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The monitor on the wall flared to life, the overly cheerful voice of Monokuma announcing that morning had arrived. It was the same thing that had been waking Yuki from his sleep for the past several days.
Or had it been weeks? It was getting hard to keep track.
He didn't let himself dwell on that. It didn't matter how long they'd been here, they were going to escape soon. He knew it. Another floor had opened up recently, and that meant more clues. They just needed to really focus on investigating, surely an exit would be found if they did. Or at least some sort of information about what was going on.
He allowed himself a small smile as he sat up, resolved to make that a reality. However, before he had the chance to even get out of bed, he was broken out of his thoughts by a flurry of knocks on his door.
He yelped, barely avoiding tumbling to the floor in shock.
It didn't sound like regular knocking, either. This wasn't someone simply deciding to visit a friend, whoever was on the other side was frantic. Each pound of their fists rang through the room like gunshots, and they weren't pausing for even a moment.
A sick feeling settled in Yuki's gut, causing his hair to stand on end. Could this mean…
No. That wasn't going to happen, not again. They were done playing Monokuma’s game.
Without letting himself overthink, he rushed to the door. When he undid the lock and opened it, he saw a very familiar face.
Kinjo was standing there, fist still raised and ready. It seemed to take him a few seconds to process that the door wasn't in front of him anymore, blinking and turning his gaze to Yuki.
Wide, wild red met warm brown. Kinjo's breathing was heavy, as if he'd run all the way across the school to get there.
Yuki opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but before he could form any words, the wind was knocked out of him.
Kinjo practically lunged at him, hands clutching tightly at his shoulders. “Yuki…” He breathed, the sound little more than an unsteady rattle as he sagged against the other boy.
“Woah, hey!” Yuki exclaimed, arms shooting out to steady Kinjo. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“Yuki.” He repeated, voice breaking. “You're alive.”
“Of course I am!” Unease washed over him like a wave. What could possibly have happened to put Kinjo in such a state? “What's going on?”
Rather than answering, Kinjo buried his face into Yuki's chest, a sob tearing itself from his throat.
This was wrong. Deeply, terribly wrong. Kinjo didn't act like this, he didn't panic or cry. Hearing it was almost enough to make Yuki lose his cool, his heart hammering against his ribs.
“Hey, Kinjo.” He started, forcing himself to sound calm. “I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong.”
“I'm scared!” He finally answered, grip on Yuki tightening. “I don't wanna die! You have to protect me, please!”
Almost flinching at the volume of Kinjo's wailing, Yuki only found himself more confused. “What… What are you talking about?” He tilted Kinjo's head up with one hand, as if looking him in the face would provide context for this bizarre exchange.
Kinjo's cheeks were wet with tears, and his eyes were rimmed red. “Please.” He said again, voice high and desperate. “You're the only one… Don't let them get me.”
Them? As in the other students? That was the only conclusion that made sense, but it was so ridiculous. Kinjo wasn't scared of the others, he was their leader.
If anything, it was the other way around. Many of their classmates were getting sick of Kinjo's style of leadership, the tension had been rising for a while now.
So was someone trying to kill him, then?
No, that was impossible. Nobody in their group would do such a thing. And even if they did, Kinjo wouldn't react like this.
But he was obviously terrified now, something had to be causing that.
Right as Yuki was sure his brain was going to break from the sheer absurdity, a few things occurred to him at once.
Kinjo was warm, really warm. The palm on his face could feel it clear as day, and even the points of contact separated by his clothes felt uncomfortably hot.
Kinjo was also way too clammy. Sweat dripped down his face, making his hair stick to his forehead.
So, he was sick..? That explained a lot. Yuki almost let out a sigh of relief at the confirmation that his friend hadn't lost his mind.
Still, with how off Kinjo was acting, the fever must have been exceptionally bad. It would take his brain boiling to make him show any fear, let alone everything else.
A different fear than what he'd experienced before opening the door sank into his heart. Fevers could be deadly if they weren't treated, right?
He had to find Inori. She would know what to do.
He moved to leave for the dining hall. She would most likely be there, it was still morning.
Before he could take a single step, he was almost tackled off his feet. “No!” Kinjo shouted, throwing his arms around Yuki. “Don't leave me, please don't.” He nearly squeezed the air out of Yuki's lungs, whispering pleas and soaking Yuki's shirt with more tears.
