Chapter 1: Falling into Orbit
Chapter Text
In Maki’s job, injuries were a given. Setting aside her training, which was brutal enough with the harsh punishments and exhausting regimen, the work itself meant her life was constantly on the line. She couldn’t count how many times she’d narrowly escaped a gunshot, or been sliced by a knife, scratched by fingernails, kicked, punched, even on the odd occasion stabbed. That was just how it was as an assassin, and expecting otherwise was a fool’s dream.
Which is why Maki hoped she’d hurry up and meet her soulmate. So she could cut them off for good, and move on.
She couldn’t understand why soulmates were like that to begin with. Surely it was an evolutionary flaw, to share the injuries of your soulmate? Hm, her superiors wouldn’t be happy to know she was considering the idea of evolution to begin with, given how devout they were. But in nature, there was no way it was practical. It would always be an unfair exchange, where one person has to suffer for the pain of another. If a God chose it, like she’d been told to believe, it was further proof that God was nothing but cruel. It made the burden of her work so much harder, knowing that if she died, she’d be taking someone she’d never met with her.
It seemed stupid, given how many lives she took, that she’d care at all about this imaginary soulmate. When she was a child, she didn’t even really believe she could have one. Soulmates were what normal people had, what people with hearts and families got. But the thing was, she was proven wrong.
No matter what she did, her wounds would always heal themselves. Cuts would close before her eyes, stitches would sew themselves into her arms, pain would be numbed unexpectedly. To be frank, it was the only thing that kept her alive through it all. Someone, somewhere, would go to the hospital for her. Through these acts of healing, Maki had developed a complicated feeling of guilt and affection towards this person. Someone who always had to feel her pain. There was no way she couldn’t feel sorry for them.
Maki’s plan was simple: she’d find her soulmate, ideally while carrying out a hit. It wasn’t hard to find your soulmate - aside from the obvious injuries they’d share with her, upon touching them for the first time, the birthmark on your skin gains colour. Since Maki’s was on the tips of her fingers, it would be easy to test with just a touch.
Then, once she’d identified the person, she’d separate from them. As much as people liked to talk about destiny, soulmates weren't quite as sent in stone as that. It was taboo, but by meeting your soulmate and then consciously avoiding them, you could break the link between you. ‘Fate’ couldn’t fight someone who refused to even speak to their soulmate. Then, whoever it was, would be free from her forever.
She didn’t just think this because it made sense, or it was the right thing to do. She’d already sworn on it upon being recruited by the cult. It was standard protocol for assassins to sever ties with their soulmate when they meet. Maki wasn’t sure what the real reason was for this rule - they said it was to retain purity for God, but she knew they didn’t believe in that bullshit. It was probably because of the liability a soulmate would be in a job like that. Too easy to be caught. So they’d be checking, when they saw the colour on her fingers. Waiting for her to separate from her soulmate, back to her normal tone of skin.
Easy. It would be easy. That’s what she was naive enough to believe. Before Hope’s Peak.
It started with a letter. The cult leaders lost their shit over it - Hope’s Peak Academy, the most prestigious school in the country, wanted to recruit Maki as the Ultimate Assassin. It had to be a scam. It was surely illegal to train someone like that, and how would they know of Maki in the first place?
But Maki, partly out of curiosity and partly to prove the letter wasn’t her fault, did some research. Their scouting methods were intense, but their program seemed legitimate, and they promised full anonymity. In school, she would be allowed to use a fake talent, and she would be kept from any publications or websites associated with the school.
She also got another letter, which she caught before her superiors saw it. Hope’s Peak didn’t want her as an assassin to make her better: they wanted to try and help her move away from crime. They’d already accepted Ryoma Hoshi, the infamous Tennis Killer, with the condition his life sentence be dismissed if he passed his exams. In other words, it might just be her escape. Her way out of the life she was stuck in.
So she lied. A risky move, but it paid off. She told them whatever she thought they’d like to hear: Hope’s Peak had the best training equipment, she’d keep doing her job (since Hope’s Peak allowed time off whenever to work on your talent), they wouldn’t have to work hard to train her anymore… They caved, albeit with some strict rules, and she was granted freedom.
She’d have her own dorm, with a comfortable bed and a dresser for her belongings. She’d be able to meet people her age, normal people, who she wouldn’t have to kill. Who wouldn’t know anything about her. Maki had hope, for the first time in years. Ironic that it came from a place called Hope’s Peak.
After meeting in the announcement hall on her first day, Maki went to her class and picked a desk at the back. Her classmates were loud, unpredictable and irritating, but it made a nice change of pace, so she could tolerate being stuck with a bunch of weirdos. Himiko was the Ultimate Magician, whatever that meant. Kiibo was the Ultimate Robot, which made even less sense. Some guy at the other side of the room even called himself the Ultimate Astronaut, which was definitely impossible. Maki knew astronaut training programs didn’t accept 16-year-olds.
The day passed smoothly until lunch. Maki hadn't thought that far ahead, and didn't have food with her, nor any money. Not sure where to even go, she stayed at her desk and watched her classmates. It was fascinating, watching their interactions. She'd have to practice talking like them, if she wanted to fit in.
The purple-haired astronaut caught her eye the most. Not just because of his stark appearance and curious character, but because he was talking so fucking loud. Someone didn't have an off switch, and it showed.
"So Shuichi, how about it!? Good to do something new for a change! Toughen you up!"
"I… I don't know, Kaito-" Shuichi replied. "I don't think I'm up to exercise…"
"Nonsense!" Kaito exclaimed. "You'll never get better if you don't try!"
He pumped his fist in the air, and as he did, the sleeve of his jacket rolled down to reveal his arm. Himiko, talking to a girl at the desk in front of him, yelped.
"What happened to your arm!?"
Maki glanced discreetly at the sight. Kaito's arm was littered with scars and bruises, complete with the odd bandaid or other dressing.
"Oh, no idea!" he responded cheerfully. Shuichi and Himiko frowned in disbelief. "No, serious, I don't know. They're not mine, they're my soulmate's."
"Ah." Himiko accepted the explanation and turned away, but Shuichi still looked concerned.
"You haven't met your soulmate then?"
"No. But I hope I do soon, so I can help them."
Shuichi tilted his head slightly. "Help them?"
"These injuries," Kaito gestured vaguely at himself. "Started ages ago. So whoever my soulmate is, they're in a dangerous situation. Being abused or something. So I gotta hurry up and find them, so I can fix it! Kinda my life goal, aside from being an astronaut." He paused, his smile faltering. "They won't let me go to space 'till I've dealt with it anyway, in case I lose a limb or something partway through a mission."
"That's rough.." Shuichi said.
"No biggie. Anyway, we're training then?"
"W-What? I didn't agree to that-"
Maki tuned out the rest of the conversation. She was staring at her sleeve, deep in thought. He couldn't be… there had to be plenty of people like her, who got hurt all the time. The chances of her running into her soulmate here were…
Admittedly pretty high, now that she thought about it. To be soulmates, you had to have the potential to meet each other properly, and Maki didn't have that chance with many people. And now, for the first time, she was in a high school full of kids her age…
But still. It was unreasonable. Unbelievable.
Lunch drifted past her before she could blink. Lessons started again, but she couldn't focus. Maybe she should just make sure… prove it wasn't him, so she wouldn't have to consider it anymore.
Maki pulled a pocket knife from her bag, and held it under the desk. Keeping her eye on Kaito, she flicked out the blade and sliced the tip of her finger, just enough to draw blood.
Kaito cringed, looking at his hand. "Ouch…" he whispered. Maki's heart skipped several beats.
"Are you okay?" Shuichi asked from the desk beside him.
"Uh, yeah! I'm good!" Kaito announced slightly too loud, earning a disapproving look from the teacher. He settled back down, putting his finger in his mouth. Maki felt the slight sting of pain as the cut made contact with his tongue.
