sniff

Shuichi lay face first on his bed, the photo of Kaede from under his pillow now crumpled up and in the trash can. He gently touched his cheek where his former best friend had punched him two weeks before. The punch itself had hurt, to be sure, but his "breakup" with both Kaito and Kaede still stung, even now. His stomach curdled as he remembered what Kaede had told him.

"But now I see that I was wrong."

Out of all of the relationships he had with his classmates at Hope's Peak, theirs were the ones that he treasured the most. And now, thanks to that bastard, they were gone. Shuichi groaned as he heard someone knocking at the door.

"Huh? Why?"

He rose from his messy bed groggily, the covers strewn about from his tossing and turning. For the last two weeks, he hadn't dared leave his room until everyone was asleep. Living in isolation, he had only ventured out of his dorms to get food in the middle of the night like a rat. He had ran out of tissues on day four, and since he didn't bother showing up in class, he had spent his days lying on his bed and crying. Fixing his crusty hair, the Ultimate Detective opened the door.

"Maki?!" He exclaimed. Out of everyone in the Academy she was the person he least expected, even more so than Kaede or Kaito. Especially after their last encounter the day after he got punched. Shuichi shuddered as he remembered. That was the second time she almost killed me...

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! You realize that Kaito won't talk to me now?! How could you?"

"Grk! Maki! Can't! Breathe!"

Her red eyes now ablaze with fury, Maki held Shuichi up against the wall by his throat, throttling him with all her might.

"Why were you in Kaede's room SNIFFING HER-"

"Wait! It's Kokichi!"

After Shuichi said his name, her grip slackened. He slid against the wall down to the floor in relief. Maki's eyes burrowed into his forehead like drills.

"Explain. Now."

Shuichi told her how Kokichi had tricked him into Kaede's room and indirectly revealed the details of what had happened between them on the field. As he finished, Maki's eyes shone with determination and, after a delivering a swift kick to Shuichi's leg, she stormed off. Shuichi called after her.

"Maki, hold on!"

Now, here she was again, standing outside his door. He silently admired her beauty, his eyes scanning the first female he had seen since Kaede kicked him out of her room. The pretty assassin played with her hair as she talked to him.

"You look awful."

"Yeah… I haven't been out much since then." Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck apologetically. "I'm sorry about Kaito."

"Don't worry about it."

On the surface, Kaito's knowledge of the incident devastated Maki's friendship with him. However, she had to admit that she wasn't AS upset about it as she thought she was. Almost as if it was an excuse…She shook her head. But why?

"So, uh, what brings you by?" Shuichi asked.

"Ah, right. It's about Kokichi."

Shuichi's face darkened with hatred as he heard that name. Kokichi… The sole reason for all his problems. It was his fault. His fists clenched as he remembered the humiliation Kokichi had subjected him to over the past month. Why? What's his problem? Why didn't he just leave me alone?

"What about him?" He asked, trying to mask the anger in his voice.

Maki took a deep breath and appraised the detective in front of her. His misshapen hair and clothes made him look like a wreck, but… She inhaled greedily. He almost smells… nice? I wonder what he feels like… Her fingers tingled with longing as she remembered what he had made her feel on the field that night. No one's ever made me experience that before… Crimson colored her cheeks. Snap out of it! She huffed impatiently and grabbed his arm, dragging him through the hallway.

A creeping warmth spread throughout her body. "C-come on. I think you should be there."

Kaede had always loved to play the piano. In the past, she had played it so much that she forgot to eat, or sleep. But most importantly, it was an effective way to vent her frustrations. For the past two weeks, she had played nonstop, Kokichi by her side. She paused as she felt him inch closer to her. Ever since that happened, Kokichi's been hanging out with me a lot more… she thought, unable to connect the dots. Everyone's definitely heard about by now. It's so embarrassing! I'm really glad he's been staying with me though. Just having him by my side makes me able to relax a bit more. He's such a good friend. Just as she was finishing her thoughts, Kokichi delicately placed his hand on hers. She turned towards him, surprised with a slight flush.

"K-kokichi?!"

He smiled up at her, caressing her hand lovingly. "You've been thinking about what happened with Shumai again, right? Are you okay?"

Kaede's wrist recoiled slightly. What is he doing? Was I worrying him that much? She sighed. "Yeah, sorry. I'm still kinda hung up on that… Lame, right? I should just move on, you know? Sorry for worrying you."

I should just move on. Kokichi's grin curled upward as he registered the meaning behind those words. I've done it.

"Yeah, totally! Being depressed isn't going to change anything! Wait...I got it! You should totally join my secret organization! How about it? The Ultimate Pianist and the Ultimate Supreme Leader teaming up, fighting for evil! Sounds pretty cool, don't you think?"

Kaede smiled warmly at him, ignoring the second gander his fingers made for her palm. She giggled. "Yeah, sure. Thanks a lot, Kokichi. You're a great friend."

Or maybe not. Kokichi pressed his lips together in annoyance. I guess I'll give it one more push…

Suddenly, the door burst open. "Gaah!" Kaede screamed in surprise, while Kokichi stealthily slid off the piano bench and started circumventing his way to the exit. Maki marched in, locking eyes with a glaring Kaede before surveying the room and spotting the Supreme Leader.

"There you are!" She chased him around the lab and pinned him to the ground, twisting his arm behind his back. He yelped in pain as Maki tightened her grip. Kaede started to panic.

"Maki, what are you doing?! Let him go!" She stopped as she saw a shadow hanging around by the doorway. Her hands trembled, recognizing him immediately.

"Shuichi?"