Yuugao Zombie-fic Part II
I posted the first part a long time ago and this has been sitting around waiting for me to finish it or post it. My brain power to finish it may take a bit to summon up, but here's what I had written.
Title:
Fandom: au!Naruto
Characters: Yuugao, Sai, Tenzou
Word Count: 2,382
Rating: PG13 Has some mention of gore and violence.
Summary: With two added to her party, Yuugao isn't sure she wants any more surprises.
Author's Notes: A continuation of this.
They were just finishing up something akin to breakfast when they heard the roar of an engine, coming their way. Yuugao stopped fussing with her re-hydrated scrambled eggs and looked to the boarded up window, still too used to her house before the zombies.
“Were you expecting anyone?” she asked, looking to both men.
Tenzou shook his head, and Sai kept his gaze out the window where he had been standing guard. Yuugao and her father had been rushing when they boarded up all the windows, so while there were gaps large enough to see through, no zombie had yet found it possible to get through. Then again, she had stayed up and out of reach the entire time. The luxury of being able to lower her focus inside the house was still a novelty for Yuugao and she couldn’t completely settle down. This new appearance certainly didn’t help.
“Red truck, can’t see the plates.” Sai squinted. “Three, maybe four people.”
Yuugao’s hand went to the rifle she had leaned against the table and she jumped when Tenzou set his hand on hers. She looked up at him with wide eyes and forced her heart to slow when he just shook his head.
“We’ll handle this. Marauders wouldn’t announce themselves so blatantly.”
Unless they thought no one was home. But she just nodded and went to the window to the right. Tenzou ducked down to see through the gap Sai had been using and nodded after examining the view for a few seconds.
"You take the roof, Yuugao. Bring your rifle and all of your gear. We'll handle the negotiations."
She bristled at the idea. They would handle the negotiations at her house? That she had been standing guard over for the past six days? "There's no reason to shuttle me out of sight, Tenzou."
"There's plenty of things going on out there that are downright unpleasant," Sai murmured and then looked back at her with a darker gaze than she'd ever seen on him. "Trust us, Yuugao. You'll be safer on the roof."
"From what? You already said they aren't marauders." This was not the time for chauvinism.
"On the roof, girl," Tenzou pointed at the stairs and gave her a stern frown. "Once we're sure they're not a threat you can come back down. Now go, they're nearly to the driveway."
She could hear that, but didn't want to make one of them haul her bodily out of sight. Fine, they could make her go hide for a while, but that didn't mean she couldn't go play sniper on the roof. Besides, there might be more zombies wandering in with so much noise from the second truck. Yuugao stepped back to her pack and slung it over her shoulder, "Fine." Hefting the rest of her gear, she headed up the stairs, but not before giving them both one more glance.
Tenzou jerked his head in a gesture for her to continue and Sai stayed put, his hand resting lightly on the pistol on his hip. Up she went, her temper still simmering. What were they both so scared of? Wasn't it best to team up with more people? That would mean more eyes to keep watch and yes, more mouths to feed, but they weren't in any risk of starving just yet. And the zombies hadn't gone after any deer that she'd seen, so there could still be plenty of wild game to eat. Maybe even some livestock if the farmers hadn't killed them or starved the animals in the madness. Then again, maybe the deer were just too fast.
By the time she reached the roof, Tenzou had stepped outside to greet these newcomers and she knew Sai had to be ready to shoot as he waited inside the house. The truck was mud splattered and bore some of the same scratches that Tenzou's had. The man that stepped out of the driver's seat looked to be about her father's age - but was much more concerned about his appearance. His black hair looked shiny still, the low-slung ponytail almost as long as her own. It irked a part of her vanity to see a man looking more polished than her in the midst of all this chaos. She hadn't been able to bathe really, but had done the bare necessities. He wore city clothes - that much was obvious from how fresh they still looked.
He spoke quietly with Tenzou, smiling an awful lot for anyone who had lived through at least one zombie attack. After a few minutes, Tenzou invited them inside and she felt increasingly on edge as she got to examine the man's two companions. The first had light gray hair, glasses, and looked like he belonged in a laboratory, not the woods. To top off his creepiness, he looked far too young for his hair color. The second also had oddly light hair, as if it were a blond bleach job that had made his hair go white. He looked passive and neutral - so much so that she worried about him immediately. Why was Tenzou letting these people into her house? She certainly wasn't sure if they were a threat or not.
