"Are you ready?" Kyoko asked, looking over at the brunette boy, who rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get rid of any lingering sleepiness from his previous rest. "Yeah, just about," he replied with a nod, smiling slightly. The lavender haired girl gave him a firm nod in return, adjusting the collar of her jacket. The other resistance members were still asleep from the night—Kyoko had insisted on getting up early before many people were outside, to make sure that nobody was in Hifumi's shop when they arrived. Though Makoto honestly wished he could have slept in, he was looking forward to meeting this Sakura person, and he did understand the importance of arriving by themselves.

"Shall we, then?"

Makoto let out a sound of agreement, walking up to Kyoko as she led him to the door. The detective barely had a moment to grab the doorknob before a hushed voice rasped out a desperate, "Makoto...!"

Recognizing the voice without a doubt, he turned towards the bottom of the stairs, looking at his sister. "Eh? Komaru?"

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice a bit louder than a whisper. Makoto glanced at Kyoko, as if asking for silent permission to tell the younger girl about their trip, to which Kyoko just gave him a single nod. "... We're going to see Sakura."

"Who?" Komaru mused, walking over to them.

"She's a member of our resistance. She doesn't stay at the base, however, for both her own safety, and to not disrupt to boundaries," Kyoko explained simply.

"So... you're leaving again?"

The worried look on Komaru's face made Makoto feel guilty—in a way, he supposed he was leaving her again, not to mention he clearly hadn't told her yet. It wasn't that he didn't intend to inform her, he simply forgot in his relief of reuniting the day before.

"W-well...," Makoto murmured, an uneasy look on his face.

"... Fine then. But I'm coming this time," Komaru decided, to the surprise of her brother. "Really?" he inquired, a small bit of worry sinking in. If she came with them, would she be alright? Would something happen that she could get hurt from? The thought of losing his sister made him feel sick for a moment.

"Absolutely not," Kyoko replied, turning to Komaru with an impassive expression. "I understand your concern for your brother's wellbeing, however it's not worth risking your safety."

"And what, risking his is worth it?" Komaru protested.

"That's not what I said," Kyoko countered sharply, her brows twitching for a moment as a frown appeared on her features—and Makoto was sure that was as close to her flinching as he would see.

"Why can't I come along, then?"

"Because bringing one inexperienced member is a risk on its own. Two is a bit too risky to be preferable," the lavender haired girl explained.

"I... I won't take no for an answer," Komaru said with a serious look on her face—appearing more determined than Makoto had ever seen his sister before. "I'm coming with you two, even if I have to follow you both..."

Kyoko was silent for a moment, staring down Komaru—who although she initially flinched from it, still stood her ground. "... Fine," Kyoko relented, "you can come with us. Just be careful, please."

Komaru nodded, smiling softly, as she glanced at her older brother. Makoto let out a silent chuckle—he couldn't deny that he was quite impressed by how she had convinced the older girl to let her join in. Kyoko made no reply to them at first, staring between the two for a moment before simply heading towards the door.

"Let's go, you two. We need to be quick," the detective instructed, opening the door to walk out, the other two following close behind her.

Makoto stared out into the distance as they walked, watching the sunrise as it climbed up to its rightful place in the sky. He had to admit, he hadn't seen a sunrise in quite a while—it was nice to experience one yet again. The colors wisped across the sky, blending seamlessly into each other, and for a moment, the brunette boy felt peaceful.

Komaru must have been watching too, for when he turned to his younger sister, her eyes were lit up in joy, a smile on her face. The boy chuckled softly, turning to Kyoko—though the stoic girl didn't seem to be sharing the same lovely scene as they were.

Briefly, Makoto gazed at her as she led them forward to Buji City, and he wondered for a moment if she just had been too focused on leading them that she didn't seem to notice. Sure, the notion was a bit silly, yet he couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't enjoying the little things as well.

"Hey... Kyoko?"

"Hm?" the lavender haired girl answered, not turning to look at him.

"You, um... did you see the sunrise yet?" Makoto asked sheepishly.

Kyoko was silent, then nodded simply, replying with, "Yes, I did. Why?"

The brunette blinked, before frowning, realizing that she merely didn't care for such sights at this point.

"Oh... I was just wondering," he replied. "It looks pretty though, doesn't it?"

"... I suppose."

