Ito Ai: A New Dawn

"Okay let's stop training here and go back to the house. We need to start digging the bunker." Ai wiped the sweat from her brow. The last part of the training session was hand to hand combat. Ai started off slowly teaching Mai the basics, only to find out that Mai was actually quite adept at martial arts. She picked up every move quickly and in no time at all she was able to use these moves in a simple spar. This gave Ai hope for Mai's survival if they ever did get separated later on.

"Ai, how was it? Did I do well?" Mai asked. She was sweating profusely but she had a bright smile on her face. This was the first time she had found exercise to be fun.

"I would say you did. As of now if it was a normal person with what you learned today, and with how fast you picked it up, you will be able to fight them and win no problem. But if it was anyone with skill, you would not be able to win so easily, think simple thug against a master kind of deal. But don't worry we have a few months. As long as we persist with our training and never take a day off we will be able to deal with even masters when it comes down to it." Ai did not want to put a damper on Mai's excitement.

Ai took a bottle of water out of her bag and tossed it to Mai. "Drink up, we only have a few hours to dig. When we are done, go home bathe, eat, and rest for the night. I Will try to find some better construction equipment tonight..." Ai knew that they were going to need more than just shovels to dig out the bunker. Once they got to a certain depth they would need power tools to break up rocks.

Mai whined when she heard they still had to dig but she did not outright complain. She knew Ai was doing this all for their own good and safety. She did not want to make Ai do all the work because it was her family that was also going to be kept safe as well.

Three hours later…

"What the hell more rocks! Ai, how are we supposed to dig here with so many rocks in the way?" Mai did not mind digging but after only getting a few inches down there was nothing but large rocks. This was making their progress very slow.

"We will call it here for today then. I will have to find some tools tonight to make things easier." Ai decided she would make another trip out tonight and hit some construction sights. She had no choice but to find the proper equipment. She had not expected the ground to be so rocky after only digging a few inches. "Let's go shower and head to the store. We will do some survival food training."

"Shower? But your house only has one bathroom..." Mai was confused, how was she supposed to take a shower if Ai was taking one as well.

"We will take one together. It is to make sure you are not as shy about doing it later on. We will only be in the shower for no more than three minutes. This is the maximum amount of time we will have after the machinas show up. Also… It will be an ice cold shower." Ai was putting Mai through every bit of training she could think of. Mai was very shy and she needed to get over her shyness before six months had passed. She wanted her friend to be fully prepared for what was about to come. Cold showers with multiple people within an allotted time was what she would have to put up with in the future. She would have to have Mai go to a few bathhouses to at least get used to bathing with other women. For now, she will use herself to break the ice. For Ai, this was a normal occurrence. Sometimes there would be hundreds of people standing out in the rain trying to cleanse their bodies. During these times unless you wished to continue to stink, you threw your embarrassment out the window and stripped down when you had a chance.

Mai cheeks turned red but nodded her head and followed after Ai. But she was not prepared for what was about to come. As soon as Ai started the shower she shoved Mai under the cold water causing Mai to scream out of shock from how cold the water was. She watched dumbfoundedly as Ai quickly washed herself with her hands and then left the shower. Ai was done within less than a minute!

Ai turned around to see Mai staring at her and frowned. "What are you staring at? Hurry up and wash you got less than a minute and a half left."

"Ah! Oh!" Copying Ai, Mai quickly washed herself with her hands before running out of the shower to dry off. Her whole body felt ice cold after being under the cold water for so long.

"You will slowly get used to it. Later on, take a nice hot bath. These kinds of enjoyments will only last for a little while longer." Ai said with a smile on her face as she put on a clean set of clothes.

After getting dressed Mai looked at Ai an asked: "Ai, for lunch, are we..."

"We will be eating one of the delicacies of the future. Come let's go to the store." Ai said with a smile on her face. She knew what was about to come was going to make Mai gag.

The two girls walked to the closest convenience store. Mai followed behind Ai a little confused as to why they were in the pet food aisle. It was not until Ai stopped in front of the canned cat food that Mai's face turned pale. "Ai, you don't mean that we are gonna eat this right?"

Seeing Mai's disgusted expression caused Ai to smile as she nodded her head. "Mai, this here is very nutritious and filling. In the near future, this canned cat food will become a delicacy. And I mean people will kill each other just to get their hands on this. After two years' time you will see how quickly human canned food disappears. Dog and cat food will quickly become the next best thing. Hell, I have seen cockroaches on a stick at some of the mobile vendors and even those would be gone quickly. Now pick the flavor you want."

