Second Chance

by Cosmic Sky

They'd made it this far, which was in itself a miracle. No doubt, Takashi was happy he'd managed to stay alive, and Rei was too, even if she didn't quite show it. At first. Finally having some time away from the undead apocalypse, they decide to take another crack at clearing the air between them...and maybe starting over as the world comes to an end.

So, first things first, I'm yet again dipping my toe into another series, one that's laid dormant for quite some time (and sadly will probably remain that way). Lately, I've felt a bit of a resurgence and decided to pump out a HOTD story or two, specifically some summer-themed ones. Since I've always had a soft spot for Takashi and Rei, I decided why not give this story a go. It's set during the OVA and features let's say a more emotional and steamier conclusion to the gang's adventures on the island. Enjoy!

I do not own anything.

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Second Chances

---

Takashi didn't know how to feel. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. He knew precisely what he was feeling-shame, but he also felt a few other things besides that. Those things were disappointment, relief, and a surge of self-hatred that all battled for dominance alongside the shame. Maybe that was a good thing, one last piece of normalcy he'd managed to hold onto in a world gone off the deep end.

His hands went to his face as another groan of self-pity passed through his lips. It didn't go unheard.

"Um, if it's any consolation, it could have been worse."

It was amazing how the apocalypse could make friends and comrades out of the most unlikely of people. That had certainly been the case for him and Hirano. Ordinarily, Takashi doubted their paths would have ever crossed…well, maybe they would have. Perhaps on the day the chubby otaku snapped and went on a shooting spree and Takashi got caught in the crossfire. Honestly, he was happy that they'd met when the dead rose and were in the same group, that they'd became friends. He was now Takashi's sole male friends and at times confidant.

"I know, I know." He groaned already knowing what he was going to say. "I'm here, alive and healthy instead of another fleshy-hungry zombie…who happens to be missing his dick because it was bitten off." Just saying it made the shame within him boil. His hand moved across his face into his hair, temporarily pushing it back.

"At the very least since you're alive you've got a chance to make things right." The bespectacled marksman declared sitting beside him and staring out at the same bright blue ocean he'd spent the last twenty-minutes looking at. It was hard to believe that just across it lay a world being overrun by the living dead. Yesterday they'd been given an unfortunate reminder that the world they'd tried to escape wasn't willing to let go of them so easily. Luckily, it hadn't came at anyone's expense.

Except maybe their leader's dignity and putting him somewhat on the outs with his childhood friend and crush…again.

Just thinking about it caused Takashi's head to fall, a defeated groan leaving his lips. "Even with that point, I seriously don't know how I can make things right between us. I've been trying and failing at that for the last week. By this point, I'm about ready to throw in the towel."

Hirano pushed his glasses up, the glass surface reflecting the push and pull of the ocean before them. "Any other time or place…you might be able to do that, but I think our situation calls for you two to resolve it."

He didn't need to specify for Takashi know what he was referring to. The dead had risen and society was in full blown collapse; in other words, it was the end of the world. In spite of that, life went on for those who chose to cling to it-people like them. Of course, doing so was now harder than ever, and Takashi at times wondered how long they could survive before they ran into a situation that was truly inescapable. At the same time, he always felt just a tiny bit of hope that they would be able to make it out alive. They had before, and in doing so they'd made it here, to this island separated from Tokonosu City and relatively safe.

Or well, they'd made it safe. Hunting down and killing all the zombies that they could, spending all of yesterday doing so, then sealing up the underground passage way that connected the island to the city. Surprisingly, Rei had comforted him saying that there was no way they could have know about the underground passage way; she had a point given it was a secret route that the island's "inhabitants" used to smuggle drugs and illegal substances. They'd learned of that the hard way, though not as badly as they could have. Still, the blow to their sanity and dignity had taken a day for them to recover from.

In the end though, they knew they couldn't stay on this island forever, no matter how much they wanted to. Once they hit the road again, it'd be back to fighting and sneaking around to survive, finding shelter where they could. Who knows what they'd encounter, besides hundreds to thousands of more zombies. To survive all that, they'd need to work together.

And that would be hard to do if there was some sort of…tension between them. Takashi knew his and Rei's…complicated relationship was lively to boil over at the worst possible time, and it was probably going to cost either one of them, both of them, or the entire group. There was no way in hell he could let that happen.

But all that brought him back to the same dilemma.

"Shit, you'd think that with the end of the world and all, most of the old world problems would go away." He groaned.

"Afraid not. If anything, it kind of feels like it just makes some of them worse." The gun-loving otaku sighed alongside him. He could certainly sympathize with his friend, yet there were a few differences between the two of them. For starters, the zombie apocalypse had in a way allowed him to be the best of who he could be-a violent yet tactically brilliant sharpshooter willing to put a bullet in anyone or anything in the name of survival. It'd been liberating. Of course, he also knew the flipside of that was getting too intoxicated on that liberation; they still had rules that they had to hold onto least they go truly insane.

Then again, they also had other things to worry about besides going insane. Depression could be just as lethal as insanity, something that Takashi had discovered a little too well.

"So, resolve it, any ideas how I can do that?" The team leader asked, not at all with any sarcasm but with genuine worry.

Hirano sighed. "…Maybe just…say you're sorry? Even if you've-"

"I already did that." Takashi cut off.

The sniper shrugged. "Try again? Maybe grovel this time?"

A knot formed in the pit of Takashi's stomach at the thought of groveling for forgiveness. Was that really what it was going to take? If so, would he have the willingness to go through with that?

Almost immediately after asking himself that, the answer burned its way into his mind-yes, he would. His mind first jumped to the first sight of Rei dressed for a day on the beach, her bikini top and shorts showing off her legs. That was just the most recent image, his mind didn't stop there. Takashi's shoulders slacked as his mind found itself on a backward-running newsreel. He couldn't stop it; he wasn't sure he wanted to. His eyes shut and his head hung low; at first glance, Takashi looked like a defeated man, but Hirano looked closer and saw that wasn't the case. When the spiky-haired teen rose, his eyes were determined.

"Shit, I guess I will do that. It's like you said, we have to settle this otherwise it'll drag us down in the future, not to mention…I don't think I can go on without at least trying."

"For what it's worth, there's definitely something there. Everyone can see it, even Alice." The bespectacled teen added with a chuckle. "Just think that she could end up asking for a little brother or sister in the future."

"D-D-Dude! Seriously! Teen pregnancy in a situation like this!" Takashi screeched.

Though blushing, Hirano gave a nonchalantly shrug. "Hey, given the busty and beautiful ladies we're around…besides, I heard Ms. Shizuka picked up some birth control pills while we were at the Takagi Mansion."

Takashi felt like falling onto his backside. "Oh…well, that's…good." He saw how Hirano chuckled, then looked away with a nervous scratching of the cheek. "The apocalypse makes people horny, in good and bad ways."

"Yep." The team sharpshooter seconded. "Besides, we might as well use them while we can. At the rate this is going…little commodities like those aren't to be getting replaced any time soon."

"…Yeah. But hey, at least we don't have to pay for them, or explain them to our folks." That got a laugh out of the chubby boy, who fist-bumped Takashi. "Hirano…"

"I was able to get in contact with my mom while we were at the mansion." He said, an at-ease look on his face. It was a pleasant sight to see. "She's alive and last she was able to get in contact with my dad, he was alive too. Amsterdam is holding together, unlike some other cities."

"That's good to hear, really." Takashi meant it. He hadn't been able to get in contact with either of his parents, and the same went for almost everyone else barring Takagi. In a way, it felt fitting that one of the most violence-crazed members of the group had been the one to receive good familial news, Takashi just wished that Saeko could have gotten some of the same. "Hearing that also means that some parts of the world are at least holding it together. Granted…I'm really worried since the nukes went off. Seriously, the hell were the Americans thinking?"

Hirano's expression went from happy to slightly annoyance, yet his face spoke of resignation. "Strategic long-term thinking. While people like us are focused on surviving the next hour, whatever's left of the world governments were looking at one country likely trying to seize power."

"So, to prevent that, they launch a bunch of nukes as makeshift EMPs to knock out all the power." Takashi scowled. He couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around such thinking, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Then again, that kind of thinking has never been his forte; at the rate things were going though, he might have had to start thinking that way. Running his hand through his spiky hair, he finally let his back hit the sand. "Fuck, this is so frustrating."

"But hey, at least you're not thinking about your relationship with Rei." Hirano offered.

Shooting him an aside glance, Takashi responded, "That's still harder. I'm pretty sure that end of the world political power plays are second fiddle to a woman's heart."

"…You're probably right."

Takashi knew he was probably being a little overly dramatic. Or not. Ultimately, he knew that he was potentially not counting his full blessings. Sure, they hadn't had it easy, but they'd all managed to survive quite a harrowing series of events. Their group was only seven people plus a dog. That was extremely manageable compared to potentially millions of people, including potential military and diplomatic forces overseas. His hands went to his face as he felt more and more like his brain was going to explode any second.

"Hey, Takashi?"

"Yeah?"

"For what it's worth…I think what you did was pretty awesome, and I think Rei's happy that you're still alive. We all are."

