[A/N] I was helped on the second scene a little by cherry-cheescake, since they suggested some of the plot. I hope you enjoy, lovelies!

Chimon

"Still hungry?" I hear from behind me. I jump a bit, surprisingly antsy.

"Yeah. Seems like I can't stay full for long nowadays. It's not bad, is it? You're the nutritionist, you know all about this stuff," I ask, popping open a small bag of yuzu salt potato chips and trying not to look self-conscious.

"Not bad! Trust me."

"You're... sure?" I ask hesitantly. "I don't want anything to be wrong with me. It's bad enough being held captive in a murder game. Contracting some sort of disease sounds like the perfect little disaster cherry on the ice cream sundae of destruction."

He laughs a little bit. "You're not sick. C'mere." He leads me over to the dining room table and beckons to my seat.

"What are we doing?"

"Just sit down, okay?" he insists with a hint of a smile on his face. Skeptical but willing to see where this goes, I listen to him.

"Okay... what was the point of this, exactly?"

"Notice anything different about yourself since you got here?"

I mean, aside from the fact that I can experience grief and feel genuine affection? Aside from the fact that I have the ability to find your giddiness endearing? "Oh! My feet can kind of touch the ground! I'm growing!"

"That's right! Your apetite's increased cause you're starting your growth spurt!" he announces, beaming.

"Oh. I'm growing," I repeat, suddenly feeling a little unstable. "It's weird that I hadn't realized. I guess when you see yourself every day, it can be hard to notice changes." I fiddle with my key necklace. It's a little more painful, now, but it's become my self-soothing gesture, so I kind of need to. I should put Monterio's ring from Kana on a chain. It's too big for my finger, but I wanna wear it.

"Didn't you notice your jeans not reaching the same length? They only hit the high part of your ankles now," he points out. "Our legs get longer first, then our torsos."

"I assumed they shrunk in the wash. They're like... three years old," I explain, running my hand against the torn-up spots they've gathered over time.

"I thought you'd be a bit more excited. Is something bothering you?" he asks, sliding into the seat next to me.

I sigh and furrow my brow, trying to decide how much to tell him. Tozen and I have never interacted much, so we don't really know the first thing about each other. Even if I can feel bonds now, it's still safer not to go around telling my whole life story to everyone. "Well, I guess... I'm used to being small. Small is comfortable. It's served me well. Being cute is... weirdly important to me? If I get back home and I'm grown, things will be different. Possibly harder."

"There are benefits and drawbacks to all body types. As long as you're healthy, if you get to the point where you can honestly love the way you look, you really can't go wrong either way. You seem like a resilient guy, Chimon, so I'm positive you can overcome whatever obstacles lie ahead."

"I'm... not too sure. But it's not like I can stop myself from growing, so I guess it's probably better to embrace it, right?"

"Of course! Being small and childlike may make you look innocent, but maybe, in time, people will come to think of you as reliable. Plus, you'll be able to reach things easier!"

I give a huff of laughter. "Yeah, that probably would be convenient, not having to drag a step stool around whenever it's time to cook or clean."

"You cook, too?" he asks, almost eagerly.

"Not like you do. It's not a passion or even a hobby. Just sort of a necessity."

"Well! We can make the most of your growth spurt. You need a lot of calories around now, hence why you're so hungry, but we shouldn't fill up on junk," he winks, snagging the chip bag out of my hand with a cheeky expression.

"Hey!" I call out, mildly offended.

"Don't worry! I'm gonna make you trail mix. Cashews, almonds, dark chocolate... and instead of dried cherries, I'll toss in dried yuzu flakes for you. I'm never one to leave a guy hungry, but protein is important."

"Tozen, what do you do for fun? I don't think I've ever seen you do much of anything other than cook and clean. You don't have to be our maid." His upbeat expression suddenly falls. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," I apologize quickly, noticing the tinge of guilt in my chest.

"No, it's fine. I guess it's just... you're kind of right. I don't really do much of anything else. I like puzzles, sort of. Video games, even more sort of. And I exercise the recommended amount. But... most of my day is spent doing domestic things, and of course making meal plans."

