Akane circled the island for the third time, meeting up with Kazuichi on the first beach. He wheezed at her for a good five minutes which made her feel better about being winded.
"Please tell me you've found him." Kazuichi gasped.
"Not a trace." Akane huffed. "Is it okay to go get the others yet?"
"No!" Kazuichi shrieked. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what Hinata will do to me if he finds out I forgot to lock the door? He'll be pissed. and when he's pissed, I swear those freaky eyes of his glow." He shuddered. "I promised Hinata I'd take care of this. Besides, I don't think he's getting much sleep."
"The nightmares." Akane acknowledged.
"I've had them off and on, but I swear he's been getting them every night." He stood up straight.
"Well Sonia's still hanging out with Gundam on the beach." Akane sighed. "If I run by them again, they're going to start asking questions."
"Argh, fine!" Kazuichi groaned. "We tell Miss Sonia and Cinderella what's going on, and then we find 'Togami', before Hinata wakes up." Akane gave a thumbs up and ran back the way she came.
She wasn't sure what to make of their situation anymore. Especially with everyone refusing to look at the case files they had been given. The despair incident happened, it sucked, but acting like these people were still their friends seemed a little naive. Granted, she was up for the challenge, but she wasn't so sure about the others. They could play psychologist all they wanted, at the end of the day they were trapped on an island with convicted murders.
When Gundam heard 'Byakuya Togami' had gone missing, his first thought wasn't to search the island. He was still reeling from the conversation he had with Sonia. Quite frankly he was hiding from the chaos under the guise of feed preparation.
"Upupupupu!" A nasally voice chortled. "Well if it isn't the big hero back from saving the day." A stout figure peeled away from the shadows. "Oh, you can spare me the silent treatment. I know you broke our deal."
"I made no pact with you charlatan." Gundam argued. "Lady Junko was claimed by the maw of Hades." He had his back to the imposter, her voice was uncanny. No disguise could fool him, he'd seen her die before his very eyes.
"Yes, well, I could have picked a better body to make my splashing reunion tour, but this was all that was open." The new Junko shrugged.
"You expect me to believe you transcended death so easily."
"Hmm... That's for you to decide." She said, stepping into his personal space. "However, do know that I am gravely disappointed in your performance thus far." She hissed. "Some evil emperor; a queen from a rival land practically hands you her head on a platter and you make goo-goo eyes at her on the beach. How horrendously cliché." He whipped around to come face to face with an eerily familiar face. "Luckily for me, I have the upper hand. You see, if they realize I'm, well, me." She giggled. "They're going to think that you're me too, and everyone else for that matter. We'd never get out of here. They might," She shrugged, "but I doubt Princess Peach would be able to take you along."
"What is it you ask of me my lady?" Gundam asked with his head bowed.
"That's better." Junko purred. "I need an extra set of eyes if we ever want to get off this rock. Word on the beach is someone's prime for relapsing. I want you to find out who it is..." She ordered. "So I can pull the final thread and send the spiraling."
Akane was a much better bodyguard than Fuyuhiko had initially surmised. To say she followed without question would undermine the sheer length of time she spent talking, but follow nonetheless she did. In the back of his mind he wondered what possessed her to continue to follow him through out the despair incident. Her original employers were long dead and he no longer had any money to offer her. They now sat in the lounge of Junko's base of operations. Akane jumped back and forth shadow boxing while Fuyuhiko mindlessly sipped at his flask.
"So..." Akane prompted between punches, "what was it you came to Junko for?"
"You know just as well as I do that she's the one who called us here, not the other way around." Fuyuhiko shook his head.
"No dummy, I meant the first time." She clarified. He faltered. For the past year he had tried exceedingly hard to keep a professional distance from the girl. Before, it had been fairly easy to keep her busy enforcing his might within the secret police. Lately, he had felt the barrier thinning.
"I'm looking for someone," he conceded, "someone that doesn't want to be found." It had been the main reason he formed the organization. Working with Junko to suppress the uprising of the Crazy Diamonds was merely a bonus. Now it seemed Junko wanted to collect the debt he owed her. "What about you nosey? What'd you ask her for?" Akane paused mid punch.
"I haven't asked her for anything yet." She confessed. "I've got everything I need as a servant of the clan, what would I need her help for?"
"Wait, what do you mean yet?" Kuzuryuu began, but their conversation was cut short as Junko strode into the room.
"Bonesy, Mr. Dragon; glad you could make it!" Junko purred. Fuyuhiko glanced at Akane, sure enough she was much thinner than last he checked. If she kept going like this, she was going to hurt herself. "Listen I have a little pet project back in Towa City that needs some extra man power." Junko pitched. "I've already got an AI Kuma set up to oversee the whole thing, buuut it's a learning program so it has a huge knowledge deficit. And like, who has time to mentor a robot or whatever. Then I remembered you guys got a lot more time to kill once my Monokuma minions came onto the scene. So what do you say, babysit my robot?" She clapped her hands together. "It will take a week tops."
