A/N: So, I don't own H.O.T.D. They are the fun property of Daisuke Sato and I am borrowing them. There are discrepancies between the manga and the anime. I'm going with the anime English dub version as far as Takashi and Rei's former relationship is concerned. They dated, they broke up. I don't intend to bash any of the main characters. You either get redeemed and become a better person, or you die (but just because you die it doesn't mean you were a bad person). As far as style, this story is in English and will be written in proper English as best as I can manage. I'll be minimizing the random Japanese words as much as possible to make this easier to read for those whom English is not their native tongue. I'm changing a lot of the backstory on this tale. I figure since Mr. Daisuke Sato who came up with this brilliant idea is on indefinite hiatus I'll be picking and choosing from the cannon universe so I don't write myself into a corner, which I suspect he may have done.

Now, on to a very good question: How will it work to have a straight-forward leader like Hisashi and a reluctant leader like Takashi on the same team? If you have ever seen The Walking Dead (one of my favorite shows) Hisashi is like Rick while Takashi is like Daryl. They both are capable leaders, but in different ways. Or if you don't know that series, think TMNT. Hisashi is akin to Leonardo and Takashi is like Rafael. I always liked Rafael more. Enjoy!

Resolve of the Undead
Chapter Two:

Thursday continued, Six Days before Z-Day

Rei tapped her pencil on her desk impatiently while waiting for the bell to ring signaling the start of class. Her confrontation with Takashi hadn't gone as planned earlier. She certainly didn't expect to be interrupted by Saeko Busujima. There was no way that she was Takashi's lover. He wasn't clever enough to hide something that big. She didn't mean to yell at him earlier, but he just made her so angry! She didn't chose to repeat her sophomore year. That terrible politician's son, Koichi Shido, wanted her father to suffer and the best way to do so was by sabotaging her academic record.

"Are you okay?" Hisashi asked, his hand gently resting on her arm and stopping her nervous tapping. He was always so concerned. Whenever something was wrong he seemed attuned to know what to ask and when. Unlike Takashi, that lazy bum hardly ever asked her what was wrong. She'd tell him anyway, but he'd grunt at her instead of contributing to the conversation. What sort of relationship focused around grunts? Or else he'd offer the empty consoling words of 'Everything will be okay.' Well, sometimes everything wasn't okay!

"I confronted Takashi," Rei admitted with an angry huff. "He had no right to speak to my father about my having to repeat this grade."

Hisashi's gray eyes stared at her intently for several seconds. "Your father would have found out eventually. You can't keep everything bottled up inside, Rei." His answer was reasonable. Everything Hisashi said was reasonable.

The class bell rang and Hisashi retracted his hand from her and stared forward toward the teacher. Takashi ran into the classroom during the bell's final chime and found his seat before the last sound reverberated. He flashed her a quick smile before settling in his seat diagonal and to her front right. He had some nerve.

"Okay class, today we'll be in the dissection lab. You'll be randomly assigned to groups of three. No trading. No complaining. Am I clear?" Professor Tenzo asked, his dark eyes scanning the room.

She hoped she would be in the same group as Hisashi. His ability to remain calm under pressure would surely translate well to his dissection skills.

"Hisashi Igo, Miku Yuuki, and Rin Matsumoto."

Rei let out a disappointed breath. Hisashi cast her an apologetic look before he left the main classroom for the lab with his two female partners. Rei didn't have a problem with Rin, but she didn't trust Miku. She was the teacher's pet for Koichi Shido. She might do something to sabotage the lab experiment. Or she might try to throw a scalpel into Rei's back.

"Rei Miyamoto, Kohta Hirano, and Takashi Komuro."

Rei laid her forehead flat on her desk for a moment to collect herself. Of course she'd be paired off with Takashi. The fates just kept forcing them together. She straightened her spine and stood from her desk and started for the lab with the two boys following after her. She wasn't familiar with Kohta. He was a heavy-set boy with thick glasses.

"So, dissecting a frog," Takashi stated when the three of them peered down at the amphibian sitting on their lab tray with its legs and arms spread wide and held in place by little pins.

