To Kill The Dead

Chapter 14 - Ep 14 - Reunion

Rain washed over the wrecked streets as Kanata and Serizawa emerged from the subway station, blinking under the pale daylight. Their clothes were torn. Faces smudged with ash. But they were alive.

Takiya was the first to spot them.

"Kanata!!"

She ran — boots splashing through the puddles — and slammed into him with a hug so tight it knocked the breath from his lungs. She didn't let go. Even when Serizawa cleared her throat.

"...You're okay," Takiya whispered, her face buried in his shoulder. "I thought we lost you."

He gently rested his hand on her back. "We almost didn't make it."

When she finally pulled back, her face was red — and not just from the rain.

Kanami appeared next. She stared at Kanata, expression unreadable.

"You made it," she said softly.

Then she looked away.

Godou-sensei followed behind, her lab coat slung over one shoulder, eyes tired but sharp. Her gaze lingered on Kanata longer than it should've.

"...You've grown," she said, almost to herself.

Serizawa crossed her arms, watching all of it — the touches, the stares, the smiles. She turned away with a scoff, hiding the knot forming in her chest.

---

Makeshift Clinic – Abandoned Pharmacy

Later, the group huddled inside a ransacked drugstore to clean up and rest. Rain beat down on the broken windows.

Kanata sat shirtless on a table, bruises blooming across his chest and side.

Takiya kneeled in front of him, wiping blood from a gash with warm water and cotton. Her fingers were delicate, lingering longer than needed.

"You're lucky this didn't puncture anything," she murmured, not meeting his eyes.

Kanami came next, kneeling beside Takiya. "Hold still."

Without warning, she tugged his jacket and shirt the rest of the way off.

"Wha—Hey—"

"I need to check your back. You're still bleeding."

Her hands were efficient — but not cold. Every touch sent heat up Kanata's neck. Takiya didn't say a word, but her ears turned a little red.

Then Godou-sensei stepped forward, sighing.

"You three are too rough," she muttered.

She crouched beside him, rolled up his pants slightly — exposing a deep purple bruise on his thigh.

Kanata froze as her hand brushed high against his leg. "S-Sensei—"

"Don't move. I'm checking for nerve damage."

Her fingers lingered a second too long.

Serizawa stood near the door, eyes narrow, arms crossed.

When she spoke, her voice was sharp.

"Are we done fondling him like a goddamn corpse, or can I check his ankle now?"

All heads turned.

She spun on her heel and stormed out.

---

That Night – Rooftop

Godou-sensei sat alone with Kanata under a cracked canopy. The fire barrel beside them crackled softly.

She passed him a small can of peach liquor, half full.

"I shouldn't," he said.

"Who'll stop you?" she murmured, sipping hers. "The world's already gone."

He took a tentative drink. It burned his throat.

"You kept them together," she said after a moment. "When we fell apart. You held Serizawa back from collapsing. You brought hope."

"I'm not a leader," Kanata muttered. "I'm just surviving."

Godou stared at the cloudy sky.

"Survivors die. Leaders change people."

She turned, met his eyes.

"They're all looking to you, you know?" she said quietly. "For hope. For something else, too."

Kanata said nothing.

She smiled faintly. Sadly.

"...Even me."

---

Elsewhere – Pharmacy Floor

Serizawa sat alone near the doorway, hugging her knees, face half in shadow.

She could still feel his warmth from last night. The way he held her. The way she whispered his name without meaning to.

And then she saw the way Takiya clung to him.

The way Kanami touched him.

The way Godou watched him like he was more than a student.

She bit her lip, her stomach twisting in knots.

"...Stupid Kanata."

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