There's something weird going on by the founder's statue. I'm going to take a look.
[ To be honest, Chisa feels a little silly sending the text. Everything has been a little weird for some time now. If she's honest, there's been shadows of it as far back as when she had been a student at Hope's Peak, not a teacher. Wasn't that why Kyousuke had wanted them to investigate in the first place? As much as she knows he takes pride in being a graduate here, he's too keen-eyed and driven to simply let the growing signs of corruption pass. And now here they are: the murder game of the student council, the growing unrest and resentment of the reserve course, the growing sense of doom, not to mention the troubles within her own class...
Surely, in light of that, both Kyousuke and Juzo have more pressing things to worry about. It's probably not that bad -- nothing she can't handle on her own. Even if she's a housekeeper, part of her job has always involved fending off unwanted male attention, including some that has been violently persistent. She knows how to handle herself! And she shouldn't be wasting time, not when her students are in trouble.
Even so, she finds herself hesitating at the top of the stairs to send that text. They can be angry at her later for wasting their time.
With that done, she descends straight into a nightmare.
From the moment Enoshima Junko appears, to her being captured, to that video, everything blurs together in horrifying and confused jumble. She fights as hard as she can as she's strapped down, but no matter how good she is, she's not really a match for the Ultimate Soldier. There are a few seconds before it starts where Enoshima, leering, tells her that she should be proud; after all, it's a product of the hard work and effort of one of her students. When she has the time, she should be sure to praise Mitarai-kun for what he's helped create.
And then there's the video. It seems to be playing on a continuous loop, restarting as soon as the horrific scenario ends with barely a beat in between. Watching it feels like she's the one being stabbed and torn apart, but there's something weirdly seductive underneath that, something that keeps nagging at the back of her mind to give up and enjoy it, to just let go. Just let it happen.
The message is more than a little strange, in the greater context of the situation. He had already asked Juzo to try contacting her so they could convene and share their information, but she hadn't responded--presumably because teachers should be instructing their students in the late morning hours.
The strangeness of the message goes beyond Chisa ignoring an incoming call, though. The unrest surrounding the rumors of experimentation and the reserve course students' tuition has made the campus unsafe, so the fact that Chisa is outside during class hours and looking into something is ... concerning.
She doesn't respond to a text reply when sent. It's not like Chisa, unless she's distracted by something else. There are too many question left unanswered in a short amount of time.
Looking further into the school board's misdeeds can wait an hour or two; a few words to Juzo is all it takes before they leave the school archives together. They encounter a student struggling to carry along another as they cross the bridge--the girl, Nanami, more than a little panicked as she reports that they were told to escape danger and go on ahead of their teacher. Yukizome.
Between their bedraggled appearances and what looked like a bullet hole in the unconscious boy's jacket, something inside him churns violently. He gives Nanami a curt order to head back to her classroom and looks at Juzo.
[The message couldn't have come at a better time; Juzo had just determined they needed to split up, try and find Chisa and Enoshima both, and he'd been ready to head off on his own instants before the message had come through. Little does he know that Enoshima herself is on the prowl for him right now, poised to take care of both of Kyosuke's trusted subordinates, his best friends, back to back. But when that text comes through, things begin to head down a different path.
He's never seen Kyosuke so panicked, not that he's about to comment on it. He observes it silently, as if watching the both of them run down the rain-wet stone path from outside of his own body. His own expression surely mirrors his friend's. This feeling of his body running on autopilot isn't one he's used to, and he thinks he doesn't like it, though he doesn't have the focus to think about it too hard just now; later he will. Juzo is, as the Ultimate Boxer, used to residing fully within his body, feeling every stretch of muscle as it moves to his will. Right now he's so sick himself with a creeping anxiety that the only part of his body he can feel at all is his nauseated stomach, twisted into knots with the heavy dread of the unknown. Chisa is in trouble. Chisa is in trouble. Chisa is in trouble—
He knows already just how wrong things have gone.
The founder's statue. How could they not have noticed? No, how could hehave failed to notice something so obviously wrong here? The head of security, an Ultimate, an alumnus of this fucking school, and he never figured out that something's changed about the statue since their own time here on campus as students? He can see it now as soon as they come up on it, panting and soaked. His body shivers with the drip of the cold rain down his collar, and with far worse than cold. It's out of place. It's hiding something. It has been all along—]
Munakata! . . . Yukizome!
[Too loud, and then even louder, over the driving impact of the rain on the street. They're the only words he can bring himself to say.]
[If the entrance resealed itself, there's panels on the ground and statue that have to be pushed together. That should open it. That's what Nanami had said before they'd parted ways.
It's surreal, to see the professionally constructed staircase that seems to descend into a dark oblivion, right at the feet of the founder's statue. The choice of location for the secret staircase feels intentional and symbollic in the worst of ways--a sign of the hidden corruption that he's wanted to extract from Hope's Peak Academy.]
Quickly. Stay alert.
[From the depth and size of the staircase as they descend, he surmises that it's a large facility, and that fact does little to stem the dread welling up inside him. He feels unprepared for what lies ahead despite having Juzo at his side, trying to navigate a dizzying labyrinth at the bottom of the stairs. Scuff marks left by Nanami's unconscious classmate as she dragged him to safety.
It's a very good stroke of luck that gets them to their end destination with their nerves intact.
Kyosuke hears the video before they enter the room, the speaker-filtered cries piercing in their agony and fear. It gives him pause like nothing else in his life has done before, eyes wide and unsettled as he tries to calm himself. Business and school politics, he could handle. Riots by unruly students, he could handle. But it sounded like people hurting each other, murdering each other, with the occasional hysterical laugh or sob punctuating the litany of screams.
Yukizome. Remember Chisa. Chisa is somewhere, here, in danger.
That thought is what fuels him pushing forward, into the room with a screen lit up red with horror imagery.]
[ There's always a point, somewhere in the loop, where Chisa is positive she can hear voices calling her name. The first couple of times, she'd been almost sick with hope -- they're here, they found me, thank god, I'm saved -- and each time she realizes it's her own imagination, she can feel that hope curdling. Rotting. She knows she can't give up yet, but it's getting harder to remember why with each repetition of the video.
She's so tired. She's so tired, but she can't just stop, either. She feels less like a person at this point and more like a confused, conflicted jumble of impulses. Despair rattles at the edges of her awareness, forcing physical reactions she doesn't want to think about too closely, but there's still some hope left in her, so she does her best to struggle against her bindings, as futile as it is. She's not a weak woman, but these bindings were designed to hold Ultimate athletes (just in case!), not a housekeeper. Her voice had cracked from screaming some time ago, so now all she can do is mumble pleas for this to stop, even if no one around her is sympathetic.
It's probably a stroke of luck that Ikusaba isn't there. She'd been there, Chisa would remember later, but when she'd left was impossible to guess. There are just some already-infected reserve course students milling around to act as guards. They're armed, of course, for all the good it'll do them. One of them takes a swing with a tire iron at Kyousuke immediately, and he's not bad in aim and speed and strength, but he's just an ordinary kid. All four of them are.
Chisa herself isn't immediately visible except for a little bit of her hair, fluffy as it is, but there's only one chair in this room, centered and close to the screen. In one of the brief seconds of silence from the video, there's no mistaking the sound of her sobbing. This is it, this is when she always thinks she hears her friends, and there's no way they're here for real. ]
[Four ordinary kids standing between these two and Yukizome don't stand a chance.
It wasn't all that long ago that Chisa had caught Juzo beating a Reserve Course student, and stopped him out of fear Juzo would kill him. She hadn't been entirely wrong to worry; Juzo knows his own strength, and doesn't always care enough to be careful about it. It's more controlled than he lets on, but few people would know that. That time, he hadn't been aiming to kill Hinata—if he had been, he would have already done it by the time she found them. There's no struggle in an Ultimate athlete finishing off a normie unless he wants there to be.
This time, he doesn't. Even Juzo wouldn't use deadly force on a student lightly, but this is hardly lightly. They have her. They have her, and they're aiming for Kyosuke now, too. Juzo doesn't step in there; he knows Kyosuke can handle himself just as well or better than Juzo can. But it's enough, along with the sounds of Chisa's sobs, that he doesn't hold anything back. He'd dwell later on what it means to take a life, but it hardly seems worth thinking about: these insects are hurting his people. They won't know the extent of it until they get to Chisa, but any amount is enough to justify any action.
