Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Reparations require a lot of time. Everybody inhabiting Jabberwock Archipelago were well aware of that, although their hard work was finally paying off. Islands were looking cleaner, the buildings were restored into their former state. Well, more or less. They had to be aware nobody other than them was ever going to be let into these islands, so things like shops in the Electric Avenue remained stored and cleaned - but lacking staff. But that could not be helped.

Who’d be buying these anyway? Obviously shops and other customer services were playing the sole role of acted out normalcy and perhaps, a memorabilia for the future. Maybe future generations will ask questions. Maybe some will seek these islands. Former class 77-B made sure to preserve the archipelago as a time capsule.

Some of them would come to this conundrum every once in a while. What.. is next for them? Hajime, still in the role of a strong leader, asked these hypothetical questions quite often, feeding his brain with unsolved outcomes. However small, it was still entertainment no less.
Because of the Tragedy, his classmates, him included, felt much older than they originally were, in reality not all of them going beyond 20 years of age just yet. Not only this kept their morals low, too low for Hajime’s liking - their purpose, and their ultimate talents were losing meaning. Not everybody’s of course, but who could Nidai be without a team to manage? Who could Fuyuhiko be without people to rule as yakuza boss? Even though it was often hard to convince them it would all turn out okay, Hajime chose to trust the process. He trusted that with time, they would be able to find a new talent. Not an ultimate perhaps, but surely something interesting to fill up the gap.
If only everybody was just as patient as he was..

Luckily for the troubled Ultimate Hope, he wasn’t the only reliable person in their group and in case of worries or doubts, they’d often first turn to one another, rather than him, treating Hajime as the last resort. Truth be told, he liked that, proving they not only trust him - more importantly, they trusted each other. Makoto would be so proud if he was to see this happen, and so, Hajime made sure to include those details about their bonds and friendships in every mail.
This evening, he too, was sitting by the computer. Cold, fizzy soda, mixed with lemon juice and brown sugar standing right by his left hand, candle lit by the right hand. The little spark danced in the glass container, led by a warm, late night breeze, sneakily making its way inside the house through an open window. He enjoyed that serene moment of silence, when all the life in the islands put itself to sleep. Unless there’s an emergency, he won’t be bothered anymore. It was just him, the computer, soft hum of the waves and sometimes, cicadas, communicating with one another loudly.

And… occasionally, Nagito.

”Still up, I see?” He said in a soft tone, leaning into the room through the wooden arch. Hajime jolted in his seat, not expecting the sudden call-out.
”Sorry- just completing stuff. You know how it is.” The man explained briefly, watching the other make his way over. “What about you? You went to bed an hour ago.”

As Hajime pointed that out, Nagito brushed his healthy hand against the amputated arm of his, almost awkwardly.

”Phantom pains. Had to get up and take some painkillers..” He chimed sadly. Hajime gave him a smile of pure compassion, taking the short arm and placing a small kiss on it.
”Owh, again... Get the pills and go lie down, I’ll come in a minute. I was just writing to Makoto.”
”Ooh, what were you writing about?”

Naturally curious, Nagito bent forward to inspect the email. Having nothing to hide, Hajime scrolled through the long page he just wrote, titled “Welfare Check 213th”. As it seemed, he was writing one of these everyday, giving Makoto a small insight and various updates of the archipelago’s restoration. But also, writing about his friends and their lives. Their personal progress.

”“Peko and Fuyuhiko are doing great with each other like I wrote last time; maybe they’re gonna get married in the future” is that true?” Nagito’s eyebrows rose, as he smirked excitedly. Hajime agreed with a soft nod, placing his hand on Nagito’s waist, rubbing his hands against the soft material of his shirt.

“Haven’t you noticed?”
”No- I mean, I noticed they appear close to each other, I had no clue it’s going so fast! I guess nothing really escapes your Ultimate Eyes..”

Hajime rolled his eyes with a chuckle, reaching Nagito’s soft cheek and giving it a small peck.
”That’s but a speculation, I’m muting the Ultimate Seer talent.” He explained to the other, turning his head back to the computer’s screen. “It’s better I write that, just so Makoto is not surprised we’ll order wedding decorations and rings one day.”

”I have been wondering about that one, yea.. How is the wedding gonna go in our secluded case?” Nagito chimed, pursing his lips, pondering to himself, but Hajime was happy to answer.
“That depends.. we will probably have mock weddings, if it ever reaches that point. Nobody is making a real marriage document between two Remnants of Despair, literal criminals on the run.” He shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have vows and a party, a ceremony… a suit, a dress… rings… The Future Foundation can provide this for us.”

Explaining the process at ease, Hajime seemed satisfied. He just came up with it all, and yet it presented itself as a plausible scenario.
Nagito scrolled through the long email once more, reaching Makoto’s response to a different message, from around week ago - their monthly “shopping list”. Which was nothing else, but an expansive page of their delivery requests. Food, medicine and everything else.

“Oof, that’s the latest list? It’s arriving tomorrow, right?” The white-haired man asked, straightening up and rubbing his hip. Hajime nodded again, turning to the computer fully.
“Yep. Tomorrow looks like a very busy day for me..” he huffed loudly, pulling his eyebrows into a frown. “I promised Kazuichi to pop by on Electric Avenue, then two hour counseling with Ryota, I need to go to the archive for the monthly scan too..”
“Can’t you put some of these things for, I dunno.. the day after tomorrow maybe? Like the scan? Sounds like something that can be done whenever?..”
“The scan is already overdue, I didn’t have enough time to go there and complete it and Makoto has been whining about that already; it’s mainly for them y know.” Hajime rolled his eyes and grabbed the small calendar to open it. Then he took the pen and crossed a few things out; Nagito assumed these must have been things he had completed already.

“I had no idea there’s this much… job to do around us.” He said timidly to his boyfriend, to which Hajime smiled.
“Wouldn’t you like to know… hey, you were supposed to take some meds for the arm? Go on, I promise I’ll go to bed in a moment.” Suddenly remembering why Nagito came to hang above his head as he worked, Hajime caused him to scurry away. He could hear him take out the box with all sorts of medicine stored inside, going through the packages carefully.

And so, he really went back to work, finishing off that last email and checking the calendar one more time. Keeping the promise to Nagito was one thing, going to bed because his eyes were slowly closing on their own - was another.

Finally, the computer, as well as the candle, were both turned and blown off and just before he went to their bedroom, Hajime walked to their house’s back porch, which stood right above the sea water, as they built the support beams on the shore, perfectly above the spot where water meets the beach. He breathed in and out with the salty breeze, taking a look at the calm, night sky. The forecast did mention something about a typhoon making their way towards Jabberwock, but from their almost one year experience on these islands, class 77-B knew the majority of them managed to cross them by.
Finally, Hajime made his way upstairs, peeking into their bedroom on his way. Nagito seemed to be asleep again, comfortably snuggled in their sheets. Although he did leave a small light on the nightstand. Hajime smiled at that view and disappeared in the bathroom, only to come back after a minute or two, wearing his pj’s.

He sat down in the bed, as suddenly a hand approached his wrist, grabbing it.

“Haji…” Nagito mumbled sleepily, turning over to face him. “You took so long..”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Hajime whispered with a sigh, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss on his forehead. “I thought you’d be out cold by now.. is it the arm? Give it to me.” He offered after a moment, reaching his hand to Nagito’s stump. Reluctantly, he allowed Hajime to do whatever he pleased, peeking at the action with one eye open.

“What’re you doing..?” Nagito asked sleepily, seeing as Hajime’s fingers carefully pressed against specific parts of the stump. That was not a simple massage, it was a pattern, every move was thoroughly planned.
“I’m stimulating the nerve endings. Because they were created forcibly and technically, artificially too, they’re not responding properly, especially when you’re in one position for a long time. Basically, your brain considers these nerves should still possess continuation. And they don’t. That’s why you have the phantom pain.” Hajime explained with utter patience, while Nagito seemed to slowly doze off to his words, relaxing under his touch. “Because of a simple data error in your brain… like a computer..”

He continued to hum, seeing that his voice works in a soothing way, as well as the moves of his hand. For Nagito, he was happy to activate every ultimate talent he owned, even though he was learning to put the majority of talents to dormant state, just so they don’t overlap with each other; it usually only led to overwhelm, or boredom. That was his own training he had yet to complete. But this time.. Ultimate Physical Therapist and Ultimate Neurologist had their five minutes, in the sake of his beloved.
Eventually Nagito really fell asleep, with help of the physical stimulation as well as the medication, which probably started working by now. It made Hajime smile again. Sometimes, dark and semi-lonely moments at night like these made him remember the simulation. All the things they experienced, everything they have seen. Murder scenes of his classmates were one thing. Nagito’s death back there… unarguably the most gruesome of all…
Hajime’s face cringed, as he shook his head, settling his head down on the pillow and focused on his boyfriend’s soft expression, as he slept peacefully. This was real. Focus on this, he reminded himself a couple of times, taking a few deep breaths. Maybe it was tiredness hitting, after a few uninterrupted hours spent watching the screen. No matter how super of a human he was, blue light still remained his eyes’ biggest foe.
The man turned off the light and scooted closer, only to wrap his arms around Nagito, almost protectively so. The night breeze was tickling their faces as it visited their bedroom a couple of times, flying inside through the open windows. Tropical nights were warm. Cicadas and probably some nightingales were giving their night concerts, remaining the sole sound of the night. Come to think of it, midnight was the perfect moment to really relax. The islands were completely silent. Dark. Not even planes were flying above them. Hajime needed that rest. There was a busy day ahead.

