Leon 3: Meeting With the Spies

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Hiroshima; August 21st, 1994

Ironically enough, Koichi Kizakura's house overlooked a cemetery. It was an older one with all of the bodies kept in fancy crypts, and very small; with an unbroken lock and chain thrown over the gate. Him and Leon sat out on his porch that very morning at sunrise, after breakfast, and Leon was smoking a cigarette of his. Kizakura was reading silently before he looked up after a while and sighed a bit.

"Quite the little operation you guys have got going on here, huh? As long as you get the power on soon. Otherwise people might start leaving again, not wanting to face yet another summer without electric fans. And what then?" He mused, looking over at Leon.

"Kaito-san is working tirelessly to install solar panels on every house and busy store in town alongside those programmers. I trust them. They're a hell of a lot smarter than I," Leon took a long drag.

"You know, maybe it's for the best that that little girl is gone. People need to decide for themselves what they want to believe," Kizakura begun. "I'm as spiritual as anyone else, don't get me wrong, but...something's telling me she might be dead. We've been looking for several days now and have found nothing. Still, a small part of me doesn't want to truly believe that at all. I'm a simple man, you know. Just want to read and tend to my garden and drink. We don't need all of these omens and believe the gods sent a blind girl to lead us because that means evil spirits exist too, and they're closer than we'd like to think,"

"That's why I'm here," Leon blew smoke out of his mouth, marveling at it blow away into the wind.

"I know, and I accept."

"Huh?" He stared at the older man in disbelief, finding himself wishing he hadn't mentioned his simple life. What laid ahead of him now was anything but simple. "D-Did someone on the council tattle? Because if they did-"

"No, nobody did. I could tell by your face you had something important to tell me. You seemed upset about something," Kizakura flipped a page in his book.

"Am I not allowed to be upset over the fact that I'm sending you-"

"To be a spy? To spy on the other side?"

Leon just nodded.

"Makes sense. We have to know what's on the other side to truly know what we're up against. Honestly, I think some of the people here are worrying a bit too much. There's definitely a reason to be at least a bit worried though," He finally shut his book. "How much did you think this over though? What if one of us likes the place so much we decide to stay and never come back? She's likely to have electricity."

Leon flinched a bit. "We never considered that..." He admitted.

Kizakura was silent for a time. "I'll go tomorrow. I can drive so I'll take a car. It'll still take me some time to get over there though. And with typhoon season on the way..." He stopped and looked at the sunrise. "Not to mention, I'm not as young as I used to be. Mid-forties. And I drink. Don't want to admit it, but I drink a lot. There's a chance some part of me just wants to give out on the way back and end me. Did you discuss that?"

Leon nodded.

"Sending others? Actually, no. Don't answer that,"

"You don't have to go!" Leon blurted out. "Nobody's forcing you. It was just an idea-"

Kizakura looked Leon right in the face. "You're just trying to rid yourself of this responsibility, aren't you?"

"Yeah, maybe. I just don't like the idea of a guy like you, out there. The chances you'll come back are slim. Chances you'll come back with actual useful information are even slimmer. You're right, you ain't young any more," He ran a hand through his hair.

"People are never too old, or too young, for that matter, to do the right thing. Lady Nanami left us because she thought she was doing the right thing. Probably died miserably for it in some ditch somewhere, but those who feel a drive to do good always seem like they're mad to outsiders. Yes, I will go. I'll be lonely and chilly and miss my books and good wine...but I'll still go." He nodded to himself. "I'll be clever. That's the most I can do,"

Leon nodded with him, taking another drag. "Yeah..."

"So, how is that woman of yours doing?" Kizakura immediately changed the subject, grinning a bit.

"Fine. Both of us. Proposed to her just the other day or so. Morning after our meeting, in fact," Leon blew the smoke out of his mouth.

"Fantastic. This community needs something cheerful like a wedding to get their hopes up. That's not where the worried look in your eyes comes from though, is it?"

"No." He thought of Mukuro again and the pure desperation in her tone as she begged him to have sex with her. Mukuro; laughing creepily in the distance as he rejected her while she was done up like a tomboyish Barbie. Mukuro, having intense emotions in her eyes where none had been prior. Was she genuinely feeling depressed over something? But they had Miaya and Yasuke with them, couldn't she talk to them if she was feeling upset? Miaya might've been unable to speak like Chihiro, but she clung onto Yasuke like a life-jacket and evidently he had been teaching her things. They could find some way to help, right?

"You're thinking of that other woman, aren't you?" Kizakura folded his hands over the book in his lap.

"Yeah. I think...I think she might be depressed and try killing herself or something," He took another drag. "Not about the sex thing or whatever! I don't care about that. Just...something seems different about her now. The boy she was taking care of recently recovered and came out of his shell, so she likely feels alone and unwanted. She wasn't very social even prior, so this must hurt her a lot,"

"If it gets worse, she may indeed try killing herself," Kizakura nodded. Leon stared at him in shock. "You're just one man, right? You made your choice? And do you mean it?"

Leon nodded.

