Her name was Chiaki Nanami.
She was the Ultimate Gamer.
She was seventeen years old and would stay that way.
She was loved by her friends, who all found themselves lost and tainted on that day.
She was a nice person, who did everything they could with everything they had until they had nothing left to give.
Was. Was. Was.
Chiaki Nanami didn't deserve her horrible, drawn out impalement. Chiaki Nanami didn't deserve the betrayal by her precious mentor. Chiaki Nanami didn't deserve to have her remains stored away in a chilled, lonely morgue. Chiaki Nanami didn't deserve having her corpse become a tool of despair. Twice now it had happened, in Mukuro's presence.
It had never bothered her before. Why now?
It wasn't empathy - at least, not the blanket, catch-all term most people liked to use in their misappropriated view of opportunistic solidarity. Something weighted knotted in the Ultimate Soldier's chest, remembering her own macabre near execution - she'd never even realized she'd been shown the method to her demise. It terrified her to imagine the stakes boring through her scarless limbs. It was horrifying knowing even that could never be as terrible as her senior's killing - deliberate, leisurely, and sadistic, with screams of pain and spurts of blood from a girl who didn't deserve to die that slowly.
It might have been an understanding, perhaps, between two dead girls. One just happened to have a pulse, is all.
The little pin was heavy in her palm, far more than it had any right to be. The remnants of its owner's final display had been scoured off until the crusted blood was gone. It was arduous for her untrained hands, leaving the accessory chipped and missing paint but thankfully blood free.
Idle shuffling caught the corner of her eye, revealing a boy with a healthier complexion than she'd seen so far. The Ultimate Nurse's guides were impeccable as always, despite what had happened to her. It would only be a matter of time, maybe. Complications still existed in possibility - sepsis, internal bleeding, ruptured bowels.
But there was nothing to be done if it were. Nothing to do but watch, wait, and hope.
She was allowed to, right?
Hifumi Yamada was a simple man who enjoyed simple things. His drafts were coming along their seventh revision, grammar and language long since edited to his standards - which left only canon integration and periphery world building. Source material played off the computer screen - Princess Piggles, season 3 episode 4 [Piggles Predicament: The Glimmering Glare Of Fanged Fenrir]. A chilled bottle of coke - diet, to his taste - rested nearly emptied before him. Another was behind the monitor, expectant of its master's need, beck, and call, for when its predecessor will inevitably have been drained down to its last dregs.
Hedonistic, maybe? But he plied his trade and earned his keep, and he'd done so with nothing but his head and a keyboard. Writing was a competitive field, and fanfiction even more so - niche and distilled audiences, for starters. Literary elitism was another glass ceiling he'd shattered under his expansive determination. Over time he'd turned a hobby into a a profession, and a profession into prestige. His self-indulgence was well warranted, personally speaking.
Which meant it was always just a bit bothersome whenever someone interrupted his time alone. More so when they did not possess indoor voices.
"Why do you stand before me, Taka? Interested in penning your own drafts?" The rotund writer questioned, forcing away his irritation in return for the chance to convert the prefect to the light of revisionism. More was indeed merrier, in this case.
"No - For The Moment, At Least." He promptly replied, correcting himself once offended eyes settled on his original abrupt refusal. "I Came For Feedback."
"Not for a story?" The Fanfic Writer said, tone disappointed. "I'm afraid my talents lay elsewhere, Sir Taka."
"Not That. For What I've Done." Taka corrected, staring back expectantly at the rotund creator guzzling down a popping beverage. "Those Seem Rather Unhealthy."
"It's diet, you see. That means it's good for me." Hifumi argued, reaching towards another can. "But I don't follow. Some additional expansion on the matter would welcome."
"My Actions During Our Trial Together." The prefect supplied, continuing. "What Are Your Thoughts On The Matter?"
"First, I'm flattered the Ultimate Moral Compass would seek my opinion on their actions - I suppose that makes me a better person than I believed myself to be."
"What Kind Of Person Do You Believe Yourself To Be, Then?"
Which was... rather difficult to answer. Not in a bad way, as most would assume of the Fanfic Writer with but a cursory glance. It was just something most normal people didn't think of. As an admittedly abnormal person - in the most flattering sense of the word - Hifumi felt a measure of muted displeasure at his own lack of instrospection.
