Never Say Never
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.
Chapter 1
Act 8
Mukuro tore out of the nurse's office like a bat out of hell, almost slamming into the adjacent wall as she sped toward the red doors leading to the courtroom.
The hairnet that had kept her wig from getting dirtied had been discarded, as were the blood-stained gloves she'd used while treating Sayaka. She had to be certain that once she was seen by the others again, no one would know she wasn't Junko. After all, she didn't want to get executed for giving away her secret, especially not after finding the resolve to save her classmates.
However, that was the smallest of her concerns as the eerie red doors finally came into view.
"I can't let it happen! It won't matter that I saved Sayaka if her attempted murderer still gets executed! It'll change the rules! And if the rules change—!"
She shook her head as her mind considered the consequences before she managed to force them away. Regaining her focus, she kicked open the red double doors and proceeded inside.
"Show us your toolkit, Leon." Makoto reasoned, his gaze firm. "If I'm right about this, your toolkit will show some evidence of being used."
"Stupid, stupid, stu—Wha?"
Leon's mind finally clicked back on after his meaningless barrage of misplaced insults.
"And if you say you used it for something else, you'll need to explain exactly where, when and why," Byakuya immediately followed up, driving him further into a corner.
"I…I…uh…" the baseball player stammered, his mind unable to keep up with how fast he'd been outmaneuvered.
"And let me say this right now," Kyoko spoke up, making him turn to her in utter terror. "Telling us, 'I lost it', is not a valid excuse."
As her words echoed in his ears, Leon felt as though his strength was sapped away, lowering his head and muttering, "Stu…pid…Stu…pid?"
And with that, the first class trial came to a close as the student's minds were set upon whom to punish.
"Make extra sure you vote for someone. You wouldn't want to be punished for something as silly as that, would you?" Monokuma cheekily instructed everyone as they cast their votes.
Kyoko clenched her jaw and seethed, sending an accusatory glare toward the bear atop the throne. The Mastermind was forcing everyone to bear the responsibility of taking their fellow student's life, even if most of them didn't see it that way or even realize it. The bear was clawing its way into their minds with this tactic, doing as was promised in creating despair.
Nevertheless, the amnesiac girl knew there was no choice in the matter and pulled the lever as well, a small part of her writhing as she had once again given in to save her own life.
"Forgive me…Leon."
In all honestly, the baseball player knew it was over the moment Makoto had accused him, but he just couldn't accept it…he couldn't accept his own death without even trying to fight back!
But that didn't matter anymore and a cold chill ran down his spine as he lifted his head to see the other's already voting. Barely managing to overhear Monokuma's threat about not voting, the broken young man looked to the lever in front of him. Without a second through, his hand reached out and he voted…for the person that had put him in this situation.
"This…isn't my fault. It's Sayaka's!" He practically seethed as he pulled the lever. "That's right! She's the one who attacked me! If anything, I'm the victim! Why should I have to die because of her?!"
It was a last act of defiance against a fate he couldn't fight. So, with a weary gaze, he lifted his head to watch the slot-machine that held everyone's faces spin…before the reels landed purposefully on his image.
"Come on, dammit!"
Mukuro's furious pounding on the elevator button continued to receive no response, despite numerous attempts to force it to work. She gritted her teeth as she realized that Junko probably locked down the elevator to ensure that none of the students, blackened or spotless, could use it as a form of escape.
"I don't have time for this!"
Without hesitation, Mukuro's hand slipped into her blouse and she withdrew her combat knife from its holster. Moving to the center of the two metal elevator doors, she angled her blade and thrust it forward. Her aim was perfect, as usual, and she managed to get the tip of the blade between the tiny crack between the doors.
Placing her other hand on the back of the one holding the knife, she slowly pushed the blade forward while jiggling it further between the doors. Slowly but surely, the entirety of her knife was able to slip between the metal. With a swift yet powerful jerk, Mukuro managed to barely pry the two doors apart.
Seizing that opportunity, her fingers instantly found their way to both sides of the metal doors. At first, she could barely get the metal to budge, even though she was using all of her strength to try and pull them apart. When she could only just get her palm through the crack between the metal was she able to use her weight and slowly pull the doors apart.
"Come…on…just…a…little…more!" she groaned as she almost pulled the doors apart wide enough for her to fit through.
With a final grunt and fierce tug, she widened the passage between the metal doors so that her entire body could easily get to the other side. Fortunately for her, the metal doors were not using any kind of spring system to hold them shut, and she was able to momentarily catch her breath, knowing that they weren't going to close on her.
Sliding her knife back into its holster under her blouse, she felt her injured hand ache from the pressure she'd just applied getting those damn doors open. But she knew it was nothing compared to what awaited her next. Poking her head through the gap she'd made, she looked at the thick elevator cord that was her only means of descending below.
Slowly, her eyes drifted down to her bandaged appendage and she groaned as she saw blood already beginning to seep through the wrappings.
"I'm running out of time…" she had to remind herself, knowing that more than just her life hung in the balance.
Sayaka, Leon and Herself.
Their fates were now tied together, whether they knew it or not. And somehow, Mukuro knew that if her sister succeeded and, now wrongfully, executed the baseball player, it would spell the end for her and the pop idol as well. Junko would find a way to have them eliminated…to protect her precious rules.
