Aaand here's the last chapter. First, a quick answer to a review (no other way I can reply to non-logged reviews, sorry!)

"I like the idea man, the problem is that the moment Kubota lives, this deviates from the normal timeline, which would then make June feverish..."

What got me wondering about the possibility was actually June getting feverish in the first place. Because she DOES get feverish, in the game, when Kubota dies. And it is kind of odd: as the game goes on, June only gets feverish when a WRONG step has been taken, you diverge from the "right" path and her death by incineration threatens to enter the timeline. Why she had that reaction to a planned event like Kubota's death is anybody's guess. May have simply been an oversight from the game's part to show the fever plot point right off the bat (if so it's kinda shoddily handled, though), but trying to imagine a divergent timeline picking up from that point was kind of fun.

Hope that cleared everything up. And now, on to the last chapter - hope you enjoyed the read!

(Also, some parts of this are based on another fic I wrote, Cat's Cradle, but not so heavily you can't still guess what's going on!)

"Ace… You've figured it out, haven't you?"

Junpei's voice reached Hongou as though from a mile away. It sounded distant, as did everything else – everyone's words, Kubota's pathetic whimpers. It was as though he was trapped underwater. He felt like he was, sure enough. Breathing was difficult: whether it was due to the pain in his injured arm, Seven's formidable punch or to the enormity of therealization that was just now sinking in, he couldn't tell.

But it didn't matter, it didn't matter at all. He had lost.

"You were being manipulated," Junpei spoke again, and Hongou nodded. It took him a terrible effort, as though all of his remaining strength had left him along with his confession. He spoke without looking up, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Yes. So it would seem. I was little more than a puppet, in many ways," he said. "Everywhere I went, everything was already prepared. The REDs in the large hospital room were dismantled. Nijisaki was dressed like Snake. Perhaps Zero expected—" he trailed off, his voice suddenly failing him.

Had Zero expected him to use Kubota as he did to open that door? Had he expected him to kill him at the start, as he had planned to, and take his bracelet? Or perhaps he had expected him to request his help through the game, rather than trying to end him at the first chance he got?

If I had done so, he would have recognized Nijisaki before I pushed him in. He reached for me. He tried to call out. He recognized me, and I didn't recognize him. Kubota would have.

He had been a fool, he could see it now. Kubota would have been his ally, as he was too much of a coward and trusted him too blindly to rat him out, and he'd have warned him before he threw Nijisaki through Door [3]. He would have had two allies, then. Just like in Gordain's Game, thirty-six years and a lifetime ago.

We're a winning team, aren't we? So let's go win our way out of here.

We will not die. Not now. I refuse to give up now! We won their damn game! We WON!

I had no idea he had a knife, and even if I did I wouldn't have thought he'd use it. I didn't think he'd have it in him to try. We underestimated him.

And he had made the same mistake now, Hongou thought, eyes fixed on his own blood on the floor. Back then it hadn't been him Kubota had turned the knife against… but back then they had been allies. This time, he made himself the enemy – and underestimated him once again.

Keep that in mind, boys: once a winner, always a winner.

Hongou closed his eyes. Musashidou had been wrong, may he burn in hell. So very wrong. Not always. Not this time. This time, they lost. He had believed he could win on his own, and lost his gamble. Nijisaki was dead. Kubota would die soon as well. And Musashidou…

"… There was an ax in the captain's quarters," Hongou heard himself speaking. His own voice sounded even weaker now. "Musashidou was delirious from the anesthetic, so he couldn't fight back. Nijisaki as well. In retrospect, I can't understand how I could have fallen into such a simple trap. I'm…"

Empty. Powerless. Finished. A puppet.

"… I am quite ashamed of myself. But yes… Yes, this was a trap," Hongou finally said, and gave a bitter smirk, gaze not leaving the small pool of blood around his hands. "It was Zero's trap, and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I did everything he wanted me to do."

You lied…!

He k-k-killed him…!

"Yeah," Junpei's voice rang somewhere above him. "By manipulating Ace, Zero was able to kill three— two people, and keep the blood off his own hands," he added. Had he looked up, Hongou would have seen his gaze flickering to where Kubota lay, broken and bleeding, but still alive. But he didn't look up, not now and not later. Everything that was said afterward was only a blur of meaningless words. It didn't matter who Zero truly was, how the game was set up and why, whatever would happen to him from now on. He had lost, beaten to a game of his own design. That was all. Hongou shut his eyes and listened to nothing, thought of nothing but just that – it was over.

The next thing he heard, truly heard, was a sudden familiar click and the ice cold voice of Aoi Kurashiki.

"Freeze."

Hongou's eyes snapped open, as though he had just been startled out of a deep sleep. He looked up to see the mouth of the gun right before his eyes, impossibly black, and for a moment he thought it would fire. For a moment, he hoped it would fire. But it did not.

"Get up," Aoi Kurashiki said coldly, and reached down before he could even straighten himself, grasping the front of his coat and dragging him up with surprising strength. The gun was pressing against his head the next moment, and Hongou didn't think for even a moment that he could put up any kind of fight.

There was no fight left in him. He had lost.

