Bite To Death

Ever since the outbreak, Ryohei has been learning to observe - learning to be quiet and watch his surroundings.

Because when he brushed off his father's worry and went on his morning run, he returned too late to save his parents, while Kyoko only survived due to Hibari Kyouya's timely intervention. For that, Ryohei will always be grateful to the DC Chairman.

So he watches his sister: from that blank, hopeless expression to tentative smiles and finally (finally) that beautiful laugh. Hana and Haru have helped a lot with keeping his sister happy. The two Sasagawa's move into the neighbouring house next to Hana and her parents, while Haru drops by constantly to drag the other two girls around the newly constructed town.

Ryohei can't say he's ecstatic that the three have taken to the DC provided defence lessons -because what if they decide to join the patrols outside where the zombies are- but he's still happy they're learning to protect themselves.

The jobs they picked help to keep their minds off the infected as well. By the time the fence was put up around a clean Namimori, everyone able had a job they picked from a list. Kyoko secured a job at the food court in the mall because she feels calmed by cooking, while Hana took up a position in the DC administration office, and Haru worked with textiles.

Ryohei, despite taking a job in the food court with Kyoko, was kicked out on the same day for being too extreme. He pouted for a while, meandering around the town and wondering if he should join the construction crew, when a teen from the boxing club saw him. She recommended her job, which was teaching the self-defence lessons the DC run.

Until yesterday, that was his job. Today however, he has the day off to think over the request.

Since Kyoko told him about the rescue that first day, Ryohei watches Kyouya too, making sure the other teenager looks healthy and gets enough sleep. It was definitely necessary in the beginning, as the high schooler would work himself to exhaustion and end up slinking past the school gates at midnight, clutching his stomach or limping, and always covered in gore from taking out the infected before they could even get near the middle school.

The Chairman has gotten used to his new opponents since then and rarely, if ever, comes back with injuries.

However, during those first few days, Ryohei would talk to the only person who could care for Kyouya and not get thrown off the highest building in Namimori. He goes to Kusakabe Tetsuya. In fact, Ryohei and Tetsuya have built a friendship from gossiping about the Chairman.

Hibari Kyouya would do his best to not get caught with an injury or skipping meals, but Ryohei has the upper hand because he's not DC so Kyouya wouldn't be looking for the boxer as a spy. Ryohei then gives the information to Tetsuya who corners the Chairman and looks disappointed even as he bribes the teen into eating or getting medical help or even taking a nap.

It's because of Ryohei watching the Chairman that he received the request to take up a new job. Tetsuya outlined the DC's concerns that the further they get towards large cities, the more infected Kyouya has to deal with.

They call it 'chopper runs'. About three days before a convoy is sent out, one of the two military choppers available is sent out to circle the area about to be cleared. It moves slowly over the buildings, flying low to generate enough sound that will call any freely wandering infected.

The helicopter will have a large horde of dazed, shuffling dead wandering below it by the time it rises up and speeds towards the safe zone. Zombies don't tend to follow because of the speed, but mostly because they spot Kyouya waiting for them.

The usual drop off points for the Chairman feature roads with a few abandoned cars for him to climb and get away from the crushing mosh pit for a breather before diving back in. The road is also generally a one way street to offer a bottle neck and keep back most of the horde so he isn't overwhelmed.

Chopper runs are incredibly dangerous, as Kyouya always insists on them no matter how large the horde gathered is. It's a constant source of frustration for Tetsuya because the Chairman also insists that he doesn't need back up, and will stop talking entirely for a week if he spots anyone waiting for him.

It's been two months and a week since the outbreak, but only now the Chairman is accepting people tailing him. Rumours have it, a Patroller got lost and when the Chairman went to find them, they somehow convinced Kyouya that having company wouldn't be too bad. That's what Ryohei's job will be if he accepts Tetsuya's offer.

Ryohei opens his eyes to the bright blue sky and puffy, lazily drifting clouds. He sits up, bringing his legs off the edge and crossing them as he goes, before planting elbows on knees. The boxer peers over the edge of the cliff face in Namimori forest that he climbs daily to train himself and muses about the pros and cons.

If he did take the job, he could keep an eye on Kyouya and make sure he comes back safe instead of just keeping the radio on during classes to hear any news.

Ryohei wants to be a Patroller as well, rather taken with the idea of being a protector; of wearing those fancy helmets and joining the procession of vehicles to clean buildings and help the survivors who can't make it to Namimori without help.

Besides, he's been staying inside the safe zone to keep an eye on Kyoko, to make sure she never goes catatonic again, but she doesn't need him now that she's smiling.

Ryohei leans back, bracing his weight on his hands, and looks out over Namimori forest.

Tetsuya said that the offer will always be available and that Ryohei could take as long as he wanted to respond. The boxer doesn't want to take too long, but it's good because he does need to speak with Kyoko about it.

He frowns and tries to remember. According to the schedule, the convoy is every week, but chopper runs are every fortnight. Ryohei promises to himself that he'll have an answer by the next chopper run.

The sky is a dark blue by the time he reaches home, waving to Hana's father through the window as he passes the house and unlocks the one next to it.

"Welcome home," Kyoko calls from somewhere upstairs, while Haru is sleeping on the couch with a mound of half-finished clothes burying her.

Ryohei beams and bounds up the stairs, dragging his little sister off the bed and swinging her around in glee, uncaring of the book that she drops.

It's the first time she's called this place home.