Never Say Never

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

Chapter 2

Act 13

"Alright, uh, I guess this is it…" Mondo said to everyone.

The entire group of students stopped just outside the nurse's office…except for Taka, who wordlessly continued on toward his room with a speedy gait. Some of them spared a moment to glare at him but none tried to stop him, still unnerved by his reaction to the trial.

Not to mention that, with all but Mondo having been forbidden to enter for the time being, none of them were able to check in on Chihiro, which bothered almost all of them. Instead, the honor of guarding the unconscious programmer belonged solely to Mondo, who looked more than a little nervous about the task ahead. In fact, he looked almost like a dead man, forced to dig his own grave. And while some of the students, namely Byakuya and Celeste, continued to scrutinize him with their eyes, one of the students bravely approached.

"If anything happens, come and get us, okay?" Makoto said with a small but hopeful smile. "We're here for you if you need us. So don't hesitate to call."

The lucky student's words of encouragement provoked a stout nod from Mondo, but otherwise, he remained silent. Without so much as a 'good night', the biker turned and pulled open the door, stepping inside and firmly closing it behind him. It was almost as if he was trying to cut himself off from his classmates, not that it would have surprised anyone.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm exhausted," Junko abruptly said, yawning loudly as she spoke. "I say we all call it a night and discuss what to do next in the morning."

"Agreed," Kyoko concurred, turning to address everyone. "Let's all meet in the morning as we usually have. And everyone's attendance would be appreciated." She directed that last comment directly at Byakuya, who scoffed in annoyance.

"You all may do as you please. And so shall I."

With those last skeptical words, Byakuya separated himself from the group, heading for the nearby stairs rather than his room. The instant he was out of sight, a delighted cackling softly echoed. As one, the students turned and were shocked to see that Toko was actually still Genocide Jill! The serial killer continued to chuckle to herself, looking off in the direction her 'Prince' had gone.

"Oh, I love a man that plays hard to catch!" the serial killer exclaimed before darting toward the stairs, flying up them with almost inhuman speed.

As the remaining students felt themselves breathe a sigh of relief now that she was gone, Hiro unexpectedly asked, "So, uh, should we be worried that a serial killer just followed after Byakuya?"

"I don't exactly think that 'worried' is the right word, but I get what you're saying," Hina offered, her disgust for the Togami Heir apparent. "I mean, Byakuya's a total douche but I don't know if I want a serial killer dismembering him or something."

"…I wouldn't complain," Sayaka muttered under her breath, earning only a few stern looks from Junko and Kyoko.

"I think that, for now at least, none of us are in any danger," Kyoko reassured them, drawing everyone's attention. "Genocide Jill knows of our situation. I doubt that she would attempt anything so soon after being discovered either. She may not seem like it, but she must be rather intuitive to evade the authorities for so long."

"I see," Celeste jumped in, nodding politely. "So, what you're saying is, because we all know she is here, she will be less likely to commit murder? I can agree with that, for now at least. But we will need to be extra careful around her regardless."

"Don't you seem calm about this," Junko muttered loud enough for all to hear.

"But of course. As I said before, this is merely a part of adapting to our situation," the gambler replied with a sickly sweet smile before turning her gaze directly toward Junko. "You experienced the lack of adaptation first 'hand', did you not?"

No one, especially Junko missed that subtle jab. The Fashionista clenched her still bandaged right hand, the eternal mark of her foolish attempt to defy the bear. Junko's eyes narrowed at Celeste, who held up a hand in front of her lips, most likely to hide a victorious smirk. Just as it looked like a verbal war was going to break out, Makoto stepped between the two of them.

"F-For now, let's all just head to bed. We're all tired and a bit irritable because of what happened. I think we can worry about all that stuff in the morning, after we've gotten some sleep," Makoto reasoned with a nervous smile, hoping they would listen to him. Luckily for him, it seemed that both Junko and Celeste were will to concede, averting their gazes from each other almost overdramatically.

Breathing a quick sigh, the lucky student then glanced at the staircase Byakuya and Jill had ascended. "As for Byakuya, I think Kyoko's probably right. No, actually, I'm sure that both of them will be fine…at least until the morning."

An awkward pause followed his suggestion and for a moment, the lucky student thought someone might refute him. However, he was surprised when most of them began nodding and murmuring in agreement.

"If Makoto thinks everything will be fine, then I'm sure it will be," Hina said to everyone before glancing at Sakura.

"I agree," the martial artist concurred with a firm nod. "Having him here has been quite the asset."

"Indeed! Mr. Naegi hasn't misled us so far, that much I can agree with," Hifumi surprisingly added.

"Yeah, we'd have been dead in the water during the first trial if he hadn't of torn through Leon's lies," Hiro chimed in before quickly realizing that both Leon and Sayaka were glaring angrily at him. "Uh…no offense?"

"…None taken," Leon begrudgingly replied, his sarcastic tone indicating the opposite of his statement.

"The point is: Makoto's right." Kyoko's stoic but firm voice helped to dissolve the tension Hiro had unwittingly caused. "We need to rest. We can figure out the rest tomorrow, right Makoto?"

Almost blushing from all of their encouraging comments, Makoto nodded to her with a hopeful smile and said, "Right! Let's head for bed everyone!"

Coming to that agreement, the students slowly began to head for the dorms. However, even as most of the students continued on, a pair of them remained behind.

Leon, who was carefully supporting Sayaka, remained rooted in place, staring at the closed door of the nurse's office. A look of genuine concern crossed the pop idol's face as she glanced at her companion. Her eyes couldn't help but soften as she took in the immensely sad expression on Leon's face…as if he was trying to muster the courage to knock on that door and speak with Mondo.

