The group was left mortified by the elaborate execution of someone whom they once called friend. Not only was it a particularly morbid death, but it also just seemed malicious and, for lack of a better term, odd. The whole thing was almost like some sort of sick performance, at Yasuo's expense. It was definitely a lot to take in, and the real question at the moment was what, if anything, would best be said about it.

That was what Naoko was pondering, anyway. It wouldn't necessarily cover the thoughts of everyone there, especially not Bankei. Why her, specifically? Well, because she didn't hesitate long before speaking.

"Well, that was, perhaps, a bit less visceral than the last one," she said, a hint of discontentment in her voice. "Still, that's...quite a mess."

"Yasuo is lying in a pool of blood," Mareo pointed out, almost sounding offended. "That's definitely a mess. No need to point it out."

"Can I also point out that she's also way less disturbed by this than we are?" Kimi asked aloud. "Seriously, she's gotta be a fucking freak, am I right?"

"I beg your pardon?" Bankei asked curiously. "Just because I'm not on the verge of fainting doesn't mean I enjoy the sight of carnage, or some such absurdity. To be frank, blood is disgusting. I'd rather it not be in my line of sight. Unfortunately, we've all been forced to watch a rather brutal display for...some reason."

The large screen began to lower yet again, after having been raised for the execution. It flickered on, and soon all that remained in regards to movement inside the room was the room's human occupants.

"THE REASON THE EXECUTIONS HAVE PLAYED OUT IN THIS MANNER THUS FAR HAVE BEEN TO ENSURE THE PUNISHMENT FITS THE CRIME TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. YOU ALL MUST WATCH PARTIALLY DUE TO YOU ALLOWING SAID CRIME TO OCCUR, AS WELL AS TO SHOW WHAT WILL OCCUR IF ANY OF YOU DO THE SAME."

"Well, that's just peachy," Haru said sarcastically. "We're still on that whole 'Everythin' is your fault even though I'm in charge of you guys' thing, huh?"

"DO NOT THINK THAT REPEATING YOUR POINTS MAKE THEM ANY MORE LOGICAL. THIS IS A MATTER OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. IT IS NOT MY FAULT THAT YASUO CHOSE TO TAKE THE LIFE OF ANOTHER. NOR IS IT MY FAULT THAT YOU ALL WERE CARELESS ENOUGH TO ALLOW HIM TO DO SO. EVEN NOW, YOU HAVE CREATED UNNECESSARY RISK FOR YOURSELVES BY ALLOWING HIM TO SHED CROCODILE TEARS WHEN HE HIMSELF WAS FACED WITH IMMINENT DEATH, THUS GIVING THE MEMORY OF A HOPELESS MURDERER MEANING."

"You don't want us mourning Yasuo's death?" Yori asked.

"OF COURSE I DO NOT. YOU HAVE NOT MOURNED FOR MICHIO, HAVE YOU? I DO NOT WANT HIS MEMORY TO HAVE MEANING, EITHER."

"Michio?" Mareo replied. "I don't know about him. We only knew him for three days, and on the second and third day, he...Okay, maybe IMONO has a point, actually."

"THANK YOU."

"Hang on a damn minute," Eryu interjected. "What exactly did you mean by crocodile tears? Are you trying to say he was being dishonest?"

"AFTER BEING SO DECEITFUL, I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED. DO YOU HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR HIS SUDDEN CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR?"

"I don't have an explanation, per say," Yori responded, "but I have some thoughts on the matter. I think that in order to answer this, we would have to figure out why he was acting strangely before."

"What do you mean by strangely?" Ishi asked. "The fact that he wasn't being honest with us?"

"More the fact that he would commit murder and attempt to hide his guilt," Yori explained. "Before we heard the full story, when thinking of Yasuo being the culprit, my mind jumped to the possibility that he, perhaps, had a darker side of him that he didn't display. I've considered this for Michio as well, and really, it could apply to almost anyone here. People tend to not be entirely truthful in regards to themselves."

"Not unless you're Android Boy, who blurts out whatever the fuck he feels like," Kimi said snidely, pointing her thumb over to Mareo.

Mareo crossed his arms annoyedly. "So what if I'm an honest person? It's not as if there aren't things I avoid sharing."

"Exactly my point," Yori said. "Any of us can be hiding aspects of ourselves...However, Yasuo was strange. When he began to cry, I couldn't help but wonder why. Perhaps that was simply a culmination of his sadness and guilt. Or perhaps something specific prompted it."

"You think something prompted it?" Naoko asked back.

"Maybe," Yori replied. "I don't know. I can't speak for him. If that's the reality of what happened with him, perhaps it could help explain why he did what he did. After all, he described his situation as if some other part of him took over. If that's true, what was it?"

"He said that he wasn't himself," Naoko pointed out. "It sounded to me like something about him was altered...Maybe the Lita-22 had something to do with it."

