Makoto 12: Time to Go Home
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Undisclosed Location; Somewhere on Honshu; October 4th, 1994
"Did ya know I almost kicked the bucket?" Chihiro asked calmly, looking ahead of him. The wind and rain howled around them, but Chihiro's umbrella remained firmly closed at his hip. Real men aren't worried about a little storm. He was still wearing the usual boots, torn jeans, purple checkered shirt, and gold chain, which he fingered.
"You did? Gonta no believe that for second! You so strong and hearty!" Gonta gasped.
Chihiro laughed happily. His voice was deep and low; a mixed Nagasaki-Osaka dialect in his accent. Gonta loved to listen to Chihiro talk, he found his voice beautiful. "I sure did, I did! The crazies didn't get me, but a scratch on my leg did. Wanna see?"
Gonta nodded and eagerly leaned in, watching as Chihiro unbuckled his belt and dropped his pants down around his ankles. The scar was an ugly, barely-healed one that started at his groin and twisted around his midshin.
"You almost died from that?" Gonta asked doubtfully, and Chihiro nodded, buckling his belt again. He took to playing with the necklace.
"Bet ya fuckin' ass I did. It ain't deep, but germs got inside and infected it. That is what an infection is, Gonta-kun," He explained. "They're the worst things. Infection is why Despair Disease killed the people it did,"
"Infection," Gonta repeated, fascinated.
"Makoto-san got an infection now," Chihiro crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was soaked from the rain.
"Don't tell Gonta such scary things, Chihiro-kun!" Gonta cried.
"These things are the truest truth. I ain't makin' up lies to scare ya. He got an infection in his small intestine. He likely got it 'cuz he was drinking bad water and eating ill-prepared fish for two weeks. Ya gotta take care of him. It ain't gonna be easy, and even if ya do everything ya can, he might still die,"
"Gonta no want him to die," He trembled. Chihiro took his hands easily, though Gonta couldn't actually feel it, like his best friend was made of smoke.
"I didn't say it'd be easy. But ya still gotta move on. Tell everyone what ya saw by the shoreline. If Makoto-san was meant to be by ya side, he'll recover. If not, then he'll die and that's that. It's the way it's meant to be, like when I died," Chihiro stared at him.
"But-"
"I showed ya my leg for a reason. This infection is a strange lil' bugger, but it can still be cured using things in places like this," Chihiro vanished for a second and Gonta looked around, finding himself in a tiny convenience store. The store was dark, but the fridges were still lit-up and frosty.
"Chihiro-kun?" Gonta asked, glancing around.
"Yo, I'm feelin' great after the game I just won!" Chihiro cheered, appearing in a transparent white shirt with a green '69' written on it, tiny green gym shorts, and a sparkly green scrunchie in his ponytail. In his hands was a red bottle of sports drink.
"Chihiro-kun?"
"Yuppity yuppity yup! Check this out!" He held the bottle up. "This stuff's great for restoring electrolytes and proteins. If ya give Makoto-san a ton o' these, soon he'll be perked right up!" Chihiro placed several different colours on the counter. "Ya can also make ya own mix, using a tablespoon of sugar, tablespoon of salt, water, and a banana to taste. How much ya give him depends on how severe his case is. Judgin' by the state ya brought him here in, I'd say...moderate case? Plenty of juice and water too. Change his buckets when they get full. Don't forget about food, as it'll help restore normal intestinal-"
"Gonta no remember all of that!" Gonta cried, and Chihiro stopped talking and stared at him levelly.
"Ya on ya own, bro. Ya gotta 'cuz there's nobody else,"
Gonta started to cry, and Chihiro drew his hand back and delivered a hard slap to him. There was no actual pain, but Gonta still felt the resulting sting and his head being snapped back.
"Man up. For cryin' out loud, stop actin' like such a pansy round me!" He groaned. Gonta stared at him, a hand on his cheek. "Give him food. Ya can rouse him for food and treatment. Give him at least two bottles of oral rehydration therapy and three bottles of water every hour. Give him food too, what ya give don't matter. But ya gotta rehydrate him, that's the most important. If ya don't, he will die from dehydration,"
"He scares me. He's blue and his eyes are sunken...he doesn't look like Makoto-san anymore," Gonta whispered. "He looks dead,"
"He looks like that 'cuz of dehydration. Ya still gotta feed him, give him that mix every hour. Keep him warm, empty his buckets. Hope. That's all ya can do now," Chihiro shrugged.
