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“Hey, Kokichi?”
Kokichi looked over at Shuichi. They were resting in Kokichi’s room after a long day of running away from Gonta who insisted on having another Insect Meet and Greet. (This time it wasn't Kokichi’s fault, surprisingly.) Gonta had broken Shuichi’s door, and Kokichi had offered -cough cough, forced- Shuichi to sleep with him in his room.
It would have been weird if the whole academy didn't know they were almost dating. (But only almost, because Shuichi was very dense and could never tell whether Kokichi was flirting with him or not.)
“Hmmmm?” Kokichi glanced over from where he was sketching something, two of his fingers twirling a part of his hair.
“Who are these kids?” Shuichi was looking at a picture of Kokichi standing with five kids outside of an elementary school with an awfully familiar crest above the door.
“Ah, those are the self-proclaimed Warriors of Hope.” Kokichi looked over and said with a smile. Then he stiffened. “...wait! No! You’re not supposed to know about them!”
Kokichi snatched the photo back from Shuichi and hugged it to his chest.
“Oh, why not? Can you tell me about them?”
“Shumai, even if you pull that adorable face, I will neeeever tell you.” He stuck his tongue out.
“Come on, please? You’ve already told me about D.I.C.E, but not about them. What more do you have to lose?”
Kokichi hesitated, glancing back down at the picture. He sighed.
“Nishishi, well, this one was a serious secret. One I planned on keeping, for the sake of these kids. But I guuueess I can tell you.” He turned back to Shuichi and grinned a childish grin. “You just have to promise not to tell anyone . Or I’ll reaaally kill you.”
“Alright, I promise.” Shuichi nodded, smiling softly and settling down in one of the only chairs that wasn't cluttered with junk.
“Well, there was this group of kids I met one day, behind the warehouse where me and one of the D.I.C.E members were going to graffiti.” Kokichi pulled the picture from his chest and stared at it instead. “They all had different colored hair. Pink, red, green, blue, but one of the kids had a mask on so I couldn't see his face, or entire head actually. They were all crying and panicking, huddled around the green-haired girl on the ground. That one was Monaca. Of course, I ran over to help them. Off topic, but it’s kinda funny. See, these kids were only six and seven, I was…thirteen or twelve, but we were all around the same height.” Kokichi smiled.
“Looks like you’re never gonna grow.” Shuichi smiled and rolled his eyes.
“Hey, hushie! Let me finish my story…
~
“Hey!” Kokichi ran over to the group of kids, bottles of spray paint left on the ground. “Hey, hey, what's wrong?”
None of the children spoke for a second. And then, after a moment, the blue-haired one spoke up.
“W...we ran away. We ran away but they’re going to catch us-”
“Who? Who’s gonna catch you?” Kokichi swallowed dryly. “It's...it's not your parents, is it?”
All five kids hesitantly nodded.
“Monaca’s big brother screamed and screamed and pushed her down the big, concrete stairs after she made papa mad. Monaca’s legs hurt a lot…but still Monaca stood up and ran away.” Monaca sniffled. “Nagisa saved Monaca and picked her up and brought her here.”
The blue-haired one -Nagisa- nodded. “Yes, and we collected Kotoko, Masaru and Jataro by our school’s playground. Then we ran.”
“Yeah. ‘Course I was fastest but I waited for them. I was the one who found this spot to hide.” Masaru boasted.
“We can't hide here forever though, they know, they’re going to find us a-and bring us back-” Kotoko sniffled.
“I…I don’t want to go back…” Jataro mumbled, his voice muffled by the mask.
Kokichi frowned slightly. “I…I know how you five feel. I was once like you too.” He sighed.
“But I learned a secret. A trick. Something to protect you.”
“A trick? A secret?” Nagisa’s eyes widened. “What is it?”
“Lying!” Kokichi grinned. “With lying, you can delay the inevitable and prepare for it. Sometimes you can avoid…bad things, completely.”
“Lying? But...but we’re no good at lying. They’ll find us out.”
“Not if I teach you.” Kokichi smiled. “You have to pretend you don't feel anything. Pretend like what they do isn't getting to you. It's just all make-believe, just all acting.”
“Acting…” Kotoko perked up. “I like acting.”
“Yeah! Just like acting! When you’re acting you have to pretend to have certain emotions, right? Well this time, you have to pretend to always be happy and never sad, or upset.”
“Learn how to sneak into places you’re not supposed to be, and how to steal things. Because you’re just kids, adults will think you’re just dumb and stupid. Use that to your advantage. And you’re small, use that to your advantage, too. Don't think no one is watching you, someone always will be. So you have to look like you know exactly what you’re doing. You have to act confident. It doesn't look like you’re trying to do anything suspicious.”
Masaru nodded slowly. “Be confident…like a hero?”
“Yep yep yep, exactly. Like a hero.” Kokichi nodded back at Masaru.
“Whaat aboout meee?” Jataro looked at Kokichi. “How doo I get oouut of the houusse?”
“Well, you should learn how to pick locks. Any and all types of locks.” Kokichi hummed and nodded. “Here, you can start with these tools. These are spare ones of mine.”
He reached into his pocket and took out two lock picking rods.
“Stick this one on the top of the lock, and then use this one and just-” He glanced around and found a rusty lock to use. He inserted the rods and successfully picked it. “Just like that, y’see?”
“Oooohhh, I get it.” Jataro’s face lit up when Kokichi handed him the rods.
“Nagisa, that's your name right?” Nagisa nodded. “...wait a minute, I think I know- you were mentioned in that article about how long a child can study before they crash.”
Nagisa’s face went pale and he nodded.