For fuck's sake, not again.

Seven inwardly cursed himself for not grabbing that goddamn gun when he had a chance to. It was the second damn time Santa was given all the time he wanted to grab it, and it was the second damn time he did just that. But with Nine so gravely wounded, Ace confessing to everything and then Santa giving at least someexplanation of what was going on, Seven had entirely forgotten then gun was even there.

Well, it looked like everyone else had, too. Except, of course, Santa.

"What's your plan, Santa? What are you doing?" Junpei asked, and Santa gave an odd smirk, backing off towards the door. He kept the gun pressed against the side of Ace's head.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm Santa Claus. It's time for me to go make a wish come true."

Seven didn't waste time to wonder what the hell he meant by that, not with his hands sticky with blood as he pressed them down on a wound that just wouldn't stop bleeding. Nine was no longer shivering, but his breathing was difficult and his skin cold and clammy. He kept his eyes tightly shut, and groaned through clenched teeth with each painful breath.

"Santa, for fuck's sake, enough with your damn games! We'll do whatever we gotta do, but Nine needs—" Seven started, but trailed off when Santa's eyes narrowed and the gun pressed harder against the side of Ace's head. He stared at him for a few moments, expression unreadable, then he looked down at Nine. His face wrinkled in disgust. "Time to take out the trash, all of it. Pick him up."

"What the hell? I can't just do that! He's hurt, he needs—"

Santa gave a barking laugh. "Hurt? Cry me a river. He's only got himself to blame – he should have just died. Pick him up!" he snarled, his eyes unyielding. "You heard me. Do as I say, or I'll put another bullet in him now."

Seven clenched his teeth, but in the end there wasn't much he could do: Santa had a gun and, while it was now pressed against Ace's head, it could be turned against any of the others or even him any moment. And you just don't discuss with someone who holds both a gun and a hostage, no matter how much of a bastard said hostage is. Finally, Seven looked back down at Nine. He was staring up at him with wide eyes, all too aware of what was going on around him despite the blood loss and the pain.

That didn't make matters any easier, Seven thought, but he tried to sound calm when he spoke. "I'll pick you up now, okay? Just… try not to move."

Nine swallowed, his skin pale as wax and covered in cold sweat. "S-s-sev—" he tried to speak, only to trail off with a gurgling cry when Seven lifted him – it had to hurt like hell, no matter how gently he tried to do so. His upper body shook, while his legs stayed limp. Seven grit his teeth, ignored the warmth of blood soaking through the front of his overalls, and looked back at Santa.

"Santa, have some—"

"No," Santa cut him off with a growl, and for a moment his face looked everything like that of a vicious beast. "There was no mercy for me, or Akane, or anyone else. We were kids and they had no mercy. This is pathetic, you know – very convenient for me, but pathetic," he added, and his gaze turned to everyone else in the room. "You know who they are. You know what they did. You know they deserve a lot worse than a bullet, but there you are – bargaining for that bastard's life, not even moving out of fear for the life of this piece of shit," he added, pressing the gun harder against Hongou's head. He turned back to Seven. "Do as I say or they both die now, and you with them. I'm going to leave. Hongou is coming with me. You'll take Kubota out of the door, leave him on the floor and step right back in. Have you got that?"

Seven snorted. "Not leaving me a hell of a lot of a choice, are you?"

Santa smirked. "I see you're starting to get the point of this whole hostage thing. Took you a while," he said, and began walking backwards to the door, dragging Hongou with him.

Seven had no choice but to follow, Nine still shivering and whimpering in his grip with each step he took. Knowing who he was and what he didn't wasn't quite enough to block out that, to block out the warmth blood soaking through the fabric of his clothes. "You're gonna be okay," he heard himself saying as he stepped past the door Santa and Hongou had just gone through. "Just hang in there, and—"

"Put him down," Santa cut him off. They were barely past the door now, and Seven knew that, if he turned, he'd see all the others staring at them from inside the incinerator. He opened his mouth, but Nine spoke first.

"N-no," he choked out, shaking violently despite the pain each movement had to be causing him. He was weeping again, glasses askew on his face and eyes tightly shut. A bloodied hand grasped the front of Seven's clothes, the grip pathetically weak. "P-p-please, no, don't l-l-leave me here, please…!"

"Put him down, I said," Santa repeated, his voice cold as ice. The mouth of the gun was leaving a bruise on Hongou's face, but he seemed hardly aware of anything that went on around him, the empty shell of a man. "Put him down and get back in before I shoot him like the dog he is."

Seven glared at him. "But why do you want me to leave him there?"

"Because he can't be in the incinerator with you. It wouldn't work. He was never supposed to be here now."

"What—"

"You don't need to know the details," Santa cut him off. "Now put him down andget back in."

Not daring to push his luck any further, Seven had no choice but to do as he was being told. He knelt, trying to lower Nine on the floor without moving him more than necessary, and gritted his teeth at the pained sound that left him nonetheless. Nine made and effort to reach up for him as he pulled back, but his hand fell back beside him almost right away.

"Please, no," was all he rasped, a broken and bleeding mess on the cold metal floor.

