(AN: I've been asked a couple of times if I was going to do a full story over Saya and Kohta. Originally I was just going to leave my dabbling in Highschool of the Dead with my Flash Fiction featuring the two of them; however, since I've received a few PMs from different people, and all asking if I would consider expanding on the It's a Better First Time. And if I didn't do that then would I please do a story over the two of them specifically… At any rate here is my first multi-chapter story for Highschool of the Dead. Basically the story is going to follow the anime, and what I've gleamed from Wikipedia. That said there are going to be a few bits that I've basically had to improvise in the Shopping Center. I'm going to be drawing inspiration from the original Dawn of the Dead, and the Dawn of the Dead Remake for what the inside of the Center looks like and go from there. I've ILL (Inter Library Loaned) the entire Manga series, but it's going to take a while for it to get here. I hope you enjoy it. Basic Info: I do not own Highschool of the Dead. I do not own any of the characters from this fantastic series. I am merely a chubby Otaku who likes Zombie movies, anime, stories, comics, and of course the Max Brooks Zombie Survival Guide. Much Love for ya: LF)
Brand New World
Chapter – Introduction : Desperation and Need
Don't give up should you fall
Keep on searchin' for the passway
That will lead you through the wall
Don't look back or you'll be left behind
Don't look back or you will never find peace of mind: Desperation by Steppenwolf
(Shopping Center – Food court)
"Takagi, are you hungry?" Kohta asked as he stood behind the Dillian's Burger Shot.
"Do I look hungry you fat Otaku?" Saya asked in a huff.
"No, it's just that I thought you could be hungry. None of us have really eaten since we escaped from your… I'm sorry," he said.
She looked at him and sadly shook her head. It was obvious he wasn't trying to start an argument, but she didn't feel like going into it. Her father and mother had abandoned her, and in their decision they left her in Kohta's care. She walked toward one of the tables in the food court and took a seat.
"I don't think he was exactly asking for your hand in marriage," a voice said.
"What would you know about it?" she shot the question.
"I know Kohta is a respectable sort of man. He's a rare breed that's not often seen anymore, and for some reason he seems to care a great deal about you," the other person said.
Saya turned and looked at the young patrol woman who was studying Kohta intently.
"Really, what do you know?" Saya asked.
"Enough to see something worth having,"
Saya growled at her and turned to look at Kohta who was fixing dinner for what she supposed was everyone in both survivor groups. It was obvious that the chubby Otaku cared for people, and it was a good trait to have, but he just didn't seem to understand the way things were now.
"Kohta, is that meat still good?" Saeko asked.
"It's still cold, which means it's still good, but we need to prepare it so that it doesn't go bad. We'll need to start checking the grocery store out and seeing what kind of canned foods it has. Anything that requires a microwave to prepare may be alright, but we still need to be wary," he said.
"HELP ME!" a voice screamed out.
Kohta stopped what he was doing and looked over at Takashi. The two of them nodded and ran toward the direction the scream had come from.
"Where the hell is it?" Takashi asked.
"NO STOP! PLEASE STOP!" the voice screamed out louder than before.
"Over there!" Kohta shouted.
They ran toward the direction Kohta said and found a locked office door. Takashi banged against it, but was unable to get it open. Kohta helped him and the weight of them both caused the wood to splinter and bust. When it did Kohta looked to see Miss Shizuka pinned under a large security guard. The guard growled at them and hurled a letter open toward Takashi.
"Get the fuck out! This bitch is mine!" The guard growled.
Takashi started to move forward, but stopped when he heard the click of a gun cocking. He turned to look at Kohta who was holding Takagi's luger in his right hand.
"You ain't gonna shot me you little pussy. You ain't got the balls!" the guard shouted.
Kohta pulled the trigger and nailed the guard between the eyes. The large man fell back against the wall and slid down it. Kohta walked around toward Miss Shizuka who was crying intensely.
"Miss Shizuka are you okay?" Kohta asked.
"What was that noise?" Asami asked as she stepped into the room.
"He was trying to hurt her," Takashi said.
"Come on, let's get out of here okay?" Kohta said to Miss Shizuka as he helped her up.
The four of them walked back toward the food court until Miss Shizuka stopped. Kohta looked at her as she looked at herself in a mirror – which was on a store front – and she began to shake.
"My blouse… My friend got this for me for Christmas. It's ruined," she said.
"Miss Shizuka," Kohta said before the blond woman began to burst into tears.
She went to the floor and began to violently weep. Asami walked back toward her and soon the sound brought Saya, Rei, and Saeko. They looked at each other in a state of confusion until Takashi explained what happened, and what Kohta had done. Saeko's eyes narrowed as she walked toward Miss Shizuka and knelt down beside her.
"You are all right now," Saeko said.
"He… He said that he was hurt… I was just going to treat his wounds, but then he…" she explained between the gasps and sobs.
"Why don't we go find a place to sit down?" Rei asked as she neared Miss Shizuka.
"No! I need… I need a new Blouse!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Saya asked.
"Why don't we go into one of the shops and find you one then," Asami said.
Slowly Miss Shizuka stood and nodded. She followed Saeko, Rei, and Asami into one of the clothing stores as Takashi, Kohta, and Saya watched.
"Who was it?" Saya asked once she was sure Miss Shizuka was out of ear shot.
"It was the security guard. He faked his injuries and then locked her in a room with him," Takashi answered.
"God, it could have been any one of us," Saya said.
"He specifically chose Miss Shizuka because of her personality. Creeps like that exist everywhere. I saw dozens of them back in school. They were the same ones that liked to pick on me, and they liked to find the girls who were innocent enough to believe anything they said," Kohta said.
"Wow, that's surprisingly insightful," Saya remarked.
"You tend to learn a lot about people when you have to stand on the outside long enough," Kohta said before he smiled his crooked smile.
"What about the other survivors? I don't think they are going to like the fact that one of their own was gunned down," Takashi said.
"He would have targeted them at some point and if they have a brain among them they'll understand that," Saya replied.
"They might not want to. We're new here, and they may think that we're attempting to gain in power," Kohta said.
Both Takashi and Saya looked at him.
"Seriously, they might get the wrong idea," he stated.
"Kohta's right. It would be a little too convenient to tell them what happened and just expect them to believe it," Saya said.
"Well, Asami ran into the room and saw for herself. I'm sure that she would back us up," Kohta said.
"Yeah, I'm really sure she would back up anything you say," Saya said as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"What? What did I do?" Kohta asked.
"I swear, for someone so gifted and an obvious genius at guns you have to be the stupidest person when it comes to everything else!" Saya shouted before she stormed off.
"Seriously, what did I do?" Kohta asked Takashi.
"Don't look at me. I've got enough problems as it is," Takashi said as he waved his hands out in front of himself.
Kohta looked where Saya had walked and shrugged his shoulders. He knew that something had to be bothering her, but he just didn't have any idea of what it could be. He then looked back at the clothing store where the girls had gone into.
"Should we go inside and see if they are all right?" Kohta asked.
"Nope, I still don't want to die," Takashi said.
"I wasn't talking about peeping," Kohta said.
"Sure you weren't," Takashi replied.