A.N. I got a lot of good feedback from everyone, thanks for your insight! I hope you continue to enjoy as the story progresses.

The adorable artwork that is the new cover for this story (as well as my profile picture) was drawn by none other than my sister! She runs a block on Tumblr called Sumomosketches. Check it out if you've got time, she's got some great stuff!

Disclaimer: Ich besitze nicht Danganronpa.

OoOoOoOo

Mukuro woke up with a headache that made the one she'd had before feel like brain-freeze. To make matters worse, her injured hand had swollen up to twice its normal size. She did her best to sit up, the effort leaving her out of breath and doubled over in pain.

"Are you okay?" Kyoko asked from the other side of the room.

"No," Mukuro croaked, giving up on the idea of opening her eyes after the light stabbed into her head when she opened them. This was getting old quick.

Kyoko walked over and pressed her forearm against Mukuro's forehead. "You're burning up. Lie down." She grasped Mukuro's shoulders and gently forced her back into bed. "I'll get you some ice for your wrist and see if I can find some pain-killers."

"I've got to check on Makoto," she protested, attempting to sit back up.

Kyoko silently caught her shoulders and pushed her back down. "I'll talk to him. You need to rest." Mukuro heard her walk away, followed by the sound of the bathroom tap being turned on. A moment later, a cool rag was draped over her forehead. "Please do not get up. I'll be back momentarily."

The door clicked shut, followed by the sound of the bolt sliding home. She wanted to disregard the other girl's advice, but the cacophony in her head had subsided to a dull throbbing, and Mukuro was afraid that any movement would wake it. So she lay there, perfectly still, and tried to think of anything else but her current situation. Naturally, her mind wandered to Makoto.

She didn't want to risk digging into her memories and making the pain worse, so she just focused on what she knew. She thought about his voice: the friendly, gentle tone that he usually spoke in, as well as his quiet confidence when he'd defended her from Byakuya. She thought about how his arms felt around her when he'd caught her in the gym. She thought about how he smelled; a mixture of soap and something achingly familiar that she couldn't place.

Mukuro didn't know how long she'd been lying there, her mind wandering. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Kyoko spoke. "Your fever must be getting worse. Your face is very red."

"I must have drifted off," she mumbled, hoping Kyoko didn't press the issue. "What time is it?"

"Ten o'clock," Kyoko replied, pressing something against Mukuro's lips. "Aspirin," she explained when Mukuro didn't immediately open her mouth. Mukuro accepted the tablets and Kyoko put a glass to her lips, "It's water. Drink."

Mukuro swallowed the pills and continued guzzling the water until Kyoko pulled the glass away. "Hey, give me some more!" she protested.

"Give it a few seconds. I don't want to clean up your vomit." She took the cloth from Mukuro's forehead and went to the bathroom to rewet it. When she returned, she let Mukuro take several more gulps of water before once again pulling the glass away. "Here's your ice," she warned, gently placing a bag over Mukuro's right wrist.

Mukuro almost moaned as the cold seeped into her joint. "Thank you."

"Your condition is curious," Kyoko said. Mukuro could practically hear her touching her chin as she spoke. "Why are you having these attacks, I wonder? I haven't felt anything since we woke up yesterday. Was our amnesia caused by the same thing?"

"No offense, Kyoko, but right now I really don't give a shit."

Kyoko laughed softly. "I suppose not. Are you hungry?"

Mukuro's face twisted into a grimace. "No."

Kyoko hummed. "I haven't seen you eat anything since we got here. I left an orange and a sleeve of crackers on the table. Please eat them if you change your mind."

"Where are you going?"

"There are still a few things I need to look into. I'll lock the door behind me, so please get some sleep." Mukuro heard the door open.

"Please watch out for him."

"I will."

OoOoOo

The next three days were a blur. The headache would alternate between just really bad and terrible. Apart from the occasional trip to the bathroom, she stayed in bed the whole time; apart from a few crackers, she didn't eat. She drank water like it was going out of style.

Makoto came to visit her several times. Unfortunately, he was always accompanied by the air-headed popstar. Mukuro was just glad to see him. He was alive. He was safe.