Feeling sick, Maki stood from her seat abruptly and walked out of the room. She made brief eye contact with the teacher on the way, who didn't stop her, no doubt aware of her real talent. She didn't stop or look back until she made it to the girls toilets.
She put her hands on the sink, steadying herself. Of all the things… and on her first day of school too. It wasn't fair . Had it been anywhere else, her plan would have worked, and she could just leave. But this school was her escape. Her one chance at freedom. She couldn't drop out just like that. Because of a stupid soulmate.
She stared at her pallid reflection in the mirror. There had to be another way. If she just avoided him as much as possible, then it was as good as not being there. Sure, that wouldn't sever the connection, but as long as they never touched, the cult wouldn't know she'd ever met him. The location of her marking was consolation on this; since it was on her fingers, she'd have to touch him , not the other way around. She'd just have to be careful not to.
Maki didn't bother returning to class that day. She let herself into her new room and stayed slumped on the bed until her work that evening. Nothing could ever go her way. She had to be cursed. Maybe God just hated her that much.
The next day in school was uneventful, yet uncomfortable. The day after was much the same. By the third, while Maki certainly hadn't forgotten about the weird, purple-haired guy in her class being her soulmate, she'd started to relax about it a bit. It wasn't proving to be as much of an issue as she might have thought.
Day four, he talked to her.
"Hey!" Kaito said, walking over to her desk. Shuichi followed slightly behind him, looking a bit nervous. She hadn't spoken to anyone really, but she had already made herself a reputation as intimidating. Despite this, Kaito didn't seem perturbed. "It's Maki, right? You always sit here by yourself. Do you not want food?"
Maki's mind went completely blank. She hadn't practiced talking to people enough for this, especially not with him . "Why are you asking?" she decided on, her voice ice cold.
"I thought you looked lonely!" He grinned, ignoring her tone entirely. "You should come with me and Shuichi, we're going to get pizza."
"Can't. I don't have money."
"Huh?" Kaito took a moment to process, then grinned even wider. "Ooh, why didn't you say so? It's fine, I can pay for both of us!"
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Kaito?" Shuichi spoke up. "I mean, you're not exactly loaded…"
"Nonsense, sidekick, it's just a pizza." Shuichi opened his mouth to argue again, but Kaito had already turned back to Maki. "So, what do you say?"
Maki knew she should say no. Being near this guy was a huge problem. But the idea of getting free food was just too tempting.
"Fine," she said eventually.
"Awesome!" He reached a hand towards her, probably to pat her shoulder, but paused when she visibly flinched. "Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you." He pulled his hand away, scratching the back of his neck instead.
"I wasn't scared," Maki said, getting to her feet. "I just don't appreciate strangers touching me."
"Noted! I shall keep my hands to myself. Not polite to spook a lady, is it Shuichi?"
Maki sighed. She was already regretting this. How was she meant to fall in love with this guy? It was totally implausible. Maki wasn't sure what kind of person she thought her soulmate would be, but it certainly wasn't this.
But for some reason, as days and then weeks passed by, she couldn’t shake the guy off. He dragged her off to different places to eat every day, then when he ran out of ideas (or money) he switched to making lunches for both of them himself. They were either poorly made or a collection of childish snacks, but it was clear he was trying. Maki couldn’t figure out why. She’d been carefully hiding everything about herself from him, yet he was still interested?
Then he dragged her into ‘training’ with him. She was sure Shuichi would talk some sense into him, but he seemed weirdly supportive of the idea. Maki ignored him knocking on her door the first two days, but gave in and joined them on the third. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, it was fun. She was having fun. They wouldn’t do much more than a few push-ups before staring at the sky and chatting, but Maki hadn’t ever really had company like that before.
But the longer she spent around Kaito, the more guilty it made her feel. She’d grown numb to pain over the years, but now every injury was a source of shame. Every time she hurt, she was forced to remember who she was hurting too. This was selfish of her, inherently, deeply selfish. If she cared at all about Kaito Momota, she would leave. Spare him. But she couldn’t. And she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t tell anyone, especially couldn’t tell him. Maybe she could just be careful. Just avoid getting hurt. She told herself that every time, but it’s not like she had any control over it. The most she could do was put in the effort to wrap the wound up afterwards.
It took her a while to notice, but she was starting to settle in, too. She wasn’t popular, per say, but she talked to a few people in the class now. Kaede was nice, as were most of the other girls. Chiaki from the class next door played video games with her one time, and she was partnered with Ryoma for a project that turned out to be oddly fun. She also started earning her own money - just a couple of hours of babysitting in her free time, but it was enough to eat without relying on the cult. Maki bought as many ingredients as she could afford with her first paycheck, and spent longer than she would admit re-learning how to prepare food. It had been such a long time since the days she spent cooking for children in the orphanage.
“So!” Kaito said the next day. “What are we doing for food today? Any ideas?”
“Actually,” Maki replied. “I made food this time.”
Both Kaito and Shuichi blinked at her in surprise, so she elaborated. “I got a gig as a babysitter, so I earned a bit of money. Thought I ought to repay you at least a bit. I don’t know if it’s any good, but…”
“I’m sure it’s great! I can’t wait to try!” Kaito shouted. Maki hesitated, but pulled three bento boxes from her bag and placed them on the desk.
“Take whichever you want. I made one for Shuichi as well.”
“Ah-! You didn’t need to…”
“It would have gone to waste otherwise.”
“I see. Thank you, Maki.”
Kaito took the box from the top, and Shuichi followed. Kaito gasped dramatically when he opened it. “Wow, this is fancy! You made sushi?”
“Yeah?” Maki said, praying it tasted okay. “It’s not that complicated, I just rolled it.”
Kaito had already eaten half his box by the time Maki even opened hers. “Dewiwshous!” he announced with his mouth full. Shuichi laughed, but nodded in agreement.
“He’s right, this is great. Thank you.”
“Maki ish the beshtest chef I’ve ever tashted!”
“Uh… that sentence didn’t make any sense, Kaito.” Shuichi said. “And please finish eating before you talk.”
All the praise was making Maki feel kind of… embarrassed? Self-conscious? Whatever the feeling was, it was new to her. But she also felt happy. Even though it wasn’t really comparable, she’d at least done something nice for him. She wouldn’t mind doing this more often, if she could find enough free time.
“Y’know, of all the food you could have made, this one is funny,” Kaito said, once all three had finished eating. “Cuz, you’re a Maki, and maki roll is a type of sushi. I should call you that. Maki-roll!”
Maki spluttered. “W-What?”
“Maki-roll. It’s a nickname.”
“But- uh-” What was this? Why was she reacting like that? There’s no way that something like a stupid nickname should embarrass her this badly. So why… Why was her heart racing all of a sudden? “Don’t call me that!”
“But it suits you! I think it’s clever. It’s clever, right Shuichi?”
“Eh!? Why are you dragging me into this?”
The next day, Maki was careful to avoid making sushi, in the hopes Kaito would forget the nickname. It didn't work.
"Good morning Maki-roll!" he shouted across the classroom when she walked in that morning.
The same the next day. She tried to tell him to drop it, but he stubbornly refused. "You say you want me to stop, but you always respond to the name anyway!" Maki couldn't find an argument to that, but it still felt unfair; it wasn't her fault that every time he called her that, her chest grew tight all of a sudden. It wasn't her fault he was so hard to ignore.
It was a week later, while she was waiting in the dark for a target to walk past, that she realised something with an unpleasant jolt. Her plan to distance herself from Kaito until she graduated was currently as far from successful as possible. Not only did she talk to him every day, she was one of Kaito's closest friends. Somehow. She'd barely even registered it happening. She just couldn't keep him away. It was like something was pulling them together. The strings of fate. Destiny.
