Somehow, Tris had the same intrusive thoughts as Kazuichi when they proceeded to ditch the penthouse and find another safer place to hide. Instead of taking the stairs the old-fashioned way, Tris ran towards the edge of the rooftop, grabbed the edge, and started descending while using windows as footholds and handholds. She was akin to a cat, leaping and gracefully working her way downwards without breaking a sweat. It was obvious that she was used to such risks, which impressed Kazuichi all the more.
As for Kazuichi though, he wasn't going to let Tris get ahead of him. After stretching his ankles, he ran toward the edge of the rooftop just like Tris did. However, instead of using the windows to his advantage, he jumped forward with arms outstretched. He wasn't going to descend down the building but instead, jump to the other building on the other side of the road.
From a third-person perspective, one could easily assume that Kazuichi was just showing off; and at a superficial glance, such was the case. However, the reason why he used the other building for his descent was something else. He didn't want to get in the way of Tris.
Had he done so, there was a great chance that Tris would lose her balance and fall to her death. It would be better if he steered clear out of her way instead of racing her downwards while using the same footholds and handholds she did.
Tris understood Kazuichi's intent and she smiled as she reached the middle part of the building. There was a small chance that he wanted to show off, but he wasn't stupid enough to cause trouble for the two of them.
However, Tris's smile would soon turn into a frown of panic when she realized that the other building didn't have any handholds. It was just a plain wall of concrete, nothing but concrete. "Kazuichi!" Tris hissed. At that moment, she wanted to scream in order to warn Kazuichi. Fortunately, she was able to suppress her panic and she opted to hiss at him instead, her face contorting due to anxiousness.
Apparently, Kazuichi had taken into account the building as well. Even though it was just a plain old wall, he knew he could scale down it without spending much effort. Using his innate ability as a hybrid, Kazuichi strengthened his hands and nails as the virus went through his body. His claws seemed to have grown longer, and their hardness was enough to slice through concrete.
Like a cat pouncing on a wall, Kazuichi 'landed' on all fours as he dug his nail through the concrete. The sudden jolt caused him to wince in pain. Even though his nails were hardened enough to endure the toughness of concrete, the pull of gravity still affected him and his nails were almost torn off when he stopped his momentum.
Kazuichi then slid down, and he arrived on the ground a little earlier than Tris. He grinned in satisfaction, stealing a glance towards Tris before heaving his chest out.
"So that's how a hybrid moves... it's slower than I thought." Tris teased as she led the way. "Come on, we don't have all day."
Kazuichi nodded.
...
It had only been two weeks or so ever since the outbreak ensued. However, the state of the city made it seem like the outbreak had happened a year or a decade ago. Dilapidated and toppled buildings were everywhere, and dead bodies littered the ground like dead flies. It was truly a sight that would burn the eyes.
Pressing her index finger on her lips, Tris gestured at Kazuichi to remain quiet as they sneaked past one of the alleyways in the city. Tris had no idea what to expect, but she was pretty good at maintaining her composure so far. There were a couple of close calls with the infected and she was handling it pretty well.
Then there was Kazuichi, who never flinches even when he comes face to face with an infected. It was plain to Tris that Kazuichi had a lot of experience when it comes to dealing with the infected, and she wanted to learn from him. "I wonder how much he had to practice in order to not flinch at all."
Infected react to sound, that's why it was advisable for someone to be as silent sa a mouse. And Kazuichi was the textbook definition of quietness. Even when an infected suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaning straight into Kazuichi's face, he ignored it as if it was a salesperson in the middle of the street. He did give it a kick to the shin as well before he left.
Tris didn't want to rely on Kazuichi this time around, that's why she went in front of him so she could lead the way. That's the only thing she could do at the moment after all since her ankle still wasn't fully recovered. Once again, she signaled Kazuichi to keep quiet before she turned.
And right in front of her was a struggling infected, about to bite her on the neck.
She opened her mouth to scream.
ha—
A split second later, Kazuichi's left hand covered Tris's mouth before he gave the infected a well-deserved punch right in the solar plexus. "Be quiet, I thought we didn't want to attract any attention?" Kazuichi relaxedly pointed out before he let go of Tris. "Sorry for grabbing you so suddenly." He apologetically added.
"I-it's fine... take a look. They're finally here." Tris pointed far away, towards the entrance of the city. "The scouts are here... this is going to be another catastrophe if we were to meet them."
"Catastrophe? What do you mean?" Kazuichi asked.
"I meant everything I said. You're sense of smell's pretty good, right? Try locating a horde of hybrids at our six. They're upwind, but you can't miss them. They might attack the two of us if we weren't careful."
"If that's the case then I'm ready." Kazuichi pressed his fist as slowly as he could so as not to attract attention.
"The hunt is about to begin. Let's go find someplace else to watch." Tris seriously said, slinking her way through the alleys while Kazuichi followed closely.