Ito Ai: A New Dawn

Eiji sat as still as possible as the girl next to him slept. He couldn't keep his gaze off her as she breathed in and out slowly. He slowly reached over to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear but remembered what Mai had said and began to slowly retract it only to be caught by Ai's hand. Eiji was confused as to what was going on because Ai's eyes were still closed but when he felt her hand clasp on to his interlocking their fingers he couldn't help but feel happy. Ai even shifted her head to his chest making his heartbeat even faster. He dared not move even a single centimeter. He did not want her to wake up and let go of his hand. Her hand was small but soft with a few calluses here and there. 

As time ticked by, Eiji kept an ear open to the outside while enjoying his situation. It was only when he felt a stir next to him that he noticed that Ai opened her eyes. She reached up with her left hand and rubbed her right eye. She did not let go of Eiji's hand which Eiji thought she would instead she kept holding it as if it was natural. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About four-five hours, maybe six. I am not sure." Eiji answered. Getting ready to defend himself at any moment when Ai realized they were holding hands.

"Then you get some sleep I will keep watch." Ai said finally letting go of Eiji's hand as she repositioned her body so she was sitting up. 

Eiji felt a little bit of a loss when Ai let go of his hand but he did feel very tired. He leaned back against the sidewall of the SUV to get some sleep. He went to put his hands in this lap but his left hand was grabbed by Ai and her hand interlocked with his. He opened his eyes and looked at Ai who just merely smiled not saying anything. 

Eiji did not know when he went to try to tuck her hair in, Ai did wake up but did not open her eyes. She knew Eiji meant no harm so she instead grabbed his hand. At first, it was just to move it away but she decided to just hold on to it and interlocked her fingers with his and fell back asleep. She did not know why she decided to do such a thing, so when she woke up and Eiji was going to rest she decided to hold his hand again to try to figure out why she did what she did. 

Ai never had any natural intimate relations with a boy her age before. Eiji and her were only two years apart. She was not looking for romance but that did not stop her curiosity and since she trusted Eiji he was the perfect person to experiment on. In truth the two of them could have cleaned up the back more but Ai wanted the closed space to see how it felt to be close with a boy she trusted. Although she never felt nervous or shy, she also did not dislike it. She also felt that holding Eiji's hand was not so bad either. Ai glanced at Eiji's sleeping face and smiled slightly. 

Eiji slept for a good five hours before waking up. Seeing that it was still dark out Eiji decided to offer Ai the chance to sleep more: "If you want to sleep more you can. I can wake you when the sun rises."

"Mmm… I think I will, I was up late the other night getting ready while someone was sound asleep against the wall." Ai said not feeling reserved at all. She pulled up the hand that still held on to Eiji's and rested it under her cheek as she snuggled up next to him. Eiji really did not know what to say since he had never seen this side of Ai before. He could only find the girl to be too cute when she acted like this. Once she found a comfortable position she was sound asleep once again. This also amazed Eiji. He himself would take some time to fall asleep but this girl would fall asleep instantly.

Ai woke up about two hours later, wiped the drool from her mouth, and finally let go of Eiji's hand as she stretched. "Morning!"

"Good morning. Feeling better now?" Eiji asked.

"Mmm… Thanks. Let's hit the road." Ai said as she ruthlessly kicked the side door open and right off its hinges. It made a loud crashing sound causing Ai to chuckle. She scooted out of the SUV and stretched her limbs a bit more. "Mai and I left a few places that had water. Originally we never planned to take that base. It just kind of worked out that way. There should be one up ahead if I remember right." 

"Alright." Eiji said as he exited the SUV as well. 

The two made their way down the road very slowly. Because there were so many cars they had to push cars aside in order to make room for the trailer. This of course was easy with Ai's new strength. But it still took time. "I never understood the panic factor that humans have. They should know roads would be packed and that staying home would have been the safest route. But with all these bodies which are now almost partially decayed, it makes you wonder what exactly it is that turns a person's rational thought process off." 

"You have to remember that when one is panicking they do not think straight. Did you not panic when I passed out?" Ai asked as she smiled teasingly at Eiji.

Eiji blushed but he remembered he did the right thing by getting help. "But I still knew to get you medical help. Although that situation did scare me to death." 

"Sorry. I did not expect that to happen either. Normally I am good with knives but I was in a rush and got careless. But in a way, it was a blessing too, or else this trip would take much longer. By the way, remember when I said I would explain a few things to you? When you asked how I knew so much?" Ai stopped her steps and looked at Eiji.

"Mmm. It is fine if you do not wish to tell me. I do not want to force you to speak when you do not want to."

***

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