"That's what I'm gravitating towards as well," Yori agreed. "If it can result in changes in demeanor and emotionality, it could potentially lead to...hm. In Yasuo's case, it could have led to irrational hatred, and a desire to bring harm to others. That's my theory."

"That's basically the opposite of what a love potion is supposed to do, isn't it?" Mine said nervously. "Lita-22 is like a real-life love potion, and-Wait!" She suddenly stopped herself.

"Huh?" Takeshi said aloud.

"Sorry, sorry," Mine apologized quickly. "I just realized something. That stuff...IMONO said that it could make people angry at each other, and make them act weird. So...it's possible!"

"Those are things we've established, yes," Mareo said. "It's an experimental formula, isn't it? I think I remember that."

"From what I remember, that's how it was described," Naoko weighed in. "So IMONO's compound, wherever it came from, could've been the cause behind all of this."

"THAT IS POSSIBLE, I WILL ADMIT."

"Does that mean you're going to be acknowledging how badly you fucked up, then?" Eryu asked impatiently.

"EXCUSE ME? NO, THAT IS NOT THE CASE. EVEN IF THE CHEMICAL COMPOUND WAS THE CAUSE OF YASUO'S ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS ACTIONS, EVEN IF I WAS THE ONE TO INTRODUCE THE COMPOUND."

"That's exactly what that means!" Eryu snapped.

"For fuck's sake, dude," Haru scowled. "Lay off the damn thing, or we're gonna be here forever. So what, did that dumb shit make Yasuo act all weird, then?"

"That's a distinct possibility," Yori replied. "If so, perhaps his sudden emotional outburst was indicating that the compound had worked its way out of his system."

"I thought we were stuck like this until tomorrow," Ishi pointed out.

"At the latest, actually," Naoko corrected her. "It's probably started to wear off for some of us, already."

"Yeah, sure, let's test it then," Kimi said with a mischievous smirk. "Hey Mariko, lay a kiss on your hubby, why don't ya?"

Mariko looked a bit weirded out and uncomfortable by this request. "What, seriously? Now?"

"Eh-heheh," Bankei laughed quietly. "Well then, Eryu. I think that's confirmation that you can rest easy now."

"You two are really pushing your luck, you know," Eryu warned.

"This is fuckin' stupid," Haru weighed in. "C'mon, you guys, let's get outta here. This was all a buncha bullshit, and I gotta let out a little steam, if you know what I'm sayin'."

"There's a washroom right next door, if you need some alone time," Mareo said.

"Eh, not what I meant, but sure, that could work," Haru shrugged.

"Hey, uh, before we leave, can I posit something?" Mariko asked.

"What is it?" Yori asked.

"Well, I feel like people aren't asking the big question," Mariko explained. "Remember what Yasuo said? He thought Sasa wrote him a fake love letter, just to hurt his feelings. I just...I don't think she'd do that. Even if she wasn't herself, I don't think she would even consider it. Even recently, I spoke to her one-on-one, and she was the same as ever. I...I don't think she'd do that. That's what I'm saying."

"I mean, sure, I get that," Takeshi weighed in. "Considering how she was 'cause of me, I dunno if makin' Yasuo miserable would be a high priority for her. But then what? Did someone else write it?"

"That's what I said," Kimi interjected. "Yasuo was an idiot to write off the idea, let's be real."

"Are we really speaking ill of the dead already?" Eryu asked.

"I do what I want," Kimi replied simply. "Besides, we've been talking shit on Michio for a while now. It's all good. But if yours truly knows one thing, it's how easy it is to fuck with people. Someone else could've just decided either of them were good targets for a prank."

"Would any one of us have wanted to do that?" Hoshi questioned. "Yasuo was quite possibly the kindest and most helpful person here. And Sasa was…" He began to grit his teeth nervously. "Sorry. But, you know what I'm trying to say, I'm assuming. Who here would want to hurt either of them?"

Naoko considered this idea. He was perfectly willing to agree with Mariko's own insight, if only because it was nicer to assume that Sasa didn't prompt her own murder. But still, what he was hearing made sense. Someone could have had it out for either of them. After all, there were a select few who seemed like they'd been compelled to be uncomfortable, even disgusted by others. That was one of the Lita-22's more worrisome side effects. So it could've been anyone who just didn't like either of them at the time. It'd also probably have to be someone who could tell that Yasuo had a thing for Sasa, despite his own insistence that nobody could've known.

One person fit that criteria.

"Hey, Bankei," Naoko said. "You said earlier that you had the eyes of the Sphinx. Could you explain that?"

Bankei turned her entire body towards him and gave him an unamused glare. "I would, but I have a feeling you have ill intentions by asking me such a thing."

Hoshi's eyes began to widen as he looked towards Bankei. "You...It was you, wasn't it?"

