"Hey kid! Wake up!" The guard gently slapped Rantaro's cheek. Rantaro squinted his already closed eyes. "Ugh.. what-" He remembered what had happened and shot up. "Where's Y/N?!" The guard's eyes widened and he pulled out a walky-talky. "North and South exits, check the parameter for Y/N." Rantaro held the bruise on his head. "Hey kid, you alright?" Rantaro nodded. The guard ran inside the mansion to alert the maids and your father.

Rantaro pulled out his phone and made a group chat with everyone from school.

Rantaro to group:

GUYS! There's something wrong

Kirumi to group:

What's the matter?

Rantaro to group:

Y/N's missing

Kaede to group:

WHAT?!

Gonta to group:

Oh no

Korekiyo to group:

Have you reported it to the police yet?

Rantaro to group:

Not yet. The guards are checking it out first

Himiko to group:

Guards?

Ryoma to group:

They're the child of the richest person in the city, remember?

Himiko to group:

Oh yeah

Kaito to group:

Wouldn't reporting it 2 the police be the first thing u do?

Rantaro to group:

No, if it was reported to the police, it would go out to the public

Maki to group:

That makes sense

Miu to group:

Do they have a private investigator or smth?

Rantaro to group:

I wouldn't know. They never needed one.

Shuichi to group:

Kokichi, you've been awfully quiet. Weren't you the first to become friends with them

Angie to group:

Tbh, he might just be shocked

Kokichi to group:

Yeah, ur right. I'll be fine

Tenko to group:

Be sure to update us, ok??

Rantaro to group:

Yeah, I will

Everyone is offline

Rantaro put away his phone and got out of the hedges. The guard came back, a worried look on his face. "They aren't in the mansion." Rantaro's shoulders dropped. "Say kid, what about you head inside and we'll get that wound of yours checked." Rantaro nodded and the guard guided him inside your mansion, where the maids helped him.

Meanwhile, you were just coming to your senses, only to be met by darkness. You tried to get up, but your hands wouldn't move. In attempts to cry for help, you realized you also couldn't speak. You took a deep breath and tried to elaborate your situation.

Suddenly, something, which you assumed was a blindfold, was pulled of your face. You were met by two faces: one was a man with a face with way too many corners for your liking, and the other looked like he was way younger than the other. You tried to struggle against the ropes binding you to the chair you were seated in.

"No use, tiny thing." The older man said. He got close to your face, and used the smoke from his cigarette to blow in your face. You cringed and squinted your eyes. "Dad, that was unnecessary." The other slightly scolded. You looked at them back and forth. The younger one is the son and the older is the father.

"Shut up, you're revealing more about yourself!" The man scolded, slapping the son in the back of the head. Ah, so it's a secret organization. You allowed your eyes to wander and saw that there was heavy duty equipment, too professional to be some amateurs. Both the boy and the man had a suit on rather than a black hoodie and pants.

"Mmmph." They both looked at you, who looked way calmer than what they expected. The son looked at the father, and he nodded. The son slowly reached for the gag shoved in your mouth and let it hang around you neck. "Thank you." You bit your lip as both of them stared at your tied up figure. "W-what do you want?"

You then remembered. "This.. this is because of my dad, isn't it?" The son looked at the floor, guiltily, which made you tilt your head. You assumed this organization was more of a family owned kind of thing, and everyone was an heir to something. "This.. this is ransom. You just want the money, don't you?"

From the equipment around the room, you assumed that this organization is or was funded by someone. "Smart student we've got here!" The man applauded, holding his cigarette between his fingers. "But, knowing that doesn't help your situation here." He reached out and put the gag back in your mouth. "But from the way you've been looking around the room, I can tell it's not safe to keep you here. Number 18, bring 'em to the mansion." A cloth was placed over your nose and you were almost immediately knocked out.

The next day was a weekend, and Rantaro had arranged for everyone to meet him at the park near the school. Although Ryoma, Angie, Korekiyo, and K1-B0 couldn't make it, they made do with what they had. "What are we going to do?" Miu asked, in a panic. Kaede scoffed. "To be honest, I'm surprised they went missing in the first place. They live in a freaking mansion."