Her whimpers echo in his ears. They're so much more quiet than the screams of the Reserve Course guards as Juzo and Kyosuke take them down, and yet they're all he can hear.
It doesn't take long for him to take care of that business. His body acts on its own once he's got a clear shot: he darts straight for the monitor and puts his fist right through it, in an explosion of glass. The cuts don't even hurt. Rivulets of blood drip onto the floor, joining the blood of all the victims this room has already seen, but he doesn't notice that either.
For a long moment he can only stare at the sizzling, sparking wreck of the monitor. Chisa's right behind him, tied to a chair, but he can't bear to turn and look at her. Fear seizes him on a level so deep it takes his breath away; it feels like barbed wire wound around his heart, biting in every time it beats. If she's hurt. If she's dead—if she's broken—
He stares at the shattered screen, panting and dripping blood.]
[Kyosuke sees the tire iron despite the blood red screen vying for his attention, stance adjusting to accept the attack; his assailant's weapon is grabbed and twisted away with his own forward momentum, clattering loudly against the floor as he firmly strikes the boy in the carotid artery.
Wordless. Questionless. He stares at the students for a moment as Juzo downs the others, filing away how they attacked without exclamation or surprise--like they simply reacted to the presence of intruders with violence. More things to wonder about.
But their bloody bodies don't hold his attention for long when he hears Chisa's weak cries from the other side of the room in a brief silence. The side with the video and its horrible screams. Juzo is faster than him to deal with the perceived threat, hurtling towards the screen with a curled fist, so he instead strides forward and rounds the lone chair in the room.]
Yukizome... Yukizome.
[It's a nightmare. It's nothing he could have ever imagined for Chisa in a million years. Eyes dry and bloodshot from being cruelly held open, limbs twitching under heavy restraints. He focuses on the surreal feeling of the moment to keep his hands from shaking, moving first to pry those awful specula away from her face.
He has to shut her eyes. He has to. For all of their sakes.]
We're here, Yukizome. It's going to be okay. We're here. You're safe.
[He repeats the words as he remains standing in front of her, as if the broken screen could come back to life at any moment and continue its torturous program. He has to remain steady.]
Sakakura-- [The reality of the situation seems to catch up with him as he struggles with the multiple restraints tying down Chisa's arms, and his voice catches in his throat. Someone did this to her. Someone forced Chisa into this chair, secured each of these restraints, and left her unable to protect herself from whatever was shown on that video.
God.
He forces himself to take a deep breath, clutching Chisa's fingers as he tries again--both speaking and undoing the restraints.]
Sakakura, keep an eye on the door. That's our escape route.
[ It takes long seconds before she actually realizes the video has stopped; she's been watching it for so long that the loop feels like it's still going, playing on in her mind's eye. And when it does sink in, she still takes a moment longer to look up.
Oh. Oh.
This has to be real, finally, right? It has to be -- if it's not, if she's just hallucinating this, she's not sure she could survive the agony of disappointment. If Enoshima wanted her to despair, that might have been the easiest way to accomplish it. Chisa wets her lips and swallows, her voice coming out as a creaky little whisper. ]
K--... Ky... Kyou--suke...
[ No. Wait a moment. Something's wrong about that. She shouldn't be using his name in public like this. Someone else might hear, and then he'll make that one strained face that's cute but also embarrassing for her, because a name should mean something, right, that's why she's always Yukizome and not Chisa even after all this time--
Never mind that. When he grasps her hand, she tries to turn it as much as she can to clutch back. And it seems like she does have some tears left, because she can feel them welling up, though it makes her eyes burn as she finally gets to close them. He's here. They're both here. Even if they're mad at her for messing up, they're still here. ]
[In any other situation, hearing her say Kyosuke's given name like that might sting. In this one, his throat lets out a choked sound of relief when he hears it. She's alive. She recognizes them. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. If an entire fucking army of students barges in, or Enoshima herself, anyone—he doesn't care. He'll murder every one of them if he has to. Nothing will ever take this moment away from him again.
Juzo forgot how to cry in his childhood, in the early days of his life of endless fighting. The tears don't come now, either. But there's a burning in his eyes that he hasn't felt in a very long time. His throat bobs around the lump growing in it, so loud he's sure the both of them can hear it, and it only gets worse when she apologizes.]
Don't—dammit, Yukizome! Don't be a goddamn idiot and go apologizing now! All I care about is—
[Even without the tears to go with it, his voice breaks, and he has to stop there.
Keep an eye on the door. He can do that and throw his fist into this wall at the same time, another strangled whimper dying in his throat. Kyosuke will take care of her. He's got her . . . she's alive. She's alive.]
There is no way for Kyosuke to mistake the tears in Chisa and Juzo's voices--the sorrow and relief and hurt about this entire situation. He wants to be right there with them, but the danger and Chisa's condition won't allow it. He needs to keep them moving forward until they were safe--or safer, at the very least. Even with one hand wrapped around Chisa's, he continues freeing her from the chair, only kneeling once it's clear he can't undo her leg restraints without doing so.]
We're not going anywhere without you.
[He can't acknowledge her apologies right now--not when he doesn't know why she's apologizing and they don't have the luxury of time for a full explanation. He could probably come up with a few theories, but there's such a huge gap in understanding how Chisa and her students had gotten caught up in this mess that he needs to push that concern off until later.
Under different circumstances, he might have hesitated to pick up Chisa without fanfare or permission; he always tried to be polite even if it was deemed unnecessary and uptight. But time is not on their side, with the possibility of Enoshima and her cohorts returning, so he squeezes her hand before shifting his grip, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back as he rises from his crouch.]
Let's get out of here. Back to Yukizome's classroom.
[He didn't know how far the rot had seeped into the school, but Chisa's loving students would be good support until he figured out their next step. He would prefer to take her off campus and to a hospital hopefully not associated with the school, but the continuing riots made that difficult.]
[ Chisa makes only a brief noise when Kyousuke lifts her, turning her head to press her face against his shoulder. Now that the video is off, she's slowly starting to be able to think a little, even if her emotions feel jumbled and disconnected. Intellectually she's worried -- for her students, for her friends, and for herself, even -- but she can't pin down an actual way to feel, yet. She can still feel the tug of appeal from that video, even if it's died to a sullen background whisper. Is she happy that the loop's been stopped and she's freed? Or is she disappointed--
No. No. She's happy. She's relieved! She just needs to wrestle her mind back in order.
More of a concern (at least to the part of her that's aware, that is decently good at analyzing a situation even if it's not her specialty) is how she can't summon even an embarrassed spark of excitement at being carried. Kyousuke's only ever joked about it with Juzo in special circumstances, but in her maiden's heart, she's always thought it'd be nice to get carried like this, cradled in his arms... but now she's just tired, hazy and drifting as she tries to get a grip.
For now she breathes deep, trying to let the familiarity of Kyousuke's presence and his scent ground her, and her awareness of Juzo nearby, sullen and protective, give her a greater feeling of security. She's safe now. As long as they're here, she's safe...
To her surprise, that's the thought that makes her breath hitch, and though she's trying hard not to make a production of it (not now, not when things aren't really safe for any of them), she's definitely crying into Kyousuke's shirt, swallowing the sounds as best she can. ]
[The classroom. It's a discussion they can have on the way, though. Even as Juzo's saying the words, he's throwing the door open, stepping out into the stairwell with his fists raised; this time, with Kyosuke's hands full with Chisa, Juzo's their only means of defense. But there's no one out there. The Reserve Course guards had been taken care of, and the masterminds are on their way back, but haven't arrived yet. This is, Juzo feels, the only stroke of good luck any of them has had in a very long time. They deserved this much for their trouble.
He heads up the stairs, not even glancing behind him to make sure Kyosuke's following with Chisa; of course he will. Juzo needs to keep his focus in front in case they're not as alone as they seem to be.
His throat feels funny still, and he turns over the words he'd just spoken in his head—not the content, but the tone. They'd come out hushed and private. Like Juzo and Kyosuke were standing together over Chisa's sickbed or something. It occurs to him now that he's never been in that position before in his life, and he doesn't know how to cope with it now, emotionally. What are his feelings supposed to be doing? His stomach is looped into a sick knot; his skin feels chilly with cold sweat. His heart in his chest is thumping with both relief and anxiety. Where does emotion go? How do people process these feelings? Surely some of them manage it, but he can't even begin to untangle all the threads. The muffled but unmistakable sound of Chisa's crying terrifies him on a level he can barely begin to comprehend. A thought rises in his head unbidden as he ascends the stairs: that he's never loved anyone so much in his life as he does her, and Kyosuke, right now, and what does a person do with a feeling like that?
