Work Text:
I Could Hug You
Makoto wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he climbed the steps towards the second-floor dorms. Part of him thought it'd just be like the ones on the first floor, with their strange, ominous lighting and barricaded windows.
He sure hadn't been expecting this.
"Wha…" His eyes must have been bulging out of their sockets as he soaked in the absolute carnage before him. Walls were blasted to pieces, doors torn apart, rubble falling everywhere. It looked less like a school and more like the aftermath of a war zone, like the place had been bombed or something.
"Disturbing, isn't it?" A calm voice sounded from beside him. Unlike him, Kyoko took the destruction in stride, walking forward as though this was completely normal to her.
Which isn't far from the truth, actually, considering she's been here before… Makoto thought as he shook himself out of his shock and hurried to match pace with her. And as the Ultimate Detective, she's probably seen a lot of grisly crime scenes…
He couldn't help it, a smile broke out on his face. Of course, this doesn't faze her. She's Kyoko!
"Yeah, I-I mean, everything about this place is crazy, but this…!" He gestured widely to the destruction around him, "How did any of this happen?!"
"You're right, it's certainly puzzling," Kyoko agreed with the kind of smile that meant she found something challenging, and, therefore, interesting. "At the very least, though, this correlates with the information we found in the library."
Makoto frowned, "So something really did happen to Hope's Peak Academy a year ago…"
"Something that forced it to stop operating as a school."
"But that doesn't make sense!" Makoto said as the pair walked through the decayed hallway, "I don't remember hearing about any kind of announcement like that last year. And how would we get scouted by the school if it were shut down?!"
"You're right, it doesn't make any sense," Kyoko nodded, "I'm hoping that if we can access the last room here, it will shed some light on the subject."
Right. Kyoko had already investigated this area days ago with the master key she had stolen from the mastermind, but there was one she had been unable to access. That's the whole point of why they were here: to try and solve this one last regret of hers.
It was just as that thought left his head that another entered in its place, and Makoto made a realization. He noticed something off about the second-floor dorm. Specifically, something missing.
"There are no cameras here…" He finally realized, "Or screens."
"Indeed." Kyoko confirmed, "I doubt the mastermind ever intended for this area to be used in their game, so they didn't bother with setting up cameras."
"That's how you've been avoiding breaking Monokuma's rules!" Makoto exclaimed, having just made the realization. On the same day they unlocked the 5th floor, Byakuya, being suspicious of Kyoko, demanded she hand over her bedroom key or explain her past, a past she couldn't remember at the time. Without any way to explain it, and with Byakuya not buying her claim of amnesia (Even though it was completely true!), she'd been forced to hand over her key, putting her at risk of violating the rule stating they could only sleep in a dorm. Now he understood where she'd been sleeping the entire time. Monokuma couldn't punish her if he didn't know what she was doing!
"In a sense," Kyoko responded, "There's actually a dorm room here that's halfway decent. I've been sleeping there." She smirked, "Technically, I've broken no rules."
"Ah…" That made sense. Of course, Kyoko wouldn't leave things to chance. Makoto felt another smile creeping onto his face. His girlfriend was amazing.
He had to suppress a childish giggle at that thought. His girlfriend. It felt surreal just thinking it! If someone had told him a year ago that not only would he get to attend Hope's Peak Academy, but that one of the Ultimates there would end up his girlfriend, he'd…well, ok, he wouldn't have laughed at them. But he would have been certain they were pulling his leg.
"You seem cheerful," Kyoko said suddenly, slicing into his thoughts because, even if he had done his best to hide it, she was still Kyoko Kirigiri and, as such, obviously noticed his giddiness.
"Ah, sorry," Makoto smiled sheepishly as he ran a hand over the back of his head, "I'm still kind of processing what, um, happened earlier. You know, in the bathhouse."
There was a slight pause in her steps, a near imperceptible misstep before she corrected herself and resumed her usual pace. Anyone else would have missed it. Makoto only noticed because, as usual, he had trouble taking his eyes off her in the first place. "Really?" She asked, a slight bit of incredulity coloring her voice.
"It's just that, well, you're amazing, Kyoko!" Makoto tried to give voice to the maelstrom of emotions and feelings, to try and articulate in some meaningful way what felt utterly impossible to, "And I'm…not. I mean, you're always calm and collected, you can take one look at a murder scene and figure out what happened almost instantly. You don't freak out or lose your cool. I'm…I'm none of those things."
An annoyed sigh sounded from beside him as Kyoko fixed him with a piercing glance, "You can accept us being trapped in this school by a murderous robotic bear, but the idea that I'm in love with you is where you start questioning reality?"
"...Is it bad if my answer is 'yes'...?"
Her eyes softened somewhat, "No…" She said, uncharacteristically subdued, "I understand the feeling."
His eyes widened at the admission, "Kyoko-"
"We're here." The detective interrupted. Just in front of them was a door that seemed unusually intact, more so than the surrounding hall at any rate. Without waiting for him, Kyoko pushed forward and through the door.
Immediately, Makoto was hit with the sensation of trespassing. This felt less like a student's room and something more…adult-like. In a sense, it resembled a dorm room, but felt more high-class. There was a lightning that gave it an almost penthouse suite feeling, and the dark, hardwood floor, coupled with the shelves containing what seemed like types of alcohol, only added to the feeling. A laptop was situated atop a desk near the back.
"This is the headmaster's private room," Kyoko explained, answering his unasked question.
Ah…so that explains it, Makoto thought, before being hit with a second realization. This was the headmaster's room. As in, Kyoko's father, the headmaster. The same one who had abandoned her when she was a child.
Suddenly, he felt a chilly wave wash down his spine as he realized he was entering potentially dangerous territory. On reflex, he turned his gaze from the room to Kyoko, who, as usual, was wearing a neutral, impassive expression.
What are you thinking about? What's behind that mask? He couldn't help but wonder. Did Kyoko feel anything while in this room? Did she see it as just another scene to investigate? Surely not, right? Even if she didn't care for her father, as she claimed, there was surely no way she had absolutely zero emotions about him, right? The very idea seemed ludicrous to Makoto. He could never imagine feeling nothing for his father, even if he had been estranged from him like Kyok was.
Unaware of his thoughts, Kyoko continued, "Whoever used that," Her gaze was fixated on the laptop, "was very interested in Ultimate Despair. There are still results left in the browsing history."
"Then, we could get some actual information on them?!" Makoto asked eagerly.
A half-laugh came from the detective, equal parts amusement and bitterness, "I already tried. There's nothing substantial there. At least, nothing we couldn't already put together ourselves," She crossed her arms in annoyance. "It seems Ultimate Despair is not one person but a group of people. Some sort of organization dedicated to spreading despair across the world. The worst sort of people. They are responsible for the Tragedy that befell this place a year ago."
She uncrossed her arms as she looked at Makoto, something dark in her eyes, "And that's it. That's all he could find. But what else could you expect from a complete failure of a Kirigiri like him?"
It wasn't the first time he'd heard her talk about her father this way, but it was the first time he'd heard such bitterness in her voice, and it only reaffirmed his belief that, despite what she claimed, Kyoko did harbor some kind of feelings about her father. Even if those feelings were resentment.
"But enough about that, that's not what we're here for," Kyoko continued, turning her attention to a depression in the wall near the laptop, "Makoto, feel that wall."
Shoving down his feelings for the moment, Makoto walked over to the wall. There was a depression, or gap, in it, a section which was a half-inch or so deeper than the rest.
"A gap, but wha-" Before he could say anymore, his eyes widened as he felt a soft, faint breeze waft through the gap, and the pieces fell into place, "A secret door?!"
"Indeed." Kyoko confirmed, with a self-satisfied smirk on her face, one that quickly twisted into a frown of annoyance, "This is what I meant when I said I had a final regret. I've been unable to get this door open."
Makoto made a noise of understanding as he stepped back from the gap in the wall, before the full implications of what she had said hit him. "Wait, even you can't get it open?"