"I can make the trail mix. Once I'm done, we could look for puzzles to solve in the game room. What kinds of puzzles? Jigsaw? Word puzzles? Sudoku? Logic puzzles?"

"I'm not picky. But seriously, I can make the snack for you. Go pick a puzzle."

I consider my options, and then, perhaps stubbornly, I rush into the kitchen to grab the things I need. "Go pick a puzzle!" I echo, smiling.

He sputters to himself, thrown off, before shuffling away. Meanwhile, I chop up some nuts and toss in the yuzu and dark chocolate chips, shaking up the bag with zeal so I have a nice, even blend. It's taking a surprising amount of time for Tozen to get back. I nearly start to worry that I'm getting ditched.

Even so, he returns eventually, and I immediately understand why it took so long. "You... you got me new jeans?"

"Hopefully they're a good size, so you can grow into them a little without them swallowing you. It won't do for you to wear jeans that are too small and three years old," he clicks his tongue. "Also, I got a crossword book!"

Before I really even know what I'm doing, I squeeze him tight in a hug, relishing in the heartwarming sentiment flowing through me. He makes a noise of surprise, but hugs me back. I'm a little scared, but I'm overwhelmingly touched, and maybe a little hopeful. Life feels fresh, and novel, and I'm getting to experience it the way I've wanted for so long. "Thank you."

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

Gou

I've had to put Bisque's present in a box in the closet, cause I can't make myself look at it right now. Every time I do, I just remember how Wakumi broke it, and how she basically taunted me with it.

I'm so frustrated. She's so manipulative and rude, and she completely lacks self-awareness, but I know she can be a really good friend if she just lets herself! She proved she can with Joanie! She can be happy and have fun and show everyone what it means to take risks, but she's always just trying to hurt anyone who starts to get too close! I'm... tired. And confused.

I enter the garden.

The soft grass parts for me as I approach the memorial. Since Fujiko and Chimon wanted to keep the dancers' rings, their gifts from Haruto are kept here. They're two separate boxes— Monterio's is yin and Kana's is yang, and they nestle together perfectly, so perfectly that I'd swear they were factory-made if I didn't know Haruto's skill.

"You two were... always so good at cooperating, and understanding. I wish I could be more like you."

After praying at their spot, I shift over to who I was coming to see. "Hey, Hachi." I take a deep breath. The flowerpot, hand-carved with peace signs and flowers of all sorts and glazed in soft pastels, just her favorite things and not so metaphorical like the others, still holding strong despite being around for months now.

"I don't even know how to express everything going on in my head. It's like a torrent. Or the g-force in my race car. Pinning me down over and over. I'm trying to stay optimistic, but it's getting harder and harder. I'm tired of losing my friends. And it all started with you. There are so many useless 'what if's', y'know? Everyone wants to go back and fix something, save someone, but it's impossible for me to say things like that, cause I wanna focus on what I CAN do. But what can I do? It feels like there's nothing I can do to make this easier."

Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of an odd-looking shadow approaching me, and I turn around, on-guard. I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Ren, it's just you. You're out in the sunlight?"

"I've got my handy-dandy parasol. Would've liked to lather up with sunscreen, too, but I was in a rush."

"Why were you rushing?"

"You looked so bummed! I had to get to you, y'know! Oh, but I did not think ahead. Oh God." He grimaces.

"You don't have to push yourself for me," I reassure him.

"Nonono, that's not it! I mean, I brought my guitar so I could play something for you, but I can't play and hold the parasol at the same time! We could maybe go to the pagoda?"

I take the parasol so that both of our hands are on it, and, seeing this, he removes his hand so that he can strum.

"When the warmth leaves us and the winds blow all around, I know I just need turn to you, the lost ones will be found. Though winds may be destructive as they whip a whistling sound, we weather it with honesty, to our true selves we're bound." He quickly stops singing and chimes in, "I'm trying to make a verse for everyone. I know, it'll get really long really fast, but I don't care. That was Hachi's verse, and here comes the chorus."