"Way to state the obvious," Rei mumbled. She looked across the lab to see that Hisashi was sharing a laugh with his lab partners. She turned her attention back to Takashi. "How was the broom closet?"

"Broom closet?" Kohta asked, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Who wants the honors?" Takashi asked ignoring her question. He snapped on a pair of disposable gloves and then picked up the scalpel. He offered it first to Rei then to Kohta, whom both shook their heads. "I guess I'll take the lead then," he said. He bit down on his bottom lip as he concentrated on following the instructions on dissecting their frog properly.

"I'm more of a trajectory sort of guy," Kohta said. He reached up and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "These hands on practices aren't my thing. Give me a controller for a game of Call of Duty and I'm your man." He formed his thumb and index finger into a fake gun and shot at Takashi playfully.

"I'll keep that in mind," Takashi said with a friendly smile.

Rei folded her arms over her chest and read over the instructions and then watched Takashi's actions. "You're supposed to start with the mid-section first," she pointed out. Meanwhile, Takashi's blade lingered over the lower extremity appendages.

He didn't argue, he simply adjusted his cut to the proper location.

"So, when did Saeko Busujima become your lover?" Rei asked. She smirked when Takashi dropped the scalpel. He picked it up from the tray and finished his cuts before setting it aside.

"That's not exactly a topic for classroom discussion," Takashi answered. He snapped off his gloves, tossed them in the waste basket below the table, and wrote down some notes in his notebook.

Rei wanted to press the issue, but she looked up and met Hisashi's cool, gray gaze. He was warning her to focus on her lab experiment. She didn't need any more trouble in school, so she bit back her retort. She'd find out eventually. Though, did it matter? Takashi wasn't her problem anymore. He could do whatever he wanted, as long as he didn't talk to her father behind her back!

She couldn't wait for martial arts club after school. Hisashi was going to teach her some hand-to-hand self-defense combat moves that afternoon. She was practically invincible with a spear thanks to her mother's tutelage, but she wanted to be able to hold her own in a fight if she was weaponless too.

OoO

"Do you want to walk together to next period?" Kohta asked after they put away their lab supplies and had gathered their books back in the classroom. Hisashi had escorted Rei back to the classroom as soon as the lab was dismissed and they were long gone by then. "We have Geometry together."

"We do?" Takashi asked looking sidelong at his classmate. How was it that he'd never noticed Kohta before? It was already four days into the first week of school. You'd think he'd have picked up on who his classmates were by now. "Do we have any other classes together?"

"Lunch," Kohta said with a grin. "I saw you sitting with Saeko Busujima under the century tree. I didn't realize you two were a couple until Rei mentioned it."

"We're not. She helped me out in a situation and then we ran into each other during lunch," Takashi said. He and Kohta had fallen into step with one another as they walked down the hall in route for their math class. He scanned the other students in the hall. Admittedly, he was disappointed not to see any violet hair. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed at the direction of his thoughts. He barely knew the girl and yet he was hoping to run into her more. Maybe he should have asked for her phone number.

"Is that why she had a lunch prepared for you?" Kohta asked casually, his expression amused.

Takashi shrugged. He didn't really have an answer as to why Saeko had two lunches and or how she managed to show up at just the right moment to save him from an awkward situation with Rei. "Maybe she's stalking me," he joked.

Kohta sighed with a dreamy expression on his face. "You should be so lucky." His posture immediately stiffened as they drew near the door to their class. His eyes locked on Takashi's oldest friend Saya Takagi. The pink-haired girl stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips and an angry glare directed at Takashi.

"You!" she said grabbing hold of the lapels of Takashi's uniform front. "You started dating the ice queen and you didn't bother to tell me?" Each syllable she spoke grew louder and angrier.

"Um, hello, Saya. I'd like you to meet Kohta Hirano. He's my lab partner in Biology," Takashi explained. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the dark-haired boy.

Saya gave Kohta a cursory look and then quickly dismissed him. Her angry eyes focused on Takashi. She grabbed hold of his elbow and dragged him inside the room and marched him to his chair. She seated herself directly in front of him and turned to face him. "You and the ice queen. Spill."

