Never Say Never
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.
Chapter 2
Act 5
Warmth…that was all Leon could feel as his consciousness slowly returned. His body almost felt like it was floating, and all around him there was a soothing heat that didn't threaten to burn him alive. His vision swam as his eyes opened and all he could see was a heavenly haze. It seemed to stretch out forever into the distance, into a void of white on the horizon. A feeling of calmness unlike anything he'd ever experienced before swelled inside him, and the ballplayer felt all his earthly fears and desires dissipate into that void.
"Oh shit…I'm must have bitten the big one…So this is heaven, huh? Kinda surprised I made it here but I'm not complaining."
Just as he was about to rest his eyes and give in to this magnificent state of bliss, a huge pompadour slid into his vision, his eyes widening as he recognized who it belonged to.
"Yo dude! You alive?!"
As the face of Mondo Owada came crashing into his line of sight, the beautiful white horizon instantly became recognized as the bathhouse ceiling and the heavenly haze was registered as steam from the baths.
"Oh fuck! This isn't heaven! This is hell! It's conjured the most pants-shitting place for me to spend my eternity of torment! Complete with a sweaty Mondo to torture—wait, hold on a sec…"
As his thoughts ran rampant, a hand abruptly pushed Mondo aside, making room for Taka to lean over Leon's body.
"Leon! Are you alright? Quickly, what is the square root of nine to the seventh power?"
A long moment of silence followed and all Leon could do was stare upward as his fears were slowly being confirmed.
"Taka's asking me math questions…now I know I'm in hell. Hell is pulling out all the stops—okay, hold on, how the fuck would Taka end up down here?"
It was only now that Leon's memory began to catch up with his mind, recalling the events in the sauna. Well, at least up until the point when he'd been gut punched in his wounded area by Mondo.
A flood of relief hit Leon and he let out a relieved sigh and said, "Okay, so it's just a metaphorical hell, not the real one. Whew! Dodged a bullet there."
Taka and Mondo exchanged a confused look but he couldn't care less. His body felt incredibly heavy and he wanted nothing more than to just remain on the floor. However, that wasn't meant to be.
"Dude, if you're awake, then you should get off the floor. It's kinda hard to tell if I really killed you or not."
Instantly, Leon felt a twinge of anger and he decided to act upon it. "Oh, because that's all that matters. Whose only worried about themselves now?"
Mondo visibly flinched at that accusation, stunned for a moment as he processed what Leon had said. And it didn't take long for his eyes to narrow and his hands to ball into fists.
"What did you say?! You got a death wish, you son of a bitch!"
Somehow feeling confident enough to get it off his chest, Leon continued to lay flat on the floor as he glared up at Mondo.
"Hmph, it's different when it's your ass on the line, isn't it?! Well how the hell do you think I felt when you all abandoned me?!" He paused and sent a small glare Taka's way before continuing. "I see how you all look at me. Like I'm some deranged murderer that could snap at any moment!"
Taka opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, knowing that, on some level, even he had done that at one point. At the same time, Mondo began to lose his ferocity, but still didn't know what else to feel besides anger.
"It…it ain't like that! I don't see you that way anymore—!" he tried to explain.
"Yeah, anymore! Doesn't change the fact that you don't trust me and want me locked up for a mistake that makes me want to beat the shit out of myself!" Leon interrupted, not accepting Mondo's excuse. "But as long as it's not you then it's fine, isn't it?! Face it! If it had been you tied up with that pitching machine pointed at you, you'd be as desperate and pathetic as I was!"
Each word cut deeper and deeper into Mondo, and whether or not he agreed with Leon, it didn't stop how furious those accusations made him. Gritting his teeth and practically seeing red, the biker let out a furious shout and reared his fist back, prepared to clock the ballplayer in the face.
"You sonofa bitch! You don't know anything about me!"
Angrily scoffing, Leon's gaze practically dared him to let his fist fly. "I know that you can't solve any of your problems without hitting them! Keep that up and you'll end up just like me!"
"Be quiet! Both of you!"
A flash shot in front of Mondo, a hand grasping his wrist to keep his arm from moving. The biker's gaze shot down and both he and Leon were startled to see that Taka had placed himself between them. Mondo was especially surprised that the Moral Compass actually had enough strength to hold him back, the iron grip on his wrist keeping his fist in place.
A brief silence engulfed them all before Taka slowly released his grip on Mondo. Immediately afterward, he took a deep breath and said, "Now isn't the time for violence."
As if a switch had been flipped, Leon and Mondo felt a chill as they realized how reckless they both had been acting. As they both considered the absurdity of their actions, the Ultimate Moral Compass tightened the towel around his waist and cleared his throat before glancing at Mondo.
"Mondo, I understand why you're upset. You feel guilty over what we both did…voting for Leon during the trial. And it's hard to deal with…trust me, I understand that all too well…" He paused and momentarily averted his gaze before snapping back up, a fire burning in his eyes. "But Leon is right! We did abandon him! Even if we don't want to admit it, we still did. And he has every right to be angry!"
The biker stood there, fists still clenched, holding in a retort. It was obvious that he knew Taka was right but he still couldn't admit it. So, he opted to remain silent instead. During that time, Taka turned and kneeled down to speak with Leon.
"I know that it's too late but…I owe you an apology!" He abruptly bowed his head. "During the trial, I lost my composure and blamed you for what happened to Sayaka! And for that, I am truly sorry!"
Shocked at the sudden apology, Leon was at a loss for a few moments. "Uh…it's, uh, it's cool, dude—".
"It most certainly is not cool…dude!" Taka repealed, snapping his head up. "And even though I tried to make up for my actions by voting to allow you to stay a part of the group, I feel that I still deserve punishment! If you'd like, you can punch me! Right in the face!"
"What, why?! Why would I do that?!" the ballplayer asked, completely perplexed.
"To punish me for not being able to help you! Now, go ahead! I'm prepared!"
Before he could protest more, a ferocious shout startled him. "Me too! I deserve it too!" Mondo abruptly shouted, kneeling next to Taka. "Clock me right in the nose if you want! Do it!"
Leon's jaw dropped at the stupidity of their suggestion, his face warped with confusion. And even as appealing as that was, he didn't really feel that it would help. Plus, he was exhausted and didn't think he'd be able to proper punch them anyway.
"Dude, I don't want to punch either of you in the face!" he informed them, trying to find a way out of their suggestion.
Taka and Mondo exchanged a confused look before the biker looked back at Leon and asked, "Do you want to punch us somewhere else?"
"No! Dammit, you can't solve all your problems by punching them!" Leon protested as he face-palmed.
"You sure about that?" Mondo asked, not completely registering the notion. "I mean, if you punch me, we should be even, right?"
A heavy sigh escaped Leon and his gaze fell to the floor. "Mondo, if you keep acting like that, you might accidently hurt someone…just like I did."
For a brief moment, all of them fell silent. The reality of what had happened to all of them, especially Leon, was far too fresh for them not to worry. And, almost against his will, Mondo lifted his hand to his face and balled it into a fist before letting it fall melancholically to his side.
"Yeah…I know. It's the second time someone's had to tell me that…" he said quietly, recalling Kyoko's warning to him on their first day in this hell-hole.
"Well then, what do you want?" Taka asked, trying to bring them out of the funk they'd found themselves in.
"I don't know, man…" Again, Leon felt nothing but confusion at being put on the spot and he threw up his arms. It was then that, a single thought invaded his mind. "I…uh…I guess I kinda want to know why Mondo voted to have me locked up?"
