Kyoko glared at the Hope duo from beneath steepled fingers, her hands simultaneously trying to hide her feelings, subtly rub her forehead to ease her frustration, and show the pair she was still thinking about her next words.

Makoto and Mukuro were widely known throughout the Future Foundation and what was left of the society as among the most renowned agents the Foundation had. Makoto, physically, was unimpressive. The spear he had taken to the abdomen had done a number on his already lacking physique, something that normally would have barred him from field work. However, in the weeks after Mukuro's betrayal of her sister Junko Makoto had managed to truly step up as a leader of the group. The group found themselves completely alone when they escaped Hope's Peak, just 15 confused teenagers amidst the ruins of a despair-filled society. They'd endured deranged bands of despair-fueled gangs, starvation, and even the kidnapping of one of their own. Sure, he wasn't great at the planning and decision making side of leading, that fell mostly to Kyoko and Byakuya, but through it all Makoto was the glue that allowed them to survive and bond as a group, and inspired them to persevere. His ability to inspire hope and wipe away despair in even the most far gone of individuals made him invaluable in the field.

Mukuro, on the other hand, was the brawn that Makoto needed when the going got tough. Speak softly and carry a big stick, as they say. Mukuro was a figure that inspired fear in most who met her. Many violent opportunists had been scared away just by a stern glare once they realized that Mukuro was one of the Despair Sisters, especially in the first few weeks when she was still disguising herself as Junko. When Makoto's soft words couldn't talk their adversaries down, Mukuro's firepower could force them to back down. Even so, there was no greater evidence of Makoto's compassion than Mukuro. On the surface she might seem ever the self-depreciating, cold, occasionally blood-thirsty killer she had been, but now she possessed her own quiet form of kindness towards those around her, especially the other students of the class 78.

By the time they had been rescued by the Foundation, the 78th class of Hope's Peak had already returned to being the close-knit group they'd been before having their memories tampered with. Kyoko knew that she had Makoto and Mukuro to thank for that, as well as for the countless other triumphs they'd achieved in the year since joining the Future Foundation. There was a reason that some referred to them in hushed whispers as Ultimate Hope.

And yet, whenever there was a thorn in her side, Kyoko could bet money they were behind it. On her better days, Celestia would even take her up on that. First it had been trying and failing to infiltrate Jabberwock Island, then it was their thus far unsuccessful attempts to track down Izuru Kamukura and get a roster of known Ultimate Despair members, and most recently it was their successful capture of the Ultimate Despair herself, Junko Enoshima.

And so, Kyoko glared at her two friends. Makoto shuffled awkwardly. Kyoko's raw analytic gaze still made him uncomfortable, even if he had come to know and enjoy the person she really was whenever she wasn't scrutinizing him. Mukuro, meanwhile, stood stiff and still as always. If she was worried, the soldier didn't show it.

"Ryoko, hm? A name she's used before, am I hearing that correctly?"

"T-that's right, Kyo-Kirigiri! Uh, Ma'am," Makoto replied.

"Even with the explicit orders we had to avoid anything that might spur her to slip back into Junko's personality, particularly this soon after the procedure?"

"I.. Uh…"

"That's my fault, Kirigiri," Mukuro interjected, her voice steely with military etiquette, "My sentimentality jeopardized my sister's recovery and the safety of this entire operation. I take full responsibility."

Makoto immediately put a hand up to her back and gave her a reassuring pat. To Kyoko's eyes, Mukuro didn't betray a hint of emotion, but Makoto had long since learned to read the subtleties of his girlfriend's voice. She put up a good front, but even she hated being reprimanded by a superior.

Kyoko rubbed the bridge of her nose. Despite her role as the leader of the 14th Branch, Kyoko was willing to drop her stoic facade, at least a tiny bit, around her friends, "As long as you acknowledge the mistake. I just ask that you please think next time, we have a plan for a reason."

