Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Feeling returns to him slowly, accompanied by pain. There’s a dull, overwhelming ache in every part of his body, and he feels heavy, like he got hit by a sack of rocks, but also he is the sack of rocks.

“It’s this one,” a muffled voice says. Kokichi strains to open his eyes, but the pressure is too much, and he’s too tired. Even breathing is a struggle. Something clicks, and there’s a whooshing noise as the warmth around Kokichi is replaced by a gush of cold air. He hadn’t realized how quiet it was until sound returned to him, but he can’t make sense of what those sounds actually are. There’s beeping and whirring - machinery, maybe?

“Are you sure?” a different voice says, as footsteps draw closer to him. “He certainly doesn’t look awake.” There’s a pause, then soft laughter. “Alright, alright. I should know better than to doubt you, huh? There’s no way a lowly-”

“Komaeda-kun,” the first voice says.

“Right, right,” the second voice - Komaeda? - says. “Anyway. Do you think he can hear us?”

“He should be able to. He’s the only one showing any changes in brain activity - it has to be him that’s awake. I don’t know why he isn’t moving….”

“Maybe it’s like how it was for me,” Komaeda says, voice flat.

“That’s…..a likely possibility. Would you like to try talking to him, in that case?”

“Me? Hinata-kun, do you really think hearing someone like me ta-”

“Komaeda-kun.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll try.”

More footsteps. The next time Komaeda speaks, he sounds even closer, like he’s standing directly above Kokichi.

“Ah...hello, Ouma-kun. I’m sure you’re very confused right now, but we need to know if you can hear us, alright? Try to move something - a finger, perhaps. Can you do that?”

Kokichi barely remembers what it feels like to move his limbs, but he tries. He focuses all his energy on his hand, and after a moment, he feels a faint twitch.

“He moved his hand!” Komaeda says, voice getting further away again. Kokichi returns to trying to open his eyes. Maybe managing to move something else will make opening his eyes easier?

He misses the next few things that are said, but when he does manage to get his eyes open, a man is leaning down over him, mismatched eyes analyzing him carefully.

“Well, he’s certainly awake now,” he says. “I guess I should introduce myself, yeah? I am Hinata Hajime, and the other person you just spoke to is Komaeda Nagito. We - and a few other friends of ours - have been helping take care of you. Ouma-kun, how much do you remember?”

“Hrng,” Kokichi says.

“I don’t think he can talk yet,” Komaeda says. Hinata’s mouth twitches.

“Let’s just give him some time, then.”

What does he remember?

It comes back to him slowly, in bits and pieces. Waking up in a locker, meeting strange new people in a strange new place, being told the only way to leave is to kill.

He remembers Amami, bloody and broken. Akamatsu, swaying before the piano slammed shut.

He remembers insects and cults and virtual worlds, piranhas and sickles and toilet paper, hope and despair and truth and lies.

He remembers -

at least I wasn’t boring, right?

- he remembers exisals and poisoned arrows and the hydraulic press, and for a moment, he forgets how to breathe.

“Ouma?” Hinata frowns at him.

“I remember,” Ouma says, wincing when he realizes how dry his throat is. He swallows, shuts his eyes again for just a moment, just long enough to put his mask back on. “I remember how much fun I was having! Man, why am I here? I was so certain I was gonna finally end up in hell!”

Hinata doesn’t even blink, just sighs tiredly. “Ouma-kun-”

“Unless this is hell? Ooh, I get it! My version of hell is being stuck with two boring losers for all of eternity! That’s too bad, I was so excited for all the torture!”

“He’s worse than you,” Hinata mutters to Komaeda. Louder, he asks, “Are you done now?”

“That depends, done with what? Done with my evil schemes? I’m never done with those, I’ve alrea-”

“You can drop the act.” Hinata rubs his temple, continuing before Kokichi can even interrupt. “And yes, I know it’s an act. You realized there was an audience for your killing game, didn’t you? Well, we were the audience.”

you don’t have to keep wearing a mask.

“I think you have me mistaken for someone else, Hinata-chan. I may be a liar, but I’m still the supreme leader of evi-”

“Your evil organization is a bunch of clowns, and that’s not even your real talent,” Hinata says tiredly. “You’ve been through a lot. We want to help you, but we can’t do that if -”

The door slams open, interrupting Hinata. “Gonta heard Ouma-kun was awake! Is this true?”

Kokichi can’t see anything but the ceiling above him and a little bit to the side, but he doesn’t need to be able to see to know who just entered.

“Ah - Gonta-kun, he’s not quite-”

“Tsumiki-san, I thought you were -”

“I tried! But he got so excited, I couldn’t-”

“Is he really awake? Gonta want to say hello!”

Voices overlap, words hard to decipher with everyone talking at once, but Gonta’s voice is clear. Every word hurts worse than the arrows did.

“Gonta,” Kokichi says. “What makes you think I want you to say hello?”

The room goes quiet. “Huh?”

“I -” His mask slips, and he has to pause to readjust it. “What makes you think I’d want to talk to a stupid idiot like you?” It’s not his best work, but it’s Gonta. He’d fall for anything.

“But - Gonta thought - Ouma-kun said they friends!”

“Did I? Wow, you must be even stupider than I thought to fall for that! I’m a liar, after all.”

Hinata speaks up again. “That’s enough. Oum-”

“If Ouma-kun a liar, then…..maybe he lying about this, too!” Gonta says, cheerful as ever. “Cause Gonta remembering being friends, and Gonta not think that a lie.”

Kokichi is silent, letting Hinata take control of the situation, mumbling something to Gonta about how Ouma needs time to recover and that he can visit later. The door clicks behind Gonta as he leaves, and once he’s gone, Hinata leans over Kokichi again, making sure he can see his disappointment.

“What was that for?”

Kokichi rolls his eyes. “He was just another pawn. But the board’s been cleared now, and it’s time to start over.”

Hinata raises an eyebrow. “Really? Why wouldn’t you want to keep all your pawns available?”

Kokichi scowls at him. “He’s outlived his usefulness.”

“You feel guilty.”