And so, as usual he was the first to wake up in the morning. Out of their home, at least; he was aware a specific couple of sport freaks was getting up with the sun, using up the fresh, crisp, morning air to the fullest. Though, he never understood the trick of getting up early for trainings and sport in general. Not that he ever was a fan of exercise; perhaps that’s why he had little to no understanding of that phenomenon. Either way, that same, crisp and cold air was now pinching his calves and ankles - and he certainly didn’t like that. Hajime sat up in the bed, grabbing some of their sheets and dragging it over Nagito’s legs, so he stays in warmth until he gets up; given how easily this fool gets sick, he’d rather not risk it.
If the whole night is warm, why was the morning so freezing? Maybe by the time their side of the earth last saw the sun, it had managed to cool off? Hajime thought out some morning thoughts to himself quietly as he closed the windows, leaving only a small gap. Finally, he made sure Nagito could keep sleeping uninterrupted and left the bedroom on his tippy toes. When downstairs, he got the whole home started for the day; coffee machine as well as tv was now on. Visible from the kitchen, Hajime allowed himself to peek at it from time to time while he cooked, listening to the latest news in the world; thanks to Future Foundation’s courtesy and all the abilities Kazuichi had, every island had internet and television.
All the stations kept their headlines the same for these past few months - New Hope for the Future. How sweet it was, to see it on the display. He couldn’t stop smiling, hearing of all the schools that were reopening again, along with hospitals, malls, cinemas, museums. Parks and streets cleaned. Whole cooking went 10 times easier, hearing those lighthearted, positive news. Soon enough, the breakfast was ready, consisting of tamako kake gohan with raw egg, soy sauce and freshly cut chives from their little herb stand, along with coffee and cold brew tea, whichever his lover preferred. Speaking of who, he slowly tumbled downstairs, yawning. His hair was even crazier than usual, curly, messy, thick strands standing in every possible direction.

“Mmmmoorningghhh..” Nagito sighed, taking slow and rather sloppy steps towards Hajime, who gently overtook him into his arms, kissing both his cheeks with a smile.

“Morning, cotton candy boy. How was the night?”
“Mmm.. it was okay. I’m hungry.” The two chatted quietly in the kitchen, cuddling each other.

“Lucky for you, breakfast is already waiting. Would you like to eat outside or inside?” Hajime asked with a smile, holding him. Nagito took a moment to think this through, his arms wrapping around his boyfriend’s shoulders, humming into his neck.
“Inside. I don’t like when wasps are interested in my food.” Nagito decided eventually.

The two sat down at the coffee table in the living room, peeking at both the TV and each other as they ate, enjoying each other’s presence to the fullest, knowing that as time passed, the less of it was left for them to spend together. Day-wise of course. Hajime was, unfortunately, a very busy guy.

“So.. you were saying? What did you have to do today?” After his food was finished, Nagito perked up, sipping on the cold tea. Hajime sighed loudly, looking back into his mental notes, revising whatever the day had in store.
“Kazuichi and Electric Avenue.. Ryota’s counselling… the delivery… oh shit, archive visit, I almost forgot. Seems little, but I already know that is a whole day ahead.” Hajime listed out one by one, resting his back against the back of the sofa. Nagito hummed and scooted himself closer to him, wrapping his arms around his waist lovingly.

“Will you be okay?” He asked with a whisper, nuzzling his fluffy hair against the other’s chest. Hajime gave him a soft smile, resting his hand on his boyfriend’s back and rubbing it slowly.
“I will.. it’s not the first time.” He answered simply, taking another, long sip of coffee, zoning out with Nagito nestled below his chin. Not listing down his duties was his preferred option; after he said them out loud like that, suddenly he felt the crushing weight of it all, pushing his shoulders lower and lower. And his boyfriend happened to notice that. Hajime’s proud, stoic and stable posture turned into something… weak and frail.
No… out of all people, Hajime simply couldn’t fall under all that pressure. He was the pillar of Hope, holding the entire island on his back. Everybody relied on him; Nagito shivered in thought of what would happen, if Hajime collapsed of this tiredness, or worse, a burnout!

He couldn’t just leave him like that.

“Hey.. maybe… maybe I could take some of these things off your shoulders, huh? Give me one or two of those things on your list. It will even out a little bit and maybe we will even find time to lounge by the water together, if it all goes smooth?” Nagito pulled away from the hug, looking at his partner’s face with a hopeful expression.
Hajime tilted his head, raising a brow curiously. It was rather rare for others to have interest in his tasks. So that sudden suggestion caught him off guard. Still though, a small smile appeared on his face.

“...No.. I don’t even know what you could take. These things require… my presence specifically, hun.” He admitted timidly. But Nagito wasn’t going to drop the subject like that.
“Not all of them. You could authorise me to archive or… the delivery! That sounds like something I could do.” He admitted proudly, sitting up. His fluffy hair bounced along, making Hajime laugh quietly.
“Yeah no, the archive should remain for me, but the delivery.. I’d have to explain how to do it, but it’s not all that complicated. I just gotta give you the access card, the workers of Future Foundation always make me scan uh, that card. But- that really would help me lift some stuff off my shoulders, are you sure??” Hajime asked, hope sparking in his eyes, unbeknownst to him. It was a small gesture but surely would give him an extra 2-3 hours…
“It’s not a problem, at all.” Nagito grinned from ear to ear, leaning in to kiss his lips tenderly. “I’ll be very happy to do it. You can’t be the only one constantly working on this island..”

Hajime’s hand trailed along Nagito’s waist, both of them smiling at each other in a giddy way. One of them happy to help, the other - happy to receive it.

And so it was decided. Nagito received the key card that enabled him to access the delivery. Because he did not possess extra strength.. and he wasn’t the strongest person either, Hajime suggested he grabs a buddy to help. Preferably, either Nekomaru or Akane. A list of the ordered things was placed in his hands too. Hajime explained that Nagito will have to run a stocktake. It’s a routine check if everything they ordered, actually arrived. It wasn’t so complicated after all, Nagito thought to himself.

He tried his best to reassure himself; it wasn’t anything he couldn’t do! He met Akane on his way to the footbridge and she said she will tag along but a little later. All Nagito could do was actually access the stash of the cargo ship that was said to arrive in a few. And sure enough, as he waited in the harbour, just recently built in the spot of the late airport which was of no use either way, the cargo ship made its appearance on the horizon. It swam towards the land quite rapidly, eventually letting down the anchor, which slowed it down a little. As it parked, Nagito noticed the stairway pull out of its side. The Future Foundation’s worker walked down, meeting up with him.
Nagito explained that this one time he’s in charge of receiving their supplies, showing off the list as well as the access card. The guard had no further questions, scanning the card, confirming the authorisation. He also passed some documents, to sign them off, confirming the delivery was completed and soon, the worker vanished back in the control room of the ship. Meanwhile, the gigantic hatch of the stash opened, letting Nagito inside. The man walked on the stairs slowly, entering the cargo space. The lights turned on, revealing huge, well-secured boxes of various items. Food, medicine… This was one of the bigger orders as it seemed. Nagito walked through the space calmly, checking out everything on his list.

“Instant noodles? Who eats instant noodles when we have all the time in the world to cook..? Not to speak of TeruTeru’s cooking..” he mumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes with a soft smile. Given he was alone in the ship, he allowed himself to give the orders a few snarky comments. Who drinks gummy bear flavoured ramune anyway? Hiyoko, as he dwelled on the thought…
As the stocktaking went on and almost the whole list was checked out, Nagito hummed to himself, going through the paper. He sighed, noticing how much time passed and there were still a few more things left out. Akane must have been on their way already-

((BANG)) suddenly echoed through the cargo space. Nagito jerked, taking a short bolt to the exit. What was that? It sounded like a can, hitting the ground. He never made it to the very back of the storage chamber, maybe one of the boxes was faulty and some of their drinks fell out? He had to check it. Shortly, Nagito made his way to the back, standing by the stock of canned soda boxes. One of the boxes sure had a small opening. It looked like someone ripped off a hole, trying to get whatever was inside. One of the cans that dropped out was lying on the ground, a little dented. But who made that hole? Nagito soon discovered it. And the finding had him open his pocket and reach for the phone in a struck state, choosing no other but Hajime’s number.

“Hello? Nagito, is everything alright?”
”Yeah, it’s just-“
”If something is missing from the order, just note it at the bottom of the list for me. I’ll take care of that.”
”There is nothing missing. In fact.. we got something extra.”

. . . . . . . . . . .

