Chapter Text
Fateful Encounter
The fresh ocean breeze welcomed the departing ship, venturing the waters on its first sail towards the new world as people waved goodbye to their loved ones.
Hinata’s parents went about to explore while Hinata stood there, his eyes solely focused on a peculiar figure leaning with his back against the fence with pale skin complexion and messy shoulder-length white hair, a rather tall and skinny young man.
He didn’t know exactly what drew him to that young man, but for some reason he couldn’t lift his eyes off of him. He watched him from afar while that young man gazed at the sky as if he was contemplating about life, and so he wondered if he was in the same shoes as he was.
His clothes weren’t anything special, just a simple brown suit and a red-and-green sweater vest. Yet, something about him was alluring for some reason. On top of that, for someone to have such white hair at this young age, Hinata couldn’t help but become peculiarly curious as to whether it was something genetic or…?
In that instant, that young man was drawn to look down, and with a spur of pure luck, their eyes locked together.
Hinata fidgeted for a moment for being caught staring, but he couldn’t turn his gaze away and neither did he. They stood there, gazing at each other as the breeze gently stroked their hair.
Hinata swallowed, feeling the strange urge to walk the distance and talk to him. But after taking one step, he got distracted by a passing couple. He apologized for getting in their way, but when he looked back up, he was no longer there.
Hinata’s eyes searched for him left and right among the busy crowd, but he was nowhere to be found.
‘That was… unusual.’ He thought.
“Hajime, what are you standing there for? Come along now, son.”
“Yes, father!”
Hinata took one final look behind him one before catching up to his parents.
Hinata entered the room and his eyes were immediately drawn to the beautiful furnishings of the suite.
Just how much did his parents pay for this?
“Hajime, you’re going to wear your best, finest suit for tonight’s party. You are going to meet the elites, so remember to behave properly.”
“It’s really important that you establish good connections with them, son. The more you do, the better.” His father added.
Just the mere mentioning of the elites made his throat grow dry and nervousness creep into his veins.
“Understood,” he replied wearily.
“I know you'll make us very proud, dear. I hope that you'll find yourself a beautiful, reputable girl among the elites. The two of you will marry and have lots of beautiful children. Oh, I can already imagine it!”
Hinata sighed in defeated when she turned her back to him to unpack their luggage. Feeling obviously anxious from this trip, he tried to think of the possible good outcomes instead. Who knows? He might strike a lucky encounter with one of the elites or he might find something interesting and worthwhile to entertain his stay aboard the ship.
Despite his hopeful exhortation, Hinata’s sigh drew longer, fidgeting despite himself and feeling rather discouraged with every passing second.
He had always admired the elites and dreamed of attending one of their parties, but he never imagined it to quite happen and what dreaded him the most was the fact that he knew he’d never fit in. He felt utterly insecure and wished to be part of something bigger than himself, to become someone he could be proud of in front of the elites, in front of his parents, and furthermost in front of himself.
Up to that point, he believed he was leading a boring life as a talentless person.
He looked over at his parents with longing for approval and affection. Their desire to have their son among the elites had always been their dream, and he had grown up to think he could be special.
But he was a nobody.
An utterly, boring existence.
Feeling stress starting to settle in, he needed to distract himself. He left the room and headed outside for some fresh air.
Taking in the salty breeze, Hinata walked around on deck, taking in the hustle and bustle of the people, their expensive garments, the wide open blue ocean. The sun shined brightly amidst the clear, blue sky as the wind caressed his face with its gentle touch. He smiled, feeling the stress slowly dissolving as he inhaled some of that fresh air deep into his lungs.
Unaware, he was being watched from the corner by a pair of pale-green eyes.
Hours passed, and it was getting close to lunchtime. As Hinata was about to enter the dining hall, he spotted a familiar figure with unusually messy, white hair among the crowd.
He couldn’t help but turn his head and look at him, see what that young man was doing. He saw him sitting on one of the ship benches, holding a book in his hand. Curious, Hinata squinted his eyes, but couldn’t make out the title of the book.
