Answers to reviews:
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool of the Dead. I only own the OC George Edwards.
It's been one day since George and Saeko made it to the Takagi Estate, where the two were able to have a peaceful and relaxing day finally and spent most of it together, both of them talking and training in hand-to-hand combat, before retiring to bed. When they woke up the following morning, the two of them admitted how good it felt to sleep in a proper bed... though Saeko teased George about them 'breaking it in' through other means. George simply chuckled and kissed her, telling her they'll have to keep the noise down when they do so.
Right now, George was making his rounds, checking on everyone in his group to make sure thry were alright. He's already been to Alice and Zero, who were eating food that the staff brought out for them. Kohta was cleaning the guns. And his girlfriend, Saeko, was reading in their room. Saya was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Shizuka.
Now, he was going to check on Takashi and Rei.
'Hope those two have had the chance to sort out their feelings for each other.' George thought with a small smile. He could tell Takashi still loved Rei, and it was vice versa, all that was needed was the two of them getting it out and confessing. There had already been tension in the group because of him and Saeko's feelings for each other, but they took care of that very thoroughly in the shrine, then again yesterday when they took a shower together, the last thing the group needed was another dose of sexual tension.
"NOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAHHH!" The American teenager was startled by the sound of Rei's screaming, then grabbed his Desert Eagle out of it's holster, before racing down the hallway to Takashi and Rei's designated room. When he reached the door, George kicked open the door, and rushed into the room, gun raised. But then he lowered them when he saw what caused the noise.
Rei was lying on the bed, on her stomach, naked as the day she was born with only a towel covering her ass. Takashi was on the bed with her. He was holding her down by her shoulders as she grabbed onto his pants, screaming in pain into his crouch. The reason for the screams is because Shizuka was behind the young woman, rubbing some kind of ointment on her back.
Shizuka and Takashi paused and looked at the American while Rei was still trembling in pain. George blinked before asking dryly. "Am I interrupting something?"
[Play The Walking Dead's theme]
The intro of the story first starts with a quick view of the spot on the stairs that Takashi and George would meet at, before showing the gates of the school as they moved, but there's no one to move it.
We then switch to showing the hallways of the school. Bloodied and with the bodies of the students that didn't make it. But still no zombies. The scene is then cut to a assault rifle. Beside the rifle was the name George Edwards.
A boken is stabbed into a grass field, with the camera focused on it, and the background blurred out. Saeko Busujima is spelled on the wooden sword's blade. The camera then focuses on the background, showing that it was the city.
A gas station was then shown from afar with only the light shining it into view. Cutting quickly to a view of a bloodied handle baseball bat, the viewer sees the name Takashi Komuro next to it. Cutting quickly away from it, Rei Miyamoto is spelled next to her makeshift spear, that was leaning against the outside of the bus.
After a few shots of the city, we cut to a lone pistol on the ground with Kohta Hirano spelled next to it. The camera shifts and moves up to show that it was laying right in front of the gates of the Takagi house. With Saya Takagi appearing above it.
A lone medial bag with the name Shizuka Marikawa near it is seen in an empty room. A teddy bear is seen on the road with the names of Alice Maerasto and Zero near it.
As the intro was about to come to a close, the words Bladewolf101 presents appeared on screen, before it cuts to black, and the title is shown.
"The Living Dead"
Shizuka giggled after she had finished, while George exited the room, a little flustered after having just walked in on the three with Rei naked. It turned out that the nurse was spreading some special ointment on Rei's back because of her bad fall from the Humvee. When she was finished, the nurse exited the room. She was out of her school outfit and was wearing a blue turtleneck sweater and white capris.
"Alright, I fixed up Rei with my special formula!" She said, closing the door. From the outside, George could hear the two exes getting into some kind of argument.
"Jesus..." George pinched the bridge of his nose. "Next time... put up a do not disturb sign on the doorknob. I am not doing that again."
Shizuka giggled. "Someone's flustered~ I still remember the boy who'd blush when I came onto him."
"While you were drunk." George pointed out.
"Was only having some fun." Shizuka giggled again before looking at him more softly. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot of things." George sighed, leaning against the wall. "Worried about everyone's safety as I always am... and also wondering if Rika is still alive."
