Chapter 10: Life Fiber: Synchronize!
Makoto's P.o.V:
A serious knot forms in my stomach at the sound of Monokuma's demand for us to gather in the gym. "It looks like the next motive is here…" I think with a grimace. Not wanting to waste any time, I leave my room and lock it behind me.
Just as I start making my way down the hall, someone calls out to me. "Ah, Makoto…!" I turn back to see Chihiro running up to me, worried frown on his face. "Do you think that was…?"
I give him a small nod. "There's no doubt it my mind… It's got to be the next motive."
He shudders slightly, but starts walking in step with me. Then, in a barely audible voice, he whispers to me. "I… asked Alter Ego to start working on something for me."
I'm surprised, but I try to keep my expression neutral as we walk through the halls. "Oh…? What did you tell him to do?"
"Remember how you told me what he did last time…? You know, how you hooked him up and he managed to scavenge information for you?" I nod a little. "W-Well, I decided to better prepare him for that. He's starting to write malware into his coding."
"Malware…?" I turn to him slightly. "Isn't that like a virus?"
"Yes." He affirms with a smile. "With any luck, he may be able to go into the school's network and corrupt the system that's controlling Monokuma and all the weaponry. None of the computers that they currently run on would be usable, so... he'd have complete control over everything." He starts to fidget slightly. "Of course I'm not certain that it'll even work, but I feel like it's worth a shot…"
Suddenly, I'm overcome with a wave of excitement, and I smile down at my small friend. "No… it'll definitely work! I didn't tell you about it before but… Alter Ego actually saved my life."
"W-What!?" Chihiro yells out for a second, but quickly schools his voice back down to a whisper. "He… saved you?"
"Yeah!" I say, remembering the memory fondly. "We had all thought he "died" after his execution, but Alter Ego managed to work his way into the school's network. I was voted guilty for something I didn't do, and just as I was about to be crushed in "detention"… he stopped the machine, and dropped me into the trash chute to get away from Monokuma."
We continue walking for a while in silence, but after a while he speaks up. "He… wants to meet you. You and Mondo, I mean.'' He fiddles with his skirt. "I was a little hesitant at first, but… now I know it's a good idea. The way you were talking… It sounded like you were his friend."
I smile, keeping my eyes forward. "We were. He tried so hard to help us all… he even risked his life because he wanted to be useful to us. Kyoko didn't really think of him as a person, saying he was only programmed like that, but… I did. He had his own thoughts and feelings, which is why he helped us like he did." I stretch my arms a little bit. "So yeah, I definitely considered him my friend."
He smiles with the smallest of blushes on his face, but he doesn't say anything else. The rest of our trip is filled with a comfortable silence.
We enter the gym to see a very impatient Monokuma glaring at us. "Hey hey, what took you two dweebs!? I've been waiting for sooooo long!"
I frown at him. "We only got your message ten minutes ago!"
"And everyone else was here five minutes ago!" He huffs slightly. "You children have no motivation! You've fallen into a state of complacency, completely comfortable with your lives! None of you are stirring the pot, shuffling the deck, or even changing your underwear! …Metaphorically speaking, of course! I'm pretty sure someone would have killed someone for being stinky by now." He then strikes a pose. "Of course, I have a plan to shake things up a little bit!"
Mondo glares at him. "The fuck do you mean?"
"Like I said, you guys have become unbelievably boring since that little pop brat's execution. So, so, so! I've come up with a way to motivate you guys into offing each other once more! I personally like this one even more than the last!" He then produces envelopes from behind him, just like he had the last time.
"What I have in my hand… is your next motive! It's thrilling, it's chilling, and most of all, it'll definitely cause some killing!" He tosses the envelopes up in the air, each fluttering to the floor slowly. "Upupupupu! Now, just take the envelope with your name on it, but don't open it! I wouldn't want you spoiling the surprise just yet!"
Sakura collects the envelopes off of the floor, and distributes them to us one by one. Once everyone has one in hand, Monokuma speaks up again.
"Okay good! Everyone has their own envelope!" He takes a dramatic pause. "Ahem Ahem, allow me to explain how this is going to work. Contained within those envelopes are secrets of yours, ones that very few people already know... if any!" People start nervously glancing side to side, and he giggles. "Upupupupu! Oh calm down kiddies, it's not like I'm leaking your internet browsing history! That would be way worse! So, if you would be so kind, open up your envelopes!"