"Don't move," was all Seven managed to say, feeling immensely useless. He was spared the task of thinking of anything else to say when Santa snapped at him yet again.

"Get back in. I won't be telling you that again."

The warning note in Santa's voice was enough to tell Seven he really didn't want to try stalling any longer. Gritting his teeth, he stood and stepped backwards, inside the incinerator. Santa gave him a lopsided grin as the door slid closed again, locking him back inside with the others and hiding all of three of them – Santa, Ace, the broken mess that was Nine – from sight. Once again, Seven found himself staring at the number that had defined that whole goddamn game from the very start.

[9]

It felt like a goddamn mockery.

For a time, after all steps had faded and everyone – Seven, Santa, Hongou – was gone, there was only pain.

He couldn't feel anything below his waist anymore, but his shoulder hurt and his chest burned with every breath he managed to draw in, the taste and smell of his own blood overpowering. Breathing was getting more and more difficult.

Pneumothorax, Kubota thought, desperately trying to keep at least his mind working. A collapsed lung – air was escaping from the pierced lung and filling the space between it and the chest wall, putting pressure on the lung and keeping it from expanding as much as it should. It wasn't good, it wasn't good at all, but it wasn't the worst of his problems. Even the spinal injury he must have suffered to be left unable to move and feel from waist down seemed a secondary problem compared to the very real risk of bleeding out to death.

He was already feeling cold, too cold, certainly because of the blood loss. Hypothermia may not be too far away. How much blood had he lost already? How much more could he lose before he went into hypovolemic shock and his organs began failing? It couldn't be long, he could tell. He was going to die in there.

I'm never getting out of here.

"No," Kubota choked out to no one at all, screwing his eyes shut. His chest burned at the effort it took him to utter even one word. God, oh God, he was going to die there, he was going to die like a dog and no one was even there with him, he was about to die alone and Hongou killed him, he killed him and Nijisaki both, Hongou of all people…!

We have to move. Teruaki, do you hear me? We must go. There isn't much time left before this ship sinks.

Kubota, listen to me. You certainly see there is only one way out for you now. Just come over here and get out with me. Then everything will be back exactly the way it was.

We have to find a… a life boat, or whatever the hell there is here. Just come with us, okay? Teruaki…?

We've been through this once already, haven't we? You, me and Nijisaki. We went through hell together, didn't we? And we made it out. We won.

But not this time. This time, they lost; Hongou had doomed them all just as he had saved their lives during Gordain's Game. This time there would be no lifeboat to lower, no waiting for dawn and for some ship to pick them up. He would never see the sun again, let alone a dawn. He would die just where he lay now.

Somehow, that was the most unbearable part of it all.

"… Nine."

A familiar voice called out somewhere above him, and someone's shadow fell over him. Kubota cracked his eyes open to see a face he had learned to know through the game, wearing a flat expression he hadn't seen on her until now.

June.

But that was not her name, was it?

"A-Ah… A-kane… Kura… shiki," he managed. Because it was her, it had to be her, she never died – did she? He remembered being told she had died, even Seven had said as much… but the memory now was dizzy and confused, fading away like it had never even been, and suddenly the pain in his head was almost worse than anything else. He shut his eyes against the pain and let his head drop on the floor again, choking back a sob. Something warm trickled out of the corner of his mouth and down his cheek.

What did it even matter now? She was there, alive, and he was going to die. She wouldn't help him, she had no reason to, she and her brother had brought him there in the first place and—

Kubota didn't realize she had knelt next to him until he felt a hand on his forehead, holding down his head, and something small and round being pushed in his mouth. He opened his eyes when she spoke again in a quiet voice. "Don't move. Keep this under your tongue and wait. It will ease the pain," he heard her saying, and then she stood again and walked away. She said nothing more, and he was left listening to her hurried steps fading in the distance as she went up the spiraling stairs that, he knew, were right behind him.

He didn't try to turn, didn't move – couldn't move – and, slowly, he realized the pain was fading. Whatever painkiller she had been merciful enough to give him was working, and by the time it had completely melted under his tongue he felt almost nothing but some mild discomfort and and he was so, so tired.

One moment before slipping out of consciousness, Kubota wondered if the painkiller was meant to kill him after all. If it was, he couldn't truly complain. The pain was gone, at least.

He supposed it wasn't the worst way to go.

"Damn. Well, it looks like this door isn't opening any time soon."

"You mean we're trapped?"

"So it would seem."

Seven sighed. They were all pretty much stating the obvious, really, but to be fair there wasn't a damn lot more they could add to that. They were trapped in the incinerator; June was missing; Santa had left with Ace and hell knew if Nine was still on the other side or not, if he was alive or not.

"What the hell is Santa trying to do?" Seven muttered, his head hurting some. At least the splitting headache from before was gone.

"Oh my gosh…" Clover muttered, eyes widening and hands reaching up to cover her mouth. Seven looked at her, not at all liking her horrified expression.

"Oh my gosh what?"

Snake crossed his arms, frowning. "Have you considered where we are? There can really only be one thing Santa would do now."

Seven could feel the color draining from his face. Beside him, Lotus paled as well.