After waiting another minute and getting no call to come down, Yuugao was fed up. She crept downstairs with a stealth that had served her well - before it would have gotten her a clandestine midnight snack. Now it let her listen to the conversation without being noticed.
"...looks like you have a lot of supplies here. Are the grounds fairly secure?" This came from an unknown man. Likely one of the last two men to enter. The first man's voice had been quiet, but far more smooth than this.
"Secure enough. But we haven't been here very long. Staying quiet has done us a lot of good," said Sai.
"Mm, then who piled up all of those corpses?" This had to be the first man; the tone felt like the online professor who had put her to sleep during her freshman year.
"The previous occupant. There's still a car in the garage; the keys are even here in the kitchen. Our best guess is that they made it for a while, but ran on foot or were turned."
Yuugao couldn't stop the flinch at just how accurate Tenzou's words were. Aside from her, he hadn't said a single lie. The reminder of her father's end still pained her and while she could understand why Tenzou would act nonchalant, it still hurt. His body was decaying on the back porch - not even twenty feet away. She clutched his rifle a little tighter and exhaled silently. He had taught her too well for her to give herself away so easily.
"Were you planning on staying here then?" the first man asked. "We would appreciate getting a cut of the supplies if you're willing to spare them and want us gone."
She could feel the tension rise and got ready to move. Most of the food stores were up in the extra room on the second floor. They would have to pass by her to get to them and she was supposed to be on the roof still. Sneaking downstairs was one thing; racing up to stay hidden was quite a bit noisier with these stairs. The silence dragged on and she could almost hear the rustle of clothing from a shrug. Or what she assumed was one.
"There are still quite a few of those monsters in the area, so we certainly don't want to stay here forever. Did you have a destination in mind? We might tag along," Tenzou said.
Yuugao let herself relax by degrees; if Tenzou was proposing teaming up she could likely come out of hiding soon. He wouldn't make such an offer to anyone he trusted.
"West, most likely," the first man said.
"Orochimaru," the second said, his voice low and only hinting at the irritation he felt.
"Shh," Orochimaru - the first man - continued. "The last radio broadcast we heard indicated that they seemed to be coming from the East. We figure we'll try and make a stand somewhere out there. A little more open space, a few more secure buildings."
"Sounds like a better plan than we had." Tenzou said. "We've got one more stop we wanted to make, but it's unlikely the old coot's even alive still."
"Oh? Who were you looking for?" the second man asked.
Sai spoke up first. "An old friend. Kakashi Hatake - he went by the name The White Fang, if you know your military lore."
"I have heard of him," Orochimaru's voice seemed almost amused. "Think we drove past his place. There wasn't much left of it."
"Not much chance of seeing if he fled then," Tenzou murmured.
"Mind if we go look at what supplies you do have?" Orochimaru asked, stepping closer.
He reached the creaky floorboard that was within her view and she acted on instinct. The rifle was ready and in position as she stayed crouched on the stairs, her focus never wavering as she finally got a closer look at Orochimaru. He stiffened at the sight of her and slowly put up his hands in the universal sign for defenselessness.
"I don't believe we've met, miss."
She heard Tenzou sigh. "I told you to stay on the roof for a reason."
"This isn't your house," she muttered, never taking her eyes off of this man who made her skin crawl. The longer she saw him, the more she felt herself start to feel lulled. And Dad had always insisted that lulling was false. And this man could lull like she'd never seen.
"No, but your father would want me to look out for you," Tenzou said, coming over to stand beside Orochimaru - he had wisely not moved. "Put down the gun, girl."
She shifted her gaze to Tenzou, but Orochimaru was still her gun's target. "Not until I feel safe."
Orochimaru smiled. "I can't promise you I'm unarmed, but I can promise you these bullets are meant for zombies."
That didn't mean his hands couldn't do other things - but Yuugao said nothing, only continued to glare at him.
"I wouldn't test her," Sai said from out of her view. "She's been out here a long time by herself."
A light came into Orochimaru's eyes that unnerved her even more - as if he was contemplating something dark and dangerous. And despite that, Sai's words started to sink into her mind. She had been alone for days - stuck watching hordes of zombies dotted with familiar faces assault the house or simply walk by in search of more obvious prey. She had lived with the knowledge that her father lay rotting on her back porch and she had been forced to leave him there. The ground hadn't been safe and she went on alert at shadows.
Was she paranoid?
