Zombie-Managementby Vanessa S. Quest

After almost five months in Shin Makoku, one fateful bath had sent Yuri straight back to Earth. Yuri wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, even if it did get him out of Gunter's lecture, when he spotted Shori, his eyes fixed on Yuri like a wolf moving in for the kill.

In Shori's hands were several DVDs and PS3 discs of an array of horror movies and games. Ranging from Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Night of the Living Dead, Dracula, Yuri wasn't sure what his brother was planning, but it appeared he was going to try to traumatize his kid brother as he grabbed Yuri's wrist to pull him into his room.

"Shori! What's the big deal!" He complained as his brother thrust him into the older Shibuya brother's bedroom, locking the door. He pushed Yuri down onto the seat at his desk, where Yuri was wont to the cutesy pink dating-sim wallpaper on his brother's computer screen.

"Research." Shori said definitively, nodding his head as he slid in the first disc.

Yuri quirked a brow, in disbelief to his brother's intelligence and yet complete lack of sanity. "Research?"

"Yes, as the maoh you must be prepared for any sort of magical attack or foe, including the supernatural variety such as witches, vampires, and worst of all zombies. There are two kinds of monsters that can't be reasoned with. You know, you can't reason with children or zombies, they're the worst."

"Children? I don't see how they count as monsters…" Yuri arched both eyebrows giving Shori an indignant look. "Is that why you pulled me in here?"

"Yes. It is imperative that you learn how to deal with situations like this, believe me, my simulations have taught me many important lessons…"

"Shori you need to just get laid. I'm going back to my--" Shori shoved Yuri back into the chair as the younger tried to leave.

"You're going to watch and play them all before I'll let you leave."

Yuri's eyes shot wide, staring at the massive pile, "You… you've got to be kidding me!"

After the 36th hour of this torture, Yuri looked like the zombies he had finally made it to. He was on the home-stretch, he reminded himself as he struggled to keep from passing out. Shori had been methodical and made them go through monsters by alphabetical order, hitting werewolves, gremlins, leprechauns, everything including zombies as the third of seven discs were plugged in.

He should have been glad he wasn't going to get to sleep, he decided his subconscious would have haunted him to the edges of sanity and given him a strong shove over. He really had no idea how this was supposed to help him, if they even had any of these sort of monsters, chances are they would be Mazoku and thus would be his allies anyways!

Yuri let out a large yawn, his eyes only slightly widened as the zombies began to disgorge the bowels of yet another beauty. Well, he was surprised he was so easily desensitized. He realized he wasn't so much desensitized as he was completely exhausted when he fell off the chair after adjusting his wrist he had been using to prop him up.

He was just amazed that with his luck he hadn't whacked himself on the head. Instead, he was content to just fall asleep on the floor until Shori had the idea to tape his back to the damnable swivel-chair.

Five hours later Yuri grumbled as Shori tapped him with his foot, annoyed. "Yuu-chan, you really shouldn't sleep on the floor it's bad for your back."

Yuri glared as he sat up. "I'm going to grab a bite to eat and wash my face." He walked out of the room, surprised that Shori hadn't quizzed him on all the films he had just been subjected to.

As if on cue, when Yuri splashed the water on his face he was sucked through the three-centimeter deep pool of water in his hands, questioning just how that could work. He was just happy he had gotten to eat first, if only it was a piece of toast.

Stumbling out of a jug of water was awkward to say the least, his foot getting stuck half-way as he pulled himself free of the clay container. Before Yuri could start to turn around to see his surroundings, he felt a hand land on his shoulder revealing a familiar white cuff.

"Conrad…" Yuri spun around to see Conrad, only to spot the man eying the place, nervously.

"Yuri, you shouldn't be here."

Yuri gave him a strange look, not quite sure what was going on, let alone where here even was. "Eh?"

"We have to get you out of here now."

"Oi, Conrad, what's going on?" He raised an eyebrow, unsure as to what was happening.

"You are currently in the human country of Facia, specifically in a small city called Risoria. They have been locked in Civil War for the past five years. This isn't a safe place to be. Please follow me."

Yuri nodded as Conrad led him toward the back of the empty establishment, "Conrad, why are you here then? Is Shin Makoku providing aide?"

