"What…What the heck…?"
I panted, my breath ragged and shaky as I tried to comprehend what I had seen. My heart was pounding rapidly against my ribs as my hands shook in terror, the adrenaline pumping through my veins felt like ice in my blood. Sweat poured down my face, cooling the heated flesh where my blood was unable to affect.
The images, even though they had passed by long ago I could still see them so vividly as if I was looking straight at them. Sayaka… Hiro… Leon… All of them. Executed, killed, murdered in cold blood in the cruelest ways I could have perceived. Horrible, disgusting deaths that should never have been imagined, let alone implemented.
And that figure. That cold, heartless shade that had done that to them. It had been ever so terrifying to witness, the way the shadows just wrapped around it like a wispy cloak that defied all rules I knew of that didn't revolve around realms fantasy. The way light just seemed to refuse to touch it, it was unnatural. And those eyes.
I had to remind myself repeatedly that it was just a dream.
I found myself curling up in my bed, my arms wrapped around myself as if to protect me from the horrors as I laid back down on my mattress. The darkness of the room felt stifling, oppressive. An overwhelming feeling of repression that made my empty space never feel more claustrophobic. Were it not for the red lighten numbers of the analog clock, the room would have been in complete darkness. I was for more okay with it then normal on that reason alone.
My body racked with sobs, my eyes stinging from unshed tears. That nightmare. It had been the worst thing I had ever had the misfortune of witnessing. Normally, I was unable to remember these dreams or night horrors. But this. This one made sure I wouldn't be forgetting it any time soon.
It had been so vivid, so detailed. Every sound sung in my ears as if I was there, every scent as if I could truly smell it in front of me.
And the blood, oh god, the blood. I was use to the sight of blood in games, so much so that I barely bat an eye at any gory title that passes my way. There was usually something else going on so I just tended to ignore it. In real-life, I was only okay with it if I had something else to focus on, like when I had been patching up Sayaka and Hiro. Both times, I could ignore becoming squeamish since I knew what would happen if I didn't. I could focus exclusively on the methods needed to save them, rather than the blood itself.
This time, I had no barrier to hide behind. There was nothing I could use as a filter to stop my horror; it was in my face and the only thing that I could focus on if I wasn't going to keep my eyes locked on the carnage. Every moment was a gruesome horror show that just got progressively worst.
If I had a choice, I would have just stayed in bed the whole day, just trying to get rid of the disturbing images from my mind. Unfortunately, I could not.
Not only was my side starting to develop bed sores, but my stomach was realizing that I was awake and was demanding sustenance, regardless of my minds turmoil. I wanted to ignore it, to just go back to bed and sleep till I was over the nightmare that haunted me. But, my body was persistent, so with a heavy sigh, I shakily pushed myself up and glanced at the clock to get my bearings.
I then groaned as I realized that, "…It's fricking five in the morning…"
All was silent in the room of one Makoto Naegi.
Everything was quiet, from the door to his bathroom to the very bed he lay upon. The only sound that could be heard was the soft breaths of the rooms occupant as he lay on his bed, unmoving aside the methodical rise and fall of his chest. His eyes blinked slowly, but his focus was not on the roof above his head, nor anything specific in the room itself. No, his mind was focused on a memory.
Specifically, of yesterday's events post trial.
As Monokuma had said, everyone had made their votes to decide what would happen to Sayaka since her crime had been revealed. When he had opened his eyes to see the result he had to admit that he hadn't expected it to go where it had.
In last place with the neutral votes were Chihiro, Hifumi, and Celeste of all people. The first two just couldn't get up the nerve to do anything to Sayaka, no matter how bad it was. They were sympathetic of her actions, though they detested them, and understood the reasons behind them. They were soft hearted though, and couldn't bare the guilt that they would have felt if they had to punish her, nor could they stomach the idea of letting Monokuma execute her. So, they decided to play it safe and stay neutral.
No one could blame them for it.
When asked later, the gambler would refuse to comment on her choice, choosing to stay silent. Makoto could only guess what her reasoning would be, not yet close enough with her that he could know her thoughts. He figured that she might have similar reasons to that of Hifumi and Chihiro, but he couldn't be sure until she decides to tell him herself.
The next held the votes of Toko, Hiro, and Mondo. The writer and the biker stayed by their decisions, unwavering in their conviction and belief. They had been subjected to many dark looks and scathing remarks, but they stayed firm. They didn't want to risk her betraying them again.
Hiro would later state that he had forgotten which flag he was holding in each hand from the nerves, but no one believed him. They saw the way he looked at Sayaka when he thought they weren't looking. They knew he was just afraid that she would come after him again, even though she had admitted it was an accident when she was asked. There hadn't been any intent to harm him, he was just unlucky.
He stayed silent at that, but his refusal to lower his flag said more than enough for the others.
Finally, there were the votes of Byakuya, Sakura, Kyoko, Hina, Taka, Makoto, and finally Leon. They had all voted black, winning the vote. Sayaka would continue to live with them, though with more restrictions put on her until they could feel her trustworthy again.
As Monokuma had told them, the ones who voted white were sent back to the elevator to await the other's verdict along with Sayaka. The neutral voters were given the option to stay and watch, but they all decided to wait the others. With a little help from Sakura and Mondo, Sayaka and Hiro's wheelchairs were collected and they were escorted to the elevator to wait.
After that, the twisted bear told them that they were to decide on what happened to her next. The problem was that, at this point, everyone was unable to focus. They were all mentally exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster that was the whole day. Tensions were already high as well, so when it began to dissolve into a shouting match, mostly between Taka and Leon over whether she should be locked away or simply being given an escort, there was no surprise felt by anyone.
Several times, Sakura or Kyoko had to dissuade the two in their bickering, either through stern words from the latter, or the threat of being forced to contend with the former in a brawl. These threats were the only thing that could keep them calm, but that didn't stop the squabbling from coming up again occasionally. It didn't help that Byakuya was firmly on Taka's side in all of this while Hina was with Leon on the matter. With Sakura and Kyoko so focused on keeping the arguing from developing into a blood bath, it ended up falling onto Makoto to be the compromiser in all of this.
