Day Seven
Fuyuhiko
Where's Peko?
I think I saw her, but then I didn't.
Like a little squiggle in your iris.
Can never see it clearly.
She should be around.
Where's Peko.
Is she dead?
No…
Couldn't be.
You got 'a be alive at some point to have that pleasure.
Where is she?
Oh.
I found her.
She's dead.
I killed her.
We were just talking.
I don't know what happened.
She was gone.
She was alive.
She was dead.
I killed her.
But she was never alive.
So why does that matter?
Or maybe for the first time ever…
She was…
…
I hear a sou̴̡͈͇̺̱͇̥̠̲͋̅͌̐n̴͈̖̖̺̮̟̉͐͜͜d.
…
No…
Couldn't be.
Sh̴̠̄e's here.
I'm scared.
Help m̴̗̋e̸̠̎.
Oh god.
Please.
Sơ̷͙m̵͉̌eone.
I know what this is.
I d̸͉̱͒̓̑k̷̟͂ǭ̶̹̎̋n̸̘̈́o̶̮̰̖͆w̷̠̟͙̕t̵̜̿͆̓ what this is.
I don't want to go back.
I don't want to go back
I don't want t̸̟̘̉̐̓o̷̧̹̤̐͒ go back.
S̵͔͔͖͛h̶̡̬̠͌e̴͉̲̭̅͂ reaches out.
A manicured h̷̘͑͂C̵̡͙̅ȃ̷̢̙̈L̷̢̋n̷̤̝͒A̴̟͘d̷̳̠̓̇W̵̢̉͊.
Prim and proper.
I can't fight h̸̟̮͝ḛ̴͈́ȑ̶̤͝.
Not again.
S̴̘͑̈́h̶̙̅̈́e̵̖̤̋̌ never dies.
Immortal cunt.
S̷̩̯̰͇͙̬͓̼̈h̴͇̥͈͊͂͊͑͋͛̚͠e̷͕̻̽̈́'s is in all of us.
S̵̡͉͓̜͚̺̤̈́h̴̡̨̫̖̯̺̓ȩ̷̫͇͕͖̤̻͑͂̔͐͠ reaches ǫ̴̟̖̝̿̕ǘ̴͔̘̓͐̄̀͂͝t̵̥͔̽.
A̸͈̥̥̬̓͑͒̽̓̍͜ͅņ̶̯̰̯͖̘̊̈́̈̃d̴̩̉̋̊̄̍͌̀ ̷̹͔̓́͋̉̎̿͜͠Ǐ̸͕̱͔̖̙̹̥̐̇̂̂̍͊…̵͙͚͎̀̈́́̚͝…
…̸͔͖̼̲̎̀͑
…̴̠̱͋
…̵̡͔̰͋̈́̾̈́͑͝.̶̡̙̌.̶̭̩̩̫̃.̴̹̬̬̖͌͌̇͛̎.̵̛̙̞͍̥̹̓͌̇͜͝.̴̬̻̘̝͌.̵͍̄͘.̶͚͔́͊.̷̹̐̐͛̌̋͝.̶̻͕̯̩̇͛̈́̇.̸̧̙͒.̴̘̹͇̼̀.̸̲̝͇̿̆͊̀͝.̴̧͖̄͑͛͑͌.̶̗͍̋̃̓̕.̵͕͗͝͠.̴̭̻̥̝̫̈́̔͜͠.̷͖̝̹̔́̋̈́.̴̢̹͕̏͊͘͝͠.̴̦͉̳̫̙͕͆̆̓͗͝͝.̷͇̋.̴͔̊.̷̻͍̺̝̦̝̓̎.̴̛͕͌̈̓.̶͎̼͇̺̭̪͋.̷̩̮̈́.̸̱͒̑̒͝.̴̞̳͖̪̏͑̐̉͐.̷̧͚̅͌̈́͒̓.̷̧̦̪̝̻̌͊̉.̴̯̪͎̈́͜.̸̙̊̃̇̈́.̷̛̫̤͉̟̙̅̾̇͗͛.̸̡̡̣͙̯͑͂͜.̴̯̦͛̈̋̓.̸̦̪̻̂.̸̨̼̙̩̜̈́̉̅́̚.̶̧̞̹̱̭̆.̸̝̐̒͆.̶̧̞͕̞̀̌̎̇̍.̶͖͖̝̣̏̎̐̈́̕.̵͍̂̅̾̑̕ͅ.̸̩̇̐.̴̢͙̌.̸̀̋̚͜.̷̞̳̆̃͠.̷̜͍̣͖̎̿̀̎.̵͚̮͔̦͒̂.̵̞̫̓̑̎͗́͘.̷̨̜̭̋.̷̢̘͌̉.̶͇̰̙͖͍͐͝.̸̟̱̣̫͛͛̐̔.̸̭̺̰̮̗͆͂̀̇͜͠͝.̶͇̃̽̅.̶͙̞́̓͋̇͊̕.̴̢͖̞́͛.̷̳͕̓̽.̴̨͆̄̑͝.̴̰̠̪̠̭̉̑͘̚.̴͇͚̻͗͝ͅ.̷̲͚̣̺̪̺͠.̶̰̱͒̈̈́.̸̖̥̊̇͌.̴͇̝̯͙͑̍͗͊́̕.̵̰̝͓̖̗̂͗͆̂̕ͅ.̶̢͇̼̤̥͑̅̈́̎.̷̤̀̃̏.̷̫͈̩͎͖̺̈́̌̋̈́̚͘.̵͇̠͙͓̠̫͂͛͊̑͌̆.̵̛̬͕̣̠͕́̏͐.̴̧̦̖͖̠̠͐͐̏̍͐̑.̵̧̰̪̩̅.̷̖͙̓̐͆̍͜͠.̶̯͍̮̣̇́̃̇.̵͚͂̏̚͝.̷̱̳̄͌͛́̉.̷̛̞̐.̸̬͙̑͌̈́̓͘͝.̷̫͐.̸̣̝͍̣̗͇̓̀.̶͍͎̘́.̶̫͆́̀̄̅.̵̖̣́̾.̶̝̮̬̾̈́̏͆.̵̧͙̬̖̺́̇̿.̴͔̏͆̽̅̈́̚.̸̩̮̏͘.̸̼̱̺̒̄̃̅̚͝.̷͍̅͋.̸̧̳͙͂͂.̶̩̞̣̫̝̭̀.̴̡̝̗̑̓͑.̷̥̽.̶̭͎̮̹̮̓ͅ.̶̺͒.̷̨͓̗̀̈́̾̈͑.̵̲̌̍̎̓̉.̶̝̮̰͖́̐̒ͅ.̸̡̩̯̮̫̬̀͐͠.̶̘̹̲͗̑̾̽̎.̷͔͇̾̓͋̍͜.̴̻̳̘͎̾͗͋̿.̶̞̪̀̔͆̊.̶̗̹̲̪̌̆͗̂.̷̢̼̜̚
N̶̻̭͐͊̎͠͠o…
NO!
I won't let h̸͇̮̞̰̯͉̋̀̚͝e̴̥͌̕r̷̤̠͙̓͆̊̌̕.
Fuck h̸̨͍̪͖͊͒̒̕e̷͎̬͑r̶̖̄̍̂̕.
Fuck y̸̤̹̐͊̀͌͘o̷͍̗͈͇̾͊̿́ͅu̸̞̦̯͕͉͝.
Fucking ḅ͙̹̰̆͊͗į̶̨̟̼̔͋ţ̸͔̞̗̦̩́͗͌̇c̸͎̎́h̴̘̘̮̪̑͑̎̒̐͜.
Y̶̮̪̹̗̍̈͗̊̾͘ǫ̶͇̳̠͑͗͗̂u̴̬̬͕̖̎̽ won't have me again.
Not again…
Anything but that.
ANYTHING.
BUT.
T̸͍̖̅̓H̵͚͇̄:̶̕͜ͅ)̴̢͗̍A̷͖̽̃T̴̏͗͜.̶̨̱̈
I guess that only leaves ȍ̶̡̓:̴̤̝̈́)̸̗̆n̸͖͐̚ȇ̴͎̿ option.
