"Well? What about me?"
The voice of their once out of commission classmate demanded as she looked at each of them with a steely glare, ordering someone to speak up to her question. Despite the fact that she could barely stand and had all of her weight pressing onto the crutch that she clung to with both quivering hands, her glare was still strong, freezing them in place whenever they tried to say their piece. They had no idea what to say, the words lost as the bloody fashion deva glowered at them. Just seeing her there was enough to stun them into silence.
"…Fine, whatever." She said frustrated after a while of getting nothing, with a heavy grunt of effort lifted the crutch a few inches in front of her and started limping to the table. With her glare no longer aimed their way, the able-bodied and morally sound students quickly rose from their seats and rushed to her side.
"Junko, you're okay!" Hina cried with a mixture of shock and relief, stunned by the injured girl's presence but relieved to see her okay…relatively speaking. Junko obviously still had a stitched-up hole in her leg, but she was still able to get up and hobbled around so she had clearly recovered a bit. Yet, it was clear that little improvement didn't mean much when she was panting like a dog after a run in the summer heat.
"Define 'okay'." Junko replied bluntly, her eyes squinting in pain as she continued to limp forward with a grimace and winded breath. Hina and Sakura moved to her side to try and offer a shoulder for her to lean on, but she waved them off with a grunt. "I'll be better when…god…that two-face knock-off gets his block knocked off…Frick…"
There were looks exchanged as she continued to limp, her movements shaky and looking like she would tumble down at any second, yet she stubbornly continued to move slowly towards the central table with a noise of either rage, excursion, or both with each heavy step. Even as she went though, she continued to rant. "Freaking bear…*pant*…Bastard only gave me a crutch…*grunt*…and then has the gall to make an excuse that all of the…*growl*…other wheelchairs are in use, and…Damnit…the budget didn't cover a full pair of crutches…Said this would build character!"
The others expressions soured at that bit of information, their minds instantly filling in the blanks. With all of the mentions of Monokuma having covered all of their needs, it was unlikely that what he'd told the fashionista was true. Most likely, this was some kind of petty move on the two-tone plushy to spite her for her attempt to defy him and surviving the fallout. There was no other reason they would believe based on what they had seen thus far.
There was also a small feeling of guilt from Sayaka and Hiro, the only people who actually had a wheelchair, the former more so then the latter since she was the reason the mobile chairs were in use. Plus, with both her and the clairvoyant still recovering, it was unlikely that they could give their fellow classmate their own chairs till they managed to recover a bit more.
"Here Junko, let us help." Hina softy offered moving towards the crippled girl with Sakura at her side. Yet, just as they were about to touch her, Junko swung her left arm out and lightly pushed the swimmer's arm away. Hina flinched back, but it didn't stop her from trying again. This time she was able to get her hand onto the fashion model's shoulder when the model shuddered.
"Don't…" Junko muttered, her voice weak but full of pride as she begged between her pants of exhaustion. "I…I got to do it on my own…I need to…Need to get there myself. I…I refuse to be invalidated, I don't…Please, just let me try…Please."
The swimmer girl's heart ached as her fellow girl practically begged her to let go, Junko's damaged pride on full display as she struggled to just remain standing, let alone reach the table. She really wanted to ignore the fashionista's words and lend her shoulder, but the look on her face made Hina hesitate. She glanced at her friends, desperate for a second opinion on the matter. Sakura had withdrawn at Junko's words out of respect of the fashionista's choice, but Hina could see she wasn't completely backing down on the off chance that something went wrong. Makoto, Leon, and Chihiro looked extremely worried as she was, but they clearly weren't sure what to do either. The others seemed to be intentionally avoiding her gaze, either uncaring about the situation, or just as conflicted as she was and were just so doubtful in how to act that they weren't able to decide. It was only Kyoko who didn't turn away, staring with an unreadable expression on her face.
The mysterious person that has been with them thus far had been watching Junko since the moment she first appeared in the door, her eyes not betraying a single thought as she studied the injured girl. There was something different about Kyoko that Hina couldn't quite put her finger on, something about how calm she always was that somewhat unnerved the swimmer girl. It was similar to how she felt when Celeste stared occasionally with that calculating look in her eye. Yet at the same time, Kyoko's was different. Kinda in a more matter of facts way then the gambler's more opportunistic approach. Yet, it was clear from the trial that she was incredibly smart and capable and was the best person to make this decision in this delicate manner.
Junko clearly wanted to do this on her own, but poor conflicted Hina didn't want her to push herself too far with her injury. If she did, there could be lasting damage that could scar her for life. Yet, if Hina intervened anyway, she wasn't sure if the model would ever forgive her. She didn't want to upset Junko, but she also didn't want to see her hurt anymore.
That's why she felt conflicted when Kyoko answered for her. "Very well, but if you fall, we'll help you from there. Understood?"
Junko nodded, thankful for the purple themed girl's approval, but Taka wasn't so thrilled. "Just a second! Junko, you're far to injured to be moving alone in your state! Let one of us help-"
"Would you knock it off for a minute!" Junko heatedly interrupted, her face still inflamed. "I appreciate the concern, I do, but I didn't get this far in my life by letting others go out of their way for me, and I'm not going to stop now. If you really want to 'help' me then just be ready to catch me if I flub this, but don't you dare jump in before or I will never forgive you. Do you understand me?"
She had spoken calmly near the end, no hesitance in her words of weakness in her words. It was like she slowly shifted from mad to deathly serious in a matter of seconds. It was so jarring that the moral compass was caught completely off guard. It the end, all he could do was back down, albeit reluctantly. "U-Understood."
She smiled at him, thanking him for being so understanding, then grit her teeth as she stared her arduous journey to the chair. Each step was emphasized by a grunt of anger, frustration, and pain. Sakura and Hina stood by, ready to catch her if she fell with Taka and Leon on the backline just in case. Eventually, she managed to make it to the chair she usually chose to use during the morning and while using Mondo's shoulder as a brace, she used her crutch to pull out the chair and maneuvered around to sit down. She let out a huff of exhaustion as she sat, balancing the crutch on the table with a grunt, and then *thunk* her head hit the table as she groaned out a word of thanks.
The others gazed at each other, concerned for their classmate yet unsure of how to react to her. She was practically dead on her feet, and that moment where she smacked her head on the table certainly didn't help. They were worried that she was too unstable, to traumatized by her encounter that she would be unable to continue any further.
In a moment of brazen bravery, Chihiro moved closer to their injured and miserable friend. "Are…Are you okay Junko?"
There was a moment where the girl did nothing but groan, but then she slowly raised her head a gave the programmer a small, tired smile. "I've been better…I've been worst…but, as far as I can tell, at least it's not a Monday."
The others were caught off guard by the remark, and the programmer turned to the others completely unsure how to respond to that. Mondo ended up being the one to take over. "The fuck? What could have possibly been worst then this?"
"You ever have your head cut open?" the blunt way that she said that made it difficult to tell if she was being serious or not, and there wasn't a single person among them that wished to ask.
"In any case, it's good to see you're alive. We were getting worried." Junko smiled tiredly back at Hina's admission, and sighed.
"No need to worry. It'll take more than a homicidal bear take me down." A brief thought ran though some minds about how she had already almost been taken down by said bear, but they respectfully held their tongues. "Anyway, it looks like I've missed out on a lot of things. Anyone care to enlighten me?"
Realization came to their eyes at that as several of them suddenly remembered that little detail. "Ah, right! I forgot that she wasn't awake for the trial."
"No duh she wasn't there, idiot!" Leon rebutted Hiro, completely dumbfounded and a bit irritated at the seer for not remembering. "You were there when she was brought in! How do you not remember that?"
"Hey, lay off!" Hiro replied angrily, "It's been a while since then and a lot of stuff has happened, alright?"
