A/N: So, I really like the idea of Mastermind!Ishimaru and I decided that I might as well write something with him. This kind of idea is better suited for a long term story, but since I don't really have a lot of time on my hands as it is, it's only going to be a oneshot.

This takes place in a time period where everyone didn't participate in the mutual killing at Hope's Peak. Instead, everyone except for Ishimaru is part of the Future Foundation.

Oh, and I abuse time jumps, as always. And pacing is kind of crap too, so yeah. .

Pairing: onesided IshiMondo, onesided implied Ishida/Naegi

Warning: Violence, language, slight AU, character death

Disclaimer: I don't own Dangan Ronpa

Rules. Order. Control. Despair.

Those were words that went hand in hand with each other. In order to have one, the other must be present in this world. If even one of them were missing, then everything would fall in disarray and uncontrolled disaster. Masses of people would go around, acting like animals without any regard to the rules which were in place. Just the thought of people going around, disobeying rules, destroying order, and taking control in order to rebel...it was disgusting. It sent horrid feelings down his spine.

Humans were a disgusting breed of animals that needed rules and order in order to be used to their fullest potential. If left alone, then they would surely fall apart and ruin the very thing that he had strove to control. That was why he was there. Because without him, those that had fallen into despair would be like headless chickens. Without purpose and running around trying to find their way. He was their beacon, their light at the end of the tunnel. They needed him to lead them forward on their quest.

Ishimaru Kiyotaka was the leader of the Super High School Level Despair.

He was Order.

He was Control.

He was Despair.

"Are you sure that you want to do this mission, Oowada-kun? You could end up dying...," Chihiro trailed off, clutching onto his computer as he ran down the hall after Mondo.

"Yeah, I'm sure, Chihiro. I'm not changing my mind either," he shot back, slipping on the rest of his protection before putting on his jacket.

"But it could be dangerous!" The young male exclaimed. "The Mastermind isn't a joke! He's already killed Enoshima-chan and Mukuro-chan...," he trailed off, biting his bottom lip harshly.

Scowling, Mondo just grunted before bowing his head and sighing. He knew full well what he was getting into. It had come as a shock to all of them. The two sisters had been the Future Foundation's strongest members. They had actually faced despair several times in their lives, but hadn't succumbed to the point where they truly lost themselves. They hadn't murdered several people in the sake of despair. At least, not in Mukuro's case. It was unknown just how far Junko had fallen into despair, although many of them didn't want the information in the first place. They had all seen the crazed expression in her eyes.

It was believed that the sisters had gone through so much in their childhood that it was thought that they were immune, and thus the best candidates to take down the Mastermind. They could just fight despair with despair and be over with it.

How wrong they had been.

Apparently, the Mastermind was someone who was much stronger and had much more influence than they had originally thought. Not that that hadn't been illustrated already, but the deaths of their friends had opened their eyes to see just what they were truly dealing with. The fact that the man have droves and droves of followers, all willing to do his bidding just in the sake of causing pain and despair was horrifying. The fact that the Mastermind had summoned hundreds of those followers just to kill two girls was even more horrifying. They had all caught glimpses of some kids that had been dubbed a part of Super High School Level Despair, as well as faceless individuals who's identities didn't really matter. No one even seemed to be in charge of the execution. It was a wild mess of blood, flesh, and guts. It was almost like the Mastermind had just given the order and then sat back to watch the animals play.

So, not only had they failed to figure out who the Mastermind was exactly, but they had lost two of their strongest allies and friends as well.

It didn't even seem to matter what they tried. Whether it was interrogation, spying, or questioning random people that they find, nothing did any good. Nobody knew who the Mastermind was. Nobody had ever seen him or her in person before. Anyone that had was either a part of the Super High School Level Despair or dead. And unfortunately, they couldn't seem to get their hands on even a single member of the evil organization.

The people behind Future Foundation wanted to change that. And so, it had employed the help of a select group of individuals who would infiltrate the Mastermind's headquarters at Hope's Peak. They were to find something that could reveal the identity of the Mastermind, whether it was a photo or a clue from one of his followers. Anything worthwhile. Details of the mission had been open to all members who wished to join and a group was formed in less than a day. This group displayed high levels of talent and strength that would be key in finding what they needed.

Mondo was one of the few individuals who had volunteered immediately, along with Naegi, Togami, and Kirigiri. They were some of the strongest that Future Foundation had in their disposal at the moment. Sure, it was completely stupid to throw all of their eggs in one basket, but at this point, Future Foundation was desperate. All of them were well aware of the fact that they would probably die during this suicide mission, but all of them were willing to do so if it meant ridding of despair once and for all. They had been around when the world had been happy, had been nice. They wanted that world back.

Mondo in particular was more than willing to destroy the Mastermind, at any cost. He needed to do so...for his brother...-!

Gritting his teeth tightly, Mondo growled under his breath and looked over to where Chihiro was sitting. There were tears falling down the small boy's cheeks and he looked as though he was about to break down any second. Mondo's angry expression softened a bit and he walked up to the sulking boy, placing his hand on his hair. A flinch went through Chihiro's body and he looked up at Mondo with wide eyes. "W-What-"

"Don't worry, Chihiro. I'll be alright. Just worry about finishing that program of yours," he said gently, giving Chihiro a gentle smile. He knew that whatever project FF had given his friend a few days ago was extremely important, if all of the time invested said anything. Mondo didn't want his friend to distract himself from his job to worry about him. So, he just plastered on a smile, even though at the moment, he felt like doing anything but that.

However, Chihiro didn't smile back at him. In fact, he still looked pretty upset. Mondo understood the young male's concern for him, since they were best friends and practically brothers. They had grown up together, going to Hope's Peak together before The World's Most Despair Inducing Event even occurred, and pretty much hadn't been separated from each other, even after working with Future Foundation. They knew each other very well and were willing to do anything for the other. Mondo knew that if anything happened to Chihiro, he'd probably lose it.

So, he understood how Chihiro felt. But...he had do this. He needed to do this.

Straightening his appearance, Mondo leaned down and pressed a kiss to Chihiro's forehead, ruffling his hair. "I promise that I'll be back. I'll take down the Mastermind before he even knows what hit him." Although, as he said that, Mondo felt his stomach twist up with emotion he couldn't quite pinpoint.

The bugs that were so caught up in their hope were so amusing.

Legs crossed and back straight up, Ishimaru felt a smirk come to his face as he watched his monitors. He had cameras monitoring all parts of the city, taking in all the despair. One of his many Control Units had just taken over another neighborhood made to promote "hope" and "optimism". He had watched with pleasure as their screams echoed throughout his control center, the looks of despair and horror on all of their faces as their loved ones died and their homes were burnt to the ground. He could hear their cries for mercy, for some sort of forgiveness. But of course, none of the people in the Control Unit paid their cries any mind, slaughtering them all without a bat of their eye. A sneer came to Ishimaru's face as he saw some lingering light of hope in some of the fools' eyes.

