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Saeko stood at the bottom of the steps as she let Takashi and Rei say whatever they had to. A part of her felt a stab of jealousy at leaving the two of them alone in a room together, but she knew that they needed to clear up their relationship once and for all.
A small frown crossed Saeko's face as she considered the possibility that Takashi might choose Rey instead of her. There was a great deal of history between the two of them, along with feelings that had carried on over the years, and were still in the air. Despite her relationship with Takashi and how much they were getting closer, a connection like the one he and Rei had didn't just disappear over night.
This was why love triangles were so painful and complicated, even more so when one of the members had feelings for both of the other two. And while it seemed that Rei had home field advantage, Saeko felt that what she herself and Takashi had was deeper and greater, or at least it would be some day. Rei herself had even admitted back at the Takagi Estate that Takashi would be happier talking with her.
That was thanks in part to this crazy new world they lived in. Back when things were more… civilized, then yes, Saeko could admit that maybe Rei would be more suitable for Takashi. In fact, she and Takashi may have continued to remain relatively unknown to each other, just like they had been at school, with her silently crushing on him from afar while he only knew of her.
But then again, if civilization had never fallen, then Rei would likely still be Hisashi, while Takashi continued to brood over her. Still, it likely wouldn't have changed anything between her and Takashi, because she still would have remained caged by her inner darkness, afraid to let anyone know about it or get close to her, and feel that she was undeserving of another's love.
But now, with the world the way it was, many things had changed. Takashi had changed, adapting to the new world, and becoming much more like her, developing his own darkness, one that was now essential to survive in this world. And the two of them, they just seemed to click. The more they lived in this world, the more Takashi was becoming like her. What more, he even enjoyed the lawlessness of this new world, even crossing lines that Saeko wouldn't, such as when he had killed the zombie children without an ounce of hesitation while she had hesitated. And he didn't seem to hate that side of himself the way she used to.
There were still feelings and things left unsaid between him and Rei, true, and Saeko could accept that. However, Rei no longer had the hold over him that she did before, and Takashi's attention and feelings had begun to shift to someone more compatible to the person he was now.
Not for the first time, Saeko wondered about that. When the world fell apart, a lot of people seemed to break, such as the knife wielding maniac that had attack Takashi and Rei. Others adapted to become survivors, taking a darker persona. That is what happened to Takashi, and even Kohta, maybe even more so with him. She remembered the way he had threatened that pervert Shido with his nail-gun back on the bus, saying how he had always been holding back from lashing out at the man's harassment of him, but no longer had to.
Maybe that was the case for everyone, or a majority of people. Perhaps, like her, they all had an inner darkness, a wild beast held deep within, caged by society, having no place in the civilized world. But once civilization was striped away and society crumbled, that darkness came out. If that were the case, then perhaps she wasn't such a singularity after all. Perhaps she had simply discovered this truth before the dead began to walk while everyone else was forced to accept it afterwards in order to survive.
Saeko sighed and shook her head. None of that mattered anymore. Survival was what was important. How they were before versus how they were after didn't matter. This was the way things were, and they just had to accept and deal with it.
The slamming of a door drew her attention, and Saeko glanced up the stairs. A few seconds later, Rei was coming down the steps with tears in her eyes, her face a mixture of sadness and anger. As she passed Saeko, she threw her a furious glare before making her way to another part of the house.
Saeko frowned, feeling sorry for the girl. She knew she must feel like her heart had been ripped out. But then again, she was largely at fault with the way she had juggled around Takashi and Hisashi. Had she and Takashi been together, then Saeko would not only have ignored her desires that night at the shrine, but she was also sure that Takashi wouldn't have made a move on her either; the guy was incredibly loyal.
Speaking of Takashi, Saeko figured he must be hurting as well after whatever conversation he'd had with Rei. She didn't now what had been said between the former childhood sweethearts, but it couldn't have been pretty. Should she give him some time, or should she go talk to him?
Deciding that some company would be good for him, she made her way upstairs. There was only one door that was closed, the one that Rei had claimed as her room while they were here. She made her way over and knocked softly, waiting her permission to enter.
Several long seconds of silence passed before she mentally shrugged and opened the door anyway. She spotted Takashi standing by the window, his head pressed against the glass and his eyes closed. From the looks of it, he didn't even appear to have heard her knock. He seemed to be deep in thought. It made sense since she had given him a lot to think about. He was going to be a father. That was a lot to take in, and wasn't something that could be so easily dismissed.
"Takashi," she said softly.
