A deep, permeating thrum echoed through Sara's ears as she stared and stared and stared at Joe's body, drained of his blood. She clicked and clicked and clicked the button to slow the machine, regardless.
'"Even… the one who… did this to me"…?'
Sara dismissed the thought. It was impossible.
Hiyori… was only a girl. A middle-schooler.
'Our hopes… Kai entrusted something like that… to me?'Sara hadn't asked for that sort of burden. Sara only wanted to go home.
With Joe.
A hand rested on her shoulder. "Sara…?" Nao risked. "P-Please… respond…"
Sara's vision swam, darkening until even the ringing in her ears faded away.
There were a thousand different ways to die.
Kanna had seen them all, whether portrayed through the cruelest memories of her Sister or the pale stillness of her own body.
The one thing, Kanna thought as she stared down at her own corpse, that they had in common, was that not one of them was painless.
Joe's blood dripped through the gaps between her fingers, Kai's splattered upon her skirt.
Her Sister's across her sweater.
(For a full thirteen days after Kugie's death, Kanna had not spoken a word: not to the looming investigators or her grieving parents or her concerned friends. Across those aching, empty days was a sole idea, one she could never quite bring herself to commit to; to be reunited with her Sister. On the fourteenth day, Hiyori introduced himself.)
Kanna, as Hiyori, the murderer, was terrified to meet Kugie.
She only hoped that her Sister couldn't see into the world of the living, from wherever she rested; cocooned in the wood of her grave, or permeating the very air that Kanna breathed.
"Hiyori…! Wake up!"
Kanna jolted awake, stomach full to burst with ice water.
"Good," Shin sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "You were tossing up a storm… H-Here." He hesitantly presented her hat. "Not sure why you decided to sleep with this on…"
Kanna snatched it, setting it back upon her head. "... Don't touch my things without my permission, Mister Shin."
He flinched. "A 'thank you' wouldn't go amiss…"
Kanna ignored him, pushing her way towards the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her.
"I was talking to Reko…" he murmured through the thin wood, the light sound of a body leaning against it reaching Kanna's ears as she ran the water, splashing it over her face, sending droplets splattering across her scarf. "Sara still hasn't woken up. Are you su-"
Kanna slammed her shoulder into the door, sending Shin stumbling to the floor. How weak could a grown man be? "... Don't mention that name around me. Make no mistake, Mister Shin… I won't be humiliated again."
"I'm only saying-!"
"Don't you betray me, Mister Shin. You're the only person who understands the severity of this all."
"... I- I understand," he sighed, pulling himself to his feet. "I… won't let you down. Promise."
"Good. Find out what the deal with this floor is. I've got to look for that laptop." Kanna pushed him out the bedroom door.
Kanna's search was fruitless, impeded by the sights of her enemies lurking around every corner. The last thing she could allow was for herself to be spotted.
'Not when they're… my enemies.'
Reko's voice echoed through the hallways: a dirge for the dead.
Kanna shut herself back in her room before the woman could reach the second verse.
Whilst everybody was distracted with the twin idiot floormasters, Kanna investigated a room full of monitors.
There were nine monitors, matched by nine of their faces taped to the backs. The only three missing, Kanna noticed, were the three she had no information on. (The unknowns.)
Only one now. Kanna didn't think her heart could grow more gnarled than it had already become, rot spreading through the roots of her soul. Maybe that was what killed her. She decided not to think about it.
A long plank of wood, found nestled in the corner of the ruined corridor, gave Kanna an idea.
She found the monitor belonging to the girl she could no longer be, which would spell her death if uncovered, and drove the plank straight through.
A long, dark stairwell stood before her, a vending machine at its peak. A glowing neon sign above it loudly proclaimed "200."
'Funny,'she thought,'how something so mundane can be ominous here.'
She regretted losing her wallet upon her kidnapping for a moment, before shutting down the childish thought. It wasn't as though the vending machines on the first floor had served drinks.
She ducked out of the stairwell, her current lack of information causing her to write the area off for later.
"Hiyori…" Shin whispered, rapping upon her door. "I've got something interesting."
She opened the door.
Two Floormasters: Rio Ranger and his vice, Tia Safalin. Kanna resolved to stay away from them as much as she was able. Apparently, Ranger wore an outfit composed of the dead's stolen clothes, including Mishima, Joe, and Kai's.
Speaking of the dead, there was apparently an AI of Mishima in the room filled with monitors. The thought of such advanced technology made Kanna's gut sink, only further solidifying the legitimacy of the tests.
The goal of the floor was to gain as many "Me-Tokens" (Kanna quirked an eyebrow as Shin handed her a wallet filled with tiny coins, her face stamped across every one) as possible from the other participants, as well as clear "attractions" to earn "Clear Chips."
"Well, what are you just standing around for?" Kanna asked, making for the hall. "No sense dying of laziness."
"Hiyori…" Shin swallowed, trailing behind her. "I know you don't want to talk about her, but… Sara's not doing so well… You should have seen her; she looked just awful."
I'm sorry to hear that," her fingers twitched, "but what does that have to do with me?"
"... Whatever happened to that Sacrifice card?" Shin asked. "After you took it?"
Kanna stopped, heart pounding in her ears. "What… makes you ask that?"
"I'm curious," he said, avoiding her eyes. "Just… something I thought of. How did Joe end up with that card…?"
'Because he was the only one who didn't terrify me.'
"Because he got unlucky. I just tossed it away. He must've believed the dummy rule."
Shin's face didn't change. "... Right. That makes sense." He sighed. "Sorry, Hiyori. I'm just… on edge."
Kanna almost laughed at that.
"Mister Shin," she said as they collected their first Clear Chips, startling him. "Would you mind heading to the monitor room for a moment? There's something I'm curious about."
"Ah, you want to meet the Mishima AI, huh?" He nibbled on a thumbnail, adjusting his beanie. "Fair enough. We might run into Nao, though… You sure you're ready for that? After what she did?"
Kanna laughed, low and bitter. "Mister Shin, Nao doesn't mean a thing to me. Don't waste your effort."
"... Right." Shin's brow furrowed, and he looked away. "Well, I'll meet you there, then."
Kanna smiled as he left, heading not towards the monitor room, but the room with her name engraved in bronze across it, hefting a slim plank of wood in her skinny arms.
"H-Hey! What the hell's this!?" came Reko's voice, vibrating in Kanna's ears as she lay prone across the floor.
Keiji picked up the wooden plank, giving it an experimental swing. "Looks just big enough to hurt."
"Somebody attacked the kid, then?" Q-taro asked. "... Can't say I feel too bad 'bout it."
"I-It's just like before, meow!" Gin cried. "People keep beating Bucket Weirdo up!"
Kanna didn't much appreciate the peanut gallery. She faked a groan, placing her hands unsteadily against the carpet. "Wh-Wha…?"
"Hiyori!" Shin rushed up to her, stopping suddenly to crouch at her side. "What happened!? Who did this!?"
