Sora
F-Pod
Night 1
Hours later, Kasumi is trying to explain to a now awake Yukiko that I can't talk to her because of a 'sore throat'.
"Yuki she's just feeling a bit sick-"
"B-But, but I thought - I thought Juri made her better."
Kasumi facepalms. "Um, she did, it's just, uh, it's just going to take awhile, okay?" she tries.
I try to tune them out. There's nothing I can do to help Kasumi anyway, Yukiko can't quite read yet and I have a feeling Juriya would physically harm me for trying to talk and not listening to her orders.
So, as it turns out, I'll be sharing a cell with Kasumi (and Yukiko by default). Also, just like I thought before, there are full bathrooms in each cell.
Kasumi claims she didn't have anything to do with the arrangement - that the others said that we're on the shorter side and we're supposed to be looking after Yukiko together so it 'only makes sense'. When I tried to bring up the fact that I'm an inch taller than Nemiko and Yume, Kasumi said the others said they don't count because they weigh a tiny bit more than me.
("'Sorry for starving in the Tragedy more than they did' - oh my God Sora-" Kasumi said when she read off my note. When it looked like she was about to go off I quickly wrote out another note: 'IT WAS A JOKE')
Well, it's not like sleeping in the same room as Kasumi should be my biggest concern right now. I didn't get shock therapy for any real reason - they wanted to erase something from my memory.
A few seconds later, Sora's hands drop from her neck and her eyes flutter shut.
"She's asleep." Hanako says as she scrolls on her tablet. "That drug is going through her system now." she reports.
"Excellent." Taro says.
"Wh-What did you do to her?" Kasumi asks, glossy eyed.
Taro yawns. "We erased certain memories that would have proved...troublesome." he says.
"Then what the fuck was the whole shock collar for!? Couldn't you have just put her to sleep like you literally just did!?" Hitoshi demands.
"It was for some good old fashioned despair inducing fun. Now, Monokuma, the stage is yours."
What memory could I possibly have that would put some kind of dent in their plans? Did I know the Mastermind of this whole thing? It's not anybody here - at least I don't think it is. I didn't recognize any of them while we were all meeting each other back in Hope's Peak...although I can't exactly say that for sure now. If they erased my memories of the Mastermind, I won't remember recognizing them...fucking hell that's so complicated.
Suddenly, a rumbling from outside our cell catches our attention. No, not a rumbling...marching?
Kasumi and I exchange a look.
"Stay here, Yukiko." Kasumi says seriously and we exit our cell.
We exit our cell on the top level to find a bunch of Guard Monokumas herding out the girls that were in A-Wing.
"What's the big idea!? I thought those rooms were free to use!" Kanna whines.
"Tch. Stupid fucking bears…" Harumi swears, looking at the bears like they're the worst thing to happen since the color green.
Juriya just sighs. "How annoying."
Hm. I remember leaving those three there, but what about-?
"Hey! Where are Candace and Greyface?" Kasumi calls down to them.
It's like I don't even need to speak ever again.
Kanna quickly explains: Greyface went to go take a nap in her cell and Candace went to see what the others have been doing in the Yard all this time. I guess even serial killers need a break every now and then (Kanna also added that Greyface still hadn't beaten her in air hockey - maybe we should keep note of that in case the teenager in Greyface kicks in and she kills Kanna out of spite). Harumi had begrudgingly taken Greyface's place and Kanna had proceeded to beat her ass too. Juriya, of course, was still holed up in the Medical Ward.
What are the other girls still doing in the Yard anyways? Last I checked our PDAs said that it was past 6 PM.
"Daddy Monokuma says it's their turn now." one of the Guard Monokumas says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You will have access again in twelve hours. In the meantime you're going to be fed your prison slop. Eat it or starve!"
Before I can dwell on 'their turn' or 'prison slop', a large cell-like door suddenly drops down behind the group of girls and Guard Monokumas, blocking our access to A-Wing.
Well.
I guess it's a good thing our laundry room is in 1st Wing.
Luan
M-Pod
Night 1
"Luan Delvina, wake up, wake up, wake up!"