"N-No… No, you can't be serious!" she exclaimed. While he knew that Snake certainly was serious, Seven couldn't help but share the sentiment. Most of all, why would Santa reactivate the incinerator? None of them in there had done anything to hurt him or his sister. Junpei had been Akane's friend, Snake and Clover had been victims of Cradle Pharmaceutical as well, he had fucking tried tosave them, and Lotus… yeah, how the hell did Lotus even figure? He had no idea at all, he realized.

Except…

Seven looked at Lotus more intently, narrowing his eyes a little. Now that he had his memory back, there was something about her that was familiar. Not about her personally, because he'd sure as hell remember it if he met someone like her before… but something about her face, something about the face of one of the kids in the Gigantic that day…

Nona, his memory finally supplied - the kid's name had been Nona Kashiwabara, and now he could finally see that the resemblance was uncanny. The kid had looked a lot like Lotus, which could mean… she looked kinda young to be her mother - not that he'd admit that aloud - but then again…

As Clover asked Junpei to borrow a pen and a notebook and began furiously scribbling equations on it, Seven took a step towards Lotus and spoke.

"Lotus, I've got to ask… is your surname Kashiwabara, by any chance?" he asked. He knew he had been right before she could even answer: she immediately looked up at him, eyes widening in surprise.

"I… yes, that's right! It used to be, if anything. It was my married name. How do you know?"

Was her married name, huh?

Chasing away the sudden and very much uncalled for thought - it wasn't like that had anything to do with the situation at hand, after all, what the hell was he even thinking? - Seven spoke again.

"Then… then I believe I met your kid. Well, one of your kids. Nona - it was Nona and Ennea, right? They both disappeared, nine years ago, along with eight more pairs of siblings…"

She was already pale, but now she paled even more. And Seven could see why, he really could. Even though she didn't have a chance to hear the whole story, with all the talk about the experiment and kidnapped children nine years before she must have realized it had to be somehow connected to her own daughters' disappearance. And now what Seven was telling her had to be turning that theory into a certainty.

"Were they here?" Lotus asked, anguish plain in her voice. "So that was what happened to them? They never wanted to tell… this experiment you've been going on about…?"

Seven nodded, his lips pulled in a grim line. That sure wasn't the kinda thing you'd want to tell a parent. He wasn't sure he could even imagine what kind of hell you go through when your children are gone and you have no idea what even happened to them. At least they were back, safe and sound, and—

"What?! Hey! No need to be ripping pages out like that! Geez!"

Junpei's voice snapped Seven from his throughs, and he turned to see what the commotion was about. It looked like Clover's calculations had brought her to a conclusion… one she didn't like at all, by the looks of it, especially since she seemed to be trying to hide the torn page.

"What the hell are you doing, Clover?! Give me that," Seven snapped, snatching it from her hand. Clover sighed and dropped her hand, not even trying to take it back as everyone else grouped around Seven to look.

There was a long silence as the meaning of what they were reading sank in.

[2] + [4] + [5] + [7] = [9].
[8]…?

"… Shit," Junpei muttered beside him, and Seven found himself swallowing, his mouth dry.

"Then there's no other way?" he heard himself saying. As all eyes turned to Lotus, he realized with a sinking feeling that she had figured it all out before they even looked at Clover's calculations. She looked back at them, then straight at him, and did just about the last thing Seven expected her to do - she gave a weak smile.

"It's okay. Go."

Oh, no, Seven thought. Damn it, no. Damn it all to hell.

"C'mon, you know we can't do that," he said, crumpling the page in his hand. Lotus kept smiling, but it was obvious that it was a very strained smile.

"Oh, don't give me that. I'm sure you'd love to get rid of me. Just tell my daughters—"

"Goddamnit, you idiot!" Seven roared, letting the crumpled paper fall… only to realize everyone's eyes were on him, surprise plain on each face. Especially on Lotus'. The anger dying down just as quickly as it had flared up, Seven cleared his throat. "Without…uh… If you're not… Look, it'd be bad, all right?"

She blinked at him. "…Bad?"

Well. That was awkward. "Uh…yeah… I-If there weren't assholes like you around, I'd be out of a job."

"…Huh?"

Seven clenched his teeth, his face burning hot. He scoffed and crossed his arms. "Look, I'm just not leavin' you behind, all right? End of story," he said gruffly, looking away.

She needed a few moments before she spoke again. "Seven…"

Thank God, Junpei spoke up again, saving him from more awkward conversation. "He's right. I'm not leaving you either," he said. Beside him, Clover nodded.

"Me too."

Snake gave a calm smile. "You don't honestly think I'd abandon you, did you?"

Lotus stared back at them for a few moments before making a face. "Ugh… You're all idiots," she muttered, but her voice shook slightly and she wouldn't look up at them again. Snake opened his mouth to add something, but he never got a chance to.

Warning. Warning. Emergency incineration command has been acknowledged. Automatic incineration will take place in 18 minutes. Please evacuate the incinerator immediately.

Oh, Seven thought. Oh, shit.

"Santa started the incinerator," Snake stated, his voice unnaturally calm.

Seven growled. "Fuck! Man, I never thought I'd hear that damn voice again, after nine years…!"

