I'm a murderer. A murderer. I killed Sayaka Maizono and they've figured it all out. I'm screwed. The words spun around Leon in circles making him dizzy. Murderer. Murderer!

"Kuwata... Kuwata you really... Murdered... Maizono?" Naegi stammered in disbelief.

"H-how could you...?" Asahina gasped.

"You son of a bitch! The fuck did you do that for!?" Oowada demanded fist clenched.

His head still spinning he had to think of an answer... "I-I had no choice... I was gonna get killed, myself... S-so... I had to kill her..." He said weakly. "One wrong move this coulda happened to any of you guys! Maizono just happened to target me... Just my freakin' luck!" He said his temper bubbling near the surface. It was just self defence! How was he in the wrong!? Oowada let out a low growl.
"O-or should I have... just sat back and let her kill me?" Leon said smugly. He had them there. Naegi stood silent reflecting over everything, and who was truly at fault. Monokuma began to ramble on about how Maizono was so pretty, yet so crazy. A flame flared in Leon's heart and he was tempted to launch himself at the stupid bear. Why he felt so strongly about a girl who tried to kill him, was a mystery... Naegi himself was just about to strangle Monokuma but that purple haired sluth stopped him... They muttered to each other and Monokuma broke up their little moment with his eerie Disney sweet voice.

"It's time for this round's villain, Leon Kuwata, to receive his punishment!"

"P-punishment?!" Leon said his heart beating a thousand times a minute. "Y-you mean... execution? W-wait a second, please! I had... I had no choice but to kill her! Yeah! It was a genuine case of self-defense! I was just... Defending myself, and it just..."
"What part of your actions could be called legitimate self-defense?" Celes interrupted. "When you broke the shower door's lock, you used your own tool set, right? In other words, after she closed herself in the shower, you went all the way back to your room and brought back a screwdriver, broke the lock, then finished her off. You had a number of opportunities to end it right then and there. But you didn't take them... You... Quite obviously intended to kill her." She said firmly.

"N-No... That was..." He was about to explain that he just wanted to speak with her and things had gotten out of hand in the end but before he could even begin to express his deepest regrets about killing Maizono Naegi stopped him.
"Just stop... Just end this facade." He said looking away from Leon. He truly believed he killed Maizono in cold blood.

"Oh dear. Are you sure about that? You were the closest to Maizono out of all of us. And your dear Maizono... was killed by this man." Someone needs to put a stocking in it!
"I don't intend to place all blame on Kuwata. Of course, I don't blame Maizono, either. Because..." He paused and stood in cold silence. "It's all his fault!" He said whipping to look at Monokuma.
"Oho?" Said Monokuma looking confused.

"If it wasn't for you... Neither Maizono nor Kuwata would have ended up like this! Rather than fighting each other we should be fighting the one who organized all this!" Sure Naegi. Now you take a stand, after I killed a perfectly innocent girl. But... She wasn't innocent... Why do I feel so close to her?

"Oh my goodness, gracious! Have you awoken to your sense of justice?! Did you know there's nothing in the world as amoral as a sense of justice? Its because we've got all these people flaunting about their 'justice' that war will never end. And you've awoken... To that sense of justice?" Monokuma taunted.
"Shut up!" Naegi lashed out.
"Ahh, whateves..." Said the bear dismissively "More importantly... Let's get this punishment started! Everyone's waiting!"
"I-I'm begging you! Please, stop this!" Leon begged, it was all a mistake! He never wanted to hurt the Teen Idol, he just wanted to talk! He wanted to get singing lessons, and laugh with her, and maybe figure out how her hair was so shiny... He wanted to go to bed thinking of her sparkling eyes and wake up thinking of her dazzling smile. Where is this coming from!?

"No excuses! You disrupt order, you suffer the consequences! Those are society's rules!" Monokuma said a glint of evil in his eye. This isn't a society it's a prison! Leon's insides were screaming, every stitch of him ready to burst.
"P-please, don't!" He screamed tears beginning to stream down his face. Fighting was no use anymore...
"I've prepared a very special punishment for Leon Kuwata, the Super Duper High School All Star!" Monokuma laughed gleefully.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Leon screamed from his very gut the sound of his pleas shattering everyone's heart's.

"Let's get this ball rollin'! It's punishment time!"
"Noooooooooooooooo!" I can't die like this! I was supposed to be a star! I was supposed to live my life to the fullest! No!
Monokuma slammed the gavel down and started the beginning of the end for Leon Kuwata.