Such rebellion and ignorance against his rule disgusted him. He had put so much time and effort into controlling the despair, into making it a strong power that could be controlled by only him...only to have such hopeful individuals go against his aim and commit treason against his rule. It made his stomach roll. He needed to correct those poor souls and show them that what they were believing was wrong.

And so, seeing the bloodshed, seeing the looks of horror and despair on their faces when they finally realized that they could no longer hold on to their hope...He loved destroying the childish notions of people who thought they could go against his rule.

He was the New Order, whether they wanted to believe it or not.

Eyes flickering along the several monitors in front of him, Ishimaru narrowed his eyes to catch every detail in front of him. Besides the mass slaughter going on in the western part of the city, nothing else seemed out of order to him. However, he could never been too careful. Just because things were quiet didn't mean something couldn't happen. The more that he tried to seek out something, the more that a strange feeling entered his body. His gut had started to tighten up in anticipation and his breath was quickening just a bit. Furrowing his eyebrows, Ishimaru sat back in his chair a bit and brought a hand up to his chest.

Ever since that morning, a bad feeling had settled into the pit of his stomach and it wouldn't go away no matter what he did. His heart was beating just a bit quicker than normal. And no matter how much he tried to calm himself down, nothing seemed to work. His eyes narrowed a bit at the implications.

Something was about to happen.

He had come to rely heavily on his instincts to tell him so, which had actually saved his life several times. They were fairly accurate and made monitoring much easier. Many times, his instincts would tell him when something was out of place or about to happen. The last incident had been...when dealing with those pests in Future Foundation.

Placing a hand on his stomach, Ishimaru continued scanning the monitors for something. There had to be some sort of sign. Something that stood out, something that just didn't blend in. But again, nothing was wrong or out of place. And that really bothered him. He was never wrong when it came to something like this! Something had to be wrong, it just had to be! Scratching his chin, the Mastermind racked his brain for a moment to try and think of what it could be. It wasn't until he actually sat and thought about that meant that he realized something was wrong.

There were no riots.

There were no people shouting about keeping hope.

There were no spies for Future Foundation stalking around his headquarters.

Other than the one incident that had gone on in the west side of the city, nothing was out of place. Everything was...calm. Similar to the calm before a storm.

It set him on edge.

Leaning back against his seat for a moment, Ishimaru interlocked his fingers together and sat in thought. There would be something happening soon, and he was fairly sure that Future Foundation was behind it. Countering such an attack wouldn't be completely easy, as he had learned during many of the other incidents against the organization. He couldn't unleash his full power against the organization, all because he was still hiding his identity. It was a tiresome chore that he had to keep up. But as much as he wished to break that rule he had set up himself and revealed himself, he knew that that would only cause more problems than solutions. That would just be setting himself out as a target. So...how to go about fighting against Future Foundation?

Ishimaru supposed that he could send out one of his Control Units...they had handled the last mishap with Future Foundation. It had been overkill at the moment, but for the best. However, he couldn't rely on that tactic. All of his Control Units were on other sides of the city. It would take nearly half a day for all of them to be transported back to headquarters and by that time, Future Foundation would have probably already attacked. No, he couldn't rely on such an unreliable source.

...Ishimaru could send him out to survey the area...He was very good at blending in to the despair filled world, since he was practically born in despair himself. Not to mention, his skills were top-notch and reliable. Ishimaru knew that he would report back to him. And if he were lucky, he'd probably even kill whatever little pests that organization decided to send over.

Yes...perhaps it was time to bring him out and allow him to play for a while. It would do them both some good.

Smirking, Ishimaru turned his chair around and pressed the button underneath his desk before crossing his arms and waiting. He had made sure to secure a special alarm on this person so that he could call him at anytime without leaving his office. It was quite useful in situations that he needed to get in contact quickly.

It wasn't even a minute later when a soft knock echoed through his office. "Come in," he called out, tipping his head up to watch the male as he entered the room. His white hair was the first thing that caught his attention, and then his mirth-filled red eyes. A faint smirk came to Ishimaru's face. Still the same old mischievous brat.

"You called for me, Brother~?" Ishida asked, leaning against the doorway.

Humming in affirmation, Ishimaru stared at his brother for a moment before signaling him inside the office. Ishida raised an eyebrow in question, but he did at Ishimaru asked, shutting the door behind him. Right as the door shut, Ishimaru's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward until his elbows were resting against his desk. "I have an assignment for you."

A look of glee entered Ishida's eyes immediately and he practically bounced over towards his brother, leaning against the desk. A manic smile was on his face and a familiar red glow appeared in his eyes. Chuckling at his brother's eagerness, Ishimaru leaned back against his chair before turning to look at the monitors. It had been a long while since he had let Ishida out on a mission, especially once as dangerous as this one. He supposed that it was understandable for him to be a bit excited.

"I need you to monitor the nearby area. Something is going to be happening soon. I can feel it," Ishimaru explained. placing a hand over his heart for emphasis. He gave no other explanation, not that Ishida needed any further prompting.

A frown came to the white-haired boy's face. Ishida was well aware that his brother's instincts were correct, nine times out of ten. They had saved their lives more times than they could count. The fact that he was feeling something now, during a time when things had been calm, meant something really big was going to happen. If he remembered correctly, he didn't even think he had seen Ishimaru eating that morning. He had looked kind of nervous, to put it simply. Ishimaru didn't get nervous easily.

Ishida clenched his hands tight together and he could feel himself starting to get giddy with excitement. This was going to be highly dangerous. He wouldn't even think of disobeying this order, for any reason. Not that he would have done so in the first place. Ishimaru was his brother after all, and he was loyal to his brother, no matter what. Nodding his head, Ishida turned to leave the room. He would need to collect a few things from his room before he headed out on his mission.

But before his hand could even curl around the doorknob, Ishimaru's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Better yet, I think that you should take Monobear with you."

Saying nothing, Ishida gazed over his shoulder for a moment, staring at his brother with a raised eyebrow. There was a strange expression on Ishimaru's face, one that Ishida had only seen a few times. It could only be described as...the beginning of despair. His brother was despairing over him. Ishida gave a faint smile in response.

To be quite honest, there was no need for him to take Monobear with him. The toy, while useful in their rule, was nothing more than that at the end of the day – a toy. Something to use to frighten the little bugs underneath their thumbs. For people a part of Future Foundation (more so the experienced members than the new ones), it was just a nuisance, not really something to fear so much. They understood that it was the person behind the controls that should be feared. To someone like Ishida, such a toy would only slow him down. However, he knew his brother very well and knew exactly what he meant by that suggestion.

Ishimaru wanted to keep an eye on him. Not because he didn't trust him, but because he didn't trust the people on the outside.

