Chapter 24: Tokyo Smoke

Hanako woke up soaking wet and realized she'd fallen asleep in the shower.

"What the fuck," she muttered, sitting up and batting at the metal handle until the water shut off. Her fingertips were wrinkled and pale. She considered herself lucky she hadn't accidentally blocked the drain and flooded the bathroom. Or drowned.

With sluggish movements, she dried herself off and dressed. At least the smell of ash was gone from her hair. After scrubbing herself down, she'd sat on the shower floor to try and process everything that had happened at the hotel. She didn't remember falling asleep.

I'm dying, she thought as she crawled into bed, and put on her headphones so she would have something to do other than cry.

Hajime came by that afternoon with tired eyes and a plastic bottle.

"We tried looking for the bombs today," he said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Nothing?"

He shook his head.

"Where would Komaeda even get explosives?" Hanako tucked one arm beneath her head. "I would've thought he was bluffing if it weren't for the hotel."

"I forgot you didn't go to the fifth island with us. There's a military base there."

"Of course there is." She closed her eyes with a sigh.

"Here." He put the plastic bottle on the bed next to her. "I got this at the supermarket."

She opened her eyes and let them focus on the label. Vitamin water.

"I don't know if this will stay down."

"Can you at least try?"

There was a tiny tremor in his voice. Hanako sat up, unscrewed the cap, and took a tiny sip. Even the minimal flavor tasted sickly sweet, but she drank anyway.

"Kuzuryu told me Souda put him on interrogation duty," she said, spinning the cap between her fingers.

Hajime nodded. "He said it would take more time than we have to…to make him crack. His words, not mine. We're going to search again tomorrow. I think everyone's starting to feel the stress of the situation."

"Yeah, well. Look on the bright side. A massive explosion might actually get us noticed by a rescue team."

Hajime smiled, but it was weak and gone in an instant.

She forced down another mouthful of vitamin water. "Let's say we find the bombs. What then?"

"Maybe Souda can disarm them. Or we figure out another way to get rid of them."

"You think Komaeda hasn't accounted for that?"

He looked down at his hands and said nothing.

Hanako hesitated. "Have you thought about talking to him?"

Hajime finally looked at her. "Me?"

"I mean, it's a long shot, but you're kind of his favorite."

His expression wrinkled into something unreadable before settling on a frown. "Even if that was true, he's been treating me differently ever since he found out I'm from the Reserve Course. I'm worse than dirt to him."

She sighed and propped her chin in her hand. "Look, I wasn't exaggerating last night. He has all the power in this situation. The only way out of this is going to be on his terms."

He looked at her sharply. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about turning yourself in."

"I don't want to." Her voice cracked, and she took another gulp of water to calm herself down. "I'm just trying to think realistically. Did you ever learn about that thing in school? The train puzzle or whatever?"

He blinked. "You mean the trolley problem?"

"Yeah. If you do nothing, five people die, but if you pull the switch, only one person dies. And if that one person didn't have great odds at surviving anyway—"

"But you're not the traitor."

"Does that really matter?"

His expression hardened. "Maybe the traitor is the odd man out. Maybe he doesn't even remember that he's the traitor."

She stared at him, but his gaze never wavered. "Okay, if you turn yourself in, you'd be a massive hypocrite."

"I have just as much of a reason to do it as you. So if you won't, I won't."

A smile twitched on her lips. "Like mutually assured destruction."

"I think it's more like mutually assured survival. At least for the next couple of days."

"Fine. Deal." She reached over and shook his hand. "Any idea what you want to do with your last day on earth?"

"Keep looking for the bombs." He squeezed her hand and released it. "I think that's what Tanaka would want us to do."

"Then wake me up early tomorrow. I wanna help. I'll eat breakfast and everything."

The tension in his brow eased a little. "Okay."

Hanako woke early on her own the next morning, and she was up to see the sunrise for the first time since they'd battled the Despair Disease.

She wandered outside with slow steps and inhaled. The air was still and quiet, not yet warmed by the sun. Most of the early mornings she'd seen had been the products of very late nights, and they'd always been colored with lethargy, daylight fading into sleep.

Today was fresh. Quiet.

Their last day on earth.

