Peko stared at Kuzuryuu's unopened letter on her night stand. She didn't know what she'd expect to find. Opening that envelope was a death sentence, an invitation to throw herself back into a cycle she left behind. Why even bother keeping it? It was written before they reunited, directed toward a stranger who shared her face.

Still, it sat on her table. Now, when she was deemed safe enough to have her own cottage, she had to decide what would go with her. Sonia's letter of encouragement, though brief, sat on top of her belongings. It would be rude to throw away his letter without opening it first...

This was a horrible idea. Why even tempt fate?

Her weakness always seemed to be her downfall.

They won't let me in to see you, what kind of bull shit is that? I'm doing alright though, think we both scared the shit out of the Future Foundation.

How are you doing? Stupid question, I guess, but you were really freaked when you woke up.

I didn't mean to scare you. I meant what I said though. I won't let any of those bastards lay a finger on you. I don't know if I've said this before, probably didn't. You are important to me. I never thanked you enough before for being there for me and, well, existing I guess. If there's anything I've learned, it's that life is shit without you in it. So don't go anywhere. I'll be there as soon as I can.

I don't know if they'll let you write back or not. So, if you can, go for it.

See you soon,

Kuzuryuu, Fuyuhiko

Peko read through the note a second time, noting that 'important to me' seemed to have been several other phrases before Kuzuryuu settled on that one. The sentiment was sweet and confusing.

She felt queasy again.


The entire waking group was gathered in the third floor meeting room. A list of names was written on the white board on the far left wall. The first three names had been crossed out.

"Kuzuryuu has administered adrenaline shots to Togami-san and Hanamura-san." Hinata opened the meeting. "It could take anywhere from twelve to fourty-eight hours for them to wake up. We'll need to figure out who will take watch and when."

"I would be willing to take the day shift." Sonia offered. "I assume either Tanaka-san or Pekoyama-san would be accompanying me."

"Me too." Akane jumped in. "I get a little loopy if I don't get my 10 hours."

"Then I shall take part during the night shift." Peko motioned. "I could also take care of the laundry." She pointed to the chart with their names and assigned tasks.

"Right," Hinata agreed looking at the leaves strewn about the cafeteria floor, "we kinda let the place go after everyone left. It'll be easier once more people are with us. So Fuyuhiko and I can work on the night shift I suppose."

"And I'll keep working on the cottages." Souda supplied. "Some boob put an adapter in backwards, so half the cottages are without power. I'll try to keep the noise down to a minimum."

"Then we use meals as a shift change." Fuyuhiko suggested. "Everyone shows up for breakfast and dinner." Everyone nodded in agreement. Gundam stood and marked the chores he was willing to do.

"Food preparation?" Sonia asked. "Why Tanaka-san, I had no idea you could cook." Without a yes or no question to answer, he offered a noncommittal shrug. "If possible, I would love to assist." He had a terrified, far off look in his eye.

"Better Sonia then Akane." Kuzuryuu sighed. "Akane'd just eat everything in sight."

"Speaking of eating everything in sight..." Akane realized, "What are we going to do about Togami? I can't imagine a guy like that would take kindly to being told we're on rations." There was a long pause within the group.

"Sonia-san, Owari-san; renegotiate with the third island. Souda-san, Tanaka-san; see what natural resources we have. The rest of us will have to search Rocket Punch for canned goods!" Hinata said in a hurry. Startled to see their hosts in a panic, the Remnants of Despair followed the orders they were given.


The dining room was finally back to a semblance of what it used to be. Sonia whipped her brow with the back of her hand. A stirring in her pocket alerted her that her familiar was hungry. She went into the kitchen and found it to be suspiciously empty. Tanaka had gone to prepare lunch. Yet no one was there. A good deal of the provisions had been taken.

"Owari-san!" Sonia called. She ran to the first island. "Owari-san!?" She found Akane by the pool.

"Woah, did they wake up already?" Akane asked.

"Did you take food from the kitchen?" Sonia panted.

"No," Akane shrugged, "why?"

"I can't find Tanaka-san." Sonia explained. Smoke started to billow from the upper floor of the hotel. "No..." She and Akane ran up the stairs to the dining hall. Smoke poured out of the kitchen along with the sound of running water. Akane kicked in the door.