Sensing that he was getting bogged down with depressing thoughts, she shifted her weight slightly, getting his attention instantly. As he adjusted to better support her, his eyes met hers and she spoke softly to him.

"You can talk with him all you want to tomorrow. But for now, we should really be getting back to our rooms before it gets too late."

A bewildered look crossed Leon's face and he opened his mouth to reply but again, she beat him to it.

"I told you…I'm psychic," she said with a cheerful smile. "Just kidding…intuition again."

At first she thought her usual joke hadn't worked, as the ballplayer just stared at her for a moment. However, he instantly let out a light chuckle and shook his head.

"You're kinda scary sometimes…you know that?" he half-joked with her as they resumed their march toward the dorms.

"I do what I can," she cheekily replied, glad that he didn't seem as upset about the trial's outcome as he'd been before. Not to mention, she kind of enjoyed startling people with that line, it was her default for making someone laugh and forget their troubles.

And, as much as it felt kind of wrong to admit…Leon really was too easy to read. He wore his intentions on his sleeve and subtlety wasn't exactly something he'd cultivated. Makoto had been a bit of a challenge, considering his completely normal and somewhat bland personality but once she understood his thought process…it had made it simple enough to manipulate the both of them.

Her entire mood dampened as the weight of her own crimes revisited her. She was trying to do what Junko had suggested and just 'do what she could' for now. However, every single time she saw Makoto…saw the way he avoided her after she'd ridiculed him, she felt her chest tighten and she fought back tears. Many times during the trail, it had been difficult to maintain her composure, since she was positioned right next to him. Not to mention that she knew he would occasionally steal glances at her; whether out of concern or by coincidence, she couldn't be sure.

And for the longest time, it had been similar whenever she saw Leon, except that she felt guilt more than anything. She'd almost killed him, twice! Once when she'd ambushed him, and then by writing his name in blood.

She felt that she had to make it up to him, do something to set things right…but she had no idea how to even start. An apology would never be enough but that was all she could really offer. More than anything, she wanted to show him that she really appreciated everything he'd done for her. Not just helping her around and all that…but bandaging her when she had been bleeding all over Makoto's bathroom.

Even if she'd never said it, she knew that it was because of him that she'd managed to survive that hellish ordeal that she'd forced them both into. If nothing else, he needed to know how grateful she was for him looking passed what had happened and trying to be friends with her again.

But again, that begged the question…what could she do to show her appreciation?

"Alright, this is your stop," Leon abruptly told her, startling her back to awareness.

Sayaka's eyes widened as she realized that they were already back in front of her door. She'd been so deep in thought that she hadn't even noticed how far they'd gotten.

"Oh…right," was all she could muster as they came to a halt just outside her room.

Leon graciously opened the door for her and helped her inside. Once she had made it all the way passed the door, a hand on the wall for support, she felt his grip loosen as he began to turn to leave. However, before he could take a single step, Sayaka found herself tightening her grip on him, preventing him from leaving.

Surprised that he was being held in place, Leon looked back to her with a raised brow and said, "Uh…everything okay? Did you need some food or something? Because I think that cafeteria is closed—".

"No! No…I'm fine…I just…uh…" she fumbled with her words, feeling embarrassed that she'd held onto him without properly thinking it out. "You see, uh, Leon. The thing is…um…I kinda…w-would you like to come inside?"

Leon's eyes suddenly widened, obviously surprised by such an abrupt and unexpected offer. Sayaka was even surprised at herself, not really sure why she thought that inviting him into her room would help things in the slightest. After all, the last time she'd done that, it hadn't gone very well at all!

Just as she was about to put on her usual cheerful façade and tell him it was all a joke, the baseball star replied, "Uh…I don't really know if that's a good idea right now."

Startled not only by his rejection but by how serious his tone was, Sayaka couldn't stop herself from lowering her gaze. She really should have expected this, especially after all that she'd done. It was natural that he'd refuse. After all, he was only helping her get around because the others had forced him to. He was probably just being kind to her out of guilt or pity…which didn't make it hurt any less.

"I…I see," she said slowly, still not meeting his firm gaze. "I should have figured…forget I said anything…"

"W-Well, it's not like I don't appreciate the offer!" Leon's suddenly retorted, his voice sounding more flustered than before. Instantly, Sayaka's face shot up and stared at him in shock, remaining silent as he continued. "Trust me, it's…tempting. But…uh…I really don't think that you've recovered enough to be doing…that."

It took Sayaka less than an instant for her to understand exactly what he kept referring to.

"I didn't mean THAT!" she practically shouted, her expression changing to a mixture of disgust and embarrassment. "I was just asking if you wanted to come in and…I don't know! Talk?! Or Something?!"

Realization washed over Leon's features and he breathed a sigh of relief before chuckling, "Oh! Right…I knew that. I was just…testing you?"

Even though he was laughing his usual cocky laugh, it was obvious by his reddened features that he was just as embarrassed as she was right now. Classifying this attempt at making it up to him as an utter failure, Sayaka finally released her grip on him and grabbed the door handle.

"Forget it. Have a good night."

Without waiting for him to reply, she began closing the door, only for it to abruptly be halted by Leon's foot. At first, she cringed, memories of him forcing his way into the bathroom flooding her mind. Fighting off the panic that arose, she took deep breaths to keep herself from losing her composure. Before she could muster the courage to say anything to him about making her feel that way, she heard his voice from beyond the door.

"Hold up a sec," he called out to her, poking his head inside before continuing. "Seriously, is everything cool?"

