✧ Chapter 19 ✧
[ That was Slashed Out ]
✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

"What's the one thing uncommon about Kaito's case?" Kokichi asked, propping his head up with his hand.

Shuichi wanted to reach over and knock Kokichi's arm away, out of habit. After all, his mother used to tell him to keep his elbows off the table whenever they had to eat.

"If you can try to spot the difference between each and every case Dangan Island has ever had with Kaito's, this would be a piece of cake."

Shuichi looked down at the thick file of papers, looking at the photographs and familiar and unfamiliar cases. It was even larger than his school notes. Months and years of documents stashed into one binder.

So far, there had been around 2,400 people who had been either sentenced to death or injected with the serum. And was Dangan Island alone. Who knows what the rest of the world was experiencing?

Shuichi finally got to work, looking through the pictures and trying to make sense of Kokichi's words.

However, he couldn't seem to concentrate as his vision soon doubled. He was so tired, he felt like he was going to fall asleep where he was sitting. Shuichi sighed, faintly remembering a page from his history books that couples used to sleep on each other's shoulders-

"Wait." the blue haired boy blinked, holding his head for a moment while a sudden thought occured to him. He continued staring at the photographs.

Couples.

In each photograph, there were always two people getting dragged away. However, why was Kaito's case the only one with him?

Maki, who was supposed to be the other side of this 'relationship', wasn't present with him.

"Is.. it because Kaito was alone when he was taken?" Shuichi asked Kokichi, who was picking at a wound on his knuckles.

"Oh, yep! You got it." the other student grinned deviously, not looking up, "Kaito, aka, space boy, is the only case without a partner!"

"And.?" Shuichi empathised. "I don't see what's wrong-."

"It means," Kokichi dropped his gaze from his hand and raised an eyebrow to Shuichi, "If you were a scientist. A doctor. Anything. How would you feel if I gave you an experiment which is only half finished?"

Where was he going with this? Shuichi thought warily. Why was Kokichi thinking about the whole case this way? This has nothing to do with anything whatsoever..

The detective frowned, placing a hand on the table. "I would.. be upset and I'd try to do everything I can to solve the incomplete experiment?" he suggested.

"Right, spoken like a true detective," Kokichi declared, "You people are so misunderstood, it's sad."

A true detective? Shuichi wasn't even a real detective. All he did was to solve one case with his uncle. That's all.

"Don't degrade yourself like that Saihara-chan, I know that look on your face." Kokichi spoke up abruptly, cracking a grin. "Nee-heehee!"

Shuichi looked at the other boy, who stared up at him with a smug smile. "Anyway, back to the topic." the purple haired boy twirled a strand of his hair.

"So... my theory is that they're holding Momota captive because they don't know who he confessed to. He's withholding that information to protect..." he lowered his volume, "Maki. Get it?"

Kaito was stuck in the hospital because he didn't want Maki to get arrested? Of course Kaito would do such a stupid, noble thing like that.

"Additionally," Kokichi cleared his throat. "These newspapers are super rare, and apparently hold a lot of information. I need your help to look through them and maybe we can find something else which supports my theory."

Shuichi was about to say something else when he was interrupted.

"Hey guys," Rantaro waved to the two. Kokichi looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Sup avocado, what do you need?" (I know. I KNOW. I can hear you guys literally rolling your eyes with frustration at Amami. He's just concerned!)

Rantaro smiled, running a hand through his hair, "I just came over to tell you guys that the library is going to close soon. Maybe you can study somewhere else."

Shuichi glanced at his handbook, surprised that it was nearly six in the evening. The library always closed at this timing whenever it was a weekday. "Thanks Amami." the blue haired boy told him gratefully.

Rantaro just nodded and waved goodbye, before walking off. Shuichi watched as the green haired boy went down the stairs and disappear from view.

From where he was standing, he could then see Rantaro stride down the path, and back to the boy's dormitories.

"Are you done?"

Shuichi turned his attention to Kokichi, who was holding a piece of paper.

Was that a flicker of jealousy he could see in Ouma's eyes? No, there was no way he'd be jealous. There wasn't any reason to be.

"Done?" the blue haired boy repeated, confused.

"Staring at Amami."

"Oh, no, I wasn't-."

"Nee- heehee! Save your words, Saihara-chan." Kokichi gave him a big smile, "After all, I'm a liar, and I know-."

Shuichi gasped as the lights shut off. In fact, the whole room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Metal shuttered rolled over the windows and blocked all light. The air conditioning stopped working as well.

"What-?" Shuichi winced when he heard an alarm ring, somewhere far away. There was a sudden flash of light, followed by a loud slam of a door. "Saihara? Where.. holy-." he heard someone walk into something.

"Ow-!" he heard Kokichi yell. And just as quickly, it was followed by a loud thud. He sounded like he had hit his head on something.

"Ouma? Ouma! Are you alright?" Shuichi asked, taking his student handbook from the table and trying to turn it on. But no avail, since the screen didn't light up.

Was this a blackout? But it wouldn't affect his handbook, would it? He realised that Kokichi hasn't replied. "Ouma! Just answer me already!"

Shuichi winced when he accidentally ran into a chair. "Ouch-!" he rubbed his waist, holding his hands up in case he bumped into anything else.

The blue haired boy was starting to panic, since Kokichi had seemed to have vanished into thin air. Where were the other students? What was going on? Shuichi froze when he smelt.. something familiar.

Smoke.

A fire?!

He narrowed his eyes when he realised that there was a small light source illuminating from the corner of the room. If there was the stink of smoke and a light source, it was definitely a fire-.

Shuichi's covered his nose with his hand as the flames started to burn the books. Damnit.. he needed to find Ouma and get out of here!

Why wasn't the fire alarm going off? Was this another one of his nightmares? It seemed awfully real. "Kokichi Ouma! Can you hear me?" he yelled into the faint darkness.

But no reply came, leaving him stranded. The windows didn't work, since there were metal shutters rolled over them. He ran over to the door, pressing a hand against it and knocking on the surface.

"Help!" Shuichi yelled, a sudden thought occurring to him. "Someone help! I'm TRAPPED IN HERE!"

No one was going to help him..

Did Kokichi set all this up? Was that why he was gone? A loud snap from behind him made Shuichi turn to see a figure, standing near the fire.

He took a sharp breath, accidentally breathing in the smoke. Coughing, he saw the person kneel down and pick up a book, which was starting to burn at its edges.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes, realising that the person's face couldn't be seen. But he could see that they were wearing a hoodie. A half black and half white hoodie. Just like Monokuma.

The hoodie wasn't the same as the black one in the pictures the digital camera had taken. Which meant-

The figure looked up at him, staring straight at Shuichi with dark magenta eyes. "Stop your investigation right now." the voice called to him.

The detective couldn't seem to move, no matter how much he tried. "I warned him. But as always, I have to take matters into my own hands."

The figure moved over to the table where him and Kokichi had sat and tossed the flaming book right onto the newspapers. Shuichi coughed again, trying to see through the haze as the fire started to consume the evidence and clues...

"I won't do that if I were you, Detective." the figure spoke up as soon as Shuichi managed to snap out of his trance and take a step forward, "You have a choice.. save the clues about Momota... or.."

The figure raised a hand, pointing up to the ceiling with his finger. Shuichi's eyes widened, his vision blurring due to the smoke as he raised his head..

♥ End of Chapter Nineteen ♥