A/N: Here I sit, wondering why I'm starting another chapter story and sighing deeply. This one's a little different though! Also slight warnings for a bit of blood and swearing in the future. Hopefully they're not written too out of character – it's just that they're all very stressed and cranky and you'll see why later on.

I won't spoil anything, but I will say this: the Mekakushi Dan unity is very important to me. Take that as you will.

The alarm bells were ringing in her head long before any action had taken place. But just as she had felt the pulsing headache and the tightening of her veins – the speeding up of her heart and the scorching burn of her legs as she ran and the fear, all the fear that the world could possess which enveloped her whole; it was over.

And for a split second, a shard of glass grazed her chin before she was lifted off the ground completely.

Ayano shrieked, kicking and screaming as Shintaro carried her over his shoulder towards a truck outside her house, wiping the blood from his forehead with his free hand. Takane, who had taken possession of the driver's seat nodded grimly at the pair before turning away and tapping impatiently at the wheel; the older girl not having the heart to watch Ayano break down. She was in a similar state only an hour ago, and she thanked the stars that she didn't have to leave Haruka behind when they got attacked. Haruka however, was currently unconscious in the back, and Shintaro's brows furrowed in concern.

Before worrying about Haruka though, he had to deal with Ayano first.

"Don't do this to me!" The brunette wailed and clawed at Shintaro's back. Stinging, salty tears trickled down her face like a stream and into the gash on her chin and burning – burning so badly – but she didn't care. This wasn't like her (Ayano was usually a sweet, kind girl but good god, this was shattering her), and she really, really didn't care anymore.

Briefly, she thought of what a heartless and despicable person Shintaro was for doing this to her and she screeched even louder, almost losing her voice in the process, hoping he had a shred of soul left in him: "Shintaro, please, Shintaro, don't do this to me! Put me down!"

"I can't." He snapped harshly, undeterred for the most part but grip tightening immensely. "I'm not letting you go back there. Not now. Not ever."

"Tsubomi!" Ayano called, crying out in pained, shaky breaths. "Kousuke! Shuuya! Can you hear me? I'm right here, come out, please! Dad? I'm being abducted, so for once, could you save me?"

Ayano shrieked again when Shintaro tightened her scarf around her mouth to keep her from talking.

"It's no use!" He told her, eyes blazing then falling with what almost seemed like sadness. "They're as good as gone now."

She burst into another round of tears, unable to let another word pass through her lips. Her family – her ever so precious family – why did this have to happen? She had intended right from the get-go to save them – or die. She couldn't do either one.

Upon reaching the truck, Shintaro leapt into the back, quickly locking the hatch and securing the girl in his arms. Ayano continued to cry, her tears absolutely pouring now – but Shintaro paid her no heed.

"Drive, Enomoto, drive!" He demanded with a harsh knock to the window, and with a grumble, Takane slammed her foot on the accelerator and off they went.

"Don't blame me if I get us killed," She growled irritably, "I never learnt how to drive."

Ayano, now free from his hold and infuriated, practically ripped off her scarf and slapped Shintaro square across the cheek. And boy, did it hurt. Not only Shintaro's face, where a wound had reopened and was bleeding steadily once more, but Ayano's heart because she never, ever wanted to hurt anyone. Least of all Shintaro, who was her innocent classmate (friend, she assured herself, they were friends) until just a few minutes ago.

Nevertheless, overcome by her temporary insanity, she shouted at him. "Why would you do that to me!? I hate you, I hate you so much – what am I going to do, my entire family could be dead and you took me away from them?!"

"You were just about to die, you idiot." Shintaro, considerably agitated himself, scowled. He had to abandon his own family too, and they had watched him – flashes of his younger sister Momo trapped under debris screaming at him to 'get the fuck out of the way and run' and his mother who had smiled and said 'at least one of us can live on in the Kisaragi name, right son?'; it was so terrible he didn't want to remember. His face hurt like a bitch anyway, and he was bleeding in multiple places but in the end, this was the treatment he got? Thanks for nothing, Ayano. He shouldn't have saved her pathetic ass in the first place. "I saved your goddamn life, would you have a bit of respect?!"

