Chapter Text
"Hoshino! Wake your ass up!" the boy is jolted from his slumber with a sharp shout and the sensation of someone shoving him off the bed. He was near the edge when he opened his eyes.
"Ugh...I'm up, I'm up!" Ryo snapped. He was irritated by the rude awakening from his first full night's sleep in forever.
"Good. You're leaving today. Get up and eat your breakfast before you go," the boy who woke him was three years his senior, but he acted like he was an adult. Ryo hated it.
"I know," Ryo swatted his hand away. A yawn escaped his lips just as he moved away.
He sat up on his bed and scoffed at his older roommate as he left the room. To which the latter replied with "I heard that."
"I wanted you to," Ryo grumbled, shrugging his dark blue coat onto his shoulders and pulling up his jeans. He realised they were a little tighter now. He must've had a growth spurt.
Well, that explains the mood swings, doesn't it? Although he had a reason to be grumpy today.
The lavender-eyed boy made his way to the dining hall. The sound of his footsteps bounced off the walls of the currently empty hallway. Outside, the sky was barely alight. The dark blue was melting into a lighter blue and indigo outside, over the forever sleeping town. He heard a door slide open to his left and he looked. A girl his age looked out, rubbing at her eyes.
"Oh, Hoshino-kun. You're leaving already..?" she pushed her light blond hair away from her round, pretty face.
"In a bit, yeah," Ryo explained.
"Oh...um, I'm gonna miss you," she looked down at the floor and then back up at him. She was thinking something that Ryo couldn't catch.
She took a few steps forward and hugged him. The embrace lasted for a few seconds. When she pulled away, she was red and she said her farewells, then went back into her room.
The boy stood there for a few moments, trying to process what just happened. To be honest, he hadn't had a hug in years, and this one made him feel...warm and somewhat comforted. He blinked and continued walking to the dining hall.
His roommate joined him during breakfast. He was the last person who was going to see him before he left. He wasn't sad to be leaving this place at all.
Ryo didn't hate it here, but he didn't exactly have much fond memories either. The training, the work, the people, instead of growing attached to all these things, he adapted to them instead.
While people may care for him, he thought it was best to keep at a distance. They lose many people everyday. He discovered that losing them became easier if you were never emotionally invested to begin with. He learned it the hard way with his parents.
And so he built walls with his wishful thoughts, castles with his tears and cathedrals with his woe.
He uttered a goodbye as they whisked him away to his would be caretaker for the trip. They told him why he was being sent away, so he wasn't going in blind.
Apparently, he was the "cure" for this outbreak. He was the breakthrough to every problem. He wasn't exactly optimistic about it, because this world was the one he had known all his life. He didn't know what a "normal" world was like and why everyone was obssessed with it.
When he arrived, he saw Gin, his godparent, with a stranger. Ryo stepped inside and felt like he had broken something lingering in the air amidst the two. His godparent smiled and patted him on the back.
"This is Haru. He'll be taking care of you on this trip," Gin gave Ryo a little push to walk towards his new caretaker.
"I don't get what you're thinking, Gin. Sending me off with the kid like this," His caretaker was an older man with taupe hair and tired, honey-eyes.
Those eyes sparkled in the light of dawn, but beneath that shine was loss— something everyone was well-acquainted with in the apocalypse.
"I know it's risky for you, but—" Gin bowed his head and placed his palms together in an apologetic stance, only to be cut off mid-sentence.
"That's not what I mean. I'm saying that you shouldn't be sending the kid away with some stranger like me," the brunet argued again, hands running through his hair. "Why can't you do it?"
"It's- I- I have people to look after," the survivor stammered and shook his head. "Just please, take him there, Haru. He's our only hope," Gin begged, pulling on the front of Haru's jacket.
Haru sighed. He then pried Gin's fingers from his jacket and spared a glance in Ryo's direction. The young boy returned the gaze with a hopeful look. For the sake of his godparent, he wanted this to be over. "Fine. I'll do it."
Gin seemed more than happy to send them on their way. Before he left, he had given the teen a bear hug and wished them well. The first thing Ryo noticed when they arrived at the entrance was an unfamiliar animal of sorts. The younger boy was in awe of the creature. It looked so majectic and proud.
The animal had a body coated in black and a mane that matched. It had a white patch over its chest the shape of a shield. Its tail swished about.
"You've never seen a horse before?" Haru was surprised.
Ryo shook his head.
"Are you scared of it?" the man untied a rope coiled around a fire hydrant.