Kyoko nodded, "Or, more specifically, I haven't the faintest idea of what the password could be."
"Password?"
"On the laptop, there's a program that seems to control access to the door," Kyoko elaborated, "You input a password, and the door opens. But, as I said, I haven't the faintest idea of what it could be."
Makoto frowned as he stepped over to the laptop. Yeah, that would be difficult. He had no experience with guessing passwords, hacking, or anything that would be even remotely useful in this situation. Part of him wondered what Kyoko expected him to do, but quickly dismissed the thought. Even if he hadn't the foggiest idea of what to do here, he'd still try his best!
"I've looked through all his paperwork here and all the files on the computer," Kyoko continued, "I've learned far more about that man than I ever wanted to, but I never found anything that might hint at what the password is." Her eyes narrowed as she let her frustration bleed into her voice, "When I think of all the time I wasted here…"
Kyoko… Makoto's heart ached when he heard the obvious anger and frustration in her voice. He wondered if it was solely because of her failure to enter the room or if it was because it was her father's room. It had to be the latter, he decided. Kyoko had struggled before, but she'd never been so obviously emotionally upset. Not even when her life was on the line in the 5th trial did she show herself so obviously.
Or…maybe it's because it's just me here…A part of him whispered. Maybe…maybe Kyoko simply felt she could be more emotionally open with him than the others. There were no cameras here; none of the others were here. Maybe Kyoko simply felt…safe with him.
That line of thought sent a warm sensation through his chest, and he had to fight to stop the smile on his face from forming. Even if that was the case, Kyoko was obviously upset, and he should not be taking any sort of joy from that. Besides, they still had a password to crack.
But how am I supposed to do that?! He thought widely as he stared at the password screen, blinking expectantly at him. Seriously! If Kyoko couldn't do it, then I don't stand a chan-
His eyes widened. Kyoko…
He gulped, suddenly very, very nervous. If the password is something Kyoko couldn't figure out, then…there's a chance that it's something Kyoko would never consider in the first place. Or…something she didn't want to consider. If that's the case, then…
Fighting down the tension in his body, he called out to Kyoko, not turning around, more than a little afraid of the expression on her face after he said this, "Have…have you tried your name?"
A cold silence swept the room. You could hear a pen drop. The tension that had been slowly building up within the room suddenly expanded, engulfing him in such an oppressive force that he had to remember to breathe. For a few heart-stopping seconds, Makoto was terrified that he had overreached, had crossed some boundary that he had never been meant to. Just as he felt he couldn't take the silence anymore, Kyoko finally responded.
"Go ahead." Her voice was neutral. Carefully, deliberately, painfully, neutral.
"Kyo-"
"Mind you, I'm not saying this because I think it will work," Kyoko continued, "I'm saying this because I know it won't."
"R-right. Well…here goes nothing." Makoto said nervously and input the letters.
k y o k o k i r i g i r i
There was a brief second of silence as the computer processed the information, and then the room roared to life as the gap in the wall slid open with a groan.
Elation ran through his body as Makoto jumped up from where he'd been crouched in front of the laptop, a wild grin on his face. "It worked!" He spun around to Kyoko, "Kyoko, it wor-"
Any sense of accomplishment he felt drained out of him when he saw the wide eyes and pure, open shock on her face.
"Why…?" She whispered, staring ahead into the open room as if she couldn't comprehend what she was witnessing, "Why would he…?"
"Kyoko?" He ventured hesitantly, half-reaching out to her.
"..." The detective said nothing but stormed into the room with a dark expression on her face.
Compared to the elaborate, almost luxurious room preceding it, the bareness of the headmaster's secret room was even more apparent. It looked almost like a repurposed plumbing room, with all the pipes and valves sticking out. There were only three things of note.
The first, and most obvious, was the circular table where a present sat atop it. The moment Makoto laid eyes on it, an ominous sensation fell upon him, and he quickly pried his eyes away from it and to the desk nearby, where sheets of paper lay haphazardly atop it. Finally, his eyes swiveled to the other side of the room, where a dresser lay, and at the very top of it was a…
His eyes widened, "Kyoko…!" He called to her as he gingerly walked towards the framed picture atop the dresser.
It's worn and faded…this must have been taken a long time ago. He thought as he was vaguely aware of Kyoko's breath catching behind him. It was a picture of a black-haired man he'd never seen before, holding a child. The child in the picture couldn't have been more than 5 or 6, but even despite the age, he knew instantly who it was. There was only one person with that braided, lavender hair.
"Kyoko, Is that…" He said as he hesitantly turned around, not sure what he was expecting from her.
But he may as well not have spoken. Kyoko's full attention was on the picture. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as her hands hovered near her mouth as if trying to conceal her reaction. Then, as if remembering she wasn't alone, her hands lowered as she schooled her expression, but there was an edge to her face that she hadn't been able to erase.
"...I came here intending to cut myself free of the past," She said, staring intently, "And now I find this…What am I supposed to make of this?" She asked to no one in particular.
"That's….that's you, right?" Makoto asked, "Then that man is…"
"...My father, yes." Kyoko said, "Don't ask me why he kept this. I couldn't even begin to give you an answer."
I…I don't know what to say…He abandoned you, but then he used your name as a password to a secret room, and kept a framed picture of you when you were a child…Makoto looked down glumly, I'm sorry, Kyoko. I don't know the right thing to say here…
"I wanted to tell him myself, face to face…" Kyoko started again, oblivious to Makoto's internal turmoil, "To formally cut ties with him once and for all. And now I find this…" She sighed heavily, as if attempting to wrestle some semblance of control, "Even gone, he vexes me…" She chuckled humorlessly, "Has there ever been a worse father?"
"But…this is proof he did care, right?" Makoto said, trying not to wilt under Kyoko's sudden glare. He still didn't know what the right thing to say was, but he knew what he felt he needed to say. "I mean…if he really didn't care, then he wouldn't have done all this, right?"
Kyoko didn't respond. Her glare didn't lessen, either, but no words came from her mouth.
"R-right…I'll keep looking," Makoto broke first, averting his eyes and stepping away from the picture. Unconsciously, his feet took him towards the desk on the other side of the room.
The headmaster's desk…He thought with that sense of reverence he always had whenever he used to think of the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, only this time it was tempered by something else. Something a bit darker. There's probably a clue here, but I don't really wanna touch Kyoko's dad's desk without her permission…
As if sensing his thoughts (He really was an open book, wasn't he?) Kyoko said, "If you want to investigate there, just do it. I don't care what you do."
"R-really?"
"Don't let anything get in the way of an investigation. I don't."
Is that really true, though…? Makoto couldn't help but wonder, his eyes being drawn back towards the present box in the middle of the room. A box that Kyoko conspicuously hadn't opened yet. And yet, something's stopping you right now, isn't it? You must have felt it, too, right? That ominous feeling…
Regardless, Makoto turned his attention back to the desk. The papers themselves were useless, and the cabinets themselves didn't hold anything of value up until he checked the last one. Eyes widening, he quickly took the item out, holding it up in surprise.
"An E-handbook?" Makoto asked himself as he looked it over. On the bottom right corner was a label, "In case of emergency."
"That's likely an emergency handbook," Kyoko said, striding over, her face once again composed, "Its authority is likely unlimited, considering where we found it."
"Unlimited authority…Ah, so it can open any door!"
"That's my theory, at least," Kyoko confirmed.
Makoto frowned, "But Monokuma already unlocked every room in the school. So this doesn't seem very useful."
Kyoko smirked the way she did when he had missed something that was (to her) blindly obvious, "But rooms aren't the only things that are opened by E-handbooks. The lockers can also be opened by them. There's a room of lockers on this floor that we passed by. If my theory is correct, then we can open them with this."
"You're right!" Makoto exclaimed with a huge grin. He hadn't even thought of that, but of course Kyoko would! "Then this could be a huge help to our investigation! I didn't even think of that, you're amazing, Kyoko!"
"Don't sell yourself short, it was you who figured out the password, remember?" Kyoko replied with what seemed a genuine smile. "Anyway, why don't you hang on to it?"
"Huh? Me?"
"I don't need it." Was Kyoko's reply as she looked away, the smile fading.
"O-ok…" Makoto said as he slid the E-handbook into the folds of his jacket.
Is it really ok, though…?
In unison, the pair finally turned their attention to the elephant in the room. The large, cheerfully colored wrapped present box.
"I guess…I guess we should figure out what this is…" Makoto said hesitantly.
Kyoko was silent as she studied the box before saying, "Makoto…be careful."
"Careful…" He repeated, "Do you think it's dangerous?" He asked, mind flashing back to Mukuro's corpse exploding when they first found it.
"Dangerous? No, not really. But…I think it'll be surprising."
"Then you already know what's in there."
Kyoko's lips twisted into something grim, "I have…a hunch. Just…don't scream, ok?"
That just makes me even more nervous! Was Makoto's thoughts as he gingerly unwrapped the bow atop the box and opened it up.
The moment his eyes saw what was inside the box, he couldn't help it. He screamed.
"GWAAAH!" He stumbled back as his shaking eyes beheld the pile of bleach white human bones inside the box.
"...Just as I suspected." Kyoko's voice shook him out of his stupor, and he snapped his head in her direction.
"Suspected? So you…knew? But how?! Those are human bones!" He all but screamed, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"Well, I didn't expect bones specifically. But…I just had a feeling that it'd be his body."
And just like that, the adrenaline rushed out his system, replaced by an ice-cold sensation coursing through him.
His…body…?
"Then…you're saying that's…?"
"My father…yes." Kyoko continued. "Given the information we had, it's the only thing that made sense. Alter Ego said he was most likely still in the school, while Monokuma claimed that the only living people to have set foot in it since the killing game started were 16 students. His corpse being somewhere in the school was the only way those contradictory pieces of information could be reconciled."
Throughout the entire explanation, Kyoko sounded calm. Her face was perfectly composed. She spoke with a dispassionate voice, listing her reasoning and why and how she came to the conclusions she did.
It almost fooled Makoto.
If it hadn't been for their talk in the bathhouse an hour ago, it may have actually fooled him. If she had never bared all her regrets to him, if she had never bared her heart to him, it may have fooled him. But she had done those things. And because of that, Makoto understood.
Kyoko wasn't calm. She was only trying to appear so. Beneath those stoic eyes, she was desperately waging a war to contain her emotions, a war she was losing. He could see the tiny, minute tells that told him as much. Her teeth were gritted, her hands were gripping her arms. She spoke clinically, too clinically, as if she were actively detaching herself from the reality in front of her.
You wanted to be wrong, Makoto suddenly realized. You suspected it, but part of you wanted to be wrong. That's why, even though you had so many chances to, you never opened the box. Because you were afraid of being correct…
"Kyoko…" He muttered, taking a hesitant step forward.
"I'm sorry," She said suddenly, "I know I must seem emotionally compromised right now." She heaved a sigh as she tilted her head towards the floor, "Just give me a minute. I'll compose myself."
He realized with a start that Kyoko was actually being vulnerable right now. She wasn't disguising how this had all left her 'emotionally compromised' as she so put it.
"I don't understand…" She muttered, pressing a gloved hand to her forehead, "Why? Why did you…And now I'll never know…"
Makoto had the feeling that, had their conversation in the bathhouse not happened, she wouldn't be letting him see this side of her. She probably would have bottled it up or, failing that, forced him out while she dealt with the emotional fallout herself.
"Kyoko…" He started again, unsure of what to say. He knew he didn't want her to feel like she had to go through this alone, but struggled to put that into words. "I-I'm here, if you, um, need anything."
"...There's nothing you can do." Kyoko quietly replied, the pain evident in her voice. It was a response that hurt him, too. Her pain hurt him, but what hurt him most of all was the very obvious idea she had, the idea that she had to shoulder this alone. And he knew he couldn't take the pain away, but she was wrong that there was nothing he could do.
