Chapter Text
When Shuichi woke up after a long night rest, it felt too easy to pretend that the last few weeks had just been a long, lucid nightmare...
He could feel the weight of Kokichi’s head gone from his arm. This, along with the now missing warmth that had previously radiated off from him under their shared covers, told him that Kokichi was no longer there next to him. He was now alone tucked into the bed, just like he always was.
For a moment he wondered if the killing game really had taken place. He entertained the thought of Danganronpa just being a long distant dream, which was a rather bittersweet feeling for him.
While it would be nice to be rid of the burdens of Danganronpa. This would however also mean that all the friends he had made and the hardships they had endured together would have been for naught... But, being in a world where these games existed and was accepted frightened him. A world like that could not possibly be good, and he felt betrayed by it.
Shuichi kept his eyes closed, as if to allow himself a prolonged time to think about this.
He wanted to avoid the truth for just a moment longer. Maybe he’d wake up at his grandpa's place, tell him about this long morbid dream while drinking his morning coffee together….
At home he would have a lot of dreams. His grandpa said it was for him reading novels late into the night and then going to bed with a too active mind, making him conjure all sort of scenarios related to his litterature when asleep. While his grandpa's advice to wind down before bed was good natured, he still found these dreams too fascinating to change his habits.
Admittedly, at times when he had woken up from a vivid dream and found it difficult to differentiate fantasy from reality. He could lie in bed a long time after waking up with his eyes closed, just like he did now, and go through the scenarios piece by piece. Slowly piecing together what was a dream, and what was reality.
While resting, he could hear birds chirping clearly to his right... Most likely from an opened window near his bed. He could as well hear the wind play with the trees and making his surroundings feel serene, completely lacking the despair from the killing games he had been forced to participate in.
This was the way he was used to waking up in the past, to a moment of serenity and quiet... While he kept his eyes closed, the lie of a normal life was still alive.
But his head was pounding and his eyes were still puffy from… yesterday. He felt very weakened and weary, and his body held a dull ache as if he had lied there for a very long time... These were one of the clues he couldn’t disregard as coincidences, given the situation.
Around him was a static buzzing from machines. Punctuated by a dull beeping signal that most likely monitored his heartbeat, given it’s steady pace. The clip on his finger was most likely what sent the input to the machine, and on his other arm he could sense an IV drip attached.
He can’t recall being in the hospital much growing up, yet this sent him an enormous wave of deja vu. While the thought of it all being a dream was still alluring, it was impossible to see that as his truth now...
It was undeniable that he was in a hospital, most likely in the same room as he had woken up in the night prior.
He opened his eyes at last, and it took a moment for his sight to clear up and adjust to the pristine white room around him.
Just as he had suspected, there were machines littered all around him. Surprisingly, he could even name a few of them. They were all in pristine condition, which meant that this wasn’t just about any hospital room he was lying in.
As far as he knew, he wouldn’t be able to afford such a room. So he must be here for some reason… He just hoped he could figure out what the reason was soon enough.
From his right he could see the window, and just as he had suspected the window was open.
Light shone in through the window with its curtains fluttering slightly in the breeze, and the same wind ruffled through some trees out of his sight in a peaceful manner...
He found himself staring out the window as the feeling of waiting loomed over him. It took him a moment to realize he had waited for the monokuma to appear in some monitor near him, and it was a little alarming how dependant he had gotten of it from his time in his game. Maki was right, it, was probably a bad idea to ever having gotten accustomed to it.
He couldn’t lie there forever, and spurred by his previous realization he tried to sit up. Just shifting his weight felt like a strain to his body, and his muscles felt numb and difficult to control. But with the help of his arms and a bit of willpower, he managed to sit up straight and look around more properly at the room.
He noticed nothing new about the room from this position, but he did notice a black string tied to his wrist. It had a thin sheet of paper rolled around it and most likely a note…
It took some fumbling from his still uncoordinated fingers to free the paper, but once he did he noticed that it was indeed a note addressed to him.
Good morning sleepyhead!
You snored so loud and drooled all over me, so i decided to go home and change my clothes!
Just call for the doctor and be prepared to meet everyone when visitors’ time opens up at 9am. Have fun!