"In any case," Kyoko interrupted, not willing to listen to another argument. "What do you remember?"
"Not much." Junko admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose for some reason, possibly to fight the growing headache those two likely caused with their bickering. "When I woke up, I was in a daze, so my memories might be a bit off. I think I was in the infirmary and I had something…something pinching my arm? I think…I think I saw someone leaving the place at some point, but I can't recall who, and I was alone for a while…um, let's see, after that, I remember that damn creeper bear showing up, saying something about having, "missed out on the festivities", then he pulled the…Bed? Cot? Whatever it's called, that I was sleeping on to my room and dumped me on my bed. I must have passed out after that, because the next time I woke up, Mono-prick was fixing my leg bandages a little while ago. Then, he just hands me that crutch, and tells me that you guys were having a meeting that I should get to, and ran off."
"Hmm…" Kyoko closed her eyes in thought, "Yes, that does match up. Could that "important business" Monokuma mentioned be that?"
Junko raised a brow at the cryptic phrase, staring at the girl with a deadpanned glare. "Okay, again, was not here for a lot of the discussion, someone elaborate please?"
"During the morning meeting, Monokuma had us all gather in the gymnasium to inform us about the new areas that had been unlocked." Celeste explained for the sake of the fashion model. "However, toward the end of the meeting he let slip that he had some business to take care of. It would seem that your care was quite possibly what they were referring to."
"Yes, that would appear to be the case." Byakuya confirmed while adjusting his glasses. "But, it's strange. Why would they go out of their way to move you to your room?"
"Huh?" Hina asked in Junko's place, though not without unintentionally cutting the strawberry blond off in the process. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't make me repeat myself." The scion patronizingly scoffed. "Our mutual captor has stated that we are not to sleep in any area of the school, other than the dorms. We've already confirmed that there are loopholes to that with being driven unconscious by outside means from Makoto, Sayaka, Junko and Hiro. However, of those three, Makoto, Sayaka, and Hiro had to be moved by one of us. So, why then was Junko the only exception to that?"
The rich boy certainly did bring up a good point, but there had been one thing that Hifumi noticed. "But, weren't we were the ones to relocated Miss Enoshima to the infirmary?"
"Naturally, but once she was alone, Monokuma took the liberty of moving her himself. Now ask yourself, what was so different between these instances."
The question caught the others off guard, none having considered the idea themselves. While the others were busy trying to puzzle out the answer, Makoto tossed out a theory. "It's because she was alone."
"Well, at least one of you is capable of basic problem solving." Byakuya commented condescendingly. "But yes, that's exactly what I mean. Similar to when Sayaka was escorted to the courtroom, Junko was incapacitated and was practically alone. In that time, Monokuma moved her to another location while we were unable to intervene. So, for what purpose does that serve?"
A dark look appeared on Junko's face as she answered with a grim tone. "It's to show us exactly why we aren't allowed to sleep outside of the dorms. The creep can have us moved at anytime, anywhere he wants. He just chooses not to move us from our rooms for whatever reason."
That thought was certainly terrifying to the band of ultimate students, that they could be taken away a moved around at any point without their consent, possibly getting moved to another place just for falling asleep. As if they needed more reason to worry.
"As…As disturbing as that all is," Junko started again, obviously trying to change the subject. "I'm still lost as to what happened at this trial that you guys were going on about, and what was that part about Sayaka?"
Said pop idol startled at the sudden mention of her name, but before she could say anything, Celeste decided to summarize the whole affair. "Sayaka attempted to kill Leon and tried to pin the blame on Makoto. However, she made a grave miscalculation and was forced to retreat. By mistake, she stabbed Hiro and was knocked unconscious. Afterwards, it seems that both Leon and an unknown person brought them both to the infirmary and treated their wounds."
Sayaka flinched at the brutal summarization of her crime, the pit in her stomach widening just a bit more, but that overall ignored by a piece of information that she herself had been unaware of. "Wait, Leon was the one who saved me?"
She turned in her seat to look at the boy behind her as she asked, but had to do a double take when she took in his expression. If she had to compare it to anything, she might have said that he looked a mix of, "swallowed a fresh lemon and lime drink, minus the sweetener" and, "just realized what goes on behind closed doors". The mix of pensive anger, disgusted horror, and downright hostile aura was a sight to see. She was stunned silent just by the sight, and thus wasn't able to comment when the gambler continued with a smile full of mischievous intent.
"Indeed. It would appear that he had been smitten by your looks and decided to save your life in spite of your actions against him. It was truly a note while move on his part, like a knight out to protect his ward."
"S-Shut up! It's not like that!" the now red faced, red-head firmly denied the accusation. "I just…w-well, I couldn't just leave her to die! She was just really freaking scared, that's all! Monokuma fucked with her head, same as all of us!"
Despite her feelings on the matter, Sayaka found herself feeling touched by the all-star's actions. Even after all she had done to him, he had still gone out of his way to help save her life, not just once, but twice! During the night after her attempt on her life, and again in the trial, he had risked it all to protect her. If there had ever been any doubts in her mind about giving up her bonds again for her own gain, they were swiftly demolished by the truth of why she still breathed.
Yet, despite that question warming her heart, it still left another question unsolved. "But, then who was the other person involved?"
Leon tensed up at the question, his lip clamping shut as a look of fear coated his face, which only grew worst when Byakuya threw in, "Unfortunately, we were unable to figure out who they were. Only Leon, said mysterious figure, and the mastermind know, and it's very apparent that neither are willing to say."
"L-Look I've already said it, like, a hundred times! I can't say anything! I promised not to say!" Leon snarled back at the rich boy. But before Byakuya could do more than glare hostilely, there was another voice that interrupted him.
"Okay, okay, whatever." Junko interrupted impatiently. "We get it already. You aren't talking, and nothing we say can change your mind. Fine, why waste any more breath on it. What I want to know is what else I missed out on, and why I'm currently the only one without any breakfast right now."
"Ah! That's right!" Taka chimed in with realization, and completely ignored the girl's impatient and rather rude tone. "You were still unconscious when we went to the second floor, and we were just finishing up when you got here! Very well! I shall take it upon myself to enlighten you on the matter!"
"And I'll get you something to eat." Hina chimed in, heading for the cafeteria as Taka went out of his way to inform the tired girl about what they had uncovered thus far, the others chiming in whenever he neglected on a few details. After about a few minutes, both for the swimmer's prepping and for the group to answer any questions the fashionista had for them.
"So, backing up a sec. Sayaka." Junko finally stated once they were finished explaining what she'd missed out on. "You were the one who started all of this then."
There was no question in her tone as she icily stared at the pop sensation, who flinched back at the reminder. "Y-Yes. I let what Monokuma showed me and my own fears blind me. I won't make any excuses. I'm sorry."
There was a scoff from Byakuya at that, and he made no attempt to hid his contempt. ""Sorry" doesn't change the fact that you did give in."
She flinched back at that, knowing that he had a point. She did give in, she did give up, and she deserved the criticism. Had anyone had a chance to attempt to rebuke Byakuya for his attitude, she would have told them that it was fine and excepted his remarks. However, before anyone could say anything one way or another, Junko interrupted with a tone that allowed no arguments.
"Someone, wheel Sayaka over here. I need a word." Her demand was so sudden that the others didn't know what to say. They had been caught so completely off guard by her request that many of the group of ultimate students didn't know what to say in response. Her expression didn't help matters, as it was stern yet not necessarily angry. It raised some concerns that the injured fashionista might try to commit something violent on the other injured girl.
"W-Why do you need her to come c-close?" Toko uttered from her self-appointed space away from the group. "C-Can't you just t-talk to her where she is now?"
