Never Say Never
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.
Chapter 1
Act 7
"Kyoko? What are you doing?"
Even though she clearly heard his question, Kyoko ignored Makoto's query completely, keeping her attention focused on the numerous scratch marks on the floor of Makoto's room. She ran her gloved fingers through the fibers of the carpet and just when she though she noticed something important, her classmate spoke up again.
"Did you lose a contact lens or something?"
A soft grunt escaped her, but she made sure to keep it inaudible. Her concentration broken by his inane questioning, Kyoko fought to keep her emotionless façade intact amid the frustration that boiled up within.
"How naïve can this boy be?! Can't he see that I'm in the middle of a very sensitive investigation?!"
Instead of scolding him for his idiocy, she merely let out a soft breath before she replied, "What does it look like I'm doing?"
She foolishly hoped that he would get the message and either begin his own investigation or leave her be to continue but instead, she realized that she should have merely kept her mouth shut.
"I…I don't know?"
This time, she couldn't help the audible groan that escaped her, no matter how she tried. Despite his brave actions in the gym earlier, it seemed that Makoto was just as inept and useless as she had feared he would be. Then again, it had been the same with her other classmates.
Once everyone had gathered after delivering Junko to the nurse's office, Celeste 'conveniently' pointed out that, since the room actually belonged to Makoto, the chance of him being the killer was high. From there, almost everyone blindly assumed this to be true and weren't even bothering to assist in the investigation.
Even Byakuya, who seemed far wiser than he let on, was doing minimal investigating. And no doubt, like the others, he had come to the conclusion that Makoto had to be the killer…despite the fact that it was all far too obvious and blatantly done with the intent of framing the Lucky Student. Sure the possibility had existed that he was the culprit but the evidence proving his innocence was practically abundant. And no one took the time to even think of another possibility!
The ineptitude of her classmates tied a knot in her stomach and she felt as though she was truly alone in this case.
"If this keeps up, I'll have no choice but to take the lead and resolve this case myself. I wanted to avoid making myself a target for the more ambitious students but if I don't solve this, then I'm certain that no one else will. And I won't let myself die because my classmates can't use simple…logic…"
Again a wave of nostalgia washed over her as she questioned how this all came to her so naturally. Was this logic so simple? It came to her easily enough but perhaps that's all it was. And if that was the case, did it mean that her classmates weren't as inept as they were simply untrained? But that would mean that she had been trained to in the art of criminal investigation, which could lead to—
Kyoko abruptly squeezed her eyes shut and forced her thoughts to grind to a halt. Now wasn't the time for such ideas.
If she let herself get distracted now, she might overlook something important and be unable to save everyone from a horrific fate. With that in mind, she resumed her inspection of the slash marks on the floor, not to mention the absence of a vital clue that would determine whom had been in the room.
"There's absolutely no hair in this room. How can that be? Stray strands always fall, even if we're unaware of it. It's often the greatest clue that points to the culprit in these cases—wait, how do I know—".
Again, she forced herself away from the nostalgia that plagued her, doing her best do keep focused and not let her mind slip into concentrating on her past. This case was life or death and even if it was awakening her buried memories, she had to remain vigilant.
"Right now, the murder has to take precedence. Stay focused…"
Standing up, she realized that Makoto must have given up on speaking with her because he had disappeared from behind her and was currently looming outside the bathroom door. Not that she blamed him for that, seeing a friend dead would make anyone hesitate. Which is why Kyoko was able to investigate Sayaka's body with no issues, she hadn't consider the Pop Idol a friend and therefore was able to push away those unsettling emotions.
Even so, she'd been respectful and only spent the required amount of time examining the body. And now, she decided to extend that same courtesy to Makoto as he swallowed his bile and quietly entered the bathroom.
When he was out of sight, she decided to check one final spot before concluding her investigation of the crime scene and moving on to the trash room, where she was certain some evidence had been disposed of.
Leaving that thought alone for now, she ventured over and sat down at Makoto's desk near his bed. Almost instantly, she noticed the pad of paper was set far off to the side and the pencil that usually was supposed to be in a small holster was sitting atop the pad. The cleanly appearance made Kyoko believe that the desk had probably been untouched by the fight that must have taken place.
But then, why was the pad and pencil far removed from—!
Almost subconsciously, Kyoko's hands reached out, grasping the pencil tightly and pulling the pad over to her. With quick furious swipes, she shaded in the top page of the pad and her eyes widened as a message began to form. She read it quickly as she continued to shade, only stopping when she read the name signed at the bottom of the page:
Sayaka Maizono
"So then…it wasn't Sayaka who was attacked but instead instigated the assault. Unfortunately, she was smart enough not to include the name of her intended victim. If only she'd written their name…"
Folding the note and surreptitiously placing it into her coat pocket, Kyoko was about to go over her evidence when her brain finally caught up with her actions. She stood up from her seat and stared down, almost in wonder, at her handiwork.
"The shading…how did I know to do that? It seems almost like the kind of trick a detective would use on a murder mystery. Did that mean I received similar training? It would certainly explain my knowledge of criminal investigations. Could that mean that my title was the Ultimate—?"
Abruptly, her gloved hand shot up and lightly slapped the side of her cheek.
Letting the stinging sensation course through her, she scolded herself for letting her mind wonder back to that issue. Even if she had been on the cusp of remembering something, she knew that she also was close to piecing together this crime. And no matter how desperately she wanted to remember her past, she knew that now was not to the time to focus on it.
"There will be plenty of time to discover my past later. First and foremost, I have to survive long enough to uncover the answers."
Pushing away those lingering distracting thoughts, Kyoko instead focused on recounting the evidence she'd discovered.