Just then, he turned the page, his eyes running along the words with a smile adoring his face, immersed in reading and caught up in his own world, undisturbed like there was nothing around except for him and the book in his hand.
One leg on top of the other and calloused fingers holding the book upright, he looked so calm and serene. As the crowd passed him by to the hall, Hinata stood unfazed, staring at the young man, until someone bumped into him.
“Sorry!” Hinata was quick to apologize. He turned his gaze back and his breath got caught in his lungs when he saw those eyes staring back at him. Feeling heat rising to his ears all of the sudden, he walked straight ahead along with the crowd.
Hinata shook his head, trying to calm himself. It was quite embarrassing being caught staring, not once but twice! As he sighed, his eyes lifted at the waving of his mother’s hand. He hurried in his footsteps and joined his parents at the table.
As they dined, suddenly the mother exclaimed excitedly, “Oh look, isn’t that the Kuzuryuu family?”
Hinata turned his head to where his mother was pointing. Indeed, sitting some tables away, the Kuzuryuu family sat along with their children. Fuyuhiko and… Natsumi , was it?
A lot of rumors revolved around the integrity of their line of work. They were supposed to be people of business, but some speculated they were actually mafia.
The talented Fuyuhiko was the lead of the family while his sister only served as a backstage persona.
‘I wonder how she feels living under his shadow.’ Hinata wondered.
To never come close to the same level of the talented no matter how much one tries, ...
It really felt close to home.
Spotting the other elites dining, his nervousness increased, reaching a point where his heart was beating so hard and ready to burst.
“Excuse me, father… mother.” He stood up with haste.
“What’s wrong, dear? You hardly touched your food.” His mother was quick to notice the disturbance on her son’s face.
“I’m not really that hungry. I’ll go around for a stroll,” Hinata said with haste as he stepped away from the table.
The father sighed while the mother frowned.
“Dear, he gets really nervous whenever the topic of the elites come up. Is he going to be alright? What are we to do with him?” His mother said with concern.
“Don’t worry. Give him some time. I’m sure he’ll come around.” He said reassuringly as they both watched their son leave the dining hall.
Hinata swallowed the nervousness that had built up in his stomach, and after a while he felt rather calm the further he walked away. Hours passed as the day was welcoming the evening sky, turning into a blend of purple and blue hues along with the blotch of red of the setting sun.
It was getting really quiet as people flocked to their rooms, making the atmosphere quite eerie and calming.
“This is exactly what I need.”
He strolled along the long path to the end of the ship to watch the sunset and suddenly he halted in his steps when his eyes caught that uncanny white messy hair leaning on the railing, watching the sky.
With no one around, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go and speak with him. There should be nothing wrong with making conversation, yet he failed to understand why his stomach was flipping so much.
Why did he captivate him that much in the first place?
Hinata stood not so far away, watching him. He looked so serene; his silent, solemn eyes gazed down from the sky to the thundering waters clashing with the propellers in defiance.
With the sun setting and the wind blowing stronger, his clothes and hair couldn’t resist the blow of the wind. His gaze remained fixed on the cold depth of the ocean’s waters, unwavering.
Hinata wondered what kind of thoughts were crossing his mind then.
Komaeda’s eyes darkened the further they gazed into the splashing water underneath, as if the depth of the dark waters were drawing him in.
His luck hadn’t fazed him against the absurd oddities put before him, and so he wondered of the possibility of surviving if he pushed himself off deck right that instant.
He recalled the reason he boarded the ship in the first place.
The Elites.
He wanted to take a glance at the rising hope and pride of the nation with his own eyes, and perhaps to find some kind of meaningful and hopeful reason for his existence.
Like a calling, he boarded the ship in hopes of finding some change, but his luck had never really followed according to his plans and he wondered what the point of it all was.
Gazing deeply underneath, he contemplated the idea of testing his luck one more time. Would life abandon him and finally let him break away from the cycle of his luck or would he stay to witness what his luck would bring about once more?
