✧ Chapter 46 ✧
[ All the Gaps Inside My Heart ]
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[ Shuichi's PoV ]

Everything was shrouded in dark, ocean-blue light, so dark that I couldn't see my surroundings properly. With the loud sound of an annoying alarm blaring in my ears, I sat up from where I was lying on the cold tiled floor. The world tilted and shifted as I tried to get my bearings.

What .. was going on?

I looked at myself, feeling sore from lying in such a position. My arm had been propped up at an awkward angle; my legs numb. That's it.. my memories came rushing back to me. I had fallen back to sleep, my hand pressed against the cracked glass while dreaming about Ouma.

At least in my dreams.. he was happy, cheerful and hopeful. Just like his usual self before we meddled with Hope's Peak's mysteries. Was it all worth it? I recalled him telling me to trust him. But now that he wasn't here..

Do I still trust him? Of course I did. Somewhere, deep within myself, I believed he would be alright, and would remember me.

I didn't want to cry any more.. I was done crying for those I've lost.

Slowly getting up from the floor, I used the glass to help support my weight. My feet ached, tiny pinpricks of electricity-like shivers running across my skin as blood circulated. Using my left hand, I smoothed down the hospital gown I was wearing, and looked at my bare feet.

Strange. I don't even remember changing into my current clothes. Additionally, I couldn't seem to recall when was the last time I took a shower.

Anyway, I had to find out what was going on. Why were the lights now a strange blue hue instead of their usual dull orange? And that alarm.. was someone breaking in or out of the Hospital? If so.. I hoped that they were able to escape. Since who in their right mind would want to enter this hell?

Ouma might..

I found myself thinking about him once again. What was he doing? How was his life like at the Academy without me? Probably on his quest to find some Panta to drink, or annoying the other students. But even if he broke into the Hospital, why should he? He lost all his memories about me.

Thinking about him just made my heart ache once again. It used to do so, all the time when I was still at the school. When he touched my hand, or looked at me in the eyes, I found myself brushing away the feelings of affection because I was.. well. Scared.

Scared of falling in love and getting the one I love taken away from me.

The light from under the door flickered, catching my attention, and making me slowly press my back against the glass. A shadow stood there, blocking the light. Whoever it is, they were too tall to be a Monokub. My eyes darted to the lock, as the card reader turned green and the door swung open.

I heard myself take a sharp breath, seeing the silhouette by the door. It was one of those people. The ones wearing those black hoodies. The ones who recruited Kaede and in the end.. she died for them. Were they called.. the Remnants of Love?

I didn't know if I should either run up to the person and give them a punch to the face, or just collapse onto the floor with exhaustion. So far, I was thinking about the second option, but Ouma and Kaede wouldn't want me to give up so easily.

I stared at the person, who was glaring back at me. Behind the shadow of the hood, I saw that they seemed to have glowing red irises. No.. wait. The way they stood seemed vaguely familiar. And.. my eyes were drawn to the bead bracelet circled around the person's wrist.

Only one person I knew of had that same bracelet.

"Maki?" I whispered, unable to believe it. The red eyes narrowed slightly, as the person pulled off their hoodie.

"It seems like you don't trust me well enough, Shuichi," The Ultimate Assassin remarked quietly, "Save the talk for later, we have to go now."

Maki didn't look like herself, since her usual, long dark-brown hair was now cut short. Instead of her hair tied to two low twintails, it was now straightened and barely touching her shoulders. Her bangs was choppy and one part of it seemed to have been cut off abruptly. With her black hoodie, usual pleated skirt, striking black leather boots, she had a noticeable change.

"Shuichi," she spoke again, this time sounding impatient, making me snap out of my thoughts, "We have to go. They're waiting."

She swiftly stepped forward and grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards the door. Her grip around my wrist didn't relax, even as she started running down the hallway. The assassin seemed to know where she was going.

"Wait.. why are you here? Weren't you taken away-?" I started to say when I was silenced by her look of coldness. Around us, the alarms continued to blare, making it difficult to hear her response.

"I came here for personal reasons, that's all you need to know." she replied simply, turning left and opening a door with her shoulder. We stumbled through, and came to a flight of stairs which lead both up and down. Dust covered the floor, with a couple of cobwebs in the corner. It was obvious that the stairs had not been used in a very long time..

The girl didn't hesitate to start moving down the stairs, with me in tow. It was slightly difficult, since the chain was still around my neck, and I have not run in a long time. My legs shook, but I didn't want to give up now. To distract myself, I tried to ask more questions again.

"But you came to the hospital before me-."

"Personal reasons."

Her reply as cold, as always, but something in her expression seemed upsetting. She looked like she had experienced a grief so deep, it had traumatised her. I wonder what happened..

"Maki, tell me," I insisted, even though I knew she would probably kill me for pressuring her, "What happened? I'm your friend-." I nearly tripped, but Maki held out her arm to hold me back. She paused for just a moment, allowing me to take a few gasps for air. She didn't seem winded, but that was expected from a fit person like her.

"What was Monokuma's reason for my arrest?" she questioned, gripping the railing with her hand. Her nails scraped off the peeling white paint, but she didn't seem to care. She was waiting for my reply.

I frowned, using the railing as a support, "You.. didn't report about Fuyuhiko and Pekoyama's kiss." There was a pause as Maki seemed to process my hesitant reply.

"Good," she finally announced with an air of bitterness, "That was my intention. I still feel guilty for their kiss, but at least they're.. in a better place now."

