Never Say Never
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.
Chapter 1
Act 5
The baseball flew up toward the ceiling before falling back down, caught by the hand of Leon.
The Ultimate Baseball Star lay on his bed, his jacket tossed aside on a nearby chair, continually tossing the ball upwards. He had hoped that doing such a repetitive task would take his mind off things, but it only further provoked thoughts he'd rather have forgotten. And eventually, his frustration gave way.
Furiously clutching the baseball as it fell this time, he rolled on his side and angrily threw the ball against the far wall. As it bounced off and rolled to a halt, Leon grunted before falling back onto his bed and sighing.
"Seriously…how the hell did it come to this?" he wondered as he stared at the bland ceiling. "I'm a normal…well, semi-normal guy. Why the hell do I have to worry about murders and being trapped and…Kanon…"
No matter how hard he tried, every single time he closed his eyes, he saw the image from his DVD flash into view. His old friends, the only people he actually enjoyed playing baseball with, might be dead. And his cousin, who admired and respected him, was either missing…or dead as well.
It was maddening and he felt so powerless! He wanted to smash one of his baseballs directly into the camera but the fear of punishment kept him simply lying on his bed, contemplating what he should do.
"There's no way I could kill anybody…even if it meant getting out of here and seeing if that video was for real…I'd never be able to forgive myself. But then what the hell am I supposed to—?"
As if on cue, a small knocking came at his door. A bit startled, Leon shot up from his bed and glared at his door. He was about to call out to whomever was behind the door when he saw a small piece of paper slide under it. Giving it a sideways glance, he slowly got up and walked toward the door.
Instead of instantly picking up the paper, he cautiously cracked the door to his room and looked outside, hoping to see who had come by. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single soul outside his door.
"That figures…it's already after nighttime." he murmured as he closed and locked his door. "But then, who the hell…"
Leaning down and picking up the paper, he was shocked as he read over the contents:
There's something I need to talk to you about. Just the two of us. In five minutes, meet me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure that you don't get the wrong room.
Sayaka Maizono
Before anything else, his eyes read the name at the bottom of the note. It was only afterward that he looked over the rest of the letter and was slightly perplexed by it. She was asking him to meet with her, alone…in her personal room.
At first he was shocked, Sayaka passing a note under his door was odd enough but looking over the contents, he began to piece together what she was trying to do.
"The music lesson!" he proudly declared, slapping the paper slightly as he went and sat on his bed. "I'd almost completely forgot! But it's kind of a weird time to want to practice music. Considering the nighttime announcement already went off, not to mention everything that happened today…"
Suddenly, a thought sparked in Leon's mind.
"Wait…could it be that, she wants to practice music right now because of what's going on?!" he questioned aloud, abruptly standing up. "Yeah…yeah, that's gotta be it! She must be having a hard time coping with all this crap too!"
A smile broke out on Leon's face as he came to this conclusion. Of course that's what it had to be! She needed someone there to help her and she probably chose him because they had connected before over the music training thing!
He didn't have to think about why she didn't ask Makoto, whom she'd spent most of her time with, to help her instead. She and Leon had the common ground of music and undoubtedly she wanted someone she could trust with that sort of understanding. Nothing against Makoto but the kid seemed to be musically…un-inclined.
Picking up his jacket and throwing his arms through the sleeves, he adjusted his clothes a bit before practically racing out into the hallway.
Slightly humming to himself as he walked down the hallway, Leon found himself feeling lighter and more carefree than he had for quite a while. The contents of his own DVD were disappearing from his mind as he began to anticipate how much fun he was going to have learning music from Sayaka…alone…in her room…that was soundproof…where no one could hear them…
Abruptly, his feet stopped moving as a new and more fearsome thought came to his mind.
"Wait a sec, getting me alone like this…could it be that…Sayaka actually has something else in mind? Could…could she really be planning to…to…to go all the way with me?!"
Leon's face reddened slightly at the thought but he quickly letting out a cheeky laugh.
"Yeah, right! There's no way a good girl like Sayaka would want to do that!" he said aloud, a bit saddened but not wanting to set himself up for disappointment. "And it's not like she'd try to kill me or anything. She's way too good of a person to fall for Monokuma's schemes."
Even though he had laughed it off, somewhere in the back of Leon's mind, he still considered the possibility that Sayaka may have wanted him there for…something more. As such, as he passed by the laundry room on his way to where he thought Sayaka's room was, he smirked to himself and decided to take a minor detour.
"Where the hell is he?!" Sayaka hissed from her hiding spot around the corner.
Just around the bend, she had a clear view of the door and was just waiting for that ignorant idiot to come through. The kitchen knife clutched in her hands shook as her body unconsciously trembled. Her breathing quickened with each passing moment, as she worried that her target may not actually come.