Kanna groaned again, pushing herself to a sitting position, clutching her head. "Where… are we? Mister Shin…? My head hurts…"
"You said you'd meet me, but you just disappeared…" Shin cursed, slamming a fist into his knee. "I thought you just got scared off because everybody was there…" He grit his teeth. "Stupid!"
"Why am I in a bedroom, Mister Shin…?" Kanna murmured. "I don't suppose we've escaped…"
"Quit it with the act, kid!" Q-taro growled, striding up to them. "Nobody's buyin'!"
Kanna squeaked, scrambling behind Shin to cower. "Wh-What did I do!? Please don't hurt me!"
"Hey now," Keiji grinned, raising an arm. "No sense in violence, Q-taro."
Q-taro opened his mouth to say something, but quickly gave up, backing off with a growl.
Kanna's eyes widened as she stared at all of them in turn. "Wh-What's going on? Everybody's acting strange…"
"Hiyori," Sara started, wetting her lips. "Where have you been?"
Kanna blinked. "I was… trying to do a good job with the laptop. I just couldn't figure out the password, though… Then- Then…"
"The laptop," Reko repeated, gaze fixed to the ground, teeth just barely showing. "Just… give it up, kid. Seriously…"
"I can't give up!" Kanna protested, pushing herself to her feet. "Where's the laptop!? There could be valuable information on there! Don't you want to survive the Main Game!?"
"H-Have you lost yer mind, kiddo!?" Q-taro stepped back, eyebrow flying to the brim of his cap.
"The Main Game's long over, I'm afraid," said Keiji.
"O-Over…?" Kanna swallowed. "N-No way… I failed…? Someone's dead… because I wasn't good enough…"
Tears sprung to her eyes, frustratingly authentic. She thought of Joe's energy and hope, crushed beneath her flats. The terror in Kai's eyes as they all turned against him.
Mishima's head, toppling to the ground.
Yet Kanna survived, and that was enough.
"Sh-Shit, she's really cryin'..." Reko muttered. "Maybe she ain't bullshitting…? Must've been one helluva whack…"
"She's gotta be lying, woof!" Gin scoffed, surprisingly unsympathetic. "You can't say crazy stuff like she did and not mean it, meow! She's just hoping we won't vote for her!"
"Wh-What are you talking about…?" Kanna whimpered. "Crazy…? I'm not…"
"H-Hey…" Shin started, addressing the room. "C-Could you guys give us some space, please? Whether Hiyori's telling the truth or not… I'll take care of her, okay?"
"Shin…" Sara murmured, eyes dark. "I'm telling you…"
"I know," Shin smiled, bitter, "you don't have much reason to place your trust in me, Sara. But please believe me when I say that I'll do whatever I can to help." He bit his lip. "That includes youandHiyori. So, please…"
Sara closed her eyes, jaw knitting uncomfortably. "... Okay. Even if I can't believe Hiyori… I'll try to believe in you, Shin."
He smiled. "Thank you…"
As soon as the room cleared, Kanna's demeanor did much the same. "Thanks for that, Mister Shin."
"Hah… So you were faking," he said, sighing.
"Of course I was," she grinned. "I'm public enemy number one, right now. I don't have the patience for anyone hassling me."
"... Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we had some allies," Shin risked, looking down at her. "I trust you, Hiyori, but… I trust the others, too."
Kanna sighed. "If you want to die, that's fine by me, Mister Shin. I'm too tired to care."
She heaved herself into bed, rolling the covers over her head, ignoring any false looks of concern Shin might have shot her.
"You did it, didn't you, Hiyori…?" Sara asked, eyes wide and glinting with malice. "You took him away from me…"
"I- I don't know what you're talking about," Kanna denied, backing away as a chill set in from the bottom of her spine, piercing through her stomach lining.
"The professor was a good man!" Nao screamed, the handle of Kai's frying pan fit to shatter under her grip. "And you killed him! You!"
"I- I really didn't… Y-You can't blame that sort of thing on-!"
"Can it, ya little shit!" Q-taro bellowed, pinning her right arm to the wall as Sara followed suit with her neck. "We ain't gonna listen to no more a' yer lies!"
"I-I'm not…" Kanna gasped, Sara's fingers tightening around her esophagus. "P-Please… I didn't want to…"
"But you did, didn't you, kid?" Reko asked, shaking her head. "I ain't gonna save you. You went way too far."
Gin bounced in excitement. "Yeah! Kill her, Big Sis Sara! Make her pay, woof!"
Bitter, unrestrained tears poured from Kanna's eyes as she quivered in terror, kicking at Sara with all her pitiful might. "Stop…! Please! Kanna doesn't want to-!"
"Kanna?" Sister whispered into her ear. "Don't be so childish. You aren't Kanna anymore. Not my Kanna."
"S-Sister… Why'd you have to leave…?" Kanna gasped, chest heaving and quaking. "Why… Why did you leave!? You let him- him… use me… No one was there anymore… K-Kanna was all alone…" Her face twisted into a snarl. "How can you blame me!? When all I wanted was-" she choked, fat tears mixing with snot to drip from her ashen face. "It's- It's not… It's not my fault… It's all his… Please…"
Shin sighed, turning his back to her. "Sorry, Hiyori… but not even I can believe that."
"Shin! We're related!" she screamed, Sara's knife digging into the tough tendons beneath her flesh. "You're my brother! So why… why won't you…?"
He turned his head, barely perceptible. "... Who would want a sister like you?"
"Please…" she whispered, not feeling it as Q-taro rained kicks into her stomach; as Sara butchered her arms and legs; as Nao bashed the frying pan into her skull and chest, her ribs cracking and stabbing into her lungs; not hearing as Gin and Keiji cheered the violence on, not seeing as Reko and Alice looked away.
She could only see Shin and Sister walking away from her body, hand in hand, unaffected.
"Don't you see?" asked Hiyori. "You've only got me, Kanna. Don't you ever forget that."
Kanna sobbed.
And jolted awake, tear tracks crusting along her cheeks.
A warm hand rested on her own.
"Hiyori," Shin said, eyes warm and concerned andwrong. "Please, calm down…"
Ice seizing her core, she wrenched her hand out of his grip, staggering frantically into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
"You're doing this again?" Shin said, gentler than she had expected. "You don't have to pretend for my sake, Hiyori. E-Even if you feel you can't trust anyone else… Even if you can't trust me."
"... Do you have a point, Mister Shin?" she rasped.
A quiet, resigned chuckle answered her. "Guess not."
A sharp rap echoed through the room.
Shin, hand already on the handle, blinked once. He glanced back at Kanna. Shoulders tense, she nodded.
He pulled it open, revealing the straight-backed form of Alice Yabusame.
"A-Alice?" Sou cocked his head. "Do you need something…?"
"Shin Tsukimi. I was expecting the vertically challenged brat." Alice sniffed, looking away. "What is 'need,' anyway? A state of mind? A question of vitality, or an animalistic urge to thrive and propagate?" He scoffed, clutching his chest. "Don't insult me with such foolish inquiries."
Kanna couldn't see Shin's face, but she had to assume it flattened. "Guess not." He gestured back towards her. "Well, if you don't mind, we're about to—"
"W-Wait!" Alice held out a hand, a strange panic etched into his brows. "Erm, that is to say…" He cleared his throat. "I have a request."
