Howdy, everyone! Bet some of you thought that this story was abandoned. Shame on you!

Jokes aside, I wanted to apologize for taking so long with this chapter. Inspiration went on and off a few times and the chapter kept getting longer and longer, till it was the longest thing I wrote till today.

But I didn't give up and now you all can, hopefully, enjoy the next chapter of Strange Lovers and let me tell you, it's a special one.

Oh yeah, I also got flagged by a dude in my fic "Like I'm wearing nothing at all." They leave reviews (They definitely don't read the fics) telling the authors that they should delete their smut fics or they will be reported to , have a whole group to keep tabs on the fics too.

Anyway, I'm not going to delete my fic so if I'm suddenly gone or with another account, you know why.

Let's stop the depressing stuff and have some fun, shall we?

This chapter was edited by TheLadyRedHeart and BlueBoxy.

Timeline

6-1-3-2-4-5

Beginnings are a curious thing; everyone and everything has one, no matter if it's big or small. Sometimes, the people involved in them just think that it's a normal day without relevance like the rest.

At least, this was the case for the tanned girl that was resting on a bench, her toned body laying sideways on the public space like it was the sofa of her house. Akane let out a yawn and scratched her belly; boredom was taking hold of the girl as time went on. Classes were over for today, but she hadn't anything to do that Friday.

Nidai was out of the school helping train the local volleyball team and the rest of her classmates were doing their homework. In retrospect, Akane should be working on that too but it isn't like it was obligatory and the girl wasn't good at it anyway.

She could always use her exceptional physical abilities to climb the main building of the Academy; the view from up there was breathtaking. There was a little problem, however.

Grooooowl

Akane was hungry. Not, 'I can't even move' hungry but the girl knew if she started moving around too much, it would get worse.

The gymnast let out a tired yawn and began walking with no real destination in mind. After someone mysteriously raided the kitchen one too many times, the staff of the school placed a guard to look over it and a sturdy lock on the fridge just to make sure.

At least, Akane could search for some lost change under the vending machines, all in hopes of finding enough for a snack. Another wave of tiredness hit the tanned girl, which caused another yawn. It was enough of a distraction for the girl to not see the figure that just turned the corner.

"Ugh!"

Akane felt something crashing against her but the impact was so soft that she didn't move where she was. The girl glanced at the noise she heard just after the collision, her eyes landing in the form of a short boy sitting on the floor with a big paper bag on his hands and a funny hair spike.

The boy shuffled on the spot, the expression on his face showing that it wasn't a gentle landing. His hazel eyes looked up to meet with her dark gray ones, the boy's brain took a second to register what happened.

"Ah, so sorry I wasn't looking. Are you okay?" He asked with worry in his eyes, even if it was clear that the one who took the worst of it was him.

Akane was mildly surprised at his question, she was clearly taller than the boy and had a sturdier build, gifted by genes and a life of running and fights. That and the fact that she was the one standing right now.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Here let me help you." The girl reached for the boy, putting her hands under his armpits she lifted him from the ground with ease, before settling him down again.

"W-wow, thanks." His voice was soft but had a bit of surprise in it, his cheeks warm and pink, maybe because a girl just lifted him like a plushie. The boy managed to shake it all away before speaking.

"Sorry, I didn't tell you my name. I'm Makoto Naegi from Class 78, a pleasure to meet you." He wanted to hold a hand to her but the heavy bag prevented him from doing so.

She didn't seem to mind as the girl put a hand on her hip, striking a confident pose. "Name is Akane Owari, nice to meet ya! I'm in the Class 77-B so guess I am your Senpai, not like I care about those things."

Makoto smiled at those words, he was glad that Akane was so laid back, others would have blown the small accident out of proportion. He gave a small bow as a goodbye and turned around to go back to his day. However, a loud growl froze him in place, it was as if a lion suddenly materialized behind the boy's back and was ready to pounce him.

Makoto slowly turned around but there was no lion, at least not one in animal form, it was his new acquaintance rubbing her stomach with a downcast glance. "That noise... did she make it?"

"Yeah, yeah I know you are hungry..." She tried to calm down her stomach but words weren't enough to fill it.

Makoto looked over them with a bit of a frown, after thinking for a second the boy tried to balance himself in one leg, while the other was being used to hold the bag up.

His hands opened the brown container and took something out of it, walking closer Makoto offered it to the girl. "Here, you can have this."

"Huh? What's this?" Oh, she knew exactly what it was. The round, white form. That delicious smell of flour and meat and the way the steam rose from it. There was no doubt it was a...

"A meat bun!" He completed the thought, slightly waving the tasty food in front of her, "You are hungry right?"

Akane's stomach answered for her with another growl. Of course, she knew what a meat bun was, what the girl didn't understand was why he was giving it to her? People didn't just give free food away to others and isn't like Akane was someone weak that couldn't get food on her own. Not like weak people got help anyway.

Still, the delicious aroma of the meat was chipping away her resistance, saliva pooling inside her mouth. "Hey, you sure about that? I'm going to eat it you know?" She was trying to resist, but a bit of drool was escaping her mouth.

Makoto let out a nervous chuckle, feeling like he was about to lose a hand. "Of course, don't worry, I have a bag full of them."

He declared with a smile, but it quickly changed into a look of bewilderment. The boy blinked and the next thing he knew, his hand was empty and Akane's cheeks were full.

She chewed loudly but with a happy smile that Makoto couldn't help but find endearing, "Gulp. That hits the spot! Thanks, dude, it was nice of you."

"Don't mention it, just trying to help and all." He smiled back, seeing someone so happy with something he gave them made him happy. "Ah! I'm running late, it was nice meeting you Akane. Bye!"

After waving goodbye to each other, grey eyes followed the boy's back as he walked to the school building at a fast pace. "How weird, why did he give me that without asking for something back? Well, better not think about it too much or I will get hungry again."

A few minutes later, Makoto entered his classroom, wiping away some sweat from his face. Fifteen very hungry students locked eyes on him the second he stepped inside.

"Finally, we were starting to believe that you somehow managed to fail such a menial task." The eternal rain cloud that was Byakuya sneered at him; a growling stomach didn't improve his mood or attitude.

"Sorry, sorry, the line was too long and I got a bit distracted." Choosing to ignore the hurtful comment, Makoto began to hand the contents of the bags to all his classmates. Getting food for everyone wasn't something that the boy did every day, but as usual, his luck was to blame for it.

It had been the start of lunchtime and a certain blonde fashionista couldn't be bothered to make a trip to the cafeteria. A smirk appeared at the thought of sending her sister to bring her food but it changed into a frown. "Too easy, too boring." A wide smile claimed her features again as she clapped her hands together. "Hey everyone~ I thought of something fun."

"Oh no, t-the last time you said that I caught fire..." Hifumi's beady eyes shrunk at the memory of the event.

"It's a very simple game." Ignoring the words of the round boy, she looked around at the rest of the class, those icy eyes taking any little detail. "We will play rock-paper-scissors together, and the ones who lose will play with each other until only one poor loser remains. And as a punishment, they will have to buy food for everyone."

It seemed innocent enough for everyone to join in, as there weren't any weapons or dangerous rules this time. Some of them were interested in trying to use their talents in the game while others were confident in their chances and too lazy to go buy food.

"I'm in, but let's also add that everyone will have to put their own money." Kyoko quickly made sure to crush any chance of others getting a free meal, smirking when she heard Junko clicking her tongue.

And so sixteen students formed a circle in the middle of the class, all of them ready for several rounds of scheming, tactics, and tricks.

Makoto showed everyone why he was the Ultimate Lucky student of the class. His hazel eyes were wide as he looked down at his hand, opened in the form of paper, and then to the hands of his peers. Fifteen scissors against one paper.

"Huh?" It was all the Luckster could say, still looking at his hand that betrayed him.

"I wasn't expecting this to end in just one round." Sakura cast a sad glance at the boy.

"Is... is this even possible?" Toko was the next one to talk, a shaky smile appearing on her lips, she never wins anything besides literary awards.

"It's quite uncommon that's for sure." The gambler of the group had little doubt about her victory but even her stoic face was locked into an expression of surprise, thin eyebrows arching upwards. "Your luck is quite a hassle isn't it?"

