Work Text:
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS ON]
[BACK IN THE MASTER BEDROOM. SILENCE—THEN, SLOWLY, THE CREAKING OPEN OF THE DOOR]
MAKOTO:
You okay?
KYOKO:
Where are Celeste and Byakuya?
MAKOTO:
The nice thing about this part of the house is that Byakuya’s dad needed to live here. I think there was a little bit of a— rules for thee, but not for me situation with all the mazes and confusion and cold, because we can get back and forth from, like, the kitchen and a few of the bathrooms and a lounge area pretty easily, and unless Byakuya has one of his moments there’s no real risk.
All that is to say—they’re in the kitchen.
KYOKO:
And you’re okay leaving them? Trusting that Byakuya won’t have ‘one of his moments’?
MAKOTO:
I think Celeste will keep him occupied. They’ve been arguing the whole walk back.
KYOKO:
Arguing about what?
MAKOTO:
You, mostly.
KYOKO:
Oh.
MAKOTO:
And— and anyway, I can always get him if something goes wrong. I’ve done it before. So it’s nothing to worry about, I— I think.
KYOKO:
You think.
MAKOTO:
Kind of the best I can do.
KYOKO:
Does that ever get difficult? The— guessing?
MAKOTO:
Honestly?
[SIGHING]
You have no idea, Kyoko. All of this is so— much, and I can feel how scared everyone around me is and I just keep getting up and going, because, y’know, I’m barely bothered by most of this stuff—
And then I find out that my boyfriend is practically slipping in and out of consciousness a few times per day, and it feels kind of like all I can do is pick up and get going with that, too, because the alternative is being a complete mother hen and god, he hates it when I do that. It’s like wandering around in the dark. I think Byakuya should come with a manual.
KYOKO:
Step one: throw out the product.
MAKOTO:
Hey.
KYOKO:
No, no. I’m happy that you two figured it out, really. It’s been exhausting watching you dance around each other.
[BEAT]
What?
MAKOTO:
…Kyoko, we started dating months ago.
KYOKO:
What?
MAKOTO:
About when the three of us started hanging out more.
KYOKO:
Why didn’t you tell me?
MAKOTO:
We figured we didn’t have to? You’re a detective, how did you miss that?
KYOKO:
I guess I assumed you had better taste than that. The whole time?
MAKOTO:
The whole time.
[HE STARTS LAUGHING]
Oh my god. Here I was, wondering why you were being so nice about it.
KYOKO:
[ALSO LAUGHING]
That ends today, believe me.
MAKOTO:
He practically lived in my house!
KYOKO:
I practically lived in your house!
MAKOTO:
Fair.
What about— you and Celeste? When was that?
KYOKO:
A little while after… um. The world changed. After what I did.
MAKOTO:
It was you.
KYOKO:
Seems like Byakuya already had that figured out.
MAKOTO:
We both did. I mean— we were some of the only people in the whole world who knew what the plan was. Maybe some of the only people in the world who were even remotely prepared for what happened.
KYOKO:
And… how do you feel?
MAKOTO:
Um. Tired. It’s hard out here. But I’m safe from the Lonely stuff, so it’s mostly—
KYOKO:
No, no. I mean…
MAKOTO:
[OH]
How do I feel about you?
KYOKO:
Byakuya made it pretty clear where he stood.
MAKOTO:
He thinks you’ve ruined my life.
KYOKO:
I have.
MAKOTO:
Probably.
Do you want to tell me about what happened?
[BEAT]
KYOKO:
Celeste—
[WORDS FAIL HER. SHE TRIES AGAIN]
I keep thinking about it. And about—
In the moment, I thought I was choosing Celeste over the world. And I made my peace with that, Makoto, I— I knew that was worth it. It’s been worth it every day since, it’s the one thing I’ve ever been sure about.
But so much has happened, and I can’t help but feel like— the world is kind of an easy thing to sacrifice. I couldn’t see the world back then, when I made that choice. But I chose Celeste over Maizono, too, and— and then Fuyuhiko, and— now you, and Byakuya, and you two wouldn’t be anywhere near this horrible, horrible house if it wasn’t for me, and it just…
Pragmatism works because it’s fair. Everyone gets the same hand, from me at least, and I don’t lose sleep. I pretend that I like it because I’m cold, but really I like it because I’m terrified of making a real choice.
This is… so scary, Makoto. It’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. And I know I wouldn’t sacrifice Celeste for anything, but the logical conclusion of that is that I was willing to give up everyone we’ve lost and willing to put you through hell and willing to make Byakuya think that I— ruined your life, just for her, and that’s a lot harder to contend with than the world.
MAKOTO:
It sounds awful.
KYOKO:
And— look, right now, here I am, asking you to comfort me. By all rights, you should hate me now.
MAKOTO:
Hate you?
KYOKO:
Look what I did to you. Look what I did to him.
