Resolve of the Undead
Chapter Twenty-Five

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Many months after Z-Day

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Hisashi glanced up at the clock on the far wall, as it ticked away the final minute of the Survivor's Support Group for Orphans monthly meeting. While he wasn't technically an orphan, he did lose his mother. Mostly, he attended with his friend Kohta. Their other friends sympathized, but they couldn't quite relate to Kohta's loss during the Undead Outbreak like Hisashi could.

For the past year and a half, while he wasn't away training, Kohta lived at the Takagi estate with his fiancée , Saya. For propriety sake, her parents insisted that they live on opposite ends of the mansion. Saya was a first year engineer student at the most prestigious university in the country and Kohta had undergone intense orientation with the Japanese Special Defense Force.

Until recently, Hisashi and Takashi were roommates on campus at Tokyo University. Takashi was drafted a short while ago to join a professional baseball team. His buddy, Hiro Amai, might have had something to do with the recruitment. While Hisashi liked baseball, he had no intention of making a career out of the game. He was determined to earn his degree in law. Rei's father would keep criminals off the streets and Hisashi would make sure they were tried justly. It didn't leave him much time to spend at his father's mechanic shop, but he tried to help out on the weekends. His father needed him and it wasn't for his skills with an engine.

Rei and Saeko actually ended up renting an apartment together. Rei studied to become an elementary school teacher and Saeko studied business and continued to train in various schools of martial arts with the intention of taking over her father's dojo one day.

The clock's minute hand struck on the hour. The final tick was a relief, because Hisashi really needed to be somewhere else on this day of all days. The psychotherapist that led the sessions clapped her hands and bowed her head at them. She dismissed them with her usual closing statement.

"Until next month, may you have peace and understanding," she said.

Kohta's strong hand landed upon Hisashi's shoulder. "Thanks for coming," he said. "Can I give you a lift? I've got the Land Cruiser parked outside. We could hang out before the game."

The Toyota Land Cruiser was a specially equipped vehicle Saya's parents bought for Kohta on his eighteenth birthday. He inherited quite a large sum of money in life insurance from the deaths of his own parents, but he hadn't touched any of the funds. Their bodies had never been recovered, though Kohta had learned of their bravery from Daichi Busujima, which was part of the reason Hisashi made an effort to attend these monthly sessions with him.

Hisashi had three hours before he needed to go to the stadium. "No, thanks," he said with an apologetic smile. "I'll be at the game, but I need to be alone for a little while."

"Ah, that's right, it's your mom's birthday. I'm sorry, I forgot," Kohta said rubbing his hand down his face. "You're going to her memorial right? At least, let me drop you off. Don't be a stubborn idiot," Kohta protested.

Saeko had once said that she liked to visit with her deceased mother and tell her of what was happening in her life. It was a habit that both Hisashi and Kohta had adopted for their own parents. She stressed that it was important not to dwell on the anniversary of death, but to remember especially the anniversary of their birthdays. Today would have been Misao Igou's fortieth birthday.

Hisashi agreed and allowed Kohta to drop him off on the grounds where his mother's memorial was located. His father hadn't faired very well after the zombie threat had ended. He had nothing to distract himself from his wife's death. It saddened Hisashi, because his mother, Misao, was a loving forgiving woman. He inherited his patience from her. Misao wouldn't have wanted his father to berate himself with guilt.

Misao Igou's memorial was elaborate, with an expensive stone, a thick blanket of flowers growing around the ground, and always freshly cut flowers in the vase. Hisashi had often caught his father kneeling beside the memorial speaking with his deceased wife, but Hisashi had made sure to steer clear to give his parents privacy. Soujiro wasn't there now, but by the site of a fresh bouquet, it was evident that he'd been there earlier.

Hisashi kneeled at the memorial stone. He spoke quietly with the spirit of his mother about how group therapy went and about what he and his friends were up to. He had a ring in his pocket for Rei. It was an engagement ring. He already had enthusiastic permission from Rei's parents.

