What Brings Us Together

by MythGirl Writes

Halloween wasn't supposed to be this life-threatening, not when it started with a simple lunch. Mainly Tokomaru with hints of other ships thrown in, basically everyone shows up at one point or another

Happy Halloween, y'all.

---

Toko stared out the window, not bothering to listen to the lesson being taught. To be fair, it wasn't much of a lesson; more of Taka lecturing them on something she didn't care about, yet again. She wished he would shut up for once and let her think in peace, or that their teacher, currently sleeping, would shut him up instead. If she could get away with it, she would've taken out her notebook to continue working on her latest novel. She knew he'd see it and take it away from her again, so instead she sat there, eyes glazed over as she watched the rain and lightning. Not that anyone cared.

"Kind of a sucky day for Halloween," Makoto mumbled under his breath behind her. Toko didn't need to turn around to know he was talking to Sayaka; she was the only person he really talked to during class, since his girlfriend Kyoko was seated across the room from him.

"I know," Sayaka responded, her tone gloomy. "At least it sets the mood, I guess." Toko rolled her eyes at this. It wasn't as if those two had any plans for the night; nobody was having a costume party or anything to her knowledge. Or, if they were, they didn't invite her. She expected as much; she was just too unbearable to be around that-

On top of her bag, her phone lit up with an incoming text. Her eyes flicked over to Taka, and once she was sure that he wasn't looking her way, she took it out and placed it on her lap, unlocking it. There was only one person who would text her in the middle of the day, and she fully welcomed any chance to talk to her.

Omaru: dont 4get im bringing u lunch today! 3

The two of them traded off bringing each other lunch- a bit of a tradition- but Toko wasn't so sure about her coming in the pouring rain. She wasn't even sure if Komaru's teacher would let her come to Hope's Peak Academy.

Me: Just be careful, okay?

Omaru: i wont wash away, k? XD meet u by the front

Toko slipped her phone back into her bag discreetly, making sure Taka was still occupied. Luckily, he was too busy getting on Junko's case about what language was appropriate for the school environment. Apparently, none of what she said in the last five minutes was appropriate, not that Toko was surprised. What she was marginally surprised about was how she could tune out Taka's voice so easily now. It was quite the skill to have in this class.

Thunder shook the classroom, interrupting Taka's attempt at giving Junko a detention for the seventeenth time that week- and it was only Wednesday. Chihiro jumped at the sudden thunderclap before returning to his handheld game- chances were, he was playing multiplayer with Chiaki. Taka busted them for that multiple times before, not that literally anyone else cared. Mondo leaned in a bit in interest of who was winning- probably Chiaki. Nobody was paying attention to Taka anymore, instead chatting in groups of two or three, leaving her alone. Again. Toko sighed heavily, burying her head in her arms to pass the time. Lunch couldn't come soon enough.

X-X-X

By the time she saw Komaru sprinting towards her, no doubt already soaked even though she had an umbrella with her, Toko was dripping wet as well. The rain was hitting her almost sideways, making her umbrella ineffective. She could only imagine how wet Komaru was after running all the way here.

Sakakura grumbled behind her, probably cursing the loophole of students from outside being allowed into Hope's Peak if they were accompanied by a student or staff member. The only reason he didn't crack down and change that loophole was because Ms. Yukizome used that loophole at least once a week when her class brought Hajime over from the Reserve Course building. And, as everyone in school knew, Ms. Yukizome was one of the only people who could get Sakakura to do anything. It wasn't like Toko enjoyed waiting in the rain anyway, but at least he was waiting impatiently under an overhang, completely dry.

"Hi, Toko!" Komaru shouted with a grin, slowing down as she came nearer so they wouldn't collide. She brought her bag with her this time, likely so their lunches wouldn't be ruined by the rain. She waved at Sakakura as they passed, though he made no move in return, as per usual. "I'm not late, am I?"

"I don't think so," Toko told her as they closed their umbrellas and stashed them in an umbrella stand Kazuichi made for rainy days. She twisted her braids, watching as water dripped in a steady stream from them. She could hardly believe how drenched they both were in such little time. "I-it's really storming out there, isn't it?"

Komaru laughed a bit as they started walking to her classroom on the second floor. "Tell me about it. My teacher almost didn't let me come." Thunder shook the building again, and the rain sounded like it was coming down even harder than it was seconds before. "And I'm not so sure I'll be going back now."

Toko shrugged, shivering a bit. "H-Headmaster Kirigiri could call your t-teacher to let them know you're here," she said, her teeth chattering a bit. Being cold and wet was not fun at all, especially when she knew she would have to restrain herself from sneezing from the cold.

"I think I might have to do that," she commented, watching the trail of water they left behind them on the stairs. Toko couldn't imagine how she was still wearing short sleeves, though maybe it was just her who was cold. Komaru grabbed onto Toko's hand, pulling her into the classroom with a loud "Hi, everyone!"

Through flustered eyes, Toko could still tell right away that something was wrong. Almost her entire class was in the room, naturally, but nobody from the other classes were there. There was an open policy for lunches- all classrooms were open for socialization- and hers was occasionally a bit of a hub. Now that only her class occupied the room, not hearing everyone else's loud chatter was disorienting, to say the least. Komaru didn't seem to notice, though, and neither did the rest of Toko's class. Reluctantly, she sat at her desk in-between Komaru and Hifumi, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Desk rules more or less went out the window, too, but Toko liked to make sure that nobody touched hers.

"Must be really wet out there, huh?" Junko asked from Komaru's other side, giving her a side-hug over Mukuro's desk. For reasons unknown to just about everyone, Junko decided to make Komaru one of her friends/underlings, which led to her being friendly to Komaru. "You two look like you got back from drowning in a river."

Hina nearly jumped out of her seat from near them. "Tell me, how big are the puddles? Are they big enough to jump in yet?" Toko rolled her eyes. Who even enjoyed jumping around in puddles anymore? They were in high school, for crying out loud.

Komaru nodded, eyes sparkling- not that Toko was looking at them. She just guessed, that's all. "Yeah, and they're everywhere!" she exclaimed, taking her and Toko's lunches out of her bag. She handed Toko one of them. "Sorry if they got a bit wet."

"I-it's fine," Toko said, unwrapping it. It was still warm, heating up her cold hands a bit. Makoto looked up at them with a smile from the other end of the classroom, where he was sitting with Hiro and Kyoko. She could just tell there was something in his expression she didn't like, but she couldn't place a finger on it. She thought back to a few months ago, after she and Komaru first met. He'd said that he was glad the two of them got along so well, but in a way that made Toko think he was suggesting something. Which was absolutely crazy; there was no way she was crushing on Komaru or anything- and she told him that.

And then he reminded her that he didn't bring up crushes to begin with.

"So, um, where is everyone else?" Chihiro asked, watching the door. No doubt he was waiting for Chiaki to come in. She was like an older sister to him; everyone in Hope's Peak knew it.

Hina glanced at the door as well. "I know, it's strange that they aren't here," she said, skepticism clear in her tone. "Tenko and I were going to hang out today, too."

Like Toko was thinking earlier, it was entirely too strange for people from the other two classes to not be there. Class 77 would sometimes ditch them for class bonding, but other than that, people from Class 79 should be there. Even though Toko didn't really have any friends in the other classes- hell, not that she had any in her own class- she couldn't help but wonder where they were.

"I was just talking to Ibuki and Kaede earlier," Sayaka said, glancing at her phone screen as though they were about to text her any minute. "They seemed fine then, said they'd see me at lunch."

"Shuichi told me the same," Kyoko added, a gloved hand to her chin in thought. "It isn't normal for everyone to be missing without telling anyone, especially if they made promises to see some of us."

Komaru looked between everyone, confused. "What do you think they're doing, then?" she asked, taking a bite of her lunch. Toko did the same, savoring the warm flavors. She must admit, Komaru's cooking was actually pretty good.

"It's hard to say," Kyoko continued, taking a bite of her own lunch and chewing thoughtfully. "This isn't like them at all."

Makoto shifted uncomfortably. "Their teachers probably just held them in the classroom for something, that's all," he offered, though from the sound of it, he didn't believe his own words.

So, of course, Hiro had to add his two cents. "They were probably abducted by aliens!" he shouted, squeezing his hands against his temples. Toko looked in the opposite direction, disgusted, only to find someone in the doorway who was never usually there.

"Byakuya?" she asked, both delighted by his presence and confused at the same time. He never ate lunch in the classroom, always choosing the quiet library instead. He moved past her, not even sparing her a look. If she were younger, back before she met Komaru, she would've been all over him. But, for some unknown reason, her thoughts weren't on him as much now. Chihiro continued talking to Mondo and Taka, and Komaru was updating Junko, Mukuro, Sakura, and Hina on her school's events. Toko, alone again, continued watching as Byakuya stopped by Kyoko's desk, muttering something to her. She nodded and stood, whispering something to Makoto before they both left the classroom.

"I wonder what that could be about," Celeste mused, dabbing at her lips with her napkin. Hifumi nodded, though it didn't seem to Toko like he was paying too much attention; he had a new volume of manga out, and was reading while he ate. It was an underestimate to say that she was disgusted by his choice of literature.

In all honesty, Toko was wondering the same. Luckily, she didn't need to be the one to ask. "Yo, Makoto, where'd your girlfriend go off to?" Leon asked from next to Hiro and Sayaka.

Makoto shrugged, playing around with part of his food before taking a bite. "Something about needing help finding Gundham. I guess maybe there's a bat in the library?"

Mukuro looked like she was about to say something, but in that instant, the lights flickered and shut off. Immediately, Toko shifted closed to Komaru, and, along with a lot of her class, turned on her cell phone light. "What is happening?" Sakura asked, clearly surprised by the sudden darkness.

"I can ask Alter Ego," Chihiro offered, and soon his face was lit green from his phone's screen. "Alter Ego, do you-" He cut himself off as garbled noises came from his phone. "Alter Ego?"

The sounds unglitched for a second, long enough for Alter Ego to speak. "Master? I don't feel so good." The sound glitched once more, and within seconds the green lighting of the screen turned a blood red.

Nobody spoke for a second as Chihiro exited out of the app as fast as he could. "What the fuck was that?" Mondo asked incredulously, albeit angrily. He waved off Taka, who tried to reprimand him for his use of language.

"I-I don't know," Chihiro admitted, sounding close to tears. "I made Alter Ego so the app itself couldn't be hacked, but- maybe there was a bug in the system I overlooked?"

Celeste giggled in that odd tone of hers. "Dear, isn't it all too convenient for this to occur on Halloween of all days?"

"So what you're saying is-" Junko started, irritation clear in her voice.

"We're being haunted!" Hiro finished, his phone screen making his face look ten times paler- that, or he was pale from actually being afraid of his own suggestion. She wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

Komaru shook her head. "No, I doubt it's that. I didn't see any ghosts around here." Which attracted more than one bewildered stare from Toko's classmates. "What?"

Multiple people looked like they were going to question her sanity, but before they could, a loud bang coming from outside the classroom caught their attention. "T-that could be the library," Toko realized, and Komaru stood up abruptly.

"We've gotta check on Byakuya and Kyoko!" she said, but her eyes were widened in fear. Her hand moved around on the desk a bit before Toko took a hold of it. The effect was almost instant in calming Komaru down.

Sakura nodded. "We must make sure they're alright. They should either be by the classrooms or in the library, correct?"

