"And have you told Ran about that, Shuichi?"

It was another therapy session over the phone, and it was feeling even...smoother, perhaps, than when they'd first started. Still, they were discussing tough subject matters, so even as Shuichi lay on his bed, eyes on the ceiling, he struggled to find the right words to say to Ms. Kokaki. "...I haven't." The admission was hard. They'd just been talking about something extremely personal, something he'd never shared with anyone but his therapist. "I want to, I think, but..."

His voice trailed off, his thought unfinished. "That's okay," she told him, and he tried to believe her. "It's okay if you have to take time before sharing that with someone. I'm happy you felt like you could share it with me. You're making progress." Shuichi wanted to believe that. "We still have some time left, was there anything else you wanted to cover today or would you like to end a little early?" Ms. Kokaki asked the question lightly, as if afraid it could bruise Shuichi from over the phone.

Of course she can! Adorable widdle Shuichi, always so scawed about what people say to him. "Actually, there is something," Shuichi said, feeling a momentary boldness born of an odd upswing in spite. "I've been...hearing a voice in my head. Ever since we left the show." Oh, you're telling her about moi? I guess you're finally ready to make friends with the men in the white coats, huh?

The voice's mockery was coated in real fears. But Shuichi wanted to trust his therapist. He'd finally decided to tell her about this. "What kind of voice, Shuichi?"

"It kind of..." Shuichi realized he didn't know exactly how to describe it.

"It's okay if you have to take a moment to find the right words, Shuichi."

Can't you hear the pity in her voice? "It taunts me." Really? Taunting? That's the best you can come up with? "I can hear it right now. It...tells me things that I'm already afraid of. Like it's feeding my anxieties." Saying it out loud made Shuichi feel sure Ms. Kokaki would laugh at the idea, or think he was losing his mind.

She must have been able to tell he was feeling something like that. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Shuichi. Lots of people have issues like yours, and it's nothing that can't be treated." He really hoped she was telling the truth. "So, would you say the voice seems to speak up more when you're feeling anxious already?"

Looking back over every incident he could remember, Shuichi tried to correlate the two. "No? Stress seems to make it worse, but there are other times where I have anxiety spirals and the voice doesn't speak up at all. In fact..." He double checked, and was starting to be sure of something. "...I think it shows up more when I'm feeling good, or at least less more hopeful." It was like the voice was trying to pull him back into that heightened state of fear.

That's because it's safer, idiot! When you relax, you're just begging to be killed.

"Does it sound like your own voice? Or someone you know?"

"Someone I know."

"Are you okay with telling me who?"

It felt strange to say it out loud, but he'd already gone this far on the topic, so he might as well. "I didn't realize it sounded like anyone at first, but after a while I realized it was...Kokichi Oma." Shuichi hadn't talked about the Ultimate Supreme Leader much since escaping the show. Only that one time with Ran, actually. Never with Maki or Himiko.

Ms. Kokaki didn't say anything back at first, which made Shuich think she was taking notes. Or letting Team Danganronpa know they can take you back, since you're so screwed up in the head! "That was one of the other Ultimates, correct?"

"Yes."

"What kind of relationship did you and Kokichi have when he was alive?"

Ooooh, I'm excited to hear this! What did you think of me, Kokichi? No sappy stuff this time, please! Trying to tune the voice out, reminding himself of what she said, reminding himself that the real Kokichi was dead, Shuichi tried to explain his feelings as best as he could. "Kokichi was...a very difficult person. He was always lying, he loved playing with the rest of us like we were pieces on his chess board. He masterminded one murder, then created his own in an attempt to fool Monokuma. Everyone else hated him."

Well, you're not wrong there. Jeez, Shuichi, you're talking about me and you can't even throw in a lie or two? Tell her I was really tall! Or that you secretly loved me! Oh, wait, is that one a lie, or is it true?

The therapist didn't miss how Shuichi had phrased that. "But you didn't?"

Shuichi's throat was very dry, and he felt like he needed to drink some water. But he could do that later. First, he had to say something. "I didn't. I don't. For all the horrible things he did, Kokichi also helped us. Without him, we never would have learned the real truth." Even giving him that much phrase felt wrong, though. "I'm not saying that makes up for his crimes! They don't. I just..."

