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Even though the Future Foundation could have provided widespread living quarters, even having houses across the different islands, the sixteen inhabitants of Jabberwock Island opted to live near each other in a cluster of houses not unlike the cottages of the Neo World Program. They were created from the dilapidated structures of houses remaining on the island, given sleeker designs and new furnishings. Unlike the cottages from the Neo World programs, few of these houses were singlets, most being pairs of living spaces with a shared wall. Hajime never thought he would enjoy such closeness. Sometimes he could hear Impostor rehearsing for new disguises or the whir of a sewing machine on the other side of the wall, and it was actually nice.
They quickly fell into a routine upon their arrival to the real island, and this time it didn’t come from a place of fear. An old diner was turned into Teruteru’s own kitchen and where they all gathered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. They all tended to the fruit and vegetable patches. They all took turns feeding the livestock at the farm at the neighboring island (except for Gundham, who said he did not “involve [him]self with livestock and domestic animals who are fated to die without choice or ability to fight”). Akane was the one who handled the slaughter of said animals. Nekomaru and Akane were typically the ones who would go fishing at the dock on Tuesdays and Fridays, and when Nagito went it was a tossup if he would catch an amazing, gigantic fish or one that gave you radiation poisoning when you touched it with bare skin. Kazuichi was primarily responsible for maintenance and repairs with Hajime sometimes lending a hand.
Impostor kept track of inventory and shipments and noted down any supplies they needed that wouldn't be included in the monthly shipment. They were the one who kept correspondence with the Future Foundation.
When supply shipments arrived on the 15th of each month, everyone got to work moving crates and putting things in their rightful places. The Future Foundation members didn't step foot beyond the loading dock, and that was how the islanders liked it. It was always just the sixteen of them with their set routines and chores (well, more like fourteen; Ibuki and Kazuichi always ran off once they found the hair dye and bleach, leaving the rest to put the supplies away). No changes, no surprises.
Until today.
Hajime was among the last to reach the docks, and wondered why he hadn’t seen anyone walking past pushing dollies or carrying crates - though he did pass Gundham, who had apparently abandoned their shared job to fend a mongoose away from where turtle eggs were buried and marked off. Hajime made a note to check and make sure he hadn't gotten bitten (again) later, and continued making his way to the docks.
His fellow islanders stood in a cluster, talking and laughing. An unfamiliar laugh made the hairs on his nape stand on end. The Future Foundation members never hung around to chat, so what was this?
He marched down toward the docks and stepped to the side to see past Nekomaru’s hulking frame, and then wished he’d stayed in bed.
Makoto Naegi, the skinny Byakuya Togami, and… some bespectacled guy not wearing the regular Future Foundation lackey uniform stood on the dock. He thought the third man may have been there the day the remnants saved the Future Foundation.
“Haji!" Ibuki cried, waving excitedly like she hadn't seen him at breakfast less than an hour ago. "Tell Mister Skinny Togami he should dye his hair with us!"
“It would be much appreciated if you would stop calling me that,” said Togami, irritation seeping into his voice.
“C’mon, Togster! Have some fun!” bellowed the third man.
“Call me that again and see what happens,” Togami threatened.
“I’ve told you lot to stop dilly-dallying around. We can chit-chat after our work is done,” said Impostor, who was currently posing as Togami.
“And you! Take my face off!” Togami cried. "I will not take such disrespect!"
Hajime didn’t step into that… situation. His eyes were on Nagito, but Nagito’s eyes weren’t on him.
Nekomaru held onto the back of Nagito’s shirt, knowing from experience that Nagito would slip right out of his jacket if someone held the hood. Hajime knew Nagito's shirt would never go back to normal from how far the collar was stretched as he tried to pull forward. His face split in two with this huge grin.
Grinning at Makoto Naegi.
Hajime was plunged into darkness. A face slowly appeared, the details fuzzy except for glowing red eyes that bored into his.
He shook his head once, twice. He was back on the dock. He spun on his heel and stomped off. Let the others and their new friends deal with the shipment.
"Assholes," he grumbled.
"Hajime."
He practically jumped out of his skin, then stood, looking around frantically. Looking like an idiot.
The Jabberwock oaks were sparsely scattered across the island, the forests definitely not what it used to be (at least, he thought. He'd never actually seen Jabberwock prior to the Tragedy, only pictures of wildlife and touristy spots). He couldn't see anyone standing among the trees. So where…
"Up and slightly to the left."
Now he knew what was going on even before he followed the directions. Peko was crouched on a low branch with her sword at her hip. The war was over but she looked more fierce nowadays in her black and grey hakama and rice sandals.
