A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter of Chronicles of Despair.
This story is going to be a direct sequel to The End of Hope's Peak Academy, and will act as a bridge between that story and The School Life of Mutual Killing. So if you haven't read The End of Hope's Peak Academy, then none of this will make sense to you and I implore you that you read it, as it will be rather important. This is going to be a five chapter mini series, that will act as a bridge, sort of how Another episode acts like a bridge between Danganronpa and Super Danganronpa 2. Afterwards, I might include a bridge to The End of Hope's Peak Academy: Mirai-Hen, which will be the conclusion to the entire saga.
This chapter will contain a lot of narrative and a look into the world after Hope's Peak Academy's downfall, so I hope you enjoy it...It will also be in First Point of View, my first time posting that kind of story in fanfiction...I mostly stick to writing in 3rd person, because it is much easier to describe everything, rather than have my character describe it all, its a preference, deal with it.
Also, I forgot to say in my other story, but it is my birthday today, so Happy birthday to me! I'm 22 years old today, and man do I feel old, but I am not here to tell you about that, I'm here for you all to feel despair! So without further ado, here is Act one of Chronicles of Hope, enjoy it...or don't, I don't really care either way...
\[T]/
Danganronpa
Chronicles of Despair
Act 1
Class 77A
(One Month After The Fall of Hope's Peak Academy)
Despair...It's such a simple term, and yet it's a term that comes with a double edged sword. To despair is when you have lost hope, but to sink into hope...that is when there is an absence of hope. It sound idiotic, but when you look at the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. After all, the status quo changed, and now we're forced to live in a constantly changing world. A world of Ultimate Despair, brought upon by the fall of one of the biggest institutions known to man.
Hope's Peak Academy, a school that was meant to breed hope, became nothing more than a place of despair. It all started with the deaths of our upperclassmen, Class 76B, the Student Council of Hope's Peak Academy. No...I supposed it started with the creation of Izuru Kamukura, the one that forced them to kill each other. The Trustees of the academy tried brushing it under the rug, and it backfired. Those images were sent to the Reserve Course students, and they begun protesting, something the Faculty called "The Parade". During this so called Parade, 267 Reserve Course students committed mass suicide, jumping off the Old School Building. That seemed to only worsen the oncoming storm. Three days after that, The Tragedy occurred.
We shortened it to The Tragedy, but it was actually known as the Most Despair Inducing Incident in Human History. A worldwide terrorist attack that drove the world into simultaneous despair. Millions died, cities fell, governments toppled over, it was complete anarchy. The worst thing of it all was that the people of the world were killing for the sake of killing. No other reason had been presented, and the only ones taking responsibility for it are those called Ultimate Despair.
Ultimate Despair, or rather Super Highschool Level Despair, people from Hope's Peak Academy, students that were warped in some sick shape or form. I can't exactly tell you what it is...but I can tell you who it is, at least from my own experience.
It was our friends...Class 77B of Hope's Peak Academy, they're the ones attacking the entire planet. We haven't confirmed it exactly, but after seeing one of our friends turn an entire group of people against each other with a single strum of her guitar, it made sense of what was going on. Someone or something had robbed them of their hope. The video broadcast to the Reserve Course is the answer, but watching that would turn anyone into despair...so we've decided not to watch it.
It's only been a month, but its gotten so much worse. The entire Japanese government was killed in a single night...leaving Japan defenseless...than again it didn't really matter, since all of the other world powers toppled over just as quickly. There were rumors spreading on what was left of the internet, that the sister academies to Hope's Peak had turned into shelters, but that they're students had fallen to Ultimate Despair and had been killing each other. Anyone on the Hope's Peak Academy charter system was dead, well...three classes survived. Class 79 left before shit hit the fan, and no one knows where they are...Class 78B is currently within the Academy...and then there's my class...or what's left of it.
Even now as I sit at this window, looking down into the city, I begin to wonder just how it all went down. Someone had to have pulled the strings, but the attacks were to intricate for one single person to tackle alone. It just goes to show just how important that scale is...if you start thinking everything is black and white, hope and despair...then you'll find yourselves in a situation like mine. A situation where you are forced to kill someone in order to survive. Forced to watch the deaths of those who you knew, and became friends with, at the hands of your very own friends...it's a very despair inducing situation, but I have hope...I have hope that we will make it through this...we just don't know how long it'll be before that time comes.
I looked across from me, glancing at Rika, who was sitting a few feet away. The building we had been staying at had been a small office building. The taller ones we're being knocked down for some reason or another, and I didn't know who was doing it. I figured some despair induced police officer got their hands on some C4 and strapped it to the building, or themselves...I had seen that happen in a survivor camp once, and it was...it wasn't pretty.
She hadn't changed physically in the past, mentally however, she was a different person. She was always upbeat sure, but being thrust into this new war changed her. I think it happened when she saw Mike get killed. I was terrified when it happened...one of our friends, no matter how damn weird he was, was killed right in front of us. Chizu was killed as well, and we weren't even there to bury him, or mourn him. We just had to run, in the end, half of our class ended up getting killed. We lost Sohara and Carly as well. We were just...trying to make it work.