"...you have a hard time hating any of them, don't you?" Ms. Kokaki's voice was even gentler than he'd ever heard it before. "That's because you're a very compassionate person, Shuichi. In fact, it seems the only person you're not willing to give another chance to is yourself." That was a recurring part of their talks. How Shuichi needed to learn to forgive himself. "Would you be okay if we continued this discussion next week?" Shuichi told her that was fine, he knew she had other clients after all.

The call ended, and Shuichi left his room to hydrate himself.

He felt...strangely light. The voice was quiet, and talking about it, talking about Kokichi, felt like a burden had been lifted from his heart.

"Hey, kid," Ran called out. Shuichi turned, empty glass in his hand, and saw Ran looking out from her room. "Therapy done?" He nodded. "It's my night off, I thought we could hang out."

She was doing her best to sound brusque, but Shuichi felt confident she was nervous asking. There were definitely some days where he wouldn't have had the energy for something like that, but this wasn't one of them. He smiled and told her, "Sure thing." After he finished hydrating himself, Shuichi joined her in the room.

It wasn't what he would expect from a mother's room. It was messy, with clothes just laying around, and just as darkly lit as Shuichi's own abode. They sat on her bed, and she put a cop show on the old television. He didn't know if it was something she particularly liked, or if she was doing that for him, but either way he liked it.

At first they sat almost a full foot apart, but during a commercial break he asked her, unsure, "Would...it be okay if I leaned on you?" It sounded so weird to say, but she just laughed.

"Sure, I don't mind, kid." So Shuichi scooted closer, and carefully rested his head on her shoulder.

It had been so long since Shuichi had felt that way. It was a small thing, being able to rest, to put his weight on someone else, but it made him feel safer, more at home, than any time he could remember. His parents had been there for him so rarely, and his aunt and uncle were kind but not the type who gave him much physical affection.

Ran didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, something about her smile changed. She'd never really looked like a mom before. Without thinking, Shuichi asked her something he'd been debating bringing up for a few days. "Is it okay if I start calling you 'Mom'?" That got a shocked look from her, but he just kept barrelling on anyway. "I know I'm not Hayashi, but I've never had someone like you in my life before, and-"

"Shut up, Shuichi." The words were harsh, but her voice was soft. She ran a hand through his hair, and he wondered if she'd been wanting to hear him ask that for a while. "Call me that if you want. You're a good kid, and I'd be happy to have you as my son." Shuichi cried at that, because of course he would, but Ran cried a little too, which made him feel a little better.

From there, the only real rough spot of the night came hours later, as Shuichi checked his phone, and still found nothing. He hadn't heard from Himiko in a while. Hopefully, she was okay.


Beep. Beep. Beep.

For who knows how long, Himiko drifted in and out of consciousness.

Her eyelids were always too heavy to open, and the voices she'd sometimes hear around her were so loud she couldn't understand them.

The only thing she knew for sure was that beeping sound.

From that, when she was able to get her wits together, she could tell where she was.

A hospital.

Nyeh.

Himiko didn't like hospitals. She wished she had the energy to speak, so she could mumble about them.

They smelled gross. Too science-y. Give her a good health potion, and she'd be fine, nyeh.

Eventually, though, she woke up and realized she could actually understand someone near her. "...so sorry. Himiko, you have to..." It was her Short Mom, and she sounded really sad.

"Momma?" Even whispering that was hard, but Himiko felt like she had to do it. She had to let them know she was awake.

The sound of Short Mom's voice stopped, only for both of her mothers to shout out, "Himiko!"

With a smidge of effort, which for Himiko was a lot, she was able to open her eyes, and once her vision went from fuzzy to clear, she could see Short Mom was sitting by her bedside, while Tall Mom had stood up. Both of them had been crying. A lot.

"I'll go tell a nurse. Touko, you watch her." Tall Mom sounded exhausted, but she marched out of the room anyway.

It looked like Short Mom was trying to smile at her, but it was hard. She was so sad.

That was Himiko's fault.