"I have faith that she is." Shizuka said, putting a hand on his shoulder. George smiled and nodded in agreement. "Did you mean what you said on the bus?"
"Hmm?" George looked at her with a frown.
"That I'm like an aunt to you?" Shizuka clarified.
George smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I meant every word. This whole group has come to be like family to me, but you were already like an aunt to me before this whole thing started. And Rika took on the role of a second mother for me, even though she made it clear she wasn't trying to replace my mom. All we've been through in the last few days has brought some of us closer than others."
"Like you and Ms. Busujima?" Shizuka giggled, causing George to sigh. His and Saeko's relationship must've been that obvious to everyone when they came back... or was it because Saeko was glowing? Which was something a girl did after her first time. "Anyway, I better get going and check the rest of this place out."
"I'll go find Alice and make sure she and Zero are doing okay," Shizuka told George, before walking off to find the little girl, leaving George alone.
He stood there for a moment, before he was about to leave, when he heard Rei suddenly shouting furiously. "My boobs are killing me because you used them to balance an AK-47! NOW GET OUT!" The next thing George knew was Takashi running out of the room, escaping the very pissed off girl.
"Girl problems?" George asked, smirking. Takashi looked at him and smiled too. "Seriously? You guys are broken up, and yet the two of you argue like an old married couple."
"Don't remind me," Takashi said with a slight groan in his voice. But then he smirked at George and crossed his arms. "So, you and Ms. Busujima are a thing now, huh?"
George was a little taken aback before looking a little sheepish. Slightly embarrassed but also slightly amused by the fact that the two were pretty obvious when they came to the estate. "What gave it away?"
"You mean other than the fact that the two of you never left each other's side, were holding hands, and even took a shower together?" Takashi listened off with his smirk getting bigger. He then playfully punched George in the shoulder. "You sly dog! I knew you could do it! Finally, got the girl, you big hero?"
"Don't you have a girl with a bad back you should be talking to?" George asked, knowing that was one of the driving forces of Rei breaking up with Takashi. He didn't talk enough.
"Don't you have a girl with purple hair you should be spending time with?" Takashi asked with a shrug.
George narrowed his eyes at him. "You're alright, Komuro." The two friends laughed. Then George started walking done the hallway. "Welp, I've better and check on the others and meet some of the locals. See ya!"
"Yeah, see you," Takashi said. As he walked off, George couldn't help but smile a bit at how nice it was to talk with his friend like they were still in high school, before the outbreak. It reminded him that his friends still cared for him and why he stuck with them for this long.
George wandered the halls aimlessly of the Estate. He was looking at the architecture of the build to see how defendable it was in the event of an attack or if the zombies go past the blockades and the gates. Most of the staff and housekeepers were left defenseless. Not even a pistol. Unless the guns were locked up until they were in a crisis. As he pasted a few people, they looked at him strangely. At first, as if they were approaching just another kid on the block, but then they saw the guns strapped to his back and hips that they became wary and kept their distance.
He walked down the stairs to the first floor to see two men carrying a large box in through the front door. He watched as one of them's fingers slipped, and the box fell.
"You idiot! You're walking to fast!" The other man scolded. The two men got ready to pick up the box, and when they lifted it, George walked over and helped them.
"I've got you guys," he said.
"No, kid. It's alright. You just leave it to the big boys," the man said.
George raised an eyebrow. "The hell's that supposed to mean?" He inquired.
"Just go relax." The other man said before they walked away.
George scowled. He would have thought that with the world going through this pandemic that it would have made it so that he and the rest of the high schoolers would be stopped seen as kids. But that wasn't the case. Honestly, he'd like to meet a person who wouldn't pass him off as a kid that needs protecting, could see that he can defend himself and be alright with him holding weapons.
He sighed. "Somethings just never change." He groaned.
"Don't worry about it too much," said the voice of his beautiful girlfriend.
George turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw Saeko standing coming from another room, wearing a lovely kimono that was a stark contrast to how she dressed before, which were on the more erotic side. But now, she looked beautiful.
Saeko looked at her lover and saw him staring at her with mouth agape. She smirked a little, know what he liked her look. "What's the matter?"
Snapping out of it, George walked up to her and smile. "Nothing. In fact, you look amazing," he said. "Absolutely stunning. N-Not that you didn't before."
