AN: Trigger Warning: the final scene includes mentation/depictions of anorexia nervosa.

That morning, the original survivors were gathered in the security office to discuss their next move. The surveillance system was streaming footage from around the island on a collection of screens across a round table. The other remnants had gathered around outside the door, watching as Teruteru tried to listen in on the conversation.

"Do they do this every time one of them wants to wake someone up?" 'Togami' asked with mild irritation.

"They hold frequent covens," Gundam said, "though I never felt the need to haunt them like others." Teruteru held a single finger to his lips.

"Peko, you've been here just as long as they have. How come you're not in there with them?" Peko couldn't tell if 'Togami' was the one asking her, or 'Junko' maintaining an act. Either way, it irritated her, as the answer was obvious. None of the survivors trusted them enough to be included in such decisions. It wasn't something that had really bothered her before. The two newcomers on the other hand, felt personally insulted by the exclusion.

"Which one was Mikan?" Teruteru asked as he pulled his ear from the door.

"She's the Ultimate Nurse," 'Togami' grimaced, "why?"

"They're thinking of leaving her in there longer, and someone else too." Teruteru shook his head. "Something about her being scary?" He had only been able to pick up bits and pieces from their conversation. But it seemed Hinata's hesitance to revive Mikan was shared by Sonia, and Kazuichi refused to choose sides until the group came to a more unanimous decision.

"They can't do that." Peko bit her lip.

"Let me through." 'Togami' pushed past the Yakuza members. "I refuse to be treated like a child any longer." As they opened the door, the voices from inside became more distinct.

"I'm just trying to be realistic." Hinata sighed. "If someone could keep an eye on her at all times that would be one thing."

"We don't have the manpower to monitor her and the others as well." Sonia agreed "It's foolish to think-" She stopped mid-sentence, staring in shock at the people who barged into their makeshift trial.

"So this is how it is." 'Togami' sneered. "Everything is friendship and teamwork, but the moment something with consequences comes up we aren't allowed any agency in the matter."

"Look, we didn't mean it as a sign of disrespect or anything." Souda stuttered. "It's just-" He couldn't properly put into words how the survivors had become so close through their experiences, that they would meet with an almost hive mind like mentality for a sense of normalcy. He also couldn't outright deny that the remnants of despair were not universally trusted within the smaller circle. Now that the numbers were in danger of putting them in the minority, certain anxieties were bubbling to the surface.

"If it's a question of guarding her, they're more than enough people present." Peko said carefully. "We need someone with medical experience operating on the island again." She couldn't quite look Fuyuhiko in the eye after her last discussion with 'Junko'. Hopefully, the others wouldn't try and read some double meaning in her words.

"You're the one that said we had to be fair Hinata." Akane shrugged, unaffected by the tension that hung in the air. "It's not like either of them are going to pop up like Frankenstein, it's going to take a bit for them to wake up and we've got more people willing to help keep watch. So let them handle it. I personally, would love a day off from worry about this shit." She stood up and walked out of the room.

"I guess that it then." Souda continued lamely. 'Togami' shook his head in an exaggeratedly pompous display.

"That isn't the only issue at hand here. Deliberately making decisions about our lives without consulting half of the population is egregiously disrespectful." Before Hinata could interrupt, he continued. "It was such behaviors that instigated the original killing game, was it not?" The group grew pale. "Than I suggest, in the future, before with holding information from us, you reexamine what exactly your goal is when reviving your former classmates. We are not just tools to absolve you of your guilt." With that, the imposter stormed off, leaving the rest of the group in his wake.

In the dining hall of the hotel, Sonia had busied herself with recreating the island's interpretation of the building. Chairs had been reupholstered, her embroidered curtains rippled in the island breeze, and the tables were restored to their former shimmering stain. All that was left was Hiyoko's alter, a difficult task with Rocket Punch lacking the unlimited supply of odds and ends. Gundam glanced over her sketches of cattle skulls with a frown as she fashioned scraps of cloth into white roses.

"What form of demon do you plan to summon with this?" Beside the sketches was a collection of photos her and Akane had taken since waking from the Neo World. With each picture, he could see the fatigue that weighed down on the team through their fabricated smiles. The moments in time captured were random and clumsy, with a few documenting major renovations on the island.

