Here I present myself with the last draft of the stories that are still in voting.
For anyone who doesn't know about this, I have a poll on my FanFiction profile that will decide the next two stories I'll post when I finish the ones I still have current. The poll will be open until I finish those stories, so you'll have plenty of time to vote.
In total there are four stories, and only the first two are the ones I will develop in the future. This is a draft, and should not be taken as the beginning of this story. I will only upload one chapter so that people know what they will be voting for. I'm aware that a single chapter won't be able to cover the whole basis of the plot, and that it would only be a fairly general overview, but at least you can get a better idea of what you'd like to read.
There will be people who like only one of the stories that is on the ballot (either for the main characters, for the pairing, or for the universe I would be using), but I invite you to read all four drafts, as you might come across an idea that you like more than the other.
Again I warn that this is a draft, so, if this story manages to be among the first two, I must warn that this same chapter could be modified for later.
Before I begin, I would like to make some clarifications about this story.
The first point I would like to clarify is that the plot will be developed several months before the infection. That will make that different events that are not shown or that directly were not worked appear here. What I will work more on will be the development of Takashi and the other characters that will accompany him in the crossroads. I suppose that the main character will be the one that will have the most changes, since personally I think he is a very good character, but there is something I never liked about him, and that was that he has a before and after very forced in my opinion. Personally, I don't think that any "normal" person, even with problems like Takeshi had, becomes a tremendous Badass when the apocalypse arrives. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks so, but let's see how it works.
The next point is that when the whole rampage starts, I'll go a little differently than the cannon from the start. The destinations might be mostly the same, but I plan to do quite different trajectories to get to that point. I plan on fragmenting the plot so that it follows through different points of view throughout the story, this happens mainly because the main group will be split up many times.
The next point, and perhaps one of the most important, the main pairing will be TakashixSaeko, then I plan to handle different pairings with the other women. As some suspect, Rei will be sort of the main villain. Hirano might have quite a bit of luck in this fanfic with women, though that would be in an advanced trajectory of the story.
There will be some OC characters, some more important than others. I also plan to throw in different clues as to how the beginning of the infection outbreak went throughout the chapters.
As a last thing, I will say that there will be quite a few lemons once Takashi and Saeko are together. Personally I like the slow pairing, so they will most likely have to wait a bit for it. That doesn't mean that the rating will be "relaxed" until that time, as there will be quite a few racy scenes. So, I should start with the more mature grading even from the rough draft.
With all this, I think you can already get an idea of how this story would develop.
Without further ado, I leave you here with this little sneak peek.
Enjoy!
Tokonosu City was a very important place in Japan.
It was not only due to the great talents with Olympic potential that graduated from the different academies, but it also had really important subjects. They even had a large station that was considered to be the most important laboratory in Japan, it might even be the most important in the world.
For that very reason, in a city where there was so much exitism, and failure was strongly frowned upon.
Or rather, all those who considered themselves failures.
It was probably the only negative point of that city, although this side was not present in the dealings between adults, it happened with adolescents.
This was due to the fact that the education in that city always showed a certain favoritism to those who had a great future ahead of them. Therefore, it was natural for students' egos to go to their heads when they only receive compliments from all sides, and if we add the mediocre family education, that makes bullying and harassment at the highest points for all those who did not excel in anything.
Takashi Komuro was one of those "normal" people, bordering on mediocre. And if that wasn't pitiful enough, the young man trailed behind his two childhood friends all these years without excelling at anything except baseball. Although he didn't stand out enough to have eyes on him either.
As if that wasn't enough, the poor guy had enrolled in the Fujimi Academy to continue alongside his two friends.
But what was wrong with this academy?
The small problem was that it was the most prestigious high school in the city. Something that really meant something in a place like this.
Here there were only "future diamonds", that's what the principal called them.
In this place people stood out for their athletic abilities, for their tactical skills, for their intellectual abilities, or they were simply brimming with great beauty.
That translated into future professional athletes, future strategists or generals of the Japanese military, future scientists of high standing, or future top modelers.
So why in all the holy places of education, did Takashi have to enter just this one?
"When we grow up, let's get married!"
Well, that was something that had already been explained...
The first year was hard.
Really hard...
