(Warning: This chapter includes an attempted rape scene. It's not graphic, and it doesn't go far, but I didn't want to take anyone by surprise with this. It also includes some darker elements, including mentions of suicide. From here on out the story will probably continue to get even darker.)


It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, warming the school roof, but it wasn't so hot as to be uncomfortable. A few fluffy white clouds dotted a crystal blue sky creating a perfectly picturesque backdrop against the towering school. Taking advantage of the gorgeous weather, two teenagers sat together on the roof eating their lunch.

It really was an ideal scene.

Almost too good to be true.

"Naegi-kun, do you mind if I ask you just one question?"

Makoto paused in his chewing, surprised by Sayaka's sudden request.

"You don't need to ask if you can ask a question," he assured her after swallowing. She smiled at him.

"I just thought it would be better than coming out of nowhere," she explained, "but if you insist..." The smile slipped from her face and, with a completely serious expression, Sayaka asked, "Do you have a girlfriend Naegi-kun?"

In an instant Makoto's face had gone completely red and he dropped his chopsticks in surprise. "Wh-Whaaaat!?"

Nearby Monokuma clamped his paws over his ears and dove headfirst into Makoto's school bag.

Trying and failing to regain his composure, Makoto asked, "Wh-where is this coming from all of the sudden!?"

Sayaka seemed almost disappointed as she said, "Does that reaction mean you do?"

"N-no, no, no, I don't! I've never had a girlfriend!" he spit out frantically. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was aware of how ridiculous and desperate he looked, but instinct had taken over and was running this train wreck.

"Then..." Sayaka asked shyly, "is there someone you like?"

"H-hold on a second!" Makoto interrupted, not wanting to step on that particular land mine. "What's all this about? Why are you asking me these questions?"

"I'm asking because I'm curious!" Her cheeks were tinged pink. "Is that so wrong?"

"I-it's not that it's wrong, I just..."

Expression growing serious again, Sayaka said, "It's perfectly natural for me to wonder about that. After all, you and I are..."

Makoto could feel his heart pounding in his chest so hard it must have been visible through his hoodie.

"...allies contending with the same problem!"

Ah, so that's what she was getting at. Well, she wasn't wrong. It was only fair for her to wonder about that in this situation. Absentmindedly, Makoto ran his thumb over the ring on his middle finger.

"But actually..."

Makoto perked up.

"There's more to it than that. You and me, our relationship goes beyond that of just 'allies.'" She beamed at him. "We're friends! And we have been since middle school!"

A part of Makoto couldn't help being disappointed to hear that, but it paled in comparison to the part of him that was glad to hear that she genuinely enjoyed his company, even when they had no obligation to spend time with one another.

"Are you not going to ask me?" Sayaka said when a moment passed and Makoto didn't continue the conversation. He stared at her, not immediately following.

"Huh? Ask you what?"

"You... know what I'm talking about," she insisted. "Whether or not I have a boyfriend."

In truth, Makoto was a bit curious, but he couldn't help being worried about the answer he would receive. Besides, he distinctly remembered Sayaka saying something on that subject not so long ago.

"I mean, I guess I just kind of assumed... Because you're so busy with your idol job and hunting down Witches..." Then again, Sayaka was incredibly beautiful and popular, and somehow made time for school, and her job, and being a Puella Magi. If anyone could figure out a way to handle all that and a boyfriend, it would probably be her.

"Well, you would be correct about that. I do not have a boyfriend!" Sayaka chimed. Apparently his original assumption was correct after all! "It's like you said; I've been so busy I haven't had the time to find someone."

Feeling a little guilty for his relief at the news, Makoto asked, "Th-then, is there someone you like?"

"Hm, I wonder?" Sayaka hummed thoughtfully, though there was a playful twinkle in her eye. "Let's just say there's someone I've got my eye on..."

As she said that she glanced at Makoto out of the corner of her eye. There was a delicate dusting of pink across her cheeks. Makoto felt his own cheeks heat up in response and he wondered if she was implying what he thought she was implying or if that was just his wishful thinking at work.

"However, I've decided to put my feelings on the back burner for now," she said, breaking off eye contact. "Dealing with the Witches is my top priority."

"Y-yeah, of course," Makoto agreed, nodding eagerly.

"Let's defeat them together, Naegi-kun." She fixed him with a look of sheer determination. "You, me, Fujisaki-kun, Ikusaba-san, and Enoshima-san... Let's all work hard together and defeat Walpurgisnacht!"

...

Walpurgisnacht? What was that again?

"Of course!" Her determination fueled his own. "We'll defeat it... And maybe after we do things will calm down enough for us to relax a little."

Sayaka beamed. Cheeks coloring once again, she said, "What I'm about to tell you... comes straight from my heart." She took a deep breath. "I'm really glad you're here with me, Naegi-kun!"

The sight of Sayaka's serene smile filled Makoto with a sense of strength. It was as though he was being recharged by that smile alone. If she weren't there at his side, Makoto doubted he would have found the courage to face what they knew was coming on his own. Her friendship gave him power, and realizing that he felt an overwhelming desire to fight. Not just for himself, but for Sayaka as well, who was missing the life of an ordinary high-schooler more and more with each passing day.

"You'll fight for me?" Sayaka said suddenly, snapping Makoto out of his thoughts. "That's so sweet!"

"Huh?! You heard that?"

"Of course. I'm psychic!" Sayaka replied, completely deadpan. She maintained the expression for all of three seconds before she burst out into a giggle. "Just kidding! It was my intuition! But..." She fixed him with a serious expression once more. "Is it true? Is that really what you were thinking?"

"U-uhh... Um, well..." Makoto averted his eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, he plastered a determined expression on his face. "A-anyway! If we work together, I'm positive we'll defeat Walpurgisnacht!"

That word again?

What did it mean?

Why did it slip from his lips so easily?

"I'll do everything I can!" he cried, the green gemstone on his ring gleaming in the afternoon sun.

"Yes, let's!" Sayaka replied, feeling emboldened by Makoto's courage. "I'll do everything I can as well."

...Did this ever actually happen?

A warmth blossomed in Makoto's chest at Sayaka's words. He carved them into his soul. One last big battle, and then they would be free.

When...

Is this really real?

...

No, it can't be...

Because...


Because Makoto could never forget the sight of Sayaka's headless corpse.


Morning came entirely too soon. Even the faint light peeking through Makoto's curtains was too much and caused his sensitive eyes to burn, though no tears came. His head throbbed and he squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face into his tear-stained pillow to hide from the light. Absentmindedly he registered that his alarm must have been close to going off and when he pried his eyes open he found it only had two more minutes to go.

He didn't want to get up. He wanted nothing more than to toss his alarm clock out the window, pull the blankets over his head, and return to his dreams where Sayaka was alive and well and smiling at him, but he knew he couldn't do that. Time didn't stop flowing for one person's death, and Sayaka would have been ashamed to see him like this. So, with one minute to spare, Makoto shut off his alarm and shoved his blankets aside.

Monokuma was noticeably absent that morning, something for which Makoto was grateful. He didn't want to be near anything or anyone that reminded him of that at the moment. Makoto moved on auto-pilot as he completed his morning routine. When he joined his sister in the kitchen he found a note taped to the fridge reminding him that he didn't have to go to school if he still wasn't feeling well. He pulled it off the fridge and stuffed it into his pocket before searching for the breakfast his dad had prepared the night before.

