🕯❤️

@hoshino-shion

17 posts

H-hello... I'm Shion Hoshino, main vocalist of CandleHeart...

I like to play videogames, especially Nintendo ones. If you like Mario Kart or Smash Bros, m-maybe we can play together ?...

I'm... not very good at talking with people, but I hope we can try to become friends anyway !

Other people from my music group:

@yoisaki-michi ❄️

@kamishiro-reiko 🐯

@otori-tomomi 🍓

#Thank you for listening...#🕯❤️#A new friend ?#Y-you want to talk ?#ooc posts #Shion Hoshino #CandleHeart

Okay fine I'm a homosexual

#thank you for listening...

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

Kage whirled around at Shion's exclamation, barely dodging another swing from the infected. Well, might as well try it. Not like he had much left to lose.

He swang at one of the eyes with all his might, landing it with a sick thud. Whelp. It did something, that's for sure! His grin grew wider as he kept aiming for the weak points with the same intent as before.

Shion was right about one thing. Kage was having FUN with this.

Shion kept looking for other weak spots but couldn't find any. She quickly got distracted by Kage's way of fighting. There was no doubt left: he was having the time of his life fighting against this strange creature.

Shion began to think that he would be fine on his own. For some time at least. Then, there wasn't an instant to lose. She had to get her friend while Kage could still distract the monster and run away with them both.

Without thinking about it too much, she dashed across the street and opened the door of the building they chose as their meeting point. She rushed inside, unconcerned about the noise she was making.

"Reiko ! Reiko, are you there ?"

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned around, only to be faced with another monster. This one, however, seemed more... human. It had four limbs, but they were covered by blood and bruises. Some eyes opened on its back. When it tried to talk, its mouth opened a lot wider than it should have.

"Hhhelp m me..;..."

Shion backed away. The creature followed her. Slowly, slowly, until it leaped to reach her. Shion hit blindly in front of her with her plastic sword, screaming.

Kage heard the scream, his eyes going wide. Fucking Hell, this was bad. The monster he was bashing seemed to be at least subdued for now as he sprinted into the building, hunting for Shion. He found her after a few seconds, darting between her and the humanoid creature.

Kage seemed to move without much thinking, swinging the bat right into the thing's head with all the strength he could muster. He didn't know why he was so keen to defend Shion, but he wasn't gonna let her get infected. He didn't need that shit on his consciousness.

"If you're still looking for your friends, I'd suggest moving!"

He shouted, swinging again as the thing tried coming after him again. His knife was still in his back pocket, if things really went south. He'd rather not die today.

"Reiko ! Please, if you're here, we need to get out now !"

Shion called one last time, but it was useless. Either she arrived here before Reiko or... No. Imagining the worst wouldn't help her.

"She's not here, we have to leave !"

She ran to the exit, making sure that Kage was following her on top of covering their retreat. When she reached the door, the other monster was already there. She felt Kage bump into her back as she stopped abruptly.

There was no time to be afraid. She tightened her shaky grip on her weapon and, with a sound halfway between a battle cry and a scream of terror, she hit the monster with her plastic sword.

Which of course did nothing but at least the effort was there.

Kage had to admit: This kid had guts. Shion was at least trying to help, and he couldn't shame her for that. Her weapon choice, however, he was judging. He had no time for that, though. He had a threat to disperse of.

He switched his bat to a more one-handed grip, grabbing his pocket knife with a white-knuckle grip. He maneuvered around Shion, slashing and stabbing at everything he could. Whatever this thing was, it was probably hating whatever life it had as he worked to clear a path away from the door, that crazed look returning.

After he felt he did enough, he pocketed the knife again, grabbing Shion's wrist and running as fast as he could, dragging her behind him. Kage knew this city and it's hidden paths well enough, he should be able to get them out of there.

Once he had found them a hiding spot, the entryway to an abandoned subway station, he let go of Shion's wrist, catching his breath.

"We should be good here. For now, anyways. Although, not a lot of people know this station's still here. Great place for graffiti, if I say so myself."

Kage smiled one of his more normal smiles, his eyes still glancing around. The station definitely was old, but secure enough for what they needed. And the walls were covered in spray-painted art, some signed with a familiar name.

Once Kage let go of her wrist, Shion had to focus to not collapse on the ground. Not only because she didn't run that much in a while, but also because the adrenaline wasn't there to support her anymore. She took a deep breath. She was safe here.

But Reiko was not with her. That was the only person she manage to contact after the infection got really bad. Tomomi wasn't answering her calls, her girlfriend either, as for Michi... Michi was already lost.

Shion haven't had time to process that before, but after seeing these monsters from up close, they seemed a lot more real and not just like a vague threat to avoid. And Michi was one of them. Reiko would meet the monsters soon, if she hadn't already, and she had no Kage with her to help. Tomomi always picked up her phone, so something must have happened to her too. And her girlfriend...

Shion felt a knot form in her throat as the reality that all of her friends were gone settled in her mind. She wouldn't find them. They wouldn't come back. She held back her tears all day, but now that she was in a safe spot, she could finally let them free. They were still in a city full of infected, so she tried her best to keep her sobs quiet, but they only became more and more uncontrollable.

Kage flinched slightly as Shion started crying, his brow furrowing. He kinda forgot that people weren't as. . . Well, crazed as he was. He was used to dealing with situations similar to this. He had the distinct feeling that she wasn't. He sighed, crouching down and awkwardly patting her head.

"I'm not good at this. . . Uhm, it'll be okay? Wait, no, the world's gone to shit. Uhm. . . It's alright to cry. . . I get things are rough, so. . . Yea, Imma shut up now."

Kage wasn't good at this. He was usually the one CAUSING chaos, not working against it. That, and comforting people really wasn't his thing. And yet, he was still trying to comfort Shion.

Why. . .? It wasn't like he was Takara with his smooth talking skills or Ryūen and his brotherly habits. Kage was the crazy one. The one who pulled shit and caused trouble. So why was he doing this. . . And, on that note, were the others even alright? Especially Ryūen with his problems?

Kage simply sat down close to Shion after a minute or so, working to clean off his pocket knife. An awkward silence fell over him, not knowing what else to do in a situation like this.