Calmly, I rip the seal on the envelope, expecting the same thing as last time.
…
My heart nearly stops when that isn't the case.
Written in a childish scrawl on the piece of paper I'm holding is a single, terrifying sentence:
Makoto totally has the hots for Byakuya!
As soon as my brain processes the words on the paper, I quickly crumple it up and stuff it in my pocket. I quickly look up and see mixed variations of horror and embarrassment written on everyone's faces.
Hina is the first to speak up. "Dude, how the heck did you find this out!? I've never told anyone this!"
"Upupupupu! A gentleman never kisses and tells…" He blushes and shuffles his feet a little, but quickly recovers. "So… here's the deal! Unless another murder occurs within the next twenty-four hours, I'll totally broadcast your secrets! Everyone's gonna know the biggest, dirtiest secret that you have, and only the blood of a classmate will keep my adorable lips shut!"
Taka grimaces. "This… this is outrageous! No one would kill to keep a secret from getting out!"
Leon yells out. "Damn straight! Keeping your shit to yourself isn't a reason to do someone in! Period!"
"Oh?" Monokuma says, tilting his head. "People are offed to keep secrets from getting out all the time! Governments, businesses, even regular people do it! Why would it be any different in here? You all have it in you, don't sell yourselves short!"
"We are not selling anything short." Sakura replies cooly. "To kill someone for such a reason… it's inexcusable."
"Upupupupu! Speak for yourselves kiddies, just take a look around the room!" He gestures to everyone. "Do you see it? Do you see the looks on your friend's faces!? They speak volumes more than your words ever will! Don't you get it!? Don't you see!? You can't guarantee something like that! There's something here, a secret someone is going to have to die for!" He turns for a bit, but then looks back at us. "Ah, but enough stating the obvious! The timer starts now kiddies! Either someone dies today, or your secrets get exposed." He then turns back again and waves. "Ti ti effen, ta ta for now!"
As he disappears in a puff of smoke, the atmosphere of the room lightens a tiny amount… and when I say tiny, I mean tiny. The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife, but as usual, Taka is completely oblivious to other people's feelings.
"This is absurd!" He cries out, moving to stand in front of us all. "To think he'd we stoop to such a level… he's clearly in the wrong!"
"O-oh yeah!?" Toko screeches, pulling at her braids. "Y-You're completely d-dense if you think no one here has a s-skeleton they weren't willing to kill for!"
"That may be true…" Hifumi chimes in, crossing his arms at the author. "However, there is only a day in which someone has to act! I doubt someone will gain the power up they need to commit such an act in such a small amount of time…" Toko growls at him, but doesn't say anything else and turns away.
Leon snorts. "Yeah, look how long it took Sayaka to try and off someone. It's completely possible!" He cracks his neck. "My secret isn't anything to kill someone over, it's just embarrassing as hell. No worries here."
"Of course…" Celes starts, playing with one of her twin drills. "You can say you won't kill someone all you like, but in the end there's no reason to trust you when you still have your secret in the dark. You could be merely luring us into a false sense of security." Leon stops short at this, glaring at the gothic gambler.
"Well then, we'll make sure to eliminate that possibility!" Taka cheers. "We simply have to tell each other our secrets! That would assure that there isn't a reason to kill someone, because then we'd all already know!"
"It's a good idea in theory, Brows… but take a look around." Mukuro directs. I glance around the room as he does, noticing there are already several people who have disappeared… Namely Mondo, Sakura, Toko, Hina, and Hiro. "If we assume everyone that's still here was gonna spill their guts, then we'd all be overly suspicious of the people who already left."
He grimaces, turning his gaze down to the floor. "…Then I shall make a suggestion instead. Unless you are with someone you wholly trust, do not go anywhere aside from your room! It's not that I do not trust you all, but… I cannot speak for everyone else..."
With those words, he stalks out of the room, clearly upset by our lack of trust in each other. Slowly, everyone else starts to filter out of the gym, until only Chihiro, Mukuro, Byakuya, and I are left. Everyone stays silent.
