"Hey, are you gonna answer the fuckin' door or not!"

Kuzuryu almost slammed his knuckles against the beaten wood door for the third time that morning. He'd been knocking for at least a half hour on this third attempt,where as his first two tries had ended in him leaving after bout five minutes of waiting before he gave up and left. He wouldn't be shut out so easy.

"I'll get Owari to kick down this damn door again!" he shouted once again before kicking the door with his right foot. "Hinata!"

*Click*

The door was unlocked from the other side, cracking open slightly. Through the opening only darkness was shown, aside from one other thing. Hinata's bright red eye peered out through the crack, staring down the agitated visitor. Nothing was said by either, and nothing was heard by either.

"You're not gonna say anything?" he took hold of the situation himself, cocking his head to the side as he spoke words soaked in anger and annoyance. No response was presented once again. It could even be thought that Hinata wasn't moving at all, if his eye hasn't closed halfway.

"Could I talk to you later." Hajime spoke from behind his door , nearly causing Fuyuhiko to jump just from hearing his voice. But the answer he had given did not seem to remedy the situation at all. Fuyuhiko's fists curled up at his sides, his knuckles popping from the motion.

"You're lucky we're friends. Anyone else, well they'd be fuckin' dead by now." Fuyuhiko took a deep, calming breath. His body loosened up, palms opening as they slid into his pockets. He turned and walked away, but not before saying that he'd hold him to his word.

Watching him leave his view, Hajime let out a heavy breath as he pushed his door shut, locking it as he now leaned besides the frame. He stared at the ground before moving so that his back was pressed to the wall. He slid down to the floor, now sitting as he clutched his head in his hands. Inside his head he wrestled with his thoughts.

His thoughts of the happiness he wanted in his new life.

"Yeah he's not coming." Fuyuhiko said as he took his seat among the others in the restaurant. "We'll just have to discuss this without him."

"And what's that again?" Akane said "Sorry, I already forgot."

"What we'll do about the others, should something happen..." Sonia answered solemnly. She hid her face, looking down at her lap while she shuffled in her chair.

"She means if someone wakes up and attacks someone else." Kazuichi said bluntly. "Remember how Mikan acted in the simulation when she got her memories back? She killed two people!"

"We can't say with one hundred percent certainty that something like that would happen again. Besides, we were the same as them. It's thanks to Hinata that we even remember what happened during that trip. If the bastard had bothered to show up, maybe he'd have some sort of idea."

"Yeah...although, we might be worrying about this too soon. I'm in the control room every day. Not a single one of them has shown even the slightest change."

"I guess all we really can do is believe in our friends and hope for the best..."

Their hope was dim, but it was there. Each of them felt saddened by the reality of their friends conditions, but there was nothing that could be done at the moment. All they could do was continue living out their daily lives. Continue to live, and hope that eventually all of their friends would join them.

'Is it a waste of time?" he thought to himself. He had not moved from his spot on the floor yet, too engaged in his thinking to move. Over and over he went through different possibilities, different approaches, different possible outcomes. There of course, was no clear answer to his question.

Part of him was optimistic. That happiness could be part of his reality, something he could experience each and every day. Yet, there was a part of him that thought the exact opposite. It was idiotic. It was never going to be. It was a waste of time.

He was, to put simply, confused. Not once could he recall feeling this way. This hopeful, excited, yet scared feeling. As he sat there, the sound of nearby voices reached his ears through his cottage walls. He could hear them, his friends. He cracked a smile, realizing how needless this anxiety was. Standing up, he walked into his bathroom, grabbing the pair of dry swimming trunks that hung over the shower head. Changing, he leaves his cottage with a smile on his face, running into Soda and Kuzuryu outside.

"You're going swimming?" was all Kazuichi said when he saw him, sharing the same surprised look as Fuyuhiko. "Fuyuhiko said you were sulking in your cottage."

"Well, it's nice outside...so I thought I'd come out and-"

"Well thanks for tellin' us, jerk! I'm going too!" Soda laughed as he ran away towards his cottage, slamming his door behind him. Fuyuhiko didn't move, however, he did have a question.

"The beach, or the swimming pool?"

"The beach?"

"Hmm...I guess that's alright. I'll meet ya there." he walked past him slowly, saying that he could use some relaxation. He disappeared inside his cottage, just as Soda reappeared in swimming trunks, a white towel over his shoulder. The two started conversing, enjoying eachother's company as they walked to the beach.

Hajime realized he had been worried for nothing. He could push aside what was worrying him, and simply enjoy being alive. This, coincidentally enough, reminded him of a conversation he had with Fuyuhiko before. And it turns out he was right. All he needed was a distraction.