"Let's split into two groups, one with me and one with you leading," Mukuro suggested, her tone stoic as ever. "That way we have an experienced fighter with everyone, just to be on the safe side." She looked down the classroom, pointing at Hifumi, Toko, Komaru, Junko, Leon, Hiro, and Sayaka in turn. "You guys come with me. Everyone else, with Sakura."

Taka gave her a stiff salute, recognizing her as an authority figure, Toko supposed. "Yes ma'am!" Toko did a quick head-count. That left Makoto, Hina, Chihiro, Mondo, Taka, and Celeste with Sakura.

"What are we even looking for, though? They could be anywhere looking for the breeder guy," Junko pointed out while trying to examine her nails under her phone's light. And while she had a point, it was one that nobody wanted to think of. Nobody had an answer for it, either.

"I'll try getting in touch with them," Makoto offered before his group started out, already dialing a number on his phone. "We should meet back here as soon as we're done." Soon enough, it was time for Toko's group to leave, the darkness made light only by their eight phone screens.

Komaru and Toko fell to the back of the group fairly easily. "Isn't it weird that there isn't a backup generator coming on?" Komaru asked her, tone wavering a bit. Toko couldn't answer. She didn't even know if Hope's Peak Academy had a backup generator; she always just assumed it did. Actually, she was surprised there was never a blackout before, given all of the troublemakers and unlucky students there were.

Their group turned and trudged down the hall, trying not to trip over each other and themselves. Toko would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, walking around a totally darkened school. She wondered briefly how Komaru must be feeling; she'd never seen the whole school before, and likely had no idea where they were going.

They were barely halfway down the hall when Toko began hearing noises behind them. Every time she turned around, she could've sworn that she saw something moving in the shadows. Komaru lingered with her on a couple occasions before tugging her forward towards the rest of their group. The worst thing that could happen at this point was to be separated.

"Almost there," Mukuro reported from the front, turning back slightly, though her expressionless visage, however hard it was to make out, wasn't too reassuring in this situation. Toko didn't even understand why she was so scared in the first place. It's not like there was anything to be scared of; all that happened so far was the blackout, and that was because of the storm. Everything had a logical explanation; she just needed to think of it.

"God, this school looks even worse than it does when the lights are on," Junko complained, barely paying attention to where she was pointing her phone's flashlight. Leon shielded his eyes as it wandered into his line of sight, cursing under his breath. Sayaka chuckled from near him, no doubt the most cheerful of the group as she stuck close to Junko.

Of course, Hiro was freaking out the most out of anyone. "What's up with him?" Komaru whispered to Toko as Hiro muttered something under his breath, raising his hands as though in a prayer.

"Probably high," Toko said back, making Komaru laugh under her breath. Toko allowed her lips to curve up a little and felt some of her unneeded fear dissipate. They trudged down the darkened hallway, stopping in front of the library's closed doors. "W-why are we stopping?"

Mukuro held up a hand, drawing a knife from somewhere on her body. Toko wasn't sure if that made her feel more or less safe. "I can't hear anyone in there," she explained in a low voice. Even in the dark, her eyes looked sharp, trained for combat and ready if she needed to be.

"Maybe they already left," Hifumi suggested, though he seemed to be sweating a bit from nerves. The fact that Toko could see that without any light was kind of gross.

"Maybe they're fucking in the archives," Junko said mockingly, and Toko let out a disgusted noise. Like Byakuya would ever go for someone like Kyoko- oh, and like Kyoko would ever cheat on Makoto. "Any good explanations, anyone?"

Mukuro shook her head before Hiro could offer some bizarre theory like they all knew he would. "Neither of them would do that, not that it matters anyway. Follow my lead." She pushed the door open, knife at the ready. Toko and Komaru pulled up the rear still, watching as Leon fought off Hiro, who was nearly collapsing from fear and was trying to use his shoulder as support.

Komaru's grip tightened even more on Toko's hand, if that was even still possible. Any more pressure and she was sure her fingers would break. She wasn't exactly ready to let go, especially if letting go meant giving Komaru over to a potential panic attack from all of the unknowns of this situation. She wasn't sure Komaru would be able to handle that.

"W-what's taking so long?" Toko muttered, wondering why they were slowing down. The library wasn't even that big, and she knew Byakuya was usually in the main area rather than in the shelves or the archives.

"I don't know," Komaru admitted, craning her neck to see if she could look over Hiro or Hifumi's shoulder, but she was too short for that. Toko tugged her down from her tiptoes, preventing her from falling into one of them. Komaru turned and smiled at her. "Thanks."

Toko blinked. Even though she could barely see five feet in front of her face, Komaru's eyes seemed to light up in the dark, almost glowing. She would say she didn't look at them long, but that would be a lie; she was a bit distracted, to the point where she ran into Hifumi's back. "H-hey! Why'd we stop?" she complained, looking away from Komaru quickly and hoping nobody noticed her staring. To her curiosity, everyone's attention was already eaten up by something in front of them.

"Oh. My. God." Junko, for once, was nearly silent, backing up slowly with a frightened expression. Even Hiro and Hifumi were silent, but Toko could hear soft, disbelieving noises coming from Sayaka and Leon.

Komaru leaned around Junko to get a look for herself. "What's-" she started, interrupting herself with a gasp as she pulled away. "Oh, no."

"W-what? What is it?" Toko tried to get a look for herself, but Komaru pulled her away swiftly.

"Blood," she whispered by way of explanation. Toko's eyes widened, but she nodded in understanding. It was a good thing Komaru knew her well enough to stop her; Toko wanted to keep her away for the time being.

Toko noticed then that Komaru's eyes were dotted with tears. She didn't know what could've possibly made everyone react like this, and if there was blood involved, she didn't exactly want to see for herself. Komaru didn't look like she was going to say anything, either, but then all of their phones lit up with a group message Mukuro started to inform the other group of any updates.

And Toko couldn't believe her eyes.

Mukuro: Byakuya is dead.

X-X-X

It was a miracle that she didn't pass out.

Somehow Komaru helped her to her classroom- their rendezvous point- and sat her down before Sakura's group got there. There was no way she'd be able to believe this was true. Byakuya wouldn't just lay down and die, and she didn't know what killed him, and-

"Deep breaths, Toko," Komaru reminded her softly. "You're hyperventilating."

Komaru was the only one who was anywhere near her. The others stayed a good distance away, probably in case she did pass out and she decided to come out. Honestly, she didn't blame them. They avoided her enough as-is; she could only imagine what happened when she wasn't in control.

She was only numbly aware of her group talking in muted voices. She didn't have the mental strength to try to comprehend what just happened.

"Is it true?" Makoto ran into the classroom, followed closely by the rest of his group. They were clearly distressed by the news, though still apprehensive at the same time.

"We saw it with our own eyes," Leon said, his voice devoid of all emotion. His phone's reflection made him seem as pale as a ghost. He could barely utter his words, the complete opposite of his usual outspoken self.

Celeste, being Celeste, was the only one to still maintain any sort of composure. "And you are certain Kyoko was not in the library?"

Mukuro nodded, and the shadow from her phone's light moved with her. "Absolutely certain. There was no sign she was ever in the library to begin with."

"That can't be right!" Hina shouted, shuffling around from foot to foot like she couldn't stand still. Her hands were balled in fists at her side like she was ready to start swinging. "They went to the library together, why wouldn't she still be there?"

Chihiro hands trembled, but he was still fiddling with his phone. "I can't find out what's wrong with Alter Ego," he reported, voice thin and wobbly. "If I can't get the app running again, it could take hours to get into the security feed, especially since the wifi is down."

"Security feed?" Toko mumbled, chewing on her thumbnail. She felt like she'd missed out on a whole other conversation, just so she could focus on any other detail she could to keep her mind at bay.

Komaru shifted in her seat, her hand absently rubbing a circle on her bare knee. "Chihiro offered in the chat to check the cameras to see what happened," she said, keeping an eye on the larger circle from their outside spot. "We could try to find Kyoko that way, too."

"Where would Kyoko even be?" she heard Sayaka ask in a small voice. "She wouldn't just leave Byakuya, would she?"

The group jumped as a shrill noise pierced the air. Makoto nearly dropped his ringing phone in shock. "K-Kyoko?"

"Put it on speaker," Junko commanded, trying to peek at the screen over his shoulder even though there was nothing to look at. He answered, not even able to say anything before voices came streaming through the phone.

"The infiltration process is nearly complete," Chiaki said on the other end, her voice sounding robotic in a sense. The larger group exchanged confused glances before turning their attention back to the ongoing conversation. Toko turned her own attention back to the floor. "Infiltration numbers in the early tens. More are being made soon."

Another voice came through, much more shocked. "This… This is madness! How are you planning to finish this?" Toko looked up quickly, recognizing Kyoko's voice. Makoto tapped the mute button on his phone so whoever else Kyoko was talking to wouldn't know they were there- a smart move that Kyoko likely taught him herself.

Komaru shook her head in utter disbelief. "I can't believe this. What's even happening?"

"Shall I continue the process?" a hollow voice asked, sounding closer to the phone than Chiaki was.

Celeste seemed mildly confused and perplexed by this development. "That would be Sonia," she said, tilting her head slightly. "But-"

Chiaki's robotic voice interrupted her. "Go ahead. Then the others will finish with their… prizes."

"I don't get it, what's Chiaki talking about?" Chihiro asked fearfully, backing up into Mondo, who rested one of his hands on the programmer's small shoulder. "She was totally normal earlier."

Footsteps receded on the other end of the line, yet at the same time lighter steps reverberated as though approaching. Makoto's eyes flicked towards the door, as though he wanted to run out and find wherever Kyoko was immediately, but Sakura put one firm hand on his shoulder to prevent him from doing anything foolish. "What did they do to you?" Kyoko asked, her voice once again not betraying her emotions, though Toko wondered how she managed to stay so collected.

"It's quite alright, Kyoko," Sonia said, her voice tantalizingly close to the phone's receiver. Toko was pretty sure she could hear Sonia breathing through the phone. "I've come to like my new self quickly. I'm sure you will as well." Even closer. "Just one bite…"

The connection cut off.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Makoto nearly tripped over himself trying to break out of Sakura's grip and run to the door, while the rest of the group seemed to be panicking. Komaru left Toko's side to help hold her brother back. "Makoto, stop! You don't know where she is," she pointed out almost scoldingly as Sakura maintained her grip on him.

"Kyoko's in danger!" he shouted, eyes wide and concerned. "I don't know what's happening, but we need to go find her!" Sakura handled the situation easily, putting one of her hands on Makoto's head to keep him in place. If they were under different circumstances, it would've seemed almost funny how her entire hand could fit over his head.

Toko shifted her gaze to the others. Sayaka was silently freaking out, it appeared, as she was trembling with wide, frightened eyes. Junko had her arm around her, whispering to her what appeared to be calming words. Mukuro paced around, as did Hina and Hiro, the latter two much quicker than the former out of sheer panic. "Man, are we sure this isn't some kind of sick prank or something?" Leon asked, seeming very uncomfortable yet baffled.

"Like hell it is!" Toko couldn't take it anymore; her pent-up frustration made her snap. She leapt to her feet and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "M-maybe you should think before s-speaking, if your tiny brain c-can even do that. B-Byakuya would never take part in something a-as lowly as a prank, and neither would Kyoko." Everyone's eyes were on her, leaving her feeling vulnerable and completely exposed, like they were picking her apart by the seams. Komaru came up to her again, putting a hand gently on her arm to calm her down. It was the lightest, gentlest physical contact Toko experienced in a while. It wasn't totally unpleasant.