As if there was an option to refuse. Junko had everyone wrapped around her finger. If he pissed her off, there went his main intel on where to find Peko.
"Sure whatever, but I ain't changing any diapers." Fuyuhiko sighed.
"Fantastic, I knew I could count on you!" She beamed. "You'll love it! It'll just be the two of you in a big old house with a baby robot, you'll be like a little family. But I'll be having a few munchkins shipped over soon, so don't make too much of mess." She winked.
"Munchkins?" Akane questioned.
"Yeah a couple of shot-nosed kids to go all Lord of the Flies on the place." Junko dismissed. "Don't worry, you'll never see them, that's what the robot's for." Akane nudged her boss.
"Hey, on the way back, could we stop by my place?" Akane asked. "My family doesn't live to far off from Towa, it'd be nice to let them know I'm alright... If that isn't too much trouble." Meeting her family was definitely not on his bucket list. Too familiar, too coupley; the idea made him cringe. Not that he was so heartless to deny her the opportunity to check on her family, but why would he need to come along?
"You know you don't have to work with me anymore, right? With my folks dead, you're free to do whatever you want." Fuyuhiko was about to take another drink when she snatched the flask from his hand.
"And let you drink yourself into a stupor?" She teased. "Hell no. Even my youngest bro takes better care of himself than you and he's five." She said with a laugh. "Admit it, you'd be lost without me." He stuffed his hands in his coat and kept walking in indignant silence. He never would admit that he needed her around. There was only one person he had said that to and she vanished in the middle of Spring. No, he would keep his distance. Never ask questions. Her purpose was to take orders and that was all he would give her.
Still she followed.
He woke to the bleating of his alarm in a cold sweat. His second night shift had come and it took all his energy to drag himself out of bed. No doubt Hinata would be just as groggy. He had stayed up way too late searching for Togami only to find him sitting in the hotel lobby with a light novel.
However that night Fuyuhiko would arrive to the dining hall with Peko. Still apprehensive about her behavior, he thanked god that Akane would not share their night time duties. Perhaps his anxiety had been what fueled that strange dream. All this talk of replacements and duties was getting to his head. Besides, he had more pressing things to worry about.
There had been one thing about Hinata's assessment of Teruteru that had perturbed Fuyuhiko more than the chef's bad attitude or weakness. He lingered outside the door unsure if he should proceed.
"Are you sure you wish to enter without me?" Peko asked.
"Well, I remember the guy was a total perv." He looked pointedly at her. "Are you sure you want to go in there?" He asked.
"I will remain by the door." She sighed. "I trust you haven't forgotten the signal?" She was sincere, but he chuckled as if it were a joke.
"I'll be fine." He said with a wave of his hand. "I just need to ask him a few questions." With a final sigh he slipped into the room. The chef perked when he noticed his visitor.
"Boss!" Teruteru exclaimed. "I didn't know you were here! To think you would come see me." Fuyuhiko suspicions had been confirmed. It wasn't uncommon for clans to partner with restaurants as a cover for their base of operations.
"The tattoo on your flank is the head dragon ain't it?" He asked, just to make sure.
"Of course, you were rather insistent I proved my loyalty before you would help my family." Teruteru said with a wry laugh. The gangster grabbed a chair, using the back of it to rest his arms on as he sat. At least he was friendly. Though, now that he thought about it, the two had barely talked on the island in the Neo World. He truly was a perfect stranger, and yet the chef treated him as warmly as any family member would.
"And enlighten me, what exactly was our agreement?" He pressed.
"Y'know, the typical." Teruteru lamented. "You eliminate my competition I clean up after you and take care of the 'evidence'." He mimed the use of a cutting board. So the chef had become a cleaner for his clan as well. Fuyuhiko shuddered to think of how many of his gang's 'messes' turned into burgers.
"And your Ma?" Fuyuhiko said, trying to change the subject.
"Still dead." Teruteru raised an eyebrow. "What's with all the questions? For all intents and purposes you should be terrified of me. I'm a dangerous criminal after all, not someone to be trusted."
"Your back says otherwise." Fuyuhiko laughed. "I may not remember a damn thing about what went on between us, but as long as you bear that mark you work for me." His face softened. "Now let's see about getting you in that wheelchair and out for some decent air."
"Only if Pekoyama-san join us." He responded with a sly grin. "I have been dying to met the woman who destroyed the Kuzuryuu clan from the inside." Peko flinched before stepping into the light.
"As long as the Young Master stands, the clan stands." Peko retorted. "I don't take kindly to exaggerations." She left without another word.
"Quite the icy one." Teruteru whistled. "No wonder you like her."