"Yes, to the women and children still left, though this town seems to have been abandoned by any civilians." Conrad pulled Yuri toward what looked like a storm drain.

Pulling open the grating, Conrad took the first step in the extended his hand to Yuri, helping him into the one-and-a-half meter deep drop. He pulled the grid back over the hole, sealing the entrance.

Ducking down, he moved through a small tunnel as it sloped down, after roughly thirteen paces, the tunnel widened to allow for the two to stand at full height. As Conrad led them further into the tunnels, the scent beginning to waft over the dank air made Yuri's nose wrinkle.

"What is this, a sewer?" Yuri mentioned as he covered his nose.

"No, Yuri-heika." Conrad mentioned, "These tunnels become a labyrinth, so please keep near me. It isn't safe to wander through certain areas."

"Eh? If it isn't a sewer why does it smell so horrible?" Yuri asked as Conrad lit a small kerosene lamp. Yuri could see the remnants of fabrics and what looked strikingly similar to wingless kohi.

"This is a catacomb. In Facia, they have had many histories of disease and famine, in order to prevent burying loved ones alive, they took up the practice of putting the bodies into the catacombs. That way, if they were mistaken, they could climb out and rejoin society." Conrad educated Yuri, whose black eyes suddenly became very small in his head.

"D… do you mean… those are all… d… dead bodies?"

Conrad looked at a heap of 'fresh' corpses, well that does explain why the smell was so overpowering. "Yes. Yuri, we should hurry. This section of the tunnels weren't supposed to still be in use."

He glanced over to Yuri, who was moving closer to the bodies, "…But, but if they abandoned the town… How long have these been down here for, Conrad?"

Conrad approached Yuri, touching his shoulder, "From the smell, I'd say maybe a month to two weeks. Come on, we should go."

Yuri bowed his head, "Uh, yeah."

The soft light led the way as they moved through the tangle of the stone maze. Conrad held his hand up, stopping Yuri as he listened. "Hold on, Yuri. I hear something." Conrad lowered the amount of fuel being siphoned into the lamp, reducing the light to that of a match.

Conrad turned toward a soft orange glow of another two, no three lamps. Soldiers!

The brunette pulled Yuri toward a sharp set of turns, they would just have to navigate one of the other routes. "Come on Yuri."

As he pulled on Yuri's wrist, guiding him through the narrower portions, he became aware of why he really had wanted to avoid this route as the black-haired maoh fumbled, tripping over one of the many bodies littering the ground. "Yuri!" He bowed beside the teenager as he yelped.

"Gh! Get… get it off…!" Yuri mentioned, trying to pull something from around his ankle. Conrad pulled the lamp close, raising the level of fuel, illuminating a withered hand snagged around Yuri's ankle. "Agh!"

Conrad slipped his hand over Yuri's mouth to prevent Yuri's scream from carrying. He pulled Yuri's back to his front. "Shh, Yuri. I'll get it, just stay calm."

Yuri nodded frantically under the hand, Conrad let his hand slip from Yuri's mouth in order to bow to his ankle.

Yuri screamed suddenly, before Conrad could clamp his hand over Yuri's mouth, the black-haired youth covering his own mouth with one hand as he began to point, Conrad's eyes shot up reflexively, following Yuri's finger.

He could see the sheen of moist eyes. Moist eyes of fresh dead, far too fresh for his tastes, after all, this town was supposed to be abandoned and those had to be a few hours old at latest.

He could tell Yuri was hyperventilating, and it didn't take much to figure out why. Yuri was not accustomed to death. Yuri tried to pull his ankle from the hand it had snagged, now feeling trapped.

In a sharp, but quiet voice Conrad stated, "Yuri! Calm down. I'll get it, just take a deep breath."

"B…b…but it moved! It tightened!" The tremble in Yuri's body traveled to his voice. Conrad's eyes widened, instantly he had bowed to the hand, the severed hand.

Scratch it being a few hours, this had to be within only the last two. He pulled it off with a strong tug, holding Yuri's thigh with his other hand, hoping the contact would keep Yuri calm. He let the hand slip out of his own and roll toward the side, glancing back to the wall he suddenly felt uneasy himself.