- Your Kokichi Oma
At the first sentence he felt a blush creep over his cheeks, embarrassed and ashamed that he had disturbed Kokichi’s sleep like that. He reached up to dry his mouth from his apparent drooling, but was surprised to find it completely dry and clean. If it was Kokichi’s note, maybe that part was just a lie...
It at least felt like it could be, just to be given a reason as of why he was gone when he woke up.
Well... Calling the nurse was at least a good first step.
***
He had called for the doctor on a button behind his headrest of his bed. He didn’t know how he was so certain that this was something he should do, but there was no other way to call for them other than that.
The nurse had rushed in and before he knew it they were checking his vitals on some screen next to his bed. They were so focused on this job that he felt awkward asking them about anything, and they constantly reassured him that he was safe whenever he tried to open up any form of communication.
If he had woken up to this he would probably been much more confused and upset. But the encounter with Kokichi had calmed his anxiety enough that he didn’t mind the silence as they tested his blood pressure, took a blood sample and went through even more charts on his screen...
It all seemed positive so he didn’t feel like he needed to ask what was happening just yet. They were doctors on duty, and he decided to trust that they knew what they were doing. It was however a little bit frustrating to be around people with such sealed lips...
They asked to monitor his heart with a stethoscope, and it was embarrassing to unbutton the hospital gown and show his chest and back, but he voiced no complaints as they handled it professionally. He didn’t appreciate the cool metal against his back and his chest, but then he noticed something when they checked him at his front.
There was a pale scar, in the middle of his chest. It was barely visible, and he might have missed it himself if not for the nurse putting the plate on his chest and the nerves under his scar not picking up the sensation as well as the rest of his skin. Had he not felt that, he doubted he would be able to even see the scar on his own anytime soon.
He bit his tongue as it felt like a bad moment to ask what this was about when the nurse was clearly trying to avoid any sort of conversation... But he would remember to look this up and ask at the next opportunity, when the nurse caring for him wasn’t so visibly distressed.
But it was certainly strange. He knew his own memories like the back of his hand, yet none of it could be trusted. It was a paradox to have such clear memories but none to explain the scar ingrained in his body, which he definitely wouldn’t have forgotten about.
His heart sank into his stomach as anxiety instead swelled up inside him, rooting itself inside his chest.
The nurse left him in silence and he sat there contemplating. He at least knew that Oma was okay, and that was something positive. So instead of giving in to the anxiety he decided to map out what he did know.
He was alive. Oma was alive. And Oma had specified that everyone would be there when the visiting hours began. That must have included the list of names he said yesterday, from a memory less blurred than the rest, but, still difficult to grasp because it felt so unthinkable for him..
He had seen them die . He had inspected their bodies, completely lifeless and void of a soul.
He had argued about who was the killer, ultimately sending them to their death .
All of this felt real... But this seemed to be contradicted in this world. He had seen at least one ghost alive already, and that was enough to make his head spin.
Before he could really dig down into his thoughts he suddenly heard a whole crowd outside of his room. The sounds came suddenly as if they just entered through a doorway further down the hall, and several recognizable voices echoed through the hallway.
Some footsteps rushed up to his door, and before he knew it his door flew open with such force that he was surprised it didn’t fall off its hinges. It did however make him yelp out in surprise, and he was glad that the nurses had taken off the IV drips and heart monitor when he got checked before, so that he could move more freely.
“Nyahahaha!~~ The Ultimate Detective is awake!” Before he could react, a flash of yellow and a lady with no sense of personal space was upon him and squeezed him in a warm hug. He was given no time to take in her presence before he was hugged from the other side of his bed by a bigger man, a hug encapsulated both him and Angie.
It was too overwhelming for it to sink in.
“Gonta is happy that Shuichi is back!” The bigger man announced and he could feel drops of tears hit his chest of his still open gown. Before embarrassment could hit him in the face like a train, he felt someone ruffle his hair and bring this attention up. In front of him, a familiar face entered his view.
“Good to have you back on the team Shuichi! It’s not easy being a hero when the sidekick is gone for so long, you know?” Kaito grinned brightly at him and straightened his back again, once he deemed Shuichi's hair messy enough to pay for his crimes.
