DEADly Detour {Rewrite}

The car jolted to a stop, snapping me out of my daze. I blinked, taking in the familiar gates of Fujimi High.

"Have a good day, Kai," Mr. Tonaka said, his voice carefully neutral. "I'll pick you up this afternoon."

I mumbled my thanks and clambered out, shouldering my bag. The car pulled away, leaving me alone on the curb.

The moment I stepped through the gates, I was lost. A stranger in a sea of chatter and laughter that I couldn't seem to penetrate.

"Did you see Miku's new haircut? So cute!"

"Man, I'm not ready for that math test..."

"Hey, isn't that the new transfer student?"

I pasted on a smile, nodding and waving to the curious glances and whispers that followed me. It was like slipping on a well-worn mask, one that fit so naturally I almost forgot I was wearing it.

The classroom was no different. I slid into my seat with a wink at the girl next to me, earning a flutter of lashes and a coy smile in return.

As the teacher droned on, I doodled idly in my notebook, my mind a million miles away. The numbers on the board might as well have been hieroglyphics.

I found my gaze drifting to the window, to the sakura trees swaying in the breeze. A restlessness hummed beneath my skin, a feeling that I didn't belong here, in this stuffy classroom with its rigid rules and expectations.

The lunch bell was a relief. I let myself be swept along with the tide of hungry students to the cafeteria.

I grabbed a tray and found an empty table, flashing a smile at the giggling girls who immediately clustered nearby.

"Sato-kun, do you want to try my bento? I made it myself!"

"Hey, Sato-kun, what school did you transfer from? I bet it was somewhere really cool..."

I fielded their questions with easy charm, laughing and joking like I'd known them for years.

I was just about to make an excuse and slip away when a flash of purple caught my eye.

Her. The girl from class, the one who'd captured my attention so completely. Without thinking, I started after her. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say, I just knew I needed to talk to her. To see if that electric connection I'd felt was real or just a figment of my over-stressed brain.

She turned a corner and I hurried to catch up, my shoes slapping against the pavement. But when I rounded the bend, she was nowhere to be seen. I frowned, looking around. The path led towards the athletic wing, where the gym and sports fields were.

A flash of movement caught my eye - a door swinging shut at the end of the hall. I approached cautiously, my curiosity warring with a sudden case of nerves. What was I doing? Chasing after a girl I'd never even spoken to?

But something pulled me forward, an instinct I couldn't explain. I reached for the door handle, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Inside was a large, airy room with polished wooden floors and mirrors along one wall. A dojo. Afternoon light spilled through the high windows, catching motes of dust in its beams. But the room appeared empty.

I took a tentative step inside, looking around. No sign of the girl. Had I imagined it? But then...

"What are you doing here?"

The voice came from behind me, cool and sharp as a blade. I spun around.

She stood there, one hand on the open door, the other on her hip. Her eyes, a startling shade of blue, bored into me. Her face was a mask of suspicion and something else, something I couldn't read.

Up close, she was even more striking. High cheekbones, full lips, a regal tilt to her chin. But it was her eyes that held me transfixed. They seemed to see straight through me, past all the confusion and uncertainty, right down to my core.

"I'm Kai," I said, the words coming out smooth and easy despite my racing heart. "Kai Sato. I just transferred here."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, assessing. "I know who you are," she said, her voice still guarded. "But that doesn't explain what you're doing here. In the dojo."

I shrugged. "Curiosity, mostly. I was thinking about exploring the campus, trying to get my bearings. When I saw you heading this way, I thought..." 

Her eyebrow arched. "You thought what?"

I met her gaze directly, holding it. "I thought that following the most interesting person I've seen so far might lead me somewhere... interesting."

Her lips twitched, fighting a smile. "And? Did it?"

I made a show of looking around the dojo, taking in the gleaming floors, the rack of wooden swords along the wall. "Definitely more interesting than the math classroom," I said dryly. "But the jury's still out on the company."

Her eyes followed mine, something unreadable flickering across her face. Then she turned back to me, her head tilting slightly. "I'm Saeko Busujima, by the way. Since you seem to have forgotten to ask."

I winced. "Ah, where are my manners? In my defense, I was a bit distracted by the whole 'trespassing in the dojo' thing."

"Excuses, excuses," she tsked, but there was a playful glint in her eye now. "So, Kai Sato. You ever studied kendo before?"

The question caught me off guard. "I... I'm not sure," I said honestly, a furrow forming between my brows. "I think maybe I did, once. A long time ago."