Removing his hands from his face, he stared at the glasses-wearing teenager. He was smiling at him in such a way that made the former delinquent blush in embarrassment.

"I was…out of it, entirely, completely out of it."

"Yeah, we know. We heard you." Hirano chuckled. "But…remember what happened once we were all lucid? Remember when we were sealing up the tunnel? Rei stuck close to you and made sure that you got out."

His blush deepened. "Alright, I get it." Sitting up, he dusted the sand off of his legs. "I'm going to go do a sweep of the island then check the tunnel. Feel like coming with me?"

Well, hopefully some bit of what I said got through to him. "Remember the buddy system." The two boys shared a mutual laugh at the school rule that they'd taken to following. Nowadays, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Both boys had grabbed their rifles as they prepared to head back to camp ad inform the group. After their first day on the island, it was agreed that it was vital that everyone knew where each other were. A shame that there weren't any walkie talkies, or ones that worked. Those would have made things infinitely easier, but they didn't thus they had to make do.

When they returned to "base camp", Takashi locked eyes with Rei. He saw a flicker of something in them when he stated he and Hirano were going to do another sweep of the island. Expectedly, Takagi chastised them on this saying it'd be their third sweep today, to which Takashi bit back that they're just doing their job in staying safe. Practically everyone saw her eyes shift to Hirano; she relented a second later. It was never in any doubt.

"So, about you and Saya…" he began once they began their patrol.

"You know this island has plenty dump sites, right?

---

"How does it look?"

Saeko walked over and expected the crudely made staff. Crude most certainly being the word.

She felt around the pieces of carved wood, noting how it seemed just a little stronger than average. Rightly so considering it was roughly two staffs tied together. Traditional bō staffs and spears were made out of oak and hardwood respectively. Could tropical trees be a good substitute for that? Rei had set out to find out and Saeko had decided to join her. As far as she was concerned, it couldn't hurt, especially since it wouldn't hurt to have a "backup" to her sword.

Rei watched from the sidelines as the purple-haired girl swung the daftly made staff around. Her movements were good, but it was plainly obvious the spear wasn't her weapon of choice. It was hers and Rei was missing it dearly, just like she missed a lot of other things.

Planting the spear into the ground, the former senior looked to her. "It certainly won't be winning any beauty contests, but I think it could make an effective weapon. It's at least a little sturdier than your old improvised mop."

Catching the spear as it was tossed back to her, Rei gave it a twirl. It certainly felt heavier, which meant that it'd have a greater amount of force when swung. Conversely, that also meant she'd have to use more energy to swing it, and that meant it would take longer to swing; every second could be one that decides rather she lives or dies, or someone else lives or dies.

"I guess it'll do…though I'll be honest, I'm jealous of you, Saeko-san."

"Just Saeko." She politely corrected. "I…trust me, it's a huge sigh of relief to know you've got a real weapon with you." A flock of birds sounded off in the trees above them. Saeko ad Rei could almost feel the animals pushing them to continue this conversation; neither girls looked like they wanted, but they knew this talk had to be had. Amongst several others.

Rei slid against a nearby tree with her crudely fashioned spear in her knees. Saeko took a seat two feet from her, a distance they both found reasonable enough.

"You're jealous of me finding a real weapon or-"

"Please don't beat around the bush, for both our sakes." Rei cut off, maybe sounding a little harsher than she intended.

"…He was calling your name too, more than mine."

"Were you keeping count?" In spite of the attempted glare, Saeko merely laughed. Rei found herself laughing as well. "The more I think about, the more…stupid I feel. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy Takashi's alive! We could have lost him and not even have known it until…until…" Rei didn't fight the hand on her shoulder, she needed it, she sorely needed it. "I've already lost one guy I care about, I…I can't afford to lose Takashi. It's why whenever he's around other women I just get so…defensive." What tiny bit of self-control she had mixed with her honest streak as she glanced to her fellow survivor. "Especially you."

"Yeah…I…I'm sorry about that." The swordswoman replied.

Rei shook her head. "Don't be. It's not your fault, it's…mine for being…myself. I'm not a calm girl like you, I'm more…"

"Hot-blooded, but that's what some men go for. Takashi certainly seems smitten with you for that reason."

"Yeah well…" her giggles made it harder for her to stifle her blush. "I, just…I know I'm the jealous type, and that's not a good thing."

"Hm, I've seen worse." Saeko shrugged.

Rei shot her an aside glance. "For both our sakes, I won't ask where."

"You know, there's a simple answer to all of this. If you really feel that way about him…just go to him" Stretching her leg out, the team's sword fighter looked up to the midday sun. Coupled with a pleasant breeze from the ocean, it made Saeko feel like she was truly on vacation. In a sense, she was along with everyone else, though most vacations didn't come with the potential threat of death by zombie. "Once wet set out from here, you may not get the chance to."

Looking down at her lap, Rei begrudgingly noted her rival and comrade was right. "Guess I should start by apologizing to him for…the other day."

"In Takashi's defense, it was pretty impressive. I mean, he did hold off four of them while intoxicated. I mean, if it weren't for him, they might have came after us while we were drugged up."

"…Fair point." It was so absurd it was almost hard to believe. Holding off four zombies was one thing, hell, it was arguably something that all of them save for Alice and Ms. Shizuka could do. Doing that while intoxicating and vividly fantasizing? Rei had to admit, her childhood friend was something special; she was just pissed off that he'd apparently been fantasizing about a girl besides her.

So, like Saeko said, why not do something about that?

Rei's cheeks heated up as she hugged her legs closer to herself. This didn't go unnoticed by her purple-haired comrade.

"For what it's worth…you're pretty sexy yourself. And you're a…" Blue eyes glanced over at fiery brown. It was clear that the swordswoman was hoping the spear fighter would cut her off, but she didn't. Saeko forced herself to continue, looking away with a thick blush on her cheeks. " You're a pretty good kisser."

"…Damn right I'm a good kisser." Rei quietly declared. Anxiety and embarrassment bubbled within her as she shot Saeko an aside glance. "You're not half bad yourself."

"Thank you." The kendo captain laughed.

"We still never talk about what happened."

"Okay."

"…Thanks for…helping me…Saeko." The brunette added, slowly looking up at the swordswoman and smiling at her.

Saeko returned the smile with one of her own, a bright one. "That's what friends are for. Now, hurry up and go snap him up before some other girl gets their hands on him. Takashi's quite a guy."

"Yeah," Rei affirmed in somewhat dreamy tone she didn't feel ashamed of. "He is…even if he doesn't believe it about himself."

"So, be there to tell him that he is. We'll all do that, but…someone has to be there to do it first and mean it the most." Saeko said.

"Out of curiosity…why not be that person? I know that you have feelings for him, I've seen it." Rei pressed. Her expression all but screamed that she wanted an answer.

Saeko decided to give her that answer. "I…would like to, but I can see the way he looks at you. You were the first person he apologized to the other day. You're always the first person whom his concern goes to." Her smirk sent a shiver down the spear fighter's spine. "And even when you're angry with him, you're the most concerned about him. I think it's rather cute how you try to hide it."

Rei's cheeks exploded. Suddenly, the grass beneath her feet seemed far more interesting to look at.

"You two have something, something that I'm honestly envious of. It's been…dented, but it's still there, and…I have this feeling that if you two sat down and tried, you could repair it. Even before the end of the world started, that was easier said than done."

A heavy sigh was expunged from the brunette's lips. "You know, I…kind of think if it wasn't for the end of the world, we'd still be doing this sing and dance with each other. Or probably barely even speaking."

"Then I guess that's another strange…miracle of the apocalypse." Saeko offered.

"Yeah, I guess you may have a point." Rei conceded. "Anyways, you're being awfully charitable. No offense but…"

"You and Takashi deserve a chance to mend things." She answered sounding and looking rather mature. Rei always admired and slightly resented that part of her. The admiration made it harder for her to resent the purple-haired girl sometimes. "If that leads to…something more, then it does."

"And if not…" Rei challenged. The kendo club captain responded with a smirk; it could have made a venomous serpent proud. Considering the potential spelling of her surname, it was incredibly fitting. "I see…well, I have no intention of losing him. To another woman or the living dead."

"Spoken like a true woman." Commended the swordswoman.

Accepting the compliment, Rei stood up, the wooden spear gripped tightly in her hand. "Alright, up for a little spar in the forest? We're alone so we can be-"

"As noisy as we want, right?" The swordswoman declared with a sultry smile. Admittedly, Rei felt a fire flicker inside of her in seeing it.

Both girls stood up and began to walk toward a more cleared out part of the forest. Like they said, they had a chance to be a little noisy, so why not take advantage of it?

---

"We're back!"

"And still whole?" Came the team's bespectacled genius.

The two boys let out humorous chuckles as they returned to the beach house. Just as they hadn't found anything, nothing had seemingly changed since they left. That was something to be deeply grateful for.