"Then you shouldn't worry about things out of your control. You have Akamatsu-chan and that's far more than enough. Take charge of your own soul and grow up a bit! Live with your choices! To worry about everything at once is just a recipe for disaster,"

Leon put out the cigarette. "I like talking to ya," He said genuinely.

"Because I know what I'm talking about," Kizakura adjusted his hat. "There are many different ways to commit suicide. Take it from me,"

He took a sudden chill.

Kizakura did indeed leave the next morning, heading off in an older car with a dent in the back of the trunk. Once he drove out of the community and left Hiroshima as a whole, he suddenly felt enlightened and energetic. The wind was metaphorically at his heels, and his heart beat for more adventure. Really, the thought he might encounter the girl with the bear in her hair herself hadn't even occurred to him at that point. He briefly wondered if he'd return to Hope's Peak again and despite a feeling in him saying no, he knew he somehow would and shook his head against it. After taking a break, he got back in the car and continued to drive off.

The fresh air of the mountains smelled amazing. Not a cloud in the deep blue sky. A beautiful day. And one of the finest days of Kizakura's own life.

Aoi knocked quickly on the door belonging to the house Kyoko shared with Yasuhiro; she opened it after only two knocks.

"Yes?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I have to talk to you about something!" Aoi tried to bounce, but suddenly felt queasy. She motioned to the street.

"What?" Kyoko noticed Aoi's change in tone and smirked secretly.

"It's something super-duper important!" And Aoi gently grabbed Kyoko's gloved hands and pulled her away.

That afternoon, Chihiro, Makoto, Himiko, and Kaito all biked out together to the northern part of town to that large house where Gonta lived by himself. His house was quite famous to the 'older' residents of Hope's Peak as the entire front yard was decorated in all kinds of terrariums and habitats to keep bugs in, though they were left open to let the bugs come and go as they pleased. Several butterflies were resting in his pollinator garden in bright colours. It certainly wasn't a house for those squeamish or terrified by bugs. Gonta himself then walked out onto the porch of his house, dressed in a striped shirt and overalls with still no shoes and waving eagerly at them.

From a distance, he looked like he'd be some sort of painter or pottery-maker with his free-spirited appearance. Once one got super close, though, they'd realize there was something not quite there when it came to his mental state.

Chihiro didn't mock him for it; rather, that was why he felt such a strong bond with Gonta, he thought. Because of his own disability, people often assumed he wasn't all there mentally either simply because it took him a while to learn how to write alongside being unable to talk or hear. People tended to be coyer about it and whisper discreetly because he dressed like a girl, but he still caught snippets of what they said. 'Social failure' was their favourite to apply, or 'soft upstairs'. Even on the night he was jumped in Osaka, he was forced to have soda after a while because the bartender refused to serve him more than two beers, then spent the remainder of the night leaning over the very end of the counter, whispering to the other customer there that night.

He made sure his mouth was covered by his hand, but Chihiro caught enough of his end that he had an exact idea of what the bartender was saying.

"Such a cute girl, ain't she? Yeah...famous 'round town...'cuz she can't talk or hear...she's dumb as a board...bet she's socially-retarded too...people like that often are.." That was what he said.

There was one term often applied to Chihiro that he felt fit Gonta perfectly, however. 'Simple-minded'. Because at the end of the day, that was what Gonta was. Nothing was wrong with being simple and not caring for excessive things; worrying about too much complexity led to stress. Simple things were good. But even people who enjoyed the simple things in life often had to admit that that's all they were; simple, with no complexity whatsoever.

"Chihiro-kun! Gonta very happy to see you again!" Gonta cheered and picked Chihiro up off the ground, pulling him into a tight hug. Chihiro gasped a bit in surprise, feeling tears sting in his bad covered eye. "Kaito-san too! Lots of people came to see Gonta!" He set Chihiro down gently and still smiled. "And...you're..."

Chihiro mimed flexing with his right arm, pressing the muscles down that formed before pointing to Makoto. It was something Mr. Tanaka had taught him all those years ago; associating a meaning with a name you wanted to remember and it'd click. Luckily for them their names often had simple meanings behind them. He then pulled out his notebook and wrote something down, handing it to Kaito.

"What do you call someone who has a lot of muscles?" He read out-loud.

Himiko just rubbed at her eyes.

"Strong! Strength! That right, isn't it?" Gonta exclaimed. "Makoto!"

Makoto nodded slowly and Chihiro placed his fingers in front of his mouth.

"Gonta got it, then! Gonta smart! Gonta been learning lots of things lately!" He cheered, praising himself. "Want to come in?"

Chihiro instantly had to duck to prevent himself from getting slapped in the face with a giant empty birdcage left swinging lowly next to the doorframe. How Gonta himself never hit himself on it, he'd never know. The remainder of the house wasn't as interesting as the outside; mainly empty cages and massive amounts of fake plants everywhere with everything painted electric green and blue.

Once they finished looking around, the group sat Gonta down at the dining room table.

"We're going to hypnotize you again," Kaito explained. "But before we do, Chihiro-kun needs to make sure you're alright with it,"

"That's why Himiko-chan is here, right?" Gonta asked eagerly, watching the girl pull out a golden pocket watch.