Tenzou had moved closer when she wasn't watching - how had she missed it? - and pointed the rifle down. He didn't try to take it, a wise decision since she instinctively jerked back and ripped the gun out of his reach. But it had jolted her out of her train of thought and she no longer had the weapon pointed at anyone. The gray haired man had moved closer and she bristled as he looked over her. Something about his eyes made her skin crawl. She didn't like the situation, but it would be foolish to let what could be paranoia drive away possible allies.
Sai introduced her and seemed to smooth things out by explaining that "they had been to town and seen what kinds of things could happen to women like her", but silenced her with a glance when she was about to ask just what he was referring to. Why was she at greater risk than they? Yuugao was still on high alert and since the other men simply nodded in understanding she had no chance to get any more clues about the situation out there.
The gray haired man was named Kabuto and the other was Kimimaro. The latter was mostly quiet, watchful, and insanely dedicated to Orochimaru - she found that much obvious within five minutes of meeting them all. The men discussed tactics and went over the house's security in the first hour, leaving her with Kabuto to go over the food stores. It was quiet work and kept her busy. She did consent to set down her rifle, but kept her hunting knife well hidden and within easy reach. Similar small bulges on Kabuto's figure left her sure that he was at least marginally armed. That was just as well; it meant he wasn't an idiot either.
Watches were established, supplies all accounted for, and while she felt herself bristle, Yuugao didn't complain. She was the only one who knew about the secret doorway in the attic that held even more stores. If these guys turned out to be trouble she could hide out for a time and then return for the extras in the dark. It would be an awful ordeal, but she did feel better knowing that she had an emergency stash that belonged to her alone.
Seeing Orochimaru try on her dad's winter hunting coat made her blood boil, but Sai's tight grip on her arm kept her silent. Deep down she knew he was gone, but the wounds were still too fresh for her to feel comfortable for a family friend to be trying on his clothes. Let alone some stranger that unnerved her despite his kind words and the assurances from Tenzou that he seemed like an all right guy.
They agreed to shifts for watching at night - one from each party. Once again she was paired up with Kabuto and it did little to relieve her. Though she was glad Sai had to deal with Kimimaro and Tenzou had Orochimaru. Not that Kabuto was much of a consolation prize, either. But at least she didn't doubt his creepiness and he seemed to have a brain and thoughts of his own. Kimimaro seemed to be a slightly more animate sort of zombie from what she'd seen of him.
Title:
Fandom: au!Naruto
Characters: Yuugao, Sai, Tenzou
Word Count: 2,382
Rating: PG13 Has some mention of gore and violence.
Summary: With two added to her party, Yuugao isn't sure she wants any more surprises.
Author's Notes: A continuation of this.
They were just finishing up something akin to breakfast when they heard the roar of an engine, coming their way. Yuugao stopped fussing with her re-hydrated scrambled eggs and looked to the boarded up window, still too used to her house before the zombies.
“Were you expecting anyone?” she asked, looking to both men.
Tenzou shook his head, and Sai kept his gaze out the window where he had been standing guard. Yuugao and her father had been rushing when they boarded up all the windows, so while there were gaps large enough to see through, no zombie had yet found it possible to get through. Then again, she had stayed up and out of reach the entire time. The luxury of being able to lower her focus inside the house was still a novelty for Yuugao and she couldn’t completely settle down. This new appearance certainly didn’t help.
“Red truck, can’t see the plates.” Sai squinted. “Three, maybe four people.”
Yuugao’s hand went to the rifle she had leaned against the table and she jumped when Tenzou set his hand on hers. She looked up at him with wide eyes and forced her heart to slow when he just shook his head.
“We’ll handle this. Marauders wouldn’t announce themselves so blatantly.”
Unless they thought no one was home. But she just nodded and went to the window to the right. Tenzou ducked down to see through the gap Sai had been using and nodded after examining the view for a few seconds.
"You take the roof, Yuugao. Bring your rifle and all of your gear. We'll handle the negotiations."
She bristled at the idea. They would handle the negotiations at her house? That she had been standing guard over for the past six days? "There's no reason to shuttle me out of sight, Tenzou."
"There's plenty of things going on out there that are downright unpleasant," Sai murmured and then looked back at her with a darker gaze than she'd ever seen on him. "Trust us, Yuugao. You'll be safer on the roof."
"From what? You already said they aren't marauders." This was not the time for chauvinism.
"On the roof, girl," Tenzou pointed at the stairs and gave her a stern frown. "Once we're sure they're not a threat you can come back down. Now go, they're nearly to the driveway."
