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The night sky was filled with stars. Stars of all shapes and sizes, proudly glimmering in the dark like fireflies dancing in the night. They felt so close, yet so far at the same time. Fuyuhiko liked to look up at the stars before all this started, but now the perfectly clear, cloudless sky was starting to piss him off. So much for a nice getaway, huh?
Ignoring the horrible, tight feeling in his chest, he continued on his walk towards the girls' cottages. There was a reason he was out so late, after all. Though, he hadn't been sleeping all that much recently, so going on nighttime walks had become part of his daily routine anyway. He'd go to bed, try to sleep, fail, only to begrudgingly get out of bed and go on a walk to clear his head.
Ever since Peko had sacrificed herself for him, he'd not been able to sleep well, if at all. He missed her, with her silvery pigtails, tied with long strips of white, and her eyes, flaming embers that lacked any real warmth. Her face, that often lacked expression, serene and tranquil as the waves that lapped the shore. She was the night sky, always there no matter where he went, cool, calm and unchanging, no matter what kind of weather passed through it. And beautiful, so beautiful, shining with the light of the moon, and thousands of stars, yet still choosing to modestly blend into the background.
Maybe that's why he felt so many feelings as he looked upon the sky now. It was lovely, but never could it amount to Peko's loveliness. He'd heard one time that stars were millions of miles apart. He wondered if any of them felt quite as lonely as he did.
"..." After letting out a heavy exhale, he administered three sharp raps to Akane's door. He needed to check how she was holding up, after the outcome of Nekomaru's murder. The fact that light was still exuding from her cottage so late at night told him all he needed to know.
God, it felt like so much time had passed since that awful trial, yet it had only been a few hours ago since he was standing in that courtroom. He hoped he wouldn't need to go back, but with that shifty Nagito around, there was no certainty such a hope would come true.
Strong hands pulled on the door, and all of a sudden, Akane's head poked out. She was wiping sweat from her brow with a towel, eyes slightly puffy. Had she been exercising? Crying? Maybe it was both.
"Oh, hey, Baby Gangsta." She threw the towel over her shoulder, as casual as ever.
Cheeks tinted pink, he couldnt help but scowl at the nickname, "Stop callin' me that..."
"Anyways, what'cha doin' here?"
"Uh, well, I was wonderin' if you wanted to talk? You don't look like you're gettin' much sleep, anyway."
She scratched her head and squinted at him before pulling the door open fully, and stepping out into the cold night. It slammed shut behind her.
"Sure thing." She glided past him, "So, where to?"
"Wherever our legs take us?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets, and started to head away from the cottages and towards the dirt road that circled around the island like a giant serpent. To be honest, he hated snakes. Dragons were obviously superior.
"Sounds good!"
And so, they were off. It started quietly, neither of them with much to say. Fuyuhiko wasn't sure where to start, or even if he had the right to talk to her about something as serious as this. But he felt as if this was his responsibility all the same, considering the fact that he was the only one who understood how she was currently feeling. She seemed nonchalant as ever, as if her friend hadn't been killed hours earlier. Her ability to act so casually was honestly surprising.
"...You feel like it's your fault, don't you?" He asked gently, eyes fixed on the tiny pebbles that crunched beneath his soles.
"What? What are ya talkin' 'bout now?" She raised a brow. Feigning ignorance again, huh? Just as she'd done in the funhouse. Then again, he couldn't blame her. He kept his emotions under lock and key most of the time, too.
"Akane...you don't have to hide your feelings..." He sighed, "I'm here if you want to talk about it."
"Talk about what?" She cocked her head, looking completely befuddled.
"Don't act dumb...you know what I mean!" He exclaimed, trying to keep his temper under control. It was like talking to a brick wall—he really wasn't getting through to her. He needed to try harder! "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but sometimes you have to confront your feelings!"
"You're a weird guy, Fuyuhiko..." She stuck a finger in her ear, as if digging around in there would help her brain to boot up so that she could finally decipher what he was talking about, "I've never met a dude with such a weird way of flirtin'..."
"Flirtin'?!" A look of shock passed over his features, "The fuck you mean, flirtin'?! Have you not heard a word I've been sayin'?"
"I mean, I have, but I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout. You Yakuza types have weird methods of pickin' up gals..."
"Idiot! I was obviously talkin' about Nekomaru!" He cut back, his hands curling into fists.
"Huh? What does Coach Nekomaru have to do with this?"
Akane...really didn't listen to a word he said, huh? Not at the current moment, or back at the funhouse. Fuyuhiko internally facepalmed. She interpeted their heart to heart as his attempt at flirting with her? Then again, this was Akane. He was pretty sure the only coherent thoughts in her head were relating to food.
"Ugh..." He relented, trying to stop himself from getting too angry, "I was just sayin' that I get it. How you feel. I've felt the same way."
"How I...feel?"
"About Nekomaru. You feel like it's your fault he's dead, right?"
"..." She looked pensive...for once. As if he'd finally managed to hit some kind of sore spot. Finally! He'd said those exact words before, but it seemed that it was only now0⁰ that they were sinking in.
"...Well, uh...I was just sayin' that you don't need to hide your feelings from us. Y'know, since we're your friends, and... if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here." Such words had surfaced from the bottom of his heart. He felt that heavy feeling lifting slightly. Just a little, though.
He wished...that someone had said that to him. When he was struggling. When he wanted to throw his life away. When he wanted nothing more than to atone so that he could make it up to her, even if it cost him his life. Nekomaru showed him how his reasoning was flawed. That his life was worth something, because Peko had given it to him by saving him. That her sacrifice made his life even more valuable. And now it was his turn to do the same for Akane.
"Well...Coach Nekomaru was a strong dude. He was all cool and stuff, and he wasn't scared of anythin'! Not even death. I've not found any other worthy sparrin' partners..." She threw her arms behind her head, looking rather sorrowful, "And he was always protectin' me, too. Whenever I got into scuffles with people, he always screwed my head back on right!"
And all of a sudden, she was crying. Fuyuhiko watched on as she began to sniffle, before breaking out into full blown sobs, "Haha, I don't know why I'm cryin'...I'm not usually like this, y'know! M-Maybe it's some kinda aftereffect of the despair disease or somethin'?"
"No, I get it. I cry 'bout Peko, too..." He sniffed.
Just thinking of Peko was making him tear up. Her crooked smile whenever they joked around together, how she always smelled of the seaside, salty and warm, their final rendezvous on that jagged cliff, where she shielded his body from the merciless swords that attempted to impale them both. Before he knew it, he was breaking down as well.
"Heh...you're cryin' too, huh?" Tears continued to spill from her eyes, yet she forced a slightly forced grin onto her face, throwing a carefree arm over his shoulder, "Well, we've gotta cheer up! Nekomaru and Peko wouldn't want us to cry, Baby Gangsta! They'd want us to be happy even if they aren't around... y'know?"
"Yeah...I get it. We gotta smile, cause they can't no more." He forced himself to smile, too.
"Let's find a way offa this island for 'em even if they can't go with us!" Akane exclaimed, raising a fist into the air.
Their tears soon dissolved, leaving nothing but red eyebags and newfound hope.
For Peko's sake, and for the sakes of his remaining friends he had to find a way out. But if they all worked together, he was sure they'd find a way to escape! He wasn't one for all that power of friendship bullshit, but he was willing to indulge in it for everyone's sake.
Before re-entering his room, Fuyuhiko took one last look up at the sky, and imagined Peko, in all her beauty and grace, smiling back down at him.
His lips quirked up, and now clad in a quiet smile, he went back to bed.