Edit 9/22/2021: Chapter Rewritten.
I own nothing from HOTD.
-CHAPTER ONE: The Present
A Week Before The Outbreak
Monday 05:10:00 AM Tokonosu City
A tan male shot up from his bed, facing forward and taking in his lifeless and dimly lit room. He furrowed his brow, wiping sweat from his face. He inhaled deeply, choosing to ignore the fact he was drenched in sweat. The male slowly slid off the bed, stretching as soon as his feet met the shag grey carpet. A yawn mixed with a slight cough sounded from the male as he rubbed his eyes, blinking a few times quickly before scanning for his alarm clock. He observed the flashing purple lights that readout '5:10,' a groan quickly erupting from the male's throat, signifying his displeasure with his sleep.
"Fuckin five, on a school day man," He groggily said, all the while walking over to his white desk.
Some papers were sprawled on the desk but it was relatively clean. His hands found themselves on his chair though, swiping a red t-shirt that hung from his chair. He quickly slipped the shirt on and switched on the only light source in his small room, a column lamp that illuminated the room just enough to cover everywhere with dim orange light.
Now that his room was illuminated his eyes trailed towards a mirror, observing his own form. He was quite tall, a good six-foot at least, and many scars small and large dusted his toned body, including one that ran through his eyebrow and cheek. His hair was a dark black color, and quite messy, his eyes that dared to pierce into his own soul were a honey-brown color. He quickly trailed down his lower body, observing the definition in his form that only comes with a while of training.
"Same old Takashi I suppose," He said, quickly turning on his heel and collapsing on his bed once again.
...
Takashi's alarm came to life once more, resulting in the teen quickly hopping up from his bed in a panic and slamming the small alarm onto his bedpost. After realizing his mistake he sighed, choosing to ignore what he did and catch a shower. Afterward, he quickly dressed into his school uniform, consisting of a button-up blazer which he left unbuttoned, white sneakers, a red t-shirt, and some simple black uniform pants. The teen slipped out into his apartment's hall, yawning once more as he reached the kitchen and quickly digging around for a bowl and cereal.
Takashi ate in silence, quickly finishing the remnants of cereal that were in his bowl. He stood and moved over to the sink, beginning to wash his dishes before a loud groan was heard throughout the house. Soon after a male of the same build as Takashi stumbled into the kitchen, clad in a black FSP uniform, a white baseball cap secured around his head, and a thin scar trailing down his eyebrow. He quickly scurried towards the fridge, opening it and snatching a large carton of milk marked in red marker 'Tajima.'
"What's up, old man," Takashi said, raising his arm lazily as he finished his dishes, turning to start gathering his things. He slung his backpack into a barstool and began packing it up with simple school supplies.
"Old man? I'm in my early-thirties kid," Tajima stated, downing the contents of his milk and shooting the carton into the trash, "If anyone's getting old It's you kid, seventeen already,"
Takashi grinned lazily, picking up a few more supplies and dropping them into his black school bag. He turned to face Tajima, the man in question was also readying his things, a large ALICE pack slung into the barstool next to his. Takashi observed as the man packed away different items like a pistol, radio, keys, etc. Soon after the two finished packing the man dug into his pocket, bringing out a large stack of yen and laying it on the white countertop.
"Goin out for a mission with Ms. Rika?" Takashi asked, sliding the stack of money towards himself and quickly pocketing the cash. A quick thumbs up from the teen was all the thanks Tajima received, although it had always been like that, no need to oversimplify things in his household.
"Yeah, we got orders to station at the floating airport, for the time being, something's going on that the higher-ups aren't telling anyone, even the senior officers," Tajima answered, sliding a second pistol into his belt and fastening it. Soon after he slung his larger pack over the shoulder, "Although, I wouldn't be too worried,"
"Huh, secretive as always I guess," Takashi said, sliding his own bag on, "I'll be sure not to burn the apartment down," the teen said as the two men walked into the hall and out the front door of the apartment, preparing to go separate ways.
"Takashi, be safe kid," Tajima said, bumping the teen's chest lightly. He was met with a bump as well, the teen nodding in affirmation.
"You too,"
...
Takashi dashed through the side streets, sidestepping and weaving through oncoming joggers and traffic police, rushing towards Fujimi Academy. He had decided to take a different route towards the school, stopping at a convenience store beforehand and loitering around until he looked at his phone, which read '6:40.' He continued until he caught sight of the large Fujimi Academy building, the schools signature observatory coming into view. It was a place where Takashi skipped most of his classes, a perfect spot to avoid teachers and students alike.
The gate of the academy entered his view, causing him to speed up drastically from a simple to a full sprint. Three figures were standing at the gate, two students and one teacher, getting closer the teen was able to gaze upon his two closest friends, Imamura and Morita. Imamura was tall and lanky, his hair auburn and long, reaching his shoulders. Morita was a bit shorter than Takashi, the teen was lanky and sported a blonde mohawk, something Imamura and Takashi both influenced him on getting. He smiled at the two students, appreciating the fact that these two would always wait up for him at the gates.
"Come on bro!" Morita shouted, waving his arms at Takashi who was closing in on the gate.
