Chapter Text
Kokichi shifted uncomfortably on the pile of leaves he was lying on. It was late at night, and everyone else around him was asleep already. He couldn't be sure exactly what time it was, they were outdoors and there was no watch or clock nearby. But the sun had gone down ages ago and the other nine members of his organisation had long since fallen into dreamland.
The self-proclaimed supreme leader of evil rubbed his forehead, where a blooming bruise was forming. His back also felt like it was on fire, as there was another bruise there too.
"Stupid bullies at the playground," he thought angrily. "Why did they have to throw rocks at us?"
Earlier that day, Kokichi and his friends wandered through a town. They had only entered it recently as they were constantly on the move.
The ten of them were orphans, with no parents or guardians to support them. They had no one but each other in this large and cruel world, so being on the move was their best strategy for survival.
Some of their daily survival tasks included finding food to keep themselves from starving, finding shelter for the night and a number of other things.
Despite all this however, trying to survive wasn't the only thing they did together.. As they were all still really young, they wanted to have fun like every other child their age. They would often go around playing pranks or games to entertain themselves, but with strict limitations not to cause any real damage of course. As much as they liked mischief, they didn't want to see anyone actually getting hurt. Having seen how cruel the world was, they especially didn't anyone to lose their lives for any reason let alone their little pranks.
As a result, a lot of their antics were chaotic for sure, but completely harmless in nature. They saw it as little adventures or heists they would organise.
Sometimes, they would find themselves in a mall or a video game shop and as a result get some semblance of a regular childhood. Kokichi would sit before any consoles on display and play video games to his heart's content until the store owner asked them to leave.
At other times though, they would find themselves seemingly in the middle of nowhere, trying to find food and shelter in order to survive. They never stayed in one place for more than a few days, and try to avoid detection from any outsiders.
After all, who knew what other people would do: spread them apart, put them in an orphanage where they would have to do boring daily tasks... and possibly get adopted and never see each other again? They didn't want that.
It wasn't just the grown-ups they had to worry about either. Other kids who they encountered on their journey wouldn't often be kind to them. Kokichi and his friends had lived in the streets for so long that their outfits could barely be considered presentable. They were ripped in some places and had dirt and mud on them from sitting and lying on the ground.
Other kids would often notice this and make fun of them, calling them all sorts of cruel names. Of course the group would retaliate with comments of their own, and even use some of their prank tricks to try and get back at the bullies. But occasionally, the other children would get physical and chase them or throw things in their direction.
One such situation was what led Kokichi to his current predicament. Earlier that day, he and his friends had encountered some such bullies as they passed through a playground. The bullies in question mocked them, chased them and threw rocks at them as they tried to get away.
One of the rocks they threw hit Kokichi squarely on the forehead, and another collided with his back while he tried to shield one of his friends from being targeted. It hurt, and it hurt bad.
But Kokichi hadn't said a word at the time, as he needed to keep his group together and help them get away.
He was their leader, and he put their safety above everything else. His group, that they named DICE, was like family to him and he wouldn't let anything happen to them.
Eventually, they were able to escape and find a nice quiet spot to camp out for the night. After eating a supper of berries they found growing close by, The ten of them had made temporary beds out of piles of dried leaves to sleep on.
It was something they did relatively often whenever they had to rest outdoors, so they were pretty accustomed to it and normally have no trouble falling asleep.
That night however, Kokichi stayed awake. Despite rubbing his forehead, it wasn't the pain there that really bothered him. It was the one on his back that was making it a real challenge to get comfortable. No matter how he adjusted himself, some part of his back still made contact with the solid ground beneath. The dried leaves he was on couldn't cushion him from the concrete completely.
After A few more restless moments of trying and failing to fall asleep, Kokichi gave up. He stood up and quietly crept away from their little camp. He needed some water, he was thirsty.
Kokichi tiptoed to a small, shadowy clump of trees where they had all stashed their belongings. Reaching it, he bent down and rummaged through his bag for a water bottle.
They had salvaged some water from a stream the other day but their supply was running out fast. They would have to go on another mission to restock tomorrow, Kokichi thought, as he found his water bottle and opened it.