Of his parents, Makoto's dad was the better cook, but everything Makoto ate tasted like mush, dull and flavorless in his mouth. Dimly he was aware of Komaru watching him out of the corner of her eye. He forced himself to eat until he was full, even though every bite made him want to gag, and then excused himself, leaving his meal half-finished.


There was no one waiting for him outside the school when Makoto finally arrived. That suited him just fine, because he didn't think he could find it in himself to force a conversation anyway. The path leading up to the school was filled with students talking, laughing, complaining, goofing around, just continuing their lives as usual. It was strange. Although Makoto could hear their voices, their words didn't register. Although he see them in front of them, their faces remained strangely blank in his mind. It was almost like he was trapped in another dream, or on another planet. Everything and everyone was just so cheerfully normal that it was painful.

None of these people knew that Sayaka was dead. None of them knew she had died so horribly. None of them would ever know how she died.

Never before had Makoto felt alone as he did now.


Chihiro was shocked to see Makoto in class. Out loud he asked if Makoto was feeling any better after getting sick the previous day, while speaking telepathically he asked if Makoto was sure he should have been coming to school. Makoto didn't remember exactly what he said, but somehow or other he managed to convince Chihiro that he was fine. Chihiro seemed reluctant to accept Makoto's words, but eventually gave up. Still, he sat next to Makoto - in the seat that used to belong to Sayaka - and kept a close eye on the grieving boy.

Makoto didn't realize it right away, but Junko was absent from class that day. Selfishly, he wished she was there. She and Sayaka had seemed close, and the way they talked he got the impression that they knew each other even before meeting at Hope's Peak. Chihiro and Sayaka got along well enough, but Makoto wanted someone else to mourn her with him.

Something else that was missing from the class that day was the by-now-familiar sensation of Mukuro's eyes on the back of his head. Makoto didn't even realize she was missing until she walked into class about half an hour after the bell had rung, apologized curtly for her tardiness, and took her usual seat near the back of the room.

Did the Ultimate Soldier also have a job she had to go do outside of class? Or was she late because she was held up fighting a Witch? One day would she just stop coming to class, with no explanation? And Chihiro or Junko?

The day passed by in a blur. Makoto barely heard anything any of the teachers said and when they noticed him staring off into space and called on him to answer questions Chihiro fed him the answers via telepathy. Makoto didn't understand the context of the words he was saying, but the teachers seemed satisfied and eventually left him alone.


Classes seemed to drag on. After what felt like an eternity the bell signalling the start of lunch finally rang. Chihiro walked Makoto up to the roof before going to get lunch for the both of them. Makoto was thankful for his presence. He didn't know what he would do without Chihiro.

"Here you are," Chihiro said as he set one of Hope's Peak Academy's elegantly prepared school lunches on Makoto's lap. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just went with Lunch A. It seemed pretty safe. I hope that's oka-"

Chihiro was cut off the the door leading to the roof suddenly swinging open.

"Naegi!"

When Makoto looked up from the lunch tray on his lap he was met with the sight of a pink blur rushing towards him. He barely had time to react before that blur had crashed into him and captured him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Enoshima-san, you're hurting him!" Chihiro's voice cried before Makoto had registered the pain himself. Dimly Makoto was aware of the clattering sound of his lunch tray hitting the ground as Junko accidentally upset its balance. At Chihiro's words she abruptly let go.

"Monokuma told me what happened!" she cried as she loosened her hug. "I can't believe Maizono-san... Dammit!"

He nails were digging harshly into Makoto's shoulders, but he didn't mind. He found the pain grounded him, reminded him of what was real.

"She died fighting a Witch," Makoto confirmed. It was the first full sentence he'd spoken all day.

"What about you?" Junko pressed. "Are you okay?"

"Ah, yeah."

He didn't elaborate further. Chihiro shot a concerned look in his direction for just a moment before lowering his eyes to the ground.

"Ikusaba-san showed up just in time," he clarified. Clasping his hands together over his chest, he continued, "She- I couldn't do anything. Maizono-san died saving me from the Witch's attack, and then Ikusaba-san appeared and killed it."

At the mention of her sister Junko's nails dug harshly into Makoto's shoulders, and then as she realized what she was doing she let go of him abruptly.

"Mukuro was there?" she asked, voice lowering to an agitated hiss. "What did she do?"

Makoto looked up and Chihiro flinched at Junko's suddenly harsh tone.

"N-nothing! Like I said, she showed up and killed the Witch. Before..." He shot a nervous glance at Makoto.

'Before the Witch could kill us,' hung unsaid in the air.

Junko narrowed her eyes. Chihiro flinched as she glared at him, but a few seconds later he realized she wasn't really glaring at him, but rather in response to what he'd said.

"So..." she said, standing slowly with her head tilted forwards so that her bangs hung in her eyes, obscuring the expression on her face, "she sacrificed Maizono-san for the Grief Seed."

Makoto's eyes widened in horror and without thinking he shouted, "No, that's wrong!"

Junko fixed him with a sharp look.

"She said she was just passing by!" Makoto insisted. "She got there as soon as she could!"

"And you honestly believe that?" Junko spat. "C'mon Naegi-kun, think about it! She just happened to show up at the end of the battle when the Witch was already worn down? And she didn't show herself until after Maizono-san was dead? She was obviously lying in wait until she saw her chance to swoop in and claim the Grief Seed!"

Makoto didn't want to believe it. Mukuro seemed mysterious and oftentimes strange to him, but he couldn't see her as a truly bad person. Yet, he couldn't think of anything to say to refute what Junko was saying. He went over his previous interactions with Mukuro in his head, dissecting them for one shred of evidence that Mukuro wasn't the sort of person who would do that, and came up with nothing.

Even so, he couldn't let go of the voice in the back of his head telling him that Junko was wrong.

"And what about you?" Junko snapped suddenly, derailing his train of thought. "Why didn't you do anything!?"

Makoto and Chihiro stared at her in horror. Unable to formulate a response, Makoto was thankful when Chihiro argued, "Hold on, Enoshima-san! That isn't fair!" The Ultimate Programmer flinched when she rounded on him, but continued nonetheless. "I... I didn't even have time to react when the Witch attacked her... So, um... Th-there's no way you could expect Naegi-kun to have done anything!"

"Monokuma told me Naegi-kun had already made up his mind about becoming a Puer Magi by that point," Junko said, voice low. "If you hadn't waited... If you had gone ahead and made the contract... Then Maizono-san wouldn't have... She'd still be..."

"W-we don't know that for sure!" Chihiro insisted, but Makoto couldn't help feeling like she was right. Maybe if he had helped them fight... "M-maybe she would have d... died anyway. O-or, maybe Naegi-kun would have instead. We can't know what would have happened!"

Head snapping away from Junko, Makoto stared at Chihiro. "Fujisaki-kun..."

"Whatever," Junko growled. The corners of her eyes were wet. She swiped at them furiously. "You're going to go ahead and make a contract now, right?"

Chihiro stared at her in shock.

"Enoshima-san!"