"Hiyoko adored the memorial she'd made on the island." Sonia reminisced. "Her aesthetic is... upsetting, but after a while the display did grow on me." She looked up from her work in surprise. "Now that I think of it, we never had to replenish the lit candles either." She shook her head. "There were so many things that were off that I just turned a blind eye to." With a sigh she resumed sewing. "Even still, I think she would appreciate having something on the island that matched her tastes. Even if I can't capture the dark aura that it radiated."

There was a lot about the island simulation that Gundam could tell, on paper, was incorrect. A part of him wished he could remember it alongside the others. So many shared glances or coded comments went over his head. Before 'Togami' and Teruteru, he hadn't questioned the motives of their hosts on pure virtue that they were being taken care of.

"Your people must miss you." Her hands fumbled with the needle and thread. "Every waking moment you've spent here doing something for someone else's benefit." She couldn't respond right away, his comment hitting on at a sore place in her heart she hadn't known was there.

"I let one moment of selfishness spoil the relationship I had with my people." Sonia bit her lip. "In my absence, they abolished the monarchy and formed a republic. They rather govern themselves than save their lost princess." She felt a familiar resentment build up in her. "All I asked for was a year abroad to study in Japan; it was supposed to be a gift from my people, not asylum! I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't-" The things she had done, trying to seek amnesty in her own home. The wrath she had turned onto them at their rejection, plunging her country into a civil war with no victor. It was all coming back to her, like dye permeating through water. All that was waiting for her back home was rebellion over a smoldering pile of rubble.

Gundam grabbed her trembling hand, and carefully confiscated the needle. She focused her thoughts back onto Usami's island; the fireworks and the fanfare. This wasn't a place where she had no allies anymore. She was surrounded by people who appreciated her romanticized view of the world. It was something they needed in order to proceed, something she needed.

"I'm sorry, I know it's crazy to cling so much to a false past." He could see her desperately try to suppress the power starved dictator from Junko's army. "I may not be the best leader, but I will do what I can to preserve the peace." Kimera peaked up from under the pile of scrap cloth, shredding a petal into nesting material for Sonia's pocket.

Gundam usually wasn't one to hesitate. He could see Sonia's carefree demeanor had been carefully constructed to put them and her friends at ease. The memories of her real past were trying to come to the surface all at once. It wouldn't take much probing to open the dam and allow her past despair to come flooding out. He watched as her pet chew on the sketches, knowing full well what Junko expected him to do in this situation.

"Your designs are that of unearthly beasts." He let go of her hand and picked up a pencil. Erasing the many lines, he adjusted the anatomy of the skulls to represent more realistic proportions. "If you find your aura waning, you should do something other than these mundane rituals."

"What ritual did you have in mind?" Sonia asked with a wry smile. She leaned over to observe his work, pressing gently into his arm. He wasn't entirely sure how to protect the generous princess that constantly sought his company. But he was certain 'Junko' would have nothing pleasant in mind, should she find out Sonia was on the verge of relapse.

"Stay close to me." It would be the best way to keep an eye on her, even if it impaired his ability to preform as Junko's agent. "Hades himself wouldn't dare approach without caution."

"Okay." She returned to sewing her white roses. "I never did like sleeping alone." His mouth went dry, and though it wasn't his intention, he couldn't find it in him to object. "We'll have to find a place for Kimera's habitrail as well."

Hinata first noticed something was off when he was cleaning up before dinner. It was the same mundane task it had been the day before, but this time the kitchen was filled with the smell of jasmine powder drowned in sake. He froze when a cold hand threaded long-glossy nails up his scalp. Brief flashes of him on the boat, Junko's hand limply attached to someone's wrist, a sickening laugh; the clouded his mind and threatened to take over.

Grounding himself, Hinata grabbed the person's wrist and held their connecting shoulder with his other hand. He came face to face with someone he barely recognized. It had only been eighteen hours, but there was Hiyoko staring at him with unblinking, sunken eyes. Gone were the pretenses that she was an innocent child; the woman in her stead embraced a haunting and calculating aura. If he let go, he feared she'd gouge out his eyes.

"Sorry," he said carefully, "thought you were someone else." Her fingers relaxed, the golden tips glimmered innocently as she maintained her severe assessment of him.