I'll go join Peko.
I love you Peko.
I love you so much.
…
…
…
…
I
LOVE
YOU
J̸̡̢̢̛͍̫͔̲͙̜̣͚͔̦̰̺̹̣̥̙̪̑͋̈̃̈́̈̓̃́̍͑̀̌͊͑̿̊͗̎̒̅̏͋̋̃͑̂͒̽̚̕͠͠͝͠Ȗ͙͈̜̉͊̄͑̑̀́̓̈́͠Ņ̸̳̞̲̠̱̥̯͇̤̩̤̦͈̺͍̥͍̤̣̺͇̖̽̆̓p̵̨̘̲͚̙͕̹̼̝̭̩̯̻̫̙̬̞͍̭̬̍̑͝ͅͅȩ̶̢̧̢̢̛̱̦̫͓̜̖̻̥̫̯̜͙͇̟͙͔̹̰̘͍̝͎̘̊̿̆́̆̂̀̑̉̽̎̏̉̈́̀̍͗̓̈́̃͂̒̀̓̔̒̋̊̅̓̊̂̌͑͊̉̅͊̀̌̍̊̕̕̕͠͠K̴̢̪̯̟͕̲̞̠͖̰̰̺̬̰̻͚͈̜͈̘͕̗̥̱̬̘̳̜̬͓͇̜̗̼̹̪͉̭͙̬͈̖͎̒̉̿Ơ̷̰̙̜̠̞͙̈́͆̋́͑͑͗̒̒́̓͆̒̔̄͂͒͒͐̌̒̃̓͊̀̇͠.̶̡̡̧̢̨̛̯͍̼̩̫͍͙͙̯͙͔̮̩̠̻̦̫̗̣̣͎̯̟̰͍͖̪̩̳̯̜̬̪̲̤͕́̓̈́̈͛̽͒̿̾̿̄̎͊͐̓͂̊̄̽̚̕̚͜͜͠
Sonia & Hajime
His heartbeat continued to comfort Sonia throughout the night. Even when the thunder would bellow, it would stay consistent and soothing. His steady tempo eventually lulled her into a much-needed sleep.
When Sonia finally awoke, she found herself feeling much better. Except for her aching hands, she felt rejuvenated and re-energized, ready to take on whatever the world had to offer; because there was no way it would be worse than yesterday. Although she didn't say that out loud as to not jinx it.
The heavy rain pitter-pattered on the small glass window with soft beams of morning sun shining in through the clouds. They lit up Hajime's sleeping face. His expression looked quiet and tranquil compared to his usually concerned gaze.
Sonia smiled at the sight of seeing him so relaxed and couldn't help but poke his cheek with her finger.
'So cute!' Sonia giggled to herself.
She relaxed back into the groove of his chest she had been sleeping on. It wasn't precisely comfortable resting her head on a ribcage, but it was certainly worth it to hear the supportive sound of his heartbeat.
Sonia eased her cheek into the groove when…
*SQUEELCH*
"A..A…AHH-" Sonia had to cover her mouth from screaming. She had found what made that strange sound: Where she had been laying a rather large puddle of drool had formed. A lukewarm pool of spit now sat upon Hajime's chest.
Sonia's mind went into overdrive.
'W-w-what do I do!? He cannot find out that I drool when I sleep! Princesses do not drool! I…I…I… I cannot handle that kind of embarrassment!'
Sonia had to clutch at the sides of her head to keep it from falling off.
'Calm down, Sonia. Just think up an elaborate plan to-'
"Oh, hey," Hajime began to stir awake. "Good morning –"
*PTUU!*
They both froze in place, neither having any idea what to do next.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"S-Sonia?"
"Yes?"
"Did you just… did you spit on me?"
'I PANICKED! I PANICKED! I PANICKED! QUICK, THINK OF AN EXCUSE!'
Sonia raised a finger to her lips and puffed out her chest.
"Ohhh, yeah. You l-like that?"
. . .
Hajime pinched his cheek to make sure he wasn't still dreaming.
"N-No… NO! Of course not!"
Sonia's alluring gaze quickly became tear-filled frustration. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I am so sorry!" She was genuinely upset about this embarrassing turn of events, but a small smile still cracked through at just how silly it all was. "I drooled in my sleep, and I didn't want you to find out… so I may have… tried to…" She pushed her two index fingers to form a triangle as she spoke. Her bright red cheeks lit up her pale skin. "Cover my tracks, so to speak."
"So, you spat on me?"
She nodded with an involuntary squeak.
Hajime sat up in bed as he scratched at his mess of hair. "Well… I don't really care if you drool…" Sonia's face saw visible relief. "I mean, at least it's not as bad as your snoring."
And like that her rosy cheeks went to a ghostly white. It seemed Sonia's soul left her body momentarily, most likely too mortified to be held captive any longer.
"Oh my god, I'm kidding!" Hajime muffled his laughs behind the palm of his hand.
Sonia pouted, but to her dismay, his laughter wouldn't cease. "This is no laughing matter, Hajime!" Sonia cried.
"Alright, alright!" Hajime did his best to stifle his laughter although he couldn't help the goofy grin. He looked down at the wet patch on the belly of his shirt. He could even feel the dampness on his skin which meant one of two things: Either Sonia drooled to an inordinate amount - or she spat such a large glob of saliva that it went straight through the cotton. Both scenarios were equally entertaining in Hajime's mind.
He decided that the stain was too noticeable and not worth the effort of trying to conceal it.
Meanwhile, Sonia watched on from the bedside, kneeling next to the mattress on the cord laden floor. She was still pouty after all that happened by those feelings were quickly replaced with far more… complicated ones, as she watched Hajime pull off his shirt. He faced away, giving Sonia a perfect view of his muscular back. A few small beads of sweat careened off his trimmed shoulder blades, and a little mole could be seen peeking out next to his spine.
He looked good.
Really good.
Although not perfect.
A scatter of miscoloured blemishes littered his back from where various cords had penetrated and torn. It was as if someone had flicked an off shade of miscoloured paint that fused with his skin. Tens of little splotches. But, if he had them, then that would only mean one thing; she did too.
Just another reminder to add to the collection.
What bothered her was that the rest of him was perfect.
Burns, scars, tattoos, nothing like that was there to remind of him what he had done.
Like a switch being flipped Sonia's thoughts turned from marvel of his form to loathsome jealousy.
Whenever she looked down, in the back of her mind, she expected to see something different - but as always - the scrambled mess of flesh tearing up her thighs was there to greet her. And resting atop were her hands. Blood soaked bandages ensnared them, with gnarly puked coloured puss beginning to surface beneath them.
'These wounds too shall leave scars, won't they?' Sonia confided the thought in herself.
Hajime turned around; his bare chest now exposed.
It was the same thing.
He looked fine… hell, better than fine. He looked good. The infancy of muscles could be seen jutting out from beneath his healthy-looking skin. Dark thoughts were beginning to swirl like a storm.
The green bellied monster had begun to hook its claws into Sonia's psyche when suddenly…
"Eh, he!" Hajime gave a cheeky grin before collapsing back into the covers. His smile lit up the room and in a one-hit-K.O. defeated that green beast called jealousy.
Sonia realized she was unreasonable at best. It wasn't his fault, nor intention that he ended up the way he did. Nor was it her own.
"I'm sorry," Sonia mumbled.
"Hmm? Sorry for what?"
Sonia rested her head back against his chest, and the steady thump of his heartbeat became audible once again. With a satisfied huff, she spoke, "Never mind."
It would take them a few more minutes before they finally began dragging themselves out of bed. The first thing to do was to replace the blood-tinged bandages around Sonia's hands. The stitches held overnight to Sonia's relief which meant that after applying a new set of dressings; she was good to go about the rest of her day.
It was especially lucky that he wouldn't need to operate since all the pain medication had suddenly gone missing.
Hajime opted to go check Mahiru's condition before Peko's, while Sonia offered to prepare breakfast.
Yuki
Mahiru was fast asleep.
First, she ranted and raved. The contents of which Yuki quickly discarded. It was almost all despair-inducing drivel, so he didn't see the point in taking it in retaining it. When her voice gave out, she banged the wall with her fist or clanged her chains against the bed. And when that became too much effort, she resorted to headbutting the bed frame.