"Respect?" She spat back, livid with anger. "You think I should be showing you respect? You never showed me a single ounce of respect, especially back at school when you-"

"Oi, oi, oi!" Takane banged loudly on the window from the front. She had a death grip on the steering wheel, and her knuckles were going white. It seemed that they were all on the edge today, and no-one could blame them. "Shut. The hell up. I'm trying to drive this trashcan and I've got no clue what I'm doing and thanks to you two monkeys, I can't bloody concentrate! You should be thankful we're all still alive but at the rate we're going, you're going to kill each other instead! So SHUT UP."

"Bloody hell, woman." Shintaro muttered, staring pointedly at Haruka's sleeping form. "How did Haruka even put up with you at school every day?"

Ayano bristled, in defence of her female friend. "Shut up, Shintaro! She said shut up!"

They heard a sudden ringing gunshot, and the truck jolted. Ayano screamed, and Shintaro's head hit the steel wall of the truck, though Takane only panicked in the front seat, fiddling with the controls.

"Do you think this is a fucking game?" She bashed the gearstick, and smashed every button she could find. Looking ahead, she slammed the horn in desperation. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU DRIVE UP A HILL LIKE THAT."

Then there was a shower of gunshots, sending the vehicle spiralling before Takane let out a stream of curses and they sped up, veering into the sunflower fields off the side of the road. Scared, Ayano and Shintaro propped Haruka across their laps and huddled; not one daring to make a sound.

Takane didn't stop, however, and pushed down on the accelerator as hard as she could. This sent them almost flying through the fields, destroying every flower in their wake. Takane let out an ear piercing scream when she almost collided into two children – other survivors? – and the truck swerved, crashing into a tree.

It was a miracle it only suffered minor damage.

She immediately leapt out, first of all to see if the others were okay, and then to turn her attention to the children she had almost run over.

"Ma'am, your driving is very dangerous." The little girl commented, trudging surprisingly calmly up towards the truck without hesitation. She flicked one of her long, black pigtails over her shoulder. "Though, thank you, for not killing us of course."

The young boy who was her companion trailed her quietly, "If you're going to run, you won't survive like that. You need our help."

"Oh yeah?" Grated Takane grumpily, placing a hand on her chest to calm her racing heart. The adrenaline was way too much for her, and she didn't think she could ever play another racing game without throwing up. If she ever played another game, that is. "What've you got to offer? I can't exactly let you freeloaders on board without some kind of asset, you get me?"

"What do your friends do then?" The girl inquired sharply, pointing a finger at the heavily wounded Shintaro, the trembling Ayano and the still-unconscious Haruka. Shintaro glared at the girl, who only shrugged back at him, fingering the hem of her pink dress.

"Well, that guy? He's Shintaro. Shin's a sniper." Takane snapped, starting to make facts up on the spot. Judging on what she knew about her friends, and the situation at hand, this might have to soon become a reality anyway. "He's real accurate too. As well as being a fucking dumbass genius with an IQ of 168."

Shintaro, in turn, glared at Takane but didn't say anything. She waved him off, gesturing towards Ayano who was now in the process of tying her scarf back together – a defeated look in her dark eyes.

"Ayano, that girl, is our medical aid. She's also incredibly good at stealth. Sneaking around and picking locks and shit. She can cook, and likewise she can probably poison. She's our newest addition, so she's still a little… shaken."

Turning to Haruka, her expression softened slightly.

"Haruka, he's our uh, peacemaker. I guess. He keeps us all level-headed and is a wicked smart mapper, navigator, recon guy and tactician. But he's out like a light right now, so that's probably why we're all losing it."

"And I," She pointed at herself. "Am Takane. I shoot things at a few metres to point blank range, all dual wielding weapons give me upmost advantage, and I also learned to almost drive like 5 minutes ago. I can do tech work, hacking and repairs if it really comes down to it but I never thought I'd have to apply those skills they teach in school to real life."

"That's rather impressive." The young female commented, scanning her narrow eyes over the crew. "Nevertheless, I think Hibiya and I will be valuable to you, though."

Hibiya, which was apparently the boy's name, nodded. "First of all, I can probably drive better than you. Secondly, I melee shit. No fucker stands a chance when I'm charging in, and bam. Knock out."