He'd wanted to hurry before whatever this was could get worse, and he'd hoped Kinjo would just follow him. In hindsight, he realized how naive that was.
“Hey.” He started, trying to sound less worried than he was. “I'm not leaving you, okay? I'm right here.” He rubbed his hand between Kinjo's shoulder blades, in an attempt to soothe him.
Kinjo didn't seem fully convinced, but his vice grip loosened slightly.
“I just think we should go check on the others.” He continued. He really hoped this illness hadn't spread to any of them, Inori was going to have her hands full enough with only Kinjo.
Kinjo's breath hitched at the suggestion, and he began shaking his head rapidly. “No, no, no…” He sobbed. “You can't, they'll kill me. Or..” His voice pitched up in terror. “Or they'll kill you! I can't lose you, please don't go!” He sank to his knees, clinging to Yuki's legs.
“Wha– Kinjo!” For a moment Yuki couldn't do much beyond that exclamation and freezing. “Hey, come on. Nobody is gonna kill anyone.”
“Yes they will!” Kinjo yelled, hoarse. “They've wanted me dead since we got here, and you're too good at the trials to keep alive so they'll get us both and no one will be able to stop them and…” He kept rambling, his words growing more jumbled and incoherent in his rush to get them out.
“No, none of that is going to happen!” Yuki interrupted, feeling desperation start to creep into his own voice. He could feel himself getting frustrated, which he immediately felt bad for. Kinjo wasn't being difficult on purpose, he was scared and he'd come to Yuki for help.
He breathed in, steadying himself. Logical arguments weren't going to get them anywhere right now, he wasn't sure how much Kinjo could even process at the moment. He needed to approach this differently.
“It'll be fine.” He tried. “I won't let anything happen, I'll… I'll keep us both safe.” The words felt awkward and wrong leaving his mouth, but they seemed to have an effect.
Kinjo looked up at him, sniffing. “You will?”
“Of course I will.” He answered. “I promise.”
A shudder tore through Kinjo as the tense hunch of his shoulders finally eased a bit. “Thank you…”
Yuki took Kinjo's hands and pulled him to his feet, the other man swaying unsteadily. “Come on. I'll be quick, okay?”
Kinjo nearly crushed Yuki's hand in his own as he reluctantly let himself be guided through the halls, eyes scanning their surroundings with the caution of a rabbit in a wolf's den.
It took them several minutes to reach their destination, the cop’s need to scan everywhere for danger slowing them down. Yuki tried not to rush him, he'd finally stopped crying and it was hard to tell what might set him off again.
He was ready to breathe a sigh of relief when he pushed open the doors of the dining hall, but it died in his throat as soon as he crossed into the room.
“Oooh, look who finally showed up!” Someone shouted in a mocking tone. “Did Tsu finish his strip search?”
The voice sounded foreign at first. If it weren't for the results of the last trial sitting heavy in the back of everyone's minds, he would have assumed it was Tomori. But even then, it sounded too deep.
Which of the guys would make a comment like that? Maybe Haru, or Teruya, or…
“U-Uehara?! What?” That explained the lack of familiarity, the priest never raised his voice like that. It made him sound like a completely different person.
“Don't play dumb, Yuki.” Uehara replied with a sly grin, dragging out Yuki's name in a sing-song lilt. “You’re only late because you were busy getting your insides brutalized, right?”
Yuki's face flushed brightly. What the hell was Uehara talking about?! Was this all because he and Kinjo were holding hands?
“Kinji, you're sick too?” The realization made his heart sink. So Kinjo wasn't the only one…
Uehara's next comment was thankfully drowned out by another person rushing to Yuki's side.
“Thank God, Yuki!” Taira exclaimed like a weight had been lifted.
“Akane, are you okay?” He used his free hand to feel her forehead, and thankfully found it to be a normal temperature.
“I'm fine, but.. What's wrong with everyone?” She asked, face twisted in worry.
Before Yuki could open his mouth to answer, a head full of bright orange hair rested on Taira's shoulder, similarly colored eyes lazily glancing at Yuki before gazing up at Taira. The usual sharp fire in them was a glowing warmth.