Luckily enough, Hajime was just finishing up the counselling with Ryota. He left his cottage, which he shared with his impersonator friend and scurried away, clenching his phone. What did Nagito mean by that? “Something extra”? He could feel his heart pounding in his chest in nerves, as he sped through the bay on the motorboat. His eyebrows hurt from the frown, while every possible scenario went through his mind. Everything that could go wrong there…
The cargo ship was still in place, as the man approached the harbor. He didn’t even realise, but Hajime was actually running to the ship. He imagined all the bad things that could have happened to Nagito. Or Akane. Both greatly valued people in his life, just like the whole rest. The call ended so abruptly too; usually calm and cool, Hajime really was panicking inside.

But his nerves calmed, when he noticed Akane waving from afar.

“HAJIME YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FUCKING BELIEVE THIS-” her laugh roared through the entire habor. When within his reach, Hajime gently squeezed her shoulders, inspecting from head to toe.

“Are you okay?”
“Yes!! Yes I am but-”
“Is Nagito okay? Akane, focus.” He stopped her, focusing on her face. His two-coloured eyes pierced right through her, causing the girl to shiver slightly.

“I’m fine!” Before Akane answered, Nagito was the first one to call out, jumping out from the storage chamber and ran up to Hajime. The other man let Akane go and instead, took Nagito in the same way.

“Are you hurt?? What was that call??” He asked again, looking back at the girl. “Seriously, I’m a heartbeat or two from a heartattack, can you tell me why did you call me?”
Insisting so nervously on getting an answer, Hajime’s eyes scattered around the place in an analytic manner.
“We are trying to tell you. Follow me. But… please. Remain calm. Okay?” Nagito said ominously, stroking Hajime’s cheek and lowering the same hand down to his hand, grabbing it. Without asking any more questions, the man slowly followed him inside the chamber, while Akane stayed outside.

“I heard something fall in the back. And.. I thought that maybe something fell out of one of the boxes or.. something and… technically it did. It.. well.. I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s best you see.. for yourself.” Nagito admitted, letting go of his hand and letting the other inspect the scene behind Coca Cola boxes himself. Immediately high on guard, Hajime took slow and focused steps towards the stash. And sure enough… He did not expect to see what he saw.

Kids. Four, relatively small children, curled up with one another. Pale. Frail. Eyes, gigantic, piercing through whatever was in front of them. Hajime, in that case. They were slightly dirty, their clothes looked very worn out, holes here and there. Judging by the overall outlook, they looked incredibly neglected.

“Shit...” Hajime whispered in shock, rubbing his head. That was a situation he was definitely not ready for. “Who.. are you guys? How did you even get on that ship?..”
Neither of the four kids answered, turning their eyes away from Hajime, though reluctantly so. They looked just as uncomfortable as they probably felt..

“…Hajime, these are Warriors of Hope.” Nagito said quietly, joining his boyfriend, standing right next to him.
“Huh? You.. know them??”
“…yes. I… we.. have met in Towa City. Isn’t that right?” The man continued, looking down at the four with a soft look in his eyes. Meanwhile, every gaze fell right on him, this time piercing Komaeda right through.

“…he can’t make milkshakes.” Said the red-haired boy.
“…and he can’t peel chestnuts.” The only girl in the group joined in. They gave a clear and very vocal confirmation of their acquaintance.

Hajime listened to them and laughed quietly, shaking his head.

“Pretty reputation you’ve got there..” he commented, patting Nagito’s back, then looking at the children again. “You guys wanna get out of the ship. We need to unload it and uh.. think what to do with you.”

The four ignored his words at first, their blue-haired boy frowned upon him and seemed ready to „fight”. But he was quickly pulled by the other boy, who whispered something into his ear. During his quiet explanation, he pointed to his own left eye. Their eyes darted from each other to Hajime and back.
Hajime and Nagito both noticed that odd behaviour, but for the sake of their delivery and the cargo ship, they needed to get them all out before the captain decided he wasted enough time.

“Akane!! Grab Nekomaru and start to unload the stuff, I have uh- we have this to take care of!” Hajime called back to the girl, his voice echoing loudly through the storage. Akane gave him thumbs up and called her friend, before starting to actually unload their deliveries herself.

“Guys, we need you to get out. Can you even stand on your own?” Now turning to the kids, Hajime asked them, kneeling in front of the four. He never really interacted with any kids, except for when he was a child himself. But it’s always different for an adult… not to speak of how these guys looked at him like he was a different species. The lack of communication was also somewhat frustrating…
The kids meanwhile, looked at one another. The blue-haired one stood up slowly, revealing that they were sitting in a very moist space. A small nook of the floor, where some of the sea water gathered; a common occurrence for ships. Hence the europalettes, not to get the cargo wet.
Not only were his pants and the hem of his shirt wet, he had shorts! All of them had shorts- Hajime could physically feel his face drop. They were all shivering from the cold.

“Come on, let’s get you out of this mess.” The man called out to them again, only to meet with a very angry face of the blue-haired boy.

“W-Who are you to tell us what to do?? We don’t listen to anybody! E-Especially to Demons like you.” He growled, gently pulling up his friends.

Hajime felt taken aback by this sentence, slowly turning his head to Nagito, as if he was looking for some type of guidance. And so, his boyfriend smiled, giving him a nod.

“Nagisa? I saw you and Masaru point to each other. If I reckon correctly, you guessed it right. This is Izuru Kamukura. And if I were you… I’d listen to him.” He spoke calmly to the four. Hearing this, Nagisa, as he was called by Nagito, measured Hajime with his glare, full of suspicion.
“…are you really?” He asked under his breath, holding his friend’s hands as they were standing. Barely. “It’s… not a myth? Is Izuru Kamukura real??”

Hajime watched Nagisa as he talked, taking in all the info. Izuru’s fame really went above and beyond his expectations… or at least, it spread as a thriller during the Tragedy.

“Yes.. we are real. Although… I no longer use that name. I’m Hajime Hinata. Ultimate Hope. I’m one with Izuru.” The man confirmed slowly and before anyone could question it, he lifted his hair off his forehead, revealing the scars, forever present on his skin.

The kids observed him, their jaws drooped slightly. They seemed both taken aback and intrigued.
Still, they preferred to leave the ship on their own and that’s exactly what happened, as they shakily walked towards the hatch of the storage chamber. Their eyes squinted from the bright sunlight outside, reflecting from the sand. Akane and Nekomaru were directed by Hajime to stay put and while they intently observed the kids leave, it was clearly hard for them to not speak a word.

Finally the four newcomers ended up on the wooden pier and all were promptly seated on the nearby bench to rest on the warm, dry surface. While they bathed in the sun, clearly warming up after the cold journey, Hajime took Nagito to the side.

“…sorry, I am the last person to ask this to anybody, but… what the fuck am I supposed to do now??” He whispered that last part to him, covering his lips with his hand. It was clear as day he was dumbfounded. Oh Izuru would love that for sure.

Everything was predictable for them both. Sudden moves, easy. Predicting the near future, easy. Current moment - easy to analyse. Anything. But one virtue of the world remained unpredictable for every single human on earth. Kids. Adults could try to predict what was rolling in their crazy minds, but the outcome was usually completely different.

“They are no easy feat, Hajime. I’d be careful. I know them from Towa City, I was uh… in… our dark times, I was their Servant.” Nagito admitted shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“…Servant? Of the kids..?” Hajime repeated, before running his hand through his face in disbelief. “Oh my God, Nagito… you fell low, didn’t you.”

The white-haired man smirked, sighing.

“It was what it was… but my situation then, could be your advantage against them now.”
“Against them? I don’t wanna fight them, these are what, 8? 9 year olds? I’m not fighting an 8 year old kid.”
“Hajime-” Nagito blurted out amused, covering his lips. “I’m not telling you to fight them. But we need to get to them somehow. And I’m just saying… it’s.. not gonna be easy.”

As Nagito said that, both men turned their heads to a commotion that was going on next to them.

“Jataro, don’t fall asleep now!! Hey!” Nagisa panicked along with his other two friends, holding one of them up. The smallest of the four kids, apparently named Jataro, looked like he was fainting, drooping from his friends’ arms and the bench itself.

Hajime ran up to them and despite Nagisa’s protests, he laid the boy down on the floor in a safe position for a moment.

“What are you doing?! He’s going to die!!” The blue-haired boy yelled, pushing Hajime’s shoulder aggressively. What he didn’t know was how bulky the man was. His pushes weren’t doing anything. Instead, Hajime turned to him with a stoic look on his face.
“He has fainted from exhaustion. He’s breathing. I placed him in a safe position, in which his airways are clear and letting him breathe just fine. If you seated him back up, he could have suffocated, either on his saliva, or anything else blocking his airway. I know what I’m doing, boy.” He explained seriously, looking back down at little Jataro. Nagisa went speechless after this explanation. He didn’t want to hurt his friend of course.. the realisation of what could have happened hit harder than he expected. Could it be? He.. didn’t meet the expectations again? Why did these Demons always know better?

“We’re off to my motorboat, we should get you all checked out by Mikan. Nagito, take them, I’ll take care of that one.” Hajime ordered quickly, watching as his boyfriend helped the other three get a move on. Despite fear paralysis of the „checked out” sentence, the Warriors of Hope seemed too tired and too weak to protest. Meanwhile, Hajime scooped the small boy himself and carried him in his arms to the boat. He was breathing for sure as he checked that couple of times, finally seating down in the motorboat with the rest. With Jataro still nestled in his arm, Hajime turned the motorboat on and began to swim them through the bay, heading to the third Island, where the hospital resided.

