Never Say Never
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.
Chapter 3
Act 1
Despite the late hour, Sakura felt completely awake. Because of that, she felt the need to train and work off her extra energy. She had set up the four wooden posts she'd brought to school with her, and was in the process of weaving between and systematically striking them.
As she trained, her mind began to wander.
The trial had left her emotionally drained but physically wired. Her mind wouldn't stop racing about how Mondo was the only person allowed to watch over Chihiro. She would have gladly accepted that role but had no qualms about the biker taking responsibility for his actions in this way. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel that the Mastermind had some kind of scheme planned.
And, of course, that brought feelings of guilt over being a spy for the Mastermind.
Sakura had regretted making that deal from the moment it had occurred, but knew that there was nothing she could do to change it. And it was far too late to renege on the arrangement, considering she'd already reported a great deal of information to the Mastermind. Not only that, having seen how merciless almost half of her classmates were, she knew that she would face dire consequences should she reveal her secret to them. However, it wasn't herself she was worried for…but Hina.
A small smile appeared on her lips as she thought about how truly fortunate she was to have found a friend like Hina in this place. Since the very first day, the swimmer hadn't been afraid to approach and become friendly with her, something that Sakura had been awed about. Most people saw her large stature and avoided her at all costs, but Hina was different. She had complimented how strong the martial artist was and had been fascinated by her training regimen.
Over the course of their imprisonment, Sakura had come to value Hina as her most trusted friend…and it was because of that that she couldn't let the others discover her secret. Sakura feared that, rather than attacking her for the betrayal, they would turn to abusing Hina instead. However, if she stayed as the Mastermind's pawn for much longer…she may be forced to do something she would forever regret.
"If only there were a way to be free of the Mastermind's influence…" she pondered as she continued rotating between the wooden posts, her fists aching from the intense workout.
Deciding to focus on her training to dull the agonizing feelings of betrayal, Sakura pushed her body harder rather than backing down. Sweat trickled down her neck as she increased her speed and just as she was about to deliver a practice kick, a disturbing voice called out to her.
"Yeah! Teach that fallen tree whose boss!"
All at once, Sakura ceased practice and spun her body around toward the voice, her stance already defensive. Gritting her teeth, she seethed, "And just what do you think you're doing here?"
Glaring over toward her bed, her rage-filled eyes focused on none other than Monokuma, who was currently waving a flag that said "FIGHT" high above its head. As Sakura's harsh words reached it, the bear stopped the flag waving and slanted its head.
"I was just admiring your impressive footwork," Monokuma said almost gleefully. "I mean, to outmaneuver a stationary object takes kindergarten level speed! You make it look so effortless! You're just lucky that piece of dead wood can't fight back—".
"Do you need something?" a frustrated Sakura seethed, her body still in a defensive stance. "If not, then I suggest you be on your way. I am in no mood to speak with you this evening and I have no new information for you."
Despite her proclamation, Sakura knew that the bear would not back down so easily. After all, if Monokuma had come to visit her in secret like this, then it meant the bear had a task it wanted her to complete.
"Why, my dear Sakura! I never expected such harsh treatment from you!" the bear replied with feigned surprise. "And after I went to all this trouble to get in here without you noticing…so that I could surprise you on our anniversary!"
"Anniversary of what?" Sakura asked, already knowing the answer.
With a malicious smile, Monokuma spun in a circle and jeered, "Today is the anniversary of the day we struck an accord and became partners in crime—".
"No, it's not."
Monokuma's spinning abruptly stopped, facing the martial artist directly. "Come again?"
Clearing her throat, Sakura repeated, "No, it is not our…anniversary. Those are annual."
Clearly a bit embarrassed, the bear scratched its head and replied, "Oh…well…uh…oh! Then it's our one week anniversa—".
"It hasn't been a week since our arrangement was set."
"Really?! It feels a lot longer than that…are you sure it hasn't been—?"
"I have been counting the days. And it has been five days since I was forced to become your pawn," Sakura answered sternly, her eyes flashing with rage toward her captor.
Rather than continue the idiocy it had been displaying, Monokuma's attitude grew abruptly stern as it replied, "Oh come now, is that any way to speak to your boss? I may have to fire you if you keep this up, young lady."
As humiliating as it was, Sakura couldn't help but flinch at Monokuma's words. The bear held the fate of her family's dojo in its claws, and even though it pained her, the martial artist knew there was no defying the Mastermind.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Sakura finally relaxed her muscles and stood up straight, being sure to keep her guard up regardless. Glaring down at the bear, she said, "I assume you have come to me for a reason? Or did you simply wish to taunt me?"
"Hmm, a little from column 'A', a little from column 'B'," Monokuma snidely answered before getting serious. "More than that though, I actually had a proposition for you. And this time, I think you might be inclined to accept it."
Something about the way Monokuma said that sent chills down Sakura's spine, but she was curious nonetheless and couldn't stop herself from asking, "What kind of proposition?"
Its menacing grin widening, Monokuma plainly answered, "What would you say if I told you that, if you do this one little job for me, I'd release you from my services…for the rest of the game."
Sakura's eyes widened and she almost took the bait, but stopped herself at the last moment. She knew it was too good to be true, everything involving that bear was. But even so…if it meant she would no longer have to be a slave to the Mastermind…it was at least worth hearing.
"What exactly would I have to do?" she asked, instantly regretting it when Monokuma's red eye flashed.
"There's a certain someone I want you to put to sleep…permanently."
Sakura's eyes widened as she said, "You don't mean—".
"Here's the deal," Monokuma cut her off, turning its back as it spoke. "If you hold up your end of the bargain, like I'd originally asked you to do, then you can have your family's dojo back. And since snuffing out Lamp Chop automatically triggers Mondo's execution instead of a class trial for you…I suggest you go for it before someone else beats you to the punch!"
Even before Monokuma had proposed it, Sakura was aware of that option. It was the reason she'd been unable to sleep. As horrifying as it was to consider, the martial artist had figured that it might come down to this. Ever since Monokuma announced that whoever killed Chihiro wouldn't be punished, with Mondo having to be executed for it, Sakura had been certain that the bear would come here sooner or later.
"It's a win/win really," Monokuma continued, not giving her time to respond. "You get your dojo back and don't have to be my indentured servant anymore, and I finally get an execution! Everyone wins!"
"…Except for Chihiro and Mondo."
Sakura's stern opposition actually seemed to startle the bear, as it looked back to her with a hint of confusion on its face.
"Oh, please! They dug their own graves! Why should we have to continue to suffer because of their mistakes?!" the bear countered, obviously trying to change her mind.
With a huff, Sakura replied, "I don't believe that my suffering is as great as theirs. If anything…my worries are petty compared to—".
"Oh, so you're calling the ancient Ogami Dojo petty now, huh?" Monokuma interrupted, glancing over its shoulder at her. "If that's the case, why did you volunteer to become my mole? Hmm?"
Sakura gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in order to keep herself from charging the bear. She knew better than anyone how despicable her actions were, and that the Mastermind was merely trying to unnerve her. Unfortunately, it was working.
"Is this an official request? Or merely a suggestion?" she managed to ask, holding in her rage.
"Hmm…let me think about that," Monokuma said, placing a paw on its chin and tilting its head in thought.
For nearly an entire minute, silence filled the room, safe for the frazzled breaths that Sakura inhaled while trying to calm herself.
Suddenly, the bear leapt off the bed and said, "Just a suggestion, I suppose. After all, if I order you to do it…then you have an excuse for why it wouldn't be your fault. I'd rather you make the decision for yourself this time. I don't want to waste the one time I'll have you kill someone on something as petty as those two."
Sakura flinched as her own words were thrown back at her. However, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she hadn't been ordered to kill her classmates. But that didn't stop the guilt she felt for putting herself into this situation to begin with.
