Never Say Never
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.
Chapter 2
Act 2
Almost unsurprisingly, as the students approached the nurse's office, they found Leon standing just outside the doors, staring at them with a look of what might seem like panic. He'd come there in such a hurry that he hadn't really thought about what he'd do when he arrived. It was almost as if some invisible force kept him rooted to the ground, preventing him from opening the door and crossing that threshold.
Chihiro and Hina, who had followed after him, felt a twinge of guilt just looking at him, unable to bring themselves to disturb him. However, their gesture of kindness was shattered when Byakuya ruthlessly brushed past them and advanced toward the office door, coming to a halt directly beside the petrified Leon.
"Move. You're blocking the way."
The affluent progeny's stern order made the ballplayer flinch but he didn't move, just turned his head slowly to stare at Byakuya. Before he managed to find the courage to retort, Kyoko appeared to the side of him.
"If you'd rather stay out here, that's fine. No one will force you to go in," her expression seemed to harden a bit as she continued; "However, if you keep running from this, you'll never be able to face it."
Gritting his teeth, Leon couldn't help but seethe, "I-I know that…but I just…"
In that moment of hesitation, Byakuya shouldered his way past the ballplayer, and grasped the door handle. "Stay out here and writhe in your misery then. It seems to be all you're capable of anyway."
Leon opened his mouth to shout at him but no words came forth. His breath caught in his throat as he realized that, as loathsome as it was, Byakuya was correct. He'd done nothing but sulk and drag others down with him since he'd survived the trial. Even now, when he should have been elated that Sayaka was awake, all he felt was the crushing guilt that he feared would never leave.
As he stood there, unable to move, Byakuya pulled open the door and went inside, many of his fellow students following his lead. Chihiro and Hina were the very last to enter, both of them lingering their gazes on him as they went in, leaving Leon alone in the hallway. Well, not exactly alone, as one last student came down the stairway and saw him.
"Eh? Leon? What's wrong?"
The ballplayer lifted his gaze to see Junko, whom must have fallen behind, only now making her way over to him. She seemed a bit flustered but then again, she'd probably been trying to catch up to them and it seemed a bit tough with those heeled knee-high boots.
Even before he had the chance to explain himself, Junko raised a hand to stop him. "What did I tell you about that sulking crap?"
"…Yeah, I know," he answered hesitantly, feeling embarrassed to be scolded by her again.
With a light sigh, Junko stepped closer and slapped him on the back. "Good. Now, let's go see Sayaka so we can tell her about how she owes you her life because you saved her and junk. Alright?"
"Wait, what—?!" Leon stammered but had no time to react before Junko shoved him into the nurse's office.
No one was quite sure what to expect when they threw open the doors to the nurse's office. However, as they all piled into the small medical room, they realized that it really didn't matter all that much.
Sayaka was sitting up in her bed, a pillow against her back as she leaned against the metal head-board of the bed. Interestingly, she had Mondo's coat draped over her shoulders, the end of it hanging off the side of the bed. However, it quickly became clear that the reason for it was that she wasn't wearing anything underneath said coat, her clothes having been discarded when she'd been bandaged the day before.
"…Uh…Hi, everybody…"
Sayaka's voice was soft but strong, a little bit hoarse from inactivity but at the very least, she sounded much better than yesterday. Even so, her usual sweetness was missing, replaced with an obvious sense of dread. Then again, with everyone staring at her, some of them accusatorily, her fears were well founded.
"Hey, uh, what's with the coat?" an insensitive Hiro blurted out. Seeing him staring, Sayaka tugged the edges of the coat inward, flinching almost in disgust as she tried to ensure her chest was fully covered.
Leaning against the wall next to the bed, a tank-top clad Mondo raised his eyebrows and was the first to glare at him but he couldn't hide the somewhat embarrassed look on his face as well. "What?! She didn't have any clothes and for some stupid reason, there aren't any of those uncomfortable hospital robes in here!"
"Oh, I see!" Hiro said with a short laugh, "I guess things are awkward enough, without her being naked on top of that!"
Oblivious to the aggravation he was causing, the clairvoyant was about to get reprimanded by Hina when suddenly, someone began pushing through the crowd. Or rather, Junko was pushing Leon through the crowd. The baseball star was squirming and trying to grab onto anything and anyone to stop the forced advance but each time his arms were smacked away by the Fashionista.
With one last powerful shove, Leon was spun around and pushed out in front of everyone. Barely able to maintain his footing, the ballplayer froze as he realized he'd come to halt just in front of Sayaka's bed. His gaze inadvertently fell upon the injured pop idol and Sayaka, in turn, flinched as he appeared before her.
"L-Leon…"
The words were almost choked out of Sayaka, a lump forming in her throat at just the sight of him. Little did she know that, just like her, Leon had broken out into a cold sweat, but was unable to turn away from her.
"H-Hey…Sayaka…"
For a long while they remained motionless, unable to turn away but incapable of speaking either. Both of them had so many things to say but neither of them knew how to say them. And even if they did, there was no way to deny that something sacred had been broken between them. Thankfully for both of them, a new distract suddenly burst onto the scene.
"Sayaka! You're awake!"
Leon whirled around and Sayaka blanched as Makoto abruptly made his way through the crowd at the door. He was out of breath, hair and clothes were disheveled, eyes reddened with heavy sacks under each eyelid. The exhaustion was still taking a toll on him. Even so, he still wore one of the brightest smiles either of them had ever seen.
"Are you in any pain? Are you sure it's okay to be sitting up like that? Do your bandages need to be changed? Are you hungry? Do you need another pillow—?"
In the middle of his rapid-fire question, a feminine hand grasped his shoulder and pulled him back a bit.
"Down Makoto," Junko said almost jokingly, pushing past him and moving toward Sayaka. "If it's okay, I'd like to check your bandages and see if anything needs to be done. Okay?"
