Summary: All eyes on you my dear…all eyes on you.

How many times had he been knocked unconscious over this past week or so? Three times? Maybe four? Whatever the number was, he was somewhat bitter over his own fragile constitution. Naegi would feel better if forced unconsciousness ended up curbing the increasing frequency of his nightmares, but no dice. Still, with how often they ended up haunting his sleep, it was with the slightest of jolts that he was kicked back into the waking world.

Blinking slowly as the world continued to swim, he turned to the side and was briefly taken aback by the mess of blonde hair obscuring his vision. On the bright side, the shock managed to expedite the regaining of his mental faculties. He slowly glanced from side to side, noting their location and the fact that he was practically being dragged along by the unnaturally silent Fashionista. Was he really that light? A flicker of amusement crossed his mind before it was promptly banished by a harsh glare from his acquaintance.

"Finally awake now, are you?" A wane smile greeted him, but considering the way all his rarely used danger instincts were flaring up like that one time he had fallen into a tank during a trip to the aquarium, it was in his best interests to tread carefully.

Naegi grunted, a hand reaching up to rub at his throat in an attempt to alleviate the soreness. The teenager wasn't quite sure if it was dehydration or the fact that people kept using his neck as a stress ball. "How long was I out?" Couldn't have been that long, unless she had only gone back to grab his unconscious form after having a snack or something.

"Didn't check the time." Her reply was curt, punctuated by a deadpan glare that nearly made him flinch. "I was more worried about the fact that you were bleeding from the back of your head."

"Oh." He unconsciously checked the wound, finally figuring out why exactly the dull throbbing of his skull seemed more physical than mental this time. Flakes of dry blood came off with a quick scrape, and he prodded the edges of the cut with morbid curiosity. "So what's the verdict, doc?"

That certainly startled a laugh out of her. She sighed, shaking her head like a mother trying to figure out what to do with a particularly unruly child. "The bleeding stopped pretty quickly, and considering you're fully cognizant right now, I'd say that you'll be fine with a little bit of rest. Might have to reconsider that idea though after a couple days of observation." Enoshima coughed awkwardly, turning away with a complicated expression on her face. "I've never gone through medical school or anything, so I wouldn't know."

Naegi chuckled, then resisted the urge to groan when a fresh spike of pain implanted itself into his thoughts. "Sounds about right." He'd been injured enough times to figure out when exactly he could bounce back unscathed, and what required a proper medical checkup. Although with Ultimates involved, unnatural strength was certainly a new thing he was dealing with. It did rank above being punched in the face by the average teenager, but where did it fall on a scale of flowerpot to wild animals? Shaking the thought from his mind, he was abruptly reminded of their close proximity. As if right on cue, the teenager's skin began to crawl, albeit a lot more subtly than usual.

"I appreciate the help, but I think I can walk on my own now." Naegi gently attempted to break himself free of the tight grasp on his arm, but winced in surprise when the already firm grip tightened momentarily, before the Fashionista pinned him in place with a harsh stare.

"Shut up." The other teenager's eyes burned with something akin to righteous rage. "You keep doing this…"

The Luckster kept his mouth shut for once. After all, she was kinda right. In the days following Maizono's betrayal and Kuwata folding under the pressure, he had seen the world with different eyes. Well, slightly different eyes. It was as though a lie he had been telling himself all his life had suddenly lost its meaning. And then there was the pact with Monokuma. Well, less of a pact and more of a promise. That he'd protect those who remained, and hunt that bastard down. His left hand clenched into a fist.

Abruptly, the arm around his waist pulled him in slightly, and he tried his best not to squeak when the slender fingers in contact with his hip squeezed it. Were all Ultimates just this strong, even with the wide variety of Talents they had? No, Maizono was easily overpowered by Kuwata shortly before her untimely demise. He supposed an internationally-renowned Fashionista would have to get used to all the cutthroat business involved in the modelling industry.

A low growl startled him out of his thoughts, and Naegi couldn't muffle the noise that escaped him this time. Enoshima was scowling, and he was very, very intimidated right now. "You know I've got your back, right?"

"Eh?"