"In a better place-?" I repeated, feeling my heart plummet as the words left my lips. My hands felt cold and clammy, despite the coolness of our surroundings, "You mean-?"

In front of me, Maki's grip tightened on the railing as we started to run once more. "I came here with an intention in mind. An idea, that idiotic gremlin himself, presented. He told me to get admitted to the Hospital to find out its secrets. However, what both of us didn't foresee, was Momota's fate."

I nearly tripped again, but I was holding onto the railing so I didn't fall, "Kaito? What does he have to do with-."

"Kaito Momota," she interrupted, as we passed Level 38. "He was used in experiment, which has become successful. The new and improved Reverse Serum, which was used on Ouma as well."

"It had no faults whatsoever. The entire process of erasing the infected lover's mind was quick. They tested it on Kaito till.. they made him into nothing."

Her tremble in her voice made me think she was about to cry. But I knew Maki.. she, like Ouma, never liked to cry in front of anyone. I suspected it was because of pride. Or they just didn't want to show any signs of weakness. "Is Kaito dead then?" I asked, feeling my legs shake as I became breathless and slightly dizzy, "Where is he?"

Honestly.. I have not thought about Kaito in a very long time. After that day when Keebo arrived back at the Academy, after I told Kaede to think Kaito as.. deceased.. I felt like I had finally accepted that fact that he was really and truly dead.

But now here he was, the topic of Maki and I's conversation.

The assassin didn't reply, even as we ran past a sign which read, Level 27. The soles of my feet were really starting to hurt, especially after running on hard concrete ground for at least ten minutes.

"After I was arrested, two people saved me." she spoke again.

My gaze fixed onto the black hoodie she was wearing. Was she really talking about the Remnants of Love? Now? My heart ached, remembering Kaede's quick death. I still couldn't.. believe her passing. The way she was brutally stabbed. Or how she was.. finally put out of her misery by Rantaro.

"They broke me out of the room I was in and led me to a place where... others like us were gathered. Remnants. I'm forbidden to tell you who the leaders are, for your safely, but I'm sure once you meet the other members of the group, you'll recognise them."

I'll recognise them? Did Maki mean that I actually knew the Remnants of Love? They were right under my nose the entire time, just like the Monokuma traitors? Who was the good side? Who was the bad?

I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I didn't hear Maki take in a quick breath and shout, "Move!"

A sharp sting on pain flared across my cheek as my foot slipped on the stair. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as I registered the weapon hitting the wall. A knife was thrown at me? "Shuichi!" I heard Maki exclaim as I rolled down the seemingly endless flight of stairs and collapse to the ground. Dust billowed around my body as I struggled to breathe.

"Ugh.." Pain. Blinding white hot pain.

I raised my head, just as someone stepped on my back. I winced, trying to see my attacker through the haze. Damnit.. how far did I fall?! The figure looked down with a wide smile, their faint magenta eyes staring back at me.

"..."

I hated him.

"You just.. can't seem to die.." I heard myself whisper hoarsely at Rantaro, who was holding me down with his foot. "I can say the same about you, Saihara." the low voice replied to me as he raised a knife.

He looked really messed up, his entire face was covered with cuts and one of his eyes were swollen shut. Scratches covered the length of his arms; but what was most horrifying was his entire existence right in front of me. He was supposed to be dead.

Before I could react, he kicked me closer to the edge of the second flight of stairs. I stared at the stairs, using my hands to try to stop myself from falling. Somehow, I knew I wasn't going to survive if I rolled down another set of stairs.

"Take one more step," I heard Maki speak up to Rantaro, "I'll kill you where you stand." I turned to her, surprised to see that she had pulled her hoodie up to cover her identity. In her hands, she held up two knives, as sharp as her words.

"There's no need to hide who you really are, traitor." Rantaro didn't lower his knife as he spat out the words, "In fact, I'll kill you." Before I could react, the green haired male flung his knife at Maki.

The girl dodged the knife easily and flung her own at Rantaro, who reeled backwards. I took a gasp for air, when the pressure on my back was released. "I'm the Ultimate Assassin, Rantaro," Maki pulled her hoodie back, her eyes as stormy as the ocean at its worst, "I don't think you expected that."

Rantaro's eyes suddenly widened, obviously afraid of the girl but he didn't seem to want to back down. "You.. you're the one who escaped." His expression shifted to mild humour as he pulled out yet another knife from his belt, "He's dead because of you."

"He's not dead," Maki held her knife up at eye level, pointing it straight at the Monokuma-hoodie wearing traitor. "You are."

Rantaro glared at her and, using his other hand, he pulled the dagger out of his shoulder, blood spilling from the wound.

He grasped the wound, his knuckles turning white as he applied pressure. But it didn't do much, since Maki attacked without hesitation, moving forward so swiftly, I thought she had turned invincible. "Stay dead.. Traitor." she slashed the knife upwards, knocking the blade out of Amami's hand. I jolted backwards, avoiding the knife which fell to the floor with a dull sound.

The green haired teenager's eyes widened as he tripped backwards. Maki used her elbow and hit his head, before pinning him to the grimy floor. With a flash of silver from the assassin's knife, the Ultimate Adventurer, now had a knife planted directly over his once beating heart.

"..." Maki stared down at him, as the traitor finally stopped moving. I watched from the floor as her shoulders relaxed. Breathing heavily, the Assassin bowed her head and not making eye contact with me..

Rantaro was finally dead. For good.

His death was too painless compared to those who fell before him. But this was how the world worked, right? The ones who deserved hell, died too painlessly. The ones who didn't..

Died too slowly.

♥ End of Chapter Forty-Six ♥