Byakuya Togami fell asleep in the staff quarters of Hope's Peak Academy, exhausted after a long day of working to keep the school running smoothly. He woke up slumped over a desk, sore from the poor posture, and with his surroundings looking eerily familiar.
This was a classroom. There was a surveillance camera and a monitor. The windows had large metal plates bolted over them.
No… This- this wasn't possible! There wasn't any way this could be happening again!
Byakuya shot up from the desk chair, determined to uncover whatever maniac prankster was causing him to relive old traumas - probably that one mischievous first-year - when he suddenly stopped.
Something was off. His balance was off. His center of gravity was off. What…?
Byakuya looked down at himself and let out a sharp gasp. He looked like he was eighteen again! How was that possible?
Either that first year - Kokichi Oma, if Byakuya remembered correctly - had taken things much too far, or something far more sinister was going on.
As much as Byakuya hoped that this was Kokichi's doing - that would be considerably easier to deal with - he had a sinking suspicion that such was not the case.
Byakuya walked over to the window and laid his hand on the metal plate as one last check on the reality of the situation.
The metal was cool to the touch. Whatever this was, it was real.
Byakuya stumbled back from the window, sucking in a half-panicked breath. He was back inside the Killing School Life, somehow, it seemed. He needed to - !
He needed to go find the other students. He needed to find out if he was the only one who remembered what was coming next.
He needed to find Makoto.
Makoto was the only person in the entire world who Byakuya considered to be completely irreplaceable, unless he was also counting himself. If Makoto also remembered, they could work together to figure out what was going on. If Makoto didn't remember, then Byakuya would have to protect him.
Makoto had always been extremely innocent. It was, as far as Byakuya could tell, part of what allowed him to remain optimistic and strengthen his resolve no matter the situation, but it also had the potential to get him into more than a few spots of trouble.
Therefore, it was up to Byakuya to protect him by keeping him out of as many spots of trouble as possible.
Byakuya quickly made his way to the main hall - even after so long, he still remembered the exact layout of the building - and pulled himself to a stop in order to observe.
Who was here? Did any of them remember what was to come?
Almost everyone had already gathered in the Main Hall - they were only missing Hiro, Celeste, and Makoto.
Hiro had always been Byakuya's least favorite of his former classmates. The man was sleazy, to put it simply, in addition to being lazy. His only redeeming quality was that he was somewhat personable, but that was quickly negated by the fact that he was also a mooch. If Hiro didn't show up at all, Byakuya would consider that to be no great loss.
Additionally, Hiro had once asked Makoto to sell his organs, and Byakuya had never forgiven him for that.
Byakuya had never really gotten to know Celeste all that well before she died, and certainly not well enough that she still left an impression all these years later. To be perfectly honest, the thing that Byakuya remembered most about her was how she died. Like all of the other executions, it had been a spectacle that had burned itself into the memory of everyone who saw it.
Byakuya remembered finding Makoto crying in his office late one night, upset because he couldn't remember anything about Leon except how he had died, and the number his name had formed upside-down in Sayaka's blood. He hadn't known how to comfort Makoto, because he couldn't remember anything either.
In death, their classmates had gone from being people to being symbols, and thinking about it always made Makoto so upset.
Speaking of Makoto, where was he? Byakuya remembered vaguely that Makoto had been the last to arrive, but this wasn't like last time. Last time they'd all been nervous, but none of them remembered knowing each other. This time, Byakuya knew who they all were, and -
Thank God. Makoto was here.
Byakuya half-listened while Makoto introduced himself to the group, instead searching the class - but mostly Makoto - for body language cues that would suggest that they remembered.
His searching eyes were rewarded. Makoto seemed more serious and less nervous than someone who didn't know what was coming would reasonably be. To test this, he specifically introduced himself to Makoto in a way that he knew to be more verbose than the way he had introduced himself to the sentient ray of sunshine previously.
"I am Byakuya Togami, heir by conquest to the Togami family business," he made sure to sound suitably haughty and nonchalant, in case Makoto didn't actually remember, but he was not disappointed.
Anyone who didn't know about the old model of Togami family inheritance - something that he hadn't done, instead opting to name Komaru and Toko's adopted daughter, Kotoko, as his only heiress - would pick up on the "heir by conquest" part and surely ask about it, especially someone as curious as Makoto. But instead, he got a mostly standard pleasantry, one that told Byakuya that he and Makoto would need to find a way to talk as soon as possible.
"It's nice to see you, Byakuya," Makoto said with a hopeful smile.
"Yes… It's nice to see you, too," Byakuya couldn't resist giving the shorter boy a small smile before remembering that Junko could see everything and smoothing his face back into a frown.
He's turned his face away so that he's not tempted to do anything foolish, but he hears Makoto's small gasp.
"Don't you have other people to talk to?" Byakuya attempted to gently push Makoto into moving along for the moment while still sounding suitably harsh for the cameras. He didn't think he succeeded. He sounded much too fond.
Whoever had caused Byakuya to find himself catapulted into the past, Byakuya quickly came to the conclusion that he wanted them dead.
The Killing Game had begun, just like before, with an overwhelming sense of dread. Everyone looked at everyone else in open suspicion, except for Makoto, who just looked nervous and upset.
Before, Byakuya had declared from the very start that he was striking out alone. This time, he had to protect Makoto.
Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Hope. Makoto Naegi, Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. Makoto Naegi, the only person allowed to boss him around. Makoto Naegi, who he trusted with his life. Makoto Naegi, the personification of sunshine. Makoto Naegi, who had saved his life more than once. Makoto Naegi, who had taught him the value of interpersonal relationships. Makoto Naegi, who had taught him the difference between living and surviving.
Makoto Naegi, who he would die to protect if it came to that.
The two of them needed to talk, away from the cameras, but where could they go to do that? The bathhouse hadn't opened until after the first trial, if he remembered correctly, same with the second-floor men's restroom, and he couldn't recall anywhere else without cameras…
"Do you mind if we explore together?" Makoto's voice pulled Byakuya back to reality.
"Of course not," Byakuya nodded sharply, "Let's look for clues about… who did this."