With that reaffirmation, Mukuro lifted her gaze up and her sky blue irises focused intently on the elevator cord. She felt sharp pain in her hand as she knew there was only one option open to her.
She briefly considered dashing back to the nurse's office to find something to wrap her hands in, to make it easier to slide down the cord. However, there was no time left and there was no turning back.
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Mukuro narrowed her gaze before speeding forward, leaping into the elevator shaft and grasping the thick cord.
"That's right! The blackened in this case, the one who killed Sayaka…was none other than Leon Kuwata!"
Hearing his own name and the crime he'd committed spoken together made Leon lift his head, tearing his eyes away from the reels that showed him as the guilty party. Everyone was staring at him; some with anger, others with contempt, and a select few showed sympathy.
Among the sympathetic ones was none other than Makoto, who despite being the driving force behind his sentencing, seemed almost as shocked as he was.
"Leon…is it really true?" the lucky student asked hesitantly, showing that even he didn't wish to believe the baseball player had committed such an atrocity.
There was great pain in Makoto's eyes, both for having lost a friend and for having sentenced another to death. And it was that horrified and agonizing look that stopped any words of dissuasion that Leon may have had for him. There was nothing he could say to defend himself at this point…so he hung his head and kept quiet.
Taking his silence as a form of admittance, an uproar of confusion and anger enveloped the room.
"I don't believe it…" Hina quietly said, the truth suppressing even her optimism.
"You son of a bitch!" Mondo abruptly cut in, grabbing his pedestal as he leaned forward to shout, "What the hell is wrong with you?! Killing a girl like that?!"
The sudden accusation seeped into Leon's mind and one last time, he felt the will to defy his fate.
Snapping his head up, he returned Mondo's fierce gaze and fired back, "I-I didn't have a choice! She came at me with the knife first! I never meant to kill her!"
His comments were met with suspicious gazes and even a scoff from both Byakuya and Celeste. Seeing and hearing their outright disbelief, something inside Leon snapped and he furiously pointed at everyone.
"None of you are any different! One wrong move and it would have been one of you standing here! Not me! It was complete chance that I wound up like this!"
As he finished screaming, all resentment and fury seemed to pour out of him until he was left with nothing but a sickening realization. He was still making excuses…for taking Sayaka's future from her. Even now, when he'd already been caught, he just couldn't believe that it all was real…
"I was just…unlucky…that's all."
Those were his final words of protest as he once again hung his head and fell to his knees. Unwanted tears formed in the corners of his eyes, dripping to the floor as his sins were laid bare and the weight of his choices began to crush his spirit.
If he could take it all back…go back to last night and do anything different…it didn't matter anymore. There was absolutely nothing he could say or do that would ever make up for his crime. Even so…
"Alrighty then! I'd say it's time for some good old-fashioned punishment!"
Monokuma's ominous words snapped Leon back to reality and he almost leapt up to his feet in panic.
"P-Punishment?! Y-You mean…execution?!" he stammered, not yet ready to face his own demise. "W-Wait a second!"
A maliciously gleeful grin broke out on Monokuma's face as it calmly answered, "There will be no waiting—"
"But I didn't have a choice! It was an accident! I never meant to kill her! I was trying to get the knife away from her but—".
"Do you really believe we are that naïve?" Celeste abruptly cut in, earning a perplexed stare from Leon. "When you forced your way into the bathroom, did you or did you not use your very own toolkit?"
"W-Well, yeah but that was because I thought Sayaka was going to—"
"You went out of your way to go back to your own room, get your toolkit, return to the scene and force the door open...just to get to her. Am I wrong?"
"N-No, but that's not the reason I—"
"You had a number of chances to stop what you were doing…but you chose not to."
The gambler's words were laced with venom, despite how calm and collected her tone was. At first Leon almost couldn't believe she was being so hostile, considering she didn't seem all that flustered by the trial in the first place. But he soon realized that Celeste was not only skeptical…she was outright accusing him of premeditative murder!
Before he could try and defend himself, she beat him to it again by finishing, "Is it not because you had an unclouded intent to commit murder in order to escape from this place?"
"No! That's not…"
Leon was losing his will to protest, mainly because he knew how horrific his position seemed. He wanted to tell them he tried to save her…tell them how he was only trying to get the knife away from her so she couldn't hurt herself. But no matter what he said, there was no way anyone would—
"Stop it!"
Leon's eyes widened as he heard someone defend him. But even more than that, he was surprised at who it was. Turning his head, he stared directly at Makoto as the lucky student continued.
"I've had enough of this…just stop it Celeste."
Utter confusion warped Leon's features as he watched Makoto of all people coming to his defense. It was beyond Leon's comprehension as to why he would do such a thing. He'd fought so hard to prove the ballplayer was the killer but now…he seemed to almost regret that decision.
"Oh? Are you sure?" Celeste answered in shock, as surprised as anyone by Makoto's actions. "He killed your precious Sayaka after all. Are you saying you forgive him for that?"
At this, Makoto slightly lowered his gaze and Leon knew what was coming next. There was absolutely no way that the lucky student could forgive such a horrific thing. Hell, the baseball star couldn't even forgive himself! How could he possibly expect Makoto to—?