“Ha! You think I feel guilt? No, I’m just hoping to have a smarter minion this time around.”

Hinata doesn’t reply to that, shaking his head at Kokichi. “You don’t even know where you are.”

“Does it matter?”

“You’re currently in an area controlled by the Future Foundation. Right now, you’re still in a VR pod, but I think we can take you out soon. If you’re willing to work with us.”

“So if I’m not, you’ll leave me to rot? Aw, that’s so noble of you!”

Hinata sighs, rubbing his face. “We’ll still let you out, if you don’t work with us. But it’ll be harder, and you’re gonna need our help no matter what.”

“I don’t need anyone’s help,” Kokichi says sharply.

“Alright, then, get yourself out.” Hinata’s face vanishes, leaving Kokichi staring at the ceiling. “Komaeda-kun, let’s go. I think he needs some time to himself.”

Chapter Text

Hinata doesn’t come back. He leaves Kokichi to stew in his own thoughts, staring at the ceiling and trying to remember how to move. It’s a decent distraction, at least, since his body has decided it doesn’t want to work with him anymore. He’s pleased when he manages to lift his hand, then angry that he’s considering that an accomplishment.

The door clicks open, an hour or so after Hinata left. “Are you here to beg for my forgiveness?” Kokichi asks, but the face that leans over him is completely different. Her eyes are matching, faded dull purple, and her hair is a similar colour to Kokichi’s own, but much longer.

“O-oh! You’re still awake,” she says, jumping. “Um, I’m Tsumiki...Tsumiki Mikan. I’m j-just here to check up on you.” She looks like she might start crying if Kokichi says anything, so for now, he’s silent. He stays silent as she runs through some tests, clipping some device onto his finger and slipping a thermometer under his tongue and putting a stethoscope to his chest, but it’s harder to be calm when she wraps his arm in a strange cuff and starts to tighten it.

The cuff squeezes, and for a second, he’s back under the hydraulic press. Tsumiki, at least, seems to catch on quickly. “Ouma-san? I-I’m sorry, I should have warned you...I’m just checking your blood pressure! It’ll be done soon, I promise…”

He can’t even think of something snarky and threatening to say, so he says nothing. He doesn’t realize he was holding his breath until Tsumiki slides the cuff off and he starts breathing again. “Are you alright?” Tsumiki asks. Her face gives off the impression that “worried” is her default expression, but it does seem like genuine concern.

“Peachy,” he says.

“W-would you like to know the results? I can try to...translate it into something that would make more sense to you?”

“Yeah, yeah, lay it on me, doc.”

She swallows, tapping her fingers on something Kokichi can’t see. “Well, you seem mostly fine….your heart rate was normal, along with your temperature, and listening to your heart seemed fine, as well. But...Ouma-san, are you wearing a binder?”

It comes so out of nowhere, and Ouma realizes he’s not even sure himself. “Probably? What’s it matter?”

“You’ve, ah….been here for some time. Much longer than you should be wearing a binder continuously for. Once we get you out of the pod, we’ll get you a change of clothes, alright? And you’ll have to take it off.”

He’d shrugs, glad to finally have a little control over himself again. “Alright.”

She breathes a sigh of relief. “In that case, I’ll...go get Hinata-san, and he can fill you in from here, alright?”

Kokichi pouts. “Aw, but you’re so much nicer than Hinata-chan! He kept getting mad at me.”

“You...think I’m nice?” Tsumiki asks, voice squeaky.

“Well, nicer than Hinata-chan, at any rate.”

Tsumiki is quiet for a second. “I-I’ll go get him.”

She scurries out of the room quickly. Kokichi doesn’t have his whiteboard anymore, but he makes a mental note that Tsumiki might be useful in the future.

Hinata comes in a moment later, not bothering to lean over Kokichi. He can guess at his expression though. Hinata’s annoyance and frustration radiates off of him.

“Hinata-chan! You finally came back!”

“Are you ready to actually work with me now, or are you going to keep being difficult?”

“Aw, don’t you have any faith in me?”

“No.”

Kokichi laughs. “Well, I’ll behave myself. Mostly. Being stuck in this weird pod thing is getting really boring!” And as soon as he’s out, he’ll make a run for it. Maybe. If he’s physically capable of it.

Hinata’s face finally appears in Kokichi’s line of sight. “Alright. I’m gonna pick you up, okay?”

“Yeah, just get it over with.”

He’s reminded of the last time someone held him, Momota dragging him through the hangar, smearing blood everywhere. Hinata seems to be having an easier time at least, pulling Kokichi up to a sitting position and giving him a better view of the room. There’s a circle of pods, some open and empty, others still shut. The one to his left is open, but the one on his right is still closed, and if he squints, he can make out the colour of what’s inside. It doesn’t take long to put two and two together.

“Yumeno-chan’s in there, isn’t she?” He doesn’t look away from the pod, waiting to see if the shape - if Yumeno - will move.

Hinata sighs. “I didn’t think you’d notice so quickly.”

“I notice everything,” he says, surveying the rest of the room. Based on the fact that Yumeno is next to him, and the pod on the other side is empty, it’s likely that the set up here is the same as their placement during class trials. Which means….

Next to the empty pod is another empty pod, and the one next to that is closed. The figure in that one looks to be dressed in all black. He scans over the other empty pods, looking for a familiar flash of purple, and some small part of him he would never admit to breathes a sigh of relief when he sees it.

Up until now, Kokichi hasn’t been thinking much about where he is, caring more about how to leave. But for some reason, he feels a little responsible for Momota and Saihara.

“They’re investigating right now,” Hinata says, following Kokichi’s gaze. “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions, right? If you’re willing to listen, I can answer some of them for you.”

Kokichi turns to Hinata, letting his face go blank. “Well?”

“The killing game wasn’t real.”

“Aw, so this isn’t hell?”

“If you’re not going to take this seriously, I-”

“Fine, fine, I’ll be quiet.” He mimes zipping his lips and throwing away the key, then shoots Hinata a wide, close-lipped grin. Hinata does not grin back.