Warriors of Hope, Hajime repeated in his head. These guys… they fell victims to the Tragedy as well. Possibly even harder than the ones who simply lost their lives. The so called Warriors remained just little lives, who had their youth ripped away. Even during the swim through the bay, as they probably never sat in a motorboat before, the girl and red-haired boy held onto Nagito’s wrists tightly. Considering he knew them before, his partner seemed really happy to see them again. Hajime observed their tiny, clenched fists with… an odd endearment. Perhaps it was one of his talents acting up. Like… an Ultimate Carer?
…no.
That… was empathy.

Either way, the whole group made it to the hospital.

“Mikan!!” Hajime called for the girl, cradling Jataro in his arms still. “Come on, we need your help!!”
Soon enough, first steps were heard and right afterwards… a loud rumble, as Mikan came tumbling downstairs, falling on her face. Everybody watched the scene unfold in horror. This girl… she was the second, most unpredictable thing. Right after the kids.

“Are you okay?..” Hajime asked, helping her get up. Mikan yelped helplessly, rubbing her forehead.

“I-I am fine, I’m so sorry…” she chimed sadly and rather shyly, as her eyes went over the whole group, visiting the hospital. She seemed to shake her head and rub her eyes, thinking she’s seeing double.

“I-”
“Before I explain it to you, I need you to take all of them into one room preferably and check their vitals. But first of all, him. He fainted.” Hajime stopped her before Mikan would start to stutter again, trying to mutter whatever doubt was on her mind. He noticed she works much more efficiently when her tasks are clearly put before her.

And so, without further questions for now, Mikan invited Hajime and Jataro to a patient’s room. Nagito and the other three went to the triage room, right next to them.

Routinely, Mikan put the little guy in bed and began to tend to him. She said from mere observation, she was able to see he was dehydrated and lacks certain nutrients. The IV began to provide Jataro with what he needed, but according to her words, he’s going to remain unconscious for a bit longer.

“…H… Hajime, why are there children on our islands?…” Mikan asked finally, not being able to keep it in any longer. Hajime made a loud sigh, scratching his neck.
“…I don’t know. Nagito found them in the storage chamber of the cargo ship, which came to the harbour with our delivery today.”
“S-Storage chamber?? Th-This is so dangerous- they c-could have been crushed!!” Mikan gasped in terror, putting hand to her forehead.

“Yes. They were sitting in like, a nook with sea water gathered inside, they all have wet clothes and we don’t even have anything to offer them so they could change.”
“S-Sitting in the cold water? O-Oh goodness..” the nurse sighed worriedly, biting her lower lip. “I’ll give them light a-antibiotics in case- of any infection appearing. You’ll need to watch them- oh-oh are they… are they staying? With us?”

Having asked this serious question, Mikan looked expectantly at Hajime. He, meanwhile, pursed his lips, turning his head away in worry.

“I… I don’t know, Mikan. I honestly don’t know.” He admitted, still as dumbfounded as in the beginning. The nurse nodded slowly, looking back at her little patient.
“…I… I wouldn’t send them.. back.” She said shyly, but oddly enough, these were the boldest words that came out of her mouth. “..there… there must be a reason they.. came here..”

Hajime pondered on her words for a minute of two, glancing over at the girl with a curious look on his face.
“…wow, Mikan.” He said under his breath, reaching over to pat her back. “That… was your own, unsolicited response. Look at you, you’re making so much progress.”

Mikan grinned at his words, thanking him with a small nod. For Mikan, a girl who had tremendously low self-esteem, hearing her express her own opinion on something, simply must have been met with high praise.
And as for Hajime… that opinion gave him a first bias regarding these kids. He had a feeling that a group meeting on the first island and deciding together on that matter, would be crucial.

“W-Well- let me see the rest of the kids.” Mikan woke him up from his thoughts as they both slowly walked out of the room, leaving Jataro to rest and gather his strength back.
They entered another patient’s room, where Nagito waited with the remaining three. Uncomfortable and awkward silence was present in the room. Upon seeing Mikan, the children perked up.

“How is he?? Is he gonna be fine??” Nagisa asked immediately, clenching the bed in his fists. Mikan raised her hands calmly, nodding.

“Yo-Your little friend is going to be f-fine.” She said slowly. “B-But I’d like to ex-examine all of you. Y-You have been t-through a challenging- challenging journey. Sat in- in cold and moist conditions for several hours o-or longer, w-which is not healthy. You l-look feverish, weak and de-dehydrated.” Mikan listed down every of her observations, turning her posture towards every little kid, sitting on the bed. The word “examine” seemed to have a similar reaction as “check out” previously; the three grabbed and held onto each other tightly, as if they created a barricade against the nurse.

“N-Nobody is going to touch us.” Nagisa hissed out, his voice shaky. Terrified. “What do you even wanna do to us? Huh?! I know who all of you are. You are all Remnants of Despair!” The boy roared.

The three adults looked at each other dumbfounded.

“You… know? Who we all.. have once been?” Nagito asked and Nagisa was very quick to nod. His small chest puffed up proudly, in hopes he’s going to appear more serious to the older ones.
“Yes!! We accessed the documents, I have read everything!! I saw your warning to the world! You organised the last Killing Game and fled! We, as the Warriors of Hope, recognised you all as the last obstacle to creating our paradise! Paradise of Hope. We came to fight you personally, cause for some reason, the Future Foundation did NOTHING!!” The boy angrily turned to Nagito, sneering. “And you?! You LIED to us! You told us NOTHING about your classmates. Some Servant you are!”

Nagisa’s voice was loud and his messages - clear. He came here with the sole purpose of wiping the remains of despair off the world’s surface. Nagito and Mikan shared slightly amused smiles between each other and Hajime, who shook his head and ran his hand right across his face. Children… The most unpredictable thing in the world.
Oh boy. Where to begin..?

“..Nagisa. Is that your name? Are you… the leader of your small group?” Hajime asked, walking closer to the bed, facing the three. The blue-haired boy nodded slowly, never looking away from the adult, wary of his intimidating presence. Although scary looking, Hajime had no ill intent.

“...can I speak with you, while Mikan tends to your friends?”
“N-No! Are you out of your mind? You- have you heard a WORD I just said?? I have to stay with them- A good leader never leaves his people!” Nagisa protested definitely. Everybody gathered in the room saw it clearly though, he was just as weakened as the other two.

“…that’s true. But a good leader also doesn’t let his people suffer.” Hajime said calmly, giving Nagisa a reasonable look. The boy was ready to keep arguing with it, but his eyes turned towards his friends. They really didn’t look good… how could they stop Remnants of Despair if they were so weak, he thought?? But the same people they wanted to stop, were the ones that were gonna care for them??..

“I know, it’s... a hard choice, who to trust sometimes. But… look. If we were willing to hurt any of you, we’d already hurt the little guy who fainted. And he’s over there, already getting help. Come on.” Hajime kept pressing, reaching his hands to Nagisa.

The boy swatted them away and jumped off, barely keeping balance. He appeared a little lightheaded but persisted.
“If anything happens to them.. when I come back… I swear I will end all of you.” Nagisa warned, giving his friends a worried look, but evidently tried to smile. Reluctantly, he walked out of the room.

Hajime sighed and after giving looks to Mikan and Nagito, left along with the boy. Obviously nobody is going to hurt them and in fact, both began to care for the little boy and girl. While scared, they remained calm. Much calmer than Nagisa.

“Well? What do you want? You realise you’re on the top of our list?”
“What list?” Hajime asked, shutting the door quietly.

“Bounty list, of course. You’re ALL criminals. We’re going to kill all of you, erase the last of Despair of the world and get all the prize for your heads!! And then, we will be able to fund our own world for kids only! So no more Demon adults can hurt us, ever again!” Nagisa explained thoroughly, crossing his arms on his chest, eyeing Hajime with a deep frown. “You’re really bold, wanting to talk to me like that.”

Hajime stared down at the kid, trying very hard to keep any laughter inside his chest. The view of this 9 year old kid threatening to kill him was pretty amusing, but… it wouldn’t be nice of him to laugh. Especially since they talked about the serious matters in this case.

“…okay kid… okay. Let’s both calm down a little bit. There will be no killing, because… there is no need to. Despair is no more.” Hajime slowly got down on his knee, facing the boy better now. Nagisa frowned at these words, shaking his head.
“…you’re lying.” He said. “I-I saw the video. You were the ones that organised the Final Killing Game!! You said you’re- you’re going to keep hunting and-”
“…and? Are we hunting the world or not?”

As this question was asked, Nagisa, usually quick to answer, fell silent for a moment, connecting the dots in his head. Hajime chuckled at that, getting up and pointing on the stairway down with his head.