"What?" Lotus spoke up, her eyes wide. "What the hell? Was this part of the experiment, too? What… why… what was it all about really? What did they do to my daughters?"

"W-well… it's a long story…"

"Explain it to me now!"

"I'm sorry, Lotus, but we really don't have the time to explain it right now," Junpei spoke up. "I promise, I'll tell you everything once we get out of here."

"But—!"

Automatic incineration will take place in 17 minutes.

"You know what that means, right? Incinerate means burn…" Clover said with a small voice.

"What kind of an idiot do you think I am?! I know what incinerate means!" Lotus snapped. "Seven! Figure this out!"

"What?! Why me?"

"Just shut up and stop this thing!"

Yeah, Seven thought, and after that he'd be ready to knock out God or something. He was starting to almost regret not taking on her offer and leaving her ass in there. Almost. "How the hell—"

"Hey, look!"

They all turned to see that the floor in the middle of the room had opened, and something that wasn't there before had emerged - some kind of computer. Junpei was the first one to recover from surprise and run up to it, nearly knocking down Lotus in the process; the rest of them could only walk up behind him to take a look over his shoulder. Not that there was much to be seen: the screen was black.

"Okay, it's turned on. There's nothing on the screen, though," Lotus said, her voice tense. "This is bad, this is really bad. If there's nothing on here, how are we supposed to do anything with it…?"

Seven clenched his jaw. "Nine would know, if he was here," he muttered. Hewould, goddammit, because he surely designed the fucking machine and of course he would know the solution of whatever puzzle would show on there once they could get it to work. Was that why Santa had him taken out of the room? So that he couldn't just tell them the solution? Did he want them to solve the puzzle on their own? But why…?

Seven's thoughts were cut short when Junpei touched a button and the screen suddenly switched on, revealing some kind of weird puzzle with rows of numbers in a square. Seven had no idea what the hell it was about, but before he could ask Junpei suddenly straightened himself and cried out.

"Akane!"

Seven blinked. "Akane…?" he repeated. What the hell? That was the name of the girl who had died in the incinerator and… she had died, hadn't she? He remembered her dying… right? He scowled, trying to remember, but the memory that was once so clear was getting more and more confused as he tried to focus on it, and his head was really starting to hurt.

Lotus seemed just as confused. "Who the hell is Aka—"

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up!" Junpei screamed, and that was enough to make her fall silent. She was still confused and of course she was scared, at least judging from the way she was gripping Seven's arm, but she didn't try to speak again. None of them said a word as Junpei apparently began speaking to thin air before he began working on the puzzle, so focused that just looking at him made Seven wonder if his brain would melt before he was even done. And yet, he seemed to know what he was doing. It was working.

And, as long as it got them out of there before they were reduced to ashes, Seven wouldn't have minded if Junpei began speaking with fucking aliens from the moon.

Central gate has been opened… Incineration system has been disabled…

The speaker's voice, along with a drawn-out metallic groan, was what dragged Kubota's mind back from unconsciousness. He couldn't tell how long he had been unconscious, but it couldn't be too long, because he was still alive to begin with even though he knew he simply couldn't have much time left. His mind wasn't fullythere, really – it was much like having just awakened from a very long slumber – but it was fine, as long as it meant there would be no more pain. It was fine, he thought, and kept his eyes shut.

"Shit…"

"We… We made it!"

"Hey, look! Nine is still here!"

There was the sound of heavy steps, and then – once again – someone's shadow fell over him. With what felt like an inhuman effort, Kubota managed to crack his eyes open. He couldn't see very clearly, his glasses cracked and askew on his face, but it would have been impossible for him not to recognize the heavily scarred face looking down at him.

"Nine," he called out. "Can you hear me?"

"S-Seven," Kubota rasped. His breathing was still difficult, but his chest no longer burned whenever he tried to speak. He didn't try to reach up, didn't try to move. He was too weak to do anything at all now. But it didn't matter, because they were there and they'd take him out. They didn't leave him behind before; he knew they wouldn't do it now, either. He was going to die, but at least he wouldn't have to die in there. Maybe he'd see one more dawn, after all.

"Fuck," Seven muttered, sounding incredulous, and turned to call out for the others. "He's still alive!"

Somewhere out of Kubota's field vision, Snake spoke up. "Then I assume he's in dire need of medical attention. Do you think you can carry him up the stairs, Seven?"

A snort. "This bag of bones? You bet," he muttered before looking back down at Kubota. "Okay, gotta pick you up. Could hurt. You just hang in there, alright?" he said, and picked him up once again without effort.

And there was no pain, none at all. He was just so weak and tired, too tired to even think of what may come next, let alone worry about it. It couldn't possibly be worse than bleeding out to death, alone and in pain, on a cold metal floor. It couldn't. Even when Seven began going up the stairs as quickly as he could, there was some discomfort at the very worst.

"We're gonna get help," Seven spoke at some point, his breathing heavy. "You'll be okay. Don't be scared."

Too weak to even nod, his head resting against Seven's shoulder, Kubota was barely able to speak. "I'm n-n-not… scared," he rasped. And, for once, it was the truth. It felt odd to be unafraid, it truly did. He had forgotten what it was like.