Now he felt like the stupid one. Sure, he wanted to know the answer to that question but he didn't want to ask it in a way that made him look so ridiculous.
"Well…uh…"
Leon's eyes widened and he looked up to see Mondo nervously scratching his head, as if searching for the best way to answer. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the biker to sigh and answer.
"Well, you know, when you do bad shit you get locked up, right? I mean, that's what happened to me when I flipped off that cop and ended up in juvie!"
"…You got put in juvie for flipping off a cop?" Leon couldn't help but question.
"Well, it was more about stealing his bike, but yeah!"
"Mondo! Why would you do such a thing?!" Taka protested, his hall monitor senses tingling.
"What? Police bikes are supposed to be a lot fuckin' faster than a normal bike. I wanted to test and see if it was true! It was a…what's it called…like a pursuit of knowing things!"
"The Pursuit of Knowledge does not constitute theft!"
In the middle of their argument, both Taka and Mondo were shocked to hear a roar of laughter from Leon, as he continued to lie prone on the bathhouse floor.
"Dude! That's fucking awesome!" he shouted between laughter spurts. "That's the most badass thing you've ever said, man!"
Slowly, Mondo let the laughter infect him and he chuckled as he replied, "You wanna talk about badass? Just look at this bastard, right here!" He gestured toward a surprised Taka. "Jumping between us and holdin' me back like it's no big deal! Seriously, dude, that takes balls! Like brass balls, man!"
Taken aback by the sudden, and somewhat vulgar compliment, it took Taka a moment to realize he was being praised. As soon as he did, however, he huffed confidently and replied, "Well of course I have them! They were forged in the line of duty as Hall Monitor, long before I became the Ultimate Moral Compass! In fact, I've been stopping hallway fights since I was in preschool!"
A mischievous grin spread over Mondo's lips as he retorted, "Ya know, that sounds like a challenge! What do you two say to a little contest to determine the most manly of men?"
Immediately, Leon ceased his laughter and his eyes widened in horror. "Please god, no…"
"What kind of contest do you purpose?" Taka instantly inquired, his competitive spirit returning, much to Leon's continued torment.
Pounding his fist into his palm, Mondo continued to smirk as he answered, "We're gonna have a 'Guys Night!' Stayin' up all night and doin' manly crap like hangin' sheet rock or something!"
At this point, Leon had had enough. He was happy that they had, somewhat reconciled about what had happened but it was all getting to be too much for him, at least for tonight.
"Dude…I just wanna go back to my room and—".
"Awesome! We'll have our contest in your room then!" Mondo immediately misread.
"What?! No!"
"Hell yeah!" Mondo fervently said, not listening to Leon's protests in the slightest. Standing up and offering a hand to Taka, he continued, "This time, we'll see who's the manliest among all three of us! Ain't that right, Bro?!"
The moment the word 'Bro' reached his ears, Taka felt something he never imagined he'd feel…friendship. True and pure friendship. Someone genuinely wanted to be his friend and was asking him to hang out, without wanting to copy his notes or ask about school regulations. A hint of moisture built up in his eyes but he blinked it away as slapped his hand into Mondo's allowing the taller student to pull him up.
"Right…Bro! Let's get Leon up and have ourselves a…'Guy's Night'!"
"That's what I wanted to hear!" Mondo replied, pleased to have made a new friend. "But don't expect me to go easy on ya!"
"Ha! As if you stand a chance against me. But I suppose I will be gracious, even in victory!" Taka fired back, realizing how much he enjoyed friendly banter.
As much as he wanted to protest, Leon found himself simply sighing at the "manly" friendship that had just blossomed between two of the most idiotic students in the whole bunch.
"Ah, what the hell? Alright, let's get this over with," Leon called out to them, making them turn and remember that he was still there.
"Are you sure you're alright? You never answered my mathematical question," Taka insisted, his unique type of worry drawing a sigh out of the ballplayer.
"Dude, I sleep through math every day. I didn't even know numbers could be powered up."
"Well, once you study the proper equations, nothing will—".
"Bro, this ain't the time for quizzes. Let's just get the hell outta here. We're not gonna find out who's the manliest among us in here!" Mondo thankfully interjected, hoisting Leon up and putting his arm over his own shoulder to help carry the ballplayer.
"Ah, you're right, Bro! Let's head for Leon's room! We can continue our mathematical pursuits there! That will surely be the best way to determine who among us is the manliest of men! You two are probably unprepared for such a contest but worry not! I will be gracious enough to provide the learning materials for our 'Guys Night' festivities! I will meet you there after I retrieve the books from my room!"
"Huh? Wait, what?! No! I meant like tellin' stories about our conquests of chicks an' stuff—!" the biker tried to protest but had already Taka spun around and hurried into changing room, leaving Leon and Mondo with a look of genuine horror on their faces.
"What have you done?!" Leon gasped, his gaze slowly shifting over to glare at Mondo.
"…Don't worry, I've got an idea about how to fix this," the biker reassured him, slowly moving them toward the changing room. "We're gonna head for the storeroom and see if they have any beer…."
"It's a school, man! There's no way there'll be any beer here!"
"…Fuck."
"I regret telling you not to solve all your problems by punching them…" Leon muttered under his breath as the long night seemed to only be just beginning.
*Ding—Dong—Ding—Dong*
"Goooood Morning, everyone! It is now 7AM and nighttime is officially…"
As the morning announcement rang through the halls, Sayaka's door slid open and the pop idol poked her head out slightly. Glancing down the hall without seeing anyone, she quietly pushed her door open and stepped out, sliding her door closed silently. Using the wall for balance, she headed directly for the cafeteria.
"It's still early. I should be able to get there first," she whispered to herself as she inched her way along.
Her strength was coming back, albeit slowly, and after crying herself to sleep last night, she'd slept until just before 6AM. Getting out of bed had been difficult, particularly with her right arm still in the sling, but somehow she'd managed to get up and was already half-way to her destination.
"I'll just grab an apple or something. That should be enough to get Leon off my back…at least until this evening."
She'd come to the conclusion that, if she showed she could provide for herself, then she could convince Leon not to deliver her food anymore. It was humiliating enough to have to be taken care of, but it was almost unbearable that her 'victim' had to be the one to do it. She knew that neither of them wanted this but considering their situation, there was nothing they could do…or at least she'd thought that until coming up with this brilliant plan.
"I can make it…it's not that far…" she reassured herself, finding herself already short of breath.
As she reached the open area just before the cafeteria, she was forced to push herself off the wall and travel the short distance to the double doors of her destination. However, the second she was forced to stand on her own, without any support, her legs buckled. Her good hand slapped into the floor to try and break her fall, however, she lacked the strength to hold herself up and her hand slipped almost instantly.
Panic surged through her as she fell and she twisted her body so that she wouldn't land on her broken wrist. Instead, she let her face smack into the hard linoleum, an audible grunt following. Tears stung her eyes as her whole body suddenly ached, particularly the bandaged gash on her stomach. Taking in a few pained breathes through grit teeth, she repositioned her good arm and tried to push herself up. But, once again, she lost all strength and her hand slipped, making her face-plant a second time.
She winced as another jolt of pain racked her body, her breathing still ragged and desperate. Her entire body felt like it was being pressed into the floor, and even moving her fingers seemed like a monumental task.
