It Begins

(A/N - I'm a massive idiot. You guys could probably have guessed that already but still; I'm an idiot. 'What's made you come to this conclusion?' you ask? Well, it's simple really. Yuuki Miku's given name (first name) is Miku while her family name (surname/last name) is Yuuki. So, I've been using the wrong name for her really. Ryu should be calling her Miku but he calls her Yuuki, so their relationship is odd, to say the least, e.g. they're so close yet he calls he so politely while she calls him intimately and by his given name...Haaaaah~ I'm therefore using my powers as a fanfic Author to change it so Yuuki's first name is indeed Yuuki instead of Miku. Or I could start calling her Miku. I really don't know.

If anything, blame the Wiki and my lack of intelligence. Basically, when I was looking at Saeko's wiki page, it has her name like this "Saeko Busujima" which is how us Western do our names, and Yuuki's wiki Page does it the same way aka "Yuuki Miku" so I thought Yuuki was her first name. But, overall, it's mainly because of my lack of intelligence.)

Today was the day. The day my relatively peaceful life came to an end and the Apocalypse comes and makes everything...hectic.

Locking over the school grounds from the roof, I feel a firm hand pat my shoulder

"I was wondering when you'd get here," turning around I saw a dwarf-like man I was all too familiar with, "I knew you'd come down on the day...so, what's happening, Kazu-jiisan?" though I didn't sound too polite and happy to see him, the smile on my face said otherwise.

Kazu-jiisan looked up at me with a loving smile before he let out a sigh which slowly turned into a laugh.

"You've always been too perceptive for your own good, lad...I've come to tell you some news - You're not the only person who's been put in this world."

Hearing his words I froze before looking over at him with cold eyes. Not coldness directed to him but to the scenarios, I was imagining in my head. If any of them happened...needless to say, that I'd kill whatever God sent them here.

Letting out a sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down. Before long I opened my eyes again and looked down at Kazu-jiisan who had an apologetic look on his face.

"So, how many were sent here? And," I felt my smile go a bit evil while my eyes filled with less than nice intentions, "Who sent them here?"

His next words, however, made me freeze for a different reason.

"My Ex-Wife sent a person, that's it," he had a carefree smile on her face before he carried on, "I know why you were angry - you thought people were coming for your 'dear senpai' and that Yuuki, right? Hahahahaha!" Kazu-jiisan started to laugh while I processed what was just said to me.

Kazu-jiisan had a wife? If so, is she not my Grandma or something? As if this thought went through Kazu-jiisan's mind at the same time, he instantly went pale.

"Don't think stuff like 'that', Ryu! She'll kick both our asses if you even think of referring to her as..." he looked around before whispering, "...old,"

Seeing his pale, scared face, I suddenly felt scared as well. Kazu-jiisan? Scared? What kind of woman did he marry?!

Seeing my (scared) curiosity, Kazu-jiisan went on to explain himself.

"Haah~ Way back before I was banished to look after you, I was married to...Artemis. I loved fighting, she loved Hunting dangerous beasts and it just so happened that my idea of fighting beasts all the time was something very attractive to her. I mean I understand I'm very handsome--"

Before he could carry on, I waved my hands in front of him, "Stop! Stop! I know you, Kazu-jiisan, and I know you're about to say something that is something a Grandchild never wants to hear from their Grandparent!" sweating cold sweat, I felt gratified when Kazu-jiisan nodded at what I said.

"Uhh, yeah, I guess you're right...The gist of the story is that we were in love but it came to an end when I was banished...Anyway! After you died and I sent you here, my punishment was over and I could go back and guess who was waiting for me~"

Seeing him this happy, I chuckled a little before answering his rhetorical question, "Artemis, right?"

Kazu-jiisan nodded before carrying on, "It turns out that she only split with me to make the separation easier for the both of us...she still wished to be with me and I with her, so these past 4 months we've spent all our time together--" he saw my massive glare and wryly smiled, "--TALKING to one another about what I did on Earth. When I talked about you, it seemed to awaken something in her; maybe maternal instinct but it was something like that nonetheless. So, she began to scour through the Earth looking for her Soul Descendant. She found one, and when that person died, she gave them a chance to follow after you into this world with 3 wishes, and they jumped at the chance," Kazu-jiisan saw that I had a question so he came to a stop before motioning for me to speak.

"Didn't you say you never had any family? Back when I first found out who you really were and what you were. I'm pretty sure you said there was nothing like a family in your Mythos, right?" this question had only just floated to the surface after the consecutive bouts of shocking news.