“You all were trapped in a virtual reality simulation. You were supposed to be student’s of Naegi’s rebuilt Hope’s Peak - do you remember Hopes Peak? The new one?”

Kokichi taps his lips thoughtfully, careful not to let them open, then shrugs.

“We can sort that out later. You all were targeted by a certain group. We don’t have a name for them, because we can’t quite figure out their goal. The Future Foundation - do you remember them, at least?” Kokichi shrugs again. “We can figure that out later too. They were able to defeat the group, but couldn’t interfere with the virtual reality without risking killing you all. So….they called me and my friends in, since we have experience with virtual reality killing games, and we’ve been able to at least help you out as you each wake up. I think you can figure out what woke you up.” He gives Kokichi a brief flash of a smile. “Does that all make sense?”

Kokichi is more confused now than when he woke up, but he grins anyway, folding his arms behind his back and leaning like he hasn’t a care in the world.

“Yep! Crystal clear.”

Hinata frowns. “Ouma, please be honest with me. Everything will go much smoother if you do.”

Kokichi gasps. “You think I would lie to you? That’s such a cruel thing to say!”

“If you’re honest with me, I can give you more information. I can fill in any gaps and explain things better. If you keep lying, I’ll have no way to know what you know, and what you don’t.”

Kokichi doesn’t reply.

“If you’re honest, I can let you see what’s still happening in the game. I can let you see Saihara and Momota.”

“They’re still inside.” It’s a statement, not a question, but Hinata nods.

“Yes. The trial should be starting soon, in fact.”

“Show me,” Kokichi says, before he can stop himself. “I don’t care about what’s happening out here, I need to see what’s happening inside.”

“O-Ouma, maybe you should-”

“Calm down? Wait? I’m not-”

“I’m not letting you watch until I think you actually understand what’s happening out here. A lot of things you saw in there - things you were told, things you remembered, even things you did - were….manipulated, or completely fake. We need to make sure you’re...mentally stable, before we can let you see what’s happening in the game. Now, I’m gonna ask you some questions, and I need you to answer honestly or I can’t do anything to help you.”

Kokichi huffs. “Fiiine. If you insist!” Hinata sighs, but grabs a clipboard that had been sitting next to him.

“Okay, first, we need to sort out what you remember. Do you remember Hope’s Peak Academy?”

“I,” Kokichi starts to say, and then stops himself. He’ll tell the truth. For now, at least. The name feels familiar, yes, but he doesn’t actual remember anything. “No.”

“Do you remember what school you went to?”

“Imperial...Hold on.” The name is right there, ready to be spoken aloud, but he doesn’t actually remember ever attending a school. In fact, he distinctly remembers walking past a school with DICE, laughing at the people his age who were wasting their lives doing something so boring.

The thought of DICE sends a shiver through him. He has to get out of here, and find out if they’re okay.

“Ouma?”

Right. Hinata asked him a question. “I don’t think I went to any high school.”

Hinata doesn’t say anything, only nods and goes to the next question. “There’s a bunch of questions here, but I’m gonna condense them a bit. Do you remember The Tragedy? Enoshima Junko? The Remnants of Despair?”

It feels so familiar, like he should be able to remember, and yet….

“Nope,” he says, trying for a little of his typical cheer and falling flat.

Hinata puts down the clipboard. “What do you remember? From before the game?”

He remembers meteors, and sickness, and suffering. He remembers running. He remembers a bunch of things, and none of them can be true.

He doesn’t answer Hinata’s question. Instead, he says, “You said earlier that you were the audience for our killing game. How much did you see?”

“We didn’t see the flashback lights. Not in the way you saw them, at least. But we know what they told you.” He sighs, rubbing his head again, just above his red eye. “Does that mean you remember what you saw in them?”

“They weren’t real, were they?”

Hinata hesitates. “No,” he admits, finally, after a long, awkward pause. “They were not.”

“So it was all a bunch of lies, then. Everything I remember is just lies.”

Is DICE even real? That small flash of a memory he had, was that as fake as the rest? Or could that have been genuine?

“Not all of it,” Hinata says, interrupting Kokichi’s train of thought. “You were...lucky, in a sense, in that your memories haven’t been tampered with quite as much. The things you saw in the flashback lights weren’t true, but most of the other things you remember are real.”

DICE was real. Is real. They can’t be fake, not when Kokichi can remember everything about them.

“Is there anything specific you wanted to ask about? Someo- something you remember?”

Hinata apparently knows about DICE too, based on how awkward he’s being. He could just ask right now.

“Nope!” he says instead. Maybe he’ll ask later. For now, he’d like to see if he can figure things out on his own.

Hinata sighs again. “Well...do you still want to see what’s happening in the game? I’d rather we get you caught up with what’s happening in the real world, but…”

Kokichi grins. “Momota-chan and I had a plan. I need to see how it all plays out.”

“Alright, well….we’ll let you watch. Do you want to go to the common room? You other classmates should be th-”

“No.”

“You don’t want to be around your classmates, I take it?”

“Who would want to hang out with those losers?”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t lie.”

Kokichi doesn’t reply to that. Hinata stands, rubbing his temples again. “Can you move properly yet?”

As it turns out, he cannot. It takes most of his energy to move his arms, and his legs prove even more difficult. Still, it’s not until Hinata actuallys puts a hand on his shoulder, quietly telling him to stop trying, that Kokichi actually does so.

He can’t be struggling like this. He refuses to rely on these people he barely knows. All the same, he doesn’t protest when Hinata lifts him and places him into a wheelchair. He’s silent as Hinata wheels him out of the pod room, away from the unconscious bodies of his classmates, and down a hall to a new room.

Kokichi has never been in a hospital, but he’s seen enough tv shows to recognize one. He groans loudly. “Was this all a lie to get me in here? You’re not even gonna let me watch the trial, are you?” He pouts at Hinata, tears pooling in his eyes.

“I didn’t lie to you. I’m going to let you watch the trial, but we’re going to need to keep an eye on you. You’re…”

“Am I gonna die again?” Kokichi says, eyes going wide, tears rolling down his cheeks now. “I am, aren’t I? Th-that’s why-”

“Ouma. Enough.”