After a while, Shion's sobs finally died down. If she was alone, she would have curled into a ball and cried until she exhausted herself, or until a monster found her. But she wasn't alone. Kage did so much for her, she didn't want to slow him down any longer.

"Sorry about that... and... thank you."

She sniffed and added, fighting the urge to cry again:

"I don't think we'll find my friends... We should go look for yours."

Kage blinked, a bit confused. He honestly. . . Wasn't expecting that. With how he was, he thought he would've scared Shion away by now. But, with all the shit outside. . . Yea, compared to the monsters he's hit, Kage was probably a fluffy puppy.

". . . Thanks. You don't have to do that, but I appreciate it."

Kage went queit again, mulling over his thoughts along with pocketing his knife again. Takara probably would be holed up in his apartment; He hated ruining his outfits, and probably would be smart enough not to go out in all this. Same with Yukio. Mika, he wasn't too sure on, but he was probably with Takara. That just left Ryūen. . .

"We need to get to the radio station. I'm not sure about the others, but I know one of my friends should be there. He works there, and it's a good way to somewhat communicate. That, and with his condition, it's probably the safest for him. . ."

Kage stood up, shaking any remaining anxiety out of his head. He picked his bat back up, turning to Shion and offering her a hand up.

Shion accepted Kage's hand and followed him to the radio station. He seemed to know the best paths to avoid the big streets, and Shion felt more comfortable behind him than leading the way.

She wasn't exactly sure what to do now. It was not like she was very helpful to Kage, but at the same time, she really didn't want to be alone in this. She had to find a way to make herself useful somehow.

She suddenly remembered the backpack she took before leaving the house. Her sister prepared one for both of them in case them needed to leave quickly. She checked inside: the rations it contained seemed still intact. She handed a water bottle to Kage.

"Um... Do you want some ?"

Kage accepted the water with a small nod, taking a small swig before returning to his current objective. Thankfully, the station he had them hiding in wasn't too far from the radio station, it was just. . . A bit longer, with everything out there at the moment.

He kept moving them forward, ducking into small alleyways and small structures whenever something drew near. They were getting closer, but these things seemed to be multiplying as well. . .

"In here. C'mon."

Kage pulled Shion into a now abandoned building, hiding them from view as best he could. He needed to think something out.

"There's still a lot of them out there. . . The station isn't too far, but with how dense the population of those things are getting, it ain't gonna be easy. If you still are intent on going with me, that is."

Shion was a bit surprised by the last part, but she nodded.

"I want to go with you. You... you helped me a lot, and I want to return the favor. It's not like I have anywhere else to go anyway..."

The idea that she would be reunited with her friends if she died fighting the monsters briefly came to her mind, but she rejected it. She wouldn't die. She had to help Kage find his friends.

She took a peek outside. The place was packed with infected. Some looked nothing like humans anyomore, some were still close to their original appearance. Shion was still shaking. She wondered if the fear that tore her insides apart would ever stop in a world like this.

"There are a lot... Are you sure your friend was able to go past them ? Maybe he's still trying to find a safe way to the station, like us."

Kage nodded solemnly, trying to keep his emotions in check. That wasn't needed right now.

"I hope so. Ryūen. . . He's been a bit sick recently, so I can't imagine this is good for him. Pretty sure it wasn't a sign of this infection, though. He's got some health problems that were acting up is all."

Was it? Kage couldn't fight the seed of doubt worming itself into his brain. What if it wasn't Ryūen's normal level of sick? What if he WAS already infected? What if-

No, he was fine. This wasn't the time for what ifs. Not when the station was close by. Although, going by the ground probably wasn't a good idea. . .

"Don't think staying on the ground is a good idea anymore. Thankfully, I think I know a way across by the roofs."

He paused, turning to Shion.

"Don't worry, I won't let ya fall or anything. I've done things like this enough."

He held a hand out to her again, giving her as nice of a smile that he could muster.

"Trust me, okay?"

Shion took his hand and nodded. She trusted him with her life. An old conversation with Miku came back to her mind, some scolding about how she trusted people too easily. Miku... Shion hoped she was alright. There was no way the infection spread to Sekai, right ? But since it was born from Michi's feeling and Michi got infected... Shion forced her mind to go back to where she was. There was no point worrying about Sekai right now. She couldn't even go there to check if everything was alright: she left her phone when she ran away from her home.

It was nice having someone to rely on. Even if she felt a bit guilty for not being able to help as much as she wanted, Shion really appriciated Kage's company. He made her feel safe. Or at least, as safe as one could be during the apocalypse.

#pjsk oc infection arc #a new friend ?#thank you for listening...#Ooc: maybe we should start a new reblog chain #ooc: tumblr is starting to lag a little on my end

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

Kage whirled around at Shion's exclamation, barely dodging another swing from the infected. Well, might as well try it. Not like he had much left to lose.

He swang at one of the eyes with all his might, landing it with a sick thud. Whelp. It did something, that's for sure! His grin grew wider as he kept aiming for the weak points with the same intent as before.

Shion was right about one thing. Kage was having FUN with this.

Shion kept looking for other weak spots but couldn't find any. She quickly got distracted by Kage's way of fighting. There was no doubt left: he was having the time of his life fighting against this strange creature.

Shion began to think that he would be fine on his own. For some time at least. Then, there wasn't an instant to lose. She had to get her friend while Kage could still distract the monster and run away with them both.

Without thinking about it too much, she dashed across the street and opened the door of the building they chose as their meeting point. She rushed inside, unconcerned about the noise she was making.

"Reiko ! Reiko, are you there ?"

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned around, only to be faced with another monster. This one, however, seemed more... human. It had four limbs, but they were covered by blood and bruises. Some eyes opened on its back. When it tried to talk, its mouth opened a lot wider than it should have.

"Hhhelp m me..;..."

Shion backed away. The creature followed her. Slowly, slowly, until it leaped to reach her. Shion hit blindly in front of her with her plastic sword, screaming.

Kage heard the scream, his eyes going wide. Fucking Hell, this was bad. The monster he was bashing seemed to be at least subdued for now as he sprinted into the building, hunting for Shion. He found her after a few seconds, darting between her and the humanoid creature.

