Chapter 3: Don't call me Shirley!

Makoto's P.o.V:

As I walk in to the bath house, I see something I really didn't think I'd ever see.

Byakuya without his glasses.

I arch an eyebrow in question, and he sighs. "It's so humid in here right now that my glasses fogged up." He runs his hand through his hair and continues. "But that's clearly not the point right now… we obviously need to talk."

I nod in agreement and plop down on the bench next to him. We both remain silent for a few minutes before I decide to speak.

"So… how much do your remember?"

He thinks for a moment before replying. "Up until we opened the door. All I recall is a bright light, and then everything goes black... I presume you woke up in the same room you did initially as well?"

"Yeah, in the exact same position too." I pause a moment to lick my lips and continue. "How do you think this happened? It doesn't make sense that you and I are the only ones who remember it all…"

"I have a couple of theories as to what may have happened…" He starts. "However, none of them exactly explain why only you and I remember. In all honesty, that's not what we need to focus on at this point."

"What do you mean? Don't you think it's kind of important to figure out how we got here?" I look at him, curious.

"I never said it wasn't, you idiot." He replies with a scowl. "I think that if we focus on why it happened, rather than how, we'll end up coming up with a lot more answers to all of our questions."

I nod with a sigh. "I guess that makes sense. Though if I had to take a wild stab at what may have happened, I feel like Junko probably has something to do with it."

"You're probably right about that… though I honestly don't know how she could have pulled it off…" He trails off, rubbing his temples.

I pop up off of the bench and turn to face him. "Well you know, there's only one way we can possibly figure it out. We're gonna have to go through this again and confront Junko about it in the end!" I say, fixing an even gaze on him. "But this time is gonna be different. I refuse to let all of our friends die again knowing how it's going to happen!"

He looks at me for a moment before looking away. "…It's not that simple Makoto. There's no telling what may happen this time."

"How is it not that simple!?" I ask, pissed. "We know all of the motives and who acts first, so how hard could it possibly be to plan around it?"

"That's not what I'm talking about, you dolt." He shoots an icy glare my way. "I have a sneaking suspicion that not everything is going to work out as it did previously. You saw it yourself, you know… it's not all the same."

It takes me a minute to think of what he means… and when I do it hits me like a ton of bricks.

"You mean… about what happened with Kyoko earlier…?"

He relaxes a bit at my understanding. "Yes. That incident alone proved to me that not everything is going to be the same this time. Had you not told Mondo about the bomb, he would be dead without a doubt. I was watching her the entire time, and not once did it appear that she was going to say anything... she may not have even thought it to be a bomb at all."

I start at this. "You mean to tell me that it may not have occurred to her at all!?" He nods solemnly. I rub my hand on my forehead and sigh. "So if that's true, then… does that mean it's all going to be different?"

"Not all of it. Some things are definitely still the same. Everyone is still acting the same as when we knew them, and none of the regulations have changed. We can also probably assume that the motives presented to us will all be the same as well. We're simply going to have to be on our toes at all times... never assuming anything to be the exact same." He finishes, rubbing his neck. It seems like he's put a lot of thought into all of this...

"Right…" I say, nodding. "In that case though, don't you think it would be a good idea to act as though it were the same, but still expect things to go differently? We don't really have a solid plan of action otherwise." I sit down on the bench across from him, and wait for his reply.

"...Very well." He says after a beat of silence. "If we're to assume that things will turn out exactly as they did last time, our focus should first be on Sayaka and Leon… and the video motive."

"Mukuro as well…" My eyes widen as I remember what I wanted to discuss with him. "Ah wait, Mukuro! How on earth are we supposed to save her? She and Junko are obviously working together right now, so who's to say that she would even listen to us…?" I finish, nerves starting to build up. He notices immediately.

"Calm down, Makoto." His gaze is still as sharp as ever, but there's a more gentle tone to his voice. "We will find a solution to this in time; for now we need to think of a way to prevent the first murder. You and I will definitely figure this out, but we must not get ahead of ourselves."

