Author Note: I wanted to make it official. One of the things that prompted me to make my return, such as it is, back to Fanfiction was my desire to continue this story. Its rough and its ugly but I had a lot of fun writing it. Maybe too much fun. Rereading some of it I can't help but grimace at how badly I lost the plot and meandered. How my exuberance for getting to play around with the Dragonball cast overshadowed and derailed Takashi's story. And while I'll always have a soft spot for this story I can't help but see "what it could have been". To that that end, I've decided to try my hand at a reboot. Wanting a tighter, more streamlined storyline that feels more like Highschool of the Dead with some Z characters in it then Z with some Highschool of the Dead characters. Below is what I finished of Chapter 9 before my hiatus. And for all who read my work, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"You keep using that word but what worth is a hero really? Kill a man and you're a villain. Kill that same man but show him to be a thief and you become a hero to be praised. Fiend or savoir, I will not have the path I walk be decided by the fickle whims of the masses but one I choose." Tien Shinhan.
She should have been afraid. That was the thought which exploded like a mortar shell inside Saeko's brain as she bent leaning forward adopting a low, predatory profile against the misshapen monstrosity before her. Hunched form accenting the swell of her ass's round cheeks peeking out once again from her riding skirt as she contorted in ways the school dress code was never intended for.
A hand held out in front of her, fingers evenly spaced together, ready to strike out in a painful, shattering blow or deflect. Her sword raise curved behind her head. Long, violet hair pulled back in a ponytail swishing ever so slightly as her body trembled with excitement.
The more rational part of her brain once again reminding her she should be afraid. The same as it had done years earlier on a dark, shadowy street as a grotesque, older man had reached for what he assumed was a helpless, lost little girl. Only to find out just how wrong he truly was.
Saeko couldn't help but grimly smile feeling a twinge of accomplishment at the memory afterwards as he lay broken, gasping for breath. His blood-splattered face frozen in pain looking up at her wordlessly pleading for mercy. Her own face flushed, her heart hammering in her chest. Over the next four years it wouldn't be the last time she slipped out into the night hunting other would be predators but it would be the most rewarding. The most illuminating.
That night she had peered into her own soul to see the darkness it had contained and hadn't blinked. It was the moment she accepted who she was. The dark impulses she'd forever felt scratching at the back of her mind.
So no. She wasn't afraid. Tilting her head with a shake of her ponytail towards the dark-haired teen standing beside her. The two of them facing down the mutated Blank Man who approached with a deafening trumpeted of noise from its many, slimy mouths covering its writhing body. Muscles pulsating beneath the oily sheen of its body as it moved towards them. Brandishing a saw-tooth bone-sword in one elongated arm bending upwards with unsettling new joints popping up and down its length.
The other arm swaying low along its sunken side a crude club or bludgeon of meat and bone fashioned from the primordial, elastic flesh of the vile demon. The skin peeling back around from the weighted bone sickly and necrotic.
"What?" Takashi asked, breaking his concertation from the demon looming over them." What's with that look?"
Saeko answering as she swept beneath the careening teeth of the slicing blade passing underneath the thing's slimy arm. Stray ends of her lavender air fluttering severed in the air in her wake as she moved.
"Nothing. Just nice to fight alongside someone for once." She teased ducking underneath the thing's arm slashing up across its abdomen and chest as she did so.
The hard wood of her training sword neatly carving through the diseased skin which ruptured spilling pus. The wound already knitting close as the agile woman rose behind lashing out again as she slashed across the thing's back.
Barely seeming to notice, the Blank Man continued forward. Wrist of its arm cracking as it spun completely around. The skin bulging outward as it twisted around like a top. Flipping the edge of the sword around to plunge sideways into Takashi's chest. Instead vanishing inside the wall with a thud tearing through it. Bits of wall crumbling apart as Takashi leapt above. Iron sinew of his arm flexing as he slammed his fist making his own hole against the abused wall as he pushed himself up and over the creature's shoulder.
Catapulting away from it with a driving kick into the freshly opened wound Saeko had just carved. Feeling tissue and bone pop sinking beneath the heel of his swinging foot. Something rigid wetly snapping under the pressure sending the thing staggering hunched forward for a second.