"Just a writer for fun, I like to imagine." came the subdued reply, tilting his glasses so they glinted just well enough to obscure his pupils - one of his favorite actions while conversing. "You came with an inquiry, I seem to recall..."
Taka shook the train of thought - along with his own head, presumably out of habit, Hifumi noted. Something to be included in future characterization down the line.
"My Apologies, Yes. Were My Actions... Appropriate?"
Hm. Interesting consideration. More bubbling soda trickled down his sugar-parched throat.
"In a manner, Sir Taka. Have you ever encountered the term 'tropes' by chance?"
A brief pause, with the taller man turning his eyes to the ceiling in contemplation. His gaze returned after a moment, blank.
"Not To My Knowledge."
"Shame - it cannot be helped then. You, good sir, suffer from Chronic Hero Syndrome."
"A common flaw in character types around my circles." Hifumi established, feet planted on the ground as he forced his body off the comfortable swivel chair. "You see, suffering demands action of you, regardless of personal cost or sensibility. It implores every fiber of your being, the injustice, does it not?"
"Of Course! Anyone Who Cannot Find Themselves Stirring In Even The Slightest For Such Sights Are Morally Inept."
"I understand, Sir Taka. Truth be told I agree with your stance, though the extent you ascribe to goes beyond me. Vouching for your attempted murderer..."
The prefect tilted his head quizzically. "Of Course I Did So. Her Circumstances Allow Me To Grasp Her Reasoning, And I Firmly Believe She Will Learn From Her Mistake - Perhaps Even Set An Example For The Class On Strength Of Character."
"That's rather idealistic of you, no?"
"Realistic, I Promise You. Everything Will Become Better Once We Move Past This Challenge Together." He assured, clasping his hands together boldly. There was determination in droves - steadfast and unyielding. Which made the next part rather difficult. Innocence Lost, at a minimum.
"You truly believe that..." Hifumi mumbled, mildly disoriented. Here before him, a character straight out of fiction - deluded.
"We Must, Or We Fall Together. I'd Prefer We Stand Alongside And Share In Our Strength." He beamed, the expression dissonantly disquieting.
"The problem with that, Sir Taka, is your absurdly self-sacrificing approach to that belief." Hifumi reproached warily, eyeing the prefect with a measure of discomfort.
"I Don't Intend To Sacrifice Myself." Along came the lies, buried under the pedestal of his beliefs. The writer made to correct him.
"But you have. You already have. And I've read and written so many stories with people like you."
"Like Me?"
"Faultlessly striving towards everyone's happiness, or safety in your case. To a point some would suspect of compensation."
His drink had tipped over, staining the wooden desk and trickling down once-immaculate carpet, but there was inspiration to be had that surpassed the need to notice.
"Just Recently..." Taka replied slowly, searching for the proper words. "I'd Realized My Previous Approach Had Been Ineffectual - I Did Little Beyond Instruct. And It Did Not Work. And I Made The Mistake Of Insisting Upon It Until I Mustered The Courage To Admit My Need For Perspective. Like I've Done Again Now."
"I see. Hence your extended sauna session with Sir Mondo..." His question was met with a confirmatory nod.
"Good Men Admit Their Faults, Willfully Striving Towards Improvement - Rather Than Perfection, As I Had Mistaken It For Once."
"But is this improvement, Sir Taka? Given everyone's mixed response to your actions, I'm uncertain for anyone's thoughts but my own."
"I've Already Asked The Majority Of Them, Hifumi. I Would Like Yours. As An Ultimate - Other Talents Have A Habit Of Granting Broader Perspectives I Need To Consider."
As the Ultimate Fanfiction Creator? There was some merit to that, said creator supposed. Perspective was useful regardless a person's line of work.
"You are... quite similar to a protagonist from a visual novel I'd observed for content creation purposes, for a Big Bang challenge with a talented artist. Though I've no idea regarding your personal tragedy, it seems you've a similar lack of self preservation."
The prefect blanched at the verbal jab, but refrained from a rebuttal. Good.
"And he succeeded in some worlds. Failed in others. Oftentimes, somewhere in between the spectrum of achievement-"
"What Do You Mean Succeed In Some And Fail In Others?"
"It's rather rude to interrupt, but anyways... it was separated by routes."