I groan as I'm shaken awake. I slowly open my eyes, blinking confusedly when I see an excited Takeshi kneeling by my bed. "Yamamoto…?" I mumble.
I could've sworn I locked my door...are there locks on these doors? I can't remember, I'll have to check later.
Takeshi smiles and pats me on my shoulder. "I told you you can call me Takeshi." he says. "But nevermind that, the door blocking A-Wing has disappeared! Come on, everyone is waiting outside the hall to go investigate."
I yawn and nod, sitting up in my bed.
As much as I'd like to sleep all of this away until our captors are done preparing whatever is keeping us separated from the girls, I need to get to know these guys better. I need to figure out which ones are safe to keep around Yukiko.
Hopefully Sora and Kasumi are watching over Yukiko like I asked: I'm positive that they'll keep her away from Greyface and that Ultimate Confectioner girl. Those were the only two girls I got a bad feeling from...I don't quite trust Juriya either, she was hanging around Armen after all, but she's a surgeon - a doctor. It would be better to have her on Yukiko's side...right?
F-Pod
"You, little girl-"
Juriya slaps the hand reaching out for Yukiko and glares at its owner (Yukiko obliviously keeps playing with her stuffed narwhal - its name is Neppy today). "Stay away from her." she says coldly.
Greyface smiles sinisterly at Juriya. "What, don't trust me?" she giggles.
"That's right." Juriya says without missing a beat. "And, as a surgeon and any other person with at least half a brain, I hate serial killers." she sneers. "You people take lives. I save them."
Greyface cackles, "Superiority complex much?"
"No, just common sense." Juriya says. "Now walk away before Thing One and Thing Two come back and deck you in the face for being near her." she warns. "I won't be fixing up your face if they do."
Luan
M-Pod
...Yeah. Yukiko would be safe around Juriya. I have...an odd feeling about her. Not bad, not good, but I don't believe she would hurt Yukiko.
I turn back to my visitor. "How...how long have I been sleeping?" I ask Takeshi.
Takeshi hums before shaking his head. "I'm not sure but it wasn't for long. I think the twelve hours were almost up by the time you went to sleep." he says. "Come on, we don't want to leave Mr. I-hate-everything-that-breathes waiting."
"Mr. I-hate...huh?"
"Armen."
"Ah. I understand."
"Delvina, Yamamoto. Finally." a disgruntled Armen says when he sees the two of us approaching.
Hitoshi waves, a friendly smile on his face when he sees us. "We already went a little ways into the hall - the only thing there is a single door." he reveals. "We haven't opened it yet though. Even Akifumi here agrees-"
Armen snaps his head towards Hitoshi, a dark look on his face. "Armen." he corrects. "You will refer to me as Armen or not at all."
"Why?" Toshiro pouts. "You have a cool name, man."
Kensuke nods in agreement. "Quite frankly, I think you should lighten up a bit. We're all going to be stuck here so-"
"Quite frankly I will kill you where you stand if you refer to me as anything other than Armen again." Armen says.
Armen doesn't seem like the type of guy to joke like that - another great reason for me to hate him. His comment shuts everybody up and he doesn't say anything else.
…
…
…
Is no one going to take the lead here? Even Sting seems to have been successfully shut up by Armen's threat.
…
…
…
…
Fine.
"So, you were saying something about…a door, yes?" I say.
Hitoshi nods. "Y-Yes, that's right." he says, clearing his throat. "Just one door, nothing else."
"Okay." I say, moving past the rest of the boys. "Let's go." I say and head into the hall of A-Wing.
"Do they not know how to manage the A/C? It's freezing." Masaki mutters to himself.
Toshiro, beside him, laughs. "It's not cold, you just don't have any fat on your body." he says, half-joking half-serious.
"Like you're one to talk." Hitoshi says, quite literally looking down at Toshiro. "You're the smallest guy here, Shiro."
"Hey, I'm skinny and short so it balances out - I don't need as much to keep me warm. I'm fine." Toshiro defends himself and grins. "My cuteness and pure heart keep me warm."