"Run bitch! run!" Imamura shouted, waving his arms as well.
Takashi, out of the corner of his eye, also noticed the unknown teacher beginning to shut the large steel gate. He braced himself for the incoming feat he would have to pull off.
"Fuck!" Takashi spat.
He watched as the gate shut, a frustrated shout erupted from the teen. He quickly threw his bag over the gate, Morita catching it quickly as he observed his friend. Takashi ran backward, avoiding the hedges that sat just behind him. He was on his tenth tardy slip and he sure as hell didn't want to face some shitty school capital punishment. The teen took off, arriving at the gate in a millisecond and jumping. His foot collided with one bar, pushing off this foot he grabbed ahold of the gates top bars, slowly making the steep climb over the large steel frame. He was on the other side in record time, hopping down in front of his friends once he reached a decent point to eject from the steel frame.
"Nice bro!" Morita cheered, stuffing Takashi's backpack right back into the teen's hands.
"Fuckin A!" Imamura laughed, patting his friend on the back roughly.
Takashi nodded to his friends, looking over to meet the unnamed teacher's steel gaze. The man simply nodded, locking up the gate and walking in the direction of the janitorial building, a simple wave from the man passing the teen's gazes.
Takashi turned on his heel, staring at his two friends. "We've gotta move it or we're actually going to be late," he said, securing his bag around himself and breaking out into a light jog towards the main school building. The two boys nodded and broke off into a jog with the teen, looking as if the group was some sort of running club, all hellbent on getting to class on time for once.
...
Japanese history, not Takashi's personal favorite but, between this and math he honestly would choose history time and time again. The teen slid open the door to his class, greeted by the familiar sight of acquaintances and groups of students. Some students glared at the teen, some stared and smiled at him. He shrugged, not knowing what type of shit his name was dragged through once again. Running a hand through his hair he made his way towards his seat in the back-left corner of the room, a group of students standing around his specific desk, three male and two female.
"Look who isn't late," A deep female voice spoke, rousing the teen's attention. He looked up to see a girl with an athletic build, a bit shorter than he was, a small smile gracing her beautiful features. A smirk crossed the teen's face as he shuffled behind the girl, hugging her from behind and resting himself against the crook of her shoulder, rubbing his head against the girl's cheek. A small squeak came from the girl, dug her elbow in Takashi's ribs as a response.
He coughed, staggering backward towards his seat, "Nice to see you as well, Serry," Her hair was short and curly, a set of bangs noticeable. He gazed deep into the white-haired girls bright green irises, a pink tinge dusting the woman's face as they continued to stare at one another.
"Get a room," Hisashi playfully said, the teen stepping over to Takashi and putting a hand on his shoulder, snapping the teen out of his stupor.
"Oh, what's up guys," Takashi said, chuckling awkwardly after he seemed to forget the rest of his friends were also in the area. He stared at the rest of his friends, Kohta, Hisashi, and Morita, cracking a small smile towards the other boys he enthusiastically returned a fistbump with Kohta. He then focused on the other female student in the group, the one who pulled Hisashi away from his shoulder to tangle herself with him. He cracked a small pathetic smile, nodding to her, "Get a room? When I say that to you and Rei I bet you'd both go to the school bathroom," Takashi returned fire smugly, the two teen's in question began blushing profusely.
"Ahem!" The voice of the teacher boomed through the class and everyone dispersed back to their seats. Takashi slumped himself into his nearby desk, his attention finding itself elsewhere as the teacher began his lecture.
Tokonosu, Fujimi Academy
08:55:00 AM
Serry blinked, while the teacher was finishing up his lecture on the Meiji period, Serry was more interesting in gazing around the room several times. Observing the plain white walls and wood sliding doors again and again until the teacher finally dismissed the class. She breathed a sigh of relief, slumping back into her seat. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her friend group slowly gathering together once again, she stood and quickly slipped over to the group. Not before repetitively poking Takashi's sleeping form in the obliques until he abruptly woke up.
"I'm up!" He half-shouted, standing and stretching himself out.
Takashi's gaze fixated itself on Serry, who after seeing she had his attention whispered, "Class is over." Takashi simply nodded, rubbing his face and sluggishly following his white-haired companion over to the group. Takashi heard the familiar chatter from Kohta and Morita about guns, the two being highly interested in the topic. He also heard the familiar chatter from Rei and Hisashi, planning where they were going to spend the afternoon. Since everyone was preoccupied with themselves Takashi simply went back to resting on Serry's shoulder, meeting no resistance. "Tough crowd," she said, gaining everyone's attention. Rei glared at the two, but Serry simply smirked at the girl.
"Well, It's been fun, I'm gonna go skip for the rest of the day," Takashi said, unlatching himself from Serry and walking out into the hallway. He heard the quiet groan from Serry and smiled, feeling a hand on his shoulder he looked to see the grinning form of Morita, a mischievous look in his eyes. "I'm coming as well, we've got to discuss today's 'plans' anyway," he said, and Takashi understood. The two teens quickly turned on their heel to wave at their group of friends, then quickly made a dash towards the building's outer stairs. Serry, Kohta, and the two lovebirds all waved, Serry making it a point to mouth the words 'Stay safe,' before the teen's disappeared through the school's hall.
