Chapter Text
“I… Wasn’t boring, right?” Kokichi asked. The pain coursing through his body was immeasurable, and he didn’t know how much time he had left. He stared up at the plate above him, swearing he could see the stars of Kaito’s jacket reflecting back at him. He didn’t fully register what Kaito answered with, all he knew was the peace that followed his response. Kokichi’s eyes fell shut before the hydraulic press could start again, and the pain from the poison finally faded.
It felt like only a second had passed, and Kokichi was awake again. The world was dark, but he could hear some kind of beeping in the room with him. The beeping was interrupted by some kind of clicking sound, and a pressure was lifted from his head.
Kokichi reached up, fumbling with straps and clasps before something fell off his head. He was blinded by a bright, sterile light that made him instantly regret removing the object obscuring his vision. Once his eyes finally adjusted, Kokichi looked down at his lap. A virtual reality headset lay there. His memories were still foggy, and he thought he remembered receiving something like that… But why was he awake?
A nurse walked in a few minutes later, and when she saw Kokichi was awake, the first of many questions and tests began. To name a few, he was asked about the date, given simple problems to solve, had to read an eye chart, and name different smells and tastes.
Then, half an hour later, a police officer came in. He asked questions about what Kokichi could remember before he put on the headset, and took the object in question.
“We have reason to believe that this was a coordinated attack on Hope’s Peak Academy students,” the police officer explained once the questioning was finished. He produced a card from his pocket, and handed it to Kokichi. “What you were able to tell me lined up with what the others said. If you remember anything else, let us know.”
“Yeah,” Kokichi agreed and took the card. It wasn’t like he actually intended to, he was constantly at odds with the police after all. He just wanted to get the officer to leave already. If his mind wasn’t still reeling from everything that had just happened, he would’ve mocked the officer or said something more. But then again, maybe he wouldn’t. If he really was trapped in some virtual reality game, then he would still want the people responsible taken care of.
The fact that this was good news for his plan wasn’t lost on Kokichi. If it worked, and everyone except Kaito was executed, all the others would wake up just fine, and eventually Kaito would, too. There was a strange ache in Kokichi’s chest as he recalled the coughing and sputtering that resonated throughout that hangar in their last days together, but he tried to push it to the side.
With a dramatic sigh, Kokichi leaned back against his pillow. Everything had felt so real… He could still feel his body aching as if the poison were real. He almost started thinking about Kaito again, but he quickly shook the thought off. It wasn’t like him to worry this much about anyone outside of his little gang.
His gang. Yeah, they needed his attention. Not that idiot who he was relying on to carry out his plan. It wasn’t like if Kaito didn’t succeed, the others would likely end up having to go through more class trials. More death. More doubt.
He realized that he was just making himself worry about more people, rather than solving his previous problem. They probably hated him, and they had every right to, so why was Kokichi still worrying about them?
He hated being alone. Hated the quiet that followed, when there was nothing to plan for and no mischief to get into.
“You’re alone, Kokichi. And you always will be.”
Why those words echoed in his mind now, he pretended not to know. He lied to himself and said they held no truth, but deep down, he knew they did. Even within D.I.C.E., he felt like he was alone.
After a week passed, Kokichi was finally discharged. He was told to meet some people somewhere, but he didn’t care for that. Instead, he just went straight to his apartment. It was a pitstop, really, before he went to his actual destination. Yes, he technically had a dorm at Hope’s Peak Academy, but that wasn’t where he kept his D.I.C.E uniform. He didn’t trust the RA to not tamper with it in the off chance they found it, if he hid it in his dorm.
As Kokichi changed into his D.I.C.E uniform, a thought crossed his mind. Despite the fact he kept his affiliation with the group a secret, somehow the people who made that horrific game knew all about it. His uniform, his position, hell, they somehow knew they were a gang of orphans. He needed to look into that.
Setting that aside for the time being, he donned his mask, hat, and cloak. It was nice, finally being back in his real uniform. If nothing else, he needed to see that they were alive with his own eyes.