"He's not solely to blame for this…and I can't blame Sayaka for it either. Instead, I know exactly who is responsible…"
With no hesitation, Makoto pointed an accusatory finger at Monokuma, who reeled back as if in shock at being blamed.
"You're to blame for all this! Not Leon or Sayaka! You did this to them…to all of us! It's all your fault!"
Everyone, especially Leon, couldn't believe the words that came from Makoto's lips. Mainly because, he was absolutely right! All of this was happening because the bear had put them into this situation. If the Mastermind hadn't forced them to play this killing game, none of them would be turning on each other or trying to kill one another.
Hearing that somehow made a feeling of relief momentary flow through Leon's mind.
"Makoto…he doesn't blame me? He should…he really should…but he doesn't. How the hell can he do that?"
In the midst of Leon's thoughts, another person stepped up to surprise everyone.
"I agree, especially because it seems that we've all forgotten something very important about this case," Kyoko suddenly spoke up after remaining silent for so long, surprising everyone into silence. She turned to Leon and asked, "You said it was an accident. Would you care to elaborate?"
"Huh?" was all that Leon could manage; barely comprehending that someone was letting him speak. "W-Well, it was an accident! When I…defended myself against her and she ran into the bathroom, Sayaka took the knife with her. The reason I forced my way into the bathroom was because I heard her mumbling about killing herself!"
Instead of his words causing shock, everyone looked to him with suspicion instead, making him feel even more foolish for having said anything.
"You can't honestly expect us to believe that, now can you?" Byakuya mockingly insisted, "Trying to garner sympathy after the vote's been cast is pointless. You should simply accept your fate."
"Indeed," Sakura surprisingly agreed with him. "You should have enough pride not to make up excuses by this point."
Leon could hardly believe they were being so skeptical. What point was there in him lying now? The die was cast and he had nothing to left to lose! Why were they being so unforgiving?!
"But it's the truth! All I was trying to do was get the knife away from her! But she held onto it too tight and when I pried it from her hand…I…I accidentally cut her," he insisted, holding back the pain that memory alone caused him.
"Yeah right, dude. Don't make this harder to understand than it already is," Mondo condemned him, turning away as if not paying attention. "You should own up to your mistakes, like a real man."
"Y-Yeah! Next y-you'll be s-saying that it was you t-that tried to bandage S-Sayaka!" Toko joined in, following the crowd as usual.
Anger abundantly rose in Leon as those words were thrown at him and he furiously shouted back, "But that was what I did! I used the towel to try and stop the bleeding! I even checked her pulse when she stopped breathing!"
"S-See! Making m-more excuses!" the writing prodigy accused, glaring harshly at the disbelieved ballplayer. "Y-You should j-just die already!"
Gritting his teeth, Leon hung his head again. He knew how hopeless it was to even try and explain himself. It seemed far too perfect to be coincidence and at this rate, he was going to be forever branded as a malicious murderer!
It was then that, once more, Kyoko decided to intervene.
"I don't think these are excuses at all. In fact, I'm more inclined to believe them to be the truth."
Hearing that made everyone turn to her in an instant. Most of them were shocked into silence but Makoto wasn't one of them.
"Why do you say that?" he genuinely questioned, very eager to hear this.
"I don't think that Sayaka would have been able to wrap those bandages around herself," she said plainly, giving no room for doubt. "For starters, she wouldn't have the strength to cut tiny strips out of that towel; she'd have lost too much blood by that point. And given the fact that they were all tied behind her back, it seems even less likely she would have been able to do so, given that she was pressed against the back wall—".
"But it's still possible that she could have done it herself," Byakuya interrupted, glaring at her menacingly; "She could have easily done it before succumbing to her wounds."
At this, Kyoko unexpectedly gave a short and mocking laugh before countering, "Perhaps, but tell me, how would she be able to do all that…with a broken wrist?"
Realization came crashing down on everyone as a heavy silence engulfed the courtroom. All the while, Leon couldn't help the perplexed stare he was giving Kyoko as she too fell silent.
"W-What's going on? Why is she…defending me?" he questioned, unsure of why anyone would even bother to come to his aid after learning of his crime. "I mean, there's no way she'd be feeling guilty…right?"
As that thought occurred to him, Leon slowly began to look around at his fellow classmates.
A dissatisfied grunt escaped Byakuya as he was forced to remain silent. Chihiro almost broke out into tears as she heard this revelation, burying her face in her hands. Mondo continued to look away in shame. Celeste, although a bit miffed, seemed to have an almost apologetic look in her eyes. Taka was doing his best to seem unaffected but the tears in the corners of his eyes said otherwise. Hifumi hung his head low, doing his best to keep out of this situation. Sakura and Hina were ashamed of themselves and stared at the ground. Hiro, whom had been mostly quiet, nervously looked away, also trying to seem unaffected by this news.
Finally, Toko let a mortified expression overtake her face as she softly said, "So…he r-really didn't mean to kill her after all! And y-yet…we…"
As if a floodgate had been opened, Leon finally understood the reason for his classmates' actions and why they had been so unforgiving.