High school had also been hard for chasing her two friends all this time, where they barely remembered her existence. The reality is that he would have left that cold relationship a long time ago, but he couldn't do it...
He was still in love with Rei Miyamoto, his childhood friend who had promised to marry him in the future. She always gave all her attention to Hisashi Igo, his other best friend.
He knew Rei wouldn't break her promise, which is why he stopped bothering her when one day in junior high school she practically made a fool of him in front of the whole class for bringing up the subject.
Something deep inside his heart told him that this was not so, that she now only had eyes for the one who was once his best friend.
But he refused to believe it, he knew that she was going to keep that promise...
...
...
...
...
...
Right?
It was with that mentality that he would start his first year at Fujimi Academy, and it was because of that mentality that everything would end so fucking badly.
Takashi was never someone who excelled in his studies, but he always passed with flying colors. The bad thing about this was that he didn't excel at anything else either, and the time he spent on baseball had been considerably reduced because he was chasing after those two people who had clearly stopped being his friends a long time ago.
For this reason, Takashi was gaining a not so good reputation in the Academy, and would begin to be called as "Hisashi's lapdog", who, unlike him, Hisashi was a freshman student well known for his good rankings and for being the third most valuable student within the high school, having a great mastery with his katana, being chosen as the future captain in the kendo club despite his young age.
Luckily for Takashi, there was a chubby boy with a reputation much worse than his, since in the first month he had proposed to one of the Mitakashi sisters. To say that his humiliation in front of everyone was criminal was really an understatement. After all, those sisters were full-fledged motherfuckers.
Still, the cute-faced fatty couldn't distract everyone else's attention for long...
So it was that in the middle of the year he suffered an event that would rank among the worst of his short life.
It was so humiliating and painful that she can barely remember the events...
His vision was blurred and he simply wanted to vanish from the crowd laughing at him while he was covered in milk and flour. His numb vision could pick up some words written with condoms stuck inside his locker.
"Lapdog-Kun!"
At that moment she could hear the Mitakashi sisters sneering in her face and bragging about the prank they had pulled thanks to the help of one of the "bullies" who always protected them. He was an oxygenated blond who kept saying that he had put on those condoms before hanging them there, so he could have fun when no one saw him.
As such a wealthy family, the sisters and the others always got off scot-free because of the greedy headmaster who only cared about money and prestige, just like the vast majority of teachers. Therefore, it was more than obvious that these types of mistreatment never came to light.
As if that wasn't enough, his parents were always on the outside working. Yes, they loved him, but the reality was that he didn't really have the support of anyone.
He was all alone...
After that, the bullying continued for all the damn days, as the sisters were in the same grade as him, unfortunately.
Still, the man would find strength from who knows where to continue all this shit, until finally the end of the year came.
After that, he started second year...
He had managed to pass everything with flying colors, but in second year?
In the second year, everything had gone downhill...
Could anyone guess what his grade point average was?
It was impossible, since there was no such average?
That's right, Takashi Komuro had done absolutely nothing in these 3 months of studies he had spent. He simply stood at one of the academy's railings facing the outside while staring into nothingness with his lost eyes.
Every day it was exactly the same.
That made his nickname change again.
He was no longer known as "the lapdog", now he was "the useless one". One that should be much worse than the previous one.
In fact, it looked like he was going to surpass the fatty's unpopularity in no time.
But that didn't matter to Takashi.
In fact, he didn't care at all anymore.
But...
What was the reason for such a drastic change?
It all started on the last day of school. There they had a recess and an hour of review before the final act that would be the farewell to the school and the beginning of the vacations.
That day...
That moment...
That was definitely the worst damn day of her life, and by far.
The funny thing is, that day had started like any other: some teasing on the blackboard led by the two sisters and the oxygenated blond, Hisashi ignoring him for the whole first hour, and I could go on.
But, the next thing is that it made all the difference...
Rei and Hisashi were muttering something to each other being very close to each other, much closer than was really necessary, according to Takashi's point of view who was sitting right next to them, although they both seemed to ignore their existence.
The speakers announced the end of recess, causing Rei to blush slightly as she handed a smile to Hisashi.
"I don't think..." She whispered quietly, though it was loud enough for Takashi to hear, so he couldn't help but look at her curiously.
