Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Fushiguro Megumi slowly opened his eyes, swallowing back the saliva that pooled in his mouth whilst he was asleep. Adjusting himself to lean against his father— Fushiguro Toji, Megumu felt his fathers arm wrapped around himself and the other, probably around his sister, Fushiguro Tsumiki.

Megumi pushed himself up with his forearms to see the fresh snow that held to the edges of the parking garage. The car was freezing despite the blankets the three wrapped around themselves, the door was cracked to keep circulation going, the car couldn’t turn on anymore.

The young boy laid back down and looked at his father, then to his sister. His father was awake, looking at the ceiling of the car, a photo hung from a tac Toji poked into the ceiling.

The photo was from the year before in September, they had gone out to the creek, the children’s mother held them tightly with a bright smile on her face, Toji was submerged in the water, laughing.

His wife was mauled to death during the incident on December 24th. The rest of the Fushiguro family ended up in a parking garage outside of Tokyo, there was a community in Tokyo but it wasn’t much better than scavenging for your own food and shelter. Ration cards that didn’t get you enough for the week, you split an apartment with 6 other people and you can’t leave— legally, not that anyone could do anything about it once you were gone.

Toji looked down at Megumi and the elder smiled, “Morning.”

“Hey.” Megumi sat up and tugged the blanket towards himself, uncovering Tsumiki.

“Your sisters still sleeping, stop.” Toji yanked the blanket back onto Tsumiki.

Megumi grumbled and crawled away from his family, curling up in the corner of the trunk.

“Megs, come back, we’ll get up soon, we need more food anyway, you two can come with.”

“Actually? We can come?” Megumi smiled slightly at the sound of that.

“Yeah.” Toji pulled the blanket for some room for his son and they laid back down.

The sun was shining directly in their faces when they got out of the car. Tsumiki dressed herself and Megumi whilst Toji scoped the area for alive deads.

When Toji came back clear, they made their way down and out of the parking garage. Megumi had barely been outside of the parking garage, Toji was scared of losing his kids after his wife. Tsumiki could tell that Toji was going a little crazy though, he would stay up all night just staring at her and Megumi.

Breaking the young girls thought, Toji lifted both her and Megumi up into his arms.

“Stay close.” He whispered.

Tsumiki smiled and hugged wrapped her arms around Tojis neck. Megumi burrowed his face against Tojis chest, the bright snow made it hard to see, especially because Megumi hadn’t been outside of the parking garage since they got there, he wasn’t tall enough to look over the barrier of the garage either.

The three walked for a while until Tsumiki fussed to get down, not even a block later, Megumi was fussing to get down as well. Tsumiki held Megumis hand tightly as Toji walked through the abandoned stores, killing any undeads with ease.

Toji grinned as he saw a store with food on the shelves. “C’mon, quick.” He rushed them to the store, entering through some broken glass.

Tsumiki tried running Megumi along but his legs couldn’t go that fast. Megumi tripped and landed in the snow. As Tsumiki tried to get her brother up, she heard yelling from the store and gunshots firing through the window.

An undead croaked and started running for the children, Tsumiki shoved Megumi up and they tried running into the store where Toji was.

The undead grabbed at the girl and started wailing on her body, Megumi backed away slowly, her cries and screams attacking his eardrums until Tsumiki was no longer breathing.

Megumi heard two more gunshots blast from his left, the young boys ears were ringing so hard his head started pounding and he started to cry.

Someone walked to Megumi and slowly picked him up. Megumi couldn’t help but lean into the touch, no matter who it was, the young boy was placed over the mans shoulder and Megumi watched as his sisters body moved and shifted towards Megumi.

Megumi tried to struggle away from the man and noticed white hair, his father didn’t have grey hair, let alone white hair.

The boy let out a soft gasp and his eyes widened as he tried to look at the mans face.

A meek voice came into hearing range, “Who are you?”

The older man adjusted the younger boy for them to see each others faces, “I’m Gojo Satoru, you’re Megumi?”

Megumi nodded silently and looked at Gojos face before laying back against him.