Maki shook her head to reset herself. She didn't believe in those things, remember? The only reason she was close to him is because he was so loud and pushy . Unavoidable. It wasn't anything special . She didn't like him.
She kept telling herself that, for days, then weeks, then months. I don't like him. I don't like him. I'd never like him.
The fact she'd managed to pass several months of school without so much as brushing hands with him, felt like it should have been nigh impossible. But in reality, it wasn't that hard for them. On Maki's half, she hated touching people to begin with. And with Kaito on her mind so much of the time, him making the slightest move towards her was enough to remind her of who he was, and what was at stake.
And on Kaito's half, he'd absorbed since day one that her jumpiness was a sign she didn't like being touched, so he kept his distance as much as he remembered. He seemed to be a very affectionate guy, sparing no thoughts about thumping Shuichi on the back or ruffling his hair. But he was respectful with Maki, for some reason. Because she was a girl, maybe? It was probably common courtesy for guys to respect a girl's boundaries, but she'd never experienced that before. And for some reason, the thought of him seeing her that way made her unusually breathless.
But even without touch being an issue, this dynamic was doomed. Maki knew it. Maki could tell Kaito was desperate to 'save' his soulmate, so he could go to space like he'd always dreamed. And Maki's heart had started aching every time she suffered even a scratch, because she knew she was tearing him apart. Him, Kaito, who didn't deserve it. Kaito, who'd been nothing but nice.
If she'd suffered some major injury, that probably would have been enough to drive her away. But she'd been careful, and she was older and more skilled than she'd ever been. Kaito had actually mentioned it once, saying he was optimistic that his soulmate was doing better now. The injuries were more few and far between. But one day, she'd slip up. And if she didn't stop procrastinating out of selfish desire for happiness and friendship and freedom, they'd both pay the price.
If she dragged him down with her, she'd never forgive herself.
Six months into the school year, some of the faculty announced a sports event. It was mostly for team-building, learning to work together and be friends and have perseverance or whatever. Maki wanted to pass on it, but her teacher insisted it would be good for her. No doubt part of her Hope's Peak facilitated 'redemption'. Kaito also insisted she take part, but his reasons were a lot more simplistic. He said it would be fun.
There were problems from the beginning. For one, they were expected to wear the sports uniform, which consisted of a t-shirt and shorts, not nearly enough to hide Maki's multitude of scars. But she could wear tights and long sleeves underneath, as long as she was fine with some questions about it. It wasn't a deal-breaker, just an inconvenience.
Then there were the activities themselves. As athletic as Maki might be, she had very little experience with classic sports. She could knock someone out with a kick of a ball, but unfortunately that wasn’t the point of the game, so she was out of luck. Instead, she had to work with a bunch of other people. It seemed pointless, really.
They played volleyball first. Kaito thought he was an expert, but his aim was atrocious. Shuichi thought he was the worst, but his aim was actually good when he didn’t flinch from the ball. The combination of the two made it very amusing to watch, even if Maki got no enjoyment from having the join in. Kaede was good at it, though a little competitive… Tenko was skilled but far too overzealous… Himiko left halfway through for reasons unspoken… Angie constantly forgot the rules and did whatever she wanted… and Miu was having a great time shit-talking everyone until she got hit harder than intended and started crying. It was a mess, but maybe a slightly entertaining one.
Tennis was next, and they split into doubles. To Maki’s surprise, Kaito insisted on pairing up with her instead of Shuichi, saying he wanted to challenge Shuichi to beat him. She tried to argue with him, since he’d be more of a nuisance than anything, but changed her mind when Kokichi paired with Shuichi against them. Kokichi was the class clown and the kind of irritating kid Maki wished she could throw something at. She didn’t dislike him that much, but a bit of revenge for his petty pranks wouldn’t hurt. So Maki decided to put a bit of effort in.
“You’d better keep up, Kaito,” she said. “I don’t need you holding me back.”
“That’s the spirit!” he replied.
It didn’t take long for her and Kaito to win. Shuichi seemed cheerfully resigned to that fate, while Kokichi complained that it wasn’t fair because Kaito was too tall, and ordered them to add more rounds. Maki was enjoying his frustration enough to oblige, and the game continued for some time.
Maki couldn’t tell whether Kaito was intentionally rubbing it in, or whether he was genuinely trying to be encouraging, but he kept hyping their opponents up. “Come on Kokichi, you’ve got it this time! Just hit it as hard as you can!”
Kokichi seemed to have lost his temper, because he followed Kaito’s instructions, and served the ball directly at his face.
Maki felt the impact as pain shot through her nose. She doubled over slightly, grimacing, as Kaito yelped. Shit. Had anyone noticed her flinch? She looked up, but Kokichi seemed suitably distracted running over to Kaito apologetically.
“Geez, my mistake. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Kaito murmured, hand covered his face. “When I said hit it hard, that’s not what I meant!”
“Oops! Sorry!” Kokichi tucked his hands behind his neck, somewhere between sheepish and cheeky.
Kaito lifted the hand from his face, grinning, revealing his nose to be dripping with blood. Maki realised what the meant with an unpleasant lurch, and turned away, covering her own face with her sleeve. Her nose was bleeding too.
She couldn’t afford to stay, the others would notice. Without a word, Maki turned and ran back into the school building. Thankfully, Kaito and Kokichi were still too occupied to notice her leave. As for Shuichi, she wasn’t sure, but he certainly didn’t say anything. She headed to the toilets, where she pinched her nose and examined her appearance in the mirror.
Her nose was starting to go red. How inconvenient . There was no way she could go near Kaito now, not with a matching facial injury. If it bruised, who knows how long it would take to heal. Goddamn Kokichi. This was all his fault.
She resigned to returning to her dorm. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to join in, but somehow fate had ejected her anyway. And since everyone would still be outside, the coast would be clear for a while yet. She opened the door to the corridor, her nose still bleeding, and froze before she could step out.
Shuichi was standing right there. In the corridor. Looking at her.
There was a moment of silence. Maki had shut down like a deer in headlights. What was she meant to do now? How could she explain this to Shuichi? If she told him the truth, he’d tell Kaito, and then she be fucked. Royally.
“You’re-” Shuichi started, staring at Maki’s bloody nose.
“None of your business,” Maki interrupted, slamming the door and disappearing down the corridor before he could reply.
“Maki!” he shouted after her, but she ignored him. She didn’t stop or look back until she was safely in her dorm, with the door locked. Then she sank to the floor.
This would be how it ended, wouldn’t it? There was no way to come back from this. She’d have no choice but to leave, to drop out and never come back. Maybe it was a good thing, then. She had been needing a push. Motivation to fuck off. She just hadn’t expected it as suddenly as that.
She stayed in her room for a long time. The rest of the school day came and went in a blur, and she lay in bed, staring at her fingers, memories replaying over and over and over. She wasn’t sure why she was here, waiting for everything to crash and burn, rather than just leaving, while she still had some dignity left. She was waiting for something, but what that was, she couldn’t identify.
She had almost drifted off to sleep, when there was a knock on her door, and she snapped back to consciousness. She sat up, and stared at it, but didn’t respond.
Another knock. It wasn’t Kaito, because he always announced himself. And it was too normal-sounding to be him. But no one else ever knocked on Maki’s door, really. Which meant it had to be…
“Maki?” Shuichi said from outside the door. “I know you’re in there. Your light’s on. Can I talk to you?”
Maki swallowed. “No.”
There was a pause from Shuichi. “So you want me to tell Kaito then?” Maki bit her lip. It was clear that was a threat, but he said it in such an even tone. She’d never had any problems or arguments with Shuichi before, so she didn’t know how to deal with him. But she knew he was smart. Too smart.
