A.N. Yay! She didn't disappear after one chapter! Woo! BTW, for those of you who've played the third game, what did you think of the ending?

DISCLAIMER: Here is a list of things I own:

Ayano

If you don't see it on the list, then I don't own it! Please support the official release of the games, manga, anime, visual books, products, Monokuma, etc.

WARNING: Swearing, depressed thoughts, character death, and adult humor

X X X

Classmate Total: 13 :) 3 *_*

There are moments in life that seem inexplicable. For one second, everything is exactly as you remembered, and you feel at ease with the world. You know the rules, you know your job, and you get comfortable. It's usually at that moment that life decides to throw you a curveball, to see if you can handle the change. Some people get hit in the face and break their nose, while others hit a homerun. The point is, you have to be ready for life to change.

And I wasn't.

"Wh-What is going on?" I asked, standing frozen in the doorway to the dining hall, unable to comprehend the sight before me.

Everyone (except Touko and Togami) was in the dining hall, looking down at their food as if determined to ignore the sight on the middle of the room. At my entrance, I saw several sympathetic and annoyed gazes glance at me before sighs of exasperation echoed.

"What are you talking about, Aya?" Mondo asked, his arm slung around Taka's shoulders, a huge grin stretching across his face. "It's just another normal morning!"

Taka laughed loudly, his red eyes gleaming with energy. "Right you are, bro!"

The two boys seemed completely oblivious to the atmosphere, and all their classmates doing their best to drown out the loud exclamations emanating from the happy duo.

'Wh-What part of this is normal?!' I thought, dumbfounded. 'This is a complete turnaround from yesterday's behavior!'

Carefully, I took a step toward the two boys. "If Monokuma is blackmailing you, blink three times," I instructed in a low voice. It was honestly the only explanation that made sense for how two people could hate each other to the point of shouting abuse at each other, to being willing to die for each other in the course of one night.

Taka laughed. "Ayano, don't be ridiculous!"

Mondo nodded. "Everything is fine, Aya!"

Helplessly, I turned to the rest of my classmates, trying to find out why they were playing some kind of prank on me.

"They've been like this all morning," Hina sighed, shaking her head. "They were all buddy-buddy as soon as they walked in. It feels gross."

"Feel's gross!" Mondo repeated angrily. "Hell no! Feels great, more like!"

"This almost feels like sexual harassment," she muttered, glaring.

Taka waved her away, smiling in a superior way. "Forget her, bro. A girl like her just doesn't get our manly bond!" He struck a pose. "Friendship between men is stronger than blood! A woman could never understand!"

'I certainly don't.' Hesitantly, I sat next to Chihiro, who seemed just as bewildered as the rest of us. 'And I don't think even the other guys get it either.' I mean, it was great that Taka and Mondo were getting along, and a million times better than when they were fighting...but it was just so odd! It was as if in the space of one night, their characters had been slightly rewritten! It gave me the same feeling of when I saw a painting where the artist had clearly run out of a certain color, and mixed one as close as possible to the original. It was the same on the surface, but ultimately different.

Mondo gave Taka a thumbs-up. "What you just said? Bro, that was cool as shit! I should get a tattoo of it!"

"No, bro, you mustn't!" Taka cheerily protested. "Your body is a temple, given to you by your loving parents!"

'...I suppose we should just ride this out. It is, after all, not a bad thing…'

"So, um…" Makoto began, sitting next to me. "Who won the contest?"

"Hmm?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were watching them, Makoto."

He put his hands up defensively. "They told me to leave after the nighttime announcement!"

I blinked. "They were in there that long?"

'Maybe the heat addled their brains…'

Makoto nodded. "So, I don't know who won the contest." We turned questioningly to the duo.

"Who gives a shit?!"

"Yeah, don't ask stupid questions! What matters is that we both took part in it together!"

'A tie, then?' I thought amused at their quick responses. 'I'll bet they both were about to pass out, and came to an agreement.'

Makoto frowned. "That's...completely different from what you were saying last night."

"I see," Sakura observed, her gravelly voice sounding amused. "Friendship between men seems very...simplistic. Nothing like what I'm used to with girls."

"Yeah, for real," Hina agreed.

And so, Mondo and Taka's 'bond of brotherhood' dominated the dining hall all through breakfast, making me feel exhausted despite the day only just beginning. It was nice to see such close friends, but was overwhelmingly annoying in the long run. Still, I did my best have a conversation with Chihiro, with the intention of proving that nothing had changed between us. But, again, there was only so much I could take, and I finished my food quickly.

"I'm heading to the library," I told the room, waving goodbye. I was determined to spend the day in the library to make up for ditching Togami. I wasn't very excited, though. I still had to deal with his inevitable grumpiness…

As I was walking up the stairs to the second floor, I saw an unusual sight. Touko and Makoto were heading in my direction, both looking generally uncomfortable walking together.

"What's up?" I called, making the Literary Prodigy flinch.

"Hey, Ayano," Makoto greeted. "Are you on your way to the library?"

"Yes," I answered, nodding. "Are you heading there as well?"

"Why are you s-so surprised?" Touko mumbled, looking at her feet. "Am I really that a-annoying?"

"No, but-"

"W-Well, I already know I'm annoying, I always kn-know that, so...that makes it o-okay…"

"I'm not annoyed," I said, quick to reassure the sensitive girl. "I'm curious."

"Wh-Why are you going there?" she asked suspiciously.

"Togami asked me to help him go through the back room," I answered, turning away. "If you're looking for a book or something, I can help. Just make sure you're quiet. I'm sure Togami wouldn't appreciate the noise."

Too impatient to wait, I headed up the stairs, leaving a stuttering Touko and confused Makoto behind.

Togami was sitting at his table, book in hand and coffee gently steaming. At my entrance, he looked up questioningly, before his perpetual frown deepened. "Oh, it's you."

"How mean!" I exclaimed, plopping down in the chair across from him. "But I'll forgive you, since I already know why you're grumpy."

He shot me a glare before his eyes returned to his book. "Oh, really?"

I sighed in resignation of his bad attitude. For once, I deserved it. "I really am sorry, Togami." I put my elbow on the table, and rested my cheek on my hand. "It wasn't my intention to ditch you. Chihiro was really upset about someone insinuating she was weak, and so I spent some time calming her down. And then Hina got involved and I basically got dragged along the rest of the day. I did come here about an hour or so before nighttime, but you were already gone by that point."

He set his book down, his glare intensifying. "Are you saying its my fault you never showed up?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I suppose its not, not your fault," I said pensively. "After all, had you been kinder to Chihiro, and not made everyone hate you, then I would've been here sooner. Buuuuut...I was the one who was late. So no, the fault is completely mine."

Togami's expression was somewhere between infuriated and exasperated, which pleased me greatly. It was always fun to mess with someone who thought the universe turned at their beck and call, and Togami fit that to a tee!

"Fine," he eventually said, not really sure how to respond to my backhanded apology. "But I expect you to help me in my research today."

"Of course!" I replied. "So what-"

Creak.

Both Togami and I turned our heads to the obnoxiously slow creaking of the door, as if someone was trying to be stealthy, and failed epically.

"H-He's here...Ahaha...he's r-really here!" Touko's voice whisper-shouted from behind a shelf. "Okay M-Makoto. Go talk to him!"

"What?!"

"Stop b-being so loud! Just hurry up and g-go talk to him!"

"You go talk to him if you want to so bad!"

"I c-can't! I don't want to interrupt him!"

I raised an eyebrow at the comedy routine going on not-so-secretly behind a shelf. "What's up with her?"