Kaito looked at the sun. "They told me an interesting fact one time." Everyone turned to him. "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so north is there and south is there." Rantaro looked at the ways Kaito was pointing. "Wait.. there are two entrances to their house, one north and one south."

Shuichi pulled down his hat. "Maybe that could be a clue?" Kirumi thought for a moment. "Well, you always enter from the north entrance, correct?" Rantaro nodded. "The south entrance is more of an exit, to be honest. It leads to a forest." Shuichi put a finger on his chin. "And who woke you up?"

"One of the guards. I believe it was the one that always greets Y/N and I when we get to their house." Rantaro recalled. Shuichi rested his head on his hand. "Is there a guard at all entrances at all times?" Rantaro shrugged. "If they aren't, then the only way the people who took Y/N could've gone is the south entrance, seeing as the one who woke you up was at the north. I assume the guards aren't necessarily there for protection, but rather to make sure Y/N gets home."

They continued meeting up, slowly adding to the information they had. Korekiyo even brought a map at one point to see what houses were which way. Shuichi constantly added new clues from information he obtained from Rantaro. One day...

Kokichi tilted his head. "It seems like you know a lot about this..." Shuichi nodded, slightly embarrassed. "Y-yeah.." There was a vibration from Kokichi's phone. "O-oh, guys, I've gotta go." Himiko looked at him. "Why?" Kokichi reached into his bag and found a checkered scarf. "Family matters."

.

.

.

"Hiya boss!" One of the members greeted once Kokichi arrived in the abandoned building. Everyone looked up and smiled. "Hey boss! Ready?" Kokichi tied his scarf around his neck and smirked. "Always." With their clown masks on, they all hopped into a car, driven by one of the members.

"What's the address?" The driver asked. Kokichi pulled out a piece of paper. "22 Dangan Lane." The driver stepped on the pedal and the car zoomed down the street, improvised maneuvers used to swerve around passing cars. "Boss, it's the fuzz!" One of the members yelled.

"Number 3, you know what to do." One of the members in the back seat nodded and turned around. The reached into a bag and pulled out a smoke bomb, which they threw at the following police cars. "Dammit, D, I, C, E!" One of the officers yelled. All the members looked at each other and yelled. "It's pronounced DICE!"

They turned a hard right into a narrows street and the car stopped. "Alright, everyone out!" Kokichi ordered. Everyone hopped out of the car and stared upon the mansion before them. "This'll be fun!" One of the members said. Kokichi nodded slowly, his eyes darting around the place.

"Number 6, 2, and 5, come with me. The rest of you can set up the prank once I tell you where the 'prankee' is."

Number 6 threw up a grappling hook to the roof and everyone climbed up... rather strangely, but they climbed up. "Boss, look!" Number 2 was climbing the rope with their feet and the top and hands on the bottom. "Wow! I wanna try!" Kokichi attempted in doing so, although he almost fell.

While they were on the roof, Kokichi pulled out his phone. "Oh, Shuichi's messaged me."

Kokichi

Hi

Thank god u answered.

What's wrong??

Y/N's texting Rantaro

WHAT?!

Well, not Y/N actually

How do u know?

They were using acronyms and Rantaro said they don't do that

Also they said they were fine and are just visiting a friend

Yeah.. that seems suspicious

Sorry for bothering u while ur busy, just thought u should know

Alright. Bye

Bye

Kokichi turned off his phone and sat on the roof of the mansion. "Boss, have you been eating well?" Number 2 asked. Kokichi nodded. "How could you tell?" Number 2 reached out their hand and poked at Kokichi stomach. "You're kinda squishy." They pointed out with a grin. Kokichi put his hand on his stomach and remembered when you first started paying for his food.

"Boss, do you hear that?" Number 5 asked. Kokichi looked up as the other members with him stayed quiet. "I think it's.. crying?" Kokichi's eyes widened when he finally heard the muffled whimpers. So I was right!!

He pulled out a walky-talky. "Guys, we'll need to postpone this prank for a second."

Number 5 motioned for Kokichi to come to the roof's window. "W-what the..." When he looked through the window, he saw a person, about the same age as him, tied up and gagged, on the floor in front of a man. "Alright, we're doing a different kind of prank today."