His thought was to combine the two into a different yet still punishing move. She would be allowed to attend meal times and free time with an escort or two during the day, but would be barricaded in her room at night to prevent her from trying something. That would make it impossible for her to attack anyone during the day, while also making it impossible for her to sneak around at night.
In hindsight, it was a little bit crueler then he had intended. He had wanted it to make it so that he could still talk to her during the day to try and help her recover from the emotional baggage that helped cause her to fall to such a low that she felt that murdering someone was a good idea. He had meant to make it sound like he wanted everyone to help contribute as well. And he had said as much too.
However, Byakuya had chimed in stating that, while he was fine with letting her join them for meals, provided that she never be allowed in the kitchen on the grounds she might try to take a knife again, or attempt to poison someone's meal, he would not accept her being allowed to wander between meals. When asked, and after verbally insulting their intelligence for having to ask, he claimed that would be giving her too much freedom to stab them in the back again.
Makoto tried to defend her, claiming that she would never do that after all that had happened, but the affluent prodigy was unmoved. What's more, Hina and Taka had agreed with Byakuya as well. Hina had been unable to look him in the eyes as she admitted that she was still scared after all that had happened. Sayaka, though not close to her as she had spent most of the time with Makoto, had been someone she saw as a friend and to know that the idol had snuck a knife past her so easily terrified her immensely. She didn't want to be afraid, but she couldn't stop herself from shivering whenever she thought about it.
Taka's reasoning was much more justice focused, stating that he thought she should be made to understand the full ramification of her actions. While he agreed that she should join them for the morning meetings so that she could be kept up to date on the affairs, he felt she would never learn if she can go wherever she pleases, escort or no.
Kyoko, though stating it would have to be temporary, agreed as well. She said that it wouldn't be wise to allow her to do as she pleases anyway since she was still injured and recovering. If left to her own devices right now, there would be a risk that she could either attack someone, or more likely, be attacked herself. Sayaka had nearly killed someone and gotten them all killed in the process. There was a risk that someone might try and return the favor if she was left alone.
Leon and Sakura had been with him on that not being entirely fair, but they reluctantly agreed if it would be a better idea to keep her safe, so long as the punishment would be lightened over time as she proved her trust worthiness. There had been some grumbling about the decision, but the agreement was set and with Monokuma's approval, there was nothing else that could be done.
Looking back, he realized that he could have done more. Pushed a little harder, maybe used better logic to get her a fair chance. Anything at all would have helped as far as he was concerned.
Instead, he let his fatigue get to him and let the matter drop. He just was not able to push any harder. The only thing he managed to change was who would be responsible for watching over her.
Originally, Sakura and Mondo were the choice. Both were incredibly strong and would be able to stop her should she try anything. However, Makoto got that to stop by pointing out that Mondo's "no hurting women" code of honor would make it difficult for him to keep a proper hold on her. And while Sakura wouldn't have such problems, it would be difficult for her to keep an eye on Sayaka all the time with her exercise schedule. While this was a bit of a stretch, Sakura claimed that it was true, though she had hesitated at first, as if she only caught on to his desires midway through her sentence.
With that taken care of, Byakuya insisted that someone be assigned the task before he nominates someone himself. For a moment, Makoto was going to volunteer instantly. She had been his assistant after all, and she had used his room to try and commit her crime. Plus, he was already sort of her guardian because of his promise to protect her. It had just made sense to him.
Surprisingly, the one who spoke up first was one none of them had expected.
"I'll do it."
All eyes wandered over to the one who spoke, confusion or suspicion coating the expressions of the group as they turned to look at the one interrupted Makoto. Byakuya spoke up incredulously with a raised brow. "You? Why would you want to be responsible for her after all of this?"
Leon, against all odds, looked him dead in the eye in response. "Just here me out, okay? She attacked me, right? Not you, not Mondo, not Sakura, me. I think I should be the one to watch over her."
At first, none of them knew how to respond to that. Yes, he had been the one to be attacked first, but Hiro had been harmed physically by her and she had hurt all of them emotionally with her actions. Why then was he the one who would be the one to guard her?
However, before anyone could comment on it, there was a chuckle from Byakuya as a devious smirk made its way onto his face. "Interesting. And with the two of you together at all times, if one of you turns up dead, then we'll instantly have a suspect. It also doubles as further punishment for her as well."
"How do you figure?" questioned Hina, not seeing where he was going with this. He scoffed at her naivete in response, and gave her a tilted head back look of superiority. "Is it not obvious? If she is honestly as apologetic as she claims, then Leon's constant presence will be a continual reminder of her guilt and will prevent her from forgetting all that had happened. If not, then he will be a reminder of her failure to escape. Either way, she won't be able to simply avoid him or the memories of her actions. A fitting punishment, if I must say."
That did seem to be for the best as it wouldn't be likely that she could do anything to him again since he would know beforehand if she was trying anything. With her guilt weighing her down like that, it was unlikely that there would be too much of a problem from her.
However, Makoto still wanted to put his hat in the ring. "Hold on guys. Maybe I should be the one to watch over her."
"Huh?" Leon replied, confusion plastered all over his face as well as a little indignation. "Hey, come on man. You don't think I can do it?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying." Makoto refuted, not wanting to insult the redhead, but unwilling to retract his statement. "It's just that, Sayaka and I were close, closer then Leon is with her. I have more of an understanding of how she'll react if pushed now, so I'll be able to stop her if she tries something again."
Byakuya gave him a completely unmoved look in response. "Really now? And I suppose you believe that you would be capable of risking her life should she try anything?"
"…! T-That's…!"
"If you'll recall, this entire case only started because Sayaka was able to convince you that you were trying to protect her. Because of that, you were nearly convicted of a crime you hadn't committed and we all would have been killed had she succeeded. She already had her talons dug into you before, and you never realized it until far too late. If we were to let you oversee her, what guaranty do we have that this wouldn't be the case again?"
"I-I…" He tried so desperately to say something to defend himself, to deny that he wouldn't even think to let something like that happen, but he couldn't. Even now, after all the pain and heartache she had forced him to endure from her betrayal, a part of him still trusted her. He knew he wouldn't be able to force her to stand down should she try again.
Byakuya closed his eyes, smugly smirking at his success against the luckster. "That's what I thought. In any case, while I highly doubt Leon would be the most trustworthy individual for this, he is the only one here that makes sense to give this responsibility."
