Never Say Never

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.

Chapter 1

Act 6

"…morning everyone...now 7AM…nighttime is officially…greet…beautiful day!"

Mukuro's eyes fluttered open as the morning announcement invaded her ears, ruining her rest. Even so, she continued to rest her eyes for a few moments after the announcement, not ready to face the day just yet. She laid her head down on her desk, her arms folded into a makeshift pillow, still exhausted from her work the night before.

However, reason soon outweighed desire and she groaned as she knew it was time to awaken.

Pushing herself up, the soldier wiped away the sleep from her eyes and lightly slapped her face. As she sat upright in front of her desk she felt a small bit of something fall off her arms. Lifting up her arms for inspection, she found that she had fallen asleep on some of the unused screws and they had embedded into her skin a bit.

Brushing off a few more screws that remained stuck to her underarms, her gaze slowly shifted down to the center of her desk. There, polished, sharpened and pristine, was the combat knife she'd spent most of the night restoring.

A twisted combination of pride and disgust welled up inside Mukuro as she observed it.

Carefully, she reached out and picked it up, her reflection shimmering in the flat of the blade as she gazed at the deadly weapon. And, despite the guilt that she fought to keep away, she couldn't deny the euphoria rising within her as she held that sleek and deadly weapon in her grasp. However, she immediately shook her head and forced herself to set the blade back down.

"…I shouldn't be enjoying this," Mukuro said to herself as she pushed herself away from her desk and stood up. "This isn't like the battlefield. There's no sport in hunting civilians..."

Still, the thrill of the hunt was stronger than she had realized, to make her forget her past atrocities and revel in that maddening bliss, even if it only lasted a moment.

"Junko must get that same feeling from Despair…I really am no better than her, am I?"

Her own words mockingly echoed in her mind as she approached her wardrobe.

Opening it up, she quickly grabbed a knife holster before unbuttoning her blouse. Setting the expensive garment aside for a moment, Mukuro slung the holster around her shoulder and settled it just below her breast-line. Replacing the designer blouse and adjusting it to hide the holster, she returned to her desk to retrieve the knife.

Just as she was about to reach out for the knife, she curiously lifted her eyes to check the time. To her shock, it was already ten past 7AM.

"Shit!"

She swore as she realized just how late she was, not realizing it had taken so much time to do such a simple task. Sleep depravity was obviously to blame but that didn't resolve her situation.

Quickly grabbing her combat knife from the desk, she effortlessly slid it into the holster beneath her blouse, completely obscuring it from view. And because the holster was positioned low, it didn't protrude outward or give any sign that she was armed. The perfect hidden weapon.

Not having time to congratulate herself for doing such fine work, Mukuro desperately sped toward the door. As her hand grasped the handle and begun to turn it, one hand shot up to her head. Sky blue eyes widened as she felt only her natural black hair atop her head. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she spun around and looked over to the far corner of her room.

Lying in a heap, frazzled and messy, was the pink wig that completed her outfit.

Knowing that this wig was now completely useless, the soldier sped toward her dresser that sat next to her wardrobe. Pulling open one of the larger drawers, an arrangement of several pink wigs came into view. All of them were already styled with a cute red bow and kitty cat clip.

"If Junko is anything, she is prepared!" Mukuro audibly thanked as she pulled out one of the spare wigs.

Speeding over to the mirror on her desk, she placed the pink patch of hair upon her head and adjusted it, clipping it to her own hair as quickly as humanly possible. Once she was certain the wig was secure and perfectly placed, Mukuro tore from desk and ran out her door, heading for the cafeteria.

Standing outside the cafeteria, staring blankly ahead, Leon felt as if his whole body was rooted in place. He knew he was late but that didn't inspire him to take a single step. Guilt completely overtook him as he balled his fists and lowered his head.

"How the hell am I supposed to face all of them…?" he whispered to himself.

He hadn't slept at all the previous night. After disposing of his bloody shirt via improvised use of the incinerator, he had returned to his room and laid down on his bed. There, he stared upwards at the ceiling for hours, unable to close his eyes no matter how exhausted he was.

For each time his eyes shut, the horrific vision of Sayaka's terrified face flashed before his eyes, followed by the image of the bloody mess he had left her in. Her words echoed in his mind, clawing at his sanity.

"No! I don't want to die!"

"Please, don't kill me!"

"I want to live!"

Leon gritted his teeth as he tried, and failed, to forget those words and the terrified voice of the Pop Idol. They would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life and even if he survived this horrific situation, he knew he would never be the same again. The blood on his hands may have washed away but to him, it was still there and would forever remain there.

He would never be allowed to forget his crime, he couldn't and wouldn't let himself do that. At the very least, he could do that for Sayaka. But that didn't mean he would admit to his crime either.

He had already decided on what he needed to do now. He would act as if he had no idea what had happened and when it was time for the killer to be released from this prison, only then would he admit to his shameful act.

In truth, he was incredibly fearful of what would happen when that time came. A large part of him wanted to just own up to it and just tell his classmates right now. But something told him that wasn't an option. Even if he wasn't punished by Monokuma for coming clean, he knew that his classmates would undoubtedly do the job for the demented bear.

It seemed that the only option he had was to stay quiet and pray that no one found out he was involved in Sayaka's murder.

But that brought up new questions. Just how would Monokuma go about letting the killer leave? For that matter when he said that the killer would be forced out of the school…did he even mean that the killer would be allowed to leave alive?!

As that horrifying though occurred to him, a slap on his shoulder startled him and he abruptly shouted for a moment before whirling around. To his surprise, he found Hiro smiling awkwardly and rubbing his head.

"Whoa! Sorry about that, man. Didn't mean to startle you," the clairvoyant explained, obviously startled himself. "You okay? You were just standing there, staring down at the floor like a zombie."

Only now realizing how suspicious his actions could seem to others, Leon plastered a grin on his face and chuckled.

"Y-Yeah! I was up waaaay too late last night. Guess I'm still out of it this morning."

Leon mentally cursed as that excuse escaped him. No one was dumb enough to think that just because he was tired that he'd be zoned out in front of the cafeteria, sweating profusely and obviously nervous about something—

"Oh, I see. One of those nights, huh? I have those sometimes too."

It took all the strength Leon had not to give a huge sigh of relief as his idiot classmate accepted his lie. Instead, Hiro decided to use it as an excuse of his own to keep talking.

"I remember the time that I was out late with some, uh, customers, and we decided to—"

Suddenly, from behind them, an annoyed scoff startled both of them.

"Do you mind? You're blocking the doorway."

The boys turned their head to see none other than Junko Enoshima standing behind them, her arms folded over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently.

Leon was about to apologize, on instinct, when he suddenly noticed something was off about her today. Her hair was slightly frazzled and kinda seemed…folded in places. Not to mention that she was breathing heavily and seemed to be recovering her composure. And though he couldn't quite place it, something was just…different about her face. He just couldn't tell what.

Before he could inspect her further, Hiro nervously replied, "Oh, sorry about that! We were just saying how nice it is today—".

"Don't give me that crap. We're gonna be late if you don't get moving!" Junko abruptly cut him off, taking a determined step forward. "And I'm hungry so either get in or get out of the way."

Hiro tensed up at her stern disposition and immediately turned to head into the cafeteria without another word.

Leon, however, was kind of shocked by her sudden change in attitude. She had always been frank and kind of bitchy but he'd never seen her so stern or abrasive before.

"I guess she's just not a morning person," he surmised as he, too, turned and headed into the cafeteria.

Junko followed directly behind them and when they finally entered the dining hall, it was already quarter past the meeting time. It seemed as though they were the last to arrive. Even Hifumi, who had been the last to arrive for the past few days, was there before them.

And the instant the three of them wandered into the dining hall, they fell under the scrutinous gaze and boisterous voice of Taka.

"Junko! Leon! Hiro! All of you are over fifteen minutes late! What do you have to say for yourselves?!" the Ultimate Moral Compass shouted, pointing furiously at them.

Without any hesitation, Junko abruptly smiled and said, "Sorry about that. My make-up would not agree with me this morning!"

Again, Leon was kind of startled by her sudden shift in persona. It was almost a complete 180 from her previous disposition a moment ago. But he ignored it as everyone seemed to accept her words.

Beside her, Hiro laughed awkwardly and answered, "I wasn't late! I just got lost on the way here! I blame the Bermuda Triangle!"

This left only Leon, whom would have rather stayed silent and just gone to his seat. But now, as everyone was staring at him, expecting an answer, he had no choice but to respond.

"Sorry I'm late guys. I slept right through my alarm."

Leon blatantly lied to his classmates as he slowly drifted into the cafeteria, another forced grin hiding his shame and terror. And even though Taka scolded them for a bit longer, no one questioned any of them on their tardiness. It seemed that getting caught up with Hiro and Junko had been a blessing in disguise.

Absolutely no one seemed the wiser. None of them could tell that Leon had changed overnight. Hell, he hardly believed it himself…but he knew it was true.

He was a killer now…a murder. But if he played the game accordingly, he just might get out of here alive.

"It's all I can do now. It's not like I wanted this to happen…"

This was all he could focus on as the rest of the students began chatting around him.

Taking her usual seat by the end of the table, Mukuro let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Apart from almost being the last one to arrive, she managed to keep her guise up without raising any suspicion. It had been fortunate that those two idiots happen to be hanging around outside the dining hall. It masked her actions, and tardiness, perfectly.

