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The morning after the third class trial, Kokichi vanished. His presence was noticeably absent from the dining hall. It was out of character for him not to show up. He didn’t know why, but it set Kaito on edge. Had someone murdered again so soon? The third trial was barely over…. “Why are you so worried about that brat?” Maki frowned when the astronaut brought it up, “He’s probably just hiding so we’ll worry about him and then he’ll pop out with that shit eating grin and annoying laugh. He’s fine.” “I know Maki-roll but something just keeps bothering me about it…” Kaito drummed his fingers on the table, “It’s one of my hunches I guess. I feel like something’s happened to him.” “You’re not going to drop this are you?” The assassin sighed, “Alright let’s go to his room and check. Any other places you think he could be?” “I’m not really the one to ask.” He glanced over his shoulder at Shuichi. The detective looked more tired than usual, more picking at his food rather than eating it, “Hey, Shuichi!” “Huh? Wha?” Gold eyes flew open as he jerked up in his seat, “What is it?” “Any idea where Kokichi could be?” “Either his room or the library I think. Why?” “Have you seen him at all today?” Maki crossed her arms over her chest, “Kaito’s got one of his hunches that something’s happened to the brat.” “Uh, no I don’t think so. I came straight from my room to here.” Shuichi shrugged, “Want me to come with you?” “Uh…” Kaito glanced at the assassin next to him who was shooting him a glare that read ‘absolutely not,’”No I think we got this. If we don’t find him after an hour or two we’ll come to find you.” “Okay. Well, good luck. I’m sure he’s just slept in or something.” As the astronaut turned to leave he couldn’t help but think that the smile Shuichi flashed at him seemed a little….sinister. ---- Shuichi gave a sigh of relief when Maki and Kaito left. The fact that they were looking for Kokichi so soon….it had to mean his suspicions were correct right? He picked up his plate of barely touched food and began walking out of the dining hall. He took the long way to the dorms, wanting to avoid being seen by the astronaut and assassin. The detective slipped into his room quietly. When he saw the tiny figure lying motionless on his bed the same swell of protectiveness that spurred him on to do this filled his chest. Yeah, he knew exactly where Kokichi was, but he would never let anyone else know that. Kokichi was still unconscious. Chains around his ankles connected him to the bed and prevented him from being able to leave. If the fight he put up last night was any indication he was going to be quite uncooperative. But that didn’t matter right now. Shuichi set the plate of food down on the nightstand. He reached forward to cup Kokichi’s face in one of his hands. Soon he’d see why he was doing this. He was protecting him. Keeping him safe from the killing game. The little leader’s eyebrows twitched, meeting in the center of his forehead. “Good morning Kokichi.” Shuichi cooed. Those deep purple eyes snapped open, adorable little lips opening in a gasp, “I’m so glad you’re awake.” “Shuichi what is-” He began to sit up, stopping when his legs moved and the chains jingled, “What is this? What are you doing?” “Shh.” He leaned in close. The little leader jerked back, already pale skin blanching, “You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you.” “You….I..this is…” His breathing began to pick up. “Relax…” He placed a gentle kiss to his forehead, “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to keep you safe.” “You attacked me!” Kokichi snapped forward, apparently trying to get off the bed. Well he couldn’t have that. The detective straddled his hips, pinning his hands above his his head. That little, helpless body squirmed and struggled harshly and desperately, “What the hell are you doing!?” “I’m keeping you safe, Kokichi.” He lovingly stroked his cheek, “As long as you stay here nothing is going to happen to you.” “Shuichi...what happened to you?” The little leader stopped in his attempts and just stared up at him. “Nothing’s happened to me.” Shuichi tilted his head curiously, “I’ve just decided that I’m not going to lose you, not like I did Kaede.” Kokichi’s eyes widened, mouth opening in shock. He couldn’t stop the urge to dive down and catch those adorable lips with his. The little leader seemed to freeze. The detective reached down between those thin legs, cupping his crotch. That’s when Kokichi began struggling again. “St-stop!” He gasped, “What are you doing!?” When he began to rub gently he felt the little leader jump and tremble, “Shui-ng ah!” “Please don’t struggle Kokichi.” He whispered, “I might hurt you, and I don’t want to do that..” The little leader gave a shaking gasp, closed his eyes, and went lax against the bed. ---- Kokichi’s room, for some reason, was unlocked. Kaito glanced at Maki with raised eyebrows, and even she looked concerned. The astronaut slowly opened the door, “Kokichi? Hey you in here?” He got his first look at the little leader’s room. It was in shambles. It was clear that there had been a fight. Boxes were knocked over. A whiteboard was laying across his bed, broken. Pictures and papers were strewn all over the place. Near the bathroom door there was an empty bottle of some sort of sedative. The contents were soaked into the carpet with a needle left in the middle. “What the hell happened in here?” Maki picked up the bottle and the needle. “I...I don’t know. But he’s not in here now...I think…” “I hate to admit it but I think you’re right to be worried.” “I was hoping I was wrong.” “We have to tell the others. We can’t know when this happened until we get everyone’s alibi’s from last night after the trial.” The astronaut nodded, beginning to follow her out. Before he left the room he took one last look around. Whatever went down in here….it didn’t seem to have ended in the little leader’s favor. But where was he? Was he even...still alive? Kaito decided that he wasn’t going to give up hope, not until he saw a body.
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It took a bit to gather everyone in the dining room again. Miu tried to protest but one withering glare from Maki had her squeaking and sitting back down in her seat. Surprisingly the last one to show up was Shuichi. He wouldn’t even open his door to talk to him… “So...what is this about?” Kiibo asked meekly. Kaito opened his mouth only to be interrupted by who else, but their favorite black and white bear at the head of the table. “Upupupu I sense a mystery on our hands!” Monokuma crowed. “You have something to do with this don’t you?” Maki glared daggers at him, “Just admit that you’ve done something to the brat and tell us what you did.” “Oh but I didn’t do anything.” The bear looked too smug for anyone’s liking, “That honor goes to one of you!” “One of...us?” Himiko asked. “That’s right!” “Monokuma…” Shuichi frowned deeply, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, “You know what’s happened to him don’t you?” “I sure do! But I’m not at liberty to say.” A terrifying grin stretched across Monokuma’s face, “I guess you could call this a new motive! Can you figure out who did what to Kokichi Ouma before something terrible happens? I woooonder!” With that, the bear vanished. ---- Kokichi was terrified. Fucking. Terrified. How else was he supposed to feel when he was chained to a bed with no way to get out? When his kidnapper was obviously under the spell of some motive Monokuma had probably cooked up? Kokichi was so glad that Shuichi had left him alone for the time being. It gave him time to sort out his very jumbled thoughts. The little leader sat up and began yanking at the chains were they connected to the bed. He couldn’t stay here who knows what was going to happen? He shifted so he sat on his knees, so he could lean back with the chain in his hands. He pulled. And pulled. And pulled. Nothing. It wouldn’t budge. He froze and his stomach dropped when the door opened and the detective slipped inside. “Kokichi, why are you trying to escape?” Shuichi asked, blinking curiously at him. “Are you...are you serious?” Kokichi scoffed, “You...you come into my room, attack me, knock me out, chain me to your bed, molest me, and...and you don’t expect me to try and escape!?” “I’m protecting you.” His tone turned serious. Like he was lecturing a child, “I love you, Kokichi. And I’m not losing you. I won’t let anything happen to you.” By the time he was done he was standing in front of him. The detective reached forward. He couldn’t help but flinch away as his hand cupped the back of his head. “I don’t need to be protected.” The little leader grit his teeth, “Not like this. Let me go Shuichi!” “No.” The grip on his head tightened, “They’ll hurt you if I do. They’ll kill you!” “Who? Who’s going to kill me!?” He shouted. “Maki. Miu. Kiibo. Himiko. Kaito. Tsumugi. Gonta. They all will.” Kokichi felt his heart stop. That’s what this was. Paranoia….but why focused towards him? Why not just in general? Monokuma what the hell did you do? “Don’t you see?” He was pushed onto his back with his arms pinned above his head. Shuichi attached his lips to the base of his neck like he did earlier, “This is the only way to keep you safe.” “Then why are you..nng!” Kokichi gasped, “Why are you touching me like...this?” “Because you’re just so cute.” The detective giggled breathlessly, “I can’t help but want to touch you and make you mine.” “Please just...I’ll stay here if you just stop...doing that.” “You’re not lying are you?” Kokichi swallowed hard and met Shuichi’s eyes. “No. I’m not lying.” ---- Shuichi was beginning to act….off. He seemed to be shifting nervously and wanted to spend more time alone than before. Both Kaito and Maki noticed this. “I hate to say it but it’s obvious he knows something.” The assassin sighed. “But this is Shuichi we’re talking about.” Kaito pointed out, “He couldn’t hurt a fly much less do all that damage in Kokichi’s room.” “But if there was a fight, which we can safely assume there was….” “..Maki-roll are you saying you think he did something to Kokichi?” “I’m not saying it. I’m just considering all our options. I don’t want to believe that Shuichi could do this either but until we prove it wasn’t him he can’t be taken off our suspect list.” “I..ugh that makes sense.” “If you don’t want to talk to him I will.” “No. No I think I can talk to him myself.” Kaito sighed, “I’ll just wait until he leaves his room. I’ll talk to him then.” “Okay.” Maki nodded, “Let me know what he tells you.” “I will Maki-roll.”
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Shuichi was startled to find Kaito loitering around his room. “Oh, Kaito, what are you doing here?” “I was just waiting for you to come out.” The astronaut rubbed the back of his head. A habit he had when he was nervous, “I’m just...kind of worried about you, you know?” “Worried about me?” Shuichi tilted his head, “Why?” “It’s just...you’ve been kind of scarce lately. And you looked really tired at breakfast this morning.” Kaito walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, “I want to make sure my sidekick’s doing alright.” “Oh. That’s uh...that’s very nice of you but I’m fine.” He shook his head and stepped back, “I just didn’t sleep much last night. And with what’s happened with Kokichi...I want to figure out what happened. Where he is.” “Yeah…” The astronaut sighed, “So, that’s all that’s going on?” “Yeah Kaito, that’s all that’s going on.” He decided to turn the conversation around, “What about you?” “Me?” His eyebrows went up in surprise, “I’m pretty okay. I think we’re all worried about Kokichi. Dude’s a little shit but...what I saw in his room scares me. Someone...someone wanted to hurt him.” “Hurt him?” Why was he bringing this up? Was this...a warning? That if he let Kokichi go he was going to be hurt? What was the point in him telling him that he already knew that already! “His room was tossed around. Like a pretty bad fight went down. A fight...a fight that Kokichi probably lost. Especially if whoever did this was bigger than him.” “Who...who do you think did it?” Shuichi doubted the astronaut would say him but he had to be sure. “I..I don’t know. It wasn’t me if that’s what you’re thinking.” Kaito put his hands up almost defensively, “Or you or Maki-roll. I know you guys wouldn’t do that. But I have no idea who to think of.” “If I come up with anything I’ll be sure to tell you.” The detective nodded, glancing back at his door, “I was going to investigate the main building and see if he might’ve left a clue or something behind. Did you...want to come with?” “No. I don’t think I should. I’d just get in the way.” He turned and began walking back to his room, “Let me know if you find something okay Shuichi?” “Okay. I will.” As soon as Kaito was out of his sight he frowned. He knew something didn’t he? He closed his eyes and shook his head. No. No one knew where Kokichi was. He’d been extremely careful carrying him to his room. Shuichi ducked out of the dorms, striding towards the main building. He’d just have to throw them off. ---- Well that was….odd to say the least. Kaito sighed and shook his head, Shuichi was probably just as worried about Kokichi as the rest of them. He made his way back to his room pondering what steps he should take next. A few days came and went without much progress. Each morning Monokuma would taunt and tease them about their inability to find Kokichi. It grated on the astronaut’s nerves. Especially because he was right. Dammit it shouldn’t have been this hard to find him! On the fifth day of the little leader’s disappearance something showed up in the library. Kokichi’s scarf and shirt. They were just draped along some of the stacks of books. They were clean, free of blood. Maki confirmed that it would’ve been too hard to completely scrub any stains, so it was likely that there wasn’t any blood on there at all. Nevertheless it was still a worrying sign. Why were they only showing up now? Why not five days ago when he was first taken? It didn’t make any sense. The next day his shoes and socks were found in the gym. And the day after that, his pants in Miu’s lab. The inventor had stormed into the cafeteria with a sheet white face and panic in her eyes. “What the hell is this!?” She held out the article of clothing with shaking hands, “Why were these in my lab!?” “Hold on, what?” Maki frowned, taking the pair of pants from her. They seemed relatively intact and clean, just like everything else they’ve found, “These were in your lab?” “Yeah. And they definitely weren’t there when I passed out last night.” Miu clutched at her arms with a shudder, “Seriously what sick fuck gets off on leaving articles of clothing in various places like this!?” “Someone who wants to send a message.” The assassin narrowed her eyes at the item. “Message? What message?” Gonta tilted his head like a puppy. “That’s the thing.” Shuichi sighed, staring down at the table, “We have no idea. There’s no purpose to it...no reason for them to leave these things where they’ve been.” “Yeah well I think they’re trying to tell us that the little shit’s dead!” Miu clenched her fists at her sides, hair falling to cover her eyes, “Why else would they be giving us these? It doesn’t take a gorgeous girl genius to figure it out!” “Hey, no one’s saying he’s dead.” Kaito stepped forward, “He’s alive. I just know it.” “Is this one of your, ah, hunches?” Kiibo asked. “Yeah sure. We’ll call it that.”