"Yea-Hey!" Leon shouted, realizing mid agreement that he'd been insulted. "The hell do you mean by that!?"
The rich boy merely scoffed before turning to regard the ball-player with a stern glare that caused a slight shiver to run down Leon's spine. "You really have to ask."
It had been worded as a question, but it was clear that he wasn't asking. "You still haven't revealed the name of the person that assisted in Sayaka and Yasuhiro's revival. Even after Monokuma told us that withholding it any further would be pointless."
"I-I…Well, I mean…That isn't…" Leon stammered to try and come up with and excuse for himself, but Byakuya's deliberate distrust had caught him off guard. No, it wasn't just that. It was also the look of pure disdain that the prodigy threw his way. The ball player was use to thing being thrown at him, both balls and looks of jealousy from his less talented co-ball players, but this was far too different from the norm that he couldn't properly form a rebuttal.
"As far as I am concerned, your trustworthiness is irrelevant. If you truly wish to make up for your disregard, you will carry out your sentence and keep Sayaka from acting out again." With that, Byakuya turn away, uncaring about whatever other reason or excuses Leon could possibly come up with to defend himself, or Makoto's reasoning's.
"Perhaps that would be best." Agreed Sakura, though it had been said with a fair amount of reluctance in her tone. It was clear to the others that she didn't fully agree, but since no one was offering a better idea, she would follow the other's. Yet, there was clearly something that bothered her. "However, there is a matter I feel we have neglected."
The others looked at her in confusion. What could they have forgotten to take care of?
"And what perchance is that?" Byakuya inquired, brow raised ever so slightly.
"I must inquire, what is to be done about Junko?"
In the end, no one had any idea as to what to do about the injured fashion deva. None of them were licensed doctors, nor were any of them trained to help with that kind of injury. Even Leon, who seemed to at the least know how to patch her up, admitted to knowing next to nothing about helping someone recover from this sort of thing. In the end, it was Monokuma of all people who had intervened, stating, "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much. I have a medical professional on standby who'll help her get back on her feet. Well, if she's cooperative that is."
It had been suspicious of him to make such an offer, especially since this was the first time they had even heard of there being anyone of such qualifications. It only got more dubious when he claimed that it would all be done over the phone, something that the school had been sorely lacking in thus far. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything they could do as, once he claimed that the same curtesy would be extended for all of them who survive a class trial, the bear fled the scene, leaving them with nothing but questions and frustrations as they were forced to head back to the elevator or risk being left behind.
However, just before he had reached it, Kyoko had stopped Makoto with a gentle tug on the wrist.
Even now, he could remember their conversation, how she had said that he should put all of this behind him, push past all the tragedy of Sayaka's actions and move on. His response still rung it his ears. "I can't do that. To just forget all that they had done, their reasons for doing it. I still don't blame Sayaka, or Leon, or anyone else. Even though no one died, we're still being held here against our will. Monokuma is the reason all of this happened, so to move past what they did would be just like saying that they had wanted to do it in the first place, like he hadn't pushed them into a corner. The mastermind wants that. So, instead, I'm going to hold on to these memories always. I'll bare the weight…and I'll push forward!"
Those words still rung true in his mind as his fist clenched at his sides. That was what he had said, and he had meant every word of it. And if they had died, he honestly felt that he would have done the same thing. Holding onto their memory as he pushed forward through this despair.
But still, there was one thing that worried him. After they had all returned to the main floors, in had almost been nighttime, so it was decided that they would head to the food court for a quick final meeting. Byakuya had opted out, claiming that he would need to rest up to prepare himself, though he hadn't stated exactly what he was preparing for which while concerning, was becoming something very expectant of him. Toko followed, claiming she didn't want to be anywhere near someone who would try and attack her in her sleep, and it was very clear who she was talking about. Hifumi, Mondo, and Hiro were next, all claiming that they were going to hit the hay, yet even he could tell that it wasn't just fatigue causing them to drag their feet as they glanced guiltily at Sayaka before they left. The last one to leave was Celeste, claiming that she wanted to take a shower before nighttime went into effect, leaving the rest of them to ponder over what to do next.
Makoto briefly left to check his room before returning. Just as Monokuma had told him as he reached the dorm, the room was completely returned to normal. Not a single scar remained to tell of what had occurred, not a single piece of evidence remained. Even the stains on the door were gone without a trace. Even now, after a full night of restless sleep, he could not find a thing that indicated that someone had been attacked in his dorm.
It should have reassured him, made him feel better. It didn't. All it did was rise more concerns.
Had Leon or Sayaka or even Hiro died last night, would they have been, "cleaned up" too? Would they have just been taken, thrown out once their corpses were no longer needed for a trial like a piece of garbage without being given a chance to be mourned? The thought made him stomach churn.
These were living people with lives and stories to be told. To disregard that was horrible, monstrous even.
And then, that retched bear had to show up on last time. On Leon's word, when he went to take Sayaka to her room he had accidentally failed to close the door, and when he went to pull in shut he overheard Monokuma show up again, taunting her over her failure to give up her bonds with her former band and stay here in this school. Had it not been for his desire to not be heard spying, Makoto was sure Leon would have rushed back in to yell at the mastermind. But, it might have been a good thing that he didn't, since Monokuma told Sayaka something that it might not have told them.
"If they had chosen to execute you, your Lifeline would have been given to the first person you tried to murder."
That, that was terrible, horrifying. Not only did it mean that her sacrifice would have been pointless, it would have meant that her precious person, the one person she cared for the most would have been given up to someone who might risk that life for themselves. Worst still, if what Kyoko said was true, then the same likely extended to them as well.
If they ever committed a failed murder attempt, they would be risking their loved one's lives in every decision they made. They had no way to protect them unless they chose to avoid killing someone. While Makoto didn't believe that anyone would be so heartless as to make such an endeavor, he couldn't shake the unease he felt whenever he remembered that one of them had already attempted to kill someone. Had it not been for the mysterious person that showed up to save those two, they would have likely lost three people already. Four if Leon hadn't helped save Junko.