"I could, but the impact of what I'm about to say would be lost. So, can someone push her over here or not?" Junko's gaze didn't leave Sayaka's through her explanation, and as a result, it did nothing to inspire any confidence against the idea that there would be bloodshed if the model got her hands on the idol.
As such, it was a complete shock when Sayaka reached over and nudged the baseball star next to her and asked him, "Leon, could you help me get over to her, please?"
Leon merely gave her a double take and stared with wide eyes. "Wha…? Sayaka, are you sure that's a good idea?"
"It's fine." She replied in turn, her fake smile once more back as she took in his confusion. "I don't believe she'll hurt me too much. I'll be fine. Right Junko?"
"What she said." Junko agreed, but that blunt emotionless tone still had him worried. Unfortunately, despite how much he wanted to protest, Sayaka clearly wasn't going to change her mind about this. So, with a heavy sigh, he stood up once more and began to wheel the pop sensation over to the other side where the fashion icon sat. He intentionally ignored the searching eyes of the others while they moved, as well as Junko's unwavering gaze on him and his charge.
When the task was done, the two girls thanked him for his help, and then locked eyes on each other. One stern, with an unwavering glare. The other with a nervous gaze, yet unflinching against the metaphorical daggers being thrown her way. The mood was tense as the class of seventy-eight watched the two girls have their stare off. Some like Hifumi, actually started to sweat as time continued to pass, the stress of anticipation slowly becoming too much for them to handle.
Just when the pressure seemed like it couldn't get any more unbearable, Junko's right arm lashed out and gripped the idols chair. Sayaka flinched in response, having thought the other wounded women would have slapped her or committed some other act of violence on her. Though, that was still possible considering the massive sneer on the strawberry blonde's face. Slowly, Junko pulled her wheel chair close, her right eye clenching as well as her teeth from the pain. The idol flinched as she was slowly pulled closer, fear started to grow a bit as the blue-eyed girl reached forward the moment the chair bumped up against the still chair, and gripped her shoulder roughly.
"Sayaka." The girl said the idol's name threateningly. "I'm only gonna say this once. I'm forgiving you this time because you have them backing you up, but if you ever do something that completely stupid again, you won't need to worry about the two-tone pedo-bear punishing you, because I'll do it for him. Understand?"
Sayaka flinched once more, the threat but a foot note compared to the glare aimed her way. It was like the model was staring straight into her soul, demanding an answer from her. So, with some hesitation, Sayaka told the angry girl the truth. "I understand. I won't do anything like that again. I promise."
"And Leon, Makoto." Junko continued, not taking her eyes off of the girl as she addressed the two boys. "Do you guys think she's being honest? Can you say without any hesitation that you believe her?"
The two boys representing luck and baseball briefly exchanged a look of uncertainty. Did they believe Sayaka's claim? They definitely believed in the girl's apology, and forgave her for her actions, but did they trust that she wouldn't try anything like this again? Did their faith in her extend to the idea that she would never attempt to kill someone again?
Makoto took in that thought, and ran it in his head. He internalized every facet of what he knew and believed in, then with a glare filled with determination, turned to Junko too say, "I do. I believe her, without a doubt."
Leon did the same as well, considering his own thoughts and bearing in mind Sayaka's actions and apology. He remembered the actions he had taken and the promises he had made and then raised his fists determinedly. "Yeah, what Makoto said. I believe in her too. No doubt about it!"
"You're sure?" Junko asked once more, finally turning her eyes away to look at the two boys. "Absolutely, positively sure?"
They didn't reply verbally, only nodding resolutely to her interrogation. Her eyes narrowed, searching for something in their faces, their expressions, their body movements, all to see if there was even a hint of doubt in their claims. When she didn't see anything, or at least they hoped she didn't, her eyes moved back to Sayaka's which snapped back to the fashionista's. Junko hummed in contemplation, clearly doubtful of their declarations. Then, in a move that surprised everyone, suddenly pulled Sayaka in close.
And gave the idol a hug.
As Sayaka was trying to rationalize what was happening, as well as trying to ignore the small spike of pain in her side at the movement, Junko spoke in her ear. "Don't you ever do something like that again. I know you said you wouldn't, but I don't ever want to see something like that again if I can help it. Remember, we're all supposed to be working together, right? So, don't you ever, and I mean ever, make me see you do something that idiotic again."
Sayaka was stunned silent by the diva's words, the raw amount of fear for that Junko had proclaimed for her sake, complete with a small hint of frustration, caught the pop sensation utterly flatfooted. It only got more bizarre when she felt something wet drip onto the collar of her uniform. She couldn't believe it, Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista who had been so abrasive to everyone about wanting to escape and such, was now crying on her shoulder. It wasn't more than a single tear, there wasn't even any sobs from her either. Yet, the simple fact that the strong headed girl had shown off even a fraction of weakness had completely stunned the blunette into complete silence.
And just like that, it was over. Junko pulled back with a hiss, grabbing at her leg with clenched teeth as she did so. "Guh…Damnit, that was stupid. Gonna have to get used not doing things like that. Fuckin' hell, that hurt."
Sayaka still didn't know what to say in response to what had just occurred. All she was able to offer up was a single, "Uh…"
"Don't overthink that." Junko demanded with a glare, which lessened as she spoke. "I just want to make my point clear. If you don't think you can trust someone, if you think you're all alone in here, remember that we all are here to help you out. Am I right everyone?"
The sudden inclusion into the conversation caught the other just as off guard as the sudden hug had for Sayaka, but after a moment, Taka recovered the fastest. "Y-Yes, that's exactly right! As she said, we need to stand together if we're to defeat this murder game and the mastermind!"
"Y-Yeah!" Chihiro agreed, lightly pumping her fists as her confidence grew. "We're all friends here, right?"
There was a scoff from Byakuya at that, but anything he or Sayaka would have said was cut off when Hina finally came back with a big stack of pancakes and passed them to the crippled girl. "Here you go!"
"Thanks." Junko said kindly, if tiredly, before turning to the others as well. "You guys too. With my new little handicap, a doubt I would have been able to check it all out."
"Do not worry about it!" Taka exclaimed joyfully, "It was my pleasure! Besides, we all need to know what's happening so that we can all escape together!"
"Yeah, what you said." There was a strange disconnect to her words as she stared at the stack before her. It was like she hadn't ever seen something like it, the way she stared at the small pile of buttery, syrup drizzled, flat cakes, and it actually started to concern the swimmer.
"What's wrong?" Hina asked out of concern. "You never have pancakes before? They're really good! Well I mean, they're not as good as doughnuts, but…"
"No, no. It's totally not that." Junko denied with a dismissing hand wave. "I'm just shocked at how fast you made these. I mean, even if you had the batter premade, it should have taken you, like, ten to fifteen minutes or so."
"Ah, I get it." Hina said with relief that she hadn't somehow insulted her friend. "But, sorry, I just took them from the pile in there. I just heated them in the microwave."
"Pile?" Junko asked as she turned to look at the tan skinned girl, but it was the biker next to her who answered.
"Yeah, there's a fuck-ton of them in there." He stated as he shoved another bite into his mouth and used his tongue to cram it all into his cheek so that he could still be mostly understood. "Found them all this morning before the meeting, and well, we've been helping ourselves."
"Wait, so you just found a bunch pancakes and started eating without even thinking to question why there were so many in there?"
There was a moment they all looked around at each other, stunned silent by the remark from the now very concerned fashion model. They then looked back at their plates, most empty aside from a few pieces here and there and some buttery syrup. They had no words to defend their actions, nor did they have any idea of where these flapjacks had come from.
"…Uh, mister Owada? You were the one who made these…Right?" Hifumi muttered nervously, to which the biker slowly shook his head.
"Hell no. I'm no cook. Last time I tried to make something, I nearly burn down the house." Mondo admitted, not taking his eyes off of the nearly empty plate of what had been his third serving. "Unless my mom's cooking, I always just eat out."
