I do not own High School of the Dead or Fate/Stay Night. I only wrote this for fun and not for profit. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Fate of the DEAD

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 1: Knight against DEAD

The sky was clear that day when the modern world ended.

He was walking down the streets of the new city he had found himself in. He was of an average, but physically fit height which spoke of skill, grace, and power. He wore simple clothes consisting of a dark purple hooded sweater with a black line on the sleeves, jeans, and dirty sneakers. They weren't quite the kind of clothing someone of his…nature would have worn, but to him they were something to be proud of wearing. They were homage to the very brave man who summoned him, a man who put his life on the line to rescue a little girl from a terrible fate. A man who gave his life for that cause but in the end failed. A man who did it all for the woman he loved and the daughter she had been forced to give up simply because she was born second.

If anyone deserved to be called a hero, it would have been him.

This man's face was revealed to the world, his hoodie lying unused on his back. He had dark hair, almost purple really, tied back in a ponytail with the rest framing his face. His features were indeed handsome even if they were obviously foreign to the Japanese people around him. He looked to be Caucasian, his skin fair and without blemish. Many women from the teenagers, to the adults, and even some older women flushed and giggled when they saw him. He would offer a kind smile and a nod, but that would only make them giggle more. He was polite when one or two wished to talk to them, but he did not offer any kind of opening if they attempted to try and have him take them out on a date.

Lancelot of the Lake did not deserve such things.

The former Berserker had felt himself be summoned to this Japanese City a month ago. He had no instinctual knowledge of what was going on like in the Grail War, the lingering mangic from his summoning to Kariya Matou the only thing allowing him to read and speak Japanese like he was born there, perhaps with an English accent though. He didn't have any indication of any sort of class, which was both a disappointment and a relief. A disappointment on the one hand since he had no advantages like say a Saber or an Archer would but it was also a relief since he wouldn't be the mad Servant Berserker either.

His last memories, those of dying in the arms of his king, brought him a kind of solace and relief. He died as any true knight should, died as a proper Knight of the Round. Knowing that he was at least worthy enough to die in such a way brought him solace that perhaps he would one day be permitted to move on from his pain and shame. He died as a knight, so perhaps it was time to try and live more like one than he did before.

He had searched the city looking for any sort of clue as to why he had ended up there of all places. The city was called Tokonosou City, but unlike Fuyuki City it seemed that there was absolutely nothing special about the place at all. There was no feeling of magic in the air, no hint that anything like the Holy Grail War was taking place, and most of all there was absolutely no sign of any sort of magi. He was drifting alone and without any sort of direction. The most interesting thing going on in the city was the fact that one of the local politicians was being investigated because he had come into a number of funds for his election campaign through supposedly less than honest methods.

Fortunately, as a Servant he did not require food or sleep so he hardly needed to find restaurants to eat or hotels to sleep. His prana allowed his clothes to be clean no matter likewise with his body. If he wanted to rest, he simply sat down on a bench, closed his eyes, and allowed his mind to rest for a while. An hour or so later, he was refreshed and ready to move again. Oddly enough, he kept ending up with money in his pockets for some reason. Usually it came from helping an old lady move their groceries or helping them if they needed something and they simply had to reward him for his generosity. It wasn't much, but his lack of hunger helped him keep it safe for a time until he felt the urge to eat hit him. Needless to say, it added up.

Tokonosou it seemed was a rather peaceful place all things considered. On the other hand though, it wasn't perfect either.

He'd seen that himself.

(FLASHBACK)

Lancelot was nice again wandering the streets of Tokonosou, wondering what exactly it was that he had been summoned for. It had been several days since he appeared in that park, dressed in his full armour. There were no magi around to show who had summoned him, no knowledge imparted to him to reveal why he was there, and there was no sign of magic anywhere at all. He was for all intents and purposes cast adrift in a world that was no longer his own. Worst of all, he had no one to supply him more prana, making his current stores limited.

Shifting his appearance to a more normal one to conserve his energies, Lancelot went on the search to find out what was going on. That had been a few days ago and so far he had made absolutely no progress on that front.

"What purpose does a night have in this modern age?" he wondered aloud as he walked. The sun sank lower on the horizon, reflecting his own thoughts on the mystery of his current existence. Very few leads were present and as he chased down each one he simply found no answers waiting for him. The shadows of the mystery continued to grow and offer no insight into how he would find purpose in Tokonosou City when there was no Grail War to fight.

"No! Stop it! Please!"

Lancelot stopped, turning his gaze to a gap between two buildings. Hiding in the shadows between the buildings were a pair of people. The first was a man dressed in rather loud and messy clothes, making him look sloppy and brutish. He had tattoos on his revealed skin, marking him out as a gang thug who were somewhat the norm in the back alleys and criminal elements that appeared in just about any city, not just Tokonosou. The other was a woman. She had long blonde hair that reached down her body and a particularly developed figure. She wore a white blouse and black skirt, making it possible that she was leaving work when she was approached by the thug. Her arms were pressed against the wall as the man held a knife in one hand and molested her sizable chest. Her face was filled with fear and tears were leaking from the corners of her eyes as she pleaded with her captor to stop.

"No! Stop!"

"Oooh, baby you don't want me to stop! Not unless you want this sticking into that tight tummy of yours!" He held his knife up the woman's face to show he was serious.

"Ah! Uh…uh…"

"Now I can be gentle or I can be rough. Your choice."

That sentence was all Lancelot needed to hear before acting on that knowledge. A disgraced knight he may have been, but he was still a knight and he would act like such! Turning, he dashed down the alleyway to where the man was attempting to rape the blonde. He swiftly grabbed the thug by the shoulders before abruptly tossing him away, sending him sailing with a surprised cry into a pile of trash with a loud thud. Lancelot's strength as a Servant easily allowed him to do such, the force of the throw plus the impact knocking the degenerate out quite easily.

The scum dealt with, Lancelot turned his attention to the man's intended victim, "Are you alright?"

The blonde woman blinked, the attack on the criminal happening so fast she hadn't reacted to it at first. When it dawned on her that she was indeed safe, she began to tremble as tears finally began tracking down her face. Sniffling, she then broke out into a loud sob before lunging at Lancelot. He didn't resist as she wrapped her arms around him and openly cried into his chest. She sobbed out her thanks over and over again, quite obviously relieved to not have been taken advantage of.

"It's all right," Lancelot whispered to her, resting a hand on her head. "You're okay."

Holding the woman as she sobbed, choking out her thanks for his intervention, Lancelot found it. A twinge in his chest that felt warm after so many years of cold despair and guilt lifting through it. It was the feeling of protecting one who could not protect themselves. It was a feeling he had thought that he had long forgotten and would not be able to feel again.

He felt pride as a hero.

(END FLASHBACK)

The woman introduced herself as Shizuka Marikawa, a nurse at a local school. She had simply insisted she do something for Lancelot in thanks for saving her. He tried to dissuade her, but it seemed she would not be denied. She all but dragged him to her favourite confectionary where she filled a plate of cakes and sweets for the both of them. From there, she proceeded to chat and talk about herself, going on and on. Lancelot of course listened. Having someone to talk to was likely how she wished to deal with the trauma she had been forced to deal with.

Shizuka was of course a beautiful woman. Her soft features, exotic looks compared to those in the far east, innocent brown eyes, and voluptuous body no doubt had men running for miles in hopes of wooing her. She was something of a paradox though. Medicine required a sharp mind and extensive knowledge, which Shizuka had when it came to the healing arts. Everything else…she was somewhat dim in certain ways. She wasn't stupid by any means, but it was just the feeling one had when they talked to her that she may be a little unclear in certain subjects. She was also skilled physically in the craft, but Lancelot had seen for himself that she could be rather clumsy when given half the chance in anything physical.

When they parted after their unusual meeting, the former Knight of the Round figured that he really wouldn't see her again in such a large city. He was quickly proven wrong on that front. Shizuka somehow had the odd ability of just showing up at certain points where Lancelot was passing through. She would then stick to him like glue and chat about whatever crossed her mind apparently overjoyed at the fact she found a friend to walk with. Again, Lancelot would of course listen and offer his own opinions now and then. He didn't truly mind the company, having a pleasant travelling companion for at least a little while was always welcome. Part of him felt he truly didn't deserve a friend after all of his wrongdoing in life, but another part, a growing part, argued that his king had forgiven him by allowing him to die in her arms. It was time to start forgiving himself as well and the first step towards that would be to connect with somebody.