Staring at his brother, Ishida nodded his head in response, which brought a soft expression to Ishimaru's face for a split second. That caused a happy emotion to flow through Ishida's veins, something he didn't feel very often. But just as quickly as it had came, the feeling had left both brothers and was replaced by a particular strictness. Ishimaru nodded his head stiffly before turning his chair back around to look at the monitors. Ishida just chuckled and shook his head in amusement before leaving the office.

His brother was so serious all the time.

"You sure this is a good idea, Naegi?"Mondo grunted out as they stared at Hope's Peak from their hiding spot.

Naegi's lips pierced together in worry. "Probably not. But it's the best idea that we've got," he said sheepishly before looking down at his PDA. "Now, Chihiro has been doing some research about Hope's Peak and it looks like whoever the Mastermind is knows how to guard themselves. There are several cameras all throughout the area, and it looks like all of the other openings, as well as the windows, are bolted down."

"There also seems to be guns aimed in several spots leading to the door to ward off intruders," Kirigiri added, looking over towards the entrance with narrowed eyes. It was obvious that the detective was trying to figure out something in her mind, but so far, nothing really seemed to stick out to her.

"So how are getting inside?" Mondo asked in exasperation. If there were so many precautions that the Mastermind had taken to protect his headquarters, then how were they supposed to get inside? There had to be some weak point.

"We're going to have to go through the front door," Naegi answered, looking up at his friends.

"...Eh?" Mondo asked quietly, staring at the younger male as though he were an idiot.

"That looks like the only option at the moment...," Kirigiri muttered to herself, her hand on her chin while she stared off towards the door in question.

"EH?!" Mondo exclaimed, eyes widening as he snapped his attention towards Kirigiri now. What in the world was wrong with those two?! Didn't Naegi just say there were guns and cameras pointed towards the door? How would they get to the door if they'd end up being shot down before they could even take one step out into the open?!

Togami groaned in irritation before shooting Mondo a look. "I don't understand why they allowed an idiot like you to come along on this mission. The Mastermind wouldn't shoot at anyone who comes to the door without a reason. Even though it is obvious that we're Future Foundation members, this Mastermind seems to have some weird sense of obligation," the heir explained.

Mondo just stared at the blond boy, not quite understanding what he was trying to say. What did that have to do with them not getting shot? His confusion must have shown on his face, because Togami got even more frustrated before waving him off and turning his attention back towards the building. Growling in irritation, Mondo looked over towards Naegi and Kirigiri, hoping one of them would explain something. And thankfully, Kirigiri seemed to pick up on his confusion, flickering her eyes towards him for a moment.

"When Junko and Mukuro were still alive, they had come here to investigate. Mukuro had noticed that she could actually walk up to the entrance without being attacked. The same can be said about Junko. In fact...," Kirigiri trailed off, turning fully towards Mondo. "...Every person who has ever set foot on this property hasn't been shot until they tried to input the code in the door."

Eyebrows furrowing, Mondo looked over towards the door of Hope's Peak for a moment before blinking. Now that he thought about it, there did appear to be some sort of lock on the door, with a keypad next to it. So then...they needed some kind of code? Mondo thought to himself for a few moments, trying to digest everything that had been said so far. But before he could think too hard, he shook his head in confusion. "But wait...if they weren't shot until they tried to put in a code...why would we still try to go to the front door then?"

A faint smile came to Naegi's face as he lifted his gaze up from his PDA. "Because they were only shot after putting in a wrong code."

"Wrong code...?" Mondo muttered to himself.

"Mhmm," Naegi hummed. "It looks as though inputting the wrong code triggers the guns to fire. So, we just have to input the right code."

Mondo raised his eyebrow at Naegi's weird sense of confidence, noticing that the boy didn't even seem fazed by the fact that they could potentially die if they made one wrong move. "Easier said than done, brat."

"Upupupu...and how do you suppose you're going to accomplish that?"

All four Future Foundation members jumped up immediately, looking behind them with wide eyes. They all huddled together quickly, arms reaching out for each other just in case something happened. It took a few moments for all of them to calm down enough to notice the bear standing just a few yards away from them. It just looked like an ordinary stuffed bear, something that one would see in a shop. And yet, this bear was walking and talking supposedly. Not to mention, there was some sort of murderous intent surrounding the bear. It was freaky.

Mondo clenched his fists at the sight in front of him before he growled out in irritation. "What the fuck?!" What kind of bear talked? Or walked?! He had never heard of such a thing before, and he had thought that he had seen everything. But it looked as though Kirigiri, Naegi, and Togami knew what the thing in front of them was, if their pale faces said anything. And yet, despite the obvious fear, none of them left. It was like they were rooted in their spots.

The bear continued walking forward, arms waving around in the air as he continued talking. "And just what do you delinquents think you're doing hanging around here? Don't you know this is private property?" Monobear asked mockingly.

Nobody said anything. At that point, the tension was so thick around the four members that they could hardly breath calmly. Gazing at everyone, Mondo just huffed loudly. It looked as though no one was going to say something. That just meant that he'd have to do so. So, the biker stepped forward, eyes narrowed in threat. "We don't give a fuck if it's private property or not! What the fuck are you and what do you want?"

He had no idea why there was a talking bear in front of him, but he was too irritated at the moment to question it any further. In fact, he just wanted to attack the darn thing and take that sickening smirk off of its face. Planning to do just that, Mondo stepped forward to take care of the stupid bear when a hand suddenly pressed itself against his shoulder, holding him back. Gasping softly, Mondo momentarily directed his glare to whoever had their hand on his shoulder. When he found himself staring down at Kirigiri, a little bit of his irritation left him. Confusion came in its place and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"What-"

"Calm down. Attacking him won't do you any good, especially when you end up dead," Kirigiri stated simply, looking up at Mondo for a moment before her gaze shifted back to Monobear. Her eyes narrowed and she swallowed thickly. Mondo could spot a drop of sweat coming down her face and he noticed right at that moment just how nervous the female was. He didn't think that he had ever seen Kirigiri so...hesitant before.

Narrowing his eyes, Mondo just nodded his head before returning his glare at the bear. "I don't quite understand what's so dangerous about a little toy."

"Hey! I am not a toy, you delinquent!" Monobear shouted, huffing loudly and pumping his arms in the air in anger.

However, Kirigiri and Mondo ignored Monobear for a moment. "It may just look like a toy, but it's extremely dangerous. According to some of my sources...this bear is controlled by the Mastermind himself."

"What?!" Mondo exclaimed, eyes widening. At once, the biker looked towards the bear in question and he felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't help but feel a bit of horror. This bear...was actually controlled directly by the Mastermind? The exact person that they had been looking for? But...that meant that...

The Mastermind knew that they were there. And more than likely...knew about their plan.

The sound of cackling shook Mondo out of his thoughts and he returned his attention back towards the bear, who was laughing extremely loudly, paws on his stomach. "Upupupupu! The look of absolute horror and despair on you face...it's a lovely expression, Oowada Mondo."