She could hear that, but didn't want to make one of them haul her bodily out of sight. Fine, they could make her go hide for a while, but that didn't mean she couldn't go play sniper on the roof. Besides, there might be more zombies wandering in with so much noise from the second truck. Yuugao stepped back to her pack and slung it over her shoulder, "Fine." Hefting the rest of her gear, she headed up the stairs, but not before giving them both one more glance.
Tenzou jerked his head in a gesture for her to continue and Sai stayed put, his hand resting lightly on the pistol on his hip. Up she went, her temper still simmering. What were they both so scared of? Wasn't it best to team up with more people? That would mean more eyes to keep watch and yes, more mouths to feed, but they weren't in any risk of starving just yet. And the zombies hadn't gone after any deer that she'd seen, so there could still be plenty of wild game to eat. Maybe even some livestock if the farmers hadn't killed them or starved the animals in the madness. Then again, maybe the deer were just too fast.
By the time she reached the roof, Tenzou had stepped outside to greet these newcomers and she knew Sai had to be ready to shoot as he waited inside the house. The truck was mud splattered and bore some of the same scratches that Tenzou's had. The man that stepped out of the driver's seat looked to be about her father's age - but was much more concerned about his appearance. His black hair looked shiny still, the low-slung ponytail almost as long as her own. It irked a part of her vanity to see a man looking more polished than her in the midst of all this chaos. She hadn't been able to bathe really, but had done the bare necessities. He wore city clothes - that much was obvious from how fresh they still looked.
He spoke quietly with Tenzou, smiling an awful lot for anyone who had lived through at least one zombie attack. After a few minutes, Tenzou invited them inside and she felt increasingly on edge as she got to examine the man's two companions. The first had light gray hair, glasses, and looked like he belonged in a laboratory, not the woods. To top off his creepiness, he looked far too young for his hair color. The second also had oddly light hair, as if it were a blond bleach job that had made his hair go white. He looked passive and neutral - so much so that she worried about him immediately. Why was Tenzou letting these people into her house? She certainly wasn't sure if they were a threat or not.
After waiting another minute and getting no call to come down, Yuugao was fed up. She crept downstairs with a stealth that had served her well - before it would have gotten her a clandestine midnight snack. Now it let her listen to the conversation without being noticed.
"...looks like you have a lot of supplies here. Are the grounds fairly secure?" This came from an unknown man. Likely one of the last two men to enter. The first man's voice had been quiet, but far more smooth than this.
"Secure enough. But we haven't been here very long. Staying quiet has done us a lot of good," said Sai.
"Mm, then who piled up all of those corpses?" This had to be the first man; the tone felt like the online professor who had put her to sleep during her freshman year.
"The previous occupant. There's still a car in the garage; the keys are even here in the kitchen. Our best guess is that they made it for a while, but ran on foot or were turned."
Yuugao couldn't stop the flinch at just how accurate Tenzou's words were. Aside from her, he hadn't said a single lie. The reminder of her father's end still pained her and while she could understand why Tenzou would act nonchalant, it still hurt. His body was decaying on the back porch - not even twenty feet away. She clutched his rifle a little tighter and exhaled silently. He had taught her too well for her to give herself away so easily.
"Were you planning on staying here then?" the first man asked. "We would appreciate getting a cut of the supplies if you're willing to spare them and want us gone."
She could feel the tension rise and got ready to move. Most of the food stores were up in the extra room on the second floor. They would have to pass by her to get to them and she was supposed to be on the roof still. Sneaking downstairs was one thing; racing up to stay hidden was quite a bit noisier with these stairs. The silence dragged on and she could almost hear the rustle of clothing from a shrug. Or what she assumed was one.
"There are still quite a few of those monsters in the area, so we certainly don't want to stay here forever. Did you have a destination in mind? We might tag along," Tenzou said.
Yuugao let herself relax by degrees; if Tenzou was proposing teaming up she could likely come out of hiding soon. He wouldn't make such an offer to anyone he trusted.
"West, most likely," the first man said.
"Orochimaru," the second said, his voice low and only hinting at the irritation he felt.
"Shh," Orochimaru - the first man - continued. "The last radio broadcast we heard indicated that they seemed to be coming from the East. We figure we'll try and make a stand somewhere out there. A little more open space, a few more secure buildings."
"Sounds like a better plan than we had." Tenzou said. "We've got one more stop we wanted to make, but it's unlikely the old coot's even alive still."