She'd gone behind their backs, just so she could make herself feel better. But it led to her getting hurt, which hurt them too.

Now that she was really starting to wake up, Himiko was starting to feel the pain. A lot of her body was wrapped up in bandages and casts, so she couldn't move a lot. But when she tried, it really hurt. Still, that didn't matter as much as Short Mom did. "Momma, I'm sorry."

The apology spell didn't work. Short Mom actually looked even sadder. "No, Himiko, I'm sorry. It's...it's all my fault." That didn't make any sense to Himiko. "Yuu told me about what happened, or what she thinks happened. You...you've been trying to find out more about Aini, but you were scared to ask me."

"I wasn't scared," Himiko told her, though she wasn't sure if she sounded convincing.

Of course, she had been scared. Not of Short Mom, not really, but of how she'd react. Himiko didn't want her new moms to hate her. "You should have felt safe asking me, and that's my fault. But now I'll tell you..." It sounded like those words were hard for her to force out.

"It sounds so terrible for a mother to say, but Aini wasn't a good child. You've...heard of some of what she did?"

It was terrible to think about it again, but Himiko nodded. Well, as much as she was able to, with the angle her head was at.

"She was like that since she was little. Aini...liked hurting other people. Even your mom and me. Especially your mom and me." There was a small note of anger in her voice now, and it reminded Himiko of that photo she'd found. "We argued all the time, and I tried to get her to stop...but she wouldn't listen to me.

"We started to think we were terrible parents." Short Mom was crying now, and seeing those large tears well up and track down her cheeks made Himiko want to cry too. "Was it because we raised her wrong? Was there something wrong with my genetics, or with Yuu's? Neither side of the family had a history for..." She stopped herself, taking a breath to try and steady her breathing.

Himiko tried to clear her throat, it felt so dry, but in the process she just started coughing. When she could finally talk again, she told her Momma, "You're not bad moms. Aini was just..." Himiko searched for good words. "...you tried anyway." That was what was important, right?"

It didn't seem like Short Mom thought that was true. In a voice so quiet that Himiko barely heard her, Short Mom whispered, "I signed the slip." Himiko didn't understand what she meant. "I don't know why, but Aini told me she wanted to be on Danganronpa, and needed someone to sign the form. And I...I did it. I knew that if she was chosen, she'd be gone for good. But I'd just heard more complaints from her school and I just...I wanted her gone." It was hard to understand her, through the sobbing. "Yuu doesn't know, but I'm the reason she's gone..."

Himiko blinked, trying to think through this. So, Aini had gotten Short Mom to sign the permission form? Seeing a contradiction, Himiko had to point it out. Channeling Shuichi, she said, "No, that's wrong." Short Mom looked at her, confused. "Momma, Aini asked you to sign it. You didn't kill her. She...she chose to leave." That had been a lot of talking, and it was starting to tire her out. Tall Mom was coming back into the room with a lady that kind of looked like Shuichi, but Himiko was already fading.

The next time Himiko woke up, she felt a lot better. Her moms were happy about that, and the doctor told her that she'd had a bunch of broken bones. They were healing well though, so she'd be able to go home soon, with the casts still on.

A police person came by to ask Himiko about who attacked her, but Himiko didn't say anything. She just said she couldn't remember who did it.

Then, she was allowed to get visitors. Shuichi and Maki were first, and it looked like they'd been worried.

"Tell me who did this." Maki hadn't sounded that dangerous in a while.

"..." Shuichi didn't say anything against it. He just sat next to her bed, looking unsure of what he could do, but with a weird fire in his eyes. One Himiko hadn't seen since he'd last cornered a bad person in a class trial.

After thinking it over for a little bit, Himiko gave them the same answer she'd had before. "I don't know, nyeh." Maybe she'd tell them later. Then, Himiko remembered something, and she smiled (as best she could through the exhaustion and pain). "When I go home, do you two want to come over for a slumber party?"

The more she'd thought about it, ever since her Short Mom had brought up the idea, the more she thought having her friends over sounded really good.

Shuichi rushed to speak first. "Of course!" He sounded happy. That was nice.