He had been scared for so long.

"Got another blanket? We've got to keep him warm, he's like a fucking piece of ice…"

"Yeah, here, just a moment…"

"Maybe he should drink? I mean, he lost so much blood…"

"No, no water. That'd make it worse. Junpei, try to keep him as still as possible, okay? Pretty sure he's got a bullet in his spine…"

Even as he spoke, Seven knew that keeping him still wouldn't be easy at all. Desert terrain made for a bumpy ride, and Clover sure wasn't bothering to go slow. Well, she wasn't meant to go slow, because they were trying to catch up with the Kurashikis to begin with, and because they needed to take Nine – calling him Nine was easier than using his name, somehow – to a hospital as soon as possible. Things weren't looking good at all, Seven thought grimly, looking down at Nine.

With Ace tied up in the trunk and basically no space to spare in the car, the only way he could think of to lay him down was sitting on the backseat along with Snake and Junpei and let him rest down on them. Nine's head, the only part of him that wasn't covered in blankets, was resting on Seven's lap.

He was shivering with each wheezing breath he took. Seven had managed to wipe some blood and sweat off his face with a towel they found in the car, but he was still deathly pale, skin cold and clammy. Without his glasses, which fell off his face halfway through the spiraling stairs, he seemed even more vulnerable. He was trying to keep his eyes open, but it was obviously a struggle he was beginning to lose – and Seven didn't like it how much like a corpse he looked with his eyes shut. Not one bit.

"Hey. Nine! Don't fall asleep. Don't. Speak to me. Keep talking."

Nine's eyes fluttered open, but he didn't try to speak. It was Snake to speak up for the first time in several minutes.

"Perhaps he has too little energy left. In which case he could listen. Can you do that? Focus on what Seven says and not lose consciousness?"

For a moment Nine seemed about to nod, then he was probably reminded that Snake was blind and managed to whisper a 'yes'. Snake nodded.

"Good. Do entertain us, Seven."

Easier said than done, Seven thought: it's wasn't like there were many good news to give to a fatally wounded man who was likely going be wheelchair-bound and in prison in case he actually made it to civilization alive. Then again, he supposed he had to start somewhere.

"Listen, you're going to be okay. We'll get back to civilization, no problem, and get you patched up. You won't get to run a marathon in a while, yeah – you didn't do that before, I bet – but you'll be okay. And, uh… look, I think you can get a light enough sentence if you testify against Hongou, okay? I'll say you cooperated with law and shit. And that you didn't leave us behind," he added on a whim. It was a load of bullshit, but the cold hard truth of what his life would be like should he survive this could wait. There was a moment of silence before Seven spoke again, and this time it was a question. "Why didn't you? You could have turned on Ace after you were out, if you wanted to. You'd have had better chances if you left us behind."

Nine's chest rose and fell in a few rattling breaths before he could manage to speak. "You d-d-didn't."

Lotus, who had turned to look back from the front seat, frowned. "We didn't what? Leave you behind?" she asked. Her voice was not gentle, but it was still a lot calmer than Seven had feared it would be. After all, she had just found out the guy and that other asshole in the trunk had kidnapped her daughters and forced them into a deadly game nine years before. He supposed the fact he was dying after saving her life back in the incinerator did something to soften her.

Nine managed to nod, and Seven made an effort to grin. "Well, it wasn't that bad of a show you put up. Just remember not to show up at a gunfight with a knife next time. Didn't think that one through, huh?"

A weak shake of his head, and Nine's eyes closed again. Another shaky breath. "I p-p-probably w-wouldn't have tried if I d-did. I was s-scared, I… You were… y-you were r-right. I'm a c-coward."

"Nine," Snake called out quietly, causing his voice to fade. He seemed extremely serious. "Do you even know what bravery is?"

With a wheezing breath, Nine tilted his head to look at him. Despite the somewhat dazed, distant expression he was clearly confused. Snake couldn't see his expression, of course, but he seemed to guess it, for he went on without waiting for an answer. His voice was calm and collected as usual.

"Bravery is not absence of fear; if you think so, you have it mixed up with foolishness. Fearing something, or someone, and still being willing to stand up to it – that's bravery. You were afraid of burning, and you were afraid of what Ace could do to you should you choose not go with his plan. You could have left with him, letting Lotus be likely shot as soon as you were out and leaving all of us to burn alive to have a better chance at survival for yourself. And yet you did not. You were terrified, had the easier route right in front of you and still chose not to take it. If not bravery, how do you think we should call it?"

Nine's confusion seemed to turn into something else through the daze, some kind of quiet incredulity. Snake of course could not see it, and pressed on.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

With what seemed a supreme effort of will, Nine smiled – a weak, distant smile – and spoke. "Y-yes. D-do you really… really…?"

Snake nodded. "I never say anything I don't fully mean, Nine. Of that you can be certain."

Nine's dazed eyes moved from Snake's face to Seven's. He did not speak, but the question in them was plain as day and Seven wouldn't make him waste any breath he still had to ask aloud.