Without another word, Monokuma began waddling toward the door, relief flooding Sakura with the bear's imminent departure. However, that feeling was stunted when Monokuma opened the door, glanced back and finished, "By the way, I may have forgotten to mention this but…there is a sixteenth student roaming the halls. And they won't be playing by the conventional rules!"
As that revelation came down upon Sakura, the demented bear slammed her door, leaving the stunned martial artist with an ever growing feeling of despair.
"Second Floor. Clear. Gymnasium. Clear. Dorms. Clear. Heading for the nurse's office."
Like a shadow in the night, a pitch-black figure dashed down the darkened halls of the first floor. That figure, clad in a skin-tight black jumpsuit, was the Ultimate Soldier – Mukuro Ikusaba.
The bright neon colored lights that illuminated the hallway were an annoyance, and made traveling stealthfully cumbersome, but that was to be expected, considering that they remained on at all times of the day, even during the designated Nighttime. However, this was not Mukuro's first sortie, and with her exceptional talents at both covert and offensive maneuvering, she didn't break a sweat as she continued to patrol the halls.
After Monokuma's, or rather her sister's, warning following the trial, the soldier knew that she needed to step up her defensive measures. Honestly, she had no idea why her sister had included the form-fitting, black as night jumpsuit among the many designer blouses and skirts, especially considering it was originally something Mukuro had worn in Fenrir. She may have expected an expensive looking jumpsuit, considering her sister's Fashionista tendencies, but this was the exact same one that Mukuro had brought back from the battlefield when she'd enrolled in Hope's Peak. It was hand-made and perfectly fit her measurements; that alone proved it was hers. But again, why was it buried deep in the closet in the first place?
In the end, it didn't really matter. It served her purposes and thus, Mukuro would make use of it.
The only lamentable issue was that, while there were many kinds of eye-catching hats and scarves in the closet her sister provided, there was nothing stealthy about any of them. Because of that, Mukuro was forced to discard the bright pink wig used to hide her identity and instead let her actual jet-black hair frame her face as she continued keeping vigilant watch. She'd left her boots behind, the noise from them not suited for stealth missions. Instead, she chose to wear non-slick black socks over her feet, to reduce noise while walking. She'd also completely removed her fake fingernails, which was actually harder than she'd imagined but considering Junko had to practically put them on for her before the game started, it wasn't all that surprising. She hoped she could remember how to reapply them, but realized now wasn't the time to be worrying about such trivial things. But even if she couldn't get them back on, she could just make up an excuse about not caring about doing her nails in this life or death situation. Her classmates would believe that. Finally, she had applied camouflage-esque face paint to help her face blend into the darkness, using the darker colors in her make-up kit, but Mukuro wondered how effective they truly were.
"As long as I stay out of sight, it should be fine," she assured herself as she inched close to the doors just outside the nurse's office.
The door was slightly ajar and light from within streamed out. Easing herself toward that opening, Mukuro closed one eye as she peered in with the other.
To her relief, it seemed that Mondo was doing just as he'd promised, sitting by the unconscious Chihiro like a watchful protector. Even so, the guilt was evident in his features, and it seemed that he couldn't bring himself to look directly at Chihiro. It was a hard scene to watch, so Mukuro chose to give them some privacy, cautiously backing away from the door. Turning about face, she hid in the shadows as she headed back down the hall.
"All Clear. Heading for the rendezvous point."
Staying in the shadows, she headed for a spot she designated for herself earlier. She chose this hallway because she could monitor all directions at once, assured that no one would be able to sneak past her. Having already checked the upper floor and gym, she had confirmed that the rest of her classmates must have returned to their rooms. As such, the only way to get to the nurse's office would be this hallway.
Honestly, she wasn't quite sure what she would do if one of her classmates did attempt to attack the nurse's office. She could subdue them, certainly, but that would leave her in a compromising position. After all, unless she knocked them unconscious, they would know that someone other than themselves was here in the school with them. And while no one would suspect "Junko" of being the one who subdued a fellow classmate, if any one of them saw her face, she could be found out…which her sister would consider a violation of their agreement and have her executed.
That thought alone made her body tremble, remembering the spear that had pierced through her hand. The wound itself still ached and her dexterity with that hand had notably decreased, not that her classmates had noticed. Even if they did, it wasn't exactly unexpected for someone with a hole in their palm to have a few complications.
Still, she remembered the agonizing pain that single injury had brought…and though she hesitated to admit it, the thought of being impaled all over her body with those spears sent chills down her spine. The very idea of that agonizing pain spreading out and consuming her entire being was an almost paralyzing thought. She surmised that, since she wasn't used to feeling pain in general, her body had no tolerance for it. If she had known this could happen, she might have intentionally allowed herself to be injured in the past, to build up resistance to it. But that was a foolish notion and she knew it. Right now, she had a mission to complete and that took precedence over such naïve thoughts.
"Focus on the mission. Lives are at stake," she reminded herself, finding resolve from the memory of her injury. After all, she'd already decided to keep watch over Mondo and Chihiro. It was far too late to be worrying about her own safety at this point.
Taking up her position in the shadows between the nurse's office and the student store, Mukuro pressed her back to the wall and prepared for a long night.
"Arrived at RV. Maintaining position until further orders—".
Midsentence, Mukuro realized that she had been speaking aloud to herself. Minding her face 'camo', she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"I've almost completely reverted back to my old self…it feels good. I never imagined I'd miss the thrill of a high-stakes stealth mission. Then again, how long has it been since I've felt this feeling? Two years? Maybe more...? This feeling…I'd almost forgotten it."
As much as she hated to admit it, there was a trait that she shared with her sister. She too had an addiction to a very particular feeling. However, unlike Junko, who couldn't truly feel an emotional response other than despair, Mukuro could at least understand other emotions and acknowledge them. Unfortunately, just like her sister, the soldier speculated that she too had a mental or perhaps brain chemical driven desire to seek out the one emotion that made her feel truly alive.
For Mukuro…it was the act of endangering her own life.
More specifically, it was the fight to survive, the battle that always ensued whenever someone tried to kill her. She could still vividly recall the moment she'd discovered this euphoria…
It had actually been the incident she'd half-lied to her classmates about. It was back when she was living on the streets with Junko while they were still young. It didn't matter that she and her sister were only twelve at the time, the men who had tried to attack them…their eyes had glinted with lust and malicious intent. They had come at her with knives, having no intention to allow the two young girls to survive the encounter.
How could they have known that, ever since Mukuro had been a small child, she'd fantasized about becoming a soldier? How could they have predicted that she already knew several forms of self-defense? And how, in an ironic twist of fate, could they have known that she had no sense of mercy?
Mukuro recalled how effortless it had been to snap her first attacker's arm with her knee, disarming him and allowing her to arm herself. As her attacker had wailed in pain, she kicked him square in the chin, knocking out several teeth and dislocated his jaw. The attacker's cohorts soon tried to rush to his aid, only for one of them to have the knife Mukuro had procured thrown straight into his eye. As the now one-eyed man screamed, she took advantage of the shock that had overtaken the third attacker, kicking him in the gut before slamming his head into a nearby brick wall, blood splattering all over her hands. A bit stunned by her own handiwork, she failed to notice the injured one-eyed attacker sneak up on her, grabbing her neck from behind in an effort to strangle her. Unfortunately for him, Mukuro was able to reach around and grip the knife lodged in his skull, mercilessly pull it out, and repeatedly stab him until he finally released her, the final attacker crumbling to the ground with a sickeningly wet-sounding thud.
As she had stood there, her attacker's blood staining her clothes and hands, with no injuries to speak of for herself, that was when she had felt it…the euphoria of having survived such a horrific ordeal. The feeling of adrenaline pumping through her veins, the furious thumping of her heart racing, the unimaginable pleasure she had felt when fighting for her very life…that became the sole all-consuming emotion she wished to experience above any other.
All the while, Junko had just stood there and watched…grinning at the despair her sister had caused.