Mondo snapped his head up immediately, his heart skipping a beat in his chest yet again. "How do you know my name?" he asked quickly, swallowing thickly. This was getting way too freaky for him. He hadn't signed up for this kind of craziness when he had volunteered to help out with this mission. By now, things were looking bleaker and bleaker for them...

"Oh, I know all of you little glorious bastards' names. Kirigiri Kyouko, Naegi Makoto, Byakuya Togami...all members of the Future Foundations. Trying to rebel against my order and bring about the disgusting thing known as hope," Monobear spat out in disgust. "I know all about you. Your hopes. Your dreams. Where you live, what you eat. Even what you wear when you go to bed. After all, what kind of ruler doesn't know everything about those whom he rules over?"

At that, Togami scoffed and pushed his glasses up on his nose, finally speaking up after a long silence. "Please, you don't rule over us. The only people you rule over are those disgusting bugs that follow after you like brainless idiots," he snarled out, crossing his arms.

Monobear laughed even louder at that statement, if that was even possible. "Oh Togami-kun, such an idiotic boy. It had thought that you were smarter than that. Although, I suppose that those who are born with money don't always have the brains to maintain that privilege."

A flush of anger came across the heir's face and he stepped forward, only to be held back by Kirigiri as well. The female gave a pointed look to Togami, who just huffed in retaliation before backing down. Kirigiri then looked back towards Monobear, straightening herself. "What purpose do you have with us? If you knew that we were here, then why haven't you killed us yet?"

The bear just stood there for several moments, head tilted in a way that could be described as confusion. But then, Monobear just started chuckling again. "Why kill you now when I can just play around with you first?" he asked with a shrug, his red eye gleaming menacingly. "I have no interest in killing you all before I get what I want."

At once, everyone tensed up and an ominous aura settled over the entire group. They all knew at once that they probably wouldn't be making it out as alive as they had hoped. For a moment, they all looked at each other before a look of understanding entered their eyes. They needed to get out there now. If they lingered any longer, they'd end up trapped, or worse. All of them looked around for some route that they could take to escape the area without drawing attention to themselves while getting away from Monobear. But before they could do that, the sound of a twig snapping sounded in the immediate area before it went quiet.

Then, out of nowhere, something pricked Mondo right on the back of his neck and he jumped at the feeling. Hissing loudly, he reached back to his neck and touched whatever had stuck him, pulling it out so that he could see what it was. When he saw a small tranquilizer, his breathing hitched before he looked around in horror. The same smirk was present on Monobear's face, but he could tell that it was even more menacing than before. It made him pissed off. Before he could do or think much else though, Mondo's vision began swimming and he stumbled a bit.

Gritting his teeth, Mondo tried to move towards the bear, fully intending to grab it and rip it to shreds. His eye was twitching and his breath was slowly getting heavier. However, before he could even take two steps forward, he found himself falling to the ground in a heap, the feeling in his legs completely gone at that point. Everything was tingling in his body and it felt highly uncomfortable. His cheek pressed against the harsh ground, gravel and debris leaving their mark on his skin. Groaning low in his throat, Mondo's eyes narrowed to slits and he glared heavily at the black and white bear.

Monobear just stared down at the four teens in front of him, still smirking widely. His eyes flickered over towards the thug on the ground. Smirk growing wider, Monobear leaned over so that their eyes locked with each other. "Upupupu...you look as though you're in a bit of a bind there," he taunted.

Watching in amusement as the delinquent tried to move, Monobear pressed his paw against the thug's face. He could feel his claws dying to come out and mark the unblemished skin. Sinking into the skin, cutting it to ribbons while blood spurted out all over him...such a lovely thought. However...he needed to wait. There was plenty of time to do so later, when he had all of the kids under his clutches permanently.

For now, he had to bring them into his headquarters first.

Patting the thug on his face, Monobear heard him give one last groan before the light in his eyes began to dim and his breath slowed down just enough to signal that the drug was finally setting in completely. Noticing that the thug was finally starting to lose consciousness, Monobear straightened himself up before looking in the direction where the tranquilizer had come from. Almost right as he turned his attention in that direction, Ishida revealed himself, still holding onto his tranquilizer gun. The white haired male walked up the bear, looking down at the four teens before a smirk came to his face.

"What do you plan on doing to them?" Ishida asked, tilting his head while licking his lips, a sadistic gleam coming to this eyes.

A soft chuckle left the bear's mouth as he stared down at Mondo, red eye gleaming with promise. "...Why, I'm going to show them why they should not go against the True Order. They will fall in despair once we are done with them."

A low groan left Mondo's throat as he started to come to. He immediately grimaced and turned his head to the side, face scrunching up. His body felt sore all over, from head to toe. It hurt to move his body. Heck, it hurt to even think about moving his body. So, he just stayed on the bed that he was currently laying on, letting the warmth of the covers comfort his throbbing muscles. He didn't want to move from his spot. The biker felt tired, so tired that he nearly fell right back asleep before he could collect his bearings. His eyelids felt heavy and his body was warm enough that he could fall back asleep if he really wanted to.

However, the sound of a soft chuckle quickly drew him away from that and caused him to jump in shock. Of course, that caused him to groan in protest, his muscles throbbing.

"I suppose that the bed is to your liking then, if you are willing to go right back to sleep while sitting in the same room as your enemy," a voice teased.

Snapping his eyes open, Mondo looked over in the direction where the voice came from. His vision was a bit blurry at first, making it hard to see. Groaning, the biker blinked his eyes for a few seconds to try and clear up his vision somewhat. He would use his hands to rub his eyes, but that was a bit impossible at the moment. When most of the blurriness had left his eyes, he focused his attention on whoever was sitting in the room. The room was dim, but there was enough light from the nightstand for him to spot the figure sitting straight up in the chair across the room, hands interlocked in his lap and his legs crossed. He couldn't really make out any distinct features about the man other than his white and black outfit and his crimson eyes. Eyes which were staring right at him, seeming to examine him completely like he were some experiment. It made Mondo's skin crawl and a bad feeling settled in his stomach.

"Who the hell are you?" Mondo croaked out, wincing a bit at the sound of his own voice. It sounded like he had just eaten a bunch of gravel before throwing his throat in a blender or something.

The man chuckled again and didn't move from his position, seeming to be fully content with sitting right where he was. However, he did lean forward a little bit, making it easier to see his face a bit. Although, once his face was in the light, Mondo almost wished that he was sitting back where he couldn't see him.

He looked absolutely deadly. Downright intimidating, to put it lightly. The man's blood-red eyes were even brighter in the light and much more menacing, gleaming with promise. There was a large smirk on his face, almost as though he found the entire situation amusing. Although, Mondo supposed that he did find everything amusing. Mondo was laying in his bed, practically powerless and edging on falling asleep. Hell, if Mondo was the guy, he'd probably be amused at his weak nature as well.

