Chapter 51: Graduation Day
*Part 2*

~Third Person POV~ Sonia had told them Leon was dead.

Murdered, killed in the hall. Left for dead. Laying in a pool of his own blood.

She had no idea who did it, or how, or when it happened.

She was in utter shock.

Everyone was, really.

But none more than Sayaka.

"No, no," Sayaka shook her head, tears in her eyes. "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! It can't be true! Y-You're wrong...! I-I talked to him this morning!!! H-He c-can't be...! NO, IT'S NOT TRUE...!!! I won't accept it!!!"

No one really knew who to react to Sonia's declaration.

But everyone knew it felt wrong to say Leon was... was dead.

Although everyone was feeling sad and horrified and confused, the next emotion on the list was panic.

"What are we gonna do?! This is has never happened to us before!!!" Hina exclaimed, panicked. "What happens next?! Does this mean there's some insane guy that's murdering people in our school?! Do we call the police?!"

"I don't know what we do now!" Erin said. "But we need to do something...!"

"Like what?!" Ibuki shouted, who had been silent about it up until now.

"I've got it!" June said.

"What? What have you got?" Sonia asked her.

"We go to the surveillance room! You know, the room with all the security cameras! They must've caught something! If we go in there and catch the guy on tape that did this, we can then call the police and give an accurate description!" June explained.

"But what if the guy is... is still here...?" Kyouko asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"We'll have to be really careful, then." June said.

"June's right. I say we do this," Erin said. "And Leon... he'd... he'd want us to..."

Everyone else silently nodded in agreement, and Sayaka was completely quiet and didn't say or do anything.

June gave a firm nod. "Okay," she said, determined. "let's go."

So they ran out of the dorm room, then out of the dorm building, into the main building, where the surveillance room was located.

When they arrived, the door, surprisingly, was already open.

Erin gave it no thought as she yanked it open wider and they all stepped inside.

The sight they saw was enough to make anyone's blood curdle.

The bodies of three security guards, laying on the floor in a large pool of blood.

All dead.

June gasped and looked away. Sayaka doubled over and gagged. Tears easily escaped Sonia's eyes and she sobbed loudly. Erin simply turned away, covering her eyes, not allowing herself to look any longer. Ibuki jumped and screeched in surprise. Hina let out a horrified cry and clung to Kyouko, who shut her eyes tightly while holding Hina close.

After a couple of seconds of terrifying silence and surprise, Kyouko slowly drifted away from Hina and approached the bodies, leaning down to inspect them closely.

Her eyes glazed over the several bullet holes that were punched in each of their bodies.

She stood up after a minute of inspecting them, and swallowed hard. "They've... they've been shot..." she muttered, and everyone else gasped once more.

"Do you... do you think this is how... how Leon..." Sayaka said, but she couldn't bring herself to finish the rest of the sentence, as she was cut off by the choking sound of her own sobs.

"Maybe we can go through the footage and see... see what happened." Kyouko suggested.

June nodded. "Y-Yeah," she said, still shocked at all the dead bodies around her. "Um, yeah. Sure," She then bent down to level with all the computers that showed almost every room and hall in Hope's Peak. She eventually came across one that showed Leon laying on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding him. June gasped. "Th-This one... I-It's this one..."

Sayaka immediately shook her head, her sad eyes fixed on the computer with Leon on it. Her eyes began to water. "No. You guys can, but I'm NOT watching Leon being... being..." More tears filled her eyes before she faced away from the computer screen.

Kyouko bent down to level with the computers along with June before taking the mouse in her hand. "I'm going to play the footage back... But, remember, I'm not Chihiro Fujisaki..."

She began to toy around with the keyboard and its keys, pressing random ones at will. Eventually, some time later, the footage began to backtrack.

"Here!" Kyouko said when it got to the spot where Leon was alone in the hallway, headed somewhere. She paused it there. "This is it..."

"Do we...?" Ibuki asked, her voice trailing off.

"I... think we have to..." Erin said. Then, hesitantly, she reached forward and pushed what they all assumed to be the "play" button.

The scene on the computer screen immediately came to life; Leon walked down the hall, nothing unusual.

Unfortunately for them, the surveillance camera didn't have any sound, so they couldn't hear what was happening. But a few seconds into Leon's trip, he suddenly stopped walking and stood still, like he was listening for something.

Then they all watched as his lips began to move; he was talking to someone who was yet to appear on the screen.

And suddenly, they did. However, their back was to the surveillance camera, so they couldn't see their face.

Leon turned around to face "whoever it was" standing before him, and his eyes immediately widened and his jaw dropped a bit.

They talked for a bit, Leon's eyes still widened in surprise, before Leon suddenly glared at the person. He was angry, as he seemed to now be snapping at the person.

Talking went on again and suddenly Leon's eyes widened, surprised. Then he glared again and began shouting.

A few more seconds of that, and Leon looked like he was glaring and shouting harder at the person.

Next, the "mystery person" began to talk. However, not long into their sentence, their hand reached into their jacket and pulled out a gun.

The girls all gasped.

Leon's eyes widened at the weapon, obviously surprised.

More words were exchanged between the two, before Leon suddenly looked genuinely scared and took one step back. More talking.

A couple of seconds later, Leon was talking again, and he seemed angry again, full-on glaring at the person with the gun in their hand and snapping at them again.

Immediately after Leon finished talking that time, the person didn't hesitate to lift the gun and point it straight at Leon's chest.

The girls' eyes all widened as more tears threatened to escape. Although Sayaka said she wasn't going to watch, she ended up watching anyway, her eyes yet again filling with tears.

Leon and the person talked some more before Leon's eyes widened again, once again surprised.