Or at least it looked like nothing had changed. Takashi's heart thumped in his chest as he searched the group for their two strongest fighters. When he failed to find them, he felt a sliver of fear. It wasn't like he didn't know they were…together. What scared Takashi was what they were potentially talking about? The supposed kiss that they'd shared? Him? Takashi shuddered I fear at the thought of Rei and Saeko talking about him.

Shit, I've gone from not thinking much about girls to thinking about nothing but them from time to time! Granted, I'm around some seriously sexy ladies so maybe-

"Ah, so how'd the patrol go? Is our island haven still safe?" Called the team's sword fighter, her voice coming from the far left where the sea met the shore.

Just as he opened his mouth to answer her, his eyes laid sight on the two other members of the group, just as they emerged from the ocean water. His jaw dropped at the sight of their water-soaked bodies, clad in new bikinis that tried off their gorgeous bodies. Saeko's was dark blue, perfectly matching her hair and eyes while Rei's was red, which was another colorful fit for her. Takashi's cheeks turned the same color as her bikini, which drew his attention.

Rei didn't fail to notice the way she held his attention. She suppressed the scream of glee that was building up in her throat. "Well? Did you guys find anything?"

Either because of Takagi standing several feet away (and watching them closely) or his own inner strength, Hirano kept a cool demeanor as he answered their question. "Safe and sound, at least for the moment. We also checked the tunnel and no breaches so far."

"They better not be any, we spent all day building a barricade down there." The surviving heiress grown.

"Um, how long will the barricade hold? I mean, we worked really, really hard on it." Alice spoke.

"Which is why it should be enough to keep them out for a day or two." Hirano encouraged. "Shame we don't have any landmines could put down there."

"Wouldn't that be a dream." Ironically, Takashi felt like he was living the dream, looking at it right in front of his eyes. His brown eyes met Rei's; the water practically boiled off of her cheeks as he focused his gaze on her. For him, he wasn't even forcing himself-he just found that red looked really good on her. "So, um…"

"Well then, guess this means you two can take a break now, huh?" Saeko happily chirped.

"Because if so, that means you've got time to get in a little practice…or maybe give us a full on demonstration." Rei added looking directly at him.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I've kept my skills sharp!"

"The you wouldn't mind showing them to everyone, would you, Takashi?" The brunette further pressed.

"Hell no!"

"Hey, language!" Ms. Shizuka cried covering Alice's ears. "Um, what exactly are you two talking about?"

Oddly enough, Takashi felt himself returning Rei's smile, even as the blood in his veins boiled. It was burning with excitement.

"Surfing! Takashi knows how to surf!" Excitedly declared the youngest member of the group. All eyes went to the grade schooler, who'd somewhat wiggled out of her blonde caretaker's ear grasp. "You told me once back at the mansion that you knew how to surf, Takashi!"

Waves beat against the sandy shore providing the only source of sound for the minute that followed. Takashi scratched the back of his head and looked away, clearly embarrassed about having his "secret" exposed.

"Well…it's not like I really know how to surf. I'm just…well, the last time I went to the beach I ended up taking a board out and-"

"He turned out to be pretty good at it." Rei finished for him, wearing a bold smile.

"Oh, really?" Saeko echoed, crossing her arms and looking enticed.

"First I'm hearing of this." Takagi seconded, a glint in her eyes.

"Alright, alright! I'll go get the surfboards!" The group leader shouted, seeing the only way to escape this was to surf his way out. Contrary to his public antagonism, he felt a surge of excitement. It grew stronger when he caught Rei looking at him, smiling at him. She wanted to see him surf again. That alone was enough to motivate him.

In clearing out the beach house and what few other surrounding structures there were, the gang had found a few other surprises. He came back with one of those surprises. The white surfboard was in good condition and Takashi was eager to try it out. A shame its owner was probably dead, but Takashi hoped that he'd be able to put it to good use.

And he liked to think he did. The minute that he got out onto the water, he felt his muscles relax and his mind drift back to a simpler, quieter, and far more pleasant time in his life. Before the undead rose, before the world went mad, before he had to do things he never in his wildest dreams imagined doing.

As he let the coming waves carry him higher, Takashi Komuro felt a sense of peace and freedom that had become elusive in the last few days.

The wave carried him high, so high that Takashi almost felt like he was flying. Of course he wasn't, he was surfing. By some strange twist of fate, he had some in-borne talent for surfing. It'd been discovered about a year ago toward spring break; it might as well have been aother life time ago. As he rose higher and higher, standing on two bent legs atop the surfboard, he felt like he could see the entire island. In truth, all he could see was the shore, a lot of it, but he could see te people who'd helped him get this far.

One year ago, it'd just been Rei and Hisashi, cheering for him.

Now, it was Rei, Saeko, Hirano, Saya, Ms. Shizuka, Alice, and Zeke, all waving their hands and cheering for him like he was in the middle of some surfing competition. Had the world not ended, Takashi thought it would have been nice if he did enter a surfing competition, surely there would have been one held by now.

Ah, screw it! No use in lamenting the past! Ironically, as he said that, his gaze turned toward Rei. She looked…beautiful, maybe more so than she usually did. Red really, really was a good color for her. She was cheering for him, just like she had been back then. She was smiling, she was happy.

Takashi waved back at her, specifically her. He felt like his younger childish self, the him that had made that promise with Rei. As he waved back at her, he realized somewhere inside, he wanted to keep that promise, perhaps now more than ever.

Rei, I want to be your-

And then the wipeout inevitable came. Takashi tasted sea water as he saw some of the sea's occupants. A fish swam by his face.

"Hey, how's about keeping your eyes on the water and your board instead of the girl?" It seemed to say. The advice was sound, but when the girl in question was his longtime crush who he had an on-and-off relationship with, it was a little hard to do.

But hey, practice makes perfect, right?

---

"Up for taking a break?"

Takashi wiped the sea water from his brow. "Sure thing, besides, the sun's going down so maybe it's time we started heading back to camp."

Rei nodded, grabbing his hand as they began to swam back to the shore. Already, the water was beginning to take on an almost crystalline-shine thanks to the sunset behind them. They'd spend the day as best they could, which was something they were proud of. A day when they weren't fighting for their lives was a day to be cherished. Doubly so since they'd spent the previous one turning the island upside down for infected and possible entry ways to the city. Thankfully, barring the underground tunnel which they spent hours sealing off, there were none. That just left the little issue of the roaming undead, numbering sixteen in total. Rei had personally slew the four bikini-clad girls that Takashi had been…occupying their first night on the island. The rest fell like weeds.

It was embarrassing and maybe even disrespectful to loot clothes from the dead, but that's what Takashi and Hirano had done. The former found it more tolerable since it saved him from having to spend the rest of their island break in a speedo and boots. Whatever dignity he could salvage, he'd take, even if it had to be looted from the dead.

The "extermination task" provided Takashi and Rei some time to…well, they needed some time apart for their personal reasons. That desire for time apart had ended by dinner, which was considerably…awkward.

They walked in silence, neither saying a word but together admiring the island's beauty. Takashi and Rei occasionally stopped and glanced at each other's hands, both of which were occupied with their respective weapons and equipment.

Awkward as it was going to be, Takashi decided to break the ice first. "Your spears are pretty cool looking, I'm sure they'll be useful in a fight."

"I'm hoping so. Really, I'd give anything for a good yari or naginata." The brunette responded.

Takashi always thought that if Rei were to suit up in old style armor, she'd make for a perfect Onna-Bugeisha, in fact, he remembered her once listing the female warriors as inspiration of her training. Apparently, it'd been the same for her mother. "Hey, Rei," he opened causing her to look at him. "I'm…sorry about the whole…well, using your gun and your…body."

Rei giggled as his cheeks turned red as a cherry. She gently brushed up against his shoulder, "Apology…accepted. Next time though, unhook the damn thing, then fire it."

"Got it."

Giggling, she broke away from him, heading toward the water; Takashi wordlessly followed her. When she sat down, he joined her, placing their things beside them, just close enough that they could grab their guns if they needed to. It was perhaps a paranoid fear by this point, but in this new world, nothing was to be taken for granted, especially people.

Their hands finally free, Rei reached forward and grasped Takashi's left hand with her right. "Takashi, I'm sorry."

"Rei,"

"Just listen," she quietly commanded. "I'm sorry about yesterday, and…everything before. I'm sorry that I'm always…comparing you to Hisashi. It's not fair to you, especially since I know you're still carrying some guilt."

A thick sigh was expunged from the black-haired teenager. "I will until the day I die."

"Which I plan on making sure is a long, long ways off from now." Her grip on his hand tightened. "I know I may seem to push you away at times, and…I'm sorry for all of that."

He didn't look at her even though he wanted to, he was afraid of what he'd ended up saying to her. "Sure, you do, but I always come back, kind of like a boomerang."