At least Junko wasn't berating him and his bad luck, if only because the busty beauty was too busy laughing her ass off. She was expecting a longer and more gruesome game but getting her hopes crumbled to dust combined with Makoto despairful face was even better.

He sighed already used to the erratic luck he was born with. Once all the money was resting safely inside his pocket, the boy honored his part of the deal. It went much easier than the last time the luckster lost a similar game with his middle-school friends, no jewelry thief or traffic accident this time. The worst thing this time was having to wait in line for a few minutes and bumping into that girl from before, but she seemed to be very pleasant; besides everyone else was munching their lunches with happy faces so Makoto considered the task a success.

The fake red-head stopped mid-bite to look at the Luckster, one eyebrow raised. "Dude, where is yours?"

The sudden question made Makoto sweat, his hazel eyes looking away from Leon in hopes to avoid eye contact. "W-well, I was hungry and ate it on my way here."

"Did you now?" Leon squinted at his friend before sighing, he grabbed the untouched food and split it into two before offering half to him. "Here."

Makoto's cheek turned pink, not because he had any romantic feelings for the wannabe-punk star mind you, but because his lie was easily unraveled. "Thanks..." Makoto took a gingerly bite and his lips instantly changed into a smile. His mood was an open book but it was one that his friends never got tired of.

"Don't mention it," Leon smirked before devouring the meaty treat himself, a sense of satisfaction growing in his chest.

He was a good boy.

/-/

Sunday, two days later.

Earlier in his life, Makoto learned to be always prepared for any unforeseen situation that life may throw his way. That's why his backpack was full of things like bandaids, a handkerchief, a sewing kit, an extra pair of underwear, and any other object that gave him the title of Momkoto, something that the boy was unaware of. But today was one of those days when his planning would bear fruit: the morning weather report informed that it would be a sunny day without any clouds, and yet the sound of the raindrops could be heard all over the city.

Makoto was taking temporary shelter under the canopy of a candy store, sadly he couldn't wait for the downpour to pass. The old woman managing the store made it very clear that if the boy wasn't going to buy anything he had to scram; it was a cheap move to earn more money but at the end of the day, it was her store. If only Makoto didn't spend all his money buying the game he has been waiting for so long, Dork Souls 3.

He didn't have money even for a single piece of gum, and yet the Luckster's face was devoid of any worry, as he came prepared for something like this. Reaching for his green backpack, Makoto retrieved a black compact umbrella. The boy was beaming at his foresight, and with a smile he pushed the button at the handle.

Nothing happened. He pushed it again. Nothing happened.

"D-don't tell me it's stuck!" That little outburst drew the attention of the greedy lady, her foot rhythmically tapping on the wooden floor like a clock. This made the boy panic and that panic made him try to fix the umbrella by pulling at it. "C'mon you... piece of junk..."

It was almost comical how the boy grunted while fighting with the piece of plastic, letting out a specially strong one as he pulled harder. The sound of something ripping put a halt to his movement, his face going pale and hazel eyes slowly looking down just to see a huge gash across the cloth of the umbrella. The sound of the rain hid well enough the moment the, now useless, umbrella fell to the ground with Makoto's knees following.

"So this is how true despair feels like, you win this time luck!" Gritting his pearly whites, Makoto stood to spare a glance at the street. There wasn't any cover but the academy wasn't that far away. "If I put on my hood and cover the game box well enough I can make it." Makoto took a deep breath. "Time to make a run for it!"

"Make a run for what?"

The Luckster was mid-step when that question was directed to him, making the boy almost trip when he looked to the side. His eyes widening, he knew this person. "You are... Akane, right?"

Indeed she was, the same girl from a few days ago was now looking at him with a cocked eyebrow. A transparent umbrella shielded her from the onslaught of the rain. "Do I know ya?"

"I'm Makoto, we bumped into each other." Everyone used to tell him that he had an average look and face, besides they only talked for a bit. Still, the Luckster was a bit disappointed that he left such a weak impression. When Akane's tilted head was an easy tell that she still didn't remember, he sighed. "I gave you a meat bun."

The girl's face instantly lit up, those two last words sparking her brain to remember. "Oh yeah, you are that Mark guy!"

"I just told you my name was Makoto!" His jaw was slack, how could she have such a terrible memory? That wasn't even a Japanese name.

"Haha yeah, something like that." Akane gave him a happy grin as an apology, remembering other's names never ended well for her. She looked at the wet streets and then at him again. "Are you gonna run around with this weather? Bad idea."

Of course, he knew that but his options were pretty limited. "Yeah but I can't stay here anymore and my umbrella broke, so I have to make a run for it. At least I have my trusty hoodie..."

"Wanna walk together?" That nonchalant question made Makoto look at the girl with wide eyes, Akane was smiling at him. He thought that her smile was nice. "You are going to Hope's Peak, right? C'mon, let's go."

The young man almost turned down the offer out of pure courtesy and not wishing to be a bother, but the girl's cheerfulness pushed him to accept the offer. With a bit of a shy nod, Makoto walked under Akane's umbrella and started their walk together.

The umbrella was big enough to shield both of them from the rain if they got close enough, but that wasn't the case. The Luckster was self-conscious about the idea of walking together with a girl under the rain and didn't want to look like a creep by invading her personal space, so Makoto's shoulder was outside under the attack of the tiny droplets of water.

Such a thing didn't get past the, sometimes, perceptive girl that looked at him with an eyebrow cocked. "Hey, you are getting soaked." Before he could invent some excuse for it, the girl put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer until their shoulders were touching. "There, better right?"

"Y-ya." The boy managed to respond with a dry chuckle, he could feel the cold dampness on his arm giving way to the warm touch of the girl. Maybe it was him but Makoto could feel Akane's warmth through his clothes. Is that why his face felt so hot?

"Do you hear that?"

The boy finished taking a deep breath before looking at Akane with confused eyes. He looked around as if that would help him listen better. "I just hear the rain and some cars."

A frown starts to form on the gymnast's face, "Come here for a sec."

Fighting back wasn't an option, seeing how Akane was still gripping his shoulder and how strong she was. Not like Makoto minded it too much; she looked troubled and his bleeding heart couldn't stand seeing someone like that. They walked through some alleys and dodged the splash from a car when it passed over a puddle, then Makoto heard something close by. It sounded like a meow? The two students found the source of the noise once they turned the next corner.

On the side of the street rested a cardboard box, darkened and soggy because of the rain, but the thing that drew their attention was its occupant. A tiny kitten was meowing inside with her orange fur wet and dirty, the poor thing trying to climb outside but always ending up falling on its back.

A dash later and the two students were next to the box and the soaked ball of fur. Makoto was crouching in front of it and his jacket was soon around the kitten as a makeshift towel. Akane was covering both of them with her umbrella, the frown on her face growing.

The poor thing curled inside Makoto's jacket in search of the warmness that was still inside. He would have to clean it, but it was the farthest thing from his mind right now. "Poor thing is shivering..."

"What kind of asshole leaves a baby cat alone on the street?" The athletic girl spat those words.

The Luckster could imagine who, someone that considered a waste of their time to bring the poor thing to an animal refuge nor the kindness to take care of it. Makoto pushed those thoughts away; there were more important things to take care of. "Li'l guy needs someplace to rest and warm-up, but there aren't any Vets nearby."

"We can take him to the school, there is a guy in my class that is super good with animals. He will help." Truth be told, Gundam and Akane rarely interacted with each other. The esoteric words that the breeder used on a daily basis went right over the girl's head but the Supreme Overlord of Ice always had time to tend to any animals that needed help. So he must be a nice guy.

"Really? That's great let me-" As Makoto was turning around, his hazel eyes focused on a car that was speeding down the street.

The vehicle wasn't going over the speed limit or driving on the sidewalk as if a maniac was behind the wheel, but the car was splashing everywhere each time it rolled over a puddle and they were right in front of a huge one at the moment. Acting before thinking was one of his specialties and so, Makoto turned around and hugged the improvised cradle. At worst it would be some cold and dirty water but the boy refused to let the innocent kitten suffer anymore.