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" she instantly and harshly replied, glaring at him for continuing this awkward and stressful situation.

"Well, you see…" he hesitated for a second before seemingly gathering his courage. "You got really quiet after we got past the nurse's office. I mean, I don't have very good intuition or anything, but I could tell that something was bothering you. So…uh…I just want to be sure that everything really okay…okay?"

All of a sudden, all the panicked feelings inside her vanished as Sayaka's eyes widened in shock. She had figured that Leon was kind of dense…okay, she knew that he could be incredibly dense when it came to sensitive matters, but that's why his sudden observation of her was so startling.

Leon had actually noticed that something beyond just hunger or a missing handbook was bothering her…and he was honestly trying to find out what it was to help her with it. Perhaps because of that, she wanted to believe that he wasn't only taking care of her out of pity or guilt for his own crimes. Maybe…just maybe…he really did want to become friends with her again. And even though she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to let herself be someone's friend again, obviously Leon was ready to give her another chance…she hoped.

"Uh, Earth to Sayaka? You in there?" Leon's voice startled her back to the situation at hand, finally meeting his nervous gaze. "So…is everything okay? Or was there some, uh, other reason you invited me into your room?"

Again, she could tell he was at least trying to be sensitive and at the moment, it was the thought that counted. Even so, she really couldn't find the right words to answer him. They stood in silence for a few more moments before she finally just went with her gut and decided to be straight with him. Opening the door wider, so that he didn't have to peek inside, both of them straightened up as Sayaka nervously cleared her throat.

"I guess…I just don't want to be alone tonight," she answered plainly, to which the baseball star raised an eyebrow at her. Concluding that his confused expression was the only response she'd get, she decided to continue, "I thought we could just hang out and…try to really get to know each other. You know…if you want?"

Sayaka felt more than a bit embarrassed about how the whole situation had progressed, but at least she'd posed the damn question! She only hoped that Leon didn't find her offer creepy or anything, considering their history. However, the look of apprehension on Leon's face told her everything. She could still read him like an open book, and it seemed clear that he'd already made up his mind.

Just when she was sure that he was going to refuse, Leon gave her an incredibly nervous smile and replied, "Do you promise not to try and stab me this time?"

Joyful surprise spread through Sayaka's entire being and she was so thrilled by the prospect of him agreeing that she instantly replied, "Only if you don't try to corner me in the bathroom…"

All at once, the reality of their jokes hit them and they simultaneously lowered their heads.

"Well…that was incredibly awkward," Sayaka immediately commented.

"Yeah, I am so sorry about that," Leon concurred, face-palming at the same time.

For nearly a minute they just stood there, determined not to meet each other's gaze. However, very slowly, Sayaka found her eyes drifting back toward him and saw that he had done the same. As their eyes met, they both straightened up and silently stared at each other awkwardly. Finally, after what felt like ages, Leon scratched his head and nervously laughed.

"So…uh…about coming in and hanging out…I'm game if you are."

From deep inside, Sayaka felt a pleasant warmth as he officially confirmed that he accepted her proposal. However, it obviously wasn't quite as simple as she wished it had been.

Despite how happy she was that he'd accepted her offer, Sayaka knew that it couldn't have been easy for him. She knew that he was struggling with his own guilt just as much as she was and that he had certain fears that others wouldn't understand, like their shared terror every time Monokuma entered the room. However, she also knew that it had to take great courage for him to decide to trust her like this.

And although the circumstances were entirely different, memories from the last time he had come at her request still haunted both of them. For Leon to move past that and take her up on this offer…she hoped that it meant that he was at least willing to accept her heartfelt apology. And while she wasn't looking to be forgiven, nor did she think she deserved it, she couldn't deny that in the back of her mind…someday she hoped that he could find it in his heart to forgive her.

"Cool," she finally answered him, her expression softening. "Come on in."

For the first time since their tragedy together, Sayaka let a genuine smile spread out over her lips as she stepped to the side and gestured him in. With a nervous but equally true smile on his face, Leon stepped inside and she shut the door behind him.

For both of them, it was time for the healing to begin.

"This is not what I had intended," Byakuya seethed as he made his way toward the second floor library. He wanted to take the file on Genocide Jack back to his room to comb through it again. Now that he'd actually met the serial killer himself, he wanted to compare how accurate the file was and update it himself, just in case.

On another note, he had to admit that even though he wasn't entirely displeased with the outcome of the class trial, it still left a bad taste in his mouth. He honestly didn't care if Mondo was executed for his crimes or not. As long as his safety was guaranteed, it didn't really matter to him. And while Makoto had, once again, surprised him with his deductive skills during the trial, the Togami Heir now knew how to categorize the Lucky Student in terms of being a threat to him. That was a small but vital victory in and of itself.

Kyoko still remained an utter mystery but at the very least he didn't consider her a threat to him as long as he avoided contact with her. And while her intelligence was certainly praiseworthy, the fact that she kept all personal information to herself put him at a disadvantage…and he hated that. Thus, he decided to spend the next few days trying to get as much information about her as possible, just in case she happened to be plotting something against him.

Then there was Junko Enoshima, who was becoming more and more of an enigma as the days passed. Her sudden transformation into a strong-willed woman wasn't entirely out of the question, it just seemed odd that she went from pretending to be a valley girl to acting like a street-wise tough chick. And although it wasn't unbelievable that a model's true personality was completely different from the one they projected in public, this seemed almost like a separation from her previous self. To that end, Byakuya decided it was best to keep her at arm's length and observe her from afar.