"What?" she snapped. "He was going to anyway, and now we have one less person out there fighting the Witches!"

Makoto stared at her.

"I don't..." His voice sounded all rough and scratchy. He cleared his voice and started again. "Would I be able to wish Maizono-san back to life?"

((Normally if someone asked me that, I'd say tough beans.))

Makoto jumped at the sound of Monokuma's telepathic voice, but a moment later he realized he had no real reason to be surprised. Chihiro had been talking to him telepathically earlier, meaning Monokuma must have been somewhere nearby even then, acting as a transmitter.

((But in your case... Who knows?))

For once Junko and Chihiro seemed just as confused as Makoto felt.

"What do you mean?" Chihiro asked. "Isn't bringing someone back from the dead impossible?"

Monokuma waddled over to them on his stubby little legs. He plopped down on the ground in front of the bench and helped himself to Makoto's spilled lunch.

((When you humans die, your souls disappear. Don't ask me what happens to 'em. Maybe they go somewhere, maybe they just go 'poof' and vanish. I can bring back a human's body, but putting their soul back is an entirely different matter.))

He said it so casually, through mouthfuls of food - well, he didn't need his mouth to talk - like he didn't care one way or another that Sayaka had died.

((But-))

Makoto perked up as Monokuma continued speaking.

((-your magical potential is way, way, waaay bigger than that of any Magi I've seen before. No matter how impossible your wish is, it would come true. Maybe. Possibly. I think.))

Finished with his stolen meal, Monokuma let out a satisfied sigh and a burp. Makoto ignored him as he thought about what he'd just learned.

"So what you're saying is there's no guarantee?"

((Nope. If the human soul really does go somewhere when they die, it should work. But if it's just destroyed you'll only have an empty shell that looks like Sayaka. I suppose if you really wanted you could create a soul, or borrow one from someone else.))

And that was the problem. Makoto wasn't especially religious. He could believe in the existence of magic because he'd seen it himself, with his own two eyes, but the soul? He didn't know if he believed in that, let alone the concept of a god or Heaven.

Even if souls really were real, but didn't last after death, then what? He couldn't take a soul from somewhere else. He wanted to bring back Maizono Sayaka, not a zombie that looked like her. Makoto shook his head. Junko scowled at him.

"What? So you're not even going to try?"

"I can't. Not unless I knew for sure that it would work."

Because the possibility of bringing a false Sayaka back in place of the real one was just too cruel. Even if it did work, then what? She would go right back to hunting Witches again, just like before. How long would it be before she was killed again?

And, a small, selfish voice in the back of his mind supplied, after witnessing her death, he didn't know if he could become a Puer Magi. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to watch anyone else die again either. He was scared.

As though reading his thoughts, Junko spat out, "You fucking coward."

Chihiro let out a horrified gasp.

"Enoshima-san!"

"What!?" she snarled, shooting him a vicious glare that had him cowering before turning back to Makoto. "You were all ready to become a Puer Magi before Maizono-san died. We told you over and over again that dying was a possibility and you didn't mind it then! Now you realize we weren't kidding and wanna back out? You're a coward, Naegi Makoto!"

Even Monokuma seemed taken aback by Junko's outburst. For a moment she just stood there, glaring at Makoto with tears running down her cheeks. Then she turned on her heel and stomped off. She slammed the door behind her as hard as she could, leaving Makoto, Chihiro, and Monokuma staring after her in stunned silence. A few moments passed before Monokuma started moving.

((I'll just, um... Bye!))

And with that he waddled off after her. Makoto wasn't sure how exactly, but he managed to work open the door to chase after Junko.

"Naegi-kun..." Chihiro breathed as his voice returned to him. "You- Don't listen to her. Sh-she's just upset..."

"I know." Makoto's chest hurt. It was difficult not to take Junko's words to heart, because he'd already been thinking something similar, but he knew she didn't really mean it. Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet. "We should get back to class."


Junko refused to speak to Makoto for the rest of the day. Although all three of them tried to act like nothing was out of the ordinary, it was obvious to Makoto that Sayaka's death had affected her. Usually Junko was a bit of a class clown, interrupting lessons and lectures with playful jabs or inappropriate jokes, but today she was a model student, giving the teachers her full attention and taking notes religiously. No one else seemed to notice the change.

She was the first one out of the room when the final bell rang, leaving Chihiro and Makoto behind without sparing either of them a glance. Chihiro drifted off with his own group of friends, who had seen him leaving the school with Sayaka and Makoto the previous day and wanted to know the details. Chihiro flashed Makoto an apologetic smile before leaving him alone.

Makoto found he didn't mind. He needed some space from everything involving Magi at the moment. As he was leaving the school he found himself stopping by the fountain where he had waited for Junko the first day. It was exactly as he remembered it. Even that girl playing the handheld was still there. He found himself wondering, if he hadn't heard Monokuma's voice that day, would Sayaka be alive now? Or would she simply have stopped showing up to class one day, with no explanation?

"Naegi Makoto."

Jumping at the sound of his name, Makoto turned to find himself faced with Ikusaba Mukuro.

"Mukuro-san..."

Something about her seemed different day. She was less... intense than normal. Or maybe Makoto was just getting used to her powerful aura.

Oblivious to Makoto's thoughts about her, Mukuro asked, "Would you be willing to accompany me somewhere?"

Without thinking, Makoto accepted.


Of all things, Makoto wasn't expecting her to bring him to a cafe. It was a really nice one, only about a block away from the school. The prices left him pale, and even when Mukuro offered to pay for him he could only bring himself to order the least expensive thing on the menu.

"Mukuro-san, why did you invite me here?" he asked after they'd ordered their drinks and sat down. As usual, Makoto couldn't make heads or tails of Mukuro's expression.

"I wanted to assure you that what happened to Maizono wasn't your fault."

That wasn't the answer Makoto had been expecting. He stared at her, searching for some indication she was messing with him. But then, Mukuro hardly seemed like the type to randomly make jokes, let alone about something like this.

"There was absolutely nothing you could have done to save her," Mukuro continued. "I am sorry that I didn't get there sooner, but in a way, I am also thankful. Her death served to teach you a lesson, albeit a painful one, after all."

Makoto stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

"It's because you witnessed her death that you finally started taking my warning seriously," she clarified. "To that end, I'm thankful for Maizono Sayaka's sacrifice."

"How..." Makoto's voice wavered. "How can you say things like that?"

Mukuro sighed.

"Please remember," she said as she stirred her tea, "I am the Ultimate Soldier. I've been in countless combat situations even before I became a Puella Magi, and I've seen countless people die. If I broke down over every single person I knew who died, I would no longer be able to function."

Although she made a good point, Makoto couldn't help feeling sad at her words.

"But she wasn't a soldier like you," Makoto argued. "All she wanted was to protect people from the Witches. She didn't deserve to die like that."

So far Makoto hadn't even had a sip of his tea. He held the cup between his hands, letting the warmth seep into his fingers, while he stared at the golden liquid. Mukuro didn't interrupt him as he spoke, but with each word her frown grew a little deeper.

"That's not true."

Makoto looked up at Mukuro's soft statement.