"Did I hear something about skipping?" The history teacher said from behind the now smaller group, they all grinned awkwardly and covered for the teens as best as they could.
Fujimi Academy, Roof
10:24:00 AM
Imamura busted through the roof door, startling the other teens who were up there, a huge smile painted his face while he quickly moved over to Takashi and Morita. The two teens in question were talking about the 'Top 7 hottest girl's in the school,' "I'm telling you, bro, you should really try it with Serry, she's totally into you!" Morita said to Takashi, the taller teen shrugging in response. The teen's attention was pulled away from their conversation when Imamura entered the picture, producing three ID cards from his wallet.
"No way, you actually got the IDs?" shouted Takashi.
"Stripper's galore!" Morita yelled happily.
"Of course I got them, you know me and my connections," Imamura smirked, "It's God's reward for us being so well-behaved recently,"
Takashi stood up, Morita following suit, Imamura quickly shuffled the IDs, handing them both their respective cards. "Everyone has extra clothes, right? Meet at the train station and then we make our way over to the red-light district, capeesh?" he finished.
"Capeesh, today is the day my friends," Takashi said, fist-bumping his friends.
Fujimi Academy
03:35:00 PM
The trio had all converged on the same gate after school. Each of the teens preparing themselves and their bags, checking themselves over and over. Takashi finished checking his bag, slipping it over his shoulders and scanning around the school courtyard. Two figures were conversing outside of the school's kendo dojo, he quickly dropped his bag near the gate and made his way over to the dojo. He got close, seeing one of the figures was Serry talking with another tall girl, a bokken resting on her side.
"How're we doing today," Takashi said, sneaking up behind the two females who turned in his direction after he spoke.
"Huh? Oh, thanks for leaving me in class asshat," Serry said, although there was no bite.
"What? Me and Morita had plans, very important plans." Takashi responded, standing near Serry.
"All those plans made you forget to visit me, huh?" The other girl butted in, her deep feminine voice demanding, "You know, I do have a sword, right?"
"Yumie, the plans were really important and I'm sorry, but I don't feel like getting beat up for an hour while I could be hanging out with friends not getting beat up," Takashi responded, bracing himself in case the girl would try and sneak a smack in.
She stood at five-foot-eleven, her hair dark black that was disheveled and messy, a fringe covering her left eye giving the illusion she hadn't slept in days. Her eyes were a dark shade of magenta, her curves firm, showing signs of years of training. She was attractive as hell, but dangerous as shit according to Takashi. He grinned, rubbing the back of his head as she glared at him.
"So, what are these plans?" Serry said, snapping Takashi back into reality.
"The plans? Oh, we're gonna go to the city, a specific part," Takashi responded, making sure not to give the actual location. It was just another beating waiting to happen if they knew where the teen was going, and he'd rather avoid that.
"The city? Sounds lame." Yumi said nonchalantly to Takashi.
"Sounds lame," Serry repeated.
Takashi then noticed his two friends once more, they were waving, backpacks slung across their shoulders. He nodded to them, look back at Serry and Yumie. Serry had already slipped away from the conversation, waving before she entered the dojo. He looked onto Yumie next with a smile.
"Shit won't be lame," Takashi said, his smile fading into a grin as he began to walk away. His arm was caught quickly and he turned back to see a now neutral Yumie.
"Be careful, wherever you go, and I'll see you in school tomorrow," Yumi said with concern, letting the teen's arm go.
"I'll be fine, It's only the city," He responded, patting her head lightly. "See you around," and with this the teen sprinted back to his friends, snatching up his bag and nodding to his friends. They all made their way out of the gate, Takashi only turning for a split second to see Yumie gone. He nodded and continued, catching up with Morita and Imamura.
Saiju, Red Light District
06:30:00 PM
The trio of young men walked down a sidewalk, the bustling neon-lit district illuminating everything around them. Takashi, Imamura, and Morita were walking together, now clad in different clothing that was widely different than their normal school attire.
Morita now had on a green jersey and black ripped jeans, his mohawk slicked back and hidden by a black-backward cap on his head and a pair of white sneakers. Imamura was clad in a black hoodie and white pants, a rose embroidered onto the hoodie. He also wore white sneakers, although these had several green and red stripes going through them. Takashi wore a red jersey, sporting a pair of black biker jeans and red sneakers. The teen also wore a white and red trucker hat with the words 'Playboy' embroidered in cursive, some of his dark brown hair sticking out from the sides of the hat.
"Tonight's gonna be amazing," Imamura stated, the group rounding a corner, revealing another extremely neon-lit street.
Takashi and Morita nodded, with the corner cleared the teens were now on a long strip of adult stores and businesses. The neon lighting was vibrant throughout the strip, crowds were gathered around several of the stores and one large building that looked like a movie theater. The large pink sign read out 'Marcos,' and the teens all grinned at each other, beginning to pick up speed towards the crowd gathered outside of the building. They pushed past several people, shouts erupting, but the teens ignored it and continued on with a laugh.