"Yeah, you do, and I'm a very luckily girl for it." First it was the hand, then came her head. Takashi was used to her leaning on him; Rei was grateful that he always allowed her to do so in spite of all the drama that goes on between them. She had a feeling it was because of that drama that Saeko had sought her out to talk to her. "Like I said…I'm so sorry, for-"

"I know, and…well…I know that I-"

"Takashi," He didn't seem too peeved that she'd interrupted him, though he'd interrupted her first. She moved her hands to his face, framing it so that his eyes were on her. Takashi couldn't have looked away if he wanted to. "I'm going to say this once, you do not have to live up to Hisashi. He's…he's gone, just like you said, and if he could see us, he'd tell us to stop tip-toing around each other"

His hand was raised over her right. It was clear that he was reaching something of an emotional breaking point. She was so close to him and he was tempted to close the distance between them. "Rei, I'm sorry too. About Shido, about…"

It was her turn to sigh. "I never really told you so…that one's on me. It's also on me for not killing him when I had the chance."

"He wasn't worth it." He affirmed. When Rei had chosen to spare the wicked teacher, Takashi was incredibly grateful. He knew the burden of having to take a life, even a rotten one; he didn't want Rei carrying that guilt with her. Just like the man himself had said, she'd have to live with it for the rest of her life. Sure, it might happen eventually, but the longer they could hold off going down that road, the better. "If I'd known…maybe…"

She connected their foreheads, which felt warm as torches. "It's in the past…just like…my relationship with Hisashi, and my doubts." His eyes shimmered like bronze; to Takashi, Rei's eyes cackled like fire. "I've made a lot of mistakes…and I'm hoping you'll let me fix them."

"You're not the only one who feels that way." Takashi declared. "I'm terrified that somewhere along the way, I'm going to mess up and it's going to cost someone."

"You won't, Takashi." Rei softly retorted. She was leaning in closer to him, her breath tickling his lips and his hers. "Because I'll be there with you, making sure you're always giving it your best, and I want you beside me because I'm at my best wen I'm with you."

"The let's get back together." Immediately saying those words, he leaned forward, connecting their lips. Rei opened her mouth and welcomed his tongue into it, affectionately moaning as they shared their seaside kiss. The sunset colored them both in yellow and orange, the color of flames.

Both of them were disappointed when the need for air finally forced them to separate. Upon staring into each other's eyes, they felt an immediate, near suffocating impulse to reconnect their lips. What remained of the logical side of their brains warned them not to as they still needed to fill their lungs with air. That could be done while staring into one another's eyes.

Takashi always felt like he could lose himself in staring into Rei's flame-colored eyes. The glow of the sunset only furthered that feeling, making his accelerate nonstop in his chest. He felt his fingers subconsciously moving along her hips, his fingers gliding across her water-soaked waist. It wouldn't be long before they started moving south, toward her ass. They both know he'd looked at it, just like how he'd looked at every part of her body. Rei always relished that, and quietly dreamed of the possibility of him touching her.

That thought surged within her mind as she leaned forward, initiating the next kiss, somewhat to Takashi's surprise. Acceptance quickly ensued as he returned the kiss with as much vigor as he could muster. Rei moaned in approval as his arms tightened around her waist; Takashi successfully deciphered that moan and gave the brunette more of what she wanted. She broke from his lips to moan in gratification.

"T-Takashi," The sōjutsu fighter moaned.

Though he ceased grinding his body against hers, he continued to gently fondle her buttocks. Behind his cool exterior, Takashi felt like he was having the time of his life; strike that, he sure as hell was. In spite of the euphoria fast-gripping him, Takashi trued to maintain some awareness of his surroundings. More importantly, he maintained strict awareness of the girl in his arms, the girl that he loved with all his heart and whose acceptance or rejection held so much dominion over him, just like he hers. His heart thundered and his body shook with anticipation as she ran her hands through his hair. Shutting his eyes and regaining a slim measure of control, he leaned forward and bumped their foreheads together.

"Rei," he began. "You and I both know where this is going to go if we keep doing this."

"Yeah, we do." She affirmed before looking him in the eye. The fiery determination that he'd fallen in love with was burning bright, and burning for him. That revelation filled him with a relief and erotic excitement that almost had him moving on her in that second, Takashi just barely held himself back so she could finish speaking. "And I want to go all the way, with you, Takashi. I want you to be my one and only…and to be your one and only." As she spoke the words, Rei felt both a great sense of relief and a near mountain-sized mass of anxiety fall atop of her.

In one blow, Takashi shattered it. "I promise I won't let go, Rei, not ever again." He waited long enough to see her eyes widen, watch the tears of relief manifest, but he gave them no time to fall. He knew he'd already wasted enough time already. No more, that was the vow he made as he aggressively seized the brunette's lips in a fiery kiss that they both threw themselves into. The fire exploded outward and rapidly consumed them; seeping into their bones. It was certainly pumping through their veins; they both subconsciously knew that they were going to need the energy that came with it.

When Rei's backside hit the sand, they separated, both for air and out of partial shock. They'd utterly forgotten about their surroundings in the erotic blaze that they'd embrace. Takashi stared down into Rei's seemingly red eyes, her beautiful cinnamon brown hair fanned out behind her, standing out in contrast to the sand. In the glow of the sunset it still looked golden. His hands lay on either side of her, his breath heavy and his heartbeat fast accelerating and screaming at him. It was screaming for him to kiss her again, yet Takashi found himself being…subtly about it. He slowly descended upon Rei, taking the time to bask in the near ethereal glow of her beneath him. How many times had he dreamed of this position? Of doing this? Even after the end of the world had begun? The answer was too many to count.

He wasn't alone in his romantic contemplation. As much as a part of her screamed for Takashi to go faster, Rei was content with his slow descent. It was assurance, confidence, faith in his feelings for her. As he fell toward her, she gently ranched her nails across his backside. He groaned as he finally fell atop of her, his lips gently squishing against hers. The fire again roared, and Rei tossed as much kindling into it as she could by wrapping her arms and legs around her lover's body. She moaned as she felt his member poking at her through his pants. Clothes separated them, yet the spark was enough to make them feel like they had fireworks bursting within them. Rei opened her mouth and welcomed Takashi in, he took the invitation in a heartbeat.

Fleshy moans went filled the beach alongside the gentle beating of the evening waves. It deepened the already harmonious mood that the two teenagers had managed to grasp for themselves. With every lustful moan, it became clear that they were making the most of it. As they kissed, they could feel their hearts continuously racing, accelerating to the point where they felt like they were going to explode. They certainly weren't helping things with the way they grinded their bodies against one another. It was the fulfillment of a yearning that they'd had within them for perhaps not just the last several days, but even the last year.

Takashi withdrew from Rei and basked in the feel of her nails digging into his back. It was the sensually kind of pain that had his whole-body tingling with erotic pleasure. A voice within called for him to return the favor to Rei-she was teasing him, and certainly enjoying it. He chuckled and she giggled; neither of them were blind to this little game that they were playing. The long-haired brunette purred as she lazily traced circles in his back with her index finger; it was like baiting a tiger. It was inevitable when the tiger pounced. The lone finger was joined by the rest, once more digging into the teenager's back and her hips thrusting upward, pressing against his. Rei could again feel the tent in Takashi's pants. If only he were able to reach down and feel how wet she was a complimentary to his growing arousal. Tearing her lips away from Takashi's, she seductively grinded her hips against his, hoping that he'd feel the wetness fast-spreading through her bikini bottom.

Evidently, he did as she saw the bolt of lightning that flashed through Takashi's eyes. "You little vixen." He growled in a husky voice that her doing it again. Rei inwardly cackled with glee as she felt his erection growing harder and harder. Maybe she could make him cum through his shorts, wouldn't that be a sight? "Two can play at that game, Rei." The group leader declared moving his hands along the sand and slipping them beneath her bikini bottom. Rei's chocolate brown eyes widened as she felt his hands aggressively palm her ass.

"T-T-aaakkaaaahhh…" Oh, yeah, she was getting what she always wanted for him-boldness and taking control. Her entire lower body shuddered as her longtime friend and lover stuck a lone finger into her anal hole. It was such a bold move that Rei hadn't seen it coming, but by God, was she happy that he'd done it. Her reaction spurned Takashi to continue probing her backdoor. "Ahhh…m-moooore…oh, Takashi…more…"

"Since you insist." One finger became two causing the brunette to shout, her lustful cry rolling across the beach. A tiny voice warned him that they needed to keep it down, only for another to berate him. They'd spent practically all of yesterday clearing out the island and sealing up the underground passage way. They were safe, for the moment anyway. That moment wasn't to be wasted, it was to be used and savored; Takashi had looked into his lover's eyes and decided that's what he was going to spend this evening doing. This evening…and the rest of his life afterward. His left hand rose up, combing through the cinnamon brown mane that he always adorned, his right hand lay half-submerged beneath her undies. Takashi always wondered what either of her holes would feel like; he never would have imagined that it would be her backdoor that he'd first explore. Just another "bright side" of the apocalypse. Though he had no experience, his fingers moved at rapid speed, sliding in and out of her anal hole with great ease. Rei couldn't stop moaning from the erotic friction that was being generated. It took him slamming his lips against hers to silence her.