"I could hug you."
There was another bout of silence as Kyoko absorbed his words. And, again, he worried that he had overstepped. He knew Kyoko wasn't a physical person. Even with what had happened between them, he felt like this was an unprecedented step.
"I think I'd like that…" Kyoko whispered, almost silently, as if the admission was too much for her to bear.
Hesitantly, Makoto walked forward and, a bit awkwardly, wrapped his arms around her. The moment he made contact with her, she stiffened, like the very idea of physical contact was alien to her. After a few moments, though, as if remembering she had asked for it, Kyoko gradually began to relax in his embrace. She didn't move to return the gesture, instead simply standing and staring ahead as if she didn't know what to do.
"I don't understand…" She started suddenly, talking loud enough that Makoto could hear her, "He left. He abandoned me. So why did he use my name as the password? Why did he keep that photo?!" A strange mixture of anger and sorrow colored her voice as she spoke, "And now he's gone. I'll never get those answers."
"Kyoko…" Makoto murmured, unsure of what to say, "I'm sorry. I don't know what to do."
"...Just stay here." She responded, pressing her head forward into his shoulder. "Don't leave."
"I'm here," He whispered, snaking a hand around her head to hold her closer. "You're not alone, you know? You don't have to shoulder this all by yourself."
"...I'm used to doing that," Kyoko's voice was muffled by his jacket, "I don't know how to not be alone."
Oh, Kyoko…Makoto squeezed tighter, trying to convey everything he didn't know how to say in the hug, "Then I'll teach you," He said, a cheeky grin growing on his face, "Someone once told me I have a talent for bringing people together. That I'm like a magnet."
A muffled laugh came from Kyoko, who raised her head to meet him. "She sounds smart."
Makoto's eyes softened, "The smartest in the world…" He murmured. Then, feeling bold, he leaned forward and placed a small kiss on her forehead.
Kyoko's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and Makoto instantly felt a current of anxiety rush through him.
"Sorry, was that too much?"
A half-aborted laugh came from the detective in his arms as she sank her head again, "No, Makoto, you're fine. I just wasn't expecting it."
They lapsed into silence after that. No words were needed. Kyoko had made it clear what she wanted from him, after all. They just stood there, Kyoko resting her head against his shoulder while he held her gently. At some point, the hand that had been holding her head had started running up and down her hair in a soothing rhythm. Makoto wasn't entirely sure if Kyoko liked that, per se, but she hadn't complained, so he kept doing it.
Eventually, though, the moment had to end. Naturally, it was Kyoko who broke the embrace, pulling back from Makoto as he opened her arms up to let her.
"...I'm composed, now." Was all she said.
"Are you ok, though?" There was a difference between being composed and being ok.
"...No," Kyoko admitted, "I think it will be some time before I fully come to terms with everything."
"I mean, he's your dad, Kyoko," Makoto said, "It's reasonable to be upset about him dying."
"So you say," Kyoko responded, turning away from him, "More than that, he's left me with all these questions without answers and feelings that I don't know what to do with."
"When we get out of here, I think you should have a talk with your grandfather," Makoto suddenly said, "I think there's more to the story about your father than he told you."
"...Maybe." Kyoko conceded reluctantly, "But that can wait. For now, let's continue our investigation." She made to leave.
"Hey, Kyoko..." Makoto called, "I love you."
She stopped in her tracks, turning to him in confusion, "Not that I mind it, but where is this coming from?"
"I just...felt like you needed to hear it."
Her confusion turned into something gentler, her eyes softening, "...Thank you, Makoto. I..." She hesitated, "You too..."
He smiled, knowing what she had been trying to say, the grin not leaving even as she quickly turned and speed-walked away.
On the surface, it seemed as if little had happened, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they had grown considerably closer. It was as if the distance between them had shrunk considerably. He knew their relationship still had a long way to go, and that there were several more trials ahead of them, but, somehow, this little exchange had gone a long way to convincing him that things would work out after all.
He followed after her. There was work to do.