The positions of the eyes were different. There was still the same number, but two that had been close were now further apart. He slowly rose, moving his hand toward his sword. "Yuri, keep walking straight ahead."

Yuri nodded as he continued forward in the darkness, he stopped short, Conrad's hand touched his shoulder as if to prevent the rest of him from walking into Yuri, "What is it, Yuri?"

He took a step back, his back now pressing into Conrad's front, and yet still he tried to push back further.

"Yuri?"

He saw a wall of bodies, that of small children and women, amongst them, he swore he saw something move. Something large enough to be one of those bodies, said something stood up bolt-right. The head turned slowly to face the two, the eyes were wide open, though the irises were shrunken inward.

It was a little girl, she looked like some twisted take on a porcelain doll far from taken care of. Mud-brown hair was frizzy and reached to half-way down her back, her dress was like a t-shirt style dress with an earthy egg-shell color burlap material, the edges frayed and torn with splotches of blood at various stages of dryness. She smiled, her mouth opening slowly as she saw the people approaching.

Yuri relaxed as he realized it was a little girl, his shoulders that he hadn't realized he had perched slumped downward as he took a step toward her. "Ah, little girl, are you okay? Are you lost?" Yuri mentioned, moving closer.

Conrad grabbed his wrist.

Her eyes fixed on Yuri, "Mister! Do you have food, mister?"

Yuri cocked his head to the side, he reached into his pocket, he did grab a granola bar or something, didn't he? He smiled as he found it, fishing it from his pocket he extended his hand to her, giving her the wrapped bar.

Conrad could see the blood on her fingertips, "Excuse me, miss, where are you from?" He asked in a sweet but measured voice.

"I'm from Risoria, mister. Are you from the royal guard?"

Conrad shook his head, "No, we are here to bring aide though. Little girl, where are the others?"

She smiled, "They're all over. Did you bring food? Mama would be so happy if she knew we have food!"

"Mama…?" Yuri asked, "Your mother is here too?"

The girl nodded, "I'll take you to her, follow me, okay?" She smiled, munching on the granola bar, wrapping and all.

"Ah, okay sure!" Yuri smiled, Conrad's hand relaxed from Yuri's wrist.

"Heika, we really shouldn't…"

"It's Yu-ri." The black-haired teen corrected his bodyguard, "Really, how long is it going to take for you to realize what my name is…"

Conrad gave Yuri a metered look, "Yuri, I advise against this." His eyes darted around.

"If you have food, they'll really love to meet you." She licked her fingers, the crumbs from the wrapper now devoured with the rest of the bar. "Ne, mister, do you have more food?"

Yuri turned to look back at the girl, "Not on me, but we do have people with supplies coming, right Conrad?"

Conrad nodded, "Yes. We had thought Risoria was abandoned at first, when no one was left on the surface."

"That's because the soldiers resorted to killing everyone, so we have to stay below ground now. They don't dare come down here at night, and during the daytime it's sacred grounds. It's sacrilege to come down here to kill."

"You mean they killed the men in your village?"

"Oh yes, a long time ago. Risoria is known for our weapon-manufacturing. We were proud archers, winning tournaments and hunting, we had great sword-smiths, my papa was the best. After they killed papa and the other men, they killed the elderly saying they were still making weapons. Then they came to kill everyone left saying it was easier then feeding us."

Yuri's eyes widened, horrified, yet her voice was so steady. It was too eerie. The little girl couldn't have been much older than Greta and to be able to say such horrible things so lightly…

"Yuri, we are working on this. That is why we were bringing aide. Facia's civil war was brought on by famine and a depression."

Conrad squeezed Yuri's shoulder. The black-haired maoh nodded once, shocked anything could become this bad.

The little girl stopped. "Shh. I hear some of the others."

"Others?" Yuri asked, "You mean others from Risoria?"

She nodded.

"Like your mother?"

"No. The good ones are with mama, all the good children are with mama. Come this way quick."

Yuri and Conrad obliged, Conrad making note of every turn and landmark as he went. He spotted the elderly women sitting at a table, dozens upon dozens of children at various stages of malnutrition surrounding them.

"Sabaya, where have you been? You know curfew is soon." One of the women chastised.