She sighed, a bone-deep, exhausted sound that stabbed him right in the heart. "You're a good guy, Naegi. Sure, you might be an asshole," y'ouch, "a total herbivore," y'ouch! "and sometimes you do things that make me think you lost a few of your marbles the first time that Biker prick threw you into a wall—" y'ouch! "—but I know better." Enoshima gazed at him with something that couldn't possibly be affection, but was close enough that it made the Luckster thoroughly uncomfortable in a way that sent heat rushing to his face.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that you're gonna have to sleep with one eye open from now on considering the people you decided to piss off, Naegi." Laughing at the morbid comment, the Fashionista's expression quickly darkened. He wasn't sure whether to be flustered or terrified. "But maybe if they understood what exactly was at stake here, they'd be thanking you instead."

"Don't be too hard on 'em." Attempting a shrug while you were being half-carried, half-dragged across a corridor in the evening was more difficult than one would expect. "Everyone's got their own personal demons. I wouldn't have exposed theirs if it wasn't essential to narrow down the scope of the matter."

"Narrow down…?" Enoshima mulled over the words briefly before her eyes sharpened. "Ah. So that's why you picked so many fights."

He tilted his head slightly, silently conceding the point. It wasn't like he was being particularly subtle about his intentions when he first confronted class 78. When Naegi was figuring out who to challenge first, he decided against taking the easy route, after all. With how many bridges he had decided to burn with his outburst following the Class Trial, it was unlikely that they'd listen to him for long enough, even considering the more amicable members, like Fujisaki. So, the only logical conclusion was to eliminate those who were most likely to cause trouble in the first place. Those who were most likely to kill someone else over a perceived slight, and even more so over a "deep dark secret", in Monokuma's own words. It was a cruel way to think things, but considering what little he had to work with, cutting corners and cheating was the only option left for one Naegi Makoto to keep up with the Ultimates he was stuck in a school with.

The Fashionista appeared to have aged twenty years in the last two seconds. He idly regretted only feeling mildly guilty over putting that sort of stress on someone else. The teenagers continued to make their way slowly down the cold and impersonal hallways, an awkward and somewhat strained silence hanging heavily in the air between them. If it wasn't already obvious enough, Naegi was currently struggling to find some way to make up for it. He turned the thought over in his head several times, but came up blank nonetheless. It was certainly a sobering realisation, how far he had strayed from the person he was just days ago. He shivered.

Caught up in his thoughts, Naegi barely noticed when they arrived at his dorm, nearly faceplanting into the door before he managed to stop himself. Murmuring a word of thanks to his classmate, the Luckster briefly rifled through his pockets for the key before pausing, finally acknowledging the almost constant weight missing from his side.

"Enoshima-san."

"What's up?"

"They took my bat." It might have been phrased as a statement, but the unspoken question was received loud and clear.

She sighed. "You know how it is. Herbivore boy finally stands up to the punk that's knocked him unconscious every other day and suddenly he's the rabid animal who needs to be locked up." The blonde shrugged, something dark and bitter briefly bleeding into her gaze before it vanished. If he wasn't paying attention, it would've escaped his notice entirely. As though the Fashionista hadn't just been plotting murder with her eyes, Enoshima turned to regard him with a cheeky wink. "I was actually supposed to toss you in there without your key, but ditzy blondes don't exactly follow orders now, do they?"

It took an embarrassingly long couple seconds for the words to sink in, and when they did, Naegi had to muffle a snicker before he ended up cackling like a storybook witch. "I…snrk…don't think that's how it works."

His companion pouted, but relented almost immediately. "Well, whatever. If they can't grow the balls to deal with an unconscious shrimp," she nearly lifted him off his feet to demonstrate said shrimpness, "they can't exactly order me around like I'm a tool." Naegi smiled, gratitude evident in every fiber of his being.

"In any case—" He finally unlocked the door, taking a moment to mourn the loss of a defensive weapon. "—I suppose I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah yeah. Get some sleep. You look like you need it."

He laughed. "Thank you, Enoshima-san."

"Like I said before," she lingered at the edge of the door, "I've got your back." And with one last look cast in his general direction, the Fashionista hurried away, seemingly embarrassed by her own words. In a move completely uncharacteristic of himself, Naegi silently watched her go, feeling the weight on his shoulders loosen just the slightest bit.

Perhaps he wasn't as alone as he believed.