"Shizuka has been asking me to visit the school so we could catch up," Lancelot sighed to himself as he pondered what to do with his day. So far, he had been finding no leads and had more or less wasted another day trying to find some sort of purpose for his summoning.

Maybe meeting his friend would do some good…

"EEEYAAAHHHHH!"

The former Knight of the Round stopped when he heard the scream echo through the streets. His reflexes as a trained knight went into action as he began running. Dashing through the streets and past numerous people, he came to a halt when a tide of humanity charged towards him screaming and begging for help. Lancelot manoeuvred around them, trying to see what was going on and offer what assistance he could. As the last of the people got past him Lancelot could see what was happening…

…and he saw hell.

The cars that were on the road were packed end to end, some of which were swerved off the road and crashed into some of the stores. Some of them were on fire, sending black smoke rising into the air almost like living sickness. Several of the cars were unfortunately on top of bystanders who were dead, their blood pooling underneath the cars and their bodies pinned between the twisted heaps, underneath them, or up against the buildings.

It didn't stop them from moving though.

Their skin was mottled and gray, their eyes rolled back and white. Twisted broken limbs exposed bone in some cases, open wounds were revealed, still spilling out blood. Chests were caved in, hunks of flesh were missing, bones were broken, but even with all of that damage the bodies were still moving. They groaned, they shuffled, they moaned…

…and they ate.

Several groups of the mutilated humans were kneeling over something, tearing away at it before swallowing messy chunks of it, sending blood to splatter over the roads and sidewalks. Organs, hunks of muscle, flesh, everything that could be torn off were removed and swallowed by the mutilated humanoids. The former knight could only watch in appalled horror at what was happening before him. Never before, even in the brutal wars he fought in had he seen such brutal savagery. The barbarians and enemy armies never actually ate the people they killed!

One group of such monsters suddenly stopped eating their quarry and began standing up. Lancelot gaped as the victim they had captured, a man in a suit with his chest cavity torn open with his organs missing chunks of them or missing altogether, quite suddenly stood up. His skin was just as gray and mottled as the others with his clothes and body stained with his own blood. Getting to his feet, he gave out a groan which eerily matched the moans of the others. Turning in a direction, the turned man hobbled off towards one of the other moaning and grumbling mobs of its fellows, the others lurking to find food of their own.

"What…what madness is this?" Lancelot gaped, honestly appalled at the sight.

"NO! NO! NOOOOO!"

Lancelot's mind returned to himself as he turned to see the source of the sudden screaming. On the sidewalk was a woman, one who had fallen down at some point. One of the gray-skinned monsters had her by her ankle and was pulling itself towards her, or was trying to pull her towards it. She was kicking at the ghoul's face, her high heels managing to keep it at bay. One particular kick had ruptured one of its eyes, making another sickening scene. Unfortunately, the ruckus had caught the attention of more of the creatures as they shambled towards her, their hands grasping as if they were blind.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Lancelot's reflexes and instinct kicked in before his conscious mind did. Looking, he spotted the trunk of a nearby car that had popped open when it crashed. Dashing to the open vehicle, he tore off the covering at the bottom to reveal a tire replacement kit, part of which was a tire iron. Grabbing it, Lancelot allowed his prana to flood into it which in turn made the item turn pitch black with purple veins. The tool wasn't just a tire iron anymore, but it was his tire iron. Now it was part of his legend, his story, his history, his Noble Phantasm.

Turning to where the woman continued to kick the ghoul to no avail as more came closer, Lancelot reared back his arm before he actually threw the tire iron at the monster on the ground. Normally using a tire iron in such a way required skills at throwing weapons not to mention experience in using such an unconventional weapon in such an unconventional way. Ordinarily only someone who mastered the martial art called Moo Gi Gong could have a reasonable chance of doing such, but Lancelot of the Lake was far from ordinary. The tire iron flew through the air missing anything which it could have bounced off of and ruined its aim before it collided easily with the ghoul's head, the socket easily crashing through its skull, dropping the beast dead.

Lancelot didn't remain idle though. He was running just as fast as he had thrown the tire iron. Dipping around cars and the dead, he raced by on car which had all it's doors open and an umbrella sticking out. It likely belonged to a commuter who was prepared for a rainy day, literally. Lancelot scooped up the item as he passed, letting his prana transform it into his Noble Phantasm like it did the tire iron. Approaching the woman as the ghouls began their lunges for her flesh, the disgraced knight struck first with a powerful swing which impacted against the first monster's face.

Normally, an umbrella was hardly an ideal tool in attacking somebody unless you tried to stab them with it. The item itself was just too thin and flimsy to be of any use as a striking weapon, not beyond a few hits. If you were lucky, you'd disorient the target a little but in the end you'd likely do more damage to the item itself rather than to the one you were attacking with it. This wasn't the case when the umbrella was in Lancelot's hands. The item struck the monster's face with tremendous force, making a sickening cracking noise that broke both the monster's nose, skull, and neck from the sheer force before its body flew back into its comrades, knocking them all down with meaty thuds.

The woman blinked, surprised by the sudden action. She didn't get time to contemplate it before her saviour grabbed her by her wrist and hefted her up to her feet. She got a glance at his foreign features before she was pushed away with a barking order, "Run now!"

The woman didn't need any more prompting as she bolted down the street to find someplace safe. The former knight turned his gaze to the down ghouls that were now attempting to get back up and continue on the hunt. Raising his improvised Noble Phantasm, Lancelot prepared to strike down as many of the monsters as he could find so to give survivors time to flee to safety. Before the horde could come though, the window of the building he was standing next to suddenly shattered as even more ghouls, likely having been spawned inside came crashing through, piling on top of the former knight.

To an observer, it would have been a growing common scene in the chaos of one unfortunate person being dragged down by the dead and being devoured before joining their ranks. What few stragglers that remained assumed as such as they continued to run for some measure of safety. Had anybody had the courage to stay longer, they would have seen the newest pile of undead suddenly vanish inside a veritable explosion of purple haze that looked like a mix between fire and smoke. The ghouls caught in the middle of it were sent flying as the source of the miasma stood up with a powerful roar. Each of the flying monsters smashed into walls, cars, and concrete, smashing their heads open in a few cases.

Standing in the middle of the ring of battered and twice dead ghouls was Lancelot, clad in his suit of armour once again. The armour was configured in jagged edges and ornate dark designs. Harry could have almost sworn that the armour was steel trying to emulate evil. From the knight's back hung several black strips of fabric with ornate black metal tips, possibly for decorative purposes or maybe some other unknown reason. The limbs looked powerful, with all of the heavy armour fitted upon the human frame, making the figure appear to be someone Harry did not want to mess with. The helmet was smooth with a single slit for eyes ending with cross-like markings on either side. From the back of the helmet a long blue ponytail-like ornament hung and while it travelled, it turned from blue to black. The knight stood, looking around him, seeing only more death and more monsters.

As a warrior, he knew he should have attacked these monsters and end the threat they represented once and for all. Numbers of monsters like these weren't really going to be much of a concern for a Heroic Spirit. On the other hand, his knightly instincts told him to follow the people and protect them. Destroying the enemy could wait until the people were safe.

A clanking noise alerted Lancelot, making him look down. One of the ghouls had grabbed onto his armoured ankle, trying to bite through it to his flesh. He watched in morbid fascination as the creature continued to bite until it's own teeth broke with sickening snapping sounds but it still kept trying to bite him. Disgusted, he lifted his foot up before stomping on the creature's head, cracking it's skull…or rather pulping it.

A siren echoed through the air, turning the knight's attention from the ground to the air. The sky was decorated with black plumes of smoke, hovering over the city like death veils. Lancelot didn't consider the symbolism of the plumes of smoke in front of him though. His gaze was focused on the distance, where there were more plumes of smoke rising into the air, some flames rising up to follow them.

"This is happening all over the city," he muttered to himself. His mind instantly flashed to Shizuka, innocent, gentle Shizuka. In hell such as this which was rapidly spreading she would likely be swept up by the tide and quickly killed. More than that, she was likely at work at a high school where numerous children were likely going to be made a target of the ghouls as well. A flash of his former Berserker rage passed through him at the thought of someone so innocent being slaughtered and eaten like dog food.