Meanwhile, Maki was rolling her eyes, but she still said, "Sure." Maybe being in the hospital had its benefits, nyeh.

Once they left, Himiko was surprised to find out there were more waiting.

"Himiko!" The first to come in was Shimura, and she looked really different. The big girl who'd radiated fierceness, strength, and support was now sobbing onto the jacket she was wearing. "I'm so glad you're okay! We all heard what happened, and we've been so worried!"

She wasn't alone. A few feet behind her, Asahiro had entered the room. While not crying, the cute girl looked really somber. "Everyone else is planning to come see you later, but we made you these get-well cards..." She set them on the table near Himiko's bed, and the mage looked forward to her moms reading them to her later.

That was nice. But Himiko was kind of confused. "But why?"

Wiping away the thick tracks of tears, Shimura loudly replied, "Because you're our friend now!" only to be shushed by a passing nurse.

For the first time since arriving, Asahiro smiled. "She's right." That felt...really good. Himiko liked Maki and Shuichi, but maybe having more than two friends would be nice. But then the timid girl brought up, "Iya wanted me to tell you that she's sorry she couldn't be here."

Visiting hours ended, and Himiko was left all on her own.

Strangely enough, Himiko wasn't feeling angry at Iya for what she'd done. It felt like she should have. Beating someone up wasn't nice. But...whenever she thought back to the alley, alongside the pain she'd felt, Himiko could remember how Iya had looked, at the end. It reminded her of some of her friends, when they'd been caught by their lies as the Blackened at a class trial.

That didn't mean Himiko wanted to see Iya again, she didn't. It just meant Himiko wouldn't cast any curse spells at her.

Or if she did, they'd be really small ones, nyeh.


They were in the family car when it happened.

"Hey, Marika, aren't you excited for a trip to the mall? It's been so long since you last-" Takashi started to ask her.

That was the final straw. "I'm not Marika."

The atmosphere in the vehicle was suddenly very tense. Well, aside from Nonoko, who chimed in, "Yeah, she's Maki!"

The family's father looked from his youngest to 'his oldest', confused. "Marika, what are you talking about? I don't know what kind of stuff they told you on that game show, but I know who my daughter is and I'm getting tired of you acting so moody!" Now he was starting to go from confusion to anger.

Maki was damn well ready to explain, but someone else chimed in. "Dad, she's not Marika anymore!" It was Noboru, his voice fierce as he stood up for her. It took Maki by surprise. Why did he sound...a little like her?

"They're right, dear," Matsuko said with a sigh, finally ready to speak up for Maki. "That show...they did something. Marika's gone, and that's Maki. I'm surprised you haven't asked me about it yet. Couldn't you tell something was wrong?"

They were stopped at a red light, and Takashi looked around the car, at all the resolute faces starting at him. "C-c'mon guys, that's not funny. I know Marika's been acting a little different since she came back, but-"

"Maki!" Nonoko corrected.

The Ultimate Assassin met his eyes through the rearview mirror, and she saw him freeze in fear. "I'm going to make this simple. If I'm going to stay here, as part of this family, it's as Maki Harukawa. If you don't like that, that's fine. I'm an emancipated minor, I don't need to live here anymore. I'll make a life for myself, and they'll still be in it." Maki gestured at the rest of the...at the rest of her family. She didn't feel embarrassed by the loving looks the siblings and mother were giving her, for once.

That seemed to be the last push he needed. "Okay, okay, okay!" he exclaimed. "You're...I guess you're Maki now. I'll try to remember that." It didn't sound incredibly convincing, but Maki would see if he followed through. Clearly trying to change the subject to avoid the atmosphere that had formed, Takashi asked, "So, what kind of clothes were you wanting to get, Maki?"

He was trying a bit too hard, but it was something. Still, Maki felt the desire to scare him a little more. "Oh, I'll definitely be needing new clothes. I can pay for it, though." She gave a small smile and said, "I heard they actually released a shirt with something I said on Danganronpa on it. I think I'll look good in a black shirt that says, 'Do you want to die?' don't you?"

Maki didn't know what was better: the way Takashi's face paled, the way he sputtered, or the way everyone else in the car felt like they were in on the joke with her.