"…Evidence of a struggle. The decorative sword with its gold plating rubbed off. The sword sheath scratches. The broken doorknob. The bloody knife on the floor of the bathroom. The bandages wrapped around the body. Her right wrist was broken. Blood on her left index fingertip. The dying message – 11037…"
As she silently passed by Mondo and Sakura on her way out of the room, Kyoko's mind kept coming back to those numbers.
"…11037…11037…11037…11037…11037…"
She calmly opened the door and stepped out into the hall. She barely heard her fellow students, Leon and Hifumi, speaking as her feet carried her away from the crime scene and toward the trash room. All the while, her mind continued to process…
"…11037…11037…11037…11037…N037…!"
Her lavender eyes widened as the sounds of the world suddenly came back to her, beginning with the tiniest of gasps as her mind cruelly pieced together the plot of this case. Glancing over her shoulder, she finally noticed one of her classmates nervously scratching his head, sweat trickling down his neck, occasionally stealing a glance toward the crime scene as he ran a hand through his fiery crimson hair.
"...LEON..."
"…Please go through the red door on the first floor of the school!"
Leon heard the announcement just as everyone else did. And, knowing that there was no defying the demented bear, he slowly carried himself to the large red double doors. Along the way, he snuck one final glance back at the door leading to what he had thought was Sayaka's room.
In the end, he didn't even go inside to pretend to investigate. He feared that if he crossed that threshold again, he might break down and give in to the little voice that told him he should turn himself in. It had been there, agonizing him ever since he'd been told his fellow students would be executed if he wasn't found out. Even so…
"I…I don't want to die…I'm…I'm not ready! I have to…I have to become a rock star and—".
The moment he thought of that, images of Sayaka smiling happily and promising to teach him flashed before his eyes…the horrific vision of her bloody corpse replacing those happy memories an instant later.
His dreams…died with Sayaka. He knew it was true…but right now, that lie was the only thing holding him together.
Pushing open the red doors, Leon found that he was one of the first to arrive, with Celeste and Byakuya already there. He carefully walked past them and leaned against the far wall, folding his arms and watching as everyone else strode in. Makoto was the last of them and he was instantly met with harsh glares.
A heavy pressure weighed down Leon's chest as his fellow students labeled the Lucky Student as the killer. And even though Makoto insisted it wasn't true, no one seemed to believe him.
"That's good." Leon thought as he watched Toko blatantly accuse his classmate of his own crime, "No one has any idea it was me. And all I have to do is…make sure…that no one finds…"
He couldn't finish his own thought as he saw a hint of moisture build up in the corner of Makoto's eyes before they were furiously wiped away. The accused boy was fighting off the pain of not only losing his close friend but the agony of being blamed for her death. Leon pretended to turn away from his classmate in disgust but in reality, the disgust was for himself.
But what choice did he have? He didn't want to die…like Sayaka.
Just as his guilt was about to consume him, Monokuma suddenly appeared near the elevator door and shouted, "Alrighty! Everyone seems to be here! So then, we can finally get the underway—!"
"Hold on a moment."
Everyone froze as Kyoko's stern voice called out; making many of them turn to her. Even Leon found himself surreptitiously glancing her way as she pushed herself to the head of the crowd to stand before Monokuma.
"What about Junko Enoshima?" she asked, choosing not to elaborate.
Monokuma tilted it's head sideways and answered, "What about Junko Enoshima?"
"I mean, why is she being excluded from this trial?" the lavender haired girl questioned.
Correcting it's posture, the bear lowered its head before replying, "Given her injury and the fact that all of you made such a fuss over it," he shot a quick glare to Makoto before continuing, "I've decided to exclude her from this trial. After all, it's my job as Headmaster to look out for my students!"
Monokuma's head shot up as it gave a cheeky laugh, holding it's sides for emphasis.
A slightly sigh escaped Kyoko before she continued, "If one of us is missing, how can we be expected to solve this case?"
Her query ceased the bear's laughter instantly, a feat that shocked most of the students.
"That's quite true," Celeste chipped in, taking a step forward. "What if Junko is somehow connected to this case? Or perhaps she knows something we do not? Wouldn't that be an unfair advantage for the killer?"
"Agreed," Byakuya concurred, unfolding his arms and glancing toward the door, "Someone go and fetch her."
"I-I-I'll go!" Toko abruptly, and surprisingly, volunteered. However, she didn't even have time to take a step before a furious growl echoed through the room.
"Dammit! I'm tired of waiting and I won't accept any more delays!" Monokuma suddenly shouted, gaining everyone's attention. "Fine then! I wouldn't normally do this but my hands are tied!"
Inexplicably from behind itself, Monokuma pulled out a large megaphone, took a moment to adjust it, and then placed it at the center of what could be considered it's mouth.
"Listen up, you punks! Junko Enoshima had absolutely NOTHING to do with this case! She wasn't involved in the murder nor does she have any connection to it at all! That's why she's being excluded! Get over it and get in the damn elevator!"
Suddenly, the metal doors to the elevator slid open and before anyone could protest, Monokuma had slipped away and was nowhere to be found. A heavy silence overtook the group for a moment, as none of them were quite sure what to believe.
However, order suddenly returned as an annoyed scoff broke the silence.
"At least that clears up one thing," Byakuya said as he adjusted his glasses. "We now know that Junko is not the killer."
"W-We already knew t-t-that!" Toko insisted, pointing an accusing finger at Makoto. "H-He's obviously the killer! So w-what's it matter if that s-slutty model isn't h-here."
"Y-Yeah, it doesn't really change anything…" Leon found himself saying, knowing that his words were mainly meant for himself.
"Indeed," Celeste agreed turning toward the elevator.
"W-Wait, you guys—!" Makoto tried to defend himself but it was too late.
