AN; Hello again! This chapter is probably the one I've been looking forward the writing the most; there are so many fan favourite characters that make their story debuts. I wonder how many people thought that Izuru Kamakura was the group's saviour at the end of the last chapter? My description of Peko was deliberately vague to make people think that it was him lol. Enjoy the chapter!
The rest of the Ultimates made their way down from the wall to meet the mysterious upperclassman. ''I am Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman. I am pleased to see that you have all survived up until this point. I was sent here by our leader to ensure your safe passage to our home. There you will receive warm food and a place to wash up.'' She withdrew her sword from Junko's throat, turned her back on the group and pointed down the street. ''We will be travelling this way, so please follow me.'' Hiro seemed almost too eager to follow, walking even faster than their guide down the road. ''How exactly do you expect us to trust you?'' Byakuya asked inquisitively.
Peko spun around to meet his gaze. She had shown little emotion since her arrival and continued to do so. ''I was a student of the 77th class of Hope's Peak Academy, and you were students of the 78th class. We interacted on several occasions, even participating in festivals and group work together. Whilst you have no recollection of this, I can assure you I know each of you well enough to justify saving your lives.'' She kept a soft vigil on Byakuya, who scowled in what seemed like defeat. ''How did you know we would be outside the Academy, at this time and at this location?'' He retorted more panicked than Makoto had ever heard him before. The pieces were slowly coming together in the minds of the younger Ultimates, who realised why the wall was there. It wasn't to keep them from escaping a zone around the Academy. It was the first line of defence to keep others getting near the prestigious school. ''The answer is simple, Mr Togami.'' Peko said without a hint of emotion in her voice. We also have an Ultimate Analyst in our group.''
The Swordswoman motioned for the group to follow her as she began powerwalking down the overgrown street. ''We can trust her everyone. If she was going to kill us, she would've already done it. At least I think…'' Makoto trailed off as he started following gingerly. The rest of the 78th class copied, and soon they were on their way to 'warm food.' The journey didn't seem to last too long, with silent walking being occasionally interrupted by questions from Byakuya or Kyoko. Peko chose to answer as helpfully as possible, but many of her answers left more questions to be asked. When asked how many were in her group, Peko answered 'six, or occasionally seven', spurring Hina to ask how often this seventh member appeared. Peko this time chose to answer vaguely, stating: 'he is usually with us when one of the others is absent.' Makoto stopped Kyoko from questioning the silver-haired woman further, as he believed it may have been discord within the group. Hina spent the rest of the trip attempting to gain the whereabouts of any pools or running tracks, but Peko chose to distract her from this by asking about her workout regimen, which kept Hina talking for roughly thirty minutes. Peko stopped about ten minutes after the Swimmer fell silent and directed those following her to a small hatch in the middle of the street. ''This is our home.''
The group looked at each other in confusion. This hatch was in the centre of a busy street in the suburbs of Tokyo. How had no one found this before or at least found it strange enough to investigate? ''Y-You mean you live in the s-sewers?'' Toko asked in disgust. ''As if the sewers could make you smell any worse.'' Byakuya replied almost merrily. ''How do all six of you live in what I can assume to be a few hundred yards of space and have a working shower and place to cook?'' Peko smirked, the first sign of true emotion she had shown since meeting the group. ''It is bold of you to assume that our home is only as long and as wide as this road.'' The group collectively widened their eyes. Even Junko seemed to be taken slightly aback. Peko opened the hatch and allowed light to shine into the hole left in its place. ''Please climb down the ladder. It is not a long descent.''
Makoto, in an attempt to further prove his point that Peko was not a threat, slowly made his way to the hatch and sat on the road with his legs dangling into the opening. He placed his feet on the third foothold and gripped the first with his hands. He went down slowly, a mixture of fear of the unknown and a want to avoid aggravating the pain in his shoulder. It was a strange sight as he looked down, the room below him was enormous and extremely well lit considering it was underground. The space was roughly the size of a mansion's ballroom, a stark contrast between the dank, damp systems of pipes he was expecting. The room was so bright it looked like daylight was coming in, making many details of the room easily visible.
The ladder appeared to be in the exact middle of the room, meaning that Makoto could gain a full perspective of his surroundings as he made his way down. In the left side of the room was what liked like a bar/kitchen; there was a long counter top with several stools. One the other side of this counter top was an oven and another equally long counter top against the wall that held several kitchen appliances and cupboards above them. He could even make out the lights on the microwave from his position on the huge ladder. Directly below/in front of him and a few feet from the foot of the ladder were a collection of couches and armchairs that faced inward to a television. There was a coffee table between the seats and the TV and Makoto could barely see a PS4 among other various consoles on the floor around the cabinet the TV was raised up on.