I swept my mattered blonde locks out of my eyes, focusing down on the streets below. Cars had deliberately crashed into each other, the people willingly killing themselves and or others. The bodies of men, women and children lay everywhere. There had been a stand off between some militant forces and one of the Ultimate Despairs, but she had managed to defeat them with ease. Akane...I had seen her literally beat those men to death, all while eating some roasted meat...she wasn't even affected by it. She wiped the blood off her hands and just kept walking, like nothing happened.
I placed my hand over my stomach, trying not to make it obvious that I was hungry. However it had another idea...the rumble was audible, so much so that even Rika tore her eyes away from the streets below. She giggled, for the first time in awhile, reaching into her pocket. She tossed me half of her power bar, which I tore into hungrily. These were a staple for any artist who worked long hours. I had gone through hundreds of these while working on paintings...what I wouldn't give for those times to return.
"We're running out of food." a firm voice, one belonging to Oliver said.
He was our class leader, seeing as our previous one ended up dying...after all he went through the trouble of gathering us up in the past. He was the Ultimate Paintballer, but had been using his skills with real firearms. He had shown surprising skill, but every time he pulled that trigger, I could see the hurt in his eyes. It was kill or be killed, and he knew it. But he still felt a duty to protect all of us...that was the reason why he didn't stay with her inside the academy.
"We need to head to the ocean...If we get away from the mainland, we can definitely survive on fish." Aquamarine, the Ultimate Marine Biologist said. She was sitting against a desk next to her boyfriend, Toshiro Syonusuke, the Ultimate Street Artist. I used to call him Vandal, since all of his art was through graffiti, but it didn't matter to me. Art was art.
"We cannot abandon the mainland. We stand more chances of surviving here than at sea. We haven't accounted for how much pollution has been in the air and sea. For all we know the animals could have fallen to despair. Furthermore, we need certain things to live. After all we wouldn't want to die of Scurvy would we?" Keiko Hikari asked, tugging on her thread. She had been making dolls of those that had perished in the academy. She had said it was for her to never forget them.
"We will also need some medical supplies...we can't hope to continue without them." Sona Cadenza the Ultimate Doctor added.
"Well, I got good news then...there's a gas station not far from this building. It has food, water, everything we might need for awhile...however it's about ten city blocks from here, near the park with the mermaid statue." Haley said, earning frowns from her friends.
"Any word from Ozzy? Come on Olive, say something!" Ryoutaro Matsujima, the Ultimate Carpenter said. Oliver glared at him for calling him that, but shook it off, shaking his head.
"I haven't heard anything, I'm not sure if radio signals even work. It's all static." he said, holding up his walkie talkie, the one Ozzy had given us after leaving Hope's Peak.
"Do you think if we go back to the academy they would let us in?" Toshiro asked, I turned to him, mustering the scariest glare I could. Then again, when I glared It was just me staring at you with a blank face. I couldn't help it.
"Why would I willingly put myself inside the academy? Did you not see what they did to it? They sealed it up, they're thinking about long term. I don't plan to seal myself in that place for the rest of my life, especially when fifteen of our friends died there." I said firmly.
"Besides, the headmaster sealed the door shut. Did you not see the Gatling guns installed outside...we get anywhere near that and we're instantly turned into Swiss Cheese." Rika replied, clutching her rifle tightly.
"Well we don't know that!" Toshiro said firmly.
I tossed him my phone, which was open to a live news feed from outside the academy. It was showing several People who had fallen to despair, Despairites, as the news had been calling them. All of them were being mowed down by the massive guns installed at the academy, hundreds of fresh bodies laying around the entrance courtyard. Students and civilians intermingled, their blood falling down the drains.
"Do you think they'll let us in?" I asked him again, earning a frown from the boy. Aquamarine gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him smile a bit.
I glanced over at Shoji Narukami, the Ultimate Freerunner. He was one of the fastest athletes in the academy, matching and sometimes besting the Ultimate Track Star. I could see him tightening the laces on his shoes. I swallowed hard as I saw him stuffing his pockets with some of the ammunition from the dufflebag Ozzy had given us.
"Sho, what are you doing?" I asked him. He looked up at me, a firm look on his face.
"Haley said that store was ten blocks from here. I can make it there and back in twenty minutes, no issue. I've run farther than that in less time and made it back unscathed." he said.
"That was before, now we got people shooting each other for fun. Do you think you could outrun and armored truck? A goddamn school bus filled with middle schoolers hellbent on recreating Twisted Metal?" Keiko asked firmly.
"We don't have a choice. It can be all ten of us dying of starvation, or it could just be me...either way, we stand a better chance if I go. Even with a pack full of heavy stuff, I can still run fast. If I can find a truck, even better." he replied.
"Shoji, this is insane...at least let someone back you up." Oliver said.
"Absolutely not! I am not having my friends risk their asses for my sake. I move faster alone, I would leave you all in the dust." he said firmly. He grabbed some duct tape, taping his armholes and legholes to his body, to reduce the wind resistance.
