The following day, Chiaki found herself face to face with Vulpine in the dark room.
"So tell me, how are you feeling?" Vulpine asked.
"I'm feeling more energetic" Chiaki said.
"Anything else?" Vulpine asked.
"I don't know" Chiaki said," I guess, secretly, I'm still scared"
"Considering you brushed with death twice now, it's understandable that you would fear it" Vulpine said," one of our core instincts is self preservation"
"That's not it" Chiaki said," I'm afraid of what will happen to everyone else if I die...I think"
"Once again, that fear is rational" Vulpine said," the more people love you, the more it will hurt them if anything bad happens to you"
"Is there anything I can do to stop it?" Chiaki asked.
"You could always cut your ties early, but that would have a similar affect" Vulpine said," Unfortunately, you are talented at making people love you"
"Of course" Chiaki sighed.
"Being loved isn't so bad" Vulpine said," While it is painful to be relied on, that pain is preferable to the pain of loneliness, wouldn't you agree?"
"I don't know" Chiaki said.
"You're a very thoughtful girl" Vulpine smiled," I'm sure if you think it over, you'll come up with an answer."
"But what do I do about this fear?" Chiaki asked.
"You can't completely control others, but you can push them in a better direction" Vulpine said," Maybe try encouraging those who love you to create other bonds of support"
"Will that work?" Chiaki asked.
"It depends, but it did work for me" Vulpine said.
"Wait, did you lose someone important?" Chiaki asked.
"Yes, a long time ago" Vulpine said with a slightly somber face," she was more than just important to me, she was the fire that kept me alive"
"I'm sorry" Chiaki said while reflecting the sadness in Vulpine's words.
"There you go again" Vulpine smiled," you're too easy to love"
"Sorry" Chiaki said.
"Don't be" Vulpine said," You deserve to be loved"
"Thank you Doctor Vulpine" Chiaki said with a smile and blush.
"You're welcome" Vulpine smiled back," and just call me Vulpine"
"Okay" Chiaki said.
"Now go back to your room and rest up" Vulpine said," Under my care, I'll soon free you from this prison"
"Thank you, do-I mean Vulpine" Chiaki said before taking her leave.
Vulpine waved goodbye, while the two kittens watched in the shadows. Once Chiaki left, Vulpine turned to look at the white kitten and smiled.
...
Nagito bumps into Junko on the street after she buys ingredients for the applebutter apple pie. The two talk for a bit before parting ways.
Since he had the day off, Nagito decided to visit Chiaki in the hospital. While walking through the cityscape, he couldn't help his eyes from wandering to see the beauty of the sun reflecting off glass windows. It didn't take him long until he bumped into another person that wasn't paying attention to where they were going. Unfortunately, the two bumped into each other and caused one to drop what they were holding.
"I'm sorry" Nagito immediately apologized and started to pick up the apples that had fallen out of the persons bag," I have the worst luck"
"It's fine, I should've known better than to text while walking" a familiar voice replied," wait"
Nagito looked up to see Junko looking down at him.
"Huh, it seems luck would have us meet again" Nagito laughed a bit," may I ask what these apples are for?"
"I was just grocery shopping and I wanted apples, nothing more" Junko snapped.
"It looks like you're making an applebutter pie" Nagito said after picking up and reading a recipe sheet that fell out of the bag.
"Give me that" Junko snapped as she swiped the sheet from his hands," you're lucky that you're friends with Chiaki otherwise I would have slapped you for being nosy"
"I'm the ultimate luckster, but I'm not Chiaki's friend" Nagito said," I'm just her classmate"
"Yeah right, it's not like you visit her and are paying for medicine to save her life" Junko said," you're a worse liar than Mukuro"
"But it's tru-" Nagito tried to say, only to be interrupted.
"Like it or not, you're connected to Chiaki" Junko said," and anyone who's connected to her is automatically her friend, so be grateful"
For once, Nagito was speechless. Before he could respond, Junko's phone rang.
"Hey, Mukuro" Junko answered her phone," yeah, I'm on my way home"
Seeing Junko was busy talking, Nagito saw his chance to slip away. When he continued to walk, he contemplated what Junko had said.