Kage seemed to move without much thinking, swinging the bat right into the thing's head with all the strength he could muster. He didn't know why he was so keen to defend Shion, but he wasn't gonna let her get infected. He didn't need that shit on his consciousness.

"If you're still looking for your friends, I'd suggest moving!"

He shouted, swinging again as the thing tried coming after him again. His knife was still in his back pocket, if things really went south. He'd rather not die today.

"Reiko ! Please, if you're here, we need to get out now !"

Shion called one last time, but it was useless. Either she arrived here before Reiko or... No. Imagining the worst wouldn't help her.

"She's not here, we have to leave !"

She ran to the exit, making sure that Kage was following her on top of covering their retreat. When she reached the door, the other monster was already there. She felt Kage bump into her back as she stopped abruptly.

There was no time to be afraid. She tightened her shaky grip on her weapon and, with a sound halfway between a battle cry and a scream of terror, she hit the monster with her plastic sword.

Which of course did nothing but at least the effort was there.

Kage had to admit: This kid had guts. Shion was at least trying to help, and he couldn't shame her for that. Her weapon choice, however, he was judging. He had no time for that, though. He had a threat to disperse of.

He switched his bat to a more one-handed grip, grabbing his pocket knife with a white-knuckle grip. He maneuvered around Shion, slashing and stabbing at everything he could. Whatever this thing was, it was probably hating whatever life it had as he worked to clear a path away from the door, that crazed look returning.

After he felt he did enough, he pocketed the knife again, grabbing Shion's wrist and running as fast as he could, dragging her behind him. Kage knew this city and it's hidden paths well enough, he should be able to get them out of there.

Once he had found them a hiding spot, the entryway to an abandoned subway station, he let go of Shion's wrist, catching his breath.

"We should be good here. For now, anyways. Although, not a lot of people know this station's still here. Great place for graffiti, if I say so myself."

Kage smiled one of his more normal smiles, his eyes still glancing around. The station definitely was old, but secure enough for what they needed. And the walls were covered in spray-painted art, some signed with a familiar name.

Once Kage let go of her wrist, Shion had to focus to not collapse on the ground. Not only because she didn't run that much in a while, but also because the adrenaline wasn't there to support her anymore. She took a deep breath. She was safe here.

But Reiko was not with her. That was the only person she manage to contact after the infection got really bad. Tomomi wasn't answering her calls, her girlfriend either, as for Michi... Michi was already lost.

Shion haven't had time to process that before, but after seeing these monsters from up close, they seemed a lot more real and not just like a vague threat to avoid. And Michi was one of them. Reiko would meet the monsters soon, if she hadn't already, and she had no Kage with her to help. Tomomi always picked up her phone, so something must have happened to her too. And her girlfriend...

Shion felt a knot form in her throat as the reality that all of her friends were gone settled in her mind. She wouldn't find them. They wouldn't come back. She held back her tears all day, but now that she was in a safe spot, she could finally let them free. They were still in a city full of infected, so she tried her best to keep her sobs quiet, but they only became more and more uncontrollable.

Kage flinched slightly as Shion started crying, his brow furrowing. He kinda forgot that people weren't as. . . Well, crazed as he was. He was used to dealing with situations similar to this. He had the distinct feeling that she wasn't. He sighed, crouching down and awkwardly patting her head.

"I'm not good at this. . . Uhm, it'll be okay? Wait, no, the world's gone to shit. Uhm. . . It's alright to cry. . . I get things are rough, so. . . Yea, Imma shut up now."

Kage wasn't good at this. He was usually the one CAUSING chaos, not working against it. That, and comforting people really wasn't his thing. And yet, he was still trying to comfort Shion.

Why. . .? It wasn't like he was Takara with his smooth talking skills or Ryūen and his brotherly habits. Kage was the crazy one. The one who pulled shit and caused trouble. So why was he doing this. . . And, on that note, were the others even alright? Especially Ryūen with his problems?

Kage simply sat down close to Shion after a minute or so, working to clean off his pocket knife. An awkward silence fell over him, not knowing what else to do in a situation like this.

After a while, Shion's sobs finally died down. If she was alone, she would have curled into a ball and cried until she exhausted herself, or until a monster found her. But she wasn't alone. Kage did so much for her, she didn't want to slow him down any longer.

"Sorry about that... and... thank you."

She sniffed and added, fighting the urge to cry again:

"I don't think we'll find my friends... We should go look for yours."

Kage blinked, a bit confused. He honestly. . . Wasn't expecting that. With how he was, he thought he would've scared Shion away by now. But, with all the shit outside. . . Yea, compared to the monsters he's hit, Kage was probably a fluffy puppy.

". . . Thanks. You don't have to do that, but I appreciate it."

Kage went queit again, mulling over his thoughts along with pocketing his knife again. Takara probably would be holed up in his apartment; He hated ruining his outfits, and probably would be smart enough not to go out in all this. Same with Yukio. Mika, he wasn't too sure on, but he was probably with Takara. That just left Ryūen. . .

"We need to get to the radio station. I'm not sure about the others, but I know one of my friends should be there. He works there, and it's a good way to somewhat communicate. That, and with his condition, it's probably the safest for him. . ."

Kage stood up, shaking any remaining anxiety out of his head. He picked his bat back up, turning to Shion and offering her a hand up.

Shion accepted Kage's hand and followed him to the radio station. He seemed to know the best paths to avoid the big streets, and Shion felt more comfortable behind him than leading the way.

She wasn't exactly sure what to do now. It was not like she was very helpful to Kage, but at the same time, she really didn't want to be alone in this. She had to find a way to make herself useful somehow.

She suddenly remembered the backpack she took before leaving the house. Her sister prepared one for both of them in case them needed to leave quickly. She checked inside: the rations it contained seemed still intact. She handed a water bottle to Kage.

"Um... Do you want some ?"

Kage accepted the water with a small nod, taking a small swig before returning to his current objective. Thankfully, the station he had them hiding in wasn't too far from the radio station, it was just. . . A bit longer, with everything out there at the moment.

He kept moving them forward, ducking into small alleyways and small structures whenever something drew near. They were getting closer, but these things seemed to be multiplying as well. . .

"In here. C'mon."

Kage pulled Shion into a now abandoned building, hiding them from view as best he could. He needed to think something out.

