Kyoko then fell into another light sleep, which was broken here and there with the sounds of fighting, gunshots, and bombs. The explosions didn't seem to affect anything in the room that she was still in, and she had plenty of time to replay things in her head. It was literally all that she could do at that point.

'U-um... hi, I'm Makoto Naegi and it looks like our dorms are next to each other.'

'Okay, so we're next door neighbors. And?'

'W-well, I thought we could talk and get to know each other better.'

'It would seem so. Very well. In the spirit of the introduction phase, I'm Kyoko Kirigiri.'

'Pleased to meet you, Kirigiri-san!'

'Naegi, you said?'

'That's right, but... you can call me Makoto.'

'Let's just keep it to last names for now.'

'Okay! So... were you going to go anywhere in particular, or were you just going to explore on your own?'

'The second one. Why is this so important to you?'

'W-well... if it's not an imposition... could I join you?'

'If you can keep up.'

'Kirigiri-san?'

'Hmm?'

'Are you okay? You've been... well, like a glazed doughnut ever since we started studying for mid-terms.'

'I'm fine, just a little tired. Would you mind getting me something from the dining hall?'

'Sure! What would you like?'

'Coffee. Civet, preferably. Soy milk and two heaping spoons of sugar too, please.'

'You've got it! Was that all?'

'For now.'

'I'll be right back!' She remembers Makoto starting to walk briskly out of the library before she said...

''Hey, Makoto?'

Her first use of his first name after about three months caused him to immediately stop and turn around, the smile on his face a little wider. 'What is it, Kir... is it okay to use your first name, now?'

At the time, and in spite of herself, she remembers smirking as she replied, 'Of course. I just wanted to thank you for going all the way down to the dining hall for me.'

His smile could have lit up the library as he replied, 'Well, I should hurry then. Be right back, Kyoko!'

'So.. tell me again why we're up here on the roof of the school by ourselves after curfew, and in cold weather to boot?'

'There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, and since we can't go on to the grounds without getting caught... why not get closer to it on the roof?'

'Makoto, I still don't see the point of... ' Kyoko remembers being bundled up in the warm fleece blanket that she was advised to bring with her while looking up to the sky. She gasped at this point, completely unaware of him slowly coming up behind her. 'This... this is beautiful... '

'Yes, it is. Very beautiful. But then again... so are you.'

She remembers turning around as blushed furiously. Their forgotten first relationship had developed to where they professed exclusivity about nine months into their first real year at Hope's Peak Academy. 'Makoto... '

'Kiri, look at me.'

Kyoko, her cheeks warm and rosy, looked up to catch the light in Makoto's large and expressive green eyes. Those eyes were shining brightly as he gazed upon her.

'I don't know what I ever did to deserve being with someone so amazing as you. I've got to be the luckiest guy on Earth.'

Kyoko impulsively reached for both of his hands, unwrapping herself from the blanket to do so. 'So, what you're saying is that you can also give me the stars?'

Makoto stood on his toes and lifted himself up slightly to gently kiss her cheek. 'If it were in my power to do that? You bet I would.'

Kyoko gently took the blanket, which was large enough to cover the both of them, and draped it across his left shoulder, effectively achieving her goal in bringing them closer together, especially since the night was clear and chilly. She then maneuvered herself and him to where they were both looking towards the sky. Makoto had gently draped his right arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer to him, the blanket now efficiently serving its purpose of warmth and closeness. She shyly moved her left arm close to his torso and wrapped her arm around his waist, giving him a light squeeze as she settled comfortably against him. Her cheeks felt warmer as she carefully reached her right hand up to her right cheek. 'You kissed me.'

Makoto lightly squeezed her waist as he replied, 'If I overstepped, I apologize.'

Kyoko carefully moved him to where they were face to face once more without losing the warmth of their shared body heat. 'Do you hear me complaining?'

Makoto replied, 'Well, no, but I... '

His statement was cut off by her giving him a short but soft kiss on his lips. 'It surprised me. I hope you keep on doing that. I don't normally like surprises, but... they're very nice when they come from you.'

They smiled to each other as his right hand and her gloved left hand clasped together, their fingers gently twined and their bodies huddled close as they watched the meteor shower together.

'Makoto, you look worried. Is everything okay?'

'Well... ' He'd stopped to absently rub the back of his head, then replied, 'What if we made a mistake in agreeing to live in the school for the rest of our lives?'

Kyoko remembers nodding before she impulsively grabbed his left hand and held it tighter than usual to provide him comfort and to calm his nerves. 'We all agreed that it was better for our hope to stay sequestered here in the Academy as opposed to... the alternative.'