"Maybe…this…wasn't such…a…good…" she panted, realizing how disastrous of a situation she'd put herself in. She was trapped, unable to move forward but also unable to go back. "Dam…mit…why…did…this…happen?…I…never…wanted…"
Her vision blurred and she felt completely and utterly helpless. Mentally and physically, she was beyond exhausted. She had never felt so lost in all of her life. Until now, she had always known what path to follow, her destiny clear to her. But now, it was all gone. Her hope…her dreams…her old life was nothing more than a shadow that continued to taunt her. She could never go back to being the Ultimate Pop Idol…not after what she'd done. And that thought scared her more than she had ever realized.
"What's…the…point…in…surviv—?"
"Sayaka! What happened?!"
The pop idol's eyes widened as a familiar voice startled her. Painstakingly glancing over her shoulder, she found a pair of slender arms gently wrapping themselves around her shoulders, cautiously pulling her up to a seated position. Before she knew what was happening, Sayaka found herself coming face to face with her savior.
"Am I in the right place at the right time or wrong place all the time…dammit."
Mukuro mentally cursed as she was once again forced to put her identity at risk by helping one of her classmates. But there wasn't really any other choice. Sayaka was obviously in pain and worse, she was vulnerable to attack. If she hadn't decided to start getting up early and making rounds throughout the school, in case her sister decided to change things or just for this sort of occasion, who knows what could have befallen her classmate.
After getting the idol up and comfortably resting against the wall, Mukuro's eyes drifted down to Sayaka's midsection. "Lift your shirt," she demanded, already reaching for the edges.
"H-Huh…?" Sayaka barely mumbled before the soldier pulled up the material.
Mukuro let out along held sigh as she saw that, miraculously, Sayaka's wound hadn't reopened. The bandages were twisted and a little stained from being worn all night, but there was no evidence of fresh blood anywhere.
"We'll have to change these," she informed her classmate, pulling her shirt back down. "You're damn lucky the wound didn't reopen."
"…Y-Yeah…"
A deep scowl marred Mukuro's features as Sayaka averted her gaze, most likely in shame. And while the soldier had a vague idea of why the pop idol was out here on her own, it didn't stunt her frustration.
"So, you want to tell me what the hell were you thinking?!" she questioned, trying to seem as bitchy as her usual persona had to be. "You can barely stand, let alone walk on your own! What are you doing out here and where the hell is Leon?"
"…Who cares…"
Mukuro's eyes narrowed at the challenging tone Sayaka was using, making her change her tone as well. "Excuse me?" she seethed, not even trying to hide her frustrations anymore.
"I said…" snapping her head up, Sayaka glared at the soldier. "…who cares?! Why does it matter where Leon is?! Why does it matter where I am?! What does any of it matter?!"
A hint of confusion sparked in Mukuro's eyes as she questioned, "Any of what matter?"
Sucking in short ragged breathes, the pop idol snarled, "This. Being in this horrible place and being forced to kill each other to survive! What's the point in trying to deny the inevitable?!"
"The inevitable?" the soldier pushed her further, knowing exactly where she was taking this but also knowing that it needed to be said.
Finally losing her composure, tears burst from Sayaka's eyes as she shouted, "We're all going to die here! The mastermind will never let us go! And even if we do somehow make it out…there's nothing left for me out there!" Her head hung, droplets of moisture falling and soaking her shirt. "I have nothing! What…what I am suppose to do…?! What am I supposed to do now—?!"
Without hesitation, Mukuro lifted her hand and slapped Sayaka across the face. A short and abrupt shriek erupted from the pop idol's mouth as the shock of the hit registered. Not giving her time to recover, the soldier placed both hands on Sayaka's cheeks and pulled her face back to stare directly into her tearful eyes.
"Listen up! You think you're the only one that's scared? Terrified that we may be killed any day now?" She saw that Sayaka's lips were trembling, like she was trying to answer, so the soldier immediately continued, "Well you're not! We all are! I'm struggling to keep it together just as much as you are! Or have you forgotten that I have a fucking hole in my hand!"
She pulled her hands from Sayaka's cheek and untied the bandage on her right palm before thrusting it in the idol's face. The wound had finally begun to heal but was still bloody and ugly. The sight of it, made Sayaka flinch and pull away, her breathing speeding up in the process. Seeing that her display was having the desired effect, Mukuro quickly rewrapped her wounded appendage.
As she did, she quietly spoke, "My modeling career is over. No one's going to even look at me with this disgusting scar. The business is that cruel." She knew her logic wasn't entirely accurate but with Sayaka's frazzled state, she was certain her classmate would believe her. "Even so, I'm…we are both still alive. And…isn't that the most important thing?"
As she finished reapplying her bandage, she glanced up to see Sayaka, somewhat coming out of her stupor, lower her gaze.
"It's different for you…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You didn't try to kill anyone—".
"I got damn close though…"
Sayaka's eyes widened and her head shot up, shock overtaking her features. "W-What…?"
A depressing chuckling sounded from Mukuro's lips as she answered, "I was close to the breaking point myself…in fact, I even began planning out what I was going to do. That is…until we found you in Makoto's bathroom…"
The soldier watched as Sayaka shuddered, the memory of that time obviously plaguing her. Not wanting to focus on that, Mukuro continued, "When I heard that you'd apparently been…killed, I was horrified. Not because you were thought to be dead but…because I realized that I had been planning to do something similar. And when that bear explained what happens to anyone who commits murder…I lost all hope…and I attacked him. And we both know how that turned out…"
For a few moment's they both sat there, unable to say a single word. The repercussions of their actions haunted them, and even though Mukuro wasn't being entirely honest, the disgust she had toward herself was certainly real.
"But then…Makoto saved me," she finally decided to say, interrupting the silence. "I don't know how or why but he did. He gave me a reason to keep surviving…and that's the reason I was able to save you."
She paused for a moment, letting those words encourage her before narrowing her gaze at Sayaka. "So don't say that we don't have a chance to survive! If you and I can be saved from certain death, then why can't we find a way to beat that bastard bear and get the hell out of here?!"
The instant those words were spoken, Sayaka's breath hitched and it was obvious that she was caught in a surge of emotion and confusion. And though Mukuro could tell that she didn't necessarily want to hear these things, she also knew that Sayaka desperately needed someone to say those exact words to her. Even so, the utter confusion in the pop idol's eyes wasn't dissipating in the least.
"B-But…what can I do?" she asked, desperately seeking the answer. "I have no idea what I should be doing now!"
"Ha…join the club," Mukuro replied, much to her classmate's surprise. "Do you think any of us know what we should be doing now? We've got no clue what we should be doing! You, me, Leon, Makoto…all of us are completely in the dark on what we should be doing."
Hearing that, Sayaka's head hung and the soldier realized that might not have been the best motivator. However, she quickly recovered by saying, "That's why we have to do whatever we can! Even if we don't know what that is yet, we just have to wait and see what we can do!"
At this, Sayaka looked up at her and, for the first time throughout this entire conversation, there was the tiniest hint of hope in her eyes. Finally feeling that they were on the right track, Mukuro gave her a confident smile and continued, "But the most important thing is that we do it together. If we stick together and help each other out, then we can beat the Mastermind and find a way out!"
"T-Together…?" Sayaka whispered, as if the word was foreign to her.
"Yeah! Whether that means exploring the school to find a way out or helping a classmate off the floor," Mukuro said with a wink. "And speaking of helping each other out, I'm freaking starving! What's say we get you up and go get some breakfast, huh?"
Mukuro had almost completely gone back to her "Junko" persona by this point, which actually helped her as much as it did Sayaka. Normally, she would never be so hopeful and chipper but because she'd practiced being her sister's double for so long, it was much easier. Not to mention that, whether she admitted to it or not, some of Makoto's personality was certainly rubbing off on her.