"Huh? Why would…" Sayaka trailed off, pure confusion warping the idol's face.
For a stretch of time, the pop idol just stared at Junko, as if she was unable to understand how or even why the Fashionista would want to do something as gritty as that. The look on her face brought a realization to Junko, who slightly frowned.
"Oh, that's right…you still don't know what happened yesterday…" Junko said aloud, so that everyone would be aware of it.
A feeling of gloom fell over the area, as the events of the previous day hung heavy in all their minds. Particularly, Leon and Makoto flinched and averted their gazes from each other, still not quite able to speak about what had transpired. Only Byakuya, Celeste and Kyoko, seemed to keep their emotions in check, appearing unaffected as much as possible.
All the while, sitting in her bed with a perplexed look, Sayaka felt a sense of oncoming dread and she was barely able to ask, "What…what happened…?"
As if a knife had cut through them, everyone froze and kept their mouths shut, afraid of what telling her might mean. And as the silence dug in, Sayaka knew that she had done something far worse than just attempt to murder and frame someone. Before she found the strength to ask them again, a stoic voice broke the silence.
"Before we tell you that, I think we should do as Junko suggested and have you checked for any further injuries. While that's going on, we can fill you in on exactly what transpired yesterday," Kyoko reasoned, her logic easing the tension slightly.
"That's fine," everyone was surprised to hear such a thing come from Byakuya. The affluent progeny unfolded his arms and turned his back. "It wouldn't do to have her be unaware of her crimes before deciding her fate."
Sayaka noticeable tensed at his words but said nothing, which earned Byakuya a glare and a choked back snarl from Leon. However, even if Byakuya was aware of that fierce look, he ignored it as he didn't even turn around to acknowledge the ballplayer's presence.
"We should probably get her some actual clothes too," Hina abruptly piped up, "I can go and get something from her room if you want."
"Good idea," Junko concurred, before smirking slightly at Sayaka. "Can't have you going around naked all the time. It'd ruin your image as an idol."
The instant those words left her lips, it became clear that the Fashionista regretted them because she watched as Sayaka's breath hitched. The idol then lowered her gaze and squeezed her eyes shut, as if blocking out a most painful memory. Luckily, before the situation had a chance to worsen, another voice spoke up.
"Obviously, the boys will need to leave the room for the time being," Celeste insisted, folding her hands daintily as she smiled at them. "The girls will stay and take care of Sayaka."
At the mention of the girls staying, Chihiro tensed but it was so slight that no one seemed to notice.
"Wait, what? Why do only the guys have to leave?" Mondo pressed, pushing off the wall for the first time since everyone arrived.
Smiling overly sweetly at him, the gambler answered, "Oh, did you want to stay and watch as we inspected her naked body for any more injuries? I never imagined you to be so immoral."
Crimson flashed over Mondo's cheeks for a brief instant as he replied, "T-That's not—! I didn't mean—! Dammit, never mind!"
"Alright then!" Taka regained authority with his boisterous voice, "Ladies, you know what you need to do! Men, in the meantime, we shall continue exploring the school. There's no reason we should put such an important task on hold! Except for Makoto, he can go back to sleep."
It was only now that everyone turned to see that, despite how hard he tried, Makoto was dangerously close to nodding off while sitting in a chair near Sayaka's bed.
"Hey, hold on! You can't just decide what the rest of us should do, dumbass!" Mondo suddenly retorted, "Nobody tells me what to do! Least of all a rule obsessed hall monitor like you!"
For an instant a look of genuine shock crossed Taka's face as he was refuted, as if it were the first time someone had ever gone against his directions. However, he recovered quickly and replied, "It only makes sense that we continue investigating. We may find something useful. I understand it was your task as a guard but standing around all day will not help us here. Everyone has to do their part."
"I was doing my part, you uppity prick!" Mondo instantly roared, slamming one fist into his palm. "You were the one doing diddly squat, looking around the first floor, which we already explored!"
Furrowing his brows, Taka defended himself, "There may be something here to discover! After all, some of the doors were sealed before but now it seems—!"
"Would you two please take your little spat outside?!" the agitated voice of Junko shouted from across the room. "If you're gonna go and continue investigating than just go! We've got work to do here, right girls?"
Before Mondo or Taka could even think about retorting, a massive shadow loomed over both of them. As one, they turned to see none other than Sakura glaring down at them.
"Indeed. After all, all of this noise certainly won't help anyone."
Tensing slightly, the two boys turned to see Sayaka nervously staring at them. At the same time, Makoto, who had been startled by the shouting, was looking around in a daze, as if he was unsure of how he'd ended up back here. At the very least, their shouting had kept him awake, and by that regard, safe from punishment of breaking the "no sleeping outside their rooms rule".
Not only that, it seemed that Chihiro was cowering in fear, shaking slightly as she stared at them. She was hunched over and gripping her sides, as if holding something in place. Feeling embarrassed by their actions, Taka and Mondo simply frowned at each other for a moment before the biker huffed and headed for the door.
"…Whatever. Let's just get this over with," he seethed, exiting the room while graciously leaving his coat behind.
With a light huff of his own, Byakuya said, "Don't take too long. I'll be waiting outside, so be sure to let me know whenever you're finished."
Although that statement earned him a few angry glares, he promptly ignored them and departed before allowing for any objections.
"I-I'll g-go and help in-investigate…" Toko squeaked, immediately following Byakuya out of the room.
"Right, then. Come on then, men. We need to get going," Taka quietly concurred, beginning to usher the other boys out of the room.
"…Uh, if no one minds…I think I'd like to help investigate too." The timid voice of Chihiro echoed, making everyone turn to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you certain? You can stay here and rest if you'd like," Celeste offered, already seated and preparing to lounge while the other girls did the majority of the work.