It didn't take Makoto long to realize that small talk wouldn't go well. It was the first time in a while he had gotten to have a conversation with Kyoko, and he was figuring out that most subjects seemed to end rather quickly. It was a bit upsetting as well, he would have liked to have a nice talk with her, to get to know her better—he really did want to get a better understanding of the serious girl. Perhaps it was best to just get to the point of his curiosities? He wasn't sure, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere with her by initiating simple conversations.

"... Can I ask you something?"

"Why not," Kyoko mused. "What is it?"

"Why did you start the resistance?"

Kyoko's pace never slowed, but she remained silent for a few beats, as if considering his question. "... Because Junko has to be stopped, doesn't she?"

Makoto nodded, understanding what she said. But still...

"Yeah, but... why you?" he asked, trying to specify his question

"What do you mean?" the detective countered, glancing at him over her shoulder briefly. Makoto just shrugged, looking at her curiously. "Well... I mean, why did you choose to start it? I know she has to be stopped, but... is there any reason you personally tried to start this way to bring her down?"

"... Someone had to do it."

Despite her simple reply, he could sense a small amount of bitterness in her voice, and he decided not to push the subject any further after that. He was sure there was more to it, if her tone implied anything—but he really didn't want to risk angering or upsetting her right now.

Komaru tugged on Makoto's sleeve, a worried look on her face—and Makoto realized he must have worn an expression of unease at the prior thoughts. He then offered his sister a smile, trying to reassure her that he was alright. Komaru's concern stayed evident for a moment, challenging his claim, before she nodded, releasing his sleeve to walk beside him quietly.

The walk was spent in silence for a while, and Makoto had to wonder why this Sakura girl was so far away from any of the others. For her safety, sure, but wasn't keeping her so far away risky as well? What if something happened and she needed their help? They would be too far away to arrive in time before trouble occurred, right?

... Wait. Didn't Kyoko mention something about boundaries before?

Makoto opened his mouth to question it, but Komaru beat him to speaking. "So, uh... where are we going, exactly?"

Kyoko let out a quiet hum, sounding almost amused, as she asked, "Weren't you listening before?"

Komaru puffed out her cheeks in childish protest, countering back with, "Well, yeah, I was! We're going to see Sakura, but... where is Sakura?"

The lavender haired detective looked around cautiously, checking for anyone else around them to hear what she would say. Makoto glanced around as well, noticing that while it was early, some people were still starting to get on with their day by now. After a moment, she turned to Komaru, shaking her head—and Makoto could only guess that she was saying it wasn't safe to say out loud right now. Komaru sighed, but nodded, following along silently for the remainder of the walk.

The boy wasn't sure how long or how far they walked on, but eventually Kyoko lead them to a small, two story building—a shop, as he realized.

This had to be the place.

Upon opening the door, a small bell sounded, alerting the owner of an arrival in their store. Makoto almost missed those simple sounds, the pleasant reminders of what was once a peaceful life. Komaru looked around in awe, her eyes gazing over the floor-to-ceiling shelves of manga. Though the shelves weren't anywhere close to full, and only a few volumes scattered the place, making it look rather empty, Makoto could only guess it once was full of amazing works of art and stories.

After he looked around for a while, he turned back to Kyoko—who appeared to be talking with a rather round young man, adorned by a quite silly grin, yet who looked more eccentric than most people Makoto had seen recently.

"Ah, Miss Kirigiri! I see you've returned to equip more masterpieces into your inventory!"

Oh yes, definitely eccentric.

"Hello, Hifumi," Kyoko greeted plainly, nodding towards him. The young man smiled, looking at Makoto and Komaru with an excited grin. "I see you have more party members to join you. And who might you two be?"

"I'm Komaru Naegi," the dark haired girl answered, "and this is my big brother, Makoto."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Naegi! And to your brother as well," Hifumi replied with a large smile. "If I might ask, what kind of doujinshi works are you into? I have a good variety left if anyone is interested in seeing them!"

Komaru giggled, looking around with a happy grin, and Makoto couldn't help but smile with her. He glanced back at Kyoko, just as Hifumi spoke again. "Yet, uh... I assume you're not here for that," he said, tilting his head down as his glasses shined, blocking any view of his small eyes. "I'm guessing you're here to see Miss Oogami?"