Aside from him: Sakura, Mondo, and Chihiro were the only ones who bothered to come by and check on her. Mukuro didn't mind. She hardly knew any of them, after all.

On the morning of the fourth day, Mukuro woke up feeling great. Her wrist was still a little sore, but its movement was no longer restricted. She gingerly climbed out of bed, but her caution was unnecessary. She couldn't remember a time she'd felt so good! She slipped into the bathroom and took a long shower, letting the scalding hot water loosen her idle muscles.

When she stepped out of the shower, the room was filled with steam and her skin was so pink it was practically glowing. She dropped her clothes into the hamper before making her way back into the bedroom, her towel wrapped around her torso.

Kyoko was still asleep, so Mukuro took pains to remain silent as she put on fresh clothes. A bemused smile appeared on her face as she realized that she had ten sets of the same outfit. No wonder everyone who came to see her had been wearing the same thing as they had been on the first day. She dressed quickly before making her way to the dining hall. She was ravenous.

She was the first one there, so she helped herself to the kitchen. After digging around for a while she discovered that Monokuma hadn't been kidding; the kitchen was loaded. How many people were staying in the school? Fifteen, she thought. Would it really be so much trouble to cook the food in bulk? After all, it wouldn't be coming out of her pocket if she screwed up and burned everything.

She had no idea where to begin. Did she even know how to cook? Maybe cooking was like fighting? Should she just start cooking and see what happened? After a very brief deliberation, Mukuro decided to do just that.

Mukuro allowed her hands to move of their own volition, and after several minutes of mixing ingredients into a bowl, a word floated to the top of her mind. Okayu.

Aw… I hate rice porridge, big sis! It's so bland!

A wave of nausea washed over her, but it swiftly passed. "Rice porridge, huh?" she murmured, quickly forgetting the particulars of the memory-flash. She finished mixing the okayu and transferred it to the stove before allowing her hands to move on to something else.

There was salmon in the fridge. She was laying the fillets out on a baking-sheet when the kitchens door slowly swung inward.

"Um, good morning," Chihiro said softly, stepping across the threshold. "I-I'm glad to see that y-you're feeling better."

Mukuro nodded at the other girl and went back to spacing the fish across the sheet. "You came to see me a few times, right? Thanks."

Chihiro blushed, pushing her pointer fingers together. "We were all worried a-about you. M-Mondo stood outside your r-room most days."

Mukuro looked up, surprise evident on her face. She hadn't expected that. "Well, I'm all better now!" She grinned, beating her breast with her fist.

Chihiro smiled. "I'm glad!" She paused, sniffing the air. "Are you making okayu?"

Mukuro nodded, digging around in the cabinet for spices. "Yeah, if I timed it right it should be done at around the same time as the yakizakana. Hopefully there'll be enough for everyone."

"I didn't know you could cook!"

"We haven't even been here for a week, so I'm not surprised." She laughed. "In all fairness, I didn't even know I could until this morning."

Chihiro was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. I forgot about your memory loss."

Mukuro waved her hand dismissively. "It'll sort itself out. I'm just taking it one day at a time. No point in fighting something you have no control over." She wished she actually meant her bravado.

Chihiro smiled. "You're right. That's a good attitude." She looked around the kitchen. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Her smile turned sheepish and she hunched her shoulders. "I'm not really a cook, but my dad used to say my tamagoyaki was good."

Tamagoyaki! Tamagoyaki! You're the best, big sis!

Mukuro blinked away the tears that had suddenly filled her eyes. "Yeah, that would be great."

OoOoOo

"Everything smells wonderful!" Kiyotaka loudly announced as he walked into the cafeteria. As usual, his uniform was so sharp it looked like it could cut. Did he have an iron? "Who do I have to think for such meal?"

Chihiro pointed at Mukuro, who was putting the steaming pot of rice porridge amongst the other food that covered the table. "I h-helped with the eggs, but Mukuro did most of the work."