His eyes snapped open in surprise and a gasp escaped him. "Saeko!" he exclaimed, whirling around. "You scared me."
She smiled lightly. "I see that. It looks like I interrupted a deep thought,"
He sighed. "Well, you gave me a lot to think about," he replied, echoing her thoughts.
They fell silent, both looking anywhere but at each other as a feeling of awkwardness settled over them. Saeko felt her gaze drawn almost reluctantly towards the door as she thought about her love rival.
"How are things between you and Rei?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.
"Don't worry about her," Takashi replied, waving off her concern. "I'll take care of things." He fell silent again for a few moments, studying her carefully. His eyes went down to her stomach, as if expecting to seen signs of her pregnancy, before going back to her face. "How long have you known?"
She frowned slightly, diverting her eyes from him. "A few weeks now."
"And you're only telling me now?"
She returned her gaze to him. "There hasn't really been a good time to bring it up. Besides, I wanted to take a test to be absolutely sure before I mentioned anything."
Looking sorry, Takashi rubbed the back of his head. "So you've had this hanging over your head for a while now, and you didn't say anything. Shit, Saeko, you should have told me. I could have helped you out."
A smile grazed her lips; that was just like him. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
"But you shouldn't have to," he told her firmly. "I'm supposed to help you out."
She chuckled at his caring display. But the smile soon left her face, and she looked away as she asked seriously, "So, does that mean that you… want to be involved?"
He gave her an incredulous look of disbelief. "How can you even ask that? That's my kid you're carrying. Of course I plan to be involved, just like any father should."
She was glad to hear that she wanted him to be involved. But she had to ask. "What about Rei?"
He almost looked annoyed at her words. "I told you not to worry about her. She's not involved in this. The only thing that matters is you, me, and the baby."
Saeko's hand found its way to her stomach, not because of the baby, but due to the happiness that bubbled up inside it. There was, however, a sliver of doubt, and she frowned a bit as she stared at Takashi. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Takashi, but…" she hesitated for a moment before giving him a serious look, "but I don't want you to be with me just because of the baby, or because you feel like you need to. That hadn't been my intention in telling you. If we're going to be together, then I want it to be because you want it, not because you feel obligated. That wouldn't be fair to anyone."
She wasn't sure how he would respond to that, but she certainly didn't expect the chuckle she heard escape him. He was smirking at her now, a look of amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Well, we can agree on that," he told her. "Relationships that are forced for one reason or another don't usually work out. And that was back when things were civil. I'd take responsibility for the baby, of course, but I wouldn't be with you if I didn't want you."
He reached out and stroked her cheek. Sighing, she leaned into his touch as his fingers caressed her face. Moving up to her purple hair, he grabbed a lock and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to it. She looked into his eyes, and saw them burning with lust. It made her want grab hold of him and relive that night at the shrine with him all over again.
"And trust me," he told her hotly, "I really want you."
Saeko felt a shiver run through her, and her inner stomach muscles clenched in anticipated delight. He was making it very hard not to simply pounce on him with the way he was looking at her. She'd known that she'd managed to find a place in his heart, but to hear him say it, especially like that, it made her very thirsty, and not for something to drink.
Her excitement soon dissipated though. Something bothering her though, and she once again glanced at the door. There was something she needed confirmation on if they were going to enter into an actual relationship. "And what about Rei?"
The smile left Takashi's face, and he dropped the lock of her hair he was holding. "I told you-"
"I know what you said," she interrupted, not letting him dodge the question this time, "but I need more than that. She loves you, Takashi, and I know that no matter what you feel for me, a part of you loves her too." She held up her hand to silence him when he opened his mouth to respond. "It's ok, you don't need to defend yourself. But I don't share, Takashi. If we're going to be together, then it's all or nothing. Can you set aside your feelings for her and look only at me?"
They stared at each other for several long moments. It looked as if Takashi was trying to find the right words to say to her, and she waited patiently for him to come to terms with his feelings. If he found that he couldn't let Rei go, well, then she would just have to do whatever she could to make him forget about her, because Saeko Busujima was not one to give up.
Finally, a sigh escaped him, and he diverted his eyes. "You're right," he told her, sounding almost frustrated by his admittance. "A part of me does still love Rei, and maybe always will; they say you never truly get over your first love after all."
She nodded in understanding. "It's the first time you experience such an emotion. It makes sense that you'll always remember it."