Masaki glares at the two of them, annoyed. "I'll be fine too once they give us our damn clothes back. I just need my jacket."
"Why don't you walk around with your blanket, then?" Toshiro asks.
"Too thin."
"You can borrow mine too!"
"Thanks but no thanks." Masaki deadpans.
Toshiro smiles, unperturbed by Masaki's coldness (no pun intended).
We reach the end of the hall and just like Hitoshi said, there's only a single door. It's an interesting one too, instead of a normal door knob there's a button off to the side.
"So," Kensuke starts. "As you can see-"
I push the button.
"...nevermind." Kensuke sighs.
Instead of swinging open, the door slides into the wall. I poke my head inside to see a fancy looking room with black carpet and green walls.
Doesn't seem dangerous.
"OOH, ARE THOSE GAMES ON THOSE SHELVES?" comes an excited cry from Toshiro. He gently pushes past me to get a better look. "THEY ARE!" he beams and runs into the room.
When the room doesn't seem like it's going to kill Toshiro, we all walk in behind him.
Once we're all in the new room, all of our PDAs beep with an update - no, my mistake, two updates. An additional rule and an update to our map.
I open up the Rules first - I have to make sure I don't do anything that would get me in trouble. I have to get back to Yukiko and getting punished by these people doesn't fit in with my plans to do so.
Maybe a review of the original ones are in order.
Rule #1: Inmates may not leave Hope's Peak Correctional Facility until their sentence is complete or they get an appeal.
I understand what the first part means, our 'sentence', but what do they mean by appeal? Persuading them to let us leave? How would we even begin to start that?
Rule #2: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Correctional Facility at your discretion.
As if we even have a choice. We couldn't even get into A-Wing until the door disappeared. I'm guessing it's been twelve hours since we were locked in M-Pod and I'm also guessing we have twelve hours to explore here...that means the girls must have access the twelve hours we're confined to M-Pod. Assuming I'm right, that is.
Rule #3: Violence against Warden Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.
Makes sense.
Rule #4: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will complete their sentence, unless they are discovered.
…
Rule #5: Additional facility regulations may be added if necessary.
Simple and easy to remember. We didn't go over them as a group because we all saw the first game broadcasted for everyone to see. Nothing needed to be explained. Fortunately for the survivors of the Killing School Life, none of their blackened graduated. I can only hope the same remains true for the twenty-two of us. Hopefully nobody becomes blackened at all.
Anyways, onto the additional rule.
Rule #6: Any attempt to stay in A-Wing when your twelve hours are up will result in a punishment befitting of your sin.
I mean…I suppose that makes sense. They want to keep us separated from the girls and like I was thinking before, it seems like the girls might have A-Wing to themselves when we're confined to M-Pod.
But what does the last part mean? A punishment befitting of our sin? I am unfamiliar with Christian and Catholic mythology and I haven't even been assigned any specific 'sin'. What would that mean for me? Not to mention Sora and Harumi…
Sora
F-Pod
I stare down at my PDA, reading the new rule over and over with a frown.
Rule #6: Any attempt to stay in A-Wing when your twelve hours are up will result in a punishment befitting of your sin.
Why say this now when the Guard Monokumas escorted the other girls out personally? Were they running late on getting them out or were they putting up a fight? Either way, there's only one reason why they wouldn't want us in there the twelve hours we're supposed to be confined here.
The boys are in there now.
Although I guess it doesn't really matter. Like Kasumi told me, they've already tested it out: any noise made all the way in the Rec Room can't be heard here in F-Pod. Unless the boys decide to venture to the other side of the hall and look through the large cell door in between us and them, we're not talking to them until Monokuma lets us.
Anyways, what does matter is the last part of the rule: '...a punishment befitting of your sin'. I know what that would mean for each of us - God knows how many Bibles I've fixed (pun absolutely intended) and consequently read over the years - but that doesn't exactly help scare those of us with a black collar. We weren't assigned anything. And what about the dual sinners?