"Alright! Gonta try his best and be a man, for Chihiro-kun and Makoto-san both!" Gonta announced. "Gonta just wish that...you were still here, Chihiro-kun..."
Chihiro gently patted him. "Ya will do a bang-up job, kid. I know ya will,"
Gonta woke up and found Chihiro was nowhere to be seen. On the counter were cases of water and sports drinks, as well as some packets of powder used to make oral rehydration drinks at home. Gonta stared at the counter for a very long time before he picked everything up and headed out into the night.
Gonta returned to the temple around four in the morning, his clothes soaked from the rain. He hurried over to Makoto, who was lightly groaning in his sleep. Blavatsky excitedly barked a greeting.
"Makoto-san?" Gonta tried, pulling a packaged sandwich out of the bag as well. "You have to wake up and drink and eat. Chihiro-kun told Gonta everything he had to do for you,"
Makoto responded with another low moan, turning to the side and vomiting in his bucket. His eyes were on Gonta, and Gonta took that opportunity to help him sit up and swallow down the bottles of solution, as well as a few bites of the sandwich. Makoto sputtered and gagged a few times, and Gonta held him steady, waiting for the fluids to settle. Makoto breathed shallowly, collapsing back into bed. He shivered and gagged, laying as still as a corpse. Gonta watched him uneasily, no way of knowing if the solution was working or not.
The wind howled outside.
Hope's Peak felt so terribly far away.
Makoto's battle with cholera only lasted a few days, but each day felt like a cyclic battle. His hourly diet for the first two days was nothing but bland porridge and sports drinks, water, vegetable juices, and tea. He had no idea what he was drinking most of the time and could only be roused for treatment. His skin was cold to the touch and it also had trouble snapping back to place if pinched. His vomiting and diarrhea were relentless. Gonta did his part and emptied the buckets whenever needed, keeping them clean along with Makoto.
The third day, Makoto's breathing became deeper and he stirred a bit in his sleep. The vomiting became lighter.
The fourth day, the vomiting stopped entirely and the diarrhea was lighter. Makoto was able to remain conscious for hours at a time and was fed rice balls alongside the usual oral rehydration solutions.
The fifth day, Makoto's skin had returned to normal.
On the sixth day, Gonta was roused from a nap by Makoto, grinning hugely.
"I'm alive," He gasped.
"You are! Gonta so happy!" He cheered.
"Can I have something to eat? Chocolate pudding? I really like that," Makoto asked softly. "I still feel a tad weak,"
Gonta sprung to his feet with a nod. "Pudding it is!" He removed the two buckets later that day as Makoto ate.
He got some crutches from the store and Makoto was unsteady on them at first, shaking and trembling as he struggled to walk. Gonta helped keep him steady.
By the fourteenth of October, Makoto was strong enough to head outside, doing so in a thick red jacket. He smiled a bit.
Still, they had to hurry. The weather had been worryingly humid for the past few days, and the storms at night had grown stronger. Makoto had enough strength to drive again, so after gathering up their bearings, they hopped into the '82 Toyota and drove off, going slow and unsteady as usual.
As they drove for a day, the clouds darkened and the seas splashed angrily, bringing huge waves of green foam far from the sand and instead into town. Makoto winced at the sight. "Typhoon,"
"Goodness, no! How long?" Gonta asked as Makoto slowly backed up into a nearby hotel parking lot. He shrugged.
"Few days. If it floods...we could be here for a few months. Maybe until December. This place floods bad," They quickly got out of the car and killed the engine. "But surely we won't be here that long,"
"If you say so," Gonta nodded, and the trio hurried inside just as the wind started to pick up ferociously.
Makoto screamed out into the darkness, panting heavily. He fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand and pressed it twice before he laughed at himself. He was still so reliant on technology, even all this time later. He lit the lantern at the foot of his bed instead and slowly got out, trembling. He winced as he got out his crutches and tried to balance on them. His leg had healed crookedly and he would be stuck with a limp for the rest of his life. Still, it could've been a lot worse.