As was becoming customary, she welcomed the kiss, hungrily waging war against him with her tongue. Takashi felt her practically scratching up his back as they continued. His longtime friend and lover was practically a wildcat, one that was marking its territory; it was long overdue, on her end and his. Aggressively forcing her back, he kicked up the speed of his finger thrusting. Rei's grip on him expectedly tightened, and he welcomed it, embraced it. She broke from him and howled into the evening sky, her legs further tightening around his waist. Takashi gritted his teeth as he could feel an orgasm building up in his loins. He could feel the same happening with Rei, her anal hole tightening around his fingers. Her nails moved from his back up to his head, clinching at the back of it while her body tittered on the break of collapse.

"T-Takassssssshiii!" Cried the brunette, throwing her head back and giving the former slacker an absolutely stunning view of her hair, colored brownish gold by the sunset. The sight was so mesmerizing he made a subconscious thrust with his fingers, even as they were being doused with Rei's love nectar. It exploded downward, cascading down his hand. Takashi himself groaned in delight at the feeling, finally knowing what it felt like to make a woman cum, and from her ass no less. "T-T-Takashi," whispered the fiery-haired teenager. Their eyes met and their lips connected in a steaming kiss. Rei held onto her lover's body and lips as her body began to wind down from its first orgasm; she was glad that Takashi didn't remove his hand from her rear end. She didn't want to separate from him for any reason.

In a way, she got her wish as they laid together, her atop of him with his fingers still jabbed into her ass for what felt like hours. To the far side of them, the sun had yet to set, its orange and yellow glow still permeating the land. Like it, they weren't done, not by a long shot.

Almost the entirety of Rei's butt was smeared with her cum, as was Takashi's hand. It was an…interesting feeling to say the least. The feeling was also entirely new and he could feel himself becoming addicted to it-the way that Rei panted as her ass spurted out cum, the feeling of the cum dripping down his fingers and cover his hand, the sense of pride that he'd brought all this about. Takashi's nose wrinkled as the smell of her love nectar rose up and sung its hooks into his nostrils. Suddenly, his mouth was so incredibly dry; he was thirsty as hell and he knew just how to quench it. Removing his hand from her ass, he brought his cum-soaked fingers to his lips and licked, like he was eating ice-cream. Takashi's eyes widen, one lick became many.

In the midst of her post-orgasm haze, Rei was able to just barely focus on the sight of Takashi licking his fingers. Even before the picture completed itself, her heart was thumping with joy at the fervor in which he went at it. A whimsical impulse overtook her-turning herself over and letting him enjoy her love nectar from the source. Alas, she pushed that thought away as she needed just a little more time to recover. There was an incredible difference between a masturbation and sexual activity with a partner. Rei was happy beyond words that she'd waited and found the right one; she basked in the sight of him licking his hand clean of her juices. He was quite thorough.

"Want some more?" She asked when he looked up and met her eyes. The impulse from earlier returned, nibbling at her like a pack of piranhas. "If you do, you're more than welcome to help yourself, Takashi." Sitting up, she took his formerly soaked hand and gently rubbed it. Takashi's fingers curled around hers, sweet warmth washing over them. "All you have to do is ask."

Did she know how seductive she looked with that gentle, warm smile? Smiles like that weren't meant to be seductive, but in the near literal light of the atmosphere, hers sure as hell was. Takashi could feel his member struggling against his shorts. Images of his cock buried in her mouth, in her ass, in her pussy, all flashed through his mind causing his cheeks to blush even more. In pushing those images aside, he was treated to the sight of their bodies pressed together atop the sandy shore. Clothes weren't included. Pushing those thoughts aside, he managed to find his voice again, "A-A-All I have to do is ask, huh? So…does that mean anytime?"

She laughed at his bold request. "Well, maybe not when we're around the others. I mean…" She looked away, an embarrassed blush on her face. Takashi couldn't help but laugh at it. "You get the idea."

With a hearty chuckle, he brought her close, pressing their bodies together; their hands wrapped around one another. The sense that if they let go, they would drift apart returned, stronger than ever. It was an annoying devil that continuously danced on their shoulders. Cautiously, the coupled looked around the beach, a sliver of self-awareness having returned to the both of them. No matter how many times they told themselves they'd taken all the precautions and the alien was safe, the fear of the undead falling upon them continued to nip at them.

At least until they looked into each other's eyes. Warm brown and fiery-orange looked into each other with deep longing as they had before. This time, that longing was fulfilled with a tender kiss. Their tongues darted out and rammed into one another, flickering against each other. Within seconds, the paranoia-driven caution was burned away by the flames of desire. It told the pair that they were safe, and it told them that the time was now. Rei's nails once again began to sensually claw across Takashi's back, his tender groan flowing into her mouth. She feed it by rocking her body against his. The spear fighter could feel his hands gliding down her abdomen back down to her ass; she welcomed another intrusion of her anal hole. She could feel the verbal request building in her throat, but Takashi silenced her with a vigorous kiss that forced onto her backside. Though temporarily caught off-guard, she welcomed the change in positions; she had after all always wanted Takashi to be more assertive.

Atop the woman he loved, the spiky-haired teenager's assertiveness came out. He fiercely grinded her body against hers while seizing her lips for his own. Rei welcomed him with her arms and legs, wrapping them around his body like a spider ensnaring its prey, granted, she was the prey in this situation. She relished it, the sense of helplessness yet also the sense of safety she found in her old friend's arms. Rei broke away from his lips and let out a throaty moan that reverberated into the evening air. She could hear the waves splashing against the shoreline just a few feet from them. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a familiar intrusion between her legs. In feeling it, Rei could feel her pussy tingle with erotic excitement. Thoughts of pulling her bikini bottom ad his shorts down filled her mind-the image of his hips thrusting against hers made her moan at the mind-blowing joy that would bring. Takashi caught onto it and looked down, his eyes widening at the tent in his pants. He looked back at Rei, their eyes meeting and similar impulses overcoming them.

A short yet sweet silence marked by the ocean waves filled the air between them. They both knew what they wanted to do, it was only a question of who would move first.

For a second, it seemed to be Rei. "T-T-Takashi, do it. I-I'll-"

He caught her hands as they were reaching for his shorts. Rei snapped to him, her eyes wide and her mouth open in a hungry pant. A thrill of excitement raced through the teenager seeing her in such a state-so utterly under his thumb and waiting for his next move. He made it in the form of a tender kiss that was too short for her liking. "I will, Rei, but first…I want to taste you again." Her cheeks became further enflamed at the thought, a smile gradually spread across her face. "Then, I want you to taste me." He added. Surprise colored her face and her eyes widened at the implication. "I mean, that is…if you want to."

Now it was her turn to initiate the kiss. Though she knew to keep it sort, Rei dragged it out as long as she could, exploring his mouth with her tongue. Takashi affectionately moaned at the oral intrusion. His moan of delight turned into one of disappointment when Rei pulled back, a seductive yet heartfelt smile on her face. "I would love to, Takashi." She spoke before gently bumping her forehead against his. It was a surprisingly soft and gentle start to what they knew was going to be one steamy embrace that was likely going to leave them sore for the rest of the night.

His hands slid from her wrists to her palms, their fingers interlocking while they gazed into each other's eyes with blazing desire. Rei laid on her backside, still hold Takashi's hands as they affectionately kissed each other. They'd stopped keeping track of time; it felt like hours had passed since they'd began, yet they could still feel the warmth of the sun on their bodies. Pretty soon it would be their naked bodies.

Rei would be first as Takashi pulled his hands away from her and slid them down her abdomen. She shuddered in erotic excitement as he did so. When he got down to her waist where her red bikini bottom lay, Rei felt like she was going to break into pieces then be carried off into the sea. She could feel her lips moving, speaking words that she couldn't exactly hear; she knew they were cries for her boyfriend to hurry up. A second later and she felt the evening spring wind caressing her naked pussy. Rei didn't care what happened to her undies, she just focused on Takashi's near glowing black hair as he looked in front of her wet silt. Whispering his name, she reached forward and caressed the top of his head. His eyes rose, meeting hers; they glowed like polished bronze sending a thrill of erotic excitement up Rei's spine. Takashi moved down, his lips finally touching her womanly woman.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh…Takashiiiii…" She moaned. Finally…finally this is happening. The former sōjutsu club member whispered with a mental smile.

I'm finally doing this. Takashi thought suckling Rei's wet pussy with enthusiasm. His tongue shot forward, flicking against her silt making her moan even more. I kept her waiting too damn long. It slightly surprised him how much he was still thinking of her first instead of his ecstasy. O doubt, he was thinking about the latter, but the former had a greater presence in his mind. Takashi knew himself well, he knew when it came to Rei, he'd do anything for her, just like Hirano had said he'd do the same for Takagi. He was in love with her, genuinely in love with her, and he was going to give her all the love he could. His hands shot to her hips and his tongue penetrated deeper than it had before, deeper than perhaps he ever dreamed it would.

"Taaaaaakassssssshiiii!" Rei howled, her back arching up and her hands digging into the sand beside her. Her lust-addled scream felt like it echoed across the beach. It was possible that it reached to the others. All who heard it save for Alice would know would it meant. Her entire body alight with the fires of lust, she looked down to the black spiky mass between her legs. It was a sight that she'd longed to see, and though it came about unconventionally, she was happy that it finally happened. Eve better, Takashi's bent over form was bathed in the light of the sunset. Her view of him was cut off as his tongue rammed its way through her womanly cavern and proceeded to mark it. "Ahhhhhh….yesssss! That's it, right there, Takashiiii!" Her heartbeat accelerated thanks to the surging jolts, feeling like it was being kicked into overdrive.

