AN: Hello, everyone! I know I'm very late to the V3 party, but I just finished playing the game and immediately went off on a fanfic-writing spree. This story was originally supposed to be canon-compliant, but I didn't check the game's timeline at all while writing it, so I totally messed up the sequence of events. I assumed that Kaede and Shuichi have had pretty much all of their in-game conversations already, and the first two labs are open, but Monokuma hasn't given any kind of motive and they don't have a plan to catch the mastermind yet, so... just don't think too hard about it, I guess? I usually try to stay as close to canon as possible, but this is just fluff for the sake of fluff, so I'm not gonna worry about it too much.

To make a long story short, this is technically a slight AU. (On the bright side, you can decide for yourself whether or not it follows canon after this.)

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Alone in the quiet darkness of her room, Kaede had never felt farther away from sleep.

All things considered, she thought she was doing a good job keeping herself from going crazy in this hopeless situation. She kept busy, spending time with her classmates and doing her best to encourage Shuichi. As the Ultimate Detective, he was probably their greatest hope. If anyone could figure out who the mastermind was and how to escape, it would be him. Kaede knew that her own talent was completely useless in a situation like this, but she refused to just be useless. She'd decided to support Shuichi and help him out in whatever small ways she could. All things considered, she was doing her best.

Sometimes she even managed to feel little sparks of hope, when it was just her and Shuichi and she got him to forget about the killing game, just for a moment. When she managed to make him smile just the slightest bit. He had a beautiful smile, even if he didn't wear it often. Whenever she saw it, that felt like a victory.

That was the key to holding on to her sanity here. She just had to focus on the little victories instead of the huge losses. She had to believe that they were working towards something real instead of chasing a hopeless dream.

But at night, all the fears and worries she spent the day fighting off caught up to her. She'd lie awake for hours, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, or finally doze off only to be awoken by strange and twisted nightmares. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a good night's sleep.

Kaede felt her eyelids start to droop under the weight of her exhaustion. Maybe tonight would be different. Maybe she'd finally gotten so tired that she wouldn't dream at all.

Just as she thought that, the image of a glowing red eye and jagged teeth flashed through her mind. With a cry of terror, Kaede jumped awake.

"Geez," she grumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed even though no one else was around to see her reaction. "I was just about asleep, too."

She tried closing her eyes again, but her heartbeat was going wild in her chest. Kaede ground out a frustrated sigh. Trying to sleep was hopeless.

What can I do instead of sleeping? she wondered, and then realized that she sounded a little like Miu. Did the other girl always feel like this? Kaede couldn't help but feel a surge of pity. Insomnia really was the worst.

I need someone to distract me, she thought. I need... I need Shuichi.

He might be asleep, but if there was the slightest chance he was also lying awake right now, she was willing to try knocking on his door. She got out of bed, ran her fingers through her hair, and headed for Shuichi's room.

She rang his doorbell once and then waited, shivering slightly in the cool night air. Strangely, she felt safer out here than she did in her own room, even though Monokuma and the Monokubs could be lurking around. She'd never actually seen any of them during nighttime. Maybe it was because they had to recharge overnight, or maybe because even the mastermind was asleep. It made Kaede angry to think that the mastermind was probably the only one sleeping soundly tonight.

We'll catch them, she told herself. Shuichi and I can definitely do it.

Maybe it would be best to just let him sleep. After all, he needed his mind to be clear to come up with a plan to defeat the mastermind.

Kaede was about to turn away when Shuichi's door opened a little bit. The detective peered out anxiously, then blinked in surprise when he saw her standing there. "Kaede?"

"Sorry to bother you," she said. "I just couldn't sleep and I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk."

"At this hour?" he said, confused.

Kaede realized that she had no idea what time it actually was. "Y-yeah. I thought that would be better than just lying awake in bed. Sorry if I woke you up. I'll let you go back to sleep."

"Ah, no," said Shuichi, blushing a little. "I couldn't sleep either."

"Great!" Kaede said happily. "Then you can go for a walk with me!"

"O-okay," he agreed, tugging his cap further down over his forehead. She could see little bits of dark teal hair sticking out at the edges, and guessed he was trying to hide his bedhead as best as he could.

