I do not own Highschool of the DEAD or its characters.

Updated: 10/18/13

As the convoy rumbled south in the light of the new day, those that were not driving tried to sleep so they could relieve others later.

They ate breakfast on the move, digging through MRE's and drinking water. Paddy had a portable kettle hooked into the Stryker's power system so he was able to heat water for instant coffee or tea. They took turns climbing on top to give others room to stretch out below.

Takashi sat on top holding Saeko in front of him as they rolled along. If not for the wreckage of the dead world around them, it would have been a peaceful trip, as if they were going to the country for a rest.

That was not the case though, they were running from their old lives into an unknown future, where they would live or die by their skill and wits. Undead creatures roamed around them looking for live flesh to feed on.

Rei climbed up and touched Takashi on the shoulder. "Go down and get some rest." She said. "Paddy put some blankets on the floor and there is room for you."

Nodding, he kissed Saeko on the cheek and disappeared through the hatch.

Rei settled down next to Saeko as the landscape rolled by. Saeko leaned over and asked, "How are you doing, sister? We have not had much chance to talk the last couple of days."

Rei shrugged her shoulders, "I'm okay, I guess. We've been so busy lately, the time seems to fly by. I wonder how long it will take us to get to where we are going."

"Saya-san told me earlier anywhere from three days to a week, depending on what we run across," Saeko replied.

Rei nodded and sat back to watch the scenery as they made their way around wrecks and through deserted streets.

After a while, Saeko's curiosity got the better of her, "Ano, Rei? Ah…tell me, what do you think about Paddy-san?"

Rei blushed as a smile crept across her face. "I think he is quite handsome. He seems easy to talk to and it's interesting how much our backgrounds are alike."

Saeko smiled at this, "I, too, think he is handsome, and I believe he has a big crush on you already. How do you feel about that?"

Rei smiled, "He asked me this morning when we were leaving the warehouse if I knew how beautiful I was. It shocked me so bad I couldn't say anything. I just looked at Takashi, who was laughing and dropped back down inside after I smiled at him."

Saeko chuckled, "At least he is not shy around you."

Rei's face darkened, "Even though I feel the way I do, how could I start a relationship with him? Sooner or later my - er, problem - will get in the way and I don't know what would happen then."

Saeko thought for a few minutes before answering, "I think that anyone, any good man, who could not understand and accept your limitations, would not be a good match for you any way."

"It would make things easier for all of us wouldn't it?"

Saeko reached out and took her by the hand, "Never think that, sister! Takashi and I have already told you we would have you by our side if you would have it that way. Did you think we did not mean those words?"

"No I don't doubt that now," the girl said as she squeezed Saeko's hand. "I'm still afraid though. I made some stupid mistakes, and I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Do not do anything for a while. Rest your mind and body, help where you can, and do what you can." Saeko leaned over closer, "Most of all if you are interested, talk to him when you can, and pay attention to what he says. He is a couple of years older than we are, but think of what he has done. He joined the American army at an age where we were still in high school. He trained and crossed half the world to end up here with us now. What has he seen? Where has he gone, and what has he done? Just think of all the things you have to talk about and how much fun it will be to learn about each other! He's from a different world than ours, a world where things moved much faster than they did here."

Rei thought about what Saeko said for a while. Paddy was exotic to her, his red hair and broad shoulders so different from Takashi or Hisashi who were both thin. She knew there was muscle under his shirt and she wondered what it felt like to touch…she shook her head suddenly. What was she thinking! She shouldn't be having such thoughts about a boy she had just met!

She turned her head away so Saeko could not see her blushing. Behind her, she saw movement and noticed Paddy standing in the rear hatch watching the convoy behind them. Turning around he saw her looking at him and gave her a smile before dropping back down inside the APC.

She blushed again as she turned forward to see Kohta watching her with a smirk on his face. He laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him. He leaned toward them and called out, "Anyone ready for a restroom break?"

Both girls nodded, and the Stryker slowed to a stop near a convenience store on the side of the highway.

000

After clearing the store and setting guards, the ladies were allowed the restrooms first and then the men followed in shifts. Paddy ran from vehicle to vehicle checking to make sure no one was having problems.

Saeko stood watch beside Stryker 1 with Rei as Rika walked up, "Busujima-san? Tomasa wants to know if you can teach the sword to the troops."

Saeko thought for a minute before responding, "While I am nowhere near the level of my father, I could teach the basics until I could consult with him."

Rei snorted as Saeko frowned at her and Rika raised one eyebrow.

"Don't let her tell you that, Rika-san. From the moment she joined the kendo club at school, the level of competition was increased tenfold. In her first year she bested all the regulars and all the captains. The second year she bested the teacher, and then started winning competitions until the beginning of her third year, she took us all the way to nationals. If she can't do it, no one can."

