Acknowledgments: To Cyber Orteck - There is an observer, but they aren't involved until we're towards the climax and the final two are left.

To Tris PhantomEvans - Haha! You totally called it!


Entry 12 - Survive! Day Three

The three had ran all the way down to where Kosaka stood rigid. He was wide-eyed, soundlessly gaping at the sight of the dismembered torso of Hinata Hino. She was face down, blood pooling around her, and something cold within Yuno coiled at the sight. Mao screamed a long, broken scream that burst tears from her eyes and sobs from her mouth. She was about to fling herself over to her friend when Shiraishi held her back, noticing the many red eyes staring them down from the darkness of the forest bushes and trees.

"I think we should just move back, very slowly…" said Shiraishi quietly, holding Mao's hands tightly in his as he inched back towards the dirt path they had taken to this very spot.

"It doesn't matter, nothing matters!" Mao whimpered, pulling at her hands. The tears wouldn't stop falling as she tugged and tugged, miserable. "Hinata is dead! She's dead! If she's gone, I don't want to…"

"Stop talking like that, Mao!" cried Yuno. "Hinata wouldn't want you thinking like this and you know it! Please, pull yourself together..."

Mao opened her mouth, most likely to remark about how insensitive Yuno was being when Kosaka intervened.

"You guys," Kosaka began, swallowing down the horror caught in his throat as sweat beaded from his shocked face. "They're… they're kind of getting cl-closer t-to us..."

Yuno glanced. The red eyes were closer than they were previously. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stood there, wide-eyed. She knew something awful had happened, but she hadn't expected this. At the same time, she didn't feel as sorrowful as Mao or as horrified and surprised as the other two. Instead, there was an underlying and cold suspicion of wrong. Something horribly, inexplicably, and completely wrong that she couldn't place. That terrified her most of all.

"You know," a voice from behind them made all of them jump off the ground.

They all simultaneously turned to see Akise making his way over from the opposite forest. That forest was just as dark as the one in front of them. He sauntered through, smiling evenly and proudly until he stood right in front of Yuno. She blinked, pleasantly surprised by his arrival. She almost smiled, but given the grim circumstances, she didn't. His amaranth eyes were on her, and then, he was looking at everyone else, hands in his pockets.

"The longer you guys just stand here, the likelier you're all dog dinner."

Shiraishi sarcastically laughed, narrowing his brown eyes.

"And what's your suggestion, genius?"

"Now, now, now," Akise gently waved his hand at Shiraishi. "There is no need for such sourness, but since you asked, I suggest we all make a break for it. There's an old observatory up ahead, it could keep them off. At least, for some time."

"Are you nuts?!" exclaimed Kosaka. "You seriously think we have any fucking chance outrunning these things?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one in track." Akise smiled at him.

"Now isn't the time to fuck with me—" Kosaka was shouting when the dogs began growling, walking over slowly to the group of teenagers. Their paws hitting the ground left sounds of clanking metal, and looking closer at them, Akise could see that they were indeed mechanical dogs. He had been right after all.

"No time for second-guessing, we have to move!" Akise clapped his hand over Yuno's and darted onto the dirt path leading up to the observatory. The other three followed behind, albeit with Shiraishi struggling to pull an underwhelmed, grieving Mao.

As soon as they made it inside, they slammed the doors shut and backed up into the center of the place. Akise hadn't let go of Yuno's hand. He tightened his grip on her. She glanced at him, cheeks lightly colored and eyes still wide. He smiled apologetically at her, and then turned away, going through his pocket. She raised her eyebrow, but didn't ask. He must have been glancing at his diary, because he didn't end up taking anything out. They turned back to the others.

Kosaka was slowly starting to shake, eyes wide again as he saw the dogs clambering at the doors with their sharp paws, as if attempting to break the doors. Mao didn't even react. She was staring off into space with hollow green eyes, mouth shut into a blank expression. Shiraishi held her against him, frowning and looking around. He was trying to comprehend the situation without freaking out like Kosaka.

Akise slowly held his free hand to his mouth, narrowing his eyes. If my diary is right, the dogs are going to try to enter through the windows. If they do, we're going to struggle sustaining them, and Yuno will use her diary to keep the dogs off of us. My diary has also confirmed the suspicion that Hinata is Tenth's daughter, and will be using Yuno as bait to get to me. My diary may be limited to my perspective and actions, but I am not letting anything happen to Yuno. However… if I do abstain her from using her diary, we'll be unprotected and we'll most likely all be killed.