She didn't need to elaborate. He knew exactly what she meant. 'Kyoko... Kiri... '

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. 'I know, I'm a bit on edge as well. Just... promise me something?'

'Anything.'

'Don't ever forget that all of our hope, yours, mine... everyone's... that will see us through this horrible situation.'

Makoto returns the light squeeze to Kyoko's gloved hand as he nods and says, 'Thank you. You always know the exact thing to say to calm me down.'

'I'm your girlfriend. I'm supposed to know these things.'

'Makoto! I'm.. ' For one of the few times in her life, Kyoko was legitimately scared. Her shaking was evident underneath the straps which held her in place.

'I know, Kyoko, I'm scared too. I don't want... I don't want to forget!'

'Makoto... I... '

'I love you, Kiri. We'll remember that. I promise.'

' I... I love you, too.'

'Um... Kyoko? Are... you still mad at me?'

She remembers staring at him so intensely that she was almost boring holes into his green eyes.

'Yeah... it's pretty obvious that you are.'

'No, Makoto, it's fine. I'm not mad at you. What we tried to talk about earlier... it doesn't matter anymore.'

'So, if it doesn't matter... do you forgive me for not being able to talk to you about it?'

'Well, you could have told me that you saw Sakura and Monokuma fighting, but instead you stayed quiet. You were only thinking of Sakura, and that's what prevented you from being able to talk to me, right? You also didn't want to cause a full-scale riot based on mere speculation, at least until you could talk with Sakura to confirm what it was that you saw. So... you ended up keeping it to yourself until you could verify if it was true, and that's why you didn't tell me right away.'

'Yeah... that's pretty much spot on.'

'For you to think like that... I would never have suspected such arrogance from you.'

'What!?'

'Where do you get off? I mean... that just means that you don't trust me.'

'No, Kyoko, that's not it. But... if that's really the way that you feel about it, I suppose I can't change your mind. I'm really sorry.'

'No, it's... okay. I've already forgotten about it, and I understand why you went about it that way. Besides, I... I overreacted and got more angry with you than I should have.'

Makoto gasps as Kyoko continued. 'Anyway, it's truly water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. Let's just... move forward from here.'

Makoto nods and replies, 'O-Okay, agreed... and thank you.'

While they both were in the changing room of the bathhouse, Kyoko showed Makoto what she had found, but couldn't mention in front of the surveillance cameras.

'So... that's why Monokuma is on the warpath.'

'Especially since it came from the Headmaster's office.'

'Wait, what!? That place is sealed up tighter than MUFG! How did you get in there to get that!?'

'Through Sakura. It appeared as if she had forcibly unlocked the door to the office. Makoto, think back to the real note Sakura left for Hina.'

'You mean the one Hina never got?'

'Correct. In the real note, she'd said that her intent was to strike the Mastermind where it would hurt them the most.'

'Wow. Sakura really meant business then.'

'It was a good thing for us all, really. Without her forcing the door, I don't think that I would've been able to get in there. Mukuro Ikusaba would still be a complete mystery also. I wasn't able to learn everything that I wanted to, but I learned enough to realize that she's dangerous. It's even possible that she may be the Mastermind.'

'Wait... so, the Mastermind may be female? I thought Alter Ego told us that the Mastermind could have been the Headmaster, and he said that the Headmaster was male, right?'

'Alter Ego was speculating. He didn't tell us outright that the Headmaster and the Mastermind are one in the same. I've come to the conclusion that the Headmaster couldn't be the one behind this. In fact, I'm about ninety-nine percent sure of that. Either way, could we... I'd appreciate it if we kept this to ourselves, if it's all the same. At least until we have a clearer trail to follow or more to go on.'

'All right.' She remembers that the both of them were nervous due to how late their meeting was, but that Makoto was even more nervous than she was. 'Look, I'm just going to come right out and say this. Whatever it is that you're investigating... I just... I feel like you should tell me.'

'I'm sorry, Makoto, I'm still processing everything myself and I can't quite put everything into something concrete yet. I realize that it's unfair to you, which makes the favor that I need from you harder to ask for.'

Makoto gasped as she quietly continued, 'I need to find out what this opens. The plan that I had in mind is for you to keep Monokuma distracted while I investigate this a little further.'

'By yourself? Are you serious? That's way too dangerous, and you know it!'

'If it means solving the true mystery of the Academy, wouldn't you say that it's worth taking some risks to find everything out? You can't deny that we just can't do nothing here. We have to do this, Makoto.'