Takashi rubbed the back of his neck. Saya could be so rude! She completely ignored poor Kohta. Why would she call Saeko an ice queen? She was a perfectly friendly girl that was willing to help a guy out of trouble. "We apparently ran into each other last year and I made an impression. We sort of shared lunch together today. She'd made extra and I forgot mine at home." He shrugged. "It just sort of worked out."

Her expression remained suspicious. "Okay," she said after a while. She smiled and her harsh expression softened into a friendly one. "No more skipping out of class to go mope on the roof."

Takashi grinned. "No promises, but I'll try."

OoO

After swinging her bokken in three hundred repetitions, Saeko's arms ached with a heavy soreness. Her goal had been five hundred repetitions, but since her teammates had all left over a half hour ago and she still had errands to run at the market she decided to try and reach her goal the next afternoon.

It was a relief when her teammates had left. Two of the sophomore girls in her club had bothered her about her lunch date with Takashi. She didn't answer them, mostly because she wasn't entirely sure what to think of the situation herself. It was just nice to be on a first name basis with the boy. It seemed that the less she spoke, the more questions the underclassmen had for her.

She stashed her wooden sword into its carrying case and slung it over her shoulder along with her school bag. As she walked out of the Kendo Club's dojo she passed the neighboring Martial Arts Club dojo. She could see Captain Hisashi and Rei practicing hand-to-hand combat. Rei had managed to slip under Hisashi's arms, hit his knees, and send him crashing to the protective matts on the floor. Saeko grinned at seeing the other female defeat the silver-haired captain.

Saeko actually felt a bit grateful to Rei. When Saeko had attempted to find Takashi on the rooftop she wasn't sure what she would actually say to him when she confronted him. She'd dismissed several topics as being cliche, mundane, or stalkerish. The opportunity to cease an uncomfortable argument had been a perfect situation. It resulted in the unexpected benefit of him seeking her out during lunch and now they had a lunch date planned for the next day.

With a lighter, more enthusiastic step Saeko continued on her way to the bus stop. The market was only five stops south of the school. Her family home was only two stops away from the market by subway.

She pulled her recyclable canvas tote bag out of her school bag and began to gather the items from her grocery list. Her list originally was shorter than usual with her father's absence, but now that she intended to make two lunches a day — one for her and one for Takashi — she would acquire her normal amount of supplies. Ingredients were generally best fresh so she went to the market twice a week to keep her pantry and refrigerator stocked properly. She and her father would visit the large shopping center once a month for the non-perishable items. It was impossible to use public transportation with more than one or two grocery bags and her father would drive them to the store on those days. In less than a year, Saeko would be eighteen and she'd be able to drive herself — a topic her father liked to avoid. He didn't want his daughter to grow up and become an independent adult just yet.

After collecting her supplies Saeko went to her regular cashier. "Good evening, Miss Kaede," Saeko greeted. She unloaded her tote bag onto the conveyer belt and then handed the empty bag to the older woman.

"Well hello, Saeko. You're a little later today than usual," Kaede said with a quick glance to the clock hanging on the wall across from her. She adjusted the small frame glasses on her nose until she could see the time clearly. "Did you stay late at kendo practice?"

Saeko nodded. "I was feeling a little anxious and needed the extra workout."

Kaede smiled and shook her head. "You work too hard sometimes, Saeko." She finished placing the last of the vegetables inside of the bag and rung up the total. "That will be twenty-five hundred yen," she said.

Saeko opened her wallet and pulled out the exact change and handed it to Kaede. "Thank you." She collected her bag and slung it on her right shoulder, her school bag and bokken bag were slung across her left shoulder and crossed over her torso so that all the bulk of the bags were on her right side.

"You are welcome, Saeko. See you next Monday," Kaede said with a knowing smile. She was quite familiar with Saeko's shopping routine — Mondays and Thursdays after school.

The walk from the market to the subway station was about four blocks. Saeko always walked home with her bokken bag whenever her father couldn't pick her up from school — which was usually Mondays and Thursdays when she made her quick grocery stop. He taught kendo classes late into the evening on those nights at his private dojo.