The teens soon arrived at the crowd, waiting excitedly as they slowly moved along. Morita and Imamura were both calm smiling, remembering the lecture Takashi gave them on being subtle throughout life and how it could get them past a lot of things. Takashi was stone-faced, rubbing his sides at some slight discomfort. They were halfway through the crowd by now.
"Saiju was definitely the play, and worth the two hours," Morita stated, Imamura and Takashi nodding to the teen.
"It sure was, and this way we won't get noticed by some fuckin idiot and ratted out if we do see someone from school," Takashi said, scratching his head and looking towards the front of the line.
"Plus, there's gotta be some high-tier women in here," Imamura said as he patted the wall of the club, earning a slight look from the bouncer who was now in sight.
"Haha, probably man," Takashi responded, smiling at his friend's actions.
The trio arrived at the front of the line, receiving a look-over by the bouncer, the man was slightly shorter than Takashi but made up for it by being considerably buff with broad shoulders. The three handed over their IDs to the man, excitement and anticipation getting to them. The bouncer looked over the cards, looking between the teens and cards with a small grin.
"So, we're all eighteen-plus, huh?" The man asked, his voice deep and scratchy.
"Yes-sir," Takashi responded calmly, his expression not wavering.
Morita and Imamura sweatdropped, believing that they might have been found out, Takashi simply kept his face stern and tone friendly. The bouncer kept looking them over, observing how the two teens behind the taller one's moods were changing, their smiles fading. The man would've believed it, but he'd been in this business far too long to not notice a few dumbass teenagers. His face cracked into a grin, flicking the three cards into Takashi's face, the teen not flinching. Takashi looked to the cards on the ground then back up to the man, frankly, he was confused.
"What's wrong with you," Imamura said, a certain tension noticeable in his voice.
"Get lost, you stupid fucking kids. If I ever see you here again, I'll beat the shit out of all of you," The man said, anger apparent in his voice. His voice still contorted into a grin.
"What! We're adults man what the fuck?" Imamura said, the tension building even more in his voice.
"Get fuckin lost, so help me god." The man said as he glared at Takashi.
"Let's go. We don't wanna start any shit right now," Takashi stated, dragging his friends from the line who began shouting at the bouncer. The trio rounded the corner of the building, going unnoticed by most of the people in the line and the bouncer. Takashi released his friends and then started walking, signaling his friends to follow him.
"We aren't giving up, don't you worry. Gonna double back and use the back entrance." Takashi said swiftly before his friends could speak. They both nodded, following as they rounded another corner of the building.
The trio noticed the vacant back alley of the club and the open door that lead into the joint. Takashi turned back to the two behind him and gave a thumbs-up he then nodded to Imamura who took point. They all stepped into the back door and were met with a bright white interior which they quickly traversed through. They were met with no resistance, the back halls devoid of guards, a few strippers eyeing the teens but usually going on about their own business.
"Man, I gotta get a lap-dance pronto," Morita stated, making his friends laugh as they weaved throughout the hallways and coming out into the main club room.
"Yeah, me too," Imamura said as he entered the room behind his friends.
The teens all stared out onto the floor, it was the same from all the movies, poles, barstools, and strippers everywhere. They all gawked in awe until a shout erupted from the front of the club near the bar.
"Hey! What the fuck are you doing in here, I thought I told you fucks to stay out?!" The same bouncer shouted from the line shouted, he was surrounded by several other bouncers, all wearing the same uniform and staring right at the three teens.
"Get'em we'll teach these fuckin kids a lesson!" The bouncer said before pointing in the direction of the teens, then he and the others dispersed and started running at the teens.
"Run! Out the back! Out the back!" Takashi yelled, turning on his heel and dashing into the same hallway from before.
The trio ran, weaving through the hallways of the backrooms and bursting out the backdoor, followed by the six men who were a short distance away from the teens. The teens tried to round the same alley but were met with three taller bouncers. They all smirked as the teens backed up, now surrounded by the men.
"I told you that you were gonna pay if you come back. Looks like we're gonna have to beat that sense into you now." The same bouncer from before stated with a smirk, slowly approaching the teens with the group behind him.
"Nine! You two take the three behind us, I got this end covered." Takashi called, his face contorting into a wide grin with a chuckle. He had made sure he was the last one out so he could cover for his two friends, but since the situation changed he was dealing with this end now.
"Right!" Imamura shouted in response, smiling as well.
"Yeah, we got this end for you brother," Morita said, glaring at the taller men.
The three taller men began approaching Morita and Imamura, the teens both squared themselves off, shifting into an orthodox stance with high guards. The other six men approaching Takashi as well. All of the men noticing the taller teen's stance, his legs were also squared off and aligned, his guard higher than his friends, offering more versatility with kicks.
The other five men were snapped out of their observations as they heard the loud laughing the buff bouncer emitted. He recoiled his fist back and ran full force at Takashi, not waiting for his comrades to charge with him. Takashi shifted and pushed off his back foot, meeting the man's face with a quick jab, he staggered back from the punch, not expecting the power from the teen. Takashi used the opportunity to step forward once again, this time slamming the man's inner calf with a low kick. The bouncer desperately tried to return fire, jabbing away at the teen who simply rolled and stepped back away from the punches. In an instant the bouncer was down, a roundhouse kick to the head bringing him down.