"Routes... Paths, In A Manner?"
"Yes, but on a reality-based scale. Where it was a matter of coincidence what had transpired, and a butterfly's trembling wings spelled the difference between empowered, compromised, and abandoned ideals. Along with the multitude of horrifying bad ends - visceral even for my tastes."
"I See. So It Matters Not Who I Am - That's Absurd!"
"No, no, no... who you are matters, but where that takes you... canon divergence... elseworlds... then you change according to what route you find yourself treading, unknown to any of us. It's simply a matter of IF, and a question of where. Possibilities, and wherever they may take you."
"And I'm Not In Control Of Such, You Believe?"
"No, you are. You always are. As am I. Nothing in the world can go beyond merely challenging us, but whatever route our current worlds reside in creates new paths to travel. If you've the conviction to see yourself through it all, then maybe it's a matter of Fate. Given your character archetype, I'd expect no less from the Ultimate Moral Compass."
"Your Perspective Does You Justice, Hifumi Yamada."
"Obviously." He scoffed, not out of pride but satisfaction. "Fanfiction on our level is primarily characterization, Sir Taka. It's observing individuals and imagining their actions in varied environments or circumstances, preserving established canon identity personalities while developing their diverging identities through plot and interactions. Ergo, trends and tropes are tools of my trade - including perspective and limited psychology."
"I Had No Idea Fanfiction Was So Demanding." Taka stated - sheepishly astounded, with a bashful smile hiding some level of regretted condescension.
"It's a conversation between cultures, Sir Taka. Fanfiction is among the many responses we levy, and we do so with pride despite our poor reputations. But we seem to have strayed from our initial topic of conversation - do you believe what you've done is right?"
"... I Believe So."
"But would you do it all again, knowing what you do now?"
"... Yes, eventually."
"Then I've no problems that matter beyond where your ideals may lead you. I trust in your capabilities as the Ultimate Moral Compass to see you through the route you walk."
"I'm Grateful For The Assurance, Hifumi."
"I, too, am glad to grant and receive perspective on the matter - I believe my content could stand to gain complexity from exposure to your personality. Would you be so kind as to join me next time - should you encounter me free and unoccupied, of course."
"I Would Enjoy So As Well - I've Gained A Good Deal Of Insight From Your Outlook."
"I'm glad to hear that. Do please bring some diet coke along, though. I fear my beverage allocation is falling shorter by the day."
A personal request, though it came across more of a demand. It was for this reason Kyoko had considered refusing out of uncharacteristic spite.
But natural curiosity had won out, and she followed the instructions the haughty voice had delivered. A classroom on the third floor, devoid of witnesses. If this were a ploy to murder her it was dejectedly obvious. That didn't mean she would overlook the slightest of possibilities - the reassuring weight of the flashlight in her grip was proof of her caution. Or perhaps (justified) paranoia, at this point. No matter.
Room, darkened. Door shut. Occupied. Wafting warmth. Huffy breathing - annoyance. Good.
She rapped a gloved knuckle on the door, which was greeted by irritated beckoning from the dirty blond heir. "The hell are you waiting for? Enter."
So she did, and with a few strides the room reverberated with the dampened footfalls of leather boots.
"That brown tie around your neck rather ruins the ensemble." Togami commented, unaware or uncaring of her response.
A hand - gloved, her own - shot around the area in question compulsively. Her lilac eyes hardened in his direction.
"Continue speaking to others like that, and you may very well join me in that regard." Kirigiri muttered, annoyed but restrained. Impulsiveness was for others. Like the stubborn scion - it was difficult to call him a human being, at times. In part due to his seeming lack of self preservation at times. "You promised answers." came her curt response.
"I promised a transaction for answers." Togami corrected, swirling a spoon in a nondescript mug. "If we can come to an accord regarding both of our terms."
The scent of the brew permeated her senses.
"How considerate of you." She scoffed, in a distracted daze she desperately tried to fight off through pride alone.
Coffee. Caramel hints. Traces of chocolate. Aromatic. Heavenly.
Her mouth began to water of its own accord. It grated on her quickly-thinning patience.
Damned biology.
"I'd like to enlist your services." The scion began, bringing the mug to his lips for a moment.
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.
"My services are not for sale." She replied mechanically. "And I've no reason to trust in you, given the poor judgement you've established previously."