Still, she pulled away after two or three seconds, keeping her hands close to her chest so nobody could see them trembling. "I believe Toko is correct!" Taka exclaimed, posture straight as the stick up his ass. "Both Kyoko and Byakuya know that pranks are not allowed in the school environment!"

"That hasn't stopped anyone before," Celeste pointed out, still perfectly serene. "Though I must agree with Toko as well. This would be very out of character for the both of them if they were to be pulling a prank on us."

"What would they even stand to gain?" Mondo asked, still peering over Chihiro's shoulder like he could be able to help in some way despite his complete lack of knowledge about coding.

All good points, stemming from Toko's claim. She almost felt proud of herself for having pointed out the obvious.

"What if- what if they've been possessed?" Hiro asked, his voice pitching up an octave with his ridiculous theory. Toko forced herself to turn away from him, her fingers curling in disgust. How dare he propose such an outlandish theory? Byakuya was dead, it sounded like Kyoko was close to it, and who knew what was happening with the other classes. It was like his mind was only on one track, and that track was absolute stupidity.

Komaru leaned in to Toko a bit, a playful gleam in her eyes, subtly masking the hurt and fear from before. "Like you said, he's probably high," she reminded Toko. It almost got a laugh out of her, too, if the tension in the room wasn't so high.

Makoto tried convincing everyone of his plan again. "We should at least go look for Kyoko, right? Even if it's as a group. I can't just leave her in a potentially dangerous situation."

The rest of their class shifted their gazes to him and each other. "That definitely didn't sound like the Sonia and Chiaki we know," Hina said warily before nodding. "I say we go find our friends!"

"I'm in," Chihiro said without any hesitation. "I can keep trying to get Alter Ego to work while we're at it, but I need to see if Chiaki's okay." Their sibling-like relationship was showing again. Toko wondered what friendship like that was like; her only friend was Komaru, and their relationship felt different from that, though she couldn't pin down what it was.

"If Chihiro's in, then so am I," Mondo said, cracking his knuckles. "Anyone who messes with my friends messes with me!"

Taka slung an arm around Mondo and grinned widely. "And if my bro is in, I am as well." Ew. Their bromance almost made Toko gag.

Soon enough, everyone was agreeing with Makoto's plan, Komaru included. And, honestly, that was the only reason Toko went along with the plan- especially since she worded it, "Toko and I are in!" She couldn't exactly back out after that, even if she wanted to.

"From a strategic standpoint, we should clear each level of the school separately," Mukuro said after a moment of silence. "No splitting up anymore, so we know exactly where everyone is at all times. On the off chance we run into something dangerous, get yourselves out of the situation as fast as you can. I can take care of any potential danger."

Junko slung her other arm over her sister's shoulders, the first still over Sayaka's. "Look at my sister, taking charge and all that shit! I'm almost proud of you." Even with that not-compliment, Mukuro's face took on a glowing quality in the dark. Any sort of compliment, even her patented non-compliments, were rare and reasons for celebration.

"In any case, let's get going! We don't still don't know where Kyoko is, and we don't know exactly how long she's been gone," Makoto reminded them, distress evident in his entire appearance.

Komaru stared at him, looking as if she were seeing her brother in a new light. "He really cares about her, doesn't he?"

"It's a miracle they haven't gotten engaged yet," Toko told her, reminded of the fact that they'd only been dating for around a month. It was so clear in the months leading up to their first date that they were smitten with each other. It was like something out of one of her novels- only with much less physical contact and flirting. Their dynamic was more pure care than sexual desire, which as a romance author, Toko could appreciate. Altogether, they had a nice character development arc, if a bit vague at times.

Komaru drew a circle on the floor with the toe of her shoe. "I wonder if I'll ever find something like that," she whispered, seemingly to herself. In that moment, she looked more vulnerable than Toko ever remembered.

"Someone as annoyingly optimistic as you? Don't worry, you'll find someone for sure." Komaru looked her way, stunned silent for just a moment until their attention was directed back to the group.

"Miss Fukawa, Miss Naegi, we're going now," Hifumi called, and Toko realized that most of the group was already across the room by the door. The classroom fell into more darkness as their phone's flashlights left the room.

Toko and Komaru glanced at each other once more before following him out, sticking closer to the group than before. There was safety in numbers, of course, but Toko wondered how many people would draw the attention of whatever was going on. Hopefully fifteen people still counted as stealthy.

Mukuro and Sakura, naturally, took the lead, with Makoto close behind. Komaru brought Toko more towards the center of the group this time, behind Junko and Sayaka. They decided to check the ground floor first, as they determined their own floor to be safe- apart from the library. The group as a whole was mostly silent, save for a few startled noises when people tripped over each other. Thanks in part to their phone's displays and flashlights being their only guidance, that became quite common.

"Man, I just don't get it," Leon mumbled, running his hand through his feathery hairdo. "How does Class 77 even fit into this?"

Toko thought about this as they wove in and out of the first floor classrooms. Kyoko and Byakuya didn't have many strong bonds with the other classes like a lot of the others did, so what would the connection be? Nothing about this made any sort of sense.

She pulled hard on her long braids, stiff from the dried rainwater. She needed a distraction so she wouldn't have to think. Her eyes trailed to the floor, dimly illuminated by her phone's display- not nearly bright enough to see detail, though the picture of her and Komaru acting as her home screen wallpaper put her at ease. Even so, she clicked on the flashlight, blinking as her eyes adjusted. Now that the floor was in more direct light, she could see all the tiny scratches and scuffs she didn't normally pay attention to. Same thing with the walls; she never noticed those deep slashes tearing them apart-

Because they were never there before. "W-what's that?" she asked, calling everyone's attention to the slash marks. Fourteen LED lights swarmed to where Toko's was, bringing to light a shocking display of ripped sections of the wall, all seeming to continue down towards the gym.

"Probably one of that breeder's fucking animals again," Mondo suggested, though his usual brutish confidence wavered. Sure, they'd all heard of the beasts Gundham would bring to school, but these claw marks didn't seem like anything a normal animal could make.

Mukuro looked down towards the gym, then back at the group. "We should avoid the gym." The rest of the group was quick with their assent. After all, who would want to willingly follow claw marks that looked like a monster made them?

"What if that's where they are?"

And once again, Toko was back to mentally cursing. She knew that Makoto was distressed, but that didn't mean he was allowed to say such reckless things. Kyoko really was 80% of his impulse control. Even Komaru looked like she was about to slap him upside the head- a look Toko never saw on her before then. Huh. Actually, it was kind of cu- amusing. It was kind of amusing. Shut up, brain.

"That is literally the worst thing we could do," Hina informed him, staring at him as though he were crazy, which was apparently starting to become the case. "You're telling me that you want to go into a room with only one entrance and exit that a bunch of animals or monsters or whatever could be in?"

"Not actual monsters, though, right?" Hifumi thought to ask, chewing on his nails. Apparently his realm of manga didn't extend to horror, as Toko noticed his face looked as ashen as hers did on a regular basis. Hiro didn't look any better, but that was to be expected.

Junko shrugged, and looked hopeful and depressed at the same time, somehow. "God, I hope not. The pretty one never makes it out alive in these kinds of movies." She brushed one of her long pigtails out of her face before planting a sly kiss on Sayaka's cheek. "Sayaka, you better watch yourself. I don't need you getting killed."

Makoto frowned, the conversation having gone wildly off-topic. "I'm serious! If Kyoko is really in danger, and she's in the gym-"

"Fine. We'll go," Mukuro relented, and Sakura nodded as well. Hifumi, Hiro, and even Leon looked close to screaming, which about summed up how Toko was feeling. This was literally the dumbest decision they could've made. Still, there wasn't much she could do except follow the crowd, reaching through the dark for Komaru.

"Doing okay?" Komaru asked, keeping her eyes forward and off of the walls. She seemed shaken by the new development, and her hands were as cold as ice. She was probably still freezing from the rain earlier, too. She just couldn't catch a break.

"I was g-going to ask you the same thing." Their fingers intertwined, their shoulders nearly bumping into each other. This wasn't the first time they'd done something like this, and Toko wondered why her chest clenched every time they did. She really shouldn't be thinking of that now, not when she felt two steps away from a mental breakdown. Not when Byakuya was dead.

Thinking of him physically hurt. She didn't even see his body, but the thought of seeing him in any way other than his normal, perfect self left a bad taste in her mouth. Her eyes lingered on her and Komaru's hands, a frown forming on her lips as guilt washed over her. She quickly let go, bringing her hands to her chest.

"Toko?" Her bright eyes pierced through the darkness, concern flickering behind the surface. She wanted to keep looking into her eyes forever, forget about everything that was happening.

Yet she could barely stand to look at her. "I- I can't. Not now." And somehow, she began to feel even more guilty, especially since she initiated the contact. What was wrong with her?

"It's okay. I get it." Komaru looked ahead at the gym doors mere meters ahead of them. Toko would have to be deaf to not hear the hurt evident in her voice, however low she was talking. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, that might remedy the situation, but for once, the words wouldn't flow.

It was just as well. The group stopped outside of the gym, staying completely silent. If she listened closely enough, even from a couple meters away, she could hear scuffling coming from the gym. "I must say, I do not like the sound of that," Taka said, and Toko couldn't help but think that that was the longest he'd ever been quiet, at least to her memory. Usually he would talk so much, it was as if he got off on hearing his own voice. However, she couldn't help but agree with him in this case. Whatever was in the gym was most likely not friendly.

Sakura and Mukuro moved to the front, the latter taking out her knife once more. "As we don't know what awaits us, it would be wise to follow the two of us," Sakura said, muscles tensed like she was waiting for a fight- which, in a sense, she was. Toko tried to catch Komaru's eye once more before they went in, but she was busy conversing with Hina and Leon.

Toko stood alone in the center of the group, near Celeste and Hifumi. They waited in expectancy as Sakura and Mukuro braced their shoulders against the doors, pushing them shut towards each other. With a single shared nod, the doors were thrust open, and everyone filtered in behind their two experienced fighters. The generator chose that moment to click on- something Toko would've thought to be situational irony if she didn't know any better- and she had to close her eyes for a second to adjust to the lighting change.

When she opened her eyes again, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The floors and walls were all clawed up, almost every board marked. Random shreds of what looked to be fur were scattered across the floor haphazardly. And, in the center of it all, were seven of her juniors and seniors, staring at them with wild eyes.

They didn't look normal, not by a longshot. Their clothes were nearly shredded, revealing in some cases muscles Toko didn't know they had. What was worse, though, was the fur sprouting from their exposed skin, tangled and unruly in different shades of brown, grey, and golden. Wolvish ears adorned their heads, and all of them bore sharpened fangs and claws.

"What the fuck is going on?" Mondo was the first to break the silence, his fists clenching at his sides. Toko's brain was working overtime trying to comprehend what she was looking at, but to no avail. This time, she wasn't the only one trembling. Nobody seemed to be able to grasp the situation. Makoto especially was shell-shocked- near hyperventilation like Toko was before. It crossed her mind vaguely that they should call Gundham; he always bragged about taming "hell-beasts", and whatever these were counted in her opinion. However, that was before she recognized his face in the pack. It was the oddest assortment of people, too; along with Gundham, there was Kaito and Tenko from Class 79, Hiyoko, Nekomaru, and Fuyuhiko from Class 77, and Hajime from the Reserve Course. She didn't even think she'd seen them all talk to each other before today, and now this?