"Yeah...this is kinda important, so are you sure you want to?" Makoto asked again. "Fujisaki-san says he'll explain everything to you afterwards,"

"Gonta doesn't mind, but it might not work. Gonta never gets sleepy during the day!"

Himiko gently held the watch in front of his face, slowly pulling it back and allowing it to swing. "Do you want to see an elephant?" She asked softly, and Gonta quickly passed-out, nearly falling forward in his seat. Chihiro handed Makoto the 'script' he had written for that very scenario, and Makoto awkwardly shuffled through them before starting to read.

"Can you hear me, Gonta-san?" He asked slowly.

"Yes, Gonta can hear you just fine," Was the answer. Makoto felt a chill go down his back involuntarily at the shift in tone. Something was...off about it. Not the fact that Gonta had better articulation, but even the voice itself sounded deeper, clearer, almost otherworldly. He briefly looked at Chihiro. What would his voice sound like in that other realm?

He couldn't think about it at that point; he needed to continue on. Himiko's watch was starting to slow down.

"I'm Naegi Makoto,"

"Yes."

"Fujisaki Chihiro-san is here, and so is Momota Kaito-san and Yumeno Himiko-san,"

"They are all here,"

"We're all your friends,"

"You are!"

"We need you to do something for us, Gonta-san. Something dangerous. For Hope's Peak,"

"Dangerous...Gonta doesn't like danger. Gonta doesn't want to be afraid," He suddenly looked troubled. Makoto looked, who was staring at Gonta with an unreadable expression on his face. "It's her, isn't it? It's her..."

The room took a sudden chill. Himiko nearly lost her grip on the watch and it nearly hit the table before she grabbed the end of the chain again. Kaito paled.

"Who is she?" Makoto pressed.

"The girl with the bear in her hair...her name is Enoshima Junko. You want me to..." Gonta trailed off again, sighing deeply.

"How do you know about her?" Makoto continued, trying to keep his voice level. None of this was scripted.

"Because she comes to me in my dreams. I see her face...I see what she truly looks like. I see what she hides, what she doesn't want anyone else to see."

They all shivered.

"What does she look like, Gonta-san?" Makoto asked slowly, and he didn't receive an answer for a long time. Right as he was about to go back to the scripted questions, however, Gonta started speaking again.

"A regular person, like any woman you'd see on the street. But her icy-blue eyes are always hidden. Look deep into them and you see red. You see fresh despair. When she grins, people convulse from heart attacks and flowers curl up and die. The very ground she walks on melts. She isn't of this world, she isn't of herself. She shouldn't have been born at all and takes it out on the world. She's not human, she is Despair; the purest form that exists. She controls everything that is of despair and corrupts those down on their luck. She has all of this power, but she is afraid. Afraid of us. Afraid of hope. She will do anything in her power to stop it. To speak her name is to embrace despair into your life; Junko Enoshima. Junko Enoshima is the name of true despair." He fell silent after that.

A loud clatter sounded out as Himiko finally dropped the pocket watch onto the table, eyes wide. All of the colour had drained from Kaito's face and he nervously kneaded the bottom of his shirt. Chihiro was silently sobbing from his good eye. Makoto himself felt that his entire body had turned to glass. The four looked at each other in silent terror and contemplation.

Eventually, Makoto tried to clear his throat and continue. "What else do you know about her?"

"Just that I'm afraid of her...but I'll still do as you say. But I'm very scared," Gonta sighed.

"Do you know what became of Miss Chiaki? Is she still alive?" Kaito asked suddenly.

"Yes. She is alive still, but not in the right mind. She is still meditating," Gonta nodded.

"What does that mean?"

"She will continue to meditate and live off of the land until she finds out what she wants. The fish were provided to her because people who were hungry desired them. Everything has always been provided to her. But what she doesn't understand is that something she cannot prevent will happen, something terrible that will befall this community while she is away. Pity her, for she does not know. She will die long before she figures out what's wrong. She will-"

"Alright, I've heard enough!" Kaito gasped and looked over at Makoto for help. Makoto sighed.

"Gonta-san?"

"Yes,"

"Are you the same Gonta-san that Fujisaki-san met in the south? Are you the same Gonta-san we all know when you're awake?"

"Yes, but I am more than that. I am the spirits of this world, both good and mischievous," Gonta leaned back in his chair slightly. "Where shall you send me?"

"To the south-west," Makoto stated.

"To the south-west," Gonta repeated with a nod of understanding.

"We want you to look and see what's going on there. Then come back and tell us. You can do that, right?"

Gonta nodded again.

"Can you find your way there?"

"In the nighttime. Crickets help,"

"And if anyone asks you why you're there, you'll tell them that we drove you out because you're simple-minded and we were afraid you would have a wife and make her pregnant with feeble-minded children. Can you remember that?" Makoto asked, his hand shaking.

"They drove Gonta out, they did! Drove Gonta out because they were afraid Gonta would have nice lady and fill her with feebs like Gonta," Gonta repeated before hanging his head slightly. "Drove Gonta out of nice house and away from friends...put Gonta out on the street," He said sadly.