"There's still a lot of them out there. . . The station isn't too far, but with how dense the population of those things are getting, it ain't gonna be easy. If you still are intent on going with me, that is."

Shion was a bit surprised by the last part, but she nodded.

"I want to go with you. You... you helped me a lot, and I want to return the favor. It's not like I have anywhere else to go anyway..."

The idea that she would be reunited with her friends if she died fighting the monsters briefly came to her mind, but she rejected it. She wouldn't die. She had to help Kage find his friends.

She took a peek outside. The place was packed with infected. Some looked nothing like humans anyomore, some were still close to their original appearance. Shion was still shaking. She wondered if the fear that tore her insides apart would ever stop in a world like this.

"There are a lot... Are you sure your friend was able to go past them ? Maybe he's still trying to find a safe way to the station, like us."

#pjsk oc infection arc #a new friend ?#thank you for listening...

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

Kage whirled around at Shion's exclamation, barely dodging another swing from the infected. Well, might as well try it. Not like he had much left to lose.

He swang at one of the eyes with all his might, landing it with a sick thud. Whelp. It did something, that's for sure! His grin grew wider as he kept aiming for the weak points with the same intent as before.

Shion was right about one thing. Kage was having FUN with this.

Shion kept looking for other weak spots but couldn't find any. She quickly got distracted by Kage's way of fighting. There was no doubt left: he was having the time of his life fighting against this strange creature.

Shion began to think that he would be fine on his own. For some time at least. Then, there wasn't an instant to lose. She had to get her friend while Kage could still distract the monster and run away with them both.

Without thinking about it too much, she dashed across the street and opened the door of the building they chose as their meeting point. She rushed inside, unconcerned about the noise she was making.

"Reiko ! Reiko, are you there ?"

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned around, only to be faced with another monster. This one, however, seemed more... human. It had four limbs, but they were covered by blood and bruises. Some eyes opened on its back. When it tried to talk, its mouth opened a lot wider than it should have.

"Hhhelp m me..;..."

Shion backed away. The creature followed her. Slowly, slowly, until it leaped to reach her. Shion hit blindly in front of her with her plastic sword, screaming.

Kage heard the scream, his eyes going wide. Fucking Hell, this was bad. The monster he was bashing seemed to be at least subdued for now as he sprinted into the building, hunting for Shion. He found her after a few seconds, darting between her and the humanoid creature.

Kage seemed to move without much thinking, swinging the bat right into the thing's head with all the strength he could muster. He didn't know why he was so keen to defend Shion, but he wasn't gonna let her get infected. He didn't need that shit on his consciousness.

"If you're still looking for your friends, I'd suggest moving!"

He shouted, swinging again as the thing tried coming after him again. His knife was still in his back pocket, if things really went south. He'd rather not die today.

"Reiko ! Please, if you're here, we need to get out now !"

Shion called one last time, but it was useless. Either she arrived here before Reiko or... No. Imagining the worst wouldn't help her.

"She's not here, we have to leave !"

She ran to the exit, making sure that Kage was following her on top of covering their retreat. When she reached the door, the other monster was already there. She felt Kage bump into her back as she stopped abruptly.

There was no time to be afraid. She tightened her shaky grip on her weapon and, with a sound halfway between a battle cry and a scream of terror, she hit the monster with her plastic sword.

Which of course did nothing but at least the effort was there.

Kage had to admit: This kid had guts. Shion was at least trying to help, and he couldn't shame her for that. Her weapon choice, however, he was judging. He had no time for that, though. He had a threat to disperse of.

He switched his bat to a more one-handed grip, grabbing his pocket knife with a white-knuckle grip. He maneuvered around Shion, slashing and stabbing at everything he could. Whatever this thing was, it was probably hating whatever life it had as he worked to clear a path away from the door, that crazed look returning.

After he felt he did enough, he pocketed the knife again, grabbing Shion's wrist and running as fast as he could, dragging her behind him. Kage knew this city and it's hidden paths well enough, he should be able to get them out of there.

Once he had found them a hiding spot, the entryway to an abandoned subway station, he let go of Shion's wrist, catching his breath.

"We should be good here. For now, anyways. Although, not a lot of people know this station's still here. Great place for graffiti, if I say so myself."

Kage smiled one of his more normal smiles, his eyes still glancing around. The station definitely was old, but secure enough for what they needed. And the walls were covered in spray-painted art, some signed with a familiar name.

Once Kage let go of her wrist, Shion had to focus to not collapse on the ground. Not only because she didn't run that much in a while, but also because the adrenaline wasn't there to support her anymore. She took a deep breath. She was safe here.

But Reiko was not with her. That was the only person she manage to contact after the infection got really bad. Tomomi wasn't answering her calls, her girlfriend either, as for Michi... Michi was already lost.

Shion haven't had time to process that before, but after seeing these monsters from up close, they seemed a lot more real and not just like a vague threat to avoid. And Michi was one of them. Reiko would meet the monsters soon, if she hadn't already, and she had no Kage with her to help. Tomomi always picked up her phone, so something must have happened to her too. And her girlfriend...

Shion felt a knot form in her throat as the reality that all of her friends were gone settled in her mind. She wouldn't find them. They wouldn't come back. She held back her tears all day, but now that she was in a safe spot, she could finally let them free. They were still in a city full of infected, so she tried her best to keep her sobs quiet, but they only became more and more uncontrollable.

Kage flinched slightly as Shion started crying, his brow furrowing. He kinda forgot that people weren't as. . . Well, crazed as he was. He was used to dealing with situations similar to this. He had the distinct feeling that she wasn't. He sighed, crouching down and awkwardly patting her head.

"I'm not good at this. . . Uhm, it'll be okay? Wait, no, the world's gone to shit. Uhm. . . It's alright to cry. . . I get things are rough, so. . . Yea, Imma shut up now."

Kage wasn't good at this. He was usually the one CAUSING chaos, not working against it. That, and comforting people really wasn't his thing. And yet, he was still trying to comfort Shion.

Why. . .? It wasn't like he was Takara with his smooth talking skills or Ryūen and his brotherly habits. Kage was the crazy one. The one who pulled shit and caused trouble. So why was he doing this. . . And, on that note, were the others even alright? Especially Ryūen with his problems?