Naoko could notice that Hoshi had already started to clench his fists. He sincerely hoped nothing was about to come from that.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Bankei claimed. "If you think that I created that letter that drove Yasuo into that state of devious petulance, you're going to need some proof of this."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Hoshi retorted bitterly.

Bankei gave him a confused look. "No, I do not. In fact, you seem like you may actually have enough intellect for me to really sink my teeth into, as one might say. By no means would I wish to insinuate such a thing."

"Hey, didn't you say you could see into the souls of men, or something like that?" Mariko weighed in.

"Hm? I did, yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm just thinking," Mariko explained, "if someone made a fake letter, they'd probably have to know that Yasuo was in love with Sasa. Right?"

Several others nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, good," Mariko sighed contentedly. "So, uh, if you can read people well, you could probably figure out all sorts of things."

"Including Yasuo's hidden affections," Hoshi finished.

"Perhaps," Bankei admitted. "However, even still, I had no reason to…"

Bankei trailed off as she met Hoshi's gaze.

"You have something you want to say, don't you?" she asked.

"Don't think I don't remember," Hoshi spat. "You called her strange, and aberrant. You made her sound borderline inhuman."

"Well, I'd say that that's something just about any one of us could do," Bankei said. "She was different from us, and by no means in a solely positive way. I lost interest in her wallflower tendencies very quickly. It wasn't long before I determined with absolute certainty that something about her was simply...off. That's a determination anyone can make. I have no more malice for her than anyone else here."

That claim baffled Hoshi, judging by his facial expressions, and it felt like things were getting close to some sort of breaking point. Naoko wanted to intervene, but fortunately, Mine did so for him.

"It's okay, buddy," Mine said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We've been through a lot already, no need for anything bad to happen right now. Bankei is just...uh...Sorry, I shouldn't speak for her, right?"

Bankei smiled. "Thank you for looking out for me, dear. Really though, this is just a result of a disagreement, more than anything. You are right, though. I'd rather avoid needless violence."

Haru looked disappointed by this as he stood nearby. "Yeah, sure, no need," he half-grumbled.

The rest of the day went by quickly. It had already been so damn eventful that, much like last time, people weren't too interested in socializing...or even being around one another. It was unfortunate, but they knew, at the very least, that by tomorrow, they'd have their heads cleared, and would be able to speak to one another again without much concern for what one might call "unnecessary feelings".

And, judging by how Naoko was feeling, it seemed as though things were relatively back to normal. As the group met up in the cafeteria, everyone's behavior suggested the same thing. Unfortunately, the vibe in the room wasn't exactly what one would hope. It wasn't an "all is well" vibe, but rather, more of an...awkward vibe. There wasn't much talking at first, at least until Kimi sighed and decided to actually get people's attention.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Ah," she said aloud, "what a wonderful day to say 'I told you so'."

Naoko blinked in confusion. "What?"

Kimi shot him an annoyed look. "C'mon, seriously, you guys. Are we gonna get all mopey or something? Let's be real here, you all should be happy that you're all back to normal."

"You know you can't exactly speak for all of us, right?" Eryu pointed out.

"What, and you can?" Kimi rolled her eyes. "Look, if you guys are gonna be awkward and shit, at least try to apologize to each other."

"Perhaps once we're all here," Yori replied. "It seems Bankei hasn't arrived yet."

"Huh?" Naoko hadn't realized it, but she was right. Bankei was nowhere to be seen. "That's odd."

"Good riddance, I say," Hoshi spat. "It's not as though we need her around. If we're going to be making amends with each other, it's not as if we need her."

"It's not like that crazy bitch would even try to apologize," Haru grumbled.

"Alright, then. We'll start without her," Eryu said. "I can go first if-"

"Woah, woah," Kimi interrupted. "If anyone's gonna be apologizing, it should be those who provoked yours truly with their degenerate behavior."

"Well, I already apologized," Hoshi said. "I explained that I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late, and after that, I did my best to avoid it. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was in a similar situation."

"You're not wrong," Takeshi agreed. "Same thing happened to me. I guess if there was one thing I needed to repress, it was that. So, uh...sorry? You guys aren't, uh, mad at me, are you?"

"Why would we be?" Mariko asked nervously. "I mean...if anything, I was way worse. Eryu, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't...How do I say this? My head was totally clouded, and, uh…"

Eryu sighed. "No, I get it. I'm sorry, too. My head was gunked up with some harsh feelings, and I could've been nicer about it than I was. I'm clear-headed enough to admit that."

"Hm," Naoko nodded approvingly. "It seems like things are getting better between us already."

"Totally! I'm glad to see it, too," Mine agreed. "Oh, and, Haru? I'm sorry if I was judgemental, or rude, or anything like that with you. I was just, uh…" She began to gesticulate swiftly and aimlessly.