Mukuro stood back, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "That's not true. You were a lot of help. I would have burned the okayu if you hadn't noticed that it was sticking. Of all the things to forget to remember about cooking, stirring has to be the worst." Mukuro really liked Chihiro. She was very friendly, despite an apparent social phobia, and Mukuro found her easy to talk to. How could she be suspicious of someone like that?

Chihiro was the deciding factor in Mukuro's internal debate. At first, she had whole-heartedly distrusted everyone but herself and Makoto. Then Sakura had saved her life, and she'd been forced to reevaluate that stance. Kyoko had taken care of her when she was sick. Mondo and Chihiro had both visited her on several occasions.

The pool of people who she couldn't imagine trying to kill her or Makoto had risen to six in only a few days. Maybe she was being naïve, but what if no one wanted to kill anyone? What if they could get out of this without any deaths? She wanted to get to know everyone. With any luck, they could unite against the mastermind. It was worth a try, at least.

"Ah! Mukuro!" Kiyotaka shouted, as if noticing her for the first time. "I am glad to see you are feeling better! I guess Kyoko told you about our daily breakfasts?" He settled into his seat, hands folded in his lap.

Mukuro pursed her lips, thinking. "She might have mentioned it? I'm not sure. I just came here 'cause I was hungry." She laughed, rubbing the back of her head. Her laughter turned into a grin as Makoto walked into the cafeteria. "Good morning, Makoto!"

Makoto raised his eyebrow, but quickly returned her smile. "Mukuro! I'm glad you're up. How's your head?" He walked over to her, concern evident on his face.

"Much better, see?" she rapped her knuckles lightly against her skull. "Get you some food. Me and Chihiro worked hard on it, so you better eat up."

Makoto looked at the table, his eyes lighting up as he saw the spread. "Wow, you two went all out. I didn't know you could cook!"

Mukuro rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone act so surprised? Is it so rare of a skill to have these days?"

"Teenage girls can't cook; it's an unfortunate stereotype set by the Shin Megami Tensei series. Specifically, their spin-off series: Persona." Hifumi said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "I will be the guinea pig. Please excuse me." He wandered over to the table and began to load up his plate.

"Unacceptable! We cannot begin our meal until everyone has arrived!" Kiyotaka protested, grabbing Hifumi's wrist as he picked up a piece of baked salmon.

"The way some of these guys are, everything will be cold before then!" Hifumi complained, snatching his hand away.

Chihiro blushed, hunching her shoulders. "I-it's fine. H-Hifumi's r-r-right. P-lease go a-ahead and e-eat."

"Yeah, go ahead," Mukuro said. "No point in letting everything get cold. Besides, I'm gonna eat. Wanna see if you can stop me, Taka?" she asked.

Kiyotaka scratched his face, shifting his gaze down. "Of course not. You are the cook, after all." He recovered quickly, spreading his arms wide. "Please, everyone! Let's dig in!"

Mukuro smiled at Makoto and they immediately broke out into laughter. It quickly spread to the other students, and soon they were all laughing. Why was this so easy? They'd only just met each other. They were expected to kill one another to get out. Yet they were getting along so well…

"W-what's going on?" Mukuro looked up to see Toko peeking into the room.

The purple-haired girl made her uneasy, but Mukuro did her best to look cheerful. "Good morning, Toko. Are you hungry?"

Toko nervously walked into the room. She looked like she was tip-toeing through a minefield. "You m-made breakfast?"

"Yeah! Me and Chihiro threw it together. Help yourself!" Even to Mukuro, the words sounded a bit plastic. For some reason, the easy comradery she felt with the other students wasn't present with the Ultimate Writing Prodigy.

"I-I'm surprise m-manish woman l-like you can c-cook." Mukuro bit her tongue to stop herself from replying to the barb. Toko walked over to the table, taking the lid off of the pot of okayu. She made a face, looking over at Mukuro. "W-who could e-eat this s-slop? It l-looks l-like vomit. S-smells like it, t-too."

I hate, hate, hate, haaaaate okayu! It looks like throw-up!

"You have to eat it, Junko. It's all they gave me."

Toko looked shocked. "W-what was t-that?"