Her peaceful, contemplative mood soured when she turned the corner and saw Nagito by the pool, in front of the charred wreck of the hotel. He was sitting in the shade of one of the umbrella tables, engrossed in a book.

The walkway creaked, and Hanako glanced over to see Akane approach, her hair even wilder than usual and her eyes weighted with dark circles.

"He's seriously just sitting there?" Akane growled.

"All he's gotta do is sit back and wait," Hanako said.

Before she'd finished her sentence, Akane was already marching towards him. Hanako followed at a slower pace, focusing on her balance.

"Hey, Komaeda." Akane stopped in front of him, feet planted like she was getting ready to fight. "Where are the bombs?"

Nagito didn't so much as look up at her as he flipped to the next page.

Hanako braced a hand on the table and pulled the book out of his hands. She tossed it into the pool, where it landed with a satisfying splash.

"Owari is trying to talk to you," she said.

He didn't look fazed at all as he placed his hands in his lap. "Oh, was there something you wanted to say?"

Akane's hands curled into fists. "Where are you keeping the bombs, you jerk? You better tell us now."

"If only it were that easy." His lips curled into a condescending smile. "I've already stated my terms clearly. If this is meant to be some sort of interrogation, I would've thought you'd send someone more intelligent."

Hanako opened her mouth to retort, but the words died in her throat as Akane grabbed the front of his coat and pulled him out of his chair.

"Stop messing with me. Just tell us where the bombs are!"

"Is this really the best you can do?"

She shoved him hard enough to send him toppling to the ground.

Hanako winced at the sound of his elbow smacking against the concrete. "Owari—"

Akane lunged forward, pinning Nagito to the ground with her hands wrapped around his neck. "Just spit it out. Where are the damn bombs?"

"If you really want to get me to talk, you probably shouldn't damage my vocal cords," Nagito rasped—Akane wasn't holding him tight enough to restrict his airflow. "Perhaps you could start with waterboarding, since there's plenty right next to us."

"Shut up," Akane hissed through clenched teeth. "Just shut up."

"Can we not do this right now?" Hanako said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Owari, I don't think this is helping."

"Does that make you the good cop, Yukimura?" Nagito met her gaze, lips shifting into a cold, lazy smile. "Perhaps you'll have better luck at—"

His sentence cut off with a croak as Akane tightened her grip. She was squeezing so tightly the muscles in her forearms stood out.

"Owari, what the hell are you doing?" Hanako reached out to pull her away.

The sheer desperation in Akane's eyes, the sound of her seething breaths, made her hesitate. She'd felt that rage before. She knew exactly what it felt like to squeeze and squeeze at someone's flesh with the intent of crushing it entirely. There were still nights she wished Akane hadn't pulled her away from Mikan.

But she had. Despite her best efforts, her friends had dragged her away from the brink of death, either as victim or killer or both.

"Fuck." She fell to her knees and grabbed Akane's bicep with both hands. "Owari, stop. Let him go."

It was like pulling on a steel cable. Akane didn't seem to notice she was even there, still growling under her breath like a wild animal. Nagito's eyes had gone wide, but they were unfocused.

"What the hell's going on?"

Hanako turned to see Fuyuhiko and the others approaching. Their shouting must have drawn them from their cottages. She waved them closer, her pulse drumming uncomfortably in her throat, then renewed her efforts to loosen Akane's grip.

Chiaki reached them first. She dropped to her knees, her expression calm and focused, and slapped Akane hard across the face.

Akane jerked back and brought one hand to her cheek, blinking hard.

"Just calm down, okay? Take a deep breath." Chiaki helped her to her feet, rubbing her back comfortingly like she'd been the one getting attacked. "You're not the kind of person who would do that. You wouldn't hurt someone like that."

"Y-Yeah. I don't know what…" Akane stared down at Nagito, who was lying on the ground, eyes half-lidded. "Did I…"

Hanako grabbed his wrist and felt for a pulse. She was almost annoyed at the flood of relief that swept through her when she found it. "You didn't kill him. It's okay." She pushed herself to her feet, her limbs shaky with adrenaline.

Hajime grabbed her arm to steady her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Owari lost her cool," she replied. "He was provoking her."

