Chapter 25: Day 25

It was late at night when Togami finally set his violin down on the table and reclined into the chair. He sighed, taking his glasses off and running a hand through his hair. He hadn't eaten much throughout the day, and the daily grind of finding items for the new Monokuma backup had only distracted him so much from his thoughts. Now his gaze roamed over to the notebook lying on his table, which he had yet to even touch. He huffed out an air of frustration.

It had taken longer than Togami would ever admit to come to terms with the notion Kirigiri and Fujisaki had presented. To even consider the possibility that over a year's worth of memories had been erased from his life… It had been too much, even for the Togami heir, to take in at first. He had slept fitfully through the night, awakening to a mind filled with doubts and a blank notebook lying at the foot of his dorm room door. Throughout the day, his thoughts drifted, traveling back to the conversation, to his dream, to everything leading up to now. The implications of their current predicament threatened to crush him. If a year or more had passed, and nobody had come yet to help them, and their relationships were ground to dust…

Togami shuddered. He hoped to find proof to counter Kirigiri's claims, but the more he pondered and looked, the further he seemed to be able to find such a thing.

He sighed once more, stood from his seat, and slid his jacket off. He needed a shower and some rest. It was late. He was tired. The violin had helped to soothe his nerves for a time, and Togami wouldn't run, no matter how dire the situation seemed. As he told Kirigiri, he simply needed time to process. And with the new Monokuma backup due the next day, he had to be on top of his game. Grasping the button to undo his cross tie, he went to move when a sudden noise startled him.

Ding dong.

He sighed at the sound of the doorbell and shook his head. "I give up…" Sliding his glasses back on, he thought about putting his jacket back on, then decided against it. He approached the door -

Ding dong.

- and frowned. "Someone's impatient," he thought as he opened the door. He blinked in surprise.

Standing before him was a pale, stunned Naegi.

"Naegi?" Togami took a second to look him over and noted his disheveled appearance. Naegi's already unkempt hair was even more out of place than usual, and a bead of sweat was rolling down his face as though he had run across the entire school. His lips were quivering, and his eyes were wide with fear. "What's the matter? Did something happen?" he asked, his gaze glancing up and down the hallway. There was no sign of anyone around. "What's going on?"

"To… Togami?"

Togami blinked in shock. Naegi's voice sounded so small and hoarse. Realizing he wasn't getting answers by just standing awkwardly in the doorway, Togami grabbed Naegi's wrist and pulled him inside before shutting the door. He then turned and went to speak.

Naegi didn't let him. Instead, he rushed at him. Wrapping his arms around Togami tightly, pressing his face against his chest, he all but clawed at Togami's shirt. It was a desperate embrace, and Togami merely stood stunned as he felt Naegi's body shaking against him. "Naegi? Naegi, what is–"

"Y-Y-You're okay, right? You're really, really okay?"

The question cut Togami off. Placing his hands on Naegi's shoulders, he went to move him, but Naegi's grip held firm. He wasn't letting go. Sighing, Togami kept his hands on his shoulders and answered, "Yes, I'm fine. Why are you asking me this?"

"I… You…"

And that's when he felt it. Something wet against his shirt. Togami's eyes slowly widened as he felt Naegi continue to shiver in his hands. "Wait a minute. He's… Why is he crying?"

"Naegi." Togami needed answers. With some force, he pushed Naegi a step back, revealing several tears running down his cheeks. "Naegi, let go of me. You need to sit down." Togami felt the hands on his back shake, and he could see the effort it took in Naegi's features for him to release his grip on the corporate heir, but Naegi listened and soon let his hands fall down to his sides. Togami led him to the same chair he had been sitting in moments prior and forced him to sit. He then pulled the other chair in front of him so that Togami could look directly at him. "Now talk. What caused all of this?"

"I… Well…" Naegi hiccuped as he went to wipe the tears away on his sleeve. "You… You're probably going to laugh at me, but I–"

"That's not for you to decide," Togami interrupted, hating how pathetic Naegi looked. "Tell me what happened."

"I-I had… I had a dream. About you."

Togami's eyes widened.

"Something… Something terrible happened," Naegi explained, his voice low as he spoke. "We were all students here… B-But it was a normal school. Normal classrooms, normal dorms. And something happened. Something outside the school. It was on the news. I don't remember what it was, but when I heard it from one of the teachers, all I knew was that I was running. I had to get to you. I ran and ran, checking every classroom."

Naegi looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. "I finally found you...and you were just sitting at a desk, all by yourself. You wouldn't move. You wouldn't say anything. You wouldn't respond to anyone. I tried shaking you, grabbing you... You just stared a-at nothing. You wouldn't budge. Ogami… She was a classmate of ours. We, all of us, we were in the same class. I got Ogami, then she got everyone else. They all came to help. We all tried to get you to snap out of it, but you wouldn't react to any of us. You just sat and stared. Kirigiri said you were in, in shock."

Naegi swallowed loudly. "Ogami and I took you to your room. We had you sit against the back of the bed. Ogami went to get the nurse... A-And I watched, and waited, and waited… And you wouldn't move. You wouldn't say anything. I'd ask a question, and you wouldn't answer. You just stared at nothing." New tears fell, and he reached up to quickly wipe them away. "I felt so scared. The thought that you might be like that for a long time, or any time at all… I-I didn't know what to do. And then, when I woke up, I panicked. It didn't feel like a dream at all. I thought for sure you were still sitting here, n-not responding to anyone. I-I had to check." He inhaled sharply and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I know this probably sounds so stupid. I was just–"

Naegi stopped, however, as Togami leaned forward. Raising his hand, Togami gently brushed the tears away with his thumb, feeling the trembling Naegi beneath him. "It was just a dream," Togami stated, shocked that he trusted his voice enough to speak. "And I'm here. I'm fine. Clearly I'm not catatonic."