He shuts off the waterworks. “Wow, you catch on quick!”

“You’re not going to die. You just may take longer than your classmates to recover fully. You….went through a lot, in the game.”

“Aw, Hinata-chan, are you worried about me?”

Hinata doesn’t reply to that, instead focusing on getting Kokichi into the hospital bed.

Finally, once Kokichi is settled, Hinata turns on the TV in the room. It’s small, but Hinata moves it close to the bed, so Kokichi has a pretty good view. He can hear Harukawa’s voice, insisting that Momota was the victim. Kokichi snorts.

His plan is going well so far, at least.

Except then Saihara yells his trademark “no, that’s wrong!” and says something about finding Kokichi’s clothing in the toilet.

“He left them in the toilet? Seriously?” Kokichi’s the one rubbing his temples now. “If Momota-chan screws up my plan, I’m going to go back inside the game and kick him.”

“You’re doing no such thing,” Hinata says. Kokichi whips his head around.

“You’re still here?”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“If I say yes, would you?”

Hinata pauses. “Probably not.”

Kokichi rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to the TV. Harukawa is still insisting Momota is dead, glaring at Saihara.

He’s not quite sure who to cheer for.

Momota makes his entrance sooner than Kokichi expected. It’s annoying, but not the end of the world - Kokichi wrote a script for this scenario, too.

Momota says hello in his regular voice, and then swaps to Kokichi’s. He has to admit, Momota does do a pretty good impression of him, though the voice is a little off, and the singing was definitely not in the script. His classmates, luckily, don’t notice a thing.

Momota shows the video - it’s surprisingly good, considering Kokichi could barely hold the camera for his part - and everyone is suitably horrified. Even Hinata, who’s moved a chair over to sit next to Kokichi, looks pale.

“What did you do? ”

Kokichi blinks at him innocently. “What do you mean?”

“What - what is this? Why go through all this effort?”

“Is it really so weird to try and make the killing game more fun?”

Hinata gives Kokichi a tired look.

“I suppose it won’t hurt to tell you,” Kokichi muses, tapping his chin. “I was trying to trick Monokuma. Momota-chan’s in the exisal, pretending to be me. So they’ll all think I killed Momota-chan and vote me the culprit.”

Hinata’s eyes widen, staring at Kokichi in horror. “Are you trying to get everyone killed?”

“I just told you what I’m trying to do! Jeez, would it kill you to listen? I’m trying to trick Monokuma. Because even he doesn’t know the truth of this case! So, if they all arrive to the wrong conclusion, he’ll have no choice but to accept it. And then he’ll find out he was wrong and I completely ruined his little game!” Kokichi grins at Hinata, folding his arms behind his head. “I’m so glad I’m gonna get to see it all play out, too. I was annoyed about dying before I figured out who the mastermind is.”

Hinata shakes his head. “You’re even more incomprehensible than Komaeda.”

Kokichi shrugs. “You’ll see.”

Chapter Text

Hinata does not see. He stays throughout the duration of the trial, probably trying to provide moral support or something stupid, but Kokichi makes sure to ignore him. He tries not to react to anything on screen, except some smug smiles when things go his way. It’s nice to know he can manipulate everyone even after dying.

And then Saihara has to go and spoil everything. He’s too smart for his own good, really, so focused on the truth that he never stops to consider the cost. There’s nothing Kokichi can do, as Saihara dissects the case, ripping his plan apart.

Hinata’s quiet for most of it, but he does speak up when Saihara starts theorizing about Kokichi’s motivations, trying to explain to the other students why he was willing to die for this plan.

“He’s wrong, isn’t he?” Hinata asks, after Saihara starts talking about how only Kokichi could think of something so evil. “You didn’t just want to confuse Monokuma.”

“Think you’re smarter than the Ultimate Detective, huh?”

Hinata shrugs. “I may not be a detective, but I have experience solving convoluted murders.”

“Well, you’re wrong. I just wanted to beat Monokuma. Even if it meant I had to die.”

“If you insist.”

Kokichi narrows his eyes at Hinata, but says nothing. He’s clearly made up his mind. And, well, Hinata’s not entirely wrong.

Seeing Momota again hurts, more than Kokichi expected. He’s clearly learned nothing from the trial, because when the remaining students ask for the truth, he gives it to them. Not all of it, luckily - he leaves out Kokichi’s last moments, his last confession, his first kiss. That, at least, is something that belongs only to them.

But Momota shares a lot, enough that Kokichi feels like he’s had a layer of skin peeled off. His plan, his secrets, his motivations - all are laid bare for anyone watching. The other students still seem confused, debating all the way until Monokuma declares it’s punishment time.

Hinata swears.

“I need to go prepare for when Momota wakes up,” he says, standing up.

“I want to come.”

Hinata shakes his head. “He’s going to be confused when he wakes up. I’ll let you see him once he’s stable.”

“I need to be there,” Kokichi insists, not even certain why he’s insisting. “He - I - this wasn’t supposed to happen, this was supposed to work -”

Hinata shakes his head again. “I’m sorry. I’ll let you see him as soon as I can.” He doesn’t give Kokichi time to respond, rushing out of the room quickly.

On screen, Momota is being strapped into a rocket. Kokichi can’t bring himself to look away, watching as the rocket burrows into the ground only to come out the other side, all the way into space. Despite everything, he doesn’t look especially scared. In pain, maybe, but there’s no sign of the fear Kokichi remembers from his own death.

At least he managed to achieve his dream, in a sense. Momota dies with a smile on his face, a smile Kokichi finds himself copying once he sees the words Execution Failed . At least someone managed to beat Monokuma.

The screaming starts a second later. Kokichi’s got a good ear for voices, and beyond that, there’s only person who has a reason to be screaming. Momota must be awake, and he doesn’t seem happy about it.

Eventually he stops, but the silence is almost worse. Your fault, a poisonous little voice, his own evil counterpoint to Kiibo’s “inner voice”, whispers. It’s not wrong. This is his fault. This whole plan was his idea, something he pushed Momota into, and now it’s backfired.