Hisashi seemed to mutter a couple of things to her before she finally nodded.
They both got up, ready to go to their respective classrooms apparently.
Takashi got up to follow them, but Rei placed one of her hands on his chest, blocking his way.
For the first time in some time she seemed to be giving him some of her attention, so he couldn't help but feel a little pleased.
"Takashi, don't follow us." Rei commented matter-of-factly while her faint blush was still in effect.
"Why?" Takashi couldn't help but frown, but he couldn't even finish speaking as he was interrupted by his best friend.
"Don't worry, we'll catch up with you in a moment." Hisashi stated with his typical kind smile.
Takashi found it all very suspicious, but he didn't want to make them too uncomfortable, so he agreed without much trouble.
Minutes passed, and the algebra review class was really getting annoying. He wasn't even paying attention to it, just staring at the empty chair next to him which is where Hisashi should be.
"He said he'd catch up with me soon, but it's been like 15 minutes already..." He would think, then shake his head to run those thoughts off.
"I guess I'll go to the bathroom." The man stood up, the teacher not even glancing at him, as there was really no need to ask permission to leave the classroom.
The responsibility lay solely and exclusively with the student. Results were also handled that way.
It could be said that Fujimi Academy was on the level of a university.
"I shouldn't have drunk that juice, now I'm pissing myself..." Takashi thought to himself as he walked up the stairs, until he finally reached the men's restroom.
When he opened the door, he couldn't help but hold his nose at the truly lewd smell that hung over the place.
That smell was accompanied by other senses as he could hear the sound of skin clashing with regular light splashes. He should also add the constant moaning of a woman who seemed to be trying to make as little noise as possible.
Wait a minute...
The world around Takashi could go completely black as his eyes widened to unthinkable points.
Wasn't that Rei's voice?
Cold sweat began to break out all over his face as his pale hue became more and more present.
That couldn't be true...
Takashi began to slowly move towards the bathroom where the moaning could be heard, seeing how there were two feet from the other side of the door with their pants all the way down, while a skirt was lying to the side.
For sure he was making a mistake...
Takashi rested a hand on the door as her whole body trembled.
She would never break the promise...
Her mind was doing its best not to break, but when she opened the door, that resistance was completely shattered.
His eyes widened even more, which already seemed impossible.
In front of him was his best friend and the one he loved having sex on the toilet seat.
She lay with her legs raised and spread, so it was quite easy as well as painful to watch Hishahi's penis thrust one last time inside her, all the way in. Eliciting another great moan of pleasure that had been drastically changed by seeing that someone had entered.
Hisashi noticed this too, so she quickly abandoned her posture to turn around halfway around. The surprise and fear on his face was visibly reduced when he saw that it was his friend. Rei didn't have the same reaction as her friend, as she instantly covered her bare breasts with her hands while closing her legs so that nothing could be seen.
"I told you this wasn't a good idea!" Rei roared in great annoyance, her embarrassed blush bursting out almost as loudly as her words.
"Calm down, at least it's Takashi." The man pulled on his pants as best he could, then looked at the protagonist. "Thank heavens it was you..." Hisashi put one of his hands on Takashi's shoulder, who was completely paralyzed. "Could you keep this little secret?" He asked him, sketching a small smile.
Takashi didn't hear any of her words.
He could only stare at Rei as he continued to be completely paralyzed.
The image he witnessed a moment ago replayed over and over again in his mind.
Rei's image began to move strangely as his mind began to churn as if he was really dizzy.
Everything around Rei went dark, and then it happened.
Takashi put a hand to his mouth as he felt like he was about to vomit from the huge emptiness he felt in the pit of his stomach.
"Are you all right?" Hisashi couldn't help but look a little worried as he saw Takashi's completely pale expression. "You look really sick..."
Takashi said absolutely nothing, just ran off, to the surprise of both of them.
He ran faster than ever...
He ran and ran...
Until he finally reached that railing he was currently frequenting. The fresh air made his thoughts rearrange a little more, but the nausea didn't go away.
He couldn't hold back the vomiting as she threw it down, only to bend down and clutch the bars tightly. Her uncontrolled crying was not long in coming, although no scream came from her lips.
Only tears came out.
Tears that never seemed to end...
From that day on, that promise no longer meant anything.