The pair apologized, and the frustration eased from Kyoko's face, returning to its usual cold stoicism. This, they both knew by this point, meant she was in a better mood, "Right, well tomorrow she'll have both her first psych exam and then a battery of tests to confirm her brain health. Until then, take her to your quarters and make her feel at home. Just…" annoyance flashed across her face for barely a moment, "Try not to tell her anything else. I know she likely has many questions about her past, I can certainly relate, but we really can't take any further risks."

The pair nodded. Makoto still had a guilty expression on his face, like a puppy who just got scolded. Kyoko stood up from the desk and gave a gentle smile to the pair. She took off her lilac suit jacket and left it over the arm of her chair. "I'll come with you to check on our patient."

"Sure thing, Kyoko," Makoto practically skipped out of the room.

Mukuro simply nodded, but returned Kyoko's smile. Mukuro had been working on that lately, smiling more when people smile at you. Sayaka thought it might help the non-78ths feel less afraid of her. She didn't know if it was working, but it did make her feel better.

"So Kyoko, how have things been while we were gone?"

Kyoko shrugged as they rounded the corner "Well Mondo is back from scavenging, he went a good ways out and Chihiro was worried about him, now she's thrilled that he's back and safe. They've been taking apart Monokumas together with Taka ever since. Taka, for his part, is doing pretty good managing the guard duty. Sayaka's been getting back a lot of memories recently, like the rest of us, but not quite like Celestia yet. Leon managed to find someone to play guitar with him, and they convinced Sayaka to do vocals, " They threw open the doors to the infirmary, "They've been on Togami's nerves ever since, which is pretty good in my book and she's gone. She isn't here."

Kyoko blinked as Mukuro and Makoto realized that yes, Ryoko was nowhere to be seen. They heard the leather of her gloves squeeze as she clenched her fists, the only sign of anger in her otherwise serenely stoic posture and voice, "Well? Find her."

Ryoko had already skimmed through every magazine in the infirmary and come to the conclusion that none of them appealed to her. She couldn't remember her hobbies, but something told her that fashion wasn't one of them as everything in these magazines seemed dull. Oh well, she thought, I just have to wait a little bit before Mukuro gets back. I'll just have to find something else to do!

That had been two minutes ago. She could feel herself getting restless, especially under the gaze of the purple haired nurse across the room. In the course of Ryoko's hunt across the entire infirmary for something interesting to read, the nurse had never once stopped her staring. She could understand watching over her patients, but this woman seemed a little too interested. And interesting, which is why Ryoko marched up to her.

"Hi! I'm Ryoko Ikusaba, but you probably already knew that hehe!" Ryoko said, "What's your name?"

The nurse chuckled darkly in response, ignoring her question, "Oh it is so good to see you again…"

"Oh, I guess you knew me from before the accident! In that case, it's good to see you too!"

The nurse just stared back at her, an eerie smile on her face. Her face seemed a bit flushed, and there was an odd look in her eye. She could shake the feeling that there was something… baleful lurking inside her.

Thoroughly creeped out, Ryoko excused herself from the conversation and continued searching around the room for anything to do. After reading the third leaflet in a row about sexually transmitted diseases, Ryoko's eyes locked on the heavy steel door next to the nurse. Mukuro said she'd be back soon, and it would be rude to not wait for her but… surely just a quick peek out couldn't hurt anything? She'd be back in no time. She was grateful to be wearing scrubs and not those open-back gowns, otherwise this would be out of the question.

"Hey, nurse lady, would it be okay if I took a quick look outside?"

"I certainly won't stop you," the nurse replied with an eerie smile. Ryoko began to wonder if this girl ever blinked.

The nurse's head pivoted to follow Ryoko as she stepped out the door. Just as Ryoko broke eye contact with her, she could've sworn she saw a depraved look cross her face. No, surely that was her imagination. She pushed the thought aside and went merrily down the hall.