Abruptly turning away from the moaning monsters, Lancelot dashed through the rows of crashed cars in the direction of Fuyumi High School. He knew the location well since Shizuka insisted that he take a tour with her so she could show off where she worked. It earned him many envious glances from the male faculty members while he could feel several females eye him up.

Coming to the back of the traffic jam, Lancelot spied a motorcycle laying on the ground. Seeing an opportunity, he walked to the motorcycle and hefted it onto its wheels before mounting it like he had seen some of the people in the city do before. Gripping the handles, he allowed Knight of Honor to work its magic and flood the machine with its prana. The machine already had a purple colouring, matching his armour perfectly. All of the steel turned an ominous purple and glowing streamlines of purple appeared on the surface of the machine.

'Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R,' Lancelot thought as his recent acquisition became his Noble Phantasm. 'Highest damage claim loss rate in America, but in times like this that speed is what I need.'

The engine roared to life as the machine responded to Lancelot's will rather than the turn of a key. The machine's roar echoed louder and fiercer than anything the designers and builders could hope to achieve. If they heard it, they would have cried while sucking their thumbs wondering how they could have failed so greatly in their fields. No longer did the machine look like a stylish motorcycle meant to impress people and participate in illegal street races, but now it looked like a modern-day war horse ready to ride.

Lancelot gunned the engine, letting the beast let out a terrifying squeal as the tire kicked up smoke on the street before roaring off with a black tread mark to show where it went. Lancelot drove with all the skill of a master at the art of riding motorcycles, dipping and swerving around the parked cars or the odd shambling dead which as he feared, were popping up all over the city no matter what turn he made. If anything they seemed to become even more numerous in certain areas that he frequented such as shopping centers, travel terminals, and other such places. Given how full a school could be on a given day, Lancelot feared that his friend's place of employment would be just as bad or worse.

'Just hang on!' He silently prayed.


Fujimi Academy

Takashi had stayed up late the previous night, the night before everything ended.

He had been feeling sorry for himself that night and was beating himself up over it. Rei, his ex-girlfriend had broken up with him before suddenly started going out with his best friend Hisashi. Normally it would be upsetting enough to a teenage guy who entered his first relationship. What made it that much worse was the fact that Rei was a childhood friend and they made the promise to get married one day. Everyone around them were sure that they would follow through with that promise. Their parents were even backing up their kids' relationship. Then it all fell apart and Takashi blamed himself for it, remembering that he had taken their relationship rather lightly being secure in his position as Rei's boyfriend and future husband. He knew he hadn't been as attentive as he probably should have been, especially after Rei got held back for another year. She said she wanted space so he gave it to her but he didn't really try to figure out what was going on after that. They drifted after that and the next thing he knew, he saw Rei and Hisashi enjoying a date while he was out on the town one day. She made it official not long after that.

Funny, a few hours ago he thought his world was ending.

How small his problems seemed in the scope of the world right now.

"GYAH!" the black-haired teen bellowed, smashing his bat into one of their faces as he and a group of his fellow students and one faculty member dashed towards one of the buses that their school would use to transport their sports clubs to the matches and functions they were participating them.

The reanimated corpse of someone he was pretty sure he knew from class went down with a grow part of the head cracked from the force of the blow. Behind it, another former students in the form of a girl with short dark hair and a bloody chunk missing from her thigh lunged for the boy. Takashi swerved to avoid he lunge before the long-haired kendo student Sakeo Busujima dashed into the space before smashing the monster's head with her bokken, sending the ghoul down to the dirt dead once more.

Takashi Komuro was just an average student and an average guy. He had short black hair that spiked wildly, something that was both natural and a bit of styling in his minor attempts to stand out from the crowd in his rebellious years. He wore the black school uniform but in the midst of the chaos it had several bloodstains on it from all the heads he'd smashed since all the hell began to end. He wasn't the best student out there, but he really wasn't the worst either although some of his teachers would have several arguments otherwise.

Saeko Busujima was a fellow student who wore the school uniform of a green and white blouse with a green skirt, but the length of the skirt marked her out as a third-year student. She had long purple hair that reached down past her waist and a sharp set of eyes and graceful, beautiful features. Her figure was definitely drool-worthy, if how her clothes settled on them was any indication which included a sizable bust. It was part of the reason why she was voted the hottest girl in the entire school. The rest of her popularity with the boys stemmed from how mysterious she was and how she carried herself, not really talking about herself or being involved in much of a social life.

Directly behind the pair were three more of their classmates and the school nurse, Rei Miyamoto, Saya Takagi, Kota Hirano, and Shizuka Marikawa.

Rei was a pretty girl with long brown hair which reached down her back but was tamed in a ponytail. She wore the same uniform as Saeko, but the skirt was shorter to mark out she was a second-year student, but she was the same age as Saeko. She was again very attractive and incidentally on the same list that marked Saeko as the hottest girl in the school, and her spot was well earned with her athletic figure and bountiful chest mixed with her usual friendly personality. She still retained her position even if she had been grumpy at times lately. In her hands was a mop handle fashioned as a staff with a pointed tip, the mop itself having been torn off to make it a proper weapon. She showed off her skill with it as she twisted it in the air and bashed two of them at once, showing just why she was vice-president of the sojutsu club.

Behind Rei was Takashi's other childhood friend Saya Takagi. She was a pretty girl who much like Rei had a figure many of the girls in school envied her for. Her hair was a an incredibly light shade of red, looking more pink than anything and tied into twin ponytails. Her eyes were golden, but her pretty features were etched in a near scowl as she struggled to keep her mind sharp in the crisis. She wore a smart pair of glasses, but Takeshi knew she didn't like to wear them if she could help it. She was easily the highest-scoring student in the school in terms of academics and she wasn't so humble that she wouldn't constantly remind people of it.

Hovering around her was a slightly overweight boy named Kota Hirano. He like Takashi wore the black uniform of the school although he kept it closed since he was slightly self conscious at how his stomach stuck out. He had black hair which hung down to his jaw line and square glasses which had black frames, making him look more than a little nerdy. Takashi didn't know him too well personally, but they did have the same class together. What made him stand out though was the fact that he was a gun-nut and military otaku. If the military did it or if it could shoot something then he could tell you everything about it or know where to go to find out. In the hell of this situation, he seemed to be in his element though. Earlier, he managed to fashion a rifle out of a nail gun, an eraser, a pencil, and two rulers. An odd combination, but one that worked since he was sniping off zombies left and right as they tried to get near the group

Last in the small band was Shizuka Marikawa, the ridiculously busty school nurse who was widely regarded as something of a ditz. It didn't stop boys and even some male teachers from oogling her when she passed, hoping that she'd trip or something so that her assets could move about on their own. Takashi wouldn't be too ashamed to admit that he'd entertained fantasies about her not long after he met her. That was before he and Rei decided to get serious. Honest. She wasn't armed, but was instead carrying a duffel bag filled with medical supplies and with her medical knowledge it made her something of an indispensable member of the group.

At the rear of the group in a vanguard-like position was Takuzo Okamoto. He was one of the sports jocks with short brown hair and gold eyes. He was dressed in the school uniform and had a sports towel hanging from his shoulders. He was armed with a baseball bat, his weapon of choice and a particularly wise one since he was one the baseball team so his body was conditioned to use the thing. With him was his girlfriend Naomi who had chin-length black hair, brown eyes, and freckles on her cheeks. When the panic of a mob attacking the school and killers already inside, Takuzo and acted quick and pulled Naomi aside to avoid the panic that set in. After that, he had grabbed a baseball bat from the supply room and both he and Naomi tried to find a safe place. After meeting up with some of their fellow students like the redhead Kawamoto Nakamura, among some male students who were lucky enough to escape from the dead, they tried to escape but were cornered by the zombies before Takashi's group saved them, allowing them to team up to try and get to the bus so they could escape.

'And the day started off so peacefully,' Takashi thought to himself.