"I should have been more specific in my note!" she cursed herself, slightly rapping the back of her head against the wall. "I just told him to come here without a reason! He may get suspicious of it and wait to ask me about it tomorrow! If that happens, everyone will find out that…that I…planned to…kill him…"
As the words left her lips, Sayaka felt her arms fall to her sides, barely able to continue clutching the knife.
She'd been in such a rush to get this done but after forcing herself to write the note and pushing it under Leon's door, she knew there was no going back. She told herself that over and over but in the end, when she thought about jumping out as he passed her and stabbing him in the back…she felt a horrific chill run up and down her spine.
However, she shook her head and gritted her teeth, unable to get the image of her fallen band mates out of her mind.
"I…I don't have a choice!" she reasoned, lifting the knife up and gazing at her own reflection. "I…I have to get out of here! I don't want to do this…but…but…"
This was her only chance to do this and Leon was the only one stupidly naïve enough to come to her room. That idiot was probably taking his time because he thought she was going to sleep with him or something! He was another stupid boy who only looked at her as someone he could use! It was okay to kill someone like him if it meant that she could help her friends…right?!
After all, Leon was constantly flirting with her, asking her when they could start his musician training, pleasantly greeting her each morning when he saw her…always smiling brightly and acting like an idiot…making her laugh and forgetting this horrible—
"Stop it!"
She smacked herself across the face with her free hand, first once, then twice. After slapping her reddened cheeks a third time, she huffed in frustration before gripping the knife with both hands.
"…There's no turning back! I have to do this! I have to do this…I have to do this…I have to…"
Leon hummed to himself as he turned off the faucet in the laundry room. Running a hand through his dyed-red hair, he made sure that each strand was up and looking awesome. He checked his goatee to be sure there weren't any strays sticking out and even made sure that his collar was popped up like usual.
"Oh yeah, that's how ya do it," he said, winking to himself in the mirror. "Now, whatever happens, I'm totally prepared for it!"
Reaching for a towel to wipe off his face, the baseball star's hand landed on something round and smooth. Startled, he sharply retracted his hand before shooting his gaze over to see a small glass ball sitting on a pillow next to the sink. Yasuhiro…or just Hiro now, as he wanted to be called, must have left it there.
Leon let out a quick sigh of relief, only now realizing how nervous he was. He began to chuckle to himself as he finally grabbed a towel and cleaned off his face, leaning his head back smiling.
"Haha. Guess I didn't notice how tense I—".
His words stopped as his eyes saw the clock hanging above his head. Only now did he remember what the note had said. Five Minutes. He was supposed to meet with Sayaka in only five minutes! And he'd spent at least ten minutes sprucing up in the laundry room!
"Oh crap!"
Breaking out into a run, Leon sped out of the laundry room and made a mad dash toward other side of the dorms.
"Please don't be pissed, please don't be pissed, please don't be pissed," he chanted to himself as he rounded the corner and came to the spot where he was sure Sayaka's room was located.
He'd only see it once, when he'd dropped off Makoto on their first day but he knew that her room was right next to his. Looking up at the nameplates, he was surprised when he saw that Sayaka's room was actually before Makoto's. He could have sworn that it was the other way around but then again, he hadn't been paying too much attention to the nameplates at the time.
In any case, he was still very late and didn't think much of it. And because he was in such a rush, he completely forgot about knocking and instead grabbed the handle to the door and pushed it open.
"I have to do this…I have to do this…I have to do—".
Sayaka's mantra was interrupted by the sounds of the door opening. A light gasp escaped her as she gripped the knife with both hands and glanced around the corner.
Leon was there, albeit very late, closing the door before turning around and nervously calling out, "Uh, hey! Sorry I'm late! I got caught up in—".
Sayaka didn't bother to let him finish, clutching the knife tightly in both hands before screaming at the top of her lungs and rushing around the corner. Her anxiety had gotten the better of her and she completely forgot about her plan to lure him into the main area and stab him from behind. She wanted this to be over and knew that if she didn't strike now, she would lose the will to kill.
Shrieking like a frantic banshee, the pop idol charged toward her target, the point of her blade angled toward his chest.
Leon's eyes widened with horror as he saw her approach and with his athletic reflexes, he leapt aside just as she would have pierced his chest. He barely kept his footing as he spun around to get a clear look at his attacker. Fear penetrated his soul as he identified who it was.
Meanwhile, Sayaka stumbled slightly from her failed attack but managed to come to a halt just in front of the door. Snapping her head back toward him, Leon felt himself go numb as he looked upon her face.
Her once vibrant blue irises were now dull and filled with bloodlust. Her once brilliant smile was replaced with a gruesome snarl that bore her clenched teeth. And stray strands of her long hair hung all about her face, intensifying her maddening visage.
"S-S-Sayaka?! What the hell—?!"