"Oh my," Celeste breathed out, stunned more than Toko ever saw before. "Is it that they are, perhaps, werewolves?"

Said wolves reacted poorly to this, snarling and circling around, somewhat awkwardly, on all fours. "Yeah, what the hell?" Leon shouted, more confused than anything. Toko shrank back as he stepped ahead of the group, shrugging off Mukuro's attempts to restrain him. One of the werewolves, Tenko, growled in warning as he approached her. If she didn't like boys on a regular day, Toko could only imagine how she would react now. She briefly wondered if Tenko could go all Neo-Aikido on him while she was a werewolf.

"Could you be more stupid?" Junko yelled, clearly irritated with his idiotic actions. "Get your punk ass back here so we can leave!"

Leon didn't heed her words, as was to be expected. "Good wolf, nice wolf," he murmured, slowing his approach as he got closer. Tenko cocked her head, the rest of the pack swarming behind her as though she were the alpha. Leon reached out a hand, patting her furry head. "See, they're nice. Heh, kinda cute, too."

Those were his famous last words. The very next moment, Tenko bit his hand. Obviously, she didn't like the "cute" comment. Toko could only watch as he withdrew his hand with a shout, then hunched over, almost falling to the ground. "Leon?" Makoto asked hesitantly as Leon's body quivered, seemingly racked in pain. The pack surrounded him, howling as one until fur sprouted from Leon, his clothes ripping.

"Everyone, get out!" Mukuro ordered as she and Sakura assumed a protective stance in front of them. Hiro and Hifumi ran out instantly, screaming at the tops of their lungs. Nobody else could move a muscle as the pack, with a newly transformed Leon, turned and growled at them in warning.

"W-what the hell!" Toko shrieked, turning tail and running out with the rest of her class as the wolves began running forward. Mukuro and Sakura came last, throwing their combined weight at the doors to shut them. Toko's breathing was heavy, and her heart pounded so hard she was certain it would beat out of her chest.

Even through the mass panic, Taka was fuming. "This is unacceptable! Destruction of school property and wild animals absolutely violate the rules!"

"No one cares," Junko said, her voice hardened from stress. "Did you not just see Leon turn into a fucking werewolf? I think we have bigger problems than rules."

Chihiro glanced down the hallway while catching his breath. "Speaking of rules, where are all of the teachers? Shouldn't they be checking the school because of the blackout?"

Now that he brought it up, Toko realized that it was incredibly strange that they hadn't run into any teachers- not that there were that many- or Sakakura. "Maybe they were eaten by the werewolves," Hiro suggested, massaging his temples.

"Don't be stupid," Komaru said, though her words lacked conviction. "They're probably just- I don't know, checking another part of the school?"

"Yeah, that's probably it," Sayaka conceded, though she huddled closer to Junko. Toko couldn't blame her for being scared; she herself was terrified beyond belief, making her wish that she could move closer to Komaru. Said girl wasn't even looking her way.

As she internally berated herself for her earlier actions, Celeste broke the silence. "What do you propose we do now?"

Her question hung in the air unanswered until Makoto lifted his head. "We keep looking." Toko yanked on her braids, trying her best to contain a scream. The rest of her class reacted similarly, to nobody's surprise.

"No offense, Makoto, but I don't think that's a good idea," Hina said, casting a wary glance towards her friend. It felt like everyone was apprehensive about his suggestion, even though he was deadly serious about it.

"I must agree. It's-" Sakura was cut off as the doors shuddered against and Mukuro's backs. The wind was momentarily knocked out of them, and they struggled to keep the doors closed. "They're trying to get out!"

Another yank of her braids. Junko was the quickest thinker for the time being, it seemed. "The stairs! Get to the second floor!" She grabbed Sayaka's hand and started running, taking the stairs two at a time. "Get a move on, losers!"

Toko would've moved, really. Her legs remained rooted to the ground as her classmates sprinted towards the stairs. The pounding on the doors only increased, and all she could do was stare at them.

"Toko, come on!" Komaru grabbed onto her hand as she ran past, nearly dragging her up the stairs. Toko barely had time to utter a thank-you before Sakura and Mukuro leapt back from the doors, running towards the stairs while the pack lay stunned on the ground.

"They're just gonna keep chasing us!" Chihiro shouted from atop Mondo's shoulders. The biker must've decided that he could run faster while carrying Chihiro than Chihiro could alone. She'd be lying if she said this never happened before.

"They won't." Sakura waited until Mukuro was on the stairs to stand in front of them, blocking the path. Toko and Komaru paused on the stairs near the split section, looking down on the happenings.

Hina bounded down a couple of steps, passing the two of them. "Sakura, what are you thinking?!" One by one, the werewolves stood and shook away their confusion, ready to barge forward at any moment.

Sakura turned her head a bit, the smallest of smiles on her face. "Go find Kyoko. I will hold them off." Hina looked like she was going to protest, but Sakura shook her head. "I won't take no for an answer."

Komaru tugged on Toko's hand at the same time Mukuro began pushing Hina up the stairs. What did she just witness? Her mind was numb. All she could process was Hina's crying, Komaru's voice in the back of her mind as she was pulled up the second half of the stairs. Did Sakura really just sacrifice herself to a bunch of werewolves? It was all a dream, wasn't it?

She felt dizzy, lightheaded. Oh, her braids were coming undone as they ran up the stairs. The rainwater certainly didn't help after it dried. One of the flyaways tickled her skin, and-

And-

"A-choo!"

X-X-X

When Syo opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was everyone's somber expressions as they ran down the hall. That wasn't how it should be at all; her presence was an absolute delight to be in!

"What's with the long faces? Aren't you glad to see me?" She stopped running and started cackling, the only sound in the hallway. How did she even get here? Jeez, sharing a body with Miss Doom-and-Gloom really was a pain sometimes.

"I'll explain later. Come on!" Komaru told her, pulling her forward by the hand Syo didn't realize she was holding. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, which only told her through their shared emotions that her other self didn't know either. So indecisive!

Ahead of them, Hiro groaned. "Now we have two murderous things to worry about!" he complained, breathing heavily as he ran.

Syo's eyes narrowed at him, insulted. "Now, now, I haven't killed any cuties in a long time. Besides, you wouldn't have anything to worry about. You aren't cute enough to get me going!" She would've laughed at her own insult- it was hilarious, after all- but something didn't feel right. "Hey, what's that other murderous thing you were talking about? Is someone giving me competition? I bet it's that girl from Class 79, isn't it?"

"Werewolves," Mondo said, heading for the locker room doors. She had to say, not what she was expecting. "Meet on the other side, got it?" He set Chihiro off of his shoulders, and they went in, followed close behind by Taka.

"I know I'm off my rocker, but even I know that werewolves don't really exist." Still, Syo followed, really given no other option as the girls filtered through the girl's locker room.

Hina shook her head. "They exist; we saw them ourselves. And Sakura fought them so we could escape." Her voice was thick, like she was just crying.

Syo didn't have anything to say to that, believe it or not. Instead, she looked at the other girls, all of them stalling for as long as they could inside the locker room. "What's this? Where's Lavender Locks?"

"Missing," Celeste simply said, moving idly towards the door to the pool. "As are the other classes, barring those we saw as werewolves."

"We shouldn't leave the boys waiting for too long," Mukuro said abruptly, her knife still at her side. "Syo, since we're down a fighter and don't know what we're facing, would you mind staying armed with your scissors until we're sure there isn't a threat?"

Syo shrugged, nonchalant. Why not use an excuse to hold her beloved scissors again? First, though, she looked to Komaru. "Dekomaru, I know you like using my hand as a stress ball, but could you give it back now?" Komaru's cheeks reddened noticeably, and she swiftly took back her hand. Quick as a flash, Syo took out two pairs of scissors from the holster on her thigh. "Ah, now this brings back memories!" she said, striking a couple of poses before straightening. "Let's bounce."

The boys were waiting for them by the pool's edge, surveying the area for any threats. The room itself felt much more humid than usual, combatting the chilly weather outside. Syo had to take a moment to wipe the condensation off of her glasses so she could actually see for shit. Needless to say, when the others saw Syo with her scissors, they were more than a bit apprehensive. She watched as Komaru left for Makoto's side, briefly wondering what the twinge she was feeling was before putting it out of her mind.

"It's as hot as the fucking sauna in here," Mondo complained, though made no motion to take his heavy jacket off. Taka nodded, and the two of them began grinning and laughing like fools. Yeah, she knew about the sauna thing. It would've been hot to watch, in her opinion.

"At least it doesn't look like there's any threat here," Mukuro added, sheathing her knife. With a pointed look from the soldier and a dramatic sigh, Syo did the same with her scissors. So much for holding onto them for protection.

The humidity was really uncomfortable, and Syo couldn't help but tug at her collar, cursing her other self for wearing such stuffy clothes. They just weren't something a normal high school girl would wear. Then again, nothing about her was normal! She took in a heavy breath, watching as fog rapidly gathered around them. Was the pool usually this foggy?

"Guys? Something's not right," Hina said, staring out at the pool. "There shouldn't be any fog in here." Syo followed her gaze, but couldn't see the surface of the water; fog as thick as cotton covered it. Very slowly, two figures appeared in the center, facing out towards them.

"Wait, that's Ibuki and Kaede!" Sayaka shouted in recognition. She looked like she wanted to run to them, and at the same time, run away.

"Again?!" Hifumi shouted, trying to hide behind Hiro, who in turn tried to hide behind Makoto. What a bunch of chickens.

It took a moment, but thanks to her other self's knowledge of mythology, Syo was able to recognize the monsters that were gradually becoming clearer. Ibuki and Kaede seemed to have scales covering their skin, their hair done in waves and pinned back with shells. They seemed to be mermaids without tails, but Syo knew better than that. "Cover your ears!" she ordered, her own hands flying up to hers. Almost everyone did as she said without a second thought, perhaps in fear of being sliced open if they didn't. However, Sayaka and Mondo stared in shock while Mukuro worked to draw her knife again.

Ibuki and Kaede opened their mouths, and the siren song began.

"Cover your ears!" Makoto yelled frantically at the three of them- or, Syo assumed he did. She couldn't really hear anything at the moment.

It was too late. Their eyes were already glazed over and they shuffled towards the dense fog, as though in a trance. Syo watched as Mondo disappeared into the fog and didn't reemerge- it was common for male victims to drown. When Sayaka and Mukuro turned back towards them, glimmering aqua scales appeared on their faces, their clothes replaced with shimmering purple and gold outfits identical to what Ibuki and Kaede wore, resembling a sort of wrap dress. With their voices added, the song increased in volume. Syo clamped her hands over her ears even harder, but small strains of music still fought through.

Taka nudged Chihiro back towards the doors, Celeste doing the same with Junko. All they could do to save themselves was go back the way they came. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that the rest of them were able to get out alive.

Junko seemed about ready to collapse; the poor girl just saw her sister and her girlfriend become sirens and try to kill everyone, after all. Her breaths came shallow, and her gaze never broke from the door. Chihiro was nearly in the same state, tears streaming down his face. Taka was quiet as well, his expression nothing less than traumatized. Syo knew that expression well.

Logically, Syo knew that what happened couldn't be real. All non-human monsters were fictional, after all. She trusted her eyes, though, and if her eyes saw what they saw, she had no choice but to believe it. If she couldn't believe what she saw, what could she believe? Certainly not her own mind.