He pulled out his walky-talky and told the other members. "Take out the guards, and scan the parameter. We have quite the predicament on our hands." He heard a "copy" from each member and shut off his walky-talky. "Number 2, Number 5, come with me. Number 6, stay on lookout." He jumped down from the roof, Number 2 and Number 5 following. "Alright, there was a window in that bedroom. Find it." The other two members nodded and ran around the mansion.

He pulled out his phone and texted the group chat.

Kokichi to group:

GUYS

Himiko to group:

What's wrong Kokichi?

Kokichi to group:

I found Y/N

Rantaro to group:

WHAT? HOW?

Kokichi to group:

Don't question it too much, just call the police, or their father, anyone

Shuichi to group:

Where to?

Kokichi to group:

22 Dangan Lane, and make it quick!

Rantaro to group:

Alright, I've already contacted their dad

Kokichi to group:

I'll stay with them, but tell him to hurry!

Kokichi shut off his phone and heard a door creak open. He hid in the bushes and saw a boy, a little older than him, leave the mansion. Almost the moment he stepped out of the house, however, he got knocked out by a bucket. "Nearest thing we could find." The members told Kokichi when he came out of hiding.

He saw that the door was still open. "Alright, Number 2 and 5 are waiting for my signal. I'm heading in." Kokichi ran in and listened. He heard the cries from the second floor and bolted up the stairs. He pressed his ear up against the first door he saw and heard your muffled voice. He crouched down and used lock picks to pick the lock.

He slowly opened the door and saw you crying on the floor, and the man getting threateningly close to your face. "Hey!" The man turned around, only to be met by Kokichi's fist. You heard the thud and flinched, moving away on instinct.

"P-please stay still." You heard, but it was a new voice. Softer, calmer, it wasn't yelling slurs and swears at you.

You were still for a moment, and your blindfold was taken off. To your surprise, you were met by a clown face, causing you to move back.

"No, Y/N, it's me." Kokichi took off his mask to reveal his face, and your eyes lit up. Kokichi made a weird hand signal and the window opened. "Boss, who's that?" You tilted your head. Kokichi knelt down next to you and took the gag out of your mouth. "Kokichi!" He smiled and gave you a hug. "We were so worried about you."

You smiled and leaned your head on his shoulder. One of the members went behind you and untied your hands, while Kokichi untied your legs. "Alright, so the police aren't too fond of us, so we'll kind of have to go." One of the members said. You nodded and tried to stand up, only to fall right back on your butt.

"Are you okay?" Kokichi asked. You lifted your leggings to show bruises at your ankles and shins. "Agh... didn't notice those." You looked up. "It's fine, you can leave me here..." One of the members tilted their head. "Why do you sound hesitant?" You slowly brought your knees to your chest. "I... just don't really like the police."

Kokichi furrowed his eyebrows and remembered that Rantaro said that it will be all over the news. But from your facial expression, it seems like that wasn't the case. He heard the sirens of the police cars and you buried your face in your knees. "Just go before they catch you." You barely whispered.

One of the members knelt down next to you. "Boss-" "I know." Kokichi asked one of the members to carry you and they all ran moments before the police burst through the door. "Hey, look at this." One of the officers said. The leading officer crouched down on the floor, where it said in marker: "Just a little gift for ya! ❤ DICE"

"Holy moly, that was close." Kokichi looked at you, and you had a distraught look on your face. "Hey, what's wrong?" You were carefully put down on the ground. "It was the sirens, i-it's fine." You were taking deep breaths, and your hands were trembling. The other members looked at you in concern. "S-sorry for being a burden, you can just drop me off at my house."

"But the police cars are near the place where I parked." Number 3 reminded. You pressed your lips together. "I-it'll... it'll be f-fine." Number 2 put their hand on your shoulder. "You don't need to be scared to tell us when you're afraid, you know?" You smiled and nodded. "Let's just bandage up those ankles and we'll get going."

You arrived at your house, where you saw Rantaro through the window, pacing around the living room. "Ah, Rantaro's there." You said. Kokichi took off his outfit and put on his school uniform while you looked at your house. "How long has it been since you've been back at your house?" Kokichi asked. You shrugged. "Not sure..."

Kokichi opened the door of the car and let you ride on his back. "Bye guys!" The rest of DICE waved back and drove away. "How long have you known them?" You asked Kokichi. He smiled and whispered. "They're basically family."