The three of them could pose a problem to him in the future…if he ever decided to play the game the way Monokuma had designed. However, since he planned to win the game by being the last man standing, rather than relying on murder and deception, if they truly didn't have any drive to escape, all he needed to do was wait for someone more ambitious to deal with them for him.

"As long as I don't rush into anything, then everything should work out according to—".

He abruptly came to a halt, ceasing to speak at the same time. With a hardened visage, he glanced over his shoulder. He could clearly see that he was being followed, and it was more than obvious who it was. Honestly, he'd been expecting this, which is why he'd come to the second floor in the first place. If it truly was who he thought it was, then he would have plenty of room to maneuver and counter whatever was thrown at him…quite literally in some respects.

"How long do you plan on following me around?" he said loudly, turning and staring at a nearby pillar.

"Oh, you knew I was here! I'd expect nothing less from Master!" a very particular voice replied from behind the pillar.

A moment later, Genocide Jill leapt out from her hiding place, flipping three times before sticking her landing and striking a seductive pose, a pair of Genoscissors in each hand. Although he shouldn't have been surprised that Toko hadn't resurfaced yet, Byakuya had to admit that he hadn't expected the serial killer to be searching for him. He'd expected her to return to her room and hide away after being spotlighted during the trial. Obviously he underestimated her tenacity.

Beginning to regret not going straight back to his room, Byakuya stared down his nose at her, prepared to defend himself as he answered, "I can smell your foul stench from here. Has the concept of a bath never occurred in that tiny speck of gray matter you call a brain?"

"Oh, I would love to but I'm afraid I need someone wash my back for me. Care to fill the position?" she said, flicking her long tongue seductively in his direction.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, the Togami Heir managed to maintain composure as he answered, "I'd sooner impale myself on your scissors than subject myself to that level of torture."

"Oh really? That can be arranged if you want," Jill lustfully replied, her tongue running the length of one of her scissors. Instantly, Byakuya regretting his choice of words and felt sweat trickle down his back before the serial killer abruptly threw her head back and cackled. "Kyahahaha! Oh yeah, that's the stuff! I love that expression, especially from you, Master! You were honestly sweating bullets there for a sec, weren't you?"

As she continued to cackle in his direction, Byakuya realized she was just toying with him. Feeling like he'd miraculously dodged a bullet, he replied, "Don't speak to me as if we're equals. And would you cease with this 'Master' business, it's grating on my nerves."

"No can do, Master!" she openly chided him, dancing around and snipping her scissors at the same time. "This is payback for the dick-move you pulled during that court case!"

For the first time since he'd begun speaking with her, genuine confusion warped Byakuya's features. Using his better judgment, he decided that, for the moment, it was better to remain silent rather than provoke the wrath of the woman with an exceptionally high kill count. However, when she noticed his perplexed expression, the serial killer tilted her head to the side and blinked rapidly at him.

"Oh, did you think I'd forgotten all about how I was rudely forced into the spotlight to make yourself look innocent?" she posed, her tongue wriggling creepily as she spoke. "I may not understand the circumstances of exactly why you did that, but at the very least, I know that I'm not too pleased with it."

At the mention of not knowing why he'd revealed her to everyone, Byakuya felt a different kind of confusion take hold of him. And this time, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "How can you not understand why I altered the crime scene? It should be obvious."

Scoffing, Genocide Jill replied, "Well, duh! I know it was to make it look like my handiwork but…why would you do that? I mean, what's the point of trying to make it seem like it was me? What do you get out of it? Unless you were trying to earn my eternal adoration for showing such devotion to my methods?"

She winked at him but he barely noticed, too busy trying to comprehend what he'd just learned. Her words left him nothing short of perplexed…as if she didn't comprehend the situation they were in.

"But how can that be? If she and Toko are the same person…shouldn't they share each other's knowledge?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong!" Jill continued as the Togami Heir began to piece things together. "I love a man who's as ruthless and cruel as I am. It gets my panties a sopping but if you wanted to see me you could have just—".

"Wait a moment," Byakuya interrupted her tirade. "Do you…understand the position that…we've found ourselves in?"

Now it was Genocide Jill's turn to look perplexed, scratching her head with one of her scissors. "We're trapped in the school with no way out. What else is there to understand?"

Byakuya groaned at her answer, mainly because it didn't make sense…but at the same time it did. She obviously knew of their imprisonment and since she hadn't mentioned being surprised by that, he concluded that she must also know about the class trial system. But if that were the case…why did she ask for his reason as to framing her? It was true that he didn't plan on actually letting her take the fall for Mondo, since that would result in his own execution, but she had no way of knowing that.

The only logical conclusion he could come to was a bit too frightening for him to accept.

As much as he hated to admit it, under all of her vulgarity and crass behavior, Genocide Jill was incredibly intelligent and gifted. She wouldn't have been able to pull off so many murders if she wasn't that talented. That being said, it stood to reason that she was simply trying to understand why he'd desired to single her out when he was, in fact, innocent. As far as she knew, he had no true reason to frame her, making everyone vote for her would kill both of them. If that was her line of thinking, then her comment about wanting to know why he'd take such a risk against his own life was very understandable.

"I see, it all makes sense now," he said to himself, to which Jill gave him a sideways glance. A confident smirk appeared on his face as he continued, "You want to know why I tried to pin the crime on you, knowing that it could result in my death if I made a mistake. Isn't that right?"

Byakuya's confident visage suddenly shattered when, instead of surprise, he saw Genocide Jill grinning at him maliciously while twirling her scissors in her hands.