He shivered some more and wandered around the room, desperately having to pee. He always did after waking up; he wondered if that was leftover from when he used to wet the bed when he was younger. He pulled the metal bucket typically reserved for ice off the desk and just peed in that, dumping it down the sink. Afterwards, he sat down at the desk and buried his face in his hands.
It was early November. The typhoon had come and gone in only a week, but it brought with it practically every instance of severe weather known to man; high winds, tornadoes, giant waves, and a mess of heavy flooding that persisted even after the typhoon left thanks to several weeks of incessant rain. They had the whole town to themselves though, so at the very least they weren't bored.
A few weeks ago Makoto had searched around in the closets and found a tiny generator. He smiled to himself and started to set it up, Gonta walking in while he was in the middle of it. The storm raged outside.
"For lights?" He asked, motioning to it.
Makoto shook his head. "It's too small to power this whole hotel again,"
"Then what for?"
"You'll see," Makoto promised.
By the time another day had gone by, Makoto had set up a small movie theater area with a VCR and tiny TV and giant speakers. The generator was used to power everything. He sighed once he finished, stretching just as Gonta came in from the rain.
"What's this?" He asked. Makoto smiled at him.
"Why don't you make some popcorn and I'll show you?"
"Popcorn?"
"It's not a movie without it, is it?"
"We're going to watch a movie?!" Gonta asked eagerly, and Makoto nodded.
The two got settled in on the couch, watching a recent Godzilla movie where he fought a giant rose monster, and one of the latest and the last of the Disney movies; Aladdin. Makoto leaned on Gonta slightly, getting engrossed in the movie. The storm quieted outside somewhat.
After another week, the floodwaters had gone down some and the rain was no longer as heavy. Makoto and Gonta made their decision to move out then before another typhoon had the chance to move in and strand them again.
They left on November 17th.
They found a large white rowboat left abandoned at a nearby dock, likely once used for fishing judging by the faint smell left behind. Gonta explained he had rowed plenty of boats before, and Makoto soon caught on easily despite never having done it before. They outfitted themselves from an outfitter's store, and helped Blavatsky sit comfortably in the middle of the boat, at their feet. They got heavier clothes, lanterns, concentrated food, knives, and inner tubes. Makoto especially was glad to see concentrated food was still an option, as his struggle with cholera was still fresh in his mind and he dreaded having to make homemade sushi again and risking another infection.
They only made sixteen miles that first night, eating some rabbits they found on a shallower stretch of land.
Makoto had a nightmare the next night, trembling and crying out. He woke up and glanced worriedly at Gonta, did he wake him up with his noise?
He was standing outside of the delivery room, not allowed to see Sayaka, but he still heard her screams of pain. Soon Seiko and Miaya came outside to see him; terror on their faces. Their clothes were soaked with blood, and in Seiko's arms was a baby girl with Junko's face on her because Junko Enoshima wasn't really dead, she still walked the earth and Sayaka had just given birth to her.
He shivered.
Three days of clear skies and mild weather kept them on their path, making good progress. Another round of heavy thunderstorms and a possible threat for tornadoes forced them to take shelter at a hostel, rowing the boat right into the living room. Makoto laughed a bit at the sight.
"I wonder how impolite this is?" He teased, shutting the door tight and shoving the boat up against it.
"These storms...remind Gonta of the tornado he rescued Chihiro-kun from," Gonta spoke up suddenly, and Makoto glanced over at him.
"Right, he mentioned that once. He said that's why he trusted you," He thought about it. "Speaking of which, how did you learn he was disabled?"
"Gonta used to have neighbor! Neighbor had a daughter of their own who was deaf-mute. Daughter reminded Gonta a lot of Chihiro-kun because she'd always gesture to things like him. Plus...Gonta thought he was a girl when we first met," He admitted in embarrassment, making Makoto laugh.
"That's really sweet! I'm sure he's happy you figured it out so quickly," He patted Gonta. "I don't know how you'd mistake him for a girl so easily though,"
"When Gonta met him, he wore pink and had flower in hair! Gonta thought that was very girly!" He defended, making Makoto laugh more.
The rain lessened and stopped after three days, and after five days of rowing, the floodwaters had begun to go down some as well, the temperatures beginning to turn more mild and steady.
The wind was still harsh and brought huge swaths of foam out of the ocean, sometimes rocking their tiny boat. Makoto worried that one day the ocean would completely grab them and they'd be pulled in, forever lost at sea.