The entire group appeared stunned, dejected, as a heavy silence fell over them. The sirens weren't a threat to them outside of the pool, so there was no rush to leave like there must've been before. Syo wouldn't expect the others to be able to run after seeing that and, apparently, werewolves. Lucky for her (or unlucky, depending on how she viewed it), she'd seen much worse.

"What is going on in this school?" Komaru whimpered, looking as though she saw a ghost- which, by the way, she should be used to by now. Syo almost forgot that Komaru didn't actually attend Hope's Peak Academy. Her teacher must be throwing a fit because she wasn't in class.

She rested a fist on her hip and did a quick headcount, noticing that there were only ten of them left. Her eyes scanned the area again before she decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "Now hold on just a minute! Where's Master Byakuya? Shouldn't he be here with you buzzkills?"

If she wasn't mistaken- and she hardly ever was, in her humble opinion- the glances her classmates exchanged were alarmed and fearful. None of them said a word, until Junko did, quite literally, in a monotone: "Dead."

There was silence for a moment before Syo laughed, long and loud, so hard she began tearing up. "KYAHAHAHAHA! Hilarious joke, congrats on having the balls to joke with me! I'm serious, though." Her laughter cut off, and she made sure her glare pierced through every single person. "Where. Is. He."

"She's telling the truth, Syo," Komaru said, though she refused to meet her eyes. "We found Byakuya dead in the library earlier."

"Bulltitties. Like Master Byakuya would ever let himself die." She turned and stalked off towards the library, set on finding him herself. He would be reading some rich-ass book, exclaim his contempt for her yet again, and she would stop wondering why she was bothering him when she didn't even like him-

Wait, where did that thought come from? Of course she liked him, what was she thinking? She paused in the middle of the hallway, barely giving her class enough time to catch up to her. This feeling was irrelevant. Surely she'd be her normal ecstatic self as soon as she saw her master. "Good luck keepin' up with me, slowpokes!" she shouted, sprinting forward on her toes faster than the others could ever hope to be.

"Wait, Syo!" Komaru shouted as they ran after her. She paid them no mind, continuing on towards her eternal goal.

"Oh, Master~" she called, her voice sugary sweet as she threw open the library door. None of the lights were on, but the hall's light helped brighten the room a bit. It looked like there was a fight in there or something; the chair Byakuya normally used was thrown to the floor, as was the lamp on the desk. It didn't look like anyone was left in the main area. "Ah, I see! Master must be hiding out in the archives again." She moved through the library towards the back room, her eyes adjusting steadily to the decreasing light, though not well enough. Her foot caught on the edge of a table or something, causing her to stumble. "Ugh, who put that there?"

One thing she noticed quickly: there was nothing around for her to trip on. Slowly, she looked down, and found Byakuya laying face-down on the ground, his skin ashen and blood coating the back of his head. She'd seen enough dead bodies in her life to know that fit the bill. All at once, she felt a rush of hard emotion, all mixed together and indistinguishable. She wanted to yell, she wanted to find the fucker who did this, she wanted-

"Syo, are you alright?"

"Shut up!" She didn't realize that she was holding a pair of her scissors, but they flew out of her hand as she whipped around, almost grazing Komaru before they impaled themselves in the bookshelf behind her.

The rest of her class entered, but Syo didn't take her eyes off Komaru's face, a look of utter betrayal etched in her features. "Maybe we should leave," Chihiro suggested softly, glancing nervously at the scissors embedded in the bookcase. Komaru turned away from Syo with a scowl on her face, nodding in agreement.

Syo looked down at Byakuya's body again, but her mind returned to her promise to Komaru the first time they met. "Don't worry, Dekomaru, I won't be hurtin' you anytime soon! These scissors will be used only to protect you." Komaru was the only person in Syo's life worth protecting. She never meant to hurt her.

Has she ever felt this before? What was the name- remorse? Guilt? Something along those lines. She was almost certain she never felt it before. This was new, uncharted area, and if she was her other self now, she'd likely be panicking, but she's not, so she didn't really know what to do. This was probably the first time she would prefer to not be in control. She marched over to the bookshelf and yanked out her scissors, returning them to their holster without a word.

"Huh?" Hiro stopped in the doorway, backpedaling a few steps and peering into the bookshelves. "Himiko?" He moved back and forth a bit, as though trying to catch something moving. After a few seconds of this, he walked towards the shelves.

"Are you nuts?" Syo snapped, walking past him briskly. She wanted to get the hell out of the library. "There's nobody there. I think I would've noticed."

So of course, as soon as she said that, a shadow poked out of the bookshelves. "Hiro?" Himiko's small voice asked, sounding relieved beyond belief. It made sense to Syo that the two of them were friends; they both were into bullshit that nobody else believed in. Himiko inched out towards them, clearly nervous about something. "A-are they gone?"

Celeste regarded her with mild interest. "Are who gone, dear?" Syo thought it was only their group that was there before, but now she knew that Himiko was here too, anyone could be hiding from them. Now that she knew that, she felt like she was being watched; one of her least favorite feelings.

"I believe she is talking about us." The archive door opened- of course it was the freaking archive- and three shadows stepped out into the partial light. Sonia was in front of the other two, a polite smile on her face. "We've been trying to turn her all day, but she's so insistent on resisting our efforts."

"Oh, my." Celeste looked between Sonia, Kazuichi, and Kirumi, her eyebrows raised in delicate intrigue. "This is-"

Himiko squeaked and ran to hide behind Hiro, because that was obviously the best hiding spot. "Nyeh, they've been trying to turn me all day! I saw them turn Kyoko!"

Makoto's head whipped towards her as soon as that name came out of her mouth. "Turn Kyoko? What do you mean?"

"Duh, she means that Miss Sonia turned Kyoko into a vampire like us!" Kazuichi said, his already sharp teeth appearing even sharper now.

Syo really didn't want to deal with vampires today. "How about I just slice you up before you can turn anyone else, then?" she asked, already reaching for her scissors.

"Wouldn't you allow us to have a quick drink first?" Kirumi asked, her usual polite smile curling up a little more to reveal fangs. "Especially for our newest; she's very thirsty."

Chihiro gasped, clamping his hands over his mouth. "You don't mean-"

All at once, the three vampires struck. Their speed must've been boosted, because they were faster than Hajime being chased by Mikan (and yes, she did see that happen before. It was quite the sight). Kazuichi and Sonia grabbed onto Himiko and brought her away from the group while Kirumi dragged Taka away from the group. Syo watched helplessly as Kazuichi and Kirumi sink their fangs into Himiko and Taka, their screams piercing the air. It took only an instant, and once they were finished, Himiko and Taka shared the snow-white complexion of the vampires.

"What the-" Junko dragged Komaru and Hina away from the vampires as Sonia lunged towards them. Syo jumped in front of the whole group, scissors pointed towards the vampires. Sonia shrugged and backed up, seemingly not bothered by her loss.

"I already ate earlier, so I suppose not having a snack now is not such as big deal," she said, glancing over her shoulder towards the archives. "I would imagine that Kyoko is still thirsty, though." The other vampires fell in behind her, satisfied.

As if on cue, Kyoko came out of the archive, at least ten times as pale as she usually was. "That's what we heard on the phone earlier," Makoto realized, not able to tear his eyes from his now-vampire girlfriend. Syo was intrigued, not knowing what phone call he was talking about, either. If only she was in command when that happened, that would've cleared so much up for her. However, something was still off; the coven gave in much too easily, even if they were satisfied with their snacks. Wouldn't they want more for later?

"Ah, Makoto. I trust that you received my message earlier?" Kyoko asked, her usually stony visage even sharper and colder. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose, but it appears that Sonia was right after all; I do enjoy my new self."

Makoto shook his head in disbelief, backing up as she approached him. He caught Junko's eye for a moment, and she nodded at him briefly. Syo could only imagine what that was about. "Can you tell me what's going on, then? How does Chiaki fit into all of this?"

Movement behind Syo caught her attention momentarily. She turned her head a bit to the side, watching as Junko pushed Hina and Komaru out in her peripheral vision. Ah, so that was it; he wanted her to get everyone else out of the coven's reach. Not a bad plan, if a bit half-baked. Actually, since the coven seemed completely invested in Kyoko's apparent prey, they'd be able to run away without being detected and caught! Very clever, very clever!

Being the last fighter left, she helped Junko push the others out, keeping an ear to Makoto and Kyoko. "When have I ever given you the answer?" Kyoko asked, backing him into a wall. Sonia nodded in approval. "You of all people should know me better than that. Now, come closer; your scent is too appealing."

At this point, everyone else was already out of the library. The only reason Syo was still in there was because she was interested in this impromptu teen romance, even if Kyoko seemed a bit out-of-character. Ah, if only it weren't rated PG-14!

"This isn't exactly how I imagined our first kiss would go," Makoto gulped, a weak smile appearing on his lips. He, along with the coven, seemed to forget that she existed, which did wonders for her viewing pleasure. Kyoko was only centimeters away from him now, leaning closer every second. Makoto squeezed his eyes shut, but didn't try to run anymore. Right before she was about to bite into him, Syo was yanked backwards out of the library.

"Hey, what gives?" she complained, crossing her arms over her chest as Hina closed the library doors. Why did the fun always have to be taken from her? "Things were just heating up!"

Hina rolled her eyes exhaustedly. "I'm sorry, would you rather be their snack too? We already lost three of our classmates to them; we don't need to lose any more. Everyone's waiting for us upstairs. Let's go."

Syo huffed, dragging her feet. "I don't ca- ah-" She stopped, feeling the familiar tickling of her nose. Not now, not when things were getting good! "A-choo!"

X-X-X

"Good, you're back," Hina said as soon as Toko opened her eyes. Jeez, she looked like she just came back from hell. "Come on, unless you want to be a vampire."

Toko blinked slowly, observing her surroundings. They were still on the second floor, halfway between the library and the staircase. "Vampires? W-what did I miss?" She hated the left-out feeling she always got after not being in control. It was like the entire world moved on without her and she constantly needed to sprint to catch up to it.

"We'll catch you up later, now let's go!" Hina swooped in like she was going to take Toko's hand, but Toko flinched away, keeping her hands near her chest. Hina sighed, turning away and starting towards the stairs. "I told them we'd only take a minute, so let's not make them worry."

Reluctantly, Toko followed her up the stairs, only to find that their group, including her and Hina, numbered at eight, with the six waiting for them huddled together near the top of the stairs. "There you are!" Chihiro exclaimed, taking a couple hesitant steps from the group. Toko noticed that Komaru averted her eyes when she saw them. Oh, what did she do this time? "Guys, there's already something strange going on here."

"T-there was more than just the w-werewolves?" Toko shuddered, recalling the monsters in the gym. She didn't really miss that much, did she?

Hiro looked like he was about to faint in relief upon seeing her. "Oh, good, Syo's gone. I thought she was gonna go on a ram-"

Junko shoved him to the side, nearly sending him into the wall. "Would you shut up?" she asked irritably before addressing Toko. "Right after you switched personalities, we found sirens in the pool who turned Mukuro and Sayaka and drowned Mondo. The vampires in the library just turned Taka, Himiko, and Makoto." That explained a lot; so many of them looked to be in awful shape. She tried desperately to catch Komaru's eye, but she was pretty pointed in not giving Toko her attention. Ugh, why was she so hung up over this?

"Wait, go back," Hina ordered, making a time-out pose with her hands before pointing to Chihiro. "What's going on?"

"I don't really know," Chihiro admitted, gazing at the floor. He must've given up on fixing Alter Ego, since his phone was nowhere to be seen. "Komaru noticed it first."