Leon stood cold eyes staring at him. His pleas were now hoars and inaudible. A long chain slinked out and wrapped itself around his neck from behind. No, nonono it can't end this way! He clawed at the chain around his neck and reached out for help. Someone... Anyone... Please. He pleaded closing his eyes. The chain yanked him away and yanked him roughly down a long hall. Leon skidded about on the smooth flooring screaming as much as his voice would allow. He kicked his feet about as he was pulled in faster and faster looking for any way to stop him from being dragged away. There was no use. His eyes were assaulted by the bright lights he'd seen a thousand times before, but this time there was no glory awaiting him. The chain whipped him to his feet and tugged him back onto a pole. Large metal straps came and forced him stuck to the pole like glue. The gates in front of him shut automatically and Leon panted softly. This was it... A large metal pitching machine came out from the ground and pointed itself at Leon. Leon had used some on occasion but he didn't remember them being shaped like a machine gun... Oh... I get it... Very original Monokuma! Leon thought bitterly still squirming to escape. The balls were loaded in and the machine started to rev like an engine. It spun and spun and spun until... The first ball struck. Leon has been struck by the occasional ball during practice but he still winced. And it was only worse from there. The machine raised itself and shot ball after ball one after another with only a second between hits. Leon winced and shouted out in pain. The machine aimed up and down his body hitting him leaving what would most likely be large crater-like bruises. Not that he'd live long enough for them to form. The pitcher spun around hitting him from every angle possible striking him all over his body. Leon could feel it, he was dizzy nearing the blackout that would relieve him of pain until he died. Then he saw his life flash before his eyes... No...This was different. He was seeing something he'd never seen before. He... He knew everyone beforeall this lockdown shit!? They were classmates! Friends! Monokuma stole these memories from him! they flashed within seconds but each memory was a lifetime for Leon. A short relief from pain. Then... He saw her.

It was only days after the 78th class had agreed to spend their days in this school, while the outside turned to ruins. Leon sat on his bed thinking about the things he could never do, the people he could never see... All because of-, Knock knock. Leon looked up.
"C-come in..." It was probably Naegi insisting on this mornings breakfast meeting. A tradition that started the first day of lockdown...

"Kuwata-kun..." A soft voice whispers as the door creaks open.

"Maizono?" Leon sat up surprised. "Hey look it's nothing personal I just don't want to go to breakfast okay?" Leon said stretching widely.

"I didn't come to get you for breakfast... I just..." suddenly Maizono buried her face in her hands and began to sob. Leon stared at her confused before he scrambled up to his feet and rushed to the blue haired girl.
"Hey..." he whispered pulling her hands away from her face. "Hey, hey... Whats wrong?" He asked holding her hands in his owns.

"I... I..." She couldn't seem to find the words to express her feelings. She pulled her hands out of his grip and Leon expected her to run out the door without saying anything else, but instead she threw herself at Leon and wrapped her arms around him continuing to sob into his chest. "I'm scared!"
"M-Maizono don't be scared." He asked petting her hair in some attempt to soothe her.

"I'm scared." She whispered to him again. Scared? Well of course she would be scared... They were locked up in a school while the war around them was burning in chaos.

"Maizono... Everything is going to be-,"
"Don't you dare say fine. Because everything will not be fine." She said tugging away. "I should have known you would just patronize me."
"I-I didn't mean for... Hey wait!" He ran after he as she walked to the door. "Maizono, okay so maybe everything won't be fine. But... But... I'm saying it for myself. Because thinking of something happening to me. To you. To any of us... I can't... I can't bear it. So just bear with me, and promise that... That everything will be okay." He held his hand over the door hoping she wouldn't try to leave again.

"Kuwata-kun-,"
"Call me Leon, seriously."
"Okay... L-Leon. Everything will be fine." Maizono promised. "Let's go to breakfast."

"Right. And hey... Maizono?"
"Yeah?" She asked opening the door slowly.
"I'll never let anything hurt you."

Never let anything hurt you. Never... Let... Anything...

"No!" Leon said letting out a final cry. He promised her. He promised! And now-, his thoughts ended mid-sentence. He was bombarded by the final wave of baseballs. He was... He was gone. The gates creaked open and everyone stepped forward.

"Kuwata..." Naegi muttered. This was...This was Monokuma's fault. All of it.