Shaking her head slightly, Chihiro tensed bit more before answering, "N-No thanks. I think that I'd like to do what I can to help…if that's alright?"
It was strange for her to ask permission like that but then again, her apologetic nature made it seem almost normal for her to do so. Most of the girls just shrugged, not minding either way.
"I'm sure the boys will appreciate your help," Sakura encouraged her, giving her a warm smile. "Do not worry, we will care for Sayaka."
Having been given permission, Chihiro smiled back and nodded, "Alright then, I'll be back later everyone."
Without waiting for anyone else, the petite programmer slipped past everyone and out the door, heading down the hallway toward the dorms. An instant later, Hina also headed out, presumably to get some clothes for Sayaka, but stopped to stare at the remaining boys for a moment.
"You all should get going too," the swimmer insisted before darting down the hallway.
Feeling rather unwelcome there, Taka, Hifumi, and Hiro all prepared to leave. However, before they even got to the door, Hifumi abruptly stopped and turned around.
"Umm, aren't we forgetting someone?" he awkwardly mentioned, glancing back at Makoto, who was straining his eyes trying to remain awake.
"We could just let him stay here," Hiro suggested light-heartedly. "You could put him in a bed and close the curtains. It'll be fine."
"B-But! It's unwholesome for a boy to—!" Taka protested before being cut off.
"It's also against the rules," Kyoko's harsh tone concurred, sending a quick glare at Hiro before walking over to Makoto. "Come on, I'll help you get back to your room."
Although everyone was a bit suspicious of Kyoko's kind offer, no one seemed to mind all that much. Perhaps it was because they felt that, of all the boys, Makoto was the only one that they could feel comfortable around because of his hopeful and honest nature. They wouldn't have minded even letting him stay but that was out of the question. In the end, they didn't have a choice. There was no telling when Monokuma would appear and enforce the "sleep is only allowed in your room rule".
"N-No…I can…" Makoto tried to insist as he stood up but nearly fell back in his seat, barely able to stay conscious.
A swift hand grasped his arm, steadying him before pulling that arm over a shoulder.
"Don't be stubborn. It won't end well for you," Kyoko said as she used her shoulder to keep him upright. "You're going back to sleep. Now."
"Shouldn't you get some rest too, Kyoko? You also spent the entire night watching over Sayaka," a concerned Sakura questioned.
Hearing this, Sayaka immediately snapped her head up and said, "W-What? You were…watching over me?"
Her voice was soft and confused, unable to believe that the cold and stoic Kyoko would do such a thing. Her answer came directly from the lavender haired girl, who glanced at her over her own shoulder.
"It wasn't only me…Makoto was the one who took care of you all through the night. You should thank him."
Sayaka's eyes widened at this news, moisture welling up in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, shame clouded her and all she could do was hang her head and let a few tears fall into her hands. It was lucky that Makoto was barely conscious because he would have refused to go if he saw that.
However, with his fading consciousness, Kyoko knew that they had little time and she needed to depart. Getting a firm grip, she prepared to carry him out.
Out the corner of her eye, Kyoko saw Junko giving them a heated look but it only lasted a second before the Fashionista turned and headed to Sayaka's bedside. And although she knew it was probably just something harmless, Kyoko couldn't help but feel a growing suspicion for Junko's actions. However, this was neither the time nor the place.
"I'll be back soon," she said quickly following the boys as they headed out. However, one of the boys remained rooted in place.
Leon, who had gone unnoticed for quite a bit of time, continued to awkwardly stand in the center of the room, glancing at Sayaka. It was obvious that he had words stuck on the tip of his tongue that desperately needed to be said but knew that it just wasn't the time for it. This created a hesitation that made him wish he'd just spoken up sooner.
Just when it seemed like he was on the cusp of speaking, an irritating voice called out, "Leon! Hurry before you are late for our investigation!"
Panic rose up in Leon as Taka shouted to him from the doorway, drawing the attention of all of the girls left in the room. Celeste gave a light huff but otherwise said nothing, while Sakura merely looked on almost apologetically. Finally, Sayaka briefly lifted her head to look at him, tears still brimming and eyes that held more sadness than he could bear at the moment.
This only made his earlier hesitation spike back up and when he tried to say something, only a squeak of sound came out. Just as he was about to slink away, possibly to bury himself under a mountain of self-doubt, a familiar voice startled him.
"I'll come find you as soon as we're all done," Junko said, looking directly at him, her sky blue eyes firm but gentle. "Then we'll sort this whole thing out, got it?"
Leon stood there a moment, letting her words sink in. For reasons he just couldn't understand, knowing that she was placing faith in him was somehow able to calm his frazzled nerves. Or at least, it was enough to snap him out of his dazed state and bring him back to reality.
"Y-Yeah…take care of Sayaka…" he managed to utter, forcing himself to turn away and head for the door. Looking over his shoulder ever few steps, he eventually exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
Junko smiled briefly before a mocking chuckle reached her ears.
"I didn't know the two of you had become so close. It must be because of your daring rescue, yesterday," Celeste chided, stifling her laughter in the process.
The Fashionista glared daggers at her and Sayaka, who was wiping away her tears, raised a confused eyebrow.
"'Daring rescue'? What are you talking about?" she asked them, looking around at everyone.
"It's nothing…" Junko answered swiftly, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Sayaka. "Let's get those bandages changed. After that, we'll talk about—".
"No…tell me what happened!" Sayaka demanded, glaring at all of them one by one. "No one ever answered…my question! What happened yesterday after I was…attacked?!"
There was a decided silence and it seemed that, even now, none of the girls were really comfortable with explaining the horrific chain of events that Sayaka had inadvertently caused. Perhaps if Kyoko had been there, she would have explained but without her presence, it seemed the task would fall to one of them instead. Just as the silence began to deepen, a deep voiced sigh echoed.