They were at Yamaguchi by the 22nd, the last major town before they'd hit Hiroshima. Makoto was rowing the boat that time, going fast because he had a lot of leftover energy that day. The boat jerked slightly as it hit something hard, then rocked.
"What's it stuck on?" Makoto wondered, trying to jiggle the end into place.
"Wait, Makoto-san!" Gonta cried out, and Makoto grabbed the side of the boat too hard. It rocked violently, then completely tipped over, throwing them into the chilly water. Makoto gasped as the water suddenly shot up his nose and mouth, soaking through his clothes and even further down into his bones. He felt his lungs burn as he forced himself up and broke the surface of the water, gasping and sputtering. He had landed a few feet away from the water, the white boat still upside-down. Blavatsky barked eagerly and swam over to him, soaked.
"Where's Gonta-san?" Makoto asked worriedly, swimming around. "Where'd he go?" He continued to swim, his foot getting caught on something. With a yank, Makoto grabbed Gonta's arm and helped pull him up.
Gonta sputtered and coughed and gagged, struggling to stay afloat.
"Gonta's throat burns, it does! He's glad he's normally a strong swimmer!" He gasped.
Makoto nodded and started making his way back to the flipped-over boat. "We'll be alright," He reassured him, flipping the boat back over. They laid down in it as they tried to get their wind back. Makoto wrapped an arm around Gonta's shoulder to calm him.
The boat was able to be salvaged, but they had lost all of their supplies when it tipped over, so they had to stop in a smaller town and try to resupply themselves. Makoto briefly thought about just waiting out the remainder of the winter in the hostel they found again, but decided against it. Sayaka's baby was due in early January and he wanted to see with his own eyes that it was alright.
They didn't find any more concentrates, just canned food, and more camping supplies. They got new clothes too, as their older ones were soaked-through from the storms and falling into the floodwaters.
As they turned in for the night, Gonta came up to Makoto lighting the fire with a small box. "What's this?"
Makoto took the box and opened it, wincing at the strong, sour-sweet smell. He closed it again. "I think it's marijuana. I guess whoever owned this place used to smoke it secretly. Best we leave it alone though,"
Gonta nodded and did so, setting the box back in a bedroom. Makoto finished making the fire and marveled at how tomorrow was Christmas Eve. He'd have to do something special for Christmas.
They turned in that night, sleeping as soundly as they could. Makoto had another nightmare that night of both Sayaka and her child dying in childbirth and Seiko's remorseful voice sobbing as she explained pregnancy was death, no more babies could be born because of the crazies. Humanity was forever ruined.
The laughter from the girl with the bear in her hair echoed from somewhere in the mountains, lowly and terribly pretty.
They traveled all day on Christmas Eve, taking a break on a shallow stretch of land that had dried from the flood. Makoto randomly left later that night, promising he'd return in a few hours. Gonta thought nothing of it, especially when Makoto returned when he said he would, true to his word. They slept easily that night, the temperature remaining steady.
The next morning, Gonta woke up early at around seven in the morning and found Makoto trying to cook some ramen over the fire, stirring it and staring at the long noodles getting stuck to his spoon. Gonta didn't think that part was weird; what was weird was Makoto being awake before Gonta. Gonta always woke up early, woke up with the sun, he did. But he slept in some that day. Blavatsky was watching Makoto cook with fascination.
"Morning," Gonta greeted, shrugging into his green jacket. He really had to pee and the morning was surprisingly chilly.
"Morning yourself. And Merry Christmas," Makoto greeted, smiling widely.
"Christmas? It's Christmas?!" Gonta asked in amazement, forgetting all about how much he had to pee. Makoto nodded.
"It's the best I could do," He pointed over to a large maple tree decorated in white streamers and icicles he found in the backroom of a department store, and underneath the tree were three wrapped presents in soft blue paper. "Those are from Santa Claus,"
Gonta laughed a bit. "Gonta knows there's no Santa Claus, you got those yourself, Makoto-san! But..." He frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You went through trouble to get Gonta presents...and he got you nothing! Because he forgot all about Christmas! He's stupid and got you nothing,"
"That's not true!" Makoto gasped. "You already gave me my present!"