Togami snarled for the briefest of moments, morphing into a grimace, eventually settling on a frown. "I acted according to my own needs."
"Clearly." Kirigiri deadpanned, drawing out yet another delightfully irate expression from the previously composed heir. "Pray tell, what needs?"
"A moment, please." he requested - yet again a command from his lips. A polished thermos was produced from under his appropriated desk. Another mug came soon, glossy jet black and likely priced as absurdly as the rest of what he viewed as 'bare necessities'. He laid the mug before him, and the thermos tipped to reveal dark, rich fluid trickling down what she guessed was ceramic. Steam and vapor blossomed pleasantly from the emission, and her irritation evaporated for the briefest of moments.
"Kopi Luwak." The progeny named, capping the container as tightly as he could. "Or simply Civet coffee. Produced from excretions of said animal after gorging themselves on only the best coffee cherries. Rife with fraud and exploitation - I can assure you I am not among those affected by such. A single kilogram of beans cost 75,000 yen. A single cup costs 3,750 yen. Allow me to show you why that is. Sit before me."
And so she did, taking the cup he gently pushed towards her - out of respect to the coffee, of course. She was quite aware where they stood at the moment.
"Consider it recompense for my initial actions." Togami stated bluntly, likely the closest the heir had ever come to an apology in perhaps the entirety of his life.
"Compensation received." She replied in the same robotic tone, taking a gentle sip of steaming hot coffee. And promptly getting burned for the effort.
Amateur, Kyoko. You really ought to know better by now.
She successfully fought back a wince from the scalding - it obviously couldn't even compare to past experiences.
But the taste - good Lord the taste! Devoid of bitterness and acidity, sweet and rich and savory and all hers to enjoy.
"I think I'm in love." she mumbled idly, mentally cursing at herself once the heir's chuckle reached her ears.
"Quite." The progeny replied plainly. "Even I'm rather taken by the brew. It's one of the few indulgences I permit myself, circumstances be damned."
A strange kinship formed between two people who ought to hate each other.
And by all means they effectively did, make no mistake, but coffee was coffee. Transcendence was inevitable.
It was a matter of respect towards the beverage, simply mollifying their mutual hostility for the moment's time.
So of course the moment had to pass.
"My actions the previous night were in a bid to determine threats to my being - who was capable of subverting my actions. Perhaps uncover me if I had fallen to impulse."
Concealing evidence. Taking precious minutes from a trial determining all our fates. Not impulsive in the slightest.
The investigator's thoughts went unsaid, for saying anything involved the mouth and hers was occupied by more important things. Togami chose to continue, thankfully.
"And you've established yourself not only as a capable investigator, but among the rare individuals capable of toppling my arguments through sheer intellectual prowess. Along with everyone else less capable than me - everyone else, it ought to go without saying. Your services could prove useful to me - and by extension, all of us. I've no intentions to play along with anyone's machinations, and pooling our resources could foster a means to overthrow that damned bear."
He stared back expectant for an answer, interrupting the docile mood and dragging her down from her hazy coffee heaven. Never before had murder felt so appealing.
"Perhaps... but why should I trust you?" She retorted quickly, returning to her drink - still barely any cooler than her first sip. She continued, uncaring.
"If you believed you could trust me I'd have rescinded my offer of cooperation on the spot." Togami replied casually, though his tone - and general disposition - belied this was not mere jesting. "And I expect the same lack of loyalty from you in kind. My word is my pride, and my pride is as binding as the walls of our gilded cage."
"And I believe you." Kirigiri conveyed honestly, though her expression could generously be called skeptical. "But you haven't given your word, specifically. Simply assurances of its value, which I'm disinclined to render any faith upon. A sentence or two would suffice, for a moment's assurance."
The Ultimate Elite half-smirked, mouth wound sharply in simple amusement - devoid of the usual causticity she'd learned to expect. "It seems my appraisal of your worth was spot-on. I swear on my name, Byakuya Togami, that I will cooperate with you to the best of my judgement, and expect the same courtesy in kind."
Short, simple, and with plenty of leeway for mutual autonomy. It might have sufficed for the time being - save for one important detail the scion had overlooked.
"But what do I have to gain?" Kirigiri insisted, prioritizing pragmatism. "Your name is of little value to me in practice. Your promise is just that. What do you have to offer me."
