Establishing The Rules

When Ryo and Saeko came back, everyone could tell how much the girl had changed in the last few hours they were gone. She looked more beautiful than before and her face had a huge smile adorning it, her own arm hugging Ryo's and pressing on it strongly. She looked like a little girl who began dating her crush in the eyes of all the adults.

"Come on Saeko, I need to check a lot of things" Ryo said as he asked her to let go with his eyes. He wanted to stay like that for longer, but he really had a lot to do. "We can cuddle all you want later. Besides, if you really want to, we can sleep together. Though Yuriko might be there..."

"I don't mind..." said Saeko as she nuzzled her cheek against his arm. "You became my reason for living, Ryo. I only live because you accept me fully"

Ryo couldn't help but smile wryly when he realized just how similar Saeko and Miku were, in spite of being completely different people. Sighing at the helplessness of the situation, he just allowed her to accompany him for a while longer. When they entered the mansion, they were greeted by every other member of the gang.

Ryo looked at the people he had survived with and smiled.

"Now we must protect this place... our new home"

Everyone's faces turned serious as soon as they heard his words. In spite of Ryo's calm face and warm smile, they could tell he meant what he said. And they knew Ryo enough to understand the weight of his words. Nobody, not even one of them, was allowed to threaten the home they had made for themselves.

"Ok, first of all, I want to say one simple thing" Ryo said as he passed his eyes over everyone present in the hall. It was the entrance of the mansion and the place they decided to use as a meeting room. "Kouta, when I'm gone for whatever reason, you're in charge"

Kouta opened his eyes wide in surprise, not expecting such a big role to fall on him. He was honestly not sure if he was the right person to take on such a responsibility, but then he remembered the words Ryo had once told him.

'If I don't trust myself, then I can trust him who trusts in me, right?' Kouta thought as he nodded, determined to do his best job and keep the place together so that whenever Ryo left, he would find it the exact way he left it in or even better.

"Good. Yamada-san and Shingo, I want you two to learn under Saya and Yuriko for the time being. When they think you are ready, you will assist Kouta in leading everyone while we're away" Ryo said before looking at the three of them. "As such... I will have all three of you train your bodies and minds. You have to be able to gain respect, rather than me just appointing you in charge"

The three in question couldn't help but groan. They didn't like how that sounded, Shingo's mother more than anyone. After all, she was already in her mid thirties. But she would comply. After all, she understood that it was an opportunity.

"On to the next part of near future plans... we need a hierarchy" he said while standing up. "I don't care how it works, honestly. But people need to know who they have to listen to"

Everyone took those words very seriously. After all, insuburdination wasn't such an uncommon thing even when the government was around. They didn't want to imagine what things would happen in the apocalypse.

"To do that we need a hierarchy and a strong hand. I don't care if I have to be a punisher, but I'm sure there is someone who would enjoy it" as he said that, he looked at Saeko with a warm smile. She was so happy when she realized he even gave her the job she was most fit for. After all, it was what she enjoyed doing. "Saeko, I think it is a job tailored for you. Punishment, that is"

She just nodded, her face blushing at the thought of what kind of punishment she would be giving her would be victims.

"As for what we should punish... robbery, rape, murder and insubordination. Those four things"

Seeing that everyone nodded, Ryo just sat down once again. He wanted to share one more thing with them, since it was something important to the survivability of everyone.

"Everyone answers to me. Now, as much as it pains me to say this, no one is allowed to have babies. I won't forbid sex, god forbid, but babies are a big nono until the situation has stabilized and we have food for years"

Once every point he wanted to make to his trusted people, Ryo called a general meeting and left the hall to wait for everyone outside.

*

Seeing everyone reaunited in front of him, Ryo couldn't help but feel slightly pressured. He had to say things he didn't like and do things he didn't like, for that was his job as the leader of the settlement, but that didn't make things easier for him.

"I've called this meeting to clarify a few things" he said while pacing back and forth with his arms behind his back. Those who saw him felt like they were seein a military instructor. "We have decided to establish rules and a hierarchy"

As those words left his mouth, people immediately began complaining. Of course, Ryo wouldn't allow it to get out of control.

"Silence!" he shouted. It wasn't too loud, but just like the time he had taken down Soichiro, his voice carried authority. They knew he wouldn't take it nicely if they didn't listen. "I don't do this because I want but because its necessary"

"I will make this as short and as concise as possible, but I beg your pardon if I digress somewhere along the way" he said, now standing still in front of everyone, gazing at them with his sharp eyes. He pointed at someone before calling. "You, over there"

"Me? What is it, sir?" The man that had been called referred to Ryo as "sir" on pure instinct, but nobody laughed at all. They would've done the same. Ryo was nicer but at the same time scarier than Soichiro. "Let's say you fought against the zombies every day and left the Estate to bring supplies"

"Now let's say that someone who doesn't leave the Estate and does nothing is given the same amount of food as you" everyone understood where Ryo was going with that. "It wouldn't be fair, would it?"