He punched in the code to the warehouse they used as a base, and pushed the door open. All eyes were on him the moment he came in, and for a moment, time froze. They were all there. They were alive, they weren’t rotting away in a jailcell. A storm of emotions tore through him, but they were each hidden by the mask he physically wore.
“Boss! You’re back!” Aiko was the first to speak. She shot up from where she was sitting and nearly tackled Kokichi to the ground when she hugged him. Her half-mask didn’t conceal the way she grinned. Masa wasn’t far behind her, although he didn’t hug him like she did.
“Don’t scare us like that,” Fuku spoke next. He never was good with people leaving, even if the person didn’t have any control over it. He might not scream or yell at you, but he still didn’t take it well.
“Geez you guys are acting like I died or something!” Kokichi laughed. He thought he died, but he wasn’t gonna tell them that. Not only would that upset them for no good reason, he still didn’t understand what happened exactly.
Shuichi might be able to help, but he was still in that thing, and if he had to guess, Shuichi didn’t know even a fraction of what he learned, so maybe Kokichi was better off on his own with this. That wasn’t to say Kokichi knew everything though, like what the hell could Horse A and Twins B even mean? Why were they important?
“Do you have any idea how hard that was? Knowing you were stuck in some weird headset, not able to visit you because of your rules?” Emi asked. For a moment, Kokichi saw- No, he couldn’t think like that. She was still in the game, and she hated him more than anything. She wasn’t Emi, and after everything, it was an absolute good thing.
“Yeah, but this has to be a secret. Can’t be an evil leader if everyone knows my connections,” it was, of course, a lie. One they probably saw through, but Kokichi still told it anyway. Vulnerability was a luxury he couldn’t really afford, lest he invite people to poke and prod at him.
“So what happened while you were stuck in that headset thingy?” Aiko asked. That was a question Kokichi had been fearing. It was only natural that someone would ask, but he wasn’t any less lost on how to answer it.
“I dunno, it was some weirdo tournament with weird rules,” Kokichi shrugged. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t a completely accurate representation of the truth either. Some might say that was a lie, but Kokichi didn’t think so. But it worked, at least for now. Itsuki didn’t seem to completely buy what Kokichi said, but he didn’t argue.
They didn’t get to keep talking for long, though. They barely started a card game before there was a knock at the door. Hideki, the biggest one of them all, looked at Kokichi, then set his cards down. He went to the door and asked: “Who’s out there?”
“This is Future Foundation. We’re looking for Kokichi Ouma,” the voice on the other side already sounded impatient, maybe even a little arrogant. Kokichi couldn’t help but wonder, was that one of the people he was supposed to meet with?
“What business do you have with him?” Hideki asked, glancing at Kokichi once again.
“He was supposed to meet with us, but clearly he thinks he’s above that,” the man from Future Foundation explained.
“I’ll just go with him, you guys go ahead without me,” Kokichi set his cards aside. He wished he had gotten more time before they tracked him down, but apparently this was too important. Hideki hesitated, but he stepped aside.
“Hey, you’re not gonna disappear on us, are you?” Fuku asked.
“Of course not, geez what kind of leader do you take me for?” Kokichi couldn’t really blame Fuku for being this way. Seriously, who wouldn’t, after being abandoned by his parents like he had? Kokichi stepped outside, and was immediately met with a very pissed off blond.
“Are you gonna pull something like that again?” he demanded.
“Nah, I learned my lesson,” Kokichi said quickly, but the way the man narrowed his eyes said that he didn’t believe a word Kokichi said.
“You’ll be staying in a room at Future Foundation. Your… Little friends can come visit you if they want, but given the way you didn’t show up after being explicitly told to, you won’t be able to leave,” the man explained.
“Geez, all that and I don’t even know your name yet,” Kokichi joked, but this guy just rolled his eyes.
“My name’s Byakuya Togami,” he finally introduced himself. It almost seemed like he expected Kokichi to know that just by looking at him or something… He turned away, and before he started walking, he said: “And take that childish clown mask off.”
“Geez, you must be fun at parties,” Kokichi reluctantly pulled the mask off. If everyone at Future Foundation was like Byakuya, then whatever they had in store for him was gonna really drag on.