"Maizono-san didn't become a Puella Magi in order to fight Witches. She did it for the same reason every other Magi made a contract with Monokuma; for the sake of her wish. She made that contract knowing very well she could one day die for it, and was still willing to put her life on the line. She was every bit the soldier that I am."

"Mukuro-san..." Come to think of it, Chihiro had said something similar, hadn't he? That he'd made his contract for the wish, and not strictly speaking to fight the Witches and stop them from spreading despair. "What... I mean, if you don't mind me asking, what did you wish for when you made your contract?"

Mukuro's eyes narrowed the slightest bit and Makoto barely managed to keep himself from flinching.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright," she assured him. "I can understand your curiosity. However, I would prefer to keep my wish private."

Unable to think of anything else to say, Makoto lifted his teacup. Mukuro reached across the table and placed her hand over his cup before it could reach his lips. He shot her a questioning look.

"You only ordered it because it's inexpensive, right? Switch with me. My drink is sweeter. You'll like it better."

Mukuro ignored Makoto's protests as she swapped around their drinks on the table. He only gave up when she raised his still steaming cup to her lips and took a large sip. Realizing he had lost, he took the cup she'd given him and tried a small sip. She'd been right; it was sweet, but a light, airy sort of sweet. Makoto thought he tasted a lingering trace of apple in it.

He must have looked pleased because Mukuro suddenly said, "I thought you'd prefer the chamomile." She seemed pleased as well. "As for me, I prefer my tea a little less sweet."

"How did you know what kind of tea I like?" Makoto asked. He wasn't a regular tea drinker so he didn't even know which kinds he preferred.

"It was just an impression I had of you," she replied before taking another sip. Makoto wondered if he was really that easy to read.

As though in response to his thoughts - and a part of Makoto was expecting, or maybe hoping, to hear a playful 'I'm psychic' - Mukuro said, "You wear your heart on your sleeve. It's an endearing trait, but a weakness in a Magi. It's better that you decided not to make a contract."

"But I..." Mukuro's expression hardened and Makoto almost didn't finish his thought. "Maybe if I made a contract earlier and fought with her, Maizono-san wouldn't have-"

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," Mukuro interrupted. "You have no way of knowing what would have happened. Maybe Maizono would have died protecting you instead of Chihiro. Or maybe she would have survived the battle and you would have died instead. There are limitless 'maybe's. Dwelling on them accomplishes nothing."

Slowly, Makoto nodded in understanding. "I just wish I could have done something."

Mukuro stiffened, maybe at his choice of words.

"There's nothing you could have done, and no reason for you to continue torturing yourself thinking about it." She took another long sip of her tea before continuing. "Maizono's fate was inevitable, as is every Magi's. There's nothing for you to do now, except move on."

"Move on?" Makoto echoed. Mukuro nodded. "No, I..."

Mukuro raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"I could never do that. I'm going to carry her with me the rest of my life. I'll carry her memory with me wherever I go!"

With a sigh, Mukuro said, "You came to care for Maizono very deeply in a short amount of time, didn't you?" She ran her finger around the rim of her teacup. "I must admit, I'm a little jealous."

Makoto blinked. Mukuro was jealous? Of Sayaka?

"I won't forget you either!" he said without thinking. "I'll always remember how you saved me and Fujisaki-kun. I promise!"

"You are too kind." Mukuro drained the last of her tea. Then she pulled out her wallet, and set some money on the table. Enough for both of their drinks. "Please excuse me. I have somewhere to be."

And with that said she left, leaving Makoto alone once again to ponder her strange behavior and cryptic words.


The weekend couldn't have come soon enough. A sentiment most highschoolers shared, though in Makoto's case it had less to do with an aversion to schoolwork and more to do with the still fresh memories of Sayaka's death. Fortunately Komaru had gone out with her friends and his parents were having a day out, so Makoto got the house to himself. He tried not to let himself mope around too much. He got out of bed, got dressed, walked around the house, did his chores, and worked on his homework, or rather, attempted to.

But by the time he had finished it was only noon and he was feeling listless again. None of his video games appealed to him at the moment, and even when he turned on the television set he couldn't focus on anything that was happening. As he sat on his bed staring at the screen but not really watching it, he found himself thumbing through his notebook and looking at all of the doodles he'd put in it. Pictures of Sayaka and Junko and Soul Gems. His crappy sketch of Sayaka in her Puella Magi outfit sent fresh waves of pain through his chest, but he couldn't stop looking.

((Naegi-kun, I'm sorry.))

Makoto flinched as Chihiro's voice suddenly echoed through his head.

((I forgot we invited you to hang out with us today, but I didn't have your phone number to call and warn you. We're almost at your house now, but I can try to get the others to leave you alone if you want.))

Oh, right, the guys in class had invited him to spend the day with them, hadn't they? In truth, Makoto was a bit grateful for the distraction. He wasn't doing himself any favors with this notebook.

((No, it's okay,)) he replied. ((I'll be there in a moment.))

Slamming the notebook shut, Makoto shut off his television and leaped out of bed. He ran to the front door and shoved his feet into his shoes before throwing the door open. Yasuhiro was standing on his front step, hand poised to knock.

"Whoa! Good timing!" the Ultimate Clairvoyant said. "How'd you know we were here already?"

"I'm psychic," Makoto joked. Instantly Hiro's face screwed up in rage.

"Don't try to fool me with that pseudo-scientific bull crap!" he roared suddenly, wiping the half-formed smile from Makoto's face. "I'm not some sucker you can take for a ride with your occu- mmf!"

Hiro was thankfully cut off when Mondo stepped up behind him and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Man, lay off," the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader growled. "He was just jokin.'"

"Sorry about that," Chihiro said, laughing sheepishly. "Hagakure-kun has this weird... 'thing' about the occult."

Hiro made several muffled sounds behind Mono's hand that Makoto could vaguely recognize as, "It's not a 'thing!'"

"So where are we going?" Makoto asked.

"Just downtown," Chihiro said. "There's this arcade I really like that I'd like to bring everyone to. If I can even get Oowada-kun to step in. And Kuwata-kun might be joining us later."

"He was supposed to meet us at the station, but he texted and said he got held up or somethin,'" Mondo growled. "Well, whatever. Let's get going."


Makoto didn't think he was a particularly unlikable guy, but even so he'd never had an especially large group of friends. It was kind of nice getting to spend the day with some of his new classmates. Even so, he was glad for Chihiro's calming presence. He was pretty sure he was going to be completely mentally drained after spending the day with Hiro and Mondo.

They wasted hours at the arcade. Chihiro flitted from one machine to the next talking excitedly about their mechanics, programming, technical aspects... Makoto struggled to follow along, but Chihiro looked like he was having fun, so he didn't mind. Mondo found a strength game that involved squeezing a lever and got the high score. Hiro was more interested in games like ski ball and air hockey where he could play against other people.

Makoto, for the most part, stuck with the chance games, figuring that even if he didn't have much skill he would at least walk away with something. At the first machine he was supposed to press a button that would drop a rubber ball into a chamber. The ball would bounce around the inside until it eventually landed in a goal with a number marker. Makoto, Chihiro, Mondo, and Hiro watched the ball bounce around with intense eyes. It circled around the outer ring, grazing the edges of the goal posts but not quite falling in. Once, twice it made a full loop, and then...