After all, if she was going to have a chance at killing…her target, she would need to be careful and not do anything that could seem even the slightest bit suspicious. Drawing attention to herself in any way could put the more intelligent students on alert, which would make her task that much more—

"Junko, forgive my rudeness but…you appear quite different than on the cover of your magazines. It was not what I was expecting."

The instant Sakura Ogami's words reached her ears, a flutter of panic rose up in the disguised Mukuro. Only now did she realize that, in her haste, she had forgotten to reapply foundation to her face, leaving most of her freckles clear for everyone to see! And if that was the case, did that also mean that her hand was—!

As cautiously as she could manage, Mukuro lifted her hand up to be sure that the symbol of her mercenary career was still hidden from view. For if it wasn't, her cover would be completely blown!

Fortunately enough, it seemed that the Fenrir tattoo on her hand was still completely covered with foundation. A relieved sigh escaped her as she used that previous hand movement to disguise her mistake.

She let out a cheeky laugh before placing her right hand on her cheek to show emphasis while giving a cutesy expression.

"That's because I get all fixed up for the magazine articles!" she proudly pronounced, smiling lavishly as she continued. "They use photo editing and all that junk to spice things up a little!"

"Is that so?!" Sakura replied in shock, her surprise spreading to many of the surrounding students who happened to hear them.

Confident that her lie was a success, the disguised Mukuro waved her hand dismissively and continued, "Oh come on, guys! Don't look so surprised! It's pretty common in the fashion world to do that kind of stuff."

Everyone whom was paying attention gave a slight gasp of surprise, some more quietly than others. No one had expected to hear such a thing from the famous model and it clearly showed.

Even Makoto looked to her with shock, obviously not expecting an Ultimate Fashionista to have such a dirty secret. However, none of them seemed to question it at all. Not even Kyoko whom she had been certain would at least voice her suspicion. But it seemed that the memory wiped detective didn't plan to say anything, which in a way, was more frightening than if she had spoken up.

Not only that, Mukuro's eyes slowly drifted up to the camera watching them, but only for a moment before looking away. Even if it hadn't been intentional, she had just completely disrespected her younger sister with that lie.

"Junko won't be happy about this…"

Being the Ultimate Fashionista, as well as Ultimate Despair, Junko prided herself on her looks, and even though she was never vain about them, she knew exactly how beautiful and stunning she was. Even without make-up, the despair loving girl had a glamorous glow to her that Mukuro had, albeit unknowingly, always been jealous of.

Luckily, before she could ponder the ramifications of her words any longer, Taka stood up and decided it was time to start the morning breakfast meeting.

"Alright, is everyone here?" he called out, making everyone look around to confirm it.

"…No, actually. Byakuya and Sayaka haven't arrived yet," Hina chirped, not spotting either of the mentioned students.

"I haven't what now?" the cold and stern voice of Byakuya called out, turning everyone's head toward the door.

He strode in as usual, his confident and smug attitude already showing through. Without offering anything else, he took a seat far removed from the others and waited patiently for the meeting to begin. However, he barely got the chance to rest before he was bombarded with an important question.

"Yo, you didn't see Sayaka on the way here, did ya?" Mondo bluntly asked, only half concerned.

A mocking scoff came from Byakuya as he settled into his seat but surprisingly, he answered, "No. I didn't see anyone on my way here. Why? Has something happened?"

Mukuro didn't appreciate his tone, almost as if he wanted something to have happened. And although she wasn't entirely surprised by his abrasive and somewhat cruel attitude, it still unsettled her that the Affluent Progeny derived pleasure from such horrifying circumstances.

Nevertheless, warning bells didn't really go off in her mind until Hina once again chimed in.

"Sayaka isn't here yet," the swimmer said curiously. "I wonder if she's sick?"

"It is most unlike her to be absent," Sakura agreed, her demeanor changing in response to the tense air that began to settle in around them. "And she isn't the type to be late for such things."

A deep, heavy silence overtook the area and for a few moments, no one dared to either speak or move. Not even the arrogant Byakuya or the indifferent Celeste were immune to moment of dread that spread over all of the students.

The only one that seemed able to think properly…was the imposter who hid among them.

Perhaps predicting the coming disaster, from beneath her guise, Mukuro suddenly turned her attention over to Makoto. Her sky blue irises widened as she saw that his face was twisted in abject horror, his eyes dilating and his body trembling. He looked as if he was trying to convince himself that Sayaka's absence meant nothing but he was losing that battle with himself.

"I…I'm going to go check on her!" Makoto practically shouted as he shot up from his seat and dashed out of the cafeteria, obviously giving in to his fearful curiosity.

It was in that moment that Mukuro realized that the game had officially begun. And what was worse, she had absolutely nothing to do with it. And, unfortunately for all of them, her fears were confirmed as the horrified shriek of Makoto echoed all the way to the dining hall.

"EHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The instant that ear shattering scream rang out, Kyoko knew that someone had given into temptation. And for reasons unknown to even herself, felt something inside harden as she mentally prepared herself for whatever was to come.

Unsurprisingly, Taka was the first one to react, tearing away from the head of the long table everyone was seated at. As he reached the door, he spun around to face his fellow classmates with a stern but concerned visage.

"Everyone! Stay here where it's safe! I'll check it out and report back!" he instructed before abruptly turning and dashing down the hallway.

For a moment, it seemed as if the remaining students might actually listen to him. However, that notion was shattered as Byakuya leapt up from his seat and sped out the door, not sparing a word for anyone.

"W-Wait! S-Shouldn't we do what Taka—?!" Chihiro tried to insist before all hell broke loose.

Without waiting for anyone's approval, Kyoko also rushed toward the door, ignoring all protests and the sounds of footsteps that followed after her. But she didn't make it even halfway down the hall before a strange sound played over the intercom.

*Ding–Dong–Ding–Dong*

Kyoko came to a sharp halt as that chime played throughout the school. Her eyes shot up to the monitor that was hanging in the top corner of the hallway, already knowing what would happen next. Her suspicions were confirmed when the screen clicked on, buzzing to life as the image of Monokuma appeared.

Holding a glass of wine, as usual, the bear's half-grin seemed to widen menacingly as it spoke.

"A body has been discovered!"

Kyoko gritted her teeth and seethed silently as her worst fears began to materialize right in front of her. Her gloved hands balled into fists and if she had been near a wall, she might have been tempted to slam her knuckles into it. Fortunately, she was too far away from the nearest wall and so she merely redirected her vision back toward the screen as the bear's voice continued.

"Every living student is to report to the gymnasium immediately! Tardiness will be met with extreme prejudice!"

And with that, the monitors flickered to black, leaving everyone who heard it, aside from Kyoko, in a state of shock. Almost on instinct, Kyoko's mind began processing the situation.

A dead body…that meant that someone really had fallen to the temptation. And the victim was more than obvious. The only thing that remained for them to discover was who had been the one to give in to their twisted desire and snuffed out such a young life. Even more terrifying was that, if Monokuma kept his word and stayed out of their way, the killer had to be…one of the students that were currently rushing toward her in a mad frenzy.

She heard their footsteps, some louder and more desperate than others, speeding toward her and the scene of the crime. And again, as if on instinct, she spun around placed herself between them and the open door leading to what she assumed was a horrific scene.

"Hey, dammit! What the hell are you doing?!" Mondo shouted at her, closing the gap between them and growling in her face. "Get out of the way!"

"No."

Kyoko's firm voice and stern gaze didn't falter, even in the face of Mondo's threatening posture. Obviously surprised that his demand wasn't heeded, confusion spread over the biker's face for a moment as he took in her fierce visage as she blocked his path. But just as quickly as his confusion came, it was gone, and he regained his composure and glared down, towering over her.

"Just what the hell are you trying to pull?" he replied menacingly, gritting his teeth and beginning to crack his knuckles.

It was a habit she'd noticed Mondo did only when he wanted to punch something but knew he shouldn't. And fortunately for her, she also knew why he was restraining himself.

From what she knew of the bike gang leader, Mondo would never…ever stoop to hitting a woman; he'd sooner kill himself than send a punch her way. Knowing that, and seeing that he was the one leading the charge of the other students, she figured that opposing him would be the best way to get them all to stop and think.

Behind the furious biker, the rest of the students looked on with different expressions.

Chihiro and Hina stood close to Sakura, who stood out in front as a way to somehow shield them from this disaster. Junko blanched while standing beside a horrified Hiro, whom seemed to continually deny that any of this was true. Hifumi howled in terror, his hands clasped to his face as he shrieked. Behind them, Toko grasped her head in fearful frustration and Celeste watched the scene with what could be considered intrigue, except that she couldn't stop beads of nervous sweat rolling down her forehead.

And far behind all of them, Leon stood frozen in place, as if something within him had broken and he could do nothing but watch the madness unfold. A common reaction, Kyoko noted, but it felt odd he was distancing himself from everyone. He seemed the type to rely on others when in times of crisis but she wasn't sure why she came to that conclusion.

In either case, Kyoko knew that if she didn't take charge now, the situation would worsen.

"For now, we need to do as our captor says and report to the gym," she said sternly, her gaze hardening as she could see them all wanting to protest. And of all of them, the only one able to shake off her glare and speak, was Mondo.