Any one of the seven punishments would serve as a more than brutal death. There are multiple variations of each sin's punishment (translation issues and all that) but every translation results in either a grotesque, bloody death or a long, agonizing one that doesn't kill you quickly.
For example, a Wrath sinner's punishment of being dismembered alive. I may not be the best of friends with Ryu but I don't exactly want to see the boy taken apart like he's a turkey on Thanksgiving.
Greyface on the other hand…
…
…
…
…
I mean, it wouldn't be the worst-
"Sora, what's with the scary look on your face?"
I look up from my PDA to find Kasumi looking at me weirdly.
…
If they even attempt to boil her annoying greedy ass alive-
Luan
Rec Room
According to the map update our PDAs just got, this is the Rec Room.
The others have already split up to investigate the other two rooms the map says are in A-Wing: the Church and the Medical Ward.
As expected, Yosuke went straight to the Church. Valentin and Ryu accompanied him - although I'm pretty sure the Ultimate Spy has different reasons for going. I'm not sure about Valentin, we haven't gotten the chance to speak much. He still seems awfully exhausted from that job he said he came back from.
Armen, Kensuke, and Takeshi went to the Medical Ward. I don't like him but I still see why someone like Armen went to the Medical Ward - him being the Ultimate Forensic Expert and all. Kensuke seemed interested in knowing what kinds of medicine we would have on hand and Takeshi...I don't know about him either. He's an Ultimate Tailor - maybe he wants to see if he can be of any help should someone need to be stitched up…?
That leaves Kano, Harlequin, Sting, Toshiro, Hitoshi, Masaki, and myself here in the Rec Room. Toshiro, Kano, and Harlequin seem to have roped Hitoshi and Sting into some kind of game while Masaki is curled up on one of the many bean bags placed in the room.
I guess they won't be doing much investigating.
The room is pretty fancy; almost as fancy as the house I used to live in with nëne and the Iwata family. It looks like it would fit right in there.
There are two big tables centered in the room - a pool table and...air hockey, I believe.
...Hm?
It looks like the air hockey equipment was left out on the table. A glance at the clean pool table tells me that it's not supposed to be here - all of the pool equipment is mounted on the wall and all of the balls are still set up neatly in the ball billiard. That has to mean someone was using the air hockey table.
I'm right - I have to be right. The girls definitely had access to A-Wing while we were confined to M-Pod.
I'm positive.
"Awww, they took my toys!"
Concerned, I follow the sound of Toshiro's upset voice. The group of six are now investigating one of the shelves and the Ultimate Toymaker seems oddly upset.
"Toshiro…?" I call, confused. "What is...why are you upset?"
The six of them turn around to face me. "Mister Land Artist!" Sting grins. "Check it out," Sting says, pointing to one of the shelves. "They got Mister Toymaker's toys here!"
Toshiro grits his teeth and stomps his feet petulantly. "What is this!?" he cries angrily. "They put my name here but take my toys!?"
I lean in to see exactly what Sting is pointing at: it's a plaque with 'Haruki Toys' engraved on it.
"I WANT MY TOYS BACK, DAMN IT!" Toshiro demands.
Sting and Harlequin look unbothered by Toshiro's angry outburst while Kano, Hitoshi, and I take a step back. "Uh...Shiro?" Hitoshi says slowly, trying not to anger the small boy any further. "They said they weren't ready for us, remember? Maybe they haven't finished stocking the shelves." he tries.
Toshiro blinks, processing the information. Then, he smiles, his previous anger gone just like that. "You're probably right, Toshi." Toshiro nods.
That, or…
I decide to share my theory of the girls being here the twelve hours we're locked up.
"...so, if I am correct, it is probable one of the girls took your toys for Yukiko, yes?" I say. "Would that be so bad?"
Toshiro shakes his head and beams. "No, that would be absolutely wonderful!" he says, stars in his eyes. "Haruki Toys were made to be played with after all!"
…
…
…
Is he unhinged?
Harlequin lets out a sigh of relief. "Phew," he says and smiles. "I thought those filthy adults were up to something."