"We've all thought about strangling the bastard at some point," Fuyuhiko said.

A wheezy cough made them all tense. Nagito struggled to his feet and brushed himself off. He turned his unnerving smile on Akane.

"Thank you for that, Owari. I got to see my dead dog again. It's been a while."

"Komaeda, please tell us the password to the ancient ruin," Sonia said, an edge to her voice that Hanako had never heard before. "That is where you hid the bombs, isn't it?"

"That's right. Congratulations on solving that puzzle."

"Just tell us the damn password," Fuyuhiko said, lips curled into a snarl.

"Well, I doubt it'd be much use to you now. I've already moved the bombs to a different location. If you need another hint, I'll give you one." Nagito pretended to think. "It's in a place you've been at least once."

Kazuichi let out an exasperated squawk. "That doesn't narrow it down at all!"

He shrugged. "Of course, this could be much simpler if the traitor revealed themselves." He looked at each of them in turn. "That's your true enemy, isn't it?"

"There's only one person here who's actively trying to kill us," Hanako said. "If this is so important to you, why not hold another trial? We'll talk through this like regular people."

"What an interesting idea," Nagito said, the exaggerated enthusiasm in his tone indicating he thought it was anything but. "Unfortunately, I have no interest in sitting through another trial with the rest of you. A battle between hope and despair needs higher stakes than that. After all, there's no way that hope could lose in a place like this. I believe in an Ultimate Hope that can break through any despair. And most of all, I believe in my Ultimate Luck!"

"You done wasting our time?" Fuyuhiko asked, cutting off his rant. "We've already decided we're not doing this your way. We're gonna find those damn bombs."

"If that's what you really want," Nagito said, his voice a little calmer, though the manic glint in his eyes never left. "I suppose you all should hurry."

They waited in tense silence as he walked away towards the cottages.

"He's right," Chiaki said, tugging on the straps of her backpack. "We don't have much time left. We should deal with this quickly."

"Alright, then let's split up," Fuyuhiko said. "We have six islands to search, so one person can cover each."

He doled out assignments quickly, and Hanako frowned once he finished.

"You didn't give me an island."

"You look dead on your feet," Fuyuhiko said. "You're better off staying back."

She spread her hands. "The fuck? I'm not just going to sit on my ass while the rest of you are trying to keep the island from exploding."

"We got it covered, Yukimura." His expression softened a fraction. "You can save your strength."

"It's not about that." She shot them all a pleading look. "Don't ask me to stay here by myself."

Kazuichi raised a tentative hand. "Well, you haven't been to the fifth island yet, right? Kuzuryu, maybe you could use an extra pair of eyes."

Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow, and all the color drained from Kazuichi's face.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!"

"Alright, fine." Fuyuhiko shrugged. "As long as you're sure you're up for it, Yukimura."

She crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, which one of us was walking around the same day he sliced his own stomach open?"

"Guys," Hajime said. "We don't really have time to argue."

Hanako shut her mouth and Fuyuhiko showed his palms in surrender.

"Let's get to work, everyone." Akane clapped her hands in a gesture painfully reminiscent of Nekomaru, then sprinted out the gate.

The rest of them crossed the bridge to the central island together. Chiaki fell into step beside Hanako and nudged her elbow.

"I'm glad you decided to come with us. It seems like you're feeling a little better."

Hanako decided not to mention that Fuyuhiko hadn't been too far off with the "dead on your feet" comment. "I wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for you. Sorry for being a bitch about that."

"You don't have to apologize. I understand why you were angry."

She let out a small sigh of relief. As much as she'd tried to deny it, she did care what Chiaki thought of her. She didn't talk much, but she'd always been there when it counted. She'd been there that first night to talk Hanako off the metaphorical ledge, she'd saved her life after the third trial, and she'd done the same with Akane today.

"I feel better knowing you're here," Hanako said quietly.

Chiaki's smile faltered for a split second. "Thanks, Yukimura."

They reached the central island and split off towards their respective bridges.

"Good luck, everyone." Sonia waved as she headed towards the park.

"Yeah, good luck," Kazuichi said with significantly less confidence, then broke off with Chiaki.