'I guess someone as kind as Chiaki would consider even someone like me a friend just because we're connected through class' Nagito thought,' I'm very fortunate to know someone so hopeful, but that's the problem'
Nagito continued to walk until he accidentally tripped over an empty soda can. When he fell back, his eyes looked around to find a simple white daisy left in the middle of the side walk. Had Nagito been younger, he would have wondered where it came from. Instead he accepted his luck and picked the daisy up. Despite being on the street, the daisy was in mid condition and had a pure white glow that reminded him of Chiaki.
'Maybe I should show some gratitude' Nagito thought as he tucked the flower into his chest pocket.
...
Nagito arrived at the hospital to see Chiaki's room was filled with gifts ranging from games to flowers. It reminded him of a beloved princess from a storybook he read as a child.
"I'm glad to see you, Nagito" Chiaki smiled brightly.
"You look better" Nagito said," health wise I mean"
"Thanks" Chiaki said.
"I see the others already visited you" Nagito said as he looked at the gifts.
"They all came together to surprise me" Chiaki said," did you know?"
"Yes" Nagito lied," but I had some errands to run"
"I see" Chiaki said with a slight waiver in her voice," well, at least you're here now"
"Are you okay" Nagito asked.
"Yeah, I guess I'm still a little weak from whatever I have" Chiaki said.
"Fortunately, with that medicine, I'm sure your sickness will become a thing of the past" Nagito smiled," then you'll be free to live and be the wonderful symbol of hope that you are"
"Nagito..." Chiaki said.
"Sorry if I said something wrong like always" Nagito apologized.
"You're such a fool" Chiaki said in a deeper voice.
Nagito looked to see that Chiaki's eyes had turned green.
"Survival Tactic!" Chiaki said before her pendant glowed.
Nagito opened his eyes to find himself on the strange contraptions rolling through space. Standing above him was Chiaki in her strange fox like outfit, though her face was more aggravated than usual.
"You disobedient dog" Chiaki said," All this time and you haven't found the Vixendrum"
"I'm sorry, but I haven't really felt anything like you told me" Nagito explained, only to be smacked in the head with a rolled up newspaper.
"Stop closing your heart off!" Chiaki said," that's why you haven't found it"
"Easier said than done" Nagito said as he rubbed his head.
"Listen, I know about your 'situation', but unless you find the Vixendrum, something beyond dreadful will happen." Chiaki explained.
"What do you mean?" Nagito asked," isn't the medicine working?"
"Peace doesn't last without a cost" Chiaki said," please find the Vixendrum before that cost is too high".
"I'll try" Nagito said," but where can I look?"
"Open up your heart and let it guide you to the Vixendrum" Chiaki advised," now go"
Nagito merely blinked to find himself back where he was. Chiaki was still unaware of her possession by the look of her doe eyes.
"Is something wrong?" Chiaki asked.
"Yeah, I realized I need to be somewhere" Nagito said.
"I understand, it was nice to see you today" Chiaki smiled.
Just before Nagito walked out the door, Chiaki muscled up the courage to say something.
"Nagito...could you do me a favor?" Chiaki asked.
"What is it" Nagito asked.
"Could you try connecting with our other classmates, please?" Chiaki asked to Nagito's surprise.
"Sure" Nagito hesitated to smile.
"Thank you, Nagito" Chiaki smiled.
After those words, Nagito left.
...
A while after Nagito left, a nurse entered the room with a food cart.
"Good evening Miss Munakata" the nurse said," I have your lunch"
"Oh, thank you" Chiaki looked up to see the nurse with long blond hair.
"I hope you're okay with this hospital food" the nurse said.
"It's fine" Chiaki smiled and began to eat," my parents and friends gave me lots of different things to eat, but I think the food here is great"
"I see, there are so many people that love you and would do anything for you" the nurse said," why is that?"
"I don't know" Chiaki said," I guess they're just really kind"
"You're so fortunate" the nurse said," I'm jealous"
"Oh, I'm..." Chiaki tried to say until she felt a wave of sleepiness," s.s..sor...ry..."
With those final words, Chiaki passed out into her bed. The nurse walked over to look down at the sleeping girl.
"From this angle you could fool anyone into believing you're a fair maiden" the nurse said," but you can't fool me".
...