I want to think that the moment we do nothing, Hinata would reveal herself and would do what she intended to begin with, but… I doubt it. Her father killed so many people. He would have no qualms killing us either. I also have to be cautious of Mao. She's really good portraying her role so far, but I can't let my guard down and give her the benefit of the doubt. She's involved, she has to be. After all, she would do anything for Hinata, wouldn't she?

"Akise! The windows!" cried Kosaka.

"What now?" Shiraishi glanced at Akise.

On both sides of the double door entrance, there were four long windows. Outside of them were the dogs trying to break in. Akise ran over to one of the windows that many of the dogs were jumping on, leaning against it.

"We do what we can to hold them off." He announced. In the end, there's only one choice left to make. Yuno has to use her diary, if we all want to survive. "Shit!" Akise glanced as a pack of five dogs were ganging up on the third window on the left.

Immediately, Shiraishi ran over to it and leaned hard against it. The dogs were throwing themselves harder against the windows, and when they tried it simultaneously, Akise and Shiraishi struggled to keep themselves standing upright as they leaned. Meanwhile, the other three stood there, wide-eyed. Kosaka was trying to compose himself. Mao was continuing to stare off into space. Yuno was both panicking from the situation and her racing thoughts.

What should she do? Should she help Akise? Should she be comforting Mao, or Kosaka? Why wasn't she convinced that this was right? Why could she feel nothing but alarm? Yuno glanced about. Something didn't line up. Her cerise eyes locked with Akise's amaranth ones, and when she saw he was gritting his teeth as his body was about to slide down onto the floor, she decided. Quite convenient that she had decided then, since the dogs smartened and were jumping against the unguarded windows.

"Kosaka, up to that first one! Come on, pull yourself together, we need you! You can't be standing around, or it's like Akise said. We'll be dinner!" Yuno ran over to the window next to Akise, leaning hard against it. "Akise, Shiraishi, do your best to keep them off of those windows, and Kosaka, in about sixty-five seconds from now, I want you to switch places with Shiraishi, and—" She was reading the instructions off of her diary, and despite Shiraishi and Kosaka's shared confusion, they obeyed.

They were more confused when it miraculously worked. Akise couldn't say he wasn't all displeased. He was happy that their lives were spared, all thanks to Yuno's diary entries, but he was unhappy that it had to play out this way after all. It wasn't Yuno's fault. It was either that she used her diary to help them, or she didn't, and they would have either been killed or spared. The chances of being spared if she hadn't used her entries were too slight to venture, and she must have acknowledged that, because when they exchanged alert glances at each other, he just sensed that she knew something was up, too.

Good, they were on the same page. It would make things easier when things escalated later on. When that happened, the two of them would be ready. It was early nightfall around the time that the dogs retreated back into the forests, barking their defeat and frustration for the world to hear. The four heaved sighs in unison, tempted to collapse on the floor from their exhaustion. That had worn them out. Akise sighed softly, wanting to close his eyes. Instead, he stared hard over at Mao. She stood in the same place, back facing them.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Shiraishi and Kosaka pounding each other's fists in victory as they laughed breathlessly in relief, drenched in their sweat from their face to their neckline. Yuno smiled, also relieved that things hadn't gone too bad. She walked over to Akise and hugged him tight. He hugged her back, eyes still on shadowed Mao.

"Are you okay?" whispered Yuno.

"I'm a little worn, but I'll be fine. How are you?" He asked quietly.

"I'm just fine." She giggled, placing a gentle kiss on Akise's cheek. She was happy that he was there. Yuno had been worried that he wouldn't have spent any of their time off together when she first saw how absorbed he was in that case. She couldn't deny that she was still upset about it, but she was going to be gentle to him for now. She hugged him tighter. Akise breathed out a laugh, amused at her clinginess. He shouldn't have ignored her, but then, he wouldn't be garnished with this much affection. He smirked to himself, shaking his mischievous thoughts aside as his fingers softly brushed hairs that clung to the sweat on her forehead.

"Isn't that gross?" asked Yuno, embarrassed.

"Doesn't matter to me." Akise grinned crookedly at her, and she smiled, nuzzling his neck. Like Shiraishi and Kosaka, they were flushed and sweaty from their faces to their necklines from how many windows they had run back and forth to lean heavily against while packs of at least five dogs were pushing consistently against the windows, determined. Oh yes, none of that mattered. At least, not anymore. What mattered now was Mao. He glanced at her, and then stared back down at the cerise-eyed girl that was nuzzling his chest, akin to how Yuka behaved when he was sitting on the couch, reading case files "You're not upset anymore?" Akise added tentatively, "For me being... mean, in regards to ignoring you?"