That reminder had him sit up in his bed. Junko. Whatever happened to her? When they had left the elevator, none of them could check up on her. When they had tried, they had received an alert on their E-handbooks that had them even more pensive then before. A new rule had been added, stating that, "Between the hours of nine PM and nine AM, only the one designated as the nurse will be allowed access to the infirmary. Injured and sick must check in through them and will be given a bed for treatment until they are capable of moving on their own power."
Since both Sayaka and Hiro could technically move their own wheelchairs if they wanted, they weren't allowed in. Moreover, because this rule had showed up so suddenly, none of them had been assigned the role of nurse yet. There hadn't even been a notice posted on the job board so they couldn't just have one of them volunteer for the role. In the end, they had to begrudgingly leave Junko alone in the infirmary and wait until morning came.
Standing up, despite how much his body told him it wanted to go back to sleep, Makoto rubbed the sleep from his eyes and ambled over to his dresser and grabbed his clothes for the day before wandering over to his bathroom, hoping to get a quick shower in before breakfast. In the end, there was only one thing that he could do right now.
Press on and move forward.
I sighed as I held a bowl and stirred the doughy contents for what felt like the hundredth time. If I was going to mope, it was going to be after I have some breakfast.
With me, I have a bit of a habit. When I'm upset, I either play games until I forget why I was upset, or I occupy myself by working on either writing a story, drawing a picture, or by cooking something. Sadly, this school didn't have a console of any kind in it, nor any games, and even if there were, I had extremely high doubts that I would even be able to play them since the only television in here was the really old box screen that was with the monitors. Well, there were a few in the school store, but I had a feeling that they were just props or rigged with despair propaganda.
Writing would have been a great time, but that had the downside that I preferred to type my stories over written word. I just felt more at home that way. Sadly, the only thing I'd found like a writing program in this school was far more limited then I preferred, and I wasn't comfortable using the main computer for this kind of thing. Drawing was a similar vein since I had a special sketchbook that I preferred to draw in. Without it, it just didn't feel right.
Not to mention that, with tensions so high from the trial, it would be nice to have something comforting to help me settle my nerves. So, cooking it was.
Fortunately for me, while the others couldn't enter the dining hall before seven, I had my pathways that gave me free access to all areas of the school. I had free rein of the place to do whatever I so pleased. So what if it was cheating it a way, I needed some levity after all of the depressing business from yesterday, and the nightmare that followed.
I did my best to suppress the shiver that rolled down my spine so that I didn't cause the batter to miss the frying pan before me. That dream. That horrible nightmare. Even now I could still remember the damn thing with far too much detail. The absolute terror the three of them had plastered on their faces, the sounds of their screams as they were tortured to death, and the blood.
Oh, dear sweet zombie Jesus, the blood. This world lived on a specific set of rules, always. Unessential characters were represented as colored out silhouettes, characters that earn the "Ultimate" title have some kind of baggage, and blood was hot pink. This dream, this dream broke the last rule. It was not pink, no it wasn't even close, it was a color it should not be it this world. It was a shade that never should be associated with those life-giving cells.
Red.
A deep, rich crimson that poured from their wounds and splattered all over the ground. The way the rosy liquid pooled in their mouths and drooled down their chins as they fought to keep it in through clenched teeth. It wasn't even something I could say was the result of a bad B-grade horror movie. This felt so real, like they were dying right in front of me and I was unable to turn away or close my eyes.
I think I would have thrown up had I had anything in my stomach at the time.
The more I thought about it though, the more I realized something about those torturous gore fests. As disturbing as they had been, and don't get me wrong they were ungodly disturbing, there was a feeling of…familiarity to them.
Sayaka…forced to dance on a stage under the pretense that, should she make the crowd cheer hard enough to meet some sort of rating, she would be let go. Something sabotages her efforts and a giant beartrap crushes her.
Leon…locked up to a post and bludgeoned to death by an onslaught of baseballs, the very thing that defines the very sport he has the most talent in and he is the most known for.
Yasuhiro…forced to use his talents to try and find out which door would lead him to safety, only for it to be revealed that all of them were a trap and that it was in fact the last door hidden out of sight that was the safe one.
Even if I was quite shaken up by the rather gruesome display, I couldn't help but realize the similarities they held with confirmed execution ideas that had been made by the creator. Hell, Leon's was almost the exact same as the one from the original game. The only difference had been the inclusions made by that literally shady figure.
A frown creased my face as I absentmindedly flipped the complete pastry in the pan and then moved it to join its brethren on the plate next to the stove. That person, if they could even be called that. There had never been anything like that in any of the games I'd played, nor do I recall it in any of the mini-novels that had been written in universe. I had never come across anything like it in any forum online, nor in any source that I could readily remember. It frustrated me to no end that I couldn't remember anything about it.
Searching on the internet now would be pointless since, not only was it something from this world that I knew nothing about, but with most of the internet destroyed baring a small few chat sights the whole plan would fall on its face from the word go. It really bit at me that I might have to let it go, but with no leads and no way of finding them I was up a creak with a broken paddle.
Still, the executions bothered me. Not just the modifications that enhanced the disturb factor, but the people involved. All three of them had been involved in the last case in some way. Sayaka was the instigator, Leon the attempted victim, and Hiro the unintended victim. Any one of them could have died that night, two of them almost did. It was tragic what had nearly happened, and the feelings brought up because of it were some that I never wanted to go through again.
Still, why them specifically, or rather, why only them? Out of the four people that had nearly died within the past few days, Mukuro was the only one I had direct involvement in her near death. Hell, I prevented the other three from almost croaking. Yet, in the dreams she hadn't appeared once.
Why though? If it was a dream fabricated by my guilty conscious, then by all rights she should have been in there. Yet, not a single sign of her had shown itself in the horrid affair. Mind you, it wasn't as if I wanted to watch her die in some kind of sadistic display of torment designed to kill her in the most ironic way possible for someone of her talents. But it didn't stop it from being strange that she didn't show up in there at all. It shouldn't be because her death only became relevant in the last couple of chapters, because her original death time had been before the first trial in the game too. Plus, Hiro never died in the cannon story.
Well, he did in the demo, but that didn't count.
Speaking of executions, as I poured another circle in the pan I let my mind wander back to last night, and the vote that could have resulted in Sayaka's execution.
Honestly, despite my fears, I knew it wouldn't be anywhere close. Though they had all interacted with her in some way, only Makoto had been close enough that her actions could have made him wish for her death, and he was far too nice of a person to want that done to her. That wasn't even me stereotyping him either.