The hope he had placed in her for all these years had meant nothing.
"But it was to be expected, this isn't a damn fairy tale, you idiot." Takashi muttered to himself, snapping back to the present.
His gaze continued to stare into nothingness itself, though he had felt someone alight behind him.
"What are you mumbling about, idiot?" The adolescent girl of below average height with long pink ponytailed hair asked him.
Her fierce, discriminating orange eyes never hit Takashi's as he seemed to ignore her completely.
"That's not your problem, Saya." He had enough problems with himself, he wasn't going to listen to a spoiled brat.
Saya seemed to be annoyed at the sheer indifference he delivered, but she would still find enough patience to keep talking to him. A very strange thing for her to do, as she was someone really temperamental.
"Are you going to keep staring at nothing for the whole year?" She would reproach him, earning a glare from Takashi.
The young man would look at her for a second, then turn his gaze back to the front.
"That doesn't matter to you." Was the blunt reply from the adolescent.
Although he was right, Saya couldn't help but be annoyed.
And annoyed she had indeed been.
All the patience she had collected for this moment didn't even last more than 10 seconds.
"Fine, do whatever you want!" She exclaimed with a snort, turning away. "If you want to be a big, fat useless bum throughout your whole life, then that'll be your problem!" Takashi didn't even answer her, just continued with that melancholy face admiring the sky.
Saya would start to walk away after his words. Her furious look would quickly change to one of worry and anguish.
"Seriously, you're a complete idiot..." She whispered to herself as she made her way to the living room.
Saya delivered a short glance to the woman considerably taller than her who walked past her. The most distinguishable thing about her figure was her long purple hair, her slender and well-crafted body, as well as her violet eyes, which denoted a rather serious atmosphere around her. Another thing that stood out was the badge on her left breast, which indicated her membership in the third and final year of the academy.
Saya seemed curious to see her outside of class, especially since everyone knew quite well who she was. She instantly downplayed it, continuing on her way with a somewhat dejected and annoyed expression.
The pretty purple-haired adolescent continued to move through the corridors as she drank some water. She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught the presence of someone standing at the railings leading outside.
Thanks to the fully open door, she could make out the man's features quite easily, and she could immediately tell who it was.
Takashi was quite famous at the academy, although that fame could be somewhat controversial.
The young woman's lips left the bottle, widening her eyes a bit at the burst of growing curiosity.
"It's the useless..." She said aloud, and couldn't help but startle a little at Takashi's sidelong glance at her, indicating that he had heard her.
Still, the young man wouldn't show any kind of interest in her, it was something he made quite clear when he turned his gaze once again.
The adolescent continued to look at him with even more curiosity after seeing the melancholy expression that surrounded Takashi's features as the wind ruffled his hair. What would catch her attention the most were his brown eyes.
She slowly approached, stepping to the side of the railing as she watched him. Takashi glanced sideways at her again, but again looked straight ahead again.
Another thing she was quite curious about was that everyone got too nervous or too introverted when she approached them, but Takashi seemed to ignore her existence completely.
Her violet eyes returned again to the man's brown eyes.
Silence would be present between the two for quite a while, until Saeko decided to speak.
"What are you thinking about so much?" That question seemed to surprise Takashi a bit, who showed it with his first change of expression so far this day.
Odd, since no one had noticed that he always found himself thinking.
No one, until now.
Takashi's gaze seemed to return to his typical melancholy one as he rested his chin underneath his hand.
"I just think about all the mistakes I've made..." Was the adolescent's dry reply, managing to shock her a little.
"So, you always skip all your classes to come here and think about the past?" the woman would ask, mimicking the young man's posture. "Stirring up the past doesn't do any good. You can only do your best in the present to make the future bright, so I don't think you should waste your time tormenting yourself over things that are already behind you."
"You talk about wasting time..." Takashi commented, giving her a full look for the first time. "You're not the one to talk about that." Takashi's insinuation was more than clear, managing to draw a chuckle from the woman.
"I just went to the bathroom and saw you on my way back." Was her reply, managing to get Takashi to look again into nothingness itself.
She would look at him again, remembering how Takashi had become so famous.
"Are you a friend of Hisashi's?" she inquired, watching as Takashi bowed his shoulders slightly.