Makoto closed his eyes and braced himself, flinching at the sound of the splash going everywhere. He took a second to realize that something was off, the boy didn't feel cold or the dampness of his clothes, and confusion etched on his face as he turned around and his expression shifted into pure shock. Akane was in front of him with an arm extended while the other was still gripping the umbrella, still covering the boy and kitten from the rain. Her clothes were wet and dirty, and those brown soggy locks were obscuring her expression.

With wide eyes, the boy opened his mouth to speak but was beaten to it. "Agh, that's cold!" A hand came to the girl's face to wipe away some water and slid back her bands. Dark gray eyes went over the crouching boy and she smiled. "Hey, you two are alright. I'm glad."

"Akane you..." Makoto was speechless, she wasn't telling him but there was no doubt. The gymnast used her own body to shield him and the kitten from the water, all while refusing to move the umbrella. The Luckster assumed that Akane was a good person with their limited interactions but after this he had no doubt that she possessed a kind and gentle heart. He stood back up with a smile that matched hers, the small hairball resting on his arms. "Thanks for protecting us, you really are amazing."

"You bet I am! But that was nothing so no need to thank me." She didn't care about the thanks but if the way she puffed out her chest was any indicative, she enjoyed the praise.

Makoto considered himself a bit of a gentleman; he didn't wear suits or drank tea outside of the times Celeste invited him to talk, but he knew his manners like opening the door for others and looking at a girl's eyes while talking. This wasn't different, at least until Akane did that specific motion that drew Makoto's eyes downwards. The athletic girl was wearing a white blouse and judging by the way it went see-through thanks to the water, nothing else. The cheeks of the Luckster turned so pink, so fast that he almost got a nosebleed like in those old anime. It was just for a moment before looking back up but that image was already burnt in his retinas.

"A-Akane y-your clothes!"

"Here take this." Maybe she didn't listen to him or she simply didn't care but Akane gave Makoto the umbrella. His gaze went to it and then to the girl's joyful face. "I'm already drenched so you can have it. Gonna jog to the school by myself."

"But..." While it was true that an umbrella would be of little help now, Makoto was still iffy about it.

"A bit of rain is nothing, it's almost like a shower." She grinned and started running down the street, turning around a bit to wave. "Make sure to bring the little guy to the dude I told you about. He is named like a robot and has ice-cream shaped hair!"

And with that bizarre description, she went away leaving a very confused but dry boy with a kitten on his jacket. It was their second time talking and Akane already left a very strong impression on him, along with a strange desire of seeing her again.

"Meow"

"You said it, buddy..."

A small smile began to lighten up his face, although Makoto was still worried about Akane's health. Little did he know that she has never gotten ill all her young life.

Akane Owari was immune to sickness.

/-/

Monday.

A guttural grunt rumbled through the room, carrying distress, pain, and the need for a glass of water. The source? The resident of that room, who was laying under the sheets with a fever.

Indeed, for the very first time. Akane was sick. Worst of all, she had no one to blame for this unfortunate situation than herself.

When Akane came back to the dorms, she was soaked from head to toe and leaving a trail of wet footsteps that some poor employee would have to clean. Once in the confines of one room, a normal person would discard their wet clothes and take a nice, hot shower. But Ultimates aren't normal people, hence the name, and even for their standards, Akane was a special case.

The clothes did end up in a laundry basket but the shower didn't go through because of the girl's unique logic, "Rain is like nature's shower, so taking another one is just a waste." Anyone with a shred of common sense could have refuted such a childish thought, but she was alone so the girl went to sleep after drying up with a towel. Giving the chance for some germ to slip past her body's defenses to make a mess out of things.

At least it didn't seem like something that would give too much trouble to her immune system, but while her cells were at work, Akane had to suffer the symptoms. Those included; a headache, fever, her body feeling hot and cold at the same time, coughing, and feeling like shit in general.

However, the physical discomfort wasn't the worst part, the fact that she couldn't move around was. Not only was she bored out of her mind, rolling around in the bed trying to catch some Z's, but Akane was also alone with her thoughts. Every person experiences that situation sometimes; their minds get assaulted with worries and embarrassing memories that should have been buried a long time ago. But, once again, Akane wasn't like the normal people, neither was her childhood.

Through her years the gymnast unconsciously created a method to cope with all her emotional baggage: not thinking about it. Simple, and yet astonishingly effective. If you don't think about it, it can hurt you. So she kept stuffing her stomach with food, occupying her mind with her next fight and such.

But now her bottomless appetite was quenched and you can't fight an illness with your fists. So she was all alone, just like before. Like always.

A coughing fit shook her out of the bleak swamp of her thoughts, one of her hands clutching her chest. The throat of the girl felt like sand; she needed some water asap. So she got up on shaky legs against the screams of her body to go back to bed. Even the short trip to the sink felt like a long and painful journey. The sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted Akane's travel to the holy water; for a second the temptation to simply ignore it was strong but the knocking came again and it was making the headache very present for her.

So, with a tired sigh, the sick girl dragged herself to the door and opened to see... a very familiar boy.

"Wow, you look... sorry did I wake you up?" Makoto caught himself before commenting on the sorry state of Akane. A running nose and sweaty brow wasn't doing her any favors.

After a few blinks and some sniffling, that sick brain of hers managed to form some words. "You are... Bill? Listen I don't want to play now..."

Makoto couldn't help but chuckle, the sickness was making it even harder to remember names. "It's Makoto and I'm not here to play, I was afraid that you weren't feeling well after what happened." A white plastic bag was hanging from his hand, "Can I come in?"

A slow nod was the answer of the sick girl, she didn't think about it for a second, for each second she wasted standing there was like a taste of hell. Not caring too much for manners, Akane dragged her sorry self to the bed and landed on it face first, quite unceremoniously at that. When she realized that her ass was back to square one and there was no glass of water close by, she let out a pitiful whine.

Makoto for his part was looking over the room with surprised eyes. As a teenage boy, media and pop culture gave him some expectations about girl's rooms. Those little patches of heaven were often depicted with soft pastel colors, frilly beds and curtains, some cutesy stuffed animals, and a sweet, lingering scent. Akane didn't comply with such a generic view.

The room was sparsely decorated with only the basic stuff that the school gave at the start of the year. A great variety of trash littered the floor. Empty ramen cups, crumpled bag of chips, stained burger wrappers... But at least, there wasn't any half-eaten food to stink the air. Makoto always looked at the positives, no matter how little they were.

His scrutiny on the room came to a halt when the poor girl grunted like a wounded animal. The raspiness of her voice gave him an idea of what she wanted. After apologizing for the intrusion and rummaging over the sink a bit, the boy sat next to the bed carrying the refreshing liquid of life in a glass.

"Here, some water."

Those words were like a magic spell, reviving Akane long enough for her to down the whole glass with some difficult gulps. Now that her throat wasn't a desert anymore, Akane took a moment to look at the boy with a quizzical look.

"Um, something wrong?"

"Why are you here?"

"I told you, to make sure you were alright." He let the plastic bag rest on the nightstand next to the bed, the boy reaching for something in it.

"But why?" The girl's tired eyes didn't leave his form for a second, thinking that he wanted some sort of reward for it. If so, he should just say it straight away.

The question made Makoto stop mid-motion, a metallic thermos resting in his hands and eyebrows furrowed. "Because I was worried about you?" Makoto always found questions like that weird, as if a person needs a motive to help others.

Not satisfied with the answer in the slightest, she tried to speak again but her nose caught a rich smell the moment the Luckster opened the thermos. "What's that?" Was the question that came instead.

"Chicken soup!" The delicious smell spread through the room when the warm liquid was poured in a small bowl. "My mom always makes it for me when I get a cold." Makoto offered the steaming soup with an apologetic smile, "This one is from a store though."

Their fingers grazed when Akane took the bowl but she didn't think anything of it, as her gaze was directed to the liquid food. It smelled good, it looked good and it wasn't the first time she accepted food from the boy, and yet, it felt different. She didn't understand why, neither did her stomach which growled with renewed hunger.

She stuck to her philosophy: eat first, think later.

The soup was strong enough for Akane to taste it despite her numbed taste and it went down easily. Sometimes she had to chew some small noodle or piece of chicken that was in it to add flavor while a gentle warmness pooled in her belly, slowly spreading to the rest of her being. Now that the need for food and water was covered her body was aching for the rest to heal as soon as possible. And so she did, a second after closing her eyes, she was quietly snoring away.

