RED AND THE APOCALYPSE
Chapter 7 — Terms of Trust
The hallway stretched long and hollow. Broken windows lined one side, sunlight spilling through them in uneven streaks. Dust floated lazily through the beams of light, disturbed by every movement.
Every footstep echoed too loudly—as if the building itself were listening.
Tokita walked calmly with Natsuki beside him, and neither of them liked it. Natsuki glanced sideways with a sharp, annoyed glance.
Tch.
Tokita caught it. I don't like you either, man. He kept his eyes forward, though their shoulders nearly brushed as they walked—too close, and entirely intentional.
Nezuko slowed her steps, moving closer to Tokita. "…Hey," she said softly.
Tokita turned his head slightly. "Yeah?"
"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. About earlier." She hesitated. "I didn't know they'd attack you like that. Especially Natsuki. He's… intense."
Tokita studied her for a moment, then shrugged. "No worries. I'm fine."
"You're not… scared?"
He shook his head. "Not really."
He didn't tell her the truth: that the only moment his heart had actually jumped was when she screamed as they took her away. That was the part he still remembered most clearly.
Natsuki noticed. His steps slowed, his eyes sharpening into a glare. In a sudden motion, he cut between them, stopping Tokita in his tracks.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Natsuki snapped.
Tokita blinked. "Walking?"
"With my sister," Natsuki said coldly. "Why are you talking to her!?"
Nezuko frowned. "Natsuki—"
"Stay away from her."
Tokita sighed. "…Man." He rubbed the back of his neck before extending a hand. "Look, sorry about before. We started on the wrong foot. Let me—"
Smack.
Natsuki slapped Tokita's hand away. The hallway went dead silent. Tokita stared down at his hand, then up at Natsuki.
"…Okay."
Natsuki scoffed and turned away, only for Nezuko to smack the back of his head.
"Hey!" Natsuki snapped, whirling around. "Why are you hitting me?! Hit him too!"
Tokita walked ahead, raising his hands defensively. Don't punch me! Punch him! "Let's just keep moving," he said calmly.
"Just walk," Nezuko added, shooting her brother a glare.
They eventually reached a classroom. It was completely empty—desks lay overturned, and dark, dried blood stained parts of the floor. No bodies, no people. Just the five of them.
Tokita felt a flicker of suspicion toward the area, particularly the lack of corpses, but he exhaled and let it go for now.
"Alright," Tokita said. "Someone explain what's going on, because I'm officially confused."
Natsuki scoffed under his breath. "Idiot."
Nezuko glanced at Tokita and offered a warm smile. Tokita smiled back, which only served to make Natsuki grow visibly furious.
Across the room, the blue-haired girl stepped forward. "I'll explain," she said, then paused. "But first—introductions."
Tokita scratched his cheek. "Uh… name's Red."
Silence heavy enough to choke on filled the room.
"What?" Natsuki suddenly burst out laughing. "Red? That's your name?"
Tokita stared at him. "What's funny about it?"
Natsuki laughed harder, shaking his head. "God, I really don't like this guy. I can't believe he's talking to my sister."
Nezuko bit her lip, trying not to laugh.
Kaito chuckled quietly before stepping forward, extending a hand. "Kaito. Just Kaito. Nineteen."
Tokita froze. "Wait—nineteen? Damn. You're like three years older than me."
Kaito smiled. "Yet you don't talk like it."
"No offense, but…" Tokita said, "I don't really do 'respect.'"
"That's obvious," Natsuki muttered.
"By the way," Tokita added, glancing over at him, "I'm sixteen."
Natsuki blinked. "…Huh?"
The room fell dead silent.
"Sixteen?" Kaito repeated.
Aoi's eyes widened slightly, while Natsuki just stared. "…No way."
Tokita shrugged. "Surprised?"
Natsuki clicked his tongue, a flush of annoyance crossing his face. "I almost fought to a draw with a sixteen-year-old brat…" He shook his head and snapped, "The name's Natsuki! I'm seventeen, don't forget it!"