MAKOTO:
Kyoko—
I didn’t question for a second that you knew what you were doing. Not for a second.
KYOKO:
What?
MAKOTO:
Trust is… weird, for me. It’s hard. I’m missing the part of you that’s supposed to tell you to be cautious, to second-guess, to doubt people that you love, it— I don’t have those reservations. So I have to force myself to be careful.
But I’m not careful with you. I know you. If you say we’re walking into hell, or— or you’re building Hell around us, I’m picking up a brick. No questions asked.
KYOKO:
Makoto, that’s not—
MAKOTO:
The world is better because you’re in it. I know that.
So if that means things like this have to happen… we’ll just have to figure our way out the other side.
And we will figure this out. I know we can.
KYOKO:
I’ve been trying. I’ve been trying so hard.
MAKOTO:
I know.
Whatever you need from me, okay? I want to fix this, too.
I think I kind of owe it to the world, since— y’know. I’m the only person who’s actually kind of okay.
KYOKO:
I know I owe it to the world.
MAKOTO:
Then we can do it. You and I—and Byakuya, and Celeste, too—there’s nothing we can’t do.
KYOKO:
…Yeah.
Thank you, Makoto.
MAKOTO:
Any time.
And— we’ll figure out Byakuya. We will.
KYOKO:
I don’t know.
He’s not much of a pragmatist, either.
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS OFF]
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS ON]
[CLINKING OF FORKS AGAINST PLATES]
CELESTE:
I am somewhat surprised. I’d have thought Mr. Togami would have insisted we eat at the dinner table.
MAKOTO:
Dinner table’s kind of hard to find, actually. It’s usually not worth it.
BYAKUYA:
[DISTANT—HE APPEARS TO HAVE RETREATED BACK INTO HIMSELF SOME]
We weren’t allowed to be late to dinner. I think it was some kind of test, or— maybe a joke.
MAKOTO:
We just eat in here, instead. I’ve always preferred eating in bed anyway.
KYOKO:
Because you’re disgusting.
MAKOTO:
Oh, god, I’m outnumbered. Byakuya thinks it’s gross, too.
CELESTE:
It is gross.
MAKOTO:
Celeste, you’re on the bed.
CELESTE:
I’m not about to sit on the floor. I’m not an animal.
[MAKOTO LAUGHS]
MAKOTO:
Y’know. Of all the people from high school, you were actually pretty low on my list of the ones I thought I’d see again.
CELESTE:
Really?
MAKOTO:
Well, when I thought you and Kyoko were gonna be together forever, I figured— but then you two separated, and it kind of felt like there wasn’t a ton pulling us together. I knew Kyoko and I were gonna be friends for the rest of our lives, and I— hoped Byakuya and I would stay close, too—
KYOKO:
I’m sure.
MAKOTO:
But… I don’t know. Did you think you’d ever see me again?
CELESTE:
I only recently remembered you existed, Naegi.
MAKOTO:
Oh. Right. Of course.
CELESTE:
But— back in high school, no. I can’t say that I did, apart from the period where I… ‘thought Kyoko and I would be together forever’, as you put it. I thought as long as Kyoko was in my life, I’d be stuck with you, but not a moment longer.
MAKOTO:
[GOOD-NATURED]
Gee, thanks.
CELESTE:
I never disliked you. On the contrary, I found you sort of curious.
MAKOTO:
Oh, the whole luck thing?
CELESTE:
I still want to play a game with you, one day.
MAKOTO:
Do you still do that? Play games?
CELESTE:
…Never too late to pick it up again.
MAKOTO:
I’ve been kind of curious, actually. What happened to you after high school? How did you get involved with the Kamukura Institute?
CELESTE:
Sort of fell into it by accident, honestly. Part of it really was just my aesthetic—I thought I’d suit a research institute for the strange and arcane pretty well.
And, also, I hoped to find answers about myself. I didn’t, of course—I now know that the Institute is very choosy about who it provides answers to—but it was a private wish, that I might open up a file one day and see something recognizable.
KYOKO:
I remember you telling me that.
CELESTE:
It is— strange. Kyoko, you and Naegi came upon your horrors at Hope’s Peak, it— bred them in you, but Togami and I are two of the unlucky few for whom the horror started long before the school. It feels somewhat… unfair. The opportunity to explain away so much of what happened to us, and I can’t do it because I didn’t even know I could be scouted for Hope’s Peak when I was losing my mind.
KYOKO:
I hadn’t thought about that.
BYAKUYA:
Of course you didn’t.
KYOKO:
I only meant that it’s been awful for me, thinking about how many of us were exposed to so much just because we were— lucky. Good enough to get into the best school in the world, and look where it landed us. I’d almost rather have come by it honestly some other way.
MAKOTO:
I wonder if Hope’s Peak did have anything to do with your change, Celeste. I mean— you mentioned the Scout, right? Maybe he was influencing you, instead of just looking.