He didn't have time to finish as she screamed at him once more, charging him again with her knife. This time, he practically leapt away as she swung the knife at him, the sharp edge grazing his jacket. Luckily, the attack only scrapped the material a little and he was otherwise unscathed.
He shot his gaze over to Sayaka. After failing to stab him, she tripped over her own feet due to missing her target. She stumbled and fought to keep her footing spinning around and slamming her back directly into the far wall, which was the only thing that prevented her from falling. She kept both hands on her knife as she panted heavily, her gaze downcast.
For a time, neither of them moved or said a word, the reality of the situation crashing down on both of them. Time was frozen as both of their hopes and dreams seemed to shatter.
In this brief moment of silence, Leon took a brave step toward her and shouted, "Wh-What are you doing?! You…You didn't really—".
"I'm sorry…"
Leon's breath caught in his throat as Sayaka's usually cheerful voice weakly called out to him.
And for some reason, he found himself unable to turn away and run. Every instinct told him to flee while he could, get out of there and try to wake the others if he could. Or at least get back to his own room. However, something in her voice stopped him, as if she was begging…begging for him to help her.
He was mesmerized as she slowly lifted her gaze, eyes glistening with fresh tears as she narrowed her gaze and lifted her knife. Snapping out of his reverie, he instantly began to back away from her again, his fears returning.
"I'm sorry, Leon! But I have to get out of here!"
As she screamed to him, Leon continued to back away until his back hit the counter behind him. It was then that he felt his back hit something odd. Snapping his eyes around, he saw a golden decorative sword sitting on a stand behind him. He barely had time to register it before he saw Sayaka's movement out of the corner of his eye.
Steadying her grip and preparing to charge, she blinked away the fresh tears and shouted:
"FORGIVE ME!"
With speed unlike anything he'd seen, Sayaka mercilessly rushed toward him.
As Sayaka charged in, ready to finish her task, she closed her eyes and thrust her blade forward.
She would do it this time. She would drive her knife through his chest and it would all be over. She would be allowed to leave. She would get out of here and see her friends again. She'd prove that those images were wrong and soon this would all be a long forgotten nightmare.
She was sure of it…until her knife stopped and the sound of wood clacking against metal reached her ears.
Her blue irises shot open and widened in horror as she saw that Leon had blocked the attack. At first she was shocked, unable to understand how he'd stopped her. However, she gasped in shock as she recognized the object the baseball star had used to parry her with.
It was the decorative sword that she had insisted that Makoto keep for self-defense!
In truth, she had indeed suggested that he keep it to protect himself, and more importantly her, should it come down to it. She had all but forgotten about it during her rushed preparations to kill her fellow student. And because of that mistake, she could feel her advantage beginning to slip from her grasp.
However, instead of backing down, she knew that she had to keep attacking in the hopes of finishing off Leon before he had a real chance to fight back!
Quickly retracting her knife, she swung at him again but this time from below. To her surprise, the baseball star noticed her movement and twisted the sheathed blade down and parried her attack again. Undeterred, she pulled the blade back and swung it at him again. But once more, Leon was able to knock away her attack.
Growing even more frustrated, Sayaka tried again and again to get through Leon's defenses but found herself blocked at every turn. She panted and knew she was getting weaker with each failed attack. However, if she didn't get him here, she knew he would be able to overpower her.
She had to finish this now, before he had a chance to turn the tables on her!
"Dammit! If you don't die, I can't get out! Just die!" she screamed at him, tightening her grip on the knife and lifting the blade high, she prepared to throw all of her strength into one last attack.
However, before she even had a chance to swing, a strong hand grasped both of her wrists, stopping her in an instant. Her eyes shot open to see Leon, with only one hand on the decorative sword, hold her in place with his other hand. Gasping in terror, she was certain that he was about to tear the knife from her hand and bury it into her own chest.
Much to her surprise, she heard him shouting at her instead.
"You really believed what the bear said, didn't you?!" Leon tightened his grip on her wrists. "Do you really think that Monokuma will keep his word?! That he'll just let you walk out of here?!"
His words penetrated her ears and invaded her mind, rattling around and cutting her deeply. She knew it was more than a long shot; a gamble that may not pay off…it could even lead to her death. Even so…even so she…she…
"WHAT OTHER CHOICE DO I HAVE?!" she shouted in his face, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You do have a choice! Trust me, I understand what you're feeling—"
Sayaka's features flared at hearing that, her face twisting in anger as she snarled, "HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND?! YOU LIGHT-HEARTED IDIOT!"
As she screamed, she managed to tear herself free from Leon's grasp, tumbling backward toward the bed and hitting her back on the bedpost. Her arms frantically grabbed onto the wooden post to steady herself. Just as she began to regain her balance, she heard the sound of the decorative sword being unsheathed.
