Highschool of the Dead: Fanfiction Darkpenn

Chapter 3.5: true friends have sniper rifles

Bonus chapter:

True Friends Have Sniper Rifles

Stitches, secrets, and a rabbit

[Author's Note: This story takes place in the time period of the story Dead and the Road Home, the fourth story of the Chronicle of Takashi Komuro; specifically, while the group is staying in the barn, on the road to Tomo; while Saeko is recovering from being shot.]

Three days after the fight with the marauding soldiers and Miss Marikawa's makeshift surgery, Saeko was able to walk, although she was still weak.

"I would like to go the stream to wash," she said to Takashi, who was cleaning the weapons with Hirano. "I have been cooped up here for too long."

"Sure, but don't go alone and don't go far," said Takashi. "You're not ready for much in the zombie department. Rei is on watch in the loft but there are some spots that you can't see from there."

"I'll come with you," said Saya. She checked her Luger, and Saeko picked up her sword - as well as soap and a towel.

The two of them walked down to the stream. It was not wide or deep enough to swim in but it was sufficient for bathing. Saeko stripped and waded in. After a while, Saya did the same, although rather incongruously she kept her shoulder holster with her gun on.

Saeko carefully splashed water over her stitched wound. "I believe that this will be a nice scar," she said. "Thank you for helping Shizuka, Saya."

"You know, guys dig scars," said Saya.

"They do?"

"Uh, to tell the truth I have no idea. They probably don't, being guys. Oh, I remember now, it's chicks that dig scars. On guys, that is."

"Do you?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Nor I. It sounds like a myth made up by guys with scars. But perhaps we should ask Rei."

"Knowing Rei, she probably ... no, I don't want to think about it."

The two of them got out and sat on the bank, letting their hair dry in the sun. Saya picked up the Hokusawa blade and drew it from its sheath.

"This is very beautiful," she said. "My father really liked you. Probably more than me. He tried to show me how to use a sword once - I must have been about ten - but I got into a snit about something, or maybe I was already in a snit, I don't really remember, so things didn't go very well. The same thing happened when my mother tried to show me how to shoot. I always had the feeling that they thought I should be the best at everything all the time, without much effort. Part of being Lady Fucking Saya of the Oh-So-Mighty House of Takagi, I suppose."

"But you were always the top student," said Saeko.

"Sure, because I spent nearly every night studying with very expensive tutors. Being a genius is really hard work. You know what I was going to do on the day of the Outbreak? After the first class, I was going to cut the rest of the day. Find somewhere that would sell me booze and get drunk, maybe. Go anywhere but school or home."

"Huh. Do you know what I was going to do? After the school day, I had a date."

"But you had a lot of dates, surely."

"No, I just screwed around a lot."

"Really? How much?"

"3,746 times."

"What!"

"It's a joke, Saya. I should probably not try and make jokes, since I have no sense of humour whatsoever. No, the truth is that I had had a couple of lovers, none of which I considered to be of great consequence. But I'd been talking to this guy for a while, and I was really looking forward to that date. I had a feeling that it might lead somewhere more important than bed."