'Kyoko... I'm really trying to trust you right now.' After a huge sigh, he continued, 'All right, fine. I'll be your distraction. But I need you to promise me something in return.'

'What... do I need to promise you?'

Makoto stood up and moved closer to her as he replied, 'I need you to promise me that you'll find what that key opens, and that you'll find out safely. I do agree that risks may be necessary, but don't get yourself into the kind of trouble that you can't get yourself out of.'

'Okay... I promise.'

Makoto senses a strange, but strong bond as he extends his pinky finger to Kyoko to seal her promise to him. She gasps, but follows suit. Their pinky fingers lock together and Makoto smiles to her.
'There. We're officially a team, and for the record... I do trust you,' she remembers him saying.

Kyoko remembers feeling the same strange and strong bond as she replies, 'Besides myself, I trust you the most out of anyone here.'

Makoto nervously asked, 'Did a giant piece of trash just fall down here?'

Kyoko remembers smirking as she replied, 'A giant piece of trash? How rude. Ugh. This place smells horrible.'

'Kyoko!'

She remembers smirking in the dark, rotten smelling garbage dump of Hope's Peak Academy as she replied, 'Well, you certainly look like you're much better off than I expected you to be.'

'Kyoko! What are you doing down here?'

'Isn't it obvious? I came to rescue you.'

'Kyoko? It looks like you have a... bit of trash in your hair.'

She remembers giving her head a sharp shake. 'Is it still there?'

'No, you got it out.'

She handed him a bag that she'd brought down with her, which held a bottle of water and two large hokkaido milk rolls. 'Here. Eat the hokkaido, and then we can talk.'

'Oh gosh, Kiri, thank you!' Makoto grabbed Kyoko's bag, then heartily ate the rolls while taking small drinks of the water at first, then larger ones as his stomach got used to having something in it again.

Once he finished the rolls, Makoto exclaimed, 'Oh wow, I feel so much more alive now! I've got all of the energy that I need to keep going, thanks to you.'

She remembers chuckling softly before she said, 'So you still haven't given up, then.'

'No way, of course not! Being optimistic is about the only thing I have going for me.'

'That's a wonderful thing to have going for you.'

She remembers turning to face him and she could almost see the hint of a pink tinge on his cheeks.

'Come on, Makoto. Even if everyone out there is gone, even if the world is still hip deep in despair... as long as I have someone or several someones like you around, I too can face forward and keep moving with my head held high. Once we get out there and do something that has a positive impact...'

'Hope will spread like wildfire. Is that what you mean?'

'That's precisely what I mean.'

'So, in conclusion, I can think of no one better than Makoto Naegi, Yasuhiro Hagakure, and Byakuya Togami to join me in the 14th Division of the Future Foundation.'

'I have no objections, especially with Naegi-kun,' Chairman Tengan replied.

'Thank you, Chairman.'

'Makoto, what were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous the Remnants are still?'

'Kirigiri-san... Kyoko... I have to try. I have a plan that could restore their hope thanks to the Neo World Program I've been telling only you about, and that's partially thanks to an old friend of ours who we were able to salvage.'

'You FOUND Alter Ego intact!?'

'It took some work with help from a friend in the 5th Division, but we got him up and running again.'

'And you trust this friend?'

'As much as I trust you and Byakuya. I'd also love to bring Hina in, but.. '

'No, Makoto, you're right. Hina, while trustworthy, has always had the tendency to speak without thinking.'

'Kyoko, that's your best friend you're talking about.'

'I know. Just... keep this well hidden, and I'll cover for you as much as I can.'

'Hey, Makoto. No matter what happens, don't give up on hope. I shall always be by your side.'

'You are my hope, Makoto. You always have been.'

Hope hope hope hope hope...

Kyoko drifted off into a light sleep again, her memories with Makoto flooding her mind like an endless waterfall. She waited patiently, the times she would register being alert interspersed by more short naps. She could feel her muscles tighten a little as the substance she drank after the fourth time limit passed fought against the poison in her body. Her face wasn't as noticeably purple from the poison, and the blood around her left eye had dried some.

A/N: For those of you who have read my Scenes From a Memory fic (and yes, I know, I need to get back to that), the forgotten introduction scene was directly lifted from the second part of the Regression chapter. It originally wasn't my plan to connect the two fics; it just kinda happened. I meant to put a note at the end of the first chapter but just neglected to. Sorry about that. Next up is the final chapter! Keep that Kleenex handy.