Danganronpa: Paths to Hope and Despair

Chapter 1

Only a sigh filled the air as Makoto Naegi stared at the files laid out on the table before him. His hand ran through his shaggy brown hair, managing to miss his ahoge, out of disturbance. The files before him were none other than missing person reports on the nine teens found dead inside the factory where a horrible event from the past was recreated. It broke his heart to see pictures of teenage boys and girls smiling brightly, ready to make their futures, only to see pictures of the gruesome states their bodies were left in next to them.

The one that disturbed the man in his late thirties the most was none other than the one teen that was already accepted and formerly attending Hope's Peak Academy; Isas Ken. He could recall the late nineteen year-old often sharing his enthusiasm and admiration for what he wanted to accomplished and hoped to achieve his dream to become a well known racer, a dream that would go unfilled.

"Makoto, are you still with us?" a stern feminine voice asked.

His hazel eyes immediately glanced upward to see a woman with lavender hair pulled back into a ponytail and purple eyes, wearing a red and black dress suit. That woman was Kyoko Kirigiri Naegi, his wife and fellow survivor of the Hope's Peak Academy killing game.

"Yeah." Makoto managed to reply, letting out another sigh before continuing,"I'm just kind of upset these kids had their future stolen from them. I wish I had noticed Kano's psychotic nature early. I can't believe I allowed myself to be taken in by his false kind and caring personality. He manipulated me just like Junko manipulated others. If I had seen through his act, maybe I could have prevented all of this."

"Makoto, you can't blame yourself." Kyoko replied in a typical stern tone, "Kano Sachio knew exactly what he was doing. He may be psychotic, but he's cunning as well. That's one of the things he learned from his family, he had learned how to easily put on an act; a skill that any businessman, especially the Ultimate Businessman would require. We should be lucky that we got that call from the group of kids that managed to stumble upon his plans in the company building. Because of them, we had arrived just in time to save the remaining six."

The young man fell silent at the mention of the survivors, his mind drifting back to the memory when the six teens had emerged from the abandoned factory. When arriving on the scene, he expected to find a group of teens that had been traumatized from their horrible experience. He never could have predicted that one of the survivors would be Leon Kuwata, the first killer to be executed in Junko's killing game. Questions raced through his mind, even after they had got the survivors settled in Future Foundation headquarters for recovery and questioning. While he still wanted to know exactly how Leon managed to return to the living, especially due to the red-head's explanation being a bit confusing with the talk of ghosts, he mostly wanted to know what had happened to the teen since his death.

Makoto easily knew that with Leon's age that he had to been born approximately nine months after his death. But that would mean that while he had been busy over the course of the years trying to help restore peace to the world, Leon had been alive, living an untold life. He wanted answers; he wanted to know exactly what kind of life his friend has been living over the years. He was stirred from his thoughts by the sound of door opening. Twisting his body to look back, he managed to see a tanned woman with brown hair tied into ponytail wearing a white tank top, blue shirts, and an old red athlete jacket tied around her waist enter the room carrying medical reports. Trailing behind her was a pale nervous woman with ratty black hair, dressed in a white nurse's uniform. Makoto easily knew these two individuals to be Aoi Asahina, Hina for short, and Mikan Tsumiki.

"Hey Makoto! Hey Kyoko!" Hina greeted as she laid the medical reports on the table, "Just figured I would bring you guys up to date on Kano Sachio's condition."

"Is he stable enough for interrogation?" Kyoko asked, hiding away the venomous tone that threatened to come forth at the mention of the man she considered despicable.

"I'm afraid not." Mikan responded in a nervous and small voice, "I did my best to patch up his wounds. His failed execution left him such a devastated state, both psychically and mentally. I had run out of the room apologizing because he told me that I looked like one of the Monokuma units."

Tears threatened to burst forth from the nurse's eyes as she whimpered "I'm so sorry for running out on him like that. He's delirious and as a nurse I shouldn't have left him. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Upon hearing this, Makoto smiled nervously and immediately responded "Mikan, we've been over this, you shouldn't apologize so much. Ever since you approached me with the request to apply at Hope's Peak Academy as the school's nurse, you've been a great help to me and the students. I know you're scared of turning back into the person Junko forced you to become, but you shouldn't be. You even helped us treat the survivors and perform excellent autopsies on the victims. So can you please not doubt yourself so much?"

The black-haired woman nodded her head whilst wiping away a few stray tears.