KYOKO:
They wouldn’t do that. Hajime was the first time they decided to manufacture talent, rather than study it.
CELESTE:
My talent wasn’t manufactured. I was always this good, they didn’t— bake it into me like some sort of machine.
MAKOTO:
Once an Ultimate, always an Ultimate. I wasn’t trying to insult you.
CELESTE:
I know, dear. I apologize.
I just wish I knew why I was so easy to lead along, that’s all.
KYOKO:
We all were.
BYAKUYA:
Birth determines life. Maybe it was your family.
CELESTE:
Do not project onto me.
BYAKUYA:
You were all-too-happy to do the same to me when—
KYOKO:
That’s enough.
BYAKUYA:
Why is she still here?
MAKOTO:
Because she’s a guest, and my best friend, and your best friend, let’s not forget.
BYAKUYA:
You’re my best friend.
MAKOTO:
Then act like it.
[BEAT. TENSE]
BYAKUYA:
I am acting like it.
This is acting like it.
MAKOTO:
Byakuya, please. You promised.
BYAKUYA:
I’m not about to sit by and twiddle my thumbs while the person who destroyed the world sits there and eats in my room off of my plates.
Makoto, I know you think you’re doing the right thing. But you aren’t— seeing clearly.
KYOKO:
He’s free to make his own decisions about who he spends his time with.
BYAKUYA:
Not in my house.
KYOKO:
I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you— this is so unfair.
BYAKUYA:
What’s unfair?
KYOKO:
…Never mind. Makoto’s right, we should eat.
BYAKUYA:
No, I’m not hungry. What’s unfair?
KYOKO:
I just don’t see why you feel the need to get in my face when we both know you’d have done exactly the same thing in my shoes.
BYAKUYA:
That’s different.
KYOKO:
Why?
BYAKUYA:
Because—
It just is.
CELESTE:
I believe I can answer this one. He shouted it at me enough times on the walk back.
Naegi is perfect, and therefore worth the world. I am not Naegi, and, therefore, it was a waste. Do I have that right?
BYAKUYA:
You said it, not me.
KYOKO:
Excuse me?
BYAKUYA:
You disagree?
KYOKO:
I didn’t do this on a whim.
BYAKUYA:
Didn’t you?
Because it looks to me like you ran off and tore the world to pieces over a crush from high school. One you didn’t even remember, for the record.
KYOKO:
That’s not why.
BYAKUYA:
It’s not? You two didn’t reconnect over this?
I don’t know why you’re pretending to be noble. At the end of the day, this was just… a flirtation.
KYOKO:
A flirtation.
BYAKUYA:
Explain it another way.
KYOKO:
Do you think I’m happy about this?
BYAKUYA:
Y’know something, Kyoko, I do.
MAKOTO:
Byakuya—
BYAKUYA:
I’ve known you for a long time. You’re not half as altruistic as you are curious, and you love to see a plan resolved. If I’d remembered you from high school when we learned about Kamukura’s plan, I wouldn’t have doubted for a second that you’d pull that kill switch the moment it became advantageous. And if I’m to believe that this wasn’t about a crush, then I’ll have to move on to my second guess: that you were just curious about what would happen.
[BEAT]
KYOKO:
Are you seriously going to let him talk to me that way?
BYAKUYA:
It’s because he knows I’m right.
MAKOTO:
Don’t do that. I didn’t say that.
I’m just— surprised to see you this animated, that’s all.
BYAKUYA:
Well, it isn’t as though I’ve had to shout at you.
MAKOTO:
No, I’m serious. When was the last time you talked this much?
[BEAT]
KYOKO:
Oh, joy. I’m good for him.
BYAKUYA:
Watch it.
MAKOTO:
I mean— maybe.
KYOKO:
And that’s worth it, to you? To let him talk to me like that?
MAKOTO:
Of course it’s not, but it’s just—
BYAKUYA:
Just that he’s found a new priority. And it isn’t you.
Not a huge surprise—I never ended the world.
KYOKO:
[HER ANGER TURNS TO MEANNESS]
No. Thinking about it a little more, I don’t honestly think you could have.
BYAKUYA:
I—
KYOKO:
Does it scare you, Byakuya? To think that my love was enough to end the world, but yours isn’t even enough to save you?
BYAKUYA:
If that’s what you want to call love, then—
KYOKO:
Or does it scare you to think that you can’t love him enough to come back to yourself, but hating me does you just fine?
BYAKUYA:
Kyoko—!
KYOKO:
Byakuya Togami. Failed heir to the Togami line, failed TV show host, failed assistant to the Archivist of the Kamukura Institute— might as well add failed lover to the list.
BYAKUYA:
Do you know where you are—
KYOKO:
If your father still holds any power over who sits safely in his room, Byakuya, I think you’d better look away from me and to the boy you brought over.