A little more talking before Leon once again glared the person down, and the words he spoke next, although they were lost to the girls, seemed filled with the most venom and hatred.

Mere seconds passed and all too quickly, the person pulled the trigger on their gun, and it went off.

Leon's body gave a sudden jerk before the girls gasped and watched in horror as blood appeared on the front of Leon's shirt. Leon's eyes widened once again before he stumbled a bit and the impact of the shot left him spinning and falling on the floor on the spot of his body where he was shot.

Sayaka cried out, which sounded like something between a gasp and a choke. Her lips quivered as a flood-load of tears escaped her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

And then she was sobbing and howling, as if she was in the worst pain in her entire life, as if she was the one who had been shot.

The way she was feeling, she might as well have been.

"LEON!" she howled, her shoulders shaking violently. "LEON, NO!!!"

Her friends immediately left the computer and went to comfort her, tears also running down their faces.

Eventually, Sayaka was crying so hard she felt she could hardly breathe. However, somehow she was able to get out a few words.

She sobbed and hiccupped, her eyes now red and puffy. "L-L-Leon is d-d-dead!!!" Her words were studdered as she tried her best to get them out. "M-M-My boyfriend i-i-is dead!!!"

Her friends tried their best to calm her down, while also trying their best to cope with the fact that one of their best friends was dead--not only dead, but murdered. Right in front of their eyes.

June's tear-filled eyes were still locked on the computer screen, where the shooter was talking to Leon's body, like he was toying with him. June's eyes immediately narrowed; it made her sick to see that someone had murdered her friend and was now happy about it.

Sayaka's cries continued as suddenly June's phone buzzed. She absent-mindedly pulled it out of one of her graduation robe's large pockets. She had gotten a text.

When her eyes drifted to the name of who it was from, she just stared.

It was from Leo.

Kyouko noticed June and approached her. "Good idea, June, call 911. We certainly need it." she said.

June slowly shook her head. "I... I got a text..." she mumbled.

Kyouko frowned. "From who?" she questioned.

June swallowed. "From Leo."

Kyouko read the text over her shoulder with her.

Leo: I told you something big would be going down soon. What better day than today, Graduation Day? I warned you all, my love. I hope you all were prepared; Leon was just the beginning. Soon, Byakuya won't be a problem either. I'm coming for you, June. Be ready.

Both June and Kyouko's jaws dropped. They both looked back at the computer screen just in time to see Leon's shooter begin to turn away from his body.

Soon, he was completely facing the camera, his face exposed. Not only that, but he eyed the security camera and smirked, evil dancing in his eyes.

In Leo's eyes.

June and Kyouko immediately gasped and June stopped the footage when they recognized Leo's face smirking up at them.

That got their friends' attention.

"W-What...?" Hina was almost too afraid to ask the question.

June didn't have any words; she just simply pointed at the computer screen, her eyes widened.

Her friends all made their way over to the computer. They all gasped upon seeing Leo. Sayaka just cried harder.

"Oh my God..." Erin exclaimed, who seemed to speak for everyone in the room.

"Leo..." Sonia murmured.

"Those texts," June swallowed, trying her best to form a coherent sentence. "the ones we've all been getting lately... they're from... they're from Leo...," She showed her phone to everyone, which still displayed the text. "H-He warned us... In fact, he's been warning us for awhile now... He warned me at the Spring Fling... but I didn't listen... This is my fault..."

Erin immediately put an arm around her sister. "Don't you dare say that, June! This is NOT your fault! You didn't know Leo would go... psycho and... and shoot up our school!" she said. "And, besides, you told all of us about what Leo said to you at the Spring Fling, and we agreed with you that he was just bluffing; so, if it's your fault, then we're all to blame for underestimating Leo."

"He planned this... He planned all of this," June realized. "He knew we'd eventually come in here... Why else do you think he'd smile up at the camera and murder these innocent guards?"

Kyouko nodded. "You're right; he definitely planned this. In fact, I've been analyzing Leo ever since the first day I met him--that's what I do, I analyze people. He wasn't hard to analyze. He's patient, careful, organized, a planner... He's been planning this for awhile now." she said.

Sonia shuddered. "W-What are we gonna d-do...???" she gulped.

Hina immediately snatched June's phone out of her hand. "Uh, call 911, obviously." she stated before she began dialing the number.

"Well... while we wait for the police to show up, what do we do?" Ibuki asked.

"I say the best course of action would be to be proactive; we need to warn everyone about what's happening. And then, we need to get ourselves out of here." Kyouko said.

Sayaka, who felt she couldn't possibly cry anymore, as she had run out of tears to shed, sniffled in a nearby corner. "What's the point? We're all sitting ducks anyway. Besides, no life is worth living without Leon in it..."

"What if Leo gets Byakuya too?!" June said, horrified. "What if... what if Byakuya ends up like... like Leon?! The text said Leo was after Byakuya!" More tears immediately ran down her face.

"Look, both of you need to calm down!" Erin said before she went to the two of them and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Look, I know we've all already been through a lot, especially you, Sayaka... but that doesn't mean we give up and let that sick bastard hunt us down! NO WAY! I would like to graduate high school before I die! Besides," She turned to Sayaka. "Leon would want you to be safe and fight and move on with your life. You know that!" Then she turned to June. "And, June, he won't get Byakuya. Byakuya is smart. In fact, the only reason Leon was... you know... was because he was caught by surprise. I'm sure wherever Byakuya is, he already is aware with the crisis at hand and has already called 911 like we have."

June sniffled and wiped her tears away. "Y-You're right... Byakuya is smart...! A-Anyway, it does no one any good to think of the worst-possible outcome..." she said.

Erin nodded at her sister before she looked to Sayaka once more. "Sayaka?"