The other men stared at their friend, now downed and lying in a small pool of his own blood. Three of the men stepped back, intimidated by the teen who was seemingly not breaking a sweat. Two of them weren't as deterred, they quickly rushed forward at Takashi, the teen rushing towards the men to meet them.
Morita and Imamura were doing well, they had always fought alongside Takashi and that wasn't going to change. One of the taller men rushed forwards at Morita while another rushed at Imamura, the two teens held their ground and took their respective punches, rolling with the punches and returning fire. Imamura utilized several hooks and upper-cuts to bring the man who targeted him down, while Morita jabbed away at the other man who was struggling with trying to fight the teen. His struggle was put down soon after, Morita turning his back heel and slamming a hook into the man's jaw, sending him to the pavement with a thud.
The two teens collected themselves to stare at the last man who was grinning. The bouncer struggled with something in his pocket for a few seconds before it was yanked out, the item in question was revealed to be a large bayonet. The two teens staggered back with wide eyes as they stared at the bouncer who began walking towards them.
Takashi staggered back, narrowly missing the unconscious bouncers who were splayed out around him. He'd beaten all of them using a mix of jabs, elbows, and kicks. There only remained one more, but Takashi was fatigued and holding his face. A ringing set into his ears, extreme pain shooting throughout his body. He was caked in sweat, but the fatigue wasn't the problem, the problem was the last bouncer and his nightstick. The weapon that was just used to quickly slam into his head, he'd been in a clinch with one of the last men, delivering knees into the man's liver and ribs cracking them as he worked. Afterward, the teen felt the cold steel of the nightstick, and that's how he ended up in this fleeting situation.
Takashi shook his head violently, rushing forwards in an attempt to deliver a teep. He shifted his weight quickly and sent his left leg towards the bouncer's face, the man in question moved to the side, slamming the nightstick against the teen's calves and knee. Takashi, in an attempt to gain the upper hand, sent his right fist forward, connecting with the man's head. The man staggered back and slammed the nightstick into the teen's extended fist with less power. The teen staggered, his injured leg almost giving out from under him.
"Fucking shit!" Takashi shouted, his voice wavering from the pain. The bouncer left him no more rest time as he charged forward, Takashi rushed forward as well, slamming a foot into the man's calve in another low kick. The man grunted, falling to one knee and swinging his weapon at the teen. Takashi stepped backward, struggling for more air as his fatigue kicked into an all-time high. The man attempted to stand, falling to his knee once more before spiking his weapon at Takashi's face. Takashi quickly switched to his high-guard, his forearms taking the brunt of the damage. He ran forward as the man staggered to his feet, using the curb of the road to leap into the air, bring his elbow down onto the man's head. The man fell roughly, another loud thud was heard and Takashi had finished the fight. The teen stood, surrounded by the unconscious men breathing heavily, but just then a shout broke out.
"Imamura!" Morita yelled, snapping Takashi back to reality.
"Ack!" Imamura sounded, a loud scream of pain coming soon after.
Takashi turned to see blood flying through the air in streams, Imamura's wrists were bleeding profusely. Takashi didn't wait, he dashed forward quickly scooping up the dropped nightstick and spiking it at his friend's attacker's head. The nightstick connected with the man's head sending him staggering back away from Morita. Takashi got into range soon after and sent his fist flying at the man, it connected, but the man managed to slice the teen's forearm. Takashi staggered back into Morita who steadied him, the teen patting Takashi roughly to keep him awake.
"Stay back, get Imamura," Takashi demanded, flicking the blood from his forearm away. Morita quickly nodded, dashing off towards the long-haired teen who was on the ground near a trashcan, unable to move. He was still screaming, still awake and kicking although Morita realized the height of the situation when he gazed at the teen's wrist and stomach. Imamura went silent, the feeling of pain numb due to blood loss and his voice giving way.
A loud violent thud was heard, followed by another slash, Takashi had headbutted the bouncer, making him almost fall unconscious but suffered another laceration on his arm. The bouncer turned on his heel, knowing exhaustion was creeping upon him. The man choked out a 'Hah!' and ran for it. Takashi roared, beginning to chase the man before hearing his friend's voice.
"Takashi!" Morita choked up, rushing the taller male.
Takashi turned and dashed over to his friends, Morita was cradling their long-haired friend who was pale and bloodied. The black-haired teen choked, kneeling down beside his two friends. Imamura's wrists weren't bleeding as profusely anymore, his eyes were open but fluttering shut every now and then. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. He came to once again, smiling when he looked up at his two friends, blood staining his teeth.
"Radial- Artery," He struggled to speak, "An-d," He inhaled deeply, "My sto-mach," Imamura choked out.
Takashi scooped Imamura into his own lap, holding the teen close to his chest. The teen had fear in his eyes, his hand hovering up towards Takashi's face. Takashi caught the hand, nodding to Morita who took hold of the hand as well.