He needs to leave here. There’s nowhere to go, but anywhere is better than this cramped little room, with his former classmates theorizing about him on screen.

Hinata left the wheelchair. Kokichi manages to collapse into it, and though it takes him a moment, figures out how to actually move around. The route Hinata took to bring him to his room was simple enough, so he starts to retrace it, though he’s mostly focused on just moving, which is why he doesn’t notice Komaeda until he’s practically knocked him over.

“Ouma-kun!” Komaeda says, quickly getting back up. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” Kokichi barely registers his words, instead focused on the massive bruise forming around Komaeda’s eye. Komaeda follows his gaze, touching his face carefully. “Momota-kun was panicking a bit when he first woke up, and accidentally punched me in the face,” he says, shrugging. “It’s no big deal! It’ll heal in no time, I’m sure.”

“Accidentally, huh? That’s not a surprise. Momota-chan is pretty stupid.” The words burn when he says them, but he has a reputation to maintain.

Komaeda frowns, opening his mouth to say something, then thinks better and closes it. “Ouma-kun, how are you feeling?”

“Better,” Kokichi says, which for once isn’t a complete lie. He did manage to get himself into the wheelchair and down the hall, which is a pretty big accomplishment. Komaeda smiles.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. If you ever need anything, please let me know.” His expression is open and kind, even with the bruise. Kokichi scoffs.

“I don’t need any help,” he says. The smiles falters.

“Everyone needs help sometimes.”

“Not me! I’m completely independent.”

“Well, maybe you don’t need help physically. But what about mentally? Mental health is very important, Ouma-kun.”

Kokichi narrows his eyes. “I’m fine.”

“I don’t mean to pry, but….Well, I think we’re a little similar.”

Kokichi looks over the man in front of him. He’s at least a full foot taller than Kokichi, maybe more, with long white hair tied into a ponytail. Appearance-wise, their only similarities are pale skin and thin limbs, but that’s not much of similarity. Komaeda looks like he’s been stretched out and left out in the sun to fade away.

The tired look in his eyes is a little familiar, though.

“I was involved in a killing game as well. I had a….different approach, and different goals, but we had similar results.”

Kokichi looks up at him with the most innocent look he can. “Did you pretend to be the mastermind and go out of your way to make sure everyone hated you?”

“Well, not intentionally, but…Essentially, yes.”

“Hm,” Kokichi says, letting his face go blank..

“I tricked a friend into killing me,” Komaeda continues. “I was perfectly content to die for my plan to succeed.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Kokichi asks, leaning back in his chair.

“You were willing to die for your plan. I can recognize someone like me. You accepted dying, embraced it, and now you’re alive again. I know how hard it is to have to face people you’ve hurt again. I may not know exactly what you’re feeling, but -”

“I don’t feel anything,” Kokichi says, face blank.

“...huh?”

“I don’t feel anything,” Kokichi repeats, a smile beginning to form. “You think I regret anything I did in there? I’m above such petty feelings like that. I’m the supreme leader of an evil organization! The things I did there don’t even compare to what I’ve done before!”

Komaeda shakes his head. “If you’re not ready, that’s okay. When you are, I’ll still be here. And I think Momota-kun would want to help.”

Kokichi rolls his eyes. “Why would I want anything to do with that idiot? I’ll be happy if I never have to see his face again.”

“Is that why you’re going towards the VR pod room?”

“Is that where this leads? Hm.”

“I can ask Hinata if you can go see him.”

Kokichi rolls his eyes. “Sure, why not. Might as well torture myself.” It’s not a good lie, and it clearly does nothing to convince Komaeda, but he does want to see Momota again. He needs to see him, to prove to himself that the boy he just saw die isn’t really dead at all.

Komaeda smiles again, turning on his heel back the way he came. Kokichi does his best to keep up. He can hear Momota’s voice from down the hall, though he can’t make out the words, and his stomach starts to twist.

“Wait right here,” Komaeda says, poking his head in. The conversation is inaudible, but apparently Kokichi gets the okay, because a moment later, Komaeda is pushing the door open fully, gesturing for Kokichi to come in. It’s too late to turn back, so Kokichi rolls himself in.

Momota’s face is almost comical, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. “Ouma,” he breathes, like the name actually means something to him. His eyes are shining as he stares at Kokichi, so gentle and tender that Kokichi wants to fling himself out a window. “You - You’re -”

“It’s really hard to have a conversation if you won’t speak in full sentences, Momota-chan.” He doesn’t have to crane his neck to look at Momota, for once, because he’s seated as well, in a regular, non-wheeled chair. It’s bizarre being eye level, stranger still with that kind expression on Momota’s face.

“You’re okay,” Momota says, still breathless.

“I’m alive,” Kokichi corrects.

“We’ll be outside if you need us,” Hinata says, dragging Komaeda out of the room with him.

“I’m a little mad,” Kokichi says, once they’re gone. Falling into his old role is easy, even when it hurts. “Our plan didn’t work!”

“Don’t you mean your plan?” His expression changes, less excited and more exasperated, but his eyes stay the same.

“Don’t lie to me, Momota-chan. I saw your ad-libs! You did a pretty good job, except for the weird singing and the acting like I had a crush on Yumeno-chan , of all people.” He rolls his eyes, looking at his nails like he’s bored. They’re longer than he remembers. “Considering you’re such an idiot most of the time, you played along well. I should have known Saihara-chan would be too smart for us.”

Momota runs his fingers through his goatee. “Yeah….Shuichi’s a smart guy. But, hey, I’m no idiot!”

Kokichi tilts his head. “Aren’t you? You believed my final lie, after all.”

“The hell’re you talking about?”

“The whole thing about me hating the killing game!” He glances around the room, noting Hinata and Komaeda are still gone. Good. “All that stuff about there being nothing under my mask - you’re even more gullible than I thought! I can’t believe you wasted your first kiss on me of all people, Momota-chan.” He puts a finger to his lips, smiling. “What’ll your precious Harumaki say?”

Momota narrows his eyes. “Quit screwing around.”

