One look, dark room, meant just for you…

The look Kirumi gave Maki was unreadable, or perhaps, Maki simply did not want to try to read it. The look Maki gave Kirumi was determined, yet troubled. Kirumi could sense something falter within Maki, even though, externally, Maki refused to break, or even bend.

"I move too fast?" she asked. There was almost a taunting note in her voice, something smug hidden deep within her usual apathy, as she blitzed past Kirumi and disarmed her. She played it back for the maid, showing in slow motion how she so easily disarmed the other woman of her katana.

When she took that first swing, going at normal speed, the very tip of her own katana sliced off one of the buttons on Kirumi's dress. And yes, as Maki would confirm, that was intentional, showing Kirumi just who she was up against. Kirumi was impressed, not just by the skill Maki displayed, but with how almost childishly proud Maki seemed by what she'd done. Maki was even more emotionless than Kirumi, yet Kirumi could detect a flicker of genuine pride and excitement at being able to show off her skills with a blade.

"You move so swiftly, Maki," Kirumi complimented. "Does it come from all the years you surely spent chasing after children?"

"What?" Maki's voice was sharper than her katana, and she bristled at the remark, her earlier humor completely gone.

"It was a lighthearted joke," Kirumi said, smiling. "Such humor is needed from a maid to calm their master. For me, I would tell jokes to mine."

"Master?!" This only made Maki bristle even more.

"You asked to train with me, did you not? That was your request."

"Well, yeah, I asked you to train, but that doesn't mean—! Never mind," Maki rolled her eyes. This maid really was something else.

She acted all innocent and sweet, but she wouldn't even flinch when Maki rushed at her with a katana. And she acted all stoic and distant, yet she apparently tried to tell jokes to make people laugh. Maki didn't think she was very funny.

So, that's at least ONE thing she can't do well, Maki thought with a wry smile. And Kirumi had such a strange obsession with servitude, constantly finding any excuse to call someone "master". Maki hated that, but it was the one thing Kirumi seemed incapable of not doing.

And yet, underneath it all, Maki couldn't deny at least a…fascination with the maid. Maybe it was because she was strange. Maybe it was because, in a way, like Maki herself, she was a bit of a loner, an introvert, someone more comfortable on the fringes or by herself, silent. And more than that, her skill with a blade. Not only was Kirumi unflinching, but she stood up to Maki fairly well in a katana battle. It wasn't much proof, but Maki had seen enough to at least have a curiosity about the maid.

"Are you sure you're a maid?" Maki had asked after their first training session.

"Of course. Why do you ask?" Kirumi replied. While Maki sharpened her blade after practice, Kirumi cleaned hers.

"What sort of maid needs to be so good with a katana?" Maki was almost sneering.

"One who needed to physically defend her master in the past," Kirumi replied calmly, and although the answer seemed intuitive in hindsight, it took Maki by surprise the first time. It was then that Kirumi revealed she was actually very trained in combat.

She wasn't able to become a master on the battlefield, since she had other maidly skills to learn as well, but she still wasn't half bad. However, this inability to devote herself fully to the art of war was why Maki still managed to win against her in every sparring match they ever had. Counterpoint to Kirumi, all Maki did was train with her blade, thus, she far outshined Kirumi's own fighting ability. Maki had to admit, though, of all the rest of their classmates, Kirumi was probably still the only one who even knew how to hold a katana properly, let alone use it with any skill.

"I presume you are the same?" Kirumi asked.

"Hmm?" Maki was caught off guard again. Maybe she could win at physical sparring, but Kirumi still had her beat in the verbal department.

"You are the Ultimate Child Caregiver, yes? That hardly seems like a Talent that would require one to know how to wield a katana." Kirumi almost sounded like she was teasing. So, maybe Maki wasn't the only one suspicious of her training partner.

"The orphanage I lived at was rough," Maki grunted. She said no more, but she didn't need to.

"I am sorry," Kirumi said.

"I don't need your pity," Maki replied coldly.

"Not pity," Kirumi didn't miss a beat. "Empathy. I may be trained in combat, and I may enjoy physical activities, but shedding blood is not what I prefer. I would much rather care for my charges in peace. But I know life is not so kind or simplistic. I understand what it means to wish to defend something so fiercely that you would die or kill to do so."