He gave a small grunt in agreement at her reasoning before he looked back at her. "But when it comes to Rei, I think a big part of it is me hanging onto the past. I think that's why I had such a hard time accepting her and Hisashi's relationship. I thought she was my future, and when she left, I saw that future crumble. I was angry and didn't want to accept it, so I kept dwelling on it, and on her. I couldn't move on, and I don't think that was good for me, nor for her."
He reached out a hand and gently took hers. "But a lot had changed since then. I've changed. My feelings have too. With you, I think I can finally get over her. And thinking back on it now, I don't know if I could have truly been happy with her after everything that's happened. Besides," a humorless chuckle escaped him, "it's probably not healthy to cling to the past like that."
"No," she agreed with a smile, "it most definitely is not."
He smiled back at her. "Besides, we'll have plenty of other things to worry about once the baby arrives."
At those words, she looked into his eyes, her own shining hopefully. "Then you're happy about this?"
Takashi's eyebrows rose. He looked thoughtful for a few moments before he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, to be honest, I hadn't really given thought about having kids. We are kind of young after all. I didn't think I'd be a father for several more years, and that was before the world fell apart. Now that it's happened though, it's a lot to take him. I guess I'm with Saya on this one; I don't regret it, but I wish it had happened at a more convenient time." He then locked his gaze with hers, looking completely sincere. "But you can bet on this, I'll do everything I can to take care of you and the baby, and I'll do my damned best to be a good father to our child."
At his words, a smile broke out on Saeko's face. Truth be told, she kind of felt the same way he did. Before the dead started walking, she had never thought of having a future with anyone, let alone children; hadn't even thought herself worthy of such a future. Now that it happened though, she couldn't bring herself to regret it, but she too wished it had happened at a more opportune time.
Seeing the pleased smile on Saeko's face, Takashi felt his own grin spread across his face. However, his smile vanished, and his eyes widened as he suddenly realized something. Saeko frowned at the uneasy look in his face and slightly cocked her head to the side questioningly. "What is it?"
He released her hand and rubbed the back of his head, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Shit. How are we going to explain this to our parents when we find them? 'Hi, Mom, hi, Dad. This is Saeko, she's carrying my child'. That's going to be awkward as hell. And your father is probably going to kill me."
A chuckle escaped Saeko, and she reached out, grasping his hand in hers as he had done to her earlier. "He won't kill you. I won't let him. It's because of you that I'm able to go on, despite being surrounded by all this pain and death. You're pretty much my only reason to keep living. Well," her other hand touched her stomach, "you and one other reason. Without the two of you, I might as well just die."
Takashi suddenly grasped the wrist of the hand that was holding his tightly, almost painfully so. Saeko looked at him in surprise to find him glaring at her furiously, a serious expression on her face. "I don't ever want to here you say that again. Whether I'm alive or not, your life is worth living. If I do end up dying, I don't want it hanging over me that you'll be joining me soon. Do you understand me?"
She stared at him in surprise, but soon broke out into a smile. "Don't worry, I won't die. I now have something else to live for." She gave his arm a playful punch. "But still, don't you die on me either. We need you too much." Her hands went to her stomach. "Especially now."
He chuckled. "Don't worry, I fully intend for us all to get through this. Somehow, we'll carve a life out of this whole crazy thing for us and live the best we can for as long as we can. And I intend for them to be full lives. Not just for us, but for our children too."
"Children?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at his terminology. "As in more than one?"
His eyes widened in surprise as he realized what he said, and he covered his mouth as a blush stained his cheeks. "I… didn't mean it that way. We're not the only ones who might have kids. But who knows what might happen." He lowered his hand, willing away his embarrassment. "Besides, Saya did say that we would have to wait to have more. Not that we would have more, just that if down the line we… I mean… Wait, what was I saying?"
Saeko giggled at his rambling. It seemed he didn't even know what he was getting at, but it appeared that he would be open to the idea of having more children in the future; they did need to help repopulate the planet after all.
His discomfort was cute, and it was tempting to tease him some more, but she decided to let him off easy. "Why don't we just wait and see what happens. We'll see how we do with one before we think of having more."
He looked relieved by her words. "That sounds fair."
"However," she said teasingly as she begun looking him up and down, eyeing him hungrily, "that doesn't mean we still can't have fun."
His eyebrows rose at her words, and an equally hungry look also appeared in her eyes. There was a small bit of concern though as he briefly glanced at her stomach. "Is it ok for the baby?"