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Kaito went to Shuichi’s room, to try and talk to him about any theories he might’ve had. He knocked a few times. Rang the doorbell. He got no response. Odd. Maybe he wasn’t there. Maybe he was in the library or cafeteria? He turned away to go find the detective when he heard something. Cling cling. He froze. What was...what the hell was that? Cling. Cling. The astronaut pressed his ear against the door. Cling. Cling. Cling. It almost sounded like….chains moving. What the? With shaking hands he reached for the doorknob. Locked. Of course. Dammit. Kaito stopped himself, shaking his head. What was he doing? This was Shuichi he was talking about. There’s no way he would’ve been able to do what had happened in the little leader’s room. The detective was too meek and nervous to do that kind of damage. And he was being extremely helpful and diligent in his investigation. Plus where would he even hide him? In his room would be too obvious. And the astronaut had already been in there since and found no trace of the little leader. And yet as he walked away, Kaito felt a tug on his gut telling him he’d have to return. ---- And he did. He didn’t want to invade his sidekick’s privacy but...well curiosity killed the cat as they always say. He caught Shuichi as he was leaving his room again. Clearly startling the exhausted looking detective in the way he jumped and almost dropped his room key was any indication. A pang of guilt went through him at what he was about to do. “Oh hey you okay?” Kaito put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah. Just been staying up later than usual.” Shuichi rubbed at his eyes. “I wanted to ask if you have any theories about this?” The astronaut rubbed the back of his head, “Any angles that you think I can help with?” “Not at the moment.” He sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping, “I..I’m sorry I wish I did-” “No. No you’re okay. Don’t push yourself.” Kaito shook his head, “Take it easy. I’m just...do you have any ideas about where I could even start looking for him?” “Maybe where the clothing was found? Like in the library or in the gym? Maybe see if there’s anything in Miu’s lab?” “Oh. I hadn’t thought of that….” “I was going to go to the cafeteria and make some tea, I could walk with you if you wanted to go check them out now?” “I can wait until you get back.” Kaito shrugged, “Oh actually what if we meet in the gym and check together? After you finish...uh..” “Getting tea.” “Yeah! Yeah that, sorry. Got a lot on my mind right now.” “I know.” Shuichi smiled softly, “So meet in the gym in about an hour?” “That sounds good.” Kaito nodded, “See ya Shuichi!” He turned as if he was walking back to his room. He stopped in front of his door, watching the detective leave through the main doors. Quietly he slipped back to Shuichi’s door. He hadn’t seen him lock it. Hopefully he didn’t do that while his back was turned. The door was unlocked. Relief and a twinge of anxiety coiled in his gut. He heard a soft, sharp inhale. It was a noise of anticipation. Of fear. Of nervousness. The astronaut swallowed hard, and opened the door.
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Kaito’s eyes widened. What the hell? His breath caught like knives in his throat. His feet were like ice. It was like he was nailed to the floor. Joints locked like rusty machine parts. Chained to the bed by his feet, clad only in brightly colored boxers, was Kokichi Ouma. The little leader looked as shocked and frightened as he felt. He was sitting up against the headboard, thin (god he was so small, he could count his ribs like this) arms brought close to his chest. Lips were opened in surprise. His pale skin reflected the light like a bright mirror, he was almost blinding to look at. Kaito took a few stumbling steps inside, the door unwittingly shutting behind him. The noise snapped the little leader out of whatever daze he was in. He opened his mouth and uttered the first words he’d heard from him in over a week. And in true style, it wasn’t what the astronaut was expecting. “You need to get out of here.” Those words broke his own paralysis. “W-what?” “Kaito. Get out of here. Now.” A tinge of panic crept into his tone but his voice remained low and quiet, “Before he comes back!” “Wait..you mean Shuichi?” Kaito gasped. “Who’s room do you think you’re in?” Kokichi frowned, eyes darting towards the door, “He’s going to kill you if he finds you in here. You need to get out, now!” “Kokichi you...can’t be serious.” The astronaut drew closer, taking note of the bruises around his ankles and faintly on his collarbone. “I’m perfectly serious.” He pointed at the chains, “The only one with the keys to get me out of these is Shuichi, and he’s not going to do that. Not now…not while he’s like this..” He bit on his thumb with the corner of his mouth, still staring fixated at the door, “Please, just get out of here. Forget you saw me. Don’t mention this to anyone.” “No.” “What?” Kokichi looked up at him with wide, confused eyes. Like he wasn’t expected him to refuse. To insist on remaining. “I’m not leaving you. Look at this!” He gestured at the chains like the little leader had, “If Shuichi’s keeping you here like this then it’s only a matter of time before he hurts or kills you! If I get you out now then he won’t even know who rescued you!” His voice rose higher in volume until he was almost shouting.“Shh!” He reached out and grabbed his coat, pulling him down to his level. His knees hit the carpet with a quiet thud, “Be quiet. He might hear you.” “He’s gone out to grab tea, he’s only been gone for a couple minutes.” Kaito frowned, lowering his volume, “Kokichi, why is he doing this? This isn’t anything like Shuichi..” “I know.” Kokichi suddenly deflated, slumping back against the headboard, “He’s….not himself. That much is clear. He’s just...I don’t know..” Again he glanced at the door, “He’s capable of more than you know. If you don’t believe me then take a look at my room.” “I..I’ve seen your room. It’s-” “An absolute wreck. I know.” “And...Shuichi did that?” “Yeah. He knocked on my door and, stupidly, I opened it. He was standing there with a bag in his hands.” “When you opened the door, that’s when he attacked you?” “That’s when he attacked me. I...I thought he was going to kill me so of course I fought back.” “He still won though. Cause of that sedative we found in front of your bathroom.” “Didn’t think he was capable of cheating like that, but yeah. I tried running in there, he grabbed me, and the next thing I know I’m waking up here.”“But why? Why are you here and why did he attack you?” “He-” The soft sound of the main door to the dorms opening and closing. Kokichi tensed, his face going pale. Fear shone in his deep purple eyes. Eyes that locked with his for a brief moment of terror. Then the little leader whispered softly, “Kaito...hide.”
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Kaito ducked into the closet, stealing one last glance at the boy chained to the bed. He left the door open just a crack. Just enough to see Kokichi. The front door opened, Shuichi slipping inside. The detective walked calmly to the bedside, cupping Kokichi’s face. He flinched, just barely, but enough to be noticed. “Why are you frightened of me?” Shuichi asked, looking genuinely confused, “I’m not going to hurt you, that’s the last thing I want to do…” “I-I…” It was a discomforting feeling, hearing the little leader stutter and stumble over his words, “I’m sorry, I can’t help it…” “Don’t apologize.” He leaned down and pressed a possessive kiss to his lips, “I’m just trying to protect you, you know that right?” “I know…” Kokichi turned his head away, “I know. I believe you. Just..stop doing that, please.” “I love you so much, Kokichi.” Shuichi’s mouth moved down to the smaller boy’s neck as he pushed him onto his back. A sharp gasp rang through the room. Kokichi’s head leaned back, eyes wide and face going pale. When Kaito looked closer he would see that one of the detective’s hands was slipped between his thighs, up under his boxers.“Sh-Shuichi stop...please..” The little leader’s voice sounded uncharacteristically small and frightened, “Don’t do this…” “But how else can I show you how much I love you?” A sharp movement of his hand and Kokichi gave a quiet whine, “I can make you mine forever, Kokichi, don’t you want that?” “I…” His lip began to tremble, “I don’t know…” “Maybe I can…help?” Kaito’s gut dropped when the detective began to undress.“Shuichi please don’t!” Kokichi began to squirm and shake his head. Those brightly colored boxers were pulled down as far as they could go. His pale white thighs were separated, “No! Please don’t! You said you wouldn’t- Shuichi!” The volume of his pleas went up and turned more panicked, “Stop! Don’t do this please!” Shuichi picked up the little leader’s struggling legs and pushed them further apart. There was a single thrust and Kokichi’s body tensed considerably more. Out of his mouth came a choked noise of pain that bordered on a sob. “Relax Kokichi, I know it hurts right now but you have to relax.” The detective soothed. The only response he gave was a stifled whimper. His lips moved but it was too quiet for the astronaut to hear. Shuichi slowly began rock his hips, pulling out then in. With every movement Kokichi would twitch and gasp and mewl. It made Kaito want to throw up. The detective reached forward and began to stroke him. “Nng no!” Kokichi cried, “Stop! Please it hurts Shuichi please stop!” “It’ll stop hurting when you relax.” Kaito slumped back into the closet, hand covering his mouth. He could no longer see the disturbing scene before him but he could still hear it. The creaking of the mattress, the rattling of the chains, Shuichi’s soft murmurs of what felt like false encouragement, and Kokichi’s pained sobs and pleas. It felt like it went on for hours, before the little leader gave a soft cry and Shuichi sighed contently. There was more soft talking, and then the detective left. He stayed where he was for a few minutes, making sure that Shuichi wasn’t coming back for now. Eventually he worked up the resolve to exit the closet. His heart squeezed in his chest as he surveyed the room. Kokichi was curled up on his side, arms brought close to his gut. His thin body was shivering in random patterns, whimpers leaving his lips. Seeing the normally loud and energetic boy in such a pathetic state was jarring to say the least. “Kokichi!” Kaito returned to his side, he started to reach out to touch him but thought better of it. “K..Kaito..” The little leader opened his eyes, tears shining in them, “Get out of here….please…” “I’m not leaving you!” “Please just..” Pain washed over his features, “..he’s not going to be gone for long. Don’t let him catch you.” “I..” He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking, “You can’t...you just want me to walk away!? Shuichi-” “Isn’t in his right mind…” Kokichi sat up with a wince, “..you can see that right? I think.. Monokuma must’ve done something to create a motive..” “Why are you so calm about this?” Kaito took his shoulders in his hands, stomach twisting at how thin they felt, “He could kill you or worse! He’s hurting you! Why aren’t you fighting back? Trying to get out? Why are you so complacent in this!?” “You’ve clearly never been kidnapped before.” He frowned at him, “It’s easier to comply than to fight. It’s safer that way. I can’t predict what he’s going to do if I try to fight, but I know relatively what he’s going to do if I play along.” “You make it sound like you’ve been kidnapped before.” “Maybe I have maybe I haven’t. You’re wasting time Kaito he’ll be back any minute!” “I...we’ll get you out okay? Just…” He took one of his bound hands in his, “Just don’t give up okay?” “Well that’s cheesy as hell.” Kokichi snorted, “But sure, you got it Kaito.” As much as he didn’t want to, Kaito turned and left.
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As soon as the astronaut was gone Kokichi slumped back onto the bed. Pain lanced through his gut. A hiss escaped his lips. How he managed to keep it hidden while he was talking to Kaito he had no idea. God that hurt. Every movement from his stomach down caused agony to flare through his body. He just lay there, focusing on breathing, for what felt like hours. He was trying desperately not to think about what had just happened. That the detective had broken the one request he’d made. If he dwelled on it...he was sure it would break him. His heart leapt into his throat when he heard the door open and close again. Shuichi was back at his side, gently stroking his cheek again. The smile that he gave made the smaller boy want to puke. “I’ve brought you back something to eat.” He sat him up against the headboard. When the little leader tensed and bit back a whimper Shuichi’s expression turned concerned, “Does it hurt still?” “Not really..” As usual he lied easily. Just act like nothing was wrong. Convince him you’re compliant and he’ll leave them all alone, “..I’m just a bit sore that’s all. I’m fine.” He forced a smile at him. The detective placed a small bowl of soup in his hands. Slowly he ate, ignoring how his stomach twisted in protest. While he was eating Shuichi moved around the room. By the time he was done he was sitting by the bed. The detective picked up the bowl and set it on his nightstand. Before he could react he was pinned to the bed with lips attacking his neck, “Ah! Shuichi….what are you… Nng!” “I love you Kokichi.” His lips closed around one of his nipples. His back arched with a cry. “St-stop…” He gasped. “Please let me do this.” Something hard and smooth was pushed into his entrance. Then it began to vibrate. Kokichi all but shrieked, his body convulsing. He was silenced by Shuichi’s mouth over his. He turned his head away, acutely aware of the blush covering his cheeks. “Shuichi please….I can’t…” Tears formed in his eyes, “Not like….not like this…you promised… you promised you wouldn’t...” “But I want you so much. You want this too don’t you?” The question seemed innocent. But there was something underneath it that made the little leader uneasy. “I..” He bit back a moan that wanted to rise out of his throat, “I don’t know...just please take it out I can’t…” For once the detective was silent. When he looked up at him he saw that his gaze was fixed on the open closet door, “Sh-Shuichi..?” “Someone’s been in here haven’t they?” He asked sharply. “What?” Kokichi gasped, squirming as the detective’s hand seemed to absently stroke his leaking cock. “The closet was closed when I left.” Shuichi frowned, “But now it’s open. You couldn’t have done it. So someone else must’ve.” He eyed the little leader suspiciously, “Who was it?” “N-no one’s been in here…” He schooled his expression into what he hoped would come across as genuine confusion, “No one but...gah!” His back arched and he spasmed as he came. But the buzzing didn’t stop and neither did Shuichi’s hand, “Nng, no one but...y-you...aaah….” “You’re lying.” “No, I’m telling the...telling the truth…” “If you’ve been lying about that what else have you been lying about this whole time huh? Have you been lying to me?” “N-no!” Kokichi frantically shook his head, “I haven’t I swear!” “That’s a lie isn’t it?” The detective’s tone darkened. That buzzing thing was finally removed, “If someone’s been in here then they’re bound to come back. I’ll just have to hide you away until then.” “No! Don’t hurt him please!” The little leader’s eyes widened. The chains around both his ankles were taken off. Before he could make a move he was lifted into the air. He was carried, kicking and struggling into the bathroom, where his wrists were tied behind his back. Shuichi briefly left his sight, returning with a length of chain and a… collar? The device was fitted around his neck, the chain connecting to a towel loop on the wall. The detective knelt in front of him, pressing another possessive kiss to his lips. Holding his face in his hands, gold eyes bored into purple, “It seems cruel right now but eventually you’ll see that I’m only trying to protect you. I mean it when I say I love you, Kokichi. I do this because I love you.” “Shuichi snap out of this please!” The little leader sobbed, “No one’s going to hurt me! I promise they won’t!” “No! All of them want to kill you!” Shuichi shouted, “They all want to hurt you and take you like they did Kaede!” “Even….even Kaito..?” Kokichi’s lips trembled, “You trust him don’t you?” “I trust him with my life, but not with yours.” He was shoved against the tile floor. A look of realization crossed his face, “He’s who was in here isn’t he?” The breath caught in his throat, “He’s trying to take you away from me! Isn’t he!?” The detective split his legs apart, reaching into his pants and taking out his cock. “Shuichi no! No no don’t! Stop!” With a single thrust and searing pain Shuichi was inside him again. The little leader arched his back, choking out a scream. He barely gave him time to adjust, pounding into him almost angrily, possessively, “Stop! Please Shuichi! I’m sorry please stop it!” He didn’t get a reply. Only more thrusts and more pain. Tears streamed down his cheeks like small rivers. Something wet was coating his thighs. It hurt it hurt it hurt! He wasn’t aware that he was screaming until fingers were shoved down his throat. The resulting gagging and choking made his vision swirl. His stomach lurched painfully. The detective leaned forward, his mouth near his ear. “The others have poisoned you, made you trust them. But I’ll set you free.” He reached down and began stroking the smaller boy, his other hand pinching and tweaking his nipples. The sparks of pleasure made his thin body jump and writhe, “Don’t you want to be free Kokichi? Free from their lies? I can do that for you if you’ll just let me. Once Kaito is out of the way it’ll be easy. I can help you!” “No..no no please no!” The little leader cried, “Stop this please just stop!” “This isn’t you talking, I can hear what you’re really saying.” Shuichi bit down hard on the side of his neck, earning another shriek. There was one last jarring thrust and something warm filled his torn up insides, “It’ll take time, it’ll hurt at first, but you’ll finally be free!” A few more strokes of his cock and Kokichi’s body jolted, cumming with a strangled cry. The detective pulled out, more wetness and warmth trickling down his thighs. He lay sprawled out on the tile floor, shaking and gasping and more afraid than he’d ever been. Shuichi talked to him but his words sounded fuzzy and far away. He silently cried out for someone, anyone to save him as he drifted off into unconsciousness.