Mondo leaned against the wall, flipping a wrench in the air while bobbing his head to the music. A boombox blasted an eclectic playlist of rap and metal, which the nearby Chihiro put up with while she worked. They weren't her favorite genres - not even close, in fact - but she put up with it for Mondo's sake. Mondo had ended up with a surprising amount of responsibilities around the 14th Branch, leading scavenging parties on his motorbike, serving as a general mechanic around the base, and practicing carpentry when furniture was needed. While the rebellious former gang leader balked at the idea, he accepted happily when Celestia made him a new, white coat, with the Future Foundation logo emblazoned by Hifumi on the arm. A really thoughtful gift, and now Mondo was rarely seen without it.

Having just gotten back from a scavenging trip, Mondo was given free reign to relax for a few days. When he had downtime, he'd spend it with his friends from the former 78th class. The road could be lonely, after all. But most frequently he preferred the company of his best friend Taka, who was working right now, or his… friend of currently ambiguous closeness, Chihiro.

For her part, Chihiro was bent over a table, connecting wires to various parts of a disassembled Monokuma. It was rare to get one back in such good condition, so it was always imperative to dismantle them and check their software. With that kind of information, Chihiro could update the back doors used for the Foundation's hacking guns, back-trace the locations of other Monokumas and try to track down the mastermind behind these robots and the Tragedy: Junko Enoshima.

Just thinking about her sent a chill down Chihiro's spine. They used to be hunted by her day and night, in the weeks after their escape from Hope's Peak. Seeing billboards of her face everywhere, along with Mukuro's resemblance to her back when she was still wearing that wig… It had stuck with all of them, but the more vulnerable of the group especially.

Chihiro shook the thought from her mind. They'd find her soon. Then we'd all be safe.

She found a panel on the Monokuma she couldn't quite get up, even after taking the screw out, "Mondo, pliers please!"

"Sure thing Chii," Mondo cursed under his breath for using that nickname. He told himself he'd stop with that after their break up, to avoid things getting weird between them. A quick glance at Chihiro soothed his worries though, since it didn't seem like she'd noticed. He fished out a pair of needle-nosed pliers, "Heads up!"

"Thanks Mon-" Chihiro's eyes went wide as she saw the figure in the door.

"Hi there!" A familiar voice said from just outside the garage.

Mondo looked up when he heard the pliers clatter to the ground, "What's up Chihiro? Oh Shit!"

In the doorway, clad in sky blue scrubs, was a red eyed woman with a familiar grin. Her hair was down, loose, tangled and a bit red at the roots, but he would recognize that strawberry blonde anywhere. Mondo rushed in front of Chihiro to protect her from the woman.

"You've got a lot of fucking nerve showing up here, bitch!"

Ryoko reeled back in fear. This man was large, pissed and hated her.

"I-I just…" She couldn't even finish the thought before his hand was on her throat.

"You just what, you fucking monster!? I should snap your fucking neck, psycho! How did you even get in here?"

Ryoko could feel her face getting hot and the corners of her eyes getting wet. She didn't expect the first person she met out here would threaten to kill her, that's for sure. What had she done to piss this man off so much? Who was she? Who had she been?

"RYOKO!" A brown haired young man slid around the corner, skidding to a stop right in front of Mondo. Ryoko recognized him as the man Mukuro had left with earlier.

"Makoto, what the fuck is she doing here?" Mondo hissed.

"Mondo let her go!"

"What the hell? Why the fuck should I? What's going on!?" Mondo's voice had risen quickly, now practically a roar.

"Mondo, please just let her go," a soft voice pleaded from behind him.

Mondo took one glance at Chihiro before doing as she asked. Ryoko fell to the ground, panting for breath. Makoto rushed to her side, putting a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Thanks Mondo, I promise I'll explain everything later. Ryoko are you okay?"

Ryoko couldn't believe what had just happened. Had this man - Makoto, it seemed - not shown up, she'd have been strangled to death. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing as the terror shook her, body and soul. She forced herself to nod and stood up. Makoto ushered her outside.

Gripping onto his jacket, Ryoko made it a few steps down the hall before she collapsed. Her fear had overwhelmed her now. Fear of death, fear of that man, Mondo, fear of who she was. The question came back to her. Who had she been to inspire such hatred?