"It's obvious we need to come up with a plan of action." I rub my arm slightly. "I don't really want to talk to Byakuya right now, but… it doesn't look like I have much say in the matter."
It's not that I'm having issues with Byakuya… rather, after I had talked it out with Chihiro, I had come to terms with my feelings for the arrogant heir. It was a little awkward for me at first, but after a few shy attempts at conversation on my end, I got comfortable with him again. I still got the warm fuzzies in the pit of my stomach whenever he'd smirk or laugh slightly, but it wasn't that bad.
"After what I just got though, I don't think I can calmly face him!" I hadn't been planning on telling him my feelings any time soon, no matter how likely it was for him to return them. "But now I have to tell him about them…?! This is just the worst…"
Steeling my nerves for my inevitable confession, I sigh loudly to catch everyone's attention. "Screw this noise! I need a bath…" I start walking toward the doors in a huff.
Mukuro snorts, catching on. "You're not the only one. I think I'm gonna join ya!" I turn to her and nod, and she grins at me. "Just make sure to bring your bathing suit, 'kay? I don't want you doing anything funny!"
I flush slightly at her words but nod regardless. Chihiro catches up to us, seemingly uncomfortable for some pretty obvious reasons. "O-Oh, uhm… mind if I join you…?"
Mukuro looks skeptical, but I automatically nod. "Hey, the more the merrier! Right Junko?"
She shoots me a side-long look, but nods and grins anyway. "Shoot yeah! We can raid the warehouse for some cute swimsuits! I don't wanna wear those tacky school-issue ones." Chihiro blushes from ear to ear, and she turns to Byakuya. "You comin' along, prissy pants? Or are you above sharing a bath with us commoners?"
It's obvious by her expression that she's teasing him, but he just shoots her an unimpressed look. "I… may join you all. I'd like to find some painkillers before I subject myself to that, however." He then passes us and exits the gym, but not before shooting me a look I can't quite decipher.
Mukuro merely shrugs. "Whatever, his loss. Let's get going Chihiro! We'll meet up with Makoto after we pick out our things… He can judge us afterward for fun!" She ignores the horrified look on Chihiro's face and drags him off, leaving me on my own.
I sign in relief a little. "At least he won't be joining us right off the bat… it gives me some time to sort out what I think." I exit the gym, hurrying to grab my swim trunks.
"Woah, cute butt!" Mukuro cheers as I hurriedly pull up my swim trunks. I turn toward the two newcomers, cheeks blazing. She openly grins at me while poor Chihiro looks like a tomato.
"You don't need to keep acting like that Mukuro, Chihiro knows." I say with a sigh.
She shrugs, tone of voice changing to her own. "I had figured as much when you told him that he could come." Chihiro flinches slightly. "Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that I was lying." I throw a bar of soap at her, which she deftly catches with a small smile.
"Oh, shut up." I groan, embarrassed at having been caught with my pants down… Literally. "I'll be waiting inside so you two can get changed."
Mukuro shakes her head. "No need, we're wearing them under our clothes. What do you think took us so long?" She starts stripping down, with Chihiro fleeing behind the divider in the room to strip as well.
"I dunno! Maybe you were actually taking time picking out swimsuits?" I say with a huff, turning my eyes away.
She snorts. "Apparently Junko hadn't trusted my fashion sense, so she sent in Monokuma to pick some out for us. I told him repeatedly that I could handle it, but he kept saying things like "Silly models who only wear strings shouldn't talk!" She was probably afraid I'd pick out something plain and expose her, or something stupid like that..."
Mukuro's words are harsh, but I nod slightly knowing that there's truth to them. This time around Junko had been a lot more unpredictable in her whims, if that Sex Ed class was any indication. Maybe she was having fun tormenting her older sister with things that weren't part of the plan?
"Alright." She says with a slight sigh. I take this as my queue that it's safe to look back, and I turn to her. She's wearing a black bikini with red ribbon bows placed between her cleavage and on her right hip. It looks… really, really nice. "You know, it's not like I was actually changing or anything. You didn't need to turn away."
"Well yeah, but… it's still embarrassing to watch someone undress like that!" I say, scratching the back of my head.
She allows a small smile to work her way on to her face again. "Innocent as ever, Makoto… I'm happy that much about you hasn't changed."