[BEAT]
[ABRUPTLY, BYAKUYA STANDS AND MAKES FOR THE DOOR. NO ONE HAS TIME TO REACT BEFORE HE’S GONE, SLAMMING IT BEHIND HIM AND LEAVING THE ROOM—DELAYED—TO EXPLODE INTO MOVEMENT]
MAKOTO:
Byakuya!
KYOKO:
Shit.
MAKOTO:
Kyoko, what the hell?
KYOKO:
I didn’t—
MAKOTO:
No, it’s—
I have to go after him, it’s not safe. You two stay here and—
KYOKO:
No. It should be me, I… need to apologize. That was out of line.
MAKOTO:
You think you’ll be helpful right now?
KYOKO:
You said yourself that I— ground him, or whatever!
MAKOTO:
Apparently not enough!
CELESTE:
What if I went?
[BEAT]
MAKOTO:
Um— that’s nice of you, Celeste, but we’ve got it. We’re his friends.
CELESTE:
Yes, and you’re doing such a lovely job of managing him. Why, he’s only disappeared twice today!
MAKOTO:
Excuse me?
CELESTE:
I think I can help him.
Or— something. I think I need to speak with him, preferably without yelling.
MAKOTO:
No way. I have to go, I know the hallways, I—
CELESTE:
I can navigate them. I’m accustomed to mazes.
And— he’s accustomed to fog.
I think we will make a fine team.
MAKOTO:
…Kyoko?
KYOKO:
I trust her.
[TO CELESTE—A LITTLE MORE FIRMLY]
I trust you.
MAKOTO:
Okay.
Just go fast. It gets worse the longer you let it ride.
CELESTE:
Understood.
See you both soon.
KYOKO:
Be careful.
You’ve got my jacket.
CELESTE:
…I do.
[THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN, AND THEN SHUT BEHIND CELESTE]
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS OFF]
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS ON]
[CELESTE’S FOOTSTEPS CLICK DOWN THE HALLS OF THE TOGAMI MANSION. EVENTUALLY, SHE STOPS—THE SOUND OF BYAKUYA’S BREATHING BECOMES AUDIBLE]
CELESTE:
There you are.
BYAKUYA:
[FADED—ALMOST DRUNK. THE HOUSE HAS ITS CLAWS IN HIM AGAIN]
Don’t want to speak to you.
CELESTE:
Pull yourself together. If you can be present enough to scream at Kyoko, you can be present enough to speak to me.
BYAKUYA:
Always present enough to scream at Kyoko, I’m— excellent at screaming at Kyoko.
CELESTE:
So I heard. I don’t take kindly to people treating her like that.
BYAKUYA:
What’re you gonna do about it? Throw poker chips at me?
CELESTE:
I’ve killed people. Several. Most, for not much more than being unkind to her.
[BEAT. BYAKUYA LOSES FOCUS, LISTENING TO THE SOUNDS OF THE HOUSE]
Stay with me.
BYAKUYA:
Do you honestly think she did the right thing?
[BEAT]
CELESTE:
This is ridiculous. We have to go back, you need— Makoto.
BYAKUYA:
Why isn’t he here?
CELESTE:
I worried that he might coddle you.
BYAKUYA:
He doesn’t coddle me.
CELESTE:
No, never.
BYAKUYA:
Where is he?
CELESTE:
He’s in the room. With Kyoko.
BYAKUYA:
Not safe. He shouldn’t—
CELESTE:
He’s fine. He’s safe. I’m more worried about you.
[BEAT. HE’S LISTENING AGAIN]
Byakuya.
BYAKUYA:
What about Kyoko, then? I’m sure she was— itching to shout at me some more.
CELESTE:
That didn’t seem to do you much good, either.
BYAKUYA:
That’s not what I’m asking.
What are you doing here, Celeste?
CELESTE:
Well. I don’t plan on shouting. But someone needs to tell you that you’re being ridiculous.
BYAKUYA:
You’ve done that.
Now leave me alone.
CELESTE:
No.
[SHE SITS BESIDE HIM. HE SIGHS, BUT DOESN’T MOVE]
Do you remember when Owada brought his— small, ugly, yappy dog to school?
[BEAT. BYAKUYA DOESN’T ACKNOWLEDGE HER]
I remember. It was a horrible day, everyone— crowding it and frightening the stupid little thing within an inch of its life. But I remember… Owada saying some nonsense thing about how talking was the only thing that ever helped it, when things like— storms or new people or vacuums or whatever else stupid little dogs get scared of made it panic like that. And he just sat with the thing and talked at it about nonsense until it… stopped shaking, and its tail started wagging, and—
BYAKUYA:
‘M not a dog.
CELESTE:
Good, because I’m a cat person and I only say very important things. But—
Just listen to me. And we’ll get through this.