"You can make it up to me later, Aru-kun." Yuno looked up at him, smiling. "Right now, we have something we need to do, right?"

"Mm." He nodded, "I will make it up to you, I promise, Yuno."

Yuno stared at his lips for a moment, as if she wanted to kiss them and he almost leaned in to meet her, but hesitantly, they broke away from each other. They sent each other glances. She embarrassedly smiled, blushing lightly. He grinned crookedly, pocketing his hands into his jacket. Shiraishi and Kosaka walked up to them, still sweaty and flushed but elated.

"How did you do that, Gasai-san?" asked Shiraishi eagerly.

"Yeah, you totally saved our asses!" Kosaka chimed in.

"Oh, well…" Yuno blushed to her ears in embarrassment. She hadn't expected those kinds of reactions from them. Akise tilted his head. "It's just…"

While the three of them were conversing, Akise simply listening, Mao silently made her way over. All that time during their way here, Mao couldn't help debating with herself. She was going to hold Yuno at knifepoint to provoke Akise in exchanging his diary for his girlfriend, for Hinata's sake. Yet she couldn't help question if it was right for her to do this to them. Neither her nor Hinata expected Yuno to be a holder. They'd only known Akise was one from Uryu's ambush on their school. Her being a holder changed things, but it had been revealed so abruptly, could there be any plausible last-minute changes to their original plan?

Mao bit the inside of her lip, it was quivering. Her hands trembled, sweating. She needed to pull herself together, but how could she? Yuno was her friend. She'd only vaguely known Akise, but she had never thought about killing other people before, let alone think of holding them at knifepoint. Biting her tongue, Mao neared. She was just going to hold Yuno at knifepoint, she wouldn't kill anyone. No one would be getting hurt. This was all for Hinata.

If Mao hadn't loved Hinata as much as she did, she might have walked away from the agreement they made. The two of them had been walking back from downtown when Hinata stopped them in a secluded side of town where most buildings were in the process of being modernized. Distinctly, they could hear faraway chatter and the footsteps of passing people as they stood there. Hinata weakly smiled at Mao, tears in her eyes, and Mao just knew. She just knew that whatever Hinata was going to say, it was bad, and it was something bad that she would need Mao to be part of.

Mao agreed to help her, because she loved her. She loved her so much. Ever since Hinata had the decency to show her around campus, Mao's feelings harvested. The more friendly and gentle Hinata was with her, the deeper she fell in love with her. Mao was maybe dumb, probably being manipulated by Hinata as a disposable puppet, but her strong feelings for her told her otherwise. Mao was observant.

Hinata wore a disguise all of the time, and seeing her hide from her feelings hurt. Mao was doing this, because she wanted Hinata to be okay again. She wanted Hinata to stop crying and sobbing when she thought that Mao walked far away enough that she wouldn't overhear; she wanted Hinata to stop faking smiles and laughter that she was sure Mao was convinced from; and she wanted Hinata to truly, truly be happy, even if that meant that Mao would have to do this for her. And just like that, Mao swallowed down her reluctance, drew the knife from the back pocket of her long, red skirt, and closed in on Yuno.

This is for Hinata!

Mao shoved Yuno's back against her, blade of the knife against her throat. There was no room for fear or second thoughts. There was only Hinata's one chance of happiness, through the cruel intentions of a betrayal. Shiraishi and Kosaka's eyes widened simultaneously, their mouths agape. Hadn't they had enough surprises for the night? Akise blinked, but didn't react any further than that, because Mao was so sure that she had Yuno, but Yuno surprised her. Yuno lifted her leg easily, swinging her foot into Mao's stomach, spinning around before Mao had time to react, and knocking the knife from Mao's grip through an elbow strike.

The knife clattered to the floor. Now Shiraishi and Kosaka's mouths dropped further open at the sight of Yuno flipping Mao over, pressing her stomach against the floor. Akise smiled, picking up the knife, pocketing it, and drawing handcuffs, he was given to by Kurusu, from his pocket. He clicked the cuffs onto Mao's wrists, chipper. Yuno rubbed her hands on her skirt, smiling smugly down at Mao. Her eyes were dilated and her cheeks were flushed; Try that again, bitch.

That expression was what made Mao question why she had hesitated at all. Her look of horror was replaced with a disdainful glare. Yuno Gasai was a monster. Akise Aru was a trickster. Those two didn't deserve to live. She wriggled and wriggled, attempting to break free from the handcuffs. The metal strained against her pale flesh, staining it purple, and she groaned exasperatedly, furious. The moment she was freed, she would kill the two of them - smiling mockingly down at her for fighting for Hinata's happiness! Those...