It pissed the biker off.

"I won't ask you again, jackass. Who the hell are you?" he snarled out, clenching his fists tightly together.

The man's eyes narrowed just a little bit and his lips pierced together before his fingers moved away from their interlocked position. Sucking in a harsh breath, Mondo watched with trepidation as the man suddenly stood up, stretching his body for a moment before he walked towards him. The man carried himself in a way that reminded the biker of Togami. There was a certain pride and ambition surrounding the man that demanded attention. However, there was also a dangerous aura surrounding him, something that set Mondo off immediately. He didn't want this man anywhere near him while he couldn't move. However, it didn't look as though that wish would be coming true, as the man was getting closer and closer to him.

As the man stopped right by his bedside, Mondo couldn't help but shiver in what could only be described as fear. He had never been in such a situation before. Never before had he ever felt so weak in front of someone before, especially not someone as small as the man in front of him. However, Mondo knew better than to judge an enemy by their size. He had thought that Junko and Mukuro harmless, when he had first met them. But then, that thought had quickly been put in its place when he saw just how despair-filled they had been.

He knew what would happen if he underestimated an opponent.

Mondo snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a finger pressing itself against his cheek, prodding the skin. Gasping at the touch, the biker looked out of the corner of his eyes at the man, trying to see what in the world he was thinking. However, there was nothing in those crimson eyes that revealed a single thought. Although, the way that his mouth turned up at the edges made Mondo think that he was probably just as amused as, if not more than, he was before.

"Who am I, you ask? I am but the spokesman, the leader, the brains, the power, behind the True Order. I am everything, yet I am nothing. I am the being who will lead this ravage world to a future of order and absolute control," the man said tinged in strictness, in seriousness. It made Mondo's skin crawl. And as the man leaned towards his face, his breath brushing over his cheeks, the feeling just grew worse.

"I am the enemy of your little rebel club known as Future Foundation. I am the true meaning of Order, of Control...and of Despair," he purred out, eyes gleaming brightly and smirk growing in a crazed manner.

At the word despair, Mondo's veins ran cold and he stared up at the man in horror. This man couldn't mean...that Mondo was right in front of...-! No...no, no, NO! There was absolutely no way that this man could be...could be the Mastermind! Sure, no one has ever seen the Mastermind before, and anyone who may have was already dead or extremely loyal to the man. But...Mondo just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that this man was the one who they were fighting again. He looked like anything but the Mastermind. He looked more like some politician. (Or like a dictator, although he didn't let that thought linger in his head). This...one...man...

Feeling the finger drag down his face and press against his chin, Mondo growled under his breath and snatched his head away from the man's touch. However, doing so still caused a bit of discomfort, which showed on his face. A sigh left the man's mouth and Mondo felt the bed dip before a hand cupped his cheek, thumb rubbing the skin.

"What the hell...-"

"You need to watch your language, Oowada-kun. It's very rude to talk like that, especially to someone you barely know," the man said in a mocking tone. However, something in his eyes said that he was very serious about the words he had said, even though the tone had been mocking. Almost as though he was testing Mondo.

And unfortunately, Mondo took the bait without a second thought.

"Fuck you," Mondo spat out, baring his teeth at the man. He didn't give two shits if he knew the man or not. There was no way he was going to be doing what he said.

A look of anger came across the man's face and before he could do anything, the man lifted his hand up and slapped Mondo right across the cheek. The sound resonated throughout the entire room and caused the biker to cry out. His cheek felt hot and it stung painfully, throbbing just a bit after the slap. He would admit, he had dealt with much worse pain than a measly slap. However, he was surprised by the fact that he had been slapped in the first place.

"You will watch your mouth, you delinquent. I have had patience enough to let you mouth off to me until now, but it ends here," the man snarled out, eyes widening. For a moment, Mondo could have sworn that there was some sort of red aura surrounding the man's eyes, but he quickly shook that thought away. He didn't need to be scaring himself anymore than he already was.

Swallowing thickly, the biker stared up at the man for a moment before averting his gaze. The heavy atmosphere in the room stayed, but it did dissipate a little bit. Breathing harshly, Mondo tried to calm himself from the raging anger spanning through his body. While normally, he would let himself attack whoever attacked him first, especially if they insulted him on top of that, he couldn't do anything at the moment. His body still felt like he had been attacked by a boulder and even though he could move his muscles more than he could a few minutes ago, he still needed to wait longer to be able to move the way that he wanted (needed, actually). Doing anything right now would be stupid and idiotic. He'd probably end up dead afterwards.

As the man grabbed onto his face and forced him to look into his eyes, Mondo did nothing but scowled angrily. The smirk from earlier came back and he tilted his head a bit, humming to himself. "...You are quite an interesting specimen, Oowada-kun. It really is quite a shame that you work for Future Foundation though. I'm sure you would have been a lovely addition to my army of Despair," he said.

Mondo just scoffed, not taking his eyes off of the man for a moment. "It's true. You have such lovely assets. Your strength...your drive...your intimidating nature," the man whispered, moving his face closer to Mondo's once again. "Not to mention...your handsome body."

"Wha-"

Mondo's eyes grew wide at the words and meant to question the man on what exactly he meant by them, when harsh lips suddenly pressed themselves against his own. Gasping, Mondo froze up in shock, not quite sure how to react. On one hand, he wanted to pull away and punch the guy's face in for kissing him in the first place. He was beyond disgusted by the fact that the fucking Mastermind was kissing him. It was like some nightmare. But on the other hand, he wanted to just remain still so that he didn't end up incurring the man's wrath. He had already been slapped for mouthing off. Who knew how crooked the man's sanity was at this point? What if he did something worse to him? The entire situation just left Mondo feeling disgusted and angry with both himself and the man.

He supposed that his lack of response was enough of a hint to the man thought, as he started to pull away after a few seconds. As the kiss ended, Mondo could only stare up at the man in suspicion. What was the man's purpose for doing something like this? He had learned from Future Foundation that the Mastermind didn't waste time or effort on anything, no matter how minor. So, what was he after? Mondo supposed that the man could be trying to seduce him to try and get information, but honestly, something told him that that wasn't the case. After all, he seemed to know all about him and the other members of Future Foundation. What would be the point of seducing him just to find out information that he already knows?

A strange look came to the man's face and he tapped his chin curiously before he stood up, moving away from the bed. He showed no signs of having kissed him, or even realizing that he was still there. As he walked towards the door, Mondo tried to sit up, gritting his teeth tightly. "W-where do you think you're going?" he asked stiffly.

Glancing over his shoulder, the man just chuckled before licking his lips. "No need to worry, Oowada-kun. I shall be back momentarily. I just need to obtain a few things first." After that statement, the man left the room, shutting the door behind him quietly.