Komaeda was so caught up in the maze of his thoughts that had veiled his justification of risking his own life that his body moved without consideration. His eyes blurred at the sight of the crashing waves, his mind going numb as sounds around him quieted down to a null. He closed his eyes as if falling to sleep when suddenly a grip on his arm brought him back to the real world. He turned his head to the source of the grip and his eyes landed on the shocked expression of a young man.
The same one who he had caught eyes with before.
Komaeda’s eyes merely blinked at what his luck had brought him. He stopped him from falling over. Was that good luck?
Not sure what was happening, whether that person was feeling sick or attempting something else , Hinata didn’t know what to do, so he thought of the only safe words he can utter then.
“Hey, are you feeling okay?”
The young man simply smiled and told him there was nothing to worry about, that he merely felt dizzy for a moment, and he thanked him for his kind consideration.
That smile caught Hinata off guard and he couldn’t help but smile back. He released his arm, and, not knowing what else to do, he introduced himself.
“I’m Hinata Hajime. You?”
“Komaeda Nagito.”
“So, what are you doing here? Are you really feeling okay?”
Komaeda simply shrugged. “It was nothing really. You don’t have to worry about someone like me.”
“Are you sure? It looked like you were going to fall overboard. If you feel sick, we can go see a doctor.” Hinata persisted. Given Komaeda’s frail figure, he must have been sick. That, or he was really going to...?
Hinata’s concern was enough to warm Komaeda’s heart even though he felt he wasn’t deserving of it. As Komaeda’s smile grew warmer, he waved his hands in front of himself. “No, really. It’s fine.”
“Well, if you insist.” Hinata really wanted to take the chance and continue talking to him. “Do you mind if I stay?”
“Haha, I’m really flattered, but you’ll be wasting time spending it with a nobody like me.”
“No, I won’t.”
Hinata leaned on the railing to assure him that he wasn't going anywhere. Thus, Komaeda smiled and leaned right next to him.
Slowly, their small talks turned to a conversation to which Hinata started to feel comfortable as he shared the space next to him. It was nice to talk to someone of the same age who didn’t intimidate him.
Komaeda’s voice felt so tranquil over the sound of the sailing ship, and he felt drawn to listen to him more. Hinata scooted closer that their elbows barely brushed against one another.
They talked about simple matters, from their hobbies to how they usually pass time. It was really refreshing to share a few laughs with him too.
Hinata was keenly interested when Komaeda starting talking about his love for books. He told him how he would usually forget to eat when he’d spend nearly all day reading, mainly because he had been living alone.
Hinata presumed Komaeda was a lonely child just like him, but then he wondered about his parents. It quickly got shrugged over when Komaeda mentioned his love for mystery books in particular, which clearly peaked Hinata’s interest.
“If you’d like, you can come by sometime and I’ll lend you some of the books I have read,” Komaeda said in a cheerful tone, and Hinata couldn’t help but smile.
“I’d love to.”
He felt drawn to know more about him. Everything about him was unusually… unique , and that felt refreshing in its own way.
Looking at Komaeda’s attire, he appeared to be dressed modestly.
“If I may ask, what brings you aboard?” Hinata asked.
“Luck.”
“What?”
Komaeda laughed softly at his reaction. “I managed to win a full board first-class ticket.”
“You're serious? That sounds unbelievable.”
Komaeda tilted his head to the side toward Hinata, slitting his eyes as his voice dropped deep and low. “I’m luck , after all.”
No matter how absurd that statement sounded, Hinata’s cheeks burned against the cool wind. Not to mention, they were both leaning relatively close to each other, side by side, on the railing.
From that distance, Hinata could clearly make out the details of Komaeda’s face: the pale green shade of his eyes, his skin, although pale, looked so smooth, and finally the set of slightly chapped smiling lips.
Hinata was simply fixed in place, unmoving. He couldn’t lift or turn his gaze away and neither did Komaeda as they stared silently for who knows how long.
Hinata dared in his mind to call him handsome despite the paleness of his physique. He looked so refined, almost out of reach despite standing so close, almost like an elite.
