Disclaimer: i do not own danganronpa.

It was Munakata who first broke the silence, his sword making a thin scraping sound as he returned it to its scabbard. Kyouko wasn't ashamed to say that the action relieved her, and she finally curled from the pain in her leg and let herself collapse against the wall again.

"So, Kirigiri," he asked, resting his weapon against the wall and watching her like a hawk,"if the attacks have been caused by the videos on the monitors, as you say, then what should we do about it?"

"Nothing," she replied, "we just need to get rid of the ones that get in our way. From the beginning, the idea was to find the attacker and escape, but if there is no attacker, then all that's left is escape."

Munakata was quick to interrupt, "How can you be sure that there even is a way out? The mastermind could easily have arranged for us to all die in here. Especially if he planned the killings remotely."

"Remote or not, he had to get us in here somehow," Kyouko retorted, "even if he collapsed the door or locked the gates, that's something the Future Foundation members outside can deal with."

After a moment, Munakata seemed to accept her explanation, and silently switched from talking to assessing the damage to her leg.

Sakakura, however, was a little more worried, "but how will the Future Foundation be able to find us when even we don't even know where we are?" he grumbled, "The food in here won't last us forever." the fact that he wouldn't last long with or without food went unsaid.

Munakata was quiet for a while, "I'd like to say that we were moved quickly thanks to the watches, but the time on them could easily have been tampered with. Truthfully, we could be days away from the headquarters-"

"Well wherever we are, it's definitely underwater." Sakakura provided, before his entire body began sagging. He grimaced, the shock of what had happened beginning to wear off as he clutched his bleeding arm, "I remember -I saw it before. When Kirigiri ran away after Ando..."

Is he referring to the secret exit that was mentioned before? Kyouko wondered, pushing away the memories of what had happened inside, Indeed, I've never been there. In fact, there might even be something useful there besides an exit.

"You're talking about that secret exit. Do you know how to get there," Kyouko queried.

"Hunh," Sakakura groaned, shaking his head and pulling himself up, "Y-Yeah. I can get us there…"

Munakata appeared to disagree, and was looking at his friend with an expression that Kyouko could almost call worried.

He seemed to be about to say something about it when Sakakura interrupted him, "Yeah...I can get us there easy, " he said, straightening up and squaring his shoulders in an attempt to hide his condition,

Munakata wasn't fooled, "Are you sure you're fit to move?"

"I'd say I'm more fit than Kirigiri over there," Sakakura replied, eyes challenging, "so if you're giving anyone a lift it should be her."

He was right, of course, so Kyouko wasn't going to complain. Even so, she could feel Munakata's discomfort in the way his hands strained -shifting just a little too quick to be calm -as he bandaged her leg and had her clamber clumsily onto his back.

It was as though he felt that there wasn't enough time, and as Kyouko looked across the room at Sakakura -the way he stumbled and gripped his bloodied arm and chest -she felt as though he may be right.

Perhaps the secret exit will have some medical supplies, until then, it would be best to try to take it slow.

To be honest, it would help if they could get there as quickly as possible, but going too fast would put stress on Munakata's friend. If something happened to him that could possibly be construed as her fault, she had no doubt it would cause problems between herself and Munakata, and she didn't need that kind of drama, not right now.

Too many important people have died today, people important to me and to the world.

Her heart hurt at the thought of them -of Naegi and Asahina -of Kizakura, Gozu, Gekkogahara and Bandai - even of Izayoi, Ando, Kimura - all sacrifices of this game.

But then her heart went cold, because she didn't have time for that right now, she had to protect the future and-.

That was when she realized Ryouta wasn't in the hallway.

Munakata must have sensed her shock, as he quickly stilled, craning his neck to look at her in confusion.

"Sakakura," she breathed, not bothering to turn to the man, training her eyes on the spot where Ryouta should have been "where's Ryouta?"

I promised to protect him, she thought desperately, hoping beyond hope that Sakakura would say something constructive, He has to be ok.

"I don't know," Sakakura sighed, honest regret in his voice, "he ran off after I -to Asahina."

Kyouko didn't need to hear anymore.

Funny, she thought dryly, ignoring the sinking churn of her chest, after all the times I've dealt with false hopes, you'd think I'd be used to it by now.

She shook her head, no, I mustn't think like that, for all i know, he's fine.

I need to stay strong.

Kyouko wished they could run faster, but Munakata wouldn't allow it. For all the coldness he'd expressed before, he now seemed intensely fixated on Sakakura's wellbeing.