Considering it wasn't quite night time yet, his first instinct was to go for a meal. When he was about to venture outside however, he quickly remembered why exactly he was here in the first place. The next few hours crawled by, the seconds ticking away as he freshened himself up with a shower, finally managed to swap out of his worn and torn hoodie and drank copious amounts of water to make up for how much talking he had been doing. Unfortunately, while the room did come with that accursed toolset (he left it alone), there weren't any supplies to patch up his numerous wounds and he wasn't quite sure where to get them considering the infirmary was still locked shut. Naegi briefly entertained the notions of asking Monokuma and praying he was "kind hearted" enough to comply, but a soft knock on his door stopped him before he could make a decision. Slowly approaching, he readied himself for a fight before quickly flinging the door open.

"Ah, Naegi." Ogami Sakura towered over him (as per usual), a hint of relief in her expression after taking several moments to give him a once over. She folded her arms over her chest, returning to her customary neutral expression while doing so.

"Ogami-san." He greeted the Martial Artist with a half-hearted bow, suppressing the wince that threatened to surface as all the muscles in his back protested the motion. "Wanna come in?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I just stopped by to check on you." Someone else showing concern for his well-being? Be still, his beating heart. "That was incredibly reckless of you." Deja vu anyone? Naegi resisted the urge to chuckle at the admittedly terrible joke.

"Other than a headache, I think I'll be fine." He wasn't nauseous and despite the fact that Enoshima had taken it upon herself to carry him back to the dormitories (which he was still impressed by), showering and testing his limbs had shown that he had no trouble walking. Logically speaking, there was a high chance he'd go to bed and wake up in the morning rather than slip into a coma. That would be unpleasant. "Although I might have to skip the next couple training sessions to recuperate."

"Normally I'd protest, but your body certainly isn't able to keep up with the amount of stress you've been putting it through." Ogami grimaced, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. "My advice would be to dial it back. A warrior must know their own limits before they even consider walking onto the battlefield."

Blinking slowly, he nodded. There wasn't much else he could say in response to that scrap of knowledge. Putting it simply, he was weak. Completely and utterly average, with Luck being the sole thing that gave him so many second chances when confronted with the various obstacles that he was unfortunate enough to encounter. He had hoped to close the gap, just a little bit, but while the mind was strong, the body was painfully feeble. He sighed, slumping slightly. "I'll try my best."

The Ultimate Martial Artist grunted, awkwardly patting him on the shoulder twice before turning to leave. He gently shut the door behind her, locking it and testing the knob to make sure that it was secure. Staggering slightly, Naegi fell back onto his bed, closing his eyes and burying his face into the soft surface. Well, this was as good a time as any to at least attempt to catch up on the rest he so desperately lacked.

Nightmares, nightmares, nightmares. When he was young, Naegi had trouble staying asleep because his dreams would always take a turn for the weird. Animals chasing him down, slipping on a banana peel and falling off a cliff…one time he even dreamt about being trapped in a school and forced to play a Killing Game— Oh wait, that was real. Rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to banish the remnants of fatigue from his being, he glared at the ceiling with apathetic eyes.

"What time is it…?"

"Three in the morning." He hummed thoughtfully, readjusting his posture to something more comfortable than the messy tangle of limbs he woke up with before pausing. He blinked. The pair of crystal blue eyes that definitely weren't there when he went to bed blinked as well. Two heartbeats of silence passed before he threw himself off his bed, smoothly transitioning to a roll back to his feet with a grace he didn't know he possessed. The scream building in his throat promptly died a swift death after Naegi managed to regain his bearings.

"You always react in the most interesting ways." Enoshima giggled, stretching languidly. He knew that he should be more panicked about the whole situation, but at that specific moment, the Luckster could only note how her mannerisms reminded him of a panther. Carefully shuffling towards the door, the teenager paused when a thought struck him, the ice in his veins bringing a sharp sort of clarity to his mind.

"How did you get in here, Enoshima-san?" His key was still in his pocket and the door was definitely locked when he finished his short conversation with Ogami. Swallowing slightly, Naegi traced a path with his eyes to the nearest object in his room that could be used as a weapon.

"Right, that." The blonde stood up from his bed, a serious expression on her face. "Your door was ajar." She gestured to said door, and to absolutely no one's surprise, it was wide open, as though he had never locked it in the first place. Eyes darting from the anomaly to the Fashionista who had moved on to claiming his furniture for herself, all traces of his prior tiredness had been banished to the furthest corners of his mind.