Kano crosses his arms. "Enough of this," he says with a frown. "Let's return to our game."
I walk over to check on Masaki. The boy is still shivering but he seems a bit more content curled up on the bean bag.
"Ah, Masaki-"
"What do you want?"
"-are you okay?" I ask.
Masaki looks up at me, exhaustion in his eyes clear as day. "No. We've been kidnapped, our wrongdoings have been exposed for our entire class to hear, we were told we have to kill each other for freedom, and they took my jacket. You were separated from your daughter and Sugawara was electrocuted. Do you think any of us are okay?" he snaps.
Ouch.
I frown. "I was...trying to be friendly." I say. "I'm sorry for bothering you." I say and turn to leave.
I hear Masaki sigh and he calls after me, "No, wait. I'm...sorry." he apologizes. I turn back around to see that he's sitting up now, looking at me apologetically. "You're one of the ones I trust the most here. People like Toshiro, Hitoshi, and Kensuke are too...peppy." he says. "You're quiet enough and you have your daughter to worry about."
I nod and move to sit on the bean bag across from him. I take a moment as I try to find the right words. "Um...Yukiko...she is the most precious thing to me right now." I say. "I will not do anything to put her in harm's way - that includes taking Monokuma's bait. You have nothing to fear from me unless Yukiko is in danger."
Masaki nods and grows quiet, a pensive look on his face. I'm in no rush - we have twelve hours to explore here after all - so I sit there quietly too.
"...I lost someone close to me too."
I look back at Masaki, interested.
"I'm not saying I have a kid or anything - and I didn't lose them like you and Yukiko are separated right now…" Masaki quickly clarifies and trails off. "...my dog, Taiki." he says and starts to smile. "I never had a relationship with my mother and I did have my dad, but Taiki was my best friend...he was better company than people." Then he frowns, his expression returning to his usual distrustful and cold one. "I didn't realize how much better he was until it was too late."
"M-Masaki?"
"...Sorry, but can you leave me alone?" Masaki says and curls back up on the bean bag, ending the conversation.
I sigh and stand up. He's going to be as hard to crack as Armen.
A-Wing
So, to sum up everything that just happened, Toshiro's brand is called 'Haruki Toys', Harlequin and Sting are just as comfortable around Toshiro as Toshiro is around them, Kano and Hitoshi didn't know Toshiro had that...other side to him, Masaki had a dog and hates people, and the girls were in here while we were confined to M-Pod.
It's not a lot to think about now - except for Toshiro and Sting. Why are a former Remnant of Despair and a toymaker so buddy buddy?
…
…
...
There's no way. I'm probably just getting paranoid because of everything that's happened. Toshiro is a nice guy and aside from that other side of him I just saw, he's nothing like Sting.
...right?
Medical Ward
I walk into the extremely white room to find Takeshi and Kensuke sitting on one of the beds while Armen seemingly investigates the room by himself.
The two friendlier boys look at me when they hear the sound of the door opening, revealing pouty looks on their faces. "Armen isn't letting us touch anything." Kensuke explains.
"I just wanted to see if there were a needle and thread in here - for tailoring and medical purposes." Takeshi sighs.
I glance at the man in question. He's currently reading over a file and hasn't stopped to deny Kensuke's claim or anything else.
Seeing as how Armen doesn't seem interested in making conversation right now, I move to sit across from Kensuke and Takeshi and explain what I found in the Rec Room.
"...Is that so?" Takeshi hums. "Very interesting…" he trails off, a thoughtful look on his face.
Kensuke smiles. "That's good. At least we know they're all okay - and if what you think about Shiro's toys missing is really true, that means Yukiko is okay as well." he says. "They can't keep us separated forever - it wouldn't be much of a Killing Game if they did. You and Yukiko will be reunited soon, I can feel it." Kensuke says reassuringly. "I'm a glass half-full kind of person but I do have some bad feelings too. I'm just choosing to focus on the positive ones - and one of them is Yukiko being perfectly fine when you two reunite very soon." he says. "I have very good instincts when it comes to children, trust me."