Makoto couldn't believe it; she obviously didn't know what insomnia was. The Luckster was also surprised about how little she cared about sleeping when there was a boy in her room. A more wicked person would try to take advantage of the sleeping beauty that was resting on the bed. Maybe she trusted him enough to keep his hand to himself, or maybe Akane didn't see Makoto as a threat.

Makoto didn't care about the reason and only touched Akane's forehead with his palm; it was clammy and hot. Looking again inside the convenient bag he took out a hand towel to clean her brow. After a short trip to the sink he came back with a wet one that was placed on the girl's forehead. She appreciated it if the happy sigh she let out in her sleep was anything to go by.

Sadly, Makoto was faced with a conundrum. Now what?

He already checked on Akane and gave her the things he bought. Sticking around to watch her sleep would be creepy, and walking away without saying goodbye rude. Maybe he could pass the time doing something until she wakes up, but that was another question. Do what?

A quick look over the messy place gave him his answer. Every student was expected to take care of their room so the school gave cleaning supplies for the task. He found them inside a closet after a quick search; there were rubber gloves, trash bags, and a lint roller that hadn't been used. Once he was equipped with the items, the cleansing began.

Makoto wasn't the Ultimate Maid but he managed well enough. He filled a bag and a half with all the empty wrappers and canisters until the blue carpet was visible once again. The boy had to go to his knees and use the lint roller to pick up any piece of trash that was too little for his fingers. It took time but the job was done after five layers were used. Makoto stood and smiled at a job well done. He probably should do the same to his room someday...

Another grunt got his attention just when he finished putting away everything. Akane was done with her power nap and was now looking around the room with wide eyes, barely recognizing the room she was in.

"You are awake, hope you slept well. I took the liberty to tidy up the place a bit..." Looking back, having someone clean your room while you sleep falls onto the creepy category. Makoto scratched her neck a bit before looking back at her, "A-anyway, you look better."

The gymnast glanced at him with curiosity, she wasn't cured by a long shot but her body wasn't trying to kill itself anymore, so that was good. But this whole thing was bugging her, she had to know.

"Okay, what do you want?"

"Huh?"

"Ya want money? Or maybe something like touching my-"

"H-hold on!" Makoto waved his hands in front of her, he had the feeling that she was about to say something outrageous. "I didn't come here looking for a reward."

"Liar." She said it with such gravity that Makoto stood there in silence, she took it as a chance to keep talking. "No matter how much you cry or ask for help, no one will come. Even if you are hurt or sick."

The Luckster had the sinking feeling that she was talking from experience, yet he tried to cheer her up. "What about your classmates? They are your friends and I'm sure they will come."

If this was a movie her friends would knock on the door at that very moment. It was a shame that his luck didn't gift him with dramatic timing.

"Whatever..." The girl turned around, gaze low.

"Well... I'm here and I just want to help you." Makoto gave the girl a kind smile, his head tipped to the side a little to try and catch her attention.

It was a success since they were now looking into each other's eyes, she wanted to say something back but the girl didn't know what. He did seem genuine with his words and her instincts were telling the same. Still, she was too hardheaded to admit it. "Because you are weird..."

Instead of getting angry or offended, Makoto chuckled, "Then you are weird too." Akane was now the one tilting her head. "You helped me and that kitten yesterday, remember?"

For reasons the girl didn't understand her cheeks felt very hot, was the fever coming back? "I... I only did it because you two are so small and weak my food will taste bad if I ignored you!"

The tough girl turned around on the bed so Makoto couldn't look at her, but she knew that boy was smiling.

"Haha, I see, these two weaklings give you their thanks." There was no response to that, maybe she fell asleep again.

"... How is the little guy? Not that I care..." Once again, she could hear Makoto's smile through his words.

"He is doing great, the ball of fluff is a fighter and Gundam is very kind to him." A hand came to scratch his cheek remembering their first meeting, "Even if a bit weird, he gave him a strange name too. Abadon, the tiger of hell, or something like that."

Now it was her turn to smile.

A knock on the door made the two teens look at it in surprise and because the owner of the room needed more rest, Makoto offered to open it. The boy saw a girl with purple hair and mismatched bangs carrying a medical kit on her hands. Her already squirmish expression turned even more nervous the instant she saw the boy, no doubt confused about why the Luckster was inside Akane's room.

"Um..." Shaky purple eyes wandered to the sign on the door before going back to Makoto's face. "W-why are you in Akane's room? P-please, forgive me if I'm being r-rude!"

The boy hadn't said anything and the poor girl was already on the verge of tears, not cool Makoto. "N-not at all! Sorry if I scared you, my name is Makoto Naegi and I'm... Akane's friend." Makoto liked how that sounded out loud, a gentle smile was then directed to the nervous girl. "What's your name?"

The girl wrapped in bandages straightened herself so fast that her long hair almost hit Makoto on the face. She looked just like a deer in front of a truck. "You want to know my name?... I'm Mikan Tsumiki..."

Maybe it was his imagination, but Mikan almost looked expectant about the boy's reaction. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mikan."

"R-really?" The shy girl couldn't believe what he just said, a pleasure to meet her? Mikan's whole face lit up when she smiled and began giggling a bit. It became awkward after a full minute passed.

"So... you are here for Akane?"

His words dragged the happy nurse back to reality, and back to the edge of a nervous breakdown. "AH! So s-sorry for laughing without permission! I will give you all my money, so please forgive me!"

After another minute of the Mikan bawling and Makoto trying to calm her down passed, Akane was getting curious about who was at the door. Her eyes widened when Mikan walked inside carrying a medical kit.

"Mikan? You... came?"

"Y-yes, sorry I took so long." After leaving the kit next to Makoto's bag, Mikan moved with the precision expected of a professional nurse, checking Akane's temperature, pupils, and even pulse. "We had to start preparations for the school festival but Chisa gave me permission to leave early to check on you. The others will visit soon."

Makoto was astonished by Mikan's change in attitude, no longer the scared girl but the competent nurse that was devoted to helping others. According to her examination, Akane had the flu but the symptoms were mild and she should recover in a few days with enough rest. The sick girl wasn't listening to her, so deep into her thoughts that the knocking on the door didn't get the gymnast out of them. It wasn't until a strong hand landed on her head that Akane realized how crowded her room became.

"Are you listening? That flu must have got you pretty hard?"

"Old man? Is that you?"

"Of course it is me! I'm the one and only NEKOMARU NIDAI!" Nekomaru had some troubles with raising his voice to 200% sometimes and Akane's pained head suffered from it.

"Were you raised in a locker room? Don't scream when there is a sick person in the room."

Akane looked at the person who was making the big guy scratch the back of his neck in shame, those freckles and hair red as an apple were unmistakable. Mikan, Nekomaru, and Mahiru were at the side of her bed, and more faces came into view.

"My my, that look doesn't suit you at all. Don't fear, I made some porridge that will fill you up with energy, Mama's recipe."

"Huh~? I thought idiots didn't get sick, maybe you aren't as dumb as you look?"

"It's a shame that there is no medicine for your venomous tongue."

Teruteru, Hyoko, Fuyuhiko... everyone was here. But why? They had nothing to gain from it and Akane didn't ask for help, and yet, her classmates... her friends came because they were worried about her.

Just like he said they would. Maybe she had to rethink some things about people, but first, Akane wanted to talk to him. But no matter how much she looked around, Makoto was nowhere to be found. He probably left, not wishing to be a bother...

"Oh my! Akane is pouting? So cute, Ibuki won't lose!"

/-/

Tuesday.

Makoto eating alone in the cafeteria was quite the strange sight; he was a social butterfly after all, no matter how much the boy declared that he was simply a run of the mill guy. Today was one of those days when everyone had something to do or didn't care for some company at the time, it wasn't all that bad actually. Sure, he loved to talk with his friends about everything and anything but having a quiet meal once in a while was refreshing. Makoto took a moment to browse the news on his phone as the plate of curry he ordered was cooling down.

"That looks good."

And it was already over before he could even get one bite of his favorite food, oh universe, you dramatic bitch. Well, every meal tastes better with someone at your side, but why did that voice sound so familiar? He got his answer when the person sat in front of him with a plate of food so large that challenged a shaky Jenga tower in instability. His phone suddenly became much less interesting.