Looking to Sayaka for confirmation, she smiled a bit more when Sayaka slowly nodded.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Mukuro said, as she moved to Sayaka's side, slung the idol's good arm over her shoulder and helped her stand. Sayaka's legs were wobbly but with someone to lean on, she was able to carefully begin to take steps.
Just as they were about to get to the double doors of the cafeteria, a gentle whisper reached her ears.
"Thank you…Junko."
Involuntarily, Mukuro flinched at those words. It was painful for her to be called by her sister's name. Knowing the evils that her sister had done…as well as being a part of most of them, it felt wrong for her to be thanked. Not to mention that being called by her sister's name was a great source of shame in and of itself.
However, she forced those feeling aside and replied, "No prob. Now let's go get some—".
A loud bang, followed by a startled shout suddenly echoed from just beyond the cafeteria door, interrupting Mukuro and instantly putting her into defensive mode. She considered retreating and getting the others but knew it would be difficult with having to support Sayaka. Then again, she couldn't just break down the door either…
"Th-That voice?! Was that Leon?!" Sayaka abruptly inquired, a hint of fear in her voice. "It came from the cafeteria! He could be in trouble!"
Fear crept into Mukuro's mind as she registered Sayaka's words. If she didn't react quickly…they could have another murder on their hands. Even if it meant risking revealing who she really was, in the end, there was no other choice.
"Sayaka, hold onto me!"
The pop idol did as instructed without hesitation. All apprehension left Mukuro and she lifted her leg, smashing it into the double doors.
The doors to the cafeteria burst open and in strode Junko, with Sayaka practically attached to her hip.
"Alright! Just what the hell's…going…on?" Junko's words faded as she caught sight of who was present.
Across the room, Mondo and Taka were staring at the girls in shock, their arms locked in what appeared to be an arm-wrestling match. Sitting nearby, looking utterly exhausted and rubbing his own arm, was Leon.
For a moment, none of them said anything, the awkwardness of the situation sinking into all of them. However, no awkward silence was enough to keep Mondo silent for very long.
"It's arm-wrestling…what's it look like?! Come on, Bro! Let's finish this!"
"Right!" Taka fervently replied.
Instantly, the two went back to their match, grunting and groaning as they each tried to dominate the other. Still standing in the doorway, Junko's jaw had dropped and she could only stare at the men continued to fight for dominance. However, didn't have to wait long before—
"Gotcha!" Mondo shouted as he slammed Taka's fist into the table. Pulling their arms back, the biker smirked and said, "Damn that was close! You almost had me, Bro!"
"Next time I won't be beaten so easily, Bro! Remember that!" Taka instantly replied, smirking just as hard at his new friend.
Both of them let out boisterous laugh before slapping each other on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Junko and Sayaka were beyond confused but only the Fashionista seemed able to voice it.
"Hey! What the hell is going on here?! And why the hell are you in here so early?!" she demanded, making the two men turn toward her with raised eyebrows.
"We were having a contest to see who was the manliest among us!" Taka answered, still patting Mondo on the shoulder. "As for why we are here, that should be obvious! We came here just before the morning announcement was sounded in preparation for the morning meeting! While we waited, Bro suggested that we have a test of strength—".
"Okay, yeah, I get all that! But what the hell was that banging and shouting before?!" Junko interrupted, helping Sayaka over to a table during his explanation.
"Oh, that was just Leon," Mondo explained, laughing all the while.
"Oh…" Junko replied quickly, a look of sympathy in her eyes as she gave Leon a quick glance. "Well, I guess…that explains it then…" she finished before helping Sayaka to a nearby seat and sitting next to her, a deep sigh immediately following.
"Yeah, he lost big time and cried like a girl when I slammed his arm into the table!" the biker continued, slapping the baseball star on the back.
"Can I go back to my room now?!" an absolutely exhausted Leon shouted, his voice slightly muffled by the fact that his face was practically embedded in the table. Lifting his head from the table, he caught a glance at Sayaka and his eyes widen in terror. "Oh God…she's come for me!"
Seeing the baseball star's fearful reaction, Junko narrowed her gaze at the two other boys and asked, "What did you do to him?"
Mondo and Taka looked between each other for a moment before shrugging their shoulders in confusion before the biker replied, "Nothing. We didn't do nothing."
Reaching a hand out toward Sayaka, the baseball player begged, "Please…be my mercy angel…"
Hearing this, Junko folded her arms and glared at the other boys again. "This is not 'nothing'! He's clearly losing it! Now, what did you two do to him?!"
Sighing at being scolded by a girl, Mondo answered, "Like I said, we didn't do anything! We were just doing manly stuff!"
Raising an eyebrow, the Fashionista skeptically asked, "What kind of 'manly stuff'?"
Simultaneously, Taka and Mondo answered:
"Pythagorean Theorem."
"Hanging sheet rock."
Her jaw dropping, Junko was forced to come to the only conclusion that made sense, "You guys made him study Pythagorean Theorem while forcing him to hang sheet rock?!"
"What? No, we were just kidding! We just stayed up all night hanging out and stuff!" Mondo defended, kinda embarrassed to be associated with anything school related.
"Yes, we bonded over our manly tendencies!" Taka tried to reassure her, to no avail.
However, that answer didn't have the desired effect either, as Junko rose from her seat, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You guys forced him to stay up all night?! Are you crazy?! He can't handle that!"
"Sure he can! I mean, he seems to be doing alright so far…" Taka defended, before being cut off by a shouting Junko.
"He just asked Sayaka to be his mercy angel! What part of that is 'alright' to you?!"
For the first time since their manly competition had begun, Mondo and Taka began to realize that they may, in fact, have done something bad to their newfound bro. Glancing over, they saw Leon's disheveled appearance and grimaced.
Taking the opportunity, Junko continued, "Most people sleep at night! Why did you think it was a good idea to force him to stay up with you?!"
Briefly looking to over to his new bro, Mondo shrugged his shoulders and answered, "He plays baseball and stuff, right? We figured he'd be used to being up all night—".
"Are you freaking kidding me?!" A frantic Fashionista shouted, face-palming at the same time. "He's an athlete! They have to rest and recover so they can play again the next day! I know that bikers are out all night and honor students study until dawn but athletes and normal people need sleep!"
The full spectrum of what they'd done to their new bro came crashing down on them and both Taka and Mondo held a guilty visage…for about ten seconds. Stepping forward, Taka decided it was best that he resolve the situation.
"Alright, so we may have gone overboard but I assure you, we never meant to inconvenience him," the moral compass assured her, wanting to settle her down.
"Does that mean I can go back to my room now?" Leon practically begged, not sure what was worse at the moment, Sayaka's presence or the manly Bros.
"Leon, you may rest after the morning meeting! Bro and I are also tired but you don't hear us complaining, now do you?" Taka tried to encourage him, failing miserably.
A light whimpering came from the baseball player but otherwise, he said nothing as they all awaited the arrival of their classmates. At the same time, Junko apparently gave up as well, letting her head rest on the table as she groaned audibly. All the while, no one noticed that Sayaka was staring directly at Leon, guilt and worry clouding her eyes.
Mondo and Taka continued to be obnoxious and friendly with each other even as the rest of their classmates arrived.
