reasons we avoided as much danger as we did— so calling her useless is a little harsh."

He stares at me, and I can't help but notice that for longest time, when I first met Saya, the same exact expression was on her face when she was around me. "You are dismissed," he says finally. "Let Busujima's daughter in on your way out."

I nod, ignoring the urge snap at him, and stand up leaving the room in a rush.

As I half expect, Saeko is sitting on her knees by the door, looking out at the yard with a pointedly blank expression.

"Your turn, I guess," I say.

"I see," she says, standing up. "Everything alright?"

"Fine," I answer, a little sharper than I mean to.

She raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment, choosing instead to slide open the door.

"Good luck," I say, trying to make up for my automatic retort as I head down the stairs. It's not her fault that the conversation with him has set me on edge.

She gives me a little nod, a sign that it's okay, before sliding the door closed behind her.

I let out a breath, relieved to finally be away from Takagi's dad, and make my back to the mansion.

It's hot out despite being late in the afternoon with dark rain clouds threatening the horizon, and thanks to the rough night with Alice, I haven't slept much, so I'm debating on whether or not to take a nap when I run into Takagi and Kohta.

"Do you think he'll do it?" Kohta asks, looking at Takagi.

She rolls her eyes. "Of course he'll do it. It's Takashi we're talking about."

"Do what?" I wonder.

"Be in charge," Kohta explains. "We just told him that he earned the right to be our leader, but he seemed a little out of it."

"Knowing Takashi, he's probably just tired," Takagi says.

I purse my lips. "I don't know about that…"

She shrugs. "Either way, he's the one most suited. We all agree, right?"

I don't mention that none of them asked me what I thought. Mainly because they're right: I would've said Takashi without any argument, but that's just because I'm still iffy on Saeko, and Takagi is more of the smarts than the decision maker.

Still, I'm sure Takashi doesn't have a clue why any of us would think of him as the leader, so he's probably sitting alone somewhere, trying to sort things out: he's Takashi, after all.

I sigh. "I'm gonna go find him."

"Of course you are," Takagi says. "You wouldn't be the same stupid you were before all this started if you didn't."

I roll my eyes, but don't say anything as I walk through the double doors and up the stairs.

Takashi's room is in the middle of the top floor. The rest of rooms on this floor are empty, though, aside from the one at the other end of the hallway, which is reserved for me. It's the only room in the entire building without a window, so Takagi thought it would be best, since it keeps the sun out—that way, I can sleep whenever I feel drowsy, since I don't sleep on a set schedule like everyone else.

Ironically, I've spent more time in everyone else's rooms the past couple of days.

Shaking my head, I knock on Takashi's door, waiting.

"Come in," Takashi mutters.

I open it and find him sitting on the edge of his bed, phone in hand.

"Still can't reach anyone?" I ask, letting the door click behind me as I join him on the bed.

He looks at me for a moment before sighing. "No. And I can't tell if it's because the power's out, if there isn't any service where they are, or if something's happened."

"Hey, everything's going to be okay," I say, nudging him to keep him from spiraling into a mess of worrying. "No matter what, everyone here will stand by you, so try not to think about the worst case scenario so much. It'll only mess you up."

He groans. "That's the problem, isn't it? Everything's so messed up now. Like that group. Even after we tried to reason with them, they wouldn't budge. Being like that is the one thing I'd hate the most, so in denial and blind, but I…"

"But you don't agree with Saya's dad either," I finish for him.

"We have different principals," he defends. "He'll do anything for the survival of as many people as possible. He's a great man, really, I just…" He lets out a breath. "I only care about making sure my family's okay. Why would anyone want a leader like that?"

"We've all been relying on you, though," I tell him. "Like at the school, when you immediately went to grab Hisashi and Rei, or even in the teacher's lounge, when you split us all into clean groups and gave everyone a task without so much as blinking an eye."

"Saeko helped," he points out.

I roll my eyes. "Okay, then what about saving Alice? That one was all you. And when Rei fell off of the Jeep, you jumped right off and saved her. She wouldn't have lasted if it wasn't for you. You have more courage than you give yourself credit for."

"That doesn't mean anything, Yuki," he argues. "It wasn't courage, it was desperation. I'm nothing. The ones who are strong in a fight are you, Rei, Hirano, and Saeko. Saya's smart, and Ms. Shizuka is a doctor, and Alice is…"

I grin. "Alice is what?"