Kazu-jiisan smiled slyly before speaking, "Yes, I did say that. But having a wife isn't really 'family', is it? A family is usually used to describe a man, a woman and their--"

"Child. I get what you mean...but I don't get why you didn't tell me you had a wife, even if she was an Ex-Wife at the time," thinking it over for a few seconds I eventually shrugged my shoulders before I came upon a new question, "So, who's this person your wife has sent here? If it's a guy after any of the girls I'm with, I'll kill him no matter his relation to Artemis--"

Kazu-jiisan laughed before patting my arm, "Calm down, lad, the person who was sent is a girl, and I can assure you that she's straight and isn't here for your women. If anything..." his voice trailed off and something clicked in my head.

"Wait...if I'm the same as you, and this girl is the same as Artemis...and you and Artemis love each other...does that mean!?" my thoughts were whizzing around my head a mile a minute at the moment and only Kazu-jiisan's laughter kept me from thinking I was dreaming.

"Well, it could be interpreted like that, Ryu. But you could just become brilliant friends, who knows?" what he said was right but from the teasing sound of his voice, I could tell what he really thought was going to happen, "Anyway, shouldn't you be asking about her wishes? They are going to affect the world, after all."

Hearing him, I got rid of the useless thoughts in my head before nodding that that's what I wanted to know. The old man laughed before he summoned a table and chair just like when we met to decide my wishes after I died.

Sitting down, I leaned back and tried to relax while I waited for Kazu-jiisan to speak of her wishes. It didn't take long.

"Now, I can't tell you her exact wishes - we didn't show her yours, so it's only fair - but I can tell you the changes that will happen because of her wishes," I nodded at what he said because I knew this is what Kazu-jiisan was like - righteous despite his sly and hot-blooded demeanor. "First off, unlike you, she chose to be Reincarnated in this world and was born the same year as Saeko; so she's currently 18. She chose a wealthy family which could support her needs, with enough power to procure whatever she needed, and she kept her appearance from Earth with only certain traits either removed or enhanced," Kazu-jiisan 'spawned' in two cans of beer before passing me one.

I took it and like him, I cracked it open. A single can of beer wouldn't trouble my inhuman metabolism - it couldn't trouble me back on Earth when I was a normal Human. Both of us took a quick swig of the beer before letting out relaxed sighs.

We really were like one another.

As I continued to drink, Kazu-jiisan continued speaking, "Her second wish is the one which will bring the most change. She wants the Zombies to be like the ones from Moshi Fanren*, which also gives the Humans of this world the ability to improve and evolve through the Virus. As long as people kill the Zombies, train their bodies and use a specific breathing method, they will grow in strength continuously...Though," Kazu-jiisan took a deep breath, "It means that when the Virus is released by Umbrella Corporation, everyone in the world with fall asleep while the Virus changes them. Some will gain the ability to evolve like in the Webtoon while others will become infected," as he saw my worried look, he quickly placated me, "Though everyone one you care about will fall asleep just like everyone else, they will all wake up as Humans as they have...what do you call it again...Ah! Plot Armor! Yes, they all have Plot Armor so to speak,"

(*A/N - https://manganelo.com/manga/moshi_fanren it's a decent comic to read. Though the art is a bit...iffy, it's definitely a fun concept. Imagine it like this; Cultivation in a Zombie Apocalypse. It's a fun read.)

Letting out a sigh of pure relief I felt annoyed at this girl who made the wish; Do you want to give me a heart attack or something?!

Chugging the last of my beer, I put the can down before nodding for Kazu-jiisan to continue.

"Her last wish won't change anything and only effects her. Let's just say she didn't have much fighting ability in her last life, so this wish will guarantee that. She's given herself certain Talents, is how I guess you could say it," he showed an expression which told me he couldn't tell me any more but I shook my head.

"It's okay, Kazu-jiisan, you've told me all I need to know. I'm guessing it's some kind of Martial Art Talent. Though, I wonder why she didn't give herself a power for only her? I gave myself the Stable T-Virus...Ah, whatever, she can do what she wants," standing up, I felt a wave of dizziness come over myself, "Oh shit...is it starting?!" but the wave of dizziness came to an end quite quickly and what replaced it was a slight burst of power in my veins.

"Yep, it's started Ryu, and because you're pretty much made up of the virus, you don't have to sleep to intake the Virus. You probably got a slight physique upgrade as well," Kazu-jiisan finished his beer before standing up and walking next to me, "Any more questions, lad?"