"I can still…remember how it felt…"
That euphoria…that adrenaline filled rush that she only got from endangering her own life, that became the reason she abandoned her sister so many years ago, threw herself in with a mercenary group even at such a young age. Her addiction for survival only intensified the more she fought, a mountain of corpses left behind after each battle. In that respect, she was exactly like her sister. Neither of them cared who had to die to get what they wanted. And as long as they could feel that amazing euphoria that only that special emotion brought out, then nothing else mattered.
Or at least…that's how it used to be.
Ever since Junko had miraculously been able to contact her while she was with Fenrir, her priorities had begun to shift. Guilt for abandoning her sister had made her leave the euphoria of the battlefield and travel back to Japan to be with her sister again. Before she knew it, her only desire was to please her sister, to be forgiven, loved and accepted by the sibling she'd left behind.
That notion had almost consumed her…until she'd met Makoto – the boy who'd smiled at her.
From that point on, she began to doubt her sister and the world of despair she'd been trying to create, not that she'd realized it at the time. It wasn't until after Junko had abandoned her to play the game that Mukuro had realized that those doubts must have been visible to her sister all along. If that was true, then her 'punishment' was probably planned from the beginning. The trap her sister had set for her, the one that Makoto had saved her from, it was all so that Junko could win the game herself. And because of that, Mukuro had to find a new reason to keep on living.
And now, she was dedicating her entire being to helping her classmates survive. It was ironic that she was the Ultimate Soldier, always going from one 'battlefield' to the next, without a clear objective afterward. A part of it was that she wanted vengeance for what her sister had done to her, but she knew better than anyone that it was impossible to exact 'revenge' on Junko.
Junko Enoshima lived for despair. It didn't matter if it was on others or herself, despair gave Junko purpose and she coveted it more than anything else. The despair of her own sister seeking vengeance probably made her mouth water…and killed any hope of Mukuro actually punishing her sister for her cruel deeds.
"You can't beat her…even if she dies, the despair of death will excite her. I know that, that's why I decided to help everyone survive, to decrease the despair she's getting from watching us struggle. But…is that the only reason I'm doing this? Just to get back at her in this small way?"
Mukuro hadn't had the time to ponder such notions since she'd been forced into the game. Now, in the dead silence of the hallway, hidden in the shadows, she couldn't help but wonder what she was really fighting for.
She thought about how she'd miraculously been able to save Sayaka from bleeding to death, the rush she'd felt when she'd slid down the elevator shaft and raced down the hall to keep Leon from execution. She remembered the mixture of excitement and horror as she'd participated in her first class trial, and the rapturous feeling of one-upping Monokuma at the end of the trial.
What feeling did all of that give her? Pride? Accomplishment? Hope? No…the answer was…
"Euphoria…"
Mukuro momentarily stopped breathing as that revelation came to her. She'd been so busy ensuring everyone's safety that she'd failed to realize that…she was actually enjoying the killing game. And while she wasn't enjoying it in the same vein as her sister was, it was still a terrifying thought. The excitement of struggling to survive under debilitating conditions, having more restrictions put on her than others, and contending with the notion of instant execution should she misstep…it made her blood burn with passionate fury. A feeling she hadn't experienced since she had left the battlefield…left Fenrir behind.
Even now, though her desire was to protect Mondo and Chihiro from harm…she could feel her adrenaline pumping and her heart racing with delight. And her body didn't fight it, the ecstasy from her euphoria mixing with the heavenly heat building up underneath her skin-tight jumpsuit. Her breath became hot as she panted slightly, finally acknowledging that mad delight for what it was.
Mukuro almost couldn't believe it herself but…she was actually getting high off constantly working to save her classmates. Regardless of how sickening it made her feel, this revelation made it obvious that the same psychotic blood that coursed through Junko's veins…flowed in her veins as well.
"Dear God…just how fucked up am I? I am…just like Junko, after all? Bouncing from one addiction to the next…am I really trying to save my classmates out of concern? Or am I just looking for my next high? What do they all really mean to me? Do I…do I even have a will of my own—?"
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught her attention, disrupting her thoughts and launching her into soldier mode.
"No time to think about the 'why' of it right now. Focus on the mission…" she told herself, suppressing all distractions as she assessed her situation.
Focusing on the echoing steps heading in her direction, Mukuro decided that staying in the shadows was too risky. She needed to know who was coming in order to prepare a countermeasure and for that, she'd need a proper hiding place. Fortunately, whoever was coming hadn't rounded the corner yet, and that gave the soldier a small window to get to a better hiding position.
Choosing the closet door to her, the student store, she quickly and quietly opened the door and ducked inside, leaving the tiniest of cracks to peer out and see who might be making an attempt on Chihiro or Mondo's life. Flexing the muscles in her arms, limbering them up for action if need be, she waited for the intruder to pass by.
Judging by the sounds their footwear was making, it was probably a boy. She didn't hear the distinctive clicking of heeled boots or shoes that most of the girls wore. The footsteps were also rather quiet, suggesting someone of smaller size was approaching. With these assessments in mind, Mukuro held her breath as the steps echoed just outside the student store.
To her surprise, as she peered out through the tiny crack in the door, the massive build of Sakura Ogami passed by the door. Immediately backing away from the door, Mukuro suppressed her breathing, holding in a shocked gasp.
"S-Sakura! What the hell is she doing here?" the soldier questioned before moving back to glance out of the crack again. "Looks like she didn't notice me. That's a relief. But she's camping out outside the nurse's office. She probably had the same idea as I did, keeping watch from outside just in case. Sounds like something she'd do but…dammit, I didn't expect this."
Completely removing herself from her place behind the door, Mukuro took a step back to assess her new situation.
"With Sakura there…it'll be hard to move around. Not to mention that if she stays there all night, I won't be able to get back to my room and put on my disguise…what the hell am I supposed to do now? If I get caught here…it could be the end of me!"
Against her will, she felt her blood pumping and a wave of excitement washed over her. She was enjoying this stealth mission far too much. If she kept this up, she might not be able to revert back to "Junko" properly when the time came. Shaking her head to force away the rapturous feeling, she felt ashamed for her momentary lapse in commitment.
"This isn't like me…I shouldn't be thinking about this right now…dammit!"
Without thinking, she dug her fingers into her injured palm and winced. Like a switch had been flipped, Mukuro felt her euphoria completely vanish and rational thought returned. It took her a moment to realize why. The sensation of pain had brought her back…cleared her mind, reminded her that she needed to focus on her mission, like she always did.
Strangely, she found herself reciting the lessons she'd learned during her time in Fenrir.
"Don't let your emotions break your focus…clear your mind of distractions…the mission always takes priority."
As her own advice echoed in her mind, Mukuro closed her eyes and began a meditational breathing exercise she'd been taught by a fellow mercenary. Within moments, she felt her mind clearing and her demeanor returned to that of her usual self. Finishing one last cycle of breaths, the soldier slowly opened her eyes, firm determination replacing all of her previous doubts.
"First things first, how to get past Sakura without being discovered," she decided, already looking around for anything that might be useful.
"I know I shouldn't be scared…everyone's still alive and all…but…"
Hina quietly wept as she lay on her bed, dressed only in her undergarments. Even though she'd put on a brave face, the trial had been excruciating. She couldn't believe that so many of her classmates had voted to execute Mondo, even though he'd apologized and hadn't actually killed Chihiro! He even volunteered to make up for it by guarding Chihiro around the clock until she woke up!
"How much more apologetic can you get?!" she pondered, hugging her pillow tightly to her chest.
Unfortunately, what hurt the most was the elevator ride back up. Everyone who had voted for Mondo glared at him like he was a rabid dog that needed to be euthanized. And no one came to his defense, even herself, she was ashamed to admit. Even Taka seemed to have abandoned him, not even sparing a word for him through the entire ride, and storming off toward his room without wishing everyone a good evening, like he was prone to do.