Everyone began piling into the elevator that would take them to their fate, none of them listening to the pleas of the unfortunate boy they'd labeled the murderer. Leon lingered for a moment, a sympathetic expression coveting his face. However, he quickly hardened his features and took his place in the elevator.
All the while, he never noticed Kyoko, whom was standing only a few feet away from him, staring at him with a cold gaze.
It was unsettling, knowing exactly who was responsible but not being able to act on it. Kyoko had kept her gaze primarily focused on Leon and it was obvious he was hiding something. Or at least to her it was. For the most part, the rest of her classmates seemed obsessively keen on pinning the crime on Makoto, which made the situation all the more unbearable.
"W-Wait! You guys—!" she heard Makoto try to defend himself, only for his pleas to fall upon deaf ears.
Kyoko felt a great deal of pity for him. After all, he lost the person who he trusted most and had to endure being accused of being her killer. And what made it even more tragic…was that she knew that Sayaka had been deceiving him. For how long, she couldn't say. But that didn't change the fact that he'd lost his only ally in this horrific place.
Perhaps it was that pity that made her walk over to him and place a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he slowly turned, his eyes widening as he recognized her.
"Are you scared?" she asked him before she could stop herself.
He flinched but tried to put on a brave face as he answered, "N-No, scared isn't quite right…"
Staring at his apprehensive face, Kyoko could tell he was being honest. However, she could also see the anxiousness in his eyes, the need to find out who was responsible. She only hoped he would be strong enough to face the truth once it was revealed.
In light of that, she took her hand off his shoulder and turned to face him completely. "Makoto…it's up to you to uncover the mysteries of this case for yourself. If you don't, you'll never come to grips with the truth."
Without another word, she turned and marched toward the elevator. A part of her felt guilty for putting that kind of pressure on him, but she knew it was the right thing to do. If he didn't confront this matter himself, then he didn't deserve to know the truth. A harsh notion, but one that she firmly believed.
Stepping onto the elevator, she wasn't surprised when he followed almost immediately after her, his eyes hardened with determination. The doors to the elevator closed and after only a few seconds it began descending. As they sank into the earth, Kyoko folded her arms and hands gripping her leather jacket tightly, pondering if this would be the last time any of them would be above ground.
The clicking of Mukuro's laced boots echoed down the hall as the soldier absentmindedly let her feet carry her to an unknown location. She almost hadn't noticed that she was up and walking around. All she could remember was collapsing to the floor of the nurse's office and weeping uncontrollably, she wasn't sure how or why she was in the hall or even where she was going.
Her face was reddened, eyes strained and dilated; she almost appeared to be a walking corpse as she stumbled down the hallway.
"I may as well be dead," she told herself, feeling her despair reach its peak as she recalled her sister's words.
"As far as I'm concerned, Mukuro Ikusaba is dead!"
Abruptly, she halted and leaned against a nearby wall for support. She tried her best to fight them, but the tears came all the same. A flood of hot moisture spilled down her cheeks and dripped to the floor.
"What am I supposed to do?" she despaired as she wept. "I'm a soldier…I follow orders…without orders to follow…I…I don't…"
Pushing off the wall in a desperate attempt to deal with her frustration, she continued sobbing as her feet forced her onward, passing through the entryway to the dorms. Steadily advancing, Mukuro gazed at her bandaged wound, gritting her teeth and hanging her head.
"What reason is there for me to exist now? I have no home to go back to…no place left in this world…all I had…was Junko…and she…and she…"
As she walked, her uninjured hand slowly slipped into her blouse and she grasped the handle of her combat knife. However, she stopped herself from drawing it as she lifted her head to see exactly where she had stopped.
It was a door that held the image and name of Sayaka Maizono.
Deep, shallow breaths were sucked into Mukuro's lungs as she stared at that door, still grasping her knife. She wasn't sure how long she stood there gaping, unsure if it was even possible for her to enter. Her legs trembled and she felt as if her strength was being drained just by being there.
However, after her breathing finally began to calm itself, she loosed her grip on her combat knife and instead reached for the door knob.
"Alright then, first up is the case summary! Class trial…Begin!"
After Monokuma made this announcement, the bear reclined back in its huge judge's chair and grinned as the students looked between each other. A thick silence fell upon the group as no one seemed sure of exactly how to proceed.
Standing in her place between the biker and the martial artist, Kyoko carefully examined each and every one of her classmates.
Byakuya and Celeste were overly calm, which didn't surprise her. Chihiro and Toko were fidgety, but holding up well. Mondo was doing his best to comprehend things. Hina and Sakura were looking around cautiously, uncomfortable with not being seated next to each other. Hiro was surprisingly in control after his outburst earlier. Taka had his eyes closed and was concentrating. Hifumi was half-way between confused and invested. And Makoto was desperately trying to find ways to prove his own innocence.
Finally, she glanced over to Leon and felt herself let out a soft sigh. She had everything she needed to convict him, from evidence of his involvement to the way he would undoubtedly over-react at being accused. He was making it painfully obvious he was hiding something from all of them and she could use that to drive him into a corner.
However, a part of her still didn't want to take the lead in such things. She'd be painting a target on herself for future cases, if there were any, but she also didn't trust any of her classmates enough to allow them to solve this mystery on their own.
"So, uh, where do we actually start with this?" Hina bravely asked, the first to speak up after the silence.
Hearing someone else take the initiative, Kyoko decided to let things play out for the time being and hopefully, she wouldn't need to step in right away. To that end, she folded her arms and let the scene unfold.
Taking precedence, Taka cleared his throat and shouted, "I assert that the one who was murdered…was Sayaka Maizono!"
A collective groan escaped everyone and only Hiro found himself saying, "Yeah, we know that already…"
"She was found in Makoto's room," Byakuya said, trying to steer everyone back on course.
