Title: Sacrifice
Author: Bat
Fandom: Highschool of the Dead
Pairing: Mild Saeko/Saya
Rating: PG13
Request/Prompt: Sacrifice @
yuri_challenge's Interim Lightning Challenge | Zombie @
angst_bingoContains: Mild femslash, angst, suicide, character death
Word Count: 656
Summary: Just when Saya thinks she's screwed up royally, Saeko comes to her aide.
A/N: The idea for this came from this bet I have that Saeko will die at some point during HSOTD and it will likely be while she's trying to save someone (either Takashi or Rei), but I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a romantic and femslashy spin. (Apologies for going over the word count!)
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Sacrifice
Fearful, Saya backed up against the wall of the room she was trapped in. She was only two rooms from her friends but there was no way she could call out to them. Both because her throat seemed to have dried up and because that would let Them know exactly where she was at. Between her and the exit stood five of Them. They stared unseeing about the room, though at least three seemed to be 'looking' in her direction however. When Saya had entered, she hadn't seen Them at all, but apparently they had been hiding in a small adjoining room just off to the left and when she accidentally knocked a paperweight off the desk in the room, it had brought them out with hungry moans.
Tears streamed down Saya's face as she trembled and tried to keep her breathing as quiet as possible. In her hands she held nothing more than a binder she had picked up, but even if she threw it she knew she was not fast nor stealthy enough to escape.
"Takagi-san!" It was Saeko's voice and it was quickly followed with a curse as the small horde turned toward her. She was fast, of course she was, and cut them down quickly, but she stumbled accidentally on the dropped paperweight, dropping her sword, and failed to notice a sixth zombie shamble out of the adjoining room. It lunged at her, but Saya had seen it too and was moving without even realizing it. She tried to tackle Saeko but she wasn't strong and instead only managed to knock the other girl out of the way, dropping the binder in the process and leaving Saya wide open to the oncoming attack.
Closing her eyes tightly, she waited for a bite; for her end. Instead she heard enough curse, close to her, and a thump. Opening her eyes, she found Saeko in front of her, breathing hard. Blood dripped from her left hand, the paperweight in it. It wasn't until Saeko turned around that Saya saw the bite on the other girl's right wrist. Saeko looked at it too, her eyes showing no emotion toward it. Instead she touched concerned fingers to Saya's left cheek and looked her over.
"You didn't get bit?" Saeko asked.
"No."
"Good, I'm glad."
The purple-haired girl picked up her sword and smiled sadly at Saya. "I'm glad that I sacrificed my life for yours. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
"Busu--" Saeko cut her off with a wave of the hand.
"There's nothing to be done other than accept the inevitable."
With that, Saeko leaned into Saya and placed a small kiss on the surprised girl's cheek before kneeling down on the floor, admist the gore of the fallen Them. She placed her sword on the ground, bowed to it, and picked it up, slowly unsheathing it when it was in her lap.
"Go now, I do not wish for an audience for this. Tell the others what happened," Saeko said.
"I-I... Saeko, I'm sor--" Saya began but she was cut off by another sharp wave of the other girl's hand.
"This was fated. There is nothing to be sorry for. Go." A soft tear trailed down one of the purple haired girl's cheeks. "Live, for me."
Saya, hesitated for a second but knew that the more time she took, the more of Saeko's last precise seconds of humanity she was wasting. With a heavy heart, she went to the door, pausing as she reached for the knob to close the door.
"Thank you, Saeko." Tears streamed uncontrollably down Saya's face as she stood there.
Saeko gave her a deep nod, smiling when she came up. Then she was alone as the door closed, clicking shut as if reluctant to do so. "I love you," Saeko whispered, then turned back to the task at hand as she slipped the blade under her chin.
-End-