Mondo stared at the shut door for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh, sinking down into the bed. He suddenly felt very tired, not to mention anxious. He had no idea what the man was even thinking or planning, and that put him on edge. His stomach was twisting up into knots and the longer that he stayed there, the worse the feeling got. And as his thoughts moved to his friends and how they could possibly be going, he felt as though he was going to throw up. The stress was really getting to him and he wondered if taking this mission was really a good idea. Perhaps if he had just listened to Chihiro and stayed back at headquarters-

No! He couldn't think like that! Such thoughts wouldn't help his position right now. Fantasizing and wondering "what if" would only distract him for what he needed to do. And right now, he needed to worry about himself. He needed to think of a way out of the room. Then, he'd try and find his friends before getting them all out. Giving up now and losing hope would be playing right into the Mastermind's hands, and that wasn't what Mondo wanted right now.

Walking down the hall with a pleased smile on his face, Ishimaru chuckled to himself. His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest and he felt a giddy emotion that he hadn't felt in quite a long time, what with all the stress and despair around him. Just as he had thought, Oowada was a very interesting gentleman. He had had his eyes on the man for well over a year now and he finally had him under his rule. Just the thought of such a strong man under his power made his knees weak and shiver go down his spine. He wanted nothing more than to go right back to the room and tease Oowada until he was crying and begging underneath him.

It had been the same for the other Oowada as well. He had shown just as much heart, just as much stubbornness in everything that he had done. It had almost killed Ishimaru to have to take the life away from the man, but he just couldn't help it. The feeling of the knife piercing the older Oowada's chest and his eyes widening in horror...it brought such chills down his spine. He dreamed of that moment for weeks, months even. And even better was the sad little whimper that he gave before snarling out his name. Oh, what a feisty fire Daiya Oowada had been. It really was a shame that he was no longer around to play with. However, now he had his youngest brother, and it looked as though he would be just as fun as his brother. Perhaps even more.

However, now was not the time for games. There was still the matter of the other Future Foundation members. While Ishimaru did not fear Oowada, there was the problem with the other three members. Naegi, the little pest that went on and on about hope and luck; Kirigiri, the nosy detective who had found out too much and needed to be disposed of immediately; Togami, the naïve heir who was much too arrogant for his own good. All three held something that could ultimately threaten his rule and control. Ishimaru didn't like that at all.

And that was the exact reason why he had placed them all under Ishida's supervision. His sadistic brother knew how to put even the most stubborn man in his place. He wouldn't have a problem with three little brats. And at the same time, he'd get rid of some of that tension that his brother had been going through due to the lack of people to torture. Once they were all taken care of once and for all, he would have Oowada to play with for the rest of his time. There would be no need to worry after all, since all the other agents in Future Foundation were much too weak to stand up to him.

He just couldn't wait until he saw that look of despair, pure utter despair, on his face once he learned that his friends were all dead.

The sounds of screams echoed through the room one last time before they were both cut off harshly, liquid splattering on the floor just a few seconds later. Then, silence took its place, heavy in the room. A manic cackle echoed throughout the empty room as gripped onto his knife. There was blood dripping down the edge of the blade and his tongue slipped out to lap it up before it could drip down to his hand. Although, he supposed there was no need to worry about getting it on himself, since the entire floor surrounding him, as well as his clothes, was coated in blood.

The copper taste landed on his tongue, causing him to chuckle to himself again. His eyes examined the mangled bodies by his feet and a feeling of bliss overcame him for a moment. The sounds of their cries as he had dragged the knife through their skin had been so delicious. He had made sure that his knife had been extremely sharp tonight, not wanting to be cut to a stop because it was too dull. And he must say, he hadn't been disappointed at all. His knife had cut through their flesh as though it was butter. The blood tainted their pale skin as he carved mark after mark onto their bodies. Degrading symbols, all representing his brother, had been placed all over their bodies. He had enjoyed destroying that beauty that both of them had had, maiming their faces so that they were practically unrecognizable. And once he had been done, he had sat back and viewed his work. They had screamed, cried out, did everything to try and distract themselves from the pain.

However, neither of them had begged for mercy. It did make Ishida a bit upset, but he supposed that they wouldn't be Future Foundation members otherwise. They were as stubborn as mules and as annoying as cockroaches. Except for now, they were no longer cockroaches. No, they were a distant memory of bugs that may have caused them trouble, but were too stupid to protect themselves before such a thing could happen.

At least, the detective and the heir had been. There was one individual that had stood out to him, even before he had captured him. He knew that should he ever get his hands on this particular boy, he'd be keeping him. Future Foundation's source of hope and unity. The only true weapon that could be used against his brother.

Naegi Makoto.

He had learned quite a bit about the boy in the past year thanks to his brother's library, as well as security cameras. Naegi-kun...the beacon of hope in the Despair-induced darkness. Supposedly, he had originally been a luck factor for the Foundation, sent out on missions to possibly change the outcome. But over the course of the year, his hope and optimism seemed to have stood out much more than his luck and he was quickly protected heavily by other members of Future Foundation, trying to protect their only hope from danger. Perhaps they thought that his brother didn't even know about the poor boy. Oh, but how foolish they were. After all, Ishimaru knew everything...

Ishida had always fantasized about getting his hands on the little bundle of hope. He wanted nothing more than to taint that hope. Drown it in despair until it had no choice but to convert itself. Oh, he knew that it wouldn't be easy to destroy such a strong sense of hope. Naegi-kun had seen many things, after all. Terrible things, things that would make someone lose hope in an instant. But instead of that, the boy did the opposite. It seemed that with each despairing moment that he came across, his hope grew more and more.

That's why he looked forward to keeping Naegi as his pet and slowly destroying his very being until he was just a shell of his former self.

The door behind him suddenly opened and Ishida snapped his head up, caught off guard by whoever decided to enter the room. His fingers instinctively tightened around the knife in his hand and he turned to throw it right at the person in question. Although in the back of his mind, he knew that there was no one in the school that could possibly be a threat, as his brother would have taken care of said person immediately, he couldn't be too sure. When he saw that it was just his brother however, he quickly relaxed and let out a soft sigh.

"What have I told you about playing around with your toys, Ishida?" Ishimaru asked with a faint smirk on his face, looking around at the dead bodies just a few feet away from his brother's body. His nose turned up a bit at all the blood and gore surrounding the entire room, Perhaps playing was an understatement.

Ishida just chuckled and gave his brother a teasing smile before licking his lips. "You know I can't help it, big brother. Their screams were just so beautiful and I needed to hear more," he said, pouting slightly.

Rolling his eyes, Ishimaru entered the room, mindful of the blood on the floor. While he didn't mind the sight of blood - far from it actually - he did not messing up his pristine image. He had an reputation to keep up, after all. Even if the blood would be getting on the bottom of his shoes, he still took precautions to make sure that such a thing didn't happen. Heading over towards his brother, he stopped when he was about a few inches away. Glancing over at the body just a few yards away from the two corpses, not covered by any blood at all, Ishimaru raised an eyebrow in question.