"And what was the murder weapon?" Sakura questioned aloud.
"Obviously it was the knife that we found on the floor of the bathroom! It was covered in Sayaka's blood!" Taka explained to everyone, knowing that not everyone had actually gone into the room to see for themselves.
Everyone began to ponder about this when suddenly, Leon let out an audible sigh.
"Okay, so we know the murder weapon was a knife, but where does that get us?" He paused as no one seemed to really have an answer. Taking the initiative again, he sent a glare toward his classmate and said, "I mean, we all know Makoto killed her, right?!"
Kyoko's gloved hands gripped her sleeves at Leon's abrupt and direct accusation. Even disregarding the evidence she had, for him to make such an accusation at this early stage was beyond foolish. Unfortunately for her, the ensuing confusion and argument that occurred were more than frustrating.
Toko followed up on Leon's claim and again placed all blame on Makoto, who tried to defend himself but found that neither the bookworm or the ball player were interested in his words. At the same time, even though she was certain that either Byakuya or Celeste were intelligent enough to see there could be more to this, neither of them spoke up.
A fact that perturbed Kyoko to no end.
"So, either they truly don't have as much sense as I thought, or they're simply doing as I am and trying to keep from making themselves a target."
In any case, she knew that regardless of their intelligence or intentions, something needed to be done before the more influential students were completely misled. After all, she couldn't expect Makoto to defend himself…
"Let's draw our conclusions after we've presented our arguments. Otherwise, what's the point of the trial?"
Sayaka Maizono lay completely still on the floor of the bathroom, her body leaning up against the back wall with blood stains all around. The white of her uniform was tainted with a pink hue and the makeshift bandages wrapped around her torso were soaked almost completely through with her blood.
This was the first time Mukuro had actually seen the body and she wasn't sure how she should have reacted. She'd entered the dorm room and almost immediately went to the bathroom, barely registering the chaotic state of the sleeping area. But now that she was here, standing over the body of a person she had once considered a classmate, she felt a strange sensation building within her.
It took a moment but Mukuro soon realized that it wasn't sadness or pain that she felt…but sympathy.
"You and I…we aren't so different are we?" she said softly as she stared at Sayaka's pale face. "We've both been abandoned…left to die for our sins. Only…mine are much graver than yours."
Memories of her past flooded her mind, images of the lives she'd destroyed while in Fenrir, visions of her crimes against her classmates long before trapping them here. And finally, her deception that she was now forced to carry out, having to play the role of her sister, the person who abandoned her, until she was either killed or found a way to survive the game.
Not that it mattered anyway.
It was only a matter of time now. She knew Junko would never allow a liability like her to win. Even if she was the last person alive at the end of the game, she was certain that Junko would have her executed anyway. After all, it would bring even more despair for the viewers watching the broadcast if the person who survived until the end was found out to be one of the instigators and killed for it.
Not to mention that Junko wouldn't allow a failure like her the satisfaction of survival.
"There…was no chance…from the beginning," she muttered to herself still staring down at Sayaka. "Neither of us had a chance at surviving this…only…I didn't know it until now…"
Fresh tears began to form in her eyes as she squeezed them shut and clenched her fists.
"I don't deserved any kind of forgiveness for what we've done to you…but at the very least, I have to say that I'm sorry! You didn't deserve to die like—"
"Uhgh…ughu…uh…"
"…that's definitely something I wouldn't do. Since I knew exactly how to open the bathroom door, right?" Makoto finished defending himself, having laid out another point that proved his innocence.
"That is…a definite possibility," Byakuya reluctantly admitted, forcing anyone else who was suspicious of the Lucky Student to concede as well.
Across the room, Kyoko hid a smile as she snuck a glance at Makoto. She may have given him a little push, but that was all he needed to jump in and defend himself from the onslaught of accusations he'd received.
In fact, she had to admit that, despite her initial observation of him, he was far more intelligent than she had originally believed. His own investigation mirrored hers almost perfectly and she only had to step in occasionally, to clear up any doubt whenever one of their classmates tried to counter him.
"Perhaps I was wrong about him," she mused to herself as everyone was stunned into silence at the realization that Makoto was, indeed, not the killer. "But still, that doesn't mean that he'll be able to solve everything."
With that in mind, she turned her attention back to her fellow classmates…and to Leon in particular.
"Shit! Now what the hell do I do?! I can't blame Makoto anymore! I'll look too suspicious!"
Leon began to panic as everyone decided against the Lucky Student being the killer. He carefully wiped the sweat from his brow, doing his best not to seem flustered. Lucky for him, he wasn't the only one frustrated by this turn of events.
"Okay, then who the hell did do it?!" Mondo abruptly shouted, trying to make sense of this new information.
"I'm sorry but I give up! Quit without saving!" Hifumi uselessly replied, making everyone groan.
"Wait…they still have no idea who actually did it, so…I should be in clear…" Leon thought as he breathed a quick sigh of relief.
That is, until Taka had to go and open his mouth, "Well then, why don't we just vote right now?! Majority rules!"
Before anyone else could refute him, Leon found himself dumbstruck before saying, "Majority rules? Are you sure that's such a good idea…?"
His words made everyone around him nod in agreement, but Leon himself felt a wave of utter stupidity wash over him.
"Why the hell did I say that?! No one suspects me right now! I should have pushed for the vote!"
"He's right! Our necks are on the line here! Someone do something, for serious!" he heard Hiro comment, convincing others that Taka's stupid suggestion shouldn't be considered.
And while he did his best to appear calm, on the inside, Leon felt his composure beginning to waver as everyone resolved themselves to continue debating. His mind raced as he tried to think of any other way to keep from being discovered. Fortunately for him, his classmates were no closer to solving the mystery.