"Hmph." He retorted, rather impressively attempting to feign disinterest at her rebuff.
Crinkling forehead. A flash of flared nostrils. Fingers curling on top of desk.
The display would have sufficed for anyone else. Credit where it was due, Togami's lapse was only slightly noticeable.
He broke his own silent, affronted contemplation to articulate the best response he could muster for the moment.
"A lead. A gateway to the outside world." The Ultimate Elite assured transactionally. "And perhaps the key to our missing memories."
"Where is it, then?" She impulsively followed up on, genuine curiosity bubbling through her precisely-regulated features.
A shake of the head, dirty blond hair tussling along. "In due time, when you agree to our cooperative."
"Even if I did agree," Kyoko replied, pondering at possibility. "what makes you believe I wouldn't simply go on my way the moment your incentive was revealed."
"Because people who point such things out are people who never capitalize on such advantages. And you couldn't possibly make use of my asset the same way I could."
Hesitation, then understanding. Gears churned, turning experience and discoveries into epiphany. "The murderous girl in the gym..."
"Indeed." He agreed, nodding his head along. "Toko's dark passenger. I'm unfortunately the linchpin for that particularly volatile powder keg."
"I see."
"Of course you do. In three days time, we shall meet here at the same time as we have today. I shall endeavor to have her... stalk me..." Togami seemed to pale at the realization, and his grip on the mug tightened around the handle with more force than strictly necessary. "until we arrive. Then we will secure her for interrogation - as you investigator types are wont to do. Then we make use of whatever she has to say to end these wretched games."
Kirigiri considered the proposal, wanting to find something wrong with it. Partly out of habit, Partly out of pragmatism. But mostly out of reticent, irrational - she privately admitted - annoyance.
"Is the delay strictly necessary?" She asked, wondering at the games he might be playing. Perhaps coercing the troubled girl into concealing information ahead of time. Or a ploy to ensure his actions remained uninterrupted by her own investigations.
Neither, as it turned out. "For my cooperation, certainly. Leading that... thing up so far, by my lonesome, and securing her in an isolated room would elicit certain... reactions from her. That I would need to steel myself against. For the sake of my own sanity - a valuable, personal commodity I insist is non-negotiable."
It was a sensible plan. Disappointingly so. But it was nice to be reminded even she could experience juvenile impulses.
Such as the one troubling her now. Which she decided to settle in the bluntest way possible.
"I accept your word and your coffee." She graciously welcomed, to some degree of confused consternation.
"I don't quite recall promising that." He deadpanned almost comically, spoon still swirling within the emptied mug.
"Consider that a fringe benefit for my cooperation." Kirigiri insisted, aware of her own absurdity but uncaring of her presentation. "Otherwise we continue how we used to."
Some alarm was to be expected, along with what he thought passed for righteous indignation. Perhaps a scathing remark at her perceived gluttony.
Laughter was not among the possibilities, and it left her quietly confused. She chose to quietly down the remainder of her brew, hoping her disorientation would be mistaken for contemplation - as she'd found herself doing far too often for her personal liking recently.
"I suppose I can allow some allowances from my cache, as a measure of gratuity for services rendered. But only if you consider working for me when - I repeat, when - we bring the mastermind to justice. Your skill set would be especially suited for corporate counterespionage."
"Only consider? When you could easily force the demand..." Kirigiri questioned, gauging her initial prognosis on the scion's personality.
"Unwilling employees are useless to me. And if I tried to do so I sincerely doubt you'd acquiesce so easily."
She nodded in agreement, continuing. "That said, why should I consider that? If your treatment of the people beneath you is of any indication."
He looked about, as if pondering the words and searching for them amidst the walls and desks. "The 'people beneath me' here are nuisances to my safety and well-being, as our two victimized can attest to. Liabilities to accommodate, and occasional entertainment. Little beyond that, in truth, even free of these preposterous circumstances. But working with me here, and for me afterwards... well, you'd be a valuable asset. You would become an investment to the Togami empire..."
He trailed off - presumably for dramatic effect. It was rather embarrassing for Kirigiri to note the effectiveness of such a mundane display.
"And I can assure you, investigator, that there's nothing any sensible business wouldn't do for the sake of preserving their investments."