ᴜɴᴅʏɪɴɢ ʟᴏᴠᴇ || ✔

~ { * 01 * } ~

   Hitoshi knew it had been coming eventually, the End of the World.
   Of course, he hadn't known that it would have crashed his usual Monday morning AA meeting, but then again, no one was ever truly prepared for the apocalypse. For 18 months, he'd been stuck on his own as the sole survivor after the rest of his meeting had been wiped out. He still had no idea how he'd managed to survive and don't ask him how the fuck he was still standing without a single drop of alcohol because he had no clue.
   He'd managed to stay clean the entire time that he'd been surviving, and it was a miracle that he was still standing.
   He was battered and bruised, sure, but still standing nonetheless.
   Hitoshi thanked whoever the fuck was above for his years as a police officer before he'd been forced to retire early after a takedown had gone sideways. After that, he'd been honourably discharged from duty, and then the drinking had started when the nightmares came. He'd been drunk way more often than sober, and when he'd quit, he'd started attending the meetings to help him cope. The added therapy sessions helped a lot too.
   The day everything went to shit, he'd received his one-year medallion, and not even the fucking apocalypse was going to change that. Over time, he'd found a way to turn his medallion into a necklace that he wore at all times. A reminder that he would never touch another drop of alcohol even during the worst of conditions.
   Most people said that no one would ever survive a zombie apocalypse alone. Well, they had never met Hitoshi, considering he'd survived for 18 months completely and utterly alone.
   His old home was a no-go with how many walkers had flooded the streets. The virus had spread quickly, like the plague, infecting everyone and everything in its path. It was a miracle that he'd never been infected himself, but then again, he probably was and just needed to die to find out for himself.
   He hated the idea. The tired male honestly thought that he'd spend the rest of his life alone.
   Well, for once, he was glad he was wrong.

~ { * } ~

   The walk along the rooftops was exhausting, he'd been scouring for supplies for hours now. He'd need to take cover soon with the rapidly setting sun that was slowly beginning to make its descent beyond the horizon.
   He wasn't leaving until he found what he needed. The last run-in he'd had with the walkers had torn a chunk out of his arm. He thanked Christ that he hadn't been bitten, that was the last thing he fucking needed right now. He was already starving, and clean water wasn't exactly the easiest thing to find in the middle of the city.
   Tokyo was like a ghost town these days, with not a single car or person in sight save for the lingering walkers below the rooftops. He'd had enough run-ins with the walkers to know to stay off the ground whenever he could.
   A scuffle of movement made the tired male whirl around with his pipe hammer at the ready, a hastily made weapon after he'd lost his last one in a turf battle with lingering survivors. He didn't do groups, these days they were just greedy and wouldn't hesitate to kill one of their own if it suited them.
   He listened closely, indigo eyes darting around to spot the source of the movement.
   Clatter.
   He whipped around to the source of the noise, watching the stray pebble bounce near his foot until it settled. That didn't move by itself, more likely thrown as a distraction.
   "If you come out now, I won't splatter the roof with your brain." The words left his lips through gritted teeth.
   "Now that sounds just awful, doesn't it?" He turned to the source of the female voice, meeting a single ocean iris peeking out from behind an air vent. "How do I know you won't do what you said anyway if I show myself?" She asked, and he hummed, resting his hammer on his shoulder.
   "Depends on who you are," he replied, offering her a shrug.
   "You would hurt a woman?" She asked, and he couldn't help but snort.
   "Only if that woman tried to hurt me first," he mused, tilting his head.
   She stepped out into the open, crooking her head. "I suppose we have a temporary truce then, don't we?"
   "Seems we do," he mused, eyeing her over. Her long hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and her outfit was dangerously close to rags. "Jeez, what happened to you?"
   She offered him a shrug, slinging a long, flat nail-covered bat over her shoulder. "You have to do what's necessary to survive, yeah?"
   "True," he commented, stepping forward, and she mimicked him. "But clothes are pretty much a steal these days."
   Her scoff of laughter filled his ears. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?" She joked, tilting her head almost playfully as she reached to pull down her bottom eyelid. "You don't look too perfect either, Eye Bags."
   He couldn't help the light laugh that tumbled from his lips. Fuck, it's been a while since anyone's called me that one.
   "Fair enough," he relented, allowing his hammer to fall at his side. "What kinda bat is that? Never seen one look like that before."
   Her gaze fell to her nail-covered bat. "It's a rugby bat," she explained almost fondly. "It's meant for sport." She met his gaze after a moment, her lips curling ever so slightly. "Your hammer is rather interesting."
   His gaze fell to his hammer with a soft breath of laughter. "Last group who took me in stole half my shit, including my weapon, so I had to make this one in a rush."
   "A pipe hammer is a good weapon for the situation at hand," she commented, and he hummed in agreement.
   "Yeah," he mused. "It gets the job done."
   "I'm sorry about your last group," she added, and he met her gaze curiously. "Most people these days are barbaric, not a single ounce of courtesy or respect."
   "You said it," he laughed lightly. "I'm Hitoshi."
   Her gaze softened. "Anna," she replied, bowing her head.
   He tilted his head curiously. "You by yourself?" She nodded. "Shit, I wasn't expecting a woman to survive by themselves."
   Her gaze hardened in an instant when a scoff left her lips. "You think because I'm a woman I can't take care of myself?"
   He shook his head, a soft huff of laughter tumbling from his lips. Fuck, he hadn't laughed so much in a while. It was refreshing to finally have someone to talk to, especially someone who wasn't trying to kill him.
   "Never said that," he promised, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm just surprised you're by yourself. Usually, girls are the first people to double up or take refuge in numbers when shit hits the fan."
   She pondered his words for a moment. "True," she replied. "However, I've never really needed anyone else. You could say I don't handle authority very well." She added nonchalantly with a shrug, and he snorted out loud.
   "Neither do I," he admitted, and her giggle melted his heart.
   Fuck, that was such a cute sound.
   "Seems we have something in common, don't we?"
   He hummed. "Seems we do," he replied. "Sun's going down," he added, turning his gaze to the rapidly fading sunlight. "We should take cover for the night."
   "We?" She repeated curiously, and he shrugged.
   "If you want," he added sheepishly. "Wanna stick together?"
   Usually, he'd never ask a stranger to stick around, but this woman looked harmless enough. She was pretty small in size, but there was something about her that seemed to brighten the entire world around him. He didn't want to find out how hard she could swing that deadly-looking bat of hers, the nails were crusted with dried blood, and the wood was stained red from constant use.
   "I've got a place nearby that we can use." She hummed, thinking it over for a moment before her gaze softened.
   "Why not," she mused, offering him a soft smile that made him melt. Fuck, her smile was just as cute as her giggles. "I've got nowhere else I need to be anyway, might as well. You seem harmless enough."
   "Careful," he chuckled when she approached fully to stand in front of him. "I might just surprise you."
   Her smile turned downright wicked when she added, "So will I."
   He couldn't help but grin, thrusting his head in the direction he'd been going. "C'mon, it's not far."