"Uh, I have a question." Hina suddenly chimed in, turning all attention toward her. "How did the killer get into Sayaka's room in the first place?"
A swell of relief flooded Leon for a moment, knowing that no one would be able to figure that one out. After all, he'd burned the note Sayaka wrote to him when he'd left it in the pocket of the bloody shirt he'd incinerated.
"There's no way they'll be able to piece that part together…"
Sayaka felt the last thin thread of her life fading into the nothingness. Only blackness could be sensed…all around her…her soul…beginning to fade…into oblivion…her last chance…to live…gone…forev—
Just then, a voice rang in her ears. It was muddled and broken, but she could tell it was close!
"…aren't so different are we?...both been abandoned…left to die… don't deserved any kind of forgiveness… I'm sorry!"
"…a…voice…whose…is…it?…h-help…I'm still…"
As the darkness around her threatened to finally consume her whole, Sayaka heard that voice calling out to her. It was soft and sweeter than Makoto's but it was definitely there…waiting beyond the deep blackness that overwhelmed her, pulling her back to consciousness. A last ray of light had appeared before her, beckoning her back to life.
"…I…I want…to…live…!"
Knowing that this was indeed her very last chance to reach out, Sayaka used every last ounce of her strength to respond. And this time, she found her voice…
"Uhgh…ughu…uh…"
Mukuro completely froze as those soft groans escaped from the seemingly lifeless body of Sayaka. Her breath hitched in her throat and the soldier thought for a moment that she had to be imagining things…
"Urgh…ah…"
Again! Again there was noise coming from Sayaka's cold lips! Instantly falling to her knees beside the mostly-dead girl, Mukuro placed two fingers on the idol's throat and remained still as she found the vein she was searching for.
…
…
…Thump-thump….Thump-thump…
…
…
A shaky breath was sucked into Mukuro's lungs as she heard the incredibly weak heartbeat of Sayaka Maizono!
"She…she's…she's…SHE'S ALIVE! SAYAKA IS ALIVE!"
Mukuro could hardly believe it. Sayaka was weak and fading, certainly, but she was still alive after bleeding out for so long. How was that even possible? It had been several hours since the wound was inflicted. There was no way someone could survive for that long after losing several pints of blood. Unless…
The soldier's eyes drifted down to see the bloodied strips of towel wrapped around Sayaka's midsection. And although it certainly was a sloppy job, the towel had been effective in stopping the bleeding at least. The amount of blood loss may have been extensive but if she was able to make noises, then there was still a chance!
"If I hurry, then I can still—!" Mukuro almost shouted to herself before strangely falling silent.
Looking down at the helpless girl, whose life was fading even at that very moment, dangerous thoughts coursed through Mukuro's mind.
"If Sayaka is alive, then Junko's plans are ruined…at least for the time being. She'll be more furious than ever and take it out on…well, all of us! But if Sayaka doesn't survive…"
Unconsciously, Mukuro found her good hand slipping inside her blouse and grasping the handle of her combat knife.
"And if I'm the one to do it…will Junko…love me again?"
She could see it now. Junko welcoming her back with open arms, congratulating her for keeping the game going and not letting one little slip up ruin her plan. She'd be acknowledged by her sister and even praised for being useful. Just thinking about it made Mukuro…made her feel…feel as if…as if her heart were being cut out…
A single tear slid down Mukuro's cheek as she gently whispered, "It'll…never happen…Junko…she would…never…"
She knew that Junko would never praise her. In fact, she'd probably brand her sister a blackened and execute her for finishing off Sayaka. It was stupid of her to even think that just because she kept Junko's plans from being ruined that she would be forgiven. That was not how Junko worked.
Taking her hand off the knife, Mukuro now found herself with another dilemma.
"I really don't owe Sayaka anything. And even if I managed to save her, it would only incur my sister's wrath. Perhaps I'm better off just letting Sayaka…slip away—"
In the midst of her thoughts, she abruptly shook her head and slapped her cheek.
She had just been thinking about how unfair it was that both of them had been abandoned. And now, she was considering letting Sayaka feel the same hurt and anguish she'd been battling ever since Junko had cut her loose!
Furious at herself, she clenched her fists but felt a sharp pain from her right hand. Wincing, she lifted her hand up and almost gasped as she looked at the bandage.
Even if the wrappings were printed with Monokuma's image, she could still feel the tenderness of Makoto's hands as he'd gently wrapped her bandages, careful not to pull too tight and injure her further. This, of course, conjured Makoto's face in her mind…and she felt more ashamed than ever for what she'd considered doing to Sayaka.
"Makoto…he never abandoned us. Even now, he's fighting…trying to keep as many of us alive as he can."
Her voice was low, barely a whisper but she clutched her bandaged appendage close to her chest.
Her heart had nearly broken when she'd seen Makoto's pain-stricken face when he had been forced to accept Sayaka's apparent death. And she could never forget the bravery he'd shown when he pulled her away from the spear trap, extending her now shortened life. He threw himself into harm's way for his friends, something she had never done before.
And, if for no other reason than to repay her debt to him, Mukuro came to a decision.
"At the very least, I owe Makoto for prolonging my life. And if I can save Sayaka…And save him from this pain…then I'll endure any punishment my sister can conjure!"
Taking in a deep breath, Mukuro steeled her resolve and bent down low, scooping up the unconscious Sayaka in her arms. Adjusting her weight and making sure that the pop idol wasn't still bleeding, she quickly but carefully made her way out of the bathroom, into the living area and outside into the hallway.
Not wasting a single moment, Mukuro sped off toward the nurse's office with Sayaka in tow.