Thinking for a moment, I realized I did have one, "Can I do what the other humans can do now? Can I use that Breathing Technique?"

"No, you can't Ryu. You're not technically a Human anymore, and the reason the breathing technique works on normal humans is because they use the Virus to stimulate their Body's and to Evolve it - Your body is made of the Virus, so it'd just be the Virus stimulating the Virus and that could cause Mutations you don't want," just as I was getting down, he continued speaking and made me feel like an idiot, "But your Virus can evolve through training, can't it, Ryu? You can also Absorb the Virus, like you just did, to upgrade your Physique...So don't look so down about not being able to use that Technique."

Letting out an embarrassed chuckle, I nodded my head at what the old man said. Before I could say anything, I heard crashing and some distant explosions.

Looking around I could see speeding cars crashing into lamp posts and other cars. With my enhanced eyesight, I could even see the torn up sacks of meat wiggling as the Virus caused them to become Zombies. After all, how could something that was broken and dead stay Human? The Virus just mutated to allow them to continue 'living'.

Looking into the air I saw something I never really wanted to see - a plane falling from the sky. A few planes actually.

Filled with innocent lives and they were plummeting to their deaths. At least they were unconscious.

Knowing what I was thinking, Kazu-jiisan put a hand on my shoulder.

After a while, I looked away before walking toward the rooftop doorway. When I got there, I turned to look at the person I called Grandfather for nearly two decades.

"I've gotta go then, old man, I've gotta protect the things dear to me...Go back to your wife and watch the battles that will no doubt come. I'll do my best to make it fun~" with a cheeky smile, I opened the door and walked down the stairs, only just catching a slightly muffled shout from Kazu-jiisan.

"...I don't want to watch fun fights, you brat, I want you to stay safe...!" before a blinding white light went off from behind me. After that, I couldn't sense him anymore, so I got my mind on track.

I don't know how much time I had before people started waking up but I had a few minutes for definite. In these definite few minutes, I had to find Yuuki.

Think, Ryu...Where is she around this time...

Thinking for a while, I came to the conclusion that she should be in homeroom around now. It was the morning, but that didn't mean she'd actually turn up for registration. She wasn't very uhhh...punctual.

And that was me being nice in my judgment.

I'd reprimanded her many times about it but her seduction always got me to shut up and before I knew it, she'd be riding me or we'd be doing some kind of sexual act...

Damn my weakness to sexy women~!

Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is that she could be anywhere in the morning. The girls' toilets, the Archery Clubroom, or wandering around the school - she seemed to like being anywhere other than sitting in Homeroom actually.

But I chose to see the best in her for now and walked to her classroom.

On the way there, I couldn't help but remark at the absolute silence I could hear. Sure, if I really focused I could hear breathing and the heartbeats of the students in the classrooms around me but...it really felt like a ghost town (or school) right now.

It didn't take too long to get there; I'd walked there many times and knew the fastest route from anywhere in the school. Opening the door I looked around and my eyes rested on one beautiful girl in particular.

Seeing her face planted against her desk I knew she'd be complaining about a sore face and I chuckled lightly to myself as I walked over to her.

Picking her and putting her over my shoulder, I walked out of the classroom and took her toward the roof.

When we got to the roof, I sat down and lay Yuuki's head on my lap. I slowly stroked her head and waited for her to wake up.

You may be wondering why I only brought Yuuki here. Well, that's because I...was worried. With the change Artemis' descendant's wish had brought to the world, my nerves were shaken and I felt that I had to keep Yuuki close to me.

Takashi, Rei, and Hisashi could look out for one another, and Saeko was, well, Saeko - I was more worried for anyone she went up against. Shizuka...she might seem unreliable but she could look out for herself and if anything, she'd make her way out of whatever trouble she entered in her usual air-headed ways.

But even then...she was the first person I was heading toward when Yuuki woke up. The infirmary was right below us anyway.

(A/N - It may seem reckless - it is - but Ryu isn't perfect, he's worried and anxious so he was bound to make some dodgy decisions.)

Surprisingly, I didn't have to wait long because after 15ish minutes, Yuuki's eyes started to flutter open and before I knew it, her confused Yellow eyes were looking into my Blue ones.

"Ah, you finally awake, sleepyhead~?" teasing her with a playful grin, I helped her sit up and she looked at me before looking around. Confusion set in when she realized we were on the roof and she quickly looked back at me with a tilted head.