"Like hell we're gonna do that! I'm not going anywhere until I see what happened with my own eyes!"

Kyoko knit her brows at his statement. In the state he, and probably the rest of them, were in, they would only disrupt the scene and perhaps unintentionally destroy vital evidence that could lead to the killer. That was something she couldn't allow…for reasons that escaped even herself.

"We all heard the announcement. We have to gather in the gym as soon as possible or—" she tried to reason but found herself cut off.

"Who the hell cares about that right now?!" Junko abruptly shouted, pushing through the crowd to stand next to Mondo. "We don't know if what that freaky bear said was even true! We need to see if Sayaka is really—!"

"D-Don't s-say it!"

Everyone was shocked to hear Chihiro abruptly shriek, her hands covering her ears as she began trembling. And she wasn't the only one. Most of them were struggling to keep it together, desperate that the announcement hadn't been real or that they didn't hear it properly. But none of them could deny the truth, no matter how painful it was.

It was a sobering moment for everyone. To realize that one of their friends…truly was dead.

Taking advantage of the sudden silence, Kyoko cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Listen everyone. Like it or not, we're all captives in this place. And if we don't do as our captor says…well, we've already seen the kind of punishment that awaits us."

As one, everyone turned to gaze at Mondo, remembering their first day and what happened when he defied the rules. Mondo himself could still slightly recall the smell of gunpowder and smoke as the explosion had almost singed his clothing. No one wanted to test their luck after that, not even in this desperate situation.

Just as Kyoko feared that she may have to lead them to the gym herself, an unlikely ally spoke up.

"I'm afraid that I have to agree with Kyoko. We should head for the gym with all haste."

Everyone turned to see Celeste, her posture perfect as she folded her hands under her chin, smiling at all of them. When no one openly rejected her, she decided to continue.

"This is all part of adapting to our environment. And as she said, we know the consequences of defying our captor."

She tilted her head slightly, letting her smile widen. The way she smiled like that was kind of unsettling but the logic behind her words was undeniable. Slowly, everyone began to accept their classmate's notions, despite wanting to protest. Seeing her classmates understand her reasoning, Celeste let out a soft chuckle.

"Are there no objections?" She paused for a moment but no one dared to speak. After a few more seconds of silence, she smiled at them again, triumphantly. "Alright then, shall we get going?" she said almost cheerfully before turning on a heel but stopping before she took a step. "Oh, but we will need someone to go and fetch Byakuya and Kiyotaka. Just in case they don't heed the—".

"I'll do it," Kyoko unsurprisingly volunteered, already turning to head toward the open door to the crime scene. "I promise we won't be long. Goodbye."

She didn't give any of them time to protest before she walked away from them, confident that Celeste would lead them away. And even though she was more than wary of the Ultimate Gambler's silver tongue, for now it was working in her favor and she welcomed the assistance, at least for now.

"I'm going to need to keep a closer eye on that one," Kyoko mentally noted as she crossed the threshold into the room.

Sakura walked out in front of the students heading for the gym, acting as a shield of sorts. She wanted to make sure that everyone would be safe, and having her leading them would put some of their minds at ease. However, there was another purpose that she couldn't reveal to the others.

A look of genuine relief marred her features instead of stern determination.

"Because someone else committed a murder, I have been spared that burden. At least for now…"

The sick, twisted alleviation from that horrible duty also made her want to smash her fist into the wall. She didn't want to be grateful that someone else had killed one of her classmates, and she most certainly didn't want to be relieved that the one who died hadn't been Hina. Even so, she couldn't deny that those very things were what she was feeling. And it filled her with despair as she realized that no matter what, even if she didn't go through with killing another student or spying on them for the mastermind; this horrific guilt would never leave her mind.

"No…it's not that the guilt can't be forgotten. It's that I don't want it to be forgotten."

This was her punishment for turning on her classmates to save her dojo. Even if she hadn't actually done anything for the mastermind yet, she knew that after whatever ordeal they would be forced to endure was complete, Monokuma would come calling. His relentless attempts to break her will were maddening and—

"Sakura?" the sudden voice of Hina snapped the fighter out of her thoughts and she turned to see her friend walking directly beside her. "Are you okay? You look kinda pale. Well, we all do but…"

As Hina hung her head, trying to force away her own feelings of despair, Sakura felt herself become even more angered. Her internal struggle was leading to her only true friend becoming more and more worried, about herself and the situation. This could not be allowed.

Slowly, Sakura gently placed her hand atop Hina's head and said, "I'm fine. I was just preparing myself for whatever comes our way. After all, we will need to be strong in order to survive this."

As Hina lifted her gaze up, a light smile appeared on her lips.

"Yeah…you're right!" she audibly agreed, as if drawing strength from her friend's words. "We just need to stay positive and work together! We can't let that stupid bear win! Am I right, Sakura?"

Hearing her friend's words of encouragement should have brought a renewed hope to muscle-bound fighter. However, it only proved to further throw her into despair.

Seeing Hina actively doing her best not to let the hopelessness of the situation bring her down, Sakura felt even more ashamed that she had, reluctantly, given in already. Becoming the Mastermind's pawn had taken away all semblance of dignity and left her nothing more than a shell of her formerly proud self.

However, as she stared at Hina's determined features, a single thought invaded her mind.

"Even if I am branded a traitor or find myself in harm's ways because of my choices. My mission will always be to protect my family and friends…no matter the cost."

Despite how painful it was, Sakura managed to give a warm smile to her friend as she replied, "Indeed. Let's do all that we can, together."

"Right!" Hina cheerfully concurred, looking forward and smiling brightly.

Seeing that beautiful and hopeful smile, Sakura came to a decision that she knew would go against everything she believed. However, if it meant that her friends would survive and live on…then she would be more than willing to do it.

"I will never allow Hina…or any of my friends to suffer for my mistakes."

The instant Kyoko entered the room; a strange and unsettling feeling of calm overtook her. As if her emotions were shutting themselves off without her permission.

"An automatic reaction," she surmised, unable to fight the feeling. "Why am I having such a reaction to this? What in my past caused me to act this way when in this kind of situation?"

She wanted to ponder the notion further but she was here for a purpose and she knew that Monokuma wouldn't permit them taking too long. So, pushing away the unsettling calm that surrounded her, she ventured further into the scene.

Her lavender eyes scanned the entirety of the room, aside from the bathroom that was just around the corner. The slashes on floor and walls, the ruffled bed sheets hanging off the bed frame and the empty sword stand overturned…somehow all registered to her in an instant. Again forcing away the lingering questions of what had happened and why, she quickly proceeded around the corner and stopped at what she saw.

Her classmate Makoto was lying on his back, eyes rolled back and mouth hanging open. Undoubtedly he was unconscious and so, Kyoko chose to leave him be for the moment and turned her attention toward the bathroom. The door was swung open and inside, she could see her other two classmates staring down at something.

Her lavender eyes slowly lowered until she saw the visage of Sayaka, blood staining the walls and her clothes, lying completely lifeless against the back bathroom wall.

Kneeling down in front of her, careful not to get any blood on himself, Byakuya pressed his fingers against her neck, searching for a pulse. He must have given up on finding it there, or perhaps he just wanted to be certain, but he slowly picked up her limp left hand and pressed his fingers to her wrist instead.

Standing beside him, pale and shocked, was Taka. The Moral Compass' complexion worsened with each passing moment and he couldn't tear his eyes away from his classmate's corpse. And for some reason, Kyoko knew that the expression warping his face was one of guilt, but not the kind one has when they are truly at fault.

Taka was blaming himself, a feature uncommon in those who see their own crime. It was for this reason that, despite her mind telling her not to ignore the possibility, she knew without a doubt that he wasn't the murderer. After all, the Moral Compass had never been able to keep hold of his emotions and honesty was ingrained in him. He would have reacted differently if he was the culprit.

Observing the scene, Kyoko knew they had little time before Monokuma came to collect them. And she didn't want to find out what the bear meant about tardiness being met with 'extreme prejudice'. Because of that, she decided it was time to make herself known.

"Well?"

As she expected, Taka audibly gasped at her arrival and spun around in surprise.

"K-Kyoko!" he sputtered, unsure of what else to say. She wasn't surprised by this, considering his already frazzled nerves and paling complexion.

On the other hand, Byakuya didn't even flinch as she made herself known. Or if he was surprised, he never showcased it, rising to his feet and staring down at Sayaka's lifeless body. Without even turning around, he cleared his throat before replying.

"…She's dead."

There was no arrogance in his voice, or underlining hostility of any kind. It was simple, matter of fact and direct. There wasn't even a hint of thrill that she would have expected to hear from the Affluent Progeny. In fact, he seemed to be…at a loss? For what, she couldn't even fathom.

For a few more moments, all three of them stood there in silence, even Byakuya. Kyoko wasn't sure if he was being respectful or if he was distancing himself from the situation.

Likewise, in the back of her mind, even the realistic and rational Kyoko had held a sliver of hope that the Pop Sensation was still alive, foolish though the notion was. But now that hope had been replaced…with a deep and deforming despair.

Honestly, looking down at the bloody corpse of her former classmate, Kyoko felt a bit sick to her stomach. However, it was not because of the scene. It was because she wasn't feeling anything at all at the moment. Not even the stench of blood or the gruesome sight of the crime scene made her register anything. She had truly become a hardened shell, at least for the moment.