He inwardly squealed in delight at the prospect of being able to play video games but took his mind off of it to look behind/below him. The sight of the space behind him confirmed that the ladder was directly in the middle of the room, as said space contained a pool table and a dining table. Makoto was nearing his way to the foot of the ladder but had enough time to glance to the right side of the room. This side was far less interesting but did provide him with a sense of direction. There were a series of doors, he counted 8 in total though he wasn't too sure. He finally found solid ground after roughly 2 minutes of climbing down. 'Not a long descent', he thought sarcastically to himself as he looked up. Not only was this room as wide as a mansion, it was also as tall as one. He could barely see the hatch from his position, and instantly thanked his surroundings for being so distracting that he paid no attention to the height of the ladder.
He cupped his hands either side of his mouth and yelled up in the direction of the hatch. To his surprise, Junko made her way down the ladder first. Makoto assumed she was sent first for Byakuya's fear of her knocking anyone off the ladder. Whilst she was making her way down, Makoto decided he'd investigate the home further. As he spun on his heels, he realised that the floor of the shelter was carpeted, which he was almost angered by. Not only did they live in extreme comfort with what he knew to be electricity and guessed to be running water, they had enough time and resources to carpet the entire floor? A suited man appeared in the corner of his eye, and he turned to greet them. They were roughly the same height as him, but with short blonde hair and a large black eyepatch that stood out sharply in the bright lighting of the home. He wore a wide grin on his face as he strode closer to the Luckster. He wore a dark pinstripe suit upon closer inspection, which had a small corsage above the left breast pocket. He placed his hand on Makoto's bad shoulder as soon as he reached him earning a wince out a him. ''My bad, pal.'' He said quickly as he pulled his hand away. ''Forgot that someone put a bullet in ya.''
He pondered for a moment, before offering a handshake to the younger boy, which he accepted with little hesitation. ''Name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza. Nice to meet you.'' He said with a soft smile. Makoto returned one of his own. ''I'm Makoto Naegi, I was the Ultimate Lucky Student. How did you know that I'd been shot?'' He asked almost instinctively as he had no memory of telling the blond that he'd suffered a gunshot wound. The Yakuza laughed abruptly, almost making the Ultimate Hope jump in surprise. ''Didn't Peko tell ya who our boss is?'' Makoto shook his head slowly, earning a surprised look from the Gangster. ''Well… suppose that's to be expected. She's got a bun in the oven so I guess that all the hormones are making her forgetful or somethin'.'' He said nonchalantly. Makoto's mouth gaped. ''Peko's pregnant?!'' He almost yelled. Fuyuhiko gave him a sly grin. ''And she still kicks ass.'' He answered confidently. ''Hey, you know that when-'' Fuyuhiko stopped as he glanced over Makoto's shoulder to the foot of the ladder.
His face grew dark as he clasped Makoto's shoulder again, this time specifically the one with no injury. ''The fuck did you bring her along for?'' He asked, an obvious rage building in both his tone and his body language. ''We kept her alive purely so she could help us find a safe place.'' Makoto offered meekly. The Yakuza's good eye drifted to the floor, a scowl still present on his hardened face. ''Well I for one think that you should've-'' ''Kuzuryuu.'' A deep voice echoed, interrupting the hot-headed Gangster. ''Fuckin' great, the first time you meet him and he's Mr Negative.'' Fuyuhiko mumbled grumpily. Makoto first looked behind him to Junko who was dusting off her skirt a few steps away from the bottom of the ladder. When he turned back, he came face to face with a boy who stood a few inches taller than him and that had a similar ahoge. His red eyes shone brightly as they looked him up and down.
Makoto took the opportunity to do the same to him. The taller boy wore a standard white dress shirt with black slacks and formal shoes. His shirt pocket had the symbol of Hope's Peak on it, bringing Makoto to the conclusion that he was once a student there. His face was almost completely unremarkable; other than the red eyes there was nothing that Makoto would consider giving a second thought. ''So you are Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Hope.'' The older boy remarked dryly, no emotion leaking out through his tone or wording. Makoto stood as tall as possible before offering his hand to the mysterious man. The crimson-eyed boy looked at his palm closely for a split second before taking the Luckster up on his handshake. ''I am Izuru Kamakura, though for the majority of you time here you will likely come to know me as Hajime Hinata.'' As if one cue, the red colour drained from Izuru's eyes, leaving a soft brown in their wake. ''Sorry that you had to meet 'me' in that form.'' The boy said apologetically, putting 'me' in air quotes. He smiled genuinely, tightening his grip on Makoto's hand. ''I'm Hajime, welcome to our home. It's wonderful to meet such prestigious Ultimates.'' Makoto blushed deeply, flattered by the words of what he assumed to be this group's leader. He let go of Makoto's hand and called someone over from one of the rooms on the right side of the shelter. A small woman with pinkish-grey hair walked slowly over to arrive at Hajime's side. She smiled sleepily, before glancing down to the baby she was cradling in her arms. Hajime wrapped an arm around her shoulders before stroking the side of the baby's cheek gently. ''This is my wife Chiaki and our daughter Hiyoko.''
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you enjoy this holiday season!