“Read that somewhere on a dark website. Okay, do you know how to cheat on tests?”
“Ch-cheat!?” The boy’s eyes widened.
“Mhm, cheat. Gonna take that as a no. The goal is to use your peripheral vision as much as possible. If someone is about to catch you close your eyes, fake being sleepy. But yeah, train your eyes to look in one place but be focusing on somewhere else. Helps a lot.”
“And Monaca.” He turned to the girl who had sat up. Her legs were badly bruised with various scrapes and a bit of blood. He looked around and spotted a small wheelchair tipped over in surprisingly good condition. He ran over and brought it back to the group.
“Monaca doesn't need a wheelchair…” She said, confused.
“Those legs say otherwise. And plus, it's a lot more than just needing it to get around.” He helped her up and get settled in the wheelchair. “You have to pretend to be a pitiful figure.”
“A…pitiful figure?”
“Mhm. A pitiful figure.” Kokichi nodded. “If someone pities you, they’ll do whatever you want. Especially because your brother was the one to push you down the stairs, he’ll think it's all his fault that you ended up ‘paralyzed’, and he’ll feel soooooo guilty.” Kokichi chuckled. “You can manipulate someone a lot if they’re suffering from guilt.”
“A pitiful figure.” Monaca nodded. “Okay, Onii-chan. Monaca will become a pitiful figure.”
Kokichi grinned, a strange fluttering in his heart when he was called Onii-chan.
“You guys’ll be so great. I once hoped for a world where children did not have to suffer, but as long as filthy adults are in it, that isn't possible.” He sighed. “But you five… you must survive. You must live and survive out of spite. If they want you dead soooo badly, then you have to live just to make them angry.”
The five kids nodded, grinning wide.
“What should we call you, Onii-chan?” Monaca asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Ouma. Ouma Kokichi. But don't you ever say that name out loud.” Kokichi giggled. “You guys can be the new members of my organization DICE! Me and all my friends all ran away and made that organization and I’m the leader. And we’ve been looking for some junior members, you guys are perfect.”
“DICE? Junior members?” Nagisa asked. “We’re not that young, Jataro is the youngest and he’s six.”
“Ooh, you guys are young. I'm… twelve. Or thirteen. Can’t remember. But still!” Kokichi bounced. “I’m here with one of my members to tag this building. If it wasn't getting super late I would take you back to our ultra secret base. But if you’re still gone by night they’re gonna call the cops and I don't wanna be charged with kidnapping.”
“Oh…okay.” Jataro nodded. “But, thank you for helping us Ouma-senpa-”
“No, nuh uh, no senpai, just Ouma is okay.”
“Thank you, Ouma!” Masaru grinned and flung his arms around Kokichi.
“Wha-” Before he could even ask the newest members of DICE had clung onto and hugged him (save for Kotoko, who didn't really like to be touched.)
Kokichi blinked, then smiled and wrapped his arms around the children.
“Soon. Soon adults won't be able to hurt you anymore. I promise.”
~
“I left them when I got the acceptance letter from the Ultimate Academy.” Kokichi said, staring at the picture. “I told Monaca that she was the leader now, of their little group. She was the one that picked the name ‘Warriors of Hope.’ Though Masaru threw a fit. I told him he could be the leader, but I think Monaca still knows she's the one in charge. Jataro made me a little charm as a goodbye present, and I still keep it in my pocket.” He chuckled.
“Before I left, Nagisa promised that they’d make a world without adults, a children’s paradise of sorts. For all of them, me, and DICE as well. According to him, we were ‘honorary children’ or ‘kids at heart.’ Nishishi, as nice as that sounds, I sure hope they don't kill anyone for it.”
Shuichi quietly observed the boy before him. His posture was lax and his shoulders that were always held up so high had finally dropped. Shuichi wasn't even sure that Kokichi knew he was still here. He had gotten lost in the picture, and the memories that came with it.
“...I didn't turn my back on them or DICE when I left.” Kokichi said after a small pause. “What I regret the most is letting them watch me be stuffed into that black van. Masaru tried to run after and attack but the DICE member I left in charge had to hold him back. Even then I tried to look calm and unaffected. Like I knew it was gonna happen, y’know? But…I knew Monaca could tell I was-” He cut himself off, suddenly realizing he was still in the room with Shuichi. In a flash a grin spread across his face and the soft tone of his voice changed to sound higher and louder. “Monaca knew I was enjoying it. She knows how much I love surprises! Even when I-”
“Kokichi, you’re lying.” Shuichi said, a bit sad that the tender moment had abruptly ended.
He doesn't like to admit when he’s scared. Or vulnerable. This moment alone was someone he wouldn't do with anyone but someone he trusted. Shuichi thought.
“Shuichi, I dunno if you’ve noticed, but that's kind of my thing.” Kokichi rolled his eyes, putting the picture down.
“Even if you don't say it out loud, I know that you were scared.” Shuichi hummed. “There’s no human that wouldn't be terrified if they suddenly got stuffed into a van. I...I was terrified. In all honesty I thought I was going to die. I’m...glad I don't remember anything after that.”
“Awww. Well. Glad we had this corny bonding moment~! Now I’m gonna take a shower before the nighttime announcement goes off sooooo, see ya!” Kokichi bounced up off the bed, gathered some sleep clothes and skipped (albeit a bit hurriedly) into the bathroom. The door locked with a click and Shuichi wasn't able to grab his hand before Kokichi had retreated.
Shuichi was left in the room with his hand still outstretched. He knew he was waiting for the cold, bony hand of Kokichi to somehow slip perfectly into his, but the minutes passed and nothing came.
He lowered his arm and pretended not to hear the sound of muffled crying masked by the running water.