She got up, walked over, and opened the door. She hadn’t checked what her face looked like now, but it was probably very obvious. Shuichi’s expression was unreadable. She stepped aside, letting him in the room, and closed the door behind him.
“Sit down,” she mumbled, gesturing at the chair by her desk. While he sat, she pulled a key from her pocket and locked her door. Right. Now he couldn’t escape. So if he became a threat…
“Maki,” Shuichi said, ending her thoughts. His eyes were on the key in her hand, and while his face was still neutral, he looked a little stressed. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
The statement caught Maki off-guard, but she narrowly avoided it showing on her face. “Depends what you say to me next.”
Shuichi lowered the brim of his hat slightly. “You’re Kaito’s soulmate. I saw, when the ball hit him. I was looking at you.” Maki continued staring him in the eye, but he didn’t break the gaze. “And you knew that already, didn’t you?”
“So what. It’s none of your business.”
“It is, actually. My business.” Shuichi finally looked away. “You know how important finding his soulmate is to him. Because he can’t go to space until he does.” He looked back up at her, this time was an expression of… concern? Pity? “Which begs the question…”
“None. Of. Your. Business.” Maki knew exactly what he was going to ask. He wanted to know why Maki would suffer those wounds. Why she was the one he’d been worried about this whole time. Who had been hurting her, whether she was safe. Why she’d been content with not telling him this whole time. And she couldn’t answer those questions. Because if she did, he’d have to die.
"Let me help you," Shuichi said. "There has to be something I can do."
"Trust me, there isn't."
"I can't just leave it, Maki. You know I can't."
"You don't have a choice. This is your last warning."
"Don't you feel guilty at all?" Shuichi reasoned. "Whatever the explanation, Kaito is suffering too, and-"
Maki whipped a knife from her pocket, and tackled Shuichi hard to the floor. She hadn't given herself time to think it through, because she knew if she did she'd change her mind. She'd done this sort of thing so many times before. If she unfocused enough, she could forget who it was. Pretend it wasn't Shuichi. Get it over with.
She pressed the blade to his throat, leaning over him. She saw the familiar fear in his eyes, the same panic she'd seen on her victims in the past, and she stared back blankly.
"I warned you," she breathed.
There was a moment of pause. Shuichi was smart enough to stay still, but she could tell from his expression that he was processing the situation, joining up the dots. It dawned on her fast how stupid she's been to threaten a detective of all people. The Ultimate Detective. If she let him go now, she was done for. And if he died, she would surely be the prime suspect. The school knew what she was. And he's in her room.
"I don't believe you're a bad person, Maki."
She snapped out of her thoughts
"And you know if you hurt me, you'll be arrested." Shuichi spoke calmly, but she could see the fear behind his forced bravery.
"So what? I can think of worse outcomes."
"Let me talk it out with you. You're my friend."
"Any more lies you want to spout in hopes of being spared, or are we done now?"
"Maki."
Shuichi pushed himself up against the wall slightly, and she realised her grip on the knife had involuntarily weakened, enough that he was no longer pinned down. She pushed it back to his throat.
"You want an explanation?" she asked. "You won't like it."
"I can judge that myself," he said quietly.
She lifted the knife from his throat, but grabbed the phone from his pocket and tucked it into hers. He had no contact with anyone, the building was empty during school, and the door was locked. And he was unarmed. She had the upper hand, no matter what he did.
"I'm an assassin." She stood up and stared at her reflection in the knife, not wanting to look at Shuichi anymore. "I'm a recruit of an organisation that accepts donations in exchange for hits against a specified target. I have been since I was ten. And the injuries…" She held the knife up in the light for a second, attempting to sound nonchalant. "...Are mostly from work. Though the old ones were punishments from my supervisors."
Shuichi sat up slowly, not betraying a reaction. "Punishments?"
She could tell he was just digging for more information by pretending to be curious. "It doesn't matter. If you wanted me to stop hurting Kaito for it, then you've got what you want. If the police catch me for your murder, I'll have no choice but to kill myself. Then Kaito won't suffer anymore." She laughed bitterly, not smiling. "Because he'll be dead too."
"That's… not…" Shuichi was now at a loss for words. He gathered himself over a silent minute. "I won't tell the police. If you let me go."
"I'm not an idiot."
"I mean it." He pulled his hat up, lifting the shadow from his face. "Your assassin job… do you like doing that?"
"Of course not. But someone has to do it."
"Why?"
"It's the way the world works. If I quit, they'd just pick someone else. Trying to stop it is pointless."
"I don't believe that," Shuichi said, pulling himself to his feet against the wall. "Attempting to fix things is never pointless."
"You wouldn't understand," Maki deadpanned.
"What do you have to lose?"
Maki wasn't sure what he meant, and she glared at him questioningly.
He visibly swallowed before continuing. "You kill me here, you die, right? You let me go, but don't cooperate, I tell the police and you die. So you have nothing to lose by working with me. And if it goes well… that saves Kaito too."
Maki stared. That… it made sense, but… the idea of going against the cult was terrifying to her. It was invisible. There was no hope in leaving. At least, that's what she'd been told for years and years. Even if it was just indoctrination, which she knew it likely was, that didn't make it feel any less real. So entertaining the idea of getting Shuichi involved and trying to quit felt completely wrong.
And how could she trust him? She'd just held a knife to his throat. No sane person would cooperate after that. He was just trying to sweet-talk her into letting him go. He didn't care about her. He couldn't.
…But he cared about Kaito. Even if he had a million reasons to want Maki to rot, he couldn't have her dead , now that he knew they were soulmates. So that would leave him with no choice but to stay her ally.
And even though she's been desensitized to the idea of dying, knowing she'd die young regardless of what she did… she cared about Kaito. So much. Too much. She couldn't pick an opinion that killed him. She couldn't bring herself to.
"...What do you want from me?" Maki asked eventually.
Shuichi considered. "Give me my phone back."
"Not until we've finished talking."
"I want to take notes on it."
Maki folded her arms. "Don't detectives usually carry around notepads for that?"
"Uh, yeah, but I don't have my bag. Because we were doing sports."
Maki paused, then reluctantly returned it. "If you call anyone, you're dead, got it?"
Shuichi nodded. "Secondly, can you put down the knife?"
She obeyed, placing it on her desk. Then she pulled out the chair, facing it towards her bed. "Sit," she instructed, taking a seat herself on the end of her bed. Normally placing a weapon within reach of a target would be a bad move, but Maki knew Shuichi couldn't land a hit on her.
Once seated, Shuichi began his interrogation, although obviously conscious he wasn't entirely safe. "What's the name of the organisation you work for?"
"..." Maki moved her mouth to answer, but found the name unable to escape her lips. This felt so wrong .
Her discomfort must have been visible, because Shuichi changed question. "You said you joined as a child? Involuntarily?"
"Yes."
"How did you get involved with them?"
"They own the orphanage I grew up in. They pick children who show the most potential, and train them."
Shuichi typed on his phone, frowning. "What kind of organisation is this? Something as conspicuous as that is surely in police records."
"A cult."
He blinked and stopped typing. "...A religious group?"
"A cult, yes."
"Are the assassinations religiously motivated? Or justified by their religion?"
"No. The religion is an excuse. I doubt most of the adults believe it. It's used as a means of keeping up public appearances, and getting obedience from trainees."
"So they used it to manipulate you?"
"Threaten me."
Shuichi went back to typing. "You referred to 'punishments'...?"
"None of your business."
"...Those were physical and verbal abuse, correct?"
"It was the source of most of my old injuries, yes." Maki didn't want to directly confirm anything on the subject. She didn't want Shuichi feeling pity for her. She wasn't something to be pitied. She was a cold-blooded murderer.
"Do you know what the money earned from assassinations is spent on?"
"No. Some of it is funding for the orphanage, but not much. I imagine the rest is drugs and alcohol, but I have no evidence of that."