“There seems to be something on your mind, Hinata-kun. Am I a bother to you?”
Hinata snapped out of his trance and shook his head. “No, of course not. Not at all.”
It was getting late. Komaeda gave him one last smile before saying, “I have to leave now, Hinata-kun. It was really nice talking to you. We’ll surely meet again.”
Hinata blinked at how time had passed so quickly. He should leave as well to start getting ready for the party. “Yeah, see you around, Komaeda.” He smiled back as he watched Komaeda walk away.
It was strange how he wanted to spend more time with that peculiar and uncanny young man.
The finest hour has arrived as Hinata and his parents walked into the lobby leading to an extravagant room. Lights illuminated brightly against the beautifully decorated ornaments filling every corner. Violins played in the background as families of status entered one after the other, dressed in extravagant suits and dresses, showing their statuses and wealth.
It was truly a party fitting for the elites of the wealthiest families, the talented. No one else was allowed to attend the party, but Hinata’s parents had paid a large sum of money to be the only exception. Thus, Hinata found himself as an outcast among those talented elites. Furthermore, he felt pretty embarrassed when his parents tried to cheer him into mingling with the others.
He stumbled upon a girl named Saionji, a traditional dancer. Quite a strange one, that girl. The conversation turned very awkward when she mentioned how, in her pastime, she would enjoy watching ants before squishing them to death. And that was one of many. Another named Akane had an uncanny obsession with meat. Another named Tsumiki fidgeted when he attempted to talk to her that he actually felt bad.
‘Are all of them bizarre like this?’ He silently thought.
They truly felt very unordinary in every aspect.
Feeling distant from everybody else, a dark shadow loomed over Hinata’s conscious. He dreaded his presence, dreaded his lack of talent, and felt very self-conscious among those wealthy families, but he couldn’t simply leave. He would rather choose to be somewhere else, perhaps with Komaeda. Definitely Komaeda. Somehow, he felt he could relate to him more than any of the people present in the room.
Coincidentally, a certain person with that unmistakably white hair nearly made his heart jump when he walked into the room in an extravagant, luxurious suit. With his breath lodged in his lungs, Hinata was struck with awe as his eyes widened in shock. He just couldn’t believe it, and he couldn’t lift his eyes off of him.
Komaeda?!
Komaeda looked over the crowd and the moment he laid eyes on Hinata, his ever exquisite smile flashed brightly, and Hinata’s heart couldn’t beat any louder inside his chest.
Hinata slipped away from his parents while they engaged themselves talking with other parents present in the room, paving his way to him.
Komaeda greeted him with, “What a surprise, Hinata-kun!”
A surprise indeed.
“K-Komaeda?” He hated how his voice stuttered for a moment there. He was genuinely surprised with Komaeda’s presence since he speculated that he wasn’t even among the elites boarding the ship. “What are you doing here?”
“To attend the ball, naturally. To witness all of these talented people with my own eyes is truly a marvelous occasion.”
The realization dawned belatedly on him. “You… you’re one of the elites?”
That statement was more to himself than to Komaeda.
Komaeda tilted his head to the side and gave Hinata a curious look with a smile painted on his lips. “Why, of course Hinata-kun. I’m the ultimate luck after all. But it’s not surprising that you might have already forgotten our conversation. I must have bored you.” Komaeda’s smile fell short at the realization.
“No, wait. You mean… luck is a talent?”
Komaeda laughed breathlessly before stating, “Among all the present elites, I’m merely second rate compared to all of these lovely talents. My talent isn’t really anything special and is of no significant value, but I’m still considered an honorary guest. They have invited me several times before and I declined their offer. But after winning a ticket here, I felt there was a calling, so I came. Funny, isn’t it?”
A nervous smile took hold of Hinata’s lips before dissolving into a rather disappointed one.
So Komaeda was an elite after all?
The truth of that fact alone must have made Hinata feel insecure about himself, but that didn’t deter him from staying alongside Komaeda for the remainder of the night. And that surprised him, considering that Komaeda could ask him about his supposed talent at any given moment.