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Kaito went straight to Maki. He had to tell her, he couldn’t keep what he’d seen bottled up it would drive him insane. So he sought her out, finding her sitting absently in the dining hall. The assassin took one look at the astronaut and instantly seemed to know that this was a private conversation. So she took him to her room. On the way there they passed by Shuichi’s room. He felt his stomach lurch knowing what was behind that door. “So what is it?” Maki asked as soon as the door closed, “You look like you might throw up at any moment.” “I..you’ve noticed Shuichi acting odd lately right?” He swallowed hard. “He’s more jumpy and nervous. Especially when Kokichi is brought up. We’ve been over this Kaito he’s probably just worried.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “He starting acting like this a little after Kokichi vanished right?” “Yes. Probably because he’s worried about the brat. Get to the point Kaito.” “I… went to talk to him about it and...I thought I heard something like chains moving. So I waited until he left and his door was unlocked so I opened it and….I found Kokichi. Chained to Shuichi’s bed..” “Wh….what?” “I tried to get him out but Shuichi came back so I had to hide in his closet….Maki he…” He choked on his words, the urge to vomit washing over him in waves, “...he thinks he’s protecting him by keeping him there.” That wasn’t the whole of what he wanted to say but he couldn’t make himself say it. He just...the words wouldn’t crawl off his tongue, “I tried to get him to leave but he wouldn’t, he knows Shuichi isn’t himself….” “He must not want him to come after anyone should he discover he was gone.” Maki glanced almost nervously at him, “There’s something else, you’re not telling me everything.” “Maki, Shuichi….he..” He began to feel lightheaded, almost collapsing onto his side. The assassin steadied him with a worried glint in her eyes, “He raped him!” The silence that was in that room was too much for him to bear. “Let’s go.” Maki took his arm, and began to drag him towards the door. “What? Wh-where are we going!?” He stammered. “To talk to Shuichi, obviously.” She all but threw open the door. “Wait! We can’t just go and accuse him of this who knows what he’ll do!” Kaito took a few steps back. “Fine then, what do you suggest we do?” “I...I don’t know.” ---- Kokichi rose back to consciousness not slowly, but quickly and all at once. The pain in his gut made him jerk and gag. It was excruciating, just the simple act of retching made it worse. There was a hand on his back and he was shifted into somebody’s arms. His lips were parted, water was forced down his throat. He was placed on his back, his arms slipped in front of him and pinned above his head. “Nng...Shuichi...stop.” Kokichi gasped, “Don’t...not again I-I can’t…” His pleas were for nothing as that familiar wrenching pain flashed through his body. The little leader screamed, being cut off by a hand covering his mouth. He thrashed and arched his back, fighting against the assault as much as he could. The only sounds were the harsh slap of skin on skin and his muffled sobs. Before he knew it Shuichi stilled and warmth filled him again. The detective pulled out, stroking the little leader’s cock until he gasped and came. But still that ache between his thighs remained. He still felt like he was on fire. “You’re so beautiful when you cum, Kokichi.” Shuichi stroked his cheek, a touch he flinched against. His other hand slipped two fingers into his entrance, “It makes me happy to know I’m the only one who gets to see you, and touch you.” “S-stop! I don’t want this! Stop!” He pushed the detective back. He tried to press himself into the wall but Shuichi grabbed his shoulders and straddled his hips, trapping him against the floor. “Why won’t you let me help you!?” He shouted, “Is it because of him!? Because of Kaito!? Does he love you more than me!?” “Shui-” Kokichi was cut off by the detective forcing his legs apart and once more thrusting inside him. He let out a pained shriek, shaking his head desperately. “I’m protecting you, why can’t you see that?” He began to pound into him with that same possessiveness from the night before. “N-no Shuichi stop stop please it hurts Shuichi please!” Kokichi sobbed, “I’m sorry I’m sorry please stop!” “You won’t see it until Kaito is gone…” Shuichi leaned forward until his forehead leaned against the little leader’s, “Once I get rid of him then you’ll be free.” “No!” His eyes widened, feeling the blood drain from his face, “No please don’t! Don’t hurt anyone please! I’ll stay I’ll do whatever you want just don’t-” He arched his back with a scream as the detective increased his pace. He thrashed about as much as he could, trying to escape the overwhelming pain and pleasure. He came with a shaking sob, but Shuichi didn’t stop. He just kept thrusting into his oversensitive body until he came too. Kokichi gasped and twitched, tears streaming down his face. “I love you so much.” That’s the last thing he remembered.
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That pit of dread in his stomach turned into a full blown chasm when Shuichi sought him out and asked him to meet him in his lab. He hoped he was hiding his nervousness well. But he wasn’t entirely sure if he was. He told Maki to come look for him at Shuichi’s lab if he didn’t come back in half an hour. So Kaito lightly knocked on the door, his heart pounding a mile a minute. “Yo, Shuichi? You in there?” “Oh, Katio, come in!” Shuichi sounded much too cheerful for his stomach to handle. After taking a deep breath the astronaut slowly opened the door. And gasped at what he saw. Kokichi was strapped in some sort of medical restraints, his arms out to his sides and legs forced apart. A vibrator was slipped inside him, a gag in his mouth and a blindfold over his eyes. He was squirming and struggling weakly. He didn’t appear to have noticed the door opening. He was in such a state of shock that he didn’t notice Shuichi sliding behind him until he felt hands push him forward. He stumbled to his knees, stomach lurching when he heard to door shut and lock. “I was beginning to wonder if you were even coming.” Shuichi giggled. “Shuichi what the hell is this!?” Kaito twisted around and was almost instantly knocked onto his back. The detective quickly tied his hands and feet together. He didn’t think he could move that fast… Shuichi got off of him, walking over to Kokichi. First he took out the gag, a gasp and shaky moan following. Then he took off the blindfold. At first the little leader cringed against the light, flinching when Shuichi stroked the side of his face. “Kokichi, open your eyes…” The detective cooed. “Stop…” Kokichi whimpered.“Do as I say Kokichi.” His tone turned authoritative. The little leader flinched before slowly complying. He looked frightened, terrified even, of him, “That’s a good boy.” He began stroking his cock. Kokichi’s eyes widened as his hips snapped upward. He let out a startled yelp, “I’m going to help you Kokichi. Aren’t you excited? You’re finally going to be free!” Shuichi grabbed Kokichi’s face, forcing him to look straight at Kaito, tied up and wide eyed on the floor. The little leader’s face balanced, a look of abject horror crossing he’s features. “No...no Shuichi please...don’t do this…” “Don’t be scared Kokichi.” A soft almost gentle kiss to his lips. “Shuichi...what the hell are you doing!?” Kaito demanded. “You want to take him away from me!” Shuichi stood with a growl, “I won’t let you hurt him! I won’t let you!” “I’m not the one hurting him!” The astronaut shot back.“K-Kaito…” Kokichi shook his head, “Don’t…” “Kokichi is mine!” The detective stalked towards him, “You can’t have him. None of you can!” “Shuichi...please..” The small voice the little leader gave seemed to make him freeze and return to his side. “What is it? What can I do?” “Maybe if you...ng show him how..much you love me….then he’ll leave us...alone..” Shuichi stopped, tilting his head curiously. It looked like he was considering it. Wait..considering what? Kokichi wasn’t honestly suggesting….that..was he? Just the thought made Kaito want to puke. “Do you really think so?” The detective leaned closer, “You think if I show him...he’ll leave us be?” “Yes! Yes..” The little leader’s hips jerked upwards as once more he began stroking him, “I do. I do, Shuichi, I do…” Shuichi’s smile turned thin and sinister. It made the astronaut’s stomach flip. “Well then, I think I can do that…” No. No Kokichi no…. The vibrator was slowly pulled out. You don’t have to do this…. His restraints were taken off. Please don’t do this…. He didn’t fight back as he was picked up and shifted around. Kokichi…. Kaito’s blood ran cold when Shuichi stared him straight in the eye. As he pushed inside the little leader’s limp and pliant body. The quiet, stifled whimper that Kokichi let pass through his lips was like a stab to his heart.
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He couldn’t let Shuichi hurt him...he couldn’t. So he made the only offer that he could. He’d let the detective fuck him and he wouldn’t fight back. No matter how much it hurt. Kokichi’s legs were pushed apart. He felt Shuichi slip inside. He couldn’t hold back the whine of pain as his torn walls being stretched. It hurt. It hurt. He tilted his head back and gasped as he began thrusting. “Guh..ah...huh..” The little leader mumbled, his eyes glazing over. “You know you’re so adorable when you’re underneath me..” He heard Shuichi breath in his ear, “So small..so helpless….you’re just so cute..” It hurts...it hurts please. A snap of his hips forced a cry from his throat. The pain thrummed hot and electrifying in his gut with every moment. The detective pinched and rubbed his nipples, sending shocks of pleasure into the mix. He felt tears spring to his eyes. And of course Shuichi noticed, “Are you starting to cry? Does it feel that good? It does, I know it does.” “Shuichi stop! You’re hurting him!” He heard Kaito shout. “Nno no..he’s not…” Kokichi shook his head, “He’s...ahh not...it’s okay..okay…” “Kokichi…” Shuichi pressed his lips on his. With a harsh thrust his gasp let the detective’s tongue invade his mouth. He wanted to struggle and he wanted to force the appendagae out of his mouth but.... But then Kaito would be hurt… Kokichi cried out and snapped his head back as he felt a hand wrap around his cock. His hips began rocking as the pleasure quickly began to overtake the pain. His whines and whimpers of agony turned to moans and mewls. The detective’s thrusts got rougher and less controlled. He was close he always lost control when he was close. And as much as the little leader hated to admit it he was close as well. “Cum with me Kokichi.” Shuichi rapidly stroked his cock in time with his thrusts. The knot in his stomach unfurled at the same time that he felt warmth fill his insides. For a moment he just lay there panting, legs to numb to move. He was distantly aware of the detective pulling out. Lips dominated his stomach and hips. Getting lower and lower until he suddenly felt warm heat engulf his cock. His eyes snapped into focus as his back arched. The tongue that was once forced inside his mouth was now wrapping around his shaft and sending waves of pleasure from his crotch. “Ngah ha...oh..nng too...t-too much..” Kokichi felt all lucidity leaching away from him, “Shuichi… ah nno it’s...not while so...sensitive!” His hips unwillingly snapped upwards. His tiny body convulsed with the ecstasy flowing through him. It was too much. Too much. He..couldn’t handle it! It hurt it hurt it hurt! Breaths came out in short pants. He was almost hyperventilating, “Sl..slow down...too much...ahn...it’s…” His pleas turned incoherent, to the point where even he had no idea what he was saying. The pleasure grew stronger and stronger until it all went white. Leaving him twitching and gasping, floating off into his head. ----Kaito could taste the bile in his mouth. It was a miracle he didn’t outright puke on the floor. After Shuichi was done sucking and licking the little leader’s cock he thrust back inside. Unlike before Kokichi didn’t really react much, just a quiet little gasp. His eyes looked unfocused and distant. Like he wasn’t all there anymore. And the detective was still…. “Shuichi stop please!” He grit his teeth, feeling tears well up in his vision, “I-I’ve seen enough. I..I believe you..you.” “I knew you would, Kaito.” Shuichi smiled at him with half lidded eyes as he pulled out and finally, finally left Kokichi alone. He swallowed the acid rising up his throat at the fresh blood smearing those pale thighs. The detective redressed himself and knelt over him, “But you see, I can’t have you going and telling the others where he is. You won’t hurt him, I know that know. But there are others who will.” “Shuichi-” “Shh. You don’t have to say anything.” A hand covered his mouth. He was so cold...was he always this cold, “I’ll just keep you here. I’m going to take Kokichi to a safer place, and then I’ll come back. We’ll-” Shuichi was cut off by the door bursting off its hinges.
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What was….Was happening? Did...did he stop? Why? Why did he stop? Kaito? Kaito!? K@!$$o%_t#($@_ It hurts. It hurts. Everything hurts. Please someone Make it stop! Please….. It hurts…. ---- Kaito had never been so happy to see Maki and Gonta in his life. The assassin had taken one look at the situation in front of her, Shuichi kneeling over the astronaut with his hand over his mouth, and acted. She grabbed the detective’s arm and pinned him to the floor before he could properly react. He struggled against her grip but she was stronger. “Are you okay?” Maki glanced his way. “Y-yeah I’m fine.” Kaito pulled on the ropes around his wrists, “Just a little...tied up here.” He heard Gonta make a distressed sound. They both looked over to see the entomologist gently cradling Kokichi’s limp body, “Gonta…” “Why…? Why Shuichi hurt friend..?” Gonta began crying, arms encircling the little leader so that he almost hid him from view, “Why Shuichi hurt Kokichi?” “Don’t touch him!” The detective snarled, “You can’t take him away from me!” “Shuichi.” Maki took out her pigtails, using them to tie his wrists tightly together, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you but you know that what you were doing to him was wrong.” She stepped over his struggling and spitting form and moved to Kaito’s side. With a few well placed pulls the astronaut was free. “No! I’m protecting him! You all want to hurt him I want to keep him safe!” Shuichi shouted. With each word Gonta seemed to flinch and curl up more. It was like he was shielding Kokichi from him. “Stop it!” Kaito grabbed the detective’s shoulders, “Stop it Shuichi! You’ve been hurting him this whole time! He didn’t want what you did to him! It wasn’t consensual you know it wasn’t! Kokichi didn’t want it!” Shuichi looked like he was going to shout some reply. Maki cut him off by shoving the gag in his mouth.“Hand him over.” She commanded. With a nod he did, “I’ll take him somewhere where he can’t hurt himself or anyone else. I’ll tell the others what happened too. You and Gonta take care of the-” She paused, sighing softly, “You two take care of Kokichi, alright?” “Alright.” Kaito nodded again. Then she left, with the detective slung over her shoulder. The astronaut hesitantly approached the shaking and crying entomologist, “Hey big guy. Let’s get Kokichi to a bed okay?” When Gonta looked up at him he could see the tears just streaming down his face, “He’s going to be okay. You can carry him there if you want, but he can’t stay here.” “Why Shuichi do it?” For such a big guy his voice was so small, “Gonta thought….though Kokichi was friend?” “I..I don’t know why he did it either.” Kaito sighed and hung his head as he helped the entomologist stand. Kokichi’s pale limbs dangled like a broken porcelain doll. That wasn’t too far off of a description. He was that fragile, whether he acknowledged that or not. And he was definitely that pale. God did he ever even go out into the sunlight? They walked in relative silence, only broken by occasional sniffles from Gonta. At first Kaito wasn’t sure where they were going, the dorms for sure but who’s room? It took a few minutes for him to really figure it out. They chose Kaito’s room mostly for the sake of convenience. The astronaut grabbed a spare shirt from his closet and slipped it over the little leader’s head. He pulled back the covers and Gonta gingerly laid Kokichi on the bed. He at least seemed peaceful now…. For several hours the two kept vigil. Watching him sleep with a peaceful expression on his face. Every once in a while either Kaito or Gonta would reach out and take the little leader’s small hand and give it a gentle squeeze. It was while Kaito was holding his hand that he felt Kokichi squeeze back.
