He sighed as he looked down at the cup of tea in his hands.

When he had escaped that damn school, this had not been the mess he had been expecting.

He gently put down the cup of tea in his hands, his desire for a once cherished past time all but diminished. Instead, his gaze was soon pulled to the window beside him, his mind distant as he mindlessly stared at the ocean beneath him.

It made sense in a twisted way sadly. Their fear, their anger, the belief of betrayal that seemed to hang in the room when he had stepped into it all those hours ago.

It all made sense.

Why should they trust Makoto? He had kidnapped sixteen of the most dangerous individuals in the world from underneath their noses. He had hidden them away, protecting them from the deaths they had so rightfully deserved.

It looked suspicious, even to him, the one who had plunged into the situation with the damn idiot once it was apparent that he had been way above his head.

Still, a sour taste filled his mouth as he considered the position Makoto was in at the moment.

There was no doubt that he was isolated away from him and the rest of the Future Foundation members that inhabited the small island at the moment. He was probably locked into some distasteful room, with those damn handcuffs still tight around his wrists.

The sour taste in his mouth intensified at the memory of the handcuffs.

It had taken every inch of self-control that he had to not join in Aoi's protest when the handcuffs were ordered to be placed on Makoto. It took even more self-control to watch as the ruffian of the group attacked the bound man. He had inwardly cringed at each hit as it landed on the young man and it took a great deal of effort not to grab his gun and shoot a hole clear into the head of the distasteful ruffian.

But somehow he had made it through, with only the worry of making it worse for Makoto holding him back.

Now he was located in a small library alcove, hidden away from the rest of the island inhabitants. Originally, he had rationalized it as a way to gather his thoughts before the continuation of the trial, a way to prevent any wild comments from flying from him during the interrogation.

But he knew that was not reason he had truly hidden himself away from the rest.

One of his hands formed a tight fist as his thoughts darkened, pain and anger running through him as he did so.

He remembered the pain in Makoto's eyes as the Future Foundation leaders stared him down.

Makoto may not have said a word, but for those who had shared the hell of Hope's Peak Academy's killing game, it was easy to see how it had affected him.

It had pained Makoto to see how closed minded the Future Foundation had seemed to be. So focused were they in their goal, they had neglected the other options of ending the torment the Tragedy had created in the world. They had merely decided that death was the only option for ending the Remnants of Despair. This approach made sense to him of course, seeing the damage they had inflicted in first person, but not so much for Makoto. For the Ultimate Hope, the one who could see hope in everyone he met, such a harsh response must have struck him hard.

Perhaps that had been the hardest part of Makoto's arrest. The sight of pain in Makoto's green eyes as he realized just how blind the others were to the true meaning of his actions was truly the most heartbreaking part of the arrest.

He had never meant to betray the Future Foundation. He had only meant to do what he saw as being right.

A sad smile worked his way to his face at the thought, his fist relaxing as it appeared.

That was all Makoto had ever wanted in life, to do what he saw as being right. Even in their days as classmates before this mess had started, Makoto had striven to right the wrongs of the world in his own way. Whether it be defending someone who was weak or by trying to calm down fights between students before it happened, Makoto's focus seemed to be on trying to better the world he inhabited.

If only the Future Foundation could realize this.

Just like he had all those years ago.

He chuckled quietly to himself, a bittersweet emotion running through him.

If there was one thing that had caught his attention when it pertained to Makoto, it was his belief that everyone could be good if they tried. At first he had dismissed it as a piece of garbage spewed by the public masses to feel better about themselves.

No one could be truly good, he had believed in those days, as humans were too selfish to live in a so-called loving world that Makoto tried his hardest to create.

He still believed that, but Makoto's antics were still innocent enough to pull a smile from him whenever he tried it.

He hoped the day would never come that it stopped completely.

He laced his fingers together and placed his chin on it,the bittersweet feeling within him growing as he did so.

Makoto had such an unnatural grip on him.

It was honestly quite terrifying in a way. He was used to standing alone with no strings attached, paving his way through the world with only his mind and skills as a guide.