A fifth of the world's population was lost due to the rise of the Undead and occasional mutations, but it wasn't the first time the people of Japan rose up from catastrophe. He remembered the stories his grandmother would tell about Japan in World War II, and how they came back from it stronger than ever, an industrial giant!

Hisashi became engrossed in the conversation with his mother. From behind him, he recognized the sound of Rei clearing her throat.

He swallowed thickly. Had she heard about the ring? He turned towards his girlfriend and saw the open smile upon her beautiful face. "How long have you been standing over there?" he asked.

Rei walked towards him with a vase of pink lilies in her arms. She placed it next to the memorial stone. "Not long. I didn't want to intrude on your conversation. You've been out here a long time. I was worried when you didn't show up at my apartment to pick me up."

Hisashi reached for her hand, his gaze absently drifted towards the afternoon sun. Time had slipped by faster than he realized. "We're not going to be late, are we? How did you get here?" She still didn't drive nor own a vehicle, which wasn't an unusual thing in Japan.

"Naturally, I took the train," Rei said exacerbated. "I am capable of reading the train schedule, you know."

"Of course." Hisashi leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss upon Rei's lips. "I don't have my car. Kohta dropped me off."

"Then we can take the train together," Rei said. "Like most of the normal people that live here."

"Since when have we been like the normal people?" Hisashi teased.

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OoO

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Saeko snuggled against her father's arm in the stands for the Yomiuri Giants baseball game. Her eyes were constantly drawn to the engagement ring on her left hand. It had been over a year since Takashi proposed, right after she'd finished her first semester studying at Tokyo University and he'd graduated from Fujimi High School. Though, after the incident and decreased population, Fujimi High School had combined both students and resources with another nearby school. Really, they'd only lost about six weeks of school before the Japanese government established Martial Law and things returned more or less to normal, but with a heavier military presence. Countless jobs were created, ending the recession, as the country rebuilt itself.

Saeko and Takashi's wedding was on target for the autumn. Her father's girlfriend, Felicity, was on Daichi's other side and talked non-stop about some new development in vaccine technology.

Daichi listened politely and discreetly shifted his duffle bag under his stadium seat. Both his and Saeko's katanas were inside. They were on a special list of private citizens that were permitted to carry weapons with them even at public places. Many changes had happened in Japan since the horrors of the Undead.

Takashi's parents, Aoshi and Megumi, were in the stands on Saeko's other side. Their adopted children, Alice and Sasuke on the row in front of them. Next to them, Alice's dog, Zero, sniffed at Shizuka's pants leg longingly, hoping for a bite of the hot dog she was eating.

"I didn't think they allowed dogs at the stadium," Rika said, staring down at the dog with a glare of disdain. It turns out, Rika was a cat person and didn't much care for canines.

Shizuka tore off a chunk of the meat and fed it to Zero. "He is well behaved," she argued. She glanced over her shoulder up towards Saeko. "Any word from the others?"

"Rei texted me that she and Hisashi ran into Saya and Kohta at the concession stand. They should be here in a couple of minutes," Saeko said. She sat up straight and focused her attention on the field when the home team entered onto the green.

Takashi and Hiro Amai were walking next to each other amongst the players. Katsu stood in the dugout, his medical kit at the ready for any possible injuries. Saeko vaguely recognized some of the other players.

"There he is," Aoshi said, his voice thick with pride. He leaned across his wife to face Saeko. "I think he might be the opening pitcher."

Saeko smiled politely. "While I'm sure Takashi would be a great pitcher, his position is shortstop."

Aoshi grinned. "I was just checking to see if you paid attention, future daughter-in-law!"

"Our son is the best shortstop in all of Japan. Of course, Saeko would know that," Megumi scoffed. "It's not all about how you throw the pitch, but how you catch the balls that get hit and keep the other team from scoring!"