After six hours of putting up with her twaddle, she finally fell asleep.
Yuki was there for the whole night. Did someone ask him too? No. But if he didn't, who would? That was his feeling anyway.
The horrible clanging of the metal door opening behind him roused Yuki from his sleep-deprived state.
"Yuki?" He couldn't be bothered turning to greet him, he could tell it was Hajime. "What are you doing in here?'
"What do you think?" Yuki snappily replied.
"…You were in here all night, weren't you?"
"…"
Hajime scratched at his neck. "Look, Yuki about yesterday and… you know everything."
Yuki rose from his chair with a grunt and with a quickened pace - trotted out the door. "I'm going to go take a shower."
"I'm sorry." The words only just left his mouth but still managed to catch Yuki's ear.
Yuki paused. He was going to do this later but now was as good a time as any.
"Listen, I had a lot of time to myself, and I think I might have been a bit too hard on you."
Hajime's down trotted gaze perked up a bit.
"I watched Mahiru struggle all night as she tried to get on my nerves. She tried and tried and tried but in the end… it didn't work."
Hajime stole a glance in Mahiru's direction before returning it to Yuki. She was still out cold, looking almost peaceful as she slept.
Yuki let out an audible groan before finally turning around to face him. A small smile decorated his chapped lips. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… I now believe you've been trying your best. I think I'm the one who underestimated just how hard all this was going to be…"
"Wait, Yuki I-"
Hajime was interrupted with the wave of a hand.
"It's fine. But listen… I saw all that time you spent with Sonia as you being selfish. But I think I've now realized what's actually going on."
Hajime looked at him with genuine befuddlement. Not suspicion or worry, it wasn't that he lied with his expression either. There was just no possible way he would have suspected Yuki to figure out his best-kept secret.
"Hajime, you're worried Sonia might kill herself, aren't you?"
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THEN WHY!?
Why is it that she's the one I'm thinking about and not you…
…
This guilt.
It's going to tear me apart.
I have to work harder.
I have to ḑ̷̨̢̧̢̨̦̺̦̩̹͓̻͎̼̜̠̫̙̬̜̲̥̣̫͉̭̘͔͍͕̤͙̩̥̤̘̟̼͉̇̈́̓̈͊̓͌͊̓̌͌̎́̔̿̐͒͐̃̓͗̈͗͌͆̎͘͘̕͜͝ͅͅǐ̸̧̡̨̡̢̧̺̖͈̦̙̫̖̭̠̦̘̹͙̮̙͉̩̯̜͔͈͕̤̤̰̻͕͙̖̱̟̙̭͈̫͖̤̫̺̝̐̈̍̾̋̍̑̏̂̇̽͛́̎̾̅̍̓͆̎͊̃́͊͒̚̚͜͝͝ͅͅe̷̛̛̲͇͍̎͋̉̇͆͑̄̈͛̑̊̅͑́͋̒͑͑̑̿̋̈́̀͛͋̔̈́͗͘̚͝͝͠͝ now.
Before ś̴̨͈̼͇͔͔͔̯̖̥͈͖̫͍͔̱̦̖̪̳̈́̊͋͑̊̃̿̎̌̓̍̃͐̅̿̂͐̾̄̑́͊͆̀̓͊̒̋̀̆̊͊͂͂͊̅̾͌̈́̔̎̀́̏͗̕͘̚͠h̷̢̭̞̲̯̝̰̟̪͈̼̻̳͎̲̖̝͖̬͔͎̠͒̀̑̔̐̊͆̓̆͆̿͊́̀̀̽̓̔͊̌̓̉̏̅̏̋̓̐̆̋̕̕̕͘͝ę̴̡̢̙̲͖̬͎̯̜͍͇̻̲̬̰̻͈͓̙͎̣̼͓̮̭̯̟̱͖̰̬̙͙̲͗̓́̓̓̿͌͐̾̀̎̀́̀̎̉͊̐̅̑̂̈͠ͅ gets me.
Please…
I have to ḑ͓̟͕̗̜̠̘̼̦͕̿̓̊̄͋̀ȉ̵̢̧̧̡͙̦̱̣̙͚̤̤͙̗͓͈͚͍̪̰̟̞̰͓̣̘̤̩͓̙̥̹̯̰̱͆̇̆̆̂̀̾̌̇̑̎͌͛̋̚ͅe̷̡̛͙̣̹̣̰̪͇̘͖͍̘͓͎̲͐͊̐̆̓̈́̑̏̋̇̉̎͊̎̌̓̌͂̀͆̀͂͑̓̇͊̉͑̇͘̚͝͝͠.̷̧̡̛̘̮̮̝̱̯̱̟̤̩̹̹̣̼͓̞̯̪͕̙͓̹͖̹͓̭̖͕̣̓̉̽̄̓͗̅͑̅̍͌͋̆̆̀͆̐͒͋̅̑͌͂̎̎̀͐͂́̒͑̀̌̆̊̚͜͝
Let me d̵̨̢̧̧̨̧̧̧̡̛̟̲̗̥͍̩͍͚̮̙̙͖͉͚̫͖̜͈̳̭̬̘̖̺̰͙͙̼̟̝̜̤̭̖̦͈͍̙̫̖̈́͑́́̋͆̃̇̄̈́͂͗̄̑̎̎̽̇͑͌͌̓̃̕͘̕̕͝͝͝į̸̢̢̡̧̭̣͓̠͈̖̩̝̘̺̹̩̜̬̹̖̩̬̪͎̜̳̝̯͈͕͇͚̈́̀̎͊̓̄̓͌̾̔̀̎̿́̀̒̈̄̐͜͠͝͝ȩ̵̧͙̼̗̜̰̩̭̤͎̯͎͕̞̜̟̬͔̹͔͚̣͖̫̹̟̠̗̗͍̳̦͎͓͈̗͔̮̲̋̇.̷̡̧̧̧̡͙̭̟̰̥̝͓̤͚̘̹̥͍̰̦̰̞̻̹̲̞̹̤̩̻͕̹̫̼͈̙̯͉̟͈̳͔̞̖̝̞̪̟͋̆̏͑͗͊́̊͒͜͜