Kokichi laughs. “Oh, but you’re doubting it now, aren’t you? Which was the lie? Was it-”

“Right now is the lie, obviously,” Momota says, scratching the back of his head. “I know you like to call me an idiot but you can’t think I’m that stupid, can you? You thought you were dying. As far as we knew, you were dying. Why the hell would you lie then?”

“That’s not what you said at the class trial.”

“I didn’t tell ‘em everything on purpose. Figured you’d like it better that way.”

It’s….oddly touching, in a way. Not that Kokichi will ever admit it.

“Ouma, you can’t pretend what happened in the hangar didn’t mean something.”

“What, do you wanna be my boyfriend now? Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but I already have one!”

“Wh - That’s not what I meant, and you know it!”

“Neeheehee! That was a lie. I’m single right now,” Kokichi says, wiggling his eyebrows.

“You’re just trying to get me off track. It’s not gonna work.” Momota rests his hand on his head, sighing. “How much longer are you gonna keep this act up? It’s not gonna work anymore. I’ve seen the real you.”

“The real me?” Kokichi echoes, face going blank. “First you say I didn’t lie in the hangar, and now you’re saying you saw the real me? Those can’t both be true, Momota-chan.”

Momota rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, there is no real you, you’re just a mask, whatever. I remember what you said. But just cause you thought it was the truth doesn’t mean it really is.”

Kokichi stares at him. “Are you trying to win an award for stupidest human being alive?”

“Why did you choose to die, instead of killing me? I was gonna die regardless, so why not put me in the hydraulic press? Why die at all? You could have just let Harumaki be the blackened. But you didn’t.”

“I didn’t wanna have to pretend to be you! It’d be hard to get into your head, y’know? It’s so empty in there.”

“Ouma -”

“I imagine it’s like a cartoon desert. Just miles and miles of nothing, but every so, a tumbleweed passes through.”

“Stop trying to dodge the question. Why did you chose to let me live instead of you?”

Kokichi sighs. “Why are you so focused on the truth? Lies can reveal so much, you know. They can be more informative than the truth, even!”

“I don’t wanna hear another lie, Ouma. Just this once, can you tell me the truth?”

“Well, if you’re so insistent….Fine, I’ll give you this. But it’s only as a reward for helping with my plan! I won’t do this again.”

“Just say it already.”

“The truth is….” The truth is hard to say. Hard to even think, impossible to actually say out loud. “The truth is I don’t wanna tell you right now! Try again later.”

“Seriously?” Momota rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “Fine, whatever. Keep your secrets. I’ll get the truth outta you eventually. ‘Sides, while you’re here, there was something else I wanted to say.”

“Alright, get it over with.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kokichi blinks. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry for killing you.”

“You’re sorry,” Kokichi repeats, voice flat.

“Geez, is it so hard to believe I feel a little bad for killing you?”

“Momota-chan, did you forget the part where I forced you into it? I knew you were stupid, but to be this dumb…”

“Just shut up and let me apologize!”

“I already let you, I’m just questioning why you feel the need to! It’s not like it mattered in the end, anyway. Look, I’m totally fine!” He gestures at himself, smiling, despite the fact that he’s clearly not fine.

“I should’ve figured something else out. Or at least thought of a way to kill you that wasn’t so…”

“It was my idea, Momota-chan.”

“It was a stupid idea. I should’ve stopped you.”

Kokichi sighs, tilting his head back so he’s looking at the ceiling. “Don’t you ever get bored of being the hero all the time?”

“Don’t you get tired of being the villain?”

Kokichi huffs, looking back at Momota, sitting with his arms folded triumphantly.

“And here I thought you weren’t boring. You’re such a disappointment, Momota-chan.”

“Hey, I’m not-”

“I think visiting you was a mistake,” Kokichi says, turning to knock on the door. “Hinata-chan!”

The door opens almost immediately. “What.”

“Can you take me back to my room?”

Hinata looks over the two boys for a minute, probably checking for injuries or something, but Kokichi is careful to only harm emotionally. He seems mostly satisfied with what he sees, so he grabs Kokichi’s wheelchair.

“Hold on,” Momota says, starting to climb out of his pod. Hinata stops him with a glare.

“Neither of you are in good condition. I was going to cut this visit short anyway.”

“But -”

“You must really like me, Momota-chan! Sorry, I’m not interested in you that way.”

Momota rolls his eyes. “I’ll get the truth out of you, one way or another.”

“If you say so.” Kokichi turns away from Momota, clapping. “Hinata-chan! Take me to my room.”

He stares at Kokichi with a blank expression, eyes tired. Kokichi sighs. “Please?” Hinata nods, finally pushing him out of the room and back to his personal room.

Chapter Text

“Don’t do that again. You shouldn’t even be out of bed right now.”

“Staying in bed is so boring, though.”

“Would taking a shower be interesting enough for you? You were in the pod for….well. Long enough that a shower may be needed.”

“I suppose,” Kokichi says. Hinata nods, going back out to get supplies. He comes back in a moment later, carrying a pile of clothes. He spreads them out on the bed, along with a few different shampoos and conditioners and body washes.

“Fancy.” He grabs a trio of purple bottles, scent unknown and unimportant. He looks over the clothing before taking it.

It’s two sets of clothing, it turns out. There’s a light purple hoodie, mostly plain, but the pocket in the center has a checkerboard pattern on it. There’s a pair of pants as well, white like the ones he already wears, but much simpler, though all the pockets have big, colourful buttons on them. The second set is a pair of pajamas, light purple again and made of the softest material Kokichi has ever felt.

“Good taste,” he informs Hinata.

“You shouldn’t thank me. Tojo made these. She made clothing for everyone to wear, once they woke up.”

A small amount of affection bubbles up in him, which he immediately pushes back down. Tojo tried to have them all killed.

He’s not any better though, is he? She was only doing what she thought was the right thing. What are 13 high schoolers compared to the entire country? Of course, that was probably just another lie, but she didn’t know that. Perhaps this is her atonement.

“Tell her I said thanks, mom!”

“....Let’s just focus on one thing at a time.”