Sayaka, like June, sniffled. "I-I... I know you're right th-that... that Leon would want me to survive and move on... b-but...," She sniffled some more, and she almost cried out. "He... he told me he loved me. Th-This morning, he told me... He told me he loved me, and then he goes and... and dies...? W-What a jerk...! Who does that?" Soon, she surprised herself as multiple tears yet again streaked down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. "I loved him! I loved him so fucking much...!"

June wrapped her arms around her grieving friend and hugged her close. "I know you did, Sayaka; we all loved Leon. And, he loved you too. He'd want us all to survive," She stood up. "So, that's exactly what we're going to do; we're going to go around the school and warn all our classmates and teachers! Unfortunately, they're all either in the locker rooms or their dorm rooms getting ready, or in the auditorium setting up! And all those places are far from where Leon was... was shot... therefore we can assume no one heard because they were too far away. So we'll have to travel around the school a bit, all while being extremely careful NOT to run into Leo."

Sayaka, still sniffling and crying, managed a small yet determined nod. "Y-You're right, J-June," she stood up, wiping her tears away as best as she could. "Leon would want me to survive--he'd want us all to survive. So, let's honor his wishes; he'd want that."

Erin put a hand on Sayaka's shoulder. "Exactly," she said just as Hina finished up the call to 911, giving them all a nervous thumbs-up. "Now, let's go give that Leo bastard a run for his money."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where's Leon?"

Once the question was asked, the boys realized Leon had been gone for awhile.

"You know what... I haven't seen him since he said he would be back after his dentist appointment..." Makoto said as he, Byakuya, and Ishimaru all made their way down to the auditorium after getting dressed in their Graduation Day robes and hats.

"I haven't seen him since lunch..." Byakuya said, and Ishimaru nodded.

"Same here." he agreed.

"He was supposed to meet us in the boys' locker room after we all changed into our graduation robes... He never showed up..." Makoto said.

"He's probably just late, that's all." Byakuya said.

"But, wouldn't he text us and tell us he'd be late...?" Ishimaru questioned.

Makoto shrugged. "Maybe his phone is dead." he suggested.

Ishimaru and Byakuya both nodded. "You're probably right." they both said together.

Makoto smiled. "Anyway, are we ready to graduate, or what???" he said excitedly, pumping a fist in the air.

Byakuya nodded again. "Yes; I'm more than ready. Because that means I get to propose to June..." He swallowed nervously.

Ishimaru clasped a hand on Byakuya's shoulder. "It shall be alright, fellow classmate! Do not be nervous! June will be extremely surprised and delighted and she will say yes!" he said.

Byakuya sighed. "I hope so. I spent two weeks planning how everything is going to go! I just hope it all goes according to plan..." he said, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Don't worry, Byakuya--it will." Makoto said, and Byakuya smiled.

"Thanks, guys; that means a lot." he said.

Makoto smiled. "Of course; that's what friends are for."

Byakuya smiled yet again before he looked around the halls of Hope's Peak for probably the last time. After he and his friends all graduated, they'd all leave Hope's Peak to pursue their talents and dreams. Byakuya, for one, would immediately begin training to officially take over the entire Togami Corp., his family's successful million-dollar company--it was his dream to take it over since he was a young boy.

And soon that dream would become a reality, along with the dream of making the love of his life his fiancé, and eventually his wife.

Byakuya beamed at the thought of it all; his life would be perfect. He could hardly wait.

His eyes took in the familiar interior of the school which he spent two years in, and where most of his important milestones of his life had taken place; he had made friends here, he had rediscovered love here, he had gotten a wonderful girlfriend here, he had made love to said girlfriend here, and soon he would propose to the love of his life here asking her marry him and be his wife.

As Byakuya gazed over the halls, his eyes suddenly caught something.

The open door to the surveillance room.

And not only that, but a person's leg sticking out through the opening, like they were passed out on the floor.

Byakuya's eyes widened slightly before he nudged Makoto and Ishimaru. "Look." he said.

His friends both turned their heads to see the door to the surveillance room open and the leg sticking out through the opening.

Ishimaru snorted. "Ha. Security guards--always falling asleep on the job...," he said, shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

"Maybe...," Byakuya muttered, starting toward the surveillance room. "But something doesn't feel... right..."

Makoto and Ishimaru gave each other a look before they followed Byakuya to the slightly-open door of the surveillance room.

Byakuya propped his hand against the door and pushed it open more...

The sight before them nearly made them all double over and scream.

The dead bodies of three security guards, all laying on the ground in pools of blood, bullet holes punched through their clothing making the cause of death obvious.

Byakuya's mouth fell open in surprise, slack. Makoto gasped in terror. Ishimaru immediately shouted and jumped back at the horrors before him.

It was Makoto who finally spoke. "Oh... my God..." he muttered, still in utter shock.

"Good Lord..." Byakuya gaped at it all.

"I-Is... is all that... bl-blood...?" Ishimaru's entire face paled over, feeling as if he would faint.

They all stepped inside and slowly, horrified, looked around at the ghastly scene.

"What... what on earth happened here...?" Makoto gulped, trying his best to avert his eyes from the bodies of the guards.

"I... I don't know..." Ishimaru mumbled, feeling sick to his stomach.

Byakuya's eyes landed on the computer monitors that were connected to the security cameras. One of the computers' screens, he saw, had recently been viewed and played back. He stepped closer to take a better look, and what he saw made his eyes widen even wider as he let out a loud and shocked gasp.

Makoto and Ishimaru immediately rushed over to him. "What's wrong?!" they both shouted.

Byakuya just pointed at the computer screen.

Makoto and Ishimaru looked down, and what they saw caused their eyes to widen more as well as they also gasped.