Komaru nodded slowly, her wary gaze skipping over Toko and landing on Hina. Toko looked away, equal parts disgusted and hurt. "The minute we got to this floor, the temperature dropped several degrees," she explained, "and I heard people walking even when we were standing still. I think-" She paused, one of her hands absently rubbing her opposite wrist. "I think there are ghosts on this floor."

Toko stopped herself from laughing as best as she could. She was used to Komaru occasionally pointing out what she thought were ghosts, but Toko had yet to actually see any of them. She doubted there were ghosts anywhere in Hope's Peak. But then again, there were a lot of freaking monsters that weren't usually there. Why couldn't they have one normal day?

"T-that's ridiculous," she finally managed, scanning the empty halls for signs of the nonexistent spirits. "Ghosts don't exist, how many times do I have to t-tell you?"

"You don't believe me?" There was Komaru's wounded expression, mixed with a touch of anger. She shook her head before turning towards Hina instead. "I know what I felt. There are ghosts somewhere on this floor."

Hiro broke in, patting Komaru on the back a bit too hard, sending her stumbling forward a couple of steps. "See, I always knew there was something odd about this floor, and now I have confirmation!"

Junko rolled her eyes, looking ready to call him on his bullshit. "And you're happy about that?" Seriously, on any other day he'd be freaking out, but only now that his theory was validated did he act like a normal human being. ...Not that she knew what that was like.

Hina shifted her weight onto one leg. Her eyebrows knit together in concentration, and she pursed her lips. "Are you sure? It's not that I don't trust you, it's-"

CRASH!

Toko jumped with a gasp, tugging on her braids way too hard. Massaging her scalp, she looked down the hall towards the source of the noise. Down to the right, chairs, desks, and other classroom supplies littered the floor. "What the-" Chihiro started, but he was cut off by another loud crash from the opposite direction. Komaru tentatively moved towards the left, peeking around the corner with a small gasp.

"There's art supplies all over the floor!" she reported, and Toko noticed her hands were shaking just a touch.

Hiro reacted immediately, tugging on some of his hair and shouting "No! Not possible!" He was literally just excited that there were ghosts on this floor. He should make up his mind.

"Ghosts don't exist!" Hifumi joined in, pale and sweaty. Celeste sighed delicately and shook her head at them, her heels echoing in the hallway as she peered around the corner herself.

"Perhaps we should split into two groups to investigate this occurrence," she suggested lightly, albeit a bit uneasily. "We would be able to cover more ground at once."

"Remember what happened last time we split up?" Junko pointed out, and Toko closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to remember their first search party. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Komaru looked around the corner again. "I don't know, I think I agree with Celeste on this one. It's better to know what we're up against, right?"

Hiro nodded sagely. "My instincts are telling me this is gonna be nothing, and I am right thirty percent of the time, so that's a pretty solid deal!"

Someone should teach him how percentages work. "I don't see the harm in this endeavor," Hifumi commented, adjusting his glasses for a moment. "After all, the two hallways are close enough that we will be able to hear each other shout."

"I'll take one of the classrooms," Chihiro offered, putting a hand in the air like they were still in class- which barely anyone did in class, anyway. "I know them better than the art room, so I'll be more helpful."

"Hifumi and I know our way around the art room," Celeste said, casting a sharp glance at Hifumi as he cowered a bit. "We will take that room." He squeaked and nodded rapidly, not wanting to speak against Celeste no matter how frightened he might be.

Junko tilted her head slightly from side to side before sighing. "I'll take the art room, I guess. I've been in there a fair amount of times." She patted Komaru on the shoulder. "Wanna come with?"

"I think I'll go with Chihiro, actually," she said apologetically before turning to Chihiro. "I'd like to hear more about Alter Ego as we work, if you don't mind."

Chihiro basically lit up with glee. "I'd love to tell you all about Alter Ego!" They already started chatting animatedly, leaving Toko standing awkwardly in the corner.

"I'll take the classroom with Toko if you want the art room," Hina offered to Hiro, glancing momentarily at Toko. That was fine with her, in all honesty. She couldn't care less about the art room if she tried. The only creativity she had was with words.

"Ugh, you're sticking him with us?" Junko complained, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. It took her a moment, but she sighed, relenting. "Fine. Just don't cause any problems, okay?"

She turned on her heel and started walking towards the art room, followed closely by Celeste dragging Hifumi and Hiro, his hands behind his head as though he were totally relaxed. Toko didn't doubt that he'd start screaming within minutes. Chihiro and Komaru went on ahead towards the first classroom, so Toko decided to start with the second one.

There wasn't really much to see in the classroom, though it was a pain in the ass stepping over all of the strewn furniture. Seriously, it was like a freaking obstacle course in there. Chairs all over the floor, desks on their sides, papers covering everything and flying towards her out of nowhere-

"W-what?" She whipped around quickly towards the source of the flying paper, certain she was about to catch a ghost in action. Instead, all she found was Hina giggling at her reaction.

"Oh, you should've seen your face!" she laughed, clutching her stomach as the last of the papers fell. "Priceless."

Toko was not amused in the least. "S-sure, go ahead and m-make fun of me." She returned to checking out the center of the room, where the most damage was. "W-what do you think caused this?"

Hina shrugged, putting some of the chairs and desks upright. "Who knows? Maybe it really was a ghost like Komaru said." Toko rolled her eyes. There's no possible way that it was a ghost. "Speaking of Komaru, what's going on between you guys?"

"F-for the last time, I d-don't have a crush on her!" Toko said, putting a chair back on its legs so forcefully it made a loud clattering sound. Hina grinned wildly at her. "What?"

"I never said anything about a crush," she singsonged, very pleased with herself. Toko forced herself to close her eyes. Shit. She did it again. "You let it slip, though! It's that one thing, y'know, that Frederick Slide or something?"

"Freudian Slip," Toko corrected, "and this is nothing like that. It's not a slip of my subconscious because I don't feel that way about Komaru."

Hina looked unconvinced, which was fair enough; Toko wasn't even sure she convinced herself. "Suuure. Tell me that again after you guys start dating."

Toko turned away from her, righting more desks and chairs. Something tugged the tip of her braid, but she swiped it away from whatever it was. Moments later, she felt it being tugged again, harder this time. "S-stop pulling my hair," she grumbled, putting both of her braids over her shoulders so they hung in front of her rather than down her back.

"Who are you talking to?" Hina asked from near the classroom door, carrying in one of the desks that was in the hallway.

Wait. If she was outside, then who was pulling Toko's hair? She turned slowly, almost not wanting to look. It took her a second to find the culprit, too; she almost couldn't see them at all. But there, almost blending into the wall, stood Mikan, her entire body and clothes pale whites and greys. Her face was sunken, her cheeks hollow caverns. Her eyes were staring at Toko unfocused, and she felt a chill creep up her spine. She shuddered involuntarily, nearly tripping over the desk she just set up as she backed as far away as she could.

"Toko, why aren't-" Hina stopped short with a sharp gasp when she followed Toko's line of sight. "Mikan?" Mikan said nothing, only turned her head slowly. Her unfocused stare left Toko and landed on Hina, who shivered suddenly. "Ghost!" she shrieked, turning and running out of the classroom. Toko followed without being told, dodging overturned desks and chairs as she went.

She slammed the classroom door behind her, breathing heavily against the opposite wall. Hina was doing the same, more likely out of fear than being out of shape like Toko was. "What the h-hell is going on today?" Toko groaned between breaths, feeling as though she couldn't get enough air.

Not even a full minute later, Chihiro and Komaru came running out of their classroom, both screaming. "There's a ghost in there!" Komaru shouted, her eyes wide as they ran to the end of the hall. "We have to get away!"

Toko and Hina didn't need to be told twice. They followed Chihiro and Komaru down the hall, pausing momentarily at the corner connecting the classroom hall and the art room hall. They watched as Celeste, Hiro, and Junko came running out of the art room frantically, nearly running into them. "What happened? Where's Hifumi?" Chihiro asked, casting a nervous glance behind him to make sure the ghosts weren't following.

"There were three fucking ghosts in there," Junko said, her voice breathy. She was almost doubled over in an attempt to catch her breath. "They crushed Hifumi beneath a statue."

"You guys saw ghosts too?" Komaru asked, looking down the hall. "This is bad. That means there are four-"

"Five," Toko corrected her, forcing Komaru to look at her. "T-there was one in the classroom Hina a-and I were in."

Celeste bowed her head. "How has this come about?" she muttered somberly. "Hifumi crushed, and Nagito, Miu, and Korekiyo somehow became ghosts-"

"Mikan is a ghost too," Hina added, completely unsettled by this turn of events.

Chihiro shuddered again, his chest heaving. "Kokichi was in our room. He's scary on a regular basis, but he's even worse as a ghost."

Hiro's eyes widened as he pointed behind Toko. "I can see that! We gotta go, now!"

Toko turned quickly and saw Mikan and Kokichi standing at the end of the hall, staring baselessly at them. "W-we have to go p-past the art room to get to the fourth floor," she realized, but everyone started running immediately, going blindly past the art room. She wasn't sure if the ghosts were following them, and quite honestly, she was better off not knowing. How could some of the creepiest students at Hope's Peak become even creepier? It was a living nightmare.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go," Komaru repeated under her breath, stumbling a bit as she ran. Back a couple of months ago, she expressed to Toko her fear of being possessed by one of the ghosts she saw. Toko thought that her fear was what was affecting her now. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed Komaru's hand, the two of them taking to the stairs together.

When Toko deemed it safe enough to turn back, she noticed that the ghosts weren't pursuing them, which was well enough. The fourth floor was considerably warmer, probably because of the temperature drop Komaru mentioned earlier. "S-sorry for doubting you," Toko stammered once they slowed.

"It's fine," Komaru said, her voice less cold than it was before, though she still took her hand out of Toko's grip as soon as she could and walked away. Toko was left wondering what she could've possibly done to make Komaru so mad at her. Whatever it was, she wanted to correct it as soon as she could so they could go back to how they used to be.

"This is actually perfect," Chihiro said, perking up as much as he could given the circumstances. "Our location, I mean. If I go into the data processing room, I'll be able to reboot Alter Ego and check the cameras manually."

Having Chihiro hack/check the security feed to find the cause of whatever the hell was going on would be very helpful. "Do you want someone to come with you?" Hina asked, likely a bit apprehensive about what they might find on this floor.

Chihiro shook his head with a determined smile. "No thank you. I think I'll be fine on my own for a couple of minutes. I'll come find you guys when I'm done, okay?"

"If you're sure." The remaining six of them watched Chihiro go down the hall towards the data processing room, holding hope that he would be able to fix whatever shut down Alter Ego.

"What're we gonna do now?" Hiro asked, his arms crossed and his weight shifted onto one leg. "Should we poke around this area a bit?"

Junko made a face unbefitting of a model. "I dunno. I mean, think about what we found on the other floors. Who's to say there aren't more monsters here waiting to attack us?"

Toko agreed, though she stayed silent, biting her thumbnail. Nobody else in the group spoke, trying to forget what happened in recent minutes. It was hard to imagine that not even an hour ago they numbered at seventeen, and now there were only the seven of them left. They couldn't afford to lose any more people.

Soft music swam through the air, sounding just eerie enough to catch Toko's attention easily. "T-that's coming from the music room," she noted quickly, making a mental note to avoid that room at all costs.

"Maybe we should check it out," Hiro shrugged.