"…Why?…Why am I…so calm right now?" she couldn't help but ponder, curiosity the only feeling breaking through her iron-clad defenses.

And although she desperately wanted to explore this feeling more and search the room to discover what had truly happened, she couldn't forget that she was here for a very specific purpose.

Folding her arms over her chest and frowning, she stared at the two men before saying, "You heard the announcement, didn't you? We need to gather in the—".

"What's the point in that?! Sayaka's dead!"

Kyoko was shocked that it was Taka who disrupted her, his head hung and his eyes squeezed shut. Guilt and frustration warped his features as he gripped his own clothes to keep from lashing out.

"She…she's gone…forever! And I couldn't stop it! No matter how hard I tried!" he abruptly continued, shooting his gaze toward her dead body, moisture building in his eyes.

"I did everything I could! I encouraged everyone to work together! I came up with plans to help keep everyone safe! I even offered my personal advice to anyone that needed me! So why…why did this happen?!"

Falling to his knees, he began to openly weep. His tears splattered to the floor, mixing in with patches of blood that stained the room. Whipping his head up, through blurred vision, he bowed to his deceased classmate.

"I'm…I'm so…so sorry…Sayaka! I…failed you!"

Watching him take all of the blame unto himself and fall even deeper into despair, Kyoko fully recognized the kind of pressure the Moral Compass had placed upon himself.

It was obvious from the beginning that he was trying to be an example for all of them and lead them down the right path. More than that, he must have truly believed that, even if someone desired to commit murder, as long as he kept strict watch and prepared for it, he could prevent it. He had tried to defend them the only way he knew how, with strict discipline and well-meaning rules.

However, he failed to factor in the human element; that none of them were predictable and any of them could find ways around his precautions. And it seemed that the realization that he was utterly powerless in this situation was going to consume him…but only if she didn't intervene.

Gently, she placed a gloved hand on his shoulder, startling him enough to make him turn back to look at her with blood-shot eyes. He was close to breaking but now, more than ever, Kyoko knew they needed him.

"I know it's hard but we need to focus on what we can do now," Kyoko spoke clearly but softly, trying to comfort him as best she could. "We all failed to save her, not just you. If we all had been more vigilant, this may have been avoided."

She shot an accusatory glare at Byakuya for a moment but if he noticed, he didn't acknowledge it.

Turning her attention back to Taka, she continued, "For now, we have to keep focused. We need to find out what really happened here and make sure we discover who is responsible."

Hearing the logic in her voice, the tears stopped flowing from Taka's eyes and he seemed to be processing her words. It was slow at first but his composure and fervor were quickly returning. A little more and Kyoko knew he would be fine.

"We need you, Taka. Now more than ever before, we need the Ultimate Moral Compass to be our guide. We need to be united and take care of each other…not just for ourselves, but to prevent anything like this from happening again."

Her lavender eyes stared into his hazy reds, her strength and determination filling and revitalizing him. He blinked once and all of a sudden, his fear and despair seemed to vanish from his entire being.

"R-Right. You're absolutely right!"

Furiously wiping away the remainder of his tears, Taka leapt to his feet, brushed himself off and adjusted his uniform. As soon as it was straightened and proper, he gave a respectful bow to Kyoko.

"Thank you! You have opened my eyes to my own foolishness! I swear…I will not falter ever again!"

Seeing his revitalization, Kyoko felt a mixture of pride and shame. She had observed him long enough to know exactly what he needed to hear and she had said it without any hesitation. And while it hadn't been a lie, per se, she felt an ounce of guilt knowing that she had effectively manipulated him into recovery.

However, it was true that they needed him there, as they needed to be united to be able to solve the mystery of who put them in this horrific situation and why. She wouldn't admit that he had a bad habit of upsetting everyone with his constant nagging and rules, but that was because she honestly felt that someone as straightforward as him was needed to keep order.

"I can't make myself a target. And having Taka be the center of everyone's frustration would certainly help with that," she told herself, steeling her resolve and not letting her conflicting emotions overrule her judgment.

Despite that, she also recognized that it was because of her suppressed emotions that she considered such a risky and deadly plan. Her logic was also sound, which added to her determination and conviction to see the plan through. At the same time, she knew the danger was high, for herself and anyone else she involved.

"However, if I'm careful and utilize everyone resourcefully, then I can prevent any more needless killings…"

Just then, as quickly has he bowed, Taka rose and gave his classmate a stern but appreciative look. In response, Kyoko nodded firmly before saying, "We need to head to the gym, where everyone is waiting for us. But first…"

She turned her attention around behind her where the unconscious Makoto still lay. Following her gaze, Taka's eyes widened as he obviously just remembered that the boy was still there.

"Very well!" the Moral Compass shouted proudly. "As penance for my distasteful display, I shall be the one to carry Makoto! You can count on me!"

Without another word, he marched over to the unconscious boy and hoisted him up onto his shoulders, showing that Taka was not only intelligent but rather strong as well. He didn't even complain as he carefully balanced Makoto on his back and turned to face his fellow students.

"Like Kyoko said, we need to get moving!" he proclaimed before turning toward the door leading to the hallway. "To the gym! So we can find the culprit behind this madness!"

Adjusting his grip to be sure Makoto didn't slip off, Taka quickly headed for the door, leaving Kyoko and Byakuya in the bathroom. Giving a brief sigh of relief, Kyoko moved to follow. However, she didn't get two steps away before an authoritative voice stopped her.

"I must say, I'm impressed. I never expected such tactics from you."

Kyoko's gaze snapped over to see Byakuya half smirking. However, it lasted for only a moment before his gaze hardened and he glared over at her. In his eyes was a mixture of respect and caution.

He obviously realized how tactful she was and knew that her words for Taka were mainly for her own benefit. And, unfortunately for Kyoko, this also meant that his opinion of her had changed. Even if he would never admit it, she was now an adversary in his eyes, a threat to him. And if she understood anything about Byakuya Togami, it was that he would not tolerate any threat, no matter how insignificant.

Frustration built up inside as she realized she had made herself stand out and, eventually, she knew she would have to pay for her carelessness. However, both of them knew it was not the time for such things and so, without paying his words any mind, she began walking out of the bathroom.

"We need to hurry. Before Monokuma decides that we're tardy," she said bluntly, exiting the room and leaving Byakuya alone with Sayaka's body.

However, he only lingered there long enough to scoff at her dismissal before he, too, departed the room.

…dark…so dark…pitch black darkness…

"EHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

…a scream…piercing through the blackness…reaching deep down…so familiar…the voice embedded in the scream…

…Makoto…

From deep within the darkness that consumed her consciousness, Sayaka began to stir. The voice of her friend, the one she'd betrayed, cut through the emptiness that surrounded her and forced her consciousness up to the surface…but only barely.

Then…something touched her.

She wasn't sure who or what it was but she could feel something poking at her neck, then her wrist. She could hear voices as well. She couldn't make out who or what they were but they ranged from calm and collected to frantic and desperate. And as those voices echoed around her, she summoned every last ounce of strength possible and tried to open her eyes.

However, her eyelids hardly even moved at all, no matter how hard she struggled. Despite that, she kept fighting to open them with everything she had left, unable to let herself give in.

"I…I'm still…"

Sayaka didn't want to return to that darkness, the emptiness that was consuming her soul. She wanted to see the light, even if it was one last time. She wanted to see her friend Makoto…for she was sure it was his voice that had roused her.

It was then that, just as she felt her strength would give out, her eyes cracked open and blurred images barely came into focus.

Despite how hazy her vision was, she could make out three figures before her. One of them quickly departed, however, leaving only the other two standing near her. However, she didn't think they were facing her, as they didn't seem to notice her eyes narrowly opening to see them.

And even though she had utterly no strength left in her body, she still tried to force herself to call out.

"…Makoto…Leon…Anyone…Help…"

However, her voice never came and she was left to watch as the other two figures lingered for a moment before heading to depart. Unparalleled fear gripped Sayaka as she desperately tried to lift her hand to reach out to them, begging for them not to leave her…alone…in the darkness…that emptiness…

A single tear rolled down her cheek as the figures disappeared from her view. And when they were gone, Sayaka felt the last of her will to live disappear with them. Her tired eyes once again closed and she felt herself slipping back into that horrid darkness.

…deeper and deeper…she fell…deeper than before…consuming her…almost…entirely…

"…As far as class trial rules go, that's all there is to it! Any questions?"

All of the students gathered in the gym broke out into a cold sweat as Monokuma finished explaining the class trial system. Nothing but questions flooded everyone's minds but the answers were clearer than they ever wanted. The rules of the game were now laid bare for all of the students to understand. This was a game shrouded in despair.

If you want to escape, you must kill. If you want to live, you must condemn another to death.

No matter what, at least one more person was going to die today. Either it was the killer among them, or the rest of their class would follow after Sayaka. This was the true form of the killing game they were all forced to play.

And, unfortunately for Leon, he finally had the answers to the burning questions that had plagued him since his despicable act last night.

"No FUCKING way! I knew it won't be that easy but seriously! An investigation AND a fucking trial?! If I had known that, I would have just left Sayaka to kill…herself…"

That dark thought consumed the Baseball Star's mind as he felt cold sweat slip down his neck and back. A part of him wanted to believe that it wasn't true, that having this horrifying bit of knowledge wouldn't have affected his judgment last night. He desperately wanted to believe that he would still have tried to save Sayaka…but it was a lie.