"And what do we get out of this?" Shin asked before Kanna could. He was catching on quicker than her, evidently.
The convict grunted. "Is the pleasure of my company not enough?"
Shin said nothing, hand still propped against the door.
Alice shuffled his feet. "Urgh… Very well! I shall swear my allegiance towards your little coalition of contrarianism, if that's what you so desire. If you would please listen?"
Kanna sighed, rolling out of her chair. "What do you need, Alice? Is there a reason you came to me? Mister Shin and I will do our very best!"
The man leered down at her, arms crossed over his impressive chest. "Don't insult me with the theatrics, Hiyori. You're as much a thespian as our captors are philanthropists."
He'd seen right through her. Kanna's jaw tensed, unwilling to give up the act. "I-I'm not sure what you mean…?"
He only chuckled. "Very well. It's a wicked man who pierces a young girl's armor, I suppose. I'll get straight to the point." His demeanor shifted, hand reaching to rub his neck, thighs gently rubbing against one another. "... I require tokens. Er, more specifically, Reko's."
"Reko's?" Kanna echoed, tapping her chin haplessly. "Why hers?"
"You recall the cretin with the handlebar, Shin Tsukimi?" Alice could have done her the politeness of a worded dismissal. "I was interrogating him as to the nature of the prize exchange… As it turns out, there is a secret menu, should one only ask."
'A secret menu?'Kanna shuddered, subtle and unnoticed.'... Perhaps I should be… frugal with my tokens.'
"What was on it, then?" Shin asked, eyes widening with curiosity.
"A treasure," Alice answered, tone low and almost reverent. "What I want… is Reko's. A burning curiosity - no, a beast of inquisition - has awakened within me." Alice bowed his head, clutching his chains tightly against his chest. "Shin Tsukimi! Hiyori! You're the last left to beseech! Please, give me twenty of Reko's tokens so I may vanquish this insufferable itch!"
"... Uh, but I don't," Shin coughed, stepping back, "have any of Reko's tokens…" Helplessly, he turned to Kanna. "Do you?"
"No," she replied simply, bemused by Alice's prostration.
The convict made an odd sort of gurgling noise. Kanna winced. "Th-Then get some! Don't think I won't beg on my hands and knees!" Alice made a motion as if he was going to do just that.
"A-Alright!" Kanna cut in. "Quit embarrassing yourself, would you!? You're making me uncomfortable…" She sighed. "It's just twenty tokens, right? That shouldn't be too much of a time-sink." She turned to Shin. "One of us should get the tokens, and the other should do an attraction with our, er," she scratched the length of scalp resting beneath her hat, "newly beholden associate."
Shin hummed. "I guess either of us could do it." He glanced back at Alice, eyes flickering between them hopefully. "... Okay. I'll take Alice here, if you're alright with that?"
Kanna grinned. "Glad we could agree."
"Oh, Miss Reko!" Kanna called sweetly, trying to harness a facsimile of the girl she used to be, without risking relapse into that girl's mindset.
That girl wouldn't be able to look down, for fear of blood; to smell, for fear of the stench.
Reko jerked, head spinning quickly towards her. "Kid…" she said, shoulders tense.
"I was just looking for you," Kanna continued, clasping her hands together in delight. "Mister Shin told me we have to do attractions and trade these tokens… I was wondering if you'd like to do it with me?" She bit her lip. "I'd really appreciate it… I've already done one, and barely escaped…"
"Shit, that's fine, I guess," Reko coughed. "Whatever you're thinking, Hiyori… I'll prove ya wrong."
"Huh?" Kanna tilted her head. "I- I was thinking we'd win the attraction. Maybe I should pick somebody else…"
"That ain't what I meant, dammit!" Reko burst, not harshly. She sighed. "Fine, fine. Let's get a move on, then." She gestured towards the door.
"Oh, just a second, Reko!" Kanna scratched her head haplessly. "Would you want to trade some tokens first? I'm worried about what might happen if I don't get a start on that…"
"I guess?" Reko arched an eyebrow. "Guess there's no reason not to. How much were you thinkin'?"
"Oh, how about twenty? I'm planning to do a lot of trading, after all!"
"Twenty, huh…?" Reko's lips pursed. "... 'Kay. That's not enough to buy personal info, at least."
"Oh?" Kanna zeroed in on Reko's pensive features. "Personal info?"
"You didn't know?" Reko blinked, pulling out her wallet. "If you get fifty of someone's tokens, you can buy their personal info at the counter, whatever that means."
"... Interesting," Kanna said blandly, exchanging Reko's tokens with her own. "Sounds pretty dangerous, if you ask me."
Reko chuckled, shaking her head. "You afraid of somebody knowin' your first name? Just don't be careless with your tokens. Maybe it'll teach ya frugality, or something."
Kanna scoffed. "This would be an awfully cruel way to teach life skills."
She could have sworn she saw Reko's ear twitch at the unwitting scorn tinging her voice. "Can't argue that."
She couldn't quite meet Kanna's eyes.
"... Mreowr!? It's nothing, woof!"
The screech came from Kanna's left, past the threshold of a door which decidedly was not there prior. Sweat peaking on her brow, she risked a glance inside.
"Show me that, Gin," demanded Sara, staring down the boy, sat beside the ex-detective. A woman with an eyesore of an outfit similar in theming to Miley's stared on silently.
"No…" Gin avoided Sara's eyes. "I can't, woof."
"Come on, please?" The girl egged on, gently prying open Gin's hand. She flinched backwards heavily upon spotting whatever he was holding.
"It's…!" Sara choked out, voice thick and wavering.
"The thing… Big Bro Joe had, meow."
Kanna froze.
"I… picked it up when- I didn't want the kidnappers to take it, meow…" Gin whimpered softly, looking away. "I'm sorry, woof."
"Gin," said Sara, voice peeled and forgiving, "you did well. Is it okay if I take this?"
He blinked. "You're… glad, meow?"
"Yeah," Sara's shoulders slackened, tone dyed with nostalgia. "This is precious to me. Thank you, Gin."
Kanna slipped away before she could hear another word, fingers twitching helplessly, like a dead insect's limbs.
"Hiyori! The monitor room, quick!" Shin burst, staggering through the hall into the common room.
"What?" Kanna blinked, caught off-guard. "Can't I get a second to myself…?"
"It's the Mishima AI! He's been killed!" Shin grabbed her forearm, pulling her to her feet. She shoved him off, pinpricks dancing across the thin hairs.
Nonetheless, she followed him to the monitor room, where only seven of the screens remained.
And Sara was standing right next to her. Ice settled in the pit of her stomach, cold sweat slickening her brow.
"The old guy, he's…" Gin whimpered, nestled in between Sara and Keiji.
Alice, Reko, and (thankfully) Nao were nowhere to be seen, leaving her with Shin as her only ally.