Takashi landing on his feet beside Saeko in an impressive display. One only slightly ruined as the teenager grimaced lifting up his foot attempting to dislodge the viscous goo hanging off of his school shoe. Much to the watching lavender-haired girl's obvious amusement.
"You do this often?" He replied back with a light-heartedness he didn't actually feel.
Startled by how cool and collected she was being in turn. Eyeing her lithe but graceful posture noticing the subtle tension she held herself posed ready to strike.
His heart pounding quickly in his chest ringing in his ears as he lowered his foot back down having slung off the worst of the putrid slime. Curling the fingers of his fists clenching and unclenching them in nervous anticipation. Both of their attention drawn back to the Blank Man as he straightened back up. Spine grinding the ridges becoming visible beneath its taunt stretched skin as it popped back into place.
Wrist uncurling with a spin snapping back around before it reached for the handle of its sword. Ripping the weapon free out of the tearing wall. Sending chunks toppling to its feet as cracks and fissures ran down into the frame of a classroom door or curled up towards the ceiling. Stepping away the thing turned to face them.
"You'd be surprised at the secrets a girl keeps." Saeko evaded smiling beneath her purple bangs." But not you? This is your first time?"
Deliberately making the latter as sexually charged as possible just to see Takashi's reaction. Delighted to see a hint of crimson color his cheeks as he looked away. Nearly causing him to miss the hurling hammer of bone and muscle of the charging Blank Man's other hand. Whizzing past against the steps the railing creaking as it bent inward. Uprooting itself as the metal twisted itself being raked upwards by the force of the blow.
A weaving Takashi then stepping forward raising one arm to slam up against the thing's descending sword arm. Letting out a groan beneath the avalanche of sudden weight which fell upon his shoulders as he twisted pivoting the arm and more importantly the fanged blade from his face. Helped along by a flurry of rabbit punches into what he hoped was still the limb's elbow. Bone and flesh pulverizing under the blows turning to jelly as the arm turned to dead weight against him allowing the teen to shifting throwing it aside. Where its momentum continued carrying it downward catching at the wrist of the weighted bludgeon as it slide across the ruined railing.
The stringy, rotting flesh snapping apart as the fanged teeth of the cleaver like weapon plunged through it propelled by its weight and bloated muscle carving through its own meat and bone. The creature giving a pained shriek as it jerked its arm away, broken joint crunching as it reshaped itself, holding up the wet, lopped off tip. Black blood spurting out gushing as it ran down the side of its mottled, shifting arm dribbling in thick splashes on the ground next to the still twitching lump of weighted bone.
The thing looking up from the mawed limb towards Takashi with its eyeless face in what almost seemed annoyance. The bleeding slowing as the flesh began to bubble and swell sealing off the wound tight. The skin stretching at the tip bulging outward from the sides until it burst apart in a putrid boutique of unfurling tendrils. Long, ropy and prehensile ringed with mouth like suckers and curved, claw-like hooks lining their softer under bellies. More and more of the demon's arm unraveling from around the worm like appendages, flesh sloughing away like dripping dough, as they coiled and writhed in the air.
One of which twisted in mid-air lashing at Takashi's face. The Turtle School disciple's image flickering as he moved recoiling backwards from the projectile as he snatched at it from the air. Face betraying shock and surprise feeling its rubbery skin collapse under his grasp beneath the head of the tentacle as the remainder wrapped itself around his forearm. Shooting jolts of pain mixing with clammy skin crawling as its slimy texture oozed spiraling further up along his arm. Its hooks sinking digging into his flesh as he tried to shake it loose without avail.
Tugging against him as it tightened preparing to pull him towards the Blank Man. Painfully yanking on Takashi's arm, fiery tongues of pain blossoming in his shoulder as it was wrenched despite him struggling. Trying and failing to pull his arm back Takashi flinched as more of the tendrils lashed out to grab hold of him.
Only for a lavender blur to impose herself. Saeko delving dropping down on one knee as she skidded beneath the monstrosity. Her training sword singing as it sliced a deep chunk across the back of the thing's knee. Staggering it as the limb snapped and buckled under its weight as the purple-haired sword mistress snaked one long, beautiful leg behind the heel of the Blank Man's other. Sweeping it out from under the thing as it fell backwards, Saeko's coiled body already in motion slashing infront of Takashi. Receiving a noxious burst of foul smelling ichor as the anchored tendril was severed by her blow as precise and skillfully administered as anything he'd seen Master Roshi perform. Causing him to gag and sputter nearly falling backwards on his ass himself as the sudden weight across his arm was lifted.