Makoto flashed Byakuya a brief grin, then tugged him from the gym in a hurry. A few moments later, the shorter boy led them into the school's first floor men's restroom, then stopped.
"Good," Makoto sighed in relief, "I was right. There isn't a camera in here either. Likely, she never got the chance to install one."
"Makoto… you also remember, don't you? Escaping this place, the Future Foundation, rebuilding the school - everything?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Makoto suddenly wrapped the startled Byakuya in a hug, eyes beginning to water. "Byakuya… how did we end up here again? What's going on?"
"I- I don't know," Byakuya hugged back after a moment of hesitation. "But we'll figure it out."
Makoto pulled back from the hug now, leaving Byakuya's arms empty. He looked more like himself now, more determined and steadfast.
"Right!" Makoto nodded, "We've already been through this once, so even if we don't know why we're here again, we know we can make it through this, because we already have!"
"And this time, we know more going into this situation than we did last time," Byakuya agreed.
"Still… I'm glad you remember too, Byakuya," Makoto smiled up at Byakuya, a wide grin like a concentrated beam of sunlight.
"I-I'm glad too."
That evening, when the fifteen non-Junko members of the class met up in the dining hall, Byakuya and Makoto did have one clue they could reasonably provide about the identity of the mastermind, thanks to the rather confused assistance of one Aoi Asahina.
"We believe that whoever trapped us here is female," Byakuya told the group.
"Huh? Why?" Mukuro - although, Byakuya supposed he'd have to refer to her as Junko - spoke.
"Because Hina said there are cameras in the girls' bathroom, but there aren't any in the boys' bathroom," Makoto picked up where Byakuya left off, his words as convincing as ever.
"S-so? That c-could just mean it was a p-pervert," Toko pointed out.
"I don't think so," Makoto shook his head. "If that were the case, there would also be cameras in the private bathrooms, and no-one's reported cameras in the private bathrooms, have they?"
"That's true…" Mukuro conceded.
"So a woman decided to imprison us here? Why? What does she want from us?" Taka furrowed his oversized eyebrows.
"We don't know," Makoto lied with a sigh, "That's all we could figure out at this time…"
Well. It was all that they currently had evidence to back up, anyway.
In retrospect, Byakuya had fallen in love in the middle of a Class Trial.
Ignoring the years that he hadn't remembered at the time - and even including them, if he was honest - he'd believed that he was above everyone else. He knew more, he'd read more, he was more successful, he was above them in every way. Spending time with others was a waste. Life was a zero-sum game, and he was winning.
And then the fourth Class Trial had shattered his worldview.
He had never considered that someone would place the lives of others above their own before, had never considered that someone would commit suicide, or that someone might try to frame themselves. He had been so confident in his conclusion - and then Makoto and Kyoko had upended everything and left him reeling.
Kyoko had quipped in an "I-told-you-so," and rubbed salt in his wounds, but Makoto had just continued on with the trial, breaking down Hina's walls to get to the absolute truth.
Byakuya had already begun to respect the shorter boy for his perceptiveness and charisma, the way he could sway the courtroom, even if he sometimes needed a little nudge in the right direction, but that moment, that trial…
In retrospect, that's when it started to become something more.
Not that he's ever told anyone about that, of course. There was always so much to do - both for him and for Makoto. And besides, Makoto acted no differently with Byakuya than he did with the rest of his friends. No point in wasting time pursuing something that wouldn't work out.
But now, back at the beginning of the Killing Game again? Byakuya would give anything and everything to keep Makoto safe, including his own life if it came to that.
And while it would be better if no-one died, Byakuya was unable to deny that the idea of seeing Makoto taking charge in a Class Trial again was not an unappealing one.
One day passed.
A second day passed.
Then a third day.
The morning of the fourth day was when everything began to fall apart.
That wasn't different, of course, but the fact that the one standing at Makoto's shoulder was Byakuya and not Sayaka was.
When Mondo voluntold Makoto to go check out the motive videos, it was Byakuya that volunteered to accompany him.
When they got there, Makoto watched his video with Byakuya at his shoulder, and then Byakuya did the same, before they told anybody.
"It's not good to watch something like this all alone," Makoto's voice was quiet, "We should encourage them to watch these together."
"Agreed," Byakuya nodded, somber.
They walked back to the dining hall quickly, Byakuya falling naturally into step just behind Makoto. This habit of his… he'd seen the other students' curious gazes. He didn't care as much as he probably should.
"So? What did you find?" It was Kyoko who asked.
"We did find the videos, but…" Makoto took a deep breath. "They are both disturbing and personal in nature. If… if you trust anyone here, it might be best if you watch your video with them, rather than alone."
"Alright," Kyoko nodded, seemingly intrigued, "But where are they?"
"Oh, right," Makoto flushed with embarrassment. Had he not realized he'd never actually told them the location? "There's a box full of DVDs in the AV room."
The other thirteen students walked to the AV room, each of them brimming with nervous energy. They didn't know what they were about to see. All but two of them didn't have the background experiences to comprehend what they were about to see.
Despite what Makoto had said, curiosity overtook their classmates, and everyone watched their videos simultaneously. As a result, the two time travelers found themselves trying to calm down a number of distressed teenagers - something made considerably harder as a peer rather than a superior.
"These are hostage videos," Byakuya finally managed to make himself heard over the distressed chaos.
The general panicked noisiness came to an abrupt halt. The sudden silence stretched on for what felt like much longer than the thirty seconds it really was.
"Hostage videos? What do you mean?" It was Chihiro's voice that finally broke the still air.
"Hostage videos are videos taken of a kidnapped person - a hostage - in order to manipulate another person into doing something in exchange for the hostage's safety. Usually, the thing the hostage-taker wants is money, but in this case it appears that the hostage-taker wants us to kill. This means that the people who appear in your videos are most likely alive, as a dead hostage is less useful for manipulation than a living one, but there is something about this that troubles me greatly…" Byakuya trailed off, his words hanging heavy in the air.
"You mean aside from the fact that people have been fucking kidnapped?" Mondo growled.
"But it was someone important to you, every last one of you, was it not?" Byakuya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose for effect. "So how did the mastermind know who to target for each and every one of us, even those without any sort of fame, like Makoto and Kyoko?"