[BEAT. SHE TAKES IT AS ENCOURAGEMENT]
It’s silly. Sometimes I get annoyed with the way Kyoko seems to sink into whatever statement she’s reading or hearing or pulling from someone, like— all she can do is see herself in other people. I thought it was kind of self-absorbed. Everyone has their own struggle, right? Everyone is, deep down, alone in the things that hurt them.
But I feel as though I can’t go a day in this new world without finding someone who needs to hear all the same things that I keep trying to tell myself.
BYAKUYA:
I hope you aren’t counting me among those.
CELESTE:
I know I feel lonelier the more important Kyoko gets. She becomes more and more convinced that only she can save the world, and… there I am, following along.
BYAKUYA:
[MUMBLING]
I’m at least as important as Makoto. He’s a nobody.
[CELESTE LAUGHS]
CELESTE:
The universe disagrees. He is the only person actually free of all this, maybe even more than Fuyuhiko and Peko. He might be the only person who, if he really wanted, could pack up, move into a nice house, and live an ordinary life.
Instead, he babysits you. That doesn’t feel lonely?
BYAKUYA:
Everything feels lonely. Look where we are.
CELESTE:
Why did you come here? It seems ill-advised.
BYAKUYA:
Thought it’d help.
CELESTE:
It didn’t.
BYAKUYA:
Yes, I can see that. Are you going to sit there saying meaningless things all day, or will you please leave me alone?
CELESTE:
What is it like? Being loved by him?
[BEAT]
BYAKUYA:
Nice.
CELESTE:
How poetic.
BYAKUYA:
Very nice.
He’s so— damnably nice. I don’t know what to do with it half the time, but he refuses to mind. It’s frustrating.
CELESTE:
I know what you mean.
BYAKUYA:
Kyoko is not nice.
CELESTE:
No, but she does keep coming back. Even after I’m stupid. Even after I make— mistakes.
BYAKUYA:
Even if the consequences of trying for you aren’t worth it?
CELESTE:
I’m trying to help you.
BYAKUYA:
[WITH DIFFICULTY—HE PULLS HIMSELF TOGETHER FOR IT]
You want to help me?
Fine.
Make me understand. Why would she do something like that— to us, to him— all for your sake?
Why would she betray all of us, just because she thought it might win her the prize of you?
CELESTE:
That isn’t a fair question to ask me.
BYAKUYA:
I’m sure it’s a question she’s considering. And I’m sure it’s a question she’s been asked before.
CELESTE:
No, she—
She would have told me that.
BYAKUYA:
I just want your answer.
[RELUCTANTLY]
…Please.
[BEAT]
CELESTE:
I guess I don’t know.
I guess I’ve spent this entire apocalypse trying to figure it out, and I still don’t know.
BYAKUYA:
Then we’re in agreement.
[CELESTE HAS NO ANSWER. THEY SIT IN SILENCE FOR A FEW MOMENTS]
For the record, I think it’s because she’s selfish.
CELESTE:
Only sometimes.
BYAKUYA:
All the time.
She doesn’t do good things because she’s a selfless person. She does good things because they make her feel good.
CELESTE:
That’s why everyone does good things.
BYAKUYA:
Not Makoto.
Makoto does good things because it’s baked into him. It’s why he isn’t angry with Kyoko, even though she’s the worst thing to ever happen to him and threw him into this without a second’s consideration.
CELESTE:
You really love him, don’t you?
BYAKUYA:
That’s the general idea of a relationship.
CELESTE:
You think too much of him.
BYAKUYA:
Everyone thinks too little of him. I have to catch up somehow.
CELESTE:
Kyoko doesn’t. She’s been desperate to get back to him, all this time. She’s known that she needs him.
BYAKUYA:
She doesn’t get him.
She doesn’t deserve him, after everything she’s done.
CELESTE:
That isn’t up to you.
BYAKUYA:
It is. It’s my house and my boyfriend and I say it is up to me.
[HALF-BEAT]
CELESTE:
You’re afraid that he’s going to leave with us.
BYAKUYA:
He’s too good a person. If she asks… I don’t know.
CELESTE:
And you? Do you really hate her that much?
[BEAT]
Byaku—
BYAKUYA:
I don’t think I can.
I keep thinking—
I worked so hard to escape this house. I didn’t even really know that’s what I was doing, I didn’t— but I won. It’s the only thing I’ve ever actually won, the only thing that mattered. I escaped this house. I freed myself of the Togami family.
But the moment things got bad, really bad, I couldn’t—
The only thing I wanted—
[HE GIVES UP]
And now I’m here. And I don’t think I can leave.
CELESTE:
What happens when you try?
BYAKUYA:
The fog gets thicker. The cold gets colder. I hear— voices, my— siblings, my father, people I know are— but I still hear them, and it gets so loud, and none of them can hear me calling back to them but I know they’re there and then Makoto’s gone and I’m—
Back somewhere in the halls, searching for someone whose face I can’t conjure up.
What kind of person can’t remember his dead sister’s face?
CELESTE:
Can you always hear them?