“Come with me.” He requested, starting to go down. Luckily, the boy followed, still staying a few steps behind the other, moved purely by the curiosity.
“After we broadcasted that video about the Final Killing Game, we jumped on the ship and left to these Islands. Because back when we all were Remnants of Despair… the Future Foundation, or rather… 6 rebels of the 14th division, placed us in one of their buildings, right on these islands.” Hajime explained calmly, walking outside with Nagisa. He held the door for the little boy, allowing him to leave the building alongside him. He covered his eyes from the bright, orange sun, which painted the most beautiful sunset on the horizon. Hajime walked a few more metres to enter the shore and kneeled next to him, creating a shade with his hand, putting it above Nagisa’s eyes.

“Can you see it from here? On the left.” The man pointed on the horizon, which did show an indistinct shape of a huge building.
“…yeah. What’s in there?” Nagisa asked, sounding like a curious kid, rather than a small and sassy adult, for the first time since they arrived.

“Right now, we reconstructed it into an archive. But when we arrived here during the Tragedy, we were put into a comatose, in special capsules. Our minds went into a Neo World Program, where the Future Foundation hoped to erase Junko and the whole despair theme from our minds. Overwrite our memories with memories of the school trip in the virtual world. ”

The boy looked over at Hajime, his eyes raised high. It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie… but on the second hand… that building…

“…and it was… successful?” Nagisa asked carefully, sitting down in the sand as he once again felt a little lightheaded. Hajime followed his move, sitting next to him, legs curled up to his stomach.
“Well… it almost wasn’t.” He smirked bashfully. “When I was still Izuru, I was convinced by Junko to let her despair-induced virus into the program with us. My friends… killed each other one by one in this virtual world and we literally couldn’t do anything about it. That… was scary. It was scary to later realise everybody was dead because of me. But… we fought her together. Me and my four remaining friends, alive in the program. We decided to force the shutdown sequence, which would erase her. There was a huge risk we would wake up as Remnants of Despair again, it was like a… suicide mission, but… long story short, we didn’t. We kept the memories of the simulation and our past, too. We were determined to fight for our future.” Hajime talked slowly, smiling at Nagisa calmly.

“…you five did, but.. what about the rest?”
“I possess every talent in this world, so with the help of my surviving friends, we wrote them a new program. It wasn’t easy, but… some digging in the neuro fields helped me fight brain death. They went through the program again, erasing despair on every layer of their subconscious. They woke up, one by one… everybody was rescued. And despair was no more.”

Nagisa listened to his words, trailing little shapes on the sand, still frowning.

“…that sounds like a fairytale. How can I really trust it?” He asked with a pout, turning his head to face the older man. Hajime remained calm, sighing. He rested his chin on his arms, watching Nagisa.

“If we still were Remnants of Despair… wouldn’t we try to take down The Future Foundation? We have done.. a lot of terrible things. Our redemption lies in cutting ourselves off from the world, letting it heal. We will never.. ever… show up in the modern world again. That doesn’t mean we aren’t in touch with it though. Do you know Makoto?”
“M.. Mr. Naegi? The brother of Komaru Naegi??” Nagisa perked up, hearing a familiar name. It seemed to wash him over with some comfort.

“I think that’s the one.” Hajime smiled. “He’s keeping us safe. We’re all alive thanks to him, because instead of wiping us off this world - he decided to try and help us. He had tons of troubles, just because he tried to help us. It’s a good thing he’s the head of Future Foundation now. That man… really has tons of hope in his heart.” He went on, turning his head to stare off at the horizon.

Nagisa followed his gaze, pressing his lips together. He shouldn’t trust adults, ever, he swore that. But… Why did Hajime sound so… trustful? Was he actually trusting him now??..
No. Definitely not. He may sound all trusting, but who knows what’s below that layer??

“…the world wasn’t kind to you too, was it?” Hajime interrupted his thoughts, asking a rather risky and fragile question. Nagisa’s heartbeat got faster suddenly. He scoffed, curling his legs up to his stomach and hid his face in his knees, trying to hide from the entire world. The universe.
Hajime only nodded at that with understanding. Nagito said something about these kids „not being easy”. Judging by their looks and demeanours, it wasn’t the Tragedy that destroyed their innocence to begin with. He promised himself to try and dwell on it later. But for now, he wanted to take care of the little boy’s state.

“Can we make a deal, Nagisa?” He asked slowly, causing the boy to lift his head up.

“Mh? What.. deal?”
“You don’t kill us. And in return… we help you find peace again. I.. have a feeling that’s what you need.” Hajime smiled at him again, reaching his hand out.

Nagisa jolted a little at that move, frowning lightly. But… It looked like there was no other option. A little reluctantly, he reached his significantly smaller hand and both shook them slowly.
That was a step. At least there was no more risk of not waking up in the morning, being jabbed by the knife or… something. Whatever these kids planned.
“Now, how about we walk you back to the hospital, so Mikan could take care of you too?” Hajime suggested, starting to get up, but noticed Nagisa was again, frozen in fear.

He looked up at Hajime with pure terror, completely pale on his face.

“…what.. What does it mean? Take.. care of me?”
“I dunno, we will see what you need overall. You kinda look dehydrated to me, maybe she’ll decide to give you some IV… uh… some vitamins perhaps… she’s the nurse. I have the medical talents muted, so I can’t tell for her.” Hajime explained with a soft shrug, smiling at Nagisa, but quickly noticed the boy’s terrified expression. He got back down, tilting his head curiously.

“…hey? Is Nagisa still with us?” He hummed, slowly moving his hand in front of his face. Nagisa scoffed or even.. whined, letting out air with a terrified sigh.
“I- t- the needles- I don’t want them-” he whispered, immediately grabbing his forearms in a protective manner. “No needles- n-no needles- no more medicine please-”

Hajime watched the boy go into panic mode and he chose to be patient with him, sitting down in front of him. No pushing him forward. No rushing. It didn’t seem like a typical child-like fear of needles, no. More like… a serious PTSD response.

“Scared of hospital environment, huh?” The man chimed sympathetically, trying to express familiar feelings about this fear. Nagisa agreed after a while, raising his eyes to stare at him.
“…I… m… my parents. I had to learn a- a lot. The day wasn’t enough- it was never enough for him-” the boy whispered in the same terror in his voice, allowing these fragile memories out of his mind. “My house… reeked, like a hospital. Like… like t-the a-antibacterial fluid... like… rubber gloves… food.. tasted like medicine… like… disgusting… disgusting nothing..”

Hajime listened quietly, taking out of his words as much as he could. The day wasn’t enough? Enough for… learning? So he had to learn at night? So he was kept awake by medicine… his face cringed in realisation, at how terrible it was for a child’s development and overall wellbeing, if that’s what it all meant. Terrible for his stomach, for his brain, for his veins, all of it. A little unsure how will Nagisa react to this gesture, Hajime’s hand carefully landed on his small shoulder. As expected, Nagisa jolted at the touch, but… strangely, he didn’t try to pull away.

“I’m pretty scared of them too.” Hajime said, giving the boy a soft and reassuring smile.

His face changed slightly at his words, lifting a brow curiously.

“…you’re.. scared?” Nagisa repeated suspiciously. “Or.. are you just trying to make me feel better?”

“Nah, I’m scared. For real.” Hajime chuckled reassuringly and the boy in front of him continued to be completely shocked by that info.
“B… how?? Adults… aren’t scared. They are scary themselves! Besides- you’re Izuru Kamukura! He wasn’t- afraid!” Nagisa uttered, genuinely shocked. Because how could an adult be scared? They never seemed scared of anything…

“Hah, oh you’d be surprised. Adults… are scared differently, that’s all. It’s easier for us to compose ourselves and express that fear differently. And we have a more reasonable understanding of the situation.” Hajime explained quickly, then kept going on. “About Izuru, well.. before Izuru, I was a 17 year old boy. No special talent. No friends. Family in huge debt for sending me to Hope’s Peak. So… trust me I was very afraid. During the preparations for the Kamukura project, I was pierced quite a lot. Pierced, pinched, tested, cut up… that was scary.”

Nagisa looked up at the older boy’s face again, humming under his breath. He tilted his head from side to side as if trying to find those scars on his forehead.

“Mm.. so… how did you get rid of that fear?”
“I never did. I just… deal with it however I can. Usually I tell myself that it doesn’t matter if I’m scared. I mean- it does matter. But the fear is not going to postpone it. Because… I still need to do it and it will make me feel better, no matter if I’m scared or not. I usually take Nagito to hold my hand or just sit with me, keep me company.” Hajime explained that too, smiling brightly, seeing that the kid is taking his words into consideration.

“…really? His presence out of everybody?” He rolled his eyes a little, surprised. “Is his presence that meaningful to you?..”

Hajime laughed at that, helping the child up and started to walk towards the building again.
“Oh he is very meaningful to me.” The man confirmed calmly. “And trust me, nobody is treating him as a servant. Nor will I accept that type of behaviour. Things… are different here.”

Nagisa fell somewhat quiet, walking side by side with Hajime. Things were really... different here. For some reason, he felt… almost comfortable. Even despite the fact that they walked back into the hospital. Nagisa realised that by the moment they stopped by the room they had walked out from before.
The boy took a step back, nervously grabbing onto the nearest thing he had to grab - Hajime’s leg. Hajime looked down and patted his back.

“It’s okay, Nagisa.” He said reassuringly and still, never neglected the fact that the boy was clearly petrified. Rather, he accepted it. Cradling it in his understanding. “…do you want to hold my hand, if it turns out you have to take the IV?”

