.Dead End.

There are dead people eating other people, and those others are taking out chunks from other people, but that is not the dilemma that has Saya Takagi grasping for proverbial straws.

"Once you're finished speaking, then maybe you could consider going out with me?"

Saya had been asked out several times before this, the end of the world as she knows it, but such a simple Yes-Or-No question was easy to answer. Unless it was multiple choice, but the only choices were A and B, Yes or No, as well, or perhaps a different dialect for those answers, and each time whatever unfortunate boy that was trying to make such a social connection to her received the same answer: choice B.

No.

Non.

Nein.

Iya.

She is sure that there is one boy that is persistent in his efforts, his face blurry with unimportance in her memories, his name nonexistent. That, however, is for a time when she is not caught in the middle of a gruesome school parking lot with a handful of survivors, a bus, and the living dead swarming around. She doesn't see him anywhere, anyway, so she figures he won't be asking her out anymore.

Also, it is not the time for such an inane question, she wants to scream, scream it loud into Hirano-kun's fat face for daring to interrupt her in a time of crisis, but she does not and is stumped as to why.

And then she remembers "they" are sensitive to sound and she makes that her reason, but she is not sure if that is the correct one. It is an ugly blemish on both her ego and her IQ.

She has registered that Komuro-kun and Miyamoto-san are amongst the survivors, but wasn't Miyamoto-kun dating Hisashi-kun? She knows that Hisashi-kun is not present, and she feels an inkling of remorse for the other girl at the loss of someone she had feelings for.

Saya is above such feelings.

However, the nagging curiosity that she can't quell makes her wonder how she would feel had Hirano-kun been left behind as one of "them". It makes her stomach churn uncomfortably, just like when she had stabbed one of "them" in the face with a power drill, but it feels just a tad different, due to circumstances.

Hirano-kun is still waiting nervously for an answer. He does not have a drill distorting his stupid, baby-face features. And maybe those glasses are the tiniest bit endearing.

With an almost painful effort, she redirects her thoughts on the best method to turn Hirano-kun down.

It is harder than she thought, even if it is a Yes-Or-No question.

The instant danger had reared its head, Saya had put scenerio through scenerio through her head, and since Komuro-kun had forcibly dragged Miyamoto-san and Hisashi-kun away, her next best choice was the dorky fatass sitting in front of her. He is not the fastest, he is not the smartest, especially in comparison to herself, but he is more knowledgeable in the field that she was going to immerse them both in.

After all, she does not mind using him if it leads to survival.

And survive they had, or she would not be standing in some sort of stupor before him as Busujima-sempai and Marikawa-sensei prepare the bus for their getaway.

She is left gawking open-mouthed at her classmate, at lardo Hirano-kun, Hirano Kohta-kun, and as she expresses her silent disbelief at the way life had dealt its deck around them and the impossible-but-clearly-happening situation that had been placed, heavy and inconvenient, upon each of their shoulders, inspects the boy again.

Even with the makeshift nail-rifle from the shop classroom, Hirano-kun still has that bashful, honest, pure smile on his face, weak as it may be. She had not lied when she thought of him as baby-faced. His face is round without any signs of hardship or aggression. She wonders what he would look like as a thinner person, then maybe this not-so-useless boy could have the potential for choice A.

Instantly the image of a skinny Hirano-kun appears in her mind, and in the same instant she realizes that, no, if he was skinnier then she would definitely reward him with choice B. The imaginary person is attractive, even she will admit that, but she can't feel Hirano-kun's presence.

Hirano-kun would not but Hirano-kun without everything that made his current self, including his shape.

And suddenly, Saya finds herself considering choice A.

What felt like an unnecessary amount of minutes slipped by, but logically, she knows it only had to be a few seconds, maybe a minute at most, as "they" will not give her ample time to sit down and study this equation laid flat before her. As time returns to her, she notices that Marikawa-sensei is in the driver's seat and everyone is just piling into the bus.

Outwardly ignoring the remarks she hears jeered at the two of them, Saya grabs Hirano-kun and pulls him into the bus, then sits him down next to her, for he still has the nail gun and he is her choice in protection, after all, so she feels he must be kept in close proximity.

It has nothing to do with his question, truly, nor does it concern her thought process about said question.

The bus roars to life and Saya wonders if Hirano-kun is worried, not only about "them", but about her, because she still has not answered his innocent question. She has left it at a dead end.

Inwardly she grimaces at such a cruelly inappropriate, but just as equally appropriate, pun and wishes she could take the thought back, but it's still there and has left an impression in her mind. She decides to limit her vocabulary to planning and other such necessities instead of such vicious phrases.

And, of course, names for Hirano-kun.

Different from my normal style, but I decided that since this isn't normally the kind of manga I read, I don't need to keep it that way. Yay zombie manga!

...and TakagixHirano is adorable.