“This is truly wonderful, Hinata-kun. I have memorized all of the elites’ family names, and I can’t believe how I could have possibly slipped yours. Your talent must be truly special!”
Hinata was about to explain that he wasn’t only to be interrupted by Komaeda’s outburst when he spotted Teruteru whose family owns many chains of restaurants around the world. Behind him was the Souda family who were behind the ship’s mechanical build thanks to their gifted son Kazuichi. He was closely standing next to princess Sonia Nevermind, one of the wealthiest members of the elites.
“Truly a sight to behold! Hope is just brimming from each and every one of them,” Komaeda exclaimed.
Hinata was surprised Komaeda memorized everyone’s names and talents which showed his deep admiration for these elites. He gripped his hands into tight fists as he stood there feeling completely and downright ordinary in comparison to these people, even to Komaeda himself whose talent was still so bewildering to him. He felt like an utter fool.
“Hinata-kun? You look pale. Are you feeling okay?”
“Y-yeah, I just… need some fresh air.”
Komaeda smiled, “If you don’t mind someone like me, then I’ll join you.”
Hinata gave him a small smile before they made their way outside.
Their parents noticed him walking out with another individual, and they felt overjoyed that Hinata was blending in well.
The moment Hinata stepped out, he felt the cold breeze blow his way, and slowly calm washed over him when he breathed in that fresh air. It was a truly a quiet night as they both gazed at the brilliant starry sky.
Beside him stood Komaeda who’s smile never dwindled. Hinata still couldn’t comprehend as to why he found him absolutely staggering in this suit. Somehow, it pulled the feeling of grandeur along with the mysterious and unnerving aura surrounding him.
“You were surprised to see me today. Was I a sight to behold?”
Hinata’s face immediately turned bright red for being very obvious and readable to Komaeda’s observant eyes, but what he said next nearly toppled him over.
“Undoubtedly, I must be a disturbing sight to look at. It’s understandable really, a piece of garbage like me. I know I shouldn’t have come here.”
“What?! No ...!” Confusion struck Hinata like lightening at what Komaeda had just said, boggled as to why he would say such a thing.
“It’s actually… quite the opposite.” Hinata took in a breath to relieve the awkwardness that had been building up. “I just…wasn’t expecting you to be an elite when we met. You just surprised me, that’s all.”
“I see.”
“A-Are you really serious? I mean, your talent really is... luck ?” Hinata hated himself for stammering too much around him.
Komaeda hummed as Hinata’s eyes brimmed with curiosity and awe at having a talent as rare and unusual as luck, if it could be called a talent in the first place.
Seeing the look on Hinata’s face, Komaeda couldn’t help but chuckle. “My talent is undeserving of praise. Among the great talents boarding the ship, mine isn’t even worth comparing to. It’s nothing special, really.” Komaeda pulled his eyes to the side as he continued saying, “I experience both sides of luck, the good and the bad in an endless cycle, so it has been nothing but trouble for me. You see, when I was young, I lived very happily with my parents before they both died in a tragic accident, but in return I inherited all of their wealth. Would you consider that good luck? Well, it must be, right? I have my freedom now. It has been like that ever since.”
Although Hinata was astounded by the fact that Komaeda wasn’t fazed by talking about the death of his parents, he could sense that behind that smile of his he was harboring other emotions. It was hard to tell because Komaeda's smile remained unwavering throughout all the conversations they'd had so far.
He wondered how much Komaeda had suffered to keep on smiling like this. Was this his way of coping? Hinata couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. If he were in his shoes, he wouldn’t be able to handle the loss of his parents. Hinata found it admirable that he could at least smile like that in the face of such misfortunes. He truly was an elite. This revelation had made Hinata want to get closer to him, get to know him a little bit more.
Komaeda’s smile grew warmer at the way Hinata looked at him with such sympathy. Tilting his head to the side, he said appreciatively, “You don’t have to look like that, Hinata-kun.”
But how could he not?