"Well I disagree...I was trained by American soldiers, I can keep up...at least let me shadow you. I can get myself a good vantage point and snipe anyone or anything that can possibly kill you." Rika said firmly.
"You can't leave, who'll keep this place safe?" Toshiro snapped.
"Ahem, am I painted on the wall?" I asked, glaring at my fellow artist. He let out a dry chuckle.
"Nice pun, but seriously you can't shoot for shit."
"I can shoot well enough...besides I doubt my shooting skills will matter when I smash their heads in with my crowbar." I replied, pulling the iron bar from behind my back. It had been my best friend in the past, especially when opening large shipping crates with new art supplies.
"Fine then, I'll go with Shoji...I may not be a fast runner but I will force myself to keep up. He can't go there alone without back up, Rika can't possibly snipe them all." Ryoutaro said, earning a chuckle from the green haired girl.
"Because you haven't seen me in action. There's no target I can't hit!" she said, a smirk on her face.
"Well, we're out of options...if you three think you can do it..then go for it." Oliver said firmly.
"No...we need a squad...two people to watch their backs are better than one. After all, if I'm focused killing their attackers, who will defend me?" Rika said firmly.
"That's true...perhaps I can create a voodoo doll that will aid you." Keiko said.
"Be serious! This isn't the time for black magic voodoo shit! We need someone to back us up." Shoji snapped.
"I volunteer as tribute...I've been watching Ryoutaro's ass for awhile, no one better to watch it than me." I said, my voice emotionless as always.
"Emma, we can't have you come with us." Rika said.
"Why not? Because I'm not a soldier like you? Because I don't normally inhibit emotion? I'll let you know, the reason I don't show emotion is because I pour it all into my art. I've shown everyone everything I have to offer...there's nothing else I wanna show. Emotions don't make a person you know." I snapped angrily. Yes, I tend to get angry from time to time, there is a reason why Van Gogh cut his own ear off." I replied, slowly blinking like normal. They all looked at me, firm looks on their faces.
"If she wants to go, who are you to stop her? As long as she makes it back alive, something I have no doubt of." Keiko added.
"Fine, then let's not waste any time. Haley do you have a map of this place and the remote area?" Rika asked, earning a nod from the Ultimate Cheer Squad Captain.
"Cellphone towers may not work, but the GPS still does, even without internet. So you can take this and use it to guide you...be careful alright, and bring Shoji back alive, I've grown rather fond of him." she said, blushing brightly. The boy blushed as well, only he didn't exactly hide it.
"Well, I didn't think I would have my own personal cheerleader...now I have to survive." he said excitedly.
"Then let us be off...the faster we get there, the faster we come back." I said, strapping my gun holster to my leg. I looked at my feet, frowning at the sight of shoes.
I had been walking barefoot my entire life, but now because of all the broken glass and other debris, I couldn't risk an injury.
It wasn't long before the four of us were making our way across the city. The screams of the citizens were really making me distressed. I don't like loud noises...even as a little girl, I hated going to things like concerts and fireworks festivals.
I would rather stay inside and paint or draw...especially if it meant I could be naked. I don't know why, but I never really cared for clothes...I'm not a nudist, but if I find myself alone, I will take it off. It was something I had grown used to, and sometimes I liked making other people squirm...the look on Ryoutaro's face whenever I asked him to take nude pics of me was always funny. I did it for art of course, but sometimes I did it for fun...I was hoping he would ask me for one, but he never did.
It was obvious he liked me, I knew it and he knew it. But he didn't know that I knew...honestly, he's a sweet guy and while I exactly can't say that I like him, I would give him a chance. However after seeing everything I have to offer, and him not making a move, something tells me he's moved on. You can't really fall in love with someone who willingly spreads her vagina out for a picture. I'm a weird person...
A car crash nearby made me scream, almost dropping my crowbar. Honestly, I felt like we were in a goddamn zombie apocalypse...except there were no brain eating undead. Everyone raced past us, either running away from someone, or chasing someone else. No one noticed us, our faces, our weapons, our mattered uniforms...nothing. We were Ultimate students of Hope's Peak Academy, the hope of the world, and the ones blamed for the Tragedy.
99% of the student body and the staff and faculty died on that day. All of them either being killed, doing the killing, or killing themselves. It was a miracle in and of itself that Class 78 and 79 managed. We survived, but at the cost of some friends. I couldn't exactly tell you what it was like reaching the courtyard and watching to Reserve Course students saw the corpse of your best friend in half with a hack saw. It is something that still gives me nightmares. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up, seeing the smiling face of Ryoutaro.
"Hey, it's okay if you want to take your shirt off, it is kinda hot...it's the beginning of September after all."
"Is it? I haven't been paying attention to the days." I mutter, glancing away from him.
"I have...we have to make a daily recording, so that when all of this is over, people can see how we survived. We're the hope of the world, and if we don't have hope, then we may as well fall to despair." he said firmly.
That's true I guess...If we didn't record history, then those in the future wouldn't know how we lived through it. That's if we end up making it through it, at this point anyone or anything can be the next victim. I glanced up at the sky, the dark black clouds looked ominous. The crimson tinge it had gotten was one of bloodshed...of despair. How I long for blue skies and sunny days. I haven't seen the sun in so long, all because of the crimson skies. Even the twilight skies and dusk mornings are tinged with despair.