Hearing the “IV” again, Nagisa’s hand clenched, but slowly, he nodded, focusing on the door, his stare almost blank.

Both walked into the room, noticing the bed where the other two warriors sat, was now empty, only two other adults remained inside.

“Wha-” Nagisa gasped, letting go of the older man’s trousers and ran inside. “Where are they?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM-”
“Nagisa, relax!” Nagito took it from there, standing up. “They’re both in the triage room, on the opposite side of this level. They’re sleeping.”

Nagisa remained in the alert state, his breathing rapid and unstable. But given the sorry state he was in, he was destined to collapse as well. Lightheaded, he lost balance in his feet and began to fall forwards. Nagito and Hajime caught him together and carefully pulled up on the bed, seating him comfortably. The boy squinted with a soft whine.

“Am-I’m- nauseous-” he whispered, taking deep, hungry breaths. It looked like he was starting to suffocate. Or at least, experiencing asphyxia.
“Shhh.. it’s okay, I-I promise you’ll feel better in a moment.” Mikan rushed over with a non-rebreather mask and put it over Nagisa’s nose and mouth. It was a little big on him, but the flow of high-concentrated oxygen still reached his lungs just fine and the boy closed his eyes, calming down a little. Hajime sat down by his side, noticing that Mikan was still preparing everything needed for the IV; it was the quickest way to get him the much needed nutrition and hydration. He grew nervous himself and just as he noticed Nagisa was opening his eyes…

“Nagisa.” He said, taking his other hand carefully. The boy jolted, suddenly grabbed like that and immediately turned his head to the older one.

“Did you know… that our islands have various animals?”
“…what?” Nagisa frowned. “Why are you telling me t-”

He was going to ask, why was Hajime telling him such useless things, but that’s when his left hand was turned over by Mikan, leaving the space open for the IV. The place was already disinfected by the cold spray and wiped; she was quick and precise. Nagisa recognised the pattern, as well as the smell of the antibacterial spray and whined in fear, starting to move his arm, trying to struggle it away.

“I’m telling you. We have a whole zoo on the beach.” Hajime kept going, keeping his small hand in between his both now, gently pulling him towards himself, prompting him to look at him, away from the IV that’s going to happen. Sharp as he was, Nagisa quickly understood and watched Hajime, almost through him; pupils tiny, eyebrows pulled into a deep frown and his lower lids barely holding up the tears. That was his definite fail of a Leader and Hajime clearly saw it in his eyes. He tried his best to appear scary, ready to fight and there he was, on someone else’s mercy, helpless.

“Y… yeah?.. what… what animals?..” he asked in a teary tone, the saddest he has ever sounded since he arrived. And Hajime kept going right on, watching Mikan’s moves.

“Animals like… crabs. There are red, huge crabs, waddling around the beach. Have you ever seen a crab?”
“N-No-”
“Well, crabs are funny looking. They have 5 legs on each side and their body is made out of a very hard armor. And they walk sideways. Isn’t that hilarious? And.. 2 out of their all 10 legs are actually pliers.” Hajime spoke in a calm tone, eyeing how the IV is going. Luckily the whole room understood his pattern and they decided to play along. Especially Mikan, who held the needle and waited patiently, for the signal.

“Pliers?.. what do they do?..”
“Well you see Nagisa, crabs are crustaceans. They like to eat a little bit of greens, but… they won’t leave a good clam or yummy mussels. They usually use their pliers to open their shells up and eat whatever is inside. Kinda brutal. But.. It's not only for food. Sometimes, a crab doesn’t like it when we lie on a beach and sunbathe, cause they’re territorial. And then, get that… they walk up to us…” Hajime stuck out two fingers and pretended they walked from Nagisa’s wrist to the inside brachi part.

“And they pinch us!”

With that said, Hajime pinched his skin in the same spot, very gently. At the same time, Mikan applied the IV on the other side. It didn’t help as efficiently as they hoped, because Nagisa still yelped in pain and curled up to Hajime’s arm, weeping quietly. The man scooted closer, reaching his left shoulder and rubbed it. He knew he wouldn't completely erase that pain from his mind. But maybe… just maybe, he made that experience a little less scary.

“Shhh… you’re very brave, kid. It’s done. All done.” Hajime reassured him tenderly, peeking at the IV, which was already secured by the sticker and additional bandage. This way, it wouldn’t move and dwell around the poor kid’s veins.
“Nagisa, y-you were really, really brave indeed.” Mikan added with a smile, sitting on the other side. “Once it’s d-done, we will remove it an- and you’ll forget about it.”

Nagisa calmed down after a moment, perking up at both Hajime and Mikan.

“…I won’t… have to take any more of them?” He repeated with a broken tone, reaching to his face with his right hand, letting go of Hajime.

“Well if we take care of the right nutrition, which we will do, undoubtedly, then it won’t be needed.”
“No… you don’t understand, I’m… I’m super weak without them. I had to… I… I always took them to last all night, my- my stupid father-” Nagisa started to stutter, remembering these dark times. And yet, these adults didn’t want to keep him up all night.

“…is it not normal? You adults usually stay up all night to work and- and want the same for us. To be efficient.” Nagisa sniffed loudly, watching Hajime, Nagito and Mikan intently. All three looked at each other, smiling slightly.

“No… we don’t push ourselves too hard these days. Except Hajime. He usually sits by the computer for a looooong time.” Nagito said, sitting down on the bed with his boyfriend and the little kid. Hajime rolled his eyes, poking his leg.

“But when I feel like I need to sleep, I’m going to sleep.” He giggled. “Nagisa, nobody is going to push you to stay up. If you want to nap during the day, so be it.”
“But don’t fall asleep on an open sun. Heatstroke is a real thing.” Both men talked to the boy reassuringly, smiling between each other.

Nagisa stared at them, surprised.

“I don’t… understand. Adults… they’re… bad. Why.. don’t you all seem bad?”

Hajime and Nagito looked at each other, as well as Mikan. The man hummed under his breath, turning to Nagisa.

“…maybe… we are a little different adults.”
“Besides, we’re all on tropical islands. The atmosphere is different… and we don’t have to work.” Nagito added calmly. This information also shocked Nagisa, lifting his head. Talking to these two really turned his attention away from pain of the IV and he calmed down, almost completely.

“…you really don’t?” The boy asked. “So… how do you live? How do you make money?…”

“We don’t use currency.” Hajime answered. “Once a month, we make an order and The Future Foundation sends us everything via cargo ship. The one you’ve travelled in. We don’t pay for it, it’s funded by them. We can’t work, because that would require us to be in the systems. Visible for the world. And none of us would want that. Neither would the Future Foundation. That’s the deal. We do little works around the islands, fixing them up cause they were abandoned for many years. Once you get better, we will gladly take you for a small trip around the archipelago.”

Nagisa listened to him, soft frown present on his face as he took in all the info. He huffed loudly, lifting his hand to scratch his cheek slightly.

“…it sounds like a nice life.” He commented quietly, seemingly growing tired and sleepy. Not fighting it, Nagisa’s rubbed his eyes and closed them slowly. “…really? I can.. sleep?”
“I-I’d say you even should.” Mikan said softly, cleaning up the space around the room. “Good rest… boosts convalesce and shortens its time. When you wake up, t-there’s a huge chance.. the IV will be gone.” She chimed, encouraging him.

Nagisa sighed deeply, as if great relief took over him. Without further words, he closed his eyes and soon enough, his face relaxed, muscle by muscle.

The remaining adults looked at each other, slowly lifting themselves off the bed and all left the room, one by one, leaving Nagisa to sleep peacefully. The door closed and all of them looked at each other. Awkwardly. Out of words with which they could express what they felt.

“…oh my god.” Nagito finally broke the silence, running his hand across his face in a tired matter.
“Yeah… I feel that.” Hajime uttered, massaging the back of his neck. “I’m… completely shocked. We have four kids on the island, man. What if they come looking for them?? They’re somebody’s kids?”

“Uhhh.. nah. Nobody will look for them.” Nagito shook his head quickly. “Call in the emergency meeting on the first island in the Hotel. I’m going to tell you all I know about them.”
As he already considered it before, Hajime agreed to the meeting simply, taking out his phone.

“Emergency meeting in the Hotel at 7pm, presence is mandatory.” He typed into his phone and sent into their group chat. Nagito and Mikan’s phones received the notification, but the three still stood there, awkwardly.

“I-I think I should stay in the hospital… in case they wake up…” Mikan chimed shyly, but Hajime was quick to agree with her.

“I was gonna ask if you’d like to stay here… but you won’t hear about them from Nagito.
“M-Maybe they’ll tell me if they wake up.. I’ll learn about them later. D-Don’t worry about it, please.”
“Then… in case of a voting… you’d vote for them to stay, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.” The nurse confirmed calmly, as her friend made a quick note of that in his phone.

“Right. We will be going then, call me if something changes, wether they wake up or anything, let me know please.” Hajime told the girl, before both him and Nagito left the building, rushing over to the motorboat.