BYAKUYA:
They’re always whispering. Deep in the house, somewhere I’ve never reached. Directional, but— far. Too far.
CELESTE:
Kyoko could see. If there is anything there, she’d know.
BYAKUYA:
I don’t want her to touch them. I don’t want her to look at them. I—
I know they’re dead. I killed them.
CELESTE:
I remember.
BYAKUYA:
This is stupid. You aren’t helping, I feel worse. Get Makoto.
CELESTE:
He’s waiting back in the room. If you want to see him so badly, come with me and we’ll find him together.
BYAKUYA:
No.
CELESTE:
Why not?
BYAKUYA:
I’m not ready to leave yet.
CELESTE:
What are you waiting for?
BYAKUYA:
My legs to work. My— heart to stop lurching. Something. Something to tell me I’m ready.
CELESTE:
It won’t come.
BYAKUYA:
I just have to wait.
CELESTE:
It won’t—
BYAKUYA:
And what the hell do you know? Hm? I’ve done this— so many times, I’ve come out here and I’ve listened and I’ve waited and it— it gets closer every time, I know I’m almost there, I know I can—
CELESTE:
Can what?
What do you think you’ll achieve out here, Byakuya?
BYAKUYA:
I can prove it to them. I can make sure they know— that everyone knows.
CELESTE:
You think you can save them?
BYAKUYA:
They’re dead. There is no saving them.
CELESTE:
So what, then?
BYAKUYA:
So it has to be worth it. It has to have been—
I have to have been worth it.
CELESTE:
You are not a testament to the value of your family’s deaths, Togami. That’s absurd.
BYAKUYA:
That’s what we all are.
I am nothing if my family did not die. Every part of me is an argument for why it was right for them to.
If my life isn’t worth it, then they died for nothing.
[CELESTE ABSORBS THIS. IT RINGS A LITTLE TOO FAMILIAR]
Just a little longer. And they’ll see.
CELESTE:
And what about what we see? Right now, I’m certain all that Makoto sees is you burning yourself up over a million things that aren’t him.
BYAKUYA:
Makoto should mind his own business.
CELESTE:
But he never will, and you know that.
BYAKUYA:
He thinks I’m weak.
CELESTE:
You are weak.
So am I.
BYAKUYA:
So’s Kyoko.
CELESTE:
Obviously.
BYAKUYA:
Makoto isn’t, though.
He deserves—
CELESTE:
He deserves you to be there with him. Anything else is just a poor attempt to save face.
BYAKUYA:
You are— horrible at this.
CELESTE:
I’m not trying to comfort you. I told you Makoto was coddling you, this is what I meant—you have no idea how to respond when someone tells you what they actually think.
You want to prove something? Get up and do it.
BYAKUYA:
I am.
CELESTE:
And stop taking it out on Kyoko when she at least is attempting to fix this. What are you doing, Byakuya? What are you honestly doing?
BYAKUYA:
I’m waiting.
CELESTE:
Nothing will ever prove to you that your family died for a good reason, because they didn’t. If I’m not worth Kyoko saving, you aren’t worth them dying.
But we have people, now, who can’t know that.
BYAKUYA:
What—?
CELESTE:
Kyoko can’t know that she made a mistake, or she’ll lose herself to it.
And Makoto can’t know that you aren’t worth everything that happened to you, or he’ll stop being so nice.
We’re liars, Byakuya. We are the both of us liars.
It’s why I know you’re going to come back with me: because the alternative is Makoto seeing what you really are, and you can’t afford that any more than I can.
[BEAT. LONG]
[SLOWLY, BYAKUYA STANDS UP]
BYAKUYA:
You’ll have to guide me.
CELESTE:
I can do that. Give me your hand.
BYAKUYA:
[STARTING TO WALK]
No chance. Come along.
[CELESTE STUMBLES TO CATCH UP WITH HIM]
CELESTE:
You’re being stupid. We’re going to get lost.
BYAKUYA:
I lived in this house all my life. I think I can avoid getting lost.
CELESTE:
Oh, good.
Left.
BYAKUYA:
It’s right.
CELESTE:
No, I turned down this hallway on the way here.
BYAKUYA:
I’m telling you, it’s right.
CELESTE:
Byakuya, I need you to trust me.
BYAKUYA:
Stop talking to me like that. I’m not unstable.
CELESTE:
We’re going left.
BYAKUYA:
Are you sure?
[HALF-BEAT]
CELESTE:
Yes.
BYAKUYA:
Liar.
CELESTE:
It’s been a while. I—
You talking is confusing me.
BYAKUYA:
Makoto would know.
He’s never lonely, he—
He’d know.
CELESTE:
Makoto isn’t here. It’s just us.
BYAKUYA:
…Makoto isn’t here.
CELESTE:
That’s what I said, yes.
BYAKUYA:
He’s not—
Where is he?
CELESTE:
In the master bedroom.