"You know...any other girl would probably smack you. If you asked them to take their shirt off I mean." I said, trying to keep myself focused.
"But you aren't any other girl...you're Emily Elizabeth Howard, the Ultimate Artist...I know all of your quirks." he said. I huffed, puffing my cheeks out.
"Emma, call me Emma! I hate my damn name!"
"Huh...why do you hate it so much? That's something you never told me!"
"Because...I'm named after a character in a kids show." I replied, glancing away from him.
It was the truth. My parents had named me after some little girl from a cartoon show they had watched. It was embarrassing when I was growing up, especially growing up in Sacramento. I didn't tell anyone I was American, mostly because I didn't want to hear their ridicule, that's why I told everyone to just call me Emma. It was a cuter name in my opinion. Ryoutaro must have figured out what I meant, because he started laughing right after.
"Holy shit, I never noticed...that's a dumb reason to hate your name though...I find it very beautiful."
"Seriously? I think someone dropped a 2x4 on your head when you were growing up."
"2x8 actually, and I find it beautiful, because you can change it. Instead of Emily, you can call yourself Emilia. It's the Italian version of that name, at least I think so."
"I think it's French." Rika tossed in, not even looking back. I shrugged.
"Yeah maybe...I mean my folks are most likely dead, so is my family...I suppose changing my name now wouldn't matter...but I like Emma." I replied.
"Fine..then from now until the end of time, you shall be known as Emma Howard, the Ultimate Artist." Ryoutaro said. I smiled brightly, surprising him quite a bit.
"Something wrong?"
"I just...never saw you smile before...your beautiful, you know that right?"
"I know...you've told me before." I said, turning my eyes back to the road. We arrived at a street corner, and Rika had us press ourselves against the walls. She held four fingers up, meaning four people were around that corner. She was about to move in, when she stopped, lowering her rifle.
"What's up?" Shoji asked softly.
"Ultimate Despair." she muttered. My eyes widened, and I slowly got onto my knees, crawling toward the edge of the building.
The street was pretty clear for the most part, with only one overturned car. Two people had been trying to get out of it, but had ended up being killed by the post falling on them, the blood had smeared all over the post and the street. There were four people standing in the middle of the road, all of them mindless. They were panting, and licking the blood off their hands as if they were zombies. All of them had baseball bats in their hands. The most notable thing on their heads were the helmets they were now wearing.
It was in the likeness of a black and white bear, the right side was black, and the left side was white. The thing that I noticed was the red eye it had on the white side, it looked like the mark of Hope's Peak Academy, the one that was on our crest. I momentarily looked down at my breast pocket, looking at the crest of the academy. It was a match.
However, the thing that stunned me the most was the person leading them.
It was a boy that I had gotten to know, back at the academy. One of the ones that challenged us to a paintball fight. He was standing tall and firm in front of those four Despairites.
He had long spiky black hair, reaching down to his shoulders. He had a small section of it braided, on the right side of his head. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt, the sleeves mattered with blood. He was also wearing a black suit vest, with the crest of Hope's Peak Academy on it, along with his name. He wore matching black skinny jeans, and a pair of black leather boots, with various belts and buckles on it, both smeared in pink blood. Around his shoulder was a messenger bag, which contained his story book. He was wearing a tan colored hoodie over the suit vest, which had some Space Invaders on it. He was also wearing an Eight bit spaceship pin on the braid on the right side of his head.
I looked at him and couldn't believe it. Here was Daisuke Del Rio, Ultimate Story Teller of Class 77B, and he was directing those people. He had a firm look on his face as he spoke, one that showed very little emotion. That was something that put me off, since Daisuke could be very emotional when he wanted to be. He was holding a black and white book in his hands, and seemed to be looking at it every so often. The helmet wearing people just stood there, listening to his every word. His ear suddenly perked up, and he glanced over his shoulder, smiling brightly.
Walking up to him was another person I had met at the academy. A beautiful young woman, with skin was white as porcelain. She had long platinum blonde hair that fell down her back, almost touching the ground. She was wearing a beautiful white gown, that hugged her curves nicely. It had a single over the shoulder strap, with a black and white rose bloom on it. The dress itself fell down, almost touching the floor, revealing part of the black and white heeled slippers she had been wearing. She wore long white gloves on her hands, made out of the finest silk around. There was no doubt about it, this was Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess.
I swallowed hard, choosing to remain silent. The two shared a kiss, staring into each others eyes. That's when I noticed, they were glowing crimson. It was something I had noticed on Ibuki as well...and I believe Akane had crimson eyes too. My guess is that when they fell to Despair, their bodies ended up changing, and their eye color changed as well. Whatever the case, that was really scaring the hell out of me. Eyes shouldn't glow like that, but it was as if they were devoid of anything, anything except despair that is.