He takes a deep breath and steadies his playing. "The warmth of a hand, the warmth of a heart, slipping through my fingertips— was it there from the start? Just keep me in your mind and keep your mind alive... I'm not very good at swimming, but into the depths I'll dive. I plunge my hand into the sea... just to keep you here with me."

"Do you have one for the dancers yet?" I inquire, feeling my heart stir.

"Um, kind of. It's a bit of a work-in-progress. Keiji's is the one I'm having real difficulty with, since I didn't like him very much. But anyway, back to the dancers. Uh... here."

"When the warmth leaves us and we find we're led astray, I'm sure that you'll come running and be with me the next day. Though forces try to wrench us and we're tossed into the fray, though they might try to twist it, still you love me anyway."

"H-Hey, I have an idea," I realize. "We could write all of these verses down and put them with their pottery. That way, anyone can see them, even when you're not in here."

His face lights up. "Ah! Yeah! And we can write them down on scrapbook paper or something, and personalize them all! We could make a fun crafts project out of it to pay homage to them! You... you don't have to worry about what you can do. There will always be something you can do, Gou. But you'll know what to do each time you need to do something. Agh, that was probably a nonsensical mouthful, huh? I should just stick to writing depressing songs about love and loss, right? After all, I know love because it's sitting right beside me," he winks.

I can't help but chuckle a bit, and he gasps and grabs the parasol to keep it covering himself. "How do you manage to flip the mood like that so easily, dude? You get really earnest for like two minutes and then it's right back to teasing! It's like a toss up for which Ren we get!"

"Tis the Enomoto way! I like to think of myself as rather charming," he says in a flirty tone. "It's about the push and pull, the play between the two forces."

"Oh my god, stop it with the innuendos! You keep saying you're not a fuckboy," I laugh.

"I'm noooooooooot!" he leans in, covering me in shade so he can bury his face in my shoulder.

"Come on! Let's go make the verse cards! I can take you for a spin in the race car afterwards! The sun will probably be down by then!"

"You sure do bounce back quick," he remarks.

"I've wallowed enough! No time to slow down! No time to be depressed! We've got shit to do!"

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

Fujiko

"I know you're still hiding something. If you don't tell me what I want to know... things are gonna get unpleasant real fast, bucko!" I announce, flashing the light in his face.

"Ow! Fujiko, why are you turning it into an interrogation?!" the boy I'm tasked with watching yells, shielding his eyes.

"I crave information, and this is your punishment!" I cackle.

"You have a very strange idea of punishment. I already told you," Yuu responds, shaking a bit, "hot coconut oil treatments now and again. Washing in cold water, but only shampooing three times a week. Conditioner for my hair type, of course."

"Are you leaving any details behind? I want smooth, silky hair like yours, and I'll know if you're lying," I play, waving my blush brush like it's some sort of weapon.

"Uhhh... I let it air dry?"

"Aha! I knew you were hiding something from me. I'll take this as a confession!"

"Please, no, I've already had to deal with one miserable trial within the past week," he groans.

"Okay, okay, that's enough bad cop, I guess. But you're not done being punished. You're my model for the whole time I'm on watch, got it?" I insist firmly.

"Yikes. I mean, I'm not saying no, but that stuff's a little embarrassing for someone like me."

"Nonsense! We'll paint your nails— the ones that still exist, that is— and then we can do some makeup. You always look so pale, it'll be nice to bring some life back into your face."

He gives a nervous laugh. "I-If you say so."

"Hey, in any case, are your hallucinations gone now? You haven't been staring off into space much today!"

He gives a sigh of relief and a weak smile. "Yeah. They've left me alone for the past couple of days, so I think it's safe to believe I'm in the clear. I can actually walk through the first floor hallway now, too," he explains.

"Great! I'm the one you need to be paying attention to right now, so it's good that you don't have any bitchy brain creations trying to bully you anymore. That's my job."

"I hope you're kidding, but considering what I did, I wouldn't be upset if you weren't..."

"Gosh! I'm kidding, I'm kidding! It kinda makes me sad that you think I'd do something like that," I admit.