Maybe she didn’t realize it was over.
“Having fun up there?” Hajime asked.
She continued to stare straight ahead toward the dock.
“Tell me, Hajime. Do you feel threatened by their presence here?" she questioned. He chuckled nervously.
"I, uh, I don't think they're here to kill us, if that’s what you mean."
“WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THE TANAKA EMPIRE?” boomed a deep voice from ahead. Hajime turned to watch Gundham try to intimidate the so-called intruders.
"Then why do you think they're here?" Peko asked.
Hajime was silent for a moment. "Please don't do anything rash."
If a remnant attacked Naegi or skinny Togami…
But a small part of him was glad he wasn't the only one unhappy with this. Smug, even. He watched Peko for a moment and looked back at the group, where Sonia seemed to be trying to calm Gundham down. Hajime shook his head and made his way toward his cottage.
***
There was no way those three only came along to say hi, and he’d seen all three plus their bodyguards too many times already. There was no relaxing on the southern shore when Hagakure was passed out on a towel in the sand, and soon after he found the northern shore had been hijacked as well, Togami typing away on his laptop in swimming garb and making shooing motions at Naegi. He wished bridge construction was complete so he could just get off the center island and far away from these guys. There was the ferry, but Impostor would give him an earful about a one-person trip being a waste of gas, just go with whoever has farm-duty today when they went to the farm or with Gundham and Sonia when they do their conservation stuff, blah blah blah.
He was effectively trapped on the smallest island with these guys.
He was being dramatic, he knew he was. But whenever he looked at them, he saw…
Why were him and Peko the only ones struggling with this visit? He had seen Sonia cry over Novoselic, awkwardly consoled Kazuichi when he cried that the whole world hated them, listened to Ryota’s million apologies for not reporting Junko before it got so bad (and pretended to forgive him), heard most of his friends cry for their friends and family. How was everyone so okay with these walking, talking reminders of the world they could never be a part of?
He shook the thought away. He dealt with a lot of annoyances. He could deal with some unwelcome visitors.
Lunchtime came around. How was it only 12:30? The day felt unbearably long, and he hadn’t even done anything.
He wasn’t surprised when they walked in with Mahiru, Impostor, and Ibuki while he and Kazuichi were setting the table with too many plates and chairs.
Just… disappointed.
Hagakure, whose skin had turned a painful-looking red, sat in the chair to Naegi's left. Togami sat across from them.
"Kaz," Hajime said. It came out as a feeble croak, and Kazuichi frowned. Hajime coughed. "Sit by Naegi, will you?"
"What? Why?"
"Just do it!" Hajime hissed. Kazuichi made a face at him but took the seat next to Naegi. Hajime felt… lighter. Now Nagito couldn't sit next to Naegi.
"Psst! Aren't you gonna sit by me?" Kazuichi hissed.
Hajime sat by him, and much to his relief, Nagito sat on Hajime's other side.
Peko and Fuyuhiko sat side-by-side, of course. Peko openly glared at the Future Foundation members.
Kazuichi's crab trap was clearly a success, and Teruteru delightedly dropped crab legs and claws on everyone's plates while babbling on about how much tomalley (whatever that is) he bottled up for use in later recipes.
“I helped cut up the crab!” Akane proclaimed proudly, rice spraying from her mouth.
“Close your mouth, you gross pig!” Hiyoko squealed as Teruteru cried, “You kept eating it raw!”
“That’s my girl!” Nekomaru bellowed and slapped Akane on the back, knocking her forward. Her face nearly slammed into the table, and she sprung up and got Nekomaru in a headlock.
“Hey, hey! Not at the table!” Teruteru cried, swatting at them with a cloth.
This display was completely ordinary, but Hajime couldn’t look away. Just at the edge of his peripheral vision, he could see skinny Togami, and Naegi and Hagakure were out of sight with his head turned but not out of mind.
The islanders had come so far. They were family. They were happy most days.
These Future Foundation pricks were here to remind them of how broken they were.
THUD!
Naegi, Togami, and Hagakure jumped. Togami’s three sunglasses-wearing lackeys leapt out of their chairs. But the islanders didn’t react to the door banging against the wall.
Gundham and Sonia came in fashionably late as per usual. For once, Hajime actually wanted Gundham to cause a scene.
Go on, freak these pompous twats out.
Get them out of here.
"Late again, after I've worked so hard on this meal!" Teruteru shook his head, tutting. "Oh, but I can't stay mad at you. I saved good parts for ya darlins'."
"Do not look at us in such a way, dirty fiend," Gundam exclaimed, dropping into a chair.