Takashi had begun his day like normal, but by the time the afternoon began rolling in he felt so fed up with himself he skipped his next class to hand out at his pity corner near the roof. Saya berated him for being stupid about his breakup but he blew her off. In the midst of his apathy though, he saw the front gates of the school where four teachers were trying to make some drunk guy who was banging against the gates go away. The gym teacher, Mr. Tejima attempted to use force by reaching through the gate and smacking him around, but the drunk instead grabbed the man's arm and bit through his wrist. Tejima fell back and it was obvious from even Takashi's viewpoint that he died not long after. Having the majority of the vital veins in your wrist bitten out would do that. The female teacher Kyoko Hayashi went to try and help him, but then the weird stuff just kept coming.

The dead teacher quite suddenly got back up again and proceeded to try and bite out Hayashi's throat. He would have too were it not for the red spear suddenly slip through the gates and pierce Tejima through the chest and pull him back to the iron bars. Takashi had to blink since he missed it, suddenly realizing that there was a man in a green suit standing at the gates with a long red spear and a short yellow spear in his hands. The red one had saved Hayashi by stabbing Tejima while the gold one was sticking the man outside to the ground through his heart…but he was still moving, trying to get up to grab at the man. The green-clad man then actually leaped over the gate before running to Hayashi-sensei's side to ascertain if she was harmed or not.

Meanwhile, one of the younger teachers who Takashi thought was Tejima's assistant ran up to his boss' body to try and help him with his injury. He got within stepping distance before Tejima lunged at him, biting into his throat and taking him down, tearing his flesh apart in an effort to eat it. The man in green and Ms. Hayashi along with the remaining teacher all made a run for it back to the school. Takashi didn't need to see any more as he dashed back to his class to get Rei out of it. It took a small minute of convincing, but once Hisashi saw that Takashi was serious, he managed to convince Rei to come along. It was pandemonium in the halls soon after when one of the faculty ordered an evacuation but was attacked and killed over the P.A. System. The school was chaos as everybody made a mad dash for the exits, pushing, shoving, punching, and even trampling one another in their panic to escape.

Rei, Takashi, and Hisashi had gone to the management section of the school to escape but were cornered by Wakisaka the social studies teacher who looked to be infected like the guy outside was. They attempted to beat him off and Rei stabbed him, but it didn't slow him down. Hisashi pinned him in a headlock, but the man just turned his head at a sickening angle before biting into Hisashi's arm. Takashi killed the man soon after. The group then got to the rooftop and holed up there for a few hours, but soon Hisashi began getting sick and they all discovered the horrible truth. Anyone who was bitten by one of them would die and become one of them in only a short time, explaining why although the attack happened only a short time ago, such a large number of the school population was already turned and attacking the rest. Hisashi began vomiting blood before he went into convulsions, dying soon after. Rei denied it the entire time, but Takashi knew that it was happening. Despite Rei's pleas, he ended Hisashi's life and kept him from hurting anybody.

After a moment to get some semblance of sanity back, Rei and Takashi escaped the roof where they soon met up with Saya, Saeko, Kota, and Shizuka. They made the plan of using the school bus to escape with any other survivors they found, which they did in Takuzo's group. Their initial plan was to sneak past them since it seemed sound was what triggered their actions because their senses of touch and sight were already dead. Unfortunately, one of Takuzo's group mishandled his weapon, making it bounce off the railings as they were attempting to escape which made an echoing noise through the school and attracting all of them in range. The group was now fighting their way out, trying to get to the bus.

"Keep moving!" Takashi shouted, smashing another ghoul aside. "We're almost there!"

"Well hurry up!" Kota shouted back. "I can't keep this up forever!"

Saeko leaped ahead, smashing another zombie in the head before she sided to a halt her eyes narrowed in aggravation.

"Why are you stopping?-!" Takashi shouted as he caught up to his senior. He got a good look at what Sakeo saw before his face fell slightly. "Oh shit."

Ahead of the pair with their group catching up was a veritable wall of them standing between the living and the bus. Saya likewise say the scene and her mind immediately figured a possible scenario. With all of the chaos of people trying to escape, a lot of people no doubt would have figured that the bus would have been a good way to escape. No zombie would be able to stop an oncoming bus in any conceivable way. Unfortunately, the people who ran to the courtyard were some of the first ones to be attacked and turned. Likely the gates and the vehicles were going to be swamped, but this much was surprising even for her.

"Oh damn," Kohta grimaced as he saw the scene.

"We're fucked," a boy without the school's jacket moaned, incidentally he was the one who accidentally alerted them to their presence in the school.

"No thanks to you!" a gaunt-faced boy who was with Takuzo's group snapped angrily.

"They're coming up from behind!" cried Naomi as Takuzo turned to face them.

"We'll have to fight our way through," Takashi frowned, gripping his bat.

"Are you nuts?-!" demanded Saya. "There's no way we'd be able to get through to the bus without getting bitten!"

"If we don't fight then we're going to get bitten anyway!" Takashi snapped back. "So unless you've got a better idea then we're going to have to fight!"

Saya would have retorted with something sarcastic laced with panic given the current situation, but it was cut off by what sounded like an angry roar of some kind. It was loud, unnervingly so and it was enough to give all of the zombies around them pause as their decaying brains debated on the issue of going after the louder noise which may mean larger prey or going for the closer noises which offered immediate satisfaction. The group of survivors turned towards the sound on instinct, seeing the front gate of their school and something approaching it FAST!

"Is that-?" asked Rei

"You're joking, right?" Saya gaped.

"Oh my," Shizuka blinked. "Is that-?"

"A knight on a motorcycle!" Kota cried out.

That was indeed what the group was looking at, a knight clad in black armor racing towards the gates of the school on what looked like a high performance motorcycle that was louder and faster than any such machine that anybody in the group had witnessed before in their lives. It was fortunate that they were stunned speechless, allowing the zombies to begin focusing on the noise of the machine which made them begin to turn away from the survivors. The knight, if he knew about their habits, didn't care as he continued to race towards the gate. Coming closer, the motorcycle popped into a wheelie and didn't drop in any measure of speed as he continued his charge. The tire of the bike struck the gate and smashed through, making the iron gates fly open before the knight came back down. Still not losing speed, the knight let the engine roar before racing towards the group, swerving around some of the dead bodies that had not revived yet.

Racing through the parking lot, the knight began to lean over the edge of his machine as he raced towards one shambling dead in particular. This one Takashi had recognized as his friend Morita, a blonde who kept his hair slicked back and was hopeless with women, having asked Saya out three times and got shot down each time. The reanimated body of Takashi's friend was shambling towards the racing knight, an actual guitar clenched in his hands. The knight kept his charge going, racing up to the zombie. To the shock of the group the knight reached out as he passed Morita's body, actually grabbing the guitar from his decaying hand as he went. Mortia was knocked clean off his feet from the force, his arm obviously broken from the angle of the elbow joint.

The knight continued it's motorized charge, raising the guitar over his head. The group's eyes then widened as a blackness spread from the knight's hand over the guitar, turning the instrument black with purple lines accenting it looking almost like veins. The knight, a weapon in hand, then turned towards the group point blank before jumping the curve to land in the courtyard and race towards the group.

"Oh shit!" the gaunt-faced boy cried. "He's coming this way!"

The zombies began to lunge for the knight, some of them missing due to their low speed compared to the bike. Some managed to get lucky and lunge for the rider as he came right at them. They didn't get far as the knight swung his improvised weapon, smashing their heads in. Well, 'smashing' would be a somewhat light term for what the guitar did on impact. Obliterated would be a much better term as the guitar smashed clear through the heads of the zombies, leaving bottom jaws or no head at all after he hit them. The force of the blows sent their bodies sprawling, landing with meaty thuds.

"Holy shit!" Saeko and Takashi gasped at once.

Saya gaped at the sight as well, but again her genius intellect returned quickly. The kind of guitar that the knight was using was acoustic, otherwise made of wood and hollow inside. At best, he'd get one solid whack out of it before the instrument began to break or shatter but somehow this guy was using it like a war club and it was cracking heads wide open as if it were made of rock! What the hell had this psycho done to the thing?

The knight smashed through several more zombies before swerving to avoid the survivors. He roared past the group, smashing more of them as he went, knocking them back. He continued on, actually circling the group, smashing more and more of the ghouls to give the survivors some breathing space. Swerving around the group a total of three times he came to a stop, staring down a group of the dead with the survivors standing between them.