First to arrive were Hina and Sakura, who were both relieved and terrified to see how close the Bro's had become overnight. When Byakuya arrived, he gave them an annoyed glance but said nothing as he took a seat near the back of the room. Toko followed immediately after Byakuya, almost as if she'd been tailing him. Hifumi and Hiro arrive at the same time, with each of them offering very different and insane reasons for those two having become friends. After that, Celeste made her way inside, giving her usual smile until she spotted the two bros…which changed into a look of confusion for half a second before she seemed to write them off and took a seat. Kyoko was the next to arrive but all she did was quietly take a seat, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Finally, Makoto rushed into the cafeteria, a bit sweaty from running all that way. The instant he saw how buddy-buddy the two previously irreconcilable classmates were being, his eyes widened and he couldn't stop himself from asking: "What happen while I was unconscious yesterday?!"
"It's a very very long story…" the tired voice of Leon answered him, prompting Makoto to be startled by his disheveled appearance.
"Leon! What happened to you?!" Makoto asked, obviously concerned.
"Yeah, you look like you were up all night!" Hina chimed in, having waited for the right opportunity to inquire.
"He was! And it was awesome!" Mondo announced to everyone!
"Yes, he is our 'Bro', now!" Taka declared before turning to the semi-conscious ballplayer. "Isn't that right, Leon!"
"Hate you…hate you both so much…" the ballplayer quietly replied. "I just want to get the morning meeting over with so I can go to sleep!"
"I'm sorry Leon, but we can't start the meeting yet!" Taka announced, looking at his watch before frowning. "Chihiro isn't here yet…and it's already half-past 7."
"That's weird," Hifumi commented, looking around the room. "Miss Fujisaki is normally one of the earliest to arrive. What could be keeping her?"
In that moment, a familiar sense of dread overcame all of them. Even Leon found himself sobering up as the situation dawned on him. After all, it was the same terror they had all felt the morning that Sayaka had failed to appear for the morning meeting. Only this time, she was there to experience the fear and horror for herself.
And that's what prompted her to say, "S-She's probably just…running late…"
Unfortunately, her shaky voice didn't inspire any such confidence and immediately after speaking, Junko stood up and headed for the door.
"I'll go and—".
"Wait a moment…" the Fashionista was surprised to hear Kyoko was the one to stop her but obeyed her commanded nonetheless. "I'll go with you. The rest of you should stay here until we get back. If she really is just late, there's no need to cause a panic."
"R-Right…" Makoto answered for everyone. "We'll wait here for you."
With a nod, Kyoko joined Junko by the door before the two of them ran off down the hallway.
The rest of the students sat in complete silence, as if afraid that saying anything would somehow make the situation worse. Even Makoto, who seemed like he really wanted to cheer everyone up, remain silent while the pair were gone.
Just as the silence was becoming deafening, Celeste cleared her throat and said, "Well, I am absolutely parched. Hifumi, go and make us some tea while we wait."
"Huh, what?" the fanfic creator said in shock, unknowingly mirroring many of his fellow students.
Before he had a chance to actually complain, Celeste folded her hands together and finished, "Milk Tea, if you please."
"Wh-Why me?" Hifumi finally questioned.
"Your figure reminds me of the owner of a café I once frequented," was her answer, and it didn't really seem like a proper response, given the situation. Nevertheless, she showed no signs of relenting as she smiled 'pleasantly' and quipped, "Quickly please, my throat is drying out."
Everyone was quite shocked that she'd made such a request during such a dreadful time but what was more surprising was that Hifumi replied, "Oh…okay."
His lack of resistance startled most of them but no one said anything as he departed for the kitchen. Seeing this as a way to possible break the tension, Makoto carefully stood up.
"Why don't we all get something to eat while we wait?" he offered kindly, trying to ease the situation.
However, before anyone could take him up on the offer, Junko and Kyoko came in the door. And judging by the expressions on their faces, the news wasn't favorable.
"Was she there?" Makoto asked regardless, still trying to be hopeful.
"No, she didn't appear to be," Kyoko answered, folding her arms.
"A-Are you sure? Maybe she's just sleeping?" Hina joined in, also trying not to assume the worst.
To this Junko sighed and raised her arms in defeat. "I doubt it, not with my ringing her doorbell non-stop for the last few minutes."
"And there was no evidence of her room being broken into," Kyoko added, her demeanor calm as usual.
"Then she may have just gone to the bathhouse or something…" Hiro suggested. "Yeah, if her door was locked, I'm sure she'd probably there!"
"But if that were the case, why would she go so early in the morning? And without informing any of us?" Sakura spoke up, offering her opinion.
"Not to mention that she is normally one of the first of us to arrive for the morning meeting," Celeste concurred before sending a surreptitious glance at the kitchen door.
"If you put it like that…then—!" Taka was about to proclaim something but was rudely interrupted.
"In other words…the game is afoot once again." Everyone turned and glared as Byakuya said those words, a confident grin on his face. Taking note of everyone's gaze only seemed to intensify his attitude as he continued, "If you all can't realize the situation we're in, then I have no need for you."
"You don't have to say it like that, you prick!" Mondo abruptly shouted, waving his fist at the affluent progeny.
"For now, why don't we split into groups of two or three and search both floors?" Kyoko suggested, trying to ease the hostility between her classmates.
"I can agree with that," Byakuya chimed in. "That way, we can be assured that the killer won't be able to disrupt the crime scene."
Everyone was growing more and more frustrated with Byakuya's accusations but just before it seemed that Mondo was going to burst into a rage and deck him, a calm voice spoke up.
"That's fine. But we should hurry," Kyoko insisted, looking around at everyone. "Let's decide who to pair up with."
"Pardon me, but I believe we should have someone remain here, just in case Chihiro happens to return. I volunteer myself and Hifumi for this task," Celeste offered, smiling daintily all the while. "Besides, I have yet to receive my morning tea and I feel that I will be rather useless until that time."
A collective groan sounded but no one seemed to refute the idea. At least until Leon stood up and shouted, "Hey! What about Sayaka?! You can't expect her to roam around the school with the way she is!"
At once, everyone looked at Sayaka, who seemed to still be rather shaken up by all the proceeding, hanging her head with her bangs obscuring her eyes.
"Oh, my apologies," Celeste replied quickly. "I never meant to alienate her. If she wishes to remain here with us, then I am fine with that. I doubt she's in any condition to traverse the school anyway—".
"Let me help…" Everyone was startled when Sayaka suddenly interrupted. "I can help look for Chihiro…so please…let me help."
Lifting her gaze, Sayaka saw that most of her classmates were apprehensive at least, and suspicious at worst. Nevertheless, she decided to prove to them she could handle it by pushing herself up onto her feet, using the table for balance.
As she stood though, Makoto took a careful step forward and said, "A-Are you sure?! I mean, you don't have to. You can rest if—".
"No…I'm going to help look," she said, sending him the harshest glare that any of them had ever seen.
Rather than protest like he usually would have, Makoto felt his confidence slipping, mainly because of the argument they'd had last night. That's why he was incredibly relieved when Junko suddenly marched over to Sayaka and took her gently by the arm.
"Tell ya what, you and I have to change our bandages anyway, so why don't we head for the nurse's office? We can look for Chihiro along the way, sound good?" the Fashionista proposed, holding up her bandaged appendage for emphasis.
"…Alright," Sayaka finally relented, letting Junko help her toward the door.
As the two of them departed, Taka finally regained his position at the one in charge by shouting, "Very well then! Let's split up into even groups and search the school for Chihiro!
"This whole thing is grating on my nerves…why should I care if the little programmer is missing? If someone else finds her before I do, then it works out the same…"
Celeste sat at her table, alone in the cafeteria, still waiting for Hifumi to deliver her tea. The rest of her fellow students had already left and were probably searching everywhere for the Ultimate Programmer.
