A/N: So I rewrote this thing. Sorry for not updating in an extremely long while. Updates are probably going to be still irregular, but expect chapter rewrites in 2-3 weeks.

Original A/N: A Kink Meme De-Anon for the request "Ensemble, Dangan Ronpa AU This would probably work best in a Gakuen AU. A group of fifteen nations are locked in their school and are forced to play a killing game in order to leave. Bonus points if Allies and Axis are not all involved; one from each group would be A++." Still ongoing over there, though, so hush and don't tell OP.

Setting: Dangan Ronpa/Gakuen AU

Rating: T

Genre: Mystery, Friendship

Characters: S Italy, N Italy

Word Count: 501

Chapter Summary: Lovino and his brother arrive at the prestigious W Academy and they are in for a big surprise.

Warnings for language, outrageous death traps, your favourite nation possibly dying before this fic ends, furry animal friends becoming psycho bloodthirsty robots, dark humour, and references to Greek Mythology. If you're disturbed by any of those, just, um, turn on a mental bleep or something.

Midnight's Shadow

Chapter 1: Charing Cross

"As I was going by Charing Cross,
I saw a black man upon a black horse;
They told me it was King Charles the First-
Oh dear, my heart was ready to burst!"

W Academy was huge.

Granted, the only sight of the school Lovino Vargas and his brother Feliciano saw just yet was only the gates. Pristine white grills with a W monogrammed on them towered over Lovino and the two lions placed on either side of the gate looked down on him, making him feel even more inadequate than he already did. It didn't really help that besides his brother, there was no other sign of human presence around.

The thing is, Lovino was not even supposed to go here in the first place. If only everything had gone according to his plans, he would be attending the Scuola beside his friends and Feli alone would be studying here.

But no, fate just had to be a bitch, and Lovino's name just had to be drawn above the millions of ordinary students entered in the draw that determined the supposedly lucky student who would be granted the title "Super High School Level Good Luck" and the chance to study at the world's premiere academy honing the crème de la crème de la crop.

"Super High School Level Good Luck." Lovino had laughed when he received the invitation. The title was just a polite way of saying "charity pupil," and he almost declined it, until he remembered that all his brothers, barring their youngest Carlino, had attended the academy, and to decline meant he would be the family disappointment again. Between that and choking on his almost non-existent pride and accepting the invitation, there really wasn't much of a competition.

Oh, hell. What's done is done. So much for finally getting Feliciano off his back after 16 years of constant whining.

"Are we late, fratello? I can't see anyone else around," Feliciano said while poking Lovino's elbow, breaking his string of thoughts.

When Lovino turned his attention to his brother, he noticed that Feliciano kept on alternating his glance on three things: the acceptance letter Feliciano held in his hand, Lovino himself, and the gate standing ominously before them. Feliciano was as nervous as he was. That was new.

Lovino sighed. This was going to be a long morning.

"Let's just go in already!" Lovino yelled as he grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him inside the gate and into the entrance hall, despite Feliciano's whining.

But the minute they stepped foot inside W Academy, it happened.

Lovino's vision began to swirl, and he could no longer feel his hand gripping his brother's arm. Round and round his vision went, and the world slowly faded from his eyes.

Then darkness.

At that moment, the ordinary lives of the Vargas brothers ended.

At that moment, too, Lovino realised that "Good Luck" was never really his title, but "Bad Luck." Before he lost all consciousness, Lovino had only a single thought.

"Fuck."