She turned to Saeko who was glaring at her, "Don't you look at me like that! It's no dishonor for me to praise you and your skills! I know you would never do it on your own but I can and I will!"

Rika smirked as she watched Saeko and Rei, but also knew what Rei said was true. The Onna-bugeisha was a proud woman who had been taught not to brag on herself to others.

Saya walked up, flipping through a phone book. Glancing over at her Rika asked, "Planning on making a call, Saya?"

Frowning at Rika over her glasses, Saya cleared her throat, "No, what I thought I'd do is collect phone books everywhere we stop so if we need to hunt for some kind of supplies, we would have a general idea where to look instead of flailing around searching."

Rika froze for a moment and then chuckled, shaking her head, "That's why I want you in logistics. I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm too used to picking up the phone and telling supply what I need."

Saya just nodded as Saeko suddenly got a thoughtful look on her face, "Saya-san? Look in there for 'swords', maybe museums or sports equipment."

After studding the book for a short time the pink-haired girl said, "Several museums, but they are all back north of us quite a ways, here is something… Bugeisha Steel Inc. 'dealers in custom weaponry for the collectors and practitioners of the art of the sword'…if I'm right, it's south of us and not too far out of the way."

Saeko looked at Rika, "If I am to teach swordsmanship properly, we will need both practice and real blades. I don't know this company, but it might be worth checking out while we are in the area."

Rika thought about this for a minute, nodded and walked over to where Tomasa had Shizuka were standing next to the command Humvee talking.

"Saeko says if she is going to teach swordsmanship she will need supplies. Our genius looked in the phone book and thinks she found a supplier just south of here and not too far out of the way."

Tomasa nodded, "Okay, let's work out where it's at and get rolling."

Nodding Rika called over the radio for everyone to mount up.

000

As they climbed back into the vehicles, Tomasa called Saya over to where he was sitting with a laptop computer.

"Does that thing still work?" Saya asked as she leaned over to look at what he was doing.

"Somewhat," the lieutenant replied. "It was sealed away when the EMP hit so it didn't get fried. It's got military map and GPS programs on it and we can at least use it for travel directions to places you need to find supplies." He handed it off to her, "Here, get used to it, it will be more use to you than me right now. Main thing is, once you finish, seal it back in that protected locker for safety's sake."

"The GPS system still works? I would have thought the EMP took that out as well," Saya said.

"Most of the GPS series 1 & 2 sats died with high-altitude bursts around the globe, but GPS series 3 sats were EMP protected when they were launched. It's spotty, and sometimes hard to connect to, but it still works if we can get a satellite. Same thing with the sat phones, they work some of the time."

Quickly finding the address to where they were, Saya put it in as well as the address to the sword making company. After fiddling with the search filters for a minute she showed Tomasa the route. Nodding he called for everyone to roll out.

000

It was almost noon when they arrived. They had seen very few of Them, but had to work their way around several roadblocks and other obstacles. They found themselves in an office/industrial park area that held light manufacturing.

After parking in the street, they sent a recon team toward the building with the Bugeisha Steel Inc. sign on the front. Everyone else stayed in the vehicles while recon did their job. Twenty minutes later, Tatsumi came back and climbed on top of Stryker 1 with Tomasa and Rika.

"I've got to tell ya boss, there was a hell of a fight here," he reported. "I counted a hundred plus of Them out front, mostly headless. We cleared the office section, but have not gone back into the warehouse and manufacturing areas yet. That's all in a fenced off section and looks clear but we'll have to walk it to be sure. The fenced area is not big enough for the whole convoy, but the front parking is large enough for us to set up a defensive perimeter. There were no undead in the building and we only found one body inside."

Tomasa looked up and down the street, "We have not seen any movement since you went in. Let's move the convoy, then we'll look into searching the rest of the buildings."

A few minutes later they had the vehicles moved and set up to overwatch as the scout party went into the buildings. Saeko and Takashi dismounted the Stryker and walked towards the front door with Saeko taking in everything around her.

Tatsumi had been right. There were bodies everywhere with missing arms, legs and heads. Saeko noticed something shiny and stepped over the find a broken katana. Picking it up, she examined it closely.

"What does that tell you?" Rika asked as she looked on.

"Cast steel with a good edge," Saeko said as she closely examined the weapon fragment. "I would say a well-made replica. I think it broke because it became wedged, not because the weapon was flawed. It's not as good as a hand forged sword but it will do for what we have in mind."

Searching around, the troopers found several more unbroken swords. Saeko quickly looked them over and asked they be saved for future use.

Upon entering the building, Rika dispatched two teams to clear the warehouse and other sections of the property. "Where's the body you found?" she asked Tatsumi.

He led them over to a corner of the building where there was a large office with 'President' on the door. Looking in Rika stopped in the doorway and said, "He committed seppuku, you sure you want to come in here?"