After Junko had left with Sayaka, it was decided that Hina and Sakura would investigate the pool on the second floor. Byakuya insisted on going to check the library and Toko eagerly shouted she'd accompany him, much to the affluent progeny's disgust. Kyoko decided to search the gym, with Makoto tagging along to help if need be. Leon and Hiro were elected to search the empty classrooms on both floor and finally, Taka volunteered himself and Mondo to search the first floor dorm area and bathhouse.
Ten minutes had already passed and the body discovery announcement hadn't played, so Celeste assumed that no one had found Chihiro yet. And so, as she sat at her place with nothing better to do, she quickly became bored.
"What is taking that fatso so long to get my tea ready? It's not like its rocket science or anything. Although a nerd like him might be better at rocket science than tea making—".
"Thank you for waiting!" the voice of Hifumi snapped her back to reality, along with the fragrant aroma of the tea.
"Hmhmhm. Finally…" was all she graced him with as he approached.
As he set her tea down in front of her, Hifumi noticed that everyone was gone and asked, "What happened to everyone else?"
"They elected to search for Chihiro themselves," she told him, turning the tea cup carefully in her hand before letting her fingers delicately grasp the handle before lifting it up.
Just before the cup would reach her lips, the fat nerd had to open his mouth and ask, "Uh…shouldn't we help with the search?"
Stopping just short of reaching her, Celeste held her temper as she replied, "We are to remain here in case Chihiro returns or we hear from the others."
Resuming the lifting of the cup, she could feel the heat of the tea and was about to take a sip when the nerd decided to interrupt her pleasure once again. "A-Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Again stopping before achieving her goal, Celeste barely managed to contain her frustration as she answered, "It is fine. I'm sure if they need us, they will call. Now if you please be silent. I have yet to judge your tea…"
"Oh! G-Go right ahead!" Hifumi insisted, finally quieting down.
Finally assured that she could sample the tea, Celeste cautiously placed the tea cup to her lips and sipped the blend. Instantly, she felt her rage spike.
"What the hell kind of shit is he making me drink?! I wouldn't call this backwash 'Milk Tea' if my life depended on it!"
Without a moment's hesitation, she threw the tea cup against the wall as hard as she could, a small smile appearing on her lips as it was smashed into tiny pieces. However, the smashing seemed to startle Hifumi, who jumped and shrieked in terror.
"What the—?!" he tried to complain but was instantly cut off.
"I HATE this kind of tea…" Celeste spoke harshly, turning her back to the destroyed cup. "Imagine, if you will, that we are at a coffee shop. Any everyday normal café and I ordered the Milk Tea. Would that imply that I simply wanted milk with my tea?"
"Uh…I suppose?" the fanfic creator tried to speculate. Unfortunately, for him, that was not the answer she had wanted to hear.
Continuing to hold herself back, she politely continued, "Well, that is not for me! I am among those who prefer the milk to be part of the brewing process! The fragrance is just so overwhelmingly sweet that way…"
She lost herself in a brief memory of sitting in a lovely little café with the fat shop owner personally serving her some of the finest Milk Tea she had ever tasted. That memory was now tainted by the fact that this other fat tea maker could not even be trusted to imitate the process correctly.
"I wasn't expecting 5 Stars but at the very least I expected 4 Stars from him! My cat could make a finer tea than this uncultured pig!" she thought to herself as she took a deep breath.
"I cannot acknowledge any 'Milk Tea' that does not add the milk from the outset. Make it again."
Celeste made the mistake of thinking that she had made herself rather clear but it seemed that her companion had yet to understand her, as he simply replied, "I went to the trouble of making you tea…and you wanted me to go a step further?"
"Indeed," she barely got out, only just keeping her temper in check.
"But…shouldn't we be more concerned about Miss Fujisaki—?"
Something inside of Celeste snapped, and all at once, she found herself reverted back to her a place she hadn't visited in many a year…the land of Taeko Yasuhiro's rage.
"Will you shut up about that?! Just hurry up and bring me what I asked for, swine!"
As her rage boiled over and she furiously shouted her demands, Hifumi seemed to shirk to the size of a pebble, letting out a horrid shriek of terror.
"EIIIIHHHH! You're little piggy will bring it out right away!" he continued to scream in fear as he dashed back into the kitchen to, hopefully, prepare the tea to her specification.
Once he was gone, Celeste finally began to take deep cleansing breaths as she suppressed her original persona. And it wasn't easy. She'd never lost her temper so furiously with anyone before. Sure, she was under a lot of stress with this killing game, not to mention that fact that, more than anyone else, she wanted to find a way to escape. A part of her considered bashing Hifumi with the tea kettle just to try and escape…
"No…that would be stupid. I'd be found out in no time. I need to be patient for now…not let my emotions get the best of me…no matter how much that pathetic piece of fat screwed up! Well…at least he did exactly as I said…when I commanded it of him…hmmm…"
As that thought echoed in her mind, she completely reset her persona and smiled pleasantly to herself. Perhaps this little arrangement with Hifumi could be put to use after all…
"Hmhmhm…I do so love coercion."
Byakuya pushed open the door to the archive room within the library, a hint of dust rustling into the air. He surveyed the room for a brief moment but ultimately sighed as once again, he found no trace of a crime scene. With everyone splitting up, and the amount of time that had passed since they'd begun their search, the body discovery announcement had been eerily silent, as if lurking all around them, ready to blare in their ears as tragedy struck.
Honestly, a part of him was actually pleased they hadn't found Chihiro's body yet…it meant that the killer was thorough, which meant the oncoming investigation and trial would be even more stimulating.
"This game isn't as boring as I first believed it would be…" he whispered to himself with a smirk as he began pulling the door to the archive shut. Just before he closed it, however, he noticed one of the books he'd purposefully left sitting out. A police file, to be exact, documenting his favorite unsolved murder case.
"Genocide Jack…it would be both an honor and a terror to meet you…" he audibly mused before movement behind him drew his attention. To his disgust, he found the odorous shape of Toko Fukawa ducking unsuccessfully behind a shelf. A great sigh escaped him as he called out, "Why must you insist on following after me? I have no want or even need of you. Now leave."
He saw Toko stiffen before she peered out from behind her 'hiding' place. "H-How did you k-k-know I was h-here?" she asked, almost hopefully.
Scoffing as if his nose had suddenly clogged, the Togami Heir waved a hand in front of his nose and replied, "I can smell you from across the room."
"W-What?!" the startled writing prodigy stammered, her eyes glued to his whether he wanted them to or not. And then, inexplicably, Toko wrapped her arms around herself, saliva slightly dripping from her edges of her mouth. "O-Oh…I suppose t-that makes…sense…"
0_0
**ATTENTION: Toko's Fantasy**
Toko: (Shocked but awed) "How did you know I was here?"
Byakuya: (Seductive glance) "Your aroma is so strong, there was no way I wouldn't be able to sense your presence."
Toko: (Moaning slightly) "O-Oh! Of course, you would be able to do something so…amazing! That makes…(louder moaning)…sense!"
**EXITING: Toko's Fantasy**
0_0
Standing there, watching this putrid woman holding herself and moaning did nothing to inspire confidence in Byakuya's eyes. And so, he did as he always had done; put the filth in their place.
"You're filthy scent aggravates me. Never approach me again. I'm leaving…"
He quickly moved past her, holding his breath to keep her rancid odor from invading his nostrils.