"Alright you useless fucks, you did a wonderful job here, but we need to do better. There are pockets of survivors all over Tokyo...it's time to send our message all over the place. Unless you want us to kill everyone you know and love?" Daisuke said firmly. The helmet wearing people let out violent screams, running off in all directions. Daisuke let out a laugh, snapping his book closed.
"Fucking normies, they think we'll spare their families." he said, withdrawing a remote from his pocket.
"Aw come on sweetheart, let me do it!" Sonia cried eagerly. He shrugged, shoving the remote into her cleavage.
"Have fun, I think I'm gonna check on that Middle School...Hope's Peak Middle School, sounds like fun!" he said, walking past the girl.
"Everyone in Novoselic is slowly converting to our side. But it seems as if my brother has returned to take over. I suppose killing my parents wasn't an ideal move." Sonia said, causing the boy to stop.
"You feeling regret? Come on my Princess, we don't feel regret...we don't need to feel regret...not after what happened." he said firmly.
"Yes I know...but Lady Junko has been benevolent already, we don't need to anger her." she said.
"Lady Junko?" Rika whispered, looking down at me. I shrugged, my eyes still firmly on our upperclassmen.
"Yes...she has been rather silent, then again holding house within the academy is challenging. I can only surmise she's putting everything from my book into practice...if the hope of the world dies, then despair truly will win." Daisuke replied.
"But isn't that what we want? What we have worked so hard for?" Sonia asked.
"Not in the slightest, I only spread despair because the normies killed our friend. The Reserve Course is at fault for what happened to everyone we knew...and why shouldn't I show the world how scary my talent can be. After all, everyone thought it was useless in the past...they even took advantage of it...and that's something that will never happen again. Junko will meet her maker, whether by my hand or by someone elses, I don't know...but it will happen. This world has its days counted." he said firmly.
"What of your sisters?" Sonia asked, causing the boy to stop once more.
"My sisters? Ah, you mean Erika, Cameron and Megan? I don't know where they are...but I will take care of them at some point...it's been lovely seeing you again my sweet, but despair calls." he said, giving her a wave as he walked off.
Sonia dug her hand into her breasts, taking a hold of the remote he had given her. She pushed the button on it with glee, four simultaneous explosions rung through the area, along with the sound of splattering blood. She walked off in the opposite direction, climbing onto an abandoned tank. She gave a few knocks on it, and it drove off, carrying the Ultimate Princess elsewhere.
"What...what did we just see?" Ryoutaro asked curiously.
"Ultimate Despair dumbass...it's obvious those two are part of it. I thought class 77B died, isn't that what Ozzy said?" Shoji asked.
"Indeed, but it seems they may have tricked us. If they watched the same video the Reserve Course did, then it's obvious they were brainwashed in the same manner. That means that there is nothing of our friends left in there...they live for Despair." I said.
"The interesting thing they said was Lady Junko...she was one of the suspects for that whole Massacre thing right? For the Student Council?" Ryoutaro asked, earning a nod from Rika.
"She was supposedly the first one on the scene, the one who reported it at least. Daisuke was taken to jail for questioning, but was let go because of the video itself. It could be entirely possible that they faked their death, so they could spread despair...all for Junko Enoshima." Rika said.
"Wait...does that make her the True Ultimate Despair! Christ, Class 78 is stuck in the academy with her...she's gonna kill them too!" Shoji cried. I grit my teeth, the pounding in my head becoming more apparent. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it.
"So...you mean to tell me that Junko Enoshima, was the one that planned all of this. She killed Class 76, to brainwash the Reserve Course into the Parade. She was the one that caused 267 of them to kill themselves to sow the seeds of despair. She brainwashed Class 77B with that same video, so that they could become her Ultimate Despairs, the one that would destroy the world for her. Then she locked herself up, because her true goal was to kill her class?" Ryoutaro asked.
"Jesus Christ, when you put it that way, it sounds fucked up as all hell. All of those innocent people, they all got turned into her pawns!" Rika snapped angrily.
"Yes, but that doesn't explain how Class 77B fell to despair. They were all full of hope, they fought against it when their friends, the Student Council members ended up dying. So how was it that they fell that far into it?" Shoji asked. I swallowed hard, clearing my throat.
"You wanna know something...I've seen them all. Daisuke, Sonia and Hiyoko usually hang around together. Ibuki and Mahiru have been together as well, Tanaka sprung the animals from the local zoos and turned them into his own army. Kazuichi and Takane were at the Planetarium, building rockets and machines...I've seen what they can do...but there's one person that wasn't there with them. The one person that tied them all together, and was their hope." I said.
"You mean...Chiaki Nanami...she was their class representative...if Junko brainwashed them with her death...then...her death would become their despair. They're all doing this because Chiaki was killed by Junko!" Shoji said.
"That just burns my insides...if I could get into the academy, I would pump her full of lead!" Rika snapped angrily.
"But we can't, there's nothing we can do. For all we know, she's already doing something to them, but if anything she would want the world to see it. Hope's Peak Academy has broadcasting software, so we'll have to keep our eyes open for any television programs being made within the academy. For now let us focus on provisions." Ryoutaro said, earning nods from all of us. With that we pressed onward.