The scene was on pause, Leo looking up at the security camera and smirking, holding a gun in his hand, and Leon's body behind him on the ground in a pool of blood.

"Is that... is that Leon?!" Ishimaru said, almost too terrified to ask the question.

The question was somewhat rhetorical, though, because they all knew it was Leon.

"N-No...! It can't be...!" Makoto said, horrified.

Byakuya swallowed hard. "But it is," he said, a grim expression on his face. "And, take a look at who's standing right in front of him..."

Makoto and Ishimaru's eyes immediately darted to the spot on the computer screen where Leo was smirking up at the camera. Their eyes widened yet again as they gasped yet again.

"Is that LEO?!" Ishimaru gaped, staring straight at Leo.

"Y-Yes... Yes it is..." Makoto gulped, completely stunned.

"Does this mean... the same thing that happened to these guys," Ishimaru said, nodding his head at the deceased security guards, shivering. "also happened... to Leon...?"

"Had to have," Byakuya said, pointing again at the computer screen. "Leo's holding a gun, Leon is laying behind him in a pool of blood, and these security guards have obviously been shot. There's NO WAY that's ALL a coincidence!"

"That means... th-there's a shooter in our school!!!" Ishimaru panicked.

"Oh no!!! Don't you get what else this means?!" Makoto gasped, also panicking. "Leo's gone mad and is shooting up the entire school and all our classmates! This is terrible!!! We have to warn the girls! They're all heading down to the auditorium right now, clueless on this grave emergency!!!"

Byakuya was about to immediately agree, when his eyes shifted down to the desk where the computers were all lined up on. On the desk, laid a cell phone.

Byakuya picked it up. "Something tells me they already know," he said, waving the phone around. "This is June's phone, which means they've all probably already been here. They all probably already ran into Leo earlier before we found out and headed down to the surveillance room to try and see if the cameras caught it all on tape, which they did." He began typing in the password to get into June's phone.

When he was done, the phone unlocked, displaying the last thing that was on the screen; an ended call to 911.

"They called 911." Makoto observed, he and Ishimaru both looking over Byakuya's shoulder.

"June must've forgotten her phone in here--she's always forgetting her phone and leaving it in places," Byakuya said before he exited out of the call and suddenly came across June's texts. "It seems June received a text just minutes earlier..." He opened it up and Makoto and Ishimaru joined him in reading it aloud.

"'I told you something big would be going down soon. What better day than today, Graduation Day? I warned you all, my love. I hope you all were prepared; Leon was just the beginning. Soon, Byakuya won't be a problem either. I'm coming for you, June. Be ready,'" they all read together, their eyes widened in horror and surprise. "Leo."

"Oh my God...," Makoto mumbled, still in shock with Ishimaru and Byakuya. "So Leo's actually doing this..."

"He is," Byakuya swallowed, shaking his head, his eyes narrowed. "Crazy bastard... Then again, I'm willing to bet all my money that all those 'mystery texts' have been coming from him; he said something big was going down, after all... He's actually been warning us for awhile now."

"Oh my God... This is crazy! Leon... Leon is dead, Leo's gone crazy and is shooting up Hope's Peak, and there are three security guards dead at our feet..." Ishimaru shuddered.

"W-What do we do now?" Makoto asked the question of the day.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Byakuya said, gripping June's phone in his hand. "We go find the girls and warn our classmates. Then by then hopefully the police would've already arrived and they can shoot down Leo and we can all get through today with our lives. Leo already took Leon, we WON'T let him take anyone else!"

Makoto nodded, agreeing. "Byakuya's right; that bastard's bothered us long enough. It's time for him to face the music." he said.

"You're right," Ishimaru said, nodding his head toward the doorway. "Let's go."

More determined than ever, the boys all left the surveillance room on the search for their friends.

Eventually, the boys found themselves hiking all around the school, searching every nook and cranny for their classmates and friends.

By now, Makoto was sweating and breathing heavily. "Do you guys see anyone yet?" he asked.

Byakuya and Ishimaru both grimly shook their heads.

Makoto sighed. "Wonderful..."

"Well, we have to keep looking; we CAN'T give up! I won't give up. Not while June's still out here, a target for Leo! I don't care what it takes--I WILL get June back. And until I do, I will NEVER give up." Byakuya said seriously, gripping June's phone even tighter.

"Same goes with me; Erin is out there as well! And I will most definitely NOT give up on her!" Ishimaru said, just as determined as Byakuya.

"You're both right," Makoto agreed. "Plus, Kyouko's out there too, and I definitely CAN'T let her down either."

Byakuya gave a firm nod. "Then let's keep going."

So they did. They walked and searched endlessly around Hope's Peak, hoping and praying to find their friends.

"Remember," Ishimaru spoke up. "Leo could be anywhere, so we've got to be very careful...!"

Byakuya and Makoto nodded, very intent on following Ishimaru's advice, when suddenly...

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

Byakuya, Makoto, and Ishimaru immediately stopped walking and froze. They slowly turned around to meet the face of the person who called out to them.

Teruteru Hanamura stood before them, his arms crossed, an irritated look on his face. "I've been looking all over for you people! The graduation ceremony is starting soon and you three, plus Leon and the girls, are the only people missing! Not only that, but there are police cars outside the school, and an ambulance too! Several angry parents are waiting outside demanding to be let in! Why isn't anyone letting them in??? It's Graduation Day. The parents are supposed to be here! And the police--what are the police even doing here??? What the hell is happening?! I'm helping set up the auditorium for literally ten minutes and suddenly everything is thrown into chaos...!"

Makoto swallowed and looked down, avoiding Teruteru's questioning gaze. "Teruteru... I don't... really know how to... Um..." His voice trailed off.

