Undead Feelings

Chapter 2

A/N: I'm surprised with the amount of feedback from the first chapter! Since Zombieland Saga is still new and coming out with new episodes, there still isn't much we know about the characters and whatnot. So if there are some inaccuracies, sorry about that, I'm trying to match the characters as best as I can with little information~

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[Based on events during episode 4]

The girls were settling down in their hotel room they were staying in, having just put on a small show at the venue, performing one of their only songs really. Despite that, the audience seemed entertained as they cheered for the seven of them on stage, holding up their hands in sync for the finishing pose as they panted lightly from singing and dancing, microphones in hand.

"Remember what Kotaro said, we can't go in the hot springs." Ai reminded all of them as she set her futon down on the floor, smoothing it out.

During the day, they all had a chance to use a foot bath together which felt very relaxing. But they all knew soaking in the hot springs at the resort they were staying at would be better. However, their Director Kotaro specifically said not to use the hot springs as their makeup would wash off. Even then, if nobody was around they still couldn't try them out as there was a risk they could be caught.

"I knowwww." Lily pouted, laying down on her futon, upset that she couldn't play in the hot spring. She was the youngest out of Franchouchou, being only 12 when she died. That didn't stop her energetic personality though, after all, she was still a child.

The girls of Franchouchou had some time to themselves before going to bed, their show having ended not too long ago. They'd definitely come together as a group even though they haven't been with each other for very long. Sakura certainly saw improvement with all of them, but they still had a long way to go. She thought back to their performance, that feeling coming back to her, with all of them up on that stage. She still couldn't describe it, but it made her feel happy, that all of them were working together.

Sakura laid her futon out next to Saki's who was sitting cross legged, running her hands through her long blonde hair. She noticed something off though. Their oldest member, Yugiri wasn't in the room yet her futon was laid out.

"Where's Yugiri?" Sakura asked, the other girls looking around the room as well, seeing that their fellow idol member was nowhere to be seen.

"I think she said she was going outside for a minute?" Junko inquired as she made her way to the bathroom to change out of her shirt and skirt.

Sakura left their room in search for Yugiri, still wearing her makeup of course to conceal the fact that she was a zombie. Curious to where she had gone, she ventured down the hallway, figuring she'd check one of the outdoor hot springs, just in case. She slid open the door and peeked her head out, spotting the courtesan sitting on the edge of the hot spring, dipping her feet into the steaming water. Yugiri still had her makeup on which was a relief to Sakura as she slid the door closed behind her. Yugiri was wearing a plain looking yukata, one the hotel provided for them, it was hanging off her shoulder just a bit.

"Yugiri, what are you doing?" Sakura asked as she approached the older girl, sitting down next to her and dipping her feet in the water as well. Just putting her feet in the hot spring water felt rejuvenating, it was much different than the foot baths they all did earlier that day.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air is all." Yugiri answered simply, placing her long pipe that she frequently had with her between her lips, taking a deep breath before blowing out a cloud of smoke.

"I wouldn't really call that fresh air..." Sakura thought to herself, smiling awkwardly as she watched the smoke dissipate into the air, "I-I see, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay." she said aloud.

"It's nice of you to worry about me." Yugiri smiled gently in return, being grateful for the young girl's kindness. She was from a completely different time period than the rest of the girls, having been alive all the way back during the Meiji Restoration. A part of her felt a little out of place but everyone in Franchouchou had opened up more and she appreciated Sakura looking out for her.

"I-It's no problem.." Sakura dismissed, all of a sudden feeling so nervous around Yugiri. It was just the two of them sitting outside with their feet soaking in the hot spring. She had never really talked one on one much with the courtesan, so there was a lot of tension in the air. She felt her face warm up a little, she couldn't tell if it was from her embarrassment or the steam coming from the water.

"Our show went well, don't you think?" Yugiri suddenly brought up, breathing out another cloud, the whisps of smoke curling away from her lips.

"Y-Yeah it did! It was a lot of fun too..." Sakura replied, looking off to the side. She couldn't help but feel like their conversation was so formal. They were all friends in Franchouchou so she shouldn't feel this anxious...

"Is something wrong?" Yugiri asked, catching onto the tension and nervousness coming from Sakura.

"W-Well..." the young girl started, figuring she'd be honest of they were all friends and a part of the same idol group, "I feel like I just have to be so formal around you, personally like this.." she admitted, feeling like she should respect Yugiri more since she was older.

"Don't worry, Sakura, there's no need to be so formal. We're all equal in the group, correct? Because of that, we can be ourselves, there can be an absence of honorifics." Yugiri spoke elegantly showing just how sophisticated she was. Sakura wouldn't say she was still stuck in her time period, but the way she spoke was so dignified and full of wisdom.

"Yeah, okay..." Sakura agreed with her, realizing the courtesan was right. If they were to all make it successfully as an idol group, then they all had to be equal. Just another step in growing closer as a group.

"Hey Yugiri? How do you feel about the whole zombie thing?" Sakura decided to ask, curious to hear her thoughts on the matter.

"Hmm? Well, I think it's certainly interesting. I'm still getting used to how everything is currently."

"Do you have any idea on how we became zombies?"

"I'm afraid not, apologies that I can't answer that."

"N-No it's fine! I wasn't really expecting you to know, it seems like the other girls don't either." Sakura sighed, looking down at her feet in the water. She was honestly amazed that she was brought back to life and she could still function like how she was when she was alive. But it was hard to wrap her head around it all. The thing that bothered her more was that she couldn't remember much when she was still living.

"We should head back for bed, it's getting quite late." Yugiri suggested, taking her feet out of the water, the makeup around her ankles beginning to wash off.

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