Mukuro stumbled, catching herself on the edge of the table. She shook her head, covering her eyes with one hand. "I…I don't know… Who...?"

Makoto wrapped his arm around her and guided her down into a chair. "Are you okay?"

Mukuro looked at him, and Makoto's eyes widened in shock as he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Makoto…Who is Junko? Why am I crying?"

Before Makoto had a chance to reply, Toko spoke up. "G-geez what's y-your problem? Are y-you crazy or something?"

"That is enough!" Kiyotaka said, rising to his feet. "Miss Fukawa I order you to apologize immediately! Your behavior has been disgraceful!"

"N-no!" Toko bristled, glaring at him. "Y-you don't h-have any power o-over me! In c-case you h-haven't noticed, w-we're not actually at s-school. M-moron!"

Kiyotaka folded his arms across his chest, looking at Toko sternly. "You owe it to your fellow students to act respectfully! If you cannot do that, then I must ask you to leave the vicinity immediately! You have clearly upset Miss Ikusaba."

Toko glared at him, but wilted when her gaze shifted to the others. Hifumi and – surprisingly - Chihiro were both glaring at her. "F-fine! I d-didn't want any of this s-slop a-anyway! I'll m-make my o-own breakfast!" She turned on her heel and stalked into the kitchen.

Makoto was too busy consoling Mukuro to notice the altercation. "Mukuro, it's okay."

Mukuro wiped away her tears, but more quickly took their place. "I don't remember anything, Makoto! Why?" She hid her face in her hands. "I don't know who Junko is…but my heart hurts when I think about that name. Is she my friend? My sister? What if I never remember?"

"You will remember, Mukuro," Makoto assured her, rubbing her back softly. He looked to the others for help, but they were all pointedly ignoring Mukuro's breakdown.

"How do you know? What if I start forgetting things? What if I forget you?"

"You're not forgetting anything. You're remembering. So what if you don't know who Junko is? You remembered her name, didn't you? That's more than you knew yesterday." He grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. "You're going to keep on remembering things. You'll remember everything soon enough."

"You sound so confident about that…" Mukuro murmured, looking away from him.

Makoto smiled. "I'm the Ultimate Luck, right? If I bet on it, it's gotta come true!"

"Makoto…" Mukuro threw her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. "Thank you," she mumbled. Her heart hammered in her chest. Why did she do that? It's weird, isn't it? He must be freaked out. But Mukuro couldn't help herself.

Makoto's face reddened. "N-no problem." He rubbed her back awkwardly.

The door opened and Mukuro sprang away, drying her eyes with her knuckles. She looked up and saw that the newcomer was Sakura. She waved, and Sakura smiled, returning the gesture. She looked over at the others. "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was about."

Kiyotaka laughed heartily, smacking himself on the chest. "We all need a good cry on occasion! It is good for one's health!"

Hifumi grinned, the lenses of his glasses flashing as he pushed them up on his nose. "Comforting a crying girl. Clever, Makoto; it is the start of many adult-oriented doujinshi."

Makoto's eyes turned into dinner plates. "What?" he screeched, waving his hands erratically. Mukuro covered her face to hide her blush.

The rest of their classmates filed in over the next fifteen minutes. Byakuya was the only one who declined the meal, opting instead to make himself a cup of tea and a scone before sitting at a separate table to eat in solitude. The remaining thirteen students ate together, and for a few minutes, everything seemed normal. They talked about normal things like sports and movies. They joked. They laughed. It was nice.

Then the monitor sprang to life. Monokuma spoke and reality came crashing back down. "Hello, everyone! I'm getting bored, so I've decided to speed things up a bit. Please meet in the AV room in fifteen minutes. See you then!"

The television shut off, followed by the sound of something crashing to the ground and Toko screaming. Mukuro was on her feet and at the kitchen door in an instant. She opened the door, and was almost knocked to the ground when Toko shoved passed her. One hand was clasped over her mouth and nose, and she ignored everyone as she sprinted out of the cafeteria. "Wait, Toko!" Mukuro called, to no avail.

"I'll see if I can catch her," Sakura volunteered, rising to her feet and following Toko out into the hall.