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Kokichi opened his eyes to see he was again laying on a bed. He moved his legs, discovering that he wasn’t chained to it. Huh? What was…? “Kokichi!” The little leader sucked in a breath, glancing over to where the voice was. He saw both Kaito and Gonta by his side, the astronaut holding his hand. “Huh..?” He brought his free hand to rub at his eye. He made a move to sit up but a sudden stab of agony through his lower half froze him to the bed. “Hey, hey, don’t move okay?” Kaito brushed back some of his hair. Kokichi nodded sleepily, “How are you feeling?” “Nn..hurts…” He whimpered. “Kokichi rest now okay?” Gonta sounded like he was trying his best not to cry. “Mm..” The little leader closed his eyes, before he knew it he was asleep. But he was far from safe. His dreams were plagued by soft whispers and harsh thrusts. Of being pressed into the ground and fucked until he couldn’t speak or move or even exist in his own body. He...he said he wouldn’t do that to him but...he did it anyway. And every time Kokichi cried or screamed it was misinterpreted into noises of pleasure instead of pain. Every time his lips trembled and he pleaded for it to stop, it was like he wasn’t saying anything at all. The little leader jerked awake, pain seizing his lower half as he sat up. He clutched at his stomach with grit teeth. His eyes searched the room, Kaito’s room.. He looked to his side upon hearing a soft snore. Gonta was curled half on the bed, half off of it with his head resting on his arms. It was him who was making the quiet noises. Kaito was nowhere in sight. He blurrily wondered where he was. ---- Maki and Miu had stopped by a little after Kokichi had fallen back asleep. “So ya did find the little shit.” The inventor placed her hands on her hips, “Where the hell was he this whole time?” “Shuichi.” Kaito frowned, squeezing the little leader’s had tighter. “Wait wait wait what!?” Miu shrieked. Maki threw a hand over her mouth and pointed down at the sleeping figure. “Be quiet or leave.” She hissed. The inventor squeaked and stepped back. “Okay. Okay.” She put her hands up in surrender, “You want to tell me that virgin ass detective had the shota? That..that doesn’t make any sense.” “Sorry, but Kaito telling the truth.” Gonta deflated, “Shuichi...he hurt Kokichi…” “Hurt him...how?” A distressed and genuinely worried expression crossed her features. Huh. Kaito didn’t think she would care as much as she was. Then again, the two were kind of..uh close. Sort of. “He..” The astronaut almost gagged. He couldn’t force the words from his mouth. “Shuichi kidnapped him, chained him to his bed, and..” Maki paused, a hand going to tug at her pigtail, “..and he forced himself on him.” “Fuck…” Miu clutched at her stomach, looking ill, “God fuck jesus...christ..” “Miu okay?” Gonta asked softly. “Yeah. Yeah big guy I’m gonna be fine.” The inventor took several deep breaths with closed eyes. When she opened them Kaito was unsettled by the anger he saw flaring in them, “But a certain detective certainly isn’t going to be when I get my hands on him..” “Miu no.” Kaito stood, “Violence isn’t going to help him.” “I know that but...we’re not going to let him get away with what he did right!?” Miu’s voice raised in volume. “Hey, maybe we should take this conversation outside.” Maki jerked her thumb towards the door, “Gonta, you stay here and watch Kokichi.” “Gonta make sure he safe.” The entomologist nodded. Kaito sighed, and followed the two girls out into the hallway. “Seriously what the hell was Shuichi thinking!” Miu burst as soon as the door shut, “Did he actually think he could just….get away with it!?” “I don’t think he was thinking at all.” Kaito took his chin in his hand, “This whole thing...it’s just not like him. Several times when I was talking with Kokichi he insisted that Shuichi wasn’t in his right mind. He thought...maybe somehow it was Monokuma’s doing.” The two went silent for a moment. And then Miu screamed. “MOTHERFUCKER!”
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Maki had apparently shoved Shuichi in one of the cells in Ryoma’s lab. Interesting choice but smart too. Currently Kaito was loitering in the doorway, watching Kiibo futilly try and reason with the detective. “Please just let us help you.” The robot pleaded. “I don’t need help!” Shuichi shot back. “Yes you do!” Kiibo cried, “You attacked Kokichi and kept him hostage in your room. Why would you do that if you didn’t need help?” “I was protecting him!” The detective shouted, “I was keeping him safe!” “No Shuichi you were hurting him.” Maki crossed her arms over her chest, “He didn’t want what you were doing to him.” “He doesn’t know what he wants.” Shuichi glared at them, “You all have fed him so many lies he probably doesn’t know who he is!” “That is such bullshit!” Miu grit her teeth, rage flashing across her expression, “You really think you can choose what he does and does not want!? You asshole! Kokichi can decide that shit for himself!” Kaito turned and walked out into the hallway. Out of the main building. And back to his room. He opened the door to find Kokichi and Gonta both asleep. The little leader was slightly propped up against the headboard and the entomologist was half on half off the bed. Kaito walked to the side of the bed. His chest squeezed as he looked down at him. Bruises were starting for appear on his wrists in the shape of hands and fingers. He sat down, leaning against the edge of the bed. His head throbbed like someone was inside his brain trying to chew their way out from behind his eye. Everything happened so quickly. It was only really dawning on him now just how close they’d come to losing Kokichi. How close they’d come to having Shuichi be a murderer. Kokichi whimpered in his sleep, starting to shift around slightly. Kaito picked himself up and sat down at the head of the bed. He took the little leader’s hand again, his other brushing back his hair softly. Kokichi’s brows furrowed, his eyes blinking hazily open. “Kaito…?” He asked in a quiet voice. “Hey. You feeling any better?” The astronaut too kept his voice low, not wanting to wake the third occupant of the room. “I don’t...I don’t know..” He got a shake of his head. His hand went to brace his stomach. “Anything I can do?” “Just...stay with me?” “Okay.” Kokichi wrapped his hand around his, holding onto him tightly, “It...it hurts.” “I know. I know.” Kaito shifted where he sat so he leaned against the headboard next to the little leader. He let him rest his head on his lap as he stroked his hair like a cat, “I wish I could take it away but, I’m no doctor. I have no idea how.” “Staying with me will be fine..” Kokichi whispered. They stayed like that for a while. The astronaut petting his hair and letting him squeeze his hand whenever the pain was worse. Eventually they both fell asleep. ---- Shuichi sat silently in the cell they’d put him in. How dare they take Kokichi away from him? How dare they touch what was his? How dare they try and tell him that the little leader didn’t want it? How dare they insist that HE was the one hurting him and not them!? The detective heard the door to Ryoma’s lab swing open and then close quietly. He glared at the bars as someone came into view. Tsumugi? “What do you want?” He spat. “No. What do you want?” The cosplayer leaned forward with a gleam in her eye. “What I want? What I want is for Kokichi to be safe from all of you!” Shuichi yelled. “I can help you with that.” She smiled thinly at him, “I can help you rescue him and then the three of us can escape from here together.” “Three of us?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Kaito and Gonta are going to use him for their own benefit.” Her smile melted into a frown, “They don’t have his best interests at heart. But I know you do. So I help you rescue him and once he’s safe, we’ll leave this all behind.” She stuck a hand through the bars, “Do we have a deal?” Shuichi analyzed her entire being. Her expression. Her posture. Her body language. All points indicated that she was telling the truth. The detective grinned and took her hand. “Deal.”
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Kaito kept his hold on Kokichi the entire night. The little leader in turn keeping a tight grip onto him. All the while Gonta guarded them. It hurt to see him in such pain. So afraid. Every time there was a knock on the door he would flinch and bury his face in the astronaut’s chest. Until he knew who had come in he wouldn’t move. He wouldn’t let go. He was like a small child during a thunderstorm. There was another knock on the door, and as usual Kokichi curled up against him seeking protection. Gonta cautiously got up and walked over to the door. “Oh. Hello Tsumugi.” The entomologist waved shyly. “Hi Gonta. I...I came to see if Kokichi was feeling well enough to eat.” Kaito glanced over and saw Tsumugi standing with a tray of food. “Kokichi?” The astronaut looked down at the little leader. “She’s lying.” He mumbled quietly. So only Kaito could hear. “Huh?” “She’s not here for that. She’s lying.” “Uh. No I don’t think he is.” Kaito shook his head, “You can leave the food here though and maybe he’ll be able to eat it later?” “Of course.” Tsumugi stepped inside. Suddenly she lashed out with the tray, clocking Gonta in the side of the head and knocking him off his feet. At the same time the astronaut watched in horror as Shuichi ducked into the room and locked the door behind him. He felt Kokichi tense immediately and latch onto him tighter. Kaito picked him up and backed away. “Tsumugi what the hell did you do!?” He growled. “She’s helping me rescue him.” Shuichi brandished a knife, “Give him back to me and I won’t have to kill you.” “Rescue him from what?” The astronaut demanded. “From you of course.” Tsumugi shrugged, grabbing Gonta by his hair and pulling him to his feet with her own knife to his neck, “Just give him to Shuichi, Kaito. If you don’t want Gonta to die.” “D-don’t hurt anyone!” Kokichi cried, beginning to squirm in his grip, “If I g-go with you... “ “Kokichi no.” Kaito tightened his hold so he couldn’t be able to slip out. “But..” “See? He wants to be with me!” Shuichi grinned, “Isn’t that right Kokichi? You want to be with me forever right?” “I-I…” His little body began to tremble, “I don’t...I just don’t want...anyone to get hurt…if that means that I go with you...th-then I’ll do it..” “Kokichi don’t have to do that!” Gonta cried. “But if...if I don’t then...y-you’ll get hurt..” Tears began trailing down his cheeks. That’s when Kaito made a mistake. He took his eyes off of Shuichi and his knife, instead focusing on the little leader’s face. He released one of his hands and reached up to wipe his tears away. A strong force crashed into his chest. He went tumbling into the wall as Kokichi was ripped from his grasp. Pain lanced through his stomach. He looked down in shock to find a knife lodged to the hilt in his side. “Kaito!” Kokichi screamed. The astronaut snapped his head up towards the detective. He watched the little leader struggle desperately against his grasp, reaching towards Kaito with more tears streaming from wide purple eyes, “N-no! Let me go Shuichi!” “I’ve got you...shh shh I’ve got you.” Shuichi began petting his hair gently, “You don’t need to be afraid anymore.” “Let’s go Shuichi. We don’t want anyone to take Kokichi away again.” Tsumugi released Gonta, shoving him to the floor. She walked towards the detective, a syringe appearing in her hand. Kaito tried sitting up, tried getting to his feet to stop them. But the knife in his side pulsed with white hot pain and he was trapped against the floor. He again could only watch as Kokichi cried and sobbed in the grip of his captor. ---- He didn’t remember passing out on the floor. But he did remember several people hovering worriedly above him. Fuzzy voices mumbling things he couldn’t hear. He went in and out of consciousness several times. Each time no more coherent than before. Kaito truly woke up for first time about an hour later he wanted to say. “Hey, Kaito you okay?” Maki leaned over him with a pale and frightened expression. “M-Maki-roll?” He tried to sit up, but the assassin pushed him back down. “Stay on your back. I don’t want the stitches to tear open.” “Kokichi. Kokichi where is he!?” The astronaut grabbed her arm tightly. The way that she hesitated to answer and glanced away guiltily told him her answer. “They...they took him..”
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Kokichi was pinned against the floor, Shuichi on top of him. Each thrust made agony bloom inside him. He squirmed and screamed at the top of his lungs. Pleading with someone to come save him. He didn’t want it he didn’t want it! “Shuichi stop! Stop it stop it please!” He sobbed, “Please...I-I can’t take it...It hurts! It hurts..” “It only hurts because you’re so tense Kokichi.” Shuichi giggled like a school girl. Of course he wasn’t listening. He never would. This...this wasn’t Shuichi. This was some monster that Tsumugi had helped create. She’d helped him escape after all. He could do nothing but lay there and be fucked until he bled. Until he lost sense of time and space. Until the only thing his existence was, was pain. Agony. Hurt. Even after he was left alone that’s all he was. A pathetic, used, helpless thing that was letting this happen to him. Why was he even bothering to fight back anyway? Why didn’t he just end it already? ---- No. No no no no. This could not be happening! Shuichi couldn’t have gotten his hands on Kokichi so quickly not after he’d told him he’d be safe! After he held him through the night and comforted him through the pain he was already enduring. “Fucking shit where the hell did they go!?” Miu shrieked, pacing around the room. “I’ve checked both their rooms and their labs.” Maki leaned against the wall with a deep scowl, her arms crossed over his chest, “And just about everywhere else in the dorms and the school.” “But then, where could they have gone?” Kiibo asked. “Ugh I can’t believe that bitch helped him escape!” Miu stopped her pacing and threw her arms up in the air, “I’m going to fucking strangle her when we find em!” “Miu I don’t think that’d be a good idea. Even with all this going on we’re still in a killing game.” Maki reminded. “Yeah.” Kaito clutched the sheets tightly, gritting his teeth. Kokichi had looked so scared when Shuichi had him in his grasp. Tiny hand reaching out to him. Silently pleading for help. What was happening to the little leader now? Was he conscious? Alone? Or with….him? “Kaito?” Gonta’s voice snapped him out of his daze, “Is Kaito...okay?” “I...I don’t know.” The astronaut shook his head, “I’m..” “Scared for him?” Maki asked. He nodded, “Yeah. Me too.” ---- The phrase a golden cage is still a cage never rang truer. Especially when your “cage” is a love hotel suite. Kokichi is tied to the bed by leather cuffs around his ankles, his hands cuffed together in front of him. Shuichi was constantly touching him, fondling him, making him feel pleasure when he didn’t want it. Currently the detective was attacking his nipples with his fingers and tongue. It made his body squirm and jump. “Nng Shuichi stop...just stop...it’s too...too much..” Kokichi whimpered, “Please just...let me...at least rest...for a bit..ahn…!” “Since you asked so nicely Kokichi.” A gentle kiss on top of his nose, “I have to go talk to Tsumugi about getting out of here anyway. But don’t worry, I’ll be right back.” He said nothing as he watched Shuichi leave the room. The little leader curled up on his side, shaking with held back sobs. There...wasn’t much chance he was going to get out of this alive was there? Despite the pain that exploded in his body he sat up and looked to the drawer next to him. That’s where Shuichi had placed his knife. The knife that had been used against…. A pang hit his chest when he recalled the scene. Kaito laying on the ground with blood oozing between his fingers as he clutched the wound. He’d tried to get to him. He did. But whatever Tsumugi had in that needle knocked him out quickly. There was only one way out of this. One way he could set himself free. End it right here and right now. The key was that knife.