"We were." Was the young man's curt reply.
"I see..." She would comment, remembering how she had met the aforementioned. "Hisashi became a big star as soon as he came to the kendo club, he even became our new captain at such a young age. I remember at those times I had some interest in him, as I had never been in a relationship before." That made Takashi scoff, catching his attention.
"I regret to inform you that Rei is his girlfriend." He commented, the cutting tone coming even louder than before.
"I figured as much, you're not the only one who was always after him..." She would reply, then look up at the clouds. His eyes softened at what she was about to say. "Besides, it's not currently a kind of feeling I deserve to have..."
Her tone of voice would have come across exactly the same to anyone else, but Takashi could tell she was hiding quite a bit of sadness and guilt behind her words.
That simple fact made Takashi soften a bit, managing to break the tense atmosphere he had been generating all along.
"Who would have thought that the great Saeko Busujima would have such deep problems?" The now recognized as Saeko could notice a bit of sarcasm behind Takashi's words, though she could also tell that he actually found it unbelievable that she could have problems.
Though what she found the most curious was something else.
"Wow!" She exclaimed, unable to help but smile. "Apparently, you do know who I am."
"My goodness, who wouldn't know?" Takashi abandoned his usual posture to look at her. "You are the daughter of Miyamoto Busujima, the winner of 5 consecutive gold medals, Japan's biggest star who has been the absolute king in fencing these past 20 years." Takashi rested his hand on his chin again, though he continued to look at her now. "If Hisashi is the new captain, it is only because you have not wanted to take that position. Your great talent has been known since you were little and it is believed that you could surpass your own father when you come of age." That answer made Saeko chuckle slightly.
"That's not true." The answer made Takashi look surprised.
Saeko turned her gaze to the sky again, her beautiful violet eyes focused on the clouds.
"Even if I manage to get 10 gold medals, my father will always remain the best." Her eyes would narrow slightly, denoting a look coated with fondness. "At least, he will be to me..."
For the first time in a long time, Takashi could say he was impressed.
In fact, to just say he was impressed was an understatement.
He might not show it on the outside, but in his mind he was swearing that he had discovered something that seemed to be impossible to find.
"I'm sorry." Takashi apologized, turning his gaze skyward.
Saeko looked at him visibly confused.
"Why are you apologizing?" She couldn't understand those words.
Yes, he had behaved a bit rude at first, but she didn't think it was serious enough to apologize either.
"Sorry for thinking you were like the others." He answered her, fixing his gaze on her, and that was the first time his dull brown eyes met those beautiful violet eyes. "Without a doubt, you are much better than those scumbags who call themselves 'diamonds'. You are a true diamond, and the only one that exists in this place." He replied, his sincerity in the words was so high that it made Saeko's eyes sparkle. "I wish you the best of luck when you graduate." He concluded.
That connection she was enjoying would be nipped in the bud when Takashi's eyes looked skyward again.
That made her remember something.
"I've been gone too long already." She commented, then started to leave.
Just before he left, she would deliver one last glance to the brown, to this boy who had ignited her curiosity to levels it had never reached before.
"I'll see you later."
"Yeah..." Takashi answered her as he waved his hand in farewell.
It took a couple of seconds, but it finally dawned on him.
Takashi would widen his eyes a bit and look at Saeko's now non-existent presence.
"Wait a minute, what did she mean she'd see me later?"
Just like that, time passed.
The sound of the break would be heard through the speakers, bringing Takashi out of his thoughts. The boy only gave a sigh, then started to climb the stairs to go to the highest point of the building.
Takashi leaned against a rooftop wall. No one was going there, and it was mainly due to the small amount of space. His gaze went up to the small roof overhanging the door, thinking for a few moments if he should climb up there to admire the day in a better way, but quickly discarded it knowing that it could not be a very good idea.
That moment of tranquility only lasted a few minutes, as the door at his side would open, earning Takashi a confused look.
He had been going to the same place for three months, and so far no one had come.
"So, here you were." Saeko lowered her gaze to see who she had been looking for these minutes.
She was carrying a chocolate cake in her hands before Takashi's curious gaze.
"Why did you come here?" The boy turned his attention back to the beautiful young woman, who would give him a small smile as she sat down next to him.