JACKPOT!

Colorful lights flashed as the ball fell into the five-hundred point jackpot. Chihiro and Makoto stared in amazement while behind them Mondo and Hiro whooped and cheered.

"Makoto, if you get the jackpot you get to go again," Chihiro prompted when Makoto didn't respond after several moments. Still reeling from shock, Makoto pressed the button again.

This time the ball made it around three times before landing in the second highest two-hundred and fifty hole. Makoto walked away from his first game with over seven hundred points on his card and several bruises on his back where Mondo and Hiro had slapped him in congratulations.

From there the other boys wanted to test out Makoto's 'luck' and ended up dragging him from one chance game to the next. Though he never won quite as big as he had on the first game, he still managed to accumulate a huge number of points in a short amount of time. He did so well that Hiro, after saying something about Makoto's luck rubbing off on him, decided to try out the same machines Makoto had tried. On his first attempt he won a measly ten points.

"Now I see why you're the Ultimate Lucky Student!" Chihiro said teasingly after Makoto won three hundred points on the next machine. Makoto laughed nervously.

"That's not... My luck really isn't out of the ordinary." Usually. Somehow Makoto got the feeling he was being set up for disappointment later.

"Coulda fooled me," Mondo commented. "You come to places like this a lot? You prolly figured out a trick to these machines, right?"

"No, not really," Makoto replied. "I mean, I used to go to an arcade a lot when I was little, but my parents stopped bringing me there."

"How come?"

"Because I kept bringing home too many toys from the prize exchange. They said my room was getting too cluttered and messy and..." A slight pause. "I didn't really make my case, did I?"

"Not at all."

Mondo, as it turned out, was actually a fairly nice guy, despite how he appeared on the surface. He yelled and cussed a lot, but as Makoto learned when they walked down the street and encountered a stray begging for scraps, he absolutely adored dogs. He also seemed to get nervous easily. Especially around girls. Which, in part, was his motive for inviting Makoto along in the first place.

"So dude, spill," Mondo said as they all gathered around a heaping plate of nachos they'd gotten from a snack stand right outside the arcade, "how'd you get in with Maizono and Enoshima?"

Makoto was proud of himself for not tensing at the sound of Sayaka's name.

"I'm not... It's really not what you think... I just kind of ran into Enoshima-san the week before school started. I kind of accidentally stopped some guy from stealing her bag and I guess that left an impression?"

"How do you 'accidentally' catch a thief?" Hiro asked through a mouthful of nachos.

"...I ran into him while I was chasing my shoe."

"Why were you chasing your shoe?"

"It flew off my foot while I was walking and someone kicked it by accident."

All three of Makoto's classmates were staring at him in sheer disbelief, including Chihiro.

"So, you met Enoshima by sheer luck?" Mondo asked. "Man, you really are the Ultimate Lucky Student!"

After the events of last week, Makoto was seriously starting to doubt that.

"And what about Maizono-chi?" Hiro chimed in, because fate dictated he couldn't make it through one conversation without her name somehow coming up. "How'd you snag a hottie like the Ultimate Pop Sensation?"

"I didn't snag her!" Makoto protested, almost indignantly. "We used to go to the same middle school, and she recognized me from there, so I guess she thought it would be a good idea for us to be... friends..."

"Aw, geez," Mondo said, giving Makoto another bruising slap on the back. "That sucks man. Sorry 'bout that."

Makoto couldn't even be annoyed with him for misinterpreting the source of Makoto's sadness. It wasn't like he could explain to them that he'd watched Sayaka...

((Do you need some space, Naegi-kun?))

Once again, Makoto was thankful for Chihiro's presence.

((No, I'm fine. I promise.))

At least, he was trying to be. He didn't want his grief to keep him from ever living a normal life. Yet, now that he was here, having fun with his friends, he was beginning to feel... guilty. Sayaka had only been dead for a few days and he was playing games and eating nachos and laughing like nothing was wrong. Mukuro had said he shouldn't torture himself, but with the absence of anyone else to do so, shouldn't he at least mourn for Sayaka a little while longer?

"'Scuse me," he said, sliding out of their booth. "I'll be right back. Gotta use the bathroom."

Without waiting for a response Makoto walked back into the arcade to get to the bathroom at the very back. It was empty, so he didn't have to worry about getting any strange looks as he cupped his hands under the running faucet and then splashed cold water in his face. The shock seemed to clear his thoughts at least a little. He groped blindly for a paper towel, wiped his face dry, and then took a look at himself in the mirror. He didn't look too bad, considering the past few restless nights. It wasn't like he was developing dark circles or anything. As he balled up his paper towel and tossed it into the nearby wastebasket, Makoto flashed a practice smile in the mirror. It looked hollow, not quite reaching his eyes. Internally, Makoto grimaced. Was that the face he'd been making all day?

He hoped not. Then Mondo and Hiro probably wouldn't invite him to spend time with them again. Taking a deep breath - and trying not to retch at the smell of stale vomit that flooded his nostrils - Makoto braced himself to return to the group.

And then, a grand total of two seconds after opening the door, he walked face-first into somebody.

"Oof!"

"Ow!"

Both Makoto and the unfortunate person he'd walked into went down. Makoto nursed the stinging pain in his backside through his jeans for a moment before registering that he had walked into another human being, and the moment he did his cheeks lit up in embarrassment.

"I'm so sor-"

He cut himself off. The other person had already pulled themself up, and was offering Makoto a hand. It was a teenage boy, taller than Makoto - but then, most were - but even so it was easy to see how Makoto had taken him down with him. The stranger was very slight, with a wild mess of white hair that made him stand out even in a crowd. It was a wonder Makoto hadn't noticed him before slamming into him.

"It's alright," the strange, white-haired boy said. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"N-no," Makoto replied, taking the offered hand. "I wasn't paying attention. Sorry."

He didn't know why, but he was getting an unusual feeling. Like he'd done this before. Déjà vu maybe?

But no, someone who looked like this guy... Makoto would have remembered if they'd met before. Right?

"Ah, excuse me," Makoto said, stepping to the side so he was no longer blocking the white-haired boy's way. "Sorry again."

With that Makoto scurried off, eager to rejoin his friends. He didn't notice the white-haired boy staring after him for several moments, or bend to pick something up off the ground.


Only Mondo was left sitting at the table when Makoto returned. When asked he explained that Makoto was taking so long that the other two went looking for him. Well, Chihiro did. Hiro just went to get some more soda. Makoto realized he must have just passed them inside the arcade.

((Sorry I took so long, I just came back outside,)) Makoto thought to Chihiro, or tried to. Several seconds ticked by with no response. At the lack of response Makoto tried again, ((Fujisaki-kun?))

Still nothing. Up to this point he'd assumed Monokuma was somewhere nearby, acting as a transmitter, but then he realized that he hadn't actually seen the bear once that day. Maybe Monokuma wasn't as close as he'd thought after all. Maybe he was only just within range for telepathy, and he had finally moved out of range at some point while Makoto was in the arcade?

That was preferable to any other explanation Makoto could think of.

"Yo, Naegi, you okay?" Mondo's gruff voice drew him back to reality. "You're kinda spacing out again."