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They were trying to brainstorm where Shuichi and Tsumugi could’ve gone.The hangar. The casino. The boiler room. “Um. I know this might be a little odd but...could we consider checking the love hotel?” Kiibo hesitantly brought up. “The..love hotel?” Himiko tilted her head curiously, “Why would they be there.” “Actually that makes sense.” Maki tapped her lip several times, “Shuichi may not be himself but he’s smart. He knows that we would be checking every place in the dorms and main school…” “Which would buy the fuckers enough time to escape.” Miu scoffed. “So, you think they could be holding Kokichi there?” Kaito asked. “More likely than not.” Kiibo frowned with closed eyes, “I know that Shuichi doesn’t intend to cause him harm but...I can’t help but think that he is actually doing the opposite.” “Yeah no shit.” Miu hissed, “He’s only been fucking raped over and over and held against his will!” “I…” Kaito placed his hand over the stab wound, “God I said he’d be safe but...dammit!” He covered his eyes with his other hand. Several pairs of arms wrapped around him, letting him just..cry. He said he’d protect Kokichi and he failed. He failed him. And because of his wound probably wouldn’t even be able to help save him. ---- Shuichi sat across from Tsumugi, sipping some tea. “So you’re sure that Kokichi won’t get out?” The cosplayer asked. “I’m very sure.” He assured, smiling at her, “Although I can’t imagine why he’d want to leave.” “Alright. I guess I can take your word for it.” She shrugged, “I’ll contact Monokuma and explain the situation in a bit. In the meantime I suggest you keep Kokichi close. Now that we’ve got him back they’ll try and take him again.” “I won’t let them.” His smile turned to a sneer, “No one can touch him but me. I’ll protect him from every one of them.” His blood boiled when he thought back to how Kaito had been holding him before he stabbed him. Holding close to his chest what was rightfully Shuichi’s. He was his. His. HIS. “Good. Because they will come for him.” Tsumugi took a long sip of her tea. “I’ll make sure that it’s the last thing they do.” ---- Kokichi’s heart rate jumped into the stratosphere. The door was opening. Shuichi was coming back. The little leader whimpered and flinched against the touch against his cheek. “No...no I-I can’t..” He mewled. “Shh. Shh calm down baby.” Shuichi straddled his hips, pinning his cuffed hands above his head, “You’re only going to hurt yourself if you keep going on like this.” “No...n-no no please…” Kokichi didn’t stop his struggling. He couldn’t handle it again. He just couldn’t! He….he couldn’t, “Please no no no...I can’t do it. I can’t…” “You’ll be okay.” His fingers brushed against his entrance. “No...p-please…” Sharp pain inside him. He threw his head back with a gasp. “..n-no…” His pleas were pointless. Why was he even trying? Why was he even trying to fight back? Why was he even resisting this? Why why why why Shuichi’s fingers were taken out. His legs were pushed apart. He lay limp against the bed. He couldn’t...he knew he couldn’t take it again but he knew...he knew he couldn’t fight either. So he let Shuichi thrust inside him again He let himself be broken.
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Moving was difficult with a stab wound in his side but somehow, Kaito was managing. He actually probably wouldn’t be able to move very fast at all if it weren’t for Kiibo and Himiko bracing his back. The love hotel loomed above them like a castle. Kind of. There was another term for it but he couldn’t really think of it off the top of his head. “So this is the love hotel huh?” Miu put her hands on her hips and glowered at the front door. She had some sort of unfinished modified hammer slung over her shoulder. Said it was something that she had been working on before Kokichi vanished. He’d actually been the one to ask her to make it. “Yeah.” Kiibo nodded. Miu had given him another one of the unfinished hammers. “Be careful. We already know he’s capable of violence.” Maki warned, a knife clutched tightly in her hand, “And we have no idea what Tsumugi can do.” “Are you sure we should all go in at once?” Kaito winced at a twinge of pain in his side, “I mean, wouldn’t it make more sense to spread out?” “But what about safety in numbers?” Kiibo pointed out. “We’d be able to cover more ground if we split up though…” Himiko looked up at the sky in thought. “Dammit.” Miu kicked a clump of grass, “They fuckin knew this would happen! We’re going to have to split into groups and that’ll make us fish in a fucking barrel!” “Why fish in barrel?” Gonta asked softly. “Uh. It means that we’ll be easy targets. Since a fish in a barrel doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Kaito explained. The entomologist nodded with an awe-struck face. “Let’s split into two groups then.” Maki sighed, “Kiibo and Himiko will go with me. We’ll take the first floor. Gonta, Kaito, and Miu will take the second.” The assassin paused and eyed Kaito’s side wearily. “I’m gonna be fine Maki-roll.” The astronaut assured, “Just worry about finding Kokichi and getting him out of here.” “Gonta will carry Kaito!” He yelped as he was lifted off his feet and placed on Gonta’s back. It was...an awkward position to be in but he guessed it would be faster than walking. Especially with the wound to his side. “Alright. Let’s get moving.” ---- His mouth was being used like entrance was. Drool dripped out of his chin as he gagged on the cock at the back of his throat. The O ring gag in his mouth made it impossible to close his mouth. The grip on his hair forcing his head back and forth. His wrists were tied behind his back with rope. Abruptly that cock snapped forward and stilled. A hot and bitter substance poured down his throat. He was finally able to breathe, gasping and shivering. He was picked up and bent over the bed. A cry rang out through the room as he was entered. The gag in his mouth forced every whimper and mewl and moan that he wanted to keep quiet out into the open. His captor leaned forward, whispering in his ear things that sent shudders down his back. “Still so tight baby.” ‘Because it hurts….’“God you feel so good.”‘Because you’re tearing me apart.... ‘ “I’m gonna cum inside you, so you’ll be mine forever.” ‘Just get it over with…’ He tensed and whined when that heat that had trickled down his throat earlier was now filling his insides. A gasp of relief when he pulled out. When he took out the gag and released his wrists. He was shifted so he lay on his back on the bed. Leather cuffs were placed on each ankle, keeping them spread apart. His wrists were cuffed again. A kiss on his lips. And he was left alone. He sat up, pain exploding in his stomach. It almost made him throw up what little he’d been able to eat. When was the last time he’d eaten? When was the last time sitting up didn’t make him want to tear out his gut just to make it stop? He couldn’t remember. His gaze goes towards that drawer with the knife. With his cuffed hands he managed to pull it open and take the object out. For a long time he just sat there and stared at it. It’s silver glint made it look pretty. Betraying what it had been used for. This had been an instrument in his second kidnapping.And now it would be the instrument that would set him free. Kokichi turned the knife towards himself.
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They’d walked around the hotel for about half an hour, unable to find anything. Every suite door was open and empty. Every hallway deserted. There was no sound but the ones they made themselves. Kaito’s worry was chewing a hole in his stomach. His kept his grip on Gonta tight both out of anxiety and the need to stay upright. Miu walked in front of them, her hammer brandished in front of her. “Oi Pooichi where the fuck are you hiding!?” The inventor shrieked. “Gonta not sure it good idea to be yelling…” Gonta whispered. “Yeah well I’m not gonna stop!” “Miu..” Kaito warned. They fell quiet again for a while. And then….they came upon the door. It was the only closed door they’d seen the entire time. And the only one with the sounds coming from behind it. Muffled voices. Miu growled quietly and raised her hammer to smash down the door. Kaito quickly let go of Gonta’s back and jumped to his feet. He grabbed her hand and shook his head. They couldn’t blindly go into this they needed to be careful. Kokichi could get hurt or even killed if they were careless. The inventor glared at him but lowered her hammer. Kaito nodded and pressed his ear against the door. “Why did you try that?” A voice that was Shuichi’s asked softly. “No...n-no let..let go..” The quiet, frightened voice of Kokichi made his heart stop and blood boil. “Kokichi, you know I can’t do that. Not after what you just pulled.” His tone turned almost...angry. “No...no…” “I’m afraid I’ll have to punish you for that.” Kokichi gave a sudden sharp cry. That was it. He’d heard enough. He stood back from the door, clutching at his side. Miu took that as the opportunity to smash her hammer into the wood. It splintered but didn’t give way. A few more whacks and it was nothing more than a pile of wood on the ground. Kaito stumbled inside, prepared for a fight no matter how injured he was. But the sight before him froze him in his tracks. Shuichi and Kokichi weren’t there. Their voices were coming from a screen. ---- How had he stopped him? The knife was wrestled from his hands and he was pinned to the bed. Knees on either side of him. He squirmed and struggled as he was told he was to be punished. Punished….? For what? Trying….to escape? Trying to get away from all this? He….he wasn’t even going to let him die? That was his only option and it was being ripped away from him too. He screamed and thrashed as he was lifted off the bed. No. No stop. He was chained, splayed to an X. No no no. A blindfold is tied around his head. Please...don’t. Something cold and clamped around his nipples. Stop...please… A soft buzzing fills the air. Don’t do it….please don’t do it… The buzzing is slipped inside him. His hips snapped forward with a choked gasp. He’s left like that for an eternity. Pleasure taking over his senses. Cold hands were stroking his cheeks, wiping the tears that were dripping from the blindfold. “I’m sorry baby but I can’t let you get away with trying to hurt yourself…” Whispers in his ear. Warm air that made him shudder, “I can’t understand why you’d want to do that. Don’t you know it makes me sad to see you hurt?” Sad…? He was….sad? Every time he hurt him….it made him sad? He didn’t understand. He didn’t...he couldn’t. He didn’t know what was happening, not really. It was wrong. He knew that. But there was something inside him that was treacherously beginning to give in. He railed against this part with everything he had every moment. It was getting harder to do so with each time he came.
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It was a fucking TV screen. A screen showing the disturbing and heartbreaking scene of Shuichi chaining Kokichi to an X and shoving a massive vibrator into him. Miu gave a frustrated scream and slammed her hammer into the wall. Kaito felt like given the opportunity he would probably do the same. “Motherfucker!” The inventor shrieked, “Where the fuck are you, you piece of shit!” She grabbed the screen and began shaking it violently. “Miu please don’t.” Gonta put a hand on her shoulder, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, “Don’t be upset? Gonta don’t...don’t want Miu to be upset..” “I..fuck..” She slumped to the ground, dropping her hammer, “Dammit!” “We have..we have to keep moving.” Kaito swallowed the urge to vomit as Kokichi gave a shaky cry on screen, “There’s...there’s still time to get him out…” Gonta quietly picked the astronaut back up, placing him on his back. They set off again, not wasting any more time. ---- The other group wasn’t having much luck either. But for a completely different reason. Halfway down the first hall they were attacked by Tsumugi. Himiko was knocked out by slamming her head into the wall. A quick check revealed she was still alive, thankfully. Quicker than the assassin thought possible Tsumugi was in front of her, gripping her wrist. There was a snap and a rush of pain went up her arm. The knife fell to the ground with a clatter. She was kicked in the stomach and pushed down to the floor. Maki watched the cosplayer pin Kiibo to the wall. The robot had never looked more terrified and honestly she couldn’t blame him. “What’s your inner voice saying about this situation?” Tsumugi asked seriously. “My...inner voice?” Kiibo squeaked, “What...what does that have to do with anything?” “Your inner voice is the voice of the outside world.” She frowned, “And I need to know what they’re saying.” “Um...I...they’re...they want Shuichi to stop and...and a few….want Maki to hurt him?” He glanced at the assassin with wide, frightened eyes. “That’s all I needed to know.” Tsumugi backed off, beginning to walk away down the hallway. “Tsumugi wait!” Maki shouted, “What the hell are you doing!?” The cosplayer stopped and turned towards them with an eerily blank look. “If the outside world wants Shuichi to stop. Then I have no choice but to listen to them.” ---- Kokichi squirmed underneath him with adorable little whimpers and moans. His hands were tied above him, legs spread to accommodate him. Each thrust rocked his tiny body. “You’re so adorable baby.” Shuichi whispered, watching as he crumbled beneath his touch. Other than his cute struggles he didn’t resist. He didn’t plead for it to stop or kick or scream against him. Finally, he was starting to understand, “I’m so happy you’re mine.” “Y..yours…” Kokichi echoed. If he didn’t know any better than he would think it was phrased like a question. A hard thrust and he filled the little leader to the brim. Kokichi lay dazed on the bed, eyes distant and hazy from pleasure. Shuichi stroked his cheek softly with a smile. “You’re so so cute. No one is going to be able to hurt you ever again.” The detective whispered, “No one will touch you but me.” There was a knock at the door. Shuichi quickly redressed and answered it. “Yes Tsumugi?” He raised an eyebrow. “We’re almost ready to get out.” Tsumugi nodded at him, “You should probably gather your things and get Kokichi ready.” “Sure thing. It won’t take very long.” Shuichi turned and walked back to the side of the bed. He couldn’t carry Kokichi out naked, only he was allowed to see him like that. He went over to a dresser, opening it with a flourish. There were countless outfits for every sort of fetish out there. As much as he wanted to see the little leader dressed in each of them he decided he’d go with a simple nightgown. His ankles and wrists were released. The nightgown was slipped onto his tiny form. It fit him so well, it made him look like an adorable little angel. A princess that he’d rescued. Kokichi was picked up, hanging limp like a doll. Shuichi turned around with the little leader in his arms. Tsumugi stood in the doorway with a flashback light pointed at him. “What are you doing?” He frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t...I didn’t think that this would go this far.” The cosplayer sighed, “I thought the viewers would love to see this but….it’s clear that I was wrong. So I’m sorry.” “So you’re going to betray me too?” Shuichi snarled. “No. You’re the one betraying all of them. But I guess that’s my fault.” Tsumugi took a step forward, “I’m willing to take responsibility for your crimes, Shuichi.” “My crimes? What crimes?” He furrowed his brows together. “I wonder what kind of despair you’ll feel remembering this later on…” She tilted her head curiously, “I can’t wait to find out.” There was a flash. He fell straight to the floor.