The silence returned to the room again, this time further blanketing the class with dawning horror. Those who didn't already know were coming to the realization that whoever was doing this had targeted them specifically. They hadn't been caught up in something by accident.
When they finally dispersed, Makoto sidled up next to Byakuya and whispered, "Are you sure it was a good idea to tell them?"
"I don't know if it was a good idea," Byakuya sighed, "But I felt like they should know."
When Makoto flashed him the briefest of grins before dashing out of the room, presumably to see if anyone wanted/needed someone to help them through the situation, Byakuya couldn't help but think about how different he was now.
It probably wasn't good that he was so different. Junko was surely confused by the person she was seeing on the cameras right now. But a person is made of their experiences, and Byakuya's had decades of experiences between when he was in this situation last and now.
Maybe, if Makoto hadn't also remembered, Byakuya could have tried to pretend. But as it was, he wasn't going to stand apart from Makoto, even if it was just for show.
Elsewhere in the school, Junko growled at her monitors, trying to figure out what was going on with Byakuya and Makoto.
It wasn't that her memory erasure hadn't worked, or else the rest of the class would be acting up too. And anyway, they were acting way different than they had last week. Before she'd fired off her memory device, they'd been friendly acquaintances, more by virtue of living together in a small enclosed population than anything else. They hadn't been attached at the fucking hip.
And Byakuya was deferring to Makoto! What the hell was up with that? Byakuya was such a proud individual, if anyone had told her he would defer to anyone last week, she would have laughed in their face. If they had told her that he would defer to Makoto, she would have written them off as being insane, and tried to send them to a mental hospital.
It wouldn't have worked, because there weren't exactly many mental hospitals left, but the point still stood.
What the hell was going on?
That night, there was a change in what happened. No-one came knocking on Makoto's door, asking to switch.
Byakuya learned that a little past ten, when his doorbell rang, and he opened the door to find a concerned Makoto on the other side.
Makoto had burst into the room and dragged Byakuya into the bathroom, away from the cameras.
Byakuya had to mentally scold himself for wishing that Makoto was dragging him to the bathroom for a more indecent reason.
"Sayaka never asked me to switch rooms," Makoto said, spinning to face Byakuya. "One the one hand, that's a good thing, because it means she's not going to use her original murder plan. But on the other hand, it means we don't know what's going to happen anymore…"
Byakuya nodded, understanding what Makoto meant. "You're afraid that she's still going to try and kill tonight, or that someone else will try to kill tonight, and you won't be able to stop it."
"I don't want to play Junko's game, but if someone's killed, I'll have to…"
"I know."
Makoto didn't stay long after that. Instead, he walked up and down the hallway once, checking the dorm nameplates against the dorm map, before returning to his room for the night.
Byakuya watched Makoto from his doorway, frowning. Makoto was often still the same optimistic boy that had shattered his worldview and stolen his heart, but…
Well, no point dwelling on it now.
Was it wrong that he was glad to be back here, in a way? Was it wrong that he was glad for the chance it gave him to spend time with the person he had fallen in love with, so long ago?
How messed up was it that the metal plates on the windows made him feel like he had finally come home? How messed up was it that he'd missed this place? How messed up was it that these memories were the ones he revisited most often - good and bad alike? How messed up was it that part of what drove him to work so hard everyday was guilt stemming from missing this place and these people, and thinking of this time fondly?
How messed up was it that he hoped that this time travel phenomenon would happen again and again?
Why was there a part of him that wanted to be here?
Why was there some sick, twisted part of him that wanted someone to turn up dead in the morning, because there was some sick, twisted part of him that wanted a Class Trial?
The next morning, someone didn't show up for breakfast.
Byakuya scanned the room, cataloging everyone present. Sayaka was there, Mukuro was there, Leon was there too. Chihiro was there, and Mondo as well. Taka was there, brow furrowed. But not -
"Hifumi's not here," Byakuya said quietly, mostly to Makoto.
He heard Makoto's sharp intake of breath. It was anxious, yes, but there was something else…
"Hey everyone? Don't you think we should go make sure Hifumi's alright, since he's not here?" Makoto spoke far louder than Byakuya had, as he actually wanted to make sure everyone heard.
"I'm sure he's just running a little late…" Leon raised an eyebrow. "I mean, he seems like that kinda person, right?"
"Y-yeah… He's definitely the kind of t-trash that runs late all the time…" Toko's face bore an odd expression, halfway between smug and embarrassed.
"Regardless, Makoto has a point!" Taka said, voice booming. "It is nearly eight o'clock already! Being nearly a full hour late is certainly enough of a gap that it is reasonable to check on someone!"
"Well then, if Makoto wants to check on that bastard, he's welcome to, but I don't care," Leon rolled his eyes and turned back to his food.
"Byakuya, Taka, come with me?" Makoto said as he stood.
Byakuya nodded sharply and stood to follow Makoto, understanding exactly why Makoto wanted two others to accompany him.
Taka, meanwhile, looked confused, even as he began to follow them from the room.
Byakuya had a sinking suspicion that what they would find would not be pleasant.
That feeling only grew when they found the door to Hifumi's room slightly ajar.
Makoto pushed the door open.
One…
Two…
Three…
DING DONG DONG DING
"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the Class Trial will begin!"
Taka began screaming, even as Monokuma announced that all students should come to the gym for further instructions.
Both time travelers had determined looks set on their faces.
Everyone had gathered in the gym, as per Monokuma's instructions.
The explanation of the Class Trial was no different than before, so neither of the boys were paying it any mind. Instead, both of them had their gazes fixed solely on one Mukuro Ikusaba.
"What the hell kinda bullshit is this?" Mukuro stepped forth, like before, protesting the Class Trial system.
"What do you mean?" Monokuma tilted his head.
"A Class Trial? Everyone being executed if we get it wrong? It's a completely bullshit system! Why should I be punished for someone else's wrongdoing? It's got nothing to do with me!"
It's got nothing to do with her…?
Nothing to do with-
Nothing to do with-
Nothing to do with-
"It's got nothing to do with me! Nothing to do with me!"
...Ryoko?
She sounded like Ryoko…
But Ryoko was…
But Ryoko was - !