"S-Sorry. I never know what to expect. My instincts are usually wrong. It's hard to know who to believe if you can't believe the thoughts in your own head, right?"

"What color do you want your nails to be?"

"Baker Miller pink."

"Huh?"

"I-It's a shade of pink scientifically proven to reduce hostility and aggression. It also happens to be my favorite color, aside from silver." He points to the thin stripes on his pants.

"Wow. You really have always been trying to keep yourself safe, huh?" I raise my eyebrows. He gives a nervous chuckle in response. "Well, you're gonna have to help me find that hue, cause I'm pretty sure the nail polish isn't gonna use the name."

As I lead him to the beautician's and begin to paint his nails, I keep imagining that meeting from both ends. Kana, trying to frantically tell him that she's not armed, that she just wants to talk, running from someone who seems not to hear a word she's saying. Yuu, incapable of registering anything because his world is filled with overwhelming fear of certain doom, falling apart when he searches her body and finds no weapon... God, it's so much. And of course I'm angry, she was my best friend and I cherished her, but still. "That motive... in some ways, I wonder if it was targeting you," I mention.

"D-Don't get conspiratorial on me right now, that's not gonna help me get any better. It'll just d-drag me back into patterns of assuming that people are actively trying to hurt me," he pleads. "Besides, even if it was, I'm sure it was targeting a few other people, too."

"AHEM!"

"Speaking of motives, it's the hell plushy again," I roll my eyes. Yuu can't help but laugh just a little bit at my description.

"You know what time it is! Please report to Meeting Room A promptly! Remember, this is an order!" he squeals. We make our way down there together, and it feels as though I'm holding my breath in anti- anticipation? I think that's the word.

When we enter the meeting room, our usual chairs are replaced with these weird machines.

"Heeeeellllllllo everyone! It's motive time!"

Wakumi grunts. "How does this one work, then?" she asks, slamming her foot on the table.

"Ah! These wonderful machines are VR simulators! You know what they'll simulate?"

"What?" Tozen asks. We've all learned to just go along with it.

"Your worst fears!!! Here's how it works: every day, each of you will come in separately and spin a wheel! The wheel has the numbers 1-16, and it includes your dead friends! Whoever's number you land on indicates whose fear you'll experience that day, but you won't know who it belongs to, because it'll be slightly adjusted specifically for you! You also might land on your own! Who knows! This will go on forever and ever until we have a killing!"

"And what if we don't come in on any given day?" Gou asks.

"Oh, you know the answer!" Monokuma announces, revving up his weapons.

We all look at Yuu, but he seems way chiller than I was expecting. "We can handle this one, guys. I've legit been LIVING my worst fear. Whatever scenario this machine has ready is nothing compared to what I've been through here. Besides. We really will all experience it the same amount. I can't go off the rails here. It'll be okay."

The vote of confidence from our least confident fills us with confidence... um, I mean, resolve. We'll definitely be okay here. My worst fear is honestly more sad than scary anyway.

The only thing to fear is fear itself and bees. Is that how the saying goes? I heard it that way in a video game once but I haven't heard the bees part anywhere else.

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

???

"How the fuck did you manage this?! This wasn't even the motive we had planned originally!"

"That one was boring! I can use it as a backup."

"Seriously, how is this even possible? Sixteen fears, each tweaked a bit for eight separate people? That's a hundred and twenty eight scenarios to run!" I hiss, livid.

"You know the type of people we have aboard this team. I had this ready before the killing game even started."

"And none of them told me?!"

"Oh, I told them you knew already! Just because you're with us doesn't mean you shouldn't also get a surprise now and then! I hope you like your scenario— I had to explain that one myself," the person operating Monokuma explains with pride.

"...You really ARE going rogue. Fuck, shit, fuck. Can you please just stick to the fucking plan? WDR approved of this plan, and you've already heavily deviated twice. If word gets out about that, what'll they do to you?"

"Word WON'T get out. Because you need this."

My determination is starting to waver. I'm rapidly losing control of this situation.