Gojo contemplated with himself, should he just leave the kid? The kid didn’t seem very skilled or anything but he looked to be three years old and was now—severely traumatized. Gojo shanked his father or whatever he was to death, a zombie killed his sister and would’ve gotten Megumi if Gojo wasn’t there. The kid surely would die if Gojo didn’t protect him, maybe the kid could be useful at some point.

Megumi napped against Gojo and Gojo tracked through the snow, he walked into a store and grabbed a puzzle to do whilst he was bored and waiting for the sun to set. The older man walked into an office building, walked up the stairs to a couch and settled in.

He laid Megumi on the cushion, set up his zombie traps and started on his puzzle. Megumi started to stir a few moments after he was laid down. The boy sat up and gazed at Gojo before remembering his sister, his father.

Megumi crawled off the couch and sat next to Gojo. The white haired man looked at Megumis face and smiled a little.

“You like puzzles?”

Megumi looked at the table and shrugged.

“Then come and help.” Gojo chuckled and watched as Megumi tried to help Gojo with the puzzle— the kid actually put together a few things, the sun went down before the boys could finish it.

“Good job, Megs.”

Megumi went quiet again and Gojo picked the boy up and they laid down together. The nights were always the coldest part, it was silent instead of the old Tokyo where some sort of background noise was always present. Plus, Gojo remembered who he had to leave behind during the first wave, who left him behind— he swore he wouldn’t do anything like that again, but he was here with a kid.

Whatever, he couldn’t change what he did.

When Megumi woke up, eleven years had passed and he barely remembered anything. He remembered his sister briefly, not her face or anything but she was kind and warm. Nothing from his father or his mother either. As far as Megumi was concerned, Gojo was his family, his father, his brother and his friend.

Satoru grinned and pointed to the map, “Look, I’m pretty sure we’re in the Kobe area, probably a few more winters and we’re at Hiroshima.”

Megumi rolled his eyes. “Maybe you can rename it Gojo Land.”

The older man grinned widely and grabbed Megumi in his elbow, “Now you’re speaking my language, Megs.”

Megumi shoved Gojo off with an annoyed smile. “This is good hunting land, stop here?”

Gojo looked around and nodded, unloading his rifle from his shoulder. “Mm.”

Megumi held his pistol against his thigh and they lowered to start getting a meal for the day. Gojo waited until a bunny came into view, taking the shot, the animal let out this high pitched sob before dropping dead. Satoru got up and walked to the animal.

“Looks like we have some rabbit stew tonight, what vegetables do you think are around here?” Gojo grinned as he gently picked up the small corpse.

There was no response, no noise of confirmation either, Gojo looked around and couldn’t find Megumi.

“Megs?” Gojo walked around curiously, getting more urgent with his callings. He looked around and let out a short gasp when he was suddenly stabbed in the gut from the back, a hand came up to silence him, he tried to struggle but he could feel himself losing it before his vision faded.

Just moments before Gojo shot the rabbit, Megumi got tripped and shoved into the snow. An unknown person wrapping rough hands around the teens neck, while the younger struggled, the snow buried him deeper, fingertips started poking into his jugular and airway simultaneously. Being filled with adrenaline didn’t mean shit when you can’t catch your breath.

Megumi tried his best but he fell to the pressure.

Chapter Text

Nanami Kento was the ripe age of 22 when the apocalypse hit. He had been working for a finance company that helped rich people with their money. In mid December, 2102, he was flown out to Sendai for a client.

 

Nanami woke up on Christmas Morning— rather peacefully from his hotel, an alert came ringing through his phone. The message popped up, “Emergency: Stay indoors and close all windows, do not let anyone leave or enter residence anywhere. There is an outbreak of severe disease in the Tokyo metro. Check media.”

Nanami immediately went to check a news website and the only thing that came up was Tokyo being torn down by gored people. The man on the news was speaking rapidly about fungi and old interviews with doctors.

Ophiocordyceps was the only word that caught his ear.

He had heard that word before, almost exactly a year before, a small group of people had been exposed to the fungi— Kento's best friend included, that best friend died in quarantine.