"Move!" the knight spoke. None of the group dared argue as they got to the sides. The knight hit the acceleration but didn't let up the break. The engine revved several times as the purple lining of the bike started breaking, like ink spilling out onto white paper. Steam began rising from the body of the bike, making Kota fear that the machine was going to explode if the pressure kept up. When the machine began to pulse with a purple light, the knight let the brake go, allowing the machine to roar at it's loudest and sounding like a mad beast. The knight twisted the accelerator, making it stick before he kicked off and landed on the dirt in a kneeling position. The bike roared forward, not stopping and somehow staying up despite no one driving it. Leaving a glowing purple trail in the dirt, the machine raced into the mob of them which caused the group of survivors to halt in the first place.

BOOM!

The resulting explosion turned everything purple as the bike was destroyed in the impact. The zombies in the centre of it all were incinerated, turning them into ash. The ones nearby were sent flying through the air, smashing against the school, the surrounding fence, skewered on the fence itself, against the bus, or simply hitting the ground. All of them were burned and smoldering, but still groaning. In some cases though, their limbs were broken, burned, and torn preventing their movements beyond futile shambling.

The survivors could only gape at the destruction, but relief came when they saw that the bus was perfectly fine, a little black from burns and bloodstains on the sides but otherwise fine. Around them the immediate threat of them was dealt with for the moment since the majority of them were dead all over again while the rest had been knocked away from the shockwave. The reflexes of the survivors allowed them to brace themselves in time, a luxury that the dead did not have anymore. Standing up, dusty and shocked but otherwise fine, they turned to look at the knight who had stood up.

"I had a dream about this sort of thing once," Kota mumbled, his mouth going on automatic since his brain was unavailable.

"Knights, motorcycles, and explosions?" Saya frowned, hearing the nerd speak. "Tsk! Typical guy!"

Kota blinked, but smiled at Saya's words, "Wow, thanks!"

"It wasn't a compliment!" the pinkette snapped.

"What are you people waiting for?" the black knight demanded as leveled a gaze at them, ending the squabble before it began. They tensed up, fearing he may turn on them like he had done the zombies. Even if he had saved them, he was still practically unknown. He then heard shouting and turned his gaze towards stragglers coming towards them, led by a man in glasses and a pinstripe suit. Chasing them were more of them that hadn't been caught in the blast.

"Keep running," the black knight ordered, hefting up the guitar. "I will clear passage for them."

"Wait!" Rei cried out, breaking the silence which had fallen on the others as the knight had arrived. "Forget him! We're better off without him!"

"What?-!" Takashi gaped, all eyes, even the knight's turning to the brunette. "Rei, are you even listening to yourself?"

"Just trust me!" Rei insisted. "If we save him then we're all going to regret it! So just let him go and let's get the hell out of here!"

"Just keep going! We don't have time to argue about this!" the black knight bellowed, ending the argument before he turned and ran towards the group of approaching students and one teacher. The few undead around them able to stand up were already beginning to do so. Soon they'd be going after the group again to try and devour them.

Takashi and Rei glanced at one another, but the y both knew that they couldn't stand around and fight. The group ran for the bus once again, easily reaching it before piling on board. Kota took point, sticking his nail-rifle out of a window to snipe any of them that wandered too close to the bus. Takashi and Saeko kept their guard up at the door while Saya, Shizuka, and Rei boarded with the school nurse hopping into the driver's seat to try and start up the machine. The black knight on the other hand took a running charge towards the approaching group to cut off the advancing horde.

The approaching group saw the black knight coming right at them and freaked out for a moment, only to realize moments later that they were not his targets. Rather, he was aiming for the horde of them which were approaching. Lancelot dashed right past them before laying into the first row with him guitar, smashing them to the ground, splattering blood across the soil without a second thought.

"GO!" the knight bellowed, pointing at the bus. "Get to the bus and don't stop lest you wish to die as one of them!"

"Thank-you! Thank-you ever so much!" the man in the suit gasped before he and his group continued on their dash towards the bus for safety.

The black knight turned his attention back to the hoard, smashing several of the members away with the guitar turned dangerous weapon. Several swings thinned down the numbers, but the noise had drawn more of them, all of them shambling out of the school to try and get in on where they thought food would be available. To the survivors, the knight looked like he could very well take them all on if he wanted to. Instead, he raised the guitar over his head, turning it to the pulsing purple with the purple veins spilling out haphazardly. The weapon changed, he threw it at the approaching mob, allowing it to explode with another resounding boom. It wasn't nearly as explosive as when the bike went up, but it was enough to turn several of them into red smears on the ground and knock the rest onto their faces or backs.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"


Lancelot's head whirled to the source of where he heard the scream. Several feet ahead of him, but well behind the group which was just now boarding the bus was one of the survivors, a boy with glasses being pinned on the ground by one of the ghouls who was savagely attempting to tear him to bloody chunks for consumption.

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" the boy screamed desperately, the ghoul's chomping jaws drawing closer to his throat.

"Hang on!" Lancelot shouted, abruptly changing his direction and running towards the downed by. Continuing to run, he scooped up a rock when had been loosened from the grown from the explosions from his Broken Phantasms before allowing Knight of Honor did it's work. Rearing back his arm, he laucnhed the rock with the force of a bullet at the ghoul's head. The blow struck home, going straight through the ghoul's head and killing it a second time mover before it slumped over the panicked boy's body.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Lancelot reached the downed boy and grabbed the back of the dead body and tossed it away. The boy looked up to the black knight, his face pale and bloody. However, Lancelot noticed that it looked like somebody had punched or even kicked his face short time ago. The boy's glasses were broken, his nose was bleeding, and his jaw was swollen an angry red.

"Are you alright?" he asked, pulling the boy up, but the boy whimpered and lifted up his leg.

"My...my ankle," the boy whimpered. "That...that bastard Shido...he was going to let me be eaten so they others could get away!" A mix between crazed anger and sheer panic swam over the boy's features. "He...he KICKED ME! He kicked me right into that thing's arms when I tripped!"

Shido. Lancelot knew that name well since Shizuka always seemed to have a complaint about the man at some point or another. He was one of the people who would leer at her and had several complaints lodged against him that never seemed to go anywhere. It seemed that even innocent and caring Shizuka considered the man to be scum and now it was proven true as far as the knight was concerned.

"Come on, I'll take you to the bus," said Lancelot as he hefted the boy onto his back. "Just hang on tight and don't let go."

"Al...alright..." the young man nodded, wrapping his arms around the knight's neck. He really didn't have any other options save to be eaten.

Lancelot quickly made his way to the bus where Shizuka was at the driver's seat. The dead were finally back on their feet proper, those that could move their limbs anyway, and were now slowly heading for the bus."This boy's injured his ankle," Lancelot informed her. He looked over his shoulder and saw more coming. Climbing into the bus, he set him down in an empty chair. Lancelot paid no mind to the stares he was getting. Seeing as nobody was coming for the bus, except for the ghouls the knight decided that it was time to get the hell out.

"Drive Shizuka-sensei!" shouted the girl with the staff.

"Okay! Here we GO!" Shizuka called out, pressing down on the gas pedal. The bus roared to life before pulling out of its parking space and racing towards the front gates. Several of the ghouls were run over, making the bus shake and tremble from the thumps. Even Lancelot had to grip on the headrests of two seats as he stood in the isle of the bus in case something happened. A sharp swerve followed, but Shizuka quickly took control before she smashed through the gates that Lancelot had broken through on his arrival. Turning onto the street, Shizuka began to race down the street away from that hell they had all found themselves in.


As they drove away, relief fell upon members on the group. However, Rei was still tensed. Shido's presence in the bus did not reassure her one bit. If anything, his presence was just as bad as the zombies if not worse in her opinion. Saeko, who'd taken lessons in first aid, and found a first-aid kit which was supplied on the bus helped to put a bandage around the ankle of the male student that the black knight had saved. Speaking of said knight, he was standing in front, arms crossed, as he looked at everyone. Not many had survived. From a school filled with hundreds of students, it had been reduced to only a handful of survivors.

He had his arms folded as he gave each and every one of them a critical look. Meanwhile, Saya's mind was at work. As a genius she tried to make sense of things and the black knight had pretty much done the impossible. Even if this whole situation was insane, he was just something that shouldn't be around in modern times. Who was this guy, where did he get his armor, and how was he able to do the things he'd done? Kota, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring. He was mentally fawning over the black knight's armor. Guns were his life blood and obsession, but defensive technology was just a big a thing to him as was the history of it so he knew a fair bit about knights and armor, even if he knew way more about guns and such.