I want to ḑ̴̧̯̜͎̣̯̲̪̮͈̰͙̫̤̬̺̝̓̇̿̄́̋̓ͅi̸̢̨̧̺̰͔̹̭̲̠̺̖̠͔͓͚̯̜̼̼̰͚̫̮̣̼̬͕̞͉͖̠̓̓̃͛̀̓̅̊̽̃̔͒̔̎͑̀̄̋̚͝ͅę̷̧̡̜̫͓͕̖̞͎͙̰͔̳͉͔̬͓̖̦͙̝̱͔̺̝̻̣̪̻̪͎̭̘̱͓̋̏̋̊̏́̆̂̿̈́͘̕̚͜͝ͅ.̶̨̢̨̹͎̯̪̖͉̼̦̩̳̬̲̙̹̓͑̋̅͌̿͐̉̄̾̒͐̈́͋̇̄̃̓̎̃̓͛͆̌̿͊̒̚͜͜͝͝͝ͅ
Ṗ̴̧̨̨̧̧̖̱̤͓͓̪͍̣̠̯̩̬͎̙̹̺͎̝̠͕̮̻͕̝̫̝̞̺̫̝̤̮̙̝̼̙̙̭̰̝̲̞͖̋͊̓̐̉͊̆̏͑̊̽͌͒͊̋͆̒̊̈́̽̐͐͗͆̓͂͗͑̔̏̑̐͗̓͆̉͘͜ͅͅl̴̢̧̝̲͉̣̠̩͓̼̲̩͓͍͕̪̪̜̱̲̪̘͍̩̖͔͈̝̫̥̫͒͑́̈́̍͑̎̔̐̊͊̍͌̍̔́̐͊͌̓͐̐͗̉͊͌̇͛̅̑̓̅̀͗́͋͆̈́͘̚̕͝͠ę̸̢̢̧͚̖͉͔̲̲̯͓̹̹͔̲̮̺̦̝͚̗̤͍̙̯̰̬̘͚͉̥̺̻̼̱̘̟̂̈́̑̀̄̈́͆͂͌̿̑͂͆͗̇̉̌́͒̀̇̽͘̚̕͝͠͝͝ͅá̴̢̝̬̬̞̟̐̀͛̈́͑͒̍͐̊̈́͑̊̔͛̔̾̐̿̕̚͘͝͝s̵̢̧̢̧͈̲͈͓̝̘̦͍̖̣̩̞͉͈̰̘̭̟͙̟̮̭͙͈̲̦͚̥̝̪̬͔̳͈̓̿͐͜͝ȩ̷̢̢̢̨̨̬̙̝̫͖̮̗̠̤̥̰̰̗͎͓̱̬͍͚̮̳͓̜̟͍͇͙̼̻̗̮̗̝͇̲̫̪̎̈̓̊̌̑̈́̀̎̕͜͝ ̶̢̪̘̙͈̳̘͚̹͍̺̹̞̑̀̔͛͐̅̿̿̈́̈́̈́̐̇͐͂̅͂͐̔̓̐͋̇̀̈̆̑̈̓̍̍̑́̾͆͒̂̄͆̉̕͝͝͝͠d̶̨̧̛̻̘̝̠̱̦͍̀̂̂́̀͊̈̂̆͆́̈́̏̇̓̌̏̾͌̉̂̀̎̆͋̐̚͝͝i̸̧̧̧̼̜̹̪͈̻̦͎̞̜͚̫̤͉̖̪͙̠̹̥̪̲͉̝̣̟̹̮̭̘̰̬͕̳̝̹̜͓̪̠̬͊̆̑̔͆͆̀̿̅̔̐͠ͅͅe̷̯͚͈̥̰̔͐͒͑̌̑̍͋̈́̿̈́͒̿̊̒̔̈́̾͛̌̄̂̏̋͛͂̏̽̈̓̉͌̚͘̕͠͝͝͝͝͠.̶̧̧̢̧̧̢̨̙̬̹͎͈̻̰͕͙̼͉͈̠̼͇͍͔̰̙͙̩̣̰͉̳̹͚̜̹̘̲̣͈̰̳͈͚͎͓̑͑̍̏̑̈́̇̄̒͋̀̈́̍̋́̈̈̋̇̒͋̊̆͛̎̊͐̏̈́̑̕̚̚͜͜͠͠͠ͅ
͕̼͈̰̙͎̲͍͔͍̱͕̯̝̹̳̰͚̬͔͖̝͔̝̯̮̫͙͔͖̗̋̇̅̇̓̑͑͒̒̚͜Ḑ̵̨̢̥͙̦̤͉͕̫̝͈͖̳̳̞͓͖̮̯̱̣̩͇̤̽̾̌́͂̈̇̓͑͑̈̐͛̓̓͋̽̃͆̓́́̊̍͆͗̽̾͘̕͝͠ͅį̸̨̡̢̧̹͍͇͚̻̞̜̲͕̦͓̲͍̲̠̬͈͇͙̘̣͈̪͕̙̖̦͚̥̯̠̲̜͚̰͔̯̖̟͍̫̗̫̘͓̾̆̂̌͐̂̊̌̿̓̇͑͂͊́̉́͊̌͊̐̒̐̌͆͗̀͋̇͛́͘̚͝͝͠͝͝͝͝͠͝͝e̷̢̧̛̼̱̣̘͖̰̤̦͕̯̫̻̯͓̤̯̒̽̓̆̔̄͂̋̋͆̅̀͜͝͠ͅ.̴̞̌͆̍̀̿͗̌̾̇̆̏̀́́͐̅̈́̈́͂̋̍̄̆̾̊̽̓͑̐̈́́̍̒̂̅̈̊̈́͆̈́͑͘̚͝͠͠͠͠
̶̧̡̧͉͙̱̬͉̪͙̻̮̩͎̮̤̖͎̼̮̞̺̥̙̩͈̣̗͎̬̰̳̟̱̬̦̪̠̩̪͎̭̳̰͎̗̥̑̆̀͂̄͛̕͜͜ͅD̷̡̛̛̬͕͚̥̭̜̙̤̣̲͚̼͎̲̓̈́̉̏͆̊̄́̋̎̌͆̆̍̄͊̾̐̉͆̈͒̿̏̚͠͝i̵̧̨̡͍̥̖̼̼̺͎͔͈͍̥̰͚͓̺̠͈̹̘̦̬̰͎͕̠̰̙̳̟͈̜͍͈̞̖̟̝̗͑͑̇̃͗́́̉̿́͐̔̂͒̓̊̋̋͗͑̊͌̌̍͌̎͛͊̆̂̔̂͆̂͆̅̓̾͋͛̀̀̃̀̉̕͘͘͜͝͠͠ͅê̸̪̜̙̺̹̥̘̤̦̭͙̙̹͚͖̲̺̥͕͇̙͈̗̞̺̞͉̩̺͍̼̣̣͓̎̽͒͋̎͆͛̀̽͌̈́̆̈́͗͑͌̒̂̑͗̋̃̐͑̉̽͆̉͘̚̕͘͜͠.̷̢̧̨̡̧̨̨̛͕͍̬̬̜̲͔̲̼̖͈̞͈̬͓̫̣̘̜̖̝̮̞͔̟̩̯͌̅͆̌̀̏̿͐͂͂̈̐̆́̐̑́̆̔͊͑͒̐̀͒̓͋̈́̎̾͐̈́̔̕̚̕͘͜͝
̵̧͎̦͇̺̰̞̟͉̒͑̀́͑̌̿̈͛͛͌́͗͗͘ͅD̴̛̛̘͚̞̙̱̰̲͈̻̊́̇̿̑͆̈́̿̂̈́͗̏́͑́͆̆̊̈́̒̌̾͋͂̽̾̏̅͘͘̚̕ḯ̷̡̛̙͇̝̰̳̣͓̺̺͔̣̹͚̲̼̤́͑̀̍̈́̓͗̈́̽̃͆̔̇̋̀̃ͅͅͅĕ̷̢̢̛͙̤̬͕̮̜̤͕̪̮̗͎͕̼͖͇̳̯̥̭̫͆̈́͐̾̍̋͌͌̒͒̐̾̀̂̅́͌̔̔͒͌̓͗̀̽̌͗́̅̓͛̍̿̾́͌́͊̄̕̕͠͝͝.̴̝͉͖̜̻̖̭͙͙͓̭͇̩͉̥͇̜̉̇̓̈͗̽͛͋̾͋̍͌͋̆̎̂͛̍͊̿͘̚͝
̷̡̨̨̦͓͙͔̺̳̯̦̙̥̰̹̘͖̗̺͙͈̦̪̬̖̮̺̱͚͍̤̩̟̬̤̳͊͆̌̒̀͑̿̌̊͂̄̚͜͠͝ͅ
I don't want to hurt her.
But I know I'll hurt you.
Wow.
I really am a piece of shit.
Dammit.
GODDAMNIT!
Why'd you do this to me?
Why can't I be brave just this once?
Why?
Be so nice.
Be so kind.
Why'd you have to be my friend?
Why…
Why now?
Why not before?
Why are you in my mind and not her?
Hand down the back of the throat.
That's how it goes, right?
But if I do this…
S̸̺̟̼̩̯̹͈͎̣͈͒̿͌̄̂̔̄͜ḣ̵̜͂͊̅̒̕ͅé̶͙͉̻͒ might get me.
It's a Catch 22, isn't it?
Never even read that book.
Idiot.
Maybe now I'll get the chance.
Fuck…
I want to live again, don't I?
Shit…
Look at you.
You're a piece of shit.
What do you think she would say?
She would be so mad.
I'm sorry Peko.
I'm so sorry.
I want to be better.
I know I killed you.
Yet I still want to live.
You must hate me.
No…
It's the opposite.
You love me.
And I love you.
I guess it's just too bad, huh…
That I now have others, I love too.
Hajime & Yuki
"What gave you that idea?"
Yuki certainly didn't need Hajime to confirm whether his suspicion was correct or not. His body language told the whole story. His fight or flight instinct had kicked in, and he had made the decision to confront the issue head-on.