"Actually, what I wanted to know is…" she began walking toward him very slowly, spinning her scissors on her fingers faster and faster as she approached. "…why did you think that exposing a serial killer in front of everyone wouldn't make you a target?"

Byakuya's eyes widened and he uncharacteristically gasped as he felt waves of murderous intentions radiation from her…and aimed directly at him. This had been a fatal miscalculation, one that had left him utterly powerless.

With each step she took toward him, a new level of fear began forming in the Togami Heir's mind. Panic unlike anything he'd ever experience before began settling into his mind. His entire body froze and his mind locked up, keeping him rooted in place through sheer terror. And in that instant, the prestigious Byakuya Togami actually felt that his life was truly in danger. The way Genocide Jill stared at him, as if she'd follow him to hell and back just to add him to her trophies, it sent chills down his spine and made bile rise up in his throat.

And for the very first time in all his life…he truly regretted his actions toward another human being.

Suddenly, she stopped spinning her scissors and grasped them tightly in both hands, coming to a halt only a stone's throw away from where Byakuya stood. Meeting his gaze, which he tried to keep even despite his growing panic, Genocide Jill's grin widened to almost maniacal levels. Just when he figured she was about to pounce, she pointed both scissors at him and laughed heartily.

"Good thing you were already my target from the very moment I met you! The target of my loooove that is! Kyahahahahahaha! Eyahahahahaha!"

Byakuya audibly gasped as she professed her love for him, having not expected to hear such a thing from her at all. In fact, it seemed more like a tactic to get him to lower his guard. However, since he was still unable to force his body to move, he suspected that her words might actually be genuine…as horrifying as that notion was.

"W-What are you saying?!" he suddenly found the will to speak, unable to keep himself from shouting. "Don't spout such absurd notions at me! You're nothing but a merciless killer! What reason is there for me to think that you don't treat every one of your victims the same way?!"

As soon as he said that, he mentally cursed, realizing how, given her romantic nature, his words could be misunderstood. And unfortunately, judging by the now overjoyed expression Genocide Jill was exuding, it seemed that it was too late to rephrase that.

"Oh Master! Hearing such poetic words from you makes me drool…with both my upper and lower mouths!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around herself and licking her lips with her extra long tongue. Byakuya visibly cringed but she didn't seem to notice as she continued, "And if you must know, I don't usually talk with my victims. I prefer them to just be screaming…"

Gritting his teeth, Byakuya wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. "If you're going to kill me, then I'd prefer that you—"

"Out of the question! I can't let you die! Not yet away!" she fervently insisted, interrupting him as she continued to tremble from euphoria. "I mean, yeah, normally I would have penetrated you deeply with my scissors by now! But it's different with you, Master! Until now, every time I got the hots for a guy…I had to kill him! I'm not sure exactly why, but just like the guy who almost died climbing Mt. Everest, I just knew that I had to do it! Reasons were irrelevant! But you…you, Master Byakuya! You're the first pretty boy that I fell in love with that I didn't want to kill! Even now, after you tried to throw me to the wolves, I can't help but feel irresistibly attracted to you and all that you are! Like a single cherry-blossom floating in cup of sake, I eagerly await for your lips to consume me!"

Byakuya's eyes widened in absolute terror as he began to understand his position. He had assumed that Toko, or Genocide Jill rather, would be furious with his attempt at framing her and thus would avoid him. And with everyone on high alert because of her presence, he thought he might finally be free of her incessant stalking. He never expected her to have such a sadomasochistic personality that she would actually still be attracted to him!

Even if she was being truthful and she didn't plan to actually kill him, having her constantly following him around wouldn't be any less difficult to deal with…especially since he was now her primary target in more ways than he had ever wanted! It seemed that his plan to expose her had backfired and now he was stuck with her…possibly until his dying day! And the worst part was...it was his own fault!

"This is not going at all how I planned…" he found himself thinking as he desperately tried to think of a way out. Suddenly, he was struck by inspiration.

"Are you sure that your other half is as devoted to me as you are?" he harshly questioned, a cruel grin spreading over his lips. "As I recall, she told me that she hated me just before you awoke during the trial."

Finally feeling confident, Byakuya was certain that this would at least help to deter Genocide Jill's feelings. However, as if to mock him, Jill started cackling once again.

"Eyahahaha! You really don't get split personalities, do you?" she chided as she continued to cackle. "As much as I hate to admit it, Miss Morose and I are technically the same person. We share the same feelings and intentions. And I can guarantee you that if I'm still balls deep in love with you, then so is she! My darling, Byakuya Togami!"

If Byakuya wasn't shocked before, he was practically horrified now!

"Are you saying that even after everything that I did during the trial, Toko is still ridiculously…infatuated, with me?!" Byakuya demanded, still not completely believing the serial killer.

Raising an eyebrow at him and tilting her head, Jill replied, "Why wouldn't she be? We love that absolutely cold indifference you have about you! The more you berate us, the more we know that you can't get us out of your head! And the more you think about us, sooner or later we know that you'll come to understand and return our feelings…no matter how long our passion might have to go unrequited before a seed of love blossoms within that dark and dreary soul of yours…"

Byakuya clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at the hopelessly romantic words Jill was spouting, now knowing that Toko certainly felt the same. And with that, it seemed that the illustrious Togami Heir…was put into check. However, it wasn't quite checkmate just yet.

"If they're both so dedicated to me…then I could certainly use that to my advantage. However, I will need to be extremely careful from here on out. If I outright refuse their feelings…who knows what they might—no, I know exactly what will happen to me."