"Sorry mama, I didn't find enough food, but I found two men. They said they'd bring food."

Another woman looked at her, "They aren't soldiers, are they?"

"No mama, they aren't from Facia."

"You said you brought food? Do you really have food? Water?" Another woman started, grabbing Conrad's arm. Conrad nodded once, taking off his canteen.

"We have a supply cart outside of the town, near the shores. We didn't see anyone in your town, though, so we did not bring it into the borders yet."

The woman took the canteen and drank a few sips before passing it to the children, the small bit of water in her mouth, she pressed to one of the children laying on the ground, transferring it.

"Johei, drink this like a good boy, Johei."

Sabaya looked down, "Mama, Johei hasn't eaten in a while. Mama?"

"Johei will be fine." She mentioned, her voice taxed, "Won't you, Johei?"

Yuri looked at her with great pity. "What's wrong with him?"

"Johei was attacked by some of the bad kids. The bad kids don't listen to mama and do bad things."

"You said you have curfew, but day-time is coming, so your curfew is daylight hours?" Conrad asked, trying to understand.

One of the elderly women replied, "Yes. It is sacrilege to walk around the catacombs to forage in the day-time. The children who are bad do that. Poor Johei was late from curfew and was caught by them."

Conrad's eyes widened as if understanding. He made a fast step to the little boy, he put his hand to the boy's head.

"Conrad?" Yuri looked at him in confusion.

"Ah, don't worry about it Yuri, I'm sure he will be fine. We did bring medics along with the supply car. And we have a caravan for anyone who wants to relocate."

"But you said it is near the shore. You didn't come in from there, did you? That area is very dangerous."

"Mama, where is Gana?" Sabaya asked.

The women turned to face her, "What? Gana isn't back yet?" The women began looking over the children, taking a head count.

"Karyo is also gone. Didn't they go together today?"

"What! Why are my children gone?!" One of the women said indignantly.

"Mama…" Sabaya said unnerved. The woman pulled Sabaya to her.

"Shh, Sabaya, it will be okay. I'm sure they are just late."

Yuri looked at them, "Where did they go?"

Sabaya looked down, realization dawning, "Oh no. Earlier! Earlier there were bodies below the amphitheatre! The bad ones must have been there…"

"Amphitheatre?" Yuri asked.

"I found you near the amphitheatre. Gana and Karyo go there to get into town. They look through the old shops to find any food left. If they were coming down now… Oh no, mama I'm going to go look for them!"

"Sabaya! You know you can't! The curfew, it isn't safe."

Yuri stepped back, "They would still be above ground?"

Sabaya nodded, "It doesn't take long to get back here from inside the amphitheatre."

Yuri watched Conrad as he checked on the status of several of the others, "Conrad… do you think we could go then? To find them, we could do that, right? Then you could send word to the supply-car, right?"

Conrad nodded. "Alright. Sabaya, would you come with us to show us where they would be?"

Sabaya nodded, one of the women grabbed her. "No. Not her, Sabaya is a good girl. She can't go."

"Mama, I have to though. I know where they would be."

"We promise to take care of your daughter." Yuri smiled, "We'll bring all three of your children back."

The woman relaxed her grip, "Sabaya, you know how dangerous this is though…" Another woman chimed in.

"I'll be fine, mama. I have to find my siblings."

With the decision in the air, Conrad looked at the woman. She handed him back the canteen and whispered something to him.

Conrad looked at the little girl and nodded. "I see. Okay let's go."

Sabaya led the two through a narrow tunnel, Yuri still not used to the sight or smell of so many bodies. Yuri spotted motion ahead, "Oi, I see someone…!"

Sabaya pushed her hand over his mouth. "Shh!"

Yuri looked at her, then at the children, his eyes widened as he saw what they were doing. Conrad pulled Yuri into the shadows as Sabaya hid on the other side of the narrow way. Conrad pulled Yuri's face to his chest.

Sabaya threw a stone so that it landed behind them, they turned and moved toward the sound. She waved them over, Conrad pulled Yuri over to the next segment. As Yuri ran past where they had been standing he froze, Conrad gave an affirming tug, pulling him fully over.