Mukuro stepped into the kitchen and immediately felt a sneeze tickle at her nose. She pinched her nostrils closed and looked around to find the source of the irritation. It didn't take her long. The large tin that was used to store black pepper was on the floor, and the spice had scattered across the tiles in every direction. Particles of pepper swirled in the air, trapped by the confined space.

"She just spilled some pepper," Mukuro called over her shoulder. She surveyed the kitchen; it looked like Toko had been in the process of making an omelet when she'd dropped the pepper container. Mukuro turned off the stove's burner and dumped the frying pan into the sink before stepping back into the cafeteria.

"Why the hell did she bolt?" Mondo asked, scratching his head.

"Perhaps she assumed the loud crash was someone attacking her?" Celeste suggested, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

Leon chuckled. "Wow, she must be real skittish!"

Sakura walked back into the cafeteria, shaking her head. "Toko has locked herself in her room and will not answer when I call to her."

"Hopefully Monokuma won't freak out that she's not at the meeting," Yasuhiro said. He looked exhausted. His clothes were disheveled, as though he'd just crawled out of bed, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

Deciding it would be best not to keep the homicide-loving plush-toy waiting, the group made their way to the A/V room.

OoOoOo

"Good morning everyone! I hope everyone slept well!" Monokuma greeted, waving at the gathered students.

"Um, Mr. Monokuma," Aoi said, raising her hand. "Toko isn't feeling well, I don't think she's going to make it to the meeting."

Monokuma doubled over with laughter, slapping his knees for emphasis. "Oh, I know about Miss Fukawa. Please, do not worry about her. Let us focus on why we are here!" He spread his arms dramatically. "I realized that I have everything needed to catalyze murder except for the most important piece!"

"What's that?" Mukuro asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Monokuma looked at her as if noticing her for the first time. "My, my! Our sickly little flower is up and about! How fortunate! I was afraid you'd sleep through your entire killing school life!" He coughed, then pointed at the cardboard box that sat beside one of the computers. "The missing piece is motive, of course!"

"M-motive?" Chihiro said softly.

"Yeah, think of it like motivation!" Monokuma announced eagerly. "You can't expect the mouse to run a maze if there isn't any cheese at the end! So I've got a nice piece of cheese for each of you little mice. Be sure to check it out; it's really gouda!" This time, when Monokuma "vanished" Mukuro managed to track his tiny body as he scurried quickly behind the tables and out the door.

Makoto walked over to the box and pulled out a DVD with his name scrawled across its cover in permanent marker. "It looks like there's one here for each of us. Should we watch them?"

Byakuya scoffed, tightening his tie. "Indeed. I don't believe we have a choice in the matter." He stepped forward and retrieved his own disc before walking away to a less occupied area of the room.

By unspoken agreement, they all formed a line and silently retrieved their discs. One by one, everyone took a seat and inserted their DVDs into a computer.

Mukuro watched her screen, a nervous knot in her stomach. Motive? What did this monster think could possibly convince her to kill another person?

The screen remained black, but her headphones suddenly crackled to life. "You're so cool, Mukuro!" It was the voice of a girl around her own age. It brought forth the same odd mixture of emotions that she'd felt earlier. "I wish I could fight like you, big sis! But I guess I'll always have you to protect me! I love you soooooo much!"

Mukuro's hand rose, clutching at her heart, which was suddenly hurting terribly. "Who…?"

Mukuro winced as a high pitched scream pierced her ears. "Big sis! Help me!" A brief pause. "I don't know where I am, but these men are hurting me! Please, you've gotta save me, Mukuro! I'm scared! Please! Mukuro!"

The audio cut out, and words appeared on the screen in large block-letters. "What happened? Find out after graduation."

She couldn't move. Her hands were frozen, clasped over her heart. People were talking. Arguing. Shouting. But Mukuro could only sit there, staring dumbly at the screen. Junko. The screen wobbled and distorted as tears filled Mukuro's eyes. "Junko…" she whimpered. A sob ripped from her throat and she doubled over, putting her head between her knees as she struggled to keep the tears in check. "Junko!"