Makoto felt his whole body tremble and he looked away, looking at Himiko. The watch had nearly stopped and her look was one of total concentration. Chihiro just stared carefully at him, while Kaito had paled again. "I-I'm sorry, but I just can't do this anymore..."

"You gotta! Otherwise he'll be left out in the dark forever!" Himiko scolded with sudden ferocity. Makoto swallowed and nodded, glancing back down at the notepad.

"Gonta-san, do you know what the full moon looks like?" A nod. "Good! Come back when the moon is full. Only when the moon is full and never at any other point. See it and then you get to come back to your friends and your house,"

Gonta nodded eagerly.

"Someone might see you coming back though...if one person does, kill them. If more than one does, run from them," Makoto glanced away. "But try not to be seen at all. Can you please repeat all of that back for me?"

"Come back when the moon is full and only when the moon is full. Not the dark moon and not the half-moon. Walk at night and sleep during the day. Kill one person who sees me, run from more people who see me. But try not to be seen at all," Gonta recited.

Himiko's watch finally stopped.

"You did a very good job, Gonta-san. In a few minutes, Yumeno-san is going to ask you about the elephant and you'll wake up, alright?" Makoto asked.

"Yes,"

Makoto sighed and collapsed in his seat while Himiko rested her head on the table. He shivered a bit as Chihiro took his notepad back.

"How did he know those things?" He wondered.

Chihiro tapped his pencil against his lips for a few seconds before jotting something down and handing it to Kaito.

"This says that for millions of years people with disabilities were often thought to be half-yokai or touched by the gods themselves who were so terribly divine mortal senses couldn't comprehend them and just the thought was enough to lose one. That is why for generations specific disabilities such as blindness were hailed as something special and divine, especially blind women. He didn't tell us anything useful, really, but I think it's terrifyingly clear that he is as close to the spirit realm as any of us,"

Chihiro had clasped his hands together, his one eye shimmering.

"I want him to wake up. Wake him up now so we can go," Himiko yawned a bit, trying to hide her trembles. She was a tiny redheaded thing with a blue feather tucked back behind her hair for 'mystical reasons' and wore heavily-bleached jeans and a baggy red sweater she was borrowing from Maki. "He said scary things that I didn't really like,"

The men nodded in agreement and Himiko slipped her watch back into her pocket. "Would you like to see an elephant?"

Gonta woke up with a sudden gasp and grinned at the four. "Told you it not work! Gonta never gets sleepy during the day!"

"Fujisaki-san says that you did just fine," Makoto read.

"Did Gonta stand on head like last time?!" He asked eagerly. Chihiro shook his head with a sad smile.

Your tricks were even more impressive this time.

"We came to ask you to do something important for us. To spy in the south-west. Can you do that?" Makoto asked slowly, and Gonta nodded without hesitance.

"Yes! Gonta love to help others!" He grinned. "When Gonta go?"

"Soon," Makoto gave him a reassuring smile, ignoring the uneasiness he felt. The other three looked as distressed as he felt inwardly. These things were hard to figure out if you weren't Lady Nanami with an intimate idea of the universe's workings. He could only hope that everything would work out just fine in the end.

When Makoto returned home that evening, he found Sayaka in the middle of cooking dinner. She was wearing her red earrings again and she jumped suddenly at him closing the door.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a worried tone, and she nodded.

"I'm just jittery..." Sayaka still tried to smile. "Hifumi-san came over earlier today, actually, and asked if he could stay for dinner, but...I declined. Said that I wasn't feeling good,"

"That makes two of us," Makoto admitted, and told her everything.

Sayaka took to picking at her food as they ate, trying to think over everything he had said. After a time, she sighed. "Hifumi-san complimented me on my earrings before he left. He said red was a good colour for me,"

"What does that-" Sayaka suddenly stood up, an intense expression on her features.

"T-Tonight. We must call another meeting. An emergency meeting. Here, at our place. Or Leon-san's. Just somewhere," She pleaded. "And we cannot tell Hifumi-san. None of us live with him though, but we still can't be too careful,"

"Sayaka-chan, what is all of this?" Makoto asked nervously. "I'm a bit scared,"

"You should be," She left the room and then came back with a fancy journal and handed it to him. "If nothing else, read the first page,"

"This is his journal! I can't just snoop through another person's private thoughts," He shook his head.

"What if those private thoughts could bring harm to someone? What if they could bring harm to you?" She pressed.

"Sayaka-chan, I-" She flipped open the journal to the very first page and thrust it in front of his face. His eyes widened as he read it.

"Call an emergency meeting. Now. You are our new Defense Minister, Makoto-kun! You have to put your foot down about certain things! And right now, both you and I are in danger!" She cried. "If not for you or me, than for the baby. If not for the baby, then for the council. For the community. For Lady Nanami. For doing the right thing,"

Makoto finally nodded. "Alright, I'll do it,"

She hugged him tightly.