"Stay up! Keep awake you fuckin pussy! A top doctor in Tokonosu! Remember your dreams, you can't fucking go on without us!" Takashi yelled, tightening his grip on his friend's hand. Morita was calling the police, a dispatcher and himself exchanging words and affirmations.
"When god, accepts you into his kingdom," Imamura said, this time clearly as if using his last bit of strength to talk clearly. He coughed violently, his vision fading, "I'll be waiting-"
Morita threw his phone to the side, panic consuming his voice, "NO! Remember all of the shit we're gonna do? You can't go, man, just hold on the cops are coming as we fucking speak!" he shouted, his friend's condition worsening even more.
Imamura had another violent coughing fit, his face extremely pale. "Thank..you, keep..advancing forward," Imamura said, gripping Takashi's hand once more as a sign of affection. The teen made eye contact once again with Takashi and smiled.
"Ima-" Takashi attempted to say, he was cut off, his friend's smile fading and the light, the determination, all fading from the teen's eyes.
Morita and Takashi's breaths hitched, seeing their friend's smile disappear. Imamura's hand loosened from Takashi's, dropping to the ground and slumping against Takashi. Takashi, with the most gentle care and grace, laid the teen's body onto the pavement. Morita teared up, beginning to choke back tears and sniffle as he slumped over into the deceased teen's chest. Takashi stood, shaking his head several times, gripping his wrists several times, and tightly digging his fingernails into his arms. His body ached more as his anger grew, his emotions teetering on the edge of erupting.
...
The ambulance and police arrived soon after, paramedics wrenching Morita off the deceased body of Imamura. The ambulance soon disappeared from sight, the two surviving teens were brought into the nearby Saiju police department for questioning and witness statements. They were patched up by the police and released.
The two teens walked out of the station silently, Morita's mom waiting directly outside. She spotted Morita and ran to him, pulling the teen into an embrace and sobbing for her son. Takashi simply stared at the two with an expression devoid of life, his eyes dull.
"Takashi," Morita said, gathering all of the courage and pushing his emotion to the side to speak. "We can take you home if you want," Morita said, he hadn't mentioned anything about Imamura, only that he and Takashi were attacked at a club.
"No," Takashi said, nodding to his friend and his mother, soon after sprinting away from them and the police station, leaving his friend and mother to drive off. Takashi stopped at a convenience store before making his way to the train station, quickly stealing whatever alcohol he could find, a large bottle of strawberry soju and some sake. He wasn't stopped and as he reached the train station he tucked the bottles into his tattered jersey. The piece of clothing being semi-shredded from the fight earlier. He stared out the window of the train as it began moving, headed for Tokonosu station.
He hadn't shed a single tear.
Fujimi Academy
Wednesday, 10:30:03 PM
Yumie and Serry stood next to each other, both discussing something with a familiar pink-haired girl. She wore O ringed glasses and had piercing yellow eyes, she stood at five-foot-one and had ample curves. A look of slight confusion painting her face as she spoke with the two other girls.
"So you haven't seen him at all, Saya?" Yumie asked, her tone serious.
"No, I haven't seen him in a few days," Saya responded, biting her nail lightly.
"Where would he be? He hasn't texted us and won't respond to our calls." Serry chimed in, her tone also serious with a look of worry painting her face.
"Where the fuck would he be?" Yumie added, thinking back to when Takashi mentioned 'Plans' on Monday.
Two people approached the group, it was Rei and Hisashi. Rei was a brunette with two 'Antennae' jutting out from the front of her straight kept hair, she stood at five-foot-two and had brown eyes similar to Takashi's. Next to her was Hisashi, standing at five-foot-ten he had steel-gray hair that matched his grey eyes, the teen was handsome, but lacked the same scars his best friend Takashi had. The couple waved to the trio of girls.
"What's up, guys," Rei said as she unlatched from Hisashi's arm. She noticed the worried look on the taller white-haired and black-haired girl's faces.
"Nothing," Yumie replied quickly, gazing at the two new members of the small group that was gathered.
"Takashi's missing." Saya deadpanned, she too was gazing at the duo.
"Isn't that normal?" Rei said nonchalantly, staring at the group in confusion.
"Yes and no, he said he was going somewhere on Monday, but he hasn't been back to class since, nor has he responded to calls," Serry said, gazing out the nearby window.
Rei looked a bit concerned at this statement and stared back to Hisashi who had been rubbing his chin, taking in the information.
"Maybe, he just isn't feeling school. He should be fine, I know Takashi just like any of you do, he isn't the type to just disappear," Hisashi spoke, garnering the attention of all the girls.
"I know, but still," Yumie said, she too was now biting on her nail in worry.
The bell sounded, marking the start of the next period. The group dispersed after saying their goodbyes, writing off Takashi's disappearance as a coincidence.
Tokonosu, Takashi's Apartment
Wednesday, 05:05:00 AM
Takashi woke up abruptly, throwing himself over the side of his bed and standing. He winced, feeling the pain from all of his injuries come onto him at once. He rubbed his head, walking out into the kitchen and searching it for food, he settled for a bit of rice and chicken that was leftover in the fridge.