The question was whether it would be necessary.
"You've really taken a liking to Sonia, huh? If I'm honest, I would have never expected it. But hey, it's not like I have a good grasp on these kinds of things. I've never even had a boyfriend." Yuki resisted a chuckle at seeing Hajime's uncompromising expression. It refused to even move an inch when he was trying so hard to lighten the mood.
'Must 'a really hit a nerve, aye.' The thought disappeared as quickly as it came.
Yuki sighed, "Mahiru mentioned a certain concept… philosophy? Belief? Erm… whatever. She said this thing called 'the convenient truth'."
Hajime flinched but did his best to pass it off as merely clearing his throat.
"Would you mind explaining to me exactly what that is?"
Hajime's gaze never left Yuki; however, it did seem to shift ever so slightly. Like someone was just behind Yuki, hanging over his shoulder. That someone or possibly something seemed to get his attention only for a moment before he returned it back to the imposter.
"Why are you asking me? It's clear you already know everything."
"What makes you say that?"
"Cause… you already made clear that the convenient truth has a link to Sonia."
Yuki nodded with a sigh. He had underestimated Hajime's deductive abilities. He thought about it some more and realized - 'didn't the others mention that Hajime had a large part to play in solving each murder in the simulation?'
Yuki cleared his throat and began: "You created a fictional philosophy that would absolve guilt for anyone who bought into it. Centring around the idea that Junko had us under perfect and impervious mind control. Like puppets, correct? That's the analogy you used?"
Hajime nodded uneasily.
"Right…" Yuki breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. An honest and earnest smile, which was rare for him. "I really underestimated you, Hajime."
Hajime blushed a little, "you're not mad at me?"
"Course not! I'm not a fan of lying, but the truth can be horrendously ugly at times."
Hajime took a step toward Yuki. He was nervous about it, but to his delight, Yuki turned to face him with a steady expression of understanding and ease. One he had not seen on Yuki for a long time.
"Listen, I'm really sorry about everything." Hajime bit at his bottom lip. "The truth is I can be a selfish jerk at times and – ARGH!"
With an almighty punch - one with such precision and power that Captain Falcon would be proud; Yuki hit Hajime in the gut, causing him to coil-over and into his arms.
"Never apologize when you've done all you could. I know now, you tried your best. And that's all I can ever ask for. I'm sorry for being such a jerk too."
Hajime didn't care much for his apology when he felt like his innards had just been repositioned into his chest cavity. "The hell you *cough* punch me for then!?"
"I mean… I'm still kind of pissed. Justified or not, I just needed to get that out of the system."
Hajime collapsed to the ground. "A-A-Asshole…"
Yuki laughed, "yeah, that's fair."
The imposter went to leave as Hajime rolled around on the floor, trying to catch his breath. "Oh yeah…" As Yuki was just about to go down the stairs, he paused. "By the way, who did you tell about the convenient truth? Just Mahiru and Sonia?"
Hajime nodded with gnarled teeth.
Yuki was starting to feel a bit bad for him. Perhaps he did hit him too hard. Fortunately, he did have an idea to at least help ease his conscious.
"I get why you told Sonia. It makes perfect sense. If she thinks she was responsible for the death of her people, then… But listen… one day, you need to tell her the truth. The horrible truth that our actions were our own. I don't think it's healthy to live in a fantasy world." With those parting words and a smile, he left.
Hajime and Yuki's bond had mended, Yuki finally had trust in Hajime again. But there was one critical miscommunication that Yuki had neglected to realize.
The convenient truth.
Was just that.
The truth.
That's what Hajime had hoped anyway. It wasn't that he was lying, he was merely aware of how naïve he was being. But whether it was foolish or not, he did believe that it… could be the truth.
Or perhaps that was just another lie Hajime told himself.
The web of lies and truths had become so tangled in his psyche that it was hard to distinguish fact from fiction. But as long as that web were there to catch Sonia if she were to ever fall, he didn't much care.
Fuyuhiko
The sour stench of his mistake seeped from the toilet bowl. It was so bad it made his eyes water, or perhaps that was just an excuse… Each time he tried to calm himself down the memories would come flooding back.
"HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU SAY THAT!?"
Sick…
"It's the truth, and you know it."
Oh god…
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."
It hurts…
"For what?"
It hurts so goddamn much!
"I think I finally understand something important.
I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner."
It's like you could tell what I was thinking…
"…Choose your next words very carefully."
You knew me so well…
"Peko,"
I'm sorry…
"I think…
That I… never got to know the real you.
We should never see each other again."
To Fuyuhiko's surprise, he still had some of his mistake left in him.
Akane
"Absolute horseshit!" Akane giggled up as she slammed the whole bottle down her gullet. "Oh, god! That's awful! BAHAHA!" She crashed onto the bed and went back to her favourite pastime of absently watching the ceiling fan circulating the stuffy air.
The murky coloured glass bottle was lifted back into her field of vision. On the bottle's label was a sea captain. A cracked face showed his age alongside a snow-white beard. A comically large pipe hung from his mouth with a smidgen of ash seeping off the ivory wood sides. Below the character read;
"Hershel's Brewery!
Now operating for our 20th year!"
Akane snickered at it, "not anymore, idiot! Last batch, ahoy!" She saluted before rising the bottle back to her lips. A single drop splashed against her tongue to her immense disappointment. She cringed at the empty bottle as if its very existence were offensive.
Akane spun onto her stomach and eyed up the trash can on the other side of the room. She shouted; "THREE POINT SHOT!" and hurled the bottle. It hit the wall with a great deal of power and bounced off - landing on the floor. With the remaining momentum, it rolled underneath one of the beds to never be seen again.
"Eh, close enough…"
She moved off the bed and hit the ground with a *thunk* – as intended. Now her makeshift stash of booze was within reach. She grabbed the nearest bottle, the friendly captain on the label was there to greet her once again.
"Ah… my precious horseshit." Akane sighed with delight. She popped off the cap and was about to take a swig when Fuyuhiko shimmied around the door frame.
"YO! Wasssssup buddy?" Akane smiled, but it swiftly dispersed at seeing his condition. A dark ring of insomnia propped up his one visible eye with the other concealed beneath a white synthetic eyepatch as always. Increasingly concerning pale skin hid beneath a grey cotton shirt and black pyjama pants. No colour in his cheeks, no colour in his… anywhere. He would look straight out of an old black and white cartoon if it wasn't for his scraggy blonde hair and freckles.
"Hey…" The words came from the deepest recess of Fuyuhiko's throat, making his greeting sound more like a growl rather than words.
"The hell happened to you?" Akane regretted the words the moment she spoke them. It was easy to infer why he was in his current state after everything that happened with Peko.
"Didn't sleep." Fuyuhiko sheepishly replied.
It looked like he would collapse at any moment. The only thing stopping him from doing so was the meagre support of the doorframe. Akane couldn't help but chuckle under her breath and just how unfair this was. She was barely keeping it together herself and yet there was no time for that: Someone needed more help than she did.
"Looks like you need a drink!" Akane grabbed another bottle without looking and held it up with a mischievous grin.
Fuyuhiko huffed through his nose at the sight. He dragged himself across the room and sat on the foot of the bed Akane was collapsed next to. She handed him the bottle, and he popped off the cap with ease.
Akane didn't get up, she couldn't be bothered, but nevertheless, tradition should be upheld, so she lifted the bottle high up into the air and yelled "CHEERS!" before taking a generous swig.
Fuyuhiko, on the other hand, looked at the cartoon captain with disdain. Alcohol led to nothing good, yet its alluring nature had enamoured the masses for centuries. Perhaps this one time, he would give them the benefit of the doubt. He too took a generous swig but just about coughed it back up as it burned his throat.
"Pffftttt, hahaha!" Akane poked his ankle with her finger. "Can't handle your liquor?"
"No." Fuyuhiko stiffly replied, leaving the pair to stew in an awkwardness he had brought about.
But Akane wouldn't let that awkwardness linger for long as drinking in silence was not her idea of a good time.
"How'd things go with Peko?"