"Someone more worthy of your interest?" She said, like he had ignored her before. Maybe he had. He couldn't remember her from outside the game, even before she gained a foot in height. Though the longer he stared, the more he noticed her hastily tied kimono hung off her shoulders and trailed behind her. He averted his eyes quickly, but she'd already taken notice. "Unhand me before I catch whatever disease turned your brain to mush." He let go in an instant.

"Do you need help?" He swallowed, trying to bring his heart rate down to a normal rhythm.

"Do I look like I need help?" She narrowed her eyes, her tone icy and foreboding. He'd forgotten how terrifying she could be.

"N-no, but you were touching my hair-" She cut him off before he could fully form an explanation.

"You had cut it. I figured, like most chimpanzees, you were infested. I wanted to assess the damage before some came after me with a rusty set of razors." The corner of her mouth turned up for a brief moment when he scratched. And in that flash, he saw a shadow of the sadistic girl he once knew. Just as quickly, she adopted a look of somber acceptance. "Which one of you perverts aims to sleep with me?"

"WHAT!? No. That's not." Hinata waved his arms about, as if to banish the thought.

"I woke to bouquet of cactus flowers at my bedside." She seemed offended by his rejection of the notion. "I can't remember the last time I've been so openly propositioned before."

"Waking up by yourself is scary, and we thought it'd be comforting to have something familiar." He really wished he had brought Sonia or Peko along with him so someone could justify his claims.

"You mean to tell me no one here plans to shower me with gifts until I hand over my undergarments?" She asked incredulously.

"Who would even- No!" Hinata rubbed his temples. "We just thought you'd like them."

"...you have no idea what they mean, do you?" For a second he thought she was going to cry or scream. Instead she laughed, like ringing bells cleansing the air. "Hope's Peak destroyed the world to create a super genius that can't even understand basic flower language! How utterly pathetic." When she had finished, seemed much more at ease. "It's been a long time since someone brought me flowers. While empty, the gesture was appreciated." She shuffled passed him in search of tea, much to Hinata's bewilderment.

"You're... you know where you are?"

"I know how to read." She rolled her eyes. "The pixelated info graphics on the murders were cute. You should make a children's book. Call it 'Baby's First Chop Shop', you could make a mint." She grimaced at the prepackaged tea.

"...and you're not mad?" She slammed down her cup.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" After being unable to find a single kettle, she settled for boiling water in a pan. "You axed the bitch that sold us out, prevented her from hijacking my body, and pulled a hard reset on some of Hope's Peaks biggest scum bags." She cackled. "What lunatic would be upset about that?" It occurred to Hinata as they talked, that the people Hiyoko had been closest too would have the same set of memories as her. "And, apparently, it doesn't matter how shitty of a person you are, you still get to stick around and be waited on hand and foot."

"Who said anything about waiting on you?" Hinata frowned, feeling a familiar well of irritation growing.

"No one." Hiyoko said plainly. "Would you be a dear, and hand me the honey." Hinata blinked, looking behind to where she pointed. He handed it to her and watched as a malicious smile spread across her face. "Thank you." He could almost hear her making an itemized list of things to boss people around with. "Now waking up all the murder's first, who's idea was that?" She asked, pouring the water over her leafs in a sad mocker of a tea ceremony.

"...That's just how the lots were drawn." She set the pot down and looked at him like he was a drooling toddler.

"Strike number two shit for brains. Why the hell did you start with murders and dangerous talents? The mute-ling I understand, but you picked Teruteru and Mikan before you considered Mahiru?" She shook her head. "You masochists really have a death wish."

"Mahiru's-" She held up her hand.

"Still asleep, I know. I checked on her the minute I found out even one Kuzuryuu cum-dumpster was on the island." She sipped her tea. "No one's going after the defenseless, so at least there's that." It was almost like she'd never left with how easily she'd adapted to being on the island. "I take it none of them have told you why they went to that bitch Junko, have they?" He blinked, the name stirring a migraine to life. "Thought so." She sighed. "That's how she did it y'know. She separated us and turned us against each other. Lied through her teeth the whole way, making us feel ashamed for asking for help, and then leaving us with fallout. It's only going to get worse if you don't try to reverse the damage."

"I don't think most of them are ready to talk about it." Hinata said, projecting his thoughts onto the others, almost on reflex. Hiyoko stared at her empty cup for a long time in silence. When she spoke, he could hear her fighting back tears.

