Hey there! This is my very first fanfiction ever! Not just the first for Danganronpa, but, y'know, the very first! It was also written at 11pm when I had nothing better to do, and suddenly this idea just happened to come to mind. I'm planning on writing more in the future, so any and all feedback is very much welcome!
Not sure whether to rate it K+ or T, so I'll stick with T just to be on the safe side.
(And yes, I realize the story can get very repetitive in its use of words and sentences. This was done on purpose to fit together with Fuyuhiko's repetitive thought process as he tries to put all the pieces together. Might have gone a little bit too far though. :P)
Story Word Count: 1018.
He just can't understand any of it.
The girl in front of him was Peko, there was no question about that. The hair, the eyes, everything in her appearance made that very well clear.
But at the same time… it wasn't Peko.
At least not the Peko he knew.
The Peko he knew always carried a smile. Even if it didn't physically form on her lips, he always knew she was trying her hardest to do so. Whenever he was feeling angry, sad, confused, she would always be trying her hardest to form the faintest of smiles on her lips. Almost as if her facial expression alone was trying to convince her that everything would be all right.
That was the Peko he remembered.
That was the Peko who had cheered him up.
That was the Peko he thought would always be by his side.
However...
That was not the Peko who was standing in front of him right now.
There were no signs of the warm, comforting smile on her face. There were no signs of her trying to force a smile on her face. There were no signs of any emotion at all.
Her face was completely and utterly blank.
This was not the same Peko that had left him a few months ago.
He remembered clearly how she was before she was taken away.
How she was told that she had to leave for while.
The two of them promising each other to be strong without the other one.
Her being forcefully shoved into a car and being swiftly taken away.
His eyes not looking away until the car was completely out of sight.
His dad telling him that Peko would be made "into what she was always meant to be."
Was this who Peko was supposed to be?
Not the caring, energetic, comforting girl he had grown to admire and be thankful for throughout his entire life?
Not the person that was always by his side from the very beginning?
Peko was supposed to be someone other than herself?
The Peko that came home earlier today… is that who she's meant to be?
…
When she came in through the front door, escorted by tall menacing yakuzas in black, he ran straight to her.
It had only been a few months since she left, but it felt like years.
He couldn't wait to be together with her again.
He remember running straight to her and embracing her tightly.
"Peko! God, I've missed you so much… "
Peko didn't hug him back. In fact, she didn't even seem to acknowledge his existence.
He began to feel uneasy. He slowly released the hug and pulled away from her.
"…Peko?"
His voice was weak. All throughout his life, he had felt comfort in knowing Peko front to back. He knew that she would always answer him. She would always give him just the response he needed to hear.
And yet…
There was nothing.
No response.
No smile.
No signs of a human being.
Nothing of what made Peko who she was before.
All he wanted was for her to show a sign of the Peko from the past.
All he needed was to see the Peko he remembered.
He felt frustrated.
He had been waiting so long for Peko to come home.
He knew he cared deeply about her.
He knew she cared deeply about him.
So why didn't she care about him now, when he needed it the most?
His frustrations kept building up, all of his confusion turning into anger.
He couldn't take it anymore.
Looking her in the eyes, he clenched his fist and proceeded to do something he had sworn to never do for as long as he lived.
He was shouting at Peko for the first time in his entire life.
"Why are you doing this?! Why!? Answer me, dammit! I need you to answer me! Say something, anything! Please, Peko! I need you more than anything right now!"
He was breathing heavier than he ever had in his entire life. His eyes were filling up with tears.
He hoped that his words got through to her. He hoped that it would make her show the slightest of emotions.
Instead, Peko closed her eyes and looked downwards. She didn't look the slightest bit affected by what he had just let out. She had completely shut herself away from him. She knew she wasn't allowed to show any signs of emotions. She knew that it was best for her not to be emotionally involved with him at all.
Peko looked directly at him, seeing him breathing heavily and not saying a word. He was waiting for a response. He didn't care how long he had to stand there. He didn't care how menacing, angry and hopeless he looked.
He just needed a response from her.
Peko slowly opened her eyes and stared directly at him.
"I am not Peko. Stop calling me by that name. I am your tool, young master, not a person. I have no will of my own. I will do as you instruct, and protect you with my life. That is the only purpose of my existence."
He doesn't understand her words.
He hears them perfectly fine, but doesn't understand them.
His mind is a cluttered mess.
He turns around and runs away.
He slams the door to his room and locks it.
He sits down on his bed, looking down at his feet.
He hears several voices and loud knocks coming from the other side of the door.
However, he doesn't hear anything these voices are saying.
All he hears is the voice of someone else inside of his head.
Peko's words are playing on repeat.
He feels sick.
He feels empty.
He feels hopeless.
He looks up and finds a framed picture hanging on the wall.
It's a picture of the Peko he once knew.
Peko, who always smiled.
Peko, who always comforted.
Peko, who always was just who he needed her to be.
Peko, who doesn't exist anymore.
And he just can't understand any of it.