For in front of him sat a certain tanned girl, showing no mercy to a bucket of chicken wings. The cafeteria didn't sell those. "Akane? You are cured!"

The statement sounded like the girl managed to beat some uncurable disease but to be fair Makoto never saw someone get over the flu in just one day. What kind of body did Akane have? Now, he was thinking about her body, great.

"Hell yeah, I am!" The brawler flexed an arm to show how healthy she was, that biceps making the boy feel things. "Mikan said that it was the fastest recovery she ever saw. You think I broke a record or something?"

Makoto's face was full of bewilderment, "You definitely did, I think that they give awards for that."

"Awesome! But getting sick sucks, you shouldn't try it."

"Hahaha, most people don't have a choice on the matter."

The banter kept flowing like that while they ate, Makoto found it easy to talk to Akane after all the things that happened. It was nice to have a normal time with a friend for once, even if Akane's way of devouring food was anything but normal.

"Wow, you have quite the appetite." Usually, commenting on a girl's eating habits was a suicidal move but Makoto had the feeling she wasn't that type of girl.

"Well yeah, you can't move with an empty stomach and I move a lot, ya know?" The toothy grin of Akane told how proud she was of that fact.

"It's because of your talent?"

Makoto supposed that Akane's talent was related to her body because of her upbeat attitude and physique, it reminded him of someone. It was a supposition though, maybe she was the Ultimate Mathematician or something. It was interesting that they didn't know each other's talents yet; most students of Hope's Peak added their talents to their presentation, like a nobiliary title.

"My talent?" The tanned beauty crossed her arms under her chest, obviously thinking about it. "They gave me this Ultimate Gymnast title but I only do it for the money." It wasn't something that rare: several Ultimates didn't care too much for their talent or straight out hated them. "What about you?"

"Well..." Makoto's talent made him feel inadequate about being around such talented people; granted he got more accepting of himself and his worth but getting rid of all of it was tricky. "I'm the Ultimate Lucky student of Class 78, from the annual lottery."

Now Makoto was expecting a few reactions: Surprise, disappointment, boredom, a condescending look or the classic is luck even a talent? Once again, his expectations were subverted when Akane grimaced at the revelation.

"You aren't a creep, right?" She took a good look at his face like she could see if she looked hard enough.

"What? I... I don't think so..." The Luckster tried to act civil in front of others, doing his best not to gawk at the many, MANY, pretty girls in his class and the whole academy.

His words calmed down the girl who simply grinned with happiness, "Good, the one in our class is a weirdo. Always talking about hope and eerie stuff, I like you better."

Makoto wasn't familiar with the extravagant luckster but he wanted to believe that they weren't that bad. A shame that his brain was trying to grasp Akane's final words. "Did she just? No way! She meant like a friend, don't freak out!" It was clear that she didn't have any hidden meaning behind her actions and words, so why was he blushing like that?

"Your face is red like a tomato, you better not be sick."

"Ah, n-no I'm fine." He waved his hand while trying to fight back that pesky blush, he had to change the subject. "But I'm surprised, most people focus more on my talent than on me."

"Why is that?" Akane leaned forward a bit.

"Because I'm the perfect definition of normal and average; if you search those in a dictionary you can see my picture." The Luckster joked with his lack of distinctive characteristics, the boy heard those jokes so often that he preferred to do them himself.

"That's weird." The girl propped her chin on the palm of her hand, a grin across that cute face. She was about to destroy this boy. "Cause I never met anyone like you before."

A critical hit against Makoto's heart that made most of the blood in the boy's body go to his face. How could she be this smooth without even trying? It wasn't fair. "I... I..." Nothing, Makoto was too flustered to say anything back.

"There you go again, don't get sick on me. I can't repay you if you do."

That kickstarted Makoto's brain again, though his face was still cherry-red. "You want to repay me? If this about the soup and me cleaning your room? It was nothing that important." Getting a reward for such a trivial thing would leave a sour taste in his mouth.

"It's not only that..." There was no easy way to say, 'thanks for changing my old views and give another opportunity to people.' Not without sounding weird and definitely not because Akane was embarrassed of admitting it, not at all. "Just shut up and accept it!"

Makoto chuckled as a drop of sweat appeared on his brow. "Haha, those are the most forceful thanks I have gotten." He replenished the lost fluid with a sip of water.

"I could give you some money or do you a favor..." Akane bit the inside of her cheek, those sounds too impersonal for her taste. When the tanned athlete crossed her arms under her chest, the answer came to her, or in this case, it hiked up. "I know! Wanna feel my boobs?"

And there was the spit take, it had a nice form but couldn't compare with Mahiru's. After coughing all that water out of his lungs and wiping away his mouth, Makoto recovered enough to talk. His cheeks blushing for the third time on a row. "D-d-d-don't joke with things like that! You just want to mess with me."

"You don't wanna? But they are super soft." Akane gave them a squeeze to demonstrate their softness and bounciness, Makoto gulped loudly at it. "And all guys like them big."

Untrue, but Makoto wasn't in the mood to discuss the intricate topic of preferences and body types. "I-I see... but you shouldn't offer things like that to people, they could take advantage of you Akane."

The orbs were freed from her grasp, Akane looked puzzled at the simple concept. "How so? Is not the first time I let someone cop a feel as a favor or to pay for stuff."

The Luckster's body went from hot to cold in a second, and it felt as if someone dropped a heavy piece of coal in his stomach. He dreaded to ask, "What... do you mean? Do people ask things like that to you?"

"Yeah, when my mother's boyfriends came to visit they insisted on giving me full-body massages, and when working as a waitress I had to do it without panties and let clients motorboat them for tips. There was also this guy that oinked like a pig..."

It was both amazing and sad how the girl could talk about events that could scar someone for life with such a carefree tone but it sounded like an annoyance for her more than anything. It's scary how people could accept such things as normal when they were part of their world since childhood. While Akane kept sharing her past experiences to him, Makoto's hands were clenched into fists, so hard that his knuckles were white and his nails began to dig into the palms. The cold piece of coal was now smoldering and threatening to burn a hole through his belly, something inside his chest was bubbling and trying to rise from his throat.

"Dude are you really okay? You have a super intense face, don't blow a casquet on me." Even with that, she failed to grasp the atmosphere around them.

"Those... pigs..." By a miracle, Makoto managed to swallow his anger and what he truly wanted to say about those people. Earlier he thought that Akane was just a free spirit who didn't think too much about being flustered about such things, Makoto knew better now. "They had no right to do those things to you, they took advantage of you!" The boy didn't mean to raise his voice like that, luckily no one besides them were around to hear it.

Because the way Akane's eyes widened she wasn't expecting the small outburst of the small boy. Not understanding why he was mad about such an old thing, however, Akane's confusion quickly turned into anger. How dare he of all people treat her like some weak girl? He was thinking lower of her just because she was being nice.

"Stop that, don't act like I'm a weakling." The way the brawler growled those words made the Luckster calm down, a bit of panic setting in.

"N-no that wasn't my intention, I don't think you are weak at all." Makoto shook his head with dread but he could feel their distance growing by the second.

"Yes you do, only because you saw me sick one doesn't mean that I need your help. I'm strong!" Akane was done with this, it was a mistake thinking that her way of doing things was wrong. Living in this place had made her soft, Akane stood up and walked away clearly tired of the conversation.

"A-Akane wait!" The boy's hand reached for her but it was too late, he was afraid to make things worse if he forced her to talk more so Makoto just watched her leave. He watched the red marks on his palms for a second before covering his face with them, "I'm such an idiot..."

/-/

Friday.

It was the first day of the school festival and everyone was excited about it. Ultimates, teachers, reserve course students, and even the common folk were invited to enjoy the festivities. From stalls with foods and games to shows and attractions made with the talents of the ultimates, it was a way to show to the people that the money given by the government was being used in something that gave some sort of results. One of the biggest projects was made by class 79, the class that people said was one of the craziest and extravagant of Hope's Peak history, and that was saying something.

The group of sixteen students claimed a whole floor of the school and transformed it into a full-fledged haunted house, or haunted school in this case. They had rigged the place with tricks and traps, decorated every hall and classroom with imagery that could drain one's sanity if they dared to gaze upon it for too long, and added mechanisms so everything could run smoothly without anyone controlling it. The young Ultimates were proud of their work, so proud in fact that they thought it was the best thing in the whole festival, which was a dangerous thing to say in a place full of inflated egos and butting personalities. The three main classes were at each other's throats trying to prove which attraction was the most successful one but they soon learned that such a task wasn't that easy.

The attractions were so different from each other thematically that it was like comparing a visual novel to a third-person shooter, and the school prohibited the selling of tickets to earn money, even if Hiro tried to do so anyway. The annoying laugh of a certain Supreme Leader, or so he claims himself to be, brought an end to the heated discussion but not to the problems.

"Nishishi~ I tooooootally have a plan that will demonstrate which class is the best and not boring. Unlike yours." He said with a grin that could split his cheeks at any moment.

The students that knew the prankster or had been victims of his tricks, usually both, looked at him with clear skepticism but having no better plan themselves they decided to listen. After a very bombastic explanation using charts, models, and sock puppets, everyone understood his wicked plan.

Each class would choose a representative from their group to go into the haunted house. The three students would start at the same time and travel the maze of terror. The one who exited it first would grant their classroom eternal glory and bragging privileges. However, they had to choose the correct people to be the representatives. If they all went with the badasses of the school the whole test would devolve into a simple race. No, their hearts had to be vulnerable to the icy grip of fear. It was quite easy to tell who were the most adequate for it, the ones who were sweating like pigs when the plan was revealed.

"Stop screwing around. I'm not scared just... feeling a bit under the weather." Kaito grumbled as he cleaned some dripping sweat from his chin using the sleeve of his galaxy jacket. His face had a sickly color to it.

"M-me neither, it's all a bunch of cheap tricks anyway." Akane managed to maintain a, somewhat, cool front in front of everyone but in her head, the girl kept repeating the same words as a mantra. "I'm not scared. I'm strong. I'm not scared. I'm strong. I'm not..."

"Well, I am! This place screams Bad Juju like crazy! You sure that this place wasn't built on top of an old cemetery?" The oldest of the trio was gripping at his locks while talking like the first character to die in a slash film. Hiro was never a calm person and never will be.

The valiant trio stood at the entrance, a dark fog obscuring the floor and any mechanism that may be under it, with the added effect of giving an eerie atmosphere to the place. Several corridors stretched into the darkness, promising great horrors to the fools who dare to adventure into them. With cold sweat and tense jaws, they stepped inside.

There was no turning back now.

/-/

"Where is everyone?"

Makoto was roaming the hall of the academy in his search for the rest of his classmates, an hour ago the boys and girls of Class 78 went to examine the competence -and enjoy a bit of the festival- leaving the Luckster behind to take care of the fort, but even his patience has a limit. Leaving behind a handmade sign that read 'Coming back soon' the gung-ho boy wandered through the stalls and attractions the rest of the classes made for the event.

"So class 78-A had a maid and butler cafe? Maybe Hifumi and Celeste are inside." With hope in his heart and a spring in his step, the boy got closer but his heels dug on the ground when he saw eight students flanking the door to the cafe.

Makoto couldn't decide what was more creepy, their looks; long arms and legs, snake-like features, and a tongue that reminded one of a certain murderous fiend. Or how all of their movements were coordinated as if they shared the same mind. What he knew was that neither Hifumi nor Celeste would go close to the sons of Orochimaru over there and he wasn't going to be the first.

The boy decided to wander a bit more, in body and mind. His thoughts went back to that day when he spoke too much, and because of all the preparations, the two haven't had a chance to talk about it. Makoto still remembered her angry scowl and how much he wished to make things right at the time. Maybe he could apologize now that things calmed down a bit, try to be friends again.

"Friends..." For some reason, that word sounded empty when he used it for Akane. The Luckster knew exactly what the reason was, he wasn't that dense of a person but after learning how miserable of a childhood she had, he could never take advantage of her naivety to ask the girl out. "Besides, she is out of my league... there is no way she ever..." He slapped himself on both cheeks loud enough for some people to turn around to look. The boy didn't want to think about such things, being Akane's friend was something amazing and he was happy with it.

Resuming his search for the missing class, the Luckster found them along with the other two classes. The first one to see him walking closer was the biker of the group.

"Hey man, weren't you supposed to stay behind to take care of the visitors?" His muscular arm crossing over his equally muscular chest as a sign of disapproval.

"Weren't you guys supposed to come back after a few minutes?" Makoto mimicked the gang leader's posture, it was less intimidating coming from him but the message was the same.

Ishimaru checked his watch in a panic and his face turned white as a ghost. "He is right, we are unforgivably late!"

Mondo's deflated a little upon learning that information, a hand reaching to scratch the back of his thick neck. "Fuck, seriously? Sorry, dude we got too into the competition."

"Competition?"

After calming down a bit, Ishimaru explained the purpose of the contest, its rules, and who were participating in it. Makoto's eyes widened a bit the moment Akane's name was mentioned along with the fact that they had been inside for more than twenty minutes. He decided to wait with the rest and took the liberty of studying their faces, most were already bored with the whole thing, deciding to talk with each other or play with their phones. Makoto didn't know class 79 too well but he would like to, sure, people say that they are crazy but isn't that every class here?

The sound of a door being opened made all the eyes in the hallway focus on the source there stood the shaky figure of Kaito Momota, his face pale as milk, and teeth clattering. He reunited with his class while dragging his feet.

"Jeez, you took your sweet time. Did you like it that much?" The boy with the fashion sense of an asylum patient had an innocent look on his eyes.

"S-s-shut it..." The spooked astronaut wasn't in the mood for Kokichi, then again, he never was. "I-it was w-way less scary when we were setting it up, and w-why were live spiders there?"

"Because Gonta put them there!" The gentleman in training hit his bongo of a chest with a fist. "Gonta thought that people like to meet spider friends!"

A pair of red eyes glanced over Kaito with clear disappointment before looking away. "You always act so tough and boisterous but the moment you see something scary..."

"Oh, one of the spider friends came with Kaito."

True to Gonta's words a little black spider was crawling on the shoulder of the astronaut in training. The poor teen was so shocked by it that his body reacted by jumping away and hugging whatever was closer to it. In this case, a distracted Maki.

"W-what are you..?" The child-caregiver was blindsided by Kaito's hug, a blush creeping on her cheeks as she tried not to think how it felt being in his embrace. "Do you wanna die?!" Screaming her catchphrase, Maki clenched a fist and uppercuts the boy with a strength that a mere child-caregiver shouldn't have. Kaito could taste blood in his mouth after falling flat to the floor.

"Hey, if the space cadet is here that means we won! Take that you limp dicks!" The busty inventor hollered with a laugh as she taunted the others.

"Tsk, it would be too much of you to act dignified in victory?" Byakuya pointed while crossing his arms, except that this Byakuya was a lot chubbier than the original.

"Took the words right from my mouth..." The original begrudgingly admitted while trying not to show how impressed he was with his doppelganger.

"So we can leave now? We are gonna be in a lot of trouble if the teachers see us slacking off." The shark teeth mechanic looked around to make sure that didn't happen already.

The bubbly swimmer shook his head with a frown. "No way, this isn't over! Maybe we can't win the gold medal but the silver is still within our reach!"

"Besides, leaving the others behind after we forced them to do this would be kind of a dick move." Hinata wasn't part of any of the classes competing but the normal teen was supporting class 77-B and his friends.

Most of them agreed to their points while the less nice of the Ultimates went to do their own thing but there was one who was thinking in silence.

"They said that the Haunted House is pretty big but it has passed too much time, Akane is also pretty fast so she shouldn't have any problems clearing it. Maybe something happened to her?" Worry started to eat him away, he knew that the girl was very capable of caring for herself.

And yet, he couldn't stop himself from going in while everyone was distracted. She probably will be mad at him for worrying about nothing again but he wouldn't stay put if there is a slight chance that someone is in danger. Makoto had to admit that those guys were talented, no pun intended, a minute inside and he already had the hibbie jibbies. The worst part was the numerous paths that the girl could have taken, without any clues to lead the search Makoto had to rely on luck, which was always a risk.