"Crap…" he murmured. "Who would've done this? No one had a grudge against Mishima, right? There had to have been a better way to spite our captors…"
Keiji hummed to himself, fiddling with the machine in the center. "No good. This thing only boots up these monitors; the AIs themselves are stored inside of them. Mishima's… gone for good."
A long, tense silence passed. Kanna searched for the most organic moment to extricate herself.
"... Hiyori." Keiji's icy eyes turned on her, freezing her in place. "You did this, didn't you?"
"Wh-Wha…?" she choked, stepping backwards. "I didn't do anything! Why are you glaring at me like that!?"
Typical. How infuriatingly typical. She tells the truth, and only receives scorn. She lies, and they believe her. Ugly, burning hatred churned in Kanna's gut; she wasn't entirely sure who it was truly directed at.
'Why… even bother…?'
"Hey, cut it out!" Shin cut in.
Kanna blinked, staring up at him.
"Don't go blaming Hiyori for anything, alright? I was with her the whole time. There's not a chance she broke Mishima!"
That was a lie. An unquestionable fabrication.
To protecther?
"The whole time?" Keiji repeated doubtfully. "This late into the night? It's been hours."
"Hey, you trusted me to watch her, didn't you? I've been doing my job." Shin scratched the back of his neck. "I haven't slept yet, but I figure I'll take the chair; it's comfortable enough."
Kanna's head swam. Why was he risking himself for her sake? Without any prompting to do so?
Shin was just… a dumb tool. An asset.2.7%.The weakest adult here.
'... But why is that the case?'
Something stretched to a tear in Kanna's chest. Her throat felt itchy and thick.
"Seriously…?" Keiji blinked, stumped.
"He wouldn't let me do anything," Kanna managed. "I was starting to get cabin fever… but it looks like it worked out for me, huh?"
"I suppose…" Keiji sighed. "I've got no clues, then. Can't think of anyone else who'd have a motive."
Sara bit down on a knuckle, staring at the shattered screen. "Who was the first to discover this?"
An uncomfortable beat passed before Keiji spoke again. "That'd be this policeman, here."
Kanna felt a deep stirring in her gut, and knew that she couldn't take the air of this room for much longer, her hapless expression cracking and chipping away. Keiji was already lying about his profession. What else could he be keeping from them?
Just as Kanna gripped Shin's hand to pull him out of there, the last person she wanted to see crept hesitantly through the doorway.
"Um," Nao croaked, fiddling with her fingers, "has something happened?" Her eyes widened, unreceptive to the warnings echoing from the others. "P-Pro… fessor?"
She looked away, strangely calm, though tears nestled in the corners of her eyes. Kanna's narrowed.
"Please… don't look for the culprit," the student said, eyes fixed to the tacky, pastel carpet.
'She knows who did it,'Kanna realized.'But who would she be protecting…?'
"Wh-What do you mean by that?" Sara asked, eyes wide.
"... Please let me be alone for a while."
Nao trudged out the door.
Hand slipping from Shin's, and making sure no one else noticed, Kanna followed.
"... Nao," Reko murmured, nursing her right hand. Glass shards stuck out from her fingers, having sliced through the flesh to wedge themselves into muscle.
Nao remained silent for a moment, delicately taking Reko's injured hand by the wrist, fingers softly quivering.
"I'm-" Reko started, swallowing. "He-"
"Let's get this cleaned up, okay, Reko?"
Reko stared at the other woman like a remorseful sinner would a saint. "But I-"
"I," Nao cut her off, "know how the Professor was. And… I'd like to know how you are. I know I'm not smart, but…" Nao's tone lowered to a murmur, Kanna's ears straining to hear, "I don't think you're the sort of person who would mindlessly hurt others. Hurt me. The Professor… thought he was dragging me down, didn't he?"
"... Dammit," Reko choked, voice thick, despite the impossibility of such a thing. "I don't know how to feel… 'bout anything. But he loved you, Nao. So damn much that… that he couldn't…" She swallowed. "Fuck. I'm usually better with words… I'm sorry, Nao. I ain't as strong as I pretend to be."
Nao's head stayed lowered, hovering slightly over Reko's wounded fingers. "There's a sink in my room. Let's clean you up, Reko."
"... Okay," the woman whispered back, and they were gone.
Kanna slid down the wall, feeling very exhausted suddenly.
Was everyone just pretending?
Was everyone like her?
"Such a dazed look hardly behooves you, Hiyori."
Kanna jolted in surprise, hat clanging loudly against the wall. She hissed, ears ringing, and jumped to her feet. "Wh-Where did you come from!?"
Alice sniffed, looking down at her with that perfectly condescending leer. She cursed her height, as well as her age. "My mother's womb, I believe. Surely, they've taught you that much in school?"
She huffed, rubbing her sore scalp. "Smart-alec. What do you even want?"
Suddenly, the confident (killer)convict before her withered away, subsumed by an anxious, boyish dweeb. "... E-Er… I don't suppose you have… my objects of importance?" He grinned nervously, practically vibrating in place.
"I do," she said, reaching into her pocket, before aborting the motion. "Of course, if there's no benefit to surrendering them…"
Alice reeled, pulling out his wallet from the neckline of his one-piece jumpsuit. (And what a pain that had to have been to put on and remove, thought the remaining portion of Kanna's mind which remained fashion conscious.)
"H-Hey, I'll pay up, man!" he yelped. "How much do you want? Twenty? Forty? Sixty!?"
Kanna backed up slightly, caught off-guard by his panic. "E-Er… Just give me thirty. That should cover the, um, labor cost."
"Deal!"
"And," she started, a familiar (though not upon her, never would her own lips twist into that expression. This world she had found herself in, this life, waswrong.Like an ill-fitting shirt) smile stretching across her face. "You have to help me with these attractions. For some reason, people don't want to talk to me anymore…"
Alice's expression flattened. "I commend your commitment, but find myself exhausted with your impudence." He sighed. "Very well! I shall do as you command. Within reason." He glared. "I'm no Shin Tsukimi. Don't think I'll bend over backwards for you, young witch."
Kanna quirked an eyebrow.'Witch…? I think I'd feel more insulted if that came from anyone else.'
"C'mon, Mister Alice," she pouted. "Can't we just do an attraction? I won't make it on my own…"
He chuckled. "How refreshing, to hear believable words from that mouth of yours." His expression turned wistful, staring down at his wallet. "Though… you have pulled through for me, no matter if your cooperation was double-edged."
Kanna blinked, caught flat-footed, as he smiled. "You aren't as frightening as you think you are, Miss Hiyori."
Red-faced, she stormed towards the nearest attraction, Alice glowing like the cat who caught the canary at having the last word.
Shin was asleep in the armchair when she entered her room.
She stopped.
'He… defended me, earlier. Why did he do that?'
She took a shaky step forward.
'He didn't have to do that. He had no reason to. I could have protected myself.'
He looked peaceful while sleeping, the usual crinkles around his mouth and above his brow absent. His chest rose and fell slow and rhythmically.
Something in Kanna's chest crumpled. Her knees hit the floor, sapped of strength.
Her face fell against his knees, her tears staining his jeans.
Her scarf strangled her, yet she did not remove it.