For now, they shove it aside. The three of them need to get somewhere safe before Juzo can think much at all.
He crests the staircase and steps out into the light, only then turning to make sure they're both right behind him and ready to run.]
[Kyosuke files Juzo's question with other considerations as he readies himself for the journey out of the facility--something to think about as he trusts Juzo with the task of leading them back. His brows knit together as he feels Chisa crying against his chest, concern seeping into his arms as he holds her close.
The labyrinth is a blur as they keep up a brisk pace, adrenaline helping him keep up with Juzo. The staircase is more of a challenge without his arms free for balance, but once he has a rhythm, it's easy to follow.
His mind churns with next steps. Juzo was right in questioning the safety of the classroom; they would have to pass through other school halls and floors on their way up, bringing more attention to themselves along the way. But the school clinic was on the other side of campus, and the risk of encountering rioters meant putting Chisa in further danger. He knew Juzo was very capable, but the students had numbers on their side.
It's raining again as they run, as if the clouds are aware of the gloom dampening the world's hope. But through the pouring rain, he can see a troop of main course students making their way together--with Nanami in the lead.
Making their way to the clinic seemed within their grasp now, with Chisa's students acting as an honor guard.]
[ She doesn't stir for the low discussion between the two of them; her tears and the rain both make it hard to focus on anything other than the desire to purge, like she could expunge the haze from inside her. It feels like she's breathed in too much smoke in a way, so that some thin persistent layer of filth coats her from the inside, though there's no way for her to scrub it off. Her housekeeper instincts are insulted.
But of course when her class sees her there's an outcry, and that has Chisa lifting her head, blinking furiously. Even now, even shaking and off-balance, she can't help but respond. She shifts enough to scrub at her eyes with one hand, like that would be enough to hide how red they are both from being held open and her crying. Kyousuke and Juzo are safe to let her guard down around; they're her peers as well as her friends. Her students are her students, though, and she responds to the automatic compulsion to put on her best and bravest face for them. Her voice is still wrecked, but she manages to dredge up a smile from somewhere as they're swarmed. ]
Ah -- everyone, it's all right, I'm fine, Sensei just had, um, a bit of an accident... it's okay, really--
[ As always, it's not at all hard to tell she's lying, though Kyousuke is in the best position to tell when she starts to tip into overwhelmed, shivering in his arms and tightening her grip on his shirt, tucked close at the contact point between their bodies. Her chest is enough to disguise it from most onlookers. ]
[Juzo doesn't fully notice that. He's not touching her, and he's not good at picking up on that kind of thing anyway. But his protective instincts are still in overdrive right now. As soon as she trails off, he steps in front of her and Kyosuke, shielding the two of them from the view of the students unless they're bold enough to step around him and push the topic.
None of them are, though in some cases that surely has more to do with what they'd seen of her expression, heard of her tone, than being intimidated by her self-assigned bodyguard here.
Still, the tiny crowd dissolves into concerned murmurs, fearful whispers, and after some quiet discussion, shifts to surround them. An honor guard indeed. Even Juzo feels a pang of gratitude for this, though none of that shows on his face, as always.
He lets Kyosuke take care of the guidance, leading the group in the direction of the clinic under Kyosuke's instruction.
Sensei just had a bit of an accident. The words, and the way she'd said them, fill him again so high to the brim with emotion that his nails bite into his palms where he's making fists. What else can he do? He'd punch a wall, normally. Now isn't the time to waste precious seconds on that, or to let himself show that much weakness in front of Chisa. Every rising impulse, bubbling inside him like boiling water and then sinking again under the surface, is just another thing he has to ignore. He thinks he might hit something, or scream, or flee. He thinks he might throw up, kill the next person he sees, maybe tear his own hair from his scalp. But he doesn't. Every animal urge is another thing to punch down into its hole in this game of emotional Whack-A-Mole. He only walks, channeling all that nauseating energy into remaining on his guard.]
[Kyosuke takes charge of the situation once Chisa's students join him. It feels natural--like walking, like breathing--and like a momentary return to normalcy as he states their end destination and ushers the students to walk with them. But Chisa remains an emotional wreck in his arms, reminding him of how dire things are with each shudder and tug at his shirt.
He vaguely hears one of the girls gripe about how that 'sniveling pig' is still missing when they actually need a nurse, unable to shake that thought from his head even as they continue through the rain. The reserve course rioters are out in force as they pass the gates, and he cradles Chisa's face against his shoulder as he hears the security forces taking brutal attacks from the armed students.
There's no way he can leave the scene without intervening, dispatching a few of Chisa's students to help the security forces and then meet them at the clinic. They're a raucous trio who are still yelling as they continue onward.
He doesn't tell Juzo to go. The thought doesn't even cross his mind until they're on their way again. As far as he's concerned, Juzo's place is by his--and Chisa's--side until things return to some form of calm.
If things return to some form of calm.
The clinic staff is harried and overwhelmed when they finally arrive, already dealing with injured students; apparently there are now packs of rioters roaming the campus, incensed and out for blood. Chisa's students, with some noticeable reluctance, accept his orders to split up to help with the injured and reinforce the clinic, allowing Kyosuke and Juzo to deal with getting Chisa some help--a room, a cot, anything at all in this developing hellscape.]
[ There's not much, sadly. It might not be as chaotic as outside, but given the circumstances, it's going to take a while to find a quiet corner with a cot, especially since after reassuring her students, Chisa stops talking again. She feels like she can still hear the screams from outside, and there's a churning conflict inside her, both relief and resentment that Kyousuke had kept her face turned away from seeing it for herself. She doesn't want to see, and she knows that, but there's still a part of her that was fascinated and longing to witness that...
Acknowledging that change makes her sick. Was it because of that video? Enoshima had been awfully confident it would accomplish something, after all. And if Mitarai was involved in its making, even tangentially, there has to be something more to it. She knows she needs to say something about it, but for now, she can't bring herself to say the words.
And what good would it do? Something's wrong inside of me. What would they be able to do about that? Juzo's fists could take down any physical enemy, and Kyousuke could talk down a mob, but when it's something within her, if she's the one who's wrong...
If she's the one who's wrong, she'll deal with it. She can't let herself become a danger to these two, or to her students. If it comes to that, then...
It's while she's mulling over those thoughts that they find the cot, but even as she's lowered into it, she panics. As soon as she feels Kyousuke start to withdraw she latches onto him again, tighter than before. The immediate response is humiliating, and she hates that she's doing this at all, but that cold crushing weight is still inside of her, and she's positive it'll get worse if they leave her now, even for a moment.
She thinks, honestly, that if Juzo were close enough, she'd be grabbing for him, too. ]
[Juzo had been starting to think he really might have to bust some heads after all to get Chisa a nice quiet clean place to rest. What does he care about the students? Even if he's not nearly as cold-hearted and cruel as he comes off most of the time, in a situation like this, he's all too willing to play directly into his own biases. A student simply doesn't mean as much to him as Chisa does. The growing crowd of patients in the clinic look, for the most part, like they've simply been injured in scuffles with the rioters outside—some quite badly, Juzo has to admit, but that's still nothing compared to what Chisa had been through—
It's that thought that sends his fist slamming into the wall again, crumbling a tiny shower of drywall onto the floor near the entrance (and drawing a couple of short screams from the already-anxious clinic crowd) before he turns away to finally cross the room to Chisa's bedside.
Not that he knows what he's going to do for her.
He turns in time to see her grabbing onto Kyosuke, and his usual pang of jealousy is replaced by a deep, dull throb of helplessness. There's nothing to envy about their position right now. All Juzo can feel is the inescapable sense that what he has to offer them is finally, truly useless. If he could kill every rioter on this campus, if he could just end this madness before it got any further—and it will go further, the writing's on the wall there—would that fix anything? Would it undo what his best friend had been through? Make her smile again? Even Juzo's emotionally constipated ass knows better than that.
The best he can do is let these two comfort one another and take care of the rest in their stead. His footsteps come to a stop a couple of feet behind Kyosuke; he finally speaks, for what feels like the first time in years at this point, and is surprised and mildly embarrassed at the rusty shakiness of his own voice.]