Hajime had his fingers crossed. A solid minute went by, seconds bloated with dull conversation dragging by. Hajime knew that the food must have tasted good, prepared by the ultimate chef, but he didn’t taste much. His esophagus seemed to be dysfunctioning, as the crab and salad fought going down.
Gundham slammed his hands down on the table loudly, halting conversation.
"What the fuck, dude!"
"Is there an emergency, Gundham?"
"You made me spill my melon soda!"
"Can you behave for one meal?"
Sonia raised her glass and tapped it with her fork. It was no use in silencing the outrage, so Gundham resorted to shouting over them.
"Rogue men who have wandered onto the isle of the damned, this land belongs to beasts and demons. If you so desire to walk among us for a length of time, you shall leave all undisturbed, lest you know the wrath of Gundham Tanaka!"
At least seven, maybe eight voices yelled at him to shut up and let them eat in peace. Hajime and Kazuichi were preoccupied sopping up the rapidly spreading green puddle on the table. Naegi was also attempting to help but kept getting distracted by the conversations around them. And of course the melon soda stopped just inches short of Nagito and his plate, leaving him dry.
“You’re threatening me?” Skinny Togami asked, lip curling. “Just who-”
“Beasts? Like wild animals?” Hagakure asked through a mouthful of food. “You the guy working on conservation and stuff? That’s cool, dude.”
Gundham stared blankly for a moment, then launched into a tirade about how he and his "Dark Queen" would bring about an animal insurrection.
They won Gundham over. Gundham!
Ibuki slammed her hands down on the table. No one flinched this time. "Ibuki has an announcement too! No, I mean a question! I have a question! Ibuki has a question for Mister Naegi!"
“Ask away!” Naegi said cheerfully, smiling. Such a good natured expression… Hajime couldn’t look away, glaring hard.
“So um, I know people are still like super scared of us, but… Ibuki wants to share her music! Maybe my music will make people see we’re not so scary!” She must have seen Naegi’s smile turn nervous. A pleading desperation entered his voice. “I don’t mean like going back to Japan and doing a real show! Ibuki knows she can’t perform in person! Ibuki knows she can’t perform in front of people! But I thought I could just stream it from here on the island. They could see the videos and see that we’re just doing our own thing and not bugging them! We’re cool now.”
“Well…” Naegi chuckled nervously, not quite looking at Ibuki. “I know how frustrating this might be, but the public is still very apprehensive and-”
“The answer is no. Period,” Togami butted in. “Of course you can’t broadcast a performance. You can’t broadcast anything - not now, not ever. The video you made taking credit for the attack on the Final Killing Game was and will continue to be the last the public ever hears from the Remnants.”
It was like someone hit the mute button on the entire room. Ryota dropped his head into his hands and Impostor, still wearing Skinny Togami’s face, patted his back. Akane sat frozen with her mouth gaping around a forkful for a good few seconds before she resumed eating. Sonia’s face was completely blank. Gundham puffed his chest out and squared his shoulders. Only Nagito looked totally unfazed, smiling as he made his crab legs walk and dance along the table.
“That was harsh, dude.” Hagakure murmured this, but everyone heard.
Ibuki’s mouth hung open for a moment, and then clamped shut. For a split second, her face crumpled and her eyes seemed to shimmer in the light. But then she smiled widely. “Oh boo! Oh well, Ibuki is happy to keep performing for her friends!”
Ibuki’s music drove them crazy when it went on well into the night. Hajime frequently found himself wanting to throw her amp into the sea. But right now, he wanted the world to hear.
“You’re welcome,” Hajime said, his own voice surprising him. Kazuichi frowned at him.
“Excuse me?” Shitty Togami asked.
“You’re welcome for covering your asses. You’re welcome for taking the blame so the world wouldn’t turn on your shitty Future Foundation,” Hajime snapped.
“We really appreciate-” Naegi started.
“Shut up! Shut the fuck up!”
Hajime shot up out of his chair, knocking it right over. His face was hot. He wasn’t usually among those causing scenes like this, but here he was with all eyes on him.
Sit back down (apology optional) and avoid eye contact. Throw his drink on Togami and/or Naegi.
With these options playing in his head, he took a plan C and walked toward the door with his head held high. Tripping over a lump in the rug spoiled his dignified exit, and he quickened his pace.
“Hajime! Where the fuck are you going?” Kazuichi called after him.
“Hajime?” Nagito called too.
Hajime stepped outside without looking back.
I need to get out of here I need to get out of here I need I need I need to get out of here out out out
Inky blackness, devoid of anything but the eyes. A hand appeared, reaching toward him.