Her eyes shot over to see Leon, holding the golden sword in both hands, staring at her with a fearsome determination in his eyes, the likes of which she'd never seen from him before.
All at once, Sayaka felt unimaginable terror take hold of her. Her complexion whitened as all color drained from her face. Her advantage was gone. And now, she had to pay the price for her actions.
"He's…he's going to kill me…!"
"Dammit! Now what the hell do I do?!" Leon questioned himself as Sayaka flung back and barely caught herself on the bedpost.
Nothing he said made any difference! He just wanted to try and talk with her but as long as she had that knife, he didn't think he'd be able to calm her down—
"That's it!"
Without thinking, he grabbed the golden sheath of the blade and tore it off, letting the scabbard clatter to the floor. The sound cued Sayaka into his movements and she shot her gaze over to him.
The moment their eyes met, he saw an understandable terror building up on her eyes. It was obvious that she was now more scared of him than he was of her. After all, he had a longer and better weapon, even if it was dull and edgeless. Plus, he was a professional athlete who was physically stronger than her. Her fears were more than founded, he was unfortunately forced to admit. However, regardless of what she may be thinking, Leon knew that he had no intention of actually hurting her.
"I'm the only one who can help her now! I've got to get that knife away from her so we can just talk!"
Grasping the hilt of the decorative blade with both hands, he narrowed his gaze at her and prepared for her next attack.
As she gazed at his determined visage, Sayaka let out a terrified scream before jumping to her feet and pointing the knife as threateningly as she could manage with her now shaky hands. Her lips trembled and her body shook as she fought to stay standing, adrenaline probably being the only thing keeping her upright right now.
Leon desperately wished she would just drop the knife and surrender but her horrified visage made him realize how foolish that notion was. However, if she stayed away from him long enough for him to try and explain himself, then maybe they could—
"I won't let you kill me!" Sayaka abruptly screamed and charge at him once more.
This time, however, Leon was fully prepared and knew what he had to do.
Unlike before, Sayaka was holding the knife just with her right hand. And if he timed his strike well enough, he'd be able to knock the blade far enough away from her grasp. Then, he could overpower her and subdue her physically, and hope that he could calm her down afterwards.
It was a crude plan but the only one he could come up with on such short notice. All he had to worry about was knocking the knife from her grasp. Which he didn't see as a problem at all. As Leon lined up the angle for his swing, he felt a sure of confidence overtake him.
"I mean, if I can hit a side-winding fastball going 100 km an hour, then surely I can hit the knife from her—".
Just as he swung the golden blade toward the knife, Sayaka saw his movement and decided to try and evade instead of attack. Unfortunately, Leon was already following through with his swing and it was too late. Then, to both party's surprise, rather than the sound of metal colliding with metal, a sickening crack was heard as Leon saw the decorative sword make brutal contact with Sayaka's wrist, the knife falling from her grasp and clacking onto the floor.
He barely had time to react before a pain-filled wail reached his ears.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRAHHHHHH"
Leon completely froze. He saw Sayaka rear her head back and grasp her probably broken wrist. She breathed heavily and stared, horrified at her injury, wheezing and fighting to endure the pain.
Across from her, the baseball star felt himself lose his grip on the decorative sword, the golden weapon clattering to the floor loudly. He hadn't meant to do that! He only wanted to disarm her, not break a wrist!
However, even if it wasn't what he intended, she was unarmed now and with that injury, she would probably be easier to subdue. Although he wanted to avoid hurting her even more, he knew it was now or never. Holding up his hands to show he was unarmed, he slowly began walking toward her.
"S-Sayaka! I…I didn't…I didn't mean…" he struggled to say, trying to find a way to convince her of his good intentions. However, his hesitation only seemed to further frighten the injured Sayaka and she quickly backed away from him.
"STAY AWAY!" she frantically shouted, her eyes frantically scanning the room.
Finally, her eyes seemed to lock onto something near her and Leon realized all too late that it was the knife she'd dropped. Sayaka saw that he had noticed her discovery and immediately dashed for the blade.
Not wanting a repeat of what had happened earlier, the baseball star also sped toward the knife. However, just before his fingers would have grasped the hilt, Sayaka's foot smashed into his side, causing him to gasp for breath. This gave her just enough time to grab the knife with her uninjured hand and speed away from him.
At first, Leon thought she might be trying to get behind and stab him, so he whirled around and leapt to the side. Coincidentally, he landed next to the decorative sword and furiously grabbed it before spinning around to face the re-armed pop idol.
However, much to his surprise, he found Sayaka using her shoulder to push open the bathroom door.
"No! Sayaka, wait!"
However, she paid him no heed as the door flew open and she disappeared within, the kitchen knife clutched in her left hand.
The door slammed behind her, creating a barrier between her and her supposed killer. Luckily, even though it was a boy's bathroom that didn't have a lock, because the frame didn't fit right, it jammed and appeared to be locked. A fact that Sayaka had counted on when she fled there.
Her back pressed against the cold tiled surface of the bathroom wall, her left arm clutching the knife while her aching right arm hung lifeless at her side. She tried to move her broken wrist but a surge of pain shot through her, so she decided to let it remain motionless. However, the dull ache that came from that arm continued to assault her regardless.
Her legs began to lose strength and Sayaka felt herself slowly sink to the floor. All the while, tears of sorrow and regret spilled from her eyes.
"This is it. This is the end for me. Even if Leon does go away, he'll tell the others what I did. Makoto might believe me if I told him that it was Leon that attacked me, but if Leon shows them the note I wrote…"
She winced as another jolt of pain from her wrist wracked her body. At the same time, she could hear Leon shout at her just outside the door. She couldn't tell what he was saying but he sounded furious, which he had every right to be. He continued banging on the door, obviously desperate to get in and finish what she had started.
"I can't believe…I actually tried to kill him…me…And now…he's going to kill me instead…I'm scared…I don't want to die…"
Against her will, she began sobbing uncontrollably, tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking the collar of her uniform. All of the happy memories of her time with her band mates now came back, taunting her as she realized that everything she had fought to protect was going to die with her.
"I'll never know the warmth of being on stage ever again…I'll never find out if my friends are okay…I failed…I failed everyone…I'm going to die here…alone…and it's my own fault!"
Chocking back her tears, Sayaka lifted the knife up and viewed her reflection in it one last time. Her disheveled, tear stained and reddened face only further tortured her and she couldn't bear to look at it any longer. Angling the tip of the blade at her throat, she took deep breaths as she prepared to end her misery herself.
"I can't take it anymore. I'd rather end it all myself than be murdered," she tried to assure herself, speaking aloud in an attempt to steady her nerves. "It'll be over soon…"
Holding the knife firmly against her throat, she began to press the tip into her slender neck.
"Sayaka! Open the door! Dammit, Sayaka!"
Leon rattled the handle of the door but found it wouldn't budge. He shouldn't have been surprised, this was a girl's room and their bathrooms could lock. But that only made it all the more infuriating!
"Dammit!" he grunted as he slammed his shoulder into the door, trying to force it open. However, no matter how many times he rammed it, the lock seemed to hold firmly.
For a moment, Leon stopped to consider what he should do. Now that his life wasn't in danger, he felt like he could think more clearly and decided to weigh his options.
He could try and talk to Sayaka through the door, though he doubted she would listen. Even worse was the fact that she had taken the knife with her. If she had run into the bathroom without it, he wouldn't have been so worried, but leaving her with a weapon was too dangerous a threat for him to ignore.
He could try and get the others but what happened if Sayaka decided to come out and attack him while he did so? Then there was also the option of just returning to his room and waiting for the morning announcement and showing everyone the letter Sayaka had wrote. However, what if Sayaka went to someone like Makoto before morning? She would spin things in her favor and probably say that he wrote the note and was trying to frame her after failing to kill her!
"Arrgh, dammit! Why did things have to turn out like this?!" he complained as he pressed his head against the bathroom door. Just as he was about to consider giving up and heading back to his room, he heard a despairing voice beyond the door.
"…can't take…anymore…end it all myself…murdered…over soon…"
An audible gasp escaped Leon as he heard Sayaka's agonizing words. She wouldn't…would she? Could she really be planning to do it?! No! That's not what he wanted at all! He was trying to save her, not drive her into a corner so she could kill herself!
Snapping his head up, Leon once more resumed his furious assault on the door, pounding his fist into the wood.
"No…no! Don't do it! Open the damn door, Sayaka!" he pleaded, desperately trying to stop her from outside. "You can't! No! Stop!"
More desperate than ever to break down the door, Leon looked to the wall where he had set down the decorative sword. Without any hesitation, he grabbed the golden blade once more and reared it back. With all his strength, he slammed the blunt metal into the door, leaving a huge gash in it.
However, despite the newly formed mark, the door remained rooted in place. Anger coursed through Leon as he lifted the blade again, slashing at the stubborn door once more. The attack earned another gaping indent in the wood but still the frame held the door in place. Taking a few steps back for momentum, Leon rushed toward the door, swinging the blade down with as much force as he could muster.
Unfortunately, even that valiant effort only put another gash in the wooden surface, the door itself still as unmoving as ever.
"God-Dammit!" he cursed as he threw the now bent blade aside before continuing to pound on the door. "There has to be a way I can—".
Before he finished speaking, his eyes caught a glimpse of the doorknob and he gasped as he knelt down before the knob. There were small screws in the plate that held the knob in place. So, even if the knob itself broke, the door would remain locked. But if he removed the screws, he should be able to shimmy the lock open!
All he needed now was—
"My toolkit!" he exclaimed before practically leaping to his feet. "Sayaka! Just hold on a little longer!"
And with that, he dashed around the corner and out into the hallway.
Just as the tip of her knife touched the flesh of her neck, Leon resumed his frantic shouting. Startled by the increased banging on the door, Sayaka pulled the blade away from her throat but not before the edge of the knife nicked the underside of her chin.
Gasping at the painful sensation, Sayaka winced and closed one eye, trying to regain her resolve. Outside, the assault on the door was growing more frantic and she knew that any moment, the door would give way and she'd be in the hands of her would-be killer. She needed to finish this…quickly.
"I won't…let him…" she told herself, putting the blade back in place, ready to stab into her neck. "I…I won't…let him…"
Her hand trembled as the blade got closer and closer to her flesh, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not steady her grasp. Then, when the blade was only inches away from her throat, she felt something inside her break. The hand holding the knife retracted and fell back to her side and her body was rocked with sobs and fresh tears.
"I…I can't! I don't want to die! Not like this…Not like this…"
It was at this time that all of noise outside the door ceased, making her head snap up in attention. For a moment, she thought he would resume but after what seemed like an eternity, it seemed that Leon had finally given up on breaking down the door.
"Is…is he…gone?" she pondered, a glimmer of hope shining through.
Despite her tears and the pain of her injuries, Sayaka decided to pull herself up to her feet. Using the wall as support, she was able to stand upright and push off the wall, standing on her own. Slowly and cautiously, she approached the door, listening for any signs that someone might be on the other side.
When she heard nothing, Sayaka allowed herself a brief moment to sigh and take a deep breath.
"I'm alive…" she said almost triumphantly, a fragile smile forming on her lips. "I'm still alive…I'm going to—".
Just then, she heard a strange sound coming from the door. Leaning in only slightly, she heard what sounded like metal being turned or unhinged. At the same time, she saw that the handle of the door had begun to jiggle slightly. Her face blanched as the rumbling of the handle increased until it was shaking violently.
Shaking her head violently, Sayaka backed away from the door and said, "No…no…I don't want to—".
Without warning the door handle abruptly came loose and the door swung open. Standing there, with screwdriver in hand, was the one person Sayaka wished to never see again.
"No…I don't want to die! I want to live!" she screamed as Leon stepped into the bathroom.
Tossing the working tool aside as he entered, Leon held up his hands, as if to surrender.
"Wait a second! I'm not going to do anything! I just want you to listen to what I have to say for a bit, okay?!" he said to her, coming closer and closer.
However, Sayaka knew it had to be a trick. He was here to kill her, just like she had tried to kill him! What other reason would he have for going so far as to break open her door just to get to her?!
Although completely terrified, Sayaka held up her knife and angled the tip at him again. Without waiting for him to speak, she rushed at him in a desperate attempt to defend herself. However, before she even got close to him, he sidestepped and grasped her knife wielding hand.
"NOOO! GET AWAY!" she frantically screamed trying to free herself of his grasp.
She managed to pull the blade back closer to her chest but Leon's hand stubbornly held onto it the entire time. If she could use her other hand, she would have slapped at him but at the moment, she couldn't even lift a finger on that hand. Continuing to struggle against his superior strength, Sayaka did all she could to break free, but to no avail.
"DON'T KILL ME! NOO!" she shrieked, feeling him use his other hand to try and pry the blade from her grasp. In response, her fingers tightened around the handle and she refused to let him have it.
It was then that she heard him grunt and say, "Dammit! I'm not going to kill you! So will you just calm down and—".
Suddenly, she felt him tear the knife from her grasp and when he did, a sharp pain ran down her body. She froze for a moment, unable to think or even feel. Then, slowly, her gaze wandered down to her abdomen and her eyes widened in horror.
Just below her breasts, a slender gash could be seen tracing down to just above her waist. Her white uniform top slowly began to darken as the blood began oozing out. It wasn't until then that a seizure of pain, more intense than anything she'd ever felt before, encased her entire body and she felt her strength quickly fail her.
Stumbling backwards, she slapped into the back wall and slowly began to slide down. Her legs came out from under her and she plopped onto the floor, propped up against the now bloodstained wall.
In this moment of agony, all she could do was stare up at Leon as he gazed down upon her, absolute terror and fear in his eyes. And it was then that she understood…this was, indeed, her punishment.
The bloodstained knife in Leon's hands clattered to the floor. His crystal blue eyes widened as he realized exactly what his hasty action had done. The gash on her abdomen didn't appear to be deep but it was bleeding intensely, staining both the walls and floor as it oozed out of her stomach.
"No…no!"
Without thinking, he pressed his hands against the elongated wound, trying to stop the bleeding by keeping pressure on it. However, the wound extended too far for his hands to cover and he could see that Sayaka was getting weaker and weaker by the moment.