"…"

"Yuri!" Conrad whispered, "Yuri, come on."

"…" His hand trembled as he reached forward. Conrad pulled him closer.

"Don't look Yuri."

"…But… but that was… that really was a…"

Black orbs cast upward to Conrad's brown orbs, asking for him to explain, to tell him he was wrong.

"They were eating that dead body…"

Sabaya spun around, fixing her dress as she leaned back into the wall, "If they were dead, its an improvement."

"What do you mean!" Yuri bit back, she looked at him oddly.

"…Well, the bad ones don't discern between the two, living or dead. Don't tell mama, but Karyu snuck a taste of a dead one, I saw him. He told me what it tasted like but he said he didn't like it."

Conrad looked at her again, "Sabaya, why do you have blood on your hands?"

She smiled sadly, "As I said, the bad ones don't discern the two. I like to be discerned." She rubbed her arm.

"You mean they've attacked you?" Yuri mentioned.

She nodded, "Yes, I was the one who brought Johei back. Can we hurry? Mama will be worried if we don't hurry."

"O… Okay. Why do you call them all mama?"

Sabaya smiled as she spun around, walking through the catacombs with surprising ease, well, it surprised Yuri at least.

"Well, most of us lost our parents, so, all the women decided, so that no one was left behind, that they'd be all of our mamas. My mama is still alive, but, well, Johei's parents—shh! Someone's coming."

"I'm telling you I heard someone, Gana…"

"Shh, Karyu if you keep talking so loud they'll hear us."

"But Gana…"

"Gana!" Sabaya smiled, she hopped from her hiding space, "Gana! Karyu! Come over here! Where have you been! You missed curfew… mama is worried!"

Sabaya ran to the two others, they looked at her for a moment, terrified. Gana grabbed something from Karyu and began to run. "Wait! Gana! Gana, wait it's me, Sabaya!"

Karyu froze, looking at the older girl. He looked at her, shocked, "Sabaya, what are you doing here after curfew?"

She smiled, beaming, "Looking for you two, obviously."

"You shouldn't come out here alone!" Karyu corrected her, angrily.

"Oi, I didn't." She signaled for the two to come out, Yuri hadn't realized her was holding his breath.

"Ah, uh, hi, we aren't suspicious strangers or anything." Yuri mentioned. Conrad merely smiled like he would at Wolfram, the boy had the same golden colored hair.

"You brought outsiders? Sabaya!" He glared. "Gana!" He commented back, turning around he began to run after her, "You're worse than Gana, Sabaya!"

Sabaya pouted, "Don't say that, Karyu. Aren't I a good older sister? I didn't tell anyone when you were acting bad."

"I told you to not talk about it! Gana! GANA!"

Yuri smiled, as he gave chase to the other children, Conrad didn't seem happy about that. "Yuri-heika, wait…"

Conrad moved to keep up, Yuri took a sharp corner following the pale fabric of the dress Gana had been wearing before slipping on something sleak. Sabaya and Karyu continuing forward, as they called out for Gana.

"Gana? Gana where are you!"

"Sabaya! Wait up!" Karyu complained, Sabaya already outpacing her little brother with her height-advantage.

Yuri skid before hitting a pile of what he presumed was better not to associate with a name. "Ah, itai-itai-itai…" He winced, rubbing his back.

"Mister… mister do you have food?"

Yuri turned around to look, "Eh?" A boy with large brown-red eyes and a dark espresso-brown hair asked. His fair skin an eerie contrast, "Uh… actually I don't think I do…" Yuri mentioned, patting his pockets to see if maybe he did have something else.

"Mister, don't you have any food?" Yuri turned, seeing another child, approaching with her hands extended, begging. Another three children appeared to her sides, all asking for food the same way. She was the only blond, but all had an element of red to their eyes. She looked almost like Gana, well, from what he had seen from afar.

"Mister, ne mister…"

"Do you have something to eat mister…"

Yuri cast his eyes around, unsure where all these kids came from, he found half of a candy bar, questioning how he had managed to leave that in his pocket, "Oi, uh here!"

He smiled handing it to the little blond girl, "Make sure to share."