. . . I'll stand guard at the entrance. Or, hell, you need anything, I'll go get it for you. You . . . take good care of her.
[He could have called that out from the entrance where he'd already been standing, but he hadn't.
Juzo stares down at the two of them, Chisa hurt and desperate in bed and Kyosuke being clung to, and feels another pang of something foreign.]
[As he brings Chisa over to the cot, Kyosuke thinks about what he needs to do next. The students are already taking care of the building, and hopefully the riots could be quelled long enough for them to leave campus. In the meantime, he needs to think about circling back on their investigations--tying that underground facility to a perpetrator, even if it turns out not to be Enoshima. The school board obviously has a hand in the facility's construction, but he needs confirmation--other potential allies in the staff who can offer more info and leverage their own resources. He needs to know more. He needs a name and face to associate with the demon who--
His mind freezes when he feels Chisa tense up in his arms, unsure what to do in light of her panicked response. It's such an upsetting response that he remains hovering over Chisa, his arms locked and eyes staring at the wall with her face still pressed against his shoulder.
There's so much that needs to be done, but he can't go. He can't.
It's a conflict in duties that he's never felt before. He could always rely on Chisa and Juzo to do what had to do be done; that was why he could work on one task while they worked on their own, all with one unifying dream. But now Chisa is hurt and needs him, and every fiber in his body knows he can't abandon her.
He can hear Juzo behind him as he finally crouches enough to lay Chisa down without fully withdrawing, his presence a comfort while he sorts through his options. He tilts his head to offer his ear when he hears Juzo clear his throat, knowing he wouldn't speak up in a situation like this unless it was important.
Kyosuke's mind automatically rejects Juzo's offer to go get things, and he looks up at him with concerned eyes. No, don't go anywhere--don't leave. Not when he doesn't know how to calm Chisa down. Not when things are bound to get worse now that the rot in the school is exposed.
He takes a deep breath, working on his composure. Calm. If he was calm, maybe it would help Chisa. The thought becomes a mantra as his worry disappears under a face of determined calm--the council president's face.]
I need you to stay here, Sakakura. I need you to stay with her while I make a few calls.
[He knows it's a lot to ask of him, but he needs to be able to pull away from Chisa if he has to yell at his contacts. And, frankly, he doesn't trust Chisa with anyone else right now.]
[ She blurts it, thoughtlessly, loud enough that her voice cracks. She's not sure who she's saying it to; either, both. It's too soon, and a part of her is still terrified that she is hallucinating, and that she's gone from watching that horrific video to believing she's been saved...
But even so, immediately after she says it she loosens her grip on Kyousuke. This is important. This is more important than her own selfish desire to have him close. Other people are getting hurt out there; the longer this escalates, the more certain it is that someone (if not many people) will die. If Kyousuke is taking charge, surely everything will be all right. He'll fix things. This nightmare will be over, and in a couple of weeks she can return to class with her students, and life will be back to normal.
Despite believing that (and she does; she's always, always believed in Kyousuke's vision and ability to create a better world), it's still almost physically painful to make herself let go. Her hands twitch again as she draws back with the desire to grab for him again. And she knows she could make him stay, if she begged; if she wept and refused to let go, he'd stay, even if the outside world is going to hell right now. She could force him to stay and dote on her so easily--
The thought feels like poison. Again, she has to wonder just how much is wrong inside of her now; as much as she's pouted (internally) about losing him to his work in the past, she's never been so tempted to play the weeping damsel card. She doesn't like the way it makes her feel.
To resist the temptation, she wraps her arms around her own middle instead, though she turns a pleading look to Juzo now. He's not really a touchy-feely sort of guy; even as close as they are, she'd normally never think to touch him. Especially not without his permission! Under normal circumstances she'd feel pretty silly asking Juzo to hold her -- Kyousuke's here! Juzo's not into touching anyone unless it's to hit them! -- but for the moment, desperation wins out over embarrassment. ]
[Their responses both surprise him in different ways. Chisa's is, of course, more immediately concerning and compelling. He supposes he can't blame her for being terrified right now—no, more than that, the final confirmation of just how terrified she is makes his blood boil. After an awkward beat, wherein some self-effacing part of him can't believe his presence could ever possibly substitute for Kyosuke's, he approaches the bed, coming within arm's reach of her.
The look he exchanges with Kyosuke on the way is long and silent. It says: Are you sure that's what we need right now? Phone calls? But Juzo doesn't question it aloud. Willing as he may be to defy orders, he senses he's in over his head right now in a way Kyosuke isn't. Kyosuke has contacts; Juzo only has his fists.
And, it seems, his comforting presence.
He drags a stiff plastic chair closer to the cot and settles onto it, staring at Chisa. It makes him feel dull as hell right now that he frankly doesn't know what to do. At long last he lifts his hand and reaches for her, offering it. Does she need that, now? It's new territory for him. How can he possibly be the one to offer a thing like this?
But it has to be him. And, underneath his anxiety, he wants it to be.]
[Making decisions means living with and accepting their consequences. It's a truth that Kyosuke has known for years--one that he carries through every follow-up decision and plan to mitigate risk. If he can make thorough plans, he can minimize unwanted consequences. Carrying that truth is what allows him to accept bad things when he's done everything he can. He can't solve every problem; he has to consider the bigger picture.
There's nothing that wears on his resolve quite like his best friends needing him. All he can do is return Juzo's gaze, accept the silent questions he finds there, and hug Chisa a moment longer before carefully extracting himself.
He's not going far, he tells himself. Just across the room. Near the front desk. Not far at all. But he can't help looking back at Chisa curled up on the cot, almost completely hidden behind Juzo. How could she look so small? Had she always been that small? Chisa was like sunshine, bright and beautiful and unfailing in her warmth--and yet...
No. Not now. Not until he knew more. Not until he could point at someone and condemn them for what had happened to Chisa. There was little doubt in his mind that it would be the same person who would dare dig their claws into Hope's Peak Academy.
He speed-dials his contacts--a confidant to one of the school board members, the secretary to the headmaster, his sponsor for the overseas school project. Each of them are evasive--his project sponsor more so than the others, each response clipped and suspiciously like a pre-written script. He's told in no uncertain terms that the overseas expansion project is cancelled and that all attached contracts are terminated.
Again, that surreal feeling washes over him. The school was cutting its losses and trying to protect its core. How much was going to be sacrificed in the name of protecting Hope's Peak?
His agitation grows. He demands to speak to the headmaster. To Kirigiri, the man whose job he had wanted.]
[ She watches Kyousuke go, but when Juzo moves, offering his hand the way he does, she immediately latches onto it. It's definitely pathetic, how grateful she is for that awkward gesture; once she has a grip on it she half-climbs his arm, hugging it like some oddly-shaped stuffed animal.
It helps her to relax on one level, though there's a knot of tension inside of her that refuses to unravel. A part of her is insistent that it's not safe when the three of them are separated -- she's always been fine working (mostly) independently at Kyousuke's request, but at a time like this...! She keeps looking anxiously between the door and Juzo's face, seeking any sign of physical discomfort in how she's clinging to him.
This has to be weird for him too, right? She's never been a physically needy person before; she's always tried to be respectful of Kyousuke's reticence and Juzo's own odd responses and not be as physically affectionate she sometimes wishes she could be. If he needs her to, she'll control herself. Surely she can do that much.
(Even if there is a part of her that wonders just how uncomfortable he'd be if she crawled into his lap and curled up there, and that part of her is more egged on than discouraged by imagining his distress.)
She wants to say something -- anything at all -- to break this awful silence, but she also thinks that if she's going to say anything about what happened, she wants to wait until Kyousuke comes back. It's not something she wants to say more than once, if she can avoid it. ]
[If Juzo thinks anyone is pathetic here, it's himself, not Chisa. Here he is just holding his goddamn arm out for her to cling to! Why is he so shit at this? Even Kyosuke, ever cool and collected and emotionally restrained, had given her a hug before he'd gone to take care of business. Juzo can't remember the last time he hugged anyone, not even his own family. They just weren't—that way. But dammit, can't he muster it for his best friend, who'd almost died?
The thought flashes through his brain for the first time. Almost died. Put in exactly that way, the reality suddenly feels exhaustingly heavy. If they'd been any later, if things had gone slightly differently, she may not have been here clinging to his arm right now, and he'd never have gotten to hug her, not once before she went away.