Hope's Peak Ministers held their emergency meeting in the parlor of Sayaka and Makoto's house; there only being seven pairs of shoes on display by the door that time. The meeting was held at two in the morning and with only two candles to minimize suspicion. Sayaka clutched the journal close to her chest and caught Leon's gaze. Despite the annoyance everyone shared at having to be up so early, there was also a general uneasiness over the group. Why so early and mysterious? Why was Hifumi not there? Nobody spoke in even hushed whispers and just gazed ahead at Makoto, who was standing at the front of the room again.

"I know you all probably have a lot of questions right now. However, it wasn't my idea to call this meeting, it was hers. So why don't you show everyone what you read in that journal, Sayaka-chan?" Makoto motioned over to her, and she stood up and slowly opened the journal, reading the first few pages out-loud. The dim light made the already tiny handwriting look like small ants marching along on the paper, but she had it all nearly memorized by that point. After a few pages, she stopped; chest heaving and tears in her eyes.

The remainder of the council was silent, various expressions of shock and disturbance and betrayal etched onto their faces. Only Leon's face remained steady.

"Makoto-kun, I think we should kick him off this council at the very least," Sayaka began. "He is far too disturbed to be kept here if he has it out for both of us. And he might harbor similar feelings about all of you too, if these fanfictions are anything to go off of. We cannot keep him here and have what is essentially a ticking time bomb."

"I agree. The guy is a nutcase! No normal person thinks that much about glory or death or pride!" Leon nodded.

"I don't know..." Aoi sighed, looking away. "We can't really prove anything by a journal,"

"Yeah! Everyone writes messed-up stuff in their private journals, but it's just an outlet! They don't really mean it!" Yasuhiro agreed with her.

Chihiro tugged on Kaito's sleeve and handed him his notebook, and he cleared his throat to read:

"He doesn't think we should kick Hifumi-san off the council. He can't explain it, but he just doesn't think it's a good idea," He set the notebook aside. "As for me...I'm a strong advocate of justice and fairness! Say we do kick him off and find out all those writings were exactly that, writings. We just lost a good mind just because we were paranoid. We ruined the life of an innocent man! So until I find more evidence that he's in the wrong, I vote to say he stays,"

"Yeah...I agree," Makoto nodded. Sayaka whirled around to face him. "I mean, that thing about killing me...was written early in the summer. None of us were in our right minds over the summer and likely said and did all kinds of horrible things we normally wouldn't. But look at us now. We can't judge ourselves currently based on how we were back then, right?"

Everyone nodded slowly aside from Leon and Sayaka.

"So that's it, then? You're just going to keep him on? The fuck?" Leon stared at him.

"If evidence is what you need...why don't all of us try sneaking into his house when him and that girl of his are both away? We could find some weapons or something," Sayaka suggested. "That way, your minds will be made up,"

"We're not just going to break into a council member's house!" Aoi yelled. "That's wrong!"

"So? Police do it all of the time to look for drugs and things like that. Is what we're doing really any different?"

"The whole point of us being here is to make sure the community is safe, right? Well that's exactly what this is, then," Leon ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't really like the idea of breaking into someone's house...but if it's really for the good of the community..." Makoto slowly trailed off. "We'll go tomorrow. All in favour?"

The vote was a reluctant but unanimous 7-0.

The next afternoon, Aiko was out shopping again and Hifumi was out with the Burial Committee again, leaving the council with roughly a few hours to search his house for more evidence. At first Aoi was concerned about getting caught in such a large group without an excuse, but Kaito said their excuse could just be an emergency council meeting. Hifumi was a member, it wasn't far-fetched at all.

Amazingly, the window was still left unbroken, making Sayaka think Hifumi either hadn't noticed somehow or that he hadn't been down there yet. She took a sudden chill and ran her hand along her pearl studs.

One by one the members crawled in through the window, helping Sayaka out the most and slowly pulling her through the window, being mindful of her baby bump.

"Let's start looking. I think we should split up into groups," Makoto looked at everyone. "I'd suggest groups of two, but we only have seven right now..."

"I'll go with Kaito-san and Chihiro-san!" Aoi immediately volunteered, raising her hand.

"I'll be with Leon-san," Sayaka said simply.

"Then I'll go with Yasuhiro-san," Makoto nodded, and the groups all split up and started searching different areas of the house. Sayaka and Leon took the bedrooms, Makoto and Yasuhiro remained downstairs in the rec room, and the trio took the living room and kitchen.

"Geezh, his house is so spooky. I'm afraid of running into a wall," Aoi shivered a bit, huddling close to Chihiro.

Kaito made a beeline for the bookshelf, carefully pushing books to the side as he searched. Nothing opened any secret passageway, he mused to himself.

He wouldn't have the journal on his bookshelf anymore. Sayaka-san has it. Chihiro reminded him in looped strokes.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he hasn't hidden other stuff here," Kaito said, rubbing his neck. "Though, I've gone through most of it already and haven't found anything,"

"So far, nothing in the kitchen either," Aoi pouted. "Maybe this truly was a foolish endeavor. We should've trusted him from the start and now we'll likely get in trouble or something,"

Kaito nearly agreed before a loud scream sounded from the bedroom, making both him and Aoi jump at the sound. They rushed towards the bedroom, nearly colliding with Makoto and Yasuhiro who were running up the stairs out of the rec room.

