hello ! okay so i first uploaded this and it was a huge unreadable garble which is no good, so here we go again! sorry if this is bluh and choppy and stuff i didn't really edit it much and i have issues writing in this style but no other style seemed to fit so uh here it is :0
Every day, at 3:30 pm, Kuzuryuu would go and visit his sleeping friends.
And those two were always there.
Owari would stand, staring at Nekomaru's pod, and she never moved; not once. Just stood there and stared, jaw tightened and fists clenched. She had started working harder, Kuzuryuu knew that much. She trained harder, fought harder, and he sometimes heard her muttering about paying Nekomaru back as he walked past the gym.
But she never talked about it, preferring to make attempts at lightening the mood whenever their old classmates came up in discussion.
Kuzuryuu saw Sonia here the most - Hinata visited on the occasion, Souda avoided the room completely except for one time he visited Mioda-, but that was probably because Pekoyama and Tanaka's pods were right next to each other. She would kneel beside Tanaka's body, folding her arms on the top of the pod as she began murmuring to him in what Kuzuryuu assumed was her native tongue. Her words were crooned in soothing tones, her hair falling over her face to hide the growing tears that threatened to spill - but the breaking in her voice gave her away, the way her shoulders shook as her words quietened.
Kuzuryuu placed his hands palm down on Pekoyama's pod as he stared at the girl below him, forehead creasing.
He related to Sonia in a sense - the two comatose students had died to save at least one individual; Pekoyama had given her life to save Kuzuryuu from varied blades, and Gundam gave his life so the others, Sonia included, could escape the funhouse. Kuzuryuu frowned; Tanaka probably had Sonia on his mind when he battled Nekomaru - he'd notice the breeder ducking under his scarf to hide his redenning face whenever the princess complimented him, Souda grumbling under his breath.
Kuzuryuu looked up to see Owari marching out, shoulders hunched. His frown eased a bit. Of course, she'd been suffering too. Nekomaru had trained her up, urged her to be strong. He had given his life for her more than once and she'd always bear the guilt of never repaying him, or even giving him her thanks.
'Naegi-san says that the future foundation have talked about stopping life support,' came a soft voice from his right side. Kuzuryuu looked up to see Sonia gazing at him, clear eyes red and puffy. Kuzuryuu raised his eyebrows in shock as he took the information in. They weren't waking up? Sonia sensed Kuzuryuu's distress and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kuzuryuu flinched slightly, Sonia lowering her hand in understanding.
'Kuzuryuu-san, I understand your pain," she paused, reading his expression. "I believe Naegi-san and Kirigiri-san are going to try and persuade them to do otherwise,' she added, the crooning in her voice returning as a soft smile danced on her lips.
Kuzuryuu just nodded, processing the princess' words. Of course they would try and bring the other members of Ultimate Despair back. His lips pressed into a tight line. "What about the other four?" he muttered.
Sonia's hand moved from Kuzuryuu's shoulder to run through her now short hair. "Asahina-san is fine with it, as is Hagakure-san," she affirmed, beaming. "But... Togami-san and Fukawa-san are...not exactly 'down' with the plan."
Kuzuryuu chuckled at her use of slang, but his mood fell again. "Can't say I'm shocked with those two.." he sighed, his head slumping into the palm of his hand.
Sonia nodded in agreement, a yawn escaping her lips as she stretched her arms out, back arching like a cat's. Kuzuryuu's eyebrows turned downwards as he pursed his lips. "Damn, when was the last time you slept?" he inquired, and Sonia let out a short peal of laughter, which her eyes didn't reflect.
"I guess my perception of time has gone rather... wonky," she replied, her beam coming back. Kuzuryuu forced a hard smile, as he rose to his feet. Sonia began to do the same, but Kuzuryuu turned around to see Sonia falling forward, arms scrambling to land on Gundam's pod for support.
Kuzuryuu lurched forward to duck under Sonia's arm and wrap it around his shoulder. "C'mon princess, let's get you to bed," he laughed, as Sonia tottered along with him to her bedroom in silence. Avoiding the incredulous gazes of future foundation staff, he quickly slid into her room, ducking out after finding her some clothes to allow her time to get changed.
When Sonia allowed him back in after a good few minutes, he stood there in silence as she climbed under the covers. Sonia looked back over at him and frowned for a few seconds, studying him.
"Why are you helping me when you have not helped any of the others, Kuzuryuu-san?" she asked, but there was no malice to her words, only curiosity.
True. Why was he helping her so much?
"Uh.." he began, looking at his shoes. "Well, Hinata and Souda seem to be coping just fine with the help of the future foundation, Owari is strong enough to build herself back up," he explained, pausing for a minute.
"But you and me both know we're suffering from significant loss," he cringed inwardly as he saw Sonia's face fall. "We gotta support each other at this time, I guess."
Sonia stared at her hands for a brief moment, pondering this. "I...suppose you are right," was all she said, her usual beaming replaced by a forced grin as she played with the hem of her shirt. "I... have always wondered," she began, seeming nervous all of a sudden. "I realize you do not want to show me your tattoos but could you at least tell me some of your experiences as a Japanese yakuza?"
Kuzuryuu was about to tell her that non-japanese yakuza didn't exist, but the excitement in the princess' eyes told him otherwise. So he complied, launching into stories about fights he'd been in, stories about his little sister - he tensed up with the mention of Pekoyama and what happened at the beach house, and Sonia squeezed his hand sympathetically.
She never let go, either, so Kuzuryuu paused when he felt her grip loosen. He looked down to see Sonia's eyes shut, golden hair spread out, even with the significant length change. Her breathing had slowed, a small frown playing on her lips, forehead creasing. Kuzuryuu removed his hand from hers as he sat there, thinking.
Was mutual support really all that motivated him? Sure, he'd only thought of Peko during their time on the island, but they weren't there anymore.
He hoped that both Tanaka and Pekoyama would forgive him when he smoothed the hair off of Sonia's face and pressed his lips to her forehead.
He also tried to ignore the grin that spread across Sonia's face, and he began doubting that she had ever gone to sleep.