Rei's pussy was incredibly welcoming to his mouth, almost like she'd been waiting for him. Takashi supposed that she had, always waiting for him. Determined to never make her wait again, her fervently ate out her pussy. There was also a little bit of personal addiction in the midst; Rei's pussy tasted really good.

"J-Just…let it all out," He heard her whisper. Her voice sounded so distant, like she was drifting away on the ocean waves. Before he could verbally responding, his body did the responding-his hands holding fast onto her hips and his mouth aggressively eating into her vagina. Takashi felt like his tongue had a mind of its own, continuously pushing deeper and deeper into his lover's womanly hole. "My…hole is…it's yours, Takashi." Rei whispered again. "Take them both…take every part of me." Any other time or place, he'd have questioned if she was in her right mind, but not now. He knew she was lucid, as was she. Giving one final lick, he moved his mouth away only to replace it with his fingers. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh! T-T-Takashi!" Her back and legs arched, her fingers disappearing beneath the sand. Panting, she opened her eyes to see him reaching up, his face drawing closer and closer to hers. "T-T-Takashi, I-I…I love you." Rei whispered before their lips met.

His fingers instinctively thrusted deeper into her pussy, causing her to throw her head back and howl. Takashi let the sound reverberate through the beach for a few seconds before seizing the back of her head with his left hand. He brought her into a kiss she seemed to be dying for. Near immediately, she began to bounce herself against his hand. It was a wet dream come true, and the dream couldn't hold a candle to real life. As he kissed her, he stepped up his fingering, feeling her vaginal walls tightening around his fingers. They stayed locked in that position for what seemed like hours. Upon separating they both inhaled wide gulps of air that filled their lungs. Looking into Rei's eyes, he could tell she wanted another kiss, Takashi gave it to her, but only for a little while. There was something both cute and heartbreaking about the way she pouted wen they separated. He smiled at her, quickly moving his head back down so he was eye-level with her pussy; he picked up where he'd left off, smashing her momentary discontent.

"Yyyyyyyesssss." Moaned the brunette. She found the strength to move her hands. After they were done, she'd probably be regretful that she got sand in Takashi's hair, but at the moment, he didn't seem to mind and she couldn't stop herself. His near glowing hair felt good to run her fingers through; the feeling apparently went both ways as he let out an audible moan of delight while sitting eating her out. "Whenever I would…touch myself…this is what I dreamed of." She explained in a breathless moan. "I dreamed of you." Rei's legs wrapped around his head. It wasn't like he needed to be held in place, but he certainly appreciated the feel of her beautiful slender legs around his head. "It was only ever you…I promise."

Oh, Rei. The former delinquent student pondered. As best he could, he removed his mouth from her pussy. It wasn't easy, not physically but mentally. He wanted nothing more than to keep on going until he made his reclaimed girlfriend cum. "I never thought about anyone else but you either." He whispered, unsure if she heard his voice or not. Takashi hoped she heard him because like a magnet, he was pulled back into her feminine snatch. Rei's continued confession was morphed into a prolonged series of moans and shouts that echoed in his ears.

"Ahhhh…aaaaaaahhhh….more….more, Takashi! More!" Strong legs put the squeeze on the former delinquent, yet he didn't seem to mind. He didn't let it stop him in servicing the woman he loved. Said woman was thrashing her head from side to side as the fire of pleasure burned brighter and hotter within her. "I-I can feel it…Takashi…Takashi…!" As her ability to resist collapsed, she found herself looking up at the flame-colored sky. How many times had she done so, before and after the end, wishing that her life were different, that she'd made different choices? Takashi had been at the heart of a few of them. Rei wished that she could take back the things she said to him, their entire break up. It'd been the greatest mistake of her life. As if yanked down by the growing tension, her head moved downward, her eyes falling on the shiny black spiky mass between her legs. She never imagined this would happen, that she would be so lucky…but fortune hadn't given up on her, Takashi hadn't completely given up on her "TAKASHI!"

As the group leader discovered, there was a radical difference between seeing a woman cum on a computer screen and having it actually happen. The latter was better by a hundred miles, and much messier. Takashi just barely kept his eyes open as Rei's love nectar was expunged from her front door; he felt incredibly proud in that he'd made her orgasm from both ends. This time though, he had a literal front row seat; it was absolutely awesome. He moaned in erotic delight and gratitude, even as he felt his head being squeezed to the point it might pop like a balloon. Mercifully, seconds later, Rei's legs began to loosen their grip on his head. As it did, he made sure to lap up the last residue of her orgasm.

Withdrawing her hands from his head, Rei laid them flat against her side. Her chest rose and fell in heavy pants as the feel of her second orgasm rocked her like a boat out at sea. The storm had picked up and shook the living hell out of her before depositing her into the water to lazily drift about. With what little energy she had, she managed to move her head.

Rei Miyamaoto was quietly stunned at the sight of her former boyfriend turned current lover's face soaked in creamy white. She'd done that t; him. Rei knew that the smell of cum was likely going to linger on him until he took a shower, it would be at its strongest on his face and his hand, both of which she'd soaked in her womanly juices. Watching him scoop and lick it off his face made her blush red.

"You taste…like…gingerbread." Immediately after speaking, Takashi wished he could take his words back. They sounded so damn ridiculous! He just gets cum-faced and that's the best thing he can say? Gingerbread! While his brain tried to formulate a new and better response, Rei broke out in laughter.

"G-G-Gingerbread, huh? That's not so bad." In spite of her legs feeling like jelly, she crawled toward him. Her nose tingled as she smelt her juices on his face, she then tasted them on his lips. His hands shot to her waist, holding her as she gently pushed him down onto his back. They held the kiss as long as they could, slowly but sensually grinding their bodies against one another. He was naked from the waist up and her from the waist down. Streams of cum poured down her leg as proof of his deeds. "Would you like to have a taste of that again, Takashi?" Cheeks cred as cherries, he nodded. "Ah, that's good, but first…I'm going to get a taste of you." Framing his face, she leaned in close enough that their lips were almost touching, but not quite. "You want that, don't you, Takashi? For me to suck your dick until you cum?"

In spite of the tightness in his throat, Takashi found himself able to answer. "Y-Yeah, I-I do." Her flame-like eyes seemingly gouged the rest of his thoughts out of his head. "I've dreamed about it for so long."

"I think we've both waited long enough." Rei declared, her hands sliding from his face down to his chest. She leaned forward, kissing him again, but only for a few seconds at best. It wasn't anywhere close to being long enough, but it would do. "Just sit back and let me give you what you've been wishing for." What she didn't say was that she'd bee wishing for it as well. Rei may have gotten on his case for the perverted situations he landed himself in, but Rei was still human too-namely, she was still a teenage girl. Dangerous situations seemed to get people's hormones going, and she was no exception, no matter how much she tried to deny it. Now, she felt like she didn't need to keep that denial up.

She discarded her bikini top giving him an eye-widening view of her breasts. Takashi's breath momentarily stopped clean as he laid eyes on the twin mounds that had captivated his attention for the last near three years of his life. Rei gently reached forward and took hold of his hands, bringing them up against her chest.

"It's okay, Takashi." Either she'd became a mind reader or he was that easy to read, scratch that, Takashi knew it was definitely the latter. "That's how I know you really care about me." Rei added. "Only you, Takashi. Only you."

Her words were the unknown push that he realized he needed. Inhaling, he began to massage her bare breasts causing her to moan. Takashi patiently waited until she regained some focus before kissing her. "Damn right, Rei." Their joint moans once again rose into the evening sky, going hand in hand with the gentle beating of the ocean waves. Still, they were alone, still they had this moment to themselves.

Lying back, Takashi watched as Rei seductively trailed kisses down his stomach until she'd reached his cock, standing at full attention for her.

"Um, this is…way different than in health class." She muttered.

"Y-Yeah, n-n-no shit." He responded. After a brief exchange, a look of determination colored her face as she seized his member. "Ooooooohhhh…R-R-Rei…" Oh yeah, having a real woman holding his cock was infinitely better than getting himself off. Hell, Takashi felt like he was going to cum right there from Rei's warm touch alone. "Y-Y-Your hands…t-t-they feel so warm." They really were, another romantic comparison crossed his mind-her hands ad the winds of spring. Those same winds had been blowing when the day he saw that zombie at the school gate and the whole world flipped upside down. Now, as those winds caressed his cock, Takashi could almost feel the world turning itself right side up. "T-That's it…aaaaaahhhh, baby…"

He sounded much more heartfelt and sincere than he did when they found him holding off three zombified girls. Giggling, she leaned forward and gently stroked his meaty length with her tongue. Takashi jumped, pure euphoria ripping through his body in that moment. Rei enjoyed seeing it, so much so that she licked his cock again and again until almost the entire front side of his seven-inch rod was covered in her saliva. It was a pleasant surprise to her to find that he was pretty well-endowed. That actually only made her all the more eager to reclaim him as hers before some one else, namely Saeko or some other girl they met, snatched him up.