"You haven't killed this one yet," he pointed out, mildly confused.

Flushing a bit, Ishida slowly nodded his head before walking over towards where Naegi was laying, gathering the unconscious boy into his arms. Naegi's body hadn't been touched yet, all of his previous attention having been the heir and detective. He hadn't wanted to lay a hand on the boy just yet. So, he had decided to go ahead and just let him witness the torture and death of his two closest friends. He supposed that the boy had fainted at the sight of his friends dying in front of him though. It was understandable.

"Well, I was hoping that you'd actually let me...keep him," he said, glancing back towards his brother.

Ishimaru's eyes immediately narrowed and he stared at the boy in his brother's arms. He knew exactly who the boy was. Naegi Makoto. The hope for Future Foundations. The one person that he truly saw an an enemy to his plans. He knew all about the brat's little speeches of hope and future, as well as he ever growing heart of hope...it made his stomach sick. When he had handed the boy off to his brother, he had been expecting him to be as dead as the two other members in the room.

So, to hear that his brother actually wanted to keep him alive, in his headquarters no less, it made him a bit apprehensive. He didn't doubt that Ishida couldn't handle the brat and make sure that he didn't get into too much trouble, but...he had grown to be weary of anything that could end his reign. Even some small boy that he could easily take down with his own two hands.

But...if Ishida believed that he could effectively train and control the boy...

Sighing, Ishimaru brushed his hair back before nodding his head. It was an idiotic idea. But he was willing to humor his brother, if only this once. "Fine. But if the boy gets out of hand, he dies," he said, no room for argument.

Ishida's eyes lit up happily and before Ishimaru knew what was happening, he had an armful of his brother. He vaguely noticed that Naegi had been placed on the ground, away from the puddle of blood. Grunting, he pressed his hands to his brother's shoulders, pushing at him slightly. He had no idea if his brother had any blood on his clothing but if he did, he sure wouldn't be happy. "Ishida! Cease immediately! You are rumpling my uniform!"

However, Ishida just continued to hug his brother, nuzzling his neck happily. "I love you, big brother~"

Staring down at Ishida's white hair, Ishimaru could do nothing bit just stand where he was, letting his brother continue to hug him while they stood in a pool of blood. He just sighed, shaking his head before wrapping his arms around his brother. Ishida was such a strange case to him. Even though he had lived with him for years and was the closest person that he knew, Ishimaru still didn't understand him or his moods. He supposed that was what made the Mastermind adore his brother even more though. A faint smile came to his face before he shut his eyes and basked in the moment.

Mondo snarled as he continued to pound on the door. He had no idea how long it had been since the Mastermind had left, but it had felt like a long time. Perhaps a few hours or so. It could have even been a day or more. He didn't know and his internal clock was just as confused. Time passed by weirdly in this place. And it didn't help that there weren't any clocks or windows to help him learn the time.

Curling his up fists, Mondo pounded at the door one last time before finally settling down, Panting softly, he rested his forehead against the cool door, eyes falling shut. There were several thoughts running through his mind, making it hard for him to concentrate fully. He was worried about how long they were stuck in this hell hole, where his friends were, how his friends were...it all made his stomach twist up. He had no idea what those monsters could be doing to them right now.

Gritting his teeth together, Mondo pounded the door harshly, so hard that the door creaked. "I fucking hate this! I feel so powerless...," he growled.

Just as he said that, the sound of static filled the room and Mondo immediately jumped away from the door, fists up in defense. His heart was racing in his chest, not quite sure what that noise was. Eyes scanning the room around him, Mondo tried to find whatever was making that noise. As his eyes looked all around the room, he finally noticed the TV that had mysteriously come on, static on the screen. Breath leaving him, Mondo stared at the TV screen, slowly approaching it. This was some freaky shit right out of some horror movie. He wasn't quite sure what to do right now. He supposed that he could just ignore it, but the sound was taking up the entire silence in the room and it was hard to put out of his mind.

So, after a few minutes of debating, Mondo finally decided to slow approach the TV. However, he didn't relax at all as he drew closer to it. While he doubted that it would attack him or blow up (there was that distinct possibility, but he'd rather not think about that), he wouldn't put it past the Mastermind to do something that would end up hurting him.

Stopping right in front of the TV, Mondo froze as the screen suddenly went black, the static noise completely gone. Almost immediately, a tense atmosphere settled over the room and it was hard to breath. For a moment, he wondered if maybe the TV shorted out when another picture suddenly showed up on the screen. It was a bit blurry and hard see, especially since the camera was shaking. However, things quickly cleared up and Mondo found himself staring at what he would consider his worst nightmare. His eyes widened in horror and his face grew pale as he stared at the picture for what felt like a long time. His stomach tightened up horribly and he felt as though he was really going to throw up. Arms clutching his stomach, Mondo backed up several steps and dry heaved, the image forever engraved in his mind.

His friends...Kirigiri and Togami...they were...they were...

Dead.

"H-H-how...," Mondo asked shakily. His entire body was trembling and he hugged himself. How could this have happened? When had this happened? Their bodies didn't look as though they had been dead for a long time. It looked almost fresh. Swallowing thickly, Mondo bit his bottom lip harshly while he tried to control his breathing. He had been hoping that the Mastermind would have spared them just a few more days, at the very least. He hadn't thought that his friends would be dead already. Although, he supposed that the Mastermind had seen them all as threats...threats that he needed to get rid of as quickly as possible.

But out of all the people that he thought wouldn't die, those two were high on his list, along with Naegi. Kirigiri and Togami were both very resourceful in their own way. They had survived many of the missions that they had gone on. Which was why Mondo had thought they would be the ones to survive this time around. But now...now it didn't look like that. Now...things were actually starting to look a bit bleak. A bit hopeless...

In the back of his mind, he questioned why he hadn't seen Naegi's body on the screen, but the horror of seeing his dead friends had overshadowed any other thoughts at the moment. He hoped that maybe, just maybe, it was all a trick and he'd wake up to see his friends just joking around at headquarters. That maybe, this was all just one big nightmare that his brain had come up with. There was no way that there was someone that sick in the head, who would actually do such a horrid thing to someone's body. Mangling it beyond the point of identification, letting the blood pool down around their bodies. No one was that bad in the world...

But he knew better.

He knew that this image that he was seeing was real. No matter how skilled the Mastermind might be at manipulating people the way that he wanted, he couldn't fake something as real as that. He was the Mastermind, after all. While he may have appeared to be very put together and strict, he was still a monster at the end of the day.

While Mondo was letting his thoughts settle down, as well as his body, a faint noise came from TV. Blinking his eyes curiously, the biker turned his attention back to the screen, trying not to let the sight of his friends dead on the floor get to him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took in a shuddering breath. He noticed that there was someone in the shot along with his friends. Narrowing his eyes, he looked warily at the picture. His breath caught as he saw the Mastermind looking right at the camera, smirk present on his face.

