✧ Chapter 48 ✧
[ Would Be Enough ]
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[ Shuichi's PoV ]

"Hajime Hinata." Izuru regraded the brown haired teenager with head tilted to the side, Asia looking at a mere subject in an experiment. "I was wondering when you'd finally show up. It seems by threatening one of the little members of your group might draw you out."

Hajime closed his eyes for a moment before quickly opening them, his usual jade-green irises now glowing with red light. "Leave her alone, Kamukura." he said to the man in a low voice. The commanding tone was enough to make me slightly afraid of him.

Without hesitating, Izuru dropped Maki to the ground, and I moved towards her to help. However, I was stopped by everyone's eyes on me. "This is the Mastermind?" I heard Hajime ask in a skeptical tone.

"Were you expecting someone like me?" Izuru registered the look of confusion. He spoke in a tone as if both Hajime and him were merely friends, "Disappointing. It's just typical of you to assume such a thing."

"For the last time," Hajime glared at the taller man, "Just because Saihara was the one who programmed you based on my personalities and attributes, it doesn't mean we're the same."

Maki slowly edged closer to me, still gripping her bleeding shoulder as the two adults bickered. It didn't seem to be any different than how siblings fight. "Maki.." I held my hand up to the girl, who still trembling slightly, "Are you alright? Where does it hurt-?"

"Save the questions," she replied almost immediately, despite the blood seeping past her fingers. "I'll be fine.. we have to go before Kamukura takes notice." she got to her feet rather shakily as I gripped the assassin's arm, supporting her.

We walked down the stairs as quietly as we could, but as soon as the sounds of fighting had faded away, I decided to ask a question I still didn't quite believe. "Maki.. am I really the.. Mastermind?"

She stayed silent for a moment, turning her gaze to the concrete ground instead.

"Based on what I've heard, and what the other Remnants say, the possibility is high," she replied after a tense minute. "You just don't remember because you did this to yourself. You erased your own memories. It's just a matter if you want to-." There was a loud shout which sounded like Izuru's.

Maki's eyes became serious, suddenly grabbing my wrist with her cold hand and pulling me along. Above us, I could hear the sounds of Hajime and Izuru fighting getting closer.

"H-Have you.. heard what happened to Kokichi?" I asked after nearly ten minutes of running. I realised that the alarms seemed to have stopped sounding. But there was still the ghost of the ringing in my ears.

Maki's eyes focused ahead, our footsteps quiet in the darkness. "I heard what happened to him." she replied, "I still dislike that goblin.. but if you like him.."

Like? I don't like Ouma. I loved him. I felt my heart skip another beat, simply hearing his name in my mind helped me to focus. What would he say if he saw me now? What would he do if he found out I was the person who was supposed to be killed all along?

He hated the Mastermind. So did he hate me? Maybe. But whatever it was, I knew he was okay.

"Just a few more floors," Maki muttered as we passed by more doctors and nurses, who seemed too focused on their work to bother with us, "After we get to the ground floor, Togami will be waiting for you."

"Togami? As in, Byakuya Togami? I thought he never participated in this sort of thing?" I questioned as Maki rolled her eyes. She didn't seem to have the energy to argue with me anymore.

"True, but after we found the truth about Makoto Naegi, he went slightly ballistic and demanded he join the Remnants."

"Just don't expect to see him in a hoodie, he'll probably kill us." she continued with a small, rare smile. It was so unusual to see her smile, that I was momentarily stunned. She was actually pretty when she smiled.

However, I was getting exhausted, after running down so many flights of stairs barefooted. I didn't complain, of course, since I definitely didn't want Maki to carry me. That would be suicide.

Questions formed in my mind the longer we ran. Hajime was back.. but I thought he died? That newspaper clipping proved it.

Though, even as I ran, I recalled how the picture didn't show their faces. Even though the other cases seemed to follow that rule. Which meant.. the newspapers were lying, as per usual.

I turned by heard slightly when I heard Maki take a shallow breath, blood dripping from her shoulder wound. "Don't bother about me," she murmured, when I offered to help, "Keep running."

"Maki you're so stubborn, it's a wonder how Kaito actually liked you." I blurted out. I instinctively covered my mouth, but that did nothing since the damage has been done.