Kanna collapsed into a mercifully dreamless sleep. She hardly felt rejuvenated when Shin shook her awake the next morning, grinning cheshire.
"Hey," he said, holding up a blanket. "Can't help but notice you're missing something."
She grumbled, wiping her face with her hands and reaching for her hat. "Can't sleep with blankets on. Better for you to have it."
He looked away, still grinning like an especially ugly cat. "Sure, sure, I believe you."
She sighed, resisting a blush. "Quit mocking me. This is the second day, and we still don't have the laptop, let alone a means to charge it."
"Ah!" Shin started. "About that…"
Kanna was on him in an instant. "What!? Did you find the laptop!? Why didn't you tell me!?"
"Calm down!" he choked out, wrenching his jacket back to himself. "I was going to tell you, but," he flushed, scratching the back of his neck. "I fell asleep before you showed up. Those attractions wear you out…"
"You found the laptop, then? Where?"
"Er, not the laptop itself," he said. "But a way to charge it. Way in the back of that rundown hallway." He swallowed. "Problem is…"
"What?" Kanna's heart leapt to her throat, palms sweating.
"It's no huge deal, it's just…" He averted his eyes, back hunched. "It's in my… Trial room. I froze up when I tried to go back in there… I'm sorry."
Kanna blinked. "... That's all?"
He mimicked her. "... Yeah."
She sighed, whacking his shoulder with her hat. "Don't frighten me like that. If that's the issue, then I'll grab it myself."
Shin hummed, rubbing his sore shoulder. "Right…"
After another painful attraction, wherein Kanna almost lost her hat, along with her head, her and Shin stumbled back into the common hall. For a split second, Kanna locked eyes with Sara Chidouin, and the color in the world reneged once more.
Ice settled in her gut as Sara looked away.
Kanna yelped as a hand settled upon her shoulder. Looking to her right, she could see the same had happened to Shin.
Alice looked between them, grinning nervously. "Well, shall we? It's time to execute my plan. I'd be annoyed at such prying into my personal relations, but this is quite the fortunate turn!" He released them, stepping off. "To the prize exchange!"
Shin rubbed his shoulder, brow furrowed. "... Didn't he ask us to do this in the first place?"
Kanna shook her head, trailing after the convict. "I wouldn't try to understand what's going on in his head."
"Alright!" Alice proclaimed, stood before the prize counter. "I'm fully prepared! Come what may, I'll discover Reko's treasure!"
A beat passed, Kanna and Shin watching on.
Alice's confident posture crumpled. "... U-Ugh… My stomach hurts…"
Shin sighed, stepping forwards and addressing the receptionist doll. "Excuse me. I've heard that you sell personal treasures here. I'd like to buy Miss Reko Yabusame's?"
"Of course." The doll nodded. "That will be twenty of Miss Reko's tokens."
Alice darted forwards, sweat sticking to his brow. "I- I have them right here! G-Give it to me!"
"Certainly." The doll took the tokens, counting them out into a register. He reached beneath the counter, pulling out a ragged set of bongos. "Enjoy."
"Th-These…!" Alice approached the bongos like a shrine. "The bongos I gave her…?"
"Looks like," Shin smiled, placing his hand on Alice's shoulder, "Reko cares more than she lets on."
"Impossible… I simply cannot believe it. This worthless gag gift…?"
"Well," Shin said. "Don't you think Reko deserves to have her treasure back? I'm sure she's wondering about these."
"This…" Alice swallowed. "I hardly intend to burden Reko with my worthless sentiments… I loathe to be so selfish." His jaw quivered. "But… perhaps… just this once? I… hardly have the time to atone for my crime properly anymore. Before I die…" His grip tightened. "I'd like to clear any regrets. Shin Tsukimi, Hiyori." He bowed. "You two have done me a great service. I am in your debt."
Kanna sighed. "We aren't loan sharks, you know. Still, you'd better do what you promised."
"Of course, of course…" He stumbled out of the room, clutching the bongos to his chest.
Kanna bit her cheek. "... Do you really think that was a good idea, Mister Shin?"
"Huh?"
"Telling him to give those to Reko." Kanna's gaze met the ground. "Sometimes… it's better to not know."
"Hiyori…" Shin turned away. "Maybe I should keep an eye on him. Are you coming?"
"... I'll catch up." Kanna's gaze turned to the counter. "There's something I want to see first."
Shin nodded, trudging back through the monitor room after Alice.
'Two Clear Chips, three victim videos, and an easy ticket.'Kanna wet her lips, looking down at the prizes.'I don't suppose the stock will be replenished once I buy something.'She certainly had no interest in watching somebody die, judging by the name of the victim videos, so it was down to the Clear Chip for thirty tokens or the easy ticket for only ten.
'The Clear Chip would be smarter, right? I'd be able to skip out on an attraction. Especially when you consider the math. There's nine attractions; seven give out two Clear Chips, one gives out three, and the last gives four. We can only do attractions in pairs, and since there's nine of us… Someone's going to be left out.'
I need to make sure that isn't me or Shin.
Yet, when Kanna made to buy the Clear Chip, something niggled in the back of her mind. If Kanna bought a Clear Chip, she wouldn't have enough for a second, would she?
Kanna bought the easy ticket. It could be reused, after all.
A loud splintering of wood jolted Kanna into adrenaline fueled awareness as she stepped into the common room, sweat building on her palms and forehead.
Kanna looked up to see Reko snarling at Alice, frame vibrating with thinly suppressed emotion.
Why was it that Kanna was only correct during bouts of cynicism? Blankly, she stared at the shattered instrument dividing the siblings like a sheer gulf.
"Don't act like a big brother, Alice," Reko hissed. "The two of us are complete strangers now. You think this crap'll let us reconcile? Have you even realized you took a person's life?"
Shin stood before them, sweat eking from the confines of his beanie, trailing down the smooth sides of his jaw. His eyes flickered between them helplessly. Kanna didn't bother to fix him with a superior look; she gained nothing from her accuracy.
"For two and a half years," Alice murmured, unable to meet his sister's eyes, "I've never once forgotten my crime."
"Then why ever bother to talk to me again!? Don't get in my goddamn way!" Reko brushed past him, teeth bared. "Murderer!"
Shin reached out a faltering hand. "R-Reko, wai-"
"Don't meddle, Shin Tsukimi," Alice said, slicing through the other man's weak protest. Shin put his hand down.
Kanna's focus on their exchange dulled to a background hum as Reko stormed away from them towards the monitor room, where Kanna was observing from.
"You…" Reko's eyes zeroed in on her, sharp and more dangerous than Kanna had ever seen them. Thoughtlessly, she took a step back. Reko sneered. "Stay outta my way, brat. Fuckin' snakes, everywhere I turn…"
"I- I don't know what you mean."
The singer scoffed. "You're pathetic. Is that all you've got to say?"
Kanna's fists curled. "You're being-"
"Shut up." Reko looked nothing like the compassionate woman Kanna had met two days prior. "You, Alice, Q-taro… I'm done with bein' dicked around. Get lost."
Silently, Kanna took her advice, mind whirring.
