"I don't get it," Daryl looks over to Nanami, "What kind of hold this asshole have you two on?"

"Merle was with him longer than I was.." Nanami recalls, "He made me think it was okay to kill other groups. There was this base- these soldiers.. We just went in there and killed them like it was nothing. Took their stuff and left."

Daryl keeps his jog- though he tries to study Nanami's expression. His eyes carried bags of burden from what he'd done, the words only making him look more sick.

"Who knows what he made Merle do for him," Nanami swallows, "But, it was enough to change him."

"We can bring him back," Daryl reassures, "We brought Sakiko back, we can do the same for Merle."

"Sakiko was just afraid. And you did all that- not me. I only made it worse."

"Merle's afraid, too. I know him," Daryl rephrases, "Kiko needs you."

"I need her more," Nanami admits, "She brought me back."

While running, Daryl switches his bow to his other hand to pat Nanami's back, "We all came back. The four of us.. For each other."

--

Sakiko tries to take her deep breaths that Glenn and Hershel had taught her- but it's cut off every time she flinches from a the gunshots.

Her hands claw at the metal of the building, trying to bring herself back to reality where there were dangerous men outside shooting walkers as Merle was beside her shooting the men in secret.

"Come on, kid," Merle urges, "Could use some help here."

Sakiko clenches her fist, forcing that strength to show itself like it did when the prison was overrun with Ryan. Like it did when she let those walkers out to save Daryl and Nanami.

Pulling her gun up, she rests on the window by Merle's side, firing a shot to one of the men- hitting him in the chest.

"Atta, girl," Merle nods, "We got this. Stay with Uncle Merle, yeah?"

Sakiko fires another shot.

--

Nanami reads over the note that was on the ground a few times- his mind wrapping around Merle's message.

"She still went after him," Daryl figures, pointing to the tracks, "They're both out here somewhere."

"We're close," Nanami agrees, shoving the paper in his pocket.

"Come on," Daryl hurries, breaking into another run that Nanami mimics.

--

"Kiko, run!" Merle screams.

Sakiko stumbles backwards as the men shove Merle to the ground.

Her heart was still racing from the shootout that has since stopped once they found them.

"Son of a bitch!" one of the men shouts, kicking Merle in the stomach.

Sakiko drops her gun to the ground, feeling somehow safer without it. She leaps from the doorway, pulling one of her knives out and stabbing the man in the neck from behind. He gurgles on his own blood as she slices, kicking him to the ground.

The other man begins after her only for her to draw her arm back and let the knife soar through the air- hitting the man through the eye.

"Come on!" she shouts, grabbing Merle's arm and trying to pick him up.

Merle coughs, feet sliding as he begins to stand. He makes it to his feet, pushing Sakiko behind him so they stood back to back. Sakiko takes another knife out as Merle lifts his bladed hand.

"Ready?" Merle asks, holding his stance as he looks to the men they didn't kill yet gathering around them.

Sakiko pulls a second knife out, one in front of her as the other was ready to be thrown, "Ready."

Merle shouts, jerking his arm forward to stab one of the men as Sakiko throws her own knife to another. As the men ambush them at once- it's a six on two fight that they face.

Sakiko, shorter than the men, ducks under the arms that reach for her- kicking groins, stabbing necks, and tripping all that she could manage.

"Leave him to me!" a voice shouts, grabbing Merle around the neck and dragging him back into the building.

"Hey!" Sakiko screams, chasing after them.

The eye patch and cold look in his glare tells Sakiko that it was the Governor she'd heard so much about.

"Don't move!" Governor demands Sakiko, holding a gun to Merle's head.

Sakiko stumbles to a stop, knife held in front of her protectively. A sudden blow from behind brings her to her knees as Merle roars in anger.

"Sakiko!" Merle screams as the man- Allen, lays a kick to her back, "Asshole! Stop!"

Sakiko groans in pain, writhing on the dirty floor before noticing her gun that she'd dropped. She pulls herself to it, picking it up and jumping to her feet.

The Governor moves his gun from Merle to Sakiko.

Merle jerks the arm around him to free himself as Governor pulls the trigger.

Sakiko flinches at the gunshot that doesn't hit her as Merle jumps in front of her.

There's a tense silence as Merle stumble, grabbing the hole in his chest.

