Hello people, and welcome back to Highschool of the Dead: Resurrection. Now for that damn power plant...and the people who live there.
In the morning, Masato woke up before Shizuka, and looked down at her peacefully sleeping visage. As he promised, he slept next to her last night, and they went straight to sleep in each other's embrace. Now...each one was an bare-skinned as they were last night, and Masato was staring at the angelic woman who was hungry for his attention even while dreaming.
"Shizuka...? Shizuka...?" Masato whispered, and Shizuka stirred and groaned as she heard the man who slept next to her.
"Yes...?" Shizuka asked.
"Good morning darling." Masato said softly, and Shizuka's face split with a smile.
"Why good morning darling." She breathed out, and when she got the sleep out of her eyes, and stretched herself out...with Masato looking over her irresistibly fleshy body. The next thing she knew, Masato's brawny arms were around her, and Shizuka returned the gesture with a dreamy sigh. Neither of them moved a single muscle the entire time, and focused on nothing except each other's breathing and heartbeat as the peace they were engulfed in bloomed. Eventually Masato pulled away, and ran a hand over Shizuka's still-smiling face, and through her golden, silky hair.
"You are so beautiful..." He whispered.
"Thank you so much." Shizuka said softly, before kissing Masato, without an ounce of force on either of their parts. Masato's arms then tightened around Shizuka's slender frame moments later, and he continued holding her as close as he could as Shizuka moaned into their kiss. Amazingly, Masato's hands never left Shizuka's back; despite how enticing her legs and buttocks were, his hands were going nowhere. Even as her breasts, her body's pride and joy, were pressing into his iron chest, Masato's manhood never swelled for a moment. This was a time of innocent affection instead of a craving for each other's flesh.
When their kiss finally broken, Masato returned Shizuka's smile.
"Didn't I promise I would sleep next to you?" Masato asked.
"Yes...you did, thank you so much." Shizuka said.
"Thank you for not giving up on me." Masato said.
"Why would I give up on you?" Shizuka asked.
"Doesn't it bother you that I lost my temper after we spent an entire morning making love?" Masato asked, and Shizuka put a finger on her chin while thinking.
"Not really..." She trailed off, and Masato smiled again.
"You are really something else..." He said before kissing her again, and Shizuka was initially surprised, but returned the gesture...even when Masato started lashing tongues with her.
"Masato..." Shizuka breathed out, and Masato got on top of her before getting her legs wrapped around him one by one...but Masato stopped her.
"Stop..." He said.
"What's wrong darling?" Shizuka asked.
"I don't want to have sex now." Masato said before sitting up.
"Why not?" Shizuka asked.
"It's not necessary; even if we had any birth control pills, or condoms for that matter...the moment we had is perfect the way it is." Masato said.
"O.k..." Shizuka trailed off.
"Besides...the pill you're on already, I doubt it would last much longer." Masato said.
"I...think I have some time left..." Shizuka said.
"Regardless, I don't want to have sex." Masato said seriously, and Shizuka held up her breasts.
"You don't even want me to use my boobs?" She asked before moving the twin masses of plump flesh on her chest around enough to make them jiggle almost hypnotically.
"Shizuka..." Masato said, and Shizuka deflated.
"Alright..." She said.
"Although to be fair...that is as tempting as ever; the next time we have a moment together, you can use your boobs however you want, for as long as you want." Masato said.
"Promise?" Shizuka asked.
"Promise." Masato said, and Shizuka giggled as Masato stood up to put on his underwear...then she deflated again.
"Masato...?" She asked.
"What is it?" Masato asked as he put his pants on.
"Well...me and the others were talking about PTSD yesterday..." Shizuka trailed off, and Masato sighed.
"Where are you going with this..." He asked.
"May I ask what you have to say?" Shizuka asked, and Masato thought back to not just the rampage he went on when he was with Takashi and Kohta, but the ones between then and his first mission with Saeko.
"Like I said countless times, the zombies need to be wiped out...and there's no escaping the fact that I made it a personal mission to do just that." Masato said seriously.
"O.k...but what does that have to do with-" Masato cuts Shizuka off.
"Everything." He said.
"But...how?" Shizuka asked.
"Shizuka...you know how people encounter terrible things and lose their sanity? I do terrible things to prevent my sanity from being lost in the first place. Every time I think back to why I fight the undead...that becomes all I can think about, and it's a miracle I can keep myself under control when I lose my temper. At this point I'm little more than a human weapon. But you...? I didn't think for a moment someone else would be able to cool my fury with love, especially given my...infamous luck with women." Masato said seriously, before walking over to Shizuka, and embracing her.