"You did well, little guy," he heard himself saying, forcing himself to smile. "Hero stuff, I tell you. And I should know something of that kinda thing."

Nine's smiled had faded, likely due to his growing weakness, but while faint it was still there. "I… see. I… I…" he breathed, and that was it, that took the last of his strength: he closed his eyes, leaned his head against Seven's arm and went completely still.

Seven blinked. "Wha…? Oh, no! No, damn it, don't you dare die on me! Nine! NI—" he began, only to trail off when Snake lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Seven. Enough."

It was only then that Seven realized that everyone except Clover was looking at him, and the unconscious man in his arms. Clover sat stiffly behind the wheel, Lotus had a hand covering her mouth and Junpei was biting on his lower lip, a grim expression on his face. Snake was the only one who still looked perfectly calm.

"Enough," he repeated. "He will not make it. He can't make it; we all know it, and we cannot do a thing to save him. We can only allow him a peaceful passing. Let him sleep."

Seven found himself at a loss for words. Snake was right, he knew that much: Nine had been doomed from the moment he had been shot, for there was no way to get him help quickly enough in the middle of a desert. Letting him slide from unconsciousness into death without even realizing it was the only thing they could do for him now, as much as he wished he could do more – because he had been a cop, would always be a cop, and cops are supposed to protect people at the best of their possibilities. But Snake was right: he couldn't do anything now. He could only wait.

And wait they did. For the next several minutes no one moved, no one spoke: they all kept silent and stared at Nine as his difficult breathing slowed down more and more, until his chest rose in one last rattling breath, fell… and then moved no more. It was only after another minute of surreal silence that Seven reached to press his fingers on Nine's neck, looking for a pulse.

He found none.

There were a few more moments of complete silence before Seven finally spoke. "Clover. Can you stop the car for a minute?" he asked.

She did, without a word, and turned to look at him along with the others as Seven pulled one of the blankets up to cover Nine's head as well. He said nothing as he opened the car's door and stepped out, Nine's body still in his arms. Seven took a moment to glance around – there was only desert, no matter what way he looked – before walking around the car and to the trunk.

He could have put him in there from inside, over the backseat, but he didn't want to drop him back there like a potato sack. He hadn't been much of a man, he sure as hell had not been a good man and the shit he had done was unforgivable, but he had saved Lotus' life and tried to save theirs, and he deserved some consideration for that. He deserved better than being treated like Hongou, if anything. Not that it said much, but still.

Seven adjusted his grip on Nine with one arm and reached to open the trunk with the other.

Ace was still there, tied as they had left him and with tape over his mouth, and of course he heard everything… even though one wouldn't think so by looking at him. He stared up at Seven, eyes empty, while he lay Nine's body next to him in the trunk. He looked just as drained as he had when Santa had dragged him away, but Seven barely noticed, barely spared him a look.

One of Nine's hands slid from under the blanket, bloodied and bony and limp. Seven took a moment to put it back beneath it and wrap the blanket a little better around his still body before finally looking up to meet Ace's eyes. "If you know what's good for you," he said in a low, threatening growl, "don't make a sound until we're back to civilization. Don't remind me you even exist, Hongou. Or I may be tempted to fix that."

There was no change in Ace's gaze or expression, nothing to indicate he had even comprehended what he had just been told. Seven found himself slamming the trunk shut with all his strength so that he wouldn't have to see him anymore, so that he wouldn't be tempted to rip that empty shell of a man into pieces.

As a cop, Seven - Yamamoto, really, that was his name and there was no point at all in using a code name anymore - had taken part to his fair share of interviews, usually taking on the role of the Bad Cop. He was pretty good at it, too, because his sheer size often got the suspects scared shitless without him having to do anything more threatening than cracking his knuckles, scowl or raising his voice once.

Five days after escaping Building Q and something like a dozen interviews later, answering to the same questions over and over again half the time and repeating that he had no fucking clue the other half, Yamamoto had come to the conclusion that he liked interviewing a lot more than being interviewed.

And it looked like Lotus – no, Hazuki, that was her name, and he should really stop slipping back to Lotus – shared the sentiment, at least judging from the look on her face when she sat across him.

"Done for today?"

She scoffed. "Yeah. The same questions, over and over. They were going to interview Snake again when I walked out, and I'm sure Clover is going to follow soon. Junpei was the smartest one, to just run off like he did. Had I know how much of a hassle this would turn out to be, I'd have told Clover to just run over thisAlice and keep driving," she muttered before taking the glass of beer Yamamoto had just taken with him to the table and taking a generous swig. He had to admit that, even though the whole thing was a hassle, being kept in a hotel came with some perks. Free drinks was definitely one.

"Can't really blame 'em, though," he said with a shrug. "This whole thing is a complete mess on all aspects. I really don't envy whoever is gonna have to pick up the pieces. Without even touching this Morphogenetic Fields theory, they're dealing with kidnappings from nine years ago, a huge cover-up, and now this second game with three dead bodies - well, two dead bodies and a half. The mastermind behind this one game is on the run, with the whole thing spanning across two countries. Plus a British ship somewhere between Japan and the States. If you think this is a mess now, wait until it hits the courts. Hell knowswhere Hongou will even be tried."