"Oh? Who were you looking for?" the second man asked.
Sai spoke up first. "An old friend. Kakashi Hatake - he went by the name The White Fang, if you know your military lore."
"I have heard of him," Orochimaru's voice seemed almost amused. "Think we drove past his place. There wasn't much left of it."
"Not much chance of seeing if he fled then," Tenzou murmured.
"Mind if we go look at what supplies you do have?" Orochimaru asked, stepping closer.
He reached the creaky floorboard that was within her view and she acted on instinct. The rifle was ready and in position as she stayed crouched on the stairs, her focus never wavering as she finally got a closer look at Orochimaru. He stiffened at the sight of her and slowly put up his hands in the universal sign for defenselessness.
"I don't believe we've met, miss."
She heard Tenzou sigh. "I told you to stay on the roof for a reason."
"This isn't your house," she muttered, never taking her eyes off of this man who made her skin crawl. The longer she saw him, the more she felt herself start to feel lulled. And Dad had always insisted that lulling was false. And this man could lull like she'd never seen.
"No, but your father would want me to look out for you," Tenzou said, coming over to stand beside Orochimaru - he had wisely not moved. "Put down the gun, girl."
She shifted her gaze to Tenzou, but Orochimaru was still her gun's target. "Not until I feel safe."
Orochimaru smiled. "I can't promise you I'm unarmed, but I can promise you these bullets are meant for zombies."
That didn't mean his hands couldn't do other things - but Yuugao said nothing, only continued to glare at him.
"I wouldn't test her," Sai said from out of her view. "She's been out here a long time by herself."
A light came into Orochimaru's eyes that unnerved her even more - as if he was contemplating something dark and dangerous. And despite that, Sai's words started to sink into her mind. She had been alone for days - stuck watching hordes of zombies dotted with familiar faces assault the house or simply walk by in search of more obvious prey. She had lived with the knowledge that her father lay rotting on her back porch and she had been forced to leave him there. The ground hadn't been safe and she went on alert at shadows.
Was she paranoid?
Tenzou had moved closer when she wasn't watching - how had she missed it? - and pointed the rifle down. He didn't try to take it, a wise decision since she instinctively jerked back and ripped the gun out of his reach. But it had jolted her out of her train of thought and she no longer had the weapon pointed at anyone. The gray haired man had moved closer and she bristled as he looked over her. Something about his eyes made her skin crawl. She didn't like the situation, but it would be foolish to let what could be paranoia drive away possible allies.
Sai introduced her and seemed to smooth things out by explaining that "they had been to town and seen what kinds of things could happen to women like her", but silenced her with a glance when she was about to ask just what he was referring to. Why was she at greater risk than they? Yuugao was still on high alert and since the other men simply nodded in understanding she had no chance to get any more clues about the situation out there.
The gray haired man was named Kabuto and the other was Kimimaro. The latter was mostly quiet, watchful, and insanely dedicated to Orochimaru - she found that much obvious within five minutes of meeting them all. The men discussed tactics and went over the house's security in the first hour, leaving her with Kabuto to go over the food stores. It was quiet work and kept her busy. She did consent to set down her rifle, but kept her hunting knife well hidden and within easy reach. Similar small bulges on Kabuto's figure left her sure that he was at least marginally armed. That was just as well; it meant he wasn't an idiot either.
Watches were established, supplies all accounted for, and while she felt herself bristle, Yuugao didn't complain. She was the only one who knew about the secret doorway in the attic that held even more stores. If these guys turned out to be trouble she could hide out for a time and then return for the extras in the dark. It would be an awful ordeal, but she did feel better knowing that she had an emergency stash that belonged to her alone.
Seeing Orochimaru try on her dad's winter hunting coat made her blood boil, but Sai's tight grip on her arm kept her silent. Deep down she knew he was gone, but the wounds were still too fresh for her to feel comfortable for a family friend to be trying on his clothes. Let alone some stranger that unnerved her despite his kind words and the assurances from Tenzou that he seemed like an all right guy.
They agreed to shifts for watching at night - one from each party. Once again she was paired up with Kabuto and it did little to relieve her. Though she was glad Sai had to deal with Kimimaro and Tenzou had Orochimaru. Not that Kabuto was much of a consolation prize, either. But at least she didn't doubt his creepiness and he seemed to have a brain and thoughts of his own. Kimimaro seemed to be a slightly more animate sort of zombie from what she'd seen of him.