Kage simply sat down close to Shion after a minute or so, working to clean off his pocket knife. An awkward silence fell over him, not knowing what else to do in a situation like this.

After a while, Shion's sobs finally died down. If she was alone, she would have curled into a ball and cried until she exhausted herself, or until a monster found her. But she wasn't alone. Kage did so much for her, she didn't want to slow him down any longer.

"Sorry about that... and... thank you."

She sniffed and added, fighting the urge to cry again:

"I don't think we'll find my friends... We should go look for yours."

Kage blinked, a bit confused. He honestly. . . Wasn't expecting that. With how he was, he thought he would've scared Shion away by now. But, with all the shit outside. . . Yea, compared to the monsters he's hit, Kage was probably a fluffy puppy.

". . . Thanks. You don't have to do that, but I appreciate it."

Kage went queit again, mulling over his thoughts along with pocketing his knife again. Takara probably would be holed up in his apartment; He hated ruining his outfits, and probably would be smart enough not to go out in all this. Same with Yukio. Mika, he wasn't too sure on, but he was probably with Takara. That just left Ryūen. . .

"We need to get to the radio station. I'm not sure about the others, but I know one of my friends should be there. He works there, and it's a good way to somewhat communicate. That, and with his condition, it's probably the safest for him. . ."

Kage stood up, shaking any remaining anxiety out of his head. He picked his bat back up, turning to Shion and offering her a hand up.

Shion accepted Kage's hand and followed him to the radio station. He seemed to know the best paths to avoid the big streets, and Shion felt more comfortable behind him than leading the way.

She wasn't exactly sure what to do now. It was not like she was very helpful to Kage, but at the same time, she really didn't want to be alone in this. She had to find a way to make herself useful somehow.

She suddenly remembered the backpack she took before leaving the house. Her sister prepared one for both of them in case them needed to leave quickly. She checked inside: the rations it contained seemed still intact. She handed a water bottle to Kage.

"Um... Do you want some ?"

#pjsk oc infection arc #a new friend ?#thank you for listening...

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

Kage whirled around at Shion's exclamation, barely dodging another swing from the infected. Well, might as well try it. Not like he had much left to lose.

He swang at one of the eyes with all his might, landing it with a sick thud. Whelp. It did something, that's for sure! His grin grew wider as he kept aiming for the weak points with the same intent as before.

Shion was right about one thing. Kage was having FUN with this.

Shion kept looking for other weak spots but couldn't find any. She quickly got distracted by Kage's way of fighting. There was no doubt left: he was having the time of his life fighting against this strange creature.

Shion began to think that he would be fine on his own. For some time at least. Then, there wasn't an instant to lose. She had to get her friend while Kage could still distract the monster and run away with them both.

Without thinking about it too much, she dashed across the street and opened the door of the building they chose as their meeting point. She rushed inside, unconcerned about the noise she was making.

"Reiko ! Reiko, are you there ?"

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned around, only to be faced with another monster. This one, however, seemed more... human. It had four limbs, but they were covered by blood and bruises. Some eyes opened on its back. When it tried to talk, its mouth opened a lot wider than it should have.

"Hhhelp m me..;..."

Shion backed away. The creature followed her. Slowly, slowly, until it leaped to reach her. Shion hit blindly in front of her with her plastic sword, screaming.

Kage heard the scream, his eyes going wide. Fucking Hell, this was bad. The monster he was bashing seemed to be at least subdued for now as he sprinted into the building, hunting for Shion. He found her after a few seconds, darting between her and the humanoid creature.

Kage seemed to move without much thinking, swinging the bat right into the thing's head with all the strength he could muster. He didn't know why he was so keen to defend Shion, but he wasn't gonna let her get infected. He didn't need that shit on his consciousness.

"If you're still looking for your friends, I'd suggest moving!"

He shouted, swinging again as the thing tried coming after him again. His knife was still in his back pocket, if things really went south. He'd rather not die today.

"Reiko ! Please, if you're here, we need to get out now !"

Shion called one last time, but it was useless. Either she arrived here before Reiko or... No. Imagining the worst wouldn't help her.

"She's not here, we have to leave !"

She ran to the exit, making sure that Kage was following her on top of covering their retreat. When she reached the door, the other monster was already there. She felt Kage bump into her back as she stopped abruptly.

There was no time to be afraid. She tightened her shaky grip on her weapon and, with a sound halfway between a battle cry and a scream of terror, she hit the monster with her plastic sword.

Which of course did nothing but at least the effort was there.

Kage had to admit: This kid had guts. Shion was at least trying to help, and he couldn't shame her for that. Her weapon choice, however, he was judging. He had no time for that, though. He had a threat to disperse of.

He switched his bat to a more one-handed grip, grabbing his pocket knife with a white-knuckle grip. He maneuvered around Shion, slashing and stabbing at everything he could. Whatever this thing was, it was probably hating whatever life it had as he worked to clear a path away from the door, that crazed look returning.

After he felt he did enough, he pocketed the knife again, grabbing Shion's wrist and running as fast as he could, dragging her behind him. Kage knew this city and it's hidden paths well enough, he should be able to get them out of there.

Once he had found them a hiding spot, the entryway to an abandoned subway station, he let go of Shion's wrist, catching his breath.

"We should be good here. For now, anyways. Although, not a lot of people know this station's still here. Great place for graffiti, if I say so myself."

Kage smiled one of his more normal smiles, his eyes still glancing around. The station definitely was old, but secure enough for what they needed. And the walls were covered in spray-painted art, some signed with a familiar name.

Once Kage let go of her wrist, Shion had to focus to not collapse on the ground. Not only because she didn't run that much in a while, but also because the adrenaline wasn't there to support her anymore. She took a deep breath. She was safe here.

But Reiko was not with her. That was the only person she manage to contact after the infection got really bad. Tomomi wasn't answering her calls, her girlfriend either, as for Michi... Michi was already lost.

Shion haven't had time to process that before, but after seeing these monsters from up close, they seemed a lot more real and not just like a vague threat to avoid. And Michi was one of them. Reiko would meet the monsters soon, if she hadn't already, and she had no Kage with her to help. Tomomi always picked up her phone, so something must have happened to her too. And her girlfriend...

