Chapter Five-Of Cats and Traitors

Alternatively known as; Ten Hours, Ten Persons, Ten Actions...

Survival Life

*friendly reminder that Tojiko is Fuuko's real name*

-Shinji's POV-

Waking up with a splitting headache seemed to be a running theme for me at this point. I stumbled a bit before realizing I couldn't move my left hand. I looked over, and found it shattered. Blood had dried and part of my bone was showing.

Worst of all, one of my fingers had been bent out of place. I grabbed it and twisted it back into place, nearly biting my tongue from trying not to scream in agony. What the hell happened there, huh?

Looking around the room, I did a quick head count. Kenta was in the left corner, still pissed off. Satoshi was next to him, moving a sewing needle in air as if trying to practice it. Creep...

Misery was in the other corner, eye closed and just listening to us. She had no noticeable expression. Panterbell was on the glass table in the center of this room, wagging his tail in anger, specifically directed at Kenta. Good kitten...

Shinju and Koneko were both glaring at me, and even Granberia and Daisuke, the duo resting against the wall behind them had feelings of hostility directed at me. Fuuko, on the other hand, was still asleep.

By the process of elimination, I realized, "Akihiko's...dead?" My mind flashed back to that present box I had opened. Nari's ring... I felt it on one of my fingers. I checked, and there it was, on my index finger on my left hand. Rival Romantic. Had someone else placed it there for me...?

"You already knew that, bastard..." Daisuke spoke to me, the first who bothered to.

"No, I... I wouldn't," I replied honestly, "I... I just remember finding Nari's..." I couldn't even bring myself to finish that sentence, "And then...I just remember blacking out."

Shinju argued with me, "Not believing that. You tried to get Koneko's action to set off!"

Was I hearing this right? I took a single step forward, but when Shinju backed up and Koneko's claws unsheathed, I felt their animosity overwhelming my senses, "...I... What did Monokuma do to you guys!?"

Fuuko awoke, trying to force herself awake by smacking her cheeks, "Ugh... I have serious problems with this... I just want to sleep in."

Monokuma took that as a cue to appear on the monitor screen in the room, greeting us with his cheery disposition, "Hey, guys! How does it feel having made it to round two!? Nico, Hajime, Nari, and Akihiko have died, but you ten have survived! This time, I've unlocked both the 5th area and the first three again! You can go wherever you want, though any valid clues will only be in the new area, of course."

Kenta cursed Monokuma out, "You and your damned games... I presume the traitor wasn't Akihiko, then? How unfortunate... If the pattern continues, a non-student has to die next."

I stepped in between him and Fuuko, "Don't even think about that, bastard."

He then glanced over at Misery, who was already grinning at him with a blade in her right hand, "My forbidden action isn't defending myself, just so you know. I might not be able to kill, but I can make you wish I had..."

Kenta adjusted his collar nervously before leaning back against the door, "I'll let the traitor handle this one, then."

Monokuma ended his announcement with one last helpful bit of advice, "So... Try not to die! Okay, guys!? Or if you do... Do it with gusto! The audience loves a great death!"

The monitor blinked out, and Satoshi, already at the doorway, waved us off, "Bye, guys. I have some work left to do. Kibou and I will be back to help you guys out. Okay?"

Seeing no one else was going to do anything in this awkward atmosphere, I asked, "Anyone want to tell me what happened to make me the bad guy here or...?"

"Acting like you don't know is insulting to Akihiko," Granberia said it with such harshness, "Ultimate Despair... I can't believe it was you."

"Me? What...?" Seriously, what were they on about? Did I do something...? "I didn't... Whatever."

Kenta walked to the table while we were busy arguing. I wasn't focused on that, of course.

Shinju confronted me, "You bastard... You nearly got Koneko killed with your little tantrum!" Without hesitation, she slapped me harder than I ever had been before. I could taste blood, and I stumbled away from her.

Granberia walked up next to Shinju, "You should leave." She was talking to me, too, "We're safer without you around."

Before I could ask as to why, Koneko let out one of the most vicious threats I'd ever heard, "One more step, Kenta, and I'll rip your guts out!"

Kenta stopped just in front of the doorway. In his hands was a certain kitten, whom he had restrained with both hands, "Whatever are you on about, dear sister?" He turned to face her, "I just decided to take the kitten for a stroll. Since you all have neglected him thus far."

Koneko stepped towards him, claws fully unleashed, "You put him down right now, god dammit! If he leaves this room, he dies, you fucking asshole!"

"Would it make you mad if I just did this...?" He stepped backwards, standing on the line between the door and the hallway. Holding Panterbell out, all he had to do was take one more step back and...

"You won't escape me..." Koneko's eyes shined a deep red, "You know that. You made me a hunter."

Kenta finally relented, "Fine. You are right, of course. I made you the perfect killing machine." he stepped inside and placed Panterbell on the floor, releasing him.

And Panterbell, being his adorable self, prepped and ready to run, began bounding towards his favorite human. Koneko awaited him, her arms outstretched.

Thhk!

Behind us, the monitor lit up and registered one Ultimate Kitten as deceased. And as Kenta lifted his foot off of the crumpled remains of our beloved pet, I knew Koneko was lost to reason.

Koneko was already mid lunge when I jumped in between her, "If he hits you, you'll-" Before I could finish that sentence, blood exploded from my back and sides as Koneko tried to tear through me to get to him.

How did I know her forbidden action, though? She never told me...

"Let me shred him!" Koneko screamed, her animalistic rage unwilling to let him go. Kenta smirked at her, satisfied that the "pattern" had been satiated, and quickly charged down the hallways, as if any distance could ever make him safe after what he had just done.