Takashi looked up into the stands, his dark eyes penetrated through the crowd and focused on Saeko. The number thirty-three on his uniform was Morita's old number from when they played baseball on a team together as young children. It was only a small thing, but it emotionally moved Saeko to witness her fiancé's sentiment towards his lost friend. Takashi lifted his hand and waved.

It wasn't long before their other friends joined them in the stands. It was the fifth ending and Hiro Amai, the actual pitcher, had yet to give up a hit. He was just winding up for another throw when a darkness began to cover the field.

"There's no solar eclipse for the next couple of years," Saya muttered.

Saeko could feel her father tensing next to her. "Trouble is brewing," he said.

"That is no eclipse!" Kohta exclaimed rising to his feet. He pulled his high powered handgun from the holster on his side. He'd been recruited by Rika to the Special Defense Force. One of the perks, was permission to have concealed firearms.

It wasn't an eclipse. There was a silver flying object blocking the sun as it hovered over them.

The stadium fell into a state of stunned silence as a tractor beam shot from the base of the ship onto the field.

A tall, lean, gray figure stood on the pitcher's mound. Takashi had retreated back towards home base, giving a wide berth between him and the alien creature. The batter at home base, dropped his bat and scampered back towards the dugout.

The creature had a strange technological device attached to the side of its head, presumably at the location of its ear. It began to speak to them in Japanese. "Greetings, Earthlings. We have come to accept you as our slaves. We are the new masters of this planet you call Earth. Resistance is futile."

While everyone else's eyes were on the alien, Saeko's eyes were trained on Takashi. He leaned over and picked up the discarded baseball bat. He balanced the bat over his shoulder and charged towards the alien.

He bashed the bat against the alien's head and it collapsed to the ground. Two more aliens were beamed onto the field and promptly fell as Kohta and Rika shot them down.

Daichi unzipped the duffle bag at his feet and held Saeko's double-edged Murata sword out for her. He winked at her, and she took the sword, and began to run down the bleachers towards Takashi.

The lead alien groaned and stared up at Takashi with a dazed expression. "After all the trouble we went through to reclaim this place, I'll be damned if I let you take it from me," Takashi said. He raised the bat and hit the alien again, smashing in its head.

Saeko leapt to his side, back to back with him as the space craft hovered uncertainly over the stadium.

"You don't perhaps think that was a bit brash of you, do you?" Saeko asked.

Takashi grinned at her, an excited gleam in his honey-brown eyes. "Now that you're here, it's a real adventure."

The three fallen aliens were lit up by a bright green light and then disappeared back onto the space ship. The ship started to zoom away from the stadium. A bright purple light began to charge at the front, presumably a weapon to blast them to smithereens.

"Now might be a good time to run," Hiro said nervously behind them. In spite of his words, he held a bat over his shoulder, and looked eager to bash an alien invader himself.

Japanese Special Defense Force helicopters swooped towards the area and began to shoot at the space ship, causing it to crash.

"As you can see, we've drastically decreased our response time," Kohta said, running towards them. Like Takashi, his eyes were bright with excitement.

"You planned for an alien invasion?" Saeko asked in disbelief.

"We've planned for everything," Kohta said. "Don't think this is over. We've only pissed them off. They'll be back."

Takashi pulled Saeko against him and kissed her firmly. "We'll be ready."

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FIN

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A/N: I toyed with several ideas for the ending, but this one was the winner. I guess the comment about Firefly/Serenity and the viral cause for the Reavers made my inner Star Trek fangirl burst with ideas. The spirit of the determination of the heroes to fight any deadly situation seemed a nice conclusion. For years, I wanted to write a HOTD fan fiction and if you made it to this final chapter, then, I'm glad you've joined me on this journey! Not all my facts are correct, but they are as good as I could research them. I've met some amazing writers and readers on this site because of this story and I'm sad that it's over. I may write again for this fandom, but regardless, I feel blessed to have been able to complete this story. Happy New Year!

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12/27/15