He didn't need to walk more than a few steps to find someone. Makoto raised an eyebrow as he looked at the unconscious form of Yasuhiro, drool trickling down into his wrinkly shirt and his eyes rolled back into the boy's empty head. What could have scared the clairvoyant so bad to make him pass out? Makoto raised his gaze in search of an answer. He sighed in pure disappointment

A white sheet was dangling from the ceiling, the thing was hanging from a very visible string and whoever did such a lazy arrangement didn't bother to draw a scary face or anything. The fact that Hiro got like this because it was embarrassing to all the human race but the Luckster couldn't leave him like this, they were classmates after all, and Makoto had to admit it... He forgot that Hiro was also competing.

After sitting the older teen against the wall and cleaning a bit of the drool, with Hiro's sleeve, the Luckster retraced his steps and went down another way. Makoto will come back to assist him out but he had another person to help first.

/-/

Akane was having the opposite of a good time at the moment if the loud clattering of teeth and sweaty brow wasn't a clear indicator. The girl has never been in a Haunted House before because if the name was accurate they were haunted, in other words, full of ghosts.

She truly hated ghosts, they had strange powers, made creepy noises, their bodies were disturbing and worst of all, you can't hit them. They were cheaters!

"But this was m-made by those newbies, s-so there aren't real ghosts here..." After cheering herself up a bit she kept walking.

Sometimes she flinched when a pained moan came from one of the doors but Akane could manage it by simply walking pass by, fast. The strange paintings on the wall formed shapes out of this world that made her head hurt and tiny things were crawling on the ceiling, but it was fine, she could do it. She was strong.

After turning another corner Akane saw a woman or at least something with the form of one.

Her limbs were long and pale, with leathery skin that hugged the bones revealing the lack of muscle in them. Bony, crooked fingers twitched randomly at the ends of her hands, a sickening crack each time one moved. Covering the warped body was a tattered sundress that was once black but was now covered with brownish stains. Akane's instincts told her to turn around and under no circumstance look at the face of that... thing.

Curiosity took hold of her and she lifted her gaze. She regretted it in an instant.

What was behind the tangled mess of long, black, dirty hair couldn't be called a face. Rather than having two normal eyeballs the creature had two vertical slits that showed roads of rotten teeth that oozed black sludge, there was no visible nose under the two maddening mouths but if one dared to look lower, they would notice a big yellow eye instead of a mouth, staring right into Akane's soul.

When it was clear that they were aware of each other a snap came from the neck of the abomination; her head was now upside down but it didn't improve her appearance one bit. Its screech was the signal of a mad dash by the creature, that now was crawling with its four limbs.

Akane's stomach fell to her feet and her heart felt like it was trying to escape through her mouth, but she didn't back down. With a fierce glare on her eyes, she gritted her teeth and swung at the monster, just to see the hit phase through it like nothing. Somehow, that was the part that sent shivers down the girl's body and it only got worse when the body of the horror went through Akane's and sunk into the floor.

That thing wasn't in no way a real ghost, of course, it was the product of the latest technology in holograms that one could buy, or invent in this case. But for the poor girl that was now kneeling on the ground, it felt extremely real.

The experience made her teeth clatter like she was freezing, which was appropriate since her body felt very cold, and yet sweat was trickling down Akane's face.

"Ah... ah... a g-g-ghost..." She muttered to anyone, in particular, her voice above a whisper. "Have t-to leave..."

Forget the stupid contest, if another thing like that popped from nowhere she would have a heart attack! The gymnast gritted her teeth and attempted to get up but her knees had other plans. After the encounter with Sadako's ugly cousin, part of Akane's fear went down to her knees and now she couldn't put any strength in them. Panic started to mix with fear, her body trembling.

"No... someone..." Her eyes stung but she closed them tight and shook her head.

She was all alone like always, no one will come even if she calls for help. After all this time nothing changed.

She was scared.

She was alone.

She was weak.

Akane's head slowly went down until it pressed against the floorboards, the weight of everything becoming too hard to carry anymore. "Help..." That lonesome word left her, along with the last bit of hope she arbored.

"Akane, are you okay!?"

The sudden call seemed to give the girl some of her energy back, she lifted her head to see someone quickly walking towards her, this time it wasn't a ghost or a hologram.

"You... what are you doing here?" The gymnast couldn't believe it, of all people Makoto was in front of her. Just when she asked for help. Her hand quickly wiped away a stray tear, one from pure relief and happiness.

"I was worried so I came to help you." True to his words the boy strolled to her side to help her up. "I know where the exit is, lean into my shoulder till you can walk again."

"O-okay..." Akane did as asked, was Makoto's body always so warm? Her heart still thumped wildly on her chest but now it was different somehow.

Together they wandered the path Makoto came, the boy having already activated the scares of that part so they could cross safely if they walked fast enough.

"... Are you angry with me?"

The question cut the silence like a glowing 1000 degree knife cutting butter. Akane lost another bit of fear in exchange for confusion. "Why would I?"

"You don't seem to like when people get worried about you..." The boy didn't dare look at her while walking as if he was afraid of the kind of face she would make.

The whole fiasco in the cafeteria flashed in her mind, she acted so rude to the boy and now he was helping her when no one else was around. Her gaze lowered in shame. "I'm not mad..."

They walked a few more steps before Makoto asked again. "Do you think that being weak is bad?"

"The hell?" Now the girl was looking at him like he just went insane, yet she didn't let go of him. "Of course it is! If you are weak you can't do anything or fight!"

"Isn't that an excuse?"

"Wha..." That answer left her mute, or was it the fact that now he was looking at her so closely?

"Let's say that someone way stronger than you wanted to hurt one of your loved ones. Would you stay back and let it happen?"

The gymnast took a moment to think about it, picturing some huge thug trying to mess with one of her siblings.

"Of course not! I would give them the beatdown of their lives no matter how strong." She growled that answer; no one messed with the little one when she is around.

Instead of being intimidated by it, the Luckster smiled. "Exactly, just because you are weak doesn't mean that you can do things or protect others." His smile changed into a nervous one in a second, realizing that Akane may misunderstand his words. "Not saying that you are weak, you are really strong! But even strong people have things that they can't do alone. Asking for help doesn't mean that you are weak, it means that you have friends."

Everything finally clicked for Akane, all the times her friends, Nekomaru, and Makoto told her that being strong didn't mean being vulnerable made sense. She called for help, and Makoto came running to give it. The legs of the gymnast reclaimed their strength but Akane didn't move away from him, wanting to feel more of that warm kindness.

But all good things come to an end and this one was about to do it too; a faint exit sign glowed over the door to the hallway. Finally, she could escape from this nightmare and try to forget all of this happened...well, she will keep the good ones, those were nice and made her feel giddy.

Akane took a few steps toward the door but ceased to move when that warmth against her side disappeared. Turning around the girl saw that Makoto hadn't moved from his spot.

"It's better if they don't see me, that way no one will know that you don't like scary things." He scratched his cheek a bit, "Sorry you didn't win the competition but finishing it is worthy of praise."

"You will keep my secret? I... thanks."

"Don't mention it, I'm just glad we can be friends..." His smile shrunk a bit but he truly meant what he said. "Now I have to go back for Hiro, good luck!"

And with that, he walked away. Unaware that Akane kept looking at his back until she couldn't anymore.

"Was he always so cool?"

The bright light of day blinded Akane when she opened the door, it took a few blinks but she recognized the happy faces of her friends waiting for her. The sentiment was mutual.

"Akane came back to us, wondrous!" Sonia clapped her hands with glee.

"Hmph, so you weren't gorged by the maws of the underworld. Quite impressive for a mortal." Under his purple scarf, Gundham smirked.

"Hey guys, sorry I couldn't win."

"This kinda thing happens to the best." The calloused hand of Nekomaru patted her back, but unlike the other times he did so, now it was much more softer. "Next time you will crush it no problem!"

"Y-yeah, next time..." She will never go inside another Haunted House. Never ever...

"Nishishishi~ so those were the results huh? Guess that they weren't too boring after all."

"Kokichi, I know the answer is plainly obvious but..." The blue-haired girl of class 79 pushed up her glasses before making the question. "In what way does this prove that our Haunted House is better than the other attractions?"

"Very simple. It doesn't, I just wanted to mess with people." His hands went behind his head as he gave a punchable grin.

Tsumugi looked down and sighed. "You are too much of a wild card, even Igor would have problems controlling you."

"Aw, we lost!" Hina pouted angrily, her feet stomping on the ground. It was pretty cute actually.

Celeste scoffed at the vulgar reaction of the swimmer, a hand covering her mouth. "I'm much more impressed about the fact that any of you had any faith put in that simpleton."

"As usual, this was a waste of my time." The heir made use of his prodigiously large legs to get away from the shame of defeat.

The famous idol called for him. "What about Hiro?"

"Frankly? I don't give a damn." He didn't stop walking.

Realizing that it was a feeling shared by all, the students went back to their duties, the corridor became empty except for one person. Akane was staring at the door of the place, trying to determine why her chest was feeling so fuzzy and weird, and why her cheeks felt hot when she thought about Makoto. Then it made sense.

"So that's why..." There was a beaming smile on her face as she understood her feelings. It was a first for her, and she liked it.

/-/

Saturday.

Makoto was in pain, that much was clear after he had to carry the unconscious Hiro out of the Haunted House. The luckster tried to wake him up to no avail so he had to walk around with the teen's bigger body on his back, but things didn't stop there. After managing to get out with the dead weight, Makoto was welcomed by no one to ask for help. Which meant more walking around and even climbing some stairs to bring Hiro to the nurse's office. All while fighting the temptation of dropping his ass.

Thankfully Mikan was there to help him, though she seemed very happy to have someone hurt around, and she did trip over nothing into an embarrassing position. Nonetheless, Mikan was very sweet to him so Makoto couldn't help but wish her well. A shame that kindness wasn't a cure for sore muscle otherwise Makoto would be tremendously popular with athletes.

"Why are you walking all weird like that?" Talking about athletes, his favorite one was now walking alongside him.

"Good morning Akane, don't mind me just a bit sore after carrying some weight yesterday."

"You need to train more, I'm not that heavy. I'm all muscle tho." She grinned a little showing her biceps again as proof.

Makoto was glad that Akane wasn't someone oversensitive about her weight, still, he had to clarify. "No, no I didn't mean you and it was because I wasn't warmed up before doing it."

"Mhm, sure." She didn't believe a word and the smirk on her lips wasn't subtle about it. "If you are so beat up let's chill together, I know a place!"

"That sounds nice, a rest will be-" Before he could finish his wrist was in Akane's clutches and she didn't walk slowly. "Aw aw aw, wait a second! I'm still hurt!"

"Almost forgot!" The tanned girl stopped in her tracks, but not for the reason one might think. "Still owe you the reward for when I was sick and for helping yesterday."

"But I already told you that-"

Chu~

Makoto only registered what happened by the time Akane was reeling back with a grin, the lingering sensation of her lips against his cheek sent a jolt that transformed his ahoge into a spike.

"Hahaha so that's why you went all red before, I got it now."

The Luckster didn't care anymore about the muscle pain or how Akane was dragging him around, all his attention was into how much his cheeks burned and the way Akane laughed. Coming back to reality, Makoto squeezed her hand back and smiled like never before.

He had the feeling that this was the beginning of something marvelous.

Omake

A lone boy was sitting down on one of the chairs of the classroom. The class had finished a while ago but he wanted to stay behind to think. It was someone without a name or identity but with a talent that allowed him to take those things from others. It was his blessing and his curse.

At the moment he was 'Togami Byakuya', down to his mannerisms, voice, and visage. Sure, he was a bit overweight but if one didn't have the real one to compare them they would think he gained weight at an extremely fast pace. But a melancholic look made itself home on his face, one that didn't fit the persona that was impersonating at the moment.

Talking about the original heir, it was inevitable that the real Togami met the fake one, they both attended the same school after all. The Impostor was foreseeing a harsh scolding, peppered with some fresh baked insults for extra flavor. His prediction was right, for the most part.

When Byakuya was done verbally attacking the copycat he didn't turn around like usual but instead the heir stared at him intensely. The Impostor's mouth went slack a bit when Byakuya praised him for his skills, such an uncommon compliment from him was like seeing a black and white rainbow. It was a short-lived experience as he went back to his cold demeanor, his parting words being, "You better not shame the Togami family name."

The heavy teen saw him go away with wide eyes, did Byakuya recognize him as a member of the Togami's? The Impostor felt a strange kinship between him and the original, the kind of connection that only people that earned their spot in life can understand, maybe the heir wasn't as bad as he wanted others to think. He took a long and pensive look at the palm of his hand, did he truly earn something? The only thing the lonesome boy had were a bunch of identities from others, how much of a person could one be without even a name of their own? All of that existential crisis was momentarily pushed to the side when a more slender hand landed on his own, her owner laughing a bit.

"So Byakuya's hand is bigger than Ibuki's. Interesting, very interesting~"

The Impostor was so shocked that his facade almost became undone, luckily he was a professional so he recovered in an instant. "You are as unaware of the concept of personal space as usual Ibuki." Cold words, and yet, he made no effort to move away from the rocker girl.

"That's because you looked sad so Ibuki came to cheer you up!"

"Sad? Me? Preposterous… can you leave my hand alone please?" Trying to ignore the girl would be much easier if she wasn't squeezing and poking at his hand with such curiosity.

"But Twogami's hand is sooooooo soft that it makes Ibuki super jealous. Hers are all hard and stuff, see?" She finally let him go to show him, her hand had a few callouses on the palm and fingers beside her skin being rougher there.

"Hmph, I see..." The fake blonde took a long look at it and then back to its owner. "I fail to see why you felt jealousy towards mine, those hands of yours are the living proof of how dedicated you are to your craft and… excuse me, what did you call me?"

"Kya~ another cool and heartwarming line from Twogami! Ibuki's heart is going all tumb dum badum! Right now!" The girl was stoked at the compliment, even though she could be having a heart attack by the description of her heartbeat. "Oh yeah, you see Ibuki calls you Twogami so people don't get you two mixed together. Clever, huh?"

"I must admit that you have quite a way with names…" A small smile formed on Twogami's lips, it was a silly nickname more than anything and yet it made him happy, sadly the smile faltered rather quickly. "Tell me, why do you insist on spending your time with an imitator?"

"Why?" At the question Ibuki closed her eyes and pressed the fingertips of her index fingers against her temples, gathering all her thinking power to answer. "Hmmmmmmmmmm. Why wouldn't I?"

"What I'm trying to say, is that if you want to spend time with Byakuya you should, instead of wasting it with a copy of him."

"Bzzzzzzzzzt~" It startled Twogami the way Ibuki imitated a buzzer in such a realistic way, her arms crossed for emphasis. "Ibuki wants to spend time with you, not him."

"That… makes no sense, even for you. I'm merely imitating him"

"Bzzzzzzzzzt~" Again with the buzzer. "No matter how much you try to imitate others or how many layers of makeup you use. You are still you." Suddenly Ibuki pounced on his side like some kind of wild cat, personal space be damned. "And you are super nice and cuddly!"

"Ibuki! Stop this, someone could see!" It was just for that one moment but the Impostor used his own voice to say those words, it was more high pitched than Byakuya's and made Ibuki's eyes sparkle.

"Audible gasp! That was so cute! Again, again!" From her privileged spot, the rock star could attack the pudgy belly of the boy with countless pokes.

He tried to shake her off his persona to no avail, not in a million years the proud heir of the Togami family would be caught doing this tomfoolery. Then again…

He wasn't him.

And that's a wrap.

There you have it folks, my longest chapter till today. But I feel like this one had to be this way, it's the origin story of Naewari (Name registered) and I wanted to add a lot of juicy situations for the relationship to bloom and develop. That's why I jumped from their point of view along the story… kind of. And as some of you may have realized, I took heavy inspiration from "Everyday Life with Ultimate girls" and "Ultimate secret friends" for this chapter, but I think it has enough of my own style and ideas to make it unique.

Anyway, you can expect more chapters of this two doofus and a few more sub-ships. Talking about sub-ships, aren't Twogami and Ibuki adorable? I know that she also has a thing for girls but c'mon she was all over him in chapter 1. She wanted those ham hands!

Craziness aside, I have plans for this and other stories. So leave a review with your thoughts or suggestions if you feel like it.

Peace.