Misery walked up behind Koneko and pulled her off of me with ease. Her claws, hooked into me by that point, came out painfully. As I slumped to the floor with bleeding limbs, Misery assured her, "You can't fight him. You'll die."

"But he-" Koneko was teary-eyed now, an odd contrast to her blood-covered hands.

Misery pulled out a small knife and assuaged her worries, "Despair, remember? I have no forbidden actions. I'll take care of him."

Misery walked out and casually walked in whatever direction Kenta had gone off in.

Daisuke was seated on the floor, coddling Panterbell's body, "Why... Why did he fuckin' go that far, man!?"

Granberia theorized, "Traitor. Killing Panterbell definitely filled us with despair. I'd say he's too obvious a choice, but perhaps that is what Monokuma is betting on."

Shinju agreed with that sentiment, "Especially considering the actions we've had and the targets. Taking Nico out first. Hajime fought him already, and Nari was one of the few members of our group without an action that prevented violence. Add in Akihiko's getting set up by Monokuma, and it all makes sense."

Right... I lifted up my crushed left hand and pressed the button on my bracelet.

"Dumbass... You're Despair," Daisuke muttered, glaring at me, "We saw what happened with Akihiko. You don't have an action."

I lifted up my shattered arm so he could read what was firmly flashing on my bracelet; Forbidden Action: Perpetrate violence against Nari's killer.

"You were saying...?" With that, I methodically moved my body to a standing position and headed towards the door, bleeding profusely, "I guess... this is goodbye."

-Fuuko's POV-

Shinji exited into the hallway with great difficulty, his body clearly pushed to its limits. What was wrong with the others?

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" I was weary of their attitudes already, "Is no one going to help him?"

"He knows our forbidden actions," Daisuke warned, "Any one of us is susceptible if he surprises us."

I couldn't believe them, "Wow... Monokuma changes the game once and you people distrust him that readily?"

Granberia sighed before addressing her complaint, "It's not that I don't trust him. I do. However, if he's fallen into despair, that wouldn't be him... There would be nothing left of the person we loved."

"Well, I don't see any despair."

Shinju tried to calm her sister down, "Tojiko, please stop with this. It's... You're being unreasonable. He's just faking that he's normal. It's a trap-"

A familiar sound echoed through the room once more. I slapped Shinju so hard that my hand stung, but damn it felt good to be a gangster! "How selfish can you be?" Shinju looked at me in shock, her lip bleeding, "No, don't answer that. I know you well enough to know you'd just disappoint me again. I'll help him myself."

"Why?" Granberia queried, "You're the one who put him through six months of hell."

"And I'm willing to admit to my mistakes!" I glared at Shinju one last time before leaving the room, "Unlike some people."

Leaving those hypocrites behind, I rushed down the hallway, following the blood trail. Shinji had been headed to the nurse's room by himself, but he had collapsed quite a bit of ways before that. Grabbing him by the waist, I slowly dragged him towards the nurse's room. He was unconscious already, but I had to try.

-Granberia's POV-

"Understandable reaction," I commented after Fuuko left us, "The rest of us would do well to stick together in this time of crisis."

Daisuke set Panterbell's body down and stood up, "Yeah, the fifth area should have clues. Anything... Maybe we can break into the sixth area early."

That was when I felt a concern grow from inside myself. "Koneko, with me. We'll investigate the fifth area together. Daisuke, you and Shinju stick together, too. Always stay together."

Shinju wiped her lip clean and agreed, "Yeah... You, too."

Taking point, Koneko and I speedily charged towards the fifth area. The gate had been left open, probably by Kenta of all people. Throwing it open, I revealed my suspicions, "We have to go to the sixth area gate. Monokuma's never specified anything about it, and I have to know."

Koneko nonchalantly followed me, not saying a word like her normal talkative self. When we finally reached the bottom of the sixth stairway I asked, "Koneko... I'm here in case you need to cry."

Koneko, without a shred of hesitation or dignity launched herself into me, crying and screaming. In the midst of her breakdown, I heard her lament not being able to save Nari or Panterbell, amongst other distorted messages in between the gasps for air and the intense sobbing.

The entire time, I stroked her head and listened to her lamentations. What else could I do for her? I glared at my bracelet and the forbidden action it contained. Forbidden Action: Interfere in any physical conflicts or murders.

Monokuma had something in mind where I'd be likely to intervene, huh? I was terrified what situation that might be. However, that would wait. Koneko needed me.

Thankfully, she didn't know of Nari's condition when she was killed. If she had, it might crush her poor little heart even more than it already had.

What was I to do about Shinji, though? We still loved him, but to say he was stable enough to trust was a stretch. Fuu...Tojiko would do her best to take care of him, I guess. He can't harm her; otherwise, if this is a trap, it'd be foiled. No, if Tojiko dies, it would be at the traitor's hands.

The traitor, still an enigma to all of us except themselves. Kenta and Satoshi were the two hated ones amongst us; it would have been nice if one of them were it. If they didn't end up dead after the next death, I silently resolved to kill them both myself. My action wouldn't stop me from my own murders, and Kenji would have wanted me to avenge him, if it had to be one of us.

Still, something was off. Shinji's forbidden action identified him as a regular player, not the member of Despair we were looking for. Not only that, according to our handbooks, one last Hope Fragment and Despair Fragment had yet to be collected.

There were many hope fragments to have been forged in that first month. All of that time, playing, laughing, enjoying life, only for it to be soured with this entire experience. If Hajime's assertions were true, that time machine might be our only hope.

