"Here," Daryl eases the jacket around Sakiko's shoulders.

He could see the way she shivered in the night air. But, she wouldn't voice that she was cold- or anything else for that matter as she hadn't said a word since they left the group.

"Y'all ever hear the one about us getting locked outside the house in a snow storm?" Merle asks, tossing a small twig into the fire.

When no one responds, Merle continues talking.

"It was damn near below freezing. We were trying to get in the house and both looked at each other to unlock it. Left the keys at the damn bar," Merle chuckles.

"How'd you get back in?" Nanami finally asks.

"Broke a window," Merle recalls, "Shoved Daryl in there and he unlocked it."

"After you clocked me in the nose thinking I was lyin' to you," Daryl remembers.

"I did, huh?" Merle laughs.

Sakiko slumps against Daryl's shoulder, her head resting on his arm. Even though she was drained, she wasn't tired. She couldn't bear the thought of falling asleep when her head was spinning with thoughts. But, her body was exhausted and she didn't have the strength to keep herself up.

Daryl scoots closer so she would be comfortable- not even noticing he was doing it. Merle sees the exchange, rolling to lay on his back and stare up at the trees.

The night air was tense with unsaid words- but no one wanted to let their frustrations out as they were mentally wired to the core.

--

"There's nothing," Sakiko finally expresses the next day.

She kicks at the leaves and twigs on the ground- not a track in sight.

"Well now, if you go and mess up the trail-" Merle begins.

"I said there's nothing," she stands her ground, sending a glare in his direction.

"Hey," Daryl calls, nudging her arm to calm her down.

Sakiko huffs, stomping further away from the men.

"She's still a little spit fire, I see," Merle comments.

"Man, she was just coming out of her shell," Nanami defends.

"Yeah, I saw the two love birds," Merle hums with a grin.

Sakiko's steps halt and she turns on her heels to stare at the man.

"You's getting close and cuddly with the pizza boy's brother, eh?"

"Shut up!" Sakiko snaps.

She didn't want to be out here. She wanted to be back home, at the prison, preferably in Ryan's arms. How dare Merle bring him up when she was so close to going over the edge in her anger?

"What? I'm just calling it like I see it," Merle shrugs.

Sakiko begins toward him, Daryl stepping between with his back to Sakiko, "Just drop it, bro."

Merle rolls his eyes, "Do none of you have any sense of humor? We's supposed to be family so why the hell can't Uncle Merle-"

"We're not family, asshole," Sakiko insults.

Daryl pretends that didn't hurt him.

"You're the junkie that bought from my junkie dad. It just so happens that you're Daryl's brother- but you're nothing more than that druggie that came by every other week."

"Your dad," Merle chuckles.

"Merle," Daryl warns.

"You mean the guy we was gonna drop you off to when shit hit the fan?" Merle recalls.

"What?" Nanami asks.

"That's not what happened," Daryl denies.

"When camp was set up and shit got real. Daryl and I dropped by your house during a hunt to get your old man so you could go back-"

"That's not why we went there," Daryl argues.

"You were gonna drop us?" Nanami asks.

Sakiko shakes her head, denying that Daryl would do that to them.

"The hell else was we supposed to do? Daryl took y'all to Atlanta to drop you off at some shelter-"

"What?" Nanami startles.

Merle looks to Daryl who shakes his head.

"You didn't tell 'em," Merle figures.

"That's why we went to Atlanta?" Sakiko finds her voice, "Because you were gonna give us to the state?"

"That's right," Merle nods, "Guess after y'all thought I kicked the bucket and we found your old man had put a bullet in his own head, Daryl didn't have the heart to tell you."

"Merle!" Daryl scolds.

The twins were silent- trying to comprehend Merle's words.

Shinsuke was dead? He had offed himself?

Leaves crunch under Sakiko's boots as she stomps to Merle. Her hand is swift against his face as she slaps him- his head turning to the side.

"Go to hell," she hisses, the coldest look in her eyes coming naturally.

Merle's jaw ticks as he looks down to her, a look of fury in his own eyes.

"Kiko-" Daryl reaches for her.

Sakiko turns, shoving Daryl's hand away from her shoulder.

"I'm going home. This was always going to be a mistake," she states with her voice wavering from emotion.

She takes her knife out of her pocket, flipping it open to feel more secure before storming off away from the men.

"Sakiko!" Daryl calls, chasing after her.