But of course Makoto had to go mess that up. It was just what he did to a person.

He instinctively broke down barriers between himself and other people. He was just one of his many victims.

The smile on his face soon melted into a slightly depressed one, one that could only be noticed if one could see the slight downturn of his face.

He wondered if Makoto remembered them.

It all seemed so distant at that moment, even if it had been scarcely three years since it had occurred.

He could remember some of those moments as clear as day though. They were his only means of sanity left in this terrible world, his own beacon of hope if you would.

He remembered having to help to Makoto in French and how he would mess with the young luckster by flirting with him in French, making the younger have to scramble to figure out what he said. Makoto would turn the most adorable shade of red once he he figured it out and would frantically say he was trying to study, but god was it worth it.

He remembered ducking into closets with him as they tried to escape the wrath of an angry Genocider Sho. If they had done other things in there while hiding… Well that was their business.

He remembered scrambling to study for his exams, the weight of the Togami Corporation's expectations on his head, only to feel a hand on his shoulder. He had looked up, only to see Makoto's smiling face as he held out a steaming cup of civet coffee to him.

He remembered that blissful dance they had together during the one dance that Makoto and Kyoko had dragged him to. He could still see the glittering lights that had filled the hall as they swirled around the room and could still feel Makoto's hands on his shoulder and in his hand as he taught him quickly how to waltz.

He remembered Makoto's soft lips on his as the world slowly shattered before their very eyes.

Yes, you guessed right, the esteemed Byakuya Togami, the heir to the Togami Corporation, had been in a relationship with the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto Naegi.

Had been being the key word there.

Of all the memories of his past to come back, his relationship with Makoto seemed to be one of the very last to come through. Whether it be a cruel twist of fate to deny him one of his rare happy memories or an act of angel to prevent him from feeling anymore loss, it was still the last thing to come back to him.

He had never found quite the right time to talk to Makoto about this, as they had been previously too busy performing missions or trying to protect the Remnants of Despair from the Future Foundation.

Besides, how could one casually bring up a former relationship when the other did not even remember said relationship?

He stifled a groan at this fact, still trying to conceal himself as best as he could.

It was his firm belief that Makoto either did not remember their relationship. Even if the luckster had moved on, he knew fully well that he would at least bring it up once to him, to bring closure at the very least.

Since he had not discussed it with him at all, or shown any signs of remembering, he could only conclude that the luckster did not remember their relationship.

The thought made him wince ever so slightly.

It seemed cruel for this entire mess to even occur.

Their future had seemed so hopeful all those years ago. The world was filled with light and hope, only for that light to be crushed brutally by the Tragedy. While hope remained, it was far more subdued, torn into pieces by the cruel reality of their situation.

They had once been Byakuya Togami and Makoto Naegi, two students in the esteemed Hope's Peak Academy's 78th class.

Now Makoto was the traitor to the Future Foundation and he was a bystander who could only watch from the sidelines as his former lover was put on trial for simply trying to fix the world in his own way.

What a cruel world they lived in-.

BOOM!

Suddenly though, a large explosion could be heard from just outside the tower. He jumped at the sound, shock coursing through his veins.

What on earth…?

He looked back out the window, his eyes now deadly focused on the scene outside the tower he was in.

The scene before him shocked him to the core.

Numerous flaming fireballs filled the sky, their trajectory showing that their target was indeed the island he was situated on.

His blood ran cold as he realized just what was going on.

They were under attack.

Instinctively, he turned from the window, quickly making his way out of his hiding place and allowing a cool demeanor to cover his inner turmoil.

Now was not the time to allow his mind to wander about the past.

Now was the time to make sure he kept whatever future lied before him.

The first thought in his mind was to head to the meeting room where he had been only a few hours ago. There was no doubt in his mind that everyone else in the tower would be located in there as they scrambled to create a defense for themselves.

He soon found himself in one of the large hallways of the tower he was currently in. He quickly ran through it to the room that he knew was located at the end of it.

As he made he way through though, the building continued to shake as the fireballs made impact on the island. With every shiver that ran through the building though, a familiar one ran through him.