Hinata has to carry him to the shower, since Kokichi still can’t walk, but he insists he can shower on his own, unless Hinata is just that much of a perv? Hinata turns red and leaves the bathroom as fast as he can, leaving Kokichi to his own devices.

He doesn’t realize how much his chest hurts until he’s taken his binder off and remembered what breathing feels like. He’s glad Tojo made him a hoodie. He’s not going to be wearing his binder for a while after this.

He takes a long shower, appreciating the feeling of finally being clean. The pajamas Tojo made him fit perfectly, especially considering she had no way of checking to make sure her sizing was right. Not a surprise, from the Ultimate Maid.

Hinata left him with a button to press when he was done, so he didn’t have to crawl back into bed by himself, but he ends up doing that anyway.

He’s never relied on anyone but himself. It’s far too late to start relying on people now.

The journey back to his bed is difficult, but he manages to figure out a technique for scooting himself across the floor, which is way less embarrassing than crawling, and from there he’s able to climb up the bed, resituating himself into the nest of blankets. The TV is still on, showing the few remaining students working out together, like Saihara and Harukawa and Momota had done when they were all still alive.

Kokichi shuts it off. It’s all pointless, anyway.

He lays in bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts rushing through his mind and leaving him dizzy. He’s going to have to face his classmates at some point, he knows, and he can’t stop himself from running over the worst case scenarios in his mind.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to be done, not alive all over again in some bizarre world he can’t even remember. And after his little breakdown in the hangar, there’s no way Momota will leave him alone.

He doesn’t entirely mean to, but somehow, he falls asleep. It’s not a deep sleep, and not for long, but it’s a little embarrassing when Hinata comes in to bring him food and Kokichi can’t even pretend he hasn’t just woken up.

“Is there a reason you never used the button I left?” Hinata asks, in lieu of a greeting. His gaze is intense, made worse by his mismatched eyes.

“Didn’t need to!” Kokichi says cheerfully. “I got back in bed aaaall by myself. Shouldn’t you be proud of me?”

“No, because you’re definitely not well enough to be doing that.”

Kokichi huffs. “You’re no fun. At least let me eat,” he whines, pouting at Hinata until he finally shoves the tray at Kokichi. It’s simple fare, miso soup and rice and a small salad. A little boring, really. “You need to try it first,” Kokichi insists, pushing the tray back at Hinata.

“Excuse me?”

“I need you to check it for poison!”

“...Right,” Hinata mutters, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m not gonna do that. Just eat your food.”

Kokichi whines the entire time, but he complies. In between bites, he bothers Hinata. “So, is this the only reason you woke me up?”

“Pretty much,” Hinata admits. Tsumiki doesn’t think you need another check up just yet, but she’ll probably give you one tomorrow.” He pauses, then adds, “Momota is with your other classmates right now. He wanted me to ask you if you’d like to join them.”

Kokichi laughs. He laughs until his stomach hurts, as Hinata watches him with a tired look on his face.

“Are you done? It’s a simple question.”

“Do I want to join them?” Kokichi asks, still chuckling. “You ask that like they’d even let me.”

“I knew I should have brought Komaeda,” Hinata mutters, rubbing his temples. “You’ll never get them to trust you again if you just isolate yourself in your room.”

“And what makes you think I care about them trusting me? After all I did to make sure they didn’t? I’d rather not throw away all that hard work.”

“Well, it’s an open invitation. And at some point, I’m not gonna let you just stay in here all the time. It’s not healthy.”

“Whatever you say, Hinata-chan! I’m sure once I start showing up everyone will just forgive me instantly and we’ll all be best friends, too!”

“Do you enjoy annoying people?”

“Oh, but of course. It’s my favourite activity! Well, second favourite. My number one is doing anything terrible and evil! But being annoying is a close second.” He gives Hinata his biggest, most innocent looking grin. Hinata rolls his eyes.

“I’ll leave you alone for now. But you’re not staying in here forever.”

“Whatever you say.”

Hinata starts to leave then pauses with his hand on the doorknob. “Also, Momota asked me to tell you that the inside of his brain is more like a planetarium ride, whatever that means.” And with that, he leaves.

Kokichi finishes his food quickly and lies back down, intending to go asleep, but it’s more fickle this time around.

There’s a part of him, a tiny, desperate part, that wants to go talk to his classmates. To befriend them, like Akamatsu and Gonta talked about.

But Akamatsu barely knew him and Gonta barely knew what was happening and he made sure to burn every other bridge he had. Maybe Momota thinks there’s some good in him, but Momota’s an idealistic idiot who spent most of the game hating Kokichi. It shouldn’t be difficult to convince Momota to hate him again.

Then the rest of the class can make friends and have tea parties and talk about their feelings and whatever it is people like that do. Kokichi doesn’t need them. As soon as he’s better, he’ll leave.

Mind made up, Kokichi falls back to sleep.

Chapter Text

He’s under the hydraulic press again, Momota’s jacket warm between his clammy skin and the frozen metal.

He can hear Momota talking to himself. Or maybe he’s talking to Kokichi, but it doesn’t really matter too much. He’ll be dead any minute now.

Except Momota’s voice starts getting louder, like he’s moving closer to Kokichi. The press stops, then raises, revealing Momota’s face, blood dripping from his mouth. He’s still talking, but the words are completely incomprehensible.

Momota picks him up, carrying him away from the press. He plants a kiss on Kokichi’s forehead, then leaves him on the floor and climbs into the press himself.

“Momota-chan?” Kokichi says weakly. Momota gives him a thumbs up. It’s so incongruous to the scene in front of him, so bizarrely upbeat and cheerful, that Kokichi doesn’t even know how to take control of the situation.

The press slams down.

“This is your fault,” a voice says from behind him. He turns to see Harukawa, eyes almost glowing with anger. She has her crossbow in one hand, the other holding arrows, dripping with poison. “You killed him.”

“I thought the plan would work,” Kokichi says, pulling Momota’s jacket around him. “I didn’t-”

“You didn’t mean to? You expect me to believe you cared about him? About anyone? You’re selfish, Ouma.”