There were no guarantees it would work, but if anyone could pull it off, us Ultimates could. Unfortunately for me, that meant keeping Kenta alive. He could fix it.

Koneko's sniffling finally stopped, and she lifted her head up and wiped her face clear of the tears, "Let's go now... I feel better."

I patted her gently on the head, "I love you, you know that, right? Baka kitten."

"Awe, Granberry..." she embraced me, "I love you too, Miss Kuudere."

Blushing slightly, I pried her off of me after letting her get a few seconds of hug time in, "We have a stairway to climb. To heaven!"

We continued making our way up the stairs without any distraction. At the top of the steps, I realized there was no gate this time. The last area was barred by a simple wooden gate that we could both easily scale.

Koneko rushed forward and tore it down in a single swipe, "Enough civilities. If anything gets in our way now, it's done for."

"Is that so? Upupupupu!" Monokuma greeted us on the other side, a devilish smirk on his face, "You know the consequences of destroying property, Miss Sakai."

"If you think you can take me..." her claws shot out, "Just try me."

Pulling the swiss army knife from my back pocket, I asked, "Koneko, look for the machine. I'll handle Monokuma myself!"

"But he's incredibly powerful, Granberia! You can't take him alone!" She argued with me, "Let's fight together!"

"And let Kenta use the time machine? No. You have to stop him. As his sister, it's your right," I rebuked her, "Now go!"

Koneko looked back at Monokuma and back to me, but finally decided to heed my advice, running off towards the machine.

Monokuma took a step forward, "Is this how you wish to die? You know I'm stronger than you," he was mocking me, "Poor Natsume. Unwanted in life... Unwanted in death, too."

I just smiled back at him, blade raised, "You're wrong, Monokuma. I've never felt more loved..." I was crying? How odd, this wasn't... This wasn't like me. Wiping my eye clean, I took a predatory stance, "Your participation in this game is no longer necessary, toy."

"Upupupupu! Me, not necessary? But I signed you on, remember!?" He smirked at me, "What would the others think of you if they knew you were the traitor?! The one who killed Hajime and Nari was you!"

"As ordered by you... I'll never be forgiven for my crimes. But if I win this game, then I can use that machine and right this madness..." I had to hold onto that dream. It was the only thing keeping me going after all that I had done, the crimes I'd perpetrated.

Monokuma smirked, "So you admit to it, then?"

He was annoying me now, "Yes, Monokuma. I do. And you know damn well you never even gave me a choice!"

The memory still haunted me...

The others were all locked up in some board room, and I had been brought to the room for simulations. Monokuma was near the main computer, detailing what had occurred, "And that's how Fuuko tortured Shinji, even after all he'd been forced to go through."

"But why did you bring me here? And tell me his role in the fall of the world?" I demanded to know. He brought me here, and just began spouting the truth behind Shinji's comatose state, and how Junko used the comm system here to spread despair globally after the first killing game and mass suicide.

"I need a traitor, you see. Someone to cull the weaker members of this group," Monokuma chortled with sadistic glee, "I chose you, since you have no choice."

Reaching for and taking out my swiss army knife, I disagreed, "I could probably beat you myself."

Monokuma smirked, "And then what? Without me, there's no getting to the fifth or sixth areas. If I were to say... activate the shutdown sequence, I could wipe this resort off of the side of the island... Understand?"

"Then what do you want from me!? You've taken everything I have!"

"Not everything... You see, for the Real Despair to reawaken... They must know true betrayal, the only thing that could finally free them from the inner depths of the unconscious. You will be that arbiter of betrayal... Understand?" Monokuma laughed maniacally, ignoring my pained expression.

I couldn't grasp what he wanted, his motives, "And if I refuse, you'll just kill us all?" he nodded. I...couldn't believe the words leaving my own mouth, "What happens if I cooperate?"

Monokuma pointed at the computer screen, which showed the fourteen 'participants', "Five of you will live, you included. If you win... Despair will reawaken, but then you can deal with them and leave this island in peace."

"I want that time machine," I demanded, "Anything less, I'll let us die. If you're going to force me to inflict such despair on them... You can't expect me to ask for less."

"Planning to stop Junko before her rise, eh? Well, I suppose I can arrange that. Although it might cost you more than just your eternal damnation," Monokuma smiled at me even wider, his paw extended, "Is that a deal then?"

Without any hesitation, I shook his paw, "Yes, Satan."

And now here I was... My soul tainted, my hands covered in the blood of Nari and Hajime, having killed them both myself. I could never forgive myself, and even now I just wanted the blissful release that was death.

But I knew better. Without that machine, our sacrifices would be for naught. All of our lives would have been thrown away had I refused. Even if I died, even if I failed, if I could keep at least one person alive, I'd dive into the depths of hell.

"We have access now, bear. Even if you set off the resort's shutdown warning now... I can beat you!" I firmly placed my hope in that. The others, each of their sacrificed lives... Called out to me, asked me to end this game in their stead.

Monokuma shook his head, "Silly girl. And if you kill me, what will happen to your precious friends? You didn't think you're the only traitor at my disposal, did you?"

For the shortest time, I couldn't even process that. Without showing my shock, I reprimanded him, "Lying to stop me won't work. I'll handle what may come when I'm rid of you."

"Fine... It'd be real unfortunate for Shinji, though."

"For what?"

Monokuma chuckled, "To know you killed Nari. And his child. That even if you lived, he could never bear to love you again. And then you'd end up alone, just like your mother said!"

I lowered my knife, "You... You made me... To blackmail me...?"