BYAKUYA:
He shouldn’t be there.
CELESTE:
Where should he be?
BYAKUYA:
He shouldn’t be there, he’ll— he’ll kill him if he finds him there, he—
CELESTE:
Byakuya?
BYAKUYA:
Nowhere. He should be nowhere, not in this house, not where—
[BEAT]
CELESTE:
…Byakuya?
Are you—
BYAKUYA:
Celeste?
CELESTE:
I’m here. Can you—
[THE AIR TURNS ICY. FOG ROLLS IN]
Byakuya?
Where did you go?
[BEAT. CELESTE STARTS WALKING]
Byakuya?
Shit. Not again.
Kyoko?
It was— it was left, and then… left again, and straight, and then…
No, it—
No—
[HER VOICE GROWS FAINTER]
It was… back, I have to go back, I have to—
It was this way.
I’m sure it was—
[HER FOOTSTEPS GET MORE AND MORE HURRIED, MORE AND MORE PANICKED EVEN AS HER BREATHING SLOWS AND HER VOICE FADES OUT]
[SHE RUNS, DOWN ONE HALLWAY AND THEN ANOTHER, DOUBLING BACK ON HERSELF AS OFTEN AS SHE COMMITS TO A TURN. SLOWLY, LIKE HE’S UNDERWATER, ANOTHER VOICE FADES IN]
MAKOTO:
…leste?
Celes… that you?
[ABRUPTLY, SOUND RETURNS TO NORMAL AS CELESTE ENTERS MAKOTO’S ‘SPHERE’]
Celeste!
[CELESTE GASPS]
CELESTE:
Naegi!
MAKOTO:
Are you okay?
CELESTE:
I…
Yes. Fine.
Where’s Byakuya?
MAKOTO:
I was about to ask you the same thing. He’s not—
CELESTE:
No. He…
I think he might have gone deeper into the house.
What about Kyoko? Where is she?
MAKOTO:
Looking for you.
…And him.
CELESTE:
We need to find them.
MAKOTO:
Can we talk on the way?
I’ve been thinking, and there’s something I wanted to ask you.
CELESTE:
…Of course. Anything.
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS OFF]
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS ON]
[CRASH—A VASE HITS THE WALL]
KYOKO:
Byakuya, just listen to me.
BYAKUYA:
No— no.
KYOKO:
It doesn’t matter how you feel about me, we have to get back. Makoto’s looking for you, he’s—
BYAKUYA:
What? Worried?
No he isn’t. You’re just another liar, I am so— sick of liars.
You sacrificed him, you hurt him, you have no right—
KYOKO:
You’re angry. That’s good. Just— be angry with me, be present, stop—
BYAKUYA:
I can’t even see you.
KYOKO:
I’m—
Take my hand. Here.
[SHE GRASPS HIS HAND]
I’m right here.
[BEAT. THEN, BYAKUYA SHOVES HER AS HARD AS HE CAN, AND SHE GOES BACKWARDS ONTO THE FLOOR]
Hey!
BYAKUYA:
Get away from me. I don’t want you, I don’t— all of this is your fault.
KYOKO:
I didn’t make you come here, Byakuya. You could’ve gone looking for us, could’ve found somewhere else to stay. No one made you come here but you.
BYAKUYA:
Stop saying things like that.
Always my fault, always— you killed him, you killed them, you’re the reason, it’s you. Like I’m the monster of this house, and not— like I’m the reason we’re trapped here.
KYOKO:
And if it stops being true, I’ll stop saying it.
BYAKUYA:
I am not the reason, I am not.
I’m so sick of this place. I’m so sick of you. I just want—
KYOKO:
What? What do you want?
BYAKUYA:
I don’t know.
I’m so—
I can’t do anything, I just want to— do something, to feel different, to feel anything.
[BEAT]
KYOKO:
[SLOWLY]
Byakuya. I need you to give me my cane. It’s over to the left, I can’t reach it.
BYAKUYA:
Why?
KYOKO:
So I can stand, you idiot.
BYAKUYA:
I—
KYOKO:
Be mad at me in a second. Scream at me. But you knocked me over, and I need to stand up, so give me my cane.
BYAKUYA:
[SMALL]
I can’t see it.
KYOKO:
It’s right there.
BYAKUYA:
I can’t see anything.
I can’t see, Kyoko.
KYOKO:
Um… okay.
Can you hear directionally? Can you walk towards my voice?
BYAKUYA:
I’m not doing that.
KYOKO:
[QUICKLY]
That’s fine. But can you?
BYAKUYA:
Yes, I can hear. What’s your point?
KYOKO:
So if I said that my cane is about… five paces from the left of my voice, would that mean anything to you?
BYAKUYA:
…My left, or your left?
KYOKO:
Your left. My right.
Breathe.
[HE DOES, ALMOST IN SPITE OF HIMSELF]
Your left.