"What the hell is going on?!" interrogated Kosaka.

"I second that." Shiraishi bit his lip.

Just then, the doors from the front were pulled open. Hinata burst in, scowling in disbelief at all of them. Shiraishi swallowed, wondering what he had done to be involved in such a horrendously eventful night as this. Kosaka gaped, and then, he glared, clearly angered that his feelings, like most of everyone else's, were played with. He balled his hands into tight fists, face flushing. Yuno locked her dilated eyes on Hinata, a knowing smirk lifting those lips. Akise's lips also curled up.

"I was going to go easy," said Hinata, voice shaking and brown eyes watering, "Just have us play a stupid betting game with lives on the line, but you had to make it so difficult, didn't you, Akise Aru?"

"If I didn't make anything difficult, this wouldn't be so fun!" chuckled Akise, smiling. "On a more serious side of things, Hinata, it doesn't have to be this way. If you put a stop to this, we can go easy on you and forgive you for all of this before it gets bad. Don't believe in your dad, Hinata. He's a liar and a killer."

"You don't know my dad!" She screamed, tears falling down her face. "None of you know my dad the way I do! He's nothing you say he is!"

"He's using you." said Akise gently, maintaining calm. "Don't you get it? He's using your trust and your feelings for his own advantage. He doesn't care if he wins or not, Hinata. He just wants to spill blood. Don't tell me you buy his excuse for killing all of those innocent people?"

"..." The tears wouldn't stop falling, but Hinata harshly rubbed them away with her sleeve, and she cried, "You're all dog-food!"

Immediately, the dogs they fended off from earlier were running towards them.

"Fucking hell!" cried Kosaka.

The four of them broke for it, leaving handcuffed Mao and Hinata behind. They ran off into the forest behind the observatory, into the starlit blue night. Hinata sent the dogs hot on their trail, walking over to Mao and crouching beside her. Mao looked up at her, tears in her green eyes and lips trembling.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata, that I didn't-" Hinata's tears spilled on Mao's face, and she blinked.

"What have I done to you?" croaked Hinata, sobbing into her palm. "Oh Mao, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... why did I involve you? Something worse than this could have happened, and it would have been my fault-"

"I don't care!" cried Mao, holding back her own sobs at Hinata so broken down. "I did this, because I wanted to."

A weak smile twitched on Hinata's trembling lips, tears spilling over them as she whispered,

"You shouldn't love me..."

And watching her from the cameras he had within the observatory, her father smiled as he thought the same about her. Children were often foolish. No, not just children, humans were foolish, cruel, and hypocritical beings. They were faint of heart all along, and life was just a game to them. He turned away from all of the screens flickering with footage from the observatory surveillance cameras and the implanted cameras that were the sight of his mechanical dogs, facing all of his precious dogs situated at a long running table. Humans were heartless, but dogs were more open and gentler with each other. They hardly hurt each other for the sake of hurting each other, unlike the disgraceful human race.

"I'm leaving."

"So suddenly?"

"Akise is a smart boy. Knowing him, the cops aren't too far away from arriving here. I won't be around to see you get your ass handed to you."

"Just when I went through all of the trouble of hospitalizing you to begin with?"

"Mm, I suggest you make a break for it, too."

"I prefer to stay here and enjoy dinner with my family."

The shadowed figure in the doorway sneered.

"I thought I was fucked up, my condolences to your daughter." And he walked away.

Dogs were more understanding of each other than humans could have ever hoped to be.


"Where the fuck are we going?" asked Kosaka, sweating hard.

They were all sweating, flushed, and aching by now. Akise pressed on, determined. Shiraishi was beginning to slow, but hearing the snarls behind him made him speed up again. Yuno glanced back and forth, alarmed.

"We can't run forever..." Shiraishi muttered through his heavy, desperate breathing.

"You're right." Akise agreed. "I'm going to run back and talk her out of this."

"That didn't work so well before!" Kosaka glanced. "Like hell I'm trusting my life in your hands-"

"Do you doubt Akise-kun?" Yuno's dilated eyes locked on him. Wisely, Kosaka went silent. She turned to Akise instead. "I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"I thought you wouldn't." He pulled the knife out of his pocket and offered it to her. "They're going to be on our trail for sure. I'll need you."

Yuno's insides flared. Her heart fluttered, her cheeks heated, and she smiled adoringly. Akise was counting on her. She couldn't let him down. Yuno held the handle of the knife tight, turning away as she rose a shaking hand to her bright cheek, hiding how her smile widened stupidly. Akise turned to the other two.