"Well, duh! So go ahead, kill me. The loudspeakers will handle the rest!" He was standing there, smiling, knowing he'd pushed me into a corner. The question on his mind must have been whether I'd risk his threat.

I lowered my body to the ground before leaping at him with full force, my knife drawn, "Die!"

Monokuma blocked my attack with his claws and forced me back with a powerful shove. His eye glowed even more as he moved to meet me in the battle, our attacks blazing through the air.

A cut here, a scratch there, but I couldn't give in. I couldn't hold myself from this fight; it was my final chance at redemption.

-Koneko's POV-

The first building I burst into had a bunch of empty machines hooked up to some umbrella-like device with huge computers set up. They seemed like pods for people to sleep in. This must be the simulation chamber, right?

This wasn't what I wanted, but I approached the main computer and pressed the start button. It flashed on and revealed that it was the Neo World Program 2.1, the Despair Program. It was designed to determine the limits of humanity's willpower when overcome with despair, and what effects it had physically and mentally.

It had a lot of complicated algorithms and stuff that was beyond me, but I garnered the gist of its results. Despair, like Hope, increased the power of an individual. Junko was able to bolster her allies with Despair, as if a power to increase their own abilities. Mukuro, her Despairs, even Shinji's ability was warped through this power.

Of course, the intended effects of this program weren't so simple; they wished to compare the power of Despair to Hope and determine the better 'state' of humanity. The project was approved of by one Yasuke Matsuda... The Ultimate Neurologist.

I didn't get it. Hope, Despair, what did either matter? People just used them as excuses to hurt others for their own selfish wants. Junko, Yasuke, Hope's Peak, Kenta... No one cared about the ideals of either.

I had once placed faith in hope, but all it did was hold me back. Every time I hoped my friends would rise above murder, we fell back into a cycle of destruction and death. Emiko, Yoshikazu, Takeshi, Mayumi, Takumi, Shizue, Kibou, Hanako, Kenji... All had been taken in that killing game, and now innocents were suffering. People unrelated to the game, to Despair.

Hope lead us on and tore us down at every point. The future... Who cares about that? Nari was dead, Panterbell was dead, Shizue was dead...

Hope was why I felt scared. Hope for surviving is what held me back from fighting. From doing what needed to be done. And if hope was going to hold me back... I had to do the opposite.

I would embrace Despair.

Feeling the release in my body, I smelled the air, with deep, concentrated breaths. Ah, Kenta. There you are, my dear brother.

I clawed through the giant computer, sending pieces of electronics everywhere. As each pod began exploding and leveling the entire area, I laughed to myself. If Kenta's hope was that time machine, I'd see him despair...

On all fours, I charged in that animalistic rage boiling inside of me. He would not be spared my wrath this time.

The second area I came to was a small comm station. Without hesitation, I sliced through the array and crushed the solar panels beneath my feet. Ripping out the cords from the consoles, I left it in tattered shreds.

Finally, the last building. I cut my way through the glass ceiling of the dome-like building. Inside was one machine and Kenta, trying to access it.

He turned to face me as the glass rained down on him, "Ah, if it isn't my sister, Koneko."

I growled at him, "Kenta. It's time we ended this charade," I lifted myself up to my feet, "It's time you die."

"Ah, but sister... If you attack me, all I must manage to do is strike you. And I win."

"Do I care!?" I hissed at him, "Everything was lost to me, everything! Nari, Panterbell! All you ever did was take from me, Kenta! But no more!"

Kenta laughed at me in that familiar mocking tone he carried with everyone, that smug bastard, "Me? The traitor isn't me, my dear. Now, please... Calm down. I'll make you a deal. You leave and guard me from the others, and I'll let you be with those whores of yours when I remake the future."

"Whores...?" I growled even more ferociously at him, "You dare mock Nari and Shizue in death!?"

"Well, that tutor girl certainly was one," Kenta smiled as he revealed one last fact, "She died pregnant, don't you know?"

What...? "You're lying!"

Kenta shook his head, "Afraid not, my sister. Yoshikazu and Shizue died to save her in that condition. She was with Shinji's child. And the traitor, knowing that fact, killed her. How cold..."

Bastard. Bastard, bastard, bastard, bastard... "Fuck you!" I pounced, leaping at him at full speed. He moved his hands to protect himself, but he missed my target completely.

The machine he was so dead set on protecting was like butter compared to my claws, made of a lightweight mixture of military-grade diamond and steel. Pieces of broken, shattered pieces flew around me as the entire machine erupted into broken parts and gears.

The look on Kenta's face, as his last resort was seized from him, was pure, utter despair. He dropped to his knees, unable to utter a single word. His tears erupted, and he held out a locket he had during his youth, too, "Mother... I tried to... I tried to save you!"

He turned to me and slowly got to his feet, barely able to speak, "You... Born... When just a child... And I remade you as you wanted... You took her from me... I just wanted... I just wanted her back!"

A knife pierced through his throat before he could say more, and he fell to his knees grasping at the hole made in his neck. His eyes glossed over and he fell forward. To ensure he was dead, his attacker crushed his head with her heels, not giving any mercy to the fallen Ultimate.

"Misery...?"

Misery addressed me as she wiped the blood off of her blade and fixed it into her holster for it, "Koneko. You have done enough. Destroying that time machine was quite naughty of you. Now I have to fix it myself..."

I lowered my ears, "Fix it, why?"

Misery walked to the machine and began assembling the parts in a line, "Kenta wanted to use this machine for his own ends. To rewrite the timeline and install himself as a god-king."

