Saeko swung her wooden sword to the right with a deafening whoosh, the tip centimeters away from Takashi's nose who took half a step back to dodge. Her lush raven hair that reached her waist gleamed as it reflected the sunlight.
"You're not stepping in deep enough or fast enough. Give it another three centimeters towards me." Another strike came from above, but Takashi dove forward and crossed his hands, catching the wooden sword by its handle at the fulcrum and pushed her back. The split second Saeko lost her balance was all the time Takashi needed as he swiped her legs out from under her, disarming her in the process.
"As expected. I still can't even lay a scratch on you," She pouted massaging her bottom as she stood up. "I do apologize for imposing on you like this, but you are the only one proficient enough to ask for such a favor." Saeko was glowing with satisfaction at the fact that she had finally found a sparring partner whom she could fight without restraint. The corners of her mouth were raised in a faint smile, and the gleam in her eye was still present.
"I need the exercise anyway so that's fine and all, but anybody other than me and they'd be dead bleeding in the moonlight." Takashi knew it was wishful thinking, but he also wanted a place where he could shoot firearms at moving targets that would fire back with impunity.
"Are you hungry, Komuro?"
"I'm always hungry after a workout."
"Perfect," As if she were waiting for that answer, Saeko pulled out a wrapping cloth and undid the knot, revealing a multitiered lunchbox. Takashi's eyes went wide with surprise and anticipation. "I made extra since you seem like quite a big eater, but I may have gone a little overboard." She cast her eyes down bashfully, with no sign of her usual composed, dignified kendo club captain that every student at the school admires. The contrast made him laugh a little.
"Not to worry. I could eat all of that any day of the week. Besides, I don't eat before exercising so I'm starving. Thank you." The tiers contained rice balls, rolled omelettes, chicken karaage, and other Japanese dishes often seen in lunch boxes. He took a huge bite out of a rice ball while Saeko held her breath. The only word that left his mouth after swallowing was "Wow."
Living almost half of his life on the run, taking the time to prepare a good meal in a kitchen was nothing short of a luxury. His usual meal were fruits (both fresh and dried), certain raw getables, canned goods and other foods that could be eaten without cooking them. Once they had arrived in Japan, Lupo and Vector (surprisingly) gave extensive lectures to everyone for cooking fin order to ensure their cover as civilians. In Takashi's mind, those two were the best cooks, but he had to admit that Saeko's culinary skills were on par or possibly superior. He ate in silence, picking at the food with a pair of chopsticks while Saeko sat beside him and stared with a satisfactory grin. He finished eating in less than half an hour. "Saeko," he said, causing her shoulders to jerk up a little in surprise having been called by her first name for the first time. "Would you mind doing this again tomorrow? And it doesn't have to be as extravagant next time."
"Of course," she nodded. "I am glad you approve." No sooner those words left her lips, she let out a small yelp of surprise as she was suddenly sprawled across the floor.
Takashi chuckled internally at the simplicity of his thought process. "Just FYI: I like my women strong, spontaneous and without hesitation." He stared down at her for what she felt was an eternity. Saeko felt the heat of Takashi's gaze trail down from her face to the nape of her neck peeking out from her training attire. His face closed into his and she instinctively wrapped her arms around Takashi as he closed in and pulled him into a kiss. Their lips remained locked together for a while until Takashi heard footsteps approaching in the corridor and pulled back, leaving Saeko dazed as she was pulled to her feet. He left her with a small "See you later," before heading to the showers.
The cold water blasted the sweat off his toned body, cooling him off. "Shit," he muttered staring into the mirrors hanging in front of the sinks on opposite sides exposed the Roman numeral seven, a coiled snake and a tribal tattoo of a wolf on his body. "Shit shit shit shit shit, why did I do that?"
The Wolfpack's credentials and other legal documents prepared for living in this country were mostly fabricated. The slightest transgression of that boundary Takashi had set could pose a threat to all of them. They would have to revert back to living life on the run again, or in the worst case, result in one, if not several, of their deaths.
Takashi himself could not understand why he did what he did just then. True, Saeko certainly was a very attractive woman, but he was not about to let a single tryst jeopardize his family's cover that had taken months and excessive amounts of money and favors to set up. He would sooner die. Physical intimacy will definitely increase, but Takashi knew he had to draw the line even deeper and harder than before. "Skive time," he said to no one in particular as he changed into the school uniform. He was in no mood to take classes. For now he preferred to be alone without his thoughts. All there was to do was take a nap or meditation exercises to turn off every switch in his heart and mind before switching them back on again, like a computer.
The weather was perfect for it too. It was April; the weather, temperature and humidity were perfect. He still had time to go to the roof for his nap. He already knows the subjects that his class will be going over, so skipping would be a minor issue.
He also had to check if the emergency bag he had hidden up there remained untouched and unfound as well.
Saeko, on the other hand, was still staring off into space at the school dojo after having her first kiss stolen. She continued to stroke her lips and turn red as if she could still feel his cool lips. Now that she thought back, it was probably love at first sight.
When she was being assaulted , a boy younger than her, whom she believed to have had no formal training in the martial arts, sent a full grown man flying off his feet like a piece of paper caught in the wind. His attack was powerful yet graceful and had neither doubt nor hesitation. It would be a sin to not respect and admire anyone who can move like he did. Her eyes fixed on to Takashi's for a split second, and instantly she was drawn in by the mature atmosphere he had around him as well as the blade-like aura of killing intent which he wore so naturally like his skin. Having left such a strong impression, Saeko vowed to never forget this event and his face.