"What happened?!" Makoto asked worriedly, arriving first.

"Take a look at your nice guy now," Leon said, pushing Hifumi's mattress off the bed and revealing the lining underneath. Sayaka was trembling, hugging herself tightly. Aoi screamed as well.

Underneath the bed were several sharpened knives; one bloodied a bit, and a gun. Leon picked the gun up and opened it up, revealing the rounds. "Seven bullets. One for every single one of us,"

Sayaka paled. "See? He was going to kill us...!"

"Whoa, where did the bloody knife come from?! He hasn't actually murdered someone?!" Kaito said.

"Maybe he tested it out on an animal or something first," Yasuhiro suggested. "Oh man, this is too freaky! I don't like it one bit! A psycho was walking among us this whole time!"

Aoi covered her mouth suddenly and dashed over to the trashcan beside his desk, hurling loudly into it. Sayaka stared at her strangely.

"That does it, we have to kick him out. He's clearly plotting something sinister," Kaito nodded at Sayaka and Leon.

"I don't know...a gun with seven rounds in it? That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Makoto shook his head.

Yes...something terrible might happen to us if we kick him off. Something even worse than anything he has planned currently, Chihiro held his notebook in front of his face, trembling.

"Hello? Who's inside of my house?" Hifumi's voice called out, and the six of them froze. Hifumi seemed to silently consider something before rushing into his bedroom, gasping. "Y-You guys! Did I miss an emergency meeting?"

"You wanna explain this shit we found under your mattress?" Leon motioned to the gun in his hand as well as the knives.

"Wait, you can't just break into someone's house like that! Isn't it illegal?"

"It isn't illegal if the person in question is believed to have been committing a crime!" Sayaka shot back. "And we were right!"

"Dude, you were plotting to kill us! All of us!" Yasuhiro cried.

"You guys have the wrong idea! Those knives are not mine! I have never used a knife before in my life!" Hifumi trembled.

"What about the gun?" Sayaka challenged. "Seven rounds, one for each of us,"

"Loaded..." Makoto added.

"Okay, the gun is mine. But I only have it for self-defense! I would never kill any of you! I respect each and every one of you!" Hifumi cried. "You know that. I even call you all 'Sir' and 'Lady'! What could be more respectful than that?!"

Aoi wiped her mouth off after regaining her composure. "We have reason to believe you harbor violent thoughts too..." She said shakily.

Chihiro winced as he held out Hifumi's journal, making him gasp.

"You...you broke into my house! Sayaka-sama, I know you did! That earring was yours! And you broke into my house and stole my private journal! Why?"

"Because you read mine. And now I know everything about you. Especially about how you want to kill Makoto-kun and I," Her features darkened.

"Okay, so maybe I am guilty of a few things. But are you really gonna lock me away in prison?! Usually people get a fair trial! Even in the apocalyptic stuff I've read they do! Or they're just plain executed, but you aren't gonna do that, are you?!"

"No. We're kicking you off this council on the account of harboring weapons and plotting our demise," Makoto closed his eyes. "I'm really sorry, Hifumi-san...but I need to protect them just as much as I do the rest of this community." He tried to reach out for Hifumi's shoulder, only to hesitate and put his hand back down.

I never wanted to kick you out. I never wanted this to happen. I wanted you to remain on, Chihiro quickly tried to defend himself with messy strokes.

"K-Kicking me off?!" Hifumi asked in disbelief. He looked at everyone's faces, trying to find some sort of reconsideration in their eyes, but only Makoto and Chihiro harbored pity and sorrow. Aoi and Yasuhiro just looked afraid, while Leon and Sayaka looked almost proud. Kaito's own expression was unreadable, but he found Sayaka's stung the most.

"You still have friends in the community, a sense of belonging," Makoto begun before Sayaka started to walk away. Kaito picked the weapons up and set the mattress back onto the bed. Aoi held her stomach and raced after Chihiro once she saw him leaving. Leon just shook his head as he left, and Yasuhiro didn't even glance his way. None of them did, he later realized. Not a single one looked back at him.

The next two days were nothing but a monotonous downward spiral for him. He took to eating cold ramen for breakfast and dinner as Aiko never made him anything anymore, and the council took back the titles they had originally bestowed upon him, and evidently, the next meeting was going to be held at his place, but not anymore.

The story quickly spread through the community and Hifumi found himself suddenly missing the polite waves and eager smiles he normally got as opposed to the suspicious stares and whispers he received now. He was still on the Burial Committee, a fool would take that position away from him, but even Ishimaru took to looking at him with an expression that hurt.

The nights were no better; tossing and turning in bed most of the hours as nightmares plagued him. They all had worms in them, worms, evil nasty white little bugs in their brains and in their teeth, making them smile and mock. He woke up in a cold sweat nearly every time with a pounding heart.

He returned home that second day to find his door unlocked and a dark feeling creeping around him. Who was inside of his house? Was it a council member?

No, they wouldn't dare, would they?