Byakuya didn't know what about Mukuro's little speech had caused Makoto to freeze, but he knew that it was now up to him to save Mukuro Ikusaba from her untimely demise. Just as Monokuma began charging towards her, Byakuya tackled her from the side, preventing her from attacking the robotic bear. He'd have to deal with the ramifications of tackling the Ultimate Soldier later.
"What the- What are you doing?!" Mukuro's eyes flashed with anger.
"I will not have you traumatizing Makoto any further!" Byakuya hissed.
"What? What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Are you really that stupid? If Monokuma says 'punishment', then he means 'execution'! I will not allow you to die in front of Makoto!"
"Wow, you sure are dedicated to Makoto, huh?" Monokuma cut into the conversation, seemingly delighted.
Byakuya let go of a stunned Mukuro and straightened up, glaring at Monokuma over his shoulder. "Makoto is the only person in this world more important than myself. I will not allow any harm to come to him if I can prevent it. Even if he can not dress himself in the morning, I will protect him."
"H-hey… What's that supposed to mean?" The light jab roused Makoto from his frozen state.
"Just that no sane person should ever wear a blazer overtop of a hoodie like that," Byakuya quipped back, his expression morphing into something more playful, "It's unseemly."
"Aw, you're so mean to me…" Makoto's playful pout made Byakuya want to just - nope, no time for those thoughts, not now, not ever.
"Are we just ignoring the fact that Byakuya said that Junko was only not allowed to die in front of Makoto? Meaning that it's totally fine if she dies anywhere where Makoto isn't?" That was Leon. Huh. Byakuya had almost forgotten about him.
"I only care about the lives of you cretins in the sense that Makoto would rather not see you dead," Byakuya snapped, eyes flashing. "Kill yourselves or each other or whatever if you wish, but leave Makoto out of it."
"I'm going to call that an improvement," Makoto rolled his eyes playfully, despite the seriousness of the situation.
"So anyway… You guys have a murder to solve, so get to it!" Monokuma was clearly irritated as he left.
"Monokuma is correct; we must figure out who killed Hifumi, so let us get on with that," Byakuya's eyes were cold as he addressed the room at large, uncaring of those he deemed unimportant.
As the group decided who would stand guard over Hifumi's corpse, one girl stood off to the side, flabbergasted by recent events. This girl - one Mukuro Ikusaba - was unsure how to react to Byakuya's actions just now.
On the one hand, it was wildly out of character on a number of levels, considering his behavior in the two years she'd known him. On the other hand, in the past five days he'd suddenly become ludicrously attached to Makoto, so doing something like that "for Makoto's sake" made some semblance of sense.
Either way, it wasn't like his actions were necessary, right? Surely, there was no way Junko would have really killed her, right?
Right?
The investigation was… well, it was an investigation. If Byakuya was honest, even though he remembered doing the investigation, he couldn't recall what had actually happened, like some part of his brain had deemed that knowledge unimportant and therefore deleted it.
The same could be said of the events of the trial also, in truth. What he remembered of the trial was the determination in Makoto's voice, in Makoto's features. He remembered bouncing ideas and facts across the trial circle, mostly with Makoto, while the other members of the class tried to keep up. What they had actually said was completely absent from his mind, leaving only the thrill of chasing down the truth with one of the very few people that he could truly match wits with - and the only one he didn't mind being outsmarted by.
The only other thing he remembered from the whole affair was the execution - Sayaka's execution. It had been a twisted concert, and at the end, a trapdoor had opened beneath her, dropping her onto a bed of spikes. Gruesome, yet appropriate.
But when all was said and done, what Byakuya took away from the trial was this - Leon was still alive, Mukuro was still alive, and Hifumi was already dead. From this point onward, the only thing that was certain was that Junko was the Mastermind. Everything else… was completely up in the air.
The game was afoot once again.
Why did that give him such a thrill?
The next day, Monokuma called them to the gym to exercise and tell them that they could access the second floor now.
If Mukuro noticed that Makoto and Byakuya stayed close to her the entire time they were in the gym, she didn't say anything.
The second floor was the same as it had been oh-so-many years ago, even if the people wandering about it were not all the same.
Makoto spotted Leon talking with Hina in the pool entryway, comparing the equipment in the boys' and girls' locker rooms to make sure they were all the same. And in the library, instead of Hifumi arguing for the inclusion of comics in this library, it was Mukuro arguing for the inclusion of more young adult fiction.
"I get what you're saying, Toko, but 'real literature' can be pretty dang dense sometimes! What if I want to read something lighter every once in a while? Seems to me like a pretty big oversight to not have any young adult fiction here at all…"
"B-but including such 'light reading' would be a waste of space! This library isn't big enough to waste space on reading that doesn't relate to the talents of the students!"
"Ugh, you're so full of it!"
"Wh-what?"
"You heard me, you pretentious bitch!"
Fearing that the argument would escalate into a fight (which could easily escalate into a death given Mukuro's Ultimate), Makoto stepped between the two screaming girls. "Please, just stop! Does it really matter that much? I mean, it's not like either of you were the ones who planned this library, right?"
The screaming fell to silence in an instant. Mukuro and Toko glared at each other around Makoto for a long minute.
"...She's still pretentious," Mukuro finally said, turning to leave. "I hate pretentious people. They always grate on my nerves."
There was a part of Makoto that wanted to ask how she put up with her sister then, but he kept his mouth shut.
After Mukuro left, Toko snidely muttered, "Stupid s-slut."
Makoto heaved a sigh and moved to talk to Byakuya and Kyoko about the letter. He'd almost forgotten Toko used to be like this…
He was so much more used to his vibrant and violent sister-in-law, who was loud and proud about her serial killer past, claiming she used those skills to keep her family safe. A creative type, a violent type - a talented author, secretary, and bodyguard - all of those things were how Makoto would describe Jackie.
This timid and snide shadow of the past was something that Makoto had very nearly gladly forgotten.
When morning came, Byakuya was still attending breakfast with the others.
"And here I thought I was going to have to convince you," Makoto grinned playfully.
"They don't have access to poisons at this time," Byakuya said, "So it's better if I stay where I can keep an eye on you."