Maki didn't reply, keeping her eyes focused ahead.

I didn't know what alerted me, but I stopped in my tracks and grabbed Maki's hand to pull her backwards. "What-?" she started to say when someone grabbed my arm from behind and pinned me to the wall.

"Shuichi!" I heard Maki shout as there was a sudden sharp prick on my neck. As I strained against the pressure of the person holding me against the wall, I turned slightly to see the blurry figure of Kaito Momota..

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[ Maki's PoV ]

I pulled the knife out of the wall and dodged the swing from Kaito's attack. Thinking carefully, I narrowed my eyes, watching his every move as he continued fighting. Mukuro always taught me to analyse my opponents, before attacking.

But Mukuro.. she was gone as well. When we, the Remnants, retrieved some files from the Traitor's database.. the proof of her death was right there. Among the clearly deceased, were Miu Iruma.. Gundham Tanaka, Sonia Nevermind. I wasn't going to let them down. Despite Sonia being a traitor, I couldn't forget her friendship with me before she switched sides.

But now, it was my job to save Kaito Momota. I stayed silent, waiting for my chance to take down the magenta eyed traitor. His eyes held no emotion, even as he continued attacking me.

Kaito's eyes reminded me of the first day I saw Saihara, with his expressionless grey ones, which warmed up and became the person I knew today.

I glanced at the unconscious detective, who had his eyes closed and his body limp on the floor. Whatever Kaito had in that syringe wasn't good. I had to take down the purple haired guy fast.

I lunged forward, swinging my dagger at his cheek and slashing it. A line of blood formed, but Kaito continued to attack. What did they do to him? Those doctors probably removed his ability to have emotions.

Focus on the fight, I remembered Mukuro saying. I stepped back, and dodged, fighting against my friend. I remembered the day when he confessed to me. When I rejected him. When I failed to save him. When I tried to get him back but was captured instead. My fault.

His eyes widened slightly as I dived in for an attack, grabbing his wrist with my free hand and twisting it. Kaito gasped, and for a moment, he blinked and looked confused, "M-Maki?" he stammered, looking at me right in the eyes. "What are you-?"

I threw him to the ground, a move I knew Tenko would be proud of, and pinned him down. The gesture made my injured shoulder flare with pain, but I held back my pain. After all, if I hesitated, that would be a sign of weakness.

"Maki wait-!" Kaito looked panicked as I held a knife against the back of his neck, "What are you doing?"

His eyes.. they weren't magenta. But he had his usual purple eyes, and he looked confused. "I'm so glad to see you again.. but.. what's going on?" he asked before wincing slightly, "Ugh.. I've got a huge headache.."

I didn't remove my foot away from his back, since I was still cautious. "What's your name?" I asked, as he stared at me. "Kaito Momota.. Luminary of the-."

I held up my hand, making him close his eyes and flinch slightly, "I just asked for your name, idiot. What else do you remember?"

Kaito chuckled, his eyes still closed and looking annoyingly charming, "Aw c'mon Maki Roll.. it's a little insulting that you called me an idiot. And to answer your question.." he suddenly lost his smile.

"I don't remember anything. But what I do know, is that you're a traitor."

I quickly moved backwards, just as Kaito tried to grab my leg, probably to throw me off. "Sorry Maki Roll, I just need him."

I tried to grab at Kaito's arm but he was too fast as he got to his feet and slashed at me with the knife I had dropped. A burst of pain flared on the side of my face, as warm blood trickled down to the floor. I stumbled backwards, hitting the wall.

Holding my hand up to my face, I saw through my blurred vision as Kaito carried Shuichi up and seemed to disappear through a wall. "No.. Shuichi!" I gasped, getting up and trying to walk forward but falling to the floor as I lost my footing.

I failed.

Something that I've never done before whenever I worked. Blood dripped onto the floor as I pressed my hand against the wall where my two friends had disappeared through.

A.. secret passage..?

My hand slipped as the pain slowly made me lose consciousness. The left side of my face seemed to have gone numb, and my shoulder wound screaming for attention. But I couldn't move.. betrayal weighed me down..

However, the last thing I saw as I lay on the floor was a shadow of a figure I didn't recognise looking down at me with magenta eyes.

♥ End of Chapter Forty-Eight ♥