"Shit! Shit! What the hell do I do?! I need to stop the bleeding but I don't—".
Frantically looking around, the baseball star noticed a pure white towel hanging on the door to the shower. Thinking quickly, he leapt up and snagged it off the door. Immediately, he began ripping it into long, slender strips to use as bandages.
"Thank God for Kanon teaching me how to do this!" he briefly thought as he began wrapping the towel strips around the gaping wound.
He pulled each one tight and only when he was sure the bleeding was receding would he move on to the next bandage. The wound was too long for a single strip so he resolved to use all of them. When he finished tying the last of the smaller stripes, he quickly grabbed another towel and wrapped the entirety of it around the smaller make-shift bandages. Tying it tightly, he was now confident that with the larger towel encasing the smaller ones, the pressure would help stop the bleeding.
"I just have to stop the bleeding! If I can do that, surely Sayaka will—".
Before he could finish the thought, an agonized grunt alerted him to a change in Sayaka's condition. Shooting his gaze up, he saw that her eyes were only barely open and she was groaning as if trying to say something. Finishing tying off the last of the makeshift bandages, Leon immediately pulled himself up to her level and looked into her eyes.
There was no life left in her, all of it seemed to be drained as her life blood had spilled onto the floor. Leon had no idea if she was really conscious or not but he knew he had to do something to keep her awake! Gently placing his hands on her cold cheeks, he wiped away her tears with bloody fingers as he said to her:
"Come on, Sayaka! You can't die here! You still have to teach me music…and…and…you have to…do a lot of other stuff too! So please…don't die, Sayaka!"
Sayaka felt her consciousness flicker as she lay there on floor, her back pressed against that back wall. Every so often, she'd feel an intense jolt of pain just below her chest and even with her darkened vision she could make out that it was Leon kneeling down in front of her.
For a while, she wasn't sure what he was doing but after he knelt down, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen every few seconds and she could have sworn she saw his hands reaching around her.
Was he stabbing her even more? That's what it felt like as she fought to stay awake, a battle she was quickly losing. Letting her head rest against the wall behind her, she was surprised that her thoughts were not focused on herself, but rather others.
She thought of her band mates and prayed that they were alright, still believing the video Monokuma showed her was a lie. She thought of her classmates still trapped in this hell, and earnestly wished that they would find a way to escape.
But most of all, she thought of Makoto and how devastated he would be when he discovered her in the morning…dead in his shower.
"M-M-Makoto…"
Guilt consumed her as she realized that she may have sealed his fate. Her plan to frame him would be carried out but not by her. And she knew that the others would blame him for her death…which he didn't deserve.
Makoto...
All he did was trust her and she not only violated that trust, she took advantage of it. And that's what hurt the most. The pain of her death was nothing compared to the deep hollow pressure she felt in her very soul at realizing how much she was going to hurt him.
"I…I have…to…"
She had to make things right. And there was very little time to do that. With the last of her strength, she pressed her left index finger into the pool of blood oozing out of her abdomen. The act brought untold pain to her but she endured it as best she could, only giving a single grunt as she retracted her hand.
Doing her best to concentrate, she pressed that bloody index finger against the wall behind her. And even though she knew she had one chance to do this, she somehow knew exactly how and where to write one final message.
11037 – L-E-O-N
Just as she finished the last stroke of her message, the last of her energy gave out and her hand fell to her side, completely lifeless.
"There…I…did…what…I could…"
Her vision began to blur and the world around her began to fade out. However just before she thought that she would fade from this world forever, Leon's face suddenly appeared in front of her. Tears spilled from his crystal eyes as he placed his hand on her cheeks and began speaking to her.
"…on, Sayaka!...You can't…here!...still have to…me music…So please…don't die, Sayaka!"
He held her so tenderly and spoke to her in a mixture of desperation and concern. It was unlike anything Sayaka had ever seen from him before but somehow, she wasn't surprised. And it was only in that moment that she realized that she had been wrong.
Leon had been telling the truth all along, he had been trying to help her. He had been trying to get the knife away from her out of concern, not to use against her. And he didn't hate her for trying to kill him, or at least she hoped he didn't.
She had been too blinded by fear and despair to see his good intentions and it had cost her everything.
All at once, she felt even more guilty for having dragged him into this…not only for attempting to kill him but for having written his name in her own blood. She had condemned him for something that was entirely her fault. She had no idea what would become of him or Makoto but she knew that, no matter what, they deserved to hear her one last time.
"I'm…so…sorry…"
As that unsaid apology rang through her mind, the darkness consumed her.
Leon felt his body go cold as Sayaka's eyes slowly slid closed, her expression completely lifeless.
"…No…no…no, no, no, no, no, NOOOO!"
His voice echoed in the small washroom and his mind frantically tried to deny what had happened.
