'I-is it… is true? What Chisa told us… about you?'
'Yes… it's true. But I… I don't think… I don't want to be that person anymore.'
The room fell silent, leaving Chihiro with nothing but his fear and anxiety, and the despair-inducing smell of blood and rot. He instinctively curled up into a foetal position and hugged himself as his mind raced with fear and worry. 'Is she lying to me? Is she going to lobotomise me too? Where's Dad? What's happening to the others?' Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes. 'Why am I so weak? Why can't I help anyone? Why can't I help myself?'
The stench of rotting flesh was fading, but he still couldn't stand it. He'd never seen a dead human body before. He'd never seen a person reduced to a limp, fly-covered, rancid sack of flesh and bones. 'Is that what's going to happen to me?' he thought, unconsciously digging his nails into his arms. Images of maggots pouring out of his own corpse's nostrils flashed in his mind. His heart felt as if it would explode. He was suddenly, mercifully bought back to his senses by pain in his arms. He'd drawn blood. He fell limp, ashamed but calming down, and lay awake as the hours passed by, unmoving, until he heard movement behind him.
He jerked around, terrified, only to see that Mukuro had rolled over in her sleep and was facing him. He couldn't help but notice that her usually stony face had softened a little. But only a little. He rolled onto his back after a few moments, not wanting to be taken by surprise nor to have to stare at her face.
He sighed as tears formed in his eyes once again. 'Where is Dad?' Chihiro's father was the only person he absolutely trusted. The only person in the entire world that he felt completely comfortable knowing who he really was. But now Mukuro knew his secret, and most likely Junko as well. The two people who had seemingly destroyed his life - destroyed the world - knew more about him than his own friends. Not that he could even remember being friends with his classmates.
He glanced over at Mukuro again. She'd told him and the others everything that had happened to them. That she'd helped Junko wipe their memories so that they'd kill each other, all for an insane plan to plunge the world into despair. But she hadn't told them about Chisa. So what else could she be hiding? Could this all be some kind of cruel trick? 'Is she just… playing with me?' The dull ache that Chihiro usually felt in his stomach intensified. 'If she is, I… I can't do anything. I'm still… too weak', he thought, still ashamed of himself.
After a moment, he glanced back at Mukuro. 'But… she did say that she wanted to change.' But could someone like that change? He knew how hard it was. He'd tried to become stronger, so that he could finally live openly as a man. But it always seemed impossible, as though there was some kind of invisible force physically restraining him.
'… Makoto?' Chihiro's heart nearly burst out of his chest as he heard Mukuro's voice. 'What… did she just say Makoto's name?' he asked himself when his mind had calmed down enough to think again. Cautiously, he slowly looked over to see what was happening as she continued mumbling. '… sorry… I thought…' Facing her, he saw that her eyes were closed. 'She's… talking in her sleep? To Makoto?' 'Please don't hate me…' she continued. 'I need your… please…' Chihiro suddenly noticed glistening tears running down her face. His stomach started tying itself into an even tighter knot as he realised that he'd learnt something he shouldn't have. '… anything… don't leave… alone…' Mukuro continued to mumble.
'What do I do?' he asked himself, his mind racing. 'Do I tell Makot -' At that moment, realisation hit him. 'If she feels this way about Makoto, then… she must have been telling the truth about wanting to change!' He felt his stomach loosen… but only slightly.
His train of thought was abruptly derailed by fear, as Mukuro suddenly shot up screamed. 'Makoto!'