Images of Genocide Jill's victims flashed through his mind and he was only barely able to force them away, not wanting his mind to envision that outcome any further. Not to mention that, now that his life was apparently out of danger, exhaustion was beginning to set in. He just wanted to get the file and get back to his room as soon as possible. But to do that, he needed to make sure that he wouldn't be attacked once he turned his back.

"If that's all you want, then I need to be going. It's getting late and I've wasted enough time dealing with filth like you," he brazenly said, regaining some of his authoritative nature.

Fortunately, just as he had hoped, Genocide Jill wasn't upset with him in the slightest. Instead, her eyes were beaming and a huge open mouth smile clung to her face, her tongue dangling lower than her chin.

"Oh! Master's talking down to me again! I've missed it so much! Damn you for taking up so much of his time, Miss Morose!" the serial killer excitedly shouted, snipping the air with her scissors. "But I don't have to worry about her right now! It's just you and me, Master Byakuya! Don't hold back, Master! Scream at me, call me worthless, spit in my mouth!"

Grimacing, Byakuya scoffed and averted his gaze.

"I think I'll pass. And for your information, I do not appreciate being followed. It gets on my nerves," he tried to subtly hint. Unfortunately, Jill seemed to take the message in an entirely different direction.

"Well then, lucky for you I'm not following you…I'm stalking you! They're very different!" she insisted, snipping the air with her scissors.

"For some reason, I highly doubt that…" Byakuya irritatedly voiced before bravely turning his back on her. After holding his breath for a moment, the Togami Heir let out a relieved sigh when she didn't immediately stab him in the back, which hopefully meant that she was as dedicated to him as she'd insisted she was. Confident his extremely influential existence was no longer in jeopardy, he continued to ask, "Then, pray tell, what is the difference?"

"Well," she answered, startling him as she almost seemed to materialize at his side. "I have very different intentions compared to following or stalking a beautiful young man. As long as it's harmless stalking, then whoever I'm after is safe for another night…cause I just wanna stare at their beauty! But if I'm following someone, I have much more interesting intensions…like relieving all kinds of tensions,if you know what I mean! Kyahahahahaha!"

Getting the gist of what she was saying, Byakuya resumed walking toward the library and said, "So then, you're saying that as long as you're stalking me, I have nothing to fear?"

"EYUP!" she exclaimed, trotting behind him with an overly pleasant smile plastered on her lips, her tongue hanging out from between her teeth. "So, if you don't mind! I'll get back to it! Continue onward, Master!"

Without another word, Genocide Jill spun around and dashed back behind the pillar she'd originally been hiding behind, peeking her head out and staring at him while snipping her scissors.

Byakuya had never imagined he'd be relieved that someone was stalking him in all his life. However, that didn't mean that he could trust all that she'd told him. At the very least, it seemed that, despite his obvious dislike of her, she was still completely infatuated with him, which he could use to his advantage…if he lived long enough to make use of.

Even so, if he could somehow manage to tame her…his survival from this game would be assured! The only issue was, he had absolutely no idea how to comprehend such a mad woman…especially since she was licking her scissors while staring at him!

"I can only hope I manage to survive this…arrangement," he somberly thought as he had to endure her 'endearing' gaze as he headed for the library.

Neither of them noticed the hallway security camera staring at them throughout the entire exchange.

Up in the surveillance room, Junko sat at her desk, completely slack-jawed at the scene she'd just witnessed. Picking her jaw up off the floor, she folded her legs and scowled.

"This…is unexpected," she said to herself, glaring intensely at the screen.

Bored of her usual persona, she abruptly switched over to her sexy teacher appearance, complete with glasses and ponytail. "Indeed, it would seem we underestimated the memory wipe, as it seems that Genocide Jack might have retained her memories. However, without confirmation, this is merely speculation and further observation will be required."

Instantly switching her getup back to usual, she then adjusted her tone to fit her Kawaii persona. "But if that's true that scissor-scissor-cut-cut-bitch remembers, then we needs to be extra careful and see if we is able to inspire her demise."

Without warning, Junko reverted back to her usual self and continued, "Unless our favorite serial killer, and yes we have other serial killers we follow, decides to penetrate Byakuya before he gets back to his room!"

With that reasoning, Junko went back to her monitor without a moment's hesitation.

Silently, she watched as Byakuya safely traveled from the library down to the first floor, and then back to his room, which he most likely locked immediately, without Jill so much as pointing her scissors at him! And then, rather than camp outside his door like a proper stalker, Jill wandered around the hallway until she found Toko's room and went inside, presumably for the rest of the evening.

"Well…I hate her now. I want her to be flattened by a steamroller…with Byakuya just out of reach…in a desert…fuck, I don't know anymore."

As much as she would like to deny it, exhaustion was just as quickly catching up with her as it was her classmates. However, she knew that the night was far from over. Putting her feet up onto the desk in front of her, she reached down into the mini-fridge she'd brought up to the surveillance room. With a tired sigh, she pulled out a can of an off-brand energy drink…because she wanted the despair of not supporting R** Bull and giving her money to a crappy energy drink company…even though the World's Most Despairing Incident had made this choice worthless, another kind of despair she enjoyed.

Chugging down the foul tasting liquid, she cringed at the horribly taste, the despair of having to drink something so unhealthy giving her even more energy than the drink ever could have.

"I can't just let things stand the way they are now," she continued to talk to herself as she crushed the empty can and tossed it directly into the distant garbage can. "Big Sis Muku did a big no-no during the trial and now everyone's got a slight advantage against me. That's unfair, and if I'm anything, I'm unfairly fair to my captives."

Swinging her legs over and off the desk, she pushed herself out of her chair and up to her feet, heading for the Monokuma control room.