His body folds forward on the bed slowly, as if pressed down by the weight of that realization, so that his arms can slide around her—the motion is awkward and unfamiliar, but shit! He can do this much! More than that, he wants to!
Behind him, Kyosuke's on the phone, and Juzo can't hear the details of what's happening, but he can hear enough to know it's bad. His heart sinks like a stone. That, too, adds weight to this dawning reality: even Kyosuke can't make a few calls and fix everything with the right words, the right connections. Even Kyosuke can't do anything about this. Juzo wants him in his arms too, all at once. Would he ever need it, the way Chisa does right now? Now that Juzo knows he just might be capable of providing it, with a little practice, for both of them?
She feels so small in his arms, and less warm than he'd expected—or maybe he's the one chilled to the bone right now.]
[Kirigiri sounds just as agitated as he does, and it doesn't take long to find out why: he is similarly being iced out of anything resembling a decisive role in the happenings of Hope's Peak, forced to listen as the school board attempts to stave off a rising tsunami of trouble. He can't ensure that anywhere on the campus is secure except for the main building, and he highly recommends against joining them in fear that they all become trapped or killed along the way.
"Killed?"
"We've heard reports from department buildings, yes. They're hunting ultimates."
Hunting. He doesn't breathe for a moment, stunned. He thinks of Chisa's students, unprepared for the possibility of having to kill other students. And here they are, huddled in the clinic with more of the injured, while those maddened students were probably amassing weapons that would be more lethal than tire irons and baseball bats.
But he does get confirmation from Kirigiri that the student council was murdered. Not simply a rumor to spur the reserve course students into action, but a horrid act made worse by school board trying to sweep it under the rug. He trades his own investigatory reports pointing at Enoshima, which Kirigiri mulls over in silence. He shares that the class in the main building is the 78th, and that Enoshima had to be somewhere in the building. She couldn't be inciting these riots from within the school, could she? She was the Ultimate Fashionista, not something ... heinous.
That's the last comment Kyosuke hears from the headmaster before the line goes dead. He looks at his phone in bewilderment, seeing the 'emergency calls only' signal staring back at him. His face is grim as he pockets his phone and returns to Chisa and Juzo, carefully sitting on the edge of her cot.
If the school was going to collapse from the inside out, there was nowhere else he wanted to be.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alloutoflove
fuck brainwashing tho
Date: 2018-05-27 11:06 pm (UTC)[ To be honest, Chisa feels a little silly sending the text. Everything has been a little weird for some time now. If she's honest, there's been shadows of it as far back as when she had been a student at Hope's Peak, not a teacher. Wasn't that why Kyousuke had wanted them to investigate in the first place? As much as she knows he takes pride in being a graduate here, he's too keen-eyed and driven to simply let the growing signs of corruption pass. And now here they are: the murder game of the student council, the growing unrest and resentment of the reserve course, the growing sense of doom, not to mention the troubles within her own class...
Surely, in light of that, both Kyousuke and Juzo have more pressing things to worry about. It's probably not that bad -- nothing she can't handle on her own. Even if she's a housekeeper, part of her job has always involved fending off unwanted male attention, including some that has been violently persistent. She knows how to handle herself! And she shouldn't be wasting time, not when her students are in trouble.
Even so, she finds herself hesitating at the top of the stairs to send that text. They can be angry at her later for wasting their time.
With that done, she descends straight into a nightmare.
From the moment Enoshima Junko appears, to her being captured, to that video, everything blurs together in horrifying and confused jumble. She fights as hard as she can as she's strapped down, but no matter how good she is, she's not really a match for the Ultimate Soldier. There are a few seconds before it starts where Enoshima, leering, tells her that she should be proud; after all, it's a product of the hard work and effort of one of her students. When she has the time, she should be sure to praise Mitarai-kun for what he's helped create.
And then there's the video. It seems to be playing on a continuous loop, restarting as soon as the horrific scenario ends with barely a beat in between. Watching it feels like she's the one being stabbed and torn apart, but there's something weirdly seductive underneath that, something that keeps nagging at the back of her mind to give up and enjoy it, to just let go. Just let it happen.
For now she's holding on, but for how long? ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-28 03:59 am (UTC)The message is more than a little strange, in the greater context of the situation. He had already asked Juzo to try contacting her so they could convene and share their information, but she hadn't responded--presumably because teachers should be instructing their students in the late morning hours.
The strangeness of the message goes beyond Chisa ignoring an incoming call, though. The unrest surrounding the rumors of experimentation and the reserve course students' tuition has made the campus unsafe, so the fact that Chisa is outside during class hours and looking into something is ... concerning.
She doesn't respond to a text reply when sent. It's not like Chisa, unless she's distracted by something else. There are too many question left unanswered in a short amount of time.
Looking further into the school board's misdeeds can wait an hour or two; a few words to Juzo is all it takes before they leave the school archives together. They encounter a student struggling to carry along another as they cross the bridge--the girl, Nanami, more than a little panicked as she reports that they were told to escape danger and go on ahead of their teacher. Yukizome.
Between their bedraggled appearances and what looked like a bullet hole in the unconscious boy's jacket, something inside him churns violently. He gives Nanami a curt order to head back to her classroom and looks at Juzo.
Then they're both running.]
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Date: 2018-05-28 05:48 am (UTC)He's never seen Kyosuke so panicked, not that he's about to comment on it. He observes it silently, as if watching the both of them run down the rain-wet stone path from outside of his own body. His own expression surely mirrors his friend's. This feeling of his body running on autopilot isn't one he's used to, and he thinks he doesn't like it, though he doesn't have the focus to think about it too hard just now; later he will. Juzo is, as the Ultimate Boxer, used to residing fully within his body, feeling every stretch of muscle as it moves to his will. Right now he's so sick himself with a creeping anxiety that the only part of his body he can feel at all is his nauseated stomach, twisted into knots with the heavy dread of the unknown. Chisa is in trouble. Chisa is in trouble. Chisa is in trouble—
He knows already just how wrong things have gone.
The founder's statue. How could they not have noticed? No, how could hehave failed to notice something so obviously wrong here? The head of security, an Ultimate, an alumnus of this fucking school, and he never figured out that something's changed about the statue since their own time here on campus as students? He can see it now as soon as they come up on it, panting and soaked. His body shivers with the drip of the cold rain down his collar, and with far worse than cold. It's out of place. It's hiding something. It has been all along—]
Munakata! . . . Yukizome!
[Too loud, and then even louder, over the driving impact of the rain on the street. They're the only words he can bring himself to say.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-28 02:37 pm (UTC)It's surreal, to see the professionally constructed staircase that seems to descend into a dark oblivion, right at the feet of the founder's statue. The choice of location for the secret staircase feels intentional and symbollic in the worst of ways--a sign of the hidden corruption that he's wanted to extract from Hope's Peak Academy.]
Quickly. Stay alert.
[From the depth and size of the staircase as they descend, he surmises that it's a large facility, and that fact does little to stem the dread welling up inside him. He feels unprepared for what lies ahead despite having Juzo at his side, trying to navigate a dizzying labyrinth at the bottom of the stairs. Scuff marks left by Nanami's unconscious classmate as she dragged him to safety.
It's a very good stroke of luck that gets them to their end destination with their nerves intact.
Kyosuke hears the video before they enter the room, the speaker-filtered cries piercing in their agony and fear. It gives him pause like nothing else in his life has done before, eyes wide and unsettled as he tries to calm himself. Business and school politics, he could handle. Riots by unruly students, he could handle. But it sounded like people hurting each other, murdering each other, with the occasional hysterical laugh or sob punctuating the litany of screams.
Yukizome. Remember Chisa. Chisa is somewhere, here, in danger.
That thought is what fuels him pushing forward, into the room with a screen lit up red with horror imagery.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-28 04:46 pm (UTC)She's so tired. She's so tired, but she can't just stop, either. She feels less like a person at this point and more like a confused, conflicted jumble of impulses. Despair rattles at the edges of her awareness, forcing physical reactions she doesn't want to think about too closely, but there's still some hope left in her, so she does her best to struggle against her bindings, as futile as it is. She's not a weak woman, but these bindings were designed to hold Ultimate athletes (just in case!), not a housekeeper. Her voice had cracked from screaming some time ago, so now all she can do is mumble pleas for this to stop, even if no one around her is sympathetic.