A somber mood had been instilled in everyone, and they'd all retired to their rooms for the night. Granted, it was late when the trial had finished. Chihiro had been discovered shortly after the nighttime announcement, and the investigation and trial had taken several hours. By all accounts, everyone should have been drained…Hina should have been drained.
And yet, here she sat, tears soaking her pillow as she tried to console herself.
"I…I wonder how Sakura's holding up?" she briefly wondered, thinking back to how the martial artist had wished her a good night and headed straight for her room. Hina had thought it a bit odd, considering how resilient Sakura was. But she also realized that, just like everyone else, Sakura was only human and she was probably dealing with the stress as much as Hina was.
"S-Should I…would it be alright to go and see if she's still up?" the swimmer asked herself before glancing at the clock and flinching. "It's already two in the morning…even if she's up, I doubt she'd be in any mood to chat…come to think of it, I'm not really in much of a mood for it, either."
Burying her face in her pillow, she wiped away the stray tears that lingered on her cheeks. It felt like all she could do just to keep herself sane. For the first time in her life, Hina felt utterly powerless. She had always thought that, if she just had a positive attitude and kept herself active, she could make it through anything. However, since being trapped here, she'd begun to feel her usual pep begin to fade as the days slowly crawled by. She wanted to go swimming in the sunshine, run laps in the rain, make a snowman; anything was better than being trapped in this horrific school where morality seemed to become less and less applicable in their daily lives.
Feeling that pent up frustration get the better of her, Hina kicked her legs forward and sat up on her bed.
"Uhg, this isn't like me at all! No one's dead yet and I have no reason to worry right now! I just can't think straight with all this captivity!" she seethed, a heated glare pointed at the camera bearing down on her. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "Oh! I know what always cheers me up! Donuts!"
Turning to the side and slipping off her bed, Hina began gathering her clothes as she decided that a late night snack run was in order. Ironically, just as quickly as it came, that enthusiasm left her as she recalled the promise she'd made with everyone.
"Crap…the nighttime rule. I'm not supposed to leave my room after…well, actually, all of us violated that rule tonight. What with the investigation and night trial and all…I suppose one more little trip won't hurt…"
Firmly accepting that excuse, Hina didn't think twice as she pulled up her short shorts, slung her arms through her red training jacket, and decided to head for the first floor storage room.
*Slap*
"God-dammit, Mondo! Stay awake!"
The biker slapped himself across the face for the hundredth time that night, fighting off the exhaustion that worked to claim his consciousness. He'd tried everything to keep himself from falling asleep; walking around the room, punching the wall, kicking a chair, hitting himself, but nothing he tried seemed to keep him from fading. It had gotten so bad that he'd almost fallen asleep standing up. And while he knew that it wasn't against the rules for him to sleep here anymore, he couldn't stand the thought of leaving Chihiro defenseless.
"I don't have time to sleep…Chihiro needs me. And I…I won't let her down this time!"
Strangely enough, as he spoke those words, he felt himself waking up a bit. Maybe just talking to himself would help keep him awake? He'd never tried it before and it was worth a shot. The only problem was…he didn't have anything he wanted to say to himself. He was still overcome with guilt and self-loathing, those heavy emotions giving way to despair. He closed his eyes for a moment to try and calm down but found himself drifting almost into slumber. So, he punched himself in the gut.
"Hrragh!"
He coughed and sputtered, falling to his knees. He hadn't meant to hit himself that hard, but he couldn't deny that he was feeling more awake now. Almost ironically, when he lifted his head he found himself kneeling by Chihiro's bedside. The biker's eyes softened as he watched her chest rise and fall as she slept, and he cringed as he saw the bandage that was wrapped around her head.
As hard as he tried, he just couldn't stop the image of bludgeoning her from flashing before his eyes. It was an image that would haunt him for the rest of his life…regardless of whether or not he made it out of this school alive. Then again, a large part of him had given up the hope of ever making it outside again. After nearly killing Chihiro, he felt that he didn't deserve to get out of here. Even if, by some miracle, he was able to escape…there was nowhere to hide from the weight of his crimes.
"I don't deserve…to be alive right now," he found himself saying, his fists clenched tightly as he hung his head. "I…I attacked Chihiro. And for what? Because I was a little bitch who couldn't control himself! I'm the one who was weak! While Chihiro…Chihiro was…"
Against his will, tears stung the corners of his eyes and he didn't even attempt to wipe them away. Instead, he lifted his blurry vision up to focus on Chihiro. She looked a bit pale from blood loss and trauma, like a fragile little doll. She was utterly defenseless, both from bastards like Byakuya and that maniacal bear Monokuma. Her life could be snuffed out with a fucking pillow, for God's sake!
"Pillows…!"
Abruptly getting to his feet, Mondo looked around the room and found that each bed in the office had a pillow on it. Any one of them could be used to attack Chihiro! And that was something he couldn't allow! There was only one recourse Mondo could think of…he had to get rid of them all!
The only question was…how?
He couldn't leave the room to throw them in the incinerator, not to mention that he didn't have the key to get to it anyway. Instead, he looked around the office until he found a storage closet in the back. Speeding over to it and pulling it open, Mondo was shocked to see that most of the closet was filled with spare pillows!
"This is too dangerous for anyone to see!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Mondo ran around the room, grabbing every visible pillow he could find and throwing them into the bowels of the pillow closet. After only a few moments, every pillow was safely tucked away in that closet, with Mondo having to furiously push the door just to get it to close. The only pillow that remained was the one Chihiro's head rested upon, since he couldn't figure out a way to take it without possibly hurting her.
With that finished, Mondo looked around and was thrilled to see a roll of duct tape on the nearby desk. He didn't question why it was there, instead grabbing it and using it to seal the pillow closet shut from the outside! By the time he was finished, the entire roll had been used, the door had several layers of duct tape sealing it off, and Mondo swooned with pride for his accomplishment!
"It's not much…but at least it helped me stay awake. Plus, now someone will have to get through me if they want a pillow to smother her with!" Mondo said triumphantly as he closed the closet door, shutting all of the 'dangerous' pillows away from Chihiro.
Returning to his spot next to Chihiro's bed, the biker pulled up a stool and sat next to her.
"Okay, uh…Chihiro. That should do it for now. Those pillows can't get to you now," he said, a bit nervous to be talking to an unconscious person. "And don't worry about someone trying to take yours. I'm gonna be here…I'll be right here until you wake up. And then…and then…"
What 'then'?
In all honestly, Mondo had no idea what would happen when Chihiro woke up. What would she say? What would she do? Would she forgive him? Would she hate him? Would…would she ever wake up at all?
That was a fear that Mondo had a hard time suppressing. If Chihiro never woke up…how would he apologize to her? The idea terrified him even more than getting executed. In fact, if it meant she'd wake up and be alright…he probably would have let himself get executed. However, he knew that wasn't how it worked. No matter how much he punished himself, that wouldn't change what he'd done. And it wouldn't help Chihiro wake up.
Above all else, that's what Mondo would never forgive himself for. If Chihiro never woke up, if she stayed in a coma for the rest of her life because of what he'd done…he'd never forgive himself.
Staring down at Chihiro's unconscious form, Mondo felt something inside him break as he imagined her having to stay in that bed until her dying day.
"Chihiro…I don't know if you can hear me but…ya gotta wake up…I need to apologize for what I did…I need to keep my promise to you and help you work out…but I can't do that if you don't wake up! I don't care how long it takes…or if you hate me when you wake up…in fact…you can hate me all you want! Just…just please…please, just wake up soon!"
Tears rolled down his reddened cheeks as he openly sobbed, his tears dripping down onto the bed sheets. His hands dug into the sheets, gripping them so hard the material might rip. He was so distracted that he didn't notice that the door had cracked open, and someone was looking inside.