"I see. Would you be able to write down the name of this cult for me?"
Maki forced herself to push on. Now that she'd started talking, it felt a little easier. "No, it's fine, I can tell you… They're called the Holy Salvation Society. HoSS for short."
Shuichi wrote it on his phone. Maki tucked her legs up onto her bed. "That's enough information, right?" she said coldly. "You've got everything you need to get me a life sentence and save Kaito. Win win."
"I don't want to send you to prison, Maki. I've already said I want to help you. Your testimony is evidence you're a victim."
"I don't understand. You realise defending me will be nothing but inconvenient for you?"
"Yes. But I've made up my mind. I'm not sending a good person to jail."
"And what makes you think I'm a good person?"
Shuichi thought. "We're friends."
"And?"
"And you're Kaito's soulmate. If you were a bad person, you wouldn't be compatible, because Kaito is too good. And I believe in that."
Every mention of Kaito's name made Maki feel more sick. Her ears were ringing.
"You don't know that." She scratched at the tips of her fingers. "Perhaps the destiny the mark represents is one where Kaito never knows what I am. If I told him who I really was, it would probably be ruined. Though I suppose that's a good thing."
"Then why don't you find out?"
Maki looked up. Shuichi smiled weakly. "You're still here because you're attached to him, aren't you? And you're scared it'll all be lost if you say the wrong thing. But you can't keep orbiting him forever."
"Don't… assume how I feel…" Maki mumbled.
"Sorry. I wouldn't say I'm an expert on the matter anyway. But, the way I see it, you've got to make a choice. Leave Kaito behind, or leave the cult behind. You know you can't have both."
She stared. "There is no choice. Leaving Kaito is inevitable. I know that."
"That's not what Kaito would say. I'm sure he'd say there is no such this as inevitability. You just need to keep fighting, even if it seems impossible. If that's what you believe in."
"I hate you," Maki said, her voice cracking.
Shuichi stood up. "I'm going to investigate this privately. Look through police databases and such. So there'll be an investigation either way. I can't, morally, allow something like that to continue existing." He pulled down his hat. "You have nothing to lose by telling him the truth. If it goes badly, you can still leave."
"Aren't you scared of me? The door is still locked."
He looked her in the eye. "Please?"
Her head echoed painfully with his words. She hated making decisions. Because it meant something was about to change, which terrified her. The prospect of a new direction to her life, however good, was unknown and unimaginable. This was all she knew. She'd never considered anything else.
She stood up, walked over to the door, and unlocked it. "Don't tell Kaito anything. I'll sort that out myself."
"Okay, understood." Shuichi left the room quickly, sparing no time in case she changed her mind. "I'll be back later," he said, before tipping his hat and vanishing down the corridor.
Maki closed the door. She walked back into her room. She lay down on her bed, and pressed her face into her pillow.
And she dissolved into muffled sobs.
The next 24 hours of Maki's life felt like walking on a frozen lake. She knew she was running out of time, that things would eventually crash down, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. Shuichi was painfully correct. She was attached to Kaito. The part of her that had been trained for so many years to be detached, cold, calculated and obedient, had seemingly been overpowered by a teenage guy with a stupid grin. And the conflict left her emotionally paralyzed.
To her relief, the mark on her nose had mostly faded by the morning. She knew it was still noticeable, but it was indistinct enough it could be anything. A little coincidence.
So despite everything the night before, she went to school. Shuichi's interactions were noticeably stilted, but he didn't say anything unusual. And Kaito… Kaito had no idea anything was wrong. The guilt was tearing Maki apart. She'd never felt this much pain; not during torture, not when she'd been shot, not ever.
Eventually, it was this guilt that ended her paralysis. During the last lesson of the day, after a normal, casual lunchtime with Kaito, she began writing. She hadn't decided yet whether this was a letter for him, or a script for when she told him verbally, but it was something. She was writing her story. Her explanation.
Or at least, part of it. She wrote about the cult. She wrote about hurting people. She wrote about how this school had been her only safe place. She wrote about how Shuichi was investigating it, but she was scared that it would go wrong, and someone would be hurt. She wrote about how he deserved to know, and she should have told him sooner. She said sorry.
She didn't write about being his soulmate. Her wrist just stopped working every time she tried. If she wanted to tell him that, she'd have to improvise.
She caught him at the end of school. "Kaito."
"Hm? What's wrong, Maki-roll?"
The use of the nickname almost made her chicken out. She didn't.
"For you," she said, holding out the letter she wrote. There was no way she'd be able to tell Kaito all of that. She couldn't even look him in the eye. "Goodbye."
She fled before he could unfold it, rocketing back to her dorm. She knew she was a coward, but the look of betrayal she imagined on his face when he knew what she was would be too much to bear. She deserved to see it, but… she was a coward.
The next two hours were spent babysitting. Her phone rang twice, both times from Kaito. She didn't answer. He texted her too, but she didn't read. She'd confront it when she was done.
Then she went home. She decided she needed food, so she went shopping. Then she cleaned up a bit. Then she brushed her hair because… well, because she was procrastinating.
Evening fell. She picked up her phone, gritting her teeth. She just had to read his texts.
She was interrupted by a knock on the door. This time, distinctly Kaito.
"Maki-roll! You in there?"
She paused, but knew she'd put it off long enough. She opened the door silently, not meeting his eye.
"Ah, Maki-roll! I was worried, you weren't answering my calls."
"I was babysitting."
"Oh, oops! I forgot about that. Can I come in?"
"No. What do you want?"
"I wanna chat."
She glared at him. "You can get to the point."
"What? Seriously, I just wanna chat. And to make sure you're okay!"
"Did you even read my letter?" she asked, her voice raising.
"Yeah?"
"Then…" All her pent up frustration bubbled over. "Then why aren't you yelling at me!?"
"Huh!?" Kaito blinked at her anger. "Why would I yell at you? The stuff in that letter was horrible and not your fault. If anything, I should say well done for telling me. That was super brave! As is expected of my awesome sidekick."
Maki felt her whole body shaking. Why did this feel so different coming from Kaito? She stared, speechless.
"You really thought I'd be mad at you?" he said, looking concerned. "I mean, yeah, murder isn't good and all that. But you're Maki. I trust you one hundred thousand percent. And once Shuichi's done fixing everything, that's all in the past."
She backed away into her room, leaving the door open for Kaito to follow, and sank down onto her bed. He stepped in, closing the door behind him.
"You… you shouldn't have so much faith in me, Kaito. That's how you get killed."
"But you're my favorite! Obviously I've gotta believe in you." He paused, rethinking his words. "I mean, my fave alongside Shuichi."
Maki ignored how flustered she felt hearing that. "So you're fine with the fact I kept secrets from you? That I'm still keeping secrets from you?"
"Well, it wasn't really any of my business. You were hiding it from me for safety reasons, right?"
He sat down on the bed next to her. She didn't know why he was so close , but it was making everything so difficult.
"It is your business. Entirely your business," she whispered.
"What do you mean?"
Maki's heart was thumping and her throat felt suddenly tight. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stared down at her bed, aware of how pathetic she was being. But Kaito didn't speak any more. He was waiting.
As Maki wrestled with her own instincts, she caught sight of Kaito's wrist beneath his purple sleeve. Three spots, slightly lighter than the rest of his skin.
"I…" She lifted her hand. The fear twisting her insides meant it took all of her effort to keep her hand steady. If it's fate, she thought, if he was always meant to find out this way…
Then the universe should pull us together.
She closed her eyes, and reached out to him. Her fingertips made contact with Kaito's skin.
She heard him inhale sharply.
After a second that felt like a lifetime, Maki opened her eyes. Her fingertips had lit up, the same vibrant purple of his eyes, leaving three crimson marks on his wrist. She'd done it.