Everyone couldn't help but stare at the knight who was simply standing there. He wasn't saying anything or moving beyond a slight change to keep his balance with some of the turns that Shizuka was making in her drive. It was obvious from his actions that he was there to help them from the zombies, but what other intentions did he have? For all they knew, he was some kind of psycho who was going to kidnap them all and do horrible things with their bodies. He certainly looked the part with how dark and twisted his suit was.

Shido seemed to be the first one to regain his sense of speech. Getting up from the seat he had chosen and ignoring the glare he was receiving from the student with broken glasses, he made a relieved smile as he approached the group at the front of the bus, "Thank you all for helping us." he looked up to the knight, "Especially you, risking yourself in such a way for perfect strangers. A suit of armour would certainly help though." He chuckled softly. "Although I have to question exactly how we were so lucky as to have someone of your skill appear so suddenly. Are you with Busujima-san's group?"

"No," the knight replied. "I arrived to find a friend. Fortune allowed me to help save as many lives as I did."

"Oh?" Shido pondered, adjusting his glasses. "And who might that friend be I wonder? I don't recall ever seeing one such as you around our school."

Saya frowned as she easily saw the slight accusing tone in Shido's voice. She could tell that Shido was trying to put the knight against the wall, to try and expose him to their group and likely force him to conform to them and cement his positioning. Saya couldn't disagree in trying to keep him around considering what she had seen him do in rescuing them. Of course, she could see Shido was trying for psychological pressure. That in itself was a bad idea since if it went wrong, this guy could crush them all with just about anything he could lay his hands on if when she saw him do with a rock and a guitar was true.

Saya was expecting either the knight to grow more agitated or try to explain himself under the pressure that Shido was beginning to try and push onto him. He was silent for a moment, making the pinkette fear that he was about to do something bad for their health. Instead, she and the others on the bus were treated to the sight of the knight's armour being covered in a purple glow that illuminated everything softly before dimming, making the nightmarish armor vanish from the knight's body. What was behind was an admittedly handsome man who looked Caucasian, likely from Europe or North America. His hair reached to his shoulder and his narrowed eyes were...slightly alluring but the proverbial shadow over his features made him look as dark as his clothes.

"You have seen me before," the man replied, a European accent heard in his voice even if he spoke flawless Japanese. "Shizuka-san was quite eager to show off everything in her place of employment and I think we saw each other once or twice."

"Eh?" Shizuka gasped, turning away from windshield. "Lance-kun?-!"

"Shizuka-sensei, watch the road!" Takashi shouted out, causing the blonde nurse to turn her attention back to the road, smashing one of them in the process. Thankfully, it didn't compromise her path or steering.

Rei blinked, but then felt a deep pleasure in seeing Shido's usually impeccable features twist for a moment. Gossip around the school was that Shizuka-sensei had gotten a boyfriend whom she had wanted to show off at the school. A few of the students heard it from the teachers gossip and spread the news. A lot of Shizuka's fanboys, like Takashi's friend Morita, went into depression over it or denied it to be true. From how Shizuka reacted to seeing his face, it seemed that there was something to it. Seeing that the guy now had a link to their group and not some random stranger Shido could pressure into being subservient, it served to calm down some of the more suspicious of them since he was very well connected to them at least arbitrarily.

The man recovered quickly though, putting a smile on his face despite whispers from some of his group as to what they had seen, "Well then, if Marikawa-san trusts you then I'm perfectly willing to give you a chance. Skills like yours will go a long way to keeping us safe."

"Hey, hey! Where did you get that suit and how did you make it vanish like that?" Kota questioned excitedly, completely missing the tension in favor of seeing something cool.

"It's a trick I know," 'Lance' explained, his arms still crossed and his eyes still hard. "If we grow to trust each other, I'll explain."

"I look forward to that explanation," Shido nodded. Stepping back, he adjusted his tie, likely out of habit before he glanced down to Saeko, whom was cleaning blood and other matter off of her bokken. "Ah, Busujima-san are you the one leading this group?"

Saeko glanced up at her homeroom teacher and withheld the urge to scowl. She never liked or even respected Shido much beyond his role as a teacher. While most wouldn't have caught it, she often spied him leering at some of the female students in his classroom. He did it to her once, but when he saw her scowling back he made sure to keep his eyes off of her unless it was in some official capacity. It didn't stop him from offering help in his subject when he 'felt like she needed it' which in all sense seemed like more of a suck-up attempt. Trained by her father, Saeko had a good eye on reading people through their movements and everything she saw about Shido was that he was narcissistic, elitist, and an opportunist. No doubt part of the reason he tried sucking up to her was because her father rubbed elbows with some people in high positions such as Souichiro Takagi whom took lessons from the man. Her own standing as a rising star in the kendo world likely would make her own social standing rise if she chose to pursue that path.

"We have no leader, but worked together to survive," Saeko answered, returning to her work.

"Oh really?" Shido commented slowly. "I would advise against that should we make any further moves. We're going to need a leader to survive, someone to manage everything and keep it orderly."

Rei scowled before turning to glance up at 'Lance', "You're going to regret saving him! I promise you that!" she whispered harshly.

"I may already do," 'Lance' replied, his eyes still not leaving the majority of the bus passengers.

"Everyone!" Kota suddenly called, "Look! The city!"

'Lance' looked and what he saw was Hell on Earth. "May God help us..." he uttered as he saw what was happening. Pillars of smoke could be seen rising up from the numerous buildings that composed that part of the city and even more of the city beyond. Everyone had no doubts that if they had the windows open and the wind wasn't sounding off they would be able to hear the screams of people suffering below at the hands of the dead.

It was a nightmare, and one that nobody could wake up from. A nightmare in the waking world where the true horrors could not be ignored. Coming off of the freeway, Shizuka drove the bus down into the city proper. The nightmare only became more vivid at that, revealing blood splatters on the streets and random corpses everywhere, mostly moving but others rarely not moving at all.

"What happened?" said 'Lance'.

"It's not just happening here either, Lance-kun," Shizuka informed him. "It's happening all over the world."

"What?" 'Lance' gasped, turning to his friend.

"We saw it on television," explained Shizuka. "This happened in just a few hours without warning." Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"Has the world suddenly gone mad?" he questioned. How could such a disaster happen in the span of a few hours all over the world? It was impossible. The only way it was even conceivable in his mind was through the use of magecraft. He was no expert in the field though, but if a Caster-Class Heroic Spirit had been summoned like he was then perhaps they would have a better idea.

The bus drove onward, having no real destination for the time being. Passing on the streets, they continued their travelling along the waterfront. It wasn't as chaotic as the inner-city, but the signs o chaos was still there as one of them which used to be a fisherman wandered across the street before Shizuka smashed him down without even slowing down. It seemed even her optimism was draining in the harsh light of the current situation.

"Shizuka, would you like me to take over for you?" 'Lance' offered. The blonde woman was definitely drained, emotionally and physically. Even as she tried to maintain a positive attitude, nobody could survive such a traumatic experience without a few scars. He'd known men who'd broken down before the horrors of war against normal men, much less the walking dead.

"I'm fine!" Shizuka smiled, but the white knuckles on the steering wheel told 'Lance' otherwise. "Don't worry about me! I'm tough!"

'Lance' sighed, but nodded. The woman was notoriously stubborn and hopefully just driving while being protected from the ghouls by the bus would be enough to help her calm.

But it didn't stop others from reaching their breaking points.

"Look! We're not going to make it if we keep going like this!" one of the students, a teen with bleached blonde hair and brown sides. His name was Tsunoda, one of the delinquents of the school who made a name for himself by being an asshole. He was standing in his seat and bringing attention to himself. "Why do we even need to do what you guys planned to do?" he demanded hotly, pointing at the front of the bus as Takeshi's group. "You didn't even ask us! Besides, who the fuck is this weirdo you have running with you?-!"

Saya scowled, already pulling up a head of steam when she usually had to deal with the stupid idiots that seemed to keep finding reasons to talk to her. 'Lance' had taken his position back at the front of the bus with his arms crossed, looking almost like a bouncer ready to kick out an unruly customer.