I suppose as the Ultimate Caregiver he would. He's-
"Delvina."
Every positive feeling Kensuke just gave me disappears when I hear his voice.
I turn to Armen, "What?" I ask coldly.
Armen is as uncaring as ever, "It seems like you were correct about the girls being here before." he says. "There are red hairs on the pillow of that bed." he says, pointing at the bed I'm sitting on. "Juriya left a note. She examined Sugawara and determined that she would make a full recovery from her electrocution."
Kensuke raises an eyebrow. "While I'm extremely glad about Sugawara, you're on a first name basis with Inaba, hm?"
Armen scowls at Kensuke. "Do not get it twisted, Oishi. I don't care for her or any one of you in this damned prison. I only respect her intelligence and talent." he says. "And clearly I was right to." Armen says and tosses the file in Kensuke's lap. "She knew that we would switch places with them after twelve hours. Read the first note."
Kensuke glares back at Armen but picks up the file and opens it. "...'Boys, we're alive and so is Sugawara. She's going to make a full recovery within a week or so so long as she resists the urge to cuss Yuan out. The two of them are also watching over Yukiko just like Delvina asked so reassure him of that so he doesn't go crazy, please. Take this note with you if you see this. Inaba.'. Heh, you hear that, Luan?"
I nod, smiling.
Yukiko...thank you Sora, Kasumi.
Church
I walk into the Church and am immediately met by the 'loving' embrace of Yosuke.
"Rejoice! Another soul has finally seen the light of the Lord. Welcome, my child." Yosuke says kindly.
Uh.
"Come, come, Valentin and Kuro are just over here-"
Ryu sighs loudly. "I told you-"
"Don't be ridiculous, my child, in here we are all brothers."
Then why are you calling him your child…?
"There is no need for such formalities as referring to each other by last names, isn't that right, Luan?"
I don't really care what they call me but Ryu clearly doesn't want to be called by his real name. Why is that so hard to respect?
"Saku - ah, Yosuke, I do not mind what you call me but Ryu does not wish to be called by his name." I say with a frown. "Correct me if I am wrong but the Catholic Church is supposed to be loving and welcoming to all with open arms, yes?"
Yosuke pauses, a thoughtful look on his face. Then, he smiles again. "You're right, you're right. My apologies, Ryu."
Ryu nods but doesn't say anything else and goes back to investigating.
Yosuke ushers me to sit beside Valentin. "So, Luan, why have you come here? To atone for your sins?"
I glance unsurely at Valentin. He looks horribly uncomfortable - I get the feeling he came here to think by himself. Not...whatever Yosuke is doing.
"I-I just wanted to look around." I say. "...And also, Hitoshi is looking for Valentin. I came to get him."
Valentin perks up. "I-Is that so? Well then, I must be going." he says and stands up. "Adios, Sakurai," Valentin says and turns to me, smiling. "Luan." he nods knowingly.
I nod back at him and Valentin quickly flees the Church.
Yosuke frowns. "So you did not come to atone…? For anything?"
I shake my head. "No. I apologize for the misunderstanding." I say. "Have...have you looked around everywhere?"
Yosuke sighs. "Yes, I have. There is nothing particularly noteworthy. A lot of Bibles but that's really all this room contains." he says and sighs again. "You know, I was really hoping that you would at least atone for your biggest sin."
I cross my arms, frowning. "My...biggest sin…?" I mutter. "What would that be?"
"Why, Yukiko, of course!" Yosuke says as if it were obvious.
…
…
…
…
…
"Excuse me?"
A-Wing
After giving Yosuke a few (re: a lot) of choice Albanian words, I head out of the Church. But as soon as I do, I'm met with the friendly face of Takeshi.
"Luan Delvina!" he beams. "I have good news."
"Oh?"
"Yes," Takeshi nods and starts pacing. "I've been thinking about it a lot and our section, M-Pod, is on the other side of the Rec Room, correct? There were only three rooms for us to investigate, the Rec Room, the Medical Ward, and the Church. No other doors are in either hallway." he explains. "Seeing as how the girls are in here the twelve hours we are not, there's only one place they could be."