“Hajime, slow down. We still have 30 minutes to get there, that’s enough is it not?” The white-haired man caught up with his boyfriend, taking his hand, noticing that Hajime is really speeding. He scoffed quietly and slowed down his steps.
“Sorry. I tend to rush when I’m nervous.” He explained bashfully. “…this situation is absolutely crazy, Nagito. I’m- so lost, more lost than I have ever been.”

Nagito listened to his boyfriend with a reassuring smile on his face, nodding his head slowly.

“I know. I know, it’s… it’s troubling, first and foremost. But, hey. Remember our saying? Some troubles tend to…?”
“…to fix themselves. I know.” Hajime finished, lowering his head, as they sat down in the motorboat together. He started the engine and soon, they began to zoom through the bay.

“…I didn’t know you were so good with kids.” Nagito said after a moment of silence, giving Hajime a smirk. The other man immediately got sprinkled with a soft blush, looking away from his partner.

“..I didn’t know either.” He commented in response. Hajime had to admit he was positively surprised with how he was with kids, considering even his family was relatively childless, all his cousins were either older or his age. Yet, these four were a special case. There was this strange connection to them, an undeniable bond he simply couldn’t ignore.

Whole class 77-B made it to the dining room of the Hotel - the strategic place for any meetings. Everybody took their preferred spots, finding a moment to chat with each other, catching up with people whom they don’t see as much as their neighbours. The hall was loud and bustling with energized talks. Their common agreement they made at first, to spend every meal together, slowly faded away as it suggested an inconvenience in travel between the islands. And eating in their own houses simply seemed… easier, logistically speaking. Maybe even cozier.

“It still amazes me. I make an announcement and they all listen.” Hajime uttered in surprise, walking up the stairs with Nagito, who giggled at that.
“You are a reliable person. Hope, of all of us. And still, in fact, Izuru Kamukura. I doubt anybody wouldn’t listen to that guy.”
“Right but… they’re not just scared of me, right?”
“Nah. They love you, Hajime.” Nagito reassured his boyfriend calmly, as they finally made it to the dining room. The talks didn’t stop at all; the atmosphere remained nice. As they passed the tables, both Hajime and Nagito were greeted with smiles and nods.

As he took the spot by the highest table, Hajime coughed under his breath, catching everybody’s attention.

“Right- welcome everybody, thank you for coming in so quickly. I.. see you’ve made yourselves cozy already, which is really sweet.” Hajime chuckled, spotting cups on various tables. “Now, before I move on to the main subject, is there anything you’d like to announce, inform, anything we all should know?”

Silence fell between the tables, everybody looking between each other. It’s not like Hajime was expecting something, not at all. In fact, he felt an odd relief that all the matters were taken care of. He huffed quietly, sitting himself down on the table’s surface, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Alright. That’s good to hear, all in all.”
“Wait! Hajime, what about Mikan? She’s not here, we should wait.” Mahiru pointed out concerned, while her friend went on with an explanation.

“I am aware. And- I’m glad you noticed. Promise I’ll explain that to you all in a moment. She, along with Nekomaru, Akane, Nagito and I, knows what this all is about already. As you know, we had a cargo ship arriving today. Nagito wanted to help me out and offered to unload the cargo himself, while I took care of other matters. While he was doing the stocktake of our goods, he found an… unusual extra.” As Hajime said that, he noticed an excited glow in some of his friends’ eyes. He chuckled to himself about that, shaking his head.

“We’d all like.. extra food or snacks but I must inform you, it’s quite different. In the ship, Nagito discovered 4 young children, aged between 8-10 years old. All alive, though in a, hm, very sorry state. He called for me, I confirmed the discovery and we both took the kids to the hospital, where Mikan tended to them.”

Faces of his fellow people drooped in surprise, as they listened in, looking at one another. Whispers started to spread around the tables, so Hajime lifted his arms up, in hopes of calming the commotion down a bit.

“Yes- guys I know. I really know.” He uttered, his voice concerned. “It sounds like a very random occurrence but it turns out the truth is a little different. Nagito? Would you like to fill us in?” Hajime turned to his beloved. Nagito nodded eagerly, got up from the chair and took a spot next to the other.

“During the Tragedy, while you’ve all been in your rogue roles, I… I was serving Hope. Quite literally. These kids, along with one more, created a group called Warriors of Hope. They all have been… through terrible, terrible experiences, even before the Tragedy happened. They weren’t induced with despair like we all, but no other but Junko Ennoshima convinced them that killing off adults that made their life hell, is the correct and only way to salvation. Any.. adults, in fact. They wanted to turn Towa City into paradise for kids, in which no adult could ever tell them what to do. Or… hurt them. But their actions were stopped, thanks to Komaru Naegi, sister of Makoto and his classmate, Toko.” Nagito told his friends rather quickly, leaving some of the details out. It’s not like they’d change the course of the story.

Their faces changed on every word, from shock, then sadness, they’ve seen the whole spectrum of emotions.
They were so caught up with what happened to their own lives, that they never wondered what happened to the youngest demographic. The children. The kids, who are easily impressed, easily manipulated, easily scared. It was the end of the world, after all. And the four newcomers to their islands were the prime example, what happens to the kids when they have no one to rely on.

“But.. How come they’re here now? Did you tell them to jump on the ship or something?” Hiyoko interrupted on an annoyed note, her eyelids narrowing. “Cuz you would be able to pull off something like this.”

“No no- it was not our idea of course, we were just as surprised!” Nagito protested, and Hajime joined in.
“None of us knew such a thing would even be a possibility. I talked to their leader today. His name is Nagisa. I was told that they managed to access the files of the Future Foundation. They wanted to find us, because… as our last video to the world said, we were the ones who organised that Final Killing Game. They, as well as the rest of the world, think that we are the last, remaining pillar of Despair, creeping upon the world. So… they wanted to get on the Island, hunt us down and return for the prize. Something that is basically, never allowed to happen, according to Makoto. Majority of the world already forgot, we’re not showing up in the news, you all have TVs, hope is literally blooming.” Hajime explained with a deep sigh. His words met with slightly worried expressions and gasps among the crowd.

“So- so you’re telling us that the information about our whereabouts is so easily accessible, that the kids found them?!”
“W-We’re in actual danger?? Do we need to evacuate the islands??”
“What if there will be more people like them? Trying to kill us?!”

His friends expressed deep worries about the safety of their world and peace, which they fought for so hard and worked on. Nobody wanted to leave what they managed to build, especially since there was nowhere for them to go. Hajime coughed loudly, allowing Izuru’s intimidating aura do its job and calm his people down. At times like these, it was good to be both himself, empathetic and even a little skittish Hajime, and also big and scary Kamukura, able to get anybody’s attention easily due to his calm and cold demeanour.

“Nobody is evacuating the archipelago.” He said in a serious, but stoic tone, his posture proud and stiff as he stared down at everybody; a little like the teacher standing in the classroom while explaining an important subject to his class. As he had everybody’s attention, he let out a deep sigh.
“I’m having a lot of questions regarding this matter as well. I will be e-mailing Makoto about this and I already decided to ask him, to hide information about our whereabouts behind a bigger firewall. It’s no joke, I am pretty struck by this too. But, from what I understood, these children are no ordinary feat. Nagito?” Hajime turned to his boyfriend and he was quick to answer too.

“Yes, they actually were students of Hope’s Peak Elementary School Division. All of them are already very skilled in their own ultimate talents, but Nagisa is especially sharp in every aspect I could think of.” Nagito explained, scratching the side of his head gently. “I’m not sure, but I’d suggest he was the one who hacked his way into the system. Masaru is good with sports, Kotoko is a little actress and Jataro’s main interest is art. They’re all incredible and smart little souls, capable of great things. They just need good guidance and somebody to rely on.”

As Nagito spoke about the kids, Hajime gave him a small smile, his hand making its way onto his knee to give him some reassurance. Something in his voice spoke volumes; it felt like Nagito really cared about these four.

“…so.. I will send Makoto a message about this situation. He needs to know. Now… Regarding the kids themselves… I wanted to ask you. What.. What do you think we should do.” Hajime said slowly, looking at the others. Careful, to look at all of them personally. As if he asked each one of them in a “one on one” level. In response, he got nothing but silence. A stumped silence of wonder and doubt.

“Are you.. trying to suggest you want them to stay? Here, with us?” Kazuichi was the first one to speak up, causing all the heads to turn towards himself, then back at Hajime.

“…I would like that for them.” He confirmed soon, nodding his head slowly. “After I talked to Nagisa, then listened to what Nagito just told us, I see them as individuals no different than us. We could even assume they have been through worse. They were manipulated by despair, in a completely different way. And just like us… they can’t fit into their world they once used to know. They came with the purpose of hurting us, but… truthfully, my friends, I think their arrival was perhaps destined. Maybe this is something they were all looking for, subconsciously.”

Hajime spoke to the group, carefully watching their expressions change. Some were overcome with relief, some with even more doubt. Some didn’t budge at all.