The purple-haired woman giggled and smiled. "Thank you," she said. "So, what's your thought process today?
"Ain't' that the question." George sighed and rubbed the back of his head, anxious about what was going to come next. "I'm just hoping that this group won't break up. We've still got Takashi and Rei that need to find their parents, but then, I just wonder what will happen next."
Saeko looked at him more meaningfully. "You're still thinking about it, aren't you? Leaving the group to go and find the source of the zombie outbreak."
It had been something George brought up suddenly the other night when they were in bed together. Saeko had seen something troubling her boyfriend and asked him about it, to which he confessed that he was thinking of leaving the group. Naturally, this shocked her and she asked why to which he explained that the source of this outbreak, this infection, had to have originated somewhere. And a part of him wanted to go find it, to either destroy it in the hopes it destroys all zombies all over the world... or perhaps a cure can be made for those who get bit, to be cursed before they quickly turn.
The two of them debated about this topic for minutes, with George acknowledging that there could be no end in sight. That there might not be a cure or a way to destroy the zombies for good, but someone had to try. He suggested that he transfer leadership over to Takashi before he leaves, as Takashi was someone he saw as a leader should anything have ever happened to him. Saeko remained silent, before she firmly told him that she was going to go with him on this crazy mission, which he argued with her about but she was stubborn and firm in her decision, before telling him to sleep it off and just think about things first before he acted.
"Yeah, I am." George sighed. "It's been in my head since day 1. I don't know what to do, Saeko. I want to try and save the world, but there might not even be an end in sight to my crazy goal. And then there's how the group will think about me leaving."
Saeko stopped his worries by kissing him on the lips. When she pulled away, she had her arms around him, and he had his hands on her hips. "It's like you said. We'll save what remains. Just put your crazy goal to the side just now. It's great to see that you're still thinking about us. It makes you a great leader," she said. She then smirked with a slight bit of flirtiness. "And I love great leaders like you."
George smirked and joked, "And I love sexy samurai school girls like you."
The two lovers started laughing and started kissing each other again. That was when Alice came in and saw the two kissing and laughing. "Hey! What is it?" She asked with a big innocent smile. George and Saeko pulled away as Alice and Zero ran over to them. "Why are you laughing? Did something happen?"
Jack chuckled before he replied with, "We were just talking. What about you, Alice, are you doing okay?"
"Yeah! I'm more than okay!" Alice exclaimed with a big smile.
It warmed George's heart to know that Alice really was doing well with the situation they were all in. However, last night, after putting the 'leaving the group' topic to bed, George went into Alice's room to check on her to see if she was okay. She'd cried for a long time and kept herself up. Eventually, George walked her to his and Saeko's bed, and the three slept together that night. The two teenagers ended up holding her in their arms as she fell asleep.
She's already adapted to this hell on earth. The nightmare that took her parents when she needed them the most. George kneeled and rubbed her head gently. "I'm glad to hear that," he said with a gentle smile.
"FINE! YOU'RE ALWAYS RIGHT! ALWAYS!" Saya suddenly yelled from the top of the stairs on the second floor.
"I better go see what's gotten her worked up." George said before leaving the two girls and walked up the stairs. When he got to the top, he turned to see Saya stomping in his direction with her eyes closed. "The hell's going on up here?"
Saya stopped to open her eyes. Her face was flustered a bit, and it looked as though she had the first sign of tears at the corners of her eyes. She glared at the American. "You don't have to ask like such a prick!"
"Is that so, princess." George asked with apparent mockery in his voice. "Then please, tell me how I'd like to address you."
"Maybe prick is the wrong word. I should have said asshole," Saya snapped.
"And I should have called you the princess of the bitches, now what happened?" George retorted.
Saya glared at him with her teeth gritting together, before letting it go. "I don't want to talk about it! Why would it matter? Just leave me alone!" She then ran past him and stomped down the stairs in a fury. "I can't take this anymore!"
"What the hell is up with her?" George wondered to himself. Sure, she was a bitch and a pain in the past, but she had never acted like this before.
"Sorry to draw you into our little discussion, Mr. Edwards," said a woman's voice to his right. George looked back down the hallway and saw Saya's mother walking towards him in her same dress from yesterday.