Hanako walked with Hajime and Fuyuhiko to the other side of the island. She tried not to think about how she'd once walked this path with sixteen other people. A small part of her had hoped that, if this really was the end, the seven of them would face it together.

Hajime paused next to the bridge to the fourth island and turned to them. "So, um…"

A sense of dread wrapped around her heart and squeezed, hard. She wanted to leap forward and wrap her arms around him.

But if she did that, she would be acknowledging that this would be the last time they would see each other.

Instead, she shot him what she hoped was a convincing smile. "Catch you later."

"Let's not waste any more time," Fuyuhiko said, though he gave Hajime a single nod before continuing on.

The silence lasted only for a few minutes before it became unbearable.

"So, what's on the fifth island?" Hanako asked as they began crossing the bridge. "Hinata mentioned a military base?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty ugly place. There's a couple factories and a warehouse. Only tolerable place is a little alley with street food. Almost reminds me of home."

"Wish we could stop by."

If this island was a song title, it would be… She blinked, but the words wouldn't come to her. Ibuki had always been better at lyrics. Maybe it was also because she was a little lightheaded. She wished she'd had the forethought to eat something before leaving the hotel.

"Shit." She slapped her pockets.

"What? You forget something?" Fuyuhiko asked.

"Yeah, but it's not super important. Just my sketchbook. I spent this one evening writing down song lyrics with Ibuki. I wanted to look at it one more time."

"You can look at it when we get back."

His tone left no room for argument, so she only shrugged and said, "Okay."

A beat of silence passed. It felt like they'd been walking on this bridge for an hour. Hanako realized she was dragging her feet and made an effort to walk steadier.

"I wanted—" Fuyuhiko started, then clenched his jaw.

"What?"

"It's stupid."

"There's a good chance whatever I hear, I'll be taking it to my grave, so." She gestured for him to continue. "You can just pretend I'm not here if it makes you feel better."

Fuyuhiko clicked his tongue and looked away. Hanako felt her feet begin to drag again and wiped some sweat from her brow.

The fifth island was just as ugly as Fuyuhiko had described, all smokestacks and cranes and steel girders. Hanako wrinkled her nose as they turned onto the asphalt road that circled the island.

"I wanted Peko's hair ribbons," Fuyuhiko said.

She glanced at him but said nothing.

"They were the only thing she had that she chose. Not her uniform, not her sword, not even her fucking glasses. But those ribbons were hers." A tiny, bittersweet smile flashed on his face. "They looked good on her."

"Do you believe in an afterlife?"

"Haven't decided yet." He huffed out a sigh. "If there is one, I hope me and Peko aren't going to the same place."

"We're all meeting up with Tanaka in hell, remember?"

His next huff sounded more like a laugh. "Right."

She smiled, and white sparks crackled across her vision. By the time she realized she was going to fall, it was too late to do anything about it. She barely managed to catch herself on her hands and knees, the asphalt stinging her palms.

"Shit." Fuyuhiko knelt beside her, grabbing her shoulders to steady her. "Hey, don't you dare pass out on me."

"I'm fine," she said, her own voice muffled by the ringing in her ears.

"Like hell you are." He managed to heave her into a sitting position. "We need to get you back to the hotel."

"Fuck, Kuzuryu, there's no time."

He swore under his breath and looked around. Across the street were a pair of large industrial buildings. "Alright, I'm gonna head to the military base first. I'll make a loop around the island and come check on you. Stay right here."

"Just go." She gave his arm a weak shove. "I'll be fine."

"You'd better be." Fuyuhiko pushed himself to his feet and hurried down the road.

Hanako dropped her head onto her knees with a little groan and waited for the world to stop spinning. She was starting to feel cold. She tried counting through her breathing, just to give herself something to focus on.

It was eerily quiet for a place that would have normally been filled with the hum of engines and the clatter of machinery. It reminded her of that moment in the restaurant yesterday, the feeling that she was just going to disappear. She tried to hold onto the sound of the fading sea breeze.

Her breath, the wind…the faint sound of music.

She lifted her head and frowned. Maybe she was so malnourished she was having auditory hallucinations. She strained her ears.