"Allow me to explain…" Sakura said, quietly taking a seat by Sayaka's bed as Junko removed Mondo's coat and began changing her bandages.
Chihiro practically rushed into her dorm room, closing the door behind her with a firm slam. Her breathing was heavy from having run almost the entire way, showing just how weak her petite body was. Bolting the door shut, just in case, she reached underneath her shirt and grasped something.
Carefully, she pulled out the laptop from the library that she had hidden away beneath her clothes, staring at the Hope's Peak Academy logo on the back of it.
"Why did I feel the need to hide it?" she wondered aloud, brushing off a bit of dust as she headed for her desk. "No one would have objected to my taking it…I think."
Even though she told herself that, a part of her was scared to have anyone see her with it. Mainly because they would have asked the all important question, 'What are you going to do with it?'. It would have been a simple answer, 'I'm going to fix it' but then that would lead to, 'How? You don't have a toolkit'.
…But she did.
Setting the out of power laptop on her desk, Chihiro reached a shaky hand down to the bottom drawer of the desk. With a swift tug, she pulled open the drawer to reveal a completely sealed toolkit staring up at her, as if mocking her. It was an eternal symbol of the secret she was hiding from everyone, and she couldn't take the chance of anyone finding out. Not even Makoto, whom she felt would be the most understanding, could be allowed to know her dark secret.
Even though she was born as a man, Chihiro always felt that she was, in fact, a girl. It wasn't immediate, mind you, but after pondering everything for several years, she came to the conclusion that, despite having a male body, she was always meant to be female.
However, because she didn't have the courage to admit it to anyone, she was forever shamed by the fact that she would never been seen that way. Even now, when she looked at her e-handbook, it listed her as male. She had appealed to the school board before she arrived to have her listed as female but she never heard back from them before arriving at the school. And now, being caught up in this killing game, she knew it wasn't the time to worry about that.
Despite that, having such evidence as a toolkit and a bathroom that didn't lock were cruel reminders that even if she did come out and tell everyone, no one would accept her for who she was. In fact, they'd probably be suspicious of her for not telling them sooner, which would lead to them not trusting her. Leaving her all alone here in this horrifying situation…
However…!
"I have to do what I can to help! And even though it's risky…" Chihiro told herself as she lifted the toolkit from the drawer, "I know that I can be of use to everyone!"
Tearing open the brand-new kit, Chihiro grabbed the screwdriver, sat in front of the powered down laptop and instantly went to work on repairing it.
"…And so, it was decided that we would wait for your awakening before discussing the matter further," Sakura concluded, just as Junko finished dressing the injured pop idol's wounds.
Sayaka's already pale complexion whitened as Sakura finished explaining all that had transpired. A class trial, the horrific consequences of actually deceiving her classmates, the punishment for the killer if they are caught…it all seemed too terrifying to be real, like it was taken from the mind of a psychotic serial killer or something.
But it was real. Monokuma's presence and malicious nature was more than enough to convince Sayaka that everything her classmate had told her was true. And the fact that she had, unknowingly, forced that predicament upon her classmates chilled her to the bone.
Then again, at the time of her attempted murder, her mind had been anything but clear. She'd been frantic in her quest to escape and even though she tried to convince herself otherwise, she wasn't really sure if having knowledge of the class trial would have swayed her decision. She hoped that it would have but that was immaterial at this point.
"This is all my fault…I nearly killed everyone…just to try and escape…and Leon—".
A tightening of bandages around her midsection sent a jolt of pain through her body, making the pop idol wince as Junko finished dressing her wound. Not only that, she had carefully wrapped up Sayaka's sprained wrist and had her arm in a sling.
"Alright, that should do it." Junko flashed her a quick smile and pulled away, "Just don't move around too much. The wound wasn't too deep and it already seems to be healing. You're lucky it was only a light cut."
Her tone was light and seemingly joking but the seriousness and worry couldn't be masked. And more than that, something about the Fashionista's voice was so soothing and familiar, as if she'd heard it somewhere before today—
Before she could wonder about it further, the door to the nurse's office slid open and a loud voice erupted.
"Hey! I brought some clothes from your room Sayaka!" Hina joyously conveyed to the entire room, carrying two sets of identical clothing. Both of the outfits had shirts were white with blue trimmed collars and a matching miniskirt…identical to the uniform she'd been wearing up until this point. "Sorry it isn't much, but there just weren't many different kinds of clothes in your closet."
Even though they were her own clothes, Sayaka couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved at seeing her uniform again. Then again, it wasn't really her fault. Ever since she'd been shut up in this school, she'd only had her uniform to wear, three sets of it to be precise. She knew she brought more clothes with her but for some reason, only her three uniforms were in her closet. In fact, aside from Junko, no one ever seemed to change their clothes on a daily basis.
The pop idol hadn't really noticed until now, even Makoto kept wearing the same hooded jacket every single day. It was probably Monokuma's doing, taking away their clothes to limit what they could wear was probably a tactic to get them to kill…somehow. She wasn't really sure but at the moment it didn't really mater. At least she had clothes to wear…even if they reminded her of nearly being killed.
"T-Thanks," she answered, her voice shaky, as if she wasn't sure it was right to say such a thing after what she'd done. To her shock, Hina practically beamed as she set the clothes down on the bed.
"Not a problem! We weren't going to make you roam around naked. Besides, that's what friends are for, right Sakura?"
For a moment, the martial artist almost hesitated, stealing a quick glance over to Sayaka. If the pop idol hadn't been looking at her, she might have missed it but rather than any kind of resentment, Sayaka could see the forgiveness within Sakura's eyes. However, for reasons that she couldn't quite place, the pop idol also felt a hint of…guilt in her gaze as well.