"And no one was in the kitchen before you?"
"Nope." Mondo admitted to the fighter's inquiry. "I woke up early today so that I wouldn't have to deal with the fucking alarm guy. I was the first one here."
"And I was the last one to leave the night before, and I didn't see anything like this." Threw out a worried Makoto, more concerned with this new mystery then Mondo's casual insult of Taka's growing habit of waking them up.
"Ah. Then who made these?" There was an uncomfortable silence that followed after the programmer's question. No one had an answer, no one knew who it could have been. There were no ideas that anyone could come up with that would explain this conundrum.
Eventually, Junko decided that they didn't need to continue this silence. "I-In any case, I think I would prefer to eat this in my own room. Just…not feeling all that hungry right now all of a sudden, ya know."
"Y-Yeah, I got you." Hina stated just as nervously. Picking up the plate, knife and fork, she moved to head out the door just stopping to wait for her friend. Junko moved to grab her crutch and stand, but stopped after grabbing it to look at Taka.
"Well mister chairman?" she asked the sharply dressed boy, who startled out of his thoughts at being addressed. "Is the meeting over yet? Can we go now?"
"Oh…OH! Right! Ahem. I-I think that it's time to adjourn for now. We'll reconvene tomorrow morning, agreed?" Taka nervously stated looking around to see if there were any objections from the others. When there was none, the others got up right after him, their moves all stilted and nervous as they very reluctantly picked up their plates and moved to put them in the sink for later cleaning. Internally, they agreed with Junko. They had all lost their appetite as well.
However, as Junko stood and braced herself, she suddenly stumbled back and caught the heel of her crutch on one of the chairs' legs. Chihiro, who had been passing by, made a mistake of not moving immediately when the fashionista's support suddenly slid out from under her, causing her to pitch forward with a sudden yelp of shock and pain. For a brief panic filled second, the programmer managed to reach out and tried to catch the taller girl, but her meek frame and lack of physique prevented her from catching the much taller woman, resulting in them both tumbling down in a painful pile of bodies with a startled scream shared between them.
For Chihiro, this was certainly not the best day. First there was the morning announcement that made her a nervous wreck, and that was after the worries and nightmares from the night before dragging her spirit through the mud. Then there was the moment in the pool entrance, where not only were her fears put on full display, but she ran from her friend even when all Hina was trying to do was help. Then there was the unwanted mystery in the dining hall that made her feel really worried about what she had eaten that morning. Then, to top it all off, her weakness was proven to be even more underwhelming as her taller friend fell on her, and she was unable to stop them from hitting the ground for even a moment.
And now, she was being smothered by Junko's boobs as the fashionista lay on top of her. She honestly didn't know how to feel about that.
But the worst part of this entire day was when Junko moved her left leg in an attempt to get off of the smaller girl. When she fell, Junko's leg had fallen right between Chihiro's, just barely missing the smaller girl's crotch in the process, but when she moved, in caused her to brush up against something. Something that made the smaller girl tense up, and the taller to momentarily go ridged.
What was a gasp of pure, unadulterated horror was lost in the mounds of cleavage covering the lower half of Chihiro's face as her terrified eyes looked up in to the confused ones of Junko. Yet, it seems that her gasp was mistaken for one of pain and the others quickly moved to get the other girl off of her, Hina asking if they were okay.
"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine." Junko stated as Sakura lent the model her shoulder as Leon helped the smaller girl up. Patting Chihiro on the back, Leon repeated the question for the little programmer. Yet, there was no response from her as she just stared at the model in complete terror. She stood there quivering, waiting for something, for the girl in front of her to expose her secret that had been felt while they were down in a tangled-up mess. The thing that had haunted her throughout her whole life.
But, it never came.
Junko didn't say a thing as Sakura handed her the crutch and Hina joined the two as they escorted the limping girl out. Chihiro's gaze didn't leave the back of the fashion model until she had completely gone, and even then, she felt utterly terrified that the woman would turn around and blurt out her shame at any time. Expose her for the sham she was.
Yet still, it did not come.
Unbeknownst to Chihiro, as she hobbled, and expressed her hatred for their captor with a rather…colorful array of expletives, Junko did look back for a second as they left the dining hall.
And a wicked smile wove its way across her face.
"You sure you'll be fine?" Asahina asked for what felt like the hundredth time since they had left the cafeteria, understandably worried for her friend as they stopped by her door. Sakura stood by, ready to support her fellow classmates at any point.
To her dismay, she was waved off. "Hina, it's fine. I've got this. I'm just going to lay down for a bit, no need to worry."
"I know you say that, but…" the swimmer trailed off as her eyes flicked over to the crutch holding her friend up. It was clear that she was concerned for her friend and wanted to help. Sadly, her friend didn't want any, even going so far as to take the plate from the swimmer despite how she leaned on her little stand, just to prove the point. A small understanding smile grew on the face of her fashionable gal pal as she used her free arm to place a hand on Hina's shoulder.
"Hey, it's all good Hina. I'll be fine. You and Sakura go enjoy yourselves. I've got to rest, or I'll never recover enough to join you." There was a cheeky grin that grew on her face as she added, "After all, when I'm back in action, I'm totally going to swim circles around you, so I'd like it if you give me at least a little challenge."
That certainly got Hina's attention. "No way! Not a chance! I'll swim around you so many times, you'll think you were in a whirlpool!"
"Looking forward to seeing you try!" I laughed back, slowly closing the door on the fuming swimmer as the amused fighter guided her away. Once I was sure the door was locked, I let out a giddy chuckle and started a little jig.
"Success!" I somehow managed to both shout and whisper at the same time, all but throwing the crutch to the side of the door as I grooved. "And they told me that I had no talent as an actor. Ha! Shows what you know drama club!"
I couldn't believe I had managed to pull that one off. Not a single person noticed the differences between me and Mukuro, and I was able to integrate into their click with them none the wiser. I'll admit, I had been worried there for a second. While my little speech to Sayaka I felt needed to be addressed, as it did paint a target on my back a bit, it was more a thought someone would realize that I didn't have Mukuro's freckles, though thankfully my red face made things easier to hide. I knew running up and down the hallway would help me sell the extremely tired outlook I was looking for. Thankfully, I was able to catch my second wind while I was sitting down.
Still, it was amazing that I got away with that. I had honestly expected Kyoko to have noticed something was up, as well as maybe Byakuya or Celeste. I feared that they would expose me for the fraud I was. But nope! If they noticed anything amiss, they were clearly keeping it to their chest; which worked splendidly in my favor.
"And the best part, I even got to start phase one of my plan for Chihiro! It's all finally working how I intended! Everything's going- Ulp!" I quickly cut myself off before I could finish that sentence. "Nope. No, no, no. Murphy, you sit your ass right the hell down, you omnipotent bastard. I didn't finish that thought, so you cannot fuck my plan up! Don't you even dare."
I knew that I was just shaking my fist at the celling pointlessly, but I couldn't help it. I knew how these situations went, someone opens their damn mouth with some kind of line about things not possibly going wrong, or that everything was going their way, then something goes horribly wrong. I don't care that it had been considered nonsense by some university in Oxford, I had seen too many instances in media to think that it won't affect me. I already tempt fate just by being here, I want nothing to do with pushing my luck.
Sighing after my little episode, a moved over to my dresser and placed the stack of pancakes on top of it. "Well, whatever. I'm still shocked that I had to ask them about these pancakes I made. I mean, seriously, how did they not even think about how suspicious that was? My god."
Reaching down, I started unbuttoning the damn uniform I was wearing. God, how I hated this thing. It was soft and comfortable, it moved perfectly in tune with my body, and never tugged or scrapped any part of my body. If anything, it moved like a second skin, unhampering and wonderful.