It was coming from the warehouse building across the street. She didn't recognize the song. It wasn't loud enough for her to hear anything other than the low hum of the lower notes.

Ibuki, playing for me from beyond the grave.

Hanako blinked the thought away. Ibuki was dead. Gone forever. There would be no afterlife, no fateful reunion.

Still, she pushed herself to her feet and walked on shaky legs towards the warehouse.

The music became clearer when she opened the door. It was some kind of weird, depressing opera music, playing from a familiar speaker. Hanako let the door swing shut behind her and faced the slim figure standing at the back of the room.

Nagito turned around, his expression mild. "Oh, hello, Yukimura. You don't look well."

"Sweet of you to be concerned." She tried to be subtle about leaning back against the door. "Did you steal my fucking mp3 player?"

"You're welcome to have it back once I'm finished." Nagito smiled like he'd said something funny.

Her eyes found the cluster of items at his feet—coils of rope, a knife, something that looked like a spear. A chill ran down her spine.

"Are you setting up some sort of fucked up interrogation room?"

"You're not capable of comprehending what I plan to do."

"Fuck you." Her hands curled into fists. "Enough of this bullshit. Why is it so important to you to find the traitor?"

"It's like I said." He stepped over the pile of rope and moved closer. "I'm putting an end to the killing game."

"That's what the rest of us want. Why are you working against us?"

"It would be impossible to cooperate until I've singled out the traitor."

"I'm the traitor."

Nagito smiled at her as if she were a particularly slow child. "No, you're not."

"You don't know that for sure."

"If you were the traitor, I doubt you would have tried to remove yourself from the game."

Hanako bit her lip. "I guess that rules out Kuzuryu and Owari, too."

"Perhaps." His expression turned cold. "Maybe you should share your theory with the others. There's still time for you to all turn on each other."

The sheer disgust in his voice unnerved her. Before the Funhouse, the only time Nagito had ever expressed such disdain, such condescension, had been towards Mikan during her own murder trial.

Mikan, with that trembling, fanatical grin, eyes full of memories that had twisted her beyond recognition.

I wish you could remember all the fun we had, Yukimura.

A chill crawled down her arms.

"What the fuck did you see in that file?" she asked.

"That's none of your concern."

"Okay, well, you made it everyone's problem. You act like all of us are guilty. You know I'm not the traitor and you still…"

The answer clicked into place, like the hammer of a gun sliding into position. Nagito raised an expectant eyebrow.

"This isn't about the traitor," she whispered. She glanced at the tools scattered at his feet. They were so close to the deadline he'd imposed, and he was acting like there was still more work to do. "The bombs are just a fucking distraction, aren't they? You wanted to split us all up."

"Careful, Yukimura. If you think any harder about this, you might hurt yourself."

Her throat was so clogged with terror there was no room for her to be angry. She swallowed. "You really are trying to kill all of us. Even if you find out who the traitor is, it's not going to matter."

He sighed and looked around like he'd lost interest in the conversation. "Maybe you could save your theories for the class trial."

"Class—? I'm not letting you fucking murder anyone." She took a few shaky steps towards him.

"You're not?" His eyes widened in mock-surprise. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

The door was right behind her. She could run, try to make it within shouting distance of Fuyuhiko before Nagito caught up to her. Hope it wasn't too late to stop whatever Nagito had set in motion.

Maybe it was already too late. Maybe it had been too late the moment they'd all set foot on the island. Four times she'd seen it already, that the only way out of a motive was to kill. The only role she could take was victim or murderer.

"Okay." She planted her feet and took a deep breath.

Hajime, I'm so sorry.

"Let's do this."

Nagito's first footstep betrayed his intentions. He was going for the knife.

Hanako hoped the adrenaline coursing through her veins would give her enough strength to get through this fight. She pushed herself forward and crashed into Nagito with her full weight just as he was bending down to grasp the knife. Both of them tumbled to the floor.

Breathing hard, Hanako spread her palms against the concrete. Just that short sprint across the room had been enough to wind her. The sound of her pulse in her ears felt too loud.

Nagito lifted his head, blinking as if he'd also been dazed by the impact. "I was wondering when you were finally going to—"

She cocked back a fist and punched him as hard as she could. The impact sent vibrations up her arm, and it was enough to make his head snap to the side.