With a simple nod, Kyoko looked towards the doorway leading to a flight of stairs. Hifumi stepped out of the way to let her past, and the siblings followed after her, walking up the stairs and turning down the hall. Kyoko approached the door, knocking three times, then twice, then four times after. They were met by silence, before the door opened, revealing the most muscular woman Makoto had ever really seen. Her strong build was quite intimidating, and if it wasn't for the calm look on her features, Makoto would feel pretty scared by her presence.

"Kyoko... it's nice to see you doing well. I take it you and your team has been staying safe?"

"Of course," the detective replied, "And you four have been doing well, right?"

Sakura nodded once, an almost amused smile on her face, "As well as we can be, yes."

"May we come in?"

"Of course."

Kyoko glanced back at the two, gesturing once for them to follow her, as the three entered the room. It was a pleasant looking bedroom of sorts, however the two beds placed against opposite walls made Makoto wonder who else stayed in the room. Upon looking around the place, he noticed another girl staring at them, and realized his question was already answered.

"Hey... you two look new. I haven't seen you before. Who are you guys?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, her short black hair swaying slightly from the gesture. Kyoko turned to the girl, nodding in greeting to her before speaking. "Sayuri, this is Komaru and Makoto Naegi, our newest members" she introduced, before gesturing to her two companions.

"Oh... nice to meet you, then!" Sayuri chirped, a happy smile on her features. "I'm Sayuri Akiyama, but Kyoko already kind of said that..."

Makoto just smiled at her, "It's nice to meet you too, Sayuri."

"Well, while we're in the middle of greetings," Kyoko interjected after a moment, looking around.
"Where are Yukari and Mondo?"

"Mondo should be in his and Hifumi's room, and if I recall, Yukari was running errands the last time we checked in, before she left," Sakura explained, crossing her large arms as she spoke. Kyoko nodded, turning to the door. "I'd like to go speak with Mondo, then. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take your time," Sakura said, "I would like to get to know these two in any case."

"Very well then."

With that, Kyoko turned on her heel, walking down the hall to another room on the left. Makoto watched her depart, before turning to the two females, waving unsurely. "Um... hi," he murmured, offering them a smile. Sakura nodded to acknowledge him, while Sayuri smiled, waving back. "So... new members, huh?" Sayuri asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed with a nod, "we both started yesterday, along with another friend of ours."

"I see," Sakura mused, looking at the two siblings. "I take it you recently met Kyoko as well, then?"

"Mhmm," Komaru hummed, "About four days ago, I think..."

"Wow, you guys really joined quickly, huh?" Sayuri commented, blinking in surprise. "I mean, it took most of us a while to be convinced to join... or for Kyoko to trust us enough to let some of us in."

"Well... we've been wanting the world to change for a long time. So, it only made sense to work with people with the same goals," Makoto explained, earning an approving look from Sakura.

"How very noble of you two," she said, nodding once to them. "I must admit, I am also surprised that Kyoko brought you here so early..."

"Really?"

"Yeah... normally, she doesn't like bringing people to Sakura right away—you know how it is," Sayuri answered. "She's usually cautious with making sure nobody who could be a threat finds us here."

"She must trust you quite a lot, then..."

Makoto chuckled nervously at Sakura's claim, waving his hands in front of him as he negated the possibility. "N-no, no, it's probably just that I couldn't do much even if I was a threat. I mean... I'm a pretty average kid, y'know?"

"Maybe so...," Sakura murmured, looking down the hall as footsteps echoed towards them.

"Yo', Sakura, who the fuck are you talkin' to?"

"Mondo!" Sayuri scolded, "Watch your language!"

Mondo walked in a moment later, carrying two bags of supplies, as a blonde girl walked in behind him, a frown on her face. "Mondo, I could have carried them myself."

"Are you bein' serious, Yukari? I'm doin' you a favor, here!"

"The two of you, please...," Sakura warned, as Mondo set the bags unceremoniously down on the floor. Kyoko followed in a moment later, closing the door behind them. "Hey... who're these two?" Mondo asked, raising a brow at them. Kyoko cleared her throat, gesturing to Makoto. "Makoto Naegi, and his sister, Komaru," she replied. "They're our two new members."

"Oh," Yukari murmured. "I see... welcome to the team. I'm Yukari Oonishi, one of the team's spell specialists."

"Mondo Oowada," the taller boy introduced, his voice sounding irritated as he cracked his knuckles. "Nice to fuckin' meet ya'. I don't got any magic, but if you think I'm weaker than the other little shits for that, I'm more than willing to punch your teeth in to prove you're wrong."