"No one missed me when I left. Back home or in your little game; I know no one liked me." She spun the cup in her hands. "Even if it was because of fate or whatever... thank you for not leaving me in there." She set it down on the counter. "It's the first selfless thing someone's done for me that I didn't have to ask for." She gave him, in her estimation, an appropriate bow before making her way out of the kitchen. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's still a few cowards that need the shit scared out of them." He watched in awe as she marched out into the sunlight like a torrential hurricane.

That evening, Akane had invited Peko out for a swim. To the sword woman's surprise, she had been the only one to be invited. It irked her how this careless individual held a higher ranking within the clan than her, both in the past and present, without a care in the world. She'd held this person as a symbol of her failures for so long, that to find she was an ordinary girl had been heartbreaking. At this point, she could no longer disguise the root of her anger as righteous in any sense. She was hopelessly envious that someone in her position could lead a normal life.

"Is anyone else coming?" Peko asked.

The overcast sky highlighted the colors of the setting sun, a stiff breeze pulling through the tree. The gymnast's back was to her as she stared at the horizon. She was unusually silent as Peko looked back toward the road. If Fuyuhiko caught the two of them alone like, he'd be upset.

"No." Akane said evenly. "This is between you and me." The roar of the ocean waves drowned out the thundering in Peko's heart. "You've been itching for a fight since day one, and everyone keeps getting in the way of it. So, now's your chance." She cracked her knuckles and waited for Peko to respond. Without a weapon, she felt so much smaller than she was.

She took a cleansing breath and slipped into a beginner's stance. Jujitsu was not one of her strengths, but it would service her fairly against an inexperienced opponent. Akane flipped backwards, and landed a heel square in the swords-woman's chest, knocking the wind out of her. The gymnast waited patiently for Peko to pick herself up out of the sand and gestured for her to step forward. Peko channeled all of the built up fear and frustration into the makeshift duel. The two exchanged blows, dancing around each other in a stalemate for forty minutes. Peko's stamina gave out first, but she could see Akane was running out of breath.

"Now out with it!" Akane panted. "Why do you want me dead?" Peko paled in the presence of the angry warrior.

"You knew?" Lightening carved a path from the heavens to the sea.

"Of course I knew you idiot!" Akane dropped her guard. "I just... part of me thought you wouldn't go through with it. He stopped you before I could find out. I don't know what I did to deserve this." The wind picked up, pulling at Akane's shirt and exposing the head of a jet black koi inked into her shoulder. "Was what I did really that bad?" Peko's couldn't suppress her shock as she stood.

"May I see?" Peko asked, as she gestured to the tattoo, unable to put into words how much she could learn from a single glance.

The gymnast shrugged at Peko's request, all be it, incredibly confused. She pulled off her over shirt showing four black koi wrapped around her shoulders with lotus petals in their mouths. Black koi were used within the clan as a torturous brand on individuals who had been sold into the clan to settle debts. The waves that threatened to drown them representing the hard labor required to absolve the losses. Four million yen lost with disgrace to the clan. The two bare sakura branches lined her collar bones acted as a reminder that her family's lives were to be held as ransom. After what Peko had done, they should have been lined with unopened blossoms.

Receiving hand poked tattoos was an excruciatingly painful processes. To bear the Kuzuryuu dragon was a demonstration of honor and commitment to the clan. Junko told her that Akane sported a golden dragon protecting red koi; a mark reserved for future clan leaders.

"You okay? You look like you're going to cry?" Akane floundered, not sure what to do with her. Peko crumbled into her arms, over come with regret and nausea. How horribly misinformed she had been to blindly follow the commands of a madwoman on the grounds of false friendship. The thoughts of what Junko now expected of her tearing her up inside.

"You didn't do anything to me. You have shown me nothing but kindness I don't deserve." Peko sobbed. "I- I'm so sorry, I-"

"Hey, hey it's okay." Akane rubbed small circles into the girl's back. "Shit happens. Y'just can't attack people at the drop of a hat." Akane grimaced at the irony. She continued, hoping her words could help calm the woman down."Right now, we're just trying to keep everyone alive. We're surviving. We're not going to be perfect at it either, but we're going to keep trying anyway. It's going to be really scary for a while, but you're not in this alone."

Thunder rumbled in the distance as the clouds were drained of all color. A sickening wave of deja vu hit her as the first drop of rain fell on the beach. At least the rain would hide any remaining tears either had. She really wasn't in the mood for defending herself against the overly concerned boys in their group.