I have no idea what my hair looks like right now, she realized, and then realized that she didn't care. It's just Shuichi; he won't judge me.

"Um, where did you want to go?" he asked, once he'd locked his door behind him.

She hadn't thought that far ahead. "Well, we could walk around the courtyard... I bet the school would be really spooky at night. What if the mastermind wanders around in there while everyone's asleep?"

Shuichi looked terrified.

"Sorry!" she said hurriedly. "Um, let's stay away from there just in case."

"O-okay." Shuichi cast a nervous glance around, looking as if he'd jump out of his skin if he saw any sudden movements. Kaede felt guilty.

"C'mon, let's go!" she said, bundling all of the excited confidence she could muster into her voice. She grabbed Shuichi's hand and pulled him along with her.

They walked together in silence for a little while. Kaede was happy just to have the detective with her. She already felt a lot better than she had only a few minutes ago. Being alone was the only thing she really couldn't handle. As long as she had someone by her side, she could face anything. Especially if that person was Shuichi, who sometimes looked at her as if she was made of sunshine and could do anything if she tried hard enough. It was encouraging to have someone who believed in her that much.

But Shuichi's hand felt tense in hers and she knew that his mind was probably going a mile a minute trying to figure out what to say to her. He hadn't quite figured out that it was okay if he didn't always have something to say. She would never think he was boring or awkward. He was just shy, and that was okay.

"You know, this would be a nice place if we weren't trapped here," she said lightly, so he'd stop worrying. She felt him jump a little as the sound of her voice snapped him back to reality. "It's sort of pretty how it's all overgrown, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah," he agreed.

"And it's amazing how you can see so many stars," she went on. "Back at home, there's too much light to see most of them. When you really stop and think about it, that's kind of a shame. The stars are beautiful."

Shuichi murmured agreement, and she felt his hand start to relax in hers. It was nice. For a moment, she could forget that they were in a killing game and pretend that she was simply going for a walk with a boy she liked.

"You know, I usually just play classical music," she said suddenly, "but being here kind of makes me want to try composing my own song."

"Ah, really?" Shuichi looked curious.

"Mhm," she said. Because of you was the thing she left unsaid. "I do have my Ultimate Piano Lab, after all. I might as well use it."

"I wonder why your lab and Miu's are open, but no one else has one yet," Shuichi mused. "I mean, if this place was built for us, there must be others, right? So there must be other parts of the school or the campus that we just can't get to yet."

"Oh, you're right!" she exclaimed. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Shuichi really was an excellent detective, she thought proudly. "We should try to find them!"

Shuichi looked nervous. "You don't mean now, do you?"

"No, of course not! Didn't we already establish that it's probably dark and creepy in the school right now?" She bumped him with her shoulder, and he staggered sideways a little.

Shuichi gave her a sideways look. Although she could only see one of his eyes beneath the rim of his cap, she thought he looked cautious and a little bit puzzled. He didn't understand where the sudden affection was coming from.

Kaede loosened her grip on his hand, so he could pull away if he wanted to, but Shuichi didn't move.

Maybe he likes me too, she thought, smiling to herself.

She wasn't sure exactly what her relationship with Shuichi was. They were friends, of course, but the bond this strange situation had forged between them was different than what she typically thought of as friendship. They'd skipped that initial step of polite friendliness and gone straight to spending all their time together without really having to think about it. It was like... he had become her source of strength in this unusual time, and she had become his.

"What are you thinking about, Kaede?" Shuichi asked. "You look really happy all of the sudden."

"Oh, it's just... I hope we can stay like this even after we escape," she said, a bit shyly. "These are really scary circumstances, but still, I'm really glad that I met you, Shuichi."

"Ah..." Shuichi blushed. "I'm glad that I met you, too, Kaede."

They fell silent again, but this time the silence was peaceful rather than awkward. Kaede's heart settled into a calm rhythm. Despite the coolness of the night air, she felt warm with Shuichi beside her.

In her head, she began to think of a tune she thought might suit this shy boy she liked so much. It should be sweet and gentle... but a little bit heroic too, even if he doesn't see that part of himself yet. Not quite a love song, but something close to it.