It was true. When she'd mentioned kendo, a flicker of familiarity had sparked in my mind. The weight of a sword in my hand, the rush of adrenaline, the clack of bamboo against bamboo. But the memories were hazy, like trying to grasp smoke.

Her eyes sharpened, catching my hesitation. "You think? Most people would know for sure."

I shrugged, trying to play it off. "What can I say? I'm a man of mystery."

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "More like a man who talks in circles."

"Ouch." I clapped a hand over my heart. "You wound me, Saeko."

"It's Busujima to you," she said coolly. "And if you claim kendo experience, you should be prepared to demonstrate it." Her gaze flicked to the swords again, a clear challenge.

Something stirred in me at her words, a flicker of heat, of excitement. The idea of crossing blades with her, of testing my skills against hers...

I took a step closer, my voice dropping low. "Is that an invitation, Busujima-san?"

Her breath caught, just for a second. Then she lifted her chin, meeting my eyes squarely. "It is a reminder, Sato-kun. That actions speak louder than words."

I let the moment stretch, let the anticipation build. Then I smiled, slow and deliberate.

"Then let me show you."

The bamboo swords were heavier than I expected, the weight solid and real in my hands. I gave the shinai an experimental swing, feeling the way it cut through the air.

Across from me, Saeko stood poised and ready, her own shinai held in a perfect grip.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. There was something about seeing her like this, all coiled grace and barely leashed power, that made my pulse kick up a notch.

I slipped out of my own shirt, letting it drop to the floor. The cool air kissed my skin as I stood in my black undershirt, the fabric clinging to the planes of my chest.

Saeko's eyes flickered, her gaze dragging over me in a way that felt almost physical. "Ready, Sato-kun?" she purred, her voice low and silky.

In answer, I fell into a ready stance, my shinai held before me. Saeko mirrored me, her lips curving into a smile that held an edge of something darker, something hungry.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. The air between us crackled with tension, with anticipation.

Then, Saeko struck. Her shinai whipped towards me, a streak of blurred wood. I barely got my own sword up in time, the clack of bamboo against bamboo echoing through the dojo.

And then we were moving, trading blows back and forth in a deadly dance. Saeko was a whirlwind of speed and precision, her attacks coming from every angle. I parried and dodged, my body moving on instinct, muscle memory guiding my steps.

It was exhilarating, the rush of adrenaline, the sing of the swords through the air. For the first time since I'd woken in this strange new life, I felt a spark of something real, something vivid.

I felt alive.

Saeko's eyes glittered as we fought, a fevered light growing in their amber depths. Her smile had sharpened, turned feral. Each strike of her blade was a little harder, a little faster.

"Is that all you've got, Sato-kun?" she taunted, her breath coming fast. "I thought you said you had experience."

I gritted my teeth, a bead of sweat trickling down my temple. She was toying with me, I realized. Holding back, even as she pushed me to my limits.

A flare of anger sparked in my chest, hot and bright. I lunged forward, my shinai crashing against hers in a flurry of blows. The clack of wood filled the air, sharp and staccato.

For a moment, I thought I had her on the defensive. But then, with a twist of her wrist, Saeko disarmed me, my shinai clattering to the floor. The tip of her sword came to rest against my throat, a whisper of pressure against my hammering pulse.

We stood there, both breathing hard, our faces inches apart. Saeko's eyes were molten, her pupils blown wide. A flush stained her cheeks, her lips parted and glistening.

"Yield," she breathed, her voice rough and honeyed. The word was a command, a caress, a challenge.

I swallowed hard, my tongue darting out to wet my suddenly dry lips. Saeko's gaze tracked the movement, her own throat working.

Slowly, I raised my hands in surrender. "I yield," I rasped.

For a long, suspended moment, neither of us moved. The heat of Saeko's body, the scent of her sweat and exertion, the press of her sword against my skin... it was dizzying, intoxicating.

I felt like a live wire, every nerve ending alight and sparking. Like I was balanced on the edge of something vast and dangerous and exhilarating.

And from the look in Saeko's eyes, the hunger and the heat and the promise... I thought maybe she felt it too.

But then, with a shuddering breath, she stepped back, lowering her shinai. The moment shattered, reality rushing back in.

"Not bad, Sato-kun," she said, her voice still a little rough around the edges. "But you've still got a lot to learn."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, my heart still pounding against my ribs. "I guess so," I managed, bending to retrieve my fallen sword.

I straightened up, my shinai dangling loosely from my fingers. The rush of the fight was fading, replaced by a bone-deep satisfaction. I glanced around for my shirt, spotting it crumpled on the floor where I'd tossed it. As I bent to retrieve it, my phone tumbled out of the pocket.

