#mod sakura

‎‎ When Kazuichi first laid eyes on you when you entered the classroom, he swore with all his heart that he has seen you before. It was a weird feeling of déjà vu that he couldn’t quite place his finger on no matter how hard he tried (and boy did he try), and it wasn’t until you approached him to politely ask him to stop staring at you that he realized he had been looking a little too long at you.

“S-Sorry,” he had stammered, face aflame as he scratched the back of his neck, but you had only chuckled, brushing it off.

“It’s okay. I always seem to have that effect on people.” You had replied earnestly with a swat of your hand.

Kazuichi had raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

The corners of your eyes crinkled when you smiled as you gave your reply. “For some odd reason, people seem to think I’m some sort of otherworldly alien, so they stare a lot. But I promise you that I’m perfectly ordinary.”

But Kazuichi didn’t seem to believe that you were as ordinary as you said you were (Ultimate students weren’t ordinary to begin with, and you fell under that umbrella), especially in the days that followed your introduction. You two would hang out and talk more, and every time Kazuichi looked into your eyes, he would be met with something familiar yet so obscure, which only added onto your oddness. You had stopped reprimanding him for staring for too long, as by now it felt relatively normal.

Then the first murder happened.

While you had not been too much of a fan of Byakuya’s attitude, you did appreciate the effort he put through to protect every one of you, even if it eventually led to his downfall. When the lights came back on and Byakuya was deemed missing, you immediately grew paranoid. It was just the day before when Monokuma appeared and decided that you all would be killing each other, and every minute that passed since then only caused your worry to grow and grow. Had somebody killed Byakuya?! You immediately thought the worst, and it was confirmed when Akane sniffed out blood coming from under one of the cabin’s tables. Hajime had lifted the tablecloth and... You nearly gagged. Byakuya’s body was laying there in a puddle of his own blood.

You refused to look in the body’s direction; You had never been good at handling death properly, and you felt lightheaded, your vision swaying somewhat. You placed your hand on the wall and took a deep breath.

“Th-This... It’s impossible...!” You heard Kazuichi say, panic obvious in his tone of voice. “Don’t mess with me! This must be some sort of mistake!”

You blinked slowly, inhaling and exhaling deeply once again.

Someone called your name and you tilted your head to the side. It was Sonia, and she was giving you a concerned look. She repeated your name again, followed by a, “Are you alright? Do you need to sit down?”

When she spoke, Kazuichi’s head immediately turned in your direction. “What?!” Disregarding the body for the moment, Kazuichi made his way towards you and placed a hand on your arm (albeit hesitantly. He didn’t want to make things worse for you.). He said your name in a frenzied fashion, “Are you okay?! You’re pale as hell!” You looked him right in eyes, lips parting, and then your legs gave out beneath you. Kazuichi was quick to catch you before you hit the ground and, while this wasn’t exactly the right time for it, blushed fervently at your close proximity. His heart was beating so fast, and he panicked at what he should be doing.

His head raised and he looked around. Isn’t Mikan the Ultimate Nurse? He thought to himself as he eyed his classmate. “M-Mikan!” He shouted, catching the female’s attention. “Can you come over here?”

Mikan nervously made her way over, hands fidgeting. “Y-Yes...?”

It was like she didn’t even see you just lying there in his arms! He mentioned your name and looked down at you, adjusting his position. “You’re the Ultimate Nurse, right? Help her, please! She just dropped!” He moved your body so that Mikan could examine you. The mechanic’s arms shook as she placed the back of her hand against your forehead, and after a few moments, she pulled away.

“U-Um, there’s nothing to be worried about...! She’s... She’s just f-fainted, most likely from seeing B-Byakuya’s body...” The girl glanced at Kazuichi’s face and quickly added, “It’s n-nothing serious I swear! I’m s-sorry for not doing enough...!”

“H-Hey, hey! There’s no reason to be like that.” Kazuichi huffed, but he was relieved to see that you were alright. There was no telling when you’d wake up, so for now, he would wait.

‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎

You had been forcibly woken up before the trial by Monokuma, but the trial itself  was a blur for you. You really didn’t know much about the entire situation— aside from the fact that... That someone had... died... —, unlike Hajime, so you couldn’t really contribute, which was fine with you. The fact that you fainted ruled out any possibility of you committing the murder, because if you could barely handle viewing the body, then how could you have done it in the first place?

You felt uneasy throughout the entirety of the trial. Your podium area was situated to Akane’s left, and you gripped the wood of the stand so hard that your knuckles turned white. You caught Kazuichi sending you several concerned glances from across the circle, but they were ignored. Nagito’s spiel about hope and whatnot did nothing to calm your nerves, and after Teruteru was executed, you left Monokuma Rock feeling jittery and lightheaded.

Kazuichi was right beside you the entire elevator ride up, and he was here with you now even though everybody was already heading back to their respective cabins. He was comforting; You had never thought that you would be able to warm up to a stranger so easily, but you had, and you didn’t regret it in the slightest. He was just what you needed in this time of despair.

“Let’s head back.” You said once you were fully collected. Kazuichi still looked worried, though.

“A-Are you sure you’re alright?” He questioned before quickly continuing. “Can you walk alright? Do you need me to carry you?” His hands were shaking, but you didn’t know if it was because of leftover nerves from what had just transpired or from excitement towards the prospect of carrying you.

“I think I’ll be okay.” Physically, but not emotionally or mentally, that’s for sure. You patted the pink-haired boy on the shoulder and smiled at him, which in turn caused his face to erupt into rosy hues. “But thank you for offering.”

“Of course! Anything... Anything for you.”

You’re smile softened a little, and you only nodded, not quite knowing how to respond to a statement like that. You started moving forward and gestured for the lanky male to follow you.

However, each and every step towards the miniature resort only increased the feelings of dread that were harboring in your stomach. A murder had happened nearly a day after Monokuma appeared, so how would you know when the next one was going to happen? You didn’t think Teruteru would kill anyone, nor did you even consider the possibility of Nagito committing a murder (But now that seemed entirely possible, given his psychotic awakening that occurred not too long ago), but the trial you just returned from only proved you wrong. It didn’t matter how nice or how cruel someone was because they still were capable of ending another’s life.

You glanced at Kazuichi out of the corner of your eye as the two of you crossed the bridge that connected the two islands together. What if... You thought nervously. What if Kazuichi’s planning to kill me? Your hands shook at your sides. No, he couldn’t possibly be planning to murder you. You two had become friends before the Killing Game ensued, and Kazuichi was always upfront and honest with you, so you figured that he was bad at lying. If he was going to kill you then it would’ve been obvious from the start. You exhaled slowly. You were certain that you could trust Kazuichi.

But you didn’t know if you could trust anyone else.

You and the mechanic soon approached the wooden platforms where the cottages were, and when you realized that this would be where you two part ways for the night, you began to panic.

“Well, good night!” Kazuichi said to you, but before he could completely turn away, you grabbed his arm. He looked back at you, perplexed. “Do you need anythin’ else?”

“Can I...” Your mouth seemed to be moving faster than your brain. “Can I stay with you in your cottage for tonight?”

“W-What?!” Now he was panicking, but for a reason that was much different than yours.

“I’m scared.” You explained quickly, impulsively. “I don’t want to die.”

Kazuichi’s heart was beating a million miles per minute. If the others found out he spent the night alone with a girl, they’d surely freak out and call him a pervert, but you looked so desperate right there in front of him. He wasn’t a knight in shining armor, but he could certainly try to be one for you in this very moment.

Shoulders still tense from nerves, Kazuichi exhaled. “O-Of course! You can stay with me for as long as you’d like!”

“Thank you.” And you were truly grateful.

Kazuichi began to lead you over to where his cottage was, but all you could think about was how warm you felt in that very moment. Maybe...