"No, Gonta did not, because he's stupid and forgot!" He hit his head and seemed to be on the verge of tears.
Makoto hurried over to him. "No, you gave me the best present of all, my life,"
Gonta stared at him, not understanding.
"if it weren't for you, I would've died in that ditch all alone. If you hadn't come along when you did, I would've died from that nasty food poisoning or whatever it was back at that temple. I still don't know how you managed to remember the exact drinks and amounts to give me...if it truly was Fujisaki-san or the spirits or something else...all I know is that thanks to you, I'm able to see this Christmas," Makoto smiled.
"Awww, that was nothing," Gonta blushed.
"But go on! See what he brought you! I heard his sled come here last night. I guess the Despair Disease didn't hit the North Pole,"
"You heard him?" Gonta asked shyly, and Makoto shrugged.
"I heard something, anyway. But start opening your presents!" He went back to cooking the ramen, still watching Gonta open up his presents.
Gonta nodded and started to open up his presents, opening up the first one. Inside was a field guide that was part-notebook, designed to keep track of how many insects and birds one saw on their travels. He gasped.
"Gonta loves it already!"
Makoto smiled.
The next present was a set of silver cuff links with a matching striped silver tie. Gonta quickly pulled them on underneath his jacket, zipping his jacket back on.
"For the best gentleman I know," Makoto said.
The last present was a simple silver chain with a shiny charm at the end. Gonta stared at it, curious. It looked like a mountain.
"That's the kanji for the number 'eight'. It's seen as being very lucky and a sign of prosperity, you know. I guess because it looks like a mountain. I think we're really going to make it back to Hope's Peak. And I want you to wear that and always think of me whenever you need something; Naegi Makoto," He explained.
"Prosperity and good luck," Gonta whispered in amazement, slipping it on. To him, it almost reminded him of the gold necklace he got for Chihiro over the summer; a thousand years ago.
"And I didn't forget about you," Makoto addressed Blavatsky, heading back into his tent and pulling out a box of gourmet dog treats. He opened the box up and shook some out into the grass, and Blavatsky gobbled them up eagerly and wagged his tail for more. Makoto laughed and closed the box again. "You can have more later. Good things come to those who wait, as...Yasuhiro-san...would say..." He suddenly sniffled, tears coming to his eyes as he realized how much he truly missed Yasuhiro, and Leon and Kaito as well. Not just them, but everyone they had lost in the past few months. He bit his lip. Chiaki was right when she said he'd experience relentless tragedy before it was over. He loved and hated her both.
"Merry Christmas!" Gonta tightly hugged Makoto, and Makoto tightly hugged him back.
"Merry Christmas to you too," He smiled.
"Can I sing something before we go?" Gonta asked, unsure, and Makoto nodded.
"Sure," He finished cooking their food, expecting Gonta to sing something like Jingle Bells. Instead, he started to sing The First Noel in a strangely pleasant voice. Makoto joined in a while later, his voice meshing quite nicely with Gonta's and sounding perfectly suited for the tone of the song.
"That's all Gonta remembers," He admitted after the first verse, blushing. Makoto just shrugged.
"That's alright," He swallowed down his tears, feeling on the verge of crying again and not wanting to upset Gonta.
They packed up their camp after they ate.
"That was the best Christmas Gonta's ever had, it was," He admitted.
"I'm glad to hear that...Gonta-kun," Makoto smiled at him, hoping he would approve of the causality.
They then set off together under the cool Christmas Day sun.
They made camp later that night, the temperature suddenly dropping several degrees. Makoto shivered and hugged himself, trying to huddle up under his blankets. Gonta stared at him, a sleepy and half-alert look in his eyes.
"She's not dead yet. She'll be back," He said suddenly, making Makoto jump and glance at him. "She's still here,"
"When will she come back, Gonta-kun?" He asked urgently.
Gonta didn't answer.
"Gonta-kun..."
"Gonta isn't here. He went to go see the elephant,"
"Alright. Can you see Hope's Peak?" Makoto asked instead, changing the subject.
Gonta brightened. "Gonta can! He sees them all, waiting for spring. Waiting for a sign,"
"Can you see Sayaka-chan?"
