SUSPICIONS ;- afterbirth

"It's not a death sentence or anything."

You glance over at Fuyuhiko before returning your attention to the dresser. You carefully pull out each article of your clothing, fold it, and set it atop your cot.

The young master sits on the edge of his bed, hands forming fists atop his knees. He stares at the wall across the cabin, chewing his lower lip. He's speaking more for his benefit than yours, so you don't interrupt.

"Of course, Hinata'd know what's going on better, but as long as he's alive, it's not hopeless… Right?"

You look towards him again. This time, he's looking back at you, a thin line creasing his forehead.

"...I assume so," you say after a long pause. That seems like a sufficiently honest and reassuring response. "We should offer to help look after him."

Fuyuhiko nods. He probably considers that much a given; the survivors of the simulation have done as much for everyone who has woken up. The five of them—no, four now—seem to be part of an unspoken agreement to do everything in their power to aid the rest of you. Health checks, cooking, bathing, sitting and speaking to you in dulcet tones… or cheerfully raucous tones, in Owari's case. Even now, you're amazed at all they've been able to do for you and the others, all while battling their own demons.

"D'you need help with that?" The young master looks towards the pile of neatly folded clothes.

"No, I'm fine." You appreciate the gesture, but you really don't want to have to re-fold every article of clothing Fuyuhiko touches later. Gripping a shirt in both hands, you turn around fully to face him. He looks like he's expecting what's coming next. "...I hate to ask too many questions…" You avert your eyes, slowly folding the shirt. "But… I'm concerned… for all three of them…"

Fuyuhiko purses his lips tightly, nodding in taciturn agreement. "...Yeah… Me too."

"You don't think Souda really…?"

"No." He sounds more confident than he looks. "Sonia's just upset. After the shit that happened with Saionji and Komaeda, she's probably a little paranoid…"

"She was so strongly opposed to thinking of any of us with suspicion," you murmur. "To think she'd change her way of thinking so suddenly…"

The young master nods again. "I say, give her a few days. She'll realize she's not making any sense and come around."

You suspect any further discussion would be useless. Speculating about your peers and their motivations wouldn't do you much good. "But I wonder," you say after a pause, "if perhaps Souda caused damage accidentally… The pods are complex, and Hinata was there to supervise when the rest of us woke…"

Fuyuhiko's shoulders stiffen, and you instantly regret voicing that thought. "Even if that might be true," he says lowly, "It wouldn't do anybody any good to point it out."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Hinata was slipping for a long time, y'know?" Fuyuhiko starts speaking in his usual tone again as you resume folding clothes. Almost done… "So seeing him mess around with shit towards the end… I mean, it… I… It seemed possible, right? But Souda's been stable. He had that breakdown the other day, but it wasn't like he was trying to hurt anybody. It was just his luck that he was the first one to reach the control room."

You agree. Of course, Souda and Tanaka had never gotten along, but neither had Souda and Saionji, and he had been instrumental in rescuing her… or, what you all had assumed was her.

But…
(But…)

But Sonia wasn't an issue with Saionji.

That was the elephant in the room. Sonia hadn't said it outright when she made her tearful accusation, pointing a shaking finger at a stunned Souda as the mechanic rolled Tanaka's stiff, drooling body into the hotel. None of the rest of you had mentioned it when you tried to calm her down. Fuyuhiko hadn't mentioned it now, while speaking in Souda's defense.

(But you wonder, don't you?)

Souda has always been suspicious of the nature of Sonia and Tanaka's friendship— and suspicious was a generous term to use. Personally, you have long believed Souda misunderstands their relationship, but you were never close to any of the three, so you can't say you truly know what's gone on between them.

All that you know—you, and everyone else, as this has always been painfully obvious—is that Souda harbors feelings for the princess. Feelings that she doesn't reciprocate. And he has long seen Tanaka as an obstacle in his pointless quest to win her over.

Still…
(Still…)

"Are you done with that?" After a brief silence, Fuyuhiko changes the subject abruptly and nods towards the stacks of folded clothes atop the cot.

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

The young master hops off the bed and grabs the keys from the night stand. He moves almost too quickly to open the door and roll your cot from the cabin. Grabbing your cane, you walk after him.

You sit on the bed in your cottage— your cottage— and stare at the pile of clothes you still have to put away into the dresser.

It's lonely.

You could do something about that, of course. Nanami and Mioda could always use company… Hanamura and Tsumiki too, though you're less eager to see either of them. Sonia is still distressed too. And Souda; he must be upset over the accusations.

Accusations like those…

You aren't as certain of his innocence as you wish you were. Sonia wouldn't have spoken out if she hadn't seen something to make her worry. You believe that. You have to believe something.

Glancing at your pager, you consider calling for Sonia.

But if she has evidence, do you really want to know what it is unless you have no choice?

…

Lonely.

You rest your hands on your knees, and your dangling legs swing the slightest bit, as if moved by the very rotation of the earth. This is a familiar sort of feeling…

"What is it that you're afraid of, exactly?"

The voice isn't real. Neither is the figure lying sprawled on the floor, his hands folded behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling. His crimson eyes flick in your direction, a hint of a smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

Your hands curl into fists.

You keep your own eyes averted. You refuse to acknowledge him. You're angry with him. You're angry, and you have the right to be. He killed Komaeda. He erased Saionji. He wasn't there to oversee Tanaka's removal from his pod. He left your young master and Souda and Sonia and all the others grieving and confused and it isn't fair.

"You can ignore me," he sighs, shoulders shifting in a half-shrug. "I'm not giving you an answer this time."

Your gaze drifts to the unlatched deadbolt on the door. Before he left, Fuyuhiko had instructed you to lock it at night. But what if something happened after dark and he needed you? The chance of that was well worth his ire.

The deadbolt remains untouched.

You switch off the light and slide under the covers. A glance at the floor reveals an empty room.
Good riddance.