"Oh, yeah, all that shit," Haru nodded along. "I bunch of fuckin' trash behavior all around."

"Harsh, but...I mean, yeah?" Mine said. "It's not like I don't like you. You have a good work ethic, and you seem really talented and all that, so...Yeah!"

The discussion continued for a good few minutes after that, with everyone there doing their best to make amends with each other and settle any potential grievances. It was awkward, and a bit touchy in places, but it felt like things were already starting to get a little better. There was, however, the fact that Bankei, for some reason, still hadn't shown up. Naoko was starting to worry. Perhaps he could ask someone to look for her?

"It sounds like things are starting to blow over, to some extent," Yori said. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that. I expected a discussion like this to take place slowly, over the course of a few days at the very least."

"Why?" Ishi asked. "It's not like we've not all been dealing with the same thing. We had all these hormones, and we all did and said a lot of, like, weird shit. It's not like, uh...Hang on, lemme think on how to say this…"

"I think you're trying to say that since we were all drugged into acting differently, we're not accountable for what we said and did," Mareo explained.

"Sure?" Ishi replied hesitantly. "I mean, Naoko and I talked yesterday, and he said that it was, like, wrong for us to do anything, 'cause we weren't thinking clearly. But I thought about it afterwards, and...Like, it's not like we'd be able to blame each other if we did, right?"

"Well, that's a reasonable opinion," Yori said. "Still, I think it'd be best to put all that happened these last couple of days behind us."

"What about Kimi?" Hoshi asked.

"What about her?" Yori asked back.

"She was perfectly sound of mind, wasn't she?" Hoshi pointed out. "Couldn't she still be held accountable for how she acted?"

"Well," Naoko said, "I don't think she was too bad, at least after the first day. Sure, she was really rude during the trial, but we did accuse her of something she didn't do, so I think it's understandable."

"Hmm." Eryu contemplated this reasoning for a few moments. "I'll have to give that some thought. Kimi, for now, you're getting off easy. I have no promises there won't be something down the line, though."

"Well, shit," Kimi said a bit annoyedly. "Guess I might as well take that as a victory."

Kimi didn't seem particularly happy about not being able to get away scot-free, or at least not in the long term. Naoko didn't have particularly high hopes for her, though. Given the way she had been treating some of them, circumstances could only excuse her actions to a limited extent. Maybe if she apologized, she'd get off easier, Naoko pondered. That was something he felt Kimi didn't seem up to doing, though.

Kimi held the lower half of her face in her hands in a very discontent manner for a while. When she finally stopped doing so, it was because something about her mood had apparently shifted. "Wait, I just remembered," she said. "Can I say something? I wanted to say it earlier, but I couldn't get a good opportunity to."

"That depends on what it is," Eryu said.

Kimi gave him a heavy-lidded stare. "Just let me say it, already."

"You promise it won't be too bad?" Eryu asked.

"It shouldn't be," Kimi replied, shrugging.

"Okay, fine. Say it."

Kimi nodded and looked like she was taking the time to focus. It was like she really wanted to say something, and exactly the way she wanted to. She took a deep breath, and a few seconds later, slammed a fist on the table in front of her.

"Landwhale!"

This sudden outburst caught quite a few others off-guard, but Kimi nonetheless seemed satisfied. She burst out laughing from there, giving her thigh a loud slap and generally looking to be thoroughly amused by her own actions.

"Hahaaa! Got the Rule of Three!"

As the room collectively focused on this audacious display, something happened that almost went unnoticed: The door began to creak open. Naoko turned his head to see what was going on, and was shocked to see who was there.

It was Bankei, but she didn't look well at all. Simply glancing at her, she had what looked like a bad limp, a black eye, and several bruises and other notable injuries across her body. She groaned softly, as if in considerable pain, which quickly grabbed the attention of anyone who didn't notice her at first. She made her way a few steps into the room, shakily and with obvious effort, eventually opening her mouth to speak.

"You…"

She brought a hand up to her mouth, and seemed to cough lightly. When she moved the hand away, she held it flat in front of her to reveal that the hand had small specks of blood covering it. She winced noticeably upon seeing the tiny dots of red.

"Haru, what...what have you done to me?"

End of Arc 2

A/N: Oh yeah, I've set up a big cliffhanger here. Next chapter will be not only the start of the new arc, but will also continue from this massive bombshell, so I guess that's something to look forward to.

Also, just so everyone is aware, I've been working on Arc 3 a bit already, and it's been pretty difficult. I have a good amount of details ironed out, but that doesn't mean I've figured out everything, and I'd rather not go too far into it before I finalize how I want things to ultimately play out. That, coupled with the fact that I can expect a rather busy schedule in the coming days, means that progress on this story will likely slow. I hope this doesn't worry people too much, but, well, that's just the way things are sometimes.