They had all voted for him, chose their own lives instead of his own, and whether they admitted to it or not, it was hurting them. They knew they sentenced their classmate to die for something that wasn't truly his fault, and their harsh attitudes had been a way to alleviate themselves of that burden. But to no avail it seemed.
"Is it true, Leon?" Makoto abruptly asked, breaking the silence at last. "Did you really try to…save Sayaka?"
Looking over to him, Leon never imagined it would be so hard just to say, "Y-Yeah…it's true."
He half expected Makoto to get that look of shame himself, the same as everyone else. Instead, he was treated to a relieved sigh from his classmate.
"…Thank you…for trying."
Those words penetrated deep into Leon's mind and for a moment, he felt his legs go weak. Fresh tears spilled from his eyes as he knew that at the very least…Makoto no longer blamed him for what happened.
A heavy silence filled the room for quite some time following those words, as no one had anything left to say.
When no one said anything, Leon finally felt as if he'd won something. It was an incredibly small victory but at this point, he was willing to take it! This proved that he wasn't a homicidal killer and that there should be leniency shown because he tried to save—
"Yeah, yeah, whatever! That doesn't change the fact that Leon is the blackened and he killed Sayaka! Let's hurry up and send him to his punishment!"
Monokuma's high voice cut through any shred of hope that Leon may have had, panic and fear once again gripping him.
"But…but it was an accident! You can't execute me for something that wasn't my fault!" Leon shouted, his desperation showing through.
However, Monokuma paid him absolutely no mind as it continued, "It's the moment everyone's been waiting for! The punishment for disturbing the communal life!"
Eyes widening in utter terror, the baseball star abruptly looked over to all of his classmates as he shouted, "I'm begging you! Please, don't do this!"
He stared desperately at Makoto, silently begging for help. Unfortunately, the lucky student seemed as lost as he did, knowing that the vote was concluded and that the rules had to be enforced.
Even so, it seemed that Makoto wasn't willing to give in just yet as his head shot up and he protested, "How can you punish him if he didn't mean to commit murder?!"
"Because that's the rules! The circumstances don't matter! If you kill someone, you become a blackened!" Monokuma effortlessly refuted, as if he was quoting a holy scripture. "Besides, if your 'friend' Sayaka hadn't been so hesitant, he'd be dead anyway! And you'd have been framed for it! So why do you care—?"
"Shut up! Just shut up you—".
Almost on instinct, Makoto tore away from his seat and made a mad dash around the courtroom toward the cheeky bear. However, before he even got halfway there, a gloved hand shot out in front of him and held onto him firmly, jerking him to a halt. It took the lucky student a moment to realize he'd been stopped before he furiously glared at whomever held him.
To his surprise, Kyoko was the one keeping him in place, her grip like iron and her eyes as stern and cold as steel. The sight of her stunted all his momentum and he found himself staring at her with a pleading expression, as if begging to be released so he could at least try and help his classmate.
However, Kyoko shook her head wordlessly, her actions speaking louder than any words she could have mustered. Forced to accept that he was utterly powerless, Makoto's head slowly dipped until it hung down in shame.
At first, Leon was infuriated, not understanding why she wasn't letting him at least try to help. However, he knew the answer all too well. There was no saving him, not now. There was nothing anyone could do to stop it what was coming.
And because of that, the last remnants of hope seemed to slip from Leon's grasp as he once again begged, "C-Come on! You can't do this! I'm a victim too!"
As if infuriated by his pleas, Monokuma shot him an accusatory glare and replied, "No more begging! No more excuses! You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demands it!"
"S-Stop! Please!" Leon's pleaded again, still searching for a way to survive this unfair ruling.
"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star!"
"No…no…no, no, no, no, no, no!"
"Let's give it everything we've got! It's punishment tiiiime!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
No amount of screaming could stop Monokuma as its paw gripped the tiny gavel and slammed it down hard on a red button that inexplicably rose up in front of him. On a tiny screen below the button, an 8-bit image of Leon was suddenly dragged away by an 8-bit version of Monokuma.
As Leon watched the 8-bit bear drag his image off the screen, something cold and metallic suddenly clasped around his neck.
Mukuro gritted her teeth and suppressed an agonizing scream as she slid down the elevator cord down toward the bottom. It had been further down that she had expected and the bindings on her injured hand were coming undone. Small pink splotches of blood stained the cord as she held on for her life, unsure of when she would reach the bottom.
"Dammit! I can't slow down!" she told herself, knowing that it was possible but would be detrimental to her mission.
If she slowed, she might not make it in time, but if she continued at her current pace, she may lose all feeling in her right hand…permanently!
Just as she feared her hand was going to lose its grip, she saw a hint of light below her. Her gaze shot down and a relieved sigh left her as she saw the top of the elevator come into view. However, seeing it brought up a new dilemma she hadn't accounted for.
If she dropped down into the elevator and her classmates saw her, she would have to explain how she was able to slide down the cord for such a long way. It would reveal that there was something suspicious about her, to say the least, and it may even reveal her identity. If that happened, she knew that Junko would have her executed for 'ruining' the game.
However, that issue came and left her mind almost instantly. She had to save Sayaka's attempted murderer, even if it cost her own life. She owed that to everyone, and it would be a fitting punishment for her betrayal. But such thoughts had to wait for later as she came closer and closer to the top of the elevator.