"Uh-huh… Wait a sec," Tokita said, leaning in. "Don't tell me you're related to Nezuko. Now that I take a closer look, you two actually look alike."
Nezuko answered for him. "Yeah, we're twins."
"Woah, now that's a surprise, because he acts nothing like you, Nezuko."
"You as—"
"That's enough," the blue-haired girl cut Natsuki off before he could explode. She stepped forward, her posture rigid. "I'm Aoi Kanzaki. Eighteen."
Tokita nodded. "Nice to meet you."
Aoi's expression sharpened. "Enough small talk." She locked her gaze directly onto him. "You're an ability user, aren't you?"
Tokita didn't deny it. "…Yeah." He tilted his head. "And judging by earlier—so are all of you. Well, most of you." His gaze shifted briefly toward Nezuko.
Kaito nodded, and Aoi gave a quiet confirmation.
Tokita laughed softly, muttering, "So I'm not the only one." For the first time since meeting them, a wave of relief washed over him.
Aoi caught the shift in his tone immediately. "Don't ask what our abilities are," she said calmly. "That's Rule Number One."
Tokita blinked. "…Fair."
"We're escorting Nezuko to a CDC branch in Tokyo," Aoi continued. "Her blood may help create a cure, since she's immune to the virus."
Wait, Nezuko already told them I knew about her immunity? Well, she did confide in me, so it makes sense she told her friends, Tokita thought.
He nodded slowly. "That tracks." He looked toward Nezuko, then back at Aoi. "So that's the plan?"
"Yes."
Tokita thought for a moment, his expression growing distant as he glanced toward the broken windows. Outside, the ruined world stretched endlessly beyond the building.
"You guys seem strong," Tokita said softly. "But I think I'll head home now."
The others went quiet. Kaito frowned. "Home? Wait, hold up a second!"
"What is it now?" Tokita countered. "I've already brought Nezuko back safe and sound to you guys, so what else do you want from me?"
A heavy silence lingered for ten long seconds.
Aoi finally spoke. "Red, right? Listen, I'm not going to beat around the bush. We need help. We need people we can trust—strong, powerful people who can protect Nezuko. She could be the key to saving humanity as we know it. So what do you say? Will you join us?"
"Yeah… I'm good," Tokita replied smoothly.
"…What?! Come on, you can't be serious!" Kaito snapped.
Natsuki scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "Let the bastard go. We definitely don't need his sorry ass."
"We could use someone like you," Kaito urged, ignoring Natsuki. "You're strong. You fit this group."
Tokita shook his head. "I appreciate it, but I'm good."
Aoi frowned. "You don't understand what you're saying no to."
"I understand."
"No," Aoi said sharply. "You understand the destination. You don't understand what happens if we fail. This isn't just about getting Nezuko to Tokyo. It's about finding an answer before this infection spreads even further."
"Right now, nobody knows how to stop it," Kaito added, glancing at Nezuko. "She may be the only person we've found who can help us understand why some people become infected while she doesn't."
Tokita looked at Nezuko again. She remained quiet, the immense weight of their words visible on her face. Having the whole world resting on your shoulders must be frightening as hell, Tokita thought. I get what she's going through, but still… it's not my problem.
"But Tokyo…" Tokita muttered. "If you've seen the videos trending online, that entire place is crawling with special infected. You're basically asking me to walk into one of the most dangerous places left in the country."
"I'm asking you to help us get there," Aoi stated flatly.
Tokita shook his head. "I'm not a hero. And the way you guys keep saying I'm strong or powerful—I don't get it. All I did was exchange a few punches with this wimp over here." He pointed directly at Natsuki.
"You damn prick! Who the hell are you calling a wimp, huh?!" Natsuki shouted.
Tokita ignored him completely. "I don't have some grand dream of saving humanity. I just want to find my parents and go home." His voice wasn't cruel; it was simply honest. "And honestly… I've already done enough."