Despite being a bit confused by that, Sayaka remained silent as Sakura smiled warmly before answering, "…Indeed, you are right Hina."
A lump formed in Sayaka's throat as those words echoed in her ears. Even if it were so few of them, it seemed that these girls, at least, were willing to forgive her for her crimes. She wanted to thank them but it just didn't feel right. After all, she hadn't forgiven herself yet for the horrible thing she'd done to all of them.
"They shouldn't forgive me so easily…I know that I wouldn't…"
A stirring beside her almost startled her but she settled down when she saw that it was only Junko, leaning over to pick up her uniform.
"I'll help you get dressed," she said plainly, not really asking at all.
"N-No, it's fine. I can—", Sayaka tried to protest but found the Fashionista not heeding her request.
Almost without warning, her uniform top was thrust over her head, startling her. Before she knew it, her head poked through the hole at the top and her arms slowly slid down through the sleeves, with Junko's hands almost meticulously straightening out the clothing. When she was finished smoothing out the top, the Fashionista lifted the skirt up and frowned.
"…I know it's fashionable but I don't think that this is the best for your condition right now." Junko rubbed her chin in thought before snapping her fingers and smirking. "I've got something that would go great with this top and it'll be super comfortable too. Give me a sec and I'll run and grab it."
As Junko stood up to leave, Sayaka's uninjured hand shot out and grasped her sleeve. "D-Don't worry about it. This…is fine…"
Slowly, the Fashionista turned her head around and, much to Sayaka's surprise, glared down at the pop idol. There wasn't any real anger in Junko's eyes but there certainly was a great deal of frustration building up, evident by the scowl that formed on her face.
"Why the hell not?"
"…Huh?" Sayaka choked out, shocked by Junko's piercing glare and fierce attitude. "Well…I mean…I don't really deserve to—".
"You don't deserve what?" The Fashionista fired back, narrowing her eyes. "To wear a comfortable outfit after recovering from a life-threatening injury? We should make you wear clothes that will hurt you while you're trying to get better? Is that what you're trying to say?"
Without much thought or hesitation, Sayaka lowered her gaze, let go of Junko's sleeve and whispered, "…Maybe—?"
"Well too bad," Junko immediately refuted, looking away as the pop idol's gaze shot up to her. "You're going to get a nice, comfortable and, dare I say, fashionable outfit to wear while you recover. And you're gonna like it."
"But…but I don't really need—"
Junko's heavy sigh interrupted Sayaka's protests. Whirling around and placing her hands on her hips, the Fashionista said, "When the Ultimate Fashionista offers to hand pick your clothes, the proper response is; 'Oh, how wonderful! Thank you for brightening up my otherwise dreary wardrobe with your extensive knowledge!'."
"That's not the point!" Sayaka protested, matching the Fashionista's glare as she finally got fed up with her opinion being ignored.
"Then what is the point?" Junko shot back, unwilling to retreat in the slightest.
"I don't care what I wear! I just want to—".
"You should care! Wearing uncomfortable clothes can affect your recovery! Why do you think they make patients wears those ugly hospital gowns?! Because it helps! I want to get you something like that but more appropriate to wear around the school!"
Despite her best efforts, Sayaka felt her face flush in embarrassment as Junko enthusiastically expressed her opinion. She wanted to refuse the offer and just wear anything at this point but knew that if she kept on pushing, it would only complicate matters further.
Realizing there was no way to win this argument, she finally relented and said, "Fine…go get whatever you want…"
A triumphant smirk spread over Junko's lips as she said, "There now. Was that really so hard?"
"Yes!" Sayaka furiously thought but kept it to herself.
"Alright then, I'll be back in just a sec!" Junko happily decreed before turning on a heel and heading for the door, closing it behind her as she left. When she was gone, Sayaka let out a relieved sigh but said nothing, pleased the ordeal was over with…or so she thought.
"In that case," the soft tone of Celeste caught everyone's attention, "I will go and fetch the others."
Sayaka, as well as Hina and Sakura, instantly turned to stare at Celeste. The gambler had been sitting in one of the chairs, watching in silence as they had done all the work, pleasantly smiling all the while. It was almost as if she had been impatiently waiting for them to finish taking care of Sayaka. But now it seemed that she was done with waiting, as she had already stood up and planned to do exactly as she'd said she would.
Sayaka's stern attitude dissipated almost instantly, shakily replying, "W-What? Why do you need to do that?!"
Folding her hands daintily under her chin, the gambler replied, "You seem well enough to argue about fashion. Surely then, you feel ready to discuss what happened with the others, do you not?"
The pop idol visibly flinched, knowing there was no way she could refute that. Her injury had only been severe because of the loss of blood, but after the transfusion, she was feeling incredibly well considering she'd almost died. However, that didn't mean her emotional state had completely stabilized, and she knew she wasn't ready to face everyone.
Even more unnerving was the fact that, even though she was smiling that same as usual, Celeste appeared to be far too eager about gathering everyone. Almost as if she was enjoying watching Sayaka squirm, which made the pop idol seethe despite her guilt.
"We should at least wait until Junko returns with clothing," Sakura unexpectedly spoke up, her massive arms folded, staring at Celeste with only one eye open. "Surely gathering the others can wait until after she's completely changed clothes."
An amused huff sounded from Celeste as she let her hands fall to her sides, "I certainly agree. I just thought that I would go and inform everyone that we would be able to meet in a few minutes. We've waited all day for this after all. And besides, we need to discuss our discoveries from investigating the school, do we not?"
"Well…yeah, I guess so," Hina reluctantly concurred, hanging her head slightly and sneaking a sympathetic glance at Sayaka.
"Then it's settled," Celeste concluded, leaving no room for argument as she headed for the door. Just before opening it though, she spared a moment to glance back at Sayaka and said, "I will go and gather everyone but I will be sure to knock before we enter, in case you are changing."