His companion nudged him. "Hibiya, language."

"S-sorry, Hiyori." Straightening, he gave Takane a determined look, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "You can't do this with all ranged weapons. I can help with that. I can also cook, and I know a lot about plants. Believe me lady, plants can be deadly."

"I don't even need weapons." Hiyori, which was apparently the girl's name, raised a challenging eyebrow at the others. "I'm a martial artist. Black belt, three styles, mainly for self-defence. Also I can be very persuasive."

"She really can be." Hibiya added meekly. "Very persuasive."

Takane scowled, but mulled over her options for a few seconds. She didn't want to take the brats along, but she really didn't want to leave them to die here and live with the guilt that abandoning them was the cause of their death. "Look kids. I like what you've got, but can you keep up with the big guns?"

Hibiya and Hiyori exchanged a look. "We're the only survivors in a 100km radius. Apart from you goons, of course. We're uninjured, unlike most of you, and probably run faster and fit into smaller spaces than you lot too." Hiyori stated outright, tapping her chin. "Now you tell me."

"Okay, fine. You've got me." Takane crossed her arms. "But if you're gonna hop on, we'll need supplies. As much as you've got. Because we're never coming back."

Immediately, Hibiya dashed off while Hiyori merely stood by Takane's side, also crossing her arms.

Takane glanced at her, "Hey, you aren't gonna help your friend out?"

"No." Hiyori replied curtly, "He's got it all under control."

"Talk about attitude." Shintaro grumbled, placing a gentle hand on Ayano's shoulder but she shook him off.

Hiyori rolled her eyes. "Not like yours is any better, mister 'dumbass genius'."

"Shit, Takane." Shintaro laughed emptily, "This kid's practically your daughter. Even look at the hairstyle."

"You're finally going mad, Shin." She sighed, pushing Hiyori in the direction of the truck. "Get in there, girl. I'll go grab some stuff so let's hope you guys can get along while I'm gone."

Ayano seemed to perk up when Hiyori came closer, and without warning pulled the young girl into a hug. Hiyori, surprisingly (the child was full of surprises, it seemed), simply let her. When Ayano let go, Hiyori simply waved, "Hi there, it's been a while."

The scarf-clad girl nodded, examining Hiyori's face and arms for any cuts or bruises. "I'm so glad you're still alive."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Shintaro blinked, glancing between the two of them.

"Ayano's my niece." Hiyori clipped, petting the older girl on the head. "Last time I saw her was years ago, though. After Ayaka died."

The truck tittered abruptly, and Hibiya came hurtling in, thrusting boxes after boxes not caring who they hit and Takane was close behind. She kicked Hibiya in the shins to get him into the truck and closed the hatch, climbing into the front seat.

"They found us already!" Takane roared, starting up the engine. With a swift reverse, they were back to speeding through the flower fields again, and Takane's reckless driving led to more than a few people toppling on top of each other. "We've got to get out of here now!"

"Holy shit!" Shintaro screamed, as a dent appeared in the truck's side, knocking him forward and bruising his spine. He held a death grip to Haruka though, and Ayano did the same, as the older boy was still unconscious. "What the fuck is wrong with those things?"

"Language, Shintaro." Hiyori commented calmly, though her eyes were trained on Hibiya, who had garnered a few more injuries than when she had last seen him. "Hey, you. You… okay?"

Hibiya forced a smile. Usually he would be happier to see that she cared, but the circumstances were too dim for any hint of it to show through. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking."

"By the way," Ayano piped up quietly, the vacancy of expression on her face nearly heartbreaking to watch. "Does anyone here know what 'they' are?"

Simultaneously, everyone shook their heads and Takane only screeched as they barely missed hitting another tree. With a start, Haruka shot up in cold sweat, his eyes wide.

"Oh my god," He breathed. "Stop him, stop him, give me my body back – please don't do this-"

Shintaro and Ayano both flew to him at once, asking, "Are you okay?!'

"This was not how I wanted him to wake up!" Takane said, preoccupied with driving but worried over Haruka all the same. She swerved again, hollering as she ran a street sign over and they made it back onto the main road.