I funny feeling forms in the pit of my stomach because of how he's looking at me. "This is weird... He's definitely acting differently, right? Maybe it's just the lack of glasses that makes him seem different? I don't know…" I internally sigh. "Whatever it is, it's really not important right now." I give him a small smile, but it falters when I remember what else I needed to ask him.

"Wait, Byakuya?" He arches an eyebrow. "Why were you acting so coldly to Sayaka earlier? You obviously know that it hasn't occurred to her to kill someone yet, so it doesn't make any sense."

He doesn't answer right away, instead opting to look out the door to the bath house for a moment before looking straight at me. "You shouldn't get close to her again."

This catches me by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"She used you as a pawn the first time Makoto, she isn't really your friend." He replies evenly. "What's stopping her from doing it all over again? You're only going to end up hurting if you get close to her."

"Are you stupid?" I ask, irritated. "Sayaka is my friend, I just didn't handle her well enough the first time! I just won't switch rooms with her when, and more importantly if, she asks me."

He lets out a long suffering sigh. "Like I said earlier, Makoto, things aren't that simple. Though she may not use you in the same way, there is a high probability that she somehow will. It's in her nature; it has nothing to do with circumstance."

"Like I said earlier, Byakuya," I mock, "Sayaka is my friend! The only reason she did what she did last time is because of my enabling her! Plus, what do you even mean "It's in her nature!?" She's gotta be one of the sweetest people I've ever met!"

He stands and crosses his arms. "You're naïve if you think that's actually how she is." He hardens his look into a glare. "Sayaka Maizono is one of the worst types or people. She'll appear outwardly as a sweet, caring girl, but on the inside is someone who's well-versed in manipulation and cutting throats in order to achieve her goals." He glances at me again before looking back out the door.

In the small lull of conversation, I suddenly remember something. Last time, Sayaka herself had said that she's done a lot of bad things to get where she was… I quickly shake that thought off. "This and that are two totally different things!" I internally smack myself. "She isn't like that! Being an idol just means you can't be pushed around! That doesn't mean she was ruining peoples careers or anything!"

He suddenly starts speaking, catching my attention again. "I'm telling you this for your own good, Makoto. Stay away from her." He suddenly leans in close, with our noses nearly touching. My breath hitches. "You will regret getting involved with her again, I assure you." With that, he pulls away and sweeps out of the room.

Still trying to calm down my heart, I yell after him. "Yeah right, you jackass! Things are going to be different this time! She's not gonna do it again, and I'll make sure of that myself!" Unsure of whether or not he heard me, I sigh and turn to leave as well when something catches my eye.

On the bench next to where Byakuya was sitting are his glasses, neatly folded and placed on a towel.

"How unlike him to forget something like that…" I sigh. "I should probably give them back to him later, even though he's an ass."

I put them in the pocket of my hoodie, and leave the area.

Byakuya's P.o.V:

Without anything better to do until further notice, I decide to head to my room to cool my head.

"That… hadn't gone as well as I had hoped it would." It was probably wishful thinking on my part that he'd agree not to go near her, but I wasn't expecting him to reject the idea so violently after what she did to him. "That's just the type of person he is, though… so forgiving and optimistic."

"Of course, that's what's going to be his downfall if he doesn't heed my advice…" I mumble as I enter my room. "He doesn't know what I know about that girl..."

As I try to look around to see if anything has changed, I realize that I'd forgotten my glasses back in the bath house. I shake my head and make a mental note to go back for them later.

I lay down on the bed and close my eyes. "Not that he'd believe me if I told him. That girl is an angel in his eyes."

As I lay there, I can't help but feel slightly guilty for not bringing it up the last time we went through this. I could have told him after the fact, but she was already dead. Why not let him believe that she really was an angel? More importantly... I didn't care enough either way to tell him about her nature.