“Akane..” Her voice cooed, sickeningly sweet like honey. “You're so strong and brave, you'll figure this out.” She looped her arm with Taira's, pressing herself closer. “We're so lucky to have you…”
“Mekaru?” Yuki's jaw dropped.
Mekaru gave Yuki a serene smile. “Yuki.” She greeted. “Good morning.”
Taira didn't seem surprised at all by Mekaru's actions, staying focused on Yuki. The only indication that she'd noticed the other woman was a slight redness in her cheeks.
Uehara whistled and yelled something about a foursome, laughing maniacally.
The other students gathered around the room were chattering anxiously amongst themselves, a mix of confusion and irritation spreading.
Kinjo flinched at all the building noise, trembling hand squeezing the circulation out of Yuki's.
Yuki squeezed back, unsure of what to do or say. Even he had to admit it was getting overwhelming, his head struggling to wrap around everything.
He was almost tempted to shout, demand that everyone quiet down so they could think and try to piece everything together. That's likely what Kinjo would have done if he were in his right mind.
He was spared from having to, though. Faster than any of them could blink, a new voice joined the fray, its cruel familiarity stunning them all into silence.
“My, my. What a mess you all have gotten yourselves into.”
Monokuma was standing atop the table, looking around at all of them with clear amusement.
Kinjo jumped at the sudden appearance, hiding halfway behind Yuki. He peered over the other's shoulder, fingers twisted into the back of Yuki's vest. He whispered Yuki's name, sounding seconds away from tears.
“It's okay.” Yuki reassured him, standing taller to shield Kinjo. “He won't do anything, the rules won't let him.”
He said that, but he couldn't stop himself from being on edge. What was Monokuma doing here? Did he have answers? Was he responsible for this?
As if he was thinking the same thing, Haru leaped from his seat and pointed an accusing finger at the bear. “What the hell is going on? What did you do to them?!”
“Me?” Monokuma took in a faux-offended gasp. “I didn't do anything!”
“Yeah right.” Satsuki piped up. “This has Monokuma's name written all over it!”
“Yeah, c'mon. Fess up!” Teruya joined in. “The heck’s wrong with ‘em? What's going on?”
“It seems your friends have fallen terribly ill.” Monokuma announced, ignoring the accusations. “They have a very bad case of despair.”
That last word hung in the air, twisting Yuki's stomach into knots. What was that supposed to mean? He didn't know, but it was obvious that their suspicions were correct. Monokuma definitely had something to do with this.
At the confused murmurs and tense stares in the air, Monokuma began to explain. Not that it helped a whole lot.
Yuki's mind swirled with the new information. Despair Disease? Motive? How was something like that even possible?
They didn't get answers to that. Only mean laughter and a warning. This disease was very infectious, and its symptoms had the power to completely warp the personality of whoever caught it.
A cure existed in Monokuma's paws, but of course he had no plans to hand it over. Not until another murder happened.
When their monochrome tormentor vanished, he was left with almost complete silence, only the echo of the twisted cackling and Kinjo's barely held together sniffling greeted him.
That didn't last too long. Soon, the room erupted into panic. Everyone was talking over each other, voices overlapping in a buzzing cacophony of noise.
Some of them stared at the sick with concern, but more looked as if they were going to bolt from the room and hide away in their dorms until this blew over.
Yuki felt himself being swept up in it. What were they supposed to do?
Just as the volume was starting to rise to an intolerable degree, someone shouted over all of them. “Everyone calm down now!” Their tone was so serious and commanding, the room had little choice but to obey.
Everyone's eyes shot toward the source; Kanata Inori, who was wearing a gravely determined expression.
“It's just an illness, we'll make it through this.” She told them. “But you all have to do what I tell you so I can handle this, okay?”
Nobody could argue with that. They all nodded, letting the surgeon’s confidence ease their fear.
“First things first, he said it was contagious. I need all the infected and everyone who thinks they've been exposed to follow me.” She ordered. “Everyone else, go about your day as normal.”
And so, nearly half of their remaining group trailed obediently behind the smallest among them. It didn't take them long to reach the infirmary, where each of the patients were ushered to separate beds.
Kinjo, and by extension Yuki, took the one closest to the door, the potential escape route in his line of sight keeping him from completely breaking down.
Rei settled with Taira not too far away, her hand loosely clasped in the maid's as she let out a relaxed hum.