At the end, even after hearing of everything that she had none, heard her admit to all the pain and suffering she'd caused, seen what her actions she'd produced, Makoto still tried to save Junko from her execution. If that didn't say anything, there was the speech he made at the end of the first chapter. The whole thing where he swore to carry the memories of the fallen forever instead of pushing them aside like most people would. It was one of his more endearing traits.
Though, I did have to wonder if he ended up suffering some sort of survivor's guilt over that. I wouldn't know, last I had heard of the franchise, they were still in development of the third game, so who knows what he would end up going through.
Flipping another flapjack onto the stack, I smiled a bit. Still, if there was one thing that was consistent in this gloomy place, it was the luckster's kind heart.
Because of that, I had faith that they would do the right thing and allow Sayaka a chance to redeem herself in their eyes. Turns out, I was right. While I was a bit disappointed that the others hadn't been all that inspired by Leon's words, I could tell that they had been affected in a small way. I had honestly thought that Celeste and Byakuya would have voted for her execution from the very start, and the same for Toko and maybe Hiro. While I was half right, I was pleasantly surprised by the former two deciding against my expectations.
I sighed though when I thought about the fate they decided on for her though. I wasn't against it, far from it. This was one of the better ways to deal with her actions. I just wished that it would have been Makoto to have volunteered to be Sayaka's escort.
It wasn't because of any shipping nonsense or anything like that, I swear. Even though I understood the logic behind their choice, it was because Makoto had the highest chance of helping her recover from this ordeal then any of the others. He was close to her and his optimistic kind heart would help her in the long run. He was the one that would have been completely earnest in his attempts to reignite the passion in her heart. Yet, before he could volunteer, Leon jumped to the frontlines and took the role as her escort.
I swear, for someone depicted as a lazy, womanizing coward who gave up his best talent for the chance to score with some chick he'd just met, that All-star had been rather brave since that night. It was strange to see how different he had started acting since then. It was quite refreshing to see him shift to a decent person, albeit one that forgets how subtlety works.
Either way, it would do her well to have to work with the others. Might even get her to stop being so stiff and manipulative.
'Still,' I thought to myself as I flipped over the pancake, 'I can't help but worry about her, especially after what I'd told her last night.'
It was most likely my tired mind preventing me from thinking straight, or quite possibly a bit of spite still hidden underneath my subconscious, but I ended up telling her something that was entirely untrue. I had no intention of giving her lifeline away to anyone, nor could I if I had wanted to. Yet, that was what I had told her.
I suppose it would be for the best if I don't try to take it back after all I had said. If she thinks that her friend would still be in danger should she die, there would be less chance of her acting up in the future. That thought didn't stop the ever-growing guilt welling in my gut, but the damage was already done and nothing I say would change that.
Tossing the next flapjack onto the stack and pouring four more into the pan, I wondered what I should do about the other party in this case. Mukuro.
I still felt quite miserable about what I'd done to her, and not even a pile of pancakes could repel the guilt. She was the ultimate solider, the only one to be able to go into any form of warzone and return unscathed. She was the best of the best despite what her age or gender would lead people to believe, able to pull off the impossible wherever she went.
And now she had a hole in her leg, robbing her of the mobility that she had been so acquainted with. I had put her on a permanent early retirement way before she needed it and forced her to the possible future of possibly being a cripple for the rest of her life. Her talent, her very livelihood, I had stolen them from her, and with the scars on her psyche from both her time as a mercenary and Junko's not so subtle manipulations, it was highly unlikely that she would be able to settle as a simple civilian again without intensive therapy.
There was no way I could make it up to her. All I could do was try and apologize and do my best to help her recover the use of that leg, maybe help her find her humanity again. That was all I could do now.
There was one other problem though. With her crippled and recovering as she was now, there was a possibility that something could happen to her that would get her killed here. I don't care how slim that chance was, the fact that it existed was more than enough to make me worry. I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her and the others at the same time, not without finding a way to keep her in the game without letting her actively participate…
…
"…Hold on. That gives me an idea. Could I…?" I muttered to myself as I flipped the flat cakes absentmindedly. "It wouldn't be that difficult to pull off. I mean, I would have to forgo somethings; make some changes to the system. I'd have to make some adjustments…but, that wouldn't be too hard. Plus, I could change things better that way…hmm."
As I pondered this new idea in my head, I was suddenly distracted when I heard a gurgling roar coming from my gullet. A deadpanned look work its way onto my face as I looked at the source of the sound, unamused by the interloper that dared to derail my thoughts.
"Fine." I grumbled at the blasted belly of mine as I flipped the four final pancakes off the pan and onto the stack. "I'll feed you first, then we'll make life changing de…cisions…"
I trailed off as I looked at the stack I had made, only now after tolling for roughly an hour on its creation giving it a proper look. In that moment, I realized something important.
"…I should have paid more attention to how many of you I was making…"
There were many things that Leon wasn't known for, and to say that he was would be an outright lie. For example, he was not an A plus student, in any stretch of the imagination. Despite his own claims to the contrary, he was not a lady's man. He didn't have any musical talent, to his dismay, and he wasn't interested in having a relationship within his family, to his cousin's continued disappointment. But among that long list of things he wasn't, the thing he most wasn't known for was being an early riser.
Something that would be coming to bite him this morning.
*Knock, Knock, Knock! *
A startled yelp broke free from the rooms sole occupant as his door was pounded on, forcibly ripping him from his sleep and nearly causing him to fall on his face from his sudden flailing. Panting heavily as he regained his balance, he glanced at the door to his room and sighed. He knew it was coming, he had asked for this after all, but it didn't make it feel any better to have to get out of his still warm bed for any reason.
With great reluctance, the baseball player forced himself to stand. Taking a brief moment to stretch his arms above his head with a loud yawn, he waited until he felt a small pop in his upper back, then made his way to his front door.
"Mister Kuwata! Wake up!" he could just about hear the voice of the rather irritating moral committee chair through the wooden door, so loud the white uniformed boy was shouting. It was admittedly impressive since the rooms were supposed to be sound proof, though if he had to guess, it was probably just the room itself that was sound proof, not the doors. Regardless, while rubbing the grime out his eyes, Leon opened the door and was immediately beset upon by Taka.