Where were the rest of his classmates?

Yasuhiro.. Aoi… Kyoko….

Makoto.

He forced his worry to the back of his mind, knowing that he needed to focus on getting through this insanity.

To his relief, he soon saw the doors to the meeting room before him. He quickened his steps as he did so, pushing himself to reach the doors before one of the fireballs finally made contact with the tower itself.

As soon as he reached the door, he grabbed the handle and threw it open, quickly exposing himself to the scene inside of it.

It was a scene of chaos within the meeting room. A small group comprised of Chise Yukizome, Kyosuke Munakata, and Kensuo Tengen were gathered at the head of the table. Daisuke Bandai was frantically flicking through a screen with panic in his eyes, but the rest were standing to the side, examining the situation in silence.

He felt a bit of relief fill him as he noticed that Kyoko and Aoi were in the room as well, but Aoi's panicked face did little to calm his nerves. He looked around briefly only to see something that sent a chill down his spine.

Makoto was being held down on the ground by Sakakura.

For a moment, he stared at the sight of his former lover being held to the ground like some sort of common criminal. His blood began to boil at the sight but he forced himself to calm down.

He needed to focus on the issue at hand. He could not afford to fret over Makoto's situation.

He knelt down beside Makoto, keeping his voice low as he addressed his fellow classmate.

"Situation?"

For a second, he swore Makoto's eyes lit up as he saw him, but it was soon replaced with seriousness.

" It looks like all the exits are blocked as they were blown up by explosions. We are locked in apparently and Yukizome can not get contact with the outside." Makoto quickly informed him.

"It seems that we are trapped then." Kyoko summed up quickly, her eyes filled with cold resolve.

"Trapped?!" Aoi squeaked, fear in her eyes.

Gozu stepped up at that moment, spreading his arms out wide.

"Calm down. There are many leaders of the Future Foundation here. If we just stick together and work together we can-."

The man was soon cut off with a soft noise. The room went quiet as all eyes turned to the small silver ball rolling innocently on the floor. It suddenly stopped by Gozu's foot before it cracked open, releasing a giant volume of gas.

Immediately, the members of the room began to cover their mouths, their eyes wide.

"It's… Sleeping gas?! And it opens immediately?!" Kimura gasped

He quickly glanced around the room at her words, noticing immediately that she was right as members of the Future Foundation began dropping to the floor like flies.

"Makoto!"

The scream was out of his mouth before he could stop it. He frantically glanced around the room, searching in vain for his former lover.

"..Byakuya…"

He glanced down quickly, noting that Sakakura was already unconscious. To his relief, Makoto was still conscious, staring up at him in concern.

"Makoto…"

Makoto's eyelids drooped but he managed to make a weak smile up at him.

"Je t'aime Byakuya."

With that, the boy collapsed to the ground, the gas already taking it's toll on him.

He stared at the boy during the few seconds he had before the gas took its effect on him.

His last thought as the world went black was, Makoto remembered.

He groaned as he stood up from the ground, his mind foggy. Blearily, he looked around the room, noting that the others were in a similar state of confusion and exhaustion.

He barely had time to question what had happened in his mind before he heard it.

"Upupupu!"

His head shot up at the sound and he could feel his blood freeze as he heard a familiar black and white bear speak on the screen before them.

No….

"Ahh It's been so long since I have seen your faces! How have you been?"

He heard Aoi choke from beside him.

"I… I know that voice!" she squeaked.

From the corner of his eye he saw that Kyoko herself had tensed as well as she stared up at the screen.

Said screen now showed the damn bear giggling, it's red eye glinting mischievously in the light of the room it was in."

"As long as Despair fills the land.. I, Monokuma, will always return!"

He could only stare at the bear in shock as horror filled his entire being.

No… Not again… It… It could not be! This was not the video game world, it was the real world.

The real world in which Junko Enoshima was dead.

Still, Monokuma stood before him as clear as day with a damn smirk on it's face.

"W-who are you?" Yukizome squeaked, her green eyes wide with surprise and fear.