Shion felt a knot form in her throat as the reality that all of her friends were gone settled in her mind. She wouldn't find them. They wouldn't come back. She held back her tears all day, but now that she was in a safe spot, she could finally let them free. They were still in a city full of infected, so she tried her best to keep her sobs quiet, but they only became more and more uncontrollable.

Kage flinched slightly as Shion started crying, his brow furrowing. He kinda forgot that people weren't as. . . Well, crazed as he was. He was used to dealing with situations similar to this. He had the distinct feeling that she wasn't. He sighed, crouching down and awkwardly patting her head.

"I'm not good at this. . . Uhm, it'll be okay? Wait, no, the world's gone to shit. Uhm. . . It's alright to cry. . . I get things are rough, so. . . Yea, Imma shut up now."

Kage wasn't good at this. He was usually the one CAUSING chaos, not working against it. That, and comforting people really wasn't his thing. And yet, he was still trying to comfort Shion.

Why. . .? It wasn't like he was Takara with his smooth talking skills or Ryūen and his brotherly habits. Kage was the crazy one. The one who pulled shit and caused trouble. So why was he doing this. . . And, on that note, were the others even alright? Especially Ryūen with his problems?

Kage simply sat down close to Shion after a minute or so, working to clean off his pocket knife. An awkward silence fell over him, not knowing what else to do in a situation like this.

After a while, Shion's sobs finally died down. If she was alone, she would have curled into a ball and cried until she exhausted herself, or until a monster found her. But she wasn't alone. Kage did so much for her, she didn't want to slow him down any longer.

"Sorry about that... and... thank you."

She sniffed and added, fighting the urge to cry again:

"I don't think we'll find my friends... We should go look for yours."

#pjsk oc infection arc #a new friend ?#thank you for listening...

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

Kage whirled around at Shion's exclamation, barely dodging another swing from the infected. Well, might as well try it. Not like he had much left to lose.

He swang at one of the eyes with all his might, landing it with a sick thud. Whelp. It did something, that's for sure! His grin grew wider as he kept aiming for the weak points with the same intent as before.

Shion was right about one thing. Kage was having FUN with this.

Shion kept looking for other weak spots but couldn't find any. She quickly got distracted by Kage's way of fighting. There was no doubt left: he was having the time of his life fighting against this strange creature.

Shion began to think that he would be fine on his own. For some time at least. Then, there wasn't an instant to lose. She had to get her friend while Kage could still distract the monster and run away with them both.

Without thinking about it too much, she dashed across the street and opened the door of the building they chose as their meeting point. She rushed inside, unconcerned about the noise she was making.

"Reiko ! Reiko, are you there ?"

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned around, only to be faced with another monster. This one, however, seemed more... human. It had four limbs, but they were covered by blood and bruises. Some eyes opened on its back. When it tried to talk, its mouth opened a lot wider than it should have.

"Hhhelp m me..;..."

Shion backed away. The creature followed her. Slowly, slowly, until it leaped to reach her. Shion hit blindly in front of her with her plastic sword, screaming.

Kage heard the scream, his eyes going wide. Fucking Hell, this was bad. The monster he was bashing seemed to be at least subdued for now as he sprinted into the building, hunting for Shion. He found her after a few seconds, darting between her and the humanoid creature.

Kage seemed to move without much thinking, swinging the bat right into the thing's head with all the strength he could muster. He didn't know why he was so keen to defend Shion, but he wasn't gonna let her get infected. He didn't need that shit on his consciousness.

"If you're still looking for your friends, I'd suggest moving!"

He shouted, swinging again as the thing tried coming after him again. His knife was still in his back pocket, if things really went south. He'd rather not die today.

"Reiko ! Please, if you're here, we need to get out now !"

Shion called one last time, but it was useless. Either she arrived here before Reiko or... No. Imagining the worst wouldn't help her.

"She's not here, we have to leave !"

She ran to the exit, making sure that Kage was following her on top of covering their retreat. When she reached the door, the other monster was already there. She felt Kage bump into her back as she stopped abruptly.

There was no time to be afraid. She tightened her shaky grip on her weapon and, with a sound halfway between a battle cry and a scream of terror, she hit the monster with her plastic sword.

Which of course did nothing but at least the effort was there.

Kage had to admit: This kid had guts. Shion was at least trying to help, and he couldn't shame her for that. Her weapon choice, however, he was judging. He had no time for that, though. He had a threat to disperse of.

He switched his bat to a more one-handed grip, grabbing his pocket knife with a white-knuckle grip. He maneuvered around Shion, slashing and stabbing at everything he could. Whatever this thing was, it was probably hating whatever life it had as he worked to clear a path away from the door, that crazed look returning.

After he felt he did enough, he pocketed the knife again, grabbing Shion's wrist and running as fast as he could, dragging her behind him. Kage knew this city and it's hidden paths well enough, he should be able to get them out of there.

Once he had found them a hiding spot, the entryway to an abandoned subway station, he let go of Shion's wrist, catching his breath.

"We should be good here. For now, anyways. Although, not a lot of people know this station's still here. Great place for graffiti, if I say so myself."

Kage smiled one of his more normal smiles, his eyes still glancing around. The station definitely was old, but secure enough for what they needed. And the walls were covered in spray-painted art, some signed with a familiar name.

Once Kage let go of her wrist, Shion had to focus to not collapse on the ground. Not only because she didn't run that much in a while, but also because the adrenaline wasn't there to support her anymore. She took a deep breath. She was safe here.

But Reiko was not with her. That was the only person she manage to contact after the infection got really bad. Tomomi wasn't answering her calls, her girlfriend either, as for Michi... Michi was already lost.

Shion haven't had time to process that before, but after seeing these monsters from up close, they seemed a lot more real and not just like a vague threat to avoid. And Michi was one of them. Reiko would meet the monsters soon, if she hadn't already, and she had no Kage with her to help. Tomomi always picked up her phone, so something must have happened to her too. And her girlfriend...

Shion felt a knot form in her throat as the reality that all of her friends were gone settled in her mind. She wouldn't find them. They wouldn't come back. She held back her tears all day, but now that she was in a safe spot, she could finally let them free. They were still in a city full of infected, so she tried her best to keep her sobs quiet, but they only became more and more uncontrollable.