"Then it's good I broke it, right?" I still didn't get it.

"How would you propose we undo the damage this game has caused? How much damage Despair has caused?" Misery glared at me, "Would you doom the world to its own fate for your own petty revenge!?"

I couldn't believe she had just said that, "Petty!? He deserved all that I gave him and more!"

Misery walked over to me and placed her hand on my head, "I know, dear Koneko... I know he did. Kenta was a cruel monster of a man..."

"Then... why did you...?"

She walked away from me, still organizing the pieces, "The traitor is still amongst us, and... You need to... To..." she collapsed to her knees, and I finally realized what was happening. She was bleeding heavily from her one exposed eye, "My action... I didn't have one before, but it... Kill the DNA manipulator..."

I was by her side in an instant and clicked her wrist bracelet. Indeed, it said that her action was to refrain from killing Kenta. Or Satoshi, for that matter.

"Then why...?" Misery smiled up at me, "Why did you do it then!?"

She clicked mine, and on it read the same thing, "Monokuma never promised they'd...stay the same."

Misery collapsed onto the ground, bleeding from both of her eye sockets now. She stopped breathing, and though I prodded her to get up, it was already far too late for her.

Wham! I felt an attack hit my backside, and flew over the time machine before crashing into the tiles of the sixth area's ground. Painfully sliding through them, I faced my attacker.

Monokuma was there, one paw extended, "How surprising... To think the traitor went this far. Only for you to break the machine..." Monokuma sighed, glancing at the two deceased participants, "How unfortunate. I'll take care of their bodies and set about repairing the machine. As for you, Koneko, you'd best get your friend to the nurse's office. Before she bleeds out..."

What? I knew instantly what he meant, and began charging at full speed, reaching the entrance in record time. Granberia was lying on the ground, slashed heavily in her side, blood flowing freely. Applying pressure to her side, I picked her up onto my shoulder and dashed to the nurse's room in desperation.

Meanwhile...

Monokuma brought the shattered pieces of the time machine into another room, one located near the peak of the mountain. Inside, Misery greeted him, "I'll begin repairing it immediately."

"Sure thing, kiddo, though I don't see the point now. I did say I'd be helping out the last member of Despair though, and for now that's you!" Monokuma scratched his bear ears.

Misery nodded, "And with my death faked, they can turn their attention to the traitor, and the climax of this game."

Monokuma asked, a curious expression on his face, "What do you hope to get out of this, though? You said yourself they all mean the world to you. You even know one of the survivors right now quite... intimately."

"I am aware, Monokuma. This must be done for the sake of the world, you know?" Misery said it, but with each passing incident, with each death, she felt the truth in those words was fading away with time, "Kenta deserved his fate. Now the traitor has to do their job and end what they started... Three more must die."

-Shinju's POV-

The fifth area was a barren wasteland, nothing of note or importance. Daisuke and I had scoured the entire area, and all we had found were some bathrooms, an extra bathhouse, a fountain at the center filled with change that Daisuke stole, and a picnic area overlooking the forest below.

The two of us had gotten food from a nearby kitchen and were eating sandwiches he had made at the picnic table, neither of us willing to make conversation. My lip stung, but my sister's words stung more.

All I'd ever do was disappoint her, huh? Maybe she was right... I probably didn't deserve to live. If only the traitor would kill me next, I'd have been some use to my friends. Shinji...

How could I do what I did and justify it to myself? Putting his other loves in danger, berating and abusing him... Even though I had reformed myself and moved past that, I still never found the strength to confess the truth of our relation by blood to him.

Because of my own fears of him leaving me, I betrayed him in the worst way possible. And then I turned on him the second I found his secret out; that he had once fallen into despair. Was I truly worth anything at all?

"Cheer up, kiddo," Daisuke patted me on the shoulder, tearing me from my own dark thoughts, "We didn't find anything useful, but that's just a start," he glanced down at his bracelet, "And we still have a full hour."

I couldn't believe him, "How can you even handle this situation right now? Kaz is dead, your sister is dead, one of us is going to die soon, and Panterbell... How can you keep going despite that!?"

Daisuke answered me without doubt, "I'm alive. Giving up won't keep me or my friends safe, will it? How could I abandon you guys when you stuck by me all this time? Even when I was being irrational... I mean, in hindsight... Nari died pregnant, you know."

"What!?" I... What had he just said!?

"Granberia mentioned it to me while you were off gallivanting. In confidence. And I'd almost assaulted her during that last trial we did..." his lip curled into a frown, "I almost did something unforgivable... But she forgave me. When that trial was over, and we read Shizue's letter..." he took a large bite out of his sandwich, "She was the one who apologized to me. After everything I've said to her, done to her, tried to do... She forgave me, Shinju."

I suspected that they had talked, but for Nari to be the one saying sorry? "Heh, guess I didn't know her as well as I'd have liked. She was tough to like, but... Fuck, Daisuke. I... I just want her back!"

I cried into his shoulder, and he held me there, "Yeah, I do... I do, too."

Koneko rushed by us with Granberia on her back, rushing by at such insane speed that wind blasted the two of us and knocked my sandwich off of the plate onto the ground. Sandwich, no... She was innocent!

"What happened with them?" Daisuke asked, already getting up to give chase.

Running, I shouted back to him, "I'll beat you there, pretty boy!"

Daisuke accepted my challenge, "I won't hold back because you're family!" And like that, we both raced after the duo into the fourth area.