"What...why am I on the roof with you, Ryu? I was just in Homeroom--" before she could finish what she was saying, we heard a scream of horror come from the streets below. Without a second of thought, Yuuki threw herself up onto her feet and rushed over to the edge of the roof to look at the origin of the scream.

I slowly joined her and walked over to the edge before looking down onto the streets next to the school.

Some unlucky people who were walking past the school when the Virus first spread were now subject to the twisted forms of the undead who were climbing from their wrecked cars.

As if they didn't feel their broken bodies breaking even further, the horrendous-looking figures scampered forward with a very bad limp. I didn't know if they had a limp because they were Zombies or because they were turned after they were in a car crash.

But to the pedestrians who'd just woken up, the gory forms of the undead in front of them were moving all too quickly.

Stunned by terror, the original person who let out a scream was a slightly short middle-aged man.

He was wearing a business suit and he was carrying a worn-out briefcase which he soon dropped as the fear took over his mind.

One of the nearest Zombies took advantage of his fear and grabbed his torso before opening its broken maw to an absolutely inhuman extent and slamming its head into the man's shoulder before biting down with incredible force.

I heard Yuuki gasp as she was next to me before her knees went weak and she fell. I grabbed her before pulling her into my embrace and away from the gory sight of that man being used as a piece of jerky.

Though, I'm sure she probably still heard his screams. God knows everyone within 100m did.

But I kept watching because I wanted to know how long it took for someone to turn.

A few more people were bitten but after that, the frozen people let their 'fight or flight' responses kick in and got their asses in second gear before running away.

Still, I kept watching the corpses which were being swarmed by a few undead at a time.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait a while. The person who was first bitten started to get up onto his feet groggily after about a minute and was soon followed by the other people who died minutes before.

You may think I'm cold-hearted for just watching these people die when I had more than enough power to save them but...why should I save them? They aren't my friends or one of my lovers, so, where would I find the motivation to save them? 'If you have the power to save someone, you should!' Bullshit! Saving strangers in a Zombie Apocalypse is useless. If anything, it'll get you betrayed if you save someone who has ulterior motives.

So, if I ever save someone it's one of two scenarios:

One, they're someone who means something to me.

Or two, they're someone who I have an interest in or I see an opportunity to take advantage of something they have. Whether that be money, power, or looks. And money doesn't mean shit anymore.

I'm not a good person - I wouldn't have asked to transmigrated into Zombie Anime if I was, now would I?

Okay, back to the present.

Yuuki was currently shaking in my arms and quietly sobbing. Though I wasn't going through the same emotional response as her - I knew how she felt, theoretically at least.

Hugging her tightly, I comforted her until she stopped sobbing and brought her head from my chest and looked up at me.

Her eyes were red from the crying and they were filled with complex emotions - confusion, fear, hysteria. All of that jumbled up and knocking about in her brain.

Not a healthy thing in any case.

"W...W-Why did that person do that, Ryu...? Why did they l-look like that as well...!? So mangled an-and rotting...!" she went to turn her head back but I forcibly stopped her. Just because I wasn't affected by it doesn't mean I don't know what it'd do to a normal person.

Looking her in the eyes and gently smiling, I spoke in the calmest and most gentle voice I could muster, "Look, Yuuki, something's happened to the world - and to everything in it, okay? Those things aren't people anymore, and you can't see them as that, no matter what!" my voice, though gentle, was incredibly firm.

Yuuki looked confused at what I said but she nodded confusedly anyway. I saw this and leaned my head against her forehead.

"I need you to be strong for today, Yuuki, and I promise nothing will happen to you...I'll answer every question you have for me when we're finally 100% safe, okay?" I spoke with full sincerity as I did plan to answer any question she had.

I decided it'd be best if I came clean about what I am. Not how I got my powers, but what my powers are. She has the right to know she's been banging a Virally Enhanced Being who isn't technically even human anymore.

And the knowledge I could share would need to be linked to something - an identity.

Once I got the group together I was planning on telling them all what I am, and oh boy...was I not ready for it.

Yuuki, as if sensing my sincerity in it's fullest nodded with much more confidence in me this time.

Feeling blessed with such a wonderful girlfriend, I kissed her on the forehead before grabbing her hand and walking to the rooftop door.

"Now, Yuuki, we have to go and get Takashi and the others before something happens to them. Just stick close to me and nothing will even get close to you," with this, I held Yuuki's hand tightly and opened the door.

Hearing the mania down below, I resolved myself for what I would have to do and went through the door.