Chapter Text
“Umeko!” Katsumi’s smiling face was the first to greet her as she walked through the door. His hair had grown out to shoulder length, and he’d started to wear thick winged eyeliner. It suited him, even if it made his resemblance to Maiko even stronger. They were only cousins, but the only noticeable differences between them was eye color and gender. In contrast to Maiko’s vibrant green, his eyes were a deep burgundy.
Umeko had never really talked to him much at Hope’s Peak, even if she was an Ultimate too, there was something more intimidating about being the Ultimate Actor. He was on TV all the time, and in movies, and all the glamor was just too overwhelming. Not that he was rude or acted superior, but she’d been more than a little starstruck. Even now, his smile was dazzling.
“Hey..”
“Madoka, hey.” He nudged the boy next to him. “Umeko is here.”
“Oh…” Madoka slowly turned his head to Umeko and blinked a couple times. “You’re not dead. Congrats I guess…” he said, before drifting off again. Madoka had always been a bit spacy when it came to things he wasn’t really passionate about, though that sort of hyperfocus on plants was probably why he was the Ultimate Botanist.
Umeko looked around the room at the four others gathered. “Is this everyone?” It was kinda hard to believe, out of her whole class, only five had made it.
“Well, we can think about it later, come on Ume, it’s a party! We’ve got champagne, food… I mean we could probably set up a movie?” Katsumi fixed her with another dazzling smile, his voice gentle and accommodating.
“Ah, no, that’s fine..”
Umeko mostly just listened as everyone told her what they’d been up to since they arrived on the island. Madoka was researching and experimenting with plant life that would filter pollution from the air, and crops that would take less maintenance to grow food. Katsumi had been raising a flock of chickens that he’d given affectionate, and slightly bizarre names to. Maiko planted a garden to make the island more self sufficient, and lastly, Tsukiko had gotten into herbal medicine, and converted her cottage into a temporary shrine.
“Yeah, like a year ago future foundation picked us up, and Madoka kicked all their asses!” Katsumi laughed.
“Madoka?” Umeko tried, but she couldn’t imagine it. Tsukiko rolled her eyes.
“Not exactly.” Maiko began to explain. “He just.. Convinced them that our best interests were in their best interests.”
Umeko laughed. “Okay… but how?”
“Well… Madoka, would you prefer to explain?” Maiko asked, tapping Madoka on the shoulder to get his attention.
He startled and looked up. “Hmm? Oh… no.” He shook his head.
Maiko smiled gently, a look so utterly graceful and perfect that Umeko’s heart skipped a beat. “Alright.. Well, Madoka convinced them that while our mental and physical states would be better suited to running a research outpost rather than being active members. So long as he keeps them updated on his progress, and sends them results, they’ll mostly leave us alone.” She said.
“Welllll… Sometimes they send people to inspect the place, but not a lot.” Katsumi added. “Besides, it’s not so bad to have extra people here for a couple days.”
Tsukiko snorted. “You’re just saying that because you have a cr-”
“What are we, twelve?” Katsumi rolled his eyes as he cut her off. “Besides, there’s a difference between finding someone aesthetically pleasing and having a genuine interest in them.” He grinned. “Anyways, Ume, let’s go out on the porch okay? It’s a lovely night.” He got to his feet and held out his hand.
“Okay.” Umeko took it and let him lead her outside. The night had fallen, and the sky was a deep velvety blue. The moon was in a waxing gibbous phase, and nearly full, but best of all, were the stars. Free from the light pollution of cities, and the clouds of toxic gas that covered most of the world, there were millions upon millions of stars, casting the island in a silvery light.
“Everything’s gonna be alright now Ume.” He smiled at her, the same gentle smile that she’d seen on Maiko’s face. “We can get you a telescope and everything, so you can still do astrology stuff.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Astronomy. It’s astronomy Katsumi. Astrology is fortune telling. I actually study stars and their movement. Speaking of,” She pointed to one particularly bright star. “That one’s actually going supernova, it’s dying. We might not even see it tomorrow.”
“I really can’t tell the difference.”
Umeko returned to her room tired and achy. Her injured leg had not appreciated being stood on, and breathing still stung, even with the clean air. She shoved her duffle bag under the bed, and went to sleep.
“So… you all have your jobs, what do I do?” Umeko asked the next morning. The entire breakfast table fell silent as no one seemed to know how to answer. Madoka, who hadn’t been paying attention, was snapped out of his thoughts by the sudden change in volume. Almas put down the… bowl of coffee? She was drinking.
“Fujiwara, you’ll need to stay off your feet and not carry any heavy objects for at least another month.” She sighed. “Besides, there’s not much to do. We have much free time.”
“Madoka does do his planty stuff all day, and Doc is required to stay in the hospital pretty much 24/7, but the rest of us finish our jobs in like an hour or so.” He smiled at her. “Go swimming or read a book or something, try to relax.”
Umeko frowned and pushed the eggs around her plate. They were good, apparently from Katsumi’s chicken coop, but she wasn’t feeling very hungry. It was weird.. The sound of the ocean, the clean fresh air, and only having five people within what must be the next hundred miles. She wondered where everyone else was, when she’d heard that her surviving classmates were on Jabberwock Island, Umeko had agreed to go without a second thought. But… among the seventeen people Future Foundation had rescued, she was the only Ultimate. She clenched her hand into a tight fist around her fork. How could she just leave them like that? For a year and a half she’d been with those people, they looked out for her, and she’d just left them.
“Hey, Ume, you good? You got quiet there.” Katsumi was tilting his head at her, his tone light and curious.
She forced a smiled back at him, hoping no one would notice.. “Oh, umm, yes.” she said. Tsukiko took Umeko’s hand and squeezed it, and she felt warmth blossoming in her chest. “Yes.” Her smile softened, and she leaned against her friend’s side. “Maiko? Is there any way to contact Future Foundation?”
“Well.. we’re pretty far from any other outpost so the connection isn’t that great, but we do have a contact laptop thing?” She mimed a square with her hands.
“So.. a computer with Skype?” Umeko suggested.
Maiko looked at Katsumi, and he chuckled. “Yeah basically. A bit more technically than that, but basically the same. We usually just use it for emergencies or to send over Madoka’s research.”
Tsukiko snorted. “Or to try and call your b-”
“NO!” Katsumi lurched over the table and clamped his hands over Tsukiko’s mouth. “Hush your face!” Tsukiko just rolled her eyes.
“But..” Maiko continued where Katsumi left off. “If you want to contact them you can. There’s no rule we only can use it for emergencies.”
Katsumi drew his hands back, and grabbed his napkin. “Eww, she licked me.”
“Get over it nerd.” Tsukiko said.
“Don’t call me nerd, nerd.” Katsumi shot back with a smile. Maiko shook her head, and the more Umeko thought about it, she realized that he was much the same way at Hope’s Peak. Maiko’s regal disappointment, Madoka not paying any attention, and Tsukiko goofing off with Suzu… Umeko cut herself off. Suzume wasn’t here. Katsumi was being playful and friendly, the same way he was in school. She could almost believe that nothing had happened, that they’d booked some tropical vacation together, that was all. She could almost make herself believe that if it weren’t for the way her lungs hurt every time she took a breath.
Umeko sighed. She’d have a lot of free time on her hands from now on, might as well find a way to make herself busy.