It's probably a stroke of luck that Ikusaba isn't there. She'd been there, Chisa would remember later, but when she'd left was impossible to guess. There are just some already-infected reserve course students milling around to act as guards. They're armed, of course, for all the good it'll do them. One of them takes a swing with a tire iron at Kyousuke immediately, and he's not bad in aim and speed and strength, but he's just an ordinary kid. All four of them are.
Chisa herself isn't immediately visible except for a little bit of her hair, fluffy as it is, but there's only one chair in this room, centered and close to the screen. In one of the brief seconds of silence from the video, there's no mistaking the sound of her sobbing. This is it, this is when she always thinks she hears her friends, and there's no way they're here for real. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-28 06:55 pm (UTC)It wasn't all that long ago that Chisa had caught Juzo beating a Reserve Course student, and stopped him out of fear Juzo would kill him. She hadn't been entirely wrong to worry; Juzo knows his own strength, and doesn't always care enough to be careful about it. It's more controlled than he lets on, but few people would know that. That time, he hadn't been aiming to kill Hinata—if he had been, he would have already done it by the time she found them. There's no struggle in an Ultimate athlete finishing off a normie unless he wants there to be.
This time, he doesn't. Even Juzo wouldn't use deadly force on a student lightly, but this is hardly lightly. They have her. They have her, and they're aiming for Kyosuke now, too. Juzo doesn't step in there; he knows Kyosuke can handle himself just as well or better than Juzo can. But it's enough, along with the sounds of Chisa's sobs, that he doesn't hold anything back. He'd dwell later on what it means to take a life, but it hardly seems worth thinking about: these insects are hurting his people. They won't know the extent of it until they get to Chisa, but any amount is enough to justify any action.
Her whimpers echo in his ears. They're so much more quiet than the screams of the Reserve Course guards as Juzo and Kyosuke take them down, and yet they're all he can hear.
It doesn't take long for him to take care of that business. His body acts on its own once he's got a clear shot: he darts straight for the monitor and puts his fist right through it, in an explosion of glass. The cuts don't even hurt. Rivulets of blood drip onto the floor, joining the blood of all the victims this room has already seen, but he doesn't notice that either.
For a long moment he can only stare at the sizzling, sparking wreck of the monitor. Chisa's right behind him, tied to a chair, but he can't bear to turn and look at her. Fear seizes him on a level so deep it takes his breath away; it feels like barbed wire wound around his heart, biting in every time it beats. If she's hurt. If she's dead—if she's broken—
He stares at the shattered screen, panting and dripping blood.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 01:26 am (UTC)Wordless. Questionless. He stares at the students for a moment as Juzo downs the others, filing away how they attacked without exclamation or surprise--like they simply reacted to the presence of intruders with violence. More things to wonder about.
But their bloody bodies don't hold his attention for long when he hears Chisa's weak cries from the other side of the room in a brief silence. The side with the video and its horrible screams. Juzo is faster than him to deal with the perceived threat, hurtling towards the screen with a curled fist, so he instead strides forward and rounds the lone chair in the room.]
Yukizome... Yukizome.
[It's a nightmare. It's nothing he could have ever imagined for Chisa in a million years. Eyes dry and bloodshot from being cruelly held open, limbs twitching under heavy restraints. He focuses on the surreal feeling of the moment to keep his hands from shaking, moving first to pry those awful specula away from her face.
He has to shut her eyes. He has to. For all of their sakes.]
We're here, Yukizome. It's going to be okay. We're here. You're safe.
[He repeats the words as he remains standing in front of her, as if the broken screen could come back to life at any moment and continue its torturous program. He has to remain steady.]
Sakakura-- [The reality of the situation seems to catch up with him as he struggles with the multiple restraints tying down Chisa's arms, and his voice catches in his throat. Someone did this to her. Someone forced Chisa into this chair, secured each of these restraints, and left her unable to protect herself from whatever was shown on that video.
God.
He forces himself to take a deep breath, clutching Chisa's fingers as he tries again--both speaking and undoing the restraints.]
Sakakura, keep an eye on the door. That's our escape route.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 02:02 am (UTC)Oh. Oh.
This has to be real, finally, right? It has to be -- if it's not, if she's just hallucinating this, she's not sure she could survive the agony of disappointment. If Enoshima wanted her to despair, that might have been the easiest way to accomplish it. Chisa wets her lips and swallows, her voice coming out as a creaky little whisper. ]
K--... Ky... Kyou--suke...
[ No. Wait a moment. Something's wrong about that. She shouldn't be using his name in public like this. Someone else might hear, and then he'll make that one strained face that's cute but also embarrassing for her, because a name should mean something, right, that's why she's always Yukizome and not Chisa even after all this time--
Never mind that. When he grasps her hand, she tries to turn it as much as she can to clutch back. And it seems like she does have some tears left, because she can feel them welling up, though it makes her eyes burn as she finally gets to close them. He's here. They're both here. Even if they're mad at her for messing up, they're still here. ]
I'm-- I, I'm sorry. B-both of you, I'm sorry...
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 03:39 am (UTC)Juzo forgot how to cry in his childhood, in the early days of his life of endless fighting. The tears don't come now, either. But there's a burning in his eyes that he hasn't felt in a very long time. His throat bobs around the lump growing in it, so loud he's sure the both of them can hear it, and it only gets worse when she apologizes.]
Don't—dammit, Yukizome! Don't be a goddamn idiot and go apologizing now! All I care about is—
[Even without the tears to go with it, his voice breaks, and he has to stop there.
Keep an eye on the door. He can do that and throw his fist into this wall at the same time, another strangled whimper dying in his throat. Kyosuke will take care of her. He's got her . . . she's alive. She's alive.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 05:01 am (UTC)There is no way for Kyosuke to mistake the tears in Chisa and Juzo's voices--the sorrow and relief and hurt about this entire situation. He wants to be right there with them, but the danger and Chisa's condition won't allow it. He needs to keep them moving forward until they were safe--or safer, at the very least. Even with one hand wrapped around Chisa's, he continues freeing her from the chair, only kneeling once it's clear he can't undo her leg restraints without doing so.]
We're not going anywhere without you.
[He can't acknowledge her apologies right now--not when he doesn't know why she's apologizing and they don't have the luxury of time for a full explanation. He could probably come up with a few theories, but there's such a huge gap in understanding how Chisa and her students had gotten caught up in this mess that he needs to push that concern off until later.
Under different circumstances, he might have hesitated to pick up Chisa without fanfare or permission; he always tried to be polite even if it was deemed unnecessary and uptight. But time is not on their side, with the possibility of Enoshima and her cohorts returning, so he squeezes her hand before shifting his grip, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back as he rises from his crouch.]
Let's get out of here. Back to Yukizome's classroom.
[He didn't know how far the rot had seeped into the school, but Chisa's loving students would be good support until he figured out their next step. He would prefer to take her off campus and to a hospital hopefully not associated with the school, but the continuing riots made that difficult.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 04:41 pm (UTC)No. No. She's happy. She's relieved! She just needs to wrestle her mind back in order.
More of a concern (at least to the part of her that's aware, that is decently good at analyzing a situation even if it's not her specialty) is how she can't summon even an embarrassed spark of excitement at being carried. Kyousuke's only ever joked about it with Juzo in special circumstances, but in her maiden's heart, she's always thought it'd be nice to get carried like this, cradled in his arms... but now she's just tired, hazy and drifting as she tries to get a grip.
For now she breathes deep, trying to let the familiarity of Kyousuke's presence and his scent ground her, and her awareness of Juzo nearby, sullen and protective, give her a greater feeling of security. She's safe now. As long as they're here, she's safe...
To her surprise, that's the thought that makes her breath hitch, and though she's trying hard not to make a production of it (not now, not when things aren't really safe for any of them), she's definitely crying into Kyousuke's shirt, swallowing the sounds as best she can. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 11:29 pm (UTC)[The classroom. It's a discussion they can have on the way, though. Even as Juzo's saying the words, he's throwing the door open, stepping out into the stairwell with his fists raised; this time, with Kyosuke's hands full with Chisa, Juzo's their only means of defense. But there's no one out there. The Reserve Course guards had been taken care of, and the masterminds are on their way back, but haven't arrived yet. This is, Juzo feels, the only stroke of good luck any of them has had in a very long time. They deserved this much for their trouble.