"Sorry, just thinking," Makoto said before pulling his soda closer to him and guiding the straw to his lips.

"'Bout what?"

"Bears..." Makoto mumbled without thinking. Mondo gave him a strange look, but at this point Makoto wasn't paying attention anymore. His attention was on a random person who had just walked out of the arcade and passed behind Mondo. A person who had a strange black marking stamped onto his neck.

A Witch's Kiss.

Makoto felt his blood run cold.

"I have to... go."

"Wha- Hey!"

Mondo shouted after him as Makoto stood abruptly and started chasing after the person with the Witch's Kiss. Hopefully he would tell Chihiro which direction Makoto had run off in when Chihiro eventually came back. Since he couldn't reach the Puer Magi via telepathy at the moment, and still hadn't gotten his contact number, Makoto figured this was the best he could hope to do at the moment. He couldn't let that guy go off on his own while he was in that state. What if he hurt himself or someone else before Chihiro showed up?

Makoto supposed it was possible that Chihiro had already picked up the Witch's trail and was following it already, but Mondo had said that Chihiro went into the arcade and this guy was walking away from it. Besides, wouldn't Chihiro had said something if he noticed a Witch nearby earlier? Makoto hoped he would have. He didn't want to be treated like he was fragile.

For a long while the marked guy just walked down the street normally. At a certain point a second person joined him, and then a third. They had markings just like the first man's. None of them ever noticed Makoto following behind them.

They weren't all going to start a riot or commit group suicide or something, were they? Makoto had no idea how he was going to stop them if they were. Now he was regretting not leaving behind a note or something for Chihiro, or better yet, getting his phone number that morning when they met up. Maybe he should try calling Junko...

Oh, but... She was mad at him, wasn't she? Makoto shook his head as though to physically dispel that thought. No matter how upset Junko might have been with him, she would never leave an innocent person to die.

Careful not to let the people he was following out of his sight, Makoto took out his phone, quickly typed out a quick message to Junko, and hit 'send.' It probably had lots of typos, but it was legible enough; the word 'witch' along with the street he was currently on. Even if it only got her within the general vicinity, she could track the Witch with her Soul Gem. Probably.

The people with the Kisses continued walking down the street for several more minutes - during which two more people joined the group - before turning abruptly down an alley. Makoto hesitated just outside it before following them in. They hadn't noticed him yet, so he should be safe enough...

Wait, where were they?

Makoto had turned the corner around the building into the alley to find it completely empty. There wasn't even any sign of a barrier they could have disappeared into. So where...?

"Whoa, hey! You lost kid?"

With a jolt, Makoto spun around, finding two of the men from before blocking his entrance to the alley. Both were wearing identical malicious smirks and there was an unusual foggy haze over their eyes.

"I- I just..." Makoto took a fearful step back, only to collide with a third body. Before he had time to react or pull away a large hand clamped over his mouth while the second wrapped around his shoulders, keeping him where he was.

"Hey, this kid's pretty cute, isn't he?" the guy behind him said. The other two grinned.

"Yeah, totally adorbs!"

'Adorbs?' That didn't sound like a word grown men would use. It must have been the Witch controlling them. Makoto kicked and struggled in the man's hold, but all in vain. The man's grip just tightened.

"Hey, relax, kid," a husky voice whispered in his ear. "I promise, we'll be nice and gentle..."

Something about the way they said that word sent a chill down his spine. Then he felt something wet and slimy on his ear - a tongue - and those warning bells going off in the back of his mind turned into full blown sirens and he struggled with renewed vigor.

"Aw, you scared him!" a fourth voice chimed in. Makoto trembled as the other men closed in around him. One reached forward, taking the zipper of his hoodie in hand, and then-

"YOU FUCKHEADS GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Suddenly the man directly in front of Makoto was ripped away and he felt the hold on him slacken. Makoto took the opportunity to clamp his teeth down on the hand covering his mouth. The man holding him shouted in pain or surprise and his hold slackened enough for Makoto to wrench free.

"You little bast-"

He never got to finish. He was taken down by a trash can thrown at full force by Mondo.

Mondo was a terror in that moment. Blood was trickling down in his face and covering his knuckles as he threw himself at the men who'd attacked Makoto. One attempted to stop him by leaping onto his back but Mondo responded by lurching backwards and slamming his back against the side of the building behind him. Makoto heard a sharp crack and when Mondo pulled away the man slumped to the ground, unconscious.

By now Makoto's attackers were beginning to realize they were hopelessly outmatched, despite their advantage in numbers. Already Mondo had put two of them on the ground, and while the other three were panting heavily, Mondo looked more than ready to keep going. Makoto stared at the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader in awe.

Suddenly two of the men spun on their heels and fled. The third stared after them for a moment before cursing and following their example. As soon as they were out of sight Makoto let out a sigh of relief. It was at that moment that Mondo rounded on him, looking no less furious than he had been a moment ago.

"What the actual fuck Naegi!?" he growled, advancing on the smaller boy. "Do you have a death wish or something!? Is following weirdos into alleys something you do for fun!?"

"Ah, no, I just..." Makoto fumbled for an explanation that would satisfy Mondo without being an outright lie.

"You dumbass. You're real fuckin' lucky I decided to follow you. I thought you were acting weird, but..." Suddenly a look of horror flashed across his face. "Wait, you're not in some, I dunno, financial shit or something, are you? Was this, like, compensated...?"

Makoto balked at the implication.

"No! It wasn't anything like that!" Seeing no choice, Makoto said, "I saw the first guy and I thought... he was going to hurt someone..."

He had no idea how he was supposed to explain why exactly he thought that. He was pretty sure that, like Monokuma and barriers and Witches themselves, Witches' Kisses were invisible to normal humans.

"Yeah. He nearly did. You."

Makoto flinched at Mondo's harsh tone.

"I guess that was pretty stupid, huh?"

"No fuckin' shit." Mondo sighed. "Well, whatever. Those sick fucks are outta commission. Let's head back."

"Ah, okay."

Mondo had taken all of two steps before he stopped suddenly. Makoto had his mouth open to ask what was wrong when Mondo whirled around, stomped up to one of the men he'd beaten unconscious, and gave him a vicious kick. Makoto was too stunned to protest, even when Mondo grabbed his hand in a vice grip and proceeded to drag him away.

The street was strangely empty as they walked back. Which, Makoto supposed, suited him just fine. He was pretty sure if anyone had seen Mondo in the state he was in, still seething in rage and dragging the much smaller Makoto behind him, they would have said something.

...Okay, no, they probably wouldn't have. But it wasn't at all unlikely that Mondo would have gotten the police called on him.

Still, it was strange that there didn't seem to be anybody around. The only indications of life other than himself and Mondo that Makoto could see were the vaguely defined shapes through the store windows.

Something fluttered from the sky and landed on Makoto's hoodie. He plucked it between his thumb and forefinger and held it up to inspect it. A flower petal, pretty and pink. Not so unusual on its own, but where had it come from? There weren't any flower trees on this street.

"Hey, Naegi," Mondo said as he slowed to a stop. "Somethin' about this place seem weird to you?"