Because she was sliding down so fast, she hit the top hard and lost her balance. Toppling to her side onto the cold metal, her injured right hand slapped against the surface with a sickening smack.
"RRRGH!" she grunted, pulling her now exposed hand to her chest.
Slowly retracting it to view the damage, she held in a gasp as she saw the gaping hole in her palm. Blood poured out of it and she knew there was nothing left to bandage it with down her.
Or so she thought!
Having been in too much of a hurry, she'd failed to remember the long silk tie that was a part of her outfit, only seeing it now because it was sprawled out in front of her. With no hesitation, she ripped the long silk cloth from her neck and quickly wrapped it around the now furiously bleeding wound.
Using her teeth to tie it, she worried that it might not be enough to really stop the bleeding. But that was secondary to her at the moment, as she forced herself to recall the reason she'd descended.
Willing away the pain as best she could, she looked for the hatch that led into the elevator. Upon finding it, she used her good hand to push herself up and crawled over to the latch. With a swift tug, she pulled open the hatch and jumped down into the elevator. Skillfully landing into a crouched position, her gaze shot up to stare forward, expecting her classmates to be glaring at her.
To her surprise, a completely empty courtroom was all she saw. It would have been a relief, if it didn't signify a more horrific realization.
"That can only mean that…!"
Her eyes scanning the room frantically, she saw an open set of double doors behind the podiums. A small sign just above it was light with bright red, the words burning into her irises:
IN USE
Before she even knew what was happening, Mukuro broke out into a run. Passing the double doors in an instant, she saw another set of door at the very far end of the hallway, speeding toward them with the speed of a cheetah. All the while, she clutched her bloody appendage to her chest and repeated in her head:
"Please don't be too late! Please don't be too late! Please don't be too late! Please don't be too late!"
Leon grunted and struggled against the metal straps that held his body pressed against the pole behind him. Suspended off the ground by the straps, he could only stare in horror as a pitching machine suddenly shot out of the floor less than thirty feet from him. It wasn't until he heard the ominous sound of baseballs being loaded that his panic reached its peak.
"No…No…Oh God, PLEASE NO!"
He squirmed and pulled against the straps but it soon became clear that there was no escape. He was going to be pelted with baseballs to death!
Beyond a chain-link fence far behind the pitching device, he saw all of his classmates staring at him in absolute horror. However, none of them dared to look away, for reasons he didn't even want to think about. But that wasn't the most despair-inducing part of the execution. No, that came in the form of the demented bear appearing inside the fence.
Happily hopping around next to the pitching machine, Monokuma, clad in a baseball helmet and wielding a thick metal bat, mockingly laughed. Pointing the end of the bat directly toward the captive Leon, the bear uttered a single sentence:
"Batter up!"
The instant those words left the bear's mouth, a plunking sound echoed as the first ball shot out of the machine. With a sickening smack, it smashed directly into Leon's unguarded abdomen.
"KHAGH!"
Leon's lungs desperately tried to suck in air but the combination of pain and shock kept him from doing so. Instead, all he could do was helpless gape as he saw the next ball be fired out of the pitching machine, this time striking him square in the chest. A merciless cracking sound reached his ears only seconds before the pain hit him, as he could feel his ribs twisting as they were at the very least bruised from that hit.
"KRRAHH!"
Again, Leon sputtered as he tried to breath, finding himself unable to think or even register the amount of pain he was in. The only thing his mind seemed capable of was forcing his eyes open as he stared at the ball shooting machine that would be his death. And it seemed that the machine was only beginning to be put to use, as he saw the barrel of the pitching device begin to rise up, becoming level with his face.
If he'd have been able, he would have gasped as he realized that his life was about to end. However, the pain was too intense and his mind wasn't able to process that information. Instead, he merely stared forward, petrified fear warping his features.
"Enough practice swings!" he heard Monokuma chide as the bear raised the bat. "Time for the game to really begi—!"
Just then, from far behind his classmates, a flood of light spilled into the room as the door he'd been dragged through suddenly burst open. Even from so far away, Leon could clearly see what appeared to be a pink-haired angel appear before him. At the same time, a frantic but determined voice screamed:
"STOP THE EXECUTION!"
Mukuro had no air and she almost felt her lungs collapse as she shouted her demands.
Unsurprisingly, every single person present spun around to stare at her, more than perplexed by her presence. However, none was more confused than that of Monokuma, as the bear lowered his bat and allowed the pitching machine to momentarily cease as it turned around to face her.
With what energy she had left, Mukuro glared at the automaton, her gaze practically daring the bear to question her actions. And question the bear did!
"Junko! What do you think you're doing? Not only were you very late to the trial, you stupidly demand that we stop the execution of the blackened!"
With a snap of his fingerless paws, Monokuma reactivated the pitching machine. Fortunately, it seemed it would take a few more seconds before it was ready to fire again. This was Mukuro's last chance to save…Leon! Even though she knew it had to be him, a part of her was still shocked to see the baseball star strapped to the field pole. But that surprise was put on hold as she regained her composure and readied herself to speak.
As if anticipating her, Monokuma groaned and pointed the bat her before continuing, "The rules say we have to punish the blackened that killed Sayaka! It's the rules! I hope that you have a very…very good reason for—!"