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Hazy. Everything was….hazy. Fuzzy. What was happening? Where was he? Why did his head hurt? What was going on? ----Miu and Gonta saw Tsumugi before Kaito did. Stopping dead in their tracks and tensing. “You bitch where the hell is Kokichi!?” The inventor demanded. Tsumugi put her hands up in surrender, a flashback light dropping to her feet. “They’re in next room to the right.” She sighed. “How do we know you’re not leading us to another dead end?” Kaito shot back. “Dead end?” Tsumugi frowned, “Oh. That. It was just to delay you enough so I could question Kiibo about his inner voice.” “The fuck did you do to Kiibs!?” Miu jerked forward with her hammer brandished. “I didn’t do anything!” The cosplayer stepped back, “I just asked him what it was saying. Since...his inner voice is the voice of the viewers.” “V-viewers?” Gonta asked. “The people watching this game.” Tsumugi slowly lowered her hands, “I wanted to know what they were thinking about all this. They’ve decided that they don’t want Shuichi doing this anymore.” “What’s with the flashback light then?” Kaito eyed her wearily. “I reverted Shuichi back to how he was before the motive.” “Reverted...wait….does that mean….no fucking way!” Miu pointed her hammer at her chest, “You’re the one behind all this!? The fucking killing game and all that shit!?” “Mhmm. Quite a twist isn’t it?” Tsumugi clasped her hands in front of her, “Does it make you feel despair? Does it?” “Tsumugi? But Gonta thought…” “I’m not going to try and stop you if that’s what you’re thinking.” She closed her eyes, bowing her head, “I know when I’ve been beaten.” “Gonta. You and the space idiot go and see if she’s telling the truth. I’ll stay and keep watch over the bitch.” Miu pointed at the door Tsumugi had indicated. “Be careful Miu.” Kaito nodded her way. “Pfft as if you need to fuckin tell me that.” She rolled her eyes. “Gonta bring back Kokichi! Promise!” Gonta cautiously passed Tsumugi and went towards the door. “Hey, can you put me down?” The astronaut asked. Reluctantly he was lightly set back down on his feet. He stumbled towards the open door and peered inside. His breath caught in his throat when he laid eyes on the two figures lying on the floor near the bed, “Kokichi!” He felt the stab wound tear back open as he ran to the little leader’s side but he couldn’t find it in him to care. He gathered his tiny body into his arms, holding close to his chest while tears threatened to fall from his eyes. A quiet whimper reached his ears. “I got you...I got you Kokichi it’s gonna be okay…” He whispered. “Kai….to…?” Kokichi blurrily opened his eyes, his little hands began reaching to clutch at his jacket, “Kaito...k-kaito..” “Hey….it’s okay. Just rest okay? We’re getting you out of here.” He laid his head on top of the little leader’s. “Kokichi?” Gonta knelt down by his side. He reached towards him hesitantly. Kokichi gave a soft cry and buried his face in Kaito’s shoulder. “Kokichi…” The astronaut’s heart squeezed. He was….afraid of Gonta? But why? And why not Kaito as well? It didn’t make much sense to him, “Kokichi it’s Gonta. He’s not going to hurt you..” He just got a shake of his head, his tiny body starting to tremble, “Kokichi…” God just what did Shuichi do to him? ---- Kiibo carried Himiko on his back after helping Maki create a makeshift splint for her arm. They moved through the halls as fast as they could. Running up the stairs to the second floor. Running down the hall until they found Miu holding Tsumugi at hammerpoint. “Took you fuckers long enough.” The inventor eyed Kiibo with a glint of worry in her eyes, “You alright?” “Yeah. Where are Kaito and Gonta?” Maki asked. “Gonta here.” The entomologist appeared in the doorway with a sniffle, “Kaito in room with Kokichi.” “And...Shuichi?” Kiibo stepped forward nervously. “Unconscious.” Tsumugi supplied, “He’s not a threat to any of you anymore.” “I’ll be the judge of that.” Maki brushed past her and slipped into the room. Kaito was tightly holding a shaking and sobbing Kokichi to his chest, tears streaking down his own cheeks. He whispered comforting things into purple lochs. “Kaito..” The assassin softly padded to his side. “I wouldn’t try and touch him if I were you.” The astronaut looked up at her with guilty eyes, “He...only seems to freak out more.” “But, you can’t carry him yourself.” She pointed out. “I know...I guess we should just...wait until he passes out?” It was a hard thing for him to say, she knew that. Here was someone in desperate need of help and he had no idea what to do. If she was being honest, she had no idea either.
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Maki carried an unconscious Shuichi over her shoulder, his hands cuffed behind his back for good measure. Gonta carried Kaito like he had been up until then. Miu carried Kokichi, who laid limp in her grasp in some sort of nightgown they hadn’t noticed until now. Tsumugi led them out of the love hotel and into the main school. They had to restitch Kaito’s wound and properly splint Maki’s wrist. A bandage was placed on Himiko’s head from where she’d connected with the wall. Kokichi was taken to Maki’s room, Kaito following not long after to keep him calm should he wake up any time soon. Gonta decided he was going to join them to keep them safe. They put Shuichi in a chair and waited. And waited. Aaaand waited. Then, the detective woke up. ---- His head hurt. Like seriously it was the worst headache he thought he’d ever had. What happened…? Shuichi blinked open his eyes, cringing against the light. “He’s awake.” He heard someone say. “Fan-fucking-tastic.” That..was Miu wasn’t it? He opened his eyes again to see most of his classmates in front of him. “What...the…?” The detective tried to move, but found he was tied tightly to a chair, “Wait..hold on...what’s going on?” “What is the last thing you remember?” Kiibo asked hesitantly. Now that he was looking around and could see clearly nearly everyone there looked either frightened of or….angry at him. “I..I was going back to my room after training last night...After that it’s...a bit blurry..” He frowned, “What..did something happen?” “Did something happen!?” Miu scoffed, rising to her feet with her fists clenched tightly at her sides, “I’ll fucking tell you something happened you asshole!” “Miu please calm down.” Kiibo took her hand, pulling her back. She suddenly burst out into tears and sank to her knees. “Looks like you were right.” Maki glared at Tsumugi, sitting with cuffs on her wrists nearby. The assassin had some sort of splint on one of her wrists. “I caliberbrated that flashback light myself of course it worked.” The cosplayer rolled her eyes in a display so unlike anything he’d seen before, “He doesn’t remember anything that happened after Korekiyo’s trial.” “Huh? Korekiyo’s trial? H-how long has it been since then..?” Shuichi swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “It’s been about two weeks.” Maki sighed. “Nyeh...that long?” Himiko looked up at the ceiling, “It feels like it’s just...flown by...even without my time speed magic..” “What? T-two weeks..?” It was then that he noticed a few people that should’ve been there but… weren’t, “Where’s...where are..” “Kaito, Gonta, and Kokichi?” The assassin took a few breaths. A pit opened up in his stomach. “Y-yeah..” He nodded. “They’re all in my room.” She sat down in a chair and crossed her legs, “Gonta isn’t hurt, but you stabbed Kaito in his side. And as for Kokichi….” She looked away from him, her skin paling, “..you really don’t remember?” “Remember...remember what?” He thought he might puke. What did he do? What had he done to Kokichi that made Maki so hesitant to tell him!? She opened her mouth to answer, but Miu beat her to it. “You fucking kidnapped and raped him!” ---- Kaito kept his grip on Kokichi as the little leader slept fitfully in his arms. The astronaut and Gonta talked quietly about whatever either of them could come up with. The conversation pointedly avoided the obvious. Occasionally Kokichi would whimper and his face would contort in pain and fear in his sleep. Kaito would tighten his grip and whisper comforting words into his hair. His touch always calmed him down. After a few hours the little leader awoke with a sharp inhale. “Kaito…?” Kokichi mumbled. “Yeah? I’m here Kokichi, I’m right here.” He rubbed gentle circles into his back. “Sh...shuichi?” He whined. “He’s not here. He won’t get to you again I promise.” His grip again tightened. “I..not..not lying?” The little leader looked up at him with watery eyes. “No Kokichi. I’m not lying.” Kokichi smiled softly up at him, and drifted back off to sleep.
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“I...I did..what?” He was going to be sick. No. No. There’s no way he’d have done that to Kokichi! No! They...they had to be lying. He couldn’t have…..he couldn’t have done that. “You fucking heard me!” Miu growled, scrambling her feet, “You kidnapped him! You tore his room to shreds when he fought back against you! You drugged him and chained him up in your room! You raped him until he could barely fucking speak or move!” “Miu!” Kiibo looked horrified that she’d spilled everything so quickly. “I’m not going to hide what he did!” The inventor glared hard at him, “Not after seeing what he’s done to the him!” “Stop yelling, please…” Himiko covered her ears. “Miu, knock it off.” Maki shot Miu a look that made her squeak and sit back down with an angry expression. “Why? Why did….what made me do that?” Shuichi slumped forward as much as he could, staring straight at the ground. “It was one of my motives.” Tsumugi’s voice was light and uncaring, “Originally it was so you would kill Kokichi, intentional or otherwise. But instead you forced yourself on him.” “Your motives?” His head snapped up to stare at the cosplayer in shock. “She’s the one behind all this.” Maki sighed heavily. “I..oh..” He knew he should question this more but something else weighed more heavily on his mind, “Kokichi is...is he...okay?” “No. I don’t think he is.” The assassin shook her head, “He...he won’t let anyone but Kaito even touch him. If I’m being honest I don’t think we can do anything to help him.” “Only Kaito?” Shuichi squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. “I believe it is because he’s the one who found him after both times he was taken.” Kiibo explained, “He’s come to associate him and almost him alone with safety and comfort. It’s...from what I understand it’s common in victims of trauma, correct?” “Uh..yeah. Yeah it is.” He nodded, “Wait...both...b-both times?” “We rescued Kokichi once but Tsumugi helped you take him again.” God….no….what had he done? What had...what had he put Kokichi through? How badly had he broken the little leader? “Either way I think it would be best if we all gave him some space.” Maki placed her hands on her hips. “Yeah..” Himiko fiddled with the brim of her hat, “I still wanna see him though…just maybe once.” “I have an idea.” Tsumugi piped up. All eyes landed on the cosplayer. “Why the fuck would we listen to you!?” Miu sneered, “You’re the reason any of this fucking happened.” “Um, well it’s really up to you if you decide to listen to me or not…” She paused, then continued, “If Kokichi doesn’t recover enough to be around others in three days, then we can do what I did with Shuichi.” “What you did with...me?” The detective felt bile rise up his throat, “What do you mean?” “It means….that we wipe his memory.” ---- Kokichi rose in and out of consciousness for hours. He was at least drinking water whenever he was awake, but he refused to try and eat anything. It was concerning, especially with how thin he already was. He was also clinging to Kaito at every opportunity. Like he was scared of anything and everything. His hands were clutching tight fistfulls of his jacket, keeping the astronaut close. He kept his own arms tightly locked around Kokichi’s thin form. During one of the little leader’s long periods of sleep the astronaut decided he should at least check on the stitches and maybe change the bandage on his stab wound. Kaito walked into the bathroom and peeled off his shirt. He winced when he pulled off the bandage. The stitches looked relatively okay, the area wasn’t red or inflamed or showed any signs of infection. He grabbed a towel and cleaned the wound carefully. It was while he was replacing the bandage that he heard the loud scream.
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Kokichi woke up noticing instantly that something was missing. Someone was gone. Someone. Someone…. Kaito? Kaito..? Kaito!? He didn’t know he was screaming until he felt arms wrapping around him, until he heard a heartbeat in his ear, until he felt a familiar brush of facial hair against his forehead. “It’s okay….it’s okay...I’m here Kokichi I’m here.” Kaito whispered into his hair, “I’m sorry I just had to step away for a bit. It’s alright…” Gradually his heart rate calmed down and his body stopped shivering, “You good?” The little leader nodded, “Can you...tell me what’s wrong?” “C-couldn’t...couldn’t find you…” Kokichi leaned tiredly against him, “I got scared...that something had happened to you…” “Nothing’s gonna happen to me Kokichi.” The astronaut rubbed gentle, comforting circles into his back, “Do you think you could take a shower or a bath?” “I’ll try.” He let him lift him off the bed and take him into the bathroom. While Kaito drew up the water the little leader shakily took off the nightgown he was wearing. He didn’t remember putting it on...somebody else must’ve. The astronaut helped him into the tub. The water felt nice, and he was going to be able to be clean for the first time in days. “Can I help wash your hair?” Kaito asked. “Mm..sure I guess. Don’t pull on it though.” He leaned his head back. “I’ll do my best.” The smile sent his way made his chest warm. He let the astronaut rub the shampoo into his hair while he scrubbed his arms with some body wash. Kaito asked him if he could place his hand on his forehead when he was about to wash the shampoo out. He agreed to it. He knew that he wouldn’t hurt him. He was safe as long as he was there. This process was repeated with conditioner. Kokichi gradually washed different parts of his body, getting lower and lower until he reached his thighs. He scrubbed them once, twice, three times. Until his pale skin was pink and raw. But he kept at it. He needed to be clean he needed to get every trace of the detective’s touch off of him. He had to. He had to. He had to. A gentle hand took his and lifted them away from his skin. He was picked up and set down, and a towel was placed around him. His chest tightened like a vice was slowly being squeezed around him. He didn’t realize he was crying until Kaito was wiping his tears away. “Hey. Hey it’s okay. It’s okay.” The astronaut soothed, “What happened? What’s wrong?” “I don’t...I don’t know…” He shook his head, “I don’t know…” “Breathe Kokichi, breathe.” He...wasn’t breathing? Was it...was that why it was so hard to focus? Is that why his chest was burning? The little leader was again plucked off the ground and redressed in a long white t-shirt Kaito said was from his room. His back to back attacks of panic and dissociation left him exhausted. He was handed some pills and a glass of water. After taking them he curled up onto his side with his head laying in the astronaut’s lap. “Next time you wake up I think you should eat something…” Kaito ran a hand through his wet hair. He didn’t respond, he was already drifting back off to sleep. ---- “Wipe his memory?” Kaito stared at Maki in shock. She’d come in with the news of Tsumugi’s idea. “Yeah. Like she apparently did with Shuichi.” She sighed, “She says she can revert his memory to just after Korekiyo’s trial.” “And you’re just going to trust her?” Kaito raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know.” The assassin glanced down at the little leader all curled up in his lap, “How is he?” “Off and on really.” He ran his fingers through semi dried hair, “He freaked out when he woke up and I wasn’t there and then had a panic attack during a bath. He’s not...he’s not okay right now.” “I’d be more surprised if he was.” “So...Shuichi is..himself again?” “Yeah. For the most part.” “You told him about all this right?” “Yeah. He’s taking it...pretty hard. He doesn’t trust himself to be around Kokichi at all and doesn’t want to be left alone in fear that he’ll do something.” Maki sat down at the edge of the bed, flopping down onto her back, “Kiibo and Gonta are watching him right now.” “Okay but say we wipe Kokichi’s memory, how long do you think it’ll take him to figure out we’re hiding something from him?” Kaito pointed out. “Right away if you ask me.” The assassin frowned, “But seeing him like this...I don’t like it. I’d much rather have him running around causing trouble then laying here too frightened to leave your side.” Kaito had to agree with her there.