"N-no, that won't be necessary," Makoto said nervously, a chuckle passing his lips. He really hadn't thought he did anything to anger the boy, but either he did—or this young man's temper was just a ticking time bomb.

Either way, he reminded himself to be careful around him—best not to infuriate someone who could put him through a wall, after all.

"Nice to meet you guys as well...," Komaru greeted with a nod to the two, smiling unsurely. Mondo nodded to her, heaving out as gruff sigh, as Yukari pulled a small notepad out of one of the bags. "So... you two have what magic talents?"

"Um..."

The blonde girl cut Makoto off before he could utter a word, raising a hand as she pulled the pen out of the notepad's spiral bindings. "I like to keep track of everyone's abilities—it helps. I would try to theorize, but... I've found it's easier just to ask."

"We... have none," Komaru confessed for them. "Makoto and I are pretty much as normal as you can get."

"Ah, I see," Sayuri said with a nod. "That's okay, I know how that is. I don't have any magic, either."

"Really?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah," the green eyed girl confirmed. "I mean, I tried spells once, but the language is really confusing... and I'm scared to make potions, I don't want to make any bad mistakes with those things after all."

"I... guess I can understand that," Makoto agreed, before turning to Sakura. "And you? ... Kyoko had mentioned you had a rare magic talent... what is it, exactly?"

"My capabilities are what one might call a Dreamer," the muscular young woman stated.

"A... what?"

It seemed that she had expected them not to know, as Sakura just offered an amused smile, beginning to explain.

"When I am asleep, my consciousness can leave my body and wander about the area I'm in. Whatever I witness is displayed to me in my sleep," Sakura said.

"Really?" Makoto asked, eyes widening a bit. "Does that mean you can talk to people, even when asleep?"

"No. When my consciousness is out, it cannot be seen or heard, or even felt by others. Its presence is entirely undetected...," she stated, earning a gasp of awe from Komaru.

"Wow, so, you're like the perfect spy, huh? You can see anything, anywhere, at any time?"

"Not quite," Sakura corrected. "There are boundaries to follow as well."

Makoto recalled Kyoko's comment about such earlier, and looked at the white haired woman. "Yeah... I think I heard something about that. What are they, exactly?"

"They are the limits to where I can wander off when asleep," she explained. "I can feel them when I'm about to cross them. It feels odd to say the least. Not painful, but not quite comfortable, either. It helps so I don't break them."

"What would happen if you did?"

Sakura glanced at Komaru as she spoke. "My consciousness wouldn't be able to return to me, and my body would be unable to ever awaken."

"So you'd die if you cross the boundaries?" Makoto asked, feeling uneasy at the thought.

"In a physical sense, yes... my consciousness would live on however, just as it is. Unseen, unheard... I would be left to wander as a sort of ghost forever, to put it simply."

"That... sounds horrible," Komaru rasped out. Sayuri offered a sympathetic frown to Sakura, before turning to the siblings. "That's why she's here. The city where Ultimate Despair resides is just within the limit this way. So... she's the team's spy without risking being separated from her body this way."

Makoto swallowed a lump in his throat, but nodded, smiling softly at Sakura. "That's really brave..."

"If it's what I must do to help, then it is what I will do," she replied simply. Makoto remained quiet, considering her words. That was what he felt when he joined—it seemed she shared his belief. But... she was out there risking her life, her existence, to help this rebellion. What could he do to really help then?

"I see... that makes sense," he said, his voice soft, as Kyoko glanced over at him. "Is something wrong, Makoto?"

"Ah, no, no, I'm okay," he reassured her, letting out a small laugh. "Sorry... just thinking."

"You're not a very convincing liar," Yukari pointed out, "What's on your mind?"

"It's... I'm just thinking of how I can help out, that's all."

"You're doing fine as is," Kyoko interjected, a plain look on her face, but her words carried an unusual hint of desperation—like she needed him to keep doing what he was. But then again, he wasn't sure if anything he was doing was all that useful, so...

Mondo shrugged, cracking his neck. "Eh, whatever. It doesn't really matter right now, so quit worryin' 'bout it, kid..."

Sayuri gave him an indignant expression, about to scold him for brushing someone else's conversation off, but he continued, looking over at the detective. "Kyoko, you said you came here for somethin'?"

The lavender haired girl nodded, changing her gaze over from Makoto to look at Sakura. "Yes. The usual, as always," she said. "If you could spy on the town tonight and let us know if she's planning anything, that would be nice."