Not letting the bear finish his statement, Mukuro took as deep a breath as her body allowed and screamed:
"Sayaka…isn't dead!"
If everyone was surprised before, they got a system shock from hearing that.
Of course, Makoto's eyes lit up as those words reached him, hope quickly building up within him. Beside him, Kyoko held a mixed visage of shock and perplexion, since she had been certain that the idol had departed from this life. Not far away, Byakuya also felt surprise but for a different reason; he'd checked for a pulse but found none…how could Sayaka have fooled him of all people?!
Hina looked to Sakura with an equally conflicted glance, as if not sure if she could believe it, earning a confused gaze from the martial artist in return. Celeste hid her emotions through an awkward smile, one that showed a hint of shame but also a bit of relief as well. Hifumi looked around to the others, unsure of what he could believe or if he was even awake and not in some strange kind of fictional story! Hiro now felt more justified than ever in his prediction; after all, he'd said that no one was going to die…and so far, he'd been right!
Mondo, thoroughly confused by this point, decided to just be relieved that his classmate might not be dead. Beside him, Chihiro let out a meek sob as joyful tears streamed down her face. Not far away, Taka also felt himself give in to confusion but tried his best to hide it, unsuccessful as he was. Toko also felt more than perplexed by this turn of events, though she couldn't deny that it was nice to hear that her classmate wasn't actually dead…just like the protagonist of her romance story coming back during the epilogue…
But none of them could possibly understand the utter confliction of joy, sadness and guilt that swallowed up Leon's mind as those wonderful yet unbelievable words reached his ears as well. However, the tears that suddenly streamed down his face were the clearest sign that he too wanted to believe that the impossible really had happened.
For what felt like an eternity, no one spoke even a single word…well, everyone that is, except for Monokuma.
"Rrrrrh! Don't think you can stop the execution with a pathetic lie like that!" the bear challenged, more than confident in its position. "I'll have you know that I'm monitoring all of the cameras in the school and I can assure you that—".
"Check the nurse's office then," the disguised Mukuro fired back, her glare intensifying as she stared into the bear's robotic eyes, as if staring directly at her sister. "You'll be in for a surprise…"
High above all of them, sitting at the Monokuma control panel, the real Junko hesitantly flinched. She knew it had to be a ploy, something her sister had concocted to try and get back at her for being abandoned. There was no other explanation for it…it just couldn't be true.
"I mean, there's no way Sayaka could have…" she began to say but lost her nerve.
Instead, almost on reflex, she stood from her seat, moved around to the side and slowly walked to the door behind her. Pushing it open, she found herself in the monitor room once more, her feet carrying her to the screen that displayed the nurse's office. As the room came into view, Junko's eyes widened only slightly at what she saw.
Sayaka was indeed in the nurse's office, IV next to her bed, her chest rising and falling in what appeared to be peaceful slumber.
Rather than explode with rage or stammer with shock, as most people would do, Junko merely stared at the screen in perplexion for a while longer. Her face was utterly stoic, not a hint of emotion playing on her features in the slightest. As if there was nothing for her to really feel at this moment in time.
And with that utterly emotionless visage, she slowly turned and began walking toward the far wall. On the floor next to said wall, the stuffed Monokuma doll she had flung earlier that day stared up at her as it lay motionless on the floor. Standing over it for a moment and gazing down upon it, she slowly bent over and picked up the bear with one hand.
Holding it up at eye level, she stared into the stuffed bear's eyes for almost a full minute.
Suddenly, she clenched her free hand into a fist and abruptly punched the stuffed toy directly in the face. She paused for a moment, retracting her hand and staring stoically at the bear…before driving her fist into it again. It was slow at first, one punch followed another and another, growing faster and faster with each passing moment.
Before she knew it, Junko was mercilessly beating the fluffy Monokuma toy, her fist moving so fast she was sure it rivaled even Sakura's legendary speed. It almost seemed like the pounding would go on forever when abruptly, her attacks halted and she clenched her fist tightly for one last punch.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the stuffed bear into the air before slamming her fist into it one last time, smashing the poor toy into the wall directly in front of her, her fist embedded in its face.
Taking deep breaths she hadn't realized she needed, Junko retracted her hand and let the beaten toy tumble to the floor. Giving it no mind at all, she turned on a heel and proceeded back to the Monokuma control room, her pace surprisingly even and her visage notably calm. Closing the door behind her, she slowly walked over the chair in front of the panel and retook her seat.
Staring through the eyes of Monokuma once more, she couldn't stop the despairingly euphoric grin that had crept over her lips.
"Well played…'Junko'!"
"You'll be in for a surprise…" Junko said with the tiniest of smirks, her pink hair frazzled and her outfit ruffled and bloodstained.
Byakuya couldn't help but frown as he heard Junko's mocking tone. She seemed far too confident for someone that had been whimpering fearfully for her life only a few hours ago. Even if she was clearly exhausted and looked absolutely ragged, she seemed more determined than he'd ever seen before.
"Almost as though she's an entirely different person…" he mused, still reeling from the news that his classmate was still alive. The classmate he was certain he'd found dead this morning.