He heads up the stairs, not even glancing behind him to make sure Kyosuke's following with Chisa; of course he will. Juzo needs to keep his focus in front in case they're not as alone as they seem to be.
His throat feels funny still, and he turns over the words he'd just spoken in his head—not the content, but the tone. They'd come out hushed and private. Like Juzo and Kyosuke were standing together over Chisa's sickbed or something. It occurs to him now that he's never been in that position before in his life, and he doesn't know how to cope with it now, emotionally. What are his feelings supposed to be doing? His stomach is looped into a sick knot; his skin feels chilly with cold sweat. His heart in his chest is thumping with both relief and anxiety. Where does emotion go? How do people process these feelings? Surely some of them manage it, but he can't even begin to untangle all the threads. The muffled but unmistakable sound of Chisa's crying terrifies him on a level he can barely begin to comprehend. A thought rises in his head unbidden as he ascends the stairs: that he's never loved anyone so much in his life as he does her, and Kyosuke, right now, and what does a person do with a feeling like that?
For now, they shove it aside. The three of them need to get somewhere safe before Juzo can think much at all.
He crests the staircase and steps out into the light, only then turning to make sure they're both right behind him and ready to run.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-30 02:48 am (UTC)[Kyosuke files Juzo's question with other considerations as he readies himself for the journey out of the facility--something to think about as he trusts Juzo with the task of leading them back. His brows knit together as he feels Chisa crying against his chest, concern seeping into his arms as he holds her close.
The labyrinth is a blur as they keep up a brisk pace, adrenaline helping him keep up with Juzo. The staircase is more of a challenge without his arms free for balance, but once he has a rhythm, it's easy to follow.
His mind churns with next steps. Juzo was right in questioning the safety of the classroom; they would have to pass through other school halls and floors on their way up, bringing more attention to themselves along the way. But the school clinic was on the other side of campus, and the risk of encountering rioters meant putting Chisa in further danger. He knew Juzo was very capable, but the students had numbers on their side.
It's raining again as they run, as if the clouds are aware of the gloom dampening the world's hope. But through the pouring rain, he can see a troop of main course students making their way together--with Nanami in the lead.
Making their way to the clinic seemed within their grasp now, with Chisa's students acting as an honor guard.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-30 04:35 am (UTC)But of course when her class sees her there's an outcry, and that has Chisa lifting her head, blinking furiously. Even now, even shaking and off-balance, she can't help but respond. She shifts enough to scrub at her eyes with one hand, like that would be enough to hide how red they are both from being held open and her crying. Kyousuke and Juzo are safe to let her guard down around; they're her peers as well as her friends. Her students are her students, though, and she responds to the automatic compulsion to put on her best and bravest face for them. Her voice is still wrecked, but she manages to dredge up a smile from somewhere as they're swarmed. ]
Ah -- everyone, it's all right, I'm fine, Sensei just had, um, a bit of an accident... it's okay, really--
[ As always, it's not at all hard to tell she's lying, though Kyousuke is in the best position to tell when she starts to tip into overwhelmed, shivering in his arms and tightening her grip on his shirt, tucked close at the contact point between their bodies. Her chest is enough to disguise it from most onlookers. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-30 04:50 am (UTC)None of them are, though in some cases that surely has more to do with what they'd seen of her expression, heard of her tone, than being intimidated by her self-assigned bodyguard here.
Still, the tiny crowd dissolves into concerned murmurs, fearful whispers, and after some quiet discussion, shifts to surround them. An honor guard indeed. Even Juzo feels a pang of gratitude for this, though none of that shows on his face, as always.
He lets Kyosuke take care of the guidance, leading the group in the direction of the clinic under Kyosuke's instruction.
Sensei just had a bit of an accident. The words, and the way she'd said them, fill him again so high to the brim with emotion that his nails bite into his palms where he's making fists. What else can he do? He'd punch a wall, normally. Now isn't the time to waste precious seconds on that, or to let himself show that much weakness in front of Chisa. Every rising impulse, bubbling inside him like boiling water and then sinking again under the surface, is just another thing he has to ignore. He thinks he might hit something, or scream, or flee. He thinks he might throw up, kill the next person he sees, maybe tear his own hair from his scalp. But he doesn't. Every animal urge is another thing to punch down into its hole in this game of emotional Whack-A-Mole. He only walks, channeling all that nauseating energy into remaining on his guard.]
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Date: 2018-05-30 05:36 am (UTC)He vaguely hears one of the girls gripe about how that 'sniveling pig' is still missing when they actually need a nurse, unable to shake that thought from his head even as they continue through the rain. The reserve course rioters are out in force as they pass the gates, and he cradles Chisa's face against his shoulder as he hears the security forces taking brutal attacks from the armed students.
There's no way he can leave the scene without intervening, dispatching a few of Chisa's students to help the security forces and then meet them at the clinic. They're a raucous trio who are still yelling as they continue onward.
He doesn't tell Juzo to go. The thought doesn't even cross his mind until they're on their way again. As far as he's concerned, Juzo's place is by his--and Chisa's--side until things return to some form of calm.
If things return to some form of calm.
The clinic staff is harried and overwhelmed when they finally arrive, already dealing with injured students; apparently there are now packs of rioters roaming the campus, incensed and out for blood. Chisa's students, with some noticeable reluctance, accept his orders to split up to help with the injured and reinforce the clinic, allowing Kyosuke and Juzo to deal with getting Chisa some help--a room, a cot, anything at all in this developing hellscape.]
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Date: 2018-05-30 06:34 pm (UTC)Acknowledging that change makes her sick. Was it because of that video? Enoshima had been awfully confident it would accomplish something, after all. And if Mitarai was involved in its making, even tangentially, there has to be something more to it. She knows she needs to say something about it, but for now, she can't bring herself to say the words.
And what good would it do? Something's wrong inside of me. What would they be able to do about that? Juzo's fists could take down any physical enemy, and Kyousuke could talk down a mob, but when it's something within her, if she's the one who's wrong...
If she's the one who's wrong, she'll deal with it. She can't let herself become a danger to these two, or to her students. If it comes to that, then...
It's while she's mulling over those thoughts that they find the cot, but even as she's lowered into it, she panics. As soon as she feels Kyousuke start to withdraw she latches onto him again, tighter than before. The immediate response is humiliating, and she hates that she's doing this at all, but that cold crushing weight is still inside of her, and she's positive it'll get worse if they leave her now, even for a moment.
She thinks, honestly, that if Juzo were close enough, she'd be grabbing for him, too. ]
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Date: 2018-05-30 07:59 pm (UTC)It's that thought that sends his fist slamming into the wall again, crumbling a tiny shower of drywall onto the floor near the entrance (and drawing a couple of short screams from the already-anxious clinic crowd) before he turns away to finally cross the room to Chisa's bedside.
Not that he knows what he's going to do for her.
He turns in time to see her grabbing onto Kyosuke, and his usual pang of jealousy is replaced by a deep, dull throb of helplessness. There's nothing to envy about their position right now. All Juzo can feel is the inescapable sense that what he has to offer them is finally, truly useless. If he could kill every rioter on this campus, if he could just end this madness before it got any further—and it will go further, the writing's on the wall there—would that fix anything? Would it undo what his best friend had been through? Make her smile again? Even Juzo's emotionally constipated ass knows better than that.
The best he can do is let these two comfort one another and take care of the rest in their stead. His footsteps come to a stop a couple of feet behind Kyosuke; he finally speaks, for what feels like the first time in years at this point, and is surprised and mildly embarrassed at the rusty shakiness of his own voice.]
. . . I'll stand guard at the entrance. Or, hell, you need anything, I'll go get it for you. You . . . take good care of her.
[He could have called that out from the entrance where he'd already been standing, but he hadn't.
Juzo stares down at the two of them, Chisa hurt and desperate in bed and Kyosuke being clung to, and feels another pang of something foreign.]
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Date: 2018-05-30 11:04 pm (UTC)His mind freezes when he feels Chisa tense up in his arms, unsure what to do in light of her panicked response. It's such an upsetting response that he remains hovering over Chisa, his arms locked and eyes staring at the wall with her face still pressed against his shoulder.
There's so much that needs to be done, but he can't go. He can't.
It's a conflict in duties that he's never felt before. He could always rely on Chisa and Juzo to do what had to do be done; that was why he could work on one task while they worked on their own, all with one unifying dream. But now Chisa is hurt and needs him, and every fiber in his body knows he can't abandon her.