Byakuya thought it was a little odd how large a bite of food Makoto shoved into his mouth after that, but decided not to question it.
Across the table, however, Mukuro decided to absolutely question it. "Sooo… how long have you two known each-other?"
Byakuya raised an eyebrow at her tone of voice, feeling a flutter of internal panic. Next to him, he could hear Makoto choking on his oversized bite. Deciding that the best answer was a half-truth, he replied, "We met in the Main Hall here at Hope's Peak, of course."
"Really? But you act like you've known each other for years!" Mukuro looked thoughtful.
"Well, I don't know what to say to that," Byakuya shrugged and lifted his coffee mug to his lips in a clear dismissal, "We met here at Hope's Peak, and no sooner."
Of course, that did not contain any mention of the fact that, for them, that meeting here at Hope's Peak had happened decades prior. It did not mention the years they worked together, fighting the apocalypse and running a school. It did not mention how long Byakuya had wanted to grab Makoto by the chin and - no, no, no! Why did his mind keep going to that recently?
"Hmm," Mukuro hummed. "Hey, have either of you checked out the bathhouse yet?"
"...What are you trying to imply?" Byakuya's eyes narrowed.
"Nothing, nothing!" Mukuro held up her hands in mock surrender. "I haven't checked it out yet either, you know? But I heard there was like, a sauna in there! I was thinking of trying to find some decent loose-fitting clothes for everyone and trying to get us all in there. What do you guys think of that?"
"Is the sauna big enough to hold everyone at once?" Makoto suddenly piped up, apparently done choking himself. "We should go check and make sure, don't you think?"
Ah, of course, they were maneuvering into a conversion away from the cameras. Why hadn't he managed to pick up on that earlier? Had his mind truly fallen that far into the gutter?
"I shall accompany you then," Byakuya said, putting down his coffee mug as Makoto stood up. "I don't trust you to stay out of trouble, even for such a short amount of time."
Makoto laughed, a light and bright sound that illuminated even the most dire of situations. "Okay, okay, Byakuya. But really, you just don't want to stay here by yourself, right?"
"How dare you suggest such a thing," Byakuya replied playfully, but didn't actually refute the claim.
Makoto thinking he was lonely was better than Makoto realizing that he simply didn't want to leave Makoto's side.
The moment they were all inside the bathhouse locker room, Mukuro spun to face Byakuya, expression intense as she said, "Why did you stop me from attacking Monokuma? How did you know what was going to happen? Why is it that the next morning, I suddenly had - have - these extra memories? Why do I remember dying?"
"You… remember that?" Byakuya blinked.
"I knew you knew something about it. So, please, explain what's going on!" Mukuro sounded almost half-panicked now, despite her disguised carefreeness and her natural aloofness.
"Please calm down, Mukuro, and we'll explain everything," Makoto gestured placatingly at her.
"H-how do you - !?"
"You need to calm down before we can talk through anything," Byakuya pointed out.
Mukuro took a deep breath and straightened up. "How do you know about me? Did - did Junko really intend to kill me?"
"This is… our second time through these events, too," Makoto shrugged. "We don't… really know why it's happening, especially now that you're here too, but…"
"I knew you two had known each-other longer than a few days. So, how far did you make it, then, if this is your second time through? Do you think this is the beginning of some sort of… time loop, or something?"
"I'm beginning to suspect that it might be a time loop of some sort, considering that you're here, but… um…" Makoto trailed off, clearly uncomfortable revealing that they had survived to Mukuro.
"We defeated your sister and escaped," Byakuya decided to say it for him.
"Huh," Mukuro blinked in surprise. "Well, I guess that explains how you know who I am…"
"There were six trials," Makoto began talking in earnest now that Mukuro knew, "The first three were murders. The fourth one was a suicide, and then your sister re-used your body in the fifth one as a trap to try and kill Kyoko. The sixth was a showdown between us and her, and we won."
"To say that we won the sixth trial is not very accurate," Byakuya sighed, "It would be far more accurate to say that you won the sixth trial."
Makoto flushed at Byakuya's words. He began feeling an answering heat crawling up his own face, but then the moment was ruined by Mukuro speaking.
"Junko re-used my body?!"
"And blew it up," Makoto puffed out his cheeks, "Toko went flying."
"Okay, okay…" Mukuro was visibly attempting to calm herself, "So… who all made it out, then?"
"Byakuya, Kyoko, Toko, Hina, Hiro, and I made it out last time," Makoto tapped his chin thoughtfully, "But… last time Hifumi wasn't killed until case 3… and Leon was already dead by now…"
"Adding myself in there, it's probably fair to say that you don't know what's going to happen next," Mukuro crossed her arms. "But the fact of the matter is, more people are going to die."
"Almost certainly," Byakuya sighed. "And we can't really stop it, not with Junko able to see almost everywhere. I'm sure she's already suspicious enough of Makoto and I."
"Nah, she just thinks you're fucking."
Byakuya felt heat rise to his face as Makoto stuttered out a "Wh-what?" next to him.
"I- I suppose that's better than the alternative?" Byakuya tried to keep his desire to do exactly what Junko thought they were doing from coloring his voice.
Considering the eyebrow that Mukuro quirked at him, he didn't think he'd been entirely successful.
"We should probably get going soon," Mukuro sighed, "Or else Junko really will get suspicious. But when you get the chance… leave me a note or two, outside the view of the cameras. Actually… pick a locker, and we'll leave notes in here. If only one of us is coming in here at a time, then Junko won't have any reason to get suspicious."
"That's a really good idea!" Makoto still looks a bit flustered, but he's smiling, so that's alright. "I can't believe we didn't try that last time…"
"It does leave physical evidence of the conversation, though," Byakuya pointed out.
"Junko won't come in here," Mukuro countered.
"In this case, it's not her I'm worried about."
"Byakuya…" Makoto turned towards him, eyes understanding yet disappointed.
"Who are you worried about, then?" Mukuro asked.
"Sakura, obviously," Byakuya said.
"Byakuya!" Makoto stamped his foot in indignant disappointment.
"I know she's being blackmailed," Byakuya huffed, "But that doesn't mean we can trust her. She might not try to kill us, but information - she might tell Junko."