Someone lightly touched her shoulder. "Mukuro, what's wrong?"

Mukuro's head snapped up to look at Kyoko. "My sister… That bastard kidnapped my sister!"

Kyoko's eyes widened. "I'm sorry," she said softly. She knelt down so that she was at eye-level with the short-haired girl. "We can't play into his game. He wants us to panic. He wants us to lose sight of reason and do whatever it takes to get out of here. You have to calm down."

Mukuro glared at Kyoko. "That's easy for you to say!" The tears were hot on her face as shook her head violently. "You didn't have to listen to your sister screaming for you to help her! There's no telling what they're doing to her, and I'm trapped in here! I can't do anything! I have to get out!"

"Look at me, Mukuro!" Kyoko yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. Mukuro stared at her, shocked. "You're letting him get to you! It's exactly what he wants. Everyone in here saw that their loved-ones are in danger."

"Who did you see?"

"My grandfather," Kyoko replied, lowering her gaze. "I didn't have any recollection until I saw the video, but I remember him now. He raised me." She looked at Mukuro, her eyes hard. "I want to know what happened to him, but we have to be smart. Are you going to be okay?"

Mukuro took a deep, shaky breath, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her heart was still hammering, and her mind was still racing, but Kyoko had helped her plant her feet firmly back in reality. She nodded, sniffling. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks." She paused. "Where's Makoto?"

Kyoko nodded at the door. "He chased Sayaka out into the hall when she ran off."

Mukuro climbed unsteadily to her feet. "I want to talk to him." She looked at Kyoko. "Thank you, really."

Kyoko smiled. "Anytime."

It took Mukuro a few minutes to find Makoto and Sayaka. She stood outside the classroom, listening to the conversation between the two teens. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the handle. Makoto had chased after Sayaka. He was comforting Sayaka. When had they become so close?

She dropped her hand, letting it hang limply at her side. She was being stupid. Makoto was a good person; he was worried about everyone. Sayaka had a panic attack and he'd chased after her. Mukuro had a harder time seeing him not doing that. Besides, it wasn't like she was dating him. Despite how much she was deluding herself, they hardly knew each other at all. So why did she feel so jealous?

Mukuro turned away from the door, teeth clenched, and stalked back to her room.

OoOoOo

Mukuro woke up, bleary-eyed, nearly ten hours later. She'd laid down for a short nap that had apparently turned into a more long-term affair. She sat up in bed, looking around in mild confusion. "What time is it?" she mumbled, looking over at Kyoko who was sitting at the desk, scribbling in a notebook.

Kyoko looked up from her notes. "I'm surprised you slept so long. It's almost ten o'clock."

Mukuro groaned, rubbing her eyes. That meant the water was about to be shut off, and her long sleep had left her rather thirsty. "Damn. I better run to the dining hall before it gets locked down." She got to her feet and stretched, yawning. "I'm just getting a glass of water," she said, noticing Kyoko moving to get up. "I think I can manage on my own."

Kyoko shrugged and went back to writing, clearly absorbed in whatever it was she was doing.

Mukuro slipped out into the hall and made a bee-line for the cafeteria. She hadn't bothered to look at a clock, but maybe she'd have time to grab a bite to eat if she hurried. She stopped short when she entered, locking eyes with Sakura who sat with Aoi at a table across the room.

Sakura lifted a hand in greeting. "Hello, Mukuro."

Aoi, always energetic, waved her hand erratically. "Hey there, Mukuro! Want to join us for tea? We've got donuts, too!"

It wasn't really what Mukuro considered to be a good dinner, but she didn't want to seem rude. She nodded, making her way over to the table and sitting across from Sakura. "Thank you."

Aoi smiled, filling a cup and handing it to her before sliding the plate of donuts across the table. "It's nothing. You really outdid yourself with breakfast this morning, it's the least we can do."

Mukuro took a sip of tea and sighed, letting herself relax. "It's good," she commented, before taking a larger gulp of the piping liquid.

Aoi took a large bite of the donut she held in her hand. "You should try one," she said through a mouthful of food. "I don't know where they get these from but they're wonderful!"