"Motherfucker...," Mondo said breathlessly, clenching his fists together while he tried to catch his breath.

"Hello, Oowada-kun. I hope that you're doing well," the man teased. "I'm sure that you've finally realized that escape won't be quite as easy as you had hoped."

Gritting his teeth together harshly, Mondo resisted the urge to punch his fist through the TV. He knew that the Mastermind was just playing around with his emotions at that point. He couldn't lose himself to his anger, no matter how much he wanted to. So, Mondo just tried to hold himself together as he watched the TV closely.

"It is quite a shame that such a horrible thing had to happen to these friends of yours. But they were just too annoying to keep alive. Not to mention, they would be too much trouble to keep around for too long. They would have surely found some way disrupt my work. Especially this little wench," the man said before pressing his foot on Kirigiri's dead body, pushing it slightly. A look of disgust came to his face.

Brother, stop hogging the camera! I want to talk to your pet too!"

Mondo's eyebrows furrowed and a snarl left his mouth. "I am not his pet...," he muttered to himself.

Right as he said that, another man entered the shot and Mondo found himself freezing. Everything grew cold as he saw the figure standing next to the Mastermind, causing him to nearly double over in horror.

Dry heaving once again, Mondo clenched his eyes tightly shut, tears prickling and stinging his eyes. There was no way that he was seeing things right...There couldn't be...

Two Masterminds.

Future Foundation never mentioned anything about two Masterminds.

The second Mastermind in question was staring right into the camera, manic smile present on his face. Although he looked almost exactly like the first man, there was stark differences between the two. Where else the first Mastermind had ebony hair, this one's hair was as white as snow. His teeth were also a bit sharp, sharper than they should be for a human.

"Except that they aren't human. They're monsters," Mondo's mind supplied for him.

"Well, hello there, little pet. I would say that I'm sorry for your lost, but then, I'd be lying. And big brother doesn't like it when I lie~" the male said as though he was talking about the weather an not the fact that his friends had been murdered. It made Mondo's stomach roll.

Swallowing thickly, Mondo continued watching the TV, watching as the white-haired male tapped his chin curiously before snapping his fingers, gazing back to the other Mastermind. "Oh! I nearly forgot! I suppose it would only be fair to let your pet see who he's going to be living with! Can I show him, big brother?"

At once, Mondo was on guard, leaning a bit towards the TV. Another pet? Had they captured some other poor soul while they had been trapped in the school? It couldn't have been that long that a search party needed to be put out. And even if it had been a long time, Future Foundation wouldn't do something that would risk the lives of any more of its agents. At least, he hoped not.

When Mondo spotted the Mastermind thinking for a moment, Mondo's stomach gave a flip. He licked his lips nervously, squirming a bit in place in the meantime. A part of him was hoping that the Mastermind would say no to the other male. Because honestly, anyone with a smile like that was planning something horrible. That guy was planning something and whether it was physical or mental, he wanted nothing to do with it. Even if it would end up happening eventually, he would much rather deal with it later when the death of his friends were weighing down on his head. He'd prefer to wait until one of the males was in front of him so that he had someone to take his anger out on.

But it looked as though fate was, once again, not on his side.

A smirk came to the Mastermind's face and he tipped his head forward in what seemed to be silent permission, causing the other male to jump up in excitement before moving out of the picture. That left Mondo and the Mastermind alone for a few moments, scuffling sounding in the background. Neither of them said anything, although the Mastermind did glance over towards the camera, staring right at him. And even though Mondo was fairly sure that the man couldn't see him through the camera, he couldn't help but feel as though he was being thoroughly examined. It made his skin crawl. Shivering uncomfortable, Mondo averted his gaze for a moment before looking back at the Mastermind. Even over a camera, the man seemed to maintain a dangerous air around him. The man just smirked back at him before chuckling softly, moving back towards the camera. He was right in front of the lens in a few steps, bending down to look right into the camera.

"You know, Oowada-kun...I have a feeling you will make a nice specimen indeed. I can only imagine how much anger and despair is welling up inside of your body right now. You remind me quite a bit like your brother," he said before the smirk turned deadly, eyes flashing in malice.

At the mention of his brother, Mondo gripped the fabric of his pants tightly. He gritted his teeth harshly and resisted the urge to punch the TV. As much as he wanted to cease watching this horror show, he needed all the strength that he had. Punching the TV would end up wounding him. Plus, he had no idea how the Mastermind would react to him destroying something of his. That thought just made Mondo even more angry. He hated being so vulnerable-!

"L-Let me g-go!"

A sudden shout came from the TV, snapping Mondo out of his angry thoughts and pulling the man away from the camera. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment mainly due to the fact that the person that had been dubbed the other 'pet' was struggling hard against the white-haired male's grip. The movement was lagged a bit on the camera, making it even harder to make out who it was. He could see that the person was a bit short and had brown hair, but that was about it.

It wasn't until a loud slap echoed through the TV that the person stilled and shuddered before nearly collapsing to the ground. Thankfully (or unfortunately), the person was caught by the male before he was grabbed by the hair and practically thrust towards the camera. It took a moment for the camera to focus on the person's face, but once it did, Mondo felt even worse to his stomach.

"N-Naegi?1" he stammered out in horror. There was a small part of him that was relieved that Naegi was actually alive, but a much larger part of him was afraid. Naegi was practically the only hope that Future Foundation had, and right now, he was in the hands of the Mastermind. Two Masterminds, actually.

The younger male looked down right frightened, his eyes welling up with tears and his body shaking harshly. His left cheek was bright red from the slap that he had received just a few seconds ago and the color only seemed to grow darker. It made Mondo almost want to break out into frustrated tears. He wanted now more than ever to be able to break down the door to the room he was staying in so that he could try and find where Naegi was. But he couldn't. He knew that he wouldn't be able to. And even if, by some miracle, he was able to break down the door, he would more than likely be caught before he could even begin to search around the school.

It made Mondo feel even worse about the entire situation.

Their only objective had been to get inside of the school and figure out the Mastermind's plan. Perhaps even to get rid of the Mastermind if they were lucky. They had to get in and out as quickly as possible with as few casualties as not just that, but they had all been tasked with one more thing, one thing that they could absolutely not let happen. They had to keep the Mastermind as far away from Naegi as possible. They had to protect Naegi at all costs,for he was their only hope.

And he had failed. Mondo had failed not just one task, but two. He failed to keep Naegi out of the clutches of the Mastermind, and he failed to avenge his brother.

Loud laughter echoed throughout the small room as Mondo clenched his eyes shut, wanting this nightmare to be over. But it wasn't over. It would never be over.

No, the nightmare was just beginning.

A/N: Okay, so this took me forever. Like, I think I had this in my drafts since...September? I've wanted to do this story for a long time now and I finally got around to finishing it. Hopefully it's not too long and rambly.