Before Nagito walked out of the hospital, he realized he had forgotten to give Chiaki the gift he had.
'Why am I so forgetful?' Nagito internally questioned as he walked back to Chiaki's room.
He entered Chiaki's room only to find she wasn't there.
'Maybe she went to the bathroom' Nagito thought as he placed the daisy, he had, onto her dresser before noticing something strange,' wait, Chiaki would never leave her gamer girl if she went somewhere'
Upon realizing this, Nagito began to panic as he sprung into searching for Chiaki. When he still couldn't find her after searching the hospital floor, he called Chisa.
"Is something wrong, Nagito?" Chisa answered.
"I think Chiaki has gone missing" Nagito said before continuing to explain the whole situation.
"Stay calm, I'm on my way" Chisa said," try asking the nearby staff if they saw Chiaki leave her room"
"I will" Nagito said.
...
Ten minutes later, Chisa arrived at the hospital.
"Any results?" Chisa asked.
"Nobody saw Chiaki leave her room" Nagito said," so they're checking the surveillance cameras"
"Wait, what time is it?" Chisa asked.
"5:28" Nagito said.
"We need to find her" Chisa said with fear in her eyes," she needs her medicine at 7"
After she said that, a hospital worker walked up with a grim face.
"Did you find her?!" Chisa asked with desperate eyes.
"I'm afraid you're daughter has been kidnapped" the worker said.
"How?" Chisa asked as tears started to form.
"From what we were able to find, someone disguised as a nurse drugged her and-" the worker explained only to be cut off.
"Have you called the police?!" Chisa asked.
"We did and they are on their way" the worker said," please calm down"
"Damn it" Chisa cursed as tears flowed down her cheeks and she began to cry.
Nagito watched the sad sight like a stranger before running off in hopes of finding a clue. Desperate, he ran outside as if he would see a trail leading to the kidnapper. He didn't find it and began to fall into despair, until he noticed something. A normal white cat stood in front of him, but it held a familiar daisy in its mouth.
"You couldn't be..." Nagito said.
The cat responded by walking over to an alleyway and turning to him.
"Do you know where Chiaki is?" Nagito asked.
The cat replied by nodding its head and walking into the alleyway.
'I hope I'm not going crazy' Nagito thought as he followed the cat.
...
Slowly, Chiaki regained consciousness along with her vision. When she was able to shake the heavy feeling from her eyes, she found she was tied to a chair. She tried to stay calm despite the darkness of the twilight, but couldn't help trembling. Just when she thought her fear couldn't be furthered, bright spotlights flashed on. Chiaki closed her eyes until she could adjust them to the light. She looked around to see she was in a building in construction. The lights were so bright that she hardly noticed a figure in the shadows.
"Who...who's there?" Chiaki asked.
"I am the survivor of the old world" the person said," the one that you distorted"
"I don't understand" Chiaki said.
"You're the reason the world is wrong because it's all warped around for you" the person said," put simply you are a witch and this is your trial"
"I'm not a witch" Chiaki said.
"Then tell me why do so many love you, why did Kyousuke Munakata and Chisa yukizome adopt you, and why are you ill?" The voice asked.
"I just try to be kind and respectful to others, miss Yukizome took me in when my parents neglected me, and..." Chiaki tried to defend herself only to realize she didn't know the answer to the last question.
"You made a deal with the devil and now you are paying the price" The person said," that's why you enchanted everyone to make sacrifices for you"
"I don't understand, who are you?" Chiaki asked.
"Very well, you should at least see the face of the one who is going to punish you" the person said as they stepped forward.
Chiaki's eyes widened as the person was revealed in the light.
"Mukuro?!" Chiaki asked.
"And here I thought you had forgotten I existed" Mukuro said," or did you just remember because of your friendship with my sister?"
"Did I hurt you?" Chiaki asked.
"You could have ignored me and I wouldn't care" Mukuro said," you're here because of the pain you've inflicted onto others"
"Others?" Chiaki asked.
"Your classmates, your pretend family, and my sister" Mukuro said," it's their sacrifices that are keeping you alive".
"I can tell them to stop" Chiaki said.
"You can try, but they won't listen" Mukuro said," they would rather sacrifice parts of themselves to ensure their little angel stays alive and well".