Sakura sighed, taking a drink from her own cup. "It's rude to speak with your mouth full, Asahina." Despite her words, Sakura seemed quite amused with Aoi's antics.

Swallowing her mouthful, Aoi started to giggle. "Oh, Mukuro doesn't care about something like that. Besides, there aren't any boys around so we don't have to keep up appearances."

Mukuro rolled her eyes. "I get the feeling you wouldn't try to keep up appearances even if there were."

"I'm offended you would say such a thing, Miss Ikusaba!" Aoi cried in mock indignation. "I am the picture of what a proper Japanese woman should be!"

Mukuro couldn't help but smile at the bubbly teenager. "Alright, you win. I'm sorry I questioned you." She picked up a donut from the tray and took a bite. "Wow," she said, "These are really good."

"I told you so!" Aoi puffed up proudly. "I should know, I'm a connoisseur on all things donut." Their conversation was derailed by the cafeteria door opening. Sayaka walked quickly through the door, heading straight for the kitchen. "Hey, Sayaka! Want some tea?"

Sayaka jumped violently when Aoi called out to her. She recovered quickly, turning to look at them with a strained smile plastered on her face. "No, thank you. I just came in for a glass of water." She turned and continued on her way into the kitchen.

"Do you two think she's acting a little weird?" Mukuro asked, not taking her eyes off the kitchen door.

"Who, Sayaka?" Aoi asked, touching her finger to her chin. "Um…Not particularly." She licked her lips and plucked another donut from the plate.

Sakura put down her cup, looking thoughtful. "She has seemed a bit unsettled as of late. I imagine it has to do with the video she was shown."

A light turned on in Mukuro's head. "I don't want to pry, so I don't need any particulars… but were both of you shown a video?"

A shadow appeared over Aoi's face. "Yeah. It started off really sweet, but at the end it showed my brother in handcuffs. I'm really worried."

Sakura shifted in her seat. "Indeed, I was shown a video as well. Weren't you?"

Mukuro shook her head. "No…Well, sort of. Some text appeared on the screen, but I only heard my sister, I never saw her."

"Interesting," Sakura said. "Do you think it perhaps has something to do with your memory loss? Could the mastermind be withholding images of your sister to prevent your recovery?"

Mukuro shook her head again. "That wouldn't make much sense. If he didn't want me to remember, why would he have me listen to the audio?" She took another swallow of tea, emptying her cup. "We don't even know that it was that nutcase who took my memories in the first place."

"Two people suffering from memory loss in a group of fifteen? It seems unlikely that it is a mere coincidence."

The kitchen door opened again and Sayaka practically ran towards the exit. Something about her gait bothered Mukuro. Sayaka was concealing something. She got to feet and yawned, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm too tired to talk about this right now. Thanks for the tea, I'll see you two at breakfast tomorrow."

The two other girls gave no indication of being perturbed by her sudden retreat. They bid her goodnight, and she followed Sayaka into the hall.

She stayed a few feet behind the popstar, being sure to step quietly. It only took a few seconds for her to spot the reason behind Sayaka's strange gait The handle of a kitchen knife stuck out from the waistband of her skirt.

Mukuro's pulse skyrocketed. What was Sayaka doing with a knife? She stopped, clenching her eyes shut. Mukuro desperately wanted to trust her fellow students. There must be an explanation. Maybe Sayaka was just afraid? Maybe she wanted to keep the knife in her room for self-defense?

That line of thought ground to a halt when Sayaka stopped in front of Makoto's room. Mukuro stopped thinking. She was on Sayaka in an instant. Her fingers curled around the other girl's throat and she slammed her into the wall with all of her strength. "What do you think you're doing?" she growled, loosening her grip on Sayaka's throat so she could speak.

Sayaka didn't respond, opting instead to draw her knife and thrust it blindly towards Mukuro's exposed armpit. Using her free hand, Mukuro caught Sayaka's wrist and twisted it until she released the knife. Sayaka screamed, and the blade hit the ground with clang. "G-get off of me, you psycho!"