Gundam held his hand under the sink, a smoldering tray sat next to him. The counter was covered with simple, prepared dishes. A quick survey of the situation was all Akane needed.

"You put wax paper in the oven, didn't you?" She said wryly. Gundam didn't answer, but his head ducked below his shoulder.

"It's an easy mistake to make." Sonia said as she inspected the burnt tray. "I nearly did the same thing when we made treats with Koizumi-san." Akane stared at the dining hall. It was clear no one had touched the place in months. Barren and void of life, she found herself focused on the place Hiyoko's alter should have been.

"It's not the same." She commented. "The drapes aren't the right color, and we don't even have the photos to rebuild the memorial." All personal affects had been taken from them before they came to the island. "We can't just leave it like this."

"You're right." Sonia agreed. "This place is our home. We'll just have to take new pictures." She turned back to Tanaka. "Is your hand okay?" Gundam nodded.

"I'm going to tell Souda that lunch'll be ready soon." Akane informed as she took an armful of the offending drapes. Sonia jumped and reached into her pocket.

"Sorry, I forgot your apple slice didn't I?" She pulled the robo-dwarf from his home and set him on the counter. Gundam approached the him slowly, unable to believe his eyes.

"The apprentice?" He whispered in disbelief. Sonia nearly dropped her butter knife. It was the first time she had heard his voice in the real world. She turned slowly toward him.

"Is he one of yours?" She asked quietly. Gundam jolted; had the really been out loud. "He is, isn't he? It's the only reason I could imagine a hamster would be loose on the island." The hamster's back was reminiscent of a raurshock painting, warped but without clear spots. Gundam faltered. He had unwittingly broke his vow of silence, but if he took it back up he would never get answers. After weighing his options, he finally spoke.

"I... I have not laid eyes on this creature for over a year." He confessed. "I thought she had been destroyed with the others. Someone else must have brought her to this place."

"Do you want to hold hi- her?" Sonia asked.

"You trust me with this creature?" Gundam asked.

"Of course." She wanted to ask why shouldn't she, but she knew the answer. Seeing him coddle her pet so gently brought up more questions. "There have been many allegations against you and your followers... They weren't true, are they." It was more of a statement then a question. "You would never authorize mass inbreeding in your kingdom, would you?"

"I didn't." He said softly. "My followers lost faith in me when I used alchemy to make this creature. They went rouge, and dragged my reputation into the darkness with them. Soldiers of light found out about their misdeeds and eradicated my empire. All but this one." He offered the rodent an apple slice. "All atrocities committed afterward were my own. Vengeance was swift and my silence bought protection from Lady Junko."

"She's gone now," Sonia said, "we're safe here. We have made new friends who offer us protection and once everyone's awake, we'll be free to leave."

"There is a matter of concern I wish to clarify, one that brings ruin to your promise of sanctuary." He set the hamster down. "There is a night walker among you. A demonic creature who sees into another dimension. They pose a threat to the others and themselves."

"I'll discuss it with the others." Sonia suggested, unsure of the meaning behind his cryptic words. "I'm sure Hinata will want to look into it. If somebody else is wandering around at night, I'm sure we'll find them." She paused, trying to ride through another wave of powerful emotions.

"I didn't mean to trouble you." Gundam offered in bland consolation.

"It's not that, it's just... I'm really glad I can talk to you again." She beamed. What an odd maiden indeed, to be so readily accepting. Her willingness to believe in him made her a viable pawn. "I'm sure Chimera-chan would agree."

"Yo, we're back!" Akane grinned. "You didn't burn anything else down while I was gone, did you?" Once more Gundam clammed up. While he was willing to converse with someone who shared his affinity with animals, he was still uncomfortable around the others.


Souda had insisted he could fix the electrical problem on his own. Hinata lay in the dark, trying to get some rest before his first night shift. It seemed to Hinata that everyone was slowly finding their nitch in the group, and a few choice people they talked to the most. He was glad to be an honorary member of each clique, but it wasn't the same anymore. Life on this island was now unregulated. There were no announcements or handbooks to follow. Without the program, he felt lost.