#pjsk oc infection arc #a new friend ?#thank you for listening...

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

Kage whirled around at Shion's exclamation, barely dodging another swing from the infected. Well, might as well try it. Not like he had much left to lose.

He swang at one of the eyes with all his might, landing it with a sick thud. Whelp. It did something, that's for sure! His grin grew wider as he kept aiming for the weak points with the same intent as before.

Shion was right about one thing. Kage was having FUN with this.

Shion kept looking for other weak spots but couldn't find any. She quickly got distracted by Kage's way of fighting. There was no doubt left: he was having the time of his life fighting against this strange creature.

Shion began to think that he would be fine on his own. For some time at least. Then, there wasn't an instant to lose. She had to get her friend while Kage could still distract the monster and run away with them both.

Without thinking about it too much, she dashed across the street and opened the door of the building they chose as their meeting point. She rushed inside, unconcerned about the noise she was making.

"Reiko ! Reiko, are you there ?"

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned around, only to be faced with another monster. This one, however, seemed more... human. It had four limbs, but they were covered by blood and bruises. Some eyes opened on its back. When it tried to talk, its mouth opened a lot wider than it should have.

"Hhhelp m me..;..."

Shion backed away. The creature followed her. Slowly, slowly, until it leaped to reach her. Shion hit blindly in front of her with her plastic sword, screaming.

Kage heard the scream, his eyes going wide. Fucking Hell, this was bad. The monster he was bashing seemed to be at least subdued for now as he sprinted into the building, hunting for Shion. He found her after a few seconds, darting between her and the humanoid creature.

Kage seemed to move without much thinking, swinging the bat right into the thing's head with all the strength he could muster. He didn't know why he was so keen to defend Shion, but he wasn't gonna let her get infected. He didn't need that shit on his consciousness.

"If you're still looking for your friends, I'd suggest moving!"

He shouted, swinging again as the thing tried coming after him again. His knife was still in his back pocket, if things really went south. He'd rather not die today.

"Reiko ! Please, if you're here, we need to get out now !"

Shion called one last time, but it was useless. Either she arrived here before Reiko or... No. Imagining the worst wouldn't help her.

"She's not here, we have to leave !"

She ran to the exit, making sure that Kage was following her on top of covering their retreat. When she reached the door, the other monster was already there. She felt Kage bump into her back as she stopped abruptly.

There was no time to be afraid. She tightened her shaky grip on her weapon and, with a sound halfway between a battle cry and a scream of terror, she hit the monster with her plastic sword.

Which of course did nothing but at least the effort was there.

#pjsk oc infection arc #thank you for listening...#a new friend ?#ooc: my last response for today i need to go to sleep

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

Kage whirled around at Shion's exclamation, barely dodging another swing from the infected. Well, might as well try it. Not like he had much left to lose.

He swang at one of the eyes with all his might, landing it with a sick thud. Whelp. It did something, that's for sure! His grin grew wider as he kept aiming for the weak points with the same intent as before.

Shion was right about one thing. Kage was having FUN with this.

Shion kept looking for other weak spots but couldn't find any. She quickly got distracted by Kage's way of fighting. There was no doubt left: he was having the time of his life fighting against this strange creature.

Shion began to think that he would be fine on his own. For some time at least. Then, there wasn't an instant to lose. She had to get her friend while Kage could still distract the monster and run away with them both.

Without thinking about it too much, she dashed across the street and opened the door of the building they chose as their meeting point. She rushed inside, unconcerned about the noise she was making.

"Reiko ! Reiko, are you there ?"

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned around, only to be faced with another monster. This one, however, seemed more... human. It had four limbs, but they were covered by blood and bruises. Some eyes opened on its back. When it tried to talk, its mouth opened a lot wider than it should have.

"Hhhelp m me..;..."

Shion backed away. The creature followed her. Slowly, slowly, until it leaped to reach her. Shion hit blindly in front of her with her plastic sword, screaming.

#pjsk oc infection arc #thank you for listening...#a new friend ?#tw body horror #<- it should be included with the infection arc tag but just in case #sorry if i left some typos i'm tired

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

Kage tilted his head, leaning around the corner Shion had peeked around. As soon as he spotted it, he finally moved the bat off his shoulders, turning to Shion with a crazed grin.

"Alright, Kage's got some work to do. You stay here, okay? Or start running. Whatever seems more practical to you."

He pat her head before rounding the corner. . . And going right at the thing. He definitely seemed competent at fighting, weaving between it's strikes and hitting back just as hard, but he didn't know how to get rid of this thing. He'd figure it out, though.

And if anything, it gave Shion a chance to run to the meeting point for her friends. And then he could run like Hell and start on his search for the others.

When she realized what Kage was about to do, Shion's eyes got even more wide and round than they already were.

"Wait !"

But it was too late. Kage already engaged combat with the infected. Shion looked around, hoping to find something or someone who could help him, but she was alone. She glanced at the fight. Kage seemed to be holding out really well. It even looked like... he was having fun ? As Shion guessed it, he knew how to fight. But at the same time, the monster also knew how to defend itself. Kage's hits looked powerful and yet, they didn't leave as much of an impact on the creature as Shion hoped.

She had to help him. But how ? It was not like she could hit harder than him. The only thing she could do was observing the fight... but maybe it was enough to help. She could look for the monster's weak spot ! It had to have one, right ? At least, in the videogames she played, they always had one. The eye, most of the time. The infected just so happened to have multiple of those on its abdomen.

"Kage ! Aim for the eyes !"

#pjsk oc infection arc #thank you for listening...#a new friend ?#ooc: girl you play too much Zelda go back to your room

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

About the fifth time Shion turned around to check on him, Kage raised an eyebrow, adjusting his bat on his shoulder.

"Yeesh, I'm not gonna do anything. I know I have my reputation, but still!"

His words seemed harsh, but his voice was teasing as he continued walking behind her, muttering what sounded like a small rap under his breath. Trying to keep himself occupied. And from going paranoid.

As much as he'd give them shit, his unit mates were some of the closest friends he's had since. . . Well, ever. Without a way to contact them, he was starting to get anxious. Especially for Ryūen. This could not be good for him. . .