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Two days passed in much the same way. Kokichi would panic and cry whenever Kaito left his sight. And occasionally dissociative states would hit him out of nowhere and he would start trying to hurt himself. The bath wasn’t an isolated incident. He’s scratch and claw at either his arms or his legs until either the astronaut stopped him or he bled. Either the physical touch or the sight of blood would snap him out of it. He wasn’t getting better. It was obvious that he wasn’t. Kaito was still his one and only source of safety and comfort. He was still terrified of anyone else. On the third day the others had come to a decision. They wanted to wipe his memory, and bring him back to how he was before. “It’s the only way we’re going to be able to save him.” Maki had explained, “He’s not eating enough to keep him alive and the way he’s been hurting himself is...it isn’t good.” “But shouldn’t we be asking him about it?” Kaito asked, gesturing to the sleeping little leader in his lap, “It seems….it’s not right to be deciding things like this for him.” “Do you really think he’s in the right state of mind to be making any kind of decision?” The assassin raised an eyebrow. “Still. I want to ask him.” He frowned. “Fine. Just...tell me his answer before long. Okay?” “Yeah. Okay.” He didn’t have to wait long for Kokichi to wake up. As soon as the sleep was blinked form his eyes the astronaut broached the subject he’d been avoiding with him. “Kokichi, if given the option….would you forget all this?” Kaito stroked his hair softly. “Forget..?” The little leader shifted slightly. He could picture the confused look on his face, “Forget...what?” “What happened to you. Everything after Korekiyo’s trial. Like if you could just wake up one day and all memory of that would be gone….would you?” He braced himself for his response. The little leader was quiet for a while. It was a tense silence he didn’t know how to fill. “No.” “Huh?” “I wouldn’t forget...I..I don’t...think I want to…” Kokichi looked up at him with a conflicted look in his eye, “I mean...I’d like to forget what happened but...then I’d...have to forget….you.” “Me? Wait you don’t want to forget me?” Kaito’s eyebrows shot skyward, “But...but why?” “I..I don’t know.” His cheeks dusted pink, “Nobody’s...ever stayed with me like this before...if I forget you did this...then it would be just like that again…” “Kokichi…” The astronaut brought him close to his chest, holding him tightly. “Why did you….why did you ask?” His heart dropped. Of course he was going to wonder why. “Well...the others...they’re thinking that wiping your memory might be the only way to help you.” “Others…” Kokichi’s tone turned pondering, “Others..? What...others?” Wait…. What? ---- Shuichi laid on his bed much like he had for the past few days. Maki would come in and talk to him, as would Kiibo and Gonta. Himiko would too on occasion, bringing food and water and encouraging him to eat. But how could he when every thought towards what had happened made him want to puke? Tsumugi had basically taken over his brain and body for two weeks and what did he do with that? He captured and broke Kokichi in a way the little leader definitely didn’t deserve. The cosplayer had explained that until they figured out what they were doing with Kokichi that they weren’t going to be permitted to discuss leaving and wait that would entail. From what the detective could tell they were playing with the idea of wiping Kokichi’s memory of the incident too. He wasn’t doing well, although they wouldn’t exactly tell him why. It made sense to him though, it would really only make him feel even worse about this than he already did. The door opened again, he sat up to see Maki slipping inside with a bottle of water. In a practiced motion she tossed it at him and he caught it. “How are you feeling?” The assassin asked, sitting down in a chair. “Same as always.” Shuichi sighed, opening the bottle and taking a swig, “Any...any change?” “I just talked to Kaito about the idea and...for some reason he seems opposed to the idea.” She sighed, leaning back and crossing her legs. “Huh? Why?” He set the bottle down on the nightstand. “Who knows?” She shrugged, “Maybe he just wants to hear him say yes to it. Or maybe he doesn’t want him to forget the relationship they’ve built up.” “I’m sorry...I...I wish it didn’t have to be that way…” “I know. But it is. That’s just how things are.” “You’re...not very good at this are you?” “Nope. But you need someone who’s going to blunt with you right now.” “Yeah...I guess I do..” There was a soft knock at the door. Kiibo poked his head in with a disturbed look on his face. “Sorry to intrude but I think you need to know this.” The robot stepped inside. “What is it?” Maki stood up, body tense, “Did something happen with Kokichi?” “K-kind of...I believe...we may have found the root cause of his seemingly irrational fear of everyone but Kaito..” Kiibo paused, glancing wearily at Shuichi on the bed. “Well? What is it?” She prompted. “He doesn’t remember that we’re here too.”
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“Wait so let me get this straight.” Miu leaned on her elbows and frowned, “Kokichi doesn’t remember that we’re here?” “No.” Kaito leaned against the door to the room, keeping an ear out for any sign that the little leader was awake, “As far as he knows it’s just me, him, and….” He paused, glancing slightly at the detective hanging at the back of the group “..Shuichi.” “So...then what do we do?” Kiibo asked. “We can’t just all show up at the same time.” Maki pointed out, “That’s too much all at once.” “Gonta think maybe Shuichi should-““I’m not going in.” The detective backed up with a pale face. “I-I can’t. I don’t have..I don’t have any right to even be near him after what I did.” He shook his head, “I can’t do it. I can’t.” “Hey, Shuichi.” Kaito left his post and put a hand on his shoulders, “It’s okay. I know it wasn’t… well I know you weren’t in complete control. What happened is on Tsumugi’s hands really. So please don’t beat yourself up about it.” “No.” Shuichi shook his head, stepping back, “No it may have been because of her but you all heard what she said! I was supposed to kill him and instead I….” He covered his mouth, making a gagging noise. “Kiibo get him out of here.” Maki commanded. The robot nodded and lifted Shuichi into his arms. He disappeared down the hallway with the group just watching in silence. “How about just a few of us come in and tell him he’s safe?” Himiko suggested. “It would have to be when he’s awake.” Kaito sighed, “Having him wake up and have two or three people suddenly there isn’t going to go over well.” “Yeah. I know.” Maki rubbed her temples, “Who should do it?” “I’ll go.” Miu shrugged. “Gonta go as well!” Gonta raised his hand like he was in class. “So Gonta and Miu?” The assassin glanced at the door. “Yeah. Looks like it. I’ll let you know when Kokichi wakes up and...and we can try this.” Kaito took a deep breath and turned away. “Okay.” ---- Kokichi rubbed at his eyes as he woke up. He felt the familiar and comforting source of warmth around him. The little leader looked up to see Kaito watching him with an almost nervous gaze. “Hey, you awake enough to talk?” He asked. “I guess..” Kokichi yawned, tiredly leaning against his chest. “Miu and Gonta want to come in and see you.” The astronaut brushed back some of his hair, “Do you think you can...handle that?” “Miu and….Gonta?” He was confused. He was still in the love hotel wasn’t he? Shuichi was still keeping them captive right? Then again...he hadn’t seen the detective around lately, “What are they doing...in here?” “Kokichi where do you think you are?” Kaito asked, eyes going wide. “The….love hotel?” The little leader tilted to the side. “N-no no you’re not in the love hotel you’re in the dorms. You’re in Maki’s room.” Maki’s….room? So...did that mean….that it was over? Really over? Was he safe? Was….was Kaito safe? “Kokichi?” “Did you….rescue me?” He asked softly. “I mean...yeah. Kind of.” Kaito briefly looked up at the door, “You can relax, you’re okay. No one is going to hurt you.” “So...you’re not going….to be hurt?” Kokichi reached up and grabbed a tight fistfull of his jacket. “Is that why you were so scared every time I left?” He nodded vigorously, “So, can they come in and talk to you?” “S-sure…” “Uh guys? You can come in now.” The door slowly opened. On instinct he flinched and buried his face into Kaito’s chest. “K-Kokichi?” He heard a hesitant, familiar voice call out into the room. Carefully, he peered out at the doorway. Standing there, a bit awkwardly, were two people. “Go…Gonta? Miu..?”
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The inventor gave a sob and ran forward, wrapping him into a tight hug. “You little shit…” Miu sniffed, “How fuckin dare you make me worry like that.” “Sorry?” Kokichi slowly returned the hug. “So Kokichi not scared anymore?” Gonta took a cautious step towards him. “Scared?” He frowned, “I...don’t think so..I’m not in the love hotel anymore...right?” “No.” Miu pulled away and placed her hands on his shoulders, “No you’re safe. That bitch ain’t gonna make that bastard hurt you anymore.” “Huh?” “Tsumugi...Tsumugi’s the mastermind.” Kaito let out a long breath. “Tsumugi….” Kokichi squinted a bit, his brain trying to keep up with what he was being told, “I..I never thought...it was her.” “Gonta did not either.” The entomologist sat down on the edge of the bed. The little leader reached out and grabbed his hand, “But Gonta happy that Kokichi safe.” “So if I’m not in the love hotel then….what’s happened to Shuichi?” He asked. A shudder went down his back just saying the detective’s name. “Well, before we rescued you Tsumugi apparently wiped his memories of everything.” Kaito explained. “So he’s our Shuichi again?” “Our Shuichi?” Miu leaned back with a shocked expression, “He fucking hurt you and you’re worried about him!? You should be fucking angry as hell at him! Not worried!” “B-but it wasn’t...he wasn’t himself…” Kokichi drew away, unexplainably frightened of the raised volume in her voice, “It was a motive...it..” “Miu you’re scaring him.” Kaito wrapped his arms around him again, holding him close. The anxiety that thrummed under his skin subsided, “Back off.” “Shit...sorry.” Miu deflated, “I’m just...fuck I’m just so pissed at him. I don’t care that he doesn’t remember it and feels terrible about it. It doesn’t change the fact that he still did it.” “Gonta hear that Kokichi...don’t want his memories taken away.” Gonta brought up quietly. “No. No I don’t.” Kokichi shook his head, “I don’t want to forget. That would...that would be just like pretending like it didn’t happen.” “If that’s what you want we’ll accept it.” Kaito smiled down at him in that way that made him feel warm again. “Good.” He paused, fiddling with the edge of his shirt, “Um...one more thing?” “Yeah?” “Could I...maybe talk to Shuichi?” ---- Shuichi heaved one more time into the toilet, the acid scorching his throat. Kiibo kept a hand on his shoulder, a steady presence he didn’t deserve. He laid his head onto the porcelain, eyes shutting softly. “Um, do you think you can stand?” The robot asked. “Yeah.” He nodded, letting him take his hand and pull him to his feet, “Can I just, go to my room please? I don’t..I don’t feel well..” “Oh of course.” Kiibo gently guided the detective to his room and placed him onto his bed. This..this was the same bed Kokichi was trapped on, tortured on, raped on. Suddenly he was visited by a flash of memory. The little leader pinned underneath him as he twisted and whined and begged for it to stop. Shuichi flew off the bed and stumbled to the wall. He fell to his knees with his hand covering his mouth, praying that he wouldn’t throw up again, “Shuichi are you okay?” Kiibo knelt next to him with worry on his face. He didn’t trust himself to speak so he shook his head. Tears sprung to his eyes and trailed down his cheeks, “May I….may I give some advice?” Hesitantly he nodded, “I think you should talk with him.” “I can’t...I can’t face him…” Shuichi gasped out. “I believe that you won’t improve until you do.” Kiibo frowned at him, in a way that let him know that this probably wasn’t going to be up for debate, “Neither of you are doing very well. If you don’t talk things out then nothing will change. At least...not for the better.” “But…” “Shuichi, please listen to me. We’re still your friends, and we want to help you.” “I don’t deserve it…” “It’s not about deserving. It’s about doing what’s right. I recognize that you weren’t in control.” “But I still did it…” “I know. And that’s why you need to talk to him.” Shuichi took a deep breath, steadying the nausea deep in his gut. “I...I think you’re right Kiibo. I need to talk to Kokichi.”
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Since both boys wanted to meet with each other they decided it would be a good idea. All of them would be present, even Tsumugi, to watch over the meeting and make sure it didn’t go downhill. Kaito carried Kokichi to the dining room and Kiibo led Shuichi. They sat across from each other quietly, awkwardly. Not saying anything and staring down at their laps. Until Kokichi broke the silence. “Are you okay?” Shuichi looked up at him with wide eyes. He appeared confused at the question, like he didn’t understand it. “Shuichi...are you okay?” The little leader repeated. “I...I should be asking you that…” Tears began filling his eyes. “Well I asked you first.” He pouted, channeling his previous persona. If it put the other boy at ease then he would use it. “Oh well, I guess I’m...physically okay. I’m still...trying to accept what happened.” Shuichi swallowed hard, “So..how are you doing?” “That’s...hard to say.” Kokichi tilted his head with a small giggle, “Apparently this whole time I thought I was in the love hotel when I was really in Maki-roll’s room!” “You still don’t get to call me that.” Maki chimed in. “Aaaanyway. Now that I know where I am I think I’m gonna be fine.” He grinned. He looked up at Kaito, who was sitting in the chair next to him, “Plus I have Kaito looking after me.” He barely noticed the red blush creeping on the astronaut’s face. “That’s good.” A look of relief crossed his expression before in gave way to sadness, “But I...I’m so sorry...I know that it’s a hollow statement considering what I did to you but...I need to tell you. I’m sorry.” “Oh..” Kokichi looked down at his hands, bruises still littering his arms, “I...I don’t think it’s hollow at all. If it’s bothering you and you feel guilt then...then that’s good.” He caught the detective’s eyes again, “It means that you can think properly and that you can feel. Guilt isn’t a bad thing. It’s good.” “Guilt is good?” Kiibo asked, “But I thought that-” “Well put it this way.” The little leader held up a finger, “If Shuichi didn’t feel guilty about hurting me then it would mean that removing his memories didn’t work and that he could do it again. But since he does then it means he’s himself again and it won’t.” “I...that does make sense I guess…” Shuichi smiled softly at him. “Of course it does.” Kaito gave Kokichi a one sided hug, “You’re both going to be a okay! I believe in my sidekicks!” “I’m not your sidekick.” The little leader pouted. “Yeah cause you’re his boyfriend.” Miu scoffed, rolling her eyes. “N-no that’s not!” Kaito instantly backed away with arms raised and a beet red face. Kokichi knew that his own face was just as crimson with how hot he felt. “Kokichi and Kaito dating?” Gonta asked innocently. “No Miu’s just making it up!” The astronaut sputtered. “Yeah…” The little leader swallowed hard, “She’s just...making stuff up…” “Forgive me for finding that hard to believe.” Maki raised an eyebrow with an almost smug smirk on her face. “What? What are you talking about?” Kaito took a step back. “Um..I’m sorry but I feel like I’m missing something….” Shuichi sheepishly piped up. “What you’re missing is that space boy and the grape shota have the hots for each other.” Miu lifted herself up onto the table and leaned close to the detective. “Miu!” Both boys cried. “It’s just like those anime where the police officer that rescues someone falls in love with them because of their closeness!” Tsumugi babbled, cuffed hands cupping her cheeks. “Oh god she’s rambling.” Miu cringed. “Hey, Tsumugi.” Maki cut in, seriousness permeating the air around her, “How about you quit stalling at tell us how to get the hell out of here?” “But it was just getting good…” The cosplayer frowned, then sighed, “Alright. I just need to ask one thing.” “Um, what is it?” Himiko peeked nervously from her hat. “Kiibo, what does your inner voice say about you all leaving?” “My...that again?” The robot closed his eyes for a moment, “I...believe it is saying that we should leave. That this….uh…’season’ has been great but it’s ‘gone too far’ with the last motive. Does… does any of that make sense?” He opened eyes and looked at her curiously. “Ah, I see. Well if it’s what they want.” Tsumugi stood with a smile, “I believe it’s time you all learn the truth about this place. Before I let you go of course.” The truth about this place….Kokichi couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the look in her eye.