With a snide smirk spread over her lips, Celeste opened the door and departed. All the while, Sayaka narrowed her eyes and glared furiously at her, lips pursed and teeth tightly grit.
"Alright then, let's begin the meeting!" Taka announced to everyone who had gathered in the small nurse's office. "Let's start with what we found while investigating the school!"
All of the students, apart from Makoto, were crowded into the office but managed to find ways to be comfortable.
Mondo leaned against the nearby wall, the same as before. Taka stood in the center of the room, trying to be the center of the room. Hina, and Chihiro were sitting near Sayaka's bed with Sakura standing next to them. Byakuya leaned against the door itself, as if to block it in case anyone tried to flee. Toko sat in a chair close to him, glancing his way every few seconds. Celeste twirled her hair and stood off the side, waiting impatiently for the meeting to being. Hiro and Hifumi kept to themselves, standing cautiously near the door but not as close as Byakuya.
Junko was by Sayaka's bedside, glaring at everyone like an overprotective mother every time someone tried to stare at Sayaka. Leon nervously sat on an adjacent bed, just far enough away from where the pop idol was resting, his head hung but his eyes occasionally glancing her way. Kyoko stood with her arms folded, leaning against the far back wall, her face stoic and unreadable.
Finally, Sayaka was sitting up in her bed, fully clothed but obviously nervous.
It hadn't taken long for Junko to return, with no less than three different pairs of designer pants, all of which were more comfortable than Sayaka could have ever imagined. She had trouble getting out of bed and her legs weren't strong enough for her to support herself, so she ended up having to lean her legs over the side of the bed while Junko and Sakura helped get the pants on.
Almost as soon as they were finished, Celeste had knocked on the door and led everyone else in. Makoto was the only one not present. On Kyoko's insistence, she recommended that he be allowed to rest, as he was clearly exhausted. And although most of the students understood that, some of them didn't agree with him being left out.
However, despite how ugly it made her feel, Sayaka felt a bit relieved that he wasn't there. The guilt of trying to frame him overwhelmed her judgment and she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to face him again.
"Before we get to that," Byakuya spoke up, not letting anyone discuss their findings from their investigations, "I think we need to first address the elephant in the room."
All eyes turned to Sayaka, who seemed to shrink in size under all of their gazes. However, one student had his eyes set on someone completely different.
"Hey, man, that's really rude!" Hiro abruptly said, making Byakuya and several other's glare at him. "I mean, yeah, he's big guy but comparing Hifumi to an elephant is just wrong!"
For few seconds, an awkward silence filled the room as everyone felt the intelligence level drop significantly. Breathing a heavy sigh and folding his arms sternly, Byakuya answered, "I was referring to Sayaka and her betrayal…"
"…Oh! Okay, that makes more sense!" Hiro said with a laugh that tempted everyone to throw him out.
"Indeed, it does!" Hifumi surprisingly agreed, much to the somewhat shock of his fellow classmates. Taking a brazen step forward while adjusting his glasses, he put his hands on his hips and shouted, "Though I must admit that if I had transformation power, I would rather change into a beautiful naked woma—!"
"That's enough of that! Things are tense enough without your weird commentary!" Hina instantly cut in, silencing the fanfic creator faster than anyone could have expected.
"Oh…I see…" Hifumi seemed to sulk for a moment before retreating back, letting himself fade back into the crowd.
"With that out of the way," Celeste intervened to get the conversation back on track, "I think it's about time we discussed what needs to be done with Leon and Sayaka."
At the mention of their names, the baseball star and pop idol tensed, fear welling up inside both of them. They both knew that this had been coming and although they had prolonged it as much as possible, it seemed that nothing would be able to deny their fate any longer.
"Agreed," Byakuya unsurprisingly supported, his condescending tone bearing down on both of them. "We have been lenient thus far but I feel that now is the time to take action."
"And what exactly do you think we should do with them?" Junko harshly questioned, knitting her brows as she glared daggers at him.
As if expecting her hostility, the affluent progeny smirked and replied, "I propose…a vote."
His suggestion startled everyone, not only because of its fairness but also because of what it implied. They would all be forced to make another decision that they would share the responsibility of, just like the class trial. And just as it had been in the trial, the mere suggestion of the vote had Leon trembling.
The horrific memory of everyone voting to kill him flooded his mind and the baseball star fought a wave of nausea that caused bile to leap up his throat. Fighting off that sickening feeling, Leon wasn't sure what to even think about such an idea. Luckily for him, it seemed that there were others who weren't please with the notion either.
"A vote? Vote for what?" the confused voice of Mondo asked, unsure of what the hell Byakuya was trying to get at.
With the confidence one would expect from the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, Byakuya adjusted his glasses before answering, "We need to decide whether or not we allow Sayaka and Leon to remain a part of group, or if we need to imprison them to keep them from doing further harm. Thus the need for the vote, a majority vote to be precise."
"This isn't a fucking class trial, you bastard! Why the hell do we need to vote on anything?!" the biker insisted, fully understanding the notion now.
"I must agree with Mondo," Sakura calmly stated, "Surely there is a better way for us to resolve this?"
Shifting his gaze over to her, Byakuya hardened his features and said, "If you have a better way of fairly deciding what should be done with them, then I would like to hear it."
A momentary silence engulfed them before Hina spoke up, "Well, we can't really have a fair vote anyway. Makoto isn't here, and I don't know if we should go and wake—".
A mocking scoff escaped Byakuya's lips as he interrupted, "We don't need Makoto to be here."
"No! That is unacceptable!" Taka jumped in, pointing at Byakuya furiously. "We can't have a fair vote if one of us is absent! It's bad enough we have to have this meeting without everyone being accounted for, and I for one will not allow a vote where we are missing an individual."