Saeko smiled, warmed by the fact that he was already so protective. "The baby will be fine. We'll still be able to… indulge for some time yet. Also," she lowered her voice to a near whisper, "I stocked up a bit on precautions for the future." She chuckled at the look on his face. "I'm already pregnant now though, so damage done." She reached out, sliding her hands over his chest. "But that just means that we don't need to worry about any accidents right now."
The hungry look in his eyes intensified. It was similar to the one he got when he was bashing the brains out of Them, the same one she got when cutting them down as well, and the same one, she knew, was currently shining in her own violet gaze. And not for the first time, she wondered if perhaps both she and Takashi may actually prefer the world to be the way it was now before she pushed the thought aside as she licked her lips in anticipation.
Takashi's gaze lowered to her lips as she wet them before returning to her eyes. "You're playing with fire," he told her, a smirk spreading across his face.
She shrugged. "What can I say? It seems that I'm one of those women who gets horny a lot when she's pregnant. Although," she gave him a saucy grin, "it could just be you." She moved her hands under his shirt, feeling his hard muscles over his chest and abdomen, and smiled in appreciation. "Either way, there hasn't really been an opportunity for us to indulge, so I'm really horny."
A low growl escaped him, and he grabbed her and pulled her close, causing her to gasp as her breasts were crushed against his chest. His lips met hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth as he kissed her hard. Saeko's eyes widened in surprise before they drifted shut as she kissed him back. It wasn't soft and tender, but rough and aggressive, and damn did she love it. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer as she pressed herself as close to him as possible.
What felt like an eternity later, Takashi pulled back when the need for air forced him to break the kiss, and he stared at her hungrily. "You think you've been horny? How the hell do you think I've felt? It's like you and the other girls keep deliberately teasing me and Kohta."
She smirked mischievously. "I wasn't trying to catch Kohta's attention, but I was after yours. Glad to know I was successful."
"Successful is an understatement. That kimono you wore at Saya's house, do you have any idea how sexy you looked in it? And those bathing suits you girls wore on the island." He groaned as he thought back to how they looked in their swimwear.
Saeko snickered as she thought back to how he looked in his own swimwear. "You should talk. That speedo you wore practically drove me insane. It was so tempting not to take my sword and cut it of you." She gave him a teasing smile, her eyes shining. "And you know, I'm still curious to know what you were dreaming about when me and the others found you. I did hear you mention my name a few times."
Her bringing that up seemed to cause something to snap inside Takashi. Grabbing her none too gently, he slammed her against the wall. Saeko grunted at the impact, but smirked at him, having triggered the response in him she was seeking. She wanted to see him lose control, to use her body roughly, to give her a taste of his inner darkness, just as he'd grabbed her that morning after that night at the shrine when he said he'd accept her darkness.
"Keep talking like that, and I'll take you right here up against the wall," he warned her with a lust-filled grin.
She smiled wickedly at him as she hooked her index fingers into the top of his pants and pulled him against her. "I'm hoping for it."
He growled throatily and grabbed her wrists, and pinned her arms beside her head as he kissed her again, even more aggressively this time. She kissed him back with equal fervor, groaning against his mouth as he assaulted her lips. She tried to reach for him, but he kept her arms pinned to the wall as he continued his attack on her lips.
Smirking against his mouth, she raised a leg, running it up his side. He growled in response and pressed his knee between her legs, causing her to moan into his mouth as he rubbed it against her aching center. One of his hands released her arm and went down to cup her breast through her shirt. She pulled away from his mouth and gasped loudly, and he began kissing down her neck to suck at a sensitive spot. Her now free hand went to the back of his head, pressing him harder against her as she bit her bottom lip in pleasure at the sensations he was sending through her body.
"You really do enjoy making me wet, don't you?" she teased.
Takashi's control threatened to snap as he recalled her saying the same thing to him that time he drove their getaway vehicle into a fountain. Only this time there was no double meaning to her words, and it was very clear as to what kind of 'wet' she was referring to.
Moving away from her neck, he looked into her hooded, lust-filled eyes. "Saeko, unless you want me to tear your clothes to shreds, you better get them off right now."
A shiver of anticipation ran through her at his promise, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she gave him a saucy grin. "I was going to say the same thing to you, only I was going to use my sword to slice off yours." Her smile widened at his heated look, and she moved her lips right next to his ear so she could whisper into it. "Because right now, I want a different kind of sword in my sheath."
That seemed to be all he could take. Grabbing her bottom, he lifted her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He carried her away from the wall, and they fell on the bed together with him on top of her. Saeko relished in the feeling of having his weight on top of her again as he began making good on his threat of tearing her clothes off his body.
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