"How the hell did this happen?!" Leon frantically thought as his classmates deduced that whomever Sayaka invited over, and tried to kill, was the culprit.
He'd been confident that without the note, there wouldn't be any way to tell that Sayaka invited him over! But then, Kyoko had to pull some NCIS bullshit and magically replicate the note he'd received! On top of that, Makoto flawlessly pieced together what must have happened during the fight between him and Sayaka, making it even harder to defend himself if he was found out!
Forcing himself to take a deep breath, to calm his frazzled nerves, Leon reassured himself there was nothing to fear.
"I-It'll be fine. I mean, that's it, right? There isn't anything else."
As if on cue, everyone began having the same reaction. No one seemed to be able to think of anything that might lead to the discovery of the culprit. Not to mention that some of them, mainly Makoto, were still reeling from the fact that they'd uncovered Sayaka's true involvement.
Even Kyoko seemed stumped at this point, as she turned to her classmates and said, "If we can't uncover who murdered Sayaka, then it's over for all of us…"
A hollow silence filled the room as the threat of death loomed over them all…well, except for Leon that is.
Lucky for him that there was no evidence left for them to present, given that he'd destroyed it all. Sure, they may have found out about the hair being removed but there was no way they'd be able to figure out how he'd burned his shirt. Which meant that, there was nothing left for them to—
"Wait! That's it! If I insist on how hopeless this is and urge us to just piece together what we have, then none of them will have any suspicion for me at all! And since they can't trace it back to me…I'm in the clear!"
Folding his arms, Leon faked frustration as he said, "It's easy to say, 'Just decide who did it,' but it's not that simple. I mean, there are absolutely no clues left, right—?"
That's it. He was in the clear now. There was absolutely nothing left for anyone, even Kyoko, to—
"No, that's wrong…"
Leon's body froze as Makoto's accusatory words broke through the silence. The baseball star slowly turned to see the lucky student, renewed fervor burning in his hazel eyes, staring forward with more conviction than ever.
"We're all forgetting about one thing," Makoto said before anyone could refute him, "…Sayaka's dying message."
Unable to stop himself, Leon let out a light gasp as his mind began to retreat back into panic.
Sayaka felt herself being carried, to where, she couldn't even guess. The idol felt her head resting on something soft, her arms folded over her chest as whoever was carrying her had their hands under her back and legs, hold the injured girl close to their chest. And despite the warmth she felt from her savior, there was agony as well.
Pain…immense pain ripped through her body…such agony had never been experienced by her before…not even when she'd been sliced open…however…it brought an overwhelming sense of calm with it…it was like nothing she'd ever expected…
She was no longer being consumed by the darkness around her, her mind freed from the nothingness that had been seeping in. She would endure any suffering if it meant that horrifying darkness was kept at bay. For even as crippling as that pain was, it was preferable to slipping away into the void.
And even though she was too weak for her to open her eyes, she knew that…somehow…she had come back to the land of the living. It was then that she heard that voice again; that soft yet stern voice that had beckoned her back from the dark.
Only this time, it was clear as day:
"You know…I used to hate you. Both on and off the stage, people loved you. They loved you as a performer and as a person. I…I was jealous of that."
Unable to respond in the least, Sayaka continued to listen intently, taking in each and every word the voice spoke to her.
"And even though I could see through your fake smile, see that you must have had difficulties too…I still resented the fact that you were loved, truly and absolutely. By everyone…by him."
Strangely, the voice was very apologetic. As if the person speaking had committed a grave sin against her.
"But I was wrong. I hated you for something that you worked hard for, something that you didn't take for granted and actively tried to keep. Now I realize that I was jealous of your strength more than anything else."
Sayaka couldn't fathom why her savior was saying such things. After all, she wasn't strong at all. She had tried to frame Makoto, tried to kill the naively innocent Leon, and her actions would no doubt inspire others to try and murder their way out as well.
"I'm weak…and pathetic. I don't…deserve…"
Before her thoughts darkened any further, that soft voice broke through and enveloped her again.
"And because of that, I never gave a thought to how much you…how much everyone here must be suffering. I only thought of myself and in the end…"
The voice fell silent for a moment and Sayaka feared that she may never hear it again when it abruptly came back.
"In the end, that's why I have to save you. Even if it's only this one time, I have to do something…anything it takes to make this right. I swear…if we both survive this, I'm going to apologize to you properly…so you can't die until then!"
As those words seeped into Sayaka's semi-conscious mind, she was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. Someone actually cared for her, even though she was an attempted murderer, even though she had done many horrible things to others in her past. At the very least, the person who this voice belonged to…wanted her to live.
And for the first time since she'd been thrust into this horrific situation, she felt sincere gratitude as her will to live was completely restored.
"…Thank…you…"
Mukuro had no idea if Sayaka could hear her, or even why she was saying these things. But as she moved closer and closer to her destination, she felt that she needed to say something. Her words were pure and honest, even though she wasn't sure what brought them on. All she knew was that they needed to be said.
Sayaka needed to hear them, just in case she wasn't able to save her. The soldier knew that this was her only chance to convey those words that had been suppressed for so long.
Sayaka's head lay against her bosom, providing the much needed comfort this fading girl required. Blood from the idol's abdomen wound stained her blouse and skirt but Mukuro didn't care in the least. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd been drenched in blood…but it was the first time she'd done so to save a life.
And even though she had doubts as to if she could revive her severally injured classmate, she knew that this was her purpose now. It was the first time she'd given herself a mission and with a clear goal in mind, she found herself able to push away all the distracting thoughts of the trial and Junko, focusing solely on keeping Sayaka alive.
Looking down at Sayaka's pale face, Mukuro barely noticed the tiniest of tears trickling down the idol's cheek.