So, it isn't the fact that Junko Enoshima played all of Hope's Peak as a fiddle. It's the fact that she practically got away with it...it made me realize that the Ultimate Fashionista was probably hiding her true talent. Then again, nothing had come from Izuru Kamukura...I had seen him once, in the downtown area, but he hadn't said anything to anyone. It was as if he was watching everything come down, an emotionless mask on his face.
Unlike me, this boy literally showed no emotion. If he truly was an experiment, made to hold every talent in the world, then he most likely lacked the capacity to emote. If that was the case, then I felt really bad for him...he had been robbed of everything, and in the end was used to plunge the world into despair. It truly was a despairingly awful incident.
We made it to the gas station a few minutes after, with Shoji racing ahead of us to get started. Ryoutaro struggled to keep up, but he did a great job. Me and Rika had gone inside the building across from them, all the way to the roof. I had helped her with some long dining room tables, which she had placed near the edge of it. She placed her gun down, and lay on the tables, looking through the scope. I had my back to her, keeping an eye on the entrance.
I let my mind wonder...I hadn't painted anything since the academy fell. It had been so hard to just stop all together..my artistic side was begging to come out. At least Keiko had her dolls, and Sona had her medicinal practice. I suppose Aquamarine was in my boat because she had witnessed the Aquarium literally explode. Then again, Toshiro had found a lot of free space to work on now...maybe I should start doing street art as well?
"Do you think...(Sigh)...do you think the academy knew about all of this? And they just tried hiding it?"
"That's obvious...they hid a fucking massacre right under our noses. Did you know I was in there during that night? I was in the backroom, all by myself, but I didn't say anything...I just waited until everything was over and ran for it." I said, earning a wide eyed look from her.
"Are you being serious with me right now?" She asked, earning a small nod.
"I was working on a sculpture at that time, a submission for the Ueno Art Exhibit, when I heard gun shots. I blocked the door with a slab of marble and just waited for the shots to end. All I heard screaming, someone getting sawed in half by a chainsaw, more gunshots...it was horrible. When everything was finally done, I just booked it...I wasn't going to stick around for the aftermath...one look at a blood puddle was enough for me to know what was going on." I replied.
"I'm so sorry...I didn't know...you didn't tell us."
"Would you have honestly believed me?" I asked, earning an incredulous look from her. She turned away from me, looking through the scope once more.
"Of course I would have...you are my friend Emma, and I never question the intentions of a friend. Besides even if I hadn't believed you, the sirens and ambulances would have been enough proof." she said.
"I suppose so." I mutter, knowing she was saying the truth. Honestly, I should have just come clean with my class, but I was scared. Not to mention extremely naked, since I had left my clothes in the art room. Thankfully my dorm was unlocked any no one saw me.
We remained mostly silent for the next half hour, watching as our friends packed some essentials into some bags they had found. I didn't mind carrying a heavy load, it was expected from me, since I worked with heavy art materials. But in this world, if you weren't fast on your feet, you would end up dying. The thought of getting killed by those helmet wearing freaks was something that scared me.
I mean, over the last fifteen minutes, I had seen at least a hundred of them race past, all of them destroying everything in sight. It was a scary thing to witness, especially since this was all unbridled, unhinged anarchy. It almost reminded me of that American movie, the Purge...no, this was exactly that, except on a grander scale. It made me wonder if Junko had been inspired by it.
"Alright, they're done, let's go down there and meet them." Rika said, standing up from the table. Thankfully she hadn't had to fire a single shot against them. As I walked over to the edge of the building, giving the two a wave, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I quickly turned around, aiming my gun at the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 77B.
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to take notice of me. After all you are full of talent, and all I am is useless trash." he said. Rika quickly caught his voice and turned around, letting off a warning shot.
"Get out of here Ultimate Despair! We want none of you!" She said.
"Oh, but I'm not here to do anything...I'm here merely to watch. It seems despair is going to be put up against hope...and I want to see just who wins." he said, leaning against the wall. He ended up tripping against a plank of wood, which slammed into the door, locking it shut.
"Damn it, curse his Ultimate Luck." I muttered. I walked to the edge of the building, looking around. I rose my hand, pointing to the metal stairs not far from where we were.
"Over here, a fire escape. Let's go before this guy ends up killing us by accident." I said, walking over to them. Rika kept her aim on him the entire time, normally she would have shot, but I knew she didn't want to kill an upperclassmen.
As soon as we made it streetside however, everything went to shit. We met up with Ryoutaro and Shoji, grabbing the bags. But then that's when we heard it. That grating voice, and the sound of wobbling. We all looked up the street and saw an army of monochrome bears, in the same likeness as the masks those Despairites had worn. They weren't even two feet tall, but they looked menacing, especially with their sharp claws and jagged teeth.
"Monokuma arrives!" the lead one cried out, all of them wobbling toward us.
"What the fuck are those?!" Shoji cried, eyes widening. The bears all flicked their paws, sharp claws coming outward, sounding like a sword had been drawn. I swallowed hard, turning to the others.
"We need to go now, Nagito is up there, he's an Ultimate Despair!" I cried.