"Ow." He wiggled his jaw with a wince. "If you wouldn't mind, try not to hit my nose."

"Fuck you." She punched him again and was reeling back for a third blow when something slammed into her stomach.

Her vision whited out. When she came to, she was curled up on her side, coughing and retching against the burning pain radiating from her stomach. Nagito stood over her, brushing off some dust from his coat.

She pressed one hand against her stomach, but she couldn't feel any blood. He must have kicked her.

Get up. Get the fuck up. She pushed herself onto her hands and knees, limbs shaking.

Something wrapped around her throat. Hanako gasped, or tried to, but the air wouldn't come. She grasped at her neck, nails scrabbling at the rope digging into her skin, but she couldn't find purchase.

Black spots dotted her vision. Her ears were ringing.

Mikan, crying and giggling and struggling for air. Her blood under Hanako's nails.

Ibuki, on her knees, mouth open in a silent scream. The rope burns on her neck.

Hanako braced her heel against the floor and pushed backwards. She collided head first with Nagito's torso, hard enough to make him stumble back. The pressure on her neck loosened, and she clawed the rope away from her skin.

She spun around so fast it made her dizzy. Nagito was sitting on the ground, still holding the rope, and she pounced on him, slamming him against the floor. Adrenaline ran hot in her veins, each breath flooding her veins with fire. Her vision pulsed red with fury.

"Enough." Her voice came out in a snarl. She cast around for a weapon, and her fingers found the spear at the end of the rope. She lifted it with both hands, the tip poised inches from Nagito's face. "Enough of this shit."

He gazed up at her, the length of the spear reflected silver in his eyes. "Do it."

Hanako seethed, her arms shaking with the effort of holding the weapon aloft. Her cheeks were wet from either sweat or tears. She was tired of this. She was terrified out of her mind. She wanted more than ever for it all to end.

She let the spear fall.

Nagito flinched as the point crunched into the concrete next to his head. Hanako pushed away the shaft, and it fell to the ground with a clang.

"I'm not playing the game," she panted. "I'm not doing it."

"What a shame," Nagito said.

Pain flared across her abdomen. Hanako shrieked and pushed his hand away, but it was too late. The knife had left a long, horizontal cut in her stomach. She scrambled off him, one hand clamped against the wound, and stared in disbelief at the thick droplets of blood seeping between her fingers.

"How unlucky." Nagito stood and frowned at the blood splattered across his shirt and jacket. "This wasn't at all how I expected things to go."

"Oh, fuck." She tried to press down on the wound, but pain made her vision blacken at the edges. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

"It's all right. I still have hope things will work out." Nagito seemed to be talking to himself now as he bent to sort through his scattered supplies.

"They're gonna know it was you," Hanako gasped. She tasted copper on her tongue.

"Probably." He smiled. "But it won't matter in the end."

He was planning to kill all of them. Hanako turned towards the door, the impossible distance that stretched between it and her. She had to warn the others. She had to move, even if every muscle in her body was begging for her to curl up on her side.

She grit her teeth, braced her free hand against the floor and dragged herself a few inches forward. Her stomach screamed in protest.

"Don't go too far," Nagito said, almost absently. "I have to move quickly if I want to set things up properly."

She didn't waste her breath with a retort. She dragged herself forward, inch by inch. Her forearm was wet with her own blood. It had soaked into her shirt, and the fabric squelched with every movement. Her arms were beginning to tremble with the effort of holding herself upright.

She just needed to make it to the door.

So. Yeah.

I always intended for Hanako to not make it to Chapter 6, but her original fate was supposed to be a much more passive death due to her worsening health. But then I started playing with the idea of her throwing down with Nagito and just couldn't let it go. Even though the fight is like the saddest thing ever because Hanako is actively dying and Nagito is built like a popsicle stick. It's like the teenage equivalent of two old guys fighting in a nursing home.

Anyway, this is a Social Cues double feature with last chapter since this chapter's title is from the same album. Tokyo Smoke is my favorite Cage the Elephant song and it fits so perfectly with Nagito's arc in Chapter 5 as well as the vibes of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed!

Next chapter will be a surprise :)