"Masato...?" She breathed out.
"Thank you..." Masato whispered.
"For what?" Shizuka asked.
"Everything..." Masato said, and Shizuka returned the embrace, and shifted against him before burying her face in his neck.
"I know you said you don't want to touch my boobs-" Masato cuts her off.
"I never said that." He said.
"Well...would you mind touching them?" She asked, and Masato smiled.
"Not at all..." He breathed out, and Shizuka smiled as Masato clutched, and fondled the breasts that Shizuka was so proud of, and even made Shizuka let off a heart-melting giggle as he gently twisted her nipples.
When the group finally joined Saeko and Itachi in their apartment, Saya was looking over the map.
"O.k...we've been killing zombies like crazy, demolished the Ghost's headquarters, and basically turned ourselves into a small army of supermen with all the training we've been doing. I say it's time to go see what that damn power plant is all about." Itachi said seriously.
"You're right." Takashi said.
"Why the hell not-?! Wait, what...?" Itachi asked.
"Me and Takashi were talking about that earlier; we've been busting our asses getting ready for the trip to the power plant, it's time we actually go there...like you said." Rei said.
"And the first thing we'll do...or should I say, I'll do, is scout the place myself, come back, and let the rest of you know what's up." Takashi said.
"Why should you go? I'm the best scout here." Itachi said.
"First off, I'm using the motorcycle to get from here to there...and back, and it's my motorcycle by the way..." Takashi trailed off.
"And let me guess: while you're taking a road trip, we're going to be here getting our shit together for the trip?" Itachi said.
"Yep." Takashi said.
"And...do we know what's between here and there?" Itachi asked.
"Again, the Ghosts are done, so are a fuck ton of zombies. I'm covered." Takashi said,
"That's still pretty fucking ballsy." Itachi said.
"You got a better idea?" Takashi asked.
"Can't say I do, no..." Itachi said.
"Alright then." Takashi said.
"What do we know about this power plant thus far?" Saeko asked.
"Including or excluding the fact that it clearly has people working there, and enabled us to clean ourselves like civilized people?" Saya asked, and everyone stared at her.
"Excluding..." Saeko deadpanned.
"Well, not much..." Saya said.
"Wait...what kind of power plant is it?" Itachi asked.
"How should I know? There's multiple kinds of power plants: there's-" Itachi cuts Saya off.
"Nuclear fusion, nuclear fission, hydroelectric, biofuel, solar, wind, and even geothermal. Next?" He asked, and everyone stared at him with wide eyes and open mouths.
"How do you even...?" Kohta trailed off.
"You can count the number of topics I suck at with the fingers on one hand, if even." Itachi said simply.
"And counting the number of power plant types is clearly not one of them..." Saya deadpanned.
"Clearly, but on a more important note, any guess on what kind of power plant this one could be?" Itachi asked.
"I'm guessing hydroelectric, given how much water is near it." Kohta said.
"That would make sense..." Rei said.
"But naturally, there's only one way to find out." Takashi said.
"Good luck then." Itachi said.
"I'm not leaving now." Takashi said.
"Still." Itachi said before Kohta looked outside.
"It looks like it wants to rain again." He said.
"No, those clouds aren't thick enough." Saya said.
"For how much longer?" Kohta asked.
"How should I know?" Saya asked.
"It was rhetorical for one thing, also...I thought you knew everything?" Itachi asked.
"Says the guy who just named every type of power plant on the list." Saya said sharply.
"The difference is I don't flaunt my knowledge like they're the feathers on a peacock's tail." Itachi said.
"Hey! I don't do that...well, not anymore..." Saya trailed off, and Itachi took a moment to think.
"Alright fair enough." He said.
"Wow...there's been growth out the ass over the course of this story hasn't there...?" Rei asked.
"Apparently so." Kohta said.
"Speaking of growth..." Saeko trailed off.
"What?" Takashi asked, then Saeko glanced at Itachi, who sighed.
"Remember when you asked me if I was o.k. yesterday at the temple?" He asked.
"Yeah? Are you?" Takashi asked.
"No, I wasn't, not by a long shot." Itachi said.
"Why not?" Rei asked.
"I...I was haunted by the time I was tortured, and a bunch of other things too." Itachi said.
"Not you too!" Saya exclaimed.
"What?" Itachi asked.
"Sorry to yell at you, but we were talking about how Corporal Toriyama has PTSD, now this?" Saya said seriously...and Itachi's eyes widened.