"Merle.." Sakiko gasps, "Merle!"

Merle falls to his knees, coughing up blood before falling to the ground.

Sakiko's eyes fill with tears, pointing her gun to the Governor.

"Hand it over," Governor tells her, pointing his gun to her again, "Now."

Sakiko breathes in and out sharply, cries ripping from her throat. Carefully, she kneels to the ground, though her aim stayed on the man in front of her.

"Kid," Governor warns.

Sakiko's hands shake as she turns the gun with the handle facing the Governor. As the Governor steps to her, she looks down at Merle's body- faint breathing still coming from him.

"Merle?" she asks, reaching to him.

Merle makes a soft movement, discreetly tearing his blade from the metal hand he adorned and sliding it to Sakiko. Sakiko understands, placing her hand over it.

As the Governor grabs the gun from her hand, Sakiko leaps to her feet- shoving the blade into the Governor's throat.

Another gunshot fires from the other man's gun by the door- Sakiko quickly feeling a burning pain in her back as she sinks deeper into the Governor's arms.

--

Running onto the scene, Daryl and Nanami take down the walkers that lingered with arrows and knives.

"It looks like a massacre," Nanami notes, stepping away from the body of a Woodbury man that he recognized.

"Yeah, it does," Daryl agrees, "See 'em anywhere?"

Nanami shakes his head, looking around with his guard up. They stroll further in, looking for signs of either Sakiko or Merle.

"Check that way," Daryl points, "I got this side."

They split off, Nanami looking around the edges of the buildings and into the windows he could see through.

"Kiko?" Nanami hisses, "You here?"

Distantly, he could hear a walker banging on a door- scraping coming from inside it. He jumps over another two bodies or so, freezing once he sees the walker closer.

The Governor had turned.

With cautious steps, Nanami ambushes his once leader- shoving him against the building before stabbing him through the head.

Kneeling beside the body, Nanami notices the deep cut around his neck- the thing that must have killed him to begin with.

"Sakiko!" Nanami calls.

The scrapping comes again- louder this time. Nanami holds his knife up, the other on the door. He opens it quickly, stepping back only for Sakiko to fall onto the ground after she was leaning on it.

"Kiko!" Nanami gasps, falling to his knees beside her.

"Na.. Na.." she breathes in shakily, closing her eyes in pain.

"What is it? Where is it?" he asks.

Weakly, she motions to her back and Nanami places his knee up to pull her up and lean against. He scans her back, finding the gunshot wound that makes her scream in pain.

"It's okay.. It's.. It's okay.." Nanami panics, "It's okay.. Just.. Just hang on, Kiko."

He holds her closer, looking around for Daryl, "Daryl! Daryl!"

Sakiko fall against Nanami's chest, her exhaustion catching up as the fire continued in her wound.

Across the field, Daryl was leaning over Merle's body, tears falling from his eyes.

Then, he heard Nanami and all the worst thoughts came flooding in his mind.

He picks himself up, stumbling as he looks around blindly through his tears- following the sound of Nanami's voice.

"Daryl!" Nanami cries, looking back to his sister, "Hang on, Kiko.. Please! Please, hold on!"

Daryl wipes his sleeve to his eyes, finally spotting the sight of Nanami holding Sakiko who was limp in his arms. Pure terror rushes through his veins, suddenly running to them and falling to the ground by them.

"She's.. She's shot.." Nanami pants, "Daryl, what do we do!?"

Daryl feels for Sakiko's pulse, finding one that was faint- but still there nonetheless.

"Hershel.." Daryl breathes, "We gotta get her to Hershel."

Daryl picks Sakiko up, cradling her in his arms as he stands.

"There was a car where we came in," Nanami tries to remember, "Did you find Merle?"

Daryl holds Sakiko closer, jogging in the direction of the car.

"Daryl, what about Merle?" Nanami asks, chasing after him.

"He's gone," Daryl calls back, "He's.. He's gone."

Nanami's steps almost slow down until he sees Sakiko's head lolling over Daryl's arm- bouncing as Daryl ran faster. Then, Nanami forces his feet to move faster.

"Hold on, baby girl," Daryl pleads through his tears, "Hold on for me, Kiko. I can't lose you, too."

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

*yeets away*