"It's okay." He said, turning to smile at her.
She nodded slightly. "You're used to it, aren't you? After all, you've known each other since the beginning of your stay in Japan." She said, almost as a statement than a question.
"Yeah. Some things never change." George said, glancing back in the direction that Saya marched off. "Then again, some things do change." He turned around to Yuriko. "Your house is very beautiful, you know. I'm thankful that you and your husband have allowed my group and I to stay here."
"It was the least that we could do. You and your friends protected my daughter." She said with a nod. "Come to think of it; you've never been to my house before, have you?"
"No." George shook his head. "Saya and I weren't that close for me to visit."
"You're honest, I like that." She said with a smile.
George nodded and looked out the window. "But, is it true that you don't stay here long?" he asked.
Yuriko was saddened when she heard the question. "No. No, I don't." She said to the young man. She then turned to the window and looked out of it. There were still people walking about, trying to be normal while locked inside the fortress. She knew that he wasn't aware of what was going on politics wise when the zombies started to attack, so she decided to have a conversation with him. "When the Dead started attacking, the main concern was to protect the hydro plant and transformer substations. The Commander sent a small part of the Self-Defense Forces that were on stand by in case of terrorist attacks to the power plants at his own discretion. He's not the kind of man to sit around and wait on the Prime Minister's incompetency."
George remembered seeing those helicopters the day the outbreak happened. They were from the SDF. Meaning they were going to the power plants. "If that's the case, then they'll keep things running."
"You're so optimistic. How much longer do you think those maintenance workers will stay there? They have families too. And their family members are not at the power plants."
George looked out the window again and saw a series of buses that were being outfitted with armor on the windows. That when he got where she was going with this. "So, you're going to take the buses and..."
"Correct, but we'll only be taking the ones that can survive outside of this place," she said with a scowl. "Harsh, I know." George just listened as she changed the topic to an earlier one. "I want her to understand me. But no matter what I say, she won't listen. Maybe you could talk to her?"
George raised an eyebrow. "Convince her? I've barely been able to convince her of anything thing. How may I suppose to convince her to go with this plan?"
"You've convinced her to do one thing," she said, before smiling. "You've convinced her to follow you."
A few minutes ago, Takagi found George wandering around the grounds outside and swiftly ordered him to come with her and Kohta. Together, they rounded up the rest of their little group and brought them to Rei's room. The others were around the injured girl's bed, as Rei was lying on her stomach with the towel covering her. Saya was standing in front of a window.
"I still don't see a reason for everyone has to gather around here," Rei complained.
"Oh, hush, unless you're able to stand!" George rolled his eyes.
"You can barely walk. Where else would we meet?" Takashi replied.
"So, what's this meeting have to do with us again?" Shizuka asked, peeling a banana. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Whether we can continue to move forward as a group or not," Saya said, looking out the window.
That's certainly not what George was expecting. After all the trouble they went through to get here. After all that they've fought against, was she really talking about separating from the group? That's weird, he was the one that was meant to bring this up since he too had thoughts of leaving the group... but for a more serious reason and cause.
"It's a good point," said Saeko. This surprised George, and it showed on his face when he turned to her. So, she explained it. "The group's bigger now. We may have to think more democratically since there are more of us than there were before. It's only far."
"Right. We have only two opinions. Whether we're going to be absorbed or..." Saya began.
"...we split up," Takashi said, finishing her thoughts. "But why?"
Saya gritted her teeth in anger. Why couldn't they just listen to her? She then spread her arms out towards the horizon. "Maybe you should look around and see for yourself!" She yelled. "If you still don't get it after that, then I revoke your right to call me by my fight name!"
"We did see it, Saya." George said, cutting in with a firm tone. Saya glared at him. "When I look out on that city, I'm reminded of the blood and chaos that we endured. Things are only getting worse out there. That's why we're at this place. We went through hell to get here, and now we're here, you want to leave it?" He walked up next to her. "Your father seems to know what he's doing, along with your mother. They have a plan."
Saya tensed up. "Oh, don't they always?" she asked sarcastically. George turned to her and saw her choke up a bit. However, he didn't ask her what was wrong. He knew that this conversation was going somewhere that was going to cross the line. "Her achievements. Don't think she won't shove them in your face. Maybe if she was as dedicated at home as she was..."