"Of course," the strong girl agreed, "I will call you with my findings first thing in the morning, then."

"Thank you," Kyoko offered with a nod. "Just be careful, please."

"I will, I assure you."

Kyoko let out a slight sound of approval, before turning to Makoto and Komaru. "We should get going, then... we don't want to risk spending too long here."

"Right," Makoto agreed, as he turned to the four. "It was nice to meet you guys!"

"Same to you, Makoto," Sayuri said with a smile, waving goodbye. "Please, take care of yourself," Yukari warned, as Sakura nodded to them, murmuring a quiet farewell. Though Mondo said nothing, he waved his hand once, bidding them goodbye. With that, Kyoko led the two out and downstairs where they met Hifumi once more.

"Hifumi," Kyoko started, "any popular books you have in stock?"

"Ah, yes, I have one here!" he exclaimed, bounding over to one of the shelves and pulling a doujinshi volume down—Makoto was surprised of how good of a condition it was in. He wondered how much care Hifumi put into keeping these manga pristine, before watching as he showed it to Kyoko. The lavender haired girl looked over it, then nodding, pulling out a sum of money. "Here," she said, handing it to him.

"Oh my—are you really making a purchase, Miss Kirigiri?"

"For the sake of a cover, yes," she said, watching as he accepted the payment and offered the book to her, but she merely pointed to Komaru. "Let her have it, it's fine."

"Eh? Really, Kyoko?" the younger girl asked.

"We should likely disguise the visit—and you seem to be more of the type to purchase something of this sort than I would be. So yes, go ahead."

Komaru nodded, a sweet smile on her face as she gave a soft thank you to her. She accepted the manga from Hifumi, looking over the cover. "Wow! This is such a good one, where did you find this?"

"I believe I acquired that one four years ago—I haven't put it out yet, so you're lucky you obtained this special one."

"How many other cool ones do you have?" Komaru asked, excitement evident in her eyes.

"I have quite the inventory, if you'd ever like to see...!"

"Maybe another time," Kyoko cut in, before ushering the younger girl towards the door. Komaru seemed to be in quite the good mood with her new material to read, and Makoto smiled, walking beside Kyoko as they left the shop, heading back towards the base.

She was hidden in the shadows as she watched them leave—the younger looking girl with a manga in her hands, chattering happily to the other two about the contents of the book she just bought from the shop. Mukuro glanced at the little, two-story building—Buji City's manga store, owned by the popular doujinshi author, Hifumi Yamada. Every otaku used to make weekly, or even daily visits into his shop when the world once was good—and it seemed even in their hellish surroundings, people still did.

But she had trouble believing that buying manga was really what Kyoko had risked bringing them all the way out here to do.

She knew that Kyoko herself wasn't one for those things—and perhaps the bubbly teen girl that was with them was, but that didn't explain why Kyoko went with them to that place.

That couldn't have been all it was, could it?

She debated going in and seeing what was there—what the real visit could have been, but she scolded herself for having the thought. Toying with the metal beads strung in a bracelet around her wrist, she watched them depart, waiting for a safe distance. She could always investigate this shop later, but for now, she promised Junko that she would follow the boy instead—and she knew she couldn't break her promises to Junko.

So without a word or sound made, she slipped after the three, following them silently the entire way back to their base.

I'm surprised this got done so quickly.

Honestly, I was aiming to hopefully get it done by Friday, as I have to work all day this upcoming weekend. But... yeah. It's actually done now. So... here's a gift for the fact that I took effing forever to post the last chapter.

Also, I just counted recently. There's gonna be over 40 important characters in this story. Wish me luck?

And, our final type of magic talents is introduced here. The "Dreamer" ability. That was a fun one to create, honestly. I hope you guys like it.

And a big thank you to TriMaplenut and Sync Ryu for the reviews- they really make me smile. And I forgot to say it before, but thank you guys so much for everyone who has stuck with this story, even in my prior absence. You guys are amazing, thank you so much.

Anyway, because of my busy schedule for the next two weeks, I'm gonna try to get the next chapter out by next Friday (June 10), but I can't make an absolute promise. I will try my best, though, but forgive me if I'm a few days behind. It won't take nearly as long as it did for last chapter, THAT I can promise.

Either way, enjoy, guys! Leave a review if you have anything to say- positive or negative, any input you guys have helps. C'ya next chapter!