Chapter Text
It had been one month since everyone awoke from the Neo-World Program, with everyone on their own rocky way to recovery and peaceful island life. That is, everyone except for Komaeda, the ultimate lucky student; kind of ironic. Yet not a day went by where Hinata didn’t check on his comatose form in the pod. Which may be lucky in a way; to have someone care so deeply.
And well, Hinata had to wonder why he cared so much. His relationship with Komaeda had always been a tumultuous one. This was the guy that tried to explode all of them, which wasn’t exactly a kind or friendly thing to do. It’s rather difficult to put any faith or trust in a person like that. But here Hinata was, probably playing into Komaeda’s hands yet again as he waited in that isolating chamber, with a fragment of hope that maybe- maybe Komaeda would wake up. Waiting alone like that had become a daily routine since Hinata woke up.
Sometimes the others would wait with him for a little bit, but after a while, it seemed to be a lost cause; they had voiced as much on occasion. But Hinata wasn’t ready to give up- he couldn’t- because he vowed to save all of them. They were all sinners here, unable to atone for what they’ve done, and who knows if they could ever recover mentally. But he had already made his decision to live for the future, one he could create. After all, it's what someone very dear to his heart taught him.
He couldn't just give up on Komaeda. He spent almost all of his free time running psychodives on him and studying his illnesses. With assistance from Naegi, he was able to acquire some resources to help take care of Komaeda's condition, along with the others' health. Hinata couldn't be sure how much any of it would help, Komaeda's health was quite unpredictable. However, he wanted to be prepared to take care of Komaeda. To take care of all of them.
That was his self assigned duty. He would live and die by that.
Komaeda had spent his first week awake inside of the hospital, with Hinata keeping a consistent close eye on him. Everyone had it rough when they woke up, but Komaeda's condition was already worse for wear before going into the program. As Hinata expected, Komaeda appeared more sickly than he had in the simulation. He required a lot of attention and care, which Hinata was more than willing to give. He had a responsibility, a duty, to take care of all the remnants.
And there was nothing weird about him watching Komaeda sleep a few times. He just wanted to make sure he was safe, because it was his responsibility. That's all. Nothing more. See? Not weird at all.
Hinata and Komaeda spent most of their time together in silence. Their last interactions in the program were what a few liked to describe as ‘not exactly chill.’ But they both had a lot to process, a lot to understand. So, they opted for a peaceful silence with each other. They could rarely find the right things to say to each other. Oftentimes they would end up arguing, should they try to explain their heavy minds to the other.
However they craved the other's presence. It was soothing in a way, to sit with someone like that after the experiences they’ve been through. Silence became something most of the remnants were accustomed to.
Nobody ever saw Komaeda much after he left the hospital, most of his time was spent in his cottage. Hinata thought of him though, a completely normal amount, because his project was almost done. A robotic arm built for Komaeda, that he put a normal amount of time and care into. It was confusing for him, having the knowledge of how to create and do these complex things, with no such memory of ever doing them before.
But hey, isn't that pretty useful on an abandoned island?
And hereafter, now three weeks after Komaeda's woken up, and now with his robotic arm. Hinata should probably check on Komaeda, right ? It would be smart to see how he's feeling, and if the hand is working well. And he's not nervous at all, there's nothing different about this from how he cared for the other remnants. He just has to… go check in on him.
Normally.