Just outside the door, Sakura listened to Mondo's plea for Chihiro to awaken…and grimaced. She opened the door a crack, just enough glance inside and see that both Mondo and Chihiro were alright…even though that wasn't her initial intention. She felt as if she'd just seen something she shouldn't have, and that led her to question herself.
"Why…did I come here?" she asked herself as she closed the door, hopefully without alerting Mondo to her presence. "I suppose I already have the answer to that question…"
Monokuma's words from earlier echoed in her mind:
"By the way, I may have forgotten to mention this but…there is a sixteenth student roaming the halls. And they won't be playing by the conventional rules!"
That warning had reverberated in her mind ever since, and even though it was possible that the Mastermind was simply lying to her, something told her that they were telling the truth. After all, from what she could tell, the Mastermind hadn't lied to her or any of her classmates since the game began. Obviously, they didn't tell the whole truth or would sometimes refuse to answer, but most of the time, it seemed as though their captor was being honest with them.
The more important question was, why did the Mastermind tell her about the sixteenth student at all? If the sixteenth student was working with the Mastermind, then telling her could jeopardize whatever they were planning. However, if the sixteenth student was working against the Mastermind, then why would they keep themselves hidden? It could be that the sixteenth student was the Mastermind but Sakura couldn't imagine that was the case, considering how meticulous they were about their scheme.
"And if it's true…if there is a sixteenth student among us, then something must be done," Sakura told herself as she leaned against the wall just outside the nurse's office. "We may have been forbidden to enter, but Monokuma didn't bar us from standing watch outside."
It was the only viable option that Sakura could come up with on such short notice. Just as she settled in for the rest of the long night, an all too familiar scream reached her ears.
Mukuro had been an excellent battlefield scavenger during her time in Fenrir, and this school was now her battlefield. The student store was overflowing with trinkets and other knick-knacks, surely there was something here she could use to her advantage. Wiping the sweat from her brow, a few black locks fell in front of the soldier's eyes, and she was reminded that her black hair was completely exposed.
"Best to find something to hide my hair…just in case," she thought, readjusting her search for that purpose.
Glancing around she found a number of masks hanging from peg hooks. One that particularly stood out was one that was the face of some kind of magical girl heroine with golden hair and her tongue sticking out…it even had eyeholes large enough to see out of properly. However, it wouldn't be able to hide her hair, so she disregarded it.
However, the one next to it caught her attention immediately. It was an over head mask, large enough to obscure all of her hair…but it was unpleasant to look at. For some reason, it had the same red-eye design that Monokuma had, but on the forehead instead of the eyes. At the same time, giant oval shaped eye covers completely obscured where someone's eyes would be, and a gigantic, not to mention demented, grin was plastered on the front. It almost looked like a completely black version of Monokuma but in human form. And regardless of how disturbing it looked, Mukuro couldn't deny that it suited her purpose nicely.
Taking it down from the peg hook, Mukuro pulled the mask over her head and adjusted it accordingly. Turning to take a good look at herself in the mirror, she sighed against the latex.
"I look like a manga villain…but I guess it'll do."
With her new disguise in place, Mukuro returned to the door just in time for a horrified scream to reach her ears.
"That…that was Hina!"
Judging by the intensity of that scream, someone had to be attacking her! Taking only a moment to make sure her mask was in place, Mukuro sped out of the student store and dashed down the hallway toward the dorms.
"HINA!" Sakura found herself shouting as her friend's scream reached her ears. She was just about to race down the hallway when suddenly the door to the nurse's office shot open.
"What the hell was that?!" came the voice of Mondo as he leapt out into the hall. Spotting Sakura, he reared back in surprise as he shouted, "S-S-Sakura! What the hell are you—?!"
"There's no time to explain! That was Hina! I'm sure of it! I need to go find her! But I need you to stay here and keep Chihiro safe! Alright?!"
Although he was entirely confused, the biker easily understood that each of them had someone they need to protect. Placing his trust in her, Mondo nodded firmly and replied, "Yeah! Don't worry about Chihiro! No one's getting past me!"
With a determined nod, Sakura acknowledged his bravery before kicking off and speeding down the hallway toward the dorms. However, as she turned the corner at the end of the hallway, she looked toward the entrance of the doors and gasped.
A figure dressed entirely in black was racing down the hallway…and headed directly for the dormitory where Hina had screamed from! Was this the sixteenth student that Monokuma had warned her about?! There was no time to process that. Hina was in danger and thoughts of whom the attacker could be would have to wait!
Protective rage surged through Sakura and she gave a ferocious shout before speeding down the hallway with reckless abandon.
High up above in the surveillance room, Junko chuckled to herself as she watched the ensuing chaos. She was hoping this would happen, that Mukuro would meet up with Sakura while not in disguise and therefore get her secret revealed! That's why she'd sent Monokuma to get the martial artist's blood boiling. Sakura was the only person capable of contending with Mukuro, and since the soldier was trying to 'save' everyone, she wouldn't be able to perform at her best!
All of that lovely despair was too much for Junko to handle, and she started salivating uncontrollably.
"This is going even better than I imagined! Once the two of them meet up, it'll be a despair-filled bloodbath! And the best part is, it doesn't matter who wins! If one of them kills the other, then the last one standing will get executed! Sure, I'm losing my mole but with how bloodthirsty Byakuya and Celeste are, I'm sure the game will get more interesting from here on out!"
Junko chuckled as she watched Mukuro put on, as she called it, the Despair Mask, and speed toward dorms. And she laughed as Sakura came barreling down the hallway straight toward her, her speed increasing with each powerful stomp.
Honestly, the only unexpected guest was Hina, who was, for some reason, running out of the bathhouse screaming like a mad woman.
"Hmm, I never meant for her to get involved," Junko said aloud wondering why Hina was there. "I planted the seeds for Sakura and Mukuro but I never even considered adding her to the mix…why the hell was she in the bathhouse? Note to self: check the bathhouse audio logs."
With that mental reminder set, Junko leaned back in her chair and shoveled popcorn into her mouth as she waited for the two forces to meet.
Hina couldn't believe her eyes…she didn't want to believe her eyes…but there it was…Chihiro's disembodied head was inside one of the bathhouse lockers…and it was staring at her!
"…Hello!"
And now it was talking to her! Chihiro's severed head that was stuffed into a bathhouse locker was talking to her like she wasn't even concerned that she'd been murdered and her head stuffed into a locker! All reason vanished and Hina was left with only one recourse…to scream!
"EYHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Stumbling backwards, she bumped into the divider just inside the door and fell to the floor, crawling on all fours out of the bathhouse. Hyperventilating and struggling to keep herself calm, she didn't noticed that someone was in front of her until she ran into their legs, stopping her. Lifting her head up, Hina's blue eyes widened as she looked up.
A figured dress entirely in black stood over her, a malicious looking mask with creepy large eyes and a menacingly wide grin covering their face. And once again, Hina had no other recourse than to scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
"HINA!"
Shouting over her scream, Hina's eyes teared up as she saw her friend Sakura racing to her rescue. She wasn't sure if this was all a dream or not, considering she'd seen Chihiro's severed head, a creepy masked manga-style villain, and now Sakura coming to save her…but she didn't really have time to question it!
Sakura charged the masked figure, who didn't even seem to flinch as the muscular martial artist charged them. Rearing back her fist, Sakura swung a heavy right hook directly at the masked figure's head. However, both Hina and Sakura were shocked when the attack hit nothing but air. It took a moment for the swimmer to recognize what happened, but she was glad that she did when she saw the masked figure, having leapt up above Sakura, poising to strike.
"Sakura! Above you!" Hina shouted, hoping she was in time.
"What?!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise before looking up and seeing the masked figure flipping up above her.