“Guys, maybe give Shuichi some space to breathe too. He must be much more overwhelmed than we are, right?” From the door he heard a familiar voice, and as soon as the grip on him was released enough that he could move his head freely, he looked towards the source of that voice.
In the doorframe stood Kaede, an apologetic smile gracing her lips. She had always been so confident, but now she was more… careful, in her manners. But she was brimming to the edge with joy and he could see tears threatening to spill over her lashes as they locked eyes.
Shuichi wasn’t far behind. His chest hurt, and he reached up to grasp at it as he slowly let his eyes travel to take in the scene of the now cramped room, filled to the brim with all his friends, actually alive and somehow well.
Next to Kaede stood Rantaro, smiling gently. Gonta and Angie were on either side of his bed. Not far away from there stood Maki and Himiko... They both seemed like they wanted to be as close as possible to him, but, they haven’t been as forward as Gonta and Angie had been. Instead they had given their fellow survivor some space to breathe.
Kaito was at the end of his bed, moving there to not crowd the bed too much after Kaede reminded them to not overwhelm Shuichi the moment he woke up. He was surprised to see Tenko right next to Kaito, but less surprised as she was of course on the side where Himiko was...
In the back stood Kirumi, her face allowing a rare smile as she looked at the detective, when his eyes traveled there. Next to her stood Ryoma as calmly as ever, apparently not phased that he stood next to the person who had ended his life. It made him glad that the general aura in this whole room seemed so positive and serene, despite what had happened between them...
He was also surprised to see K1-B0, or Kiibo, next to them in the back. He had a sheepish smile as Shuichi must have looked rather stunned to see him there in the flesh-- or, in person would probably be less robophobic to say.
Miu was next to Kiibo, only raising an eyebrow as Shuichi had looked at Kiibo for so long, but she seemed to for once stay quiet and not pepper him with dirty throwbacks for staring at Kiibo. Even she seemed to show hints of mercy for his newly awakened state.
At last his eyes locked with Kokichi who stayed back at the window, giving him a slight knowing smirk as he casually scratches his finger under his eye. Most likely hinting that he was still puffy from crying last night, and having a good internal laugh over it. But he said nothing out loud, as if to keep it as their secret. Just enough of a reminder to make him feel embarrassed about it, probably.
“It is good to see that you are alright Shuichi. Pardon our intrusion, we have waited for you to wake up for a long time... So we all wanted to see you as soon as possible.” It was Kirumi speaking, and her voice was just as he remembered it. He quickly reached up to dry his eyes before he could start crying in front of them all, and he smiled, more than happy to accept this as his truth.
It was hard to grasp that they all were there, and it filled his chest with a gentle warmth. Maybe this wasn’t too bad, after all...
“Yeah-- w-wait. For how long have I been out?” He braces himself, more so as Kirumi stops in her tracks as if she is reluctant to say it. But she is as smooth as ever and answer his question calmly, barely missing a beat. He would probably not have noticed her hesitation unless he had been so observant of her in just that moment.
“You have just been out for a month. We were... extracted, rather quickly after it was over for us. You were a bit worse to wear, so they had to let you sleep a little longer before they could bring you back.” She choose her words carefully, but a small smile graced her worried lips.
Shuichi felt his jaw clench, and he looked down at the sheets as he rubbed his chin in thought. That was certainly words picked with care, and he felt a heavy weight behind each one of them.
“Extracted…. And, asleep…? For a month..? Bringing someone back, from, a coma? Have we all been induced into a comatose state..? But..” His mind reeled as he tried to connect the dots. There was so much that made too little sense, and he had to take a step back to connect the lines for the bigger picture.
But before he could get too deep into thought he felt a gentle hand pushing at his shoulder to get his attention. It was Kaede, and she smiled at him gently as she tried to get back in contact with him before he got too lost in thought. Angie had stepped aside and closer to the wall, to give her friend access to Shuichi's side.
“I promise Shuichi, we will give you all the details.. So please don’t worry all too much, okay?” She smiled at him, for once having it reach all the way to her eyes.
She was seemingly amused by his constant string of questions, but there was still tears building up above her lashes. She reached up to dry them away, laughing softly as her optimistic confidence makes a temporary return. “You’ve got to focus on getting better first, okay?”