"Then we'll pick a locker low to the ground," Mukuro said, "One at eye-level could be easily spotted, anyway."
Makoto made a small huffing noise, but nodded.
"How about this one?" Mukuro dropped down and pointed at a locker on the second row, which was near the left end of the structure but not at it.
"Sounds good!" Makoto smiled at Mukuro, clearly pleased.
He was so cute. How was it even possible for someone to be so cute?
"Byakuya, what do you think?"
"Huh? Sorry, could you repeat the question?"
"I asked you what you think of the locker," Makoto was smiling at him again.
"I suppose, if we are going to use a locker as a mailbox, there are far worse options," Byakuya acquiesced.
"Good," Mukuro nodded sharply. "Now all we need is paper."
"I'd bring my notepad in here from my room, but Junko would surely see me doing so…" Makoto trailed off with a frown.
"Go and get it anyway," Mukuro said. "Then, when you're back in here, tear off the top sheet and draw a diagram of the sauna, which you will then give to me. When we leave, we can look at and discuss the diagram, which will give Junko the impression that you forgot the rest of the notepad in here by accident."
"Yeah, okay, that could work," Makoto had his finger hooked beneath his chin. "I guess I should go get the notepad, then. I'll be right back!"
Makoto darted out of the room, leaving Mukuro and Byakuya alone together.
"How long have you been in love with him?" Mukuro spoke suddenly.
"Wh-what?"
"I may not have lived past the age of eighteen, but I went to school with you for two - I guess I have two sets of memories, so maybe four - whole years. And the Byakuya I knew was cold, callous, and aloof. Yet you dote on Makoto, going so far as to say that he's more important than you are."
"That's called character development, you pincushion."
"Character development is how you're treating non-Makoto people, even if you did just call me a pincushion," Mukuro narrowed her eyes. "Yet when you stopped me from attacking that stupid robot of my sister's, you said that Makoto was the one person you considered more important than yourself. Additionally, you follow him everywhere in a comfortable silence. There's a reason my sister thought you two were fucking - and she's the Ultimate Data Analysist, so it's hardless baseless."
"That's -" Byakuya knew that he was completely red in the face by this point.
"Don't try to deny it. Just tell me how long."
"...Decades."
"D-decades?! And the two of you aren't together? Why not?" Mukuro looked completely confused.
"Why… would we be?" Byakuya didn't understand the question.
"Because -"
"I'm back!" Makoto chirped when he walked back in, brandishing the notepad and oblivious to the conversation he interrupted. "I got the notepad and a pencil!"
"Awesome!" Mukuro's demeanor changed in an instant. "Now we just need the decoy diagram!"
Either Mukuro was a better actor than Byakuya had given her credit for, or… No, it was probably that Junko was a difficult person to portray. It's not like Junko even fully understood her character.
While Makoto drew up the decoy diagram, he and Byakuya gave Mukuro a few more details about what had happened after she died last time. They told her the order of everyone's deaths, and about the second Killing Game.
"I never liked that she kept brainwashing people," Mukuro sighed. "Even with Yasuke's research and Ryota's animations, it's not like that stuff is unbreakable, you know? And when brainwashing fails, you're left with a bunch of angry and traumatized people. Although you can still end up with angry and traumatized people without brainwashing."
"I don't really understand the whole premise of the Izuru Kamakura project, though," Makoto huffed while drawing. "It really was just asking for trouble, wasn't it? I mean, all those illegal experiments? And for what? "Hope" and "talent" aren't the same thing, and if there's a group more in need of therapy than the Ultimates accepted to Hope's Peak, I haven't met them yet."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Mukuro, think about it. In our class, how many of us didn't have some horrible trauma in our childhood?"
"The answer, in case you don't know, is just Makoto, Hina, and maybe Sakura," Byakuya glowered at the Ultimate Soldier.
"Just those three?"
"Do you think it's alright if I tell her?" Makoto asked Byakuya.
"Tell me what?"
"As long as she doesn't go around talking about those sorts of things openly, it should be fine," Byakuya reasoned. "After all, they don't know that you know these things either, therefore they would be clueless and suspicious as to how she knew."
"What are you telling me?"
"I'm going to tell you - in vague terms - about the childhoods of our classmates," Makoto stood up, having finished the sauna diagram, which he handed to Mukuro.
"What about them?"
"Sayaka grew up alone, which is part of what pushed her into becoming a pop star. I don't think I need to tell you about your own childhood. Leon was so pressured to pursue his talent that he began to resent baseball, even though he enjoyed playing. Chihiro was bullied so much that he began pretending to be a girl in order to escape from it. Mondo was so often unfavorably compared to his brother that it caused him to become reckless in an attempt to prove himself, resulting in his brother's death. Exactly what happened to Taka, I'm not certain, but I'm fairly certain that he was beaten, based on some of the things he's said. Hifumi has experienced and internalized a dearth of positive feedback. Celeste is so ashamed of her origins that she hides everything about herself under layers of lies, even I could never figure out exactly why. I could never figure out Junko because I was never sure what was really 'her'. Hiro's mother is constantly a little out of it, and not really fit to be a parent; I don't know the specifics, but there's no way that was a good environment to grow up in. Toko's got so many issues stemming from repression, rejection, and who even knows what all else that I don't even know where to begin. Kyoko's father didn't want to be a part of the family business, which, from what I can tell, meant that he was forced to abandon her due to the family politic. Byakuya was conditioned into believing that human connections were a weakness. And that's just our class! From what I can tell, the other years tend to be just as bad, if not worse," Makoto was frowning, an angry and determined look in his eyes. "What's needed for the country to progress at this point isn't people with even more talent, it's for the people who already have talent to be less traumatized!"
Mukuro just stared at the angry young hope, blinking every few seconds.
Byakuya, meanwhile, was restraining himself from scooping Makoto into his arms and whispering into his ear, "It's okay now. You've made it okay now. I'm better now and it's all thanks to you."
He wanted to comfort him like that more than anything.
What was happening to his impulse control? Why was it so much weaker than before?
Makoto took a deep breath and then handed the completed diagram to Mukuro. "Here. We should probably get going, right?"
"Yeah," Mukuro plastered on her fake Junko smile and spun around to walk out of the room, the boys hot on her heels.