"Wait...that actually makes sense." He said.
"What do you mean actually?" Saya asked, and Itachi sighed.
"I mean that explains alot. Flashbacks? Check. Anxiety...? Check..." Itachi said.
"Wait, what?" Kohta asked.
"You heard right; I was...extremely nervous yesterday." Itachi said.
"I knew something was going on..." Takashi said.
"You still did pretty well despite that. It's quite impressive actually..." Saeko said.
"I'll say. Not just anyone can be beside themselves and still be able to show what they're made of." Rei said.
"Are you alright now?" Kohta asked, and Itachi started thinking.
"I think so...here's hoping I don't have a worse spell down the line." Itachi said.
"Itachi...we talked about this." Saeko said softly.
"I know...each time something happened to me was during a time I was alone, and the Ghosts were involved." Itachi said.
"Well I can tell you now, it's not happening again." Rei said seriously.
"Fuck right; capturing you was the last stunt they're ever going to pull after getting a boot this big shoved up their asses." Takashi said, and Itachi smirked.
"Right...and you know the saying, when the genie is out of the bottle, you can't put it back? Well, this case is the total opposite." He said.
"O...k..." Takashi said, before Shizuka and Masato walked in with Alice.
"Hi everyone...what did we miss?" Shizuka asked, and Saya facepalmed.
After breakfast, the group got themselves ready for the trip to the power plant as Saeko and Itachi went to the temple with Alice one last time. Itachi had his compound bow, and Saeko had her gunto, not only for the demonstration, but for the zombies that got in their way. As always, Itachi put his hand on Saeko's butt and gave it a brief but thorough squeeze, which earned him a teasing smirk from her in the process. Alice in the meantime rushed up the stairs until she got to the halfway point to catch her breath, then she looked out at the city below, and admired the view as Saeko and Itachi caught up with her, and watched her enjoy the view, until she had enough and they walked up the stairs together.
Saeko then gave Alice pointers on her footwork, how to grip her bokken, and how not to grip her bokken, especially with gripping the handle too hard or too soft. The difference between vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strikes was also brought up, as was the idea of using as much power as possible all at once, in a straight line. Granted using all of these skills was easier said than done, especially since Alice had limited experience, but there was no reason she couldn't improve; if Itachi could do this, so could Alice, age and physical strength aside.
When Saeko was done giving Alice a refresher course, Itachi stepped in and they repeated their duel in the street the previous day. Itachi stood there and kept Alice from striking him...but this time was much more intense. Not only was Alice more versed in how to use her bokken, and how not to, but Itachi was less mentally restrained and by extension, more focused on what was happening. Alice and Itachi went at it until Alice became too exhausted to continue, but then she got her second wind, and asked for a rematch...with ended with her finally landing a hit: a thrust to the side of Itachi's thigh.
Saeko then had an actual duel with Itachi...and neither of them were pulling punches. They both clashed and circled each other in a space that encompassed several square meters, and neither landed a hit the entire time in spite of the flurry of motion, and varied strikes. The pair eventually stood there eyeballing each other, but even when Saeko smirked at Itachi, his resolve didn't waver for a moment. Deep down, Saeko was relieved to see that; their previous night of pleasure worked more wonders for his mind than she thought.
Alice meanwhile was on the edge of her sit as she watched the two clash repeatedly, and ferociously for minutes on end. Neither of them landed a hit the entire time either; even when Saeko went for Itachi's legs, he just flipped over her, and she just leaned back when Itachi tried to put his hand on her to either grapple her, push her, or strike her; she didn't know which. Even though Alice was well out of the way of the clash she was witnessing, her heart and lungs raced from the excitement.
Eventually, Itachi put the tip of his bokken at Saeko's throat just as she was about to dodge a move that turned out to be false. Itachi swung at Saeko vertically, and she moved to the side, only for Itachi to change his move at the last moment by pulling back, then thrusting forward. He then held his bokken to the side and bowed to Saeko, as she smiled and returned the gesture.
Itachi then put his archery talent to use for real in the range; one arrow after another hit the bullseyes, with the hand holding his bow, also holding arrows so he could shoot faster...just like he used to. Alice's eyes practically popped out of their sockets as she watched Itachi show what a master of a bow was capable of. Unsurprisingly, Saeko was more interested in how rapid, and fluid Itachi's movements are; with his past terror being no where in sight, his natural prowess could rear it's head without conservation.