He gritted his teeth and lowered his head in shame, everyone around him confusing it for anger toward their situation.

"Deep down…I'm just a coward…and I'm still running! But what other choice do I have! I don't want to die either!"

It was then that a fiercely angry voice disrupted his thoughts and he, along with everyone else, stared in shock as one of the students brazenly opposed the bear.

"Hey! Hold on just a second!" Junko abruptly shouted at Monokuma from the center of the room. "You're freaking insane! You know that?!"

Makoto, as well as everyone else, turned to her in shock and almost utter disbelief. The Fashionista was the only one who didn't seem to be reeling from the news the bear presented and she was already going on the offensive.

It was almost as if she predicted that something like this would happen…but how could that be?

"Class trial?! Why the hell do I have to do that?!" Junko suddenly continued, snapping Makoto back to reality. "I want nothing to do what that crap!"

As she shouted across the room at the demented bear, Monokuma simply turned his head to the side, as if confused by her words.

"Why not?" he plainly replied, as if it were unexpected for her to say such a thing.

A fearsome scowl overtook Junko's features and she brazenly took a step toward the bear, seething, "What do you mean, 'why not?'! Why do I have to waste my time figuring out who murdered someone?! It's totally unfair!"

As the fashion model shouted her protests, Makoto's brows furrowed as he noticed something felt…off about this conversation. As if Monokuma knew exactly what she was going to say and do, countering her with absolutely no surprise in his voice.

"What?! Are you saying you won't participate in the trial?!" the bear shouted back, not nearly as surprised as he should have been. And then, Monokuma seemed to fill with glee as he finished, "Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!"

"What? What do you mean, 'punishment'?!" Junko fired back, taking another step forward.

"I dunno…Maybe I'll throw you in a dark hole or something?" the bear off-handedly remarked.

"Shut the hell up!" the model furiously screamed back, "Say whatever you want! I won't be a part of this!"

The instant those words left her mouth, Makoto saw that there was something most definitely off about Junko. He hadn't noticed it before, due to his mania over finding…Sayaka, but now he finally took note of something he'd definitely seen from her before.

Junko was completely flustered, her face reddening and clashing with her usually paled complexion. Not only that, she was being much much more abrasive than before. Even that time when he'd stopped her in the laundry room, she hadn't been as frantic or as desperate as she seemed right now.

Not only that, as she continued to clash with the bear, she was steadily moving forward, away from the rest of the students. Each time Monokuma jeered or countered her, she was lured further and further toward him, until finally, she came to a halt directly in front of the podium on which the bear stood atop.

"Wait…is Monokuma trying to separate her from us?" Makoto suddenly began to piece together. "Why would he…?"

Before he could finish that thought, Makoto caught a glimpse of a fearsome sight. Up on the podium, he saw that Monokuma had a murderous glint in his sickening red eye…and it was growing more intense by the moment! Like he was begging for an excuse to punish someone!

"Don't be so selfish!" Monokuma chided the model again, snickering as he did so.

As if a floodgate had broken in Junko's mind, the Fashionista abruptly pointed one of her painted nails at the bear before shouting, "You're the one being selfish! Kill whoever you want, it's got nothing to do with me!"

As those words rang in his ears, Makoto's breath hitched in his throat as he felt a wave of terror overtake him. With the way she was acting now, Makoto knew it was only a matter of time before she made a mistake like the one Mondo had…but with much more dire consequences this time!

This situation was getting out of control and what was worse, absolutely none of his fellow students appeared to have any desire to stop this madness!

All of them were merely watching intently, probably because they wanted to see what would happen when someone opposed the headmaster directly. However, none of them made a single move to help Junko if something did happen. Whether it was because of fear or curiosity varied between each student but one thing was certain…no one was going to interfere.

Anger suddenly filled Makoto as this revelation became clear. Part of it was at himself, for being one of the fearful students who couldn't find a way to help. But what could he really do anyway? There was no way he could talk Junko down when she was like this. Besides if he just stayed quiet…

"…maybe I'll be able to survive…" he briefly thought.

Just then, the image of Sayaka's bloody body flashed in his mind and a wave of guilt suddenly overtook him.

"How…how is that any different from what happened with Sayaka?!"

Despite knowing it wasn't his fault, Makoto placed all blame for Sayaka's death on himself. He kept telling himself that if he had insisted that they stay in the same room or if he'd checked in on her during the night, then maybe…just maybe…she would still be with them.

He knew it was pointless to question such things after the fact but at this moment, he felt that, once again, he was at a crossroads. Junko's behavior was dangerously similar to the way Sayaka had been acting last night, perhaps even more so since she was facing down their tormentor head on!

"And if…no one does anything now…will what happened to Sayaka…happen to Junko?!"

Without even realizing it himself, Makoto's feet began to carry him forward. And strangely, no one seemed to notice him. Not the students who watched with bated breaths. Nor Junko or Monokuma who were too focused on their arguments.

Absolutely no one saw the Ultimate Lucky Student approach from the side.

Everything was going according to plan and Mukuro was more than pleased about that.

The failsafe that she and her sister had discussed was going better than she had thought. It was never completely laid out how Mukuro would get into position to be spirited away when a trap door beneath her would be activated, so she decided that venting her anger would be the best course of action.

And actually, not all of it was false. She was very frustrated with how the game had been proceeding lately and was more than ready to get the hell out.

She and Junko had practiced some of the lines they were using but ultimately, it had been up to Mukuro to get into position. And thankfully she almost was. Only another step and she would be directly over the hidden door under her feet.

Glancing at Monokuma, she knew that her sister would give her at least one more excuse to step forward and from there, she would finally be out of the game.

"…At least for now," she grimly reminded herself.

Even knowing that she had more than her work cut out for her, she was eager to be 'killed off', so to speak. Her new task would be to cause havoc behind the scenes. What Junko meant by that, she wasn't quite sure yet but she knew that her sister probably had everything planned. After all, her sister had never lied to her and she wasn't in the habit of going back on her word.

And best of all, the first murder had completely enticed Junko, or at least enough for her to forget about the ultimatum she'd placed on her older sister.

"With this, Makoto will be safe…for a while at least."

Mukuro couldn't deny the relief she had felt when the body discovery announcement had been made, no matter how twisted that was. Because someone had stepped up and committed the first murder, there was no longer a need for her to have to target Makoto, considering the failsafe would need to be activated, as per Junko's orders.

And even though Mukuro hadn't discussed going through with the failsafe with Junko prior to this moment, she knew that her sister would want to stick to the plan and pull her from the game.

After all, if her classmates made the wrong choice, she didn't want to get executed along with them.

"That's why we created the failsafe in the first place…" she reasoned, convinced that Junko would be piping up any moment now.

And, as if on cue, Monokuma leapt onto the very top of the podium and proclaimed, "There is Evil standing before me…but I won't give in!"

The automaton hopped off the podium and landed gracefully onto the floor a few feet away from the disguised Mukuro, bearing its teeth and claws only half menacingly.

"If you want to get out of here…you'll have to go through me first!"

Mukuro almost broke character and smirked as Monokuma waddled toward her, swinging its arms in circles and trying to appear menacing. And, conveniently enough, he came to a stop just in front of where Mukuro needed to be for her to 'get caught' in the trap door.

"Clever girl…" Mukuro thought to herself as she knew what needed to be done.

Lifting her boot, she slammed her foot down on top of Monokuma, taking that final step to be in place for the trap door.

The bear grunted in a mixture of what seemed to be shock and genuine surprise but that was probably for effect more than anything. Plus, the stomp was improvised and probably did take her sister by surprise, so it made it all the more believable for the rest of the students. And besides, it was something Mukuro knew the real Junko would do, so she didn't question it.

And if she was being honest, Mukuro had put more than a little aggression into that stomp too. She would have words with Junko about coercing her into trying to kill Makoto, considering it was never planned or even mentioned at any point.

It was then that a tantalizing idea popped into Mukuro's head, and this would be her only chance to realize it.

Staring down at the flattened Monokuma, a snide smirk overtook the soldier's lips as she said, "Are you enjoying yourself now?!"

The double-entendre of her words were even more satisfying than she thought they would be! Her fellow students would have no idea the true meaning of her statement and it was enjoyable to poke fun at her sister's fetish at the same time! Sure, she'd probably get scolded by Junko later but she'd live through that—

Or so she thought…until a voice so serious it chilled her to the bone reached her ears.

"Are you?"

Mukuro froze in sheer terror as the menacing voice of Monokuma invaded her mind, spiraling down deep into the very recesses of her soul.

Her feet almost lost their footing as she stared down at the automaton. The tone of that voice was more than enough for Mukuro to realize she had made a horrifying mistake. She could practically feel the rage being projected by her sister through the bear.

And without realizing it, she began to tremble as the bear growled a bit and continued, "Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is prohibited. You violated a school regulation…"

"Oh God…No…Junko's wouldn't really…"

Mukuro felt herself shudder.

The implication itself was enough to terrify the solider but it was the tone in which the bear spoke that petrified her even more. There was malice there, certainly, but underneath it all, Mukuro could have sworn that she heard a hint of…sadness, in the bear's voice as it spoke. Almost as if Junko had just come to decision that actually made her feel regret. And considering that her little sister never regretted any decision she'd ever made before…this was beyond horrifying.

