Arika and Soryu were tied to each other—both in a literal and figurative sense. Soryu had decided it would be best if they stayed physically connected to avoid losing each other in the storm, so they followed his blizz line together.
Soryu checked his pocket watch, which caught Arika's attention.
"What are you doing with that pocket watch?"
Soryu didn't respond. He clearly couldn't hear her over the storm—her voice drowned out by its deafening howl. Arika would have to wait until they got inside somewhere before asking again.
Whatever. She and Soryu had a destination in mind: to get some oxygen tanks for his SCBA system. There was a hardware store she'd seen about a mile from where their home was.
Their home? No, it wasn't hers. It was Soryu's. She was just freeloading off his supplies. That was one of the reasons she'd insisted on coming with him: she wanted to feel useful.
Arika's bag felt heavier now with two oxygen tanks inside. Each tank lasted about two hours, giving Soryu a total of six hours of breathable air—more than enough time for the trip there and back.
But that didn't stop his paranoia.
Arika's arms were on fire, and she whimpered from the strain.
Soryu took notice of how her arms trembled as she carried the bag. He turned around and extended his hand, curling his fingers toward himself to silently motion her to give it to him.
Arika clutched the bag closer to her chest. It contained her spare filters and cleaning kit—she needed them. But at the same time, Soryu needed his oxygen tanks.
Soryu saw how stupidly defensive she was being and pressed his visor into his hand, shaking his head in disbelief.
Then he stepped forward and took the bag without any resistance from Arika. Instantly, she looked a thousand times better than she had two minutes ago.
After a few more minutes of walking, they finally found the manhole they were looking for.
Soryu held up his hand to halt Arika. He dropped her bag, pulled out his claw hammer, and with a little bit of elbow grease, pried open the cover—revealing a black pit below. To the side of it was a ladder.
Soryu motioned for her to follow as he put his foot on the first rung.
The sewers were something Arika knew well, considering she had lived in them for god knows how long. Though the rancid air was most likely breathable—the sewers were sealed from the outside world—Soryu didn't find the idea of inhaling it very appealing.
He dropped Arika's duffel bag on the ground and signaled for her to come down.
Soryu watched Arika put her right foot on the first rung of the ladder as she slowly descended. She pulled the sewer grate back in place, drowning out the sound of the storm, before descending further until her boots hit the frozen concrete of the sewer floor.
Soryu checked his pocket watch before turning his gaze back toward his companion.
"Can you hear me, Orio?"
"We've known each other for more than two weeks. You don't have to be so formal."
Soryu frowned, tucking his pocket watch into his coat. He turned around, gesturing for her to lead the way with a nod.
"…Is he going to say anything?" Arika thought to herself.
She crossed her arms, taking in the sight of the tunnel ahead.
"You need oxygen tanks, but you need ones that connect to your system, no?"
"Any will work. I can tinker with my equipment until it functions."
"Well, we're currently in a shopping district. A hardware store shouldn't be too hard to find, considering the circumstances. Actually, I think I know where one is."
"Then lead the way, Orio."
She turned toward Soryu and walked up to him at an alarming speed, raising her right hand.
"What the hell are yo—"
And then she lightly slapped Soryu's face shield, leaving him in awe.
"Call me Arika," she said as she wiped the smudge she had just left on the glass of his mask.
"Why are you making such a fuss about it now?"
"Because it was tolerable before, but your stubbornness is starting to tick me off!"
"Oh my lord, we do not have time for this. We need to go…"
Soryu paused for a moment before forming the name he was hesitant to say.
"…Arika."
When they exited the sewers, Soryu was met with a place he had never seen before while scavenging. As soon as he climbed out of the manhole, he found himself surrounded by two rows of shops on either side of a road. He was able to see much more clearly here—the buildings blocked the storm well, though not completely.
Soryu felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find Arika pointing toward a store. There was no clear indication it was a hardware store—the exteriors had been eroded by the storm—but oh well.
Soryu walked forward and tugged on the door, but it refused to move.
"Fuckin—"
Maybe it needed more elbow grease. He gripped the handle with both hands and pulled as hard as he could, yet it frustratingly didn't budge.
Soryu turned around to see Arika chuckling behind her mask before shrugging.
Embarrassed, frustrated, and with no time to waste, Soryu pulled his hammer from his backpack and smashed one of the windows. He cleared the remaining glass from the sill and climbed inside, with Arika following close behind.
Glass crunched under their boots as they explored the hardware store, searching for oxygen tanks and other essentials. While crouched over the shelves, Soryu was approached by Arika, who dropped her bag next to him.
"I'm going to check out the back. After that, I'll loot the other nearby stores. Because we have… how many days' worth of food left?"
"Fourteen."
"Alrighty."
Arika walked slowly toward the back door and shut it behind her, leaving Soryu to himself.
While looting, he began to think about the utter chaos of their situationship. He had been alone for years on end, sure he was the only one left alive—or at least the only one in Tokyo. And then, on a stupid, nearly wasteful surface trip for cigarettes, he had found another living person. Her.
Before the whole nuclear annihilation fiasco, he'd had terrible luck with women—and with people in general. Working on oil rigs and ship propellers gave him more than enough money to live on his own, but he was truly alone. His parents were almost never around, he had no siblings, and the friends and coworkers he tried to make saw him as stoic, cold, and utterly uninteresting. Maybe that's why he was able to handle being alone all these years.
But then again, he was overjoyed that he had Arika's company. By god, that woman might have been the best thing he could ever have come across. Still, they were two very different people. She was outgoing and sociable, even with someone like Soryu, who tended to stay quiet. And when he did speak, his words were plain and sparse.
And she was also quite attractive, all things considered. Their ages weren't too far apart—she was about 23, he was 25. Honestly, though, he didn't care if she was a grandma. He just needed someone else to share this shit-hole he called Earth with.
His thoughts were broken when he heard Arika's voice.
"Soryu?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Might wanna take a look at this."