"I suggest that the two of you climb a tree and stay put!"

"Easier said than done, man, easier said than done..." Kosaka panted out.

The divided into pairs. Kosaka and Shiraishi continued running ahead, deeper into the forest. Akise and Yuno turned back, running into the forest at their side. The dogs also divided, but not in pairs. Even when split in half, they were innumerable. Though, Akise and Yuno didn't let that bother them as they ran forward. They weren't disrupted until they reached the front of the observatory where at least ten dogs had been waiting. They rushed over to them, and Yuno prepared for work. The first dog that jumped over she stabbed right in the head. The exterior of the mechanical dogs was akin to Kevlar material, but it was easily penetrable. It was the interior that was robust and wire. Despite them being mechanical, they were similar to dogs in terms of how they were structured. If she aimed for the head, that would be their brain and their mechanical brains were the connection to receiving Hinata's orders.

When more than one of them ran over to her, it was harder for her to do it as gracefully, but Yuno managed. Akise gazed at Hinata. She stood at the top of the steps into the observatory, Mao stood beside her, still handcuffed. Hinata glared down at him.

"Are you giving yourself up, Akise?"

"I'm here to talk to you."

"Well, I'm not." said Hinata pointedly.

"I know you aren't. I may not be your friend, but I would hope that after we all leave this situation alive, you and I can grow to become friends, Hinata. I want that for us, and Yuno, as your friend that you betrayed, wants that, too. Your dad isn't a good guy. He stopped caring about you way before your mom left!"

Hinata burst into tears, squeezing her brown eyes shut and turning her head away.

"Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup!"

"Akise!" cried Yuno. She had disposed of those ten dogs that were waiting, but the lot that had followed them back were slowly closing in on them.

"Call them off, Hinata! You have no right to threaten anyone's life but mine! I don't care if you want to kill me, but you won't drag the rest of them with me! Do you get it?" asked Akise, furrowing his brows and staring hard at Hinata.

At those words, Yuno, Hinata, and Mao's eyes widened. Yuno felt her insides run cold at those words. He wasn't going to give himself up... That wasn't part of the plan! No, Akise wouldn't kill himself when they were partners, would he? Panic withered her face and she turned to him, his back facing her. He glared up at Hinata now, slowly walking up to her. A low, surprised squeal escaped Yuno's throat, and she inched to walk after him. One of the dogs latched onto her leg, and she screamed.

Akise saw and turned back to Hinata, frantic.

"Call them off! Now, Hinata!"

"..." Hinata shakily fiddled with her controller and obeyed.

The dogs stilled. Yuno wiggled out of the one that had closed its canines down on her leg, and when she pulled away, blood was spilling from where its sharp teeth had sank into her flesh. Those weren't shallow incisions. Akise's eyes widened, but he was relieved to hear sirens ringing in the distance. Hinata stiffened at the sound of them, and then, she heard her father's voice from the planted intercom within the observatory.

"-As expected, you did disappoint me, Hinata."

Hinata gasped in surprise, clapping her hand to her mouth.

"-You really were foolish, weren't you? To think that I would be selfless and loving enough to live to my words? You have a long way to go of understanding the heartlessness of the human race, sweetheart." He should be scolding her in the way he was speaking, but he crooned them, and it was the gentlest, sweetest way he had ever spoken to her in her living.

"You..." She began, but her voice distorted into uncontrollable sobs and cries.

"-Take it from me, often the people who act nicest are the people who are cruelest."

The static announced he had cut off the connection. The whites of Yuno's eyes returned, and she blinked. She slowly frowned, heart aching for Hinata as she took the situation in. The searing of her bleeding leg didn't matter compared to how upset her friend was. Yuno walked over beside Akise. The two said nothing as they stared at Hinata. Overwhelmed, she sank down to her knees, silent tears spilling down her cheeks as she sat there. Mao crouched beside her, leaning against her, and wanting more than anything to wrap her arms around the brunette. Hinata palmed her mouth as sobs threatened to leave her again. Akise and Yuno glanced at Mao. Mao stared at them, frowning, and nodding acceptingly with a hint of remorsefulness. Akise and Yuno embraced the two in their arms, holding them as Hinata cried and Mao kissed Hinata's unruly brown hair.

Eventually, the police arrived with Shiraishi and Kosaka. Kurusu urged Akise, Mao, Shiraishi, and Kosaka to join him in his cruiser for interrogations down at the station, and Nishijima tended to driving the heartbroken Hinata and the maimed Yuno to the hospital. Their cars drove off into the distance as they made their way to their respective locations, oblivious to eyes that scrutinized them from behind forest bushes.