Fuyuhiko shimmied off the bed and sat in front of Akane, causing her to now sit up. He wore a gaze Akane had never seen him have before: A mix of sadness, sympathy and acceptance. That was her best guess at what that face was. While Fuyuhiko is usually easy to read, this was not one of those times.
"Why are you drinking, Akane?"
Akane didn't expect to be asked that. She looked down at the dark swill and thought for a moment.
"Do I need a reason?"
Fuyuhiko shot a curious look before taking another drink.
"How many times have I spilled my guts to you, huh?"
"You ain't doing it now."
"…Suppose you're right."
The two brewed in silence once again, although this time it wasn't so much awkwardness as they both simply became lost in thought.
"Hey, Fuyuhiko…" Akane broke the tedium with a question Fuyuhiko didn't think she would ever ask. "I know you'll hate me for this, but can I get a hug. Just a quick one."
No cringing, no protesting. Just compassion. Fuyuhiko gave her a big hug without issue.
"I'm really sorry," Akane whispered in his ear as she hugged him back.
"You don't have to apologize for a fucking hug, it's fine."
"No…" Fuyuhiko could feel her fingers tighten around his sides. "I'm being so selfish. I know things went bad with Peko yet here I am being comforted by you."
"Don't give me that bullshit!" He wanted to face her but didn't want to let her go either. He just had to hope that his words wouldn't get lost in her tangle of hair. "You did the same for me… so many goddamn times I can't even keep count of them all! So… let me do this. At least let me give you a hug without you feeling guilty for it."
Akane muttered profanities under her breath as she fought against the coming tears. She didn't want to cry, not while Fuyuhiko was in so much pain.
'No! I refuse to let that happen!' Akane cemented her will.
She pushed Fuyuhiko back and punched his shoulder. "NO! Screw this noise! I came here to drink; you came here to drink! So, let's drink!"
"Wait, wah-" Fuyuhiko's cries were gagged by the neck of a bottle being shoved down his throat. Up, up and up, Akane lifted the butt of both their drinks as high as they could go. Until eventually, they both had chugged the contents.
Fuyuhiko spluttered and nearly threw up but managed to hold it in. "Jesus Christ! You trying to kill me?!"
Akane broke out into laughter before patting him on the back. And although irritated initially by her antics eventually, he fell victim to her infectious laugh.
Fuyuhiko liked a lot of things about Akane – her smile, her candour, her kindness - but one of his favourites was her laugh. It was so genuine. She didn't hold it back, didn't matter if it sounded weird or if she would embarrass herself. If she wanted to laugh, she was going to laugh. Simple as that.
Fuyuhiko grabbed another two bottles with a smirk. "Well then… if we're doing this. We're going all the way, Akane! No backing out now!"
"HELL YEAH!" Akane's eyes met Fuyuhiko's and sparkled. "Let's go!"
They laughed, they drank, and the morning went on…
Kazuichi
The storm was raging.
Trees were being uprooted; waves lapped further up the shore than they ever had before, and the sound of rain had become so engraved in each person's psyche that it was beginning to be hard to remember a time without it.
"Ah… AH! K-K-Kazuichi! I require assistance!" Sonia called out from the kitchen of the breakroom.
They ran into each other while looking for breakfast and decided to make it together. But even though she was injured, Sonia insisted on doing most of the work, leaving Kazuichi to stare out the window. With the ingredients on hand, they decided that pasta would be their go-to dish.
Kazuichi entered from the hallway with a sigh as he scratched at his neck. "What is-! WHAT THE HELL!?" A black bloom of smoke rose from a stainless-steel pot atop the stove.
"I think I may have used too much baking soda!"
"Baking soda!?" Just then, the dish cried out in horrible agony with a giant air bubble spluttering forth and throwing sauce onto the floor in a fit of rage. "What did you do, Sonia!?"
"I do not know!"
Kazuichi rushed forward to see that the element of the stove was on the highest possible setting. Inside the pot, a black mixture of god knows what bubbled forth like a witch's cauldron.
"We… we ah-!" Kazuichi couldn't bare the putrid smell any longer! He took the concoction and dumped it down the drain. You would think leftover bits of pasta would remain in the sink, but the only traces of such a thing was a fine paste-like substance.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!?" Kazuichi's eyes watered from the stench.
"I am ashamed!" Sonia moved herself to the corner of the room and faced the wall.
-15 minutes later-
After disposing of the toxic goods, Kazuichi started over from square one. It still baffled him how Sonia managed to mess up THAT BADLY, he truthfully found it impressive in its own weird way.
"Come on Sonia… it's fine! These things happen!"
Sonia refused to move from the corner of the room. She absentmindedly drew shapes on the wall with her finger all while groaning about the fiasco. "I am a failure!"
"Come on, Sonia! I could still use your help over here!"
With a heavy sigh and even heavier footsteps, Sonia dragged her way over to the kitchen. But her attitude quickly changed when her nostrils found a heavenly smell wafting through the air.
"Oh my!" Sonia tiptoed to the pot and got a lungful. "That is delightful, Kazuichi!"
He blushed a little, "aw, thanks! It's nothing special."
Feeling more at ease, Sonia sat on the bench and dangled her legs off the countertop.
"Here, can you let me know how this tastes?" Kazuichi stabbed a piece of pasta with a fork and held it toward Sonia. She carefully grabbed it with her teeth.
"mmm-MMM! It is excellent! I did not know you could cook, Kazuichi."
This time he blushed a lot more than a little.
"It's just pasta. It's not that impressive."
"Nonsense! You should take pride in your achievements!" She grabbed her bicep with a smirk. "Kazuichi, you are a great cook!"
Sonia expected him to go even redder than he already was, perhaps start stuttering and play it off but instead… he looked a little sad.
"I ah… oh man, how do I say this? Oh, jeez this is embarrassing…" Kazuichi didn't dare look away from the pasta to see what Sonia was emoting. "I actually learnt how to cook back in high school. Dad was busy with the shop; I mean I was too, but I would clock off early and make us dinner. It was nice… oddly enough, my favourite memories with him weren't mechanical stuff. It was those silly little dinners we'd have in the back of the garage. Sometimes we'd use screwdrivers as forks and hubcap's as plates! It was nice."
Sonia's cheeks felt numb from just how much that goofy anecdote made smile. "That is a lovely story. Although… I do not see how it is embarrassing?"
"The thing is…" Kazuichi physically cringed at the memory, he was just about ready to dive into the pasta headfirst as a means of escape. "The reason I learnt how to cook in the first place was to… impress… you."
Kazuichi couldn't bear to see her reaction to his confession, so he continued to keep his eyes on the pasta.
"I know right, how pathetic is that?…" Kazuichi sighed. "Never occurred to me while I was learning that, oh yeah we have an ultimate cook in our class so anything I do will be overshadowed by a mile." He took the frustration out on the pasta by scrapping the bottom of the pot with the spatula. "Such a fucking idiot…"
"Kazuichi." He remained lost in the tomato sauce. So, Sonia prodded him on the cheek, which finally garnered his attention.
"Consider me impressed." Her smile was so sweet that Kazuichi worried it would ruin the taste of the dish. "Your efforts were not in vain."
"Hm… that's really nice of you to say." Kazuichi sighed. "Thanks, Sonia."
"Anytime!" She cheered with a fiery grin. "We are friends, after all."
Kazuichi hid his embarrassment behind the guise of a concerned cook. He took the pot lid and covered the dish. He also lowered the element to it's lowest setting to let it simmer. "Should be ready to go, we got enough for everybody the only problem is wrangling them all up!"
Sonia leapt off the bench and landed on her tiptoes, showing a perfect demonstration of poise. "I shall go wrangle up the herd, pardner!"
Kazuichi wasn't sure when they started talking like cowboy's but decided it didn't matter. "Thanks, I'll make sure this doesn't burn. Don't want to leave a stove unattended and all that."
"Yee-haw!" Sonia didn't need his acknowledgement; she was wholly captivated by the bit she was doing to the amusement of no one but herself. "I'll be back in two jiffies and wink!" She rode out of the room on an invisible horse to which Kazuichi's only reasonable reaction was to laugh.
"What an idiot!" Kazuichi chuckled to himself.