"Christ, then let's go." Ryoutaro said.
"No, I'll go...I'm faster than all of you." Shoji said.
"Fine, swing away Shoji...swing away." Rika said, earning a confused look from the boy. He kicked at the dirt, almost like a bull that was about to take off, before breaking into a sprint. It was slow at first but then he quickly got off. He started jumping over overturned cars and lamp posts. Somehow, we all kept up with him, mostly because those bears were chasing us now.
We turned a corner, trying to loose them while still keeping our general course. Shoji suddenly stopped, causing all of us to stop as well...we didn't know why he had, but the seeping blood on his white shirt was a clear indication. Ever so slightly, his torso started sliding off his body, before it finally fell to the ground with a wet thump. Rika let out a scream, as the boy started bleeding out, a look of confusion on his face. I drew my gun from my holster, head whipping in all directions. Behind us, we saw an army of men, all of them wearing pressed black suits. Leading them was a familiar young man.
He stood only at five foot one, and was wearing a black shirt, with a black vest over it. He was wearing a black trench coat, which reached down toward his ankles. He was wearing a pair of firmly pressed pants, and some matching black boots. Around his shoulders was a white scarf, with a thin black stripe running down it. He was wearing a fedora on his head, the shadow barely hiding his crimson eyes.
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the head of the Kuzuryuu Clan, once an Ultimate Gangster, was now an Ultimate Despair. It didn't take me long to realize he had converted his gang to fit his needs. They were all wearing that same helmet. I noticed all of the Monokuma's, if that was their name, were completely gone. Out of nowhere, Peko Pekoyama appeared, standing next to him, katana outstretched.
She hadn't changed much either, except her attire had been different. She now wore a long silver colored blouse, with the top buttons undone. Her breasts had been bound with gauze, something female Samurai did in the past. She was wearing a pair of matching trousers, along with some black shoes. Her hair, normally left in two neat braids, now fell freely down her back, a single side ponytail on the side of her head. I noticed the blood dripping from her blade, it wasn't hard to figure out where it had come from.
"It was you who did this wasn't it Peko?" Rika snapped angrily, trying not to look at Shoji's deceased body.
"Those who run from despair have to forfeit their lives. No students from Hope's Peak Academy shall be allowed to live." She said firmly.
"We're not doing anything wrong, we're just maximizing our profits, by getting rid of hope." Fuyuhiko added.
"Guys run, I can take care of them!" Rika snapped.
"But Rika!"
"I said go!" she cried, opening fire on the two.
Peko raced forward, deflecting all of the bullets flying at her. I took Ryoutaro's hand, grabbing Shoji's pack and breaking into a sprint. We needed to get away, even if it meant leaving our friend behind.
"Emma stop, we can't leave her behind!" Ryoutaro cried, struggling to run with his bags. I stopped, glaring into his eyes.
"Shoji is fucking dead, half of our friends are fucking dead! We have to go, even if it hurts, because if we die, the rest of our class goes with it!" I shouted, once again breaking into a spring.
"We can't do this...we can't just sit here and let them die!"
"Rika is the Ultimate Marksman, she isn't going to die that easily...now come on." I said, turning around once more.
Ryoutaro took a step forward, letting out a cry as a power line wrapped around his leg. He dropped his bag, making land on a board that had been laying on the ground. That board ended up sending a hub cap flying into the air, slamming into a transformer, which burst with electricity. I watched as Ryoutaro suddenly fell to the ground, landing on a puddle of water. He let out a scream of pain and agony as he was electrocuted.
I felt my world breaking. Here was first friend, the one I had spent all my time with, told everything with, fell in love with...dying before me. I could see it in his eyes as he reached for my hand. I wanted to take it, but I knew I would die if I did. The transformer exploded again, sparks raining all around me, at the same time Ryoutaro's body stopped moving. I walked over to him, seeing the look of horror on his eyes. He forced a smile onto his face, tears falling out of his eyes.
"Emma...I..love you.."
That was it, he died right then and there. I grit my teeth, letting out a scream of anger. I glanced up at the building, Nagito's smile embedding itself into my mind. He gave me a wave, disappearing from sight. I grabbed the Bags off the ground and started running back to the office building. I didn't look back, I couldn't afford to look back.
I didn't know if I was being followed, I didn't know if I would make it. But at least I had to get this bags there...it didn't matter if I died at the front doors, as long as I saved my friends in the end. By the grace of god, I made it there without incident. I quickly got into the lobby and sealed the doors shut. I started crying as soon as I did. Oliver and Toshiro ran up to me, as they had been keeping watch.
"Emma, what happened, where are the others?" Oliver asked.
"They're...they're dead!" I cried.
The dam burst right after, and I did nothing to contain my tears. Toshiro wrapped his arms around me at some point, and I cried into his shoulder. It wasn't long before the others had come downstairs. Keiko asked something that I didn't hear, but the soft head shake from Oliver told me what they had asked. I let go of Toshiro, not bothering to wipe the tears from my eyes.
"It was Junko Enoshima, she planned all of this...the massacre, the mass suicide, she killed Chiaki and brainwashed the 77th class with her death. They're the ones that killed the others!" I exclaimed.