Saeko nodded and stepped around her with Takashi on her heels. She found the body of a man sitting upright on a white sheet and dressed in a business kimono, opened to the waist. He was slumped forward slightly, hands held to his mid-section where she could see the hilt of a tanto sticking out.

She leaned forward and looked closer. Two cuts, she thought as Rika walked around behind the desk and looked through papers lying on it. Saeko noticed three stylized swords lying to the left of the man, an odachi, a katana and a wakizashi with bright red sheaths and gold wrappings.

"Here's something," Rika said as she held up a letter, hand written in a bold script. Taking it from her, Saeko read it out loud.

I am Suishinshi Tonada, owner of this establishment. To whoever finds this, please know I take my life only after all of my retainers have perished at the hands of the evil ones that now inhabit our world. If you are searching for weapons to fight the evil, please feel free to anything we have left in our warehouse that you can use.

I wish to praise the men that worked for me. They could have run when the outbreak started, but only those who had families left with my permission. Those who stayed fought bravely until we were finally overwhelmed. I withdrew only after being bitten because I wanted to make sure this letter was left in their honor.

I chose seppuku because I did not wish to turn into an evil one and sully my clan's Honor. My only request is that since I could not have a second, if whoever finds this will remove my head, you may take my personal sword set as a gift of honor. The set was made for me by the sword masters at the national museum in Tokyo and was hand forged in the old ways.

Suishinshi Tonada

Saeko handed the letter back to Rika and stood thinking for a bit. Takashi stepped over and took her hand in his as she thought.

Rika finished looking around the office and headed for the door. Stopping she looked back at Saeko. "I don't know that much about the 'Bushido code' myself, maybe it's something I need to learn. Are you going to grant his wish?"

Saeko nodded, "Even though he completed the two cuts, which is proper when committing seppuku without a second, I will grant his dying wish so his soul may be at peace. If you would leave it to us I will complete the task and then join you in the warehouse."

Rika nodded and left the room. Takashi started to step away, but Saeko stopped him. Bending down she picked up the two longer swords and handed them to him. Taking up the third, the wakizashi, she pulled it from its sheath and examined the blade. Asking Takashi to stand near the door and wait, she bowed and gave a small prayer before taking her stance. In a flash of steel, it was done. She took the end of the sword and set Suishinshi-san's head upright in front of him and then cleaned the blade on the edge of the sheet. Sheathing it, she walked out of the room and asked Takashi to close the door behind them.

Motioning for him to follow her, she walked out front to Stryker 1. Calling to Paddy, she asked for a blanket that she lay on the ground and carefully wrapped the three swords in. When finished she looked up, "Patrick-san, these are the swords of a brave and honorable man, Suishinshi Tonada. Please put them in a safe place where no damage will come to them."

Glancing at Rei first, Paddy knelt down and carefully took the bundle from Saeko. Nodding slightly, he asked Rei to help and went inside the APC.

Saeko turned back to Takashi and said, "Let us go see what else we can find."

Passing through the offices they found Saya, Rika, Tatsumi and several others in the warehouse looking over shelves with weapons in various states of assembly.

Saya looked up from a note book, "Looks like we have about fifty katana size, thirty-seven wakizashi, and forty-two tanto that are finished. There are around one hundred bokken and a bunch of polearm things that I don't know what they are called."

"Let me see those please," Saeko said as Saya led her to a rack with pole arms lined up ready to be packaged for shipping. "Ah Naginatas!" Saeko said with a smile, "I believe Rei will enjoy having one of these!"

"Looks to be seventy of them, all finished," Saya told her. "Plus, come over here and see what you think of this."

Leading them over to a walled off area Saya showed them what seemed to be a blacksmith shop. A forge, bellows and anvils with hand working tools lay arranged as if the smiths had just walked away. In the next section Saeko could see several hundred sword blanks that had come from the mass production casting machines on the other side of the building.

"Is this what you start with to make the finished product?" Saya asked.

Nodding, Saeko picked up one of the blanks the size of a wakizashi. "These are fresh out of the automated machinery," she said. "It has to be polished, sharpened, have habaki, tsuba and handles mounted to be completed. They will be useful if we can find someone that has the knowledge to do the work. I'm pretty sure if I can speak to father he would know if there is anyone like that left." Looking to Rika, she asked, "Question is though, how much can we take with us? I know we were full when we left this morning."

Tatsumi waved his hand, "Not a problem Busujima-san. We found a box truck that's in good shape and it should hold almost everything we want from here. We were just waiting on your approval of the weapons before we started loading."

Saeko smile and bowed slightly to him, "Well then, with the Sergeant's permission I would say load up! So far I have seen nothing we cannot use one way or another."

Rika nodded as Tatsumi grinned before turning and giving a whistle to the others to start packing.

A/N: Ah, our crew is moving on down the road and stocking up. Where will they land and what will they have to face. Please Review and or Favorite.