"There you are!" Kiyotaka loudly pointed out, literally as the case was with his index finger a mere fraction of an inch from Leon's nose. "Did you already forget!? You need to be ready to escort Miss Maizono starting today!"
"Don't worry about it man." was Leon's reply, suppressing another yawn as he did so. "I know, I know. I was the one to agree to this after all."
"True." Admitted Taka, "but that doesn't excuse laziness! As of today, I have decided to be our official roaster to wake us in the morning! Please, no need to thank me."
'Well, if you want to be called a cock, I won't stop you.' Leon deadpanned in his head, acutely aware that the Moral didn't even realize the amount of teasing he would be getting in the near future should he ever figure out what he was saying about himself. If anything, Leon found it worth not mentioning in the hope of seeing how long it will take for Taka to catch on. So, he said nothing about it.
Instead, he told the white themed boy, "Yeah, I got it. Wasn't gonna anyway. Let me just get dressed and grab Sayaka and we'll see ya later." And with that, he closed the door, ignoring the praise from Ishimaru for him being a great example.
Sighing now that he was were Taka couldn't hear him, he walked over to the pile of clothes he'd left on the floor from the day before. Picking up his shirt, he gave it a sniff and decided that it would be fine for one more day before it got too ripe, he quickly put it on over the A shirt that he wore to bed and slipped his jacket on over it. Taking a moment to slip on his white pants, he headed into his private bathroom and began his morning ritual.
After a quick rinse of warm water to clean up his morning breath, he took his comb and got to work on getting the spikes of his hair to stand up in the way he preferred it. After being sure that it was just right, he vacated the room and made his way over to Sayaka's room. As per the agreement with the others, he was supposed to head in to escort her every morning to the dining hall for the morning meeting. Normally, he would have had a lot to complain about that, saying things like, "Why should I have to look after her?" but not this time.
He knew he should expect this to happen when he volunteered to be her chaperon, it went unsaid that he would have to be the one to wake her. It was practically an unwritten rule. It was even more so considering her weakened state.
To his somewhat misfortune though, Sayaka had opted out of him being the one to help dress her. It had admittedly been a concern that hadn't occurred to him until right when he was helping her get into her bed, fortunately without ripping open her wounds. When asked, she had stated that Monokuma, having been the one to dress her for the trial, would be keeping her clothed until she could use her wrist properly again. It was a bit disheartening to hear that she trusted their captor over him, but he was too tired to argue over the issue and let it slide.
Now though, he was fully prepared to tell her why that was a bad idea. Call him skeptical, but he didn't trust that bear to have her best interests at heart. Actually, call him completely rational, because there was no way anything good would come of that bear having full access to her at any point in time!
That was why he was glad to have caught the little conversation she had with Monokuma. He had planned to head back to the dining hall to grab a bite for himself and Sayaka, mostly because the trial and investigation had caused them to miss lunch and supper making everyone hungry and irritable, only to turn back to ask her what she would like. He knew that she couldn't have had anything all day since she had slept through most of it, and wanted to be sure she would be able to eat it all to help in her recovery.
However, that plan had changed when he creaked open the door and heard Monokuma talking.
In that moment, he felt his heart leap into his throat and he had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from calling out in shock. Why was Monokuma in there with her now, of all times? Was Sayaka trying to convince the bear that she should be executed regardless of the vote? Could…could she be planning to betray them all again?
Listening closer though revealed that it was much worst.
"…I tell ya, you must have rubbed some of Makoto's luck off on ya to have avoided your execution like that. I mean really, who'd of ever imagined that Leon, fricking 'I nearly got stabbed to death' Leon would have given a speech about how death wasn't the right answer. Ha! Next someone'll say that bears don't eat fish, or that teenagers aren't basically walking piles of hormones. I mean, really."
"…" Sayaka was silent in the face of Monokuma's inane rantings, staring blankly at the ground for her spot at the edge of her bed, right where he had left her. As he gazed through the ajar door and listened, he could barely see the two-faced bear as it paced back and forth before her, rating as it went. It was frustrating to watch, to see her so unresponsive to what was going on in front of her when by all rights, she should be telling that beast to piss off! Hell, he was just about to do that himself, he was so upset with the mastermind for everything that had happened.
But, then it stopped and looked her dead in the eyes. "But, y'know. It's probably a good thing for you that they aren't as blood thirsty as I had thought. After all, if they were, Leon would have really benefited from all of this."
That caused Leon to pause. 'I would have benefited from this? What the hell is he talking about?' he could only wonder what the hell the bear was going on about, because as far as he could see, there was no benefit to this whatsoever. To his amazement, Sayaka ended up echoing his thoughts.
"…Benefit? What benefit…? How could anyone benefit from any of this?" the fires that had once been in her eyes were starting to rekindle, her good hand clenched into a fist as her once empty gaze slowly turned into a glare that could melt steel.
"Well, how do I put this? If they had chosen to execute you, your Lifeline would have been given to the first person you tried to murder."
He hadn't stuck around to hear her reaction, on account that the bear had turned around and looked right at him through the small gap. The moment he saw that glowing red eye he had hightailed it.
Thinking back on it, it might have been a mistake to run like he did. There was no real indication that he had been seen after all, only that he had thought he had. If he had stayed, he might have been able to learn more about some things. There were still so many questions unanswered about the situation and all that was involved with it, and the only one with the answers wasn't exactly being forthcoming with the info they needed. Instead, they taunted them with it, purposefully only giving them a few titbits every once in a while, just to keep them begging for more.
In all honesty, it was downright infuriating at times.
Regardless though, he had someone relying on him now, so he couldn't afford to slack off. As he made his way down the halls he paused momentarily when he saw Taka hammering away at Hiro's doorbell, absolutely determined to get him to wake up for the morning meeting and breakfast. Shaking his head slightly in exasperation at the moral's actions, he started to make his way to pick up Sayaka. No doubt that Taka had woken her earlier then him since her room was closer to the red-eyed boy's, and since Monokuma was apparently going to help her with getting both getting dressed and out of bed, there wasn't any chance that he would be finding her still in bed.
As he walked though, he found himself pausing at the door of another girl, this one having still been missing since yesterday.