Now, you might be wondering, "Why is that a bad thing? Wouldn't you want to be wearing something comfortable?" and the answer to that is a straight, flat out, no.
No, I didn't want to have this comfort if it meant that I had to know it was only this perfect because it had been made for this wretched body I was inhabiting. I would prefer a dress of sandpaper over this. I still felt nothing but loathing.
Ignoring the hate in me, for me, I tossed aside my top and shirt. Uncaring about any possible future wrinkles that would develop in the uniform, I let my far too small skirt hit the floor without a thought, I pulled the bunny and bow hair accessories from my hair, and started to unwrap the bloody bandages on my leg and placed them in the trash before looking at the fresh wraps on the edge of the dresser next to the ripped blood bag I had brought in from the nurse's office. I felt bad that someone's blood that was donated with the intent of possibly saving a life was being wasted for a disguise like this, but it was for important measures and plans.
Your sacrifice will not be in vain, random blood pack.
"Still," I said as I looked in the mirror and stared at my bust line as I cupped them in my hands. "You girls were what I was most worried about. I'm surprised not one of them commented on my bigger cup size."
It should be noted that, while they were twins, some aspects weren't the same between two Despair Sisters. Mukuro has freckles around her nose, darker hair, and slightly angular eyes, while Junko had more curves, a bigger bust by ten centimeters, and a far more expressive face. It had been a bit of a challenge to mimic the former's expressions without deviating at all that whole time, but it seems to have worked.
"What do you think…Sis?" I turned to look at the comatose figure in the queen-sized bed, hoping for a response. Sadly, my question would continue to be unheard as Mukuro continued to snooze, her sleep unhindered by the noise I'd been producing thus far. In a way, I felt disappointed.
I had been wanting to hear her thoughts on this matter in a more in person way for a while now, but it seemed that this wouldn't be the time. A disappointing outcome, but not one I didn't expect. Compared to the injury the others had suffered to the one she sustained, it's understandable that she would still be asleep for a little while longer at least.
Still though…
*Yawn* My thoughts were cut off when a large drowsy yawn passed through my lips, causing me to instinctually squint. A tiny number of tears peaked out and I was quick to wipe them away as my fatigue made itself known. I had been trying to ignore it all morning, but it was hard. Because of this damn game, I had only a small amount of rest between the two nights before the trial, both to give them their bands and to prevent Sayaka from enacting her plan of murder, and that was on top of the nightmare I suffered last night. Needless to say, my stamina was tanked. I felt ready to pass out at any second, and the sight of Mukuro passed out in the bed felt like it was taunting me.
I wasn't faking my exhaustion back there in the dining room. I was really flagging even before my little run through the hallway and it only got worst afterward. I didn't want to crawl through the vents back to the control center right now. If I tried, I think I would end up falling asleep and attempt to recover from the three nights of sleep I'd missed. Not a good idea, not with the Monokuma units roaming about the vents.
Truth be told, they don't seem to pay attention to any people they come across while they're in the vents, I say this because I tended to come across them several times and they didn't respond to me, but I tried to stay out of their way just in case. I didn't want to risk them deciding to attack me in my sleep if I passed out in there and became an obstruction.
But, do I dare sleep in the same bed as the Ultimate Solider, knowing that she might have been trained to kill anyone invading her space in her sleep? Do I try?
"…Fluff it. I'm too tired to care." With that said, I walked over to the left side and pulled the blanket open and crawled in, but I still stayed a fair distance away from Mukuro's side. Tired or not, I'm not that much of a risk taker. "Pardon the intrusion…sis."
Laying on my back, I felt my body quickly start to fall asleep. My consciousness started to fade as my eyes drooped close. My muscles relaxed as my tension unwound. It didn't take much longer before I was asleep.
"Hmm…" Kyoko let out as she studied the table before her, her eyes focused as she looked around, trying to make sense of the newest mystery that had become present to her and the others. She took in every detail of the kitchen as she did, pondering, theorizing, yet not letting any assumptions form from the little she had gathered.
It had been roughly and hour since the class had concluded their meeting and things were rather tense at the moment. With both the realization of the new risks presented to them and the sudden question as to where their breakfast had come from, the other's nerves had been rather rattled. Byakuya had reacted the least out of all of them at the news and silently tossed out the remains of his meal, while Mondo, who had still had a massive bite shoved in his maw, merely continued to eat. For the most part though, everyone else had followed the scion's lead, the only exceptions being Leon and Sayaka since they were still hungry; though they still made something else instead of finishing the stack. Now, there was just a small plate of them remaining, maybe only one serving or two.
But the questions still remained on the forefront of their minds, where did these come from, who made them, and why? There were other things to keep in mind as well, but these were the ones that held the most relevance currently.
The "where" had only recently been answered, something that the amnesiac girl had to thank Makoto for actually. As the lucky student was putting away his dishes he had noticed something about some of the bowls and called her over.
"Hey Kyoko, there's some dishes in the dishwasher here." He pointed out and sure enough, when she went to see there were a few bowls, a whisk, and a measuring cup among the pile of recently cleaned kitchenware. When she had gone to check them, she found that they still had a bit of moisture in the crevices of the lip of the bowls, signifying that they had been used recently, within a few hours certainly, but not during the time they had been investigating. They didn't have nearly enough moisture remaining on them for that to be the case.
Taka had been getting everyone up the second the morning announcement came, so that meant that they would have had to have come in at some point around the same time, but that in itself contradicted the fact that there had been far more pancakes made then anyone could have possibly been made in the short time window between the morning announcement and Mondo's arrival. That meant that they had to have been made at some time before then, yet that should also be improbable since the dining hall was locked during that time.
A frown worked its way onto Kyoko's face at the thought. That meant that someone had to have accessed the room before the scheduled time when it was locked, at a time no one should have been able to access it. This was now the second time that had happened, the first being the infirmary. Someone clearly had a way to go behind Monokuma's back and enter rooms they should otherwise be unable to, or alternatively, Monokuma himself was doing this.
Both options were concerning in their own way. If someone else was doing this, then it meant that they weren't going to be stopped easily. If their loyalties were to the half-and-half bear, then this posed quite the problem. There was no telling just how far their range of movement compared to the class was, or what they were able to access that they couldn't yet. They could kill anyone here before anyone could stop them, and then get away without trouble. They would be uncatchable.
If they weren't a traitor for Monokuma, then that still wasn't good because they clearly had no desire to simply open up a route of escape for them all. They could have confronted the mastermind by now if that was the case and escaped. So, either they had no desire to help more then they deemed necessary, or Monokuma had some kind of leverage on them that kept them from acting too much.
The last option where Monokuma was responsible doing this as well made the least amount of sense, but had enough plausibility to be considered. If perchance he was the one to open the door to the infirmary as he had claimed, as well as the one to cook their breakfast this morning, then that would answer how they would have access to these locked rooms. Yet, that left the question of "Why?" unanswered.
There was no gain for them to be doing things like this if they really wanted to get the killing game going. It was not only counterproductive, but it went against everything they had been stating thus far.
Unbidden, her mind went back what Monokuma had said just before he had given them their first motive, about how his wants and desires were irrelevant to the killing game. What had they meant by that exactly? Was it their way of saying that they had no choice in this as well, or was it a red herring meant to throw them off their guard. The latter seemed the most likely considering the actions they had been taking thus far. The taunts and jeers as well as the emotional manipulation tactics they had been employing against them were certainly convincing.
Yet, that little doubt kept coming back. If the one they thought was the mastermind was being strong armed, then that would explain some of the unknowns she and the others had learned of. The infirmary opening could be explained as their desire to give them all a fighting chance behind their puppet master's back, and the seemingly whim explanation Monokuma gave them about one of the players of this death-game convincing the mastermind to let them in was a farce to keep things going. But, that only raised another concern.