"Let me tell you something about… 'them'." Haruka stated, in a shocking calm, and before anyone could question him, his kind brown eyes glowed red. A strange pattern blossomed from the mole under his right eye, and briefly, his fluffy, dark hair flashed white before colouring like that completely.

Hiyori stiffened, reaching a hand out to slowly touch his face. "Konoha? Is that you?"

"Hiyori. Hibiya." Haruka smiled, though both Shintaro and Ayano knew that it wasn't Haruka's smile. Then, the smile fell. "I have to tell you about 'them' now, because they'll kill me soon. I want you to help me. Help each other. Save everyone."

"Everyone is dead." Hibiya, having held his tongue for as long as he could manage, finally snapped. "Where were you when we were being hunted down, huh? Being killed? I swear to God, Konoha, you told us you were going to protect us! Where were you?"

Haruka, or Konoha, had a shine in his eyes then – the shine of unshed tears. "I'm sorry." He said. "But this is the most I can do."

"Konoha, please don't let them kill you." Hiyori pleaded, "We were supposed to be happy together. All of us, as a family."

Something in Shintaro cracked, and he punched the taller boy, eliciting a shriek from Hiyori and even Hibiya crawled away in fright.

"What the fuck did you do with Haruka?" His lips snarled with rage, and such a statement even silenced Takane, who had previously been screeching over her utter lack of driving skills.

"Let me tell you something about them-"

"What did you do with my friend?"

"Only overtook his body," Konoha responded weakly, "It's not permanent, so please let me explain-"

"Give him his body back." Ayano demanded swiftly, siding with Shintaro on this one. "Who are you?"

"Let me explain." Konoha uttered the words softly, but he was determined to let them know. Whether they trusted him or not, his time was running out, and Hibiya and Hiyori had to make it out or else. "I will give him his body back if you listen to me."

"Listen to him." Hiyori threatened shakily, pulling out a knife and aiming it at Ayano. "Please just let him talk."

Ayano's expression softened, again in defeat, and she sadly pulled Hiyori's knife from the girl's feeble grasp and pocketed it. The younger girl trembled, and she shot Ayano the most apologetic expression she could muster - which her niece returned uncertainly. "Okay. Okay, Shintaro, let him talk."

Hiyori went over to soothe Hibiya, and they clung to each other as they watched on with terrified eyes. Shintaro let Konoha go roughly, "Fine. Tell us what we need to know. Then go back to wherever the hell you came from."

"'They' are artificial beings. Monsters, mutants, cyborgs even, whatever you want to call them." He began, nodding gratefully at Shintaro and rubbing the back of his neck in pain. "'Artificial enemy' is the correct term, to be precise."

"Humans can no longer control them now, and they spread like a virus – independent, free and indestructible." Konoha's gaze fell. "But they are creating more. The artificial enemies are multiplying and destroying everything, because the one at the top wants to completely remake the world. A better world – without human beings."

"But," He continued after a long pause. "They aren't succeeding. Without a conscience, artificial enemies cannot function much better than an average microwave. They need something to make this never ending world exist full of beings under one's command but not as complete duds – they need humans themselves. Dead, or alive."

He hesitated, before he finally sighed. "Every artificial enemy used to be human."

Collectively, they gasped, and Ayano stood up, perfectly balanced in the wild vehicle. "Then why do they kill other humans? Why are they attacking us?"

"What do they want?" Shintaro bit out, but not aggressively anymore. He seemed deflated, more than anything.

"I don't know. All I know is that they don't recall anything beyond their dying wishes." Konoha sighed, and something overtook him. He keeled over, clutching his stomach. "I'm.. I'm running out of time."

"Konoha, no…" Hiyori cried suddenly, and Hibiya bit his lip in frustration.

"There is one." He managed weakly, appearance flickering to that of Haruka's. "Ene. Find the one called Ene. She was the prototype… the only one… who knows… everything."

He blacked out, fully returning to Haruka's unconscious form as before. Everything was dead silent apart from the screeching of tyres on the bitumen road.

"Ene, huh…" Takane murmured, a glint of electric blue flashing in her otherwise sharp hazel eyes. "Well, this thing just got a whole lot more complicated."