Thinking about it... back then I was actually impressed with her actions. The entertainment industry has always been cutthroat; cut off the weak, and only the best will rise to the top. While I personally may prefer crushing my competition while looking them in the eye, covert tactics are still understandable.

And yet, now... I can't help but feel like she's pathetic. Rather than her being someone I find redeemable for their methods, I can only feel disgust when looking at her.

"Because of... him." I think, sighing.

When I first met him, I wouldn't think any more of him than an insect on the bottom of my shoe, much like most everyone else I've met. He was just a short, boring boy with no special qualities to speak of, and had only gotten into this school through dumb luck alone. As we went through our "school life" together, though... my opinion of him changed drastically. Through our interactions, he made me realize things about myself and others around me...

As much as I loathe to admit it, he made me a better person than I initially was. While there wasn't much room for improvement... it was still improvement nonetheless.

"He became a beacon of hope for us all, and is someone I undoubtedly respect… though I'd never tell him that."

…

"Respect really isn't the right word, though." I think with a sigh. "I do respect him, but that's only part of it… I think most people would describe this feeling as "liking" someone?"

I roll over on my side and stare at the door, which is little more than a fuzzy blur. "When did these feelings first come up..? I don't really think there was one single moment that made me feel like this… It just happened."

Except things aren't supposed to "just happen" to Byakuya Togami. They're always meticulously planned out from the very beginning, to eliminate any possibility of the odds turning against me.

"But the one thing I hadn't hadn't factored in was... feelings."

Feelings I hadn't felt toward another person in my entire life. Feelings that have absolutely nothing to do with logic. For once I can say that, though I have nothing to gain from this person, I still want them nearby… and it's terrifying.

"Especially since he'll most likely not feel the same."

It wasn't until recently that I accepted these feelings for what they were. Up until this point, I hadn't been physically attracted to another male… I had always considered myself perfectly straight. Imagine my surprise when I started watching him, just finding myself passing time by observing whatever it was he was doing in that moment.

Of course... by watching him, I've figured out well enough that he is, in fact, straight. The probability that he'd consider returning my feelings is, dare I say, despairingly low.

I begin to glare at the fuzzy door, willing it to become clear. "He'd much rather try to get with that two-faced girl that he doesn't actually know anything about." I sigh and get up, deciding that I've spent enough time doing nothing.

"I seriously fear for what she may do to him… so I'll just have to remain one step ahead of her."

Taka's P.o.V:

As we finish searching the last classroom on the first floor, Junko gets my attention by smacking me on the back of the head.

"Ya know Brows…" I have no idea why she calls me that. "We may be a little more effective in searching the area if you let me down." She gives me a pointed look, and I can only shake my head at her foolishness.

"That isn't acceptable." I say, giving her a stern look. "I cannot risk you getting hurt at this point in time. Until I am certain that there are no immediate threats, I can't allow you to roam around freely."

She arches an eyebrow at me. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself you know. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be dumb to be pretty."

"I never meant to imply that!" I sigh, and turn to set her down on one of the desks. "I am by no means doubting your intelligence, Junko. I was merely attempting to do my job."

She gives me a dubious look. "Your job..?"

"Yes!" I say, looking directly into her eyes. "My number one priority at all times is to protect my fellow students, no matter the cost! I'd gladly carry you around all the time if it meant that I could keep you safe!"

She gets a strange look on her face and remains silent for a moment before speaking up. "But you don't even know me. Why would you go so far just to protect someone you just met?"

I widen my eyes at her question. "Shouldn't it be obvious!?" I say at a near yell, making her jump. "Just because I am not personally acquainted with someone does not make their life worth any less! I would be a terrible person if I only tried to protect people I know personally! As leader of the morals committee, such a mindset is completely impossible!"

She appears to be honestly surprised at my answer, as she's left her mouth agape. I try to assist her by closing it, but she smacks my hand away and glares.