Teruteru's eyes narrowed. "Well?" He was starting to get impatient and restless.

"Don't you worry," a voice suddenly called out. "You don't have to tell him, because I'll be more than glad to do it myself."

Everyone froze where they stood before they all turned around.

To face none other than Leo Gonzalez.

Byakuya's eyes immediately narrowed, casting a cold and hard glare Leo's way. "Fuck you, Gonzalez," he hissed, the anger apparent in his tone. "Fuck you. You killed innocent people, you killed my friend; murdered him in cold blood without so much as a second thought, left him for dead in the hall to drown in his own blood. And now you think you can take my girlfriend--my love--away from me? Well, listen here, you sick son of a bitch, because you've got another fucking thing coming," He took a threatening step toward Leo. "I will kill you where you stand."

Leo immediately lifted his gun and pointed it at Byakuya. He chuckled coldly. "Now, I wouldn't, if I were you; I am the guy with the gun, after all. I don't think it would be very wise to threaten me." he told Byakuya, a sick smile twisted on his face.

Teruteru's eyes widened as he took a shaky step back. "L-Leo?! What the hell?!" His eyes drifted down to the gun. "Holy shit... Is that a GUN?! What the hell is happening right now?! Why won't anyone tell me?! And what's this about a dead friend?!"

"Oh, just that your little friend Leon thought he could stand up to me and deny me my girlfriend, like Byakuya here," Leo turned the gun over in his hands, toying with it. "I made a quick example out of Leon. Now, I suggest someone here tells me where I can find June, or I'll be forced to make examples out of you all. What's it going to be?"

Teruteru's face paled over. "Wh-What is he talking about...?" he mumbled, a shiver running down his spine. "Byakuya, what does he mean?"

"Enough chit-chat!" Leo snapped, leveling the gun at Teruteru now. "Now, tell me what I need to know."

Ishimaru took a step forward, fear clear on his face, but also determination. "Go to hell," he spat before he gave Leo a hard shove, causing him to stumble. Then Ishimaru started to run the opposite direction. "What are you guys waiting for?! Run!"

Byakuya and the others didn't have to think twice before they sprang and ran as fast as they could go, Teruteru now running with them.

They ran and kept running as they heard Leo curse behind them and start after them.

They heard gunshots ring out behind them.

Leo was shooting at them. Fortunately, he kept missing them by a hair.

Until, he didn't.

Leo shot once more and this time the bullet made contact.

With Teruteru's ankle.

Teruteru immediately cried out in pain as he felt the bullet slice through his skin. He fell to the ground with a yelp.

Makoto and Ishimaru stopped running and fell back to haul Teruteru to his feet, supporting him by both arms. They began running again, Teruteru limping as fast as he could.

Eventually, they had put distance between themselves and Leo, enough distance to try and find a place to hide.

"Here!" Makoto exclaimed as his eyes locked on to the door to a closet. "In here!"

He yanked the door open and they all rushed inside, Ishimaru pushing Teruteru in last before he too shot inside before slamming the door shut.

They stayed quiet, not so much as breathing.

A few silent seconds later, they heard running footsteps pass the door and then fade away completely.

Only when it was truely silent, did they all begin to breathe and pant.

"The bastard shot me." Teruteru hissed as the pain from the fresh wound coursed through his entire foot and ankle.

"Oh shit... What are we supposed to do about that???" Makoto gulped. "None of us are doctors...!"

Byakuya gripped on to the bottom of his robe and ripped a piece of the clothing off before he wrapped it around Teruteru's ankle, Teruteru hissing in pain while he did so. "We'll just have to settle for this for now. Once we get to the police, we can call an ambulance to take care of Teruteru." he said.

"Okay," Makoto said, out of breath. "Good. So, what do we do now?"

Byakuya looked at him. "We find the girls and get the hell out of here alive."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

June, along with the rest of the girls, ran all throughout the halls of Hope's Peak, hoping by some stroke of luck to run into the boys or any of their classmates.

"Look!" Erin said, pointing. "It's... it's Mikan!"

Everyone stopped running and their heads immediately whipped around to where Erin was pointing to see one of their classmates, Mikan Tsumiki.

They all ran up to her, and June called out to her.

"Mikan!"

Mikan spun around, shocked to see the appearance of June and her friends, especially Sonia, whose robe was covered in what appeared to be blood.

"There you girls are! I've been looking all over for you all! There are police outside the school and several angry parents!" Mikan said before her eyes landed on Sonia before she gasped. "Oh my goodness...! That's a LOT of blood...! Are you alright?! Do you need medical attention?! You look like you do!"

"It's... not my blood..." Sonia said, but didn't say whose blood it was.

"Well, what happened?!" Mikan gaped.

Hina grabbed on to Mikan's arm. "There's no time to explain! We've got to leave! It's not safe here!" she shouted.

Mikan's eyes widened. "W-What do you mean b-by not safe...?" she muttered.

"Why, they're talking about me, of course."

Leo appeared out from behind a row of lockers, a smirk playing on his lips. "Then again, it would've been much safer if your foolish friend Leon had told me what I wanted to know. Teruteru wasn't too chatty either..."

All their eyes narrowed at him, Sayaka's the most.

"You killed my boyfriend." she hissed, the venom and hatred clear in her voice.

Leo just nodded with a smile. "That I did, that I did," He shrugged. "Well, I can't say I enjoyed it--I didn't want to do it... But he wasn't being as useful as he could have been at the time, so he had to go. You understand. I didn't quite enjoy shooting Teruteru either... and, well, if I'm being completely honest here, I was aiming for Byakuya."

The second Byakuya's name left Leo's mouth, June's entire face paled over and she froze where she stood.

Leo noticed June's reaction. "Oh, no need to worry, my sweet; we'll be rid of him soon, I just need to find him, which shouldn't be too hard considering the fact he was in a group with those idiots Makoto and Ishimaru..." he said.

That immediately got Erin and Kyouko's attention, as well as everyone else's.

"What are you going to do to them...?" Ibuki gulped, terrified at whatever the answer could possibly be.

Leo's smirk twisted into an ugly grin. "Oh, all that will come soon enough," he said, taking a step toward June and extending his hand, while the other was occupied with holding the gun. "Now, my love, just come with me peacefully, and I probably won't have to kill any more of your stupid friends."

"No, June, don't do it!" Hina shouted. "He'll probably hurt us anyway even if you went with him!"

"Yeah, June, don't you dare go with him!" Erin agreed.

"W-Wait... Leo would k-kill us...?!" Poor Mikan looked like she was about to faint.

"Yes, he would, because he's a sick bastard!" Sayaka snapped, glaring Leo down.

"No, guys, stop!" June said. "Look, I really DON'T want to go with him, but he'll hurt you guys, and I couldn't bear that," She took a step toward Leo, so that they were now only a foot apart. "Yes, Leo, I will go with you..."

Leo smirked.

"... when hell freezes over!" June had brought her knee up and kneed him where the sun don't shine. Then she shoved him down to the ground.

"Run!" she screamed at her friends, who immediately jumped and bolted, June following behind them.

Leo was off the ground quicker than he fell. He gripped his gun in his hand, furious. "You'll pay for that later, June!" he shouted before he ran after them.

Gun shots rang all throughout the hall as Leo fired at them, trying to slow them down.

Suddenly, just when they developed a good lead on Leo and turned a corner, June skidded to a stop. "I can't keep running!" she panted, before putting a hand on Erin's shoulder. "But, you guys can."

Erin's eyes widened. "What? What are you talking about? You're coming with us!" she said.

"Yes, June, we're NOT just going to leave you behind!" Sonia stated firmly.

They all heard Leo's running footsteps getting closer.

"I'm slowing you guys down!" June said, nervously glancing back for Leo. "Besides, it's me he's after--this is my fight, and you guys don't deserve to get hurt for it," She stepped away from her friends and around the corner to see Leo running toward them. "Leo! Over here!"

Erin gave June a look. "What are you doing?!" she gaped.

"Find Byakuya. Make sure he's safe," June said before giving all her friends a weak smile. "I love you all. I hope you know that."

Soon, Leo had caught up with them.

June immediately bolted in the opposite direction from her friends and faced Leo. "Hey, Leo! You want me? Come and get me." she spat before she ran in the opposite direction.

Leo had his gun raised and was about to shoot one of June's friends when he saw her bolt.

"Let's go!" Kyouko said, tugging at her friends and trying to get as far away from Leo as possible. "June will be fine, she's smart!"

Leo was no longer fixated on Kyouko and the rest of them, but was now chasing after June. Soon he dissappeared from view.

"Come on!" Erin said, beckoning everyone to follow her as she ran. "We've got to find the boys and we've got to find them now!"

She and the rest of the group ran the opposite direction from June and Leo until Erin slammed face-first into something.

Or someone.

Erin looked up to see Byakuya, and behind him Makoto, Ishimaru, and Teruteru, Teruteru being supported by Makoto and Ishimaru. The girls noticed there was a piece of cloth wrapped tightly around what appeared to be a bloody wound on Teruteru's ankle.

Erin blinked and gasped in surprise. "Byakuya! We've been looking all over for you guys!" she shouted before she caught sight of Ishimaru and ran into his arms and sobbed. "Ishimaru! Thank GOD you're alright!!!"

Ishimaru immediately wrapped his arms around Erin, hugging her close. "Leo's gone crazy! He--"

"We know," Sayaka interrupted him, looking down at the floor. "We... we know."

Mikan's eyes had went to Teruteru's ankle almost immediately. "Oh my goodness, what happened???" she gasped in concern.

Teruteru grimaced. "Leo shot me in the ankle," he explained, then winced. "It hurts like a mofo..."

Mikan gasped yet again. "I should really take a look at that...!" she insisted.

Then, Kyouko had run into Makoto's arms and held him close. "We had thought something terrible had happened to you all!" she said.

Makoto held her too. "We thought something bad happened to you." he muttered.

Byakuya immediately searched the group of girls for June. "Where's June?" he asked, now beginning to frantically look for her. When he still didn't see her, his eyes met Erin's. "Where's June?!" he shouted this time, getting more worried by the second.

Erin swallowed. "Byakuya, she--"

"She was chased by Leo after she saved us! He chased her down that hall!" Ibuki jumped in before pointing down the hall where Leo had indeed chased June.

Byakuya's eyes widened before they narrowed. "This time, I am sure--I will KILL the bastard." he hissed before he immediately started running down the hall.

"Byakuya, wait!" Makoto shouted before he broke away from Kyouko's embrace and started after his friend.

"Wait for me...!" Ishimaru said, also breaking away from his girlfriend's embrace and following Makoto.

Everyone else, without even saying anything, followed suit and ran with the boys down the hall to find June.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

June panted and panted as she ran as fast as her legs could go.

She raced down the hall, Leo heavily on her tail, before she spotted the lunchroom entrance and ran inside. Leo chased after her and shot into the lunchroom as well.

June kept running before suddenly her eyes caught sight of the door that led to the school kitchen. With nowhere else to go, she yanked the door open and raced inside.

Leo soon caught up with her and followed her inside, gun still in hand.

When June was inside, she looked all around the kitchen for a way out.