"She…she can't be dead! This can't be real!" Leon pleaded, not entirely sure what to do. "She's just unconscious! That's all! I'll check her pulse and…"
Grabbing hold of her wrist, he began feeling around for the vein that would resonate with her heartbeat. He'd also learned how to do this from his cousin, Kanon, but never imagined having to use it here. Unfortunately, to his utter horror, he felt nothing. Not even a hint of life seemed present in the lifeless Sayaka's body.
His bloodstained hands slipped from her wrist and he raised them up to his eyes. The grimy pink tint on his fingers made him feel sick to his stomach and he fought off the urge to vomit. As he held in the contents of his dinner, he slowly began backing away from his classmate's body, unable to even look at her any longer.
Getting out into the main room, Leon slumped against the wall next to the bathroom and stared up at the ceiling.
"How…did this happen?" he whispered to himself, trying to will away what had occurred. "This is all a bad dream…right, Sayaka?"
However, when he glanced back inside the bathroom, he felt himself blanch and threw his hand up to cover his mouth. He knew he had to hold it in, it would be bad if he lost it all over the carpeted floor. It was then that he noticed something he otherwise wouldn't have.
He spotted a very distinctive strand of red hair on the floor.
"Shit! It must have happened during the fight!" he surmised.
Without even thinking, he looked over saw the lint roller by the bed, picked it up and began cleaning up all of the hair in the room, both his and Sayaka's. It was mainly just to make sure he got all of his but he didn't want to take any chances. As he finished cleaning up the very last spot in the room, he tossed the lint roller aside and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Only then, after once again seeing the blood on his sleeve, did he realize what he had done.
"Oh shit! I've been covering up the crime scene! Why the hell did…I…"
Suddenly, he froze as his mind began to catch up with his intentions. He knew there was no turning back now. Sayaka was dead and even if it was an accident, it was by his hand. There was no way the others would believe him. Even if he told them exactly what happened, there was no way to guarantee they'd believe him.
Showing them the note would only prove that he was attacked first, not that he hadn't intended to kill her. And besides that, even though he never wished for it, this was a coincidental opportunity for him. Killing in self-defense was understandable and even if he was found out later, he did have the excuse of it all being an accident.
Plus, if the bear was telling them all the truth, he qualified to get out of this hell hole! He could go and see what happened to his old team, find out what happened to his cousin, Kanon!
"This means…I get to graduate, right?" he said solemnly to himself.
He realized how hypocritical he was being compared to how he had been acting only a few minutes ago, but back then, he hadn't accidentally murdered anyone before! He didn't want to be punished for something that wasn't his fault and he certainly didn't want anyone to find out what he'd done.
It was bad enough it had happened, knowing the truth and having to live with the horrific fact that he'd killed Sayaka…it would stay with him for the rest of his days.
Even so, there was nothing left he could do now. Nothing would bring Sayaka back now. A part of him wanted to turn himself in but his own fears kept him from really considering that. After seeing how ruthless Monokuma was, he could only imagine what his punishment would be if he actually admitted to murder.
That thought alone sent chills down his spine and as he lifted his arm to wipe away more sweat, again being reminded of his crime by the blood on his sleeve. However, unlike before, he was suddenly overcome with the desire to rid himself of the garment.
Pulling off the bloodstained jacket, Leon prepared to head out of the room and find a way to dispose of his stained clothing. However, just before he was about to leave, he found his feet taking him to the entrance to the bathroom.
Glancing inside, he took in the sight of Sayaka's body once last time. Despite himself, he felt hot tears well up in his eyes and he abruptly bowed in her direction.
"…I'm sorry…I know there isn't any forgiveness for what I've done but…just know that I never wanted this to happen…"
Lifting his head, he forced himself to look directly at her before finishing.
"Goodbye…Sayaka."
Turning around sharply, Leon quickly began walking away. He didn't stop as he reached the door, almost knocking it open as he ventured out into the hall and off toward the laundry room. What he never would have know was, only a few moments after he left, a noise came from the bathroom.
On the floor of the shower, Sayaka abruptly stirred, if only slightly, and a light groan escaped her throat. For an instant, her eyes fluttered and strained, as if trying to open again. But a moment later, her stirring ceased and she once again became motionless.
No one, not even the mastermind behind the camera, saw her occasional stirring for the rest of the evening.
To Be Continued…
This chapter was difficult to write. I wanted to convey both sides of the incident without making either of them seem like a "villain". They were just two very unfortunate kids that were backed into a corner, nothing more.
Beyond that, what did you all think of this chapter? There was a small deviation from the main story-line in this chapter. Can you spot it? If so, let me know what you think it is!
Either way, leave a comment or review if you're enjoying the story! I hope you're all looking forward to the next chapter and have a great day, my beautiful readers!