"Hey, if you haven't noticed, you were the ones who wanted to board the bus in the first place," said Takashi, standing up. "As for the 'weirdo', he saved our lives. You should thank him."

"Oh fuck you!" Tsunoda growled. "We could have holed up back at the school or something!"

"H-He's right!" a mousy-looking student with shaggy brown hair that covered part of his face agreed.

"We should find someplace to hide, like that convenience store we just passed!"

The impending argument was suddenly cut off when Shizuka suddenly hit the brakes the the bus, bringing the machine to a sudden stop. Everyone lurched from the stop, but only 'Lance' was able to keep his balance easily enough. The usually ditzy blonde undid her seatbelt and got up to look back at the aggravated Tsunoda.

"That's enough!" she cried. "I can't concentrate if you're busy arguing!"

'Lance' decided that it was time to end the argument before someone's temper turned it into a brawl, "Besides, your school was a deathtrap at the time and a convenience store is likely one of the worst places to hide out in a crisis like this."

"Oh yeah?" Tsunoda sneered. "And how would you know that?-!"

'Lance' uncrossed his arms and began to slowly approach the delinquent, "Your school was already overrun with those monsters. There were no safe places left to hide if indeed you decided to run to the bus with other survivors. You could try cleaning them out, but you feel pain, get tired, hungry, sleepy, and thirsty. They likely don't. They'd overwhelm you." He then glanced at the mousy student.

"A convenience store is one of the least defensible locations since by its own nature it's easily accessible. What's more, we'd be fighting both monsters and people since there is going to be a rush of looting and hunting for supplies. We're going to have enough problems in dealing with the dead without having to deal with desperate people at the same time." As he spoke, he walked closer to Tsunoda, his eyes narrowed and this...feeling of intimidation and power coming off of him. The delinquent wasn't sure why, but he felt intimidated and instinctively backed away as 'Lance' got closer.

"He's right," Saeko spoke up, causing Tsunoda turn his gaze to her. "The school was compromised and there are no truly protected locations we can use near us." Her eyes narrowed. "So what would you have us do if you're so sure of a plan?"

"Uh...Guh..." Tsunoda gulped, his nerve weakening under 'Lance's' gaze. Looking about, he started speaking but his brain didn't seem to be working properly. "I...I...I just can't stand that guy!" he pointed out at Takashi with a trembling arm.

"Huh?" Takashi blinked, a frown on his face. "And just what did I do to you? Hell, I don't think I've ever even met you before today."

"Y-YOU!" Tsunoda growled, all logic leaving him at the moment before attempting to charge at Takashi with his fists clenched together.

'Lance' acted quickly, even quicker than Rei had been trying to move when she got up to defend her ex-boyfriend. The knight in casual clothes grabbed Tsunoda by his jacket before throwing him at the back of the bus, the teen's feet clearly leaving the ground with the force.

"Calm down," he spoke neutrally. "You don't have to like one another but this is hardly the time to try and let your tempers rule your minds. We're in this together and we can't afford to let real or imagined grudges cause this cooperation to break apart!"

"Guh...you..." Tsunoda gasped, rubbing his chest. He didn't try to get back up though. Even he could tell when he was beaten.

Sudden clapping brought attention to the back where Shido was standing up, actually applauding the demonstration, "Splendid work Lance-san," he praised. "Expertly handled, but the fact this dispute came up just proves my point. We really do need a leader to help us keep organized."

"Oh?" Saya huffed, adjusting her glasses. "And I suppose there's only one man for the job?"

"Well, I am a teacher and the majority of everyone here is a student," Shido shrugged, leaning on Saya's seat but she refused to meet his gaze. "That alone should mean that I'm more than qualified to be a leader." turning, he faced the other students and gestured to them rather dramatically. "I can more than handle the role and prevent incidents like this from happening." he smiled charmingly.

"What do the rest of you say?

"I wouldn't trust you with an empty gun if my back was turned," the glasses student snarled quietly. Rei glanced at the boy and nodded in agreement. It was a sentiment that was passed through Takashi's group since they all had reasons not to trust the man.

It was a sentiment that the others on the bus didn't seem to share as one by one they began to stand up and begin clapping their agreement like in an election. Shido smiled at their support and bowed theatrically. Turning back to the front of the bus, he smirked, "Well, the majority speaks. That makes me the leader."

'Lance' frowned, but didn't make a scene. Walking straight up to the man, he leaned in close so he could speak without the other students becoming panicked, "I saw what you did at the school to that boy. You do it again, I will take steps to ensure the safety of these children."

"Harsh times such as these force us to make harsh decisions," Shido whispered back, the clapping hiding his voice from the others. It didn't serve to hide the slight fear in his voice since he recalled all too well how the foreign man was capable of destroying them with next to no effort. "We cannot be so generous with people that will only hold us back."

"Then that is where you and I are different," 'Lance' whispered back. "Remember my words." He then turned away from the teacher to head to a seat near Shizuka.

As this happened, Rei's stance became more and more tense before it seemed she had finally had enough to deal with while being in Shido's presence. Gritting her teeth, she dashed to the front of the bus before kicking the door open and leaping out onto the street.

"Rei!" Takashi cried, chasing after his Ex. "Rei, wait!"

"No!" the girl snapped, turning to glare at her ex-boyfriend. "I refuse to be on the same bus or even anywhere near that...that...slimeball! I won't! I can't!"

"Oh dear," Shido sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "If you feel that we cannot truly be a cohesive group, then it may be better for you to leave."

"What the hell's THAT supposed to mean!" Takashi snapped at the man before turning to see Rei walking away. Grimacing, he leaped out of the bus before running up to Rei in front of a nearby tunnel and grabbing her arm. "Rei, I know you don't like-!"

"I told you all that we're going to regret rescuing him and now he's already manipulating everyone into giving him his way!" Rei snapped, taking her arm back from Takashi.

"Rei, we just have to put up with him until we get to the city and then we can ditch his ass!" Takashi argued. "Please, just put up with it until-!"

VROOOOOOOM!

Takashi was cut off when he heard the sounds of a heavy engine nut unlike that of a bus he was just on. Looking up, he saw the headlights of another approaching bus. Unlike the bus he was on though, it was approaching at a ridiculous speed. Almost as if in slow motion in the pair's eyes, the bus hit the back of a car stuck in the road before jackknifing in the air before crashing on its side in a shower of sparks and shrapnel. The speed it was going at though meant it kept coming as it hit the group, speeding towards Rei and Takashi.

"MOVE!" Takashi shouted, grabbing Rei and running for the tunnel in hopes that it would be enough to stop the crashing bus. His guess turned out to be right as he made the final leap into the tunnel, both he and Rei landing on the pavement as the bus crashed into the walls in a fiery explosion.

"Komuro!" Saeko shouted, dashing from the bus. She ran close to the destroyed public bus, but she only dared to get so close before the flames from the resulting crash grew too hot. 'Lance' was not far behind her, his form shimmering to be replaced by the suit of armor that he had charged the school with. He withstood the flames better than Saeko could and was ready to charge into the flames to rescue who he could if he had to...but he didn't have high hopes.

"Komuro!" Saeko shouted over the sounds of the flame, trying to ignore the scent of burning flesh.

"Komuro! Miyamoto!"

A shambling noise captured Rei and Lance's attention before they saw forms beginning to emerge from the burning wreckage. Some crawled out of openings on the top side while others began to crawl out of the broken windshield. Even more stood up in the flames, thrown from the wreckage, but all of them were on fire.

The black knight reacted quickly. Looking around, he spotted a power pole that had been knocked over in the bus' crash. Running to it, he grabbed one of the broken power cables with both hands before pulling it clean from the post. Wrapping one end around his wrist, he allowed his power to flood into it, turning it black and purple. Returning to the scene of the crash where Saeko was backing away, he took the cable and lashed out with it like a whip, striking the closest of the ghouls and breaking a portion of its head with a loud crack, sending it back into its own funeral pyre.

"Busujima!" Takashi's voice called out over the moans and whip-lick cracks. Saeko glanced to the edge of the tunnel and saw Takashi's face through a small gap between it and the wreckage. "The East Police Station! Rei and I will meet you guys there!"

"When?" Saeko called back.

"7PM!" Takeshi called back. "If we're not there by 7PM tomorrow then go on without us!" Any further argument was cut off by collapsing debris from both the tunnel and the bridge, forcing both of the teens to back away.