Everyone, not just the man, nodded. They understood, but they didn't like it one bit. Someone wanted to compain, but his voice was drowned by Ryo's, who had already began speaking.

"I can't allow someone who leaves the secure area and risks his or her life for the rest to feel like they aren't treated fairly" Ryo explained with a calm and matter-of-factly voice. "All I'd be doing is adding fuel to a possible case of insubordination. And insubordination leads to exile"

That was when everyone began complaining. Wasn't exile too much punishment for a single case of insubordination?

"Silence I said dammit!" Ryo called once again, but this time more forcefully. He just wanted to be over with this bullshit. "I can't have someone who went against orders still working here. That is how settlements fall, from within. One unhappy person that doesn't like me or anyone above him in rank is all it takes for everything to fall apart"

Once again, they understood his point. They didn't like what they heard, but they understood that it was a reality they had to accept.

"You know what, I'll give you a chance. Come up here and beat me up. You'll be the leader then" Ryo said while motioning with his hand to the person that began every single bout of complaints. The person just stood still, trying to hide himself in the small crowd. Ryo clicked his tongue against his teeth when he saw that. "*tsk* So two days is not enough for you to forget, huh? Good. Remember why you ALL agreed to take me as your leader?"

"I have the guts to do what I have to do to ensure every one of you lives as well as you can. If you need to know, I am eating the same amount of food every single one of you is currently, and I don't like it one fucking bit. Because I came to this fucking settlement, helped you avoid being as good as slaves to one twisted man, brought you supplies and killed zombies. What did you do in that time, eh?"

After getting such a long speech in one go, Ryo took a deep breath. He thought his next words carefully. He didn't need to explain anymore.

"NOTHING!" he yelled. "I won't be eating more than those who fight and work their asses off to survive, because those people deserve it. Leeches don't, and I still will keep you well fed, just not as well"

"Now that the food issue is over, we can move on to the crimes that will be heavily punished" he said while looking at everyone. This was the part that they feared the most, since they knew how Ryo punished people. The rumour of the ra**** and the kid in the mall had reached everyone from the very people who had witnessed it. "Robbery, r***, murder and insubordination"

"As I had said before, insubordination leads to direct exile. You won't be given food nor a weapon. You're on your own" he explained while making each last word heavier. "As for robbery... I hope you don't need both hands"

"No, we won't cut them" he said when he saw everyone's faces turning pale. He did add something else though. "We can't waste resources on nursing a stump, so we will just break it. And I hope you don't do it again, because it will be both hands and I will laugh at you trying to eat. Oh! And of course, the food you are given will be even less than what someone who doesn't work gets"

"R*** and murder are quite similar..." he said while his demeanor turned serious and cold from the previous dreadful joking. "If that happens, which god forbid I hope doesn't... start praying because you will die. And I hope you know that I'm not joking. If I even catch word of an attempt at any of those two, you are dead"

Ryo had already said everything he wanted to say about the food situation and the punishments for the four crimes. After that day, people began referring to them as the Unmentionables, because the simple mention of one of them made them remember the face that Ryo had as he explained the punishment for the last two. It was cold and devoid of most emotion, with only one apparent on his face. Anger.

"With that out of the way" he said as he returned to his usual strict persona. "Those of you who wish to fight, report to Kouta, he is in charge of our forces. Those of you who wish to do manual labor, report to Yuriko and Saya"

He looked at everyone and noticed that, besides the evident discomfort and fear present in their faces, there was respect. That was what he wanted. Respect and loyalty are the only two things that can make him keep people in line so that fear doesn't corrode their minds.

"Dismissed"

*

"You handled that marvelously" said Yuriko as she gave Ryo a back massage. Saeko, who was beside them sitting cross legged on the bed, spoke next. "As expected of the man I swore my sword to"

Ryo looked at these two women and couldn't help but be happy. He understood just how blessed he was to have such understanding women around him. Where others would've chastised him and abandoned him, they stuck to him in spite of knowing that they weren't the only one.

"I doubted if I could say this to you at first, Yuriko, but... I love you both, you know?"

The two girls looked at each other happily, knowing full well that Ryo's love wasn't as easy to earn as it seemed. Like that, Saeko and Yuriko took each of his arms as pillows and cuddled close to him, drifting into the land of dreams. Looking at them both and thinking of the girls that he was clearly making wait for him, he smiled warmly as he fell to sleep too.

'I'm really one lucky bastard' was all he could think before the mental exhaustion caught up to him.

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So yeah... it took a while but when it came to me I wrote it in like... 45 minutes? I don't know. Action is coming back soon!