A/N: This oneshot is the result of an ask sent by one of my followers on AO3 and Tumblr, and takes place after Despair Arc Chapter Five in HIMYM. Please read and review, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Sayaka's Breakdown!

"Thanks for looking after him for me, Leon. He hasn't talked to anyone but me or the Headmaster since his nightmare, and I don't think it's healthy for him to cling to me and neglect his friends, seeing how we live together."

Kyoko looked worriedly at Makoto as Leon assured her "Nah, it's cool, really! To tell you the truth, we were all really worried when you carried him away, so Sayaka and I will be happy to help cheer him up for you."

Kyoko smiled and nodded "Thanks, Leon. Well, I'm going to the library to read in quiet. Have fun, Makoto." Kyoko told her boyfriend as she kissed his cheek before walking away and out of sight.

Leon sighed, then turned to Makoto and asked "So…what do you say we go to the Rec Room? We can play darts. Or a game of pool, maybe?"

…Maybe Kyoko's right…I have been a little clingy lately…maybe playing some games with Leon would be a good thing… Makoto gave a small smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes as he nodded "Sure…let's give darts a shot."

XXX

Leon walked down the stairs with Makoto, who had a little more spring in his step after playing a few rounds of pool and darts with Leon, their respective games offering mixed results.

Leon elbowed Makoto, grinning has he prodded "What'd I tell you? You had fun, didn't you?"

Makoto gave a light chuckle, his smile finally reaching his eyes as he nodded "…Yeah, I…I had fun. Thanks, Leon. Who knew you'd actually lose at darts? And didn't you say you were a natural at any games that used balls?"

Leon pouted, grumbling "Come on, man! I told you, throwing a dart against the wall is way different from throwing a baseball! And with pool you're not even moving the ball! You're moving the stick thing! That makes it completely different!"

Leon couldn't stop pouting for long, Makoto's chuckles bringing a smile to his face as he commented "Man, it's so good to see you smile again, dude!"

Makoto nodded apologetically and replied "I uh…I know I haven't been myself lately…sorry…"

"Ah, don't worry about it, dude!" Leon assured him as they reached the bottom of the stairs and rounded the corner. "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we see if Sayaka's willing to give us a concert? You know we both love to hear her sing!"

Makoto's eyes sparkled as he nodded "Yeah…that sounds great…"

"Awesome! I'm sure she's in her room somewhere! Let's…huh?"

*Sniff*

They stopped in front of one of the classrooms, Makoto's smile reverting to a frown as he asked "Leon…is that…is that someone…crying?"

Leon nodded "Yeah, it looks like it's coming from one of the classrooms. But who…Sayaka?!"

What? Sayaka's…crying…?

Makoto peered into the classroom along with Leon, and surely enough, they saw Sayaka sitting in one of the desks. Her face was pale, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held her hands on her knees, shaking in anguish.

"Leon…why's Sayaka crying?" Makoto wondered.

Leon shook his head and told him "I don't know, man, but I'm not just gonna stand here and watch. My girlfriend's upset and I need to figure out what's wrong. You comin', man?"

With a determined expression on his face, Makoto nodded "Yeah…I'm coming. Sayaka's my friend, and I'm not going to abandon my friends."

Leon smiled and murmured "Good to have you on our side, man. Alright, let's go." They rushed in, Leon calling "Sayaka? Babe? Are you okay?"

"L…Leon…Makoto…" Sayaka's cheeks flushed pink, the Ultimate Pop Sensation embarrassed that she was caught in a state of distress by her best friend and boyfriend. "Yeah. I'm…fine…"

You didn't look fine, Sayaka…it looked like all emotion had been stripped away…Sayaka…you looked as bad as I did when I had my nightmare…

Leon gave voice to Makoto's thoughts, telling her "Babe, you don't look fine at all. You look miserable!" Leon grabbed her by the shoulders, urging with worry on his face "Sayaka, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Recognizing his own presence would be more of a hindrance than a help, Makoto suggested "Leon…why don't you take Sayaka back to her room and talk, okay? I'll…I'll let Kyoko know our guy's day was cancelled."

Leon frowned, nodding "Yeah, good call. Sorry about this man, but…"

Makoto gave a weak smile as he assured him "It's okay, I get it. I'd be the same way if it was Kyoko. Well, bye Leon. Hope you feel better, Sayaka."

Sayaka sniffled "Th…thanks, Makoto…"

Makoto nodded with a smile and turned around, taking his e-Handbook out of his hoodie as he walked outside. Leon quickly circled around to behind Sayaka, wrapping an arm around her back to support her as he helped her shakily get to her feet.

"Come on, Sayaka…let's get somewhere more comfortable, okay?" Leon urged, earning a silent, sniffling nod from Sayaka as they slowly walked from the classroom back to the dorms.

XXX

"Sayaka…talk to me, please? I know you're not fine…so please, tell me what's wrong!" Leon pleaded as they sat on her bed, holding her hands in his own and squeezing them for comfort.

Sayaka sniffled, her eyes hidden beneath her bangs as she admitted "How could I possibly be fine? What did we do to end up like this…? Why did the people out there do such terrible things? They destroyed our homes, our futures! Our friends and families could be dead, Leon! Killed by those monsters!"

Leon's eyes widened as Sayaka finally lifted her head, revealing a face marred by pure terror.

"My father could be dead! Ayaka and my other friends could be dead! I can't just leave them to die!" Sayaka shrieked "I want out! Let me out of here right now!"

As she started to thrash, Leon held Sayaka's shoulders, keeping her firmly rooted to the bed as he yelled "Sayaka! Babe! Calm down!" Man, why can't I have Makoto's gift for gab? Makoto could probably have her cheered up in a heartbeat, but I'm totally lost! I feel totally inadequate as her boyfriend!

As Sayaka stopped thrashing and began to sob, Leon took a chance; he took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Sayaka…I know how you feel. My cousin Kanon's out there too. And no matter how much she annoys me sometimes…I love her like a sister, and I'd be devastated if anything happened to her. Then there's my baseball team. We already lost Coach Nidai, and I don't even want to think about the others dying out there. When I think about them…there's nothing I'd want more than to go out there and rescue them."

Leon took a deep breath as he wrapped his arms around her, tugging her against his chest so she could feel the *thump thump* of his heart.

"But if we go out there, then not only will we be breaking our promise to the Headmaster and the others, but we'd be easy pickings for those psychos outside. And if we die out there, that means our friends and families suffered for nothing! The Headmaster asked us to stay here so that we'd be protected, so as much as it hurts, we just gotta stay put and hope they can hold out. We've gotta take a page from Makoto's book and believe in them, okay? Makoto's never let us down before, right? So we shouldn't believe he'd let us down now!"

"Leon…" Sayaka whimpered before finally wrapping her arms around him, nuzzling his chest with her nose as she burst out into tears. "Leon…please…please stay with me! You're…you're all I have left!"

"Sayaka…" Leon smiled, nodding as he rubbed Sayaka's back, assuring her "I promise I'll be by your side, through thick and thin, just like Makoto and Kyoko are there for each other. I swear, I'll be there for you until your last dying breath!"

"Leon…thank you, Leon…" Sayaka cried into his chest, letting Leon continue to soothe her as she continued to cry out the last of her tears.