“They’re just kids.” Nagito added quietly, almost begging his friends to let them stay.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room once more, interrupted only by a lull of the sea and soft wind, flying through the windows. It was told when they came back to Jabberwock. No visitors. But some rules cannot work in an universal way, as it seemed.
Hajime turned his head to look at Nagito with a tender expression. He gave him a smile and reached his hand out to stroke his cheek. Surprised by this soft gesture, Nagito bounced in his spot but leaned in eventually, smiling sadly at his boyfriend.
They’ve had this conversation before. They will never be able to have, what other couples can achieve with no trouble whatsoever. Majority of them of course. Hajime knew that while some of his friends had that chance, to raise a life on their own, him and Nagito would never be able to. Given their circumstances, staying in the secluded part of the world forever, meant that it stays secluded. Biologically, it was impossible for them. Adoption was also out of the question.

He knew what he had to do. For Nagito. For himself. And definitely for these four kids, failed by the ones that were supposed to be their safety net.

“…guys. I… if you agree, you’ll not be put with a responsibility. I could not possibly ask you that. I… will be responsible for them. The question to you is simple - is it okay for you to give them a chance here, or no. This is all.” Hajime spoke up, gently taking Nagito’s hand and intertwining it with his own tightly. Nagito gasped at that softly, looking up at Hajime, surprised.

The rest of the hall nodded between one another with understanding; evidently, this explanation was easier for them and met with much more optimism.
As the voting took place, only three people kept their hands down. The rest seemed excited about the idea of four new souls joining them in. Living among the same group of people day to day, might start to get a little mundane after some time.

Taking the opportunity of gathering everybody in the dining hall, the whole class stayed for a late supper that TeruTeru managed to cook up quickly. They talked and chatted and laughed, like back then, when they arrived back at Jabberwock, finally able to start living their lives, but stayed in the hotel’s cottages, too afraid to depart on their own just yet. Hajime sat silently but smiley, genuinely happy to see his friends in their prime. Nagito was right by his side meanwhile, peeking at his partner from time to time, as he sipped on water, silently dwelling on what he said during his speech.

Eventually tiredness took over and the people started to leave back to their homes. Dishes were cleaned, the dining hall’s lights turned off and everybody on their way.

“Haji.” Nagito chimed, skipping few steps to catch up with his boyfriend. “Wait for mee.~”

Hajime turned his head to see him and smiled calmly, freezing in spot to let his dear reach him, right by the hotel’s pool.

“Sorry, I thought you left already, I couldn’t find you anywhere.” The man explained himself, taking Nagito’s hand lovingly. “Everything alright?”
“All good, I was helping TeruTeru in the kitchen a little. I was going to ask you the same thing though.”

Hajime smiled wider, nodding in response and kept going towards their motorboat.
Both men stayed relatively silent as the boat zoomed through the calm waters of the bay. Starry sky right above their heads, blinking at them softly.

“Hajime?” Nagito started again, perking up, as they ended up around midway between first island and the second one, where they home stood. Noticing the expectant expression of his, Hajime slowed down, eventually stopping the boat. He needed to talk here and now.

“…are you… sure about this?” He asked carefully, reaching both his hand over to hold his boyfriend’s. Hajime gently held him back, stroking both the normal hand and robotic prosthetic.

“Sure about the kids?” The man answered with a question, squinting, just to be sure they’re talking about the same thing.

“..they’re really difficult.” Nagito spoke up finally, squeezing his boyfriend’s hands. But as he did that, Hajime stopped him.

“Are they important to you?”
“Huh?”
“They are important to you, I can see that. I can hear that when you speak about them. They are important to you.” Hajime explained with a soft smile. “You are important to me. And so… the kids are important to me too.”

Nagito listened intently to everything, watching Hajime’s face. Soft moonlight reflected from the water, giving their silhouettes the perfect contrast to the dark environment.

“…they’re almost half our age. Will they even see us as.. p.. parents?…” he smiled giddily at the other, as his curly hair bounced with his head that cocked to the side with curiosity.

“They don’t have to. And I don’t think we should even expect that from them. But what we can give them is a parental figure. Motherly figure, fatherly figure… they don’t need a parent. They need an example. Warmth. Safety.” Hajime spoke, still gently stroking Nagito’s knuckles. “I know it’s early. God, it’s… too early, we’ve barely turned 20. But… maybe that’s the only chance we might ever have at this. Honestly… I’d love to take it with you. You know Nagito, they won’t simply send us a baby over when we say we want it.”

At that last sentence, Nagito bursted out laughing, leaning into Hajime’s body to snuggle. But also to show him how grateful he is.

“I remember you told me you’d love to have a baby with me and how unrealistic that whim is.” The other man whispered, dipping his hands into his fluffy hair and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. While this option wasn’t exactly a much desired baby… Hajime hoped it would still suffice.
He had no idea how much it mattered for Nagito, who closed his eyes, holding onto his boyfriend tightly as ever. Hajime… was too good for him. Too good in fact, that Nagito couldn’t help but wonder if he’s still in the Neo World. But he wasn’t, actually. This… was reality.

“…you’ve already made my wish come true. I am loved… just how I always wished to be. Just how I always thought, would be impossible.” Nagito uttered into his chest, as they held each other. They slowly realised that from tomorrow morning, their lives will change a lot. They will get… perhaps.. a little more meaningful. And their hearts.. a little fuller.

Eventually the couple made it back into their beach home. They approached it, watching it in some sort of ponder, holding each other gently.

“…we will need to clean up the spare rooms and.. maybe divide them by something else than the archway? Putting them all in one room, no matter how big, sounds like a poor idea.” Nagito hummed, scratching his cheek. Hajime was quick to agree to that, rubbing Nagito’s hip.

“I doubt they’ll want to sleep separately just yet though. They were very much against the idea of being away from each other, I think we should let them stick together until they’re comfortable.” He nodded, staring at their home.

They built it together in a rather short time. Hajime made a project himself, with a little help of his Ultimate Architect talent. The first floor had a relatively open plan, the only closed room was the bathroom really. The kitchen and living room were the first spaces that welcomed anybody entering their cottage. On the left, there was a small extension purely for the round table, made out of dark granite and palm wood. Almost every furniture in their home was made out of palm wood. Hajime’s little office was in the back of the house, glued to the living room but divided by a wall and a small archway. Nagito insisted on hanging the trinket curtains in it, creating them himself. They consisted of thin rope and everything pretty they found on the beach. Be it shells of various shapes and sizes, colourful rocks or even rounded pieces of just as colourful glass. Nagito loved pretty things; he often reminded Hajime of a raven.
The small bathroom was also a divider because right by the staircase located in the kitchen, there was another small archway, leading into Nagito’s hobbyroom. It was a quiet space with big windows and a beautiful view out into the bay and a piece of their beach. Nagito turned out to be a crafter by heart. He loved to tinker with ropes and little elements or beads, creating beautiful macramés while listening to music. Who knew he’d find his peace in such a thing.
The stairs to the upper floor led to a small hallway. Upstairs consisted of a more closed-off space. There was a main bedroom, bathroom with a big bathtub by the window and then there were two rooms that were without a real purpose. They were, in fact, one huge room altogether, only divided by the long archway. Hajime insisted on leaving them as storage rooms or guest rooms, explaining that they make sense on the floorplans.
But now.. with four new locators, he started to doubt they’ll be enough. He couldn’t even divide them by their gender; if they put the girl in her own room and three boys remained crammed into one, they’d probably whine about it.

“Hajime.” He heard Nagito’s voice out of sudden, as he was poking his cheek. “Have you fallen asleep or something? You completely froze.”

The white haired man giggled, amused by how completely stiff Hajime went but luckily he woke up relatively quickly. He shook his head awake, giving Nagito a smile.

“Sorry, I was… planning. Thinking.” He admitted, starting to walk upstairs, to even reach a wooden platform their house stood on. Part of the platform was placed in the water and during inflows, part of their stairs tended to be a little moist. But at least their cottage was safe from any water getting in.

“How about you do that tomorrow, hm? Let tonight… remain for us only.” Nagito chimed, stopping by the door and taking a smooth step to stand in front of his boyfriend. His voice got low suddenly, same as his eyelids, while his pretty face continued to be decorated by a smile, just as pretty. Hajime grinned at that, definitely liking such a suggestion. His hand slowly ran across Nagito’s hip, while the man leaned in to kiss his lips softly.

“I need to go write that mail, that just can’t wait… but if you wait for me in bed.. I’ll make sure we use up that night properly.” Hajime answered with a smirk. His hand smoothly moved behind Nagito, opening the door and after they slid to the side, letting them in, he wrapped the same hand around the other’s waist, picking him up and carrying him inside.

Nagito laughed, holding onto Hajime’s shoulders since he made a small twirl with him in his arms. Eventually, as he was put down on the ground, he kissed the corner of his lips, letting go of his neck.

“I’ll wait. But I can’t promise I’ll last long.~” Nagito whispered the last few words, and soon disappeared upstairs, sending his partner the look until he couldn’t see him anymore.

Hajime chuckled under his breath, closing the door behind them. The eagerness of Nagito was both entertaining and very appealing.

“Oof.. I better write that quickly.” Hajime thought to himself, clearing his throat. His cheeks were already warm with blush, when he headed to his office. The work had to be done and amidst the growing excitement, he began to wonder, how will The Future Foundation even reply to this?

…Either way, he knew he’s going to read that tomorrow morning.