The skin on the other things looked yellow and green, weird spores coming through exposed parts of the face. The things on TV moved in this erratic manner, it looked like the things had never walked before but that it was also painful to do so.

Those things looked nothing like his best friend in his final moments. Haibara’s skin had a grey undertone, sunken eyes, and his hair started to fall out to the softest touch. Not a week later Haibara’s legs started to give out and would twitch uncontrollably, according to Haibara, he had sensation in his legs but the muscles in his legs could do what Yu wanted them too.

Nanami woke up one morning to a call from the hospital, Haibara had passed away in the night. Kento drove to the hospital immediately and met with Yu’s mother. They were allowed to see him through the glass of the quarantine room.

Yu’s bottom half was missing, cuts littered his skinny face. Nanami took a deep breath as he watched the unmoving body. Yu’s mother held Nanami’s hand tightly as she cried.

The doctor explained to Nanami and Nanami only. During the night, Haibara had somehow gotten out of the quarantine zone, found a tray of surgical equipment and started cutting his lower half off.

On security footage, Yu’s eyes were glazed over, Yu’s legs moved like they had never walked before, the limbs were so skinny that he continuously fell down. Through the camera, the man stumbled into an empty surgical room, found a scalpel and plunged it into the front of his lower torso.

Yu pulled the tool from bladder to hip bone before his legs started up again, pulling and tugging on Yu’s lifeless body until the only thing that was keeping the two halves together were the discs in his back.

Nanami nor his mother were allowed to keep any part of Haibara. His body had to be kept in quarantine and disposed of.

They held a memorial ceremony for Yu, his mother never found out what actually happened to her son.

Nanami knew and it haunted him everyday, he would work himself to exhaustion to try and not have nightmares of Yu’s face when his body was working so hard against him. Even when life left his body, Yu looked tired, when he laid on that hospital bed, he looked exhausted.

The nihilistic view Nanami held didn’t help, even more so now. Everyone describes death as being this calm event that relaxes your body gently. But pain riddled Haibara's body and face, his body didn’t look relaxed, his whole body looked tense. Yu tried to get Nanami to not see life in this meaningless way but once you start to think about life, about what it means to you, what values you hold, you arrive at nothing.

Nanami got this job before Haibara died, but his job became his escape in a way, it gave him something else to think about. Mind numbing work that made his life less noticeable.

A knock at the door broke whatever trance Nanami was in. He got up slowly from his bed and rolled his shoulders before stepping to the chain latch. He pulled the small nub to the side before opening the door.

The receptionist stood at the door and smiled kindly. “Hello Sir.”

“Hello.”

“Have you seen the news or heard anything?”

“Yes, I have.” There was no other thing this woman could be talking about.

“We are locking our doors, no civilians are allowed inside or out. The hotel will provide one meal a day.”

Nanami nodded, “Thank you.”

The woman gave the man a small piece of paper that said “meal card.”

Kento sighed and closed the door, going to his suitcase and pulling out some clothes.

He slowly got dressed and walked downstairs to collect his meal.

There was only one family in the meal area, a woman, a man, both looked to be older than Nanami and what appeared to be the man's father considering they had the same pink hair.

Nanami gave the meal card to the man at the counter of the kitchen and he got a plate of eggs and bacon. He sat down to eat, doing so quietly.

After around two and half months, the woman’s pregnancy started to show more and more. The soon to be grandfather had started to take a liking to Nanami and he would now eat meals with the family.

The woman’s name was Itadori Kaori.

The man's name was Itadori Jin.

Jin’s fathers name was Itadori Wasuke.

Kaori was excited for her son to come into the world but she was absolutely terrified of giving birth, especially since the hotel housed not one person who knew anything besides first aid.

Jin was absolutely ecstatic for his son to come into this world.

Wasuke confessed to Nanami one afternoon, he didn’t like Kaori, he thought she was cursed. A couple days later, Kaori started having contractions, they slid her into a tub in a vacant room where she could start going into labor. She was in labor for two days, everyone was over the whole thing and just wanted the baby out.