Hajime broke into a sprint. The darkness reached out, tendrils wrapping his arms and ankles, grabbing, pulling him back.
His legs burned. His lungs screamed at him to stop. But he wouldn't.
And he burst through the darkness, sunlight burning his eyes. His feet slid over an edge. He was diagonal, horizontal, parallel with the sand. He put his arms out but still got a face full of sand.
He sat up, spitting out sand. He looked at the sea ahead and a crazy thought told him to kick off his shoes and swim. No, he wasn’t that stupid.
He leaned against the wall, head knocking against the concrete.
A soft sigh to his left.
He looked over. Chiaki settled beside him, shifting to get comfortable in the sand.
“Don’t look like that,” he muttered. She gave him a wry smile.
“I’m not looking at you like anything,” she said.
He looked ahead at the water. He could still feel her eyes on him.
“I know I’m being a jerk,” he said. “I just… I like how it is when it’s just us. I like the life we’ve made. But those guys turn up, and yeah, it’s only been a couple hours, but the thought of days like this...”
“Why?”
“They’re normal people. We’re not. I see them and it’s not just us on this island, there’s the entire rest of the world that…” He trailed off. Some kind of fish jumped over the waves. “The world that we can never be a part of. We destroyed it.”
“You also made it possible to rebuild,” Chiaki said emphatically. “There’s no undoing the past, but you’ve taken great strides forward.”
Hajime rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
“Okay, I won’t talk about the rest of the world. Look at the family you’ve created here. I’m so happy you’ve all grown so close.”
The water blurred. Hajime closed his eyes.
“I miss you so much, Chiaki.”
The only answer was the crashing of waves and chirping of birds. And then, a moment later, several voices calling his name.
He rubbed at his eyes. He thought about staying quiet in hopes that they’d pass him.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when something fell on his head. Then it jumped onto his shoulder. He lifted Maga-Z off and looked into his beady little eyes.
“I take it Gundham sent you?” Hajime muttered. He held the hamster safe and clambered over the wall. “Okay, call off the search party. I’m right here!”
Four heads turned his way.
“Gundham, your hamster is amazing!” Ibuki cried.
“Excellent work, Maga-Z!” Gundham boomed, laughing pridefully. Hajime handed Maga-Z back over and he scurried up to Gundhan's shoulder, standing on his haunches with his weird little paws clasped. He almost looked… proud?
Okay, Hajime was losing it.
“I knew we could count on hope to bring you back,” Nagito said happily. He looped his arms around Hajime’s neck while Hajime was trying to give Maga-Z back to his owner.
“I’m an adult, you know. Can’t I be trusted without supervision?” Hajime asked, but no annoyance entered his tone.
“You started acting all weird and ran out! What if you went all Iz-" Kazuichi stopped abruptly, eyes wide. "Well, well! It wasn't like you!"
"Well, I'm fine, see?"
"‘Crimson Steel Elephant’ Maga-Z knows all that goes on in this land. I trusted that he would have this manhunt finished in mere minutes!" Gundham cackled.
So that explained why Gundham joined the search.
"Are you feeling despair at these Future Foundation members being on the island?" Nagito asked. He didn't allow much time before talking again, saving Hajime from answering. "I see the hope that still shines so brightly in you. This despair will allow your hope to grow so much stronger."
Hajime caught Kazuichi's gaze. Kazuichi rolled his eyes, but his smile stretched too far, forced and uncertain. Ibuki, though, was practically vibrating, eyes shining.
There were only four of his friends here right now. Why was it still exhausting?
“Haji, Ibuki is working on a new song!” she exclaimed. “It’s called Fuck You, You’re Welcome for Saving Your Fucking Future Foundation! I’m gonna put on a concert for these Future Foundation guys!”
“That’s great, Ibuki,” Hajime responded.
“Are we going back to the restaurant?” Kazuichi asked.
“Go if you want. I’m just gonna go home.”
The words had barely left Hajime’s mouth when Kazuichi burst out with, “Can I come?”
“We should watch a movie,” Nagito chimed in.
Neither of them understood personal space. But Hajime didn’t feel too annoyed this time.
“Anyone else wanna party in my cabin?” he asked.
Gundham was standing with his back to them and his scarf billowing in the wind, and he snatched this opportunity to drop some melodramatic line: “The energy is unsettled. I must recharge my spiritual abilities so I am prepared for attack.”
“You can help Ibuki with her song!” Ibuki said excitedly.
Hajime waved to Gundham and went off with the other three, listening to Kazuichi and Nagito chatter and Ibuki hum a new tune. And it felt… okay. Maybe even nice.