BYAKUYA:
My left.
[HE TAKES A FEW STEPS]
KYOKO:
Closer to my voice. Down, and left.
BYAKUYA:
Down, and—
[HIS FOOT KNOCKS AGAINST HER CANE]
Oh.
KYOKO:
Do you see it now?
BYAKUYA:
Yes. I—
Yes.
KYOKO:
Pick it up, and come back towards me. You don’t have to touch me, you don’t—
I just need to stand.
[SLOWLY, SILENTLY, BYAKUYA COMPLIES—HE PICKS UP THE CANE, AND BRINGS IT TO HER]
Good.
[WITH SOME DIFFICULTY, KYOKO STANDS]
Thank you.
BYAKUYA:
…
I’m scared.
KYOKO:
I know.
BYAKUYA:
I don’t—
Everything’s wrong.
I can’t think.
KYOKO:
I know.
…Do you want help?
[STATIC FIZZLES]
BYAKUYA:
I need something. I don’t want it from you.
KYOKO:
I’m all you’ve got.
BYAKUYA:
Then I’ll have to manage my expectations.
KYOKO:
…Your name is Byakuya Togami. You’re 28 years old. You work at the Kamukura Institute while on hiatus from your ghost-hunting show, although right now you’re doing neither job and you aren’t sure if they’ll be feasible ever again. You assume the Institute will collapse if the apocalypse ever ends, and you assume people will have had their fill of ghosts.
You’re wrong, by the way. People will never stop looking for things to scare them.
You like coffee more than food. You’re terrible at actually hydrating yourself. You’ve tried to branch out from finery because your budget demands it and you think it makes people like you better but you’ll never really get over the desire for luxury. You’ve worn the same type of glasses since you were small, and you hate being without them because… you get nervous when you can’t see everything around you.
You love Makoto more than you know how to say, because you’ve never been taught how to feel as much as you do for him. You worry that he’s bored of you stumbling your way into half-confessions over and over, but he’s not—he understands you better than you’ve ever known how to be understood, and it’s horrifying and exciting for you and you’re not sure how to want that, either. You—
[HER BREATH CATCHES]
You wish, more than anything, that you could go back to the three of us on Makoto’s couch. That the only time you really felt like you weren’t alone was when all of us were together. And you don’t know why…
You don’t know why I’d ever give that up. For anything. For anyone.
BYAKUYA:
You didn’t need to look that far.
KYOKO:
I’m sorry. I didn’t know.
BYAKUYA:
It’s none of your business.
KYOKO:
It’s forgotten.
BYAKUYA:
Sure.
…Kyoko, you know what you have to do, don’t you?
KYOKO:
I have to fix it.
BYAKUYA:
You have to.
For him.
You have to build a better world for Makoto to live in.
KYOKO:
I know that.
BYAKUYA:
He’s going to try to protect you. To keep you safe, to— save you before you save everyone.
You can’t let him.
KYOKO:
I won’t.
BYAKUYA:
Promise me.
KYOKO:
I promise.
I’ll save the world, and Makoto won’t be involved.
BYAKUYA:
…Good.
KYOKO:
How do you feel?
BYAKUYA:
I—
[FOOTSTEPS RUSH UP]
MAKOTO:
Byakuya!
CELESTE:
Oh, thank god. You haven’t killed each other.
[FABRIC RUSTLES AS MAKOTO THROWS HIS ARMS AROUND BYAKUYA]
MAKOTO:
Are you okay?
BYAKUYA:
I think—
I’m good enough.
KYOKO:
Are you okay?
CELESTE:
Peachy. We had a very productive conversation.
BYAKUYA:
We can’t stay here.
MAKOTO:
I know. We need to get back to the bedroom and—
BYAKUYA:
No.
[PULLING HIMSELF TOGETHER—A LITTLE BIT OF THE OLD BUSINESSMAN IN HIM]
Kyoko has, for all her faults, afforded me the first moment of true lucidity I’ve had in quite a while, and it’s made me realize that staying here even in the short-term is unsustainable.
We have to get out.
MAKOTO:
…Are you sure you can do that?
BYAKUYA:
I’m a Togami. I can do anything.
CELESTE:
Didn’t you have stuff in—
BYAKUYA:
No time.
Makoto, Kyoko, lead us to the exit.
KYOKO:
…And then what?
BYAKUYA:
And then someone has to keep an eye on the two of you.
However much longer this journey lasts, we’ll all make it. The four of us.
KYOKO:
…Thank you.
BYAKUYA:
Please. It isn’t for your benefit. I just know you’ll find some way to mess it up without us.
[BEAT]
Are we all ready?
MAKOTO:
Um— sure!
CELESTE:
I’ve wanted out of this place from the moment I walked in.
KYOKO:
Are you sure you’re ready?
BYAKUYA:
Stop asking questions.
[DEEP BREATH]
Let’s get out of here.
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS OFF]