"I don't mind. A man's first time can be…interesting." Saeko said with a lingering pause.
Voice dropping to an almost bedroom whisper now as she circled behind Takashi's back, her weapon raised. Brandishing it against the horde of undead who flocked encircling around trapping the teenagers. The more daring pressing forward, unwilling or unable to wait for the Blank Man to finish with his sport before they feasted.
Her long, violet hair pulled back draping down her back tickling across Takashi's shoulders as the woman's muscles flexed along her long, supple arms. The air shimmering as she struck through the air causing the Ghouls to freeze in place. Standing there, guttural hiss escaping from their rotted lips, staring at her with their dead eyes as she finished dropping into a coiled stance. Soft padding of her large, round ass pushing backwards peeking out beneath her skirt as it bumped against Takashi's.
Just the slightest hint of breathing hard in her large chest rising and falling beneath her tightly buttoned uniform holding her sword raised with both her hands pointing in front of her. A thin but noticeable sheen of blood collecting on the edge of the wooden weapon. The first droplet of which falling off dripping to the floor just as the heads of the Ghouls began to split apart bursting apart in sliced skull and spilling brains.
Takashi blinking, impressed, as he gripped the fleshy blob of sinewy flesh from around his arm ripping it off. Tossing it to the floor where it immediately began to squirm and slither returning over the rising Blank Man's body.
No sooner had he thrown it away than the remains of a fat Otaku lunged for him. A brief flashing of red-tinted pain shooting through his vision as their heads collided. Messy, stringy black hair falling into his face as he peered through cracked lenses of a broken pair of glasses crookedly hanging off of a pale, rancid face. Pudgy hands going for his throat attempting to choke the air from him even worse than the thing's putrid breath.
Bloated, black tongue appearing behind rotten, yellow teeth as it stretched its pudgy jaws at it attempted to pull Takashi's entire head inside. At least until, his own steely fingers digging into the greasy hair and flaking scalp, lifted it back and twisted its neck with a grisly snap. Neck and bone breaking like cardboard as the teen shook the overweight tub of lard loose. A sharp kick to the thing's wobbling gut sending it flying backwards toppling half a dozen other Ghouls with its fat bulk as it slammed them into the crumbling wall. Crushing them to paste beneath the meaty projectile which burst apart itself.
"Seeing how he handles himself under pressure, if he has what it takes." Saeko continued as if they were the only two there." Anticipates what his partner wants…what she needs."
Peering past from beneath her lavender bangs as she turned her head to peer over Takashi's shoulder to the Blank Man fully on its feet now and striding towards them. Scarcely recognizable as ever being human now its pulsating body shuddered as the writhing mass of tendrils which made up its arm lengthened growing thicker as more jagged spikes sprouted from their leathery surface. A hellish, damned shriek erupting from the forming lips splitting across the thing's abdomen which curled into a snarl showing off a mouth of fanged teeth longer than steak knives.
Grimacing, Takashi quickly looked away and over past the enclosing throngs of undead towards where the rest of the group had fled. Feeling a note of relief to see that they had gotten away.
"Hope I don't disappoint then, since I never had any intention of winning this fight." He said the heels of his shoes squeaking as he spun around to face her.
Slight hint of blush creeping across the sword-mistress's face as she felt him press up behind her. His arm snaking around in front of her as he pulled her pull against him. The breath of his voice tickling along the curve of her neck, feeling his cheek brush against hers, as his rough, powerful fingers slide upwards cupping over her breast through her school uniform.
A soft, pleasurable moan escaping from between her betraying lips as she found her legs weakening allowing herself to lay against his broad, hard chest. Boob jiggling, bulging outward from between his kneading fingers.
Almost not noticing him extend his other arm out swinging it back as he clenched his fist. The young teen's face scrunching in concetration and focus. A single bead of sweat running down the side of his face as Saeko felt a rush of air buffet pushing against her from her body. Hem of her skirt fluttering, lifting up exposing her skimpy panties for all the world to see. An aura flaring around her and Takashi swirling around them causing her skin to tingle with electricity. With power.