If the one running this show was forced to make them play this game of murder, then who was the one making them do it, and why?
There were just too few clues right now, too many variables that she couldn't find decisive proof for or against and it frustrated her tremendously. Plus, there was her own mystery that still needed solved on top of all of that.
It was just as she was thinking about this when Makoto suddenly spoke up, "Hey, Kyoko."
It had been so sudden that it almost caught her off guard, though she was quick to hide that fact. There was no point in showing weakness, even to someone as naïve and innocent as Makoto. "Yes?"
"I know I shouldn't ask this, but I'm a bit…concerned." He started, his eyes wandering to the entrance where the others had absconded, "Did something feel…different about Junko?"
That was an understatement, there were several things that had been off that the purple girl had seen of the fashion model during her short visit to the cafeteria that day, several concerning things that didn't quite match with how she had been during the last week they'd all been trapped in here. However, it was impractical to assume just what exactly Makoto was referring to, so she asked anyway. "What specifically?"
"Well, I know that she's hurt and from what she told us about Monokuma she didn't have a choice in the crutch, but, why did she go all the way to the dining hall. It had to have been absolute torture, and I-I'm worried she might be trying to push herself too hard, too soon. Yet…Well, I mean…maybe I'm just imagining it, but the way she was walking- err, limping." He corrected when he realized his mistake. "Did it seem a bit…I don't know…Forced?"
Ah, so that's what it was that he picked up. It was quite astute of him to have noticed that tiny detail. Kyoko agreed though. It was clear that Junko was still very weak, judging by how she had limped into the dining hall, but the simple fact that she was able to get up and move around after her ordeal was unprecedented. By all accounts, it shouldn't have been possible for her to even be limping as well as she had been; even if she had been clinging to the crutch like her life depended on it.
Even so, Makoto had a point. Even if she disregarded the improbability of Junko's quick recovery, something about the way she limped across the floor had seemed off. There was just something about it that made it feel… rehearsed, exercised, performed. Like she had every shambling step trained and timed internally like an adept actress playing her role. It was something that had clearly gone unnoticed by most, if not all of the rest of their classmates, so it was interesting that he had picked up on that little tidbit.
"I'm impressed you noticed." She couldn't help admitting, and she felt a slight tinge of amusement at his startled expression. "However, I agree, something about Junko was certainly different from the last time we'd seen her. Not just in her movements, but her attitude as well."
"Huh?" the luckster questioned, clearly not seeing what she meant. So, she elaborated a little.
"Remember her attitude towards us all thus far, and you will understand." A very little. It would do no good for him to rely solely on her observations. Like in their first trial, if he didn't make his own deductions, she doubted he would ever believe her thus far. Kyoko knew that there wasn't nearly enough evidence on her part to raise a convincing argument just yet, but letting him do his own investigations to find his own proof.
"…If you're sure." It was plainly obvious that he didn't understand where she was going with this line of thought. Or it was possible that he just didn't want to think badly of someone he considered a friend. Both possibilities were highly likely considering the lucky student's kind optimism.
However, that wasn't really any of her business. Whether he learned about whatever mystery their fashion model classmate had or not wasn't really her prerogative. As she expected, all she could do was push him to find out whatever it was the strawberry blond had covered up on his own. With any luck, that would be enough to figure out the answer to both of their questions about their strange fashionista.
It has been said that there were many ways to wake up from a night's rest. For some people, they think there is only one way, but the truth is that there are a large variety dependent on you as a person. If you are the kind of person who likes to move around a lot, then it's likely that you might be an early riser, always greeting the day early with a smile. For some who spend their nights awake, they prefer to sleep in, trying to recover from their late night. Some others overthink throughout the night, constantly waking up or at least sleeping so lightly that even the slightest sound jolts them into the waking world. No matter the case though, everyone has their own way of leaving the land of dreams and greeting the day.
In the case of Mukuro Ikusaba, she felt she fell into a variation of the last one. As a development from her time as a mercenary, she had grown accustomed to sleeping lightly. When your life if on the light every moment, you can't help but be on guard twenty-four seven. If you weren't able to jump from deep sleep to awake in an instant, you were just a liability; an easy target for whatever enemy they were facing at any particular point in time.
It was solely because of this lifestyle choice that she was able to live through the several assassinations attempts that she had intercepted during her time in the elite mercenary group Fenrir. Several times, when one or more of the group either accidentally or intentionally let someone escape, there usually wasn't too long a wait before an assassin was sent their way with the express purpose of revenge. More often than not, the hired gun would go after the ones who looked weaker, or more important than the rest of the soldiers.
Eight out of ten times the former would be her, and six out of ten times, the latter would still be her. As the youngest member of the group and as the only girl who carried none of the tone or look of military strength that the other females held, she was targeted the most of them all. Hence why she had a higher sensitivity to her sleep, and why she was worried whenever she found herself in a situation where she had no idea where she was.
Kind of like right now.
Worst still was this sudden feeling of weakness in her entire body, making her every movement feel sluggish and weighty, like trying to move through sludge. It was so difficult for her to even open her eyes, or to move anything at all. And then there was the warm feeling enveloping her left side and there was the other unknown numb pain coming through her right leg. Both didn't make any sense to her unnervingly groggy mind and that did nothing to help her memory either.
It was with far more effort than it should have been that she forced her eyes to open, and started to assess her surroundings. It was rather quickly that she realized from her preliminary scan that she was back in the room she shared with her sister. It wasn't that difficult to notice, as the large dresser covered in cosmetics, her combat knife and a certain wig that she found irritating stood off to one side where she knew it was supposed to be. While she could have made a more thorough examination, the fog in her mind made it difficult to focus, so she begrudgingly let any further checking go ignored in favor for the more pressing concerns.
Turning her head slowly, just in case there was something or someone ready to attack her in her clearly weakened state, she looked down to see what was clinging to her side. It took a minute to realize exactly what was going on, but it quickly resulted in her eyes widening in shock and confusion.
Clinging to her side was a very, very familiar women. Her long bleached-hair was like a waterfall, a cascade of pink tinted gold that flowed down into small pools. Her heart shaped face held a soft peaceful expression of bliss as she softly breathed into Mukuro's neck. The women's arms reached over Mukuro's body, her left arm lightly grasped the soldier's right shoulder softly, yet almost possessively, and her other arm was behind the small of her back and clung to the dark-haired girl's love handle. Both of the women's legs were wound to her own left leg, trapping the limb tightly, yet not painfully.
Her continued examination was cut off when she realized that the other women was waking up, Mukuro's movements having apparently roused the sleeping girl from her slumber. Blue-eyes looked out from behind fluttering eyelids, unfocused and tired from having just been woken up. However, when they latched onto Mukuro's, her eyes snapped open with a look of surprise, joy, and finally guilt. Then before the brunette could say anything, they then gained a slightly mischievous twinge that promised nothing but regret for her future as a matching grin worked its way onto the girl's face.
"Was it good for you too?" Junko said with a happy, yet exhausted tone. Mukuro was confused by what she meant before taking in their position, at which point her mind crashed.
'Oh…Oh! Oh, god we didn't…!' her mind panicked as revulsion and regret warped her features. 'I-I don't…I mean, we're sisters. Why would she- me- WE, do something like…Oh my god, I just- I can't…'
Instinctually, Mukuro's eyes glanced downward to see if what she was being told was true and they raised wide open when she realized that she could see the girl's lack of dress, only a bra strap could be seen peeking out from under the covers. Yet, her eyebrows quickly dropped back down when her sister shifted and she felt the women's underwear rub up against her leg. That relief was only increased when she realized that she herself was still in her own undergarments. She quickly realized that the girl was lying and felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
Which quickly turned to exasperated annoyance when her sister started giggling like a loon. "Wow sis, where did your mind go to just now? If I didn't know better, I would have assumed your mind was a deep in the gutter as Hifumi's."