Sometimes, Saeko would have flashbacks from her attack four years ago when a man tried to assault her. She wasn't worried about being attacked, what scared her was her violent reactions should someone be stupid enough to try and attack her. Her father assured her that it was because she was a confident young woman and that she had a hero complex. She would have liked to have believed him, but she feared there was something truly wrong with her. Normal people don't enjoy violence.

The sounds of a woman crying out to her right drew her attention. Saeko adjusted her path and hurried towards the alleyway where the sounds of a struggle grew more obvious. She set down her grocery bag and pulled her bokken out of her athletic bag and dropped that empty bag next to the groceries. She kept her school bag across her shoulders. The assailant might have an accomplice and she didn't feel like having her money stolen by someone while she was engaged in combat.

"It sounds to me like the lady isn't interested," Saeko called out. She stepped out of the shadows and she and the assailant could see each other clearly. A woman, maybe a couple of years older than Saeko was held against the brick facade of a building, her arms above her head in the man's firm grip, his knee shoved between her legs, and his other hand on her throat.

"Help me," the woman pleaded, her pale gray eyes wide in terror, tears slipping down her dirty cheek, the knee of her pantyhose was torn and blood stained her leg as well as the bottom hem of her skirt. She'd obviously struggled, but had been overpowered.

"Let her go now and maybe I won't beat you into oblivion," Saeko warned the man.

The attacker began to snicker. "You going to try to hit me with that little stick? I'll show you a stick," he said shoving the woman in his arms aside and throwing her into a nearby metal dumpster. She crumbled to the ground unconscious — hopefully.

Saeko snarled at the man for his brutality and ran towards him with her wooden sword at the ready prepared to show him what her brutality looked like. He tried to defend his face, but Saeko hit his wrists hard, snapping first the left then the right leaving his hands useless with the pain of the broken bones. "Wrist fractures are the worst," she said. "All those small bones, they're never quite right when they heal."

The man's nostrils flared with rage and his pupils dilated. His adrenaline must have kicked in and he might be able to ignore his pain temporarily. Saeko danced away from his attacking fists and hit him in the kidney and then the back of the knees sending him to the ground. She stood behind him, legs straddling his back as she held the bokken to the soft flesh of his throat and began to cut off his air supply. It was a trick her father taught her after her attack as an adolescent. It would render the assailant unconscious yet not kill him.

Eventually he sagged to the ground. Saeko stepped away from him to check the unconscious woman. She had a pulse. With her thumb she rolled back the woman's eyelid, one after the other. The pupils constricted as the light from the alleyway hit her. She would be fine. Saeko took a moment to let her muscles relax in relief, and then pulled her cell phone out of her school bag and dialed the police.

It wasn't long before a trio of police officers and a pair of ambulances showed up. The first one to arrive was a Detective Miyamoto. He'd scanned the alleyway briefly before coming to stand beside Saeko. "I'm Detective Miyamoto. I assume you are Saeko Busujima the one that made the call to the police. Are you okay?" he asked. He crouched beside the unconscious woman to check her pulse and then the man. His expression was blank and professional.

"Yes, Detective," Saeko answered. She worried about the fact that a detective was sent to answer her call and not a regular street officer. Did the police send a homicide detective after her? Did she kill the assailant? She shook her head of such thoughts, of course they wouldn't know if someone had died or not. She was the only one that had seen the attack. "Pardon my intrusion, but why are you here. You're a detective. I assure you no one is dead."

He smiled at her in a comforting way that reminded her of her father. "I was only a block away on my way home when the call went out on the radio."

Saeko breathed a sigh of relief.

"You want to tell me what happened?" he asked gently.

"I was walking toward the subway from the market after I bought some groceries when I heard the woman cry out. I had been attacked a few years ago so I'm sensitive to the sound of peril on the streets." She pointed to her bokken which she had propped up against the wall near the woman. "My father encouraged me to walk home with my kendo practice sword whenever he cannot pick me up from practice and I have to walk home — just in case."