But then, as quickly as she thought she heard it, that inkling of sadness vanished completely as Monokuma waved its arms frantically and shouted:

"I invoke the magic summon spell! Come to me, Godly Spear Gungnir!"

If he hadn't have been standing beside Junko, he never would have seen it coming.

Makoto had continued to approach the unsuspecting arguers and had held in a gasp as he'd watched Junko slam her boot into the fearsome headmaster. After that, he barely registered what the two of them were saying because a chill ran down his spine and he found himself hearing a strange sound from the floor.

Looking down, he saw that small, square shaped holes had appeared all around Junko, surrounded her on all sides. They were very inconspicuous as well and Makoto realized that, if he had been only a few feet back, as he'd been only a moment ago, he never would have been able to see them.

Just as Junko never would have either.

And because of that, on instinct, he once again threw himself into danger to save his classmate.

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, something wrapped around her left arm and a fierce tug pulled her back. Extending out of her right hand to try and regain her balance, Mukuro didn't have time to speak or even react as she finally noticed the slots in the floor that had opened up all around where she had just been standing. A burst of movement flashed before her and with it came a horrifying sensation.

…Pain…

It was a feeling that Mukuro had all but forgotten and now felt more than foreign to her. Nevertheless the agonizing sensation tore through her right hand as something long and slender pieced through it. Shock overtook the Ultimate Soldier's senses and she slowly turned her dilating eyes to her grief stricken appendage.

Horror gripped her soul as she saw a long spear jutting up from one of the open slots in the floor, the tip of it piercing the back of her hand and protruding out the other side. As her blood spilled out of her hand and slid down the shaft of the spear, Mukuro felt something inside her twist and snap.

"ARRRRGGGGAHHHH!"

Her voice tore through the room and pieced through the ears of everyone present. The sounds of her screams echoed all through the gym, only pausing long enough for her to suck in more air to continue the pain-fill shrill.

Again, before she even had time to react, the spear abruptly retracted itself, tearing out of her palm with a sickening cleaving sound. Bits of bloody flesh and muscle splattered to the floor as the open wound bled profusely.

Gritting her teeth so hard she felt they might crack, Mukuro reacted quickly and pressed her good hand against the gaping bloody hole in her other palm.

"Pressure! Keep pressure on wounds!" her mind frantically ordered, unable to do anything but panic at the sight of her own blood.

Because of that, she couldn't concentrate enough to realize that she was only making the bleeding worse because she didn't have anything to wrap around the wound. The pain was steadily increasing and just as she felt herself give in to her panic, a firm hand grasped her arm.

She turned to scream at whomever it was but froze as she saw that it was Makoto. His face showed his panic but behind it, a fierce determination resonated within his eyes.

"We need some kind of bandage!" he shouted, desperation clear in his voice.

"Use this!"

A frilly handkerchief was tossed to them from the side and Mukuro had only caught a glimpse of Chihiro retracting her arm. Grabbing it without hesitation, Makoto pulled away the hand pressing down on the wound and began wrapping the cloth around gaping hole in her hand.

However, it was too small to properly wrap around her hand. Thinking quickly, Makoto instead pressed the handkerchief against the hole in her palm while using his other hand to try and cover the hole on the back of her hand. Again, the pain of the needed pressure made Mukuro shrill.

"Arhhhhhhh! Ahhhhh!"

As her screams filled the area once more, Mukuro's teary eyes shot toward the now standing Monokuma, a single thought tearing at her mind.

"Why…Junko…WHY?!"

Even with the pressure Makoto was putting on the wound, it just continued to bleed more and more profusely.

And unfortunately, without something to stop the bleeding on both sides of her hand, the wound only worsened and even someone with no medical knowledge like Makoto knew he was doing more harm than good. And at this rate, Junko was going to lose more than just her hand!

"I can't stop the bleeding!" he reluctantly admitted aloud, practically begging for someone to help him.

"Let me see it!"

Makoto was surprised when Hina suddenly materialized at his side, glaring at the sloppy job he was doing of containing the injury.

Overwhelmed with surprise, Makoto lost his grip on the wound and was lightly pushed aside as Hina took his place. One glance at it and she frowned, paling slightly at seeing so much blood loss. However, she shook her head, probably swallowing bile as well, before turning and glancing to everyone.

"We need more bandages to stop the bleeding! Anything will work, so long as it's big enough—".

Before she even finished, sound of ripping gained everyone's attention. They all turned to see Sakura, her massive hands tearing off large portions of her own shirt, making numerous strips of makeshift bandages.

"Hina, take these!" Sakura insisted, handing the oversized strips to her friend.

A bright smile overtook Hina's face for a moment as she grabbed the bandages from her friend before turning back to attend to Junko's wound. As she furiously wrapped the strips around the gaping, bloody hole, Makoto's eyes drifted around the room.

Most of the students, including Taka, Leon, Chihiro, Hiro and Hifumi, were paralyzed with shock. Mondo angrily stood nearby, obviously wanting to help but not having a clue as to how he could. Toko was clutching her head and staring down at the floor, muttering incoherently. Celeste and Byakuya remained at a distance, observing the situation carefully. All the while, Kyoko glared at Monokuma, as if she could barely hold herself back as she observed the scene.

And behind all of them, Monokuma stood grinning at them all.

Far away in the control room, the real Junko Enoshima breathed heavily as she looked at the screen.

"Shit! She survived! How the hell did that happen?!" she screamed, angrily throwing a large plush Monokuma doll furiously against the wall.

As soon as she did, stopped herself and took a deep breath. Then another…and another…and another…until she was sure that the adrenaline had worked its way out of her system. Taking one last deep inhale to collect herself, the mastermind returned to the Monokuma control panel and took her seat.

"It's fine…I can work with this…it'll be more fun this way anyway…"

After all, the despair of having to swallow the disappointment of failing to kill her sister was more than enough of a reward. Besides, her sister being alive could still be despairingly useful.

"Wow! Now that sure was surprising!" Monokuma suddenly proclaimed, forcing everyone to turn its way. "I never imagined she'd live through that! But I guess everyone gets lucky now and again!"

Rearing its head back and cackling, the bear let the anger of the students seethe for a bit longer before it continued.

"Normally, I'd need to finish the job and complete the punishment."

Hearing this, Makoto could only watch as Junko's head shot up and slowly, despite the pain, she turned to stare helplessly at Monokuma. Makoto gritted his teeth in anger as pain-stricken tears spilled from the Fashionista's sky-blue eyes as fear began to overtake her. On instinct, he moved to stand between her and the bear but Monokuma resumed before he even stood up.

"However, I really want to avoid a corpse popping up unintentionally…at least if I can help it."

Everyone gave a collective sigh of relief at hearing that, especially Junko, though she still held more a fair share amount of terror in her eyes.

"However!" Monokuma abruptly continued, startling everyone. "I hope that now you see just how serious I am about those regulations. Defy me and you get shot full of holes! Exploded! Buried alive! Disintegrated…et cetera. So, if you don't want that to happen to you, you'd better follow the rules…or end up like Junko here!"

As Monokuma shouted those final words, it was evident that things had not gone as he'd planned. Even so, their captor had demonstrated that they were more than willing to kill anyone who protested or went against the rules. So, even though they had failed to kill someone, the message had been delivered perfectly.

It was at this time Makoto noticed that Kyoko, unlike the other students, was steadily approaching Monokuma, a displeased glare on her face.

"…Why did you try and kill her? Didn't you say that you were going to imprison her or something?" Kyoko bluntly questioned, not backing down even in the face of the bear's angry stare.

An instant later, Monokuma scoffed and turned away before replying, "…I changed my mind—"

"No," Kyoko abruptly cut in, her glare intensifying. "You've been wanting to kill this entire time."

To this, Monokuma gave a playful expression and answered, "Kill this entire time? Don't be stupid…you can't kill time! Trust me, I tried…"

Perhaps the automaton became fed up with its own jokes or simply wanted to leave, but for some reason, its persona changed to be very serious as it brushed off Kyoko's words.

And, if no one else, Makoto was getting more and more frustrated by the moment. For he could hear Junko's whimpers as Hina continued to try and stop the bleeding, the blood easily soaking through all the makeshift bandages.

"Anyway, none of that matters now!" Monokuma proclaimed placing it's paws on its hips. "I have something that will help you in your investigation and your search for the blackened—!"

Being reminded of the fact that they still needed to solve Sayaka's murder made something inside of Makoto snap. Without warning, he shot to his feet and shouted, "How the hell are we supposed to think about that when our friend is bleeding to death?!"

A heavy silence followed his outburst, no one expecting to hear such brave words from him.

However, it was almost immediately broken as Monokuma jeered, "Tsk, she'll be fine! Trust me, it's a flesh wound. An injury like that won't be enough to kill—".

"No! That's wrong!"

Again, everyone was stunned into silence as Makoto abruptly shouted from across the room. Even Monokuma was deafly quiet as the Lucky Student pointed at the wound in Junko's hand.

"Wounds like that can get easily infected and if we don't treat it soon, she could die from it! It may not be today but if left long enough, it'll only get worse! We have to take care of it now!"

Beneath her guise, Mukuro contended with the pain as best she could but it was a losing battle.