A sudden, horrible realization dawned on Makoto. He looked up to find the sky had completely transformed. While the street and the buildings were all grey scale, the white sky was dotted with pastel pink polka dots.

"We're in a labyrinth."

Mondo spun on his heel to face Makoto.

"We're in a what? The fuck's goin' on!?"

Before Makoto got a chance to answer something whizzed by his head. It was moving too fast for him to see clearly, but he thought he caught a flash of teeth and he definitely heard a distinctive clack clack clack from it. The thing kept going until it crashed into a nearby building where it proceeded to eat its way through the concrete and steel. The blood drained from Makoto's face as he realized how close it had come to hitting him.

"Move!" Mondo roared, grabbing hold of Makoto once again and booking it. Even he knew he couldn't fight something like that.

As they ran they were pursued by more flying, disembodied mouths. Makoto grew nervous each time he heard that clack clack clacking grow nearer but Mondo seemed to have a sense for the projectiles and always managed to pull Makoto out of the way just in time.

"What the fuck what the fuck what the actual flying fuck!?"

Makoto couldn't really blame Mondo for his reaction. He wasn't faring much better, and he knew what labyrinths were!

The farther they ran the more the scenery transformed. Grey and white gave way to various shades of pink. Ribbons wound their way up lamp posts and crisscrossed over the roof tops. Buildings that were once made from concrete became soft and pink and plush and the indistinct shapes behind the windows became clearly visible stuffed animals with wicked, sharp teeth and blood spatters on their paws and around their mouths. As Makoto and Mondo fled from the flying teeth the stuffed animals jeered and threw unpeeled chestnuts at them.

Mondo ducked into a space between two plush buildings, yanking Makoto with them. The flying teeth sped past the alley, but were only fooled a moment before they turned around and resumed the chase. By then their prey had nearly made it to the opposite end of they alley.

"Oowada-kun!" Makoto shouted, jabbing his finger at one of the buildings on the street they now found themselves on. Mondo followed Makoto's finger with his eyes and instantly changed direction towards the open door Makoto was indicating. As soon as they crossed the threshold Mondo let go of Makoto's hand and slammed the door shut as hard as he could, throwing his full weight against it. It was too late that Makoto realized how futile the action was; those things could eat through solid concrete, so there was no way this fabric and cotton building would-

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Outside the flying teeth slammed into the cushioned wall, but were unable to break through. Through the small window, Makoto stared at them in disbelief.

They were safe. At least, for the moment. Now they had a chance to catch their breath and Makoto had a chance to nurse his now throbbing shoulder. Not that he wasn't thankful to Mondo for saving him, but he was going to be feeling that for a while. Assuming, of course, that he made it out of this alive.

"What the actual-" Mondo's voice came out as a harsh whisper. He slid down the door, massive beads of sweat rolling down his face. "-fuck!"

"Oowada-kun, are you okay?" A stupid question, Makoto knew, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Of course I'm not fucking okay!" Mondo roared. "I mean... Jesus fucking Christ! What were those things!? Where the hell are we!?"

"Those were familiars," Makoto answered, averting his eyes nervously at Mondo's incredulous look. "We're, um... We're inside a Witch's labyrinth."

"Witch? Familiars? The fuck?"

Makoto checked the window. The familiars had stopped throwing themselves against the building, but they were still lingering out there, waiting for Mondo or Makoto to be stupid enough to emerge. They seemed to grow restless as he stepped within view, so he backed away from the window. Just in case.

"I think we're probably safe. Good thing they don't have hands..." Though, who knew? Maybe they'd figure out how to open the door by biting the doorknob and turning their bodies.

Trying not to let his fear overtake him, Makoto studied his surroundings. Although the building had looked small from the outside, it was much bigger on the inside. The inside resembled a dentist's office, without the lobby or receptionist's desk. There was a chair in the very center in the room large enough to hold a prone person with a huge lamp on a crane poised over it and a tray of tools nearby. The walls were covered in posters of the inside of the human mouth with cheesy phrases encouraging good oral hygiene or cartoon characters with reminders to floss. It was strange, but comparatively the most normal thing they'd encountered since entering the labyrinth.

"Naegi." Makoto spun around at the sound of his name. Mondo was staring at him with barely concealed panic. "What the hell is going on?"


It took a while to explain everything to Mondo. Makoto tried to keep it simple, giving him the same basic description Junko had given him on that first day before describing how he had inadvertently wandered into a labyrinth and been saved by her. Mondo was understandably shocked to learn that Junko was a Puella Magi. As well as Sayaka. And Chihiro.

"Fujisaki is!?"

Makoto nodded.

"I think a few other people in our class might be too, but I don't know who they are."

"...Shit man." Mondo looked Makoto up and down. "So are you one too? One of those... Pure Magic things?"

"Puer Magi," Makoto corrected. "And no. I almost made a contract, but..."

Blood ran down the grooves of the Witch's drill as it slid it out of Sayaka's corpse, dripping on her white top which had reappeared in a flash of blue light the moment she died.

"That sucks," Mondo said, not noticing the look that had crossed Makoto's face. "We could really use one right now."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Makoto said, "I think we'll be fine if we just stay put. Fujisaki-kun will probably notice the Witch's trail and come looking for us sooner or later. A-and I texted Enoshima-san a little while ago, so even if he doesn't come, she will."

"You did?" No doubt Mondo was wondering when and how Makoto had gotten the Ultimate Fashionista's phone number. "She say anything back?"

That was a good question. Makoto pulled his phone out of his pocket to check.

"No signal," he replied with a disappointed sigh. Mondo swore.

"I hate this," he growled. "I hate being stuck like this. We should be out there fighting, not hiding in here like a couple of cowards!"

"But normal humans can't stand up to those things!" Makoto protested. "I know you're scared, but please-"

Makoto knew he'd made a mistake the moment the word had left his lips.

"I ain't scared!" Mondo roared. "I'm fucking pissed! Who the hell does this Witch-bitch think she is!? I'm gonna find her and pummel her to dust and make her let us out!"

With that Mondo turned around and grabbed the doorknob, prepared to throw it open and face the familiars lurking outside. Reacting without thinking, Makoto ran forward and grabbed his arm. He knew he wasn't anywhere near strong enough to stop Mondo, but the stronger boy hesitated anyway.

"What're you doing? Let go!"

"Mondo, you can't do this!"

"Get offa me!"

"No!"

"Why are you being such a pain in the ass!?"

"Because I don't want to watch another one of my friends die!"

A painful silence fell between them. Mondo's hand was still gripping the doorknob, but he was frozen, staring down at the smaller boy who was still holding his arm for dear life. Makoto's eyes were squeezed shut and his body was trembling faintly. With a resigned sigh, Mondo let go of the doorknob, shoulders slumping.

"Aright. Aright. I won't go out there. You can chill."

Makoto didn't let go for several more seconds, still afraid Mondo might try to leave again. When Mondo didn't move, however, he gradually loosened his grip and released his hold. His body was still shaking though.

"...Was it Maizono?"

Makoto blinked. "How did...?"

"Well, she stopped showing up to class about halfway through the week, and you got all weird when we were talkin' about her earlier, so I figured..." Mondo shrugged. "Just made sense." A slight pause. "Shit man, I'm sorry."