"That…" I start talking, but I cut myself when I notice Chihiro not moving from his spot behind the partition. "What's the matter Chihiro?"
He looks over to me with a nervous look on his face. "I really, really don't like this! Can't we just talk in here?"
Mukuro sighs. "I would say yes, but I can already tell Junko is going to ask for details about her swimsuit picks." I shoot her a dubious look, and she scowls in annoyance. "She may be the Ultimate Despair, but that doesn't mean that she's any less obsessed with fashion and style. I won't be able to come up with a convincing lie about it, so just come out already."
"B-But-!" He protests. He looks to me for support.
"Oh come on Chihiro, it can't be that bad!" I encourage, smiling at him. "I'm sure it'll look fine on you!"
He only shakes his head at me. "T-That's not the issue…!" After a few minutes of silence, he finally sighs and steps out from his hiding spot. His swimsuit… is a lot more daring than expected.
He's wearing a light green two piece suit. The bottom looks more like a really short skirt with ruffles, and is coupled with a bikini top that also has ruffles that creates the illusion that he has a bust… You'd never be able to tell he's a boy looking at him right now.
I stare at him in silence for a few minutes before speaking. "I guess Junko really does know what she's doing…"
He buries his face in his hands. "This isn't helping with what I have to do at all...!"
Mukuro frowns. "Then I assume your secret is your gender?" He nods, and she shoots him a sympathetic look. "I had guessed as much. I'm really sorry this is happening so forcibly…"
He looks at her for a second, but then shakes his head. "…N-No, I had guessed as much already. I've been sort of… rehearsing, for when I tell everyone."
She raises an eyebrow at me. "You told him?"
"Ah, well…" I look off to the side. "I… sorta accidentally let it slip that I knew he was a boy. So after that, I had to explain myself and, well, I told him that motive because I knew it was coming down the pipes. I figured it would be best if he had a little forewarning…"
"So Chihiro's is the same as last time…" She muses to herself. "Am I correct in saying that yours is the same as well?"
My cheeks immediately flush. "Ah, that…" I quickly glance out the bath house's door, looking for any signs of Byakuya. "I really don't feel comfortable discussing it out here."
Both Chihiro and Mukuro shoot me a look of confusion, but quickly comply with my request. We each move to grab the stuff we need to bathe, but I notice Chihiro stops short when he sees a wash basin with a crack in the wood.
"Woah…" I say, eyeing up the damage. "I wonder who did that… Ya think someone got pissed and threw it?"
He looks away from me to hide a blush. "A-Ah, that's… probably not too far off the mark." He quickly grabs another basin and everything else he needs before quickly walking into the bath.
I blink. "That was strange." Deciding to ask him about it again later, I grab my things and walk into the bath, shuddering slightly as the warm air hits my skin.
Putting our conversation on pause, we all take a few minutes to wash off with the showers. I look over in confusion when I see Mukuro washing her blonde hair. "Hold on, I thought that was a wig!"
She shakes her head. "Nope. For the past year and a half I've been growing it out to match Junko's… It's not like I wanted to of course, since long hair isn't practical for someone like me, but she insisted a wig wouldn't be good enough." She sighs, thumbing the blonde locks between her fingers. "…I hate it so much. I'm not me anymore… I haven't been in such a long time."
I look over to the pseudo-blonde with a frown on my face. "You're you right now, aren't you?"
She shakes her head. "…The me I am now isn't someone I know. Junko always tells me, "Sis, you're the perfect soldier, but you're pretty much a disappointment in everything else!"… and she's right. The only thing I could do with confidence was kill. But ever since I left Fenrir and joined her in hopes that she'd trust me, I've more or less lost my sense of self."
"But how?" Chihiro asks, looking over at the stoic girl. "Didn't you kill people during The Tragedy?"
"No." She says, staring down at her right hand. "Ever since I abandoned my faction to re-unite with Junko, I haven't killed a single person. When I first came to Hope's Peak, I was under strict orders from her not to kill anyone. But…" She pauses, biting her lip. "When I got to know you all… when you all came to me not for my abilities, but because you wanted to talk to me, I lost my ability to detach myself like I had in the battlefield. I broke! Suddenly I was doing the one thing a soldier never does, the one true taboo... I began questioning my orders."