She couldn't back out anymore. The cult would know. He knew. Not more procrastinating.
"I'm sorry." The words left her lips before she could process them, and the tone of voice she spoke with felt foreign. What had happened to tough Maki? Cool, collected Maki who could handle anything?
"You're- but- but that means-" Kaito stammered.
"I'm sorry."
"Wait, no, don't apologise!" he said. "That's- it's not your- but the whole time…? It was you !?"
"I'm sorry."
"I- How long have you… known? This?"
"Since we met." Maki's mouth had gone from completely dry to nervously active. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault you've suffered so much. I'm the one who ruined your life."
"No- No, Maki-roll, you haven't-"
"I have! I know I have!" The floodgates had opened, and now the words were tumbling to escape her mouth. "The cult made me swear on an oath, that when I met my- my soulmate, I'd do everything in my power to sever from them. But this school… was my first chance in so long to have some freedom. It was my first chance, my only chance. I was selfish, and stupid. I thought if I just pretended it didn't exist, the problem would go away, but it just got worse, and worse, and worse. So… so I don't care what you think of me anymore. Everything is already falling apart for me. But I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for ruining everything. I'm sor-"
Maki's words were cut off by the feeling of Kaito pulling her towards him. He wasn't harsh or forceful, but the sensation was so abnormal that she still didn't have a chance to process it. Her face was pulled into his shoulder, as his arms wrapped around her back.
He was hugging her.
"Shhh, you're getting yourself all worked up, Maki-roll," he said. "It's okay. I forgive you."
Maki's shoulders were shaking. She knew she could pull away - he was still holding her lightly, as if testing the waters - but it felt so right . Letting out a repressed breath, she leaned into him. Suddenly, she knew why she'd stayed the whole time. Why she was so attached.
She didn't know what love was meant to feel like, but if she could imagine it… Maki guessed it would feel like this.
She could fight. She could escape. Make her own life. If there was a cruel God overseeing her fate… how did she end up here? Was it a ruse? Would the hope just be snatched away from her? Or maybe… she had a chance. And if she didn't fight for it, what was the point? That meant she'd just accepted pain forever. Pain for Kaito forever.
When she next spoke, her voice shook to match her watering eyes. "I didn't want to hurt you… I promise, I didn't. The whole time… when I was scared, I remembered that someone was there to heal me again. Even though I know that was just self-preservation… it was the only time I felt loved. Even if it wasn't real. And I'm sorry. That I didn't just tell you to begin with. That I let you keep hurting and cut you off from your dreams for so long. I was just a coward."
"You're not a coward," he said. "And you don't need to keep apologising, okay? I told you, when I talked about my soulmate. I said I wanted to help them. Protect them. It's not their fault. It's not your fault."
"But-"
"No buts!" He released her from the hug, and she slowly lifted her head to look at him. "And hey, let's not be so down about it! This should be a good moment for me!"
"Because you can finally stop suffering because of me?" she mumbled.
"No! Because my soulmate is you . I never would have guessed that." Maki blinked, feeling her cheeks go warm. "I had a crush on you, actually. Kinda." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "But I just assumed that if we were soulmates I woulda known that by now, we would've at least brushed hands or something. But if it was intentional you were avoiding me knowing, it makes a lot more sense. And also a relief. Because I thought I was being weird by liking you."
"It is weird to like me," Maki hissed, hiding her face behind her hair in response to the unfamiliar affection. "I'm unlikeable."
"Hm, we're gonna have to work on the self-esteem I think. But you've taken big steps getting this far, so I'm sure we can handle it with time."
"Hey, you're not my therapist!"
"Oh yeah, therapy would be a good idea too. That's somewhere to start. That is, as soon as Shuichi's made sure it's safe for you to do whatever. Oh, and I suppose I ought to take you somewhere fun. Like a theme park! Have you ever been to a theme park? They're kinda expensive, but I can pay my grandparents back once I start making big bucks at JAXA."
"How-" Maki's eyes brimmed with tears. "How can you just think about the future like that?"
"Is that too much at once?" he asked. "Maybe we should start with something more manageable… Oh, I know!" He grinned. "The sky's gonna be super clear tonight. You and me should go stargazing! I can teach you the constellations."
"...Stargazing?" Maki never had free time during the night - she either slept or carried out hits. But tonight… Well, now that she'd revealed her soulmate mark, she couldn't really return to the cult anymore. So that was it for work. That thought made Maki both excited and terrified.
"What do you think?" he asked, his purple eyes twinkling. "It's fine if you'd rather get some sleep, but-"
"Okay. Let's go."
Maki got up, and grabbed her coat. Kaito's smile widened. "We've gotta stop at my dorm on the way."
"Why?"
"I'm gonna make us hot chocolate!"
"I've never had hot chocolate."
"Perfect. Hot chocolate it is. Always fun to have a warm drink when out in the cold."
Kaito made drinks, then the two headed outside into the chill of dusk. It wasn't exactly night yet, but it was dark enough they could see the stars nonetheless. They trekked to a grassy field at the very edge of the campus, and lay down beside eachother beneath the cloudless sky, Kaito telling stories and space facts until the dark turned into night.
There was something unexpectedly tranquil and reassuring about looking out at the stars. It made the universe feel so big, and all of her worries small in comparison, nothing more than a speck in whatever grand comic scheme. Maybe another explanation made the most sense; if God really did exist, somewhere, what reason would he have to care about Maki? She wasn’t special, she didn’t mean anything. God would have no reason to bless her, to grant her miracles… but he’d have no reason to punish her either. Reasonably, he wouldn’t care. It was just Maki, alone in the universe, finding her own path. Maybe that was the purpose of soulmates. To give you a hint. Push you in the right direction.
Or maybe it was something completely different. Pondering it was pointless, given how many explanations there were. The ones scientists gave, the ones from dreamers or romantics, from writers, religious or non-religious, those who believe in destiny and those who don’t. In the end, she liked Kaito. The mark on her hand didn’t matter. It was the feelings that were real. That she could choose to believe in.
"Kaito?" Maki asked eventually, starting to feel sleepy.
"Hm?"
"Do you really think things are gonna work out?"
He smiled in the moonlight. "Yeah. You remember how soulmates work, right? If there's no possibility of having a happy ending for both of you, then you can't be soulmates.” He stretched his arms out to the sides. “I mean, that’s the common consensus nowadays, right? So it has to be possible. And an astronaut's talent is making impossible things possible, and possible things happen!"
Maki looked at the stars in the sky, avoiding Kaito's gaze. "Does that… Does that make us a couple?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw him pull his arms back in and roll onto his side to face her. She tried not to react, still looking up. “Do you want to be?”
Maki turned on her side to face away from him, to hide her face. “What do you think?” she mumbled angrily.
“Hey, I can’t just make assumptions!” he said. “I need to actually hear it from you. It’s fine if you need a bit more time first-”
He fell silent as Maki abruptly sat up. “There’s no guarantee I’ll have more time,” she said. “I’ve already told you everything, told Shuichi everything, made it so I can’t change my mind anymore-” She gestured with her purple fingertips as he too sat up from the grass. “I’d be stupid if I didn’t go all out. If I’ve made the decision to say fuck it and chose you guys over them, I might as well commit.” She turned to look at him finally, hoping the dark concealed her red cheeks. “I don’t promise to know anything about relationships. But if you’ll let me… even with everything…”
Maki saw his smile for only a second before he moved towards her. She flinched, and he stopped. “Ah, sorry!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Maki said quickly, grabbing her hair. “I’m just not used to being touched. Sorry.”
“No need to apologise!” His smile returned reassuringly. “I didn’t make you uncomfortable when I hugged you earlier, did I? I should’ve asked before doing that too.”
“Ah, uh, no. That was fine.” She twisted her hair around her finger. “It’s mostly if it’s sudden. I think.”