After popping his meal into the microwave Takashi stood around, his phone beginning to ring once more. He had been ignoring all of the calls he'd been getting, he didn't know why, he just did it for no reason. Takashi shrugged, picking up the phone a swiping to answer, he didn't pay attention to the caller ID simply bringing the phone to his ear to listen.
"Hello? Takashi?" A familiar female voice said. She had a voice similar to Rei's, just deeper.
"Hello." Takashi croaked, he quickly punched his chest twice to clear his throat.
"Rei said that you were missing, my bad if I bothered you." The female voice said.
"Oh wow, the hot senior caring about their junior," Takashi teased dryly, unable to smile even though the energy was still there.
"Hot? Shut up, I was just worried about you since she said you were missing." The voice said. "I wouldn't have cared if Rei hadn't mentioned anything to me, I can't do anything about that though since I'm her older sister and she talks a lot."
"No, I'm perfectly alright, Aika. I'm- I'm good," Takashi responded.
"Okay well, I'll see you tomorrow dumbass," Aika said playfully, hanging up on the teen.
"Tomorrow?" Takashi asked, realizing Aika hung up on him he shrugged, pulling his meal out of the microwave and downing it, returning to his room and passing out once again.
Fujimi Academy
Thursday, 09:00:00 AM
Yumie calmly lectured a large group of students, all clad in uniforms similar to Fujimi's, except the colors which were red, instead of green or black. The group of students was from Fujimi's sister school, Akaibara high. The sister school on a trip to tour their collaborative school. Yumie continued lecturing before handing off the speaking to a purple-haired girl who stood next to her. The woman in question stood five-foot-eight, long purple hair with a triangle fringe framing her face, and a similarly athletic build to Yumie's
Her icy blue eyes scanned the crowd, continuing to speak until a loud clang was heard from the front gate. All of the students in the vicinity gazed towards the gate, watching as a black-haired teen dropped from the fence, sipping from a small green bottle. His face was slightly red, staring around the courtyard and shrugging.
Takashi stumbled towards the main school building, he didn't notice or care about the large group of students standing outside the dojo. He knew they were staring, but he couldn't care less as he took another swig from his soju, the liquid helping ease his pains.
The purplette's expression turned sour as she observed the teen drinking and stumbling.
"Can you deal with this embarrassment," The purplette said, coldly staring at Yumie.
"I'll see to this, Busijima-senpai!" A male voice boomed. The purplette's eyes fixed on a tall male who walked out of the dojo, he was lanky, standing at six-foot-three with green hair that was swept into a man-bun. His brown eyes observing his captain, she nodded to the young man and he stepped off the dojo and through the group of students to intercept the black-haired teen.
"Saeko, this won't end well," Yumie said, watching as the green-haired student approached her friend.
"Maybe, but we have groups of students here. It's our duty to maintain our reputation among other students," Saeko said, watching her green-haired student.
The green-haired male came into earshot of Takashi and called out to him, he was met with no response. Takashi continued to drink, now in the middle of the courtyard.
"Hey! You can't drink here man." The green-haired teen said to Takashi, closing the distance between them.
"Fuck yourself," Takashi snarled, not turning towards the teen.
The green-haired teen, seeing this an opportunity to 'Woah' his captain and co-captain smiled. He ran up to Takashi, smacking the glass bottle out of his hand and grabbing his shirt collar. Takashi remained unmoving, bottle out of hand, glaring at the male who attempted to intimidate him.
"I said, you can't drink here buddy," The green-haired male said, unaware of the black-haired teen's growing anger.
Takashi chuckled, slamming his fist into the unsuspecting teen's face. He unlatched from Takashi, staggering backward before being met with an elbow to the jaw, sending him to the ground. Takashi stomping on the teen several times before yawning, becoming uninterested in the fight.
The group from Akaibara high watched on as Takashi continued stomping the student, who had in defense curled into a ball. Saeko and Yumie also watched on, Saeko looking uninterested, yet her mind was fluttering with thoughts. Observing the violence and power the student had over her underclassmen, she sighed.
"We should stop this," Yumie sighed.
Just then a yell was heard, "What the fuck are you doing!?" Aika's voice boomed throughout the courtyard.
Shivers were sent throughout the students of the courtyard. A six-foot red-haired girl stepped away from a group of females from Akaibara high. Her hair was swept back into a low ponytail with bangs and locks framing her face, her steel-gray eyes staring down Takashi, she had the same athletic body Saeko and Yumie shared. Takashi felt himself shiver, watching as Aika approached him. He sidestepped away from the green-haired male, standing beside the grounded teen.
"Why would you beat up on this kid for no reason, asshat?!" Aika yelled at the teen.
Takashi shrugged, not noticing that the green-haired teen staggering with the soju bottle in hand.
"Takashi!" Aika said, noticing the green-haired male swing his weapon at Takashi.
Takashi raised his arms into a high guard, his forearms taking the full brunt of the attack. Takashi winced, turning on his heel and slamming his foot into the teen's stomach. Takashi, after dealing with the other boy looked over his arms, his forearm bandage beginning to turn a soaking crimson. He grimaced as Aika walked over, dragging the teen towards her.
"What the fuck? What are these!" Aika demanded, pulling the teen along with her as she raced into the main building.