"Well, she's just Alice."

I laugh, shaking my head.

"What's so funny?" he demands, looking at me. "Alice doesn't need a role; she's fine the way she is."

"I know," I say, chuckling. "You just don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

"You saved me the other night, when that man tried to… tried to…" I shut my mouth, shaking my head. "And on the roof, when I broke down, you were the one who comforted me. Not Rei. Not Saeko or Kohta or Shizuka. Just you. So give yourself more credit, yeah? Just because we don't depend on you for certain things doesn't mean we don't depend on you for everything else. You don't have to be special, Takashi; you just have to be you."

"That sounds like a cheesy line from a commercial," he grumbles, but his face is red.

I smirk. "Of course, if you keep practicing with that gun, I'm sure you'll be our ace in the hole in no time."

His head snaps to me. "How'd you know…"

I point a finger to the gun slipped under the bed. "Did you think you could hide it from me? Really?"

He sighs. "Guess not."

"This only proves my point further," I say, nodding. "You're hardworking and brave. There's no one else that could be our leader."

He looks at me, something close to amazement in his eyes, before he shakes his head. "You're something else."

"You've been telling me that since we met," I note.

He chuckles. "That's because there's nothing else for it."

I stare at him and bite my lip. What Rei said earlier comes to mind, and I decide it's time to end this. "You know, if you were to show that expression to Rei, I'm sure you could get her back."

His laughter stops, confusion taking its place. "What're you talking about?"

I hesitate, but force myself to smile a little. "Come on, Takashi, if you would just smile her way, she'd instantly fall in love with you again."

He still looks dumbfounded, so I sigh, forcing everything in me to say, "All girls like Rei want is to be important to someone, which is vague, I know, but it gives you room to figure out how to show her she's important in your own way, and for you, I know for a fact all you have to do is show her some emotions. Rant to her like you rant to me, smile at her like you smile at me. Hell, get angry at her when she does something reckless like you do when I do something stupid. All of you have to do is be a good friend, and she'll fall to her knees for you."

He's silent, but I find that I can't look at him. It's going to hurt when he stands up and tells me I'm right, like he always does when I tell him something that changes his viewpoint, but it has to be done. Being in this limbo of whether or not he has feelings for me is driving me insane. I can't take this quiet jealousy. Not anymore.

Without warning, he grabs my hand and yanks me back. I tumble onto the bed in a heap. Before I can process what's going on, Takashi has me pinned with his hands on either side of my face. His face is unreadable—a first for him.

"What's wrong?" I wonder. "This isn't the fountain, Takashi. Why—"

"I don't know whether to smack the hell out of you or kiss you," he answers, voice dark.

I blink. "What?"

"You're the one that doesn't get anything," he mutters. "You read everyone so well, but for some reason, when it comes to what everyone thinks of you, you get it wrong."

"What are you talking about, Takashi? I'm—"

"It's you," he interrupts, eyes intense. "It's always been you, ever since Hisashi forced me to get to know you."

"What's me?" I ask tentatively, voice shaking. My heart is pounding in my chest, threatening to break out.

"Everything," he breathes. "Ever since you pushed me into the fountain, ever since you gave that speech about kitchenware and Rei, ever since you tried everything in your power to help. Ever since then, I've only had eyes for you."

My eyes widen as my heart seizes.

"The only person I want to fall in love with me is you."

Here come the tears. I can't even bring myself to try and stop them as I look into his eyes. "But, when we all hung out, you were always sour. And at school, before all this went down, you were at the stairs, moping over her again, and—"

"I wasn't thinking about Rei," he says, averting his eyes. "I thought… I thought you liked Hisashi. You two were always together, and even if he said there wasn't anything between you two, I was sure that you…"

"You… you thought there was something on my part…" I finish, staring at him. "Takashi, you're the one I like. There may have been a time when we first started hanging out that I thought of Hisashi in that way, but I got over it before I even entered middle school, way before I met you."

He's gaping, and it takes me a moment to realize what I just said.

My face turns bright red and I look away. "I just… Rei and I were talking about some things, and she brought up our relationship, and because of her, I've been thinking about it for the last few hours and the only conclusion that I could come to was that I needed to settle things in my heart, so I was trying to help you with your unrequited feelings so that I can finally see with my own eyes that there's nothing between us because this constantly going back and forth hur—"

Takashi kisses me, hard and quick, effectively stopping my rambling. "Basically," he says between breaths, "what you're telling me is that, in order to get over me, you were trying to help me with Rei?"