The next two days passed fairly quickly. Mukuro found herself spending more and more time with both of the boys, much to her sister's confusion.
In fact, they all ended up spending a decent amount of time in the library archives, reading the cold case files.
"This was a favorite pastime of mine as a child," Byakuya explained as he handed a file to Mukuro, "But now I just think it will be good practice for whenever someone caves next."
"I don't like the idea of people caving," Makoto sighed, "But it's honestly more likely than not at this point."
Mukuro simply nodded and joined them in reading and discussing the files. If she was honest…
If she was honest, it was probably the best time she'd had since leaving Fenrir. Maybe even since before that.
The notepad in the dressing room had a little conversation going in it by the third day of relative peace. Someone who read it - well, if it wasn't one of the three who meant to read it, it might be a bit confusing.
Your Sister-In-Law is following me again.
She does that?
Sister-In-Law?
The one following me.
Ah, I see.
The "Bros" are Bro-ing again.
How long will that last?
Last time, it only lasted until the next motive.
So, only until tonight?
Unless something changes. But considering that we have an extra person, who knows?
What can I do?
Keep an eye on the butter tub. If he is triggered, someone will die.
Understood. I'll prevent him from killing.
We're trusting you with this one, pincushion. Don't disappoint us.
That night, everyone is called to the gym to receive the next motive. Makoto felt like rolling his eyes when he saw his secret. Makoto Naegi wet the bed until the fifth grade. Anymore, he had secrets far more important than this barely-embarrassing scrap of paper.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered what Mukuro's secret was. Was Junko willing to gamble that someone would die and give her something that revealed her true identity?
Once again, Taka suggested that they all go ahead and share their secrets. Once again, everyone declined to do so. Once again, Chihiro made a comment about wanting to change.
What was different was who Chihiro approached, about an hour later.
"What."
"I-I'm sorry, is it that surprising? Am I really that weak?" Chihiro blinked back tears, hands bunching up the folds of his skirt.
"That is not what I meant," Byakuya shook off some of his surprise, although he was still considerably confused. "I simply do not understand why you would approach me."
"Well, 'cause - 'cause you're really strong!" Chihiro's stance changed to one more akin to hyping someone up, cheeks puffed out almost comically. "And you're a protective person, so I know you can help me!"
"A… protective person?"
"Yeah! You're always making sure that Makoto is safe, and you saved Junko, too! Working out with you, I know I'd be in good hands," Chihiro retreated into a more neutral stance now.
Byakuya stared down at the incredibly tiny boy, completely baffled by his explanation. Him, Byakuya Togami, protective? That was… it felt absurd. He knew that he had changed, as time had passed, but to be called "protective" really threw how much he had changed into sharp relief.
The first time around, he had trusted no-one. He had sequestered himself in the library. He had tampered with evidence, and made everything harder for everyone. He had been self-serving, fully believing that he would have to sacrifice everyone in the school in order to win - and fully believing that he would win.
But this time, Chihiro Fujisaki - theresacorpseinthegirlslockerroomletsdressitupandmakeitlooklikeTokodiditsowecanseewhosthethreattomywinhere - was asking Byakuya to help him work out - onhiswaytoworkoutnevercameback - and was saying that Byakuya was… protective?
Yes, he considered himself to be very protective of Makoto, but in general? There were not many people he cared much for, and he was not about to put his life on the line for someone he didn't care about. He did things sometimes that perhaps others might consider selfless, but that would be incorrect to assume.
He was completely selfish.
Everything he did, he did for Makoto, himself, Kotoko, Komaru, or Toko. As far as he was concerned, everything he did, he was acting selfishly in order to make things better for his family.
To be called generally protective was… odd, to say the least.
"Byakuya…?" Chihiro's hesitant voice called him back to the present.
Byakuya sighed. "Alright, I'll help. On one condition."
"Condition…?"
"Makoto comes too."
Chihiro almost lights up at that. "That's okay! Makoto's really nice, and I trust him! Thank you so much!"
"In that case, I suppose that we'll be meeting in front of the locker rooms tonight?"
"Y-yeah, if that's okay?"
"That's fine."
"Yay! I'll see you both then! Thank you again!"
Chihiro then ran off with a smile and a pleasant wave to the taller boy behind him.
Byakuya found this interaction perhaps the most confusing thing that had happened since he awoke decades before falling asleep.
"We've been invited to go work out tonight."
"Huh?"
"Well, it would be more accurate to say I was invited. But I said I would only attend if you were allowed as well."
"Who… invited you?"
"Chihiro."
Makoto blinked in confusion for a minute. "...Huh."
"That was my reaction as well," Byakuya felt oddly pensive. "H-she called me protective."
"Well, you are protective," Makoto countered with a smile.
"Only towards a select few, and you know it."
"You saved Junko," Makoto smiled softly.
"Her death was unnecessary! And it would have hurt you, so I had to do what I could," Byakuya could have sworn that he sounded almost defensive. But that didn't make any sense, so clearly his ears weren't working properly.
"Sure, if you say so." Was Makoto smirking? When did he learn to do that?
"I do say so," Byakuya huffed.
"Okay, okay. So we're going to work out with Chihiro tonight?"
"Yes, we'll be meeting h-her in front of the locker rooms just after the nighttime announcement."
"Are you… going to come get me when you're leaving?" Makoto was chewing on his lower lip. He must have been worried about something happening tonight.
"Of course," Byakuya replied with a nod, eager to put the smaller boy at ease, "It isn't safe to be walking about alone the night after a motive is introduced."
For a moment, Byakuya thought he might have seen a flash of disappointment flicker across Makoto's face, even as he nodded in agreement. How very odd.
That night, Byakuya rang Makoto's doorbell, and then the two of them set off for the locker rooms together. They met with Chihiro, who told them that he was actually a boy. They feigned surprise, and then the triad entered the boys locker room to work out for a while.
After exercising for an hour or so, they headed back to the dorms, agreeing to meet again the next night. On Chihiro's end, everything had gone smoothly, perhaps better than he could have hoped.
As for the other two boys, memories of sweaty and flushed faces were seared into their memories, leaving them blushy even now that the sweat was gone.