He knocked on the door, and your personal maid opened it. "No, we are not- Y/N!" Rantaro's eyes lit up and he ran to the door. "Y/N! Kokichi!" The maid invited you both inside. "What on earth happened to you?" The maid asked. You were gently placed on the couch. "J-just some intruder on the property. Th-the police are taking care of it at the crime scene."

"Why didn't you stay at the crime scene?" Rantaro asked. He then realized and shook his head. "Never mind." Kokichi looked at you and him back and forth. "What are you talking about?" You looked at Kokichi and smiled. "I'll explain when everyone's with us."

The next day, you got plenty of "Welcome backs" from different students. "You're quite popular." Kaede pointed out. You shook your head. "It's just the drama that swirled around me the past month or so. And also maybe because I'm limping." Shuichi looked at your feet, which wouldn't allow you to walk in a straight line. "Are you alright?" You gave him a painful nod as you entered the cafeteria.

"Look, they're over there!" Shuichi said. All three of you walked over to the lunch table. "Hey Y/N! You doing alright?" Tenko asked you. You nodded and slowly sat down. "Thanks Shuichi." You said as Shuichi placed a tray of food in front of you.

"How did you find Y/N, anyways?" Angie asked Kokichi. He looked at you and you both made up a story.

"He was passing by."

"I saw them through the window."

"Perfect timing really."

"I knocked on the door."

"Someone opened it and he pushed through."

"Did that whole 'I'll call the police if you don't let them go.'"

"Ended up calling the police anyways."

"Yeah."

Kaito blinked. "You seemed to have the same thought process..." You and Kokichi looked at each other and blushed. "Y-yeah, I guess so." Kokichi leaned on the table. "You never said the thing about the sirens. U-Unless you don't wanna-" "No it's fine."

"You know how I told you about my mom... well I was there. I was actually at the abandoned building where I was stargazing with Kaito. I was inside when I heard heavy steps above my head. I tried going to the roof, but the door was locked. The next thing I heard were sirens.. and.." You shut your eyes. "Th-that's it."

Rantaro reached over and put his hand on yours. "They don't really like it when the word... is said." Everyone assumed he was talking about "Su!c!de" and decided to be cautious if it were ever to become a topic. You got up and walked out of the cafeteria. "I have a free period next."

You went outside and saw a cherry blossom tree.

~Flashback~

"Mama, look at the pink tree!" Y/N ran up to the tree and picked up one of the fallen petals. Y/N's mom walked up to the tree. "Would you like one in the garden?" Y/N nodded and looked at the small petal. "It's pretty, just like you!" Y/N's mom crouched down next to them and smiled. "Not as pretty/handsome as you!"

~End Flashback~

Your eyes filled with tears and you slowly walked towards the tree and sat down at the trunk. You held out your hand and caught a petal, bringing it close to you. "I-it's pretty.. just like you..." Bringing your knees to your chest, you let your tears fall and hit the ground.

"Y/N...?" Your eyes widened and looked up. Kokichi was standing there, the cherry blossom petals drifting down in front of him. "Are you alright?" He sat down next to you. You rested your chin on your knees. "Yeah... I'm supposed to be having gym right now, but the teachers said to go easy on the ankles." Kokichi tilted his head. "Stop trying to change the subject."

You sighed and straightened your legs, making you lean on the tree. "I heard Shuichi was helping with investigation?" Kokichi nodded. "He was considered a witness with Rantaro, although he only knew as much as Rantaro did." You nodded and looked at Kokichi. "So... DICE is your family?" He shook his head from side to side.

"I mean, I have a family, but they aren't the greatest." You poked his stomach. "I got that a long time ago." Kokichi made a breathy chuckle and leaned on the tree as well. "Are you alright?" You watched the cherry blossom petals fall from the tree, and the the back at Kokichi. "Yeah... now that you're here." You leaned on his shoulder.

A few minutes later, you got a text from Kaede from the group chat with everyone in the friend group.

Kaede to group:

Hey!

Kirumi to group:

Aren't you supposed to be in class?

Kaede to group:

Ya but math is boring

Tenko to group:

Kaede I see u texting under the table