"I'm sorry" Chiaki said.
"I won't accept your words" Mukuro said," so do me a favor and scream as loud as you can"
Before Chiaki could ask, Mukuro pulled out an army knife and walked over to her. Chiaki looked up into Mukuro's cold steel eyes before she stabbed her in her upper left arm. As requested, Chiaki screamed from the pain.
"Come on out you demon!" Mukuro yelled," if you don't, I'll kill her!"
When no one answered, Mukuro grew annoyed and struck her knife clean over Chiaki's right eye. Though the cut was small, it bled profusely as Chiaki screamed again.
"Why won't you come out?!" Mukuro yelled while tears formed in Chiaki's eyes.
Just before Mukuro raised her knife again, she stopped upon hearing something. Mukuro turned to look out from the edge of the building.
"It looks like a foolish white knight has come to save you" Mukuro said," guess that makes me a dragon, even though you're still a witch"
...
Quickly, Nagito followed the white cat through the alleyways and to a construction site. There, the cat stopped and looked up at the fourth floors. Before rushing into the danger, Nagito sent a detailed message to Chisa through his phone. Once the message was sent, Nagito took a deep breathe before running for the stairs.
Once he arrived on the fourth floor, the sun had set causing the scene to be very dark. He stayed still until a spotlight turned on to reveal Chiaki. Though she was a few yards away, Nagito could still see her wounds. Upon seeing her blood, Nagito felt his blood boil a bit.
"Nagito" Chiaki said weakly with a pitiful face half stained with blood.
Nagito tried to step forward, only to narrowly miss being shot in the foot. When he tried to look for the shooter, he couldn't find them in the shadows.
"What do you want?" Nagito asked with a stern face.
"Bring me the mastermind" Mukuro said," the one that's responsible for keeping Chiaki alive"
"I can't do that" Nagito said.
"Then I'll lure her out of her den myself" Mukuro said as she appeared behind Chiaki.
"I'm guessing you were the one who tried to steal Chiaki's pendent" Nagito said.
"Correct" Mukuro said.
"Why?" Nagito asked.
"This world is wrong and twisted, so I have to restore it to how it was" Mukuro said," the way fate intended it to be, where Chiaki Nanami died"
Nagito bite his lip at the thought while Chiaki could only lower her head.
"Now bring out your master" Mukuro said, before raising her knife to Chiaki's throat" or else I'll kill Chiaki"
"This isn't what Junko would want you to do" Chiaki said.
"I don't care" Mukuro said as she raised the knife closer to Chiaki's throat.
"Please..." Nagito said," don't"
"I'll give you ten seconds to bring me the mastermind" Mukuro said," 10...9l
With no other choice, Nagito ran to her in the hopes his luck would save her. Mukuro reached for her pistol, but, when she did, the white cat leaped out from the shadows and began to claw Mukuro's face. She endured the pain as the cat sunk its claws into her face, but she dropped her knife as she tried to use both hands to remove the cat. The more Mukuro struggled, the more she moved around till she was dangerously close to the edge. Mukuro pushed the cat off of her with all her might, but the cat simply leapt off of her face. The force from the two combined with Mukuro's confusion caused her to fall back over the edge. Nagito could only watch and be grateful that Chiaki couldn't see it happen.
As Mukuro fell to he presumed death, time slowed down as she recalled all her memories.
...
It was a bright sunny day years ago, yet young Junko had shut herself up in her room. Though the door was closed, Mukuro could hear her sister crying. She had been crying for days, yet Mukuro still wasn't use to it.
Cautiously, Mukuro opened the door and carried in a bowl of ramen. The room, despite being colored pink, was so dark with the curtains drawn. In the middle of the canopy bed, Mukuro could see a big lump hiding under the covers.
"Hey...Junko" Mukuro said," I brought something to make you feel better"
"Is it Chiaki?" Junko sniffled under the covers.
"No, but it will help" Mukuro said," I call it healing ramen".
"That's so lame" Junko laughed a bit.
"Just try it" Mukuro said before flipping over the covers to reveal Junko curled up in the fetal position.
"I don't want to" Junko huffed as she grew tighter into her ball.
"Just try one bite" Mukuro said," then I'll leave you alone"
"Fine" Junko groaned before getting up and revealing her face flushed red from crying.