'Looks like Reko's shown her true colors.'Kanna swallowed, wandering aimlessly away.'I guess we've got more in common than I'd thought.'
Kanna's first thought was of just how bland the room was; white and featureless, with ugly white hospital light gleaming off the metal of her hat.
She supposed her own room wasn't much more interesting.
Idly, she wondered why there would be a laptop charger in a room like this. It wasn't like she could ask Shin. It was best not to pry.
Two pairs of footsteps - light and quick tapping against heavy and purposeful - rang out from her side. Electricity stabbing at her throat, she ducked into the entranceway.
"Glad ya came!" whispered Q-taro Burgerberg. "Nobody saw ya, right?"
"No," came Sara's reply. "Where are we going?"
"The gap in the rubble here," he said, pushing aside an indistinguishable piece of debris. "If'n a big ol' bastard like me can fit, I'm sure you can!"
"There was a gap…?" Sara gasped. "Where does it lead?"
"How 'bout you find out?"
Apprehensively, the high schooler crawled through the rubble, Q-taro following. Kanna's eyes narrowed, fingers curling around the frame of the entryway.
'How should I go about this?'she wondered.'It's no good to confront them directly. They're both high-placers, after all.'
Sweat beading on her brow, Kanna watched the entrance; feeling floaty and choked, like the air was made of syrup.
Three people came out: Sara, Q-taro, and Keiji. Kanna bit her lip to prevent a gasp from slipping out.
Q-taro held the laptop, nestled cautiously in the crook of his massive arm.
"Q-taro's our next target."
"Target…? You don't have to talk like we're assassins…"
She sighed. "Find out everything you can about him, Mister Shin. Please?" Her gaze sharpened. "No matter how scary he is… Are you going to let him stand between us and freedom?"
"Of course not!" He cleared his throat. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. I'm not sure he likes me too much, though. I get the impression he hates spineless guys…"
She giggled. "Well, I'm afraid I can't code a spine. You're going to need to grow it the old-fashioned way."
He smiled. "Right, right… Hang me out to dry, then." He blinked. "Ah, did you find that charger? No point getting the laptop if it's dead, right?"
A beat passed.
"I forgot…"
A hot bolt of panic rushed through Kanna's chest as she trudged back into Shin's First Trial room.
"S-Sara…?" she choked out, hissing through the gaps in her teeth.
Sara turned, and they were face to face once again.
'She really does… look awful.'
Sara blinked her rimmed eyes and wet her chapped lips. "Hiyori…?"
By some miracle, what Sara held in her hand wasn't the laptop charger; just a phone.
"I don't suppose you're trying to call the police?" Kanna asked, tone chopped and trembling with barely suppressed nerves. "Thought we already had an officer."
"No," Sara said, face carefully neutral. "Just saw something… strange, is all. I was just leaving."
"Sara," Kanna said. "What's on that phone?"
Sara looked at her for a long moment. Kanna wished she could crack open that guarded expression with an icepick, that she could display the creature underneath to the surrounding fools before it devoured them all.
The mask of flesh stayed tight on the monster's skin. "I don't see how that's any of your business."
Kanna's jaw tightened. "If it has to do with technology, then it really is."
Surprisingly, Sara relented. "It's not like it has to do with anything. I don't even know what it means."
Sara flashed the message on the phone to Kanna.
Water rushed through her ears, skull fit to burst with the pressure.
Shin, old buddy,it read,take care of my precocious little protégé, would you? It broke my heart to leave her all alone! Don't worry, I'll fulfill my promise, even if you never met my expectations.
With Love, Sou.
The sea hissed and rumbled in her ears, ebbing and flowing from left to right and back again.
Sou Hiyori.
Kanna stood, sand scorching her feet, blind and paralyzed. The waters were cold as they stung her shins, reaching around to her calves.
Shin Tsukimi.
Her hat fell over her eyes. She pushed it back up.
Kugie Kizuchi.
Rule of three. Who was Kanna? Certainly not the girl standing dully in the corridor, listening to Shin and Alice as they discussed the terms of their three-way trade, thoughtless grunts of affirmation puffing from her lips.
Tsukimi. Hot-faced and bruised, unable to relate to her peers, to the families whose eyes would pass right over her as her own met the shoddy wooden floorboards.
Kizuchi. Terrified of outliving her usefulness, with parents that she didn't understand how to talk to without her Sister's presence. Her Sister, who went from pulling and pouring glue into her hair to helping her dye it, soft-eyed and fond.
Hiyori. A scared little girl, wearing the face of a monster to protect herself, for Kanna Kizuchi was fated to die. A killer, no matter how clean her hands.
Perhaps Kanna Tsukimi would have had the better chance.
"Shin," she started as they stood before the attraction entrance.
He grinned. "No 'mister'? Don't tell me I've gotten a promotion."
His smile was warm.
Kanna Kizuchi would surely die. She couldn't let down the guise, throw down the sword. If Hiyori disappeared, then Kanna would fade too.
Yet, the papers said nothing about Kanna Tsukimi. That girl was pathetic in her own right, not worth the dirt smeared across her face or the toilet water the other orphans would baptize her with, but Kanna…
"Nevermind. Let's survive, okay?"
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to let you down."
Kanna was tired of this sickliness.
The paranoia failed to cease. Shin hadknownthe real Hiyori, somehow.
'Enough to owe him something,'Kanna thought.
Yet she was afraid to ask, to address the past.
To unravel the glowing threads of salvation 'Hiyori' had weaved across her, tying across her wrists and throat.
"I've got an idea," Shin said. "Q-taro's been trading more than anyone else. I'm thinking he might believe it's his way out of here."
"I guess so," she replied, feeling more absent than ever before. "Don't let him scam you."
"Of course not," he chuckled. "Living by myself's taught me frugality, if nothing else."
"You make adult life sound so glamorous." Kanna hummed. "I think he'll need more motivation than a couple of tokens, anyway."
"Maybe," Shin bit down on a knuckle. "I've got an idea. Something that Ranger said seemed to resonate with him: something about an escape ticket."
"An escape ticket…?"
"Yeah. Apparently, if somebody has enough tokens, they can buy their way out of here. I'm hesitant to believe it, myself."
Kanna blinked, a neon '200' flashing through her brain.
"Mister Shin," she smiled sweetly. "I think I know how to win him over."
Q-taro was as easy to crack as she thought he'd be. His eyes flickered back and forth between them, sweat peeking from the brim of his hat, dripping down into his poorly groomed beard.
"Don't know whatcher trying ta prove," he justified as he gave Shin the true ticket to escape. "Ain't no charge on it, anyhow."
"I'm pretty good with computers," Shin lied, adjusting his jacket. "Thanks a lot, Q-taro. I'll get this back to you if I find a way to get it working."
"Sure…"
Kanna practically vibrated as he crept into the stolen corridor alongside her, waiting for Q-taro to leave.
"Here," he said, handing it to her as casually as he drew breath. "Don't say I never did anything for you."
Kanna took the laptop into her hands, feeling its smooth metal beneath her fingertips.
Her chance had finally come.