...
Aika dragged Takashi throughout the school halls until she reached a door with the tag 'Nurse Office,' she slamming her foot against the door, swinging it open and starling the blonde nurse inside. Aika pulled Takashi into the room and pushed him onto a nearby bed forcefully. The brown-haired teen grunted as he was held in place by the girl.
"Nurse Marikawa, can you please fix this jackasses arm," Aika asked the nurse, who nodded and walked over to the two.
She sat her bag of medical supplies onto the bed, Takashi fixating his eyes on the nurse. She was wearing a white long-sleeved collared shirt tied together by a ribbon. His eyes trailed downward noticing how her shirt held back her breasts from bursting out, and the black leather skirt that traced her curves. He was hit on the head roughly then, by Aika with a glare on her face, Takashi innocently putting on a fake smile.
"I'm fine, It's just a bit of bleeding because of a small cut," Takashi said.
The buxom nurse brought her fist down on the teen's head, unwrapping his blood-soaked bandage and cleaning his excess blood. Aika and the nurse's eyes widened at the two large slashes that crossed each other on his forearm. The nurse's eyes narrowed at the teen, causing him to shrink back from the blonde's stare. After the nurse quickly finished sterilizing the forearm wounds and suturing them together. She then re-bandaged the wound with fresh new rags.
"Taka- Komuro, strip." The blonde said, her voice serious.
"Wha? Why." Takashi responded after making a small whimpering sound.
"Now!" The blonde said loudly, snapping the black-haired teen's spirit to rebel.
"Yes ma'am!" Takashi responded.
...
Takashi was now stripped down to his boxers, pride, and dignity far gone out the window. Aika grimaced at the several black and blue bruises that ran down his legs and body, the nurse began treating and assessing minor bruises while Aika poked the teen's abs, causing him to wince."
"Alright, your arms are good, but you shouldn't do anything strenuous for a day or two. I assume they'll heal up quick." The nurse said, re-packing her medical bag.
"Nurse what about his stomach and legs?" Aika asked, slightly worried.
"I felt around and there's nothing out of place. I even felt his head and everything seems to be in line, so the bruises will heal on their own." The nurse responded calmly. "Although, I would like to know how you acquired all of these injuries young man." The blonde demanded after. The teen ignored her, choosing to quickly reclothe himself and try to escape, although he was destined for failure.
...
Aika dragged Takashi into the outside stairwell, throwing him down onto the railing and pressing her foot against his shoulder. The teen let her, relaxing and keeping the same lifeless stare.
"Everything, now," Aika demanded.
Takashi began re-telling the events, grimacing when covering what happened during their ruined strip club visit. He covered everything, between the fight and the passing of Imamura, his head hanging low.
"I'm sorry, Takashi," Aika said, sadness evident in her voice.
"It's aight," Takashi responded quietly.
"Shut up," Aika demanded, "You put on this strong persona to appeal towards everyone else, think about yourself for once, you don't have to be strong anymore, at least with me," she said, pulling the teen up from the ground and hugging him. He returned the embrace, letting the woman's words sink in. "You don't have an excuse, so don't try and bring in one to try and get me off your back. Just shut up and let someone help for once. I'll listen to your problems if no one will, you just promise me to stop this shit and actually worry about yourself for once."
"Alright, I'm fine now, really," Takashi said.
"Shut up," Aika said, untangling from the teen.
Fujimi Academy
Thursday, 12:03:00 PM
Lunch had managed to sneak up on the unsuspecting Takashi, who was dead asleep on the outside stairwell. His peace was short-lived when a few familiar faces kicked open the stairwell door and dragged him into the courtyard. The black-haired teen simply staying silent, allowing the teens to drag him to a set of bleachers. He noticed as he was dragged up the bleachers his friend group conversing, talking amongst each other, and waving towards the teen when he arrived. As soon as he arrived he passed out once more, this time in Yumie's lap since she was the closest to him.
...
Aika poked Takashi's cheek, Hisashi joining her in the assault. The teen in question shot up with a grunt, staring at his friends.
"Lunch is over, time to get back to class," Hisashi said, patting his friend fully awake and scaling back down the bleachers where Morita, Hirano, Rei, Saya, and Serry all waited. Takashi stood, his vision pulsing as he watched over his friend group.
"Well come on man!" Hisashi and Hirano shouted to Takashi.
"Those were some devastating blows, I don't think I'll be able to attend class anymore," Takashi said, somehow his mood began shifting once again. He stopped short on the bleachers when Aika smiled at him, "Get over it, loser," She said, quickly descending the bleachers afterward.
The group began walking, all laughing among each other, smiles flowing and positivity emanating from the group. Just then the spring breeze flowed throughout his hair, his face contorted, not being forced but rather naturally he smiled, a real, genuine smile. The group waved to him, he waved back, quickly catching up to them, but just beforehand he made a silent promise, 'I will protect these people,'
TO BE CONTINUED.
Author's note:
Thank you for reading my story! Leave a review if you feel inclined to do so and I hope you have an amazing day/night. If you feel like it, you can leave me a comment, suggestion, or criticism. Anything helps!