I take a second to try and understand what Luan is saying. We came from a hidden door in the Rec Room and there are no other doors that the girls could have come from...the only place we haven't investigated is…
"...The other side of A-Wing?"
Takeshi nods, excited. "Yes! Nobody has thought about looking over there because the map only said there were those three rooms, but there has to be something over there. Even if it's not the girls, there's no harm in checking, right?"
I nod. "Yes...yes, I will go with you." I agree. "Let's go."
Takeshi and I start jogging through the so far empty section of A-Wing. There's no other doors that we can - what is that?
We stop and turn to look at each other.
"Do you hear that?" Takeshi asks.
I nod.
"Talking. That sounds like about thirteen people, let's go!"
After another thirty second jog, Takeshi and I come upon a giant metal cell door.
"I was right." Takeshi whispers under his breath.
"You were right." I whisper under my breath.
There they are.
And there she is.
My little Yukiko balancing her stuffed narwhal on an exasperated Sora's head while Kasumi watches and laughs. The other eleven girls are there too, of course, but only Yukiko has my attention.
I drop to my knees, relief flooding through me at the sight of seeing my little girl okay. "Yukiko...Yukiko!" I cry out, grabbing all fourteen of the girls' attention.
Shun's eyes widen. "You...Luan and Takeshi!?"
Yukiko stares at me like I have three heads. "...Baba?" she calls, unsure.
Sora and Kasumi don't waste another second, Kasumi grabbing the narwhal off of Sora's head and Sora scooping Yukiko up into her arms. The two of them rush over to the cell door separating us and place Yukiko down in front of it.
I smile, teary eyed, and reach my arms through the bars to cup Yukiko's face. She's still looking at me in wonder, most likely unsure of how I got here. "Yukiko...I'm so happy to see you." I say. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
Yukiko snaps out of it and smiles at me, making my heart feel full. "Baba! I'm good. Where did you go?" she asks, reaching her tiny arms through the bars to grab at my face. "I missed you."
"Oh, Yukiko…" I sigh. "I'm so sorry. I missed you too." I say. "Have you been behaving for our new friends?"
However, before she can answer, a loud, alarm-like sound suddenly starts blaring, deafening all of us.
"...Huh?" Takeshi mumbles looking around frantically. He looks up, his eyes widening. "Luan Delvina, get your arms out of the bars right now."
"Wh-What?"
"NOW, Luan!" Takeshi shouts, grabbing me and pulling me away from the cell door with a tug. "Get her away, Sora!"
Sora looks just as confused as I feel but grabs Yukiko away from the door. The second she does, the alarm stops and a rumbling from above replaces it.
...I know what they're going to do.
"B-Baba?" Yukiko stutters, scared and confused.
I give her a sad but reassuring smile. "It'll be okay, Yukiko. Be good for Red and KasuKasu, okay?"
Again, before she can answer, the rumbling grows louder and louder until something falls from the ceiling and cuts us off from the girls. It's a large sheet of metal. We can't see or hear anything from the girls' side now.
Takeshi looks at me guiltily. "I'm so, so sorry." he apologizes. "If I hadn't-"
I shake my head and smile at Takeshi. "It's fine...I got to see and hold Yukiko again. That's all I needed to keep going." I say confidently. "Come, let's go tell the others about...all of this."
Rec Room
The twelve of us (bar Ryu, he was nowhere to be found) scatter throughout the facility once more after Takeshi and I finish explaining what we found.
There's not much they can do with the information and it's not like they're especially close with any of the girls just yet; but it's a sliver of hope that we'll be reunited eventually. They're right there.
Yukiko is right there.
…
…
…
I need some fresh air.
As I head out of the Rec Room, Kano and Harlequin start arguing heatedly about some card game, King of Games or something.
Whatever.
2nd Wing Yard
I let out a sigh as I lay flat on the concrete outside. There's not any sun to absorb - it seems like the girls have the daylight half of the day - but the fresh air feels nice nonetheless.
"Ah, Luan."