Peering through her own haze of bliss as she heard the crack of sinew as the fingers of his hand tightened even more into a fist. Gazing out, seeing a small trickle of blood seeping out from beneath his digging fingernails. Arcs of energy running down his arm collecting into his mailed fist as he swung it in front of him. A red, burning streak igniting through the air as Saeko's senses were nearly overwhelmed with the burning sensation of the ozone of the combusted air.
Followed by the rumbling of a thunderclap which slapped and slung the ring of Ghouls like broken toys flinging them away in a blast of concussive force as he punched an opening through the horde. Thrown into walls, bodies ripped as they smashed through windows or impaling themselves on the bent railing of the stairwell.
And just like that it was over and she felt Takashi's grip on her loosen. His breath coming in short, ragged gulps now as his hand moved from around her to along her back giving her a gentle shove forward.
"Go! I'll be right behind you…" He shouted at her, chest hammering, swinging back around as he grabbed at the lifeless body of a Ghoul at his feet.
One Saeko had beheaded, he grabbed at its flesh, raw stump of a neck and along the back of its soiled school uniform as he lifted it up off the floor hurling it like a spear towards the advancing Blank Man looming above him.
"Fuck…hope this works…as good as it does in anime…" Was Takashi's mad thought as, letting go of the corpse, he flexed his knees leaping up through the air on the back of it.
Flattening out his palms as he stiffened his arms out beside him as he rose into the cloud of the Blank Man's whip-like tendrils. Raising his arms out in front of him to shield himself from them, hands becoming a blur of motion. The air shimmering glowing bright then fading as he slashed his way through cutting the thrashing tendrils apart. Black, oily blood gushing out from the ends as they were diced apart. The pulpy chunks separating in front of him as he sailed through.
Knees flexing catapulting from off the back of the hurtling corpse drawing back a clenched fist towards the Blank Man's revolting, eye-less face. A blazing aura flaring into existence around it, tremors running down the length of his arm, as he put everything he had left behind this final blow…only to be stopped inches from connecting.
The air rushing forcefully from his lungs as he felt the iron bands of the fingers of the creature's other hand enclose around his torso. Ribs threatening to buckle as it lightly squeezed him ignoring the still flying corpse which crumpled against its chest before bouncing off. The aura around Takashi's hand wavering then flickering out as his arm went limp. The thing's fleshy lips peeling back in a hideous smile showing off its stained teeth.
"Pity…" The thing taunted, its voice a clawed finger scraping across a coffin lid." So close…for a moment I-no matter. Now it ends."
Feeling the steely grip of the monster's fingers tighten squeezing at Takashi's ribs robbing him of any breath he had left. Denying him even a final word as he mutely gasped feeling his ribs buckle threatening to break under the strain. Face turning a muddled purple, stars starting to spiral across his face. So much so he almost doesn't see the flash of lavender streak through the air or hear the deafening roar of the creature over the pounding of the blood rushing to his head.
Only to feel the thing's grip momentarily slacken enough for him to slip free pushing them apart as he falls to the ground. The Blank Man staggering, vile blood sprouting from its severed neck. The wound knitting itself closed as Saeko pushes off from the thing's chest summersaulting to land beside Takashi. Skirt fluttering, lifting up along her supple, longs legs flashing him her panties again as she does so.
He purple hair whipping behind her head as she shot an annoyed expression at the teen. One which nearly camouflaged the blushing concern she felt as she reached a hand out to grab his wrist pulling him.
"You said you were right behind me!" She hissed at him rushing for the exit.
"I didn't think we could out run it." Takashi gasped, still wheezing for breath, as the thing bellowed." I still don't…"
Looking back as they rushed through the broken and unhinged doors out into the open. A trail of broken, maimed bodies of Ghouls sprinkled across the grounds leading them like breadcrumbs towards the group. Hearing the shattering of tile as the Blank Man charged after them. Perpetually mutating body eclipsing the door as the thing bent down, muscles puffing out and swelling as it collided with the door frame shattering glass and bending metal in order to slip through in its new, increasingly bestial form.