Even the lightest twitch of her hand sent massive jolts of agony to her brain and she fought to keep her breathing under control. She wasn't even sure how she'd managed to stay conscious, considering she was hardly breathing.

She could hear the others arguing with Monokuma, but after hearing that the bear didn't plan to finish the job, she had begun to phase out most of whatever else it was saying. However, that was mainly because her fragile mind was barely hanging on and focusing on her wound kept her from thinking about why…Junko…

Another surge of pain rippled through her hand and Mukuro gritted her teeth as she finally registered that someone was screaming. Turning her head, through blurry, tearful eyes she saw Makoto directly challenging Monokuma.

She missed most of what he was saying but the one thing she could make out was that Makoto was gesturing to her. Was he actually…defending her…?

He seemed so fierce and powerful, even Monokuma didn't dare refute him. Which meant that…even Junko wasn't going against him …how was he able to silence her?!

"We're not doing anything else before we get her some medical treatment!" the Ultimate Lucky Student shouted, glaring at Monokuma so intensely that the bear seemed stunned into silence.

At the same time, Makoto took a moment to glance to Junko, checking if she was alright. And for a brief moment, the Fashionista turned her head upward, watery sky-blue eyes filled with agony staring up at him.

"Hey, you little bastard!" Monokuma suddenly fired back, making the boy snap his head back toward the demented bear. "The investigation and class trial have to come first! That's the rules and you know what happens to—!"

"Then at least give us some proper medical supplies to treat her with," Sakura cut the bear off this time, her muscular arms folded sternly over her chest.

Monokuma growled and was about to retort but lost the chance to as Makoto challenged it again. "Some of us can go and treat Junko, while the rest of us get started on the investigation. That should work out fine shouldn't it?"

His fierce proclamation was met with another pause, no one wanting or willing to disrupt it. Or at least it seemed that way, until another voice quickly joined his own.

"Yeah! Makoto's right!" Hina abruptly concurred, still holding onto Junko's bleeding hand, the bandages quickly proving not to be enough to hold in the blood. "She needs real medical treatment! Like stat!"

"And besides," Kyoko's calm voice startled everyone, making them turn to her in shock, "If one of us isn't able to participate in the class trial, won't that technically be a violation of the school regulations? And since you refused to allow her treatment, the fault would lie solely with you."

Even though Makoto didn't have time to say it, he was incredibly grateful that the mysterious girl had come to their defense. She was so calm in the face of all this and he couldn't help but feel at ease as she presented her argument. And considering she'd remained so silent up until now, he was pleased that she'd decided to speak up when she did.

Slightly fuming from being cut off in the middle of explaining, Monokuma turned red before retorting, "Alright already! If you're that hyped up about it…I guess I can open up the Nurse's Office for you. There are real bandages, gauze and even painkillers in there to fix her up with. Will that shut you up and get you back on track?!"

"It will suffice for now," Sakura admitted, her spite clear in her deep voice.

"Alrighty then," Monokuma replied, glaring rather menacingly at Sakura for a moment before turning to the others. "For those of you investigating, I have included a gift for you in your e-handbooks…The Monokuma File! Look over it and get busy! I'm out!"

Without warning, a large trap door opened up just beneath Monokuma and the bear fell through, maniacal laughter echoing as the door shut itself.

"Now then, who shall go and investigate while we take her to get treated?" Sakura asked, folding her arms and glancing around the room.

Before anyone could speak, Mondo pushed his way toward the injured Fashionista, flung his coat over her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her to pick her up. If Junko was surprised, she barely showed it, the pain from her palm making her wince as he lifted her, distracting her from what she probably would have found an embarrassing situation in any other setting.

"I'll take her to the nurse's office," he finally explained, holding Junko bridal style to help her be more comfortable. "I'm no good at this investigating shit, so I figure this is the best I can do."

"Very well then! I shall lead the others to the crime scene while you assist our classmate!" Taka finally broke out of his stupor and rallied, returning to his usual strict and moral self.

"While we're on the subject," Celeste politely intervened, finally making her presence known, "I don't believe that we should leave the scene of the crime unattended. In case the killer tries to return and destroy evidence."

There was a heavy silence for a moment and even if it was only for a second, it looked as if Makoto wanted to refute her. However, not even he was naïve enough to question that logic and instead remained silent.

"I'll do it."

None of them were surprised to hear Sakura volunteer for the position. Her massive form would be enough to intimidate even the most deceptive of culprits and even more so, her honorable nature made her the most likely candidate.

Even so, it wasn't enough for everyone.

"We can't have you on watch by yourself," Byakuya insisted, pushing his glasses up with his middle finger. "If you're the killer, you'll undoubtedly tamper with evidence."

"What?! How dare you think that Sakura would—?!" Hina began to shout before Sakura laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It is alright. He makes a sound point," the Martial Artist reluctantly concurred, "We should have at least two guarding the scene."

Although Hina was still fuming and wanted to chastise Byakuya, she didn't want to argue with her friend and instead said, "Alright then! I'll guard the scene with you!"

"I'm afraid that this time, I, cannot agree with that."

Everyone turned to see Celeste politely folding her hands under her chin and smiling sweetly.

"And why is that?" Sakura questioned, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Giving a light chuckle, as if mocking them, Celeste explained, "The two of you seem so close and if it turns out that one of you are the killer, the other might try and cover it up. We can't have that, now can we?"

The tension in the air grew thicker and thicker as the class already began to divide itself. It wouldn't be long before distrust and fear took hold of everyone completely. And there was at least one student that recognized that and decided to intervene.

"Why not have Mondo guard the scene with Sakura instead?" Kyoko abruptly offered, snapping everyone's head over to her but then quickly over to the biker.

Flinching under their gazes, Mondo flushed as he countered, "H-Hey dammit! I've got to take Junko to the nurse's office!"

"That's fine," Kyoko assured him, "And when you're done, you can join Sakura in guarding the scene of the crime. That should suffice, shouldn't it?"

Her question was fired directly at Celeste, whom nodded her head and smiled, "This is fine with me."

No more objections were raised and it seemed that Kyoko had managed to settle the animosity that was slowly building, even if she had to make demands to do so.

And Mondo wasn't the only one to realize that Kyoko wasn't asking for his cooperation, she was practically ordering him. And everyone knew how Mondo felt about being told what to do. The only thing that stunted his fury at her command was the fact that he was holding a bleeding girl in his arms.

"Fine then," he angrily huffed as he turned toward the door, but not before he snuck a quick glance at Hina. "Besides, a girl shouldn't have to guard the crime scene. That's a man's job."

No one commented on the fact that Sakura, also a girl, was the other one guarding the scene but considering he was going along with it, correcting him now would do more harm than good.

Besides, Hina didn't seem to mind his comment as she fervently replied, "If that's the case…I'll go with Junko to the nurse's office and help get her patched up."

"I'm going too!"

No one was surprised to hear Makoto speak up, practically materializing beside Mondo and Hina as they carried Junko out the door.

As soon as the doors closed, Taka turned to his fellow classmates and was about to shout for all of them to get going when he noticed someone was missing.

"Has anyone seen Hiro?! Where has he gone off to?" the Moral Compass asked, prompting everyone to look around for him.

"Yeah…he's over there," Leon informed everyone, pointing to the corner.

All of them turned to see Hiro crouching in the corner, clutching his head tightly with snot and tears gushing down his face.

"…So…so this is…ALL REAL!" he frantically shouted before throwing his arms up to the sky. "NOOOOO! LET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"Y-Y-Your just n-now accepting it?!" Toko almost shouted, completely flabbergasted.

In the midst of Hiro panicking, Celeste opened up her e-handbook and glanced over the Monokuma File. A slight grin spread over her lips as she read through its entirety.

"Hmm, so the crime took place in Makoto's room…" she said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"…How…how could this…have happened to me?..."

Mukuro sat on one of the few beds in the nurse's office, Mondo's coat still firmly wrapped around her shoulders and her injured hand extended out while her classmates bandaged her. As soon as he had set her down, Mondo had quickly departed, saying he needed to get guarding the scene and he would leave the rest to Hina and Makoto. He'd been kind enough to wish Mukuro well but she had barely heard it, too shocked to register much of what was going on right now.

She stared blankly at the floor, her fragile mind unable to comprehend how it had come to this.

"…And there! That should do it!" Hina proclaimed as she finished tying the last of the bandages firmly around her hand.

Barely lifting her head, Mukuro gazed at her bandaged injury in disgust. Not only did it ache terribly from being cleaned and scrubbed with anti-septic, the only bandages they had been able to find in the whole of the office were 'Monokuma Bandages', the half and half bear's evil face stitched into every few inches of the cloth.

The very image of that bear sent chills down her spine, accompanied by a deep despair she knew her sister had to be reveling in. The soldier felt herself tremble as she reminded herself to keep breathing, shaken though her breaths were.

"Junko…"

Slowly tearing her vision away from her hand, the disguised girl looked up to see Makoto looking down at her with a mixture of concern and pity.

"Do you need anything? Like a glass of water or something?"

Staring up at him, she could see his sympathy overflowing but it only caused a sharp pain to sting her chest. The boy who she had been ready to kill just a few hours ago was now the one to save her life. Karma was being more than a bitch to her, as the hurt of her decision came back in full swing.