There was no preamble or fan fair to Mukuro's next actions, as she pulled her arm from the squishy confines of her sister's larger bust…
"Whoa!" *thud*
And pushed her off of the bed.
"…Really?" Junko's deadpanned expression could be heard over the edge of the mattress. "That's how you react to a little dirty humor? I don't even know how to react to that kind of information…Should I be proud that your prideful enough that you wouldn't want to reciprocate or upset that you ruined my fun early...? Eh, whatever."
Mukuro watched as her sibling quickly jumped up from her position on the ground and gave Mukuro another grin. "I've got a surprise for you."
Mukuro instantly tensed up at the happy, friendly tone of her sister's as she moved towards the dresser. If there was one thing she knew about her sister, it was that she was never this nice unless there was some ulterior motive involved. That feeling of dread only grew more when Junko turned around holding a large stack of flapjacks, and bearing a wide grin.
"Ta-da! Look, I made you some breakfast in bed. Sorry if they're a bit cold, but I didn't know when you were going to wake up. I was worried that they would go bad before then, but it seems that won't be the case. Here you go sis! Made with love!" And she quickly shoved the plate into Mukuro's hands, her smile never wavering. Mukuro glanced at the stack and slowly took the fork that had been lying next to the fluffy food and started carving, her mind instantly going over every known poison and way her sibling could have contaminated the food, a habit she had more then become accustomed to considering just who this was. It wouldn't have been the first-time Junko tried to poison her.
As she was starting to start physically dissect the plate of food, Junko interrupted her thoughts. "Well? It's not poisoned or anything like that if that's what your worried about. I wouldn't waste my time doing something like that right now. I still have far too much need for you still. Now hurry up and eat. We need to get your strength back up, or you'll never recover."
That caught her attention. Recover? What was she talking about? What could she be…?
There was a slight twinge of pain, a brief spike that caught her off guard originating from her right leg. She was so confused that it even occurred that she almost didn't notice Junko shaking her shoulder with a look of worry on her face.
Then, it clicked. The reason her leg hurt. The injury Junko said she needed to recover from, and the events leading up to it. Her eyes raised in shock.
Then dropped into a deathly glare.
"You…" Mukuro growled, her eyes becoming deathly cold as she scowled at the cause of her new injury. "You did this. You lied to me. You tried to kill me, Junko!"
Her sister took a step back away from her, but there was no surprise in her eyes. Like she expected this reaction from Mukuro to happen. The thought only pissed the solider off more, so much so that she threw of the sheets covering her and attempted to stand, uncaring about the plate that went flying to the side where it shattered on the ground. She didn't know what she would do afterwards, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get up in her sister's face about what she had done.
That plan immediately fell through as she did when the wound in her leg suddenly started wailing in pain and caused the limb to give out on her. From her new spot on the floor, she bit her lip as tears started to well up as she instinctually grabbed the wounded limb. She didn't know if it was from the pain in her leg or the agony in her heart that her tears flowed, nor did she care. Her focus was on seeing just how extensive the wound was.
Moving her leg ever so slowly, she carefully maneuvered it around, yet each time she tried to straighten it out, a sharp jolt of agony stopped her. She was clearly unable to stand, and no amount of training she could have endured would change that.
"Extensive…nerve damage…" She muttered, her observation filling her with even more anger and frustration. The painful burning sensation only adding to those feelings of usefulness and rage as she turned her eyes to the one who did this to her.
"Why…?" She asked, no, begged her sister. Pleading for an answer to this betrayal. "I did what you asked of me. I followed your plans, your failsafe, everything! I did everything you asked of me so why…Why did you betray me! Was it because I wasn't able to kill Makoto right away? Because I was trying! I swear, I was just need some more time to make it perfect. Was it because I backtalked to you? Because I thought that was what you wanted me to do! I thought I was playing the part like I was supposed to! I thought-"
A long, drawn-out sigh cut off her further questioning. "Geez, I keep forgetting how overly dramatic you can be, and how easily you fail to see what's right in front of you."
Any further arguments that Mukuro would have had, and from the livid feelings that had spiked at her feelings of betrayal being dismissed there would have been a lot, died in her throat as her sibling shook her head in disappointment. It wasn't fair. That look was all it took to silence her rage and replace it with a terror that silenced her completely. Yet, she was able to choke out, "What do…What do you mean by that?"
"Okay, you want to know why I tried to kill you," Junko stated with understanding, seemingly ignoring her question for the moment. "and that's perfectly understandable, I would be miffed too if it happened to me. Well, simply put, it's because you broke the rules, moron."
The glare on her sister's face conveyed nothing, not anger, not sadness, nothing. It was completely unreadable, like a statue, and it reminded Mukuro far too much of her former drill sergeant. While she was stunned by the sudden hostility, Junko continued.
"I have gone through hell and high water, just to make sure that those bozos out there know just how serious I am about them following the rules. I told you over and over again, over and over again, do not break the rules, and more importantly, do not attack Monokuma. Then what do you go and do? You try to stomp his face in. I had to enforce the rules after that kind of stunt or risk everything falling on its face."
Mukuro stayed silent at her sister's rage, her fear of her sister's fury preventing her from speaking back. It was different then when it was through Monokuma, the robotic bear was far harder to take seriously no matter what was said. Yet, even in nothing but her bra and panties, Junko in person was a far might more intimidating. It only got worst since Junko's voice was starting to get more verbose.
"You say that I'm the one who lied here, and that I betrayed you, but you are the one who misunderstood what I said and fucked up some basic orders. Tell me, right now, tell me what I told you to do. Word for word, what did I say?"
Mukuro struggled to reply, her thoughts still a mess from the talking down Junko was giving her, but with stuttering breath she managed to choke out, "Y-You told me to make a fuss when the first murder happened after you explained the rules to us, and to provoke Monokuma into leaving the stage. O-Once that happened, I was supposed to stand on top of the trap door and keep antagonizing Monokuma until you opened the door."
"Exactly." Junko replied, her voice so cold that Mukuro could feel the shivers running down her spine. "But you see, the key words here are, 'make a fuss', 'provoke', and 'antagonize'. Nowhere in there did I say to curb stomp him, attack him, or anything of the sort. That was all you. And because of that, I had to at least make it look like I was trying to kill you. Otherwise the gig would be up, and everyone would be on the revolt."
Mukuro tried to speak up, tried to retort in some way, but her sister's rant wasn't over. "Plus, on top of that, you did it in front of everyone! Jiminy Christmas, do you have even the slightest idea of the amount of bull I had to pull to save your life after that stunt!? You're so damn lucky I still need you, otherwise I'd have let Leon murder your ass with that transfusion. So many new rules I had to implement just to allow you to stay alive, you absolute moron!"
That hurt, that part at the end had really hurt. Junko had always been harsh with her criticisms throughout the years, and Mukuro was usually used to being on the receiving end of these remarks. However, those had rarely had any real heat, if any at all. This time her sister looked ready to kill someone, and that simple difference was enough to cause the brunette twin to quiver in fear.
It was almost comical, she could face up against armadas of fully equipped men three times her weight-class and armed to the teeth with all kinds of guns, knives, and other such armaments without a thought or care, yet the moment this untrained civilian in her undergarments glares in her general direction, she becomes completely powerless. If her commander saw her now, he would be so disappointed.
Yet, that wasn't the main focus on her mind as of the moment. Rather, it was something Junko had let slip. "What…What do you mean Leon almost killed me…?"