"H-Hey!" she abruptly shouted, making him glance over his shoulder just long enough to glare at her "…D-Did you…mean it?" Toko abruptly asked, far too serious for how she'd been acting before.
Perplexed but also somewhat interested, Byakuya came to a halt just before the door and countered, "Mean 'what' exactly? Get to the point."
His harsh tone made Toko flinch, but she seemed to be enjoying it rather than being intimidated. And apparently, it urged her to continue, "W-What you said a-a-about meeting…Genocide Jack…did y-y-you mean it?"
For a moment, the Togami Heir was actually surprised, not only because she was questioning him but because she'd actually been able to hear him whispering to himself when she'd been on the far side of the room. If she hadn't been so absolutely repulsive to him, he may have felt inclined to feign being impressed by her. However, as he wasn't truly impressed, he decided that answering her would be the simplest way to get her to leave him be.
"I am Byakuya Togami, and every word that I chose to speak is the absolute truth. Why should that matter to you?"
Byakuya quickly learned that those words were the worst he could have ever uttered as Toko's eyes suddenly sparkled and she practically leapt forward, grasping onto his palm with both hands.
"B-Because I'm Genocide Jack…s-sort of!"
…
…
Time stood still as Byakuya slowly ingested what was happening to him:
First, he did not like being touched, ever. Least of all by a sweaty, smelly, utterly disgusting woman who he wouldn't voluntarily waste his time on, even if it meant escaping this hell hole of a school. Second, there was no possible way that a girl this introverted, unsociable, and offensive to all five senses could possibly be the uncatchable serial killer he'd spent long hours into the night researching.
Jerking his hand from her greasy palms, he shoved her away with all his strength, sending Toko toppling to the floor with an…elated yelp? Briefly shaking his head, he wiped his hand on his pants as he growled, "Don't touch me, you pathetic waste of space!"
Only now did he notice that, because of the sudden frustration and excursion, his voice sounded slightly frazzled, which could easily send the wrong message. Clearing his throat immediately afterward, he made a mental note to sanitize his hand as he turned his back to her and continued, "Your lies are as filthy and disgusting as you are. Even a serial killer like Genocide Jack has more value than you! Don't even dare to try and imitate such a person!"
From the floor, Toko stared up at him, her eyes sparkling once more as she insists, "B-But it's the t-t-truth! I have a split p-p-personality!"
A scoff escaped Byakuya and he didn't even turn to acknowledge her as he sarcastically replied, "I'm sure you do…"
"B-But I can prove it!"
0_0
**ATTENTION: Toko's Fantasy**
Toko: (Grasping her lover's warm hand) "I'm…Genocide Jack!"
(Byakuya's face reddens. He shoves her away. She falls to the floor.)
Byakuya: "Don't touch me…I'm not prepared yet!" (He turns away in embarrassment) Your lies won't fool me! How could someone like you be the famed serial killer?! Don't even dare to speak such things about yourself!"
(Toko understands her lover's apprehension. She finds courage to speak the words of her heart.)
Toko: (Pleading for understanding) "But…it's the truth! My split personality makes me do it!"
Byakuya: "While I'm sure you'd never lie to me, I cannot believe you…"
(Toko rises to her feet. Courage swells in her bosom. She decides to trust him.)
Toko: "I will prove it to you…with love!"
**EXITING: Toko's Fantasy**
0_0
"Hmph," Byakuya scoffed as he slowly turned to face her. "How far will you allow this little farce to go before you realize that I—?"
Before Byakuya could finish speaking, he saw Toko lifting up her skirt. The initial shock of her lewd action wasn't what ultimately fazed him. It was the fact that, strapped to each of her thighs just below her waist, he spotted a very distinct set of scissors:
"Genocide Jack's…'Genoscissors'," Byakuya whispered, using the nickname the police had given to the death dealing tool.
The pattern and design of the scissor was one that he had seen many times in the police file he'd perused over the last few months before coming to this school. They were the most unique cutting tool he'd ever laid eyes on, and there was no mistaking them. Not to mention that she had so many…not just one or two, but at least five or six were attached to each leg! Enough to crucify a man twice over—
"D-Don't worry! I-I would never l-let her hurt you!" Toko blurted out, dropping the material of her skirt and hiding the killing tool once more. "I'd never h-hurt…my Master…"
It was only then that Byakuya realized the look of absolute horror that had overtaken his features. He could hardly believe it and even though the facts were scarce, there was enough to cause him concern. Not only that, if he considered that what she told him was true…then all the pieces fell into place.
"This explains why the authorities were never able to catch him…err…her. No one would ever have suspected a student of Hope's Peak to be a serial killer. Even though they deduced that it could be a student, who would believe that an introverted, lewd woman like her could be..."
He clenched his fists as he felt embarrassment of his own. He'd solved a number of previously unsolvable cases before, although only for his own amusement and even then he never made his discoveries public. He had planned on being the one to finally uncover who this renegade serial killer with a pretty boy fetish could be. After all, some would consider him a prime target for—!
His breath suddenly hitched as his brain processed the situation he was currently in:
Alone…in a dark room…with a serial killer…that considered him to be her 'type'…trapped in a school where murder was the only way out…
"Oh God…"
For the first time in a great number of years, he actually felt fear creeping into his mind. Death…it was standing before him, in the guise of a disgusting and vile woman. And in any other situation, he most certainly would have been impressed with that guise, except that it now threatened him…and he couldn't have that.
And even though she'd claimed that she wasn't there to hurt him, there was no way to be sure. Plus there was evidence to support her targeting him. She'd been stalking him through the halls for quite some time now, whispering his name in the shadows before disappearing whenever he turned around.
If she hadn't foolishly revealed her true identity…she may have been successful.
However, now that he was aware of her…arrangement, even if he hadn't seen her other side himself, he knew to be cautious around her. He would not become another footnote in the pages of that police file!
"I am Byakuya Togami, the man destined to lead the world into a brighter future! And I cannot and will not allow a person as low-born and putrid as her the honor of ending my life prematurely!"
Straightening out his features and putting on his usual air of superiority, he narrowed his gaze at the startled but flustered Toko. As if his gaze was burning through her, the writing prodigy's breath hitched in her throat and she fell silent as he issued his command.
"You are not to mention this conversation to anyone…ever. If you do, then I will end you."
Toko's face burns crimson as she slowly nods. "I-I…understand. My Master…!"
Unable to stomach her any longer, Byakuya quickly turned and departed from the library, leaving a flustered Toko alone with her thoughts…
0_0
**ATTENTION: Toko's Fantasy**
Toko: "Please don't worry, I would never allow myself to hurt you!" (Blushing furiously) "I could never harm…my Master…"
(Wonder crosses her lover's face. Confusion mixed with understanding. Passion as well.)
Byakuya: (Lustfully whispering) "Oh God…Toko."
(He takes a step toward her. His hands cup her face. Toko flushes. She is overwhelmed by heat.)
Byakuya: (Breathing heavily) "I will…carry…your secret…to my grave! (He lets out an embarrassed moan) So please…do not speak of this…with anyone! Ever again! For I fear…it will be…the end of us!"
(Toko feels her lover's genuine feelings. Her heart races. She nods slowly and euphorically.)
Toko: (Moaning wildly) "Yes! Anything for you…my Master!"
(An explosion of 'white' covers all that can be seen)
**EXITING: Toko's Fantasy**
0_0
As Byakuya slammed the door of the library behind him, he practically sped down the hallway as he made for the stairway leading toward the first floor. He knew it would difficult, but he had to force himself to appear as though nothing was wrong. He couldn't afford to show his enemies any weakness…especially not now.