"Saya..." Takashi began.
"God, she's such a bitch."
"You shouldn't talk bad about your parents. Considering the situation we're in, it's been really tough for everyone."
"Did I ask for you to weigh in on my family life!? That sounds like something my mom would say! The Takagi's, always the Takagi's! How wonderful their life must be. I know, I know, my parents are the best! Even when something unexpected happened, they took action right away and protected their mansion and staff! After all. Everything had to be just perfect. The house, and the lawn, and most of all, their daughter! The apple of their eyes! It was positively suffocating! They wanted to know where I was and what I was doing every minute of the day! The leash they kept me on!"
"That's enough," Takashi said firmly. George didn't say a word, as all of his attention was on Saya. He was listening to her because he was on her side, his arms crossed, face expressionless.
"NO! It was never enough! Where was that leash yesterday when I was out there in the streets, fighting for my life! Where the hell were they!? As expected! They're really amazing! I shouldn't expect any less from them! THEY DIDN'T THINK I SURVIVED, SO THEY GAVE UP IMMEDIATELY!"
"STOP OT, SAYA!" Takashi suddenly shouted as he rushed forward and grabbed the girl, lifting her off her feet, which caught everyone off guard and made them tense.
"Takashi..." George warned.
"You don;t... You don't know how I feel." Saya said with tears in her eyes. "You don't know anything about me."
Takashi's expression was etched into a firm glare. "It's not just you. We all feel the same way! WE ALL FEEL THE SAME WAY! Don't you know how lucky you are?! AT LEAST YOUR PARENTS ARE SAFE! SO QUIT WHINING!"
"ENOUGH!" George got between them and shoved them apart after forcing Takashi's arms down so Saya's feet touched the floor. "I. Said. Enough." he looked between them with an enraged glare. "Now is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves! We went through heel to survive this fucking apocalypse! I get it! All of you are worried about your parents, not knowing if they're safe and holding up somewhere, or if they're zombies chewing on someone's flesh, while Saya knows her parents are safe! I see everyone's points here! If this is how this group is going to keep going... then I'll leave earlier than I intended to!"
His words caused everyone except Saeko to look at him with confused eyes. "W-What do you mean?" Rei asked from her position on the bed.
George sighed and turned to look out the window, leaning on it. "At some point, whether after we leave here or we find Takashi and Rei's parents... I'm going to put Takashi in charge of this group and then I'm leaving."
"Leaving?! Why are you planning on that?!" Kohta asked with wide eyes.
"Because this whole thing has to have an origin, a source. There has to be some kind of reason for the zombie outbreak. A virus, a biological weapon that got out of control or shattered and spread onto scientists who were playing around, or a disease that scientists fucked around with as they searched for a cure to Cancer or something like they always do. Whatever it is, there has to be a source... and I'm going to find it."
"B-But you don't even know where this 'source' could be! You don't even know if there is!" Takashi pointed out.
"Yes, I know that!" George shot him a glare before sighing and looking out the window. "But I have to try. Nobody else will because they aren't thinking that way. Something caused this, I'm going to find it and either destroy it to kill all zombies all over the world... or perhaps find a cure for those who get bit. For them to be saved before they turn."
The room was silent as everyone stared at George with varying degrees of expressions, mainly shock. Although Saeko had resolve in her eyes since she fully intended to follow her boyfriend on this mission of his, even if he knows there's no possible ending in sight. But she was willing to follow him.
They were all pulled out of their mental states by the sound of rumbling from outside. George walked out on to the balcony with the others and saw a caravan of cars and large trucks, including one that had a flatbed.
"The feds," Kohta said.
"Yes," Saya began, standing next to George. "He's the former lord of Tokonosu. The head of the Takagi family." Down on the ground, a man stepped out of one of the cars. Judging the way that men that guarded the house bowed and how Yuriko stood waiting for him, it was clear who it was. "The man who judges everything by his rules."
With a clear view of the man, George saw his full appearance. A tall and intimidating man with jet black hair and fierce orange eyes that had the gaze of a predatory animal.
"My father."
George and the others watched the man made his way to the front of the fountain that's in the middle of the yard. He turned around as a forklift rolled up towards him with a cage. Inside it was an undead.