She'd like to have pointed out that Ryouta could be in an even worse state at this juncture, the sleeping phase would happen soon and when it did there was a chance he would be the next victim, but she knew who took priority in Munakata's mind, so she kept silent even as her mind roared in protest.

Unacceptable. She thought, I can't allow Ryouta to die. Not after everyone else.

They had to get there in time somehow… but she knew that if she asked to go faster she'd just be rejected, these people didn't have the same stakes after all.

She supposed that was what was so magnetic about Naegi, he somehow found enough heart to care and trust in everyone, and there was no way you could argue with something that was so utterly right as that.

He'd called it being an optimist, but it was really something. I can't manage it.

Then again, Ryouta was quite competent with animation, perhaps he'd be able to circumvent the video's effects with his expertise.

As quickly as the thought had come to her, it was dismissed. Ryouta's life was on the line, and that was too much to leave to chance, they had to warn him! And yet they wouldn't.

"You seem concerned, Kirigiri."

She stayed silent. He knew what she felt, and if he didn't than he was far less intelligent than she'd assumed.

"Just keep moving."

"Is it about Mitarai?"

Kyouko could've groaned. Congratulations, she thought, you've figured it out, but you aren't going to do anything about it are you? So why bring it up? Did you just feel like rubbing salt in the wound?

"It doesn't matter," Kyouko said coldly, instead, "There's nothing left to say."

"...Are you sure about that?" Munakata asked, and although his steps didn't slow down in the slightest, Kyouko could her tension in his voice, hidden by layers of nonchalance.

"If you have a point you should hurry up and get to it." She asked stiffly, not sure if she'd like what she'd hear.

Munakata seemed to be able to feel her stiffness, either that, or Kyouko was imagining the odd delicacy in his voice as he told her.

"That suicide video, if it's the same one I'm thinking of, it was probably Mitarai who created it."

It was as though the world had stopped, frozen at those words as Kyouko's mind suddenly began putting the pieces together, over and over despite how wrong they were.

"Your memories were restored, no?" Munakata continued, ignoring her shock, "Then you must remember what caused the tragedy. It was a video, no one who ever saw it survived."

"Surely there could be some other-"

"It's impossible. There isn't another person out there who would be able to create such a thing, not after the passing of Junko Enoshima."

Kyouko shook her head, she couldn't believe Ryouta could do that. It wasn't just an emotional response, or even trust. It just seemed beyond the Ryouta she knew.

He truly believed in hope, there's no way he'd aid despair. It just doesn't fit.

But maybe -maybe I don't know him as well as I thought I did, or maybe…

"Even if Ryouta did make it, it would be impossible for him to install it across the building like this," she realized, her mind zeroing in on the likeliest candidate that she could think of, "either someone else made the video, or someone found it and installed it."

She could see Munakata's face darkening as she spoke, and she knew he'd come to the same conclusion as her.

"Tengan." Munakata muttered, the slightest hint of shame colouring his voice.

Kyouko sighed, "He played you well, didn't he."

"Maybe he did, but it wouldn't have worked half as well if…"

Munakata trailed off then. Probably thinking of Yukizome, Kyouko surmised. She hadn't been aware of the two's relationship before, aside from knowing that they had been close.

It was dawning on her now that it hadn't just been close. It had been beyond that, close to the point that you didn't even realize it was there, so close that going without it felt like driving against the strongest headwind.

She understood what he felt, what he was going through. She'd lost her own hope just earlier, watched it throw itself to the death and place its faith in her unsteady hands.

Even so, she'd taken up that hope and found her own. Created a hope that still persisted somehow even now, no matter how battered it was, or how many people fell around her.

Briefly, she wondered if Munakata would find that kind of hope, then she shook those thoughts away.

-He'd have to find it if he planned to lead the foundation after this, and if he didn't that just meant someone else would have to step up.

Ifs were meaningless in this situation. Either Munakata would rise to the challenge, or he wouldn't. Those were the eventualities she had to plan for.

I won't fail you, she thought, twin warmths flitting across her mind's eye and lifting her heart, Neither of you. I'll protect this world.

She didn't have anymore time to dwell on it though, because that was when the room came into view. Kyouko felt Munakata stiffen as Sakakura fell to the floor near the entrance, spent after having taxed himself so much.

I'll protect it, she thought grimly, eyes zeroing in on the fallen man, to do that, we need to keep everyone -even someone like you -alive.

For that sake, I hope there's some medicine in there.

Hey look whats back! For now! Torn between having the dr2 gang come back or not. That was an odd choice of plot point by Kodaka and Koizumi honestly.

Anyway as mentioned before the massive four month or something hiatus I WILL finish this! Eventually.

Thanks for the support and sorry for the wait.