"Yes! She's very fat now, Gonta thinks she's about to have a baby. She lives with Kuwata Kaede and Harukawa Maki. They're both going to have babies. But Naegi-san will have hers first. But...the baby,"
"What about the baby?" Makoto asked worriedly, but Gonta woke up and looked him.
"Makoto-san? Gonta had a strange dream. He was chasing an elephant. Isn't that funny?" He grinned, and Makoto just sighed.
"Yes, that's really funny," All he could do was hope both Sayaka and the child would be alright. He had hoped to get back and see her heavily-pregnant, but it looked like he wouldn't be able to. And the only Mrs. Naegi he knew used to be his mother.
Three days before the new year started, the weather suddenly chilled and took a turn for a worse as a heavy rain shower flooded the roads even more than they were before; the water was to their waists at certain points. Makoto bit his lip at how many times the boat rocked and jolted, stuck in pieces of debris. Hope's Peak was maddeningly close by that point, they could just feel it.
On January 4th; 1995, Sayaka Naegi went into labor, though neither of them knew that at the time.
On the sixth, Makoto wiped the sweat off his brow, worn-out from the effort of rowing. Gonta perked up and glanced behind him again, pointing to something.
"Be careful, you're going to tip the boat over," Makoto gently scolded.
"What's that? Seems familiar," He pointed, and Makoto shielded his eyes to see, gasping.
"That's an overpass! That's the overpass that leads you right into the heart of Hiroshima! We're almost there! We're almost home!" Makoto started to cheer, forgetting about the dull ache in his leg for once. Gonta cheered with him, and soon even Blavatsky got in on it, barking happily and wagging his tail.
The next day, Makoto tried to unstick the boat from another groove, groaning when he yanked too hard and accidentally breaking the oar in half. He stared at it in disbelief, his eyes wide.
"Just my luck," He grumbled, tossing the oars away. "Now we'll have to walk,"
"In this water?!" Gonta asked in disbelief as Makoto started gathering up their supplies, placing their food in the sleeping bags and wearing them on his back.
"It's gone down some, and we're only a day or two away from Hope's Peak. We're both good swimmers. We'll make it..."
Gonta just nodded, grabbing his own sleeping bag and wearing it on his back, following after Makoto. Their progress was frustratingly slow, only able to slowly wade through waist-deep, muddy waters. Their feet kept getting caught on pieces of debris left behind in the floods, threatening to pull them under.
They kept at it, sleeping that night on top of a dry bridge. Makoto winced in pain as his leg throbbed.
"How many people are in Hope's Peak now?" Gonta suddenly asked, startling Makoto. How many were expected to arrive by winter? Was it eight thousand? Makoto found he suddenly couldn't answer. He just offered Gonta a shrug.
"A lot. That's all that matters,"
After Gonta had fallen asleep, Makoto found himself thinking of when he had first met Lady Nanami in the flesh after his group had arrived. They were a few days after the first one, and a day before Leon's group, he later learned. The girls were excited about the meeting and dressed up as nicely as they could manage.
Makoto held Sayaka's hand and they walked up to her porch together, Sayaka bowing politely in her cream printed housedress with frilly sleeves. She even wore her pearl studs.
"I'm so glad to finally meet you...I dreamed of you, you know," Sayaka had said, trying hard not to cry. "You look a lot prettier than I expected," She blushed.
Chiaki just smiled. "I always try my hardest to look beautiful when guests come by. It's only polite...right?" She then turned her attention to Makoto. "Thank you for leading them all here to me,"
He had blushed, suddenly thankful she wasn't able to see that. "It wasn't any trouble at all, Lady Nanami! I wanted to see you just as much as they did,"
"Nice to see our Naegi-chi is just as much of a ladies' man as ever!" Yasuhiro had laughed. "Our group is almost entirely girls!"
Kyoko stepped up next, her violet hair pulled up into a high ponytail, wearing a tight kelly-green blouse underneath a green and gold patterned baby-doll dress. "Nice to see you," She had bowed.
Other people had come out of the house by that point, staring at Makoto's group curiously. A man with purple hair had waved at them eagerly.
"Nice to meet you, new people! You're the first big group we've gotten since...ourselves!" He had laughed. "Momota Kaito-san," He had taken Sayaka's hand gently and started introducing her to the other members of his group.