"Let's just get straight into it okay? Leaders of the Future Foundation, you have gained my admiration for your efforts to protect this rotten world. You have sent the Remnants of Despair into a huge downfall. You have almost finished us off! So, in thanks for that, I have decided to allow you all to play a game… A killing game in fact!"

"No we will not."

His cold voice filled the room before he could stop it.

He felt the eyes of the entire room fall on him, but he found himself not caring. He forced himself to his feet as he stared down Monokuma, determined to stop the bear's plans before he could wreak havoc on the Future Foundation's leaders.

He had outlasted the bear twice already and he would be damned if he would not do it a third time.

"The Future Foundation is above your foolish game heathen. This game is meant for the lowest common denominator and simply put, it will not work" he growled.

To his surprise, the bear only laughed, it's red eye glowing as it did so.

"But Togami, it has already begun!"

He felt as if the air had been knocked out of his lungs at Monokuma's words. He opened his mouth to inquire just what the bear was talking about when Kyoko interrupted him.

"... Where's Makoto?"

His entire being froze as Kyoko's soft question filled the air. He quickly glanced to his side, where he had known Makoto had been lying moments before the gas had taken its toll on them.

It was empty.

Where was….

Suddenly, he was all too aware of a soft noise echoing in the room.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He felt as if time had stopped as he steadily turned and saw a small puddle of blood staining the floor. He slowly moved his head up to the ceiling, praying to whatever being he could think of that the dark thought filling his head was false.

It was not.

He found himself staring at the empty green eyes of Makoto Naegi as his lifeless body swung softly on the chandelier above him. His body had been draped across the chandelier while his face was contorted in an expression of fear and horror. Blood fell down his face in streams from the giant gashes in his stomach, soon falling to the ground to form the puddle from before. His green eyes were wide with tears and blood due to this, giving a ghastly sight to those below him.

His mind went completely blank as he looked at the body above him, denial filling every inch of his body.

No... Not now.

Not when he had been so close to getting him back.

He was in such a state of shock that he barely registered Monokuma's following words.

"It seems that one of you is already at work! Have fun you guys!" the bear jeered.

As Monokuma said this, the chandelier chain snapped.

Just like his own heart had.

The chandelier plummeted to the ground, augmented by a strangled scream from Aoi as she finally saw who was on it

He barely felt Kyoko grab his arm to pull him away from the line of fire. All he could do was watch motionless as the chandelier fell to the ground.

Flashes of memories filled his mind as he watched his lover's body plummet to the ground, his heart aching as it did so.

Makoto was grinning at him on that very first day of school, holding out his hand for him to shake.

"My name is Makoto Naegi."

Makoto was chasing him with snowballs, his green eyes filled with joy and amusement as he managed to hit his coat.

"Gotcha Togami!"

Makoto smiled up at him nervously, holding out a single red rose.

"Happy Valentines Day Byakuya."

Makoto gripped his hand tightly in his as they prepared to step out into the new world from Hope's Peak Academy. He smiled up at him warmly, almost radiating hope.

"I told you we would get out of here together Togami."

He smiled bitterly as he made eye contact with his love's corpse as the chandelier hit the ground, barely noticing the tear falling down his face as he did so.

"Je t'aime aussi Makoto."

So... Guess who saw the first episode of the Future Arc?

Okay, so I know I promised that the next chapter of Let the Game Begin would be up this week and I have started on it, don't worry, it will be done this week.

But then I saw this episode.

Without many more spoilers than the ones I have used, all I can say is that the ending truly hit me in the heart. Call me whatever but I did find myself caring for the character who did end up dying. Plus the tension and drama in the room afterwards seriously got my creative juices running and I knew i had to write something for it, (even if I am a bit salty that Togami isn't in it -_-)

So here I am less than 24 hours after watching the episode to present you with this fic. Consider it a present for my month absence.

I hope you all enjoyed it ;)

(P.s. I know this is unnecessary mostly but just in case...

Je t'aime Byakuya - I love you Byakuya

Je t'aime aussi Makoto - I love you too Makoto)