Their training session was wrapped up with Saeko and Itachi taking turns slicing through bamboo with her gunto. From seeing how rapidly a single piece could be sliced into as many pieces as possible, to slicing through multiple stalks with one swing, to throwing a piece into the air, and bisecting it on the way down. Unsurprisingly, Alice just stood back and watched as Saeko and Itachi both had their minor competition, which Itachi won by a slim margin.
Itachi then walked Alice back down the stairs...and Saeko looked back at the bamboo they cut up, and took some with her for future uses.
"Welcome back." Rei said as the trio approached the group's block.
"What did we miss?" Itachi asked.
"Well, we got most of our stuff on the bus, now we were just waiting on you to get back and get your things together." Rei said.
"Alright." Itachi said.
"So Alice, how did it go?" Rei asked.
"It was great!" Alice exclaimed, then Zeke barked and rushed out to see Alice.
"Really? What did you do?" Rei asked.
"I got to fight Itachi again, then I saw him and Saeko fight, then they chopped up some bamboo." Alice said.
"Yeah, that's pretty much our training session in a nutshell...although that description does not do it justice." Itachi said.
"I'll bet. Where's Saeko anyway?" Rei asked.
"She was following us before; I was so caught up in watching Alice here go apeshit over what she witnessed I lost track of everything else..." Itachi said and Saeko approached from behind and crossed her arms.
"You also probably trusted me to follow you." She said.
"That too." Itachi said.
"In case you really didn't see, I grabbed the bamboo we cut up so we can reuse it." Saeko said, and Itachi took a moment to think.
"Why haven't we done that before?" Itachi asked.
"We didn't have to, and it's a good thing we didn't; there's plenty more back there I haven't collected from past sessions." Saeko said.
"Can we go back and get it?" Alice asked.
"Maybe, but a good number of the stalks are so badly damaged from use they can be used anymore. I grabbed most of the good ones anyway." Saeko said.
"Then forget the rest." Rei said.
"Alright then." Saeko said.
"I'll let the others know we're back." Itachi said.
"And I'll go with you." Alice said.
"Me too." Rei said.
"And I will get our things ready for the trip." Saeko said, and as she went to her and Itachi's apartment, Rei lead Itachi and Alice into Masato and Shizuka's place, to join the others for lunch.
"...and then Itachi and Saeko sliced apart some bamboo, even when it came down!" Alice exclaimed.
"Well, that's what happens when you put two masters against a plant." Takashi said casually, and everyone snickered, or in Kohta's case, burst out laughing.
"Good one Takashi!" Kohta exclaimed before getting back to his laughter, and then falling down to the floor.
"Come on, it wasn't that funny." Saya groaned.
"Alright alright..." Kohta breathed out before getting up and sitting back down.
"Anyway...I'm not a master, at least not yet." Itachi said.
"You've still progressed more in a week than most do in a year." Saeko said.
"Well that's what happens when you watch someone for a month beforehand." Itachi said.
"He's got a point there." Kohta said.
"Lunch is ready!" Shizuka exclaimed before everyone grabbed their fair share, sat down and ate. Each of them focused on their meals, and their seconds for that matter, but the idea of another big change loomed in the atmosphere, and not just because of the clouds outside. The group has been through a bounty of changes in the distance and not-so-distant past, and each one took it's toll in some form or another. Now, another one was just around the corner, and there was no telling what would happen...but the group was more connected and more versed then before, so everything was balanced out well enough.
After lunch, Takashi went to the garage to prepare his motorcycle, but Rei followed him, with her Springfield on her shoulder...and something else.
"Takashi?" Rei asked softly.
"What's wrong babe?" Takashi asked...before spotting the leather jacket she was carrying.
"Here." Rei said as she handed it over.
"Where did you get that?" Takashi asked.
"I found it when me, Saeko and Takagi went to get new clothes, and it was hot as fuck outside, but since it's starting to cool off...well, here you go." Rei said.
"Alright, let's try it out." Takashi said before taking the jacket, putting it on, and flexing himself in various ways as Rei looked him over...and sucking in a breath.
"Wow..." She whispered.
"How does it look?" Takashi asked, and Rei smiled.
"Fits you like a glove." She said softly.
"Really?" Takashi asked.
"Yes...it does." Rei said before putting her hands on his chest and sharing a kiss with him.
"This won't take too long." Takashi said.
"I'll wait for you." Rei said before Takashi kissed her again, then he took Rei's Springfield from her, revved the engine of his motorcycle, and drove down the road.