'Just for the faintest hope,"she swallowed, 'that no one else…'
"Hiyori," Shin whispered, jaw lightly slackened. "You're crying."
Kanna's gaze snapped to the floor. "... Thanks, Mister Shin," she said, fingers tightening around the laptop.
She swallowed, arms trembling. "Mist-" she stopped. "Shin. Why do you…?"
"Shin!" Sara burst in, Keiji at her heels, and Kanna's confidence shattered.
Kanna was facing away from Shin, but she could feel the tensing of his shoulders through the sudden chill of the atmosphere.
You're not safe yet, Kanna.
"We've just got a few questions, Shin," Keiji said. "Could you come over here?"
"S-Sara… Keiji…" Shin turned to meet their eyes.
"I'll answer any questions you have," Kanna cut in, gut sinking into the same cold pit which allowed her to erase her own conscience. "When did you two become so close, I wonder?"
"Hiyori," Sara scowled. "Of course it was you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kanna scoffed. "Be more direct, would you? You've already hurt my feelings."
"H-Hiyori…" Shin murmured, an electric silence dancing through the air, stiffening the hairs on her arms.
"You want to be direct now?" Keiji grinned. "Alright. Give us back that laptop."
"Oh?" Kanna blinked. "This laptop? I'm sorry, but I can't do that. It's mine."
Sara scowled, fists clenching at her sides. "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine!"
Kanna blinked. "Sara, do you even understand the words coming out of your mouth? Generally, you're supposed to form sentences." She sighed. "I do find it very curious, though, that you really don't want me seeing what's on this laptop."
Keiji grinned. "I'm afraid you're gonna be disappointed, if you think we're the bad guys here."
Ex-detective.
"Don't make it so black and white," Kanna said. "Good guys, bad guys… They fall apart pretty quickly under pressure. I had to learn that the hard way. The world is made of those who live, and those who die." She grinned. "So really, I don't care who the bad guy is. Even if that means it's me."
Sara growled, turning away. "Shin! You aren't seriously thinking she'll help you, right? What's the point of trusting her so much!?"
Shin looked away. "Don't think… that I've done this to spite you, Sara. All I want is to prevent another Main Game. That's my only goal."
"Is that really the truth?" Keiji said, gaze boring into the smaller man. "Forgive me if I don't trust you at your word. Why choose Hiyori, if that's all you want?"
Shin remained silent for a long moment. "I," he looked up, meeting Keiji's eyes, "made a promise. I intend to see it through. That's all I have to say."
'A promise?'
"C'mon, Mister Shin," Kanna urged. "I've got nothing to say, either."
'To who?'
"Hang on!" Sara cried. "Just because your lips are sealed, doesn't mean ours are!"
Kanna glared wordlessly, laptop clasped in her sweaty grip.
"Right on, Sara," Keiji grinned. "I've been wondering about something. Why distrust us so much, when we're all equals? When we're all shackled to this place through our collars?" His eyes flashed to her. "Of course, if someone here wasn't wearing a collar…"
Sara gasped, eyes widening like there was some sort of great revelation to be had, like her shiny new idol was a genius for vilifying a middle schooler.
"I can't help but notice, Hiyori, that I've never seen your neck."
Kanna grinned that unfamiliar grin, lips contorting cruelly. "Oh? Is that all you've got on me? How about this, Mister Policeman? If you give me fifty tokens, I'll give you my scarf!"
His eyes narrowed. "Don't see how that benefits me."
"Oh? Didn't you want to know whether or not I'm the bad guy?" Kanna tossed one end of her scarf over the other. "I don't see you as very trusting. Shouldn't you have enough to pay up?"
"Don't do it, Keiji!" Sara urged. "She's just trying to steal your information!"
Time for the sinker. "Oh, is that what you're so scared of? Tell you what: the deal will still stand if you give those tokens to Sara. I don't care about your shady past."
Keiji said nothing, shoulders stiff.
"I-It's okay, Keiji," Sara said, placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder. "I'll give them right back!"
"Right, Keiji," Kanna said. "C'mon, isn't Sara trustworthy? What are you waiting for?"
Keiji didn't move.
Sara's hand dropped. "Keiji…?"
Kanna giggled. "Oops. Looks like he's encountered a critical error. Why don't you run off and reboot him?"
"Hiyori…" Sara growled, eyes narrow with hurt.
"Sara," Kanna said, meeting the girl's eyes. She looked older than Kanna remembered. "You remember what I said? About good guys and bad guys?"
"Huh…?"
Kanna pulled down her scarf, baring her collared throat. "Take a good look, and stay well away from me."
Even as she refastened her attire and dragged Shin away, she couldn't forget the surprise on Sara's face.
It was a terribly human expression for a monster.
Shin sighed as Kanna hurriedly slammed the charger into the USB port. "Hiyori…"
Kanna didn't reply, staring at the charging symbol, waiting for it to transform into a '1%.'
Shin shut the laptop screen, sending Kanna jerking back. "Wh-What's this about!?"
"Hiyori." Shin's blue eyes bored into her skull, peeling back the layers of her veneer. "Don't you ever get tired of acting like your brother?"
"Wh-What…?" she choked out, leaning back. "What are you talking about…?"
He sighed again. "Sorry. I shouldn't have sprung that on you. I've been acting kinda shady, haven't I?"
'How? How? How does he know?'The laptop lay forgotten on the bedside table as Kanna sat petrified, frozen into place by Shin's distant gaze. "How…?"
He ran a hand through his hair, jostling his beanie. "I'm not as dumb as I look, you know. Same name, same hair color…" He closed his eyes. "Similar mannerisms."
'... Same name?'
"You really know Hiyori…?" Kanna managed, cold panic tightening her chest, stealing the breath from her lungs.
"Knew him," Shin sighed, opening his eyes. "He enjoyed getting a rise out of me, I guess. I can't remember it too well, but… he made me uneasy, like there was a knife waiting to sink into my back if I made one wrong move." Shin's eyes grew familiar again. "Growing up with that… You're stronger than I am."
"I- I don't…"
"Hiyori, you're not really looking to harm anybody, are you?" Shin asked. "That suffocating atmosphere… I don't feel it from you." His brow furrowed. "So why… why did you have to antagonize our allies like that?"
Kanna jolted. "They aren't our allies!"
Shin flinched. "Wh-Wha…?"
"You're naive, Mister Shin," she hissed, grabbing the laptop. "People like us and people like Sara or Keiji… can never understand each other. Do you think I want it to be like this? That I'm enjoying myself!?"
"H-Hiyori, listen to-"
"No! You don't get it, Shin! You can't! You've got a chance, after all." Kanna pushed past him, needles pushing into her eyes. "Even you'd throw me under the bus if it meant surviving just a little longer. It's only natural." Her breath hitched as her sweaty palms slipped off of the doorknob. "It took me a long time to learn that. I just couldn't accept it. But it's the truth."
"I wouldn't," he said simply. "I wouldn't hurt you, Hiyori."
"... Then you're going to die, Mister Shin."
Kanna fled.