As she thought about it, slowly working out a melody, she didn't notice the way she was getting sleepier until she started listing towards Shuichi.

"Kaede," he said, "you're falling asleep on your feet."

"Am I?" She yawned.

"C-come on," he said, changing their trajectory so that they started walking back towards the dorm instead. "You should go to bed if you're that tired."

"I don't want to go to bed," she protested, squeezing his hand more tightly in hers. "The second I'm alone in my room, I'll be wide awake again. Let's just keep walking, okay? Look, I'm already not tired anymore."

"Kaede..." he said, looking worried as he took in her anxious expression. "You can't stay awake forever. If you need to sleep, you need to sleep."

"I know that, but..." Part of her didn't want to admit this to him, when he was always looking to her for comfort, but she didn't feel like she had much of a choice. "I really don't like being left alone in my room. I've never liked being alone, even before we got trapped in a killing game. And now that we are, it's just so much worse. When I'm awake, I really believe that we can make everything turn out okay, but when I go to sleep, I keep having nightmares." She made eye contact with him as best as she could around the edge of his hat, begging him to understand.

"I know..." he said softly, shivering. "I don't like being alone either."

"Then come with me," she said, with a surge of hope. "I might be able to fall asleep if you sleep with me."

Shuichi looked startled, and she tried her best not to turn as red as a fire engine as her brain processed the words that had just come out of her mouth. She hastily leapt to correct herself. "God, that was embarrassing. I-I didn't mean it like that, you know. But I really don't want to go back to my room by myself. So will you please come with me, Shuichi?"

For a moment, they were both silent. Shuichi simply stared at her, as if trying to gauge how serious she was. She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"O-okay," he stammered at last, looking flustered. "If you want me to."

"Thank you, Shuichi!" She tackled him in a hug, and then quickly let go so he wouldn't regret accepting. He was already flustered enough without her getting in his personal space.

They continued walking, Shuichi gently leading her by the hand, until they reached the dorms. By then, Kaede was starting to nod off again, and she had to admit that she couldn't wait to crawl into bed and hopefully pass out.

As they passed by Shuichi's room, he glanced uncertainly at the door.

"You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to," Kaede felt obligated to tell him. "I don't want to be alone, of course, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable either."

"Ah, no," Shuichi said, blushing. "It's not that... It's just... won't people like Miu and Kokichi get the wrong idea if they see me come out of your room tomorrow morning?"

Kaede made a fierce face. "I don't care what they think!"

Shuichi didn't say anything, but judging by his anxious expression, he still did care what they thought.

She softened. "I promise I'll defend your honor if I need to, okay?"

"Okay," he said quietly.

With that, the two of them headed to Kaede's room. She couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious as she led Shuichi inside, even though she hadn't changed anything about it since they'd arrived and his room probably looked exactly the same.

"You can go ahead and get into bed," she said. "I'll turn off the lights and then come join you."

"Ah, okay." Shuichi hesitated for a brief moment before doing as she'd suggested. She guessed that he felt at least a little awkward about the situation, but she hoped she'd spoken clearly enough that he wouldn't overthink things too much.

Kaede flipped the light switch and then padded across the room to the bed. Her eyes hadn't quite adjusted to the darkness, so she reached out ahead of her, hoping she wouldn't accidentally bump into Shuichi.

Thankfully, her fingers soon found the edge of the blanket she was looking for. She sat down on one side of the bed and squinted at the other, wondering if she could just make out the shape of her friend in the darkness. "Shuichi? Is that you?"

"Y-yeah," he responded. He was just sitting there, looking like he didn't know what to do with himself.

Kaede burrowed under the covers on her side of the bed and then held up the other side for him. "Aren't you going to lie down? You're not planning on going to sleep sitting up, are you?"

"Ah... no..." He obligingly ducked underneath the blanket, but stayed close to the far edge of the mattress, leaving a considerable amount of space between them.

"You can have more room than that, you know." She patted the empty space on the mattress between them. "Come on. You'll fall off the bed if you're not careful. I promise I won't get mad if you bump into me a little."