In the freezer room, Satoshi finished his latest work on Kibou; she finally had a torso again! All he needed were legs, and she'd be complete. Satoshi joked to himself, "Hehe. Kibou... You got implants now, ahahaha! But no worries..." he gently kissed her on her cheek, "You'll always be beautiful to me..."

He lowered his hand down to Kibou's new torso, which had extra stitching on her stomach, "Didn't expect to have to do surgery like that, though. To think someone would soil your new body before you even got to have it... How dare they..." He reached for a scalpel and enjoyed his reflection in the shiny metal, his crazed eyes and wide grin, "I will judge them soon, my love..."

-Shinji's POV-

I smelled the scent of hydrogen peroxide and opened my eyes. There was ceiling above me, different from what I remembered. White and tiled like inside the nurse's office. As I tried to move the fingers of my left hand, I felt the bandaging. The gauze was thankfully not too tight.

Speaking of gauze, my body felt like it was in a full body cast with how much of my abdomen was layered with the damn stuff. Someone had bothered to patch me up, and Tojiko, who was sitting in a chair next to me, had fallen asleep. How kind of her... Despite everything we'd been through, of all people, she had stood up for me in this moment.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she stirred at the sound of my voice, "Would my guardian angel be that tired?"

She rubbed her eyes and lightly smacked her cheeks to get the blood flowing and to wake herself up, and she finally answered my teasing, "Oh, you're awake. I'm not good at bandaging people up, so I may have overdone it a little."

I chuckled, thankful it didn't hurt to do so, "Maybe, yeah. Why, though?"

"After all I've done to you..." she placed her hand on my face, near my right eye, "I think I owed you this much, y'know?"

I shifted my head as I adjusted my body so I could sit up straight, "You don't owe me anything, Tojiko. I protected you because it's the right thing to do."

She averted her gaze, though I could tell she was pleased by that comment, "D-don't say weird stuff like that! You're not some superhero."

"Neither are you, but you risked your own life to help me out. You know I fell into Despair like the others, right?" she nodded, "When I was asleep, it came back to me. When I found Nari's ring, it finally cracked me. I've sacrificed so much, and..."

She held my hand in hers, "Well, you won't have to worry for a little while. We have forty-five minutes left before the first attack, and... Well, I can't guarantee that we'll survive but I know that if anyone can, it's you."

"I'll do my damndest to save us both. And your sister, and Granberia, and Koneko, and Daisuke," I assured her.

"Only five of us will survive, though," she rebuttaled, "That's six of us. You know at least one of us is going to..."

I shook my head, "I have a backup plan for when we're the final six. I just hope Kenta or Satoshi is next..."

Tojiko moved to sit on the bed next to me, "You know, Shinji... The reason I was so... cruel to you was because of Shinju. I mean it's not her fault, not like that... When we were younger, big sis Shinju was so cool. She protected me from mean boys and animals, the boogeymen in my closet. She did everything she could to make me feel loved and safe."

Jokingly, I agreed, "She shows her family real love, if you know what I mean..."

Blushing, she tried to ignore my comment, "Well, when she met you, she changed. Started talking about you all the time, obsessing over you. Other than me, you were the first person to really care about her."

"I didn't have any other friends," I admitted, "Parents thought it was a waste of time. My mother always complained, said she wanted a girl. Guess she blamed me for Grandpa giving her daughter away."

"She was head over heels for you, and she started ignoring me," Tojiko smiled, "I was a child at the time, and I guess I didn't grow up as fast as my body did. I was jealous of you. You'd taken my sister from me; and then you rejected her, too."

I didn't remember that too well, or too fondly, "She could do better, I thought. I didn't know I was her only friend, honestly. Thought she was only my friend out of pity. So when she said she liked me... I was scared. Scared to admit I liked her, too. Wasn't a smart preteen."

Tojiko glared at me before breaking out into another smile, "Yeah, not a smart teen or adult either."

"I can't say I disagree with that," I had to admit it. I had done quite the stupid shit while I'd been here, "I do repay my friends, though. So, Tojiko, is there anything you want from me? You did save my life, after a-"

She silenced me with a kiss, the last thing I was expecting. She had her eyes closed, and was fully into it. She finally pulled away from me, "That uh... Well, I see the appeal in you."

My eyes widened, and I avoided eye contact, "Oh, well. I sure don't." she pulled me over to her and kissed me again.

You know, on a list of things that aren't okay, making out with your girlfriend's sister is probably on that list. I returned her kiss because that same list had sleep with your brother way higher up on it, though. Not that this was to spite her... I did find myself grow quite attached to Tojiko through our time together... Was this how the simulations went?

"Manwhore," We broke the kiss off as Koneko had opened the door with Granberia in her arms. Granberry was bleeding, but she ignored that to insult me.

Koneko hurriedly placed Granberia on the bed next to mine and grabbed gauze to set about cleaning her wounds.

"The hell happened to you guys?"

Granberia answered me, losing that rough edge she'd given me earlier, "I tried to fight Monokuma. It didn't go well."

Koneko added more to the story, "Kenta was killed by Misery, and then she died... Her forbidden action had changed. Hers prevents her from killing Kenta or Satoshi. And you all know mine, so..."

"And mine changed to avenging Nari..." I clicked it again, "Not that I would. I have too much to live for."

Tojiko activated her own, and for the first time admitted her own, "Mine is not to protect myself from attackers. They want me to be a passive victim."

Granberia warned us, "Mine is to not interfere in murders or assaults. If you get attacked, I can't interfere in any way."

"Isn't that just handy?" The door opened, and Satoshi stepped inside, a scalpel in his hand, "That's good news for me..."