"Junko." He mumbled, worried about what had happened to her. Thanks to Monokuma's messing, no one knew how she was. Hell, none of them even knew if she was still alive at this point. And unless Monokuma says anything to them, it was unlikely that they would find out anything.
What had happened to her? Was she safe? Did the mastermind do away with her when they had the chance, or is she actually still just asleep in the nurse's office waiting for them? The questions gnawed at him and the others ever since they had found the door locked and quite frankly it was driving him up the wall with worry.
"I still need to thank her for reminding me of what was more important in life." He sighed heavily, as just thinking of that memory left him feeling melancholy. It had been at the tail end of their little clean up session when he had decided to confront her on why she had been so addiment on helping him, Hiro, and Sayaka. In his mind, she had nothing to gain from this endeavor, and everything to lose. As she said, if the mastermind did find out she was stopping murders, then there would be no doubt that she would be targeted. Even when she explained her reasoning for helping save Sayaka despite the fact that the idol had tried to murder him, it still hadn't felt like the whole story. So, before she had headed to the laundry room, he asked her about it.
And she replied, "Have you ever had someone die that was close to you? Have you ever seen them take their own life because they felt they couldn't handle the pressure of living anymore? I have, and it's something I wouldn't wish on anyone. The feeling that causes, it cuts deep, really deep, and despite what others say, you never truly forget that feeling. If you let it, and even when you don't, it can haunt you, even scar you. Well, right now, that's what Sayaka's going through; what all of us are going through. When she saw her DVD, she panicked, she became despite to save whoever that was that she loved so much. And now that that's failed, I don't want to think of what she'll do.
She's lost so much already, and when the others find out what she did…I can't say they'll be all that forgiving. That distrust, that might be enough to push her over the edge…try to do something I would rather not witness again. Call me selfish, but I don't want to experience that ever again. And if that means I'm going to have to be the only one willing to give her a second chance, then I'll do it. We've all lost so much already. We shouldn't make ourselves lose anymore.
Life should never be taken for granted like that."
That memory had been what had finally kicked his butt into gear, the very thing that allowed him to gather his courage and make his speech during the Final Debate and even now those feelings rang true. Forget what Monokuma said, life wasn't a bargaining chip to be given away at a moment's notice. They had no right to choose whether or not she died.
But still, that did raise the question of why Monokuma had sealed off the nurse's office again, and why he had put such a strange rule over it. It was kind of suspicious if he had to say anything about it.
Shaking his head, he decided that he wouldn't be able to figure this out on his own, so it would be for the best if he put it aside for the moment and focus on his new role in this school. Finishing making his way down the hall he stopped in front of the door of the one he was responsible for escorting. Fishing through his pockets, he quickly found and pulled out a key.
To be more specific, Sayaka's key.
It had been agreed that, as he was now responsible for her, he needed to have access to her room at all times. Now admittedly, Byakuya had been the one to propose the idea, stating that, "If she ends up getting murdered in her room, then they would have a much easier time finding her killer since we'll know who has her key in the first place." That had been rather irritating to hear, but even with that pessimistic view point, it made sense for him to carry it either way.
'Still…' he thought to himself as he stood in front of the door, key in hand as he blankly stared at the barrier between him and his charge. 'Maybe I should have thought this through more.'
The reason for this thought was actually quite simple. He, a boy, a very healthy athletic and very much straight male, now had to walk into and retrieve Sayaka, a girl, a very attractive popular girl that lived here…and was quite possibly still in bed or even quite possibly still…underdressed.
A healthy blush lit up his face at the thought and he shook his head to try and remove the hormonally charged image from his head. It was bad enough that he had to forget that she was a girl and might not appreciate a boy barging into her room on a regular basis, he didn't want to have to avoid showing off a boner as well. That would just make this more awkward then he wanted it to be.
'You're just here to pick her up for breakfast' he tried to reassure himself, wanting to prevent any incidences. 'That's all we're here for. Nothing more. Remember, she already tried to kill you before. You should never try and get together with someone who tries that kind of thing. Remember, you already have one Yandere trying to jump your bones. We don't need another."
Taking a deep breath, he breathed out a soft, "Okay, you got this." Now reassured that he could do this, he unlocked the door, and pushed it open with his eyes closed, just in case.
"Yo, Sayaka. You, uh…you ready to go?" Instantly, he cringed at his poor wording. There was no way she was ready with a broken wrist, not unless she just slept in her old clothes. "S-Sorry, I meant to ask if…you...Wha…?"
His embarrassment died a quick and fiery death when he saw the contents of the room.
Or rather, the lack of contents.
Sure, the furniture was still all there. The bed was still there, and fully made up with the covers perfectly pressed and pulled. The desk was fine, the drawers were fine, even the walls and floor were fine. But, Sayaka?
Sayaka was gone.
"Mornin' Makoto."
The luckster turned to look at the greeter with a strained smile as he walked into the food court, and was given an equally worried grin in return from Hina. The swimmer looked tense, like she was nervous about what his response would be, and was trying to hid it behind a smile. He didn't blame her though, after all that had happened yesterday, he felt she had the right to be anxious.
Shaking his head to dissuade his thoughts from drifting back to that depressing time, he turned back to her with a slightly sincerer smile and returned the greeting. "Good morning Hina. How are you?"
"I'm good." She replied, relaxing a bit more now that she was sure there wasn't going to be any animosity from him. "I'm just, ya' know."
"Yeah…" he replied to her vague response, but was unable to say anything more. He just couldn't think of anything more to say to the swimmer girl, and she didn't appear to have anything to add either, resulting in the conversation quickly falling into a state of awkward silence.
There wasn't much help coming from the other occupants in the room, that was for sure. Sakura was seated next to Hina as usual, but there was a tense aura around her that made approaching feel like a bad idea. Chihiro sat not too far away, but she clearly wasn't looking to well off. Though she had offered a timid, "Morning" her gaze had returned to her lap shortly afterwards, and if he looked closely, Makoto could see tears welling up at the edges of the little programmer's eyes. It didn't take a psychic to tell that they were still reeling from the trial yesterday.
Strangely enough though, Taka was missing, which considering how much of a stickler for punctuality he was, that was very concerning. "Hey, where's Taka?"