Mukuro lifted the chopsticks full of ramen to Junko's mouth before she slurped them up.
"Well?" Mukuro asked.
"It's fine" Junko said.
"At least you ate something" Mukuro said.
"Mukuro..?" Junko asked," Do you think I'll ever see Chiaki again, even though she moved so far away?"
"Maybe, but you have to focus on the present" Mukuro said.
"It's just so hard to do that when my present heart feels so empty and broken" Junko said.
"I'm sure it'll get better" Mukuro smiled," I'll make it better"
"Okay" Junko said with a sliver of a smile.
...
'I'm sorry, Junko' Mukuro thought before she hit the ground and passed out.
Once seeing Mukuro was incapacitated, Nagito took the knife and cut the restraints holding Chiaki to the chair. When she was cut loose, Chiaki tried to walk only to fall into Nagito's chest. He could tell her legs were weak and ready to give out, so he moved her along with himself down to the ground. Chiaki held onto him with trembling hands and hid her face in his chest. Despite this, Nagito was hesitant to return a calming gesture, until Chiaki started to cry. Nagito wrapped his arms around Chiaki to keep her as close to him as possible.
"It's okay now" Nagito reassured.
Time passed as they stayed in that one position. Eventually Chisa arrived only to look in horror at the two broken children.
...
At Junko's apartment, she was just about done preparing an apple pie when she received a call.
"Hello?" Junko answered.
"Are you Junko Enoshima?" The caller asked.
"Last I checked" Junko said," What is this?"
"We're calling because your sister Mukuro Enoshima is in the emergency room after falling from a four story drop" The caller said.
"I'm on my way" Junko said with a firm voice while a tear welled up in her eye.
...
When Mukuro opened her eyes, she could barely remember what had happened. She tried to lift her arm only to find it impossible. Upon seeing her full body cast, she almost jumped out of it.
"Glad to see you're awake" a feminine voice said.
Mukuro felt a chill down her spine as she stared into the emerald eyes of Vulpine.
"You" Mukuro growled.
"I see you're still angry at me" vulpine said," you're quit the persistent wolf, stealing my secret tape and peaking at it, but it's back in my possession"
Mukuro tried desperately to move her limbs towards vulpine, but couldn't.
"You shouldn't have tried changing fate through your little stunt, but it did allow me to catch you and have you under my complete control" Vulpine said," That's why I allowed it to happen"
"So you're going to torture me?" Mukuro asked," go ahead"
"Don't you want to hear how I used my resources to control your fate?" Vulpine asked," I guess not since you have more important things to worry about"
"Will you kill me?" Mukuro asked," or will you brainwash me like all the rest"
"I've done neither of those things." Vulpine said," My mission now is to be your doctor by looking over you and healing you"
"Bullshit" Mukuro said.
"But it's the truth" Vulpine said," I'm going to start by taking all of your pain away"
Once she said that, a white kitten jumped up onto Mukuro's bed.
"Thank you for your wonderful work today" Vulpine said to the kitten.
"It's always a pleasure" the girl with white hair said.
"Now, Mukuro Ikusaba, I have diagnosed that you have a rotting despair inside your heart that is infecting your mind with negative thoughts an ideas" Vulpine said," as treatement, my assistant will remove that despair from your heart"
Vulpine walked to the door.
"I won't let you stop me from saving my sister!" Mukuro yelled.
"In that case, the procedure is going to hurt a lot more" Vulpine said," Despite our rocky relationship, I look forward to taking care of you"
Vulpine left before the kitten began to stare into Mukuro's eyes. Mukuro tried to look away, but couldn't. The more she stared, the more she felt like she was slipping into a trance. The room and her body cast faded away leaving just her and the kitten in an empty blue space. Before she realized it, the white kitten turned into a cat and then a white tiger with blue stripes and silver eyes. Mukuro looked at the the tiger in frozen fear. The tiger licked its lips before lunging at Mukuro and ripping her the black shadows out from her heart. While her heart bled, the tiger devoured the shadows.
Out in the hallway, Vulpine opened her notebook and worked in it before hearing a bloodcurdling scream from Mukuro's room.
"Just as my fate had intended" vulpine smiled after closing the book.