"Mister… mister do you have food…"

Yuri felt a hand grab his wrist, then a pair of hands grab his other wrist, pulling him closer to the ground, "Uh… I just gave what I had… I don't have more…"

The boy with espresso hair and red-hued eyes picked up a stone block before the girl asked again, "Mister do you have anything to eat…?"

Yuri's eyes widened, "…Why do you have blood on your—KYAH!"

The rock now laid centimeters to the side of Yuri's head, the corner painted as red as the edge of Yuri's forehead closest to the turned stone.

Yuri was vaguely aware of how three of the children in the back were busy gnawing at what looked like sausages, he felt nauseous as he saw those sausages stretching from a split abdomen of one of the countless bodies. It didn't register when a pair of red eyes peered down at him, smiling as he kissed Yuri's forehead, when the boy started to use teeth, that changed the situation.

Yuri swiped at the kid, pairs of hands that had been holding his wrists began to pull his arms closer to them as they bit his forearm.

"AGH!" Yuri pulled his arm away, his complaining voice exacerbating his already sore head. He felt a sudden reduction to his weight as a set of bodies were pushed off of Yuri's side. Conrad pulled Yuri from the center of the forming dog-pile.

"YURI!" Sword drawn, Conrad pointed it at the espresso-haired boy, his eyes darting between the others.

Sabaya looked at Yuri, then past him, suddenly shocked. "GANA!"

The brunette crashed to her knees as she spotted Gana, lapping at the blood on her hands like a kitten getting remnants of splashed milk.

"Gana… when…" Her eyes watered as she reached for Gana only to drop her hand. Karyu stopped behind Sabaya.

"…Gana." He sighed, looking at his two sisters, oblivious to the other children.

Sabaya approached the girl again, "Gana… how long…?" After reaching the girl she pulled her to her chest, "Gana how long?"

Gana continued to clean the blood off, ignorant to the blood at the corners of her lips, like any normal eight-year-old with their table-manners. She smiled back at Sabaya.

"Sabaya, I'm hungry still." Her blond hair matched that of her brother Karyu, both having stunning rust-colored eyes, though to Yuri Gana's seemed redder in this light.

It dawned on him that Sabaya's light violet eyes looked nothing like the others'.

Karyu blinked at Gana. "…"

She smiled, "Karyu, why don't you try? Sabaya won't… but it's really good. It's better than the dead ones. I know you didn't like those, but…"

Sabaya pulled Gana closer to her chest, "Gana… when?"

Gana pulled back, "Ne, I told you where Johei was, didn't I?" She smiled at the brunette.

Conrad glanced back and forth, oh this was not going well. There were maybe a dozen of these children approaching. He remembered the words of 'mama' as he stood, "Yuri can you stand?"

When silence met him he knew what that probably meant as he raised Yuri over his shoulder.

"After they get the taste for blood, their eyes turn red." Conrad mentioned.

Karyu sighed, "I was trying to keep it from Sabaya, she'd just try to stop Gana."

"So you knew about it!" She glared at Karyu, angrily, then back at Gana. "Gana, if you ask mama for forgiveness you might be able to come back, wouldn't that be nice, Gana?"

Gana pushed back from Sabaya, drawing a knife from her sister's pocket. "Sabaya… you and Karyu should try it, it's really good."

She turned towards Conrad and Yuri.

Sabaya tackled Gana, folding the knife on the younger girl forcing it to her side, the drove of children waded past Conrad and toward Sabaya and Gana instead.

Conrad slid Yuri back toward the ground for the moment, glancing to him. "Yuri, Yuri can you hear me?"

To his relief, he noticed Yuri's eyes had regained a trace of their luster.

"You children should stop this now. You've been starving to death, we know this, we've brought aide, food… you don't have to do this anymore to survive." Conrad mentioned, doubting his words would mean anything to people with their minds this far gone.

The handful of red-eyed children picked up bones and rocks, anything they could from off the ground.

At the black orbs bore forward they suddenly shot into slits.

He felt the familiar aura of the maoh against his back and sighed, Yuri's poor body never did seem to get a break. "Yuri…" Even though he pitied Yuri and what would no-doubt be the headache from hell come tomorrow, he also thought that this might be what was required to settle this with limited casualties.