Mine, he's mine, all mine! Was the sole thought I her head as she fervently licked his penis. Takashi gasped and groaned as she laid claim to his rod just as he'd done the same to her pussy and ass. Rei dragged her tongue up to his tip, flicking it off and causing him to arch his body upward, a lustful shout booming from his lips. It took potentially echoed across the beach, proof that the pleasure certainly wasn't one-sided. She patiently waited for Takashi to begin to slid back down, then she took the upper portion of his member into her mouth.

"Reeeeeeeeeiiiii!" Shouted the black-haired teenager, his brown eyes flying open as air flew from his lungs only to rush back in. "R-R-Rei…R-Rei…"

The look she gave him practically said, "Isn't this what you've always wanted?" She couldn't verbally say that thanks to having taken his cock into her mouth. The entire upper half had disappeared into her mouth, she was fast sucking it like a lollipop.

She was damn right that this was what he wanted. Takashi's arm reached out and grabbed a hold of her right hand. He pushed her down deeper onto his member, forcing her to take the entirety of it into her mouth. Rei's moans were clearly those of enjoyment. That was his cue as next, the black-haired survivor began to thrust his hips upward, driving his cock deeper and deeper into her mouth. Still, she moaned in absolutely bliss at having her mouth so roughly abused. Takashi felt secretly happy that she was apparently okay with him being a little rough, because that's what he was from then on. It felt like his hips had a mind of their own-continuously thrusting upward thus filling Rei's mouth to the brim. The best moments came when he could feel his tip brush up against the tip of her mouth.

"Mmmmmmmmhhhhhh!" She moaned, further fueling him. The more she moaned, the more invigorated he felt. Within seconds, the world had wedeled away to nothing but the two of them and the sunset. Yes, the sun, Takashi almost wondered if it was holding its inevitably setting just for them. Rei's already gorgeous brow hair glowed like golden fire in its fading glow; what made it even better was that that beautiful mane was between his legs. Takashi threw back his head and groaned, gripping the back of her head all the harder. "Taaaakkkashiiii!" She sounded through the obstruction that was his member. She was definitely still enjoying this, and Takashi was damn happy about that.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed when Rei tore her lips from Takashi's cock. He stared at her, red-faced and panting with curiosity, he knew she had something planed. His intuition was right as Rei seized both of her breasts pressed them against his cock. Takashi's eyes yet again flew open wide, a deep and sensual groan leaving his mouth.

"This is…fucking heaven." He said.

"And you have me to thank for it." Rei giggled, a rather proud look on her face.

"Yeah, I do." Takashi responded looking down at her. "Rei,"

"You've eared this, Takashi." As she spoke, she began to pump his penis using her mounds. She knew they weren't the largest, they certainly weren't on par with Ms. Shizuka's (really, whose was?), but Rei was quite proud of her bust. Takashi's groans and shouts of pleasure were proof that her boobs were attractive; she only ever wanted to look attractive to him. Evidently, she did, Rei wanted to be the only woman in the world whom he looked to with nothing short of amorous affection. Leaning in, she affectionately licked the protruding tip of Takashi's cock. He again shouted as the short flicker hit him like a bolt of lightning. More bolts followed as she continued to lick his tip. Rei couldn't take it into her mouth again, but smothering his cock with her pillowy breasts, she was sure that he was enjoying himself.

"RRRREEEEEIII!"

Oh yeah, he was definitely enjoying this.

"That's it, Takashi! Just let it go, cum! Cum all over me! Let me taste your man juice!" The brunette howled.

"I'm about to!" Takashi shouted back, now it was his hands digging deep into the sand beneath him. He knew he wasn't going to be able to hold himself much longer, not that he wanted to. The orgasm that ripped through him came barreling through the final walls of restraint with all the force of an avalanche. "REI!" He shouted, throwing his head back and instinctively thrusting his hips skyward.

The sky is where his cum was blasted, achieving what almost looked like a solid foot of airtime before gravity forced it to descend. It fell right atop of Rei and her bouncing breasts. It was the purest, most blessed rain that she'd ever felt.

Takashi's back hit the sand with a light thud, his chest heaving as he came down from the orgasm. As he did, he looked down and saw Rei, covered from head to chest in his cum. His member twitched, almost as if his pride had moved it for him. It kept on twitching as he watched Rei lick up the cum that had fallen on her. His heart sung in joy as the sight was one he quietly yet fervently dreamed of. He'd marked her in a way, a way that made the primal part of him growl in approval, and for more. Takashi suddenly found himself able to sit upright, his brown eyes intensely watching Rei as she cleaned herself off.

He was patient, waiting until her face and at least half of her breasts were clean. His heart had thundered in his chest that whole time. "So…how do I taste?"

Her eyes flickered to him, sweat and cum coating her face; she looked absolutely beautiful. "You taste like…" Panting, she reached down and scooped a wad of cum off her breast and brought it to her lip. She was fully aware of Takashi watching her, his penis twitched again as she sensually sucked the masculine juice off of her finger, ending with a pop. "Cinnamon."

"…Cinnamon, huh? Well, I guess that's not so bad." The spiky-haired teenager laughter. Rei giggled and crawled into his arms. "Was it good enough that you'll come around for seconds?"

"Oh, definitely. Seconds…thirds…fourths…as many servings as I can have." In another time or place, that statement would have meant something different. It no doubt would have been more light-hearted, but in this new bloody world that they lived in, it was different. They had to make every intimate moment they had count. "For now though," her hand went up to his chest, her fingers gently curling against his chest. "I…I want you to do what we should have done at the Takagi Mansion."

It only took him a second to realize what she was getting at, what she wanted. "So…you admit that you wanted to do it with me there."

Her right hand snaked around his back bringing him into a hug. "I've wanted you to take me since you came back. God, I…I…anywhere is fine. I mean, it's not like we can afford to be picky."

She had a point there. "Then in that case, we're lucky that this is going to be the place." Turning to his left, he looked out toward he still setting sun. He supposed he owed it, or maybe even her, a big thank you. It provided enough light for them that they could confess to each other and commitment to each other. Who'd have thought that on this sunlit beach would be where they makeup and get back together? "Rei,"

Kissing her shoulder, she whispered, "I'm ready. All that comes in the future…I'll face it if you're there with me."

"I will be." The group leader declared. He gently pushed her onto her back, Rei spread her legs out in preparation for what she knew was coming. Takashi's cock was no longer twitching, it was hard and ready for usage. Gripping it with his left hand, he put it at the entrance to Rei's pussy. "And I'll face whatever the future holds with you at my side, Rei."

"Together," she affirmed to which he nodded. Rei sucked in a breath before giving him a nod.

And then, they cemented their reforged bond in the most intimate way possible. There was pain, of course. Takashi silently kicked himself for causing her agony, even if it was only for a few seconds at best.

"It's okay, Takashi." Rei whispered, both her hands on his back. "T-The pain…it's already fading away."

"But this feeling never well." Growled the former high school delinquent. His hips rocked forward, his member pushing its way into the brunette's vagina. Rei howled, the fullness of his cock unlike anything she'd ever felt before; Takashi was right, the feeling would never fade from her mind, possibly because from this moment onward, she would constantly seek it out. It utterly consumed her as Takashi rocked his hips forward and back, each forward motion driving his cock deeper and deeper into Rei's pussy. Her vaginal walls squeezed down on his member, delighted to it have. "Rei, you're…"

"Yours." She finished for him, leaning up and kissing him. Not content to let him do all the work, she rocked her hips against his, the resulting feeling leaving them both moaning into each other's mouths.

The pair's bodies did all the talking from that point onward, the former delinquent intensely thrusting into the sōjutsu club member. Rei could faintly recall some of her clubmates speaking of their sex lives and using their spears as an analogy; she'd always stayed out of it, partially because she didn't have a sex life to speak of. Now she did, and it was going to be with this at times dense but brave and reliable man atop of her. He was the best thing in the world to her. She held onto him as such, crying out as his member repeatedly penetrated her. Rei's pussy clapped down hard on his cock, yet it wasn't enough to stop it from moving in and out of her snatch.

With every second, Takashi felt his heart beating faster and faster, it helped pump blood through him, and he used that acceleration to fuck his girlfriend. Her voice had degenerated into little more than lust-fueled screams; they were actually pretty nice to hear. I the chaos of them, Takashi felt himself listening to symphony. Listen to me! Has the end of the world and making up with my ex made me this much of a sap? It was a question whose answer he would have bee curious about, but he pushed it to the side. It didn't matter, the hellish world outside of their sensual bubble didn't matter, all that mattered to Takashi was the gorgeous girl beneath him. He laid claim to her ever second, squeezing his cock deeper into her folds until hitting her core.

"AAAAAAHHH! RIGHT THERE, TAKASHIIII!" Rei shouted with tears gathering in her eyes. "MMMMOOOORRRRE!"