He smiled at her and nodded, feeling okay with starting at that end. His mind was reeling already after so many impressions in such short time, but it felt okay to pause his investigation here, since it was proven that everyone was okay...
Or at least almost everyone; Tsumugi was nowhere in sight, and neither was Korekiyo. But he suspected that they were okay, wherever they were now… That was at least what felt logical, as 14 out of 16 had somehow made it out intact.
“Stop making that long face, Shuichi!” Kaito’s laugh suddenly burst out through the room, and he gave Shuichi’s leg a few claps to drag his attention at the end of the bed again.
“You’ll be busy getting well again! You gotta train even more now to get back in shape, and Maki will help you!” He grinned as he reached to pull Maki into an one armed hug. She puffed up her cheeks, looking utterly embarrassed by his sudden embrace.
It was clear as day to see that there is something between them both, and Shuichi couldn’t help but smile softly at how sweet they seemed to be together. However, it seems that his noticing was too much for Maki to handle, and she shoots him a piercing glare with no sign of holding herself back.
“...Do you want to die?” The question came so directly and due her discomfort, it came far too sharp.
Along with her glare, it felt like the whole temperature in the room sank- Everyone came to a sudden halt as they looked between Maki and Shuichi, as the former glared daggers into the latter.
Even Shuichi felt a cold sweat run past his cheek as he had forgotten how intense her stare could be. At last, he was saved by a soft chuckle coming from Kaito, breaking the silence again.
Before they knew it, the trio fell into an easy laughter. It was like a stone was lifted from Shuichi's chest as they acted like their old selves again, before tragedy hit them.
He couldn’t help himself from smiling as he recalled the moments when Maki had tried to joke with him in the beginning of their friendship. It had scared him as much as everybody else now probably had gotten by the sudden threat.
Even Maki let go of a small smile, slowly loosening up from her otherwise stoic expression.
“Well, I will come over when you have physical training and make sure you don’t slack.” She smiles, the expression coming to her easier than it did during that time at that horrible place. A lot must have happened in the month he had been gone... And despite the warning Shuichi got, he couldn’t help but look forward to train with Maki again.
“Ahaha, yeah… Thank you, Maki.” He smiled, and he felt energy in the rooms shift back to something calm and happy again, as they all seemed to have recovered from the situation before.
“A-and i can come too! I’ll collect all my MP and healing spells for you Shuichi!” Himiko finally chimed in after looking like she had wanted to say something for a long time. It warmed his heart, and it felt like everyone in the room was back in high spirits.
“Well, it’s good to see you up again kiddo. I gotta go, but just give us a call whenever. Unless you’re against it, I assume we’ll still come dropping by whenever we can.” It was Ryoma, speaking up with his deep voice as he gave Shuichi a thumbs up, before he hauled over to the door and left.
Shuichi could see him fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette on his way out, and it was easy to assume that he probably needed a smoke since it wasn’t allowed inside a hospital. If anything, he appreciated that Ryoma could wait with the smoke, but he did feel a little sad that he didn’t get time to talk more to him before he had to go.
“Oh! Yeah, Himiko. We have to run too! Sorry Shuichi. We’ll make up for it next time we visit. A-and you better get better soon and not make us worry, though, that would be typical of a degenerate male!” Tenko shifted suddenly, bringing up a hand in front of her face in her typical defensive pose. There was a hint of embarrassment in her voice, probably since she wasn’t used to showing that she cared for any man. But at least she didn’t sound venomous when she uttered ‘degenerate male’, so maybe she had loosened up around this circle of friends…
“Yeah..! We’ll come visit soon, okay? So save your MP too, we need to regen your HP!” Himiko smiled as she lit up, her expressions painted over her face as she was eager to offer her help. Shuichi smiled and nodded, uttering a small “Thank you..” as the two girls left to leave.
“Ahahaha! You won’t have a moment alone Shuichi, we all were very worried and missed you alot! Atua too is very pleased to have you back!” Angie somehow snuck in between Kaede and the bed, and she snuck in a small kiss on his cheek before she bounced after the two other girls, cheerily asking for them to wait for her.