"What? That can't be...Junko wouldn't do that!" Aquamarine said firmly.
"And why wouldn't she? Don't you believe Emma? Our friends are dead!" Haley snapped. They all heard a loud cry, and a second later Rika dropped into the lobby. She had climbed in through an air vent, dropping to the ground.
"Rika!" I cried, jumping to my feet. I ran to her side, slipping on the tiles. She looked up at me, giving me a grin.
"She gave me a run for my money, but you never underestimate the Ultimate Marksman." she said, sitting up. She clutched her arm, or rather what was left of it.
"Oh my god, who did that too you?" Toshiro asked.
"Peko...she fell to despair...I managed to get a good shot at Fuyuhiko though, took out his eye with my knife." she said. Sona was already at her side, pressing some gauze to her stump.
"We need to get her upstairs so I can staunch the bleeding. Keiko, Haley, prepare my things." she said, earning nods from the two. I grabbed all of the bags I had brought, following my friends upstairs.
It had been a few hours, but Rika pulled through. Sona didn't have anesthetics, so I heard her screams throughout the entire thing. She had lost some blood, but she would overall make a full recovery. It was a shame, because now she couldn't use her Sniper rifle. She made light work of it, saying that she wasn't going to let an arm be the cause of her friends deaths. I tried to forget it all, but I knew I would never forget what I saw.
"Hey, figured you were up here."
I looked up, seeing the blank look on Keiko's face. She and I were the same, only her blank look came from how massively tired she was. Whereas my own was from my lack of emotional output. She sat next to me, handing me a bottle of water and some food. He gratefully accepted her offering, not hesitating to open the can. I stuck the metal spoon inside, shoving the food in my mouth.
"I wanted to apologize...I know I shouldn't...but I have to. Shoji and Ryoutaro didn't deserve this." She said. I paused, setting my food aside. I had been trying not to think about it, but it was still very fresh in my mind. Keiko sat down beside me, pulling out a black leather bound book from her breasts. She handed it to me.
"It was Ryoutaro's. He was keeping a daily account on it, sort of like a dairy, he said it was important to keep a record for the future...I thought you would like to have it." she said.
I nodded, brushing my fingers over hers as I grabbed the book. I opened it up, a single picture slipping out. When I looked at it, I noticed that it was a picture of me and Ryoutaro in the art room of Hope's Peak Academy. I had a bright smile on my face, while he had a blush on his own. It had been me who took the picture, as the camera had been raised above us. I had been wearing a rather low cut shirt during that picture, sleeveless as always. I detested long sleeved shirts, but I had been wearing them a lot recently, the only stuff we packed were school uniforms after all. Keiko cleared her throat, handing me another one.
"I uh...found that one tucked in the middle of the book...I didn't think you liked doing that sort of stuff." she said. I looked at the picture, my face flushing a bit. It was a picture that Ryoutaro had taken of me, fully naked, my left hand spreading my vagina. I looked at the girl, placing the picture face down.
"It was for the sake of art!" I cried, earning a giggle from her.
"Are you sure you just did it as a way to advertise yourself. I mean I can see your hymen in that picture...are you sure you didn't want him to take you as his virgin maiden?"
"Jesus, I am not having this conversation with you!" I cried, stuffing both pictures into the booklet. Keiko giggled, shaking her head.
"He loved you, and I can tell you love him too...please...show us your emotions...don't hide behind that mask. You are beautiful Emma, and I'm sure he would want you to show us the real you, even in our current dilemma." she said. I frowned, glancing back out the window, hugging Rika's rifle close to myself. I had taken over her job, with her teachings, I knew I would become a good marksman.
"Fine, I will show you the real me...you've already seen my birth canal, its the least I can do." I said jokingly, making the girl blush.
"Are you seriously that open? You aren't gonna take your top off now right?"
"I might, I don't care if people stare at me, I guess you can call me a nudist." I said, giving her a wink.
"Emma Howard, the Ultimate Nudist, somehow I doubt Hope's Peak Academy would allow you into their school with that title." she said.
"Maybe they would have...I'm sure the boys would have been okay with it...listen Keiko...thanks for this...I'm gonna keep his journal going. I want the future generations to know about Ryoutaro...and Shoji, I don't want them all to...die a victim of this tragedy. I will ensure you all survive...I have too, for myself, for Rika, and for the world...but mostly, for Ryoutaro and Shoji." I said firmly. She nodded, reaching into the bag she had brought, handing me a small plushy, in the likeness of Ryoutaro. I took it into my hands, looking at it closely.
"He...wanted you to have that...for your birthday. Squeeze it."
I nodded, squeezing the center of the plush. My eyes widened a bit when I heard his voice.
"Hey sweetheart, happy birthday! I wanna say, that I love you with all my heart...I love you Emma, forever and always!"
I felt my vision blur as fresh tears ran down the sides of my face. I hugged the plushie against my chest. It would never be the same, not without him, the man that I love is gone. Keiko wrapped her arm around me, and I cried into her shoulder for the rest of the night.
To Be Continued...