Instincts running as wild as his thoughts, Nanami follows them without a word. Throwing his head back with a curse to the sky, Merle pushes his own feet to go as well.

--

Sakiko had split off from the men entirely- not a single track left that made Daryl curse his teachings that she suddenly decided to show how much she picked up on.

Then, the three men found the family on the bridge. Nanami hadn't ran in to help until he heard the sounds of the baby crying- falling in line behind Daryl who had jumped into the fight against walkers without hesitation.

After Daryl had pulled his crossbow to point at Merle- demanding his brother to get out of the car, Nanami fell to his knees on the road while gripping his shoulder in pain.

The family had sped off in a hurry, leaving Daryl to help Nanami stand only for Nanami to shake his head and break into tears.

"See now? We ain't get a single lick of help from them assholes and now kid's injured even more," Merle scolds angrily.

Nanami chokes on his cries- a mouthful of yesterday's lunch retching out of his gut and onto the road.

"You.." Nanami heaves, "You all made me kill those people.. Those soldiers.."

Merle sighs, leaning against a car in boredom as Daryl kneels beside Nanami.

"What?" Daryl asks.

"Said it was to help Woodbury.. Killed that.. That entire camp of soldiers," Nanami pants, "Told me to give that one a merciful end.."

Pulling his head up, he glares at Merle who raises his eyebrows at the teen's actions.

"There wasn't a goddamn bit of mercy there!" Nanami shouts, "We murdered those men!"

"And seventy people got meals and safety," Merle reminds.

"The Governor waved a white flag and we attacked them from behind like cowards!"

"It was a strategic plan."

"It was murder," Nanami growls dangerously.

"It's what life nowadays looks like, son," Merle brushes off.

Nanami pushes himself to his feet, wiping the spit from his mouth.

"Na," Daryl sighs.

"I'm going to find Sakiko," Nanami mutters, walking away from the brother's with a limp.

"You found me," Sakiko calls from the other side of the bridge near the woods.

Nanami feels to disgusted with himself and his actions to express his relief just yet. But, he should've known better. Of course Sakiko would still wait around to see what he and Daryl would do. She was waiting for them to figure out what she already had.

Forcing his feet to move to his sister, Nanami makes himself stay strong. Sakiko welcomes her brother with an open arm that she wraps around his waist to let him lean on her for help.

They duck into the woods together and Daryl suddenly jumps to his feet- running after them.

"Hey!" Merle shouts, taking off to them as well, "Where the hell are you going?"

"To get my kids!" Daryl calls over his shoulder.

The uninjured men catch up to the twins with ease as Nanami's injury had slowed them down.

"Your kids?" Merle repeats, "These the kids you was dropping off in Atlanta?"

"Leave us alone!" Sakiko shouts.

Daryl stops, looking back to his brother with anger in his eyes.

"Nah. These the kids I told you I was doing that because I didn't want you on my ass when you found out we was going on our own."

The twins slow down, glancing back to the brothers as Merle steps closer to Daryl.

"What was that, now?" Merle asks.

"They were going through hell. I was in hell. I was takin' them and going. Just the three of us so we ain't have to deal with junkies like you and that dipshit."

"That works out every time, huh? Just like how we was supposed to rob that camp blind?"

"And if you kept being an asshole, the three of us were leaving your sorry ass behind!" Daryl shouts back.

"Me? Leave me behind?" Merle echoes, "After everything we been through? You'd turn on family?"

"What like when we were kids?" Daryl challenges, "Who left who then? Maybe I didn't want my kids living the shit I did!"

"Daryl!" Sakiko calls, "Let's just go!"

"You keep saying 'your kids' like they actually belong to you. Face it, baby brother. Them kids ain't blood. Me and you-"

"Those kids are more of my family than some simpleminded piece of shit like you!" Daryl yells.

"So, you're choosing them," Merle scoffs, rolling his shoulders, "Over blood?"

"Yeah," Daryl nods, "I am."

The twins wait until Daryl is by their side- nodding for them to follow him until their feet start to move again.

"Just cause y'all got some stuff in common don't mean you're family," Merle reminds.

"Nah. It's everything else," Daryl rephrases, "Then some."

Daryl takes Sakiko's place to help Nanami walk as Sakiko gives one more glance back to Merle. Seeing her, Daryl places his other arm around her shoulders.

"Come on," Daryl coaxes, "We leave that shit in the past."

Sakiko nods, leaning deeper into Daryl's hold as the trio walk away in each other's arms.

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

this little found family owns my heart 🥺