The killing game had been nothing but a distraction for him until this point, a form of mild amusement that he would eventually win, as he did with all challenges put before him. But now, it was different. The game had taken on new form, if only slightly. Now it was going to become a tool for him…a tool that might be the only way for him to survive long enough to win this game.
"I swear, on the Togami name…that I will never fall victim to that disgusting woman!"
With that resolve in mind, all he needed to do was find a way for the 'game' to dispose of the looming threat now known as Toko Fukawa.
"Are you sure? We could just stick to the first floor, you know?" Mukuro said as she helped Sayaka up the last few steps leading to the second floor.
"Only a few…of us… came up here…right?" the exhausted idol said, still not used to heavy excursion. Reaching the top, she took a few deep breaths before finishing, "We already searched the nurse's office, student store, and the lobby. Besides…I haven't gotten to see the pool or the library yet…"
A soft sigh escaped the disguised Mukuro as she looked over her classmate. Sayaka was obviously pushing herself, probably because of their conversation earlier. And while it was good for her to do whatever she could, the soldier also worried about her health. Even though her wound was healing nicely, it still wasn't ready for sudden movements, which would be required if she tripped while on the stairs.
"She really shouldn't be up here...but then again…"
Mukuro knew this was a glorious opportunity that she just couldn't pass up. Glancing over her shoulder, the soldier stared at the boy's bathroom door just in front of them.
Having taken advantage of Sayaka's suggestion to help search upstairs in order to secretly uncover the hidden room, Mukuro felt that this time, everything would work out. Her objective from yesterday would finally be accomplished, removing the stain on her previously spotless mission record. Not to mention that with this, they'd finally have a fighting chance against Junko!
"Sorry for using you like this, Sayaka. But you'll thank me later."
Smiling brightly at the pop idol, Mukuro put her best 'Junko' personality forward as she replied, "Hey, not a problem! We can start by searching the bathrooms. I bet no one even checked them—!"
"Don't bother, there's nothing there."
Both of the girls gasped as the boy's bathroom door opened and out stepped Kyoko Kirigiri. In that instant, Mukuro felt all of her hope she'd managed to hold in begin to crumble.
"Kyoko? What are you doing here?" Sayaka asked, very puzzled to see her coming out of the boy's room.
"Yeah!" the disguised Mukuro concurred, although for entirely different reasons. "I thought you and Makoto were searching the gym?"
The soldier did her best to keep her voice even, because she knew that Kyoko would see through any hint of suspicious activity and she could not afford that…especially right now!
Kyoko raised an eyebrow as she tucked a lock of her long lavender hair behind her ear. "We finished our investigation in the gym quicker than we thought. So Makoto suggested we help search the upper floor, he's checking the classrooms down the hall right now."
"Oh…I see," Sayaka said, the mention of Makoto still slightly unnerving her. "Well, we came to do the same…where shall we start?"
"Anywhere should be fine," Kyoko said coldly before turning away from them, presumably preparing to rejoin Makoto.
Despite herself, Mukuro felt like screaming. This was their one chance to get a leg up on the Mastermind and—wait! Maybe this was okay! Surely Kyoko of all people would be able to find the secret room, even if she didn't know it was there! There was still a chance—still hope!
"So, you didn't find anything? Nothing at all?" Mukuro abruptly called out, stopping Kyoko before she left. The soldier knew she probably sounded a bit desperate, but she hoped it would be seen as concern for Chihiro's disappearance. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the detective turned to face them, her face completely stoic.
"No, nothing at all."
Those words shattered the little bit of hope that Mukuro had been building up for so long. As the clicking of Kyoko's boots echoed in down the hallway as she departed, the soldier realized that their opportunity to one-up her sister was walking away with Kyoko.
"It's over…now I may never be able to help them find that room…dammit!" she mentally cursed, the shame of defeat weighing heavily on her.
The silence that invaded her ears was suddenly broken by the nervous voice of Sayaka. "So, uh, do you think we could check out the pool? It's the closest room to us, right?"
Her classmate's request brought the distraught soldier back to reality and she understood that, even though she'd failed this time, there might be an opportunity later. Besides, there was no time to be moping anyway, not with Chihiro still missing.
"Right…let's hope we don't get to see a dead man's float or anything!" she joked to cover her apprehension.
"Junko! That's terrible!" Sayaka reprimanded but still let her help lead her toward the pool area.
Stealing one last glance at the boy's bathroom door, she proceeded to help Sayaka down the long hallway leading to the pool.
Little did she know that, from just around the corner, Kyoko's lavender eyes watched them carefully as they departed. And the instant they were gone, she made her way back toward the boy's bathroom, closing the door silently.
"After all that, we still haven't been able to find her?!" Taka shouted to everyone as they sat at the cafeteria tables.
After each group returned, they all confirmed that none of them had found any trace of Chihiro or anything that appeared out of the ordinary. And although some of the group was more fidgety than before, namely Junko and, unbelievably, Byakuya, the overall sense of dread hadn't dissipated in the least.
"This is beyond unacceptable! We need to search again!" Taka insisted, already heading toward the door.
"You want us to look everywhere? Again? For serious?" Hiro complained, making no move to get up from his seat.
"I don't normally like to agree with Hiro but…he's kinda right," Leon insisted, exhaustion clearly overtaking him. "I mean…where the hell else could she be?"
A heavy silence engulfed everyone as their imaginations filled in the gaps with horrific images.
"Did anyone check the incinerator?"
A shocking realization overtook everyone as Byakuya spoke, a smirk on his face as he pushed up his glasses. Already the students began look to each other, connecting the dots of his accusation.
"What are you getting at?" Makoto dared to ask, despite knowing exactly what the affluent progeny was insinuating.
"All I'm saying is that the murderer is being quite thorough. And, to that effect, I wondered if the incinerator itself had been searched," the Togami Heir commented, glancing over to Hifumi, who still had possession of the trash key.
Scratching his head nervously, Hifumi replied, "Eh, well, I actually wasn't able to leave here in order to search, you see?"
"And why not?" Byakuya pushed, obviously already suspecting him. "Do you have something to hide from us?"
"Actually, he was busy preparing my tea," Celeste informed them, sipping from her cup. "It took him several tries to get it half-way descent."
Holding in a scoff, Byakuya folded his arms and said, "Then I suggest we take our investigation there. If we're lucky, we may be able to corner the killer before he disposes of the body—".
"Killer?! Body?! Did someone else get murdered?!" a frantic voice suddenly shouted.
"Yeah!" Mondo announced without thinking, turning around at the same time. "We still can't find—CHIHIRO!"
Everyone froze as none other than Chihiro Fujisaki stood in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from her red and panicked eyes.
To Be Continued…
Greetings, my beautiful readers! An extra long chapter to get you through the winter break! But what will happen now?! Where was Chihiro? What is Celeste planning? How is Sayaka going to cope with this newfound friendship with "Junko"? Keep on reading to find out!
To everyone that celebrates Thanksgiving, I hope it's a happy one! I have to work on Thanksgiving this year so please enjoy it for me! Also, this time around, my beta was particularly pleased with Mondo stealing cop bike…not that I wasn't but I figured I'm mention it.
Please leave a comment or review if you're enjoying the story. Tell me what you think of it and be sure to ask questions if you have them! Beyond that, enjoy the winter break (if you get one) and keep on smiling, my beautiful readers!