...Damn it.

"That is not advisable," Celeste spoke up, though her gaze down the hall was rather curious. "There is no telling what is in there."

"Yeah, let's avoid that room as much as we can," Hina agreed, her lips pursing. "Let's go around the other way by the classrooms instead, agreed?"

Toko looked up towards the ceiling, thanking whatever powers that were for allowing her to go five freaking minutes without running into anything that would drive her insane- barring Hiro himself. Even though there was still a high chance of them running into some kind of threat near the classrooms, it at least let them avoid something that was surely a trap for those of them who were too dumb to recognize it.

Even with the music in the air, they could clearly hear their own footsteps as they walked down the hall. Toko took up the rear of the group alone this time, with Komaru and Hina braving the front. Nobody really talked at all until they neared the data processing room, not that it was too far from the stairs. "Should we check up on Chihiro?" Komaru asked, prompting them to pause in their trek to the other side of the floor.

"I don't see why not," Celeste said, and the two of them offered to go in to check on the programmer's progress. Junko was oddly silent, even as Hina and Hiro talked (argued) about what was real (the monsters they saw before) and what was not real (hamburger-stealing aliens).

"I bet you're wondering why Komaru's so pissed at you." Toko didn't even notice Junko approach, even though she was just looking at her a second ago.

"E-even if I was, I w-wouldn't ask you," she muttered, really only mad because she didn't appreciate being startled like that. She started fiddling with the cuffs of her sleeves.

Junko shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back. "It's a real shame, really. Everyone's rooting for the two of you to hook up before the year ends." She looked sideways at Toko like she was trying to gauge her reaction, but Toko remained silent. "Syo actually saw Byakuya, y'know. She kinda threw a fit."

"Did she now." Toko spoke through gritted teeth, wishing that Celeste and Komaru would hurry up so they could move on.

"Mmhm. She almost accidentally hurt Komaru, even though Komaru told me that Syo promised before that she would never hurt her." Another pause. "That with your hesitance earlier with holding her hand must've been a slap to the face for her." Toko glanced at her, surprised. "That's right, I noticed that earlier. She really likes you, y'know, and you probably also know that if you ever hurt her you're gonna have the entire fucking class on your ass, so I won't bother reiterating that on a personal level." She spread her hands out in front of her. "I guess what I'm saying is, don't fuck up your shot. I can tell you like her too, so don't hesitate to do something that'll benefit both of you, kay?"

Toko didn't give her any form of response. She knew that Komaru was mad, yes, but now that she knew why she almost wish she didn't. Of course she would mess up like that, but she realized that she was also to blame. It must've felt awful for Komaru, too. Komaru used to reassure Toko that Syo would never hurt her. Toko could only imagine the betrayal she felt.

Then there was the other thing that Junko said, about Komaru really liking her. She knew better than to fall for that. Nothing against Junko, but Toko had been deceived more than once by phrases like that. She was tormented, laughed at, almost anything you could imagine just for having a crush on a guy and someone convincing her that he liked her back. She didn't want a repeat of those times.

Celeste and Komaru emerged from the data processing room with Chihiro in tow. "No luck," he reported. "The cameras won't give me access in the time we have. It would've been easier if I could fix Alter Ego, but…"

"It's alright," Komaru assured him with a gentle smile. "We can try again later, right?"

Hiro scratched his head absently, eyes closed. "Yeah, if the aliens or whatever's playing that music doesn't get it first." Hiro opened his eyes once he felt everyone else's on him. "What?"

"Not you; be quiet," Hina said, shutting him up. Nobody said a word for a solid minute, and only then did Toko realize that the music wasn't playing anymore. "Okay, this is too weird. Who would even be playing that? We already saw Kaede as a siren, so it can't be her."

"W-whatever it is, let's n-not go look." For once, Toko was firm in her statement, though her stammering took away some of the conviction. "I-it's probably still a trap."

Chihiro nodded, then stumbled a bit, barely able to balance himself. "Are you feeling alright?" Celeste asked in mild concern- the most concern she usually ever shows for a human being who is not herself. Komaru put a hand on Chihiro's back to help steady him.

"I-I don't feel so well," Chihiro admitted, rubbing a spot on the back of his neck like it was stiff. His expression was slightly pained, his face draining of color. When he blinked, his eyes were unfocused and his eyelids drooped.

Toko recognized those signs immediately. "He's gonna pass out!" she warned, and Komaru caught him easily as he fell to the side. She eased him onto the ground, resting his head on her lap.

"He's possessed!" Hiro shouted, throwing up a prayer to whatever god he believed in. "It's the only explanation, I knew this was gonna happen-"

"Would you shut up?" Junko snapped, frustration through the roof as she and Hina got on their knees to check on Chihiro. "He's not possessed, and if anyone was going to be possessed, I think the ghosts would be more attracted to your bullshit."

Toko couldn't really follow that logic, but she was glad someone told him to stop. "Hold on, I think he's waking up!" Komaru said, watching Chihiro's eyelids flutter a bit before opening, revealing red-tinted eyes that lost all of the timidness that used to live behind them.

"Startup complete," he said, reminding Toko of the robotic way Chiaki spoke over the phone earlier. He pushed himself up, causing Hina and Junko to scramble away, pulling Komaru up off the floor. His eyes seemed to bore through them. "The final six targets have been located. Contacting units one and two."

Hiro was panicking, his arms flailing as he stumbled back. "Dude, what's wrong with you?"

"Simply put, he's been made better." Chiaki and Kiibo approached them from behind Chihiro, standing by his side. Her voice sounded no less tinny and synthetic as it did on the phone. "The system bug has been activated on both him and Alter Ego. They are now AIs like us."

Kiibo nodded stiffly, his usual eager smile wiped off of his face and replaced with a stern frown. "I would expect the infiltration process to be completed shortly, as we have the remaining targets within our reach."

Chihiro brought his cell phone out, opening the Alter Ego app- still stained red- and turning it out towards them. "I will call the infiltration elites if needed," Alter Ego said in a voice matching Chihiro's perfectly.

"That won't be necessary quite yet," Chiaki told it. Toko was freaking out mentally as she watched this happen. She wasn't used to the sci-fi genre! And because of the AIs or whatever, it wasn't even borderline sci-fi anymore!

"Perhaps we should run," Celeste suggested, more fearful now than before. Since there were less of them now than earlier, it was safe to assume that there was a lower chance of survival.

Chiaki's lips twitched slightly. "That will do you no good. The system bug has access to all cameras within the school. We will find your location quickly." She turned her head to Kiibo. "Call the infiltration elites-"

"Run!" Hina screamed, darting past them. Everyone followed swiftly, not giving the AIs time to react. Toko decided that, because of all the running she did today, she wouldn't need any more exercise for the next week or so. She didn't watch where they were running, only watching the ground to make sure she wouldn't trip. As far as she could tell, the AIs weren't following them as they entered a room. She nearly ran into Komaru when she slammed the door shut behind her.

"Are you...fucking...kidding me?!" Junko yelled breathlessly, looking close to tearing her hair out. Toko took a moment to look at the room she just shut them into. She assumed it was a classroom, maybe the teachers' room or chemistry lab, initially. As Junko whipped around to face a sheepish Hina, Toko realized just where they were. "Why did you bring us into the fucking music room?"

Hina backed up a step, still wide-eyed and now a tad guilty. "I panicked, and this room was closest." Not the strongest excuse in the world.

Celeste returned from a short walk around the room. "There doesn't seem to be a threat in here."

"Good to know." Komaru managed a weak smile, but Toko noticed her hands shaking again. She would go hold them to calm her down, like before, but she needed to make things right first. "See? We're fine." A lie, obviously crafted to convince herself.

Toko read enough in her life to know that whenever a person said something along those lines, something would go wrong almost immediately. She flinched, expecting the doors to fly open or someone to jump out at them.

But nothing did. And that was almost scarier.

Hiro breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the stage. "Man, we just can't catch a break today. I can't help but wonder about the infiltration Kiibo and Chiaki kept talking about, though."

"T-they were probably talking about the m-monsters," Toko said, eyes darting around the room to reassure herself that they really were safe. Now that they were delayed in one spot, exhaustion washed over her. She swayed a bit before supporting herself against a wall. "T-then it would make sense that they called us targets."

The others considered this for a moment. "That could be it," Junko eventually agreed. "What else could it possibly be?" She put a hand up as Hiro opened his mouth. "Let me rephrase that. What else could it possibly be other than an alien invasion?" Hiro closed his mouth and scratched the back of his head as Junko gave a satisfied nod.

Celeste fingered a lock of her hair. "What shall we do now? The AIs are likely waiting for us outside, and we are out of places to run." She clasped her hands together and leaned forward, her features twisted to appear a mixture of frightened and frightening. "We are but sitting ducks waiting to be shot."

This obviously didn't help relieve the tension in the room. Toko shuddered a bit, the act of being cornered familiar yet completely unappealing to her. Komaru trained her gaze on the floor, her arms wrapped firmly around herself. That's when Toko decided that enough was enough. If they were cornered and going to die anyway, she might as well apologize and get everything out in the open.

Right as she crossed in front of the doors to get to Komaru, they flew open, sending her sprawling across the floor. "Toko!" She couldn't see- she was struggling to get off of her stomach as quick as she could- but she was pretty sure it was Komaru who called her. She felt strong hands, likely Hina's, pull her up by her midsection. In any other situation, she would've complained, but there wasn't time. She needed to be on her feet and ready to run.

"W-who are you?" Hina shouted, right near Toko's ear. Toko was still a bit disoriented, but she could make out four hooded figures entering the room, each with a blade in hand. Wait, blade?

One by one, the figures lifted their hoods, standing side by side to block the door. First there was Akane, then Maki, Peko, and finally Shuichi. None of them said a word, their sunken, threatening faces saying enough for them. On a normal day, Maki and Peko were completely terrifying. Seeing them like this was a kick to the stomach, stealing away her breath.

"I believe they are supposed to be grim reapers," Celeste said, face pale and pained. "They are known to bring souls to the afterlife."

"Yeah, I-I know that," Toko griped, shifting herself as far away from the reapers as possible. Her extensive knowledge of literature extended to mythologies and creatures of different legends, reapers included.

Komaru shook her head in disbelief. "But how are we supposed to-"

She couldn't finish her sentence. The fastest of the reapers, Maki, struck. She pulled Hina forward with one hand, her other driving the handle of her knife against her shoulder blades, forcing her onto her knees. With a quick assortment of moves not unlike a knighting ceremony, Maki pushed Hina up and back. Mere moments later, a hood appeared on Hina's head, and she held a blade as well.

"What the fuck?" Junko shrieked. Toko noted that when she was more distressed, she cursed more. "What did you do to Hina?"

"Dude, I wanna get out of here!" Hiro wailed, pure panic etched in his features. The reapers paid him no mind, and it confused and frightened Toko that they made no more moves. They could easily have the rest of them as prey; why didn't they?

Junko balled her fists like she was about to charge and beat the reapers down. Toko could think of several reasons why she shouldn't, one of which being that all four of the reapers- five, including Hina- were stronger than her.

The reapers, all of them this time, struck again. They pushed everyone out of the way before circling Celeste. "Run!" she yelled as the reapers drew their blades on her. They seemed to be readying themselves for some kind of ritual.

Komaru sobbed as Junko latched onto her wrist and ran out. Toko and Hiro were close behind, watching behind them for any sign of the reapers of AIs. She was fairly certain she was only running on adrenaline now.