"You must not have heard me the first time. What are you doing?" Mukuro's eyes bored into Sayaka's, and they weren't the eyes of high school girl. They were the eyes of a killer. In that instant, Sayaka understood that Mukuro would kill her without a second thought.

"I'm scared!" she screamed, grasping at Mukuro's wrist in a futile attempt to escape. "I just took the knife for self-defense!"

Mukuro snorted, squeezing Sayaka's throat harder. "Then why were you bringing your self-defense tool to Makoto's room?"

Tears began to form in Sayaka's eyes. "What are you talking about. This is my room!"

"Bullshit!" Mukuro pulled Sayaka away from the wall only the slam her back into it. "Makoto's room is right next to mine."

Sayaka shook her head, clawing desperately at Mukuro's arm. "Look at the nameplate," she croaked.

Mukuro shifted her gaze to the nameplate, and in that instant Sayaka kicked her in the stomach. The air rushed out of her lungs and she dropped the other girl. Sayaka attempted to press her advantage, snatching the knife from the floor and rushing Mukuro. Anticipating the attack, Mukuro batted the blade aside and spun around Sayaka, extending her foot as she went.

Sayaka tripped over Mukuro's foot and landed hard on the hallway floor. Mukuro was on top of her before she could react, grabbing her hands and twisting them behind her back. "Where is Makoto?" she asked angrily, twisting her arms to an uncomfortable angle.

The popstar screamed, bucking under the larger girl's grip. "Get off!"

"Tell me where he is and I will."

Sayaka continued to struggle for over a minute before she finally relented, panting. "He's in my room."

Mukuro twisted her wrists harder. "Why?"

Sayaka yelped and tried to pull away. "We switched rooms! I told him I was scared! That someone was trying to get into my room!"

"Why would that be, I wonder?" Mukuro whispered harshly, shifting her grip so that she was restraining Sayaka with one hand. With her free hand, Mukuro groped around until she found the kitchen knife. She brought it up to Sayaka's throat, pressing the edge against her jugular. "It doesn't really matter, does it, Sayaka?" She leaned in close, her breath tickling her prisoner's ear. "Because you're going to forget whatever it was you were planning, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Sayaka sobbed, straining to pull away from the blade.

"That's right, you are." Mukuro pressed the blade against Sayaka's throat until it drew blood. "You're never even going to think about killing anyone else. Do you know why?" There was a long silence. "I asked you a fucking question!"

"No! I mean, yes! I... I don't know!" Sayaka was sobbing in earnest now, clearly terrified for her life.

Mukuro released Sayaka's wrists and grabbed a fistful of her hair, jerking her head back. "Because if you ever kill anyone, you're not going to get out of here alive. I'll make sure of that." Mukuro lightly pulled the blade across Sayaka's throat, leaving a paper-cut shallow cut in the exposed flesh. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes. I u-understand."

"Good!" Mukuro released Sayaka's hair and jumped to her feet. When Sayaka didn't move, she added, "You can get up, now."

Sayaka climbed unsteadily to her feet, her shoulders shaking with sobs. "W-what n-n-now?"

Mukuro spun the knife between her fingers. "Go to sleep. In the morning, go back sleeping in your own room."

Sayaka looked at her in disbelief, rubbing the wound on her throat. "Y-you aren't going to t-tell anyone?"

"Nah." Mukuro sighed, cracking her neck. "I'm going to give you a chance. You're worried about your friend, or family, or whoever it was Monokuma kidnapped. I get it. You just had a mental breakdown, right?"

"R-right," Sayaka said, nodding dumbly.

"Okay, then. We'll never talk about this again." She turned to walk away then stopped. "Oh, and Sayaka. One more thing." She closed the distance between them, levelling the tip of the knife between Sayaka's eyes. "Stay away from Makoto."

OoOoOo

Mukuro was brushing her hair the following morning when the intercom suddenly crackled to life. "Attention everyone. A body has been discovered!" Monokuma screamed, his voice filled with ecstasy.

OoOoOoOo

A.N. And there you have it folks! I hope I'm keeping you interested. Keep the feedback coming! Hearing from you guys really brightens my day!