It may have been from the pain of being moved. That's what the logical part of her mind told her. But instead, Mukuro chose to believe that, on some level, her words had reached Sayaka's soul…and she knew that she was going to be saved.
Feeling the adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins, Mukuro lifted her head up as she turned the corner, the nurse's office finally coming into view.
Readjusting her injured classmate, Mukuro hardened her features in determination and said, "Hold on, Sayaka! We're almost there!"
"Sure, I think we can all agree that Sayaka wrote the message, but still…what the heck do those numbers mean? 11037?"
Hina's question was the same as everyone else's in the group. Well, almost everyone's.
Kyoko stood in her place, a hand on her chin, watching as her classmates tried to decipher the numbers. Naturally, Chihiro was asked about them but the programmer didn't have a clue as to what the sequence of numbers could correspond to. Because of that, all speculation went out the window and none of her classmates could fathom what it could mean.
At the same time, Kyoko found herself eerily quiet. Once again, she feared making herself into a target and wanted to keep her discoveries to herself, hoping someone else would be able to reach the same conclusion as herself.
In fact, she had half expected Makoto to figure it out by now, considering he was doing so well at unmasking all of the crucial elements to this case. However, to her disappointment, she found that he was becoming just as stumped as everyone else. But unlike everyone else, she could see that he was still actively trying to solve the mystery of the number.
She could see it in his eyes, those hazel irises that continued to question everything and seek out the truth, no matter the cost. And it was because she respected that relentless tenacity that she finally decided to give him a little push.
"…Let's look at the numbers assuming they're not numbers."
The instant those words left her mouth, she saw Makoto's eyes light up as he finally realized there was another way to interpret them. However, he wasn't the only one. Hifumi also jumped in and pointed out that the first two letters, 11, looked off. From there, Chihiro noticed a tiny connecting line between the two numbers.
And thus, the letter "N" became visible for all to see.
However, the high everyone got from this discovery was immediately halted when Sakura spoke up, "But even if it really is an 'N'…N037 doesn't make any more sense than before…"
With that, Kyoko knew that her classmates were close to uncovering the truth for themselves but unfortunately, they were still falling short. The answer was literally right in front of them but none of them could see it. Makoto's eyes dampened a bit as even he couldn't see the meaning of this new discover.
Not even the killer could clearly see it yet. But then again, she knew why.
He'd never gone back into the bathroom to see Sayaka's body, so he missed the message entirely. Naturally, he was utterly shocked at all of this and as such, Leon had remained utterly silent throughout this entire affair. It was the clearest giveaway Kyoko had ever seen.
She had pieced it together before she'd even gotten into the elevator. She knew Leon was the culprit from the start but for some reason…she'd kept herself from coming right out and explaining it all at the beginning. And sadly, it wasn't just about not wanting to become a target for other students.
It was something deeper than self preservation. It was a notion that she didn't want to admit needed to be done but knew that it was going to have to happen for herself and her classmates to survive…
"The moment I say this…I will become Leon's killer."
Even though the rational part of her mind kept insisting that notion was foolish, she couldn't fight that feeling. More than anything else, that notion was the reason she'd kept quiet all this time. She didn't want to face the responsibility…the guilt that because of her investigation…a classmate was going to be condemned to death.
And while it may be true that he committed a heinous and unforgivable crime, that didn't mean it was right of her to sentence him to such a horrifying fate. To her, taking another's life was not something that should be forgiven…which is why she hesitated to take Leon's at this very moment.
She would never forgive herself for being the instrument of his demise.
Looking across the way, she could see that Leon was already in the throes of panic and despair. Whether because he regretted his actions or was just terrified of being discovered, she couldn't say.
In any case, it didn't change the fact that if she didn't do something here and now…she and everyone except Leon would perish. She was working so hard to keep everyone alive but she was outwitted at every turn.
Then again, it was the nature of this game. Monokuma wanted all of them to feel the darkest of despair and what better way than making them turn on the ideals that they hold so dear?
Kyoko cursed whomever was controlling that bear with every fiber of her being as she was forced to concede and give Monokuma exactly what he wanted. Burying her conflicting emotions deep down beneath her cold exterior, Kyoko felt a little bit of herself dying as she finally opened her mouth and said:
"…Rotate the image 180 degrees…"
Leon wasn't sure exactly what it was, but something about the way Kyoko had spoken sent a chill down his spine. Compelled to do as she asked, the baseball player flipped his electro ID over and blanched as he saw what was written there.
L-E-O-N
His feet suddenly felt ice cold and his eyes dilated as he realized his fate was sealed.
Before he had a chance to say anything, Makoto audibly gasped and shouted, "Oh my God! I see it now! If you invert the numbers they become the letters L, E, O, N! Or more accurately…Leon!"
As one, all of the students surrounding him turned and stared, some with accusatory glares and others with shocked questioning glances. Under their harsh gazes, the baseball star felt that hollow pressure in his chest return as his wrongdoings were made apparent to all present.
"No…No way…NO FUCKING WAY!"
"Okay…There!"
Mukuro finally finished setting up the IV stand with a fresh pack of blood. It was fortunate that there were blood packs in the fridge, considering she hadn't checked if there were any. She'd half expected Junko to remove all of the packets, in case something like this happened but it seemed that her sister either didn't believe it would happen or she thought the students might use the blood for…other purposes.
Not only that, she had been worried that she wouldn't know what type of blood Sayaka was. However, she remembered the electro ID had all of their information saved on it and thankfully, everyone's blood type was listed in their profile.
Mukuro almost couldn't believe her luck in all of this and wondered if possibly Makoto's influence was rubbing off on her. But she didn't have time to think about that now!