I stare up at him with a watery gaze and nod once.

He lets out a breath, resting his forehead against mine. "Saya's right: we're idiots."

I smile a little. "She usually is."

"I haven't had feelings for Rei in a long time," he says. "After your lecture at the fountain, I'd been thinking about the best way to patch things up with her, but before I knew it, Hisashi was asking me for permission to ask her out, and it didn't matter. The only thing that popped into my head was 'it's about time.' To tell you the truth, I was probably already over her by then. Thanks to you."

I hide my face in his shoulder. "When you took up for me at the gates a year ago," I mumble into his shirt, "that's when I realized I liked you as more than a friend."

"That explains why you practically jumped off of the bench after I told you to do something stupid," he says. "I just thought you were back to normal."

"No," I say, shaking my head. "I jumped up because I wanted to wrap my arms around you, to…"

"To?" he parrots, voice deep.

My mind goes blank as I look at him. "To…"

But I don't get anything out because Takashi leans in and kisses me again, this time with more force. I groan, not expecting it, before wrapping my arms around his neck, accepting it. He licks my bottom lip in turn and slips his tongue in, taking control.

I pull him closer, trying to feel as much of him as I can, and one of his hands trails to my leg, fingers spanning my thigh as he wraps my leg around him. I moan, head falling back, and he takes this chance to trace his lips along my collar, nipping and sucking lightly on my skin—not enough to leave marks, but enough to drive me insane.

"Takashi," I breathe, whether in a plea or prayer or curse, I have no idea.

He doesn't answer me, choosing instead to come back up for a kiss, his free hand—the one not on my leg—cupping my face so he can use his thumb to open my mouth, giving him the room to just swoop his tongue in.

I whine—literally whine—and dig my fingers into his back, making him groan into my mouth.

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door, causing both of us to freeze.

"Takashi?" Rei's voice rings out.

We look at each other. Takashi's eyes are blown wide, pupils so dilated his eyes look black, and his lips are wet and swollen. I'm sure I'm not in any better shape—I can already tell my dress is hiked up to my underwear, and my lips and neck have a pins and needles feeling from being kissed so much.

"Yeah?" Takashi calls, but his voice is rough. Quickly, he clears his throat. "What's up?"

Rei doesn't say anything for a few minutes. "Is Yuki in there?"

"Uh." His eyes immediately meet mine. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, no reason." But I can definitely hear her smiling. "I'll just come back later."

We hear her footsteps fade and look at each other. It's embarrassing for a few seconds, a little tense as we both realize what almost happened, before we burst into laughter.

"If she would've walked in…" I start, giggling.

He shakes his head. "I don't want to think about her expression."

I grin. "Rei would have loved it. We would've never lived it down, though."

"I could already hear that in her voice," he says, leaning back and shaking his head again.

It's silent again. Not the tense silent it usually is after I've done something to reveal how much I care about him, just a light silence, like it always was when we first started hanging out—no need for conversation, just a presence to have when things were looking down.

After a few more beats of it, I notice he's running his fingers along my thigh, eyes on his phone.

"We'll look for them," I decide.

His eyes snap to me, fingers freezing. "What?"

"Your parents," I say, resting my hand on his. "And Rei's too. This camp of survivors that Saya's dad has going on here isn't leaving for another few days, so there's plenty of time to slip out and find them."

He blinks. "But—"

I shake my head gently, squeezing his hand. "We need to do it, Takashi. For you and Rei both. You'll worry yourself into a coma if we don't at least find something to tell us what happened to them, and Rei's already getting antsy with wondering what happened to her dad. It's for the best."

"And if we don't make it back in time?" he asks.

I shrug. "Then we don't. We find our own way to the power plants, or we find our own shelter."

He thinks about it for a minute—I can see the wheel turning in his head. "You don't have to come with us," he says. "It's our parents—"

I cover his mouth with my free hand, stopping his train of thoughts. "I'm going," I say easily. "You'll need all the manpower you can get, and there's no way I'm letting you and Rei go alone on a journey. God only knows how many fights you'll guys get into without me there."