But something about his admission caused a ball of anxiety to swell in his chest. Just how much of his life was dedicated in the pursuit of a woman who was never going to love him back? He realized that perhaps even now, he was doing the same thing.
"You really haven't grown up, have you Kazuichi? You're still that same stupid kid."
Fuyuhiko & Akane
"NO! Uh, uh! No way!"
"I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD IT'S TRUE!" Fuyuhiko cackled.
A mischievous smile hid behind the palm of Akane's hand. "It's just…" She kept giggling between her words. "Kazuichi? Of all people… no… I just… that entirely changes the image I have of him in my head." She went to take a swig to find yet another can empty. Fortunately, they weren't going to run out anytime soon, so after crushing it against her skull, she grabbed another and tossed the crushed aluminium aside to add to the ever-growing collection.
"Akane…" Fuyuhiko grabbed her by the cheeks and smooshed them together. "Kazuichi Souda got his cherry popped back in high school. The sooner you come to accept this fact, the sooner you can move on with your life."
"AHHHH!" Akane covered her ears, tossing and turning. "I refuse! There is n-no way… he… he is…" Akane trailed off into a daze. Fuyuhiko had to click his fingers in front of her face to get her back on track. "He is a… little boy."
Fuyuhiko snorted, "little boy?"
"Yeah! A little one! He shouldn't be having sex! He should be… be… having a juice box!"
"A juice box!?"
"A juice box!"
The pair burst into uproarious laughter.
"The hell do you think him as a kid for? Dude's what… born in June. So… wait… you're the same fucking age!"
"NA UH!" Akane swung her can through the air in a declaration. "He is actually a few days older than me."
Fuyuhiko cackled like a high hyena. "You're such an idiot!"
"Okay, yes… but…" Akane froze. Fuyuhiko's spine let alone his legs had the strength to hold him up anymore. He collapsed to the floor with such unrestrained laughter that he thought he might throw up again. Or perhaps that was the overabundance of alcohol? Akane couldn't help a stifled laugh escape too, even if it were at her expense.
"God, Akane… you got 'ta warn me next time you make me laugh like that!"
"Who'd he even lose it too?" Akane asked abruptly.
"Huh?"
"The girl? It was a girl, right?"
"Oh!" Fuyuhiko chuckled with a nod. "Right, right. Umm."
It had been years since he met her, but he could still recall the girl without a problem due to just how… 'memorable' she was.
"Okay, she was smoking hot." Akane squinted with a smirk, clearly sceptical. "No, I'm serious! Tall, blonde, gorgeous features. Just like a certain princess mind you. Anyway, the reason he was able to score with a girl like her was for three reasons."
Akane scooted forward a couple paces.
"Numero Uno: They were both into engineering. I remember Souda told me she was in a different like… thingy of engineering but they both worked with machines, so it's all the same shit to me."
Akane nodded her head along to the story.
"Number two: She was such a MASSIVE bitch!"
Akane nearly spat out her drink at hearing the brutally honest confession. She rubbed her forearm over her mouth to clean up the minuscule beads of liquid that managed to escape from between her lips. "What!?"
"Seriously! The rudest person I've met in my life! Insults you like, like-" Fuyuhiko paused and interlocked his face into a stern gaze. "Insults more than Saionji!"
Akane gasped, "no!"
"YES!"
"Alright, what's the third reason then?" Akane asked.
"Third and final!" Fuyuhiko pretended to play the trumpet as if to announce it. "To-do-ru! Huge perv."
Akane was taken back, "wait, really?"
"Yeee-up! Bigger than Teruteru. Every word out of her mouth that wasn't an insult was calling herself a genius or about sex."
"What!? Why the hell would Kazuichi even go for a girl like that?"
Fuyuhiko shrugged, "dude wanted his card punched. I don't really think he cared who with. He was determined to make Sonia jealous, so he did what he had to."
"So…" Akane pretended to be rooted in thought. "He fucked a female Teruteru."
Fuyuhiko spat out his mouthful of drink and dived out the floor in a fit of mirth. "JESUS CHRIST, AKANE!"
It took him a while but once recovered from his fit, he became perplexed by his own face. His hands ran up and down his refined features until they came to rest on his button cheeks. "Ow… OW! My fucking mouth hurts! What the hell!?"
"You've been smiling too much, dude!" Akane snorted. "Your muscles hurt."
"What!? You need muscles to smile? Since when?" Fuyuhiko looked as if his entire life was a lie.
"Since forever dude! Come on you got to exercise, or this kind of thing happens."
Fuyuhiko gasped. "You're right! Oh my god! Please! I need your help!"
"Heh!" Akane placed her hand on Fuyuhiko's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I got the perfect workout plan!"
"Swol! – Swol! – Swol!" The two repeated as they aggressively smiled and frowned at each other.
Eventually, the smiles were no longer forced. It instead became a competition of who could make the other laugh with some ridiculous face they could contort into being. A poked-out tongue, dragged out eyelids, puffed out lips. Anything was game if it was funny.
Fuyuhiko beat Akane by a landslide since seeing the usually severe and stern Fuyuhiko make the most ridiculous expressions would be funny even if Akane wasn't sloshed.
"Hey, Fuu…" Akane said.
"Fuu?"
"Yes! Fuu." Akane wiggled her eyebrows. "Okay… heh… okay - fuck, marry, kill."
Fuyuhiko rubbed his hands together and licked at his lips. He watched Akane with eager eyes as she spoke.
"Sonia! Umm, Mahiru and…" Akane pressed a finger to her chin and tried to feign thinking, but it was evident to Fuyuhiko that she was pretending. "Sonia, Mahiru and… me. What're you gonna' do?"
Fuyuhiko also pretended to mull over the options, but he had decided his picks in less than second.
"Okay… hear me out. Kill Ibuki!" He babbled, feeling like he needed to defend his decision. "I mean I don't want to kill anyone but… out the options… she is really annoying."
"BAHAHAHA! I love your honesty!" Akane cackled.
"Then, I would marry Sonia. Which would mean I'd technically be royalty right? RIGHT!?"
"That's so true!" Akane wheezed. "Would you get like a crown and robes, too?"
"Pfft! Obviously! Okay, then that leaves…"
"Me." Akane interrupted.
"Yeah." Fuyuhiko nodded with a sideways smile, "I guess it does."
"We have arrived!" Sonia cheerily entered with Yuki and Hajime interlocked in her arms. "I have found dem outlaws drinking by dat der river over yonder!"
Kazuichi grew ever more concerned over this shitty cowboy bit she refused to give up, what was even stranger was that she was now inexplicably wearing a sombrero. It seems Yuki and Hajime shared the same sentiment as they looked to him for answers for her behaviour. All Kazuichi could offer was a dismissive shrug. Each of them chalked it up to just Sonia being Sonia.
"Well breakfast is ready, so come grab a seat guys!" Kazuichi called out.
"Thanks!" The guys huffed in unison before each taking a seat around the dinner table. Hajime just about collapsed when he took a place around the maple wood. He offhandedly grumbled that he checked on Mahiru and that she was okay before closing his eyes. Yuki was still drying his hair with a white bath towel with visibly red cheeks. Kazuichi could tell there was a story there but decided not to ask it.
"What about Peko and Mahiru?" Yuki brazenly asked. "What about breakfast for them? I doubt they're coming to the table, right?"
"I'll… bring them breakfast later. Nuff for everyone." Kazuichi mumbled under his breath.
"Akane and Fuyuhiko!" Sonia's voice suddenly perked up from the doorway. "I shall go retrieve them next!"
Kazuichi and Yuki nodded in reply, but Hajime smirked. "What happened to the cowgirl thing you were doing?"
"You are right!" Sonia gasped. "I'll bring dos no good city lickers back to the station!" Having no concept of how much she made everyone cringe, she tipped her hat and trotted up the stairs.
It was silent for a moment. Just long enough for Sonia to get out of earshot when Hajime spoke up.
"So… where did she get the hat?"
"Right!?" Yuki threw his arms in the air. "Where the hell did she find a sombrero?"
They all threw out random theories on its origin, but they could never get to a satisfying conclusion.
"Was it in the supplies we brought with us?"