"I said I'd see you later." She commented, opening the plastic wrapper that held the cake securely. "I want to eat with you." She concluded, starting to cut the cake into small slices. It wasn't very big, so it could serve as a kind of small appetizer before lunch.
"You don't think it's a bad idea to join me?" Takashi would question her, his face seemed to be serious, though the tone of voice gave off some concern towards her.
He didn't want her reputation to be at risk because of him.
"Do you think I care what others think?" She answered him with another question, earning an impressed look from Takashi.
"At first she seemed like someone quite calm and kind, but she seems to have more of a temper than I had thought..." He thought, watching as she kept looking at him, getting him to raise an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"Where's your food?" Saeko looked curious as she watched Takashi turn his gaze skyward.
"I don't bring anything. I like to eat at my parents' house." Was the simple reply, getting Saeko to smile a little.
Takashi couldn't help but lower his gaze as he felt something land at his side. His eyes widened a little as he watched Saeko pull the cake a little closer, enticing him to eat.
"I don't usually eat it all by myself..." The hints were more than obvious, getting Takashi to rub his hair as he looked at her.
The truth was, he was always hungry at this point in the day, so he wasn't going to refuse some food, especially if it was offered so graciously.
"Thank you very much." He would reply, taking a portion.
"You know how to be thankful too, huh?" She giggled as she took a small bite of the cake.
At that moment, Saeko could see Takashi's first smile.
Even though it had been so small, for some reason it caught her attention.
"Very funny." He replied, mimicking the action of what seemed to be her new friend.
They both continued to eat in silence as they watched the clouds pass by. If seen from the outside, it looked like an awkward silence, but the reality was quite the opposite.
They were both enjoying each other's presence, and that was undeniable.
It was strange that two people could hit it off so well when they had only met a few minutes ago.
"By the way, there's something that intrigues me..." That quiet silence was broken when Saeko spoke, gaining Takashi's attention. "A moment ago you said you ate at your parents' house. That means you don't live at the academy, or am I wrong?"
"I could live here, but the reality is that it would be very complicated." He replied with great sincerity. "I think you know why."
"I understand..." She would reply, then look up at the sky again.
When that silence seemed to feel like re-emerging, Takashi spoke.
"Thank you so much for the food, it was delicious." He commented to her, sketching a tiny smile. "Where did you buy it?" Saeko couldn't help but give him a smile after what she heard.
"That came straight out of my kitchen." She answered him, earning Takashi's surprise.
"Wow, how can someone be so perfect at everything?" That comment made Saeko cover her lips as she chuckled under her breath.
"Come on, it's not that big of a deal." Saeko stood up from the spot, shaking the crumbs off her skirt. "Classes are about to start." She would conclude, opening the door to leave.
Just before she left she would hand him one last smile.
"See you tomorrow!" She waved goodbye with an air of happiness, earning a somewhat sloppy salute from Takashi, as he clearly wasn't expecting those words.
"Uh, I guess so." Was his silly reply, managing to make Saeko's smile deepen a bit more before leaving the place.
Takashi would look down at himself for a few seconds, then look up at the sky again.
His lips licked against his will.
"I wasn't exaggerating, that cake was really delicious..."
THIS IS IT!
(THIS IS A TRANSLATION. English is not my main language, so you may see some errors in the wording. If you notice any kind of problems or poorly written sentences, please let me know so I can try to improve. I would appreciate it very much)
Remember that this story is in voting, and it must be at least in second place for it to be developed.
As you can see, I made several changes from the original work. There are some things that were not quite clear for obvious reasons, since it is impossible to assemble so many things in only 5000 words.
As I said before, this story is a draft. There may be changes in the future, but what I would project in the short term would be to make a considerably longer prologue, until the time comes for Hirano and Takashi to relate for the first time. There are also several OC characters that haven't even been mentioned yet, and many of those mentioned now haven't had much prominence for obvious reasons.
If there are any doubts about this draft, or if there is anything that seems wrong, such as an exaggerated OC development of the main characters, or any other issue that might bother you, don't hesitate to comment. It may just be a story that is in voting, but I'm still going to listen to them, since those same things don't help me only in this work.
With nothing more to say, I can only hope you liked it.
I send you a huge hug and have a nice day!