They fell silent after that, Maki not quite sure what else to say, and not wishing to disclose anything more about herself. But she glanced at Kirumi out of the corner of her eye. This maid really was something. But then again, to Kirumi, perhaps she looked the same. As Kirumi had said earlier, what kind of Child Caregiver needed to be so skilled with a blade? One who needed to physically defend someone in the past…

Now here they were, several training sessions later, still suspicious of one another, but neither wishing to cease their formal relationship. They were winding down now, Kirumi making small talk while Maki sighed. Kirumi brought water and tea for them for after practice.

"Warm or cold?" Kirumi asked, a master of both western and eastern tea styles. She had a small electric kettle with her if Maki chose the former option. She really was always prepared for everything, wasn't she? And only she would keep electric kettles on standby. Maki shook her head. For a third time, she couldn't help but think, Kirumi really was something…

The maid made banter while Maki fought. As usual, she won. Kirumi had won a few duels since their training first began, but still far less than Maki, although she at least tried to put up a fight and give Maki a challenge, so that none of her victories were too easy. Maki could appreciate that, if nothing else. Now, the moonlight reflected on the blade beneath Kirumi's neck. Kirumi smiled approvingly, setting her own katana down to signal that she was done for now. Then, she gestured to the sky, stepping closer as Maki lowered her blade, too. Their shoulders brushed.

"What am I looking at?" Maki asked gruffly. All she could see was the steel dome keeping them imprisoned at this school.

"Just the stars and moonlight," Kirumi replied, voice calm and quiet and serene. "I think it's important to remember the small and the beautiful things in life, to remember what we're training and fighting for."

"What we're fighting for?" Maki scoffed, looking at Kirumi in disbelief, no longer looking up. "We're fighting to escape!"

"Of course," Kirumi was still looking up. "But there must be more to life than mere survival. I am not just fighting to get out of here, but to protect everyone else as well."

"Oh, spare me the heroics. Combat isn't that glorious," Maki rolled her eyes. There was nothing she hated more than those who romanticized battle.

"I know," Kirumi was not at all bothered by Maki's sharp words. "But I am sure you understand." She was referring back to Maki's "Talent". "You have someone you want to protect, I'm sure, even if it is only a memory now."

For a second time, Maki fell silent, unsure of how to reply and not wishing to reveal anything else about herself. But this time, with Kirumi's shoulder still almost brushing up against hers, Maki didn't feel so distrustful, just at a loss for words. Kirumi really was something…

ooo

The next morning, everyone was in place. Kirumi made them all fresh toast and eggs and rice and just about any other breakfast food one could imagine. No, not everyone was in place. Maki stayed locked up in her laboratory. Kirumi still brought her a plate of food though. Maki heard her come and go. Once she was sure Kirumi was gone again, she slowly poked her head out of her lab.

Although she found gestures like this rather disgusting, today at least, her expression was a little softer. She still didn't fully trust Kirumi, but she was assured that Kirumi would keep her word. If anyone in this school was dependable, it was her. She promised to take care of everyone, and she would stop at nothing to do so. Even in the silence of her isolation and her laboratory, Maki could hear it, hear her.

Then for once, one night, one training session, Maki let go of some of her fears and her ghosts. Although she didn't tell Kirumi everything, she talked about one of the people from the orphanage, someone Maki would've done anything to protect with the same selfless devotion as Kirumi.

"She was my only friend there, and she was roughly my age. She helped me look after the younger ones. We used to play house. She was the mom, I was the dad." It was just one step, not much, but to Kirumi, it said enough.

Not only did it show her that Maki was starting to trust her enough to tell her something so personal, powerful, and private, but it also showed her that Maki did indeed have someone she loved, someone she served. Kirumi got that sense about Maki from the moment she said she was the Ultimate Child Caregiver. Kirumi saw a kindred spirit in her because of that, and she was glad to know that her senses were correct.

They'd meet on sidewalks just outside the academy, then they'd spar and they'd talk. One night, though, Maki let go of another fear, another ghost. She waited for Kirumi, a strange look on her face.

She paused, then said, "You're my…best friend." And Kirumi knew what it was. Maki was…in love.

Neither of them spoke after that, they simply got down to business and started training, but no more words were needed. They could hear it in the silence, they could hear it on the way home after practice was done. They could see it with the lights out and the sun down. Maki was starting to fall in love. Even if Kirumi was nothing like the friend Maki lost back at the orphanage, Maki still felt something there, something for her.

