The Killing Game - A DRV3 Fanfiction

13 ~ The Same?

"Himiko, if you ever need anything, I'm here, okay?"  Tenko asked.
"I don't need anything."  Himiko replied, pulling her hat down, "I just want to sleep."
"Himiko, if you want to be left alone, then you can just lea-"  I was cut off.
"Everyone needs people around after a tragedy, Alex!  You can't leave your friends behind!"  Tenko shouted.  I winced at her volume.
"You're too loud, Tenko.  I'm going to my room."  Himiko split from the group.
"Wait, Himiko..."  But Tenko was too late.  Himiko was already halfway to the dormitory.  Tenko whipped around and glared at me, then went after Himiko.
"Wait-"  I went to go after them but Angie pushed me back gently, shaking her head.
"Let Atua work it out for them.  He knows all."  She watched them go.
"Angie, Atua doesn't..."  I stopped.  I didn't have the energy nor the heart to try and talk about her religious views.
After a few more minutes of walking around, Angie found a patch of grass and sat down.  I followed, and let myself get lost as she picked at the grass, pulling long pieces of it out of the ground.  We didn't speak.  We didn't have to.  Just having the company of one another was enough.
"What the fuck's Angie doing?"  Miu asked. 
There goes the silence.
"Please try and be quiet, Miu."  K1-B0 somehow read the air and put a hand on her shoulder, "It's better right now."
Miu opened her mouth to say something, but then she saw everyone's faces and thought better of it, only groaning in annoyance. 
She managed to sit in silence for a mere five minutes before beginning to fidget, fixing the bow on her uniform and pulling the goggles off her head so she could run her hand through her hair.  Finally she gave up, letting out a loud moan.
"I need something to dooo!"  She whined. 
"How about what Angie's doing?"  K1-B0 pointed at Angie.  I looked over too. 
Poking her tongue out a little, Angie was intertwining the pieces of grass she'd picked in with each other with nimble fingers, concentrating hard.  She had obviously zoned out, and determination seemed to radiate from her.
"Ha!  You think I would do something as dumb as that?"  Miu asked, "call me when my lab's open!"  She stood and walked away swiftly, and I was pretty sure she was swaying her hips a little more than usual.
"I do not understand her."  K1-B0 sighed dejectedly.
"I don't think anybody does."  I replied.  K1-B0 nodded thoughtfully.  We fell silent and Angie began humming to herself, her eyes not moving from her work.
"Oh!"  K1-B0 suddenly looked over at me, "The Monokubs told me to give you this."  He handed me a small bottle.
"What is it?"  I asked, frowning.
"Apparently it's medicine.  I do not know why they gave it to me first."  K1-B0 frowned.  "It's meant to repair the damage in your shoulder."  He pointed to the bandages.
"Mm-hm."  I nodded and put the medicine down.  I would take it later.  Suddenly, a thought sprung to the forefront of my mind.  "Why did Monokuma help me instead of letting me die?"  I asked.
"Monokuma said the murder would be too easy to solve.  He gave us an extra day."  K1-B0 said, frowning, "Oh, and also..."  He paused.
"What?"  I asked.
"Rantaro was insisting Monokuma help you.  He wouldn't take no for an answer."  K1-B0 sighed.  "I don't trust him."
"Nobody does."  I replied simply.
"But-"  K1-B0 was cut off as Angie suddenly sprang back into life.
"Alex!"  She waved a hand in my face, "Here."  She held up a small circle of grass, and laid it atop my head gently.  She then bobbed down in front of me.  "It's for Atua's protection and guidance.  As long as you wear this, Atua will take care of you!"  She fiddled with the crown a little bit, then nodded to herself.
"I-I don't know what to say, Angie.  Thank you."  I touched the crown of grass and felt a warm blush rise to my cheeks.
"Atua says to protect your friends at all costs, so that is what I will do!"  She clasped her arms around my head and pulled me in close.  "Do not worry, Alex.  Atua is always there."  She murmured quietly.  She smelled of the ocean and tropical flowers.  Suddenly, I felt like I was back at home.
But she finally let go of me, and I found myself missing her warmth.  She turned her attention to K1-B0.
"Atua will protect you too, so I will make you a crown tomorrow.  I'm going to bed now.  Bye-onara!"  And with that, she disappeared, skipping away towards the dormitories. 
Suddenly, I realised how late it was.  Monokuma's night time announcement must have already gone off, because when I looked up, the moon was high in the sky and the stars shone brightly.
"Alex.."  I looked over.  K1-B0 was staring at me.
"Mm?"  I asked.
"Your face is very pink.  Did Angie squeeze you too hard?  Are you injured?  Do you remember how old you are?"  K1-B0 went to touch my face, "I have an inbuilt body heat sensor-"
"Stop it, K1-B0."  I laughed and pushed his arm away.  "I'm fine, I promise." 
"Are you sure?"  He asked. "Because you are already injured."
"Yes."  I stood up with some difficulty. "It's late, so I'm going to bed.  Do you want to come?"  I asked.
"C-Come to bed?"  K1-B0's own face turned red, "I don't think I can do that, Alex!  It is highly inappropriate!"  He waved his hands wildly in front of him.
"Wait, you can blush?  That's so cool!"  I bent down again and went to touch K1-B0's face.
"Please do not touch me!  Your comment was highly robophobic!"  K1-B0 pushed my hand away.
"Robophobic..?"  I asked.
"Ah, you do not even know what that means!  Alex, I apologise, but I will have to ask you to leave.  I will see you tomorrow morning."  K1-B0 then stood up and ran off, leaving me alone. 
"But you asked me to leave..."  I raised an eyebrow, then sighed.
Ah well.
Slowly, I returned to my room, taking my sweet time.  The night was warm, and, if I had been in a different situation, I would have slept on the grass overnight.  I had done it before.  In my younger years, when it was summer, my Dad and I would always go camping.  If the night was warm, we would pack down the tent and lay on top of it, stargazing until we fell asleep, one or two bug zappers near us making small popping noises as they kept the mosquitoes at bay.
I missed those days.
I was thinking about those trips as I fell asleep that night, trying to force my imagination into believing I was actually there.
But it wasn't the same.  Would it ever be the same again?