He looked toward Nezuko and offered a small smile. "I saved you. That should count for something, right?"
Nezuko stared at him, then smiled softly. "It does." She took a step closer. "And that's why you don't have to come with us. You already saved my life, and I never got the chance to properly thank you. So… thank you, Red."
For a moment, Tokita didn't know what to say.
"You can go home," she added softly.
"Seriously, come on!" Kaito interjected, but Nezuko rounded on him.
"Stop it! I've had enough," Nezuko declared, her voice firm. "You're trying to force him into a situation he doesn't want to be in."
Silence reclaimed the room for nearly fifteen seconds.
Tokita stared at her. "You don't want me to come?"
"Of course I do," her smile grew brighter, "but I don't want you to come because you feel like you owe me something. You don't owe us anything. We all knew what we signed up for—none of this is your responsibility. We'll figure something out."
She took a small step backward. "So… I guess this is goodbye."
Tokita's eyes widened slightly. "…This is goodbye,huh?"
Nezuko nodded. "Yeah."
"Yeah, it is."
Something uncomfortable settled deep inside Tokita's chest. He couldn't explain it. He had wanted to leave; he had been waiting for an excuse to walk away. Now that she had given him one, why did walking away feel so wrong?
Nezuko turned around.
Just leave. Go home. That's what you wanted.
"Finally, good riddance!" Natsuki muttered.
Tokita looked toward the broken windows, out at the ruined streets beyond. Millions—if not billions—of infected were out there. People were dying, and others were hiding in the dark, hoping someone would find an answer. Nezuko might be that answer.
Tokita clenched his fist. I'm not a hero, he repeated in his mind. I'm not.
He didn't want to carry an impossible burden. He just wanted his family, his home, a normal life. But another thought intruded: What if they actually make it? What if she really can help them find a cure? What if I could help?
He looked down at his hands. He knew what he was capable of—far more than any of them realized. His strength could make a real difference. Not because he was a hero, but simply because he could.
And sometimes, maybe that was enough.
Tokita exhaled deeply. I'm definitely going to regret this. He almost laughed at himself. Definitely.
"Wait."
Nezuko stopped. Everyone turned back toward him.
Tokita rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. "I'm still not exactly interested in becoming some hero of justice."
Kaito smiled slightly. "We aren't asking you to be."
"Then what if we combine everything we've got?" Tokita asked. Aoi's eyes narrowed, listening closely. "You guys have your abilities. Nezuko has her immunity. And I have… whatever the hell I have."
A small, confident smirk appeared on his face. "If we combine our strength and actually make it to that CDC facility in Tokyo… maybe we can find a cure. So… I guess I can go."
Nezuko's eyes widened. "Really?!"
Tokita nodded. "Yeah… but I'm probably going to regret this."
Kaito laughed out loud, and even Aoi allowed a faint smile to cross her face. Nezuko couldn't hide her happiness. Natsuki, however, simply clicked his tongue.
Tokita glanced at him. "What?"
"Nothing."
"You're definitely thinking something."
"I'm thinking I still don't like you."
Tokita sighed. "Yeah. That makes two of us."
Nezuko let out a genuine laugh. For the first time, the dense tension holding the group together began to loosen. Tokita looked around at the faces staring back at him—a bunch of misfits and strangers. He didn't know their abilities, their history, or whether he could trust them yet. But trust wasn't instant; it was built one decision at a time. And Tokita had just made his first.
Then Kaito's smile slowly vanished. "But first…"
The room went dead silent. Tokita looked up.
"…There's a trial."
Tokita frowned. "A trial?"
Kaito's eyes glowed with a faint, dangerous yellow hue. "To prove you're not weak."
Tokita stared at him for a second. Then, his mouth curved into
a sharp, dangerous grin.
"…Alright." He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto Kaito's. "What trial do you want me to pass?"