She puts a hand over where her tattoo would be, glaring down at it. "I began to wonder what the things she wanted done had to do with you all! And when she launched her plan to start the Tragedy… she ordered me out on the field. She wanted me to become the killing machine I was in Fenrir… and I went. And I fought. I tortured, I attacked, I lead others to despair… but I never killed anyone during it. Something inside me had changed, and… I couldn't just kill anymore. I needed a reason."
Chihiro and I stare at her in stunned silence for a few moments before she continues again. "A soldier… doesn't need a reason. They follow orders. But whenever she told me to kill someone "just because," I couldn't! So… she told me that she forgave me. Forgave me for being a disappointment of an older sister, who couldn't even serve her purpose correctly anymore… which is part of the reason I'm in here with you all now. She had a show to run… and I was only getting in the way of what she was doing."
"Y-You just accepted this…?" Chihiro asks, frowning at the girl.
"Of course." She replies immediately. "All I ever wanted was for her to think of me as something more than a disappointment, for her to truly be my sister… it wasn't difficult for me to agree. Just like with this "killing game" of hers… I never wanted it, but I went through with it anyway because she wanted to… experience the despair of watching all her dear friends kill each other. She was basically my world until I came here."
She shakes her head suddenly. "There really isn't a point to me talking about this, though. I've already resolved myself to help you all escape to send her into the biggest fit of despair she's ever faced… I apologize for rambling." She says, with a slightly sheepish look.
I look over to Chihiro, who looks like he's about to burst into a fit of tears. "Chihiro…?"
Without warning, he pulls her into a quick hug. Her eyes go wide in surprise. "I-I know this isn't much of a consolation but… I'm sorry. I had automatically assumed you were in on this because you wanted to be… but you did it all for your sister. What's worse… you… felt bad about doing it. I-I hadn't ever considered…" Tears start to freely fall down his cheeks. "I hadn't ever considered that you actually were our friend! I'm so, so sorry!"
His words seem to shock her to her core, but she recovers after a moment with a small smile on her face. "Only you… would say sorry for something like that. I'm the one that betrayed you all, remember?"
He only shakes his head. "I-I know you did, but… not everything is black and white. I can't say you were right for what you did, but… you aren't the villain either. I-It was completely wrong of me to assume that you and Junko were the same."
Not knowing what else to do, she awkwardly pats him on the back. "Let's just forget about it, alright? We have more important things to worry about right now." He nods at her, and she shows him a small smile once more.
She stands and makes her way over to the bath, with me and a now calm Chihiro in tow. Once we're all settled in the water, she starts talking again. "So, Makoto, what exactly was in your envelope? From what you said it's clear it's not the same as last time."
I sigh dejectedly at the fact that that was the first thing she brought up. I quickly glance back to the door and lean in to my two companions.
"I-It said… 'Makoto has the hots for Byakuya.' I wanted to die when I read that..." I quickly look down to hide the slight blush on my face. Mukuro taps my shoulder and I look up to see a confused expression on her face.
"Do you really...?" She asks incredulously. Not wanting to answer, I look off to the side. "You do…?! How on earth did Junko find that out, Makoto? There's no way it was something subtle!"
My face feels so hot that I might as well be on fire. "There's only one thing that I can think of. But it definitely wasn't my fault! Byakuya sorta... hugged me in the hall the day after Sayaka died… and I freaked out. I didn't think anyone saw, but it seems like she might have…"
She rubs her temples in frustration for a few moments before speaking again. "Makoto… you both should have known better. Now look at the bind you're in!"
"Ah, well…" Chihiro starts, looking pensive. "It's not really a bind. Makoto understands his feelings towards Byakuya, so… what's the issue in telling him? You may not have gotten the whole story, but Byakuya is the one who pointed out Makoto's attraction to him. I'm pretty certain that he likes Makoto as well... from what I've seen, at least." She raises an eyebrow at his words.
"So you're saying that Byakuya most likely returns his feelings?" He nods and she turns to me. "How is that an issue then? You don't have to worry about rejection."
"That's not the issue I'm having, guys!" I say with a frown. "I… I'm nervous. I didn't think I'd have to tell him so soon, you know? I don't know what I'm gonna say!"