"So you seriously mean to tell me that, if you could save a complete stranger's life, you'd put your own on the line?" Something about her tone makes me nervous, but I continue on regardless.

"Absolutely!" I say, grinning at her. "If I knew for a fact that I could save someone's life, but potentially lose my own in the process, I'd still do it!"

She turns to the metal covered windows and glances back at me. "…But why?"

I stand up straight and cross my arms. "Because that's what I think is right!"

As I say, this she turns to me. Junko looks deep into my eyes, and as I look back into hers... I can't help but think there's something oddly familiar about them. She speaks up again after a moment.

"Alright, I believe you!" She claps her hands together and stands, seemingly content. I, however, am not.

"Wait a moment!" I stop her in her tracks. "I must know why you decided to ask those questions. Do you not share the same opinion?"

She looks downward and starts to play with the ends or her hair, contemplating something. I wait for a couple of beats of silence before she starts talking.

"…No. It's not that I don't agree." She says, murmuring. "On the contrary, if I could die for something or someone with good reason, I'd die happy." She pauses a second. "…I would just have to be certain that what I was dying for was worth it." She then rounds on me with a smile, returning to her normal speaking voice. "But there really isn't a point in talking about this right now, is there? We have more exploring to do!"

Something tells me that this conversation may come back up at some point, so I let it go for now. She turns to exit the room before I stop her again.

"Hold it! Where do you think you're heading off to?" I sweep her up and cradle her in my arms. "You aren't allowed to walk around until I deem it safe!" As I'm about to exit the room, she smacks my chest.

"What the hell are you doing now!?" She looks up at me with a panicked look on her face, cheeks blazing. "Don't you get just how wrong this looks?"

"What?" I ask, confused.

"The way you're holding me Brows! P-people are gonna think... stuff!" She says, stumbling over her words.

"Eh? But my jacket is still tied around your waist, and I'm holding it to your legs. No one can say anything about your modesty now!" I say, beaming down at her.

This only makes her face get even redder. "Don't bring that back up!" she snaps. "I'm taking about how people might think we're a thing!"

"A thing?" I ask, not quite getting what she's saying. "What kind of thing do we look like?"

She groans and hides her face behind her hands. "Like a romantic thing Brows!"

I... still don't get what she means. "I'm just carrying you, though… what does romance have to do with it?"

"Urrrgh!" She muffles a scream in her hands. "Just put me back up on your shoulders, you idiot! It's less detrimental for my sanity up there!"

I shrug and decide to comply with her. Once she's safely up there, I glance up to see that her face is still red. "What's wrong now?" I ask worried. "Are you ill?"

"N-nothing!" She stutters, and takes a deep breath. "…Nothing at all, Brows. Can we just get going now? I want to meet up with the others to see what they've discovered. We must have covered all the areas by now."

I raise an eyebrow at her behavior, but nod and walk out of the room none the less. What an odd girl!

Makoto's P.o.V:

After wandering around aimlessly for a couple of hours, I guess that people must have started gathering in the dining hall by now. When I enter, I'm surprised to see that only Sayaka is standing there.

She waves when she notices me. "Hey Makoto! Where've you been?"

"Oh, ya know… here and there." I say, smiling. "Where are Leon and Toko? Weren't you with them?"

"Ah well… Toko sorta split off on her own pretty quickly after we started searching, and Leon went to go check out his room. I decided to wait here 'cause it seemed like it would be a pretty good gathering place." Sayaka glances off to the side as she says this. "What do you think?"

"Makes sense." I say, nodding. "So, what did you discover?"

"A lot, actually." She says with a smile. "But we can talk about that later when everyone's here. There are a couple of things I wanna ask you about right now."

"Oh? Like what?" I ask, feigning curiosity. I can probably already guess the things she's going to want to talk about.

"How did you get into the bath house?" She asks with a smile.

…Or not.

"Eh?" I say, surprised.

"Yeah, how did you get in there? When Leon and I went by it earlier it was blocked off, but I saw you leaving it a little while ago." She tilts her head to the side. "How'd you do it?"