During her labor, Nanami was in the kitchen talking with Jin as they got some water for the (hopefully) soon to be mother when blood curdling screams came from the room she was birthing in. Nanami grabbed a butcher knife and ran to the room, only to be met with a grim sight.

An undead had gotten into the hotel and to Kaori. Nanami quickly started swinging the blade towards the undead, barely getting away unbitten as the corpse fell. Jin stood in the doorway, watching his wife as she struggled to breathe due to the damage in her neck.

The residents in the hotel started to come downstairs as Nanami tried to keep her breathing and pushing. Multiple people ran off, yelling about how they were going to puke and the amount of blood there was.
Jin held Kaori’s hand, cupping her cheek and kissing her tenderly despite the flesh torn from her face and neck.

Kaori died that day. Nanami cut into her body to find that the baby boy had got stuck on her pelvis, but he was alive, crying and screaming.

Nanami picked the boy up, slicing the umbilical cord with the knife and dropping it in the tub, he raised his arms to start rocking the baby. Jin kissed his wife’s face slowly, blood starting to smudge on his lips and cheek.

Wasuke walked in slowly and watched his son kiss Kaori with disappointment tracing his features.

“Son.”

Jin looked up slowly to see his father.

“She’s dead.” Wasuke stared at Jin, the blood staining his lips.

Nanami unbuttoned his shirt and wrapped the baby, bringing him to another room to clean the boy up.

Kento swallowed as he wiped some blood from the baby's body. Jin started to yell at his father and Nanami left the room to use a tub and clean the boy.

The baby started to settle down a little as Nanami washed the fluid from his body.

Kento gently patted the baby dry and held him close as Jin walked into the other bathroom.

“Kento?” Jin murmured softly.

Nanami let out a hum and looked up at Jin.

“Can I hold him?”

“He’s your baby, not mine.” Nanami offered the baby and Jin held the little swaddle close to his chest.

Kento took a step to gaze at the baby, murmuring softly, “what’s his name?”

Jin stroked the baby's head, his thumb grazing the pink hair that poked out on top. “Itadori Yuji.” He smiled a little.

“Yuji looks like you.” Kento smiled a little and Jin nodded, “Let’s go get cleaned up.” Nanami murmured as he slid past the father.

Jin followed Nanami, the two ignoring the people asking about the baby, about Kaori.

Nanami got to his room and shakily took off his undershirt and pants, only then did he realize how badly his hands were shaking. He sighed and went to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and going back to his bed to lay it on his eyes. His glasses were probably broken in that gory room where Kaori laid. He felt the blood running in his ears as he laid down, the headache hit him hard and he groaned.

Nanami had finally started to fall asleep when a crying baby and a tired father walked into his room.

“Kento?” Jin whispered.

Nanami groaned and took the towel from his eyes.

“Yuji won’t stop crying.”

“Go see if anyone can breastfeed.”

Jin swallowed and nodded, sitting down on the bed.

“You’re still in your clothes.” Kento sat up.

“You’re not wearing any.” Jin smiled a little.

“I wasn’t expecting visitors.” Nanami got up and grabbed two shirts, tossing one to Jin and started pulling the other onto himself. “We also need to start thinking about where that weak spot was in the hotel and patch it.”

Jin waited til Nanami was clothed and handed the baby to the blonde. The pink haired man slowly unbuttoned his shirt and wiped the blood off his hands with the cloth, then pulled on the other shirt.

Nanami slowly took the bloody clothes and tossed them into the trash. The three of them walked down and found a staff member, asking him if he knew of any guest/resident who could breast feed.

The man promised he would ask around. Jin slowly walked to the room that his wife died in, locking it from the inside. Kento gently rubbed his shoulder and sighed.

Yuji stopped crying suddenly and looked up at Jin.

Nanami chuckled and handed him back, Yuji stared up at his father as they walked to the main room. Jin laid on the couch, holding Yuji tightly. Kento brought over a blanket and laid it over the two before he made himself comfortable on an armchair.

Six springs later and Yuji was an extremely happy kid, very athletic as well. He would run around for what felt like hours. Wasuke would watch the kid run around, trip and fall and get right back up to continue running around. Kento couldn’t find where the people of the hotel were getting infected or sick from.