Shaking his head, Makoto replied, "No, I'm sorry. For running off. And getting you stuck in this place."

Mondo scoffed. "You weren't thinkin' you were gonna take out the Witch by yourself, were you?"

"Of course not! I just... Those guys from earlier had these markings on them - Witches' Kisses - and I thought I should see where they were going so I could tell Fujisaki-kun."

Raising an eyebrow, Mondo asked, "Witches' what now?"

"Kisses. They're, um..." Makoto trailed off, trying to think of the best way to word his explanation. "Witches can leave these marks on people's bodies, and when they do they can make people do horrible things they normally wouldn't do. That's why those guys attacked me earlier. They were being controlled."

"Oh." Mondo thought back to the incident that lead up to them getting lost in the labyrinth. "Well, I still don't regret beating the shit out of them."

In truth, Makoto felt bad for them since he knew their actions weren't their own fault, but even so he was thankful Mondo had shown up when he did. If Mondo had shown up a little later, or decided not to show up at all... Makoto didn't want to think about it, so he put it out of his mind.


Time crawled by at a snail's pace, and still no one had shown up to save them. More and more familiars had appeared and clustered around Mondo and Makoto's hiding space. By now they could barely see anything through the cloud of flying, chattering teeth at the window and several walking stuffed animals had formed a mob and were throwing more chestnuts at the building. Fortunately the glass seemed to be able to stand up to the abuse and they made no move to actually try to get in, but Makoto doubted it would last forever.

Mondo grew more agitated by the second. For a while Makoto occupied himself by simply watching Mondo pace around the room, though eventually Mondo grew tired of that as well. In his pacing Mondo discovered another door against the far wall, but after a short discussion both boys decided it was too risky. It could lead to another room full of familiars, or worse, the lair of the Witch itself. Mondo insisted he wasn't scared of a fight, but he wasn't going to force Makoto to run into danger. Makoto found himself wondering how much time had passed since they'd been trapped.

Someone was going to come soon... Right?

Instead of an answer, the sound of Makoto's stomach rumbling loudly reached his ears. Mondo's head whipped towards him and Makoto felt his face heat up.

"Damn Naegi, that your stomach?"

"Sorry..." Makoto mumbled, avoiding eye contact. It was probably close to dinner time by then.

A rustling sound reached his ears and when Makoto looked up he saw Mondo digging into his coat pocket. Before he could ask Mondo withdrew a candy bar which he tossed to him. Makoto fumbled and barely caught it. Dumbly, he stared at the candy bar in his hands before fixing Mondo with a questioning look.

"Go ahead," Mondo said with a shrug. "I'm good. I had a big breakfast."

Mondo really was a nice guy after all. A small smile tugged at Makoto's lips.

"Thank you, Oowada-kun."

Sniffing, Mondo averted his gaze. "Y-yeah, whatever. Just hurry up and eat. You're gonna need your strength."

Makoto tore open the wrapper before digging into the treat.

"Listen, Naegi..." Mondo's eyes were fixed against the far wall. "I don't think anyone's coming."

As much as he wanted to argue, Makoto knew Mondo was probably right. If Chihiro or Junko were coming, they would have been there by now. Maybe something had held them up, or maybe they'd just never found the labyrinth. Makoto hoped it was one of those two.

"We're gonna hafta make a run for it."

Makoto paused mid-chew. Then he swallowed thickly.

"I... Yeah, I think you're right." He shoved the last of the candy bar in his mouth, chewed quickly, and swallowed. He crumpled up the wrapper and shoved it into his pocket. "If we're careful, maybe we can sneak by without getting caught by any more familiars."

With a scoff, Mondo said, "I don't like sneakin' around. But... Just this once I'll try it your way." Surveying the room once more, he added, "Let's look around and see if there's anything in here we can use as weapons first."

That was actually a pretty good idea, and Makoto nodded along eagerly. Except for the fact that it looked like everything had been drawn on pink construction paper, that place resembled a normal dentist's office and had all of the same tools and equipment. Makoto wasn't sure he could do much against the flying teeth, but maybe he could use one of the tooth scrapers to stab those stuffed animals if they tried to attack him. He knew it sounded silly, but it was still better than nothing. If nothing else, it would make him feel a little safer.

Of course, as Makoto's luck would dictate, the moment he opened the first drawer something flew out to attack him.

A scream erupted from Makoto's throat as he lurched back and tripped over his own feet. The clattering, chattering teeth-familiar that had nearly bitten his face off circled overhead several times before launching itself at Mondo.

"Fucking-!"

Mondo's shout gave way to a pained noise as the teeth dug into his shoulder. Makoto watched, horrified, as blood spurted from the wound. With an angry roar Mondo ripped the familiar from his shoulder and flung it as hard as he could across the room. And he could fling it pretty hard.

"You goddamn son of a bitch!" he snarled. The familiar struck the far wall with a squeak before slumping to the ground. It lay there, completely limp, while Mondo nursed his injured shoulder.

"Oowada-kun!" Makoto called as he pulled himself to his feet and started to run to his friend, but it was at that moment that he was suddenly grabbed from behind.

For the second time that day. Go figure.

Makoto slammed into the dentist's chair with an 'oof!' and instantly there were hands all over holding him in place; huge, white gloved hands like those of a cartoon character attached to the end of black and yellow tentacles that had emerged from the base of the chair. They held him by his shoulders, arms, hips, and ankles, preventing him from struggling. Two large hands even clamped over his mouth to keep him from moving his head or even screaming.

"Get off him!" Mondo roared, throwing himself at the machine. Instantly two more hands sprung from the base of the chair and grabbed him by the throat. Mondo's body was slammed against the far wall as the two hands constricted around his windpipe.

This was it.

They were going to die here.

Mondo was kicking and struggling and trying to pry the hands off of his throat but even he wasn't a match for their strength. Mondo was going to die, and it was all Makoto's fault. If he hadn't run after those people with the Witch's Kisses, made Mondo go looking for him, then all this-

((Naegi-kun! Oowada-kun! Are you okay?))

((....Chihiro?))

((Hold on, Naegi-kun! I'll be there soon! It's going to be okay, I promise!))

How soon was 'soon?' Mondo didn't have a lot of time. If Chihiro came even a few minutes too late-

((Hey kid, wanna make a wish?)) Monokuma's morbidly cheerful voice rang through his head. ((If ya don't feel like waiting, you can make a contract with me right now and bust yourself outta there! Just say the magic words!))

Form a contract? Become a Puer Magi? In this situation, could he really afford to say no? Even if he ended up dying in battle later, it would be better than dying now. Makoto steeled himself to reply to Monokuma, and then...

((Yeah, alright.))

Makoto blinked. Mondo? Peeling his eyes open, he locked eyes with the biker across the room. Huge sweat drops were rolling down his face, but he still seemed to have some cognition. As soon as their eyes met, Mondo nodded.

((Yo, bear-thing, listen up! I wish-))

Makoto squeezed his eyes shut as a brilliant orange light filled the office.


(AN: Poor Makoto can't catch a break. What? That's all my fault? Pfffft, I dunno what you're talking about. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think I'm getting a little better at picking out my mistakes, but again, feel free to point out any you've noticed. Who wants to guess what Mondo's wish is/was?)