Going inside, he found a note left on the coffee table by Aiko indicating she was plagued by bad dreams and had moved out to live with Tsubasa and her boyfriend Taro. She didn't flat-out blame him for the nightmares, or even mention that was all just an excuse, but Hifumi liked to think he was a master of reading inbetween the lines.

"Hello? Who's here!" He called out anyway, crumbling up the note.

"I am sorry for making you wait, Master. Would you prefer to have your dinner first, or me?" An unfamiliar female voice reached his ears and he turned in the direction of the kitchen, finding a woman surrounded by the shadows in there. It made her seem almost...demonic, in a way. Demonic?

"Um, who are you?" He remained where he was even as she drew closer, letting him see her features better. He recognized her but couldn't place a name to the face.

"Ikusaba Mukuro, Master. But you may call me whatever," Her voice was deeper than expected, and she had fully stepped out of the shadows and bowed submissively to him. She had shiny black hair and deep violet eyes and a sprinkling of freckles. He recognized her then.

"You arrived with Leon-san's group, right?" He subtly looked at her body, knowing girls found that creepy, but if Mukuro did too, she kept quiet. She was dressed like Sailor Saturn from that one anime...yes, even with the scythe. Her skirt was never as short as Mukuro's currently was though, the leotard so low-cut. The violet brought out her eyes perfectly. Was her hair black all over? What kind of a question was that? "You guys followed my trail across Japan, I heard. Like a fantasy RPG party! He came to visit me just last week with some Diet Coke and junk food. He's a...decent man,"

"Yes, he's like a prince," Mukuro gave an unreadable expression.

He carefully took a step back from her. "Seeing as how you're my elder, Lady Mukuro, what do I have the pleasure of helping you out with today?" He still tried to give her a smile.

"First of all, don't use an honorific," Her heels clicked loudly on the wooden floor. Why were her shoes still on? "Such things are limiting,"

"No honorific?" He barely managed to squeak. Her eyes seemed more judgmental.

She shook her head. "I'd like to stay for dinner...would you invite me?"

You seemed to have all but invited yourself! Hifumi thought but didn't say. Instead, he nodded, a sickness in his stomach.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

She nodded and leaned forward, her silky white gloves touching his roughened hands. He nervously locked the door, knowing full well she was the one who had broken in and prepared himself for the inevitable question of why his door was locked.

But Mukuro never asked.

"I don't know how to cook much aside from rations...so I hope this is fine," Mukuro explained after he came back from taking a two-bucket shower. "But some of the stuff is good, and I already know how to cook over a fire," She shrugged.

"What are you making?" He asked curiously. Surely she was just there to chat or something.

"Beefaroni with broccoli," Mukuro started to boil the noodles over the stove. "It sounds gross, but it's not." And that was all she said on the matter. Hifumi stared at her body bent over the stove, almost like a drawing. Her body was more muscular and weathered than what was usually attractive, yet she was clearly still dressing for her body type. She bent over more and made the tiny purple skirt ride up to reveal the white panties of her leotard. He should look away, he shouldn't get aroused by that...!

"I think the two of us are going to be quite close," Mukuro commented as she handed Hifumi his meal with a submissive bow. She stood at his side with her hands folded in front of her demurely, just like a stereotypical housewife.

"What brings you here? Just dinner?" He asked again, sensing the mystery in her eyes.

"I like watching people eat."

Eat he did; three helpings of what she had made in fact, finding it simple but easy on the senses. After he had finished, Mukuro was already back in the kitchen, moving dishes around.

"Coffee or tea?" She asked in that dull tone of hers. He blinked. "Coffee or tea? Or me...?" She purposefully kicked the skirt up, revealing her panties again.

"The latter two," Hifumi had answered before thinking, then gasped in horror once he fully processed it. What a fool he was! Here was some nice girl in his house, really the only girl who had paid him mind since the incident, and then he had to go and ruin it like that!

Well, at least it wouldn't have been the first time he had done so. He'd just have to live and learn again just like those other times.

Mukuro came back into the room carrying a full-fledged tea tray and bowing gracefully again as she poured tea for both of them. Closer in the light, Hifumi noticed how plain she truly was-yet also detected something darker about her just below the surface. Something almost...sinister.

"May I help you with something?" He still asked, his hands shaking. Mukuro smiled at him from the rim of her tea-cup before setting it down.

"Yes. In fact, I think the two of us being together would be highly beneficial to my plans,"

"Your plans?" He asked carefully. "Should I open the blinds...?"

"No. I much prefer the dark. Reminds me of being out on the field," She moved even closer to Hifumi and nearly toppled him over, and placed a firm kiss on his lips.

"Mmmpfh?!" Hifumi tried to cry out in disbelief, having never kissed a girl before. She pressed her body up against his, letting him feel her minuscule breasts under the tight fabric and the muscles on her stomach that weren't shying away from his erection at all, if anything, she was pressing herself into it more. Once she finally pulled away, he was panting and saw how bits of of her hair were falling into her face. He slowly reached out and squeezed her breasts, feeling their roundness and how unobstructed they were in the outfit. Her nipples hardened in his hands and she squirmed around a bit, not unpleasantly.