"One way or another…there'll be blood tonight!"

"Fuck, I'm tired…"

Mukuro groaned as she closed the door to her room and locked it, resting her head against it and closing her eyes as she breathed. Her little altercation with Celeste had worn her out even more than it should have because it was so late. Prying herself away from the door, she glanced up at her clock and let out a deep sigh.

It was already passed Midnight and she wasn't in the mood for anything other than sleep.

"Well, we survived somehow…" Mukuro murmured to herself as she pulled the pink wig from her head and replaced it on her wig form. "And with Mondo guarding Chihiro…I should be able to rest, at least for tonight…"

Her black hair was matted with sweat and she rubbed her head to try and smooth it all out but quickly gave up as exhaustion caught up with her. Plopping down on her bed, she would have been content to just fall asleep right there…if a certain mechanical voice hadn't whispered in her ear.

"…And here, we observe the fashion model body-double in her natural habitat."

Instantly, the soldier's eyes snapped open and she leapt forward off her bed, spun around and pulled her knife from beneath her shirt. She assumed a defensive position as her eyes locked onto Monokuma, who was looking at her through a pair of binoculars.

"…Crikey! I've been spotted!" Monokuma chided with an Australian accent.

Irritated from not only the trial, but lack of sleep as well, Mukuro gritted her teeth as she shouted, "Get out! I've had enough of you for one night!"

She wasn't foolish enough to lower her guard, considering her opponent was her very cunning sister. Mukuro knew that if she was getting a visit from Monokuma at this hour, when Junko would normally be asleep herself, then it had to vital. To her or her sister, she couldn't say yet. So, as she continued to glare menacingly at the demented bear, she began to mentally prepare for the worst.

To her surprise, Monokuma tossed away the binoculars fairly quickly and instead lowered its head, as if to pout.

"Aww…that's not nice. I was just foolin'! I figured we could let bygones be bygones and just forgive each other. I mean, I've already forgiven you for pulling such a cheap trick during the trial!"

Involuntarily, Mukuro winced as she recalled taking that risk. Suggesting that the Mastermind was a student, like them, was a huge gamble. However, she knew that if she was going to help her classmates survive, she would need to pass along as much information as discretely as she could manage. And obviously, since she hadn't been punished, it seemed that Junko didn't consider her little 'suggestion' a violation of revealing her identity.

However, Mukuro had been prepared for the worst when she'd made the revelation clear to her classmates. And while she hadn't expected it to be that same night, it seemed that her little 'chat' with her sister was happening sooner than she would have liked.

"Is that so? How kind of you…" the soldier falsely praised, readjusting her grip on her knife.

"I thought so too! And just to show that there are no hard feelings! I'll let you in on a little secret!" Monokuma cheered, waving its arms in the air.

Still on her guard, Mukuro knew that this would somehow connect back to the trial. After all, her sister had warned her before the trial had begun that something was going to be different. However, the trial seemed pretty average to her, even though it was her first. What then, could be so important that her sister would deny herself her beauty rest to convey?

She didn't have to wait long before Monokuma placed its hands on its hips and said, "I gotta say, I'm proud of all of my students. You in particular. You figured out who attacked Chihiro, despite being a norm for this trial. And thanks to that, Mondo didn't end up stuck here all alone!"

Mukuro raised an eyebrow at that last part. "'End up here alone'? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

A deep sigh escaped Monokuma as the bear face-pawed. "You really don't get it yet! It's spelled out clearly in the rules…specifically rule number 6."

Having memorized the rules long before they were introduced to everyone else, Mukuro mentally began going through all of them.

"Rules 6…Rule 6…If I remember right, it was that only a 'blackened' would be allowed to graduate—!"

An abrupt gasp escaped Mukuro as her mind began to piece everything together, to which Monokuma smirked menacingly. The soldier's defensive position slacked a bit as she realized the truth depth of the new rules that her sister had introduced.

"Rule 6…only a 'blackened' can graduate," she practically recited, saying it out loud to make herself understand the gravity of the situation. "To become a blackened…you have to kill a classmate. But since Mondo didn't actually kill Chihiro…then even if he tricked us, and we'd all been executed…there would have been no one left to kill for him to become a blackened! And he would have—!"

"—Been trapped here forever? Yup!" Monokuma finished for her, pushing off her bed and waddling around her, heading toward the door. "So, you were all really lucky that Trust Fund fessed up about not being the assailant. That and Mondo confessing way earlier than I expected!"

As much as she hated to admit it, Mukuro knew the bear was right. If they hadn't of found out that Mondo was the attacker, then a fate far worse than death would have awaited the biker. If they had all been…executed, then Mondo wouldn't have been allowed to leave, because he wasn't a blackened. Instead, he would have been forced to stay within the school, completely alone, the guilt from his own actions tormenting him for the rest of his days…or until Junko snuck up behind him and knifed him in the back—

"Oh God…I get it now."

This had been Junko's plan all along…she wanted only one student left standing at the end. So that, when they least expected it, she would be able to kill them, becoming a blackened in the process and seizing victory for herself in this twisted game! It's why she added the 'bullying' rules and 'bullying' trial in the first place! To give her a chance to win the game by following her own rules!

This changed everything Mukuro knew about the game and how to proceed. With those new additions, it was going to be a lot harder to keep all of her classmates alive! Especially when some of them were as cruel and ruthless as Byakuya had proven himself to be! And if things continued to escalate at this pace, the soldier wondered how long she was going to be able to keep a real corpse from popping up.

Amidst her revelation, Monokuma was already preparing to leave, having been successful in instilling a new form of despair in Mukuro.