Putting both hands up to defend herself, Sakura was only barely able to deflect the two legged kick that the masked figure directed at her head. The martial artist prepared to counter when the masked figure suddenly kicked off her arms. Instantly, Hina saw that the masked figure's attack hadn't been an attack at all! The masked figure was rebounding off Sakura's arms, leaping back around behind the martial artist with what seemed like ease.
As the masked figure landed just behind Sakura, they didn't seem prepared for another attack, evident when Sakura spun around and sent a spinning backhand toward the masked figure. Surprisingly, it turned out the masked figure was prepared, as they used their arms to block the backhand. However, it sent them flying backward, with the masked figure doing a back-flip to help regain balance.
Instantly, Sakura turned and readied herself in an offensive position, clearly intending to subdue the masked figure here and now. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the masked figure abruptly turned on a heel and ran toward the hallway past the dorms.
"Wait! Come back, you coward!" Sakura shouted, immediately giving chase.
"S-Sakura! Wait for me!" Hina couldn't stop herself from shouting as she leapt to her feet and followed after her best friend.
Speeding to catch up, Hina slid around the corner just in time to see the masked figure kick off a wall and leap over Mondo, who must have been trying to impeded the masked figure's path. From there, they all saw the masked figure racing up the stairs to the second floor. Continuing to give chase, Hina sprinted and caught up with Sakura and together, they both sped down the hallway.
"Who the fuck was that?!" Mondo tried to ask as they approached, but neither of them had the time to slow down.
"Stay and guard Chihiro!" Sakura shouted to the biker as they flew past him and up the stairs.
Only when they reached the top of the staircase did either of them come to a halt. There was no sign of the masked figure and both of them were out of breath, having sprinted from the dorms all the way here. Hina leaned against a nearby wall for support, her lungs burning as she gasped for air.
As she did, she looked over and smiled at Sakura. Her friend had been there for her when she needed it the most and somehow, it renewed her hope that they might survive this hellish experience.
"Hina…are you…alright?" Sakura asked between breaths, to which Hina nodded fervently.
"Y-Yeah…just…a little…tired…" she replied, still breathing heavily. A few moments passed with both of them taking the time to collect themselves. Once they'd gotten in a few good breaths, Hina turned and asked, "Not that I'm complaining but, what were you doing in the hall, Sakura?"
With a hint of shock, Sakura answered, "I-I was keeping watch over Mondo and Chihiro from outside the nurse's office, just in case."
"Oh, that makes sense!" Hina said, clapping her hands together. "After all, Monokuma never said we couldn't keep watch from outside the office, now did he?"
"Exactly," Sakura confirmed before her expression hardened. "But when I heard you scream, I knew that I had to go and see if you were alright."
Hearing that, Hina felt a wave of happiness at knowing that her friend cared for her so much. Such a kind-hearted gesture was becoming abnormal in this school and it did her heart good to know that Sakura would do that for her. Her eyes teared up a bit but she wiped them and said, "Thanks, Sakura. I owe you one! But who was that guy? I didn't get a good look at him…except for the creepy mask."
Sakura paused for a moment before replying, "I'm afraid I don't know. I came running when I heard you scream and he was there. Did he hurt you, Hina?"
A bit surprised, Hina immediately answered, "What? Oh, no. I mean, I didn't even know he was there until after I saw Chihiro's severed head—".
"C-Chihiro's head?! What are you talking about?!" the martial artist abruptly stammered, clearly shocked.
"Oh, nothing! I must have been imagining things!" she immediately back-peddled, realizing that she must have been so hungry that she'd hallucinated seeing Chihiro's head in the bathhouse. "I mean, if Mondo was guarding Chihiro then I'm sure she's fine…I'm probably just tired…"
Now she was feeling kind of stupid. There was no way that Chihiro's severed head had been in the bathhouse, that was just crazy. And now she sounded crazy. Being trapped in the school was probably playing with her mind and it would only get worse the longer they were trapped here. Just as she was about to sigh, a large hand rested on her shoulder and Hina looked up to see Sakura smiling gently at her.
"As long as you're alright, then I'm sure everything is fine."
Hina drank in her friend's words and smile before reciprocating, feeling relieved for the first time all night. She was just about to invite Sakura back to her room, safety in numbers and all that, when Sakura's gaze suddenly turned firm.
"Hina, I want you to go back to your room and lock yourself in for the night," the martial artist told her, much to her shock.
"What?! Why?! Don't tell me you're going to try and find that masked freak all on your own?!" she countered, positive that her guess was spot on.
"I can't let him get away…not after trying to harm one of my friends," Sakura seethed, the aura around her body seeming to intensify with each word. "It may even be the Mastermind behind that mask. We can't afford to let this chance slip through our fingers. I won't let this chance slip through our fingers!"
When Sakura didn't even look at her, Hina knew that she was right. Sakura looked like she was on the warpath, and there was little that anyone could do to stop her at this point. Hina knew better than anyone, when Sakura decided to do something, nothing would be able to stop her. To that end, the swimmer decided it was better to just let her do as she pleased…but not alone.
"Then let me help you search! I'm not letting you go up against that masked freak alone!" Hina insisted, making Sakura turn to her in shock.
"Hina, I appreciate what you're trying to do—".
"Then you shouldn't have a problem with me coming along," Hina interrupted, meeting Sakura's gaze without so much as flinching. Sakura opened her mouth, seemingly to protest, but quickly shut it. A smile replaced her worried features and she shook her head in defeat.
"I also know better than to argue with you. Very well, let's search this entire floor."
"Right! Let's get to it, Sakura!" Hina exclaimed, ready to give it her all like usual.
As they began to check the surrounding rooms for the masked figure, Hina couldn't help but feel proud and honored to have such a great person like Sakura as her best friend.
"Holy…shit…those…two…can…run…!"
Mukuro wheezed as she panted for breath, sitting on the floor as she recovered from the sudden marathon. She had closed the hidden door behind her, leaving her alone in the archive room hidden in the boy's bathroom on the second floor. The only light in the room came from a crack underneath the hidden door.
Even with that limited light, she could make out the desk sitting in the middle of the room, as well as the large bookcase that lined the back wall. In those books, countless knowledge was contained. Yearbooks, documents on the schools founding, records of any and all incidents committed on school grounds; it was all there, just waiting for one of the students to find. This had originally been a hidden room for Jin Kirigiri, or at least Junko had told her it was.
"Well…at least…I finally made it…into the…secret room…"
Just as she was catching her breath, a noise from the other side of the hidden door startled her. Instantly, she was back on her feet and pressing her back against the wall just beside the door. Listening intently, she heard someone walk into the boy's bathroom. Every few seconds, the clanking of the stall doors being pushed open resounded, until the footsteps came to the storage closet just in front of where the hidden door was.
Mukuro felt her heart racing as another clank sounded, insinuating that the storage door had been forced open as well. However, a heavy silence followed and the soldier quieted her breathing as she waited to see if whoever was there could identify the hidden door. The next few seconds that passed felt like hours, until a cheerful voice shouted.
"No one in the boy's bathroom room, Sakura! They must have gone down the hall toward the pool or the library!"
Mukuro instantly recognized the peppy voice of Hina and quietly let out the breath she'd been holding as she heard the swimmer's footsteps head away from the storage closet. A few moments later, she heard what she assumed was the sound of the boy's bathroom door closing. Now assured that she was truly alone, the soldier let out an audible sigh.
Resting her head back against the wall, Mukuro only now realized she was still wearing the creepy mask she'd found in the student store. With no need to keep it on, she ripped it off her skull and gasped, relieved to have the suffocating latex removed from her head. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the mask in the dim light of the room.
"God, you're creepy…" she whispered before tossing the mask onto the nearby desk.
As the adrenaline worked its way out of her system, she began to decide what she needed to do now. Three of her classmates had seen her but she didn't think they'd identified much about her. The mask had been useful in that regard, but they obviously saw her as a threat and would now attack without warning if they spotted her. This would make future rounds during the night more difficult…unless she did so disguised as 'Junko', which presented other problems. I mean, who would believe that the Ultimate Fashionista was willingly patrolling the halls for danger? She'd be found out and subsequently executed in a heartbeat if that happened.