Much to Saeko's dismay, Takashi did not remember her after miraculously reuniting at Fujimi Academy and explaining when and where they met. However, the fact that their paths crossed again and the knowledge of his proficiency in the martial arts made her heart leap with joy that surpassed her initial disappointment.
Once she asked for a sparring bout out of curiosity after school, but soon learned the hard way that Takashi's combat skills were in another dimension. With or without weapons, she always lost in the blink of an eye, but this only strengthened her desire to become stronger and be accepted by Takashi.
After taking several deep breaths and slapping herself on both cheeks, she picked up her wooden sword and began practicing her swings.
"Fuck!" It was no use. Even after an hour long nap and a meditation session, nothing seemed to change. And something was tingling in the back of his mind, a sensation which he had not felt in forever: the sixth sense that had saved the Wolfpack and himself from danger countless times was sending an alarm. "Showtime," he whispered as he pulled two tiles off the floor and pulled out a duffel bag hidden underneath the hollowed out space.
He pulled off his school uniform and changed into a black tank-top, kevlar vest, plate carrier, cargo pants with an urban camouflage pattern, shooting gloves and steel toed boots. He confirmed the objects in their respective pockets by touch: cell phone, zippo lighter, swiss army tool knife, an LED penlight, a waterproof notepad, and a pack of mint gum. They were all there. "Moving on to weapons check," Takashi whispered to nobody in particular. His smile was wide, one; feral and predatory. He can finally be back to who he is. Not Takashi Komuro the average high school student, but Viper. The ruthless, cold-blooded assassin, the man with luck and a sixth sense that had saved the Wolfpack countless times.
Takashi's cache of weapons included a H&K USP and an MP7A1, both complete with laser pointers, a suppressor and other accessories. Once he assembled the guns, he moved on to the fully loaded magazines kept in an airtight bag and stuffed them into the respective pouches. Strapping a padded belt with various pouches and holsters, he proceeded to stuff his gear into the respective recesses.
Every step of the process putting weapons and tools in its place felt refreshing like the layers upon layers of lies and deception were getting peeled off and being exposed to the open after the longest time. He could not help but feel an upsurge of joy and relief.
As he was about to reach for the last of his weapons, he heard a clang of metal coming from the main entrance of the school property. Keeping his head down, Takashi pulled out a pair of binoculars to investigate. There was a man in a business suit repeatedly walking into the gate, which was the cause of the noise. Several members of the faculty noticed this, and the gym teacher as well as several other male faculty members were handling the situation.
The blaring alarm in Takashi's head intensified.
—-Son of a bitch!
Zooming into the businessman's face, he noticed the man's eyes were glossy. He attempted neither to open or climb over the gate, but kept walking into it in a machine like manner with no hint of intelligence or consciousness. Both were initial symptoms of those infected by the T-Virus.
The gym teacher reached through the iron bars and grabbed the man by his shirt, shaking him violently. At first there was no reaction, but after that moment of apathy, the man in the suit sank his teeth into the arm, tearing off a large portion.
It was beginning again. The war zone, the nightmare of Raccoon City had come back from the dead. There was no time to waste. If that really was indeed the T-Virus, he had to act fast. The last of the weapons were Takashi's "fangs", a box with five knives in them: a pair of T-shaped push daggers, a pair of combat knives, and a bayonet which was over 15 inches in length.
"Wolf-7, codename Viper. Standing by, reporting as ordered." He was complete; his true self was finally complete. Pushing whatever spare resources into a knapsack, he then pulled out a satellite phone and dialed a number. Once the call went through, he spoke in a clear voice, "Code black. I repeat, code black. Operation Four Horsemen."
"Head to the safe house," Spectre's voice crackled, "Lupo and I will collect the other four and rendezvous with you there."
"Where is everyone?"
"Shooting range in Guam for a little over a month now. You?"
"School, duh." Takashi snorted.
"Get out of there ASAP. Get to the safe house in the next 24 hours. We will be there from Tokonosu airport as quick as we can. Hang on until then."
"Copy that."
"Oh and that girl who seems very interested in you? I did a quick check and she is clean. Bring her along if you wish. She is combat proficient, from what I found."
Takashi snorted in response to Spectre's joke. "I am not letting someone weaker than me cover my six."
"Oh, come on, everyone needs some backup. Also, I have a pupil in the Far Eastern branch of the BSAA's wet works team at the airport, a former member of the MPD's SAT by the name of Rika Minami, a sniper. A friend of hers is in the school's employ as a nurse, and she would appreciate it if you could bring her along as well."
Although it was only thrice, Takashi remembered Rika well. A stellar police officer and sniper who quickly rose through the ranks in the patriarchal society of law enforcement, eventually becoming captain of the first platoon of SAT. Even by the Wolfpack's high standards, she was very skilled, and it was no surprise the BSAA recruited her. "Why me, though?" he whined.
"I wasn't done explaining yet. Her friend is a pupil of Bertha and Four Eyes. She is a bit of a….how do you say? Airhead? Yes, but she does have medical expertise. Better to have two doctors than one, no?"
"Urgh, fine!" Takashi grumbled, "I'll see you at the safe house." Tossing the phone into his bag again, he stood up, when a school wide broadcast abruptly came up. One of the bitten teachers have entered the buildings. After a blood curdling scream, the entire school grounds seemed to go silent for about a minute before students and teachers began to scramble madly for the exit. Those that were not fast enough were trampled underfoot. The commotion was audible all the way to the ceiling.
Hearing this, Takashi began to laugh as he clutched his sides. Never had he ever imagined that fate would set the stage so perfectly to be himself. There was no need to hide or hold himself back. He popped the contact lenses to change his eye color to a dark brown, exposing his blue ones, but soon hid them behind a gas mask which he pulled over his head as he started down the stairs.