"I second that," Kyoko finally spoke up, "Personally, the idea of voting doesn't bother me. However, it is certainly something that we all need to be present for if it is to happen."
Around the room, most of the students began to whisper murmurs of agreement. Perhaps it was because they wanted to avoid creating another class trial scenario or maybe they just didn't want to have the responsibility of the vote on their consciences. In either case, it seemed that Byakuya's notion was going to be shot down…at least until he let out a condescending chuckle which drew everyone's attention.
"Have none of you realized it yet?" he openly questioned, but didn't given anyone time to answer. "The reason I said we don't need Makoto isn't because I don't think he should have a vote or because of the urgency of the matter. It's because we already have his answer."
Byakuya's implication hung in the air for only a moment before everyone began to realize exactly what he meant.
"Think about it. If Makoto were here, do any of you honestly think he would vote to lock away either of them?"
"So, what you're saying is that, because we know which way he would vote—?" Kyoko began but was quickly cut off.
"Exactly. We don't need him to be here, we can simply tally his vote as already being cast," the affluent progeny concluded, smirking to himself as he finally seemed to outwit the lavender haired girl.
At the same time, Kyoko narrowed her eyes at him, visibly showing the tiniest bit of frustration for the first time since they'd been trapped here. With no logical way to refute his claim, she fell silent as the rest of her classmates began to ponder the situation carefully.
"Hmm, it is true that Mr. Naegi would undoubtedly vote to let them be part of the group again, but still…" Hifumi speculated, unsure of what to make of this new development.
"It just doesn't seem right to vote without his presence," Sakura admitted, not knowing if her confession would change anything.
"I think we should postpone any kind of voting until Makoto is here with us," Junko chimed in, the reason behind her agreement more than obvious. However, it didn't seem to stunt the momentum that the affluent progeny had built up with this notion.
"We have already put this off for long enough," Byakuya insisted, his sharp eyes glaring at both Sayaka and Leon. "The time has come to make a decision and we can't let one person, whom we know will vote to let them stay, get in the way of that decision."
His authoritative voice echoed in the small room and, unfortunately, no one seemed able to refute him this time. Not even Leon and Sayaka, who had nervously listened as their classmates decided what should be done with them, could disagree with his logic. They certainly disagreed with how and why he was doing it, but both of them knew they had brought it on themselves.
This was, in one way or another, a form of punishment they both had to endure.
"Pardon me, but I would like say something." Celeste called out during the small break in conversation, drawing everyone's attention. "Personally, I don't mind voting on whether they stay or not but I do think we should vote for them individually."
A murmur of confusion spread through the students at her suggestion but only Kyoko found the will to ask, "And why is that?"
Smiling overly sweetly, Celeste glanced over to Sayaka as she began, "While it is true that both of them betrayed us, there is a great difference between them. Their crimes, while similar, are vastly different and need to be taken into account."
Sayaka felt a chill run down her spine and she averted her gaze to keep from letting her shame overwhelm her. Seeing this, Celeste smirked before shifting her gaze over, locking her calculating eyes onto Leon.
"Of the two of them, I believe that Leon committed a graver sin and he deserves to be held accountable for it."
The instant those words were spoken, Sayaka's eyes widened and her head snapped back to see Celeste twirling a lock of her hair as she mercilessly continued.
"I believe I said this before, during the trial, but…Leon had ample time to abandon his attempts to force open the bathroom and get to Sayaka."
"B-But! Leon only did that because he was worried about Sayaka!" Chihiro instantly jumped to his defense, surprising many of the students with how vocal she could be. At the same time, Leon looked over and let a bit of relief fill him, happy that the programmer had come to his defense.
"Even if his claims are true and he only did it out of concern for her, that notion does not absolve him of the crime," the gambler continued unabated, not letting the remark slow her down. "If he had simply left, perhaps Sayaka would never have been 'accidentally' injured in the first place."
Hearing that clear implication, and only now realizing it could be true, Leon felt that hint of relief vanish as he squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head, resigned to his fate.
With no one objecting to her statements, Celeste continued on, "And we cannot forget that he consciously chose to cover up his crime after it had been committed. If he is truly as remorseful as he claims to be, then he should have admitted to the crime when—".
THWAP!
"Ahhhhgh!"
Everything stopped as a slapping sound immediately followed by a terrified scream came from the other side of the room. All of the students shot their gazes over to see Hiro, his arms wrapped around himself in pointless defense, staring at a pillow that was lying on the ground in front of him.
"W-W-Who's throwing pillows at me?!" the frightened clairvoyant shouted, frantically looking around the room.
"Sorry, that was me."
The entire room was shocked to hear Sayaka, whom they now saw was pillow-less, admit to the deed with absolutely no hesitation. For a good ten seconds, no one said a word, with everyone just staring at her with wonder and confusion.
"U-Umm, why did you throw a pillow at me?" Hiro carefully asked, seeming to be frightened of her at that moment.
Bowing her head slightly for a moment before sitting upright again, Sayaka waved her uninjured left arm for emphasis as she said, "I really am sorry but my aim was off because I'm using my weak arm. I wasn't aiming for you, Hiro...I was actually aiming for Celeste."
If the students hadn't been shocked before, they were now. Not only because of what had happened, but because her aim had been way off. Hiro was on the opposite side of the room that Celeste was. It was a miracle she hit anyone with such poor aim. In fact, the entire group seemed to shift to looking between Sayaka, then to Celeste, over to Hiro, down to the pillow, then back to Sayaka to restart the process, all the while trying to figure out how it had happened. It seemed like hours went by as each and every student went through the process at least once.
Amidst this strange viewing ritual, Sayaka extended her good hand out again and said, "Can I have my pillow back please?"
"Uh, why?" Hiro absent-mindedly asked, the obvious answer not coming to him right away.