He shuts his eyes, but it doesn’t stop her from talking.

“I may be a monster, but at least I know it. I don’t pretend to be something better.”

“I was trying to -”

“To protect us all? To save us? You’re responsible for three deaths. You should have been executed instead of Gonta.”

“You think I don’t know that?” He opens his eyes to glare at Harukawa, but she’s gone. In her place is a tall, broad boy, glasses he doesn’t need about to fall off his face.

“Ouma-kun?” His eyes are wide and white and blank, and blood drips from a wound in his chest.

“Gonta,” he whispers, staring at him horrified. “I - I’m sorry-”

“It’s okay!” Gonta says cheerfully. “Gonta’s only good as a bodyguard, right? Nothing else. That’s what you said! And your life is much more important than everyone else! That’s why you sacrificed Gonta.”

Kokichi feels sick. “That wasn’t - I couldn’t die there, I had to save everyone -”

“Everyone except Gonta and Iruma-san?”

Kokichi is silent. There’s nothing he can say, no excuse that would justify his actions. He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, and when he opens them again, Gonta is gone. Kokichi is alone, and that’s even worse than before.

He gets to his feet slowly, legs shaky, and walks towards the hydraulic press, pulling Momota’s coat closer to him. He places a hand on the press and it begins to rise, slowly, revealing…..

Nothing. The press is empty. As Kokichi watches, the blood starts to retract, slowly disappearing until there’s nothing but smooth, clean metal.

He places his hand on it, then leans over it, waiting for something to happen, and then -

There’s two sounds fighting for Kokichi’s attention, someone screaming and someone banging on the door. It takes Kokichi a minute to realize he’s the one screaming, and it takes the same amount of time for the person banging on the door to realize it’s unlocked.

“Ouma?” Momota asks, rushing to Kokichi’s side. “I heard screaming, are you-”

“Momota-chan, you woke me up!” Kokichi yawns exaggeratedly, pouting at Momota, but he can’t mask the fact that he’s shaking.

Momota sighs. “Ouma. Don’t give me that shit. Were you having a nightmare?”

“I was dreaming about looking at your face.”

“I’m gonna take that as a yes.”

“Momota-chan, I appreciate that you love me so much, but why are you here?”

Momota rubs the back of his head. “Cause I care about you? And I heard you screaming, and wanted to make sure you were okay…”

“Well, I’m fine. Sooo you can leave now! Nighty-night.” He shoos Momota, pushing him towards the door as best he can while stuck in bed.

“You’re hiding something,” Momota says.

“I’m not hiding anything.”

“You were screaming like you were being mu- you were screaming a second ago, and now you’re saying you’re fine. You just wanna push me away.”

“Wow, Momota-chan, I think you might have gotten a little smarter! Not smart enough, though, considering you’re still trying to chase after me. Yes, I’m pushing you away! Geez, you let someone kill you and suddenly they think you’re best friends.” Kokichi shakes his head at Momota. “What do I need to do to get you to leave me alone?”

“Tell me the truth.”

Kokichi sighs. “Yes, I had a nightmare. Happy?”

“You don’t have to go through this alone, you know. I’m here, if you need to talk.” Momota folds his arms, annoyed and yet gentle.

Kokichi laughs. “Who are you, and what have you done with my beloved Momota-chan? Lying isn’t a good look on you.”

“It’s not a lie. I’m not gonna pretend I understand what goes on in your head, but I’m willing to be there for you when you need someone.”

“Why are you so desperate to believe in me?”

“Seriously? You’re still asking that?” Momota runs his fingers through his goatee. “Shuichi believed in you, didn’t he? And like I said before, what happened in the hangar meant something. And...well, call it one of my signature hunches.” He grins at Kokichi, clearly proud of himself.

Kokichi pouts, folding his arms and sticking out his lower lip like a child. “You’re so weird, Momota-chan.”

“I’m weird?”

“Yeah! You spent the whole game hating me and now suddenly you wanna be my best friend, because of a hunch. And you won’t take the hint that I want nothing to do with you! You’ve served your purpose to me, and you ruined my plan. You even said at the end that you never even believed in it! Why would I wanna be friends with a meanie like you?”

“I - you - I don’t - what the hell is wrong with you?”

“A lot of things!”

“Yeah, no shit. You’re completely incomprehensible.”

“Wow Momota-chan, that was a big word you used there! So, does that mean you’ll leave me alone now?”

“No,” Momota says, one hand on his hip and the other on the back of his head. “I’m gonna make you my new sidekick.”

“What.”

“You heard me! I can tell when someone needs help. Yeah, okay you did some shitty stuff back in the game, but...I believe in you! I think you can get better, and do better!” He grins at Kokichi, the same stupid, overconfident grin he always has, like he actually believes what he’s saying.

“You can’t be that stupid.”

“You’re the one who’s being stupid. I mean, c’mon, who wouldn’t wanna be my sidekick?”

Kokichi leans his head back, hitting it against the wall so he’s staring at the ceiling. “Do you think if I try praying to Angie-chan’s god, he’ll listen?”

“I thought you didn’t believe in that shit.”

“I believe in it more than I believe in you.”

“Then you don’t have to believe in me. Believe in yourself.”

Kokichi pauses, considering what to say next, but Momota starts talking again. “It’s just like I said back in the hangar, isn’t it? You’re scared. Underneath all this stupid evil villain crap, you’re just as scared as everyone else - more so, even.” Kokichi shuts his eyes, trying to ignore what Momota’s saying, but even when he’s speaking gently like this, almost whispering, he feels so loud. “You don’t have to do this all alone. You can ask for help.”

Kokichi doesn’t move. “Get out of my room.”

“Ouma-”

“I said get out.” Momota sighs.

“Fine. But this isn’t over. I know you’re not a bad person. You just-”

“Momota,” Kokichi says icily, leaving off the honorific. “Leave.”

Momota doesn’t say anything else. Kokichi hears his feet against the floor, the door open and close, and then finally, he’s alone again, like he should be. In the silence of his hospital room, he can almost convince himself he likes it.