Turning around she saw Sayaka lying in the bed she'd set her on. Her pink wig was tied back using a hair mask, to make sure it didn't get in the way. She considered taking the wig off all together but figured that, on the off chance Sayaka happened to wake up, it was crucial that it be in place.
Making sure the sterile gloves on her hand were secure, she reached a hand out but stopped just before she grasped her classmate's right wrist. Seeing it swollen and more than likely broken, she decided to use the idol's left wrist instead and began searching for a vein. It took a moment but she soon found the vein in questioned and took a deep breath.
"Sayaka…This is gonna hurt but just bear with it!"
Holding the IV needle tightly in her hand Mukuro furrowed her brows and pierced the needle directly into the vein. Sayaka very lightly grunted and slightly twitched but otherwise remained motionless.
Taping the IV tube to her hand, Mukuro looked back at the blood packet. A relived smile broke out on her face as she saw the blood begin to drip into the IV, flowing down the tube and directly into Sayaka's body.
"Well…that wasn't so hard," Mukuro said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "Now, here comes the tricky part."
Mukuro knew she needed to redress Sayaka's stomach wound, or else it would get infected and all of her efforts would be for nothing. However, since she had never actually sustained an injury in battle before, she didn't really know the proper way to clean and dress a wound. Sure, she'd gotten a few scrapes and bruises before but never anything that required medical attention. As such, her experience here was practically nonexistent.
"Then again, I've only watched others do a blood transfusion and I managed that well enough," she encouraged herself, "And if I just remember what my comrades taught me in case I get injured…"
Picking up a pair of medical scissors, the soldier carefully began to cut away the cloth of both Sayaka's shirt and the towel strips on her abdomen. Once she was certain she could remove it all, she began to slowly pull the material off Sayaka's body. As she lifted the bloodied cloth away and tossed it aside, Mukuro breath hitched for a moment as she saw the injury.
From just below Sayaka's right breast to just above her waistline, a long jagged slice of flesh was visible. However, Mukuro was able to breathe a sigh of relief, noticing that the wound itself was not as deep or fatal as it appeared. But unfortunately, since the towel strips had been stuck to her body for so long, removing them actually caused the wound to begin bleeding once more.
However, Mukuro was prepared for this and immediately applied a large gauze to the open wound. The medical patch soon began to become soaked all the way through with the pink hue of blood. Expecting this, the soldier quickly applied another gauze to the area before grabbing medical tape from the table beside her.
As quickly and effectively as she could, Mukuro began taping down the sides of the gauze, blood from the open wound staining her gloves.
"This should…help keep…pressure on it…" she reasoned as she finished taping, putting the tape back down and reaching for a towel.
Wiping her gloved hands on it to remove as much blood residue as she could, she then reached over for the last and most crucial item needed for the dressing. Her hand wrapped around the roll of bandages and she pulled a long strip of them out to prepare to use. She almost cringed as she saw the image of Monokuma on the bandages but beggars can't be choosers in this situation.
Leaning over Sayaka, Mukuro began wrapping the bandages tightly around the idol's abdomen. It was initially difficult to get her hands underneath her body to fully wrap the bandage but after a few wrappings, she found a rhythm and pattern that allowed her to slip one hand under, grab the roll and pull it all the way out the other side without causing much trouble.
Sayaka grunted and writhed a bit as each bandage was tightened but the sounds were more of a relief to hear than a detractor. Considering she was thought to be dead, any noise that Sayaka made right now was an improvement!
A few times while wrapping the bandages, a sharp jolt of pain shot through Mukuro's injured hand but each time she forced it away and continued. It was fortunate that she still had as much dexterity with her fingers as she did, considering how fresh the hole in her palm was. Even so, regardless of how stiff she thought her fingers were, she was finally able to finish wrapping the bandages tightly around Sayaka's midsection.
Pulling them tightly, earning another groan from Sayaka, the soldier tied the bandages firmly and took a step back. The IV was flowing steadily and the white cloth around the idol's abdomen showed no sign of continued bleeding. And, maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed as though Sayaka's breathing was returning to normal as well, seeing the light rise and fall of her chest.
Confident that her job was complete Mukuro pulled the sheets over Sayaka's body to keep her warm, leaving only the arm with the IV lying atop the sheets.
The instant that task was done, the soldier felt her strength begin to waver and she stumbled over to the nearby wall. Easing herself down to sit on the floor and placing her back against the wall, she stared upwards at the ceiling. Her exhausted breaths were the only sound she could hear at the moment as she felt her consciousness slipping into tired rest.
Closing her eyes, she whispered, "With this…Junko's plan is ruined. Now that Sayaka is alive…there isn't a…blackened for the…first trial…and there won't…be a need to…execute—".
Suddenly her eyes shot open and an audible gasp escaped her lips as realization came crashing down.
"Oh shit! The trial!"
"…Isn't that right, LEON?!"
Makoto's stern and absolute conviction tore through Leon's mind like a hurricane, destroying any and all hope that he may be spared. He'd been found out, plain and simple. He'd never seen the dying message and didn't think anyone would figure out he used the incinerator from behind the gate. And never in a million years did he think that Makoto of all people would be the one to convict him.
And now…he was going to die…just like Sayaka…
"No…This can't be happening…How did it come to this?...It's all so stupid…stupid…stupid, stupid, stupid!"
To Be Continued…
Greetings, my beautiful readers. Sorry I didn't post last time. I was traveling and didn't have time to get this chapter edited. So, I put up a fun little one-shot "The Ultimate Hope" in its place. Feel free to go and check it out if you haven't yet.
Anyway, quite a riveting chapter, wouldn't you agree? But now that Sayaka is out of harm's way, what will become of Leon? How will he escape his grizzly fate? You'll just have to tune in to the next chapter to find out!
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day, my beautiful readers!