People had come out when they saw the zombie in the cage.
"This man's name is Tetsudoro Dore," said Saya's father. His voice was matching his intimating appearance. "He is the former retainer of the family who served the Takagi family. He is also my best friend." The forklift stopped in front of a stage that was set up in front of the fountain.
"Today, during the rescue operation in an effort to save his associates...he was bitten. This is the ultimate case of self-sacrifice. What he did was something noble. Something any human being could do. However. He is no longer a human. He has become something extremely dangerous."
As if to prove Mr. Takagi's point, the undead slammed into the front of the cage.
"That's why..." the man drew his katana. George, Saya, and the teenagers held their breaths as they watched. "...as a man of the Takagi family, I shall fulfill my obligation to the retainer," he proclaimed, raising his sword over his head to strike.
One of his men locked the cage, and the undead charged out. Rushing at Mr. Takagi.
Suddenly, a glass bottle of milk falls and breaks on the ground. The mother of the baby that dropped the bottle apologized to the crowd, before crouching down to pick it up. But when she looked back at the fountain, she saw what everyone else saw the father of Saya did.
The head of the undead was floating in the fountain, turning the water red.
"This is the present we're currently facing! And so, even if they are your beloved friends, family members, or people you once loved, you must defeat them without hesitation. If you want to survive, you must fight!" Mr. Takagi finished his speech, staring out into the crowd.
Saya glared at her father as he walked away. Following behind him was his wife. George watched the people standing around in silence before dispersing.
Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kohta seething. "What's the matter, Kohta? You don't look so hot."
Everyone turned and looked at him as he replied. "Swords are incredibly ineffective."
"What are you talking about?" asked Takashi.
"I said they're inefficient!" Kohta yelled angrily, rounding at him. "A Japanese sword can break if it hit bone! It's useless after slicing three or four people!"
"You can't tell that for sure, Hirano," Saeko said, stepping forward slightly. "Even in the way of the sword, numbers determine your strength. The swordsman's technique. The quality of his sword. His mental strength. If these three elements are at high levels, you won't lose your fighting strength. No matter how matter people you have to fight against."
"But once the sword has blood on it, then it's impossible-"
"It's just like cooking. Why would a good cook leave blood on a kitchen knife." George said. "Or not clean a gun after firing it for a long time."
"But- But-"
"Hey, Hirano. That's enough." Takashi cut him off and stepped towards Kohta.
"Don't touch me!" Kohta suddenly pushed him back. "And don't interrupt me. You can't even shoot a gun properly."
Saya turned around and glared at him. "Hirano! You need to back off!"
Kohta stared at her for a second, before angrily turning and running off into the house.
"Hirano!" Yelled out Takashi. He was about to chase after him when George grabbed his arm. Stopping him.
"Takashi!" He said with a stern scowl on his face. Then he let his friend go. "Leave him be. He's got a lot on his mind."
"So have you." Takashi said with a frown. "How long have you been planning to leave?"
""The thought actually occurred to me when I was separated from the group with Saeko, so don't think I've had it on my mind since the beginning." George retorted before sighing. "I have to do this. Call me crazy, call me stupid, I don't care. I can't sit around and expect this whole thing to end. And if I can't find what I'm after and end it... then I'll die trying."
With that, George walked out the room and left them thinking on his words.
Taking a walk to cool off, George made his way to his room and looked at wher ehe placed his weapons, picking up the Colt M4A1 and just stared at it. He sighed and looked off, getting lost in his thoughts.
"George!" He snapped out of it at hearing Alice's voice and looked over to the open doorway to see the little girl along with Zero. "Hurry up and come with me! Kohta...Kohta's in big trouble! We have to go to him now!"
Immediately worried, George grabbed his gun and ran out of the house at full speed. Alice and Zero running behind him but were falling behind quickly. When the American looked around, he spotted a ground of men surrounding Kohta. Holding the guns in his arms tightly as the shotgun was slung on his back. "I wouldn't do it!" He yelled.
"Give me a break!" Yelled one man.
"Hand it over, fat boy!" demanded a large man with red gym clothes.
They heard the sound of a gun cocking and turned to see George aiming at them with a fierce glare on his face. "Touch me... and I'll shoot."