Sometimes, Takashi felt he'd gotten physically stronger since the apocalypse. If he had, ever ounce of that strength was channeled into his hips, working like a pair of pistons that drove the erotic machine that he and Rei had created. Her nails dug deeper into his back, but the pain was nonexistent to him, the rush from the passionate fucking was enough that Takashi felt like he could have powered through having a hole blown in him. Rei near looked the same, her face sweat and red, her mouth open and her flame-colored eyes staring straight at him. The more he looked into those eyes, the more strength Takashi felt he had.

"TAKASSSSSSHIII! MOOOOOORRREEE!"

"YOU WANT IT, REI? TAKE IT, TAKE ALL OF IT!"

It was a mating, a near primal mating. One might have assumed that the couple was simply fueled by the pressure of their situation, but the truth was this had bee building up for what had almost been a year. No doubt, it would have been safer if they had, but it was better late than never.

Both teenagers felt familiar tugs in their guts. Their bodies were tensing up like a set of springs whose burst was imminent. They could feel it, yet the couple held it back for as long as they could. Arms and legs tightly wrapped around each other, they cried out in euphoric bliss. As that cry ended, they met one another's eyes-hazel brow and orange-brown. Tears escaped from the latter as vaginal walls tensed up, ready to crush the rushing cock filling it up.

"I love you, Rei." It was the sole statement he managed to say as he pulled back, feeling a cool breeze tickle his balls.

The spearwoman's eyes widened at the heartfelt declaration that came in the midst of their lovemaking. It repeated itself in her head like an echoing bell. Rei's heart hummed in tender approval as the tears that fell from her eyes became infused with joy and relief.

"Oh, Takashi."

He smiled at her, then thrusted his hips forward.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Cried the couple, their climax happening near simultaneously. Takashi's cock shot out thick ropes of cum right into Rei's womb, and her walls screamed as they saturated his member with her love nectar from all sides. The two essences mixed together, dripping out of the high school girl's snatch as it was filled to the brim. They both felt their bodies go limp, or almost all of their body parts-the pair's hips gave a few final involuntary thrusts that had them moaning into the air.

Beyond the sea, the sun seemingly finally set, yet its afterglow remained, providing one last array of light before darkness took hold. Even when it did, the stars and moon would come out to light the way. Takashi and Rei could make love under them.

Seeing the still orange glow of the horizon, Rei felt the flames of desire burn another within her. "Again, Takashi. Let's go again." Before she could even register his response, she'd turned over and sat on the sand with her hands and knees. She faced the horizon while her leaking ass was directed at him. "Please, Takashi, just…one more time."

Like a man possessed, he shuffled over and locked both hands on her hips. "There'll be another after this, and another, and another, and another. I don't know if there's a corner of the world untouched by this insanity…but if there is, we'll find it. We'll go there and we'll live together, Rei."

She looked back at him with glittering eyes. Her heart fluttered as her amorous mind could only come up with one comparison to what he just said. There was only one response to it she could give, "Yes."

Returning her smile, he thrusted his hips forward, entering the brunette's pussy for the second time. Doing it once had felt magical, and felt like a near miracle, but this, it almost felt like it was on a whole other level. Within a second of entering Rei, Takashi's hips got to work, thrusting into her from behind. Her beautiful brown mane lay before him like a beautiful chocolate carpet. Looking at it spurned his thrusts.

"Rei….Rei…you're mine now." He grunted, his hips smacking against her buttocks. With each smack, Takashi could feel the fire within him growing brighter. Even a small spark was enough to energize it.

The sand offered her no traction, but that didn't stop her from digging into and trying. Rei bucked her hips against his, feeling his cock filling her up for the second time. Even the short break they'd taken felt like it'd been too long. "You're damn right I am!" As best she could, she tried to tighten her walls around his member. It didn't stop him from hitting her core. "OOOOHHH! THAT'S IT, HIT MY WOMB, TAKASHI! FILL ME UP AGAIN!"

Growling like a beast in heat (which he arguably was), somehow picked up his thrusting. "YOUR HOT PUSSY IS THE ONLY ONE I'LL EVER NEED, REI! I PROMISE!" He could feel his tip hitting her core. Each point of contact supercharged them like a pair of batteries. Of course, that energy was used to keep the sex going as long as they could. They didn't give a damn if they were loud enough for the whole island and everything and everyone on it to hear them. Let them. Takashi didn't have a problem with letting the others know he'd chosen Rei. Likewise, she wanted to let them know that their leader was officially taken.

"AAAAAAHHHH! TAKASHI, TAKASHI, I'M…I'M GOING TO CUM AGAIN!" Shouted the sexy brunette.

"ME TOO, REI! I'M GOING TO SHOOT IT ALL INTO YOU!"

"DO IT!" With what strength she was able to gather, she pushed herself up so her back slammed against his chest. Takashi read her actions in an instant, his hands went to her bouncing breasts. Rei wrapped her arms around his neck, angling his head enough so they could kiss. "You're…you're my…my…one and only. I swear to you…"

"I'll never leave your side again, Rei." He replied, his cock driving its way to her core again as the tension within him built up to critical proportions. His lover's walls constricted around his member again, he knew it signaled her second orgasm. Takashi knew his own was coming along and seized Rei's lips in a fervent kiss.

"TAKASHI!"

"REI!"

With only a little portion of light left, the couple came for the second time. Takashi's cock rammed its way upward into Rei's core, blasting another load of love nectar into it. Just a few seconds later, Rei's walls gave out, torrents of creamy white battering it from all sides. Streams of the joint orgasmic burst leaked down, spilling onto the sandy shore. The interjoined pair breathed in and out while facing toward the horizon. As their orgasm winded down, they stared at the horizon, watching the last vestiges of the sun finally disappear from the sky. Streaks of orange still lingered, but in time the darkness of the night would over take them. When it did, the stars and moon would come out.

Personally, Rei wouldn't have minded watching that. She wouldn't have minded spending the entire night on this side of the island with Takashi at her side. That's what she would have liked to do, but it was too dangerous. Besides, Takashi himself had laid down the rule for everyone to be back at the campsite after a certain time, it'd be hypocritical for him to not follow the mandate he'd helped set down.

When they showed up though, they'd have to be fully clothed. Granted, given how long they'd been away and how loud they'd been, the rest of their team would have little trouble deducing what had happened save for Alice.

Eve those soon-to-be future thoughts were seemingly pushed aside. All the couple did was focus on the present, ticking by second by second.

Takashi removed his cock from his lover's pussy and moved her to sit beside him. They were both panting, sweat pouring down their faces, exhaustion had taken a firm hold of them. So too had the fires of love, and this time, they wouldn't be doused.

"Hey, Takashi? Thanks for taking me back." Spoke the spear-using brunette once she'd recovered.

"I feel like I should be saying that too. Guess we both made some mistakes along the way." He responded.

"Yeah, and it took the apocalypse for us to try to fix them." Rei laughed. "The things that can bring people together, huh?"

"Better they come together than remain apart."

"Such wise words from a guy who used to regularly skip class." She giggled.

"Hey, you don't learn everything you need to know about life sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher. Some of the best lessons…well, I think they can only come from living life. Through mistakes, surprises and…everything else that comes with being alive." He paused noting the all too pleased expression on his girlfriend's face. "Okay, I'm never being philosophical again."

"Oh, don't be so negative. You're actually pretty good at it." Lean in, she kissed him on the lips, something that he felt was going to become more common from now on. "Alive…let's stay that way as long as we can, staying alive and staying together."

Sitting up, he wrapped his arm around her and brought her naked body close to him. "Sounds like an awesome plan, Rei."

When they returned back to camp, nobody seemed surprised that they were holding hands, not even Alice. Once they said they were going for a walk around the island, odds were everyone knew what was going to happen. Zero barked in approval as he trotted up to them as if he too were giving them a mark of approval.

The moon and stars shined in place of the sun. Luckily, the island had an abundant amount of torches and candles to provide light for the group indoors. It was undeniable that the candles provided a certain feel to their stay on the island; they'd definitely remember it. Takashi and Rei would definitely remember going to sleep that night.

Clothes on, the brunette snuggled up to her boyfriend whose arm lay wrapped around her.

"So…I…guess we'll have a lot to tell your folks once we see them, huh?" He mused.

"Scared?" She jokingly jabbed.

"Yeah…but I don't plan on running away." He stated. His words earned him a peck on the cheek.

"Good, because I'd hate to have to hunt you down and spear you, Takashi."

"Unless I become one of the walking dead, you won't ever have to do that." He stated.

"Lucky for you, I don't ever plan on letting that happen." Rei giggled before shutting her eyes, likely for the rest of the night.

Chuckling, the black-haired teen kissed her atop the head. "Yeah…I don't plan on letting the same happen to you either."

Fin

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There you have it, folks. My first HoTD lemon and really story. Like I said, a story cast into an old series that'll sadly never be completed. Still, I like to think that there's some potential there so maybe I'll return to the series again. For now though, it was nice being able to write Takashi and Rei getting together since I was rooting for them way back when HoTD first came out. Until next time, stay safe and healthy, everyone!