Shuichi tentatively edged closer, until she could feel his warmth beside her.

"That's better," she said softly. Her eyes had finally finished adjusting to the low lighting, and she could see him looking at her shyly. He'd taken off his cap, and although this was not what she'd had in mind when she'd said she wanted to see what he looked like without it, she could see his eyes and his beautiful lashes more clearly like this, even in the dark.

Their gazes met for a moment before he broke his away, looking down at his hands instead. Kaede tried not to feel too discouraged. He'd explained to her why he didn't like to make eye contact with people. She knew it would take some more time before he'd feel comfortable enough to meet her gaze, even though she would never look at him with anything even remotely like malice.

"Thank you for staying with me," she whispered, reaching out to curl her fingers around his. She felt him tense for a moment, surprised, and then relax. "I was really scared earlier when I was in here all by myself."

"You don't ever seem scared," he said in a soft voice. "You always seem so much braver than me."

She hesitated for a moment, and then admitted, "I'm only brave when you're around."

He didn't seem to know quite what to say in response to that, so he didn't say anything at all. For a moment, both of them were quiet, simply breathing together in the darkness. The gentle rhythm was soothing to Kaede, somehow.

That's a really romantic thing to think, isn't it? she realized. I like Shuichi a lot, don't I...

"Kaede—" he started.

"Shuichi—" she began, at the same moment.

They both stopped.

"Ah, you can go first," said Shuichi. It was difficult to tell in the dark, but it looked like he was blushing.

"Oh, I don't really know what I was going to say..." she admitted. She'd just wanted to hear him speak more. "What were you saying?"

"I just wanted to say... I'm glad you told me how you really feel," he said. "I don't want you to feel like you have to be strong for me. I-I know I'm not a strong person myself, but I... I'll do my best, for you."

Kaede felt a rush of affection for this shy, sweet boy warm her heart. She scooted closer to Shuichi and wrapped both of her arms around one of his, resting her forehead in the crook of his neck and shoulder. He was warm and soft and alive and human, everything that was the opposite of her fears.

"K-Kaede?" She felt his pulse spike in confused alarm at the sudden display of affection.

"Shh," she said. "It's okay." She held on to him and felt his heartbeat slowly go back to normal.

After a while, he seemed to get more comfortable with her proximity. His body relaxed, and he even hesitantly shifted his position so that his chin was resting on top of her head. It made Kaede feel more secure, somehow.

And besides that, it simply felt nice. In the darkness, curled up beside the boy she liked, Kaede thought that she had never been happier.

She ordinarily might have been embarrassed to be so close to a boy—to have a boy in her bed with her—but she could only see his silhouette in the darkness, and something about that made her feel calmer. She snugged closer to Shuichi, feeling her eyelashes flutter against his neck as her eyelids drifted shut. A heavy, sleepy feeling was spreading through her body, but she wanted to enjoy this for a little longer.

Carefully, she unwound one of her arms from around his and reached up to touch his hair. It was soft and thick, and she absentmindedly twined her fingers through it. The sensation of the hair sliding between her fingertips was oddly soothing.

She felt rather than heard Shuichi sigh, the remaining tension leaving his body.

In that moment, she realized that she hadn't been the only one who'd needed this. Shuichi would never have asked, but he'd been craving another person's warmth the same way she had. He was as frightened of being alone as she was.

Kaede held him tight and silently promised that she'd protect him, no matter what.

And in that moment, she felt that protective feeling make her stronger; it was as if her skin was being covered in armor, and her bones were becoming as strong as diamonds. All of her fear evaporated. I won't let anything bad happen to him, or anyone. As long as I'm alive, I won't let anyone hurt them. That's my promise.

As Shuichi's breathing evened out into the slow rhythm of sleep, she went back to the melody she'd been composing in her mind earlier. Maybe she'd finish it tomorrow and then play it for Shuichi in her lab. Maybe he'd look at her with that expression of adoration—his strange, lovely yellow eyes shining as if he'd just discovered sunlight. And maybe he'd be able to hear her feelings for him in the song, and maybe...

Wrapped in their warm embrace and filled with hope, Kaede drifted off into dreamless sleep.