Moans came from the burning dead, prompting Saeko to raise her weapon and 'Lance' to prepare another attack, but the need simply died as the bodies of the remaining ghouls seemed to have taken too much burning and collapsed where they stood.

"They cannot withstand fire for long," 'Lance' observed, still gripping his weapon. Glancing over to Saeko, he grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. "We have to go. We can meet with the others later!"

"Right!" the swordswoman reluctantly agreed. Both ran back to the bus and boarded, Shizuka's concerned gaze eyeing the both of them in hopes of answers of any kind, preferably of the good persuasion.

"We can't keep going this was Shizuka-sensei," Saeko reported.

"Okay. I think I know a different way!" Shizuka nodded, hitting the machine's accelerator and beginning to move the machine onto a new road so they could get around the tunnel.

"God speed you two," 'Lance' prayed softly, hoping that despite the hellish situation God had indeed not abandoned the world.


Rei and Takashi stood at the mouth of the tunnel, hearing a boom to signaling the gas tank of the bus exploding. Both just watched, not having much presence of mind to do much else after dealing with yet another threat to their lives. Both of them felt a part of themselves beg to be told that they were dealing with a bad dream of some sort, but they both knew that to be untrue. It was starting to get dark as the sky turned orange. For them, the day had started normally enough but then it all just went straight down to Hell. Was it the Apocalypse or something? Was this the end of humanity and civilisation as they knew it?

"Come on," Takashi sighed. "We'd better get mov-HUFF!"

Takashi's sudden expelling of breath came when he was tackled from behind by something. Coming to the ground in a hard slam, he managed to scramble onto his back even with hands grasping at him. His eyes focused on his assailant, finding that it was one of them dressed up in a street-racing outfit with a helmet covering their face, but an open wound on the neck.

"Agh! Dammit!" takashi cursed as he struggled with the zombie. The ghoul in question lunged down at Takashi to bite him, but instead headbutted him because of the helmet covering his face, making the teen see stars.

Shaking them off, Takashi pressed his hands against the monster's face to try and keep it away, the helmet acting as a good protection for him rather than fro the one who was wearing it. The ghoul continued pressing down though, its tireless strength winning out against Takashi's fatigued arms. The teen continued to struggle but his pressing against the helmet caused it to slip, allowing the freak's mouth to began to be seen.

"NGH! GHN! GA!" Takashi grunted in he efforts.

"Gaahhhhhhhhhh..." the ghoul moaned, leaning in closer, chomping its teeth.

KRACK!

The noise echoed through the area like a gunshot. The ghoul on top of Takashi suddenly froze before simply slumping over, dead all over again. Takashi panted in shock but was quick to get the cadaver off of him. Looking to its head, he saw that the back of the helmet was cracked with blood leaking out from the gaps. Panting caught his attention and he turned to see Rei with a bloody cinder block in her hands.

Dropping the rock aside, she held a hand to her ex, "Takashi, you okay?"

"...yeah," the teenager finally panted, taking Rei's hand before she helped him to his feet.

Both of them remained silent as they walked up the sort hill to where the main road to the city could be found. Looking in the distance, they saw Tokonosou City proper where their families were and where their friends would be. Smoke could be seen in the distance even in the darkening night sky, meaning that the hell had extended there as well.

"Are we going to walk all the way to the city?" asked Rei.

"Don't have much of a choice," Takashi replied with a sigh, but he then cut himself off as his eyes sharpened. "Wait, this guy was wearing a helmet wasn't he?"

Leaving Rei's side, Takashi began scanning the hillside looking for what he was sure would be there. The guy who just tried to eat him had been wearing a motorcycle helmet which meant that he had to be riding a motorcycle. Given that he he had to have turned a while ago given he still looked relatively clean he must have crashed nearby having become too sick to drive if how Hisashi turned was any indication. Sure enough, partially hidden in the hillside grass was an orange motorcycle which was just begging to be plucked and even had the keys still inside of it.

"All right!" the teen grinned, jumping down the grassy hill to reach the machine. Picking it up and finding it to be lightweight, he wheeled it up onto the road proper. After a moment to figure out the controls and such he turned the key and twisted the accelerator, allowing the machine to roar to life.

"Purrs like a kitten," he sighed in relief.

"Didn't know you had a license," Rei commented, having watched Takashi work.

"License?" Takashi grinned at her. "I'm a high school kid. What do I need a license for?"

Rei smiled slightly before the pair of them mounted the machine. Takashi tested the accelerator and got a feel for it before the pair roared off down the roar. They wobbled for a moment as Takashi got used to the machine and the balance but it wasn't too different from riding a bicycle in his opinion which allowed him to get used to it quickly.

The pair hadn't truly accepted the reality of it yet, but the world as they knew it had already ended and a new reality has set in. One that was nowhere near as pleasant as the one that they had left behind.


Meanwhile, back on the bus, Lancelot sat near Shizuka but he was also paying attention to what Shido was doing. He frowned at the actions of the man, reminding him too much of the snakes in the political aspects off Camelot. He couldn't stop the man from talking but still he knew what was happening. It was basically the power of a stronger personality imposing itself on a group of weaker personalities. As a teacher, he had higher authority over students and it was his own students he was addressing, a few of them actually gazing at him with mindless admiration. It wouldn't be long before he had total control over them. Still, it wasn't like Lancelot couldn't handle them but they were just children, frightened and scared, who needed reassurance and Shido was providing something for them to have faith in, even if it was a fake idol like himself. Still, it wouldn't be long for fanatical beliefs to spread and then they might force themselves onto the more composed people in the bus. Saya and Kota seemed to be getting along well or at least Kota managed to keep Saya from becoming too hostile and Saeko was calm, but he could tell that she was still concerned about her two schoolmates. Shizuka was at the wheel and trying to be energetic. However, even so, she would need to rest.

He remained in his armor for the time being in case things got hectic once again. Wrapped around his arm was the power cable that he had stolen and turned into an improvised whip. With Knight of Honor, it would make for a fine weapon against any of the ghouls that remained outside. The image may not have been the most pleasant, but many of the students in the front felt a little better knowing that they had a protector keeping an eye out for them while they got some rest.

The children were setting themselves down to try and catch some sleep in the night and Shido it seemed had finished his little sermon on his plans to secure someplace safe for the rest of them. The man had charisma, Lancelot could give him that. A shame he didn't have the courage or the morals to go with it or else he could have made a fine leader.

With most of the passengers save for Lancelot himself and Shizuka nodding off, the knight finally allowed his armor to be dismissed as he took a seat.

"You should get some sleep Lance-kun," Shizuka spoke softly so not to disturb the others. "Today hasn't been pleasant for any of us."

"I'm used to bad days," Lancelot replied, getting comfortable. "My offer to drive while you get some rest is still open." In case of an emergency, he could have used Knight of Honor to turn the whole bus into a Noble Phantasm in which cause it would be capable of taking out pretty much anything that tried to stop it be it one ghoul, a hundred, or whatever else that created them would bring out.

"I'm used to late nights," Shizuka shook her head. "It wasn't too long ago that I graduated from medical school you know. Late nights are practically a prerequisite."

"Indeed. You needed to study hard," Lancelot agreed. "Even so, you will need to rest. Driving for long hours will not be good for you."

"You're so sweet, Lance-kun. You'll always be my knight in shining armor, won't you?" Shizuka beamed at her friend.

"It seems to be something I find myself being good at," Lancelot smiled weakly. He was somewhat amazed that she still hadn't asked him anything about the abilities he possessed such as storming the school in a suit of armor he could make vanish or appear in a heartbeat or about the things he could turn into weapons that for all intents and purposes shouldn't be able to used as weapons at or more than once. Then again, Shizuka was a very trusting and kind soul so perhaps part of her acceptance of him was simply in her nature and the rest was because she knew him. It seemed even in all this hell there was still that innocent spark inside of her.

He would protect that innocence and those of the others for as long as he could.


Ten-Faced Paladin: Okay, Okay, I got inspiration for this from a fic called The Custodian. It hasn't been updated in a while so the urge hit me to make my own version. I probably broke more than a few rules of the Nasuverse writing this fic but honestly I can't seem to care all that much. The end of the world via zombie apocalypse warrants special intervention from the beings who govern the Throne of Heroes and the residents within in my opinion.