Her sister sighed roughly, clearly irritated to have to explain this to her as she grumbled. "Right, you weren't really 'there' at the time. Well I mean you were, but…"
Taking in a deep breath, Junko kneeled down to look her in in the eyes. "Okay, so, after our slight problem in the gym, the others dragged you to the infirmary where they removed the spear of Gungnir. After that, Leon decided to grab a packet of blood from the fridge, and he had the others use your E-handbook to find out your blood type. You keeping up so far?"
Mukuro nodded along to her sister's explanation as the memory started to comeback. What Junko was saying did match up with what she could remember of it happening. Some details were still a bit muddy, but she couldn't think of them being that important.
"Well," her blond-dyed sibling continued. "here's where the problem comes in. Do you remember exactly who's handbook you were using at the time?"
"Yours." Mukuro didn't even need to think about it, the answer was obvious. It had been part of Junko's plan from the beginning, a safety measure to prevent them from finding out her disguise. Her handbook had been swapped with Junko's to help hide the fact that they'd switched. However, that didn't explain what her sister was talking about. Why did that matter?
"Right, mine." Junko confirmed with a nod of her head. "You had my E-handbook. Which means, you had my profile, my bio, my data. So, really quick, what is your blood type again?"
The elder twin didn't quite understand just where she was going with this just yet, but the unusual focus Junko was putting on this only made the solider nervous. Still, she answered, "My blood type is A, but what does that have to do with this?"
"Oh, my god." Junko groaned in exasperation, dropping her face into both of her hands. "How are you this unobservant? Seriously? You're supposed to be this god-tier super soldier, but you can't even put that obvious bit together. Sakes alive."
Pulling her face out of her hands and ignoring the rising mortification of Mukuro, Junko continued. "Look, we're twins. Right? Right. But there's enough differences between us that you couldn't tell unless we say it. The biggest one here though, is that we don't share everything that there would be a problem if you were to be given something that should go to me. Are you following me so far?"
Mukuro nodded slowly, the pieces were starting to form the picture in her mind, and these hints were helping, but there were just enough that she couldn't quite see what would come of this. Sadly, her sister was far too agitated by her silence and wasn't going to give her the time to do it herself.
"Mukuro, my blood type is AB. Do I even need to say that is what is in my E-handbook, or what would have happened if I didn't remotely change it days ago?"
She didn't need to say it, the image alone was more than enough to cause the blood to drain from her face and pool in a pit in her stomach. If she had been given the same blood as what was supposed to be in the handbook, she would likely have died from an ABO incompatibility reaction. Combined with the loss of blood and whatever possible infection she might have gotten from her wound, there was no chance for her survival. She would have died, and that would have been it.
Worst still, if what Junko had said was true, which of course it was since this was Junko she was talking about, then it would have been by complete mistake and Leon would have been crowned the blackened for doing her in. Then he would have been executed with no need for a trial since everyone saw him do it. Plus, it would have been a problem for Junko. If Mukuro died because of something written in her own handbook, then it would raise suspicion against Junko since they believed that they were the same person. That was something that neither twin wanted to happen.
"I see you understand now." Junko said as she stood back up again. "And you likely see why I couldn't just let you die after that. It would have caused far too many problems. That's why you're still alive."
The matter of fact way she said that threw Mukuro for a loop. It stabbed at her so close to home that she froze, staring up into the slightly younger girl's eyes. Yet, it was because of that position that she could see something was…off. There was also a look in her eyes that didn't quite match up with what she was saying. Like a stage act. It was…different then the looks she had been use too seeing from her sibling.
However, before she could do much more than that, a sock covered foot suddenly met her cheek and pressed down. "Now, if you really want to make it up to me for risking so much to keep you alive, you will get back in bed. You have to recover after all."
Mukuro winced when Junko pushed her away, not quite kicking her, but certainly rough enough that she felt a shameful heat momentarily spike in her gut. One of the biggest problems that came from working so hard to avoid being damaged was that her pain tolerance was incredibly low. As such, she was rather sensitive in more than one way, and whenever her sister was involved it usually ended up turned against her. It was embarrassing for her to admit, but because of her lack of suffering and pain, her mind had created a bit of a desire to feel pain for herself, but her sister's words and Mukuro's own choice in career made the idea feel ludicrous so she abstained. Plus, there was the fact that she couldn't risk inciting her sister's wrath.
So, to her utter shame, whenever Junko's abusive love turned physical, Mukuro felt that desire surface anew. It was only because of that desire that she let her sibling kick her around. That masochistic desire that only her sister was allowed to know about.
She had been so lost in her own world that she almost missed the sight of her sister stepping over her and throwing the covers on the bed back. Then, to make things even more confusing, Junko reached down and slipped her arm under Mukuro's and started to pull. "Well? You gonna help, or what?"
Mukuro was shocked by the sudden shift in attitude, yet the tone remained the same irritated frustration as before. It was only because of the endless amount of love and fear she held for her sister that allowed the injured girl to move as she had been ordered. She flinched painfully when her sister forced her damaged limb to move, and again when she was forced to sit down on the bed. Then, she watched as Junko then forced her to lay on her back and started to unwrap the dirty bandages on her leg. Carelessly tossing the soiled cloth at the trashcan across the room, the fashionista then moved to the dresser and grabbed a fresh roll before waltzing back to her bedside and started wrapping the clean wraps around her wounds tightly.
Mukuro couldn't help but stare as her sibling almost caringly wrapped her leg. She never knew her sister had any knowledge in the medical field, let alone could act professional about it. In a way, it was like when Mukuro herself entered a battle in a way. All distractions fading from her mind, nothing but the task in front of her. It was like what she could see on Junko's face right now. Pure focus on the task, nothing else.
She was so distracted by the thought that she didn't even realize her sister had finished dressing her wound until the girl straightened up and started walking away. Momentarily taking her eyes off of Junko, Mukuro looked at the professionally done wrap with a feeling of wonder. It might have just been Junko's talent as an analyst in play for all she knew, but that didn't detract from the careful wrappings adorning her leg. Though, thinking about it, Junko might have learned how to do all of this from Tsumiki at some point.
It would make sense, Mikan Tsumiki was the one who had spent the most amount of time with Junko during her recovery. If there was one thing Junko would have done in that kind of boring situation, it would be to gather information to use at a later time. First aid wouldn't be the first thing Mukuro would have guessed her sister would have asked about, though she guessed if Junko was bored enough, she would likely ask about anything.
Still, she couldn't help but look at the wrappings in awe, never having expected such professional work from her easily bored sibling. Professionalism was boring, that was something Junko had told her once, and seeing her do the very thing that she had mocked was stunning to the solider.
Her thoughts were once again interrupted when she heard the door to the room open up, and for a brief moment felt a bit of panic. Did Junko forget to lock the door? She shook her head at the thought. Junko was not that forgetful, she wouldn't be that absentminded. However, when she turned to look she was met with the unusual sight of her sister, now dressed as normal, leaning on a crutch of all things and carrying the shattered plate of ruined pancakes. While she did feel a twinge of guilt for ruining the food, in was vastly overshadowed by the feeling of confused horror as her sister started hobbling away. She wanted to call out, ask what the hell Junko was doing, but her voice died in her throat when her sister turned and gave her a glare.
"We'll continue this conversation later." Junko said icily as she slowly closed the door. "I've got some…business to take care of. Rest up. You'll need it."
And on that ominous note, Mukuro was left behind with nothing more than the shivers running along her spine, and a feeling of fear.
Fear for herself. Fear for her sister.
And finally, fear for her friends.
Hoo boy, who saw this one coming? The old switch-a-roo, hidden agendas, and Leon almost killed Mukuro while trying to save her. It true though, their blood types don't quite match up, so Junko could accept blood from Mukuro, but the opposite could possibly kill Mukuro. But really, who would believe Junko would try and save her anyway? Be honest here.
The real question though is, who figured that out earlier?
See you again next month.