One of them scoffed when he saw the rifle in his hands. "Great, another one hoarding a bunch of guns," he said, before walking over to George. He held out his hand. "Alright, play is over, kid. Hand out the guns-"
BANG!
George fired into the air then aimed the gun at the man, who stepped back, now seeing it was an actual loaded gun. George walked over, keeping the men in his sights, and came to a stop beside Kohta. "My friend isn't giving up anything. I have a license to own firearms thanks to my guardian, and those guns my friend is holding... happen to belong to me and her and he has my permission to hold them and use them."
"You little punk. We asked you nicely, so quite being selfish brats!" Yelled the man that tried taking the M4A1.
"We're only trying to protect everyone here!" Yelled another man.
"I bet it's all just an act," said the red sweats man. "Let's just take it from them."
"WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS?!" Yelled a familiar voice that rang out to all that were in the area.
All heads turned to Chief Takagi, walking towards them with his wife. Each step the Don took was like the beating of a drum.
"Ma-Master. They're just kids, sir. They don't have any business with any of these guns," said one of the lord's men.
Mr. Takagi stepped forward and stopped just short of Koht and George. He glared down at the American and the gun-nut with his arms crossed. "I'm Souichoro Takagi. The former lord of Tokonosu. The master of Tendo Socoru. What is your names, young men?"
"George Edwards." The lone American said.
Kohta suddenly bowed down. "K-K-Kohta Hirano! I go to Fujimi Academy. I'm in class 2-A roster number 32!" He exclaimed, with some struggle.
"Something tells me that you've got spirit. I'm quite sure that you went through a lot with your friend here before you made it all the way here," The man said, continuing to look down at Kohta. "I take it you don't intend to hand over your weapons?"
"N-NO, SIR! I don't want to!" Kohta cried, beginning to sob. "Without a gun, I'm going right back to- Back to the way I was before! They'll make fun of me again! They'll make fun of me again! I don't want to go back there! I finally figured out what I can do!"
"What exactly can you do? Tell me!"
Kohta looked up at Mr. Takagi's outburst and gasped. Tears flowed from his eyes as he struggled to come up with an answer. Anything to keep his guns.
"He can protect your daughter!" said a familiar voice. George looked behind him and saw Takashi. He had come with Rei in his arms, but handed her off to Shizuka. With a stern expression, he walked over and stood in front of Kohta. Standing with George on both sides of the chubby student.
"Ko-Komuro..." Kohta said.
"Komuro..." said Mr. Takagi with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Yes, that name sounds familiar to me. You were friends with my daughter since she was little, were you not?"
"Yes, sir. Still am," Takashi said. "But Hirano and George have been the ones protecting her."
"That's right, sir, and it's rather rude of your people to think that just because he's a kid, he doesn't deserve them," George said, glaring at the men that had surrounded them. "I permitted him to use my guardian's weapons. He came here with them and given his skills with a firearms tops any of your men; I'd say it's only fair that he keeps them. And if one if your men wants to say otherwise, I ain't afraid to shoot anyone to protect my friends."
"Are you threatening me, boy?" Mr. Takagi asked, narrowing his eyes.
"You can think what you want. Regardless, he ain't giving them up and I ain't giving up mine." George said, narrowing his eyes back.
Suddenly, Alice came rushing towards Kohta. "Kohta!" She yelled, before jumping at him and holding him in a hug. She then turned to the Takagi father and glared a cute glare, with Zero barking.
Shizuka walked over, helping Rei stand up by offering her shoulder. Rei quickly switched to being held by Takashi. The whole group, except Saya, stood with Kohta, forming a protective circle around their friend. All were glaring at the man.
"I'll have you know I've seen his bravery, with my own eyes," Saeko said.
"Me too, daddy!" George turned and saw Saya had turned up and joined them. "He's just a looser gun otaku. But without him, I would have been one of the Dead by now, Daddy. That's right. They've been the ones protecting me! Kohta did your job!"
Saya took a moment to look at George, and the American stared back at her. He gave her a simple nod. He may be intending to leave soon, but he'll be damned if he leaves while this group is on the verge of splitting. Though it seems he has nothing to fear.
And that's it for this chapter. The next one will be the final chapter of this story. I did say I was going to go for ten chapters at best before it's completed, and that's what I have done.