Mukuro sighs, ignoring my words. "At least we know your issue is easily resolved… I would say just tell him before Monokuma gets the chance to. There's not much to be done aside from that, you know."
I clutch my head. "I know I have to tell him before U-pu-Pooh Bear does, but I… dunno how I should go about it!"
"I-I think you're overthinking this Makoto." Chihiro says with a frown. "Just call him to your room and tell him what you're feeling at that moment. If you worry about it too much, you're going to freeze up… at least, that's what would happen to me if I had to confess like that."
I nod slightly. "You're… not wrong." I frown. "I guess I'm just going to have to do it… sorta like ripping a band-aid off."
Mukuro nods at me, allowing the smallest of smiles. "I'm certain that you'll be fine." Chihiro is beaming at me as well, and offers an excited nod as affirmation.
"Okay." I say, stretching out my arms. "Next… this is just me asking out of curiosity, but what's your 'secret' Mukuro?"
She shrugs. "Just something about Junko sleeping with her manager to get into modeling. Nothing awful."
Chihiro and I stare at her in shock. "Nothing awful!?" He says, cheeks flushed. "T-That's… really embarrassing!"
"Not for me." She says flatly. "It's not like I actually did it… it's just something Junko came up with that would sound convincing. I'll just act a little flustered and make up an excuse for it."
"I… guess that makes sense." I say after a moment of thought. "Still, I wonder how Taka is going to react to that kind of thing…"
She suddenly tenses up. "What?"
I flinch, immediately regretting my lack of a filter. Chihiro doesn't seem to catch on however. "Taka? I'd assume he'd probably scold her for her morals or something… why?"
With a stormy look on her face, she abruptly stands. "I need to go." Without waiting for either of us to say anything, she gets out of the bath and hurries into the locker area, leaving Chihiro and I in stunned silence.
"Did… did I say something wrong?" Chihiro says, looking at the door.
I shake my head. "No… it was my bad for bringing it up in the first place. If I'm guessing correctly, she's had feelings for him since before we all lost our memories. She sort of let it slip when we first talked about the situation we're in…" I rub my forehead with an irritated sigh. "I really shouldn't have said anything! Now she's all worked up over how he's gonna react!"
He pats my shoulder a little. "I-I wouldn't feel too bad, Makoto. She's got to be a tough girl… being a soldier and all. I'm sure she'll be fine if she has some time to cool down."
I nod slightly, hoping my small friend is right in his thinking. "So… we didn't really talk about this, but I think we need to come up with a plan. I think the more people whose secrets we can get to share before the deadline, the better."
"You have a point…" He says with a thoughtful expression on his face. "But who are we going to get to talk? A-And more importantly, how? Everyone seemed to be pretty reluctant to talk earlier…"
I screw my face in thought. "Well… I figure the best way to get someone to tell us their secret… is to tell them ours."
"W-What!?" He yells in surprise. "B-But Makoto…"
"I know." I say, looking him dead in the eye. "But I was thinking… wouldn't it be better for us to tell them our secrets, rather than having Monokuma tell them against our will? Plus, if we spill our guts first, they'd feel more inclined to listen to us and tell us their secret in turn! At least, I think they would be..."
He bites his lip. "I'm… I'm not sure if I can Makoto. I don't think I'm strong enough to handle it." Chihiro looks down at his hands, water swishing softly as he pulls them out of the water. "No matter how you look at me, I'm just not a man. It's totally pathetic..."
"No, that's wrong!" I say suddenly, making him jump. "Chihiro, you've gotta be one of the bravest people I know. Most people wouldn't be able to handle all of the stuff I've told you, all the stuff you've gone through… you're definitely a strong person! I have complete faith in you, Chihiro!"
He looks at me with wide eyes, my words having struck a chord with him. After several beats of silence, he finally nods.
"If… If you're there with me when I do it… I think I'll be okay." He says, picking at the ruffles on his bikini. "We'll do it together, right?"
I smile at my friend, happy with his courageous proclamation. "Of course! I'll be with you the entire time, for every single person we tell."
"Seems like I've missed something."
I whip my head around to see Byakuya staring down at us, fully clothed. "O-Oh, hey Byakuya! Why aren't you in a swimsuit?"