So many new problems…and Junko was probably laughing at her from her 'boxed seat' up in the surveillance room.
Then again, it wasn't all bad. With Sakura, Hina and Mondo all worked up, she now felt confident that no one was going to make an attempt on Chihiro's life tonight. Her initial goal had been achieved, albeit not in the way she'd wanted. And because of that, she decided that the best recourse was to withdraw for the night.
"My primary objective is to get back to my room without being caught. Sakura and Hina are on the second floor. Getting past them should be easy if they're searching the other rooms. The only obstacle is Mondo. He's probably maintaining his position on the first floor. Getting past him shouldn't be too difficult though."
She reached out and almost let her hand grasp the latex mask but stopped herself at the last moment. As that creepy, despair-inducing mask stared back up at her, she couldn't help but feel disgusted…if only because she realized that Junko probably enjoyed the sight of her wearing the gaudy thing.
"I guess I should be alright without it," she reasoned with herself, turning away from the mask and heading for the hidden door. "But then, I'll need something else to conceal myself…"
As she said that, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, a large object sitting in the corner of the room. A confident grin appeared on her lips as she recalled a trick that had been taught to her during her time in Fenrir.
"Dammit, what the hell's goin' on?!" Mondo seethed as he stood just outside the nurse's office.
It had been a few minutes since that freak in the mask had rebounded off the wall, leapt over him, and sped up the stairs faster than he could see. Hina and Sakura went after whoever the hell it was and entrusted Chihiro's safety to him...which he had been doing anyway. However, he also felt the need to go after them in case they needed his help. Even though he knew how strong Sakura was, he still felt like he should be there.
But then, no one would be there to protect Chihiro…and he couldn't let that happen, no matter what! He'd made a promise to keep her safe until she woke up and absolutely nothing was going to distract him from that duty—
*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK*
Suddenly, a very distracting sound reached his ears. It was almost like the sound of someone tapping their knuckles against a wall. At first, he wasn't quite sure, but then he heard it again.
*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK*
It sounded like it was coming from just around the corner, right in front of the stairs. Utterly perplexed and perturbed because of the masked freak's previous appearance, Mondo said the only thing that came to mind.
"What was that noise?"
Even though he figured that he shouldn't investigate, something deep within him stirred as he felt compelled to seek out the source of the noise. Cautiously walking down the hallway, Mondo clenched his fists as he prepared for someone to pop out and attack. When he got to the corner, he stopped and took a deep breath before jumping out with his fists raised.
To his surprise, no one was there…just a lonely cardboard box sitting in the middle of the hallway just in front of the room leading to the gym.
"Huh?"
Entirely confused as to how or why a large cardboard box big enough to hide an entire person underneath was just sitting in the hallway, Mondo again felt compelled to investigate. Carefully approaching the box, he noticed that the flaps that should have been underneath, holding the contents inside, were visible on the outside of the box. What purpose would that serve…other than to help hide someone inside the box?! But then…why would they have the box in plain view if they were hiding in it?
"No way…no one's that stupid…" Mondo thought for a split second before realizing something. "Wait…that's the point! It's so stupid that no one checks under the box and whoever's there can sneak around effortlessly! Well, it's not gonna happen on my watch!"
Confident that he was making the right choice, Mondo strode up to the box and kicked it, sending the square cardboard flying. There underneath the box…was absolutely nothing.
"Wha?" was all Mondo could muster, startled that his prediction was wrong. "Hold on a sec…if no one was in the box…how did it get here and—oh shit! The box was a decoy! Chihiro!"
The biker shouted as he spun around and raced back to the nurse's office. Flying through the doorway, Mondo instantly scanned the room and fortunately, apart from the sleeping Chihiro, the room was empty. A very relieved sigh escaped Mondo as he confirmed that his stupidity hadn't cost him the life of his unconscious friend.
"That's it! No matter what happens, I'm not leaving Chihiro's side!" he proclaimed before marching over to the door and slamming it shut. Cracking his knuckles, Mondo moved to Chihiro's bedside and turned to face the door. "If someone wants to get at Chihiro, they're gonna have to go through me!"
With his resolve firmly set, the invigorated biker prepared to spend the rest of the evening vigilantly watching to make sure no one tried to get inside the nurse's office. He was so focused on his resolve that he hadn't noticed the shadow that had passed by the door when he'd turned to move next Chihiro's bed.
Mukuro's door opened, she slipped in, and then shut it almost in the same second. She didn't even bother to turn on the lights as she panted, locking the door and leaning against it, completely out of breath. Even so, she was completely relieved to be back in the safety of her own room. All the while, she couldn't believe how perfectly her cardboard box strategy had worked.
"I guess classic techniques still work…" she said to herself as she pushed off the wall and slowly walked toward her dresser. "Good thing it was Mondo…and not Kyoko or someone smarter…"
Reaching a hand behind her back, she unclipped the tiny clasp on the back of her jumpsuit. She moaned as her flustered and sweaty skin was finally exposed to air again as she peeled the jumpsuit off her body. Tossing it aside with a damp slop, the solider staggered away from it and decided that she could wait until tomorrow to hide it within the deepest reaches of her closet.
Completely drained, physically and emotionally, the completely nude Mukuro flopped onto her bed and didn't both to cover herself up before drifting into exhausted slumber.
"Well…that was…interesting?" Junko commented as she finished watching the entire event between her sister and the other students. Licking the buttery remains of popcorn off her fingertips, she found herself grinning. "It's funny how I'm used to it now…"
"Used to what, huh? Tell me, tell me, tell me!" she asked herself, switching over to her kawaii personality.
"I seem to be growing used to my predictions and plans go awry, that's all. It's almost becoming normal," she answered her own question, swapping out for her sexy teacher persona, complete with glasses and ponytail.
"Yeah, what I said," she chuckled, having reverted back to her usual persona and pigtailed appearance. "It's weird…I'm not even mad about it. Then again, I don't know what it's like to really be mad in the first place. It wouldn't do any good anyway. Plus, the despair from watching my dear older sister having to run from the very classmates she's trying to protect was…refreshing."
Standing up and stretching her arms above her head, she pushed her chest out and yawned loudly. Her arms fell back to her side and, seeing as she finally felt drowsy enough to sleep, she decided to retire for the evening. However, before she made her way out, her eyes accidentally glimpsed a small box filled with envelopes sitting on the desk.
"Oh shit, I almost forgot about you," she purred, running a hand over the box tenderly. "I did promise to reveal everyone's secrets…but just blurting them out during breakfast would be sooooo borrrrring! There's gotta be a more despairing way I can—".
At that moment, something else abruptly caught her attention on one of the monitors. It was one of the dorm rooms, the only one that still had its lights on actually. On the screen, furiously working at his desk instead of sleeping, was Taka.
He seemed to be fervently writing something but obviously become frustrated with it, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it directly into his trash. The trash was filled with crumpled paper and, surprisingly, even though it was trash, it was perfectly in order with no extra pieces lying outside the bin. Junko wasn't sure how that was possible, or why the whole scene was so fascinating to her…until she saw how red the Moral Compass' face was. Not only that, his eyes were bloodshot and angry tears stained his cheeks.
As that scene continued to play out on the monitor in front of her, it took Junko all of two seconds to decide what needed to be done, a malicious grin slathered on her lips.
-The Next Morning-
"…but in the end, we never were able to find the person in the mask."
All of the students in the cafeteria gasped as Sakura relayed the events of the previous night to them all…or at least most of them.