And he wasn't the only one who was disbelieving. His calculating eyes scanned everyone's faces and just as he suspected, both Celeste and Kyoko held suspicion in their gazes. However, unlike him he noted, both of them seemed to be more readily accepting of this. It disgusted him that individuals of great intelligence so easily bought into the notion that the pop idol could still be alive. Then again, they hadn't been the one who failed to find a pulse on the bloody body of Sayaka.
That honor belonged solely to him…much to his shame and discontent.
Pushing that aside for the moment, he glanced over to Monokuma and found the bear strangely still, as if no life existed for the stationary automaton. The Mastermind must have been verifying if Junko spoke the truth and all he had to do was wait until the bear resumed its functions to have his answer. Even if he couldn't really trust the Mastermind's words, in this case, he felt that whoever it was wouldn't be capable of lying their way out of it.
That would violate the rules they had defended so fervently. Not to mention that it would take all of the fun out of the game if the Mastermind decided to forgo their own rules and continued the execution regardless. That notion, more than anything else, kept the affluent progeny's attention.
"Even with this development, the game is becoming quite interesting. And having more players will certainly make it more challenging…" Byakuya mused as he waited for further developments.
"S-S-Sayaka…she's alive?" Makoto's mind barely fathomed as he struggled to regain composure.
Even if she had betrayed him and planned to frame him for murder, there was no stopping the relief that washed over him as he drank in Junko's words. His only friend here, his assistant that had been there for him during these first horrifying days…she wasn't dead…she wasn't a cold corpse rotting away in his bathroom.
Almost unbelievably, the lucky student slowly approached Junko. It was only now that he noticed her frazzled state and bleeding appendage…wait, bleeding appendage!
Before he had a chance to even react, it appeared that the last of Junko's strength gave out and she crumbled to her knees, grunting audibly and gripping her wounded hand tightly.
"Junko!"
Makoto sped to her side in an instant, grabbing onto her shoulders to keep her from toppling over. The instant he did, he noticed that the bandages on her hand had been torn away and her silk tie had taken their place, and not doing a satisfactory job as a replacement.
"What happened to you?! Why is your arm—?!"
"Never mind that!" she urged him, shocking him into silence as she lifted her head to look at him and everyone else. "We can't let Leon be executed! He's not a blackened because Sayaka's alive!"
"Yes, you've said that already. But that's what we don't understand," the condescending tone of Celeste cut in, earning glares that were promptly ignored. "How is it that Sayaka is still alive? I thought we confirmed that she was deceased."
Her slight accusatory comment was followed by a quick glance at Byakuya whom merely folded his shoulders and scoffed, "She was dead. She had no pulse and her skin was ice cold."
"T-That's right! She was!" Taka concurred, trying to regain some form of control over the situation. "And there was blood all over the walls and floor around her. It's only logical that we thought—".
"Are you saying I'm lying?" Junko abruptly interrupted, silencing the uncertain Taka and forcing all attention back to her.
"N-No! We're not saying that!" Makoto insisted, trying to calm everyone.
"Yes, we are…" Celeste immediately refuted, fixing her gaze on the injured Fashionista. "We'll need to go and see for ourselves if she's actually—".
"…It's true…"
Everyone froze as the high pitch voice of Monokuma silenced them all. They turned to see the automaton slowly walking, not waddling but actually walking, toward them, a neutral expression on its face. And if his words weren't surprising enough, it was the calm and almost depressed tone of voice that shocked them all.
"W-What d-did you—?" Toko tried to question before a raised paw quieted her.
"I said, and I quote, 'It's true'…" Monokuma repeated, emphasizing the previous words to hammer it in. "It appears that Sayaka is indeed…alive and kicking…dammit."
A gasp escaped almost everyone as their tormentor confirmed what they all, secretly or not, hoped had been. Only Kyoko and Junko seemed able to keep their emotions in check but for very different reasons. And even then it didn't last long, as Makoto noticed the Fashionista lower her head and breath a heavy sigh of relief.
"H-Hey! Is it true?!"
A desperate voice from across the way suddenly shouted to them, making each and every student turn toward the execution area.
Leon's mind was racing as the pain from his now seemingly cancelled execution encouraged him to demand answers. He couldn't make out much of what anyone was saying but he'd certainly heard those first words that Junko had shouted upon arrival. Ever since, he'd forced away his own agony as he tried desperately to listen in on their conversation.
However, he'd been too far away and they all spoke so softly that he could just barely hear them.
Finally, when he'd lost all semblance of patience, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "H-Hey! Is it true?!" which caused almost everyone to spin around and face him, "S-Sayaka! Is she really…!"
As if on cue, Monokuma groaned loudly and, once more, inexplicably pulled out a megaphone form behind his back.
"We're having an important discussion! Please refrain from any further interrupts! Also, I will not be repeating myself just because you weren't listening carefully enough!"
Despite his current position, Leon felt his rage begin to boil over and all fear of his imminent execution was momentarily halted as he defied the demented bear.
"D-Don't fuck with me you damned bear!" Leon almost pleaded as he stared at the group from his spot in the center of the room. "Just…Just tell me what happened to—!"
"She's alive! Sayaka is alive!"
Those heavenly words were carried by the same pink-haired angel that had stopped his unlawful execution. And even though Junko appeared exhausted and apparently re-injured, she still managed to flash him a hopeful smile from across the room.