He placed a hand on his chin, eyes narrowing as gears began to turn once more in his head. The intruder currently fiddling around with his increasing collection of gacha items was the prime suspect in this scenario, but if she wanted to, she probably could've just killed him in his sleep and been done with the whole thing. Plus, with the door originally locked and the only key within his possession, it would have taken someone well aware of how exactly to mess with the locking mechanism to break into his room. Of course, that was assuming that this was the only copy of the key to his dorm room. Naegi scowled, tapping his fingers against the doorframe.

"Monokuma…"

"Yesssssssssss?" It took a great deal of effort to not punt the bear that waddled up to him from behind. Despite not having a proper face, he could feel the smugness radiating from their infernal tormentor. Absentmindedly noting the muffled curse coming from the equally surprised Fashionista, he directed his ire onto the one responsible for it all.

"You unlocked my door."

"Oh? Me? Now why would your esteemed principal do such a thing?" The robot wiggled in place, covering a grin with metallic paws. He exhaled deeply, fingers itching for his now missing bat. If only those damned rules weren't in place.

Naegi turned to address the animatronic, mood darkening rapidly. "Don't play games with me."

"Laaaaame~" Monokuma looked almost depressed before perking up. "You're so boring, Naegi-kun! You wake up next to a beautiful girl and do nothing about it? Aren't teenagers supposed to be in the prime of their lives?"

"Shut up, perv." The deadpan response came from said beautiful girl, looking just as irked with their principal as he was. "Find someone else to mess with."

"Am I intruding on your private time?" The bear mock-gasped, looking almost scandalised. "I see! Well then, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Bye bye now~"

And just as quickly as he arrived, the gamemaster vanished down the corridor. He didn't bother chasing the thing down. It was likely that he had used one of the many concealed hatches around the school as soon as he turned the corner. Body uncoiling from its tense state slightly, he turned his gaze to the innocent-looking teenager. "Why didn't you just close the door?"

"Welllllll…" She drawled, looking completely nonplussed despite the oddness of the entire situation. "That was my first thought, but then I realised closing a door and locking it are two very different things. So I thought, why not just watch over you? Anyone coming by to stab you can't kill the both of us." Morbid jokes aside, her explanation made sense. Rubbing his temples, the words he had been holding back since the beginning finally slipped from his tongue.

"But why sleep on my bed?"/"But why sleep on your bed?" He paused briefly before giving the gleeful Fashionista the most withering look he could muster now that the adrenaline was leaving his system. She grinned, leaping up to close the already short distance between them. Not for the first time, he silently cursed the fact that his puberty had ended so early. Being shorter than pretty much everyone his age was mortifying.

Backing up, he accidentally bumped into the door, closing it in the process and immediately losing the ability to retreat. Unflinching, Naegi watched silently as Enoshima approached, doing a remarkable job at looming over him like Ogami had earlier. Her hands shot out, impacting the door on either side of his head as she leaned in with a smile. He couldn't hold back the grimace this time, and it only served to make her grin widen further.

"Y'know Naegi-kun, the bear did get one thing right." This close, his acute sensitivity was working against him, with the smell of perfume becoming almost suffocating considering their proximity. "It kinda hurts my pride that you didn't even try to do anything."

He laughed, despite the situation. "In this place, I'm pretty sure romance will forever be the last thing on my agenda." She inclined her head in agreement, and he idly noted the way the light refracted off her eyes like they were bits of tinted glass. At this point, they were close enough for him to feel the slightest hint of warmth on his skin every time she breathed. He refused to back down, looking her straight in the eyes with a challenging glare.

It may have been seconds or minutes before she backed off. He couldn't really tell, considering his rapidly running mind was choosing to fixate on every small detail he could see rather than plot a way out of his current crisis. With a mysterious smile, she abruptly picked him up, moving the stunned Luckster out of the way of the door before opening it and stepping out.

"Well, this has been nice and all, but I've got to get my beauty sleep." She winked, and he was struck with the sudden urge to slam the door in her face. "See you later, Naegi-kun." The Luckster wordlessly shooed her off, calmly locking the door once more before turning to rest his back against it. His legs buckled, and the dazed teenager slid to the floor in an undignified heap. Naegi covered his face, ignoring the way it burned.

"I'm too tired for this…"