"We used to play house. She was the mom, I was the dad."

Kirumi may have hated being called a mother, and Maki may have hated the rest of her classmates, but they still all looked out for one another, in some capacity. Kirumi's care was obvious, but ever since the night she told Maki about how life needed to be more than survival, and how she was fighting for everyone's sake, Maki slowly started to understand. She still hated most of them, though, especially Kokichi.

He'd make snide remarks about her and Kirumi as the two new mommies of the group, and he was still suspicious of Maki, certain that her alleged Talent was not what she said it was. Maki was only thankful that he seemed alone in that regard. Or, maybe he wasn't… The more Maki thought about it, the more certain she was that Kirumi was suspicious, too. She was too smart not to notice, especially after all their training sessions. The difference between her and Kokichi, though, was that Kirumi trusted Maki. That meant more to Maki than Kirumi could've ever known…

The only other person who ever truly trusted Maki, or spent night after night staying up until the wee hours to talk to her, was the girl from the orphanage. She was gone now, but Kirumi was not. And as Maki poked her head out her lab again to find more food, clean sheets, and the shirts Kirumi took from her, she could hear it in the silence. Kirumi was trying her best to make this place a home, and like clockwork, she delivered every single time, keeping her word.

What a novel thought, making this place a home…not just because they were imprisoned inside a weirdo school either. Maki just never really had a home before. The orphanage certainly didn't count, and the turnover was too high for Maki to grow close enough to anyone to consider them her home either. The closest she had was that other girl. She was gone now, though…But Kirumi was not…

ooo

The next night, they were sparring again, a deadly dance of silver and steel. Sometimes it felt like a snow globe, looking up at the stars behind the cage that surrounded them in a steel dome. Maki knew that Kirumi kept a picture of her in a locket in her gown. The locket came from Kirumi's own lab. The picture came from Maki. Maki was finally starting to see why some people lost their minds over love and seemingly became totally different people once they found someone they trusted enough.

Maki also understood now why they fought their wars. After Kirumi's remark about having someone worth fighting for, it opened up Maki's eyes to a new way of seeing things. What an interesting duo they made, a contract killer and a contract savior. A murderer and a maid. They were bonded by their mutual skill in combat, their mutual hatred of bloodshed, and their mutual love of physical activity.

Kirumi was not one for senseless heroics either. Like Maki, she was frank. She believed in doing her duty, and that was that. But even so, she managed to paint it in a different light. A fine line divided Heaven and Hell, and Kirumi helped Maki see how she might be able to stand on the "good" side of that line, even though she still hadn't told Kirumi the truth of her Talent.

"Bloodshed may not be pleasant, but surely now you are starting to see how it can be used for protection rather than harm?" Kirumi asked.

"Mmm, suppose."

"Does something trouble you?" Kirumi was perceptive. Yes, Maki was always quiet, but Kirumi could recognize a normal silence from a bad one.

"Everything troubles me," Maki shot back with a dry smile. Kirumi only gave her a patient nod, and after long enough, Maki finally started to vent. Kokichi was being annoying. Miu was being annoying. Tenko was being annoying. Angie was being annoying. Himiko was being annoying. Kiyo-

The list went on and Maki wound up venting about every student still around. She'd never talked so much in her life.

"Yes, our classmates can be quite troublesome, can't they?" Kirumi chuckled and shook her head, but Maki only glared at her.

"Kirumi, take your own advice. I know as much as you do how much work it is to keep your emotions in check. It will help you to vent as well."

Now it was Kirumi's turn to look surprised. She wasn't used to people offering to listen to her problems. But Maki's expression was stern, so Kirumi complied. Her stress was much the same as Maki, trying to protect everyone from Monokuma while also protecting her own sanity.

"He'll be up to something again soon, I'm sure of it," Maki said darkly, then her eyes turned unusually intense. "You have to promise me, Kirumi, that no matter what tricks he has up his sleeve, you won't believe any of them, ok?"

"Of course I won't," Kirumi nodded.

"Promise me!" Maki didn't seem satisfied. "Consider this a request from your "master"! Tell me if anything he does ever gets to you, even slightly!"

For a moment, Kirumi was surprised, but she knew where this sudden intensity came from, it was protectiveness. Her face softened. "I promise."