Uehara was given one in the back of the room, a cloth divider set up so he wouldn't bother the others.
Inori wasted no time, pulling on a pair of gloves and a mask before examining her patients.
Most of them gave her little trouble, even Uehara was perfectly compliant aside from a few uncomfortable remarks.
Inori didn't seem bothered in the slightest by it, though. She was the picture of professionalism and grace.
While she was looking over Mekaru, the other woman grinned warmly at her. “You're so good at this, and so kind.” She complimented. “We're going to feel better in no time, thank you.”
She wrapped Inori in a hug, nuzzling the top of the girl's head.
Inori patted Mekaru on the back, returning the smile. “Of course, you just focus on getting better.” Then she gently pushed Mekaru away, reminding her that she had more work to do.
And then there was Kinjo…
He tensed at Inori’s touch, and flinched away from the medical instruments. He buried himself against Yuki’s side, whimpering and staring at Inori like she was there to kill him.
Yuki rubbed Kinjo's back, trying to at least keep him cooperative so this could be a little easier.
If Inori was annoyed at all, she didn't show it. She treated Kinjo with patience, waiting until he was ready before each check on his vitals and before taking his temperature.
She was probably used to this sort of behavior, likely having treated many fussy children. Which felt like a mean comparison, but Yuki wasn't sure what else fit.
After she was done, going to search through the cabinets and closets for the medicine she needed, Kinjo's panic started to rise again.
“Yuki.. Why are we here?” He asked. “Why is this happening? Am I… Am I dying?” His voice broke on the last word, eyes glistening.
“What? No, of course you're not.” Yuki tried to reassure him.
“Are you sure?” He prompted again. “Do you promise?” And then before Yuki could say anything. “I really don't feel good, I.. It's so cold and my head hurts.” His volume started rising and he clung desperately to Yuki, shaking hard enough that it almost moved Yuki with him.
“Kinjo, you–”
“It hurts so much, Yuki!” He wailed, throwing himself at his friend. “It's like someone chopped my head in half, make it stop! Please, I don't wanna die!”
Yuki held the bawling Kinjo against his chest, fighting off exasperation. “You're gonna be okay!” He said louder than he intended. “You're not dying. Kanata is gonna fix you up, okay?”
Kinjo only nodded, balling his fists into Yuki's shirt.
Yuki carded his fingers through Kinjo's damp hair, speaking again in a softer voice. “I mean it, nothing is going to happen to you.” He scratched at Kinjo's scalp, feeling the tension begin melting out of the other man. “I won't let you die.”
That seemed to work extremely well. Kinjo managed to take in a few deep breaths, leaning into Yuki's hand. Within minutes, his out of control crying quieted down into mere sniffles.
He was interrupted by a tap on his arm, but the peace wasn't completely broken.
Inori placed a pill in the palm of his hand, setting a plastic cup of water nearby. “Can you make him take this?” She asked. “It's a fever reducer, it should help the worst of his pain. I would do it myself, but I think you'd have better luck.”
Yuki nodded, giving her a grateful smile. “Of course. Thank you, Kanata.”
She only nodded back, looking just as relieved as he felt, before leaving to check on one of the others.
Kinjo stared up at him curiously, eyeing the pill in his hand.
It wasn't as difficult to get him to take it as Yuki expected. He explained what it was, saying that it would help Kinjo feel better. At the look of uncertainty he received, he promised that it was safe.
Kinjo swallowed it with a strained gulp, happily accepting the water when Yuki lifted the cup to his lips. He took slow, cautious sips, despite his obvious thirst. In far more time than it should've taken, he drained half of the liquid.
Yuki set it aside again, pulling Kinjo back to him. The officer nuzzled into Yuki’s arms.
Things stayed blessedly calm after that, no more outbursts or tears. Kinjo actually seemed relaxed for the first time that day.
“I'm tired..” He mumbled after a few minutes.
That was probably one of the side effects of the medicine, if Yuki had to guess. “Then sleep.” He replied, brushing the hair from Kinjo's face. “You need to rest if you want to recover.”
Kinjo hesitated, shifting nervously.
“You'll be fine.” Yuki reminded him. “And I'll be right here when you wake up.”
That seemed to be enough. Kinjo resumed using Yuki as a pillow, letting out a long, content sigh.