As if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Leon felt lighter than he had ever been before. And for the first time since last night, he was able to conjure the image of Sayaka's smiling face as he closed his eyes and smiled.
"She's…Sayaka…She's really alive…! I'm…I'm not…I'm not a killer! I'm…we both…are…alive…!"
Hot tears streamed down the baseball player's face as he openly wept in front of everyone. He didn't care how he appeared or if anyone mocked him. Nothing in this world could dampen his spirits as he looked upward and continued to cry, letting the moisture from his eyes cleanse his conscience of any remaining guilt.
"I'm bored now…" the bear suddenly commented, no longer enjoying torturing Leon. "…Execution cancelled. Now, you punks can go…do whatever you punks do. I've got some…things to take care of."
Monokuma snuck a very accusatory glance at Mukuro before turning its back to her completely.
With a snap of its paws, the pitching machine suddenly disappeared into a hole in the floor leaving Leon alone in the middle of the makeshift ball field. The gate to the execution area slid open and while the baseball player was still strapped to the pole, at the very least, it seemed his demise was no longer imminent.
None of the students had time to speak before the bear disappeared down the same hole that the pitching machine had sank into, the slots in the floor closing the instant the bear was out of sight.
And although Mukuro knew that her sister would not take this intervention lying down, for right now, all seemed well.
"We should go and check on Sayaka," the calm voice of Kyoko startled everyone back to reality. "We need to see for ourselves how well she's fairing."
A murmur of agreement began to rise up between the students before Makoto decided to take charge.
"Right! And we need to get Junko help too," he said with a nod, extending his hand down to Mukuro. "Can you stand? Does Mondo need to carry you again?"
The soldier suppressed what may have been either a laugh or a sigh, she wasn't sure at this point.
"At least he's being considerate," she mused before shaking her head and replying, "I'll be fine. Let's get back up to the nurse's office and see how Sayaka's doing. I'm getting worried."
"As am I," Celeste joined in, her usual cryptic smile plastered on her face, "I'm very interested to see how she was able to survive such a wound."
"Yeah! Let's get out of his creepy place!" Hina abruptly cut in, her enthusiasm completely restored after hearing this joyous news.
"Alright everyone! Let's get back to the elevator and head up to see how Sayaka is doing!" Taka shouted to everyone, resuming his usual demeanor as the hard-ass that they deserved but didn't really want right now.
"Yeah, for serious…" Hiro agreed, already beginning to head for the door. Taking his movement as a sign that it was okay for them all to depart, the student slowly began moving toward the double door at the far end of the room.
Just as some of them were about to exit the execution chamber, a panicked voice frantically screamed:
"H-Hey wait! You guys can't just leave me here! What if Monokuma comes back?!"
A bit startled, everyone turned to see Leon, still unable to free himself from the pole, wriggling around to try and free himself, but to no avail. Even if he'd been cleared of his crimes, it was more than obvious that his fear of just being in this place was beginning to overwhelm him.
Mukuro felt a hint of remorse growing inside her, knowing that this event had scarred not only her, but him and Sayaka as well. And, like it or not, she knew it was only a matter of time before it grew, especially considering what she'd need to face later.
"Junko…"
Shaking her head to regain her composure, she looked to her classmates and said, "Well? Isn't anyone gonna help him?"
At first, no one made a move, some out of anxiety but others out of suspicion and contempt. Not that Mukuro blamed any of them…not after going through what she assumed had been a cruel and unforgiving class trial.
Finally, after a lengthy silence, with a tiny smirk on her face, Kyoko turned to everyone and said, "I suppose we'd better get him down. We'll need to keep an eye on him, at least until we see Sayaka."
"Agreed. He's too dangerous to be left alone," Byakuya concurred, although not for the same reasons that Kyoko had wanted. "Would someone please get the fool down before his incessant screaming attracts the bear?"
Mondo scratched his head and said, "I guess I'll do it. I'm supposed to be the guard anyway…" He turned around and began heading for the trapped baseball player but not before calling out, "Stop screaming, dude! I'm coming!"
"I will assist you," Sakura unsurprisingly offered, moving away from Hina and following after him.
With that matter settled, Mukuro tried to rise up to her feet, only to wince in pain as she failed to do so. And then, despite her earlier insistence, Makoto leaned down to her and said, "Here, I'll help."
Taking her hand with his own, he placed it over his shoulder and stood up slowly, helping her to stand up. Her face flushed and she was about to push him away when Makoto glanced over and gave her one of his warm smiles. Utterly powerless against that image, the solider averted her gaze and said nothing as they turned and hobbled toward the exit.
Unbeknownst to both of them, the analytical and calculating amethyst eyes of Kyoko lingered carefully on them before she followed after them.
To Be Continued…
And with that, Leon has been saved! But how will this turn of events shape the rest of the story? What kind of repercussions will Mukuro face for turning against her sister? You'll have to wait for the next episode to find out!
We getting close to the end of Chapter 1 and I appreciate all the reviews and comments everyone's been leaving! As always, thank you all so much for reading! Leave a comment or review to tell me what you think of the story, or how you think I can improve it! And be sure to keep on smiling, my beautiful readers!