Danganronpa: Island Life

Chapter 16: RED LIGHTS

Kazuichi: "Rise and shine, lovebirds! It's morning!" Kazuichi tapped his knuckle against Akane's cottage door with a fast flick in his wrist. His knocking was nonstop and continuously rapid, not wanting to leave without some sort of response.

Behind the closed door, Akane was sitting up atop her mattress, wincing at the displeasure her aching joints brought. Next to her was Hajime, still asleep on his side. He was giving clear signs of discomfort as he laid there, his body shaking as he let out occasional spurts of laboured breathing. She placed her palm on his hip, flinching as she heard another knock on her door.

Akane: "Keep knocking and I'll chop your damn hand off!" Her loud threat was enough to cause Kazuichi to yelp, his persistent knocking immediately ceasing. Hajime was also affected, now on his back with his eyes cracked open. His face was glowing, both cheeks a bright pink, as well as covered in a layer of sweat.

Kazuichi: "O-Okay! All right! I'm going to let Nagito out and then I'll be with the pods if you need me!" He spoke fast, surprisingly without error before his steps marked his leave. It wasn't long before silence engulfed the room, and it wasn't long before Hajime spoke.

Hajime: "It happened again?" His voice was low, but as quiet as it was, he might as well have been speaking at full volume.

Akane: "Sorry... I can leave, If you-"

Hajime: "Stay, please." In the tangled mess of sheets and blankets, his left hand found her right. His hand was incredibly hot, that warmth increasing when their fingers intertwined. She turned to look at him and saw his eyes closed again. "I heard you couldn't walk last night, are you hurt?"

Akane: "Yeah, my ankle and my wrist. Wrist still hurts... but my ankle feels fine now."

Hajime: "And that's from breaking down the door?"

Akane: "Mhm."

Hajime: "So, it's my fault then..."

Akane: "No, it's not! So, you don't hate me then? For knocking you out again?"

Hajime: "I've already told you how I feel about you, a simple mistake wouldn't change that." She felt even warmer now, it was an awkward feeling to have though. Girly, she felt girly. So she cleared her throat, as if that would do anything. She didn't have the time to feel that way anyhow. at least, that's how she felt. Besides, she'd rather know how he was feeling, wondering what it could be that was making him shake in his sleep.

Akane: "Hajime, are you all right?"

Hajime: "Yeah, I'm fine." Liar, It took everything she had to hold back from punching him in the face. He wasn't making a good case for himself either, answering so quickly. She bit her lip as she let herself fall backwards, her head landing on the pillow she was sharing with him.

Akane: "Even I can tell that you're full of it."

Hajime: "Can you... how so?"

Akane: "You were shaking in your sleep, breathing heavy too." He didn't say anything at that, he stopped thinking completely. She didn't know what was on his mind, but she had the common sense to pick up that something was going on in there.

Hajime: "I think I'm going to get something to eat." He said dryly, his body even rose slowly, like a corpse reanimating. Their hands disconnected even slower, that shared warmth quickly succumbing to an unwelcoming cold. She sat up quickly, to say something that'll stop him.

Akane: "Don't give me some shitty excuse!"

Hajime: "Wouldn't you like to eat something?"