"A-ah, well… I was with Byakuya, and we sorta talked Monokuma into opening it up to us." I say, not wanting to look directly at her. "It was actually supposed to be a… "reward", for after one of us committed murder."

"What?" She asks, surprised. "Why would he reward something like that? How terrible!" She then launches into a triad about just how terrible it is, and I sort of tune her out.

I bite my lip. "It's sort of ironic that you'd say that… because you're the one who got us that reward." I look back at her and she's still ranting about it. I decide to cut her off before she runs out of breath.

"Anyway," I say, trying not to be too rude about it. "Monokuma was so convinced that one of us would commit murder that he decided to give us a reward early! As messed up as it is, it's nice to have something like that available until we find a way to escape."

She doesn't seem bothered by my interruption. "It really is… you're amazing Makoto! It's great that you managed to convince that teddy bear to let us have it!"

"W-well, Byakuya is the one who did a lot of the talking you know…" I say, blushing. "I just helped a little."

"Oh come now, I bet you're just being modest!" She says, beaming. "You really are great… oh! I have an idea!"

She walks up to me and grabs both my hands in her own. I can feel my face get hotter. "Let me be your assistant! I'll help you out as much as I can, I promise!" She looks at me expectantly, and I obviously already know my answer… but just as I'm about to speak, something Byakuya said earlier makes me hesitate.

"Sayaka Maizono is one of the worst types or people. She'll appear outwardly as a sweet, caring girl, but on the inside is someone who's well-versed in manipulation and cutting throats in order to achieve her goals."

I quickly push the thought out of my head. He was just being paranoid! Showbiz and real life are totally different; as long as I don't switch rooms with her when she asks, I should be fine right?

"Erm… Makoto?" She looks at me, worried. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing at all!" I say, waving my hand frantically. "I'd love for you to be my assistant Sayaka, as long as you let me help you too!"

She grins at me, and nods. "Right-o, Captain! What's first on the agenda?"

"Well…" I say, thinking. "Help me gather up everyone? By now we must have covered all the areas possible, so I'd like to see what everyone's found out."

"Right!" She cheers. "I'll look around the school, so you should look around the dorms. Let's go!" With that, she bolts out the door.

I smile and shake my head. "I'm really glad she's alive." Thinking this, I make my way to the doors, but I walk face first into something firm. And warm.

I look up to see Byakuya standing in the doorway. He raises an eyebrow. "Hello to you too, Makoto." My face goes hot, and I leap backwards.

"H-hey, Byakuya…" I say, looking away. "I was just on my way to go gather everyone! What a coincidence!" I let out a nervous laugh.

"…Right." He starts. "Did you happen to see my glasses anywhere? I thought I had left them in the bath house, but they're not there."

"Oh! Yeah. I have 'em right here, sorry. Leaving them there for anyone to pick up seemed like a bad idea." I quickly pull them out of my pocket, grateful for the distraction. He quickly puts them on.

"Thank you." He goes silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "I assume you haven't heeded my advice about the girl, correct?"

I roll my eyes. "No, I haven't." I say in a harsh whisper. "I'm not gonna give her crap for something she doesn't even remember! She's my friend, regardless of what you say!"

He smirks. It's never good when he smirks.

"I had a feeling you'd probably respond like that." He takes a step toward me. "So I've reached a decision." Another step.

"O-oh yeah?" And another. "And what decision did you reach?" He's getting awfully close…!

Before I know it, he's right in front of me. "I've decided that since you won't believe me that she's dangerous…" He bends down until his mouth is right by my ear.

"I'll just have to protect you from her myself."

A/N: Hey look, another chapter! I sorta had a hard time with this one; it just seemed to drag on. But, there was important exposition and story developments going on, so I couldn't just scrap it. I promise the next one is going to be much more eventful!

Thanks all, and I hope you stick with me through this! ~Rigze