"I don't think I ever dreamed of you, but...hi anyway!" Aoi had bowed shyly. "Well, maybe once or twice, but...briefly,"
"That's alright. You're still welcome here," Chiaki reassured her with a smile. Aoi laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. She wore her hair down and pinned back with a hair clip; a heavy denim skirt and a matching blue plaid shirt on.
"You welcome everybody, huh? You're really nice!" Aiko had beamed, wearing a red sweater and pink plaid miniskirt. Her hair was waved; thanks to her fingers and the miracle of cold lake water.
"Why don't we go inside and get out of this heat? We have lemonade inside!" Kaito had offered, and Yasuhiro and Kyoko both had accepted his offer.
"You gotta run faster, come on, Big Brother!" A little girl with pink hair had laughed, zooming past them. Makoto had smiled to himself as he watched a man with an eyepatch eagerly run past, wearing a patterned green blouse and tan slacks with a black belt. He had finally caught her and pulled her into a tight hug as she laughed.
Makoto had glanced back at Aoi to see her blushing heavily.
"He's really kind, isn't he?" She had marveled.
"Where's Hifumi-san?" Sayaka had suddenly asked, reappearing beside Makoto. He had glanced around in concern, indeed not seeing him anywhere.
"Huh, he was here just a second ago...maybe he's still shy around strangers. He'll likely come by and say hello once there's fewer people around," He had suggested to her, trying to reassure her. Sayaka had just sighed.
"Alright, if you say so,"
They had all gone inside for lemonade.
Makoto woke up in the real world with a gasp.
They waded through the water for the better part of the next day, noticing it slowly becoming shallower and clearer. They stopped by a sign as Makoto tried to nurse the pain in his leg. Gonta stared at it. "City limits..." He read out slowly, gasping. "The city limits! Of Hiroshima! Hope's Peak! We made it, oh yes we did!" He cheered, bouncing up and down. Makoto cheered with him and spread out the rest of the dog treats for Blavatsky.
"That makes sense as to why the water is so shallow here. They must've been trying to clean up and drain it around here," Makoto speculated.
They continued, arriving close to their destination at around eight at night. Makoto was being led by Gonta, grimacing as he accidentally fell on his bad leg. He shivered from the water soaking through his clothes.
"Who's there!" A voice called out, and Makoto froze. It must've been some kind of guard they had planted; how ironic would it be if he arrived all of that way just to get killed by a guard? "Who's there?!"
"Naegi Makoto!" Makoto called back weakly. "I have Gokuhara Gonta-kun with me!"
The voice paused before calling out again: "What were the three pictures Minister Naegi had on the wall in his apartment?"
Makoto shivered as he tried to work through it. They were speaking of his old apartment, because evidently Sayaka had moved in with Kaede and Maki. What did he have? Three pictures. A painting done by Sayaka of some flowers, a picture of all the Ministers together, and an old picture of his family from '91 that he had kept with him all the way from Yokohama. He then yelled back his answer.
"And what did he write on the picture of the Ministers?"
"Hope '94!"
"Minister Naegi!" The two ran over to him; the blacksmith and confectioner he barely recognized.
"We were waiting for you to return for a long time now," Ruruka explained, wearing a thick pink coat with a muff and matching hood. "Some of us lost hope that you'd ever come back," She looked around behind him. "But where are the others? Like Minister Kuwata?"
"I'm freezing," Makoto said instead. "My clothes are soaked and my broken leg is acting up. Not to mention I want to see Sayaka-chan,"
"Ah, the woman in the hospital. She's still in there because she had a cesarean section," Izayoi came up behind Ruruka, a gun on his back. "Some people in the community pitched in to bring some flowers to her. They wanted to cheer her up because-"
"She died? The baby died?" Makoto finished for them.
"Minister Naegi is fine." Makoto blinked; that was confusing. "Her baby though..." Ruruka looked down, remorse on her face. "She gave birth on the seventh of January. A healthy baby girl. But the next day, all the doctors reported she was sick with Despair Disease. Oh, I think this might be the end of humanity!" She cried out, a hand on her belly. Makoto registered the large bump there.
"Is there any hope of recovery?" Makoto asked, already pushing his way through the couple.
"The doctors aren't sure-" Izayoi started to answer before Ruruka cut him off.
"Where are you going?" She demanded hotly.
"To the hospital. I need to see my wife," Makoto shot back, walking off.