Maki had spent her whole life watching so many people, including herself, try to put love into words. It never clicked until now because the words were never in a language Maki understood. Before this, she only saw the sickeningly sweet thing Kaede and Shuichi had going on. Or how Tenko would lose her mind and her dignity trying to show off for Himiko. Or the weird way Kiyo would go on and on about his "true love". Or whatever the heck Miu had going on for Kiibo. But now Maki realized, there were so many different kinds of love out there. She just hadn't found a love that felt comfortable or natural to her yet. But now…?

It's not burning red, or running crazy wild, it's golden. It's quiet and peaceful. It's finding harmony amidst the killing. It's something I never thought I would feel. I didn't even believe it was actually real. But now, I think I see it. I can hear it in the silence, because that's what my love is. It's not loud or kissy, it's gentle and enduring. I can feel it on the way home, because I finally have a home. I can see it even in the darkness.

Maki finally knew how to put it into words for herself, and that was how she knew she was in love. True love. That was why she suddenly felt…worried. For the first time, she had something to lose. As much as she hated that, as much of a weakness as it gave her, the strength Kirumi gave her in return was something she wouldn't give up even if she had the choice to undo all the progress she'd made with Kirumi with just a snap of her fingers. She could only hope that if and when the time came, she would be able to protect Kirumi and maybe even save her life…

Love truly did cause people to lose their minds, and now Maki knew who she'd go to war for. Kirumi may have called herself Maki's maid/master, and Maki wouldn't consider Kirumi her "child to take care of", but she was someone Maki was going to protect.

"And this time, I won't fail," she whispered to herself, thinking back to the girl she used to know and love, too. Maybe Kirumi was her second chance in that regard.

"Well then, shall we begin training?" Kirumi asked as she and Maki reached their "secret" hideout. It wasn't really secret, it just wasn't a place any of the other students would ever go to, so none of them ever caught Kirumi or Maki sword fighting.

"Of course, I'm always—What is that?" Maki raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the rock in Kirumi's arms.

"We've both had to protect children while fighting. Given the charges we have now…" she trailed off to look back at the school, "I'd say it's probably best if we start practicing early, fending off one another while protecting something else."

"And this rock…is going to be our child?" Maki couldn't stop the smallest of snorts. Though Kirumi was right about the class being full of giant, over glorified babies.

"Unfortunately, I don't have anything more realistic," Kirumi chuckled, nodding ruefully.

"Good. It would be creepy if you did," Maki snorted again. "Although I suppose you could always bring out one of the smaller students," she joked. "Or…on second thought, maybe don't. I'd probably be tempted to dispose of them right then and there." The shortest students were Ryoma, Kokichi, and Himiko. None of whom Maki was very fond of. Then again, she wasn't fond of any of them. Except Kirumi.

She and the maid shared another laugh before Kirumi set the rock down behind herself. She would be first up, pretending to protect someone else against an onslaught of attacks. Then they would trade off and Maki would go on defense with the stone while Kirumi took offense.

"Ready?" the maid asked again.

"Ready," Maki nodded sharply, then she lunged. If Kirumi was so determined to prove how important protecting others was to her, Maki would give her the fight of a lifetime. But even after she and the maid started exchanging blows, she smiled to herself. She knew Kirumi wouldn't let her down.

I never thought my hope would be restored by someone like her. I wonder if it's part of her Talent? No, it was because, as different as they were, they had a few commonalities, especially in terms of value, especially now that Maki was starting to adopt Kirumi's way of thinking about combat (and Kirumi adopting Maki's suggestion to vent a little bit more often and rely on others whenever she needed help staying sane).

Those commonalities, and their ability to learn from one another, was what made them strong, and for the first time in years, Maki felt like she could take on anyone or anything, so long as that weird, crazy maid was by her side. That was the last thought she had before she let the battle sweep her away, but even though they weren't talking, they could hear it in the silence. They could hear it in the steel dome. They could see it even with the sun down. They were both in love, strange though it was. True love.

AN: Thanks to Net Neutrality for requesting this, it was really fun to write and came so naturally! Great choice!

And trivia for everyone else, this song wasn't originally going to be in the anthology, but right before June, it randomly popped back into my head and WOULD NOT GO AWAY, so I took it as a sign that it wanted to be in the fic, and Net happened to give me a really fitting prompt, so here we are!