He simply raises an eyebrow at me. "I didn't think you people were actually serious about that." He glances over to Chihiro. "Why… are you in a bikini?"
He looks down with a flush on his cheeks. I turn to Byakuya with a sigh. "Long story. Apparently he's still a girl until Junko outs him tomorrow."
He runs a hand through his hair in frustration. "I had guessed the psycho wench was involved somehow. I'm questioning why he just didn't wear it."
I scratch my cheek. "Call it… peer pressure?" I say with a laugh. "I mean, it looks nice on him anyway, so there's no harm."
"But he's male. He should be wearing swim trunks if he wants to be viewed in such a way." He crosses his arms and huffs slightly. "It's contradictory to what he's trying to accomplish."
"I don't know about you Byakuya…" I say with a raised eyebrow. "But even knowing he's a guy, can you really look at his chest comfortably? I don't think I could without feeling like a pervert."
Chihiro looks ready to protest, but he stops himself short when Byakuya nods with a sigh. "...I suppose you have a point."
He frowns at both of us. "H-Hey! How would you guys be perverts? My chest is the same as both of yours...!"
Ignoring him, Byakuya continues. "Anyway, I have something I'd like to discuss with Makoto… Please make yourself scarce."
Chihiro looks ready to protest, but he suddenly nods and complies. I look toward him in confusion as he gets out of the bath. Once he's behind Byakuya, he turns back and mouths something with a smile, giving me a thumbs up.
"Good luck, Makoto!"
He then speeds away, leaving me staring his way in confusion. It takes me a few moments to process what he meant, and my heart immediately stops.
"H-He can't mean for me to do that now! That's…!" I stop my internal panic attack when I see Byakuya giving me a pointed look.
"O-Oh, uhm… what is it that you wanted to talk about?" I ask, standing from my spot in the tub.
He sighs slightly, looking tired all of a sudden. "When you were with them… did you happen to divulge who the killer was last time?"
"No." I say with a frown. "I don't think it's necessary. I don't want him avoiding him because of something they don't even remember…"
"Good." He says, removing his glasses once they fogged up. "I would have hated for any more unnecessary complications like last time… This is one of the few instances where blissful ignorance is able to be overlooked."
I bite my cheek. "Is, ah… that all?"
"It was the most important thing I had to say, yes. I assume you've already talked a plan of action out with Chihiro?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. I nod. "Good. If you're together, then you'll both be safe. I'd hate for you to have gone and done something as foolish as to confront someone alone just to keep him safe."
I'm about to disagree, but I internally groan when I remember that's something I'd probably do. "No, that wasn't the plan. He and I were going to go around and talk to people together."
"Very well." He says, turning away. "I'm going to go back to my room for now, so if you-" I quickly reach out and grab his wrist.
"Ah, Byakuya…!" He looks back with a raised eyebrow. "I, ah... have something I need to talk to you about too. Its kind of important."
He turns fully to me. "Well? What is it? I'd like to leave here so that I can see again."
I take a deep breath in an attempt to keep my heart from popping out of my chest. "Alright. I, uhm… don't really know how to say this." I can feel a blush rising all the way to the tips of my ears. "You remember how you told me… that I was attracted to you?"
He nods. "Yes. What of it?"
I bite my lip. "Calm down Makoto, you can do this. Just tell him! Blurt it out, don't worry, don't think! Just... say it!" I scratch the back of my head.
"You… you really might have been…" I take a deep breath, suddenly dizzy with panic. "You were sorta…"
"Spit it out." He says flatly. "I'd rather not be here all day."
"This guy…!" I think, starting to get irritated. Deciding I don't want to drag this out, I opt to just get it over with. "Youwerecompletelyright." I look away from him after I force out these words.
"Speak clearly." He demands, edge of irritation in his voice.
And then… I snap.
"I said, you were right!" I nearly yell, looking at him. "You were completely right! I didn't think I'd ever like a guy, but for whatever reason these stupid feelings developed for your arrogant ass!" I'm nearly seething at this point, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. "I wasn't ever planning on acting on it, but thanks to you hugging me in the hall like you had, fucking Junko figured it out and made that my secret! I didn't want you to hear it from a stupid bear, so I had to suck it up and tell you anyway, alright!?"