Hazuki's gaze darkened. "I can't say I care, as long as he gets his due," she said, her voice ice cold. "I sure hope they're dealing with him as he deserves."

"I'm sure they are. Hell, he's got a lot of talking to do. If you think they're squeezing us, just imagine what his interviews have got to be like," Yamamoto said. Last time he had seen him, Hongou was just as unresponsive as he had been through the whole journey back to civilization - the very definition of a finished man.

Good.

"He could weasel his way out of trouble nine years ago," Hazuki said sharply.

"Nine years ago the Gigantic sunk with all evidence on it. Building Q is still there, and so are the bodies of three people he killed with his own hands. He won't get away this time," he pointed out, hoping that would settle it. He really didn't need to listen one more time to everything Hazuki would have loved to do to Hongou if she ever got her hands on him. He sure as hell hoped that would never happen, because it would definitely land her in trouble. Ripping out someone's testicles to make a necklace out 'em was rather illegal regardless what the guy may have done to deserve it.

A nod. "True enough. What has become of the bodies?"

Yamamoto made a face. Well, wasn't that a delightful subject for a conversation.

"I heard they're having some trouble with Nijisaki's body" he said. "It's impossible to recognize it and his fingerprints were never on any database, so they'll have to run some DNA tests with a relative to be sure," he added. They all knew it had to be Nijisaki, but then again it wasn't like Alice's organization could just ship a bucketful of guts to Japan without being certain. "The other two are in the morgue as well, I think. For autopsy or some shit. Like you need that to know how they died," he added, and he couldn't keep something akin to bitterness from seeping in his voice. It's hard to remain entirely unmoved by the death of someone who just happened to die in your arms - no matter what kind of person he was when alive.

Hazuki had to sense that, for she said nothing, and kept silent when he spoke again.

"Nine - Kubota - wasn't even listed among missing people back home. You'd think someone would notice he was gone, but no."

A waiter walked up to them a moment later, bringing some drink Hazuki must have ordered - which was something a lot fancier than anything Yamamoto had ever tried - and for a few moments they just drank in silence.

It didn't last too long.

"You know he was no better than Hongou, right?" Hazuki finally spoke up, staring down at her drink with a frown. "He was involved with the experiment. He was one of the main people behind it. He knew precisely what he was doing, and even followed Hongou's orders when he told him to go ahead and leave us behind. He threatened to cut Clover's throat if we didn't do as he said. He was a monster as well."

Yamamoto stayed silent for a few moments, gaze fixed on his glass, then he shook his head. "… No. No, he was not as bad as Hongou. He was worse than him."

That seemed to catch her by surprise. "Worse…?"

"Yeah. When I got my memory back and confronted him, of course he was scared shitless - and all he could say for himself was that if he hadn't developed the technology for the experiment, someone else would have done it anyway. He followed orders," he added, and gave a low laugh. "That's how the worst kinda shit happens. There are monsters like Hongou, yeah, but they're few. There are lotsmore people like Kubota. They follow orders, because someone else would do it anyway, and that is how monsters get their way."

A long silence followed, eventually broken by Hazuki. "So you think that was it for him? Just following orders?"

"Looks like it. He relied on other people a lot - relied on Hongou a lot. If there was any other reason why he could even begin to think that what they were doing was not wrong as fuck, guess we'll never know. Dead people don't give out much info," he muttered, and took another swig of beer. There had been something he had picked up while Hongou and Kubota spoke in the incinerator, something about another game they had apparently gone through in the past, but if a such game had happened he had no idea what it had been about, or what it may have had to do with anything.

"At least he tried to do the right thing for once in his shitty life. Got him killed, but hey. Gotta love irony," he added, unable to block out some bitterness. Somehow, that was what pissed him off the most - that Kubota had it in him to do better, but only at the very end. How much could have been avoided if he opposed Hongou before? "It was of some use, at least. It allowed you to get away from Ace and that goddamn gun. A life for a life and all. Fair enough."

His comment caused Hazuki to scoff. "Don't remind me. He's part of the reason why my daughters had to go through hell, and yet he's the reason why they still have a mother. He could have spared me the moral dilemma at let me just hate his guts in peace. I hate owing him about as much as I hate owing you," she muttered, and Yamamoto just had to laugh. He put down his glass.

"So, how are the kids? You heard from them, right?"

That was enough to make Hazuki's expression soften a whole lot. "They're fine," she said, and when she spoke again her voice trembled. "We had a long talk by phone. We'll have so much more to talk about - I can't wait to see them again. I feared they had to go through something horrible, but I never imagined—"

"No one would have. Quit beating yourself up about it."

Hazuki paused for a moment, drawing in a deep breath, then she cleared her throat. "And to think now I have to thank you for saving Nona. She would like to see you once we're back in Japan, too. Turns out you're her hero or something, so now I'll be stuck having you around even when we get back. It's like you do it on purpose," she added, giving him an accusing glare.

He grinned. "Oh, yeah. Pissing off old hags is my new day job."

"HOW DID YOU CALL ME?"

Her reaction was violent as it was predictable, but Seven found he didn't mind at all.