Standing up, the maoh summoned elemental water to form protective spheres around the children, separating them. Sabaya pulled her knife back into her pocket, thankful to be one of the few out of the bubbles.

"Children should listen to their parents…" The maoh began, "For they are only doing what they think is best for you."

"What do you know… do you know how many of us starved?" Gana mentioned annoyed at the grown-up tone.

Karyu bit in, "And do you know how many of us they've killed? Huh Gana?"

The maoh gave them all a strong look, "You must stop this foolishness now, repent for the mistakes you have made. Life is precious and must be respected."

Several of the children threw what they were holding, Conrad batting them away to prevent even the slightest of injuries from the objects.

The maoh pushed the bubbles upward, walking with them, and Conrad upward toward the surface, seeming to naturally know the way.

It was a brief trip, less than two minutes as Conrad saw Yuri pull them to the sunlight, before letting them fall to the ground.

"Children should not be doing those horrible things, they should be playing outside and enjoying life."

"Ha, we can't be out here, the soldiers will come to kill us." One of the boys mentioned.

"There aren't soldiers anymore, are there?" The maoh mentioned to the espresso-haired ring-leader. "You've been killing them off just like everyone else, convincing people they're still around so you can keep your prey underground…"

The boy smirked, walking closer, holding in his hand a sharpened piece of bone. "We were doing what we had to. They'll come back, you know, if we stay up here."

"No they won't. I haven't seen one in weeks!" Karyu mentioned, "No one has."

The children began to crowd in.

"Quiet Karyu!" The espresso-haired boy mentioned, "That's because we scared them away."

"Impertinent…" the Maoh used his water dragons to signal 'justice' as he crashed the dragons down over their heads. "You aren't bad children, you were trying your best. But now, you should cool your heads and realize the cries in your hearts are your own. Justice, be done!"

Yuri's blue aura shrank back to normal levels as the brunette rushed Yuri, Conrad struck the boy's hand disarming him before pushing him backward, to the ground.

Upon landing, the boy started to cry, as if he had been punished, the other kids also hunkered down, crying into their knees.

Yuri staggered a few steps back before falling to the ground himself, clutching his head.

"Yuri-heika…" Conrad mentioned, crouching beside him. He heard the sounds of the Shin Makoku army approaching from the shore no more than a mile away.

"Heh, stupid big brother Shori," Yuri pulled his skin back on his face to mock the tightness in his brother's eyes, "You can't reason with children or zombies, he says. Ah, itai-itai-itai… my head."

Conrad covered his chuckled with his fist, playing it off as a cough. "Sabaya, you should go back to the villagers and tell them to come out. Let them know it's safe, that aide has arrived."

Sabaya nodded, standing up. Karyu stood up too, walking over to his older sister. "I'll go too, Sabaya."

She smiled, patting him on the head. "Karyu, he's right. You aren't a bad child." Karyu smiled at the girl, accepting the praise.

Conrad put a protective arm around Yuri's shoulder, "Heika, if you need to sleep…"

"You're the sort that can't be reasoned with. Mou, Conrad, my name's Yuri." He complained, Conrad merely smiled at him protectively. "A… Anou, Conrad… I don't want to sleep just yet."

Conrad locked eyes with him, noticing his shiver. "Yuri, I'll be right here to chase away any nightmares." He mentioned, "Zombies or otherwise."

Yuri let a laugh snap past his mouth, wincing his eyes closed, "Big brothers are evil, I think. Shori made me watch horror movies the entire time I was back on Earth insisting it was for my own good… and now you're saying a line like that, of course now all I can think about are…"

Conrad bowed down and kissed Yuri, slipping in tongue, after a few minutes, pulling back, leaving Yuri blushing as twelve pairs of owl-sized red eyes gawked.

"Now, what were you saying, Yuri-heika?"

"…I… ah… er… I…"

"Sleep well, Yuri."

As Yuri squinted his eyes closed, turning shades of red that mimicked the eyes of the quiet children, he managed to concentrate just enough to be able to fall asleep, soundly.

When Wolfram and the others appeared, Conrad merely insisted it was due to Yuri going into 'maoh mode' and all of the witnesses didn't seem to offer a word of protest, after all, they were all obedient, good little children.

-The End-