"I don't know, Yuk," he sighs, ruffling his hair. "What if—"

"Hey, we already talked about this," I soothe, cupping his face with my hands. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. Don't give up on them until there's nothing left, okay? Otherwise, you'll only kill yourself inside."

His smile is small. "You're right," he says. "I'll talk to Saya's dad, so you go tell the rest."

I nod, biting my lip. I don't think Takagi's going to take it very well…

Takashi stands up, stretching to loosen the muscles that had probably tightened up while we were lying on the bed, and cracks his knuckles. "Let's get this over with."

I chuckle, standing up as well. "Only you could look like a hard ass while still sounding bothered."

He shoots me a look, but I just snicker at him, earning an eye roll. "Come on."

I do as he says, following him out the door to his room and down the hallway.

It's not sunny anymore, I notice. In fact, the rain clouds have completely taken over the sky, pouring rain outside now. Takashi heads to the second floor, where Takagi's dad has a makeshift office of operations set up, and I head downstairs, looking for everyone to tell them the plan.

Surprisingly, they're all waiting at the bottom—aside from Alice, who's nowhere to be found—huddled in a circle like a bunch of gossiping old women.

"There's the girl of the hour now!" Rei announces, grinning. "So, you and Takashi finally sort things out?"

My face turns bright red, so I cough a little. "Shut up, Rei. It's none of your business."

"So it's true!" she squeals, wrapping her arms around me. "It's about time."

"Congratulations," Saeko says evenly.

Kohta grins. "Way to go, Yuki."

"Young love~" Shizuka sighs.

Takagi just rolls her eyes. "I thought you two were too stupid to figure it out. Looks like I was wrong."

"Can we not do this right now?" I mutter, trying to unwrap Rei. "I have something to talk to you all about."

Rei detaches from me, tilting her head. "What?"

I explain what Takashi and I decided to do, including our two-day limit and the reason I'm going with them. Everyone listens quietly, taking it in, but, as I expected, Takagi's the one who speaks up as soon as I'm done.

"You really intend to go with just the three of you?" she demands.

"It's Rei and Takashi's parents," I reason, "there's no reason to drag all of you with us."

She puts her hands on her hips, glaring at me. "Then why are you going?"

"Because Takashi and Rei are as much of a family as I'm ever going to get," I say easily. "Besides, if I don't go to keep the peace, they'll end up fighting the whole way."

Rei scoffs, crossing her arms, and looks away, making me smirk.

Takagi, of course, is still unhappy. "But we all came to my house."

I sigh, expecting this. "That's just how it worked out. Your house was the closest, remember? And we all agreed to swoop the city. This is a little search and rescue party, if you want. It's not like this is goodbye, anyway. We're coming back—just with a few more people."

It's quiet again, and I can see her still fighting the idea. "What if you don't come back?" she whispers, making everyone tense up.

"Then leave us," I say, shrugging. "It means we've either gotten held up or something's happened to us."

She lets out a breath. "Fine," she finally agrees. "Go. Send my regards to Takashi's mom."

I give her a reassuring smile. "Of course."

Takashi comes down the stairs then, looking at everyone. "Why are you all huddled together like that?"

"We were just giving our congrats to little Yuki here," Rei says, once again wrapping her arms around me. "Way to go, Takashi. Finally taking a stand."

His footsteps stutter, face dusting red, but he clears his throat. "We're just dating—it's not like anything's going to change."

My eyes widen, staring at him.

"Looks like it's the first time Yuki's hearing this," Kohta notes.

I blink. "No, I just… I didn't think he'd… I don't know! Leave me alone!"

"You're so cute when you're backed into a corner!" Rei squeals, squeezing me harder.

"What a happy scene," a deep, dry voice interrupts. "How refreshing in these… devastating times."

I go rigid, everything in me locking up as my blood runs cold. With stiff muscles, my eyes land on him.

Father is standing in the doorway, next to Mother and a footman of the Takagi's. He's dressed in his finest—a white pin suit with black stitching that makes him look more like a whale than an actual businessman—and I'm not nearly as surprised as I should be that there's not even a drop of blood on it. Nothing to hint that hell has broken out outside of this mansion. In fact, his white hair is combed over, as neat as it has ever been since he lost his job, and his grey eyes are sharp, clear of any sort of alcohol.