However, what Komaeda said next had his heart gripping.
“What might your wonderful talent be, Hinata-kun? I’m sure it’s much greater than this worthless talent of mine.”
When Hinata gazed down pitifully at himself, Komaeda immediately sensed his discomfort. He dipped his head down to meet his downcast eyes and asked with a warm smile, “Is your talent so great that you feel too humble to share it with me?”
Hinata’s lips turned to a thin line before he lifted his gaze up to him. “N-No, Komaeda. I…”
Hinata felt the grip around his heart tighten, fearing that Komaeda, who openly expressed his admiration for the talented, would look upon him with distaste after learning the fact that he was merely ordinary. A nobody.
A hollow feeling enveloped Hinata at the mere thought of Komaeda walking away repulsed by him. For some strange reason, he wanted Komaeda to acknowledge him, to gaze at him with those heartwarming eyes and see that smile that captivated him so much. It baffled him as to why he would want that or why he should care, considering he had just met him. Somehow it felt upsetting to lose Komaeda’s reverence at that point. Was it because he was an elite?
At what cost would it be to hide the truth for now?
“It’s okay if you don’t feel comfortable talking about it, Hinata-kun. I understand. But if I might guess, maybe it’s kindness?”
Hinata blinked. That couldn’t possibly be a talent. But he quickly caught on when Komaeda looked at him knowingly, making him blush.
“You were kind to me earlier.”
“That wasn’t kindness. It was just the normal thing to do. And good thing I did too or else you would have fallen overboard.”
“You must have been quite observant of me to have noticed that.”
Hinata’s cheeks turned into different shades of red when Komaeda was insinuating how he was caught staring earlier that day.
“I-I wasn’t!” Hinata said defensively.
And there he went again with that hearty laugh of his that made Hinata’s heart pound in strange ways.
“I’m just joking with you, Hinata-kun. There’s no way garbage like me would receive any sort of attention, after all.”
Hinata's brows furrowed. He couldn't ignore that statement a second time. “Why do you keep saying that?”
When Komaeda looked at him in question, Hinata clarified saying, “That you're... garbage. Why would you say that?”
Komaeda casted his eyes to the side with that smile still fixed on his face as he said, “Because that's what I am.”
Hinata didn't understand why he would demean himself like that. Was it low self-esteem or something else? But why would he?
“That’s not true at all! You shouldn’t say that about yourself to begin with.” Hinata fell quiet when he realized what he has just said. His eyes widened as he glanced to the side in perspective. Here he was telling Komaeda the opposite when he had been quite harsh at demeaning himself as a nobody all that time.
“Hinata-kun?”
“I don’t see you like that at all, Komaeda. In fact, in the little time that I got to know you, I found there is so much about you to be admired for.” Hinata paused when he heard himself declaring his admiration out loud in front of Komaeda. But before regret followed, seeing the look of astonishment on Komaeda's face made him thankful that he did, yet it didn’t stop him from feeling embarrassed.
“I-I mean… there is something about you that’s different a-and I want to get to know you more.” Hinata had his face turned away to hide his embarrassment. He wasn’t sure how Komaeda would react to his words as silence dawned between them before Komaeda spoke up again.
“I must be truly lucky, Hinata-kun, for meeting you.”
Surprised, Hinata turned his head towards him. When he saw those thin lips curved up into a radiant, genuine smile and that warmth reflecting from pale-green eyes, Hinata found himself awe-struck. He somehow sensed that Komaeda probably didn’t believe in his words but allowed himself to savor it for the time being.
With their eyes locked on one another, Hinata stood still, feeling temporarily hypnotized as the wind blew through their hair. His still heart started beating louder and louder the more they gazed into each other’s eyes as a strange feeling spread through his chest.
Hinata felt he could dive into the vast wonder of Komaeda’s world through his eyes alone.
“It’s starting to get rather cold, don’t you think, Hinata-kun? Do you want to come back inside?”
“Y-Yes, sure.”
They spent the rest of the party together and Hinata felt they got along pretty well.