I jump, startling at the sudden voice.
I turn my head towards the door to the Yard.
"Ryu." I nod. "You have come for some fresh air as well?"
Ryu nods wordlessly and walks over to sit down against the fence.
We sit in silence for a moment until, "We were looking for you earlier, you know." I say.
"I'm not planning on getting involved in the group meetings. If a time comes where it is actually necessary, then I will come."
…
…
…
I still can't wrap my head around it. Ryu seems like a decent guy, if a bit standoffish. Why is he guilty of the sin of Wrath?
…Is it okay to ask?
…
What's the worst thing that could happen? Ryu and I are fairly the same size, I can defend myself if he becomes aggressive.
Although…he is an Ultimate Spy…
…
…
…
No, understanding each other will help us figure out why exactly we're here.
"Ryu," I call. "May I ask you…personal…"
Ah, how do I word it?
"May I…ask you something personal to you?" I try.
Ryu stays silent for another moment before shrugging, "...I guess." he agrees.
"Why are you guilty of the sin of Wrath?"
Ryu stares at me, almost as if he were deciding whether or not I could be trusted with the information.
"...You're familiar with death, right, Luan?" Ryu asks. "You lived through the Tragedy."
…
…
…
…
…
"I…I am very familiar with death." I answer, a heavy weight on my chest. "More familiar than I'd like to be." I nod.
"Then you can understand the emotions a person goes through when a loved one passes away - especially from unnatural causes." Ryu says. "And how painful it must be when it happens to several loved ones all at once." he says.
Oh.
"I came home from school when I was ten and my entire family was dead." Ryu states bluntly. "My mother, my father, and my little sister," he says. "The police were unable to find the killer and…I did not take that well." Ryu says, looking at me with a blank look on his face. "I didn't understand it when Monokuma was sentencing Greyface and I because I don't like to think about back then," he says. "But he's right." Ryu says. "I'm nowhere near as bad as Greyface but we do have something in common."
"Let's get this over with. I get what she could've done, but what exactly do I have in common with a serial killer?" Ryu asks.
"Well I'm so glad you asked, Mr. Kuro Kamiyama!"
"Ryu."
"So, Kuro Kamiyama-"
Ryu sighs.
"-we don't need to go over what our lovely neighborhood Greyface has done so I'll get right on to talking about you, Kuro Kamiyama." Monokuma says. "Are you really telling me you don't know what you have in common with Greyface?"
Ryu raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything else.
"I…see." I say, unsure of how to respond.
"I know this doesn't justify my actions but make no mistake," Ryu says. "I didn't go around killing people on a whim. These were people I suspected of being responsible for the massacre of my family." he explains.
Ah, I can understand that. He was seeking kanun. Justice. But still…he's telling me all of this with that unemotional, blank stare. And does he have any evidence of his victims being guilty?
Ryu continues, "And to answer the question you're not asking, I was still ten years old when I did this. When I was caught, it all caught up to me and I realized exactly what I did. I was a kid, I didn't have any real evidence of these people being guilty of anything. When I realized I most likely killed several innocent people…" he pauses and gestures at himself. "I became like this."
"Erm…bad…not good at emotions?" I ask.
Ryu nods and shrugs. "It's easier," he says.
And with that, Ryu and I return to basking in the fresh air and moonlight in silence.
It seems I was mostly right about my initial assessment of Ryu.
He said it himself, he can't say with absolute certainty that he killed the guilty party he was after or other criminals. I don't believe he'll make the same mistakes again but Ryu still doesn't give me the same feelings that Greyface and Sting do - a genuine serial killer and a former Remnant of Despair-
…
A former Remnant of Despair…
Harlequin.
He seems to despise adults, for whatever reason.
Because I have a child, does he put me in that same category? Am I safe around him?
…
…
…
I'm living with three known killers: Sting, Harlequin, and now Ryu. And I'm stuck with them in a Killing Game. Yukiko is stuck with a serial killer but Hanako and Taro have guaranteed her safety.
Am I safe at all?
A/N ryu fte poggies