His eyes widen slightly at my proclamation and I internally curse. Leave it to me to call him an arrogant ass during a confession. "He's gonna be pissed, I just know it...!" The next several moments feel like an eternity as he stays completely quiet, eyes closed in thought.
"You are… completely tactless." He says after a while.
…
"Hah?"
Not understanding why he said that, I try to question it. "What-"
He immediately cuts me off. "You heard me. You're tactless. You're a commoner who's completely oblivious to how things actually work in the world. You're too short. Your hair defies logic. You trust people way too easily. Your sunny disposition is enough to make me gag, and you piss me off to no end on a regular basis. You can't even…"
"What the hell?!" I scream internally. "If he's gonna reject me, does he have to do it by pointing out every single thing he doesn't like about me!?" But no matter how much I internally plead for it to be over, he just. Keeps. Going.
"- probably haven't read anything that isn't a comic book. You're a virgin. You probably make straight B's at best. You can't be left alone for a single second, because if you are you'll run off and do something stupid and self-sacrificial..." He takes a step closer to me.
"...but regardless of all those things…" Another step.
"...You still managed to catch my attention." And another.
Soon he's standing right in front of me, and my brain is having trouble keeping up with what's going on. "You probably weren't aware of this…" He leans down until his face is right in front of mine. "But you've been mine since the day I became interested in you."
He quickly straightens himself and walks over to the bench, grabbing a towel. "Here." He says flatly. "Dry yourself off."
...I don't really understand what's going on anymore, so I just nod and do what he asked.
My face is completely flushed as I look up at him after having dried off. "Alright… uhm, why exactly did you have me do that?"
He walks back over to me and pulls my body to his. "So I could do…this." He leans down until our faces are a literal inch apart, before he rushes in and kisses me.
But calling it just a kiss would be an understatement. He's a lot gentler than I would have expected… but it still manages to take my breath away. After a second of just normal kissing, he bites my bottom lip. I yelp, and he takes the opportunity to stick his tongue into my mouth.
"Mmpf…!" Panicked, because I really haven't ever been kissed like this before, I sort of mimic what he's doing and let him take the lead. He takes free reign of my mouth, practically mapping it out with his tongue. I'm pretty sure the noises I'm making are embarrassing, but I can't really hear anything over the sound of my heart pounding at the moment.
I'm pretty sure we've made out for a good five minutes before he breaks off the kiss, looking down at me with a smirk. "Hm. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd have done that before."
I blush to the tips of my ears and scowl at him. "Asshole can't give a compliment without an insult tied in, can he?" I take a deep breath to try and steady my breathing. "Whatever…"
"Tell me, how did you know to breathe out of your nose? Most people don't get that right off the bat. Don't tell me you did research on it." His smirk widens ever so slightly, and it sort of feels like he's teasing me.
"I just… did what I thought was right? I dunno!" I huff slightly, finally calming down. "So… does that mean we're… dating?" I look up at him with an uncertain frown, and his smirk softens into the smallest of smiles.
"I suppose we are." He says, turning away slightly. Before I know it his face shifts back into a neutral expression. "I think we've been in here long enough. I'm going to go back to my room… I want you to drop by later after you and Chihiro are finished trying to save the rest of those idiots from themselves." Without waiting for me to reply, he promptly turns and walks away.
I sigh and quickly follow suit, wondering why I have to go to his room. When I reach the locker area he's already gone, but there's definitely someone else there.
"Chihiro?" I ask, looking over to the boy sitting calmly on the bench. "I thought you had left…?"
"O-Oh!" He says, glancing nervously off to the side. "Well... I had at first, but I got concerned after a while and decided to come back after I changed… a-and ah… yeah."
I raise an eyebrow at him, but don't press the issue further. "Alright then? I'm just gonna change real quick and then we can go, alright?" He nods slightly and turns away, and I quickly strip down. It's just as I'm pulling up my pants that he decides to speak up.
"S-So, uhm… Did you really look up how to make out, or…?"
I promptly trip, and make a mental note to be more careful of Chihiro from now on.
-CHAPTER 10: INTERMISSION-
A/N: Yup. I had to cut it in half. It was wayyyyy too long! I'll post the other half sometime after I update my other story, just to keep up my pattern. xp Not really much to say this time, so I'll just say bye for now!