Until Leo entered the room. He smirked at her. "Well, well, it seems you're trapped, my dear. Now you have no choice but to come with me and ditch that Byakuya and your dumb friends! Although, I know that secretly you still love me, you're just confused--that's all. But, no need to worry, my love," he said before he took a step toward her and whispered, "I'll fix that, one way or another."

June shivered and took a step back. Her eyes darted around the kitchen for something to use as a weapon.

Then her eyes landed on it--a large kitchen knife, laying on the counter near her.

Before Leo had the chance to spot it too, she darted across and snatched it up and pointed it at Leo.

Leo just chuckled lightly. "Oh no, it seems you've brought a knife to a gun fight, chica," he said with a shake of his head. "Okay, now enough with the funny business; put the knife down. You look ridiculous. Just come with me and I'll prove to you just how in love with me you still are--soon you'll forget Byakuya even existed," He took several more steps toward her. "Come with me, now."

"Never!" June shouted before she gripped the knife firmly in her hand and swiped it at Leo's right arm.

It made contact, slicing across Leo's arm. He hissed as his face contorted with pain. Then, his eyes grew dark and he growled.

"You're going to be punished, for that." he spat before he swiped his gun at the knife, causing June to drop it.

June let out a cry before she suddenly spotted a door she hadn't noticed before in the corner of the kitchen.

She ran up to it. There were words painted on it that said, Stairs to the Roof.

June didn't think twice before yanking it open and dashing inside before slamming it shut behind her.

Leo dropped the knife to the ground and held his injured arm, still gripping the gun in his other hand. With a grimace, he raced over to the door, threw it open, and dashed inside after June.

Flights of stairs were above their heads as they ran up. June was about a flight ahead of Leo, who was about a flight below her.

June continued on, running and racing up the flights of stairs that led to the roof.

Soon, she made it to the top where another door--the door to the roof--was waiting. She turned the knob frantically and opened the door.

Then she was on the roof. The second she was outside, she heard several angry shouts and the sirens of police cars somewhere down below.

June went to the edge of the roof and looked down over it to see several police cars, several police officers, an ambulance or two, and several angry parents shouting and demanding to be let inside the school.

June's eyes widened at the sight and she was filled with relief. The police came.

No doubt the angry parents were supposed to he here for Graduation Day, but probably heard about the shooting, which was probably why they were yelling and demanding to be let inside. The police, however, yelled louder and kept them back.

The door to the roof was slammed open behind June, and she tensed and jumped before she spun around to see Leo, who had a crazed look on his face while holding his gun in one hand and his injured arm in the other.

Leo stood in front of the only door out, blocking it and trapping June on the roof.

June backed as far away from him as possible until her back was up against the edge of the roof.

"Now," Leo said, slowly closing in on June. "let's get started, my love..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"June!" Byakuya screamed his girlfriend's name, frantically searching the kitchen which his friends had led him to after Erin had said they had went in this direction.

Everyone looked around the kitchen for any sign of June, but didn't find her.

Byakuya cursed. "She's not in here!" He kicked the counter. "Damn it, damn it all to hell!"

"Wait!" Kyouko said, pointing down at something laying on the ground. "Take a look at this."

They all peered down at the object Kyouko had pointed out and gasped.

It was a large kitchen knife with blood covering the tip of the blade.

Byakuya's face lost all its color as he swallowed. "No..." he whispered, more panic building up in his gut.

"It could be Leo's blood," Makoto immediately pointed out. "It could definitely be Leo's blood...!" But even he sounded worried and unsure.

"There's a trail," Kyouko said before she followed the trail of blood, and it ended right up to the door with the flights of stairs that led to the roof. "It leads here. Up to the roof."

"Then that's where we're going." Byakuya said before he raced over to the door, grabbed the knob, and yanked it open. He then went inside and began to climb the flights of stairs as fast as he could possibly go.

Everyone else wasn't far behind him as they did the same, running up the flights of stairs behind him, desperate to get to June.

After what seemed like hours of endless climbing, they all finally reached the top and Byakuya practically kicked the door down before he stepped on to the roof along with the others.

They all caught sight of Leo and June, June being backed into a corner with Leo advancing on her.

"Get away from her!" Byakuya roared, furious that Leo would even think of getting near June.

Leo stopped moving towards June and turned to face Byakuya and the rest of them. He just smiled. "Byakuya! I was wondering when you'd show up! You're a major part of my plan, after all. It'd be shame to have spent months planning all this and not be able to see it through completely... But, since you're indeed here, everything can now go as planned." he said, his voice a smooth drawl.

Byakuya's glare shot daggers at Leo. "Let her go. I'm NOT going to ask again. She's my love, and I will NOT allow you to hurt her or take her from me!" he snapped. "She is MINE."

This time, Leo glared back at Byakuya. "Now, that is where you are wrong, Togami! June Takahashi is mine. She was my girlfriend and she belonged to me, and we were all happy and content, but then you had to get in the way and you took her from me and ruined everything!" he hissed, now pointing the gun at Byakuya. Then, his glare and anger turned into a crazed smile and laughing. "But now, after many months of planning and waiting and watching, my stars have finally aligned and now I get to do something I've waited since the sixth grade to do--I can finally get rid of the thorn that's been in my side for so long," His smile only widened as he aimed the gun at Byakuya's chest. "Soon, after all this, no one will even remember you existed, Byakuya Togami. Oh, I am so going to enjoy this..."

"No!!!" June cried, tears now forming in her eyes. "Please don't hurt him!!! I love him! I've always loved him! Please don't do this...!" She wrapped her arms around herself as she shook and sobbed. Gradually, her cries faded into whimpers.

"You sick bastard!" Erin hollered at Leo, her face red with anger. "You're crazy!!!"