Mother is in the same shape: her short, dark hair is sculpted perfectly, outlining her face and giving her a refined look. She's wearing too much make-up, the black around her eyes giving her green eyes a ghostly glow—or maybe that's the blank stare she has when she looks at me. The white blouse she's wearing is one of the nicest things she's ever owned, and I can't help but notice that the black skirt on her is actually one of my old ones, one of the ones I left behind when Hisashi and I barely escaped.

"Is that…" Takashi starts, but stops when he sees my expression.

It feels like the world has tipped on its side, like it's trying to shake me. Before I know it, I'm having a hard time standing up on my own, relying on Rei to keep from falling to the ground even though she's not in any better shape.

"It's been a long time, Yuki," my father says, taking a step towards us. "How are you?"

I don't answer him, shaky hands balling into fists.

Please be a nightmare. Please be a nightmare. Please be a nightmare. Please…

"Aren't you glad we've survived?" Father asks, tilting his head.

I clench my eyes shut, trying to will him away.

"Of course you're not," he says blackly. "It's been two years and you're still just as disappointing as you were then. How pathetic."

Without warning, Takashi wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. My eyes widen as I look at him, and I'm surprised to see that everyone, including Takagi, Saeko, and Shizuka, are surrounding me, keeping him from getting closer.

"If you think Yuki is a disappointment, then you're dumber than you look," Takagi says.

Kohta nods, face hard.

Shido appears from behind Father and Mother, voice sultry as he says, "Oh, Ms. Hatsune, look who I found on the way over. I thought it would be nice for you to have a… family reunion after so long."

Rei's rage is physically tangible as she breaks out of our barricade, bayonet in hand, and points the blade at Shido's cheek. "Aren't you a saint, Mr. Shido."

He gulps, eyes huge as he watches the blade. "Miss… Miss Miyamoto, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Do you know why I'm so good at handling a spear?" she wonders. "It's because I was taught by my father, who never lost a single competition in his life. And you… you made him suffer. A man who was never fazed by anything had come to me in tears, apologizing. He said that I had to repeat a grade because of you! I know you're in charge of the grades, but I held my temper because he said that if his investigation went well, he could arrest you and your father. And now… now, just to rub it in, you… you brought Yuki's father with you. Did you think he'd be able to subdue her, make her do what you wanted!? Do you get off messing with people like this!?"

"Children should keep their nose out of places they don't belong," Father says evenly.

Rei whips the bayonet at him, cleanly slicing his cheek. "I don't want to hear that from you!" she growls. "I should cut you into pieces for what you did to Yuki alone, so just keep your trap shut!"

"If that's the case, then you should just kill them both!" a booming voice says.

Of course, it's Takagi's dad, marching our way with Takagi's mom not too far behind him. "I was once associated with both men," he says, "but none of that matters now. If you want, kill them. No one here will stop you."

I try to break out of the barricade. "Wai—"

But Saeko stops me. "She has to make this decision herself."

I bite my lip.

"Yes, that's right," Shido says. "Kill us. Go ahead and end our lives and be haunted by it for the rest of yours. That is the best lesson I can teach you as a teacher!"

Rei stares at him, eyes hard. Everyone around me is holding their breath, waiting for her decision.

After a few icy second, she lowers the bayonet and turns around, coming back to us.

Everyone lets out a collective breath, relieved.

"So this is your decision, correct?" Takagi's dad asks.

She doesn't bother turning around. "They're not even worth killing."

My father, for his part, is holding his face, glaring at Rei like an animal watching prey, and it seems Takagi's dad also notices this.

"You, leave," he orders, grabbing my father by the collar of his shirt and hurling him at Shido, "and take your corrupted students with you. There are no places opened for the wicked."

The footmen round them all up, forcing them back into the bus as Rei comes back to us, gritting her teeth. "I hate them so much," she hisses.

I wrap my arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Don't do something like that again! What would you have done if he would've snatch you and used the blade again you? God, Rei, I almost died."

"I'm sorry," she says, tearing up. "But he was so mean, and Shido's such a… such a…"

Takashi lets out a breath, joining us. "What am I going to do with you two?"

–xxx–

It was like a dam broke. Everyone gathered around me made me feel so powerful, so hopeful. The next step was to find Takashi and Rei's parents. Easy plan. We were starting to get a handle on this.

We just forgot about how the rest of the world would handle it, the way the military would handle it.

Isn't it ironic that the choice to help the world was what cause the remaining bit of it to fall into chaos?