Her voice was last to echo through the corridor and to the door out there, so it seemed like the trio was getting along well…
But the kiss on his cheek, in front of everyone , embarrassed him and he sighed quietly as he tried to ignore the blush that once again painted his cheeks. While he appreciated being looked after, he still hoped to get a little peace to recharge his batteries...
“I must apologize that we all have to leave so suddenly, Shuichi. I really want to stay, but most of us have classes to attend to this early. But we will come back whenever we can! In fact, we made a schedule so that you would never have to be alone and I assume that we will all keep following it so you don’t have to stay alone during your recovery.” This time it was Kiibo who interjected, and it looked like he was about to head out through the door as well.
“Wait..! Kiibo, ah, uhm..” Shuichi had to intercept and ask a question, but his fear of phrasing it wrong stopped him mid-sentence. However, it made Kiibo stop in his tracks and look at him. After a few awkward seconds, the robot smiled at him and proudly placed his hands on his waist in a confident pose.
“Aha! I know what you want to ask Shuichi! I was a robot inside the killing game, so how come I am in here with you?” He brightly asked the question Shuichi so much wanted an answer to, and he could do nothing more than nod as he wanted him to elaborate on that.
“Well, Iruma helped me build this body--” He started as he raised a finger to explain, but was stopped by Miu herself, stepping forward with a loud burst of laughter.
“Ahahaha! That was a piece of cake to rebuild Kiibo! Of course, with some modifications since his last design was DEAD ASS BORING.” She laughed again as she confidently continued, Kiibo looking uncertain whenever that was an insult or a compliment.
“Of course I with my golden brain could figure out how to make the best robotic body ever! And then we just loaded over Kiibos mind to this supercomputer. Aren’t I great? Just confess it Shuichi, I want to hear it!” She laughed and tapped Kiibos head, and he looks uncertain whenever that was to be taken as a compliment or not.
Before Shuichi could say anything, Kirumi stepped forward and grabbed both of their arms gently, which seemed to be the only way to surprise Miu to silence.
“Ah, let’s not bother Shuichi all too much. Will you both be so kind as to lead everyone to their classes? Rantaro and I will stay here for the first shift, as it is our shift now.” She smiled and closed her eyes, trusting them to do their best. Kiibo looked overjoyed to get a task he felt comfortable with, and Miu gave an insecure glance at the maid, as she wasn’t too sure how to handle this.
“Sorry Shuichi..” Kaede spoke again at last, trying to hide the small pout that painted her expression since Angie snuck in front of her to steal a kiss from Shuichi's cheek. She adjusted the straps on her backpack in a nervous habit and gave a sad smile, even though it was visible how much she tried to keep up a brave facade.
… Something must have happened to her since he last had seen her, but before Shuichi could reach out to her she had already braced herself with a brave smile and masked her emotions, making it hard for him to break through it.
“I’ll come back later this afternoon, so, please rest and get better soon! Ah, right. Um.” She kept fiddling with her backpack before she took it off, and she reached into it to bring out a book that she had brought with her. She put it in Shuichi's lap, and before he could have a chance to look at it she spoke quickly before he could make any objections.
“You said you liked books so… I brought this with me. I hope it’s okay! It, felt like something you’d enjoy but.. I’m very bad at reading books. I took help of the store cleric, but I hope you’ll like it..!” She laughed a little embarrassedly, and she reached for her backpack again to take out another item.
This time she put a cap on top of Shuichi’s head, placing it snugly over his hair before he had a moment to object. It felt strange as she was the one to ask him to remove the hat, and yet she was the one to return it to him here.
“That one is from Tsumugi. She didn’t want to come but, she made this for you and hoped you’d get well real soon! I know it might be confusing right now but... Trust me, it’ll be okay!” She smiled, and at last she put her backpack on her back again and adjusted the straps again. Apparently a nervous habit of hers, as the leather looks worn out where she touched it...
“Thank you, Kaede. Make sure you thank Tsumugi, too.” He smiled, even if it felt… off, to say that to someone like her. But he could not rule out that Tsumugi was as much of a victim as they were, and he would rather keep his options open.