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“What the fuck to you mean the truth about this place?” Miu demanded. “This has...something to do with the people watching this right?” Kokichi reached out and grabbed the edge of Kaito’s shirt nervously. “I know you already know about most of this Kokichi.” Tsumugi giggled, “This whole place is littered with cameras broadcasting everything. And those watching are interacting with you.” She pointed at Kiibo, “Through him.” “M-me?” The robot stepped back in shock. “Why do you think I keep asking about your inner voice? That’s the viewers speaking through you. Make no mistake, whether or not you listen to them is your choice but they’re still there.” “What is the point of all this? Why have a show like this? How did we even get here!?” Maki leaned forward on the table. “There really isn’t much rhyme nor reason for why this exists. But it’s just so much fun I don’t think our production team will ever really stop!” Tsumugi’s eyes took on an unsettling gleam, “As for how you got here, well that’s simple. We just reached out and found you. Ultimates scattered across the country with varying talents and backstories.” “So you brought us here to kill each other.” Shuichi flicked his gaze from his lap to the cosplayer. “That’s the long and short of it.” She nodded, “And it was going so well too…” Her expression suddenly darkened as her eyes settled on Kokichi, “But then you had to get smart and figure things out before it was time.” “It wasn’t like it was hard to figure out.” The little leader glared at her while he leaned towards Kaito, “We were being watched for someone’s entertainment.” “Which is why you gave the motive.” The astronaut placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “So that Kokichi wouldn’t be a danger to your plans anymore.” “And in a way, I guess it worked. But it also didn’t.” Tsumugi sighed, “I took it too far and well, now we’re here. My own work coming back to bite me later.” “Well of fucking course it did!” Miu snapped, “You can’t just go trapezing about messing with people’s memories and not have come back to kick your ass!” “Um, Gonta wonder something…” Gonta hesitantly piped up, “Why Tsumugi choose Shuichi to hurt Kokichi?” “Yeah….why did you choose Shuichi?” Kokichi narrowed his eyes at her. “Because he was the only one you trusted to any extent.” Tsumugi smirked at him cruely, “I thought it would be perfect, betrayed and murdered by the one you trust. How much despair that would’ve been going through your mind had it worked out like I planned.” “I don’t wanna hear anymore!” Himiko covered her ears, “I just want to go home!” “Don’t worry I still intend to keep my promise of letting you go.” The cosplayer nodded, “It is what the viewers want after all.” “So then how do we get out of here?” Maki crossed her arms over her chest. “And don’t even think about lying.” Kokichi mimicked her posture, “I’ll know if you are.” “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Tsumugi rolled her eyes, “There’s a hidden door on one end of the dome. If I get to my office I can open it for you.” “Your….office?” “You know. The hidden room. My office.” “I see…” ---- Kaito kept his arm around Kokichi’s shoulders, keeping him upright as they stood in front of the place Tsumugi had said the doors were. Maki and Kiibo had gone with her into the hidden room and made sure she was telling the truth and that the doors were now open. They were disguised as Monokuma statues carved into the wall. Just looking at the things made the astronaut uncomfortable. “So, after we get out of here where do we go?” Himiko asked, “We don’t know where we are...or how far from home this place is.” “There’s a studio about two or three blocks from here.” Tsumugi lazily waved a hand to the west, “Tell them I sent you and they’ll be more than happy to help you with whatever you need.” “I don’t want anything to do them.” Kokichi frowned, his grip on Kaito’s shirt tightening. “We probably won’t have a choice.” Shuichi tugged at his bangs, as if urging them to be longer to hide his eyes like his hat used to. “Ugh you’re right.” Kaito wrinkled his nose, “I don’t want to deal with them either but...we probably are going to have to.” “Well we’ll just have to grit our teeth and bare it.” Maki sighed, beginning to walk through the doorway. “Fuck yeah! They’re gonna get an earful from this gorgeous girl genius!” Miu quickly followed the assassin. The next to leave was Kiibo, then Himiko, then Gonta. “Um...I guess we should go too.” Shuichi shifted nervously. “What are we waiting for then?” Kokichi grabbed the detective’s hand and began moving the two other boys forward, “Let’s get the hell out of here!” “That’s my sidekick!” Kaito grinned down at the little leader as he pouted up at him. “How many times do I gotta tell you I’m not your sidekick.” “Probably a lot cause I’m not gonna stop.” Kokichi’s pale cheeks colored instantly as he turned away. He really did look adorable when he was flustered and trying to hide it. And the way he’d extended a hand and was pulling Shuichi forward with them was...remarkable. Any other person would probably want to be as far away from the person who’d hurt and abused them (even if in this case the perpetrator didn’t remember it anymore) but not Kokichi. Nope. The little leader was staying true to form and doing the last thing anyone expected. Choosing to keep his memories, no matter how painful they were, and choosing to meet with Shuichi and choosing to reach out and grab his hand. Kaito watched almost in awe at the small boy in front of him. The strength he’d shown was absolutely amazing. He guessed maybe that’s why he found himself falling in love with him.
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Team Danganronpa, as they called themselves, were a very weird group of people. First they kidnap them, put them in a killing game, and now they want to help them get home? Seriously what the hell was their deal? Kokichi frowned at the piece of paper in front of him. How did they find D.I.C.E’s hideout? He glanced up suspiciously at the man sitting across the table. “Something wrong? Is it not the right address?” He asked innocently. “No. It’s the right one.” The little leader set it down, “I’m just wondering how you found it.” “Well that’s because we had been following you for a while.” The man shrugged. Like that was no big deal. “You didn’t hurt any of them did you?” He raised an eyebrow. “No no. We were only after you. The rest were left alone.” “And then what? You don’t honestly expect my followers just let it all go. They would’ve come looking for me y’know?” “Oh of course they did. It didn’t take them long to find us at all.” His smile was unsettling. It reminded him too much of how Shuichi smiled at him while he was under Tsumugi’s control, “We told them what they wanted to know, that we indeed had you and that you were for the time being safe.” “And if they wanted it to stay that way you told them to leave too.” Kokichi leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, “Isn’t that right?” “Of course.” The little leader stood with a wince, grabbing the piece of paper in his hands. “Bye then.” He flashed a grin at the guy before turning and quickly leaving the room. He ducked through the halls until he found Kaito, staring with uncertainty at a similar piece of paper in his hands. “Kaaaaiiitooo!” He yelled. This obviously startled the astronaut as he almost dropped the paper. “Jesus christ what the hell….?” Kaito turned towards him with a mixture of relief and concern in his eyes, “They tell you where your family is?” “Yeah.” Kokichi sighed, leaning against the wall, “So...where’s yours?” “Actually not that far from here.” The astronaut held the paper out, “Yours?” “Same. Just about halfway across the town.” They swapped papers. Huh. So he didn’t live too far from D.I.C.E headquarters. Then why the hell had he never seen him before? Or at least heard of another Ultimate nearby? “My grandparents are apparently already on their way.” Kaito chuckled, running a hand through their hair, “Have uh, have they told you anything about yours?” “They apparently came to find me not long after I was taken.” He fiddled with his scarf, “These people told them that if they wanted me to remain alive they’d leave this place well enough alone. But I’m sure they’re still scouting the place just waiting for the perfect opportunity to break in.”“Sounds like they’re a lot like you.” He ruffled his hair. Despite himself he felt his cheeks heating up. “Yeah, sure.” A stab of pain went through his stomach. He hissed and braced his hands against his gut. “Hey, you okay?” Kaito put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be fine.” He slumped against the wall with a grimace, “I’ll be….I’ll be okay.” “All that walking around can’t be very good for you right now.” The astronaut sighed, swiftly sweeping him off of his feet. “Uh..I’m not that fragile you know.” Kokichi protested, despite his arms linking around his neck to steady himself. “No but we still don’t know how hurt you are down there.” His eyes gazed on him almost sadly, “They haven’t had a doctor look at you yet have they?” “No...no they haven’t.” The little leader shook his head. “Of course not.” Kaito frowned, his brows furrowing together, “I’m taking you to a hospital.” “What? N-no you don’t need to do that!” He shook his head more fervently, “I’m going to be fine!” “Nope. I’m doing it. I’m not risking you getting worse just because you’re so stubborn.” “Ugh I don’t have a choice do I?” “Nope.” ---- Once Kaito’s grandparents arrived they took Kokichi straight to the nearest hospital. The little leader seemed...nervous but he kept up a generally cheerful conversation with the elderly couple. After a few hours of waiting and talking in the emergency room the nurses led him out of their sight. “He really is such a sweet young boy.” Kaito’s grandmother cooed. “Only when he wants to be.” The astronaut shrugged with a rueful smile, “He’s a handful a good majority of the time.” “Reminds me of a certain someone..” His grandfather chuckled, raising an eyebrow at him. “Eh? Me? A handful?” “Your head’s always up in the stars my boy. Sometimes it’s hard to reel you back down to the rest of us.” “Oh..uh sorry about that.” “Say, why were you insistent on bringing that boy here? Did something happen to him?” His grandmother asked. “Um well he was hurt.” Kaito rubbed the back of his head, “He’s really good at hiding it but I can tell that he was in a lot of pain. I just...wanted to make sure he was going to be okay.” His grandparents opened their mouths but were cut off by a group of white clad figures bursting through the doors. The astronaut was immediately struck by their outfits. They were dressed in almost the exact same outfit as Kokichi, checkered scarf and all. One of them, a girl with pigtails, noticed Kaito right off the bat and ran towards him. She skidded to a stop and leaned over him with an angry and worried expression. “You! You were with Boss when he left that place!” She shouted, “Where is he!? What did you do with him!?” “H-huh what are you talking about?” The astronaut sputtered, leaning back in his chair as far as he could. A fairly large guy came behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Yukino, please calm down.” He gently pulled her away, “I’m sorry about that. We’re just...worried is all.” “You...you guys all know Kokichi?” Kaito stared at the group in awe. There was about nine of them. Six guys and three girls. If he factored Kokichi into that then...this group was made up of ten? “Know him? He’s our boss!” A short guy protested from behind the two, “Now tell us where he is or we’ll-” “Hey hey, please lower the volume.” Kaito’s grandfather stood and made a ‘calm down’ motion, “We don’t want to disturb the staff too much do we?” “He is right.” The large guy from before nodded. “Tch. First we’re threatened by those Dangit rondpa bastards and now these guys?” The short guy growled. “Ryu, knock it off.” Someone smacked the back of his head. “I guess we should introduce ourselves huh?” The large guy giggled nervously. “Uh...sure?” “Well….we’re D.I.C.E, and Kokichi is our leader.”
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D.I.C.E, huh? They were certainly an interesting group to be around. Once getting over their initial distrust of Kaito they asked question after question about what had happened. About the killing game, and why it suddenly ended. He told them only what he felt Kokichi would be comfortable with them knowing. After an hour or two a doctor came out asking for those there for the little leader. “We are!” The smaller guy that had yelled at them earlier, Ryu, jumped up from the chair he’d settled in, “We...we are.” “We’re going to be sending Mr. Ouma out into surgery soon.” The doctor relayed. “Surgery? What for?” The big guy, Takashi, gasped. “To repair the damage done to his anal passage.” “To his...what!?” “What the hell happened to him!?” “No..they didn’t…” “He’s going to be okay, right?” Kaito asked softly. “I expect him to make a full recovery yes.” He nodded, “If you would like to see him I suggest you do it now before they prepare him for surgery.” “Please, let us see him!” The pigtailed girl pleaded, “We need to see him!” “I’ll show you to his room.” The doctor sighed. Kaito kind of pitied the dude, first he’d probably had to deal with a less then pleased Kokichi and now this gaggle of very loud and very worried children. The astronaut was allowed to go in first, at the urging of Takashi. He apparently wanted to talk to the other eight with a touch of privacy before they came in. So he cautiously entered the room. Kokichi was propped up on a gurney, hands bracing his abdomen. An IV of probably morphine was inserted into his skinny arm. He looked up with clear annoyance in his expression when Kaito reached his side. “I take it you’re not particularly happy about surgery?” He leaned against the edge of the thing with a playful smile. “Would you be?” The little leader scoffed, “I just want to get out of here.” “You’ll be outta here in no time.” Kaito reached forward and ruffled his hair. He chuckled at the indignant look sent his way. “You don’t know that.” He muttered. “Nope, guess it’s just one of my hunches.” “Oh god not another one of those.” “C’mon you know you love them.” “No. No I don’t.” “I thought you said you hated liars.” Kokichi didn’t answer right away. And he didn’t really get the chance to. Because then the door opened and he was suddenly surrounded by the nine D.I.C.E members. They all blubbered on about how worried they all were about him and that they tried to get to him but they couldn’t. The little leader was clearly shocked to see them but also...relieved. Kaito hung back a bit, letting the group reunite with their leader. ---- Surgery went well. Nothing really of note there. Recovery was boring as hell, he wasn’t supposed to walk for a while. So of course Kaito and D.I.C.E insisted on carrying him everywhere then. Kokichi couldn’t really find it in him to mind though. Once he was able to walk again he’d make trips between Kaito’s house and D.I.C.E headquarters all the time. Mostly just to pester the astronaut. It wasn’t because he was falling for him or anything. He was just fun to annoy. (or at least that’s what he was telling himself)