Even in my injured state, I entrenched myself between him and the others, "Go ahead, try something. I'll punish you severely."

Satoshi just rolled his eyes, "Really? When I brought something for you, fresh from Monokuma?"

One of the others made a loud gulping noise, but that was the least of my worries. I asked him outright, "What is it?"

Behind him, Shinju and Daisuke stepped inside, "Oh, good, the gang's all here." Satoshi walked past me and turned on the television monitor in our room. He took the VCR he had and placed it inside, and what played was... Enlightening.

Granberia, Nari, and I had all passed out in that classroom. In the video, Granberia was the one of us to remain awake, and without hesitation she walked over to Nari and pulled her off of me before exiting the room. The video cut out there, but the message was clear.

"It's not doctored," Satoshi preceded to kill off other possibilities, "She killed her. Granberia was the one to deliver her parts to me. Dismembering her, though... How cruel for someone to do to their own lover."

Shinju, teeth clenched, stomped her way to Granberia before threatening, "Koneko, out of my way. I'll smack you so fast you'll never feel the god damned poison."

Koneko, not seeing an alternative, stepped away from Granberia's bedside, unable to defend her in this situation.

"What the fuck did you do!?" Shinju grabbed Granberia off of the bed and held her by her collar, "What the fuck did you do!?"

Granberia resisted her intimidation tactics, "Monokuma forced me to agree. He promised to let us use the time machine, so I could undo i-"

Daisuke intervened, punching Granberia as hard as he could manage, knocking her off of the bed onto the floor. Her cheek was bleeding now, and she couldn't even stand up in her condition.

"You're the fucking traitor! You worthless bitch!" I grabbed his arm before he could strike her again, "What are you... Shinji, really!? She killed your fucking kid for a fantasy machine!"

"And what about your forbidden action, dumbass?! You're lucky it didn't trigger!" I reproached him, "Seriously! Don't jump to conclusions!"

Koneko spoke up, "Actually... it does exist. But... I broke it to prevent Kenta from using it."

Granberia got to her feet, still struggling to stand, "You fucking idiot! That was our only hope!"

She walked over to Koneko and grabbed her, "You stupid... Why did you do that!? I said to stop Kenta, not break it!"

"I wanted to make him despair!" Koneko defended her own actions, though this had gone terribly awry, "And there was no guarantee that machine works!"

Granberia struggled with herself not to slap the sense out of Koneko, knowing how it would end for her, "I... You ruined all of my work..."

Monokuma's voice echoed out from the hallway, displaying on all of the monitors, "No worries, old chap! For the final four of you, I'm repairing the machine! So just enjoy the game at your own leisure!"

"What, final four!? But you said-"

Daisuke was cut off like usual, Monokuma trouncing over him again, "You heard me. Granberia, you know what to do."

Satoshi chuckled, "Sorry to do you like this, Granberia. But this game matters not to me. Kibou does. And this will help me, Monokuma said. Anyways, I have...to go."

He stepped out of the nurse's room, leaving the six of us to deal with the new situation we found ourselves in.

"Kill her," Daisuke demanded, "Before she does any damage!"

Shinju lunged towards Granberia, but she grabbed Koneko and hid behind her, "If you attack, she'll be poisoned!"

"Damn bitch..." Shinju uttered under her breath, "Someone, do something!"

Granberia maneuvered her way to the door, but before she made it, Tojiko stopped her with a plea, "Granberry, stop! Why!? Why would you betray us like this!?"

She didn't answer until she made it into the doorway, "I'm leaving with her. Any one of you follows me, I'll be forced to act."

"Not fucking likely," from my back pocket, I took a magnum out. The one that Kenta once had, "Hajime entrusted me with this. Before you killed him! Now let Koneko go! Please... Granberia, don't make me do this!"

Reluctantly, Granberia let Koneko go. She dropped to the floor and moved away, unable to breathe well after being held in a choke hold, "What are you going to do, Shinji? Shoot me in cold blood? Your own waifu? You'll die if you do."

I couldn't believe this, "You did kill Nari, then..." Holding the magnum out, I stepped towards her, "After all this. Granberia... You betrayed us? You betrayed me, and worst of all, you betrayed Nari..."

"I was trying to save you guys!" Granberia cried out, "If I had refused, Monokuma would have killed us all! He said that, and I was desperate! I'm always the one who has to make the tough decisions! Shinju hides from the truth, Daisuke punches everything, Tojiko takes it out on everyone else but her, Koneko's a selfish child, and you... You never make the hard calls, Shinji."

"Is that really true?" Aiming the magnum at her heart, I closed in on her, slowly but steadily, "Because right now, I might have to..."

Granberia accepted her fate, "Kill me. It won't change the nature of the game now. Only four of us will live," she dared me, "Go ahead, shoot me. Bring us down to six. Help Monokuma win. Help Despair revive!"

I lowered the gun, "...I..."

"Bluffing won't save you, bitch!" Daisuke walked in her direction, fists ready to scrap, "I won't let Shinji die just to kill scum like you."

Koneko grabbed his arm, "Daisuke, wait... We shouldn't go off the handle like this! She deserves to at least get a fair hearing from us!"

Daisuke shook his head, "Hell no! That's what she's counting on! Once a traitor, always a traitor! I swore to protect my friends, and she's our only threat now!"

"No..." I grabbed his shoulder, "We're not doing this. I don't want this... Even if she betrayed me, I can't...bring myself to..."

Daisuke pushed me out of his way, "Fine. I'll step up!"

Realizing what she had to do, Koneko jumped in between Granberia and the rest of us, "Run, Granberry! I'll follow when I can!"