Togami sighed irritably. "So she has returned…" He stood up, gesturing me to follow him. "Just ignore them. I'll show you what I've discovered about the back room."

I stood as well, when I saw Makoto walk out from behind the shelf, his shoulders stiff with tension. "Uhh…"

"Hey, you," Togami said sharply, his glare directed at the bookshelf, where Touko was very obviously peeking out. "What are you doing back here? I hate even having to look at you."

Touko let out a mangled whimper and ducked behind the wall of books.

Makoto smiled nervously. "Ah, so you noticed us, huh?"

'It was hard not to,' I thought bemusedly. Still, Togami was being a little harsh. That was genuine dislike I heard in his voice, as opposed to his normal 'I hate everyone because I am perfect,' voice.

"Of course," he said, his icy eyes turning cooly to Makoto. "Now hurry up and leave. And take her with you."

Touko slinked out of hiding, twisting her hands nervously. "Hey, um...Byakuya?"

I stared in surprise as her face got red and she smiled creepily. 'How forward of her to use his first name! And...why is she acting so...odd?'

Togami said nothing, simply crossing his arms. Literally everything about him screamed, "DO NOT TALK TO ME," but Touko continued anyway. I didn't know if that was brave or stupid…

"R-Remember how you said, 'Don't be a woman who dominates w-weak men. Be a woman dominated by a s-strong man?'"

My eyes got huge. "Wh-"

"I never said that," Togami responded flatly, his eyes narrowing.

"W-Well, actually, I just thought it sounded like s-something you might say," Touko explained, blushing.

I covered my mouth, trying not to burst out laughing at the pure irritation on the blond male's features, coupled with the hopeful embarrassment on Touko's face. It was really a comical sight, and I couldn't help but be interested in how King Grumpy would respond.

"Get out," he ordered curtly, his frown deepening at my obvious mirth. "And go take a bath-you smell."

"Togami!" I said disapprovingly, wincing slightly at Touko's shocked expression.

"Don't make me repeat myself again," he continued coldly. 'Go now, before your stench latches onto the entire room."

"That's so rude!" I protested, glaring at the taller male.

'And immature,' I wanted to add, but Touko only nodded her head.

"O-Okay."

Makoto followed her, shooting a swift glance at me as if to say, "What the heck just happened?"

I shrugged. "How should I know?"

As for Togami, he just turned and headed to the back room, not waiting for me to follow.

I hesitated, torn between wanting to smack him and check on Touko. Annoyance won, and I ended up following the stubborn blond, grumbling under my breath about respecting a girl's feelings.

"You know, Togami," I started, picking my way through the mess of folders. "Someone who is attracted to someone as high and mighty as you is pretty rare. You should be nicer to Touko, even if she is odd."

"I have no use for someone who can't even finish a sentence without dissolving into a stuttering mess," he muttered, picking up some of the folders from the ground. "Besides, she's annoying."

"I can't really argue with that," I said, taking the files from him. "I mean, when we first met, I instinctively hated her. But she's not so bad, if you have the patience."

"I have no patience for women who hide behind shelves breathing heavily while I try to read," he said shortly, a splash of pink on his cheeks.

I immediately burst into laughter. "Oh my God! Seriously?! Did she do that-"

"All day yesterday."

The image of Touko hiding like a stalker, watching an angry Togami, was a hilarious yet terrifying image that I stored in my brain for later laughter. "Okay," I admitted, biting my lip to stop the flow of giggles. "That explains why you were so rude." I smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry you were basically trapped in here with her yesterday."

He huffed, putting more files into my waiting arms. "Well, it might've been avoided had I had assistance," Insert meaningful look here, "but I am unfortunately used to unwanted attention, being the heir of the Togami Company."

"Oh," I said, dragging out the syllable with a smirk. "You're more popular than I thought. My apologies."

Instead of getting mad, like I thought he would, he turned a scrutinizing gaze to my form. "That's perhaps why I enjoy your company." His gaze was frustrated, though not at me, his icy blue eyes turned inward as he thought aloud. "It's...pleasant to not be fawned over by pawns seeking attention, or hated because of my personality. You...try very hard to understand me, and I do appreciate it." He frowned. "But...despite your continued time spent with me, you seem to be getting less and less comfortable around me. When we first met, you rudely continued to use my first name, but now you've gone in reverse. Add that to yesterday…" He trailed off, his cheeks turning pink.

I felt my own cheeks heat up at the rare moment of honesty, and for a moment, I felt as if I were talking to Togami-Clone instead of the Original. The person in front of me was clumsy when it came to people, unsure how to interact properly, especially when he wanted to actually be around someone. His whole life had been nothing but a game to his family, and now he was hated for continuing to act as he had to. The strong adapt, and that's what Togami did. In a way, his life had been a killing game, and he was the most suited to it. The others saw his attitude as pure arrogance, but I sometimes caught a glimpse of the lonely child who never had a friend. It...made my heart hurt.

I didn't really know how to respond to the warm and sad feelings in my chest, but I had to try to reciprocate. If I didn't, the wall between us would never be breached.

"Well, first of all," I said slowly, trying to lighten the dark look in his eyes. "The only reason I switched to Togami over Byakuya is that I wanted to make you more comfortable, as it seemed to bother you that everyone else calls you that."

I took a deep breath, pausing to make sure I was saying everything I wanted to. "I...don't really understand why you act the way you do sometimes," I said, trying to smile. "But, I want to understand. I don't think anyone should bear the weight of the world all on their own. You seem so closed off, but you can't live like that. Making connections, hurting and being hurt in return, that's how we as humans grow."

He turned away. "It's easy to say that, but I wonder if someone like you can actually understand me?"

I puffed up my cheeks. "How rude! 'Someone like me,' what does that mean, you jerk?! Just you wait!" I glared at him, annoyed. 'Way to ruin the mood.'

He smirked arrogantly, kingly persona returned. "Just don't become too involved in your mission. One stalker is plenty for me."

"As if!" I scoffed, puffing up my cheeks. "Who would like you?! You're the rudest, most arrogant person I've ever met!" (A.N. Tee hee. Togami brings out the tsundere side of Aya)

He tilted his head back mockingly, literally looking down on me. "You are my ally, and my pawn. I wonder how far you can cross the board before you're defeated…"

'Is he...teasing me?!' I thought wildly, sticking my tongue out at him like a three-year-old. "I'll reach the other side of the board, before you even notice it!"

"We'll see."

X X X

Classmate Total: 13 :) 3 *_*

The back room, as I quickly found out, was filled with real-life crime cases that ranged from serial killers to government-sanctioned assassination. Togami had already seen most of the files, due to the frightening power of the Togami Company's control on the country, and was working on separating them into classes of danger. He explained quite smugly that I wasn't allowed to look inside several of the folders, as I would quickly become a target of assassination, and had no "illustrious connections" to keep me safe. This made the childish side of me rear up, insisting that I sit down and read every file, consequences be hanged.

Luckily, the logical side of me won, and I just grumbled about stuck-up rich people for a while, much to Togami's amusement.

While we worked, we assumed the same easy silence that we'd had when cleaning the library. I think that was probably my favorite thing about, him...his appreciation for silence. When he wasn't praising himself or his family, or insulting someone, he was actually quite peaceful to be around. The few conversations we had were either him gloating about a certain file, or my finding a file that I could read, and talking about it with him. Odd as it might sound, but sorting criminal files and reading the cases was actually quite in that little room with Togami, I found myself feeling safe, something I never thought would happen in the school.

And of course the bear had to ruin it.

The nighttime bells went off, startling me. I had no idea how long we'd been working, but it was worth it. Everything was clean and organized, aside from the few folders that Togam had set aside. He had evidently been reading them earlier, and wouldn't let me see what files they were. I didn't really care by that point, having already been mocked for my low security standing several times that day.

"Ahem! School announcement, school announcement," Monokuma said, catching my attention.

"That's not his usual speech," I observed, leaving the Archive (which was what the back room was labeled in the Digital Notebook) to watch one of the monitors.

"Indeed, it's not," Togami agreed, frowning.

"Nighttime is quickly approaching, but before it arrives," Monokuma said, unusually somber. "All students, please gather in the gym immediately. Emergency! Emergency!" Then, the monitor went black.

"Let's go," Togami said, already heading for the door.

"Wait up!" I called, taking two steps for each one of his long strides.

We walked in a tense silence, thoughts swirling around our minds like leaves in the wind. 'It's unlikely that something is seriously wrong,' I reasoned. 'Monokuma wouldn't be so stiff if it was something "exciting," and would take care of any problem that would endanger his game without us being there...No, it has to be that...a new motive.'

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It had been a few days since the first murder, and we'd had a chance to completely explore the second floor, so Monokuma must be getting bored. The bastard.

The library was pretty far away from the gym, so it wasn't too surprising that we were the last two to arrive. Everyone else was standing in the center of the gym, milling around aimlessly as they waited for Monokuma to arrive.

"Byakuya, Ayano!" Taka greeted, sweating with worry. "There you are! Do either of you know why we've been gathered together like this? What could he possibly want?"

"Indeed," Celestia replied, prim as always. "What might await us this time?"

Togami crossed his arms, a chuckle escaping. "He keeps things interesting, that for certain."

Hifumi took a step back nervously. "How is that funny? Can't you smile like a normal person once in a while?Like how the housewife on a classic TV show smiles at the end of an episode?"

"There's something totally messed up with you if you can laugh at a time like this!" Hina agreed.

I stayed out of it for once, curious to see what Togami would say when challenged.

He tilted his head back arrogantly, his tone condescending. "Which of us is actually 'messed up,' hmm?"

Hina tilted her head, confused. "Wh-What's that supposed to mean…?"

"Nothing in particular," Togami said dismissively. "Just admiring, that's all...I don't want to kill anyone. But I also don't want to stay here, living in blind denial day after day. I was just admiring how you could live like that and still keep your sanity."

It was strange that I felt relieved by his words, but it was honestly the first time that he admitted that he didn't actually want to kill anyone. Not that I thought he was bloodthirsty by any means, but it meant that he was less likely to hurt anyone than I'd thought previously.

"I'm not in denial," Hina argued, getting angrier by the second.

And Togami seemed to want to make her even more so.

"That reminds me," he said mockingly. "Remember how you kept talking about how the police or whoever would come help us? How'd that turn out? It seems to me there's no sign whatsoever of possible rescue."

"Th-That's just-," Hina began, before breaking off with a horrified look. "But...why aren't they here? I wonder what actually happened?"

"It's strange, that's true," Kyoko agreed, startling me. She'd been quiet the last few days, to the point where I'd nearly forgotten her existence. For her to speak up must mean that she was troubled by the lack of rescue as well.

"We're right in the middle of an urban area," she continued. "It's impossible that no one has noticed sixteen missing students."

She had a very good point, and the implications of her words was frightening indeed. It meant that something had happened outside of the school, something that overshadowed the mass kidnapping of sixteen of the world's most promising students. Either that, or the Mastermind was somehow able to keep anyone from reaching us.

"The police suck!" Hifumi declared angrily.

"On the contrary," Celestia corrected. "The Mastermind may be just that powerful, to take control even of the police…"

"Oh!" Yasuhiro exclaimed, rubbing his chin. "This might not be related, but-"

"Then don't say it," Touko snapped.

"Nope, gonna say it!" he grinned. "It's about last night. I was near the main hall, just staring off into space. When all of a sudden...I heard it."

"You heard what?" Chihiro asked nervously, unconsciously stepping closer to me.

"A sound that...I don't really know what it was," the Clairvoyant said mysteriously, scratching his head.

"Wh-What kind of sound?" Taka asked, looking a little freaked out.

"Well, like I said, I don't really know," he shrugged, very obviously enjoying having everyone's attention. "But if I had to describe it...it was like...a construction site, I guess?"

Now he had completely lost me. 'What? What on earth is he talking about?'

"A construction site?" Makoto repeated, confused.

Yasuhiro closed one eye, deep concentration on his features. "I mean, I could just be making that up. I only just barely heard anything…"

"Then, you d-definitely made it up," Touko scoffed. M-Must've just been the sound of the ocean in th-that head of yours."

For once, I agreed with her. 'What an unreliable guy. A faint noise that sounded like a construction site?! Did he mean a jackhammer, trucks moving, sweaty guys swearing at each other, what?!'

"Say what?!" an accented voice shouted. "Whatchoo talkin' about, Touko?!"

We all turned in time to see our "principal" pop out from whatever secret compartment that was hidden in the podium on the gym stage.

"He arrived," Kyoko observed, frowning.

"What Hiro heard wasn't the sound of construction," Monokuma explained, his dark side leering at us. "But it could have been an explosion!"

'Why would he think an explosion sounds like construction?!' I thought, exasperated. 'Maybe mining, but construction? Seriously?' I crossed my arms with a huff, thoroughly irritated.

"Or maybe a machine gun!" Monokuma teased. "Puhuhu...That can kinda sound like construction in a way."

'Okay,' I admitted. 'I could see how a machine gun could sound like a jackhammer, but-wait, machine gun?!'

"What are you talking about?!" Makoto cried, clearly irritated.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Monokuma sang, covering his mouth with his paws. "Beyond this point my mouth is zipped, my lips are sealed, and I am fully puckered! It's a secret little secret!"

'Bear strangulation is against the rules. Bear strangulation is against the rules. Bear-'

"Fine, then let's move on to what you can tell us," Kyoko ordered shortly. "Why did you call us all here?"

Monokuma tilted his plush head, studying her. "You don't beat around the ol' bush, do ya?! Ready for me to get to the point, huh? But before that," he sighed, one paw behind his head. "You mind if I vent a little?"

Without waiting for an answer, he turned away, a spotlight illuminating him out of nowhere. "I'm low on energy these days. My stitching's even losing all its shine and luster. I'm thinking, it's probably because of this ho-hum, boring old everyday life."

He turned around quickly, claws out in anger. "I'm looking for something with a little more stimulation, something rife with danger and intrigue! You people realize that the last trial happened in chapter four, right? We're gonna lose readers!" He sighed again, calming down. "Listen, can I just be frank?"

He shot his arms out in a burst of movement, his face red and his pointed teeth gleaming. "The next blackened hasn't shown up yet, and I'm getting boooooored!" He smiled wickedly. "So, I've decided to come up with a new way to motivate you!"

"M-Motivate?!" Makoto stuttered. "Is it another set of videos or something?"

Despite my theory being confirmed, I was distracted by Monokuma's earlier words. 'Chapter four? Readers? What is he talking about?' (A.N. *shrugs and whistles innocently.*) 'It must be more of his nonsense, just something to distract us from the new motives.'

"Are you gonna show us some demented thing to try and drive us all to murder?!" Makoto shouted angrily.

"Drive you to murder?!" Monokuma repeated, irritated. "What a mean thing to say! Just awful!"

"I don't know what you've got planned, but we're not going to kill each other anymore!" Taka announced, clenching his fist. "No matter what you do, I swear to God we won't!"

Monokuma sniggered. "Hmm. That's very big talk. Do your very best to back it up, okay? Now then with your permission, let me begin! So, this time its…" His face reddened and he began panting, sweat rolling down his form. "Embarrassing memories and secrets! As long as you're alive, it's a given that there's things you don't want other people to know about you!" His teeth separated as he laughed. "Puhuhu! So I did a little investigating of my own, and I dug up some of your darkest secrets!"

With a flourish, he pulled out envelopes individually addressed to each of us. "And those embarrassing memories and secrets are all contained in the envelopes I have right here! I'm going to hand them out now, so take a second to take a peek!" As Monokuma spoke, he tossed the envelopes at our feet.

Curious and terrified, I snatched up my envelope and quickly pulled out the note sealed inside. Glancing at Monokuma's poor handwriting, I froze, my eyes widening in disbelief.

"Despite being in high school, Ayano Tsukiko has never had a boyfriend or even a first kiss."

"What...is...this?" I asked aloud. As if my words broke the shocked silence, everyone started talking at once.

"What?" Makoto whispered.

"H-How?!" HIna shrieked.

"How'd you find out about this?!" Taka demanded, looking mortified.

Cackling with glee, Monokuma held his stomach. "You have twenty-four hours! If someone doesn't become blackened by then...all your deepest, darkest, most embarassingest secrets will be exposed to the world! Maybe I'll roll by a crowded intersection in a van strapped with loudspeakers and spill the beans!" He became red and flustered again. "Kyaaah! Wouldn't that be sooo embarrassing?! It'll be like, 'Sempai will never notice me now!'"

I stared down at the letter in my hands incredulously. "What is this?" I repeated, unable to comprehend the sheer...stupidity of this motive. 'Sure, my family in danger wasn't enough to make me kill, but strangers knowing I've never been kissed would? How shallow does this bear think I am?!'

Makoto's jaw tightened. "So that's what you meant by 'motivate?'"

Monokuma's paws covered his mouth. "Yup, you got it! They're all pretty unpleasant, trust me. None of you want me to reveal that stuff, right?"

"'Despite being in high school, Ayano Tsukiko has never had a boyfriend or even a first kiss,'" I read flatly.

Amidst the gasps from my classmates was Monokuma's cry of shock. "Ayano?! How embarrassing! I can't believe you just told everyone like that! Are you a masochist or something?"

I let out a soft laugh. "I see. The Mastermind must be a woman."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Monokuma asked, visibly sweating.

I raised an eyebrow. "Besides that suspicious reaction, my reasoning is the stupidity of my motive. I just needed your reaction to be sure." I flung my envelope at his furry feet. "This may be just a hunch, but I've yet to see a man who would find so much enjoyment in spreading meaningless gossip around. And a pathetic secret like this? Only a gossip queen would find this embarrassing, or think someone would kill over it. Of course, it could be that a woman discovered these things for you, but the over-the-top reaction you just gave basically confirms my theory." I smirked. "Thanks for the clue."

Makoto stared down at his note, then looked up at the flustered bear. "Ayano's right. This is...definitely something I'd rather people not know, but...we'd never kill over something like that!"

"Wh-What'd you say?!" Monokuma shouted, waving his arms wildly.

Taka pointed at our principal, his face set. "Makoto is correct! Your plan is doomed to fail! No one's gonna murder someone for this kind of thing!"

Monokuma looked down at his feet, ashamed and depressed. "O-Oh no...Is it because...for better or worse, your memory is still a way to connect to the outside world? I have stuff I wouldn't want anyone to know, no matter what, so I assumed you'd all be the same…" He turned his back to us, downcast. "Which is why I put so much effort into preparing this next motive! Maaan! You're saying you really won't kill each other over this stuff? That just sucks!"

He sighed dramatically. "Well, what can you do? Okay, then in twenty-four hours, I'll expose all your secrets just to make myself feel a little better!" He turned back, head down. "So sad, so depressed! Farenotwell!"

And, with an almost convincing look of depressed dejection on his face, Monokuma receded into the gym's depths.

Silence reigned as everyone processed what just happened.

"...I didn't know what to expect at first, but...maybe we dodged a bullet on this one," Hina said timidly. "I mean yeah, having those secrets revealed is gonna be totally embarrassing. But that's seriously not enough to give someone a reason to kill, right?"

Taka nodded his head. "Good news, everyone! I have a brilliant idea!" He smiled broadly at our group, clearing his throat. "Why don't we all follow Ayano's lead and confess the secrets in those envelopes right here and now?! If we do that, any and all motive for murder will vanish! That's pretty smart, right? Okay, so my embarrassing thing is-"

"I d-don't want to hear your stupid s-story!"

"No, that's a really bad idea!"

Touko and I spoke at the same time, shocking poor Taka. "What?!"

I cast a sidelong glance at Chihiro, who was clutching his envelope tightly, his knuckles turning white. "No offense, Taka, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"But Ayano, you-"

"I know I said mine," I cut in smoothly. "But that was for three reasons. One, the...gossipy nature of my secret led me to think the Mastermind was a woman, so I wanted to see Monokuma's reaction. Two, it was such a stupid thing, that the information I could gain from it was worth far more than my embarrassment. And three, Monokuma thinking such a pathetic motive would make me kill was ridiculously insulting, so I wanted to shove it back in his face."

Makoto chuckled. "That last one was surprisingly petty, Ayano."

I shrugged. "I'm only human. But...the main thing is...just because my secret was relatively harmless, doesn't mean everyone's is. The truth of the matter is that we don't know each other very well, and its naive to say that none of us has ever done anything we aren't proud of. It's not fair to make everyone reveal their secret when someone's secret could ruin their life. Some of these may be simply embarrassing, but Monokuma also said 'deepest and darkest,' secrets. That could mean he found something really traumatizing in our pasts." I glared at the floor, my fists clenched. "We need to all make sure to take precautions."

I felt very strongly about this, thinking mostly about Chihiro. It would be beyond-cruel to force him to admit his gender in front of everyone before he was ready. And what about the others? As much as I hated to admit it, we still didn't trust each other all that much. And how could we, given the circumstances? I had an idea, from the expressions of the people around me, whose secrets were worse than others. I mean, Chihiro's was a given, but Togami likely got something about his company, and Mondo is the leader of a motorcycle gang, so who knows what he's hiding. Then there's Celestia, who, despite not looking very upset, was the Ultimate Gambler! She obviously had a decent poker face. Aside from them, I don't think there was anyone else. I mean, Touko looked terrified, but I doubt she was hiding something absolutely awful.

"A-Ayano's right," Touko said, near hysterics. "Besides, I don't...I don't w-want to talk about it...I don't care what anyone says, I don't want to talk about m-mine!"

"Neither do I," Celestia said, adopting a desolate pose. "Not because it is unpleasant, but because it is impossible."

Hifumi leaned forward, his glasses shining with interest. "Well, it's human nature to wanna hear it when you say it's impossible! C'mon, it'll be good for ya!"

"Absolutely not," Celestia sighed, looking at the ground.

His breathing became heavier, and he leaned forward eagerly. "It's okay, just a little bit. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

Celestia's head lowered. "Honestly, as I said-"

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

"I said I don't want to talk about it, you human bag of lard!" she shouted, slashing out with her claw.

"Kyaaah!" Hifumi screamed, stumbling back.

'Well, what did he think was going to happen?!' I thought crossly. 'Geez, these people…'

"I agree with Ayano," Togami said smoothly, gaining everyone's attention. "There is no need to discuss it." He stared hard at Taka, who seemed quite surprised that so many of us were against his idea.

"W-Well...What do you think, Chihiro?" he asked, grasping at straws.

His head lowered, eyes tearing up. "Um…" he began, looking at me for help. "S-Sorry, I don't really want to talk about it right now." He hesitated a moment, then added, "But I also don't want to leave things the way they are. So maybe I can talk about it later...After I try my best...to become strong...Then I can tell everyone."

I squeezed his shoulder, smiling at him. "Of course. When the time comes, we'll be ready to listen."

Hina shifted from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. "If you don't wanna talk, you don't have to. I'm not super excited to talk about it either."

Mondo lowered his head, seemingly calm. "If everyone's that much against it...Even if my bro's the one that suggested it, I gotta say no."

Taka nodded in defeat. "W-Well, that's okay, then. Either way, if it's just a few secrets, I'm sure nobody's about to kill anybody over it."

I smiled sadly, mentally shaking my head. 'That kind of thinking… I hope he's right…'

"Okay, I'll stop with all the secret talk. But…" He raised his fist. "Each of us has twenty-four hours to get ready! Having our secrets exposed isn't going to be fun, but its not like we're gonna die cuz of it! So, you know, um…" He trailed off sheepishly. "Don't do anything hasty!"

"The way you keep repeating it kinda makes me worry even more," Hifumi muttered.

"Oh…" Taka said, looking down. "Uh, okay, sorry. I know it's gonna be tough, but-"

Ding dong, bing bong.

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite…"

The nighttime announcement cut the awkward tension in the gym, but it left everyone with the sense of passing time, a solemn reminder of the twenty-four hours given to us. In that moment, my classmates seemed older, more weary than before.

"Nighttime already, huh?" Yasuhiro chuckled, running a hand through his ridiculous hair. "Okay, let's call it a day."

"Good idea," Sakura said, crossing her muscled arms. "We need to prepare for tomorrow…"

One by one, my classmates left the gym, each lost in their own thoughts. Togami nodded at me as he left, and I gave him a weak wave. Soon, it we just me and Chihiro, whose hand slightly clutching my arm told me he wanted me to stay.

I looked at him questioningly. "What's up?"

He looked away, his face red. "Wh-What do I do?"

I exhaled heavily, nodding. "I don't really know, Chihiro. It's a bad situation, no doubt about that. Either someone gets killed, or your secret is revealed. It...It really sucks."

He nodded meekly, laughing sadly. "I w-wonder...Will everyone hate me?"

I grabbed his hand, determination and anger surging through me. "For anyone to think that, they'd have to be simply awful! And even if they do, I'm here to support you, Chihiro. No matter what, I'll be right next to you."

Tears flowed down his cheeks and he smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Ayano! That makes me feel more confident about my idea…"

I tilted my head. "What idea?"

He raised clenched fists, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "I-I thought that maybe I'd try working out tonight, to see if it'll make me more confident. I thought that maybe I could ask one of the other guys to help me, and tell them my secret."

My eyes widened. "That's a pretty big step. Are you sure you're ready?"

He nodded confidently. "It's like you said. If I train with someone I admire, then I'll definitely feel more confident about myself. After that, tomorrow won't be so hard. I'll be able to handle everyone's reactions."

I smiled, playfully ruffling his hair. "I'm proud of you, Chihiro. You're already a really strong person. Just make sure its someone that you trust."

He nodded, beaming. "So, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Sure thing!" I waved, turning to leave. "And remember, no matter what, I've got your back!"

"Thanks, Ayano."

I left the gym, each step feeling heavier and heavier, and my smile slowly slipping away. 'Would someone, really kill over something like this?' I really couldn't be sure, but I had to take all the necessary precautions. The best thing to do was obviously to talk to the Clones again, and ask them about their secrets...but it made me feel horrible, basically forcing the Clones to tell me the darkest things about themselves. It was one thing asking Leon and Togami-Clone about background information, and their history, but to outright demand that I learn their most private secrets was…

'I don't have a choice,' I reminded myself. 'If anyone is planning on killing over this, tonight is their best chance. I should stay near the Clones, just in case I need to let them out.'

Plan in mind, I made my way back to my room, and into the passageway leading to the Clone Room. At this point, I was almost certain that the night would pass uneventfully, but I couldn't quite shake the feeling of unease, like I was missing something important…

"Ayano-Clone?" I called, entering the large cavern-like room.

"She's, um… still resting," a voice said.

"Hi, Leon," I said, surprised to see him out. "What are you doing?"

The orange-haired teen shrugged, looking away. "I heard that the next motives came out, so I thought that I'd wait around out here in case I needed to let Ayano-Clone out."

I nodded approvingly. "Wow. You're a lot more dependable than I thought!"

He laughed, one hand behind his head. "Harsh! But, yeah, I mean...I don't really like being in the pod very much. I've been having some strange dreams..." Leon trailed off.

"Nightmares?" I asked sympathetically. "I don't blame you, after all you've been through."

Leon hesitated, looking like he had something important to say. "Ayano...How old are you?"

"Seventeen," I answered, confused. "Why?"

"It's just…do you think you look seventeen? Physically?"

I glared. "Is this some weird new way of flirting? Because it is not working, buddy."

Leon blinked in surprise, then laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "No! That's not it. Geez, I'm screwing this up. I just meant that I'm starting to look older to myself, and really suddenly, like I skipped a year or two. It's not like its a huge difference, but it's there. And I had dreams about the school…"

"Maybe its a weird effect of the pods," I suggested. "I'll ask Ayano-Clone about it."

"Yeah, maybe," he muttered, turning away. "Well, since you're here, I guess I'll get a little sleep. Wake me up when you leave, so I can stay on guard."

"Sure," I answered, a tendril of doubt creeping into my mind. Logically, there was really no need for me to come down here, now that Leon was watching over the Clones. I mean, he was actually more useful, as he was able to watch over them most of the time. I'd gotten lucky before, and might be in the right place at the right time tonight as well, but what were the chances that every murder would conveniently happen at night?

Slightly depressed, I pushed the button to open Ayano-Clone's pod.

Smoke billowed out of the machine, and Ayano-Clone sat up, stretching. "Nighttime already?" she yawned, cracking her neck as she stood.

"Yup," I replied dully.

Instantly she was at my side, checking my forehead. "Are you still feeling sick?!"

I pushed her hand away, gritting my teeth. "Ayano-Clone, I have some questions, and I need to know the answers."

The clone bit her lip, fiddling with one of the ruffles on her skirt. "I see."

Taking that as permission to continue, I leaned against her pod. "Look, I don't understand my role in all of this. Leon can easily open all of the pods when necessary, and I'm pretty confident that even without my knowing the truth, the others will find the culprit at the trials. Why am I even here? How can you sync your memories with mine? Who created you guys? Why? What happened to my mind, and why am I experiencing deja vu? Leon even suspects that he's older than he thinks...I guess I just want to know...What's really going on here?"

Ayano-Clone was quiet, her face shadowed. "I...don't suppose you'd be willing to let all this go? I mean, you've already seen that knowing too much can really hurt you."

"I know," I sighed, glaring at the floor. "But can't you tell me anything? I feel really lost right now…"

After a long pause, Ayano-Clone clicked her tongue. "I...I can't tell you everything, but I can at least answer some of your questions…"

"Go on," I said eagerly. "Anything you can tell me is welcome."

"I just have to be careful," she fretted, biting her thumb. "...First of all, you do have an important role in all of this. Basically, the whole Clone operation would have been a disaster if you hadn't intervened. Don't," she stopped, raising a hand to forestall my questions. "If I say too much, you'll collapse again. Just know that you helped set this plan in motion...when you came down here for the first time. I already told you that you were picked out for a reason, so just trust me.

"Anyway, just because your classmates might figure everything out, doesn't mean we leave it up to chance. You should know better than that. It's their lives on the line, after all. As to our creation...Let's just say that this is all a part of the Mastermind's game."

"What do you mean?" I cried, frustrated. "How could you be a part of this?"

Ayano-Clone shook her head. "I can't tell you!" she shouted, startling me with her anger. "I want to, but I can't! So just let me explain!"

I stared mutely, shocked into silence.

"Anyway, we don't actually get your memories, per se," Ayano-Clone went on, her breathing a little heavy. "What actually happens is that all the camera footage from around the school is downloaded into our minds. That way, we know everything that's going on. And anything we see is stored in our data banks and downloaded into the pods, where it is filtered and given to our Original. As to the block on your mind, I'll say this...The more time you spend down here, away from the cameras, the more the block will break. That's all I can say, and you won't hear another thing about it from me."

She glared to solidify her point, crossing her arms.

Unsatisfied, I nodded. Frustrating as it was, there was little I could do. I felt more reassured of my role, and I definitely found the camera tip useful, but…

'It doesn't matter now,' I thought, glancing at my angry clone. 'I need to know motives, and arguing with her will get me nowhere. She is me, after all, meaning that she's pretty stubborn.'

"Fine," I acquiesced, not wanting a fight. "Anyway, we got a new motive."

Ayano-Clone nodded, visibly relieved that I was changing the subject. "Right, secrets," she said hurriedly, turning to the pods. "I have a feeling I know most of them…"

I blinked. "Really? Do you guys share information or something?"

"Um…" Ayano-Clone ran her fingers over her pod, not making eye contact. "No, but we Clones talk too, ya know. And a lot of them find my-your-personality easy to confide in. I mean, you already know Chihiro's secret, and that's incredible that he'd trust you like that."

Thinking back, I remembered that Ayano-Clone had nearly called Chihiro "he" once. That was ample proof that she did know which secrets were most important.

"Alright," I said, pulling out my notebook. "Who's the most likely to go crazy over their secret being revealed? I don't want to know the ones I don't have to. It's an invasion of privacy."

Ayano-Clone nodded, thinking hard. "That rules out Byakuya and Celestia, who would probably both gamble on someone else making a move rather than dirtying their hands."

"How very...blunt," I said, giggling lightly.

She raised an eyebrow. "This is all your personality, honey," she grinned, gesturing to herself. "If you don't like it, go change."

"Anyway," I said, not wanting to get into a fight with myself about myself. "What about the others."

"Well...I think the main one to talk to would probably be Mondo...oh! Touko! Definitely talk to Touko!"

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "She couldn't possibly kill anyone! She faints at the sight of blood and is so…" I gestured helplessly. "So...Touko! I doubt she'd be strong enough to get the drop on anyone here."

"You'd be surprised," Ayano-Clone said, grinning knowingly. "Touko and I aren't the closest of friends, but she's confided in me once or twice. You can trust me when I say this...there's a lot more going on with her than meets the eye. She can be quite formidable when backed into a corner."

'How strange," I thought, intrigued. 'The Touko I've seen thus far wouldn't be able to do something like that. What is she hiding?' My initial dislike surged forth at the thought of her hurting one of my classmates, but I held it in check, remembering her kindness when I was sick. 'Innocent until proven guilty,' I reminded myself. 'Just because she can hurt someone doesn't mean she will.'

"Alright then," I said aloud. "In that case, I'd like to talk to Mondo first. I don't think he'll kill anyone, so I'd rather get him out of the way before I focus on Touko."

Ayano-Clone saluted. "Yes ma'am!" Whistling, she made her way over to Mondo's pod, pushing the button to release him.

"Finally!" Mondo's familiar voice called from the smoky depths of the pod. "I was beginnin' to feel left out over here! Geez, Aya, why'd ya wait so long?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized, smiling widely as he leapt from his containment, his coat flapping around him. "I haven't really had a lot of time with anyone down here."

Mondo-Clone cracked his neck and stretched his arms out, grinning teasingly. "It's fine. You spent time with my Original, so it's not like you've completely ignored me."

I shook my head. This Mondo was also different, in some ways, from his Original. I can't imagine Mondo being annoyed that I didn't spend time with him, or him being this playful. It was really interesting to see that these Clones, supposedly carbon-copies of me and my classmates, had developed a little bit of their own personality.

Ayano-Clone smacked his shoulder. "Mondo-Clone! Quit teasing her. I assume you can guess why we wanted to talk to you?"

Mondo-Clone's grin faded, and he scowled, looking a lot more like his Original. "Kk, that damn bear," he growled, his fists closing. "He has no right to use that against me!" His face reddened with anger, and his body shook. "I'll friggin' kill him!"

"Mondo," I murmured, not wanting to see a friend this upset. "It's okay. Whatever you're secret is, I promise I won't think anything less of you, or your Original."

He turned a fierce glare my direction, and paused, as if searching for something. "You're really serious, aren't ya?"

I nodded firmly. "I believe in you, Mondo. You're a good man, so even if you've done something awful, I'll forgive you. Whatever it is, it's clearly been something weighing you down for a long time, which proves to me that you feel really bad about it. Nothing is unforgivable."

The Clone's gaze softened, and his expression became wistful. "You always know exactly what to say to cheer me up, don't ya? If things had been different...if that guy wasn't around...I could'a fallen for ya, ya know?"

My heart constricted in my chest, and I felt as if my face was on fire. 'Wh-What is he talking about?! Mondo has never acted like he might...and who is "that guy?!" It makes no sense.' My racing mind tried to connect the pieces, and came up flat. The best I could do was think that maybe Mondo-Clone liked Ayano-Clone, and was projecting that to me. Because there was no way the Original Mondo would feel that way. We were friends for sure, but-

"This is no time for 'what-ifs,' Mondo-Clone," Ayano-Clone said gently. "That sort of thing belongs to the past. Right now, we need to know your secret."

I nodded uncertainly, my mind still racing with their cryptic words. There was something I wasn't seeing, the final piece that would connect all of this, and it was right out of my reach.

Mondo-Clone seemed to shake off his strange mood. "You're right, Aya-Clone. I shouldn't say stupid shit like that." His grin seemed strained as his gaze returned to me. "Sorry, Aya. I didn't mean to freak ya out. Anyway, my big secret is about my big bro, Daiya. I know Mondo already told ya 'bout him, but he didn't say everything." He lowered his head. "I guess it starts when I joined the Crazy Diamonds, back when I was a brat. The others-"

He broke off suddenly, panic flashing across his face. "Dammit, not now! Not after- Ah, shit!"

At that same moment, heat coursed through my necklace, and I spun frantically toward the pods. 'Who?! Who is it?!' My mind screeched. There was only one pod flashing, its red light blinking urgently.

"Chihiro, no!" Ayano-Clone shouted, her cry spurring me forward as I slammed my hand into the button, barely noting a flash of light behind me.

Chihiro-Clone leapt out, determination on his small features. He ran past me without a glance, throwing himself into the strange swirling symbol in the center of the room, the light engulfing him. "Thank you, Ayano!" he called out, his voice fading. "Thank you for making me believe in-"

And then he was gone, leaving only Ayano and I, alone in a silent room of machines.

"Wh-What does it mean when only one button flashes?" I stammered, my body paralyzed with disbelief. In spite of all my careful pessimism, I didn't really believe that there would be another murder. Not after the trauma we went through after the first trial.

Ayano-Clone's jaw clenched, and her body shook. "It means that someone was attacked by someone whose clone is not in the pod, or that they committed suicide."

"Suicide?" I repeated, whispering. "That can't be true. Chihiro would never-"

"You're right," Ayano-Clone replied evenly. "He wouldn't."

A cold fear gripped my chest, and I slowly looked around, expecting to see the tall form of the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. "Where's Mondo-Clone?"

Ayano-Clone's head lowered, her form shaking. "I knew that it might happen," she whispered. "I was prepared to lose them both...But not at the same time!" Tears trailed down her face, hitting the floor softly. "Not like this…"

I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach, and I doubled over, unable to breathe. 'Did Mondo...kill Chihiro? Why? Why?! WHY?!" The thought alone of that was bad enough, but my brain decided to make it worse, replaying memories.

My voice: "...Maybe it would help you if you could find someone here that you admire. Someone who you aspire to be like. If you train with them, I'm sure you'll get stronger..."

Chihiro's voice: "It's like you said. If I train with someone I admire, then I'll definitely feel more confident about myself."

Mondo's voice: "I'll make you a promise as a man...Anyway, so you can trust me when I make that promise. So you don't gotta cry anymore!"

"I did this," I whispered, feeling the memories slam into my brain, solidifying themselves into fact. "I encouraged Chihiro to work out with someone he admired, told him it would help him. So of course he chose Mondo, the toughest guy around...I'm the one who sent Chihiro to his death."

My heart was racing, and I felt cold all over, my breaths leaving my body in strangled gasps. I fell to my knees, possessing neither the will nor the strength to hold myself up. Faintly, I heard Ayano-Clone calling my name, her hands shaking my shoulders.

"Calm down! Please, it'll be okay! They're not dead, neither of them! Chihiro and Mondo are safely in their pods-"

My head snapped up, eyes locked on the pod I knew to be Mondo's. "I can ask him," I muttered, completely ignoring my frantic clone. "Why would he hurt Chihiro? Why would he do that?" I stood, walking stiffly to the machine, where I could see Mondo's body, sleeping peacefully as if nothing was wrong.

Ayano's hands grasped to stop me, her voice urgent. "Ayano, you can't-"

I didn't care. Whatever she had to say, it wasn't important enough to stop me. I took another step, my hand reaching for the button.

Why would Mondo, one of my friends, one of the people I had grown close to, kill Chihiro? At the thought of the Ultimate Programmer, trying so hard to be strong, to become someone we could rely on, I felt angry tears begin their trek down my face. He didn't deserve to die. He wasn't like Sayaka, who planned on killing someone and got killed in the process. He was gentle and kind, someone who would do whatever they could to help a friend.

And Mondo...Mondo promised Chihiro wouldn't have to cry anymore, that he would help him. He promised...and he killed Chihiro instead.

"Byakuya, stop her! She can't open the pod while Mondo-Clone's still alive!"

A new hand latched onto my wrist, stopping me.

I glanced up at Togami-Clone, not hearing his words. "Let go of me," I said, my voice monotone. "Or I'll break your arm."

His eyes narrowed. "Not until you explain why you are acting so childish. Neither of them are dead, so there's no need for this dramatic display, even if they were your friends."

I glared at him. "You really are his clone, aren't you? Discarding everything but the facts. Well here's a fact. I'm the one who encouraged Chihiro to go, I'm the one who sent him to die! It doesn't matter that he didn't die, because his clone did! You guys may look and act like us, but you are different! You are alive! And now…"

He scoffed, pulling my wrist further away. "What nonsense. We are machines, nothing more. Yes, we are AI programmed, and we have developed quirks different from the Originals you know, but it is not the same." He shook his head, his eyes beginning to glow robotically. "We feel neither pain nor pleasure, and we do not fear death. We are empty shells, programmed to act like our Originals. The only thing we feel is what our Original would feel in that situation, but it is hollow in comparison."

Togami-Clone's grip tightened, and his glare intensified. "Don't belittle Chihiro-Clone's sacrifice with your whining!" he ordered, practically shouting. "He wanted to die, so his Original would live. He died to give you hope, and yet you continue to sink into despair!" He let go of my wrist, turning away. "The Ayano I know would never act so selfishly."

I pulled my hand to my chest, stung by his callous words. "I-I'm not being selfish," I protested weakly. "I'm not angry at Mondo, or Chihiro or at anyone but myself! I'm allowed to feel these things, allowed to feel like this was all my fault."

"It is all your fault," he said, his voice hard. "It's all thanks to you that the both of them are safe."

I gaped at him, my emotions swirling between indignation and desperation. "But-"

He turned back to me, cutting me off. "You 'sent Chihiro to die?' Ludicrous. I don't recall you having authority over our movements, dictating where we go. Chihiro made his own choices. He is a man, after all. Not some weakling who can be ordered around. You of all people should understand that."

His words hit me harder than they should have, hurt me more than I thought possible. 'When...When did I become responsible for everyone?' I thought angrily. 'They're free to do what they want.' Helpless, I covered my face, my sobs echoing in the quiet room. "I-I'm sorry," I croaked, my body feeling weak. "I'm sorry."

I felt arms wrap around my body, and felt myself being pressed against someone's chest, the smell of books and coffee filling my nose.

Togami-Clone's voice was gentler now, and his hand slowly brushed through my hair as he spoke. "Foolish girl. You cannot balance the weight of the world on your shoulders. Mourn for them, if you will, but do not give in to despair. You are too important to everyone to lose."

I clutched his jacket, my tears falling on his shoulder. "You're right," I said, my insides still twisting. "It's not their faults, none of them. It's this sick game that messes with everyone's heads, forcing them to do the unthinkable. They're not to blame."

"Not entirely," Togami-Clone corrected, still holding on to me tightly. "Ohwada chose to kill, and his clone sensed his bloodlust and triggered the warning. In the end, Ohwada made that choice, and these are the consequences. I know you want to find out the reason, but it will have to wait."

I pulled my head off his shoulder, wanting to see his face. "Why?"

His eyes met mine and his lips curled up slightly, despite his serious tone. "Right now, Ohwada is hooked up to the life-support and memory systems, getting feedback from Ohwada-Clone. If you had pressed that button, it would have severed that connection, causing unknown amounts of damage to Ohwada's mind."

I inhaled sharply, terrified at how close I had been to hurting Mondo.

Togami-Clone smirked, leaning his forehead against mine. "So perhaps you should listen to Ayano-Clone next time, hm?"

A strange, yet familiar feeling fluttered in my chest, and my face got warm. Togami-Clone's being so close to me felt both frightening and thrilling, conflicting inside me. I didn't want to faint again, but I couldn't deny that I enjoyed his being near me, his arms making me feel safe.

I nodded, averting my gaze.

He chuckled, pulling his head back. His eyes darkened and he frowned, solemn manner returned. "But, you will be able to confront Ohwada, and soon. How will you go about it? What will you say?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but hesitated, unsure. A minute ago, I would've shouted at him and probably punched him, but now…

My own words popped back into my head. "I believe in you, Mondo. You're a good man, so even if you've done something awful, I'll forgive you. Whatever it is, it's clearly been something weighing you down for a long time, which proves to me that you feel really bad about it. Nothing is unforgivable."

"I want to know why, but I suspect I'll learn from the Class Trial," I said, slowly, measuring my words. "After that, I'll be able to say. I want to forgive him, and still be friends, but I can't just decide that now. It's irresponsible. If...If Chihiro is willing to forgive, I will do the same. We're all friends, and I don't want that to change. I need to hear him out."

Togami-Clone's eyes tightened, and his hands moved to grip my shoulders. "Will you do that for everyone, no matter what horrible thing they do?" His voice lowered, ordering me, pleading with me. "Will you hear their side of the issue, trying to understand them?"

I searched his face, trying to find why he felt so strongly about this. It was out of character, and set off alarm bells in my mind. Still, I reasoned, he had comforted me, and I should do the same.

"I promise," I said, trying to smile. "No matter who pisses me off, or how badly they mess up, I will do what I can to understand them and forgive."

All the tension seemed to deflate in Togami-Clone's shoulders, and he smiled, a genuine expression that froze my breath in my throat. "Thank you," he said, his voice relieved.

I stood, paralyzed as he gently kissed my forehead. "I have no doubt you'll become angry at us again," he said, stepping back. "It is encouraging to know that you will put aside facts and see through to the reason behind them, flimsy as it may be."

The clone turned his back to me, heading to his pod. "I suggest you get some rest. You will need it for the upcoming trial."

I nodded mutely, unable to fully understand what just happened. 'T-Togami-Clone kissed me!' I thought, my face resembling a tomato. I lifted my hand to my forehead. 'Wh-What is this feeling?' My chest felt warm, and in spite of all my sorrow and anger, I felt strangely happy.

"Ahem," a throat cleared.

I jumped, having completely forgotten that Ayano-Clone was still there. It was even more embarrassing, realizing that she had seen all of that overly dramatic scene, and I found myself unable to meet her teasing gaze.

"You should probably get to bed," she told me gently, mercifully saying nothing about Togami's actions. "Tomorrow's going to be a trying day for everyone."

Completely sobered by the thought of the Class Trial, I nodded. There was nothing more I could do here, and I needed to have my wits about me in order to protect the others. But it was still horrible to think about. Best case scenario, I would witness Mondo-Clone's execution. Actually, that was the only scenario. I was sure that, if push came to shove, Mondo-Clone would simply confess. In other words, I would witness first-hand the death of another friend.

Leon's execution had been horrific, plaguing my nightmares ever since, but at the very least...I hadn't known him well. He was little more than a stranger. Mondo wasn't really different, as I'd only known him a few days longer, but I had spent time with him, forged a weak bond. No, there was no doubt in my mind. Tomorrow was going to be hell.

I had no idea.

X X X

Classmate Total: 13 :) 3 *_*

THIRD PERSON POV:

Ayano-Clone watched her Original leave, her own emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Both Mondo-Clone and Chihiro-Clone were gone, making her feel cold inside. Those two were her closest friends, other than Kyoko-Clone and Makoto-Clone, and she had lost them both in an instant.

And then there was Byakuya-Clone…

Making up her mind, Ayano-Clone walked over to the blond clone's pod, rapping sharply on the lid. "Ayano's gone," she said, noting that he hadn't closed his pod all the way, ensuring he could get out.

"Good," Byakuya-Clone's curt voice echoed from inside the small containment machine. "I need to talk to you."

"Alright," Ayano-Clone replied, confused. Her facial recognition system searched his face for clues as he deftly sat up in the pod. "What about?"

"My Original is about to ruin any chance he has of winning Ayano's favor," the sharp-tongued clone responded, uncharacteristic anxiety on his features. "He's about to destroy their relationship. That in mind, I need to know if I can trade places with him now."

Ayano-Clone shook her head. "You know that's not going to work. If you do that, you'll have to act as he would've, which in this case means doing whatever he's doing now. Besides, that will only let Byakuya in on the secret, which I don't think is a good idea. He's not exactly the most trustworthy guy right now."

"I know that!" Byakuya-Clone snapped irritably, covering his eyes with one hand. "And I understand why he's acting this way. He wants to make the game more interesting, because he truly believes himself invulnerable. In his mind, he's a spectator along for the ride. That said, I also know that the person he was before his memories were stolen would never condone this type of behavior."

He looked up at Ayano-Clone, his blue eyes revealing his frustration. "I...I don't particularly care for Ohwada, but he's one of my comrades, and Ayano's friend. And Chihiro, weak as he was, was the one who helped Ayano accept her feelings for Byakuya. Without them…" Byakuya-Clone crossed his arms. "Ayano is going to hate him, and therefore, me."

"So that's what that promise was about," Ayano murmured. She clenched her fists. "Give her some credit, Byakuya-Clone! She could never hate you!"

The tall clone laughed humorlessly. "Go plug in to your pod, Ayano-Clone. You haven't seen what he's done to Chihiro-Clone's body." With that, he pulled the lid shut, trapping himself inside.

'Chihiro-Clone's body?!' she thought, feeling sick. Her warning systems flared, urging her to return to her pod. Slowly, she walked to her machine, releasing Leon as she went. He was the closest to unlocking his memory, aside from Sayaka, who had been in her pod almost constantly. Soon, Ayano-Clone knew that he would try to tell Ayano the truth, and she would have to intercept that. Now, however, was not the time.

Pulling her pod closed, Ayano-Clone felt a pang in her chest, and a feeling of unease that clawed its way through her system. She was a machine, and could only react as Ayano would, but she knew that whatever Byakuya did, Ayano would forgive him. Byakuya was never going to win the Nice Guy of the Year Award, but he was genuinely kind when he was emotionally invested.

When they had first been in a class, Ayano had disliked him immensely, preferring to tease and mock his mannerisms over being friendly. But after being paired on a project that took several weeks to accomplish, she had glimpsed that loneliness and learned more about his life. Everything Byakuya did was a wall designed to keep people at a distance. He wanted them to dislike him, so he wouldn't make emotional connections with them. He had already suffered with the banishment of his siblings, which hardened his heart.

After that, her Original went out of her way to include the cold Prodigy. He was rude, patronizing, and overly arrogant every step of the way. But Ayano was relentless, and somehow wormed her way through his armor. Over their summer break, he had told her his past, risking banishing himself, to see her reaction.

She had cried harder than she ever had before, hugging him tightly and apologizing for his family, his life, everything that he'd gone through. Byakuya had been shocked, dismayed that he'd made her cry, but also happy. There had never been someone he could trust implicitly, and the fear that she'd betray him or use his family's secrets against him was dissolved the next time she looked up at him, teary-eyed, and declared that she would never let him feel lonely again.

That was the first time he'd kissed her, a spur of the moment thought. Ayano had never been kissed before, never had a boyfriend. Byakuya had never had someone he truly cared about. It was a special moment, one that Ayano always remembered fondly.

Byakuya had changed, after that. Little by little, slowly but surely, he opened up to the others, Ayano by his side. He became someone they could count on in a pinch, even if he did make rude remarks the whole time. He was their friend, their classmate. And to Ayano, he was the most important person in her life.

And then came the Tragedy.

X X X

Classmate Total: 13 :) 3 *_*

A.N. Hey guys! We got a little heavy at the end, but that's pretty appropriate, considering the game. Danganronpa is pretty lighthearted when it comes to death, and the characters move on pretty quickly, mostly out of a survival instinct, I'm sure.

But after watching the Danganronpa 3 anime, particularly the scene (Spoilers) where Naegi is confronted with the memory of his dead classmates, I don't really think that way anymore. It really let everyone know that he does still think about them and agonize over the fact that he couldn't save them. It gave his motivation for the second game's events a lot more meaning.

So, that was kind of reflected in these last two chapters. When I started writing, I considered the clones as a deus ex machina way to avoid my favorite characters' dying. But by this point, I've gotten just as attached to them, as they represent what these characters would be without their memories being erased. They are important, and when they die, I wanted Ayano to feel something for them. This fanfiction is a happy ending for the Originals, but a tragedy for the Clones. Danganronpa is all about facing death and coming away with hope, and I want to do my best to save everyone while continuously carrying out that theme.

As always, thank you guys for reading, especially if you got to the end of this!