It was heart breaking to circle the Neo World room and not find Chiaki's resting form. Logically, it wouldn't be there, but that didn't stop him from looking. Chiaki had been one of the few people he could talk to without the pressure to conform. She didn't need him to be strong like the others did, so he didn't bother pretending. Now she was gone. Even her program file was deleted when the Neo World shut down. The only other person he let his guard down around; well, it was safe to say he wouldn't be the same person when he woke up.

There were so many things that still bothered him about the Neo World and the virus. Looking into it while other people were still hooked up, was too much of a risk. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. There was also the issue of his eyes. Since waking up, they remained a blood red, a side effect of the lobotomy. However, he was thinking and feeling like the Hinata Hajime from the Neo World. Was he really cured? Or was Izuru Kamukura using his Ultamite talent on himself to make everything seem okay.

He groaned, his head hurting again. He didn't feel right. He didn't feel clean anymore. The nightmares hadn't stopped, and unfortunately, never seemed to be the same dream twice. But that wasn't important right now. As he showered again for the sixth time that week, he reminded himself of the time limit. Everyone needed to awake within two months to avoid serious brain trauma. His problems could wait, his problems could go away. It didn't matter what happened in the past.

He needed to keep his eyes set on the future.


Lactose intolerance does not get better with age. It gets worse. Fuyuhiko finds it to be totally unfair that he can no longer stomach ice cream. For it is because of this, that he finds himself doubled over in pain.

"Go back to your cottage." Hinata sighed. He really didn't need help keeping watch. Splitting the shifts evenly amongst the team was more about fairness.

"Hell no." Fuyuhiko groaned on the break room couch. "I spent all day fucking up my sleep schedule for this."

"Honestly, I got things covered." Hinata insisted. "You're not looking too good."

"You look like shit too." Fuyuhiko hissed as he clutched his stomach. "You don't hear me hounding you to go back to bed. I'm staying here and helping you stay awake."

"And exactly what kind of help can you be doubled over on the couch?" Hinata countered. "I'll come and get you if something happens, I swear."

"Fine!" Fuyuhiko groaned. "But the minute I feel better, I'm coming back." He pulled himself off the couch and shuffled toward the first island. Whose dumb idea was it to have ice cream for 'breakfast' in the first place?

The iridescent moon still hung in the sky as Fuyuhiko made it to the string of cottages. He felt like shit and the grounds were a little eerie at night. There was little comfort in knowing that Hinata was the only thing keeping Tanaka from wandering around at night. Truth be told, he wasn't as sure as the others that the breeder was still altogether in the head. The Remnants of Despair had done some fucked up stuff, he was just fortunate enough to have forgotten it. However, it would be hypocritical to defend Peko and not give the others a chance.

As he looked over the board walk, he noticed something was off. Souda had insisted that everyone kept their windows and doors shut tight until the construction was over, yet Akane's window was wide open.

Against his better judgment, Fuyuhiko crossed over to the girl's side of the resort. There was nothing creepy about closing a window. Just peaking through them was wrong. The tropical winds ran through the resort. It pulled at the sheer curtains and Fuyuhiko could plainly see another figure was in her room.

He ran.

All things considered, he made it to her cottage in record time. A little uneven, but otherwise coordinated, Fuyuhiko pushed whoever it was away from Akane's bed. Something hit him as the perpetrator was shoved to the floor.

"Shit!" Whatever it was, scratched up his shoulder. He pushed himself up, still partially out the window. A sharpened plastic pole clattered to the floor. Akane was still asleep through the madness. Looking up from the weapon, Fuyuhiko let a more creative curse slip.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded. Peko, clad in her pajamas, used his confusion to lunge for the exit. "Peko, the fuck!?" He took the weapon with him and scrambled back out the window. "No, no, no! You're not doing this to me Peko, not again! For fucks sake, just fucking look at me!" He faltered as the moon light hit her back. A mottled scar decorated her right shoulder and claimed the head of her dragon tattoo. She hesitated. "Peko, Jesus Christ what do you want me to do?" He was in pain, he was panicked, and he didn't remember when he dropped the tube.

What was he supposed to do with her? What would the others do to her if they found out. This had to be some kind of misunderstanding. They just needed some time.

"Kuzuryuu-kun!" Hinata shouted as he ran down the board walk. "Togami-kun and Hanamaru-kun are waking up."

"FUCK!" Kuzuryuu shouted.