Mai really felt like puking. With a face full of disgust she reached out towards a can of cat food that had gravy and chunks. She pouted her lips as she walked with Ai up to the cash register to pay for the items.

When they got back to the house Ai showed Mai how to turn the pull tab cover into a spoon before digging into her own can of cat food. Mai watched as Ai ate the food without hesitation and no signs of her brow wrinkling. Mai took a deep breath before diving into her own can of cat food. When she placed the first scoop full into her mouth she was expecting it to taste really bad but she realized that it was not as bad as she thought it would be. It was within her bounds of manageability without throwing it back up. She still gaged a few times though.

"Not bad right? When you are hungry and have not eaten for a few days, you will find that these things taste out of this world as if you are eating the best meal you have ever had. The nutrients might not be all that much but they will at least allow you to have something. Even dry cat food is not too bad. Speaking of this… From now on eat small meals. Shrink your stomach as much as possible. We will need to eat less and less as time goes on so it is best to have a very small stomach. Also, save up as much money as you can. The two of us will begin storing dried foods and canned goods. I will start selling some of my stuff as well. You should do the same. Anything you find not needed in the future like jewelry and other items, sell them if you can. Lighter fuel, charcoal, and other survival items are a must so do not sell those. " Ai finished off her can of cat food and licked her lips.

Mai choked hers down without saying a word of complaint. She understood what Ai meant. But she also felt sad at the same time. Ai had been through so much and had to deal with so many things. Mai knew if it was her she might not have been as strong as Ai was. Even now Ai was laughing and joking around even after going through all those years in hell.

"No need to look at me like that..." Ai interrupted Mai's thoughts. "I may have been through a lot but this time around I at least know what is going to happen. At least this time I can prolong the lives of those I care about. Both, my mother and father died early, leaving me alone. I could only scrape by and do my best to survive. You will see when the time comes just how bad things really are. Our main goal is to last until the first wave is over inside the bunker. Only going out when it is absolutely necessary. Once the first wave of Machina passes by, we will then be able to venture out more and begin scavenging for the things we will need down the road."

"Mmm… I will follow your lead. "

After sending Mai home, Ai went up to her own room to catch up on some sleep. She had planned to sleep until dinner time then catch a few more hours before going out for the rest of the night. When she woke up from her nap, Ai lazily walked downstairs rubbing her eyes as she tried to wake up. Her body felt very sore but she knew this was the signs of her earlier workout. But when she made it to the bottom of the stairs, her mother was standing there with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Ai are you going to tell me why you left school again? Just because you checked in, in the morning, does not mean you will not be reported for not showing up for the rest of the classes and worst yet you actually pulled Mai into your delinquency as well?" Shizue brows were furrowed and her tone was harsh. She did not want her daughter to go down the wrong path!

Ai sighed and in her mind she apologized to her mother as she said: "What I do is what I do, stay out of my business. In a few months, you will understand everything."

Ai could not explain her reasoning, she could only give her mother the cold shoulder and hurt her for now in order to continue with her work. Her mother could not leave work and neither could her father so in a way, this worked out.

"Ai why can't you just go to school!? You are still young there is no reason for you not to go to school right now!" Shizue was not going to give up just because Ai wanted her to.

"Mom, just leave me be. If I do not go to school then I do not go." Ai said before quietly adding: "None of it will matter in six months anyways..."

Her voice was too low and Shizue did not hear what she said. Ai turned around and walked back to her room not even wanting to have dinner anymore. Shizue looked at Ai's retreating back and let out a sigh. "Was she not going to have dinner now?"

Ten minutes after Ai returned to her room a knock came at her door. "Ai… You might not want to go to school but it's good for your future… In any case, I will not bring it up for now. I will leave your dinner here at the door."

Ai sat on her bed a tear rolled down her cheek. She whipped her eyes quickly and let out a sigh. "Mom… If only I could tell you what was going on..." She got up from her bed and walked to the door and opened it. Her mother was just about to put the food down when Ai walked out and hugged her. "Mom… Just trust me for now. I will explain everything to you soon."

Shizue was confused by Ai's words and really did not understand what was going on. But since she said she would explain what was going on at some point she felt more at ease. "Silly girl. I just worry about you. This sudden change all of a sudden has got me worried about you. I will leave you alone for now. Just promise me no drugs and no boys."

Ai smiled and tightened her hug on Shizue. "Do not worry mom. Those are the last things on my mind right now."