He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on his surroundings and Shion's directions. He'd worry about it later. He had something to do now.

Shion blushed at the remark. She didn't mean to be insulting !

"N-no, I don't... It's not... I just... I can't believe that you agreed to come with me. Thank you."

She continued to walk. They weren't too far away from the meeting spot now. Her shoulder tensed when she heard Kage muttering, but she relaxed when she realized he was just singing. How could he be that calm ? Shion was impressed.

"We're almost there. It's in the next street."

Shion progressed slowly towards the meeting point, her heart beating so loudly in her chest she was sure the whole city could hear it. She took a peek out of the street she was in to check if the way to their objective was clear, and retreated immediately.

She only saw it for a second, but it was there. Big, red, deformed, and definitely not human. She made a sign to warn Kage of the danger.

#pjsk oc infection arc #thank you for listening...#a new friend ?

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

Kage paused, then sighed. Of fucking course they could do that. He was going to have a fucking migrane. . .

"Fine, fine. I'll get you to your friend. You barely look like you can hold your own, shaking like that."

He turned back to Shion, gesturing with his head.

"Lead the way. I'll stick close by and bash in the skulls of anyone bothering us."

He paused, realizing how he sounded more unhinged than usual.

"Gently, of course."

. . . Yea, this was gonna be a long day.

Shion muttered a small "thank you" before going in the direction of the meeting point. She was more grateful to Kage than any words could express and couldn't be happier to replace the unknown fear of being surrounded by infected people by the familiar one of having to talk to someone she didn't know.

Plus, Kage seemed to know how to fight, unlike her. His threatening baseball bat made her want to hide her plastic sword out of embarassment. She took it with her on an impulse before jumping from her bedroom's window to escape the now two infected in her house, without thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in the apocalypse with a toy as her only weapon.

She couldn't go three steps without turning around to check if Kage was still with her. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon her like that (although Shion's friends always told her she was really bad at judging people), she just couldn't believe her luck finding someone like him ready to go with her. She wanted to make sure she didn't imagine him.

#pjsk oc infection arc #thank you for listening...#a new friend ?

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

Kage tilted his head slightly, then sighed, relaxing his muscles a bit more. Not a threat. No need to whack anyone. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley he popped out from. They weren't safe out in the open. Needed some sort of cover.

"Yea, no, I ain't one of those infected assholes. I've been able to avoid them long enough, but I'm ready to keep them away."

He spun the bat, glancing around a bit. He was still paranoid, and all the sounds didn't help. He turned most of his focus to Shion, resting the bat on his shoulder.

"We're not safe out here. Think one of my friend's apartments is nearby, get us out of the open."

He started towards the exit of the alley, throwing a glance back to her.

"Name's Kage, by the way. Saitō Kage. You?"

"Hoshino Shion... You can call me Shion."

She opened her mouth then closed it, took a step forward then a step back, before finally speaking again.

"Actually, I have to meet one of my friends somewhere... It's in the other direction. But..."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what happened to her sister. Her sister's friend was just here, outside. Or at least, something that looked and sounded like her friend was here. As soon as her sister opened the door... She didn't want to think about it.

"But I'm not sure if it's really her I talked to on the phone."

She added in a whisper:

"They can imitate voices."

#pjsk oc infection arc #thank you for listening...#a new friend ?

@hoshino-shion was walking in the streets of Shibuya, doing her best to breath calmly and not run away crying. Making any noise probably wouldn't help her: as the place was unusually silent, she would be spotted immediately. She wanted to go home, but she wasn't sure there was anything left for her there...

She froze. She thought she heard footsteps. She tightened her grip around the plastic master sword she took with her. It was far less efficient that its in-game counterpart, but it was her only weapon. She gathered all the courage she could find in her to go in the direction of the footsteps as silently as possible. It could really help her to find another human. If it was another one of this monsters, however... She prefered not to think about it.

Kage was already done with this shit. Everything was going completely batshit, and he was DONE. His phone also just had to die, so no getting in touch with the others. 'Joy'...

His pocket knife was tucked in his back pocket, and he idly spun one of the many baseball bats he's... Ahem, 'hoarded' through the years, his head on a swivel. He wasn't gonna let anyone catch him off guard. It was just like running from the perps, just with more chances of death.

Footsteps caught his attention, his head shooting up. Fuck, did one of them find him? He clutched the bat tighter, not wanting to use the knife unless absolutely necessary. He burst out of the alley he was hiding in, ready to strike. But, at the sight of a young girl, he stopped, muscles relaxing only slightly.

"Holy fuck- You scared the shit out of me."

He muttered, still tense. He did lower the bat, but was ready to swing.

"You're not. . . Y'know. . ."

Despite her best efforts to stay silent, Shion let out a little squeak when the boy appeared in front of her with his bat. She just stared at him for a few moments until she realized he asked her a question and was expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"A-and you ?"

She realized the question was stupid as soon as she asked it. Obviously, he wouldn't ask her if she was not an infected if he was one himself. She tried to calm her shaky arms, as they would not help her case if the boy wanted proof that she was still a normal human.

#pjsk oc infection arc #thank you for listening...#a new friend ?

Your girlfriend doesn't sound like a nice person ._ .

Um... S-sorry but... who are you ? Do you know my girlfriend ? She's not a bad person... I think... I mean, I love her and she loves me so...

#thank you for listening...#Y-you want to talk ?

My girlfriend said she'd be away all summer, but I'm pretty sure I saw her shopping with her friends today... But that can't be her, right ? I must have mistaken her for someone else, I'm sure she wouldn't lie to me like that...

kamishiro-reiko

Oh my god when will you to finally break up with her ?

Shion, I know it's hard, but if Reiko and I agree on something then it has to be true? Please leave your girlfriend, you'll be better without her.

kamishiro-reiko

Wait we agree on something ? Forget it, Shion, don't break up with your girlfriend !

I didn't plan on doing it anyway...

#Thank you for listening...#🕯❤️

My girlfriend said she'd be away all summer, but I'm pretty sure I saw her shopping with her friends today... But that can't be her, right ? I must have mistaken her for someone else, I'm sure she wouldn't lie to me like that...

#Thank you for listening...

🕯❤️ @hoshino-shion - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag