Kyoko was vaguely aware of the cellphone going off as she started to stir slightly—the rather obnoxious ringtone serving well to disrupt her slumber. The lavender haired girl groaned softly, rubbing her eyes for a moment as the irritating tune continued to chime. Her gloved hand fumbled out for a moment to grab the phone off of the table by her bedside, and with a small yawn, she put the phone to her ear, answering the call.

"Hello?"

"So you finally picked up, Kyoko. I'm glad. I was getting worried when you weren't answering before."

The detective had almost forgotten she had asked Sakura to call that morning until she heard the martial artist's voice. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she asked, "Did you try to call before?"

"Three times, in fact. I was about to give up and send Mondo to your base to see what happened."

"My apologies, Sakura. You know it takes me a while sometimes," Kyoko murmured.

"I understand that."

Kyoko nodded, throwing the covers off of her body as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "First, I should ask—is everything on your end alright?"

"We're fine here, Kyoko. And am I to assume the same for you?"

"Yes, we're doing fine," Kyoko confirmed as she stood up, stretching her free arm. "So... did you see anything last night?"

"They had no plans that they were discussing, however all of the members were accounted for, mind one."

"... Which one?"

"The usual one. I hear Junko call the girl 'Little Wolf' often, but I think once I heard her name was Mukuro. She was missing from her room in the main mansion."

Kyoko nodded simply, a disapproving frown on her features. "Was she anywhere nearby?"

"Not that I witnessed, no. I'm not sure where she was at the time, but she didn't seem to return."

"For now, if we're not sure, we'll have to move past that fact. You said they didn't discuss anything?"

"As far as I know, nothing is upcoming at the moment."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. You know I wouldn't have wandered back if I wasn't sure, Kyoko."

Kyoko let out a quiet hum, before nodding. "I know. My apologies, I didn't mean to insinuate that you wouldn't."

"It's alright. I understand your concern."

"Right... my apologies for asking, but could you check again tonight as well?"

"Tonight?"

"If you could, that would be nice," Kyoko admitted. Sakura was silent on the other end for a few moments, and as Kyoko opened her mouth to ask if she was still there, the martial artist spoke again. "You seem to be more determined that usual, Kyoko... I wonder why. Does it have to do with that boy?"

"... Somewhat," the detective confessed, though her tone didn't give anything away. "Makoto has been getting the others motivated... he's been a big positive influence for them. It's the first time we've really been able to get things done. It helps quite a lot. He's helped quite a lot."

"Just the others?"

Kyoko paused, before asking, "What are you implying with that?"

"Nothing bad, I assure you. However, I just wondered... you say he's influencing the others? But if I know you well... he seems to be a positive influence on you as well. Is that true?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Kyoko said simply. "Makoto is just influencing the others to not give up, and that's making things easier to move forward."

She heard Sakura chuckle softly on the other end, as the martial artist spoke again. "As expected... but that boy—Makoto, was it? He seems... good for you, too, in that case. I'm certain that he's quite the motivation for you as well."

"Sakura...," Kyoko began, her tone somewhat slow and soft, as if trying to explain herself.

"My apologies if I seem to be prying. That was not my intention, as you know. I'm merely observi—,"

The female on the other end's comment was cut short by a steady beeping sound, and as she blinked in surprise, Kyoko pulled the cellphone away from her ear. She watched as the flashing symbol appeared, revealing the newly dead battery, as the phone shut off, ending communication between the two. Kyoko was silent, then frowned—how expected. Still, she supposed it couldn't be helped—she would just have to charge it and wait.

Plugging the cable into the end of the phone, Kyoko slipped the cellphone under the bed, connecting the cord to the socket hidden behind the bedframe. Perhaps it was paranoid to hide this phone like such, but as far as Kyoko was concerned, it was worth it. It was her easiest piece for communication—and a vital piece at that for communicating when her team was separated. Paranoid or not, she was fine as long as it remained in her possession.

The lavender haired girl glanced around the room, rubbing the lingering sleepiness from her eyes. So, Sakura had claimed no attacks were coming up? She trusted her on that, then—Sakura was very cautious with these things, she knew that she wouldn't just leave without investigating, or checking for everyone.

Still...

Sakura must have been mistaken at least on her claim that Makoto was influencing her, right? After all, Kyoko prided herself on always being on task and ready, and not needing the assistance of others to complete her work. She didn't need this boy's help personally, she just needed him to help the others to help them move forward. The boy's optimism was contagious—his hopeful nature almost as easily spread as the despair that had overtaken their world by Junko's hand—and that served to make Kyoko's job easier simply by saving her the effort of convincing the team to keep moving forward.

That was all she needed him for.

And yet, regardless of what she needed him for, she found that in all honesty—she liked his company. It was... pleasant to see a person so happy and so kind. As naive and unfit for the world that boy seemed, it was nice to be around him. It was different, and as much as Kyoko liked knowing what to expect, she liked his out of place optimism, too. Was that why she was being more trusting than usual with him? She couldn't deny that maybe she was opening up to him more than she should have.

Kyoko sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking over what Sakura said. Is this what she meant when she said that? Is this how Makoto was influencing her? Making her more accepting and trusting?

The detective shook her head, recalling everything that Makoto had prompted out of her. Trust, acceptance, smiles—he had made her drop her stoic mask more than once now, and that was something Kyoko tried her best to keep up at all times.

But it couldn't be more than trust or respect. She simply needed his optimism for others, she didn't need his help personally.

She didn't need any help from others.

With an annoyed huff, Kyoko decided it was time to stop dwelling on the subject. It didn't matter, really—whatever Sakura assumed to have figured out was irrelevant at the moment. Standing up and stretching her arms one final time, Kyoko grabbed her everyday clothes and began to change, knowing that she had to move on with her day regardless of any... turmoil Sakura's claim had set off within her.

Makoto rubbed his eyes sleepily, staring up at the ceiling as he lay on the bed, contemplating the day ahead of him. The bed was surprisingly comfortable all things considered, and even sharing the room with Haku wasn't bad. The ginger boy was a quiet enough sleeper at the very least—mind some mumbling from time to time, though it wasn't loud enough for the brunette to make out any specific words—and Makoto was just so exhausted it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Was that why he was so reluctant to get up? Maybe... he wasn't sure.

Still, he knew his day had to progress, even if the warmth of the blankets and the comfy feel of the bed was luring him to go back to sleep. Throwing off the covers, the boy suppressed a shiver at the rush of cool air that hit him, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Finally up, Makoto?"

He hadn't even realized Haku was awake until he heard the other boy speak.

"Uh... yeah. You?"

"Been awake for the past hour," the purple eyed boy confessed. "Couldn't go back to sleep..."

"I'm sorry to hear," Makoto sympathized, looking at the ginger boy who remained on his back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling with a blank expression. "Did something keep you up?"

"... Is she dead?"

"Eh?" Makoto mused, before realizing who he meant. He had never met Tomoyo, so he supposed he wasn't sure of her capability of survival, but... Haku sounded so distressed with those three words, that Makoto couldn't just not say something. "I don't know. But... you need to trust her."

"It's not that I don't trust her," Haku confessed, "but... I don't trust our situation. I don't trust the rest of the world she's lost in."

"But until you know for sure, isn't it best to believe in her?" Makoto asked. Haku blinked, then sighed, turning his head to look at Makoto—and for the first time, the intimidating boy seemed scared. "I want to. I really do, but... what if—,"

"Don't doubt her. Don't doubt her ability to take care of herself... believe in her until the final moment, because if she is okay, she needs you not to give up... she needs you to trust her and look for her if that's the case," Makoto reasoned, looking Haku in the eyes, sincerity clear on his face. The ginger haired boy stared for a moment, his mouth slightly open like he was looking for the words to retort with—but a moment later he grinned and sat up, a breathy chuckle passing his lips. "You're... you're too naive, y'know? But still... nah, forget it," Haku said, shaking his head. "I'll play along with your advice... it seems like the better thing to do"

Makoto wasn't sure how to reply, but instead just nodded, standing up and stretching his neck to the side. Haku went to stand up a moment later, staring at the wall next to him, before slamming his fist against it and jumping to his feet. "What... was that for?" Makoto asked, confusion mixed in with his sleepy tone, and Haku shrugged. "Making sure the girls get up," he explained, "Celeste is pretty much a bitter wreck early in the morning, and Hotaru hates having to be subject to that when trying to wake her, so... I take it upon myself to wake them both up. The walls are thin enough that it echoes when I do that, anyway."

"Oh," Makoto said with a small chuckle, "They share a room too?"

"And a bed," Haku clarified with a chuckle. Makoto blinked, opening his mouth to ask why, but he was cut off by Haku the as taller boy began to speak again. "Well, regardless... we should likely go meet the others, right?"

"Yeah...," Makoto agreed quietly, saving his question for another time as he followed after Haku, the two leaving the room without another word spoken.

Makoto was surprised to see that Sayaka wasn't up already with the others—he knew that she and Komaru were sharing a spare room now, and he knew his sister had her issues with waking up early, but he was still expecting to at least see his navy haired friend up and ready by now. Oh well, she would be down eventually, he reasoned, as he took a seat next to Touko.

The author stiffened slightly as he sat down close to her, and scooted away a bit—but as Makoto offered her a warm smile, she seemed to slowly relax, letting out a quiet huff as she went back to writing in her notebook. As Makoto glanced around the room, he took notice of how only a few members were already up—and he wondered if most of these teens weren't really morning people.

"Makoto?"

The brunette blinked, looking up in front of him, spotting Kyoko standing nearby as she addressed him. "I see you're awake, hm?" she mused. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good, actually. Still a little tired, but I didn't sleep too bad," he replied with a smile. "I think I can call it a good night."

"That's good," Kyoko said with a nod, as Makoto smiled in return. "What about you?"

"Hm?"

"How did you sleep?" the brunette clarified, looking at Kyoko curiously. The lavender haired girl was quiet before shrugging once, replying with, "I slept fine."

"That's good...," Makoto replied, a little unsurely. He hoped that by fine, she meant she slept well, but... he knew he wouldn't get anywhere by asking more than what he already had. Kyoko nodded once, before glancing over at the door, her gaze remaining on that one spot. Makoto looked at her for a moment, before directing his attention to the door as well, wondering what Kyoko was staring at.

"Would you like to join me...?"

"Eh?" Makoto asked, blinking.

"For a walk. It would be best if you knew your way around the town, wouldn't you agree?" Kyoko asked, her gaze never leaving the door as she spoke. It was odd, up until now, Kyoko had always seemed to make eye contact when she addressed someone—a typical formality for her. But now she glanced at the door, almost as if she was nervous to look him in the eyes when she asked her question... could something have been on her mind when she asked?

Or, it was just early, and Makoto was making baseless assumptions to figure out a girl he wanted to know better than he actually did. Yeah, that had to be it.

"You're right," Makoto said, brushing the prior thoughts away to answer her before the question was lost to him. "It probably would... I'd love to take a walk around with you, then."

"... You—,"

"I mean, it'd be great to learn my way around, so eventually I can do more to help once I'm used to everything, right?"

"I see...," Kyoko said simply, nodding once before glancing at Makoto. Her face gave nothing away, as usual—the odd thought crossed Makoto's mind as he wondered if she had even been open with anybody before—but he decided it was irrelevant at the moment.

"Haku?"

"Yeah, I heard you," the ginger boy mused, turning to glance at Kyoko. "Have fun."

The taller boy's tone was a little bitter—though sounded no different from his usual way of speaking. Makoto shuffled awkwardly, before waving briefly to Haku. "We'll see you later," the boy said kindly, offering his roommate a smile. Haku was silent, then let out a breathy chuckle, nodding to the boy to acknowledge his comment. "See you, then."

Smiling softly, the boy felt accomplished at gaining a slightly pleasant reaction from the other. With that in mind, he didn't waste another moment as he stood up, and followed the detective to the door, as the two exited without another sound made.

Mukuro wished that tailing these two was more interesting.

True, she was doing well with her task. She had been following them all around the town all day—watching as Kyoko led the boy from place to place, showing him the area—and even had succeeded in following them the day before without being made, or even appearing suspicious once. She was relieved that nobody in the city recognized her, either. Regardless of being the other of the True Ultimate Despair, it seemed only Junko was the recognizable one that people feared the sight or name of. Mukuro had never been included in that type of reaction. Most people didn't know who she was, and if they saw her, they would never put it together to figure it out for themselves. She was simply in her sister's shadow, her actions being seen as Junko's own.

But really, she was glad her presence wasn't feared. It made doing her job—it made pleasing her sister—so much easier for her. Though she loved a challenge... making Junko happy was enough of a challenge for her.

Yet while things were going smoothly, Mukuro couldn't help but wish the duo would do something worthwhile. This boy was boring and terribly ordinary—and she couldn't help but feel Junko's inevitable disappointment at the fact that this boy wasn't anything special.

Or, perhaps, her satisfaction. She really couldn't guess how her sister would react at this point.

Silently, Mukuro continued to follow the two as they wandered around the city, taking note of everywhere they stopped, everywhere they lingered around for longer than others, and what conversations they exchanged, for any interesting information.

She needed something to tell Junko, after all.

Though when they arrived at an old, two-story house—battered and broken by tragedies and discord—Mukuro felt like maybe this boy was important if Kyoko would take him here.

"... Kyoko?"

"Hm?"

Mukuro stayed quiet, ducking behind a nearby wall merely ten feet away to listen to them as they spoke.

"Are... you okay?" Makoto asked, concern evident in his tone. "You... seem sad."

"I do?" Kyoko asked, her voice skeptic, but Mukuro could sense the hidden sounds of surprise.

"Yeah... is something wrong?"

"... No."

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine. I promise you," the detective replied with a cool tone, gazing at the old house with unclear, yet obviously intense emotions.

"... Was this your house?"

"No," Kyoko clarified. "I've never lived here in my life."

Makoto blinked, tilting his head, seeming so clearly confused. "Then... whose is it?"

When Kyoko didn't reply, Makoto worried if he offended her in any way. He raised his hands in front of him, and opened his mouth to apologize, but Kyoko cut in before he could, taking a step forward.

"... Excuse me," the lavender haired girl said simply, fixing her gloves on her hands as she walked towards the door. "Stay here, and don't move. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"R-Right..."

As Mukuro heard the door creak open and the footsteps disappear, she leaned against the brick wall she hid behind, waiting until Kyoko returned from checking out her father's house. It wasn't like Mukuro had anything else to do in the meantime but wait, anyway. She couldn't exactly leave, now could she? And it wasn't a good idea to go and strike up a conversation with the boy right now—true, he seemed horribly naive enough that she could ask questions about him and casually get information without him ever suspecting her intentions—but now wasn't a good place to do it. She couldn't approach him so casually in the middle of the city, not without a proper reason to talk to him without seeming suspicious, not to mention if Kyoko came out, it wouldn't take the detective long to figure out something was off about her.

No, all she could do for now was wait.

As time ticked by, Mukuro's fingers found their way to the metal beads of her bracelet, gently rolling them as she tried to pass time. She hadn't even realized that the clasp had let loose until the bracelet fell from her wrist, falling to the ground just in the boy's view. Mukuro cursed quietly, quickly scooping it up from the ground, and hoping with everything that she had that the boy hadn't—

"Eh? Oh! S-sorry, miss. I didn't see you there before."

Mukuro's heart dropped as she realized she had been made.

Knowing that staying silent and continuing her mission from the sidelines was an absolutely horrible idea now that she had been seen, Mukuro let out the most amused laugh she could fake, looking at Makoto as she came out from behind the wall, fumbling to fix the bracelet around her wrist again. "I can't really judge," the soldier replied softly, "I didn't see you there, either."

Makoto chuckled quietly, walking up to her, and Mukuro tensed, fighting every urge to attack the closer he came.

"Here, can I help?"

He gestured towards the unclasped bracelet that she was trying to put on her wrist, a smile evident on his face. Mukuro couldn't comprehend why this boy was so willing to help some stranger, but she nodded, continuing her act. "Sure, if you want to," she said, watching as he took the bracelet from her hands and tried to close it around her bare wrist. The skin of his hands brushed against the inside of her wrist, gently ghosting over her pulse point, and every part of Mukuro's instincts were itching to attack him for such close contact.

But she couldn't blow it now.

"Well... the clasp seems broken. I can't get it to stay, but...," Makoto mused, before taking the two end beads and twisting them together, letting the strings in between wrap around each other and hold themselves closed. "Here, this will keep it for a little while, at least."

It was a rather inefficient way to secure a bracelet—yet Mukuro decided not to comment. Thank him, make her leave before anything else could be said. She couldn't blow this now.

"Thanks, kiddo," Mukuro said, an unfitting perkiness laced into her voice as she tried to appear as genuinely happy as she thought she should be in this occasion. "I'll be sure to fix it once I get home."

"That'd be a good idea," Makoto agreed, nodding quietly, "It'd be a shame to lose it, it looks really nice on you."

"... Oh. T-Thank you," Mukuro replied unsurely, not quite understanding how or why that compliment was being given. "I-It was a... gift... from... my sister..."

No, that was unnecessary information for that statement—she was going to ruin her mission!

Makoto smiled sweetly, a genuine look of understanding on his face. "It'd be especially good to fix it as soon as possible, then. I know if Komaru gave me something like that, I'd hate to lose it..."

"... Komaru?" she asked. Mukuro knew she needed to go, but she couldn't help her need for information about the boy. At least if she found something useful, Junko might forgive her for being spotted.

"Ah. My little sister," Makoto clarified. "... What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Is your sister older or younger than you?"

"We're twins," Mukuro said plainly, before adding on, "but... I'm the older twin."

"Really? You have a twin?" the brunette asked, tilting his head with an awe filled smile. "That's so cool!"

"I'm... glad you think so."

Why she was feeling so... funny right now?

"Are you two identical twins, or—,"

"Makoto? Who are you talking to?"

As Kyoko's voice rang out from a small ways beyond the closed door of the house, Mukuro knew she had just a few moments to make her leave before things got too risky for her liking.

"O-Oh... sorry, Makoto," Mukuro said sweetly, "I didn't realize you were busy here!"

"No need to be sorry," Makoto insisted, "I-I wasn't all that busy at the time."

"Well, I'd hate to keep you waiting now, anyway," Mukuro said with a falsified giggle to hide her desperation, counting down how much time she had left with each footstep of Kyoko's she could hear. "My bad, really. Though I should head home and fix this, anyway... my sister would hate me if I lost her gift to me. So uh... I'll see you around!"

Mukuro turned on her heel before the boy had a chance to respond, only managing three steps away before she heard the sound of Kyoko stepping outside and shutting the door. She had just made it—but she did not want to get this close to being made ever again.

Mukuro kept walking, taking a quick turn once she was sure she was out of their view. She could barely spot the two of them off farther beyond—and though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could see the disappointed look on Kyoko's face. As she watched the two depart, Mukuro stayed where she was, knowing it was too risky to follow them again. Makoto had made her—and though he didn't know who she was, she knew Kyoko might be on the lookout. The detective was much smarter than that boy, and Mukuro didn't feel like risking it. Junko wouldn't be happy if she risked it.

Besides... she got something from that... Makoto kid, anyway.

Deciding she had enough information to please Junko for now, the soldier began to trudge back to their town, pinching her fingers on the tangled up beads that kept her bracelet in place, not trusting Makoto's supposed handiwork to keep it secured.

Besides, if this information was something useful to her sister... she was sure this bracelet full of ammo wouldn't hold up for much longer, anyway.

So... I was all ready to write this. I had like 2/3 done of it, and then I got a job... and all my free time went out the window for the longest time.

Either way, glad this is out now at least. I hope you guys enjoy this, because I'm honestly happy with how things are progressing. I really do hope you guys enjoy, and sorry about the wait!

Also, to the person who asked if they could recommend this to others- you don't even need to ask. I would be absolutely honored if you guys liked this story enough to tell others. It's not required though, honestly, but I'm really honored that people were willing to.

And because I've actually gotten quite a few people asking about this- yes, Chihiro is male in this story. But unless or until the secret is revealed, I'll probably use female pronouns for them, as that's what they're currently known as. If/when it's stated that they're biologically male, I'll probably change to male pronouns in that case so... hopefully that won't be confusing!

Also... in response to another question, I haven't actually planned a legit name for the resistance. I'd love to hear if anyone has ideas though, I think it'd be really cool to see if or what anyone would think to call them. But to Ephemyst, that was a good question. I'm gonna be thinking about that one, now.

And thank you so much to TriMaplenut, Ephemyst, and clapsformia for the reviews, I'm really glad you guys like this story so far. Your reviews make me smile, I'm so thankful for your feedback on this. Thanks so much, guys!

And until next time, enjoy!