"Yeah, and if you try to look up her skirt again I will dump you from this chair onto the floor." Teruteru merely laughed in self defense.
"I can't help it, it's on eye level." Teruteru defended.
"I can fix that." Fuyuhiko said, holding a pen in a threatening manner. Instantly he relaxed. "I don't get you, why aren't you making a big stink out of the whole memory gap thing like everyone else?"
"The thing that made me trust you in the first place wasn't something as fluffy as memories." Teruteru shook his head. "It was this." He took the pen Fuyuhiko had threatened him with. "That cut throat attitude to get what you want no matter what. And it worked. I had my restaurant empire while I could hold it." The pen slipped from his shaking, lax grasp. "Now you've finally found the person you were looking for. If it helps, I think things are better this way, us remembering instead of forgetting like you."
"Why the hell would you think that?" Fuyuhiko gaped as he wheeled Teruteru toward the elevators where Peko waited. He expected to hear some sentimental piece about remembering his mother's funeral or the finality of death or the like. What the chef said instead surprised him.
"Two-three years ago I could still feel my hands, I could hold things, could have walked to the end of the hall without getting tired. A healthy kid, waking in this body, with no way of knowing how to fix it? The despair that kid would feel would make even Junko envious. It would be a living hell." He shook his head. "And I'm just terminally ill. Imagine what that would be like for her." Fuyuhiko wanted to press further, but they had come within earshot of Peko. It seemed his companion also had the sense of mind to keep quiet on the subject in her presence.
Night shift was coming to an end and Hinata found himself back in the room with the Sarcophagi. The slowly growing number of empty pods was a slightly comforting sight, but did little to cut through the ominous green glow. He sat on the floor across from the resting place of his once close friend.
"Why do you not want to wake up?" He asked of Komaeda's resting form. Silly really, it's not like he would answer. But Hinata had assumed he would have been the first to wake up or at least won Sonia's lottery. But here they were, four people later and still Komaeda slept. With the way his supposed luck went, surely he would have awoken if he wanted to. "For someone with a talent so vapid, you truly are incomprehensible."
Silence continued to barrage his ears as he whittled away the remaining minutes of night fall. Here he sat, night after night like he had during the breakout of the despair disease, watching his friend decline ever so slowly. If he could still call him a friend after everything. How many times had he tried to bring them to an untimely end?
"You're so hypocritical, you know that?" He barked. "Always pinning for hope, but that minute something proved you were wrong about it, about me, you plunge into a tailspin and tried to drag us all down with you. Well the jokes on Komaeda, I had a talent the whole time!" He laughed. "You were the first to say it too, thought you saw it in me and then let one piece of paper destroy it all. You ruined everything about that world and then left." He shook his head. "What were you trying to prove, hunh? What's so important about being right all the time you had to go and die over it?" He kicked the pod.
Recall. Review. Analyze. Repeat. Over and over again his mind ran in circles, trying to find what went wrong. When had he missed the signs? What mannerism or lines was the clue that something was off?
"When I blacked out on the island, you were the only one who came back for me. Everyone else had gone their separate ways. That's not something people fake. Even Mikan ditched me, and she's supposed to care about people, but she went shopping instead. ...I wouldn't have adjusted as easily as I did without you." He sighed. "I need that person. I need someone to rely on, but you killed them both. The least you could do is wake up and tell me what was going through your head! So just do it already!"
The room was still. The air conditioning was off, even the machine suppressed it's humming. But nothing followed. Hinata leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.
"I always wondered, with as backwards as your logic was, that maybe you were wrong about your talent. I mean every time something bad happened you acted like it was a good thing, but what if that was the case? Junko's AI getting trapped in the Neo World was, by the world's standards, good luck since we finally destroyed her. Everything after that was flipped, and that's where you miscalculated when you tried to kill us. It's a possibility. But you know what I think?" He glowered "I don't think you were that unlucky at all. In fact every horrible thing that happened on that island was your doing. You sabotaged your own chance at happiness, because at some point you convinced yourself that you weren't allowed to live a normal life." He shook his head. "Talk about a sham of a talent. I never really believed in luck."
Pain shot through his head and down into his shoulders. Something about what he had said was forcing a memory of sorts to the forefront of his mind. Like déjàvu, only sickeningly painful. It was a familiar sensation, not because it would come and go since he woke up, but because it was something Kamukura had experienced time and again in the lab. When he felt this way it would mean more surgeries. A side of effect of trying to erase an entire human being.
"Hinata-no I. I've said this before..." He realized. "To you." He couldn't for the life of him remember the context, or what possible scenario would have put him in a position to talk to Komaeda. But between the Neo World and Hopes Peak's brain washing he couldn't for the life of him recall. At the moment, his head hurt too much to try.
the little beast master finally open his yap." 'Togami' said in a feminine voice. "I wonder what it will take to crush that hope of his."