Taking a quick draft, Kokichi placed what was left back in his bag and made to return to his sleeping spot. He still had no idea how he was going to get to sleep with the pain in his back, but he didn't want to sit by the clump of trees all night.
"What are you doing?" A girls voice called out to him as he retraced his steps in the dark. Kokichi couldn't see who it was, but he recognised the voice.
Just getting some water Ayu," Kokichi replied quietly so as not to wake anyone else up. "What are you doing awake?"
"I had a nightmare," Ayu replied, sniffling a little. "They were throwing rocks at us again in it and we all ended up in the hospital..."
Kokichi quickened his pace and changed course, heading for his distressed organisation member. Upon arriving, he sat down next to her and felt for her arm in the dark.
When he found it, he held onto her gently but firmly, a gesture to show that he was there.
"Tell me more about your dream," Kokichi encouraged.
Nodding, Ayu wasted no time in launching into a tearful but detailed retelling of her dream. She talked about getting chased, about getting separated from the group, about the bullies targeting them all and their group getting seriously injured...
Kokichi sat they're holding onto her arm the whole time, listening. He only ever showed this level of vulnerable care and concern like that to people he trusted most to see this side of him. As he had practically grown up with the members of DICE, they definitely fit that category.
When Ayu had finished telling Kokichi about her dream, the supposed leader of evil pulled his friend into a hug.
"Hey, listen," he said. "I won't let them hurt us again."
"How can you be so sure they won't find us tomorrow?" Ayu asked. "Remember those kids from two weeks ago? We thought we got away from them but then they found us again the next day and started throwing eggs..."
As she finished speaking that last sentence, Ayu began to cry again.
"They won't hurt us again," Kokichi insisted, tightening his hold on the hug ever so slightly. "We will go away tomorrow, far away where they can't find us. And if they do, we'll, I don't know spray paint the words bully on their T-shirts or something."
That comment cost the girl to giggle. "Or maybe we can paste sticky notes on their backs," she suggested.
"Or find their classrooms in whatever school they go to and put Fart cushions on all their chairs," Kokichi laughed.
Ayu giggled at that suggestion as well before a comfortable silence fell between them. Nobody else in there little camp stirred.
After A few moments, Ayu wiped her tears and yawned. Slowly, she made to lie back down on her pile of leaves. "I think I can go back to sleep now," she said. "Thanks Kokichi, you're a good friend."
Kokichi gently released the hug he was giving her and smiled. "I'm glad you and the others think so," he said genuinely. "Everyone else hates me."
"What? No they don't."
"You know the game I like to play where I pretend that I'm evil? Kokichi continued. "I'm starting to think that that role fits me best because everyone already doesn't seem to like me anyway. People Think I'm actually out to hurt them. They don't get its just play or that we are just trying to survive. Even without all that, people just think I'm weird."
"That's not your fault, they don't understand. And you are not weird," Ayu said firmly.
"It's what they think," Kokichi replied. "I have a lot of fun lying and playing and pretending to be evil, but I'm starting to think that it might be a good thing that I do it because if people hate me I can just tell myself it's because of that and not because of... Anything else."
"If anyone openly hates you, I will get them," Ayu set defensively. "We all will get them, we will not let them hurt you."
Kokichi laughed again. "And this is why you are all my best friends,"he said. I lie a lot, but I really mean that."
"I know."
Another comfortable silence fell between the two of them. Kokichi felt himself getting tired. Despite the physical discomfort from earlier, he really wanted to get some sleep. "Alright," he said at last. "I should probably go to bed too."
His back still hurt, and the bruise on his forehead wasn't getting any better. But there was a warmth in his heart and a sense of comfort after talking with Ayu. Perhaps that sense of warmth could help him get comfortable enough to fall asleep. "Good night," Kokichi said quietly as he stood up. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay," Ayu replied "Good night Kokichi."
Making his way back to his pile of leaves, Kokichi laid back down. It had been a hard day, but at least at the end of every hardship, he still had his friends. They would always have each other.
Closing his eyes and focusing on that thought, Kokichi Ouma allowed himself to ignore the pain on his back and fall fast asleep.