"Wise man," Detective Miyamoto said with a nod. "Then what happened?" He'd taken out a notepad and was scribbling notes of her statement.

"He had her held against the wall," Saeko said pointing to the section of brick wall. "One hand held her wrists above her head and the other was at her throat. She was bleeding and covered in dirt — I assume from trying to escape him earlier." She took a deep breath. "She turned to me and called out for help. I warned him to release her or I would attack him. He threw her hard against the dumpster and she fell unconscious. He came after me and I hit his wrists with my bokken — I'm pretty sure they're broken. He continued to come after me and I hit him in the kidney and then managed to knock his legs out from under him. After that, I used a choke hold my father taught me to render him unconscious."

"I see," Detective Miyamoto said. Two ambulances had arrived and the EMTs were evaluating the victim and the assailant. Another pair of police officers arrived — these were the beat officers that dealt with street crime. "Excuse me for a moment," he said to her. He went to speak with the other two officers. They looked over his shoulder at her, one with wide eyes and the other with a scowl upon his face.

Saeko waited anxiously. Detective Miyamoto returned and his paternal smile was back on his face. "This appears to be a fairly straight forward case. I may have to call you later in case you have to make an official statement. Would that be all right? You can of course, bring your father with you. Have you called him to pick you up?"

"Unfortunately, my father is overseas at a martial arts tournament. That's the reason I am walking home this evening," Saeko explained.

"I see," Detective Miyamoto said. He thoughtfully rubbed his jaw, it was shadowed in a dark beard. "I wouldn't want my daughter wandering the streets after this happened. I believe my associates have the scene under control. Gather your things. I'll drive you home, Miss Busujima."

She bowed gratefully at him, picked up her bokken and placed it back in her athletic bag. When she went to pick up her grocery tote the detective had already picked it up and held it over his shoulder. She followed him to his unmarked car and placed her belongings in the back seat. He offered her the front passenger seat.

"I appreciate your kindness, Detective Miyamoto," Saeko said quietly.

"Your father and I were friends for a time," he answered glancing over at her. "You look just like your mother, except your eyes. You have your father's eyes."

It wasn't the first time Saeko had heard that description, but it was the first time she'd heard of a friendship between the detective and her father. It wasn't surprising. Her father had distanced himself from many of his friends after her mother's death. "Sir, your daughter wouldn't happen to be Rei Miyamoto would she?" She frowned when he eased into traffic. "Don't you need my address sir?"

"I remember where my old friend Master Busujima lives," Detective Miyamoto said. "Are you and Rei friends?"

"We don't know each other well." Saeko thought it best to not mention their conversation that morning or that she was interested in his daughter's ex-boyfriend. "I have seen her at martial arts practice. She's quite good with a spear."

"Indeed. Her mother taught her."

They continued the short drive in silence. Saeko stared out her window at the passing neighborhoods. Detective Miyamoto pulled up outside of the gates at the front driveway of her house. "Thank you for dropping me off, detective."

He placed the car into park, but kept the engine running. He opened the backseat door and allowed Saeko to gather her things. "It might be a good idea to have a friend pick you up from school. The streets have become quite dangerous." He held up his hand before she could protest. "It's not that you can't take care of yourself, but its best to avoid trouble. A young girl doesn't need to be making enemies on the streets."

Saeko stared down at her shoes feeling ashamed. "I understand." She didn't tell him that she didn't have anyone to pick her up.

"Good night, Miss Busujima," Detective Miyamoto said as she slipped through the front gates. He waited outside her driveway until she entered her house. She flipped on the living room lights and watched as his car drove off.

She placed her groceries on the counter and headed to the bathroom. What she needed was a nice hot shower and then she'd go about preparing a simple dinner, followed by tomorrow's lunches for herself and Takashi. The shower and the cooking would relax her. And then she'd work on her physics homework.

A/N: Today was the last day of my stay at home vacation (stay-cation) so I thought I'd go ahead and post this to give y'all more of an idea of the story. I was really blown away by the interest in my first chapter with all the reviews and the follows. Let me know what you think! 3/24/14

Edited 3/28/14, Thank you Gentizm!