Behind him, Hina put away the wipes and bandages but also gave her a piteous look. She had immediately set to dressing the deep wound once they had arrived and did it with such determination that Mukuro felt ashamed that she had never really acknowledged the swimmer girl before this point. Even though they had 'hung out' a few times, she'd only seen Hina as a target…never a friend.

"…I don't want their pity…I don't…deserve it…"

For a moment, when it didn't look as if she would respond, both Makoto and Hina inched closer but were startled when she did finally speak.

"…Alone…I want to be…alone…"

To this, both of her classmates gave a quizzical look but neither of them left. Instead, she heard Makoto say, "But…we can't just leave you here all by yourself."

"That's right! What if Monokuma decides to go back on his word and kill you?!" Hina concurred, not realizing that her words were doing more harm than good.

Mukuro flinched at the mention of Monokuma but managed to hold herself together long enough to reply, "You have to go and…investigate. It's the rules…and you can't…break…them…"

She trailed off as her vision floated over to her injured hand. She hoped that her message got across to them, needing both of them to leave for personal and private reasons.

"…Alright. If that's what you want," Makoto finally gave in, surprising Hina for a second. "But as soon as we can, we'll be back to check on you. Okay?"

Without lifting her head, Mukuro gave a stout nod, "Okay…thanks."

Very slowly, her two classmates headed for the door and she listened as they slid it open. However, just before she heard the door close, she lifted her head to see them go. When she did, she caught one last glimpse of Makoto, his worried expression burned into her memory as he exited the room.

Watching as the door was slowly slid shut, her expression shifted into one of agony and rage.

"Rrrrgh…" she grunted as she gripped the wrist of her injured hand. Very carefully, she flexed and retracted each finger on her hand, and each time, a sharp jolt of pain surged through her entire arm.

"…Extensive…nerve…damage…" she whispered to herself, unable to completely ball her hand into a fist. Tilting her hand over to see the other side, as she stared at the back of her bandaged hand, a new thought occurred to her.

"…the mark…of Fenrir…"

It wasn't until those words left her lips that she realized that her tattoo, the symbol of her time as a mercenary, was now gone forever. Her source of strength and pride had been impaled, literally, and ripped from her without mercy or hesitation. And with it, Mukuro felt a part of her soul had been cleaved away.

Suddenly, a familiar but hateful voice shook the room.

"Look on the bright side! You won't have to worry about covering up that ugly tattoo anymore!"

Junko's voice resounded through the room and Mukuro's head shot up, a fearsome glare overtaking all of her features. Standing before her, closing the door quietly as to not draw the attention of any nearby students, the demented Monokuma grinned at her.

All fear was forgotten the moment she heard her sister's voice through the automaton and Mukuro leapt to her feet, the coat lent by her biker classmate falling to the floor. Anger coursed through the soldier's veins and she pointed at the bear with her uninjured hand.

"Is that all you have to say?! You lied to me! You tried to kill me, Junko!"

Despite her loud volume, her sister didn't reprimand her. And if she wasn't upset that Mukuro had spoken her name aloud, then it meant that Junko was certain they weren't being overheard. Which was both a blessing and curse for the injured soldier, because it also meant that Junko was uninhibited as well. Even so, the soldier was too worked up not to protest.

"I followed through with your failsafe! I did everything you wanted me to do! Why did you betray me?! Was it because I back-talked in front of everyone?! Didn't I play the part like I was supposed to?! Wasn't I supposed to—?!"

Through the bear, a loud sigh interrupted Mukuro's tirade.

"I'm disappointed in you, Mukuro. You failed to see what was right in front of you this whole time."

All of Mukuro's protests stopped the instant those words reached her ears but she managed to choke out, "Wh-What are you talking about?"

Before going any further, Monokuma slowly walked over to a nearby stool and hopped up onto it. Standing tall and mighty, the bear folded its arms and gave a very furious expression.

"You want to know why I tried to kill you? It's because you broke the rules, you stupid bitch!"

Pure rage exploded from Junko's voice as she shouted at her sister and the instant she heard it, Mukuro's entire body trembled. This was the second time she'd ever seen her sister display such anger, the first being just after she regained her memories and committed her first murder. And since history tends to repeat itself, it was certain that disaster was soon to follow.

Mukuro slowly backed up until her back hit the wall but with nowhere to go, she soon found her sister had taken a deep breath to continue:

"I told you, over and over and over and over again! Don't break the fucking rules or I'll have to enforce them! And what did you do…you attacked Monokuma in front of everyone! How the hell did you think I was gonna respond to that?! If I didn't punish you, then everyone would have known something was up!"

Mukuro's entire body shook as Junko's voice continued to assault her, the remote controlled bear waving its arms emphatically all the while.

"You say that I lied to you?! That I betrayed you?! No! You brought this on yourself for being such a fuck up! You can barely act the part of being me, despite how long I practiced with you! And then you pull this!"

Despite the overwhelming fear and terror that kept her pressed against the wall, Mukuro finally found her voice and tried to say, "B-But! You moved Monokuma in the way! I couldn't get to the spot! I didn't want to but you made me—!"

"Then you should have stepped to the side, let him get through, and then went to your spot…like I told you to do!"

"B-But…you never…I…didn't think that…"

"Enough! I don't want to hear it!" Junko snapped, the bear holding out one paw to gesture silence. Mukuro immediately complied, not wanting to anger her sister any further.

For a moment, there was a heavy silence between them, only the sounds of their breathing echoed as the pair stared each other down. Deep inside, Mukuro felt something within her beginning to crack, like a premonition of despair welling up inside her soul, threatening to consume her.

And then, the sound of very deep, cleansing breaths came from Monokuma, and Mukuro hoped that her sister had finally settled down. That hope was dashed, however, when her sister's voice came back, softer and yet even more menacing than before.

"It seems that I'm going to have to complete your punishment after all. And I've prepared a very special one."

Her entire body freezing, Mukuro's breath hitched in her throat as her fate became clear to her. Sky-blue eyes widened and she clutched her injured hand close to her chest, pressing herself even harder against the wall. At the same time, her voice began to crack.

"N-No…please…Junko…I didn't…I don't…"

Without warning, Monokuma leapt off the stool and landed directly in front of Mukuro, staring up at her with a neutral expression, stunning the soldier into silence again.

"My very special punishment for Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, is…to play the game like everyone else…as Junko Enoshima, of course."

Mukuro's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips as she heard her fate. Unconsciously, she began to lightly shake her head as Junko continued, "From here on, you'll get no more special privileges. You are allowed to play the game however you see fit, as long as you don't ever reveal who you really are. If you do, even unintentionally, I will consider it a rule-breaker and punish you accordingly."

Mukuro's lips quivered and she tried to form words but her voice failed her, her mouth hanging open as she tried, in vain, to question her sister.

In response, Junko gave another sigh before saying, "I'll excuse you from the first trial as a parting gift. So, even if those idiots don't figure out that the baseball hater killed the pop idol, you'll survive. But this is the last favor I'm doing for you."

Turning Monokuma away from the startled soldier, the bear glanced over its shoulder and finished, "Good luck in the game."

Without giving Mukuro any time to accept this horrific knowledge, Monokuma began walking away from the trembling soldier and headed directly for the door.

Snapping out of her petrified state, Mukuro fell forward onto her knees and begged, "Y-You can't…you can't be serious! Junko! Junko, you can't—!"

"Stop calling me that."

Mukuro's eyes shot up as her sister reprimanded her, Monokuma whirling around to stare at her disgraceful appearance. Her sister scoffed at the wig on her head, frazzled and unkempt, stared with contempt at the spots of blood on her blouse, and practically sneered at the hints of moisture that threatened to spill from her sister's eyes.

With a huff, she continued, "You're Junko Enoshima now. And you will be for the rest of your…short as that life will probably be."

Again, Mukuro shook her head and pleaded, "No…please don't do this. Death…give me death instead of abandoning—!"

"As far as I'm concerned," Junko cut her off and had the bear turn away again, "Mukuro Ikusaba is dead…"

"No!...No!...Sister! Sister, please!"

Ignoring Mukuro's incessant begging, Monokuma strode up to the door and opened it, stepped out into the hallway.

With each step, the soldier felt herself slipping more and more into despair, giving her sister exactly what she wanted but slowly killing herself at the same time. And as the bear crossed over to the other side of the door, Mukuro struggled to hold onto the last bit of sanity she could as she reached out her arm for her sister…desperately pleading this was another of her sister's sick and twisted tests.

However, her reality was shattered as Monokuma turned around a final time, grasped the side of the sliding door, and allowed for Junko to deliver one final message:

"…Don't ever call me that again…"

It was those words, not the slamming of the door, that broke Mukuro's spirit. As the squishy sounds of Monokuma's footsteps echoed down the hallway, she collapsed into the fetal position, gasping for breath as her lungs seemed to refuse to allow her to breath, wrapping her arms around herself tightly.

Moments later, deep, heart-wrenching sobs echoed throughout the nurse's office as true despair was visited upon her.

To Be Continued…

And here it is! The huge deviation that I promised you! And more deviations are to come in the next few chapters!

By the way, my beta and I decided something about Taka. If you reread the scene with Kyoko inspiring him…if you notice, what she's really saying is: "Taka, you're the hard-ass we need right now…but not the one they deserve". Just had to get that in somehow…

Anyway, let me know what you think of how the story's progressing. I'm eager to hear your ideas or theories about future chapters! Have a great day, my beautiful readers!