"Oh, and just to make this clear, that information is for your ears only," Monokuma jeered as it reached the door and reached up to grasp the handle. "If you let that slip and mention it, in any way, I'll consider it a violation of our agreement and have you executed on the spot! So, be a dear and learn to keep your trap shut!"

Again, Mukuro couldn't stop herself from gasping as the bear made its demands. "Wait! You can't—!"

She tried to protest but it was too late, Monokuma slammed her door shut, leaving her alone with the despair this new information had visited upon her. A bit shell-shocked by this news, she stumbled backward onto her bed and sat down, staring at the floor in disbelief.

"I can't warn them. I can't even hint at it! I should have kept my mouth shut during the fucking trial! If I had, then…"

Her words trailed off as she thought about everything that she'd done. Particularly, she recalled the hopeful looks her classmates had given her after her revelation during the trial…especially the bright smile Makoto had given her.

Finding her resolve in that memory, she slapped her face with both hands and said, "No…I did what I had to. And if this is my punishment for it, I'll just have to find a different way to help everyone."

The only question was, what should she do now?

Standing guard in the nurse's office was out of the question, after Monokuma had forbidden anyone but Mondo and Chihiro inside. Of course, that also meant that, if someone else managed to sneak inside and kill Chihiro under Mondo's watch, and they didn't catch them, another 'bullying' class trial could be held. Not only that, Mondo would be executed for not protecting Chihiro, which would severely dampen moral. It would be the first, official execution and Mukuro knew that, once someone's blood was truly shed in this place, there would be no way to stop the carnage that would ensue.

Shaking her head, Mukuro reassured herself, "No! I won't let that happen! Junko never said that we couldn't keep watch outside of the nurse's office!"

Standing up and marching over to her closet and throwing open the door, she sifted through the layers of designer clothing until she found an old outfit from her days in Fenrir. With a heavy sigh, she pulled it out and steeled herself for the task ahead.

"…Fuck. Guess I'm not getting any sleep tonight!"

Hiro was feeling more than confident as he laid out the tarot cards on his table.

"Alright! Time for another prediction!"

Despite the late hour, the Ultimate Clairvoyant felt it necessary to try and gaze into the future. If he was lucky, and his thirty percent accuracy rate just happened to fall in line with this prediction, then it would be worth staying up another few minutes…unless he got a foul omen from this reading, then he really should have gone straight to bed!

In either case, Hiro decided to try his luck and do his best to get a positive prediction for the future. Since losing his crystal ball the other day, he had decided that an alternate form of fortune telling would do. He wasn't sure what formation to use; the star or the pentagon were good choices but he wanted a more personal reading so he chose to use a formation he'd come up with himself.

Being the Ultimate Clairvoyant, he found ways around the stubborn traditions of 'average' fortune-telling. One of which was creating his own style of telling fortunes, such as arranging the tarot cards in the shape of a leaf…for good luck?

Placing each card in the appropriate spot, he began flipping them over systematically, the cheeky smile on his face widening more and more with each turn of a card. Finally, as he finished overturning the last card, he let out a triumphant cheer and raised his hands high.

"I knew it! I was right all along!" he assured himself before checking over the cards one more time, to be certain of his prediction.

"According to this, a life-changing event just might happen tomorrow! And with it, all shall be made clear about what we should be doing while trapped here. That means…tomorrow's the day that we finally find a way out of this crazy place! I'm at least 30% certain of it!"

Hiro let out a relieved laugh as he began picking up his tarot deck. Just as he was about to pick up the last card, The Tower in the reverse position, a symbol of avoiding disaster, he glanced up at the clock and his eyes widened. It was already past 1AM, and he desperately needed his shut-eye.

"Well, that should do it for me! Gotta get my beauty rest, after all! Need to be ready for all that fortune that'll befall us tomorrow!" he said, deciding to put away his tarot cards later.

He stretched his hands high up above his head and yawned loudly, before getting up from the table. As he did, Hiro bumped the table as he reached over and turned off his light before stumbling his way over to his bed. In the pitch blackness of the room, he was unable to see the last tarot card slip from the edge of the table, floating down to the floor. As it hit, it miraculously landed face up.

Again, it was The Tower. Only this time, the card was upright; heralding a coming disaster.

…

…

…

Chapter 2: END

Two more students have lost the will to kill:

-Mondo Owada-

-Chihiro Fujisaki-

10 students 'remain'

To Be Continued…

Greetings, my beautiful readers! Thus we have reached the end of Chapter 2! Heading into Chapter 3, there will be a lot of new developments because five people who should be dead will now be there. Because of this, as I mentioned before, I will be on a short break to get everything sorted out and write ahead a little bit. Trust me, it'll be worth it! ;)

Also, a lot of you have been asking about the revealing of everyone's secrets and what Monokuma will do with that motive. Rest assured, that time will come. However, I won't say exactly how it will come about. It's going to be early on in Chapter 3 but not immediately, so please bear with me. I think you'll all enjoy it!

Now, I know this chapter was slightly shorter than the last two but I hope I filled it with a lot of mind numbing images and thoughtful thinking references for everyone! On that note, a big thanks goes to my beta, Dixxy Mouri. She's been with me every step of the way and I'm glad she'll be helping me with the next Chapter…because it will be hard to get done!

And with that, I must bid you all adieu for now. I will be back in about four weeks (twice my usual uploading time), and I know that you're all going to love what's coming next! Until then, thank you all for your amazing support, I truly appreciate everyone who leaves a review or visits my story! Thank you all again and keep on smiling, my beautiful readers!