The screen lit up, and I froze. 2:15 PM. Fifth period was already well underway.

I should've been rushing to class, scrambling for an excuse for my tardiness. But as I looked up at Saeko, still flushed and vibrant from our match, I found I didn't really care.

"Looks like we lost track of time," I said, waving the phone screen in her direction. "Guess we're both playing hooky now."

Saeko raised an eyebrow, but there was a glint of something like approval in her eye. "Didn't take you for the delinquent type, Sato-kun."

I shrugged. "What can I say? Maybe you're a bad influence."

She snorted, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Please. If anyone's the bad influence here, it's you. Luring unsuspecting girls into abandoned dojos..."

"Hey, you invited me, remember?" I shot back, pulling my shirt over my head. "I'm just an innocent transfer student, led astray by the wiles of the kendo captain."

Saeko made a sound that was half laugh, half scoff. "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

I opened my mouth to retort, but the words died on my tongue as a sudden announcement blared through the school speakers. The voice was male, tense and strained, like he was barely holding it together.

"This announcement is for all the students. An emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now," he said, pausing to take a deep, shaky breath. "All students must follow your teacher's instructions and evacuate."

I felt a chill run down my spine. Emergency situation? Evacuate? What the hell was going on?

The announcement continued, the man's voice rising in pitch and urgency. "I repeat, a violent incident has occurred on the school grounds—"

But before he could finish, a series of guttural, inhuman growls ripped through the speakers. It sounded like something out of a horror movie, like some kind of rabid animal. I heard a crash, like something heavy falling over, and the man's voice became distorted, laced with terror.

"Argh! Get away from me, get back!" he screamed, his words almost lost amid the snarling and the chaos.

Saeko and I stood frozen, staring at each other with wide, shocked eyes. This couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of sick prank, or a drill gone wrong. But the fear in the man's voice, the visceral reality of those growls... it sent a bolt of pure, primal dread straight through me.

And then, a blood-curdling scream tore through the air, so loud and so agonized that it made my heart stop. "Help! Heeeeellllpppp!!! Heee—AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

The scream went on and on, rising in pitch and intensity until it didn't even sound human anymore. And then, with a sickening, wet crunch... it cut off. The silence that followed was somehow even worse, heavy with the weight of the unspeakable.

As the echoes of the announcement faded, I felt a strange calm settle over me. It was like a switch had been flipped in my brain, shutting off the panic and the disbelief, replacing it with a cold, clear focus.

This felt familiar, somehow. The rush of adrenaline, the heightened stakes, the need to act fast and think smart. It was like some deep-buried instinct had awakened inside me, a part of myself I hadn't even known existed.

I turned to Saeko, my voice steady and sure. "We need a plan. We can't just run blind. In a situation like this, there are four things we need to prioritize: food, water, shelter, and medicine."

Saeko nodded, her eyes sharp and assessing. "Agreed. But medicine is going to be the most important, and the hardest to find. We need to hit the nurse's office first, grab whatever supplies we can."

"Do you know where it is?" I asked, my mind already racing ahead, plotting routes and contingencies.

"Second floor, east wing," Saeko replied without hesitation. "But we'll have to be fast. If things are as bad as they sound out there, we won't be the only ones with that idea."

I grimaced, the reality of the situation sinking in. Out there, it was every man for himself. We couldn't count on help or cooperation. We had to be smart, ruthless, and self-reliant.

Just like I'd always been, a voice whispered in the back of my mind. The thought sent a chill down my spine. Always been? What did that mean? Was this connected to the strange visions, the half-remembered flashes of violence and desperation that had haunted me since I'd woken up in this new life?

I shook my head, pushing the thought away. There was no time for introspection, no time for chasing ghosts. The only thing that mattered now was survival.

"Okay," I said, squaring my shoulders. "Nurse's office first. Then we find a way out of the school, somewhere defensible where we can regroup and plan our next move."

Saeko nodded, a grim smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Just another day at Fujimi High, huh?"

I barked out a laugh, the sound harsh and jagged in the eerie stillness of the dojo. "Yeah, just another day. But hey, at least we got that sparring match in first. Gotta prioritize, right?"

Saeko shook her head, but there was a glint of something like approval in her eyes. "You're an odd one, Sato-kun. But I think that might be just what we need right now."

"Alright then, Busujima-san," I said, hefting my shinai and moving towards the door. "Let's go save the world. Or at least, you know, not die horribly."

And with that, we plunged out into the chaos, ready to carve our way through whatever horrors lay ahead. Ready to fight, to survive, to do whatever it took to see another dawn.

The world had ended. But for us, for now... it was just beginning.