A relaxed Son Goku stepped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He hummed a faint tune, a clear, satisfied ease in his stride. The lingering scent in the hallway was quickly overtaken by a rich, savory aroma wafting from the kitchen.
His eyes brightened, and he followed it.
There, he found Busujima Saeko. She stood before the stove, an apron tied neatly around her waist, her movements efficient and graceful. The domestic scene framed her in a uniquely captivating light.
"Saeko," Goku said, his voice a low murmur as he came up behind her. He slid his arms around her waist, drawing her close. "That look suits you beautifully."
She stiffened for a moment, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "G-Goku? What are you—I'm in the middle of cooking. It will be ready soon. Go wait in the other room." Her protest was flustered, lacking its usual edge.
He didn't loosen his hold. Instead, he rested his chin lightly on her shoulder. "Once we confirm your family's safety, Saeko… come back to my world with me."
She went still in his arms. "Didn't we… all agree to follow you?"
"This is different." He turned her gently to face him, his expression uncharacteristically solemn. "I'm asking you. To be with me. The truth is, I was drawn to you from the very first moment I saw you."
Saeko's gaze wavered, dropping to the floor. A long, quiet sigh escaped her. "I am… glad to hear you say that. Truly. But I…" Her voice tightened. "I don't deserve that kind of affection." She pulled away, putting a small, deliberate distance between them.
Goku studied her, his dark eyes seeing past her composed façade. "You're afraid of it," he stated, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "The darkness inside you. The thrill it finds."
A violent shudder ran through her. She looked up, eyes wide with a mixture of shock and dread. "How… how could you possibly know that?"
He ignored her question, pressing forward. "Killing excites you. It makes you feel alive. And because of that, you believe you've forfeited any right to love or be loved."
"Why…" Her voice was a whisper, cracking under the weight of exposure. "Why do you understand so much? Now that you do… could you still say someone like me is worthy of it?" She hugged her arms around herself, her proud posture crumbling into one of tremulous fear and profound isolation.
In one fluid motion, Goku closed the gap and gathered her into his arms, his embrace firm yet gentle. "You know what I am, Saeko. I have a Dimension-Hop System. To fuel it, I need Energy Points, and the only way to gather them is through combat and death." He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his unwavering gaze. "A partner with your strength, your resolve… your particular nature is precisely what I need. We are two of a kind. Let go of your fear. Fight to your heart's content. Whatever sin follows, we will carry it together."
"You… need me? You can truly accept… all of me?" The words were barely audible, a fragile hope daring to surface.
"Absolutely."
The last of her resistance shattered. "Goku!" she cried out, the knot of anguish in her heart unraveling at last. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a fierce, passionate kiss that spoke of release and a newfound, desperate belonging.
---
Outside, the world had descended into a cacophony of groans and screams. The dead shambled through the streets, a relentless tide of hunger.
A man, his face etched with exhaustion and a wrench held like a talisman in his hand, led a small girl by the shoulder toward a secluded house. "Papa, where is Mama?" the little girl asked, her voice small.
He knelt, forcing a tender smile. "We'll see her soon. Just a little further, Alice."
They reached a sturdy gate. The man pounded a fist against the door. "Please! Let us in! I have a child with me! We can't outrun them!" Silence greeted him. He clenched his jaw, voice rising in desperate appeal. "I'm begging you! Just open the door!"
A voice, strained and cold with terror, slithered back from within. "G-get lost! Find somewhere else!"
"Me, I don't matter! But take my daughter!" More silence. Desperation curdled into resolve. He hefted the wrench. "Open this door, or I will break it down!"
"Papa…" the little girl whimpered.
"I mean it!"
"W-wait! I'm opening it now!" The porch light flicked on, revealing the panic within.
The door slid open a crack. "Thank you! You're saving our—" A sharpened metal pole, wielded by a trembling, middle-aged man on the other side, shot out and plunged deep into the father's chest.
"F-forgive me…" the homeowner stammered, his face ashen as his wife clutched his arm. Their own frightened children peered from behind.
He yanked the spear free. The door slammed shut.
The father staggered back, a dark stain blooming across his shirt. He collapsed against the outer gate, his weight causing it to swing open with a creak.
"Papa! PAPA!" Alice rushed to his side, falling to her knees and grabbing his limp hand.
He managed a final, gurgling whisper, his eyes glazing over. "Hide… don't let them find you… find a safe place… and hide…"
His hand went slack. The little girl knelt there, trembling violently as the awful reality crashed down. "No… Papa… I don't want this!" She threw herself across his still-warm chest, her small body wracked with sobs. "I want to stay with you… always… Waaah! Papa!"
Her piercing wails cut through the ambient groans. Shapes began to shuffle toward the open gate, drawn by the sound.
Within moments, several figures reached the entrance. One lurched forward, rotting arms outstretched. Alice screamed, scrambling backward on her hands and feet. More appeared, blocking her retreat. She turned and ran blindly down a side path, only to find herself cornered against a high wall. "No… please… I'll be good! Mama… Papa…" she wept, curling into a tiny ball.
A zombie lunged.
A small, white blur of fur shot out from under a bush—a brave little Shiba Inu. It latched onto the zombie's ankle, snarling and yanking. With a contemptuous shake, the creature grabbed the dog and ripped it apart, casting the pieces aside before turning its hollow gaze back to the crying child.
---
Inside the house, Goku's head lifted from where it rested against Saeko's shoulder. "That sounds like a child crying," he muttered, a frown etching his features.
"What is it?" Saeko asked, her face still flushed as she smoothed her rumpled clothes.
Goku was already moving to the window. He looked out just in time to see the puppy torn asunder and the terrified little girl behind it. His eyes widened in sudden, sharp recollection.
"Kuso—I forgot about little Alice!"
Without a second's hesitation, his finger snapped up. A thin, brilliant beam of ki lanced from his fingertip, crossing fifty meters in an instant to punch a clean, smoking hole through the forehead of the lunging zombie.