Naegi heard soft whimpering coming from the other side of the bed. She hadn't made those sounds ever before, even though they'd been dating for a few months.

"...Kirigiri?" he murmured to her.

The noise stopped and the room was dead silent, the only sound coming from her ragged breathing.

Naegi scooted closer and ran his fingers through her fine lilac hair.

"Please don't hide your feelings from me," he whispered softly in her ear, "I want to help you."

Kirigiri slowly sat up and leaned her back against the headboard, continuing her act of silence. Naegi sat up next to her and wrapped his left arm around her. The moonlight coming through the window glistened against the streams of tears running their own maze down her cheeks. She wiped her scarred palms against her face to rid of them, however they soon returned as she began to sob again.

"Kirigiri..." Naegi tried to prompt her to tell him what was bothering her, but he didn't want to force her. He began rubbing small circles on her back with his thumb in a comforting motion as she cried in the dark room.

"The school…" she finally spoke, though her voice was distorted by her sobbing and saliva. "We were… You…" she stopped and covered her face with her gloveless hands, sniffling.

"It's okay," Naegi quietly cooed her.

"The... The school..." her words were jumbled and quiet. Naegi found himself straining to hear her, but managed to make out what she was saying none the less. "You... you were b-being accused... like w-what happened before... When Alter Ego s-saved you... but this time... A-Alter Ego wasn't... and you were... you..."

Naegi knew enough now to know what was bothering her. Ever since the events at Hope's Peak, he'd been getting nightmares, often waking up in the middle of the night screaming. He still did so a fair amount, however he had never heard or seen Kirigiri upset from the traumatizing memories before.

Naegi slid his right hand underneath her folded knees and with his left arm underneath her left arm, he lifted her onto his lap. It took her by surprise, for he had never really done something like this before, which caused them both to blush. However, Naegi ignored his embarrassment and held her tightly, bending his knees in front of him so that she was close to him.

Kirigiri stopped crying as Naegi performed such a bold action. But the tears came back and fell as she tucked her head in the crook of his neck, letting out soft whimpers as he rubbed her back in comfort.

"I'll always be here for you, Kirigiri," he reassured her, holding her tightly to him as he continued to speak, "No matter what. I will never let anything harm you. You mean so much to me, and it hurts me to see you so distressed. I will always take care of you, and I will do whatever it takes to make you happy. You don't deserve to suffer. Just please tell me when you're feeling hurt; I don't want to leave you like this when there's something I can do. You are the world to me, Kyouko, and I will not let the past harm you. I love you so much."

Kirigiri was at a loss for words as his own pierced her heart. She felt the tears subside from her cheeks and intense heat replace their spot. She lifted her head slowly to look at him. His face was equally red, although hard to tell in the moonlight, but his eyes showed him how much he truly meant those words. A small, fragile smile curved her lips to accompany the pink blush.

Naegi felt his heart flutter when he saw her beautiful smile, and he didn't notice the grin that formed on his face. He took his right hand from under her legs and wiped her cheek from any remaining tears. He slowly trailed his palm along her damp jawline to her chin. Carefully, he leaned in and felt her soft lips meet his own, and Kirigiri's arms wrap around his neck.

Kirigiri felt at peace again, as if his kiss made all the world melt away and him the only thing in the world that ever mattered. Slowly, they ended the kiss and Kirigiri rested her head on his shoulder, sliding her arms around his waist. She felt so safe with him, so calm, and he was so warm. She yawned quietly and tightened her grasp around Naegi's body.

"Thank you…" she mumbled as she snuggled her face into his neck.

Naegi just smiled and held her closer.

"I love you, Makoto…"

"I love you too, Kyouko…"

For Naegiri Week

Day 1 - Scars

Sorry I haven't been posting anything lately! I've had writer's block and grade 11 is hard, especially since I missed most of my classes at the beginning of the first semester because of my scoliosis surgery. I'll try to post chapter 4 of Regret, Rescue, and Return sometime in the future. Until then, enjoy this little drabble I made with a pic I drew as the cover pic (which I am honestly not too fond of -w-''')

ANYWAYS! Enjoy~