Leo spun to face Erin. "You know what? Perhaps I should get rid of Byakuya later; save the best for last, after all," he said, now pointing the gun at Erin's head. "Besides, you seem more than eager to make an example of yourself. Why waste a good example?" His finger slipped around the trigger, and a clicking noise was heard. Erin swallowed hard as tears began to make their way down her cheeks.

Ishimaru immediately stepped forward. "That girl, the one you're pointing a gun at right now, is the love of my life. And I will not allow you to hurt her! Because, if you hurt her, I'll hurt you." he said, his voice serious and angry.

Erin's tear-filled eyes widened. "I'm... I'm the love of your life...?" she whispered.

"Ever since the first moment I saw you." Ishimaru answered. Erin gave a small--yet still terrified--smile.

Leo rolled his eyes. "That's cute. I would've considered sparing her, but she's one of the people that kept June from me," he said with a shrug. "so, she has to go." His finger began to press the trigger.

"No, no, NO!!!" June howled, tears running down her face like a waterfall. "She's my sister! Don't you dare!!! I love her!!!"

Erin closed her eyes and braced for the impact of a bullet.

Suddenly, the sound of a gun being shot was heard.

Erin opened her eyes. The impact of being shot never came. There was no pain.

"Ibuki, no!!!"

Erin looked down to see Ibuki, her friend, on the ground in front of her.

With a bullet in her head, blood splattered around it. Ibuki was staring straight up at the sky, her mouth open and her eyes stripped of their color and life.

Erin's mouth fell open. Her breathing escalated to the point where she didn't even feel like she was breathing. Tears ran down her face, and she cried out at the sight of her now dead friend.

Who had jumped in front of her and took the bullet.

Erin collapsed to the ground beside Ibuki's body. Then she slipped her arms around Ibuki and held her close, rocking her back and forth.

"Ibuki?" Erin choked out through tears. "Ibuki... w-why would you d-do that?! You... you idiot...!!! Why?!" Tears flowed down from her cheeks on to Ibuki's body.

Everyone watched the scene in horror, realizing Leo had killed another one of their dear friends.

"Now, June, unless you want the bodies to keep piling up, I suggest you come with me," Leo said, the gun still gripped firmly in his hand, "and I might make Byakuya's death quick and painless."

June was a shuddering, crying mess where she stood. She still couldn't quite comprehend that this was happening; her friends were being murdered by the second.

"June, come with me, now." Leo growled.

Byakuya grabbed June by her arm and yanked her to his side. "She will be going nowhere with you, crazy bastard!" he spat. "You've already taken two of our friends, you won't take anyone else! We won't let you!"

June's friends, with their grief-stricken and tear-stained faces, nodding in agreement.

Leo stood there for a second before he sighed. "Well, I'm sorry you all feel that way," he said, looking straight at June. "But, if I can't have her, no one can."

Without another word from anyone, Leo took aim with the gun and shot June two times. June gasped as she felt bullets tear through her flesh and bury themselves in her chest and stomach. She instantly fell to the ground.

Erin, who has been still sobbing over Ibuki's body, looked up to see her sister crash to the ground. "JUNE!!!" she screamed.

Everyone gasped. Byakuya was instantly at June's side, a horrified look on his face.

Then suddenly, the door to the stairs was kicked open and three police officers burst on to the roof. One pointed their gun at Leo and shouted, "Freeze! Drop your weapon!"

Leo began to shoot at one of the officers, but he wasn't fast enough as another one of the officers shot him in the head. He fell to the ground, dead instantly.

"June," Byakuya choked out, tears immediately forming in his eyes. "June, please, stay with me! You're alright! You're okay!"

June felt like she was drowning. She felt something fill her lungs. Her breathing grew shallow and ragged. "B-Byakuya... I... I..." She choked on her words. "I... don't think..."

"Shh, no, you're okay! You're going to make it!" Byakuya said, then he spun around and shouted, "Someone call a damn ambulance!" before he turned back to June, who was dying in his arms.

June managed a small and weak smile. "Byakuya...," she whispered, moving her shaky hand on to one of Byakuya's hands. Byakuya gripped her hand. "I... love you..."

Tears were now spilling down Byakuya's face. "N-No! Don't say it like that, like you're not going to make it!" he sobbed. "B-Because you have to! You have to make it! I can't live without you, June! You're my world! I love you, you're it for me! I won't ever find anyone else after you! You're all there is! If you... if you leave me, I won't ever be able to love again! I love you too much to let you go! You can't go, June! That surprise I told you I had for you? I was going to propose to you; I was going to ask you to marry me! We're supposed to have a life together! You can't leave me!!!"

June looked weakly up into the eyes of the man she loved, the man she'd loved since the third grade, the man she'd always love. "I don't think... there was ever a time... when I didn't love you, B-Byakuya..." she let out.

"I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't love you..." Byakuya cried, tears still running down his cheeks.

"Y-Yes..." June whispered.

"Yes what?" Byakuya asked.

June kept smiling. "Yes... I would love to be your wife..."

Byakuya, through all his tears and sobs, smiled back at her. "S-See? You can't die...! You have to marry me and be my wife and--" His sentence was cut off as he began sobbing wildly again.

"The paramedics are here!" Mikan suddenly shouted, shaking Byakuya's arm. "Let them take June! There's still time to save her!"

The rest of it went by like a blur for Byakuya; the paramedics taking June, everyone racing down the flights of stairs and outside the school, several terrified parents screaming to see their children, arriving to the ambulances.

The group of friends was split up into different ambulances. Byakuya and Erin of course insisted on riding to the hospital with June in the same ambulance. The paramedics rushed to get June into the ambulance and closed the doors once Byakuya and Erin were inside as well.

The sound of several sirens echoed out into the day as they drove further and further from Hope's Peak to the hospital.