"I suppose interrogation will have to wait." the detective stated with an audible sigh, "Moving onto other matters, I think it's time we help the survivors recover mental wise. Byakuya and Toko are still questioning the five teens that informed us of the killing game's existence; so they won't be able to do it. There's also the fact two members have specifically requested that for Isamu Hama and Shizko Yoko be taken into their care for recovery. I have since granted their request since one of them happened to be a relative. That leaves Mineko Akasuki, Naoko Yukio, Toshiro Riichi, and Leon... Saisei to be decided then.

"I know that's his rebirth family name but can't we just refer him as Leon Kuwata? It's less confusing that way." Makoto asked, still finding it hard to remember that fact.

Kyoko nodded her head in understanding, knowing that it was hard to refer to their friend by a different family name without accidentally referring to his one from his past life. Deciding to settle the matter, she decided she would take Mineko under her care. From the survivor's accounts of the killing game, she learned the music composer had been revealed as the one responsible for an indirect murder and was nearly successfully executed if not for Leon's actions. She felt the best course of action was to insure that the teenage girl was calm from this revelation and not suffering from survivor's guilt.

The moment she made her decision, she heard Hina immediately request for Naoko to be taken into her care, his existence having reminded her of her deceased little brother. She saw no objection to this, believing it would be a good healing experience for both Naoko and Hina. That only left Toshiro and Leon to be decided upon.

"Kyoko, I think I would like to take Leon into my custody." Makoto spoke up, surprising everyone but the detective herself, "I want to talk to him and find out what has happened. I feel like talking about it will help both of us come to terms. I thought he was gone forever along with everyone else that died in that horrible killing game. Yeah reincarnation is a thing, but you don't usually come back as the exact same person you were before your death. Leon said his previous life memories are still in tact, that means there are two set of memories in his head. I know of the first, I want to know of the second."

"Are you sure, Makoto?" Kyoko asked with a raised brow, "I know you want answers but can you balance that and your responsibilities at the same time? It's clear you'll have to spend a few days with Leon."

"It will be easy for me to contact the parents of the victims and talk to Leon. As for the academy I will have to leave it in your care. I don't think Leon is ready to step foot back into that academy, especially with his PTSD to account for. Trust me, Kyoko, this is for the best." he ensured his wife.

The lavender-headed woman inhaled deeply before agreeing to her husband's terms. Over the years she knew the thirty-nine year-old, she learned how deadset he is with his decision making with the help of the hope he continues to carry. If he insisted that he can battle his duties and take care of the baseball player for a few days, then she had no choice but to grant his wishes. She knew it was the best decision and should he start to struggle with duties, she will step in like she always had done.

Leon grunted as he nervously ran his hands through his hair. It had been a few days since they were taken into Future Foundation's custody. Many thoughts and worries buzzed around in his mind. He didn't know what would happen to him and the rest of the survivors; he had hoped once they escaped the factory they would finally get to go home. But much to his disappointment, Makoto insisted they all remain in Future Foundation headquarters for recovery and questioning.

"To think, we escape from one building we were forced to stay in only to be stuck in yet another one." he grumbled in annoyance.

Having heard the teen's grumbles, Mineko spoke up "I'm sure they'll let us go home soon. These are your friends, Leon. They just want to make sure the killing game hadn't shaken us up too much."

"Though Leon has a point, Mineko." Naoko piped up whilst nervously jogging in place, "We were trapped in that factory for nearly a month. They're kind of making things worse by not letting us go home when that was the one thing on everyone's minds during that nightmare. I'm still worried about what Mono- I mean Kano Sachio told me about my mom. Not being able to go check on her has made me increasingly nervous."

The music composer pursed her lips as she allowed her green eyes to glance down at the floor. She didn't want to worry the others due to promising herself to never be a burden again, but she was worried as well. She couldn't understand why Future Foundation had insisted against them all being returned to their homes. She and her companions had already told everything they could about the killing game Kano forced them to play, she didn't any reason for them to remain in the organization's custody.

Leon frowned slightly upon seeing the teen's guilty expression, he knew she was simply trying to keep everyone's spirits up. He opened his mouth to give her a comforting response, but found himself stopped by the sound of the door opening. He and the rest of his friends turned their attention toward the doorway to see Makoto, Kyoko, and Hina had entered the room with four other individuals. The red-head immediately felt his body tense in response at the sight of the brown-headed man with an ahoge. While it was true he had come to terms with his past with the help of Sayaka, he still experienced those brief moments of regret and guilt.

"What brings the head of Future Foundation and his lackeys to grace us with our presence?" Toshiro asked before receiving a harsh elbow jab to his side from Shizko.

"If you must know, you're all being assigned to a Future Foundation member for recovery. Having experienced killing games ourselves, we know what kind of effect such a deadly experience can have on the mind." Kyoko answered in her usual stern tone.