"...A little," Ryo allowed himself to admit. He didn't want to end up faceplanting onto the asphalt for acting pompous— should he attempt to get on the horse by himself and fail.
"Don't worry," Haru beckoned Ryo to follow him and both of them approached the horse. It huffed and flicked its tail again.
The small movement made Ryo flinch.
"Hey Yoru. This is Ryo. He'll be joining us," he spoke to it like it understood. The horse let out a soft neigh in response. "Play nice."
Another noise, then it tapped its hooves on the concrete. Haru looked over to Ryo and patted the leather seat on Yoru's back.
"I don't know how to get on a horse.." the boy seemed listless almost as he looked back and forth at the horse and Haru. The man chuckled.
"I'll help you out," Haru assured him with a gentle smile. Huh. This was new, having someone be this nice to him. Nothing about it felt superficial or out of pity. This man was being kind because he wanted to be. He was beginning to like his new caretaker already.
"Okay," Ryo walked towards the horse and listened carefully to his companion's instructions. He was a bit wobbly while climbing up, but he made it anyway.
Once the fear was forgotten, it was a fun ride.
"I'll take over after you get the hang of it," Haru began to walk and pulled the horse along gently.
"How do I get it to stop?" Ryo asked.
"Pull the reins," Haru pointed at the leather strap he held in his hand.
They walked for half a kilometre and stopped to rest. Haru fed the horse some carrots and taught Ryo more about horses and how to care for them. When they returned to their route, Haru took over.
"If it gets too bumpy, tell me," Haru got the horse to throttle along the road.
"Okay."
Later, static noise came out from Haru's pocket. He pulled it out and used one hand to steer the horse with ease. He pulled the reins back so Yoru slowed down.
"Kanbe Daisuke calling in. Do you have the boy with you, Katou?" another voice from the other end spoke. It was someone with a voice deeper than Haru's. He sounded elegant.
"Yes. I heard you're on your way to Nagoya as well?" Haru kept his eyes trained on the road, wary of any clickers or runners on the prowl.
"In a day, I suppose. I'm still wrapping things up in Yokohama. I also have to return to Tokyo tonight to deliver supplies," Daisuke reported.
"Alright. Stay safe," Haru advised his partner.
"You too," Daisuke turned off his radio afterwards.
The man was currently passing by Yokohama Port on his brown stallion. He had been given the task of retrieving supplies there from the Mori. There were a small group of survivors who resided in Yokohama. They often do 'favours' for the Mori, and in return, they receive resources.
The dealer awaited him patiently by the pier, overlooking the blue crystalline sea. Daisuke got off his horse and looked around to see if there was anyone else there. He used his sunglasses (one of the only technology he has left) to scan his surroundings and the man in front of him.
"Kanbe. Here's what you asked for," the supplier handed him the bag of essentials nervously.
Daisuke inspected the bag. Once he was satisfied with what he found inside, he passed the other man a bag of canned food. He thanked him and scuttered off to his base. With that done, Daisuke got back onto his horse and began his journey towards Tokyo.
Haru and Ryo stopped at a nearby shop to scavenge for anything useful. Although, the convenience store was anything but convenient now. The lines and rows of shelves were bare, save for some broken bottles and other things that were probably not edible.
This place was not a hopeful find. The only things they found were lollipops and melted ice cream, not exactly ideal food in the apocalypse.
Disappointed by their findings, both of them began their journey again. Haru makes a clicking sound and Yoru breaks into a gallop along the pavement.
The streets were empty of any infected as the town was inhabited by people. There were patrols and lookouts about and traps were set up in the alleyways. The real trouble was going to start after they left the vicinity of the town.
"So, um, I haven't introduced myself, have I?" Haru asked as he navigated through the ghost town. He saw some movement at a nearby window and snapped his face to see. The person quickly hid and yanked their curtains closed.
"No," Ryo answered curtly.
"Katou Haru," he introduced himself. "You can call me anything, I guess."
"Okay, Katou-san," the younger boy repeated his name in his head so he wouldn't forget. "You probably already know me."
"Gin told me about you, yeah," the brunet nodded, directing the horse to jump over debris. "Do you have a nickname you prefer to be called or-?"
"Just Ryo is fine."
"Alright then, Ryo," the survivor began, on a more serious tone than before. "I'm going to need you to cooperate with me during this trip. That means, you don't go running off on your own or do anything reckless."
"Seems simple enough," Ryo shrugged.
"Good," Haru nodded.
This was going to be a long, long, journey for the both of them.