It was starting to happen more and more often. Two people within the last couple sunrises were infected and had to be locked in a room.

Kento left Yuji and Wasuke in an empty bedroom to ensure their safety. Kento walked around until he veered the kitchen, he held his blade tightly when he heard those groans, those guttural groans that come straight from the diaphragm.

One of the employee's corpses came sprinting at Nanami, he was quick to use the butcher knife as the body fell. Kento caught his breath and stomped on his chest until it caved in.

There was a turning person who was sobbing and holding a blade to her neck but her hands kept jerking the knife back, “Don’t come near me!” She yelled and Nanami felt a shiver go through his spine as he remembered Haibara. The glossy sunken eyes, the twitching, the blade even.

Nanami slowly took the blade from her hands and she started snapping at the man. He was quick to stab her to death and she wailed loudly as her life was taken, by the blonde or by the disease.

Kento’s heartbeat was so loud in his ears he felt like his eyes were going to burst out of his head. He panted and leaned against the counter, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

Nanami heard loud stomping coming from down the hall and quickly grabbed a sharper blade to hold tight. Yuji came running into the room with tears running down his cheeks and blood on his hand. Nanami’s eyes widened as he went running towards the young boy.

“Yuji get out!” Nanami yelled and gasped as a bloody undead went hurling at the young boy. Yuji punched at the corpse as its mouth feasted on the young boy's flesh, on his calf.

Yuji screamed and cried as Nanami quickly slashed the corpse and held Yuji tightly against his chest. The blood from Yuji's wound poured down the young boy's leg. He stomped on the unalives head until it exploded against his shoe.

The older man grabbed all the knives he could hold in one hand and ran to the room where he left Wasuke. Only to find there was a gored mess of body parts and bone in the bed, Wasuke looked like someone had put his body through a lawnmower ,

Nanami stepped back shakily and ran up the stairs into his room where he held Yuji tight against his body, trying to soothe the young boy. Nanami slowly took off the boy's pants and blotted the blood away, he looked at the wound and noticed that it didn’t seem to be spreading the way he’d seen.

Yuji sniffled softly and gently touched his wound before Nanami pulled his hand away.

“Yuji?” Kento murmured.

The younger boy looked up slowly.

“Does your head hurt? Do your arms or legs feel any different?”

Yuji moved all his limps around and shook his head.

Nanami’s eyebrows furrowed and he walked into the employee’s office where he found a first aid kit and he sprayed the years old anti-bacterial onto Yuji’s leg in return for no infection and a loud scream. He wrapped up the boy's leg and watched as the boy fell asleep in his arms.

Nanami looked out the window to see the sun going down. Kento hummed and gently laid Yuji in his bed.

Yuji didn’t deserve the life he was given. He didn’t deserve to die this young, or in the way he would die.

Nanami stroked the hair out of Yuji’s face and smiled a little. Kento laid down and figured that Yuji would turn in the night, bite Nanami and both of them would unfortunately and fortunately give in to the disease.

Maybe he would see Haibara one last time, maybe there was an afterlife.

Nanami opened his eyes to the sun beaming in his face and a smiling Yuji crawling around on Kento’s limbs.

Nanami blinked once or twice and sat up, taking in his surroundings.

He definitely wasn’t dead.

“Yu?” Kento murmured and Yuji looked up and grinned.

“Let me see your leg.” Kento murmured as he gained his surroundings. Yuji offered Nanami his leg and the older man unwrapped it slowly to see the bleeding had stopped and also that the bite hadn’t worsened.

Kento slowly grabbed more bandages and rewrapped the wound.

Nanami sighed and pulled Yuji in for a hug and the boy started giggling softly.

Kento sighed and knew he had to get Yuji and himself out of this hotel.

They started packing that day, Nanami had no clue where to go, he didn’t have connections, he didn’t even know what direction to go. The country was so vast, Japan on a global view was so small. But standing in an open road where long grass was all to be seen, Nanami felt like he and Yuji were the only living people in the world.

He sighed and the two started walking.