Granberia hesitated for just a moment before breaking into a sprint in the opposite direction. Daisuke wanted to follow after her, but Koneko firmly stood in his way.

"We have to act rationally," she countered Daisuke's assertions, "Do you want to see more of us die so badly?"

I walked up to Koneko, slowly, "Hey, let me through," she pouted at me, "Look, I just want to hide the gun. She might take it if she's the traitor. It's for our safety."

"But Shinji-"

"What if she kills you or me with it?" I pleaded with her, "Monokuma would totally order that and you know it..."

Koneko glared up at me, but reluctantly moved to the side. I squeezed by her to go and hide the gun in an undisclosed location.

I returned as my bracelet marked the time as twenty minutes until one of us would die, and at Granberia's hands of all people.

Koneko was gone when I returned, to which Daisuke readily explained, "She left with that fuckin' traitor. I can't believe she'd turn on us like that."

I shook my head, "I don't have time for your petty disputes now! The real enemy here is Monokuma... That being said, we shouldn't let Granberia go unrestrained... But what can we do?"

Shinju cracked her knuckles, "My forbidden action is to not hurt Satoshi or the traitor," She showed us to prove herself, "See? If I so much as hurt them... It's over for me."

Daisuke spat to the floor, "That's just great, so's mine. Monokuma tied our fucking hands! If any of us kills that bitch or that crazed psychopath, we're basically fucked."

"One of us will die in only fifteen minutes," Tojiko reminded us, "Wouldn't it be better to die as friends than enemies?"

"Fuck no," he refused to give in to that, "This isn't some fantasy world where friendship is magic, god damn it!" Daisuke confirmed brony.

Tojiko frowned, looking away in shame, on the verge of tears, "I just don't want... More of this. Distrusting each other, hurting each other... killing each other... Why can't it just stop!?"

"That would be too easy," I answered her, a devastated look on my face, "Nothing in life is ever that easy."

Daisuke walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, "If one of us doesn't make it to next round... Promise me you'll kill her. Avenge us, Shinji. Out of all of us, you know it's your duty to right this wrong," he looked into my eyes, "She killed Nari, you know? Ended your family before it began..."

"I know, Daisuke," I pushed him away from me, trying not to cry. I failed spectacularly, "I know what she did! But what am I supposed to do!?"

Shinju tried to direct me, "You have to stand up to her for this."

I glared at her, "Oh, you mean face the truth? You'd know all about that, right?"

"That's not fair to m-"

"Isn't it? Whore," I sassily replied, "Or is this not a two way street, sis?" I moved back to one of the beds and sat down on it, "Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. You wouldn't have enough time to pursue her, anyways. All we can do now is wait and see."

Daisuke scoffed, but after leaning against the door for a moment, he agreed, "Yeah, I guess so. Not happy about this bullshit, though."

Shinju laid down on the bed next to mine, "Might as well get comfortable, then. And Shinji..." I glanced over at her, "Yeah, I know... I messed up. I crossed a bunch of lines. But I really am sorry..."

"I know," I reached out and grabbed her hand with mine, "I just... I need to think about things, okay? About... us."

Granberia walked into the gymnasium where Akihiko once was. Realizing she was alone, she called out at the top of her voice, "Monokuma!"

Monokuma dropped in from straight out of nowhere, asking, "Yeeeees? Do you need something from me?"

"My action. And Koneko's. You have to drop them, now. Otherwise, they'll kill me before the game is through," Granberia demanded of him.

"Intend to stand and fight your ground, hm? That can and shall be arranged!"

He clapped, and Granberia's bracelet beeped. When she checked it, her face went a pale white, "You can't-"

Monokuma just flashed her a toothy smile before leaving the room as mysteriously as he appeared, leaving her in silence.

Koneko sprinted inside after her, "Granberia, wait for meeeee!"

Granberia seemed speechless that Koneko had followed her all this way, "What do you want...? Why did you follow me this far?"

Before Granberia could resist, Koneko wrapped her into a powerful hug, "Because... When you listened to me... You weren't faking it. And I can't fathom how much what you did had to hurt you, Granberia..." she pulled away and touched her nose to Granberia's, their foreheads against each other's, "But I'm still here for you, even if the others get caught up in their anger. I know you'd never do this for evil causes..."

Granberia couldn't hold back her tears any longer, "Why...? Why are you so understanding of me? He's going to make me... Kill again."

Koneko held Granberry's hands in hers, "Whatever happens, I wanted to be here for you. You've been alone long enough..."

"Koneko... I can't... You..." Granberia couldn't speak, so instead she hugged Koneko tightly, never wanting to let go. Her wall was gone, and her pain broke forth from the dam she placed in her heart. And Koneko returned her own kindness in spades, holding her close and assuring her she'd be just fine.

Tojiko cuddled up next to me, much to my surprise, "Uh, what? Since when did-"

She put a finger to my lips, "Don't question a good thing. I'm... scared, honestly. I'll be an easy target, because of my action... If I die, I want to feel safe before I go..."

I wrapped my arm around her and held her close, nodding to Shinju, who herself was wrapped up in a set of blankets. Daisuke had crashed into a chair and rested his head on his arms on the back end of it, like a misbehaving kid in detention might.

Brushing my hand through Tojiko's long blue hair, I closed my eyes. Once I was pushed over the edge of despair, I felt as if there was no returning. But here I was; somehow finding in myself the hope to survive.

The time on our bracelets ran out, and as we drifted off to sleep, I prayed that the four of us would awaken together and be safe. Would that I could only change the outcome myself...