"Maybe it washed up on shore?"
"Was it in one of the cabins?"
"She does realize cowboys didn't wear sombrero's, right?"
The mystery remained unsolved…
Sonia found it hard to keep herself from smiling.
'It's truly amazing what a couple of good friends can do!'
The silver linings of their future were cracking through the clouds and enveloping her in its warm light. There were still troubles on her mind… plenty. But she was determined to put one foot in front of the other until she reached that brighter, shining future they were all clambering for.
'Right! No more time for self-reflection!'
"Akane! Fuyuhiko!" Sonia called up the stairwell. They couldn't be far. Everyone was trapped in this building until the storm passed so unless they were explicitly hiding, it shouldn't take long. She couldn't wait to dig into the breakfast Kazuichi had prepared so finding them sooner, the better.
"…Hng." A feeble noise echoed from the third-floor hallway. It was hard to hear over the rain, but it was there. Sonia determined the source of the sound to come from the main bedroom (A.K.A. the bay window room.) She scampered up the stairs in a hunger-induced frenzy.
"Ah…"
"Mmm… fuck."
Sonia's hasty pace slowed as more and more sounds became apparent the closer she got.
A male and female voice which she recognized to be who she was looking for.
She was happy to have found Fuyuhiko and Akane together since that would be easier, but she couldn't understand the noises she was hearing.
"Ah… ah… AH!"
'That was Akane's voice! Perhaps she is in pain!' That thought raced through Sonia's mind as she dashed forward toward the bedroom door.
"Akane!" That was the only warning given before Sonia flung open the door.
The first thing Sonia spotted was that the room was littered with various bottles and cans. It was oddly dark; the entire left side of the room was shrouded in a murky grey shadow from the curtains. The right side of the room was much the same except for one single beam of light illuminating a bed. This small crack in the curtains allowed this presence to envelop the sheets and shed light on the two bodies that sat upon it.
As Sonia's mind comprehended the scene, more details revealed themselves to her.
A long sleeve shirt laid at Sonia's feet, next to them; a pair of pants. A singlet lay on the bed alongside the two bodies, and a rather large bra hung from the ceiling fan. A small clasp inadvertently kept it ensnared to the spinning blades.
"I am sorry!" Sonia went to slam the door shut, but a cursory glance at the couple cemented the scene as what all the evidence pointed towards. The story of the what had happened – was happening – was finally, indisputably, understood. Even by someone as naïve as Sonia.
There were many more details about the scene that Sonia had witnessed: Where individual limbs were, orifices, and not to mention a certain 'front tail' as Akane would put it. But Sonia wanted to purge all traces of that memory as soon as possible, so she refused to give it any more thought.
She staggered downstairs in a daze and went to join the others for breakfast.
Meanwhile, she left the two she had found bewildered at her sudden entrance.
"Wa-Was she wearing a fucking sombrero?" Fuyuhiko chuckled. "So, should we, uh…" He shot her a guilty glance, but Akane interrupted it with a quick but passionate kiss.
"I don't fucking care, Fuu. Just keep going, I'm close." The damp words caressed the skin and left Fuyuhiko wanting more.
"Right." Fuyuhiko drew his focus back to Akane.
Beads of sweat glistened on Akane's muscular shoulders and sped toward her lower back. Fuyuhiko's hands positioned themselves against her sides to keep her larger form steady on top of him. Her hands, in turn, were interlocked around his neck to keep his face close and lips closer with her legs doing much the same thing around his lower back.
Fuyuhiko showered kisses down the side of Akane's neck as he kept his hips in rhythm with her movements. She squeaked at the sensation to his amusement. He loved hearing these sounds out of someone as reticent as Akane. Sickly sweet moans, an occasional grunt of gratification or swear words whispered under breath were all sounds Fuyuhiko was quickly growing to love.
As she bounced atop him, he couldn't help but notice just how much her breasts heaved with every motion. Although the best view of his life, he couldn't help but cringe a little at just how much it looked like it would hurt. So, he grabbed hold.
Akane whimpered at his touch as he ran a thumb over her nipple. His fingers were quickly enveloped by her bosom. He had witnessed their glory a few times before since Akane cared little about being seen naked, but this was the first time he had ever touched her like this… and it was everything he imagined it to be. Akane squeezed down her hand atop his and encouraged him to keep going.
"You don't have to be gentle…" Akane huffed.
"That so?" Fuyuhiko's tongue slid into her mouth without resistance. He lowered Akane onto her back and got into a position above her with his feet firmly placed against the floor. He parted lips for just a moment, "you shouldn't have to do all the work." He hissed beneath heavy breaths before kissing her again and thrusting his way inside her.
"Mmm!" Akane squeaked.
There it was. The sound he had been craving.
Akane ran her hands up his chest and around his back, encouraging him to go deeper to his surprise.
Every signal Fuyuhiko received – verbal or not – had encouraged him to go further, faster, harder. He finally recognized the truth.
He was scared.
He didn't have much experience with women. None of which was while he was of sound mind, so he was inexperienced at best. His main concern was to not hurt her or do anything that would make her uncomfortable, but by doing so, he was holding back.
As Akane let loose the occasional moan, he realized he wasn't enough... Not like this, at least.
'No more being scared…' Fuyuhiko thought.
He pinned her down with another sudden kiss to which Akane seemed to have no problem with. He interlocked one hand in hers and snatched a breast in his other. Finally, he stopped holding back and began to increase his movements - further, faster and harder.
The number of sounds he heard Akane made increased tenfold to his delight and relief.
"OH FUCK!" Akane cried out in ecstasy at the sudden shift of libido.
In their throws of passion, something strange happened. Something neither partner saw coming. It merely happened with no greater thought attached to it… and after it had. The dynamic of their 'friendship' shifted once again.
"I love you, Fuu," Akane whispered the words into his cheek.
Without missing a beat, Fuyuhiko replied.
"I love you too."
Sonia re-entered the break room as white as a ghost. She sat back down at the table and began to eat without saying a word.
"Where're the others?" Kazuichi asked.
"Busy," Sonia replied as she hid her rosy cheeks behind the bowl.
Kazuichi was perplexed. "Akane didn't want food? Huh, weird."
"Yup…" Sonia ate away at the pasta in the silence she had dragged in with her.
In a single embarrassing mistake, her smile had vanished.
Too many things were on her mind now. Before this, she had tried to avoid the thought of this topic whenever it happened to cross her mind. Of course, sometimes her body wouldn't let her simply forget. It demanded these desires be handled, but she had been firm in denying them until now.
But… there was a point to Sonia's constitution. A point when no matter how embarrassing and awful these thoughts and feelings were, they had to be dealt with. That it would hurt more than help by leaving them unspoken and the last thing Sonia wanted to do was hurt Hajime.
The lies she was telling herself.
The truths she conveniently left unmentioned.
They had to be addressed.
"Hajime." Sonia stirred the pasta with a fork, she couldn't bear to look him in the eye as she spoke. "Can we talk later?"
"Yeah, sure. What about?" Hajime replied casually to Sonia's annoyance.
"Privately."
"Oh…" He didn't realize it was that kind of conversation, "yeah, of course."
Yuki quickly followed this request with one of his own.
"NOPE! I'm sorry! I've got to ask!" Yuki yelled at the top of his lungs. "Sonia!"
She just about jumped out of her chair. "W-w-what is it?" Sonia had never seen Yuki look so serious. When she looked around the room, both Hajime and Kazuichi had the same stern expression.
"We've got to know… WHERE DID YOU GET THE HAT!?"
Sonia almost snorted but just managed to keep herself from doing so. Her smile had returned, and with it, the awkwardness vanished. She flicked the rim of her sombrero upwards with a smirk on her face.
"Still haven't figured that one out, pardner?" Sonia mocked.
"NO, we haven't! Where!?"
"Seriously the hell did you get it from!?" Kazuichi pitched in.
"Sonia…" Hajime's tone was earnest. "You might think we're kidding, but it's seriously bothering us!"
"Also, what's with the weird cowboy talk!?"
Sonia enjoyed tormenting the three of them for the rest of breakfast and although they wouldn't have admitted it; the guys enjoyed it just as much.