So cold.

And wet.

It wasn't raining when she fell asleep. Her body felt so heavy, she could barely open her eyes. She was being carried, kind of, the poor sap could barely keep a hold on her and walk at the same time. She couldn't move to help him, not really. He should just set her down and leave her be. She was just dead weight at this point.

A tiny bell rang.

They were inside somewhere now. She could hear the clinking of table ware. Someone dropping a pan on the stove. She was dropped onto a leather booth and the person carrying her had to have collapsed on the floor. Another person was running toward them.

"What in god's name- You tryin' ta bring the riots in here?" Teruteru? What were they doing at his restaurant? They hadn't come to one of his diners in months. He went to help her escort stand, then recoiled. "Jesus, you reek. How many rice patties had to die to get you this drunk?" His usual cowardice was missing from his voice. Ir was comforting. If it had been anyone else, Teruteru would have been on the floor by now, or her guide was too far gone to stand up. She was usually so good about watering down his flask. How long had she been out of it?

"Y-Y'gotta help her." Fuyuhiko slurred. "Fuck man, we wasted time at ten different- Couldn't find a damn person- The hell you doin' out in buttfuck nowhere? Jesus, just look at her." He was barely coherent, it was a wonder they both hadn't been dumped in some alleyway by now. The people were on a witch hunt for anyone with connections to Hope's Peak. Former students getting dragged out into the streets, all because Junko had exposed their organization on live television.

"I'm hiding from the Future Foundation like you should be doing." He was looking at her now. How utterly embarrassing. He wasn't even cracking a joke about her getting drugged. Did she really look that bad? "What did you do to her?" The chef was furious, his tone quiet and reserved.

"I DIDN'T-" Fuyuhiko paused. Was he going to throw up or stand? He was standing, she could hear the creek of the table supporting his weight."That bitch found her family. Our missions- the fuckin' liar -wasting my god damn time! No way the Diamonds would give a shit- We found them dead, and I knew Peko- but it wasn't cause a' no Diamonds' orders. Lying sack a shit. Peko ain't workin' for no Diamonds." That's right, her family... they were gone now...

"What are you talking about?" Teruteru's patience was waning.

"The bitch lied to all of us. She only kept us around until she could find Akane's family." Fuyuhiko took a deep breath. "I dinnit- I didn't know when, I just kept chasin' Peko down n'... She stopped eating. Teru y' gotta help her."

They didn't have time for this. The Future Foundation had been tracking them down for weeks. If they stayed in one place, especially together, they'd get captured.

"Didn't Junko have a doctor or someone who could help? Just ask her-"

"Are you deaf!? JUNKO DID THIS!" Fuyuhiko was shaking, bad. "She ordered the hit. I'm not trusting shit from her." And yet they were standing in the diner of an ally they met through her. If you could call the chef an ally. He was just a pawn, like her. "This was the last place we ate together. If anyone could get her to eat again- I don't know what else to do."

"...Alright." Teruteru relented. "You can stay as long as you need. I'll see what I can do." She didn't deserve this. They were already at the end of their rope, she'd failed her family, she didn't deserve to cry or seek pity. She didn't deserve-

His cold hand wrapped around her's as he brought it to his forehead. Three years of working together, and not once had he laid so much as a finger on her. Every time she almost fell asleep, he'd do something to keep her awake; brushing her hair out of her face, squeezing her hand, any little movement to draw her attention. She was so tired.

"C'mon Akane, you're so strong." No she wasn't. She could barely move her hand. She wasn't even a descent body guard at this point, just a useless shadow. "No matter what happens, I'm not leaving you." He should. "You're gonna' survive this, you'll see."

Akane sat up immediately, barely able to breath. Where was the diner? No. They were back on the island. Which island? She held her head in her hands, tears she couldn't cry in the past flowing freely as time caught up to her.

The two of them had spent a whole week trying to keep her alive. The process was so painful and embarrassing and she'd fought them with what little strength she regained. She'd caught a cold during the storm; something that used to be annoying made her deathly feverish. Fuyuhiko said they couldn't move until she was strong enough to stand on her own two feet again. Even with the Future Foundation at their doorstep they refused to leave her behind.

"You're gonna' survive this."

They had been captured because of her.