He bumped his fists together. “Gotcha! If I do spook you, feel free to punch me in the face, ‘kay?”
“That’s a stupid idea,” she said, gesturing at her own face. It took a second for it to click with Kaito.
“Oh! Yeah, good point. Wow, I’m gonna have to get used to that. Make sure I don’t get into fights. Or that I get really really good at fights!”
“Make sure you don’t get hit by any more tennis balls,” Maki mumbled, mostly to herself.
“Oh shit! Is that why you left!?” Maki allowed him a moment to process everything that had happened with the new context. “Damn, sorry about that.”
“If you start apologising for that kind of thing, I owe you about a hundred apologies.”
Kaito considered this for a second, and Maki couldn’t help noticing his eyes flick across her long sleeves and tights. She shifted self-consciously, cursing herself for ruining the conversation, and hoping he wouldn’t start acting sympathetic. “Well,” he said finally. “Let’s make sure that never becomes a hundred and one.”
She relaxed. “That would be nice. So you can work for JAXA or whatever you want to do.”
“Yeah!” He flopped back against a tree. “I reckon I’m gonna go to Mars.”
“Mars?”
“Mhm. I mean, the moon is a classic, and I’d love to go to the moon. Probably I’d do that first, as a practice run. But then I’d absolutely be the first man on Mars. Y’know, scientists think Mars could be hospitable if we put enough effort into it. Like those big glass domes you see in SciFi. Have you ever watched SciFi stuff? A lot of them include martians too, but that’s pretty unlikely. Aliens in generally aren’t unlikely though! Because microscopic life…”
Maki slowly slid herself towards Kaito, until her shoulder was touching his. She wasn’t even sure if he’d noticed - she’d managed to send him off of a tangent again.
She smiled despite herself, closing her eyes. He was so silly.
Maki had started to drift off when Kaito finally stopped talking. He paused for a second, though she was barely aware of it, then spoke in a completely different tone of voice. A soft one.
“Maki-roll, you can’t fall asleep out here. I’ll have to carry you the whole way back.”
“You’re the one who kept me up this late,” she mumbled, moving to bury her face into the shoulder of his jacket.
“You want me to carry you then?”
She reluctantly sat up. “Of course not. If Kokichi caught sight of that I’d never go to school again.”
Kaito got to his feet, brushing himself off. “It’s just Kokichi. It’s not like anyone would believe him if he told them.” He held his hand out to Maki. She hesitated, then cautiously took it, letting him guide her up. It felt weird.
He didn’t let go of her hand when she was on her feet. Instead, he scratched the back of his neck nervously with his other hand. “I, uh, never properly answered your question about whether we’re a couple or not, did I? I got distracted.” Maki nodded, biting her lip. “The conclusion we reached was a yes, wasn’t it?”
“...I think.”
“Cool!” He grinned with what appeared to be nervous excitement. “You’ve got good taste, I’m quite the catch.”
“What?”
“I mean, who wouldn’t be into someone with dashing looks like mine?” It was clear to Maki he was hiding his lack of confidence by compensating way too much. “I’m a charmer, a dreamboat, a superstud even.”
She stared at him for a few seconds. “Have you ever held hands with a girl before?”
“Wha-” Kaito spluttered. “Of course I have! I’ve got women flying at me from all sides. I’ve really played the field, you know-”
He stopped, noticing Maki’s hand was shaking. “Are you okay?”
Maki burst out into a fit of laughter.
“Huh- Hey! No, don’t laugh at me! It’s not funny!”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry, sorry. Whatever you say, Kaito.”
He let out a loud sigh. “I mean, at least you’re laughing. I don’t think I’ve heard you laugh like that before.”
Maki went pink. “It’s just because I’m tired, okay!”
Kaito’s grip on her hand tightened slightly as he tugged her gently. “Come on then, let’s get you to bed.”
She obliged, dragging her feet. “I’m not a child.”
Too soon, she was back at her dorm, and Kaito finally let go of her hand. It immediately felt cold. She said goodnight, and lay down in her bed, glancing at her phone before sleeping. She had a message from Shuichi.
Hey Maki. I did some digging and there were several police records on suspicious activity that seems to align with your story. I also spoke to the Ultimate Detective in the year below us, who is the daughter of the Principal of Hope’s Peak, Kirigiri. She found your Hope’s Peak file along with the private comments when you were first scouted. Apparently the teachers hoped that coming to the school would make you want to quit and give you a second chance at a future (not my words, roughly paraphrased). So they have a pretty decent range of evidence that was collected during the scouting phase by Kizakura.
To summarise, this should mean the case is already partially built and supported by the school. Because of your talent, it’s in their best interest to make sure you are able to stay in the school, and because of their prestige, I’m pretty sure law enforcement will cooperate, as long as it avoids making press. You will have to make an official statement, and I’ll probably need to get further testimony from you at a later date, but overall it shouldn’t be as difficult to manage as you believed.
Have you spoken to Kaito yet?
She reread the message three times before she could comprehend it all. Trust Shuichi to write texts in big paragraphs. She replied.
I spoke to Kaito. I’m going no contact with the cult from this point on. There’s a chance they’ll come here, so it’d be best for me to avoid leaving school grounds
Thanks for the help, Shuichi
She rolled over on her bed, holding the phone above her face. She opened her contacts.
Maki had spent her whole life waiting for her soulmate, so she could cut them off again. Leave them behind for good. But now…
Now it wasn’t her soulmate she was cutting off. It wasn’t her happiness she was leaving behind. She wasn’t severing her ties to Kaito.
She blocked her superior’s number, and turned over to go to sleep.
The future wasn’t guaranteed. But she had friends, somehow. Friends in school. Kaede, Tenko, Himiko, Ryoma, Korekiyo, Kirumi… potentially almost the entire class. Shuichi. And she had Kaito. Yeah. She had Kaito.
Even if it was just fantasy… as there was no reason to really believe in it… Maki dreamed of the future that night. For the first time in her life of living in the past.
She dreamed of a future that was all her own. A future where everything would be okay.
Chapter Text
It started as a scratch at the back of her throat. It was nothing of concern - she'd had colds before. Over the days, it turned into a burning pain, trailing the whole way from her neck to somewhere deep within her chest. It was easy to hide, being a trained assassin, but worrying nonetheless. A situation like this was the worst time to fall seriously ill.
So she ignored it. Even when she coughed up the first spots of blood.
She hadn't expected Kaito to break so suddenly. She'd been so concerned about her own wellbeing, she'd written him off as being lazy. But at the end of a class trial, the burning pain at the back of her throat rose. Her eyes stung as she felt her windpipe spasm, the taste of blood reaching her tongue. She bit it back anyway. She just had to make it a few more minutes, until she could go to her room.
Then Kaito doubled over, coughing and retching, blood splattering on the floor.
Maki was almost about to forget her own pain in that instant. Why? Why Kaito? The only person in this damn place she cared about? How could he also be sick?
Monokuma explained. Kaito had tested positive for a terrible disease, and Monokuma had just 'forgotten' to mention it until now. "Luckily, he was the only one! How unfortunate."
She collapsed in her room, hacking up the same amount of blood minutes later. Monokuma was wrong. Kaito wasn't the only one sick. But if only he'd tested positive… What was wrong with her?
It didn't take long to connect the dots. Every time Kaito's symptoms got worse, every time he collapsed coughing, Maki felt the same spike of pain. When he swiped away blood on his sleeve, Maki turned away to discreetly do the same. And when he stubbed his toe on the doorway to outside, Maki felt that too.
So they were soulmates.
Maki wasn't sick. Kaito was sick. And Maki was gonna die with him.
...
"But we still don't know who's inside the exisal…" Shuichi said.
"It has to be Kokichi." Kiibo said. "Kaito was crushed by the hydraulic press. Right?"