"Kiyotaka stated that it would be best if he gathers the others for our morning arrangement." Sakura provided, her calm and polite tone clashing drastically with her stiff and dangerous posture.
"Yeah," Roughly agreed Mondo from his spot across the table where he was eating a rather large stack of pancakes. Swallowing the piece currently in his mouth, Mondo continued, "Fuckin' idiot's been pounding on everyone's doorbell all goddamn morning. Wouldn't even leave my fuckin' room until I promised to show up."
'Ah, so that's why they're here early.' Makoto thought to himself as he looked at all the others at the central table. Celeste had seemingly commandeered the end of the table for herself and was sitting poised and proper as she daintily sipped at her milk tea that Hifumi had prepared for her, said otaku standing nearby looking like he was wondering if it would be a better idea to say and receive her judgments, or flee back to the kitchen should she fling the cup at him for messing up the drink…again. Next to that hot mess sat Hiro, still confined to his wheelchair, though he seemed a lot worst for off then then last time he'd seen him.
He had big, saggy bags under his eyes and it seemed that he was sweating profusely. His eyes were also bloodshot, and in all honesty, he looked like he was about to collapse in his seat. There was also a distinct odor that the luckster couldn't quite place wafting off the seer's body. When Makoto asked, what was wrong with him, the fortune teller brushed it off, stating that, "It's all good man, I just had some trouble sleeping from the headaches and all. No biggy." It certainly seemed like it was big, but it was clear that Hiro wasn't going to elaborate further, so reluctantly, Makoto dropped the subject.
The biggest oddity though was Kyoko, who had been late every day consistently. This morning, she was leaning on the wall next to the kitchen door with an expression of being lost in thought. Briefly, she glanced his way when she noticed his gaze, but she was quick to return to her thoughts with only a single nod of acknowledgment to him that he returned.
Other than that, it seemed that the others that were missing were Toko, Byakuya, and Taka. Their silence only lasted for a few minutes before Makoto noticed something off.
"Where's Sayaka and Leon? And Toko and Byakuya?" he asked, glancing around and trying to see if he had simply missed them or not, but not even one of the other tables held the four missing students. Yet, there were no signs of either of them anywhere. For a moment, worry struck him as he couldn't help but remember the last time someone didn't show up, but it was abated when Kyoko spoke up.
"I walked past them earlier. Byakuya said that he wasn't going to come, not when someone could easily poison his food. Toko didn't say anything to me, but I saw her scamper off after Byakuya, so I assume she's fine." Then she turned away, her expression becoming unreadable. "Though, I haven't heard from either Leon or Sayaka."
That was still concerning though to Makoto, and he was about to offer to go check on them when there was a sound of the cafeteria doors being thrown wide open startled him and the rest of the students. Snapping back around to gaze at the entrance, there they witnessed Kiyotaka in all his glory with an authoritative scowl on his face before he dramatically pointed to them at the central table.
"Listen up!" he shouted with a startling amount of hostility. "I was just informed that Sayaka Maizono has disappeared!"
"What!?" was the justifiable response of the others, completely caught off guard by the news. She was gone. Sayaka was gone!?
Mondo was quick to continue the line of questioning, shouting, "What the hell do you mean by that!?"
"It's like he said." Interjected Leon as he stepped from behind Taka, panting like he'd run a marathon. "When I went to her room, there wasn't any sign of her anywhere!"
Taka interrupted, "Indeed! I went to check as well just to be certain, and there wasn't a single trace of her. I wish to call for an emergency search for her!"
There was unanimous agreement heard from the others, but before they could act on them…
*Ding dong, dong ding*
The sounds of the school bell chimed throughout the building and the monitor on the wall came to life, showing the face of their bear like captor that they despised oh so much.
"Ahem, this is a school announcement. At your earliest connivance, please head to the gymnasium post haste. I have something important that must be said. This is a mandatory meeting, so please don't be late." At first, that seemed to be the end of it, but then Monokuma seemed to jerk a bit. "Ah, also. To the ones who have received deep wounds recently, I have already prepared transport for you to be escorted by."
"Escorted?" parroted the resident Seer as he rubbed his head in confusion, unsure what the bear was implying. "I wonder what he means by…"
He was cut off when his wheelchair suddenly jerked back. Before he knew what was happening, his chair suddenly started moving to the door at top speed. Propelled by the Monokuma that had snuck up behind him while he was focused on the screen, all he could do was screech in terror as he found himself flying down the halls at a dangerous pace.
The others had been stricken silent at the bewildering sight. It had just happened so fast that none of them had any chance to react before he was herded out. It didn't take long, however, for the others to regain their senses.
"H-Hey! Wait!" Leon and Makoto shouted as they took chase, followed shortly after by the Hina and Sakura. Taka was quick to follow, shouting about their running in the halls as he hypocritically chased them at top speed. Chihiro and Hifumi briefly glanced at each other in bewilderment, but were quick to head out as well, though at a considerably slower and cautious pace than the others. Mondo grumbled as he stood up, glaring at the screen that had interrupted his meal, but stabbed his fork into his remaining flapjacks and begrudgingly stomped his way to the door.
The remaining two simply sighed in a rare moment of mutual exasperation, the antics of the others making them feel embarrassed for their sake. At that moment, either one would have preferred staying out of this whole debacle. Sadly, they both knew that they had no choice in the matter. So, with gracious steps befitting of their craft, they followed their louder classmates, hoping that nothing tragic would befall anyone on this day.
It didn't take long for them to reach the gym, the chase ending just before the doors heading in. Hiro was now by himself, a bit shaken up by the unexpected trip and panting like a dog in the summer heat, but overall was okay. Still, that didn't stop Hina from asking if he was alright anyway.
"Y-Yeah, I…I'm good…I'm cool. Ugh." He replied as he clutched his chest with one hand and rubbed his bandages on his side with the other. The whole trip had been far too wild for him, full of sharp turns and plenty of close calls with the walls. In all honesty, he felt that he was going to hurl had they not stopped when they did.
"Wonder what Monokuma wanted." Hina pondered as she walked over to the door to the gym. She hesitated for a second, clearly unsure if she should head in, but after a quick glance behind her to see the others were right behind her, she forced open the doors with a mighty heave.
And the sight that awaited them stopped them in their tracks.