"Y-Yeah… Yeah, you're right." A small smile began to form on Naegi's lips, and Togami felt his own mouth twitch in response, even as his mind was racing. Naegi wasn't part of the investigation, after all. He had no idea of the possible truth to his dreams. Yet if Naegi really was having flashbacks like Togami, Fujisaki, and Kirigiri, then…

...then what happened to make Togami collapse like that? What had he and Naegi learned about the outside world? Wouldn't Togami remember something so shocking, or were their memories so truly altered?

Realizing his hand was still on Naegi's cheek, Togami quickly pulled away and cleared his throat. "Hold on, let me get you something to clean your face," he muttered. Standing from his seat, he quickly entered the bathroom, grabbed a nearby washcloth, and ran it under the hot water. He then returned and, remaining standing, held it out for Naegi. Naegi smiled and took it, then wiped his face of the tears.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I probably woke you up. It's pretty late, after all."

"Naegi, one apology is enough. And you didn't wake me up. I was playing the violin. Stop worrying."

Naegi's gaze wandered to the instrument on the table, and he slowly nodded. "Ah…" He held out the washcloth, blushing as Togami took it, and Togami turned and tossed it into the hamper in the far corner. He then returned his attention to Naegi, who slowly stood and dramatically inhaled a large breath of air. Togami approached and smirked down at him.

"No more tears," he instructed. "Besides, it was just a dream. I'm not out of commission, and I don't plan to be anytime soon. Just remember that we're almost halfway through this fiasco. Then, we're out of here."

"True…" Inhaling and exhaling once more, Naegi sighed and nodded up at Togami. Seeing the boy's lit up eyes and smiling lips once more made Togami feel an awkward sense of happiness, and before he could stop himself, he reached out again to caress his cheek. Something warned him that what he was doing was highly inappropriate, but Naegi didn't seem to mind. In fact, Naegi's smile widened, and, if Togami didn't know any better, he could swear he felt the boy leaning slightly into his touch. Togami moved his thumb in small, gentle circles, liking the feeling of the boy's soft skin beneath his fingertips. Naegi took a step closer, still looking at Togami with a hopeful gaze. "Um… Togami?"

"Yes?" Both were whispering again. Togami swore his heart was beating louder than his voice. He shouldn't have done this. The rational part of his brain was screaming at him to stop. But the irrational, the part that reminded him of the desires he had been running from these past few days, merely told him to take in the boy's smile.

And Naegi's smile told him that this, whatever this was...was right.

"Can you…" Blushing, Naegi stuttered, "I mean, well… Do you… Would you play some music for me? Since I, uh, interrupted your practice and all..."

Togami blinked at the request, then smirked. "I suppose I did tell you I would play that song for you once I learned it…"

"Wait, you learned it already?"

"Something like that…" Letting his hand drop, he walked around Naegi and picked up the instrument, ignoring the beating in his chest. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Naegi sat back down in the chair. "I will say this, however," he added as he plucked a string. "Much like the coffee, if you don't like the music, it's a failing of your character, not the music."

Naegi chuckled. "I highly doubt there's a chance I won't like what you play," he replied, causing Togami's smirk to turn to a smile.

"Very well." Placing the violin under his chin, Togami closed his eyes and began to play the soft, memorized melody. For a few minutes, only the sound of the music filled the room. Togami would take a peek at Naegi every minute or so, noticing how he watched Togami in rapt fascination. He seemed to be relaxing at the sound of the music, however, as the lucky student leaned back into the seat, his lost, pained expression all but erased.

Once finished, he set the violin back down. Naegi uttered a small thanks and stood once more. "That was really beautiful," he said. "Well, I should probably head back to my room. Thanks again for listening to me. And helping me out. I'm happy you're okay."

"It's not a problem," Togami replied, stunned at how much he truly meant it. The two stood awkwardly for several seconds before Naegi stepped forward, wrapping his arms once more around Togami. This time, the embrace was soft and comforting, with none of the desperation of the previous one.

Whether it was fatigue or simply his mind admitting defeat, Togami didn't know, but everything telling him to stop, all the thoughts warning him about reacting… All of it was suddenly silent. He wrapped his arms around Naegi and pulled him closer, and he smiled when he felt Naegi gently tighten his grip. "If you have another dream like that, just come find me," he whispered.

Naegi nodded and slowly pulled away, smiling brightly up at him. "Thanks, Togami. I really appreciate it." Blushing, Naegi looked at the clock on the wall and said, "I should really get going. It's super late now… And we have that stupid Monokuma to build tomorrow."

"We'll be fine," Togami stated. "But yes, I need to start getting ready for bed."

"Right. So, uh… See you tomorrow." Togami watched as Naegi exited the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Togami in a sudden, heavy silence. The corporate heir turned, put his violin in the case, and smiled.

Naegi came to find him in his time of need.

Naegi wanted to hear him play the violin.

Naegi didn't pull away at his touch.

And Togami got Naegi to smile again.

With a small click, Togami closed the violin case and began getting ready for bed, feeling and cherishing that same warmth in his chest that he had in the recreation room all those days ago.