Locking herself in the bathroom was, perhaps, not the most mature action she'd ever taken. Kanna sat, feeling the cold tile of the bathroom wall soothe her back as her eyes poured over the screen.
'Hiyori knew Shin. I guess I'd already figured that out.'Her jaw tightened.'Another toy for him to play with. He knew about my birth sibling all along and he never said anything.'
Shin was upset with her, most likely. It didn't matter, at this point. Even if her only remaining ally was someone as untrustworthy as Alice, she still had the laptop.
"Hiyori," came Shin's voice through the bathroom door. Her fists tightened, mouth drawing into a thin line. "Sorry. I overstepped." He sighed softly, a slight phlegm to the sound. "I won't bring it up again, but please… consider my point of view. That's all I want."
She didn't get him. Not at all.
She accessed the password entry. She typed in Sara's name.
It wasn't correct.
The laptop chimed, the screen fading to black: it had run out of battery again.
'Two days,'she thought as she pushed herself to her feet,'is all I've got left. Tomorrow, I need to figure this out. No matter what.'
She unlocked the bathroom door and opened it.
A jagged shard of glass jutted through her throat as she stared at Shin's prone form, collapsed to the floor.
"Oh? Oh!? Schadenfreude Junior's here to grace me with her presence!?" The first Floormaster, Rio Ranger, sneered down at her, a mask of a grin held on a stick before his lower jaw. "You've been avoiding us, little lady! I'm hurt!"
Kanna stiffened, straightening slowly away from the scattered medical supplies, fists trembling at her sides. "This is the medical office, isn't it? I wasn't looking for you."
She avoided looking at him for too long, Mishima's stolen tie dangling in the peak of her vision to lay lightly against Kai's apron, intertwined with a ratty black tank-top. She forced her gaze up, and the glint of Joe's stolen hair clip pierced her eyes.
"Oho?" His eyes widened into a leer as he leaned over her. "Looking for my shut-in of a sidekick, then? Let's call her out!" He tilted his head back. "Safalin! Your pipsqueak doppelgänger wants to have some girl talk!"
Kanna ran a blunted nail across the cold, clammy skin of her palm as the Vice-Floormaster appeared, pulse hammering against her throat.
"Y-Yes…?" Safalin squeaked, fiddling with her fingers. "How might I help you, Miss Kizuchi?"
"Don't call me-!" Kanna's molars ground against each other, tears pricking to her aching eyes. "I'm sorry to inconvenience you. Please excuse me."
Eyes burning in the same fire as her chest, Kanna attempted to shoulder past the two, uncurious as to their "fun quirks," as she was sure they'd be regarded.
"Oh, dear," Safalin murmured. "How long can you keep this up?"
Kanna froze.
A serpentine sigh slithered from the woman's throat. "Such mental fortitude, for one so young… I suppose we shouldn't expect anything less from a candidate. Miss Kizuchi, or Hiyori, rather, know that we are at your full disposal." Safalin grinned nervously, tears leaking into the edges of her lips. "Our goals may not align, but we are here only in your service."
"If that's true," Kanna ground out, mind whirring with worthless, frenetic conjecture, "you'll listen when I tell you to not bother me. If you care about my peace of mind, then leave me alone! Quit torturing me!"
Blindly, Kanna scooped as much of the assorted medical supplies as she could into her tiny arms, and not thinking about her utter lack of medical knowledge, bolted from sight.
"Well, she wasn't very polite," sneered Ranger. "It's almost like we annoy her, or something. That really pisses me off! Where does she get off…"
Tuning out her creation, Safalin sighed. She'd have to do inventory on those stolen supplies.
Kanna gasped, the supplies in her arms clattering to the carpet as she rushed to the recuperated Shin's side, sat upon the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.
"You're okay," she choked out. She stopped just short of grabbing his arm, remembering herself.
"Hiyori?" he groaned, looking up. "... Sorry."
"What's the matter with you!?" she hissed, fists clenching. "Ka- I didn't have any clue what was happening! You didn't respond at all!" She jerked her arm out towards the scattered supplies. "I don't know any first aid! I can't save you if- if…" She swallowed, her face feeling suddenly hot and bloated.
Wispy arms wrapped around her shoulders. "You were really worried about me?" Shin said lowly, as if afraid to hurt her ears. He sighed. "You can blame our mutual friends for my episode there. I haven't been eating enough, and with the attractions taking their toll…"
Kanna's teeth ground against each other uncomfortably. "So you got hurt for my sake."
"It's always been like this," Shin refuted sharply. "Something with my blood. Couple that with my weak stomach, and it's a wonder that this didn't happen any sooner."
"But-"
"Alice has been helping me just as much as you, okay?" He released her shoulders to show her a smile. Somehow, it didn't feel as much a baring of teeth anymore. "I'm not heroic enough for self-sacrifice. It was just a dumb mistake."
"... And I did such a good job avoiding the Floormasters, too." Kanna sniffed, finding it hard to meet his eyes. "All because you're too stupid to eat. You'd better make up for that, Shin."
"No 'mister,' huh?" He grinned. "The laptop's been charging for a while. I checked it when I woke up. Let's get back to our mission, okay?"
A peaceful silence crossed the room as Kanna's brother regained his bearings, leaning over the end table to fiddle with the computer.
'... Brother?'
"He's not," Kanna said aloud, palms cold and clammy.
Shin turned, the question written upon his expression.
"Hiyori. He's not my brother." Kanna swallowed, heart pounding in her chest, feeling as though she was balancing upon a blade, feet bare. "Don't make that mistake."
"I-"
"You knew him, right?" Kanna's jaw quivered, eyes sore and stinging. "You know what he's like, don't you? The games he likes to play? I had siblings, Shin, but I don't anymore." Hiccuping, she wiped her face, hands coming away slick with mucus and salt. "Then he was the only one left. I- I thought… I thought he understood; that he'd help me get better; that I could learn to live by myself."
"Hiyori…"
"Stop!" she sobbed. "Stop calling me that…"
Shin was next to her now, eyes wide and eyebrows low. "What should I call you, then?"
Kanna couldn't say it, her lips twisting into the familiar shape, excessively pronounced through childish habit. "Shin… What did he promise you? To make you care this much?"
Shin flinched back. "Wha-?"
"You should just give up. It's pointless. Whatever he said, it wasn't true. So just," she pushed his hand from her arm where it rested, "just give up."
"Sorry," Shin said. "That's the one thing I won't do. I'm too invested by now. So I'll ask one more time: what should I call you, at least when we're alone? It's not like our kidnappers wouldn't already know, right?"
She wanted to.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, eyes affixed to the ugly beige carpet. "I'll tell you one day. But I can't. I'm sorry…"
Shin's gaze grew blank with disappointment. He shut his eyes. "Back to the laptop then," he said after a moment.
Kanna felt her silhouette wrap his spindly fingers across her throat.
She breathlessly apologized, again and again, as she forced herself back into character.
Anything to win.
Anything to survive.
The laptop served as an excellent distraction from the ache in her chest, from the fact that Shin stayed so silent, from the thought of just who she would be by the time they truly escaped.