In Saeko and Itachi's place, the latter was going over the weapons they got from the temple, from the longbow, to the nodachi, to Saeko's wakizashi, to Itachi's katana, and thought back to the times they spent training there. Once Itachi looked at the mempo Saeko gave him, he remembered how it was supposed to instill fear in one's foes...which was ironic considering how he was gripped by fear himself. Regardless, Saeko and Rei both credited him for being able to fight on despite his crippling terror, and that was no defeat.
He then heard footsteps behind him, and saw Saeko...wearing an indigo kimono.
"Saeko...?" Itachi asked.
"Would you come with me?" Saeko asked, and Itachi stared at her before following her to the other side of their apartment, where a wardrobe was.
"What's this all about?" Itachi asked.
"You'll see..." Saeko trailed off, before she opened the wardrobe to reveal the hakama she found at the temple...and Itachi couldn't stop staring at it.
"What the...? Where did you get that?" Itachi asked.
"Remember when I left a few days ago without saying anything?" Saeko asked.
"Barely." Itachi said.
"Well, I went to the temple to get this...for you. I also found this kimino, which heavily resembles one I've worn before on the way back." Saeko said.
"But...why?" Itachi asked.
"Why else?" Saeko asked, and the two stared at each other until Saeko slowly walked up to Itachi, then reached the hem on his shirt, and pulled it up towards his shoulders. Itachi reached up to enable Saeko to remove it for him, and then went over to the hakama and put the top on for him as he moved his arms into position. Saeko then removed his pants with his aid, and then put the pants on for him before she wrapped the belt for him. For once, Saeko wasn't even pretending to be interested; she was on a mission, and wasn't going to be stopped for anything, not even a pleasant view.
Itachi by contrast, was focused on nothing except her; Saeko has always been a blend between grace and vulgarity, but in this case...the former was the only part of her that had a chance of coming out of her. The way Saeko looked was one thing, but the gentile, fluidity, and sheer consideration she had for how her movements felt on Itachi's skin were practically hypnotic. It was almost impossible to believe this was the exact same woman Itachi saw massacre zombies by the dozen with the most enthusiastic look on her face he had ever seen on another person...and the fact he had the same enthusiasm when he was consumed by his own darkness was bone-chilling and relieving at the same time.
Before he knew it, Saeko was done dressing him, then she sighed deeply before looking Itachi over. Itachi then looked at himself in the mirror...and barely recognized himself. The hakama, his ponytail and bangs, and the fact they had weapons used by samurai centuries ago made him feel like he transformed into another person entirely. Was this what Saeko had in mind, or was this how she saw him all along?
Next thing he knew, Saeko almost reflexively leaned her head on his back and wrapped her arms around his belly without an ounce of force in her movements, and Itachi then returned the favor by putting his hand on her own.
"How many samurai went through this very thing...?" Itachi asked.
"Who knows? But...I'm sure their wives felt the same way I do now." Saeko said.
"Saeko...?" Itachi asked.
"No...I'm not proposing to you. I do want to be in your life, but it's too soon for that." Saeko said.
"Right, besides...I should be the one proposing to you, not the other way around. Although to be fair...if this were a proposal, it would probably be the most soft-handed one in recent memory." Itachi said.
"Well...I'm sure you can come up with something that will compare to this when you do propose to me." Saeko said, then Itachi turned to her, and once they locked eyes, a shallow, but gentle kiss followed.
The next thing they knew, they were outside, sitting together on their knees, and Saeko took out the flute and played a tune. When one phase was over, she handed it to Itachi who played his own phase, then handed it back. The process repeated for an unknown period of time, and just like the other times this happened...the clouds began to break apart.
Takashi meanwhile was riding down the street, past all of the zombies they slaughtered over the last few weeks, and the occasional straggler. When he finally reached the power plant, he looked over the twin smoke stacks, and sucked in a breath. Once he calmed himself, he parked the motorcycle in an alleyway, then went up one of the buildings to use the scope on Rei's Springfield to investigate the power plant.
"You're got to be shitting me..." Takashi whispered as he looked down the scope. The power plant had Japanese Self-Defense Force troops, and even well-armed police officers crawling all over it, with helicopters, humvess, and APCs aplenty. The power plant itself had military-grade tents, floodlights, and even gun emplacements on the walls.
Now the question was if they were friendly...
Didn't see that coming did you? Now this arc is coming to a close, and a new arc is on it's way, one that I hope to make the most explosive yet...and wish me luck with that. While I think it over, please continue to Rate, Review, and Share...and stay tuned of course.
P.S. the scene where Saeko gives Itachi a hakama was inspired by The Last Samurai. I won't give any major details, but there's alot, and I mean ALOT of differences between that scene, and the inspiration.