Kaede smiled and nodded, and turned around to leave. On her way out Rantaro touched her arm and gave her a long look, and she just gave a nod before she hurried down the corridor and out of sight. Probably trying to catch up with the rest of her friends that seemed to wait outside of his room.
“Well, Gonta have to leave too. Very happy to have Shuichi back again!” Gonta broke the odd silence that followed after Kaede’s departure, and it partially felt like he might not be reading the situation too well as he smiled happily, unbothered by the previous silence.
“Yep! So, you better rest up Shuichi!” This time Kaito broke the silence and gave him a thumbs up, and in unison he left with Maki, Gonta, Miu and Kiibo. Kiibo of course led the group, telling them that they had exactly two minutes to get to their class and already making a route for them to take there.
Left in the room was Rantaro, Kirumi, and Oma, and it didn’t take long until Kirumi sighed and turned to the short boy that had observed everything from the back.
“You have classes too, Oma.” She looked at him with a motherly, stern expression. Kokichi grinned widely as he rested his hands behind his head, unfazed by her motherly scorn.
“Well, those classes are boring! If they wanted me to go to them, they should have made them interesting!” He shifted quickly to instead ball his fists in front of him, his expressions as lively as usual.
Kirumi sighed, not knowing what else to tell him and looked completely exasperated by his antics. It seemed like Kirumi have had to deal with Oma for a while now, which would add up to what was told about him being comatose for at least a month, with the rest being able to interact with each other...
“H-hey now. If you have classes you should go there. I don’t… Think I’ll leave here anytime soon.” Shuichi injected, worried where this would lead if he stayed silent. Kirumi gave him a thankful expression, while Oma stared at him silently before his expression turned devious.
“Oh, so Shuichi wants me to leave?” He smirks, and despite it being obvious that there was some hidden objective behind what he said, it still made Shuichi’s heart sink. He quickly tried to correct that statement, not liking the tone of what he said in the least.
“N-no! Of course I don’t want you to leave, but… I don’t want to cause you trouble either.” He took a deep breath to stay firm, and despite his anxiety working itself up, he refused to look away from Oma to get his message across.
The other stayed silent for a while, but at last laughed his trademark laugh and stepped forward to tap the new cap down over his eyes, rendering Shuichi blind to his next expression.
“Nishishi! Well then, if my dear Saihara tells me to leave I can’t refuse. I’ll see you later!” Still laughing he bounced away and out of the room, judging by his voice drifting away like the rest of the crowd had done before him.
Saihara frowned and adjusted his cap, rather overwhelmed by this whole ideal. After all, he was rather taken aback to just see his friends be brought back to life. It warmed his heart, but there was so much to take in...
“Ahhh, I can never really seem to understand that guy.” Rantaro broke the silence after a while, and he brought a chair to sit next to Shuichi’s bed.
Kirumi smiled as she looked through her bag and she brought up an apple and a knife to peel said apple, looking as if she enjoyed the silence and this simple task after all this ruckus.
“Yeah.. So, uh… If you don’t mind me asking… Just, what is going on?” Shuichi adjusted his cap again, but ended up taking it off and placing it in his lap as he looked at Rantaro. He was a bit unused to see him, since he along with Kaede had been the first to… Leave.
“Ahaha, I figured you’d jump to the questions immediately...” Rantaro laughed uneasily and reached to scratch his head. He looked at Kirumi for help, but since she kept silent and out of the way, he sighed and leaned back in the chair with a mysterious yet aloof expression.
“Alright, however, I’m not the best at explaining, and I don’t want to go too deep into this... You know how much they want the despair and hope thing going?” Rantaro looked at him, his smile gone from his face and replaced with a look of discomfort. Shuichi nodded, hoping that he’d get at least something more to work with.
“They tried to simulate it, but… It appears it wasn’t possible to create real despair or hope through computer coding, no matter who did it. So, they decided to plug real people into the game, erase their damn memories and have the sick game going. Fun, right?” The smile grew back to Rantaro’s face with such sarcastic force, to the point that it sent a chill down Shuichi’s back. Dumbfounded, he just nodded, as… this was a lot for him to process.
“And those lucky people is us. So welcome to the celebrityship of being a Danganronpa, Shuichi.”