He can hear Juzo behind him as he finally crouches enough to lay Chisa down without fully withdrawing, his presence a comfort while he sorts through his options. He tilts his head to offer his ear when he hears Juzo clear his throat, knowing he wouldn't speak up in a situation like this unless it was important.
Kyosuke's mind automatically rejects Juzo's offer to go get things, and he looks up at him with concerned eyes. No, don't go anywhere--don't leave. Not when he doesn't know how to calm Chisa down. Not when things are bound to get worse now that the rot in the school is exposed.
He takes a deep breath, working on his composure. Calm. If he was calm, maybe it would help Chisa. The thought becomes a mantra as his worry disappears under a face of determined calm--the council president's face.]
I need you to stay here, Sakakura. I need you to stay with her while I make a few calls.
[He knows it's a lot to ask of him, but he needs to be able to pull away from Chisa if he has to yell at his contacts. And, frankly, he doesn't trust Chisa with anyone else right now.]
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Date: 2018-05-31 12:48 am (UTC)[ She blurts it, thoughtlessly, loud enough that her voice cracks. She's not sure who she's saying it to; either, both. It's too soon, and a part of her is still terrified that she is hallucinating, and that she's gone from watching that horrific video to believing she's been saved...
But even so, immediately after she says it she loosens her grip on Kyousuke. This is important. This is more important than her own selfish desire to have him close. Other people are getting hurt out there; the longer this escalates, the more certain it is that someone (if not many people) will die. If Kyousuke is taking charge, surely everything will be all right. He'll fix things. This nightmare will be over, and in a couple of weeks she can return to class with her students, and life will be back to normal.
Despite believing that (and she does; she's always, always believed in Kyousuke's vision and ability to create a better world), it's still almost physically painful to make herself let go. Her hands twitch again as she draws back with the desire to grab for him again. And she knows she could make him stay, if she begged; if she wept and refused to let go, he'd stay, even if the outside world is going to hell right now. She could force him to stay and dote on her so easily--
The thought feels like poison. Again, she has to wonder just how much is wrong inside of her now; as much as she's pouted (internally) about losing him to his work in the past, she's never been so tempted to play the weeping damsel card. She doesn't like the way it makes her feel.
To resist the temptation, she wraps her arms around her own middle instead, though she turns a pleading look to Juzo now. He's not really a touchy-feely sort of guy; even as close as they are, she'd normally never think to touch him. Especially not without his permission! Under normal circumstances she'd feel pretty silly asking Juzo to hold her -- Kyousuke's here! Juzo's not into touching anyone unless it's to hit them! -- but for the moment, desperation wins out over embarrassment. ]
Sakakura-kun...
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Date: 2018-05-31 03:48 am (UTC)[Their responses both surprise him in different ways. Chisa's is, of course, more immediately concerning and compelling. He supposes he can't blame her for being terrified right now—no, more than that, the final confirmation of just how terrified she is makes his blood boil. After an awkward beat, wherein some self-effacing part of him can't believe his presence could ever possibly substitute for Kyosuke's, he approaches the bed, coming within arm's reach of her.
The look he exchanges with Kyosuke on the way is long and silent. It says: Are you sure that's what we need right now? Phone calls? But Juzo doesn't question it aloud. Willing as he may be to defy orders, he senses he's in over his head right now in a way Kyosuke isn't. Kyosuke has contacts; Juzo only has his fists.
And, it seems, his comforting presence.
He drags a stiff plastic chair closer to the cot and settles onto it, staring at Chisa. It makes him feel dull as hell right now that he frankly doesn't know what to do. At long last he lifts his hand and reaches for her, offering it. Does she need that, now? It's new territory for him. How can he possibly be the one to offer a thing like this?
But it has to be him. And, underneath his anxiety, he wants it to be.]
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Date: 2018-05-31 04:45 am (UTC)There's nothing that wears on his resolve quite like his best friends needing him. All he can do is return Juzo's gaze, accept the silent questions he finds there, and hug Chisa a moment longer before carefully extracting himself.
He's not going far, he tells himself. Just across the room. Near the front desk. Not far at all. But he can't help looking back at Chisa curled up on the cot, almost completely hidden behind Juzo. How could she look so small? Had she always been that small? Chisa was like sunshine, bright and beautiful and unfailing in her warmth--and yet...
No. Not now. Not until he knew more. Not until he could point at someone and condemn them for what had happened to Chisa. There was little doubt in his mind that it would be the same person who would dare dig their claws into Hope's Peak Academy.
He speed-dials his contacts--a confidant to one of the school board members, the secretary to the headmaster, his sponsor for the overseas school project. Each of them are evasive--his project sponsor more so than the others, each response clipped and suspiciously like a pre-written script. He's told in no uncertain terms that the overseas expansion project is cancelled and that all attached contracts are terminated.
Again, that surreal feeling washes over him. The school was cutting its losses and trying to protect its core. How much was going to be sacrificed in the name of protecting Hope's Peak?
His agitation grows. He demands to speak to the headmaster. To Kirigiri, the man whose job he had wanted.]
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Date: 2018-05-31 04:59 am (UTC)It helps her to relax on one level, though there's a knot of tension inside of her that refuses to unravel. A part of her is insistent that it's not safe when the three of them are separated -- she's always been fine working (mostly) independently at Kyousuke's request, but at a time like this...! She keeps looking anxiously between the door and Juzo's face, seeking any sign of physical discomfort in how she's clinging to him.
This has to be weird for him too, right? She's never been a physically needy person before; she's always tried to be respectful of Kyousuke's reticence and Juzo's own odd responses and not be as physically affectionate she sometimes wishes she could be. If he needs her to, she'll control herself. Surely she can do that much.
(Even if there is a part of her that wonders just how uncomfortable he'd be if she crawled into his lap and curled up there, and that part of her is more egged on than discouraged by imagining his distress.)
She wants to say something -- anything at all -- to break this awful silence, but she also thinks that if she's going to say anything about what happened, she wants to wait until Kyousuke comes back. It's not something she wants to say more than once, if she can avoid it. ]
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Date: 2018-05-31 05:34 am (UTC)The thought flashes through his brain for the first time. Almost died. Put in exactly that way, the reality suddenly feels exhaustingly heavy. If they'd been any later, if things had gone slightly differently, she may not have been here clinging to his arm right now, and he'd never have gotten to hug her, not once before she went away.
His body folds forward on the bed slowly, as if pressed down by the weight of that realization, so that his arms can slide around her—the motion is awkward and unfamiliar, but shit! He can do this much! More than that, he wants to!
Behind him, Kyosuke's on the phone, and Juzo can't hear the details of what's happening, but he can hear enough to know it's bad. His heart sinks like a stone. That, too, adds weight to this dawning reality: even Kyosuke can't make a few calls and fix everything with the right words, the right connections. Even Kyosuke can't do anything about this. Juzo wants him in his arms too, all at once. Would he ever need it, the way Chisa does right now? Now that Juzo knows he just might be capable of providing it, with a little practice, for both of them?
She feels so small in his arms, and less warm than he'd expected—or maybe he's the one chilled to the bone right now.]
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Date: 2018-05-31 06:13 am (UTC)"Killed?"
"We've heard reports from department buildings, yes. They're hunting ultimates."
Hunting. He doesn't breathe for a moment, stunned. He thinks of Chisa's students, unprepared for the possibility of having to kill other students. And here they are, huddled in the clinic with more of the injured, while those maddened students were probably amassing weapons that would be more lethal than tire irons and baseball bats.
But he does get confirmation from Kirigiri that the student council was murdered. Not simply a rumor to spur the reserve course students into action, but a horrid act made worse by school board trying to sweep it under the rug. He trades his own investigatory reports pointing at Enoshima, which Kirigiri mulls over in silence. He shares that the class in the main building is the 78th, and that Enoshima had to be somewhere in the building. She couldn't be inciting these riots from within the school, could she? She was the Ultimate Fashionista, not something ... heinous.
That's the last comment Kyosuke hears from the headmaster before the line goes dead. He looks at his phone in bewilderment, seeing the 'emergency calls only' signal staring back at him. His face is grim as he pockets his phone and returns to Chisa and Juzo, carefully sitting on the edge of her cot.
If the school was going to collapse from the inside out, there was nowhere else he wanted to be.]
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