Makoto sat quietly and listened, occasionally stealing a glance at Kyoko, who listened with her eyes closed. Sayaka and Leon were sitting together, with the latter helping the former with her breakfast. Celeste sipped at the tea Hifumi had made for her, not a single word of praise for the fanfic artist's struggle to create a tea that lived up to her expectations…though he didn't seem to mind all that much. Hiro mumbled a chant to himself but otherwise remained useless. And Junko, who seemed particularly perturbed by this news, sat with her arms folded, her fake nails completely removed and only the slightest hint of make-up applied. Sakura and Hina sat back down after explaining all that had transpired, feeling disappointed that they'd failed to catch the culprit. They had wanted to wait for everyone to arrive but Hina couldn't stop herself from blurting it out as soon as Makoto asked if she was alright, because, apparently, she'd been pale.
A number of their classmates, however, were still not present.
Mondo was still guarding Chihiro, and it hadn't been decided who would bring them food yet. Byakuya had excluded himself, though no one could really complain about that. Most of them weren't ready to see him yet anyway, their disgust for what he'd done during the last case overruling their judgment. And absolutely no one was upset that Genocide Jill hadn't shown up. If she'd have been Toko, they probably wouldn't have minded as much, but considering that Toko was currently locked away inside Jill, it was better that neither of them were present.
However, the strangest thing of all was that Taka wasn't there yet. He'd always been there at least fifteen minutes early…he'd prided himself on it. Some of them chalked it up to him being emotional over what Mondo had done but even so…
Then again, it was very early, about ten minutes until 7AM, and yet almost all of the students had gathered for the morning meeting already. It was obvious that most of them hadn't slept well last night; lingering memories of the trial and the appearance of a certain Ultimate Murderous Fiend had kept many of them from having a restful evening. That's probably what compelled all of them to arrive much earlier than usual.
"Do you remember anything specific about the masked figure? Anything at all would be useful. We need to gather as much information about this person as we can." Kyoko finally opened her eyes and addressed Sakura and Hina. At first, the pair looked to each other but quickly let their gazes drop as they began searching their memories.
"Besides that freaky mask, I don't remember all that much. I only saw them for a second…but I know that they were pretty tall. Taller than me anyway," Hina recalled, doing her best to be specific.
"I, unfortunately, wasn't concerned with memorizing their appearance," Sakura concurred, averting her gaze in humiliation. "At the time, my only concern was Hina's safety and I attacked without properly assessing my opponent. I am ashamed of myself."
Taking in that information, Kyoko then said, "What about their actions? Did they say or do anything that might give us a clue as to their identity?"
Again, the two girls sifted through their memories to recall everything.
"Well…I don't know if it's all that important but…" Hina almost stopped until she saw everyone staring at her, waiting for her to continue. "Well, Sakura's the strongest and fastest person I know…but whoever was in the mask was able to dodge and jump clear over her! They even blocked a hit from Sakura with their bare hands! I didn't think anyone could do that!"
"While your praise is flattering, I don't believe I'm that strong," Sakura admitted, a deep sadness in her eyes. "However, I will admit that I was surprised by how agile my opponent was. They've clearly been trained in hand-to-hand combat. If it were anyone other than myself, I fear that we would have seen our first real murder in this place."
Her tone made everyone flinch, particularly Leon and Sayaka. However, they didn't seem as perturbed by the statement as they had been before. It was slow, but I was obvious that they were coming to terms with their actions. However, the underlying warning that Sakura was giving everyone was even more frightening.
There was a sixteenth person among them, who obviously meant to do them harm if given the chance…and they could strike at any moment.
"I'm just glad the two of you are alright," the relieved voice of Junko said to them, getting everyone's attention. "But why didn't you came and get any of us? We could have helped you look for…whoever it was you saw."
Hina and Sakura shared an embarrassed glance before the martial artist replied, "We considered that, of course. However, we felt that if we left the second floor, we might not be able to find the culprit at all."
"But, in the end, neither of you were able to find the perpetrator anyway. Isn't that right?" Celeste questioned, as if reaffirming their failure.
"Well, yeah…but we couldn't just let a nut-job like that run around doing whatever they want!" an insulted Hina protested.
"And what would have happened if one of you had been hurt, or worse, killed?" Junko's firm tone returned, staring the pair down with no hesitation. "Now that we know that someone other than ourselves is in here with us, we need to be more cautious."
"Maybe we should set up a buddy-system?" Sayaka interjected, glancing around at everyone. "That way, if anything happens, we'll never be alone."
Surprisingly, Junko seemed to cringe a bit at the suggestion, but only Kyoko noticed.
"I don't necessarily think we need to go that far," the Fashionista replied, obviously trying not to sound rude. "Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea, but I think that it might be difficult for us to spend all of our time together."
"I must agree," Celeste concurred, strangely siding with Junko. "If we do as Sayaka suggests, it might cause unneeded tension from constantly having to spend time with one another. And I, for one, need to have a certain amount of privacy."
A few disgusted looks were sent her way but attention soon focused on Junko as she spoke up again.
"Whoever this masked person is, they won't try anything for a while. Not after slipping up and letting us know that they're out there," the Fashionista theorized for everyone. "For the moment, I think that we just need to keep a look out for anything suspicious. So, if any of you find anything…anything at all, be sure to share it with everyone else, just in case."
Everyone either nodded or verbally agreed with that notion, definitely not wanting anything worse to happen. At the very least, they all seemed to share that sentiment.
Not to mention that, by this point, no one was surprised that Junko was simultaneously concerned and cautious at the same time. Ever since she'd survived the trap Monokuma had failed to use on her, she'd changed dramatically. Before that incident, she didn't seem to care about any of them, simply shouting about how bored and upset she was. But now, after saving Sayaka, and by that extension Leon, not to mention how useful she'd been during the second trial, everyone was beginning to see her differently. And while she wasn't the paragon of hope that Makoto often tended to be, she was becoming a pillar of strength for everyone to rely on.
Perhaps it was because of that thought that Makoto spoke up, "Alright then, why don't start by going up to the second floor and seeing if we can find anything that might lead us to—?"
Suddenly, the morning announcement rang out:
*Ding*Dong*Bing*Bong*
"Good morning everyone! It is now 7AM and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"
As the announcement played, the closed doors to the cafeteria abruptly flew open, the backs of the doors slamming against the walls. Startled, everyone turned to see the last person they'd expected to kick open the door.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru strode into the cafeteria with a box under his arm, glaring furiously at everyone present. As he glared at each of them, they all noticed the white hot burning flames in his eyes. A chill ran down each of the spines as he finally addressed them:
"…Can anyone tell me why all of you thought that you could start the morning meeting that I proposed…without me?!"
To Be Continued…
Greetings, my beautiful readers! Wasn't that an explosive start to the next chapter of this story?! But what will happen now? Why has Taka burst in so angrily? Will Mukuro get found out by the others? What other plots does Junko have planned for the students? You'll have to keep reading to find out!
And now, on a very serious note, I'm afraid I have an important announcement to make:
Due to many issues beyond my control, both at work and privately, I was unable to get further along with my writing during my break. And, unfortunately, that means that ideas didn't get worked out and I need more time to work on them. With that said, I will have to take another four week break to sort everything out. I am not happy about it but I strongly believe that it must be done.
This is done purely out of my passion for wanting to give all of you, the readers, the absolute best story I can write! I have always believed that, if I'm not satisfied with what I write, then I need to improve upon it. Honestly, I could speed up my writing but I know that it would suffer greatly, as I discovered when trying to force myself to write faster during my break. I ended up burning myself out and disliking some of the ideas I wrote. My beta, Dixxy Mouri, and I believe that we need to address these issues in order to improve the story.
I am sorry if anyone is disappointed but I can guarantee you, the end result will be more than worth it!
So, for now, please feel free to ask any questions you may have and leave any comments/reviews you have for the story. I'll do my best to respond to all of your reviews this time as well! I thank you all for your understand and I will see you all again soon! Until then, be sure to keep on smiling and have a great day, my beautiful readers!