"Sca-boosh!! Splat!" came Kokichi's voice from the exisal.
Maki stared at it. She knew it wasn't Kokichi. Because if Kaito was dead, she wouldn't be standing here. So… why? Why was he doing this? How did it happen? She shot him. She felt it. She saw Kokichi drink the antidote. Yet the effects of the poison never hit. Had it been a trick? Why would Kaito go along with something like that?
"Are you okay, Maki?" Tsumugi asked. Maki didn't react.
"Nyeh... her and Kaito were close, right…?" Himiko said. "She's probably upset. I would be."
She continued staring at the exisal blankly. Kaito was pretending to be Kokichi. He had to have a reason for that. And whatever it was… Maki wanted to believe in it. It wasn't like she had anything left to lose.
"I-" she said, turning away from the exisal, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "I… I killed Kaito. It's my fault."
Ignoring the burning pain rising again in her throat, Maki began to tell her story. She wasn't lying. She was just omitting one very important, contradictory detail.
After all, no one here knew they were soulmates. Not even Kaito. Possibly not even Monokuma.
....
The debate continued. Shuichi said there was no way of knowing whether the killer was Maki or Kokichi. Maki knew the truth. Kokichi's killer was either herself or Kaito. Either way, neither would survive the execution.
.....
Shuichi figured it out. He always did. Maki could hear the exhaustion in Kaito's voice as he stepped from the exisal. "That's my sidekick! Nothing can get past you."
Maki didn't speak. The impending doom of the vote weighed on her painful chest. So they'd both die. That's how this would end. She guessed it would, eventually, from the sickness, but… for it to end like this… for Kaito to agree to something like that to protect her , when really it wouldn't make a difference…
Kaito swayed slightly, repressing a cough. Maki gave in. Everyone turned in horror as she hacked up blood onto the trial room floor.
"Wh-What?" Kaito said, looking at her. "Maki-roll!?"
Voices blurred around her. She could hear everyone's questions at the revelation. She didn't care to answer them.
"I- I thought you said I was the only sick person!" Kaito shouted, turning on Monokuma.
"W-W-Wha!?" he shouted, looking just as confused as everyone else. "Hold on, why is she doing that!? Stop that!"
Maki sighed. So even Monokuma didn't know. She looked up at Kaito, who looked like he'd been slapped.
…That was an idea.
Maki raised her fist and hit herself hard on the arm. Kaito winced, bewildered. She did it again.
"Wait… You're-" His eyes went wide in understanding. She lowered her head.
"I'm sorry. Even after you did all that to protect me… In the end, it was all for nothing. I've been doomed from the start."
Panic flooded Kaito's expression. "No! Nonono! But- But I don't want you to die- you're meant to escape-"
He doubled over, coughing. Maki let the blood drip from her mouth. She could see the confused expressions of the others, not sure what was going on. Then Monokuma gasped.
"Oooh!" he said in realisation. "Hey, I thought I'd managed to sever everyone's connections when I wiped your memories of eachother! Why did you two have to be so difficult? Honestly, I'm overworked and underpaid!"
The others started to catch up. "Y-You two are-" Shuichi started.
"Soulmates? " Tsumugi said, her pupils dilating. "But… that's so tragic!"
Kaito was still trying to argue, but his words were hard to make out. Maki knew if she opened her mouth now, she'd be the same, so she stayed silent.
"Hey… Monokuma?" Himiko said. "Why did you say you wiped our memories of eachother…? We never met."
"That was a lie, obviously!"
Monokuma's honesty caught everyone off-guard. Maki spun around to look at him.
"I have control over your memories! I modify them however I see fit! It'd be no good if you guys were friends already, you'd never kill each other. So I made you forget your time together."
There was silence. "What!? Don't look at me like that. It's not like I didn't make it clear I could remove your memories. Just look at the flashback lights. What difference does it make if you met or not, anyway? Not like you remember that anymore!"
"You're disgusting!" Kaito shouted, finding his voice. "How dare you fuck with us like that!?"
Monokuma laughed. "It's not a death sentence for her, y'know. If she just stopped loving you, she'd be fine. The strings of fate would be cut and everything."
Kaito turned to Maki, who laughed bitterly. "You know I can't do that," she whispered. "I can't just turn off my feelings, as stupid as it is." She looked up at the pained expression on his face. "It's fine, I'm not scared of dying."
"But- But I don't want- Maki-"
"Okay, that's enough soap opera!" Monokuma announced. "It's time for the moment everyone's been waiting for!"
She heard everyone's protests, but she only had eyes for Kaito. She'd never seen him look so defeated. "I'm sorry… I should have told you when I first realised."
Kaito forced his eyes away from her, turning to everyone else. "You guys had better get out of here, okay? I believe in you all! And you," he turned to Monokuma, glaring. "I'm not gonna die the way you want."
"Whatever you say, spaceman~" Monokuma taunted. "Let's give it everything we've got-"
"I'm coming," Maki said. Monokuma paused
"Eh?"
"I'm joining in with the execution. No point me staying here."
Monokuma looked at her. Then he groaned. "Fine! Whatever! See if I care. But you'll have to sit on the floor, there's only one chair."
Maki wasn't sure what that meant, but it was good enough for her. Really, she just didn't want the others to see what happened to her up close. She'd spare them the sight.
Kaito let out a distressed noise, but didn't argue.
"Now, as I was saying…" Monokuma grinned. "Let's give it everything we've got… It's punishment time!!"
The collar snapped around Kaito's neck, dragging him towards a rocket. Maki ran after him, her ears ringing. She could feel the pressure of Kaito's collar digging into her own throat, and she barely made it to the floor for the rocket before she began coughing again. The door slammed shut.
The moment the rocket took off, Kaito slid to the floor next to her, coughing just the same. She could hear the clanging of metal, feel the ground shake. They caught their breath at the same time as each other, making eye contact.
No words passed. Maki wasn't sure if she'd ever say another word. She couldn't remember what her last words were, but it didn't matter.
"You think we really knew each other?" Kaito asked eventually, his voice hoarse. "Y'know, before. Like Monokuma said."
Maki shrugged.
Kaito ran out of energy, slumping back against the chair. "I hope so. In fact, yeah. I'm gonna believe in that. I mean, imagine. Me and you, pals. Or uh, more than pals. Just sorta hanging out."
She tried to imagine it, but couldn't. Something like that would never happen to her.
"I'd have taken you to a planetarium," he said. "And I would have told you all about my plans for the future. Not sure I told you any of those… this whole situation kinda lodged us in the present. And we would have drank hot chocolate. That's be nice."
Maki eyes started to droop, as she struggled to breathe. If she passed out before their undoubtedly gruesome death, that was for the best.
"And-" Kaito's voice was barely audible now. "And we would've eaten sushi. Cuz Maki-roll. And we would've- uh…"
Her eyes had almost shut, when she caught a glimpse out of the window.
"Kaito." Her voice sounded unnatural to herself now, quiet and almost tearful, like a child. She nudged him slightly, gesturing at the window with the last of her energy.
"We- We're in space…" Kaito whispered, awestruck. The stars twinkled in the sky. Maki felt her hands go cold, her whole body feel heavy. "See, I told you." He slumped towards her, as her eyes fell shut again.
"The impossible… is possible."
The sky went dark. The rocket plummeted to Earth.
She held his hand as they breathed their final breaths.
......
Notes:
I changed Kaito's execution because it didn't make any sense otherwise. I mean, how did he stay in his chair when it went upside down? Guess that's the difference between the fuckery that is Danganronpa and a fanfic. So yeah, that's why it just goes up. Gets the point across fine I think. Also I haven't seen this class trial in ages, which is why it was so vague.
Emerald_Shadow on Chapter 1 Sat 28 Jan 2023 11:57PM UTC
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