The next morning, Makoto had just stepped out of his room to go to breakfast when he heard Hina scream.
"AHHH! SOMEBODY, HELP!"
Makoto ran towards Hina's voice, which was coming from - the dining hall? Why was she screaming in the dining hall?
...oh.
That was why.
Crucified on the wall and dripping pink down to the floor, was the body of Kiyotaka Ishimaru.
Next to him, the word "bloodlust" was written on the wall in blood.
The crucifixion, the message, the scissors - one look, and Makoto knew exactly who had done this.
The next one to die was going to be the one that his sister had - would've? - married.
The next one to die was going to be the one that had kept the school safe when he was - would be? - the headmaster.
The next one to die was going to be Toko Fukawa.
He felt sick.
They investigated, of course, both for proof that Toko was Genocide Jack - Genocide Jill - Jackie - that wasn't "I'm from the future," and for evidence that showed how the case had unfolded. The boys both hoped that she was being framed, remembering the woman who had stood strong against the world, but they doubted they would find that such wishes were the truth.
And when it came to the trial, it came out again that Toko was Genocide Jill, but this time it turned out that she was truly the killer.
The execution was called "Evolution of Writing". It opened with vises clamping around Toko's heels, preventing her from moving. Then, hammer and chisels gouged into her feet. A moment later, a giant brush laden with ink swished down, pushing Toko back and forth with sheer force. The ink dripped down into the gouges in her feet, causing her to scream. Already in pain, she didn't notice the addition of the printing presses until they were crushing her hands. While she was still screaming, her tongue - still about a foot long even when she wasn't Jill - was forcefully grabbed by a metal claw of sorts, and began being used to type on a keyboard. The force being used caused the keys to fly off, one after another, until finally Toko's tongue came down on exposed wiring. In that moment, there was a horrible smell, like burnt flesh - and Toko's body ceased to move.
Makoto cried that night. Toko had been one of his closest friends, before. She had been his sister-in-law.
But as he cried, he was forced to ask himself: Was the Toko that had just died really the same person as the one his sister had married?
Should he really be crying right now?
What was real, and what was a fabrication?
...Byakuya was real. Mukuro was real. After that, the lines began to blur…
There was no real Alter Ego fiasco, this time. Mondo didn't project Taka onto the laptop, it wasn't in his nature. Hifumi was already dead, so there wasn't anyone growing overly attached to the program, either.
No, this time, things were relatively quiet. The deaths almost seemed to come out of nowhere.
The morning had started like any of the others Mukuro had had since the Killing Game began. She woke up, donned her disguise, and then set out for breakfast.
She hadn't expected to immediately hear people screaming. She hadn't expected to immediately be greeted with a Body Discovery Announcement.
Following the sound of the screaming, Mukuro rounded the corner to find the body of Yasuhiro Hagakure, slumped forwards against his door. In his hand, he clutched his room key. His skull had been cracked open, and there was blood all around, but no weapon could be seen.
She was about to begin investigating this death - no time to waste - when another cry was raised.
"Chihiro!"
The body of Chihiro Fujisaki was found in the laundry room. It appeared that he had been strangled.
The room was a mess, and the rope was still looped around his neck. It was clear that whoever had killed the petit boy, they had left in a hurry.
In the trial, it was revealed that Chihiro had been the intended target of two different people. The first had been Yasuhiro Hagakure. The second had killed Hiro, because they evidently had very much wanted the proposed large amount of money.
The second, rather unsurprisingly, was Celestia Ludenburg.
The fourth case, the fourth trial… they were very much similar to how they had originally played out, only with a different, slightly larger cast in the trial. Originally, it had been Makoto, Byakuya, Kyoko, Hina, Toko, and Hiro. Now, they had Makoto, Byakuya, Kyoko, Hina, Mukuro, Mondo, and Leon.
With Alter Ego ultimately getting smashed again, things looked very much the same.
A few nights later, Makoto came down with a fever.
On the one hand, it was rather odd - they were completely sealed inside the school, so how had he contracted the fever? On the other, Byakuya used the notepad in the bathhouse to tell Mukuro that this had also happened last time, which made it slightly less odd.
Of course, just because he had survived it last time didn't mean it wasn't dangerous now.
It had been Kyoko, this time, to notice the unresponsive Monokuma. Knowing what it meant, Byakuya had quickly headed for Makoto's room, afraid of what he might find there.
He was right to be afraid. He arrived just in time to see Junko lifting a knife over the sleeping Hope, mask and all.
"Makoto!" he yelled, both to draw Junko's attention and to wake the sleeping boy. As Junko startled, he lunged at her, heedless of the knife she was wielding. He would not allow her to bring harm to Makoto.
"What the heck?" Junko growled. "Why do you keep defying my data sets? Why can't you act like you're supposed to?"
The two of them grappled with each other there in Makoto's room. Behind him, Byakuya could hear Makoto stirring.
"Byakuya… what…" Makoto's sleep-drenched and nasally cold-affected voice finally spoke.
"Makoto!" Byakuya yelled once more, attempting to startle the smaller boy into total alertness.
This was a mistake, as dividing his attention so allowed Junko to drive the knife into him. He was sure he made some sort of sputtering noise, but he couldn't hear it. The world had gone bizarrely silent, tinged with an eerie grey-pink…
But he'd done what he could to protect Makoto… He couldn't harbor any regrets for doing that…
No regrets...
He only heard one thing as his vision began to fade…
"NO!"
If you asked Makoto Naegi exactly what had happened in his room the last night of the Killing Game, he wouldn't be able to tell you. He remembered crying out as Byakuya was stabbed, and then the next thing he remembered…
He remembered standing over two corpses in his bedroom - one with a single stab wound, and the other with several.
He remembered collapsing in tears over Byakuya's silent chest, not caring about the blood being smeared over him.
He remembered being found by Mukuro the next morning, who told him they had to leave now that the air purifier was off.
He remembered that she had to half-carry him, causing her clothes to become smeared with blood.
He remembered the stunned looks on the faces of their other classmates when they saw them. He remembered vaguely wondering if they were more stunned by the blood or Mukuro's identity reveal.
He remembered the last words he said before leaving.
"I'm sorry I never told you I love you."