"You are a virgin, are you not?" She asked after a time. Hifumi nodded. No sense in lying about that. Mukuro seemed to be considering something as she ran her hands slowly down his body. "Then I'll do something else first. Ease you into it I suppose. Then we can do whatever you want,"

"Mukuro-" He started, but she silenced him with a glare. Her hands slowly traveled down to his zipper and with one quick motion, she had pulled them down and revealed his large erection. "I-I think I should do something for you too. It's only my duty!"

"Alright," Mukuro didn't seem fond of that thought, but still she let him pull down the skimpy sailor top and squeeze on her breasts again, soon pulling the nearest one into his mouth and sucking on the nipple greedily. She placed a hand on his head. "I'll take care of you, I promise,"

Hifumi pulled the nipple out of his mouth at those words, seeing the shininess left from his saliva.

"Lay down some more," She commanded, and he did so, and soon she had pulled his erection out from his tight underwear and was sucking on it almost greedily, not looking at him but at something he couldn't make out. Her tongue was slow as she worked her way around his tip, on his slit, which made him shiver in great pleasure and felt a growing pressure.

"W-Wait," He tried to call out before she suddenly pulled her mouth away and a huge wave of semen erupted from him. Unable to help himself, he cried out and looked away, feeling as though he was on fire. He never understood why all of the great writers compared orgasming to be just as great as death, but he finally understood it then; laying there, breathing heavily with every inch of him burning hotly. "I'm sorry," He finally said after a time. "I...don't girls want to do more than that?"

Mukuro looked at him with those piercing purple eyes. They seemed like ice to him, or a galactic nebula.

"We can do as much as you want. We're both young, you even more. We can do it as many times as you like. As long as you know one thing about me," She moved closer to him, pushing some hair out of her face.

His breath caught in his throat as he smelled the rich thickness of her perfume. Could girls ever smell as good as that? "What?" He asked slowly.

She placed her hands on his chest. "I am a virgin too. And you cannot take that away from me, as it's up to someone else to not...make me one."

"Who?"

"You know."

Hifumi was silent.

"It's her will, and whatever she says, I obey. She has a man picked out for me. It isn't you," Mukuro said calmly. "But we can still do anything else you want. Anything, and everything. Everything you've ever dreamed of but never thought you could do. With an offer like that, is that one thing really so important?"

Her skirt had ridden up again as she talked, her heels deliciously accenting her legs. Hifumi swallowed again as he realized she was purposefully doing that as she talked. He had sudden images of cat ears...leather boots...harem scarves...oh God.

"You can tell me anything. I can be anyone you want me to be. Just say the word," She looked away.

"Um...but you're not giving me this for free, are you? You're a girl. They always want stuff, right?" Hifumi asked.

"I just want your heart. What's in it, not your actual heart. There's a darkness in you, Hifumi-san. There's always been, you just needed that nudge in the right direction. And you got that nudge a few days ago," She explained levelly.

"Nobody knows what's inside," He trembled.

"She does. She told me everything. What you wrote in your journal. How upset you are at the Hope's Peak Ministers for kicking you off their council despite your ideas helping them. How jealous you are that that goody-two-shoes stole your woman. She told me all of it," Mukuro had the first emotion on her face she had all night; seemingly pure ecstasy. "She wants us together, Hifumi-san. And unlike the committee here, she will never take from you. Only give. She is a very generous person, my sister is. She loves you just as much as she does me," She drooled a bit.

"And what does she want...from me?" Hifumi moved back on the couch a bit, trying to get away from Mukuro. He had a wildly bizarre thought in his head suddenly that he wanted her to refer to him as 'Master' like she had earlier.

"Despair. Pure chaos. What you tasted that night you nearly tried to shoot Naegi-san. But in an even greater amount. She wants this entire community to be plunged into despair," Mukuro smiled mysteriously.

"What if I say no?" Hifumi ran a hand through his hair nervously. Mukuro sat up suddenly and gave a shrug, her breasts bouncing.

"Life goes on. I'll still continue to do what I need to do, and maybe you'll find another girl. Maybe that one girl will change her mind and move back here with you. But you will never go back to how you were before. You will always wonder what would've happened if you kept me. What I looked like with all my clothes off, what it would be like if I whispered into your ear or let you lick honey off me-"

"Stop," Hifumi trembled. "I don't want to hear that sort of thing anymore!"

"Honestly, I don't care if you reject me or not. The thought of your discomfort entices me. But what entices me even more is the fact that even if you get over all of the sexual things...you will still be left wondering what it would be like to join the other side. Always wondering if it was better or not. What it would feel like to taste true despair. So I'll ask you once more. Are we going to do this, or am I going home alone?" She stared straight into his eyes, making him shiver.

He never knew if he even had problems with that question or how long he thought it over; all he knew at that moment was how dark his tone sounded when he finally nodded and suggested awkwardly that they head to his bedroom.

Mukuro gave him a smile that made him shiver; a smile of pure despair.

"I am thrilled you picked me...Master," He shivered once again when she slowly took his hand and led him over to his bedroom, smiling all the way.

And just like that, Yamada Hifumi began his descent into despair, as was his destiny.