"Mental recovery, you mean we have to stay here longer?" Isamu asked with a frown.

"We know you all want to go home desperately after such experience, but we just want to make sure you're okay." Makoto insisted, "It should only be a few days, then you'll all finally get to go home."

Leon clenched his teeth in frustration. He knew the hopeful man meant well, but he hated how he could quite fully grasp the situation. During the killing game, they had insured themselves over and over again that it would only be a few more days before their hell would finally end. He knew Makoto was only doing the same protocols Future Foundation had done with the Hope's Peak Academy survivors. But the difference there back then, Makoto and the others had no choice but to stay with Future Foundation due to the Tragedy stealing away their homes. For Leon and the others, the world was peaceful and their homes still intact, nothing was stopping them from being returned to back to their worried families.

While the decision still angered the red-head, it was a decision he had chosen to accept. Besides, he knew Makoto was nothing like Kano or Junko. He may be keeping them away from their homes, but he knew it was because of misguided good intent rather than malicious intentions like the two demented masterminds.

"Now that everyone understands the situation, we'll be telling you which members will be taking custody over each of you. First is Isamu Hama. You'll be under the custody of Kazuichi Soda and, while he's not a Future Foundation member, Gundham Tanaka."

Standing next to the detective was a man in his forties with messy hot pink hair wearing a black beanie, wearing a yellow jumpsuit that with the top half hanging around his waist and a black shirt. He was grinning widely, visible showing his razor sharp teeth. That man was the one know as Kazuichi Soda. Next to him was a man with slicked back black hair that had a large grey streak in it, wearing a royal attire consisting of a long back coat and pants with a white button up shirt and a large red scarf wrapped around his neck. He glared at the group of teens with his gray and red eye, making it clear he was the one name Gundham Tanaka.

"Hey, soul cousin!" Kazuichi greeted happily.

"Soul cousin? Isamu, why is he calling you that?" Naoko asked out of confusion.

Isamu groaned in response as she replied "Remember when I mentioned that my cousin's husband is a dork? That is said dork."

"Oh come on, I'm not a dork. If anything the dork is Gundham over here." the mechanic stated whilst jabbing his thumb toward the animal breeder.

"May I remind you that I am the King of Darkness. If you want your life spared you will not be referring to me as a 'dork'." Gundham snarled in reply.

"Man, why do you have to remind me you're the one married to Miss Sonia." the hot pink haired man grumbled, annoyed at the fact his teenage crush had not returned his feelings.

Ignoring the two men's bickering, Kyoko continue to announce the assigned members. She revealed that Nekomaru Nidai, a big muscled man wearing a blue track suit, had requested for Shizko to be take under his care, wanting to train her so she can overcome her heart disease with training like he had. Her purple eyes glanced over to the sculptor to see her staring in fear. She could easily understand why the teen was so frightened; nearly everyone is easily intimidated by the team manager due to his appearance. But she had confidence the teen would warm up to him, especially with how over friendly he tended to be toward others.

The next person she listed was Yasuhiro Hagakure, a man with brown dreadlocks and glasses, wearing an unbuttoned black suit, would be taking Toshiro into his custody due to no one else being left to do the job. Glancing slightly at the young director, she almost swore she saw his right eye twitching in response, but chose to ignore it. Finishing off the list, she announced that Mineko would be taken under her custody and Leon would be under Makoto's.
Leon's face froze when he heard who would be taking him under custody.

Out of the four survivors that were available for selection, he didn't know why Makoto had chosen him. Confusion filled his mind as he watched each of his friends leave with the member they were charged with, resulting in him to be left in the room alone with Makoto. His heart pounded in a mixture of fear and nervousness, forcing him to swallow a lump that managed to develop in his throat. Not a single word uttered from his mouth as he watched the brown-haired man sit down in the chair next to him. out of reflex, he flinched slightly when the older man smiled slightly at him.

"Leon, you don't need to be so nervous. We already made it clear that I don't blame you for Sayaka's death. Junko had forced both you and Sayaka into a horrible scenario, but that was then." he ensured in a comforting tone.

"I know, I know." Leon sighed, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck, "It's just not an easy thing to get over. Anyways, why did you choose to take me into custody? Is there a reason for that?"

Makoto nodded his head before explaining his curiosity to know what had happened to the nineteen year-old after his execution.
The red-head let out another sigh, leaning his head backwards to stare at the ceiling.

"Right. Figures you would want the whole story. Guess I need to start with the beginning, starting with my parents. To be specific, my rebirth parents, Hisae and Shiro Saisei. Pretty much from what my mom told me, the tale begins the day after I was executed for the whole world to see."