They sprinted down the hall and up the stairs, all of them panting and barely staying on their feet. "Greenhouse," Toko wheezed. "M-more room to move."

"Good idea," Hiro answered, bolting ahead of Junko and Komaru, rounding the corner and effectively leaving Toko at the back. She was getting tired of being left behind.

The halls felt eerily empty now that it was only the four of them. Toko briefly wondered how much longer they had before they were found by the monsters. Surely it wouldn't be long.

"Why couldn't this happen on a day that isn't fucking Halloween?" Junko groaned, splayed out on the concrete as the doors shut behind them. Toko watched her chest rise and fall before taking a seat on the ground for herself, scooching a little closer to Komaru in the process.

"Duh, Halloween is prime time for the supernatural," Hiro said, sitting cross-legged near the chicken coop. He leaned back a bit, checking inside the pen. "At least the chickens aren't mutants."

Toko was quick to notice that Komaru was silent this whole time. "A-are you okay?" she whispered, not wanting to alert the other two. Komaru didn't answer for a second, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin on top of them. "Listen, I know that I-"

"I'm sorry." Toko almost thought she imagined it, but Komaru was looking her right in the eyes, as wide and afraid as a little girl's. "I didn't mean to ignore you, and I don't want to keep being angry, so I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so mad at the beginning, and this-"

Toko reached out hesitantly and laid a hand on her arm. Komaru looked at it like it was some kind of miracle- and given that she didn't often initiate contact, she supposed it was. "I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry that I hurt you, a-and I'm sorry that she hurt you, too." She took a breath, ready to say what she'd been waiting to for a couple floors. Before she could, the flower bushes behind Komaru trembled, catching her attention. "Guys? I-I think we have company."

She pulled Komaru up and away from the bushes as Junko and Hiro looked over. The trembling intensified, growing more and more before suddenly stopping. "Maybe a chicken got loose?" Komaru suggested wishfully, squeezing the hand she was still holding.

"Like Gundham would ever let the chickens get out and harm themselves." Junko shot the idea down quickly, but she sounded skeptical herself.

"Yeah. That never happen."

They whirled around to the voice coming from behind Hiro, some of them (Junko) cursing very loudly and creatively. Standing behind Hiro, his hair covered in leaves and vines encircling his entire body, was Gonta. He towered over all of them easily, his face less friendly than usual. "Let's get the fuck out of here!" Junko shouted, though she didn't need to say anything. They were already running away.

Gonta shouted after them, but made no move to catch them. "Why you running from Gonta? Being plant fun! Can talk to bugs more!"

Screw that noise. Of course, they were running in the complete opposite direction as the door, but what else could they do? He was right there and there was no way they'd be able to get past him.

"Don't run from us. We're not bad guys, really." Toko and Komaru stopped on a dime as Rantaro stepped out of the next bush, his face much less friendly than Gonta's, and almost as creepy as some of the faces Kokichi pulled from time to time. "Here, I can prove it." He shot a hand out, and a seed about the size of a pistachio landed in Hiro's open mouth.

"Hiro!" Komaru shouted in distress, but Hiro already swallowed the seed. In a matter of seconds, vines curled around his body and his skin was tinted the same chlorophyll color as Gonta and Amami.

Junko pushed them forward. "Keep moving! Make a full circle and catch Gonta off guard, then we can get to the door!"

Toko nodded, following her instructions, which was something she never thought she'd say. Desperate times called for desperate measures, she supposed. "W-why is this even happening?" she breathed out, the pounding of her feet on the ground causing hitches in her voice.

"Everything happens for a reason!" Tsumugi jumped out of another bush, her chlorophyll-stained eyes insane. "Everything is written to be a certain way. Like this!" She shot out a hand directed at Junko, and a vine snaked its way out of the bushes and wrapped itself around her neck. Junko coughed and struggled to breathe as Komaru gasped in shock. Tsumugi looked their way, a crazed smile on her lips. "Who's next?"

"No thank you!" Komaru spurred into movement faster this time, pulling Toko along. They ran as fast as they could around the greenhouse's main circle, darting under Gonta's outstretched arm and out the door. "Where do we go now?"

"Dojo," Toko said, pointing. She never spent much time in the dojo herself, for fear of being flipped by Tenko, but there were all kinds of practice weapons they could use to defend themselves, not to mention space to hide.

Komaru nodded, and they opened and shut the doors quickly. Toko could hear her heart beating clearly, mixed a little bit with Komaru's. That was when she realized how close they were to each other. Their shoulders were touching, faces turned in towards each other. "C-come on," Toko said, pushing herself off of the doors. "We should hide."

It took a moment to find a good enough spot, but there was a partially empty closet with enough floor room for them. Komaru peeked outside through the slats in the door, her hand still cold and shaking in Toko's. "How are we supposed to survive this?" she whispered, her voice filled with tears that didn't fall.

Toko didn't know how to answer that. Based on what they saw all day, they had two options: become a monster themselves, or be killed by one. It was hard to admit to herself that the chances of survival were close to zero, and she didn't want to imagine telling Komaru that. "M-maybe they'll all go away," she said, but she knew that it was half-assed.

"Look, if we don't make it-" Komaru gulped, staring down at the floor. The tears finally fell, staining her knees and the floor. "If we don't make it, I want you to know that I really, really like you." Her hands fidgeted a little. "Maybe as more than a friend."

So what Junko said earlier was true. "I really like you, too. As more than a friend." The words slid off her tongue easily, like they were meant to be said. "I-I didn't really know it until Junko talked some sense into me, but I guess I've felt it for a while now."

"What about Byakuya?" Komaru asked, genuinely confused. "I thought you loved him."

Funnily enough, that's what she thought, too. "It's complicated," she admitted, chewing on her lip. "But I know that what I felt for him, if anything, doesn't even compare to what I feel for you." She let out a lone laugh. "See, I told you you'd find someone. I just never imagined it would be me."

Komaru's lips turned up in a smile. "Yeah, you did say that, didn't you." She moved along the floor, leaning against Toko slightly. "Toko, we'll be fine, right? Tell me we'll be fine."

"We'll be fine," she whispered, not believing it herself even though she desperately wanted to. She looked up as she heard the dojo door open, footsteps entering the room, both solid and shuffling. "We'll be fine," she repeated again, softer, as the steps came closer and closer to their door. She pressed herself against Komaru, both of them closing their eyes in anticipation as the closet door was thrown open.

…

…

…

Nothing happened.

Tentatively, she opened one eye, seeing Mahiru standing over them with a camera. "What's up?" she asked brightly, as if nothing happened in the last however long it was.

Komaru relaxed a bit, though she seemed just as bewildered as Toko was. "W-what are you doing here?" Toko managed, watching as Angie and Ryoma came in behind her. Were they some other breed of monster they didn't see yet?

"Getting you two, silly!" Angie said in her cheerful manner. "Everyone is waiting for you!"

Toko and Komaru exchanged a glance that only had one interpretation: what the actual fuck. "Maybe we should explain it a bit to them," Ryoma suggested, pulling his hat down over his forehead a tiny bit.

"Explain what?" Komaru asked, using her free wrist to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Let's wait until we get downstairs," Mahiru said, offering them a hand to help them up. Only Komaru took it, but she pulled Toko up with her, their legs shaky. "I'm sure everyone will have a lot to say about this one."

X-X-X

Nothing was said on the way back down to the classrooms. Toko couldn't separate herself from Komaru, not wanting to risk running into the monsters that they left on the lower floors. Mahiru told them that all would be explained when they got to the classrooms, and Komaru trusted that. Toko could only hope that was true.

They stopped dead in the hall, facing the classrooms. Byakuya, Makoto, Ibuki, Maki… Everyone they saw die or as monsters was standing in front of them. Toko almost passed out right then and there from shock, but she held herself together.

"Um, what the hell?" Komaru asked, a mix of mad and relieved. She let go of Toko for a moment to run up and hug her brother, burying her face in his neck. "What was all of this?"

"A useless prank," Byakuya spat, closing the book he had in his hand. Toko blinked twice, pinching her forearm to make sure she wasn't dreaming. No, he really was there- everyone was really there. This wasn't a dream.

Kokichi threw his hands behind his head. "I gotta say, the looks on your faces were priceless! It's a lot better than when I prank Miu."

"That's because I'm used to you pranking me, fuckface," Miu interrupted angrily, about to punch him. Kokichi ducked, moving to hide behind Kirumi, who sighed in resignation.

Toko still didn't get it. "S-so what, you all decided to make us think you were m-monsters- for what?"

"It was to get the two of you to confess your true feelings," Sonia said, quite delighted with herself. "It's so romantic!"

Kaede nodded with a smile. "We all organized it. There were those of us who were the monsters, and then Teruteru made the fake blood, Ryota did the different lighting and fog effects, Angie did the artistic effects, the Ultimate Imposter and Ryoma helped get everything ready and warned the others when you were coming, Tsumugi did the costume changes and helped make the costumes with Kirumi and Ibuki, and Mahiru took pictures." What a long-winded explanation.

"It was all teamwork," Chiaki added, glancing up from her handheld game as triumphant music played from it. Next to her, Chihiro groaned; he just lost again.

All of this, just to make them confess to each other? That sure was elaborate and wholly unneeded. "I appreciate it, but couldn't you all let us decide when we were going to do that?" Komaru asked, returning to Toko's side. "Y'know, instead of making us fear for our lives?"

"Where would the fun in that be?" Junko laughed, once again at Sayaka's side with Mukuro on her other. She really did have an insane side, Toko supposed. "Seriously, I would've pranked anyone with this, romance or no. That was just a little bonus."

"It was annoying," Maki sighed with crossed arms, "but we got out of classwork."

Toko wasn't aware that Maki cared about classwork before remembering that she had to deal with Kokichi and Miu every day. "J-just don't scare us like that again," she muttered, and just about everyone consented.

"Yeah, I can't promise that," Kokichi said with a shit-eating grin. Toko would love to wipe it off of his face. "That's kind of my specialty, you know."

Rantaro put a firm hand on his shoulder. "You won't be bothered by him anytime soon," he promised them, making Kokichi deflate before starting to argue with him.

That was the catalyst that broke everyone into separate conversations, like it was any other day at lunch. As for Toko, she turned to Komaru nervously. "I-I meant what I said," she informed her, "just in c-case you didn't know."

Komaru beamed at her, as bubbly and optimistic as ever, if not more. "I know. And I'm sure you know that I meant what I said, too." Their fingers intertwined, and Toko smiled weakly, noticing for the first time in a while the rain still pounding away outside. "Looks like I'll have to stay here for the rest of the day."

"Y-yeah." They laughed softly before a sudden thought struck Toko. "I w-wonder what happened to the teachers? Where d-did they go?"

"Who knows?" Komaru shrugged before her stomach growled. "Come on, we never finished lunch! It's probably cold by now." They sat down at their desks, their food thankfully untouched. Their lunch tradition was about to become more special.

X-X-X

…

…

…

"When do you think they're going to let us out?" Koichi asked absently, wishing he brought something to drink when the students shut them in the teacher's room. About an hour passed since Kyoko, Chiaki, and Kaede convinced them to be locked in their so they could have a "friendship-building exercise."

"I know my kids," Chisa said with a smile. "They won't make us stay in here all day." Of course she was fine with this; she remembered to bring work to do.

Jin chuckled wryly, tapping his fingers against one of the desks. "And I know my daughter. We aren't getting out of here anytime soon."