Okay, okay. I've been backed up with a lot of stuff lately- but there really isn't much of an excuse for my lateness other than life sucks. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. This one is debatebly less shitty than the prologue, but I'm always really harsh on my writing, so... Hope you guys enjoy it!


Of all the bad news they had received so far, they surely didn't expect to hear this.

"The hell do you mean you're sending us back?"

Makoto frowned a bit at Kazuichi's outburst, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "We can't keep you on Jabberwock Island forever. The entire point of you guys staying here was because of the chance the others would wake up… since the Future Foundation, well, pulled the plug on them, they see no reason to keep you here."

The small brunette felt a bit guilty after telling them the reasoning. It had only been a week after the comatose kids were finally put to rest, and the group was still adjusting. Losing their friends again had been hard on them—they were managing, but barely. Now they were being told they would be sent back to Japan to live like everyone else in the Tragedy because their friends had been given up on. It wasn't like they had given up—no, they clung to their hope like it was all they had, because in some ways, it was. The Future Foundation decided to give up, and now they were paying the consequences for it.

"So, what, we just go back to the world we destroyed and pretend it's all fucking okay?" Fuyuhiko snapped, digging his nails into his palm as he balled his hands into fists. Byakuya shook his head, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, "To be honest, yes. They let you stay here so you could rehabilitate away from society, so no harm could be done if you decided to go back to being Ultimate Despair. You're rehabilitated, great, so there's no real reason for you to stay."

"That's so unfair!" Akane growled, glaring at them. Byakuya glared right back, huffing a bit. "They chose to let you stay this long instead of killing you as soon as you left the simulation. I wouldn't say it's unfair."

"But…," Sonia mumbled, "what about the others in the world? Will they still recognize us as Ultimate Despair?"

Kyoko sighed, staring at the wall in front of her. "Possibly… well, more of probably. You did spend a little over a year destroying the world, I'm sure a good amount of people know who you were."

"Gee, thanks," Kazuichi grumbled, "that sounds like a nice scenario to go back to, right guys?"

They all let out varying sounds of agreement, not liking the idea in the slightest. All but Hajime, who sat in his chair, mutely staring at the floor. He couldn't process this. He didn't want to process this. First, he lost all of his friends who died in the simulation not once, but twice now—and they would never come back. And now they had to just suck it up and go back to brave the Tragedy, the one that they created. Other than overhearing a few reports the Future Foundation shared, and their somewhat spotty memories of the events, they stayed mostly ignorant to the severity of the Tragedy. Hajime couldn't speak for everyone else, but he was quite certain none of them wanted to know how bad the mess they caused truly was.

He ran a hand through his hair—why was it when they were over wanting despair, it kept creeping back at them?

"Look," Makoto said, trying futilely to placate the others, "I won't lie, this will be hard for you. But you've made it this far, right? So you can definitely do this… I know you can."

"You're not helping," the yakuza groaned, sinking back into his chair as his gaze cast down to the floor. He was silent for a moment, as if considering his words, before he decided to speak. "You're telling us to go back into society—which is completely and utterly fucked up, thanks to us. There are people who still see us as Ultimate Despair, and will probably never accept or believe that we're better now, which will probably end with either no one going near us or trusting us ever again, or people trying to kill us, right?"

When the three stayed silent, unsure of how to reply, he took it as an affirmation to his claim and sighed, shaking his head. Sonia spoke up next, trying to reason with them. "You can't possibly believe this will be a good idea, can you?"

"It's not our choice," Byakuya said, shrugging, "it's the Future Foundation."

"The Future Foundation is full of assholes, y'know that?" Akane spat angrily. The heir looked over at her, a scowl on his face, but Kyoko beat him to answering. "I understand this is upsetting to you guys, but there's really no other option. You can't live here forever, either—eventually you have to go back."

"But… why so soon?"

Everyone looked over at Hajime, almost startled—he had been quiet this whole time, they almost forgot he was there. "Why?" he asked again, "Why do we have to accept one disaster after another? We just lost our friends for good, and hoping that they would wake up was the one thing keeping us going this whole time. Now we have to leave, and just forgot them? Just live our lives like none of it happened? Why do we have to do that right now?"

"You won't have to," Makoto said. "Just because you're going back doesn't mean you have to pretend it never happened. Live on for yourselves, and your friends. Just because they're gone doesn't mean you have to forget—take their memory with you and live your lives for all of them, because they can't anymore."

They all fell silent, not sure what to say anymore. There was no arguing this, was there? They couldn't seem to change anyone's mind about this. What were they supposed to do? There was no preparation at all—it was all happening at once. They couldn't face this all at once. So why did they have to?

After everything that happened to them, everything they overcame, why did it have to end like this?

"They're bringing a boat tomorrow at noon," Kyoko explained. "I contacted an acquaintance of mine in Tokyo, she'll be your guide, as well as an informant if needed."

"You won't even be with us? I mean, we can at least trust you! How will we know if she's safe?" Sonia asked, slightly fearful. If Fuyuhiko was right, and people might be after them for revenge, how could they trust someone else—someone they didn't even know—to help them?

"If you really trust us, then trust that we wouldn't put you in harm's way, not after everything that's happened," Makoto explained.

Kazuichi just stared at them, "But—,"

"No," Byakuya said, cutting him off before he could protest, "this is what the Future Foundation has decided on. Be ready at the docks before noon, and please don't cause any scenes."

They had no choice, did they?


All five survivors were at the docks by the time the boat came into view. They had protested in the morning as well, still not wanting to face their mess, but it was as futile now as it was then. When the ship made it to the dock, the detective and heir boarded first, going to talk with the people in charge, to make sure everyone was on the same page.

The former despairs hesitated, although there was no getting out of this. They had to leave, and with a defeated sigh, they each boarded the boat. Makoto followed behind them, stopping Hajime on the deck by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," the luckster said gently, squeezing his shoulder to try and prove his sincerity. Hajime nodded, but said nothing. The boat stood still on the water, before creating ripples behind it as it started to move. Hajime looked back as the distance between him and the island grew more noticeable, and flinched.

He wasn't ready for this.


Aaaaand rating will probably be bumped up, because Fuyuhiko isn't Fuyuhiko without the excessive use of the F-bomb. C: Which, to me, is even less suitable than other swear words, so... whatever. Let me know if it needs to be? And on a side note, for those wondering about my neglect towards Guardians of Oz (the other one of my current stories) I'm writing the new chapter as we speak, it will be posted today.

Also, this story does not have a beta reader... so while I check multiple times for typos, I don't always catch them and some will appear. I deeply apologize for that!