However, his question was actually well-founded when Sayaka replied, "So I can try again."
Shrugging his shoulders, Hiro was just about to lean down and retrieve the pillow for her when the confused voice of Celeste rang out, making his hesitate.
"More to the point," the gambler inquired intently, "Why were you trying to hit me with that pillow?"
Sayaka paused for a moment before sending the most vicious glare any of them had ever seen directly toward the gambler as she replied, "To get you to shut the hell up!"
Everyone seemed to flinch at the ferocity the pop idol displayed. It wasn't just her tone, everything that had made her seem sweet or innocent seemed to have vanished right before their eyes. It was almost as if she was out for blood and wouldn't stop until she was satisfied. None of them had ever seen the usually sparkling Sayaka in such a terrifying light.
Well, almost all of them anyway.
Leon knew this ferocity all too well; he'd been assaulted with it just the other night…when Sayaka had tried to kill him. The frantic hysteria in her eyes, the fury in her voice, the horrifying panic that consumed her reason…her very being had changed into that of a cornered beast. Even just recalling that terrible memory made the baseball star shudder uncontrollably, unable to suppress the fear that rose up in him as a result.
But then…something seemed different about Sayaka's imposing nature this time. He couldn't quite place it exactly, but instead of her being fanatic and aggressive, she seemed more on the defensive, as if she was trying to protect something.
And Leon wasn't the only one to notice this. From across the room, Kyoko kept her stoic eyes locked on the pop idol as the scene unfolded. Nearby, Junko seemed like she was almost repressing a smile as she looked on. And finally, Byakuya watched with great interest, as if he'd been waiting for this for quite a while now.
However, Sayaka paid no mind to any of the suspicious or startled glances she received. Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously at Celeste and she seethed, "You have no right to put all the blame on Leon. If I hadn't tricked him into meeting with me and tried to frame Makoto for it, then none of this would have happened!"
As she vented her pent up frustrations, Celeste, who had been taken aback this entire time, finally seemed to regain her wits. As if on instinct, the gambler leisurely crossed her arms and averted her gaze as she replied, "Perhaps, but that is irrelevant. Because despite your claims, the fact is that Leon consciously tried to cover up his crime—".
"And I suppose you would have just laid down and died!" Sayaka interrupted, her tone forcing Celeste to return her gaze back to the pop idol. "Face it! None of you would have done any different if I had targeted you instead—!"
"She raises a good point."
The room fell awkwardly silent as Byakuya spoke up in between Sayaka's shouting. All attention focused on him, which he probably appreciated, and it didn't take long for him to huff and cross his arms, an overly confident smile plastered on his face.
"I can say with 100% certainty that any of us would have done the same. And it's for that reason that I proposed the vote in the first place. Voting for them separately is pointless, as both of them have betrayed our trust, albeit in different ways," he paused for but a moment to glance around at everyone. Celeste in particular, he noticed, was glaring at him angrily, obviously displeased with his intervention.
However, he barely registered her animosity as he continued, "If we are to punish them, then it must be both or neither of them, as either one of them presents a considerable threat—".
"No..."
An annoyed grunt escaped Byakuya at being interrupted and he scowled as he saw Sayaka glaring at him furiously. All of her rage seemed to have been shifted over from Celeste to him. She almost looked as if she was going to pull a knife on him, much to everyone's terror. However, the affluent progeny seemed less than intimidated by her attitude.
"'No', what?" he inquired, matching her gaze with a fearsome glare.
Involuntarily, Sayaka momentarily winced under his gaze, obviously not prepared for anyone to match her ferocity. However, she recovered almost instantly, hardening her features and holding her head up high as she retorted, "Everything that happened is my fault…even if Leon tried to cover it up, it never would have happened if I hadn't called him to my room. Leave him out of it."
For a moment, Byakuya was left stunned as she glared at him. Even though her hair was slightly disheveled and her complexion was still noticeably pale, there was no denying the determination that radiated from the pop idol. She was unwilling to back down, and it seemed that she was intent on taking responsibility for everything that had happened.
Leon's eyes bulged and he immediately shouted, "W-Wait a second! Sayaka, what are you—?"
"I'm afraid we can't do that," Byakuya cut him off, ignoring his protests and speaking directly to Sayaka. "Like it or not, both of you are at fault here. So both of you need to—".
"Will you just shut up, you bastard?!" Everyone was taken aback as Sayaka's anger seemed to peak, her index finger pointing accusatorily at the affluent progeny. "What gives you the right to judge us!? And what does it matter anyway! If you need to punish someone, then punish me! I'll gladly—!"
"Hmmmmm, did someone mention…punishment!?" a menacingly high-pitched voice inquired
Sayaka ceased speaking the instant those words reached her ears, her blood practically freezing in her veins. And she wasn't the only one, Leon also felt himself lose mobility in his muscles as that fearsome voice penetrated his eardrums. As one, the two of them slowly turned and fixed their terrified gazes on the object of their torment.
Standing by the door, with a strange box in its hands, Monokuma grinned maliciously and chuckled.
"I'd be beary happy to oblige…"
To Be Continued…
Greetings, my beautiful readers! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter but I'm afraid I had a very minor medical emergency last week. Everything's fine but it delayed the posting, so sorry about that.
Anyway, what's going to happen now?! How will the voting go, do you think? Will Leon and Sayaka be ostracized from the group? Or, will they be allowed to keep company with everyone? And what's that box Monokuma's got? Stay tuned until next time to find out!
As always, your reviews, observations, and ideas are welcome. If you have any questions, concerns, fears, tears, traumas, or phobias about the story, feel free to voice them. Also, my beta's been working hard on her own story "Haunted", so if you have time, give it a read and leave her an encouraging message!
Thank you all for reading and I hope your enjoying the story! Until next time, keep on smiling, my beautiful readers!